What School Elective Are You?

Your Elective is Foreign Language

You have always been curious about the world, and you like to learn as much about other cultures as possible. Foreign language is a great way for you to learn about another culture... and maybe even experience some travel! Plus, speaking a language only a few friends know can be useful in an institutional environment. You love the idea of having your own little enclave in the middle of school - especially if it includes croissants.

What School Elective Are You?


When I went to school, French and Spanish were available. I took them both, and enjoyed them both! 


 

@ The Poisoned Pen with Denise Mina!

As we were driving to the event at my favorite bookstore, The Poisoned Pen, I said something to Denis that undoubtedly made him think I was a bubble off plumb. What did I say? Well....

I mentioned that one of the main reasons why I'd been looking forward so much to seeing Denise Mina wasn't just because she's one of my favorite authors, it was because I wanted to hear her speak.

"Homesick" was the best word I could find to describe how I feel when I don't hear Scots or English accents around me. (Watching British films and television doesn't always cut the mustard.) Now y'all are convinced that I'm certifiable, too-- aren't you? How can I be homesick for Scots and English accents when I'm an American who's lived in the United States my entire life? Don't worry. I think I'm a bubble off plumb, too-- and I have a spirit level to prove it.

"If the story's interesting, you don't need..."

L to R: Denise Mina and Patrick Milliken

There was an extra buzz of anticipation in the bookstore as bookstore owner Barbara Peters stepped out to say a few words. It was good to see that happy wanderer Barbara is still sticking to her resolution not to travel during The Poisoned Pen's twenty-fifth anniversary. Leaving us with, "I really wish I could wear my hair like Denise does, but with my limp locks I could use an entire container of mousse or gel, and it still wouldn't cooperate!" Barbara turned the evening over to Denise Mina and Patrick Milliken.

From hair to dress to shoes to jewelry, it was obvious that Denise is a person who follows her own drummer, and the second she opened her mouth, I was in heaven. Seriously... I could've kidnapped her just to have her read me all her books! Fortunately I'm not the kidnapping kind (and I didn't want to put her behind on the books she's writing).

Milliken began by congratulating her on her Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award for The End of the Wasp Season, and then talk moved to her last book, Gods and Beasts. "The book is based on a big sex scandal in Scotland," Mina told us. The scandal involved an extremely popular "man of the people" who was allegedly taking part in orgies in sex clubs. He sued the newspapers for libel and won. He was then charged with perjury and sent to prison. Two days before Gods and Beasts came out, the man was released from prison and proceeded to sue everyone for libel again. Denise had to rewrite her entire book to ensure that she would not be among those who were sued.

First published in 1998, Denise Mina won an award for that very first book, Garnethill, and the next two books in the trilogy put her on the map. Her next trilogy centered on Paddy Meehan, a young female crime reporter in Glasgow. That trilogy is the basis for a BBC television series called "Field of Blood," and the young actress portraying Paddy won a BAFTA Award for her performance. (I've watched it, and it's excellent.)

Alex Morrow & The Red Road

Denise Mina

In talking about her series featuring Glasgow police detective Alex Morrow, Mina agreed when Patrick observed that Alex is more of a supporting or recurring character than she is a protagonist. "Yes, you could almost consider these books a series of short stories that interweave," Denise said. "If the story's interesting, you don't need someone having a breakdown in each book. It only took me seven books to realize that!"

The Red Road takes place around the night that Princess Diana died, a night that Mina calls the UK's "JFK moment."

"Regardless who you are or where you were, it seems that everyone wants to share what they were doing when they heard the news about Diana," Denise said. "There wasn't the same hysteria about her death in Scotland as there was in England, although we were sad that a young woman had died, leaving two wee boys without their mother."

Like Gods and Beasts, The Red Road is also based on a real criminal case, this one involving a police woman testifying that a thumb print admitted as evidence was not from the actual crime scene. The police woman was fired, but she could prove that she was right. She sued and won substantial damages.

Milliken mentioned something that I love about Mina's writing: "the amount of compassion that you show for the damaged characters." Denise thanked him and said, "I've found that fascinating ancillary characters give a fresh perspective to the story."

"I KNOW YOUR FATHER!"

Barbara Peters with 2 books by Pat McIntosh

Mina talked a bit about her home city of Glasgow. "Glasgow is a very mixed city. There are no gated communities, and only three suburbs where it's possible for you to live 'separately'. You meet people from all walks of life in Glasgow, and your circle of acquaintance can be a very wide one. I actually know of someone who was being chased by several thugs and managed to get away by screaming, 'I KNOW YOUR FATHER!' at them."

She continued to speak of her city: "Glasgow was a heavily industrial city, but after a forty-year recession, it became a very poor city and a center of radical politics.  At one time, The Gorbals was considered one of the worst slums in the world... until someone got the bright idea of moving the poor out of the city center to the outskirts and separating them from the rest of the city by ring roads.

"Glasgow was the first city to be regenerated by the arts. The major part of it was thrown up during the Industrial Revolution, and no one thought to tear down the medieval parts of the city, which is wonderful for us now and for our history."

It was at this particular moment that Barbara Peters apologized for breaking in and walked up front holding two books-- two of the excellent historical mysteries written by Pat McIntosh that take place in medieval Glasgow.  Since I'd been sitting there thinking about McIntosh, it seems Barbara and I were on the same wavelength.

"A book's a book. A film's a film."

Milliken steered the interview back toward film.  Mina is very pleased with the film adaptation of "Field of Blood" and considers actress Jayd Johnson as Paddy to be perfect. The first two books of the Paddy Meehan trilogy have been televised now-- Field of Blood and The Dead Hour-- and they're now beginning work on the third.

Denise said, "When a television series or a film is made, it's good for your books. It's flattering, but a book's a book and a film's a film. There's something so very intimate about reading a book."

