--------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 244 MYSTERY Ref: DAJ00000 Date: 06/12/96 From: SAM WARING Time: 08:46pm \/To: FRED RUNK (Read 3 times) Subj: Messaging and authors On 10 Jun 96 Fred Runk said this about that to Steven Horn: FR> I agree with you about Peters and James, but I haven't read anything FR> by Sharyn McCrumb, but her name seems familiar. I wonder if she's the FR> one who did a "murder mystery" set at a SF convention. That's her: BIMBOS OF THE DEATH SUN is a perfectly hysterical, dead- on-target sendup of cons and the fen who attend them. The mystery's only average, but I feel it's more than redeemed by her descriptive writing. I recently heard an interview with McCrumb on "All Things Consid- ered," where she said that she doesn't consider the last several books she's written (the ones with Nora Bonesteel in them) to be "mysteries." She said she feels that they're novels which evoke the part of Appalachia with which she's familiar, rather than whodunits, and that she tells her fans this when they ask about when her next "mystery" is coming out, and complain that her last "mystery" didn't have enough detection in it or something. Sam ... Art takes whatever--and as long as--it takes. --- PPoint 2.00 * Origin: Shallow end of the gene pool (1:382/91.12) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 244 MYSTERY Ref: DAJ00001 Date: 06/13/96 From: FRED RUNK Time: 08:25pm \/To: RAJIV JAMES (Read 3 times) Subj: stephen.r.lawhead -=> While in the White Hart, Rajiv James insisted to All that <=- RJ> Has anyone ever heard of an author called Stephen R. Lawhead I got RJ> this book by him a couple of years ago called 'The Pendragon Cycle : I'm familiar with the name, although I've never read any of his works. A good place to ask would be the SF conference, which might be available somewhere in your neighborhood. I know I've seen others discussing Lawhead's works there. ... If it ain't broke---don't fix it. ___ X Blue Wave/QWK v2.20 X --- Maximus 2.02 * Origin: Fred's Place (1:300/6.2) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 244 MYSTERY Ref: DAJ00002 Date: 06/13/96 From: FRED RUNK Time: 07:12pm \/To: RICHARD KNOWLES (Read 3 times) Subj: Where is everybody? -=> While in the White Hart, Richard Knowles insisted to Fred Runk that <=- RK> Yes, Lindsey Davis's character is Falco. You need to read the Stephen RK> Saylor series about Gordianus the Finder. The first one is Roman RK> Blood and the second is Arms of Nemesis. There are RK> presently 5 in all. I also like the John Maddox Roberts RK> series which begins with SPQR, but the Saylor series is the RK> best one of the three. Don't know the Saylor series. Thanks for the information. I will certainly look around for those, especially since you suggested it's better than the Davis' set. I think I've heard of the John Maddox Roberts series, but related to the Science Fiction genre, not mystery. RK> The Caves of Steel, followed by The Naked Sun. And written RK> much later, The Robots of Dawn. I have never read the RK> last one, having been warned off. The Caves of Steel is RK> arguably Asimov's best novel. You may get some argument on that from some, but I definitely consider CAVES OF STEEL to be one of his best. I have read ROBOTS OF DAWN and considered it ok, but I didn't feel it was a mystery in the same sense as CAVES OF STEEL or THE NAKED SUN. Those two were written to be mysteries, if you know what I mean, while Asimov had something else in mind for ROBOTS OF DAWN. I think he concentrated more on linking his robot series to his "Foundation" series and concentrated less on writing a mystery tale. I enjoyed meeting R Daneel once again, but it was a much weaker tale, although of interest to completists and those curious about how he was going to bring all his works into one universe. ... No man can lose what he never had. -Izaac Walton- ___ X Blue Wave/QWK v2.20 X --- Maximus 2.02 * Origin: Fred's Place (1:300/6.2) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 244 MYSTERY Ref: DAJ00003 Date: 06/13/96 From: FRED RUNK Time: 08:27pm \/To: RICHARD KNOWLES (Read 3 times) Subj: Where is everybody? -=> While in the White Hart, Richard Knowles insisted to Dorothy Reynolds that <=- RK> Sorry about replying so late. My mystery reading is hap-hazard. I RK> have read very few of the better known writers except for Tony RK> Hillerman. I have read nearly all (28 out of 33) of RK> Arthur Upfield's series about a half-European/ half- RK> Aborigine Inspector in the Queensland police force with the RK> unlikely name of Napoleon Bonaparte. Unfortunately, I RK> think they are all out of print again. I have read I think they are back in print again. I've seen a whole section of a local bookstore dedicated to Upfield's mysteries. If you can't find them, let me know if you are missing any. Perhaps I could find them around here. RK> Bruce Alexander has a new series based on real historical RK> character, Sir John Fielding, a blind 18th century London RK> magistrate. He created one of the 1st English police RK> forces, the Bow Street Runners, and was brother to Henry RK> Fielding, the novelist. The 1st one is called Blind RK> Justice. Ah, interesting. Henry Fielding served as a magistrate also for some time. Have yo read any of them? What did you think of it? RK> And I've read a number of others. The very first Ruth RK> Rendell. A couple of Anne Perry books and so forth. Which one of Perry's two series did you read--or both possibly? I'm reading the Monk series right now. Might look in on the other sometime. ... A bug is an undocumented feature. ___ X Blue Wave/QWK v2.20 X --- Maximus 2.02 * Origin: Fred's Place (1:300/6.2) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 