The Gate Keeper Presented by Partners in Crime Writing The Inspector Ian Rutledge Mystery Series! Out Today!

Bestseller Todd's "dramatically intense" mystery explores "sleuth's inner torments" post-WWI in THE GATE KEEPER (2/6/18)
In this landmark installment of the series, Rutledge is tormented by a very present Hamish—the Watson to his Sherlock—the echo in his mind of a young soldier he was forced to execute on the battlefield for refusing a direct order.
The Gate Keeper features one of Todd’s cleverest plots to date and showcases the intriguing village of Wolf Pit—which has the notorious history of the place where the last wolf in England was killed in Medieval times. This setting gave the writers the inspiration to include a unique calling card for a cunning killer. And at the center of the story is a quiet bookshop, its essence belying a horrific crime. Amid a tangle of jealousy, greed, and a vicious hatred, the truth hinges on one man’s persistence and courage, a chance encounter, and three words: THE GATE KEEPER.
Booklist calls THE GATE KEEPER, “tightly plotted, gracefully written, and dramatically intense,” while Publishers Weekly adds in a starred review of THE GATE KEEPER, “As always, Todd deepens their crafty whodunit with a moving exploration of their astute sleuth’s inner torments.”
Charles Todd is the New York Times bestselling author of the Inspector Ian Rutledge mysteries, the Bess Crawford mysteries, and two stand-alone novels. A mother-and-son writing team, they live on the East Coast.

The Gate Keeper

An Inspector Ian Rutledge Mystery

By Charles Todd

Too many memories...

Tired now, having to blink his eyes to keep them from closing, he knew he'd have to find somewhere to sleep, and soon, if he wasn't to run off the road into a ditch. And that, he told himself, he could not do. Nothing must cloud Frances's happiness.

Hamish had--blessedly--been silent all day. As Rutledge was getting dressed, driving to the house to meet his sister, then to the wedding, the reception, it was the one thing he'd feared, that the war would come back and shame him, frighten Frances and her guests, and expose his nightmare for all the world to see. Somehow, he'd held the past at bay. It had taken all the will he possessed, but somehow it had worked.

Now, tired as he was, lonely as he felt, he was vulnerable, and suddenly Hamish was there in the motorcar with him, sitting in the seat behind him, a voice in his ear. Corporal Hamish MacLeon was dead, buried in France. Rutledge was as sure of that as any man could be. After all, he'd shot Hamish, and watched the light fade from his eyes as he died. He'd heard the young Scot's last whisper before he'd pulled the trigger in the coup de grace: Fiona. The woman Hamish loved and wanted more than his life itself to come home to. And yet, knowing the cost, Hamish had refused to lean any more men into the teeth of the machine-gun nest that had already killed too many of them. And Rutledge had had no choice but to make an example of him. It had to be done, or none of the men in his command would have followed him over the top again. What's more, they would have faced court-martial and, most certainly, another firing squad. Sacrifice one man to save many. Send them over the top to silence the machine gun, before it killed more men tomorrow when the big push began.

He shook his head, trying to shove those memories back into the shadows. Trying to stop Hamish while he could, but it was too late, and the brightness of the headlamps became the flashes of artillery fire, followed by the machine guns. 

And the war was back.

He fought it, and never knew how many miles he'd driven by rote, unaware of where he was and what he was doing, his hands gripping the wheel as he'd gripped his revolver and his whistle.

The screams of the wounded and dying filled his mind, and he shouted to his men, encouraging them, urging them on, and all the while he cursed himself as one by one they fell.

Without warning, the sounds began to recede and the darkness in his mind once more became the bright beams of his leadlamps probing the night.

And almost too late he saw what they picked out just ahead of him.

A motorcar was stopped in the middle of the road, its doors standing wide. He'd hardly taken that in when he realized there was a woman in the road too, bending over the body of someone--a man--lying haphazardly at her feet.

Rutledge was already pulling hard on the brake, bringing the heavy motorcar to a skidding halt not twenty feet from the rear of the other vehicle. It was then he saw one more piece of the tableau in front of him.

There was blood on the woman's hands.

The woman looked up, staring toward him in dismay, fright filling her eyes as she stood there like stone, all color washed out of her face, and the blood on her hands black in the brightness bridging the gap between them.

~~~

http://www.letstalk24.co.uk/articles/tales-of-village-lives/

Wow! If you are looking for a solid mystery, you've found it in The Gate Keeper! In a 1920s historical setting, when there were few automobiles and even fewer telephones, readers are in for a treat to see police investigative activities without much assistance. Using only his mind, his observation skills, and making copious notes, Ian Rutledge proves to be an exceptional member of Scotland Yard.

But Ian is not without problems...namely, he has a voice in his head that is present at all times, including some that are inconvenient! Readers will learn how that came about, but I was not quite sure whether he was haunted or allowed the voice to continue due to guilt. You see, sometimes Hamish saw things before Ian did and sometimes he would begin to talk while Ian was interviewing a witness, so as to disrupt the conversation.  I found it haunting to listen to and couldn't help but see the effects of PTSD happening... I was overwhelmed with great sympathy for what this man had gone through in the war... and yet I was angry at what he did...as his duty...

"Constable Penny, sir," he said. What's
this about a body?"
Rutledge took him to see where
Wentworth was lying, and heard the
low whistle as Penny recognized the
dead man...
"He lives in Wolfpit. Owns a bookshop
there. But who shot him?"
..."That was wrong of you, sir. Meddling
with the crime scene."
"Yes, well, we don't know where the
shooter went, and I'd rather be in
possession of his firearm than find it
pointed at me when my back was
turned."
~~~

