A Pair of Spellmans - on Audio

I don't do this very often, but in the interest of making sure they both are reviewed in a timely manner (the back-up of reviews right now is embarrassing), I'm going to do a joint review in this post. I recently listened to THE SPELLMANS STRIKE AGAIN and TRAIL OF THE SPELLMANS back to back, what a treat. Here are my reviews:

THE SPELLMANS STRIKE AGAIN

First lines: "Why???? we all asked when my father broke the news." (Note: this is the first line from Part 1; I skipped over the Prologue)

The fourth document of the Spellman files finds Isabel "Izzy" Spellman juggling a few cases for the family PI business. On her own, she's trying to find the dirt on Rick Harkey, an ex-cop and the Spellman's main competition.

Additionally, she's been tasked with tracking down a script that was supposedly co-written by a couple who subsequently broke up. The young man wants to make sure his ex-girlfriend isn't trying to sell the script on her own and leave him high and dry. This case involves much garbology.

Izzy is also looking into a missing person's case. For this job, she recruits her friend Len to go "undercover" and act as a butler. Len, an unemployed actor, decides to employ a bit of method acting that doesn't sit well with his partner, Christopher.

Meanwhile, Isabel's younger sister Rae is doing an internship with Maggie, a lawyer who is dating their older brother David. Are you keeping up with this? I hope so, because Rae becomes obsessed with her internship tasks. Maggie is deciding on a pro bono case to accept and Rae is helping her comb through files. When they decide on a case, Rae goes all out and suddenly everyone is wearing "Free Schmidt" t-shirts.

And all of this is taking place while in the Spellman house: Isabel is being blackmailed by her mother who doesn't want her to date the Irish bartender, fixtures in the house are disappearing (door knobs, light fixtures, etc.), and David is seeing a strange woman in the middle of the day.

If that seems like a lot for one book, I can assure you I had no trouble keeping up with anything through Christina Moore's narration for Recorded Books. She handled various dialects seamlessly and the footnotes--for those unfamiliar with the Spellman Files, there are footnotes--are included in a fashion that provides their content but is not disruptive to the flow of the story.

Lisa Lutz infuses her characters with life. They are hilarious without being insultingly stupid. They are also compassionate and complex. There are a lot of events that take place, but there are also a lot of layers. Moore is attuned to those aspects of the book, and the distinct characteristics of each player in this story comes through loud and clear.

THE SPELLMANS STRIKE AGAIN made a 6+ hour long drive fly by and I didn't even mind Chicago traffic because I spent most of the time laughing. But be careful because Lutz may provoke you to cry as well.

TRAIL OF THE SPELLMANS

First line: "For reasons that will forever remain a mystery, my sister scheduled the client meeting at the main branch of the San Francisco Public Library--specifically, the government section, which is low traffic, offering privacy for a new client intake." (Again, I'm skipping over the very beginning and starting at Part 1)

Document Five advances a bit from the end of Document Four. Rae is a college student, David and Maggie are parents, and Demetrius "D"--a man Isabel helped free from death row--is working for Spellman Investigations.

Spellman Investigations is hopping with business. Walter Perkins is a math professor with a bit of an OCD problem. He hires the firm to check in on his apartment, whenever he thinks he may have left something turned on, plugged in or unlocked.

Then a slew of distrustful family members hire the Spellmans: first there is the case of the college student. Her parents hire the firm to follow the young woman to make sure she isn't getting into trouble. Then there's Adam Cooper who has hired the firm to follow his sister. And finally there's Margaret Slayter who has hired the firm to follow her husband. It's a trio of suspecting family members.

And speaking of family, Grammy Spellman moves into the Spellman household, provoking Isabel's mother Olivia to take up a plethora of "hobbies" that get her out of the house. And Henry, Isabel's significant other, gets an extended visit from his mother, Gerty. Needless to say, both new family members stir up their fair share of trouble. Meanwhile under suspicious circumstances, David evicts Rae who had been living with him and Maggie. Isabel can't figure out why, but she's determined to solve that case as well.

Lisa Lutz hasn't lost a thing with the Spellmans. Each book is better than the one before. THE SPELLMANS STRIKE AGAIN was a hard book to top, but TRAIL OF THE SPELLMANS may have done just that.

