More Thoughts on Banned Books Week

As promised, I have more fun Banned Books Week content from the Open Road Media folks to bookend the week's celebration. Did anyone read a banned book this week? Anyone discover a book that's been banned or challenged that really surprised you? I think they stopped surprising me after I learned people have tried to ban Shel Silverstein's poetry from A LIGHT IN THE ATTIC for ridiculous reasons like, "A suggestive illustration that might encourage kids to break dishes so they won't have to dry them." Alrighty then.

But enough about my thoughts, let's see what our final three authors have to say about books that have been banned:

Loren D. Estleman is the award-winning author of more than sixty-five novels, including mysteries and westerns. His most enduring character, Amos Walker, has been featured in twenty novels and his adventure novel, The High Rocks was nominated for a National Book Award. Before “sounding off” on which banned books surprised him the most, Estleman thanked us for “sending the latest list of The Damned”.

I’m never surprised by any of the choices, however innocuous some of them may seem. There will always be pinch-brained bigots who aren’t satisfied just to take offense at a thing, but to keep everyone else from being exposed to it, and since these days the censorship comes from left as well as right, there’s no mystery of the length of the list.

I’ve read many, although, not most, of these books, and in some cases (1984, In Cold Blood, The Sun Also Rises) have re-read them more than once. The best ones make me reconsider my world or take me far away from it; but these are all my favorites if they spike the blood pressure – fatally, perhaps – of the human slime that would set a match to them.

I don’t waste time getting angry over the choices, because it infuriates me that any book should be banned for any reason. This is America. Our society was founded on the principle that no idea is as dangerous as any action taken to silence it. 

Edgar award-winning author Jonathon King is the creator of the Max Freeman crime series. A police and court reporter for twenty-four years with the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel and Philadelphia Daily News, King talks about his favorite book on the banned list.

My favorite on the list is East of Eden, which I’ve read several times, and if it’s banned for some reason, pity. Louis L'Amour said: “Shakespeare's work has lived as long as it has because he dealt with normal human emotions; envy, ambition, rivalry, love, hate, greed and so on. These are the basic drives among us humans and are with us forever.”

Put all those things in a story and you’ve got East of Eden. If you want to ban literary depictions of those emotions, put your head in the sand because you’ve got nothing. 

Stephen Rebello is a screenwriter, journalist, and the author of Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho, which has been bought by Paramount Pictures and The Montecito Picture Company for production as a dramatic feature film. The horror film expert speaks out on the topic of banning books as it relates to Capote, Hitchcock, and more.

Banning books? What a pointless, wrong-headed, and flat-world pursuit. I’m with the much-censored Mark Twain who wrote, “the truth is, that when a library expels a book of mine and leaves an unexpurgated Bible lying around where unprotected youth and age can get hold of it, the deep unconscious irony of it delights me and doesn’t anger me.” One of my very favorites on the list of so-called “banned books” is In Cold Blood, Truman Capote’s brilliant, bone-freezing nonfiction novel about the killing of the Clutter family in rural Holcomb, Kansas. The prose is beautifully lean and disciplined. Its documentary-like, you-are-there atmosphere is palpable. Evil has rarely seemed so banal, terrifying, and heartbreaking. I sometimes tend to bracket director RichardBrooks’ very good film version of In Cold Blood with certain aspects of Alfred Hitchcock’s film of Robert Bloch’s Psycho—a dark, nasty, despairing novel so many claim to have read but clearly haven’t. Both Brooks’ and Hitchcock’s films have eloquent, moody black-and-white cinematography, of course, but they also share a tough, bleak, unsparing view of the way the world works. They’re works of great outrage and compassion. Bloch’s novel has apparently never been high profile enough to land on “banned” lists, but Hitchcock’s notorious and phenomenally successful 1960 movie brought on cries for censorship by a number of church organizations and at least one publicity-happy, barnstorming psychiatrist who, rumor had it, Hitchcock cleverly and quietly bought off. All that said, nothing I’ve written to date has been banned. But rest assured, on my new stuff, I’m working very hard to rectify this oversight. 

