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Character for a day, Part Two

Wednesday, October 7th, 2009

The recent discussion on DorothyL about being a character for a day got my attention.

Here are some of the ideas that readers had.

Since I didn’t get permission to quote people directly, I just want to share a few of my favorites with you.

One woman wanted to be either Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum to see what Ranger was up to or Linda Fairstein’s Alexandra Cooper “just to go to all the cool places she writes about in NYC.” I can certainly understand both of those choices; they were also among my choices in the Sunday post.

Another reader wanted to be Evan Evans’s sweetheart Bronwon, from the series by Rhys Bowen because she’d “get to live in beautiful countryside in Wales, teach school rather than solve crime, and spend time with Evans the Law.” Can’t argue with that.

While many men – and women – would choose Lee Child’s Jack Reacher, I was partial to the lady who said “Forget about BEING Jack Reacher, can I be one of the women he falls for.” Who doesn’t?

Laurie King; photo by Red Bat Photography

Laurie King’s Mary Russell is a favorite of a Florida author who wrote “I would dearly love to be in my 20′s and married to Sherlock Holmes. These books have a place of honor on my shelf. For many personal reasons, I feel a kinship with that time in our history.” Those books have a place of honor for me, too. By the way, Laurie is one of the most gracious and interesting authors. I had the pleasure of interviewing her for Mystery Scene magazine (Issue No. 109, Spring 2009) and our chat was delightful.

Kerry Greenwood’s characters Phryne Fisher and Corinna Chapman both got nods. I loved this reader’s sense of humor: “My body shape is MUCH closer to Corinna’s than Phryne’s! Besides, the building she lives in is just the kind of place I’d love to find when I retire next year. If I can’t
be Ms. Chapman, can I at least move in to the building so I can finally try some of those mouth-watering muffins?”

Traditionalists choose Archie Goodwin, Sharon McCone, Philo Vance, Harriet Vane and Lord Peter Wimsey.

And while the late Anne George has passed on to that great bookstore in the sky, let’s never forget her lovely characters. Another reader hasn’t and she chose Sister from George’s Southern Sisters series.

Florida author Neil Plakcy stuck closer to home with Archie McNally “who handles discreet inquiries in the books of the late Lawrence Sanders (carried on for a while by Vincent Lardo.)” I definitely see the writer’s reasons: “I’d love to live in that big mansion in Palm Beach, wear those fabulous clothes, and eat at the Pelican Club.”

Elizabeth Peters’ series also got a credit from a reader: “I would want to be Nefret Forth from the Amelia Peabody series. For the feminist in me she’s a doctor in the early 20th century. For the pure romantic in me she’s rich, beautiful, and has Ramses Emerson climbing cliffs for her. Sigh.”

Any other ideas from you readers?

Posted in Laurie R. King, Uncategorized | 1,624 Comments »

Review: The Language of Bees by Laurie R. King

Friday, July 31st, 2009

The Language of Bees
by Laurie R. King
Bantam, April 2009, $25.00

Some fictional characters are so extraordinary, they outlive not only their archenemies, but their authors as well. Sherlock Holmes is a perfect—if you’ll pardon the pun—case in point. This is the latest installment of the bestselling series featuring Sherlock Holmes’ much younger wife, Mary Russell, and it comes on the 150th anniversary of the birth of Arthur Conan Doyle.

Just back from their latest sleuthing adventure in San Francisco, the couple are visited by a young man whom they had earlier learned was the son Sherlock never knew he had by Irene Adler. Damian Adler has come to ask for Sherlock’s help in finding his missing wife and child. While they are away, Mary is busy investigating why one of their working beehives has suddenly and mysteriously been deserted by the bees.

Before long, Damian becomes separated from Sherlock and finds himself a suspect in a murder. Mary and Sherlock, first separately and then together, find themselves in a puzzling case involving a strange religious cult, astrology and Norse mythology.

Although Sherlock and his brother, Mycroft, figure prominently in the story, it is written from Mary Russell’s point of view, so most of the action and detecting falls on Mary to accomplish. Having been trained in the martial arts and detecting by her husband, she is, in some respects, his female equivalent.

