Summer Reading!

DEBORAH CROMBIE: How did it get to be midsummer already??? But here we are full on in the season of beach reads, so I thought it was time for a "What We're Reading" check in. 

I have not been the reading poster girl lately–although, come to think of it, maybe I have, because my two favorite recent reads have been the advanced copy of Rhys's THE CASTLE IN THE GLEN (out 8/4) and Jenn's A SUMMER SHARE (which is THE perfect beach read, trust me on this,) both of which I adored.  Another recent favorite (in an absolutely wonderful audio edition) was YOU ARE HERE by David Nicholls, about two lonely people being thrown together in a coast-to-coast walk across England. Nicholls writes the best dialogue, and the narrators were Lee Ingleby and Lydia Leonard so this was perfect for listening.

I'm a huge fan of the English crime writer Peter Grainger and his D.C. Smith/King's Lake books set in Norfolk, and the new one, SOME SORT OF JUSTICE, was terrific. (This was audio, too. His narrator, Gildart Jackson, is one of the best.) There is also a new Jenny Colgan, MEET ME AT THE SEASIDE COTTAGES also in audio. I love these Colgan books set in the very far north of Scotland, but I'm not a big fan of the narrator, so maybe better in print.

I read the new Matt Haig, THE MIDNIGHT TRAIN after seeing him in person in Dallas. I know this book is a world-wide best seller, but I have to say I found this one a bit of a slog. I was disappointed that it wasn't as original as his last book, THE LIFE IMPOSSIBLE, which was one of my tops reads this last year.

And one more, for those of you who love food writing and just wonderful writing, there's a new cookbook from Ella Risbridger, THE KITCHEN BOOK, which I ordered from the UK as it's not available here until next year. (Shipped free from Blackwell's!) This is a gorgeous book! Now, if I could just manage to actually try the recipes…

And this week I'm looking forward to Lucy's A DELICOUS DECEPTION arriving on my doorstep tomorrow!

How about it dear fellow REDs? What's on your nightstand this summer?

JENN McKINLAY: Thanks, Debs! I’m in the thick of a non-fiction bender. I have Lucy’s A DELICIOUS DECEPTION on pre-order (coming tomorrow) as well as Rhys’s THE CASTLE IN THE GLEN (Aug) and Hank’s MOTHER DAUGHTER SISTER STRANGER (Sept), but while I impatiently wait for those gems, I am listening to non-fiction, specifically THE WAR OF ART by Steven Pressfield and WELL ENDOWED by Vivian Tu (don’t get excited it’s about finances not boobs). LOL. I’m also reading cookbooks–why? No idea. But I’m enjoying the old/weird recipes in B. Dylan Hollis’s BAKING YESTERYEAR. Clearly, the AZ heat has gotten to me. 

LUCY BURDETTE: We sound like a Greek chorus, but I too loved loved loved THE CASTLE IN THE GLEN and THE SUMMER SHARE! The bad thing about getting an advance copy is that you’ve already read it when the book comes out! I’m about two-thirds through MISSED CONNECTIONS by Aimee K. Runyan, a story about a woman chef who desperately wants to become a Michelin reviewer. She’s made some mistakes in her life, and for reasons unknown is able to time travel back to those moments, relive them, and figure out what she might have changed. It’s very very food-oriented, which I of course am enjoying a lot! I also read MORE THAN ENOUGH by Anna Quinlan and UNLIKELY ANIMALS by Annie Hartnett. Liked them both very much, though not my favorites of either author. Next I have waiting for me WHISTLER by Ann Patchett and PIGLET by Lottie Hazel. It’s been a good reading summer.

Ps Jenn, B. Dylan Hollis has a cameo in the Paris book I’m almost done writing. My French chef character is not impressed with his shenanigans…

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Oh my goodness, we are just smart readers who know what we love! Castle in the Glen and The Summer Share, those can carry anyone through any rainy weekend with much delight! And thank you for the kind words about MOTHER DAUGHTER SISTER STRANGER–so excited about it. 

What I’m reading. I just interviewed the marvelous John Searles, who wrote SINGLE GIRLS, a fictionalized biography of Helen Gurley Brown and how she made Cosmopolitan what it was.. He worked at Cosmopolitan for many years, and completely knows the scoop, and knew her well. And loved her. And that comes through in the book. 

(Such a pivotal moment in time, and it’s a fun frothy book with a deeply meaningful undercurrent. Helen Gurley Brown changed our lives in so many ways, and as controversial as she was, she was a brave and groundbreaking character.)

