Wednesday, August 31, 2011

September 2011 New Mystery Releases!

As I write this post, it's hard to believe that Labor Day is looming in my headlights-- the traditional date that most people think of as the end of summer. I am a heat and sunlight lover; I have been all my life, so I guess it's no surprise that I moved to a climate whose summer does not end on Labor Day, or begin on Memorial Day for that matter.

Of course, this climate doesn't suit everyone. Phoenix has posted more than 30 straight days of temperatures over 110°F (43°C). This is supposed to be monsoon season, one of two periods of badly needed seasonal rains. My part of the Valley of the Sun has received haboobs (monster dust storms), but only a trace of rain.

This is good news for me: my pool reading time has had no interruptions, and I've been motoring through some excellent books. Still... I would much rather have been chased into the house a few times by lashings of rain....

I'm looking forward to at least ten books that are being released during the month of September. The titles are grouped by release dates, and I've included the information you'll need to find them at all your favorite book spots. Enjoy September by reading a good book or three!


===September 1===

Author: Judith Cutler
Series: #4 Lina Townend, set in Kent, England
ISBN: 9780727880482
Publisher: Severn House, 2011
Hardcover, 208 pages

" Lina can't say no to the request of the local vicar, Robin Levitt, to help out at a church fete. When someone snatches an old silver snuffbox from the bric-a-brac stall and runs, Lina and Robin give chase. The thief drops the snuffbox before escaping, but Lina takes a painful spill on the churchyard gravel. Soon, Lina has to deal with more serious crimes--attacks, some of them fatal, on friends and acquaintances. Even her older mentor and business partner, Griff, gets beaten by a mysterious stranger. The police question her after a suspect caught on CCTV looks a lot like Lina herself. In the end, against Lina's wishes, Griff consults Detective Inspector Morris, her now married ex-boyfriend, who lends some romantic interest to the enchanting mix of murder and antiques."


===September 6===

Series: #3 Detective Kubu, set in Botswana, Africa
ISBN: 9780062000378
Publisher: Harper Paperbacks, 2011
Paperback, 448 pages

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books.

"In the southern Kalahari area of Botswana—an arid landscape of legends that speak of lost cities, hidden wealth, and ancient gods—a fractious ranger named Monzo is found dying from a severe head wound in a dry ravine. Three Bushmen surround the doomed man, but are they his killers or there to help? Detective David “Kubu” Bengu is on the case, an investigation that his old school friend Khumanego claims is motivated by racist antagonism on the part of the local police. But when a second bizarre murder, and then a third, seem to point also to the nomadic tribe, the intrepid Kubu must journey into the depths of the Kalahari to uncover the truth. What he discovers there will test all his powers of detection . . . and his ability to remain alive."

Title: Button Holed
Author: Kylie Logan
Series: #1 Button Box, set in Chicago, Illinois
ISBN: 9780425243763
Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime, 2011
Paperback, 288 pages

"Working out of her button shop in a Chicago brownstone, Josie Giancola has become one of the country's leading experts on buttons. Her reputation draws a Hollywood starlet to the Button Box to shop for one-of-a-kind buttons to adorn her made-to-order wedding gown. But after the Button Box is ransacked and the actress murdered, Josie's cozy world is thrown into chaos-and a killer is out to keep Josie's lips buttoned up...permanently."


===September 9===

Series: #2 Mary Wollstonecraft, set in London, England
ISBN: 9781564745095
Publisher: Perseverance Press, 2011
Paperback, 264 pages

"Dismissed from her governess post in Ireland, Mary Wollstonecraft lands on her feet in London. After the 1792 publication of her ground-breaking Vindication of the Rights of Woman she gains entrée to a circle of celebrated artists and intellectuals. But Mary falls into obsession and infatuation with painter Henry Fuseli after his hauntingly erotic masterpiece The Nightmare is stolen. When a young artist is wrongfully accused and imprisoned, and a bluestocking friend is strangled, Mary's passionate nature does not allow her to stand aside. Her quest for the truth will lead her into personal notoriety, a trip to a madhouse, and confrontations with more than one possible murderer."


===September 13===

Series: #9 Appalachian Ballad, set in North Carolina
ISBN: 9780312558178
Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books, 2011
Hardcover, 320 pages

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books.

"Hang down your head, Tom Dooley…The folk song, made famous by the Kingston Trio, recounts a tragedy in the North Carolina mountains after the Civil War. Laura Foster, a simple country girl, was murdered and her lover Tom Dula was hanged for the crime. The sensational elements in the case attracted national attention: a man and his beautiful, married lover accused of murdering the other-woman; the former governor of North Carolina spearheading the defense; and a noble gesture from the prisoner on the eve of his execution, saving the woman he really loved.

