THE WAY HOME - George Pelecanos

Christopher Flynn tended to be slightly more than rebellious as a young man. And his rebel-rousing landed him in Pine Ridge juvenile detention facility. His father Tom Flynn simply didn't know how to respond to or deal with his trouble-making son.

After serving his time in the juvenile detention facility, Chris goes to work for his father in Tom's carpet business and does his best to get his life straightened out. Until one day when fate would intervene and tempt Chris to return to his old ways. Would the bonds between a father and his son be enough to overcome the old demons that try to recapture the Flynn family?

Pelecanos does an astonishing job of capturing the world around him. The characters of Chris and Tom are ones most of us can see in people we know personally. And as I read through THE WAY HOME, I found myself nodding and mumbling, "uh hum." There's no sugar-coating or overdramatizing, just an honest glimpse of a less-than-"Leave it to Beaver" family situation. THE WAY HOME shows the growing pains of both father and son as they learn there really isn't such a thing.

George Pelecanos is a master of not only urban crime fiction but also social commentary. In THE WAY HOME he throws the Flynn men under a microscope to examine the fibers that make up a father-son relationship. Is there something in those fibers, or a lack of something in those fibers, that makes some sons take the path of trouble and others the path of success? After all, Tom Flynn was present in his son's life. He had rules and boundaries and expectations.

Pelecanos also throws an institution under that same microscope. The juvenile detention facility, always a controversial issue. THE WAY HOME is in no way preachy about these elements of society, but it does lay them out under the microscope for the reader to examine and ponder. THE WAY HOME doesn't offer up solutions or answers, but it does point out possible weaknesses in the fibers. Weaknesses that we don't often want to admit or look at. We simply want a quick and easy answer. Take care of it and don't make us look at it. THE WAY HOME makes its readers look at it and look closely.

If you're a fan of Pelecanos, you will enjoy THE WAY HOME. If you haven't experienced Pelecanos' work before, THE WAY HOME is a great place to start. You needed worry about background from any of his previous works. If you don't want a book to challenge you, to make you think, look elsewhere. THE WAY HOME is a great crime fiction novel that is also a reflection of the times we are living in. It is my hope that through books like THE WAY HOME, people will look back on them years from now and say, "things were really like that? Wow! We've come a long way."

THE WAY HOME (ISBN: 978-0-316-15649-3) is now available from Little, Brown and Company.

Monday Mystery Backlist - FUGITIVE COLORS

This week, the Monday Mystery Backlist title comes from my good friend Kaye Barley. Kaye keeps herself busy with her blog Meanderings and Musings, but today she took some time out to share with us about Margaret Maron's Sigrid Harald series and specifically FUGITIVE COLORS, so I'll let Kaye tell you all about it:

One of my favorite backlist titles is Margaret Maron's FUGITIVE COLORS.

I re-read it often, but only after I've re-read the first seven in her Sigrid Harald series; "One Coffee With," "Death of a Butterfly," "Death in Blue Folders," "The Right Jack," "Baby Doll Games," "Corpus Christmas," and "Past Imperfect." Then I read the eighth and final entry, "Fugitive Colors."

Although "One Coffee With" was released in 1981, and "Fugitive Colors" not until 1995, the series actually takes place during only a year.

In "One Coffee With" we meet NYPD Sigrid Harald, a cool, aloof loner, while she's investigating the murder of Riley Quinn, a member of the art department at New York's Vanderlyn College. There are suspects galore; unhappy students, a woman who's promotion he blocked, another faculty member who was having an affair with Quinn's wife and a handyman; an array of colorful characters.

During the investigation, Sigrid meets Oscar Naumann, Dept. Chair and world famous artist. Was he actually the intended victim?

As the series progresses, so does the relationship between Harald and Naumann. Oscar sees a beautiful, sensual woman beneath the cool reserve Sigrid has wrapped herself in. And we witness her slowly coming to believe in what Oscar sees. As the series progresses, we experience the love between Sigrid and Oscar as its grows and blossoms, and as a parallel, Sigrid's self confidence as it grows and blossoms as well.

One of the jewels in this series is the sixth - "Corpus Christmas." A holiday mystery in a wonderful old mansion reminiscent of the Isabelle Gardner Museum.

The next in the series, "Past Imperfect," finally answers questions hovering over the series, specifically in regard to Sigrid's father who was a detective in the NY city police division she is in.

This brings us to the last book in the series, "Fugitive Colors." The knowledge Sigrid has of the art world, thanks to Oscar, helps her solve another murder. In this entry we see a lovely, self-assured woman, not only in her professional life, but also within her own skin. It's been a joy watching Sigrid grow.

Another joy in the series were supporting characters; two in particular. Sigrid's mother, along with roommate Roman Tramegra, who bring humor and balance into Sigrid's life.

I keep hoping against hope that one of these days we just might see one more Sigrid Harald book.

FUGITIVE COLORS was published in hardcover (ISBN: 978-0892965670) by Mysterious Press in June of 1995. And in paperback (ISBN: 978-0446403931) also by Mystery Press in June of 1996.

ANOTHER MAN'S MOCCASINS - Craig Johnson

ANOTHER MAN'S MOCCASINS, the fourth book in Craig Johnson's Walt Longmire series, finds Walt looking back at his experiences in Vietnam after a Vietnamese woman is found murdered in Absaroka County. Two murder investigations, forty years apart, play out as the novel oscillates back and forth between 1960s Vietnam and present-day Wyoming.

In present-day Wyoming the Vietnamese woman is found dead along the interstate and Virgil White Buffalo is living in culvert in the same vicinity. Virgil is also in possession of the woman's purse. However, Walt isn't convinced that Virgil killed the woman.

In 1960s Vietnam, Walt is a Marine investigator sent to Tan Son Nhut to investigate a possible drug operation: a soldier had died of a drug overdose on a chopper out of that base. While there, Walt befriends Mai Kim. It is determined that Mai Kim is somehow connected to the dead woman found in Wyoming because of the picture the dead woman is carrying around in her purse. Walt's task in present-day Wyoming is to solve the murder and find the connection.

Craig Johnson's gift of developing characters that readers can connect with only seems to grow stronger with each book he writes. In ANOTHER MAN'S MOCCASINS we see a new dimension in Walt. As in KINDNESS GOES UNPUNISHED we saw a deeper and closer look at Walt's connection to his family, in AMM we are privy to that deeper, closer look at Walt's past, adding another layer to an already dynamic character.

Also adding to Walt's layers is his relationship with Vic. The emotions he battles internally in regards to Vic continue to define the character most of us have grown to love. Walt also deals with internal conflict when it comes to his daughter Cady who is in Wyoming while she rehabs. His insecurities dealing with both women reveal the human-ness in Walt. Those insecurities help make Walt real and allow readers to connect with him, sympathize and empathize. I also think they are what draw folks to ask Johnson for Walt's phone number!

ANOTHER MAN'S MOCCASINS is filled with Johnson's signature humor and heart-wrenching emotion. This book now lays claim to owning my favorite line from a literary work. Walt is standing in an empty ballroom with his daughter, and she asks him to dance even though there is no music playing:

"After a full sweep of the dance floor, I bent down to kiss the U-shaped scar at her hairline and attempted to keep time to the counting of my blessings."

Simply put Craig Johnson has written another exquisite book. His knack for capturing the extraordinary in what might otherwise be considered ordinary is spot on. His characters don't need to have super-hero strength or MENSA IQ levels. Instead Johnson creates the everyday heroes so perfectly that we believe they truly must exist somewhere outside the pages of his books. If you have not picked up one of Craig Johnson's Walt Longmire books, treat yourself to a reading experience unlike no other, just don't expect Walt and gang to remain on the pages of the book once you close the covers. They will be with you for a long time after.

