Guest Blogger Larry D. Sweazy

Today's guest blogger is Larry D. Sweazy.Larry won the Western Writers of America (WWA) Spur Award for Best Short Fiction in 2005, and was nominated for a Derringer Award in 2007. He has published more than 40 non-fiction articles and short stories which have appeared in, or will appear in, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine; The Adventure of the MIssing Detective (Best Short Mysteries of 2005); Boy's Life; Hardboiled; Amazon Shorts, and otther publications. Larry’s first novel, The Rattlesnake Season, featuring Texas Ranger Josiah Wolfe, was published by Berkley in October 2009. Three more Josiah Wolfe novels are set to follow with The Scorpion Trail available in April of 2010, The Badger's Revenge in November 2010, and The Cougar's Prey in April of 2011.

Larry lives in Noblesville, Indiana, with his wife, Rose, two dogs, and a cat.

Please join me in welcoming Larry! He'll be checking in today to answer your questions and reply to your comments.


Cross-Genre Mysteries

One of the hottest subgenres in the mystery world today is the Western mystery. Think C. J. Box and Craig Johnson for a start. Both writers are at the top of the list whenever this subject comes up. And it comes up often, at least in the circles I travel in. But those two writers are far from the only ones writing Western mysteries, now or in the past. The question is, are they writing cross-genre mysteries or regional mysteries, and why does it matter in the first place?

“Categories are like walls,” says bestselling author Michael Connelly in a recent Publisher’s Weekly article, “and walls keep people out.”

I wholeheartedly agree, but there are a lot of people who don’t want their mysteries mixed with their westerns, or romances, or science fiction novels, and then there are other people who do. We know categories make it easy for publishers and booksellers to put a book in a certain spot so a reader will find it. How can a reader find a hybrid—a cross-genre mystery? Easy, slap mystery on the spine and it goes in the Mystery section of the bookstore. And readers walk by the other sections (that is, if said imaginary bookstore actually has a section for Westerns) without giving them a glance. I think readers are missing out on some fine writing.

Do you read other genres? And are you surprised when you discover you’re really reading a mystery novel, even though it wasn’t marketed that?

Since I’m obviously focusing on Western mysteries, lets look at a few popular ones. C. J. Box writes the Edgar-award winning Joe Pickett series. Pickett is a game warden in Wyoming. Below Zero, Box’s latest, is the ninth book in the Joe Pickett series. Pickett is an interesting character because he’s pretty normal—married, raising a family, has a decent job, is content without any major demons to battle. His job, however, is one of the major things that makes him interesting. He rides alone with his dog in his pickup covering a huge territory by himself. He doesn’t have a lot of backup, and he has to face the elements of nature, man, and weather alone. Sounds a lot like a cowboy to me. He’s just driving a truck instead of riding a horse (which he does sometimes). There were range wars, water rights, and environmental struggles in the Wyoming of the 1870s.

Question is, if Box would have put Joe Pickett in the past, in the 1870s, would we be talking about him right now?

That question, naturally, brings us to Steve Hockensmith. Hockensmith writes the "Holmes on the Range" mystery series. The two main characters in this series are brothers, “Big Red” and “Little Red” Amlingmeyer. They are fans of Sherlock Holmes and using his methods try their best to employ critical thinking to solve the mysteries they come across. The first book of the series is set in Montana in 1893. This seems to be a true cross-genre mystery, a brilliant intersection of both western and mystery—so why isn’t it in both sections of the bookstore? It’s not. You’ll find it in the mystery section. Would the premise work like C. J. Box’s Joe Pickett series if you changed the time frame, put the Amlingmeyer brothers in modern day Montana? Probably, if they were written as well as they are. I’m just curious why nobody thinks they’re westerns when they really are.

Would the premise work like C. J. Box’s Joe Pickett series if you changed the time frame, put the Amlingmeyer brothers in modern day Montana? Probably, if they were written as good as they are. I’m just curious why nobody thinks they’re westerns when they really are.

Craig Johnson’s Walt Longmire series, also set in modern day Wyoming, is extremely popular right now. His novel, Another Man's Moccasins, won the Western Writers of America (WWA) Spur award for Best Novel in 2009. But it’s a mystery? Well, actually, it’s both, since it’s set in the West. WWA doesn’t categorize by era, but they could.

OK, the mystery field is a diverse playing field. That’s its strength, but it can also be its weakness.

Remember, “Walls keep people out”, which in this case is readers and fans.

Here’s the other side of the coin. Ed Gorman just published another of his Leo Guild westerns, Death Ground. Publisher’s Weekly says, “This is a western for grown-ups, written in a lean, hardboiled style that should appeal to readers who ‘don't read westerns.’” Guild, a bounty hunter, is acting as a bodyguard for a very unpleasant man who is soon murdered, and Guild goes after the killer. It’s not that simple. Gorman’s novels never are. But a dedicated mystery fan, unless they know Gorman’s work in that genre, too, will walk right by the western section and miss a heck of a good book.

Loren D. Estleman is another writer who currently writes both westerns and mysteries. His long-running Page Murdock series about a U.S. Marshal traversing the West shouldn’t be missed by fans of either genre. Port Hazard takes place in San Francisco and has Murdock dodging assassins, an undercover Pinkerton detective, and a dwarf with an attitude. Estleman’s work is always fast-paced, but his true talent is snappy, realistic dialogue. The next Page Murdock novel, The Book of Murdock, comes out in March 2010. You’ll find it only in the Western section.

I could go on about the writers who wrote, or who write, both westerns and mysteries, like Elmore Leonard, Donald Hamilton, and Richard Matheson, to name a few, but that’s a whole other topic—other than to say the cross-genre mix has been going on for a long, long time.

What are some of your own favorite cross-genre mysteries?

Would you consider buying a book “outside” the genre if you knew a specific novel had all of the qualifications (in your mind) to be a mystery novel?

And, finally, what really qualifies a mystery novel to be a mystery? Is it just because the publisher or bookseller said it was one, or is it something else?

What are your rules for a mystery?

So, it’s confession time. I write westerns. But there’s a mystery in each of my novels, a fair whodunnit, red herrings and all. My first novel, The Rattlesnake Season, about Texas Ranger Josiah Wolfe just came out in October. I love both genres, western and mystery. But more than that, I love a good story, and I hope you’ll stop and browse outside the Mystery section the next time you’re in a bookstore. You might be surprised that you’ll find a good mystery in a place you least suspect—like the Old West.

Guest Blogger Lydia Hirt

Every time I moderate a panel, people ask questions about the publishing industry. Today's guest blogger Lydia Hirt is in a good position to share knowledge from behind the scenes. Lydia is the marketing coordinator at the Putnam and Riverhead imprints at Penguin. She works on a wide variety of books including literary fiction, nonfiction, memoirs, historical fiction, and mysteries.

You can find her on Twitter for Putnam and Riverhead, and also on Facebook. Lydia loves talking to people about books and would like to connect with you!

Please welcome Lydia to Meritorious Mysteries!

Guest Blogger Lydia Hirt

I’ve always identified myself as a reader. Growing up, I was the girl on the playground at recess, reading the Mary Higgins Clark I had smuggled from my house while waiting in line for four square. Directly from college I dallied in the advertising industry and was the only one who never saw our commercials air, since I would be reading Patricia Cornwell or Vince Flynn and inevitably ignore the TV. It seemed natural to me to move to NYC, with the sole determination to find a career in the book publishing world.


