Tuesday, October 30, 2018

Crime & Beyond Reads Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz



The Denver-based book club, Crime & Beyond, recently discussed an Anthony Horowitz book and Kerry Hammond is here to tell us what they thought.

Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz was a book within a book. Two whodunits in one. A traditional mystery set in the 1950s and a modern day murder stemming from it. Anthony Horowitz is a very prolific writer of fiction, writing for television, movies, and books. We suspect he doesn’t sleep, which is how he finds the time to write as much as he does. However he manages it, we are very pleased that he does.

In Magpie Murders, Editor Susan Ryeland receives the latest manuscript from famous author Alan Conway. It is his latest novel to feature his well-loved detective, Atticus Pünd. As Susan reads about Pünd’s latest exploits she is convinced there is more to the story and that Conway’s book may be something other than fiction.

We loved this book and there were so many twists and turns, so many different clues and threads, that we could have discussed it for hours. We liked all of the intricacies of the story and how each and every issue was wound around and threaded through. The nursery rhyme theme was something that you would read in an Agatha Christie novel, along with the clues that were peppered throughout the story and the small village setting where everyone had a secret – but only one led to murder.

This is a wonderful book club read because there is so much to discuss. A few club members even mentioned it was one of the best books we’ve ever read as a group. That’s high praise indeed.




Friday, October 26, 2018

Devon Delaney with Final Roasting Place


Our guest today on Drinks with Reads is author Devon Delaney. In addition to be a writer, she's an accomplished cook and won the first cooking contest she ever entered. Now she's cooking up cozy mysteries and she made us a sparkling drink to match her latest novel, Final Roasting Place. This is the second book in the series, and you can read about the first one here. Now, let's see what she has to say about Final Roasting Place.


In the second book of my cooking competition murder mystery series my main character, Sherry, has returned to her maiden name, Oliveri, with her divorce imminent. She works part-time job helping her father, Erno, with his hooked-rug business, while continuing her full-time passion, competitive cooking. Competing in a cook-off final at her local TV station, she makes short work of her competition. Having her father in attendance makes the victory all the more sweet.

Before Sherry has time to savor the win, events sour as a storm knocks out power to the studio. When the power is restored, the young anchor is found dead at her desk with a sharp object lodged in her neck. The weapon is an unusual tool, used by craftsmen who make hooked rugs, the rugs Erno Oliveri sells at his shop. Someone has made the TV station breaking news and framed Erno in the process. If Sherry’s going to protect her dad and their family name, she has to piece together seemingly insufficient clues to knock her father off the suspect list, while not becoming a victim herself. 

Amaretto Sour - A Cocktail To Die For
When I considered the perfect cocktail to cozy up to while reading Final Roasting Place something sweet and sour came to mind, reminding me of more than a few of the book’s characters. The first sip tastes sweet on the tongue before things turn lemony sour, building up to a bourbon-fueled climatic punch in the gut. Like the ending of a perfect mystery even the unlikeliest parts of the cocktail come together and you can’t wait to go back for another round.

Amaretto Sour
Ingredients:
2 ounces Amaretto
3/4 ounce bourbon
1 ounce fresh lemon juice
1 ounce simple syrup
Garnish: Lemon peel and maraschino cherry for garnish
Preparation: 
In a shaker filled with ice, add all of the ingredients and shake until chilled. Strain into an ice-filled glass. Top with a lemon peel and a cherry.


Tuesday, October 23, 2018

Review: A Forgotten Place by Charles Todd



There's a new Bess Crawford mystery by Charles Todd and Kerry Hammond is here today to let us know what she thought of it.

A Forgotten Place by Charles Todd is the 10th book in the Bess Crawford mystery series. The book was published September 18, by William Morrow publishers.

Even though the armistice has been signed and the fighting is over, battlefield nurse Bess Crawford is finding herself as busy as ever. There are plenty of injured soldiers whose suffering is only beginning. Many have become amputees and the prospect of returning to their families less than whole can feel like a fate worse than death. Bess finds herself dealing with psychological wounds in addition to the physical.

Captain Williams, an amputee himself, tries to help Bess improve the morale of his men, but many who are released from the hospital’s care are unable to face the life they left, choosing instead to end their lives. When Bess receives a letter from the Captain after he and his men have returned to Wales, she feels compelled to travel to a remote area in the dead of winter to check on her patients. What she finds is a small town full of secrets, one that does not welcome outsiders.

Beth is stranded when her driver leaves in the middle of the night without a word. With no way to contact her family or the military hospital, she takes it upon herself to investigate the strange happenings. Ships are crashing at the shore, townspeople are being attacked, and Bess feels that her own life may be in danger.

The atmosphere that the Todds create in A Forgotten Place is the reason I think it is one of the best book in this series. The Todds have captured the eerie setting of the Welsh coast and I felt transported to the cold, harsh locale. The storyline kept me guessing and I enjoyed watching the mystery unfold. As an added bonus (for those who are familiar with the series and the recurring characters) it’s fun to note that Simon makes an appearance.