I listened to ANOTHER MAN'S MOCCASINS on audio book as I drove to Pennsylvania for Craig Johnson's book event. It was again read by George Guidall, who has read the previous three books as well. I have compared Guidall's readings of the Walt Longmire series to Mark Hammer's readings of the Dave Robicheaux series. Guidall's voice will forever be Walt's voice in my mind. He's simply perfect for the role. What makes him exceptional, however, is his knack with Johnson's humor. I was in tears when Vic was acting like an Asian prostitute, and that was largely due to Guidall's reading of the scene. Guidall also sets the tempo perfectly to what the scene demands, especially when he's reading for Henry; he's never overly dramatic and he never misses the sarcasm. It is a treat to listen to Guidall read a Walt Longmire novel. So, go ahead, indulge!

ANOTHER MAN'S MOCCASINS was first published by Viking Penguin in hardcover in 2008 (ISBN: 978-0-670-01861-1). It is also now available in trade paperback from Penguin (ISBN: 978-0-143-11552-6).

This Week's Roundup

It was a crazy-hectic week! A new Monday Mystery Backlist, an interview with Gregg Hurwitz, new 6-word memoirs, and a visit from James LePore for his blog tour for A WORLD I NEVER MADE. Whew! Oh, not to mention that Gregg Hurwitz's TRUST NO ONE and Chris Grabenstein's MIND SCRAMBLER both came out as well.


Speaking of MIND SCRAMBLER. I have a winner to announce! The lucky recipient of a signed copy of MIND SCRAMBLER is Cathy from New Hampshire! Congratulations Cathy.


Now I'd also like to add a comment in here. MIND SCRAMBLER could possibly be the last book in the John Ceepak series. St. Martin's Press does not wish to pursue more in this series. So all of you out there who have emailed me and left me notes about wanting to start this series - now would be a GREAT time to do that. And I'm saying this in a purely selfish light. This is one of my absolute favorite series. I just discovered it last year. I'm not ready to have to say goodbye to it already. The Ceepak series has done nothing but get better with every book. You know there are many series out there that should have been stopped long ago, but this isn't one of those. So, let's buy MIND SCRAMBLER and show the publishing world that we want Ceepak to stay!


O.k., some other things to share with you. Many of you know that here in Ohio our libraries are presently being threatened. The governor wants to severely cut funding to our libraries. People have been up in arms for several days, trying to get the attention of our law-makers. At a time like this I'm not sure how they can think that library cuts are the answer to anything. So, Ohioans, contact your representatives. Let them know this is unacceptable. We NEED our libraries now more than ever.


I received a couple of emails this week with some information to pass along to you. CJ West has a free download of his book SIN AND VENGEANCE available here. It has been optioned and adapted for film, so this is something you may want to check out before it hits the big screen.


St. Martin's asked me to pass along information about a new book that's out called SWORN TO SILENCE by Linda Castillo. You can win a copy by entering here.

There's a new blog in town. And it's a good one. If you haven't checked out 7 Criminal Minds, I highly recommend you do so. On 7 Criminal Minds, 7 crime fiction writers respond to a weekly question related to crime fiction in some way. The 7 criminal minds are: C.J. Lyons, Kelli Stanley, Rebecca Cantrell, Sophie Littlefield, Shane Gericke, Tim Maleeny and Gabrella Herkert. Very interesting stuff over there. I've added them to my blog list...which reminds me, I need to catch up on my blog reading!


For those of you in the Northeast Ohio area, Michael Koryta will be around in August to promote his new Lincoln Perry novel, THE SILENT HOUR. On August 11th he will be at Fairview Park Public Library and on August 12th he will be at the Rocky River City Hall Umerley Center. That's at 7:00 both evenings. Since he'll be taking a bit of a hiatus from Lincoln after this novel, I'm not sure how much we'll see of him in this area for awhile. You may want to take the opportunity to see him while you can. Fairview Park has a registration for his event, which you can find here.


I'm sure I'm forgetting something that I should be passing along, but tonight my brain is fried...or maybe it just wants to get back to the excellent book I'm reading now. I have a slew of reviews to catch up on this weekend, so hopefully at least a couple will show up! I also attended Les Roberts event on Tuesday, so I have some fun details to share from that. In the mean time...


Happy Reading!

Guest Blogger James LePore: Your Life is a Novel

Yesterday I reviewed James LaPore's debut novel A WORLD I NEVER MADE as part of his blog tour with TLC Book Tours. Today he's here as my guest blogger, so I'm just going to turn the blog over to him:

Jen has said that I could write whatever I want, so here goes.

Your life is a novel. If you think this sounds odd, consider the following seven basic needs to a story line (taken from Google Answers):

1. A hero, defined as the person through whose eyes we see the story unfold, set against a larger background.

By this definition, we are all heroes because we all see the story of our lives unfolding against the larger background of family, friends and location. Each of us is the central character in the novel that is our life. I think one reason why people move to exotic places is because they want an exotic background for their life story.

2. The hero’s character flaw, defined as a weakness or defense mechanism that hinders the hero in such a way as to render him/her incomplete.

By this definition, we all have character flaws. I know I have many. Pat and Megan Nolan, the central characters in A World I Never Made, are deeply flawed. They
would not be interesting otherwise, and neither would we.

3. Enabling circumstances, defined as the surroundings the hero is in at the beginning of the story, which allow the hero to maintain his/her character flaw.

I call this the X, or excuse factor. In A World I Never Made, Pat Nolan’s excuse for being an absentee father was the death of his wife, at age 20, while giving birth to his daughter, Megan. Pat clung to these enabling circumstances for a long time. I think we all do the same in the novel that is our life.

4. An opponent, defined as someone who opposes the hero in getting or doing what he/she wants. Not always a villain. The opponent is the person who instigates the life-changing event (see below).

We all have opponents. People who try to abuse us, belittle us, stand in our way. An opponent may also be a fear of something, or an addiction. There is no success in life without confronting the opponent, in whatever form it takes. In my novel, Pat and Megan are each other’s opponents. This creates the story’s emotional and psychological tension (at least I hope it does). Pat and Megan have a common opponent as well in the characters of the bad guys who are trying to kill them.

5. The hero’s ally, defined as the person who spends the most time with the hero and who helps the hero overcome his/her character flaw.

In A World I Never Made, the hero’s ally is the beautiful and sad Catherine Laurence. In the novel that is our life, this role is, I believe, usually (but not always)filled by our spouses. It’s probably why we get married, and sometimes divorced.

6. The life-changing event, defined as a challenge, threat or opportunity usually instigated by the opponent, which forces the hero to respond in some way that’s related to the hero’s flaw.

This is where the pain comes in. Sickness, death, self-destruction. I don’t think I need to say too much on this topic. We face what we have to face. If it doesn’t kill us hopefully it makes us stronger. It changes us for the better.

7. Jeopardy, defined as the high stakes that the hero must risk to overcome his/her flaw, the dramatic events that lend excitement and challenge to the quest.
When the stakes are highest, both Pat and Megan Nolan go all in. Their courage--their willingness to die in order to re-establish their love--is, I believe, what makes them compelling characters. In the novel that is our life, our very lives are not usually at stake, but who among us has not learned the lesson of no pain, no gain, no risk, no glory, on some level? And then there are those who really do risk their lives. The people who fight for their country, those in law enforcement, firefighters, the stranger who saves the life of someone drowning. Think of the novel that is each of those lives.

So what do you think? Does your life fit this definition. I'm pretty endowed in #2 myself and I think sometimes I over-inflate my personal perception of #7! Thanks so much to James for his guest post today.

Happy Reading everyone! Have a great weekend!

A WORLD I NEVER MADE - James LePore

In James LePore's debut novel, A WORLD I NEVER MADE, Pat Nolan is called to Paris to identify the body of his daughter Megan who was believed to have committed suicide. His relationship with Megan has always been a rocky one and at best they see each other once a year. But when Nolan arrives, he discovers that the body is not Megan's and she has left him a cryptic clue indicating she is in trouble and needs his help.

