Bow WOW!

Peter Abrahams/Spencer Quinn and friend

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN:  I once read a book review in the NYTimes, which said something like “I’m afraid I won’t be able to convey how good this is.” That is how I feel about the books by Peter Abrahams. (Who also, as you’ll see, goes by Spencer Quinn.)  Maybe this’ll work:  Stephen King referred to him as "my favorite American suspense novelist". Yeah. Me and you, Stephen.

You might have read his intense original stand-alone thrillers, like The Fan, or Nerve Damage, or the Edgar-nominated Lights Out.

You might know him from his brilliant Echo Falls YA mysteries. (Yes, I am gushing, but sometimes one simply must gush.)

After those riveting and compelling thrillers, and then his smart and perceptive (and adorable) YAs, Peter Abrahams secretly turned onto someone else. With great mystery and skullduggery, he wrote, as Spencer Quinn, the first Chet and Bernie mystery, titled DOG ON IT. 

And remember when no one knew the real identity of the author? It was such a hoot when Peter was revealed as Spencer—and also as the acclaimed voice of Chet. Chet, a dog who (somehow) narrates the best-selling novels.

And now—there’s more. I am in awe. And in delight. And so happy to introduce you to Peter Abrahams/Spencer Quinn’s new voice. It’s Bowser, a goofy, engaging, determined (and bacon-loving) crime-fighting canine—who’s in league with his new girl Birdie. 

His first adventure is WOOF.  (And I say: bow WOW.)

HANK:  Sometimes, if you look at a crime fiction author's body of work, it gets darker and darker, as the writer delves into their most insidious and terrifying depths. Or something like that. Anyway, it seems like you've gone exactly the opposite direction.

PETER:That is odd, now that you mention it. What the hell is right with me? No question about the darkness, which really got going with Lights Out, my seventh book, where Eddie Nye ends up breaking back into prison. Then there’s Oblivion, where it’s pretty clear that Nick will not survive, and End of Story with that last line – “Ivy got stuck on page 109”. An entendre of the darkly double type. But humor kept bubbling up – especially noticeable in Their Wildest Dreams, I think, where I discovered how much I liked writing about the southwest.

And that led to Chet and Bernie, where this whole other side of me all of a sudden had free reign. I’d had enough of darkness!

Having said that, now that some time has passed, a somewhat darkish idea has occurred to me, and will form the basis of a new project, when I can get to it. (As for Chet and Bernie, Scents and Sensibility comes out in July.)

HANK: So WOOF is the first of we hope many books about Bowser and Birdie, dog and girl, crimefighters of the Louisiana swamp. What was the first nugget of the book? When did you think--hey! And why?

PETER: I thought – hey! – when I got a call asking if I had any interest in writing a dog-narrated mystery for middle-schoolers. Why? Because it’s so nice to be asked, in this business. But the idea of a kid and dog pair exploring together the strange and dangerous world of adult humans seemed right. Then came the bayou setting, followed by Birdie and her grandmother. Some characters do write themselves, and Grammy is one of them. She’d have taken over the whole book if I’d let her.

HANK:  And really, just cut and paste a tiny synopsis of WOOF in the next slot. You don't have to make up a brand new one, since someone probably worked pretty hard on the one you have.

PETER: There is trouble brewing in the Louisiana swamp -- Bowser can smell it. Bowser is a very handsome and only slightly slobbery dog, and he can smell lots of things. Like bacon. And rawhide chews! And the sweat on humans when they're lying.

Birdie Gaux, the girl Bowser lives with, also knows something is wrong. It's not just that her grammy's stuffed prize marlin has been stolen. It's the weird rumor that the marlin is linked to a missing treasure. It's the truck that seems to be following Birdie and the bad feeling on the back of her neck.

When Birdie and Bowser start digging into the mystery, not even Bowser's powerful sniffer can smell just how menacing the threat is. And when the danger comes straight for Birdie, Bowser knows it up to him to sic 'em.

HANK: Love it! People must ask you this all the time, and I know the answer is "imagination." But still. How do you put yourself in the mind of a dog? Bowser thinks and  narrates just like a dog. (Funny that he can type. How does he do that?)

PETER: And I can’t type. Or just barely. Two fingers, three on a good day. I’ve always been interested in the limited narrator, or limited POV (if we’re dealing with 3^rd person close). In Pressure Drop, one of my very early novels (and soon to be re-released by Open Road), there are scenes from the POV of someone with locked-in syndrome.

 In fairness to Bowser, his limitations are matched by some special gifts, especially when it comes to the senses of smell and hearing; and he has some emotional gifts as well. The emotional bond – call it love – between Bowser and Birdie is the heart of the story. I prefer stories with a heart, or spirit, or something of the kind. Often absent in fiction, and not just of the crime variety.

HANK: This is a YA book--but I laughed all the way through it. Who are you writing these for? And why?

PETER: Birdie and Bowser are for kids. But also, well, why not everybody? There’s no dumbing down. True, no sex and very little seen violence, but that’s not dumb.

HANK: Your webpage that's labeled "About the book" is a letter to kids who are looking for you to write a book report. Peter/Spencer, it is hilarious. (And respectful, and helpful.) I have to think you've gotten requests to write book reports.

PETER: Oh, yes. How many times have I been asked to quickly supply the theme of Down the Rabbit Hole? I don’t have a clue! Grade F. But sometimes you get heartbreaking stuff. I believe somewhere in the Echo Falls series Ingrid’s older brother hits her. One girl emailed me about how she knew that scene very well.

