This isn’t a mystery - but it is a book that I thought about a lot after I read it. Publisher’s Weekly can tell you about the book better than I could:

Neches presents in her appealingly unorthodox debut a heaven where angels lust, drink and follow terrestrial celebrity gossip. Skye Sebring is a greeter in the Hospitality Department of Heaven who finds herself drawn to the Earthly Pleasures TV channel (reality TV for Heaven dwellers) after she welcomes the handsome, reformed playboy Ryan Bad Boy Blaine to the pearly gates. The lawyer son of a former president, Ryan's stay in heaven is cut short (his death is more of the brush-with-death variety), but he can't forget Skye, who reminds him of someone he knew. The feeling is mutual for Skye, who follows Ryan back to Earth, where it's pretty apparent there's something strange going on with Ryan's wife, Susan, who is planning a huge gala wedding follow-up to their earlier low-key impromptu nuptials. As Skye investigates her connection with Ryan and Ryan looks into what's causing his wife's strange behavior (he also forms a radio call-in show habit), a tangled story of cold ambition and true love unspools. Neches's funny and sweet novel shows that to err is human and angelic as well.

Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

When I asked Karen Neches how she got the idea for this book, she sent me the following:

"One day this crazy thought came to me 'Bridget Jones meets Lovely Bones.' In other words, I wanted to write a lighthearted novel set in Heaven. Also when I wrote the novel I'd just gotten married so I was intrigued by the idea of a love that reaches across the dimensions. I loved designing my very own Heaven with bathtubs that fill up with Perrier and rose petals, an unlimited supply of nonfattening chocolate, and champagne without consequences."

I highly recommend the book!.

Check out her web site at KarenNeches.com.

Again, not mysteries but books to be read and re-read many times. The stories are set in Ballybucklebo, Ireland, a fictional Irish village in rural Ulster in 1964.

Some short reviews:

"In a style joyously reminiscent of James Herriot, Dr. Taylor conjures up the rural Irish town of Ballybucklebo that is a pleasure to visit and very difficult to leave. I had a hoot following the humorous and at time poignant exploits of the irascible family doctor, Fingal O’Reilly, and his young, wide-eyed (and very urban) apprentice, Barry Laverty, as they confront all manner of man and beast in the eccentric but lovable town. I can hardly wait for more." ­ Daniel Kalla, international bestselling author of Rage Therapy

"Wraps you in the sensations of a vanished time and place. Like Barry Laverty [the hero of the novel] you join the household. You meet his eccentric housekeeper, Kinky (short for ‘Mrs. Kinkaid’), who tends to come bustling in with a tray, saying things like: ‘Tea, and bit of toasted, buttered barmbrack." ­ Vancouver Sun

"With an unerring eye for detail, the talents of a natural storyteller and the ability to pepper his anecdotes with large doses of wit and humor, Patrick Taylor has written a delightful novel... the lives of the engaging and eccentric townspeople, whose hilarious mishaps provide a perfect foil for the endeavors of the town’s medical men." ­ Calgary Herald

These are books to curl up with on a rainy weekend - good stories and wonderful characters.

Napoleon Publishing is a Canadian publisher which has produced some excellent books from some excellent writers. R. J. Harlick was new to me but once I read her first book, I was hooked on the series. I asked her to give me something that I could put in the newsletter. She sent the following:

The Meg Harris Mystery series by R.J. Harlick

This unique series is set in the wilds of West Quebec, where trees outnumber people a million to one and lakes a thousand to one. The main protagonist, Meg Harris, fled the big city and a failed marriage to heal her bruised soul on the idyllic shores of Echo Lake, where her struggles to establish a new life are helped by her new friends, the Migiskin Algonquin. But as the seasons change, her much sought for peace is invariably interrupted by injustice and murder. Unable to ignore it, she becomes enmeshed in a quagmire of murderous intrigue and finds herself racing to catch the real killer before it’s too late. The first two books in the series are Death’s Golden Whisper and Red Ice for a Shroud

.

In the 3rd book, The River Runs Orange, Meg Harris discovers the remains of a woman whose very existence takes the archeological world by storm. But when her neighbours, the Migiskin Algonquin, declare their rights to the ancient bones, Meg becomes embroiled in a fight that pits ancient beliefs against modern ones and can only lead to murder. As Meg races to catch the killer, she finds herself once more daring the river’s fury, this time with an added danger, a raging forest fire.

