Death of a Valentine by M.C. Beaton

Hamish MacBeth has been assigned an assistant, but he wasn't expecting the pretty, outgoing Josie McSween. Josie is more interested in becoming Mrs. MacBeth than in investigating the murder of a local beauty queen. The beauty queen--all agreed she was a lovely, kind girl with no faults--is discovered to be a manipulative, vindictive troublemaker.

In the previous MacBeth adventures, Hamish is pursued by attractive females but they never get him to the altar. He solves the crime while enraging his superiors. This one is no different, but it's a fun, light read, just right for a cold winter's night.

My top ten books of 2009

Looking over the titles of the books I read in 2009, I can't give myself high marks for literary taste or a quest for knowledge. At least half the books I read were mysteries--that's somewhere between 100 and 200 volumes. But there were some great mysteries, and some wonderful authors I had never read before. I'll have to check my list for the exact numbers of books read last year. Here are some of my favorites.

Winter and night by S.J. Rozan
This was the year I discovered Rozan's Lydia Chin and Bill Smith series. I read 'em all, and can't wait for the next one to appear. Books with finely drawn characters and complicated relationships appeal to me, as does the New York Chinatown setting.

Road dogs by Elmore Leonard
In this follow up to "Out of Sight," Leonard unites bank robber Jack Foley with criminal Cundo Rey and part-time psychic Dawn Navarro, characters from other books. Lots of over-the-top laughs.

What it is by Lynda Barry
A book that almost defies description. Barry has combined a memoir of her unhappy childhood with a guidebook to help stimulate the creative process. A visual treat.

Rule against murder by Louise Penny
Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and his wife are on their summer holiday when murder strikes, and of course, Gamache must oversee the investigation. The Quebec countryside is a wonderful setting for a mystery, and Gamache is a thoughtful, compassionate detective.

Driftless by David Rhodes
A reviewer called this novel "pleasantly overstuffed." It gives a glimpse into the lives of folks in the small town of Words, Wisconsin, and how those lives intersect and affect each other. It's Rhodes first book in thirty years, since being paralyzed in a motorcycle accident.
500 things to eat before it's too late by Jane and Michael Stern
The Sterns take on regional specialties in this guide to locally favorite foods that are fast disappearing, probably because they are laden with fats, sugars, and other unhealthy things. Be sure to check out your favorites---mmmm, frozen custard, bratwurst, and cheese curds.

Wreck of the Carl D. by Michael Schumacher
It's difficult to write a compelling story when the outcome is already known, but the author does a masterful job. Not as exciting as his earlier "Mighty Fitz," but a whopping good story of a shipwreck on Lake Michigan that had tragic results.

Dog on it by Spencer Quinn
Police dog washout Chet teams with human partner Bernie to find a missing teenager. Chet narrates, but doesn't talk, so this mystery doesn't suffer from cute animal syndrome. Ever wonder about what a dog is thinking?

Til the cows come home by Judy Clemens
Stella Crown is a young woman who runs a dairy farm with the help of a hired man. Tattooed and riding a Harley, she's not what you'd expect in the heart of Mennonite country. A mysterious illness is affecting local children, and someone is pointing the finger at Stella's cows.

Beat the reaper by Josh Bazell
This first novel is violent and funny, and not for everyone. A Mafia hitman is sent into the witness protection program as a medical intern and a former associate recognizes him and threatens to rat him out. Fans of "Dexter" would like this book.

THREE CAN KEEP A SECRET by Judy Clemens

Dairy farmer and biker Stella Crown is exhausted running her farm by herself, after the death of her long time farm hand. When Lucy Lapp, a young Mennonite widow with a daughter, applies for the job, Stella is relieved. She checks Lucy's references, and has a good feeling about her. She certainly knows her way about a dairy barn.

But Stella's house is vandalized with graffiti directed against Lucy, and there are anonymous calls hinting about suspicious circumstances around her husband's death. Plenty of suspicious characters and pinger pointing to go around. The second book in this series does not disappoint.

ROBERT B. PARKER

Robert B. Parker, author of the wisecracking Boston private detective Spenser series, died this week. He wrote dozens of books, mostly mysteries featuring the hard-as-nails but quick witted Spenser, but also penned series with small town cop Jesse Stone and private investigator Sunny Randall. A fan of westerns, he has a new title coming out this year. You could always count on a Parker novel for snappy dialog and characters that felt real.

DECEMBER'S BOOKS

Professional by Robert B. Parker
Bullet for a star by Stuart Kaminsky
Rule against murder by Louise Penny
Still life by Louise Penny
New tricks by David Rosenfelt
Champlain's dream by David Fischer
Hollywood moon by Joseph Wambaugh
Pride prejudice and zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith
Big little life: a memoir of a joyful dog by Dean Koontz
Murder she wrote: coffee tea or murder by Donald Bain

NOVEMBER'S BOOKS

Murder can depress your dachshund by Selma Eichler
Donovan and son by Michael Jahn
A Rumpole Christmas by John Mortimer
Girl who played with fire by Stieg Larsson
Dead of winter: CSI: NY by Stuart Kaminsky
Fete fatale by Robert Barnard
Bomb squad: a year inside by Richard Esposito
No plot no problem by Chris Baty
Sharing the harvest by Elizabeth Henderson
Money shot by Christa Faust
Plum pudding murder by Joanne Fluke
Cookie dough delight by Camilla Saulsbury
Taste of Home Christmas cookies and candy

OCTOBER'S BOOKS

The trouble with J.J. by Tami Hoag
Wash and die by Barbara Colley
Mildred Pierced by Stuart Kaminsky
Til the cows come home by Judy Clemens
Death of a cozt writer by G.M. Malliet
Museum of Natural History by Lyle Rexer
Bad bears go visiting by Daniel Pinkwater
Deluge: CSI: NY by Stuart Kaminsky
Miss Zukas and the library murders by Jo Dereske
Great Christmas cookie swap cookbook by Good Housekeeping
Marshall plan for novel writing by Evan Marshall
Marshall plan workbook: writing your novel by Evan Marshall
Blood on the sun: CSI: NY by Stuart Kaminsky
Marshall plan for getting your novel published by Evan Marshall
Brothers from Bataan by Adrian Martin
Marley and me by John Grogan

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