What We're Reading

INGRID THOFT

It’s Monday, the beginning of the week here at Jungle Reds, but I wanted to start the week with a coda of sorts.  Last week, we talked about “What We’re Writing,” and now it only seems fitting to share “What We’re Reading.”

I’m proud to admit that I’m in the middle of an Ann Cleeves binge. I am reading all of the Vera Stanhope books, not even in order, just when I can get my hands on them.  Even though I’ve watched the first few seasons of the TV show, I’m still completely enthralled with the books, and I’m consuming them like a box of Wheat Thins, and you know I’m a slave to Wheat Thins.  The main draw, of course, is Vera, but the supporting characters are three dimensional, and the plots are air tight.  I can’t get enough of Vera! 

Ann Cleeves in Shetland.

Another book that I’ve just started—I tend to read more than one at a time—is called Warnings: Finding Cassandras to Stop Catastrophes.  The authors, Richard A. Clarke and R.P. Eddy, both have had distinguished careers in the fields of counter terrorism and intelligence, and they argue that disasters can be prevented, if only we learn to listen to the early warnings given by outliers.  Cassandra, in Greek mythology, was able to foresee calamities, but the gods cursed her so that her warnings of impending doom were ignored.  According to Clarke and Eddy, catastrophes like Katrina and the rise of ISIS were predicted by some, but their warnings were listened to by few.  Warnings examines how we can start paying attention to the Cassandras in our midst.


So, what are the rest of you reading when you’re not writing?

JENN MCKINLAY: Ingrid, I love the Vera Stanhope books but as an avid knitter, I love Ann Cleeves's Shetland Island Series with D.I. Jimmy Perez even more. I have a fascination with the Shetland Islands (home of Fair Isle knitting) and read everything I can get my hands on about the area. There was even an article in my Vogue Knitting (Holiday 2016) talking with Ms. Cleeves about the Shetland Isles. She attended Left Coast Crime here in Phoenix and she is delightful. Anyway -- sorry, I went all fan girl there for a moment -- I am currently reading Sherry Thomas's A Conspiracy in Belgravia, having just finished her A Study in Scarlet Women, which are the first two titles in her Lady Sherlock series. I am so enjoying her reworking of Sherlock (Charlotte) Holmes as a brilliant, titled, independent lady who is too clever and a bit socially awkward for her own good.

IPT: Jenn, don't even get me started on Jimmy Perez!  I would consider moving to the Shetland Islands just to listen to him read the phone book in that Scottish accent!

HALLIE EPHRON: I'm reading an advance copy of Jessica Keener's Strangers in Budapest, and it's making me think about what it would be like to move with your family to somewhere utterly alien. And I've got lined up, books by Mary Kubica (Pretty Baby) and Sara Blaedel (The Lost Woman) who blew me away at Book Passage last week, talking about how they write.

RHYS BOWEN: I'm another big fan of Ann Cleves and the Vera books. And the Shetland novels too. I've never been to Shetland but it's on my to-do list. My reading at the moment seems to be one book to blurb after another. I think I've become the go-to historical novel quotation endorsement person, and it's hard to say no when the request comes from publishers and also people like Lee Child and Louise Penny and our own Jungle Reds have taken the time to read my books. Since the books won't come out for many months yet, I don't think I should mention names as titles could change. Next on my must read instantly pile is Louise's new book, Glass Houses, which I plan to take with me when I escape for a few days to Monterrey next weekend.

DEBORAH CROMBIE: When I left for London, I was a third of the way through the new Ann Cleeves Vera Stanhope novel, The Seagull. Well, I wasn't going to lug a hardcover with me, so I had to buy it on Kindle to finish it!! (And it's really good!) I also left behind new hardcover copies of Louise Penny's Glass Houses, and Peter Robinson's Sleeping in the Ground, but I may have to wait until I get back to read those. In the meantime, there's a new Nick Dixon novel by Damien Boyd loaded on my Kindle so that's what I'm diving into. (These are British procedural novels, set in west Somerset. They are only available on Kindle but I've really enjoyed them.)  After that, who know what might call to me from a London book store??

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: I just powered through Louise Penny's A Great Reckoning, and I have to say I adored it. Megan Miranda's The Perfect Stranger kept me totally guessing, and every time I thought--oh, I know what'll happen, it didn't. One of the great joys of my life is interviewing/introducing authors, so I have to (get to!) read their books to prepare, so I just read Tess Gerritsen's  I Know A Secret and Craig Johnson's  The Golden West. Such proof of how much voice matters---two completely different books, and I adored both of them. Yes, blurbing--I agree it's hilarious how that commands reading decisions.  But I count my blessings every time--such a treat! Next to read: Candice Fox's Crimson Lake.  But my current night stand book is You Will Know Me by Megan Abbott. Absolutely chilling. And cannot wait for the new Mary Kubica.

