Mystery & Crime Fiction Blog Carnival - March 2012

It is the first Monday of the month - time for another highly anticipated Blog Carnival.  I am asking for you assistance to please help get the newsletter for the blog carnival with more subscribers of blogs.  If a blog reviews mystery/suspense/thrillers occasionally then I would like to feature them.  I send the newsletter out once a month announcing the deadline for submitting to this blog carnival.  Lately there have been very few submissions.   I don't want to discontinue this blog carnival, so I am asking all of you to please help.  Click on the title or author's name to go to that link and read the review.

February 18th, 2012 in Cape Charles, VA - author of the Dog Walker Mysteries, Judi McCoy, passed away due to complications from diabetes.  She will be greatly missed.  Here is a wonderful tribute to her (click here.)  Read the interview Ms. McCoy did for our little blog (click here). 

Police Procedural / PI Book Review

Booking Mama reviewed Gun Games by Faye Kellerman

Mystery Librarian reviewed Catch Me by Lisa Gardner

Socrates reviewed A Grande Murder by Stacy Verdick Case

 

Amateur Sleuth / Cozy book Review

Mysteries and My Musings reviewed Affairs of Steak by Julie Hyzy

Booking Mama reviewed THE LOOK OF LOVE by Mary Jane Clark

Mysteries and My Musings reviewed Endangered by Pamela Beason

The Mystery Librarian reviewed The Boy in the Suitcase by Lene Kaaberbol and Agnete Friis

S. Krishna reviewed A Red Herring Without Mustard by Alan Bradley

Mysteries and My Musings reviewed Pleating for Mercy by Melissa Bourbon

Booking Mama reviewed The Bedlam Detective by Stephen Gallagher

Mystery Librarian reviewed Death Comes to Pemberly by P.D. James

Booking Mama reviewed So Damn Lucky by Deborah Coonts

Elizabeth White reviewed Boca Daze by Steven Forman


Thriller/Suspense Fiction Book Review

Mysteries and My Musings reviewed The Spy Who Jumped Off the Screen by Thomas Caplan

Mystery Librarian reviewed DEFENDING JACOB by William Landay

S. Krishna's Books reviewed The Poison Tree by Erin Kelly

Booking Mama reviewed THE DARK ROSE by Erin Kelly


Author Interview

Mysteries and My Musings interviewed Pamela Beason

Printsasia interviewed Ellen Crosby, author of the Wine Country Mysteries

Thank you to all the wonderful bloggers out there who contributed to the carnival.

Let's make next month's Carnival even better. For more information on the specifics of the Carnival and how to submit your posts go here.    Submit your blog entry for next month's Carnival here: (http://blogcarnival.com/bc/submit_8796.html)
 Spread the word far and wide!!!
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Review - Who Do Voodoo

I have had this on my TBR shelf for a few months now.  I had thought I would save it for next Halloween.  Then I discovered it is nominated for an Agatha, so I had to read and review it as part of the Agatha Awards coverage!  In April we will compare the reviews of Agatha nominees and have a vote or elimination.  If you have read this book already, share your thoughts by leaving a comment.

Author: Rochelle Staab

Copyright:  November 2011; Berkley; 304 pages

Series:  # 1 in A Mind for Murder Mystery  

Sensuality:  some kissing and adult references

Mystery sub-genre:  Cozy mystery, paranormal

Main Character:  Liz Cooper, Clinical psychologist

Setting:  Modern day Los Angeles, CA

Obtained book through:  Publisher in exchange for an honest review

Liz has been best friends since childhood with Robin.  Robin is just emerging from grieving about her husband's death in an accident when somebody begins leaving Tarot cards on her front door.  The specific tarot cards left match the ones that predicted her husband's death a year prior, but they have a voodoo theme.  Liz decides to try and help when a more sinister message is left on Robin's door.  Liz turns to her brother's old college buddy Nick, who has become an expert on the occult and teaches. Nick and Liz try to trace the unique Tarot cards for a lead.  They begin to make progress when Robin is accused of murder and the police are quite confident Robin is the killer. Now they must investigate quickly to clear Robin.

Liz is practical and has a hard time with the metaphysical aspects, even though her mother is the scattered and wacky "woowoo" stereotype.  Besides her mother, Liz has a manipulative, egocentric, sports star ex-husband that still plagues her.  I grew tired of the mother trying to get Liz and her ex back together repeatedly. I appreciated that Liz was rational and tended not to indulge the ex or her mother.  Liz even managed to stay open minded to the paranormal without going whole hog.  Nick provides some spice for Liz and challenges her paradigms.  He will make an interesting love interest, even though dear brother doesn't like mixing his best friend and sister.   

The plot of who really killed Sylvia is mixed up with voodoo, a spell book, and a curse.  Events unfold in a manner that are not overtly paranormal yet make you wonder. The pacing was steady.  The killer confrontation occurs because Liz stumbles upon the killer not because she deduced it.  This debut entry was a bit simplistic in style but managed an enjoyable tale with a sprinkling of romance. 