This book was provided to Mystery Playground by the publisher. The review was fair and completely independent.



Friday, October 19, 2018

Banana Bon Temps Cocktail and Mardi Gras Murder




 


Ellen Byron, author of the Cajun Countries is here with a fabulous banana flavored cocktail and a delicious new book, Mardi Gras Murder. Read the first page of Ellen's book at the end of the post.

Bananas have a storied history in Louisiana. Imports began in the 1870s. By the 1950s, New Orleans was nation’s largest port of entry for the tropical fruit. This is why, when I decided to invent a cocktail for Mardi Gras Murder, my latest Cajun Country Mystery, I began with the banana.

In the fictional town of Pelican, Louisiana, Mardi Gras may be the most celebrated holiday of the year. Traditions include a big parade, a pageant, a gumbo cook-off, and several Courir de Mardi Gras (Mardi Gras Runs). At Crozat Plantation B&B, family and guests enjoy a King Cake baked by Ninette Crozat, mother to my protagonist, Maggie Crozat. Everyone washes down Ninette’s delicious pastry with a Banana Bon Temps cocktail. But this year, Mardi Gras in Pelican has been up-ended by the devastating flood that preceded it. The Crozats are determined to triumph over disaster. Still, they can’t help be haunted by a grim discovery in their own backyard.

They’ll need more than a few Banana Bon Temps cocktails to get through the holiday.

BANANA BON TEMPS COCKTAIL

2 oz dark rum
2 oz banana liquor
1 ½ tsp. brown sugar
1 cup milk
1 cup ice
1 ripe banana

Blend everything but ½ tsp. brown sugar together. Pour in (highball) glasses and sprinkle each serving with the remaining brown sugar.

Serves 2


Here's the first page of Mardi Gras Murder...


MARDI GRAS MURDER


PROLOGUE
The rain came. Came in a way no one in St. Pierre Parish had ever seen before. Bayous and rivers exploded their banks, turning small towns into lakes. Some residents escaping the deluge had to dodge alligators that the rushing water swept onto their flooded front porches. “It was like the good Lord took all his showers on one day,” Claude Fauchon muttered to the Cajun Navy as the hardy volunteers rescued him and his ancient mutt from the submerged Creole cottage Claude had owned for sixty of his eighty years.
 The rain sent a torrent of water raging down the usually placid Bayou Beurre. And with it came a community’s rubbish: worn-out tires, a ringer washer, an out-of-date infant’s car seat, even a suitcase full of 1960s- era women’s wigs. The junk backed up against the single lane bridge that ran behind Crozat Plantation Bed and Breakfast, blocking the bayou’s path to the Gulf of Mexico. The bayou overflowed, threatening the B and B’s outbuildings. But an intrepid crew of Crozat family members and volunteers let the relentless rain soak them as they hauled away the detritus of small town life. It wasn’t until they’d almost reached the bottom of the pile that they found the body.
The body of a stranger to Pelican, Louisiana.

Thursday, October 11, 2018

Q&A With Charles Todd





Charles Todd is a writing duo comprised of Caroline Todd and her son Charles Todd. They continue to entertain readers with not one, but two captivating series set around the time of WWI. Kerry Hammond is a huge fan of both and today she caught up with the two writers to find out about the latest in the Bess Crawford series, A Forgotten Place.


What inspired you to place Bess in such a remote locale in the latest book?

Caroline: It was such a marvelous place, and yet it had a real history that was dark and intriguing. We knew we had to write about it. As we worked with the story about what happens to amputees returning home at war’s end, we could see how the two could be combined, bringing out how Hugh Williams learns to cope and how Bess would fare in a place where she had no one she could really trust.You never know, starting a book, how it will end, but the challenge of getting there is half the fun.

Charles: I like the cover, because Bess is standing where we stood, looking down on that stunning bay. She fits that place so well too. When we’re searching for a setting and a story, it’s important for the two to work together. And we could see Bess out here, we could see Hugh Williams struggling with his crutches, wondering if he was still a man despite his injuries. In the Great War men feared amputation more than they feared death. And Bess is on her own, as Caroline said. We liked that idea, and wanted to explore it.



What kind of documents do you read up on to maintain the historical accuracy of the various scenarios in your books?

Caroline and Charles: When we first began writing about the Great War, we realized that we had two choices. We could use it as accurately as possible, keeping our mysteries well grounded in the period—what might have really happened then. Or we could make the war just a backdrop. We chose to make it real, not just a framework. And so we started looking for everything we could find on the period, mostly what was written and believed and felt at the time, not later material which looked back, using what had been learned about the war in later years. This wasn’t limited to reading. We’ve walked in trenches, been to museums, flown in a WW1 open cockpit biplane, clambered over tanks and handled weapons. These give you first-hand knowledge that can’t come from books.


How much does historical accuracy determine the plotlines you draw for Bess?