LUCY BURDETTE: I love it when I can report a run of wonderful books, and this happened over the past 10 days. First I read Chime and Punishment, the third in Julianne Holmes's Clock Shop mystery series. She has a wonderfully rounded character (which is what I care most about it) and a fascinating setting in this small town clock shop. Next I read The Golden Son by Shilpi Somaya Gowda, a big sweeping novel  about an Indian man who comes to the US to study medicine. A fascinating clash of cultures.

And finally, Karen Joy Fowler's We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves. I cannot even tell you how much I loved this book. Don't want to say too much about it because I hope you'll be as surprised as I was about the twist in the plot (it's not a mystery, it's a family psychological story.) Gorgeous writing and quirky characters and a compelling plot. What more does a reader need? And on my nightstand sits Keziah Frost's debut novel The Reluctant Fortune Teller. This book reminds me of early novels by Elinor Lipman (a very good thing!) and is chock-full of interesting characters and psychological insights. You'll be hearing more from her!

IPT: I love Elinor Lipman so I need to add Keziah Frost to my TBR pile ASAP!

So tell us, what are you reading these days?

Tell Us One Wonderful Thing!

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: It’s been a rollercoaster week for the Reds. Each us of us has had wonderfully amazing things happen—and had deep sorrows and losses and illness. And that is life, I guess, and I am so honored to be part of this dear Reds family. And a big question for you coming up below.

My week? Along with my ridiculous cold and pre-event hideous allergy attack (but all fine and show went on just swell, thanks to  goodness and allergy pills) WHAT YOU SEE is getting AMAZING reviews: “superb,” says Oline Cogdill,  “Flawlessly done” says Aunt Agatha’s Bookstore, “With echoes of Dennis Lehane at his level best,” says the Providence Journal, and “Drop everything and pick up this book!" says Associated Press. (You can do that here.)

So I am on the road, and HAPPY and crazed. Audiences at my signings are FABULOUS and I am so grateful. (Sunday at Book Carnival in Orange County, and Tuesday at Poisoned Pen! See you there?) 

Thursday I headlined with Tess Gerritsen and BA Shapiro.

 Lookit the crowd!

 And last night Susan and I had a signing together at Jabberwocky Books in Newburyport! It was fantastic.

(We seem to employ similar gestures. Love that!) And it was an amazing night. Thank you, owner Sue Little! And the terrific Connie Hambley and Donald Bain's daughter Laurie were in the house!

But here’s one thing I could not have predicted.  This was the signing in Indianapolis.

See the woman in the front row, in kind of the middle, in a gray jacket with a scarf? That is my High School home ec teacher! In 1966!  Mrs. Teeter came to my event at the Carmel Library, and joined about 65 others to celebrate WHAT YOU SEE.  But I celebrate Mrs. Teeter. She must be what, 90 now? And she remembered me totally. Aw.

I said to her—I loved home ec! But, I confessed, I can tell you now, fifty years later, I did not really enjoy the baked bean burgers you taught us to make. Nor was I a big fan of your tuna pizza.

She allowed as how they weren’t her favorites either.

But you taught me how to sew! I cried. And really, almost cried.

And  then I remembered my skirt. We had to make skirts, and Mrs. Teeter had told us a gathered skirt was the easiest.

So I decided to do pleats. Of course.

She also warned us not to choose a fabric that was plaid, or had any kind of one-way-only design, because it was really difficult to match the seams.

 HA! I thought. No problemo.

Problemo! Mrs. Teeter and I reminisced about the skirt I made, which was beautiful, and the pleats actually worked, EXCEPT the one-way pattern (which included little fringe) was right side up on the front, but wrong side upon the back.  Sigh. Can you imagine? Don't, actually.

I will never forget that, and from the look on her face, she hadn’t forgotten either! I guess I was a lesson for her future classes.

But how sweet is that moment? And how amazing of her to come.

  

So let’s focus on the great things, the sweet things, the memorable things.

What wonderful thing—one wonderful thing!—happened to you this week?

David Hewson and Rome's Fallen Angel

DEB: Today I'm especially pleased to be talking to one of my favorite writers, David Hewson, about his new Nic Costa novel, The Fallen Angel.

