In the Shadow of Jane

DEBORAH CROMBIE: Jane Goodall has been much on my mind since her passing on October 1st. As a teenager, I first read about Jane in the copies of National Geographic Magazine that I shared every month with my grandmother. 

Those articles in Nat Geo sparked an interest in Africa and in animal behavior. I read Louis Leakey, the Kenyan-British paleontologist, anthropologist, and archaeologist who first sponsored Goodall's work in Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania (Tanganyika as it was then,) books by the Austrian zoologist Konrad Lorenz, who is considered to be the father of ethology (animal behavior,) and those articles and books led me to read Darwin's The Voyage of the Beagle and The Origin of Species. (I think I still have my tattered paperback copies of both of those books. 

I found it fascinating that Jane, a young woman of twenty-three from Bournemouth, had accepted an invitation to visit a friend's family's farm in Kenya. Once there, she got a job as a secretary and on an impulse, telephoned Louis Leakey, with whom her friend was acquainted. She wanted to talk to him about animals. He wanted a chimpanzee researcher. Leakey hired her as his secretary, but he had another purpose in mind. Three years later he sent her to Gombe Stream National Park, where her groundbreaking work would establish her as the first of the great female primate researchers.

In 1971 Jane Goodall published In the Shadow of Man, the story of her time in Gombe. At the time, I was nineteen and had already failed spectacularly in my first try at university, where I'd enrolled as a history major. But reading about Jane, some spark was lit and I began to wonder if I could, in some small way, follow in her footsteps. By the time I transferred a year or two later to the college that would become my alma mater (go Roos!) I'd decided to major in biology, specializing in animal behavior.

Even though a career in zoology was not ultimately to be my path (another story!) I did graduate with a hard won bachelor of arts in biology, and even more importantly, a very good liberal arts education. It's this I credit with any degree of success I've had as a writer of detective novels. It taught me to think rationally and critically, to love research, and to stick with projects. Some of my journey, however winding, must trace back to that teenage girl pouring over Jane's accounts of her adventures. 

Dear Reds and readers, has there been someone in your life who inspired you to take a road you might not otherwise have followed?

P.S. Speaking of research, I went down a serious rabbit hole reading about the Leakeys–Louis and his son, Richard. What wild and adventurous lives they led–I highly recommend looking them up!

 

Carol Pouliot--Paris Full Circle

DEBORAH CROMBIE: It is always a treat to host Carol Pouliot with a new entry in her delightful Blackwell and Watson series. These are history/mystery/time travel so there is something for everyone, and I can't wait to see what adventures Carol has dreamed up for 21st century journalist Olivia Watson and Depression-era cop Steven Blackwell--this time in Paris! Here's Carol with the scoop on MURDER AT THE MOULIN ROUGE!

PARIS FULL CIRCLE

 

Thanks so much for hosting me today on Jungle Reds, Debs. I’m thrilled to be here with everyone.

I’ve had a lifelong love affair with France and all things French. The moment my eighth-grade French teacher uttered the word “Bonjour,” my life changed forever. While my friends dreamed about their future husbands and the children they hoped to have, I dreamed of getting a passport, packing my suitcase, and heading to Paris. The day I received my first passport in the mail, I felt like a doorway to the world had opened up. Endless possibilities fanned out in front of me.

 

My first trip overseas—1973, MA just completed—took me to Marseille for a job teaching English. Before I could begin, I had a week of orientation on the French education system in Paris. I sold my VW bug for a $200 round-trip ticket on Icelandic Air to Luxembourg and from there took a train to Paris. I remember the moment I stepped off the train. I felt every molecule in my body settle into place. This was where I belonged!

Naturally, I wanted to see the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, and the Louvre, but number one on my list was Montmartre, the artists’ quarter. I met up with a college friend, who was happy to show me around. She took me to all the top attractions, including the Quartier Latin, where I fell in love all over again. This small Left Bank neighborhood is home to the Sorbonne University and sits above the Catacombs, where thousands of bodies lie buried deep beneath the city. The area is a maze of twisting, turning alleyways and narrow connecting streets. I had couscous in the cellar of a tiny Middle Eastern restaurant. Later in the week, I attended a champagne and caviar reception at the American Embassy. Lots of exciting firsts!