As Nolan investigates further into the mystery of his daughter's disappearance he finds a complex network of international terrorism. With the help of French Detective Catherine Laurence, can Nolan find Megan before the terrorists who want her dead do?

LaPore parallels Pat Nolan's odyssey with Megan Nolan's experiences leading up to her faked suicide. Interweaving the two stories, the reader is able to start locking the events together like pieces of a puzzle. And like a puzzle, the story isn't complete until the last piece is entered.

In a day and age when our greatest fears revolve around terrorism, the antagonists create a great level of suspense that keeps the action moving swiftly.

The characters in this novel are all carrying "baggage" that they must work their ways through. This, of course, helps to define who they are as well as show growth throughout the plot. While most parents don't have quite the relationship with their children that Pat has with Megan, they can probably identify a distance and wonder what they don't know about their own children's lives. And in the end, it is the relationships throughout the novel that are its greatest strength. Relationships are never perfect, but that lack of perfection doesn't prevent a person from being willing to go to the ends of the earth for another - sometimes we all have to be reminded of that.

Jim LePore is presently wrapping up his blog tour with TLC Book Tours for A WORLD I NEVER MADE. This is his second to last stop. You can find more information about Jim and his tour at TLC Book Tours or Jim's website.

You Have the Right to Six Words - Part V

Welcome back to "You Have the Right to Six Words: Six-Word Memoirs from Crime Fiction's Greatest Writers." We're amassing some pretty great memoirs here and there's still plenty more to come. Hope no one is growing bored. I know I'm excited each time I have another response to participate in the project.

This week we'll recognize two authors who had book releases yesterday, as well as two additional folks. All four have great memoirs, so let's get started.

For our first review from an interview, of course we have to have Chris Grabenstein. Chris presently holds the office of Chapter President for New York's Mystery Writers of America chapter. This week the former improv comedian/advertising commercial writer released his fifth novel in the award-winning John Ceepak mystery series, MIND SCRAMBLER. Also this year, his fourth Ceepak novel, HELL HOLE, came out with a brand new cover in paperback and his young reader's novel, THE CROSSROADS was awarded the Agatha for Best YA/Children's Mystery. THE CROSSROADS is also nominated for an Anthony Award for best Children's/Young Adult Mystery. In August, THE CROSSROADS' sequel, HANGING HILL, will be released. So with all these books and all this success, it's no surprise that Chris' memoir would be:

Life is good. Full of stories.

In December I interviewed Robin Burcell who is the author of the award-winning Kate Gillespie series about the first female homicide detective in San Francisco. Last year she released her first book in the Sydney Fitzpatrick series, THE FACE OF A KILLER, which is about a forensic artist. And Robin doesn't just write about those roles, she's actually performed both of them. Robin has an extensive law enforcement background. In addition to working as a homicide detective and a forensic artist, Robin also has experience with hostage negotiations. Robin's next book in the Sydney Fitzpatrick series is titled THE BONE CHAMBER and will be released this winter. But Robin will be stuck with this release because it won't work as well for her six-word memoir as THE FACE OF A KILLER did. Her memoir?

Read THE FACE OF A KILLER.

Yesterday I informed you that we would uncover Gregg Hurwitz's six-word memoir today. I'm sure you don't have that short-term a memory, but a quick re-cap on our guest of honor from yesterday. The Harvard & Trinity College graduate is the author of nine (as of yesterday) thriller novels. The most recent, released yesterday, is TRUST NO ONE. Three of his nine novels feature U.S. Marshall Tim Rackley, and the remainder are stand alone novels. But Gregg's writing resume branches further than crime fiction novels. He's also done script writing and is becoming quite the comic book writer as well. While, in his words, he has a lot of "ass in the seat" time to write novels, when he isn't in that seat, he's often out playing soccer.

You know those "take a penny, leave a penny" containers you often see at stores? Well, Gregg is going to take advantage of the word Alafair left behind a few weeks ago because he asked, "can I have a bonus word?" Now who can say no to Gregg Hurwitz who:

Wanted to do everything all the time.

The last new author I'm going to feature today celebrated a birthday yesterday. So, I want everyone to head on over to either her website or The Outfit, where Libby blogs, and wish Libby Fischer Hellman a very happy birthday! In addition to a slew of wonderful short stories, Libby is the author of the award-winning Ellie Foreman series. Last year the Ellie Foreman series gave birth to a spin-off, so to speak. Georgia Davis, a supporting character in one of the Ellie Foreman novels, took the spotlight for Libby's amazingly poignant novel, EASY INNOCENCE. Davis and Foreman will team up this fall in Libby's sixth and newest thriller novel, DOUBLEBACK. Around that same time AN IMAGE OF DEATH from the Ellie Foreman series is going to be re-released. Libby says her memoir is

Perennial late bloomer: marriage, kids,writing.

I simply say, thank goodness she bloomed, no matter when. The crime fiction world wouldn't be near as good without her contributions!

Woo, I'm looking back at these memoirs for this week and this is a spiffy week. Can you believe all these awesome crime fiction writers played the six-word memoir game with me? Wow, I'm so humbled. This is fun. I think we'll have to do it again next week. Same time, same place, four different memoirs. Hope to see you then!

Happy Reading!!

An East Coast Party for GREGG HURWITZ

Today is the release date of Gregg Hurwitz's new book TRUST NO ONE. So, since I can't be out on the West Coast in Santa Monica to celebrate the release live with him, I asked him to join me here so we could celebrate virtually in the form of an interview.

As you know if you read the blog fairly regularly, I discovered Gregg's work last year with his amazing book THE CRIME WRITER. It was one of my "Favorite Reads of 2008." I'm a little late getting to the game on Gregg's writing, though, as THE CRIME WRITER was his eighth novel. And you can tell Gregg didn't want to be pigeon-holed because his plots are all over the map, topic-wise. When it comes to thrillers, this guy is among the elite writers. And he's become quite well known in the comic book arena as well. So I was elated to have the chance to meet and chat with him in Los Angeles when I was out at the Mystery Bookstore, and I'm equally excited to have him join us here today. Please help me to welcome Gregg Hurwitz!


Q. Gregg, you come from a family of doctors. So what prompted you to deviate from the family medical line and pursue writing?

Gregg: Probably a lack of math skills. I can’t add. I can’t even use a calculator. But honestly? I always wanted to write. I have crayon-illustrated mysteries that I wrote in third grade. So I suppose it always felt like a pre-determined course.

Q. You earned your Master’s degree in Shakespearean tragedy from Oxford. While Shakespeare was probably the crime/thriller writer of his time, one doesn’t often think of the natural progression to then lead to modern crime/thriller fiction. What led you in that direction for your writing?

Gregg: Well, in some ways, it is a more natural progression than one would think. Shakespeare was intensely plot- and structure-minded, and wrote some kick-ass crime stories. Othello: Tale of Passion. Macbeth: Mob Thriller. Hamlet: Ghost Story. Etc. I think I was always drawn to strongly narrative-based writing—I love my Faulkner and Dickens.

Q: Your writing spans many platforms. You’ve done script writing, novels, comic/graphic novels, short stories, and also academic writing. Do you try to rotate what platform you’re writing on? Or do you determine what you’re writing based on ideas that come up? Is it determined by publishers? What’s the formula that decides what you’re going to sit down and work on each day?

Gregg: Well, the books take the most energy by a factor of ten. They simply require more ass-in-chair time than anything else. But I’d say that when a story occurs to me, it also suggests which format would suit it best. A script feels like a script, a comic like a comic. Whichever project my head is in (or has the pending deadline) is the one I wake up and work on.

Q: Do you find any of the formats easier than the others to write? Are any of them more enjoyable or rewarding for you?

