| Mystery Writers to Die For |
| Reginald Hill Hill has written over 40 books, not all mysteries. Received Britain's mystery writers' Cartier Diamond Dagger Award for Lifetime Achievement and Golden Dagger for his Dalziel/Pascoe series. Lives with wife in Cumbria, England. Dalziel (pronounced "Dee-El") is an old Scottish surname which used to be spelled with a letter that is now obsolete, the "yogh." Below is the yogh, pronounced "yog." Reginald Hill Bio List of Mysteries by Hill |
| Good Morning, Midnight by Reginald Hill |
| Lubricated by poignant lines from Emily Dickinson, this set of finely meshed gears includes a man who sets up his suicide---just like his father's---to implicate his "wicked stepmother"; yet another disfunctional family gunked up with lust, jealousy, greed, and a bit of madness; an American-based international corporation beset with intrigue; and our Brit- cop heroes Dalziel (remember to pronounce this name "Dee-El" in your head everytime you read it and maybe you'll get over how crazy the pronunciation is!), Pascoe, Wield, and up-and- comer Shirley Novello.Discover the true character of American Kay Kafka ---unrequited mother; widow; stepmother of ingrates; gracious, lovely woman with magical appeal; and special friend of Chief Supt. Dee-El---and maybe you'll clean up the (crank)case. And maybe not. One of my very favorites! You'll need a dictionary and a bawdy sense of humor to enjoy these characters to the fullest. ---Jan, 6/10/07 |
| Interview with Reginald Hill on his writing of Good Morning, Midnight |
| G.M. Ford Wrote Fury, Black River (which Len Stoehr read and liked), and Red Tide, as well as six mysteries featuring Leo Waterman, yet another Seattle private eye. (Seattle is coming on big as a venue for sleuthing.) Ford is a former creative writing teacher in western Washington, and lives in Seattle. I haven't decided whether his brand of gory psychological thriller is my cup of tea...yet. ---Jan |
| A Blind Eye G.M. Ford, 2003 |
| When every single tombstone in the graveyard bears the same last name, some of the people in the isolated mountain village are bound to be a little odd---you know, webbed fingers, extra toes, etc. Sissy's name calls up the freckle- faced girl next door, and, maybe, the sweetness of violets. But that's not our Sissy. Frank Corso, a journalist wanted in Dallas as a material wit- ness, and Meg Dougherty, his photographer and sometime lover, agree to find Sissy in exchange for...well, you'll have to read it yourself to find out. Sissy's hard to track. The trail is old, and Sissy doesn't stick to any one m.o. She'll suffocate her prey with a plastic bag, push 'em down a flight of stairs, put poison in their Cream of Wheat, or take after 'em with an ax. This plot will raise your blood pressure and keep you up past your bedtime. Not recom- mended for late-night reading... ---Jan, 6/13/07 |
| Quote from Ford's character, Frank Corso: "...virtue is its own revenge." |
| 6/14/07, Linda M. writes: I have LOTS of authors that I like – and have put my “whodunit” books on the computer so I can take a list with me (if I remember to do so) when I go to a bookstore. Even so, I may buy a duplicate as the publishers sometimes change the title of a book. Yesterday I went to an author luncheon for Donna Leon, sponsored by a Houston bookstore, Murder by the Book. As you can tell from the name, it is a specialty store (which celebrated its 25th anniver- sary in August 2005 with a special anniversary dinner which featured not one but several authors.) It is a fun place to visit, with staff who are also murder and suspense aficionados who love to talk books with customers. Even though I no longer make regular trips to Houston, I tend to buy several books whenever I go over for the author lunch- eons. Fortunately, I don’t also go over the days they have store signings (which are MUCH more frequent – sometimes several a week – but are usually held around 6:30 p.m.) or I’d probably be in serious trouble with Fred. I already have many more books than I have bookcases to hold them. Most are paperbacks, since I can buy 2 or 3 for them for the price of a hardback (and they take less storage room, unless one has about two thousand of them) but because of the luncheons I have also a growing number of hardbacks which are also exceeding the bookcase space. I steeled myself to recycle several boxes of books to MBTB when we moved back to Texas, though it was like rejecting one of my children to do so. I suspect that I have since replaced nearly the number I culled. I have not read G. M. Ford, but I will look for his books. I like a good psychological book. I do dearly love Reginald Hill’s books and have many of them – 11, I think. Have you read any of these authors? Keith Ablow (psychychiatrist/author) Nevada Barr Jefferson Bass (this is a duo – Dr. Bill Bass is a forensic anthropologist and founder of the Anthropology Research Facility at the Univ. of Tennessee – better known as “The Body Farm” and I presume Jon Jefferson assists with the writing.) They have two books out now. I’ve read the first and have the second but have not read it. Eleanor Taylor Bland James Lee Burke Jan Burke Michael Connelly Colin Dexter John Dunning Linda Fairstein Frances Fyfield Elizabeth George I have lots more favorites but I’ll save those for later epistles. Those listed here are some of the more serious writers. I also have several who fall into what I designate “murder light”: Susan Wittig Albert Donna Andrews Mary Kay Andrews (who also writes under her own name, Kathy Trocheck,) Jill Churchill Bill Crider Diane Mott Davidson et al. |