.

When I set out to write the Meg Harris series, I wanted to make the setting an integral part of the story. I chose a setting I know and love well, the endless lakes, rivers and forests of West Quebec that stretch northward from the shores of the Ottawa River.

I wanted a series character that did more than solve murders. I wanted someone to whom readers could late, someone who faced the same obstacles we all do in our daily lives and didn’t always deal with them effectively. Thus Meg Harris was born. She drinks a little too much, is afraid of the dark, yet she lives alone at Three Deer Point, the isolated Victorian cottage she inherited from her Great-aunt Agatha. Her only companion is Sergei, a giant poodle and a wimpy one at that.

With this series I also wanted to bring alive to my readers the culture of the Algonquin, a people that have inhabited this land for thousands of years. And so the Fishhook People or Migiskan Anishinabeg, as they prefer to call themselves, came into being. I explore the challenges facing the Algonquin today and the ancient customs that help to root them to the land the Creator gave in their care.

I was curious about this book after reading the title. I couldn't imagine how the sobriety of an alcoholic could generate an interesting mystery. Elizabeth Zelin found a way and I found that I really enjoyed it. Elizabeth was kind \ enough to send me some information on the book:

"Don’t drink, go to meetings... and investigate a murder. When Bruce Kohler wakes up in detox on the Bowery on Christmas Day, his biggest fear is dying of boredom if he stays sober. Instead, he’s catapulted not only into a murder investigation but also into the world of recovery in the 12-step programs in New York.

When a detox buddy unexpectedly dies in the next bed, Bruce cares more than he expected to. It’s only a few stops on the subway to Park Avenue, where the victim’s family has been trying to ignore their alcoholic black sheep, with his trust fund, his unfortunate nasty streak, and his knowledge of the family secrets.

Helping Bruce stay sober and find the killer are two friends he thought he’d lost: a computer wiz and history buff who loves AA and the world’s most codependent addictions counselor, always ready to help and mind everybody’s business. Their sleuthing takes them from the corporate towers to the church basements of New York."

Elizabeth Zelvin is a New York City psychotherapist who has directed alcohol treatment programs, including one on the Bowery. She has written and lectured widely on addictions, codependency, and online mental health. Currently she does online therapy at LZcybershrink.com. Liz says, "I read and love mysteries myself, and I also wanted to pay tribute to the courage and honesty of people in recovery." Visit Liz’s author website at ElizabethZelvin.com

When I started reading the first book in this series (this is the third book) I wasn’t certain I would like it since I don’t normally read ‘thrillers’. I was very wrong in hesitating because the book grabbed my attention at the beginning and didn’t let go until the end!

Joe DeMarco’s title is "Counsel Pro Tem for Liaison Affairs," but he really works for John Fitzpatrick Mahoney, Speaker of the House, on any projects that can’t be traced back to Mahoney. All the stock government types are here, but Lawson's craft, intelligence and humor turn these ho-hum regulars into characters worth savoring. DeMarco himself is perfectly human, prey to all the species' frailties and tremendously appealing. The bad guys are sufficiently evil, the plot properly labyrinthine, the solution to the mystery completely satisfying.

The first book is The Inside Ring and the second is The Second Perimeter. I suggest reading the series in order. Highly recommended!

I was so glad to find out that Carolyn had a new Sarah Booth Delaney book coming out the end of June. The series is wonderful.

Southern gal Sarah Booth Delaney packs up her hound dog and her P.I. business and sets off for Hollywood to take a shot at stardom. No stranger to acting, she aces the screen test for a racy remake of the movie Body Heat alongside leading man Graf Miliau. The chemistry between them is undeniable, and why not? Graf has already starred in one of Sarah’s previous affairs and is well on his way to landing a big part in the sequel.

Thrilled as Sarah is, her dream come true comes at a price. She has to leave behind her family’s ancestral home in Mississippi, her closest friends, and the possibility of settling down with her longtime love to film on location in Costa Rica. And it’s not long before rivalries flare, mysterious accidents occur, and this leading lady finds herself in some steamy tabloids without turning up in a single frame of film

Carolyn Haines’s Wishbones takes the sultry romance and colorful friendships of this delightfully Southern series and heads out west for a mystery that is as thrilling off camera as it is on.

