Writers Born Today - Sandra Ruttan

It's the birthday of best selling crime writer Sandra Ruttan, author of the Nolan, Hart and Tain series which features officers of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in British Columbia. She's been called "one of crime fiction's hot new voices" by Rick Mofina.

Words fascinated her from a young age. She had a newspaper column by the age of 13, where she dished on the latest happenings at her elementary school. She studied journalism at Loyalist College in Ontario. As an adult she moved to western Canada, and used the locale as the setting for her first novels.

She is also the co-founder and editor of the critically acclaimed Spinetingler Magazine and editor of Snubnose Press.  Her short stories have appeared in numerous publications including Crimespree Magazine and Out Of the Gutter.

To read more about her and buy her books, visit her author page. Go here to read my review of What Burns Within.

MYSTERY WEEKEND ROUNDUP for JUNE 28, 2013

Author Appearances

Award winning mystery author Michael Lister will be at River Day Celebration this weekend on the Florida Panhandle with a book signing. He recently won a second Florida Book Award for Blood Sacrifice, the fifth in the John Jordan mystery series. Michael Lister has written 11 novels, three short story collections and three works of non-fiction. His other award winning novel, Double Exposure, is my personal favorite.

Holly Goddard Jones was in Salisbury, North Carolina Thursday night to discuss her well received mystery suspense novel, The Next Time You See Me, and revealed a surprising tidbit: The title was not her first choice. Holly is a 2007 recipient of the Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers' Award.

Chuck Greaves makes an appearance tonight at Collected Works Bookstore in Santa Fe, New Mexico to discuss his latest novel, Green Eyed Lady. It's the sequel to his debut novel, Hush Money, an "entertaining crime novel...full of surprises" according to the Booklist review.

Julie Hyzy appeared Thursday on the airwaves at IndianaTalks to discuss her latest mystery Grace Takes Off, and the writing process.

And tonight, Chris Grabenstein will be interviewed on WBGO Jazz 88.3 FM about the latest Ceepak mystery novel, Free Fall.  Click here to listen at 7:30 PM EST. Jazz music and Chris Grabenstein together...how cool is that?!


Wanna Buy A Bookstore?

The Penquin Bookshop in Sewickley, PA is for sale. The popular local business has been a staple for book lovers and book clubs for 84 years. The owners, who are in their 70s, are hoping to sell it by year's end.


Mystery Conferences

And now, a bloody word...about the Bloody Words Canadian Mystery Conference. Normally held in June, there was, alas, no conference this year. But they'll be back next year in Toronto for more bloody fun with tons of mystery writers and readers. You can boost international relations by attending.

And check out some of my favorite Canadian writers, Rick Mofina, Sandra Ruttan and Vicki Delaney, all of whom have new novels coming out this summer or have previous novels back in print.

Who knew cool Canadians could be so violent? And so much fun to read!

For more about the conference, see the video, compliments of our neighbors to the North. They're really a nice bunch. Really.



Obits

Richard Matheson, sci-fi and horror writer, has died. A prolific writer, he produced many novels that were later turned into movies, including The Shrinking Man and I Am Legend. He also wrote for television, creating episodes for Alfred Hitchcock Presents and The Twilight Zone. You can read his obituary in The Pittsburgh Post Gazette.  

Sandra Ruttan Sets Canadian Crime Fiction on Fire with "What Burns Within"

Most Americans, if they think of Canada at all, think of hockey, Niagara Falls or the Maple Leaf. The idea that Canadian culture or literature is anything other than an pastel imitation of Americana (soft-boiled at that) can be laid to rest. Sandra Ruttan demonstrates with her novel What Burns Within that Canadian crime fiction deserves to be taken seriously. As gritty as the best American crime writers working today, Sandra presents fiction that deals with horrendous crimes without exploiting the victims for cheap thrills. If you prefer cozies, she's not for you, but if you're a fan of tough crime fiction with well-developed characters, climb aboard. But bring along a fire extinguisher.

The plot centers around three police officers in British Columbia who worked on a case involving a brutal crime that nearly destroyed all of their careers. Now, they are drawn together a year later by different cases that gradually appear to be linked. One is a series of arsons, another a set of child kidnappings that stir bitter memories for the investigators. On top of that, a serial rapist is stalking the area, and seems to be targeting the wives & girlfriends of fireman and even the police who are responding to the arsons. The climate of fear and suspicion created by these crimes elevates the level of suspense, since the inside knowledge suggests that someone known to the victims may be involved.

Throughout the novel, several characters who at first appear to be cookie cutter caricatures turn out to have complex motives and flaws. By showing these, Sandra enrichs the story (I'm thinking particularly of Officer Tain, who is not quite the male chauvinist he pretends to be). Not only does Sandra tackle the crimes in a traditional police procedural format, she also explores the social fabric of police work between male and female officers, giving us a glimpse of a world that few ordinary civilians get to see.

Not since I read Garry Disher's "The Dragon Man" have I read an author who spends so much time developing her characters, with both their redeeming features and personality warts. It's a technique that succeeds very well. Pick up a copy of "What Burns Within", and do it soon. Sandra has a sequel coming out next month. If it's anything like this gem, it will be worth reading as well.