Denise Mina

In the next moment, Patrick Milliken-- as well as the rest of us-- found out that Denise Mina has her feet firmly planted on the ground, as she told us about Charles R. Jackson and his novel, The Lost Weekend. It was an acclaimed book, but once it was made into a movie, no one would buy Jackson's books, and he wound up being forced to stop writing to get a job that would pay. For Mina, writing is the thing, not films.

Denise intends to write two more Paddy Meehan books, simply because of the recent uproar when newspaper staff members were found to be hacking into people's cell phones to find dirt for their stories. "Things like this have been happening for years and years," Mina told us, "they'd just never been held accountable before!"

When Patrick asked her, "Do you consider your books to be political?" Mina responded, "All books are political."

She went on to tell us, "As a wee child, I rewrote the first page of Gone With the Wind, but I changed all the names. I come from a big, big family of storytellers. Being a good storyteller in Glasgow is a big social status thing." (Later on I discovered that Denis and I both thought of another Glaswegian storyteller, Billy Connolly, at this moment.)

Low Art? High Art?

By this time, Denise Mina had us all in the palm of her hand. "I think crime fiction comes from an oral storytelling tradition... campfire stories... knowing just when to end a chapter.

"Crime fiction is so accessible. I want people to read my books as though each one is a warm hand to the elbow. I had a fan tell me, 'My mother was dying, and I read all your books as I was nursing her.' That is absolutely the highest praise I could ever receive. I don't want people to read me just to say that I've been read."

Patrick and Denise then began to talk about the shift that has occurred with comic books (AKA graphic novels) within the past four years. Graphic novels were once thought to be very low art, but now many consider them high art. It's the type of shift that's been occurring for centuries. In diarist Samuel Pepys' day, the theatre was considered low art, and he would vow again and again to stop going. "Now we force young children to go to the theatre because it's high art," Mina observed.

The estate of Stieg Larsson approached Mina to rewrite his books as a series of graphic novels, and that's what she's been doing lately. When she began working on The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Denise found out that "the structure of the books is bonkers!" And in case you're wondering, Denise is writing the script not doing the artwork. The creation of each book is a partnership between writer and artist.

Available Now!

When asked what effect these comics have had on her writing, Mina replied, "Comics have really affected my writing because I've realized how much can be left out, and how much I can trust my readers. The more readers fill in, the more invested they are in the story."

Another fan asked her how much writing was involved with these graphic novels. "Each one is about 80,000 words, which is the size of a novel," Mina said.

In the final wrap-up, Denise told us that she's almost finished with the next Alex Morrow book, which is set in Helensburgh, Scotland, and based on another actual case. She also needs to finish the Millennium trilogy... and then she intends to take a year off!

Denis and I both got the chance to speak to Denise Mina afterwards, and the Jeep was filled with talk about books, Scotland, and one very talented Glaswegian writer. I can still hear her voice in my head. It was an evening of Bliss. On all counts.

The Spring Cleaning Weekly Link Round-Up

There's something about the sun revving slowly back to its summer glory that sets me up to do a bit of cleaning, and-- in between author events at The Poisoned Pen-- that's exactly what I've been doing. I've even spent an hour ironing newly washed curtains, tablecloths and other "soft furnishings" which has convinced those who know me that I'm not quite right in the head. (Normally I avoid irons like they've been imbued with the Black Plague.)

Denis's handiwork. It's not rusty, it's wet.

There's also been a run on apples, seed and nectar at our feeders, which is a sure sign of many hungry baby birds in the immediate vicinity. I can even hear them cheeping when I go outside to give their parents a helping hand. Denis has also been hit with the bug, going up on the roof to put new stainless steel parts on our evaporative cooler. It's ready to go when the temperatures rise, but right now, open windows and an occasional ceiling fan work wonders, so the solar panels are generating lots of electricity that's being sold back to the power company.

With all this busy-ness, I'm sometimes hit with the "Now, why did I walk into this room?" Syndrome, which is annoying. Now...what is the focus of this post? Oh yeah-- Links! Coming right up!

Bookish News & Other Interesting Tidbits

• Some of To Kill a Mockingbird author Harper Lee's letters are going to be auctioned.
• The severe drought in California has triggered a mini-Gold Rush in the Sierra Nevada mountains.
• Harvard University has discovered old library books bound in human skin.
• A Gone With the Wind casting rumors letter from 1937 is going up for auction.
• I knew crafts were good for you: This is your brain on knitting.
• An excellent write-up on the recent Left Coast Crime convention held in Monterrey, California. I'm stoked because rumor has it that this event will be held here in Phoenix in 2016. (I just hope that doesn't mean Phoenix will have a coastline by then!)
• An unpublished short story by Tennessee Williams has been unearthed after 80 years.
• Are eReaders environmentally friendly? (Mine is!)
• Which place is more sexist: the Middle East or Latin America? (I wouldn't particularly want to live in either one.)
• The early spring here in the Sonoran Desert means that Gila monsters are out earlier than usual.
• Boys will be boys, and girls will be accommodating. (More on gender specific children's books.)
• #NoMakeupSelfies are raising millions for cancer research.
• Bestie and wackadoodle are now words in the Oxford English Dictionary.
• A Norwegian museum has returned a Matisse painting that was stolen by the Nazis.
• 25 years after the Exxon Valdez oil spill, the effects linger on.

Science, History & Archaeology

• An island in the South Pacific is home to countless World War II relics.
• A Titanic survivor's letter has sparked lots of interest on Reddit.
• A newly discovered carving shows a Roman emperor dressed as an Egyptian pharoah.
• 1,800-year-old human remains have been discovered in northwestern Arizona.
• A mummy's 1,300-year-old thigh tattoo has been revealed.
• A new dwarf planet has been found at our solar system's edge.
• Arrrgghhh! Divers have found a 300-year-old sunken pirate ship in the Mississippi River near St. Louis!
• The discovered half of a bone has revealed a prehistoric sea giant.
• Two more colossal pharoah statues have been unveiled in Egypt.