Many of you know how much I like the Elizabeth Goodweather series. And I know that many of you who were uncertain about the first book, Signs in the Blood., returned for book 2 and then book 3, etc, This is the fourth book to bring the reader into the Appalachians and Elizabeth’s family and friends. I read this one in one sitting. The great news is that the book was #7 for May on the Southern Impendent Bookseller list - and the book just came out the middle of May!.

A description of the book:

In a North Carolina winter, new vistas appear through the bare trees. For Elizabeth Goodweather of Full Circle Farm, still a newcomer after more than twenty years, one terrible glimpse ignites a mystery that reaches back years into these hills, drawing together dozens of seemingly unconnected lives. Elizabeth sees a frail old woman on a high porch where dolls hang by twine. When the woman jumps, and Elizabeth reacts, there is no turning back.

Nola Barrett’s ancient, sprawling house is spewing a dark past: of depravity, scandal and murder. Her land is at the center of multiple mysteries, ranging from a suspicious death to the brutal rape of a young woman to the legend of a handsome youth hanged for murder. But with Nola recovering from her self-inflicted wounds, Elizabeth has inherited her mad, violent drama ­ while a killer has a perfect view of it all...

If you haven’t tried her books and you like mysteries set in the Appalachian Mountains, you are in for a treat with this series.

I wanted this book to be another in the Poetic Death series which starts with High Rhymes and Misdemeanors. When I found out that it was the first in another series I didn’t want to read this book - but I realized I was being childish. So I started this book - and was I ever glad that I did!! It's a keeper. The mystery is written well - the clues are more than fair but I still didn’t figure out who did it until the end of the book. All of the characters are believable and when I finished the book, I felt like I had read about real people.

Ever since Andy (her husband) ditched her - for another man - A.J. Alexander hasn't exactly been on the road to inner peace. Then Dianta Mason, her yoga-guru aunt, is found dead, and A.J. is named the sole heir to her lucrative yoga studio-making her a multimillionaire, a prime suspect, and the killer's next target.

A new book in the Poetic Death series will be out in spring of 2009. If you haven't read the series, now is the time to start with High Rhymes and Misdemeanors and while you are waiting read the start of a great new series.

The North American Branch of the International Association of Crime Writers is pleased to announce that The Outlander, by Gil Adamson (House of Anansi Press), has been named the winner of the organization's annual HAMMETT PRIZE for a work of literary excellence in the field of crime writing.

Other books nominated for the 2007 HAMMETT PRIZE were The Yiddish Policemens Union: A Novel, by Michael Chabon (HarperCollins); End Games: An Aurelio Zen Mystery, by Michael Dibdin (1947-2007( (Pantheon); Dahlias Gone: A Novel, by Katie Estill (St. Martins); and Stalins Ghost: An Arkady Renko Novel, by Martin Cruz Smith (Simon & Schuster).

Ms. Adamson received a bronze trophy, designed by West Coast sculptor, Peter Boiger. The award ceremony took place on June 7, in Toronto, during the Bloody Words mystery convention banquet.

I haven't had a chance to read the book but Publisher's Weekly had the following review:

"Starred Review. Set in 1903, Adamson's compelling debut tells the wintry tale of 19-year-old Mary Boulton (widowed by her own hand) and her frantic odyssey across Idaho and Montana. The details of Boulton's sad past ­ an unhappy marriage, a dead child, crippling depression­slowly emerge as she reluctantly ventures into the mountains, struggling to put distance between herself and her two vicious brothers-in-law, who track her like prey in retaliation for her killing of their kin. Boulton's journey and ultimate liberation ­ made all the more captivating by the delirium that runs in the recesses of her mind­speaks to the resilience of the female spirit in the early part of the last century. Lean prose, full-bodied characterization, memorable settings and scenes of hardship all lift this book above the pack. Already established as a writer of poetry (Ashland) and short stories (Help Me, Jacques Cousteau), Adamson also shines as novelist. (Apr.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved."

As you can see, this issue of Cat Scratchings has not been sent via the email tool we were using. This newsletter is an experiment. It is much easier for me to create the newsletter which means I will send more. Feedback would be appreciated. And don't forget to forward this email to your book loving friends!!