Monday Mystery Backlist - ON THE ROPES (Plus a Give-Away)

This week Tom Schreck will release the third book in his Duffy Dombrowski mystery series, OUT COLD. I reviewed OUT COLD in September; you can read it here if you missed it.

In honor of that release, I'm celebrating "Schreck Week." Today's Monday Mystery Backlist title will be ON THE ROPES, the first Duffy Dombrowski mystery. And at the end of this post I will be announcing an extra special give-away! On Friday we'll meet up with Tom for an "unprecedented" (thank you Mr. President) interview. I hope you'll stop by to see it.

But, without further ado, let's talk about ON THE ROPES. Published in 2007, ON THE ROPES introduced Duffy Dombrowski and a rich cast of characters. Duffy is a part-time boxer, full-time social worker who doesn't necessarily like playing by the rules, especially when those rules are nothing more than bureaucratic...well, ridiculousness.

For example, Duffy shouldn't be paying house calls to his clients, but had he not, he never would have learned about Walanda's missing step-daughter. Walanda is a client of Duffy's but she's also a schizophrenic, crack-addicted prostitute. When Walanda ends up murdered in jail, Duffy takes in her Muslim basset hound, Al, and goes in search of the missing step-daughter.

Ken Bruen says, "Not since Carl Hiassen's TOURIST SEASON debut has there been a novel with such superb comic timing and laugh-out-loud lines."

And Marcus Sakey describes Duffy as "an Everyman with a big heart and wicked jab, Duffy Dombrowski may well be the new Spenser."

And if you'd like to see what I had to say about ON THE ROPES, you can read my review from earlier this year, here.

As promised, I have an extra-special give-away for "Schreck Week." Because I love MY own set of Duffy Dombrowski books so much, I got a set to give away to a lucky winner - just in time for the holidays. My gift to you. PLUS, they're all signed: ON THE ROPES, TKO, and OUT COLD! All you have to do is fill out this handy dandy little form I've created here - only entries entered through the form will be accepted. I'm getting high tech on you! ;) The contest is open to anyone with a U.S. postal address. I will take entries through midnight on Friday (December 4th). One entry per person. On Saturday I'll consult the random number generator and find a winner. Good luck!

And remember to visit on Friday for Tom's Inquisition...I mean interview. Happy Reading!

Holiday Gift-Giving Recommendations - Part 2

O.k., so our recommendation list from the crime fiction community started on Friday. Here is the second half of the recommendations they had to offer:

Marcus Sakey is an award-winning writer of four crime fiction stand-alone thrillers. He would recommend Don Winslow's THE POWER OF THE DOG. Marcus describes Winslow's book as "more than just a crime story; it's also an exploration of the nature of greed and power, of how the 'right' thing, for a man or a nation, can be almost impossible to understand — let alone enact."

Hilary Davidson has been writing guidebooks, including her Gluten-Free Guidebook online resource, and crime fiction short stories. Next year her first crime fiction novel will be published. Her recommendations for great book gifts this year? Jane Stanton Hitchcock's MORTAL FRIENDS. "The writing is sharp and the plotting is swift and smart. But what really intrigued me was that this novel is set in the upper social strata of Washington D.C., the same world that Hitchcock occupies, and some of her characters seem to be based on some very prominent people. Guessing who's who is part of the fun in reading this deliciously wicked book."

Hilary also recommends Megan Abbott's BURY ME DEEP, about which she says, "I knew before I picked it up that it was based on the true-life story of the infamous "Trunk Murderess" of the early 1930s, Winnie Judd, but somehow Abbott managed to make me forget about what I knew as she lured me into a fascinating, twisted world and an intriguing -- and very different -- interpretation of the events. Thanks to her hypnotic prose and superb storytelling, this was a book that I truly couldn't put down."

Andrew Gross started his crime fiction-writing career as a co-writer with James Patterson. These days he's flying solo with his acclaimed thrillers. He recommends three books that he says are "five-star oldies that don't get read much anymore." They include TEARS OF AUTUMN by Charles McCarry, NORTH OF MONTANA by April Smith, and GATES OF FIRE (On Thermoplyae) by Steven Pressfield.

Michelle Gagnon writes a series of thrillers featuring Special Agent Kelly Jones. What is she reading that she recommends as a great gift idea this year? J.A. Konrath. She says, "I've been tearing through J.A. Konrath's Jack Daniels series and love all of them. Probably best to start with the first, WHISKEY SOUR - they're like a cross between Carl Hiaasen and Thomas Harris, in a good way."

Ruth Jordan is one of the masterminds behind CRIMESPREE Magazine. This year she recommends "TRUST NO ONE by Gregg Hurwitz to anyone who likes a well written and action-packed conspiracy book, WHITE RIOT by Martyn Waites for anyone looking for the next can't miss U.K. writer, and BONE BY BONE which is another amazing book by Carol O'Connell...the peeling back of small town history done so well you'll forget it's a book you're reading."

CJ Lyons, the author of the Angels of Mercy series, wants to recommend the gift of laughter this holiday season. That's a great gift any season. Her gift of laughter comes in the form of Toni McGee Causey's Bobbie Faye trilogy that includes: CHARMED AND DANGEROUS, GIRLS JUST WANNA HAVE GUNS, and WHEN A MAN LOVES A WEAPON. C.J. says, "They have everything--romance, action, adventure, and comedy. Not to mention Causey's writing which can bring you to tears in one scene and have you laughing out loud in the next. A true treat to savor and enjoy over the holidays."