I  ♥  Lists

• I really enjoyed 10 actors who should be cast as authors.
• America's happiest cities. (#1 may surprise you.)
• Stephen King's top 20 rules for writers.
• 20 strong female characters in literature we all wanted to be.
• 50 essential mystery novels that everyone should read.
• 11 ridiculously overdue library books that were finally returned.
• 10 literary Facebook pages you should like.
• The most breathtaking World Heritage sites.

Book Candy

• Author Holly Black has a secret library that you've got to see!
• If you're like me and can't get enough of looking at other people's bookshelves, you might want to check out this feature on Savidge Reads.
• Now this mobile home/RV is just the thing to take out to the perfect reading and writing nature spots!
• The two major things to check out in this ceramic artist's cottage on the Scottish coast are the ship over the fireplace and her bedroom.
• Check out this new bookstore in New Delhi, India.

Whew! This was a MegaLinks Week, wasn't it? I hope I managed to find a few that piqued your interest. Don't forget to stop by next week when I'll have a freshly selected batch of links for your surfing pleasure. Have a wonderful weekend!

April 2014 New Mystery Releases!

You'd think that, with me buzzing around spring cleaning, I'd have less time and inclination to read, but that's not been the case. In fact, my reading consumption has increased. I'm really beginning to think that I'm a human solar panel, and the more sunshine I can absorb, the more I need to read. Besides, any of you who've read my yearly reading statistics posts already know that in the summer I resemble a shark on a feeding (i.e., reading) frenzy!

Here are my picks for new mysteries being released in April. They're sorted by release dates and contain all the information you'll need to find them at your favorite book procurement locations. Book synopses are courtesy of Amazon. Happy Reading!

===  April 1  ===

Title: Destroyer Angel

Author: Nevada Barr

#18 in the Anna Pigeon series set in various national parks throughout the United States

ISBN: 9780312614584

Publisher: Minotaur Books

Hardcover, 352 pages

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books

Synopsis: "Anna Pigeon, a ranger for the U.S. Park Services, sets off on vacation—an autumn canoe trip in the to the Iron Range in upstate Minnesota. With Anna is her friend Heath, a paraplegic; Heath’s fifteen-year-old daughter, Elizabeth; Leah, a wealthy designer of outdoor equipment; and her daughter, Katie, who is thirteen. For Heath and Leah, this is a shakedown cruise to test a new cutting edge line of camping equipment. The equipment, designed by Leah, will make camping and canoeing more accessible to disabled outdoorsmen.

On their second night out, Anna goes off on her own for a solo evening float on the Fox River.  When she comes back, she finds that four thugs, armed with rifles, pistols, and knives, have taken the two women and their teenaged daughters captive. With limited resources and no access to the outside world, Anna has only two days to rescue them before her friends are either killed or flown out of the country."

Title: Under Cold Stone

Author: Vicki Delany

#7 in the Constable Molly Smith series set in British Columbia, Canada

ISBN: 9781464202353  

Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press

Paperback, 250 pages

Synopsis: "A weekend getaway to the Rocky Mountains. A Scottish-inspired castle of carved stone, imposing turrets, liveried bellhops, and panoramic views. Perched on the verge of one of the world’s greatest wildernesses. They’re an unlikely couple: Lucky Smith, passionate environmentalist, old-time hippy; Paul Keller Chief Constable of Trafalgar, British Columbia. This vacation is a chance to explore their fledging late-in-life relationship, to indulge themselves at the famous Banff Springs Hotel.

Trouble interferes when Lucky, strong-willed and sometimes too stubborn for her own good, stands up to two bullies in the local coffee shop. To his horror Paul recognizes one of the young men as his estranged son, Matt. In the early hours of the following morning, a frantic Matt calls his father for help.  Lucky and Paul arrive to find a body on the apartment floor, but Matt has gone.

Matt Keller is an experienced wilderness adventurer. All signs indicate that he’s escaped into the backcountry. To RCMP Sergeant Eddie Blechta, running is all the proof of guilt he needs. Paul Keller  can do nothing but watch the investigation from a distance, terrified that Blechta is right.

Lucky’s daughter, Constable Molly Smith of the Trafalgar City Police, abandons her chaotic Thanksgiving kitchen to offer her mom support. She has no intention of meddling in the police investigation, but when Matt’s sad, shy girlfriend, Tracey, asks for her help, Molly Smith finds herself not only interfering but putting herself on the wrong side of Edward Blechta. And Molly Smith is as good in the wilderness as Matt Keller."

Title: Sugar and Iced

Author: Jenn McKinlay

#6 in the Cupcake Bakery series set in Scottsdale, Arizona

ISBN:  9780425258927

Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime

Mass Market Paperback, 304 pages

Synopsis: "Normally Melanie Cooper and Angie DeLaura wouldn’t be caught dead at a beauty pageant, but when Mel’s mom asks them to provide cupcakes for the seventy-fifth annual Sweet Tiara contest as a favor for her best friend, they can’t say no. Plus, between cooking up a daily display for the three-day event and sponsoring a cupcake creation challenge for the participants, Fairy Tale Cupcakes will get great publicity.

