More of Bouchercon 2011

The convention officially kicked off on Thursday with the beginning of the programming, more people coming in and an opening night ceremony. But I forgot to mention about my big surprise that arrived on Wednesday evening. Well, I can't claim it as totally mine, but when Pop Culture Nerd knocked on my hotel room door, I was OVERJOYED. The Craisie brigade would be out in full form!

The first session I attended was the Guest of Honor Panel, which included Colin Cotterill, Charlaine Harris, Val McDermid and Robert Crais, moderated by Oline Cogdill. Before the panel started I got to hang out with Daniel Palmer (DELIRIOUS) and we chatted about a number of things, but he also shared some fun info about his new book, coming out in February - and I'm reading right now. It's a page-turner y'all, so you'll want to check it out next year. Anyway, back to business.

Don't ask what was going on with my hair this weekend; it's hopeless!

The "Passengers" panel was lively and thoroughly entertaining. Robert Crais was asked out for a drink by a woman in the audience, Colin Cotterill wanted to know if anyone in the audience was NOT there to see RC. Val McDermid referred to writers as vampires (a la Charlaine Harris) - Val explained that they suck the life out of those around them to put in their stories. The only panelist to answer Oline's question about "sharing something the audience wouldn't know about you" was Val McDermid who said she knits scarves.

Following that panel, I attended the "Timebomb" panel. This time Daniel Palmer was ON the panel instead of watching it. He was joined by the most wonderful Meg Gardiner, JT Ellison, Adrian Magson and debut novelist Simon Toyne. This panel revolved around a lot of the age old thriller questions: "difference between a mystery and a thriller" - that sort of thing. The panelists were wonderful fun; Daniel and Meg bemoaned the horrors of the end of the school day for writers. My friend and librarian, Wendy Bartlett, commented to me later how impressed with Daniel Palmer she was. This is always good news to me because Wendy's the one who brings authors to the Cuyahoga Library System!

The final panel I attended on Thursday was "I Got the Right to Sing the Blues." This was also a very animated panel, but I don't think you could expect less with Mark Billingham, Jonathan Hayes and Roger Ellory all on the podium together. Debut novelist Rochelle Staab also contributed quite a bit to the energy of this panel. The final panelist was Bryan Gilmer and the panel was moderated by Wallace Stroby. Mark Billingham expressed his undying devotion to Phil Collins - that's a joke for anyone who doesn't know how much Billingham dislikes Phil Collins' solo work. And Rochelle Staab talked about meeting John Lennon.

Mark Billingham and Jonathan Hayes

Mark Billingham, Jonathan Hayes, Rochelle Staab

The official convention day ended on Thursday after the Opening Night Festivities, emceed by Ridley Pearson. Ridley is such a perfect emcee. I can't imagine ever being tired of listening to his wonderful stories. Each of the guests of honor was recognized, the Macavity, Barry and Crimespree Awards were all announced and authors from Harper and William Morrow signed books.

Ridley Pearson takes the prize for Outstanding Emcee

Robert Crais recognized as American Guest of Honor

Here you can see the Craisie Club gathered. We made Erin Mitchell an honorary member! This picture makes me so happy. What a joy to be with all of these wonderful friends. From the right: Michael, Carolyn, Naomi, Elyse, Lauren and Erin. I wish I had months to spend with them instead of just days.

Some of crime fiction's most powerful women congregating. Better watch out!

 

Val McDermid, Laura Lippman and Karin Slaughter

Following the ceremonies, people found their ways to dinner, publishing parties and of course the hotel bar. A very successful first day! And since I can never do anything in condensed style, there will be more Bouchercon fun, photos and VIDEO to come!

A HARD DEATH giveaway!

Earlier this week I reviewed Jonathan Hayes' fantastic new forensics thriller A HARD DEATH. Jonathan has been generous enough to arrange for me to give away THREE signed copies of this must read book.

So if you have a U.S. mailing address, you can enter! I will take entries through next Friday, which also happens to be Good Friday. Then I will draw three winners on Saturday. As always, if you have any questions, drop me an email or leave them in the comments. It's that easy! Good luck.

A HARD DEATH - Jonathan Hayes

First line: "The airboat was nearing the edges of the Glades, wending its way through a series of small sloughs."

Forensic pathologist, Dr. Edward Jenner has left New York City where his medical license was suspended and political fall-out from his actions in a serial murder case haunt his every step. Jenner's former mentor asks Jenner to come down and cover his position as the Douglas County, Florida, medical examiner while he and his wife go on vacation. Jenner's solace is shattered, however, when a car containing the murdered corpses of Jenner's mentor and his mentor's wife is pulled out of a canal. Jenner's situation only grows worse when he receives an phone tip leading him to the hanging corpses of four more bodies. As law enforcement begins to learn of Jenner's past and cut him off from the investigation, Jenner's determination to avenge his mentor soars.

