EBMRG - 7 January 2003

[LJ Roberts]

East Bay Mystery Readers' Group - 7 January 2003 Meeting Recap

Books discussed were:

CLOSING TIME - Jim Fusilli

From the publisher: "It's after midnight and a novice private investigator discovers the battered body of a livery cabdriver in downtown Manhattan's meat-packing district. Two days later, he witnesses a bloody explosion at a gala opening at a SoHo art gallery." "Unrelated incidents? Not to Terry Orr.

Okay-Good: We liked the sense of place and color he gave to NYC and felt the writing was well done. In general, we enjoyed it, up to the end which seemed unresolved. And we felt it might have been better focusing on one murder, rather than two.

DEATH IS A CABARET - Deborah Morgan

From the publisher: "Since Jeff Talbot left the FBI, he's been investigating yard sales as a professional antique picker. And though he prefers finding hidden treasures to finding hidden bodies, he discovers that for some collectors, the right item can be worth killing for-like a one-of-a-kind French cabaret set." [Note: A cabaret set is a tea or coffee set, made of porcelain, consisting of a coffee or tea pot, creamer, sugar, tray, and either one or two cup and saucer.]

Good-Very Good: This was the best liked of the three. It was a real mystery with a real puzzle and even a "drawing room" solution scene at the end.

DECLARED DEAD - Susanne Proulx

From the publisher: "The reports of Jenna McLaren’s demise were premature. Because Jenna–nervous, well-appointed, and very much alive–was sitting in risk manager Vicky Lucci’s office, with a copy of her own death certificate. Now Vicky has to find out how her Denver hospital pronounced Jenna dead . . . and why. For Vicky, the answers come fast and furious–along with a rising tide of mystery, suspicious behavior, and unexplained deaths. With a lucrative job offer dangling in front of her eyes, Vicky may be leaving the medical center just in the nick of time. On the other hand, with lies, secrets, and the promise of an unproven miracle drug swirling all around her, Vicky may be doing just what a killer ordered: leaving the heat–for the fire. . . ."

Only Okay: The least liked of the three, we found the protagonist somewhat annoying. The story was bogged down in unnecessary detail.

Books for February 4th, 2003 are:

MURPHY'S LAW - Rhys Bowen THE SHAPE OF WATER - Andrea Camilleri
DANTES' INFERNO - Sarah Lovett

Books for March 4th, 2003 (all historicals) are:

CUT TO THE QUICK - Kate Ross THE MUSIC OF THE SPHERES - Elizabeth Redfern
TO WEAR THE WHITE CLOAK - Sharan Newman