Music Monday's originated at The Tattooed Book Geek's fantastic blog and has shown up hither, thither, and yon since then.
A New Lease on Death
DETAILS: Series: Supernatural Mysteries, #1 Publisher: Minotaur Books Publication Date: October 29, 2024 Format: eARC Length: 336 pgs. Read Date: October 11-15, 2024
Ruby
Ruby is a young twentysomething-ish woman*, new to Boston, having moved there following a bad breakup. She’s left the comforts of home and family to start again and prove to herself (and probably her ex) that she can do it on her own. She’s generally optimistic, talks to herself, is a bit overwhelmed with everything but she still has a cheerful personality—which is reflected in everything from the way she dresses to the way she looks at life. Despite Winter in Boston, which really isn’t treating her well, that is.
* Just before scheduling this post, I remembered that Ruby can’t spend time in bars. So, she’s a really young twentysomething-ish. I could probably look it up, but that’s good enough.
She’s jobless, but looking, and is getting close to the desperation point. But she’s not going to quit until she has to.
She shares her apartment with a woman who is very different than her, and their communication…well, it’s lousy. And not just because Ruby’s killed all but one of her houseplants.
Cordelia
Cordelia is noticeably older. Not truly grumpy, but optimistic and bubbly are definitely not things she’s been called (or would want to be called). She’s maybe not a huge success, but she does well enough that she’s not worried about money or comfort (there’s more to it than that, but I’ll let you read it for yourself). She likes to stay home in the evenings and read.
And drink. And drink some more. I don’t know if she’s technically an alcoholic (a functional one, for what it’s worth) or if she’s just a heavy drinker. It’s probably an academic question, really.
Cordelia doesn’t have much of a social life, she gets along with her coworkers—none of whom know that up until recently she’d been having an extended affair with their very married boss.
She doesn’t understand Ruby’s optimism, her approach to life/job hunting, resents what she’s doing to her houseplants, and just doesn’t know how to get through to her at all.
A large part of that stems from the fact that Cordelia was found dead a few months ago, and is now a ghost who likes staying in her former apartment while she gets a handle on the whole afterlife thing. Ruby, is (I should’ve said earlier, but I just assume it) very much alive and was more than happy to move into an already furnished apartment.
What’s A New Lease on Death About?
The book opens with Cordelia trying to talk the brand-new ghost of their neighbor through the opening minutes of his afterlife. He’d been murdered just outside their building and he is not taking the whole experience very well.
In one of the early attempts at actual communication between the roomies, Ruby gets the idea that Cordelia is trying to tell her they should investigate the murder like someone on one of the True Crime podcasts she’s a huge fan of. Cordelia was actually trying to keep Ruby as far as she could from all that, and seemed more than ready to accept the police’s rushed theories.
Before you know it, these two had become much more than people…entities?…sharing an apartment, they were a semi-functional team on the hunt for a killer.
The Ghostly Brass Tacks
This isn’t a book steeped in magic, supernatural creatures, and other things common in Urban Fantasy or even other supernatural mysteries I’ve talked about here. The Supernatural (at least in this book) is limited to ghosts who linger around—and not many do. We’re not really told why, but Cordelia has a theory.
It’s not easy to help someone when you’re incorporeal, invisible, and unable to make yourself heard. It’s also hard to “lean on” or assist someone if you’re not all that sure is actually around, or off doing their own thing.
And honestly, that’s just the beginning of their problems.
Blacke paints a picture of Claudia’s reality, her state, her learning curve, and her abilities to interact with the physical world and people in a way that absolutely makes sense, is consistent, well thought-out, and believable. It’s truly impressive—and darn entertaining—to watch Claudia try to be Ruby’s partner through all this.
It’s strong to say there’s a relationship between these two, but there is.
So, what did I think about A New Lease on Death?
In brief—this is everything I hoped it would be (well, I wanted a few more jokes, but I got over that). I bought in right away to everything—Blacke made that really easy—and both the plot and characters kept me fully engaged. I was faster than the pair on a thing or two (nothing applicable to this case, but what appears to be the next one), but didn’t get to the solution to the mystery until about the same time as Ruby and Cordelia.
