January 2006

Another year, another few murders, we always say, here at the Morgue. In fact, this month, now that the ball has dropped and Dick Clark has battled Regis in a clash of the New Year Titans that might have wrested Guy Lombardo from his grave, we can offer you reviews of 21 mystery novels, from authors like Jan Grape, Rochelle Krich and Mark Cohen, who is not at all related to Mystery Morgue Editor Jeffrey Cohen. So far as they know.

There's also an interview with Laura Childs, author of the Tea Shop Mystery series, and a very practical "How I Write" essay by the very same Mark Cohen, who despite all appearances, is not related to Mystery Morgue Editor Jeffrey Cohen. Really.

And the 20th chapter of Murder By Committee, the tag-team murder mystery/thriller/plot twist collection begun back in the old days by Julia Spencer-Fleming, is contributed by Albert A. Bell, Jr., whose latest mystery Death Goes Dutch will be published in March. It doesn't clear much up, but it's great fun.

Drop in again next month, and in all likelihood, it'll be colder (unless you live in the Southern Hemisphere). Suits us fine, here at the Morgue.

In this month's issue:

How I Write, by Mark Cohen
Laura Childs—The Mystery Morgue Interview

Reviews:
Happy New Year, Darling!, by Veronica Bennett
The Fractal Murders, by Mark Cohen
Wiped Out: A Charlotte LaRue Mystery, by Barbara Colley
Dig: a Morgue Mama Mystery, by C.R. Corwin
Relics, by Mary Anna Evans
No Peace for the Wicked, by Pip Granger
Austin City Blue, by Jan Grape
Away with the Fairies, by Kerry Greenwood
Cast of Shadows, by Kevin Guilfoile
Now You See Me..., by Rochelle Krich
Riding Gain: A Talk Radio Mystery, by Joyce Krieg
To the Power of Three, by Laura Lippman
The Finishing School, by Michele Martinez
Bone Thief, by Thomas O'Callaghan
Spurred Ambition, by Twist Phelan
Jingle's Christmas, by Randy Rawls
The Delilah Complex, by M.J. Rose
First Drop, by Zoë Sharp
Blindfold Game, by Dana Stabenow
Charlie Opera, by Charlie Stella
Poison Apples, by Nancy Means Wright

Ongoing Story:
"Murder by Committee," Chapter 20, by Albert A. Bell, Jr.

Link to Archives

 

How I Write
by Mark Cohen

Mark Cohen is the author of The Fractal Murders and Bluetick Revenge.

Writing is simple. Here is my step-by-step guide.

First, use the bathroom. Unless you have an overactive bladder or IBS, you shouldn't have to go again for at least one hour. Thus, you have already eliminated one possible excuse that you might otherwise use to justify taking a break from your writing.

Second, find a quiet place where you won't be interrupted by family members, friends, or phone calls.

Third, sit in a comfortable chair, close your eyes, breath easily, and visualize a big dumpster on a hot day. Smell it. See the flies buzzing around it. Now visualize all the nitpicky little rules your high school English teacher drilled into you, and toss them into the dumpster. Good. Visualize all the cookie cutter formulas reviewers love to use as a checklist in writing their reviews, and toss those into the dumpster too. Walk away from the dumpster. Don't look back. You feel better already, don't you?

Fourth, now you must escape your analytical mind. Remember, the root word of "analytical" is "anal." Writing is not a logical process. If you write in a left-brained state, an obnoxious little voice inside your head will criticize every sentence as it appears on your monitor. "That sentence sucks," it will say. "I'll never be a good writer. I am a total failure and I always will be. Maybe I should join the Peace Corps."

There are proven techniques to help free yourself from your analytical mind. A glass of good cabernet is one, but that is not always feasible because many employers disapprove of employees coming to work drunk. If wine is not an option, a few minutes of meditation should do the trick. Count backwards from one hundred in multiples of three. Draw a picture of a platypus with your non-dominant hand. Utter a few lines from your favorite movie. One of my favorites is, "Captain, it is I, Ensign Pulver, and I just threw your stinkin' palm tree overboard! Now what's all this crud about no movie tonight?"1 It does not really matter how you do it—just get your mind into a creative state.

Now you are ready to write. This is the fifth step. Don't think about what you are going to write. Thinking is bad. If you type "the" and immediately sit back to ponder whether you might have used a better word, go back to Step Four. Have another glass of cabernet.

Just write. If you don't know what to write, type one sentence—whatever comes into your mind. If the best you can do is, "The car was red," that's fantastic! Now you have a storyteller and an object—a red car.

Now write a few more sentences—whatever comes into your mind. "Joe hated red cars. He had hated them ever since his stepfather made him take the red Volkswagen on the night of his senior prom, more than ten years ago." Wow, we have a character—Joe. We know he is ten years out of high school. We know he had a stepfather.

We need a plot. Write a few more sentences—whatever comes into your mind. "But this car was different. Not only was it red on the outside, it was red on the inside. Blood red. And it was his stepfather's blood. Yes, Joe had some ‘splainin' to do."

Now we have our first paragraph!

I do not enjoy outlining or creating character profiles. That is work, and I don't like work. I prefer to just write, knowing that I will edit and change things as my story progresses. By the time I complete this book, there may not be a red car, or a Joe, or a stepfather. Maybe my subconscious will come up with an idea while I am sleeping. The point is that I got something down on paper—I now have some raw material that I can shape and mold a little bit more each day.

That's how I write.

Oh, I forgot to tell you. This process works for me; it might not work for you. If this does not work for you, toss it into the dumpster and find something that works for you.

1 That line was uttered by Jack Lemmon in Mister Roberts. He was talking to James Cagney, who played the role of Captain Morton.

