MYSTERIOUS WORLD

I've been a mystery fan for a long time, and a mystery writer (as yet unpublished) for a few years. Here are some of my favorite writers.

Talking God is one of my favorite books by one of my favorite writers, TONY HILLERMAN. Hillerman writes mysteries featuring the Navajo Tribal Police. He knows a lot about Navajo culture, and the comparisons with white culture are illuminating. Hillerman is a pristine writer.

Robert Redford bought the movie rights to Hillerman's books, and as far as I know, so far has produced just one, Dark Wind, with Lou Diamond Philips as Jim Chee and Fred Ward as Joe Leaphorn.

SHARYN McCRUMB is a student of Applachian history and culture. Her ancestors immigrated to that part of the country about the same time mine did. If I'd Killed Him When I Met Him.... is amusing and great therapy for those times when you feel like you know a man who needs killing. I thought the title must surely come from a country-western song, but it's a quote from a woman in a shelter: "If I'd killed him when I met him, I'd be out of prison now." It inspired me to write some lyrics to go with it.

McCrumb has a number of books in her ballad series, all named after old ballads. These stories intertwine Appalachian history with contemporary Applachian life. Check out Sharyn McCrumb's home page for some interesting articles on the topic.

Her most recent in this series is The Ballad of Frankie Silver. Frankie Silver was the first woman hung in North Carolina, accused of murdering her husband. McCrumb did quite a bit of research and came up with her own theory of what really happened. Beyond that, it's a fascinating study of the differences between mountain/Celt and flatland/English cultures and traditions of law. In the early 19th century, American law was based on English common law, and at the time the accused were not permitted to testify, on the assumption that they would lie (and go to hell when they were hanged). It seems to me that this presumes guilt.

She also has a couple of other series, lighter than the ballad series. Don't miss

Bimbos of the Death Sun and

Zombies of the Gene Pool for great satire on the worlds of fantasy and sci fi fandom.

BARBARA NEELY's books are also favorites. Go to my Labor Day page to read about her Blanche books.

Click on the titles or book covers to order online.

To read excerpts from my own writing, go to these links:
The Man from Scratch
A Death a Day
The Wish Book

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