Shop Small on Saturday

Spend your Saturday shopping small. Be sure to visit your local independent bookseller Saturday, too.

Happy Thanksgiving

To all my readers I wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving. Hope there are many more books in your life too. 

Interview with Elizabeth Penney

What is the title of your newest book? How many books have you published?
Hems and Homicide is my newest book—and the first in the Apron Shop Series. I’ve

Elizabeth Penney

written over two dozen mysteries and women’s fiction novels.

What was the most recent book you read?
An Inquiry into Love and Death, by Simone St. James, a ghost story, mystery, and romance all in one. I loved it, as I do all of this author’s books.

How did you develop your character and choose your location?
I wanted to set a series in Maine, where I spent most of my childhood. It makes a great setting with its beautiful coastal scenery, sweet small towns, and quirky way of life. Next, I decided on my premise, an apron shop. Aprons are enjoying a renaissance of late and they’re also an iconic part of American history. Featuring vintage aprons from different eras in my series gives me a lot of plot ideas to work with.

As for my main character, she came to me while brainstorming. Iris is a former fabric designer and she loves vintage aprons and linens. She often wears aprons over the 1950s dresses she sews for herself. These outfits suit her curvy figure and mid-century modern sensibility. Iris is a little nerdy, kind, bright, and inquisitive.

What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book? 
Since Hems and Homicide is the first in a series, I spent some time developing the cast of characters and the setting. Blueberry Cove is a fictional town so I needed to map out the whole place. Iris has a grandmother, a cat, and lots of friends. All of them needed names, occupations, and relationships of their own. Once I start writing, I often pause to do more research as questions and the need for more information arise.

What books did you read as a child?
The short answer is everything. I’m from a family of voracious readers. I started reading Nancy Drew books at age seven, I remember, because we had just moved to Maine and I checked one out at the library. The libraries I went to had a wonderful collection of classic books, so I read every color of fairy tale book, all the Raggedy Anne stories, the original Wizard of Oz and Mary Poppins books, and so forth. I also enjoyed other mystery series like Trixie Belden and The Three Investigators.

What drew you to writing?
Because of my love of books, it was always a desire. But, busy with a career and raising a family, I was well into adulthood before I started writing. Then I found I couldn’t stop. About ten years ago, I left the banking and business development world and began to write full-time.

If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?
Keep going, you will get there! For most new writers, there’s a time when you wonder if your writing is any good, if you’re ever going to get an agent, get published, etc. It can be a long haul.

Who is your favorite author?
I have many favorites, so like a parent with a big family, I don’t want to pick just one. My reading tastes are eclectic. I’ve read the classics plus a lot of twentieth century authors my parents had on their shelves. For example, my father had a lot of 1950s science fiction and I read it all. I enjoy mysteries both cozy and dark, suspense, women’s fiction, and literary fiction.

If you could not be an author, what would you like to do as a career?
I’d be a flower farmer. I dabble in that now and I love it.

Penne Dreadful

November in Upstate New York is usually a beautiful time of the year, but this November Tess Esposito is mourning the death of her husband in a car accident. In Penne Dreadful by Catherine Bruns, Tessa learns from her police detective cousin Gino that her husband's death was no accident. 

Stunned by the news by the news that someone murdered her husband, Tessa is reeling from the shock. She's sure Dylan had no enemies and struggles to believe her cousin. Gino encourages her to find a job cooking so she can cope with the loss, and he points her to one of Dylan's favorite restaurants - Slice. 

Slice is also the last place Dylan was seen before he died. It's a tacky, run-down neighborhood place and Tessa is surprised Dylan loved it so much. The owner Anthony greets her with open arms, but she is met with animosity and open hostility by Anthony's nephew Vince. 

While she quietly goes making pasta sauce and pizzas at the restaurant, a couple of the delivery teens make snide comments about Dylan, implying she didn't know her husband they way they knew him. This leaves her more bewildered and determined to learn the truth about his death. She decides its time to pick up her personal belongings from the company for which he worked. 