Caroline: It’s everything. Every Bess mystery hinges on something that could very well have happened at the time. We’ve been lucky too, in both the Rutledge and the Bess mysteries—we often discover something in the actual setting as we explore it ourselves, that becomes part of the story.  Sometimes we turn it on its head and explore it that way, sometimes we use it to start us off.

Charles: We’ve used the influenza epidemic, we’ve taken a horrific explosion and explored the aftermath, we’ve taken a hero to meet the King and receive a medal—all of these are real events that happened to real people, and could also happen to characters in a book. There was a real story here in Wales, too, and we could see how what happened in the past might have an impact on the present—Bess’s day.  And it worked remarkably well. It’s also very exciting to see how this plays out as we write. When you know you’re on the right track, the story just unrolls, and some of this excitement and enthusiasm reaches the reader too.


How do you manage to come up with plotlines and scenarios to fill two mystery series a year?

Caroline and Charles: That’s why we have to go to England and walk the ground. You can Google places or read about them, yes, that’s true. But when you walk into a little shop and see a photo from 1918, and the shop owner tells you a story about that photograph, your imagination is off and running. Or there’s something in the churchyard or in the stand of trees close by that seems dark and mysterious, or you hear a story of heroism by four young girls, and you know you have a story. What’s more, we can begin to see the characters, the people who might have lived there. That’s precious in putting people into your story line. They are real, not puppets, and they give the story a depth that really works.


Do you take Bess's adventures book by book, or do you have a longer term game plan for where you will take the character and what she might get involved with?

Caroline: We try not to look ahead. One way to keep a series fresh is to view each book as a stand alone.  Of course there are the series characters, there has to be some sort of continuity in the storyline, but if we look at the story as whole in itself, we can see nuances and characterizations that really are exciting and challenging. We aren’t stuck in an overall plan. This is also why you can pick up the series at any book—or start from the beginning if that’s your preference. It’s true of the Rutledge books as well.

Charles: Of course that doesn’t mean that we never have glimpses of the future. We know Bess has to go back to India at some point. Just when or why or how we leave to the Page 1 of that particular book. And yet Bess and Melinda discuss this in one of the books because the issue came up then. There’s Ireland too. We’ve got a great story possibility there that we stumbled over a few years ago, and it fits with something in Bess’s past. But we aren’t obliged to do these on a specific schedule. 


Bess's story is fictional, but the war is very real. Do you ever feel limited in your writing because you have to stay accurate in your depictions of battles and events?

Caroline: Actually the war fits very well into the story line. And because it’s real, it gives substance to the characters and the stories. So far we’ve never been tempted to change anything. There’s also something else. We wanted to make the war the centerpiece. And so it has to be accurate. Sometimes that has funny repercussions. I was in the middle of a scene one day when I had to stop and put a check out for the mail. Without even thinking, I dated the check 1917, rather than 2017, because I was still in the period.

Charles: Caroline is right. That’s one of the reasons why we have acquainted ourselves with the period and the war. We have a sense of where it has been and where it will be going. And that makes it easier to find the right story for the right time. The influenza story had to fit into the historical time line, as did the black powder explosion that Bess is drawn into. And this story A Forgotten Place worked best after the war, just when we were ready for it.  That’s not pre-planning so much as knowing where you are and what’s happening around your character. I love that challenge—it appeals to me.

Come back next week for a review of The Forgotten Place by Charles Todd.





Friday, October 5, 2018

A GIMLET with GLITTER BOMB by Laura Childs and Terrie Farley Moran


Laura Childs and Terrie Farley Moran have a new book out in the scrapbooking mystery series, and it takes place at Mardi Gras. This is the fifteenth book in the series, and it's so much fun. If you need a break from all the craziness, this is a great book to pick up. Let's see what drink they picked to match their drink. 

It's Mardi Gras in New Orleans and scrapbook shop owner Carmela Bertrand is excited to be attending the Pluvius Parade along with her best friend Ava. Carmela's ex-husband Shamus rides by the duo on his float at the head of the parade, when suddenly the revelry turns to disaster. Shamus' float crashes and explodes, and although Shamus escapes unhurt, a member of his krewe is killed.

Carmela and Ava plunge into an investigation of the krewe-member's death, but as they dig deeper it starts to look less like an accident and more like a murder....and Shamus seems less like a victim, and more like a suspect. Before they know it, the girls are visiting haunted cemeteries, participating in a fashion show and Carmela winds up driving in a sports car rally, all the while searching for clues. The good news is, no matter how far the adventure takes them, there is always time for a sumptuous lunch at one of New Orleans traditional restaurants such as Brennan’s or Antoine’s.  
And if Carmela and Ava are enjoying a brief respite, then a Gimlet would not be out of the question. 

GIMLET
2 oz. gin 
2/3 oz. Rose's lime juice
1 lime, sliced

DIRECTIONS
Shake ingredients in a cocktail shaker with cracked ice, then strain into a chilled stem glass with a wide bowl.
Garnish with a slice of lime.


So, sit back, relax with a cool, refreshing Gimlet in one hand and a copy of GLITTER BOMB in the other.