These Toxic Things by Rachel Howzell Hall

 

First Line: At that time of night, there was peace.

 

Calling herself a "digital archaeologist," Michaela "Mickie" Lambert creates digital scrapbooks for her clients, ensuring that precious items and memories are not forgotten or lost. When her newest client, eccentric curio shop owner Nadia Denham, dies of an apparent suicide, Mickie honors the woman's last wish and continues curating twelve peculiar mementos, precious memories the old woman gathered on her cross-country flea market travels.

 

But these mementos mean a lot to someone else, too-- someone who leaves messages for Mickie telling her to leave them alone. This only heightens Mickie's curiosity. Who were the original owners of these "treasures"? How did Nadia actually acquire them? Little does Mickie know that her journey to the truth will lead her right into the path of a long-dormant serial killer.

 

~

 

These Toxic Things is a book that I wanted to like a lot more than I did. I've read other books by Rachel Howzell Hall and really enjoyed them, but this book is definitely not being added to that list. Granted, I did like the premise: being a digital archaeologist, tracking down the original owners and histories behind cherished items. If there'd been more of that, my enjoyment of the book would have been greater. But alas, there wasn't. After a fantastic first chapter that really raised my hopes, These Toxic Things turned into a bloated, slow-moving thriller with few real surprises-- the exact opposite of what a thriller should be.

Another real hindrance to my enjoyment of this book was the main character herself. Michaela "Mickie" Lambert, one of these twentysomethings who would have to have her cell phone surgically removed from her hand. Spoiled rotten, overprotected Mickie Lambert who thinks nothing of wearing and ruining her mother's designer clothes and snooping in her things to the point of searching high and low for a key to unlock a box in her mother's bedside table. Mickie Lambert, who freaks out at every noise and shadow yet can't be bothered to turn on the alarm system in her apartment. Can you tell I just loved this girl to bits? There's a secondary mystery in These Toxic Things concerning the reasons why Mickie has been so overprotected her whole life, but her childish response to learning one of the secrets surrounding this just made me shake my head and roll my eyes.

 

These Toxic Things starts out with a killer first chapter and a very intriguing premise, but it's grievously hampered by a glacial pace, easily deduced surprises, and an extremely annoying main character. Sorry, Mickie. I'm not hiring you as my digital archaeologist.

These Toxic Things by Rachel Howzell Hall

ASIN: B08MPVFL46

Thomas & Mercer © 2021

eBook, 417 pages

 

Thriller/Suspense, Standalone

Rating: D+

Source: Purchased from Amazon.

A "Twofer" Giveaway: We Begin at the End & And Now She's Gone!

 

You know me. I like to share the wealth, so when I suddenly realized that I had two excellent books sitting on my desk, my first thought was GIVEWAY! And since there were two books, I thought I'd give both books away at the same time instead of conducting two separate giveaways. Yes, I'm feeling lazy. Here are the two books I'm giving away.

 

The Giveaway Prizes

• One autographed, gently read hardcover copy of Chris Whitaker's We Begin at the End with a protective mylar cover on the dust jacket. The autograph is on a separate bookplate. Here is my review of the book, and if you click on the book title, you will be taken to Amazon where you can read the synopsis.
• One autographed, gently read hardcover copy of Rachel Howzell Hall's And Now She's Gone with a protective mylar cover on the dust jacket. Here is my review of the book, and if you click on the book title, you will be taken to Amazon where you can read the synopsis.

How to Win, or The Rules

• There will be two separate drawings for these books, with one winner receiving We Begin at the End and the second winner receiving And Now She's Gone.
• Send an email to kittlingbooks(at)gmail(dot)com. One email per book.
  
• If you want to win We Begin at the End, the subject header of your email must read WHITAKER GIVEAWAY.
• If you want to win And Now She's Gone, the subject header of your email must read HALL GIVEAWAY.
• You may enter to win both books, but you will have to send two separate emails, one for each giveaway.
• The body of your email must contain your name and mailing address.
• Due to the cost of postage, only entries from the U.S. will be accepted. Sorry!
  
• Get your entries to me no later than noon, Sunday, May 30, 2021.

