Whodunit?

whodunits by jane haddam

 

PERSONAL COMMENTS:

our yard is gloriously illuminated by light reflected from the flowers of white dogwoods, white azaleas and a curtain of white wisteria. believe me, it's nothing i've done. it's all due to the, as usual, odd ohio weather.

 

speaking of odd: when i was in n.y. a few weeks ago, i did stop in at christie's pre-auction show of post world war 2 paintings where the now famous bare breasted bea arthur painting was being exhibited. my own feeling is that fifty years from now, critics will be amused that someone paid $1.9 million for it; that is, if with inflation $1.9 million is still a lot of money!

 

BOOKS:

'Glass Houses' and 'Blood in the Water' are two more gregor demarkian mysteries by Jane Haddam. Ms Haddam is a good writer who adds interesting twists to her long running series. there are certain similarities between the novels, patterns you can trace if you want to. save it for your british lit. class. these novels are to be enjoyed. and you will enjoy them.

 

i'll list some of the similarities for you. otherwise they are so well integarted into the stories, you won't notice them. ms. haddam always has one 'outside' character. in 'glass houses' she satirizes a totally anti-american british newspaper writer, phillipa lydgate. also, some place in each novel, something doesn't fit. why would bennis hanaford demarkian, demarkian's main-line, philadelphia, wife disappear for almost a year because she had to figure out her cancer? when wealthy arthur heydreich is first arrested and put in jail in 'blood in the water,' why would he be satisfied with a court ordered public defender. he and his company must have a team of lawyers on call.

 

i say quit quibbling. go with the flow. you know you are going to end with the crime(s) satisfactorily solved, with gregor demarkian back having breakfast at the ararat neighborhood restaurant on cavanaugh street where the demarkians and buddies touch base with their roots. speaking of which, why doesn't bennis have any friends from her previous life. she much have know one decent person she respects. ah, well. i still highly recommend this series. published by st. martin's minotaur. the books run $5.99 and $6.99.

 

CONTESTS:

check out Ohio Poetry Day Contests.  The entry fee is $10.00 to enter over two dozen contests.  The deadline is a postmark of May 31, 2013.

whodunit? read haddam's prep school satire 'the headmaster's wife'

BOOKS:

i've read a number of books during this past week. i can't help myself. even if they are terrible, 99% of the time, i finish them.

 

but today i want to write about one that i thoroughly enjoyed. i think you will, too.

 

Jane Haddam's 'The Headmaster's Wife' takes place at a precious new england prep school. if you or anyone you know has attended a preparatory school, a college (or university) or a public high school with a monolithic culture, even though, of course, they all try for 'diversity,' if you fall into any of these categories, you will love her satire on a prep school that has adopted an ultra liberal stance. yes, this is an easy target, but it is funny. and haddam doesn't hammer at the targets as much as she does in other books. well, maybe she does, but in this case it's all part of the plot, whereas in other novels, her aim has been directed to add-on targets instead of to ones that are part of the plot.

 

we have three murders (i think), multiple robberies, and an attempt at poisoning, also various infidelities and other minor crimes. they all add to the fun. yes, they do. i'm not sure how ms. haddam knows that one couple who announces themselves as lesbians aren't. but maybe i skipped a salacious page where that was explained!

 

it really doesn't matter whodunit, though you'll want to know. the characters and minor plots are so well drawn that you won't be able to put the book down

 

it is 436 delightful pages, published by st. martin's minotaur. the book sells for $6.99. the copy i have was marked down to 50 cents!

 

MOTHER"S DAY: happy mother's day to all. last minute gifts are kindle editions of my books. they are delivered immediately and cost only a few bucks.

 

HOW TO WRITE:

1. free summer writing workshops, please contact the Cuyahoga County Public Library

2. Breaking Genre: A Writers Conference will take place June 1, 2013 on the campus of Case Western Reserve University. please contact c.w.r.u. 

 

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

beaton, parker, and mother's day gifts!

greetings, readers,

i've been in new york for a few days and miss my blogging. i hope that you do, too.

can you imagine, i was in n.y. and didn't partake of one cultural attraction, except in a socio-anthropological way. what my husband carl and i did was to try to catch up with various members of our far-flung family. we managed to spend time with eight delightful relatives, one meaningful-other, and two good 'old' buddies from northwestern days. i'd call that a successful trip.