 

(View from the roof of Notre Dame)

 

At the end of the week, I packed my belongings, bought a train ticket to Marseille, and prepared to leave—without having seen Montmartre. Somehow, my friend had never fit it into her plan. (Why didn’t I just go by myself??) I was crushed. The one area where I’d wanted to spend time and I never even got close. Little did I know I would return to Paris countless times during my life, and even live there for a short time. And never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I would become a published author and write a book that takes place in that city.

 (Le Lapin Agile, Montmartre)

In Murder at the Moulin Rouge, Detective Steven Blackwell and his partner-in-crime Olivia Watson travel to Paris in 1895. They stay in Montmartre, question suspects in landmarks that still stand, and get to know the artists who lived and worked there—Toulouse-Lautrec, Degas, Sisley, and others. It was wonderful spending time there again, even if it was mostly in my mind as I wrote. And, to celebrate finishing my final draft, I returned to Paris...closing the circle fifty years later.

(Le Moulin Rouge, Montmartre)

Reds and Readers,  

If you’re a traveler, what’s your favorite city or town? If you’re an armchair traveler, what do you love about your hometown?

DEBS: Carol, your description of how you felt at your first sight of Paris reminds me so much of how I felt the first time I stepped off a plane in England. We have kindred journeys!

Now, here's more about MURDER AT THE MOULIN ROUGE:

Paris, 1895. When a cancan dancer at the Moulin Rouge falls to her death from the top of one of Montmartre’s highest staircases, the police dismiss it as an accident. But, Madeleine was one of Toulouse-Lautrec’s favorite models, and the artist is certain she was murdered. Enter Depression-era detective Steven Blackwell and 21^st-century journalist Olivia Watson who travel back in time to Paris to hunt down the killer. Before long, they learn that a second dancer—a ballerina and favorite model of painter Edgar Degas—has died. Two dancers dead in two weeks. Two artists grieving. Is the killer targeting young dancers, or, does this case involve the enigmatic Paris art world? 

From the moment Steven and Olivia arrive, Steven is out of his element. The small-town cop has no idea what techniques the French police use in 1895. Worse, he has no official status to investigate murder in one of the world’s largest cities. The sleuths soon discover disturbing secrets at the Paris Ballet. And when Olivia insists on going undercover to visit a suspect’s house alone, Steven fears he’s made the biggest mistake of his life.

 

Travel back in time with Steven and Olivia, as they enter the back-stabbing world of dance in one of the world’s greatest cities. Murder at the Moulin Rouge is their most daring and dangerous case to date.

 

DEBS: And here's more about Carol:

A former language teacher and business owner, Carol Pouliot writes the acclaimed Blackwell and Watson Time-Travel Mysteries, traditional police procedurals with a seemingly impossible relationship between Depression-era cop Steven Blackwell and 21^st-century journalist Olivia Watson. With their fast pace and unexpected twists and turns, the books have earned praise from readers and mystery authors alike. Carol is the former President and Program Chair of her Sisters in Crime chapter, Co-Chair of Murderous March, an online mystery conference, and a founding member of Sleuths and Sidekicks. When not writing, Carol can be found packing her suitcase and reaching for her passport for her next travel adventure. Sign up for Carol’s newsletter and learn more at http://www.carolpouliot.com 

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BookBub

DEBS: P.S. Carol says that there is a temporary problem with the Buy link for print books on Amazon, but the book can be found at the links below:

Amazon

B&N

What We're Watching

DEBORAH CROMBIE: Now that we're all up to speed on our reading and our TBR lists/stacks are ever more burgeoning, it's time for a look at what's on the tube for when we can tear ourselves away from our books.

From the reality TV queen here, we are glued to the new season of GREAT BRITISH BAKE OFF–oh, sorry, GREAT BRITISH BAKING SHOW, as we're supposed to call it in the US, although that doesn't have nearly the same ring as GBBO. My non-cooking, non-baking hubby is now hooked and keeps asking me, "When's the baking show on again?" (Some of his enthusiam this season might have to do with one very cute contestant...) He's also gotten hooked on THE VOICE, my other reality TV indulgence, but is not so keen on the little bits I can manage to snag of the UK's STRICTLY COME DANCING on VPNs. (Shhh, don't tell.)