While everyone has books they think are inappropriate or wrong, when we start banning books from libraries and schools and whatnot, there's no line or stopping point. Any book becomes fair game. The true power against things such as racism or sexism or violence isn't limiting access to books that might contain them, it's educating our young people. This week recognizes our citizens' rights to read what they choose to read. Many thanks to the authors of Open Road Media who helped us highlight this week and its importance to our society.

Happy Reading - because you CAN!

Q is for Quarry - Sue Grafton

As many of you may know, Sue Grafton's new book V is for Vengeance is coming out November 14th. The nice folks at Putnam asked if I would participate in their fun blog tour for this release, and I agreed. Lesa Holstine and I were asked to kick it off this week with reviews for Q is for Quarry. You can see Lesa's review here. As for mine, well here we go...

First line: "It was Wednesday, the second week in April, and Santa Teresa was making a wanton display of herself."

Southern California PI, Kinsey Milhone, is gearing up for her 37th birthday when a cold case lands on her doorstep. Well, actually Lieutenant Con Dolan lands on her doorstep. His good friend Stacey Oliphant, a retired sheriff's department officer, has cancer and Dolan wants to help his frame of mind. So when he runs across the file for a cold case, a case where Dolan and Oliphant actually found the victim, he approaches Kinsey to help them finally solve the murder of Jane Doe, stabbed to death and dumped in a quarry.

I have to read Kinsey Milhone novels in moderation. While reading them, I have strange cravings for fast food. Of course series devotees know that Kinsey is a bit of a fast food junkie, and in this outing she introduces Stacey Oliphant to the world of fast food. The two of them do a fast food joint tour throughout Q is for Quarry. And Stacey's over zealousness for the cuisine manages to make Kinsey crave healthy food! It's this lightness to Grafton's novels that makes them fun and entertaining. It brings her characters down to earth and makes us all feel a bit better about ourselves.

She blends the lightness of her protagonist with the heaviness of the cold case. That heft instills a sense of empathy in her characters. The need to identify a woman who was murdered 18 years earlier, to bring closure to her family, possibly justice to the victim, that's what we crave in our crime novels. The added element of Dolan and Oliphant's friendship and Dolan's need to help his friend in what may be his final days enhances that empathy.

At book 17 in the Alphabet series, Grafton is still doing a masterful job of balancing the blithe with the harrowing to produce an entertaining crime novel.

Q is for Quarry was originally published as a hardcover (ISBN: 978-0399149153) in 2002 by Putnam. It is available in trade paper (ISBN: 978-0425239001) from Berkley Trade, mass market paper (ISBN: 978-0425192726) from Berkley and on audio, narrated by Judy Kaye. For my audiobook readers, Kaye does a great job with this narration. It is available from Audible or your libraries may have the older version from Books on Tape. 

You can find Sue Grafton at her website or her Facebook Fan Page. And you can find the next stop on this blog tour here on Tuesday, October 4th.

As an added bonus, I get to offer you the second sneak peek of V is for Vengeance. Lesa offered the first snippet, so if you missed hers be sure to back up and read that one first. Then click here to continue. If you comment on all ten blogs for the blog tour, you'll be eligible to win one of three sets of books that include: Q, R, S, T, U in paperback and a copy of the new one, V is for Vengeance. So, to help you on that task, I'll give you a question to respond to..."If you could go out to dinner with Kinsey Milhone, where would you like to go?"

More of Bouchercon 2011

The convention officially kicked off on Thursday with the beginning of the programming, more people coming in and an opening night ceremony. But I forgot to mention about my big surprise that arrived on Wednesday evening. Well, I can't claim it as totally mine, but when Pop Culture Nerd knocked on my hotel room door, I was OVERJOYED. The Craisie brigade would be out in full form!

The first session I attended was the Guest of Honor Panel, which included Colin Cotterill, Charlaine Harris, Val McDermid and Robert Crais, moderated by Oline Cogdill. Before the panel started I got to hang out with Daniel Palmer (DELIRIOUS) and we chatted about a number of things, but he also shared some fun info about his new book, coming out in February - and I'm reading right now. It's a page-turner y'all, so you'll want to check it out next year. Anyway, back to business.