BOOKS:
not quite as successful is M .C. Beaton's  hamish macbeth mystery, 'Death of a Kingfisher'. i think it's the newest in the scottish series; it's certainly the one i've most recently read. series kind of peter out after a while. i hope this one doesn't as hamish can be extraordinarily clever and charming at the same time. i am, however, getting tired of his mismanaged love life. i hope m.c. beaton lets him find a girl friend/wife/ or boyfriend. his missing the mark with every woman he meets is getting tiresome. the actual death of the kingfisher is a warning or a symbol of what's to come in the tiny village of braikie.

the novel was published in 1912 by grand central publishing. it is 245 pages and sells for $24.99.

T. Jefferson Parker's 'The Famous and the Dead' was for me an impossible to read novel. i tried. i had nothing else to do on my flight from canton/akron to n.y. and my flight from n.y. to canton/akron. looking at the airline's flight magazine was more interesting than this charlie hood book. parker has a great reputation, so if you are looking for a lot of hard hitting, hard talking people working along the border to stop  gun traffic, you can buy the novel for $26.95. it is 371 pages and published by dutton.

GIFTS: Mother's day is almost upon us. you can still order 'eloquent blood', 'eloquent corpse' and/or 'eloquent tattoo' as a terrific gift for your mother. i'm sure she'll let you borrow it (or them). amazon.com will take your order and get the books to you in two days. i'm not quite as speedy, but we have a week. i can mail them to you, also. as a special bonus, you will learn a great deal about the trendiest poison being used in front page news today. as you know, ricin laced letters have recently been sent to a number of politicos. this is the poison writers are faced with in 'eloquent corpse.' see if you can figure out how cleverly they distribute it.

SUBMISSIONS: We would like to include the best answers to the following question in the next issue of the PostPoetry Magazine: “If you knew the whole world would listen to you for 20 seconds, what would you have to say?”Be bold. Be creative.                        

submission@PostPoetry-Magazine.com

Related articles

ryan and vico, an unlikely duo

two whodunits: lovesey and neuhaus and more

 

COMMENTS regarding this blog:

 

Audrey -- thanks for keeping me on your email list.
It is amazing how you can know all this, keep it all
in mind, select the most interesting stuff, write it
up in a professional presentation way, and make it all
come together in one grand fillip. It is very
worthwhile reading.  I learn something every time. 
I laughed my ass off over that piece about matzah
ball turkey stuffing.  Thank you very much.  from dave. w. someplace in ohio

 

Thank you for sharing this from wordsmith.org, a website worth visiting

 

COMMENT regarding sales of my books:

 this is big news, finally barnes and noble and booksamillion will be carrying my novels. all of my books are available on line at b&n and booksamillion, but starting next month, they finally should be available in store 

 

 

BOOKS:

' Snow White Must Die' by Nele Neuhaus is translated from the german by steven t. murray.

 

snow white is pretty darn dead by the time we meet her. it's been eleven years, in fact, since she was last alive. meanwhile, though it may be hard to believe, almost the entire population of the small town of altanhein has been in cahoots to cover up her murder and that of another young girl, both 17 years old when killed. a young local and friend of the girls has been imprisoned for the crimes. when he is released and comes home, the fur does fly or the german equivalent. the investigative police detective team of pia kirchhoff and oliver von  bodenstein follow clues that lead them to famous people and some not so! and finally to the murderer and other bad guys.

 

you'll find this an enjoyable read of 371 pages. it is published by minotaur books and sells for $24.95.

 

'The Last Detective' by Peter Lovesy is tough and charming.  detective superintendent peter diamond is the 'last' detective because he sees himself as representative of a dying breed of detectives, those sleuths who solved crimes by foot work and brain work, not by computers and other forms of artificial intelligence. the book was written in 1991, and i doubt if it could be written today; computers and a.i. are too well integrated into our lives for a writer to star  a detective who doesn't choose to use them. but there is nothing old fashioned about the story or the oft times clumsy detective who solves the case, but who meanwhile has gotten himself kicked off the police force. the story takes place in bath, england, and also stars some missing jane austen letters. it is diamond's gruff story, not jane's social one.

