Fiction Review

Are you familiar with Jane Harper’s debut crime novel, The Dry? There’s been quite a buzz about it recently. Here’s the description from the Web Store.

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
A breathless page-turner, driven by the many revelations Ms. Harper dreams up… You’ll love [her] sleight of hand… A secret on every page.” – The New York Times

“One of the most stunning debuts I’ve ever read… Every word is near perfect. ” – David Baldacci

A small town hides big secrets in The Dry, an atmospheric, page-turning debut mystery by award-winning author Jane Harper.

After getting a note demanding his presence, Federal Agent Aaron Falk arrives in his hometown for the first time in decades to attend the funeral of his best friend, Luke. Twenty years ago when Falk was accused of murder, Luke was his alibi. Falk and his father fled under a cloud of suspicion, saved from prosecution only because of Luke’s steadfast claim that the boys had been together at the time of the crime. But now more than one person knows they didn’t tell the truth back then, and Lukeis dead.

Amid the worst drought in a century, Falk and the local detective question what really happened to Luke. As Falk reluctantly investigates to see if there’s more to Luke’s death than there seems to be, long-buried mysteries resurface, as do the lies that have haunted them. And Falk will find that small towns have always hidden big secrets.

*****

During May, Mystery Month, www.booklistreader.com is running a feature called “Clues to My Crime” by crime fiction authors. If The Dry sounds interesting, you might want to check out the article featuring author Jane Harper in which she discusses the influences on her debut crime novel. You can read the article at https://bit.ly/2pXzxb6

And, you can order a copy of The Dry through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2qTzgmC

Are you a fan of Pride and Prejudice? A fan of Elizabeth Bennet’s?

Penguin Random House’s slow motion tribute to Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander was so popular, they made one of Pride and Prejudice. 

“Meet Elizabeth Bennet from PRIDE AND PREJUDICE by Jane Austen | kick-a** characters – Elizabeth Bennet from PRIDE AND PREJUDICE… sensitive sister, brainy bookworm, and all-around awesome independent woman. Check out our stop-motion tribute to Jane Austen’s classic kick-a** character!”  https://bit.ly/2p2fbtk

Well, not really Lyndsay Faye, and, not really Broadway.  But, Lyndsay Faye’s debut novel, Dust and Shadow will be a one night only concert at the Highline Ballroom in New York City.

“Dust and Shadow” in concert feat. Bryce Pinkham, Drew Gehling, Kevin Massey and more!

“Dust and Shadow,” based on the novel by Lyndsay Faye, tells the story of the Jack the Ripper killings, through the eyes of Watson, and pins Sherlock Holmes against the infamous Jack the Ripper.

The July 17th concert marks the first time “Dust and Shadow” will be presented to the public. With music by Jonathan Reid Gealt, lyrics by Dustin Sullivan and a book by Kasey Marino, the evening will feature TONY nominee Bryce Pinkham (Gentleman’s Guide) as Sherlock Holmes, Drew Gehling (Waitress, Roman Holiday) as Dr. John Watson, Kevin Massey (Gentleman’s Guide, Memphis) as Constable Edward Bennett, Alexa Green as Mary Ann Nichols, Julia Burrows as Annie Chapman, Sally Eidman as Elizabeth Stride, Amy Toporek as Catherine Eddowes and Jenny Ashman as Mary Jane Kelly. The concert will also feature Michael Deleget, Patrick Massey, Nicholas Ryan and Jamal Lee. Matt Hinkley will be rounding out the evening’s creative team with additional arrangements, orchestrations and musical supervision.

– See more at: https://highlineballroom.com/show/2017/07/17/dust-and-shadow-in-concert/#sthash.1WxFQrlU.dpuf

Curious, but you’re not going to be in New York City on July 17? You can order a copy of Dust and Shadow through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2phzqTx

Here’s the summary of the book:

From the gritty streets of nineteenth century London, the loyal and courageous Dr. Watson offers a tale unearthed after generations of lore: the harrowing story of Sherlock Holmes’s attempt to hunt down Jack the Ripper.

As England’s greatest specialist in criminal detection, Sherlock Holmes is unwavering in his quest to capture the killer responsible for terrifying London’s East End. He hires an “unfortunate” known as Mary Ann Monk, the friend of a fellow streetwalker who was one of the Ripper’s earliest victims; and he relies heavily on the steadfast and devoted Dr. John H. Watson. When Holmes himself is wounded in Whitechapel during an attempt to catch the savage monster, the popular press launches an investigation of its own, questioning the great detective’s role in the very crimes he is so fervently struggling to prevent. Stripped of his credibility, Holmes is left with no choice but to break every rule in the desperate race to find the madman known as “the Knife” before it is too late.

