Review: Wild Penance by Sandi Ault

I was sent this book from the publisher and I couldn't wait to dig in from the tantalizing blurbs.  I will be doing a give away of three Wild Penance books beginning next Monday!!!  I am negotiating an interview with Ms. Ault as well.  This book has grabbed me and I want to share with you my fellow mystery readers.

Author: Sandi Ault

Copyright: 2010 (Berkley); 320 pgs.

Series: #4 in Wild Mysteries
Sensuality: Mild
Mystery sub-genre: Amateur Sleuth

Main Character: Jamaica Wild, Bureau of Land Management Agent (Range Rider)
Setting: Taos New Mexico
Winner of any awards: Wild Sorrow won Mary Higgins Clark Award
Obtained book through: Publisher

Jamaica is out running early one morning along the rim of a rocky chasm with the Rio Grande below when she witnesses two men shove a large wooden cross over the side of the Rio Grande Bridge…with somebody attached. She watches in horror as the cross plunges the 650 feet down to the river below. This is the beginning of a great suspense novel that combines a secretive old Hispanic sect of Catholicism – Los Penitentes - with murder to weave a haunting story.

Jamaica is more involved in the subject matter than even she would have thought. She had been sketching the Los Penitentes shrines and collecting stories and general information about their rites and beliefs. She had even talked with a priest, Father Ignacio Medina, who knew a good bit about them. The incident appears to be Los Penitentes related somehow and Jamaica is the only witness. Just hours after she witnesses the cross plunging off the bridge her Jeep is broken into and her Los Penitentes sketchbook and information is stolen. Then Jamaica receives word that the man dumped into the Rio Grande was Father Ignacio Medina! Danger is stalking closer than she knows – what a time to be pulling duty in remote areas on horseback.

My normal routine would have been to establish a base camp before dark fell and make planned forays from that point, doing the bulk of my range riding during daylight hours. In the remote country where I normally worked, I had few human interactions, and my greatest concern was survival in bad weather. In the areas I patrolled most, I buried caches of supplies and survival gear so that I could travel light. I chose the most beautiful spots for my camps because there was no reason to camp elsewhere. But for this assignment, I would try to cover the fence line first – all the way from one end to the other – so I knew the terrain. After that, I could determine where to place a base camp for the following night, in a spot where I felt it was most important to maintain an active presence. Tonight, I planned to ride just over five miles to meet the forest ranger at our appointed rendezvous site near Canada de la Entranas, more than halfway to Canoncito.

I had not read the earlier books in this series, but I understand that this fourth book in the series is a prequel and gives the beginnings of Jamaica that the other books had not gone into much detail on. I have to say, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was suspenseful and Jamaica is a loner that you root for at every step. Ms. Ault’s love of New Mexico richly flavors the pages and her equal love of the wild outdoors brings Jamaica’s soul alive.

"Yeah," he chuckled.  Then he nudged me on the shoulder with the back of his hand.  "You know, you have a little ornery streak in you, don't you?"  He was giving me that devilish grin again, and I had no tools to resist it.  My boundaries seemed to malfunction with this guy.  All my fences turned to open gates, my battlements became highly decorative entry ramps, my moats became swimming pools with neon signs hanging above them reading: Come on in, the water's fine!

There is a romantic interest that begins in this installment and I want to read more to find out how it goes.  The mystery plays out with consistent tension as Jamaica is robbed and followed. Los Penitentes creates an eerie backdrop that makes this a page-turner. Jamaica proves tenacious like a pit bull and her loner-minimalist-lifestyle gives her a bittersweet lonely aura. The solution to the murder is revealed and I had only gotten part of the solution right so that was pleasing. The climax is a suspenseful ride and is burned into my memory.  Overall I was truly pleased with this book and it left imagery of New Mexico alive in my being.

This book has made me a fan and I will be reading the rest in the series.

For your convenience, you may purchase your copy here.

Until next Monday, I wish you many mysterious moments.

Author Interview: Margaret Maron

I am overjoyed and deeply honored to have this interview with Margaet Maron.  Ms. Maron is a bestselling author and winner of the Edgar, Anthony, Agatha and Macavity awards.  She is a founding member and past president of Sisters in Crime and of the American Crime Writers' League, and a director on the national board for Mystery Writers of America.  Her works have been translated into a dozen languages and are on the reading lists of many college course in contemporary Southern literature.  You can read my review of her book, Sand Sharks here. Please give a warm welcome to Margaret Maron.

Do you start your next mystery with the killer, the victim or a plot idea?

I usually start by choosing the North Carolina setting where Judge Deborah Knott will be holding court, i.e., the landscape around her, whether she's in her home county, at the coast, or out in the mountains. I look at issues pertinent to her surroundings and then let the plot grow organically out of that setting and those issues..

