M. Ruth Myers's Blog, page 8
June 18, 2013
COOL OFF WITH A WOMAN P.I. IN ALASKA
COOL OFF WITH A WOMAN P.I. IN ALASKA
If you long to see Alaska, but don’t have the time or the money right now, enjoy a great trip and a well-turned mystery with P.I. Kate Shugak.
The creation of Edgar-winning writer Dana Stabenow, Kate is an ethnic Aleut who was reared by her grandmother in a vast wilderness area known as The Park where she still lives. University educated, she learned her craft working as an investigator for the prosecutor’s office in Anchorage. Long returned to life in The Park, she makes her home in a settlement of half a dozen buildings where she has a cabin. The scar across the width of her throat bears witness to the fact that Kate’s no cream puff.
I discovered Stabenow, and came into her series, in its 14th book, A Taint in the Blood. Despite a couple of opening pages which I found fussy and unrelated to the plot, it quickly became a good read.
Kate’s new case begins when an expensively dressed woman, Charlotte Bannister Muravieff, arrives at her remote cabin seeking to hire her. The offspring of an old and influential Alaska family, Charlotte wants Kate to clear her mother of a murder conviction which sent her to prison 30 years earlier — before Alaska was even a state. The crime was particularly nasty in the eyes of the law and the public, for her mother, Victoria, was found guilty of burning down her own house while her son William slept inside.
With some reluctance, Kate takes on the case. She leaves for Anchorage on the small bush plane that connects The Park to the state’s largest city. These two settings treat readers to the rhythms and atmosphere of Alaska’s two parts: Traditional and modern; native and white. Kate is a woman who moves effortlessly, and with wry observations, between both worlds.
As Kate begins to dig, people related to the long-ago case — even some who had seemed to vanish — turn up dead. So does the woman who hired Kate. “Old family” social and political clout blocks her investigation. The woman serving time for the murder insists she’s guilty. Along the way, Kate’s lusty tormenting of State Trooper Jim Chopin makes for one of the freshest and funniest man-woman relationships I’ve encountered in some time.
Enjoy the settings. Enjoy the mystery. Enjoy this intelligent and thoroughly competent female private eye.
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Filed under: Authors, Reviews Tagged: Dana Stabenow, M. Ruth Myers, woman P.I., woman P.I. novels, woman private eye novels
June 12, 2013
Opinions on New TV Gumshoe Team
Did anyone watch King and Maxwell last night? Would love to hear some opinions on the female-male private eye team.
(Click the speech icon to the right of the title to comment.)
Filed under: Woman P.I.s on TV Tagged: King and Maxwell, M. Ruth Myers, woman P.I., woman private investigator, woman sleuth
June 9, 2013
More Dame Detectives
ADD THESE TO YOUR LIST OF WOMAN P.I.s
Liza Cody - Anna Lee debuted in the late 1970s-early’80s, predating Grafton and Paretsky. I treasured every title that appeared. Anna is a former policewoman who goes to work as a P.I. with an agency in London but is adept at working on her own. (The author also did a very poignant series featuring a female wrestler.)
Jacqueline Winspear - Maisie Dobbs opens her small office in London in 1929 and bills herself as a “psychologist and investigator”. She comes from a working class background and served as a nurse in the Great War. She employs a male assistant, a character and relationship which is nicely done. Maisie continues to be enthralled by the man who trained her in the emerging science of psychology.
R.E. Conary - Rachel Cord is ex-Army turned P.I., and appears in three novels, the latest out earlier this year. They evoke the gritty, hardboiled, pulp novel origins of the P.I. genre and are not for squeamish readers. There is violence (often sadistic) coupled with good writing and plotting. It’s noir, and I found it enjoyable, though some may be discomfited by a lesbian P.I.
Filed under: Authors Tagged: M. Ruth Myers, woman P.I., woman P.I. novels, woman private eye novels, woman private investigator, woman sleuth
June 4, 2013
Woman P.I. Stars in New TV Show
If you have cable and get TNT, set your clocks and recorders for 10 p.m. Monday, June 10. “King and Maxwell“, a new series based on novels by David Baldacci, will debut.
Rebecca Romijn and Jon Tenney star as Washington, D.C., area private eyes Michelle Maxwell and Sean King. They’re discredited former Secret Service agents who decide to use their skills by hanging out their shingle as P.I.s.
I don’t have access to cable where I live, but hopefully some of you will share your thoughts on the initial episode with other blog readers. I’ll post next week so you have an easy place to leave comments.
All title in the six-book series by Baldacci average 4 stars on GoodReads.
Filed under: Authors, Woman P.I.s on TV Tagged: David Baldacci, King and Maxwell, M. Ruth Myers, mystery, woman P.I., woman private investigator, woman sleuth
May 31, 2013
Woman P.I.s: A Starter’s Dozen
Start your journey through the world of woman private eye novels with one of the 12 authors listed here. They offer a range of styles and settings — foreign and domestic; contemporary and historical. Some of these authors are long-established masters of the field while others are relative newcomers, or not as well known.
