I was introduced to Dame (Edith) Ngaio Marsh 19 years ago during my first Christmas in the Mystery Book Club at Manchester Library. The book was appropriately, Tied Up in Tinsel, the 27th book in Marsh’s Detective Chief Inspector Roderick Alleyn series. Her first book was in 1934 and her last, the year of her death, was in 1982. Alleyn presents as a British “gentleman detective” – schooled at Eton, … Continue reading
…and other goodies, like Join an online presentation with best selling authors Lisa Jackson and Nancy Bush. See what happens when you love a-maze-ing mystery books. Meet FBI Special Agent Julia Cowley:Inside the Behavioral Analysis Unit (Virtual) TUESDAY, AUGUST 22 at 7:00—8:00 PM Join Special Agent Julia Cowley for a look inside FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit. Cowley will discuss how and why she became an FBI profiler, what profiling is … Continue reading
Bruce Robert Coffin was our guest author at our regular monthly meeting on Friday, June 30, 2023. We read the first book in his series of four police procedurals – Among the Shadows. It was generally well-liked by the group as indicated by the fact that at least 8 participants (of 12 reporting back) said something about wanting to read another in the series. Compared to the group’s feeling about … Continue reading
Remembering Peter Robinson Canadian mystery author Peter Robinson who wrote 28 Inspector Banks novels, died last year, but his final book, Standing in the Shadows, was published this month. The publisher brought together 3 blockbuster authors to remember and celebrate Robinson, as well as to promote the final book; the three were Ian Rankin (author of the Inspector Rebus books), Louise Penny (author of the Inspector Gamache books), and Michael … Continue reading
Sara Paretsky During the last meeting, when discussing various books for the future, I mentioned that Sara Paretsky has been a long time favorite of mine when it comes to PI novels, and her protagonist, V. I. Warshawski, is a very likable strong female hero. So I was happy to just get a notice that Bouchercon2023 (which I am planning to attend at the end of August), has selected Paretsky … Continue reading
WARNING: This post is a rant. You might get a laugh, you might cringe, you might be offended, you may get bored. The Grand Master Award is a big deal, or at least it should be. It was established by the Mystery Writers of America (MWA) to “recognize important contributions to the mystery field over time, as well as a significant output of consistently high quality.” Full membership in the … Continue reading
The first book in Paul Doiron‘s excellent mystery series featuring Maine Game Warden Mike Bowditch was used as a class text in a sophomore English class at Dexter Regional High School in Dexter, Maine. Then the teacher and school librarian invited Mr. Doiron to speak to the students and answer questions about the book and writing in general. I say, “Three Cheers” to the teachers who chose the book and … Continue reading
LET'S PLAY CLUE: Was it MBC Leader Dick Goutal, in the garden, using the poisonous plant, Black Henbane?