244 MYSTERY Ref: DAJ00004 Date: 06/13/96 From: FRED RUNK Time: 10:26pm \/To: MAUREEN GOLDMAN (Read 3 times) Subj: Messaging and authors -=> While in the White Hart, Maureen Goldman insisted to Fred Runk that <=- MG> Yep. It was called something like BIMBOS OF THE DEATH SUN. Won MG> a Hugo? Edgar? Some important award. yes, that's the one I was thinking of. Don't think she won an SF award. More likely an Edgar. ... Things better left unsaid are. ___ X Blue Wave/QWK v2.20 X --- Maximus 2.02 * Origin: Fred's Place (1:300/6.2) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 244 MYSTERY Ref: DAJ00005 Date: 06/14/96 From: MARILYN PRIBUS Time: 10:01am \/To: BELLE BIJOU (Read 3 times) Subj: Yo! My husband gets up way before I do on Mondays so I leave him a note before I go to bed -- sort of "See ya later, kangaroo" type stuff. His response this AM: YO! lp --- Maximus 2.01wb * Origin: >> Ubik: Not whodunnit... << (1:203/289) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 244 MYSTERY Ref: DAJ00006 Date: 06/11/96 From: DENNIS MENARD Time: 05:54pm \/To: BELLE BIJOU (Read 3 times) Subj: Re: Cornwell -[ Quoting Belle Bijou <06-09-96 23:15>, to Dennis Menard ]- BB> nuts. I do not know one single person, much less a policeman in his BB> 40's, who actually says, "YO!" Her niece is another one whose dialogue BB> doesn't ring true. This issue of dialogue is a good deal of what leaves me cold regards the appeal of P.D.James, as well. Ah well, I suppose we cannot all appreciate the same things. BB> A few weeks ago I read Paretsky's WINDY CITY BLUES, a collection of BB> short stories that she has written over a long period of time. They BB> seemed much richer to me - especially the characterizations of her BB> secondary players. I haven't read "Windy City Blues," yet ... though I've read all the other books in her series, the last being "Tunnel Vision." Still waiting for her latest to arrive in paperback ... now anticipating it after your favourable comment. :) -< Dennis >- ... If you smoke after sex you're doing it too fast! -=- Blue Wave/QWK v2.12 --- SLMAIL v4.5a (#0185) * Origin: * Pacific Salt BBS * Whitehorse, YT * Canada * (1:3409/3) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 244 MYSTERY Ref: DAJ00007 Date: 06/14/96 From: PHYLLIS CAMPBELL Time: 10:30pm \/To: STEPHANIE SHAPTER (Read 3 times) Subj: RE: PATRICIA CORNWELL Good Morning Stephanie, What a wonderful busy life you have! Your family sounds delightful. The very best to you, and when and if you have the time let me know how things are going. I just finished two books by Margaret Maran, and have started one by Jonethan Kellerman. Next week, though, I'll have to get busy doing some rewriting on my own mysteries. PHYLLIS CAMPBELL ... It only works when you're not looking. * Silver Xpress V4.3 SW23764 --- GEcho 1.00 * Origin: It's Magic BBS, Stuarts Draft, VA (1:2602/420) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 244 MYSTERY Ref: DAJ00008 Date: 06/14/96 From: FRED RUNK Time: 06:52pm \/To: ALL (Read 3 times) Subj: Question Howdy... I just saw a new novel on the shelves at WaldenBooks. It's a mystery novel by Stephanie Barron. It is titled JANE AND THE UNPLEASANTNESS AT SCARGROVE MANOR. On the jacket at the top, it also states that this is "The First Jane Austen Mystery." I gather this is a projected new series with Jane Austen as a detective. Has anyone read this, or heard anything about it? Is anyone familiar with Stephanie Barron? I checked the racks but could find nothing else by her. I'm curious about this as Austen is one of my favorite authors. I also saw an interview with PD James in which she said Austen was her favorite author and suggested that if Austen were alive today, she would be writing mysteries. I've read similar sorts of efforts with both Samuel Johnson and Charles Dickens as detectives. In both cases, I found them mildly interesting, but not sufficiently so to push me to buying a second in the series. I enjoyed the period atmosphere, but never really felt that these really captured neither Johnson's nor Dickens' character. Has anyone else read any of these, or similar works? What has been your reaction? I also picked up a copy of Martha Grimes' RAINBOW'S END, the second of her "Inspector Jury" books to take place in the US--this time in Santa Fe. Hmmm, getting closer to Tucson. ... Cats are the proof of a higher purpose to the universe. ___ X Blue Wave/QWK v2.20 X --- Maximus 2.02 * Origin: Fred's Place (1:300/6.2) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 244 MYSTERY Ref: DAK00000 Date: 06/14/96 From: STEVEN HORN Time: 09:06pm \/To: FRED RUNK (Read 3 times) Subj: Messaging and authors Fred Runk (1:300/6.2) wrote to Steven Horn at 13:47 on 10 Jun 1996: FR> I agree with you about Peters and James, but I haven't read FR> anything by Sharyn McCrumb, but her name seems familiar. I wonder FR> if she's the one who did a "murder mystery" set at a SF convention. I wasn't in San Francisco but it's quite possible Ms. McCrumb was there. My favourite work of hers is "She Walks These Hills" which appeared in paperback last year. FR> Engel I don't know. What are his works like? Howard Engel is Canadian and his character, Benny Cooperman, is a Jewish private eye in a town in Southwestern Ontario which is called Grantham but which I think is St. Catharines. Engel has a laid-back style which I like but then I'm a Canadian, too.:-) I'm out of here for a holiday so you need not respond. By the way, I forgot to mention Colin (Inspector Morse) Dexter. Morse I ike! Take care, Steven Horn Moderator CAN_SYSLAW E-mail shorn@yknet.yk.ca _or_ shorn@web.net --- timEd/386 1.10+ * Origin: Yukon Mail, Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada (1:3409/1)