Why Did It Take Me So Long?

Why did it take me so long to finally read a mystery by Peter Lovesey? I keep shaking my head wondering! Now that I've finally picked up a couple to read, I'm hooked. It's a good thing I don't mind reading out of order! I have lots of good reading ahead of me.



The first one that I tried was The Secret Hangman: An Inspector Peter Diamond Investigation by Peter Lovesey. I started reading and I didn't want to put it down. It flew. Well written. Charming characters. Wonderful editing. Good story. Lots of red herrings. Wit. Plot twists that will please the most picky mystery reader. Suspense.

Condensed from the book flap: "Peter Diamond is being pursued by a secret admirer even as he pursues a serial killer. First, Delia Williams, a waitress with two young daughters, is reported missing by her mother. She is found dead in a park, hanging from the crossbar of a swing set. Looks like a suicide, but it isn't. Other deaths by hanging follow with Mrs. William's ex-husband among the victims. The search for the secret hangman begins."



The second Lovesey that I read was The Circle: An Inspector Henrietta Mallin Investigation (with a cameo appearance by Peter Diamond). This one had a different feel to it -- wittier, laid back, but with three murders by fire.

Condensed from the book flap: "The members of the literary circle come from all walks of life and practice many forms of writing, from fantasy to torrid romance to household hints. Yet there sems to be nothing about any of them to incite a serial killer. But it becomes clear that there is an arsonist in their midst who is determined to burn his victims to death. Detective Chief Inspector Hen (Henrietta) Mallin is in charge of the investigation of the Chichester murders by fire."

Getting to know the members of the literary circle is key to solving the crimes. This is an old-fashioned whodunit written with style and deviousness. More red herrings, plot twists, digs at writers of the unpublishable and at publishers. Black humor. Another good one.



And, finally, Literary Feasts: Inspired Eating from Classic Fiction by Sean Brand. This is a delightful little book that I think readers and food lovers would enjoy.

From the flap: "While Leopold Bloom fortified himself for his rambles through Dublin with a hearty breakfast of grilled kidneys with pepper, thinly sliced bread and butter, and a large pot of tea, James Bond started his days off with a half pint of chilled OJ, three scrambled eggs, two cups of black coffee, and a pack of Chesterfields. The lucky revelers invited to Jay Gatsby's mansion feasted on baked hams, pastry pigs,and turkeys bewitched to dark gold, all washed down with champagne served in glasses the size of finger bowls. And of course P.G. Wodehouse made sure that Bertie Wooster always dined in style."

The book is divided into Breakfast, Lunch, Tea, Dinner, Eating Outdoors, Children's Meals, and Special Occasions with visits to literary treats like Dickens, Fielding, Melville, Shakespeare, Austen, Twain, Fitzgerald and others. This is when cooks really cooked. No prepared, in the box foods here!

Happy Reading!

From One Extreme to Another

From one extreme to another -- a book I really enjoyed and a series mystery I won't read again. So where to start? How about with the one series I'm finished with?

I enjoy brain candy - cozy mysteries written around subjects I'm interested in like needlework. I hadn't read a Monica Ferris mystery in awhile (having forgotten why I gave them up once before). When I saw Thai Die, I was intrigued -- by the cover and the subject -- Thailand. This is number 12 in the needlework series by Ferris and that is probably the problem. By the time you get to number 12 there just isn't anything new. The characters that I enjoyed in the past were even blah. The editing was horrible and I just plain didn't enjoy this read that took me one day. At least, I spent only one day.

**

Now Dark Fire: A Matthew Shardlake Mystery by C.J. Sansom is a completely different matter. This historical mystery, set in 1540 was superb, beautiful prose, excellent editing (nothing jumped out at me), an interesting story with interesting characters. YeeeeeeHaaaaaw! A real winner. So good, in fact, that I ordered the others in the series. Mr. Dragon enjoyed it so much, he is currently reading Sansom's stand alone about Spain.

From the back cover: "In 1540 Henry VIII has been on the throne for thirty-one years. Lawyer Matthew Shardlake has been called to help a young girl accused of murder who refuses to speak in her own defense even when threatened with torture. On the verge of losing his case, Shardlake is suddenly granted a reprieve. His benefactor is Thomas Cromwell, the kings' feared vicar general, who offers him two more weeks to investigate further. In exchange, Shardlake must find a lost cache of "Dark Fire", an ancient weapon of mass destruction. What ensues is a page-turning adventure filled with period detail and wonderful characters."

