Summery Judgment III

Sometimes it seems that my life revolves entirely around books. Almost every moment of every day is filled with readin’ ’em or writin’ about ’em or even, these days, writin’ ’em. That’s not a complaint. Or if it is, it’s a high-class complaint. I feel very blessed. But sometimes I also feel a bit overwhelmed. Really: so many books, so little time! My TBR pile is usually staggering. In fact, I’ve even got a place where I’ve started stashing books for “when I’m old and have time to read them.”

Now, all of that said, there’s always a sort of “hot” pile of personal reading that’s somewhere near me. The books I’m planning on reading--just for me--as soon as I get the time. Where I live, the days are longer in summer. That means extra time to steal under my favorite tree, the scent of grass all around me, and the sighs of birds and bugs the background noise while I escape into the worlds others have created. In the next few weeks--perhaps a bit longer--here’s what will be with me under that tree:

• A Field of Darkness, by Cornelia Read (Mysterious Press). Because I’m a part of the DL community, the buzz on this book has been incredible for a really long time. Read was led and encouraged through the writing of her first novel by the denizens of Dorothy-L. People were reading her story in manuscript form while it was developing, and then they held her hand through the process of choosing an agent and finding a publisher. Since the book came out in early May, the buzz hasn’t gotten any softer. Read has been touring with Lee Child and has gotten the kind of reviews and notice most writers only dream of. And all of that notice has been wonderful. In many ways, I think A Field of Darkness will shape up to have been the most important debut of 2006. But I haven’t read the book yet, though I’m expecting wonderful things. I’ll let you know how it all turns out.

• The Interpretation of Murder, by Jed Rubenfeld (Henry Holt). I know Rap Sheet editor Pierce already mentioned this one, but my reasons for wanting to read The Interpretation of Murder seem to make this redundancy more relevant, not less. Marketing people take note: I just can’t resist the package. As I write this, the advance reader’s copy (ARC) of Rubenfeld’s book sits on my desk. Most authors would love to see a finished book this lovely, never mind an ARC. A French-flapped outer cover the weight of a standard paperback is die-cut, giving us a glimpse of yet another cover beneath. And Henry Holt is planning on spending a whack of dough promoting this one. A package like this on a debut novel? Based on this alone, we’ll be hearing a lot about The Interpretation of Murder come this book’s lay down date in September. Oh, and by the way: the book actually sounds pretty good. “A spellbinding historical thriller featuring Sigmund Freud and a diabolical killer attacking Manhattan’s wealthiest heiresses.” A winning combination of elements, no? We shall see.

• Messenger of Truth, by Jacqueline Winspear (Henry Holt). I’ve loved the previous three novels featuring 1930s British psychologist and private investigator Maisie Dobbs. The series began with Maisie Dobbs in 2003 and has, thus far, been very level. That is, in the previous three Maisie Dobbs outings, author Winspear has done a great job of keeping the story lines fresh and her heroine engaging. Best of all, for those who enjoy historical mystery, Winspear’s period details tend to be spot on. This time out, Maisie investigates the death of an artist. It looks like an accident, but the artist’s sister suspects foul play. I’m betting the sister will be proven correct.

• Still Life, by Louise Penny (St. Martin’s Minotaur). Louise Penny’s debut effort has the sort of pedigree that makes it irresistible to me. The book was a runner-up for the Debut Dagger Award in manuscript form back in 2004. It’s just two years later, and things have really started happening. In June, Still Life won the Arthur Ellis Award for Best First Novel in Penny’s native Canada. A couple of weeks later, it was named as the recipient of the Debut Dagger in the UK: and all of this before the book’s U.S. release, which happens on July 11. Booklist, which gave this novel a starred review, said Still Life “is a real gem of a book that slowly draws the reader into a beautifully told, lyrically written story of love, life, friendship, and tragedy.”

• Thriller, edited by James Patterson (Mira). Steve Berry, Lee Child, James Grippando, Denise Hamilton, Raelynn Hillhouse, Alex Kava, J.A. Konrath, John Lescroart, Gayle Lynds, David Morrell, Katherine Neville, James Patterson, Christopher Rice, James Rollins, M.J. Rose, and more--way more. The list of contributing authors is too long for this space, but suffice it to say that it’s not a line-up that can be resisted. This first all-thriller anthology was hatched by the International Thriller Writers and executed by Mira Books. No one has called this a “best of” or otherwise stated how these stories were selected. Still, 32 of them should provide a healthy indicator of where this newly invigorated subgenre is headed.

READ MORE: J. Kingston Pierce’s Summer Reading Picks; Stephen Miller’s Summer Reading Picks.