Have a look! Click on the book cover to go to the review!
Sounds great, and I can't wait to check it out!
Click on the linked graphic above to get to Sharon's Garden of Book Reviewsand enter to win during cozy Mystery Week!
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
A Corpse for Yew review
I thought I would share with you a great review of our friends Jim and Joyce Lavene's new Peggy Lee Gardening mystery.
Have a look! Click on the book cover to go to the review!
Sounds great, and I can't wait to check it out!
Click on the linked graphic above to get to Sharon's Garden of Book Reviews
and enter to win during cozy Mystery Week!
Have a look! Click on the book cover to go to the review!
Sounds great, and I can't wait to check it out!
Click on the linked graphic above to get to Sharon's Garden of Book Reviewsand enter to win during cozy Mystery Week!
Monday, September 7, 2009
Compelling Reading - Blog Review
We all know that the internet is a timesuck like no other, a vast whirling morass of information, both worthy and suspect. As a writer I spend a lot of time on the internet, much of it on social networking, much of it on research, and some of it just plain enjoying a peek into the minds and hearts of writers, readers, and various fascinating personalities.I try to keep it to a minimum, but when I find something really interesting, I like to pass it along to others. When I do, and if it has any kind of connection with murder mysteries, I will talk about it here.
And so, I am reviewing, today, Women in Crime Ink, a blog of various professionals in the crime field.
Women in Crime Ink consists of blog entries by various female professionals in the field, among them a criminal profiler, a forensics specialist, a mystery writer, a producer, a policewoman, a prosecutor, a defense attorney, and many more.
It is compelling reading. Today I checked out Diane Dimond's musing about who is truly to blame for Michael Jackson's death, an excerpt from the Rough Guide to True Crime by Cathy Scott, and defense attorney Katherine Scardino's account of a client's last day of freedom before going to prison for life on amurder charge. Fascinating, rivetting stuff.
So, check it out; you won't regret it, but you may wave your fist at me in anger at the time you will then spend sucked into some fascinating reading. Click on the logo below to visit!
Women in Crime Ink logo and original art by Rex White
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Pride and Prescience Review by Lori Hedgpeth
Welcome, Lori Hedgpeth, a new CMM reviewer! Lori says about herself: "Business professional by day, secret novelist by night, I freely admit my fascination with all things celebrity, old Hollywood, literary and true crime. I have a weird obsession with all things "Pride & Prejudice" and will read nearly any fan fic based on the Austen classic. When not blogging or reading, I enjoy NASCAR (and rooting for Matt Kenseth), baseball (Atlanta Braves, the hometown team) and old movies. I share my home and my life with my husband, son, two dogs, a cat and lots of books and movies."
Happy to have you aboard, Lori!
I hope you'll review some more books for us.
Pride and Prescience
By Carrie Bebris
Forge Books - 2004
288 pages
Trade Paperback ISBN 0-765-31843-1
Mass market paperback ISBN 0-765-35071-8
Hardcover ISBN 0-765-30508-9
Book #1 in the Mr. & Mrs. Darcy Mystery series
Description: When Caroline Bingley marries a rich, charismatic American, her future should be secure. But strange incidents soon follow: nocturnal wanderings, spooked horses, carriage accidents, an apparent suicide attempt. Soon the whole Bingley family seems the target of a sinister plot, with only their friends the Darcys recognizing the danger. A jilted lover, an estranged business partner, a financially desperate in-law, an eccentric supernaturalist -- who is behind these events? Perhaps it is Caroline herself, who appears to be slowly sinking into madness. . . .
Pride and Prescience is the first novel in a series of romantic mysteries featuring Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice as reluctant sleuths who become embroiled in intrigues surrounding their friends and family. The newlywed Darcys' courtship hasn't ended, and their adventures have just begun.
