The Well-Heeled Murders.By Cherry Hartman.Category. Fiction / Mystery.ISBN. 1883523109.Morgan McRain is not a detective, but certainly she has seen enough episodes of Murder, She Wrote to know the basic routines of searching for clues and deducing the guilty party from a list of suspects.So when the office mate of a colleague is found dead and barefoot on her psychiatric couch--the victim of a very resilient pair of pantyhose--Morgan quickly shifts her therapy practice to the back burner, puts on her imaginary hounds tooth cap and joins the hunt for the murderer, revealing in the process the seamier side of a few licensed professionals.The Well-Heeled Murders could pass for a treatment of a politically-correct MSW script--had Jessica Fletcher been a lesbian with a life partner, daughter, and homosexual "brother-in-law"/nanny.However, the addition of a green detective, Sam Reynolds, with the hots for the male nanny (how convenient!) and a subplot involving the murderer's apparent shoe fetish and a tight-knit groups of swingers, and the story is given a twist of which would incite the envious natures of Aaron Spelling.Morgan, having maintained some degree of civility with members of the exclusive swingers group (so exclusive it doesn't have a name) of which the victim was a member, agrees to assist Sam in tracking the killer, and eventually outshines the detective in both the brawn and brain departments.Hartman makes it clear that this is Morgan's case from the beginning--certain chapters even lend the possibility that Morgan is a bit more determined than the entire Portland, Oregon police force to catch the killer, and that Sam is just around to bounce off dialog and flirt with the brother-in-law.Hartman has the potential of creating an interesting mystery series with the Morgan McRain character--Morgan is witty, sensible, and has the same scrappy, down-to-earth charm that has endeared readers to the likes of Kinsey Millhone and V.I.Warshawski.Supporting characters--Morgan's partner and extended "family"--lend the warmth of a cozy home to which Morgan can regroup and bind any wounds earned from dangerous detecting.Whatever the person's sexual preference, the characters are portrayed as earnest people in a plot that holds up well.Well-Heeled is well-honed.
Friday, August 31, 2012
Book Review-The Well-Heeled Murders
The Well-Heeled Murders.By Cherry Hartman.Category. Fiction / Mystery.ISBN. 1883523109.Morgan McRain is not a detective, but certainly she has seen enough episodes of Murder, She Wrote to know the basic routines of searching for clues and deducing the guilty party from a list of suspects.So when the office mate of a colleague is found dead and barefoot on her psychiatric couch--the victim of a very resilient pair of pantyhose--Morgan quickly shifts her therapy practice to the back burner, puts on her imaginary hounds tooth cap and joins the hunt for the murderer, revealing in the process the seamier side of a few licensed professionals.The Well-Heeled Murders could pass for a treatment of a politically-correct MSW script--had Jessica Fletcher been a lesbian with a life partner, daughter, and homosexual "brother-in-law"/nanny.However, the addition of a green detective, Sam Reynolds, with the hots for the male nanny (how convenient!) and a subplot involving the murderer's apparent shoe fetish and a tight-knit groups of swingers, and the story is given a twist of which would incite the envious natures of Aaron Spelling.Morgan, having maintained some degree of civility with members of the exclusive swingers group (so exclusive it doesn't have a name) of which the victim was a member, agrees to assist Sam in tracking the killer, and eventually outshines the detective in both the brawn and brain departments.Hartman makes it clear that this is Morgan's case from the beginning--certain chapters even lend the possibility that Morgan is a bit more determined than the entire Portland, Oregon police force to catch the killer, and that Sam is just around to bounce off dialog and flirt with the brother-in-law.Hartman has the potential of creating an interesting mystery series with the Morgan McRain character--Morgan is witty, sensible, and has the same scrappy, down-to-earth charm that has endeared readers to the likes of Kinsey Millhone and V.I.Warshawski.Supporting characters--Morgan's partner and extended "family"--lend the warmth of a cozy home to which Morgan can regroup and bind any wounds earned from dangerous detecting.Whatever the person's sexual preference, the characters are portrayed as earnest people in a plot that holds up well.Well-Heeled is well-honed.