Don't ask what was going on with my hair this weekend; it's hopeless!

The "Passengers" panel was lively and thoroughly entertaining. Robert Crais was asked out for a drink by a woman in the audience, Colin Cotterill wanted to know if anyone in the audience was NOT there to see RC. Val McDermid referred to writers as vampires (a la Charlaine Harris) - Val explained that they suck the life out of those around them to put in their stories. The only panelist to answer Oline's question about "sharing something the audience wouldn't know about you" was Val McDermid who said she knits scarves.

Following that panel, I attended the "Timebomb" panel. This time Daniel Palmer was ON the panel instead of watching it. He was joined by the most wonderful Meg Gardiner, JT Ellison, Adrian Magson and debut novelist Simon Toyne. This panel revolved around a lot of the age old thriller questions: "difference between a mystery and a thriller" - that sort of thing. The panelists were wonderful fun; Daniel and Meg bemoaned the horrors of the end of the school day for writers. My friend and librarian, Wendy Bartlett, commented to me later how impressed with Daniel Palmer she was. This is always good news to me because Wendy's the one who brings authors to the Cuyahoga Library System!

The final panel I attended on Thursday was "I Got the Right to Sing the Blues." This was also a very animated panel, but I don't think you could expect less with Mark Billingham, Jonathan Hayes and Roger Ellory all on the podium together. Debut novelist Rochelle Staab also contributed quite a bit to the energy of this panel. The final panelist was Bryan Gilmer and the panel was moderated by Wallace Stroby. Mark Billingham expressed his undying devotion to Phil Collins - that's a joke for anyone who doesn't know how much Billingham dislikes Phil Collins' solo work. And Rochelle Staab talked about meeting John Lennon.

Mark Billingham and Jonathan Hayes

Mark Billingham, Jonathan Hayes, Rochelle Staab

The official convention day ended on Thursday after the Opening Night Festivities, emceed by Ridley Pearson. Ridley is such a perfect emcee. I can't imagine ever being tired of listening to his wonderful stories. Each of the guests of honor was recognized, the Macavity, Barry and Crimespree Awards were all announced and authors from Harper and William Morrow signed books.

Ridley Pearson takes the prize for Outstanding Emcee

Robert Crais recognized as American Guest of Honor

Here you can see the Craisie Club gathered. We made Erin Mitchell an honorary member! This picture makes me so happy. What a joy to be with all of these wonderful friends. From the right: Michael, Carolyn, Naomi, Elyse, Lauren and Erin. I wish I had months to spend with them instead of just days.

Some of crime fiction's most powerful women congregating. Better watch out!

 

Val McDermid, Laura Lippman and Karin Slaughter

Following the ceremonies, people found their ways to dinner, publishing parties and of course the hotel bar. A very successful first day! And since I can never do anything in condensed style, there will be more Bouchercon fun, photos and VIDEO to come!

Banned Books Week 2011

If you've been reading this blog awhile, you may remember my Banned Books Week post here about To Kill a Mockingbird. I'm very passionate about my right to read what I choose to read. I'm also passionate about educating our young people so they know how to read and how to determine what's good and worthy versus what's destructive and wrong. If our energies focus on educating people, we shouldn't need to withhold anything.

It's Banned Books Week this week, and the wonderful folks at Open Road Media have shared some great content with me to celebrate this week. I'm going to divide it up so that we can start and end this week in celebration of our right to read uncensored.

So, today, courtesy of Open Road Media, we have bestselling authors speaking out on behalf of Banned Books Week by sharing their favorite banned books and more.

Susan Isaacs is a New York Times bestselling author of mysteries and literary fiction. Her first mystery, Compromising Positions, was a runaway success and adapted into a film starring Susan Sarandon and Raul Julia. The former president of the Mystery Writers of America, she is also the winner of several awards including the John Steinbeck Award. Ms. Isaacs shares her favorite on the Banned Books List.

