Whodunit?

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.

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.

 

REICHS, RANKIN, & WRITING HINTS

COMMENTS:

"Disclaimer: Ben refuses to learn how to spell correctly or punctuate properly. Despite the heroic efforts of his teachers and parents he remains unable to accurately do either. In addition he cannot discern dropped words or letters. If you find yourself getting too angry or frustrated reading his comments, go to the next email immediately."

accompanying a submission from ben b., port huron mi

 

"Good Taiga-tiger story, Audrey." art s. highland park, il

  

"I would not risk a matzah ball stuffing for the Thanksgiving turkey.  Most of the matzah balls I have eaten over the years were made by well-meaning great aunts (since deceased, of course) who were terrible cooks.  They shared an incredible ability to make matzah balls that not only shrunk as they cooked, into little cannon balls, but also became heavier and heavier the longer they cooked.  I believe that hiding a goodly number of matzah balls inside of an innocent, though goyish turkey from the Butterball factory might cause the same effect.  As the matzah balls mature, your stove will collapse from the weight, and you will wind up eating Chinese takeout for the holiday." r.j. shedlarz zoar, oh

"Congratulations on all." m.l. singapore

 

BOOKS:

  

"Bones are Forever" by Kathy Reichs, is another mystery solved by forensic pathologist temperance brennan. not surprisingly, it is full of medical jargon, so if you like to play doctor, this book is for you. the novel has quite the twisted plot, starting with amy roberts, the woman everyone is searching for. she, alone has three or four names, all with the same initials: alice ruben. annaliese ruben, and others. she kills four babies because she's simple minded( before she gets killed herself. i repeat, if you like medical technology and explanations (naming the bones, etc.), the 283 pages of this novel are for you.

  

it is published by scribner and sells for $26.99

  

"STANDING in Another Man's Grave" by Ian Rankin stars (now retired) detective inspector john rebus and the friends, who are criminals, and enemies, who are in the force.  rebus is as gritty, gruffy, and prickly as always. he is older but no necessarily wiser in his dealings with other people. but he manages to solve a ten-year-old cold case crime of three women disappearing from pretty much the same place on a desolate road. fans of the series will continue to be fans even though rebus has slowed down a little with age.

little, brown and  co. has published this 388 page book. it sells for $25.99

  

Classes:

cuyahoga county public library , ohio,  has writing workshops in progress. please call if interested

HINT for writers: this is from writers digest

A plot—any plot—breaks down into three basic parts: the beginning, the middle, and the ending. Below is an outline of this classic structure and the main elements of each part.

 BEGINNING

Introduction

Introduces: characters, core conflict, setting, tone

    Antecedent Action

To make the present action of the story clearer, you may need to explain events prior to the opening of story. This could include background information about the characters or the situation.

AND submissions are open for 'the LITTLE magazine on the blog.' please send yours to audrey lavin at lavingroup@aol.com

 

 

 

 

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

rei

COMMENTS:r

  

"Disclaimer: Ben refuses to learn how to spell correctly or punctuate properly. Despite the heroic efforts of his teachers and parents he remains unable to accurately do either. In addition he cannot discern dropped words or letters. If you find yourself getting too angry or frustrated reading his comments, go to the next email immediately."

accompanying a submission from ben b., port huron mi

 

"Good Taiga-tiger story, Audrey." art s. highland park, il

  

"I would not risk a matzah ball stuffing for the Thanksgiving turkey.  Most of the matzah balls I have eaten over the years were made by well-meaning great aunts (since deceased, of course) who were terrible cooks.  They shared an incredible ability to make matzah balls that not only shrunk as they cooked, into little cannon balls, but also became heavier and heavier the longer they cooked.  I believe that hiding a goodly number of matzah balls inside of an innocent, though goyish turkey from the Butterball factory might cause the same effect.  As the matzah balls mature, your stove will collapse from the weight, and you will wind up eating Chinese takeout for the holiday." r.j. shedlarz zoar, oh

"Congratulations on all." m.l. singapore

 

BOOKS:

  

"Bones are Forever" by Kathy Reichs, is another mystery solved by forensic pathologist temperance brennan. not surprisingly, it is full of medical jargon, so if you like to play doctor, this book is for you. the novel has quite the twisted plot, starting with amy roberts, the woman everyone is searching for. she, alone has three or four names, all with the same initials: alice ruben. annaliese ruben, and others. she kills four babies because she's simple minded( before she gets killed herself. i repeat, if you like medical technology and explanations (naming the bones, etc.), the 283 pages of this novel are for you.

