Fiction

Mercy, what a trip I had between Liberal, Wichita, Lawrence, Fort Worth and back to Kerrville! Our car was run into, in Wichita, at 2 a.m., by some idiot who'd stolen a pickup from a nearby bar, lost control on an icy access road, skidded across the grass, and slammed into our parked Chevy Traverse--then, he took off on foot over the snow. I asked the nice police officer, the next morning, if I could track him (you could see his shoe prints plainly) and shoot him? He didn't think that was such a good idea, so I then asked the officer if he could take us into Lawrence, in time for the K. U.- Nebraska basketball game that afternoon, with his red lights on? That also didn't seem like such a good idea to him, but he was sympathetic to my plight.

Yes, we unloaded the car, with the help of the great night manager at Hampton Inn, and then I sat down with a nice cup of tea--these things are so upsetting to one's sense of order and schedule, don't you agree? Where was Himself at this point, you ask? (You did ask, didn't you?) He helped unload the car, not just of suitcases but also of sacks, books, crackers and pretzels, thermos containers, extra shoes, my vitamins, a box of books for my column, hair spray, and books that my helpful daughter-in-law had sent with me that she thought I'd like to read, 4 new lipsticks, Jim's briefcase (terribly important but terribly heavy), our K.U. shirts (we had seats on the front row center, right behind the sports announcers, and Jim was given a blue shirt to wear in place of his red shirt 'cause guess what color shirts Neb fans were wearing!?), a dogs leash, my "travel emergency" bar of Hershey's chocolate (with almonds, of course), a bottle of nail polish, our Texas and Ks. maps--well, you get the picture, I'm sure. Where was Jim while I was in the lobby having tea and an English muffin? On the phone making several--several--calls and, later, visiting with the young man and his father whose truck it was (and they weren't too happy, I might add). Anyway, loaded up the rental car, again--read above list--and left for Lawrence and "the game".

Okay, here I am in Kerrville and writing the Fiction column for you and no graceful segue this time, Patti, but I'll work at that on the next column and speaking of "the next column", I am going laughing and screaming (as my mother used to say) into left knee replacement, on 26, and won't be trying to fit the affected knee under this desk all through February and most of March, so you all take care until the end of March--and spare a kind thought, please,in the weeks ahead.

Tami Hoag is a well-established author and has a new book out, "Secrets to the Grave", and it concerns the puzzle of the brutal murder of Marissa Fordham,who had a past full of secrets, and her 4 year old daughter, Haley, who had made the 911 call. The picture-perfect town of Oak Knoll is paralyzed with fear already because of a killer on trial, the See-No-Evil criminal and the star witness in that trial is Anne Leone, a teacher-child advocate who is asked to work with Haley for clues to the killer of her mother.

Anne's husband, an FBI profiler, and a local sheriff's deputy, all pitch in and use their talents to "peel back the layers of Marissa's life but they find only fragments. Then, they uncover the one fact that puts Anne and Haley directly in the sights of a killer. It seems that Marissa Fordham never really existed at all." Haley is the key--they need to catch a killer and this child could help them do it. Hoag always writes well--believingly--but not "sappy", her characters indeed seem like people you have known and would like to have on your side. Come in and check it out.

Mary Jane Clark is not a "major novelist" and probably couldn't care less but what she is, is a good talent for mixing romance and mystery with likeable characters. Her newest is "To Have and To Kill: A Wedding Cake Mystery", which should give you a clue. She's written 12 other "light" mysteries before this one, so Clark has clearly had experience--are you with me on that point, at least? Her lead characters are women who are capable, not weighed down with a lot of dark flashbacks, and this story has, as its lead, Piper Donovan, "who moves back in with her parents to take stock of her life."

Her family is running a bakery and finds herself agreeing to bake a fabulous wedding cake for the star of a daytime TV drama--but someone is determined to stop the wedding and a murder is committed. (Stop the icing--it's getting predictable!) It seems that Ms. Piper will solve the mystery "with the help of her former neighbor, a handsome FBI agent with a soft spot for the gorgeous cake maker"--and, as Dorothy Parker signed off on of her famous reviews of a New York play for her employer, the N.Y. Times, "Tonstant Weader fwowed up" (her reviews were always signed "Constant Reader", you see, and she detested "cuteness" such as she, apparently found in the play). If you like 'em light and predictable and an all-tied-up-neatly ending, then this would be a choice for you on a cold winter's 3 days. Goodness--we can't read "deep" books all the time, can we? Look at Danielle Steele--actually, let's not.

Moving on--here's another "big hitter" that would make any reader happy to spend time with--"What the Night Knows", by Dean Koontz. I loved the first sentences on the fly leaf, to wit;

"In the late summer of a long ago year, a killer arrived in a small city. His name was Alton Turner Blackwood, and in the space of a few months he brutally murdered four families. His savage spree ended only when he himself was killed by the last survivor of the last family, a 14-yr.old boy."

Now, a long way from the original murders--and 20 years later--someone is copying Blackwood and murdering people. Homicide detective John Calvino is certain that they will all be victims in this later crime spree--his parents and sisters were victims in the earlier murders and John was Blackwood's murderer when he was 14. John is someone who deals in facts but that extraordinary experience convinces him that "sometimes the dead return." This story may--or may not--exceed his previous novels in power and suspense--that decision lies with each individual reader--but Koontz loves to tell and draw his readers into his world of angry emotions and hard tests of love, danger, and justice. So, Poppets, I looked through the book, as I do all the books I review, and I gotta tell ya--his "word portraits" of his subjects are quite good, the action moves to a good clip (and, I suppose, climax, but I never read the ending unless I am going to read all of it) and I really liked Naomi, the 12 year old girl who likes dragons! Better check it out so you--you; personally, can read the ending.

Okay, guys, this title is the one that has rocked Best Seller lists in Europe, America and outer space! "Three Seconds", by Roslund and Hellstrom and the reason I list both names is that all the reviews/interviews include both of them, and they sort of "interject and build on each other's thoughts", as they've said, so--both are important. The main character is Piet Hoffman, in the Swedish Police's secret agency, and his cover is that of a lieutenant ih the ruthless Polish mafia trying to take over amphetamine distribution within Sweden's prison system and success, in this role, "will mean a new identity and the freedom to start a new life with his wife and young sons." The plan is botched, an informant is killed, and he is in prison, with the case assigned to a "the brilliant but haunted Det. Insp. Ewert Grens, whose investigation closes in on Hoffman. "He has only one chance to make it out alive--"one chance and three seconds." I told you it was highly praised! You see, Poppets, the best writers put in twists and turns (i.e. Lincoln and Childs, Koontz, Deaver, etc.)_ and just as you are starting to think down one path--it ends.The print is a trifle small, but the action is continuous and it really gets you involved.

Take care and keep the water free of ice, for your dog, if the dish is outside, keep walking, drink lots of water, eat as many greens as you can (beans, peas, lettuce, pears), go see "The King's Speech" when it comes (only if you like literate, intelligent movies, that is), and thank you for reading this--oh, and spare me a thought on the 26th for my knee replacement! At least I try not to complain--no one likes a complainer! Take care,bye!