Five-Star Review

Readers' Favorite gave "No Deadlier Destiny" a five-star review. You can read it here: https://readersfavorite.com/book-review/nodeadlier-destiny#

If any of you have read my latest book, set in southern California, I would appreciate your comments. Thank you in advance.

Mystery Readers - A Novel for You

A convicted felon, bent on revenge, escapes while being transported to prison. His sights are set on all in law enforcement involved in his case. Probation officer Linda Davenport is on his list. She prepared his sentencing report which the judge followed to the letter. Now she must go into hiding to save her life, but not before a nemesis from her past comes back to stir up unhappy memories.

Readers, if you would like to see how this comes out, my latest novel, "No Deadlier Destiny," will keep you turning pages.                       

Check the following for a synopsis: www.outskirtspress.com/nodeadlierdestiny  Available in paperback, e-book, and soon to be up on Kindle, you will get an accurate glimpse of probation while following an interesting story line. Thank you. Feedback is welcome.

No Deadlier Destiny

Finally, my third book in my probation officer series is at the publisher. I hope to have a copy in my hand in the next few weeks. If you are a mystery reader, perhaps a cozy mystery type, you might want to try my books. Set in southern California, I write about an aspect of law enforcement that other mystery writers tend to ignore. If you've wondered what probation officers do besides supervise people, you'll learn all about it through an interesting story line. My books are available in paperback, Kindle, Nook (No Good Deed only), and an e-book from my website. 

Now will come the hard part, marketing. If you authors out there have any good tips for marketing, please let me know. I have done quite a bit on my own but am always open to new ideas. I suppose if you're James Patterson you don't have to worry about that, but since I'm not, I need to get the word out. Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

Book Review

Still Me by Jojo Moyes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Louisa Clark is so lovable. No matter what befalls her, she manages to land on her feet. She has left London to accept the job of an assistant to the wealthy Mrs. Gopnik in New York city. Mr. Gopnik left his wife of many years to marry Agnes, a beautiful, but poor, Polish lady, whom he met in a massage parlor. She is accepted by no one in the Gopniks' circle, and especially not by her stepdaughter, or the other hired help. Louisa must accompany her everywhere to be the buffer that Agnes needs. Louisa is also trying to maintain a long-distance relationship with Sam, the paramedic who saved her when she fell from her rooftop apartment building. In the meantime she meets Josh, a deceased Will Traynor look-alike, who seems to like Louisa a little too much. When her first reunion with Sam goes awry, she begins to be tempted by Josh. When she does one too many favors for Agnes, it costs her her job. Jobless and homeless, and hurt by Agnes's betrayal, Louisa manages to forge a new life for herself, using her wits, talents, and the help of Mrs. DeWitt, an ornery old lady who also lives in the same building. Do Louisa and Sam call it quits? Does she end up with Josh? Too much more would ruin the many twists and turns this book takes. Could not put this book down yet didn't want it to end. I hope Ms. Moyes keeps writing!


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Book Review

Murder in Shadow by Anne Cleeland
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Doyle and Acton series is getting a bit similar in plot but the characters are so engaging I can overlook it. Kathleen Doyle is still pregnant and still trying to solve mysterious murders. Her cohorts, Williams and Munoz, seem to be involved in a secret investigation of their own. Lord Acton, spouse of Kathleen, is also knee deep in investigations that will overturn a great portion of the police department once completed. He's also fighting for the right to his title when a lawsuit is filed saying he is an impostor. Mix this all in with a santero who recognizes Kathleen's other-worldly abilities and fears being in her presence, and you have a strange and interesting mystery, which of course, wraps up completely in the end.


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Book Review

Murder in All Honour by Anne Cleeland
My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Another enjoyable Doyle and Acton mystery, with the pregnant Doyle bent on solving the murders of  pregnant women and nuns. Of course Lord Acton wants her far away from these cases and Doyle's extra sense about these things won't stop her. Many twists and turns but the book ends with all loose ends tied up.


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Book Review

The Pearl that Broke Its Shell by Nadia Hashimi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars


A relentlessly depressing story of life in Afghanistan for women. The book follows Rahima and her great-grandmother Shekiba, as they lead parallel hopeless lives a century apart. Girls are unwanted children, eagerly married off at a young age to be someone else's responsibility. Husbands have several wives, creating jealousy among them as to who is favored or called to his bed more frequently. The wives are beaten for the slightest reason. There is hatred and betrayal throughout. The author's writing handles the misery deftly, but still an unhappy read.



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Book Review

The Wanted by Robert Crais
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Crais has not lost his touch with this one. A classic Cole and Pike novel that will keep you turning pages.


