February Books to Love

February 2017

Garden of Lamentations (Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James #17) by Deborah Crombie (Feb. 7^th)

The Lost Woman by Sara Blaedel (Feb. 7^th)

What You Break by Reed Farrel Coleman (Feb. 7^th)

Rush of Blood by Mark Billingham (Feb 7^th)

Racing the Devil (Ian Rutledge) by Charles Todd (Feb. 14^th)

The Undesired by Yrsa Sigurdardottir (Feb 14^th)

The Last of August (A Charlotte Holmes Novel) by Brittany Cavallaro  (Feb. 14^th)

The Dime by Kathleen Kent (Feb. 14^th) (Kathleen’s mystery debut)

The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir by Jennifer Ryan (Feb. 14^th)

I See You by Clare Mackintosh (Feb. 21^st)

Death of a Ghost (A Hamish Macbeth Mystery) by M.C. Beaton (Feb.21^st)

A Piece of the World by Christina Baker Kline (Feb. 21^st)

Yes, the list of books coming out in February is spectacular.  Starting with Deborah Crombie's new Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James (#17),  February comes out of the gate with a solid winner.  Garden of Lamentations is going to knock your socks off.  Seventeen books in, and Deborah Crombie's series is still one of the best written crime/mystery series around.  Characters, setting, plot are all so perfectly orchestrated into complex, thrilling stories.  Nobody brings London alive better than Debs.

   

The Lost Woman by Sara Blaedel is a continuation of her Louise Ricks series, of which I have recently, in the past year and a half, become a big fan.  Sara Blaedel writes with such a command of her plots and characters that it's easy to fall for this series set in Denmark, where Louise Ricks is a member of a special search team, called in when the case requires more than the ordinary attention.

If looking for an exciting YA series that happens to take on the Sherlock Holmes and James Watson oeuvre, the second book in the Charlotte Holmes series by Brittany Cavallaro comes out on February 14th.  The Last of August continues the tale of Sherlock's great-great-great granddaughter Charlotte and Watson's great-great-great grandson Jamie.  Although these two characters are only teens, they are deeply entrenched in their family histories and traditions.  

The Last Dime by Kathleen Kent is one I'm looking forward to, as I met Kathleen back some years ago when she was a new author promoting her book, The Heretic's Daughter.  This entry into the crime/mystery genre is sure to reflect her fine writing skills and dedication to research.  

I'm getting ready to read Clare Mackintosh's I See You, due out on the 21st, and I couldn't be more excited.  I Let You Go, Clare's sensational hit from 2016, was one of my top three favorite reads for last year, and is on my list of all-time favorites, too.  I have never seen an author do a twist like Clare Mackintosh did a twist in I Let You Go.  The unreliable narrator was perfected in that book.

And, just look at all the other major authors and books.  Reed Farrel Coleman, Mark Billingham, Charles Todd, and Yrsa Sigurdardottir!  I am trying so hard to catch up with these four authors and their books.  I've started the Ian Rutledge series by Charles Todd, and I can't wait to go back for more.  M.C. Beaton is an author I've read for years, and this new Hamish Macbeth will be a return to an old friend.  Christina Baker Kline's A Piece of the World has me intrigued due to its connection to Andrew Wyeth's haunting painting "Christina's World."  Kline also authored The Orphan Train, which I enjoyed.  The Chilbury Ladies' Choir by Jennifer Ryan is about women staying strong in a small English village during WWII, and sounds to be a nice addition to my WWII novel reading.  

An Unsettling Crime for Samuel Craddock by Terry Shames

I first met author Terry Shames in October 2015 at the Raleigh Bouchercon.  Talk about being at the right place at the right time, I was gathering together some authors and readers to go to a dinner I'd planned for favorite authors Elly Griffiths/Domenica de Rosa and Anne Cleeland.  I had already been extremely fortunate that I'd talked to another favorite author, Rhys Bowen and her husband earlier that day, and they were attending the dinner, too.  Add to that author Jonathan Moore and publicist Katrina Kruse, and we had a stellar lineup for a fan dinner.  Then, Terry was there, and I asked her to join us. 

