Tuesday, November 22, 2011

If you like cozy mysteries...

...you'll love "A Murder of Crows", just out and available at  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006AQP38W (Kindle version); http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/a-murder-of-crows/18682109 (paperback); and
http://www.dpdotcom.com/amurderofcrows.htm (ebook).

Wise-cracking sleuth Cade Blackstone drives around Oregon wine country in his Lamborghini, working hard to find a runaway teenager, but finds himself distracted by the area's first murder in decades.

Monday, November 7, 2011

If you liked Under the Dome....

...you'll positively rave over 11/22/63, Stephen King's newest surefire blockbuster. For more than 30 years, I've watched King at his highest and his lowest, but his newest may well be his best yet. Not as much blood and gore as It, although he spends quite a bit of time in Derry. Not as much murderous rage as Christine, but there is a beautiful car involved. And not as much nightmare monster story as Cujo, but there is a monster. His name is Lee Harvey Oswald. And the hero....well, an ordinary schoolteacher who finds a time portal and goes back to try to save President Kennedy on that fateful day, 11/22/63. Really, if  you've like any of Stephen King's books, read this on. It's killer good!

Saturday, May 28, 2011

If you liked Devil in the White City....

....try Erik Larsen's latest, In the Garden of Beasts. While White City referred to the Chicago World's Fair, and the serial killer loose in the city at the time, Garden of Beasts tells of an American family living in Berlin just as Hitler is rising to power. Hugely naive, they failed to recognize the danger signs that others had been watching closely. If  you're a history buff, you will find triple enjoyment. If you love travel, there is much for you here too. If  you're not a big fan of either history or travel, you'll find a compelling reason to turn the pages anyway: It's a true-life thriller!

Saturday, April 30, 2011

If You Liked Cold Mountain...

...you'll like 22 Britannia Road. Different war, different era, different country, but a great and awful story of what war does to people:  families, soldiers, wives and children. Whatever role a person plays in the conflict simply leaves scars. How can it not? Author Amanda Hodgkinson allows us a glimpse into the lives of a young Polish couple and their infant son as they head into World War II.
Check out the review at: http://www.bookreporter.com/reviews2/9780670022632.asp

Friday, April 22, 2011

If you liked Bonny Doon's Heart of Darkness...

...you'll love Amphora's Seven Sisters!  Yes, wine. Dark, inky, full of body and flavor. A wonderful blend of, you guessed it, seven varietals. Deeply rich and supremely yummy. It's even better when sampled at the Dry Creek winery, and best when shared with Rick Hutchinson, winemaker, owner and all around crazy guy. Does anyone know why it's called Seven Sisters? Now, THAT'S quite a story!
Check out: http://www.amphorawines.com/home.html

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

If You Liked Da Vinci Code...

...you'll love The School of Night by Louis Bayard. It's got everything: Murder, treasure, national intrigue, historical romance, new love and coded clues. It's said that Sir Walter Raleigh was among a small number of philosophical intellectuals, in the early part of the 1600s, who gathered under the cloak of darkness to discuss the existence of God, the politics of the day, and many other taboo subjects. They called themselves The School of Night. There just might be some documents laying around, just ready to be discovered. And Henry Cavendish seems to be on the trail of one now.