I found this book, entirely by accident, while searching thru either Amazon or Barnes & Noble for Pride and Prejudice fan fic. Those of you who know me are aware that I have a strange obsession (quite possibly a book disorder) with Pride and Prejudice and any fan fic. So I will willingly admit that I can be predisposed to like a Pride and Prejudice fan fic book merely because it continues the story of some amazing characters. (By the same token, I can hold these books to a higher standard due to their Austen connection and will expect more out of them than just coasting by on the Austen name).
Pride and Prescience is an amazingly satisfying read on several fronts. First and foremost, if you’re an Austen/Pride and Prejudice fan, you will be delighted not only at seeing your old friends Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy fresh off their wedding but at how honest and true Carrie Bebris is to Jane Austen herself. Unlike some pieces of Austen-themed fan fic (and I call them “themed” because they stray about as far off the Austen path as artistically possible) Elizabeth has retained the wit and sass that Ms. Austen graced her with and Darcy, while seemingly haughty and proud, is still the caring gentleman Ms. Austen made us fall in love with. (Although Colin Firth certainly helped out). Pride and Prescience is not a bodice ripper (no offense to bodice rippers) nor soft porn disguised as a “continuation”. It is the now Mr. and Mrs. Darcy returned for some good old fashioned intrigue!
To delight readers even further, Ms. Bebris has chosen to move the once secondary character of Caroline Bingley to the forefront. While in Pride and Prejudice Miss Bingley was a pretentious and well seasoned snob (and one with designs on Mr. Darcy), I did enjoy her presence in the book. Would I want her as a friend or relative? Absolutely not! But she added the same type of diversion to the book that I felt Mrs. Bennet’s comic relief did. And she continues her sense of diversions here, in Pride and Prescience, albeit ones of a very different nature.
And this leads me to the second point of why Pride and Prescience works. Elizabeth and Darcy work a mystery much like Nick and Nora Charles of The Thin Man fame. It comes naturally, as does their repartee and charm. You can’t help but like them and enjoy them gracing each page. There is the typical mystery of “whodunit”, as well as mystery of the supernatural and paranormal - - one which this reader found immensely satisfying. The dark overtones of the supernatural give Pride and Prescience a gothic flavor, which keeps very true to Jane Austen (think of Northanger Abbey) as well as the time period in which Ms. Austen wrote her books.
So, with all this praise is there anything in Pride and Prescience that doesn’t work? Honestly, no. Not really. The storyline is so fluid, the characters so enticing and portions of the dialogue so sharp, there is very little to find fault with. Perhaps the “real” Elizabeth Bennet Darcy would not so quickly accept the idea of supernatural forces as a possibility for the mystery but within the context of this story, and with Ms. Bebris’ smooth writing, it all comes together and works like a well-oiled machine.
Pride and Prescience succeeds, ultimately, because it’s a well-crafted tale, told in a sparkling voice with much-loved characters who some readers have been vested in since Pride and Prejudice. Ms. Bebris doesn’t try anything fancy and she doesn’t give the reader inexplicable situations or diminish the characters in any way. She also doesn’t commit what I consider the cardinal sin of rushing the story or solving the “whodunit” with a character brought in at the end or with very little “face time”.
If you haven’t read Pride and Prejudice, do not fear that you won’t delight in or understand Pride and Prescience. It is still a remarkable, fun read, for Austen fans or for mystery fans.
So wrap yourself up in a cozy blanket, get a mug of steaming tea or chocolate and settle in for a lovely read. Prepare, though, to want to continue your adventures with Mr. and Mrs. Darcy throughout the series.
Reviewed by Lori Hedgpeth
http://www.psychoticstate.blogspot.com
Carrie Bebris's Official Site
http://carriebebris.com/index.html
Editor's Note: I adore Jane Austen, have read all of her works, and have read all of Stephanie Barron's fabulous Jane Austen Mysteries, but this is the first time I have been tempted to read a 'sequel' to Pride & Prejudice. Thank, Lori!
Five out of Five cozy Armchairs!
Happy to have you aboard, Lori!
I hope you'll review some more books for us.
