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November 08, 2010

‘My Constant Companion’ by Kathryn Casey

Today I am pleased to welcome guest blogger Kathryn Casey, author of the Sarah Armstrong series. The Killing Storm, the third book in the series, was released on October 26th (St. Martins Minotaur).

Writing a mystery series is a bit like moving another person into one’s brain. The character abides there, hoping for an opportunity to leap forward and begin yet another adventure. At least, that’s the way I think of my protagonist, Sarah Armstrong. She’s never really gone, even when I’m working on another project. Instead, she waits, sometimes impatiently, until she again has my attention.

I’m not exactly sure where she came from, but I’ve lived with Sarah for quite a few years now. When I sat down to write that first book one thing about Sarah mattered to me more than any other. I wanted her to be real. As a journalist and a true crime author, I’d spent a lot of time with women in law enforcement, and I know that they aren’t the stereotypes we see on TV. Most have families, including children they love and worry about. They’re multi-dimensional, complex, dealing with the same issues so many of us face every day. →

November 05, 2010

Boca Knights by Steven M. Forman

Boca Knights by Steven M. Forman After thirty-plus years as a policeman I thought I knew a little about people, and I did. But I knew nothing about retired people, and now I was surrounded by them. – Eddie Perlmutter

After a long and lauded career in the Boston PD – 34 years, two medals of honor, two medals for valor, three medals for merit, and a Commendation from the Mayor to boot – Eddie Perlmutter was finally forced into retirement for medical reasons.

Though he’d love to stay in the old neighborhood, the traumatic arthritis in his knuckles and bum knees just isn’t tolerating the cold Boston winters very well. So what’s a New England Jewish retiree to do? Move to Boca Raton of course!

A friend lines Eddie up with a cushy security job at a posh country club, but as Eddie soon learns things are anything but laid back in sunny south Florida. Before he knows it Eddie is roped in to trying to solve the year-old murder of one of the gated community’s residents.

Along the way he stumbles upon a counterfeiting ring, which is funding a meth lab, which happens to be run by the Russian mafia. Oh, and there’s the small matter of the white supremacists that have moved in and are terrorizing the neighborhood. Hardly a relaxing, carefree retirement.

Forman’s depictions of the petty posturing and backstabbing involved in country club politics are literally laugh out loud funny. When Eddie’s not dealing with “Boca Bullies” (“Men who simply hadn’t mellowed with age. They maintained an aggressive attitude and turned every situation into a confrontation.”), he’s juggling “Boca Babes” (“An unmistakable combination of a bad attitude, chic clothing, beauty-parlor magic, and surgical surprises.”). And Eddie tackles it all with a matter-of-fact demeanor and wicked sense of humor that turns the little corner of Boca Raton he’s settled in on its ear. →

November 03, 2010

Mourn the Living by Henry Perez

Mourn the Living by Henry Perez “There’s no need to mourn the dead. They have no worries. They can’t hurt anyone. They have no deadlines or commitments weighing them down. Don’t mourn the dead. Mourn the living.” – Walter Bendix.

Mourn the Living, the second book in author Henry Perez’s series featuring newspaper reporter Alex Chapa, finds Alex juggling several complicated issues dealing with both the living and the dead.

Recently divorced, Alex’s vacation with his visiting young daughter is interrupted when he is called by his editor and informed that the paper’s lead reporter, Jim Chakowski, has been killed in an explosion at his home.

Though written off by the police and fire departments as an accident caused by a gas leak and faulty wiring, Alex’s poking around causes him to believe it was not an accident at all. It turns out Chakowski had been investigating a series of seemingly unrelated murders strung out over numerous years, in several different cities.

As Alex picks up the investigation it becomes apparent not only were the previous murders related, but that the killer has made Alex’s city his newest hunting ground. Before he knows it Alex is doing more than chasing a story, he’s chasing a killer; one who’s also chasing him.

As author Henry Perez noted in his guest blog on Monday, Alex is very much a flawed character. His obsession with his job was the major factor in his marriage’s collapse, he doesn’t spend enough time with his daughter, his temper tends to get him in trouble with both his editor and the police, and his new relationship is on the verge of going the way of his marriage… for the same reasons.

Yet, it’s precisely those things that make Alex so believable. Perez has created in Alex Chapa a series lead who the average reader can actually imagine knowing, or even see in themselves. Add to that wonderfully rich supporting characters, race against the clock plots, and Perez’s insider’s knowledge of the workings of the newspaper industry and you’ve got a must read new crime fiction series.

Mourn The Living is available from Pinnacle Books (ISBN: 978-0786020331).

Henry Perez was born in Havana, Cuba at the height of the Cold War. He immigrated with his family from Cuba to the U.S. at a young age. He has been writing stories as long as he can remember. His debut thriller, Killing Red, was published in June, 2009 to outstanding reviews. Mourn the Living was just released in early August and quickly became a Kindle bestseller. To learn more about Henry, visit his website.