 

Laura Childs—The Mystery Morgue Interview

Laura Childs is the author of the Tea Shop Mystery series and the Scrapbook Mystery series.

Many women seem to be avid "cozy" readers, the mystery genre in which you specialize.  Tell us about that.

I think women have had their fill of thriller-killer-slasher-type books.  Many of these books focus on violence against women and women simply don't want those stories on their nighttime reading tables right now.  They're looking for a respite, stories where female characters are smart, savvy, and caring.  Of course, cozies by nature are mysteries that feature a sort of "bloodless murder" and where the bad guy (or girl) is brought to justice in the end.

You often use comedic elements in your mysteries.  How does this add to the story?

I grew up watching The Twilight Zone and Alfred Hitchcock Presents.  Remember the lady who clubbed her husband with a leg of lamb and then cooked the murder weapon?  Horrifying, yet strangely whimsical, too.  For every serious moment in my story lines, I try to add a quirky counterpoint that helps balance things out and remind readers that most things in life really are utterly laughable.

Your main characters seem to be fairly independent and entrepreneurial. How did that come about?

When I was in marketing, I ran into dozens of women who longed for more creativity in their work lives.  These were very smart women—ad managers, product managers, administrators, etc.—who wanted to dump the corporate life and open a scrapbook store, tea shop, needle craft store, or antique shop.  I think most women are natural born entrepreneurs.  They don't always want to build a Fortune 500 company but they do want to create an environment that is nourishing and rewarding.  So I try to pattern my characters after those real-life models.  Only I pile on tons of problems and put their safety in jeopardy to make things really interesting.

Mystery writing is a very competitive business.  How do you make your mysteries stand out?

I always deliver a dead body in the first chapter and I concentrate on making my stories very character-driven.  If readers don't "connect" with the main characters right away, there's no way you're going to hold their interest.  Oh, and I always try to be articulate in my writing.  Most readers are very smart and blessed with a good vocabulary.  They appreciate a well-turned phrase or humorous remark.  I also try to be extremely mindful of my novel's internal architecture—plot, pacing, turning points, and dialogue.

Why do you include recipes in all your mysteries?

I think recipes add to the authenticity of the book.  When you read about Golden Monkey Yunnan Tea, Crawfish Gumbo, or Mississippi Mud Cake, you're just naturally curious about these things and want to know more.  Plus, readers tell me there's something very satisfying about reading the story, then making the chowder or jambalaya.  There's a kind of "interactivity" at work.

In writing your novels, how are you characters created?  Does the inspiration for them come from real life?

As strange as it may sound, characters seem to just pop into my head.  People always ask if I do index cards or plan out intricate bios.  I can't imagine doing anything that studied.  To me writing is about intuition and gut instinct—you've got to sit back and let the characters speak to you (even the ones inspired by real life)  My characters always seem to be buzzing around inside my head like people in a crowded elevator.  My job is to pry open the doors so they can elbow their way out.

Your characters also seem to be very busy people.  For example, Theodosia, the main character in the Tea Shop Mysteries, rides horses, sails, and has a long-standing interest in tea and decorating.  How do you think that adds to her appeal?

I tried to make Theodosia a realistic, multi-dimensional person.  She's not just skipping about merrily, solving crimes.  She's a small business owner with all the ensuing problems of running a tea shop, she's trained a therapy dog, she loves to decorate and entertain, she's athletic, has a boyfriend, and enjoys lots of outside interests.  In other words, she's busy and over-committed just like the rest of us!

When you're writing, how do you get into the creative flow?

My formula is pretty simple.   I need a good computer, zero distractions, and a cold Diet Coke.  It's been this way for twenty-five years—as long as I've been a professional writer.  Just before I launched the Tea Shop Mysteries and the Scrapbook Mysteries, I owned an advertising agency.  And my routine was the same.  Close my office door and start writing.  You don't need personal assistants, incense, feng shui, or anything remotely tricky.  If you log quality time to start to produce a quality product.

You have more mysteries in the works?

Blood Orange Brewing, the seventh Tea Shop Mystery, is due out in April 2006.

 

Reviews

Happy New Year, Darling!
by Veronica Bennett
Infinity
Paperback, 233 pages, $14.95
ISBN: 074142584X
Reviewed by Clara Johnston

Veronica remembers a time that was posh and plush.  Gone!  In past days, there was an expense account and people to assist her.  Now her home may be foreclosed.  Veronica's husband doesn't give her a lot of attention but does give her the benefit of some of his anger.  Her son deals with drug issues.  If that isn't enough, Veronica is not sure if her lover really does love her as much as he says.  He does give her some fun, but he will probably never leave his wife.  Since he is a celebrity, there is both sparkle and danger with loving this man. 

Veronica (both the character's name and the author's nom de plume) manufactures a fantasy dream for New Year's Eve with a price tag of $30,000.  Interviewing an interested prospect takes the reader on a bawdy romp.  Veronica needs to find players for this scheme and you can watch to see whom she will choose.  Trying to keep this farce in line is no easy task.  When she designs the most romantic night of the year, she pulls out all the stops.

You will see some surprises and will especially gravitate to this story if you are a fan of Bridget Jones.

 

The Fractal Murders
by Mark Cohen
Warner Books
Paperback, 368 pages, $6.99
ISBN: 0446614912
Reviewed by Angela McQuay

The ranks of private detective fiction have swelled with the addition of Pepper Keane, ex-attorney, ex-Marine and current P.I. working out of mountainous Nederland, Colorado.  In The Fractal Murders, Mark Cohen's first novel, Pepper catches a case when the attractive math professor Jayne Smyers hires him to look into the deaths of three mathematicians who specialized in fractals.  Although local law enforcement and even the FBI have determined the deaths are not connected, Pepper begins to come to another conclusion as the evidence mounts.