But the world of pageants is even hotter than Mel’s kitchen. A high-strung judge and a pushy stage mom target Lupe, a young friend of Mel and Angie’s, at the competition and aim to take her out—by any means necessary. When the same judge shows up dead underneath Mel and Angie’s cupcake display, Lupe is crowned the lead suspect. Now Mel and Angie will have to find the real killer quickly or Lupe may be strutting the catwalk in prison pinstripes…"

Title: The Blackwoods Farm Enquiry

Author: Ann Purser

#5 in the Ivy Beasley Enquiries series set in England

ISBN:  9780425261811

Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime

Mass Market Paperback, 304 pages

Synopsis: "Rumors are flying around the village of Barrington about Mrs. Winchen Blatch, a reclusive widow living alone in her old farmhouse. In the past few weeks, the widow claims she has been tormented by ghostly visitations, so she hires Ivy and her fellow investigators at Enquire Within to get to the bottom of the mystery. Ivy’s new classes are very close to the widow’s farmhouse, perfect for combining studying and snooping…

With each new clue—a dark chamber, a smoking cigar and an amorous lodger—it becomes harder to separate fact from fiction. And when the ghost is revealed to be flesh and blood, the lonely widow may be in more trouble than Ivy and her team can handle…"

Title: By Its Cover

Author: Donna Leon

#23 in the Guido Brunetti series set in Venice, Italy

ISBN: 9780802122643

Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press

Hardcover, 288 pages

Synopsis: "One afternoon, Commissario Guido Brunetti gets a frantic call from the director of a prestigious Venetian library. Someone has stolen pages out of several rare books. After a round of questioning, the case seems clear: the culprit must be the man who requested the volumes, an American professor from a Kansas university. The only problem—the man fled the library earlier that day, and after checking his credentials, the American professor doesn’t exist.

As the investigation proceeds, the suspects multiply. And when a seemingly harmless theologian, who had spent years reading at the library turns up brutally murdered, Brunetti must question his expectations about what makes a man innocent, or guilty."

Title: Murder at Westminster Abbey

Author: Amanda Carmack

#2 in the Kate Haywood series set in mid-16th century England

ISBN: 9780451415127.

Publisher: Signet Books

Mass Market Paperback, 304 pages

Synopsis: "1559. Elizabeth is about to be crowned queen of England and wants her personal musician Kate Haywood to prepare music for the festivities. New to London, Kate must learn the ways of city life…and once again school herself as a sleuth.

Life at the center of the new royal court is abuzz with ambition and gossip—very different from the quiet countryside, where Kate served Elizabeth during her exile. Making her way among the courtiers who vie for the new queen’s favor, Kate befriends Lady Mary Everley. Mary is very close to Elizabeth. With their red hair and pale skin, they even resemble each other—which makes Mary’s murder all the more chilling.

The celebrations go on despite the pall cast over them. But when another redhead is murdered, Kate uncovers a deadly web of motives lurking just beneath the polite court banter, and follows the trail of a killer whose grievance can only be answered with royal blood."  

Title: Frog Music

Author: Emma Donoghue 

Standalone set in Victorian San Francisco

ISBN: 9780316324687

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company

Hardcover, 416 pages

Synopsis: "Summer of 1876: San Francisco is in the fierce grip of a record-breaking heat wave and a smallpox epidemic. Through the window of a railroad saloon, a young woman named Jenny Bonnet is shot dead.

The survivor, her friend Blanche Beunon, is a French burlesque dancer. Over the next three days, she will risk everything to bring Jenny's murderer to justice--if he doesn't track her down first. The story Blanche struggles to piece together is one of free-love bohemians, desperate paupers, and arrogant millionaires; of jealous men, icy women, and damaged children. It's the secret life of Jenny herself, a notorious character who breaks the law every morning by getting dressed: a charmer as slippery as the frogs she hunts.

In thrilling, cinematic style, FROG MUSIC digs up a long-forgotten, never-solved crime. Full of songs that migrated across the world, Emma Donoghue's lyrical tale of love and bloodshed among lowlifes captures the pulse of a boomtown like no other."

Title: Body Count

Author: Barbara Nadel

#16 in the Inspector Çetin Ikmen series set in Istanbul, Turkey

ISBN: 9780755388929

Publisher: Headline Book Publishing

Hardcover, 384 pages

Synopsis: "Any bloody death will lead Inspectors Ikmen and Suleyman out onto the dark streets of Istanbul. On January 21, a half-decapitated corpse in the poor multicultural district of Tarlabasi poses a particularly frustrating and gruesome mystery. But as the months pass and the violence increases, it turns into a hunt for that rare phenomenon in the golden city on the Bosphorus: a serial killer. Desperate to uncover the killer's twisted logic as the body count rises, Ikmen and Suleyman find only more questions. How are the victims connected? What is the significance of the number 21? And how many Istanbullus must die before they find the answers?"

===  April 15  ===

Title: The Axe Factor

Author: Colin Cotterill

#3 in the Jimm Juree series set in rural southern Thailand

ISBN: 9781250043368

Publisher: Minotaur Books

Hardcover, 304 pages

Synopsis: "Since Jimm Juree moved, under duress, with her family to a rural village on the coast of Southern Thailand, she misses the bright lights of Chiang Mai. Most of all, she’s missed her career as a journalist, which was just getting started. In Chiang Mai, she was covering substantial stories and major crimes. But here in Maprao, Jimm has to scrape assignments from the local online journal, the Chumphon Gazette—and be happy about it when she gets one. This time they are sending her out to interview a local farang (European) writer, a man in his late fifties, originally from England, who writes award-winning crime novels, one Conrad Coralbank.

At the same time, several local women have left town without a word to anyone, leaving their possessions behind. These include the local doctor, Dr. Sumlak, who never returned from a conference, and the Thai wife of that farang writer, the aforementioned Conrad Coralbank. All of which looks a little suspicious, especially to Jimm’s grandfather, an ex-cop, who notices Coralbank’s interest in Jimm with a very jaundiced eye. With a major storm headed their way and a potential serial killer on the loose, it looks like Jimm Juree, her eccentric family, and the whole town of Maprao is in for some major changes."

===  April 22  ===

Title: A Few Drops of Blood

Author: Jan Merete Weiss

#2 in the Natalia Monte series set in Naples, Italy

ISBN: 9781616953539

Publisher: Soho Crime

Hardcover, 304 pages

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books

Synopsis: "When the bodies of two men are found, shockingly posed, in the garden of an elderly countess, Captain Natalia Monte of the Carabiniere is assigned the case. Soon she finds herself shuttling between  Naples’ decadent art galleries and violent criminal underworld. If she is to succeed in solving the heinous crime, Natalia must deal with not only her own complicated past and allegiances, but also those of the city as a whole. A riveting and poetic exploration of the violence that lurks in the heart of beauty."

