I Have Kathy Reichs Covered!

I'm getting all sorts of help and suggestions from readers lately, and I couldn't be more thrilled. Kate just told me about a perfect cover comparison that will definitely show up here soon, and Reta pointed me in the direction of a post called "Same book - Different title (a bookworm's gripe)" which also happens to be a complaint of mine. One of the things I love about Stop, You're Killing Me! is that it lists both titles if a book has been published under two different ones. I check this website almost daily for one reason or another, and it certainly has saved me a lot of grief!

But enough of that-- I need to get myself back on track. It's time for another Cover-Off, comparing the US and UK covers of a crime fiction novel. This week, I'm taking a look at one of Kathy Reichs' mysteries. See for yourself!

This week, I'm going to have to say that neither cover does a thing for me. Let's take it one at a time.

The US cover...

Of course it's blurb heavy; it's a US cover. Reichs is a New York Times bestselling author. She's the author who inspired the television series Bones. She's "a genius at building suspense."  All that's well and good, but the colors just turn into a dark blob, and the skeletal hand makes it look like a horror story instead of a mystery. The title does not stand out against the background, and neither does the author's name-- unless the lighting in the building hits it at just the right angle. Would I notice this book if I walked past it in the bookstore? I doubt it very much. 

The UK cover...

On the other hand, the yellows in the background of the UK cover do make it stand out more, and the author's name shines out at all passersby. The cover isn't blurb heavy either. (I do love British restraint at times!) But what's this sink/mirror/wall graphic all about? It certainly doesn't make me want to pick it up. I feel as though I'd come in contact with every disease known to humankind if I walked into that bathroom. How about you? The graphic probably has something to do with the story, but I just can't get over the feeling that I'd need a HazMat suit just to touch the book.


So... as I said at the beginning, neither cover does a thing for me. How about you? Do you prefer one cover over the other? Which one? US? UK? Or do both of them leave you monumentally underwhelmed? Inquiring minds would love to know!


   

@ The Poisoned Pen with Kathy Reichs!

It was Tuesday, September 3, and Denis and I were heading to my favorite bookstore, The Poisoned Pen. For me, this would be my fourth visit in less than a week-- and the second time in two days. At this rate every time I jumped into the Jeep, the trusty vehicle was going to head to Scottsdale by default. After years of having work schedules that prevented me from attending these author signings, it's wonderful to be able to go so often.

Like the previous day's event for Louise Penny (no, you haven't missed my recap; it will appear next Monday), I expected a standing-room-only crowd today for Kathy Reichs, author of the Temperance Brennan mystery series, so we'd started out in plenty of time to be able to grab good seats. We did, although it did take me a minute or two to decide which ones they would be. The spot in which I prefer to sit isn't always the best one, since women with flyaway hair tend to sit in the seat in front of me. Flyaway hair seems to be drawn to a camera lens like you wouldn't believe, and there's been more than one photo that I've posted in my recaps that have had to have hair airbrushed or cropped out. Tonight we would be giving the front row a try!

As the bookstore continued to fill, host and bookstore owner Barbara Peters shared a few tidbits with us. There were two reasons why she was pleased to see how many of us had packed in to see Kathy: two days earlier only twelve people had shown up at her signing (which completely stunned all of us), and although the publishing industry is extremely busy this year, book tours are being shortened or eliminated altogether. For shortened tours, this means that the well-attended signings will be the ones that stay on the itinerary.

Just before Reichs made her entrance, we also learned that Dennis Lehane and another, unnamed, author now refuse to come to Arizona for any signings due to the passage of Arizona SB 1070. It would be lovely to be known around the world for something other than our lovely politicians....

The Dude in the Dam

Kathy Reichs and Barbara Peters

As the author took her seat, Peters reminded us that Bones of the Lost is the sixteenth Temperance Brennan book, and that the TV series Bones (loosely based on the books) is in its ninth season.