As with all of the Spellman books, Lutz creates a wide array of colorful characters, mocking stereotypes and peeling back layers. Demetrius is one of the best characters I've experienced this year. His addition to the series is brilliant.

Lutz has an uncanny knack with dialogue. Regardless of the character she's depicting, the dialogue is spot on and flows naturally and almost always hysterically. Again Christina Moore narrates the unabridged audiobook, and her appreciation of Lutz's dialogue is evident in her delivery.  Moore obviously understands each character's unique persona and switches from one to the other with what sounds like effortlessness.

Another one of Lutz's strengths is her imagery, which is very noticeable in an audiobook, since there aren't even words to visualize as the story moves along. From the M&M tree (watered by kool-aid) to the nursery school Columbo to bananas, Lutz will have you looking at everything in a brand new light.

As I mentioned with THE SPELLMANS STRIKE AGAIN, this isn't a book that's insultingly stupid. The humor is smart and rich. The plot is layered with meaning and emotion. The characters exude complexity. I keep hoping they'll move in next door to me. The Spellmans remind readers that dysfunctional IS normal, and the more we can laugh at ourselves, the healthier we all will be.

The one drawback to the audio in this case is that you can't fully experience the fully-illustrated (albeit black and white) children's book that appears in the TRAIL OF THE SPELLMANS. 


THE SPELLMANS STRIKE AGAIN is available in trade paperback (ISBN: 9781416593416) from Simon and Schuster. TRAIL OF THE SPELLMANS is available in hardcover (ISBN: 9781451608120), also from Simon and Schuster. The unabridged audio of both books can be downloaded from Audible, iTunes or Simon & Schuster Audio.

Crime Fiction's Sexiest FEMALE Authors of 2012!

I know you've been anxiously awaiting this year's sexiest ladies of crime fiction. I think I have a good bunch to share with you.

Like with the men, I would like to pay homage to last year's ladies as they certainly have not lost their sexy either. I hope you enjoy the gals joining them in 2012.

SEXIEST AUTHOR FROM ACROSS THE POND

Look, Meg dressed for the sexiest award!

Meg Gardiner is an American of course, but she calls England home these days. So we can include her in this category. She's smart...a three-time Jeopardy champ even. She's witty, kind, generous and of course very talented. If you aren't following Meg on Twitter, you absolutely should be. You'll see all of these qualities reflected in her posts.

For me, I look forward to Bouchercon because I am able to see Meg in person then. No matter how you interact with her, it's impossible not to adore her and she that definitely qualifies her for sexy!

Meg is the author of the Jo Beckett series and the Evan Delaney series. And 2012 brought her first standalone novel, RANSOM RIVER.

SEXIEST AUTHOR WHO HAS ALSO WRITTEN A SCREENPLAY

Proof positive that Lisa belongs on this list...doesn't get any sexier than wombats!

Lisa Lutz does indeed have a screenplay to her name, but has sworn that she will not write another. I guess only time will tell that for sure, but personally, I'm just enjoying her books. The author of five Spellman novels and a novel she co-wrote with David Hayward, HEADS YOU LOSE, rumor has it she's now working on a children's book.

Lisa gets credit for introducing me to my favorite curse word(s): "sentence enhancer" and that alone should get her on this list, right? But actually she's hysterically funny and a blast to know. Lisa received the lion's share of personality and it shows in everything she does. Absolutely sexy!

SEXIEST AUTHOR WHO ISN'T AFRAID TO GET HER HANDS DIRTY

Rosemary and Max enjoying a book.

A master gardener, Rosemary Harris not only gets her hands dirty in her own garden, but she writes the Dirty Business Mystery Series, featuring Paula Holliday.

That isn't the only way Rosemary gets her hands dirty, though. An avid supporter of Habitat for Humanity, Ro has participated in 6 Habitat builds around the world AND she and her husband have worked very hard on their Chalula Library Project, building a community library in Tanzania. Generosity like that is way beyond sexy!

I also have to add to her list of sexy qualities that she's an animal person. And you all know how I feel about THAT!