I now work in Marketing for G. P. Putnam's Sons and Riverhead Books, both imprints at Penguin Group. I consider myself lucky to be surrounded by books every day and the people that produce them. Just last week I saw Sue Grafton in the hall and was celebrity-struck as I scurried into my office, thinking how I had borrowed her first book, A Is for Alibi, from my high school library.




Many other iconic mystery writers have strolled through Putnam’s hallways, known as the “preeminent publisher of thrillers,” including the renowned John Sandford, Clive Cussler, Catherine Coulter, Patricia Cornwell, Tom Clancy, Ridley Pearson, Robert Crais, Robert B. Parker, Daniel Silva…and the list continues.




Books are to me what the sense of smell is to many others – an instant connection to the past along with a thrill of recognition; especially true with mysteries as I really connect with the characters throughout a series. Mystery authors tend to have a very loyal following, as their characters grow and develop along with an audience (I recently wrote about the Genre that Never Dies). Both Grafton and Sandford have been gracing bookshelves with the same characters since the 1980s.

In addition to working with established authors, it’s always a thrill to be part of an author’s career at the beginning. Each writer has a first book—the question of how to reach an audience and get people talking about a new author in a crowded genre full of well-known talents is something that really does keep me up at night and occasionally invades my dreams.


January 7, 2010 marks the release of Finnish author James Thompson’s debut U.S. thriller, Snow Angels. It is the first in a series featuring Inspector Vaara and I’m already looking forward to the next installment. Launching an author has unique challenges, but it’s exciting for both us as the publisher and the first time author (James, for instance, is just lovely), and it’s inspiring to help find deserved success.

People read mysteries for a variety of reasons, and I’m interested in hearing yours. Who are your favorite authors and do you remember what originally drew you to their book? Why do you read mysteries, and can you sleep in the dark when you’re finished (am I the only one that has a hard time falling asleep, imagining noises on my patio)?

Thanks for joining me here on Meritorious Mysteries. Molly, thank you for including me on your wonderful site!

Cheers and happy holidays to all!

Lydia Hirt

Connect with me at my http://www.novelwhore.wordpress.com blog or on Twitter
Do you plan to Buy Books for the Holidays?

HOLLYWOOD MOON by Joseph Wambaugh (Little, Brown)

Nowhere are characters more real than that place we all think we know—Hollywood. Whether it is the officers of Hollywood Station or the bad guys, the scam artists ], or the violent felons, Wambaugh's characters jump off the page. As an ex-LAPD detective sergeant Wambaugh knows how to make it real. You will soon feel as if you are on the streets of LA.

You will meet the veterans and the rookies of the precinct, but the bad guys may be more colorful than the good guys. Our leading bad guy is Dewey Gleason. Dewey is married to Eunice—the brains of their operation. She is the computer hacker and Dewey is the field operator, hiring young college kids and punks to do their scams. An aspiring actor, Dewey uses several disguises when connecting with his runners, so they never know they are dealing with the same person.

On the police side are more aspiring actors, like ‘Hollywood’ Nate and the surfing dudes like Flotsam and Jetsam. Then there are policewomen like Dana Vaughan and Mindy Ling. The action never stops—sometimes you think you need a scorecard to keep track of all the players and whether they're bad or good. The pace is fast, it is real, and it all comes together in Joseph Wambaugh’s latest thriller, Hollywood Moon.

Stephen Bank
Stephen is a librarian at the Cary NC Library

THE DEFECTOR by Daniel Silva (Putnam)

Gabriel Allon is on his own again in Daniel Silva’s latest thriller. Even though it is only six months since his daring escape from Moscow in Moscow Rules, he is again defing Ari Shamron’s order to return to Israel. He is off to London to find out why the defector Grigori Bulganov has suddenly been spirited out of his sanctuary in London. Is Grigori truly a double agent as the British suspect or has he been forcibly taken back to Russia.

Gabriel came within a millimeter of losing his life in saving Grigori, and anti-government journalist Olga Sukhova. They both risked their lives in helping Gabriel bring down the notorious arms dealer Ivan Kharkov. They also brought out of Russia Elena Kharkov, Ivan’s ex-wife, and their two children. Now it appears that they are all on a hit list directed by Kharkov, who seems to have regained his place in the arms world and intends to extract revenge on his enemies.

Gabriel believes that Grigori is not a traitor and he had promised to protect him. So instead of staying in Italy with his beautiful new wife Chiara and returning to restoring precious art works, he is off to London to get to the bottom of Grigori’s disappearance. An assassination attempt in London convinces him that Grigori didn’t return to Russia voluntarily.

Fans of Daniel Silva will enjoy a return to the usual fast-paced world of international espionage and murder as the action moves rapidly among Italy, England, Russia, and Israel.

by Steve Bank,a librarian at the Cary NC Public Library.

Guest Blogger Tracy Kiely

Today, I'm delighted to have Tracy Kiely visit Meritorious Mysteries. I thoroughly enjoyed her debut novel, Murder at Longbourn. when Tracy landed at my table during the 2009 First Novelists panel at Bouchercon, I found her to be as entertaining in person as she was in fiction. I know you'll enjoy Tracy's suggestions for dealing with troublesome relatives.



Tracy will be on hand today to answer questions and comments. This is your chance to share stories about some of your relatives--in complete anonymity, of course!

This Relative for Hire by Tracy Kiely

A strange thing happened last week. While I was diligently plugging away on my third book, I happened to glance away for just a teensy second and during that brief moment of distraction, my muse just up and left. I don’t know if she ducked out for a quick cigarette or what, but I haven’t heard from her in days. Frankly, I’m beginning to suspect that she may have been hit by a bus. Either that or she’s sprawled on a beach somewhere in Cancun.

Two things happened while I was waiting for her to come back:

A) I ate a lot of my kids’ Halloween candy. (Which reminds me; for those of you handing out DOTS and Laughy Taffy, please cease and desist. That stuff is awful. Chocolate--buy chocolate. It’s not for me—-it’s for the kids.)

B) I came across some notes from a mystery writing class that I took years ago. What jumped out at me (other than the fact that I have lousy handwriting) was this bit of advice:

“A mystery must have tension, secrets, and characters that inspire strong feelings – particularly murderous feelings.”

And I thought—-hello!—-change out “The holidays” for “A mystery” and the observation becomes even more apt. I mean, think about it--we are rapidly heading into that time of year when facial tics become a part of our daily existence and why? Because of our families! Those lovely people who drive us to the emotional extremes that keep psychiatrists’ businesses booming. Their weird quirks, their prejudices, their emotional manipulations, hell, in some cases just the way they breathe can send you over the edge.

For instance, I remember the Thanksgiving I was ten. My mother had worn herself out prepping her usual fare; a massive turkey, two kinds of stuffing, yams, potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans, and, of course, a pumpkin pie for dessert. That morning my grandfather insisted on taking us all out to brunch. As he made his third trip to the buffet, my mother laughingly said, “Now, don’t eat too much! Remember to save room for Thanksgiving dinner.”

With a dismissive flick of his wrist, my grandfather grunted, “Freeze it.”