With the help of his best friend Scott, some of his old contacts in the world of law and his dogs Buck and Wheat, Pepper finds connection after connection to the three deaths.  As he becomes more deeply involved with the case, he also begins developing feelings for Jayne, though his shadowed past may end up keeping them apart.  Will Pepper be able to solve the murders before he himself becomes a target? 

Pepper Keane is a welcome new voice in the private detective genre of mysteries.  He's witty and tough but has a soft side that shines through in the book.  With his multi-faceted past, Pepper makes for an intriguing lead character who is a joy to read about.  Cohen also does a good job with the plot of the book.  He deals with an esoteric subject such as fractals with grace, explaining it well enough to interest the layman yet keeping it vague enough to keep the mystery from unfolding too soon.  Readers will be hard-pressed to find out who perpetrated the fractal murders before Cohen wants them to.

The Fractal Murders is an enjoyable mystery with a wonderful main character.  Look forward to more Cohen mysteries with the delightful Pepper Keane in the lead.

 

Wiped Out: A Charlotte LaRue Mystery
by Barbara Colley
Kensington
Hardcover, 259 pages, $22
ISBN: 075820762X
Reviewed by Terri M. Tumlin

Charlotte LaRue has a new client for her services as Maid for a Day. Mary Lou Gordon, known to her friends and other close associates, as Mimi, lives in a beautiful 19th century home in the Garden District of New Orleans (pre-Katrina).  She is rich, attractive to look at, but, as Charlotte almost immediately finds out, has a vindictive streak that is less than admirable.  She is at gardening war with her next-door neighbor.  She is accused of seducing a friend's husband.  And, Charlotte witnesses what is almost certainly the rigging of a garden club election in Mimi's favor.

When Mimi is murdered, Charlotte finds herself right in the middle of the investigation—perhaps more than she wishes to be.  Asked to continue to care for Mimi's house for her widowed husband and college age children, Emma and Justin, she agrees.  As if they were not enough to contend with, Mimi's best friend, June, has decided to help out by taking over they running of the house and family. Charlotte is constantly in touch with the people she believes most likely to have committed the crime.  Although she keeps trying to tell herself that it is none of her business, she keeps finding clues and having theories almost in spite of herself.

Meanwhile, her family and her male tenant in the other half of the double she owns provide her with more complications that she exactly needs right now.  Her sister Madeline, who has caused Charlotte plenty of problems in the past, is back again asking for familial help. Meanwhile Louis Thibodeaux, an attractive retired New Orleans police detective who rents the other half of her house, is in and out of town providing her with romantic complications.

This is the fourth book in the Charlotte LaRue series and Charlotte is beginning to wonder whether her constant brushes with murder are going to force her to retire.  Much to the delight of the fans of this series, that doesn't seem likely to happen any time soon.

This is a delightful cozy that presents an interesting variety of characters and solid knowledge of New Orleans.  A pleasant read.

 

Dig: A Morgue Mama Mystery
by C.R. Corwin
Poisoned Pen Press
Hardcover, 236 pages, $24.95
ISBN: 1590582039
Reviewed by Theodore Feit

Who woulda thunk it:  Morgue Mama—Dolly Madison Sprowls—was a beatnik in her college days.  It just goes to prove that with age comes a more inquisitive mind.  In her second appearance, Morgue Mama helps solve the murder of a college friend.  The list of suspects includes many of the original group from her college days, as well as a graduate assistant of her college professor friend.  And she accomplishes her mission among the usual multitude of cups of Darjeeling tea and clippings from the newspaper for which she works.

This novel is a step up from the initial one in what appears to be a series.  The writing is more fluid, the plot tighter, the narrative flows more naturally, which is a good thing because if and when the third novel is published, it should even be better, showing significant progress by the author.

For a senior citizen well beyond the retirement age—her employer would love to have her step aside—Dolly is spritely, intelligent and jus an excellent all-around character.  I enjoyed the first book—Morgue Mama—and thoroughly ate up this one.

 

Relics
by Mary Anna Evans
Poisoned Pen Press
Hardcover, 314 pages, $24.95
ISBN: 1590581199 
Reviewed by Debbie Bogenschutz

Relics is the second outing for Faye Longchamp, who was introduced to reader's in Mary Anna Evans's 2003 book Artifacts.  Faye is an intriguing character: an archaeologist of mixed ancestry, the descendent of slaves, trying to keep her ancestral home in her possession.  In Relics, she has been asked to join an archeological dig and is feeling out of her depth taking on these new responsibilities.  The project involves a multi-disciplinary team studying the roots of an ethnic group known as the Sujosa (a group that Ms. Evans has invented for purposes of this story).  The first person on the team that Faye makes friends with—Carmen, the oral historian—dies when the house the female team members live in goes up in flames.  And Faye just can't accept the explanation that the space heater caught on Carmen's bedding.  Soon after, a local teenager commits suicide.  Can the deaths be related?The story is told in traditional third person narrative, supplemented with "transcripts" of Carmen's interviews with the Sujosa. Mary Anna Evans has succeeded in creating a very believable culture, and a great mystery as well.  Plenty of intrigue, and academic back-stabbing, and lore that can't be learned. 

 

No Peace for the Wicked
by Pip Granger
Hardcover, 339 pages, $24.95
Poisoned Pen Press
ISBN: 1590582160
Reviewed by Theodore Feit

The continuing saga of the delightful 1950s London SoHo character that charmingly embodied the previous three novels by Pip Granger once again entertains us delightfully, supplemented by a 16-year-old half-Chinese girl and some of the rest of the Chinese community.  The title is a play on the name of the young girl, whose moniker is Peace.