It’s both a fun and well-executed novel and a solid introduction to a world and series (it’s at least a duology, I just don’t know how many books Blacke/Minotaur Books have in mind). There’s not a huge cast of characters that we can expect to see again—but there are some. We’ll see some of Ruby’s coworkers, I’m sure (eep—minor spoiler, she finds some kind of job); there are some figures we’ll see from the apartment building; and there’s one ghost I expect Cordelia to learn a bit more from. But it’s essentially a cast of two—and that’s more than enough to fuel this book and series.
In a step in a new direction for Blacke, this isn’t a cozy mystery—or so Blacke’s website says. And it’s true, I suppose—largely depending on how strictly you define “cozy.” But almost every cozy reader will embrace the storytelling. Blacke’s fans, in particular, will be fine with this after a little adjustment, and will likely embrace it without much trouble.
It’s not as lighthearted, warm, fuzzy, and pun-filled as The Record Shop Mysteries were. There’s little in here that’s outright funny—although you’ll smile most of the time, and the book is rarely dark. Tonally, it’s close to Darynda Jones’ mysteries, Janet Evanovich, and Lee Goldberg’s Eve Ronin (although all of those contain more jokes).
What Blacke carries over from the Record Shop Mysteries is her charm. You will like these two women right away. You’ll look for signs of friendship, camaraderie, and understanding between the two—and be pleased when you find them (and when you don’t have to look anymore).
This is the fourth book by Blacke that I’ve read, and it’s the fourth book of hers that I enjoyed. But she’s displaying a greater skill when it comes to writing, plotting, and character here than she has before. I think that’s a function of subject/subgenre rather than skill or anything. I’ve liked her books before, but this impressed me in a way the others haven’t. I don’t think it’s me comparing the two series—because I honestly want her to circle back soon to the environs of Sip & Spin Records (as little as I expect it). It’s just this is a better canvas for her to display more of her talent.
If you’ve tried her earlier material, you’ll see what I mean. If you haven’t, just realize I was dancing around a point—and maybe landed near it.
Regardless—this is a fun odd couple/buddy cop outing featuring amateur sleuths (so, yeah “buddy cop” isn’t technically right, but you know what I’m saying) with a side order of supernatural woowoo. The solution to the mystery is satisfying and fitting—and the conclusion of the novel launches into the next novel/series. What’s not to like? Very little. I’m already eagerly awaiting the next volume. I feel like there’s something I’m not saying, but I can’t figure out what it is. So I’ll just leave it at this point.
I’m looking forward to the next book, I expect almost everyone who reads A New Lease on Death will find themselves in the same boat. And I really hope many people come aboard—like you. Yes, you. Pick this one up.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley—thanks to both for this.
This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.
This worked last year, might has well give it a whirl this year…It’s Reformation Sunday—a totally made-up holiday (but which one isn’t?) to commemorate the day in 1517 when Martin Luther inadvertently started a revolution/reformation/revival. So, hey, while I continue to fight off this cold, let me repost this about one of my favorite of Luther’s works:
The Freedom of a Christian: A New Translation
by Martin Luther, Translated by Robert Kolb Carl R. Trueman (Foreward)
DETAILS: Series: Crossway Short Classics Series Publisher: Crossway Publication Date: February 21, 2023 Format: Paperback Length: 86 pg. Read Date: February 26, 2023
Some Thoughts on the Series as a Whole
The point of this series is to take classic short works—sermons, tracts, articles—package them attractively, edit a bit (modernize language, eliminate footnotes, tweak grammar, etc.), and make them widely available. Each is given a short introduction to help the reader get the context and a bit of information about the author.
They published seven books in this series last year, and I discussed them here. Two have come out this year (so far), but I’m hoping for more.
What’s The Freedom of a Christian About?
A Christian is a free lord of everything and subject to no one.
A Christian is a willing servant of everything and subject to everyone.
This is Luther (early in the Reformation) laying out his vision for good works for the believer–how they are to be performed, why they are to be performed, and their place in the life of the believer. I’m sure there’s more to say, but that’s basically it.
That quotation gives his two theses–the rest of the book is his working out the thinking behind them. It’s penetrating, it’s convicting, and it’s inspiring to watch him work. Whoops, I seem to have stumbled into the next section.
So, what did I think about The Freedom of a Christian?
