First-Hand View of Sheriff Joanna Brady

Partner in Crime is the latest book I have read in the Sheriff Joanna Brady series by J.A. Jance. This book brings another character from another of Jance's series into it - J.P. Beaumont. I have not read books in the other series yet but I probably will now.

It is interesting how Jance uses Beau (one way he prefers to be called) in this book. We get a view of Joanna Brady from Beau in a first-hand account. In other words, we hear what Beau thinks about Joanna. He visualizes the way Joanna looks in her uniform. He also compares her to one of his teachers.

At first he sees her as a woman trying to keep him from doing his job. Later in the book, his view of her changes. He begins to see the way Joanna does her job professionally as well as intelligently. Joanna also realizes how good J.P. (another way he prefers to be referred to) is.

I have not really discussed the story in this book and there was a part I was uncomfortable with at first. Close to the end Joanna and Beau embrace (and kiss) with some passion. They realize this should be a one time thing and move on from there. Joanna thinks how important Butch - her new husband - is to her. Beau doesn't want to be the cause of turmoil in Joanna's life. This brief "affair" points out how "human"/"real" the characters are. And the way they move on from this incident, we see they have "real" character.

I imagine I will go back to the beginning and read the J.P. Beaumont series now that I have been introduced to him. I wonder??? Could this be the reason these two characters were put together in this book - to get crossover readers?? Smart move!!!

Discovering A Buffet

I love buffets. There is always a variety to select from at a buffet. You can sample several things from the buffet and determine which items you like and which ones you want seconds on. I discovered a book that is like a buffet – a buffet of Texas sleuths. The title of the book is Lone Star Sleuths – An Anthology of Texas Crime Fiction.

This book is a buffet in several ways. First it is a buffet by the way it is organized. Instead of having entrees together, vegetable dishes together, desserts together, etc. , it has divisions by the Texas regions the writing takes place in. These groupings include: El Paso and West Texas; Austin and the Hill country; Houston and the Gulf Coast; Dallas, Fort Worth, and the Panhandle; San Antonio and South Texas; Small Town Texas; and (not a region) End of The Road. The selections in each of the sections give you the feeling of the area.

It is also a buffet in the sense it gives you a taste of the style of the represented writers. These are not complete stories. They are only a piece of the story. They give you a taste of the author and you can decide which authors you want to read more from.

The selection also introduces you to the sleuths. You learn a little about them – their backgrounds, their jobs, their personalities. This is another factor that helps you decide which sleuths you want to read more about.

I was familiar with and have read some of these authors/sleuths represented in this book. I have enjoyed reading Susan Wittig Albert’s China Bayles (a herb shop owner); Ben Rehder’s John Marlin (a game warden); Rick Riordin’s Tres Navarre (a part time professor); and Bill Crider’s Dan Rhodes (a sheriff in Blacklin County).

I discovered a few more author and sleuths in this collection I want to read more about. Some I have heard about before but have not read before. For example, I have heard about Kinky Friedman before. The book had a small excerpt from one of his books in it and I thought it was a good enough sample that I want to read more from him. I was introduced to some writers (and their sleuths) I have not heard or read from yet that I also intend to read more of. Some of these include: Nevada Barr’s Anna Pigeon (a park ranger); Jeff Abbott’s Jordan Poteet (a librarian); Paula Boyd’s Joleen Boyd (a newspaper writer); and D.R. Meridith’s Charles Timothy Matthews ( a sheriff).

There are several other of these authors I would like to read more from – given the time. This book has given me an introduction to what I like best – Texas Authors, Texas Sleuths, and mysteries in Texas locations. It is not hard to see my interest in reading Texas literature.

Intervention (?) in Black Cherry Blues

This month our mystery book discussion group chose to read James Lee Burke’s Black Cherry Blues. This is the third book in the Dave Robicheaux series. Did intervention of spirits help solve this mystery?

To learn more about this neighbor (Robicheaux is from Louisiana) I started with the two previous books in the series. Robicheaux is a Cajun raised in Louisiana with his brother by his dad. He was raised with a Catholic background. His father died in a oil rig accident.

In the first book, we learn the following about him. He is a New Orleans cop to start the series. After some trouble he leaves the force at the end of the first book. We also learn he is a Vietnam vet. His experiences in Vietnam have affected him. Finally we learn he is a recovering alcoholic.