When author Theresa Schwegel hasn't been hard at work on her own thrillers this year, she's been reading Roberto Bolano's 2666, which she describes as "epic." She also recommends SNITCH JACKET by Christopher Goddard. In Theresa's words, it is "really dark and funny."

Diane Stuckart pens the Leonardo Di Vinci historical mystery series. This holiday season, she suggests three books. BABY SHARK by Robert Fate is "quirky, action-packed and always kept me guessing. Talk about a roller coaster ride...nothing but pure entertainment." About DOWN RIVER by John Hart, Diane says, it "took time for me to get into, and I must admit I never reached the point where I much liked or cared about any of the characters. But Hart’s writing was so subtly yet incredibly evocative that I could not help but keep reading despite that." And finally, Diane suggests MAHU VICE by Neil S. Plakcy. "The police procedural portion of it is fairly ordinary, but Neil does such a fantastic job of characterization that Kimo and his friends and family seem like folks you have known and loved for years. With a caveat for explicit sex, this and his other books are enjoyable and fast-paced reads."

Timothy Hallinan is the author of the Poke Rafferty series and he's kindly offered up some recommendations as well. Since I'm forever recommending the Poke Rafferty books to people, I'm thrilled to have Tim offer some of his own favorites. Tim made me laugh because he prefaced his recommendations with, "Some books I could give away with a clear conscience." Too funny. O.k. here they are. First Tim recommends THE ZOO STATION and THE SILESIAN STATION by David Downing. "Razor-sharp writing by someone who's investing the espionage genre with a new burst of energy. Both set in Berlin, and elsewhere in the Third Reich, in post-WWII days. Great atmosphere, lively characters, really good plotting."

Next, Tim will NOT get any argument from me on his recommendation of THE RAIN GODS by James Lee Burke. Tim says, "I never thought he'd top THE TIN ROOF BLOWDOWN, but he did. The Faulkner of mysteries."

And Tim also recommends two books by Ace Atkins, who Tim says was recommended to him by a radio interviewer in Memphis, Stephen Usery. Tim recommends DEVIL'S GARDEN and WICKED CITY. "DEVIL'S GARDEN is a brilliant re-imagining of the Fatty Arbuckle scandal, with Dashiell Hammett (in his Pinkerton days) as the detective, and WICKED CITY is just amazing – the story of the cleanup of Phenix City, Alabama in the 1950s. Even the bad guys are sympathetic."

Kelli Stanley is the author NOX DORMIENDA, which gave birth to Roman noir. She is also preparing to release her next novel, also historical crime fiction, but a little closer to present day, CITY OF DRAGONS. Kelli is recommending IT'S A BITTER LITTLE WORLD: THE SMARTEST, TOUGHEST, NASTIEST QUOTES FROM FILM NOIR by Charles Pappas. According to Kelli, "If you're looking for a dose of some noir to help counteract the indefatigably sweet holiday season, search no more ... this small, square gem of a paperback contains enough pithy inspiration to foil Dickens. From little known films like The Glass Web ("Sure, I liked that barb-wire dress, one she said protected the property but didn't hide the view") to classics like The Big Heat ("We're sisters under the mink"), you'll find treats a' plenty in this fabulous little noir stocking stuffer!" (Ahem, Santa...)

And the grand finale of recommendations is going to be given by my friend and fellow blogger (but I'm not even close to being in the same blogging league as her), Elyse Dinh McCrillis, better known as Pop Culture Nerd. She has chosen to recommend my absolute favorite crime fiction novel ever. A lot of people who know me snicker when they refer to my overwhelming admiration for Robert Crais, but here's a woman who totally gets it. Elyse recommends L.A. REQUIEM. According to her, "Anyone who thinks crime fiction isn't literature needs to read Robert Crais's L.A. REQUIEM. Crais opens your heart, makes it grow, crushes it, then gently pieces it back together again, changed but still beating. If this doesn't happen to you, a zombie has taken over your body."

I simply couldn't agree more, and I find that a fitting place to end these wonderful recommendations. My thanks to all the members of the crime fiction community who took time out of their schedules to contribute suggestions.

I hope the suggestions have given you all many ideas for the right gifts for your loved ones. Books are such precious gifts, and as you can see from the wide range of suggestions here, there really is something for everyone!

Happy Shopping and Happy Reading!

Holiday Gift-Giving Recommendations - Part 1

I'm posting over at Buy Books for the Holidays today again, but this time I wanted to put my post up here as well. I asked a slew of folks from the crime fiction community to share their recommendations with me for holiday gifts this year. I received such an overwhelming response (no surprise from this amazing community), that I decided I would divide the post into two separate posts. So here is the first half of recommendations from authors, bloggers, reviewers, booksellers, etc.

Louise Penny, author of the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series, recommends an assortment of Maigret books by Georges Simenon. She says, "They're gems. Novella length, most of them, and brilliantly evocative of Paris mid-century."

Robin Agnew, owner of Aunt Agatha's Mystery Bookstore in Ann Arbor, says her entire family recommends AWAKENING by S.J. Bolton.

Sophie Littlefield, author of A BAD DAY FOR SORRY, thinks AMERICAN RUST is a great choice for "the serious, literate reader who loves a challenge but is also firmly rooted in crime and contemporary noir." Plus she adds, "it makes you look smart, and being big and heavy, it's a perfect anchor for a tumbler of scotch."

Jason Pinter, author of the Henry Parker series, think Charlie Huston's Hank Thompson trilogy is a great idea this season. About the third book in the trilogy, A DANGEROUS MAN, Jason says it "is like watching a high-wire act for hours: every moment is just filled with suspense. And if the ending doesn't wrench your heart you simply don't have one." Jason recommends reading books one and two, CAUGHT STEALING and SIX BAD THINGS, before A DANGEROUS MAN, though.