From all of this comes the conclusion that a Christian lives not in himself but in Christ and in his neighbor, in Christ through faith, in the neighbor through love. Through faith he rises above himself in God, from God he descends under himself through love, and remains always in God and in divine love. It is as Christ said in John 1[:51]: “You will see heaven standing open and the angels ascending and descending over the Son of Man.” Behold, that is the proper, spiritual Christian freedom, which liberates the heart from all sins, laws, and commands. This freedom exceeds all other freedoms, as high as heaven is over the earth. May God grant us that we truly understand that and retain it.
I wasn’t sure about reading this–it’s one of those works I’ve read so much about. I’ve seen it cited, heard descriptions of it in lectures, and read about it, but I haven’t gotten around to reading it. A lot of the times I read something that I know about like this, it doesn’t work out (I’ve never been able to get past page 40 of Postman’s Amusing Ourselves to Death, for example). But this is exactly what it should’ve been.
Martin Luther being pastoral is just great. Luther coming alongside those believers so often neglected in the Church and saying, here’s what to do–free of burden, free of guilt, free to live and love as they ought, as they’ve been called to.
This little read is a gem. I’m glad I took the chance on it and so glad that Crossway’s series brought it to us.
This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.
This week’s Saturday Miscellany would have no problem in a 10-Items-Or-Less lane.
Tiny entry this week. But I think you’ll find it worth your time.
Odds ‘n ends about books and reading that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
Why History & Social Science Cannot Substitute for Classic Fiction—there’s a little snobbery there with the “Classic” bit, but once you account for that…
Judy-Lynn del Rey: The woman who revolutionized the fantasy genre is finally getting her due—a cool profile of an unsung SF/F hero
A Modest Request for a Little More Genre Chaos—Molly Templeton advocates for “gleefully mixing genres”
The Magic-Wielding Characters Bracket Challenge—I fell behind reading these this week, looking forward to catching up—you should, too.
To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week?
The Last Detective by Robert Crais
(and that’s it…very quiet week)
This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Good-Looking Ugly by Rob D. Smith—an ugly rageaholic is conned by a long-lost cousin to help her rip off a cockfighting championship inbetween court-ordered therapy sessions.
Remember You Will Die by Eden Robins—I’m not even going to pretend to summarize this book in a line or two…click the link. Love the idea behind this, hope the execution lives up to it.
Head & Shoulders used to tell us that, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” That’s true for wearing dark shirts, and it’s especially true for books. Sometimes the characters will hook the reader, sometimes the premise, sometimes it’s just knowing the author—but nothing beats a great opening for getting a reader to commit.
I see in Lwnava Pravda that Luna City Council has passed on first reading a bill to examine, license, inspect—and tax—public food vendors operating inside municipal pressure. I see also is to be mass meeting tonight to organize “Sons of Revolution” talk-talk.
My old man taught me two things: “Mind own business” and “Always cut cards.” Politics never tempted me. But on Monday 13 May 2075 I was in computer room of Lunar Authority Complex, visiting with computer boss Mike while other machines whispered among themselves. Mike was not official name; I had nicknamed him for Mycroft Holmes, in a story written by Dr. Watson before he founded IBM. This story character would just sit and think—and that’s what Mike did. Mike was a fair dinkum thinkum, sharpest computer you’ll ever meet.
Not fastest. At Bell Labs, Buenos Aires, down Earthside, they’ve got a thinkum a tenth his size which can answer almost before you ask. But matters whether you get answer in microsecond rather than millisecond as long as correct?
Not that Mike would necessarily give right answer; he wasn’t completely honest.
from The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein
As this is the 90th anniversary of Fer-de-Lance‘s publication, I should’ve planned ahead and done something big. But life intervened (as it so often does). Maybe I’ll get my act together for 95–or 100. In the meantime, this slight reworking of a post from a couple of years ago should do the trick.
On October 24, 1934 Rex Stout’s first Nero Wolfe novel, Fer-de-Lance was published and history was made–no one knew it at the time, of course, especially not Stout. He’d tried a variety of other novels before, but hadn’t found much success with them, but he hit pay dirt with this one. He’d try related and similar works in the years to come, but they weren’t as successful as these and soon he just stayed with the characters he introduced in this novel.
This series influenced other series, later writers, and a few stories/series that are inspired by it. There’ve been a handful of movies and TV series based on the books, too (and a radio series, now that I think about it). And most importantly, it’s become a beloved part of the lives and bookshelves of devoted fans around the world. I’m one of them…the impact these characters, these stories, and the author have had on me cannot be overstated (for good or ill). I’m not alone here.