Ian had taken vacation to attend his sister's wedding. He was so happy for her, but, realizing she was the only family member he had, he was already feeling lonely and decided to go ahead and drive on into the night. But as often happened, flashbacks into his time during the war came, leaving a corner of his mind to drive while he was tortured by memories...

It was bright lights that brought him back to the present, especially when he saw a car in front of him and a woman standing over what appeared to be a body.

Needless to say, he claimed the case for himself, even though his superiors thought he was more a witness and should not become involved. Rutledge persisted... Readers will see that Inspector Rutledge is a persistent, driving officer who moves quickly and relentlessly to solve a crime...

Besides, if he took the case, he wouldn't need to immediately return to London and his empty new quarters...

The murder(s) is unusual. An individual comes face-to-face with the victim, shoots him in the heart, and melts away before anybody realizes it. The first shot was the owner of a local bookshop. The second murder was of another Wolfpit resident, a local farmer... There seemed to be nothing that tied these two men in any way.

Readers become involved in helping to solve the case. There are no clues, even though two gems are provided: A note from the first victim with "The Gate Keeper" written a number of times. A small carved animal, a wolf, that had been left at the two murders and Ian had been fortunate to find them. In essence, this solidified that both murders were surely by one person. But who and why were the real problems!

Rutledge takes a room at a local Inn and from there, he walks or drives to various sites where potential witnesses live... What happens, if the individual lets him in is that he begins to gather information about the two deceased men. But don't expect to even get close to solving the mystery before he does at the climax... I love it when I can't solve a mystery! Don't you?!

In addition to Rutledge and Hamish who readers will recognize as two different characters carrying on discussions, even if one only lives in Rutledge's mind. most of the village people were interesting to meet and learn of the town's activities and knowledge of the bookshop owner and farmer. Both had been well-liked and important members of their village and would be missed...

But the parents of Stephen Wentworth present a picture of childhood that is not easily forgotten...or forgiven...even in reading the story. At least for me. Indeed, both of the victims had sad back stories, which served to pull this reader even further into the novel... The tedious investigation makes the pace slower, as Ian travels from place to place and must wait for responses from the one telephone before he can followup on some of the people. But that does not allow attention of the reader to stray. The Gate Keeper is a solid intriguing mystery. The characters easily fill in time between actual advancement of the investigation and discovering how everything falls together or is clarified before the end makes for an extremely fulfilling novel. This is the 20th in the series and I certainly recommend it to you, while I will probably start looking backward to find what other cases Ian gets himself into! Do check it out!


GABixlerReviews

See Also A Fine Summer's Day

By Charles Todd

Another Ian Rutledge Mystery!

Characters Win Over This Reader in In Albuquerque, Abandoned!

