Whodunit Book Club February 28, 2012

Fourteen brave souls attended Whodunit Mystery Book Club on this frigid February evening.
And... everyone in attendance actually finished the book!

Pam's 'magical question' this evening: "When you hear that a book that you've enjoyed is being made into a movie, do you cheer or cringe?"
Eleven members said they would cringe. Of course there were provisos attached. Most said that they wanted to read the book first. Many said that the movie rarely lived up to the book but they want to view the movie out of curiosity just to see what the screenwriters did with it. Three members cheered as they usually enjoy the movie even when it is vastly changed from the book's plot.
As usual we all had the opportunity to rate this month's novel out of 10.
Fourteen members voted at club and two more voted in absentia(see blog comments) for an overall average rating of 6.4375

The novel we discussed this month was "The 13th hour" by Richard Doetsch. For many of us this was a memorable novel, mostly because it was told in reverse! At the opening (Chapter 12), the protagonist, Nick Quinn is being questioned at the police station as a suspect in his wife's murder. He is given the opportunity to travel back in time, in one hour increments, in order that he might save her.
A fascinating premise, it took the author only 30 days to complete the novel! Some of our members commented that there was too much repetition in the book, but many viewed the repetition as necessary due to the time travel element. We were quite surprised to discover that the author wrote it in reverse, just the same way we read it. He claims that the protagonist, Nick Quinn was actually based on himself. Julia Quinn was based on his wife. The character of his best friend, Marcus, was based upon an amalgam of his friends.

The novel was definitely a page-turner with a 'happily ever after' ending. A thriller/love story which explored the age-old question of 'What if?"
For those readers who did enjoy it,there WILL be a sequel with the characters of Nick and Julia Quinn returning.

The "13th hour" has been optioned by New Line Cinema to be made into a movie.

There are several video interviews with Richard Doetsch available on his website.

The lucky Whodunit winners of free books this month were:
1. Carolyn
2. Myrtle
3. Melanie
4. Margaret
Congratulations all!

Next month's novel is the classic Dashiell Hammett novel "The Maltese Falcon".
Hope to see you at club!

I learned a new word today!

I subscribe to a daily word email.
Today's word seemed relevant to the interests of my fellow mystery readers - so I thought I'd share...

MacGuffin
http://www.wordnik.com/words/MacGuffin
(noun) A plot element or other device used to catch the audience's attention and maintain suspense but whose exact nature has fairly little influence over the storyline.
While the origin of 'MacGuffin' is obscure, the first recorded usage was in a lecture given by Alfred Hitchcock at Columbia University in 1939. A 'red herring' differs in that it purposely draws attention away from the central issue.
Example:
"But the microfilm that the bad guys are smuggling out of the country — that's just what Hitchcock called the MacGuffin, the pretense for the movie, the silly excuse upon which he pinned his real story: a man is mistaken for another man and nearly murdered because of this mistake."
--The Mother of All Horror Films, Newsweek, January 6, 2010

Whodunit Book Club January 31, 2012

Twenty die-hard Whodunit members braved the January cold to attend tonight's meeting. The book discussed this month was "Skin and bones" by Tom Bale.
Pam asked the group two 'magical' questions: a) Do you think that this book was as good as a Linwood Barclay book? and, b) Does a book have to 'grab' you from the beginning? Also, as is our usual custom we rate the title from 1-10.
Taking into account the 20 members in attendance (one of whom abstained because they didn't read the book) and the one who voted in absentia the average rating was 7.9 which pretty much lets you know that it was a Whodunit favourite.

Eleven members said they enjoyed the book more than Linwood Barclay. Most agreed that it is nice when a book grabs you from the beginning, but that it doesn't have to in order for them to enjoy it as it may have other redeeming qualities. One member used the analogy that reading a book is like a relationship. It is nice to be 'grabbed' sometimes but you wouldn't want a steady diet of it. Like a marriage of many years, it is sometimes nice to have the 'grabbing' after a gradual build up.
Some wait 3 chapters, some 5 chapters, some just have to finish a book once they've begun with the view that it must get better... Some open the potential book at a certain page and judge that way. I have recently read a blog that was called "The page 69 test" where the reader opens the book to page 69 and reads. If that page passes muster, then the book will be deemed worthy of reading in its entirety.

Although there was much lively discussion about "Skin and bones" there were some negative comments. The most prevalent of these was that it was implausible that the character of Julia could have endured what she did and was so physically active given her internal injuries. Also the portrayal of Vanessa who was dying of cancer, but still had the strength to come down stairs and try to attack someone was more than a little unrealistic. A few thought the book could have been a little shorter with better editing.

It was noted that of all the books covered in Whodunit, "Skin and bones" probably had the highest body count.

The device of using the draft function of e-mail to remain untraceable was fascinating. Tom Bale writes with an almost cinematic storytelling style. The descriptions were well written and stayed with the reader long after the final page. In particular the feeling of stillness and absence of life in the idyllic rural Sussex village. The scene where the killer's mother's garden and kitchen were described. The gory scene where the Toby cut off a man's hands...

We learned a little about the author, Tom Bale. "Skin and bones" was his second novel following "Sins of the father" which he wrote under his real name David Harrison. He has written since he was a child and had many, many rejections when starting out. He actually dreamed the whole opening sequence for "Skin and bones". Upon hearing this some members agreed that the novel had an almost surreal feeling to it.