 

the novel is 31 pages, published by doubleday and sells for $18.50. i'm guessing that's a 1991 price.

 

CONTESTS AND AWARDS:

It's National Poetry Month and the stark co. library is holding its 14th Annual Poetry Contest. For the second year, this contest isn't just for kids, there is also an adult division. contact stark co. library. 

Muggswigz Coffee & Tea Shop placed 3rd in America's Best Coffeehouse Competition Eastern Division.

 

and i leave you with this writing advice:---one of the touches i like about the ladies' detective agency by alexander mc call smith is the use of the instruction manual, 'the principles of private detection'. i found a similar previous use of the detective manual in 'a bullet in the ballet' (reviewed in last blog). this time it is detectives who follow the rules laid down in the 

  'detective's handbook,' such as eliminate your suspects with caution. so writers, don't be afraid to adapt the ideas of others.

i love a good murder mystery: old or new

 

COMMENTS on latest blog:

(even from family) Yay marriage equality! Yay Mom's blog!

 

from d. r. of north canton, oh, referring to suggested reading:

'will check these out'

 

and from me: is it because i took the name for my book 'aspects of the author' from e. m. forster's famous book, 'aspects of the novel' that i like michael gorra's 'portrait of a novel,' based on henry james's 'portrait of a lady'?

 

ARTICLES worth reading

http://www.heritage.org/research/lecture/2013/04/four-issues-facing-china by frank lavin for the Heritage Foundation, she says proudly!

 

New York Times OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR (ted gup): Diagnosis: Human
Is being human fast becoming a condition to be contained by prescription drugs?http://nyti.ms/Z78EZJ, forwarded by d. l., n. y.

EXHIBITS worth seeing

Bill Price writes, I have an assemblage sculpture on display at the Cleveland Museum of Art until June 2. The piece is on display at the Connecting with Caporali exhibition. congratulations, bill.

 

 

BOOKS:

i don't know how many sub-genres there are to the mystery novel or to the murder mystery novel, which would be sub-genre #1 of the mystery novel category. here are representatives of two of them. liking one certainly does not mean rejecting the other.

 

'A Bullet in the Ballet' by Caryl Brahms (abrahams) and S.J. Snow was published in 1937, a gentler time. the date in no way detracts from this clever satire, specifically of the ballet russe de monte carlo, but truly of any dance company anywhere, in fact, of any enthusiast who takes his enthusiasm to the extreme. although a number of murders occur (never be tempted to dance the role of petroushka. three who do die.), the novel is one laugh after the other. i just bought a copy on-line to give as a gift.

 

it was published by doubleday, doran and co. in 1938, and is 269 pages. there is a large price range on-line. i think i settled for a $40 edition.

 

at the other end of the murder spectrum, we find 'A Wanted Man,'  a new Jack Reacher novel by Lee Child. those of you who have read other books in the seventeen-novel series know that reacher is one tough hombre, though basically nice, and very, very smart about all sorts of arcane subjects.

the book opens as he is hitch hiking to virginia.  he is picked up by two men and one woman in a car. no one is who he/she seems to be, which takes reacher and us a while to figure out. meanwhile, the state police enter the case as do the f.b.i. and c.i.a., each organization getting in each others' way as well as reacher's, who eventually, as you might guess, solves the case and strides off into the dark.

intelligently written, the novel is 405 pages, and published by delacorte press. the hardback edition sells for $28.

 

please continue to send me your comments and continue to buy (or borrow from you library) the three novels that so far make up the eloquent series.

ryan and vico, an unlikely duo

COMMENTS in response to last blog: 'Is the editor of the Emily Dickinson collection, the same Thomas H. Johnson who was born in 1948 in Lynchburg, Va and earned an M.F.A. at Cornell?' does anyone know the answer to this one? from caroline t., canton oh

'Sounds like the occasion at the Green library was , indeed, fun and a gala affair. I hope you enjoyed it immensely. I wish I'd known of it, I would have put it on my calendar and tried to make it.'