Kinsey Millhone Who Sells A' Is For Alibi (Kinsey Millhone Series #1) Cheap
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› Be the first to review this item on Amazon.com Classic Suspense Writer - Margaret Millar - Author Biographies
Santa Barbara shows up consistently in Margaret Millar's books, but is often named San Felicia or San Felice.Many years later another prominent mystery writer, Sue Grafton, did the same thing with her character, female private detective Kinsey Millhone, naming the town Santa Theresa.Margaret Millar was born Margaret Ellis Sturm on February 5, 1915, in Kitchner, Ontario.She was educated there and in Toronto where she studied the classics.Margaret met Kenneth Millar, another aspiring writer, while in high school.They reconnected In college and married in 1938.Their only daughter, Linda, died in 1970.Margaret said she began publishing under her married name, Margaret Millar, because of the title of her first book (Worm, Sturm).While she was to become a prominent suspense writer, her books were never big sellers.She was a very private person and abhorred interviews.After Margaret's husband published a couple of books under his own name, he changed to the pseudonym, John Ross Macdonald then to Ross Macdonald.Margaret's husband joined the U.S Navy during WWII and was stationed in the Pacific off the coast of southern California.When Margaret came to visit him, she fell in love with the area and they made the beautiful seaside town of Santa Barbara their home.Between 1945 and 1946, Margaret worked at Warner Brothers as a screenwriter.It was during this time that Warner Brothers bought the option on her book, 'The Iron Gate,' but it never was produced.During the 1960s, two of Margaret's novels were adapted for the television series, 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents.'.It's been said of Margaret's work, "Her novels are prized for their psychological penetration of the hearts and minds of murderers." Margaret also wrote a non fiction book about the birds and animals she observed.Along with her husband, she founded a chapter of the Audubon Society.Margaret was presented the prestigious Edgar Award by the Mystery writers of America in1955 for Best Novel, for 'A Beast in View.' In 1965, she was named Woman of the Year by 'Los Angeles Times.' She was also awarded the Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America in 1982 and the Derrick Murdoch Award in 1986.Margaret died of a heart attack on March 26, 1994, at her home in Santa Barbara.One of her favorite quotes was, "Life is something that happens to you while you are making other plans." Unfortunately, very few of her books are still in print.Books by Margaret Millar..Novels..The Invisible Worm (1941) The Devil Loves Me (1942) The Weak-Eyed Bat (1942) Wall of Eyes (1943) Fire Will Freeze (1944) Taste of Fears (1945) The Iron Gate (1945) Experiment in Springtime (1947) It's All in the Family (1948) The Cannibal Heart (1949) Do Evil in Return (1950) Rose's Last Summer (1952) Vanish in an Instant (1952) Wives and Lovers (1954) Beast in View (1955) The Soft Talkers (1957) The Listening Walls (1959) A Stranger in My Grave (1969) How Like an Angel (1962) The Friend (1964) Beyond This Point Are Monsters (1970) The Friend (1974) Ask For Me Tomorrow (1976) The Murder of Miranda (1979) Mermaid (1981) Banshee (1983) Spider Webs (1986).Omnibus. An Air That Kills/Do Evil in Return (2006).Non Fiction. The Birds and the Beasts Were There (1968).Short Stories. The Couple Next Door (1954) Radiant Flower of the Divine Heavens (1998) The Couple Next Door. Collected Short Mysteries (2004).
