S&S Book Club: Carol Goodman’s Blythewood
Tina & Jen chat about Tina’s pick: Carol Goodman’s Blythewood. Tina says: I chose Blythewood because I was the lucky moderator with the talented Carol Goodman was a panel participant. Blythewood is atmospheric and chock full of charm and charms
What We’re Reading: April 2023
A look over our shoulders to see what the women behind Sleuths & Sidekicks read this month.
Detectives with Disabilities
Lida writes: March is National Disability Awareness Month – making this the perfect time to spotlight a few mysteries and thrillers featuring expert case-crackers with disabilities.
Picture a Mystery: Elizabeth Peters’ The Curse of the Pharaohs
Carol writes: In The Curse of the Pharaohs by Elizabeth Peters, Victorian Egyptologists Amelia Peabody Emerson and her husband Radcliffe travel from London to the Valley of the Kings, in Egypt, to continue the excavation of a tomb after the previous archeologist died under suspicious circumstances. They travel the Nile River sailing past the Temples of Luxor and Karnak, past Queen Hatshepsut’s Mortuary Temple at Deir el-Bahri, toward the Temple at Abu Simbel. Readers interested in ancient Egypt will enjoy the luscious descriptions of these wonders.
One Image, Two Story Ideas: Woman Walking At Night
Jen and Tina love writing prompts. This month’s photo of a woman walking at night take them to a former revolutionary on the run and an underdog sibling helping clear her sister’s name.
What I (Really) Write About When I Write About Murder
Tina writes: I write a mystery series set in the fictitious town of Batavia-on-Hudson. Ostensibly I am writing about murder, but in reality, I am writing about the villagers. The murder, the investigation, the red herrings, the mis-direction are all there to unearth the motivations, the fears, the aspirations and the growth of my characters.
S&S Book Club: Deanna Raybourn’s A Curious Beginning
Tina, Jen, Lida & Carol chat about Lida’s pick: Deanna Raybourn’s A Curious Beginning, #1 in the Veronica Speedwell Mysteries. Lida says: Always on the lookout for a read with action, snappy dialogue, and a mystery, I happened upon A Curious Beginning. An author new to me, I was very pleasantly surprised.
What We’re Reading: March 2023
A look over our shoulders to see what the women behind Sleuths & Sidekicks read this month.
Picture a Mystery: Robert Galbraith’s Lethal White
Carol writes: In Lethal White, the fourth Cormorant Strike mystery by Robert Galbraith (pen name of J.K. Rowling), a government minister hires Strike and his partner Robin to investigate blackmail. In search of inside information and to install a listening device in a member’s office, Robin goes undercover in the Houses of Parliament. The case explodes into a murder investigation and has the detectives crisscrossing London. The mystery reaches a climax on a canal boat in the historic and picturesque area of Little Venice.
Unwinding with Hallmark TV Mysteries: Four Favorites
Lida writes: The pandemic resulted in lifestyle changes for some of us, including me. One such change occurred in the type of television mysteries I watch. Now, it’s Hallmark Mysteries. Why? I’ve found most of them to be perfectly enjoyable tonics for sleep.
One Image, Two Story Ideas: Person in the Snow
Jen and Tina love writing prompts. This month’s photo of a person in the snow takes Jen to the nefarious doings in a faraway city where it’s winter ten months a year and Tina to a nanny who reinvents herself by preying on the socialites she once catered to.
S&S Book Club: Barbara Neely’s Blanche on the Lam
Tina, Lida & Carol chat about Jen’s pick: Barbara Neely’s Blanche on the Lam. Jen says: Barbara Neely is a celebrated African American mystery writer, and when her name came up at a recent Sisters in Crime Chicagoland meeting, I realized it was time for me to finally pick up one of her books, and I’m so glad that I did.
Who Says Research Isn’t Fun?
Carol writes: I’m currently working on the manuscript for RSVP to Murder, the 4th book in my Blackwell & Watson Time-Travel Mysteries, and wanted to learn about horse-drawn sleigh rides in the winter. I had one of the most fun days I’ve had in ages doing the research.
What We’re Reading: February 2023
A look over our shoulders to see what the women behind Sleuths & Sidekicks read this month.
Picture a Mystery: P.A. De Voe’s Hidden
Carol writes: To keep her safe, Mei-hua’s magistrate father sends her to Hangzhou after he offends the new Ming Dynasty Emperor. En route, Mei-hua is kidnapped, sold, and forced to work as a servant for a wealthy family. Thus begins Hidden, the first of the YA mystery trilogy by P. A. De Voe, set in ancient China. Books 2 and 3 are: Warned and Trapped.
Getting the Most from Your Library
Jen writes: I’m always amazed when I hear smart, financially savvy friends saying they never go to the library. Some of them seem to think it’s just a place to pick up books for their kids. Others vaguely think it’s a hassle. I couldn’t disagree more. Here are nine ideas for making the most of your local library.
Asian Sleuths
Carol writes: I always enjoy learning about and experiencing a different culture and way of life, and what better than to combine that with reading a good mystery!
S&S Book Club: Chris Pavone’s The Expats
Tina, Lida & Jen chat about Carol’s pick: Chris Pavone’s The Expats. Carol says: The Expats is what I want a thriller to be—a rollercoaster ride of never-ending twists that have me eagerly turning the pages.
One Image, Two Story Ideas: Girl Fishing
Jen and Tina love writing prompts. This month’s photo of a girl fishing took both Jen and Tina to middle grade mysteries. Tina’s is the fifth installment of a possible 75th Street Girl’s Detective Agency, Jen’s is a group of cousins searching for clues to a lost archaeological site.
Writing on the Collaboration Train
Lida writes: Writing, for the most part, is a solitary act. But only up to a point. Once we’re at the revised manuscript stage (the stage where a writer is not embarrassed to share his/her written words with third parties), writers need a little help.