Whodunit?

norwegian whodunit, anne holt, writing contests

BOOKS:

does a word ever get stuck in your head, so that every time you see it, it becomes another irritant? frock is mine. yes f-r-o-c-k. in sara peretsky's breakdown, reviewed in my last blog (you can scroll back), v. i. warshawski wears frocks. i never say to myself, 'audrey, which frock should i wear today?' i don't know anyone who says to friend or foe, 'what a lovely frock.' only paretsky and warsawski use that word. i'll try to get over it!

  

i have started, actually made a good dent in, anne holt's 1222, a hanne wilhelmsen novel. i have not read any of the others in the series, which might be one reason the writing and story seem so fresh to me. sometimes it's good not to be burdened by too much previous knowledge. the front cover calls author anne holt, 'the scandinavian phenomenon.' since websters on-line defines phenomenon as 'an observable fact or event,' i would say the publishers have not gone out on a limb here.

 

i will, even though i have not finished the novel. 1222 is a good murder mystery in the classic locked room style. it is well written by holt who at one time was norway's minister of justice. fun to think about,isn't it?  by 'classic locked room,' i mean that we have a train off the tracks in a terrible snow storm. passengers are taken to a near-by isolated (and fortunately empty) hotel. murders occur. the murderer(s) has/have to also be passenger residents of the hotel. one of the passengers is retired police investigator hanne wilhelmsen, who is confined to a wheel chair. in true edgar allan poe (inspector dupin), arthur conan doyle (sherlock holmes), and agathat christie (hercule poirot) style, this is a crime that must be solved by thinking.

 

more about this excellent whodunit later, next blog.

 

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CONTESTS:

stark county library: next up in narch is the 13th Annual Poetry Contest! this year, the library has opened entries to adults as well as children in grades 2 through 12. sit down with your muse and send the library your verse. follow the link for rules and entry forms.

  the following contest is listed with a caveat. i do not list contests that charge for entering, but this one asks only $5 if you are a member and $10 if you are not.  i suggest that you investigate the writers-editors network 29th annual international writing competition. the deadline is 15 march. it might be worth your while. it might not. let me know

audreylavin.com               http://bit.ly/OhAudrey  

v.i. warshawsky and other tough gals solve murder mysteries

 

COMMENTS:

 

from goodreads:I ran across 'this wonderful website  http://www.literature-map.com

If you have a favorite author, you can enter the name here, and it will bring up other authors very similar to the one you entered.'

 

a similar web site in that it helps the reader  find other authors whose style is close to one already being enjoyed is run by the lansing (il) public library. it is called 'if you like  ...., try these authors.' again, you write in the name of the author you like or choose him/her from a list and you'll see a list of authors considered (by someone) to be similar.

 

both of these sites are fun for playing around. on the other hand, you could hang out at a bar!

 

i came across these sites in a failed search for a study of sara paretsky (v.i. warshawski in chicago), janet evanovich (stephanie plum in new jersey), and sue grafton (kinsey millhone, who has the best deal of the three in that she lives in california). the authors' avatars (v.i., stephanie, and kinsey) are tough talking detectives or quasi-detectives by vocation or avocation. these women crime solvers often find themselves in deep trouble and sometimes need help from male best friends, but more often solve tough crimes that their male counterparts can't.

 

BOOKS:

 

they act tough and talk tougher, which brings up the book i'm reading now: break down by sara paretsky.  do women past 14 years old really speak with the heavy sarcasm of v.i. warshawski? here she is talking with the unsympathetic mother of her good friend, who is certifiably psychotic, "' your daughter has been a hard burden,' i said, squeezing her hand in  mock sympathy. 'and yet you bear up nobly. i'll make sure her doctors know that you're too distraught to be interrupted with bulletins about her health.'" i'm not expecting my 21st century heroine to be a miss marple, but i want a little more sophistication while she kicks ass.