My favorite banned book is Huckleberry Finn. It's famous for its depiction of race and class in America, but what I love most are the characters. They are so human -- courageous, venal, funny, cruel -- and seem more alive than half the people I meet every day. Yes, the escaped slave is called Nigger Jim, but that was the truth of the time, the offhand viciousness Suppressing that fact to save feelings from being hurt is the cowardly way out.

I don't want anyone else judging what books I can read. I don't need to be protected. Anyway, who is fit to judge? A Supreme Court justice? A librarian? Whom do you trust to ban books for you or your kids? And if the person you'd choose is too busy, or not interested in being a censor, who gets the job?

I am never surprised at any book being banned. Everybody has a sore spot, some idea he or she thinks is dangerous to let out. We want to shut up racists, gun advocates, gay advocates, blasphemers, and mega-church preachers. If we can ban Merchant of Venice or Catch-22, the world will be a better place. Wrong. Shut up a neighbor and next week or next year it's your favorite book's turn to get muzzled Weenies ban books. They're scared of new thoughts and tough words. Be brave. Fight censorship. And buy a banned book.

Jon Land, bestselling and award-winning author of more than twenty-five novels shares with readers his favorite banned book along with which book on the list surprises him the most.

I'd have to say my favorite banned book is Huckleberry Finn. It's not only one of my favorite books, but also arguably the greatest American novel ever written. To even consider taking it from shelves, and restricting its teaching by teachers, risks denying young people a coming of age tale that pictures America in the last moments before the Industrial revolution, capturing an innocence that in Twain's mind was always a sham. Huck himself remains one of the great American heroes of all time and his character provides countless life lessons of loyalty, friendship, heroism, and sacrifice that are denied to those who reach up to grab the book only to find it's not there.

As far as which surprises me the most? Well, the truth is any and all of them. But I'm going to focus on The Diary of Anne Frank because to deny access to this book, in any way, shape, or form, is to risk denying the horrors perpetuated on humanity by the most vile monsters in modern history. And to deny those horrors is to risk the very real possibility that such monsters could return in a different age with a different target. Could the banning of a single book cause such a thing? Of course not. But the mentality that would allow such a book to be banned could definitely allow, if not encourage, a new wave of monsters and the heinous acts they perpetuate.

New York Times bestselling Dame Ruth Rendell has written more than seventy books and sold more than twenty million copies worldwide, including her popular crime series featuring Chief Inspector Wexford. Dame Rendell, who lives in the U.K. was surprised to hear any of these books had been banned.

I'd no idea any of these books were banned anywhere. My two favourites would be Orwell's 1984 because it is, in my opinion, the best science fiction ever written, and a wonderful cry for freedom and expose of what we have to fear in the modern world, and Alice in Wonderland because I first read it when I was about five, because it is funny and witty and clever, which most children's books are not and it stays with you in all its details for the whole of your life. 

So now it's your turn. What is YOUR favorite banned book? Or what surprised you the most when you heard it had been challenged or banned? I will have another group of authors sharing their thoughts on banned books Friday, so check back!

Bouchercon 2011

This will be the first of a few posts on Bouchercon 2011. I have much to share: memories, pictures, video, etc. So let's get started, shall we?

I was fortunate to be able to leave for St. Louis early and spend several days doing touristy stuff. I drove, and the timing of the trip was such that on the way home, there was much more color in the leaves of the trees than a week earlier when I was driving down.

Between Sunday and Wednesday, I was able to visit the St. Louis Zoo, which was wonderful;

the Arch,

including a ride to the observation deck on top;

and simply wander around the city a bit.

I had hoped to get a pedicure, but St. Louis proper is sorely in need of a good spa. One salon didn't have a nail tech all week and the nail specific salon wasn't open at all. Well, such is life.

The weather was gorgeous Sunday through Tuesday, so I soaked up many sun rays while at the zoo. But on Wednesday when we unloaded the book bags and supplies from the trucks, it poured rain. I was a little wet by the time all the book bags were out of the trucks. But I got myself cleaned up in plenty of time to attend the volunteer dinner with the guests of honor.