The books you described all sounded like great reads, especially Emily Dickinson's poetry collection. The others sounded great, as well. from gordon b. someplace in n.e. ohio

 

BOOKS:

'The Other Woman' (spoiler: there are a number of them) by Hank Phillippi Ryan (another spoiler, hank is a woman).

the book gives the reader an overload of characters , which, if you think about it is more like real life than fiction), one plot twist after the other, built on a road ryan knows well from her personal experience. twists include election, dirty politics, reporter's attraction to always the wrong guy, and more. what is she afraid of? that's not in the book. i assume it will come out in a sequel.

the novel can be purchased for $24.95. it's 413 pp with tom doherty  associates as publishers

 

'The New Science of Giambattista Vico' by Giambattista Vico, translated by Thomas Goddard Bergin and Max Harold Fisch. 'the new science' was published in 1755, so the language and some of the grammatical structures are a little obscure for today's reader. in fact another reader (tena w. from canton oh) says 'Focusing on Vico is like herding cats.' and i, for one, question many of his conclusions; for example,
' truth is sifted from falsehood in everything that has been preserved for us through  long centuries by those vulgar traditions which, since they have been preserved for so long a time and by entire peoples, must have had a public ground of truth.'

 

 

advice to writers. i'm not a big fan of outlines, but i think this advice from 'writer's digest' puts them in useful perspective: Make an outline. Then be willing to leave it behind. Writing an outline forces me to think through some big questions before I begin. But I follow it the way I travel with my husband sans kids: “Hey, Honey, look at this weird little mountain on the map. Wanna check it out?” And pretty soon the story has taken a turn. Sometimes the side trip changes everything, and I revise my outline. Sometimes it’s a dead end. Then I have my outline to get me back on track.' 

 

happy easter and happy passover to all readers and remember to celebrate all holidays by giving copies of eloquent blood, eloquent corpse, and eloquent tattoo.

Maud Lavin shared Rothko Chapel's photo   Profile Pictures

 

NOT MUDER MYSTERIES-------FOR A CHANGE

 

 

KUDOS:

Denise Talbott, adult services librarian of the akron_summit county public library, deserves applause for all of the work she did to set up accommodations at the green library for my book chat there.  imagine driving up to the library and seeing 'dr. audrey lavin' in flashing lights. i thought i was in vegas for a while!

thanks, denise.

BOOKS:

in case readers of this blog think that all i read is murder mysteries, i am going to write about three of the non-crime books i am now in process of reading:

1. 'The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson' is worth dipping into. i think many of you who are also writers and who dream of publication will enjoy a different twist:

Publication-is the Auction

Of the Mind of Man-

Poverty -be justifying

For so foul a thing

 

it ends

But reduce no Human Spirit

To Disgrace of Price-

 

Ms Dickinson's  1775 poems are contained in the book's 716 pages. open at random and sniff around. you will enjoy most of what you read. the editor is thomas h. johnson and the book is published by little, brown and co.

 

2.  Mark Twain's "The Diaries of Adam and Eve and Other Stories" is a pleasure. at least the story that is included in the title. the extracts from adam's and eve's diaries ("translated from the original") are charming satires on feminism and masculinity with many sly pokes at religious establishments. for all of his jokes about men and women, twain ends the story with adam at eve's grave, saying "wheresoever she was, there was eden."

'extracts from adam and eve' is 28 delightful pages.

the other six stories in the collection are not as interesting, but occasionally show flashes of twain's humor, understanding, and descriptive abilities, esp. the seven pages that comprise 'the californian's tale.

 

dover publications is the publisher of this ninety-four page book that sells for $4.95. you'll be happy i suggested it.

 

3. Michael Gorra's "Portrait of a Novel"  is subtitled 'henry james and the making of an american masterpiece.' it is an elegant biography of james. i'm sure there are those who will disagree with me, but i really think that you have to read or have some familiarity with james's most famous novel, 'the portrait of a lady' before reading it. the title of gorra's novel echoing that of james's almost tells us that.

when i started the book, gorra's  book, i was overcome with all of his words and references. then i thought, 'if he is spending a large chunk of his life reading james that's exactly what he will end up sounding like,' and plunged on, much to my own reward.

mr. gorra weaves together literary criticism, travelogue, and psychological analysis of real and literary characters in his 334 enjoyable pages published by liveright publishing corp. it can be yours for $29.95 or stop by your nearest public library and put your name on the waiting list. there must be one.