Use Great Books for Teaching Grammar to TEFL Learners
You begin to speak, "Today's grammar focus lesson will be on ." Your EFL learners groan aloud interrupting you."Oh no, grammar again?", they chant, almost in unison.You're not exactly all that enthused yourself, but what can you do? It's in the program.Grammar teaching is almost always in demand and often difficult to tackle.In the article, "Three Fun Ideas for Teaching Grammar to TEFL Learners" we discussed the use of such aids as games, movie clips, radio and CDs / DVDs to generate fun, interesting grammar-teaching activities.But let's not stop there.Another useful source for creating grammar reinforcement activities learners will love comes from the heat of language itself - Literature."All the world's a stage" if you have access at all to contemporary novels or classic literature.Here are some ideas for using literature to break out of a slump.We'll start with contemporary novels.Contemporary Novels.From Harry Potter to Kinsey Millhone and Jack Ryan, there is a treasure-trove of characters waiting to teach your language learners English grammar.Since these, and many other characters, are so willing, why should you do it? If you're like me - you let Harry, Kinsey or Jack do the job for you.They don't even ask for part of your pay.Now isn't that nice of them?Here's what you do.Pick a page or passage.Work the grammar in it.Make it into dialogues, scenes and skits.Practice it aloud.Change it.Rewrite it.Have fun with it.By the way, use props, realia, costumes, sound effects and sets if you can.They needn't be elaborate to be effective.A cape, a hat, a cane, a telephone, a doll, a flashlight, bag or bottle can do wonders for a simple dialogue.By all means do make a "production" out it.Not only will your learners not object, they'll likely ask, "Can we do this again, teacher?" You answer of course, will be .Classic Literature.Everybody loves Shakespeare."Romeo and Juliet" has been repeated in theme countless times.The question, "Can I have more, Sir?" starts off a series of events that has spawned movies, documentaries, children's versions, plays and idealism that has intrigued millions for centuries.The list of great books is more than lengthy enough to generate scores of ideas and opportunities for productive grammar work with your learners.Let Alice and her friends, characters from Shakespeare and fairy tales give you the hand you need in getting grammar in context across to your learners.You or your learners can create a dialogue between Hansel and Gretel, the three little pigs and the wolf, Cinderella and her Stepmother or the Prince.The list could go on and on.You see? "It's elementary, my dear Watson.".By the way, if you don't know who Harry Potter is, well what planet have you been living on? Kinsey Milhone? She's the fiercely independent lady detective created by Sue Grafton.Author Tom Clancy produced CIA operative Jack Ryan who rambles, sometimes rather recklessly, through several of his novels.Let these and countless other characters provide the fodder for dialogues your learners will relish.Leave that dry course book stuff for the lames.
Kinsey Millhone Low Cost G Is For Grafton: The World Of Kinsey Millhone 1st Edition By Kaufman, Natalie Hevener; Kay, Carol McGinnis Published By Holt Paperbacks Paperback
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Use Great Books for Teaching Grammar to TEFL Learners
You begin to speak, "Today's grammar focus lesson will be on ." Your EFL learners groan aloud interrupting you."Oh no, grammar again?", they chant, almost in unison.You're not exactly all that enthused yourself, but what can you do? It's in the program.Grammar teaching is almost always in demand and often difficult to tackle.In the article, "Three Fun Ideas for Teaching Grammar to TEFL Learners" we discussed the use of such aids as games, movie clips, radio and CDs / DVDs to generate fun, interesting grammar-teaching activities.But let's not stop there.Another useful source for creating grammar reinforcement activities learners will love comes from the heat of language itself - Literature."All the world's a stage" if you have access at all to contemporary novels or classic literature.Here are some ideas for using literature to break out of a slump.We'll start with contemporary novels.Contemporary Novels.From Harry Potter to Kinsey Millhone and Jack Ryan, there is a treasure-trove of characters waiting to teach your language learners English grammar.Since these, and many other characters, are so willing, why should you do it? If you're like me - you let Harry, Kinsey or Jack do the job for you.They don't even ask for part of your pay.Now isn't that nice of them?Here's what you do.Pick a page or passage.Work the grammar in it.Make it into dialogues, scenes and skits.Practice it aloud.Change it.Rewrite it.Have fun with it.By the way, use props, realia, costumes, sound effects and sets if you can.They needn't be elaborate to be effective.A cape, a hat, a cane, a telephone, a doll, a flashlight, bag or bottle can do wonders for a simple dialogue.By all means do make a "production" out it.Not only will your learners not object, they'll likely ask, "Can we do this again, teacher?" You answer of course, will be .Classic Literature.Everybody loves Shakespeare."Romeo and Juliet" has been repeated in theme countless times.The question, "Can I have more, Sir?" starts off a series of events that has spawned movies, documentaries, children's versions, plays and idealism that has intrigued millions for centuries.The list of great books is more than lengthy enough to generate scores of ideas and opportunities for productive grammar work with your learners.Let Alice and her friends, characters from Shakespeare and fairy tales give you the hand you need in getting grammar in context across to your learners.You or your learners can create a dialogue between Hansel and Gretel, the three little pigs and the wolf, Cinderella and her Stepmother or the Prince.The list could go on and on.You see? "It's elementary, my dear Watson.".By the way, if you don't know who Harry Potter is, well what planet have you been living on? Kinsey Milhone? She's the fiercely independent lady detective created by Sue Grafton.Author Tom Clancy produced CIA operative Jack Ryan who rambles, sometimes rather recklessly, through several of his novels.Let these and countless other characters provide the fodder for dialogues your learners will relish.Leave that dry course book stuff for the lames.