Title: Ruin Falls

Author: Jenny Milchman

Standalone

ISBN: 9780345549075

Publisher: Ballantine Books

Hardcover, 352 pages

Synopsis: "Liz Daniels has every reason to be happy about setting off on a rare family vacation, leaving behind her remote home in the Adirondack Mountains for a while. Instead, she feels uneasy. Her children, eight-year-old Reid and six-year-old Ally, have met their paternal grandparents only a handful of times. But Liz’s husband, Paul, has decided that, despite a strained relationship with his mother and father, they should visit the farm in western New York where he spent his childhood.

On their way to the farm, the family stops at a hotel for the night. In the morning, when Liz goes to check on her sleeping children, all her anxiety comes roaring back: Ally and Reed are nowhere to be found. Blind panic slides into ice-cold terror as the hours tick by without anyone finding a trace of the kids. Soon, Paul and Liz are being interviewed by police, an Amber Alert is issued, and detectives are called in.

Frantic worry and helplessness threaten to overtake Liz’s mind—but in a sudden, gut-wrenching instant she realizes that it was no stranger who slipped into the hotel room that night. Someone she trusted completely has betrayed her. Though she knows that Ally and Reid are safe, Liz will stop at nothing to find them and get them back. From her guarded in-laws’ unwelcoming farmhouse to the deep woods of her own hometown, Liz follows the threads of a terrible secret to uncover a hidden world created from dreams and haunted by nightmares." 

===  April 29  ===

Title: The Marathon Conspiracy

Author: Gary Corby

#4 in the series featuring Nicolaos, an investigator in classical Athens, beginning in 461 BCE

ISBN: 9781616953874

Publisher: Soho Crime

Hardcover, 352 pages

Synopsis: "Nicolaos, Classical Athens's favorite sleuth, and his partner in investigation, the clever ex-priestess Diotima, have taken time out of their assignments to come home to get married. But if Nico was hoping they'd be able to get hitched without a hitch, he was overly optimistic. When they arrive in Athens, there's a problem waiting for them.

The Sanctuary of Artemis is the ancient world's most famous school for girls. When one of the children is killed, apparently by a bear, and another girl disappears in the night, Diotima's childhood teacher asks her former pupil to help them. Diotima is honor-bound to help her old school.

Meanwhile a skull discovered in a cave not far from the sanctuary has proven to be the remains of the last tyrant to rule Athens. The Athenians fought the Battle Marathon to keep this man out of power. He was supposed to have died thirty years ago, in faraway Persia. What are his remains doing outside the city walls? Nico's boss, the great Athenian statesman Pericles, wants answers, and he wants Nico to find them. What makes it all so ominous is that the skull was discovered by the two students of the Sanctuary of Artemis who are dead and missing.

What does a decades-dead tyrant have to do with two young girls?  Where is the missing child?  Is a killer bear really lurking beyond the walls of Athens? And who is the mysterious stranger who's trying to kill Nico and Diotima? Can the sleuths solve the interlocked crimes and save a child before their wedding?"

Did any of these titles catch your eye-- and make it to your wish list? Which ones? (You know I'm an insatiably curious bookaholic!) I've already read Nevada Barr's Destroyer Angel, and I loved it so much that I can't keep quiet until my review is posted. But there are so many other wonderful books in this list that I can't choose a favorite!

Zero-Degree Murder by M.L. Rowland

First Line: The body hung upside down in the truck, suspended by the seat belt, sun-bleached hair skimming the roof of the cab.

Anyone who works emergency services knows that call-outs on holidays can happen, so when the Timber Creek Search and Rescue team gets called out on Thanksgiving, volunteer Gracie Kinkaid packs up her gear and heads out.

Part of a film crew has gone for a hike in these mountains an hour east of Los Angeles, and four of them haven't returned. Due to the holiday, only three Timber Creek S&R team members have shown up so far, but there's a storm moving in. With the safety of the hikers in jeopardy, they can't wait. Ralph Hunter stays to be in charge of the command center while Gracie and partner Steve Cashman head out to find the hikers. The two do find one hiker, world famous actor Rob Christian, but he's injured. With the weather getting worse, Cashman sets out with the only radio to get help.

Alone in the mountains during a blizzard with an injured man, Gracie is going to have to use all her expertise to keep them both alive because the weather isn't her only problem. There's a ruthless killer out there determined that no witnesses to his crimes will be left behind.

I am a long-time Nevada Barr and Anna Pigeon fan. I love the outdoors, strong female characters, and survival tales. Zero-Degree Murder satisfied all these cravings of mine. Gracie is a complex character. She's smart, she's brave, and I definitely want her on my team the next time I head out for the middle of nowhere. That woman knows how to pack and how to track. She's also a bit of a puzzle. Why would someone so smart and capable insist on working a series of dead-end jobs that are well beneath her abilities? The author slowly answers this question throughout the book.

Outdoors fans are going to love the setting-- high mountains, treacherous terrain, and deadly weather. Watching Gracie handle all this the old-fashioned way is a treat. Rowland does an excellent job of creating tension, and her sense of pace is spot on. Moreover, she not only surrounds her main character in mystery, the killer's identity and motivations are hidden from view for much of the book. What glimpses of the killer Rowland lets us see heighten our sense of danger and urgency.

All in all, I was thrilled with this book. The only small quibble I had with it is that-- although I know it's done for the benefit of Gracie's character-- the relationship that springs up between her and the actor seemed unnecessary. Like I said, it's a very small quibble, and I can't wait for the next book in the series. There's more to learn about Gracie, there's more to learn about Ralph... and there's definitely more adventure to be experienced. If you're a Nevada Barr fan like me, I think you're going to love this book.

