Monday, October 20, 2014

Autographing Hunting At Bouchercon


Kerry Hammond has serious plans when she goes to the world's largest mystery convention in Long Beach, CA from Novebmer 13-16. She's here today to reveal the game plan...

As Bouchercon gets nearer, I am going through my extensive library and deciding which books will make the trip with me. I love getting autographs for my books, even if it means bringing less clothes in my suitcase so that I have room for, you guessed it, books. I will be getting quite a few autographs at this year’s conference, and I thought I would take this time to mention 5 authors whose autographs I am most looking forward to. 


1. Charles Finch
I came across the Charles Lenox mystery series by accident one day while browsing at Barnes & Noble. Finch is American, but writes a great British series set in Victorian England featuring a gentleman sleuth. The series started in 2007 with A Beautiful Blue Death, and the 8th in the series, The Laws of Murder, is due out this November – just in time for Bouchercon. There is also a short story featuring Charles Lenox called An East End Murder.



2. Cara Black
Cara Black writes a series set in modern day Paris featuring private investigator Aimée Léduc. Her series started in 1998 with Murder in the Marais, and her 13th book, Murder Below Monparnasse, was just published in February of 2014. These books are wonderful for armchair travelers and the description of the areas of Paris are wonderfully written. 



3. Carola Dunn
I have been a Daisy Dalrymple fan for years and I own quite a few of the books in the series. New fans who want to try the series will be happy to know that there are 21 books in the series, from Death at Wentwater Court, published in 1994, to Heirs of the Body, published this past December (2013). Dare I hope that Ms. Dunn is working on book #22? The best part is that this historical series starts in the early 1920s, so the ones published early on won’t feel outdated. I recommend you start at the beginning. 

4. Donald Bain
You may have heard of the television series Murder, She Wrote, starring Angela Lansbury as Jessica Fletcher. But did you know that Donald Bain (and Jessica Fletcher according to the book jackets) write a series of Murder, She Wrote books? It’s a wonderful series featuring one of TV’s all time great detectives. According to what I can find on Wikipedia, the series began in 1989 with Gin and Daggers. There have been about two books a year since 1994 for a grand total of 42 from what I count. The latest, Death of a Blue Blood came out this October. Just like the TV show, Jessica travels all over the world solving mysteries and attracting dead bodies.

Catriona Mcpherson
5. Catriona McPherson

 I just discovered the Dandy Gilver series this year and absolutely love it. This series is set in Scotland, starting in the early 1920s. Dandy, short for Dandelion, is a strong female character who quickly learns that she has a knack for solving mysteries and is frequently called in by her friends when there’s trouble. There are 9 books in the series, beginning with After the Armistice Ball. The latest is Dandy Gilver and the Reek of Red Herrings, published earlier this year. There is even a rumor that the Dandy books will be made into a British television series. 





1 comment:

  1. Great choices Deborah. I love all of Catriona's books as well. And she is just a pure pleasure to meet in person.
    I discovered Charles Finch at one of the Bouchercon's (St. Louis, maybe).

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