  

it is published by scribner and sells for $26.99

  

"STANDING in Another Man's Grave" by Ian Rankin stars (now retired) detective inspector john rebus and the friends, who are criminals, and enemies, who are in the force.  rebus is as gritty, gruffy, and prickly as always. he is older but no necessarily wiser in his dealings with other people. but he manages to solve a ten-year-old cold case crime of three women disappearing from pretty much the same place on a desolate road. fans of the series will continue to be fans even though rebus has slowed down a little with age.

little, brown and  co. has published this 388 page book. it sells for $25.99

  

Classes:

cuyahoga county public library , ohio,  has writing workshops in progress. please call if interested

HINT for writers: this is from writers digest

A plot—any plot—breaks down into three basic parts: the beginning, the middle, and the ending. Below is an outline of this classic structure and the main elements of each part.

 BEGINNING

Introduction

Introduces: characters, core conflict, setting, tone

    Antecedent Action

To make the present action of the story clearer, you may need to explain events prior to the opening of story. This could include background information about the characters or the situation.

AND submissions are open for 'the LITTLE magazine on the blog.' please send yours to audrey lavin at lavingroup@aol.com

 

 

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

  

  

norwegian whodunits? & scroll back for the LITTLE magazine

COMMENTS:

"The freelance writer is a man who is paid per piece or per word or perhaps."

~ Robert Benchley by way of writers digest

"'I enjoyed your blog very much. I really liked the account you gave about your sudden "anguish" over the report of the Siberian tigers being gunned down nearby; only to find out that the tigers were in the neighborhood "on business"'.  s.g.b. ohio

 

BOOKS: norwegian

'Phantom' by Jo Nesbo

this is the 7th book available in english that stars harry hole, detective and crime solver. as the series has gone on, the hole books have gotten steadily grimmer, and “phantom” is the bleakest yet. it is so bleak and so grim that i see no reason to read it, though i have read and enjoyed previous novels by nesbo. also, part of the 'phantom' written in italics to delineate it from the main story, is a parallel and true story of what really went on during, before, and after the main murder. the dying man's thoughts are in perfect chronological and, just about perfect, grammatical order. i've never been a dying man, but i'm pretty sure i wouldn't be thinking like that. 

the english version is 377 pages. (nesbo's books have been translated into 47 languages) the publisher is alfred a. knopf. the book sells for $25.95 and has been translated from the norwegian by don bartlett.

 

Blessed are Those who Thirst by Anne Holt is a much more interesting novel. three protagonists are on the trail of a bloody murderer/rapist. if the reader counts hanne wilhelmsen's colleague hakon sand as a separate searcher, we have four parallel searches going on, which ups the reader interest. who will get there first becomes almost as important as whodunit? because each searcher will treat the culprit in a different manner. this book was written or at least published in 1994. perhaps to keep up the reputation of scandinavian noir, each norwegian crime writer who comes along has to make his novels much darker than his predecessor's. anne holt does not suffer from this need. yes, her novels are dark; her chief protagonist is in a wheel chair. also, hanne is a lesbian, but does not make a big deal about it, although we follow her thoughts as she wonders whether or not to come out to her colleagues, who, of course have already figured it out.

 

the novel is translated from the norwegian by anne bruce, published by scribner, and the paperback 211 page edition is $15.

 

GIFT IDEAS: 'eloquent blood,' 'eloquent corpse,' and 'eloquent tattoo'--murders that will make you smile.

SUBMISSIONS, WHODUNIT, DICK WOLF

 

SUBMISSIONS: still open for 'the LITTLE magazine on the blog.'

for those of you who have requested information about submissions and those who are still silently wondering what to do about submitting, the magazine has no form to fill out. please send your creative non-fiction, short poetry, other writings directly to dr. audrey lavin at lavingroup@aol.com

 

 The Akron Beacon Journal is requesting stories of how couples met
 for a Valentine's Day Contest.  True stories are being accepted until
 January 23 at http://valentines.ohio.com/  

 

BOOKS:

'The Intercept' by Dick Wolf is a spy or terrorist (depends on which side you're on) procedural.  we are not only shown step-by-step what the f.b.i. and police are doing through actions and thoughts of chief protagonist and good guy jeremy fisk, but we also follow actions and thoughts of various bad guys and their plot to (spoiler coming) take down ex-president bush. the details of the plot are interesting, though you won't have a problem figuring out who the suspect should be. one thing i hate that dick wolf and other authors use as a 'save' is (this couldn't be another spoiler, could it?) killing off the girlfriend at the end. krina gersten is either going to continue to be the girlfriend through the planned series or the author can introduce other, also interesting female sidekicks and plot twists involving them, so get rid of the girl.

 

william morrow are publishers of this 387 page novel. the price is $27.99.

 

HOW TO WRITE:

today's writing hint is from dennis lehane: '...take a hippocratic approach: do no harm. make your ideal not the memorable or the quotable but the apt. does it fit the character? is it authentic to the narrative world you've designed? does it advance the story without feeling like it advances the story?'