Then there’s the relative who, upon eating one of my hors d'oeuvres last Thanksgiving, spit it out into her napkin and crossed the room to where I was getting dinner ready. She then handed the mess to me, and in that way little kids talk when trying to keep their tongues from touching their mouth, said, “I don’t like this.”

Cute story until you consider the fact that the relative in question is a forty-six-year old.

Okay, perhaps they didn’t exactly inspire murderous feelings (although my mom looked pretty pissed), but they certainly inspired strong feelings. We’ve all heard the advice “write what you know” and it’s pretty good advice. By carefully observing those around you, you can create some really solid characters. Characters that make you feel, make you care, and in some cases, characters that make you giggle with glee when they finally get what’s coming to them.

The problem is when we write what we know, we are tempted to write about the people we know—and if we do write about them, nine times out of ten we are going to get busted.

But, my friends, that’s all about to change because I propose we create a network where frustrated writers who are missing their muses can log in and find their inspiration.

Remember Hitchcock’s Strangers on a Train, where the two men traded murders? Well, instead of trading murders, we trade annoying relative stories! And let’s not limit ourselves; co-workers, bosses, ex-loves are all eligible. It’s a win-win situation. We get to vent and use great material! Should my hors d'oeuvres-spitting relative read about her actions in your book, well, that’s nothing to do with me! And should your Aunt Josephine who lets her dogs eat out of her mouth read about a character eerily similar to her in my book, well, it must be some kind of coincidence, right? Right!

So, tell me your horror stories and I’ll tell you mine. I’m free today as my muse is still MIA. She’s either lying on a hospital bed in a full body cast or on a beach towel sucking down mojitos.

Guest Blogger Tracy Kiely

Tracy Kiely, author of the delightful Murder at Longbourn, will be my guest on Tuesday, November 17. She's got a great suggestion for mystery authors—that "writers trade annoying relatives - that way no one gets busted for using family in their books! Kind of like Strangers on a Train but with characters."

Please join us for a lively discussion.

BRIXTON BROTHERS Book Give-Away

The kind folks at Simon and Schuster have offered three copies of The brixton Brothers: The Case of the Case of Mistaken Identity for me to give to you! This would be a great holiday gift for a favorite youngster!

Because I have trouble being the fourth caller or the tenth person to email, I thought I'd make this easier (for me). Just post a comment to this entry and tell me who your Brixton Brothers reader would be (you don't have to give a name—my sixth-grade nephew is fine) and why s/he would enjoy reading this book. Of course, if the intended reader makes a comment, that's even better.

Be sure I have a way to contact you if you're the winner! If you don't have an email associated with your comment, just email me at mysteryheel [at] mac [dot] com.

If you don't know what I'm talking about, shame on you. I reviewed the book on November 3. Just scroll down, you'll see it.

CONTEST DEADLINE - Sunday, November 22, 12:00 midnight EST

A CADGER'S CURSE by Diane Gilbert Madsen (Midnight Ink)

Reviewing a friend's book is always hard. Telling folks about the book—and the friend—is easy. So, let me tell you how this all started.

Several years ago, I volunteered to be a judge in the St. Martin's Malice Domestic Award contest. The first year, I received more than 50 entries! My office was absolutely full of plain brown envelopes. I wonder what my postman thought I was ordering! As I began reading the manuscripts, I quickly realized there were major differences in the entries. Some were laden with grammatical errors; some were poorly written; many were good beginnings, but needed major polishing; and, a very few, were very, very good—almost ready for publication.

Diane's DD McGil story fell into the latter category. While a traditional mystery, it was high-tech, edgy, and featured a protagonist who was sassy, smart, and brave. In short, she was a lot like VI Warshawski, Sharon McCone, and Kinsey Milhone—and many other contemporary hard boiled female PIs. Comments from publishers were good, but they were, quite simply, looking for the next generation of female sleuths.

Diane and her husband Tom moved from Chicago to Florida, and Diane was caught up in the move and a new job. But. She didn't forget DD McGill and she didn't stop writing. Fortunately,during that time, trends shifted again. A few months ago she called me with great news: Midnight Ink was publishing A Cadger's Curse. It wasn't the same manuscript I'd read, but it featured DD (and I recognized a couple of scenes and situations that were familiar).

Here's the new situation. A few days before Christmas, DD is asked to run background checks on new hires at a high tech company. On her initial trip to the client, she discovers a body. Unbelievably, it's someone she knows. Even as DD continues with the assignment, family holiday plans march on. The Scottish Dragon (Great Aunt Elizabeth) arrives with a bag full of contraband (Scotch whiskey and a genuine(?) Robert Burns manuscript).

As bodies continue to fall, DD must determine whether they're concerning her case or the manuscript.

DD and Auntie Elizabeth head a cast of well-drawn characters involved in a fast-paced mystery that I recommend wholeheartedly. Welcome to my world, Diane and DD!

This book was provided by the publisher.

Thanks, Pat Bertram

Thanks, Pat, for guest blogging yesterday. Thanks, too, to all of you who posted!

Happy reading, everyone!

A DRUNKARD'S PATH by Clare O'Donohue (Plume)

I've read a number of light mysteries lately and have met detectives (all women) who are either caterers, dyers or gardeners. When I saw that this was about quilters, I wasn't excited.
 
Actually the quilting part worked very well. The quilting group gives a reason for the characters to work together to do their detective work. Even though there are a lot of fairly major characters, the author gave each a trait which made her identifiable: one is a grandmother, Kennette is mysterious, another opens a coffee shop.

Less realistic was Rich, the teenager who was regularly committing crimes and always being let off for them. While the crimes were always of the breaking and entering type, I doubt that he would still be on the streets for long in reality.
 
I found the relationship of the protagonist, Nell, and her sort of boyfriend, Jesse, more problematic. With her behavior in the book— constantly interfering in his work and going behind his back—I found it difficult to imagine why he would ever want to continue the romance or whatever it was. I appreciated that they didn't just live happily ever after, but I wondered why he would want to ever continue with her at all.
  
The author writes well and it was an interesting book and, all those facts about quilting were interesting, informative, and non-distracting. I have no more interest in quilting than I did at the start, but I did learn a lot.

—Stephen Hennessey

This book was provided by the publisher.

Guest Blogger Pat Bertram

I'm delighted to welcome Colorado author Pat Bertram as a guest blogger today. Pat's the author of three mysteries, most recently Daughter Am I. Today, she shares some of the notes and thought processes which brought the book to fruition.







I finished writing the first draft of Daughter Am I on February 2, 2005, and after the all subsequent years of rewriting and editing, I’ve managed to forget most of my original ideas. I recently dug out the notebook I kept while writing the novel and was surprised to see all the preparation I did beforehand. I have pages of notes about Chicago, particularly about the section of the city called River North. I hand drew a map of the neighborhood with a star to mark the location of my fictional bar. I even have a description of the bar, though I don’t remember if that description came from a guidebook or my imagination. According to my notes, the bar was originally a speakeasy during prohibition. The building dates from 1872 and has housed a tavern since 1921. The bar retains many of the fixtures from those days, including a brass rail for the feet, an old cash register, and faded ads on the walls.

I noted odd bits of history: both the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre and the FBI shooting of Dillinger took place on North Lincoln Avenue. Serendipity came into play when I discovered that seven bushes mark the spot of the massacre, which is now (or was when I wrote Daughter Am I) a grassy area next to a senior citizens home -- the perfect place for one of my feisty octogenarians to live.