Kathy Reichs then started telling us about an episode of Bones that she and her daughter co-wrote. This episode (possibly airing on November 19-- doublecheck the date) will involve five clues from Bones of the Lost and a contest to be conducted on Twitter.

"The Dude in the Dam" is definitely an episode for Hodgins, since it involves creatures like leopard slugs. And speaking of those lovelies and the joys of filming in Hollywood, they needed a leopard slug wrangler. (Hmm... I wonder how "leopard slug wrangler" would look on my resume?) In addition, they somehow managed to hire the only three working beavers in Hollywood, and one of those was due to a cancellation elsewhere. The cancellation happened to be an elderly, slow-moving, ill-tempered beaver that, nonetheless, turned out to be a bolter and caused a bit of difficulty during the filming. ("Bad day at work today, Maude. We had a runaway beaver.") Another special tidbit about "The Dude in the Dam"? Reichs' 2½-year-old grandson makes an appearance.

Peanut butter, mayonnaise and pickles...

Although she's no longer teaching, Reichs still keeps her work schedule between North Carolina and Canada and gets many of her ideas from the weird things that show up in her lab. Things like Peruvian mummified dogs or a case from 1969. She's also not the only writer in the family, although one daughter did go into the field of nursing. Another daughter writes, and a son co-writes a young adult series with Kathy.

"I will never write about someplace I've never been," Reichs told us, which segued very nicely into her trip to Afghanistan as part of the USO and the International Thriller Writers effort as well as into her latest book. She flew into Afghanistan on a no-frills troop carrier with fellow authors Sandra Brown and Mark Bowden (Black Hawk Down). The authors each had to wear forty pounds of body armor, and the bathrooms were the length of a football field away from their rooms. Reichs laughed and told us that she always seemed to find out she'd left something behind once she'd made it all the way to the bathroom, while Sandra Brown always looked perfect. While they were there, Mark Bowden autographed one of the Black Hawk helicopters, which we all thought was really cool.

Reichs looked up and saw fellow author Clive Cussler standing at the back of the packed space. Inviting him to say a few words, Cussler mentioned the "lovely food. My favorite dish was peanut butter, mayonnaise and pickles." When we'd finished laughing, Kathy told us that the servicemen would read through the list of authors who were there, and they'd all hurry over to get in Cussler's line.

"The very first place I touched a skeleton..."

Kathy's about halfway through writing her next book, and the publisher has already told her that the cover will be red. (For you fans out there, the title will be Bones Never Lie.) Of course there are statistics for book cover colors. Red is the best color for a cover, and the worst color is yellow-- partly because it is unstable and changes hue over time. Reichs will be changing publishers after Bones Never Lie, and she's hoping to be able to keep to her current publishing schedule. 

Available Now!

Kathy's first manuscript was written in the third person, but she soon felt that it was boring and abandoned it. When she began writing in the first person, everything clicked. Peters said, "You're known as a novelist, but in the past several author events here, we've talked a bit about short stories. What's the difference to you between your novels and short stories?" Totally deadpan, Reichs replied, "You can't use nearly as many words."

During the question segment, it was natural for people to ask about the television series, Bones. Reichs has input but no control with the series, and she always doublechecks the science. She's glad that the Jeffersonian in the series is really a stand-in for the Smithsonian because the Smithsonian was the very first place where she touched a skeleton.

In talking about the two men in Tempe Brennan's life (in the books), Reichs suddenly announced: "Ryan or Pete? I want to see a show of hands!" followed quickly with "Who says kill 'em both?" to peals of laughter from the audience.

She's understandably very proud of the fact that the Virals young adult series that she co-writes with her son is mandatory reading in some schools because the books teach both English and Science. Reichs also took the time to give thoughtful, incisive advice to a beginning forensic anthropology student in the audience. 

With a wry smile, Kathy Reichs told us that her son and daughter who write are both "recovering attorneys." Barbara Peters, a former attorney herself, nodded knowingly and exclaimed, "Publish or practice!" before the signing line began to form.

