Whispers of the Dead

I just read another creepy thriller about a Forensic Anthropologist! Whispers of the Dead by Simon Beckett is the story of Dr. David Hunter, a Londoner who flees the violence in his own life to study at the legendary "Body Farm" located in Knoxville, TN. The "Body Farm" really exists--it is a field laboratory where law enforcement personnel study real corpses by subjecting them to various elemental influences. Dr. Hunter is thrust into his first investigation on U. S. soil when he is called to a crime scene in a remote Smoky Mountains cabin where a body is taped to a table. Everything about the investigation is off-kilter and it is a forensic puzzle that leads Dr. Hunter to one conclusion--he is dealing with an experienced serial killer. This book is a terrifying portrait of a killer in love with death, an exploration of forensic science, and a race against time as Dr. Hunter and his colleagues fight to solve the mystery, catch the killer, and save innocent lives! If you like this book, also try Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta series, (the first book is Postmortem) or the non-fiction books, Death's Acre : Inside the Legendary Forensic Lab the Body Farm Where the Dead Do Tell Tales and Beyond the Body Farm : A Legendary Bone Detective Explores Murders, Mysteries, and the Revolution in Forensic Science both by Bill Bass and Jon Jefferson.

3:10 to Yuma

I am a big fan of "Spaghetti Westerns," you know the type of movie I mean--a classic soundtrack, Spanish setting, and steely, take-no-prisoners characters that you just love to hate! Spaghetti Westerns, also known in some countries in mainland Europe as the Italo-Western, is a nickname for a broad sub-genre of Western film that emerged in the mid-1960s, so named because most were produced and directed by Italians, usually in coproduction with a Spanish partner. The typical team was made up of an Italian director, Italo-Spanish technical staff and a cast of Italian and Spanish actors, sometimes a falling Hollywood star and sometimes a rising one like the young Clint Eastwood in three of Sergio Leone's films. The best-known and perhaps archetypal Spaghetti Westerns were the Man With No Name Trilogy (or the Dollars Trilogy) directed by Sergio Leone and starring then-TV actor Clint Eastwood and with musical scores composed by Ennio Morricone (all of whom are now synonymous with the genre): A Fistful of Dollars (1964), For a Few Dollars More (1965), and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966). One of the most amazing things about spaghetti westerns is the impact they had on the whole western genre. I recently watched the DVD, 3:10 to Yuma and was struck by how much the movie reminded of the spaghetti westerns I love. The movie stars Dan Evans (Christian Bale), the down-on-his-luck rancher who decides to help the U.S. Marshals transport a notorious criminal Ben Wade (Russell Crowe) to the "3:10 to Yuma" train in exchange for a sum of money that he needs to make his ranch solvent. The coolest part of this movie is the gentlemanly way that Ben Wade acts towards people he values--the sountrack and the scenery is wonderful and the acting is superb. I highly recommend this movie to any fan of westerns.

Sookie Stackhouse Strikes Again!

I just love reading books in the "Southern Vampire Series" starring Sookie Stackhouse! Charlaine Harris has written another winning series entry with her latest title, Dead and Gone. These mysteries are supernatural in nature and are set in the small town of Bon Temps, Louisiana, where Sookie is a telepath who works as a waitress at Merlotte's bar. These mysteries are set in the future, where vampires are "out" because they claim that they have "caught a virus" which makes them susceptible to daylight and forces them to drink blood--however, since a synthetic blood product, TruBlood, exists, the vampires are not as threatening as they could be. Other supernatural beings (such as fairies, werepanthers, shape shifters and demons) exist in this series as well. Since Dead and Gone is the latest book in the Sookie Stackhouse series, I highly recommend you start at the beginning, with Dead until Dark, if you have not read any of these books. Lots of events occur in each story, that build upon the previous stories and I am afraid you'd be hopelessly lost if you started the series' with Harris' latest. Dead and Gone is darker than the other books in the series, but its story arcs push the events of Sookie's life onward. Sookie Stackhouse is a determined young woman trying to live a normal life in a world that is far from ordinary-I admire Sookie's determination to live life to the fullest no matter what obstacles are thrown in her path. Charlaine Harris creates a fabulous picture of life in Louisiana that I know you will appreciate! Harris has also written the Aurora Teagarden and Harper Connelly mystery series. HBO will begin airing the second season of "True Blood," the television show based on the "Southern Vampire Series" on June 14, 2009 at 9:00 p.m. Check out the show's web site at www.hbo.com/trueblood!

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Growing Up Haunted

I truly enjoy reading nonfiction, and I have just read the most beautifully written biography. I'm Looking Through You-Growing Up Haunted: A Memoir by Jennifer Finney Boylan is a wonderfully lyrical biography that reads like fiction. The author is a masterful storyteller and she hooked me from the very first line. The book details Jennifer's life as she grows up in a haunted house in Pennsylvania in the 1970's, nicknamed the "Coffin House." But, other things haunt Jenny besides ghosts. Jenny, born James, existed in a haunted body and learned to live with her mysterious father and her wild, unpredictable sister as she made her way in the world and transitioned from a male into a female. The story is raw, painful and full of insight that makes the reader sympathize with Jenny's life. Boylan uses wit, humor and her experiences to show how she (and you, if you let it happen) found peace with her ghosts, her loved ones and the boundaries between men and women. This is a truly entrancing story that will make the reader think twice about what characteristics define men and women.

