Mildred Pierced by Stuart Kaminsky

In ten words or less: Peters investigates a murder; Joan Crawford was a witness.

Review: Private investigator toby Peters is hired by hapless dentist Sheldon Minck to prove his innocence in his wife's murder. Actress Joan Crawford was a witness to the crime, and she claims she saw Minck shoot a crossbow at his wife. The dentist had joined a survivalist group and was training with weapons.
Peters attempts to exonerate the dentist while keeping Crawford's name out of the papers. The wisecracking Peters reminds the reader of Nero Wolfe's associate Archie Goodwin. Grat characters, lots of action, and snappy dialog.

Why bother? Fun classic private eye series set in Hollywood during the golden age of film stars. Fans of Rex Stout and Dashiell Hammett will love this series.

SOUPY SALES
1926-2009

Take a pie in the face in memory of Soupy Sales.

STRAWBERRY ICE CREAM PIE

1 (3oz.) pkg. strawberry jello
1 1/4 cup boiling water
1 pt. vanilla ice cream
12 oz. strawberries, thawed and drained (can use the juice for part of the water)
Graham cracker crust or baked pie shell

Dissolve Jello in boiling water. Add ice cream by spoonfuls. Set until partially firm. Add thawed and drained strawberries. Put in crust and refrigerate until firm. Top with plenty of whipped cream! makes a 10" pie.

Eat or toss--it's your choice.

City of God by Michael Jahn

In ten words or less: Mad killer haunts a NYC cathedral.

Review: The world's largest Gothic cathedral is the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City. A killer has nailed a threat to the door. "The pleasure seekers of the City of Man will be punished for encroaching on the City of God. I am the protector of his temple, and I speak for him."
The first victim, a film festival organizer, was bludgeoned to death. While Lt. Bill Donovan searches among the mazes and cellars of the cathedral, Marcie's friend Jennifer is stabbed to death while running the NYC marathon.

Why bother? There are plenty of suspects and plenty of hiding places. Donovan must catch the killer before he becomes the next victim. For those who enjoy big city police procedurals.

Probable claws by Clea Simon

In ten words or less: Club scene reporter meets shelter workers; accused of killing veterinarian.

Review: Theda Krakow is a freelance reporter who writes about the Boston club scene. She's also a cat lover whose friends run a no-kill shelter. When a cat gets sick from tainted kibble from the city shelter, Theda decides to investigate. And when she discovers the body of the city veterinarian stabbed with a scalpel, she's arrested for murder.
Her boyfriend, a retired cop, bails her out but warns her to leave the investigation to the police.
Why bother? A heavy overload of cats and the club scene was too much, even for this cat lover.

September's books

In Dead men don't get the munchies by Miranda Bliss, Annie is a bank teller who has a part-time job at Bellywasher's, a local pub owned by her boyfriend Jim. Jim is offering cooking classes and Annie, who can't boil water, is slated to be his assistant. During the first class one of the students, Brad Peterson, an obnoxious weasel with a capital W, is threatened by Annie's friend Eve. And when Brad is murdered, Eve is the prime suspect. Of course, Annie has to investigate. Light and fluffy mystery.

Publishing basics by Robert Johnson
Writer watchdog self-publishing directory
Whitechapel horrors by Edward Hanna
Girl with the dragon tattoo by Stieg Larsson
Washington D.C. by Becca Blond
Fixer upper by Mary Kay Andrews
Grand finale by Janet Evanovich
Ride by David Walton
Fluke by Christopher Moore
One bad apple by Sheila Connelly
Dead men don't get the munchies by Miranda Bliss

Death games by Michael Jahn

In ten words or less: Mysterious hitwoman is taking out Mafia mobsters; Donovan wonders why.

Review: A beautiful hit woman is taking out mobsters with a Civil War pisstol, and Bill Donovan, NYPD, is on her trail. She's a race horse owner who is settling a score--but what is the connection between the uppercrust horsewoman and the Mafia hoods? On hand are Donovan's on-again, off-again lover, Sgt. Marcia Barnes; Donovan's assistant, T.L. Jefferson, the regulars at Riley's Saloon, and Clint, the snapping turtle.

Why bother? Donovan takes the reader through the streets of New York, adding lots of local color to a solid murder mystery.

