The Bone Collector by Jeffrey Deaver

This is the first of Deaver's books to feature Lincoln Rhyme, a quadriplegic criminologist. Rhyme has given up on life, literally. He has decided to have a doctor help him commit suicide. But a spree killer who starts taking tourists just before a big event at the UN and a gutsy female officer with problems of her own pique his interest.

Deaver's protagonist would provoke no sympathy if we weren't handicapped. He's a jerk, plain and simple. A brilliant jerk, but a jerk. Amelia Sachs, the female cop, isn't much more likeable. But their dedication to figuring out the clues, both the planted and accidental, keeps the story racing forward.

This is a page turner. The pace is often frenetic, but Deaver slows down--sometimes excruciatingly so--when the killer is at his cruelest. The book has a different outcome than the movie of the same name. I did feel a bit cheated by the big reveal, because it felt like the villain was a character who was chosen simply to throw the reader a curve.

I'd recommend it as a lesson in the art of pacing.

Definitely not a cozy.

An Addendum

I hope this is a one-off. After posting my review of Death by Darjeeling, I had a new insight. So here's the addendum.

I commented about the plethora of unusual names in Laura Childs' novel. That it bothered me and seemed excessive. The next day, though, I decided it might now be a tradition with tales set in the American South. Think of Steel Magnolias and Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood. I will give Ms. Childs the benefit of the doubt.

In the twelve years I lived in Florida, I can't remember running into anyone with such an unusual name. But a lot of people will tell you that Florida isn't really the South anymore.

Death by Darjeeling

It appears that everyone--at least in my little group--is looking for a way to distinguish her blog. Jenny's doing Mentors, Deb's doing WILAWF, Ali's thinking up something new. And we're nothing if not copycats.

I've decided to review mysteries. Probably mostly cozies, but all mysteries are fair game. And I decide what to call a mystery.

I'm starting with the first entry in the Teashop Mysteries by Laura Childs. Ms. Childs also writes the Scrapbooking Mysteries and Cackleberry Club Mysteries.


Death by Darjeeling

A genteel Southern woman, Theodosia Browning, runs a tea shop in Charleston, SC. At the annual Lamplighter tour, a shady developer is poisoned while drinking a cup of her special blend. Suspicion falls on the shop in general and one waitress in particular.

A 4-star cozy. Childs pretty much hits all the right notes with this one. Lots of credible potential suspects. A likeable cast of regulars. Good dialogue. Nice pacing. And a plausible plot. The tension builds all the way through. And she got me. I didn't see the culprit coming, but there were no author cheats involved.

My one nitpick would be the extremely unusual character names. When you start with a protagonist called Theodosia, adding in first names of Drayton, Jory, Doe, Dundy, Delaine,
and then a Miss Dimple--well, it gets overwhelming. But it's a very small nit to pick.

In addition to the fun puzzle, setting and characters, the author includes yummy recipes. Earl Grey Sorbet, Tea Scones and Cucumber & Lobster Sandwiches are all tempting. And then there is the Liver Brownie Cake for the pooches in your life.

Well played, Ms. Childs, well played.

First Post of 2011

It truly seems like last week that I wrote my first blog post ever. Now it's time to sum up 2010 and plan for 2011. Which shouldn't take long. I didn't get much done in 2010. The same goals for the year can remain for 2011 with just a section title change.

Why didn't I get any of those goals done? Now there's a question.

Let's see--my workload increased dramatically, there were more house-related tasks that couldn't be put off any longer and I committed to making more craft items as gifts and such.

BUT, those aren't responsible for my not meeting my goals. The reason is that I was struggling with the process. I tried making some major changes to HM that might have been great suggestions, but that just didn't resonate with me. And that held me up. A lot. When I finally figured out what I really wanted to do with the story, I felt burned out on it. I needed to leave Sloan and Caleb and the gang for a while. I need to miss them just a touch more so when I do revisit them, it'll be a celebration.

So, what should my goals be for this year? I'm going to do something a little different. Agent Rachelle Gardner talked on her blog about how regular resolutions feel too much like another to-do list. She's opting for resolutions that are more about feeling rather than doing. She posted a list of adjectives. I like that.

Without further ado, my goals for 2011:

--Confident
--Healthy
--Peaceful
--Caring
--Funny
--Optimistic