 

the novel has more characters and plot twists than most. it's best not to worry who all the characters are. their importance (or lack of) to the story will come out in a sentence or two. i'd say the same about the many rapid directions the plot follows. as an old chicagoan, i did enjoy v.i's racing from the rockefeller chapel at the u. of chicago past ravinia, home of the summer symphony series, to some north shore destination.

 

fans of sara paretsky will continue to love her and v.i. in this 431 page novel published by g.p. putnam's sons. admission: i'm on p. 387 with hopes that in the last few pages paretsky will come up with a plot twist that will link members of her cast of hundreds.

BOOK FAIR:

whether you want to exhibit, browse, or buy, check out the hudson ohio public library for news of its book fair on 14 april. 

 

audreylavin.com        http://bit.ly/OhAudrey  

whodunit and the canton rep. robert harris and artificial intelligence

COMMENTS:

 

the only comment i'll be publishing today is my own. as part of a community blog page? section? the rep on line (canton's repository) has picked up this whodunit? blog. i'll let you all know when it will start appearing under the community blog heading in the repository. the main way to reach me will continue to be <http://bit.ly/OhAudrey>

 

BOOKS:

 

the hype surrounding robert harris's the fear index has been intense. for example, the guardian calls it an ingenious financial thriller. it is. other reviews speak of hedge funds, algorithmic trading, etc.; about a book filled with acronyms: cern, emh, bf; and clothed in sophisticated language dotted with french, german, and other phrases. they almost frightened me away.

 

but you know what, the fear index is a fun, science fiction novel in the best sci/fi tradition. it is the dybbuk, frankenstein, jekyl and hyde brought up to date. our mad scientist (he isn't really mad, but traps are well laid around him to make him appear dangerously mentally ill) dr. alex hoffman is responsible for developing an artificial intelligence machine, called vixal4. the machine feeds on fear, hence the title of the novel. hoffman uses this machine to successfully predict financial markets.

 

ah, ha, those of you who have read or heard of any of the sci fi books mentioned above (and who hasn't?) will know that the machine will turn. i hope this isn't a spoiler for anyone who doesn't know that in our literary world that's what machines do, turn on their creators.

the novel takes place during twenty-four hours in switzerland, although there is a back story that we readers get piece by piece.

 

it helps if the reader knows a few financial terms, but those terms shouldn't be off-putting. you'll enjoy the novel if you enjoy a good science fiction mystery.

 

it is 286 pages and published by alfred a. knopf.

more valentines from audrey, leighton gage plays soccer, and poetry contest

audreylavin.com  http://bit.ly/OhAudrey  

 

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From: Lavingroup@aol.com
To: lavingroup@aol.com
Sent: 2/10/2012 11:47:45 A.M. Eastern Standard Time
Subj: save for blog

COMMENTS:

my comments this time, picked up from fandango for valentine's day!

Worst Romantic Comedy Couple

1. Nicole Kidman & Will Ferrell, Bewitched- 17%

2. Arnold Schwarzenegger & Emma Thompson, Junior -16%

3. Fran Drescher & Timothy Dalton, The Beautician and the Beast – 13%

4. Kate Winslet & Jack Black, The Holiday – 11%

5. Jennifer Lopez & Ralph Fiennes, Maid in Manhattan  TIED WITH Jennifer Aniston & Adam Sandler, Just Go With It – 9%

& more of my comments, quoting  john greenleaf whittier about the weather. whittier and his style of poetry have gone out of fashion, but in this long poem. even though he's not 'with it' any longer, he's sure with us in ohio. 

