What We're Reading

DEBORAH CROMBIE: We had so much fun with our "recommends" yesterday I thought we'd extend our chat to WHAT WE'RE READING–always a big fave here on Jungle Red. We love nothing more than talking about our latest finds.

I'll start with BLOOMSBURY GIRLS by Natalie Jenner. Set in 1949 London in a bookshop in Lamb's Conduit Street (the location of Duncan's police station in the present day–how could I not want to read this book?) three very different women navigate a changing world.

The male characters are very well done, too, and lots of famous literary figures are woven into the plot. I loved this book so much that I read Jenner's previous (and debut) novel,  THE JANE AUSTEN SOCIETY, as there is some character and plot crossover. I enjoyed it, too, although I didn't adore it as much as BLOOMSBURY GIRLS.

Another big thrill for me was a new book by Ella Risbridger–you may remember me raving about MIDNIGHT CHICKEN last year. This one is called THE YEAR OF MIRACLES and is ostensibly a cookbook, but it is so much more. The subtitle is "recipes about love + grief + growing things) and is a journal of Risbridger's year following the death of her partner. It's also an accounting of the first year of the pandemic, as it begins in January, 2020. Risbridger's writing is absolutely gorgeous and it's a very inspiring and affirming book. The book is beautiful, too, so I'd highly recommend the hardcover. It will be a keeper even if you never cook a single recipe. (NOTE: It won't be released in the US until July 26th but it is out in the UK and you can order from Book Depository. It's fast and no more expensive.)

And one more! I somehow ran across a book called THE NOTHING GIRL by Jodi Taylor. We've mentioned her CHRONICLES OF ST. MARY'S series before, as Julia and I are big fans. Do not be put off by the invisible talking golden horse!! This is a gem of a novel about an isolated young woman who agrees to marriage as a business proposition and gets much more than she bargained for. It's laugh-out-load funny, touching, suspenseful, AND it's on Kindle Unlimited at the moment!

I also thoroughly enjoyed Connie Berry's latest Kate Hamilton mystery, THE SHADOW OF MEMORY. This series just gets better and better. Connie will be here Thursday to tell us more!

LUCY BURDETTE: I’m betwixt and between. I have just finished Alicia Bessette’s SMILE BEACH MURDER and I hate to leave the Outer Banks! Last week I hated leaving Julia Child’s Paris. I have a lot of books ordered, including Krista Davis’s newest and Sarah Stewart Taylor’s newest and Paula Munier and Kristan Higgins, and I have a million books on my nightstand. But still, sometimes it’s hard to dive into something brand new. Any recommendations for THE PARIS LIBRARY or THE TASTE OF GINGER or FENCING WITH THE KING?

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Absolutely do not miss Sulari Gentill’s THE WOMAN IN THE LIBRARY.  It’s a meta-literary mystery and I cannot say anything more, but just–read it.

Along those same lines, ish, THE APPEAL by Janice Hallett. Those books both delve into the workings of a writer’s mind, and a reader’s too, and they’re marvelous and hilarious and brilliant, both of them.  And I am getting ready for THE MURDER RULE by Dervla McTiernan.   Also LOOK CLOSER, by David Ellis, one of my favorite authors ever. And I am reading JAMES PATTERSON by James Patterson–in preparation for interviewing him in June!  Reds and readers, this autobiography is AWESOME and wonderful and charming and unique.

DEBS: Hank, what fun! I sat next to James Patterson at the Bouchercon Dallas GOH dinner, and he was so nice. A very charming and interesting man.

JENN McKINLAY: I’ve been enjoying a wild variety lately. ALLOW ME TO RETORT: A Black Guys Guide to the Constitution by Ellie Mystal. Fascinating book mostly about the amendments and why they need to be revisited. DOUBLE SHOT DEATH by Emmeline Duncan.

A terrific cozy mystery set in Portland about a coffee cart owning amateur that really captures the PNW vibe. THE FAMILY UPSTAIRS by Lisa Jewell. Delicious suspense novel about three families and deep dark secrets. So good! 

RHYS BOWEN:   Rhys, the blurb queen here. It seems like a never-ending stream. They are mostly good reading but sometimes I’d like to choose.