I first met David a few years ago when we were both on the guest faculty for the Book Passage Mystery Writers Conference, and I've been a huge fan ever since. David's books, set in present day Rome, are intelligent, articulate, evocative, and compelling. David is also an extremely nice guy, a talented photographer, and a foodie. No matter how disturbing the case, David's characters never lose sight of the really important things in life, and his descriptions of Roman food are enough to make you book your plane ticket. (David also--at least according to the photos on his blog--has the neatest desk of any writer I've ever seen. This is obviously a subject for future discussion...)

In The Fallen Angel, when British academic Malise Gabriel falls to his death from a Rome apartment, detective Nic Costa rapidly comes to realize that there is much more to the accident than he first thought. It also becomes apparent that Malise’s family — mysterious and tragic daughter Mina, stoic wife Cecilia and troubled son Robert — may be keeping vital information hidden.

Costa becomes obsessed with the case, intrigued by Mina’s story which seems to be linked to the sixteenth-century real-life tragedy of a young Italian noblewoman, Beatrice Cenci.

As the investigation deepens, Rome’s dark and seedy side is uncovered, revealing a tangle of deceit, treachery and corruption. Costa realizes that the key to the truth lies with the Gabriels. Why are they so unwilling to co-operate, and who, or what, is the reason for their silence?

Tess Gerritsen says, "Intricately plotted and gorgeously written, THE FALLEN ANGEL weaves a spell that will entrap you until the final page. David Hewson’s Rome is dark and tantalizing, seductive and dangerous, a place where present-day crimes ring with the echoes of history."

I wholeheartedly agree, and asked David to tell us more.

DEB: David, I was particularly intrigued by the fact that you, as a Brit, choose to set your books in Italy, a place neither your native country nor your home,although I understand that you spend considerable time there researching the books. And although your characters are Italian, you tell your stories from an insider's viewpoint. Do you find having an outsider's perspective an advantage?

DAVID: One of the daftest pieces of advice given to wannabe writers is 'write about what you know'. It works for some people but for a lot it doesn't. Most of us are bored with what we know and take it for granted. When you write about what you don't know you have to learn about it, see it in a different light and perspective, and build your image of it from scratch. To write these books I had to move to Rome for a while, learn Italian, build my Rome brick by brick.

I'm sure it's the same with your England, Debs. Books are work and setting them somewhere alien to us makes us work harder, which hopefully makes for a more vivid world when we come to create them. I think it also makes us more willing to be bold and creative with that world too, more than we would with the one we live in day-to-day.

DEB: We are all too familiar with the fictional male cop--middle-aged or past it, alcoholic, dysfunctional, unable to sustain relationships, lives only for his job . . . and yet in Nic Costa you've given us a policeman in his twenties. Nic is a complex and fascinating character, and although he's suffered loss in the course of the series, he is coping. Was the departure from the flawed anti-hero detective a deliberate choice on your part?

DAVID: It was a very deliberate decision. Most male crime characters have been handed down from the brilliantly-drawn template of Chandler. I wanted to move away from that to concentrate on an ordinary, decent guy struggling to come to terms with a fractured, corrupt world. That seems to me a much more modern and familiar dilemma than Chandler's lone wolf, damaged individual from the Forties. Not everyone gets it, of course, and occasionally people say, 'You don't write crime at all.' And maybe they're right. Can't say I know or care. The stories and the characters are what matter, not some genre tag stuck on the side.

DEB: One of the many things I love about your books is the well-drawn ensemble cast. Again, was this a deliberate choice? (I know in my case, I began with the two main characters, and over the series the continuing cast has grown a bit like topsy.)

DAVID: I wrote the first book as a standalone, and that is very much Costa's story. When it was finished my editor suggested very clearly - with the offer of a very enticing contract - that I turn this into a series. I had to think long and hard about that. I was worried I was going to go down the path to the Reichenbach Falls, where Conan Doyle shoved Holmes to his death because he was sick of him (only to revive him later).

Avoiding character fatigue was something I really wanted to work on. My secret was to think back to Ed McBain's wonderful 87th Precinct series and give Costa a family of similarly-decent people around him. It's that which has sustained the book as they grow, I think, and attracted the TV development deal too. But I've been very careful not to let the family grow too much. There are, and always will be, only four principal protagonists: Costa, Peroni, Teresa Lupo and Leo Falcone. No more - the rest are side characters.

DEB: How did you learn about Beatrice Cenci, and why did you decide to weave the novel around this haunting story?

DAVID: I spend a lot of time in Rome hanging round places, reading, talking to people. The Cenci story is well known in Rome but not much outside, even in Italy. I have a stack of story ideas waiting to be written. Beatrice was just one of them. One of the many things I love about Rome is the way the past informs the present. It's not history, it's a part of today.

