Marilyn's Musings

WHERE SHOULD THE BODY LIE? The easy answer is wherever it works best for the plot. In much detective fiction, the murder, or discovery of the body takes place at the beginning or very early on. But a lot of good stories take a while to develop, even when the motivation for the detective is the act itself. If the story is focused on the characters more than on the action, or, is a balanced presentation, then a murder may not take place until well into the book. Nothing wrong with this, assuming the writer has mastered all the other tools of the trade. A bunch of people standing around endlessly trading bon mots or quips or cutting insults becomes exceedingly tedious, even if, as veteran readers of crime fiction, we know it’s all leading to murder, or worse. On the other hand (isn’t there always?) a small clutch of really unusual interesting characters can carry a reader a long way into the story. Add other unusual or unsettling circumstances, such as weather or location a...

  Sean Sean is not your usual detective--he's really short with a really tall girlfriend, and doesn't act much like the usual detective in modern novels. He is in fact, a delightful hero, going about his detecting in a thorough though sometimes dangerous manner. In this particular case, Sean investigates a murder and finds himself in a tangled mess that involves a painting stolen during World War II, a suspicious woman, and a ledger. During his investigation, attempts are made on Sean's life while he drives his trusty car through snow storms. The weather is portrayed in such an excellent manner, I felt cold nearly the whole time I was reading the book. The mystery itself is compelling, but most of all I was entertained by Sean Sean himself. While I attending mystery conventions in various places--Love is Murder, Bouchercon and Mayhem in the Midlands, I had the pleasure of meeting and getting to know the author, Carl Brookins. The Case of the Purloined Painting i...

The Lost Women of Lost Lake   by Ellen Hart ISBN: 978-0-312-61477-5 2011 hardcover release from Minotaur Books, 320 pgs. It is interesting how these things come in multiples. Libby Hellmann recently released a novel with its genesis in the riotous summer and fall of 1968. The Minnesota History Center has just opened an elaborate exhibit focused on 1968, and the History Theater in Saint Paul has mounted an original play, “1968, The year That Rocked The World.” And now here we have a powerful, emotionally intense novel by that excellent Minneapolis writer, Ellen Hart. It is a story of two women who are unable to divorce themselves from that same year, 1968 and the decisions and actions they took then. The story is another event in the evolving saga of Minneapolis restaurateur, Jane Lawless. This time she and bosom chum Cordelia take what they intend to be a short vacation trip into Minnesota’s benign northern wilderness to the Lawless family lodge on a lake north o...

Murder in the 11 th house   by Mitchell Scott Lewis ISBN: 978-59058-950-2 a 2011 release from Poisoned Pen Press A team of intrepid and intelligent agents in league with an astrologer take on difficult cases of potential injustice. The feeling one gets from this debut novel about the Starlight Detective Agency is one of a small team of right-minded individuals with varied skills united around common goals. When government doesn’t get it right, the agency will. And they’re not above bending the law for all the right reasons. How that affects the lawyer/daughter on the team remains to be seen. The agency does work with police in New York City whenever possible, and because of his wealth and reputation, that seems to be often, but David Lowell, Astrologer non parallel , is not above spending his considerable money and influence to right apparent wrongs. Angry bartender Johnny Colbert has a loud confrontation with a judge in a small New York Courtroom. It’s a...

Today, I'm turning the table on Carl and instead of posting one of his fine reviews, I'm reviewing his latest mystery, Reunion . I began reading Carl’s latest book in bits and spurts—usually while I was eating—because I had so many things to do. But when I got to the last few chapters, I had to keep right on reading. There was no way I could put the book down, I wasn’t sure where the plot was going, but one exciting thing happened after another so I had to keep on to find out how it would all turn out. Reunion is about a high school reunion, but thankfully not like any of the many I’ve attended. Oh, there were similarities, some people had changed a lot since graduation, others not so much. Lorie Jacobs talked her significant other, Jack Marsden—more than a boyfriend, but not quite ready for matrimony—into attending the reunion to be held in her hometown. Like Lori’s former classmates, much of the town seems to be the same, and some of it has changed. The festivities hav...

Viper by John Desjarlais 978-1933184-80-7 2011 trade paper release from Sophia Institute Press 238 pages. Set in rural Illinois, the novel follows disgraced DEA agent Selena De La Cruz as she tries to re-order her life into some semblance of normality after a drug raid gone bad results in a tragic aftermath. Leaving that life turns out to be more than just difficult. It is impossible. And so Selena leaves her insurance company and re-enters the dangerous world of undercover drug enforcement among a Latino population that is turbulent, ever-changing and marked with friends who become enemies and family members short on   understanding. The author cleverly establishes Selena as an independent capable woman beset on all sides by the chauvinism of her bosses and the cultural disapproval of her family. Good Latina women do not carry guns and arrest drug dealers. There is an invasive Latin Catholic presence throughout the book. The basic theme of the story is a list of names...

Frankly, my reading tastes are all over the place. I'm reading a James Lee Burke mystery right now, far more brutal with much more complicated and damaged characters then would ever inhabit one of my books. Burke is one of my favorite writers despite what I just wrote. He does characterization so well--but his descriptions of place are absolutely wonderful. And no, I'll never write like him, but I love to read his stories. I've got The Help on my Kindle. I've already seen the movie (excellent) and it may take me awhile to finish the book because I tend to only use my Kindle when I'm on a trip. No trips coming up for awhile, so I doubt I'll get through it anytime soon. The story line of The Help is great--the writing is simple and straightforward. I'm also reading a mystery by fellow author and friend, Carl Brookins, called Reunion . I'll put a review on my site once I'm through. This also may take awhile because I'm reading it in spurts. ...

Danger In Deer Ridge by Terry Odell e-book available at all the usual retailers. released in 2011 All right, so there’s a big fat coincidence at the beginning of the novel. These things happen in real life so why not in crime fiction? The coincidence does not, however, make things easier at the beginning for Elizabeth Parker. Even late into the novel the woman has understandable trust issues. Paranoia is always nearby. Elizabeth is running from an abusive marriage and has taken her son deep underground. The problem is, that isn’t all she took with her when she disappeared from the relationship and from her home city. The characters in the novel are well-written, and develop in reasonable and meaningful ways within the fabric of the story, and that includes most of the relatively minor ones. The setting, rural mountainous Colorado is both beautiful and menacing at times. Two major threads, often in conflict, wind through the novel. In order to remain free an...

Rock Hole by Reavis Z. Wortham ISBN: 978-1-59058-884-0 2011 release from Poisoned Pen Press. HC, 284 pages A sensitive, suspenseful debut crime novel. Full of twists, wry and earthy humor, it epitomizes the grit, the patience and the perseverance, of middle America.   Folks who grew up in Texas, where the novel is set, or anywhere in the belt that runs from the northwest angle of Minnesota to the Padre Islands and from the middle of Pennsylvania  to Cody, Wyoming, will recognize themselves in this novel. Their humor, their practicality, their keen natural observations, are all here to savor. Welcome to 1964. In Center Springs, Texas, farmer and part-time constable Ned Parker is faced with a puzzling series of animal deaths. That they are brutal, atrocious unnecessary  killings, only adds to the tension and suspense. Across the river, the black deputy, John Washington, is trying to find reasons for the same killings, while also dealing with  the ...