  

 The sun that brief December  day
> Rose cheerless over hills of  gray,
> And, darkly circled, gave at  noon
> A sadder light than waning  moon.
> Slow tracing down the  thickening sky
> Its mute and ominous prophecy,
> A portent seeming less than  threat,
> It sank from sight before it  set.
> A chill no coat, however  stout,
> Of homespun stuff could quite  shut out

 

BOOKS:

  

leighton gage, the author of a vine in the blood, says, ' My protagonists work for the Brazilian Federal Police. One of them, Haraldo Gonçalves, is in his mid-thirties, but looks to be ten years younger.' then comes his boss, then chief inspector mario silva. the three of them are working on solving the kidnapping of juraci santos, the mother of tico 'the artist' santos, the greatest player in the history of brazilian football (soccer). the title is from ezekiel, 'thy mother is like a vine in thy blood.' and indeed she is for tico. everyone is afraid that he will be so upset, he will lose the world cup to hated rival argentina.

  

all of this is an unusual premise and leighton gage handles it v. well. we learn of a number of other criminal scams going on, but gage keeps the disappearance of juraci santos front and center.  i love the way the ransom is dispersed, but for once, i won't be a spoiler.

  

vine in the blood is the fifth novel in this police procedural series. it is published by soho crime and is 289 pages.

  

CONTEST AND SUBMISSIONS:

 

in this case, they are both the same, both for poets. arts in stark and the poet's haven will present a poetry spectacular during canton's first friday, 2 march, 7:00 p.m. at the canton cultural center. it promises to be a worth while open mic and poetry slam competition.

 

happy valentine's day from audrey

comments and three whodunits? murder mysteries by swanson, evanovich, and lewis

COMMENTS:

in honor of valentine's day i'm re-publishing some of the best love quotes that have been a part of some of the best Hollywood movies from time to time. these are from  the literary jewels, january-march 2012.

“Promise me you’ll survive. That you won’t give up, no matter what happens, no matter how hopeless.” (TITANIC)

“I have crossed oceans of time to find you.” (DRACULA)

“If I had one more night to live…I’d wanna spend it with you.” (PEARL HARBOUR) (pearl harbor?)

“I have no armour left. You’ve stripped it from me. Whatever is left of me, whatever I am, I’m yours.” (CASINO ROYALE)

“You make me want to be a better man.” (AS GOOD AS IT GETS)

  

Posted by Amritbir Kaur at Sunday, February 13, 2011

 

a comment sent by a local writer and business man has to do with a new start-up company some readers might find interesting:  greg butler writes that he has started JZ Fulfillment  (check the web site)– it is a  company that warehouses and ships product for start-ups, small companies, and  authors.

BOOKS:

today we have two more samples of series and one seemingly independent writer.

he is mitchell scott lewis. i love him. though who knows if he, too,  might be planning to take his independent novel along the series route.

  

murder of a real bad boy by denise swanson is another in the never ending scumble river (illinois) series. if you love the previous seven novels in the series, you'll love this one, too. it is supposed to take place in september 2003. it has the same zaney cast, which in the main, consists of school psychologist and detective skye denison's simply outrageous family.

  

skye has inherited a house. it needs repairs. she hires beau hamilton to repair it. he doesn't last long, in fact is murdered. he is 'the real bad boy' of the title. meanwhile, skye still can't decide between wally and the funeral dude.

  

it's a signet book of 252 pages.

  

even though i had been warned by lsl of montclair n.j., and had published the warning in this blog, i still didn't believe that janet evanovich could go so wrong. when i started explosion eighteen, i was happy to be among old friends. this is the good part of a series. if the author has established a strong cast, and ms. evanovich has, of people like grandma mazur; lula, the ex-ho; and stephanie plum's two boyfriends ranger and morelli, then it's a pleasure for the reader to see them again, to catch up with their adventures. it turns out, there is nothing to catch up with. a big chunk of the book is taken up with lula's mis-adventures in a love-life fueled by witch's potion. something like that. honest. then morelli drinks it at the end, as if he hasn't been crazy about stephanie for all of these books.

 

i loved the first books in the series. it's an over-used expression, but they were definitely laugh out loud novels. evanovich came up with wonderfully unexpected turns with her characters and plots. i know she can do it. we'll pass on this one and see what nineteen brings us.

 

bantam books is the publisher of this 305 page murder mystery.