The winners will be announced Sunday evening, May 30, 2021, and the books will be in the mail to them by Tuesday at the latest. 

Now it's time to fill my inbox with entries! Good Luck!

And Now She's Gone by Rachel Howzell Hall

 

First Line: She had to do it.

 

Grayson Sykes's very first assignment as a fully fledged private investigator is the missing persons case of Isabel Lincoln, but it doesn't take Grayson long to wonder if Isabel is missing or just doesn't want to be found. Isabel's case has all the hallmarks of an abused woman, so Grayson's primary focus becomes insuring that Isabel is all right.

But the case becomes ever more complicated and dangerous with each of Isabel's secrets and truths that Grayson uncovers. This new private eye is caught in a cat-and-mouse game, so it's a very good thing that she's just as complicated as the woman she's tracking.

~

And Now She's Gone has a plot that's more convoluted than San Francisco's Lombard Street, and I enjoyed every twist and turn. Grayson Sykes' voice drew me right into the story, and we're told from the beginning that she's a strong woman who keeps a lot bottled inside. When looking at a photo of the missing Isabel Lincoln, Grayson sees the type of woman that most men want to marry: a Mary Ann.  Her boss tells her, "You're not a Mary Ann. You're the Skipper. No nonsense. Reliable. Resourceful." Not words to warm the cockles of most women's hearts, but true enough, especially when describing a woman who "kept her jaw clamped like a crocodile on a wildebeest's leg."

The further the reader gets, the wondering sets in. Why does Grayson seem to be identifying so much with the woman she's trying to find? Then the gradual unfolding of Grayson's backstory begins, and as it's woven in with Isabel's story, the cat-and-mouse game comes into its own. And Now She's Gone is a spellbinding look into how violence and fear can lead a person to abandon everything in order to survive.

Note: If you'd like to read more books by Rachel Howzell Hall, I recommend her four-book series featuring Elouise "Lou" Norton, a Black homicide detective in Los Angeles. The first book is Land of Shadows.

And Now She's Gone by Rachel Howzell Hall

ISBN: 9781250753175

Forge Books © 2020

Hardcover, 384 pages

 

Thriller, Standalone

Rating: A-

Source: Purchased from The Poisoned Pen.

Land of Shadows by Rachel Howzell Hall

First Line: Two hundred and six bones make up the adult human skeleton.

Los Angeles homicide detective Elouise "Lou" Norton has a new partner fresh from the Colorado Springs police department, and when they're called out to a death at a condominium construction site, Colin Taggert tells Lou that seventeen-year-old Monique Darson's death is a suicide, plain and simple. Lou thinks Monique's death is neither plain nor simple... nor a suicide.

The main reason why she thinks the young girl didn't commit suicide is that she was found inside a property owned by Napoleon Crase, a self-made millionaire and the man Lou is convinced killed her missing sister Tori thirty years ago. The people she works with on the force are well aware of how she feels about Crase, and her boss makes her work hard to prove that he is a viable suspect. And work Lou does. The more she works, the more she discovers that the death of Monique Darson and Lou's missing sister are linked-- so much so that she feels finding Monique's killer will finally bring her sister home. But getting closer to the truth also means that Lou is getting very very close to a violent killer.

The minute I began reading Land of Shadows, Lou Norton's voice pulled me right into the story. She's a black woman who grew up in a dangerous part of Los Angeles, and she worked hard to get out of there, get an education, and better herself. She and her husband have money, nice cars, a very nice home. Lou wants for no material possessions, yet she's right back in the 'hood working hard to put the bad guys behind bars. Lou may have gotten out, but she's determined to give back, to help those who couldn't get out.

Lou is definitely the star of this show, but I also liked her supporting cast. Her boss, Rodriguez, is a fair man who looks her right in the eye and tells her "I just want you to be as good as you can be." He knows how she feels about Napoleon Crase and makes her work twice as hard to prove everything she says about the millionaire. Her new partner, Colin Taggert, starts out as a bumbling newbie full of bogus ideas, and it was refreshing to see his gradual change. Hall's sense of humor shines brightest when Lou and Colin don't see eye-to-eye, although at times it may be humor more easily understood by women: "I climbed out of the car before he could explain. Didn't he hear me? I was in no mood to kiss boo-boos and hand out juice boxes. There were worse things in life than being sent from a living room."