A HARD DEATH is one intense thriller. Jonathan Hayes brings the experience of a veteran medical examiner to the pages of this book. His descriptions, while not gratuitously grotesque, are realistic and allow the reader to experience first hand:

"It wouldn't be like on TV, where you can tell the dead by the unearthly pallor of their skin and their frigid blue lips: in the real world, most dead people look like live people, look as though, if you called to them loudly enough, they'd sit up and climb down from the table."

The realism flows through to his characters as well. Despite their flaws, there's a level of empathy for the characters, for their struggles and experiences. And all of the characters are complex, multi-layered beings - points of beauty, glaring foibles, blunders and perfections. I found Hayes' characters to be a major strength in A HARD DEATH.

The characters combined with a quick-paced plot kept me up late turning pages. Hayes found a setting, the Florida Glades, that set the tone for eerie atmosphere, but it's his use of the setting, the events that take place in that setting, that builds the intensity and the suspense.

We waited awhile for A HARD DEATH, but this novel was certainly worth that wait. Hayes has written a chillingly wonderful forensic thriller.

A HARD DEATH is now available in hardcover from Harper (ISBN: 978-0-061-69176-8).

You Have the Right to Six Words - WEEK 10!

Can you believe this is week 10 of the "You Have the Right to Six Words" series? Wow! And I was just looking over the schedule I mapped out and I have to tell you that I'm very excited about ever post for this month in this series. It just isn't letting up at all! I do want to give you a heads up that next week's post will be on Tuesday instead of Wednesday. I'll remind everyone, but you can mark your calendars! ;)

Let's get started on this week's memoirists. First our recap from an interview is the author of the Frank Johnson P.I. series, Ed Lynskey. Ed's Johnson series includes THE DIRT BROWN DERBY, THE BLUE CHEER, and PELHAM FELL HERE. TROGLODYTES will be number four in the series and is due out later this year. Ed lives with his wife in the Washington DC area and enjoys walking and gardening. He's also a Nationals fan and a Redskins fan. Ed has been on both sides of writing coin. He's worked as both the author and as the reviewer, and in all aspects of his career he says:

I did the best I could.

First up for our new memoirists is one of my favorite folks on Facebook. What a sense of humor this guy has. However, it isn't as noticeable in his crime fiction writing. Jonathan Hayes is the author of PRECIOUS BLOOD, a thriller about a New York City Medical Examiner who left his career after the traumas of 9/11 only to be pulled back into the fray when he's asked to work as a private consultant. The case he's asked to handle turns out to be dark beyond your wildest dreams. Jonathan himself is a forensic pathologist and he always looks forward to the person in his audience who asks, "what's the most disgusting thing you've ever seen?" And in his other life, Jonathan writes about food and travel. He's even a contributing editor to Martha Stewart living. Up next for Jonathan and his crime fiction writing? A sequel to PRECIOUS BLOOD titled A HARD DEATH that will be on bookstore shelves in the U.S. in early 2010 (UK folks, look for A HARD DEATH in November this year). Is there anything Jonathan won't try his hand at?

Said yes to everything. Regretted nothing.

Sophie Littlefield is preparing for the release of her debut novel, A BAD DAY FOR SORRY. Her novel about a woman fighting back against "problem husbands" is heralding raves from everyone. Sorry breaks the mold of many female protagonists in crime fiction, she's a middle-aged woman who owns a sewing machine shop.

Sophie has seen much of the geography of the United States having grown up in central Missouri, spent 10 years in Chicago and then moved to Northern California. She shares her writing genes with her brother, Mike Wiecek, but she's honed her own distinct voice in the crime fiction genre. Sophie will also be publishing a young adult novel, BANISHED, next year.

One of the reasons I'm so looking forward to A BAD DAY FOR SORRY is the fact that Sophie is one of the bloggers at the 7 Criminal Minds virtual panel blog. Every Wednesday I look forward to Sophie's posts. Folks, this lady can write! And she's gonna write how she wants to write because she

Ain't gonna be who I'm not.

So how's that for spunk? See why I'm looking forward to her book?

Our final author this week is also releasing a book next Tuesday. Stephen White is the New York Times best-selling author of the Alan Gregory psychological thriller series. Stephen builds on his fifteen plus years of experience as a clinical psychologist to bring authenticity to his books. While a practicing psychologist, Stephen spent time in the field of pediatric oncology. At the time only a handful of psychologists around the country worked in pediatric oncology. One of those colleagues was Jonathan Kellerman. While still working as a psychologist, Stephen began writing his first novel, PRIVILEGED INFORMATION. Here he would give birth to Alan Gregory and a whole new career.

In Stephen's newest novel, THE SIEGE, focus changes from Alan Gregory to another series character, Alan's buddy, police detective Sam Purdy. Sam is called on to investigate the mysterious disappearance of several high profile Yale students. Could it be kidnapping? Could it be terrorism? There is no telling. But the disappearances are high profile enough to merit the involvement of the CIA and the FBI. THE SIEGE is Stephen White's seventeenth novel in a career spanning over 20 years. And in those 20 years he's learned to

Live, read. Love, read. Write, rewrite.