 

what do you think? let me know. audrey

GRISHAM, COTTERILL, & HOW TO WRITE

ODDS & ENDS:

 

please join the crowds in green, oh, who will be hurrying over to the green library  9 march from 2-4 in the afternoon to hear me talk about writing and publishing. no charge. i look forward to meeting you there.

for those of you who are interested in collage, decoupage. bibliolage, and deviant art forms (i like that best), please go to this web site: www.williamdaviesking.com, Ruined Books: The Art of Bibliolage
and speaking of web sites, here's one about me that amazon sent. i don't know what its purpose is, but enjoy!!

https://www.amazon.com/author/audreylavin

also, i had an e-mail from Marquis Who's Who, saying that i'd been so honored for fifteen years. really? how could that be? i'm not even sure i've ever seen a copy of the book.

then, a big disappointment. with my question about your preference in endings, i had hoped to start a big internet discussion on the subject. it fell flat. the few, very few answers i received ranged from, 'Iike everything all wrapped up' to 'what's wrong with endings,' but to be honest, there was no interest in starting or continuing a discussion on a subject i find fascinating. why does that happen to me so often?

 

BOOKS:

a blurb or two ago, i wrote that colin cotterill could do no wrong.

he did. sorry.

in 'curse of the pogo stick' and more so in 'thirty-three teeth,' he leans too heavily on laos mysticism. i, for one, quickly loose empathy with a 'detective' who solves crimes with magic, even if he is the reluctant coroner of laos.

soho crime. 235 and 238 pages. cotterill redeems himself in later books and in the jimm juree series starring a female former crime reporter.

 

much of the mysticism is similar to what can be found in nigerian novelist chinua achebe's highly proclaimed 'things fall apart'. the rest of that line is 'the center will not hold.' the title of the novel is taken from "the second coming" by yeats, one of my favorite poems. to describe the novel (too briefly, i know) i will take the chance of quoting desmond tutu for the umpteenth time: "When the missionaries came to Africa, they had the Bible and we had the land. They said 'let us close our eyes and pray.' When we opened them, we had the Bible, and they had the land." actually, it's a questionable attribution.  also, there's a great deal more to the novel than that quote implies.for those of you who have never had the chance to read it, go!

 

'the racketeer' by john grisham is a fun mystery. the readers knows the twist from the beginning, but it is a pleasure to watch it so well played out. the book is published by doubleday. it is 340 pages at $28.95. it's fun, but not a keeper. see if you can find it in a paperback.

 

and 'two graves' by preston and child is probably the worst mystery i have ever read.  while reading the first few chapters i thought they were going to turn out to be the plot of a bad movie the chief protagonist was either watching or making. then the plot goes downhill. as i've written before, where have all the editors gone; these guys are in love with adjectives.

 

thanks for all of your comments, for reading this blog, and for buying my books. love to hear from you. audrey

wilkie collins 'the woman in white' & your comments

COMMENT (after lavin's presentation at college club)

'I wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed your presentation and humor at the October College Club meeting. I loved your comment about experimenting with items found in the newspaper and incorporating them into your text. Clever! I wouldn't have picked up on the example you used,  had you not mentioned it.' (m.a.c.)   note by audrey: i'll be glad to give a program at your club or institution, too.

 

TELEVISION INTERVIEW:

On Track with Betty Mac, starring interview with Audrey Lavin  will air Monday, November 26 through Sunday, December 3 – Channel 15 – 8 am, 12:30 pm, 8 pm and 12:30 am.

 

WRITING TIP (from internet):

Try writing without character names.This is a well-guarded professional secret used by hundreds of pros. When you write your characters, don't write who's saying what (you can add it later). This way, you are sure to make each character speak in different voices just to keep it straight in your own mind as you write. It forces you to make each character unique.

 

BOOK:

'The Woman in White' by Wilkie Collins continues to be the whodunit i am currently reading. hey, it's 617 pages. but i am making progress with only 200 pages to go. preparations for thanksgiving might interfere with my finishing it in the next few days. we'll see. first published in 1860 the novel has never been out of print. it is dated however. time and again we readers are reminded of what a telephone would do to move the plot along, or, perhaps, destroy it. certainly the long trips by foot or train to verify a fact would not be necessary. it is pleasant, though, to read of local landscapes and towns in the mid-nineteenth century. manners, too, add interest. it is what one professor of mine called 'the anthropology of literature' to learn that ladies and gentlemen shook hands each morning on meeting again, even when visiting in the same household.

one comment that i can safely make now with the climax in sight is that the two main women, half sisters, actually form a whole. our heroine laura never seems to be a whole person by herself. this is not merely my opinion. in fact, during much of the book when she is ill, she is portrayed as not being a whole person. we need her half, rather masculine sister, to make a whole person of her.

 

more of this novel later, and a happy thanksgiving to all. remember the titanic. eat your pumpkin pie with plenty of whipped cream, and eat it first.