BOOK REVIEW

Road dogs by Elmore Leonard

In ten words or less: Jack Foley is back. Will he give up robbing banks?

Review: Jack Foley, the "Sweetheart Bank Robber," is released from prison, where he has spent the last three years with Cuban criminal Cundo Rey. Cundo pays for a lawyer for Foley, who gets his sentence reduced, and agrees to wait in Venice Beach, CA., for Cundo, due to be released shortly.
Also waiting for Cundo is Dawn Navarro, his wife of eight years and a professional psychic. When she meets Foley, she discovers the perfect partner for her scam to relieve Cundo of all his money. Can Dawn trust Jack? Does Jack trust Dawn? And does Cundo trust either one of them?

Why bother? A fast, funny read that unites characters from three of Leonard's previous books.

BOOK REVIEW

Murder in Central Park by Michael Jahn

In ten words or less: Body discovered in Central Park; many suspects, no alibis.

Review: NYPD Captain Bill Donovan is invited to spend a night high up in a tree in Central Park. His neighbor, a scientist who studies crows, goes for a walk in the middle of the night, and when they descend from the tree in the morning, a crow is picking on a corpse.
Donovan's friend swears he's innocent. But the friend's son, the girlfriend, the girlfriend's father (a reclusive poet of note), a rollerskating pickpockets, and a rival scientist all have motives.
Donovan's boss wants him to wrap up the case quickly, before the big Earth Day celebration. His wife, retired police sergeant Marcy Barnes, wants him to quit his overnight stakeouts in the park.

Why bother? A solid police procedural, with lots of Big Apple atmosphere.

Whiskey and water by Nina Wright

In ten words or less: Whacky dogs and townsfolk complicate Whiskey's life.

Review: Real estate agent Whiskey Mattimoe's life is spinning out of control. Her incorragible Afghan hound Abra is causing trouble among the other residents of this small, upscale Michigan resort town. Three men are interested in her--newcomer MacArthur, a hunky Scotsman and potential new employee, self-help author Fenton Flagg, and her ex-husband Jeb Halloran, a musician who woos her by playing covers of Barenaked Ladies' songs.
When a young tenant of Whiskey's is found dead on the beach, everyone presumes she was caught in a riptide. But what happened to the small children she was caring for?
The book is crammed full of whacky characters--a mayor returned from the dead, a computer guru who controls a vast financial empire, a pack of neurotic dogs, an oldeer-than-his-years middle schooler, and more.

Why bother? Whiskey is an incompetant pet owner and a neglectful step-parent. All the eccentric characters are hard to keep straight, and the plot gets lost along the way. I assume the dogs' and kids trials were meant to be funny, but they were just sad.

August’s Books

In "The day my dogs became guys" by Merrill Markoe, a solar eclipse makes Carey's dogs turn into people. Butch, Dee Dee, and Ed raid the kitchen, and chase cars and squirrels. Eric Brace's illustrations are wonderfully wacky and Merrill Markoe's story brings the trio of hungry dogs to life. Fun for kids and adults.

Person of interest by Theresa Schwegel
China trade by S.J. Rozan
State of the onion by Julie Hyzy
The day my dog became guys by Merrill Markoe
The first quarry by Max Allan Collins
Brass verdict by Michael Connelly
500 things to eat before it’s too late by Jane and Michael Stern
Concourse by S.J. Rozan
Mandarin plaid by S.J. Rozan
Whiskey and water by Nina Wright
No colder place by S.J. Rozan
A bitter feast by S.J. Rozan
Death wore white by Jim Kelly
Stone quarry by S.J. Rozan
Get real by Donald Westlake
Last known address by Theresa Schwegel
Life is good by Trixie Koontz
Chasing the bear by Robert B. Parker
American eats! By Pat Willard
American sea writing: a literary anthology
Reflecting the sky by S.J. Rozan

Casualty crossing by Kevin Hughes
In ten words or less: Police officer advocates for a runaway boy who won't talk.

Review: Toby Jenkins, known as TJ, is on the verge of losing his job at the Madison Police Department. His ex-wife, a lawyer, isn't contributing to his peace of mind, either. When a thirteen-year-old runaway turns up in a Madison hospital, beaten and claiming not to remember anything, TJ investigates. As he gains the boy's trust, he discovers the boy was abused by his stepfather. The author is a former Dane County Sheriff's Department detective.