Beatrice died more than five hundred years ago yet it doesn't take much to sense her presence still in the city today. With a little research I was able to see where she lived, where she was imprisoned, buried, executed, see the painting supposedly of her in the Barberini, then finally go into the black museum of the Ministry of Justice and see the sword historians believe was used by her executioner. She's a fascinating character, part saint, part something else perhaps, and her dilemma - how far can you go to defend your own identity - seemed to me a very modern one which is why I chose it. But there are plenty more Roman stories with that feel too. The problem is always picking one.

DEB: I, for one, hope you will pick many more, and I'm wondering what's next in the offing. What about you, JR readers? Any questions for David? He'll be dropping in throughout the day to answer them, although as he's on UK time we'll have to try not to keep him up too late!

Welcome to Carnival of the Criminal Mind's March offering! And we're so happy to be on the merry-go-round.

What is Carnival of the CM, you ask? Well--the website says: "It’s a movable feast, a progressive party, a chance for bloggers to get to know one another and for readers to get introduced to blogs they might have missed. Each blogger who participates hosts the carnival by posting a round-up of what’s going on in the blogosphere: what are people saying, reading, reacting to, complaining about, and who said something brilliant that shouldn’t be missed."

Check it out at http://crimecarnival.wordpress.com/

But you can read it here--first! Because this month--we're hosting! And thank you to the wonderful Barbara Fister for inviting us.

When this month arrives in New England and the northeast, it brings hope that someday, winter will be over. Not soon enough, of course, and not for good (there's always that April snow storm), but there is a promise.

Hank says she saw three robins today. And the snow on the sidewalks has melted. But we certainly don't want to wish the time away--when there's so much to do and so many wonderful things happening.

In Jungle Red world, Rosemary's book just came out. Hallie's newest: 1001 Books for Every Mood, will be on shelves momentarily. Hank's first book got an Agatha nomination for best first novel. Roberta's now President of national Sisters in Crime and her latest mystery is flying out of stores. Jan finished the manuscript of Teaser and the rest of us can't wait to read it.

At Jungle Red Writers, we're having a great first year. And we're surviving the winter by making it cozy with cocoa and lattes, good friends, lots of revisions, and certainly with the help of some great books and some great blogs.

Since there are so many great blogs to choose from, we limited our search. Our theme is Strong Women, a topic near and dear to all five of our hearts.

JAN: I have a quote on the bulletin board over my laptop which reminds me to "be funny, be profound, or be quiet." And this is how I feel about blog writing.
In the be funny category, I love to check in with The Good Girls Kill for Money Club,(http://www.good-girls-kill.com/) which has made me laugh hard over Valentines' Day (Regina Harvey,) kids' school assignments (Sara Rosett,) and relating to Felix the Cat (Diana Killian.)

In the be profound department, I like Writer's Plot (http://www.writersplot.typepad.com/) where Kate Flora started a full-scale controversy by being refreshingly honest about the mystery writing business. I applaud her candor, which I found cathartic.

In the both Profound and Funny category, I offer Mo Walsh's Momentary Lapses blog (http://momentary-lapses.blogspot.com/. She doesn't blog to fill space on a daily basis, but speaks when she has something to say.

She made me weep over Christmas with an incredibly honest and soulful revelation about losing a child, and made me laugh out loud more recently with her spoof, called The Decomposing Press Room, where her fictional publisher offered examples of the new detective series its launching. The series featured everything from a garbage man (making remarkable sleuth sense) to a virtual detective that is a software program.

HALLIE: In the some things wise/vintage and other things smart/hip category...
The Lady Killers (http://theladykillers.typepad.com/the_lady_killers/) are the former, and in their blog "seven female writers of mystery fiction share their wit and wisdom, writing tips and travel experiences." What a group: Rhys Bowen, Sharan Newman, Ann Parker, Carola Dunn, Jane Finnis, Mary Anna Evans, Cara Black.

I'm enjoying Ann's multi-part blog on the etiquette of wooing, Victorian style, complete with simply gorgeous Victorian valentines from http://www.indiana.edu/~liblilly/valentines/valentine.html. Rhys for musings on what it takes to write these suckers, and her real pleasure in being in the company of other writers: "It is still a source of wonder to me that we enjoy each other's company so much. In other genres writers regard each other as rivals. We are a huge sorority and fraternity, hanging out together whenever possible, sharing in each other's triumphs and disasters." And of course Cara for sojourns to Paris and everything French.