 

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

1. A workshop in poetry and performance

on Friday, March 29th, 2013, 12:30-1:50 p.m.

at Case Western Reserve University
Clark 309, 11130 Bellflower Rd.

2. Thursday, March 28th
Dana Ward at Case Western Reserve University
Guilford Parlor, 11112 Bellflower Rd.
6:00 p.m.
for those of you still ending submissions to the LITTLE magazine on the blog, thank you, but i have closed the journal. i loved publishing it, but i am not looking for a full-time job, which is what i was getting into. i did tell  mrs. kurtz i would give her a plug (when i thought i was going to publish some of her work), so  try reading The Way It Was, Recollections of the Life and Times of an Opinionated Granny, a memoir by Olga B. Kurtz

 

 

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

strong women whodunits by la plante and robb

 

 

 

ADVICE, READINGS, and a WORKSHOP:

1. When you feel like you can’t type another word, can’t re-read another draft, and can’t face another rejection, remember that every author goes through these phases. It’s only the successful ones who never give up. worth repeating.  .from kindle direct e-mail

  

2. sponsored by the canton writers guild: Leslie L. Nielsen, writer, artist, teacher, will present a workshop Thursday, March 21 at 6 p.m. at the DeHoff Realty Building, 821 S. Main Street, North Canton.

 

3. Barbara Sobol hosts a monthly poetry reading series called "Third Thursday Poetry" at  the root cafe', Cuyahoga Falls.   There are featured poets and an open mike. the next reading is March 21st.

BOOKS:

'Blood Line' by Lynda La Plante is a british police procedural. although ms. la plante has written fourteen novels, and i should be familiar with her name (helen mirren starred in many), it took me a while to stop thinking she was someone from garrison keillor's film noir series. i can see her perfectly at the half-opened door of guy noir's office repeating her name with a beyond sultry voice.

 

but back to ms. la plante: a good writer who tells the story of detective anne travis and her back to work attitude after the death of her fiancee. she is chief inspector for london's murder squad. always hovering in the background is an ex-boyfriend (yes, you guessed it, by the end of the novel, he is no longer ex.) the police superintendent james langton.

 

a nice guy, who isn't, blood and no body, are some of the negative clues detective travis follows.

 

a good read at $14.99. bourbon street books published this 465 page. novel.

 

'Delusion in Death' by J. D. Robb starts off with a bang. actually it is not a bang that changes personalities and then kills eighty people in a bar on manhattan's lower west, but the airborne killer startled this reader. lieutenant eve dallas, veteran murder cop has the case. she's backed by her ever-loving billionaire husband roarke, who incidentally owns the bar where the original group of murders takes place. the time is the near future, but there are next to no sci/fi gadgets in the novel.

 

delusion in death is an enjoyable (ripped up faces and all) novel with some strong women detectives leading the chase.

 

it's $27.95 for the 388 page book, published by g.p. putnam's sons.

announcements, bosch, and nelly bly

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Six of them.

 

1. GREEN LIBRARY WRITING CHAT BY AUDREY LAVIN ('tis i!) at the green library, tomorrow (that's saturday) 9 march from 2-4 .  Please join us. Come armed with questions and comments about the writing process.

 

2. We would like to invite you to the 2013 Columbus State Writers Conference to be held on Saturday, March 23 at our downtown campus. Our keynote speaker will be the Director of the Wick Poetry Center, David Hassler. Mr. Hassler is a successful poet, playwright, and essayist, and was named Ohio Poet of the Year in 2006

3. Figuratively Speaking \

A workshop in poetry and performance

on Friday, March 29th, 2013, 12:30-1:50 p.m.

at Case Western Reserve University, Clark 309, 11130 Bellflower Rd.

