Discussion Group Selection For November

This month's author selection for our discussion group was Tami Hoag. The author was suggested by my wife who is not a formal member of the group but she has read a lot of what the group has read as well. As is typical for the group, we try to start at the beginning of the series so we chose to start with Still Waters.

Incidentally ... my wife who is a fan of Tami Hoag's books indicated that they are not really a part of a continuing series. She told me we probably should have chosen another one of her books. Oh well ... sometimes you win ... sometimes you lose.

Let me introduce you to this book. The note on the book cover describes it as "a sizzling novel of romance and suspense". Still Waters is a place ... well ... actually it is Still Creek. This is a small town in Minnesota in an area where there is a population of both Amish and non-Amish people. I thought it was interesting to learn that the Amish refer to the non-Amish people as "English". Among the "English", you have those that were insiders and those that were outsiders.

One of the main characters is an outsider - Elizabeth Stuart. She and her son have moved to the area and she has bought the local newspaper business. Not only is she an outsider but she is a well publicized outsider. She recently went through a divorce from a rich man and was destroyed through the process with some false accusations. This is another strike she has in this place she is trying to make a fresh start. As a result of this divorce (and earlier experiences) she has hardened herself and has determined men do not have a place in her life. Things do not bode well for her when she discovers the body of one of the "insiders" dead / murdered in his automobile.

Another main character is one of the insiders. His name is Dane Jantzen and he is the local sheriff. I will not go a lot into his background (that is part of reading the book) but he is not looking for any romantic attachments. He just wants to do his job here in Still Creek. His "apple cart" is about to be upset. There has not been a murder in his town for a loooooong time and now he must deal with one. He will find himself clashing with this outsider - in more than one way.

There were several more interesting characters in the book and they are a part of what makes the book good to read. Now ... you may be wondering what our group thought about the book. Well ... here is the vote - three thumbs up; four thumbs down. Some of the people were willing to try out other books by the author.

Another Matt Royal Mystery

Yes ... it is the latest Matt Royal mystery by H Terrell Griffin. It is called Wyatt's Revenge. Terry Griffin is another Florida author I have read before. As a matter of fact I have enjoyed a coupe of other books in the Matt Royal series. If you are interested, H Terrell Griffin has a website at http://www.hterrellgriffin.com/. Here is a quote about the book I found about the book - "Wyatt’s Revenge is a hard-hitting, action-packed tale about good versus evil, justice versus revenge, murder, and redemption."

Who is Matt Royal? Well ..., he is a currently a beach bum with a complex past. He is a retired lawyer. He was also in the service. Now he spends his life on his boat, with friends, and drinking.

But when his friend Wyatt is brutally murdered in his own home, this gets Matt's blood boiling. He is not only determined to find out why somebody killed his friend who was a college professor. But he also wants to make sure there is justice and revenge for the death.

Once he starts unofficially investigating, an attempt his made on his life. A bomb is put in his truck. It explodes and kills a car mechanic picking it up to take to the shop. Now Matt has two deaths to avenge.

Determining who is responsible for the murders is a big task but Matt (and Wyatt) has a lot of friends with connections. It isn't long before Matt discovers who actually killed his friend but the reason remains a mystery. It becomes clear however that another professor (and colleague of Wyatt was also murdered the day after Wyatt. Whatever they were working on appears to be the underlying reason they were murdered and somebody does not want the truth (whatever that is) to get out.

Typically I do not like to tell to much of the story because I do not want to give it away. Besides that ... you would miss out on a lot of what happens if you do not read it for yourself. What I will tell you is that the book takes Matt (and us) to Germany. We also get some glimpses of the past (the Hitler era). If you read the book, you will find out the connection between these glimpses and these murders as Matt uncovers them with help from some friends. I encourage you to check out this book!!!

Don Bruns and Stuff To Spy For

Don Bruns is a mystery writer I have read before but this is the first book I have read in this series. This series is the Stuff series and the name of the book is Stuff To Spy For. It is the third book in the series. The other two books in the series are Stuff To Die For and Stuff Dreams Are Made Of.

The prolougue definitely sparks some interest in the rest of the book. It is here that we find out the main character in the story - the one telling the story - dies. It made me want to find out what happened - and how the character was telling the story.

The person who tells the story is Skip Moore. He will find all sorts of surprises in this book and story - besides dieing. I think the author has described him and his roommate (James Lessor) as being clueless. I definitely can see how one comes up with that characterization.

As the book opens, Skip Moore is at a client site to check into a job involving set up of a security system. Skip is apparently the main contributor to paying the rent in his roommate situation so he definitely wants this job to work out. His first surprise is discovering who his contact person is for this job. She was an old classmate of his and , as we hear a few times, she was way out of his league. Regardless, Skip is surprised to discover that the job is his but there are some catches. Sarah, his old classmate, wants him to pretend to be dating him and will pay him additional money for doing this. NOW ... I will not tell you why she wants this but let me say that a lot of red flags sure seem like they should come up. AND his real girlfriend can not be too happy with this idea.