Pride and PrescienceBy Carrie Bebris
Forge Books - 2004
288 pages
Trade Paperback ISBN 0-765-31843-1
Mass market paperback ISBN 0-765-35071-8
Hardcover ISBN 0-765-30508-9
Book #1 in the Mr. & Mrs. Darcy Mystery series
Description: When Caroline Bingley marries a rich, charismatic American, her future should be secure. But strange incidents soon follow: nocturnal wanderings, spooked horses, carriage accidents, an apparent suicide attempt. Soon the whole Bingley family seems the target of a sinister plot, with only their friends the Darcys recognizing the danger. A jilted lover, an estranged business partner, a financially desperate in-law, an eccentric supernaturalist -- who is behind these events? Perhaps it is Caroline herself, who appears to be slowly sinking into madness. . . .
Pride and Prescience is the first novel in a series of romantic mysteries featuring Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice as reluctant sleuths who become embroiled in intrigues surrounding their friends and family. The newlywed Darcys' courtship hasn't ended, and their adventures have just begun.
~::~
I found this book, entirely by accident, while searching thru either Amazon or Barnes & Noble for Pride and Prejudice fan fic. Those of you who know me are aware that I have a strange obsession (quite possibly a book disorder) with Pride and Prejudice and any fan fic. So I will willingly admit that I can be predisposed to like a Pride and Prejudice fan fic book merely because it continues the story of some amazing characters. (By the same token, I can hold these books to a higher standard due to their Austen connection and will expect more out of them than just coasting by on the Austen name).
Pride and Prescience is an amazingly satisfying read on several fronts. First and foremost, if you’re an Austen/Pride and Prejudice fan, you will be delighted not only at seeing your old friends Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy fresh off their wedding but at how honest and true Carrie Bebris is to Jane Austen herself. Unlike some pieces of Austen-themed fan fic (and I call them “themed” because they stray about as far off the Austen path as artistically possible) Elizabeth has retained the wit and sass that Ms. Austen graced her with and Darcy, while seemingly haughty and proud, is still the caring gentleman Ms. Austen made us fall in love with. (Although Colin Firth certainly helped out). Pride and Prescience is not a bodice ripper (no offense to bodice rippers) nor soft porn disguised as a “continuation”. It is the now Mr. and Mrs. Darcy returned for some good old fashioned intrigue!
To delight readers even further, Ms. Bebris has chosen to move the once secondary character of Caroline Bingley to the forefront. While in Pride and Prejudice Miss Bingley was a pretentious and well seasoned snob (and one with designs on Mr. Darcy), I did enjoy her presence in the book. Would I want her as a friend or relative? Absolutely not! But she added the same type of diversion to the book that I felt Mrs. Bennet’s comic relief did. And she continues her sense of diversions here, in Pride and Prescience, albeit ones of a very different nature.
And this leads me to the second point of why Pride and Prescience works. Elizabeth and Darcy work a mystery much like Nick and Nora Charles of The Thin Man fame. It comes naturally, as does their repartee and charm. You can’t help but like them and enjoy them gracing each page. There is the typical mystery of “whodunit”, as well as mystery of the supernatural and paranormal - - one which this reader found immensely satisfying. The dark overtones of the supernatural give Pride and Prescience a gothic flavor, which keeps very true to Jane Austen (think of Northanger Abbey) as well as the time period in which Ms. Austen wrote her books.
So, with all this praise is there anything in Pride and Prescience that doesn’t work? Honestly, no. Not really. The storyline is so fluid, the characters so enticing and portions of the dialogue so sharp, there is very little to find fault with. Perhaps the “real” Elizabeth Bennet Darcy would not so quickly accept the idea of supernatural forces as a possibility for the mystery but within the context of this story, and with Ms. Bebris’ smooth writing, it all comes together and works like a well-oiled machine.