Do you outline the plot or some variation of that (a little/a lot of detail - use a strict 3 act structure or not) before sitting down and writing?
I have never been able to outline. I wish I could, but the few times I've tried it, I overthink and wind up getting so bored that the story dies. I compare my style of writing to someone who lets loose a boxful of rabbits. Every rabbit is a character or plot point. I set them free and watch them scamper around for about 55,000 words, then I spend another 15,000 words getting them back into the box. I usually have no idea where they're going and am often delighted to see what briar patches they've wandered into, from which I must extricate them.

I love Judge Deborah Knott, 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?
My characters seem to stroll into a scene or onto a page as they are needed. They are created out of necessity and whimsey. While they often arrive merely to further the plot, I usually get so interested in them or their backstories that I probably flesh them out more than is strictly necessary. After 16 books, I now have several hundred that I can tap to play a role and all of them are quite vivid in my mind. Deborah herself was created to be the direct antithesis of Lt. Sigrid Harald, NYPD, the protagonist of 8 earlier novels set against the New York art scene. I wanted to differentiate the two completely. Because Sigrid was a loner, I made Deborah gregarious. Because Sigrid was awkward in relationships, I made Deborah comfortable in her skin. Sigrid is an only child and has very few relatives, so Deborah has 11 older brothers and many nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Because Sigrid was this, Deborah was that, etc. Readers often tell me that the two voices are so different they would never have guessed that both series were written by the same person.

How do you find time for writing - what works for you?
I discovered long ago that one makes time for what one wants to do and for what is important to that person. When it's time to write, I quit doing all the other stuff and just write. Because I'm not a morning person, I find that I accomplish my best writing between five p.m. and 1 a.m.

I read once 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?
I'm not going to accuse that romance writer of saying something provocative just to interest her interviewer, but most of the writers I know go to their keyboards in pajamas, sweat pants, or a comfortable pair of jeans. Sexy lingerie? Oh, please! The writing doesn't happen for me until I'm sitting at a keyboard facing an empty screen that demands that I fill it with words. I don't have to work in a cork-lined room with absolute quiet, but I do concentrate better if I'm alone in a room with the door closed between me and whatever interesting that's happening beyond that door. I cannot write and listen to music though. The music gets between me and the screen.

I particularly enjoy how you create a sense of place. Setting seems as important as the characters in your mysteries, any tips on conveying a sense of place well?
Be specific. Don't say there are trees. "Trees" is generic. Are they pines? Palms? Mighty oaks or graceful dogwoods? Are the "roadside flowers" red poppies, blue asters, or goldenrod? Get away from the sense of sight and let your characters smell, taste, touch, and hear their surroundings.

What is on your bedside table to read?
Nothing. I fall asleep too quickly to read in bed. But on my breakfast table might be a history of everyday life in Rome, a classic mystery, a manuscript an editor has asked me to give a cover quote to, and of course a newspaper and some periodicals: The New Yorker, The Saturday Review of Literature, Newsweek, etc.

Can you recommend a fiction book that provides a great example of the writing craft to dissect and learn from?
Either The Franchise Affair or Brat Farrar, both by Josephine Tey. She puts you immediately into the scene and even her animals have personalities.

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?
Dogged persistence. I began with short stories sent in "over the transom" and put up with a year of rejection until the then-editor of Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine bought one. Then two, and I was off to the races. After several years of short stories, I tried my hand at a novel and sent it to an agent that one of the magazine editors had recommended. He wasn't able to do much for me, but that book led to a second agent and finally, by a very circuitous path, to the agent I have now

Do you participate in a critique group (or have you in the past?) What are the pros and cons of critique groups?
No, I never have. When I began writing, I knew of no other writers, so I learned my craft on my own and never saw the point of them, therefore I can't give advice on their usefulness. I know that many writers swear by them, but I've heard that some groups are downright toxic. I've also heard that it's too easy to try to write to the group rather than to one's own sense of rightness, but I know none of this from personal experience.

THANK YOU Ms. Maron for this wonderful interview.  It has been a delight interviewing you and I look forward to your next books.
 
Until Thursday's next book review, I  wish you many mysterious moments and happy holidays.

Review: Sand Sharks by Margaret Maron

Copyright: Aug 2009 (Grand Central Publishing); 304 pgs.
Series: #15 in Deborah Knott Mysteries
Sensuality: N/A
Mystery sub-genre: Amateur Sleuth
Main Character: North Caroline District Judge Deborah Knott
Setting: conference at Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina
Winner of any awards: Series has won Edgar and Anthony awards
Obtained book through: Library

Judge Deborah Knot has only been married seven months and finds herself adjusting not only to married relationship dynamics but also to a stepson come to live with the newlyweds. Deborah looks forward to a little time away while at a judge’s conference at idyllic Wrightsville Beach. The first night before the conference most of the judges have arrived and have dinner together. The first inkling that Judge Jeffreys is not liked comes during the dinner when Deborah’s cousin Reid won’t even join her at her table because of Judge Jeffreys’ presence. After dinner Deborah finds the body of Judge Jeffreys.