The receptionist offers condolences but implies that Dylan did not leave the company on his own accord. She wonders what else her husband was hiding from her. 

Her search for the truth leads her to nefarious doings both at Slice and the company where Dylan worked.  And she learns some hard truths about her husband. 

A delicious mystery with the hunger-inducing scent of Italian pasta sauce. 

Paw of the Jungle

Police officer Megan Luz and her K-9 partner Brigit love to wander the Fort Worth zoo and they set out for a fun field trip. In Paw of the Jungle by Diane Kelly, this casual trip turns into disaster. A pair of rare hyacinth macaws named Fabiana and Fernando goes missing. (Paws of the Jungle will be released om November 26 by St. Martin's Press.)

Worth thousands of dollars, Megan cannot figure out how the birds were stolen. The zoo is secure and it seems almost impossible for the birds to have flown away on their own.  In Megan's mind, this looks like an inside job.

Although her other policing duties take her to different locations, Megan's mind keeps going back to the zoo theft. She spends time sending truant teens back to high school, looking for a shoplifter and issuing speeding tickets. With a host of other duties occupying her time, she finds herself investigating a theft of jewelry from a home that might not be a theft, but her thoughts still drifts back to the zoo theft.

Because the zoo is part of her beat, she heads there with Brigit for a little exercise. As she strolls through the zoo, she realizes how many animals are sought after for their "medicinal" properties. Such a shame, she thinks.

(Interesting fact I learned from this book: dogs are not color blind. Their color range includes yellows and blues and filters out background colors like greens and browns. This enables them to detect movement even in the dark.)

When another bigger, bolder theft occurs, Megan and Brigit know they need to find the stolen animal before it is sold on the Black Market. 

Megan and Brigit are delightful together and they make a extraordinarily caring crime fighting unit. A devious plot with a satisfying conclusion.

Potions are for Pushovers

Would-be town witch Eleanor Wilde has been happily mixing up her potions, tantalizing elixirs and tonics for the gullible residents of her small English town. In Potions are for Pushovers by Tamara Berry, things  get serious when the town most hated woman is poisoned. (Potions are for Pushovers will be released by Kensington Publishers on November 26.)

Suddenly Eleanor's innocuous potions are under suspicion. Sarah Blackthorne was not well-liked by the villagers, but when she dies suddenly, all eyes focus on the newcomer who claims to be a witch. Sarah's two totally different nephews show up after her death. Richard King is a TV star, complete with perfectly straight, shiny white teeth. 

On the other hand his brother Lewis is hairy, sweats excessively and is nervous and twitchy all the time. Plus he has been know to have his aunt invest in his hairbrain scheme which inevitably lose money. Both seem to be interested in what they will inherit rather than who killed their aunt.

Inspector Peter Piper seems to want to focus on Eleanor has the chief suspect, but Ellie is determined to clear herself. The love of her life, millionaire and favorite son Nicholas Hartford III would love to support Ellie emotionally and financially, but she is adamant that she can take care of herself. 

With her two witches-in-training, Rachel and Lenora, begin researching werewolves and and planning to confront the werewolf on the coming full moon. But Ellie discovers a small notebook with mythical symbols and puzzles over what it means.

When she finally figures out the secret, she finds herself in jeopardy from the killer. 

A very entertaining and funny second book in the series. I look forward to more adventures with Ellie and friends. 

An Elderly Lady is Up to No Good

Everyone has had that annoying neighbor they fantasize about doing away with. In An Elderly Lady is Up to No Good by Helene Tursten, eighty-eight-year-old Maud brings the fantasy to reality.

In five short stories set in Gothenburg, Sweden, Maud has lived in her spacious apartment for her entire life - rent-free thanks to a minor clause in a hastily negotiated contract after he father died. She lived quietly with her sister Charlotte, but now Charlotte has been dead for 40 years. 

