Everything is pretty much the same. At least it appears that way to us. We go back to Texas Oncology down at Medical City Dallas tomorrow morning for blood work and a doctor visit. Always dread going down because I am always afraid that there will be another unpleasant surprise. Had way too many of those.
Please keep a good thought, prayer, wish for her .....
Thursday, October 10, 2013
As Seen Elsewhere
and very true.....
I'm beyond disgusted. It was bad enough under Texas rules that Sandi did not qualify for Texas medicaid despite the fact that she has terminal cancer leaving us on the hook for thousands of dollars her insurance won't cover because of this or that technicality. Or the fact that because they count her small Social Security Disability (SSD) payment and mine and that means I apparently no longer qualify for Medicare reimbursement which means I am now going to be responsible for not only my Medicare premium each month, but at least 200 dollars more in medication costs. More than half of my SSD each month will now go to the Medicare premuim and the drug costs of the medications I am currently on.
We still don't have our food stamps for this month. If the unthinkable happens and the default is triggered, as it stands now, we won't receive our SSD next month and that means we won't be able to pay our rent. We will be homeless--it truly is that simple.
Like millions of other Americans, while this nonsense goes on, we suffer. I don't care which party you support or why. This is no way to run a government or the country. Remember who did what and hold them accountable when it is time to vote again.
I'm beyond disgusted. It was bad enough under Texas rules that Sandi did not qualify for Texas medicaid despite the fact that she has terminal cancer leaving us on the hook for thousands of dollars her insurance won't cover because of this or that technicality. Or the fact that because they count her small Social Security Disability (SSD) payment and mine and that means I apparently no longer qualify for Medicare reimbursement which means I am now going to be responsible for not only my Medicare premium each month, but at least 200 dollars more in medication costs. More than half of my SSD each month will now go to the Medicare premuim and the drug costs of the medications I am currently on.
We still don't have our food stamps for this month. If the unthinkable happens and the default is triggered, as it stands now, we won't receive our SSD next month and that means we won't be able to pay our rent. We will be homeless--it truly is that simple.
Like millions of other Americans, while this nonsense goes on, we suffer. I don't care which party you support or why. This is no way to run a government or the country. Remember who did what and hold them accountable when it is time to vote again.
Top Suspense Group: The Long Ride Back
Top Suspense Group: The Long Ride Back: Readers who stumble onto Ed Gorman's writing soon find their pulse quickening with excitement as they discover that he's one of t...
Wednesday, October 09, 2013
Short Story Review: "Death’s Brother: A Top Suspense Story" by Bill Crider
Professor Jon Cline always tried to help his
students. Such was the case with Dana Randall. He taught Romantic Poetry at the
University and Dana was in one of his classes. He soon learned as he tutored
her outside of class that she was bored and soon to be wealthy once her
inheritance come him. As things progressed she started providing the very lonely
and single Professor Cline her own brand of personal tutoring in her bedroom.
The middle aged Cline can’t believe the 20 something
Dana wants to be with him. Sure, over the years, he has heard all sorts of stories
of nubile woman who got involved with their professors. He never believed it would
happen to him and she can’t get enough of his help.
Far different than his Sheriff Rhodes series this
dark and twisted short story is a good one.
Populated with characters that may annoy some readers and an overarching
sense of doom and futility, this is a far different type of read that his other
series work. It also contains quite a few twists all the way to the bitter end.
Death’s Brother: A Top Suspense Story
Bill
Crider
Top
Suspense Group
June
2011
ASIN:
B0057P2EJ8
E-Book
20
Pages (estimated)
$0.99
Material was recently purchased using funds from my
Amazon Associate account for my use in an objective review.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2013
Tuesday, October 08, 2013
Missing Patricia Harrington
Early this morning I saw the sad news on the Mystery Fanfare blog that Patricia Harrington had passed away. I didn't really know her having never met her in person. But, I am still saddened by her passing. From time to time I heard from her privately before I became ill and more often since. This was especially true the last year or two as Sandi fought cancer, went into remission, and then had it came back with a vengeance.