We again meet old friends—Lizzie, T.C., Bert and Maggie, Bandy and Sugar, not to mention a growing Rosie.  And does a possible love interest develop for Lizzie? 

Life progresses until Peace, who is living with Lizzie because her guardian, Bandy, has a new boyfriend (whose sticky fingers are an incidental aside) and can't house her, disappears not once but twice.  After the initial disappearance, the whole crew scours London looking for her.  The second time it takes a foray to the seedy Limehouse district to find her.

The story, like its predecessors, is well-told, the language authentic and the characters enchanting.  If you've read the first three in the series, this novel is a welcome addition.  If you haven't, start at the beginning, although each stands on its own.

 

Austin City Blue: A Zoe Barrow Mystery
by Jan Grape
Worldwide
Paperback, 256 pages, $5.95
ISBN: 0373264607
Reviewed by Shirley Wetzel

When Zoe Barrow looks in the mirror, she expects to see a red letter branded on her forehead: "K" for Killer.  This is the second time she has shot another human being, the first time she's killed one, and she is having trouble accepting it.  It doesn't seem to help that she was fully justified, as a member of the Austin Police Department attempting to save the lives of two other officers. 

To further complicate matters, the man Zoe killed was Jesse Garcia, wanted for seriously wounding another Austin policemen eight months ago. The man he shot, who was now and would forever be in a comatose state in a nursing home was her beloved husband Byron. Even though she hadn't known at the time the gunman was Garcia, Internal Affairs is giving her a hard time, accusing her of taking revenge on the man who'd taken so much from her.  They aren't the only ones with that idea, as some of her colleagues in the department share the thought.

While waiting to be cleared for active duty, Zoe receives a call from Avery Peppard, a friend of her father-in-law.  He claims his new trophy wife and her lover are planning to kill him, and that he is afraid to go to the police because he thinks the other man was a cop.  She reluctantly agrees to do what she can, and hires a private detective to investigate.  Things get very complicated when one of Zoe's confidential informants is found murdered during the middle of a drug bust, people start banging Zoe and her friends on the head and/or shooting at them, and people she thought she could trust appear to be less than trustworthy.

Zoe is a great character, tough but not invincible.  Her feelings for her husband are believably complex.  She knows he will never recover, never be again who he was.  At times she finds herself thinking it would have been better if Garcia's bullet had killed Byron outright, instead of leaving both of them in limbo.  She knows Byron would want her to go on with her life, but she loves him and feels guilty even thinking of moving on.

This is the first in the Zoe Barrow series, and I look forward to reading the second, Dark Blue Death.

 

Away with the Fairies: A Phryne Fisher Mystery
by Kerry Greenwood
Poisoned Pen Press
Hardcover, 245 pages, $24.95
ISBN: 1590580222
Reviewed by Shirley Wetzel

The Honourable Phryne Fisher is one tough flapper.  She is rich, beautiful, superbly dressed, and totally self-possessed.  She is equally comfortable throwing an elegant dinner party with Melbourne's highest society or slumming at the docks with her pub-dwelling chums.  She is every inch the lady, but if anyone should threaten harm to her or those she loves she can turn lethal in an instant. She is an accomplished private detective who works with, not in defiance of, the police department, and she never, ever runs blindly into danger, but always has a plan, and backup.  I like her a lot!

In the latest installment, which takes place in 1928, Phryne's police detective friend Jack Robinson asks her to assist him in solving the murder of  the author of a popular series of children's books.  The late Miss Lavender lived in Wee Nooke, the renovated garden shed of a Victorian mansion that was recently converted to serviced flats. 

The first floor of Wee Nooke is decorated to within an inch of its life with pink fairies, while the upstairs bedroom is serene and characterless. In an effort to figure out who Miss Lavender really was and why someone felt it necessary to poison her, Phryne takes a job as fashion editor at a women's magazine to which Miss Lavender contributed stories.  There is a diverse and delightful cast of suspects at the magazine and in the apartments, and Phryne and her trusty sidekick Dot set out to uncover their secrets and find the motive for the murder.

While part of her mind is involved in solving the murder, another part is consumed with growing concern over the whereabouts of Lin Chung, her Chinese lover, who went off to Shanghai to buy silks for his family's company weeks ago.  His homecoming is long overdue.  Bad things are going on in China and Phryne fears the worst.  She is forced to make an alliance with Madame Lin, Lin Chung's grandmother and the formidable head of the clan, to find him and bring him home.

This is a wonderful series, and this is my favorite Phryne Fisher adventure—so far.

 

Cast of Shadows
by Kevin Guilfoile
Knopf
Paperback, 336 pages, $13.95
ISBN: 1400043085
Reviewed by Angela McQuay

In an interesting and thought-provoking future (or alternate reality—the book never really says), cloning has become legal and Dr. Davis Moore earns his living cloning babies for couples who cannot have their own.  His life is shattered when his 17-year-old only daughter is raped and murdered and her killer is never found.  Years later, when he goes to pick up her clothing and other possessions from the police, he finds that they have accidentally included the DNA of her unknown rapist.  Still paralyzed with grief, Dr. Moore decides to clone the killer and have an unknown client of his raise it as her own.  His reasoning is that someday he'll be able to see what his daughter's killer looks like and may be able to catch him.

From the day Justin is born, Dr. Moore keeps tabs on him.  As he grows older, his family disintegrates and he finds himself exhibiting many of the behaviors of a killer himself.  This leads up to a confrontation between him and Dr. Moore when he finally learns the truth about how he came to be.  Will Justin become a killer just like the man from whom he was cloned?  Or will the unlikely alliance between him and Dr. Moore cause the killer to finally be caught?

