The Great Readalike - If You Like This...You'll LOVE That!

I'm ending my BEA coverage with the panel, The Great Readalike: If You Like This...You'll LOVE That! Talia Sherer at Macmillan invited a group of librarians to talk about books and genres we're passionate about.  The panel was presented by the Association of American Publishers and Library Journal. It was such an honor to be on this panel with librarians whose names I recognize from Fiction_L, a Readers' Advisory listserv. Wilda Williams of Library Journal moderated. I was joined on the panel by Stephanie Chase, Multnomah County Library, Kaite M.Stover, Kansas City Public LIbrary, Shayera Tangri, Los Angeles Public Library, and Robin Beerbower, Salem Public Library (Oregon). Truly an honor to be there with all of them.

I discussed traditional mysteries on the panel. I didn't get to talk about all the books, since we only had ten minutes apiece, but the 100 attendees did receive copies of our lists. I waited until after the panel was over to share my list, but I thought some of you might be interested.


Traditional Mysteries (Lesa Holstine)

*If you like –

Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny (next one – A Trick of the Light, 8/30/11)
ISBN 9780312377045
2010
St. Martin’s Minotaur


Try - One Was a Soldier by Julia Spencer-Fleming
9780312334895
St. Martin’s Minotaur
2011

The Cold Dish by Craig Johnson (next one – Hell is Empty, 6/2/11)
9780670033690
Viking
2004

Among the Departed by Vicki Delany
9781590589243
Poisoned Pen Press
2011


*If you like –

Sizzling Sixteen by Janet Evanovich (next one – Smokin’ Seventeen, Bantam, 6/21/11)
ISBN 9780312383305
St. Martin’s Press
2010


Try - Lucky Stiff by Deborah Coonts
9780765325440
Forge Books
2011

Sticky Fingers by Nancy Martin
9780312573737
St. Martin’s Minotaur
2011

Liar, Liar by K.J. Larsen (next one – Sticks and Stones, 8/2/11)
9781590587256
Poisoned Pen Press
2010


*If you like –

Crunch Time by Diane Mott Davidson
9780061348150
William Morrow
2011


Try - The Long Quiche Goodbye by Avery Aames (Latest book – Lost and Fondue, 2011)
9780425235522
Berkley
2010

State of the Onion by Julie Hyzy (Latest book – Buffalo West Wing, 2011)
9780425218693
Berkley
2008

Devil’s Food Cake Murder by Joanne Fluke
9780758234919
Kensington
2011


If you like –

Sherlock Holmes/Dr.Watson pairing by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Nero Wolfe/Archie Goodwin pairing by Rex Stout


Try - John Ceepak/Danny Boyle pairing by Chris Grabenstein
Tilt-A-Whirl by Chris Grabenstein (Latest – Rolling Thunder, Pegasus, 2010)
9780786717811
Carroll & Graf
2005


Thank you again to Talia and my fellow librarians. It was a terrific experience!

A Brush with Death by Elizabeth J. Duncan

Traditional mystery fans will be happy to return to Wales in Elizabeth J. Duncan's second mystery, A Brush with Death.  She won the Malice Domestic Best First Traditional Mystery Novel Competition with her debut, The Cold Light of Mourning.  Once more, Duncan proves there may be deep secrets behind austere lives.

When Penny Brannigan first moved to Llanelen from Canada decades earlier, the manicurist found a friend in a local schoolteacher, Emma Teasdale.  When Emma died, she left her small house to Penny, along with a sizable inheritance.  Penny could have immediately renovated the house, but she needed to slowly remove outdated objects, while keeping traces of her beloved friend.  It didn't take long to uncover a secret that Emma never revealed. 

Over thirty years earlier, at a time when homosexuality was still illegal in Wales, Emma had loved an artist, Alys Jones.  And, that love ended in tragedy when Alys was killed by a hit-and-run driver.  But, Penny, with her nose for trouble, wants to investigate the cold case, wondering if the death was actually an accident.  While some friends are willing to help, the brunt of the case falls on Penny because she's the one determined to discover the truth.

Penny's business partner, though, finds her determination getting in the way of their budding business, a salon, with plans for a new building, and a spa.  As work on their newly purchased property proceeds, there is even an unexpected discovery there.  Could it somehow link with the cold case of Alys Jones' death?

Life in Elizabeth Duncan's small Welsh town is reminiscent of Miss Read's English villages, with the addition of a murder.  Even then, it's a thirty-year-old case.  But, Miss Read's fans will appreciate the kind townspeople, the ones with their idiosyncrasies, the misunderstanding between Penny and Detective Inspector Gareth Davies.  Duncan's mystery is still a gentle story, although the difference in acceptance in lifestyle, and how society changes in thirty years, is an underlying theme. 