What else? Several of my local author friends may be new to you, and I am delighted to introduce you to Kimberly Hensel Lowrance, whose compelling and relatable new WHAT REMAINS OF YOU is an Amazon chart topper right now. It’s about a widow who finds a letter from her husband left behind wherein he confesses to a terrible crime. But doesn't say what it was.  Will she go try to find out the truth? (Of course she will, or there wouldn’t be a book, right?)

And Joseph Moldover has a new book called TO THE END OF RECKONING where a son comes home to take care of his brilliant but recently brain -injured father, and together they are a touching and wonderful Holmes and Watson as they solve a murder that happened nearby. Such good writing! 

I am delighted to introduce you to them. Absolutely standing ovations, both.

And lucky me :-) I have advanced copies of Lisa Gardner‘s new YOU’LL BE SORRY, Tess Gerritsen‘s new THE SHADOW FRIENDS,  Lisa Scottoline’s THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING, and  Robyn Gigl’s ALL WE HIDE.

Oh, and did I ever tell you about Nicole Blades’  WOULD I LIE TO YOU?  Imagine a wife and mom in the suburbs–who, in her secret  parallel life, would give Jason Bourne a run for his money.  So fun.

It strikes me, in these what are we reading posts that my reading lists are much different from many of yours. So interesting.

DEBS: That's what makes it fun, Hank!

RHYS BOWEN: I’ve been on vacation in Canada and brought my Kindle to do lots of reading. However the day I arrived so did the page proofs for my next Royal Spyness.  I worked through them, then the page proofs for the next Molly came. Grrr. Now I’m starting to read my summer beach read choices. I’ll be on a beach in San Diego and hope to read them in peace.

I realize I can’t take anything too tense, dark or dramatic at the moment so I’m going with whimsy. I have the MUSEUM OF SECOND CHANCES by Jo Leevers…about a woman who has a museum of found objects on a beach. And Kate Quinn’s THE ASTRAL LIBRARY, and then CALL OF THE CAMINO, as I’d always wanted to do that walk.  

HALLIE EPHRON: I’ve been rereading some old favorites. A wonderful collection of short stories by Tobias Wolff (OUR STORY BEGINS). “A Bullet in the Brain” is one of my favorites, about a dyspeptic fellow who gets antsy waiting on line at the bank. It’s a tour de force of viewpoint.

And just cracked open Caitlin Mullen’s PLEASE SEE US. Her new book, HEATHER, just got a rave review from Sarah Weinman in the New York Times, so I wanted to see what the fuss is about. So far I’m impressed… a poetic page turner. 

And waiting in the wings, I picked up a copy of Richard Osman’s WE SOLVE MYSTERIES. Comic relief. I’ve enjoyed all of his novels (THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB, etc.) that I’ve read so far. 

DEBS: I've heard so much about HEATHER, Hallie. Can't wait to see what you think when you've finished it.

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Add me to the chorus enjoying Rhys and Jenn’s upcoming books - and a reminder to readers that pre-orders make a huge difference to authors!

One of my pre-orders is Carol Goodman’s OUR MARRIAGE IS MURDER, coming out on July 21. I adore Carol’s writing, and this looks like another  fun “murders and mystery writers” tale, after last year’s WRITERS AND LIARS.

After reading many glowing reviews, I got THE PARADISE PROBLEM by Christina Lauren. Years old marriage of convenience that has to pass for the real thing in order for the hero to inherit millions? Sign me up.

My SF read right now is THE REPUBLIC OF MEMORY by Mahmud El Sayed, about the dawning rebellion of the crew of a century ship as they question why they’re in service to their cryosleeping masters. SF fans, don’t confuse it with Arkady Martine’s excellent A MEMORY CALLED EMPRIRE (which I did, to my embarrassment, when asking about it in a bookstore!)

DEBS: Readers, we can't wait to hear your suggestion, so we can make even longer to-read lists! I've already added half a dozen books to mine!

 

The Pregnant Sleuth

LUCY BURDETTE: At the end of my 15th Key West food critic mystery, THE MANGO MURDERS, my food critic sleuth Hayley Snow turns up pregnant. I hadn’t planned this, and to be fair, neither had she. But I had the sneaking suspicion that this book would be the end of the series. If it was, what better way to go out with a flourish than with the happy news of an upcoming baby? Except, it turned out, the series didn’t end and now I was weighted down by a pregnant sleuth. Oof.

As I began writing the 16th book, A DELICIOUS DECEPTION, Hayley is struggling through the ninth month of her pregnancy. She feels the loss of her autonomy, her usual spunk, and her privacy. Everybody has an opinion about what a very pregnant sleuth should be doing, beginning very emphatically with her protective police officer husband, Nathan. Hayley is known for being hot-headed and independent, but that only goes so far as a reasonable explanation in this situation. I had to work hard to give her a case that pulled so hard on her sense of justice that it would overcome her physical and psychological worries. I hope I did her justice!