One day a new neighbor rings Maud's doorbell and Maud, making her first mistake, answers the door, then invites artist Jasmin Schimmerhof in. Jasmin lives on the ground floor in a small flat and she covets Maud's spacious apartment. Her art installations are too large for her flat and she believes she can con Maud into trading places. She brings Maud gifts every couple of days and some very fancy champagne, but Maud, playing the role of the dotty elderly spinster, plays along.  You get where this is going.

In the other stories, Maud saves her former fiance from marrying a gold digger younger

woman, seeks justice for a battered wife and undermines the treacherous actions of a disreputable antiques dealer. Are you seeing a pattern? Our Maud is a diabolical woman with a streak of murder mixed in with the charming little old lady.  

A most unexpected set of short stories, but very enjoyable for their unpredictability. 

Interview with Rosemarie Ross

What is the title of your newest book? How many books have you published?
Cobblered to Death is my current release and my first foray into the mystery genre. I've previously

Rosemarie Ross

had ten inspirational romance novels and a children's non-fiction book published.

For a review of Cobblered to Death, click here. 

What was the most recent book you read?
Murder in the First Edition by Lauren Elliott

How did you develop your character and choose your location?
My favorite programs to watch on the weekend are cooking shows! Courtney is a combination of what I like to see in chefs/televisions personalities. I wanted an isolated location to write a 'closed room' mystery. What could be more isolated than a valley in the Pocono Mountains?

What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book?
I researched the Pocono Mountain area by purchasing non-fiction books and reading about the locale. I did some internet researching for the historical aspect of coal mining, then just went with what wealthy people did in the Gilded Age...built mansions or in this case, a castle for their homes. Most of my research starts in a book store or library reading non-fiction/historical books about the area.

What books did you read as a child?
The Little House on the Prairie series, Little Women, Little Men and Jo's Boys.

What drew you to writing?
Umm...this is tough. I guess I have a 'writer's mind'. I tend to see things in story form or what if's. I excelled in all my writing and literature classes so it was a natural progression for me.

If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?
Don't be impatient and don't compare yourself to other writers. It took me a long time to realize, I wasn't comparing apples to apples.

Who is your favorite author?
For mysteries, E. J. Copperman, for suspense/romance Heather Graham

If you could invite five people – living or dead – to a dinner party, who would they be?
Miss Marple, Nancy Drew, E. J. Copperman, Annette Blair and Lee Hollis

If you could not be an author, what would like to do as a career?
I do have a day job and it's finance/accounting related and that is other thing I always wanted to do.

Death Brings Shadow

Prudence MacKenzie and her partner Geoffrey Hunter are traveling to Bradford Island, Georgia to participate in the wedding of their friend Eleanor Dickson. In Death Brings a Shadow by Rosemary Simpson, Eleanor is a New York debutante and an almost-older sister to Prudence. (Death Brings a Shadow will be released by Kensington Publishing on November 26.)

She has fallen madly in love with a gentleman from an old Southern family. Teddy Bennett's family lost much in the "War of Northern Aggression" as the Confederates like to refer to the Civil War. Much of their large estate on Bradford Island has been purchased by Eleanor's father where he built a huge home. The Sea Islands along the coast of Georgia have drawn the rich and famous from New York including Vanderbilts, Rockefellers and Carnegies as well as Eleanor's family. 

The Bennetts are looking forward to the marriage, not for the future happiness of the young couple, but for the prospective dowry and inheritance the bride will bring with her. But Eleanor has not felt welcome on Bradford Island. She confides to Prudence that she feels someone is watching her.

When a terrible tragedy befalls the bride-to-be, Prudence vows to discover the truth about Eleanor's death. Ruled an accident by the local sheriff, Prudence cannot forget the bruising on Eleanor's body, as if someone held her under the water in the swamp.  

Before long Prudence finds herself involved with voodoo, spells and other deaths. The war may be long over, but the memories are still fresh. There are dark secrets that many residents want to remain buried in the past. 