Gregg: Novels are the hardest and therefore often the most rewarding. But you know what? It’s hard to answer that, because I can only write something when I think I can write it well—those are the only jobs or spec projects I’ll undertake. And for me to write it well, I have to find it absorbing and engaging. I just finished up a comic arc that was completely gratifying—and draining.

Q: Not only are you diverse in the formats that you choose to write in, but within those formats you have quite a bit of diversity as well. With your novels you started out writing stand alones. Then you wrote a series of four books around U.S. Marshall Tim Rackley, and came back to the stand alones with THE CRIME WRITER and your new release TRUST NO ONE. How do you like writing the series as opposed to the stand alones? What are the benefits and drawbacks to a series for you?

Gregg: I think I’m naturally a stand-alone writer. I’ve had a lot of readers comment that even though the Rackley books are a series, each one reads like a stand-alone. I think my head works better in that format. Perhaps those are the kinds of stories I’m strongest with. What I love about stand-alones is that you can tell a story that could only happen once in the life of a character, and you don’t need to position him or her for future adventures.

Q: Is Tim Rackley done or do you have plans to revisit him later? Any other series considerations?

Gregg: Hmm. He’s taking a rest right now. But you never know when he might choose to assert himself again in my brain. For now, I’m loving playing in the stand-alone sandbox.

Q: The crime fiction genre has quite a few subcategories and you’ve hit an awful lot of them in your nine novels. Maybe it’s my obsession with character, but I seem to notice a lot of the psychological elements showing up regardless of how the book would be classified. You really bring out the “insides” of your characters’ minds. Does that come out AS you write or do you get to know them BEFORE you write?

Gregg: That’s an interesting question. I can’t start writing until I have a handle on the character. And often, the layers come out only once I’m writing them. Often I don’t know what they’ll sound like until they start talking on the page. And when characters are the strongest, they’re doing a lot of the lifting themselves.

Q: Both your characters and your plot tend to be complex and multi-layered. Which, if either, tends to drive your writing? Do you plan a lot out ahead of time or simply write and then cut at the end?

Gregg: It’s always a mess. I plan and change my mind a hundred times. I cut and hack and paste and rewrite and swear a lot. I got a loud-ass keyboard so when I’m banging on it, it feels like I’m really working.

Q: Gregg, you tend to have strong female characters in your novels, whether they are a central character as in MINUTES TO BURN or supporting characters. First I’d like to mention how much I enjoy those characters. The “damsel in distress” character just does nothing for me. So, I appreciate a good female role. Do you have an inspiration for these female characters? What are some other female characters in literature that YOU, yourself, enjoy/appreciate?

Gregg: Thank you—that’s high praise indeed. Yes, I never like the whiny wife who’s complaining that her man’s getting into trouble, or has no grasp of danger (or logic). I like my women tough and smart in real life, so I suppose that comes through in the books as well. Of contemporary genre characters, I’d have to say that (Robert Crais’s) Carol Starkey is a favorite. Of course I love Clarice Sterling. Oh—and Jeff Parker’s Merci Rayborn is pretty damn cool. As for classics? I love me some Desdemona.

Q: You mentioned in a previous interview that there were no female Navy SEALs when you wrote MINUTES TO BURN. Is that still the case or have they found their way in?

Gregg: Alas, no female Navy SEALs yet. You should apply.

Q: THE CRIME WRITER was unique for you in many ways, but especially so in that it was the first book you wrote in first person point of view. How did you like that? Or did you? What p.o.v. is TRUST NO ONE?

Gregg: It was very different. That book was a real jump for me—and very close to my heart. I think that’s why I wrote it through the eyes of the character. It was constraining, but oddly liberating too. TNO is first person as well, which I chose because of the intensity I wanted to impart from the opening scene, when a SWAT team crashes into Nick Horrigan’s apartment and drags him out onto the street....

Q: I’ve heard a lot of writers give thanks to the Internet as a research tool, but you seem to get your hands dirtier than that. You’ve established quite a network of contacts and have experienced more hands-on research. It’s not enough for someone to tell you what a chemical reaction will result in, you’re out there blowing stuff up so you can see for yourself! Can you talk a little about some of those experiences and why you choose to have a more hands-on approach to research? What kind of research did you find yourself involved with for TRUST NO ONE?

Gregg: I love the first-hand approach, because you never know what you might discover on-site as a happy coincidence. Plus, only once I’m on scene can I smell the smells and see ALL the sights. I’ve done a lot, I suppose—gone undercover into mind-control cults, sneaked onto demolition ranges to blow up cars, flown in stunt planes, conducted interviews while a medical lab technician parted out a corpse....Trust No One led me to some pretty cool research around the Secret Service. But the coolest thing was this extremely unique type of restaurant that I ate at—and which Nick finds himself at mid-way through the book. I couldn’t believe it!

Q: Another element of your writing that I’ve noticed is your themes. I see a lot of social issues pop up, and they’re never “easy” issues. Then you tend to dive head first into the “gray area.” Your protagonists are still “good guys” but there’s definitely little that’s pure black or stark white. Do you find that comes easy for you or does it challenge you as a writer? And what ultimately makes you say, “This is a great theme for my next novel?”

Gregg: As I’ve progressed in my career, I’ve moved increasingly away from villains and more toward antagonists. It’s more compelling to me to find a character with a valid motive and perspective. And I think those stories tend to live in the gray zone. I know I have a theme for a book when a character collides with a ethical dilemma—often an impossible choice.

Q: O.k., so let’s get down to the important stuff here! Tell us about TRUST NO ONE. And what part of writing TRUST NO ONE was unique for you, different from the eight previous novels?

Gregg: Nick Horrigan, an average guy, awakens in the middle of the night when he thinks he sees a watery blue light along his ceiling. He blinks, and it’s gone. He gets up, rubbing his eyes, crosses into the main room, and looks through the sliding glass door onto the balcony. A black rope is hanging over the lip of the roof and lies coiled on the balcony floor. He opens the slider, steps out, closing the screen behind him.

Down below he sees dark sedans lining the curb on either side, and cop cars with their lights now turned off. Before he can react, the rope twitches, and a guy clad in full SWAT gear rappels off the roof and—not seeing Nick—hammers him in the chest with both boots. Nick soars back into his apartment, ripping the screen from the frame, and lands on his back. His front door flies out of the frame like a hurricane hit on the other side, and slides to within an inch of his nose. And before he can catch his breath, a full SWAT team storms the apartment.

The lead agent grabs him, asks, “Are you Nick Horrigan?” Nick still can’t catch his breath, so he nods. They shove a photo in front of his face. “When’s the last time you’ve had contact with this man?” Nicks says, “I’ve never seen him before.” They tug him to his feet. He’s barefoot, in pajama bottoms. He’s dragged outside. Cop cars everywhere. Neighbors lining the sidewalk. A loud thrumming shakes the air and then the palm trees behind his building light up. A helicopter rolls into view and sets down on the end of his cul-de-sac. He’s dragged toward it, and finally he stops, says, “You can’t just take me. Where the hell am I going?”

And the lead agent replies, “A terrorist has just seized control of the San Onofre nuclear power plant. He’s threatening to blow it up. And the only person he’ll talk to is you.”

That’s the end of the first chapter.

Writing this one was different for me because it takes off like a shot and never slows down. So it was a real momentum ride. I had to hold tight and type fast to keep up with it. (And then, of course, do tons of rewriting and editing to make sure everything stayed tight).

Q: You also recently had a script optioned by Double Nickel Entertainment. Can you share a little about that?

Gregg: It’s called Legacy, and it’s a dark little dramedy with a crime story at its heart.

Q: Your books have been translated into 16 languages. Whew! You often share the cover art of the translations on your blog, and you’ve had some very cool art on your books outside the U.S – which is not to say that the American covers aren’t good. You’ve also mentioned that crime fiction isn’t as respected in the U.S. as it is in Europe. What kind of differences have you seen between the two areas? Why do you think that is?