Pat was always supportive in her e-mails. Sometimes she wrote me when she saw me talking flack on various lists for expressing an opinion that was a bit counter to the majority. Other times it was in response to a blog post--often when I shared news of a setback here. She was always incredibly gracious, positive, and supportive, as she constantly reminded me that we have friends everywhere who are always with us in spirit if not physically.
Patrica Harrington you are truly missed and thank you for your friendship and support.....
Pat was always supportive in her e-mails. Sometimes she wrote me when she saw me talking flack on various lists for expressing an opinion that was a bit counter to the majority. Other times it was in response to a blog post--often when I shared news of a setback here. She was always incredibly gracious, positive, and supportive, as she constantly reminded me that we have friends everywhere who are always with us in spirit if not physically.
Patrica Harrington you are truly missed and thank you for your friendship and support.....
Review: "The Necklace" by Shirley McCann
When you are fourteen and your parents want to move,
you don’t have much choice in the matter. Tracy Denton is that fourteen year
old and she is not happy at all about moving with the family to Stonesthrow, Missouri.
This move was the idea of her parents, Jack and Ellen Denton, who have big
plans for the old house and small farm. For Tracy, none of her friends are
around, the new house is an old dirty one that needs lots of work, and there is
nothing fun to do or kids her age as she can see nobody around. The only thing
nearby seems to be an old barn.
She soon learns that old barn is a great vantage
point to see what is going on all around the area. It is there where 14 year
old Tracy will meet the slightly older Harley Peebles. Thanks to Harley, Tracy
will meet the Haney Twins as well as be involved in a mystery that goes back
decades.
The
Necklace by Shirley McCann is billed as a middle
grade mystery. While the main characters are teens, this mystery is not at all written
for the teen audience and does not remotely read like a teen book. Instead, it
is written for adult readers with adult sensibilities. One small example of
this is this early passage in Chapter One where Tracy deals with her reaction
to being spooked by bull frogs in the nearby pond.
“Not nearly as much as
they scared me,” I remarked softly. Embarrassed, I looked away, pretending to
conduct a mental survey of the area, before summoning the courage to face him
again. I turned back, hoping the color in my cheeks had returned to its normal
shade. (Kindle Locations 85-87).
Then there is this example early in Chapter Two:
“By the time I returned from the loft
yesterday afternoon, my parents had already assembled and made the beds. They
had also deposited numerous boxes into each room of the house. At their
request, I helped line the kitchen cabinets with decorative shelf paper. Then I
rummaged through the boxes marked “kitchen”, distributing plates, cups, and
saucers into the designated areas. (Kindle Locations 170-173).
 |
| Paperback from iUniverse |
While readers are told
that this is a 14 year old girl, the actions and thoughts of Tracy Denton throughout
the book suggest something entirely different. Instead of a teen girl, the
impression of the character is one of a middle aged conservative woman. She does
not see the world as a teen would nor does she ever respond to anything as a
teen would. The same is true for the other teen characters throughout the book.
All of the characters in the book, teen and adult, display the same adult
thought process and mature action far beyond their years. Instead of being the
middle grade book it is marketed as The Necklace is very much an adult cozy
style novel primarily populated with teens.
Which is not to say it isn’t a good book. If you ignore the obvious discrepancy between
what the book actually is and how it is portrayed marketing wise, the read
itself is a good one. Tracy and her friends probe a mystery that goes back
quite a few years while doing their best to remain undetected. Author Shirley
McCann has created interesting characters in an interesting situation that
keeps the reader turning the pages. While not a book that will appeal to its
intended audience The Necklace is very much an enjoyable read.
The
Necklace
Shirley
McCann
Self-Published
May
2011
ASIN:
B0050UQGGM
E-Book
(also available as a paperback)
108
Pages
$0.99
Material was picked up during the author’s recent
free book promotion for my use in an objective review.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2013
Monday, October 07, 2013
Event: Register Now for MWA University - Dallas --December 14, 2013
Received this earlier today.....