With the help of historians, lawyers, and researchers, Sharyn McCrumb visited the actual sites, studied the legal evidence, and uncovered a missing piece of the story that will shock those who think they already know what happened—and may also bring belated justice to an innocent man. What seemed at first to be a sordid tale of adultery and betrayal was transformed by the new discoveries into an Appalachian Wuthering Heights."

Series: #2 Miranda Corbie, set in 1940s San Francisco, California
ISBN: 9780312603618
Publisher: Minotaur Books, 2011
Hardcover, 304 pages

"When Pandora Blake is murdered at San Francisco's 1940 World Fair and her body marked with an anti-Semitic slur, Miranda is soon entangled in a web of deceit and betrayal that is only overshadowed by the threat of impending war. With a strong female protagonist more steel than silk and a mystery that will grip you until the last page, this sequel to the critically-acclaimed City of Dragons will appeal to fans of noir and historical mysteries."

Title: Or the Bull Kills You
Author: Jason Webster
Series: #1 Chief Inspector Max Cámara, set in Valencia, Spain
ISBN: 9780312581831
Publisher: Minotaur Books, 2011
Hardcover, 304 pages

"'Either you kill the bull, or the bull kills you.' Chief Inspector Max Cámara thinks in proverbs,and he hates one thing above all: bullfighting. One hot afternoon in Valencia, however, he has to stand in for his boss, judging a festival corrida starring Spain’s most famous young matador. That night, he is back in the bullring, and what he finds on the blood-stained sand shocks the city of Valencia to its core. Cámara is roped into investigating a grisly murder while dealing with violent shadows from his own past, as well as confronting the suspiciousness of the bullfighting community and the stonewalling of local politicians in full electoral campaign. To top it all, Fallas, the loudest fiesta in the country, has just got underway. For Cámara, it seems his problems have only just begun..."


===September 17===

Author: Mike Befeler
Series: #3 Geezer Lit, set in Venice Beach, California
ISBN: 9781432825096
Publisher: Five Star, 2011
Hardcover, 268 pages

"Cantankerous octogenarian Paul Jacobson must solve a series of murders while struggling with the problems of his short-term memory loss. Paul learns about the homeless community, disreputable art dealers and the beach scene in Venice Beach, California, and must dance a geezer two-step to stay out of the clutches of the police and the bad guys."



===September 27===


Series: #13 Inspector Salvo Montalbano, set in Sicily, Italy
ISBN: 9780143120131
Publisher: Penguin, 2011
Paperback, 288 pages

"Witty and entertaining, the Montalbano novels by Andrea Camilleri-- a master of the Italian detective story-have become favorites of mystery fans everywhere. In this latest installment, an unidentified corpse is found near Vigàta, a town known for its soil rich with potter's clay. Meanwhile, a woman reports the disappearance of her husband, a Colombian man with Sicilian origins who turns out to be related to a local mobster. Then Inspector Montalbano remembers the story from the Bible-Judas's betrayal, the act of remorse, and the money for the potter's field, where those of unknown or foreign origin are to be buried-and slowly, through myriad betrayals, finds his way to the solution to the crime." 

Author: A.D. Scott
Series: #2 in this historical series featuring small town journalists as sleuths, set in the Highlands of Scotland
ISBN: 9781439154946
Publisher: Atria Books, 2011
Paperback, 384 pages

"Nothing is ever quite at peace on Scotland’s Black Isle—the Traveling people are forever at odds with the locals, the fishermen have nothing in common with the farmers, and the villages have no connection with the town. But when two deaths occur on the same day, involving the same families from the same estate—the Black Isle seems as forbidding as its name.

Joanne Ross, typist at the Highland Gazette, is torn whether to take on the plum task of reporting on these murders—after all, the woman at the center of both crimes is one of her closest friends. Joanne knows the story could be her big break, and for a woman in the mid-1950s—a single mother, no less—good work is hard to come by. 

But the investigation by the staff on the Gazette reveals secrets that will forever change this quiet, remote part of the Highlands. The ancient feudal order is crumbling, loyalties are tested, friendships torn apart, and the sublime beauty of the landscape will never seem peaceful again."


There we go-- my most anticipated books for the month of September. Hopefully I've piqued your interest enough to add a title or two to your own personal wish lists!




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Scene of the Blog Featuring Dixie of Reader of the Pack!

Since I love mysteries and I love animals, I suppose it was inevitable that I'd find this week's blogger. Dixie is an archivist in Texas, and she and her husband have given a loving home to seven rescued dogs and cats. If you haven't run across Dixie's blog, Reader of the Pack, while you surf on the Internet, I hope you take this opportunity to correct the "oversight."

I enjoy Dixie's blog for her reviews, other bookish items, and her photos, and I hope you like what you see, too, when you visit her at Reader of the Pack. Don't forget to say hello while you're there! (Click on any of the photos that follow if you'd like to see them in a larger size.)