Gregg: Have I said that? How obnoxious of me. I think perhaps I’d phrase it differently now, which is to say that certain European countries are more aware of the actual writing while U.S. readers might be more focused on plot. We’re story people here and we want to know the basics first—what happened and to whom?

Q: O.k., I have a few final questions that are more about Gregg the person and less about Gregg the writer. First, it made me smile to see on your Facebook page under Favorite Music, “I love classic rock, country and Motown.” I just think that is so appropriate for a writer with such a dynamic bibliography. So what are a few songs on your iPod right now?

Gregg: I’m in love with this band called Glasvegas right now. As for my iPod, let’s see. Stevie Wonder. And Leona Lewis. Don’t ask. I’m weird and I like lots of music.

Q: Something else that you’ve experienced both in the U.S. and out is playing soccer. How does playing soccer in England differ from the U.S? You mention that you’re still playing and actively injuring yourself. What’s your most recent injury? What was the most debilitating?

Gregg: Playing soccer in England is different because every guy—no matter how out of shape, no matter how much he chain-smokes—has impressive ball skills. You can’t take anything for granted over there! I broke my wrist, rib, and collarbone in one three-month stretch—that was the worst. Except when I threw out my back. Or when I broke my rib that other time. Maybe I’m not very good and should take up badminton. Most recent injury....let’s see. That would be the back.

Yeah, you could say I got a little carried away on this interview. But can you blame me? This guy is fascinating, isn't he? He's also one of the nicest people you'll ever talk to, so if you get the chance, grab it! We only touched on his research activities, but there's a great article in the May/June CRIMESPREE magazine that has Gregg talking a lot more about those adventures. It's a must-read if you haven't seen it already.

Also, I DID ask Gregg about his 6-word memoir, but I'm saving that for tomorrow. He'll be one of our highlighted authors tomorrow, so make sure you come back. In the meantime, you can check out TRUST NO ONE which is available in bookstores starting today; you can check out Gregg's website for more fun stuff, including a video of a "shocking bookstore robbery" and info on a contest to win the first comic Gregg ever wrote. Gregg also hosts a blog, so you can stay up to date with Gregg there. I especially appreciate when he posts book jackets from his foreign editions.

I have to extend huge thanks to Gregg for joining us, and tolerating all my questions. It's a busy time for him and yet he still carved some of it out to play in THIS sandbox today. I know I had fun. I hope you all enjoyed this as much as I did. Come back tomorrow and find out what Gregg's 6-word memoir is!

Happy Reading!

Monday Mystery Backlist - THE TWO MINUTE RULE

This weekend, Robert Crais celebrated his birthday. So, for my celebration, we'll highlight a Crais novel this week on the Monday Mystery Backlist. Really, any of Crais' novels would be great for this post, but since I talk about Elvis all the time, I decided to choose one of RC's stand alone novels, and one of my favorite all-around Crais novels, THE TWO-MINUTE RULE.

Max Holman is an ex-con who has just been released from serving time for a bank robbery. When he is released his primary goal is to reconcile with his son, ironically, a cop. However, fate has dealt Max a losing hand. Max learns his son was gunned down along with three other uniformed police officers. Max also learns that the killings were believed to be revenge killings and police corruption could be involved. The only thing Max has left that he can give his son is his name back, so Max sets out with the help of FBI agent, Katherine Pollard, to clear his son's name.

I've read this book and listened to the Brilliance audio version of THE TWO-MINUTE RULE; both are wonderful. I've been secretly hoping that Max and Pollard will either show up in the Cole/Pike novels or have another book of their own.

THE TWO-MINUTE RULE was published in hardcover by Simon and Schuster in 2006 (ISBN: 978-0743281614 ). Pocket Star published the paperback in 2007 (ISBN: 978-1416514961 ). And for those who are interested, Brilliance has an unabridged audio version also published in 2006 and read by Christopher Graybill (ISBN: 978-1-59355-036-3).

I have links in my right margin to the Mystery Lovers Bookshop in PA and the Mystery Bookstore in CA. Either bookstore would be more than happy to help you get your hands on a copy of this wonderful tome from Crais' bibliography. And I can personally attest to the fact that you will get magnificent customer service from either. And in case you're wondering, I don't receive a dime for their links on my page. They are present because I choose to support them.

REMINDER: Don't forget to get your entry in for a chance to win a signed copy of Chris Grabenstein's fifth John Ceepak novel, MIND SCRAMBLER. Here was my earlier review of this book that comes out in bookstores tomorrow. And here are the details for entering the drawing.

Also, to give you a heads-up on the week, I'm so excited to be welcoming Gregg Hurwitz to Jen's Book Thoughts tomorrow. Coming out at the same time as MIND SCRAMBLER is Gregg's ninth novel, TRUST NO ONE. We'll be having our own "virtual" release party for him right here since we can't be out on the Pacific Coast with him for the actual release party. Then we'll have four more memoirs to check out on Wednesday and Thursday I'll be hosting James LePore for a stop on his blog tour. I'll be reviewing his debut novel, A WORLD I NEVER MADE. Busy, busy week! Hope you'll stop back.

Happy Reading!

An Evening in Ann Arbor with Michael Stanley!

On Monday I drove up to Ann Arbor. No, OSU was not playing Michigan this week. Nope, something much better! Michael Sears and Stanley Trollip were visiting Aunt Agatha's Bookstore. I was absolutely thrilled that they were coming close enough for me to see them. As you know from my raving here on the blog and their interview, Michael Sears and Stanley Trollip make up the writing team of Michael Stanley. Together they created Detective Kubu in A CARRION DEATH. This year Kubu returns in THE SECOND DEATH OF GOODLUCK TINUBU, and I simply couldn't pass up the chance to hang out with them for an evening.

So, on my drive to Michigan I have to say I saw some rather strange signs. First of course is the 70 mph speed limit sign. In Ohio we're still at 65. I'm no speed demon, so the Michigan folks were probably thinking "damn Ohio drivers!" Anyway, if I was a speed demon, I'd probably have missed the big billboard that said (honest to God) poopycredit.com. So, I, of course, had to look that one up. It's a car loan center. Their web address isn't actually poopycredit.com. That's a re-direct. But, I had to do a double take when I saw that. And finally, when I got into Ann Arbor I ran into the first and only mess of construction. With the construction was a road sign that was as big as I am and it said, "Injury/kill road worker $7500 fine and jail time." Well, I guess since I was considering doing just that, I'll reconsider now. "Here's your sign." But, you don't want to hear about signs! Unless of course it is this sign:

We need to talk about these fascinating writers from South Africa!

First I went to a local restaurant where a group of folks met and had dinner with Michael and Stanley. It was great fun to just chat over a nice meal. We talked about books and South Africa and the University of Illinois (where Stanley went to graduate school). We talked a little about Cleveland. Very laid back and just fun.

After dinner we walked back to the bookstore. It was an absolutely gorgeous evening and Ann Arbor was really rather quaint. (Can you tell it was my first visit?)

The first thing I have to mention, and I'm going to sound so American, but I could have sat and listened to these men talk all night. I absolutely love their dialects, and find it a very beautiful sound. All right, so that will be all my silliness for this post...

Stan began by pointing out that A CARRION DEATH was released last year on April 1st. They prayed that the date would not be "apocryphal." I think their prayers were answered in spades, but Michael and Stan were surprised by its success as well. They didn't really set out with great aspirations. They wrote A CARRION DEATH for fun and honestly thought it would just end up being self-published. But of course they are published by Harper Collins, and Stan said his English friends would say, "we are gobsmacked." I hope I spelled that right!