Kinsey Millhone Discounted F Is For Fugitive - A Kinsey Millhone Novel
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In the planning stage of a story, most writers do not include the same character and even the same type of a character, even though creating a good quirky character is a job and an already created one can be unproblematic.This is because writers write for the challenge of creating original work, and if they cannot face that challenge properly, their writing does not make sense to them.If so, why do we find the same character in several books or in series of books in the writings of the most noted authors, then?This is because the practice of using the same protagonist, antagonist, or even a secondary character can be very successful with character driven stories.The author, after creating the character, lives with him for a long time, and that character becomes somewhat of a friend who haunts the author, telling him he has so much more to say.In addition, the author may want to show the change in a special character over a longer period of time than one or two stories can allow.Let us take as an example a twenty-first century character, Odd Thomas, who has appeared in successive books of the very popular novelist, Dean Koontz.When the reader is first introduced to him, Odd Thomas is a twenty-one year old short-order cook.What is odd about Odd Thomas is that, being psychic, he sees ghosts.Driven by his sixth sense and disturbed by the atrocity of events, Odd Thomas brings the murders and the mysteries to light and seeks peace at the end of each novel.Because Odd Thomas is a good but quirky person and has something otherworldly about him, he entertains the reader and possibly the writer as well.What's more, since the other characters in Dean Koontz's books are so perfectly drawn, this one familiar character does not bore the reader.Another reason to use the same character in successive stories has to do with the reader's feelings.Especially in mystery stories, when the readers are fond of a detective, they see that detective not only as the solver of the mystery, but also as the witness to their reading and the friend with whom they have shared other exciting mysteries.A few examples for this type of detectives are Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes, Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer, Agatha Christie's Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot, Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone, Tim Dorsey's Detective Mahoney, and Leslie Charteris's Simon Templar, better known as The Saint.On the negative side, sometimes, the writer finds out that the character he so lovingly created cannot go through major changes after a few stories in a row.Although the character may still show some deep-seated problems, he has everything worked out in the earlier stories already.Therefore, the writer downgrades the character to a steadfast one who needs other troublemaker characters to pep up the story at hand.If the other characters cannot do the job, then the writer and his stories are in trouble.A writer must never forget that the reader's attention is the most important thing to capture and keep.Sometimes, out of sloth or greed, the writer uses the same character with the same psychological traits but with different physical ones.Although the writer may give the character a different name and change a few things about him, the character and the stories can lose their readers easily, since readers are quick to catch on to the writers' shortcomings especially when the writers are not being true to their craft.To avoid the downfall from such a practice, a writer needs to perfect his character drawing skills.Then, even if he decides to keep his favorite character inside several stories in a row, he can surround him with other remarkable characters that can spice up and carry his stories.