The Pack
My blog is called Reader of the Pack because I have seven pets - three dogs and four cats. They are all rescued animals and each has a story of its own. I couldn't do Scene of the Blog without sharing the pack with all of you!

Sherman in Dixie's living room.



Most of my writing for the blog takes place in the living room. My favorite spot is the cozy corner of the sofa. I like to curl up under a blanket and read or write here. (Yes, even when it is 105 degrees outside in Texas. It gets chilly with the air on.) That's Sherman the dog hanging out on the floor.








Some of Dixie's bookshelves
More of Dixie's shelves



The bookshelves show an eclectic mix of books. I primarily read mystery and crime novels, but I also read fiction, short stories and non-fiction. The bookshelves also include my husband's books, which lean towards graphic novels, design and pop culture books.







Dixie's nightstand



Usually I read at night before going to sleep, so there must be a good selection on the nightstand. Currently it is covered in library books and my trusty nook sidekick. I am a big fan of NetGalley and eBook lending through Texas libraries. I have my fingers crossed that someday my local Austin library will offer eBook lending.







Dixie, I'll have you know that I can no longer hear that oldie but goodie without singing, "the READER of the pack!" I love your pack, and while your Nook sidekick reminds me of my husband's Nook, your shelves remind me of... me. Thank you so much for sharing your creative spaces (and buddies) with us!

Don't forget to stop by next Wednesday when another book blogger from our worldwide community will share his or her favorite spaces with us on Scene of the Blog!




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A Hot and Thirsty Visitor on Wordless Wednesday

Click to view full size. More Wordless Wednesday.





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Tuesday, August 30, 2011

A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny

Title: A Trick of the Light
Author: Louise Penny
ISBN: 9780312655457
Publisher: Minotaur Books, 2011
Hardcover, 352 pages
Genre: Police Procedural, #7 Inspector Armand Gamache mystery
Rating: A+
Source: Amazon Vine

First Line: Oh, no, no, no,  thought Clara Morrow as she walked toward the closed doors.

The raid on the factory that occurred in Bury Your Dead has had lasting effects on Inspector Armand Gamache and his team of the Sûreté du Québec's homicide division. Just what those effects are we're able to see when the team is assembled in the small village of Three Pines.

Clara Morrow's dream has finally come true. The famed Musée d'Art Contemporain in Montréal is having an exhibition of her art. Art experts and critics from the local scene and from as far away as New York, Paris and London are at the vernissage, and Clara's party afterwards in Three Pines is a smashing success... for everyone except Lillian Dyson, whose body is found in Clara's flower garden the next morning.

When Inspector Gamache and his team converge on the village and begin gathering evidence, one of the first inconsistencies that pops up is about the victim herself. Lillian and Clara were best friends in childhood, but wound up being enemies during the final years of school. Lillian went on to become an art critic known for her skill in ending an artist's career with a cruelly well-written line. However, when her current friends are tracked down and interviewed, they all liked the murder victim and found her kind and helpful. Was it possible for Lillian to have changed so drastically? That's just one of the many questions that have to be answered on route to discovering her killer.

Louise Penny's books are at the top of my "must read" series. Some detractors say that everyone and everything is just a bit too perfect in her books, and that they prefer a bit more reality in their crime fiction. To each his own! I don't find any of the characters "perfect". Perfectly drawn by Louise Penny perhaps, but not as shining examples of the perfect human being. Gamache and his second-in-command Jean Guy Beauvoir are both fighting off the physical and psychological horrors of that factory raid, and their struggles have changed the ways in which they deal with the people around them.

As usual, the murder investigation was compelling. At its heart was the character of the murder victim herself. What was Lillian Dyson-- devil or angel? Just how much can a person change over the years? Is it possible for a person to change? Gamache and his team are forced to dig deep into this woman's life in order to find out who was responsible for her death.

The murder investigation is not the only thread in the plot. We're once again in the picture-postcard village of Three Pines amongst Clara Morrow and her friends. You'd think everyone would be happy for Clara and her exhibition, but they're not. If you're a long-time follower of the series, you can probably identify one jealous Three Pines inhabitant, and you'll be pleased to know that he meets his Waterloo in this book. Another villager who's recently returned from being falsely imprisoned deals with how his friends' attitudes toward him have changed. And Ruth-- the elderly, evil-spirited, acid-tongued poet whom I love-- is waiting, waiting....

Three Pines may have the appearance of a picture postcard village, but scuffle those autumn leaves on the ground with the toe of your shoe, and who knows what you'll find? The remains of a dead sparrow. A worm. A gold ring. A discarded snakeskin. Acorns. Three Pines is a microcosm for the world outside. Usually evil arrives in town by traveling the road from the outside, but not always. Occasionally an emotion, an old hurt or hatred, lies just beneath the surface moldering away for a long time, and all you have to do to bring it to life is to scuff those leaves aside. What is different in Louise Penny's take on crime is that her main character believes that if you sift through evil, you'll find good at the very bottom. Like Gamache I, too, like to believe that good can be found at the bottom of that barrel, and I enjoy following the career of a character who believes the search is worthwhile... and worth doing with respect and love.

