Review: The Fall Hunt by Joanne Clarey

Copyright: 2008 (Alabaster Books); pgs. 244
Series: #3 in Hummingbird Falls mysteries
Sensuality: N/A
Obtained book through:  Library
Main Character: Ellie Hastings, retired schoolteacher and her mutt Buddy
Setting: Mountain village of Hummingbird Falls, a tourist town with only 800 residents
Part of Challenge: Fall/Winter Mystery Reading Challenge

This mystery starts with a bang as Ellie Hastings enters a bank in the middle of a robbery. She is still suffering Post Traumatic Stress as fall starts turning to winter and the hunting season gears up. Ellie has been obsessing over a detail during the robbery that she knows is important but just can’t remember. All the while the bank robbers are still on the loose.

Then a very fateful day dawns when everything will be brought to light. Ellie is walking in the woods surrounding her cabin when she is struck from behind, falls and hits her head on a rock. Awakening she discovers a dead body and fights a concussion to get help as a quick moving blizzard descends on the area. A policeman patrolling the mountainous areas for illegal hunters goes missing and a search party is organized, a group of three greenhorn hunters lost in the sudden storm struggle to survive and a near starving bear known as Old Scar Face all play into the drama that unfolds.

Here is an excerpt displaying the writing style and how the author even makes a bear part of the unfolding drama:

“His shaggy winter hair was slightly silvered, mangy and crusted in places. A long scar from a tangle with another bear replaced the fur on the side of his face, giving him an odd twisted look. Those who had sighted him over the years nicknamed him Old Scar Face.

This fall had been hard on him. His preferred foods, nuts, acorns, fruit, insects, and greens, were scarce due to limited rainfall, and he failed to add the optimal amounts of fat necessary to hold him through the long months of hibernation, soon to come. Because of his age and injuries, Old Scar Face arrived late at his usual feeding spots and didn’t fill his hungry stomach. The old blueberry fields he once commanded were picked clean by the time he arrived. Competitiors had already consumed the cherries, blackberries, acorns and apples he depended upon to push his fat content to its fullest extent and ready him for hibernation. Other bears and deer, squirrels, chipmonks, birds, fox, mice, and all types of insects had benefited from the food which would have kept Old Scar Face from starving.”

The small town is populated with realistic and interesting characters making you wish to visit Hummingbirds Falls or perhaps even move there. The writing draws you in as you follow the different plot lines told from different characters viewpoints all adeptly handled. The mysteries are not so much for the reader to solve. There really are no suspects presented for you to consider. The bank robbers' identity is not given any clues leading up to the big reveal, the reader finds out when Ellie is telling the police Chief and it is a bit disappointing if you like solving the puzzle.   I have not read the others in the series so this may be part of how this story is told and not a characteristic of all the books in the series.

This book’s strongest point is the community and the writing and less so presenting a puzzle for the reader to discover which suspect is the culprit. This doesn’t make it necessarily an inferior story, but the reader should be prepared to enjoy the story and not match wits with the author. No list of suspects being paraded made the last part of the book feel rushed a bit, because I was expecting a few clues to chew on and instead, bam here is the big reveal.  So please keep that in mind, but consider Joanne Clarey's Hummingbird Falls Mystery Series (other titles include The Mysteries of Hummingbird Falls and Riddled to Death.)  I look forward to reading another for the storytelling value and will see if a stronger "traditional" mystery is contained in them.

Until the next "Musings" on Monday, I wish you many mysterious moments.

Author Interview: Dolores Stewart Riccio

I am very honored to post my first author interview with the phenomenal Dolores Stewart Riccio.  You may read my review of her last book "The Divine Circle of Ladies Playing with Fire" here.  She has a new book due out soon and I will be reviewing it at the first opportunity.  Enjoy this peek into Dolores' writing world.

What is your process for developing a character? Do you use pictures, a worksheet or just let the character tell you about him/herself as you write?
Fiction grows out of one’s lifetime of experiences, so although none of the Circle ladies is a specific person I have known (including myself), I’ve taken bits and pieces from many friends, relatives, colleagues, etc. and combined them into five new characters. At least that’s how it started. Now the five ladies have become so real to me, they are only and always themselves. I can guess how they will react in different situations, but sometimes I really don’t know what they’re going to do next. That makes the writing so much more interesting to me. And then there are a few special characters who seem to emerge out of nowhere as a complete surprise—because they are like no one I’ve ever known. Such a character was Freddie, who knocked on Cass’s door in Charmed Circle and “spoke” for herself ever after. I have never known anyone like Freddie. Finally, there are minor characters who often start with a name. Until I get the “right” name, somehow I don’t quite “see” the character. So I collect evocative names for future reference.
I love Cassandra, Fiona, Deidre, Heather and Phillipa. With a series and recurring characters, is it easier to write those characters?
Yes, as I’ve mentioned, they’ve become real people to me, and as soon as I turn on my computer, they come to life—talk to each other, come up with ideas, get into trouble etc.

