October 20, 2014

by | Oct 21, 2014 | 2014

Books of the Week:

  • A Demon Summer,  G.M. Malliet
  • Personal, Lee Child
  • Murder at Honeychurch Hall,  Hannah Dennison
  • The Beautiful Ashes, Jeaniene Frost

On my recent vacation, I read a lot of old Miss Marple and Poirot novels by the late, great, Agatha Christie. These books are all very familiar to me, but I felt the need to reconnect with my mystery roots . . . especially since my short story, “Small Kingdoms,” was recently selected to appear in The Best American Mystery Stories 2014, edited by the respected and talented Laura Lippman. I am so thrilled at this honor. Short stories have been very much an uphill battle for me. I feel like I’m getting somewhere, finally!

You know I’m a fan of G.M. Malliet, and A Demon Summer is more of a return to the roots of the series. Father Max Tudor, former MI5 operative turned Anglican priest, must visit Monkbury Abbey at the order of his bishop. A peer has been poisoned, though not fatally, by a fruitcake prepared by the Handmaids of St. Lucy, a contemplative order. Just when Max is concluding the poisoning was accidental, one of the visitors to the Abbey is done to death. Once again, Max must find the killer . . . this time so he can home to his handfasting to the pregnant Awena.

This latest Lee Child novel is a somewhat atypical adventure for Jack Reacher. It has eerie echoes of The Day of the Jackal, and that should give the reader a big clue about the crime Reacher is investigating. I won’t spoil any surprises, but I will say that the crime we most fear will happen doesn’t, and a crime we don’t imagine does occur. Of course, you can’t miss one episode of this outstanding series.

Hannah Dennison’s Murder at Honeychuch Hall was highly recommended to me, and there were some things I really enjoyed about this traditional mystery novel. My issue arose from the fact that the protagonist, Kat Stanford, doesn’t seem to know her mother at all, and she doesn’t even seem to know herself very well. But she does learn a lot in the course of this pleasant book, and the mystery itself is well-constructed. I think there are going to be more in this series, and I’ll look forward to the next one.

Who hasn’t been waiting to see what Jeaniene Frost would do after the conclusion of the Cat and Bones series? The Beautiful Ashes is a surprise, nonetheless. But it has the great Frost elements: a brave and determined heroine who has a past she is only just discovering, a handsome hero who seems determined to thwart her, at least initially, and a family member in danger. Twenty year old Ivy is searching for her missing sister, Jasmine, when she finally becomes convinced that the “hallucinations” she’s been seeing her whole life are the real deal. There’s another world, and her sister’s been abducted to pull Ivy into it. Ivy doesn’t have to go alone, though. Adrian, who belongs to this mysterious world, will help her . . . but then, he might betray her instead. Ivy literally goes through hell in this first adventure, and you’ll love every minute of it.

 

Blog: WHAT NOT TO SAY WHEN YOU MEET A WRITER

I think the positive side of meeting a writer – what TO do – is very simple. Please smile, tell the writer you enjoy her work (or you are looking forward to reading her work). That will make any writer perfectly happy. Buying a copy of said work on the spot is a very pleasant touch. Even presenting your Kindle cover to be signed is perfectly acceptable.

But here’s what NOT to say:

  1. Don’t say, “Your signing was so crowded last year. Where did everybody go?” (Answer: Hell if I know.)
  2. “How do your children feel about the sex scenes in your books?”  (Answer: Ask them, not me.)
  3. “How do I get a book published?” (Answer: This is way too big a topic for a quick answer. Do your research, the same way I did mine before I got published. Learn something about the industry in the process.)
  4. “Do you remember me? I met you at your signing five years ago.” (I could not remember my own mother under those circumstances. As a matter of fact, I walked right by my own son at a signing and did not recognize him.)
  5. “My Aunt Fanny had an amazing life. Let’s write a book about her and split the money!” (Answer: No.)
  6. “I know the couple involved in that sensational murder triangle! I’ll tell you all about it, you write it up, and we’ll split the money!” (Answer: No.)
  7. “I have a great idea for a book, but I’m too busy to write it. Why don’t I tell it to you, you write the book, and we’ll split the money!” (Answer: Amazingly, I seem to have ideas all on my own. No.)
  8. “I wish you would write faster.” (Answer: Sigh. Me, too.)

I know every writer has her/his own list of least-favorites, but these are mine. I know none of you are guilty of any of these comments. Right? Right! And in answer to the question you DIDN’T ask . . . I’ll be polite even if you ask me these. Because I know not everyone goes to a lot of booksignings, and therefore has no idea of how often we hear those comments.

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