I have many notes about Tombstone, Arizona, though I used very few of them. Apparently, I was quite taken with the Bird Cage Theater because I have a full page of notes about that music hall where Caruso, Sarah Bernhardt, and Lillian Russell all performed. The Bird Cage Theater was also the site of the world’s longest continuous poker game. In all, $10 million dollars exchanged hands. I cannot even fathom how much that would be in today’s dollars. A hundred million? A billion?

I have notes about mileage for Mary’s journey. Denver to Julesburg is 182 miles. Julesburg to Ogallala is approximately 29 miles. Ogallala to York is 231 miles. York to Omaha is 106 miles.

I have a life-size drawing of the gun in Mary’s handbag -- an Astra Cadiz .38 revolver. One of my editors questioned that Mary would feel the extra weight of the gun, but the answer is here in my notes -- the weapon weighs two pounds, so yes, it would be noticeable.

I jotted down bits of dialogue, some of which, like this, never made it into the book:
“He’s good people.”
“What does that mean? That there’s more than one of him?”

I made some cryptic notes, such as: “all roads lead to Cincinnati,” which refers, I think, to the beginnings of the national crime syndicate. And “Covington was the proving ground. When they went to Las Vegas, they already knew how to run big casinos.”

I kept two timelines -- a current one detailing Mary’s journey, and an ancestral one. Her great-grandfather was born in 1901, her grandfather was born on January 16, 1921, her grandmother was born on June 23, 1927. Why such specific dates? I don’t know.

Strangely, I even have detailed character sketches of all my characters. The only reason it’s strange is that I’ve never done that before. But then, I never wrote a book with so many characters who were onstage at all times.

Thank you for indulging me today. I hope you enjoyed leafing through my notes as much as I did.

Guest Blogger Pat Bertram

Pat's new book is Daughter Am I. She'll be blogging here on Tuesday, November 10. Please drop by and meet her.

THE BRIXTON BROTHERS: THE CASE OF THE CASE OF MISTAKEN IDENTITY by Mac Barnett, illus. by Adam Rex (Simon & Schuster)

What a hoot! Twelve-year-old Steve Brixton wants more than anything to become a detective. He's read all 57 of the Bailey Brothers' Mysteries and The Bailey Brothers' Detective Handbook and he can quote from them. He even solves a case that's boggled the entire Ocean Park police department. When a homework assignment involves him in his own case, he's happy to recall Bailey Brothers' maxims—until he realizes he's not nearly as big, as strong, and as old as the Bailey Brothers. The reader, however, realizes he's probably much smarter!

I think this might well be an answer to the prayers of folks who've worked to get young boys interested in reading. Steve Brixton is smart and funny, and he's incredibly realistic to our times. Here's hoping there will be as may Brixton Brothers mysteries as there were Hardy Boys--er Bailey Brothers books!

THE RATTLESNAKE SEASON by Larry D. Sweazy (Berkley)

What a treat it is for me to review this book! I met Larry many years ago at Magna cum Murder in Muncie, Indiana. He showed me a chapter from a mystery manuscript then, and my mouth, literally, dropped open when I finished it. I was surprised to hear from him that he'd written a western for publication, but he assured me that I'd find a mystery in it. I not only found a mystery, but I'm already waiting for the next installment of Texas Ranger Josiah Wolfe.

Wolfe, a young Civil War veteran, answers the call when Captain Hiram Fikes invites him to re-join the Texas Rangers. Their first mission: to capture Charlie Langdon, Wolfe's former deputy and fellow veteran. Things go badly almost from the beginning, and Wolfe has many reasons to reconsider his decision, but loyalty to Fikes and a vision of justice keep him on the job.

After growing up with the cowboy movies and TV shows that glorified the Old West, I was enthralled with a story of the hardships that were part of everyday life and with the politics that affected Reconstruction. I'll be sharing this book with contemporaries who love either mystery or western novels.

First in Series Re-Releases

I know so many people who won't start reading a series if they can't read them in order from the beginning. This often knocks them out of some really good reading. I was happy to find re-issues of the beginnings of two popular series in my mail recently.

Introducing Aunt Dimity, Paranormal Dective by Nancy Atherton (Penguin) is a trade paperback with the first two Aunt Dimity titles, Aunt Dimity's Death and Aunt Dimity and the Duke.

First Degree, Open and Shut, and Play Dead by David Rosenfelt (Grand Central Publishing) are all in paperback (the first two are at a special $4.99 price). This is one of my favorite legal series. Try it—you'll like it.

RIZZO'S WAR by Lou Manfredo (Minotaur)

Joe Rizzo is a veteran cop who lets people think the worst of him—even his new partner, Mike McQueen. Mike was just promoted to detective after saving the mayor's daughter's roommate from a rapist. Rizzo takes a free meal here, overlooks a petty crime there, but exhibits real insights into crime and genuine empathy for victims. Readers spend nearly a year riding with the Brooklyn detectives and meet the Internal Affairs cops who are trying desperately to pin something on Rizzo's former partner, and, by extension, on Joe. We meet Rizzo's family, the wife and daughters who anchor him. McQueen often questions Joe's actions, but the veteran always answers him with a saying from his grandfather: "There's no right, there's no wrong, there just is.

Rizzo's War is compelling, realistic, and cerebral. It's also a winner.

THE BRUTAL TELLING by Louise Penny (Minotaur)

If you haven't yet  discovered Louise Penny's Inspector Gamache series, you are in for a treat. The Brutal Telling, Penny's latest outing, returns to Three Pines, a picturesque  village in Quebec. The novel opens with the telling of a tragic mythical tale which weaves its way through the novel.

Olivier, the charming and successful bistro owner, is rudely awakened to the news that the body of an unknown man has been found in his restaurant. Threatened by the eminent opening of a rival spa and inn, Olivier and his partner, Gabri, are for the first time unsure  of their business and friends in Three Pines. Chief Inspector Gamache and Inspector Beauvoir set up homicide investigation headquarters in the old Railway station.

The return of such memorable characters as poet Ruth Zardo and her sweater wearing duck Rose, is like meeting up with old friends. Clara and Peter Morrow continue their artistic pursuits. Havoc Parra and his family keep secrets about their Czech community. The investigation takes Gamache beyond Three Pines and Montreal to the Queen Charlotte Islands on the Canadian Pacific Coast.

Louise Penny's stories are told in the traditional Agatha Christie mystery style. With the setting as  much a character as dear Inspector Gamache and his team. I personally recommend Penny's series be read  in order for all the intricate back stories to fall in place. Louise Penny's characters, settings, multi-layered plots, and beautiful prose are always a joy to read. Thank you, Ms Penny.

--Karen Kiley

Karen is one of the driving forces in mystery at the Cary (NC) Public Library. This is her first review, but I hope she'll write many more!

Christmas and the Late Bailey Ruth Raeburn

Carolyn Hart

When families gather at Christmas, there can be old resentments, present passions, failed relationships. Yet there are other ghosts of Christmas, memories of happy times and loving faces no longer present, generosity and unselfishness, and, always, the ineffable grace of the Child in the Manger.

This year for me there is also my own special holiday ghost, the late Bailey Ruth Raeburn, who first appeared last fall in Ghost at Work. Bailey Ruth’s new adventure - Merry, Merry Ghost - is a Christmas mystery.