Another excellent mystery by Rosemary Simpson in the Prudence MacKenzie Gilded Age Mysteries. 

Death on the Danube

The first in what promises to be an entertaining travel mystery series by Jennifer S. Alderson, Lana Hansen, newly divorced and down on her luck, finds herself as a tour guide on a Danube River trip. In Death on the Danube, Lana is looking forward to the trip. She has never been out of the country, but dreamed about traveling when she was married. 

For the most part the people on her tour are older and seem to be seasoned travelers, which is a relief for Lana. She joins the tour in Budapest and with no tour guide experience, she is flying by the seat of her pants. Her co-tour guide Carl has been elusive, but when she finally meets him, he tells her her role is small and not to worry. 

We've all looked forward to a vacation only to have two people in the group be obnoxious and rude. On top of that two women are fighting over tour guide Carl. One is a friend of Lana's, the other is a young waitress.

Sally announces that she and Carl are engaged and that sets Jess off.  Although she seems

oblivious to the obvious flirting going on between Carl and Jess, Sally finally reacts and pushes Carl overboard into the icy Danube. Fortunately the ship is in port and the crew is able to rescue him.

Another couple Helen and Tom seem to be arguing every day. Luckily for Lana, the Fabulous Five, a group of widowed ladies in the seventies, are the easiest tourists on the trip. They rarely need anything from her except for a few drinks and seem to have adopted her. 

Lana is entranced by the beauty of Budapest. The city glimmers with lights during the holidays and she is thrilled to be able to see many of the sights. As she starts to relax and enjoy the trip, things get messy though. Carl is found dead, tangled in a net attached to the river boat. Jess, naturally blames Sally and Sally blames Jess. It's all Lana can do to keep them separated. When the police arrest Sally, Lana knows she has to find the real murderer. 

The other books planned in this series take place in France and Holland. Can't wait to read them. 

Second Sight

Eliza Carmody returns to her hometown Kinsale, Australia, not for a homecoming, but as the attorney for a client. In Second Sight by Aoife Clifford, Kinsale was devastated by a brush fire that nearly burned down the entire time. Eight people were killed and the town is still recovering.

Through her expert witness, Eliza realizes Colcart, her client, was responsible. but she doesn't want anyone in Kinsale to know she works for them. On her way into town, she witnesses an old friend attack another person on the road leading in. She leaps out of her car to try to stop the fight, but one person is badly injured.

Suddenly she is an eyewitness and that leads her to brother-in-law Gavin Pawley, Senior Sergeant on the police force. While the police are searching for Luke Tyrell, Eliza flashes back to New Year's Eve 1996. From there the story spins back and forth between present day and the fateful events of 1996.

It's New Year's Eve 1996 when teenagers Eliza, Amy and Grace

decide to celebrate with three teenage guys at their own private party. Not old enough to go to the paddock party, they decide on their own fun, but things get out of hand and Grace storms off never to be seen again. The next day Eliza's father Sergeant Mick Carmody learns from a witness that Grace was seen boarding a train into the city that night. And although the police search for her, they could not confirm or find her.

This event has haunted Eliza most of her life as her interaction with Luke, the teen Grace liked, led Grace to flee in anger. Now 20 years later with her father incapacitated by an car accident, Eliza is called upon to help the police find Luke.

Eliza becomes more entangled with the past and finding what happened to her friend. The mystery causes her to doubt even her family and friends.  A tense, mystery with a dramatic conclusion.

Cobblered to Death

If you love the Great British Bake Off or the American Baking Show, Cobblered to Death is the book for you. Cooking show host Courtney Archer is selected to participate in the filming of the reality baking show in the Poconos. In Cobblered to Death by Rosemary Ross, the reader gets a first hand view of how a reality TV show is filmed. (Cobblered to Death will be released by Kensington Publishing on November 26.)

Courtney is excited to be selected for the show and she believes it will boost the audience for her own show, Cooking With the Farmer's Daughter. But Courtney has a secret. Her persona of being a farmer's daughter is fake. She was born and raised in the big city and someone knows that secret. 