The free book winners this month were:
Betty, Heather, Caroly and Tracy.

It was requested that we should read a true crime book at some future time.
Also, it was announced that Whodunit members get 10% off their bookclub books in future.

Next month's selection is "13th hour" by Richard Doetsch.

50 Blogs for Mystery Readers

The Mystery Fanfare has made a list of the 50 best blogs for mystery readers.

Whodunit Book Club November 29, 2011

Fifteen members attended the last Whodunit meeting of 2011. Two members contributed to our waistlines with wonderful cookies and chocolates. Thanks so much.

Our book this month was "Big red tequila" by Rick Riordan. (pronounced Rye or din)
The first in a series of novels featuring Tres Navarre, an unlicensed private investigator set in San Antonio, Texas.

From the author's website: Jackson "Tres" Navarre and his enchilada-eating cat, Robert Johnson, pull into San Antonio and find nothing but trouble. Ten years ago Navarre left town and the memory of his father's murder behind him. Now he's back, looking for answers. Yet the more Tres digs, trying to put his suspicions to rest, the fresher the decade-old crime looks: Mafia connections, construction site payoffs, and slick politicians' games all conspire to ruin his homecoming.

It's obvious Tres has stirred up a hornet's nest of trouble. He gets attacked, shot at, run over by a big blue Thunderbird—and his old girlfriend, the one he wants back, turns up missing. Tres has to rescue the woman, nail his father's murderer, and get the hell out of Dodge before mob-style Texas justice catches up to him.

The 'big red tequila' referred to in the title is a drink of tequila mixed with Big Red cream soda. UCK!

Once again we rated the novel by voting 1-10 as to our enjoyment. The score was 4.6

Plus points: Everyone seems to agree that the cat, Robert Johnson was a real and likeable 'character' who added to the book. The character of Maia was feisty and seemed too smart to be paired up with the protagonist Tres (pronounced “trace”). The descriptions of the San Antonio setting were well depicted and written with a real knowledge of the area.

Minus points: The cover was not particularly attractive and many said that they would NOT have read the book if just perusing the shelves. It appears at first glance to be a western novel. The character of Tres came off as being rather unintelligent. Although it was stated in the novel that he holds a PhD in medieval studies. The peripheral characters were unrealistically portrayed. The wrap up to the story was confusing to read and the resolution was murky and difficult to understand.http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

Rick Riordan is a Shamus and Anthony Award winning novelist. You can view an online interview with him here.
Although our book club did not rate the novel "Big Red Tequila" highly, there are many who do as is proven by his award-winning status.

The question was posed: "How do you know a book is good if you've never read one that's bad...?

Lucky book winners this month were: Lynne, Carolyn, Camilla, Tracey and Margaret.

Our next meeting will be held the last Tuesday of January 2012, when we will discuss the novel, "Skin and bones" by Tom Bale.

Whodunit Book Club October 25, 2011

Eighteen Whodunit members turned out for the meeting on this damp and chilly evening.
The novel discussed this month was "The little stranger" by Sarah Waters. Including one vote made in absentia, the club's average rating for the book was 7.194 out of 10.
Like the familiar saying "Those who loved it, loved it a lot". Those who didn't, didn't. The reaction to the novel was polarized, with members voting either very high or very low.

The author, Sarah Waters was born in Wales in 1966. She earned her PhD in English literature in 1995 and soon after starting writing novels. Her books have been in the running for several prestigious literary awards including the Ellis Peters Historical Dagger and the Lambda Literary Award for Fiction, and were shortlisted for the Orange Prize and the Man Booker Prize. A lesbian herself, she often portrays lesbians in her novels although she didn't in "The little stranger". Her fifth novel, it took her two and half years to write.
See her online interview discussing the writing of "The little stranger".

Positive praise from Whodunit members included such comments as "well-written"; "suspenseful"; "great characterization"; "great sense of place".
Negative comments included "too much detail"; "too long".

Written with consumate skill, the story was absorbing and could be interpreted many different ways. Hundreds Hall, the decaying house featured in the novel was a character unto itself and many said that they could perfectly picture it in their mind's eye.
Doctor Faraday, a rural physician and a bachelor, seemed to have aspirations to own the house with the elevated status it represented -- and some mentioned that he could be interpreted as 'the little stranger' as he visited the house as a child when his mother was a servant there. (Incidentally Sarah Waters' grandparents worked as servants in an English country house). A member commented that there is a 'little stranger' in all of us - that it is the dark part of our personality.

The setting was written so well that the reading of the novel was almost a visual experience. The novel was set in a time when there was a distinct and impassable divide between the social classes and the author aptly describes the social mores and customs of the time period. Somewhat gloomy and dark, Sarah Waters describes her work as being somewhat Dickensian.

The novel can be read as a gothic ghost story; a supernatural thriller, a psychological character study, or a historical mystery novel. All would be correct and the author leaves the decision up to the reader.

Congratulations to the lucky winners of five free novels this month:
Brenda (welcome back!)
Carolyn
Liz
Nancy
Heather

"The little stranger" by Sarah Waters

October's novel to be discussed in Whodunit is "The little stranger" by Sarah Waters. As luck would have it, I read this novel just days before it was announced as October's selection.
It is a particularly fitting selection for October as it has been described as a 'gothic ghost story'.
If anyone is interested they can read my review of "The little stranger" on my Fictionophile blog.