It's so nice to see the authors behind the books I enjoy reading so much. Yes, they're all "on"-- they're all performing-- but it's not difficult to see the real person behind the actor's mask. It's also interesting to see the different answers to questions about the writing process, film rights, or the voices in the audio books. Those answers tell us what is most important to each writer. Like I said earlier in this post, I am so thankful that I'm able to attend these events. I enjoy showing support for the authors who've given me so much enjoyment-- and for the bookstore that makes it all possible!

October 2011 New Mystery Releases!

How did it get to be October already??? It won't be long before I'll be getting all my Christmas decorations out and turning our home into a holiday wonderland!

The pool water has already cooled off enough that I can't sit in there for extended periods of time to read, so I've migrated to a comfy chair in the shade close to the pool. My new reading spot is also closer to hummingbird feeders and birdbaths, so I often have my hair ruffled by various-sized wings.

And of course, I'm always on the look-out for new mysteries to read. This post contains my latest round-up of titles that will be released during the month of October. 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. Happy reading!

===October 1===

Title: The Unlucky Lottery

Author: Håkan Nesser

Series: #6 Chief Inspector Van Veeteren, set in Sweden

ISBN: 9780230745728

Publisher: Mantle

Hardcover, 256 pages

*UK Release

"Four friends celebrate winning the lottery. Just hours later, one of them – Waldemar Leverkuhn – is found in his home, stabbed to death.

With Chief Inspector Van Veeteren on sabbatical, working in a second hand bookshop, the case is assigned to Inspector Münster. But when another member of the lottery group disappears, as well as Leverkuhn’s neighbour, Münster appeals to Van Veeteren for assistance.

Soon Münster will find himself interviewing the Leverkuhn family, including the eldest – Irene – a resident of a psychiatric clinic. And as he delves deeper into the family’s history, he will discover dark secrets and startling twists, which not only threaten the clarity of the case – but also his life...."

===October 4===

Title: Flipped Out

Author: Jennie Bentley

Series: #5 Do-It-Yourself mystery set in Waterfield, Maine

ISBN: 9780425244074

Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime

Paperback, 304 pages

"Avery and her hunky handyman boyfriend are renovating a house belonging to a local news anchor who's thrilled to be filmed as part of a home renovation show. But cable television fame proves fleeting when the man is murdered and Avery faces the task of nailing the killer. Fast."

Title: Headstone

Author: Ken Bruen
Series: #9 Jack Taylor set in Galway, Ireland.
ISBN: 9780802126009
Publisher: Mysterious Press
Hardcover, 256 pages

"Acclaimed Irish crime writer Ken Bruen has won numerous awards for his hard-charging, dark thrillers, which have been translated into ten languages. In Headstone, an elderly priest is nearly beaten to death and a special-needs boy is brutally attacked. Evil has many guises and Jack Taylor has encountered most of them. But nothing before has ever truly terrified him until he confronts an evil coterie named Headstone, who have committed a series of random, insane, violent crimes in Galway, Ireland.

Most would see a headstone as a marker of the dead, but this organization seems like it will act as a death knell to every aspect of Jack’s life. Jack’s usual allies, Ridge and Stewart, are also in the line of terror. An act of appalling violence alerts them to the sleeping horror, but this realization may be too late, as Headstone barrels along its deadly path right to the center of Jack’s life and the heart of Galway."

Title: The More the Terrier
Author: Linda O. Johnston
Series: #2 Pet Rescue mystery set in the Los Angeles, California area.
ISBN: 9780425243794
Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime
Paperback, 304 pages

"When shelter manager Lauren Vancouver finds out that her old mentor, Mamie Spelling, is an animal hoarder, no one is more shocked, and she jumps in to help re-home the cramped critters. But Mamie's troubles don't end there. She's accused of murder when the CEO of a pet shelter network is found dead. And Lauren's dogged determination to clear her former friend of murder may put a killer on her tail."

