I regularly read nonfiction. (A lot of research material, but I don’t blog about that.) This past week I read two nonfiction books just from interest.
When I started this book, I thought it would be about Woodrow Wilson but it turned out to be primarily about William Bullitt. An energetic politician, Bullitt was active right about to the Nixon years. Bullitt was active during World War II, was given a medal by DeGaulle, and also served as an ambassador to the Soviet Union.
The book was only slightly about Wilson. It began with a few chapters, focusing especially on a psychological workup of Wilson by Freud and ended with the release of that workup. So a break of almost forty years. Bullitt waited until Wilson and his wife were dead.
Bullitt was an interesting character. Super smart. His assessments of the Nazis and the Soviets was spot on. I was disappointed there was not more about Wilson, however. And I feel the psychological assessment reached in some cases. So, an interesting book, but not a total success.
Now for a complete change of pace. This book is a history of the video game industry from the early 2000s. I love video games and have played many, many, right up to the Burning Shores ( from the Horizon Forbidden West franchise), Mario smash brothers, Hollow Knight and Zelda, Tears of the Kingdom. (Not a fan. The game felt clunky and old-fashioned to me.) I have not played all the games discussed. Shovel Knight, for example. I have played Assassin’s Creed, although not Unity. (I’m glad since apparently the game kept glitching and one of the NPC’s face would explode. Disturbing to say the least.) Huge fan of Dragon’s Age and Witcher 3. Even bigger fan of The Last of Us, one and two, but this game was not included in the book.
I may go back and look up some of the games I missed. Yes, I still have my PS4 as well as my PS5.
I am even more amazed, after reading about all the trouble these teams went through, that my friend Thomas Happ developed Axiom Verge BY HIMSELF. The first was released in 2015, after five years of development. The second installment came out in 2021. Both were considered among the best games of those years.
A Murder of Furies, the third in the Bronze Age Crete series, will be released January 31.
In this outing, Ancient Egypt plays a large role.
A minor prince seeks the hand of Hele, the High Priestess’s daughter. She has turned him down multiple times but he won’t take no for an answer. He arrives in Knossos to press his suit in person. While he is there, Martis discovers that the prince is allying himself with Khoranos, the High Priestess’s son, who is planning to take the throne.
And then the High Priestess is murdered! Martis suspects the Egyptians.
I don’t know if this could have happened but I thought it might be possible. Crete and Egypt were trading partners and some time after the time frame in which this story takes place, Ramses appealed to Crete for help in stopping the Sea Peoples, the pirates who attacked Egypt regularly. We know, therefore, that there was regular contact between the two.
When this mystery takes place, Hatshepsut, a woman, was the pharaoh of Egypt. Although women enjoyed a comparatively high status, there are very few women pharaohs. Hatshepsut was the daughter, the sister, and the wife of a king so her bloodline was impeccable.
The daughter of Thutmose I, she ruled jointly with her brother/husband, Thutmose III. She reigned for over 20 years and is generally regarded as a successful pharaoh.She reestablished trade networks that had been disrupted during a previous war and although was engaged in warfare in the early part of her reign, oversaw a long and prosperous era. She also embarked on many building projects.
She was almost lost to history since her cartouche was removed from her monuments. Her brother, Thutmose III, did not remove her cartouche until the end of his reign. Since by the little we know, the relationship between Thutmose and Hatshepsut was a good one, it is suggested that his son, Amenhotep II was the defacer.
Not much is known about her. She had one daughter and seems to have been a good ruler. A mummy believed to be hers has been discovered. An examination shows she had diabetes, cancer and bad teeth.
As even many layman know, the Egyptians married siblings, nieces, and daughters. The accepted explanation is that only another royal had the proper bloodline. Another theory is that this was an effort to keep the power concentrated in one family’s hands.. One suggestion I find particularly interesting is that, because of a woman’s connection to a Supreme Goddess, a holdover from the Goddess worship of earlier times, only a female member of the royal family could give legitimacy to the throne and to her relative’s rule.
Our Lady of the Overlook, by R.L. Carpentier III is a police procedural.
Mike Ellis is a rookie cop, working under the shadow of his father. Charles Ellis had been the police chief in the little town for years.
Now it looks like history is repeating itself. Mike Ellis finds the body of a woman murdered, at the overlook, just like his father had forty years ago. Although Mike’s investigation takes a heavy toll on him, he pursues it to the end. Mike’s character evolves and changes as he faces truths that are, at best, uncomfortable.
The mystery takes a little while to get started but once it does, I couldn’t put the book down. I’m glad Carpentier has planned a trilogy as I have already ordered the second one in the series.