While she and her producer Eric are discussing her secret, she notices someone in the cafe near them pretending to be reading a newspaper. Mick Henderson is one of the contestants and when he leaves, he slyly says her secret is safe with him.  

The net morning when Courtney tries to retrieve her cobbler, she stumbles across a body. It's Mick and he has been bashed over the head with a cast iron skillet containing Courtney's cherry cobbler. She knows she didn't kill him, but there is some much tension with the other cast members, she finds it hard to discover who the killer is. Unfortunately after a late night of baking on her own, Courtney is immediately a suspect. 

As she probes and uncovers connections to the contestants, she comes closer to the killer, putting herself in jeopardy. 

A terrific start to a new series. 

Interview with Nancy Coco

What is the title of your newest book? How many books have you published? My latest book is Fudge Bites, which is on shelves now. I have published 28 books mostly cozy

Nancy Coco

mysteries with a few romances.

What was the most recent book you read?

I'm reading Game of Scones by Mary Lee Ashford. Loving it!

How did you develop your character and choose your location?
My characters come to me and stand by my bed and demand I tell their story. I choose my location either based on where I'm living, a place I love to visit or a place I'd love to live in - like the Oregon coast, Mackinac Island, and London, England.

What books did you read as a child? 

I was huge into Laura Ingalls Wilder's series, and other books like Virginia Dare and Pocahontas and Sacagawea. I loved historical fiction.

What drew you to writing?
I wanted to live in other people's stories, so I asked my 5th grade best friend to write a book with me. She wasn't interested, but I wrote anyway.

If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?
Enjoy every moment you write, even the hard ones. It's all part of the process.

What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book? 
I love research! It's a hobby of mine to dig around on line about a subject, a place, a time. I have to be really careful to stop researching and write. Also, not to put in too much research as it takes away from the story.

Who is your favorite author?
I have so many favorites - authors I know, authors I read, it's too hard to pick a favorite.

If you could invite five people – living or dead – to a dinner party, who would they be?
Oh, this is a hard one. I want to meet so many people. Okay, I'll try to limit myself. Let's see... Agatha Christy, Emily Dickinson, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Leonardo DiVinci, and Jane Austin.

If you could not be an author, what would like to do as a career?
I would love to be an editor at a fashion magazine in NY or a soap opera actress. Oh, those answers make me laugh. When I was young, I wanted to be an astronaut. A bookstore owner. A corporate lawyer or a CEO. I think that's why I write. I want to be so many things and stories let me be whoever I want at the moment.

Chai Another Day

Nothing sounds my peaceful than going to a yoga class and then to a massage, and Pepper Reece is looking forward to both of those events. In Chai Another Day by Leslie Budewitz, Pepper's tranquil massage is interrupted by a medical emergency.

As her friend and massage therapist Seetha rushes downstairs to help, Pepper struggles into her clothes and goes downstairs to her other friend Aimee's vintage decor shop. There she finds Seetha covered in blood, Aimee looking like she is going to faint and someone surrounded by emergency medical technicians. The victim turns out to be Aimee's employee, Joelle, and she has been stabbed to death. 

Shocked and frightened for her friends, Pepper tries to soothe Seetha's anxiety. After the three have been questioned by the police, Pepper helps Seetha gather her things and head to another friend's house. 

As Pepper recalls events, she remembers catching snatches of what sounded like an

argument before she went to Seetha's office. Could she have overheard the murder arguing with Joelle? Could she have interceded and stopped the crime?

At her Pike Place Market Spice Shop, Pepper is planning her fall and winter lineup even though Seattle is experiencing very hot weather. She'd like to add chai to her teas, but wants to make an authentic brew similar to the one Seetha's mother sends her from Boston. 

When Pepper's main suspect winds up murdered, she realizes she has been looking in the wrong direction.

I love these books and every time I read them, I start to plan a trip back to Seattle. This time I mean it. We are going next year. 