Reds, it’s a sticky wicket;  it’s a natural progression for a young woman to want a family, but this makes it hard on the author. What have you learned by writing your pregnant sleuths, or why did you decide to skip this milestone?

RHYS BOWEN: I can’t tell you how many times I’ve asked myself ‘what was I thinking’ when I got my heroines pregnant? The problem is that writing about young women in the past, when they fell in love and got married there was no birth control or at least they didn’t know about it. So pregnancies were inevitable. I remember the book in which Molly Murphy has to flee to Paris with her new baby and then has a horrible mystery to solve concerning her two friends there and every four hours she has to rush home to nurse that baby.

The problem with having a female sleuth who is also a new mother is that I have to ask myself all the time, would I put myself into danger if I was responsible for someone else’s life? And so most of Molly‘s cases since she had her first child have been ones that concerned her, her family or close friends, and which  she had a moral obligation to help solve.

At least Lady Georgie has it slightly easier as she has a nanny. Not that that was always a good thing but now she can relax a little knowing her child is in good hands.

So my advice would be if you consider giving your heroin either a baby or a dog – don’t. Readers will write and tell you if you haven’t fed the dog for 10 pages. I will certainly notice if you’ve left the baby lying in a crib for three chapters.

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: I decided my co-sleuth, Clare Fergusson, would get pregnant because I wanted to explore the dynamics between her and her brand-new husband, who had agreed with her they WOULDN'T have any children. It added interesting layers to her character - she was always reckless, and had to deal with the fact anything that might happen to her would also affect her unborn child. There are, of course, the physical challenges of going after bad guys when your center of gravity has shifted and it's hard to bend over! The biggest and most dynamic change was the way others saw her - a visible pregnancy makes some observers more protective, and some willing to take advantage of her supposed vulnerability. 

At the end, the real challenge of having a pregnant sleuth, as in real life, comes AFTER the baby is born and you have to deal with it!

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Yeah, my heroines are not pregnant. They often have children, though, their own kids but young, or a child-adjacent character like a niece. As you say, Julia, after the child is born brings its own set of challenges (like they keep needing to EAT, for gosh sake, and they can’t even DRIVE) but that’s for another blog.

HALLIE EPHRON: There’s a reason Raymond Chandler quipped: “A really good detective never gets married.” Oy, the complications of child care. Pregnancy complicates things even further. But what fun, giving your sleuth problems!!

I did it with my first standalone, NEVER TELL A LIE. Domestic suspense, of course, my sweet spot. And Ivy Rose is 9-months pregnant when a woman from her past drops in on her yard sale (Ivy is nesting!) and turns her world upside down. (Pregnant Ivy muses “A fullly pregnant belly was pretty astonishing. Right up there with a prizewinning Hubbard squash.”)

The stakes are as enormous as the sleuth’s belly.

JENN McKINLAY: LOL, Hallie! Personally, I couldn’t write about a pregnant amateur sleuth and thus opted out of doing so. I couldn’t suspend my disbelief enough to accept that a pregnant woman or the people who love her would be okay if she and the baby were put in harm’s way because she’s nosy. It's different if she's a cop/detective where it's her job, baby or not. That being said, If anyone can pull it off, Lucy, you can! Can’t wait to read it. I did end the cupcake series with a pregnant main character but my plan if I’d written another one was to have her staff take over the sleuthy part–rather like Archie Goodwin helps Nero Wolfe (leaving him to tend his orchid babies).

DEBORAH CROMBIE: When I first started my series I gave Gemma, then a single mum, a two-year-old. I knew I wanted to write about women in the job (policing) dealing with the things real women deal with, like juggling work and child care. Then a few books later, Gemma gets pregnant and it really upsets her new-found stability. Unfortunately, she loses that baby six months into the pregnancy, possibly due to a violent encounter with a villain, and it’s very difficult for her to regroup.

But I still think a pregnant sleuth, amateur or professional, makes for great plot opportunities, and I think Rhys and Julia and Hallie have handled it really well. Lucy, I can’t wait to see how Hailey manages!

RED READERS, please weigh in with your thoughts on the pregnant sleuth. Do you enjoy this life twist in your mysteries? Why or why not?

You’ll be able to read about Hayley’s adventures in this delicate condition beginning July 14. Please pre-order here! 

Or join me at RJ Julia booksellers on July 14 at 6:30 in Madison CT. You can also order a signed copy at the store. 203-245-3959

Revealing Our Musical Crushes

 LUCY BURDETTE: A couple of weeks ago, we celebrated music Sunday at our church. Our music director is incredible, and he’s infused amazing life into the choirs. Plus he’s a fantastic organist, and tons of fun besides. He often brings in guest musicians for special occasions. I read in the Sunday bulletin that the drummer he’d engaged to play for us tours with Mickey Dolenz and the Monkees.