Pride and Prescience succeeds, ultimately, because it’s a well-crafted tale, told in a sparkling voice with much-loved characters who some readers have been vested in since Pride and Prejudice. Ms. Bebris doesn’t try anything fancy and she doesn’t give the reader inexplicable situations or diminish the characters in any way. She also doesn’t commit what I consider the cardinal sin of rushing the story or solving the “whodunit” with a character brought in at the end or with very little “face time”.
If you haven’t read Pride and Prejudice, do not fear that you won’t delight in or understand Pride and Prescience. It is still a remarkable, fun read, for Austen fans or for mystery fans.
So wrap yourself up in a cozy blanket, get a mug of steaming tea or chocolate and settle in for a lovely read. Prepare, though, to want to continue your adventures with Mr. and Mrs. Darcy throughout the series.
Reviewed by Lori Hedgpeth
http://www.psychoticstate.blogspot.com
Carrie Bebris's Official Site
http://carriebebris.com/index.html
Editor's Note: I adore Jane Austen, have read all of her works, and have read all of Stephanie Barron's fabulous Jane Austen Mysteries, but this is the first time I have been tempted to read a 'sequel' to Pride & Prejudice. Thank, Lori!
Five out of Five cozy Armchairs!
Friday, September 4, 2009
Cozying up to... Jim and Joyce Lavene - Part 3
We continue our Cozying Up to Jim and Joyce Lavene series with some more questions and some contact information!
Donna - There has been some concern that ‘cozy’ as a designation is a slight to the sub-genre (I don’t think it is, but some authors apparently feel so.) How do you feel about the designation ‘cozy’ for your murder mysteries?
J&J - We think most readers don’t know what that means. Cozy mystery like any other subgenre is a writer’s term. We have to know what it means so we can send our stuff to the right editors and market it. But readers just know what they like to read. They might enjoy a cozy today and read a police procedural tomorrow. Most people happily read across the spectrum without ever knowing the difference.
Donna – You wrote ‘The Everything Guide to Writing a Novel’ and teach classes and workshops on writing. Are there any skills to do with writing that you think can’t be taught?
J&J - Voice. No one can teach you HOW to tell a story. We can teach people how a story goes together; verbs, nou
ns, sentences, plot, character, but if they can’t put it together in a way that a reader finds interesting, it doesn’t mean anything. Voice is what makes two writers, telling the same basic story, completely different.
Donna - Why murder mysteries? What is it about the genre that led you to writing them?
J&J - We started out writing romances but the genre was so limited. Our editor kept saying we had too much plot. This isn’t meant as any slight on romance. If you can write it, you’re lucky! But we couldn’t stay in the pocket with the basic formula. We started experimenting with other genres and have published fantasy, science fiction, romantic suspense and others. Mystery seems to fit us best right now. Not sure why really. We like to have whole characters that have whole lives with jobs and friends and family and problems that don’t just revolve around them. Maybe we like to kill people too. Who knows?
Donna - Do you both read murder mysteries? If so, what are your favorite authors?
J&J - We both read a little of everything. Jim’s favorite authors right now are Charlaine Harris and E.E. Doc Smith. Joyce’s are Loretta Chase, A.E. Maxwell and Simon Greene.
Thank you so much, Joyce and Jim, for being my first guests here at CMM. I want to encourage everyone to check out Joyce and Jim’s wonderful array of murder mystery series. Here is some information that will help you find out all about them!
Website: www.joyceandjimlavene.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Joyce-and-Jim-Lavene/54780722723?ref=ts
Twitter: @author54
Blog Spot: http://carolinaconspiracyblog.blogspot.com/
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Dog On It - Review by Melissa Palmer
Welcome, Melissa Palmer, CMM's very first guest reviewer! Melissa says, about herself: "I am a high school English Teacher in upstate NY. My husband and I have a Jack Russell named Emma, 2 Maine Coon cats named Lucy and Kiki, 3 Ragdoll cats named Max, Gizmo and BooBerry Radley and a Savannah cat named Maggie."