Register NOW for MWA University – Dallas
Date: Saturday, December 14, 2013
Location: W Dallas – Victory
2440 Victory Park Ln – Grand Ballroom
Dallas, TX 75219
214-397-4100
What: An entire day of top-notch classes. Novice or pro, you will benefit from hearing the experts discuss their strategies for all facets of writing and publishing.
Below is a schedule preview (subject to change).
Register NOW for MWA University – Dallas
Date: Saturday, December 14, 2013
Location: W Dallas – Victory
2440 Victory Park Ln – Grand Ballroom
Dallas, TX 75219
214-397-4100
What: An entire day of top-notch classes. Novice or pro, you will benefit from hearing the experts discuss their strategies for all facets of writing and publishing.
Below is a schedule preview (subject to change).
Schedule
8:15 - 8:50 AM: Check-in
8:55 – 9:00 AM: Welcome – MWA’s Executive Vice President – Daniel J. Hale
9:00 – 10:00 AM: After the Idea
Teacher: Jess Lourey (Jess Lourey is the author of the Murder-by-Month mysteries and a tenured professor of English and sociology at a two-year Minnesota college.)
“If you wish to be a writer, write." But how? You've got the great idea, the one that won't let you go, that embellishes itself as you walk around your day. But how do you grow that kernel into a compelling story, and where do you find the time? This class gives you the tools to turn a good idea into a great novel. Bring a notebook and writing utensil.
10:15 -11:15 AM: Dramatic Structure & Plot
Teacher: Hallie Ephron (Hallie Ephron is the author of psychological suspense Never Tell a Lie, crime fiction book reviewer for the Boston Globe, and author of the Edgar-nominated Writing and Selling Your Mystery Novel.)
Since Aristotle, the three-act structure for storytelling has reigned supreme, but does it still hold true for modern crime writers? Is it the best way, or the only way, to tell your tale? Is plotting simply sequencing your scenes or is there more to it? This class will teach you the art of storytelling and plotting so your manuscript will attract the attention it deserves.
11:30 – 12:30 PM: Setting & Description
Teacher: Reed Farrel Coleman (Twice nominated for the Edgar® and a three-time winner of the Shamus Award, Reed Farrel Coleman is an adjunct instructor of English at Hofstra University.)
“I guess God made Boston on a wet Sunday,” Raymond Chandler once said, and this seemingly tossed-off remark has much to teach us about the gentle arts of setting and description. This class will guide you through the process and potential pitfalls of choosing a setting, and explore the ways in which descriptive passages can be honed to illuminate characters and themes.
12:30 – 1:30 PM: Lunch Break – Box Lunch
1:30: - 2:30 PM Character
Teacher: Charlaine Harris (Charlaine Harris has been a professional writer for thirty-two years.)
From Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple to Walter Mosley’s Easy Rawlings, character is arguably the most memorable element of a mystery novel and a series. How do you create a full-realized unique protagonist that leaps from the page? How should you develop secondary characters as well as the protagonist’s nemesis? This class will challenge you to eliminate cardboard characterizations and create something new and fresh.
2:45 – 3:45 PM Writing as Re-Writing
Teacher: Daniel Stashower (Daniel Stashower is a two-time Edgar award winner, and a recipient of the Raymond Chandler Fulbright Fellowship in Detective and Crime Fiction Writing.)
If editing was good enough for William Shakespeare, it’s good enough for you. More often than not, it’s the things you remove, the tweaks you make, and the tinkering you do, that are the difference between another slush pile manuscript and a new book contract. There are some easy methods to learn and follow to help you develop an editorial ear. Give us sixty minutes and we’ll give you a better chance with agents and editors.
4:00 – 5:00 PM: The Writing Life
Teacher: Hank Phillippi Ryan (Winner of the 2013 Mary Higgins Clark Award as well as two Agathas, the Anthony and the Macavity, Boston TV reporter Hank Phillippi Ryan has won 30 Emmys for her investigative journalism.)
"I write when I'm inspired, and I see to it that I'm inspired at nine o'clock every morning." That's how Peter DeVries balanced art and craft. What's the reality of the writing life? The journey from your great idea to 90,000 words will mean hours of solitude. Days of self-doubt. Revision. Rejection. And then--rejoicing. You'll often say: "I wish someone had explained this to me!" In this class, they will.