This book won the CWA Ellis Peters Historical Dagger Award for good reason!

Genteel Your Cup of Tea?

Is genteel your cup of tea? Then you'd probably enjoy novels by Georgette Heyer. Heyer wrote over fifty novels, including Regency romances, mysteries and historical fiction. She was known as the Queen of Regency romance, and was legendary for her research, historical accuracy and her extraordinary plots and characterizations. She also had a wry and well-developed sense of humor. Her books are being reissued.

Spending so much time at M. D. Anderson, we are getting a lot of reading done. The Talisman Ring was the first Heyer that I read. "When spirited Eustacie stumbles into a band of smugglers, she is delighted to be having an adventure at last. Their leader, young heir Ludovic Lavenham, is in hiding falsely accused of murder. Pursued by the law, Eustacie and Ludovic find refuge at an unassuming country inn. And the delightfully sensible couple who try to keep them out of trouble -- the resourceful Miss Sarah Thane and the clear-thinking Sir Tristram Shield, gamely endeavor to prevent Ludovic's arrest and Eustacie's ruin as the four conspire to recover the missing talisman ring that will clear Ludovic's name."

Totally entertaining in a very *old-fashioned* way -- "a story in the manner of Jane Austen, of domestic comedy and love affairs."

Why Shoot a Butler is one of Heyer's detective novels. Her barrister husband, Ronald Rougier, provided many of the plots for her detective novels, which are classic English country-house mysteries reminiscent of Agatha Christie. "On a dark night, along a lonely country road, barrister Frank Amberley stops to help a young lady in distress and discovers a sports car with a corpse behind the wheel. The girl protests her innocence, and Amberley believes her - at least until he gets drawn into the mystery and the clues incriminating Shirley Brown begin to add up."

"In an English country-house murder mystery with a twist, it's the butler who's the victim, every clue complicates the puzzle, and the bumbling police are well-meaning but completely baffled. Fortunately in ferreting out a desperate killer, amateur sleuth Amberley is as brilliant as he is arrogant, but this time he's not sure he wants to know the truth."

I read 108 pages of Why Shoot a Butler and wondered why I was continuing to read. And then, suddenly, on page 109 -- the book took off and was a race to the end. I guess it just took 108 pages to get all the characters and background in place!

***

I have a couple of Blog Shout Outs for you. First, visit with Calamity Kim. She is celebrating the Twelve Days of Christmas with a crafty pattern a day. Fun! I also found, thanks to Calamity Kim, Freebies for Crafters -- a blog full of free craft patterns and blog links. That should keep you crafters busy for awhile!

***

A big THANK YOU to all of you who are sending good thoughts, prayers, vibes, juju et al, to Mr. Dragon. We spend every day at M. D. Anderson, some days much longer than others, and I'm happy to report that he is handling his chemo and radiation very well. Thank you for your emails, telephone calls. Know we appreciate all of you. I don't have much computer time (or crafty time) right now, but try to at least check in with all of you and read what you are up to. I may not comment, but I've been by to visit. Keep blogging. I love visiting! It is fun therapy for me!

There's a Mystery for Every Interest

(From fotosearch.com)

There are mysteries of all kinds, covering all sorts of interests, for all different readers. There are hard-boiled mysteries, Noir, urban fantasy, cozy mysteries and all sorts of combinations. There are mysteries for readers who like to cook, who like to read, who like scrap booking, tea drinking, falconry, needlepoint, collecting antiques. You get the idea. How about for collectors of teddy bears and knitters? You bet!

DIED IN THE WOOL: A Knitting Mystery by Mary Kruger is the first in a series of cozy myteries. Ariadne Evans is the proud owner of her very own knitting shop. She enters her store one day to find longtime customer Edith Perry strangled to death with homespun yarn. Now Edith wasn’t the easiest person to get along with so there is a long list of suspects. Detective Joshua Pierce, may or may not have designs on Ariadne (a little romance never hurts in a cozy mystery). Ariadne decides to do some sleuthing of her own. Hopefully, the killer isn’t as crafty as she.