In Gallup, Cinnamon and Burro had traced Momma through an old roommate named Mirage. And Mirage reported that Momma had moved to Albuquerque. “Look, if she moved to Albuquerque, why not? Magan only recently moved out of Southern Ridge, a group of low-end apartments in SE Albuquerque. We think your mother was low on money when she left Gallup, so it makes sense.” “Have you got Magan’s phone number?” “Of course – and his address. He said it was fine to visit. He’s intrigued.” “I’ll look into it this week.” Cinnamon finished the last of the pastry. “Burro and I Cinnamon finished the last of the pastry. “Burro and I have a new case in Albuquerque.” “Burro told me about it – a disturbed man named León who looks for a baby in a dumpster. Pretty odd.” Alice said. “Burro will get one of his visions, and we’ll start there.” Cinnamon’s partner had treatable schizophrenia. The solutions to their cases were based on the clues he noticed in his visions. Alice offered a small hug and left the Counterculture patio. Cinnamon stayed behind, ordered another coffee, and watched the black and brown dogs, who remained with their owners, sleeping under the table, completely trusting that they would be cared for and loved each and every day.

~~~

León was about six feet tall, wore a denim vest and a yellow oxford shirt, and stood in the center of the dumpster with his hands in the air. A police car was parked across the street, lights blazing, and an officer stood by the open door. It was the first Monday in October, and the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta was in full swing. Colored globes, launched against a crisp, blue sky, surged over the man’s head, A blue and yellow balloon sank low into the neighborhood, breathing hot gas like an asthmatic troll.

“Baby in the dumpster!” shouted the man. Cinnamon watched Burro creep around a tree near the trash container to try to get a better look. Red and blue flashing lights made a pattern on his cheeks and in his blond braid. 

A local teacher, 5’ 2” with a discrete mustache, stood next to her on the sidewalk. “This happens every day,” Martin Trujillo said. All three were focused on the man in the dumpster. Martin had brought Cinnamon and Burro here to investigate the incident. “First,” Martin continued, “León Baca climbs inside the trash bin and begins to search through the rubbish. Next, Officer Chip Anderson shows up in the police car with the lights going and starts screaming at León. 

My students see this every morning out the window of our math classroom. It drives me crazy.” 

“How does it end?” Cinnamon asked. 

“Watch,” he said. “Get the hell out of there,” Anderson yelled. From the street, a man in a gray sweatshirt and woman in electric blue spike heels entered the scene. “Leave him alone,” the man yelled at Anderson. 

“That’s Booth Baca,” Mr. Trujillo said. “He’s León’s brother. The woman is Angela, Booth’s wife.” “León, honey,” Angela tottered slowly towards the dumpster. “There’s no baby there. You’re okay.” “There’s a baby in here.” 

Anderson drew his weapon. “Get out of the dumpster, León.” 

“You stupid idiot,” Booth called out at the cop. “Let us take care of this. He doesn’t understand.” 

“He needs to stop this. There’s no baby.” The officer’s arms tightened at the elbows. 

“He doesn’t have the right to shoot him, does he?” Cinnamon asked. 

“No,” Trujillo answered. “But one day he might do it anyway. He draws the gun every morning, and if the principal of my school knew, we’d have a lockdown at 9: 00 am every day.” 

León moved side to side and started to moan. “Come on, honey,” Angela said. Booth moved closer to the policeman. 

“Put your gun away, dimwit.” “Okay, León, come on now. Get out.” 

Angela spoke in a low voice. 

“León is mentally ill,” Trujillo told Cinnamon and Burro. “He hears a baby in this dumpster every night.” León swayed for at least another minute, but he was moving towards the edge of the dumpster now, squatting low. Booth moved closer to Anderson and the cop car as if to redirect the cop’s attention away from León.

 “Angela has him now,” Booth said to Officer Anderson. “León will leave.” 

Anderson glanced at the trash container where León was stepping out with Angela’s assistance. He lowered his gun and returned it to the holster. “You need to take care of this guy. There’s no baby in the dumpster. The neighbors complain.” 

“Screw the neighbors.” 

“Easy for you to say, Booth. Half of them think he’s a nuisance, and the other half think there really is a baby...

~~~

Rainy Blue shot back. “But, I do want to catch the Special Shapes Glodeo in the evening. They light up all the balloons on the ground at dusk, as I’m sure you know. It happens Wednesday. You want to go?” 

“I’d go anywhere with you.” He looked at her with glazed over blue eyes, and she saw the beads in her earrings reflected in his eyes. “You’re beautiful,” he said. (Burro has found a friend!)

~~~

In Albuquerque, Abandoned

By Tower Lowe

Arrived in Albuquerque! Guess what, I immediately met a couple of old friends I was happy to see. Cinnamon and Burro, who I had met earlier in the book, In Gallup, Greed! That review got over 700 hits, so I'm hoping this one goes higher... Yes, I still don't know much about Cinnamon and Burro, and, yes, Cinnamon is still hunting for her mother...but I also went ahead and got the mystery sample that was offered by the author. In other words, by the second book, spending time with these two characters, I was hooked!

Cinnamon and Burro are a wonderful team... Because their jobs in relation to schools in the area, takes them all over, the two can easily merge in the tracking of Cinnamon's mother as they "go to work..." 

And, somehow, they always get hired for additional jobs that lead to a mystery... Cinnamon is driven, and believes she actually saw her mother in this book...as she was leaving...so we already know where they are headed next!

But the mystery in Albuquerque is really cool, and certainly character driven...The characters have become the overall series triumph in my opinion.  Once readers become personally involved with the characters, you want to read more...

You see, I think, the characters created by Tower Lowe remind us of people we know...maybe even ourselves...or they are people that have been affected by today's culture, such as using drugs, and readers watch to see how each individual deals with their particular quirks. Cinnamon is obviously obsessive, but also a caring and inquisitive individual who also becomes driven to find out what is happening and solve the latest mystery that comes along... Burro, on the other hand, has been diagnosed schizophrenic, but that has also given him some paranormal gifts that result in visions regarding his surroundings. 

In this story, there is also another schizophrenic man who Burro personally takes under his wing, trying to help him via their mutual issues...

Burro turned to Cinnamon
and Mr. Trujillo.
“There is a baby,” he said.
~~~

Leon was good in high school, and heavy into sports, so very popular; that is, until he developed schizophrenia. Now, he lives with his brother and his wife, who has been delegated to be nurse for Leon--and greatly resents it...

Cinnamon and Burro come into the picture because Leon has been hearing a baby cry every night...and linking it with a newspaper clipping of two boys actually finding a baby in a dumpster in another city... In his mind he'd developed the theory that this baby he was hearing was in a nearby dumpster...and every morning he would go directly there, get in and try to find the baby... agitated and unable to think rationally about the baby never being there, no matter how many times he searches...

It was disturbing to the class in the nearby school, and the teacher, who had known Leon, hired Cinnamon and Burro to help...hopefully to find the baby he was hearing, or to prove to Leon that there was no baby...