Classic Mystery Writer, Ross Macdonald, Author Biographies
Ross Macdonald is the pseudonym for Kenneth Millar.He was born on December 13, 1915 in Los Gatos California.His father, John Macdonald Millar, was a sometimes newspaper editor, poet and athlete, and his mother, Anne (Moyer) Millar, was a nurse.Sometime after moving the family to Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, when Ross was about four years old, his father abandoned the family.While he was growing up, Ross and his mother lived off and on with various relatives.Ross, even though academically inclined, was a troubled youth.He drank and smoked too much, fought with classmates, was a petty thief and enjoyed the pool hall and gambling.Ross's father left an insurance policy that was enough to see him through four years at the University of Western Ontario where he obtained a teaching certificate.He also attended the University of Toronto for a year.He received an assistant teaching post at the University of Michigan where he also finished his schooling.He graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a PHD in Literature.Ross Macdonald met Margaret Sturm, another aspiring author, while in high school.They reconnected and married in 1938.Their only daughter, Linda, died in 1970.Ross joined the U.S Navy during WWII and was stationed in the Pacific off the coast of southern California.When Margaret came to visit him, she fell in love with the area and made the beautiful seaside town of Santa Barbara their home.Ross Macdonald places his protagonist, the philosophic rough edged private detective, Lew Archer, in Santa Barbara, but changed the name to Santa Theresa.Many years later another mystery writer, Sue Grafton, did the same thing with her character, female private detective Kinsey Millhone.Sue Grafton wrote an introduction for the book, "Ross Macdonald, a Biography," by Tom Nolan.Ross started his writing career under his given name.His wife was to become prominent as a suspense writer under the name Margaret Millar, so he started writing under the name John Ross Macdonald.Later he shortened it to Ross Macdonald because of possible confusion with another author, John D.Macdonald.Although Ross earned good reviews throughout his writing career, it wasn't until the publishing of "The Goodbye Look" in 1969 that he became a best selling author in the United States as well as in Europe.In 1973 The Mystery Writers of America named him Grand Master.In 1981, Ross Macdonald was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.He died in Santa Barbara on July 11, 1983.Books by Ross Macdonald..Series. Chet Gordon (as Kenneth Millar) The Dark Tunnel (1944) Trouble Follows Me (1946).Lew Archer The Moving Target (1949) The Drowning Pool (1950) The Way Some People Die (1951) The Ivory Grin (1952) Find a Victim (1954) The Barbarous Coast (1956) The Doomsters (Vintage Crime/Black Lizard) (1958) The Galton Case (1959) The Wycherly Woman (1961) The Zebra-Striped Hearse (Vintage Crime/Black Lizard) (1962) The Chill (1964) The Far Side of the Dollar (1965) Black Money (1966) The Instant Enemy (Vintage Crime/Black Lizard) (1968) The Goodbye Look (1969) (The Underground Man (Vintage Crime/Black Lizard) (1971) Sleeping Beauty (1973) The Blue Hammer (1976) The Name is Archer (1955) Archer in Hollywood (omnibus) (1967) Lew Archer, Private Investigator 1977).Omnibus. Archer at Large (1970) The Lew Archer Volume One (1993) The Lew Archer Volume Two (1994) The Lew Archer Volume Three (1997).Stand Alone Novels. Blue City (1947) (As Kenneth Millar) The Three Roads (1948) Meet Me at the Morgue (1954) The Ferguson Affair (1960) Archer in Jeopardy (1979).Collections. Strangers in Town. Three Newly Discovered Mysteries (2001).