And it all started with this book 90 years ago.
A year or two before I started this blog, I re-read the series, here’s what I wrote about the novel back then.
Rex Stout’s Fer-de-Lance is the first of 40+ books (novels or short story collections) featuring the exploits of private investigator Archie Goodwin (2 parts Huck Finn, 1 part Philip Marlowe) and his eccentric employer, Nero Wolfe (1 part Sherlock Holmes, 1 part Mycroft Holmes)—yes, I am one of those who think that Archie’s the main character in the misnomered Nero Wolfe Mysteries.
In reading about Rex Stout/Nero Wolfe (either by fans or professionals) there’s an oft-quoted line from Walter D. Edmonds that you simply cannot avoid seeing, “I shall never forget my excitement on reading Fer-de-Lance, sprung like Athena perfect form the Jovian brow, fresh and new and at the same time with enough plain familiar things in scene and setting to put any reader at his ease.” Aside from Oliver Wendell Holmes’ margin note (“This fellow is the best of them all.”), there’s nothing that sums up Fer-de-Lance better, sprung like Athena indeed.
It really doesn’t matter how many times you’ve read it, but upon re-reading (and probably even initial reading if this isn’t your first encounter with Wolfe and Archie—my initial read was more than 20 years ago, so I don’t remember) you can’t help be struck by how much Fer-de-Lance fits the model of a mature Wolfe novel—almost all the elements are there. These characters are introduced in practically their final format—a little tweak here and there over the course of the first few novels (off the top of my head I can’t say how many) will get them in their final form, plus the addition of a few other characters will be necessary, but the cast of characters is already over 90% complete. In the first chapter, we already have Wolfe, Archie, Fritz, Theodore, Fred, and Saul presented in a manner fully recognizable to the familiar reader. The story follows a fairly typical route (though the identity of the murderer is revealed far earlier than is the norm), and the essential environmental elements are there—the beer, Wolfe’s eccentric schedule, the orchids, a relapse, the food, a cocky scheme to land a client, an outrageous stratagem for getting that last essential piece of evidence (not that Wolfe needs it to solve the crime, merely to prove he was correct)—the only thing missing is the gathering of the witnesses/suspects/clients for Wolfe to reveal everything in his characteristically dramatic fashion. One recurring thought I had while reading it this time was that this could just as easily have been the fifteenth installment in the series as the first.
As I don’t recall reading about Stout consulting notes—and he’s known not to rewrite any part of these stories—the fact that he can keep all the idiosyncrasies he establishes here well-intact over the next 40 years is a testimony to his mental prowess as much as anything else could be. (Contrast Stout to contemporary authors who find themselves re-writing their own protagonist’s biographies thanks to their refusal to check their facts/fix errors).
Enough of that—what about the book itself? Wolfe takes a small case as more of a favor/indulgence/get-him-off-my-back to one of his operatives and in doing so, stumbles upon a fact or two that leads him to conclude that a university president has been murdered in a preposterous manner. Seeing (and seizing) the opportunity to earn a large fee from this, Wolfe sends Archie to place a $10,000 bet with the District Attorney responsible for the area the president died in—wagering that an exhumation of the body will produce two particular evidences of homicide. No bet is made, but since it’s Nero Wolfe suggesting it, the body’s dug up, the evidence found and we’re off…
A fun read, a decent mystery (Stout will get better at this), great characters, and a good introduction to a wonderful world fit for revisiting over and over again.
I’m a whiny bookwyrm today. I got hit by a ton of bricks masquerading as a mild cold yesterday and it’s really knocked me for a loop. And everyone in earshot knows just how miserable I am. (typical guy, I know, I know…I don’t plan on changing that. Self-improvement is not my bag)
But you didn’t come here to read me go on and on about that (and I could). So, let’s turn to the WWW.
This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived on Taking on a World of Words—and shown to me by Aurore-Anne-Chehoke at Diary-of-a-black-city-girl.
The Three Ws are:
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?
Seems easy enough, right? Let’s take a peek at this week’s answers:
What are you currently reading?
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| The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein |
Not Till We Are Lost by Dennis E. Taylor; read by Ray Porter |
I might have read a Heinlein book in Middle School—I honestly don’t remember if I finished it. But he’s one of those guys you often wonder if you missed something by skipping. So, I might as well, right? Also, it’s the book that the SF Book Club will be discussing next week.
