Review: Vampire: The Richard Chase Murders by Kevin Sullivan

In the 1970s, Richard Chase's murders terrorized Sacramento.  They were brutal, gruesome and random.  The only thing they had in common was a VERY small geographic region.  

Mr. Chase was clearly delusional and drank the blood of some of his victims (hence the moniker of 'Vampire'). 

 The most interesting question I found while reading the book, is how clearly the definition of mental illness versus LEGAL insanity played out in his case.  It was well researched and presented and a very interesting read.

Terri

Top Ten lists and Happy Holidays

Good Morning,

I wanted to start my top ten list early instead of waiting for January. At least my top 3 authors and books. Max McCoy gets top honors for his historical mystery seasons. I can't remember any titles this morning which tells you about my week. 

However moving right along Rhys Bowen's The Twelve Clues Of Christmas takes top honors for her Royal Spyness Christmas Mystery in her series. 

Third place goes to the book The Yard and I mean this book takes place a year after Jack The Ripper did his wicked serial killer ways. Now there is the Murder Squad of Scotland Yard.

After these comes a few more books that I can honestly say I love. Victoria Abbott has a series to die for and all the books (which is two out of three) I have read makes me wish I had written this series. The Sayers Swindle was wonderful as wa The Christie Caper. I want to buy and review The Wolfe Widow. 

This leads me to Leigh Perry's A Skeleton In The Family Series. Now I have to thank Leigh for writing this series as it got me back into writing a cozy series of my own. I think her real name is Toni P. Kelner but I am not sure as the name on this series is Leigh Perry. 

Last but not least this morning is Forget Me Knot it is a quilting mystery series by Mary Marks. 

Now the rest of my list will have to wait until I can find details on the other books. BUT this is a start if you are looking for the perfect books for mystery readers.

Now Terri and I have next week off so I am not sure how often we will blog. However I will be around for the next week and after.

I am so sorry I haven't been blogging lately but I've been sick with pneumonia and am just now getting over it. I am sooo much better that I will say I am well but don't want to jinx it. LOL

Our holiday ought to be as usual interesting. We are leaving earlier tan expected and coming home earlier than expected.

I love and thank all of our readers and followers.

LET your star shine bright. Please tell us when you have time what books have been fun for you to read?

Love,

PAM 

Review: The Thames Torso Murders by MJ Trow

• Print Length: 224 pages
• Publisher: Wharncliffe (August 24, 2012)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0091WB4ZI

The interesting thing about these murders is very few people even know about them. The Ripper crimes totally obscured any coverage or interest. Yet they really are just as gruesome if not more so, since only parts of dismembered bodies were found and most have not been identified. MJ Trow has written some very excellent books on the subject of the Ripper and I was curious to see how he presented this. I was put off a bit by the VERY detailed history of the Thames and its London districts. Too mu The interesting thing about these murders is very few people even know about them. The Ripper crimes totally obscured any coverage or interest. Yet they really are just as gruesome if not more so, since only parts of dismembered bodies were found and most have not been identified. MJ Trow has written some very excellent books on the subject of the Ripper and I was curious to see how he presented this. I was put off a bit by the VERY detailed history of the Thames and its London districts. Too much - information overload. And yet, probably very useful in a deeper understanding of some facets of the case. (Not to mention all the references remind me of current Sherlock locations....) The sad thing is that most of the historical documents and information has been lost (more so than even the Ripper case) so even with the obviously painstaking research done here, it will not be possible to really know much more about this series of murders. But it is interesting and it also tells us about another serial murder loose in London during Victorian times, overlapping with the Ripper's crimes. Terri

Holiady Book Shopping

I hope your holiday shopping leaves everyone with some down time to read. Also don't forget to add book books for the readers in your family.

Okay speaking of books. Last night I made a trek to the public library and here are the books and author I brought home with me.

First is Carolyn Hart's GHOST GONE WILD( A Bailey Ruth Evans Ghost Novel), 

Then is, 

A LACK OF TEMPERANCE (A HATTIE DAVISH MYSTERY) by Anna Loan Wilsey. This is a a new to me author and series. I got mine in large type hardback. It of course is an historical mystery series. It is set in Eureka Springs Arkansas in 1892.

Hattie is a traveling secretary and when she arrives to he new job she finds that her employer has disappeared.

Next up is M.C. Beaton's Agatha Raisin Mystery Series. THE BLOOD OF AN ENGLISHMAN

Well, with this title I had to check the book out. I have read this series. Some of the books I like. Some... well... not so much. I will get back to you.