The dinner was held at Pappy's Smokehouse (warning, there's auto music at this link - you can turn it off), which was appropriate for St. Louis because it was voted the "Best BBQ in St. Louis" by the Riverfront Times, "one of the 101 best places to chow down in American" by the Travel Channel, and one of St. Louis Magazines "Top 40 Restaurants."

BBQ is their thing, and everyone thoroughly enjoyed the fixin's. There were a few vegetarians and they had some alternatives to eat. Everyone seemed to leave happy and full.

Ayo Onatade and Val McDermid

RC with Murder by the Book's McKenna and John

Ridley Pearson and Colin Cotterill

Note the full roll of paper towels that were left on each table! Dinner was followed up by the requisite time in the hotel bar. This year's bar was difficult for me because it was so enclosed and there were just far too many people in at the same time, so I stayed outside the bar - more in the lobby area - for the most part and talked to folks there. Wednesday night meant most people were making their way in and there were a lot of overdue greetings to enjoy. The conference was off to a fantastic start!

I will of course have much more to share with you this week on my Bouchercon memories. Be sure to check back for Bouchercon recaps, I have two interviews from the conference recorded to share with you and some Banned Books Week fun as well. Hope your week is a great one!

My Community Part 2 - BBAW

Today most of the participants of Book Blogger Appreciation Week will be exchanging interviews. Unfortunately, due to Bouchercon happening simultaneously, I just didn't have time to participate. But I would like to recognize a few more bloggers that are an integral part of my blogging community.

Jenn at Jenn's Bookshelves is so often my sounding board for ideas, logistics, organizational concepts. I look forward to hearing about her reading adventures as well as stories about her adorable sons. When I get excited about books, I make a bee-line for Jenn. She gets excited with me, and that is a treasure! We also gush over audiobooks together. It can be a scary thing when the two of us are discovering new and wonderful audiobooks.

Beth Fish Reads is another blogger who shares our love of audiobooks. I have to be careful around BFR because she can enable me as much as I can enable her! Sharing daily tidbits via Twitter with BFR is one of life's little pleasures. And of course I'm incredibly envious of her cooking skills!

SuziQOregon not only talks books with me, but she posts these amazing pictures for Wordless Wednesday every week on her Wimpulsive blog. I look forward to Wednesdays so I can go and see what new snapshot of the world she's shared with us. Her creative eye is so inspiring. Now I go through each day thinking, how would THAT look as a picture? How would SuziQ see THAT through her lens? We start our friendships through our common love of books, but it grows far and wide! I'm also completely envious of her creativity with names. How cool is Wimpulsive for a blog name?

Unfortunately I can't acknowledge every blogger that has been important to me in the almost four years I've been blogging, but I do want to recognize Swapna Krishna. I'm astounded by her depth and breadth of reading and reviewing. She doesn't discount any type of book, but rather judges each book individually on its own merit. I visit Swapna's blog and end up adding a dozen books to my TBR list. But as with the other wonderful bloggers mentioned above my interactions with Swapna have extended beyond the books. And I think that's indicative of community.

Books have brought us all together and I cherish each of these bloggers as friends. The hidden gem, the unforeseen prize of book blogging for me has been the relationships I've built.

Book Blogger Appreciation Week: Community

Today represents my 1000th post to Jen's Book Thoughts, and what an appropriate post for #1000. This is the first day of the 4th Annual Book Blogger Appreciation Week, and our topic for today's post is Community. That's what blogging is all about, right? It's the way we're able to experience our love of books with people all over the world who share that passion. The bloggers I'm going to highlight today won't be unknown names to those of you who read here regularly. And they shouldn't if they're part of my community, right? If you're new to Jen's Book Thoughts, these are four of my fellow bloggers who not only inspire me but support me in all that I do...sane or harebrained they're on my side, rooting me on. How lucky am I?

