Reading right now:

            “Guilt” by Jonathan Kellerman has it all: new murders, old murders, baby skeletons, unhappy housewives, and L.A. “Guilt” is the 28^th novel in the series that features Alex Delaware, a psychiatrist with a talent for solving murders with LAPD Lt. Milo Sturgis. Like his character, Kellerman is a psychiatrist and his first published book was a medical text (“Psychological Aspects of Childhood Cancer”).  It must be difficult to keep a long time series fresh and exciting especially after 28 books! But if you like the main character (or the group of characters that return in each novel), each book is like visiting an old friend. And each new book about Delaware and Sturgis is like that for me. I look forward to finding out what they are doing and how their lives have changed.

On hold right now:

            “Six Years” by Harlan Coben which isn’t a part of any series, but a stand-alone novel about a man who finds out that everything he thought was true about the woman he loves isn’t true and his new knowledge puts his life in danger. Sounds very exciting.

            There are several other new books coming out in March including: Joyce Carol Oates’ “The Accursed,” Thomas Perry’s “The Boyfriend,” Jacqueline Winspear’s “Leaving Everything Most Loved,” Rhys Bowen’s “The Family Way,” Laura Childs’ “Sweet Tea Revenge,” and Clive Cussler’s “The Striker.” Sounds like it’s going to be a good month.

Reading right now:

           

Hannah Jayne’s latest (“Under the Gun”) is funny, suspenseful, and entertaining. “Under the Gun” is number four in her Underworld Detection Agency series. Jayne’s books include a mystery element, along with the paranormal. Paranormal mysteries may not be for everyone, but they are a growing genre and I find lots of them really fun to read. Try one, you might like it!

On hold right now:

            “The Bughouse Affair” by Marcia Muller and Bill Pronzini (which is an intriguing combination of authors) is the fourth book in the John Quincannon series. Set in 1890s San Francisco, this series revolves around former Pinkerton operative Sabina Carpenter and her detective partner, ex-Secret Service agent John Quincannon. Both Muller and Pronzini are well known and prolific mystery authors.

On TV:

            “Banshee” is a red hot TV series on Cinemax. In the opening episode, an ex-con assumes the identity of the new Sheriff of Banshee, Pennsylvania, where he dispenses justice of a sort, has sex with many women in town, participates in extremely violent situations, hides out from the violent criminal who wants his diamonds back, and continues his illicit attempts to get rich. In other words, it’s great.

Reading right now:

“Blood Lance” by Jeri Westerson.  “Blood Lance” is the latest installment in the Medieval mystery series featuring disgraced former knight Crispin Guest. Trying to survive while living under the cloud of being convicted of Treason isn’t easy for Guest, but his gift for tracking down lost items and bad guys keeps a roof over his head. “Veil of Lies” was the first book in this series with “Blood Lance” being the sixth. Each of the books have been really good and left me wanting to follow Guest’s adventures in the future.

Los Angeles native Jeri Westerson has won several awards for the books in her Crispin Guest series.  She can also be found touring the county giving lectures on her collection of medieval weaponry. While her character Crispin may live in the Middle Ages, he has a Facebook page and a blog in modern times (must be a time travel Dr. Who kind of thing!).

 

 

Food Or Books?

On hold right now:

I just picked up my hold “Winter Break” by Merry Jones. This is the third book in her Harper Jennings series (“Summer Session” was the first).  Harper is a Iraqi war veteran with PTSD and a talented amateur sleuth.

A few authors with new books out in February include: Avery Aames (“To Brie or Not to Brie),  Alan Bradley (“Speaking from Among the Bones”), Sheila Connolly (“Buried in a Bog”), Deborah Crombie (“The Sound of Broken Glass”), and Joanne Fluke (Red Velvet Cupcake Murder).

 

Reading right now:

               I’m thrilled to have finally received “Fonduing Fathers” by Julie Hyzy. This is the sixth book in her White House Chef series. I love the main character, Chef Olivia Paras, who is tough, determined, loves her job, and is really good at what she does. The books always include recipes at the end. Usually Chef  Paras is dealing with threats to White House security, but in “Fonduing Fathers” she tackles finding out the truth about her father’s murder. Hyzy writes another series and other mysteries, but I have only read the White House Chef series and would really recommend it.

Culinary mysteries focus on food and death in equal parts. There are many amazing authors writing these terrifically fun books including Diane Mott Davison, Robin Allen, Ellen Hart, Phyllis C. Richman, Mary Jane Clark, and Jessica Beck (to name just a few). If you want to change it up just a bit, watch the fantastic BBC TV series which turns it all around and has the policeman trying to fulfill his dream of being a chef by running a restaurant on the side.

On hold right now:

               “Airtight” by David Rosenfelt. I am not thrilled that this is a standalone instead of part of his Andy Carpenter series, but I’ve enjoyed his standalones so hopefully this one will be good. The Andy Carpenter series is just so great—funny and exciting—and he is involved in rescuing dogs! The book comes out in February and I noticed that a new Andy Carpenter book is scheduled for July (so feel better already).

 

There are many good books for helping you train your dog, but the ones on various tricks or activities you can teach are helpful to give you ideas on how to play with your dog productively.

 

 

 

Reading right now:

“A Death in the Small Hours” by Charles Finch is the latest in his outstanding Charles Lenox mystery series. This is the sixth installment which started with “A Beautiful Blue Death.” Since the beginning of the series, Lenox has gone from detective to member of Parliament. But no matter what his official career solving mysteries remains a major part of his life. In this new installment, Lenox attempts to get away from it all by visiting his uncle in Somerset. He is hoping to write an important speech in the quiet village of Plumbley, but a series of strange vandalisms distracts him from his goal.