Kinsey Millhone Get The Best Price For Q Is For Quality By Sue Grafton Unabridged CD Audiobook (Kinsey Millhone Mystery Series)
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Unabridged CD Audiobook 11 CDs / 12 hours long
Q is for Quality by Sue Grafton Unabridged CD Audiobook (Kinsey Millhone Mystery Series) Reviews
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› Be the first to review this item on Amazon.com Classic Suspense Writer - Margaret Millar - Author Biographies
Santa Barbara shows up consistently in Margaret Millar's books, but is often named San Felicia or San Felice.Many years later another prominent mystery writer, Sue Grafton, did the same thing with her character, female private detective Kinsey Millhone, naming the town Santa Theresa.Margaret Millar was born Margaret Ellis Sturm on February 5, 1915, in Kitchner, Ontario.She was educated there and in Toronto where she studied the classics.Margaret met Kenneth Millar, another aspiring writer, while in high school.They reconnected In college and married in 1938.Their only daughter, Linda, died in 1970.Margaret said she began publishing under her married name, Margaret Millar, because of the title of her first book (Worm, Sturm).While she was to become a prominent suspense writer, her books were never big sellers.She was a very private person and abhorred interviews.After Margaret's husband published a couple of books under his own name, he changed to the pseudonym, John Ross Macdonald then to Ross Macdonald.Margaret's husband joined the U.S Navy during WWII and was stationed in the Pacific off the coast of southern California.When Margaret came to visit him, she fell in love with the area and they made the beautiful seaside town of Santa Barbara their home.Between 1945 and 1946, Margaret worked at Warner Brothers as a screenwriter.It was during this time that Warner Brothers bought the option on her book, 'The Iron Gate,' but it never was produced.During the 1960s, two of Margaret's novels were adapted for the television series, 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents.'.It's been said of Margaret's work, "Her novels are prized for their psychological penetration of the hearts and minds of murderers." Margaret also wrote a non fiction book about the birds and animals she observed.Along with her husband, she founded a chapter of the Audubon Society.Margaret was presented the prestigious Edgar Award by the Mystery writers of America in1955 for Best Novel, for 'A Beast in View.' In 1965, she was named Woman of the Year by 'Los Angeles Times.' She was also awarded the Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America in 1982 and the Derrick Murdoch Award in 1986.Margaret died of a heart attack on March 26, 1994, at her home in Santa Barbara.One of her favorite quotes was, "Life is something that happens to you while you are making other plans." Unfortunately, very few of her books are still in print.Books by Margaret Millar..Novels..The Invisible Worm (1941) The Devil Loves Me (1942) The Weak-Eyed Bat (1942) Wall of Eyes (1943) Fire Will Freeze (1944) Taste of Fears (1945) The Iron Gate (1945) Experiment in Springtime (1947) It's All in the Family (1948) The Cannibal Heart (1949) Do Evil in Return (1950) Rose's Last Summer (1952) Vanish in an Instant (1952) Wives and Lovers (1954) Beast in View (1955) The Soft Talkers (1957) The Listening Walls (1959) A Stranger in My Grave (1969) How Like an Angel (1962) The Friend (1964) Beyond This Point Are Monsters (1970) The Friend (1974) Ask For Me Tomorrow (1976) The Murder of Miranda (1979) Mermaid (1981) Banshee (1983) Spider Webs (1986).Omnibus. An Air That Kills/Do Evil in Return (2006).Non Fiction. The Birds and the Beasts Were There (1968).Short Stories. The Couple Next Door (1954) Radiant Flower of the Divine Heavens (1998) The Couple Next Door. Collected Short Mysteries (2004).
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Classic Mystery Writer, Ross Macdonald, Author Biographies
Ross Macdonald is the pseudonym for Kenneth Millar.He was born on December 13, 1915 in Los Gatos California.His father, John Macdonald Millar, was a sometimes newspaper editor, poet and athlete, and his mother, Anne (Moyer) Millar, was a nurse.Sometime after moving the family to Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, when Ross was about four years old, his father abandoned the family.While he was growing up, Ross and his mother lived off and on with various relatives.Ross, even though academically inclined, was a troubled youth.He drank and smoked too much, fought with classmates, was a petty thief and enjoyed the pool hall and gambling.Ross's father left an insurance policy that was enough to see him through four years at the University of Western Ontario where he obtained a teaching certificate.He also attended the University of Toronto for a year.He received an assistant teaching post at the University of Michigan where he also finished his schooling.He graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a PHD in Literature.Ross Macdonald met Margaret Sturm, another aspiring author, while in high school.They reconnected and married in 1938.Their only daughter, Linda, died in 1970.Ross joined the U.S Navy during WWII and was stationed in the Pacific off the coast of southern California.When Margaret came to visit him, she fell in love with the area and made the beautiful seaside town of Santa Barbara their home.Ross