Back in 1986, the seventh novel in the Virgil Tibbs series by John Ball had been published and John was going to various bookstores in the area to do signings. At the time I was working at Grounds for Murder in San Diego and the signing he did there wasn't extremely well attended, but several devoted fans showed up to get Singapore in hardcover. I ( Read more... )

Having grown up with mystery novels surrounding me, I have, of course, read many books that take place around Christmas. For some odd reason, none of them stick out in my head with a couple of exceptions.

Rest You Merry by Charlotte MacLeod
This is the first Peter Shandy novel and is one of the better books in the series. At some point around The ( Read more... )

Back when I was in high school, I worked at a mystery bookshop in San Diego named "Grounds for Murder." During this time, from 1986-1992 (I worked summers there, too), I got to know a lot of mystery series, several mystery writers, and I read lots and lots and lots of books. These days, I look back on those days and actually miss it quite a bit as ( Read more... )

I just found out that the 1975-1976 television series "Ellery Queen" is now on DVD!! YES!!

Today I saw a book by the name of A Slice of Murder by Chris Cavender, which was touted as "A Pizza Lover's Mystery" on the cover along with a pepperoni pizza where the pepperoni was rearranged to form a skull shape. I can't count the times I've seen foodstuffs on mystery novel covers rearranged to form a skull. Oy ( Read more... )

I was checking out new releases on one of the websites I use to purchase e-books for my reader, and saw that they were offering a preview of Private by James Patterson with Maxine Paetro. The ad copy read, "FREE PREVIEW - THE FIRST 24 CHAPTERS!!"

I thought, "That's what, the first ten pages or something, right?"

I was reading on Facebook tonight that red tide had been discovered in Whatcom county in Washington and so shellfish should not be harvested. My first thought was, "Oh, yeah, gonyaulux..." (Thank you, Charles Hill, biology teacher, for imprinting that in my head for life.)

My thoughts then drifted to a novel I read as a kid. It was called Mystery ( Read more... )

I've been reading a bit more mystery fiction lately (and loving it!) but I've been smacking up against one of my biggest pet peeves with the genre: the amateur detective that never actually solves the case ( Read more... )

I was looking at available books for my eReader this morning and saw Death Comes at the End by Agatha Christie was now available in e-book.

I remember first reading the novel in junior high. At least I think it was junior high. I just remember getting into trouble for reading it because the cover had a naked person on it. I mean, c'mon folks, ( Read more... )

"Evan slithered out of the back seat like a piece of boneless chicken."

- from Fear the Worst by Linwood Barclay