More of life’s experiences affect him in the second book in the series. He met his to be wife in the first book and started a new life with his wife and a boat and bait shop. He finds and rescues a little girl from a downed plane. He and his wife take the little girl in as their own. The downed plane brings him more trouble which results in the murder of his wife.

In the third book of this series, Dave finds himself in more trouble after his “adopted” daughter is threatened. He beats up the guys who threatened his daughter and one of them ends up dead. He ends up being charged with the murder.

In order to overcome the charges, he goes to Montana to find something about the guy who would be the witness against him – that guy murdered two Indians in Montana. The sister of one of the two indians gets murdered when it appears Dave is on to something.

Dave suspected this but had a problem being able to prove it. He learns some things about the guy but does no put it all together until three spirits intervene to point him in the right direction. These spirits – his deceased father, his deceased wife, and the murdered girl friend of his former partner – give him the clues to break the case. But the question is did spirits really give him the clues? I think this is how his mind worked to solve the mystery. The visions were creations of his depression and previous problem with drinking. But it was his desire to protect his adopted daughter that helped him to prevail.

James Lee Burke has a website at www.jamesleeburke.com .

Buns and Roses

Some of the members of my discussion group (and my wife) attended an event – the second annual Buns and Roses Romance Tea for Literacy. They were scheduled at the table of author Brenda Novak who in addition to writing romance novels also wrote a series starting with Dead Silence. I decided I would read this book. Is this book a mystery? Well … not really. Technically it is classified a romantic suspense novel. It does not have a typical “sleuth” which is generally associated with a mystery. Is there a mystery? Yes there is – what happened to and where is Reverend Barker a respected member of the Stillwater community who disappeared some 16 years earlier than the book. But it is no mystery to the Montgomery family.

Most of the Stillwater community suspect murder and still believe the Montgomery family is responsible. Grace Montgomery who left Stillwater 13 years ago and became a successful assistant D.A. is returning to Stillwater for a visit. In spite of her success, most of the community still thinks she is trash. We learn in this book why the there is this image of her and the underlying reason. As a young kid, she had been abused by her stepfather – the reverend. As a result she had a very low esteem as a teenager and fell into a trap of getting approval by letting the boys have sex with her. Yes this is fiction but it is not unusual for the same thing to happen when a kid is molested. Grace Montgomery’s return restirs the suspicions of the community that the Reverend was murdered by the Montgomery family. We learn what the Montgomery family knows about the death of the Reverend. But was he murdered?

We learn the circumstances leading up to his death. Giving this information, we understand why it happened. I am no lawyer but it would be my opinion that no legal charge of murder should be made. But given the attitude of the community and their feelings towards the reverend, the Montgomery family feels alone. However, they learn they have allies. And when you think the truth (that the reverend is buried on the family property) is going to come out, it still remains a secret. In the end Grace gets some peace in knowing she was not responsible for what the reverend did to her. Also she finds love and a family. But since this is the first in the trilogy, this is obviously not the end.

Even though this was not what I consider a mystery, I enjoyed the book and will probably read the other two books in the trilogy.

List of Some Favorite Texas Mysteries

As requested, Here is a list of Texas Mystery Authors I have read. TTT indicates the author is in Texas, the sleuth is a Texan, and the books generally take place in Texas. Let me know of any you might be aware of - I am always looking for more.

TTT. Texas Author – Susan Wittig Albert; Texan Sleuth – China Bayles is a former lawyer from Houston, Texas who moves to become a herb shop owner; Texas Location – Pecan Springs. Books Include: Thyme of Death (1992); Witches’ Bane (1993); Hangman’s Root (1994); Rosemary Remembered (1995); Rueful Death (1996); Love Lies Bleeding (1997); Chili Death (1998); Lavender Lies (1999); Mistletoe Man (2000); Bloodroot (2001); Indigo Dying (2003); A Dilly of a Death (2004); Dead Man’s Bones (2005); Bleeding Hearts (2006); Spanish Dagger (2007); and An Unthymely Death (2003).

TTT. Texas Author – Jay Brandon; Texan Sleuth – Mark Blackwell is the District Attorney in San Antonio, TX; Texas Location – San Antonio. Books Include: Fade the Heat (1990) and Loose Among the Lambs (1993).

TTT. Texas Author – Jay Brandon; Texan Sleuth – John Marshall (Lawyer); Texas Location – Green Hills. Local Rules (1995).