Lesa Holstine is a librarian in Arizona, but she is also an avid blogger of mystery at Lesa's Book Critques. Lesa's is passing along a recommendation for your younger readers, THE HANGING HILL by Chris Grabenstein. Lesa says, "it's the perfect late-at-night book for readers nine to twelve. Creepy, with some humor, The Hanging Hill, has a heroic young man, a terrific stepmother, and, Zack's dog, Zipper. It's a story of ghouls, and blood, and mad killers, and kids will love it!"

Jane Cleland, author of the Josie Prescott mysteries, recommends any of the Nero Wolfe books by Rex Stout written in the 1950s or 1960s. Some specific titles include: SILENT SPEAKER, MURDER BY THE BOOK, PLOT ITSELF, THE DOORBELL RANG, and SOME BURIED CAESAR. Jane says these "exemplify Stout's character-driven mysteries - filled with wit and fun."

Robert Dugoni is the author of four legal thrillers, most recently WRONGFUL DEATH, and he is recommending SEEN THE GLORY by John Hough, Jr. Bob says SEEN THE GLORY "is a story of two brothers who join the Union army to fight against slavery and end up at Ghettysburg. It is literary, and I thought a fantastic story, beautifully written."

Bill Crider writes the Sheriff Dan Rhodes series. This holiday season he's recommending BEAT THE REAPER by Josh Bazell. "It starts out over the top, and builds from there. It's outrageous and hilarious. Even the footnotes (yes, footnotes!) are funny. Just out in trade paper if you don't want to spring for the hardback."

Reviewer David Montgomery believes that "Ross [Thomas] was as close as we'll get to a perfect writer and [CHINAMAN'S CHANCE] is one of his best books to start with."

Craig McDonald pens the Hector Lassiter series and he has a couple recommendations for your non-fiction reader. (I need to pick these up, too!). First he recommends A BRIGHT AND GUILTY PLACE by Richard Rayner. According to Craig, A BRIGHT AND GUILTY PLACE is "an examination of the birth of Los Angeles and the noir sensibility through an early 20th Century prism. Well written, evocative...a revelation for crime fiction fans."

And Craig also recommends L.A. NOIR by John Butin. It is "similar to Rayner's approach, but focusing more on the middle part of the century and a kind of nonfiction tour of James Ellroy's Los Angeles, with a cast of characters including Mickey Cohen, evangelist Billy Graham and LAPD chief William H. Parker."

Anyone looking for my Christmas gift...yeah - hint, hint!

Brad Meltzer probably doesn't need an introduction from me being as his thrillers are regular visitors to the New York Times Bestseller list; his most recent, THE BOOK OF FATE, being no different. Brad recommends TEN LITTLE INDIANS by Agatha Christie for your younger readers because it is the book that hooked him. And then he also recommends REPLAY by Ken Grimwood and WATCHMEN by Alan Moore.

Craig Johnson is, of course, the author of the Walt Longmire series. He says that three of the twenty best-selling Penguin Classics are written by John Steinbeck. AMERICA AND AMERICANS, AND SELECTED NON-FICTION is not one of those three, but it should be. Craig also recommends a book that he thinks has flown a little under the radar, and that's THE MIRACLE LIFE OF EDGAR MINT by Brady Udall.

Craig says he's recommend anything by Ron Carlson, including his most recent THE SIGNAL, which Craig classifies as "elegant." And he'd also throw Rennie Airth's THE BLOOD-DIMMED TIDE or RIVER OF DARKNESS. Rennie, Craig says, is a "charming man and a limitless talent."

Karen Olson writes the Tattoo Shop Mysteries and the Annie Seymour Mysteries; this year she's recommending THE CRYING TREE by Naseem Rahka. Karen says, "This amazing, beautifully written debut about forgiveness is centered around a crime, but the crime is not the focus of the book. Months after reading it, I am still haunted by the characters and their stories."
Whew! Can you believe I still have more? There's just so many great books out there; I can't fathom a legitimate reason not to buy books as gifts. They truly are the perfect gift. If you check back tomorrow, I'll offer up the second half of the recommendations from the crime fiction folks. See ya then!

Happy Reading!

My Cup Runneth Over

Happy Thanksgiving to all my readers celebrating today. It's a time for me to remember all that I am thankful for this year. I think this year more than any other I've been acutely aware throughout the entire year, not just on our specified holiday. This has simply been an amazing year for me, and today I'd like to express a little of my gratitude.

My warmest and most heartfelt thanks go out to everyone who has contributed to this blog in 2009. Some people have contributed visually - you see their guest posts, their interviews, their 6-word memoirs, etc. Others have been contributing behind the scenes: David Thompson is forever opening my eyes to new and wonderful crime fiction, Linda Brown and Bobby McCue have given more than I can even begin to mention. Lesa Holstine is my mentor; I admire her and often look to her for advice. All the people who comment and send me emails motivate me and remind me daily how much I love this blog and the interaction with everyone.

Jon and Ruth Jordan. I am convinced they are my angels sent from God. They've given me a place I belong - welcomed me into the Crimespree Family - and there simply is no greater gift.

To all the authors who have entrusted me with their works of art, thank you for caring what I thought. You've given me endless hours of entertainment and things to talk about...especially on Twitter! ;) Many thanks to those who have taken the time to answer interview questions or create guest posts. And most of all, thanks to everyone who contributed to the six-word memoir project - you guys put me on the map with that project. It is near and dear to my heart, as are all of you. You are welcome here ANY day!