Murder off the Page

Librarian Raymond Ambler finds himself involved in another murder case when his friend, bartender Brian McNulty is on the run from the police.  In Murder Off the Page by Con Lehane, Shannon Darling was doing research at New York Public Library's crime collection and she had been drinking in McNulty's bar. (Murder Off the Page will be released by St. Martin's Press on November 19.)

One thing stood out about Shannon - she was a different person when she was drinking. Being the kind of guy he is, Brian stepped in when things got out of hand with a couple of his patrons and Shannon. He walked her home and one thing lead to another, but the next day another man is found dead in Shannon's room and she is missing. Brian finds himself an immediate suspect and he disappears as well. 

When Ray discovers McNulty is a suspect, he begins to dig

into Shannon's background and is shocked at what he discovers. She was a doctor named Sandra Dean, was married and lived in Greenwich, Connecticut, not the bar fly she portrayed herself as. What caused her Jekyll and Hyde personality? Ray and Adele seek to learn the truth.

When a second death occurs, the bulls eye on McNulty draws tighter. Still Ray and Adele believe in Brian and they continue researching Sandra Dean. With NYPD Detective Mike Cosgrove breathing down his neck, Ray continues his investigation and unearths answers to the crimes. 

Ray is a quiet, dependable investigator and Adele never lets him give up. I enjoyed the pairing of these two and look forward to more in the series. 



Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley. 

An Ale of Two Cities

The Shady Creek, Vermont, Winter Carnival is about to begin and Sadie Coleman is excited about experiencing it, even though it is freezing cold outside. In An Ale of Two Cities by Sarah Fox, Sadie, a former Southerner isn't sure the cold weather is for her.  (An Ale of  Two Cities will be released by Kensington Publishing on November 26).

Although she is happily running her literary pub and developing tasty literary-themed cocktails, Sadie knows she needs to venture outside to at least see her employee Mel in the ice sculpting contest. Mel has been the winner the previous two years, and there are high hopes at the Inkwell.

But the wild card in the contest is former Shady Creek resident and arrogant chef Freddy Mancini, now known as Federico. He pretends he is too good for his former hometown and goes out of his way to snub his former girlfriend, his half brother and just about everyone in town. 



This, of course, does not sit well with Sadie, but she is at the Winter Carnival to cheer Mel on. When Mel discovers her ice sculpting tools have been stolen, she is at a loss to explain who in town would do that. Then she finds one of them embedded in the chest of Freddy Mancini. 

Naturally the police want to question Mel and Sadie staunchly defends her. As she learns more about Freddy, the suspect list grows and Sadie becomes more convinced that Mel is innocent. 

On the personal front, Sadie is feeling lonely because most of her family will be away at Christmas, but her relationship with brewery owner Grayson Blake seems to make some progress. 

Although she puts herself in jeopardy, she finally figures out who the killer is. The literary pub aspect of these books is so much fun, especially to someone who reads as much as I do. 

Death of a Hero

Ever wonder how Joe Horseman went from accounting major in college to the Fiji police force? In Death of a Hero by B.M. Allsopp, we meet Joe as a young university student. His plan is to follow in his father's footsteps and become an accountant, but of course, he still wants to play rugby.

When team captain Seru recognizes Joe's talents and selects him to be on the University's first team, Joe turns into a  loyal fan. Even though he has been assigned lowly duties like caring the team singlets, filling the water bottles and other mundane chores, Joe is thrilled to be accepted by Seru and he idolizes the team captain.

In a hurry one day to get to practice, Joe stumbles on what he thinks is the resting figure of Seru. Before long he realizes Seru is not breathing and rushes out to find help. When the ambulance arrives, it's too late to save Seru. With no visible signs of violence, Joe cannot believe the captain is dead.

When Detective Sergeant Ratini arrives, he is very rude to Joe and makes a point of telling him not to get involved in the investigation. He even intimates that Joe might have killed Seru or that Seru killed himself.  

