Five on Friday: Jutta Profijt

Happy Friday all! I'm so excited after having raved and raved about The Morgue Drawer series on Tuesday, I'm over the moon to welcome Jutta Profijt today as our featured guest.

Jutta Profijt hales from Germany and spent some time living in Cognac, France. She's worked as a translator, a project manager, a Business English and Business French teacher and now most importantly, a crime writer.

Morgue Drawer Four kicked off the series, as I mentioned on Tuesday. What I did not mention then was the fact that it was nominated for the 2010 Friedrich-Glauser-prize (the German Edgar award!).

You already know how much I love these books, so let's meet Jutta, shall we?

1. I'd willingly make a deal with the devil to stop violence and wars. No need to explain that, ey?

2. If I could have a secret superpower, it would be read people’s mind. I would be able to switch it on and off (I certainly don’t want to know every thought from everyone!) and from time to time I would sneak into people’s mind to understand why they do what they do.

3. My last meal request would be a fresh garden salad including rucola and radicchio with mustard/honey dressing as a starter, some bread with muhammara (a walnut/garlic/chili pesto), spaghetti with basil pesto, a little lemon sorbet to refresh the tastebuds, roasted chicken (or lamb chops) with french fries and a ginger-chili-tiramisù. After that a very strong espresso. (Fortunately I’m criminal only in my books, so I hope to enjoy all these things – not usually in one meal, though - many, many times before I die.)

4. My most successful New Years resolution of all time was not to have any. I skipped this tradition years ago. If habits are really bad enough to change them I could do this any time of the year. And if they are not bad enough, why should I care?

5. The #1 item on my bucket list right now is start with my new book. I’ve been doing funny things the last days pretending they were extremely urgent just to avoid the confrontation with the blank page. Thanks for reminding me that this is in fact the no.1 item on my list …

I'm in totally agreement on the violence and wars. I have to share with you that the first picture of Jutta is what she says is her favorite activity each day and the picture was labeled "Profijt chilling." Now I'm going to put on a sweater because I've suddenly developed goosebumps all over. Brrrrrrr!

Many, many thanks to Jutta Profijt for taking time out...when she should be starting the new book...and joining us today. So much fun! You can learn more about Jutta Profijt and her books at her website and you can also follow her on Facebook. For those who might be interested, here's a link to MacLeod Andrews' Five on Friday from 2013.

The Morgue Drawer series - Jutta Profijt

I don't often have the freedom to read numerous books in a series back to back these days, but I made time in the case of Jutta Profijt's Morgue Drawer series, which I listened to on audio. I'm going to combine the reviews here because so much of what I loved carried over in each book--without become tiresome, I should add! Unfortunately I haven't been able to get ahold of the second audiobook yet, so that's the only one from the series missing in the review to follow. Hope you enjoy...

Book 1: Morgue Drawer Four

First line: "I hope you'll read this account from top to bottom because it's the whole truth and nothing but the truth, and so--eh, I'm sure you've heard the saying."

Morgue Drawer Four introduces Pascha (formerly known as Sascha) Lerchenberg, a car thief. He's dead due to a fall from a bridge and presently cooling in morgue drawer number four. Martin Gãnsewein is the forensic pathologist who is responsible for Pascha's autopsy. Despite Pascha's physical death, his soul is still hanging around and Martin turns out to be the only human who can hear him.

Once Pascha gets over the issue of his death, he begs Martin to help him prove that his death was not a suicide. He didn't kill himself and he doesn't want to be remembered that way. Pascha believes if he can prove his death was murder, his soul will be at peace and he can pass on. Martin, desperate to have this voice inside his head gone, agrees to help.

So straight-laced, well-educated, upstanding citizen Martin and crude, womanizing, law-breaking Pascha set out to find Pascha's killer. Hilarity, chaos, crime and mystery ensue.

Book 3: Morgue Drawer for Rent

First line: "So if I were going to put a date on when the series of crises at the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Cologne began, it would have to be July twelfth."

Pascha is still very much a part of Martin's life, much to Martin's chagrin. He is trying everything he can to find a way to prevent Pascha from haunting his daily life. Now Martin and his girlfriend, Birgit--who doesn't know about Pascha--are talking about moving in together, but Martin fears Pascha's interference in their lives and seems to be doing everything possible to sabotage the apartment hunting.

Meanwhile on the morgue front, Martin has a new boss who seems dead set on making his life a living hell--as if Pascha wasn't enough--while body parts and whole bodies are disappearing from the morgue.

Book 4: Morgue Drawer: Do Not Enter!

First line: "The Renault Kangoo van was wedged between the narrow piers under the bridge like a boil in a butt crack, but the driver's seat was empty."