I've been so incredibly blessed when it comes to the book blogging community. I met the most generous woman, blogger and librarian, Lesa Holstine. She's fostered not only my love of the mystery genre, but also my love of blogging. She's supported me, advised me, encouraged me and indulged me. It's been through her generosity and kindness that I've been able to build my sense of security and my willingness to take a risk. While Lesa and I live on opposite sides of the country now, we both share a background of Northeast Ohio. We discovered each other through blogging, and it is my distinct pleasure to call her both mentor and friend.

Another blogger who is a vital part of my community is Naomi Johnson at The Drowning Machine. Naomi and I both live in Ohio: me in the Northern realm and Naomi in Central Ohio. We met through our mutual love of Robert Crais and began talking on a Crais discussion board. She was one of my first "regulars." Since then I look to her for everything from advice to laughs to attending book events with me. I look forward to every chance I have to interact with Naomi, as I know my heart will be in a constant state of smile.

Michael Alatorre is the author of It Rains...You Get Wet. I also met Michael on the Robert Crais discussion board and he too was an early regular of Jen's Book Thoughts. In addition to our shared love of Robert Crais and crime fiction, Michael is my guru when it comes to audiobooks. He is such a wealth of knowledge and he's incredibly generous with his willingness to share it. I often find myself emailing him with pleas for help. He never bats an eyelash, he's so tolerant of me! I made my first visit to Los Angeles for the L.A. Times Book Festival in 2008 and Michael shared the whole experience with my sister and I. His generosity went above and beyond. I returned to the Festival in 2009 and was able to meet Michael's family, who are as wonderful as I imagined from his hilarious stories. And I'm looking forward to seeing him again this week when the Craisies converge on St. Louis where Robert Crais is a guest of honor at this year's Bouchercon. I'll be giving RC a special thanks for bringing both Naomi and Michael into my life and my blogging community.

The last blogger I'm going to mention today is another blogger in the crime fiction community as well as the book blogging community and that's Pop Culture Nerd. I met PCN through Michael Alatorre because she too shares a love of Robert Crais with us. I'm continually inspired by PCN: she's energetic, fantastically funny, smart as a whip and creative. I wish I had a fraction of the wonderfulness in this spitfire! PCN and I will be embarking on a project together soon and then I'll be able to sponge off her wonderfulness. ;-) It's a special kind of person that you can disagree with but still completely respect the opposite opinion. With PCN, I know we can always have great conversations whether we completely agree on a topic or not. There's always a mutual respect and understanding. I cherish that part of our friendship. I am honored and humbled to call her friend.

I could write about the wonderful bloggers that make up my "community" for days and days. Tomorrow I'm going to share another small group of bloggers because I was unable to participate in the blogger interview exchange this year - Bouchercon and all. I hope you'll stop by and I hope you'll check out the blogs of the folks I've highlighted here in this post. They are wonderful, wonderful bloggers and well worth checking out! They inspire me regularly!

Before I wrap this up, I'd also like to take this opportunity to remember a very special member of our collective community (myself and my friends I've mentioned above). Corey Wilde started The Drowning Machine and due to his health, asked Naomi to join him in maintaining the blog. When he could no longer contribute, Naomi took the blog over completely. We haven't heard from Corey since that time and feel his absence regularly. He helped to nurture the community we are all a part of. It wouldn't be the same without his contributions. While I think of Corey regularly, today, I think of him especially. This blogging thing...it's really about far more than the books.

THE GENESIS KEY - James Barney

Due to space and time constraints there were a handful of reviews I submitted to Shelf Awareness that were not able to appear in the newsletter. Over the next couple of weeks I'll be sharing those reviews with you. The first appears today with permission from Shelf Awareness.

First Line: "Daniel Talbot wished he had his sunglasses."

Biologist Dr. Kathleen Sainsbury has a very personal reason for wanting to discover the gene in the human DNA that will prolong life, possibly by hundreds of years. But as her research carries her closer and closer to the answer, a man from her past appears and chaos follows close on his heels.