If you like complex plots full of psychological insight and books filled with characters you come to know as well as you know members of your own family, get your hands on Louise Penny's books! Do not delay!





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What Flavor Iced Tea Are You?



You Are Blackberry Iced Tea







You are funky and creative. You like to turn the world upside down just for fun.

You believe that some of the best things in life are undiscovered. You're very attracted to the offbeat.

You're the type of person who likes music, movies, and places no one else has heard of.

You're not that weird... you're just attracted to the quirkier side of life. So much in this world is underrated!



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Monday, August 29, 2011

Scene of the Crime with Author Sunny Frazier!

This week we'll be getting to know Sunny Frazier a bit better. Sunny lives in California's San Joaquin Valley. At various times in her life she's been an operator for Ma Bell, a dental tech for the Navy, and a photo journalist before she found a job in the Fresno Sheriff's Department working with an undercover narcotics team.

Sunny has always loved writing, and she's published two mysteries featuring Christy Bristol, an amateur astrologer who works as a secretary in a sheriff's substation in the San Joaquin Valley. The books are Fools Rush In and Where Angels Fear. I certainly hope you'll give them a try-- if you haven't already!


Sunny Frazier
If you'd like to get to know more about Sunny, here are a couple of links for you:



Let's get to the fun part, shall we? On to the interview!





What was the very first book you remember reading and loving? What makes that book so special?

Betsy's Little Star by Carolyn Haywood. It was about a girl and her baby sister, Star. I didn't like my sisters much so I guess it was wishful thinking. My parents tried to get me to read The Bobbsey Twins--yuck!


Outside of your writing and all associated commitments, what do you like to do in your free time?

Read. I wish I could say housework and gardening, but anyone who shows up at my doorstep knows better. Oh, and I do love TV. I lived without it for so many years of my life that it's still exciting. Especially in hi def. I'm pretty much a couch potato. Except when I'm swimming. Love to swim but I can only indulge a few months out of the year.


If I were to visit your hometown, where would you recommend that I go? (I like seeing and doing things that aren't in all the guide books.)

Lemoore, California
Okay, you have to understand that I live in Lemoore. That pretty much limits us. I could take you to the Navy base where I grew up, but after 9/11 security is heavy. I could treat you to lumpia and panzit at the Filipino restaurant, Zeni's. We'd drive out to 16 1/2 Ave and pick up white peaches at the farmhouse if they're in season. We'd walk down D St. where music is piped out on the street and look at the murals depicting the dairy industry, which is important to the town (we have the biggest mozzerlla factory in the world). If it's the right time of the year, we could watch the Portuguese Festival with the queens of all ages parading down the street in their beautiful gowns and capes, then eat free sopish (a stew of big chunks of beef, cabbage and bread served communily in a huge pot). If you come on the 4th of July, we'd go to the park and have a piece of flag-decorated cake the Navy bakes for us. D Street is closed down during the Pizza Festival in the spring when the natives competitively decorate slices of a huge pizza (all ingredients are grown here). After judging, the whole thing is carted down the street to a place where they bake paint on cars. When it's ready, it's trucked back to main street and everyone eats a slice. Not me, but the kids like it. We find ways to amuse ourselves in rural California.



You have total control over casting a movie based on your life. Which actor would you cast as you?

Sandra Bullock
I'm gonna have to say Sandra Bullock. It's the bangs.


Who is your favorite recurring character in crime fiction?

I'm a Kinsey Millhone fan, but I also like J.A. Jance's Beaumont. It's a draw.


Name one book that you've read that you wish you had written. What is it about that book that made it come to mind?

Hands down, Choke by Chuck Palahniuk (he's the guy who wrote Fight Club). I find his writing brave, quirky and in-your-face. I wish I had the courage to put down what I really want to say without worrying about offending the world. I despair at the alter of his talent.



What did you do the first time you saw one of your books on a shelf in a bookstore? How did you celebrate when you first heard you were to be published?

You know, I really didn't have a reaction. Even when I win a contest or manage a major achievement, I let myself gloat for three days and then it's back to work. I think that comes from being a newspaper reporter where your best stories wind up on the bottom of a birdcage collecting bird droppings. At least, that's what my family did to recycle newspapers. It's sort of the world telling me to get over it.  


I don't know if you've seen it, but I love Parnell Hall's video about book signings. What is the most unusual experience you've had at a book signing or author event?

At Malice Domestic I found myself sitting next to well-known author. Her books had not arrived and she didn't have anything to sign. I felt bad for her so I handed her one of my books and said, "Do you want something to read?" Okay, that was snarky, but I meant it in the nicest way. Really.