I’m behind the times as this book was first published as a paperback in 2007. I thought it was well done and I like the characters -- something that is very important in cozy mysteries -- and I’d like to visit Ariadne in her shop. I do love yarn and the description of the purple heather hand spun, hand dyed yarn used to kill Edith really sounds lovely! There are several more books in this series and I’m looking forward to getting to know Ariadne and her friends better.

THE CRAFTY TEDDY: A Bear Collector’s Mystery by John J. Lamb is the third book in this “sort of cozy” police procedural. I say sort of because Mr. Lamb is a retired homicide detective and hostage negotiator. He has all the police procedural part of the books down to a science. He and his wife collect teddy bears (at last count had over 600), so he also knows the teddy bear business. Definitely an interesting combination and one I have really enjoyed.

From the back of the book:

“Retired San Francisco cop Brad Lyon is settling into a quieter life with his wife, Ashleigh, in Virginia’s mountain country, where they collect and create teddy bears. But even here, stuff happens...

The peace of the Shenandoah Valley is shattered when an intruder breaks into the Lyon home and makes off with the antique Farnell Alpha teddy bear -- one of the most celebrated stuffed animals in history, and also Brad’s gift to Ash on their twentieth wedding anniversary.

Afterward, life seems to be getting back to normal -- until a trio of Japanese gangsters inexplicably shows up in town, and then the local museum director is found dead. Even though it all seems a bit fur-fetched, Brad knows he’s got a 187 on his hands -- that’s California penal code for murder ...”

These are fun books. Well written and fast paced. Not too cozy or too hard-boiled. Brad and Ash, Tina Barron the County Sheriff and Sergei Zubatov (Brad’s best friend and the owner of Pinckney’s Brick Pit barbecue restaurant and former Soviet military attache -- or, in other words, spy) are all wonderful characters. Add the great information about bears (there are always ideas about where to buy bears and usually a bear artist or two are featured in the books) and a well written mystery -- well -- it’s the perfect brain candy for a rainy afternoon. I’m glad I have two more in my stack!

Even a rainy day brings JOY!

So, Where IS the Memory Card?

Mr. Dragon and I went to a book signing last night at Murder By The Book, one of the few remaining independent booksellers here in Houston. One of our favorite authors, Louise Penny was signing her latest Inspector Gamache book, The Brutal Telling. I grabbed the camera and out the door we went. Well, when I started to take a photo of Ms. Penny --- my beloved camera said *no memory card*. What? That can't be! I looked at Mr. Dragon. He looked at me. Shrugged. But it was true. So, here I am, borrowing a photo of Louise Penny from her website.



I've borrowed a bit more from her website:

"Here is a bit of what the book is about…

Chaos is coming, old son. 

With those words the peace of Three Pines is shattered. As families prepare to head back to the city and children say goodbye to summer, a stranger is found murdered in the village bistro. Once again, Chief Inspector Gamache and his team are called in to strip back layers of lies, exposing both treasures and rancid secrets buried in the wilderness. 

No one admits to knowing the murdered man, but as secrets are revealed, chaos begins to close in on the beloved bistro owner, Olivier. How did he make such a spectacular success of his business? What past did he leave behind and why has he buried himself in this tiny village? And why does every lead in the investigation find its way back to him? 

As Olivier grows more frantic, a trail of clues and treasures- from first editions of Charlotte's Web and Jane Eyre to a spider web with the word "WOE" woven in it-lead the Chief Inspector deep into the woods and across the continent in search of the truth, and finally back to Three Pines as the little village braces for the truth and the final, brutal telling.



 There is a scene in THE BRUTAL TELLING where a new agent, Paul Morin, plays a priceless violin. Here is part of that scene:

What came out surprised them all. A Celtic lament left the bow, left the violin, left the agent. It filled the cabin, filled the rafters. Almost into the corners. The simple tune swirled around them like colors and delicious meals and conversation. And it lodged in their chests. Not their ears, not their heads, but their hearts. Slow, dignified, but buoyant. Agent Morin had changed….His eyes were closed and he looked the way Gamache felt. Filled with joy. Rapture even. Such was the power of this music. Of this instrument."