While the dumpster dips continue daily, a local cop has come to be there every morning and starts to hassle Leon, oftentimes pulling his gun and causing more trouble than he's helping... Yeah, meet Chip...he has some issues...

Then there is Booth, Leon's brother, who has gotten into some criminal activities, while Angela is having an affair...all this surrounds Leon, but nobody considers that Leon is intelligent and, most times, he realizes there is no baby, and he hears things that are happening all around him...

Then Booth is killed...and Leon disappears...

There are many more people involved in the various story lines running through the book and so many angles that increases the complexity of the mystery, or should I say mysteries, that are also running concurrently... But, the real kicker was in the climatic ending, which, I guarantee, will be a total shock to all readers! (Let me know if you guessed it!)

The merge of various cultural norms is prevalent in the book and especially adds to the intrigue since there are obviously differences that are not necessarily known before you read

about them. I was enthralled enough to easily ignore that it will take the entire series to maybe find Cinnamon's Mom...but, in the meantime, readers will be heading to Taos next!

Highly recommended! I think you'll love unique the characters as much as I do!


GABixlerReviews

Tower Lowe (aka Donna Tower Pecherer) is published in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine and is the author of mystery novellas and full-length novels featuring Cinnamon and Burro. Her new series of historical mysteries features Cotton Lee Penn and Max Mayfair. She lives in New Mexico and grew up in Homeville, Virginia. 

Contact her at towerlowe.com

G. X. Chen Breaks Stride in Mystery Series to Solve Personal Case...

"You won't believe it, but I'm speechless," Fang Chen burst out as soon as he opened the door and saw Ann Lee, his best friend and crime-solving partner. A biologist by training, Ann had become an amateur detective a decade ago, along with Fang Chen, when their friend Shae Mei was murdered. A petite woman, barely five foot two, she was dressed simply in a white T-shirt and a pair of blue jeans. Her shoulder-length hair was black and frizzy, and her almond-shaped eyes were bright and animated, revealing her intelligence and inquisitiveness. She was greeted warmly by Jane, Fang Chen's wife, and their dog, Alex; Ann was Alex's dog-sitter whenever Jane and Fang Chen were traveling.
"What the matter?" Ann asked, looking up at Fang Chen curiously. A chemist and a tenured professor, Fang Chen was an old-fashioned Renaissance man, mild-tempered, bookish, quiet, and somewhat awkward. He wore his hair long, combed over to cover a bald patch on the top of his head. Even at home, he wore his signature uniform: a collared shirt and a pair of dress pants.

