Sandy Mitchell's Blog
Posted by Sandy Mitchell
Among February's coming releases are:
- Step on a Crack by James Patterson
- Cat Pay the Devil by Shirley Rousseau
- Aunt Dimity Goes West by Nancy Atherton
- Picasso Flop by Vince van Patton
- Cinco de Mayo Murder by Lee Harris
- Puss n Cahoots by Rita Mae Brown
- High Profile by Robert Parker
- The Watchman by Robert Crais
- Irish Linen by Andrew Greeley
Posted by Sandy Mitchell
The book, which will likely be released in mid-2007, will be called Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and is expected to feature a confrontation between Potter and his nemesis, Lord Voldemort. Author J.K. Rowling states on her fun and interactive website that she is still in the middle of writing the book, so anything is possible. Harry Potter books have sold over 300 million copies worldwide.
Posted by Sandy Mitchell
I recently talked with Cleveland mystery writer, Casey Daniels, author of this year'sDon of the Dead and over 30 other novels. (Look for the entire interview with Casey in the coming weeks.) She sometimes shares her writing expertise at writing seminars and discussion groups for mystery writers. She told me that one of the hardest things for writers of a mystery series is to strike that balance between boring your loyal series readers and leaving new readers with cardboard characters.
As a reader, a writer leaving unexplained characters is probably my number one pet peeve (right up there with poor grammar). Face it, sometimes it's just not possible to start at the beginning of a series. Sometime you pick up a book in which the main character has had one, two, three, or even more books in which to explain himself and to develop.
Recently, I picked up a second book in a mystery series after having read the fourth. On about page three, I started thinking that the text seems really familiar. When I went back to check, I found that the author (whom I won't name but she's a popular writer) had repeated word for word the first ten pages. Lazy, to say the least.
Another example is Michael Connelly's Echo Park, the 12th book in a series featuring detective Harry Bosch. Unfortunately, when I read Echo Park recently, it was the first of Connelly's books I'd ever read. Although I enjoyed the plot, I felt like I was the only one who didn't get an inside joke.
On the plus side, Diane Mott Davidson always finds new and fun ways to describe her characters in her Goldie Bear mystery series, including this year's Dark Tort, and, of course, Agatha Christie never bores her readers no matter how many books she wrote about Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple.
Do you have an example of good -- or bad -- reintroduction of characters. If so, start a discussion below.
Posted by Sandy Mitchell
Clooney along with Grant Heslov reportedly signed a contract to produce The Innocent Man, Grisham's first non-fiction work. The book, released in October, tells the story of Ron Williamson, who was wrongly convicted for murder and sentenced to death in the 1980s. The film deal will earn Grisham a seven-figure paycheck if/when the film is released.
Posted by Sandy Mitchell
The Thirteenth Tale -- This debut novel by Diane Setterfield is, by far, my first choice for the best of 2006. It's subtle, Gothic-style storytelling grabs the reader early on and doesn't let go. An added bonus: Ms. Setterfield's use of the language is impressive and refreshing.
Lisey's Story -- The latest from master storyteller Stephen King. Though I have never been an ardent King fan, this novel has a maturity and depth that many of his earlier works lack. Although it does contain the required horror tale, it is first and foremost a love story and in the end tells us as much about King as it does his characters.
The Mission Song -- I've enjoyed John le Carre's novels since the mid-1970s. His Little Drummer Girl was the first hardcover that I bought away from the remainder table -- a sure sign to me at the time that I'd really made it. I've tracked his work from the demise of the Cold War (the set of his first novels) to the many other arenas of conflict throughout the world.
Le Carre's latest, The Mission Song, brings back much of the intrigue of those Cold War novels. His hero is intriguing, mostly for his being less than perfect, and the levels of deception are chilling and believable.
Mephisto Club -- This year's release for up-and-coming mystery writer, Tess Gerritsen, Mephisto Club is a sophisticated tale of murder and characters who are different than they seem. This fast-paced novel left me eager for her next offering.
Break No Bones -- The most recent in a series of novels by Kathy Reichs, Break No Bones, is a fast-paced and exciting read. This group of mystery books, which feature forensic anthropologist Temperence Brennan, are the basis for the popular television series, "Bones," but the action is far from predictable.