Not happy with the progress being made by the police, Joe decides he needs to discover how Seru died so he would not be dishonored by being thought a suicide. Joe knows that's not possible, but as he investigates, he discovers some interesting bits of information about Seru's personal life. 

A delightful prequel to the Joe Horseman series. If you love the adult Joe, you will love the youthful Joe. Looking forward to adult Joe's next adventure. 

Interview with Neil Plakcy

What is the title of your newest book? How many books have you published?
Dog's Green Earth. 23 mystery novels, 22 full-length M/M romances, and 2 additional novels.

For a review of Dog's Green Earth, click here.

What was the most recent book you read?
Right now I am reading and loving Bitter Legacy, a contemporary gay mystery set in London by Dal McLean

How did you develop your character and choose your location?
I wanted to write about a character who lived in the same small town where he'd grown up,

Neil Plakcy

and since that kind of place doesn't really exist in Florida, where I live now, I decided to set In Dog We Trust, the first golden retriever mystery, in a version of my own home town in Pennsylvania. I was besotted by my original golden retriever, Samwise, and I wanted to write about a guy who starts out as NOT a dog lover, but gets won over by the golden's generous heart and gregarious nature. I also wanted to write about a human character who had lost everything and hard to start over again-- and that led to the specifics of Steve Levitan's background. The wife of one of my colleagues had suffered a miscarriage, and through him, I learned that prospective fathers suffer this kind of loss as well.

What books did you read as a child?
I read everything I could get my hands on! My parents always had books for me, from those Little Golden Books to the kind you could buy at the Scholastic book fairs in elementary school. As I got older I devoured my mother's crime fiction (Agatha Christie, Perry Mason) and my father's adventure and science fiction books. I'd go to the library and ask the librarian what to read next, and found many wonderful books that way.

What drew you to writing?
In tenth grade, we read A Separate Peace by John Knowles and, to teach us about point of view, our teacher had us rewrite the book from Finny's point of view. It was amazing to me how I could delve into a story that way.

If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?
That someday all the work I put into writing would pay off, and I would discover genres where I could put in my heart and soul

What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book?
I start with a basic idea-- in the case of Dog's Green Earth it was based on all the negative opinions I heard about the gated community where my husband and I live. With all that anger, I knew there had to be a murder in there somewhere! I researched bits and pieces as I needed to -- online homeowner communities like NextDoor, wheelchair widths and knife wounds. 

Who is your favorite author?
I have three favorites who have all influenced me in some way. Ernest Hemingway, Jack Kerouac and Jimmy Buffett.

If you could invite five people – living or dead – to a dinner party, who would they be?
The above three, of course! Then a pioneer from gay history like Harvey Milk or someone involved in the fight to legalize same-sex marriage. And a woman to balance things out -- maybe Meryl Streep or Cher!

If you could not be an author, what would like to do as a career?
I have a parallel career as a college English professor. My MBA is in operations management, and I'm sorry that I was trained too early too get into the computer-based fields of logistics and efficiency.

A Long Time Coming

Sometimes it's fun to visit with an old friend again, especially when it snows on Halloween. That's how I feel about reading Aaron Elkins' A Long Time Coming. Assistant Art Curator at the Met in New York, Val Caruso is feeling his age - he is 40, newly divorced and not quite ready for a promotion to curator. 

When his Museum sends him to Milan to work on coordinating an exhibit, he is thrilled to go. Before he does his friend Esther Lindauer, director of the Institute for the Recovery of Stolen Art, asks him to meet with a Holocaust survivor. 

Solomon Bezzecca has recently lost a court case where he tried to recover two early Renoir sketches he says his great-grandfather owned. One of the sketches features a man sitting in a cafe and Sol says it was his great-grandfather and that a young Renoir (way before he was famous) gave it to him. Val learns the Italian Fascists looted the sketches, tortured and killed his great-grandfather and sent young Sol to a death camp. Seventy years later, Sol discovers the sketches are being auctioned in Italy and asks Val for help. He only wants to have the sketch of his grandfather as a loan until he dies. 