Kevin Guilfoile's Cast of Shadows is a thought-provoking and fascinating book that not only provides a cautionary tale of modern science, but also a thrilling plot and well written characters.  It provides plenty of fodder for debate without providing any easy answers to the question of whether or not expanding technology is good for the human race or not.  Dr. Moore is a sympathetic protagonist who is easy to relate to, even when he is being outlandish, as when he clones Justin.

My only complaint of this book is that Guilfoile introduces another concept, that of a hyper-real video game named Shadow World, in the latter third of the book that seems out of place.  I think Shadow World should have either been present throughout the entire book or not introduced at all as it seems incongruous and isn't really needed for the storyline.

If you enjoy books that combine mystery with science fiction, you'll enjoy Cast of Shadows.  This is Guilfoile's first novel and I look forward to see what ideas he comes up with next.

 

Now You See Me…  
by Rochelle Krich
Ballantine
Paperback, 352 pages, $13.95
ISBN: 0345468120
Reviewed by Debbie Bogenschutz

Usually true crime writer Molly Blume isn't so hesitant to get pulled into solving a real-life crime, but this time, she's leery when asked to help find the daughter of a man who's been "stalking" her book tour.  It seems the girl, eighteen and legally an adult, has gone off with someone she met in an Internet chat room.  If word of this gets out, the family's standing in the Orthodox community will be jeopardized.  And the man admits the girl is actually his niece, the daughter of a Rabbi with whom Molly has a complicated history.

Readers who know Molly from Rochelle Krich's three previous books in this series see a different side of her in this book.  We've not seen the egregious Molly react so coolly to anyone as she does to Rabbi Bailor, and it's well into the book before we learn what caused the rift between the two in Molly's high school days.

The story is told with Molly's first person accounts of her search for Hadassah Bailor alternating with third person accounts of "Dassie's" days with her lover-turned-captor.  Molly's exploration uncovers some unpleasant truths about life at the Orthodox high school, and has a real awakening when she enters the world of "J Spot," the Internet home of Orthodox teens. 

Fans of Krich's other books will also enjoy the appearance of Jessie Drake (lead character in Krich's other series) when the police enter the scene.  It would be nice to see a friendship develop between Molly and Jessie.  Now You See Me… won't disappoint Krich's faithful readership, and may well bring a few more her way.

 

Riding Gain: A Talk Radio Mystery
by Joyce Krieg
Thomas Dunne
Hardcover, 293 pages, $24.95
ISBN: 0312327382
Reviewed by Gloria Feit

When a former intern for Shauna J. Bogart, an on-air radio personality in Sacramento, CA, is murdered, Shauna J. is asked to look into the matter by the family of both the victim and the main suspect, a young black man who was seen running from the murder scene but has denied committing the crime.  The victim, Travis Ikeda-Nyland, was the son of a TV personality and a wealthy auto dealer, and a recovering alcoholic.  The investigation takes Shauna J. (as she is known) to AA meetings and beyond: a "retreat"/rehab facility run by a charitable institution whose motto is "the past is history, the future is but a dream, and the present is all that matters."  But Footprints Lodge is not all it appears to be.  In addition to investigating the murder, Shauna J. is dealing with personal issues: she has been offered another job in radio, in LA, which would mean leaving the station she has been with for years and uprooting herself and her lover, Pete, who runs a store called Retro Alley and plays stride piano with a Dixieland band in Sacramento.

Riding Gain is an engrossing tale, and Shauna J. a terrific protagonist.  The reader is given a fascinating inside look at what goes on behind the scenes of local radio as well as the intricacies of syndicated radio programming with shows that appear to be local but are not.  My only problem with the book was the leap of willing suspension of disbelief that was required at a twist in the plot near the end of the book—but the author does tie up all the loose ends and the clues planted along the way.  In all, it is well-written book and one that I would recommend.

 

To the Power of Three
by Laura Lippman
William Morrow
Hardcover, 434 pages, $24.95
ISBN: 0060506725
Reviewed by Gloria Feit

Josie, Perri, and Kat—three girls who have been inseparable best friends since third grade—are now bound together in an entirely different way: on their last day of high school, they are found, alone, in a locked bathroom in the school, one dead, one nearly so and one wounded.  No easy explanations are to be found, and Josie, the least hurt, isn't speaking to anyone. 

Up until that day, they had been good-to-excellent students, never in any trouble, and liked or, in Kat's case, beloved by all around them.  As their fellow students, teachers and parents, not to mention the police, seek the answer to "Why?," Lippman explores the relationships among and between these girls and the others who made up their world: students, family, and friends, as well as what other factors could have come into play to bring about this tragedy.  In a standalone that grabs you from the first page and won't let go, the author has given us another memorable novel.

 

The  Finishing School
by Michele Martinez
William Morrow
Hardcover, 504 pages, $23.95
ISBN: 0060724005
Reviewed by Theodore Feit

In her debut novel, Michele Martinez brought her legal background and story-telling ability to create a wonderful novel, Most Wanted.  In this follow-up mystery, she matches the intensity and plot development to keep the reader on edge until the denouement.

The same protagonists—Assistant U.S. Attorney Melanie Vargas and FBI agent Dan O'Reilly—are faced with a complicated series of events, including drug conspiracy, murders, wire fraud and other crimes—some related, some false leads.  Their job is to sift through the clues and uncover various confusing plots.

The tale begins one night when two juniors at a prestigious private Manhattan school for girls are found dead of an apparent heroin overdose.  Melanie is assigned to this high-profile case—the stepfather is running for the U.S. Senate—with the admonishment to find the drug suppliers quickly.  The apparent supplier is a nightclub operator and the daughter of the superintendent of the Park Avenue co-op where one of the girls lived and both died.  Unfortunately, she has disappeared and Melanie doesn't believe she is guilty but has been kidnapped.