November 03, 2010

All Purpose Monkey Spotted on Scene of the Blog

A few weeks ago I was flattered to be contacted by Cathy from Kittling: Books asking if I wanted to participate in her Scene of the Blog feature. For those who aren’t familiar with it, Scene of the Blog goes behind the scenes with book bloggers and shows what their work spaces look like. It’s a feature I’ve always enjoyed, but never thought I’d be asked to be a part of.

So if you’re interested to see what kind of environment an All Purpose Monkey thrives in, pop over to Kittling: Books… and be sure to take a look around and say “Hi!” to Cathy while you’re there.

November 01, 2010

‘I’ve Known My Share of Characters’
by Henry Perez

I’m very pleased to welcome author Henry Perez to Musings of an All Purpose Monkey in support of his latest release, Mourn the Living. I’ll be posting my review of Mourn the Living on Wednesday, but for now I’ll turn things over to Henry.

A couple of weeks ago at Bouchercon in San Francisco I had the opportunity to be on a panel titled Crazy Killers. That panel, which also included Steve Hockensmith, Marcus Sakey, Ken Mercer, and Rick Mofina, evolved into a lively discussion about character development.

It served as a perfect warm-up for this post about the process I go through when I’m writing a book and working on populating it with the sort of characters that readers will find interesting and memorable.

I don’t base my characters on anyone I’ve ever known. That sort of approach doesn’t interest me much, and it wouldn’t be anywhere near as much fun as it is to make them up out of whole cloth. When I began writing Killing Red, my debut thriller, I embraced two long-established theories of character development:

The best protagonists are flawed.
Every villain is the hero of his or her own story.

Alex Chapa, the protagonist of Killing Red and Mourn the Living, was born of a personal fascination with people who are very good at their jobs, but seemingly incapable of managing their everyday lives. We know all about these people in politics, sports, entertainment, business. We work with them every day, see them on the other side of the backyard fence, perhaps sit next to them at the Thanksgiving table. →

October 28, 2010

8 Pounds by Chris F. Holm

As he grew older and honed his talents, he came to realize that he was the thing people feared – he was the monster in the dark. – Ray McDaniel

Are you ready for a Halloween treat? I hope so, because author Chris F. Holm sure has some goodies ready for your reading pleasure. In 8 Pounds: Eight Tales of Crime, Horror, & Suspense Holm serves up eight wonderfully entertaining short stories that will have you up late into the night reading, and leave you hungry for more. Though every story in the collection is a home run, there were a few standouts for me.

“Seven Days of Rain” starts the collection off, and right away you know you’re in for something special: “There’s men’s plans and then there’s God’s plans, and it looks for damn sure like God don’t think much of mine.” So thinks Eddie Hanscombe, a man whose plan 60 years ago was to bury something, literally and figuratively, and be done with it. During a biblical seven day rain, however, Eddie comes to understand nothing about the past is ever really buried, and that God always has the last laugh.

“The World Behind” also deals with the past. Timothy Hewitt was a shy, fearful kid in the summer of 1986, one who let his fear drive him down a path that forever changed his life. He took to hiding in the woods that summer to avoid a bully that had it in for him and, as the adult Timothy reflects, it was in those woods he discovered who he really was… as well as what had been happening to all the animals that were disappearing from homes around town. “The World Behind” is a wonderful coming of age story, albeit with a slightly ominous undertone. →

October 26, 2010

Skating Around the Law by Joelle Charbonneau

As far as I could tell, Sheriff Jackson was a gardener and Deputy Sean Holmes was annoying, which meant if I waited for them to do their jobs I’d have a lovely garden and a bad disposition to show for it. – Rebecca Robbins

When Rebecca Robbins returns home to tiny Indian Falls, Illinois she initially thinks she has one problem to deal with – selling the roller rink she inherited from her mother – but ends up with something decidedly more ominous on her hands… a dead body in one of the roller rink’s bathrooms.

Though at first it looks like an accident or suicide given the bottle of prescription pills found nearby, the town’s doctor / coroner soon rules it a homicide making Rebecca’s task of selling the roller rink even more difficult. (Who wants to buy a murder scene?)

And if a dead body throwing a monkey wrench into her plans to make a quick sale and hightail it back to Chicago wasn’t bad enough, the glacial pace – and incompetence – of local law enforcement’s investigation makes the prospect of Rebecca ever getting out of Dodge look downright grim.

What’s a girl to do? Take matters into her own hands, of course. So, with the “help” of her grandfather, Pop, Rebecca becomes a reluctant detective… and finds more than she expected.

Author Joelle Charbonneau has obviously drawn upon her extensive experience in the performing arts to give each of her characters a strong, and unique, voice. From Rebecca (who has a wonderful mix of whimsy and level-headedness), to Pop (who’s both well connected and disturbingly “active” in the town’s retired community), to Neil (Rebecca’s seriously misguided boss and would-be suitor), to Lionel (the veterinarian Rebecca loves to hate… or is it hates to love?), to Elwood the camel, every character has an incredibly rich, fully realized personality (yes, a camel can have a personality… trust me on this.)