The investigation in Land of Shadows is filled with twists, turns, and surprises, and I certainly wasn't expecting the identity of whodunnit. With Rachel Howzell Hall's skill at storytelling and creating characters, I know I'm going to be visiting Lou Norton's part of Los Angeles regularly.

 

Land of Shadows by Rachel Howzell Hall

ISBN: 9780765336378

Forge Books © 2014

Paperback, 336 pages

Police Procedural, #1 Detective Elouise Norton

Rating: A

Source: Purchased at The Poisoned Pen.

Matt Goldman & Rachel Howzell Hall at The Poisoned Pen!

Sunday, September 10, I climbed aboard the Jeep and headed over to The Poisoned Pen to see two new-to-me authors, Matt Goldman and Rachel Howzell Hall. They would be talking about their latest books. Gone to Dust is Goldman's debut novel, and Hall's City of Saviors is the fourth book in her Lou Norton series-- a series that has been on my radar for a while. 

My vantage point in the back.

When I arrived, I picked up the four books that were waiting for me and headed to the table in the back. I was going to do something different for this event. It's rather difficult to juggle a notepad, pen, and camera while sitting on an uncomfortable folding chair, so I thought I'd stay at the table in the back. The way the authors are usually situated, I knew that the zoom lens on my camera would be able to get good shots, so I wasn't worried about that, and it would be heaven not to try to balance a notepad on my knee and try to write. As soon as they set up the chairs, I knew decent photos were doomed. As you can see, they weren't expecting a very big crowd, so they set the chairs in a circle, which I do not care for. (Hey, what can I say? I always preferred to sit at the back of the classroom when I was a young'un!)

Barbara Peters came in early to say hello to the authors and to see how things were progressing. She's standing in the photo above, and the woman to the left with the black and yellow backpack behind her chair is author Rachel Howzell Hall.  Once the event began with Poisoned Pen staffer Karen in charge, all the seats were filled. I'm always sad when there's a small turnout, but these events often are the most fun and informative.

Karen's introduction of both authors let us know that Hall is on the Board of Directors of the Mystery Writers of America, and she collaborates with James Patterson on BookShots. Goldman is an award-winning writer for Seinfeld, and his book Gone to Dust has been adapted for the screen and is on the market to be optioned for film. Having read both books, Karen was impressed by their bizarre crime scenes, their strong sense of place, and their irreverent sense of humor. "Both of you have a sense of humor that I found refreshing," Karen said. "More than once I found myself commenting that I hadn't heard anyone say that out loud for a while. And both of you give a very real sense of the political side of an investigation."

Matt Goldman with Barbara Peters

 "It's funny that you should say that about our senses of humor," Hall said. "We've been told that our humor almost sounded alike. I don't know if it's because we have the same editor or not!"

Karen began talking about City of Saviors. "It's the hottest day of the year in Los Angeles, and there's a dead man in a boarded-up house. Your Lou Norton is an African-American woman in a good old boys club. She's also been recently promoted, which will undoubtedly cause problems."

Hall nodded in agreement. "City of Saviors is also church-related. It's about people trying to help people. Lou is back in her old neighborhood trying to save people whom she left behind when she left to get an education."

Goldman's character Minnesota native Nils Shapiro went through the Academy but when the budget cuts came, he was caught in the "first hired, first fired" cut. Shapiro then decided to become a private investigator. "When local police find that their crime scene is a house with a body that's literally covered in dust, they don't know where to start," Goldman told us. "They haven't investigated a murder in over a decade, so they bring Shapiro in as a consultant. I've been told that this book is 'too Scandinavian' but I've never been to Scandinavia!"  

Rachel Howzell Hall (L) asking a question.