Do you outline the plot or some variation of that (use a strict 3 act structure or not and little/a lot of detail) before sitting down and writing?
No, never. I’d find that rather dull, to plod through 350 pages to a preconceived conclusion. Of course, I do know all the threads have to pull together and the ending should seem somehow inevitable—and if that doesn’t happen, there will be some major rewriting to do. Authors who write like I do, without advance plotting, are probably relying on their subconscious to do the work. I know I like to think about what might happen next right before going to sleep—because there will be ideas waiting for me in the morning.

How do you find time for writing - what works for you?
The advice I like to give writers, who complain that they can’t find time to write, is “do it first.” This is also the advice I give myself, but don’t always follow. I try to write every day, including holidays and my birthday, but can usually only manage a few hours before I have to go do something for someone. I marvel at women authors who start early in the morning and write on and on until dinnertime. I assume there’s a household staff on call?

For your mystery series' there is some detailed information (Greenpeace, environmental issues, herbs etc.) - how much research goes into your work and do you complete that up front or "just enough" as you go?
I love research. (For one thing, it’s easier than writing.) I probably spend hours tracking down any little detail about which I’m not sure. I can’t seem to go on with the story until I nail down the factual base. Bless Google and other search engines; they have made my research so much easier!

I read that a romance writer would put on sexy lingerie to prepare for writing - do you have anything special you do before writing, particular music or a special room/location that helps you get in the zone and write?
Not usually. With one exception. While I was writing a novel that featured a ghost named Lily, I would always put a dab of lily perfume on my wrists before writing.

Can you recommend a fiction book that provides a great example of the writing craft to dissect and learn from?
Anything by Jane Austen.

How did you get your first break towards getting published? Was it sending in a query or meeting an agent at a writing conference etc?
There’s persistence—and then there’s luck. My first Circle novel, Circle of Five, was turned down by 125 agents. At that point, I began sending directly to publishers—those few who would read manuscripts that didn’t come from agents. I went right down a list of 30 such publishers that was written up in Writer’s Digest magazine. When I got to the fifth one, Kensington, it just happened that the editorial board had recently decided to begin offering Wiccan fiction. So my ms. got to the right desk at the right moment—finally. An editor named Ann called me up and said, “I love your book.” By then I’d written a sequel, Charmed Circle, so Kensington bought both of them.

Tell us about your upcoming book! What aspect of the new book did you particularly enjoy?
In my new Circle book—which will be “out” within the month—the ladies take a cruise to Bermuda to “get away from it all.” I have taken that cruise, and I did enjoy re-living it. I can’t tell you my favorite scene, however, because it would give too much away. I will just say that “Fiona saves the day.”

Thank you so much Dolores!!  Great interview.  I am looking forward to the your next book.

Until Thursday's book review I wish you many mysterious moments.

This interview was featured on "Just Write Blog Carnival"

Review: Murder Inside the Beltway by Margaret Truman

Margaret Truman was the only daughter of President Harry Truman. She used her knowledge of national politics and Washington D.C. to write the Capital Crimes novel series. Ms. Truman died January of 2008 and this is her twenty-fourth and last book in the series.  Since this past Tuesday was election day, even if for local issues this year, I thought it would be apropos to see how easily politics can be criminal!

The novel opens with the murder scene of high-paid prostitute Rosalie Curzon (savagely beaten then strangled). Her murder creates a quiet panic among her high-powered clients when the local police discover she had videotaped her clients and the police start systematically investigating each of them. But early on there is a suspicion that one videotape may be missing.

The story is told primarily from young detective Matt Jackson's viewpoint as he deals with his demeaning and racist superior - a twenty-three year veteran, Walt Hatcher. A secondary plotline is Matt and his coworker, Mary Hall are romantically entangled and Walt can't stand a mixed couple so the pressure is on. Walt Hatcher's view point gets several chapters to get us into his anger-filled, often drunk and physically ill head.