Oh, fortuitous day that Terry accepted the dinner invitation, because I learned about Samuel Craddock, the series that I read as one of my catch-up series read in January and February, following that Bouchercon.  I could not read the series fast enough.  I fell in love with Samuel Craddock, the former Police Chief of Jarrett Creek, Texas, who is a widower and a gentleman farmer of sorts, with his treasured small herd of cattle.  And, Jarrett, with its small town charm and big time secrets came alive for me, too, and I looked forward in each new book to the minor characters populating the stories, as well as Samuel himself.  In the first book, A Killing at Cotton Hill, Samuel is drawn back into the pursuit of justice when an old friend is murdered, and the current Police Chief is more concerned with his next drink than finding out who actually killed Dora Lee Parjeter. So begins Samuel Craddock returning to the law enforcement and justice seeking role he had retired from, his reputation preceding him as "the best lawman Jarrett Creek ever had."

Of course, every story has to start somewhere.  The series starts when Samuel's beloved wife Jeanne had died from cancer several months prior and when Samuel is in his early 60s.  He is no longer police chief of Jarrett Creek and at rather loose ends as to where his life will lead him at this point.  And, as the books progress and we readers couldn't be any happier with this amazing lead character of Samuel Craddock, there does exist a niggling wonder about the young Samuel Craddock and how he became the purveyor of justice for all.  Now, Terry Shames, in all her brilliance, has given readers the gift of An Unsettling Crime for Samuel Craddock, where Samuel has just become the new Chief of Police for Jarrett Creek, Texas.  It is the young Samuel Craddock, who has served in the Air Force, graduated from Texas A&M (with a degree in geology), and married the love of his life, Jeanne.  Being elected the Chief of Police has given this young man a purpose, a direction when he was wondering what direction to take.  And, yet, he still has to determine just what shape his new role as Police Chief will take. 

A tragic fire on the edge of town reveals the death of five young black people, but they all were shot before the fire consumed them.  So, it is a case of multiple murders with which the new Police Chief Craddock is faced.  However, there is a matter of what law enforcement agency is to be tasked with the investigation and pursuit of justice.  Will the Texas Rangers, the Highway Patrol, or the Jarrett Creek Police Department get the case?  In Texas, it is the Highway Patrol who investigates suspicious deaths in small towns, unless the Texas Rangers are asked to step in, and the Highway Patrol takes charge of this one.  Unfortunately, in this instance the Highway Patrolman who will be leading the investigation is a racist, who is looking to close the case quickly, with a dearth of effort and evidence.  The suspect that John Sutherland, the head investigator, latches onto happens to be someone with whom Samuel is familiar, the man who helped him set up his new cattle herd, Truly Bennett.  It's not surprising that Sutherland's attentions landed on a young black man to arrest and charge with the crime.  Now, Samuel Craddock must decide what his role is going to be in serving his community as its law enforcement presence.  Does he stay out of it, as he has been ordered to do by Sutherland, or does he do his own investigation into what really happened and who is to blame.  Since, we readers already admire the ethics of Samuel and his tenacious determination to see that justice is the goal, it comes as no surprise the path Samuel chooses and that it will be a dangerous one.  Our Samuel is not going to be satisfied with anything but the truth, and he definitely isn't going to let racism win the day.  This story is both a visit to the past where the division of loyalties and different justices for people of color are often way too evident.  And, it is a timely story, reminding us how in today's world, injustice and rush to judgement for people of color are extant.

An Unsettling Crime for Samuel Craddock is, as I mentioned earlier, a gift to fans of this amazing series.  All the past that is alluded to in the previous five books comes vividly to life.  Samuel's mother and brother are there, along with the nephew Samuel and his wife Jeanne adore.  The art collection that is important to Samuel because he and Jeanne collected it together, in the beginning collected by Jeanne, is there in its inception.  Even Samuel's inaugural cow herd and the peace he finds in its presence is there.  And, of course, Samuel's love for Jeanne is there, with all its sweetness and sometimes flaws.  Given the backstory to the man whom we've come to admire so much is a testament to author Terry Shames' appreciation for her fans and to her genius in providing great story.  Thank you, Terry, for this magnificent gift.

