QUOTE OF THE DAY

"And yet you come bringing me Fink-Nottles. Is this the time for Fink, or any other kind of Nottle?"--P.G. Wodehouse, "Right Ho, Jeeves."

BOOK REVIEW

Title: Ladies’ Man

Author: Suzanne Brockmann

In ten words or less: Handsome young cop falls for older single mother in danger.

Review: Ellen, an English professor at Yale, has a summer fling in New York City with a gorgeous, younger cop named Sam. But will Sam be able to protect her from a deranged stalker? Sam meets Ellen when he is mistaken for a famous author who has agreed to write her uncle’s biography. Fresh from a divorce, Ellen is escaping her suburban Connecticut home for a summer in the city, where she hopes to switch careers and become an actress. After a quick sexual encounter in a limousine, Sam is in love, but Ellen wants just a fling. Who prevails?

Why bother? Romance and danger combine for a satisfying read.

BOOK REVIEW

Title: Clearing Customs

Author: Martha Egan

In ten words or less: Gift shop owner is targeted by customs officials.

Review: Folk art dealer Beverly Parmentier is being pursued by crooked agents from the U.S. Customs Service. Beverly is an honest businesswoman who can't figure out why her store is being targeted or why she is being followed, even on a rafting trip on the Yampa River. Could it be that she spoke out on behalf of a fellow importer unjustly accused of smuggling? Or is it her Peace Corps background and her ex-hippie lifestyle?

Martha Egan wrote this novel in 1988 in response to the U.S. customs Service war on small import businesses. Egan was raised in DePere, WI and is a graduate of St. Joseph's Acacemy in Green Bay.

Why bother? Great combination of humor and mystery with a dash of over zealous government agents thrown in for good measure.

BOOK REVIEW

Title: Holmes on the Range

Author: Steve Hockensmith

In ten words or less: Two cowboys solve a murder a la Sherlock Holmes.

Review: Gustave "Old Red" Amlingmeyer is a Montana cowboy who dreams of being the Sherlock Holmes of the American frontier. With winter fast approaching and no income to rely on, Old Red and his younger brother Otto "Big Red" hire on as hands at the Bar-VR Ranch. After a stampede, the body of the ranch manager is found, an apparent murder. Soon another man is discovered to have committed suicide--or is it more foul play?
The sights and sounds of the 1890s American west come alive in this mystery-meets-western. This is a first novel from Hockensmith, who is a contributor to Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine and Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine.

Why bother? The strange blend of mystery and western works well, because of the likeable brothers.

LOBSTER BOIL WITH ELVIS

That was the sign outside a resort in the Wisconsin Dells this past weekend. Was the lobster named Elvis? Was Elvis boiling lobsters from beyond? So much to ponder.