Whodunit Book Club March 29, 2011

A cozy gathering of 15 souls turned up for this month's Whodunit meeting. Some regular attendees were absent - and some we haven't seen for a while were warmly welcomed.
Pam's 'magical' question(s) for this meeting:
1. Rate this month's book from 1-10.
2. Do you prefer graphic/grisly mysteries or cozy/traditional mysteries?
I'm afraid the rating of this month's title was very low. According to my calculations, the average score was 2 out of 10.
On the whole, members enjoy both grisly and cozy mysteries depending upon their mood and of course the quality of the writing.

The title this month, "Red snow" by Michael Slade was for the most part a disappointment. The plot was referred to as 'flat' and poorly written with little in the way of character development. Members spoke of the gratuitous and very graphic gory scenes. (He calls his fans "Sladists"). Some believed that the author had a good premise for the novel, but did not follow through upon that premise. The characters were like cardboard cutouts, and some of the dialog was almost spoof-like.

The author, Michael Slade is actually a pseudonym for Vancouver based criminal lawyer, Jay Clarke. He specializes in the 'law of insanity' and he argued the last death penalty case in Canada.

Mr. Clarke works with writing partners. He has written with his wife, his law partners and now his daughter. He terms 'his' 14 novels to be 'isolation thrillers'.
His website, specialX.net is unique and worth a visit.

The lucky winners of free books this month were:
1. Carolyn
2. Gaye
3. Jodie
4. Myrtle

Next month's selection is "And on the surface die" by Lou Allin. It is the first in a series set on Vancouver Island.