As many know, I am a member of the Mavens of Mayhem, a chapter of the national organization: Sisters in Crime. We have programs every month.
Coming in January:
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Next up: An opportunity for writers. Here’s a chance to have your short story featured in the Mavens Anthology. Rules below.
The Mavens of Mayhem are pleased to announce that submissions are now open for our upcoming anthology. All subgenres of mystery and crime fiction are welcome, including but not limited to: traditional mysteries, cozies, police procedurals, psychological suspense, thrillers, hardboiled detectives, noir, historicals, capers, comedy, and cross-genre stories including elements of urban fantasy, paranormal, and speculative fiction.
Stories must include a crime and a New York setting. We welcome stories set anywhere from Adirondack State Park to Central Park; from the Hudson River to Niagara Falls, and from Fire Island to Henderson Harbor [pop. 1,400] Whichever you choose, the Empire State offers a range of possibilities for artful dodgers and evil masterminds.
Word count: Stories must be between 1,500 and 5,000 words
Content: Stories must be original to the author and cannot rely, in whole or in part, on AI-generated content.
Requirements for Submission
Each author must be a member in good standing of both Sisters in Crime National and a local New York State chapter: the Upper Hudson River Mavens of Mayhem, OR the New York/Tri-State Chapter, OR Central/Western NY Murder on Ice.
Only previously unpublished stories will be considered. The story may not have appeared in print, online (including e-zines and personal websites) or in any other public forum.
Mandatory Manuscript Guidelines
1. Formatting and Font: · MS Word document (.doc, not .docx, please), 12 point Times New Roman, double-spaced, one-inch margins on all sides. You may use italics as needed within the text.
2. Leave two lines, then center title, ALL CAPS BOLD, Leave two lines below title, then start story – do not indent first line of first paragraph · Use Format > Paragraph > to indent the first line of paragraphs 0.5″ (do not use the tab key to indent) ·
3. Separate sections with a centered # and do not indent first line of first paragraph beginning new section/ Indicate end of story with ### centered (format line for no indentation before centering)
4. Pagination and Rubrics: Paginate with page numbers at top right, including first page · Add story title only (not author name) as header at top left on all pages ·
5. Manuscript file name should be story title only ·
6.Strip manuscript of all metadata before submitting, as submissions will be evaluated anonymously.
7. Cover Sheet: Submit a cover sheet along with the story manuscript as a separate email attachment. The cover sheet must include: author/member real name, pen name, mailing address, telephone number, email address, title of story, and word count
8. Cover sheet file name should be author name and story title or an appropriate abbreviation.
9. Submissions: The story and cover sheet should be submitted together as two (2) attachments to anthology@upperhudsonsinc.com
The subject line should read: Anthology Submission – [Author Name] – “[Story Title]” ·
10. Anonymity: Do not include the author’s name below the title or anywhere on manuscript. Strip manuscript of all identifying metadata before submitting.
Decision-making and Revisions:All stories will be read and ranked anonymously by at least two volunteer evaluators in addition to the editors. The final selection for inclusion in the anthology will be ratified by the Board of Directors of the Mavens of Mayhem and may include editorial considerations beyond numeric scores. Authors and the chapter at large will be notified when final selections are made. · Please note that you may be asked to make revisions, either as a condition for selection or after selection as part of the editorial process.
All editing will be done using Word’s Track Changes, which has become standard for most publishers these days and is worth learning if you haven’t used it before.
This anthology is tentatively scheduled for publication October 2026, but that date may change.
Payment is $25 for accepted entries.
We look forward to reading your work!
Empire State Crimes Co-Editors: Ellen Higgins and Lori Robbins
Empire State Crimes Co-Editors: Ellen Higgins and Lori Robbins
I am a big fan of the Shetland mysteries (Vera and Jimmy Perez.)Several years have passed and Jimmy has settled into his new home in the Orkneys with his partner Willow Reeves.
One night, during a terrible storm, a close friend disappears and is found murdered. A Neolithic story stone is found next to his body. Jimmy is heartbroken. Archie Stout was as close as a brother. And Jimmy is too close: questioning Archie’s wife and family is difficult.
And rumors – about Archie’s relationship with a young artist, as well as concerns about a television star and his wife, swirl about the island. But Jimmy, assisted by Willow, preserves to the tragic solution.
Amy Patricia Meade is becoming one of my favorite authors. In this outing, she offers us Rosie the Riveter.
Rosie has taken on the job at the Brooklyn shipyards, along with several other women, because of the pay. The more ‘ladylike’ jobs do not pay as well and Rosie is supporting her widowed sister and baby. The male riveters don’t want the women there but Rosie is managing.