Here is a little magic:  3, 2, 1 CAKE

These individual little cakes are amazing and ready to eat in one minute! They are perfect for whenever you feel like a treat without all the fat and calories that cake can have. Genius idea!  Also perfect for when you have unexpected company and want to serve a little something.

INGREDIENTS:

1 box Angel Food Cake Mix

1 box Cake Mix - Any Flavor

2 Tbsp Water

Makes 1 serving.

DIRECTIONS:

In a ziploc bag, combine the two cake mixes together and mix well. For each individual cake serving, take out 3 Tablespoons of the cake mix combination and mix it with 2 Tablespoons of water in a small microwave-safe container. Microwave on high for 1 minute, and you have your own instant individual little cake!

KEEP remaining cake mixture stored in the ziploc bag and use whenever you feel like a treat! You can top each cake with a dollop of fat free whipped topping and/or some fresh fruit.

This recipe is called 3, 2, 1 Cake because all you need

to remember is

"3 tablespoons mix,

2 tablespoons water,

1 minute in the microwave!"

TRY various flavors of cake mix like chocolate, spice, carrot, red velvet, pineapple, lemon, orange, etc. Just remember that one of the mixes has to be the angel food mix; the other is your choice.  The flavor possibilities are endless!

NOTES:

The best thing is, you open both cake mixes into a gallon storage bag, one that 'zip locks' or 'self-seals', or a container that seals tightly, shake the two cake mixes to blend and then make the recipe. Storage of mix is simple, put it on a shelf. No need to refrigerate, since the mix is dry.

Always remember, that one of the cake mixes MUST be Angel Food. The other can be any flavor.  The Angel Food is the cake mix that has the eggs whites in it. So, if, anyone is allergic to egg whites, you can NOT serve this recipe. 

Book behind the Oscar movie Winners

Encore Books in Yakima, WA has an online Oscar Ballet to vote for the BOOKS that the Oscar nominated movies originated from. I wanted to follow up on the earlier post and supply the winners.  Winners were decided by visitors to the online ballot who voted.

From their site: "Every year the Academy honors the actors and directors and everyone else involved in movie-making, but they almost never recognize the books... and the beloved characters in those books... that make so many of their films possible.

We think its time to correct that oversight, so we've created this ballot. Please help us choose which books and characters are Oscar-worthy. The six categories and nominations below are all taken from this year's Academy Award nominations."

Here are the categories and nominees with the winner noted:

 

Best Supporting Female Character (Taken from nominations for Best Supporting Actress)  

Nominees are 
-Hubert Page (The Singular Life of Albert Nobbs, a short story by George Moore)
-Minny Jackson (The Help, novel by Kathryn Stockett) Winner*
-Celia Foote (The Help, novel by Kathryn Stockett)     


Best Supporting Male Character (Taken from nominations for Best Supporting Actor)   

Nominees are:

-Sir Laurence Olivier (My Week With Marilyn, a memoir by Colin Clark)  

-Peter Brand (Moneyball, non-fiction by Michael Lewis)  

-"The Renter" (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, novel by Jonathan Safran Foer)  Winner*

 

Best Female Character (Taken from nominations for Best Actress)   

Nominees are: 

-Albert Nobbs (The Singular Life of Albert Nobbs, a short story by George Moore)  

-Aibileen Clark (The Help, novel by Kathryn Stockett)  Winner* 

-Lisbeth Salandar (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, novel by Stieg Larsson)  

-Marilyn Monroe (My Week With Marilyn, a memoir by Colin Clark) 

Best Male Character (Taken from nominations for Best Supporting Actor)  

 Nominees are: 

-Matt King (The Descendants, novel by Kaui Hart Hemmings)  Winner*

-George Smiley (Tinker, Tailer, Soldier, Spy, novel by John le Carré)  

-Billy Beane (Moneyball, non-fiction by Michael Lewis) 

Best Book (Taken from nominations for Best Actor) 

Nominees are: 

-The Descendants, by Kaui Hart Hemmings 

-Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, by Jonathan Safran Foer 

-The Help, by Kathryn Stockett   Winner*

-The Invention of Hugo Cabret, by Brian Selznick  

-Moneyball, by Michael Lewis  

-War Horse, by Michael Morpugo

Best adaptation of a book into a movie (Taken from nominations for Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay) Nominees are: 

-The Descendants, based on the novel by Kaui Hart Hemmings.
-Hugo, based on the novel The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick.  Winner*

-The Ides of March, based on the play Farragut North by Beau Willimon.
-Moneyball, based on the non-fiction work by Michael Lewis.
-Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, based on the novel by John le Carré.

So did the ones you voted for win?  None of the ones I voted for won.   :-(

Here is the Oscar winner of the short animation film.  It is a wonderful short little movie.

Review - The Spy Who Jumped Off the Screen

I am going through a spy thriller phase, so keep that in mind.  The blurbs for this book caught my attention, plus the introduction from a former president.  Check out what my thoughts on this debut novel and see if it makes your cut.

 

Author: Thomas Caplan

Copyright: January 2012 (Viking Adult) 400 pgs

Series: Debut novel of series?