"Jim, one of my housemates at BU, has committed suicide," he replied in a thin and edgy voice while leading Ann into his new home, a penthouse in one of the Ritz towers in Boston, He and Jane had bought the unit as soon as they found out she was expecting. Three months before the baby was due, they had closed the deal and moved into their permanent home, a beautifully designed corner unit that had floor-to-ceiling glass walls overlooking Boston Common, the State House and the Charles River.
"He's been in such a state since I woke up this morning," Jane told Ann while rolling her eyes. Jane Tian, Ann's roommate for two years, was a cheerful young woman with a ready smile. Slim and tall, she had a straight, delicate nose and a pair of big expressive eyes on a heart-shaped face. Her chin was a bit short and weak, but her lips were full. When she smiled, her face bloomed into a spring flower, sweet and radiant. More than thirty weeks into her pregnancy, she had some difficulty as she bent down and picked up the dog, putting him on the couch.
"Because he wasn't the type," Fan Chen explained. He waited until the dog was comfortable before sitting down next to him. Alex was getting so old that he was no longer able to jump up to the couch or get down without help. "He was an accomplished scientist, clear minded and rational. It's almost impossible that he'd commit suicide." In fact, Fang Chen was so stunned that he had thought the e-mail was a joke. "It's totally out of his character."
"How do you know that he committed suicide?" Ann Asked.
"He e-mailed me before killing himself," Fang Chen said, bewildered.
Ann was surprised. "Did he tell you why he had to commit suicide?"
"No." Fang Chen shook his head, a bit hesitantly. In his farewell e-mail, Jim had revealed nothing but said he was sorry that he had to do what he had to do. Shocked and confused, Fang Chen had tried fanatically to reach him but failed. Soon, the news from California confirmed the unthinkable--Jim was dead, hung in a closet with a belt and found by one of his children. Fang Chen was notified by the youngest of the three and his godson, Tim.

~~~

An Intangible Affair:

Book Four Back Bay Investigation

See Reviews of the first three books in series:

The Mystery of Moutai, The Fatal Sin of Love, and Death Comes to Lake Como

By G. X. Chen

Or...Not...

When two amateur investigators are confronted with the suicide of a good friend of Fang Chen, Ann Lee quickly began to try to pull more information out of her partner... Somebody does not normally commit suicide without a reason, yet Fang Chen had no reason to offer, even though the friend, Jim Teng, had written an e-mail to him just before he had killed himself.

Chen has taken a step away from the more complex mysteries she has provided us in this series, to take on the death of a personal friend of Fang Chen, who had just committed suicide. Fang Chen is stunned by the news and seems unable to just put it aside...wanting to know what had happened...

He had already known, for instance, that Jim's wife Dory had died recently, but he also knew that she had cancer and her life's length had been shortened, so that when she died, Feng Chen had already begun to anticipate it and felt that Jim also would have been prepared...

Then the two amateur detectives were shocked to learn that Dory, had died from a snake bite and its deadly poison had been the cause. Since the snake was not indigenous to the locale, it soon was believed that she had been murdered... Surely Jim would not have murdered her, knowing she was soon to have died... And why would that have led to his own suicide?

There had to be something else...

But Feng Chen had known one other thing about Jim's life... and readers do, too, since the blurb and the start of the book, places us in the life of Jamie Chou. She has been Jim's lover for the last two decades...

Awakened to a mystery by the third party involvement, Feng Chen begins to share about Jim's life, while Ann Lee asks the important leading questions. Essentially, what this results in is a family drama that becomes more and more complex as we learn of Jim's early relationship with Jamie Chou. And then a later chance meeting that brought them back together...

I wondered about the title, An Intangible Affair. Was this meant to mean that the affair really didn't exist in one or the other of the couple's mind? Was Jim merely having a fling whenever he could get away from his family? Or vice-versa, was Jamie merely using Jim as a rebound after breaking up with the man she'd been living with?

Chen takes readers deep into the dynamic lives of the three people involved in a long-term marital affair, exploring what happens to the minds of the two who are actually living the pretend life... 

No matter how you might feel about the legality of the triangle, Chen has brilliantly explored the passion, the anger, the fears, and, too, the apathy that slowly creeps in as personal desires are subjugated by another individual, whether purposely or by happenstance... This move from the author from true mystery to drama may be a break from the norm or merely a diversion from the series since there is not as much mystery to the story... Nevertheless, it does show a broader scope of character development and a different perspective of characters that we haven't previously found in the mysteries series.

What it may reflect is a potential expansion of the author's future work in more literary activities and away from just one genre. If I were to comment on my own thoughts, I would say that I'd like to have seen this book as, perhaps, a new different series, since I did miss the delightful mystery component found in her previous books, while finding this more romantic tale quite compelling...

However, this book easily stands alone as an intriguing, romantic suspense, that will pull readers into the lives of the two main characters. I was caught with feelings of empathy, sympathy, and anger that communication was at the roots of what happened...Chen forces readers to wonder what they would be willing to do in what appears to be a true loving relationship... Highly recommended!

GABixlerReviews

G.X. Chen, author of the Back Bay Investigation mystery series and other novels, is a freelance writer and a graduate of Fudan University and University of New Mexico. She has taught literature at Fudan as well as the Shanghai Foreign Language Institute. A world traveler and an amateur photographer, she lives in the beautiful city of Boston with husband, Steve.

Katherine Prairie Debuts With Fantastic Thriller...Thirst!

"Don't get all paranoid on me, Dad. He's not a bad guy. Why do you think that every guy I meet is out to hurt me?"

"I'm a cop. It's what I do. And you're changing the subject. Who were you talking to?"

"A friend of Michael Walden's."

"Walden?" He gripped the door handle hard, his knuckles white from the exertion. His brown eyes narrowed. "I didn't think you even knew the dead boy."

"Of course I did. He was in some of my classes."

"But you never mentioned him before. So why is this guy calling you now, almost a year after Walden's death?"

"He wants to do somehing to honour Michael at graduation. That's all. "She turned her head away from him and picked up a pen .

"You're kidding, right?" He stared at her hard, waiting for an answer. But she said nothing and he pushed. "The school isn't going to let you do anything to honour that boy."

"Michael was a hero," she said softly. Her gaze never wavered from the blank notebook in front of her, which left him staring at her rigid back.

"A hero? He was no such thing. He was a terrorist!" Droppig his hand from the doorknob, he balled it into a fist. "You know as well as I do that he was caught with explosives at the dam. If he had lived, he would've been convicted."

She threw the pen onto the desk and swung the chair back around to face him. The anger in her brown eyes betrayed her response before she said a word. "He wasn't a terrorist!" she shouted. "He was doing what the rest of you should be doing. Fighting back."

"Against the dams? Liv, there are better--?

She snorted. "You think Michael died protesting a dam? He was at war with the U.S. Army."

"An army that wouldn't be here at all if the Mica and Keenleyside dams hadn't been bombed in the first place. Do you understand how critical those Columbia Rive dams are to the United States?"

Three dams: the Duncan, Hugh Keenleyside and Mica in Canada, and a fourth, the Libby dam in Montana. Together they controlled the raging Columbia River, preventing floods and fuelling the electricity-producing Grand Coulee dam and other powerhouses further downstream. Enough power for the Pacific Northwest and much of California. International cooperation at its best, until expiration of the Columbia River Treaty loomed and the Mica dam  was bombed. Now all of the dams on the Columbia were jointly secured by U.S. and Canadian forces. And all were targets.

She shook her head. "They shouldn't be here."

He threw up his hands. "And Walden figured if he bombed the Keenleyside dam a second time, the Americans would go home? Olivia, that's nonsense. None of the soldiers--Canadian, American--none of them are going anywhere until the threats stop."

"You don't get it, and you never will." She rolled her eyes at him and turned away again, this time grabbing a textbook from the pile on top of the desk. With a flick of her wrist, she slammed the cover open and roughly flipped through the pages.

She was right. He'd never understand how Michael Walden or those who followed in his footsteps thought their tactics would force the Americans back across the border. They conveniently forgot that agreements announced by President Obama and Prime Minister Harper long before the first bomb exploded, paved the way for the cooperative defence of critical assets by the two neighbouring countries. That U.S. troops had been welcomed by the Canadian Government. But he wouldn't win an argument on the subject with Liv. Not tonight.