Macdonald places his protagonist, the philosophic rough edged private detective, Lew Archer, in Santa Barbara, but changed the name to Santa Theresa.Many years later another mystery writer, Sue Grafton, did the same thing with her character, female private detective Kinsey Millhone.Sue Grafton wrote an introduction for the book, "Ross Macdonald, a Biography," by Tom Nolan.Ross started his writing career under his given name.His wife was to become prominent as a suspense writer under the name Margaret Millar, so he started writing under the name John Ross Macdonald.Later he shortened it to Ross Macdonald because of possible confusion with another author, John D.Macdonald.Although Ross earned good reviews throughout his writing career, it wasn't until the publishing of "The Goodbye Look" in 1969 that he became a best selling author in the United States as well as in Europe.In 1973 The Mystery Writers of America named him Grand Master.In 1981, Ross Macdonald was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.He died in Santa Barbara on July 11, 1983.Books by Ross Macdonald..Series. Chet Gordon (as Kenneth Millar) The Dark Tunnel (1944) Trouble Follows Me (1946).Lew Archer The Moving Target (1949) The Drowning Pool (1950) The Way Some People Die (1951) The Ivory Grin (1952) Find a Victim (1954) The Barbarous Coast (1956) The Doomsters (Vintage Crime/Black Lizard) (1958) The Galton Case (1959) The Wycherly Woman (1961) The Zebra-Striped Hearse (Vintage Crime/Black Lizard) (1962) The Chill (1964) The Far Side of the Dollar (1965) Black Money (1966) The Instant Enemy (Vintage Crime/Black Lizard) (1968) The Goodbye Look (1969) (The Underground Man (Vintage Crime/Black Lizard) (1971) Sleeping Beauty (1973) The Blue Hammer (1976) The Name is Archer (1955) Archer in Hollywood (omnibus) (1967) Lew Archer, Private Investigator 1977).Omnibus. Archer at Large (1970) The Lew Archer Volume One (1993) The Lew Archer Volume Two (1994) The Lew Archer Volume Three (1997).Stand Alone Novels. Blue City (1947) (As Kenneth Millar) The Three Roads (1948) Meet Me at the Morgue (1954) The Ferguson Affair (1960) Archer in Jeopardy (1979).Collections. Strangers in Town. Three Newly Discovered Mysteries (2001).
Kinsey Millhone Price Comparisons For F Is For Fugitive - A Kinsey Millhone Novel
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You begin to speak, "Today's grammar focus lesson will be on ." Your EFL learners groan aloud interrupting you."Oh no, grammar again?", they chant, almost in unison.You're not exactly all that enthused yourself, but what can you do? It's in the program.Grammar teaching is almost always in demand and often difficult to tackle.In the article, "Three Fun Ideas for Teaching Grammar to TEFL Learners" we discussed the use of such aids as games, movie clips, radio and CDs / DVDs to generate fun, interesting grammar-teaching activities.But let's not stop there.Another useful source for creating grammar reinforcement activities learners will love comes from the heat of language itself - Literature."All the world's a stage" if you have access at all to contemporary novels or classic literature.Here are some ideas for using literature to break out of a slump.We'll start with contemporary novels.Contemporary Novels.From Harry Potter to Kinsey Millhone and Jack Ryan, there is a treasure-trove of characters waiting to teach your language learners English grammar.Since these, and many other characters, are so willing, why should you do it? If you're like me - you let Harry, Kinsey or Jack do the job for you.They don't even ask for part of your pay.Now isn't that nice of them?Here's what you do.Pick a page or passage.Work the grammar in it.Make it into dialogues, scenes and skits.Practice it aloud.Change it.Rewrite it.Have fun with it.By the way, use props, realia, costumes, sound effects and sets if you can.They needn't be elaborate to be effective.A cape, a hat, a cane, a telephone, a doll, a flashlight, bag or bottle can do wonders for a simple dialogue.By all means do make a "production" out it.Not only will your learners not object, they'll likely ask, "Can we do this again, teacher?" You answer of course, will be .Classic Literature.Everybody loves Shakespeare."Romeo and Juliet" has been repeated in theme countless times.The question, "Can I have more, Sir?" starts off a series of events that has spawned movies, documentaries, children's versions, plays and idealism that has intrigued millions for centuries.The list of great books is more than lengthy enough to generate scores of ideas and opportunities for productive grammar work with your learners.Let Alice and her friends, characters from Shakespeare and fairy tales give you the hand you need in getting grammar in context across to your learners.You or your learners can create a dialogue between Hansel and Gretel, the three little pigs and the wolf, Cinderella and her Stepmother or the Prince.The list could go on and on.You see? "It's elementary, my dear Watson.".By the way, if you don't know who Harry Potter is, well what planet have you been living on? Kinsey Milhone? She's the fiercely independent lady detective created by Sue Grafton.Author Tom Clancy produced CIA operative Jack Ryan who rambles, sometimes rather recklessly, through several of his novels.Let these and countless other characters provide the fodder for dialogues your learners will relish.Leave that dry course book stuff for the lames.