The trail leads to the nightclub scene; Puerto Rico, where the dead girls were taken as mules for the drug distribution scheme; and the high school which all three girls attended.  Just as important, the case throws Melanie and Dan together again, reigniting the hitherto frustrated attraction to each other.

This novel is up there with the first.  Go out and get a copy.

 

Bone Thief
by Thomas O'Callaghan
Paperback, 377 pages, $6.99  
Pinnacle Books
ISBN: 0786018119
Reviewed by Gloria Feit

From nearly the first page of this relentlessly frightening and suspenseful new book by Thomas O'Callaghan, the reader is told what makes the monster who is Colm Pierce tick.  It falls to police lieutenant John Driscoll to track down this vicious serial killer. 

Driscoll is himself a deeply troubled man, still haunted by the accident which took the life of his 12-year-old daughter six years prior and left his beloved wife comatose, as well as his mother's suicide when he was eight years of age.  What follows is a cat-and-mouse game as other victims fall prey to the killer, leading up to a suspense-filled finale.  Assisting Driscoll in his quest is Margaret, a detective in his squad, towards whom he feels a reluctant but growing emotional attachment, and Moira, a 14-year old whiz kid on a computer who reminds him of the daughter he still mourns.

On the negative side, I found the prose to be a bit overblown and some of the dialogue and scenes hackneyed, and at times a real suspension of disbelief is required.  But this first-time author is a helluva good storyteller, and the next book in the series, due out in '07, should be one to look forward to.  Be warned, however: this one is not for the faint of heart.

 

Spurred Ambition
by Twist Phelan
Poisoned Pen Press
Hardcover, 202 pages, $24.95
ISBN: 1590581474
Reviewed by Gloria Feit

Hannah Dain is a business attorney in her father's law practice.  But even that last is one of the ‘facts' with which Hannah is dealing with as the book starts:  She has recently discovered that the man who she has always believed to be her father is not, in fact, her biological father.   It would appear that her mother, who died days after giving birth to Hannah, had had a liaison with another man, and that Hannah was the product of that relationship.  Hannah became aware of this at the conclusion of the prior book in the series, Family Claims. 

One of the results of this awareness is that Hannah has decided to take a break from the firm and take on a temporary job, putting together a real estate private placement for the Office of Tribal Affairs for the Tohono O'odham, at the Indian reservation nearby the fictional town of Pinnacle Peak, Arizona.  The job entails quite a bit less than the complicated transactions Hannah is used to working on, and the salary about half of her normal one.

Actually, Spurred Ambition starts with an earlier scene, wherein Hannah, to clear her mind from all the emotional stuff with which she is dealing, indulges in her passion of the moment, going to the rock-climbing park contained within the reservation.  The descriptions of the effort has the reader feeling the danger and tension of the climb, as Hannah encounters difficulties from which she is rescued by a handsome stranger, escaping with only some cuts and bruises and a painful shoulder injury.  Whether it's the adrenaline surge of the danger or just momentary lust, Hannah kisses the man, who introduces himself as "Tony," before they part ways.  Imagine her shock when the goes for the job interview (the outcome of which is a foregone conclusion) the following day and discovers her new boss is none other than that handsome stranger.

Hannah has to put her emotions, both the ones dealing with her family situation as well as her feelings for Tony, on hold as she deals with getting the business venture off the ground.  There is a lot at stake for the Indians, for the venture involves a much grander scale for the casino which has brought so much new-found wealth to the tribe.  Tony, although half Indian and half Mexican, is fiercely dedicated to improving the lot of the Indians, and has taken some rather unorthodox steps to be sure his plans and those of his bosses come to fruition.  But things take an unexpected turn when Tony is kidnapped, and an important figure in the Indian community is found murdered shortly thereafter.  Hannah becomes embroiled in the ensuing investigation, both of these crimes and of the investment venture itself following the theft of all the documentation pertaining to it.  The suspense mounts as the investigation proceeds, until the unexpected conclusion.  The book is very fast-paced and well-written.  Recommended.

 

Jingle's Christmas
by Randy Rawls
Quiet Storm Publishing
Trade paperback, 195 pages, $13.95
ISBN: 0975857169
Reviewed by Clara Johnston

Ace, a P.I. in Dallas, investigates for a new client.  Ace, formally known as Arthur Conan Edwards, never worked for one of Santa's elves before. Sit back and enjoy every one of the 195 pages. 

Calling himself Stone, the elf has a definite "in" with Ace's two cats, Sweeper and Striker.  He even manages to impress Kit (another P.I.), which is no easy task.

The problem is that Stone's toys for the children have been stolen.  Tough characters, B. Daddy, Switchblade and Skinhead, fit the criteria for bad guys.  Ace, Kit and their friend, Tom, chase villains and also deal with an elf that can become invisible.  This adds to the delight of this tale.

With a little help from his quirky, nosy neighbor and a lot of help from Stone, Ace and his troop will win your heart.  Of course, while all this is happening, Stone is still keeping track of his "naughty list."  You will need to read to the end of the book to find out more about Stone.  No fair to peek!

Cat lovers will enjoy the antics of the two felines as well as romantics will like the chemistry between Kit and Ace.  This story is humorous and creative.

Three previous mysteries are in this series: Jake's Burn, Joseph's Kidnapping, and Jade's Photo.   This is my first in the series and I'm pleased to say that this story stands nicely on its own. 

 

The Delilah Complex
by M.J. Rose
Paperback, 379 pages, $6.99
MIRA Books
ISBN: 0778322157
Reviewed by Theodore Feit

As good as the initial book in the series featuring sex therapist Dr. Morgan Snow was, this novel is even better.  The reluctant crime solver is once again confronted by ethical problems which preclude disclosing clues to her sometime lover, Detective Noah Jordain, as a series of possible murders take place.