COST: $50 for both members and non-members of Mystery Writers of America. You must register by Thursday, December 4, 2013. If you need to cancel, there will be no refunds after December 4th. Registration is limited to 115 people.
We have also arranged for a small room block at the hotel – the rate of $189/night is available for the nights of December 13 – 14, 2013. The reservation must be made by November 14, 2013. Click on this link to make your hotel reservation
Here is a link to a map of the area: http://goo.gl/maps/ayRij
Click here for the MWA U – Dallas 2013 Registration Form
To pay via the MWA Store, click here: http://mysterywriters.org/store/products/mwa-u-dallas
For questions about MWA-U, email: mwa@mysterywriters.org
8:55 – 9:00 AM: Welcome – MWA’s Executive Vice President – Daniel J. Hale
9:00 – 10:00 AM: After the Idea
Teacher: Jess Lourey (Jess Lourey is the author of the Murder-by-Month mysteries and a tenured professor of English and sociology at a two-year Minnesota college.)
“If you wish to be a writer, write." But how? You've got the great idea, the one that won't let you go, that embellishes itself as you walk around your day. But how do you grow that kernel into a compelling story, and where do you find the time? This class gives you the tools to turn a good idea into a great novel. Bring a notebook and writing utensil.
10:15 -11:15 AM: Dramatic Structure & Plot
Teacher: Hallie Ephron (Hallie Ephron is the author of psychological suspense Never Tell a Lie, crime fiction book reviewer for the Boston Globe, and author of the Edgar-nominated Writing and Selling Your Mystery Novel.)
Since Aristotle, the three-act structure for storytelling has reigned supreme, but does it still hold true for modern crime writers? Is it the best way, or the only way, to tell your tale? Is plotting simply sequencing your scenes or is there more to it? This class will teach you the art of storytelling and plotting so your manuscript will attract the attention it deserves.
11:30 – 12:30 PM: Setting & Description
Teacher: Reed Farrel Coleman (Twice nominated for the Edgar® and a three-time winner of the Shamus Award, Reed Farrel Coleman is an adjunct instructor of English at Hofstra University.)
“I guess God made Boston on a wet Sunday,” Raymond Chandler once said, and this seemingly tossed-off remark has much to teach us about the gentle arts of setting and description. This class will guide you through the process and potential pitfalls of choosing a setting, and explore the ways in which descriptive passages can be honed to illuminate characters and themes.
12:30 – 1:30 PM: Lunch Break – Box Lunch
1:30: - 2:30 PM Character
Teacher: Charlaine Harris (Charlaine Harris has been a professional writer for thirty-two years.)
From Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple to Walter Mosley’s Easy Rawlings, character is arguably the most memorable element of a mystery novel and a series. How do you create a full-realized unique protagonist that leaps from the page? How should you develop secondary characters as well as the protagonist’s nemesis? This class will challenge you to eliminate cardboard characterizations and create something new and fresh.
2:45 – 3:45 PM Writing as Re-Writing
Teacher: Daniel Stashower (Daniel Stashower is a two-time Edgar award winner, and a recipient of the Raymond Chandler Fulbright Fellowship in Detective and Crime Fiction Writing.)
If editing was good enough for William Shakespeare, it’s good enough for you. More often than not, it’s the things you remove, the tweaks you make, and the tinkering you do, that are the difference between another slush pile manuscript and a new book contract. There are some easy methods to learn and follow to help you develop an editorial ear. Give us sixty minutes and we’ll give you a better chance with agents and editors.
4:00 – 5:00 PM: The Writing Life
Teacher: Hank Phillippi Ryan (Winner of the 2013 Mary Higgins Clark Award as well as two Agathas, the Anthony and the Macavity, Boston TV reporter Hank Phillippi Ryan has won 30 Emmys for her investigative journalism.)