Fiction - Using the Same Characters in Different Stories
In the planning stage of a story, most writers do not include the same character and even the same type of a character, even though creating a good quirky character is a job and an already created one can be unproblematic.This is because writers write for the challenge of creating original work, and if they cannot face that challenge properly, their writing does not make sense to them.If so, why do we find the same character in several books or in series of books in the writings of the most noted authors, then?This is because the practice of using the same protagonist, antagonist, or even a secondary character can be very successful with character driven stories.The author, after creating the character, lives with him for a long time, and that character becomes somewhat of a friend who haunts the author, telling him he has so much more to say.In addition, the author may want to show the change in a special character over a longer period of time than one or two stories can allow.Let us take as an example a twenty-first century character, Odd Thomas, who has appeared in successive books of the very popular novelist, Dean Koontz.When the reader is first introduced to him, Odd Thomas is a twenty-one year old short-order cook.What is odd about Odd Thomas is that, being psychic, he sees ghosts.Driven by his sixth sense and disturbed by the atrocity of events, Odd Thomas brings the murders and the mysteries to light and seeks peace at the end of each novel.Because Odd Thomas is a good but quirky person and has something otherworldly about him, he entertains the reader and possibly the writer as well.What's more, since the other characters in Dean Koontz's books are so perfectly drawn, this one familiar character does not bore the reader.Another reason to use the same character in successive stories has to do with the reader's feelings.Especially in mystery stories, when the readers are fond of a detective, they see that detective not only as the solver of the mystery, but also as the witness to their reading and the friend with whom they have shared other exciting mysteries.A few examples for this type of detectives are Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes, Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer, Agatha Christie's Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot, Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone, Tim Dorsey's Detective Mahoney, and Leslie Charteris's Simon Templar, better known as The Saint.On the negative side, sometimes, the writer finds out that the character he so lovingly created cannot go through major changes after a few stories in a row.Although the character may still show some deep-seated problems, he has everything worked out in the earlier stories already.Therefore, the writer downgrades the character to a steadfast one who needs other troublemaker characters to pep up the story at hand.If the other characters cannot do the job, then the writer and his stories are in trouble.A writer must never forget that the reader's attention is the most important thing to capture and keep.Sometimes, out of sloth or greed, the writer uses the same character with the same psychological traits but with different physical ones.Although the writer may give the character a different name and change a few things about him, the character and the stories can lose their readers easily, since readers are quick to catch on to the writers' shortcomings especially when the writers are not being true to their craft.To avoid the downfall from such a practice, a writer needs to perfect his character drawing skills.Then, even if he decides to keep his favorite character inside several stories in a row, he can surround him with other remarkable characters that can spice up and carry his stories.
Kinsey Millhone Discounted "L" Is For Lawless (A Kinsey Millhone Mystery, Book 12) [Hardcover]
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as of 2012-08-29 11:27 AM
"L" is for Lawless (A Kinsey Millhone Mystery, Book 12) [Hardcover] Reviews
Kinsey Millhone : "L" is for Lawless (A Kinsey Millhone Mystery, Book 12) [Hardcover] Reviews
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