The way some people talk, the only way to read now or in the future is with some sort of electronic device, like my husband's Nook. What is your opinion of eBooks, and how will they affect you as a published author?

I love the idea for others, but I haven't learned yet how to answer my cell phone, so I'm afraid I'd either lose it, break it or forget how to operate it. I never read directions (they don't make sense). The books spilling out of my bookshelves will suffice for the rest of my life. But, I can see the practicality of e-books and my sales are healthy in that arena. So, thumbs up--but not for me.

======

Thank you so much for spending this time with us, Sunny. May your book sales do nothing but increase!

Learn More!


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Saturday, August 27, 2011

The Summoner by Layton Green

Title: The Summoner
Author: Layton Green
ISBN: 9781456546861
Publisher:  Createspace, 2011
Paperback, 332 pages
Genre: Thriller, #1 Dominic Grey
Rating: B
Source: the author

First Line: The only thing Dominic Grey knew for certain about the disappearance of William Addison was that it was the strangest case to which he had ever been assigned.

Dominic Grey, a Diplomatic Security special agent in Zimbabwe, is assigned to investigate the case of a U.S. diplomat who has disappeared in front of hundreds of onlookers while attending a religious ceremony. Helping Grey in the investigation are Nya Mashumba, a Zimbabwe government liaison, and Professor Viktor Radek, an expert on cults. The course of his investigation leads him into the dark and violent heart of an ancient religion, and one of its priests-- a man seemingly able to perform the impossible. From the moment their search began, the lives of all three are in grave danger.

Although The Summoner got off to a slow start for me, the pace gained speed in the last half as did my enjoyment. Dominic Grey is an interesting character whose childhood spent living with an abusive father has made him reluctant to form attachments to others. Grey has a strict moral code that he refuses to relax for anyone, and that doesn't make him a favorite with his superiors at the embassy.

One of the reasons why I found the book to be slow at first is that Grey is told not to do anything without Nya Mashumba's approval or presence-- and Nya's concept of keeping in touch and being punctual leave much to be desired. Professor Radek also disappears on his own business and cannot be reached. Since I have about as much patience as Dominic Grey, it felt as though I spent the first half of the book cooling my heels in a doctor's office.  However, once Nya's motivations are made clear, the floodgates of plot and character opened, and I couldn't read fast enough.

The setting of Zimbabwe was oftentimes heart-breaking, the ancient religion was downright scary, and Green's main characters of Grey and Radek are two that I want to meet again.

As a matter of fact, the second Dominic Grey book, The Egyptian, has been released today, and for this weekend only the author is selling the eBook versions of both The Summoner and The Egyptian for 99¢ apiece. This is a marvelous opportunity for all you folks with eReaders to discover a good new writer at very little cost!

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Celebrating Mysteries: Following a Different Drummer


I hope you've been enjoying this month's Native American mystery theme-- I know I have. This week concludes the month of August with three authors whose Native American main characters all follow different career paths. I am well acquainted with two of the authors' books; I have them both listed on my Recommended Mystery Series page. The third author is new to me, but I have the first book in her series sitting on my to-be-read shelves. Let's get started!

David Cole
David Cole lives part of the year outside Tucson, Arizona. He is a founding member of NativeWeb, Inc., a non-profit corporation offering Internet services and information to Native and Indigenous peoples of the world. Here is what David himself has to say about his writing and the main character of his mystery series:

"My fiction writing has always been politically motivated. Quite frankly, I chose the mystery format because it was a good-selling market, and I could wrap my politics around the plot. And in a very real sense, mysteries are one of the last remaining genres where morality plays a central role. I want "good" to triumph.

Laura Winslow, my central character, is a half-Hopi, one-time-Ritalin-abuser computer hacker, living on the run while battling the demons behind her own anxiety disorder. (In later books) Laura is far more socially interactive and she's also reunited with her daughter. But that doesn't mean my major characters' lives aren't works-in-progress."

There are seven books in the Laura Winslow series. The first three are: Butterfly Lost (2000), The Killing Maze (2001), and Stalking Moon (2002).

Butterfly Lost is an excellent start to the series. Here is a synopsis:

Hacking onto the electronic trail of people who want to stay lost is Laura Winslow's business. But when an old Hopi commissions Laura to find his granddaughter, she doesn't want any part of his vision of Powakas or Navajo skinwalkers--or anything else that will remind her of her old life as "Kauwanyauma" back on the "rez" in Arizona. The Hopi's granddaughter, however, is one of too many girls recently gone missing, and that Laura can't ignore.


Propelled by her own bad memories, Laura reluctantly begins her search, a trail that leads her into the testosterone-laden rodeo circuit and drops her between the crosshairs of stolen heritage and a quest for ultimate power. This investigation, though, is cutting way too close to her own demons for Laura to handle. Holding body and soul together--and catching a killer--means she must get beyond the angry desire to destroy the past and allow herself to be the woman, and the Hopi, that she's always tried to deny.