SEXIEST AUTHOR WHO WROTE UNDER A PEN NAME

Dead or alive, Julie is one sexy dame!

Julie Goodson-Lawes, a.k.a. Juliet Blackwell, a.k.a. Hailey Lind, is one of those people who my good friend Pop Culture Nerd would say needs to be pushed down the stairs. Not because she's mean or nasty but because we envy her. And don't worry, we wouldn't really push her down the stairs because while I am envious of her youthful beauty, her wide range of talents, her intelligence, her sharp wit, her friendly nature...I also adore her as a person. She's never stingy with a smile, a hug or a kind word. You can't help but consider that sexy!


As Juliet Blackwell, Julie writes the Haunted Home Renovation series and the Witchcraft Mystery series. As Hailey Lind, Julie wrote with her sister and together they created the Art Lovers Mystery series.

SEXIEST AUTHOR WHOSE HEART BELONGS IN TWO COUNTRIES

A sexy woman in the sexy city of Paris!

 Cara Black, like her protagonist Aimée Leduc, is an American who loves France. When I contacted her to ask her if I could include her in my selection this year, she informed me that she was in France writing her next book. And by golly, who is she running into over there...none other than Craig Johnson from our sexy male authors list!

The French love her, too. I have to say congratulations because this summer Cara received the Medaille de la ville de Paris.

Cara is one of the most appreciative people I think I've ever had the chance to meet. If you observe Cara when she's at a signing and people are waiting in line, she just gushes over each person and makes them each feel as though they are the reason for her success. And granted they do buy her books, which helps her success, but she makes sure they know she genuinely appreciates their support and interest. That is sexy; I mean, have you ever encountered that author who seems like they couldn't care less about the people waiting in line to have a book signed? And then you witness Cara and she just glows with happiness. It's a sight to behold.

Cara is truly a gem and I'm honored to include her on the list this year!


Aaaaaaaaanddddddd.....

THE SEXIEST FEMALE AUTHOR OF 2012

Kindess is sexy!

Marcia Clark! I would truly like to gush on and on about this woman. I'm fortunate in that I get to interact with her through my work with xuni.com. She's been very generous and has participated in some blog events. AND I finally got to meet her in person this year at Bouchercon. Through all these forms of contact Marcia has simply been a joy to know.

Marcia is incredibly funny. Her sense of humor is priceless. She's very smart, and she's also incredibly kind. I can only speak for myself on this front, but I'm envious of her sense of style. She has a gift...o.k. she has many gifts, but she has that one, too.

Let's add to the list of sexiness, Marcia is also an animal person. I wrote about her social media documentation of the hummingbird born in a nest outside her house, and she's a dog owner. I love that she adopted her dogs. And when you listen to her talk about them, you know what a special person she is.

Oh, my goodness, I almost forget to mention that I love her books, too!  Her female prosecutor, Rachel Knight, is a welcome addition to the crime fiction genre.

Hopefully Marcia isn't going to kill me for snagging this picture off Facebook, but hello, what says sexy better than big lips and the bookworm?

Big lips are this year's sexy!

My many, many thanks to the sexiest female authors this year. They are such great sports and super fantastic people...in addition to being great writers in this genre. I hope that you will check out their work if you haven't already.

And, as I've mentioned before, sexy is subjective, so feel free to let us know in the comments who would be on your list this year! Happy Reading!

Top 10 Things I Learned at Murder & Mayhem in Muskego 2012

As you already know, last weekend was Murder and Mayhem in Muskego. I have to admit that this was the best one yet since I've been attending. You know about my interview with Robert Crais. If you had problems viewing it here on the blog (some did), I broke it in two shorter segments and posted those on the Facebook page. So hopefully that will work better for folks who had problems.

And by the way, the Facebook page is an open page, so even if you haven't liked the page...or if you don't have a Facebook account...you should still be able to access the page and see the video if you want.

But believe it or not, other stuff happened at M&M this weekend! So here is my minor recap of a weekend full of wonderfulness.