When her foreman makes a pass at her, promising a promotion, she clocks him in the head with the telephone. The next day his body is discovered in a nearby alley. Rosie is the prime suspect. She begins to investigate, finding a surprise ally in the police lieutenant investigating the case.
Roșie discovers several people wanted the foreman dead. The solution rests in a very nice twist. I would love to read the sequel but unfortunately it is unavailable.
Highly Recommended.
I also read Million Dollar Baby by Meade. Marjorie, an attractive mystery writer, catches the eye of wealthy British heir, Creighton Ashcroft. The house he is renovating is the site of a suicide, a mysterious death, and a missing diamond. When Ashcroft invites Marjorie to tour the house, they find a body.
A handsome policeman arrives to investigate – and Marjorie is immediately interested. Ashcroft is jealous and annoyed, but the three must work together to solve the mystery.
My husband and I just returned from a Christmas cruise through Germany, Slovenia, and Budapest. Christmas markets have been a feature in Europe, primarily Germany, since the Middle Ages. The first date I found stretched all the way back to the 1200s but the date usually accepted for the first Christmas market is 1434. They have evolved into markets for food (gingerbread, for example, and the famous meter long sausage), Artisan products, and my favorite: Gluhwein. This is basically mulled wine and it is good! We also were able to keep the mugs. I now have a nice set of six.
Gingerbread in all forms: small cookies, cakes, and several different recipes, is huge there. Gingerbread as a baked good is very old, almost as old as bread which puts it almost into the Neolithic. My favorite was made solely with honey, water, and rye flour. Quite different from our American made. And, I might add, totally without ginger.
We also tried raclette, melted cheese poured over home baked rye bread. Wow!
Artisan products include wooden items – bowls, spoons, cutting boards, baskets, glass and paper ornaments, textiles – my husband bought socks.
One of the markets was in the courtyard of a castle. We took a tour, and part of the family’s home was from the Middle Ages with the stone crypts. Hard to imagine one family living in the same house for a millennia.
The Christmas markets are so popular that they are frequently located within blocks of one another. In Vienna, we could see a market from the market we were currently standing in. Within in the limits of the city center, there are 13 and of course many more outside.
I finished the final two entries for the Wren Winters series, at least up to now.
In the second outing, Wren and her friends are thrilled at the invitation to appear on the podcast of a popular influencer. But Noelle collapses and by the time the police arrive, she is dead. Noelle, it becomes clear, was being threatened online. Further investigation turns up a jealous ex, a former business partner, and a sister determined to force Noelle offline.
Then Wren’s. pink haired librarian friend begins to display similar symptoms. Now Wren and her friends have to hurry before Esther follows Noelle to the grave.
Wren and her friends head off to a gaming con. Wren is reluctant, because this was the exact convention her beloved husband Marcus attended before his death. Wren soon realizes that the jealousies and rivalries between the members are dangerous and when two of the women are murdered, and then Wren herself is attacked, she realizes the case goes all the way back to Marcus and his death. Once declared an accident, it is obvious he too was murdered. Was it by the same person? And why?
I really enjoy these books. The gaming world is a fresh and original setting (and one I, a former D&D player revel in) and the mysteries are complicated and intriguing. I hope this is not the last we’ve seen of Wren Winters and her posse.
The two books I read this past week couldn’t be more different.
Turkey Trot Murder takes place as Tinker’s Cove, Maine, is gearing up for Thanksgiving. But the community is rocked by the murder of a young college student, Allison Franklin. Her father, the wealthiest man in town, puts the blame squarely on the immigrants. He includes a restauranteur, although his family could trace their heritage pre-United States. Emotions run high and soon Allison’s father is also found murdered.
Who could be the murderer of both Franklins? The immigrants? Or the many other people in town, including Franklin’s estranged wife, with whom both battled?
I thought Turkey Trot Murder would be cozier than I usually read. And it did follow several of the cozy rules: the violence takes place mostly off scene and there are plenty of homey domestic touches throughout. But the depiction of the opioid crisis gave the story much more weight. I found this aspect very realistic and really more interesting than the mystery. In fact, the mystery ended up being overshadowed by the rest of the story.
Recommended with that caveat.
Wasp Trap couldn’t be more different.
In 1999, 6 students are chosen by a charismatic teacher to work on a special project, developing a test to discover psychopaths. But Sebastian shuts down the project very suddenly. No one knows why.
The six students, now adults in their forties, meet at a dinner party planned by two of the so-called revolutionaries. The visit quickly goes sideways when the six are isolated in the house by two genuine psychopaths and told to confess a secret from 1999. The situation rapidly spirals into murder.
I thought this book started slowly but once it picks up steam, it is unputdownable. There are several surprising twists before the secret is revealed and the psychopath is revealed. Recommended.