Below are the covers for the first five books in the Samuel Craddock series.  If you haven't read them yet, it will be great to go ahead and read An Unsettling Crime for Samuel Craddock first, but I have no doubt that you will be scrambling to get your hands on these five afterwards.  I am envious that anyone gets to read this series for the first time. Enjoy!

 

Catriona McPherson's Christmas Memory (and a giveaway, too)

Anyone who knows Catriona McPherson has fallen under her spell of Scottish charm and wit.  She is the person who immediately lights up a room and is the friend all want to spend time with.  Of course, her writing isn't too shabby either, as she has one of the wonderfully quirkiest minds an author could wish for.  Catriona's standalones are works of creative genius and her Dandy Gilver series is as delightful as it is thrilling.  That mind of Catriona's is a space of many stories, quite beyond the easily imaginable, and we readers are indeed fortunate that she chooses to use that imagination and talent for good (hehehe).  I have a treat for you from Catriona at the end of my chatter.   

In my enthusiasm for Catriona's latest creation, The Reek of Red Herrings, I pre-ordered it twice, and, thus, I now have an extra copy on hand.  I could send it back, but where's the fun in that.  So, what I've decided to do is a Christmas giveaway.  After all, the story takes place at Christmas.  

Here's how to enter.  For all of those commenting on the blog, I will put one entry into a hat for you (a Santa hat, of course) to win this latest book in the Dandy Gilver series.  At the end of the post is a gray box that contains either the words "no comments," if there aren't any yet, or it will read "2 comments," or however many comments there are so far.  Click on that to comment.   For those who are already followers of the blog or who become followers with this post, I will add an extra entry for you.  For those who share the post on FB, you get an extra entry, too.  So, you can have up to three entries to win.  Unfortunately, I will have to limit it to the United States this time, as I'm trying to get the book to you by Christmas.  You have until tomorrow at noon my time, Central Time, to enter.

Now, for the absolute best part of this post today.  Catriona has graciously written about a treasured Christmas memory, exclusively for this blog, and you readers will get to go back in time to Scotland when a fourteen-month-old Catriona was having a particularly memorable Christmas.  Well, she might remember more about it as an adult.  Oh, and it's full of all that wonderful Catriona/Scottish wording. 

             A Christmas Treasure by Catriona McPherson

On Christmas Eve 1966, when I was 14 months old and my sisters were 9, 6 and 3 years old, my dad hid a big old reel-to-reel tape recorder under the telly (the size of a sarcophagus in those pre-flatscreen days).

As usual, we got up at the crack of dawn, waited – bursting with excitement – for my mum to get a cup of tea and then lined up outside the living room door while my dad went to to see if Santa had been (i.e. turn on the Christmas-tree lights). He flipped the switch on the tape machine.

So it was that we got a tape of the four of us opening our Christmas presents. (We’ve all got copies of it on discs now.) I don’t contribute much beyond a bit of gurgling and some ear-splitting squeals. My mum occasionally says “Look what Baby’s got” and the other girls all pause and say “Awwww!” before going back to ripping paper off their own swag.

Sheila, the oldest, is most chuffed with her books “Barchester Towers!” she cries with apparent delight. “Jane Eyre!” I do wonder what a nine-year-old would make of Anthony Trollope for Christmas now.

Audrey got a talking doll – Rosebud – who says things like “Can I have a biscuit?” in cut-glass tones (think Julie Andrews), which cracks us all up on the tape.

Wendy’s credit column has plenty presents in it (she got a toy Post Office among other things) but her debit column has the fact that at one point I crawl over and sink my tiny teeth into some of her stocking fruit. She was never a grumpy wee girl. All she says is “You know what? She’s eating my pear.”

These days, every second of childhood is videoed (harrumph, bah humbug, get off my lawn) but all we had was that one snapshot of one Christmas morning. It’s all the more precious for it.

I’m not complaining about modern technology, though. I’m a long way from them all this year and Skype will make my Christmas Day.