Zero-Degree Murder by M.L. Rowland

ISBN: 9780425263662

Berkley Prime Crime © 2014

Mass Market Paperback, 304 pages

Environmental Mystery, #1 Search and Rescue mystery

Rating: A-

Source: Purchased at The Poisoned Pen. 

Blarney: 12 Tales of Lies, Crime & Mystery by Steve Hockensmith

First Lines (from Introduction): I'd like to think I'm not a bloviator, backslapper or braggart. But I do know a thing or two about blarney.

After reading several excellent high tension books in a row, I was in need of something good and something fun. That's when I remembered that I'd found yet another Steve Hockensmith short story collection, and all I had to do was grab my Kindle and find it. Once again, this author did not disappoint.

Gathered together after being published in various magazines and anthologies (and being nominated for-- and winning-- awards along the way), these twelve tales run the gamut of emotions and situations. For me, the weakest of the lot was "Fred Menace, Commie for Hire" about a Communist private investigator. Menace certainly knows how to wisecrack his way through dangerous situations, but I've never been a fan of the Humphrey Bogart-style gumshoe. In "The Case of the Unfortunate Fortune Cookie" we learn why fortune cookies no longer contain real fortunes, and in "The MacGuffin Theft Case" there's a very amusing answer to why pizzas are round.

Ex-cop turned private investigator Larry Erie stars in six of the twelve stories. "Erie's Last Day" lets us see how Erie spends his last day before he retires from the police force, and succeeding stories show him in retirement and then some of the cases he gets when he's persuaded to become a P.I. Erie is a marvelous character, and I would love to see him in a full-length novel. (Come on, Steve-- geriatric sleuths are In!)

The best story of the lot-- the one that tugs at your heart and really revs up your brain cells-- is "Didn't Do Nothing" about an innocent young man caught in the middle of a Chicago drug war. I would tend to be suspicious of anyone who could read this and be unmoved by it.

Based on my reading his Homes on the Range historical mysteries and his short stories, Steve Hockensmith has rapidly become one of my favorite crime fiction authors. I never used to be a fan of short stories, but this man is almost single-handedly changing my mind. He just might change yours, too. Give him a try-- You don't need an eReader; this collection is in print, too!

Blarney: 12 Tales of Lies, Crime & Mystery by Steve Hockensmith
ASIN: B0081887V2
Amazon Digital Services © 2012
eBook, 258 pages

Short Stories
Rating: A
Source: Purchased as an eBook from Amazon.

The Martian by Andy Weir

First Line: I'm pretty much fucked.

When a tremendous dust storm hits their habitat on Mars, the Ares 3 crew members abort their mission and begin the long return journey to Earth, leaving the body of astronaut Mark Watney behind. There's only one problem: by some twist of fate, Mark isn't dead. Now he's alone on a hostile planet with no way to communicate with anyone. Somehow, some way, Mark has to figure out how to survive for four years when the next mission will arrive. Can he do it?

I'm not a die-hard science fiction fan by any stretch of the imagination, at least not since my teens and early twenties, but when trusted book sources raved about this book, it haunted me until I was forced to buy and read it. I have to admit that one of the things that drew me in was the first line. Although I do come from a family of farmers and sailors (and all the earthy/salty language that may imply), it wasn't the f-word that drew me like a magnet. There's just something about that first line that tells you even though the chips are down as low as they can get, this character still has a sense of humor. And as I well know, a sense of humor can keep you going when a lot of other things can't.

After hearing raves about The Martian and after having read it... just what is my opinion?  It's a darned good book, but not quite rave worthy for me. It is written in the form of a log book, which is the perfect format. Mark is there alone; he has no one to talk to; and the only way we're going to get to know him is for him to write his thoughts and problems down in the log. Each Ares 3 crew member had to have two specialities; Mark's are mechanical engineering and botany. If he is to survive for the four years it will take for help to arrive, he has to concentrate on food and water and making any necessary repairs to the equipment and his shelter. Reading his thought processes as he works through the various problems he deals with is the perfect way to learn his character.

However, I have to be honest. The technical jargon in the first fifty pages started making my eyes glaze over. That "stuff" is necessary to show how Mark survives, and it also shows the tremendous amount of research the author did for the book, but there's only so much interest I can personally show in growing potatoes in a hostile environment and mechanical engineering. (I know of many readers who were fascinated with this. I'm happy for them... and a little envious.)

Something happens after those first fifty pages that sets the whole book on its ear, and my interest re-engaged with a vengeance. Yes, there was still quite a bit of that "stuff" I mentioned previously, but it was easier to digest after injecting more action into the storyline. Before you think this book is nothing but technical language and action, let me tell you that Mark Watney is a gem of a character. His intelligence, his problem-solving skills, his sense of humor, how he copes throughout a situation that would make most people give up... he's one of the best characters I've read so far this year.

If you like science fiction that's so good you feel as though you're on the red planet yourself, if you like survival tales, or if you like brilliant characters, by all means give The Martian a try. I'm very glad I did.

The Martian by Andy Weir
ISBN: 9780804139021
Crown Publishers © 2014
Hardcover, 384 pages

Science Fiction, Standalone
Rating: B+
Source: Purchased at The Poisoned Pen. 

The Old-Fashioned Car Test

You Are Easygoing

You are laid back. You enjoy a slower pace of life. You take things seriously... but never too seriously. You know how to lighten up the mood. You have no desire to lead or follow. Anyone is welcome to join you on your journey for a while. You are truly kind and caring. You value other people.

The Old-Fashioned Car Test

@ The Poisoned Pen with Rhys Bowen!

Tuesday, March 4, was a special night because Denis finally got to join me at a Poisoned Pen author event-- it had been way too long! Not only that, but we were going to see a very special author: Rhys Bowen. I couldn't wait to get there!