But surprises do not end here because he is offerred more money by another person - the wife of the boss of the company. She wants him to spy in the company while he is there. Oh ... the tangled webs we weave. Let me just say that things are not always like you think they are AND our two amateur sleuths do not always seem to think about them. As a matter of fact, there apparently is a reversal in rolls involved here. Skip is described as usually the sensible person in this friendship and James is not ... but NOT in this book.

I do not want to give away any more of this story ... except that it happens in Miami, FL (which really is not giving away anything). What I can say is that it was at times humorous and overall an interesting story. Oh ... and about the character dieing ... well, you will have to read to find out about it. That is a part of the story.

Starting A Literary Tour Mystery Series

This is the first book in a new series (November 2008) and the paperback version has just recently been released. It is book #1 in a Literary Tour Mystery Series and it is called Frankly My Dear , I'm Dead. Does it sound kind of familiar? The author of this series is no stranger to me - she is Livia J. Washburn - Texas author of the Fresh Baked Mystery Series.

It isn't surprising that an author will do more than just one series. I could not tell you why because I know there are a number of good reasons. One series might attract a different audience than another.

So what are the attractions of this new series? Well ... I can only name a few. This is a series that features a divorcee who has opened her own literary travel agency. Her name is Delilah Dickinson. The theme for her first tour is Gone With The Wind and the author Margaret Mitchell. Just like there are people who would be interested in this tour, there are people who would like to read about it. Incidentally, as an extra bonus at the back of the book, there is real information about Gone With The Wind Tours.

Delilah wants to have a successful tour under her belt for the start of her business. This tour starts with a problem between two of her customers - one accusing the other of trying to steal his camera. This will be nothing though compared to other problems occurring in the tour. One of the tour stops is at a plantation fashioned after Tara in Gone With The Wind - complete with performers dressed for a reenactment. Things go awry when the actor who resembles Rhett Butler is found stabbed to death. And this is not the end of the trouble for this tour. Hoping to salvage what she can, Delilah decides she needs to help solve this murder (and other problems I will not mention) - not only for the business but to prove the innocence of herself, her son-in-law, and her two granddaughters.

Will Delilah's business survive murder? Time will tell. As a matter of fact, the next book in the series is scheduled to be released next month and this tour will involve one of my early favorite authors - Mark Twain who wrote about Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn. The name of the next book is surprisingly called ... Huckleberry Finished. This should be interesting!!!

So ... do you like to travel? Like one of Delilah's granddaughters commented - murder does make the tour more interesting!!!

NEW Miniature Mystery RELEASE by Margaret Grace

Let me start out by saying ... I am a reader. I enjoy reading ... otherwise I would not read. When it comes to books, there is bound to be something out there for everybody. Let me take for instance the latest book I have read in Margaret Grace's Miniature Mystery Series. It is called Mourning In Miniature. This is the fourth book in the mystery series. Each book in the series offers as an extra bonus - tips about miniatures at the end of the book. I guess you might realize the author must have some interest in miniatures. It is no surprise her stories / books might include this interest.

This series has as it's sleuth a retired teacher in California named Geraldine (Gerry) Porter. One of the interests Gerry has is the making of miniatures.


Excuse me while I take a slight detour here. Gerry who is a retired English teacher occasionally makes comments or observations about the grammar, sentences, or words used by her former students or other characters in the book. I wonder what she would say about what I say - Ha Ha!!! Well ... as I have said ... I am just a reader (who occasionally blogs about what I read) and NOT a writer!!!


Now back to the book. One of Gerry's former students (and a friend) Rosie has asked her to go to a 30th high school reunion. She agreed to go and also brings her granddaughter along with her. Gerry knows Rosie is hoping to renew a failed relationship from her high school days. She hopes her friend does not get hurt again by the former high school football star she has her sights set for.

Needless to say, Gerry sees her friend get disappointed again after the party. Things go from bad to worse though when the former high school football star turns up dead - murdered. Her friend is an obvious suspect for the murder with a lot of "clues" pointing to her - but she has "disappeared". In spite of the appearances, Gerry believes Rosie to be innocent and sets out to clear her.

NOW ... I HOPE this has gotten your interest. I do not want to spoil the fun for you by giving away too much of the story. What I will tell you is that there are a few things the author has included in the story to catch your interest. One of the things I found of interest to me was a quote by one of my favorite authors as a youngster - Mark Twain. "The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco."

By the way, the author has also published under the name Camille Minichino. To learn more about the author check out one of these websites: http://www.minichino.com/ or http://www.dollhousemysteries.com/.