A New Author to Love

Not only do I keep a list of blog topics next to my computer, I keep a list of books to read. 

When I was young and in school, I always had a novel in my hand.  And then college and work came along.  Then babies.  And grad school.  And more work.  Most novels written between 1964 and 2004 only crossed my path if they were big topics of conversation. 

I went off to Australia in 2000 reading the first of the Harry Potter novels and purchased the second one in a Melbourne bookstore.  I loved them.  Thank goodness for the press keeping me informed.

I am currently reading 'City of Bones' by Michael Connelly, written in 2002.  It is the last of the Harry Bosch novels for me to read.  I read my first one after 'The Lincoln Lawyer' was published and have read them all out of order and sometimes have trouble keeping track of the Bosch timeline.

Today, I want to mention an author whose works I just started reading, in order.  The first book, 'A Cold Day in Paradise' (1998) by Steve Hamilton, was on my list because it was an Edgar Award winner for Best First Novel.  I read in in one afternoon, it was that good.

It is a mystery of course.  Murder and mayhem.  A totally unexpected perpetrator. 

It is set in the upper peninsula in Paradise, Michigan, a place I have actually visited.  In fact, I took my mother-in-law there to see Taquamenon Falls and she wouldn't leave the car.

We were so far north, I think she was afraid of bears.

Anyway, back to the novels.  I finished the follow-up novel, 'Winter of the Wolf Moon', on Thursday and went off to the library to pick up the next two in the Alex McKnight series.  Alex is a former Detroit policeman, shot in the line of duty and now retired to his family's cabins up North.  Lots of snow.  And snowmobiles.  So far.  Hopefully, the novels will progress into better weather.

I only found one 'glitch' in the first novel.  While working in Detroit, his partner asks him where they are going and he says 'Receiving Hospital'.  But it is 1984 and the hospital is closed.  I keep reading and he says they are at Memorial, which happened to be across the street.  Of course, I only know this because I worked at Receiving in the 1970's.  No big deal in the grand scheme of what was and is a really good read. 

If you like mysteries and P.I.'s, check it out.  I am pretty sure you will get past page 50.