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newsletterFall, 2005 - Vol. 3, Number 3

ALL POINTS BULLETIN

By Ellen Hart

The Minnesota Crime Wave is on the move! Kent, Carl and I all have new books out this fall. You can see by the "Events" page that we're barely going to have time to brush our teeth! But, of course, we will. Being good Minnesotans, we know the importance of personal hygiene.

This month, The Silence of the Loons is being released. This is a project the MCW is very proud to present—13 crime stories from some of the best known mystery writers in Minnesota. Read Deborah's article for more information on this wonderful anthology.

In October, the MCW is planning our third national tour. When we were deciding where to go, it was kind of a no brainer. I mean, where would you like to go to enjoy the beautiful fall weather? New England, of course! We may be visiting your area, so be sure to check our schedule. We'll be doing a lot of events around the Twin Cities as well. Our web site will have all the updated information.

Traveling with the Crime Wave is always entertaining, if not downright hilarious. We've decided that this year, we're going to take notes on the restaurants and cafes where we stop to eat. We are, after all, culinary adventurers as well as writers. Maybe we'll develop our "restaurant log" into a "road food" book for traveling authors. Or maybe we'll just put it on our website and try to make it amusing as well as informative. Food is a very important matter to all of us, especially when we're on tour depressed because we're away from our homes and families, with nothing to do but drive, try not to get lost, eat, drink, sign books and have fun. It's a hard life, as you might expect, but we must keep our noses to the grindstone.

Since we won't be sending out another newsletter until the new year, let me take this opportunity to thank all of you for your interest in the Minnesota Crime Wave, as well as in each of us individually. We wish you a peaceful, productive and mysterious fall, as well as a joyous holiday season!

 

THE SILENCE OF THE LOONS

By Deborah Woodworth

What do the following scenarios have in common?

A spry country lady moves to the suburbs, only to find herself sandwiched between a meth lab and a voyeuristic neighbor.

A grifter at Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport recalls all the things he did right during his career. And the one thing he did wrong.

A northwoods lodge was once the scene of a horrible crime, and things are starting to get creepy all over again.

A young reporter follows two detectives who pull out all the stops in their efforts to extract a confession. But is the suspect really guilty?

A legendary computer hacker seems to have better luck with his Swiss bank account than he does with women.

Two strangers meet by chance at an isolated farmhouse. One is a murderer—yes, but which one?

Yep, they were all created by some of Minnesota's most fertile and disturbing imaginations. The idea to showcase these talented writers was born one fine summer day as we sped across the flat farmland of the Midwest in Carl's Crimemobile. After a while, watching fields of corn and soybeans whiz past lost its power to enchant. So, to keep Kent from bursting into song, we set about hatching a plan for an entirely Minnesotan short story anthology. The plan became increasingly devious, as always happens when we're trapped together in a car and Carl has activated the child-proof locks. One of us—probably Ellen, with her twisted sense of humor—suggested providing a list of clues and asking authors to incorporate at least four of them into the stories. It sounded like an enjoyable challenge—until we realized we'd be held to the same rules in our stories. Nevertheless, we are delighted with the results, and we hope you will be, too. Prepare to read about stories more haunting than the cry of a loon and crimes more lethal than a lutefisk dinner!

 

NEW BOOKS

[cover]The Case of the Greedy Lawyers
By Carl Brookins
The first book in the Sean Sean Mystery Series
Five Star Hardcover
September 2005

Law firms that specialize in corporate and business mergers make big bucks. Funny things can happen when a great deal of money is involved, including murder.

This case started for Sean Sean when an upscale woman showed up in his downscale office for a meeting that went nowhere. Next thing Sean knew, the cops had him at the morgue to look at her body. Then he was threatened by some thug. In his own suburban home, no less. Warned to stay away from the Saint Martin family, Sean took exception, leading him into some unsavory paths and byways of the big city until he busted the case wide open.

 

[cover]The Iron Girl
By Ellen Hart
The twelfth book in the Jane Lawless Series
St. Martins/Minotaur Hardcover
August 2005

When Jane Lawless finds a gun in her dead partner's briefcase, she begins to wonder about Christine's involvement in the most infamous murder case in Minnesota history. On a sultry summer evening in late August of 1987, the Simoneau mansion was the site of a bloody triple homicide. In the weeks prior to that night, Christine had been working with the family as their real estate agent.

As Christine lay dying in a hospital bed, the murderer was arrested. The trial was quick and final, the murderer sentenced to three consecutive life terms. Now, as Jane begins an emotional journey into her partner's past, she comes face to face with some hard truths—truths not only about the real identity of the murderer, but about her own life and loss.

 

[cover]Mercy Falls
By William Kent Krueger
The fifth book in the Cork O'Connor Series
Atria Hardcover
August 2005

In the fifth installment of the multi-award-winning Cork O'Connor series, Sheriff Corcoran O'Connor of Tamarack County, Minnesota finds himself stalked by an unknown assailant bent on putting a bullet through his heart. At the same time, he's trying to solve the high-profile death of a wealthy Chicago businessman found brutally murdered above the turbulent waters of Mercy Falls.

When a powerful man with a mysterious attachment to O'Connor's wife arrives in town, Cork's personal life is suddenly in the crosshairs as well. Fighting for his life and for the life of his family, Cork struggles desperately to understand how all the pieces of this deadly puzzle fit together before it's too late.

 

BREAKING NEWS!!

William Kent Krueger's book Blood Hollow has won the Anthony Award for Best Novel of 2004. Winners in all categories were announced at Bouchercon in Chicago on September 3rd.

In May of 2005, Ellen Hart was made an official "GLBT Literary Saint" at the 2005 Saints & Sinners Literary Conference in New Orleans, LA.

In June of 2005, Ellen Hart won the Goldie Award in the Mystery/action/adventure/thriller category for her book, An Intimate Ghost. The Goldies are presented by the Golden Crown Literary Society, a literary and educational organization for the study, discussion, enjoyment and enhancement of lesbian literature.

Ellen Hart was also awarded the 2005 Alice B. Reader's Appreciation Medal. This is a one time, career achievement award.

 

Read back issues:
Winter, 2002 - Vol. 1, Number 1
Spring, 2002 - Vol. 1, Number 2
Fall, 2002 - Vol. 1, Number 3
Winter, 2003 - Vol. 2, Number 1
Spring, 2003 - Vol. 2, Number 2
Fall, 2003 - Vol. 2, Number 3
Spring, 2004 - Vol. 3, Number 1
Fall, 2004 - Vol. 3, Number 2
Spring, 2005 - Vol. 3, Number 3
Fall, 2005 - Vol. 3, Number 4
Spring, 2006 - Vol. 4, Number 1
Fall, 2006 - Vol. 4, Number 2
Spring, 2007 - Vol. 5, Number 1

 

© 2002-08 by Carl Brookins, Ellen Hart and William Kent Krueger.
Permission is hereby granted for reproduction of any material contained in this web site for purposes of publicity and promotion related to the sale of our books and/or appearances by members of the Minnesota Crime Wave.

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