Karen then asked about each author's background. "I was a quiet kid growing up in an at-risk neighborhood," Hall replied. "I was a voracious reader. I was an observer. A lot of what I saw bothered me, but I internalized it, and the only way I could deal with it was through writing. I soon discovered that the 'dark side' interested me, and I wrote a play when I was in the third grade that disturbed many of the grownups! My first book was psychological suspense, and I've learned that the best way for me to solve the things that bother me is through my writing."

Matt said, "I was a chemistry major for three years, and I thought I'd be going to medical school. Like Rachel, I was very quiet, and I read a lot. One night some friends were going to a standup comedy place and I went with them. Then I started doing standup myself. I hated to perform, but I met a lot of people through it. 

"I opened for Jerry Seinfeld, Roseanne Barr, and others which led to me writing for Seinfeld. Now... I am quite introverted and most writing for television is done in a room full of people. I hated it. Then in January of 2015, both my kids went back to college. It was -11°, and I thought to myself, 'You're not going back to TV writing for a few months, why don't you give writing a novel a shot?'"

Available Now!

When Karen asked, Goldman said that Raymond Chandler was a big influence on him, especially with characterization and social commentary. Who are Hall's influences? "Raymond Chandler, Stephen King, Judy Blume, and Jackie Collins."

Matt admitted that "I didn't start reading mysteries until six or seven years ago. I was a bit of a lit snob, but I love that the mystery carries the plot so that the characters don't have to do it all the time."

Rachel said, "I have to be angry or interested in something before I'll start writing. I work full-time. I have a thirteen-year-old daughter who's heavily involved in sports. I have to outline when I write. I'm a control freak, and I need a map!" 

"Those CSI shows on TV make me angry," Goldman admitted, "getting in the way at crime scenes with their guns! I wanted to write a book in which those people didn't matter.

"I get a wisp of an idea, and I start writing. I'm 60,000 words into my third book, and I'm hoping it will work."

"I wish more movies and TV showed the Los Angeles that I love. I love writers who have a strong sense of place!" Rachel said.

Goldman said, "I think most people want to be brought into a world that's real and fair. I like learning bits and pieces, and I really enjoy writers like Jo Nesbo and Michael Connelly because they know what they're writing about."

Available Now!

Continuing the talk about the writing process, Hall said, "I like the fact that we can sneak all this educational stuff in because it's fun to read about it." When Karen asked her about  BookShots, Rachel said, "I got a call from Patterson's editor asking me if I wanted to do this. At first I said NO! but then I went out to dinner with my husband. We talked it over, and I realized what an incredible experience I'd be missing if I didn't do it."

First person or third person? 

Hall said, "I tried writing in third person, but it's just not my voice. I'm much more comfortable in first person. It just flows. Although if I had to write a book in the third person, I could."

"First person just felt natural," Matt added.

Hall then told us of a problem she had when writing in first person and that particular character died. She worked through the issue with her editor.

When Goldman wrote Gone to Dust, he was already contracted for two more books, so this is the first book in a series. "The second book will be about in June 2018, and the third in June 2019. Writing books is so much better than writing for TV! There is a pure voice coming through, and no one else is weighing in on what you're saying."

What have they been reading lately? For Rachel, it's Michael Connelly and random non-fiction like Darcy O'Brien's Murder in Little Egypt. For Matt, it's Rex Stout, Hamlet, and Michael Chabon's latest book.

When asked about book covers, Hall said, "I have some say on the covers. My husband is an illustrator, and covers are important to me. When my second book came out, the cover looked so much like the cover of the first book that many people didn't buy it-- they thought they already had!"

"The cover on Gone to Dust is really cool," Matt said. "It's actually printed on the book itself, and the cover is see-through acetate."

Both authors said that they loved working with Tor/Forge Books because they cared about authors, they cared about the writing, and they were very collaborative. It's always nice to hear that writers are happy with their publishers. It has to make writing just that little bit easier.

I am so glad that I went to this event. I came away with two new authors whose books I can't wait to read, and that's always a good thing.

And just one stray thought before I let you go. The body outlines on the floor at The Poisoned Pen have always made me smile. Why is it that when I looked at one on that Sunday, it looked as though the "person" died while trying to reach for the books on that bottom shelf?