I read to relax and remind myself that life doesn’t have to be so difficult and serious. I’m a Texas writer who turned to writing humor as a way to deal with Catholic guilt issues. Growing up in a small Czech/Catholic community provided me with a lot of fodder on which to spin my stories. Add that to traveling the backroads across the country, pitching my tent in every state except Hawaii while keeping a journal, gave me even more to write about. I’ve written six humorous mysteries set in the 1950s, each in a different historic hotel. So kick back and enjoy the amusing books I’ve recommended.
Does it seem to you that life lately has become somewhat insane? The politics, breaking news flashes, social media notifications, all expounding doom and gloom. Do you ever ask yourself what happened to political correctness? If you’re exasperated by political controversy, you should read the satirical mystery, Squeeze Me. I’ve always been a big fan of journalist and novelist Carl Hiaasen. In his latest book, Hiaasen’s taken the current-day craziness to an entirely new level, turning a U.S. president loose in Florida allowing him to wreak havoc with our political system. I highly recommend this book because sometimes all you can do is laugh.
'One of the world's funniest novelists' SUNDAY TIMES
'Scabrous and unrelentingly hilarious . . . the Trump era is truly Carl Hiaasen's moment' WASHINGTON POST
From the highly acclaimed author of Bad Monkey and Razor Girl comes this hilarious new novel of social and political intrigue, set against the glittering backdrop of Florida's gold coast.
It's the height of the Palm Beach charity ball season: for every good cause, there's a reason for the local luminaries to eat (minimally), drink (maximally), and be seen. But when prominent high-society dowager Kiki Pew suddenly vanishes during a swanky gala, and is later…
I love this book and the entire series. These are mysteries I can sink my teeth into, which is what the narrator lives for—sinking his teeth into a Slim Jim, or better yet, a perp’s pant leg. This detective can’t conceive of a number larger than two, he has a gnat’s attention span, and will lay down his life for his partner. The storyteller is loveable dog named Chet. Chet is the partner of Bernie Little, owner of the Little Detective Agency. Seeing the world through a dog’s eyes puts things in perspective, reminding me to live in the moment and have a blast doing it. Do the stories make me laugh? In the words of Chat, "You better believe it, amigo.”
The first book of the New York Times bestselling Chet and Bernie mystery series, an “enchanting one-of-a-kind novel” (Stephen King) that is “nothing short of masterful” (Los Angeles Times).
Chet, the wise and lovable canine narrator of Dog on It, and Bernie, a down-on-his-luck private investigator, are quick to take a new case involving a frantic mother searching for her teenage daughter. This well-behaved and gifted student may or may not have been kidnapped, but she has definitely gotten mixed up with some very unsavory characters. With Chet’s highly trained nose leading the way, their hunt for clues takes them…
Is there a better book title than The Last Camel Died at Noon? When I saw this book in the bookstore, I bought it instantly. What curious mind wouldn’t? I had to know the who, what, where, when, and why of this story. And to my delight, it was set in the early twentieth century in one of my favorite, exotic countries, Egypt. Archeologist couple Amelia Peabody and husband Radcliffe Emerson, are Nick and Nora Charles, Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes, and Tommy and Tuppence Beresford all rolled into one. The Last Camelis the sixth book in Elizabeth Peter’s humorous, mystery series. I’ve read them all many times over. I recommended starting with the first book, Crocodile on the Sandbank.
Join our plucky Victorian Egyptologist, together with her devastatingly handsome and brilliant husband Radcliffe, in another exciting escapade
This time Amelia and her dashing husband Emerson set off for a promising archaeological site in the Sudan, only to be unwillingly drawn into the search for an African explorer and his young bride who went missing twelve years back.
They survive the rigours of the desert, the death of their camels, and the perfidy of their guides, only to find themselves taken prisoner in a lost city and civilisation. Amelia and Emerson must bravely continue making archaeological finds while doing their…
One for the Moneywas the book that inspired me to try my hand at writing a humorous mystery. I love the zany characters and the element of exasperating romance, centered around a young woman, Stephane Plum, who is trying to make it in a man’s world as a bounty hunter. Some of the scenes are so hilarious, I read them out loud to my sister.
Stephanie Plum is down on her luck. She's lost her job, her car's on the brink of repossession, and her apartment is fast becoming furniture-free.
Enter Cousin Vinnie, a low-life who runs a bail-bond company. If Stephanie can bring in vice cop turned outlaw Joe Morelli, she stands to pick up $10,000. But tracking down a cop wanted for murder isn't easy . . .
And when Benito Ramirez, a prize-fighter with more menace than mentality, wants to be her friend Stephanie soon knows what it's like to be pursued. Unfortunately the best person to protect her just happens to…
Twelve-year-old Emma Graham she lives with her chef mother, older brother, Will, in the once-grand resort, Hotel Paradise. Emma works as a waitress in the hotel restaurant. Often left to her own devices, Emma learns about a forty-year-old mystery involving another twelve-year-old girl, Mary-Evelyn, who drowned in Spirit Lake. Emma is convinced the girl was murdered and sets out to prove it. Hotel Paradise is the first in a series. I love the plot thread that is woven through all four books as Emma uncovers one secret after another in her quest for the truth. But the book is about more than solving a mystery, it’s about Emma discovering who she is and her purpose in life.
Spirit Lake, near Hotel Paradise, is notorious because a small child drowned there, over 40 years ago. A local 12-year-old girl has becomed obsessed with solving this mystery, and when a second death occurs, she begins to put together the pieces of a past and present puzzle.
It’s1953 and detective Sydney Lockhart’s at it again, trying to solve a murder in another historic hotel while avoiding being locked up for the very crime she’s investigating. Bribes, fixed horse races, and dirty money lead to a string of illicit deeds that trail from San Antonio to New Orleans and back again.
With her partner, Ralph Dixon, handling the case from Austin, or so she believes, Sydney’s working alone in unfamiliar territory. Soon her personal life goes south and to make matters worse, the investigation takes a bizarre turn. Sydney’s attacked and thrown into the river. She surfaces with a faulty memory, uncertain of whom she can trust. Her only choice is to find the killer before the killer finds her.
Writer, reader, editor, reviewer, publisher… those are all parts of me. With a lifetime of experience in the “words” industry, I have a pretty good handle on what makes a book not just good, but hot. I say this with the understanding that each reader brings their own histories to the reading experience, and what one person may like, another may not. Nonetheless, I offer you my professional and personal favorites in the mystery/thriller/suspense categories. It is my sincere hope that you find these books as addictive as I’d found them. Superb and clever writing, engaging characters, unpredictable plots—yes, please! Though I occasionally step outside my comfort zone, I'm consistently drawn back to these categories.
Liza O’Connell was a horror buff in every sense of the word. But there was one deadly nightmare she would never be able to talk about … her own. A friend murdered. A business in trouble. A marriage struggling to survive. And that’s just the beginning.
When salon owner Carrie King discovers Liza dead in the back room of her shop, everyone becomes a suspect, even her. As tensions in the community rise, so does the death toll, and now the local cops believe there’s a serial killer on the loose. The question is … are the two investigations connected?…
Liza O’Connell was a horror buff in every sense of the word. But there was one deadly nightmare she would never be able to talk about … her own.
A friend murdered.
A business in trouble.
A marriage struggling to survive.
And that’s just the beginning.
When salon owner Carrie King discovers Liza dead in the back room of her shop, everyone becomes a suspect, even her. As tensions in the community rise, so does the death toll, and now the local cops believe there’s a serial killer on the loose. The question is … are the two investigations connected?…