Thomas Perry
Thomas Perry is the author of another series that I highly recommend. He has worked as a park maintenance man, factory laborer, commercial fisherman, university administrator and teacher, and a writer and producer of prime time network television shows.  He lives in Southern California.

His heroine is Jane Whitefield, a Seneca woman who helps innocent people disappear from those who are trying to kill them. She has quite a few tricks up her sleeve, and she's taught me a lot about what I'd have to do if I wanted to vanish.

There are six books in the Jane Whitefield series. The first three are: Vanishing Act (1995), Dance for the Dead (1996), and Shadow Woman (1997).

Vanishing Act hooked me, even though I did have a problem or two with the book. Publishers Weekly talks about this first book in the series:

Jane Whitefield, half-white, half-Seneca member of the Wolf clan, helps people disappear-- people like Rhonda Eckerly, fleeing her abusive husband, or Harry Kemple, hoping to stay alive after witnessing a gangland shooting. Like a one-woman witness protection program, Jane has helped both vanish by giving them new identities and new starts at life. Now an alleged new victim has invaded Jane's upstate New York house. John Felker claims that he's a cop-turned-accountant, is being framed as an embezzler and has a contract out on his life. Almost immediately, the men chasing Felker appear, and Jane leads him farther upstate, to a Canadian Indian reservation where he can build a new life. Jane is an original and fascinating creation. She operates outside the law, but with a particular slant born of her distinct character and Seneca heritage. Perry tells her story in a trim and brisk manner, moreover, with plenty of action and suspense. 


Sue Owens Wright
Sue Owens Wright is an author of both fiction and non-fiction about dogs and writes newspaper columns and magazine articles.

Her mystery series features Elsie "Beanie" MacBean, a freelance writer and member of the Washoe tribe, and her Basset Hound, Cruiser.

There are three books in the series so far: Howling Bloody Murder (2001), Sirius About Murder (2006), and Embarking on Murder (2009).




Here's a brief synopsis of the first book in the series:

In Howling Bloody Murder, her first book, Sue Owens Wright introduces half-Washoe Indian Elsie "Beanie" MacBean and her basset hound Cruiser. Land disputes at Lake Tahoe between developers and the Washoe turn deadly, and it's up to Beanie to clear a Tribal Elder's name.





I hope you've enjoyed August's travels into this crime fiction sub-genre. Join me in September when I'll have a brand-new theme to celebrate!





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Friday, August 26, 2011

An Irresistibly Sweet Blog Award

Many thanks to Yvette of in so many words (one of my favorite blogs) who's bestowed The Irresistibly Sweet Blog Award upon me. Little does she know that I'm a law unto myself when it comes to the rules and regs of blog awards!

The rules and regs on this particular award are to give it to twelve other bloggers and to list seven random facts about myself. I won't be passing it on-- not because I'm an award hog, but because I hate choosing other blogs to award. Some deserving soul always gets left out. Always.

As for the seven random facts about myself... hmm.....

  1. I am the granddaughter, daughter and wife of Navy men. I didn't plan on the last one, but I certainly wasn't stupid enough to pass him by!
  2. My original major when I started college was French.
  3. My hair started turning gray when I was sixteen. I've decided to no longer dye my hair, and I have my fingers crossed that it will be snow white once the dye's all gone. (There are advantages to gray/white hair. I know from experience!)
  4. I have a storage unit that contains nothing but Christmas decorations. (Inside-the-house ones.)
  5. Until recently I've been amicably sharing my pool space with a black widow spider.
  6. For my first wedding anniversary/birthday, Denis took me up in a hot air balloon.
  7. I love maps.
Oh... and whatever you do, don't any of you tell Yvette that I'm allergic to strawberries!



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Thursday, August 25, 2011

Ho, Ho, Ho-- It's Time for the Weekly Link Round-Up!


Another quiet week here at Casa Kittling. For one thing, it was a bit too warm to be getting into any shenanigans. (116°F/47°C) Throw in a couple of doctor's appointments, a run to the grocery store for needed ingredients, and all I wanted to do was spend the afternoon in the shady end of the pool with a succession of good books and cold drinks.

In the evenings while Denis is at work, I've been watching DVDs and Netflix instant streaming while I needlepoint. The first two weeks, I conducted my own Richard Chamberlain Film Festival ( "The Thornbirds" and "Shogun"), and now I'm watching the original "Star Trek" television series. I've also started making Christmas stocking shelf sitters while watching television, hence the "ho, ho, ho." Something tells me that a few of the gaps (yes, I have those) on my bookshelves will have Christmas stockings on them.

Enough about my yawn of a week, and let's get on to the links!