Rosalie Curzon's murder soon becomes intertwined with a bitter presidential campaign between incumbent President Burton Pyle and his "shoe-in" opponent Robert Colgate. When the daughter of Robert Colgate's closest advisor and Washington power player is kidnapped things begin to spin out of control. Was there a video tape of opponent Colgate with the murdered call girl and what is it worth in a bitter campaign struggle? Will Detective Matt Jackson's education in Sociology help in unearthing information to solve the tangle of vice and dirty politics to save the kidnapped girl. Margaret Truman proves she knows how vile politics can be when power is the ultimate motive.

Detective Jackson and his racist boss are the most fully realized characters. Mary Hall could have been fleshed out a bit more, she was a likable character but didn't seem to come to life enough. Robert Colgate is painted as a hypocritical smooth politician, which speaks so much to our political scandal-filled time that it works in spite of its cliché status. Walt Hatcher is finely portrayed as the angry and hardened boss who is facing failing health, which he may have brought on himself. Colgate's political advisor, Jerry Rollins, is given several chapters which highlight the intricacies of Washington politics. Even Robert Colgate's wife gets a few chapters that give us a peek into how hard presidential campaigns are on the spouses - and how the wives have secrets too.

The end has a surprise twist, for the murderer is not as obvious as the reader may think. The climax is well done and will stick with you a while. The plot is nicely layered and even the wrap up gives a few surprises. All in all a solid police procedural mystery with just enough grit and grime without feeling like you wallowed in the gutter yourself.

Obtained book through: Library



For your convenience, you may purchase a copy here.

Part of the Book Blog Carnival

Until next Monday I wish you many mysterious moments.

NaNoWriMo and Young Readers Day

To everybody participating in National Novel Writing Mon (NaNoWriMo), I wish you well.  Here is my contribution to your efforts, Write or Die.  Write or Die is a web application that encourages writing by punishing the tendency to avoid writing. Start typing in the box. As long as you keep typing, you're fine, but once you stop typing, you have a grace period of a certain number of seconds and then there are consequences.  You set which mode you want to write in: 

Gentle Mode: A certain amount of time after you stop writing, a box will pop up, gently reminding you to continue writing.

Normal Mode: If you persistently avoid writing, you will be played a most unpleasant sound. The sound will stop if and only if you continue to write.
Kamikaze Mode: Keep Writing or Your Work Will Unwrite Itself

These consequences will persist until your preset conditions have been met (that is, your time is up or you've written you wordcount goal or both)



There is a desktop version with more features that you can download for $10.00. 

Now for Young Readers Day!

November 8 is Young Readers Day as well as the holidays are fast approaching. Do you plan on giving some mystery books as gifts to the young people in your life? Let’s take a look at a popular Juvenile Detective series, the Three Investigators by creator Robert Arthur (other authors were William Arden, Nick West, M. V. Carey and Marc Brandel). The Three Investigators are three young high school students named Jupiter Jones, Pete Crenshaw and Bob Andrews

Jupiter is a former child actor and orphan living with his aunt and uncle and the brains of the group. Pete Crenshaw is the jock who does stake outs. Bob Andrews is the bookworm who excels at research. Jupiter’s Aunt and Uncle own a salvage yard which hides an old trailer hidden under strategically placed junk with secret entrances to the boy’s detective business headquarters. The three boys are younger, don’t drive and lack resources like the Hardy Boys of Nancy Drew but they are cleaver and diligent employing observation skills and their wits.

The series started in 1964 stopped in 1990, was re-released in 2005 and has a fan base in Germany, Poland, Italy, France, Pakistan, Vietnam, Thailan, Indonesia and probably more I have missed. In some of those countries, they have published more books in the series than the US has.

http://www.harrykaneart.com/ shows you the artist who created the book covers and sketches for the series.

I grew up reading these mysteries (even as a girl I followed the three boy’s adventures avidly). They are fun and inventive. I have kept for nearly thirty years an old copy of The Mystery of the Flaming Footprints inspite of multiple moves and life challenges. This maybe a series you could introduce your child to.