Why bother? The boy's story is more interesting than that of TJ, a hothead with an adolescent attitude toward his work and ex-wife.

China Trade by S.J. Rozan

In ten words or less: Asian-American investigator Lydia searches for stolen porcelains in Chinatown.

Review: An expensive gift of porcelain is stolen from the Chinatown Museum, and Chinese-American private investigator Lydia chin is hired to look into the theft. She is young, smart, and tough, and lives with her traditional mother, who fears that her daughter will never find a husband until she finds a more suitable career for a woman.
The porcelains are a gift from a reclusive collector; not many people knew they were stored in the Museum’s basement. Is it a gang-related crime? Or is a professor charged with inventorying the collection covering up insurance fraud?
Lydia’s partner, Bill Smith, is attracted to her, but her mother calls him the “white devil.” Lydia tries to sort out her feelings toward him as they discover a body in another museum, and set up a meet with a gang leader.

Why bother? Lydia is fiercely independent yet loyal to her family and community. Chinatown provides an intriguing setting for a mystery, and the reader wants to find out where the relationship between Lydia and Bill is heading. I’m getting the next in the series this week.

July's Books

Not so funny when it happened edited by Tim Cahill is a collection of travel stories by a group of stellar contributors. What happens when the best plans fall by the wayside? Ask flight attendant Elliot Neal Hester, as he deals with a queasy young passenger, or Nigel Barley, when he visits a dentist in Cameroon. Contributors include Anne Lamott, Dave Barry, Randy Wayne White, Douglas Adams, and others.

Wanderlust by Chris Dyer
Bliss to you: Trixie's guide to a happy life by Trixie Koontz
Honeymoon with my brother: a memoir by Franz Wisner
Pros and cons of windpower by Louise Spilsbury
The greatest of Marlys by Lynda Barry
Winter and night by S.J. Rozan
Not so funny when it happened edited by Tim Cahill
Red knife by William Kent Krueger
Sherlock Holmes and the Brighton Pavilion mystery by Val Andrews
Sherlock Holmes and the Chilford Ripper by Roger Jaynes
Sherlock Holmes and the giant rat of Sumatra by Alan Vanneman
Sherlock Holmes and the case of Sabina Hall by L.B. Greenwood
NYPD confidential by Leonard Levitt
Wife of the gods by Kwei Quartey
Shanghai Moon by S.J. Rozan
Pushing up daisies by Rosemary Harris
1001 books for every mood by Hallie Ephron
Off the beaten path Washington DC by William Whitman
Robbers by Christopher Cook

Mandarin plaid by S.J. Rozan

In ten words or less: A ransom drop goes wrong; fashion show may be ruined.

Review: Lydia Chin is hired for a straight-forward job--seliver a ransom in return for a set of sketches for an upcoming fashion show. Designer Genna Jing is a friend of Lydia's brother, and he recommended her for the job.
But Lydia is shot at while making the drop, and a suspect is murdered before she and her partner Bill Smith can question him. Their investigation takes them into the world of models, designers, and the sweatshops that produce the garments. They cross paths with the police; there is a detective that has a personal grudge against Smith.

Why bother? Each book in this series reveals more about Lydia and Bill. She's a feisty, headstrong young woman who cares about her partner, but doesn't want a romantic relationship with him. A winner!

What the fortune cookie said today

"To lower your stress level, get a cat."

Big Bad Voodoo Daddy swings

Headliners at Oshkosh Waterfest were Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, a band that updates swing and jive music of the 1930s. Cab Calloway’s “Reefer Man” and “Minnie the Moocher” had the crowd on their feet, and the band mixed old music with some original songs. This group is more than a tribute band—they bring jive into the 21st century.
Opening the evening was the “Susan Cowsill Band”—yes, that Susan Cowsill. Their New Orleans tinged rock was okay, but sounded like a lot of other opening acts. Followed by Paul Sanchez and the New Orleans Rolling Band; the membership varies, but great high energy New Orleans boogie-rock. Susan Cowsill joined them for most of their set, and my opinion of her went up. She contributed on percussion, washboard, guitar, and vocals. They also did a version of “The rain, the park, and other things,” without the bubblegum. It’s been stuck in my head for days now. I also hadn’t realized that Barry Cowsill was one of the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Person of interest by Theresa Schwegel

In ten words or less: Noir tale of an undercover cop and family in Chicago.