The Top Ten Things I Learned at Murder & Mayhem in Muskego, 2012

10. Daniel Palmer thinks writing is like a boiling cauldron and his favorite character (that is not of his own creation) is Jaws. His least favorite character--not his own--is also Jaws. This man is hysterical; if you've never met him in person, remedy that at your earliest convenience.

9. Craig McDonald says the Prologue is the over-used device he likes the least. Down with the prologue!

8. Lisa Lutz once (unknowingly) told a New York Times bestselling author that his mother was a major pain!

7. Chris Holm can not start writing a story without a title. To date he has been fortunate. The titles he's picked for his books have stuck, no publishing changes there.

6. Brad Parks knows a lot about fracking--actually I learned that one at lunch on Friday, but still...

5. Marcus Sakey is making a new television show. It won't be Hidden City, but a similar concept for the Travel Channel. 

4. Lou Berney is ambidextrous....and smart....and funny...and talented...and kind...and...

3. Jeff Lindsey has some very scary fans, and his minister likes to sermonize about Dexter!

2. Most of the panelists with Ayo Onatade didn't want to fess up to a character they didn't like (that wasn't their own) but John Lutz had no problems proclaiming Susan Silverman...with the caveat that he loved the Spenser books.

1. George Pelecanos is even more amazing than I thought he was last week!

I wanted to save this last one to the end of my list because there are several things I want to share with you. You may know them already, but this was my first chance to meet George Pelecanos and I can't even put into words how in awe I was. And he's not the kind of person who makes you feel uncomfortable or like you need to bow down and kiss his ring. He's down to earth, funny, kind, generous...and oh my goodness so smart.

If you followed my tweets during the interview with George, you already know that he will be working as an executive producer (as will Dennis Lehane) for Boardwalk Empire following the end of Treme. He also has the sequel to THE CUT coming out next year and it's called THE DOUBLE.

But I just have to tell you how this man won my heart in his interview. I don't even remember what the actual question was that brought this up, but he told the audience that he was acutely aware of the fact that he would leave a nice job, drive in his nice car to his nice house and live a comfortable life as a result of his writing about people far less privileged than he. So, he felt a need to give back. He's doing that through writing and reading programs in urban schools and prisons. One of the most incredible statements he made was, "If you give a kid in prison a book, that's how he escapes the cell."

Each year this one-day conference reminds me of the power of the story...the inspiration, the friendships, the fulfillment, the fun. The world always looks a little brighter after this conference for me. I highly recommend making an honest effort to attend it at some point. Save your pennies, plan your vacation, and get here. You won't regret it!

I'm going to leave you today with the other video I recorded this weekend. This is the panel I moderated Friday night...really I just pointed to people and said, "you share your story now." The panelists did the hard part--and they did it well. I apologize profusely. I thought I had the camera set up to get all the panelists, but poor Marcus got cut off. He's off to the left of the screen, but you can hear him when he talks. A couple times he leans into the picture. I hope you enjoy the show!

Lutz & Hayward - Crime Readers Caught Reading Crime...

...at an indie bookstore.

Today's readers caught in the act are Lisa Lutz and David Hayward. I met Lisa last year, but had the chance to meet David in February. They are both incredibly fun, extremely witty, and very talented. Together they managed to write HEADS YOU LOSE.

Here we caught them at Uncle Edgars Bookstore in Minneapolis getting frisky with Sophie Kelly's newest, CURIOSITY THRILLED THE CAT.

Hopefully Uncle Edgars survived the duo's visit. Many thanks to Lisa and David. I'm looking forward to seeing them both again at Bouchercon.

Happy Reading!

CAMEX Book & Author Event

Sorry for my little hiatus there. I have lots to catch up on, great books to talk about and I'm working on some big projects for the blog, so bear with me if I am sporadic in my posts for awhile; I'm plugging away, I promise. But first let's talk about this past weekend when I was in Houston.

First and foremost, I got to visit Murder By the Book! I'm always so excited when I have the chance to visit new bookstores, but the folks at MBtB make you feel like family when you walk through the doors. I'd attribute it to Craig Johnson being with me, but they're like that with everyone. The staff there is beyond awesome.

Craig gave me a hard time because of my slew of purchases, but hey, I don't get to visit often. I'm going to make it a worthwhile visit by golly! Anyway, here's a look at part of my loot.