Michael took over to do a short intro on THE SECOND DEATH OF GOODLUCK TINUBU which came out June 2nd of this year. The book is also known elsewhere in the world as A DEADLY TRADE. THE SECOND DEATH OF GOODLUCK TINUBU takes place in a tourist camp in another setting, a completely different environment, of Botswana located along the Northern border. Michael pointed out that this area is a fantastic area for wildlife. It is also adjacent to several other countries and much illegal "activity" occurs in this vicinity. The back story of THE SECOND DEATH OF GOODLUCK TINUBU deals with the trials and tribulations of Zimbabwe, and Kubu will have to travel into Zimbabwe in his research of the case.

Michael and Stan are hard at work now on book number three of the Kubu series (woo hoo!). A trio of nomadic Bushman find a game ranger who has been critically injured. The Bushmen get help, but the police arrest the Bushmen as suspects for the ranger's death. The book will go on to deal with the complex relationship between the Bushmen and the ambient culture. In Book 3, Kubu will visit Namibia.

After discussing the three books, Michael and Stan each entertained us with reading small segments from THE SECOND DEATH OF GOODLUCK TINUBU. Michael chose to read the very beginning, the actual death of Goodluck Tinubu. And Stan read a rather humorous segment with Kubu's parents and their cell phone. I still very much enjoy hearing authors read from their own work, to hear the stresses and inflections and pronunciations. To hear the words the way they hear them when they write. It's kind of a look inside the mind of the authors. Very cool!

Following the reading the duo took questions from the audience. And as you would probably expect, the first question dealt with how they write together, especially with the not being in the same geographical location all the time. Michael and Stan do get together in the same room to plot out the book, draw mind maps and outlines. These planning pages often end up with red splotches from accidental wine spills! ;) For the actual writing stages, they decide who is going to take the first draft based on their backgrounds, interest or knowledge. When the first draft has been completed, the writer e-mails it off to the other who then reads it and comments - a lot. Michael explained that he felt it was a benefit to have this immediate, honest feedback in the writing process. After they've had a few iterations of commenting via e-mail and the sections they disagree on have been whittled down, they communicate via Skype to talk through the remaining sections. If they still can't come to a final agreement on a section, the original writer's version is kept and they "assume" that if it isn't good, the editor will do something about it. So through the back and forth process, while one of the writers starts the process, by the time it finishes, it truly is written by Michael Stanley. Stan believes that about 3/4 of the sentences in the books have words in them from both he and Michael. Now THAT'S collaboration! Another challenge for the writers was working on a second book that some people would be reading BEFORE the first and others would be reading AFTER the first. How do you balance how much background you put in so that both groups can experience the best possible reading experience? So the first time Kubu readers know enough but the veterans aren't bored because they already know the information. There is a delicate balance there.

The writers wrapped up the evening by signing books for everyone. What you might find interesting is HOW these two sign their books. They don't sign "Michael Sears" and "Stanley Trollip." Instead, Michael signs "Michael" and then Stanley tacks on "Stanley." Or vice versa. So the signature does indeed match the author name on the cover...it's just created by two people. What a unique duo. And I had to, of course, snap some photos to remember this grand event. This was truly a wonderful evening, and I'm so glad I made the trip. Meeting Michael Sears and Stanley Trollip will definitely be a highlight of my 2009!

Also a big congratulations to this wonderful writing team. Since Monday, they picked up yet another award nomination for A CARRION DEATH. Michael Stanley has been nominated for the Barry Award for Best First Novel.

SCRAMBLING MINDS WITH SMOKE AND MIRRORS

I'm on hiatus today, and I'm turning the blog over to one of my absolute favorite writers ever! I am so excited to welcome Chris Grabenstein!



As anybody who has read a Ceepak Mystery will tell you: Danny, Ceepak and I are crazy about Bruce Springsteen music. In fact, when I write the stories, I strap on my headphones and set my iTunes to shuffle randomly through the 534 assorted Springsteen Tracks in its memory banks. Right now, as I write this blog, Bruce is telling me he’ll work for my love (even though others might want it for free). I think I’m supposed to be a girl in this song. Or not.

MIND SCRAMBLER, the fifth book in my John Ceepak/Jersey Shore series (which, btw, is available wherever books are sold starting Tuesday June 23rd) was inspired by a single Springsteen album: MAGIC, which was released in 2007 (yep, we write ‘em almost two years before you read ‘em) and won a Grammy award for the song “Girls In Their Summer Clothes,” a Danny Boyle anthem if ever I heard one.

As it turns out, John Ceepak (who will not lie, cheat, or steal nor tolerate those who do) LOVES magic shows because he knows everything he sees and/or hears in the theatre will be an illusion (a.k.a a lie) and, therefore, he can relax.

In the MIND SCRAMBLER story, bad people manipulate reality to create illusions and cover their tracks. And then there’s a magician, too.

I had a blast creating my very own “centerpiece” illusion for the book, a little trick performed by Richard Rock, the Atlantic City casino headliner, called Lucky Numbers. To pull it off, I had to do a lot of research, get into the mindset of a professional illusionist. I read Magic For Dummies and a great book about the history of illusion by Jim Steinmeyer called Hiding the Elephant: How Magicians Invented the Impossible and Learned to Disappear. So how, in 1918, did Houdini make an elephant disappear on the stage of New York City’s Hippodrome in front of 5,000 spectators?

He studied optics.

That means he used mirrors.

While I was writing the book, there was this summer replacement show on TV called “The Masked Magician.” The guy wore a mask because he would do a trick and then show you exactly how it was done, totally violating the magician’s code (yes, magicians, like Ceepak, have a code). What was amazing to me was how simple the tricks were once you learned “the trick" to it. Illusionists distract us -- with smoke and spooky music and sequined costumes and mystical moves and lots of mirrors -- to cover up what they’re really doing. We’re looking at the frenzy of distractions over here while they’re getting away with murder over there. Such is the case in Mind Scrambler.

In fact, some illusionists are so good, they can make us believe a lie to be true. And not all illusionists perform on a night club stage. Some create their alternate realities in the media, in politics, in personal relationships.

That’s why I love the lyrics in the title track from Springsteen’s Magic album:

I got shackles on my wrist
Soon I'll slip 'em and be gone
Chain me in a box in the river
And I'll rise singin' this song
Trust none of what you hear
And less of what you see
This is what will be, this is what will be

To give you an idea of how simple a magic trick is once you see how it’s done, here is a clip from Penn & Teller that was another eye-opener for me when I was researching MIND SCRAMBLER. Remember: trust none of what you see the first time through.



As Chris mentioned, his new John Ceepak novel, MIND SCRAMBLER, is available at bookstores on Tuesday. It is absolutely my favorite Ceepak and you KNOW that's saying a lot for me since I ♥ Ceepak. So, because I love it so much, I want to share it with you. I have an ARC copy to give away to a lucky winn- WAIT! HOLD THE PRESSES! (Sorry, I always wanted to say that.) Thanks to a very generous author (who also happened to be my guest blogger today) I actually have a brand spankin' new personalized, hardcover copy of MIND SCRAMBLER to give away to a lucky winner. So if you'd like to be included in the drawing for a copy of this awesome novel all you have to do is send me an e-mail to forbyone(at)yahoo(dot)com no later than next Friday, June 26th. Put "Ceepak" in the subject line and your name and mailing address in the body of the e-mail. Sorry folks, I can only accept entries from the United States.

Also, don't forget that HELL HOLE, the fourth Ceepak novel was released in paperback last month. So, if you were waiting for the paperback, now's the time to get it in its snazzy new cover!

Of course, I can't thank Chris enough for visiting my blog today. I'm so honored and thrilled!! I hope you'll visit again, Chris. And to everyone - Happy Reading!!

Oprah Ain't Got Nothin' On Me!