Reading tastes vary. Some of these authors I enjoy more than others, but all provide good P.I. yarns worth sampling. In the highly unlikely event you don’t find any surprises on this list, stop back to check future ones.
Herewith the authors and their P.I.s
—
Sara Paretsky – V.I. Warshawski grew up in a tough Chicago neighborhood and over the course of the series, as she moves from youth to late middle age, she remains one of the toughest, smartest P.I.s around.
Marcia Muller - Sharon McCone at first works as an investigator for All Souls Legal Cooperative in San Francisco, and continues to keep her office there after branching out on her own. Fine view of the city as it changes through the years.
Sue Grafton - Kinsey Millhone holds her own against bad guys in a picturesque fictional town on the California coast. She’s streetwise and snarky. The author’s website will make you jump.
Linda Barnes - Carlotta Carlyle knows the streets of Boston from her work as a P.I. and from occasional moonlighting as a cab driver. A girl she shepherds via the Big Sister program provides texture throughout the series.
Alexander McCall Smith - Mme. Precious Ramotswe runs her small detective agency out of a small office in Gaborone, Boatswana. She’s a gentler sort of P.I., but smart and resilient, with a faithful secretary and an ancient van in constant need of repairs. Read these when you want to be reminded there is goodness in the world.
Cara Black – Aimee Leduc solves her cases in the dark and gritty streets of Paris and shows us a city far different from that seen by tourists. She’s not afraid to use a gun or take a beating. If your taste runs toward noir, you’ll especially like these.
Robert B. Parker - Sunny Randall makes her way through the same Boston landscape featured in the author’s better known Spencer series, and with the same rat-a-tat style. Her emotional life is complicated by ties she can’t quite sever with her ex. This series will not continue following Parker’s death.
Rhys Bowen - Molly Murphy, an Irish immigrant, isn’t a private eye when she first makes her way to the harsh streets of early 1900s New York, but she hangs out her shingle as the series gets going. Nice historical feel and view of immigrant life.
Dana Stabenow – Kate Shugak, an Aleut, solves cases on her native turf. Sometimes it’s a 20- million-acre wilderness area known as The Park. Other times it’s Anchorage where she previously did investigations for the Prosecutor’s office.
P.D. James - Cordelia Gray is a serious and determined young P.I. based in London who, alas, stars in only two books. As you might guess by the author, these are the most literary of the lot, and richly satisfying.
Dani Amore - Mary Cooper is an L.A. who was reared by an aunt and an uncle who was a stand-up comic, giving her a tendency to see dark humor and fire off one-liners. Some readers like it. Others don’t. I preferred the first novel to the second.
M. Ruth Myers - Maggie Sullivan hoofs it through the alleys of Depression-era Dayton, OH, using brains and moxie to hold her own in what’s still a man’s world. She keeps a Smith & Wesson under her seat, the only recipe she knows is gin and tonic, and she digs information from places men overlook.
—
Filed under: Authors Tagged: Alexander McCall Smith, Cara Black, Dana Stabenow, Dani Amore, female P.I. novels, fiction, Linda Barnes, M. Ruth Myers, Maggie Sullivan mysteries, Marcia Muller, P.D. James, Rhys Bowen, Robert B. Parker, Sara Paretsky, Sue Grafton, woman P.I., woman P.I. fiction, woman P.I. novels, woman private eye novels
Woman P.I.’s: A Starter’s Dozen
Start your journey through the world of woman private eye novels with one of the 12 authors listed here. They offer a range of styles and settings — foreign and domestic; contemporary and historical. Some of these authors are long-established masters of the field while others are relative newcomers, or not as well known.
Reading tastes vary. Some of these authors I enjoy more than others, but all provide good P.I. yarns worth sampling. In the highly unlikely event you don’t find any surprises on this list, stop back to check future ones.
Herewith the authors and their P.I.’s
—
Sara Paretsky – V.I. Warshawski grew up in a tough Chicago neighborhood and over the course of the series, as she moves from youth to late middle age, she remains one of the toughest, smartest P.I.’s around.
Marcia Muller - Sharon McCone at first works as an investigator for All Souls Legal Cooperative in San Francisco, and continues to keep her office there after branching out on her own. Fine view of the city as it changes through the years.
Sue Grafton - Kinsey Millhone holds her own against bad guys in a picturesque fictional town on the California coast. She’s streetwise and snarky. The author’s website will make you jump.
Linda Barnes - Carlotta Carlyle knows the streets of Boston from her work as a P.I. and from occasional moonlighting as a cab driver. A girl she shepherds via the Big Sister program provides texture throughout the series.