A masterly re-creation of history’s most diabolical villain, Lyndsay Faye’s debut brings unparalleled authenticity to the atmosphere of Whitechapel and London in the fledgling days of tabloid journalism and recalls the ideals evinced by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s most beloved and world-renowned characters. Jack the Ripper’s identity, still hotly debated around the world more than a century after his crimes were committed, remains a mystery ripe for speculation. Dust and Shadow explores the terrifying prospect of tracking a serial killer without the advantage of modern forensics, and the result is a lightning-paced novel brimming with historical detail that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Blake Crouch’s 2016 hit, Dark Matter, is now available in paperback. https://bit.ly/2q86BxQ

He took time to answer a couple questions for his publisher, Penguin Random House. Find out about his favorite writing environment and what he looks for when he enters a bookstore.  https://bit.ly/2pGpfdk

 

Carolyn Hart’s note to Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen, indicates that the author is closing out the Death on Demand mystery series with Walking on My Grave.

“From Death on Demand to Walking on my Grave, I’ve loved spending time with
Annie and Max on their sea island. Walking on my Grave is their last
adventure and I will leave them as I found them, young, happy, always there
for each other. My thanks to the wonderful readers who welcomed them. It’s
been fun.”

Here’s the summary of that final book.

In the latest Death on Demand Mystery from the New York Times bestselling author of Don’t Go Home, book seller Annie Darling learns murder and money go hand in hand…

Annie’s friend and fellow shop owner Ves Roundtree is a very wealthy woman. Her rich brother entrusted her with his estate, and upon her death, his fortune is to be divided. Several cash-strapped islanders are in line to collect life-changing inheritances. The problem is, Ves is very much alive.

Ves hosts a dinner for the prospective beneficiaries and feels a chill in the air that has nothing to do with the wintry season. Not long after, she suffers a bad fall that was no accident. Everyone at the table had a motive but not a shred of evidence was left behind.

When one of the suspects is found floating in the harbor and Ves disappears, Annie and her husband Max spring into action to catch a calculating killer before greed takes another life.

*****

The Poisoned Pen has signed copies of the last Death on Demand book, Walking on My Grave. Check the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2pcRS0p

Dana Stabenow’s Less Than a Treason, the new Kate Shugak mystery, is the Hot Book of the Week at The Poisoned Pen. Here’s the summary:

Two thousand people go missing in Alaska every year. They vanish in the middle of mountain footraces, on fishing boats in the Bering Sea, on small planes in the Bush. Now a geologist known for going walkabout with his rock hammer has disappeared from the Suulutaq Mine in the Park. Was it deliberate? An accident? Foul play? Kate Shugak may be the only person who can find out.

But for the fact that Kate, too, is among the missing…

*****

Dana Stabenow will be at The Poisoned Pen on Saturday, May 6 at 2 PM to talk about and sign Less Than a Treason. If you can’t make it, you can still order a signed copy through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2pZVXZS

 

In case you missed the New York Times article, Gregory Cowles recently spoke to Anne Hillerman, author of Song of the Lion.

They discussed Hillerman’s books that continue her father’s (Tony Hillerman) characters. https://nyti.ms/2pESmzt

Here’s the summary of Song of the Lion, as it appears in the Web Store.

A deadly bombing takes Navajo Tribal cops Bernadette Manuelito, Jim Chee, and their mentor, the legendary Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn, back into the past to find a vengeful killer in this riveting Southwestern mystery from the bestselling author of Spider Woman’s Daughter and Rock with Wings.

When a car bomb kills a young man in the Shiprock High School parking lot, Officer Bernadette Manuelito discovers that the intended victim was a mediator for a multi-million-dollar development planned at the Grand Canyon.

But what seems like an act of ecoterrorism turns out to be something far more nefarious and complex. Piecing together the clues, Bernadette and her husband, Sergeant Jim Chee, uncover a scheme to disrupt the negotiations and inflame tensions between the Hopi and Dine tribes.

Retired Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn has seen just about everything in his long career. As the tribal police’s investigation unfolds, he begins to suspect that the bombing may be linked to a cold case he handled years ago. As he, Bernadette, and Chee carefully pull away the layers behind the crime, they make a disturbing discovery: a meticulous and very patient killer with a long-simmering plan of revenge.

Writing with a clarity and grace that is all her own, Anne Hillerman depicts the beauty and mystery of Navajo Country and the rituals, myths, and customs of its people in a mystery that builds on and complements the beloved, bestselling mysteries of her acclaimed father, Tony Hillerman.

*****

You can still order a signed copy of Anne Hillerman’s Song of the Lion through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2pBUtlH

Today is release day for Annie Hogsett’s debut mystery with Poisoned Pen Press, Too Lucky To Live. I had the chance to ask her a few questions. Thank you, Annie.

Annie, would you introduce yourself to readers?  