What makes this series work so well, in addition to the quality of the writing, is the respect King shows for the Holmes canon. She doesn’t try to remake or modernize Holmes, merely make him older and a bit more mellow. As the series has progressed, Mary becomes less of an acolyte and more of a full partner in an unusual, but nonetheless believable, relationship.

Laurie R. King is one of only two novelists to win an Edgar (US) and a John Creasey (UK) award for Best First Crime novel. She is also the author of the series featuring San Francisco detective Kate Martinelli.

Posted in Joseph Scarpato, Laurie R. King, Mary Russell, Reviews, Sherlock Holmes | 2,450 Comments »

Laurie King and The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

Sunday, May 24th, 2009

I wish Laurie R. King had been writing her Mary Russell novels when I was 13.That would be impossible since I have a sneaking suspicion we are around the same age.But I would have loved to have had a character like Mary Russell when I was around 13. Or 12. Or 15. Or any of those ages when I was devouring just about everything my hometown library had.I breezed through the most interesting books in the children’s library and by the time I was ready for more, there just didn’t seem to be anything that interested me.Most girls my age would have immediately latched onto Nancy Drew.I didn’t.I don’t know why, but I didn’t. Maybe my library didn’t have them. Maybe they just didn’t interest me (though I can’t imagine that). Maybe they were checked out at the time.So instead I turned to Agatha Christie, Rex Stout, Mary Roberts Rhinehart. My mother was a big mystery fan and she had these wonderful hardcovers that were something like 59 cents.They were a wonderful introduction to mysteries.If only Mary Russell would have been around. This would have been not only a heroine I could admire but also someone around my age. Someone who could have been not just a character but also a friend.I would have read every one of Mary’s adventures, probably reread them and then started on Sherlock Holmes.Fortunately, Mary Russell is around for this generation and future generations of girls. I firmly believe that these novels will go the distance – that they will be read 30 years from now, and maybe beyond that.King’s Mary Russell novels were the first ones I recommended when a friend of my husband’s asked me for mystery suggestions for her 12-year-old.They also often are the first ones I recommend when women readers say they want something intelligent but not violent. (Actually, I have a lot of mystery authors whom I can recommend who fit that criteria.)King’s Mary Russell novels go across generations.By the way, my profile of Laurie R. King is the cover of the latest issue of Mystery Scene magazine. She was a delight to chat with. Her latest Mary Russell is The Language of Bees.I also am going to start recommending The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley. It’s about an 11-year-old aspiring chemist Flavia de Luce, bright, lonely girl who just feels alienated from her family.Some of the books she reads and the quotes she references are not in the lexion of most 21st century girls. But I think a bright child would enjoy the connection to Flavia.I think I would have.Tell me, do any of you have novels you read as a child or a young teen that are favorites?

Posted in Alan Bradley, Laurie R. King, Mary Russell, Sherlock Holmes | 837 Comments »