Interesting, yes?!!! I loved meeting Ms. Penny. She is witty, fun, lovely, intelligent. She told us wonderful stories. Said the first Gamache novel took her 45 years to write. The second one, three months -- after spending a year on it and throwing the manuscript away and starting over. Her books are *classical* mysteries. Just one murder per book. Each book filled with characters -- some you want to meet in real life -- others, no thanks, but each interesting, with feelings, problems, histories -- just like all of us. And, compassion ... Gamache is amazing .. he has been through much in his life -- you can just tell, even though, so far, we don't know a lot about his past. These are not cozy mysteries. Psychological police procedurals would be a better category for them. I can't recommend this series enough. You Canadians are lucky to have her! Thanks for sharing her with the rest of us. Get ye to a library or bookstore and look for her books ... read them in order (Still Life is the first) and enjoy!

(Did I mention she also has a blog?!!! And, I found the memory card ... not in the camera.)

Falconry and Murder

(Image from the British School of Falconry and google pictures)

I bet "Falconry and Murder" got your attention! Today is book review day and I have a favorite of mine for you. Andy Straka is back. He lost his publisher several years ago. Cold Quarry, his last book published, won the Shamus Award for best paperback original private eye novel in 2004. I'm happy to say he's found another publisher. Kitty Hitter: A Frank Pavlicek Mystery was just released.

You know that I read mysteries. I used to read a lot of P.I. mysteries. Then I got tired of them. They were too dark, too formulaic. Then I discovered Andy Straka. His "hero" is Frank Pavlicek, an ex NYC cop, now retired and living in Virginia. He has a tough guy sidekick, Jake Toronto, who comes with the requisite shady background. There the formula stops. You see, Frank has a daughter, who he gets along with (shock), who has become a P.I. All three, Frank, Nicole, and Jake are falconers -- something I've been interested in for what seems like forever.

In Kitty Hitter (the fourth mystery featuring Frank Pavlicek), Frank returns to New York City to help an old friend with an unusual case. He is asked to help find a physician/animal rights activist's missing cat. The doctor believes her cat was stolen and then hunted down by a bird of prey. Other pets are missing from the apartment complex, too. The case becomes more unusual as Frank and Nicole dig deeper into the case. The doctor leaves out some important information about herself. Is there really an owl in Central Park feeding on pets? Illegal immigrants show up along with secretive developers. Gang wars are going on. Straka successfully weaves it all together and includes some interesting information on falconry.

Easy reading and recommended! Welcome back to Frank, Nicole, Jake and Andy!

(Andy Straka is a licensed falconer, a native of upstate New York and lives with his family in Virginia.)

I've Been Reading...

I have three books to tell you about. All of them brain candy for me, one more than the others and I’ll start with the most candy!

***

Night Huntress by Yasmine Galenorn is the fifth book in the Otherworld Series. It is urban fantasy and Berkley calls it paranormal romance. Each book features one of the the D’Artigo sisters: sexy, savvy operatives for the Otherworld Intelligence Agency. Being half-human, half-Fae means their supernatural talents always go haywire at the wrong time. Camille is a wicked-good witch who attracts men like honey attracts flies. She has three husbands. Menolly’s a vampire who’s still getting the hang of being undead. Delilah, is a werecat who’s been marked by the Autumn Lord as one of his Death Maidens.

Night Huntress features Delilah. Her boyfriend, the human Chase, mutters another woman’s name in his sleep. Then the Autumn Lord has very special plans for her. Karvanak - the Raksasa and really, really bad guy returns. In order to get his greedy hands on both the fourth spirit seal and his former associate, Vanzir, he kidnaps Chase.

Did I mention one of Camille’s husbands is a dragon?

If you are at all interested in this book, start at the beginning of the series to keep all the characters and ins and outs straight. First book is Witchling and features Camille. Galenorn has several other urban fantasy series.

***

Next is the novel Turning Angel by Greg Iles. The first Iles book I read was Quiet Game. We read it in preparation for the trip to Natchez that we made last year. Both books, Quiet Game and Turning Angel are set in Natchez and Iles really does justice to Natchez as a place. The turning angel really is an angel in the cemetery that looks as if she turns to watch you. Iles is from Natchez and he gets it right -- even the folks living there say so!

“After winning the most dangerous case of his career, prosecutor Penn Cage decides to remain in his Southern hometown to raise his young daughter in a safe haven. But nowhere is truly safe - not from long-buried secrets, or murder. When the nude body of prep school student Kate Townsend is found near the Mississippi River, Penn’s best friend, Drew Elliott, is desperate for his counsel. An esteemed family physician, Drew makes a shocking confession that could put him on death row. Penn will do all he can to exonerate Drew, but in a town where the gaze of a landmark cemetery statue - the Turning Angel - never looks away, Penn finds himself caught on the jagged edge of blackmail, betrayal, and deadly violence.”

