Category Archives: Books

December 6
Day 6

Lisa Lutz

Like so many of the books I read these days, Lisa Lutz' series about the Spellman Family was recommended to me by Linda at the Mystery Bookstore in Los Angeles. I'm glad I listened, because without a doubt, the Spellman books have become some of my all time favorites.

Book one, THE SPELLMAN FILES, introduces the Spellmans, a family of private investigators who have a hard time separating their work life from their personal lives. Isabel Spellman, the eldest daughter, has followed in her parents footsteps as a P.I.and often resorts to unconventional methods to get the job done, even if means keeping her own family under surveillance.

More chronicles of a loving but highly dysfunctional family than crime novels, the Spellman books are unique in every way. Isabel Spellman is a heroine that despite her faults (there are many), is utterly engaging. I have devoured all four of the Spellman books and I can't wait for the fifth, whenever it may come.

If you're buying books as gifts this holiday season, please consider purchasing from your local independent bookshop. The level of customer service you'll receive is unmatched, you'll have the added benefit of making new friends of the staff, and you'll help support a local business.

Books featured in this post can be purchased from the Mystery Bookstore in Los Angeles (orders@mystery-bookstore.com).

December 5
Day 5

R.J. Ellory

My introduction to R.J. Ellory's work came at Bouchercon 2009 in Indianapolis. Several on a panel of book reviewers named his book A QUIET BELIEF IN ANGELS one of the best they'd read that year so I bought a signed copy.  Coincidentally, I was fortunate to meet Roger himself at an awards ceremony later that night.

Just a few pages in and I knew why those reviewers had selected A QUIET BELIEF IN ANGELS as one of their favorites. It is a beautifully written book. Once I started, I found it difficult to put down.

The novel is about Joseph Vaughn, a boy whose young life is shaken when a series of murders of young girls occurs in his town. Ten years go by and the murders are finally "solved," but when Joseph moves to New York City as an adult and another series of murders begin, it seems that the past has followed Joseph.

From there I was hooked on Ellory's writing. I recently finished THE ANNIVERSARY MAN and CANDLEMOTH is next on my list. R.J. Ellory does more than just write compelling crime stories; he has the ability to reveal his characters' souls in a way that doesn't happen often enough in the genre.

If you're buying books as gifts this holiday season, please consider purchasing from your local independent bookshop. The level of customer service you'll receive is unmatched, you'll have the added benefit of making new friends of the staff, and you'll help support a local business.

Books featured in this post can be purchased from the Mystery Bookstore in Los Angeles (orders@mystery-bookstore.com).

December 3
Day 3

Matt Hilton

Authors, do you ever wonder if attending conferences such as Bouchercon are worthwhile? Speaking for myself as a reader, I can confirm I have been introduced to the work of many writers at such conferences and if their books sound interesting, I buy them. It adds up to a lot of books. I also recommend lots of books. Perhaps my contribution is just a blip on the screen, but every little helps, right?

Back to Matt Hilton. I attended a panel featuring Matt Hilton at Bouchercon by the Bay this year, and darn it if he didn't convince me I needed to read one of his books. I headed down to the book room and bought the first in the Joe Hunter series, DEAD MEN'S DUST.

I loved this book.

It has everything a thriller should: a larger than life yet still somehow believable hero (Joe Hunter), a deliciously twisted psychopathic killer, and genuine, nail-biting suspense interspersed with exciting action sequences. The pacing of this book is exquisite. It's a truly satisfying read from start to finish.

I can't wait to read the next book in the series, JUDGEMENT AND WRATH.

If you're buying books as gifts this holiday season, please consider purchasing from your local independent bookshop. The level of customer service you'll receive is unmatched, you'll have the added benefit of making new friends of the staff, and you'll help support a local business.

Books featured in this post can be purchased from the Mystery Bookstore in Los Angeles (orders@mystery-bookstore.com).

December 1
Day One

Robert B. Parker

I have a list of 25 authors and books sitting next to me, and deciding which one to start with was no easy task. I chose Robert B. Parker for a couple of reasons: first, he passed away on January 18, 2010. Prior to learning of his death, I'd never read one of his books, and I decided I'd read the first Spenser book, THE GODWULF MANUSCRIPT, as a result. I really enjoyed it.

Second, when I had my ACL reconstruction surgery in June, Parker's Sunny Randall series turned out to be an unexpected comfort. During the first ten days of my recovery, I read most of the books in the series, and they were the perfect antidote to the forced inertia I experienced during that time.

What's to like about Sunny Randall? Well, she's a female P.I. living in Boston, one of my favorite cities. She's a strong character, confident and good at her job, but with enough vulnerability so that readers relate to her. For me, the books are like a favorite snack food; delicious, making me want more, but not so complicated that I can't just sit and enjoy Sunny's world for awhile before slipping back into my own reality.

If you're buying books as gifts this holiday season, please consider purchasing from your local independent bookshop. The level of customer service you'll receive is unmatched, you'll have the added benefit of making new friends of the staff, and you'll help support a local business.

When I was a kid, my siblings and I got an advent calendar every year. Beginning on December 1, we'd open a window every day until December 25th to find a little gift, a piece of candy, a coin, etc. It was a fun tradition that I find sadly lacking in my adult life.

This year, I'm taking steps to remedy that by celebrating the upcoming holiday season with a new type of advent calendar. That's right, it's an Advent Calendar of Books. Beginning December 1 I'll highlight a book or an author each day until Christmas, December 25.

I've been fortunate to read so many great books this year, and I can't think of a better way to celebrate the season than by inspiring others to buy and read books.

See you on December 1!

I just finished the last book in the Sunny Randall series by Robert B. Parker. I can't help feeling a sort of sadness about it. Mr. Parker died at age 77 on January 18, 2010, leaving behind a several series and several well-loved characters, including Spenser, Jesse Stone, and of course, Sunny Randall.

I've said before I came late to the Robert B. Parker party, having only picked up my first Spenser novel, The Godwulf Manuscript, after he passed away. I enjoyed it enough to read more, but it wasn't until I began recovering from knee surgery last month that I got around to it and read all of the Sunny Randall books plus a Jesse Stone novel all in the four weeks since.

Having finished all of the Sunny Randall series, I can't help feeling that Sunny, like her creator, was not quite ready to quit. I'll have to complete her story in my own mind, knowing she must've finally achieved the sense of peace with herself she worked so hard at. And, of course, caught a heap more bad guys.

There are still plenty more Robert B. Parker books for me to read, having not even scratched the surface of the Spenser series. But I'll miss Sunny, and hope she's doing well.