As the series presses on, Pascha begins to follow accidents in hopes of finding others trapped like he is between this world and the next. He'd like a friend, someone other than Martin.  He gets more than he bargained for in the fourth installment of the series, however.

An accident leaves a teacher missing and four young children in comas with their souls flittering around while their bodies are in limbo. They attach themselves to Martin and suddenly he's become the babysitter of the undead.

The teacher is being accused of a terrible misdeed in the accident but the children know she was kidnapped. Martin is determined to discover what happened to the teacher but he also has to make sure the children are not far away when the doctors bring them out of their comas or their young fates may be altered for eternity.

Each of the books in this series is creatively fresh. The mystery plots are plausible and Profijt does an excellent job of utilizing her entire cast of colorful characters. The individual books have their own unique guest characters, and they are as dimensional and fun as the regulars. It's actually sad to see those guests leave at the end of an installment.

The Morgue Drawer series is translated from the original German by Erik J. Macki and of course I mentioned that I listened to all three books on audio. They are narrated by Macleod Andrews.  This is truly a team effort here. Jutta Profijt has written a great series, but she's created a protagonist who is snarky and street-wise and he throws a lot of slang--and attitude--around. Macki brings that into English brilliantly and Andrews hits the tone with perfection. Pascha's first words to Martin in Morgue Drawer Four are, "Dude, get your monkey beaters off my balls!" Martin is about to emasculate Pascha in the post-mortem and Pascha hasn't come to terms with his death yet. The word choice is pitch perfect for Pascha and Andrews' desperate yelp of the exchange will convince readers he himself is about to be sliced. This trio is akin to a three-legged stool. If anyone came up short the entire thing would fail, epically. Instead, they simply seem to be floating around with Pascha, on the exact same wavelength.

MacLeod Andrews does an incredible job with this series. From things as simple as Pascha's disinterested "blah, blah, blahs" to his emotional outbursts. You don't just hear Andrews, you feel Pascha. And Profijt has sculpted this character who is simply over-flowing with swagger. Andrews delivers that without over dramatizing it. Since Pascha is a former car thief, he pays a lot of attention to cars, especially Martin's car. Andrews will deliver Pascha's lines about Martin's "trash can on wheels" with complete seriousness, which makes it hysterically funny for the listener.

And Pascha's attitude toward women, especially compared to Martin's. Pascha will rip out something completely sexist and piggish, and Andrews can turn on dime to deliver Martin's rebuke in such a way that listeners will burn from the heat the blush in his face creates. The complete mortification Martin endures when Pascha tries to help him with his romancing of Birgit (a la Cyrano)--in the middle of a private bedroom scene--is so well performed by Andrews that readers will look to make sure they are covered up.

This isn't a series that's heavy in social commentary, although social issues do arise. But the focus tends more toward the relationships, both human to human and human to not-quite-so-human-anymore. A overall humor pervades these novels, but there's an endearing element to them as well, an element readers and listeners can identify with even if they don't hear voices in their heads.

The stars aligned and the perfect combination of creators came together. The result is a wonderfully entertaining--and addictive--mystery series. I can not wait for the next one!

All four books in the Morgue Drawer series are available from AmazonCrossing in paperback and from Brilliance Audio in unabridged audiobook.

Morgue Drawer Four (ISBN: 9781611090321)
audio (ISBN: 9781455876526)
Morgue Drawer Next Door (ISBN: 9781611090406)
audio (ISBN: 9781455876334)
Morgue Drawer for Rent (ISBN: 9781611090420)
audio (ISBN: 9781455876327)
Morgue Drawer: Do Not Enter! (ISBN: 9781477826409)
audio (ISBN: 9781491578773)

My Favorite Reads of 2014 & A Year-End Wrap-up

It does not seem possible that today is the last day of 2014. The calendar pages really seemed to turn quickly for me this year. Did you find that too?

I had quite a successful year of reading. I read 106 books this year. This is actually the most I've read since the first year I blogged. In 2008 I read 112. It's a pretty big accomplishment for me considering how many non-fiction books I've read this year--they always take me a little longer to read than fiction.

But here are the statistical breakdowns, for those who might be interested.

Total books read: 106
Number of different authors read: 102
Number of new-to-me authors: 70
Number of debuts: 12
Number of audiobooks: 35
Number of fiction works: 85
Number of non-fiction works: 21
Number of male authors: 72
Number of female authors: 37
(note: the overlap in gender numbers comes from books with multiple authors)

I've enjoyed the variety of books I've read and my year-end list surely reflects it. While I often feel like there's a lot I'm missing, I know it isn't realistic to think I can read it all. I'm quite content reading what makes me happy, though. My approach will probably go in a similar direction for 2015 but you never can tell what interesting twists may arise. In the mean time, a look at my favorite reads of 2014.