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Book Review

Any Place I Hang My Hat by Susan Isaacs
My rating: 3 of 5 stars




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Book Review

Dark Side Identity by Catherine Kitcho
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Fantastic plotting, with identical twins in every way except behavior. Tara follows the straight path, Tia is bold and adventuresome. When Tia's job as a tour director on a cruise ship requires her to stay overnight in Mazatlan, she meets hotel owner Guillermo, and takes on a side job with him. Because she travels back and forth to Los Angeles regularly, she is the perfect one to transport information to his office in Los Angeles. Tia does not know that what she is doing is illegal, but when she realizes it, is too far in to extricate herself. When she fakes her own death and takes on Tara's identity, trouble begins for Tara. Tara, who has been estranged from Tia for years, now must prove she is innocent of any crimes and also that Tia is still alive. With the help of the police and her computer specialist boyfriend, Tara pulls things together. The ending is realistic and satisfying. A hard book to put down.


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How Long Do You Give a Book?

Recently Goodreads posed the above question.  It made me think about my own reading habits.  I always have a book in front of me, and my preferred reading is a good mystery.  But I, like most of you, belong to a book club, and our members each get a choice as to what books we'll read in the coming year.  We read fiction and many of the books are excellent.  I probably would have not chosen certain books on my own, but my book club membership gives me the chance to read these books and enjoy them. I'm glad I have this opportunity to broaden my reading experience.  Yet, once in a while a clunker comes along and reading it is not a good experience.

Once I start a book I like to finish it.  I rarely give up on a book but sometimes I have to.  It was interesting to read the answers those on Goodreads gave. Many felt like me, but when they had to stop, it was usually after 100 pages.  For some reason 100 pages is the benchmark.  For me it is about the same.  Some books start off slowly and you need to give them time.  Others never seem to get interesting.  I often wonder how they were able to get published.  For my book club this month I found the selected book boring and difficult to follow.  Yet it won a Pulitzer prize!  I simply was not able to keep reading.  I went at least to 100 pages but no improvement.  I even "fast forwarded" to see if any sections were more compelling, but no.

Readers, what do you do? Do you stick with it at all costs, or do you feel like most of us, "so many books, so little time?"

Problem with Goodreads

Are you on Goodreads?  If so, do you do book reviews?  Whenever I do a book review on Goodreads I like to link it to by blog.  As you can see, I have several here already.  Lately, the "copy and paste" feature they provide for copying is not working.  It does not pick up the text of my review, only the book cover and my rating.  I have been unable to connect with anyone on Goodreads who can help me out on this.  If you've faced the same problem, and solved it, please let me know the secret. Thanks so much.

Book Review

Beartown by Fredrik Backman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars




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Book Review

Two Kinds of Truth by Michael Connelly
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I'm a fan of Connelly and this book did not disappoint. Harry Bosch is back again with his gruff ways but soft heart. There are parallel stories here. A father and son are shot in their pharmacy, uncovering a "pill" shop where illegal prescriptions are filled and sold on the street. While Harry is working this case, an old case of his reopens and accuses him of planting evidence that convicted an innocent man. Harry knows the conviction was clean and enlists the help of his half-brother, Mickey Haller (the Lincoln lawyer). In the process of working both cases, Harry encounters a side of life even he had not experienced, and almost gets himself killed. Without spoiling anything, this book wraps up well and logically. There are many twists and turns which will keep you reading into the night. The plotting is outstanding. Connelly seems to outdo himself with each new book.


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Book Review

Circling the Sun by Paula McLain
My rating: 5 of 5 stars




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Book Review

Snap Judgment by Marcia Clark
My rating: 5 of 5 stars




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How Do You Write?

As a writer I'm constantly trying to improve.  I want my writing to be interesting, concise, and well-done.  Which brings me to the third mystery book I'm working on. I do a lot of writing in my head, so when I sit down, I'm ready to tackle my next scene, having worked out how I want it to go. I write carefully, and tend to edit as I go.  I always re-read a few previous pages to make sure my story flows properly. By the time I've finished the manuscript, I read it over and edit once again.  Usually, there is not that much to do.  Lately, however, I've been hearing about another style of writing, through books I've found, or speakers I've heard, at my monthly writers' club meeting.  That is, write the first draft with abandon, write rapidly, write whatever comes to mind, and keep going. Use this process through your whole manuscript. When finished, then go back and do your edits and re-writes. Move chapters around, do whatever the book needs to make it polished.  I can understand the suggestion to write this way as it probably removes writer's block and lets you put down whatever you feel like.  But this would never work for me.  Somehow it seems sloppy and a waste of time.  I can imagine several hundred pages put together this way, and then having to wade through them to clean up all the inconsistencies, grammatical mistakes, and general plot confusion. Maybe I'm in the minority in this. I'd love to hear your thoughts as to how you write and if this "full speed ahead" style is yours, or might work for you.