Craig McHugh is an undercover cop who is getting too involved in his assignment. He's draining his bank account, trying to get an "in" with Asian criminals. His marriage is crumbling, and his wife is showing a little too much interest in her 17-year-old daughter's boyfriend. The daughter is picked up using Ecstasy at a party, and mom Leslie covers for her.
When Craig's former partner is killed making a drug bust, he sinks further into his secret life. But Leslie believes he is having an affair, and investigates on her own. Both Craig's wife and daughter are in danger because of his undercover activities.

Why bother? A dark and gritty tale of an undercover cop's life and the toll it takes on his family. The McHughs aren't a particularly likeable family, but the reader wonders what they might have been like years earlier. The author is an Edgar Award-winner.

June's Books

Comedy writer Merrill Markoe has written some hilarious books for adults. With "The day my dogs became guys," she penned a books dog-loving kids will love. A solar eclipse makes Carey's dogs turn into people. Butch, Dee Dee, and Ed raid the kitchen, and chase cars and squirrels. Eric Brace's illustrations are wonderfully whacky and Markoe's text brings the trio of hungry dogs to life.

Murder in Coney Island by Michael Jahn
How to write a damn good mystery by James Frey
Writing the breakout novel workbook by Donald Maass
Cemetery dance by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
Weddings can be murder by Christie Craig
Don't look down by Jennifer Crusie
Walking in circles before lying down by Merrill Markoe
Second fiddle by Carol Reigh
Nose down, eyes up by Merrill Markoe
The day my dogs became guys by Merrill Markoe

State of the Onion by Julie Hyzy

In ten words or less: White House chef competes for job; is target of assassin.

Review: Olivia Paras is nervous enough. She's been a leading contender for the Executive Chef position at the White House, until food show host Laurel Anne is scheduled to audition. The White House staff is talking like Laurel Anne's appointment is a done deal.
Sighing, Olivia runs out on her lunch hour to pick up a retirement gift for the retiring chef--an engraved saute pan. When she spies an intruder on the White House grounds, with the Secret Service in pursuit, she brains the man with her pan. But as she brings down the skillet on the man's head, he tells her something. And when the Secret Service hushes up the incident, Olivia is suspicious. Even the Secret Service agent she is dating won't tell her what's up.

Why bother? Totally unbelievable plot, but the insider's view of the White House kitchen is fun. And the smug Laurel Anne gets her comeuppance. Recipes included.

May 2009 books

Another coming-of-age story, “Planet of the dates” by Paul McComas is a tale of a seventeen year old boy with raging hormones, and the three girls in his life. Stephanie acts in his homemade movies, Danielle is an African-American friend from school, and Cheryl, a stoner obsessed with punk rock, shoplifting, and getting high. It’s the 1980s in suburban Milwaukee, and the hero (based on the author, ya think?) spends his time at a meaningless part-time job and plans to make a movie about the Loch Ness Monster. Mildly humorous and not too deep.

Singing swan by Margaret Ashmun
Forensics: a guide for writers by D.P. Lyle
Murder in Central Park by Michael Jahn
Death games by Michael Jahn
Character naming sourcebook by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Doll with opal eyes by Jean DeWeese
Abroad for her country by Jean Wilkowski
City of God by Michael Jahn
Casualty crossing by Kevin Hughes
Planet of the dates by Paul McComas
Bibliophiles dictionary by Miles Westley
Murder on Fifth Avenue by Michael Jahn
Road dogs by Elmore Leonard
Cream puff murder by Joanne Fluke
Night rituals by Michael Jahn
Probable claws by Clea Simon
Writing and selling your mystery by Hallie Ephron
I’ll never be French by Mark Greenside
Don’t murder your mystery by Chris Roerden
First draft in thirty days by Karen Weisner
From first draft to finished novel by Karen Weisner
Murder on the waterfront by Michael Jahn
How to write killer fiction by Carolyn wheat
What it is by Lynda Barry