“I turned to Reid and said ‘So why didn’t you come over and speak to Fitz and Martha? He’s retiring this fall?’

Reid’s dad, Brix Junior, was a close friend of the Fitzhumes and they had known Reid since he was a little boy.

‘I’ll catch’em later. He downed the rest of his drink in one long swallow. ‘No way I’m going over while that asshole’s there.’

‘And which asshole would that be?’ I asked.

‘Jeffreys.’ He spat out the name like an expletive.
….

Once we were in the car, I could see Chelsea Ann’s face in the rearview mirror. ‘Did you just twinkle at that Edwards guy?’ I asked. “You did, You twinkled at him.’

As the uniformed officer lowered the tape at the exit of the parking lot and signaled for us to drive through, Chelsea Ann grinned and said, “So?’

Rosemary sighed and laid her head against the seat. ‘I thought you said that a chest for you new entry hall was the only thing you intended to bring back from the beach this year.’

Chelsea Ann gave her sister a reassuring pat on the arm. ‘I haven’t loaded him in my trunk,’ she said. ‘Yet.’”

As Deborah easily asks questions of her fellow judges and passes along relevant information to the local investigating detective, Gary Edwards, she finds that Judge Jeffreys was corrupt and a bad judge leaving a plethora of suspects. Was it another judge or somebody who suffered due to his bad judicial decisions? There are many characters involved in the story with the setting being a conference, so fair warning – read when you can give the novel attention with few interruptions.

Deborah is a reasonable and thoughtful main character who shows an internal strength I appreciated. The large cast of characters I felt was handled aptly and I was able to keep the relationships clear. This book’s strong point is the rich layering of setting and a sense of history. I had not read any prior Deborah Knott mysteries and I felt immediately a part of her world. The many personal histories are carefully doled out to enfold the reader.

The story is told primarily from Deborah’s viewpoint with the exception of a few chapters told from detective Edwards or Detective Wall’s viewpoint. Thus the reader is along for the ride figuring out what happened and the motive for the murder with a few miscalculations as everything is pieced together. Once the culprit is revealed it didn’t seem like there were enough clues to point the reader in that direction, so there was no satisfaction in having a fair chance to figure out whodunit. Overall a great story with a writing style I enjoyed. I am looking forward to reading more from this author for she is a good story weaver.

Special Announcement: Carnival Coming!

Introducting the Mystery and Crime Fiction Blog Carnival

I have taken a huge plunge here by deciding to run a Blog Carnival dedicated

to Mystery/Crime Fiction/Suspense books and the craft of writing them. 

 Do you review mystery, crime fiction, or suspense books?

Do you have author interviews that discuss writing mystery or crime fiction?

Do you blog on fiction writing advice?

Join us for this Carnival.

What is a blog carnival?  blog carnivals are where someone takes the time to find really good blog posts on a given topic, and then puts all those posts together in a blog post called a "carnival". 

This carnival takes your submissions and presents them in a monthly carnival.  Imagine one place to go each month for book reviews on Mystery, Crime Fiction and Suspense books as well as author interviews and writing tips and advice.

Blog carnivals are a great way for bloggers to recognize each other's efforts, organize blog posts around important topics - like the Mystery Genre, and improve the overall level of conversation in the blogosphere. The fact that carnivals are edited (and usually annotated) collections of links lets them serve as "magazines" within the blogosphere.

CONDITIONS:

1)  MUST BE A BLOG POST - NOT A WEBSITE
2)  MUST BE MYSTERY / CRIME FICTION OR WRITING RELATED

WARNING: IF IT DOESN'T MEET THE CONDITIONS I WON'T POST IT

Categories under this blog carnival include:

Police Procedural Book Review

Private Investigator Book Review

Amateur Sleuth Book Review

Cozy Mystery Book Review

Suspense Fiction Book Review

Author Interview

Writing tips and advice

This Carnival will take place the first Monday of each month. 

Submission deadline is the last Friday of each month.

Please submit links to recent articles (within the last 3 months) to keep the information fresh.

Also, your links should point to actual articles not archive lists, indexes or about pages.

Submit your blog entry here now

(http://blogcarnival.com/bc/submit_8796.html)

Spread the word far and wide!!!

Mystery lovers celebrate.

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