Val knows how Italian courts treat stolen art, but he agrees to see what he can do. When Val discovers his old friend Ulisse Agnello, a former appraiser at Dell' Acqua Casa, is the owner of record of the sketches, he hopes to convince him to lend them to Sol. Sounds like an easy task, but things go wrong right from the start. 

The sketches had been found by Ulisse several years ago. He purchased the marginal seascapes because of the wonderful frames, he says, but then he discovered the sketches. Now an art restorer has been working on them. Unfortunately Val knows the art restorer and has grave concerns about his ability. It seems Dante Zampa has a penchant for trying to improve the famous painters work with his own interpretation of what it should look like. Worrisome to Val.

When the Renoir sketches are stolen, then recovered the next day, Val finds himself in a dizzying maze of auctions, art theft and rightful ownership. An excellent adventure and a fascinating look at the world of international art theft and restoration. 

Remembering the Dead

Penny Brannigan is delighted to be asked to organize a formal dinner to commemorate the centenary of the end of World War I. In Remembering the Dead by Elizabeth Duncan, part of the event will include the unveiling of a restored piece of Welsh history - the Black Chair. 

The Chair was awarded to Welsh poet Hedd Wyn posthumously in 1917 and has been a precious part of Welsh history. When it comes time to unveil the chair, the guests soon discover the Black Chair has been stolen. 

When Penny discovers an injured waiter outside in the pouring rain, she rushes back to find help. Relieved to know it isn't her young friend Lane, but when the waiter dies, she is saddened to learn he is the nephew of one of her spa employees. But another problem arises. Lane has disappeared and Penny knows he was frightened by something. She feels she needs to find him to determine who or what scared him.

Naturally the catering staff and waiters become suspects, but Penny begins her own

investigation. She believes the murder of the waiter and the theft of the chair are connected and she plans to visit her friend Jimmy Hill, an ex-thief, who might have some ideas on how the theft took place. 

As part of her investigation, Penny encounters an eccentric herbalist who might be sheltering Lane, a suspicious group of travelers camped near her home and a disreputable antiques dealer in her search to find the chair. As she slowly weaves the picture together, she is surprised at who is actually involved. 

And Penny saves the day just in time for the visit from the Prince of Wales. An inviting view of life in a small Welsh town. 

Dog's Green Earth

If you have ever lived in a subdivision with a Homeowners Association, you probably can clearly see why it might lead to murder. I had the unfortunate experience to serve on a Homeowners Association Board, and there were times I had murderous thoughts.

In Neil S. Plakcy's Dog's Green Earth, Steve Levitan lives in a townhouse he inherited from his father. Above the garage is a sign that proudly says Levitan and has been on the garage for about as long as his father owned the townhouse. Ah, but that is not enough for the management company because they have rules about making changes to the exterior with plenty of red tape from them.  (Does this sound remotely familiar to anyone???)

The management firm has been busy assessing fines rather than managing the property. Fines, they discovered make a tidy revenue stream. Landscaping has been haphazard and sidewalks and paths have been neglected. Steve thinks someone is trying to drive the prices down to capitalize on low prices. 

The next morning, after a rather heated evening Board meeting where several homeowners made veiled threats, Steve and his golden retriever Rochester are on their daily walk, when they discover the body of association manager Todd Chatzky. Todd had been stabbed in the stomach and hidden in the bushes. Could one of the homeowners have followed through on his threat or is someone trying to sabotage the River Bend community?

Steve and his friend police detective Rick Stemper, along with Rochester, try to solve the crime. In Steve's case, he uses his former computer hacking skills to discover some anomalies in the ownership of various townhouses in the River Bend.  What he learns puts in right in the line of fire of the murderer. 

Rochester, an excellent judge of character, prevents Steve from danger and assists in the crime solving. Very clever and fun book. Looking forward to more adventures with Steve and Rochester.