To the publishers and PR reps, thanks for thinking of the small-time hobby blogger who just loves to read and talk crime fiction.

To my special friends that I've met through this blog: Corey, Michael, Elyse, Kaye, and Naomi. Who would have thought? You're all over the country and yet we've become friends through this crazy Internet. You guys are wonderful and I am blessed beyond my wildest dreams.

And every one of you that stops to read my blog. Whether you comment, send an email or just lurk, thank you for sharing this love with me. It's gratifying to talk to people about these books and not have you react like I'm off my rocker. I was recently asked why I think the crime fiction community is so close knit. That's easy - it's the nature of the people. As I grew excited this year for various author events, Bouchercon, Murder and Mayhem, etc., you got excited with me. THANK YOU! You tolerated all my stories and pictures. THANK YOU! And you still came back afterward. THANK YOU!

I'd probably still be here talking to thin air even if you didn't come to share with me, but gosh it sure is more fun with you all!

THANK YOU!

You Have the Right to Six Words - Week 27

In the United States it is Thanksgiving Eve, I hope you are all looking forward to a nice holiday. If you're going out on Friday, I wish you the best of luck. I tried that one year and thought I was viewing humanity at its ugliest. So, I've opted not to go back no matter how good the deals may be. I plan to read instead!

But today, let's welcome some memoirists!

Today I'm starting off with an author I met on Twitter; he's not published here in the U.S., yet, but I think maybe we need to start making some noise on this side of the pond. Steve Mosby is the author of five thriller novels and he hails from Leeds in the UK. His parents were supportive of his reading and writing habits growing up, even making him homemade booklets in which to write his "choose your own adventure" stories. These days, Orion is making the books Steve writes in, the most recent, STILL BLEEDING, released in the U.K. this year. Steve describes write as putting "one word in front of the other." And he's doing that daily as he works on his sixth psychological thriller.

Steve says his education in philosophy comes in handy for plot development. Not only does it help him to appreciate other viewpoints, he also can attack and defend those viewpoints. When asked the three best words to describe his writing he chose "dark, cruel, and emotional." I'm looking forward to finding out if that is true because I got my paws on a copy of his novel, THE 50/50 KILLER (Thank you, Jon Jordan)!

On a little more of a personal note, Steve is one of my favorite people to follow on Twitter. I look forward to his tweets every day. He has an uncanny knack for observing humanity around him, and his narration of his observations is thoroughly entertaining. But Steve truly endeared himself to me with his memoir. He cited a passage from an interview where Cormac McCarthy says, "There was never a person born since Adam who's been luckier than me. Nothing has happened to me that hasn't been perfect. And I'm not being facetious. There's never been a time when I was penniless and down, when something wouldn't arrive. Over and over and over again. Enough to make you superstitious." Steve said this really rang true for him as well - in all aspects of his life, career included. So, his memoir is fittingly

Surprisingly, things have always gone well.

And I know you'll join me in wishing him continued success as he moves on to another chapter in his life: fatherhood. Steve and his wife are expecting their first child.

Jamie Freveletti is a debut writer this year. 2009 saw the publication of her first thriller novel, RUNNING FROM THE DEVIL. While I don't think Jamie is running from the devil, I do know she does a lot of running, both herself and crewing for an ultra runner. I asked her what this "crewing" involved, she told me to think of it like a pit crew for a formula one race. So she could be changing the runner into dry clothes, running alongside him/her at 2:00 in the morning, providing moral support and encouragement, especially when the last mile is straight up hill. Like the pit crew with the car and drive, she makes sure the runner has what he or she needs, physically, emotionally, mentally to finish the race. And this inspired RUNNING FROM THE DEVIL.

Jamie is also active in martial arts, both practicing and teaching Aikido, where she's reached the level of black belt.

Her resume shows that she attended law school and then earned a diploma in International Studies while living in Geneva, Switzerland. In addition to the ultra runner, Jamie blended her experience as a trial lawyer and her knowledge of International Studies together, threw in a dash of science, and came up with RUNNING FROM THE DEVIL.

Jamie tells us that her most recent reading obsession includes the transcripts from the Madoff trial. And if she can use that to create another thriller like RUNNING FROM THE DEVIL, I say, "Read Jamie! Read!" In all seriousness, though, Jamie has taken the elements of who she is and put them together in a great memoir:

Love adventure, traveled everywhere, writes
heroines.

And we never have too many great heroines. I do hope those of you who have been coming back week after week are noting some of these debut authors. Jamie is definitely one to note because intuition tells me she is going to be a household name in thriller writing in no time flat.

Next up we have Steve Forman who started out as a businessman. After college he opened a one-man seafood advertising agency in Boston and built it up to an international success. These days he's splitting time between Boston and Boca Raton, Florida. But Steve isn't happy just soaking up the sun of beautiful Boca, he's set off on a second career path, crime fiction novelist. This year he published his first book BOCA KNIGHTS, inspired by the contrasting lifestyles between Boston and Boca Raton. Ex-cop Eddie Perlmutter hails from Boston but moves to Boca Raton after retirement. Eddie can't help righting wrongs, and that lands him in a mess of Florida trouble.