The story begins with the visit of a group of women who belong to a secret club, the Scarlet Society, whose purpose is to reverse sex rules, with the females dominating the males, who prefer to be submissive and told how and when to perform, giving their partners the type of sexual gratification the women demand.  Their visit follows the apparent murder of one of the men participating in the society's events.

Four further supposed murders are disclosed, each by an envelope containing photographs and a plastic bag of hair from the victim delivered to a female reporter (who is a member of the society) at The New York Times.  Another conflict the newspaper doesn't know about:  each victim has a number from 1 to 5 in scarlet on his feet.

Along the way Snow and her mentor, Nina Butterfield, confront each other with ethical confrontations about going to the police.  And Morgan's daughter makes her acting debut, albeit with a degree of stage fright and a degree of learning.

he conclusion is surprising, as this reader found himself scratching his head in wonder.  Of course, Morgan at the end is faced with almost fatal danger as well.  The book is a joy, and I can't wait for the third Snow book, The Venus Fix, to be published in July, 2006.

 

First Drop
by Zoë Sharp
St. Martin's Minotaur
Hardcover, 304 pages, $23.95
ISBN: 0312341698
Reviewed by Janet Koch

The first day in her new career as a bodyguard, Englishwoman Charlie Fox swings from boredom to annoyance, graduates to being terrified, gets shot at in a Florida theme park, and has her passport stolen. Then things get really bad for her, and for her fifteen-year-old charge, Trey.

The son of a computer geek about to unleash a stunning new program, Trey is everything Charlie hates in teenagers—he's sullen, uncooperative, and rude. None of that matters when Trey become a target, what matters is that Charlie keep him alive. But how can she when there's no one left to trust? And there's the ultimate question: why would anyone want to kill a kid?

Although she comes across to most people as skilled and competent, Charlie is filled with insecurities and plagued with doubts about her abilities. While her past as a member of the British Special Forces is an asset in many ways, it has also given her a checkered background that is all too easy to misinterpret.

From the first page, First Drop plunges into action, hardly giving you a moment to catch your breath before the plot twists and you're zooming off into a new and ever more dangerous direction. Twist, twist, twist. Zoë Sharp writes a complex story line involving a cast of intriguing characters, a cast that grows larger with every chapter.

At times dark with fear and sorrow, at times humorous with teenage idiocies, First Drop is a gripping thriller worth staying up late to finish.

 

Blindfold Game
by Dana Stabenow
Hardcover, 288 pages, $23.95
St. Martin's Minotaur
ISBN: 031234323X
Reviewed by Theodore Feit

This novel is labeled "A Thriller."  And so it is from the very start.  Terrorism is at the very heart of the plot, with two North Koreans determined to launch a dirty bomb on Alaska.  Only a CIA analyst [whose Director doesn't wish to believe] and his somewhat estranged wife, Executive Officer on a Coast Guard ship in the Bering Sea, stand in the way of allowing the launch.

The plot twists and turns to the final pages.  The writing is crisp, the story told tightly, the descriptions of life aboard the ship authentic.  Read it and enjoy.

Recommended.

 

Charlie Opera
by Charlie Stella
Carroll & Graf Publishers
Hardback, 296 pages, $25
ISBN: 0786712139
Reviewed by Clara Johnston

Las Vegas hosts Charlie Pellecchia and his wife, Lisa.  It isn't long before life changes for Charlie.  One morning, he wakes up in a ditch after having been mugged.  Later, he learns his wife has left him.  Mobster settings allow us to see the new and old generation and how they operate.  You can clearly see every one of these characters and feel the comedic tension between the mobsters maintaining their own schools of thought.

Imagine Charlie; he is a bit broken at the moment.  He loves his opera and sings along at any opportunity.  As for injuries, Charlie's errant wife does not go unscathed.  Just when Charlie may be offed, the perpetrator sees him talking to police.  What rotten luck for the bad guys.

Revenge and wanting Charlie dead gives a different twist to the chase.  This is a gritty story with some humor and lets you visit dysfunctional mobsters, first hand.  The recipe is the Mafia, a lead character you will like, the FBI and police, and some tough action.  Toss together and enjoy the book. 

 

Poison Apples
by Nancy Means Wright
St Martin's Minotaur
Hardback, 322 pages, $24.95
ISBN: 0312262205
Reviewed by Clara Johnston

Moira and Stan buy a Vermont apple orchard in an attempt to heal from the loss of their daughter.  The manager of their orchard, Rufus, manages to get under Stan's skin quite often.  An arrogant man, Rufus acts like he owns the orchard. 

Problems continue in the orchard.  Someone tries to poison the apples and then there is more sabotage.  Even though the authorities call some of the incidents "accidents," both Moira and Stan doubt it and believe they are clearly deliberate acts.

A favorite character in this story is Ruth, who provides badly needed friendship for Moira. Ruth is a farmer; she treats her animals with love and respect. Ruth loves her orchard and what those apples represent.  You can see Moira and Ruth provide strength to others around them when it is required.  Stan worries about the orchard; he also has been involved against a group that wants to dismiss one of the teachers at the school.  The author does a fine job of showing Stan as a tortured man.

To get to the bottom of this mystery and find out who is holding a grudge is no easy task.  The story has more than a few twists and turns.