Title: The Sandburg Connection
Author: Mark de Castrique
Series: #3 sam Blackman mystery set in Ashville, North Carolina.
ISBN: 9781590589434
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
Paperback, 250 pages

"A simple assignment for private investigator Sam Blackman and his partner Nakayla Robertson: follow Professor Janice Wainwright, who’s suing a surgeon for malpractice, and catch her in activities that undercut her claim.

When Wainwright visits Connemara, Carl Sandburg’s home in Flat Rock, N.C., and climbs the arduous trail to the top of Glassy Mountain, Sam believes he has the evidence needed to expose her—until he finds the woman semi-conscious and bleeding. Her final words: 'It’s the Sandburg verses. The Sandburg verses.'

As the first person to discover the dying woman, Sam becomes the prime suspect. When an autopsy reveals painkillers in her blood and solid proof of the surgeon’s errors, Sam is left with the haunting questions: why did this suffering woman attempt to climb the mountain? Did someone cause her death?

A break-in at the Wainwright farmhouse and the theft of Sandburg volumes convince Sam someone is seeking information worth killing for. But what did Pulitzer-Prize-winner Sandburg have in his literary collection that has inspired multiple murders? And who will be targeted next?"

===October 18===

Title: Seizure

Author: Kathy Reichs

Series: #2 young adult mystery series featuring Tory Brennan on a remote island off the coast of South Carolina.

ISBN: 9781595143945

Publisher: Razorbill

Hardcover, 464 pages

"Ever since Tory Brennan and her friends rescued Cooper, a kidnapped wolf pup with a rare strain of canine parvovirus, they've turned from regular kids into a crime-solving pack! But now the very place that brought them together - the Loggerhead Island Research Institute - is out of funding and will have to shut down. That is, unless the Virals can figure out a way to save it!

So when Tory learns of an old Charleston legend about a famous she-pirate, Anne Bonney, whose fortune was never found, she can't believe her luck - buried treasure is exactly what she needs to save the Institute on Loggerhead! Trouble is, she and her friends aren't the only ones looking for it. And this time, the Virals' special powers may not be enough to dig them out of trouble...."

Title: Under the Skin

Author: Vicki Lane

Series: #5 Elizabeth Goodweather mystery set on an herb and flower farm outside Ashville, North Carolina.

ISBN: 9780345533654

Publisher: Bantam Books

Paperback, 432 pages

"Elizabeth Goodweather and her city-girl sister, Gloria, couldn’t be more different. Elizabeth lives on a farm inthe Great Smoky Mountains. Gloria lives in Florida off an ex-husband’s fortune. Gloria is a beauty; Elizabeth isn’t. Now, to Elizabeth’s intense displeasure, Gloria parks herself at Full Circle Farm, on the run from her latest man, who, she insists, is trying to kill her. Elizabeth thinks this is just another of her sister’s fantasies. Besides, Elizabeth has her wedding to plan—if only she can overcome her fear that the man who already shares her life may not be what he appears to be. At this precarious crossroads, the sisters must turn to each other—or face a lifetime of consequences."

===October 21===

Title: Séance in Sepia

Author: Michelle Black

Standalone

ISBN: 9781432825485

Publisher: Five Star

Hardcover, 324 pages

"When the price of an unusual picture called a spirit photograph, which some Victorian spiritualists claimed was a photograph of the departed taken during a seance, sells at auction for over a thousand dollars, Flynn Keirnan is determined to discover the story behind it. She soon learns the ghostly images of the woman and two men in the picture were the subjects of a sensational murder trial in 1875 Chicago. A young architect was accused of killing his wife and best friend in what the local press dubbed The Free Love Murders. Flynn tracks the story through many sources, including the trial transcript, a journal kept by one of the victims, and notes from a jailhouse interview with the husband conducted by feminist firebrand Victoria Woodhull for her radical newspaper. Woodhull, also known as a spiritualist, was asked by the accused to contact the spirits of his wife and friend to obtain details about the deaths. Was it a double homicide, a double suicide, or a murder-suicide and, if so, who killed whom? Flynn Keirnan discovers the key to solving the Free Love murders lies in learning the provenance of the photograph itself. When she does she finds that, like Victoria, her own outlook on love has changed."