I’ve just finished another upcoming book to blurb called The Spying Eye by Michelle Cox.

Quite good

And now I’m embarking on a non fiction about women’s lives around the world called Women’s  Work by Megan K Slack. Fascinating so far.

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: The heat has been climbing into the 70s and even 80s here in southern Maine, I've been mowing daily for the past five days (yes, I have that much lawn) so for me, it's beach read time! First up, THE HOMEWRECKERS by Mary Kay Andrews. If you've ever read her, you know she describes home renovation and decorating like a dream, and when I saw she had come up with that's basically about a young widow getting her own HGTV-like show, you know I had to have it. 

Next on my TBR pile, NEVER COMING HOME, a delicious domestic thriller from Hank's First Chapter Fun buddy, Hannah Mary McKinnon. Here's the start of the jacket copy:

Lucas Forester didn't hate his wife. Michelle was brilliant, sophisticated and beautiful. Sure, she had extravagant spending habits, that petty attitude, a total disregard for anyone below her status. But she also had a lot to offer. Most notably: wealth that only the one percent could comprehend.

For years, Lucas has been honing a flawless plan to inherit Michelle's fortune. Unfortunately, it involves taking a hit out on her.

Sounds awesome! I love rich people behaving badly.

Finally, this summer's book from my friend Nancy Thayer, SUMMER LOVE. It doesn't feel like summer until I've read one of Nancy's tales of heartache and hope, set on the idyllic island of Nantucket. SUMMER LOVE is about a reunion of people in my age bracket, which I love, accompanied by their twenty-something kids, which my daughters love. Something for everyone.

HALLIE EPHRON: I’ve just started reading Susan Orlean’s ON ANIMALS. She’s a wonderful essayist, musing on everything from household pets (hers) to the animals we eat to her experiences keeping chickens and critters further afield (Moroccan donkeys)… and on and on. It’s a book for animal lovers and perfect for the summer because you can savor it in chunks.

 

READERS, what books have tickled your fancy lately?

The Inciting Incident

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: We always talk about how a good story begins: with one huge out-of-whack inciting incident that pulls the rug out from under the main character and forces them to do something to regain equilibrium.

Dervla McTiernan has lived that.

When she was shopping her first book, she was diagnosed with a brain tumor. A serious, deadly, horrible brain tumor.

Let’s have her tell it:

DERVLA MCTIERNAN: “I got the news from my GP very early on a Friday morning, and a few minutes later, when I was still sitting in my car in the car-park, I got an email from a literary agent saying that she’d read my first fifty pages, and loved them, and asking me to send her the rest of the book. 

It was the most surreal moment. I felt like I was on an episode of the Truman Show, except I was the subject and the director had decided that the story was far too boring so threw in a tumor and an agent and surgery and all sorts of drama. 

It was a very scary time, because my children were only six and four, and the GP made it clear that without surgery the tumor would ultimately be fatal. And then the first surgeon we saw said that the tumor was inoperable. 

But then we were lucky enough to find another wonderful surgeon, and he was confident that he could do the surgery. In the end I had three weeks from diagnosis to surgery, and I spent that time distracting myself by sending my book out to agents. 

The surgery went well. I spent 11 days in hospital, and a few months at home recovering before I was well enough to go back to work. 

I think it was about six weeks after the surgery when I got my first offer of representation, and things just took off from there.”

HANK:  Took off? Now, Reds and readers, read her bio:

International #1 bestseller Dervla McTiernan’s first two novels, The Rúin and The Scholar, were critically acclaimed around the world. Dervla has won multiple prizes, including a Ned Kelly Award, Davitt Awards, a Barry Award and an International Thriller Writers Award, and has been shortlisted for numerous others. Dervla’s third book, The Good Turn, went straight to #1 in the bestseller charts, confirming her place as one of Australia’s best and most popular crime writers.

WOW.

Now, her newest thriller, THE MURDER RULE, comes out next Tuesday! And if you are hearing about it here first, I can assure you that you will be hearing about it a lot more.

And here’s maybe the coolest part. Dervla is on the road for this book now, and instead of worrying about her very existence, she gets to worry about much more lovely and quotidian stuff. See below!