This was such a blast from the past! Mickey Dolenz was my very first crush. Somehow, I persuaded my parents to let me attend a Monkees concert when I turned 13. My first (terrible) short story was about a jilted teenager who runs up the steps of the Hatteras lighthouse and finds Mickey Dolenz at the top! Trust me, if that had really happened, onlookers would have witnessed a major freak out. Apparently, Mickey and the Monkees band are still touring and this visiting drummer was going out on the road with them in several weeks. I introduced myself and asked him to say hello from Roberta.😂

So Reds, there is the question for the day. What do you remember about your first musical crush? How old were you and what drew you to him or her? Are they still alive and kicking? If you didn’t have a crush (really?), what was your first concert?

DEBORAH CROMBIE: That’s an easy one, Lucy! I was eleven when the Beatles hit the US airwaves. I fell madly in love with Paul McCartney and I have to say I never recovered. Paul just turned 84 on June 18th (of course I know his birthday) and he’s still adorable and is still performing and still writing great music. His new album, The Boys of Dungeon Lane, is terrific. I did the Beatles tour in Liverpool a couple of years ago with my pal Kate Charles and now I know the places he’s singing about.

And the first concert was The Beatles, in Dallas. We had seats on the 12th row, can you believe it? Of course you couldn’t hear them for the screaming, but it was still a life-marking experience. I’ve seen McCartney live twice over the years since, and they were the most joyous concerts  vvvI’ve ever attended. We love you, Paul!!

LUCY: So jealous of that concert Debs–Paul was my guy as well:)

RHYS BOWEN: In school my friends were all into Elvis in a big way. We’d listen to Heartbreak Hotel and they’d all swoon. Not me. There was something about his looks I didn’t like. I think my first crush was Gordon McCrea in Oklahoma and Carousel. I had the records of both and played them non stop. But when the Beatles came along— well, who wouldn’t love them?

JENN McKINLAY: First crush was Shawn Cassidy! He had a singing career, I guess, but I crushed on him because he played Joe Hardy on The Hardy Boys Mysteries every Sunday night! This is likely where my love of amateur sleuths began. My first concert was RUSH in the New Haven Coliseum! We all packed into a friend’s ancient Datsun B210 and drove 45 minutes to get there. No cell phones, GPS, or AAA. Can’t believe we survived – LOL. 

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: My first musical crush..well, definitely not Elvis, I agree, Rhys, there was just no spark for me. But oh, absolutely, the Beatles. I sobbed, watching them on Ed Sullivan, and I was the vice-president of the Midwest Chapter of the National Beatles Fan Cluub. It was an actual thing! Paul, and John, oh, they were so cute, and so talented! I saw them at the Coliseum at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, and fairly levitated. Was that my first concert? No, I’m sure I went to many with my music critic (for the Chicago Daily News)  father –I do remember having a huge crush on Roddy McDowell who I saw playing Mordred in the musical Camelot, gosh, that was in 196-something?(The bad-boy thing, I guess. I never liked Lancelot.)  But the Beatles was the first concert on my own, and soon after that  I was all about Paul Simon. Still am. 

HALLIE EPHRON: My first concert was at the Hollywood Bowl: Joan Baez with an unknown rumpled male singer. She was terrific. He mumbled his way through a set and I, with my great prescience about musical talent, wrote Bob Dylan off as a never-gonna-be.

I’m a big baby when it comes to crowds, so concerts have never been my thing. If that weren’t the case I’d have haunted Paul Simon. Also Buddy Holly. Also LIttle Richard. Hmmm, also Pete Seeger and Johnny Cash.  

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Jenn, my sister and I were absolute devotees of THE HARDY BOYS, and agreed she would get Shaun Cassidy and I could have Parker Stevenson. I understand he’s Episcopalian, so maybe I’ll run into him in a church one day…? Both those men have aged VERY nicely.

My first strictly musical crush was - don’t laugh - Barry Manilow. No, the fact he played with Bette Midler in the Baths did not tip me off. He came to Syracuse for a concert and my BFF and I got tickets. My first show, and WOW it was so good. I’m happy he’s out and proud and living his best life, and I’m happy to have listened to “Barry Manilow II” and “Tryin’ to Get the Feeling” so many times I had to replace my record player’s needle.

PS, Lucy, my Monkee was Peter Tork. Somewhere out there, there’s got to be a personality quiz that reveals who you are based on which of the Monkees or Beatles you crushed on! 

LUCY: I’d be surprised if that quiz doesn’t exist Julia! Red readers, tell us about your first musical crush…