Wow! How did it get to be Thursday already? And the 18th of June? This month has just been full of excitement. Coming up Saturday, I'll be sharing the excitement of my trip to see the amazing writing duo Michael Stanley. Tomorrow, though, Chris Grabenstein has been kind enough to provide me with a short break, so I can get caught up a tad bit. He'll be guest blogging about "The Boss" tomorrow. I'm so excited to hear what Chris has to say about Springsteen's influence on both him and my beloved John Ceepak. Speaking of which, MIND SCRAMBLER comes out on Tuesday. So in conjunction with Chris's guest post, we'll start a giveaway for an ARC copy of MIND SCRAMBLER. Don't miss out on your chance at that beauty! Check back tomorrow.

So, on to the title of this post. Surprise, surprise, Oprah has some book lists out. If you're interested in her 25 reads for summer, you can find those here. None are on my list to read anytime in the next decade. She also has a list of "Unputdownable Mysteries." O.k., first of all, "unputdownable"? Who's writing this? They couldn't come up with something better than "unputdownable"? Here's the list:

The Complete Ripley Novels - Patricia Highsmith
The Long Fall - Walter Mosley
Nobody Move - Denis Johnson
The Grift - Debra Ginsberg
Not in the Flesh - Ruth Rendell
What Was Lost - Catherine O'Flynn
Trauma - Patrick McGrath
Go With Me - Catle Freeman, Jr.
Talk, Talk - T.C. Boyle
Lulu in Marrakech - Diane Johnson
Yes, My Darling Daughter - Margaret Leroy

I'm sure that there are folks out there who will eat this list up. This list, however, does contain a book I have plans to read - THE LONG FALL. Aside from that, I doubt very seriously that I'll make time for any of the others. But, I decided that I would counter Oprah with my own list. I'll stick to eleven titles as she did, and I'll include titles up through August releases (not sure what Oprah's date requirement was). However, I'll start with a catchier title. I give you:

Jen's 2009 Crime Fiction Titles to Covet

THE DARK HORSE - Craig Johnson
MIND SCRAMBLER - Chris Grabenstein
THE SECOND DEATH OF GOODLUCK TINUBU - Michael Stanley
BREATHING WATER - Timothy Hallinan
RAIN GODS - James Lee Burke
TRUST NO ONE - Gregg Hurwitz
A RULE AGAINST MURDER - Louise Penny
THE BIG DIRT NAP - Rosemary Harris
THE SILENT HOUR - Michael Koryta
OUT COLD - Tom Schreck
KILLER KEEPSAKES - Jane Cleland

O.k., so a few I have read and are among my favorites so far for this year and the rest are ones I will definitely read before the year's out. Of course I have a slew of others that should be on the list as well, but I said I'd keep it to 11. Michael Lister, Robin Burcell and Libby Fischer Hellman all have books coming out that I'm coveting as well, but those won't be out until after August. They'll have to be on my list for fall reading, huh? But this is my idea of a "mystery reading list." How about you? Do you want to read any from Oprah's list? What would be on YOUR list? Time to sound off...what would you choose?

You Have the Right to Six Words - Part IV

Well, it's that time of the week again. So glad you came back - or that you're visiting for the first time. We have some great memoirs again today. Monday I took a little road trip north to Ann Arbor, Michigan, so I could attend Michael Stanley's author event at Aunt Agatha's Bookstore. I'll be sharing details from that on Saturday. But in honor of that trip, I'm going to use the writing duo of Michael Sears and Stanley Trollip as my two recap memoirs.

Both Michael Sears and Stanley Trollip are natives of Johannesburg, South Africa. For a time Michael lived in Australia, but eventually returned to South Africa. Stanley lived in Johannesburg until he came to the United States to pursue his Ph.D. at the University of Illinois. He now splits time between Minnesota and South Africa. Michael and Stanley have enjoyed many adventures in the wilds of Africa, which they use as the backdrop to their Detective Kubu novels. Neither man had aspirations of writing fiction but after retiring from their positions as professors, they decided to tell a story for fun. That story turned into an amazingly popular debut novel entitled A CARRION DEATH in 2008. As a follow-up to the success of their first novel, THE SECOND DEATH OF GOODLUCK TINUBU was released earlier this month. Now, while I think some talent has to be involved in all of this success, Stanley Trollip says:

I have been lucky, lucky, lucky.

On the other hand, Michael Sears is a little more literal. His memoir:

What have we here? Carrion Death...

So, we'll travel back to the United States to see our first new memoirist for this week. Chester Campbell served in the Air National Guard before starting his extensive writing career. After his military service he worked for a newspaper, which led to freelance writing, which led to speech writing, and then to magazine editing. But that wasn't the end. Chester also wrote for an advertising company. It wasn't until after retiring, like the Michael Stanley duo, that Chester began the novel-writing leg of his career. In 2002 Chester wrote the first of his Greg McKenzie novels, SECRET OF THE SCROLL. Three books followed in this series: DESIGNED TO KILL, DEADLY ILLUSIONS and THE MARATHON MURDERS. This year, Chester published THE SUREST POISON, which introduces his new protagonist, private investigator Sid Chance. Chester Campbell's memoir almost goes without saying:

Took the plunge; never looked back.

And last, but far from least this week I have the great honor to share Laura Lippman's memoir with you. Laura is, of course, the author of the Tess Monaghan series. Laura has also written several stand alone novels, many short stories, even a serial published in the New York Times. There aren't very many awards that Laura hasn't won with her fiction writing. She is the recipient of the Edgar, Shamus, Agatha, Anthony, and Barry awards, among others. Laura also started out in journalism. She studied journalism at Northwestern University and worked for several newspapers, including the Waco Tribune Herald, the San Antonio Light and the Baltimore Sun. Laura made a bit of a circle in life. She grew up in Baltimore, graduated high school in Columbia, Maryland, then college in Chicago, worked in Texas, and finally made her way back to Baltimore. So, it would make perfect sense for her memoir to be:

Baltimore, away.
Now back to stay.

You don't truly realize how many amazing writers are members of the crime fiction community until you start a project like this. Four weeks and we've had an incredible array of writers already. And yet, I've barely begun to scratch the surface. I hope you'll be back again next week to see who turns up to share their memoirs!

Happy Reading!

TELL NO ONE - Harlan Coben

TELL NO ONE (2001) is Harlan Coben's first standalone novel and deviation from the Myron Bolitar series. Dr. David Beck is practically still a newlywed when he loses his wife, Elizabeth, to a brutal murder by a serial killer. Eight years later two men are found dead in the same area where Elizabeth had been abducted. It is determined that the two men had been dead for approximately...eight years. Then the craziness begins. David Beck begins to receive cryptic messages leading him to believe his wife is alive. And at the same time the police begin investigating Beck as his wife's murderer, even though her murder was attributed to the serial killer and closed eight years ago. What is the truth and can Beck uncover it before the police close in on him?

I listened to TELL NO ONE on audio book. Recorded Books published this audio book and it was read by Ed Sala. While I think Sala did a very nice job with the reading, emphasizing appropriately to enhance the thrill effect, the one objection I had was that he sounded too old for the character of David Beck. I had a hard time getting past that as I listened.

The plot of this book is outstanding, and I believe that a large reason for that is the theme of the novel. The overall idea that a person could love and miss someone so much that they would be willing to give their own life to have that person back is not a foreign emotion to most people. So, while 99.9% of the world would never encounter a situation anywhere near David Beck's situation, they can still identify with this character, share an understanding of his grief. That understanding is what heightens the tension of this novel. And of course Coben's twists add a degree of excitement to the plot as well.

Coben is a character genius. Deviating from his tried and true cast from the Bolitar mysteries he creates a new ensemble equally as rich. David Beck is far from your Superman hero. After all the man failed to save his wife from being abducted. But Beck's strengths lie in his intelligence, his devotion and his humanity. One of the most poignant scenes in the book for me was when Beck assaults a police officer and is absolutely mortified and repulsed by his behavior. He acted instinctively and could not believe it was he who was behaving in such a manner. That characteristic is far more attractive to me as a reader than the character who throws violence around without a second thought. Coben leaves that to the masochistic villain Eric Wu.