"I write when I'm inspired, and I see to it that I'm inspired at nine o'clock every morning." That's how Peter DeVries balanced art and craft. What's the reality of the writing life? The journey from your great idea to 90,000 words will mean hours of solitude. Days of self-doubt. Revision. Rejection. And then--rejoicing. You'll often say: "I wish someone had explained this to me!" In this class, they will.
COST: $50 for both members and non-members of Mystery Writers of America. You must register by Thursday, December 4, 2013. If you need to cancel, there will be no refunds after December 4th. Registration is limited to 115 people.
We have also arranged for a small room block at the hotel – the rate of $189/night is available for the nights of December 13 – 14, 2013. The reservation must be made by November 14, 2013. Click on this link to make your hotel reservation
Here is a link to a map of the area: http://goo.gl/maps/ayRij
Click here for the MWA U – Dallas 2013 Registration Form
To pay via the MWA Store, click here: http://mysterywriters.org/store/products/mwa-u-dallas
For questions about MWA-U, email: mwa@mysterywriters.org
Bill Crider's Pop Culture Magazine: New Poem at The 5-2
Bill Crider's Pop Culture Magazine: New Poem at The 5-2: The 5-2 | Crime Poetry Weekly, Annual Ebooks - Gerald So, Editor : Charles Rammelkamp THE DAY SADAT DIED
Review: "Second Watch: A J. P. Beaumont Novel" by J. A. Jance
The 21st book in this long running series finds J. P. Beaumont surrendering to the inevitable. It is 2010 and after years of
increasing pain in both knees he is on medical leave in order to have double knee
replacement surgery at the Swedish Orthopedic Institute in the Seattle area. He’s
plenty scared as is his wife and fellow officer of the Special Homicide
Investigation Team, Mel Soames. It is one thing to be injured suddenly in the
line of duty and therefore given little time to prepare for the medical event.
With a planned surgery like this, both J. P. and Mel have had plenty of time to
think about the procedure and what could go wrong.
J. P. is soon reminded of the power of painkillers
and the threat they pose to his hard won sobriety. Those same painkillers
powerfully awaken deep memories long repressed in his mind. As initial recovery and physical therapy begins
post-surgery, J. P. is deeply haunted by the memories of things unresolved.
Not surprising one intense dream/vision is of what
became his first case in Homicide with the Seattle PD. A naked woman found dead
in grease barrel by two boys back in 1973. It was eventually determined she was
Monica Wellington. J. P. Beaumont was in
a radio car back then with Rory MacPherson and they were the first two officers
to arrive on scene. They helped out with the initial investigation on the first
day. After J.P. came back to work after his off days he discovered that both he
and Mac had been promoted to the jobs they had long coveted. Mac was now in motorcycle
patrol and J.P was now a detective. That meant he would be learning the ropes
from more experienced detectives while assisting on the Monica Wellington case.
A case that never really went anywhere and was eventually closed without J.P.
ever knowing it.
The second intense dream/vision that haunts J. P. post-surgery
is of second Lieutenant Lennie Davis appearing in his hospital room. J.P. knows
that sight can’t be real because Lennie D. led J.P.’s unit back in Vietnam. Thanks
to Lennie D. way back when J. P. eventually made it home. Lennie didn’t. J. P. realizes there is
unfinished business in a story line that is based on real people and events
powerfully detailed in the closing chapter “The Story Behind Second Watch.”
As J. P. works to regain the use of his legs, he also
works to resolve the homicide case as well as the personal matter. The story
lines gradually weave together resulting in a powerful novel that looks back as
well in time as considers the future. Time is said to heal all wounds, but
sometimes it needs a little help from good people pulling together to do good
things. A prequel in a sense for, at least part of the book readers are in the
memories of J.P., this novel is also about the cost of war and the pain of those
who remain at home. Deeply moving, J. A. Jance has an incredible read that is
far more than a mystery. It tells a tale that honors the dead and their
survivors, not just in military service, in a way that few authors can achieve.
Second
Watch: A J. P. Beaumont Novel is another very good
book in this long running series. While it could be read as a stand alone, it
would be best to read these books in order.
Second Watch: A J. P. Beaumont Novel
J.