James Barney unlocks the secret to a successful debut novel in grand fashion. This adventure thriller delves into science, history, religion, and politics. In most labs that mixture would be deadly. But Barney manages to balance the components for an exciting, thought-provoking reading experience.

Kathleen Sainsbury, Barney’s female protagonist, is well fleshed out with myriad dimensions. She’s smart and ambitious with weaknesses and flaws. Kathleen depends on her friends and family which not only works to make her believable, but also heightens the value of the supporting characters to the novel.

The characters play such a pivotal role in a great thriller. While the plot can drive the pacing of the novel, if the reader isn’t making some emotional connection with the characters, the events seem unimportant. Barney doesn’t skimp on the characters, so when they are weaved into a fascinating, well-researched plot, the intensity is increased.

The Genesis Key pokes around ethical themes without expressing any personal commentary; readers won’t find this to be a passive experience. More likely they’ll find questions lingering long after the final page.

The Genesis Key is available in mass market paperback (ISBN: 978-0062021380) from Harper.

Voting for Book Blogger Appreciation Week...

...is now open. You can go here to vote. They have the entire collection of short listed blogs for each category here as well. You need to use a Google or Twitter id for the system they set up for voting. I hope you will all go forth and vote! You have until Saturday.

DEATH OF THE MANTIS - Michael Stanley

First line: "The desert glowed in the dawn light."

In the third installment of the Detective Kubu series, Assistant Superintendent David "Kubu" Bengu finds himself among the Bushman of the Kalahari. A ranger is found in a dry river bed with a massive skull injury. He's surrounded by three Bushman who are attempting to coax the ranger into drinking water. When the ranger dies on the way to the hospital and no evidence of any other humans can be found in the area, the three Bushman are arrested.

Meanwhile, in Gaborone, new father Kubu is unaware of the events. They come to his attention when his childhood friend Khumanego contacts him. The fact that Khumanego attended school with Kubu is a rarity. When Khumanego returned to the desert, he had difficulties fitting back in; ultimately he took a position advocating on behalf of the Bushman, so he is trying to save his fellow men from a crime he's certain they did not commit. But after Kubu works to free the Bushmen and similar crimes are committed, Kubu isn't so sure he agrees with Khumanego.

The Detective Kubu series has always been one in which the sense of place is as strong in illustrating who the characters are as the characters' actions. DEATH OF THE MANTIS is no exception. The relationship between the desert and its inhabitants is mysteriously beautiful even though it is also a volatile relationship. The life of the Bushman is a constant struggle; the Michael Stanley writing duo depict both the desert and the struggles in all their array of colors bringing the locales to life for all the readers who have never seen anything beyond a magazine photo.

DEATH OF THE MANTIS is also profoundly rich in relationships. The bond between Kubu and his wife, Joy, has consistently added depth to the series. In this book, however, that bond takes on a new dimension when their family dynamics change with the addition of the baby, Tumi.

And Kubu's relationships with his parents and friends have also added to the breadth of the novels. In DEATH OF THE MANTIS his friendship with Khumanego is challenged. Khumanego is the one who taught Kubu to see beyond the obvious; his affection is important to Kubu so damage of any kind to the friendship changes Kubu.

But probably the strongest influences on this Detective Kubu novel come from the relationships between the factions and the relationships between man (specifically the Bushman) and nature. The echos I heard as an American reader were those of the Native Americans, which lead me to believe this is a universal scenario. One that people around the world can relate to:

"We have to fight to keep the government from taking our culture, from making us empty of who we are. Making us nothing."

The power of these words resonate throughout DEATH OF THE MANTIS. The novel still includes humorous situations and exchanges like the two before it. The irony of Kubu's inability to see obvious things, like his wife's exhaustion from caring for their baby, when he never misses the concealed clues is always endearing. And the mystery is challenging and entertaining. But the DEATH OF THE MANTIS goes beyond the ordinary and presents questions of humanity, some of which have no easy answer.

DEATH OF THE MANTIS is an engaging, thrilling mystery with an exotic backdrop. It's not one readers will easily put down. But it also goes beyond; it's a challenging statement of politics and humanity, forcing readers to step out of what's comfortable and experience the extraordinary unknown.