The sequal, BOCA MOURNINGS, will be hitting bookstores in 2010. Steve's writing has been compared to Carl Hiaasen and "Elmore Leonard on speed." When asked about the differences between the business world and writing, he says it comes down to public perception. "Over the years I‘ve sold millions and millions of pounds of seafood but no one has ever asked me to sign a piece of fish. Write a good book, however and suddenly a lot of people want my signature on something besides a check." And his six word memoir?

from Big Tuna to Boca Knights

Anchoring the post for us this week is Andrew Grant. I have to extend special thanks to Andrew right away. The first time I checked with him to ask him to participate, the fates weren't aligned - or however that astrology thing goes - but later I went back and asked again. I was worried about coming across as a pest - and I may very well have, but Andrew was so gracious and I'm so excited because here he is! As I'm sure many of you know, Andrew shares genes with another great crime fiction writer, Lee Child. While indeed he is Lee Child's brother, Andrew has carved a place for himself in his own right as part of the crime fiction community with this debut spy thriller, EVEN. EVEN features Royal Navy Intelligence officer David Trevellyn who finds himself set up and in trouble with the law in the United States while his superiors in London are turning their backs on him.

Following college at the University of Sheffield, Andrew set up a small, independent theater company. The original material showcased by the company earned critical success, but the financial end of things forced Andrew into a job with in telecommunications. What started out as a "temporary" job turned into 15 years. When circumstances in the telecommunications industry that were beyond his control released him from his "temporary" job, he set out to answer the great question, "what if?"

This year marked Andrew's debut in crime fiction writing, but it has brought him another connection to the crime fiction community. Andrew is engaged to crime fiction's Tasha Alexander. So the beginning of both a new career and a new life prompted Andrew to come up with

The best is yet to come.

My warmest and most heartfelt thanks to all of our authors this week for their time, and for putting up with me. I made several contacts with each of them, and their generosity has been tremendous. I'm so thankful that each and every one of them has been enthusiastic about this project. It's truly what makes it great. Thank you.

And to everyone reading again this week, thank YOU. It wouldn't be half as much fun if you weren't enjoying it with me. Your comments, emails and notes simply make my day. This week I am so very thankful I've had the chance to forge friendships with you through this blog. Thank you for visiting and coming back.

For those of you celebrating, have a wonderful holiday and we'll meet back here next week for the penultimate post of the 2009 "You Have the Right to Six Words" series.

Happy Reading.

SNOW ANGELS - James Thompson

FIRST LINE: "I'm in Hullu Poro, The Crazy Reindeer, the biggest bar and restaurant in this part of the Arctic Circle."

James Thompson's debut novel, SNOW ANGELS, features Inspector Kari Vaara investigating the brutal murder, and possible hate crime, of a beautiful, well-known Somali immigrant...in Lapland...near Christmas...on a reindeer farm.

As Inspector Kari Vaara begins to investigate this murder, he discovers ties to his ex-wife and her present lover, as well as ties to the son of one of his detectives. The closer he comes to the case, the more his pregnant, American wife begs him to back away before something disastrous happens.

For those who may not be aware, as I was not before I started this book, Lapland, Finland in December is night 24 hours a day; they call it Kaamos. The day-long dark contrasted against the stark white snow is perfect symbolism for this stunning crime novel. It is chock full of contrast. The setting is the most visual use of contrast in the book:

"The black-and-yellow crime scene tape looks out of place on a reindeer farm. The spot where Sufia's body lay is a bloody hole gouged in the snow, like an empty eye socket. The scene will be torn to bits soon, when forest animals smell the blood and come looking. It doesn't matter. It will be buried in fresh snow before long anyway."

Thompson himself was born and raised in Kentucky but has lived the last ten years in Finland. He brings his two worlds together through Inspector Vaara and his American wife, Kate. Through their union he is able to incorporate a lot of contrast between the two countries in the way they think, the way they live, the way they deal with crime:

" 'In the States, they have TV commercials for Viagra, cosmetic surgery, antidepressants. They ask 'Are you tired in the morning, stressed at work, have trouble sleeping at night?' By the time they run through the list of symptoms, they've included everybody. People believe they're depressed and go running to the doctor begging for drugs. Here, you've got a guy talking to imaginary friends on a pay phone, and they not only don't treat him, they disconnect the line but leave the phone booth so he can be happy. That's community and I like it.' "

And sometimes the starkest contrast occurs in perceptions:

"Because of the circumstances of her death, I had canonized Sufia slowly but surely over the past day. Sufia, the snow angel - that was a mistake, I know nothing about her. To get to the truth, I need to see her as she was."

Thompson emphasizes how silent a culture Finland fosters, and this lends itself well to the traditional noir hero. That makes the use of the first person point of view vital to the reader's connection with Vaara. If the reader could not hear what was going on in Vaara's head, he/she would have no idea of the conflict he's incurring. Instead, he would come off as an emotionless robot.

"We don't talk about hatred, we hate in silence. It's our way. We do everything in silence."

Vaara in many ways is very much alone in his investigation, partly by circumstance and partly because of this culture of silence. But his relationship to Kate is close and life-renewing for him, again contrasting with his first marriage that destroyed him emotionally. Kate has to step away and let Vaara deal with the case alone, but she tells him that she'll be there when he returns.

Written in the tradition of classic noir, SNOW ANGELS quickly pulls the reader in to this foreign, exotic land draped in darkness. This is an essential debut for the noir lover, so bring your flashlight, let's read.

SNOW ANGELS will be released by G.P. Putnam's Sons on January 7, 2010, but the folks at Putnam have informed me that there are giveaway contests going on at Goodreads and LibraryThing right now. You have until November 29th to enter at LibraryThing and until December 2nd to enter at Goodreads. And of course, it's also available now for pre-order as well.

Monday Mystery Backlist - FINAL JEOPARDY

As many of you know, Linda Fairstein is one of the authors I credit with pulling me into the crime fiction genre. And I will do everything within my power to marry Mike Chapman if I ever find him in real life. Just kidding. This week her most recent Alex Cooper novel, LETHAL LEGACY will come out in mass market paperback. So in honor of that release I have chosen FINAL JEOPARDY, the first book of the series, as this week's Monday Mystery Backlist.