(BTW - I love 'BooBerry Radley' for a name... a literary and pop reference all in one! And what is it about mystery lovers/writer/readers and cats? BTW, as well, Chet the dog has a blog... a dogblog? Here is the link: Chet's Blog - Donna)
Review:
Dog on It: A Chet and Bernie Mystery
By Spencer Quinn
ISBN 1-4165-8583-4
Dog on It tells the tale of The Little Detective Agency, which is made up of Bernie and his dog, Chet. Chet is the narrator in this book and that adds to the humor of it. Bernie and Chet take on the case of a missing teenage girl. Bernie gets the feeling that it is more than a simple runaway issue. He begins to dig deeper, even though the girl’s father insists that there is no need to. Both Bernie and Chet get into some tough spots but both are resourceful. This is the first in the series; the second book comes out in January 2010.
This book was a good read. I rated it a 5/5. I enjoyed the author’s way of using Chet’s voice to narrate the story. It was funny to be able to hear the thought processes of the dog. He was a true character in this book; he had as important a role as Bernie did. Bernie is a good unlikely hero; he is a little rough around the edges but he has a good heart inside. Readers will care about this pair. This book had mystery, action and humor. I will continue to read this series.
Reviewed by Melissa Palmer
Melissaenglish72 at yahoo dot com
http://melissasbookpicks.blogspot.com/
Editor's note: I was interested to see that Publishers Weekly and Booklist both gave Dog On It starred reviews. That's very good!
Five out of Five Cozy Armchairs for this book!
(BTW - I love 'BooBerry Radley' for a name... a literary and pop reference all in one! And what is it about mystery lovers/writer/readers and cats? BTW, as well, Chet the dog has a blog... a dogblog? Here is the link: Chet's Blog - Donna)
Review:Dog on It: A Chet and Bernie Mystery
By Spencer Quinn
ISBN 1-4165-8583-4
Dog on It tells the tale of The Little Detective Agency, which is made up of Bernie and his dog, Chet. Chet is the narrator in this book and that adds to the humor of it. Bernie and Chet take on the case of a missing teenage girl. Bernie gets the feeling that it is more than a simple runaway issue. He begins to dig deeper, even though the girl’s father insists that there is no need to. Both Bernie and Chet get into some tough spots but both are resourceful. This is the first in the series; the second book comes out in January 2010.
This book was a good read. I rated it a 5/5. I enjoyed the author’s way of using Chet’s voice to narrate the story. It was funny to be able to hear the thought processes of the dog. He was a true character in this book; he had as important a role as Bernie did. Bernie is a good unlikely hero; he is a little rough around the edges but he has a good heart inside. Readers will care about this pair. This book had mystery, action and humor. I will continue to read this series.
Reviewed by Melissa Palmer
Melissaenglish72 at yahoo dot com
http://melissasbookpicks.blogspot.com/
Editor's note: I was interested to see that Publishers Weekly and Booklist both gave Dog On It starred reviews. That's very good!
Five out of Five Cozy Armchairs for this book!
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Cozying Up To... Jim and Joyce Lavene - Part 2
Today we continue our three part interview with Jim and Joyce Lavene.
Donna - You live and work in
J&J -
Donna – I’m intrigued by your note on the Midnight Ink site that your pets ‘help’ you write. How?
J&J -
Donna – You are very prolific as a team; what is your schedule like: writing, family, down time, etc?
J&J - We write six days a week, half chapter per day. We usually do at least one set of revisions (for another book) during the rough draft part of each book. The rest of our writing time is taken up with promotional things; website, blogging, setting up promotional events for ourselves and the Carolina Conspiracy, our group of mystery authors that we promote with.
We are fortunate to have our whole family living close by and see them almost every day. Sometimes that takes up even more time when our son, the pizzeria owner, needs a spare pizza delivery guy or our daughter, the bookstore owner, needs some help with something. But we love being part of their lives.