 

4. The winter 2013 issue of The Exclamation Point!, the e-zine for aficionados of National Punctuation Day and Punctuation Playtime, has been posted on-line for your enjoyment:

http://www.punctuationplaytime.com/exclamationpoint/index.html

 

5. On Saturday, April 20 2013, Heritage Presbyterian Church in Amherst, Ohio (corner of Route 2 and 58) is hosting a writer's conference organized by the International Writer's Association for only $10!

6. Breaking Genre: A Writers Conference will take place June 1, 2013 on the campus of Case Western Reserve University.

 

BOOKS:

 

i have so many books stacked around the house: books i've read and mean to write about, books i have yet to read, books i can't remember whether i've read or not, which says more than i can write about the novels in that stack!

 

The Black Ice by Michael Connelly is one of those in the 'i can't remember' pile. i've gone to the internet, like any good researcher, and read past blogs, but can't find a write-up of this specific connelly novel. to play it safe, i'll give the book one or two lines.

most of the readers of this blog are probably familiar with connelly's work. he does not disappoint in this novel. harry bosch is no smooth english detective. he's not cerebral like sherlock holmes or smoothly physical like james bond. he is in connelly's words, 'the kind of man not many people approached unless they had to.' connelly ties up all loose ends so that bosch finds his man and a new drug on the street. well written and entertaining.

the novel is published by vision publishers, is 427 pages, and sells for 7.99. it was published in 1993. i think i like those earlier, fresher harry bosch books better than the more recent tales.

 

The Formula for Murder by Carol McCleary won the 2011 rt seal of excellence. i don't know what that seal designates, but it sure doesn't mean good editing. i've asked it before and i'll ask it again: where have all the editors gone? ms. mccleary has a neat gimmick. she mixes real and fictional characters from the same time period. it's fun to read what oscar wilde, arthur conan doyle, and h.g. wells, who makes a pass at our heroine nelly bly, have to say. it is distracting to read words like 'feng shui' and 'blush' (as in 'rouge) in everyday 19th century conversations. i checked with the o.e.d., so i know ms. mccleary used them correctly. there are words that entered the english language around the time of the novel, but i doubt if they were in common usage.

 

it's silly to make a fuss about such a small thing. the book is enjoyable.  i'm sure you all remember, that nelly bly was an early female pioneer in the world of journalism. her appearance as chief detective takes this novel away from being a typical mad scientist story.

 

the book is 334 pages. it is a forge book , and the price is $24.00, and oh, that naughty h.g. wells.

 

thanks for all of your comments and all of the support you gave to the LITTLE magazine on the blog.

peter mayle & submissions open

 

SUBMISSIONS:

1. poetry contest sponsored by case western reserve u. and the cleveland museum of art. check their web sites

2. All Michigan Writers are welcome to contribute to our Annual Anthology, "Written In The Mitten"!
Details at www.HeronBayBooks.com

http://joangelfand.com/2012/12/scarecrow-press-anthology-call-for-submissions-2/
3. Women, Work, and the Web: How the Web Creates Entrepreneurial Opportunities
Book Publisher: Scarecrow Press
4. the LITTLE magazine on the blog is now accepting submissions in poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction. send to lavingroup@aol.com

 COMMENTS:
'I love "Eloquent Tattoo"!  Mary Beth is doing great . ' from genie, someplace in california

 

THE OTHER ARTS:

belated first friday kudos to craig joseph and the super use he has made of his translations gallery space. three of us stopped by first friday and were truly impressed, as we were by the superbowl dinner we had at benders right afterwards!!

 

& more praise heaped on 2nd april and their ladies' night out followed by fab dinner for three more of us fun people at lucca's.

 

BOOKS (or in this case, BOOK):

 

The Marseille Caper by Peter Mayle has almost no plot (an englishman, a frenchman, and an american each want to build on the same marseille beach), no character development, and none of the other literary necessities. what it does have is the food, the sun, and the wine of southern france. and that's enough for most of us, especially in the middle of an ohio winter. if you feel like a romp by the sea, this, as are other mayle novels, is the book for you.

 

it is 210 pages at $24 (doesn't tell us how many euros), and is published by alfred knopf.