And oh what a glorious, happy, rollicking time I spent with my impetuous, redheaded ghost.

I’ve truly never had as much fun writing as I have had in penning three tales about Bailey Ruth. (Ghost in Trouble will be published in Fall 2010.) I first met Bailey Ruth in Ghost at Work as she swung around a cumulous cloud on her way to apply at Heaven’s Department of Good Intentions to return to earth to help someone in trouble. When she was a young girl, she was rescued from drowning. She went on to have a long and happy life. In Heaven, she realizes she would like to help someone in turn.

Her association with the Department and Wiggins, its supervisor, has its ups and downs. Bailey Ruth is impetuous, impulsive, and scarcely ever met a rule that she wouldn’t ignore if she felt the circumstances warranted. She well understands this is likely why she hasn’t been called for a second assignment.

However, she decides to try again, this time vowing that she will be careful, circumspect, avoid appearing (Wiggins frowns upon emissaries appearing), and generally remain unobtrusive.

When she arrives at the Department of Good Intentions, Wiggins admits she’s been on his mind for a particular assignment because she loves Christmas. Bailey Ruth, true to her impulsive nature, responds immediately in this passage from Merry, Merry Ghost:

I was swept by that wonderful feeling of the season when workaday cares recede and we glimpse a world bright with love. “Ooh. Christmas.” Every Christmas Eve, Bobby Mac (a robust tenor) and I (an energetic soprano) entertained Rob and Dill with our duet of “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer” as we pulled a sled laden with gifts into the living room. A two-foot tall stuffed reindeer with a shiny red nose was harnessed to the sled.
I came to my feet, quickly attired in my best Mrs. Claus suit and floppy red Santa hat, and belted out my most spirited version of Rudolph. Tap was popular when I was young and the wooden floor of the station a perfect venue. . . . four slap ball changes, four shuffle hop steps, a shuffle off to Buffalo . . . Sweeping off my Santa hat, I ended with a flap cramp roll and a graceful bow.

Flushed with success, I lifted my gaze to Wiggins.

He sat, brown eyes wide, expression bemused.

Had the man never seen a hoofer before? Had I blown any chance for adven - to be of service? Had my impetuous nature once again landed me in trouble?

So, yes, Bailey Ruth loves Christmas, and Wiggins dispatched Bailey Ruth to her beloved hometown of Adelaide. I hope you will enjoy going home for the holidays with Bailey Ruth as she protects a little boy, assists a determined grandmother, encourages young lovers, and corrals a killer in time to put the sparkle back in Christmas.

Happy Holidays!

Carolyn Hart

To learn more about Carolyn Hart, vist her website.

Katy Munger (aka Chaz McGee)

Katy, urr Chaz, will be at Quail Ridge Books & Music in Raleigh Friday night, Sept. 25, at 7:30 to talk about her new book Desolate Angel. She's bringing along her friend Joe Newberry, an old-timey & bluegrass musician, who will play the song he wrote by the same name as the book. I hope to see lots of friends at this fun event!

Carolyn Hart

Carolyn will be a guest blogger tomorrow, Friday, September 25. She'll write about holidays, her newest protagonist, Bailey Ruth Rae Raeburn, and the second Bailey Ruth mystery Merry, Merry Ghost. Please join us!

THE LAW OF SECOND CHANCES by James Sheehan (St. Martin's Paperbacks)

I just got an email from James Sheehan. The sequel to the fabulous Mayor of Lexington Avenue has just come out in mass market paperback. If you've not met Sheehan's protagonist, Jack Tobin, there's no better time to get acquainted. Both books are now available for less than the cost of a movie and popcorn—and far more satisfying!

SCARY STUFF by Sharon FIffer (Minotaur)

Antiques picker Jane Wheel's family is front and center in this latest outing. While visiting her brother in California Jane learns he is being accused of swindling folks on eBay. On a stop to visit her parents at their EZ Way Inn on the way home, she offers to help Swanette, an old customer who is moving to a retirement apartment, determine if her family's collections are worth selling. They are.

Before Jane and Tim (her best friend and successful antiques dealer) can begin to sort through the house and several barns, Nellie, Jane's mom, takes her to a fully decorated Halloween house and introduces her to elderly Cousin Ada, "Her hair hung to her waist, gray and knotted, and her hands were as gnarled as the roots of those oaks… One held…a knife. It was a large, gleaming silver knife, with an evil serrated blade, pointed directly at Jane.

From one case of, hopeful mistaken identification, and two opportunities for her antiques business, events soon provide Jane with three cases for her new private detective career. Readers will realize they've learned a lot about the "junk" in their attics.

Joyce & Jim Lavene Featured

I knew this husband and wife team had been writing great mysteries together, but I didn't know how it all began. Cabarras Now Magazine gives a great profile on the two.

Joyce and Jim came to our daylily farm and gave a great program about poisonous plants soon after their first Peggy Lee garden mystery was published. Time surely flies—their fifth, A Corpse for Yew, was released this spring. The second in their Renaissance Fair series, Ghastly Glass, is on my nightstand now.

Craig Johnson…

just posted on Facebook that he's doing a "happy dance." Another Man's Moccasins just won the Mountain and Plains Independent Bookseller's Fiction Book of the Year. Congratulations, Craig!

If you've not read this wonderful series, what are you doing on the computer?

The Lipstick Chronicles has a new look!

Mystery lovers know it's not good to believe in coincidence. That said, I added a series of "favorite links" to my page this weekend. Today I got two invitations via Facebook to see The Lipstick Chronicles' new look. Coincidence? I think not. Join me in checking out this updated site—today on "Manly Mondays," TLC welcomes Gregg Hurwitz.

Even if you don't read everything, it's worth a look for the cool 1950s artwork!

MURDER AT LONGBOURN by Tracy Kiely (Minotaur)

Every so often a new author comes along with a book that propels the reader along from beginning to end. Such is the case here. Fans of Jane Austen have already latched on to it—both the protagonist and others in the story are big Austen fans who quote her often, but for story form, I think the style is straight from Georgette Heyer. The situations are similar to Heyer's Regency books, but the content is definitely 21st century.

Elizabeth Parker faces the New Year without her two-timing boyfriend so she accepts an invitation to a murder mystery party at Great Aunt Winnie's new Cape Cod B&B. There she meets a drop dead gorgeous Englishman, a couple who own a New York antiques business, and her childhood nemesis, Peter McGowan. Guests at the party include the nasty millionaire who covets Winnie's B&B, his trophy wife and his cold daughter as well as two septuagenarian women-one wealthy, one poor.

Mystery readers will not be surprised when the murder party turns real. They will, however, enjoy the entertaining rest of the story. This debut has "Agatha" written all over it!

SWAN FOR THE MONEY by Donna Andrews (Minotaur)

When Donna told my husband and me she was setting a book at a flower show, even Noel got interested in mysteries. When she asked me if I'd like to be a character in the book, I was delighted. Sure enough, the rose show that Meg Langslow is asked to coordinate works right into her parents' new hobby, but it has her running from swans, climbing fences, dodging goats, and finding bodies. Meg's wacky family has brought us all a lot of laughs over the years, and this outing is no exception. Their wackiness is balanced nicely by the eccentricity of the wealthy Mrs. Winkleson who owns the estate where the Caerphilly Garden Club's first rose show will be held. (Mrs. Winkleson is sponsoring the prize for the blackest rose at the show. Meg soon learns that Mrs. Winkleson also has a thing for black horses, swans, and decor.)