DEATH OF THE MANTIS releases today from Harper Paperbacks as a Trade Paperback original (ISBN: 978-006200037). As an aside, the first two books of this series are available on audiobook, narrated by Simon Prebble. I haven't been able to find any information on whether DEATH OF THE MANTIS will be available on audio, but I highly recommend experiencing at least one of these books in audio to hear the sound of the language, most especially if you have had no experience with it before.

My review is part of the DEATH OF THE MANTIS blog tour with TLC Blog Tours. And I'm thrilled that I am able to kick off this tour. This has really been a series I've tried to be an evangelist for, so I'm happy to be able to sing the praises of Michael Stanley's work once again. At the TLC site, you can find links to additional reviews that will post through the next month.

And my final unrelated comment is to keep an eye on the blog after Bouchercon. I believe I'm going to be able to offer some lucky readers copies of the books in the Detective Kubu series, including DEATH OF THE MANTIS. Happy Reading!

Happy Labor Day

I hope everyone is enjoying a grand weekend and Labor Day. Bouchercon is quickly approaching and I'll be leaving next Saturday for St. Louis, so it's been a constant flow of work lately to make sure as much is taken care of before I leave as possible. And that includes some blog and web updates!

First of all, for those of you attending Bouchercon, here's an update on the signing schedule at the Crimespree booth:

Thursday:

11:30-12/ Sophie Littlefield, Juliet Blackwell & Brad Parks
1-2:00/ William Kent Krueger
2-2:30/ Kelli Stanley, Tracy Kiely & Boyd Morrison
2:30-3/ Tim Hallinan
3-3:30/ Michael Wiley & Martyn Waites
3:30-4/ Hilary Davidson & Sean Chercover


Friday:

10:30-11/ Todd Ritter & Bryan Gruley
11-11:30/ Tim Hallinan & Gary Phillips
11:30-12/ Jonathan Hayes, Alafair Burke, & Joe Finder
12-12:30/ Hank Phillippi Ryan
1:30-2/ Mike Lawson
2-2:30/ Bob Truluck & R.J. Ellory
2:30-3/ Megan Abbott & Daniel Palmer
3:30-4/ Christa Faust & Duane Swierczynski


Saturday:

10-11/ Tom Schreck & Nicole Peeler
11-11:30/ Bill Cameron & J.L. Abramo
11:30-12/ Bill Cameron
12-12:30/ Bill Crider
1-1:30/ Cara Black & Rosemary Harris
1:30-2/ Michelle Gagnon & Lisa Unger
2-2:30/ Anthony Campbell & Michael Moreci

Plan accordingly! We want to keep these wonderful folks busy, busy, busy! I know all the authors will be so happy to talk with you and sign books. Remember to purchase your books from the vendors or bring them with you to the convention - there will NOT be books for sale at the Crimespree booth. There will be other fun things, like back issues of Crimespree, but no books.

Of course online registration has closed, so if you want to attend Bouchercon now, you'll need to buy your passes at the door. There will be day passes, so if you only want to come for one day (who would want to do that???), you can get a day pass for $75 at the door.

The nominations for the Independent Literary Awards are now open! Any and all readers (whose livelihoods are not based on the publication and sale of books) can nominate. Here is the link for the mystery nominations. I hope you'll go over and offer up what you thought were the best mystery books this year. Here's your chance to have a say. So go! Nominate!! And spread the word to your friends, family, neighbors, enemies...everyone!

And all my deepest thanks to those of you who nominated and got me a spot on the Book Blogger Appreciation Week nomination list again this year! It really is a tremendous honor to be recognized like this. The actual BBAW takes place during Bouchercon week...go figure. But I'm going to do my darnedest to participate.

And the last think I'll leave you with is this recording from BBC Radio 4 where you can listen to them talk to David Baldacci, Joseph Finder and C.J. Box. It starts at about 20:00. Enjoy and have a fabulous Labor Day!