~~~

Thirst:
an alex graham novel

By Katherine Prairie

Thirst wouldn’t have been the same story in any other location than the Slocan Valley in southeastern British Columbia near the U.S. border with Washington, and the city of Nelson is at its centre. Nelson is a unique, special place that has its quirky side, and it was as much a character in Thirst as Alex Graham and Eric Keenan! And so, I chose to name both a well-known coffee shop and restaurant, because the coffee shop especially, is an intrinsic part of Nelson and it conveys the true essence of the city. 

--Katherine Prairie. Sense of Place, Read Entire Article...

I was happy to have found the author's article on "Sense of Place" because from the time I met Geologist Alex Graham, I found myself reminiscent of a favorite series of mine by Nevada Barr, with Anna Pigeon, a park ranger, who spent most of her professional life outdoors and getting into action-packed situations! By the time I'd finished the book, I was hoping that this was the beginning of a series as well. Alex Graham is edgy, tough, courageous, but also a concerned woman who has found her life in an on-the-edge balance of obeying the law and keeping the secrecy needed to do her job...

Alex Graham Knew when to be afraid...

It was going a little over the edge when she first faced danger. There had been several bombings of dams along the Columbia River and a combined military force from Canada and the U.S. had invaded the area...a perimeter along the river and dams had been established--Alex had chosen to camp within that perimeter. Her tent had been set on fire!

Alex was seriously burned on her arms but was able to get out of her tent, take what she could, and get to the hospital for treatment. She met Eric Keenan who was the ER doctor that night and had hedged about where she had been and that her tent had been set on fire as opposed to an accident. He didn't quite believe her, but allowed her to leave without reporting the incident.

There's a good reason for Alex's need for secrecy. She has been offered the first right of purchase of a series of mine rights from the widow of a friend who had just died. But she had a deadline.  Given the routine prospector activities in the area, Alex could not afford to be followed, but she also felt she had to inspect the involved mines since the price was very high... Still, she really needed to know who and why she had been targeted, since it obviously was not the police who would have just arrested her for entering the perimeter...

It was Eric Keenan who pulled her further into what was happening there... Dr. Keenan had treated a woman in the ER and sent her home. She returned days later displaying unusual symptoms that he began to worry about. When he began to think it was poisoning, he had started working on another patient with the same symptoms. His first patient died, but he'd gone with his assumptions and given an antidote to the second. Should he report this potential community-wide danger? His boss decided for him, saying not until the diagnosis had been proven to be correct. He needed water samples and anything else that could be dangerous from the first victim's home. Thinking of Alex's skills, he contacted her. She found it alright. 

Eric is called away as another bomb exploded and destroyed a building right in town. While Alex, on calling into her home office was told that there would be more help sent out right away... She decided that was really a good idea, but when they arrived, she immediately felt personally responsible for their safety, given what was happening...

She had a right to be concerned because on a first trip out to work, they discovered a backpack, an earring, and blood on rocks in a nearby stream... Deciding they'd better check it out further (they'd heard a gunshot while still in camp earlier), they soon had found a body, obviously taken into a mine from the scene at the creek side... Only thing is that RCMP officer who arrived didn't really want to listen to their theories... But after they left, one of the men became very ill...

The variety of the action found in this book is not easily followed for purposes of trying to determine who is at fault...why was one woman apparently murdered by poison? While another seemed to merely have been at the wrong place at the wrong time, while our main character was simply camping in a spot where she admittedly shouldn't have been...but why was she almost killed by a fire for being there? 

Then there is the bombings, which in a past one, was done by teenagers, but all of them? And where would they get the actual bombs being used? Why were they targeting dams?

Packed full of actions that keeps readers on their toes. This is not a traditional mystery, except confirming the answer of "why?" to each event. But that doesn't keep readers from being totally caught up when the multiple events keep happening... 

Foolishly, somebody had made a big mistake in trying to set Alex Graham on fire. For once she was pulled in again and again, she became the pivotal person around which each of the activities began to merge into a viable conclusion. Whew! I was caught turning page after page into the late hours of the night to finish this quite satisfying novel by a new fiction writer...