But another element of Coben's character genius is his diverse cast of character. All the heroes are not lily-white. As he does with Win in the Bolitar mysteries, Coben adds a character who makes the reader check his/her beliefs. A character who for all intents and purposes does bad things. But his character is simple enough to label as bad. Tyrese fills this role in TELL NO ONE. And it would not be a signature Coben novel without humor. Shauna provides a great deal of this humor. The reader knows right off the bat that fun has walked in when Beck's assistant intercoms him to say that, "you're...uh...um...Shauna is here."

TELL NO ONE was an exciting thriller that had me gripping my steering wheel a little tighter than usual, laughing out loud, and declaring "ah ha!" Now I can finally rent the movie!

TELL NO ONE was published by Delacorte Press in hardcover (ISBN 978-0385335553 ) in 2001, by Dell in mass market paperback (ISBN 978-0440236702) in 2002, and by Recorded Books as an unabridged audio recording (ISBN 1-4025-3486-8) in 2002.

Monday Mystery Backlist - VERTICAL RUN

This week's Monday Mystery Backlist title comes courtesy of Naomi Johnson. Whew! So glad she could take over for me this week as I'm headed up to Ann Arbor to Aunt Agatha's and Michael Stanley. Naomi's choice for this week is VERTICAL RUN by Joseph R. Garber.

Successful business executive Dave Elliot has a daily routine. Each morning he kisses his wife goodbye, jogs through the streets of Manhattan all the way to his 45th-floor office on Park Avenue, then showers and dresses for work. But one day everything changes because on that day, everyone Dave meets will try to kill him. Everyone, from the company president to his wife to the janitor. Dave would like to understand why, but he's trapped in a 50-story office tower with armed guards waiting for him at every exit while mercenaries are doing a floor-by-floor search. Author Joseph R. Garber wrote articles on technology for Forbes Magazine and was also a writer for the AT&T in-house magazine. VERTICAL RUN was his second book. Garber died of a heart attack in 2005, at age 62.

VERTICAL RUN appeared in hardback (ISBN 978-0553100334) in 1995, from Bantam Books, and in paperback (ISBN 978-0553573926) in 1996, also from Bantam Books.

Crap! My TBR list just increased by another book! See ya when I return. Happy Reading!

Boy Howdy, What a Night!

As you know, Monday I was fortunate enough to spend the evening with one of my absolute favorite writers. Craig Johnson has an amazing talent for writing, but he's truly an all-around entertainer as well. His verbal story-telling skills are as honed as the written ones.

The Mystery Lovers Bookshop set up a grand evening. When I arrived Craig was making the rounds talking to folks in small groups at their tables -he referred to it as musical tables. So of course, I was pretty much eavesdropping when he was at the neighboring tables, but when he came to our table it was like chatting with family - just informal and fun. However, I was so excited that I had trouble articulating what I wanted to say. Craig did a great job of interpreting my sighs and babbles and hand gestures, though. I was trying to get across how incredible I thought the range of emotion he elicits from readers in KINDNESS GOES UNPUNISHED is. And how I think all the books are wonderful but that I felt like he really took Walt to the extremes in that novel and how the relationship between Walt and Cady ramped up the intensity. It didn't come out anywhere near that. As Craig was watching me struggle to get out what I could manage, I'm sure he was thinking, "spit it out already, girl!" He'd never say such a thing. He's far too well-mannered, but as long as I live I don't think I'll ever forget the look on his face when I was trying to remember the line, "attempted to keep time to the counting of my blessings." As I was driving to Oakmont, Pennsylvania, I was listening to ANOTHER MAN'S MOCCASINS. When I heard that line, I knew it had just become my new favorite line ever. So, I was trying to tell Craig about it. I could see in my head what I wanted to say, but somewhere between my brain and my mouth was a complete disconnect. Once he figured out what I was blabbering about, he said, "that was a difficult part for me to write." I don't know why it hit me then, but I realized how real his characters are to him. How much a part of him they are. Which I should have realized just from reading the books. They simply couldn't be that real to me if they weren't first that real to him.

So the small group discussions all occurred before dinner. Richard and Mary Alice planned a dinner to be themed with Craig and Walt - pulled pork sandwiches, mac and cheese and salad. It was delicious.

Following dinner, Craig did a more formal presentation to the whole group. Now formal might summon up the wrong image. It wasn't "formal" formal by any means. Craig was laid back having a great time sharing stories. But he did so for the whole group this time instead of just small groups at the tables. Craig is definitely a gifted storyteller. And he said a reason for this was a lack of television when he was growing up. After dinner, instead of sitting in front of the television, his family sat out on the front porch and told stories. He first starting learning his craft right there on the porch.

One of my favorite stories that Craig shared involved him being stopped for speeding by a police officer. He was talking to the young officer who read Craig's books. The chat was going well and then the officer was taking Craig's license back to his patrol car. Before the officer could get two steps away, Craig's wife Judy said, "well he'd have to be a real dick to give you a ticket now." You don't think she's an inspiration for any characters in Craig's novels do you??? When the officer came back with the ticket, he said, "now slow down Mr. Johnson because we'd like to keep reading your books."

As I've heard Craig mention before, humor is very important to him. So he felt that THE DARK HORSE was tough for him to write. He was aiming for a noir work, but Craig feels that that sort of writing requires the author to take himself seriously. The problem with this for Craig? In a serious scene, he has 27 jokes that pop into his head instead! By the way, Craig has coined the term "high planes noir" for THE DARK HORSE. But the humor is a good thing - of course I'm not going to argue with that. But Craig pointed out something we might not always pay attention to: when someone makes you laugh, you almost inevitably form an immediate bond with that person. And if you're working to make empathic characters, humor's almost a surefire way to establish that connection between the character and the reader.

Another great point that came out in Craig's discussion was the idea that you may like a person for their virtues, but you love them for their vices. I find this especially true in characters because it makes them more real. And Craig reinforced this with his statement, "my least favorite character is the six-foot-two of twisted steel. Every woman wanted him and every man feared him." Craig's never met this guy...and neither have I - have you? When 90-year-old ranchers come up and ask for your character's phone number, I think you've nailed the realism!

Craig went on to talk about two types of literary "dynamite": violence and sex. Most people have not experienced extreme violence in their lives. That's a good thing. But most people HAVE experienced sex, so "if you don't write it right, it becomes very funny, very quickly." So when a woman in Washington told Craig that she wanted to talk to him about his sex scene in KINDNESS GOES UNPUNISHED because it "went on forever," he sort of looked at her and said, "it was only a paragraph long. How many times did you read it?" She came clean and said "I read it a bunch of times." This story just goes to show that a little bit goes a long way. There's no need to go on for pages and pages with excessive detail of either sex or violence.

Craig also shared a time when his characters surprised him while he was writing - Craig is a devout outliner by the way. Craig was jolted as he was writing the mountain scene in THE COLD DISH. It's amazing to me that some of the most monumental scenes in my favorite books have been ones where the characters have surprised their writers. They are scenes that weren't ever planned out ahead of time and were born in the process of writing. I'm just awe-struck by the life that books and their characters can take on.

So this is just a taste of the wonderful evening I was able to share with Craig Johnson and the folks at Mystery Lovers Bookshop. And I'm enjoying reliving parts of it here with you all. So, I'll be really jazzed to meet back up with Craig in October at Bouchercon because he said he will be attending. And rest assured everyone, there is more Walt on the way! Book number six has been completed and work has already started on book number seven. Music to my ears!

In L.A. the hat fell almost to my eyes. In PA, the clips in my hair held it up high. Maybe in Indy it'll fit just right?

Happy Reading!