I started eighth grade in 1959; during the year I started a new club at Westwood Junior High – a lawyer’s club. I doubt any other school had such a club, but it was due in part to my fascination with the TV show, Perry Mason. The show motivated me to read the actual books by Erle Stanley Gardner. I have been fascinated by books with courtroom drama or legal … Continue reading
A steadfast group of mystery book fans in our book club read all 17 of the existing Inspector Gamache books. This is not the only indication of the popularity of Louise Penny and her famous book series set in the fictional town of Three Pines, Quebec. Last year’s book, The Madness of Crowds, was at the top of the NY Times best selling hardcover fiction list for 5 weeks straight. … Continue reading
This is a follow up to the previous post about the live Zoom interview of mystery-thriller writer Lynne Reeves on the evening of Wednesday November 9. I discovered today that she is also the subject of a written interview in The Big Thrill online magazine. It is called an UP CLOSE (with an author) feature. I would say it is more like an introduction to Reeves, useful to read, but … Continue reading
A “Heartfelt” Mystery Thriller is my way of describing what happens when a mystery-suspense thriller is written by a family counselor, not a cop, journalist, lawyer, politician, medical doctor, or retired spy. Nor is it simply a “psychological thriller” with a new plot twist to keep you turning the pages. The closest I can come to that idea (for those who read it) is Ordinary Grace, by William Kent Krueger) … Continue reading
Wealthy Men and their Multiple Divorces (Cartoon) List of Main Characters for SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES by Sheldon Siegel Download printable version of the following List of Characters shown below. THE PROTAGONIST FAMILY Mike Daley – The Lead Protagonist Rosie – Rosita Carmela Fernandez – Mike’s ex-wife, legal colleague, & love partner Grace – Mike & Rosie’s 6 yr old daughter Pete – Mike’s younger brother, a solo PI THE GIANT LAW … Continue reading
Very few of the many crime fiction conferences are totally for the fans. Usually, such events give 50%-100% of the conference time to helping writers (and lots of wannabe writers) learn to write and get published. NoirCon is a huge exception. It’s all for the fans and followers of the genre. It takes place every 2 years in Philadelphia, but like all conferences, it has been shut down during the … Continue reading
To my knowledge, Baltimore has the only other full-bodied sculpture of Edgar Allan Poe – the other being in Boston. In a September 2022 trip to Baltimore, I was able to see this sculpture and some other Poe sites. The sculpture is located at Gordon Plaza at University of Baltimore (1415 Maryland Ave.). The statue was commissioned in 1911 by the Edgar Allan Poe Memorial Association of Baltimore and was … Continue reading
First of all, some definitions, taken and slightly adapted from Wikipedia: Special circumstances in criminal law are actions of the accused, or conditions under which a crime, particularly homicide, was committed. Such factors require or allow for a more severe punishment. Special circumstances are elements of the crime itself, and thus must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt during the guilt phase of the trial. As such, they are formally … Continue reading
Attorney Mike Daley – Ex-priest. Ex–public defender. And ex-partner in one of San Francisco’s most prominent law firms. He works with his ex-wife Attorney Rosie Fernandez. in Daly’s private practice as criminal defense attorney. In later books, they both go back to work in the public defender’s office. Good people protagonists. The books are listed below. Special Circumstances (2000) MBC Selection for Oct 28, 2022 Incriminating Evidence (2001) Criminal Intent … Continue reading
Here is some information for my fellow Bosch fans: 2022 is a great year for Michael Connelly fans! Both The Lincoln Lawyer and Bosch are getting new series adaptations. Of course, this isn’t the first time Michael Connelly’s works have been adapted for film or television! Here’s a quick and easy guide to every Michael Connelly film adaptation so that you can make sure you don’t miss out on a single one of them. … Continue reading
LET'S PLAY CLUE: Was it MBC Leader Dick Goutal, in the garden, using the poisonous plant, Black Henbane?
