RMR Project: Francis's "Longshot"

I remember reading a lot of Dick Francis mysteries when I was younger and lived in the states. I've always loved horses and the horse aspect of his books is what interested me then. I forget where I picked this one up. I found it on the back of the shelf one day digging for more to reread.

A well-known race horse trainer (steeplechase mostly) wants a ghostwriter for his memoirs. He expects the author to come live with him for a month or so to do the research and interviews.

When a starving author is kicked out of his attic apartment because of frozen pipes, he begs the agent to get him the job with horse trainer. The agent isn't happy about the idea, but does the job.

The author suddenly finds himself in the middle of a murder investigation.

Longshot was published by Michael Joseph Ltd (a UK division of Penguin)and has a 1990 copyright.

This was filled with excitement and action. The equine aspect was interesting but not dominant.

Tense

Past.

POV

First person. Writer John Kendall, but he mentions things he couldn't know yet. That is kind of annoying even though it is written in past.

page 92 the POV breaks to a third person omniscient POV that talks about a body and the police reactions. This POV switch repeats several points in the book.

Deaths

p. 37. A girl died a year earlier at a party. Trial underway--a jockey who rides for the trainer and is related to one of the owners.

p. 71. The author reads a news clipping about 6 months old mentioning a missing female groom.

p. 87. A body is found in the woods. More details would be spoiling.

Suspects

The investigation searches pretty far for suspects, but focuses primarily on the jockeys, especially the one charged in the party death, and the husband of one of the horse owner's.

Other

An accident eliminates one of the suspects on p 167.

Mention of horse doping interesting to me--may be useful in my own book--caffeine and theobromine (both found in chocolate) are banned substances. So giving a horse chocolate can result in doping charges!

RMR Project: Crane's "Miss Seeton Cracks the Case"

Miss Seeton has a knack for finding and getting into trouble. She is quite unaware of this and very humble about the occasions when it puts her into a situation where she can help the police solve a crime or two.

The police call her in to help as a police artist when a gang of criminals target the elderly for home robbery. Her skills also come in handy with some highway robbery cases.

Miss Seeton Cracks the Case was published by Berkley Books and has a 1991 copyright. I think someone else created the Miss Seeton character because the top of the cover says "Heron Carvic's Miss Seeton."

This is much different than most of the mysteries I read. It does include a death, but the heroine doesn't even know about it. The man died as a result of the home robbery so Miss Seeton solves it when she locates the band that did that and other home robberies.

Despite this significant difference--or perhaps because of it--the book was a very fun read. Miss Seeton is an interesting character with a good blend of strengths and weaknesses.

Tense

Past.

POV

Third person omniscient. This is unusual. Most of the cozies I've read had either been first person or limited omniscient. It does tend to focus on one group of characters per scene, but there is also a clear narrator voice in several places. But I liked the narrator.

Deaths

p. 14. RSM Brent. An elderly man killed by the "Sherry Gang" in a home robbery gone wrong.

p. 76. No death exactly, but a great deal of focus on rumors of a possible dead body being hidden in an air raid shelter thirty years earlier.

Suspects

They don't identify any specific suspects until near the end. They believe two women and a man are involved in the two gangs, but the details aren't revealed until the end. The reader, like the police, has to wonder whether it is one gang doing two types of crimes or two separate gangs.

RMR Project: McKevett's "Just Desserts"

I haven't gotten behind on my reading, but I have gotten behind on posting them to the blog.

Savannah Reid is a police officer who takes her job seriously. When she gets a job, she cares about doing it right. But when the husband of a local politician is killer, Savannah's dedication to the truth costs her her badge but she still doesn't give up.

Just Desserts was published by Kensington Books and has a 1995 copyright. The author is using a pseudonym, but the real name isn't listed in the book. I couldn't find mention of others, so this must be the first in the Savannah Reid series and the first using this pseudonym.

I like Savannah. She has a great sense of humor, a love of chocolate and other small luxuries, and cares about her friends and family. The book is pretty well done, but the POV break I will mention later really bothered me.

Tense

Past.

POV

Most of the book is told in third person limited omniscient from the perspective of Savannah herself.

However, it switched from pages 281 to 282 to Ryan, I think. I remember really studying the switch. I really think the story could have been told without the break. Enough details could have come from Savannah's perspective. This single irregularity in POV really bothered me when I was reading it.

Deaths

p 17. a homicide by shotgun. Later determined to be Jonathan Winston, wife of a councilwoman.

p. 254. Another homicide. Don't like spoilers, so won't tell you who.

Suspects

• Beverly Winston, the victim's wife. She is the prime suspect
• Police Chief Norman Hillquist, who takes a very personal interest in the case
• Fiona, Jonathan's ex-wife
• Danielle Lamont, another ex-lover
• Eric Bowman, a scumbag
• Paul Connors, another designer

Other

Savannah's dialog has a southern flavor.

The start to the book is made exciting by having Savannah and her partner chasing down a fugitive.

Tension is increased with tips from an anonymous caller--a woman with a NY accent.

RMR Project: Andrews's "Owls Well That Ends Well"

Desperate to rid the house of clutter, Meg Langslow recruits friends and family to help with a giant yard sale. Along with the usual locals, Meg has to deal with a number of unusual junk dealers, her own extensive family (many of whom are meeting her boyfriend for the first time), and the heirs of the family from whom she and the boyfriend bought the house. A sales clause gives those heirs 10% of the profits from the sale of the items left on the property. It's enough to drive a woman crazy.

Then things get worse. Gordon, the worst of the junk dealers, turns up dead in a locked trunk. Her boyfriend's best friend Giles is arrested. But he wasn't the only one with motive and opportunity. Meg sets out to clear Giles's name.

Owls Well That Ends Well is copyrighted in 2005 and published by St. Martin's Minotaur Mysteries.

This mystery is filled with humor thanks to Meg's unusual family. It was a great distraction from the pain I had while reading it. I wouldn't mind reading more in this series.

Tense

Past

POV

This is a first-person story, told from the perspective of the heroine, Meg Langslow. The POV is very effective for the story because the reader is led to believe what Meg believes, which isn't always true.

Deaths

p. 58--Gordon, a junk dealer, is found in a trunk.

Suspects

• Giles, a college professor who had argued with the victim over a book
• Schmidt, another professor who wanted to keep his problems with Gordon a secret
• Carol, Gordon's wife who was trying to divorce him
• Ralph, Gordon's former business partner
• The hummel lady, who competed with him for good items at sales

RMR Project: Black's "A Vow of Fidelity"

 

When she receives a photograph of her art college class, Sister Joan is reminded of her promise to meet her classmates for a 20 year reunion. She is allowed to go, provided she uses the opportunity to advertise for the convent's new retreat offers.

At the meeting in London, Sister Joan learns that two of her classmates are already dead. Her visit to a third's home reveals that he died a few months earlier. As if that weren't enough to make her suspicious, the woman she talked to at the home of the deceased is murdered a few hours after they spoke.

The remaining classmates decide to book a retreat at the convent to continue the reunion. Then Sister Joan receives another copy of the class photo--with a threat in it. Can she find out what is going on before more classmates die?

A Vow of Fidelity was published by St. Martin's Paperbacks and has a 1995 copyright.

Despite the foreignness of the main character (I am not religious so have no experience with nuns and convents), I was comfortable with her perspective and quickly drawn into the story. The characters are interesting and realistic and the entire story is exciting. A good read.

Tense

Past.

POV

Vow of Fidelity is told in third person limited omniscient from the perspective of Sister Joan. Despite careful study, I found no POV breaks. It is very well done and Sister Joan is an interesting character.

Deaths

There were plenty of deaths talked about in the book, but only one is in the present. On page 26, we find out that Sally, the wife of a classmate and a classmate herself, died a few years earlier after a fall from a car park. The car park was known to be dangerous and her death is considered an accident, but there is some question in the minds of the classmates.

Bryan Grimes, another former classmate, was killed in a hit-and-run. We find this out on page 29.

Sister Joan learns of the death of Serge, a third classmate, on page 47. He had died a month earlier of an overdose. But his girlfriend swears he didn't take drugs and was not suicidal.

The death of a gypsy child on page 138 is a reminder of a child who died several years earlier.

There is another death on page 162, but telling you about it would be too much of a spoiler.

Suspects

Sister Joan fears that one of her living classmates is behind the crimes. She focuses her attention there.

Other

There was plenty of back story but it wasn't intrusive.

The book is a fine read on its own, even without knowledge of the several earlier books in the series.

RMR Project: Carter's "Candy Apple Dead"

 

Candy Apple Dead by Sammi Carter revolves around Abby, a corporate lawyer who returned to her hometown after her marriage failed and took over her great aunt's candy shop. When a friend's store burns down and his body is found in the rubble, her brother is the townspeople's main suspect. Assuming, of course, that the man didn't burn the shop down himself and get caught in the blaze. Abby can't believe either could be thought guilty, but soon finds out many things about both of them that she didn't know.

The book was published by Berkley Prime Crime and has a 2005 copyright. For subgenre, it is probably somewhere between a regular cozy and the newer class "culinary," which seems to simply be a cozy with a food aspect. Candy recipes are included (not something that would make me buy a book, but who knows).

I really liked this one. Even better than the previously read one in the project. I may partly prefer it because the POV is more like my own work. The characters were real and I could relate to them easily. The woman's need to find the answers herself were very understandable. Even analyzing it closely, I didn't find any real problems with the book. Just one spot where it says she turns on the flame then half a page later starts the burner--for the same pot. Not a big deal and probably not very noticeably problematic if reading just for fun.

The play between what the narrator thought of characters versus what the town thought added to the enjoyment. Abby made you sympathize with the dead guy even when the rest of the town had a grudge. She had a great sense of humor and personality as well.

POV

First person. Abby herself narrates the story and I found nothing that even hinted at a possible POV break.

Tense

Past.

Deaths

The victim fails to turn up for a date with Abby already just a little way into the book. Then the fire happens soon after (p. 18). An unidentified body is found under the rubble of the fire on page 42, but is not identified as Brandon until page 62.

Suspects

Although Abby tries to suspect pretty much everyone, the police only appear to suspect Wyatt, her brother, and Brandon himself of starting the fire. Abby turns up hints of other possible suspects on her own.

Other

Page 9 foreshadows events to come as the end of chapter hook. This makes sense when it is written in past tense--as if Abby herself wrote the tale once it was completed. But I am not sure I like that as much--I think I prefer to believe the narrator is just as ignorant of what's going to happen as I am.

Chapter 1 has minimal back story but Ch. 2 has plenty of it.

In the earlier chapters, I played close attention to the EOC hooks and found them very effective. I forgot to pay as much attention later on. Also by that time you are so far into the book that you want to know what happens anyway, even if the EOCs had been a little weak (not saying they were--I didn't notice).

RMR Project: Page's "The Body in the Belfry"

 

The Body in the Belfry is, according to the back flap, Katherine Hall Page's first book and it earned her the Agatha Award for best first mystery novel. From a reader perspective, it captivated me easily and carried me happily along on its tale. No problems with suspension of disbelief or characterization. A pleasant read.

Copyright 1990. Published by Avon Books.

Now for the more clinical aspects.

POV

The book starts out with Faith, a minister's wife and new mom. My expectation after reading the first few pages was that it would be a third person limited omniscient POV. I was wrong.

Already within the first chapter I found hints of omniscient--no clear narrator, but obviously more than Faith should know.

As a short example of the most glaring breaks of Faith's POV:

• p. 73-74. Dave's POV
• p. 79. 1 para of Dunne, back to Faith, then a touch of Tom
• p. 82. Millicent
• p. 92. Pix.
• p. 106. Scott

By the time I'd gone through that headhopping section, I quit noting the shifts, declaring it some kind of third person omniscient perspective.

I think I need to study more on third person omniscient because of the questions I am left with.

Was Page trying to write third person omniscient or did she just break the limited POV without realizing it?

Perhaps she was not edited as firmly because of her Agatha prize? Is the prize awarded to a draft or to a published book? If the former, the award might result in less thorough editing in the haste to get it published.

Tense

Past. That was easy.

Deaths

There are two. Cindy Shepherd on page 12 with a knife and a second murder on page 168. I won't reveal the victim and method of the second here because it might be a bit of a spoiler.

Suspects

Pretty much the entire town and even beyond. The first victim was quite a troublemaker. The second narrows the suspect field in some directions and opens it in others.

Other

The first chapter is all back story. That continues up to the death on p. 12. Agents on Twitter recently have been talking a lot about the importance of limiting back story in the early chapter. I guess no one told this author or she did it so well that no one was disturbed?

Rereading Mysteries for Research: The Project

I always said this blog would be about whatever didn't fit in my dog blog. This may get boring for some people, but I don't really have a gumption to start a new blog right now. If it seems necessary at some point, advise me. I have a complicated brain and a complicated life and am not very good at compartmentalizing. But I will try to index intelligently to make the blog more useful for readers.

In case you don't know this already, I am trying to write a mystery. To help myself on this goal and occupy times when pain keeps me from writing, I've decided to go back through all the mysteries I have, which I have read at least once already for pleasure, and start trying to get more useful tidbits out of them.

The things I look at will probably vary with time based on whatever is worrying me most about writing, but so far I am working with a rough note scheme with the following categories.

• POV
• Tense
• Deaths (who, how, what page)
• Suspects
• Whodunit
• Other

I am going to post these on my blog as I do it in case the info is useful to anyone else. However, I suppose I must have the Whodunit part only in my notes. I refuse to put out total spoilers right now.

I guess you could say I'm not ready to share my work with the world, but I will share my research! The notes won't exactly be reviews, but may interest someone. Who knows.

Book Review: "The Equivoque Principle" by Darren Craske

This is my first attempt at a book review, so please forgive me if it sucks. I won this book in a drawing from Caroline Smailes.

The Equivoque Principle is a murder mystery set in Victorian England. When a bishop hires criminals to clear a section of England, Cornelius Quaint and the members of Dr. Marvello's Traveling Circus are dragged into the middle of the killing spree. Prometheus, the strong man, is framed for the murders by being drugged and left with the body of his love.

Struggling to prove the mute innocent, the troupe is forced to face nightmares from Prometheus’s and Quaint's pasts. The quest is a trying one that unites the group, but forces some members to face their fears of their own inadequacies.

Personally, I enjoyed the book. I found myself quickly drawn into the vibrant settings and connecting to the humanity of the unusual circus characters. Although most people's personal struggles are not as dramatic as those in the book, I think it is easy to relate to the issues of loyalty, trust, and fear of failure.

Even if I weren't trying to hide from pain, I think I would've had great difficulty putting the book down in the middle. The book is well paced and keeps you hooked on every page.

Although it is written in third person omniscient, the writer has held back enough important information to leave the reader guessing. It also gives enough view into the perspective of individual characters to allow the reader to feel a bit of a bond with those characters.

One thing is bugging me about the ending. I feel like there is a flaw in the book, but it was late and I was drugged and I might just read something wrong. I'm going to have to reread part of it to check how those bits hang together. However, even if I am right that there is a flaw there, I doubt the average reader will notice.

I recommend the book to anyone who can find it. It is a good and exciting read, and I'm looking forward to more with these characters.

Edited to add: I talked to the author about the thing in the end that was bugging me. It was just me being paranoid and probably a little out of it when I read it. It doesn't have that flaw, so I am just insane.

Technical Support IDIOTS

We switched ISPs (Internet Service Providers) a few weeks ago. It is supposed to be both faster and cheaper but I have not been completely satisfied with its reliability.

So this morning when the Internet connection went down completely while I was using the computer, I restarted the router (turning off, waiting 10 secs, turning on). Then I restarted the network on the Linux server. Still no connection and I can see that the skype phone is also unable to make a connection.

So I decided to call technical support to find out what was going on. First I go through several levels of push this or that menus. Then I wait for 10 mins. In the mean time, I am stillw atching for my Internet to be back online.

I finally get a person. He tells me there is nothing wrong. I ask him for an IP address to ping. He tells me nothing is wrong. Then I realize the Skype phone still hasn't connected, so tell him it can't just be a name server problem because of that.

So the idiot decides I have to remove my hub and reconnect directly to the computer. I tell him I can't really do that because of my health. But he says unless I do that, he won't do anything. So I crawl down on the floor in total agony to swap the wires around (note here that I was up more than half the night because I hurt so much... read all of "All the Pretty Horses" [which was very good, thanks Edith!] then finally cried myself to sleep, waking up every time my leg kicked in my sleep because it hurt so much).

It works. AARGH!

So I ask him how I'm supposed to connect multiple devices when I'm not supposed to use a hub or switch (he was sure I was using a router, so I crawled down again to find where it is identified as a switch). He says I can use them but that I will always have to remove them for technical help.

He proceeds to tell me that we hadn't lost a connection at all. He can see it there. We've been connected for 92 hours without a break.

92 hours? I ask him. That's odd. I turned the equipment on at 9 this morning. We turned it off at 9 last night. So it was broken for 12 hours (he told me that equipment turned off registered as a break, as an explanation for why it would be broken 92 hours ago). So while I am trying to explain to him how there must be a problem in their registration system because my equipment was not just TURNED OFF but WITHOUT POWER (the router is connected to a strip that we turn off at night), HE HUNG UP ON ME!

I was MAD. So I called in, picked a different level in the menu, and got a nice guy to whom I explained that I wanted to lodge a complaint against the guy I talked to before if he could see in the system who it was. The guy was very nice and made sure that my equipment was now working. I told him yes, but I didn't want to get a treatment like that again. If my equipment was turned off for 12 hours, I can't have been connected for 92. He could have given me another explanation, but hanging up on me was not acceptable. I wasn't even YELLING!

So once I got off the phone, I crawled back down under the computer and swapped the wires through the switch.

Guess what? IT WORKS! There is nothing wrong with my equipment.

If I get much more of this, I am going back to TDC even if they do mess up the bills for a year and never send half of them and try to bill me for late payment.