The story moves from one calamity to the next, but somehow they all seem plausible. The goings on at the rose show are spot on for flower shows—except I've never heard of anyone's discovering a body! Swan for the Money deserves a spot at the head table!

FACE TIME/AIR TIME by Hank Phillippi Ryan (Mira)

Ryan won the Agatha Award for her debut Prime Time and I was delighted to catch up with her protagonist, Charlie McNally. Like Ryan, Charlie is an Emmy-winning investigative reporter.

In Face Time, Charlie gets an opportunity for an exclusive story with the Constitutional Justice Project as they try to prove "Deadly Dorie" Sweeney (who, by the way confessed to killing her husband) is innocent. The CJP's new evidence turns up just as Oscar "Oz" Ortega, who just happens to have been the lead prosecutor in Sweeney's case, announces his candidacy for governor.

Charlie's juggling of her career with her new love life and visiting her mother who's in town for cosmetic surgery add comic relief to the very real concerns of finding the truth behind the crime.

In Air Time, Charlie and Franklin, her long-suffering producer, are on the trail of fake designer purses. Turns out, the high fashion industry is a hotbed of grand larceny, organized crime, and murder. Making their job tougher, a young consultant has the ear of the news director, and she's trivializing their hard-hitting news story with cute puns and artificial deadlines.

While both stories are highly entertaining quick reads, they also bring the reader into the world of journalism and investigative reporting. Journalists who go undercover to reveal the truth behind these stories really do put themselves at risk. Ryan relates the true picture in entertaining, well-plotted mysteries. More, please!

A BAD DAY FOR SORRY by Sophie Littlefield (Minotaur)

Stella Hardesty has something of a split personality: By day she runs a sewing/sewing machine repair shop and by night she tracks down abusive husbands and boyfriends and teaches them a lesson. She knows firsthand there is little recourse for abused women other than moving to a shelter. Stella wants more for them—much more. She wants them to have respect and upkeep. Her most recent client, Chrissy, simply wants help with her piece-of-trash husband. Roy Deen shouldn't be much of a problem, but then he disappears with Chrissy's two-year-old son. Very quickly, things turn ugly. Stella is sure she's in over her head, but it's too late to find a boat.

I don't usually like to be in the head of people outside the law—and Stella is definitely outside the law, but Stella is right: Somebody has to do something to help these women. You, too, will find yourself saying under your breath, "You go, Stella!"

Interview: Craig Johnson & William Kent Kruger

If you ever wonder why I'm always including these two guys in my library programs, take a look at this excellent interview—then dash to your favorite independent bookseller and stock up on their fabulous books!

SAND SHARKS by Margaret Maron (Grand Central Publishing)

You can tell by the title—Deborah Knott won't spend much time in Colleton County in this outing. Like most Maron fans, I was a bit disappointed to see the judge leave my favorite spot, but that didn't last. Deborah goes to the North Carolina coast for a judges' conference and some of the home folks are there with her. It doesn't take long for a body to turn up—one who in North Carolina parlance, "needed killing," so there are plenty of suspects. Deborah is drawn into the hunt for the killer, and while she's sleuthing, the readers get to visit some outstanding Wilmington restaurants, learn about the state's movie industry, and meet someone from Deborah's past.

Admittedly, I'm a huge Margaret Maron fan. In fact, I buy these books and give them to a lot of folks who've recently moved to or visited North Carolina so they'll understand what we Tarheels are all about. That said, I think this is the best non-Colleton County book yet. It's summer. If you can't come to an NC beach in person, this is the next best thing!

THE FITZGERALD RUSE by Mark de Castrique (Poisoned Pen Press)

Iraq amputee Sam Blackman has just opened a new detective office in Asheville with new partner and love of his life, Nakayla Robertson. Before they can even get their furniture placed, they get a case—which, truth be told, doesn't appear to require exceptional skills to handle. Appearances are deceiving, however, and soon the pair is surrounded by dead bodies, death threats, old people, and literary icons.

Once again, de Castrique uses his extensive knowledge of Asheville, its families, and, this time, the Jazz Age to give a contemporary story a sense of nostalgia. The Jazz Age connection to Asheville is F. Scott Fitzgerald, who stayed at Asheville's Grove Park Inn during the summers of 1935–1936.

The story is lively, conditions are compelling, and the mystery incredibly clever. Match your wits against Sam's.

Mark de Castrique will be in the Triangle with the NC Men of Mystery Tour. (See listing on Meritorious Mysteries July 25.)

A SLICE OF MURDER by Chris Cavender (Kensington)

If you don't like to wait 50 pages for your first body, this one's for you! "911? I need to report a murder," it starts—and the pace doesn't slow down after that! Eleanor Swift, North Carolina widow, owns a pizza restaurant, and she's not above making deliveries when she's short staffed. That's how she discovers the body.

Eleanor had slapped the deceased at the Harvest Festival last fall after he made a pass at her. In the mind of the police, that gave her a motive for murdering him now. That's how she becomes interested in solving the crime.

Eleanor and her often-flighty sister Maddy make a great detective team as well as great pizza. Just like in a well-seasoned recipe, this book is peppered with a bit of romance, a dash of humor, and a full portion of solid crime solving. Buon appetito!

Chris Cavender (aka Tim Myers) will be in the Triangle with the NC Men of Mystery Tour. (See listing on Meritorious Mysteries July 25.)

DeKOK AND THE MASK OF DEATH by Baantjer (Speck)

The "Dutch Conan Doyle" has done it again. Two young women are reported missing under mysterious circumstances: They are accompanied to the hospital for a blood test and vanish. The hospital personnel deny ever having seen them. As DeKok (with a K-O-K) and his young partner Vledder investigate, things become cloudier, not clearer. When DeKok's feet show signs of tiring, he knows the cases are going poorly. Eventually, with steady investigation, knowledge of the Amsterdam underworld, and a keen intellect…

Each of the Inspector DeKok stories is a jewel. This one shines like its peers.

THE CUTTING by James Hayman (Minotaur)

Sometimes you just can't get away from it. Detective Michael McCabe thought he'd done it. After all, how could Portland, Maine compare to homicide in Manhattan. Of course, that was before the body of a young teenager was found with her heart surgically removed from her body. Then, amazingly, a young woman disappears on the same day the body is found. Portland's crime rate is soon to skyrocket. The Cutting is a hard-hitting police procedural with no quirky characters or comic relief. It is the story of a horrific crime spree and the efforts of a caring detective who works desperately to end it. Michale McCabe is a cop you'd want on your side if the unthinkable happened to you or your family.

ROYAL FLUSH by Rhys Bowen (Berkley)

Being thirty-fourth in line to the throne doesn't convey wealth (witness the shabby gentility of Bowen's protagonist Lady Georgiana), but it does open some rather grand doors. When customers of Georgie's house-cleaning business leave London for the country, she has to find another source of income—quickly. Planning to advertise herself as a witty dinner companion (for pay), in her naivety, she misrepresents herself with near-dangerous results.

To get her out of the limelight, Georgie is sent in disgrace to her ancestral home, Castle Rannoch, in Scotland where she's doomed to endure her spineless brother, Binky, and his ramrod stiff wife, Fig. The Castle is hosting a house party of Americans, and Her Majesty offers Georgie an opportunity to redeem herself: All she has to do is keep Wallis Simpson from seducing the Prince of Wales.