A drumroll please....

10. Things Half in Shadow by Alan Finn - I started to include this one on my debut list, but since it's not really a debut, just the first book under the pen name, I opted not to include it there--that's kind of like cheating, right? But it's been awhile since a historical novel grabbed me the way this one did. My review of it will be forthcoming (after it appears in Shelf Awareness) but it snuck in under the wire with a Dec. 30th release date. I enjoyed the blending of genres, the characters and the mystical element of the book. Boy, you don't hear me say that often, do you?

9.   All Day and a Night by Alafair Burke - I'm kind of running out of stuff to say about Alafair Burke's work without repeating myself, since she shows up on this list year after year. The areas I praise her in she only improves with each book. This is--in my opinion--her best work to date. She keeps it fresh, fun, fast and engaging (did you think I'd use another f-word there?).  As you can see from my stats, I read a large number of books by authors who are new to me each year, so I don't end up reading a lot of the same people continually. But Alafair Burke is one of the few I anxiously anticipate and make time for, regardless.

8.   All the Truth is Out by Matt Bai - I found this book to be so vital to the understanding of our consumption of news in this era. We're so caught up in things that don't actually matter or only searching out the things we want to hear or even manipulating the truth so it becomes what we want it to be. Eye opening, honest and challenging. Bai did his homework and delivers it superbly. This is really an important issue and one we'd all benefit from examining a little closer.

7.   Roosevelt's Beast by Louis Bayard - First of all, Louis Bayard used one of my favorite words in this book -- Bwana. I've christened him Bwana Bayard and it's a perfect fit. This book is smart, funny, brilliantly constructed. Not many people can plop you into the South American jungles with a monster and make it enjoyable. Reading a book by Louis Bayard always ends up being a sweet treat, Roosevelt's Beast was no exception.

6.   Morgue Drawer: Do Not Enter by Jutta Profijt - Really I have to say all three of Profijt's books should be included here. I chose Do Not Enter because it's the book that was published this year in the U.S. but I just feel as though I've discovered secret treasure with this series. Of course, it was secret to me, but now I've unearthed it and that makes me very happy. Don't worry, a gushing review of all three books is forthcoming, I promise!

5.   The Global War on Morris by Steve Israel - Somehow I completely missed this book as a debut--I should have included in yesterday's list as well, but when Israel decides to hang up his political hat, he's got a real future in publishing. Heck, he doesn't even need to give up the day job, I guess. In this case his insider perspective helped as The Global War on Morris is a political satire. This is another under the wire December 30th publication and my review is forthcoming. Rapier wit, intelligent argument and an absurd reality.

4.  Hand to Mouth by Linda Tirado - Linda Tirado blew me away. She's smart, witty, brutally honest and this book is a scary reminder for us all of how close we are to poverty. More than that, it's a wake-up call to the fact that we are not better or more deserving than the working poor...or those in deep poverty for that matter. Tirado has written in such a way as to let us walk in her shoes for awhile. And they're rather uncomfortable. Tirado has an important message to share but she also has a gift with writing. I hope there will be more from her in the future.

3.   Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson - With the year's national headlines related to race issues in our country, this book was even more powerful than anyone really could have anticipated. Just Mercy emphasizes the massive miscarriages of justice that happen every day that never make those headlines, the ones many people remain happily ignorant to. It's startling, mortifying and it's something every single person in this country needs to be aware of. It's beautifully written and reads like fiction. If only it were.

2.   Wait for Signs by Craig Johnson - I adore Craig Johnson's full-length novels, but I chose the collection of shorts because I was reminded while reading them how endearing, touching, humorous and so densely packed with wonderfulness each one is. It's a small package, but boy howdy is it a priceless gem.

1.   A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Brackman - I gushed over this book yesterday, so you probably don't need me to do so again today. I'll simply say that if you haven't checked this one out yet, I highly recommend you do. There's simply so much to love in it--everyone needs an Ove!

And there you have it. My favorite reads of 2014. It was certainly a great year for reading. How about you? What knocked your socks off this year?

Also, a last little correction for yesterday. I included The Secret Wisdom of the Earth on my favorite debuts list and it IS in fact one of my favorite debuts. However, it doesn't officially come out until 2015. I read it in advance to cover it for Shelf Awareness and lost track of its publication date--January 2015. It's a wonderful book but it isn't a 2014 debut. Sorry!

