CRIME ON MY MIND

Sure signs of spring!

Is this spring in the air? For real, this time? Sure looks like it. Sun and warmth. The start of Ottawa's Tulip Festival this weekend. Green lawns and flowers in bloom. And, the blossoming of new mystery novels being launched within the next couple of weeks!

Next to the fall (read Christmas sales) launch season, the spring launches bring much joy to all mystery readers. Long-awaited sequels are springing up, vacation reading lists can now be fulfilled, and there's always a new crop of writers being launched to add to the colourful array.

In Ottawa, the celebrating starts on Monday, May 9th with the double launch of Mary Jane Maffini's latest Charlotte Adams mystery -- The Busy Woman's Guide to Murder is number 5 in the series -- and, the new Const. Molly Smith from Vicki Delany, Among the Departed, the fifth in this series.

The place to be is Library & Archive Canada, 395 Wellington St., at 7 p.m., in the Sunken Lobby. There will be greetings, readings, refreshments (including chocolate, as always), a donation wine bar by the Friends of Library & Archives, and books for sale by Books on Beechwood. The authors will happily sign your purchases and will also read from their new works.

The following Sunday, May 15th, 4-6 p.m., mystery authors Brenda Chapman and Barbara Fradkin launch their latest projects, part of the Rapid Reads line from Orca Press. These are books for "reluctant readers" and ideal for juveniles and adults who are developing their reading skills or an avid reader with little time on their hands who wants to read through a finely crafted plot in a hurry. The Second Wife by Brenda Chapman and, The Fall Guy by Barbara Fradkin will be available at the launch at the Clockwork Pub, Bank Street. Books on Beechwood will be selling, along with the latest adventure novel by Jeff Ross, The Drop .


On Wednesday, May 18th, Thomas Rendell Curran launches his eagerly-awaited Eric Stride mystery, set in Newfoundland in the late 1940's. The event is being held at Collected Works Book Store, 1242 Wellington Ave., at 7 p.m. There'll be refreshments, books of course, and Tom will read from Death of a Lesser Man, the third in this series.

It's exciting to have so many launches happening in Ottawa. The mystery novel is alive and well...and these events offer readers a chance to join in with authors and celebrate. Hope you'll be able to make it to all three to show your support, and to scoop up some great reads.

To paraphrase a wonderful song title, May is launching out all over! (with apologies to lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II)


Linda Wiken
writing as Erika Chase
An Ashton Corners Book Club mystery
coming from Berkley Prime Crime, April, 2012