Bookish News & Other Fun Stuff

A Few Bookish Lists

Bookish Furniture & Fashion

eBooks

New to My Google Reader

There you have it-- this week's links. Don't forget to stop by next weekend when I'll share a freshly selected batch of links for your surfing pleasure!





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The Most Dangerous Thing by Laura Lippman

Title: The Most Dangerous Thing
Author: Laura Lippman
ISBN: 9780061706516
Publisher: William Morrow, 2011
Hardcover, 352 pages
Genre: Suspense
Rating: A-
Source: Publicist

First Line: They throw him out when he falls off the barstool.

Something happened one summer in Baltimore that made five best friends go their separate ways throughout the rest of school and on into their adult lives. When one of them dies and the rest slowly come together for the funeral, they begin to learn that the past never stays buried. It must be dealt with or there will be unwelcome consequences.

Once again Lippman does an excellent job at building suspense (just what happened that summer???) and diving into character and motivation. Those remembered days of childhood are every bit as clearly delineated as the present day trials the characters all have as grownups.

This book is a bit of a rarity for me-- and it's all due to Laura Lippman's skill as a writer. You see, I really didn't give a rap for any of the characters. There's not one single person in that book that I liked. If this leads to you believe that I hated this book, I wouldn't be surprised. But I did like it. Lippman makes that mysterious thing that happened on that long ago summer so compelling that I couldn't stop reading. I had to find out what happened and which of the characters were responsible.

Normally this character-driven reader prefers to have at least one character to like, respect, or admire.  In the case of The Most Dangerous Thing, I kept thinking to myself, "You're all one big batch of messed-up people. What did you do to get that way?" Lippman answered my question in one beautifully written page after another.





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A Small Death in the Great Glen by A.D. Scott

Title: A Small Death in the Great Glen
Author: A.D. Scott
ISBN: 9781439154939
Publisher: Atria Books, 2010
Paperback, 416 pages
Genre: Historical Mystery
Rating: A+
Source: Purchased at The Poisoned Pen.

First Line: He dressed the boy's body whilst it was still warm.

It's 1956 in the Highlands of Scotland. and the village that the Highland Gazette calls home probably believes it's filled with modern thinkers. After all, Italians and Poles have moved into the community, opened businesses, and been accepted by the villagers. Unfortunately, when the body of a young boy is pulled from a canal, everyone finds that they aren't quite as modern as they wanted to think. Gossip is rampant, and suspicions are cast at any newcomer to the area. The editor of the Gazette wants to change the sleepy paper into something with more hard-hitting news. He believes that he and his staff are going to be able to help the police in their investigation. What he doesn't know is just how much this investigation is going to change his staff and the community.

This book begins slowly and proceeds with great care in setting up the cast of characters and the area in which everyone lives. Once or twice I had a fleeting thought about when they were going to start focusing on the murder, but that's all they were: fleeting thoughts. A.D. Scott is masterful at setting her scene and each of her characters is built, brushstroke by brushstroke, with great care. A Small Death in the Great Glen is as much a character study as it is a mystery, so if you are a character-driven reader, this should definitely be your cup of tea.

The staff of the Highland Gazette is a brilliant bunch of characters-- every one fascinating in his or her own way. We have an escapee from the big city of Glasgow, the old Eternal Cynic, the cub reporter dreaming of his first big break, and an abused wife. We get to know each one during the course of the book, and each one is going to have a part in the investigation.

We're teased along with bits and pieces of the murder investigation, and a clue is left out in sight here and there, but once A Small Death in the Great Glen settles down to find the killer, the ride to justice is filled with twists and turns. I thought I had it all figured out-- but I only had it half right. Another thing I liked is that, although things are deadly serious, Scott lightens the tone with laugh-out-loud funny bits throughout. I know that once I've had a laugh about something the next shocking thing that happens hits me that much harder-- and makes me that much more reluctant to stop reading.

If you're in the mood for a mystery that builds slowly to a climax while it paints a vivid portrait of life in a provincial Scottish village AND creates a marvelous cast of characters, I'd say you were in the mood for A Small Death in the Great Glen. The next book in the series is due to be released at the end of September, and you'd better believe it's on my wishlist!






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Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Scene of the Blog Featuring Ann's Reading Corner!

This week we're visiting a great-grandmother in Iowa whose blog definitely shows her love of reading with an eclectic mix of books reviewed as well as book-related memes and reading challenges.

If you've never visited Ann's Reading Corner, I hope you take this opportunity to do so. Don't forget to say hello while you're there!

Before we check out Ann's creative spaces, remember that you can click on each photo to view them in a larger size. Now let's go visit Ann!


Ann's reading corner in her apartment

This is my little Reading Corner; it is also where I do all my blogging. It is located in a corner of my bedroom, because we live in a small apartment, so I have to use every little nook and cranny to store my books.