Title: Picture of Lies

Author: C.C. Harrison

Standalone

ISBN: 9781432825065

Publisher: Five Star

Hardcover, 326 pages

"Investigative journalist Keegan Thomas has been living a nightmare of guilt and grief since her little girl, Daisy, was kidnapped practically in front of her eyes. When the police investigation stalled, she turned her grief to anger and buried herself in her work searching for missing children, her own included. The result was an award-winning series of articles on unsolved child abductions. Then came the inevitable burnout.

On what is supposed to be a working vacation, Keegan travels to Monument Valley on the Navajo Indian Reservation seeking the whereabouts of people in an old photograph found in her grandfather s belongings after his death.

But the Indians do not welcome this nosy stranger carrying a picture of their old people, some of them dead. While navigating the mysterious ways of the Navajo, Keegan is told one of the children in the photograph was kidnapped by missionaries and taken to a boarding school.

Keegan s search for the child leads to a web of deception that stretches back two generations, and the truth Keegan learns about her own family is the most shocking betrayal of all."

===October 27===

Title: Slash and Burn

Author: Colin Cotterill

Series: #8 Dr. Siri Paiboun mystery set in 1970s Laos.

ISBN: 9780857381972

Publisher: Quercus Publishing

Hardcover, 320 pages

* UK Release

"Things have been pretty hectic for Dr Siri. Now he's off on what he calls a 'therapeutic holiday' in the mountains with his wife and friends. But sadly there's no rest for the wicked - with the help of a little blackmail they are accompanying an American MIA team. Their mission is to discover what happened to a stoned airman downed ten years earlier. Could he have survived? Who is eliminating the last people to have seen him alive? And who, we ask, is lighting the fires that are shrouding the Friendship Hotel in smog? In the remote Plain of Jars, surrounded by a thousand tons of unexploded bombs, Siri and the morgue team have to discover who is the killer in their midst before they too become victims." 

What a great month for crime fiction! It's a perfect blend of old favorites like Ken Bruen, Mark de Castrique and Colin Cotterill-- and a new-to-me local author, C.C. Harrison.

Are you adding any of these books to your own wishlist? Which ones?

Virals by Kathy Reichs

Title: Virals
Author: Kathy Reichs
ISBN: 9781595143426
Publisher: Razorbill, 2010
Hardcover, 464 pages
Genre: Young Adult
Rating: A
Source: Paperback Swap

First Line: A gunshot is the loudest sound in the universe.

Tory Brennan is the niece of forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan (of the Bones novels and hit television series). She's an admitted technology addict and "sci-phile" who loves the excavation tools and other technical gifts her aunt gives her. She and her friends live on a remote island off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina, and hang out in an old Civil War bunker.

Tory is fond of a small pack of wolf dogs who roam a nearby island, and when she discovers that one of the pups has been caught and is being used for medical testing, she and her friends rescue the canine, not knowing that it carries a contagious new strain of parvovirus. At roughly the same time on the same island, Tory finds a dog tag that sparks her curiosity. As she tries to find out more about the person who wore the tag, she and her friends unearth a skeleton. Things-- and their health-- begin to get seriously weird.

Reichs had me feeling as though I'd crash-landed in a bunch of teenagers that I'd have a blast with-- basically because I'm interested in the same things and had the same "fun" with the popular kids in my own high school. The chapters are short, move quickly, and pack a punch. Even though I'd deduced the identity of one of the villains, I didn't care, because the mystery involving the dog tag and skeleton held my interest so tightly. (The setting was superb as well.)

With Tory and her friends learning how to deal with the aftereffects of this strain of parvovirus, I'm really looking forward to the next book in this series.

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