Review of The Dry

The Dry

By

Jane Harper

When federal agent Aaron Falk returns home to attend a friend’s funeral, today’s headline and yesterday’s collide. Can Aaron confront the past as he attempts to determine what happened to his friend and his family?

Author Jane Harper has captured perfectly the rhythm of life in a small town, where you’re either born and bred or an outsider. When Aaron and his father left decades earlier, they left under a cloud, and in present day his arrival stirs up old memories and rivalries.

I wish I could give this debut novel six stars – it’s well written, with solid character development, enough plot twists to keep you guessing and so much atmosphere you can feel the heat and the drought.

I’ll definitely be watching for Jane Harper’s next novel.

Five stars.

Review -- Live and Let Growl

Live and Let Growl

by Laurien Berenson

Kensington

When Melanie Travis and her aunt Peg Turnbull set out for the Kentuckiana Cluster dog show, loyal fans know the trip will be adventure-filled. And author Laurien Berenson does not disappoint in this newest addition to the series.

It’s spring break, and Peg has been invited to judge Poodles at the show, so off to Kentucky they go, meeting some of the series regulars there – Bertie, Terry and Crawford, top handlers and friends, who are showing. While in Kentucky, Peg reconnects with Ellie Gates Wanamaker, with whom she’d showed thirty years earlier and who had retired from the breed ring after a mysterious event a decade ago. Melanie, enlisted to squire Miss Ellie around the show, is surprised by the varying reactions to the legend in the Poodle world – from warm welcome to dislike.

Ellie comes from a wealthy family deeply involved in the Thoroughbred industry as well, which comes in handy since Peg has just inherited a pregnant Thoroughbred broodmare. Peg and Melanie visit the mare and discover how much there is to learn about becoming a horse owner.

In typical Melanie fashion, she’s drawn into solving an unexpected murder…this one with lots of twists, turns, Thoroughbreds and terriers.

Don’t miss this new Melanie Travis adventure…horses are the icing on the dog-filled tale this time.

Five stars

Review -- A Devious Lot

 

 

When Molly Appleton and her new husband go to England for their honeymoon, she promises no sleuthing or adventures. It’s a tough promise for the reporter and senior staff writer for Collector’s Weekly, but she’s sticking to her word. Then they go to tiny Marlow Crossing to visit Molly’s Aunt Tessa and her neighbor turns up dead. Molly agrees to help the local inspector with his investigation. Molly’s husband has to return to the US, but she stays on to work on the case. Soon, two more villagers are missing and the suspects are adding up. Who is a murderer and who is an innocent bystander?

With side trips to London and another village to follow the clues and ask some questions, for a while Molly is no closer to finding the murderer than is the inspector. When things start to heat up, you won’t know who she is in the most danger from…and neither will Molly.

From antiques to new friendships, there’s plenty to enjoy in A Devious Lot, so grab your copy, a hot cuppa and enjoy!

Four stars.

Conflict & Tension -- It Makes a Mystery Work

There is an essential need to up the ante in a mystery – your reader expects it. It's part of what you've promised as a writer of a mystery. If there’s a murder, is there the threat of a second or a third? Could the investigator be at risk? Someone near and dear to him or her? If there isn’t the threat of a murder, could it be that the villain will “get away” with his or her plan? What effect will that have on the hero, the investigator or innocent bystanders? You want your readers to keep turning the pages, wanting to know what's going to happen next…and you want them to really be cheering on the hero/heroine. 

The author must increase the conflict and tension to have a satisfying denouement that the reader can believe in and be happy about. We can have conflict between characters if the investigator and the villain come face-to-face. Or the villain and another victim. Or the investigator and authorities, if the detective isn’t law enforcement.

How dark are the woods?

Writers can also increase the tension in a story with setting and atmosphere. A dark, deserted urban setting is much more intimidating than a peaceful country trail on a sunny day with dozens of hikers around. A dwelling with no power versus a homey bed & breakfast with a grandmotherly owner. A storm (whether wind, rain or snow) versus the perfect sunny day with puffy clouds. A cute cuddly kitten is much less tension-inducing than a hungry lion or tiger.

I find it a “fun” part of the process to increase the tension and conflict – maybe because there are so many options.

What makes you keep reading a mystery title?

Welcome Guest Marilyn Meredith

Please welcome guest blogger Marilyn Meredith today as she discusses the heritage of her wonderful heroine Tempe Crabtree. You can also learn a bit about the newest Tempe mystery -- Not As It Seems.  Marilyn shares with us some info about Tempe and her heritage that plays such an important part in her series.

How Important is it that Tempe Crabtree is Indian?

I wrote three books that I thought were about Tempe before I realized that the fact she was an Indian had no importance at all to the story.  (The books were changed to totally different books with new characters and settings.)

In the fourth book, which became the prequel, Tempe’s Native American heritage began to emerge. Because Tempe wasn’t raised as an Indian, the only reference she had besides her appearance, were the stories told to her by her grandmother. Her lack of knowledge about being an Indian is pointed out by Nick Two John.  He becomes her mentor and introduces her to the legends and spiritual side of being a native person in many of the books.

Every mystery has something to do with Tempe being an Indian, whether it is about customs of the Bear Creek tribe, legends that have been passed down through the years, or spiritual rituals that Tempe uses to help solve a crime.

The fact that Tempe is married to a non-Indian who is also a Christian pastor has added some conflict to an otherwise loving marriage.

Tempe being an Indian has been an important fact in each book, and in most cases has created or added to the plot. I’ve been able to find quotes by different Indians that have given me titles for a few books. Some of the legends have added to the plots in the stories.

Though the tribe Tempe belongs to is fictional, I borrow a lot from the Tule River tribe which is nearby.  The Bear Creek reservation is much like the Tule River Reservation, and the imaginary tribe Tempe belongs to is part of the Yokuts.

In the latest mystery, “Not as it Seems,” Tempe is affected by the appearance of spirits of Chumash and Salinan Indians of the past.

If Tempe weren’t Indian, the series would have ended long ago.

--Marilyn Meredith

Not as It Seems Blurb:


Tempe and Hutch travel to Morro Bay for son Blair’s wedding, but when the maid-of-honor disappears, Tempe tries to find her. The search is complicated by ghosts and Native spirits.

Character Naming Contest:       

Once again, I’ll name a character after the person who leaves a comment on the most blogs.
Tomorrow I’ll be stopping by Marja McGraw’s http://marjamcgraw.blogspot.com  and talking about promotion—a necessary evil, or is it?

Bio:

Marilyn Meredith now lives in the foothills of the Southern Sierra, about 1000 feet lower than Tempe’s Bear Creek, but much resembles the fictional town and surroundings. She has nearly 40 books published, mostly mysteries. Besides writing, she loves to give presentations to writers’ groups. She’s on the board of the Public Safety Writers Association, and a member of Mystery Writers of America and three chapters of Sisters in Crime, including the Central Coast chapter.