This delightful cozy offers an entirely different view of the woman I saw Edward R. Murrow interview many years ago on Person to Person. Somehow, I believe Bowen's version is closer to reality.

THE DARK HORSE by Craig Johnson (Viking)

I became a fan of Sheriff Walt Longmire when I read The Cold Dish. Every succeeding book has confirmed my good opinion of Craig Johnson's writing. Not only are his characters compelling, each story is completely different—no changing the characters and altering the situations here. In this latest outing, a young woman confesses to killing her husband (all reports suggest that, as we say in the South, he needed killing). Walt doesn't believe she did it, and he puts himself at risk, both personally and professionally, to prove it. His efforts take him to places he left behind, embroil him with people who are trying to kill him, and to levels of personal courage to which no one should have to travel.

The Dark Horse is a complicated mystery that deserves a reader's time to concentrate on its wonders. Beautifully written, it lingers in one's mind.

MURDER OF A ROYAL PAIN by Denise Swanson (Obsidian)

I've been reading the Scumble River mysteries since Denise began writing them, and I truly believe this is my favorite. School psychologist Skye Denison has to face her own fears when she's compelled to take part in a Halloween fund-raiser. Turns out her fears are justified when she stumbles over a body. Discovering the murderer is complicated by pushy moms battling for their daughters' being prom queen, an ingratiating new social worker, and Skye's love life—which is more complicated than usual.

If you're not already a Scumble River fan, I suggest you check out this Agatha-nominated series, beginning with Royal Pain. New readers won't miss a step—every character is introduced completely enough for you to read without question.

Marcia Talley Short Story Free On Line

I got an exciting email from my friend Marcia Talley this week. Her short story, "Can You Hear Me Now?," which is featured in Elizabeth's George's new collection Two of the Deadliest: New Tales of Lust, Greed and Murder was selected by Harper Collins as the story that pops up, full text, when you click Read Excerpt on the Sony ebooks website. I just read it—it's a story of our time. I think you'll enjoy it!

TRUST ME by Jeff Abbott (Dutton)

I've been following Jeff Abbott since he's been writing mysteries, and I can say without reservations that he develops some of the most compelling characters I've ever met! I never start one of his books without allowing time to finish it in one reading. His newest outing introduces Luke Dantry, a psychology graduate student at the University of Texas. Luke's parents are dead, but he's very close to his step dad, whose Washington think tank works with the government to identify terrorist groups. As part of his research, Luke joins his stepfather's efforts.

Because this is a thriller, you know things will go wrong—terribly wrong. Abbott takes his readers on a roller coaster ride that must be experienced firsthand.

I'm not the only reader who wants to share this book. Check here for a review in the Dallas Morning News.

Summer Reading Suggestions

Looking for a good mystery? Try my Summer Reads.

NC Men of Mystery

Get ready! I'm pleased to announce a tour of six—count 'em SIX—North Carolina men mystery writers will be together in the Triangle for a mini tour. Tim Myers asked me to help make this happen, so I sent emails to Robert K, Brown, Mark deCastrique, Bryan Gilmer, A. J. Hartley, and J. D. Rhoades asking if they were interested. To my great surprise and delight, all of them accepted. You're all invited to a venue near you.

Saturday, August 8
2:00 McIntyre's, Fearrington Village, Pittsboro
Note: A. J. Hartley will not be at this event

Monday, August 10
2:00 West Regional Library, Cary
7:00 Page-Walker Arts & History Center, Cary, sponsored by the Cary Public Library

Tuesday, August 11
12:00 Eva Perry Library, Apex — (Brown Bag Lunch)

This is sure to be a lively panel. I hope to see you there!

Alexandra Sokoloff Wins Thriller Award

One of the nicest ladies to come from the West Coast to Raleigh just sent a modest announcement. Her story, "The Edge of Seventeen," in The Darker Mask anthology, has won the International Thriller Writers Thriller award for Best Short Fiction.

Alex's newest book The Unseen is one you want to read with a good friend in the room and you don't want to read after dark!

Alex will have a radio interview with Randy Walker on WSGE-FM which airs Monday, July 20, from 6:00 to 6:30 EST.

She'll be at The Regulator Bookshop in Durham on Wednesday, July 22, at 7:00 for a reading and signing. Alex will also be at the Cary Barnes & Noble Mystery Book Club for a discussion and signing on July 27, at 7:00.

To keep up with Alex's schedule, check her website.

210 Mystery Trip to Devon, Cornwall & Bristol

I got an email from mystery friend Kathy Ackley yesterday that she asked me to share with others in the mystery community. Here's her note:

Hello,

I wanted to tell you about a new mystery trip that I'm planning for May 16-25, 2010. This trip to Devon, Cornwall, and Bristol trip will be quite different from my London/Oxford trip. We will stay in the Grand Hotel in Torquay, where Christie spent her honeymoon, and the Bristol Marriott Royal Hotel; we'll have a Blue Badge guide for all tours (including the same guide who does Smithsonian's mystery trips for the pre-CrimeFest tour in Devon and Cornwall); and we will have John Curran as our guide for Christie's home, Greenway, in Torquay. Curran was a consultant on the refurbishment of Greenway and is author of a new book on Christie due out in the fall. Writer and critic Peter Guttridge will give a talk on Holmes, and we are still negotiating for an expert on DuMaurier.

CrimeFest in Bristol began several years ago when Left Coast Crime was held there. That conference was so successful that the organizers have decided to have an annual mystery & crime conference in Bristol and it, too, has been well attended. Guest authors confirmed so far include Colin Dexter and M. C. Beaton.

Please note that there are only 6 single sea view rooms in Torquay, so we're assigning them on a first-come, first-served basis, though there are many single rooms elsewhere in the hotel. All people sharing a room will be in sea-view twin-bedded rooms, and of course will avoid the single supplement in Bristo

Also, we have had a very strong response to this trip and will have to limit participants to 30.

Attached are files describing the trip. I have a PDF file of the Factsheet if you can't open these, and I am happy to mail paper copies if you prefer.

Please e-mail for more information or go to my website or the website for CrimeFest.

Thanks,
Kathy
kackley@kconline.com

MURDER UNDER A MYSTIC MOON by Yasmine Galenorn (Berkley)

Galenorn is authentically motivated to write about Woo-Woo Land as she has been in the craft for 25 years and knows whereof she speaks. This is obvious as the reader is taken into the energetic reality that is invisible to most people. The main protagonist (there are several) is Emerald O'Brien, owner of the Chintz and China Tea Room, who offers tea and petit fours as standard fare, but on the side offers not-so-standard fare—namely tarot readings and other helpful things like seeing auras and sensing energies that could have disastrous effects on people. She's a single mom of two precocious kids (14 and 9), business woman, good friend, lover, seer, and all-round honorable, spunky, and courageous woman.