Penny Brannigan is a kind woman, an amateur sleuth, an artist.  As a friend, she cares about what happened to her friend, when she lost her lover.  And, Elizabeth J. Duncan beautifully paints a picture of a tragic loss of life and its impact over the years on the family and friends of the victim, who are victims themselves.  She illustrates for all of us the impact of A Brush with Death.

Elizabeth J. Duncan's website is http://www.elizabethjduncan.com/.

A Brush with Death by Elizabeth J. Duncan.  Minotaur Books, ©2010. ISBN 9780312622824 (hardcover), 288p.

*****

FTC Full Disclosure - The publisher sent me a review copy, in hopes I would review the book.

Bones of Contention by Jeanne Matthews

Bring together an antagonistic family, a dying man, Aboriginal myths, and an isolated lodge, set them all down in the Top End of Australia, and you have Jeanne Matthews' debut, a traditional mystery called Bones of Contention.

Dinah Pelerin's wealthy American "Uncle" Cleon Dobbs is dying of cancer, so he called his large extended family together one last time, holding the threat of changing his will over their heads. With two ex-wives, and a current one, only Dinah's mother, out of the entire family, was smart enough to stay home. But, all of his children from three marriages showed up, along with Dinah, who loves Cleon, but wants to know the truth about her father's mysterious death. She arrives to find backstabbing relatives, trouble with everyone from the youngest children to Cleon, the oldest family member, and stories of a murder. It seems the poisonous snakes and trees aren't the only dangerous residents in the isolated community.

It shouldn't be surprising that another murder occurs, but that doesn't stop the family members from feuding. Cleon only adds to the fuel, fanning flames while he spreads suspicion, and introducing a new family heir to the mix. Dinah, the one family member with few expectations, is pressured by an unusual police inspector to keep him in the loop. It's too bad Dinah is so confused as to the realities of family dynamics.

Jeanne Matthews works with Aboriginal myths, ancestors and song-lines in her debut. She captures Australia's past and present, including current politics, but it's all background to the family mystery. Bones of Contention is a solid traditional mystery, complete with isolation, murder, and characters with all kinds of motives. Without giving his identity away, I'm hoping for a return of the surprising Inspector.

Note: Jeanne Matthews will be appearing at the Velma Teague Library for Authors @ The Teague on June 24 at 2 p.m. as part of the panel, Women Who Kill.

Jeanne Matthews' website is www.jeannematthews.com

Bones of Contention by Jeanne Matthews. Poisoned Pen Press, ©2010. ISBN 9781590587287 (hardcover), 316p.

*****
FTC Full Disclosure - The author sent me a review copy, in hopes I would review it.

Death of a Cozy Writer by G.M. Malliet

Where was I when G.M. Malliet won the Agatha Award for Best First Mystery Novel? Death of a Cozy Writer is everything a traditional mystery should be. It's a satisfying book, in the tradition of Agatha Christie. I've already bought the next two books in the series.

Malliet has combined all of the satisfying elements of an English locked-room mystery. Sir Adrian Beauclerk-Fisk, a wealthy man because of his own cozy books written in the style of the Miss Marple stories, is also a totally dislikable man who delights in tormenting his grown children by changing his will any time someone in the family displeases him. Now, informing all of them that he's about to remarry, he invites the entire family to his manor in Cambridgeshire. And, as he acknowledged smugly, his additional information "set the cat among the pigeons," and he was happy. And, even a subsequent murder did little to disturb Sir Adrian's happiness. In fact, he was delighted when the police informed him that someone in the household was a killer. Just like in one of his mysteries!

But, Detective Chief Inspector Arthur St. Just isn't a dithering police officer. St. Just's assistant, Sergeant Fear, admired his superior. St. Just is a large man, "Walking reassurance that the great British public was safe in his large, capable hands....His demeanor was genial, disarming, and entirely effective in getting witnesses to say more than they intended." St. Just also has a policeman's solid instincts, and he knows there is more trouble brewing in the house.

I found St. Just's investigation and solution entirely effective, and satisfying. Malliet has written a sound, wonderful traditional mystery. As a fan of the genre, I can't give it any higher praise. At the moment, there are two sequels to Death of a Cozy Writer. I hope G.M. Malliet and DCI St. Just have a long, successful career.

G.M. Malliet's website is http://gmmalliet.weebly.com

Death of a Cozy Writer by G.M. Malliet. Midnight Ink, ©2008. ISBN 9780738712482 (paperback), 312p.

*****
FTC Full Disclosure - I bought my copy of the book.