A. Jance
William
Morrow (Harper Collins Publishers)
2013
ISBN#
978-8-06-213467-7
Hardback
(also available as an e-book)
371
Pages
$26.99
Material supplied by the good folks of the Plano Texas
Library System.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2013
Sunday, October 06, 2013
Carstairs Considers....: Book Review: Nick and Tesla's High-Voltage Danger ...
Carstairs Considers....: Book Review: Nick and Tesla's High-Voltage Danger ...: Stars : 4 out of 5 Pros : Fun story and great gadgets to build Cons : Characters a tad weak and a bit of a slow start due to set up ...
The Reality of the Publicist
Like paid book review services that seem to be springing up everywhere these days literally overnight, there seem to be a ton of folks calling themselves publicists. The truly good ones have been doing it for years. PJ Nunn is one of those people who has been around for awhile. She has a few thoughts about what a publicist can and can't do for you here.
I have told you before to go read her blog. I am telling you again. The piece is well worth your time.
I have told you before to go read her blog. I am telling you again. The piece is well worth your time.
Lesa's Latest Contest
As posted elsewhere....
This week, I'm giving away two mysteries. One is the latest Scumble River book, Murder of a Stacked Librarian by Denise Swanson. The second is Leigh Perry's fun new series kick-off, A Skeleton in the Family. Details on my blog, http://www.lesasbookcritiques.blogspot.com. Entries from the U.S. only, please.
This week, I'm giving away two mysteries. One is the latest Scumble River book, Murder of a Stacked Librarian by Denise Swanson. The second is Leigh Perry's fun new series kick-off, A Skeleton in the Family. Details on my blog, http://www.lesasbookcritiques.blogspot.com. Entries from the U.S. only, please.
Lesa Holstine
More Books For Sale From Barry
Barry is moving and selling off his books. Here are
some more scans of various covers of books he has in his personal library for
sale.
Go check it out here and give some books good homes while also making Barry's move a little easier.
Sample Sunday: Excerpt from "The Play Of Light And Shadow" by Barry Ergang
Two Sundays ago Barry was in this spot sharing a funny short story from his book PUN-ishing Tales: The Stuff That Groans Are
Made On. If you have not read it yet, you can go here to read it. This week
Barry shared an excerpt from his locked room mystery The Play Of Light And
Shadow. The book has gained very positive reviews including this one here
on the blog “At The Scene Of The Crime.”
THE PLAY OF LIGHT AND SHADOW
by Barry Ergang
On quiet nights Darnell came into
Culhane’s and sat at a table or in a booth.
On busy nights he sat at the end of the bar, as far away from the
traffic as possible. He always had a book
with him, and wherever he sat he’d read, sip Scotch, and smoke. Sometimes he ordered dinner.
Tonight he sat at the bar. After pouring his drink, I glanced at the
book and asked: “What is it this week?”
He turned it over so I could see the
cover: The Sound and the Fury.
“Rereading an old favorite,” he
said.
I raised an eyebrow. “Faulkner.
Pretty unconventional for a private detective.”
He chuckled dryly. “You’re calling me unconventional,
Professor?”
“Good point,” I admitted.
A few months earlier, at the end of
the semester, I had begun a year’s sabbatical from teaching literature at City
University of Philadelphia and taken a job as a bartender at Culhane’s
Pub. The alternative profession, which I
had practiced as a graduate student, gained me unwanted notoriety among the
administration, faculty, and student body, but it got me away from departmental
politics and the hermetic insularity of academia and back into the “real” world
among people with everyday concerns.
Darnell
was a regular customer; literature was our common ground. He wasn’t inclined to small talk, but
discussions about books pierced his reserve and evoked a veiled passion.
A little over six feet tall, with an
athletic build that could run to fat if he weren’t careful, he was in his
mid-forties, with dark, gray-streaked hair and gray-blue eyes in a face of
hard-won stoicism. Deep brackets etched
the corners of his mouth, marking him, you sensed, as witness for half a
lifetime to tragedy and human darkness.
“How’s business?” I asked.
He tapped his book. “Let’s just say I have lots of time to read.”