Charles Todd’s next adventure

Wednesday, May 13th, 2009

For years, I have been a big fan of the Ian Rutledge series written by Charles Todd. Set in post World War I era, the series is steeped in the atmosphere ofBritain during this time. More importantly, the series looks at a brilliant Scotland Yard detective who is still shell shocked from his time during the Great War. Todd has kept the high standards in this series since it began with A Test of Wills in 1997. So I am quite interested to learn that Todd will be launching a new series with A Duty to the Dead, due out in August from HarperCollins A Duty to the Dead will continue Todd’s look at the horrors of Word War I, this time through the eyes of Bess Crawford, a battlefield nurse.Todd is one of the handful of authors who have used the WWI background as a way of looking at society, survivors’ guilt and Britain during the first part of the 20th century.Todd wrote one previous standalone, The Murder Stone, about a young heiress in 1916 who returns to the rural estate where her powerful and beloved grandfather is dying of a stroke.Todd, the writing name for mother and son Charles and Caroline Todd, has made my annual list of the best mysteries for several years. Judging just from previous history, I think that readers will embrace Bess Crawford as they have Ian Rutledge. While some authors will write only one series – and carry it on for decades – I’m always enthusiastic when an author tries something new, especially when they return to their regular series.Sometimes it seems as if the author returns that regular series a little fresher, having had a nice and sometimes much needed vacation from their regular characters. I never want Michael Connelly to give up Harry Bosch, at least not for several years, but his breaks have only served to make his series even better. Connelly’s latest The Scarecrow comes out May 26Harlan Coben’s stand alone thrillers put him on best sellers lists, but he still returns to Myron Bolitar now and then. Laura Lippman’s stand alones have been some of her best work, but I always like to see what’s going on with Tess Monaghan.Other authors such as Donna Andrews, Laurie King, Charlaine Harris – dear me, the list goes on and on – have given us two or even more series.The winner in all of this has been the reader.Do you have a favorite second series from an author?PHOTO: Caroline and Charles Todd; photo courtesy HarperCollins

Posted in Charlaine Harris, Charles Todd, Donna Andrews, Harlan Coben, Laura Lippman, Laurie R. King, Michael Connelly | 2,495 Comments »

MYSTERY SCENE SPRING ISSUE #109

Wednesday, April 29th, 2009

Hi everyone!

Could there be a better argument for the vitality, diversity and creativity of the mystery than the work of the writers covered in this issue? Just for starters, we have Laurie King’s thoughtful, challenging Mary Russell novels which reimagined the Sherlock Holmes we thought we knew; Mary Jane Maffini’s cozy confections that provide equal measures of delight and diversion; Olen Steinhaurer’s politically and morally nuanced neo-espionage; and Hannah Berry’s gorgeous and groundbreaking graphic novel, Britten and Brülightly. Throw in the couple of hundred other interesting writers we discuss in this issue and I think you’ll agree there’s lots of great things going on in crime fiction today.

Of course, as Mark Twain observed any book is a new book to someone who hasn’t read it yet. In that spirit H.R.F. Keating draws our attention to the work of Christianna Brand, who crafted fiendishly ingenious Golden Age puzzles.

And what gets a book, of any age, noticed? The International Thriller Writers thinks its the very first sentence, and to prove their point, page 20 offers an intriguing collection from members’ works. Judge for yourself!

Not all mystery fiction is delivered via print, as Art Taylor reminds us in “Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang: Great Romantic Crime Films.” Art had such a good time picking this list that he and his fiance, Tara, are busily screening possibilities for another installment in an upcoming issue—“Love Bites: The Darker Side of Romance and Crime.”

Some years ago I traveled to Greenway, Agatha Christie’s lovely home on the banks of the River Dart in Devon. I was visiting Christie’s daughter Rosalind and son-in-law Anthony and I’ll never forget both their kind hospitality and the beautiful setting. (I definitely never forgot the 80-something Anthony merrily skipping up the hillside gardens while I and a companion straggled behind, gasping and cursing.) Sadly Rosalind and Anthony have both passed away but their generosity to mystery fans continues. Greenway was donated to Britain’s National Trust and has now been completely restored and opened to the public. See page 10 for details and if you go, send us photos!

The Mystery Scene Blog has been operational for some time now but we’re ramping up the posting. Oline Cogdill, who interviewed Laurie R. King for this issue, is now posting twice a week. We also have “web original” book reviews, news, and other items popping up there almost daily. Drop by and say hello!

And lastly, a belated welcome to Bill Crider, author of the Sheriff Dan Rhodes mysteries, amusing blogger and, as of the last issue, Mystery Scene’s new short story review columnist. Be sure to check out “Short and Sweet” on page 54.

Kate Stine
Editor-in-chief

Posted in Agatha Christie, Bill Crider, Christianna Brand, H.R.F. Keating, Hannah Berry, International Thriller Writers, Laurie R. King, Mary jane Maffini, Mystery Scene Magazine, Olen Steinhauer, Oline Cogdill | 1,440 Comments »