On the hipster side...I know Jennifer Cruisie isn't, strictly speaking, a crime fiction writer, but her latest book's got hit men and a kidnapping to season the romance and humor Her blog, "argh ink" (http://www.arghink.com/), is honest, always amusing, and her play-with-your-brain posts are a hoot. At one point, she tells us she's thinking of writing about a mystery writer who's sick and tired of her series, and she asks our help in coming up with mystery titles with colors in the name. Her list begins:Red Hot and DeadYellow Rose of CorpsesGold Dead FingersHow Now Brown Shroud (from Gaffney, of course)Lavender's Dead, Killer, KillerTan Little CorpsesOrange You Glad I Didn't Say Murder? There's also a fascinating piece about splitting with her agent who incidentally represents many mystery authors.
I am in awe and taking notes...this girl can blog.

HANK: How about My Love's Like a Dead Dead Rose? Or: Who Blue Him Away? Okay, maybe not.

How does Nancy Pickard do it? Her books are astonshingly well-written, and her blog Ah Sweet Mystery of Life http://sweetmysteryoflife.blogspot.com/ The bloggers are four amazingly successful writers, three from the south shore of Massachusetts, another who moved from there to California. It's quite an unusual story. When the blog began, they were just a writer's group, like so many authors have, who met every Monday to share and critique their work. All had aspirations to write the great novel. None had sold. They took turns writing very honestly and caringly about their ups and downs, their fears, their writing techniques. Faithful readers participated in every element of their journey. And sure enough, two of them are now beyond-belief successful, and the other two are well on the way. (Go look at their bios! And you won't be able to resist checking Publisher's Lunch.) It's always inspirational.

And Lipstick Chronicles. http://thelipstickchronicles.typepad.com/ What can I say? This group has got it. Perfectly. Put together the blazingly successful team of Harley Jane Kozak, Nancy Martin, Sarah Strohmeyer, Elaine Viets and Michele Martinez, add Rebecca the Bookseller, and you've got an irresistible combination. Oh, and the elusive and mysterious Me, Margie. (Just saying.) What makes TLC so intriguing, though, is that the topics sometimes appear to be all fun (The obituary of a lady wrestler named The Fabulous Moolah, or losing a favorite ski hat, or male cheerleaders, or one called :"The Oscars Suck and I Don't Care") but inevitably they turn out to be clever, intelligently written, thoughtful and satisfying. And oh, so very very funny.

ROBERTA: I love reading blogs that lay it all out, in a helpful way. Tess Gerritsen does just that (http://www.tessgerritsen.com/blog/). She's a hugely successful crime writer, with books like THE MEPHISTO CLUB to her name, but she speaks from the heart about the difficulties and joys of the writing life. A recent post is "The Writer's Guide to Staying Sane"--it may be too late for some of us--with tips like:

*Stop checking your Amazon index
*Stop Googling yourself
*Learn to say NO
*Exercise
*Chase other interests

There, that should keep us busy! If not sane...

And last but not least, check out the blog that'll be hosting the next carnival, HEY THERE'S A DEAD GUY IN THE LIVING ROOM (http://www.heydeadguy.typepad.com/.) They deserve a shout just for the title alone, but the content is good stuff too--comments on writing and crime fiction from the perspectives of booksellers, publicists, editors, writers, and our favorite smart a** agent, the irrepressible Janet Reid. (And yes, I know there are men in this group and we're writing about strong women--we made an exception. Besides, we like those guys!)

RO's caught in airline hell book tour hell, so she'll weigh in shortly! thanks for stopping in at Jungle Red Writers...

RO: Thanks for understanding. I assumed I'd get stuck somewhere on this tour..going through Chicago four times at this time of year it seemed inevitable. But I got stuck in Miami of all places! Go figure.

Two of my favorite blogs these days typify March weather - lions and lambs. (I can't help myself...I'm a gardener and hoky sayings rule in the gardening universe...along the lines of "When you hear the cuckoos shout, 'tis time to plant your tatties out.")

ANYWAY, the lions (lionesses?) are the estimable women of The Outfit - Barbara D'Amato, Michael Allen Dymmoch, Libby Hellman and Sara Paretsky. Yes there are guys in The Outfit, but I confess I always think of it as the grande dame blog. http://theoutfitcollective.blogspot.com/

And the lambs? A group of relative newbies who've just started a fun blog promising mysteries, humor and high heels. I personally love all of those things, and The Stiletto Gang has inspired me to pack a pair of heels on my upcoming trip to Left Coast Crime. Hope it doesn't snow! Check out http://thestilettogang.blogspot.com/