Books in the series:

1. The Secret of Terror Castle
2. The Mystery of the Stuttering Parrot
3. The Mystery of the Whispering Mummy
4. The Mystery of the Green Ghost
5. The Mystery of theVanishing Treasure
6. The Secret of Skeleton Island
7. The Mystery of the Fiery Eye
8. The Mystery of the Silver Spider
9. The Mystery of the Screaming Clock
10. The Mystery of the Moaning Cave
11. The Mystery of the Talking Skull
12. The Mystery of the Laughing Shadow
13. The Secret of the Crooked Cat
14. The Mystery of the Coughing Dragon
15. The Mystery of the Flaming Footprints
16. The Mystery of the Nervous Lion

17. The Mystery of the Singing Serpent
18. The Mystery of the Shrinking House
19. The Secret of Phantom Lake
20. The Mystery of Monster Mountain
21. The Secret of the Haunted Mirror
22. The Mystery of the Dead Man's Riddle
23. The Mystery of the Invisible Dog
24. The Mystery of Death Trap Mine
25. The Mystery of the Dancing Devil
26. The Mystery of the Headless Horse
27. The Mystery of the Magic Circle
28. The Mystery of the Deadly Double
29. The Mystery of the Sinister Scarecrow
30. The Secret of Shark Reef
31. The Mystery of the Scar-Faced Beggar
32. The Mystery of the Blazing Cliffs
33. The Mystery of the Purple Pirate
34. The Mystery of the Wandering Cave Man
35. The Mystery of the Kidnapped Whale
36. The Mystery of the Missing Mermaid
37. The Mystery of the Two-Toed Pigeon
38. The Mystery of the Smashing Glass
39. The Mystery of the Trail of Terror
40. The Mystery of the Rogues' Reunion
41. The Mystery of the Creep-Show Crooks
42. The Mystery of Wreckers' Rock
43. The Mystery of the Cranky Collector

Do you know of a children’s or young adult mystery series? We know of Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys – probably the oldest running mystery series' around. But what else is out there for parents to introduce their young mystery readers to? Please leave comments of recommendations to help in gift giving and encourage not only the reading habit but the mystery bug too!

Until Thursday when we review another book, I wish you many mysterious moments.

Book Review: Dead Girls Are Easy by Terri Garey

This is the last paranormal mystery for our Halloween book reviews and the book I listed for the "Fall-Winter Mystery Reading Challenge".  Dead Girls are Easy is the first in the Nicki Styx series.  I began with the first book in the series even though there are four in the series currently.  In this first installment I classify it more paranormal and much less mystery in the usual sense.  This is very close to urban fantasy lite and no real burning mystery with multiple suspects exists. 

Nicki Styx was unaware of a heart valve problem until she has a near death experience due to a heart atack.  Returning to her job and normal life she finds that the owner of the shop across the street from her vintage clothing store has been murder and her boyfriend arrested for the crime.  She sees the dead friend, Caprice, watching the police handle the crime scene.  Nicki is quickly being maliciously haunted and blackmailed by Caprice's spirit.  In trying to stop the malevant ghost Nicki finds herself hip deep in Jamaican Voodoo. 

There are some effectively scary scenes around the voodoo and its lore.  For those who don't like bed scenes with your mysteries, this maybe a little too steamy for you - although no graphic detail, the main action is all off page.  But there are many sexual references and body parts alluded to.  There are also many pop culture references such as music groups (which honestly - some I had never heard of.)  Perhaps the author is targeting a closely post teen audience rather than "mature" adults.   Sub plots consist of Nicki discovering she may possibly have a twin sister (Nicki was adopted), and a few sideline ghosts asking for her assistance, and her openly gay business partner Evan and his developing new relationship.

Nicki Styx is your classic bad girl who has had a wake-up call with her near death experience (NDE).  She is also the kind-hearted-underneath-it-all type inspite of her previous wildness.  Her NDE has definitely changed her more than just seeing spirits now.  As a main character, she grows on you.  Best supporting character goes to her business partner Evan.  Evan could very easily have been the stereotypical gay man cliche, but is better defined and just avoids the cliche status.  Evan is a dear-heart of a best friend for Nicki. 

The strong elements of this book are the romance and the paranormal, the mystery element is not a main story line in truth.  At the end you find out who really did kill Caprice, which was easy enough to figure out in the first few chapters because of Caprice's spirit giving it to the reader early on.  In any case, if you are looking for a good scary book for halloween - but not too scary with a heaping dose of steam, this is probably for you.

Obtained book through: Library


For your convenience, you may purchase a copy here.

Part of the Book Blog Carnival

See you next Monday for the next Musings post.  I wish you many mysterious moments!