A few of the situations Rebecca finds herself in are reminiscent of the early Stephanie Plum novels by Janet Evanovich (when they were still fresh and funny), though Charbonneau wisely never veers into the all-out slapstick territory that Plum frequently ends up in. Rather, Charbonneau has managed to deftly balance a healthy dose of comedy with a serious and engaging mystery. Add to that pitch perfect descriptions of the ins and outs of small town living and Skating Around the Law hits so many right notes it’s like reading an exquisitely conducted symphony.

Joelle Charbonneau is a storyteller at heart. She has performed in a variety of operas, musical theatre and children’s theatre productions across the Chicagoland area. In addition to her stage work, Joelle has also performed with several bands and worked as a solo performer. While Joelle is happy to perform for an audience, she is equally delighted to teach private voice lessons and use her experience from the

October 22, 2010

The Panic Zone by Rick Mofina

The Panic Zone by Rick Mofina “In my life I have experienced how humanity reacts in times of distress. I have seen the worst unfold before my eyes after warnings were ignored, after rational thought evaporated. I advocate extreme action because we face an extreme situation. Time is running out on human existence on this planet. We are entering the panic zone.” – Dr. Gretchen Sutsoff

In Wyoming a woman is involved in a car accident that claims the lives of her husband and infant, yet she distinctly remembers seeing someone rescue the baby from the car before she passed out. As police and medical personnel repeatedly assure her the baby died, she begins to question if she’s going mad… until she receives a mysterious phone call informing her, “Your baby is alive.”

A reporter in Brazil receives a phone call from an anonymous source claiming to have documentation on a shocking story with worldwide implications. The reporter agrees to meet the source at a restaurant, but before the information can be exchanged the restaurant is bombed and dozens of people are killed, including the reporter and her source.

An otherwise healthy man dies suddenly while on a cruise in the Caribbean, the manner of his horrific death exhibiting symptoms reminiscent of the ebola virus.

The Panic Zone, the second book from author Rick Mofina to feature investigative reporter Jack Gannon, finds Gannon summoned to Brazil by the World Press Alliance to investigate the bombing. Gannon uncovers a series of seemingly unrelated events that, upon piecing the puzzle together, he realizes are not only related but are part of a conspiracy that has potentially catastrophic consequences for the very existence of mankind.

Mofina has created likable, believable characters, thrown them into a conspiracy with life or death ramifications on a global scale, and lets the thrilling plot unfold over locales as far flung as Wyoming to Morocco to London to the Bahamas. The Panic Zone is rapid-fire, non-stop action that reads like an episode of 24, with Gannon playing the role of Jack Bauer and with stakes every bit as high.

Rick Mofina grew up east of Toronto, in Belleville, Ontario, Canada. He began writing fiction in grade school. At age 15, he sold his first short story to a U.S. magazine. He became a reporter at The Toronto Star before embarking on a career in journalism that spanned three decades and several newsrooms. His freelance crime stories have appeared around the world in such publications as The New York Times, Reader’s Digest, Marie Claire, The South China Morning Post magazine and The Moscow Times. Rick is currently based in Ottawa, where he lives with his wife and their two children and works as a communications advisor. To learn more about Rick visit his website, where you can sign up for his newsletter for exclusive chances to win free autographed books.

October 21, 2010

“What If?” by Rick Mofina (The Panic Zone)

I’m very pleased to welcome author Rick Mofina to Musings of an All Purpose Monkey in support of his latest release, The Panic Zone. I’ll post my review of the book tomorrow, but for now I’ll turn things over to Rick.

My latest book, The Panic Zone, concerns the story of Emma Lane, young mother who survives a car crash, which claims her husband and baby boy. In the confusion she thinks she sees someone rescue her son. But in the hospital she’s told she’s enduring trauma and that her husband and baby are dead. A few nights later, while grappling with her grief, a stranger calls, telling her: “Your baby is alive.” Eventually, Jack Gannon, a wire service reporter based in New York City, helps her search for the truth about her baby. They learn that the tragedy may be tied to deadly conspiracy that reaches around the world with chilling implications and their pursuit becomes a panicked race against time.

The Panic Zone is the second book in the Jack Gannon series. Thriller fans met Gannon in the first book in the series, Vengeance Road, when it was released in 2009. The prestigious International Thriller Writers (ITW) has named Vengeance Road a finalist for a 2010 Thriller Award in the category of Best Paperback Original and The Private Eye Writers of America also selected Vengeance Road as a finalist in the category of Best Paperback Original.

The story for The Panic Zone came from a spectrum of sources. As I do with most of my books, I drew on my times as a reporter, my experiences as a human being, I observe the world around me, always thinking, wondering, “What if?” When I’m stuck, make things up. →

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