The author has added a final note to provide the specifics of the historical reality regarding the Columbia River Treaty and all other facets included in the book. Small issues such as the desire to change the treaty to allow salmon their natural runs, as well as the concerns of Native Americans, were effectively slid into the story to make it a comprehensive, thoughtful look at this neighbor-to-neighbor relationship with Canada. For many of us, an important topic considered smack in the middle of a fantastic thriller... A unique experience that can be savored, while looking forward to the next alex graham novel... Highly recommended.

This video was recorded at the Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River in Oregon. Salmon swim upriver to spawn. After living in the ocean for a number of years, they find their "birth" river or stream and return their bodies back to the soil. Salmon have an important place in the ecosystem of Life, and many cultures depended on this sacred fish for their sustenance...

GABixlerReviews

Katherine Prairie, a geologist and IT specialist, stepped away from a career in the international petroleum industry to write fiction. She now calls Vancouver, British Columbia home.

New Door County Mystery Series by Patricia Skalka Promises Much for Mystery Lovers! Or, just come from the Fish Boil

Ever been to Wisconsin? I haven't, but after reading this book it sounds like a wonderful place to consider for a vacation! And I even found this beautiful aerial video which shows a number of the locations.. .where murder took place! Not one, not two... well, I'll tell you more later... But be prepared to learn about the setting of the series... It reminded me of Nevada Barr, who as a forest ranger always shared about the particular state forest at which she was stationed...
And, yes, our main character, Dave Cubiak, starts out working as a ranger, but by the end of the book, he's back as a cop!

Death Stalks Door County:

A Dave Cubiak Door County Mystery

By Patricia Skalka

Johnson started and pushed away from the tower. Rain or was it tears glistened on his weathered face. "Looks like some kid took a nose dive off the top." The park super stuck out his chin as if challenging his new assistant to disagree. Cubiak said nothing. "He's cold. I can't find a pulse," Johnson went on. "You want to check?" No." Damp with sweat, Cubiak shuddered. He didn't need to look any closer. The odd twist to the victim's neck told him enough. Maybe you should." Cubiak shook his head. He hadn't been near a dead body in two years, not since his family had been killed. "Have you called the sheriff?" "Can't, Radio's busted. You'll have to get him from the station."

The killer might have taken the tour of the State Park and planned to later take his victim up to the top of Eagle Tower, or maybe it had been an accidental meeting... But by the time the autopsy had been done, some considered it the first murder, even if the sheriff had declared it an accident and did little further investigation.

Halverson brandished the victim's wallet in the
air. "Anybody know this guy? Names's Wisby.
Lawrence Wisby. He's from Illinois...
Despite the damp cold, a layer of sweat crystallized
on Cubiak's neck. Nausea toiled his gut. He
imagined the others watching him, but when he
looked, the coroner was again kneeling next to the
body and the sheriff was grilling Johnson for
details of the gruesome discovery...
In an uneasy lull, Cubiak spoke. "I recognize
the name. Wisby. Lawrence Wisby." He swallowed
hard and when he went on, the words came fast,
as if they were toxic and had to be spat out quickly.
"His brother killed my wife and daughter."
~~~

Cubiak seemed to be right back where he had been prior to his relocation to Wisconsin as his partner and friend had suggested. They both thought that a short stint away was needed. Cubiak had been drinking far too much since his wife and daughter were killed by a DUI. The guy was in prison, but that had not been enough to take away the pain, anger, and helplessness that Cubiak was drowning in...so he had used alcohol just to deaden the drowning... Now here he was, barely on the job, and they find a dead body that apparently had fallen from the forest fire tower. Cubiak took one look at the body and knew that its placement would not have been possible if he had jumped... But he definitely was not responsible for handling this investigation!

Yet...

The other thing about that body when Cubiak heard the man's name...well, it was the brother, Lawrence Wisby, of the man who had killed his family... Of course, Cubiak was immediately suspected, but as facts were compiled, he could breathe a little easier during the day, but his dream was back...the one that had plagued him since his family had died...

Cubiak had just sat down at the counter of one of his favorite diners when Evangeline had poured his coffee and mentioned about the boy being found. The next thing they heard was a huge blast and they both started running... The next murder had just occurred.

There's a tough old bird for you,.. "Good ol' Benny. Love him or hate him...  His true love, the Betsy Ross."

The explosion blew a crater into the water and rocked the diner. Under a cascade of splintering glass, Cubiak dove to the floor. He counted to ten out of  military habit and then scrambled to his feet. "You okay?" he called to Evangeline, who ws plastered ghostlike against the back wall... Cobiak bolted out the door and raced toward the ugly orangeball of fire dancing on the water. Thick black smoke barreled upward from the flames, releasing the sharp smell oif creosote into the air.