Sensuality: some sex, some swearing

Mystery Sub-genre: Intrigue, Thriller

Main Characters:  Ty Hunter, former Task Force 508 member, turned Hollywood leading man

Setting: Modern day, Gibraltar, Tangier, and a Yacht

Obtained Through: Publisher for honest review

Ty Hunter is at the height of his career. He is in demand and can pick and choose his movie roles.  When he is in Cannes to support the director who essentially gave him his big break, he is invited to a party on board a yacht.  On the yacht Surpass he is introduced to the beautiful Isabella, her god-father Ian Santal, and her fiancee Phillip Frost.  It is barely a day later that he is contacted by the President of the U.S. because Ian is suspected of possessing, and about to sell, nuclear war heads that were supposed to be dismantled from the old Soviet Union.  Since he was invited onto their yacht, the government feels Ty is their best bet to getting close enough to stop the nuclear war heads, and a potential World War III.  

This is the beginning of a long tale.  Ty is given one piece of high tech gadgetry, a cell phone with a few special features.  The idea is for Ty to get back into Ian/Phillip's presence, via Isabella of course, to ferret out information.  A good bit of time is spent on board the yacht just being the pampered rich. 

Ty Hunter was an okay main character.  Even after reading the story I can't tell you much about his real inner self.  He is a pretty boy actor who seemed more interested in Isabella at times than stopping the imminent WWIII.  So, he is shallow, but then he would have moments of being more like the black ops soldier you expected.  There was the potential to give him more depth but it was only skimmed briefly.  I can't help but compare to Jason Bourne and Bourne wins out.  That is probably not fair of me, but it happened.  Some have compared this book to James Bond and I suppose that would be a better comparison, although I have not read Flemming's books and I suspect this is a slower pace. 

The villain is well done as an amoral, cunning person out for himself in the end.  Ty's contact is Oliver.  Oliver makes for a good supporting character.  Isabella is clueless to what is going on around her and seemed more privileged than anything else, so she makes a good Bond Girl.  Ironically, the surprise stars are four young geeks/hackers employed by the government: Bingo, Delilah Mirador, Jonty Patel, and Nevada Smith. They were great, sadly they appeared later in the book.  These characters are golden, and if this becomes a series, they should be given more prominent roles. 

The plot was good.  The idea of using the dismantling of old nuclear warheads by people who plan to keep them intact, cover their disappearance with an elaborate shell game of misdirection, and sell them is a good story idea.  The use of a former black ops soldier who is an international movie star to become a spy is good as well.  There are fairly convincing political games and manipulations that occur.  It seemed like the perfect combination for a thriller.  But just having the building blocks didn't ensure success on all counts I am afraid.

My biggest let down, personally, was the pacing of the novel.  First, it was long.  That isn't a bad thing in itself, but when there are stretches in the story where I am asking "what is the point of this?" there is a problem.  There were long periods where the reader is immersed in the glamorous world of the ultra rich with no particular point to it.  Ty spends a considerable amount of time on board the uber-glam yacht meeting other wealthy guests, soaking up the sun, and trying to get closer to Isabella.  It isn't until the one big twist in the story that things really pick up.  In other words, it dragged sometimes.  I felt that it could have been trimmed down to be more of the action thriller that the blurbs promised.

The settings are exotic and/or glamorous which did add to the covert feel.  The book provides a lot of details in a wide breadth of topics which provides credibility to aspects of the storyline. There were some good suspenseful scenes and tense moments.  The conclusion of the book was good and left the way clear for a series.

I guess I expected more from this character and book.  I am a Bourne fan, or Camel Club with Oliver Stone fan, so I could not help but compare Ty Hunter to those.  There is no comparison.  This book is for those who like more of a Bond panache and style, so keep that in mind.  Overall this is a fair debut entry - when you keep in mind it is more Bond-esque and the pacing slows at times.  A guilty pleasure for some.

Vote for the Book behind the Oscar movie!

I just came across this and had to share it immediately with all of you. Encore Books in Yakima, WA has an online Oscar Ballet to vote for the BOOKS that the Oscar nominated movies originated from. I love this idea so I am spreading the word.  Online Ballot is HERE.

From their site: "Every year the Academy honors the actors and directors and everyone else involved in movie-making, but they almost never recognize the books... and the beloved characters in those books... that make so many of their films possible.

We think its time to correct that oversight, so we've created this ballot. Please help us choose which books and characters are Oscar-worthy. The six categories and nominations below are all taken from this year's Academy Award nominations."

As a special Thank You, they will select some of the entries to receive a free book!

You get to vote on these categories:

• Best Supporting Female Character (Taken from nominations for Best Supporting Actress)
• Best Supporting Male Character (Taken from nominations for Best Supporting Actor)
• Best Female Character (Taken from nominations for Best Actress)
  Best Male Character (Taken from nominations for Best Supporting Actor)
• Best Book (Taken from nominations for Best Actor)
• Best adaptation of a book into a movie (Taken from nominations for Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay)

Voting closes at midnight February 25th.
Results will be revealed February 26th on their Facebook Page

Let's help celebrate the BOOKS behind these movies!