Hi, Readers! I’m Annie Hogsett and I’ve been writing almost my whole life. Little poems my mom liked a lot. Short stories. A truly terrible first attempt called Rain of Terror. Eek! Advertising copy for years and years. If you ever bought something you didn’t really want or need, go ahead and blame me. I have to admit, it was a very fun job. And now Too Lucky to Live. Imagine how thrilled I am.

Tell us about Allie Harper and Thomas Bennington III.

Allie Harper, happily divorced/seriously broke, part-time librarian is equal parts feisty/funny and wounded/insecure. She thinks a lot of things are missing from her life, especially love and money. Then she meets nice, smart, hot Tom Bennington and his $550 million MondoMegaJackpot. Tom’s blindness is a disability, for sure, but he loves teaching English literature and is comfortable in the life he’s carved out for himself. He doesn’t care about money—the jackpot was a total accident. And he doesn’t notice he’s missing out on love and adventure until he meets Allie.

Without spoilers, summarize Too Lucky to Live.

Allie rescues Tom—and his grocery bag with the winning ticket in it—from a crosswalk, after he’s been honked at by a blonde in a Hummer. Tough town, Cleveland. Right after the kissing starts, the Mondo Ball drops, and much murdering ensues. As Allie and Tom climb the learning curve of “How to stay alive when every evil scheming weasel in Cleveland is after you and your ridiculous amount of money,” they find out who they really are—and start to become the amateur sleuths they need to be.

You set your mystery in Cleveland, an unusual setting for a novel. So, where do you take visitors when they come to Cleveland?

First, I take our visitors out on the deck and show them Lake Erie. A surprising number of folks don’t know Cleveland is backed up against a Great Lake, and even many Clevelanders don’t know just how Great our lake is. After that, I’d recommend the West Side Market—a hundred years of history and every single food thing you can imagine in an architectural wonder. If our visitors are music fans, The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is—forgive me—where it’s at. Readers can get a tour of the Rock Hall in Too Lucky to Live. Ms. Erie is part of Allie’s story, too.

What can you tell us about the next book in the series?

Well, it’s a bit of a spoiler if I say, “Tom and Allie are in it.” Read: Still alive. But that’s probably no surprise. I’m excited about Book #2 of The Somebody’s Bound to Wind Up Dead Mysteries, because it builds on characters I love (and one in particular I love to hate) and it takes the “T & A Detectives” into their first real case.

How did you react when you learned Too Lucky to Live would be published?

We were in a restaurant at JFK in New York when I got an email from my now editor. I cried. And then there was champagne—well, sparkling wine. It was an airport, after all. I’m sending our waiter, Glenn, a signed copy of the book, because he was there at the beginning and so excited for me.

When did it really hit you that you’re a published author?

I went to a workshop that was like the many, many I’d gone to as I was trying to learn to be a better writer and find a home for Too Lucky to Live. The presenter asked me who my publisher is. I told her, and I could feel the other writers looking at me the way I’ve been looking at published writers for years—as if I had all the answers. It was spooky. And cool. And, of course, they were wrong.

What authors inspired you?

Agatha Christie, Janet Evanovich, Sue Grafton, Stephen King. I get serial crushes on writers and I’m shocked to discover all the ones I haven’t heard of who are everybody else’s classic favorites. Inspiration for the writing itself? Anne Lamott. Elizabeth Gilbert, and, especially, Julia Cameron, whose The Artist’s Way finally got me off the dime. They tell wannabee writers, “Try this. Do this,” and “You are so not alone.”

What were your favorites books as a child?

Well, after The House at Pooh Corner, I’d say Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, and many, many books about horses. I was not a discriminating reader as a child, and I will never catch up on the 10,000 classics I missed while I was reading about horses.

What author would you like to recommend who you think has been underappreciated?

Brian Doyle, the author of Mink River, one of my favorite novels. I’m shocked by how many avid readers have never heard of him. His writing so touches my heart and its sense of place is wonderfully compelling.

What’s on your TBR pile now?

I’m trying to pare it down. Commonwealth by Anne Patchett for my book group. The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead for my other book group. The Long and Faraway Gone by Lou Berney, because everybody says so. I’m not even going to try to describe my ever-rising stack of TBRs by all the fellow Poisoned Pen Press writers I’m discovering as I go. So many mysteries, so little time….

Thanks, Annie! Annie Hogsett’s website is https://www.anniehogsett.com/

Annie Hogsett will be appearing at The Poisoned Pen on Sunday, May 7 at 2 PM as part of the 20th Anniversary Celebration for Poisoned Pen Press. You can order a signed copy of Too Lucky to Live through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2q8PH1X

This week, I have the chance to interview two Poisoned Pen Press debut authors whose books  have just been released. Thomas Kies is the author of Random Road, a mystery that introduces journalist Geneva Chase.

Thomas, please introduce yourself to readers.