 

Murder By Committee

Read past installments and find out more about Murder By Committee

Chapter 20
by Albert A. Bell, Jr.
Writing as an homage to the fem-jep genre, with a soupçon of the hard-boiled

Albert Bell is a teacher living in Holland, MI. His wife is a psychologist; they have four adult children and a grandson. In addition to his non-fiction works, Bell has published a mystery novel, Kill Her Again (Author's Choice Pr., 2000), set against the backdrop of an archaeological excavation in Italy, and a children's historical mystery, The Case of the Lonely Grave (Author's Choice Pr., 2000), that connects contemporary children with the Underground Railroad and the Civil War era. He is also the author of a mystery set in ancient Rome, All Roads Lead to Murder, published by High Country Publishers in 2002 and intended as the first in a series. The Midwest Book Review called it "one of the best antiquarian murder mysteries penned to date." A contemporary mystery, titled Death Goes Dutch, will be published by Claystone Books in March 2006.

Halsworth raised his hands to shoulder height. I hoped he had cinched up the towel good and tight. He was one of those guys who thought he looked good in a Speed-o but didn't.

"Hey, take it easy, McCrea. Don't do anything I'll regret."

I took a step toward him, so that I was standing on the edge of the hot tub. "If I get some answers that make sense, you don't have anything to worry about. But you'd better be straight with me because I haven't slept in two days. Hell, I haven't had a chance to pee in thirty-six hours."

"There's a bathroom right over there." Halsworth jerked his head toward the teak-wood cabana at the other end of the deck. It looked like it had a sauna in the middle, dressing rooms on one side, and a bathroom on the other.

I shook my head. "Maybe I'll just go in your hot tub."

"You wouldn't be the first." Halsworth glanced down at the naked blonde.

"That was an accident," she said, blushing. "I told you that." Her Mae Wests were keeping her afloat. I wondered how much concrete you would have to put her feet in to sink her.

"Cut the crap," I said, waving the gun, or maybe my hand was starting to shake. I was so tired. "Every time somebody says they're going to tell me the truth, I end up being steered in another direction. I feel like I'm in a dance marathon and people keep cutting in and they all have their own idea of whether we're doing a tango or a waltz or some new bump-and-grind. All I want is for the music to stop." My voice started to quaver.

"If you'll just put that gun down," Halsworth said, "you can rest and we can talk. I'm a businessman. You know that. I operate on the principle that everything has its price and nothing is worth dying for."

"Great, another cliché. Have we gotten them all in now?"

Halsworth appeared to be looking at something over my shoulder.

"Oh, wait. There's the old look-over-her-shoulder-and-make-her-think-there's-somebody-behind-her ploy."

"Some of those old clichés," Guthrie said behind me, "are just too good to pass over." Before I could turn around something poked into the middle of my back. I didn't think it was his finger, unless he had grown a steel one since the last time I saw him.

"We'll all be more comfortable," he said in my ear so softly it felt like seduction, "if you aren't waving that thing around." He reached over me to take the revolver.

When I was a kid I used to read these books where every couple of pages you got to choose what happened next. If you selected one option, you turned to, maybe, page 48. If you took the other alternative, you turned to, say, page 27. You had two entirely different stories, and once you'd made your choice, you couldn't go back.

Right then I knew I could grab Guthrie's arm and flip him into the hot tub.

Turn to page 48.

But I was suddenly so damn tired my whole nervous system was imploding. I couldn't even make my right hand squeeze the gun, resist, blow Halsworth away, do anything.

Turn to page 27.

When Guthrie took the gun I felt like he had removed the last screw that was holding me upright. I collapsed and tumbled into the hot tub.

* * * *

I woke up in a bed – a soft bed, with satin sheets and pillowcases. I was lying on my side, looking at a wall I had never seen before. It was a soft sage green. The baseboards were ivory. Beside the bed was an oak nightstand with a lamp on it. But no clock. I needed to know what time it was.

I also needed to know why I was wearing a man's pajamas. And why did I have such a splitting headache? And where the hell was I? And why was a voice in my head repeating the name Otis?

"Are you awake?" a man said behind me.

I turned over to see a man sitting in an overstuffed chair on the other side of a large, but sparsely furnished, room. It felt like a guest room in someone's house or a high-end hotel room, tastefully decorated but impersonal. To the man's left was a large window. Even with the blinds drawn, I could tell it was daylight, but that was all.

The man was sipping a cup of coffee. "Can I get you something to eat?" he offered. "Some coffee? Juice?"

I nodded my head once but had to stop because it hurt so much.

He pushed a button on an intercom on the table beside him, said, "some breakfast please," then turned back to me. "That was quite a spill you took. We were worried about you, with the crack on the head."

I touched my forehead and felt a rather large lump. That explained the headache.

"How are you feeling?"

"All right, I guess."

"You may have a bit of a concussion. We tried to keep you awake, but you were just too tired. I'm sorry I had to get the drop on you, incidentally. I don't like sneaking up behind people like that."

I pulled the sheets up to my neck. "How did I get here?"

"You flew. In your Harpy. You may be a little confused because of the concussion."

"No, I mean, how did I get in this bed, in these pajamas?" I knew I hadn't put them on myself. At least, I couldn't remember doing it.

"Amazon-Barbie undressed you, after we pulled you out of the hot tub."

"Amazon-Barbie?"

"That's what I call her. You know, the statuesque blonde. She put you in a pair of Halsworth's pajamas because she doesn't sleep in anything. Your clothes have been laundered. They're right there. Except for the blouse. We just couldn't get all the blood out. There's a sweatshirt you can wear instead."

I glanced at a pair of jeans, a sweatshirt, panties and a padded bra that he pointed to on the foot of the bed.

"And your virtue is still in whatever condition it was in when you arrived here, if that's your next question," the man continued.

"My next question is, Who are you?"

He chuckled. "Do you still think you're going to get a straight answer to that question? Well, I guess you deserve one, at long last. I'm an operative with—"

I put a hand to my throbbing head. "No, I mean, who are you? What's your name?"