What's your line?

“Call me Ishmael.”

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…”

“Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.”

“In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth.”

A great opening line can capture the imagination and draw you into the story. I ran across such a line recently. The book is entitled “Wild Sorrow” and the author is Sandi Ault. “The wind howled like a broken-hearted woman who had given up on life.” That painted such an evocative picture for me I just had to read this book.
While tracking a wounded mountain lion on a desolate canyon rim, Jamaica Wild, Bureau of Land Management agent, and her wolf, Mountain, come across and old Indian School—a place where children were “Americanized” after being taken from their homes. When a snowstorm sweeps the canyon, Jamaica is forced to take refuge in the abandoned school. As she explores her impromptu haven, she discovers the desecrated body of an elderly Anglo woman. This discovery combined with the troubled history of the abandoned school and the sorrowful howling of the icy wind haunt Jamaica throughout the night. After the storm, the FBI takes over the murder investigation while Jamaica continues to search for the wounded she-lion and her cubs. As the dead of winter approaches, arctic temperatures on the mesa threaten the survival of the mountain lions—and Jamaica herself, as she is stalked and terrorized by the unidentified killer.
This is not the sort of book I usually read, but like I mentioned the opening line had me. I have enjoyed the characters and the setting. This is the third book in the series and I have enjoyed it enough to want to go back and read the previous ones.

Tea Time in Botswana

I just finished reading the newest installment in the delightful "No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" series written by Alexander McCall Smith. The book, Tea Time for the Traditionally Built is another charming installation of the series, which stars Mma Ramotswe as the proprietor and head detective of the agency which is located in Gaborone, Botswane. You really do need to read this series from the beginning, as the stories build on each other and you'll seriously miss out on several nuances of Botswane if you skip ahead. The first book in the series is the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, which was published in 2003, and there are currently ten books in the series. Like the other nine books, the current book is a cozy that covers the solving of several cases, interspersed with the further development of the characters' lives. You just can't help but fall in love with Mma Ramotswe, her Assistant, Grace Makutsi, and all of the other details of life in Africa! Alexander McCall Smith is a wonderful storyteller and his words envelop you in African culture. I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. McCall Smith in person at a book signing at Lemuria Books in Jackson, MS last year and he is as delightful in person as he is in his books. He is professor emeritus of medical law at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, was born in what is now known as Zimbabwe and was a law professor at the University of Botswana. He currently lives in Scotland, but makes several trips to Botswana every year. The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency is now a television series produced by HBO and the scenery and casting of the show have made the books come more alive for me. Alexander McCall Smith is also the author of the Isabel Dalhousie series, the Portuguese Irregular Verbs series and the 44 Scotland Street series of books.

Vicksburg 1863

I read the book, Vicksburg 1863 by Winston Groom, to acquire a better understanding of the Civil War. The author Winston Groom brings the Civil War to life in this book and I found myself caught away in reading of this great historical event. The book covers the War in great detail. You will read of the battles and leaders of the Civil War, Ulysses S. Grant’s drinking problem, diary entries from citizens and soldiers, etc. You’ll also read of the hardships of life in Vicksburg. Before the war Vicksburg had forty-five hundred residents and there were about thirty-thousand soldiers added to the population during the war. Cave shelters were built and furnished with items from homes. Water and food were scarce and people were starving. After nearly seven weeks in the heat of the battle, Vicksburg surrendered on July 4th. As the tattered Rebels marched out with their white flags and laid down their arms, it was as if a funeral were taking place. Union soldiers stood by and watched quietly. The grieving citizens of Vicksburg were relieved that the fighting had ended.

Are You a Hater?

Every so often I stumble upon a strange book--Hater by David Moody is one of the most disturbing ones I have read in a while! Set in an unnamed town in England, the novel begins innocently with the bored, hum-drum day of an employee in the Parking Fine Processing Office where he daily deals with visitors who are upset about receiving and/or paying for their parking violations. Unexpectedly, society is rocked by a sudden increase in the number of violent assaults on individuals. The main character begins to witness more and more violent incidents, from the member of a rock band who goes berserk at a concert, to a policeman firing random shots into a crowd of innocent bystanders. As time progresses, the reader sees that within seconds, normally rational, self-controlled people become frenzied, vicious, killers, who can't be stopped. Soon, two groups of people appear--the victims and the Haters. Which one will you become? The action of this book takes place in a week, so I suggest you take a deep breathe, open the cover and dive in. This is definitely a bizarre book with a twisting plot, but I believe it will catch you from the beginning and push you through until the climactic ending. This book was originally published online in parts, and is soon to be a major motion picture produced by Guillermo del Toro and directed by J A. Bayona.