| LINDA'S LIST |
| Improbable Cause A J.P. Beaumont Mystery J.A. Jance,1988 |
| This plot turns Starbucks City into a veritable zoo. The wolf, dentist Frederick Nielson, is found dead in his own dental chair by his foxy receptionist. There's blood all over the place; it looks like the lions have had themselves a fine feast. The trail leads to the abused wife, who laughs like a hyena when she hears of her husband's death; the "leopard," a carpet installer who goes from rescuer to hostage- taker; the receptionist's cuckolded husband; and three mulish, sexagenarian sisters---only to end up in the cage of a territorial elephant. Our heroes, Detective J.P. Beaumont and his partner, "Big Al" Lindstrom, keep their cool through it all. The writing is straightforward, and you don't need a dictionary to find out who punctured Dr. Fred with his own pick. ---Jan, 6/16/07 |
| J.A. Jance Jance has written over 33 mysteries and thrillers and is a New York Times best-selling author. Her plots move at a steady pace and are quick reads. A true westerner, Jance was born in South Dakota, reared in Arizona, and now lives with her husband in Washington State. Her first series features Seattle homicide detective, J.P. Beaumont, whose personal wealth, sobriety, and kaleidoscope of relationships set him off from most mystery characters. Jance's second series is built around Joanna Brady, sheriff of Cochise County, AZ, who juggles family, romance, and law enforcement to keep you coming back for more. Jance's third series features former Sedona T.V. newscaster, Ali Reynolds, who starts a brand new career after getting canned because she's "over the hill"---at forty-something. J.A. Jance Bio Author's Reviews of Brady Books Author's Reviews of Beaumont Books |
| JAN'S FAVES |
| John Lescroart (pronounced "less-kwah") Born January 14, 1948 in Houston, Lescroart has a dual claim to fame: author of the gripping series of legal thrillers featuring Dismas Hardy and Abe Glitsky, and singer/guitarist/songwriter performing with the Killer Thriller Band. Texas didn't keep him long; he went to high school in San Mateo, California (Class of '66) and got a degree in English at UC Berkeley, and later moved to L.A. He now lives with his family in Northern California. John Lescroart biography Interview with Lescroart Dismas Hardy is a bartender at San Francisco's Little Shamrock (where Lescroart himself tended bar), as well as a former cop and lawyer. Abe Glitsky, Dismas' friend and former colleague, is a SF homicide detective. Lescroart's rich experience as a computer programmer, ad director, moving man, housepainter, bartender, legal secretary, fund-raising executive, and management consultant bring credibility to his work. His first book, Sunburn (1982), drew on his experiences in Spain. |
| Dead Irish Reginald Hill, 1989 |
| This is the place to start Lescroat's gripping NY Times best-selling series. Dismas Hardy is persuaded by his best friend, Moses, to look into the death of Eddie Cochran. The cops are calling it a suicide, but Eddie has everything to live for: a cute wife who adores him; a loving family; and plans to attend Stanford U. in the fall. As the investigation progresses, more deaths occur; a drug connection is uncovered; romance re-enters Dismas' life; the Cochran family's priest struggles to resist the love he feels for Eddie's lovely (married) mother; and two homicide cops competing for promotion end up with egg on their faces. ---Jan, 6/23/07 |
| Quotes from Lescroart's characters: Judge Andy Fowler: "Anybody believes in pure accidents in this life isn't paying close enough attention." Dismas Hardy's thoughts (familiar to baby boomers): He wasn't worried about being hurt or failing...He wasn't worried about his potential. He was having fun, getting to know who he was, not who he'd assumed he'd become. It was interesting. |
| Black River G.M. Ford, 2002 |
| We are there as Joe Ball is shot by a man whose honor has been besmirched. Then two Cuban hit men come along and find their mark has already been shot. What to do? They shoot him again so they can claim they've carried out their duty. Ford's hero, Frank Corso, is a true crime writer researching a Russian on trial in Seattle for shoddy building practices. Frank's photo- grapher and former lover, Meg Dougherty, may have been doing a story on a case connected to his. When she's involved in a near-fatal crash, he suspects foul play. We're sure it's all over for Meg, and for Frank, too, when the overzealous Cubans come after them in the hospital, on Frank's boat, and in Black River Marsh, where Joe Ball's body is lying under a chunk of concrete. But, of course, Frank Corso is Ford's serial hero. He bests the Russian gangster with technology you can get at your local Best Buy or Wal-Mart. ---Jan, 7/31/07 P.S. I had to look back to figure out exactly how Joe Ball's killer's honor had been offended... I'm getting a little slow in my dotage. |