Finch is an American author who went to school in England and now lives in England. His books are Historical mysteries set in Victorian times which means he joins such greats as Anne Perry, Phys Bowen, David Dickinson, Carole Douglas, Ray Harrison, and many other authors with a mystery series set in the Victorian era.

The Victorian era is a popular setting for many mystery writers. It was the time of Queen Victoria’s rule in the United Kingdom from 1837-1901. It was a period of prosperity and peace for Britain which citizens started talking about trying to make the world a better place for children and those in poverty by providing justice and better working conditions. It was also a time of tremendous scientific progress and ideas. Gas lighting became widespread, London acquired a sewage system, Charles Darwin published “On the Origins of Species,” photography was realized, Sigmund Freud started modern Psychiatry, Louis Pasteur’s work verified germs existed, and on it went ushering in the “Modern World.”

One of my favorite authors whose books are set in this era is Anne Perry. She has been writing her Thomas Pitt series since 1979 and the William Monk series since 1990. They are engaging, entertaining, and very much influenced by the changes taking place in the Victorian Era. I would also recommend Caleb Carr’s “The Alienist” which is set in the Victorian period.

On hold right now:

Looking forward to Robert Crais’ “Suspect” coming out 1/22/13. This isn’t an Elvis Cole or a Joe Pike book, but a standalone novel which involves an LAPD cop – with a dog! I also have “Winter Break” by Merry Jones on hold which came out 1/1/13. “Winter Break” is the third in the Harper Jennings series. Harper is an Iraqi war veteran with PTSD whose life is often complicated by murder. This is an amazing new series well worth your time.

Reading right now:

“Cold Days” by Jim Butcher!--which is pretty much all that needs to be said. Jim Butcher’s first novel starring Harry Dresden came out in 2000 and was called “Storm Front.” In the beginning, Harry was just a wizard PI trying to make sense of his talent and abilities. Fourteen books later, Harry is the Winter Knight brought back from the “almost” dead by Mab, the Queen of Air and Darkness.

The Dresden novels may not be traditional mysteries, but they have lots of mystery elements with a few special, supernatural features. The main character is someone you would love to know and the writing is compelling. Even if you aren’t into fantasy novels, you might want to give Dresden a try. (My new puppy loves Dresden as well!)

On hold right now:

            Peter Helton’s “Falling More Slowly” which is the first novel in his Detective Inspector Liam McClusky series. Helton currently has two mystery series going: the McClusky series and the Chris Honeysett series. Honeysett is a PI who happens to be an artist or an artist who happens to be a PI (the rent has to be paid somehow). Born in Germany, Helton moved to England in 1982. He too is an artist who was introduced to the world of mystery writing when a friend gave him “The Breaker” by Minette Walters.

 

(Oh! Maybe puppy just likes all books.)

Other Mysterious things:

            Enjoyed “A Wanted Man” where Jack Reacher is hitchhiking, happens on a kidnapping, and it’s all downhill from there. He is working on another Reacher book called “Never Go Back” to be released in 2013.

            Jeffery Deaver’s tenth Lincoln Rhyme novel is coming out in June, 2013—something to look forward to. I hope Rhyme has finally stopped trying to kill himself. Robert Crais also has a new novel coming out in January, 2013 called “Suspect” which is a stand-alone novel about LAPD cop Max Kent whose partner is a German shepherd. I am still waiting for “Two Graves” by Lincoln Child and Douglas Preston. I am on the hold list. This is the 12^th book in the Pendergast series. Pendergast is a fascinating Sherlock Holmes-like character with a very complicated personal life.

            If you haven’t read “The Anatomist’s Apprentice” by Tessa Harris, read it now because her second book just came out (“The Dead Shall Not Rest”).  This historical mystery with Dr. Thomas Silkstone chronicles the start of forensic investigation.

 

Reading right now:

In “The Black Box” by Michael Connelly, Harry Bosch takes on a cold case. Twenty years ago, Bosch caught a murder the night of the L.A. Riots. The case was handed off to the Riot Crimes Task Force and was never solved.  Bosch quickly discovers that the murder had nothing to do with the Riots and races to find a solution before his boss decides the case is taking up too much of the department’s time. Fast moving, fascinating plot which is sure to make you stay up all night! Connelly worked for the LA Times for a while before writing his first novel “The Black Echo” which kicked off the Harry Bosch series. He has won many awards and had two of his books made into movies (“Blood Work” and “The Lincoln Lawyer”).

 

On hold right now:

            Jim Butcher’s “Cold Days.” Why can’t he write faster? I love Harry Dresden and can’t wait for my library hold to come in. Dresden’s life just gets more and more complicated and I wonder what else could possibly happen to him. Dresden is a wizard who is also a detective. Shades of Harry Potter grown up and a little twisted.

Special items:
 
With the loss of my dog, I have been thinking about all the wonderful authors known to be crazy about their dogs. Dean Koontz loved one of his golden retrievers so much that he wrote a book about her called “A Big Little Life.” Among the many quotes from Koontz about dogs is something I’ve been feeling a lot lately: "Once you have had a wonderful dog, a life without one, is a life diminished.” When Robert B. Parker died two years ago, one of the things they mentioned in his obituary was his great love of dogs. Parker created one of the great private detectives of all time—Spenser! Every mystery lover should read a Spenser novel or all 40 of them, as well as, the Jesse Stone novels. Parker owned short-haired pointers and named each one Pearl which was also the name of Spenser’s girlfriend’s dog in the novels. Other dog loving mystery writers where dogs are an important part of their books include: Susan Conant, Melissa Cleary, Donna Ball, Cynthia Baxter, Laurien Berenson, Carol Lea Benjamin, Lora Roberts, Spencer Quinn, David Rosenfelt, and J. F. Englert.

 Robert Parker and Pearl