Best wishes go out to both of our authors this week who are looking forward to their August 4th book releases. Sophie and Stephen, I'm so glad you could take time out to play with us today before all the big festivities begin; may they exceed your wildest expectations. Thanks also to Ed and Jonathan. They aren't releasing this week but both have books on the horizon and we're looking forward to celebrating those in the near future as well.

Remember next week, we're meeting here on Tuesday to continue the fun. So I'll see you then! Happy Reading!





Bouchercon countdown: 79 days

Precious Blood - Jonathan Hayes

Edward Jenner is a former medical examiner living in New York City. He is pulled back into his craft when his good friend, Douggie's niece, Ana, witnesses the gruesome murder of her roommate, Andy. Andy's father hires Jenner to examine his daughter's case alongside the New York City medical examiner, Steve Whittaker. When Whittaker overlooks a vital piece of evidence left on the body, Jenner doesn't. The murderer left markings on the body, markings that resemble Greek writing. The case turns out to be more than Jenner bargained for when a string of similar murders, also with the strange writing, are discovered and the monster comes after Ana.

Several days ago, Oline Cogdill had a post on her Off the Page: On Books and Culture blog that linked to old rules for writing detective stories. You can see them here or here. I had to laugh reading them. Most writers at some point or another have "broken" these "rules." Jonathan Hayes definitely did with Precious Blood, but one rule he nailed - "It must be a murder mystery ('the deader the corpse the better')." You can't get much deader than Hayes' victims in this novel. And Precious Blood is not for the squeamish reader either. Hayes is a medical examiner himself, and he didn't hold back on the graphic details involved in the deaths at the hands of his psycho killer. Hopefully that statement doesn't sound like a negative point against the novel because it isn't. The detail was very realistic; the kind of detail that makes you double check your door locks at night.

Edward Jenner is a character that intrigues me. He comes into this story with baggage from his experiences through the 9/11 tragedy. His foil is Steve Whittaker. Jenner is a character who is capable of compassion and emotion. Whittaker is cold and unrelenting. Jenner is driven by his relationships with others, even the dead bodies. Whitaker is driven only by his ambition and his desire to be recognized. But Jenner isn't predictable. Often when we have a character who is compassionate and kind and whatnot, we can predict everything that person is going to do, or we know HOW that person is "supposed" to behave in accordance with the stereotype. Jenner doesn't always follow that pattern, and that can be unsettling. Even now having finished the book, I'm still trying to figure out little nuances about Jenner's character. I think Hayes wants Jenner to maintain that little bit of mystery but still be a dependable character. And let's face it, how often are "real" beings truly predictable 100% of the time?

Jun is probably my favorite character in the book. He brings a touch of comic relief to the extremely dark plot. And the idea of the leather pants, the orange fur coat...he definitely stands out.

I'm often critical of female characters, especially if they fall too closely to the "stereotypical" damsel in distress. Ana was too much of a "damsel in distress" for me to really like her. But I regularly reminded myself that she was supposed to be a typical, college-age, party girl. That was supposed to be her role. And she fit that role well.

The plot of Precious Blood was a complex series of events. I listened to this book on audio and I'm not sure if I maybe missed some points at the end, but there were some elements that I thought were left hanging; they didn't quite end up all neatly knitted into the design of the plot. And the other possibility is that Hayes is impressing on the reader that a psychopath can't be explained. There will always be questions left hanging; it's the nature of the beast.

The questions that obviously were not answered for a reason are the ones that I am confident will appear in the sequel to this novel. I don't see Whittaker going away. Hayes left the door wide open for Jenner to return.

The reader for this audio book was Kirby Heyborne. I believe this is the first audio I've heard of his reading, and I think he did an outstanding job. I'm not an expert on dialects, but I was impressed with his changing between Asian, Hispanic and Irish throughout the novel. Heyborne provided each character with a distinct sound. And he infused a very darkly dramatic tone befitting the novel.

Jonathan Hayes

O.k., today Alafair had a post on her blog concerning a comment Jonathan Hayes had about her driving. I found the coincidence a little eerie because I had just picked up Jonathan's book Precious Blood on CD from the library yesterday and was planning to start it today while working on some Christmas gifts. Anyway, I just took a quick break from the book - after Disc One I'm COMPLETELY hooked - and I decided to check out Dr. Hayes online. I found his blog, and I'm still wiping the tears from crying - due to laughing so hard - about his comments from Bouchercon. I was disappointed because it looked like there was supposed to be more on the blog page, but evidently I'm having some trouble with my computer viewing the rest. So, after reading Jonathan Hayes' take on Bouchercon, and viewing Alafair's posts from Bouchercon, and all the rest of the stuff I heard about it this year, I've decided it is my mission to be able to go in 2009. I'm going to get myself a jar to collect all the "lucky pennies" I find this year so I can go to Indianapolis next October gosh darn it!

Anyway, I also signed up for Jonathan Hayes' newsletter. I know he has another book coming out soon and based on Disc One of Precious Blood, I'll be wanting to get my hands on the next book as well. Definitely stay tuned for my review when I finish the whole thing.

In the meantime, I have to get cleaned up for babysitting duty tonight. Let the CandyLand marathon begin!

Happy Reading!