In FINAL JEOPARDY Alex Cooper is introduced with this line: "I sat on my living room sofa at five o'clock in the morning with a copy of the mock-up of the front page of the day's New York Post in my hand, looking at my own obituary." No, this isn't a paranormal mystery series. Alex and homocide detective Mike Chapman have to figure out who killed Hollywood actress, Isabella Lascar, who was staying at Alex's home on Martha's Vineyard. They also need to find out if Isabella was the intended victim or if someone mistook her for Alex.

FINAL JEOPARDY introduces the characters of Alex, Mike, and Special Victims detective, Mercer Wallace. And while Alex may encounter "final jeopardy" in the plot, "final jeopardy" plays a duel role. Alex, Mike and Mercer make an effort to hear and bet on the Final Jeopardy question from the television show each night. This is a element that carries over throughout the entire series.

In all of Linda Fairstein's novels, I have found myself on a tour of New York City. She depicts the city so vividly and readers get to glimpse far more than the typical tourist spots. I found that when I made my first trip to New York City, I was recognizing different places because of their prominence in Linda's books.

So, for many reasons, I am happily recommending FINAL JEOPARDY as this week's Monday Mystery Backlist title. The hard cover was originally published in 1996 by Scribner, but has been published in many formats since that time. You can find it in paperback, audio, and e-book as well. A format for everyone.

For Me, It's A Matter of Ethics

This week I read a "review" on LibraryThing that irritated me enough to comment on it. I have no problems with people's opinions differing from mine. As my friend Corey pointed out, it gives us something to talk about. What this particular person did (sorry, but I refuse to classify the person as a reviewer) was disparage the author - and his/her perceived religion - personally. This person spent as much time tearing down the author as tearing down the book.

I kept my comment to this LibraryThing member civil and professional, which is far more courtesy than he afforded the book's author. I explained that his personal attacks on the author caused me to not be able to consider anything he posted legitimate and I would not read anything he posted in the future. I simply wanted him to know that was the response he was eliciting from me. Now there are a faction of people who seem to feed off this behavior and that's a little disturbing to me, but there also isn't anything I can do about it. Unfortunately, it's exactly this kind of thing that gives bloggers and such a bad name. It's sad.

So, what I can tell you is that I would never treat another human being like that in any situation. If I disagreed with someone at work, I wouldn't insult that person on a personal level, and I would NEVER attribute my disagreement to their gender, race, religion, sexual orientation,... For me, it's simply a matter of ethics. If you're looking for snarky, malicious, disparaging, hateful please move on, you won't find it here.

At Jen's Book Thoughts we try to keep things as positive as possible. And here are some positive things to talk about:

Hey! I'm lonely over at Barnes and Noble, where Robert Crais is talking about his "first date" with the thriller genre. Go leave a comment about your "first date."

Craig Larsen just released his debut novel, MANIA, which is in my queue to read. And he's also hosting an e-reader contest over at his website. All you have to do is sign up for his newsletter by December 20th. One lucky winner will receive his/her choice of a Kindle2, a Nook, or a Sony Reader. Five runners-up will receive MANIA t-shirts. If you win, come back and let me know!

And finally, Tina, a very dear friend of mine lost her son in 1993. She has been hosting various drives in his memory over the past six years to help benefit the hospital that so lovingly cared for Ryan and his family in their time of unimaginable grief. This year, in honor of Ryan's love of reading, she's collecting books to build a library for the children who come to the hospital. They can be books appropriate for anyone between the ages of 0 and 21. On her blog, she has all the details about where the books can be sent or dropped off. I hope if you're able, you'll consider contributing to this cause. We all know that there is no greater gift you can give a child, but the children at the hospital have an even greater need to travel to new worlds.

And Tina - this is a beautiful project so very befitting Ryan's memory. Warmest hugs my friend!

I hope you all have a very wonderful Sunday. If you're not back before Thursday, Happy Thanksgiving to my American readers. Also, I have to stick a little carrot out today. The week after Thanksgiving you'll want to make sure you stop by several times. It's a monumental week for Jen's Book Thoughts, and I'll have a great giveaway for one week only. So make sure you stop back!

Happy Reading!

Over Visiting Again.

I'm over at Buy Books for the Holidays sharing a few book titles that I think would make good holiday gifts this year. I had to limit myself, even though I could have at least doubled my list, but you can come over and share some more titles in the comments! Hope to see you there!!

You Have the Right to Six Words - The Countdown Begins

It is that time of the week again. I've been going non-stop since last Friday and I'm bound to run out of energy here pretty soon, but the memoirs always give me a little pep. But, this week we're going to start the countdown. December 9th with be the final memoir date for this season. I've decided that I will continue to collect memoirs and have a Season Two start somewhere close to summer in 2010. In the interim, I have a couple projects I'd like to try out, gads of reviews to share, and many interviews that are in the works. Hopefully you'll keep visiting to share all this fun with me.

However, we still have four weeks of memoirs to present, and to think when this started I worried if I would even have enough to make four weeks of posts! This week we have a little bonus, so let's get started.

My first memoirist this week is a crime fiction writer in the making! Jonathan Quist is a life-long native of the Chicago-area. He spent much of his childhood running home at lunch time to watch WGN TV's storied version of the Bozo franchise, neither understanding nor caring that he was audience to one of the last incarnations of Vaudeville theater.

