Blog Posts by David

"Dead Head" by Rosemary Harris
Minotaur/Thomas Dunne, 245 pp., $24.99
Reviewed by David Marshall James


After slinging dirt as an NYC TV-infotainment producer, Paula Holliday decided to run her hands through it instead, and to earn a living in so doing.

So she relocated to small-town Connecticut and became a landscaper, only to discover that it's not all about the "land," it's about the "caper" as well.

Aptly, her personal enterprise is called "Dirty Business" (as is this mystery series, now numbering three volumes). When one hangs around enough yardscapes, one's certainly going to uncover some figurative dirt along with the literal.

Author Rosemary Harris has cultivated this potential-laden premise for a mystery series, applying ample amounts of witty repartee. Most of it's found at the Paradise Diner in downtown Springfield, CT, courtesy of earthy proprietress Babe Chinnery, a onetime rock 'n' roll backup singer who, along with her now-deceased husband, put down roots in a

"Mint Juleps, Mayhem, and Murder"
by Sara Rosett
Kensington, 260 pp., $22
Reviewed by David Marshall James


Although this is the fifth entry in a series tagged "Mom Zone," don't allow that to be off-putting if you're not a mom, much less in the zone.

The protagonist, Ellie Avery, does have a son still in diapers and a daughter who's just begun kindergarten, but they're not the thrust of the proceedings.

More important are Ellie's role as an Air Force wife and her part-time work as a professional organizer.

Furthermore, the murder mystery here cuts close to home, as Ellie's husband, Maj. Mitch Avery, becomes the target of the killer, so it's only natural that she begins prying into the lives of the on- and off-base suspects, particularly upon the victim's widow's request.

The deceased squadron commander at Taylor AFB in fictitious North Dawkins, Georgia, two hours south of Atlanta, is strangled in a country-club parking lot following his usual round of Friday afternoon golf.

"Laughed 'Til He Died" by Carolyn Hart
William Morrow, 282 pp., $24.95
Reviewed by David Marshall James

Whether or not anyone has defined a "cozy" mystery, here's a stab (or a shot, if you will): A mystery novel that you wouldn't be embarrassed to share with your twelve-year-old daughter, your mother, and your grandmother.

(Unless, of course, it was stultifyingly awful.)

The chief attribute of a cozy, then, would be that nothing's too graphic, neither the sex nor the guts.

Carolyn Hart's three mystery series-- "Death on Demand," "Henrie O," and "Bailey Ruth Raeburn"-- prove more cozy than not. Hart simply doesn't truck in four-letter "bombs."

The Death on Demand series, which now numbers twenty volumes, thanks to this title, has emerged as Hart's most popular group. largely owing to a well-developed cast of returning characters and sense of place. (For a fuller account of both characters and setting, kindly refer to the earlier review of "Dare to Die," the previous Death on

"Jane's Fame" by Claire Harman
Henry Holt, 277 pp., $26
Reviewed by David Marshall James


This intensive, well-documented study of how Jane Austen's fame grew, truly exponentially, from that of a teenager penning stories and satires for strictly "en famille" entertainment to that of an international literary phenomenon (over the course of two centuries, plus one decade and counting) is aptly subtitled: "How Jane Austen conquered the World."

Not that that was her original intent, though surely she would not disapprove of the outcome, particularly if she still held the copyrights to a few of her six novels. For her undisputed desire to be published demonstrates that she sought recognition for work, along with the monetary rewards.

Unlike her novels' heroines-- most of whom are dependent upon marrying well, or else subsisting on the largesse of (male) family members-- Jane knew her own "wedded bliss" would come with a loving marriage between her readers and her novels.

As author

"Caught" by Harlan Coben
Dutton, 388 pp., $27.95
Reviewed by David Marshall James

Precious few thriller writers produce novels that are as highly readable and entertaining as Harlan Coben's.

Moreover, he always raises multiple-discussion-group-meetings' worth of ethical questions, challenging readers to place themselves in a character's position, then to respond, truthfully, to the resulting, "Would you have done differently, regardless of the illegalities involved?"

How far would you go to protect your spouse and children? Your friends and loved ones? Your reputation?

Coben often sets his novels in suburban New Jersey-- in "Caught," the setting is Kasselton. Nevertheless, the locale could be Suburbia, USA, heavy on "school-centric" lifestyles, with eyes on the prize of first choice for college matriculation, with parents practically living in their SUVs as they wait in car lines or shepherd their charges to and from extracurricular activities.

"The Highly Effective Detective Plays the Fool"
by Richard Yancey
Minotaur/Thomas Dunne, 261 pp., $24.99
Reviewed by David Marshall James


Teddy Ruzak is torn between being a P.I. and a knight in shining armor to those in distress.

Ergo, his hope springs eternal that vocation and avocation aren't mutually exclusive.

Actually, Teddy-- a 34-year-old Knoxvillean (as in Tennessean, in broader terms, which suit his physical stature, fed by a penchant for juicy burgers, roast-beef sandwiches, Krispy-Kremes, and almost anything fried)-- already has the Sir Galahad bit down pat.

As for the P.I. part, he's still struggling with state-law-enforcement agent Walter Hinton, who's been attempting to shut down Teddy's agency (with brief, intermittent successes), while Teddy plays semantics roulette, renaming the business, re-lettering the glass door, and then re-opening (might help if he changed buildings, but why move when you're in a really cool one?).

If only Teddy would lay down his sword

"The Highly Effective Detective Goes to the Dogs"
by Richard Yancey
Thomas Dunne/St. Martin's Minotaur, 329 pp., $24.95
Reviewed by David Marshall James


P.I.-wannabe-so-bad-he-already-has-an-office-and-a-secretary Teddy Ruzak of Knoxville, Tennessee, is watching too much Discovery TV.

And/or has been living by himself too long.

Then again, it could all boil down to his eating too much bacon-- naw, everybody knows bacon is soul food.

Still, Ruzak is bent on pondering the unanswerable. Is there a soul? If so, what happens to it at death? Is it just a big dirt nap, or is there a bright light at the end of the tunnel? And it doesn't stop there. Teddy wants to know how the universe began, and if, as String Theory would have it, there are many parallel universes woven into a single strand.

It doesn't help that Teddy recently lost his mother, and now his job has been yanked out from under him. However, all he has to do to reclaim it is to satisfy the state of Tennessee's requirements

"Bellfield Hall" by Anna Dean
Minotaur/Thomas Dunne
300 pp., $23.95
Reviewed by David Marshall James

Everything about British author Anna Dean's debut novel (first published in the U.K. as "A Moment of Silence") emerges as remarkable, from its multilayered plot, to its felicitously crafted characters, to its fine period setting and speech.

Speaking of that speech-- the dialogue suits its speakers most commodiously, always serving to further define their personalities.

The time is 1805; the place, Regency England. It's the era about which Jane Austen writes. To be sure, those who favor Miss Austen's novels should fall right in with Ms. Dean's story, for her protagonist, Miss Dido Kent, is an unmarried woman somewhat past her prime for plucking (although certainly not completely beyond it) dependent upon the largesse of her brothers for support.

As with many of Austen's middle-class female characters, Dido must go where she is needed: whether to stay with an ailing relative, to