Books Ann has read




Now on to the other corner of my bedroom to view the bookcase I put the books I have read. Well, that isn't all of them, because my friends and neighbors borrow some of them after I have finished reading them.









Ann's desk and television area
Now next up is my Desk and TV area. If you notice the bookcase on the Desk is holding books, the second shelf is vintage books. Once in awhile I get a hankering to read a vintage book.

Ann and Miss Molly enjoying some poetry

And last, but not least is a picture of myself and Miss Molly spending a relaxing evening reading Poetry in Ann's Reading Corner.

I hope you enjoyed the tour of My Reading Corner today.


We certainly did, Ann! Thank you so much for taking us on this tour! Small spaces can cause logistical problems, but you seem to have dealt with it all beautifully. As you said above, you've made every inch count. And I love that photo of you and Miss Molly!

Don't forget to stop by next Wednesday when I'll be featuring another book blogger from our worldwide community!


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Time for a Siesta This Wordless Wednesday!

Click on photo to view full size. More Wordless Wednesday.



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Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Enter to Win in My Very First Giveaway!!



I've been considering giveaways here on Kittling: Books for quite some time. I don't want to have them all the time, but a special one now and then could be a very good thing.

A special giveaway landed right in my lap when Stanley Trollip of the writing team Michael Stanley asked me if I wanted the first two Detective Kubu mysteries as prizes on my blog. In the emails that zipped back and forth, a giveaway was born.

TWO lucky readers will win the first two Detective Kubu mysteries written by Michael Stanley-- A Carrion Death and The Second Death of Goodluck Tinubu. This is a worldwide giveaway, and before the books are mailed to the winners, they will be inscribed to them by the authors. Isn't that great?

Not only that, but there are no rules to remember, no hoops to jump through. Open worldwide. One entry per person. The winners will be announced on Tuesday, September 6... which just happens to be the release date of the third Detective Kubu mystery, Death of the Mantis.

This is a wonderful opportunity to have your very own copies of two mysteries with a very strong sense of place, involving plots, and an engaging main character. Fill out the entry form below!

Good Luck!




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The Eighty-Dollar Champion: Snowman, the Horse That Inspired a Nation by Elizabeth Letts

Title: The Eighty-Dollar Champion: Snowman, the Horse That Inspired a Nation
Author: Elizabeth Letts
ISBN: 9780345521088
Publisher: Ballantine Books, 2011
Hardcover, 352 pages
Genre: Non-Fiction
Rating: B
Source: LibraryThing Early Reviewer program

First Line: The horse vans parked along Seventh Avenue came loaded up with dreams.

Harry de Leyer needed a good horse, but by the time he fought through the horrendous winter weather, the only horses left at the auction were those on the truck headed to the slaughterhouse. Unwilling to admit defeat, he persuaded the truck driver to let him take a look at the doomed horses loaded in the back. A certain look in the eyes of a neglected plow horse spoke to Harry, and after paying the driver $80 for the horse, Harry took him home. At that point, the horse-- dubbed "Snowman" by Harry's children-- was probably the only one that knew he was poised at the beginning of his very own Cinderella story. This is the story of a plow horse turned schooling horse turned show jumping champion. It is the story of the man who saved his life, Harry de Leyer. Most of all, it is the story of the deep love the two have for each other.

The book grabbed me at the very beginning with the tale of how Harry found Snowman and brought him home. I was chomping at the bit for more, but Letts switched leads and began telling Harry de Leyer's story of life before and during Nazi occupation in the Netherlands, and the immigration of Harry, his wife, and children to the United States. Don't get me wrong: Harry's life is extremely interesting, but after that excellent beginning, his story almost ground the pacing of the book to a complete halt. I was tempted to skip ahead and get back to the horse, but I wouldn't let myself.

Once the chronicle of Harry's story caught up with Snowman's, the book took wings again. Letts' research and interviews give The Eighty-Dollar Champion the richness of detail that it needs. The show jumping circuit in the late 1950s comes to life, and I felt as if I got to know what it was like to work Snowman at his "9 to 5" job and then load him in the trailer to compete in shows.

After the stumble at the start, the book only took one more misstep as it headed for the finish line. As Snowman started to capture media attention, the author seemed to make a bid for comparison to Laura Hillenbrand's classic Seabiscuit by adding brief sections about the uncertainty of the era, how it needed a hero to believe in, and how the working class public focused on Snowman-- a very unlikely champion. These sections don't really fit into the book because the focus of The Eighty-Dollar Champion is a very narrow one: the relationship between a very special horse and a very special man. Attempting to bring the outside world into this just doesn't work.

Although I did find a bit of awkwardness in the book, I absolutely loved the story of Snowman. However, as a word to the wise for anyone who falls apart at the end of Old Yeller or who has had a beloved pet die-- keep a box of tissues on standby. You will need them.






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