TTT. Texas Author – Jay Brandon; Texan Sleuth – John Marshall (Criminal Lawyer); Texas Location – San Antonio, Tx. Books Include: Rules Of Evidence (1992).

TTT. Texas Author – Jay Brandon; Texan Sleuth –Chris Sinclair is a San Antonio District Attorney; Texas Location – San Antonio, TX. Books Include Angel of Death(1998); After-Image (2000); Silver Moon (2004); Grudge Match (2004); and Running With The Dead (2006).

TTT. Texas Author – Bill Crider; Texan Sleuth - Dr Sally Good is the Dept Head at Hughes Community College; Texas Location – Hughes, TX. Books Include: Murder is An Art (1999); A knife In The Back (2002); and A Bond With Death (2004).

TTT. Texas Author – Bill Crider; Texan Sleuth - Carl Burns is a college professor; Texas Location - Pecan City, TX. Books Include: One Dead Dean (1988); Dying Voices (1989); A Dangerous Thing (1994); and Dead Soldiers (2004).

TTT. Texas Author – Bill Crider; Texan Sleuth - Truman Smith is a PI; Texas Location - Galveston, TX. Books Include: Dead On The Island (1991); Gator Kill (1992); When Old Men Die (1994); The Prairie chicken Kill (1996); and Murder Takes A Break (1997).

TTT. Texas Author – Bill Crider; Texan Sleuth - Dan Rhodes is a Sheriff; Texas location - Blacklin County, TX. Books Include: Buster (1991); The Empty Manger (2001); Chocolate Moose (2001); Too Late To Die (1986); Shotgun Saturday night (1987); Cursed To Death (1988); Death On the Move (1989); Evil At the root (1990); Booked For A Hanging (1992); Murder most fowl (1994); Winning Can Be Murder (1996); Death by accident (1998); A Ghost Of A Chance (); A romantic Way To Die (2001); Red, White And Blue Murder (2003); A Mammoth Murder (2005); and Murder Among the Owls (2007).

TTT. Texas Author – Ben Rehder; Texan Sleuth – John Marlin is a game warden; Texas Location - Blanco County, TX. Books Include: Buck Fever (2003); Bone Dry (2004); Flat Crazy (2005); and Guilt Trip (2006).

TTT. Texas Author – Chris Rogers; Texan Sleuth - Dixie Flanagan is a bounty hunter; Texas Location - Houston, TX. Books Include: Bitch Factor (1998); Rage Factor (1999); Chill Factor (2000); and Slice of Life – an online book (2003).

TTT. Texas Author – Barbara Burnett Smith; Texan Sleuth - Cassie Fletcher is a radio personality; Texas Location - Austin, TX. Books Include: Mauve and Murder (2000).

TTT. Texas Author – Barbara Burnett Smith; Texan Sleuth - Jolie Wyatt is an aspiring writer and newscast producer; Texas location - Purple Sage, TX. Books Include: Writers of the Purple Sage (1994); Dust devils of The Purple Sage (1995); Celebration In Purple Sage (1996); Mistletoe From Purple Sage (1997); and Skeletons In Purple Sage (2002).

TTT. Texas Author – Barbara Burnett Smith; Texan Sleuth - Kitzi Camden is a retired politician and public speaker trainer; Texas Location - in Camp Green Clover, TX. Books Include: Bead on Trouble (2005); Beads of Doubt (2007) (completed by Karen MacInerney –another Texas Author).

TT. Texas Author – Karen MacInerney; Texan Sleuth - Natalie Barnes retired from state job in Texas to buy and operate the Gray Whale Inn; Location - Cranberry Island, Maine. Books Include: Murder on The Rocks (2006) and Dead And Berried (2007).

TTT. Texas Author – Leann Sweeney; Texan Sleuth -Abby Rose is a Texas heiress who becomes an adoption PI in the Yellow Rose mystery series; Texas Locations – Houston, Tx. Books Include: Pick Your Poison (2004); A Wedding To die For (2005); Dead Giveaway (2005); and Shoot from the Lip (2007).

TTT. Texas Author – Rick Riordan ; Texan Sleuth - Tres Navarre is a private eye, martial arts master and English Ph.D. in medieval literature; Texas Location - San Antonio, TX. Books Include: Big Red Tequilla (1997); Widower’s Two Step (1998); The last King in Texas (2001); The Devil Went Down to Austin (2002); Cold Springs (2004); South Town (2004); Mission Road (2006); and Rebel Island (Aug 28, 2007).