I also got three books. One is Gerard O'Donovan's THE PRIEST, which McKenna and I were talking about a little. Very much looking forward to that one. But anyway, if you're ever in the Houston area, make the effort to get to Murder by the Book! Fun, fun store.

For those who don't know, I was in Houston for work. I work for the National Association of College Stores - is this where I should say none of my opinions here on the blog reflect the organization's? Anyway, each year we hold a trade show. The location varies year to year, but part of each show is an education segment - which is my department at NACS - and a Book and Author event. The nice folks in charge of the Book and Author let me tag along even though I typically go all fan girl. You can see my obnoxiousness from last year here.

This year I had extra reason to be the obnoxious fan girl. We hosted Craig Johnson, Lisa Lutz and David Hayward. Can you say, "walking on Cloud 9?" Yep, that was me!

For their presentation during the event, Lisa and David, who co-wrote HEADS YOU LOSE coming out in April, each acted as though they were the other, taking subtle shots at one another - much like the concept of their book. Lisa explained that HEADS YOU LOSE was written in alternating chapters. She finished the first chapter and sent it to David. He had to write the second chapter but couldn't undo anything Lisa had written in the first. Then it went back to Lisa and she couldn't undo anything David wrote in Chapter 2. And so on. Oh, and I forgot to mention. Lisa and David use to date. The book is fascinating and the writers were a huge hit.

Both Lisa and David are smart and funny, creative and very personable. I met Lisa briefly last year at the Mystery Bookstore's pre-FOB party, but this was the first time we were able to talk at length. I discovered that we share some mutual dislikes, as well as likes.

This was the first time I met David, who by the way is NOT David Hayward the astrologer. He's more on the soft-spoken side, but don't let that fool you. He's got a quick wit. I told him he would have to meet everyone at Bouchercon, so each of you who is attending is tasked with introducing yourself. If you feel you need an introduction, let me know. I'll be happy to facilitate.

Sarah Vowell also spoke at the Book and Author event; however, she flew in and out on the day of the event, so I didn't have a chance to talk to her outside her presentation. She spoke about her new book, UNFAMILIAR FISHES, a non-fiction work about 19th century Hawaii.

Craig Johnson wrapped up the event and, as usual, had the audience in stitches. I had several people talk to me afterward and say how much they enjoyed his presentation. He opened with a joke, saying his friend Marcus Red Thunder, the basis for Henry Standing Bear, told him he knew spring was coming because he saw a Crow Indian carrying a space heater into a pawn shop. When Craig told Marcus he didn't think a white man could get away with telling a joke like that, Marcus said it wasn't a joke. And off we went on a wonderful Craig Johnson story ride.

If you've never had a chance to see Craig in person and hear him speak in person, I can't recommend it enough. Many of you have told me that you've read and loved his books after hearing me gush here about them. Now imagine experiencing that in person. Check out his tour schedule and see if he'll be near you. It's an event worth experiencing, I promise.

One of the special perks of this weekend was having Craig share with us the audition DVD for the man who was chosen to play Walt in the upcoming pilot for LONGMIRE, the TV show that will be based on the Walt Longmire books. He had the DVD with him, so I brought my laptop down after dinner and Lisa, David, Craig, Scott Montgomery and I all took at look at Robert Taylor as Walt Longmire.

Who should not be confused with THIS Robert Taylor:

The live Robert Taylor is a good actor and has a great voice for the part. I just have to get use to a younger, skinnier Walt Longmire.

There's always a sweet sorrow at the end of something like this. I don't regret the opportunity to experience it, but I leave with a bit of an ache. The mystery community is like family and parting is hard. I hang on to my thoughts of the next time I'll get to meet up with everyone. If I am not able to see them beforehand on tour stop, David and Lisa will both be at Bouchercon. Craig I know will be out my way for his book tour. So until next time, thank you all for a super special couple of days.

You Have the Right to Six Words - Better Hold on to Your Hats!

I have a loaded post for you this week - Week 9 of YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO SIX WORDS! - so folks, hold on to your hats and away we go...