Not Till We Are Lost continues Taylor’s effort to explore deeper and darker issues—while not losing all the yuks. I’m really enjoying this.
What did you recently finish reading?
 |
 |
| Hermit of Paradise by Kim Sanders |
Dreadful by Caitlin Rozakis, read by Keval Shah |
The less said about Hermit of Paradise the better. So…Dreadful is about a dark wizard who wakes up in his lab, with no recollection of his name, his goals, why he has a princess locked up in a cell, or pretty much anything else. It’s worth the time. Also…last week, in our RPG session, I ended up playing a necromancer who had no memory of his abilities (or that he was a necromancer). It was a nice bit of coincidental timing, and I probably owe Rozakis something for borrowing so much.
What do you think you’ll read next?
 |
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| Spook Street by Mick Herron |
Pigeon-Blood Red by Ed Duncan, Dave Keyser |
I had to put Spook Street on hold Monday so I could hit a couple of deadlines…can’t wait to get back to this. A fantastic setup from Herron, can’t wait for the other 2/3.
Pigeon-Blood Red looks like a promising crime thriller. Intrigued by it.
How do you distract yourself from colds/flu/etc.? TV, a comfort read, whatever’s next on the TBR, rewatching beloved movies? (I’m a combination–I used to turn to Rex Stout like chicken soup). What are you reading now (hopefully while healthy)?
Hermit of Paradise
by Kim Sanders
DETAILS:
Publisher: Brown Books Publishing Group
Publication Date: October 8, 2024
Format: eARC
Length: 304 pg.
Read Date: October 21-22, 2024
What’s Hermit of Paradise About?
This starts with an old friend, Sunny, asking Aubey to find her some justice for an old crime.
Then we flashback a little bit to watch Aubey’s last days on the Dallas Police as a detective before his retirement.
Then we flashback to Aubey’s childhood days, living in his family’s home on a lake where he spends summers reading, fishing, and getting into antics with some older men and some children the same age. Free-range parenting at its best, and despite hanging out with criminals, Aubey seems like a well-adjusted kid in love with nature. The fateful summer in consideration, however, brings him into contact with a couple of peers who will change his life—including the aforementioned Sunny.
Something traumatic happens at the end of a beautiful summer—something that will haunt Aubey and his friends for the rest of their lives.
We then flash-forward to his retirement, Sunny asking for justice (with more context), and Aubey’s efforts to get that for her.
That’s the barebones of the plot, anyway. I gave a richer (and provided by the author/publisher) description on my Spotlight yesterday.
I’m Going to be Frank with You
(I’m always honest when it comes to my opinion on books, as far as I know, but occasionally I’ll pull a punch)
Under any other circumstances, this would’ve been a DNF for me. The pacing was off; the book spent far, far, far too long in the childhood section compared to the retired adult section; given what Aubey knew about the crime, too much of what we know about the people/area/history comes from inelegant info-dumping; what he did in the retirement section to investigate it made no sense—other than to make more opportunities for info-dumping….and I don’t want to beat up on things.
I could go on for paragraphs on how bad the dialogue was—I really want to rant about it (actually, ask anyone who lives in my house and they’ll tell you what I think of it). But let me just tell you this much: there are several conversations between two people where each part of the exchange contains the other persons name in the first sentence.
Allow me to illustrate from a well-known scene (with apologies to Mr. Tarantino):
Vincent asks, “And, Jules, you know what they call a… a… a Quarter Pounder with Cheese in Paris?”
“Vincent, they don’t call it a Quarter Pounder with cheese?” Jules asks, surprised.
“No man, they got the metric system. Jules, they wouldn’t know what the fuck a Quarter Pounder is.” Vincent laughs and shakes his head.
“Then, Vincent, what do they call it?” Jules raises his voice.
“Jules, they call it a Royale with cheese.” Vincent replies, stretching out “Royale.”
“A Royale with cheese. Vincent, what do they call a Big Mac?” Jules wonders, chuckling.
Vincent shrugs a little, “Well, Jules, a Big Mac’s a Big Mac, but they call it le Big-Mac.”
“Le Big-Mac, Vincent.” He practices “Ha ha ha ha. Vincent, what do they call a Whopper?”
“I dunno, Jules, I didn’t go into Burger King.”