And now back to crime. In the lull between summer programming and new autumn stuff, we pulled up a UK series from 2003 called STATE OF PLAY. We couldn't find it streaming but it is available on DVD and Blu-ray, and I can't recommend it highly enough. The writing! The cast! It was directed by David Yates and featured David Morrisey, John Simm, James McAvoy, Bill Nighy, Kelly McDonald, Polly Walker, and more. Even more than twenty years later, it doesn't feel dated, and it's one of the best things I've ever watched on television. They made a movie of it a couple of years later starring Russell Crowe, but that doesn't begin to compare to the original 6 part series. (That's a very unflattering photo of the Scottish actress Kelly McDonald, who I adore, on the DVD cover. Most recently you will have seen her as Carl Mork's therapist on DEPT Q!)

We're watching SLOW HORSES, although the weekly dole-out formula is especially annoying with the complicated storylines in this series. We've also discovered a British (Irish) police series called BLUE LIGHTS that is really good. This is on Britbox and is in the gritty rather than cozy vein. The 3rd season just aired so we're looking forward to having several seasons to follow.

Oh, and we are now recording the late-night shows on our Tablo, so that we can keep up with the voices of sanity, AKA the late-night TV hosts. Who would have thought it?

Take it away, dear REDs. What are you watching?

HALLIE EPHRON: Like you, I’m watching The Great British Baking Show (Season 16) … so many great contestants to root for. This batch seem especially talented. 

My daughter was visiting and she’s never watched “Sherlock” which we could stream on Britbox. I do love Britbox. The plots are SO COMPLICATED I have no trouble being challenged to follow the storylines even though I’ve seen them all. And Benedict Cumberbatch is so deliciously and gleefully sociopathic as Holmes. And Martin Freeman the perfect foil as the very human Watson.

And I confess, sometime during the pandemic lockdowns I got hooked on Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune. They’ve become a weeknight ritual.

DEBS: Hallie, I LOVED Sherlock, and would happily watch it again. Also, my parents were religious watchers of WHEEL OF FORTUNE and that brings back fond memories for me.

LUCY BURDETTE: We’ve been on a busy vacation so I’ve not been watching TV except for the occasional Jimmy Kimmel or Steve Colbert clip. However, I am very much looking forward to seeing Jane Goodall’s FAMOUS LAST WORDS, and Jeremy White playing Bruce Springsteen later this month. Debs, John loved BLUE LIGHTS but I only watched one or two episodes–too dark for my soul before bedtime!

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Oh, I have been on book tour, so hotel TV is all about Chopped, which is always on.

 But in real life, back home, so many good things–Slow Horses is back, hurray. Cannot wait for The Lincoln Lawyer to return.

Also, I just spent the day with Elizabeth George, she is incredible, so I came home from Atlanta and instantly started bingeing the new Lynley, and then will return to the old Lynley. SO fun, now that I know all the backstory.

I am a massive fan of The Morning Show, and crossing fingers  the new season is good. Oh, and Invasion. 

I LOVED State of Play, Debs. And isn’t The Diplomat coming back?

OH, and finally–THE OFFER! (Debs, did you tell me about this?) About the making of The Godfather, and it is fantastic.)

DEBS: Yes, it was me who recommended THE OFFER. I don't know why this series didn't get more press. I think it's worth a temporary subscription to Paramount just to watch it!!!! So glad you liked it, Hank. We watched THE GODFATHER when we finished it, and that was fascinating, too.

And, yes, we are looking forward to THE DIPLOMAT, too.

RHYS BOWEN:  A big fan of the Great British Baking Show here too. They are always such nice, kind people who cheer for each other. How could you not love it! We also watched the Thursday Murder Club.. which deviated quite a lot from the book.

Apart from that we watch a lot of Britbox, all our favorite mystery series, plus I like all the travel shows on Britibox. Martin Clunes and various British islands, others on favorite villages, canal trips etc. I guess I’m nostalgic for a simpler era at the moment.

Finally finished up Clarkson’s Farm which got rather annoying in the end.

How about it, dear readers? What other gems have we missed, and are we all "baking" together? (I keep promising to buy some kind of a treat for Friday nights, because we always feel so deprived when the episode is over!)