Last is Sall Goldenbaum's latest:  Angora Alibi(A seaside knitters Mystery). 

Okay that was all o the library books...

Now while in Kansas City last week I picked up Mrs. Jeffries The MERRY GENTLEMEN (A Christmas Mystery) and his is an historical series set in London by Emily Brightwell.  

 I also picked up Leigh Perry's A Family Skeleton Mystery (this is also a series. The book I picked is THE SKELETON TAKES A BOW.

Now I love this series and the skeleton is named Sid. LOL

Lastly, while at the grocery store last night, they had in paperback CHRISTMAS CAROL MURDER by Leslie Meir. So I bought it.

Will you have a Christmas wish list of books this season?

 

Hugs,

Pam

Guest Blogger - Alice Duncan

NOVEMBER RECAP

November, 2014, wasn’t a month of great joy in this house. Well, the dogs remained happy and contented all month long, but I lost two very dear friends in November, and I resent it like fire.

Yes, I know that once you’re here, there’s only one way out, and we’re all going to die one day. However, when my dear friend, Sara Hoge, died in the early part of the month, her passing hurt. Heck, I even made a flying trip (literally) to California in order to attend her memorial service at the glorious Neighborhood Church in Pasadena. Sara’s last remaining brother was there, and so were her three daughters and all of their children (they’re all grown-ups. Funny how that happens). Anyway, it was great to see everyone, including both of my daughters and my younger grandson Riki. Riki and I pretty much ate our way through Pasadena. I stayed with another great friend, Barbara Masters, and I’d forgotten how much fun we used to have together. So even though the occasion for getting together was solemn, the trip was a huge success. This, in spite of arriving at the Hollywood-Burbank Bob Hope Airport at 9:30 p.m. and having to drive from there in a rental car to Altadena, CA, and Barbara’s house. On the freeway. In the dark.

It’s been sixteen or seventeen years since I’ve driven on an L.A. freeway at night. Trust me when I tell you that FAR more people live in Southern California than live in Southeastern New Mexico. The rental guy talked me into getting a GPS device for the car, and I’ll be forever grateful to him for that, because the GPS lady, Ms. Ratchett (I’d just read a Jeanne Glidewell book in which the GPS lady was Ms. Ratchett, so it came naturally) directed me to Barbara’s house perfectly. I was terrified the whole way there (all those headlights; sheesh!) but she didn’t miss a tip or a turn. Whew!

Later on in the month, a sadder death occurred, mainly because the dead guy, a wonderful man named Steven Dierks, was only sixty years old. He’d recovered from a battle with stomach cancer and he and his wife Kate were blissfully looking for houses to buy so they could get away from the New Jersey town in which they lived. Then, out of the blue, Steve was diagnosed with stage-four renal-cell cancer. Steve and Kate went through four months of hell only to be told on a Friday that he was cancer-free. Then he died Saturday night. Not fair. I don’t approve.

I met Kate and Steve through dog rescue. They were into Sheltie rescue, kind of like I’m into Dachshund rescue. They’d driven through Roswell (which very few people ever do, because Roswell isn’t on the way to anywhere), noticed a scruffy little terrier mix at the Roswell Humane Society, and fell in love with her. They left her there, but kept in touch with the RHS folks. Finally, the little doggie’s time was up. Carole Rogers, the RHS kennel manager, called to ask me if I’d be willing to foster a terrier until transport could be arranged to get the pup to Kate and Steve in New Jersey. What the heck. So I fostered the dog who eventually came to be called Bridey until Steve could make arrangements to fly to the Albuquerque Sun Port to pick her us. My wonderful neighbors, Barry and Ann Lasky, drove Bridey to Steve, and Steve (after trying and failing to put a diaper on Bridey) put her in a little crate, and flew her home to New Jersey under the seat in front of him on the airplane. And now Steve is gone, and Bridey, Kate, and Harper (Bridey’s Sheltie sister) are left to mourn.

There are aspects of life of which I just don’t approve, and this is one of the biggest. Phooey.

I’ll be giving away advanced reading copies (ARCs) of Thanksgiving Angels some time after the first of the year (because I’m going on a planned trip to Southern California for Christmas and won’t be home until after the beginning of 2015). If you’d like to enter, just send me your name and home address at: alice@aliceduncan.net  I’ll drop your name into my winner-picking wiener dog’s special contest doggie dish, and Bam-Bam (my winner-picking wiener dog) will select winners when the time comes.

Also, please feel free to visit my web site at www.aliceduncan.net and my Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/alice.duncan.925

Thank you!