 

now for a different detective novel. mitchell scott lewis has created a charming astrological detective in david lowell. lewis himself is an astrologer and knows whereof he speaks when he has lowell uncover many clues by reading the stars in murder in the 11th house.  the reader does not have to know anything about astrology to enjoy the novel. i don't and i did. i do know that i'm a sagittarean, but i don't even recognize the astrologer's vocabulary. i do recognize a good story, well told, when i read one. the use of astrology to solve the crime of the murder of a federal judge is a darn good idea. for those of us who are more practical minded, it's also good that david lowell has his attorney daughter to help him.

 

murder in the 11th house is published by poison pen press and is 239 pages.

 

happy valentine's day to all from audrey

michael crichton, james patterson, and audrey lavin's whodunit?

 

COMMENTS:

many messages wishing me a happy new year received in return for my recent mailing . thanks to all of you and the happy year of the dragon people, too. no messages about reading or writing except for a write-up by denise sautters of the repository. following is a condensation:

Around Town: Canton Repository by denise sautters
"If you are a follower of Audrey Lavin's whodunit blog, thanks to her son and blogmeister, Carl Lavin, it is easier to get to it."   http://bit.ly/OhAudrey  

 

CONTESTS:

i try not to list contests and shows that ask for a fee. for all i know, they might all be legitimate, but i'm not doing their advertising for them. so thanks g.l.r., for notices about shows asking $100 per shared table, etc. BUT

 

BOOKS:

the two murder mysteries i'm going to talk about this afternoon are michael crichton's micro and james patterson's catch me if you can.

 

 both have co-authors. one at a time, audrey.

 

i know we're not supposed to speak ill of the dead, but what was michael crichton thinking? or what was his family and whoever manages his estate thinking when they decided to go ahead with his notes for micro and hired richard preston to finish the novel? this is not to blame preston, who has good enough credentials. i have no idea what 'notes' he was given.

 

i read the novel under extreme and extremely favorable conditions. all of our electricity was off for three hours. we didn't know it was only going to be for three hours, and even with the winter we've been having, we didn't want to be without heat or light in january in canton oh. so i sat bundled up by a nice roaring fire prepared by my husband, eating yum left overs, fortunately prepared by me, and reading crichton by flashlight. 'what a delight,' thought i.

 

also, i like some of crichton's earlier novels, such as andromeda strain and the one that (honest!) proved we aren't having global warming. none of his novels are what some would call high literature. they aren't beautifully written. they are fun. not micro.

 

it is the 21st century's answer to gulliver's travels, or better it is the 1989 movie honey, i shrunk the kids brought up to date. this time the shrinking is on purpose, the mad scientist isn't supposed to be funny, and the shrinking is on the micro level. 'microorganisms and nanobots drive the action, 'as the wsj says. seven nice graduate student (o,k,, one of them isn't so nice, but he's not one of the bad guys either.)scientists are millimeters of their former selves and left to fend off the evils of the rain forest. each one conveniently has a speciality allowing them to make some progress against the difficulties of the real world.

 

i'm sure the book will have millions of readers. it is published by harper collins and is 424 pages plus five pages of bibliography.

 

the second book is james patterson's kill me if you can. it is written with marshall karp. it is not one of patterson's alex cross or women's murder club series. i really do like those two series.

 

in this novel, the young artist protagonist finds a bag of diamonds in a locker in grand central station. it's all i can do to find my luggage, or worse, the person i'm supposed to meet, when i'm there. he keeps the bag, takes his girl friend to paris (that part is logical). it turns out that the people who want the diamonds or who want the man who put them in the locker and was killed before he could get them out are not just dropping the subject.

 

patterson and/or karp give us two plot twists (i don't think this is giving away anything. the twists are basically that the hero and the villain are respectively not as nice and worse than we think they are.). the two twists might have something to do with character development (that's a stretch), but really nothing to do with plot.

 

the 356 page novel is published by little, brown and co. most readers are going to enjoy this quick read for what it is.