Alexander McCall Smith - Mme. Precious Ramotswe runs her small detective agency out of a small office in Gaborone, Boatswana. She’s a gentler sort of P.I., but smart and resilient, with a faithful secretary and an ancient van in constant need of repairs. Read these when you want to be reminded there is goodness in the world.
Cara Black – Aimee Leduc solves her cases in the dark and gritty streets of Paris and shows us a city far different from that seen by tourists. She’s not afraid to use a gun or take a beating. If your taste runs toward noir, you’ll especially like these.
Robert B. Parker - Sunny Randall makes her way through the same Boston landscape featured in the author’s better known Spencer series, and with the same rat-a-tat style. Her emotional life is complicated by ties she can’t quite sever with her ex. This series will not continue following Parker’s death.
Rhys Bowen - Molly Murphy, an Irish immigrant, isn’t a private eye when she first makes her way to the harsh streets of early 1900s New York, but she hangs out her shingle as the series gets going. Nice historical feel and view of immigrant life.
Dana Stabenow – Kate Shugak, an Aleut, solves cases on her native turf. Sometimes it’s a 20- million-acre wilderness area known as The Park. Other times it’s Anchorage where she previously did investigations for the Prosecutor’s office.
P.D. James - Cordelia Gray is a serious and determined young P.I. based in London who, alas, stars in only two books. As you might guess by the author, these are the most literary of the lot, and richly satisfying.
Dani Amore - Mary Cooper is an L.A. who was reared by an aunt and an uncle who was a stand-up comic, giving her a tendency to see dark humor and fire off one-liners. Some readers like it. Others don’t. I preferred the first novel to the second.
M. Ruth Myers - Maggie Sullivan hoofs it through the alleys of Depression-era Dayton, OH, using brains and moxie to hold her own in what’s still a man’s world. She keeps a Smith & Wesson under her seat, the only recipe she knows is gin and tonic, and she digs information from places men overlook.
—
Filed under: Authors Tagged: Alexander McCall Smith, Cara Black, Dana Stabenow, Dani Amore, female P.I. novels, fiction, Linda Barnes, M. Ruth Myers, Maggie Sullivan mysteries, Marcia Muller, P.D. James, Rhys Bowen, Robert B. Parker, Sara Paretsky, Sue Grafton, woman P.I., woman P.I. fiction, woman P.I. novels, woman private eye novels
May 14, 2013
Here’s to Woman P.I.s
Mystery novels featuring a woman P.I. are about as common as root canals for chickens. Or so it seems.
Welcome to the gathering place for those who like to read them and those who like to write them. With luck it may even encourage authors to write a few more!
If you found your way here, you probably enjoy all types of mysteries. Maybe you especially like the private detective genre. Or hardboiled. Or noir. So look around. You’re sure to find something to whet your appetite.
Use the Suggest page to tell us about other series or stand-alone books we should add to the ones listed here. But PLEASE make sure the books you recommend meet the guidelines for private eye novels listed at the top of the page. You’re invited to weigh in on what others recommend there, too.
Stop back often. We’ll be making additions all the time – authors, reviews, history of lady P.I.s and more. To kick things off, here’s a Starter’s Dozen of series to savor. Even hardcore fans of the genre may find a new flavor or two.
Now put your feet on the desk and raise a glass to:
The few,
The proud,
The woman P.I.s
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: female P.I. novels, fiction, M. Ruth Myers, Maggie Sullivan mysteries, mysteries, mystery, QmBXqR4C3Zv9Rb2kSt8jC9e8QUU, woman detective novels, woman P.I., woman P.I. fiction, woman P.I. novels, woman private eye novels, woman private investigator, woman private investigator novels, woman sleuth, writing
Here’s to Woman P.I.’s
Mystery novels featuring a woman P.I. are about as common as root canals for chickens.
Or so it seems.
Welcome to the gathering place for those who like to read them and those who like to write them. With luck it may even encourage authors to write a few more!
If you found your way here, you probably enjoy all types of mysteries. Maybe you especially like the private detective genre. Or hardboiled. Or noir. So look around. You’re sure to find something to whet your appetite.
Use the Suggest page to tell us about other series or stand-alone books we should add to the ones listed here. But PLEASE make sure the books you recommend meet the guidelines for private eye novels listed at the top of the page. You’re invited to weigh in on what others recommend there, too.
Stop back often. We’ll be making additions all the time – authors, reviews, history of lady P.I.’s and more.
To kick things off, here’s a Starter’s Dozen of series to savor. Even hardcore fans of the genre may find a new flavor or two.
Now put your feet on the desk and raise a glass to:
The few,
The proud,
The woman P.I.’s
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: female P.I. novels, fiction, M. Ruth Myers, Maggie Sullivan mysteries, mysteries, mystery, QmBXqR4C3Zv9Rb2kSt8jC9e8QUU, woman detective novels, woman P.I., woman P.I. fiction, woman P.I. novels, woman private eye novels, woman private investigator, woman private investigator novels, woman sleuth, writing