And ooh: she’s giving away a copy of THE MURDER RULE to THREE lucky commenters!

DERVLA MCTIERNAN: Hello, everyone! Thank you for letting me trespass on your space. I’m feeling very privileged to be hanging out (even virtually!) with such fantastic writers. By way of introduction, I’m Irish, but living in Western Australia, and I’m a full-time writer (and recovering lawyer). I live with my husband (also Irish – we met in a Tae Kwon Do class in college when we were seventeen, which let me tell you came pretty close to killing any nascent romance!) and our twelve-year-old daughter and ten-year-old son (both of whom have Australian accents and both of whom like to correct mine on an almost daily basis).

I’ve been writing full-time for a few years now, and my first stand-alone novel (The Murder Rule) comes out on May 10th in the US. I get to do my first US tour, which is a very big, very exciting deal for me, though it presents one tricky little problem. What to wear??

You would think that this would be a very easy problem to solve. Most of the book events I’ve been to have been very casual affairs, where anything goes and creative self-expression is appreciated. But the reality is that, these days, everything ends up on social media, and I don’t know about you guys, but I do feel a bit of pressure to get things right. I’m just not entirely sure what right is!

I’ve been telling myself that getting it right means accepting my forty-five year old body, which has carried me through a few major medical challenges over the years, and has the battle scars to prove it. And reminding myself that it is always about the stories, first and last. I have most of my packing done now, and though I’m still not quite sure how I’ll get through three weeks without access to my washing machine, the worry about getting things right is beginning to fade and the excitement of it all is beginning to take over.

My timing for this tour is pretty good, I have to say. Last year we bought a little 1940’s house, closer to our kids’ schools. We renovated it and moved in before Christmas. We absolutely love it, but it is truly teeny, and the kids are sharing a room, which is going to be a problem when they get a little older. So we’re building an extension (with a special writing room for me!) and it looks like works are going to kick off before I get back. I think the noisiest, messiest stuff might be done while I’m away, so my poor husband will be dealing with it all (and juggling two kids and two dogs at the same time) so I’m giving myself a big pat on the back for some truly excellent planning.

I’m so looking forward to getting out on the road and talking about this book. The Murder Rule tells the story of a young, idealistic law student named Hannah Rokeby. Hannah joins the Innocence Project on the eve of their biggest case – they’re trying to save an innocent man from death row. On the surface Hannah appears to be bright eyed and keen, eager to please and to be accepted by the team. But the real Hannah is quite different. She’s darker and more complicated, and she has her own agenda.

Every tour is different, of course, and the conversations you have at events vary depending on the topic of the book. I feel like The Murder Rule is giving me a lot of places to go, lots of topics and themes worth exploring. In researching for the book, I learned so much about how unjust convictions happen, about the junk science, the shoddy witness testimony, the forced confessions. I thought I knew much of it going in, but I learned a lot that surprised me. Some wrongful convictions come about due to corruption and dishonesty, of course, but a surprising number are due to what you might be consider to be ordinary human frailty. Self-delusion or self-importance. A refusal to admit that you might have gotten it wrong.

My first event was here in Perth on May 2nd, an “In Conversation” hosted by my best writing buddy, Sara Foster. I can’t think of a nicer way to kick things off. After my Perth events, I head to Sydney, and from there to Los Angeles. I’ll be in LA (with Rachel Howzell Hall), New York City (with Don Winslow), Phoenix (with TJ Newman) and Atlanta (with Karin Slaughter). If you happen to live close by I’d love to see you at an event!

HANK: And she will be in The Back Room (shhh, it’s not announced yet) on July 10, and on CRIME TIME on A Mighty Blaze on August 9! You can tell how much I love this book.) And ooh, yes, a thriller about a maybe-sinister lawyer? Yes, indeed.

So let's have a fun day on Jungle Red–to be entered to win a copy of THE MURDER RULE: you have a choice. What’s your favorite lawyer-book? What do you think about Dervla’s topic?

OR: how have your clothing choices changed in the pandemic?

(And I think it may already be tomorrow in Australia, which is always so reassuring to me.)