“Well, I got a call today from
someone who could use a detective.”
“If it’s divorce work, I’m not
interested.”
“It’s more of a security matter.”
He lit a cigarette. “Talk to me, Professor.”
My explanation was fragmented by
customers and waitresses who needed orders filled. Darnell’s prospective client was one of my
university colleagues, Dr. Barton Gaines, Chairman of the Art History
Department. He’d phoned to invite my
wife and me to a party he was throwing the following Saturday afternoon to
celebrate an auction he’d won for a painting by Charles Riveau. My wife works for a large corporation and
would be out of town, but I said I’d be happy to attend. Gaines then voiced his brooding and abiding
concern for the painting’s safety. That
was when I first heard allusions to the shadowy Paul Marchand, Riveau’s nemesis
and Gaines’s hobgoblin—the catalyst for everything that happened later.
Gaines wanted to hire a high-priced
security agency but his wife Marjorie refused.
Hearing this, I said I knew a lone operative whose rates might be more
reasonable and who might agree to the job if he weren’t already engaged by
another client. Gaines had welcomed the
notion.
“Babysitting a painting,” Darnell
said, then shrugged. “Sounds like paid
reading time. Go ahead, set something
up.”
Barry Ergang ©2013
The Play Of Light And Shadow is one of a number of Barry Ergang's books available at Amazon and Smashwords. Barry continues to sell books from his personal library here and has quite a few good ones.
The Play Of Light And Shadow is one of a number of Barry Ergang's books available at Amazon and Smashwords. Barry continues to sell books from his personal library here and has quite a few good ones.
Saturday, October 05, 2013
MAKE MINE MYSTERY: Don't Discount the Freebie
MAKE MINE MYSTERY: Don't Discount the Freebie: By Chester Campbell Some of my colleagues here have been discussing the vagaries of book promotion. It is a subject that strikes the cente...
This Day In History
20 years ago today our youngest son was born. Happy Birthday, Scott! There will be more cake!!!!
KRL-- Mystery short story, giveaways, Edgars & more in KRL this week
As posted elsewhere by Lorie Ham today......
Up in Kings River
Life Magazine this morning a review & giveaway of "Gray
Ghost", a mystery novel by Chris Swinney
along with a guest post about his work as a narcotics agent http://kingsriverlife.com/10/05/gray-ghost-by-c-l-swinney/
Also up this morning, we have reviews & giveaways of 4
more Penguin mysteries. "The Darling Dahlias and the Texas
Star" By Susan Wittig Albert, "Buried in Bargains" By Josie
Belle, "Golden Malicious: An Orchard Mystery" By Sheila Connolly and
"Afoot on St. Croix: A Mystery in the Islands"
By Rebecca M. Hale http://kingsriverlife.com/10/05/more-fall-penguin-mystery-fun/
Also up a never
before published mystery short story by
Kristin Cosentino http://kingsriverlife.com/10/05/almost-home-mystery-short-story/
Terry Ambrose introduces us to the Edgar finalists this
year for best first novel in KRL this week
http://kingsriverlife.com/10/05/getting-to-know-the-edgar-finalists/
And for those who enjoy a supernatural twist to their
mysteries, a review & giveaway of scifi/fantasy/mystery novel "The
Shadow of the Soul" by Sarah Pinborough
http://kingsriverlife.com/10/05/the-shadow-of-the-soul-the-forgotten-gods-by-sarah-pinborough/
Lastly, over on KRL Lite we have a review & giveaway of "Death
on the Greasy Grass" by C.M. Wendleboe http://kingsriverlife.blogspot.com/2013/10/death-on-greasy-grass-spirit-road.html
You can also find all of these and more by going to our home
page
Happy reading,
Lorie Ham
Do Some Damage: Stats and a Story
Do Some Damage: Stats and a Story: by Scott D. Parker I had hoped to celebrate the end of my second book this year, but it's not quite done. Perhaps next week. Anothe...
