Gerry Boyle, author of a dozen mystery books, is the guest speaker at an open meeting on Thursday evening, January 28, at 6:30 pm at the Manchester Public Library (MA!). Boyle will speak briefly about his own background as a journalist and how those experiences shaped his mystery novels. His chief character is Jack McMorrow, a fictional reporter who has settled in central Maine after several years in New York … Continue reading
The instigation for this Mystery Book Club field trip on Friday August 28, 2015, comes from Robert Parker’s Back Story, chapter 13. So we might as well start with that; then the pictures: The theater was dark on Mondays, and I took Paul to dinner at the world’s greatest restaurant, which is, of course, The Agawam Diner in Rowley. The place was always crowded for breakfast and lunch, but on a Monday … Continue reading
I made two expeditions to Boston this summer, to explore things related to Edgar Allan Poe in Boston. The first was with members of the Mystery Book Club on June 24, 2015. After taking the Salem ferry to Long Wharf, eating at Jacob Wirth’s (near the fictional Spenser’s first office), we then walked two blocks to view Stefanie Rocknak’s sculpture, “Poe Returning to Boston,” unveiled on October 5th, 2014, by the … Continue reading
Our Mystery Book Club kicked off our year to remember Edgar Allan Poe at its annual picnic on June 26, 2015. Among Poe’s many contributions to literature during his short life (1809-1949) were stories that may have kicked off the private detective genre and the dark tale or noir genre. At the picnic, Mike O’Connor shared a bottle of Amontillado with the members, and then offered a toast to Poe that included references … Continue reading
It was Wednesday, September 17, 20014 and 8 members of the Manchester Public Library Mystery Book Club stepped up into the COA van to find Robert Parker’s famous character Spenser where he lived and worked – in Boston and Cambridge. I had been planning the field trip for more than six months, since February. In August, some of the Mystery Book Club members participated in what we called Spenser Tour #1. … Continue reading
I read the The 500 in three sittings: Thursday evening, Friday afternoon, and Friday evening. Apart from going to the Mystery book club meeting and sleeping, it was continuous. So, yep, it was a page-turner. It is a book that is similar to The Firm (Grisham) and Paranoia (Finder) but instead of the lead character becoming enmeshed in a law firm or a high tech company, it is a lobbying … Continue reading
What do you see in the famous illustration on the right: The vase or the two faces? It depends, right? So it was today as I reflected on The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax, the book by Dorothy Gilman that our mystery book club read for February and that we met to discuss today. While I am a mystery book fan and a lover of thrillers and police procedurals, my wife is … Continue reading
Just read a brief review in the front of a book I received as a gift yesterday. The book is The Darkening Field by William Ryan. The review excerpt is from the Times Literary Supplement (UK): Ryan writes with narrative drive and urgency, real sense of place, and a central character who is conflicted, moral, and above all, likeable. Any one of these things is a rarity; the combination is … Continue reading
A wonderful capture of what makes Elmore Leonard’s writing “work.” All 46 books! Pay attention to presenter Martin Amis as he talks about Leonard’s style. Priceless! And as Elmore Leonard describes the influences on his writing. And how this award has re-energized him! Elmore Leonard receives the 2012 DCAL from National Book Foundation on Vimeo. From the National Book Foundation web page: New York, New York (September 19, 2012) – … Continue reading
One of my fellow mystery book lovers stunned me during our last Mystery Book Club discussion – the club I attend in Manchester, Massachusetts. He asked/exclaimed, “Why do you have to compare books?” In my mind, I’m thinking, “That’s more than half the fun of our meetings, the source of much fun, laughter, and thoughtfulness. What’s Joe’s problem?” I didn’t say that exactly, but my thoughts then and immediately afterward … Continue reading
LET'S PLAY CLUE: Was it MBC Leader Dick Goutal, in the garden, using the poisonous plant, Black Henbane?