HANK: Oh, gosh. That is—heart-stopping. It makes you see a whole world, you know? (And yeah, I always wondered if her brother had a steroid problem.  Hmm.) 

But at the end of that wonderful letter you say: a dog’s mindset is looking forward. But looking back a tiny bit, since part of you, at least, is human, what do you think about your writer’s journey?  Where you came from--and where you are? And sure, what's ahead?

PETER: I’m really not ready to think about this, Hank. All I know is that I’m on some sort of journey and I don’t want it to end.

HANK:  Aw. We don’t, either. Congratulations. WOOF is irresistible, and we are so happy you’re here today. So happy that we’re giving away a copy of WOOF to one lucky commenter! (US only please). Tell us your dog’s name! Or the dog you had as a kid.  Or your favorite dog. Or any doggie thing!

And Bowser will pick a winner at random. (Bacon is very effective.) 

The Question We All Must Face

"You don't really need to work..."

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN:  May I introduce to you: Leon. Leon has never been on Jungle Red before. When I was living in Atlanta, a million years ago, I found Leon while I was out running. (On Ponce de Leon Avenue.) He was being tormented by some stupid kids, and I stopped and said--hey! Is that your kitten?

They said no.

I said--well, I'm taking him. I whisked him off to my apartment, where my tortoiseshell cat Lola immediately became furious, ran into the bedroom, and skooshed her body into an empty shoe box. 

I told Leon I could not possibly have two cats, and he was going to the humane society,but he didn’t listen. He did everything but sing and dance until I agree to let him stay.

Lola and Leon lived together for 14 years, and never said a word to each other. This was one of Leon’s favorite places. (You can see by the computer how long ago it was.)

generic pets but you get the picture

Can pets co-exist? What if they are different species? And what is your answer to –as Edgar nominee Steve Ulfelder puts it—The Question We All Must Face?

 What’s Reigning: Cats or Dogs?

            By Steve Ulfelder

You don’t need me to tell you house pets have an honored place in crime fiction. Cats and dogs are so beloved and talented that these days, they’re as likely to narrate the stories and solve the crimes as they are to cough up a hairball or have an accident on the rug. Laura Lippman, Robert B. Parker, Clea Simon, Spencer Quinn, and of course Lillian Jackson Braun are just some of the authors who’ve used quadrupeds to good effect.

In my series, though, I find myself at a risky crossroads: Conway Sax, my tough-guy hero (a former NASCAR racer who solves cases for his fellow recovering alcoholics), appears to be transitioning from a cat guy to a dog guy.

Why? Well, let’s not beat around the bush: because I find myself making the same transition.

When I began writing Conway in 2007, I had three cats (I’m down to one due to old age and a coyote, sad to say). I loved them all dearly; until very recently, had you asked me the Question We All Must Face (Are you a cat person or a dog person? No equivocating!), I would confidently have said cats. So it made sense to soften up and humanize Conway, who can be pretty brutal, with a pair of black-and-white housecats named Dale and Davey (as in Earnhardt Sr. and Allison—Conway names his pets after race drivers).

This worked just fine, with Dale and Davey becoming beloved characters. But then I hauled off and adopted Bonneville (usually known as Bonnie), a retired racing greyhound.

Uh-oh.

I have flipped for this dog, and for greyhounds in general. Here’s a piece I wrote about Bonnie for Crimespree Magazine: http://crimespreemag.com/pet-spotlight-bonnies-scars-by-steve-ulflder/. Here is her Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/bonnie.ulfelder?fref=ts&ref=br_tf. Here’s her Twitter account: https://twitter.com/CatysGaleForce.

Have I gone overboard? Yup.

Is it just a matter of time before I adopt another grey? Yup.

With this backdrop, you’ll be unsurprised to hear that while Conway retains his cats, greyhounds poke their pointy snouts into book four in the series, Wolverine Bros. Freight & Storage. A pair of greys named Dandy and Cha Cha make their goofy debut in this story, and while they belong to another character, there are hints that Conway will become their eventual caretaker.

What do you think, Reds and readers: Can a pair of retired greyhounds coexist with a pair of housecats in the same series, or am I setting myself up for disaster? At the very least, must I find Conway a love interest who owns a kennel?

Also, who are some of your favorite four-legged characters in mysteries?

HANK: Great question! And I cannot wait to hear your answers.

(And of course--a copy of WOLVERINE BROTHERS to one lucky commenter!)

And the winner of Katherine Hall Page's SMALL PLATES is  Brenda Buchanan! Email me your address...

TOMORROW ON JUNGLE RED: Ghosts.

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Steve Ulfelder is the Edgar finalist author of four mysteries featuring big-hearted former NASCAR driver Conway Sax. Steve also co-owns Flatout Motorsports Inc., a Massachusetts company that builds race cars, and is an avid race driver himself. Visit him at www.ulfelder.com.

In WOLVERINE BROS. FREIGHT & STORAGE, Conway Sax is a man on a mission—this time in Los Angeles, where he uses his race-driving experience in a desperate bid to rescue Kenny Spoon, a washed-up TV star who’s been kidnapped. It’s a favor for Kenny’s mother Eudora, Conway’s dear friend and a fellow member of his tight-knit AA group.

When he returns to Massachusetts, Conway finds himself caught between Eudora and her two sons: Kenny, and Harmon, a cop who resents his talented, troubled half-brother. Each member of the Spoon family distrusts the others, it seems … and each has a past full of dark secrets that may explain why.

While Conway tries to learn why Kenny was kidnapped and protect him from further harm, a shocking murder devastates this complex, all-too-human family. Conway vows to find the killer and avenge the death, but each clue only points to more suspects.