Mr. Dragon and I both enjoyed Quiet Game and The Turning Angel. Set in Natchez, Penn Cage is in both novels.

***

Lastly, another book in a mystery series I finished last night: the sixth Jane Austen Mystery, Jane and the Prisoner of Wool House by Stephanie Barron.

“On a raw February morning, Jane Austen first learns of the case of Captain Tom Seagrave, who faces execution for a murder he swears he didn’t commit. Together, she and her brother Frank, a post captain in the Royal Navy, set out to uncover the truth.

It is a journey that leads from the troubled heart of Seagrave’s family, through the seaport’s worst sinkholes, and finally to the prison of Wool House. Risking contagion or worse, Jane comes away with more questions than answers. Did one of Seagrave’s jealous colleagues frame the unpopular captain? Was a veiled political foe at work? And what of the sealed orders under which Seagrave embarked that fateful night on his ship, the Stella Maris?”

All of Barron’s Austen novels are filled with history and written in the style of Miss Austen. This one is set in 1807. Lots of naval history. I admit that this is not my favorite in the series, but I must have enjoyed it as I finished it in two days! If you like historical mysteries set in England, you should try one. Again, it’s probably best if you start with the first one in the series: Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor. There are some repeating characters and you don’t want to miss any of Jane’s relatives!

***

Joy To You on This Thursday!

Read a Book.

Any Book!

Whatnots

I have a folder on my desk top that says potpourri. It's where I stick all of my photos and whatnots that might make a blog post. I clicked on that folder yesterday and it was overflowing. I decided that I'd take a couple of whatnots from there for today.

First, Ro asked for the recipe for Red Curry Beef Stew (one of Mr. Dragon's favorites), so Ro, this is for you. I did have a photo, but for some reason, it turned a very unappetizing blue color (probably because I snatched it from the Taste of Thai web site).

RED CURRY BEEF STEW
(Comfort food is the same the world over.)

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
  
• 2 Tbsp Red Curry Paste
• 2lbs (908g) stew meat
• 2 medium onions
• 3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
• 3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1 can coconut milk
• 3 Tbsp Fish Sauce
• 2 tsp brown sugar
• 1 cup roasted, unsalted peanuts

Directions:

1. In large pot, heat oil. Add Curry Paste. Saute for 1 minute
2. Add stew meat and brown on all sides.
3. Add onions and carrots and saute for 3 minutes.
4. Add potatoes, Coconut Milk, Fish Sauce and brown sugar
5. Cover and simmer for approximately 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until meat is tender
6. Garnish with peanuts

As you all know, I never make a recipe the same way twice. I had sweet potatoes and used those the last time I made this recipe. I had some red bell pepper left over and tossed that in. I didn't add the peanuts. Sometimes peanuts and I don't get along, so I didn't take the chance this would be one of those times. One of the times I made this stew, I had some asparagus left over and tossed that in. It is a stew! This recipe is from the Taste of Thai web site. I've tried several recipes from their site and they have all been delicious. There you go, Ro. Enjoy!

***

I thought I'd close with a short review of The Death of An Irish Sinner: A Peter McGarr Mystery by Bartholomew Gill. The McGarr mysteries are a series of rather dark police procedurals. I've read most of them and in order. Superb plotting, riveting background, storyteller type of prose, tongue in cheek humor, interesting, entertaining, evil, dark, charming -- all of these words come to mind when I think about this series. Gill (Mark McGarrity) died several years ago in a freak accident, but that's another story. If you are at all interested in this series, don't start with this book!

From the book flap "local benefactress and celebrated biographer Mary-Jo Stanton is a supplicant to death - left lifeless on her knees in a patch of daffodils, a barbaric religious implement wrapped tightly around her neck. A clergyman has approached Peter McGarr, requesting that the Chief Superintendent quietly investigate this outrage that occurred at Barbastro, the slain grand lady's compoundlike Dublin estate. Murder is McGarr's business, this one might be his undoing, as it draws him ever-closer to Opus Dei, a secret order of religious zealots devoted to enforcing the Lord's edicts no mater what the cost in money - or human life- it has ensnared the dedicated policeman in its lethal web. And now its madness is reaching out across a century to touch the place Peter McGarr is most vulnerable: the precious heart of his own adored family." This book has a copyright date of June, 2001. I'm sure Opus Dei will remind you of another book out about the same time, DaVinci Code. That's a whole other post that will probably never happen!