We'll start with our recap memoir. Beth Groundwater is the author of the Gift Basket Designer mystery series. Beth spent the first part of her career working in the computer science field where her writing talent was put to use in the technical arena. She wrote manuals and proposals and reports. But good planning and goal-setting allowed Beth to retire from the computer software world early and put her writing skills to work in the fiction arena. When she's not writing, you can probably find Beth in her garden or in the setting for her second Gift Basket Designer mystery series novel, on the ski slopes. Beth's first novel, A REAL BASKET CASE was a nominee for the "Best First Novel" Agatha Award in 2007. Earlier this year, Beth followed that up with the sequel TO HELL IN A HANDBASKET accompanied by an ambitious blog tour. Beth certainly knows the value of hard work:

Networked and persisted until surprise - published!

New on our list of memoirists this week is a man who is far from new to the world of crime fiction writing. He's a New York Times best selling author many times over and he leaves us on the edges of our seats with thrillers such as THE MILLIONAIRES, THE ZERO GAME, THE BOOK OF FATE, and of course his newest hit THE BOOK OF LIES, which was released this year in paperback. Of course you know I'm talking about Brad Meltzer. Brad wrote his first New York Times best seller THE TENTH JUSTICE while a student at Columbia Law School. As a matter of fact, Columbia gave him credit for writing this book! Brad's books have been translated into over 25 languages. But not only do we know Brad for his crime fiction novels, he's also a comic book writer. Last year he won an Eisner Award for his JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA. And he was also one of the co-creators of the television show JACK & BOBBY. It seem contradictory to the genre Brad writes in but by golly:

I'm a Meltzer, not a fighter.

Lisa Lutz has been a bit of a nomad for the first part of her life. She attended UC Santa Cruz, UC Irvine, the University of Leeds in England and San Francisco State University. After those college adventures, and no college degree, Lisa set to work on trying to be a screenwriter. And she succeeded in writing and optioning a screenplay called PLAN B. However, she also learned that screenwriting was not where she would stay in her career. So, she packed herself up and headed out to - Westernville, New York? Yep! And that is where she wrote the bulk of THE SPELLMAN FILES. Since then, Lisa had found her way to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle and most recently she's made her way back to San Francisco. She's also found her way to two more Spellman publications: CURSE OF THE SPELLMANS and REVENGE OF THE SPELLMANS. And she's found herself nominated for both a "Best Novel" Edgar Award and a "Best Mystery Novel" Macavity Award. Her fourth book in the Spellman series, THE SPELLMANS STRIKE AGAIN, is due out at the beginning of 2010. And Lisa thought she didn't get around near enough, so her books are extending her reach. The Spellmans are published in over 20 languages around the world. For Lisa:

Six words is WAY too long.

The final hitter in this powerhouse line-up is also a writer who is no stranger to successful books. His ten mystery and suspense novels have won him nominations for Edgar, Anthony, Barry, Agatha and Macavity awards. Jeff Abbott is the international best-selling author of two highly acclaimed series: the first being his Jordan Poteet mystery series about a librarian and then his Whit Mosley series about a justice of the peace and a detective. He has also penned three standalone thrillers and tomorrow he will release TRUST ME, his fourth standalone and eleventh novel. In his new novel, Jeff will introduce Luke Dantry who works tracking extremists on the Internet. However, the safety of his computer job will soon be shattered.

The novel is not Jeff's only writing format, however. He has also written short stories included in such anthologies as BEST AMERICAN SHORT STORIES and THE WORLD'S FINEST CRIME AND MYSTERY STORIES. So what is a successful thriller writer's favorite book? Why it's WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE, of course!

Jeff says, "writing brought me my wife, a career I never dreamed I’d have, tons of opportunities, getting to meet the most interesting people in the world . . .you get the idea." So it is not hard at all to understand why his memoir would be:

Writing opens a thousand doors.

This week I think we loaded the bases and hit a grand slam! Many thanks to Beth, Brad, Lisa, and Jeff for being great sports. Are you groaning from my baseball analogies yet? This was a fun week of memoirs. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did, and I hope to see you back here again, same time next week! Happy Reading!


Bouchercon countdown: 85 days!