As far as downtime, we like to drive around the back roads looking for anything unusual. We love taking pictures too! Jim likes to putter with his (and other people’s computers) and Joyce likes to do some watercolor painting. We even manage to sneak in some TV occasionally and enjoy movies and reading.
~::~
That’s all for now… but come back Friday for the final installment - as well as contact information and lots more - of Cozying Up To… Jim and Joyce Lavene.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Calling All Reviewers...
I plan to host cozy murder mystery reviews here at CMM, but I really don't want to represent only my own tastes and my own reading habits. The genre is so large I could never cover all the great murder mystery novels and series out there.
So... do you read Cozy Murder Mysteries? I have to assume you do or you wouldn't be reading this. Have you ever written a review, or wished you could?
Well, here's an opportunity to tell everyone what you think of the books you read and love... or hate.
My stipulations for reviewers:
1 - Reviews of cozy or near-cozy murder mysteries only.
2 - Reviews cannot use other reviewers' words.
3 - You can use the cover blurbs as a description, but the review should be substantially your own reaction to it. IOW, I don't want just to hear that you liked it or didn't, I want to know why, what worked, what didn't, how it could have been better, how it succeeded.
4 - No slasher reviews... witty for the sake of being witty, but no pandering either. I want the truth. Sometimes the truth is grim, sometimes it's all sunlight and roses. Tell us about it.
5 - I don't want a rehash of reviews published elsewhere.
6 - Be willing and prepared to be edited both for content and spelling, grammar, etc.
7 - You can't be a published murder mystery novelist! (Nothing says you can't be an aspiring one, though!)
So... first email me at: donna at donnaleasimpson dot com... you know what to do to make that a real email address!
Let me know what you'd like to review, and we can talk! If you like, send me a sample review! Questions? Drop me a note.
Also... what else I'm looking for: in future weeks I will be looking for the following... reviews about murder mystery websites or blogs, personal opinion pieces on the murder mystery genre, profiles of murder mystery writers, personal accounts of your first reading experiences, and other interesting things having to do with murder mystery publishing and cozy murder mystery books in particular, past and present.
If you have a blog and write for me, I'll certainly provide a plug and a link back. If you are a published murder mystery writer, even self-pubbed or small pubbed, I'd love to host a blog entry for you... talk about what brought you to writing etcetera.
Talk to me!
So... do you read Cozy Murder Mysteries? I have to assume you do or you wouldn't be reading this. Have you ever written a review, or wished you could?
Well, here's an opportunity to tell everyone what you think of the books you read and love... or hate.
My stipulations for reviewers:
1 - Reviews of cozy or near-cozy murder mysteries only.
2 - Reviews cannot use other reviewers' words.
3 - You can use the cover blurbs as a description, but the review should be substantially your own reaction to it. IOW, I don't want just to hear that you liked it or didn't, I want to know why, what worked, what didn't, how it could have been better, how it succeeded.
4 - No slasher reviews... witty for the sake of being witty, but no pandering either. I want the truth. Sometimes the truth is grim, sometimes it's all sunlight and roses. Tell us about it.
5 - I don't want a rehash of reviews published elsewhere.
6 - Be willing and prepared to be edited both for content and spelling, grammar, etc.
7 - You can't be a published murder mystery novelist! (Nothing says you can't be an aspiring one, though!)
So... first email me at: donna at donnaleasimpson dot com... you know what to do to make that a real email address!
Let me know what you'd like to review, and we can talk! If you like, send me a sample review! Questions? Drop me a note.
Also... what else I'm looking for: in future weeks I will be looking for the following... reviews about murder mystery websites or blogs, personal opinion pieces on the murder mystery genre, profiles of murder mystery writers, personal accounts of your first reading experiences, and other interesting things having to do with murder mystery publishing and cozy murder mystery books in particular, past and present.
If you have a blog and write for me, I'll certainly provide a plug and a link back. If you are a published murder mystery writer, even self-pubbed or small pubbed, I'd love to host a blog entry for you... talk about what brought you to writing etcetera.
Talk to me!
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