~~~

...the Reverend Waldo Thorenson, in the
small yard between the parsonage and the
church thus delaying the start of the service...
"Benjamin Macklin was not a man of God.
He doesn't  deserve church burial," they
insisted all of a voice. "What will people
think?" trumpted one, the obviously ring-
leader,...
"They will think we are good Christians,"
Thorenson replied evenly...
The women fell into a shocked silence,
though Miss Cooper was quick to recover.
"You're an avowed abstainer. How can
you eulogize a confirmed drunk?"
"Why don't you come in and see?"
Thorensen said...
~~~

And then another, this time, a female teenager is killed. Everybody is upset not only because of the deaths but because the annual festival is about to start. This is the town's primary source of income for all businesses and nobody can afford to have something stop the activities!

Just as Cubiak had, I stopped to ponder what happened at Benny's funeral. It seems that there are always church members, no matter what church, who never hesitate to voice their personal opinion against the decisions of the pastor. But the issue Cubiak confronted was more personal, as the parents of  the Wisby boys were there. He didn't say anything, but he couldn't stop himself from standing where they could see him, and falter, as he made them remember that their other son was the man who had ensured Cubiak had to face the funeral of his wife and daughter... Would he ever get over it?

And then the next morning he again had to face something he didn't want to. His boss had delegated the meeting regarding the July celebration to Cubiak! He had to attend the meeting at Beck's house as a command performance...

Actually, the event sounded like a great occasion, The celebration kicked off the official summer session for what many called the "Cape Code of the Midwest" and would bring thousands into the area and into the park...
But Cubiak was not convinced that the terror had ended... So he soon found himself in charge of security for the event, including the staff of the Sheriff's office. And nobody was given a choice. Cubiak would be fired if he didn't accept the assignment...
And then they started coming!

 

 

The fish boil was a Scandinavian tradition imported to Door County as an efficient and economical way to feed settlers, logging teams, and fishing crews at the end of the workday. It became a popular tourist attraction, and at the festival it was transformed into high culinary art. This was no small undertaking. On a long, narrow stretch of sand, ten campfires burned, each one straddled by a raised metal frame that held an oversized black from kettle filled with salted water. A crew of men directed by Les Caruthers fed pieces of dried wood into the flames to heat the water.
Outfitted in a yellow slicker with matching pants, tall heavy boots and a fisherman's cap pulled tight over his ears. Caruthers waves a flag. When the water began to simmer, he blew on a sailor's whistle. At the signal, the boil masters, twenty burly men i white chef's hats, emerged from the shadows. The cooks bowed to the crowd, then paired off and carried in ten large metal baskets filled with small red potatoes. One  container was ceremoniously lowered into each cauldron. While the potatoes cooked, the chefs stood arms akimbo and sang sea chanteys to entertain the hungry diners.

They had just finished one of the numbers when Caruthers gave another toot, a signal for onions to be added to the broth. After more songs and another blast from
Caruthers, the men carried in a second set of smaller baskets, brimming with chunks of locally caught whitefish, and set them into the kettles.
A cooking fires whipped up and licked the sides of the kettles. A gray foam of fish oil formed over the surface of the roiling water.
Caruthers blew a long and two shorts. "Boil over," he yelled as the chefs tossed kerosene onto the fires. Flames skyrocketed into the air. The supercharged water bulled over the sides of the cauldrons, spilling fish oil onto the burning logs and sending plumes of black smoke into the air. The crowd cheered. When the last whistle sounded, the boil masters, still working in pairs, slid heavy metal poles through the wire handles and lifted the heavy baskets from the kettles. Water streamed off the fish--the thick fillets, sweet and delicate, cooked to perfection--as the cooks carried the baskets from the beach to the tents where they sere set on solid wooden tables that bore the scars from past boils. Using red, white, and blue plastic dishes, the local ladies served up the potatoes, onions, and fish, the famous Door County fish boil dinner--each meal complete with a slice of cherry pie.

The first visitor killed was visiting the lighthouse. When they found him, he was nailed to the door with an arrow holding him up...

Cubiak jogged up the trail. The forest was hushed, void of the usual early-morning chatter of birds and squirrels. At the top of the rise, the path emerged in a small clearing and the view opened to the tower. From a distance of fifty feet, Cubiak confronted the madness that had stilled the forest and frightened his boss.
A man, tall and angular, in worn jeans and torn sweatshirt, was skewered to the shiny oak door of the building. An arrow pierced his chest. Blood flowed down his torso and legs and pooled on the ground...
~~~

And then on the last day, when a race was scheduled,  a sniper started shooting...


Got to say that this writer presents us with a literary mystery that will in no way give you a hint... Sure, you'll get some ideas, and Cubiak will interview many and even outright declare they had the motive, the means...and all that jazz...

But I guarantee you're not going to guess in advance who was behind the terror that stormed into Door County and never let up until everybody was...gone...

This is the debut of a new series. I loved the main character and hope he stays there in Door County for the long haul...Might even schedule a trip during the annual festival... Wanna come? Cause, after all, this is just fiction... Enjoy!


GABixlerReviews

A lifelong Chicagoan, Patricia Skalka is a former Reader’s Digest Staff Writer and award-winning freelancer, as well as one-time magazine editor, ghost writer and writing instructor. Her nonfiction book credits includeNurses On Our Own, the true-story of two pioneering, local nurse practitioners. Death Stalks Door County, released in May 2014, marks her fiction debut.

Related articles

• Pack this Door County mystery in your summer suitcase
• Somebody Else's Turn - Patricia Skalka
• An interview with Patricia Skalka
• Nevada Barr's Burn Called Outstanding by Publishers Weekly!