He made that connection years later, while researching his first novel, "Break a Neck", which is set in the world of American Vaudeville in 1919 Chicago. Frustrated by attempts to categorize a comical mystery featuring a Vaudevillian amateur sleuth into ever-changing genre definitions,he settled on "Humorous Historical Traditional Mystery".

On the verge of empty nesthood, Jonathan remains in the Chicago area with his wife of 21 years, Karin, also a Chicago native. After his day job in IT and work on the mystery, his remaining time is juggled between a second, non-mystery novel, old-time radio reenactments, and all the usual suburban suspects in the death of spare time.

I have to tell you that I absolutely love Jonathan's memoir because I think it connects to the crime fiction community so well. He explains that "very few of the things we accomplish in life are truly solo accomplishments. Whether literally baking pies, writing, or expending effort in any other worthwhile endeavor, I don't mind sharing the credit...but I'm not giving it all away," so...

Making pie; I expect my piece.

L.J. Sellers was born in California but was raised in Oregon. She still resides in Oregon today, after a short stint in Arizona following college graduation. While she earned her degree in journalism from the University of Oregon, she initially didn't have aspirations of writing fiction. She worked in her chosen field until encountering a less than stellar novel one day. L.J. felt she could write better than that and set off to do so. While her first couple attempts at the novel didn't make the publication presses, her writing did cause Al Zuckerman to take notice. Zuckerman's interest was the impetus L.J. needed to persevere. During her time persevering, she took a job as an editor for PHARMACEUTICAL EXECUTIVE magazine where she learned about the other end of the writing table, the editor's role. When the magazine closed and L.J. was job searching, she was also working on the beginning of her series that WOULD see the publication presses. This was the time that L.J. wrote the first Detective Jackson series book, THE SEX CLUB.

While L.J. still juggles several jobs, including freelance work and working part-time at her local newspaper, she puts her fiction writing first every day. That work ethic has thus produced SECRETS TO DIE FOR that came out this past September and two more novels in the pipeline.

So, with all this dogged perseverance, I think her memoir is especially fitting:

Against the odds, never gave up.

Next up is a writing team. Alice and Roy keep their work all in the family. This husband and wife writing team is better known as Allyson Roy. Roy graduated from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia where he studied acting. Roy also spent time doing stand-up routines and in comedy and nightclubs. He says his inspiration stems from his contact with a wide range of people set against offbeat locations within Manhattan, Brooklyn and Philadelphia.

Alice earned her philosophy and dance degrees from the State University of New York. She says that this degree combination is reflective of her attraction to the romantic suspense genre, "The genre blends elements of each, combining problem-solving questions and logic puzzles with a desire for physical action, sensuality and the creative possibilities that can happen when individuals meet."

Together Alice and Roy have written two acclaimed novels featuring sex therapist Saylor Oz. The first book in this series is titled APHRODISIAC and it was followed up this year by BABYDOLL.

So what do they each have to say for their memoirs? Alice asks,

Why walk when you can dance?

And Roy says,

I could have been a contender.

And rounding out this week we have the "CEO of Suspense," best selling thriller writer Joseph Finder. The recipient of the Barry and Gumshoe awards for Best Thriller and the Thriller Writers of America award for Best Novel, Joe's career actually stems from a non-fiction work he published in 1983 at the age of 24, RED CARPET: THE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE KREMLIN AND AMERICA'S MOST POWERFUL BUSINESSMEN. His book revealed that the CEO of Occidental Petroleum had worked for Soviet Intelligence in the 20s and 30s. This controversial book resulted in threats of a libel suit. When Joe couldn't legally tell the "whole story" in this non-fiction work, he opted to turn to fiction and his first thriller was born, THE MOSCOW CLUB.

Joe continued to write thrillers, including HIGH CRIMES that would be made into a major motion picture, but his 2004 publication of PARANOIA parked Joe squarely on the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and Publisher's Weekly best seller lists. This past April a movie deal for PARANOIA was also announced.

In addition, Joe published VANISHED this year, which is the kick-off to a four-part series featuring corporate security specialist Nick Heller. In addition to his fiction thrillers, Joe has also written on espionage and international affairs for publications such as Forbes, The New York Times and The New Republic.

Joe Finder could have gone in many different career directions. While in college at Yale he sang with the legendary Whiffenpoofs; he was recruited to the C.I.A.; and he spent time teaching on the Harvard faculty. But instead he chose fiction writing and he

Asked dangerous questions, got amazing answers.

The genre hasn't been the same since.

Once again, I am extremely honored to have this group of authors join us and share their six-word memoirs. Thanks to Jonathan, L.J., Roy and Alice, and Joe. I'm so glad you wanted to play along!

And thanks to everyone who's continued to stop by week after week. We'll do this again next week. I will be on hiatus until Friday when I post again for the Buy Books for the Holidays blog. This week I'll be talking about books I've read this year that I would recommend as holiday gifts. Hope you'll stop by to check that out and offer some suggestions of your own.

Until then...Happy Reading!

Murder and Mayhem in Muskego V

**Warning: photo heavy**

So, Murder and Mayhem in Muskego. This was the first time I attended this event that takes place at Muskego Library up near Milwaukee. It is truly an amazing event, and I am so glad I made the trip.

The event starts out with an optional meet and greet session on Friday night. The authors were ushered via white limo from their hotel to the library where a wine meet and greet was held with about 40 guests.

(M&M Emcee, Tom Schreck)

The emcees for the weekend were Tom Schreck and Libby Hellmann. They kicked off the festivities by introducing the one panel that took place on Friday evening, moderated by Dana Kaye. This panel included Jamie Freveletti, Tasha Alexander, Andrew Grant and C.J. Box. They talked about some general topics related to writing and their respective books.