When we walked into my favorite bookstore, I could see that Rhys was going to be showing some slides, so as soon as I made my purchase, I hustled over to get two good seats. Writing popular series like Evan Evans, Molly Murphy, and Her Royal Spyness, Rhys has tons of fans, so I knew the store was going to be crowded.

Rhys and her husband arrived, bearing champagne and a variety of tasty French foods. Raising her champagne glass, Rhys declared, "I want you to know I'm going to be very fluent tonight! If you're going to be talking about Paris, it would be a sin to do so without champagne and French food!" People needed very little coaxing to fill their own glasses and select delicious nibbles to fill their plates. With an appropriate toast ("Vivre le livre!"), the evening began.

"Long live the book!"

L to R in the darkened room: Rhys Bowen & Barbara Peters

The store was darkened for the slideshow of photos Rhys took when she was doing research in Paris. As we looked at places such as Sacré Coeur and Montmartre, Rhys said, "It's amazing how many cities have iconic monuments that people think have been there forever-- but they date from the 1800s."

One day as Rhys and her granddaughter were walking through a museum in Paris, her granddaughter looked at a painting and remarked, "That's modern." Out of curiosity, Rhys checked the date the painting was done. It was finished a mere two years after the Impressionists had been The Force to be reckoned with in the art world. This intrigued her. What could have happened to cause such a tremendous shift? Off to do research she went and discovered that it was a time of violence and upheaval in the city. Jews fleeing pogroms in Russia were swarming to Paris. The Dreyfus Affair had the city divided, and violent outbreaks were common.

It was also a time of breakthroughs in forensics with Alphonse Bertillon creating the first scientific system used by police to identify criminals. His system would soon be supplanted by fingerprinting, but his other contributions like mug shots and crime scene photography are with us to this day.

City of Darkness and Light

Available NOW!

In the latest Molly Murphy book, City of Darkness and Light, Molly takes her infant son on board a ship bound for France to stay with her friends, Sid and Gus. After a mock stern look from her husband, Rhys refused to tell us why Molly went to Paris. "You'll have to buy the book!" she laughed.

Rhys said, "I have friends who've introduced dogs into their books, and they've told me what a pain that is. A baby is even worse. I began to wonder why on earth I let Molly get pregnant in the first place!"

Bowen then told us how important Café Society was in Paris. "I'm sad. You just don't see this anywhere else. I'd love to sit in a café with other writers and discuss all sorts of things about our craft." 

She and host Barbara Peters then moved into a discussion of other important segments of Parisian life, such as "le cinq à sept"-- when, between the hours of five and seven in the evening, men leave work to visit their mistresses. "It's an accepted part of French life," Peters said. "12 to 2 PM is 'le midi'-- lunch-- and 5 to 7 PM is for sex." Bowen added that when she was traveling in France, she had a difficult time finding village shops open between le midi and all the various saints' days. This reminded Barbara of Spain. "I read somewhere that the Spanish are thinking about not staying up all night because the productivity of their workers is practically non-existent. In Spain, prime time TV is on at 1 AM!"

Beautiful Dreamer?

Rhys Bowen talking about her Parisian research

Bowen is already hard at work on Molly Murphy #14. Her working title is "Beautiful Dreamer" because Freud's The Interpretation of Dreams is central to the book. She doesn't think that this will be the final title; however, because her publisher doesn't think it's edgy enough.(She did ask everyone for suggestions, though!)

In this work-in-progress, Molly's friends Sid and Gus go to Vienna where their niece is the sole survivor of a horrific house fire. The girl suffers from both amnesia and terrible nightmares, and Sid and Gus decide to try to interpret those nightmares to find out what happened.

Bowen told us how important Sid and Gus are to Molly because, through these two women, Molly is getting all the family love and attention she never received as she was growing up.

The next "Georgie" book will take Her Royal Spyness across the Atlantic in an ocean liner and on to the Hollywood of the 1930s. Bowen based the ocean liner Georgie travels on upon the Cunard liner, Berengaria. In doing research, she came across a treasure trove of photographs, so she knew what all the rooms on board the ship looked like.

Time flew by, and before I knew it, it was time for questions. (The old adage "Time flies when you're having fun" is never more true than when I'm at The Poisoned Pen.)

When asked about her Evan Evans series, Rhys said that, although she had planned to continue the series, she's already got three books going for this year, so the further adventures of the Welsh constable look less and less likely.

As for her research, Bowen admits that she doesn't use 90% of it once she sits down to write the actual book. "I've found that there are more problems with things you think you know," she said with a laugh. At this point, Barbara Peters told us that when she was in Newport, Rhode Island, she remembered Bowen having written about the area. "I was very impressed by how well Rhys evoked the Cliff Walk," Barbara said.

The last question of the evening concerned the Georgie movie that's being made. According to Bowen, the movie is still in development in London. Matador Pictures has rejected three scripts so far. The company believes-- as will any fan of the books-- that everything hangs on Georgie, so her character has to be just right.

On that note, two lines immediately formed: one for Rhys to sign books, and the other for the rest of the food and champagne. Rhys Bowen is one extremely talented writer; moreover, her personality makes her absolutely perfect for events like this. If you get a chance to meet her, don't miss it!

The Itchy Noses and Dentists Weekly Link Round-Up

This past week, I drove over to The Poisoned Pen to see Cara Black, Libby Fischer Hellmann, and Sophie Littlefield. That was definitely the highlight of the week, since the only other things of interest I did (besides read, cook, and half-heartedly clean) was head back to the dentist to have a filling replaced, pull weeds, and try not to rub my itchy allergy-persecuted nose. Even though the huge pine tree out front is trying its best to make me miserable, I'm loving spring.

Here linky, linky, linkies.....