Review: "Catch And Release: 17 Stories" by Lawrence Block
The latest book from author Lawrence Block titled Catch
And Release: 17 Stories is an enjoyable grab bag of tales. Short tales,
long tales, and a play are present here where those involved almost always
offer a philosophy on life and their role in the world. As such, this is a thinking
reader’s book and not a light weight read where the characters just run around shooting
people and killing folks for the heck of it. Everything that happens, or does
not happen, is because a character made a conscious decision based on his or
her philosophy of life and his or her role in it and the word as a whole.
The book opens with “A Burglar’s-Eye View of Greed”
where the narrator goes to see his favorite bookseller, Bernie Rhodenbarr. Fortunately for Bernie he doesn’t have to
sell books to survive. He very well may be the last of the gentlemen burglars.
All you want when you have had losing hands all
night is “A Chance To Get Even.” Richard
Krale is having a bad night and wants his chance to finally settle up. Not just
for the bad night of poker, but for other matters as well.
“A Vision in white” comes next and is a story that
is nearly impossible to discuss at all without ruining it for the reader. As you read it, the tale should make things
abundantly clear where the inspiration came from in the sports world.
The signature story of the book “Catch and Release” (previously
available as a solo short story confusing some readers) follows where the water
is on not at all involved except a metaphorical level. He has his methods and
his fantasies in a tale that plays with the reader right to the end.
Katherine “Kit” Tolliver had a mission when she
arrived in Toledo, Ohio, in “Clean Slate.” Like the main character of the proceeding
story, Kit has a plan to balance things out.
In what has to be the most flat out disturbing story
in the book (though “Catch and Release” comes close) hoarding is just part of
the issue in “Dolly’s Trash and Treasure.”
It begins with a visit by child protective services and Mrs. Saugerties
has some very strange answers.
Next is a one act play tilted “How Far.” Dorothy Morgan has a problem and Billy may or
may not help her. One doesn’t really know until the end.
The end of the TV show the Sopranos annoyed many of
us. It annoyed Mick Ballou as well. In “Mick Ballou Looks at the Blank Screen” he
ponders what was meant by that ending and more.
He’s doing all this thinking for a good reason.
As the years pass, the familiar often has to make
way for something new. That idea is a small part of the tale “One Last Night at
Grogan’s.” Mick Ballou, the major character of the proceeding tale, is the
primary focus here as well in another good read.
Walters stole some very valuable information and
Jondahl wants him stopped and the information retrieved in “Part of the
Job.” The history of the tale is almost
as interesting and explained in the attached piece titled “The Story About The
Story . . .”
Like several of the previous characters, the main character
in “Scenarios” has twisted fantasies. It
ends where and when it ends.
An elderly man helps with an oral history project in
“See the Woman.” Doing so stirs up for
more than just memories.
Numerous stories within the main story is the author
technique at work in the next two long stories.
The backdrop is a poker game where a variety of characters from various
walks of life discuss sins, philosophy, and much more in “Speaking of Greed”
and “Speaking of Lust.”
Routine is important to Kramer in “Welcome to the Real
World.” Kramer likes things the way they
are and isn’t ready to change. Yet a former coworker seems intent on helping
Kramer change-- one way or another.
Colliard didn’t really want the coffee, but, he had
to do something with his hands in “Who Knows Where It Goes.” Life wasn’t supposed to work out this way,
but it has, and the options are few.
“Without a Body” is the last story of the book and
features a narrator where one isn’t sure if one is dead or alive.
Explanations of the various stories and their
history are provided in “Story Notes.” A
short author bio and ads for other books bring the book to an end.
Catch
And Release: 17 Stories features characters that over their
philosophy on crime, life, and more. What happens, or does not happen, in these tales is because the main character has
made a conscious decision based on his or her philosophy of life and his or her
role in it and the word as a whole. The tales are complicated with twists that
make the reader pay attention and think. The book is also very good.
Catch
and Release: 17 Stories
Lawrence
Block
September
2013
ASIN:
B00F9HZF6I
E-book
(294 pages)
$9.99
Material supplied by the author in exchange for my
objective review. Print versions of the book are available from Subterranean
Press and Hard Case Crime.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2013
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