My name is Thomas Kies.  During the first week in May, Poisoned Pen Press is releasing my debut novel, RANDOM ROAD.  I’ve worked in various capacities for newspapers and magazines most of my adult life but writing mysteries is something I’ve wanted to do ever since I was a kid.  

When I’m not writing about murder, my day job is President of the Carteret County Chamber of Commerce.  I get to be the cheerleader for this part of coastal North Carolina, which is a great gig.  We have unbelievable beaches, fantastic weather (other than the occasional hurricane), terrific fishing and some of the best restaurants in the state.

I live with my wife Cindy on Bogue Banks, a barrier island here on the coast of North Carolina.   I have three grown children and two grandsons.

Please introduce Geneva Chase.

Geneva Chase is the protagonist of RANDOM ROAD.  Genie is just shy of forty, tall, and attractive enough that it’s not unusual for a man to buy her a drink in a bar. She grew up in Sheffield, Connecticut, a bedroom town to Manhattan, and has worked as a journalist at some of the top newspapers and magazines as well as a short, shame-filled stint with Fox News.  I love her dearly, but Genie has a drinking problem, makes bad choices in men (she’s been married three times) and is a snarky, smart-ass.  

I’m not sure I’d like to spend time with her in real life, but she’s an absolute blast to write.

Without spoilers, tell us about Random Road.

At the very beginning of RANDOM ROAD, six people are found hacked to death in a mansion in an exclusive gated community.  Due to her drinking, Geneva Chase has been reduced to working the crime beat for her hometown newspaper.  She’s hoping that if she can nail this story, it might jump start her career again and get her a job with a major metro daily.

But to do that, she’s got to keep her boozing under control, deal with the married man she can’t quite ditch, and contend with a love affair with her childhood sweetheart. Oh, and not get killed in the process.

I liked Geneva, even with her flaws. Can you give us a hint about the next book? At least I hope there’s a next book!

Geneva Chase finds herself back on the crime beat in DARKNESS LANE.  And that’s about as much as I’m going to tell you at this point, other than the first draft is finished and nobody is who they seem to be.  Oh, and Genie is still a smart-ass.

How did your career working for newspapers and magazines prepare you to write crime fiction?

Working for newspapers and magazines, I had a lot of opportunities to interact with some interesting characters—cops, politicians, artists, and celebrities as well as some very unsavory individuals.   I’ve seen everything from the inside of prison cells to attending fundraisers in some of the most expensive homes on the Gold Coast of Connecticut, been in the kitchens of some of the most exclusive restaurants in New York, backstage at Broadway shows, and seen the inside of brothels and sex clubs. It was an education in the interesting and the bizarre.

What was the most unusual story you covered or wrote during your career?

I can’t say anything specifically about the most unusual story I’ve come in contact with, but I’m always amazed at the efforts some people will go to get money illegally—stealing from charities, embezzling from their employer, taking money from their elderly parents, hiding money from the IRS. And surprisingly, some of the most outrageous crimes are committed by some very wealthy individuals—people who literally don’t need the money.

You currently live on a barrier island off the coast of North Carolina.  Where do you take people when they come to visit you?

This is a tourist area so it’s not difficult to entertain people when they come to visit.  They love the beaches, the museums, the aquarium, outdoor concerts, and we have world class restaurants and chefs here on the Crystal Coast.  Did I tell you I’m the President of the Chamber of Commerce?

What authors inspired you?

I’d be remiss if I didn’t start with Arthur Conan Doyle.  And when I was much younger, I was hooked on the Travis McGee novels by John D. MacDonald as well as the James Bond series by Ian Fleming.  And of course, I love Jonathan Kellerman, Sue Grafton, Janet Evanovich, Michael Connelly and the list could go on and on. And I don’t want to leave out the grand masters—Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett and Elmore Leonard.

What’s on your TBR pile?

In addition to mysteries, I love history.  I’m in the process of reading SPQR-A History of Ancient Rome by Mary Beard.  But I’m looking forward to reading Annie Hogsett’s debut novel—Too Lucky to Live as well as the crime anthology Bound by Mystery edited by Diane DiBiase.  I’m looking forward to meeting Annie and Diane in May when I’m in Phoenix.

What author would you like to recommend who you think has been underappreciated?

I like writers’ conferences because I get to meet writers I haven’t yet had a chance to read.  I’m not sure that makes them underappreciated but I enjoyed discovering Joe Clifford, D.P. Lyle, and Tim Maleeny, all of whom I met at a conference in California. I’d highly recommend their work.

Thank you, Thomas. Thomas Kies’ website is https://thomaskiesauthor.com/

Kies will be appearing at The Poisoned Pen on Sunday, May 7 at 2 PM as part of Poisoned Pen Press’ 20th Anniversary celebration.  Random Road is available through the Web Store, if you’d like to order a copy of this debut. https://bit.ly/2ploZ5l