The plot is a good one and the many subplots reveal the interesting complexities of life. The stories are woven together well and there are many interesting characters that dot the landscape of the story line. For example, there's a biker enclave nearby and as we meet individuals from this group, we are reminded again that the cover doesn't always reflect the content of the book accurately. There are romantic interests that keep us rooting for true love. There are wonderful neighbors who express our need for community. There are bad guys who cause trouble in big and small ways. There are shallow, rude, annoying characters whom we want to throttle. There are ideals and values and principles. There are myths and magic and moments of mystery that remind us that there is more to life than the obvious. We get glimpses of Dreamtime, the aboriginal concept that many think is not real, but is. Emerald balances her psychic abilities and "normal" life with grace and grit, and we are given peaks at the ways in which witches use their abilities for the good of the earth and its inhabitants. Life is a composite of the primal and the routine, of the high joys and low traumas, the incredible and the boring and everything else in between. This world is driven by greed and fear and although this isn't a primary or obvious thrust in this book, the lessons for this are there to be learned. The price we pay for our fears and greed can be seen in the way the lives of the characters unfold. It goes without saying that we can and should learn something from every experience, and we need to honor the possibilities inherent in the invisible reality which we, literally and metaphorically, can't see. Keep an open mind and allow the possibility for the invisible to touch your life. This book has much to offer, and it's a good read.


—Diane Esterly

SECONDHAND SPIRITS by Juliet Blackwell (New American Library)

For all wannabe witches or just those who are curious about witchy things, this is a fun and funny book. Lily Ivory is a semi-witch who is not sure about her powers. She never finished training with her grandmother and she finds herself in situations that make her wish she had. Her witchy ways have made her feel left out and alien, but she is determined to make friends and become "normal" by opening a legitimate business in San Francisco. She wants only to be accepted by people and so she tries to hide her witchy ways, but, of course, that is impossible. She is who she is. Aunt Cora's Closet, a vintage clothing store, seems to be a natural for her. Her store is a success and she is slowly becoming part of a community. Naturally, though, her paranormal abilities lead her on various excursions—both funny and dangerous—into the otherworldy spheres of reality. Lily loves her store because she can sense vibrations from the past from the clothing and jewelry, and she has a knack for fashion that attracts customers, both innocent and malevolent. Aunt Cora's Closet is a hit, but when a client is murdered and a child disappears from the Bay Area nearby, she may be the only one who can unravel the crime. Two men, one a sexy "myth buster" and the other a powerful male witch, offer complications and drama.

All the characters here are likable and pretty well drawn. Murder aside, this is a good, fun story. As is true with all of us, Lily has to confront her abilities and weaknesses and try to find a way to live meaningfully and compassionately with her God-given traits. For those who want to learn a little bit about the paranormal, this is a good way to do it. It's not overloaded with spells and magic, but it gives the reader some insight into the ways of those who have psychic abilities and the ways in which invisible reality interacts with the visible.

—Diane Esterly

SWORN TO SILENCE by Linda Castillo (Minotaur)

When I read an advance copy of Sworn to Silence, I knew it was one of those books. In the first place, I literally couldn't put it down. It's a little hard to read while loading the dishwasher, but where there's a will…

Today's edition of "The Labyrinth," Minotaur's monthly newsletter, has a letter from the author introducing her debut novel. Linda Castillo describes the chilling story far better than I could.

How far would you go to keep a secret? What if keeping that secret threatened your safety? What if it threatened the lives of the townspeople you've sworn to protect and serve? These are some of the questions Chief of Police Kate Burkholder must ask herself in my debut thriller, SWORN TO SILENCE.

The book is the first in a series set in bucolic Painters Mill, which is in the heart of Ohio's Amish Country. I've always loved stories that juxtapose good and evil, and I couldn't have asked for a more fitting locale. The tranquil beauty of Painters Mill and the gentle hearts of the Amish stand in stark contrast to the evil stalking the town.

Kate is a far cry from your typical cop. Born Amish, she chose the "English" way of life over her Amish roots after a life altering event during her teens. She's a troubled, complicated and imperfect woman-with a harrowing secret that pits her on a very personal level against a depraved adversary she may have faced once before. Throw in a rogue state agent and a town council full of politicos, and Kate has her hands full.

If you like edgy thrillers chock full of ambiguous characters, SWORN TO SILENCE will fit the bill.

Take a tip from me: Don't start this before bedtime!!!

ROADSIDE CROSSES by Jeffrey Deaver (Simon & Schuster)

A killer is loose on the Monterey Peninsula in Jeffrey Deaver’s latest thriller. A book as current as the Internet and the cyberspace, we love and hate. A book immersed in the alternate universe where so many fans disappear. Around the world millions of players of these violent games can’t always tell the real world from the game world, where they spend so many hours. Kathryn Dance is an investigator specializing in kinesics, the ability to read the body language we all emit.

She is in the hunt for Travis Brigham, a young man determined to kill everyone who bullied him on the internet blog The Chilton Report. Kathryn's personal and professional life already full, but she must put all her energy into capturing Brigham. The first two attempts to kill two of the bullies have just missed and the potential victims have survived, but now a third person just tangentially aligned with the case has been murdered. Kathyrn is racing the clock to catch the killer before there are more victims. With her partner, Michael O’Neill and computer expert Jon Boling, Kathyrn must follow the clues to catch a killer. Deaver actually uses real websites to entice his readers into helping to solve the crime.

Stephen Bank, Cary (NC) Public Library

LONG LOST by Harlan Coben (Dutton)

Myron Bolitar is hopscotching all over Europe trying to help an ex-girl friend he hasn’t seen in years—in Harlan Coben’s latest book, Long Lost.

It was a 5 a.m. phone call from Terese Collins that got Myron’s attention. With no detailed explanation—just a plea to "come to Paris" and instructions to get on an Air France jet leaving JFK that night and meet her at her hotel, the d’Aubusson. It has been a decade since Myron and Terese hooked up, but he remembered a spectacular few days with her on an island near Aruba. Myron has had only three true loves in his life and Terese was #2. Since his ongoing relationship with Ali (love #3) has hit a rough spot, Myron decides to head for Paris. It doesn’t take long for him to be enmeshed in the murder investigation of Terese’s ex-husband. Picked up by a special branch of the French police, Myron is released but more confused and intrigued then ever. He certainly will not desert Terese , but he knows he will need the assistance of his powerful best friend Win and the help of his staff back in New York, Esperanza and Big Cindi. Fans of Coben will recognize the gang that has played significant roles in past thrillers. It will an exciting roller coaster, but this time it will be Europe that is the background for Coben’s latest adventure, not the familiar scenery of New York or New Jersey.
—Steve Bank

WITHOUT A GRAVE by Marcia Talley (Severn House)

Hey, mon, if you don't get a chance to visit the islands in person this year, here's a great way for armchair travel. Hannah Ives and her Naval Academy husband are spending time in the Bahamas while he's on sabbatical. They're enjoying he tranquil, laid back island lifestyle and their congenial neighbors but soon find that there's trouble in paradise. A huge, luxury resort community is being built which threatens the island's delicate coral reef. As the battle between the builders and the islanders ensues, a terrible forest fire reveals a body. A subsequent hurricane leaves another. Hannah and her spunky neighbor, Molly Weston, must use all their detecting skills to solve the crimes.

One of Talley's strengths, for me, is a realistic look at how crime effects ordinary people who encounter bad situations. Even in the face of adversity, life and family must go on. This makes her stories much more believable for me.

Guest Blogger - Larry Kaplan

I'm pleased to welcome guest blogger Larry Kaplan today. Larry's a new writer with a terrific new book out, House of Ghosts. Please join me in welcoming Larry!