Bookish News & Other Interesting Tidbits

• A rare 1969 Shelby Mustang which gathered dust for 40 years, is heading to auction. There's only 8500 miles on the odometer.
• Books are losing the war for our attention, and here's how they could fight back.
• Becca over at Lost in Books has been talking about the book blog posts with the fewest comments: book reviews.
• Who says fiction can't influence the real world? Best-selling author Betty Webb, whose excellent Lena Jones series has focused on polygamy a time or two, is responsible for shining a national spotlight on polygamist Warren Jeffs. Now she'll be discussing the issue as part of Arizona State University's downtown lecture series.
• Facebook's new "Deep Face" program is as creepy as it sounds.
• Where in the UK is the world of Harry Potter? Now there's a map to show us.
• An avid reader leaves her favorite library $6 million in her will.
• Where are people of color in children's books?
• How to read dirty books for money.
• A man has been arrested in Tokyo for Anne Frank book vandalism.
• A new study reveals unwelcome statistics about women in Hollywood.

History, Archaeology, Nature...

• Secrets of the Chinese terra-cotta warrior weapons have been revealed.
• Yikes! The remains of a medieval monk are discovered after his legs are found poking out of a sea ridge.
• I enjoyed taking this quiz about what came out of World War I.
• How scientists discovered the latest North Slope (Alaska) dinosaur.
• Britain reburies soldiers lost in World War I.
• An ancient ritual wand etched with human faces has been discovered in Syria.
• A rare diamond has revealed that the earth's interior is all wet.

I   ♥  Lists

• The 10 best Robert Frost poems.
• The 25 best Tumblr accounts for book nerds.

That's it for this week. Don't forget to stop by next Friday when I'll have a freshly selected batch of links for your surfing pleasure. Have a great weekend!

 

The Son by Philipp Meyer

First Line: It was prophesied I would live to see one hundred and having achieved that age I see no reason to doubt it.

You just can't beat a sprawling multi-generational saga, and The Son is the best one I've read in a good long time. Author Philipp Meyer takes the McCullough family from the Comanche raids of the mid-1800s all the way through to the oil boom of the twentieth century. Once the last page is turned, the reader is left with the fascinating history of Texas, and the three indelible characters Meyer has created.

This story is told, in alternating chapters, from the points of view of patriarch Eli McCullough who, as a thirteen-year-old boy, was captured by the Comanches and raised as one of them; Peter, Eli's son, who comes close to eviscerating the empire his father created; and Jeanne, Eli's great-granddaughter, who presides over an inheritance that's changed from ranching to millions of dollars in the oil and gas industry.

This book is brutal, it's honest, and it doesn't flinch once. It's also one of the best Indian captive stories I've ever read. Meyer's eye for historical detail and vernacular speech is amazing, and although the book is long, it is never ever boring. In the beginning chapters, Eli's story almost completely overshadows those of the other two characters, but it doesn't take long for Peter and Jeanne to steal their share of the spotlight away from "the Colonel" (as Eli is known in later life). Each one speaks in his or her own distinctive voice, and the further along McCullough Road you travel, the more you want to know about each one.

As I've already said, this book is brutal, and it's honest. Meyer describes terrifying Comanche raids and the massacre of a Mexican family. If you don't like scenes of graphic (not gratuitous) violence, this may not be the book for you. If you don't like racial slurs being used, you're not going to like Eli very much. He is a man of his time, and he speaks as men did then. Meyer could not write about life on the frontier and avoid either the violence or the language and have his story remain true.

Normally when I read a book, I like to care about at least one of the characters. I didn't find many to like in The Son, but that didn't matter. I was completely swept away by the author's powerful narrative, and by book's end I was shaken and almost felt as though I'd lived through some of those chapters myself. There's no other way to say it: Philipp Meyer is one hell of a storyteller, and I'll be keeping watch for his next book.

The Son by Philipp Meyer

ASIN: B009NF6YLM

HarperCollins © 2013

eBook, 863 pages

Historical Fiction, Standalone

Rating: A

Source: Purchased as an eBook from Amazon.

Book Club by Loren D. Estleman

First Line: Chief Dockerty knew the shadiest spot in New Mexico wasn't the Santa Rita copper Mine in Silver City.

No, he knew that the shadiest spot was Avery Sharecross's bookshop, housed in a three-hundred-year-old mission right there in the town of Good Advice. Chief Dockerty is there to interrupt the meeting of Sharecross's book club because he needs the former police detective's help. The body of Good Advice's premier book collector has been found on the floor of his family library, and Dockerty needs the sharp eye of a fellow collector to help him find a killer.

I stumbled across this short story while looking for something else, and the line "Bibliomysteries: Short Tales about Deadly Books" -- and its price-- sold me. "Book Club" is a neatly crafted and swiftly moving tale that will please any book-loving sleuth. How could you not be lured in after reading one of the descriptions of the bookshop:

Generations of children had dared one another to approach the place after dark, when the ghosts of William Shakespeare and Mark Twain prowled among the stacks (or during the day, when the proprietor did the haunting); none accepted. Even at high noon, a visitor needed a flashlight to explore the place without running into Thackeray or Gibbon and cracking a tooth.

I really enjoyed watching Sharecross spot evidence and put the clues together. Combine the little mystery with the author's obvious love of books, and this story is a winner. Moreover, like one of those late night commercials, you're going to hear me say, "But wait-- there's more!" This is only one of the short stories in the Bibliomysteries series. Others are written by talented crime fiction authors such as Anne Perry, Jeffery Deaver, Laura Lippman, C.J. Box, and Ken Bruen (plus others). I feel as though I stumbled upon a small treasure box of gems, and I fully intend to indulge myself by reading the rest.

I would recommend that you read "Book Club" (and the others) if you love books and you love crime fiction. These short stories are perfect palate cleansers between full-length novels, and they're also a wonderful way of test driving authors you've heard about but may not have read yet.

Book Club by Loren D. Estleman

ASIN: B00BI9VYVG

Open Road © 2013

eBook, 21 pages

Short Story, #8 Bibliomystery

Rating: B+

Source: Purchased from Amazon.