If you step back and watch what happens on this night of the event, you'll witness a very spectacular element of the crime fiction community - a sense of giving. They share their stories, their advice, their time. They listen to experiences and ideas and sometimes just general small talk. They sign books and take pictures. No one is too "big" or too "famous" or too "busy." It's all about sharing.

(C.J. Box)

Saturday is a much more populated day for the event. Several hundred people attended on Saturday and the parking lot was literally packed when we arrived. The day was actually started with a crime scene panel of two Chicago cops: Michael Black and David Case. This was followed up by the "In and Out of Character" panel featuring Brian Azzarello, Cara Black, Sam Reeves, Marcus Sakey. Their vast background and experiences led to a variety of topics in this panel. Brian was able to talk to differences between writing work he's commissioned to do and work he initiates himself. Marcus spoke to his experiences with having his works optioned for film. Cara spoke on how she ended up writing about a character in France. Sam addressed writing under two different names.

(Cara Black, Marcus Sakey, Sam Reeves, and Tom Schreck)

Following "In and Out of Character" Megan Abbott moderated what started out as "The Thriller Boys." However, since Barry Eisler wasn't able to travel, Jamie Freveletti rescued Megan from the male domination of this panel. In addition to Megan and Jamie, Jim Born, Brent Ghelfi and C.J. Box all discussed elements of thrillers.

A very nice lunch split up the day. The authors spread out throughout the lunch areas and dined with the guests. I spent this time discussing Robert Crais with Megan Abbott. First of all, I could not have asked for better company, but someone who wants to discuss Elvis and Joe and RC with me, too? Yep, pretty much the best lunch ever!



After lunch was finished and cleaned up, the ladies of the "Who Needs Mean Streets" panel took the stage. They were moderator-less, so they asked emcee Tom Schreck to help out. And Tom's humor matched up with the wits of Joanna Slan Campbell, Denise Swanson, Shirley Dammsgard, Julie Hyzy and Deb Baker, literally stole the day. The audience was constantly laughing. It was a hit. I have to say that I especially enjoyed Denise's comment when asked why she chose writing mystery over writing romance. She explained that she had been a school counselor for many years, and after having been in the public school system for so long, there weren't many people she wanted to romance, but there were plenty she wanted to kill!

This wrapped up the traditional panels and the remainder of the afternoon was a more intimate stage show. First Blake Crouch interviewed F. Paul Wilson.



Next Jan Burke and Laura Lippman spoke informally about topics relevant to both of them.



And the day wrapped with an incredible interview of Jeffery Deaver by Sandra Ruttan.



Having the chance to experience this event was fabulous. But I was lucky to experience time with three other extraordinary people. Jon and Ruth Jordan of Crimespree Magazine have "adopted" me into the Crimespree Family. And I have to tell you that this is not only an unbelievable honor but it is the joy of my life. I started my blog because I love talking about great books and talking about the people who write those books. To be able to meet those people and hang out informally with them and feel like a part of that crime fiction family is a gift unlike any other. Jon and Ruth have offered me that gift in addition to their amazing friendship. So believe me when I say I know how fortunate and blessed I am, and that I have plenty to be thankful for during this Thanksgiving season.

(Ruth Jordan, Jon Jordan, Jim Born)

I also had the pleasure of spending time with Judy Bobalik because she was my roommate in Milwaukee. What an angel! Judy and I met online via Facebook, Twitter, etc. We met briefly in person in Indianapolis, but I really had much more of a chance to get to know Judy here in Milwaukee. An additional blessing! I am so honored to call this woman my friend.



This was an incredible weekend, and I'm still floating a bit. I'll leave you all with some additional pictures of this astounding crime fiction family. My thanks to each and every one of these folks. They not only made this a great weekend for everyone attending Murder and Mayhem, but they gave me a dream weekend. Happy Reading everyone!

(F. Paul Wilson and Jon Jordan)

(What a pleasure to spend time with Brent Ghelfi)

(I finally got my picture with Libby Fischer Hellmann, a great writer and wonderful person)

(When Tom wasn't busy with his emcee duties he was checking sports scores? There aren't enough great adjectives for Tom: fantastic writer, funny man, genuine and generous person.)

(What a thrill to spend time with Megan Abbott. When she wasn't moderating her panel she spent a lot of time listening to what the other panels had to say as well as making loads of time for the guests.)

(Jeffery Deaver signed an ornament for one fan who is giving it as a gift. She shared it with me as she lamented not bringing a second one to be signed for her!)

(Everyone hanging out with Jeffery Deaver after Saturday's full day.)

(C.J. Box was another author who spent a good amount of time listening to his peers in their respective panels.)

(I was so thrilled to have the opportunity to talk with Tasha Alexander and Andrew Grant. Two incredibly nice people as well as talented writers.)

(C.J. Box was wearing the birthday hat Saturday night since his birthday was Monday. Happy Belated Birthday, C.J!)

(Brent Ghelfi, C.J. Box, Judy Bobalik, and Jim Born just yuckin' it up.)

(Jeffery Deaver likes salt and vinegar potato chips. Jamie Freveletti couldn't find exactly what he wanted, but she managed to rustle up the parts!)

Watch this space...

...for an upcoming report on my first Murder and Mayhem in Muskego.

Hi everyone! I returned this evening from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where I had an absolute dream of a weekend. I'm not going to have time to put together a Monday Mystery Backlist post, but I promise I'll have one next week. What I will be working on is my recap of this fabulous weekend and Wednesday's post for Six-Word Memoirs. So in the meantime, here are a few sneak peeks of what's to come: