Storymusing: The Author's Guide to Murder: A Novel by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White

 

The Author’s Guide to Murder: A Novel  

by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White 

This novel was unexpected and ended up being funnier than I thought it would be.  I was looking for a murder mystery, liked the title, and needed something for my drive home from work, so I just jumped in.  

The book takes us to Kinloch Castle in Scotland where Brett Saffron Presley has been found dead in a somewhat scandalous tableau. Bit of a wild name, I don’t know many people named for Saffron and Presley always makes me think of Elvis. 

Three American authors are at the castle, ostensibly as a writing retreat to cowrite a novel. Sounds like a fun way to spend some time! 

I loved the way the three are revealed a little bit at a time. At first, they seem like caricatures of genre writers – Cassie Pringle is a sweet Southern writer of cozy mysteries, Kat de Noir is a sharp and sexy erotica writer, while Emma Endicott is a very proper writer of historical novels. They claim to be best friends. 

“We bonded instantly.” 

Nothing could be further from the truth. They barely tolerate each other, and they have no idea of the deeper secrets each is carrying. I enjoyed how their relationships developed and their back stories are revealed to each other, building their friendship over the course of the book. The way each was involved with the murder victim is a developing thread as well, with some things not revealed until close to the end. 

Cassie is the only one who is happily married, though that happiness is shown to be in jeopardy as the plot progresses. However, Emma and Kat are both single, leaving lots of room for romance with a couple of local men. That too begins rather prosaically. One ends that way too, for my money, but the other takes an interesting turn. 

The authors do a marvelous job of doling out the clues and information as the story progresses to keep the readers guessing. I can safely say I didn’t have a clue who the murderer was, which is the way I prefer it. 

The setting of a castle and a Scottish village was interesting, and I thought rather well developed, based on my watching of BBC television, but then maybe people in Scotland would disagree or even take umbrage. It worked for an American who has never been there. 

Overall, I’d call this murder mystery by three authors about three fictional authors highly entertaining.  

Storymusing: Against the Currant - A Spice Isle Bakery Mystery by Olivia Matthews

 

Against the Currant: A Spice Isle Bakery Mystery

by Olivia Matthews

I needed a nice light read and the cover of this, plus the title, appealed perfectly. It doesn’t hurt that two of my favorite cozy mystery authors, Mia P. Manansala and Raquel V. Reyes, wrote endorsements.

Lyndsay Murray is holding the soft opening of her family-owned Spice Isle Bakery in Brooklyn, which serves West Indian pastries and main course food when a local baker and businessman, Claudio, shows up to try to intimidate them into closing. Lyndsay and her elegant grandmother are minding the front of the store while her parents and her brother handle the baking. Lyndsay assertively tells Claudio to go tend to his own business.

Unfortunately, Claudio soon turns up murdered and Lyndsay’s bracelet is at the scene. The police seem to think that Lyndsay is their absolute best suspect. She is distraught, certain that if she doesn’t figure out who did this she will end up on trial and her bakery dream will go up in flames, crucified in the court of public opinion.

Things I loved about the story – there was lots of flavor and color through the descriptions of food and clothing. Lyndsay’s grandmother, who also works in the bakery, always seems to have a beautiful outfit put together. Her mother and father are also there, though mostly shown through their fears for their daughter and about how fast everything is moving. They aren’t comfortable with her applying for a festival, though her grandmother and brother, Dev, are all for it.

A humorous thread running through the story is that while Lyndsay is a good cook, providing main dishes like curried chicken, she’s not a very good baker. However, her grandmother is giving her lessons and she does improve through the book.

Another neat thread is Lyndsay’s kickboxing. She’s mainly in it for exercise but it serves her in self-defense and confidence, but she’s not too sure when a former classmate encourages her to enter a competition.

Because this is a new series, there’s a lot of time spent introducing us to the characters and neighborhood, so the story moves relatively slow. But that impression could also have been influenced by how I was reading it over the Thanksgiving holiday. It might have gone faster if I had bigger chunks of time to devote to it.

I also enjoyed the cast of characters but at the same time kept confusing two of them. There were so many people coming into the bakery to buy baked goods and meals. Again, that may have just been my brain and the disjointed way I was reading the book.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would definitely pick up another to read. I’d love to hear a version on audio.

 

 

Storymusing: My Friends by Fredrik Backman

My Friends

by Fredrik Backman

A patron at the library where I work had told me for years that I should read A Man Called Ove. I said sure but I put it off, thinking it would be very literary and possibly boring. Man, was I wrong. It was one of the funniest and most beautiful books I’ve ever read. (Albeit a lot of dark humor, which I very much appreciate.)

My husband and I both loved it, then we watched the movie, and that was fantastic. (The one with Tom Hanks is good, but if you love Backman’s writing, watch the Swedish film with the subtitles. It’s worth it.)

I’ve read a couple other books by Backman since then, and loved each one. I haven’t read all he has written, but this book, My Friends, is so painfully beautiful and so funny, that it may well beat out A Man Called Ove for me. I have read it with excruciating attention, not skipping a word, and in short bursts to make it last.

There is a piece of advice for writers that is purported to come from film writer Joss Whedon which says, “Make it dark, make it grim, make it tough, but then, for the love of God, tell a joke.”

For my sensibility, Fredrik Backman has created the perfect blend of heart-breaking stories with humorous and heart-warming interactions and moments of beautiful connection between people. It’s almost a tall tale, in some ways, but gritty and real in others. In that way, it reminds me a bit of Big Fish.

The story begins with Louisa, who is nearly aged out of her foster home, and has run away while grieving the loss of her friend Fish. Fish, “fled from reality, down into bottles, out into the fog.” They kept each other safe for a long time, but “…the most dangerous place on earth is inside us,” and so Louisa determines that “Fish was murdered by reality.”

Louisa goes to an art show to see the piece of art that has captured her imagination for years, a painting that everyone says is of the sea, but she knows it’s really a painting of something else entirely. There she runs straight into the story of the painting and a couple of the people who are part of it. She runs into the artist, literally, but it is Ted who she ends up taking an amazing journey with. As they travel, he tells her story after story about the friends in that picture.

I adore the narrator’s interjections as well. “Adults really are out of their minds.”

As writers we are often admonished to make sure we show instead of telling the story. Backman is the type of master who can take a rule and break it in just the right way.

So many times, while reading this book, I have had the urge to write a note to the author, just to thank him for writing this book. I doubt he’ll ever see this blog, but I do thank him for this book. It is the type of book that tells beautiful truths through fiction. I will be buying it for Christmas, for whoever of my family and friends that I think will read it.

We also have an author talk with Fredrik Backman in our Library Speakers Consortium listing that you might enjoy. https://libraryc.org/ssclibrary/22473 

 

Storymusing: Five Humorous Murder Mystery Reads

 

The Game is Afoot

by Elise Bryant

September was a great month for reading mysteries, I’m amazed at how much reading I did. I picked up the first cozy mystery on a whim, mostly based on the cover art. I am pleased to say that I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it.

It is a cozy mystery, but there is real depth and layers here. I loved the main character’s humorous way of looking at things and the mom perspective was very relatable for me.

Mavis is divorced but working hard to co-parent their daughter, Pearl, with her ex, Corey. Corey, has been a bit of an absentee dad but he has made big changes in his life, like working hard on his own mental health. It’s a very affirming depiction of a divorced dad and a welcome change from the deadbeat dad image that is so common.

Mavis has some work to do on her own mental health and well-being. Her job has been taking advantage of her for about eight years now and when she gets totally fed up, she quits in the middle of a meeting. She knows that’s not the best way to go about changing jobs, but when she crunches the numbers, she finds it will be okay untilshe finds a new position.

The voices are each individually distinctive and very believable.

The conflicts were many and varied. Sometimes a little over the top, but still believable. As with her boss, who passes her over for promotion and keeps explaining how she’d “love to pay you a million dollars but….” As if any kind of raise is tantamount to a million dollars. (Grrr.)

There was conflict with other mothers, including the one trying to sign her up for a pyramid scheme and the ones who didn’t appreciate her catching one of them in an illegal situation in the last book.

She has conflict with the ex because she doesn’t want him butting in to her life or taking off again, which she suspects might happen.

She’s even in conflict with her dad over his planned podcast.

Each conflict is appropriately resolved at the end of the story, but not necessarily in the way you might expect. I especially loved the new understandings she comes to with her father and her ex-husband.

The writing style is humorous, breezy, and the pacing is brisk. The overall impact is an entertaining and fast-paced read with an interesting mystery. I would highly recommend this book and definitely will read more from this author.

Others I’ve read recently—

The Ex-girlfriend Murder Club by Gloria Chao

Our book club picked the theme “spicy” for September, and this book has spice in spades. Kathryn Hu thinks she has the perfect boyfriend. For example, he shows up with donuts for the entire lab to make up for it to help her smooth things over one day. Then one day she thinks she hears him practicing proposing to her. She bursts out of the bathroom, only to find he is proposing to a different woman. Yikes!

Kathryn and Olivia bond then find there’s a third woman! The three of them

decide to trash his apartment – bringing frogs, because he’s deathly afraid of them, and smearing poop everywhere. They do this, but then they find Tucker’s dead body in a closet. Yikes again!

The three take off, but Kathryn goes back to clean it all up, to keep them from being connected to the murder. Enter the hunky cop.

There are SO many great twists and plot points in this book, it’s a perfect funny murder mystery. There’s maybe even a little too much going on.

But the biggest problem I had with this was the repetitive and obnoxious interludes of the podcast “A Dish Best Served Hot.” To be fair, I don’t know if it would have hit me the same way if I’d been reading it instead of listening to it. Plus, the character is supposed to be obnoxious, I believe. If I’d been reading it in hard copy, I probably would have started skimming those parts.

I’ve also read some other great books this month.

Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man) by Jesse Q. Sutanto – fantastic! I adore the main character and the way she has of bringing people together. Even better than the first book in the series.

 The Golden Spoon by Jessa Maxwell – a mystery set in an American version of The Great British Bake-off. The characterizations were fantastic, and the plotting was tight. I couldn’t put it down.

Then I picked up Mother Daughter Murder Night by Nina Simon which has been riveting, and I LOVED listening to it in the car. Couldn’t wait to get back to it every day.

Honestly, I’m amazed I read so much in the past month. It’s mostly down to the books being riveting. I hope you give one a try.

Storymusing: The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett

 

The Twyford Code

by Janie Hallett

The theme for our book club in July was “something from your to be read pile.” A friend had recently read The Twyford Code and spoken so enthusiastically about it that I immediately added it to be my “to be read” file and picked it up for this month.

Smithy is out of jail after a prolonged incarceration, and still on probation. He has a crappy job and his adult son doesn’t really want any contact with him. He begins to record his thoughts on a mystery that started years ago when he found a book by Edith Twyford on a bus and took it to school. His teacher snatched it up and began reading it to the class, telling them there was a code in it. Then she disappears on a class outing and Smithy never let go of that mystery. Now he’s determined to get to the bottom of The Twyford Code and find out what happened to his teacher.

In the beginning, I confess I had some trouble settling into this book, due to the format. It is told through the guise of audio recordings by Steven “Smithy” Smith on an old smart phone his estranged son has given him. Those recordings have been transcribed by an automated process, complete with phonetic spellings of some words or outright misspellings. One simple example is Kos in place of ‘cause, Or the word “mustard” in place of “must have.” Those were not hard to figure out, in context. “Bore Moth” in place of Bournemouth took a bit longer.

I think my trouble getting into the beginning goes a little deeper than that though. Because the entries are someone talking into a phone using a voice recording app, the story is being told to us instead of action being described.

Further, there are places where a conversation is recorded between Voice 1 and Voice 2, back and forth. In writer’s group, we call this “talking heads” — two voices carrying on a conversation but no physical actions or setting to ground the reader. You can’t really picture it in your mind.

I’m really glad I stuck with it. This turned out to be a fascinating mystery with plenty of action and many twists and turns. There are revelations upon revelations regarding Smithy’s family and his previous work with a crime family.

The twist at the end was magnificent. I would highly recommend this one.

Storymusing Book Review: Pranks, Poitin, and Pucas by Rowan Dillon

 

Pranks, Poitín, and Púcas: A Skye O'Shea Paranormal Cozy Mystery (The Skye O'Shea Paranormal Cozy Mystery Series Book 3)

By Rowan Dillon

Skye O’Shea inherited a lovely old pub in Ireland from her Gran, in the coastal town of Ballybas, but she also inherited the task of protecting the town from the Good Folk.

But the renovations seem to spark with trouble. It doesn’t help that Skye seems to catastrophize but that’s part of the nature of preparing for the worst that comes with surviving trauma in life.

The writing style draws the reader onward with the trials and tribulations of finding your place in a new country, along with renovations, and permit applications to run a bar.

Little things seem to keep happening – wiring sparking up, her new friend exhibiting very odd behavior, and creepy guys in stores.

Along with the usual problems, Skye has an abusive ex who shows up to let her know SHE can’t live without him, but Skye is pretty sure she can.

Of course, it’s only going to get worse as Samhain draws near.

The descriptions are lovely, like the town of Bantry that Skye visits with her friend, Jess. “Bantry’s charm unfolded in a lively mix of colorful shop fronts painted in rich reds, bright yellows, and sea-blues….”

The pace is lively and I couldn’t wait to get back to the book at lunch every day to read a little more.

I would highly recommend this charming series.

 

I’ve also read, or am reading, a few other books.

I’ve just finished Acqu Alta by Donna Leon, which brought Commissario Guido Brunetti back in contact with some interesting characters and some scary ones against the backdrop of a rainy season called Aqua Alta that raises the water level ominously in Venice. It’s a perfect setting and I just adore this character, a thoughtful policeman who is also a loving husband and nurturing father.

I’m also listening to another Martin Walker, The Resistance Man, bringing me back to the delightful Dordogne region of France with Chief of Police, Bruno. Life is good for Bruno but politics and affairs of the heart bring complications for him.

Lastly, I’m reading The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett. It’s an unusual stream of consciousness book from the perspective of a semiliterate former conman written under the format of audio files he records into an old phone given to him by his adult son. There are misspellings based on how transcription software often gets things wrong and it has been very interesting so far. A little bit conspiracy theory, a little bit mystery, and a little bit thriller. I wasn’t sure about the book at first, but it has held my interest and I can’t wait to see where it goes. 

Storymusing - A Colorful Scheme (A Pen & Ink Mystery Novel) by Krista Davis

A Colorful Scheme: A Pen & Ink Mystery Novel

by Krista Davis

Our book club theme for June was “Secrets & Lies.” This one fell solidly into that category, but with a fairly lighthearted manner, at least as much as murder can be. The cover itself is a “Color-It-Yourself” cover. I’m thinking I might do a little coloring this weekend now that I’m done with reading the book. (But I also like to pass books on, so maybe not.)

Our amateur sleuth is Florrie Fox, a bookstore manager and coloring book creator. She lives on the grounds of the Maxwell Mansion, and her boss, Professor Maxwell, also owns the bookstore.

As the book opens, her boss is getting remarried in a lavish wedding. Little bit of a hitch, the bride is missing. Florrie soon finds her under very odd circumstances. But the party gets underway, with the wedding as a surprise to most of the party goers.

The surprise for the party throwers is a dead body in the swimming pool, come morning. It’s one of the guests and there’s a little more to his death than drowning.

The book has a warm tone with details of the surroundings and dress and food of a wedding. But there are also secrets abounding, from the innocuous, to those simply made up in the minds of people like the wannabe reporter, Cara, and understandably suspicious police officers.

As with any cozy mystery, there’s a second body drop. This one is more immediately identifiable as a murder, and somewhat gruesome. The bumbling nature of the police officer investigating is a tiny bit overdone, imho.

There’s a light romance too, as Florrie is dating a handsome police officer named Eric. There’s even a butler named Mr. Dubois, but I was impressed with how fully his character is treated as a person instead of simply window dressing.

It’s a very privileged world, and the author does gloss over the financial aspects of running a business, especially one that seems as busy as this bookstore. Do people still leave keys outside where anyone could find them? I’m sure some do, but it seems a bit convenient.

I really did enjoy this story and it would make a lovely light, summer read for anyone. I recommend for cozy mystery readers.