2014 Favorite Audiobooks and Favorite Debuts

2014 brought about my entry into reviewing audiobooks for Audiofile Magazine. My organization--or rather lack thereof--for this year has been the main obstacle for me getting those reviews here on the blog. The reviews for Audiofile focus on the production and not the story, so I have wanted to add additional information into the reviews to cover my reactions to the stories as well. I am hoping to do better in 2015 in this area so I can include those reviews here as well. In the meantime, those audios listed below that I haven't reviewed here, but have appeared at Audiofile will be linked to their pages on the Audiofile site. I hope you'll visit the site if you don't already.

My choices for favorite audiobooks--from the 35 I listened to this year--are based solely on the audio production, so some of the books listed below may not be (in my opinion) the greatest stories but they were stellar performances. They were enjoyable to listen to. So if the story wasn't that great then the narrator was extra wonderful in order to overcome that disadvantage and keep me engaged for the entire book.

FAVORITE AUDIOBOOKS OF 2014 ARE:
 
5. Midwinterblood (written by Marcus Sedgwick; narrated by Julian Rhind-Tutt): this is a YA book, but can certainly be enjoyed by any listener. A strong atmosphere and Rhind-Tutt does a magical job with the irregular structure of this book. It's a collection of interconnected stories and he keeps the reader firmly entwined in that connecting thread. (Listening Library)

4. The Intern's Handbook (written by Shane Kuhn; narrated by Pete Simonelli): this particular book is showing up all over my lists this year. It's a wonderful, complete package. Simonelli didn't try to force drama into this book, he kept his reading dry to match the concept of the handbook--who's ever read a dramatic handbook?  This may at first seem like the audiobook would be a boring listen, but quite the contrary. His approach enhanced the sarcastic humor and the suspense of the genius plot. (Simon & Schuster Audio)

3. Wait for Signs (written by Craig Johnson; narrated by George
Guidall): I'm utterly convinced that there is nothing Guidall can't do when it comes to narration, but he still continues to amaze me in his depiction of Craig Johnson's world of Absaroka County. Johnson's short stories are especially powerful with huge helpings of passion and meaning in small packages. Guidall made the opening of these packages a joyous occasion. He juggles the spiritual, the humorous, the respectful and the heartfelt without dropping a single ball. Sometimes he has to perform a magic trick and juggle them so they merge and then reappear as separate entities. He does it all without breaking a sweat--or at least without letting us hear he's breaking a sweat. He also shows up the individual who reads the introduction to this collection...the person who couldn't be bothered to find out how to pronounce Absaroka even though it appears half a dozen times in the text. How lame!  (Recorded Books)

2. The Midnight Plan of the Repo Man (written by W. Bruce Cameron; narrated by George K. Wilson): This is a book I may very well have turned away from had I been reading it in print.  It deals with a ghost trapped in the main character's head. Not my normal fare, but the presentation was simply so engaging and fun I was disappointed when the book ended.  (Macmillan Audio)

1. The Morgue Drawer series (written by Jutta Profijt; translated by Erik J. Macki; narrated by Macleod Andrews): This is the only series this year that I started and HAD to continue to listen to--one right after the other. Unfortunately I wasn't able to get my  hands on the second book, so I'll still be anticipating that one. I listened to the first book, Morgue Drawer Four, then the fourth, Morgue Drawer: Do Not Enter!, then the third, Morgue Drawer for Rent. They were absolutely wonderful even out of order. I'll have a full review for you soon, but suffice it to say these blew me away. The story concept is fabulous; the translation is brilliant--there's tons of slang and made-up words and Macki did an incredible job taking them from the original German to English; finally at the delivery Macleod Andrews was astounding. His timing, his attitude, his energy and intensity, they were all award-worthy. I love this series and the audiobooks are pure gold. (Brilliance Audio)

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Debuts. I only read 11 debuts this year. I read books by 70 authors who were new to me, but only 11 of those were people writing their first books. So I'm leaving this list at only 3, which is still a large percentage of the total debuts, but I think these three deserve the kudos...and one you will see again tomorrow.

FAVORITE DEBUTS:

  

3. The Secret Wisdom of the Earth by Christopher Scotton. A stunning portrayal of the Appalachian region, beautiful writing and a wonderful coming of age story. I look forward to more from Scotton in the coming years.

2. The Intern's Handbook by Shane Kuhn. Geez, this book is like a bad penny, right? It keeps showing up everywhere. It's getting harder and harder to wow me with creative approaches to crime stories so when someone does, I celebrate it. Loved this book!

1. A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman. It continues to astound me that this book is a debut. I have recommended it to more people than any other this year and have had more people contact me about it than any other this year. It is beautifully written, funny, smart, heart-felt and it transcends time and place. It's set in Sweden but is relevant to anyone, anywhere, anytime. A Man Called Ove embodies why I love reading and love books.