Enjoy your day.

Books!

I'm running a little behind today. We live in a older neighborhood and the city is putting in new water lines. I'm thankful that the city has the money to upgrade and I'm glad they are working, but, golly -- what a pain! Some days we have water. Some days we have nice clear looking water. Some days we have brown water. Some days we have little water pressure. Today Twisty Lane looks like a mini-river. What water we have seems clear. We just don't have a lot of it. No water for cleaning paint brushes or brushing teeth! Normally, Friday is Journal day, but I took Mr. Robin's face off with a sticky finger this morning! Hopefully, I'll get the repairs done and have a journal page for you on Sunday.

I thought I'd tell you what I read while curled up with my cold. These are two very different books. One is science fiction on a series I've been following for 30 years (is that possible? Ack!). The other is a favorite mystery series.

I love dragons (as you already know). I've been reading the Pern books by Anne McCaffrey for what seems like forever. Her son, Todd, is now writing Pern books -- with his mom and on his own. Dragonsblood is Todd's first Pern book written on his own. It had been many years since I'd read a Pern book. I know I'm behind in the series. Just because I hadn't read any didn't mean Mrs. McCaffrey hadn't written any! Now I need to catch up.

In Dragonsblood a mysterious illness is killing the dragons. Lorana must find a cure with help from the past. I enjoyed every word of this book and went out (cold and all) and bought the three books Todd wrote with his mother. They are staring at me -- read me, read me, read me. I'm going to read slowly. I love the planet of Pern, it's dragons, its people, its fire lizards.


A Rule Against Murder: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel by Louise Penny was my second read. I did a little dance when I picked up the mail and there was A Rule Against Murder fresh off the press from Amazon! Armand and Reine-Marie are celebrating their wedding anniversary at Manor Bellechase, an isolated, luxurious inn not far from the village of Three Pines. The Finney family - rich, cultured and respectable - are also there for their own celebration of sorts. Secrets, hatreds, polite smiles abound along with murder. The Finney's think the murder must have been committed by the "housekeeper and her husband". Imagine their surprise when they find out *he* is the chief inspector. Too funny, but then Ms. Penny really has an amazing way of combining the absurd/strange/funny with the ordinary/correct/everyday. Her characters are quirky and wonderful. You'll have to read the book to find out what *doing your sums* means. Let's just say, I try to do my sums everyday. Everyone should.

I've Been Reading

I haven't posted about books in months. Today is the Day! I read mysteries and here are two very different debut novels.

Murder Is Binding: A Booktown Mystery by Lorna Barrett is the first book in a new cozy mystery series. After her divorce, Tricia Miles moves to Stoneham, New Hampshire to open a mystery bookstore Haven't Got a Clue complete with store cat, Miss Marple. Stoneham is a picturesque but dying town on the Massachusetts/New Hampshire border until the President of the local Chamber of Commerce gets the idea to talk booksellers to relocate to the village. The downtown is revitalized with a whole street dedicated to books -- antiquarian and specialty booksellers -- a book lovers dream and quite popular with tourists. A murder takes place next door to Tricia at The Cookery. Tricia finds the body and the story is off and running. It is filled with quirky characters and, of course, recipes at the end. The new book Bookmarked For Death is out in February and I have pre-ordered a copy. I thought Murder Is Binding was excellent for a debut novel and how can a book lover not enjoy a book set in a small town on a street filled with bookstores!


Chinatown Beat: A Detective Jack Yu Investigation by Henry Chang is very different. It is a dark, noir novel set in New York City's Chinatown. Jack Yu is the only Chinese-American detective assigned to New York's Chinatown. He catches a serial rapist and solves a murder using modern technology and a local fortune tellers prediction. Another debut novel, Chang's chapters are short and tersely written. It is filled with benevolent societies, gambling, dance halls, brothels and secret societies. Year of the Dog is Chang's second Jack Yu novel that will give me another trip to what exists beneath the surface of the tourists' Chinatown.