Except every sentence should be longer—if not a small paragraph—overflowing with exposition and nowhere near as interesting. If I had a hard copy, I’d have thrown it across the room the second time I encountered this (I could let it go once). But I wasn’t about to throw my phone or e-Reader, as nice as it would’ve felt.
So, what did I think about Hermit of Paradise?
The childhood flashbacks made me think of someone trying to go for a Scout, Jem, and Dill feel. Or something out of a William Kent Krueger novel. It even kind of reminded me of A Snake in the Raspberry Patch by Joanne Jackson or something of a Tiffany McDaniel-talks-about-young-people feel. But Sanders isn’t in their league (yet?).
Sanders swung for the fences in every chapter—more than once in every chapter. I think there’s a decent (not necessarily good, but at least decent) novel hidden here. But Sanders needs a few more drafts and a skilled editor to bring that out.
If I was talking about intentions, desires, and aims here—I’d have a lot of good to say. But I’m not—I’m talking about the characters, writing, and novel—so I can’t say a lot of good.
I do think the characters (most of them, anyway) were promising—too many of the minor characters were interchangeable enough that we didn’t need them all. Again, a little more refining and editing would’ve helped a lot there.
Seriously, while this book didn’t work for me in any way, I know that’s not true of everyone. Go check out the posts by Liam and Beth for vastly different takes—or the feed at https://twitter.com/WriteReadsTours to see what other bloggers on the tour are saying.
This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.
My thanks to The Write Reads for the invitation to participate in this tour and the materials (including the novel) they provided.
Welcome to day’s Tour Stop for Hermit of Paradise by Kim Sanders. I only found out that this stop was for today about 34-35 hours ago, so I’m only 3/4 done with the book–I had to choose whether to finish or to make something up. I opted for reading the thing, so we’ll have to be satisfied with this Spotlight for a day or so (I honestly don’t know when I will have the ability to write up a post, it’s coming, I swear).
In the meantime, you should go to https://twitter.com/WriteReadsTours feed to see all things that bloggers who have their grawlix together are saying about this novel.
Book Details:
Title: Hermit of Paradise by Kim Sanders
Genre: Fiction / Literary
Publisher: Brown Books Publishing Group
Format: Hardcover
Length: 304 pg.
US Publication Date: October 8, 2024
About the Book:
A Fight for Lost Innocence‘
Detective Auby Midnight is retired. Or so he imagines. Jaded and transformed by a long career of witnessing degeneracy, tragedy, and true evil, he reflects on the place that first nurtured him: Paradise Cove, Lake Texoma, and the rich, endearing memories of mischief, adventure, and friendship that shaped his childhood. That is, until the day a violent feud brought irrevocable trauma for his best friend, Sunny.
Now Sunny implores the wearied Auby to right the wrongs of the past and return to the case that has haunted him and his childhood friends for years. Older, wiser, and far more experienced, they set out to defeat the evil that stole their innocence and restore the magic of Paradise Cove.
Inspired by the author’s own life events as a sixth-generation Texan and a former member of the Dallas Police Department with decades of experience under his belt, Hermit of Paradise explores meaning, morality, and the fight to stay human in the face of a grim and complicated world.
Book Links:
About the Author:
Kim Sanders is a sixth generation Texan who grew up in the South Oak Cliff area of Dallas, Texas. Shortly after finishing his active duty in the US Army, he was hired by the Dallas Police Department, where he worked for thirty-three years. His assignments there included Detention Services, Uniformed Patrol, Vice, Narcotics, and Homicide. He spent twenty-three years in the Narcotics Division, the last fourteen of which were assigned to the United States Drug Enforcement Administration as a Task Force Officer. He was one of the few officers in the US who worked in an undercover capacity across three separate decades. He was the lead undercover officer in three separate deep-cover operations, each of which lasted over a year in duration. His last lead deep-undercover assignment before he transferred to Homicide took him from working in Texas to New York City as he infiltrated complex Colombian heroin cartel networks. Kim has received numerous federal, state, and local awards, including the Dallas Police Department Medal of Valor. Kim is married to fellow retired Dallas Police Detective Martha “Coco” Sanders. They reside in Texas.
Author Links:
My thanks to The Write Reads for the invitation to participate in this tour and the materials they provided.
Music Monday's originated at The Tattooed Book Geek's fantastic blog and has shown up hither, thither, and yon since then.
The Grandcritter has developed a passion for a particular version of “There She Goes.” So I did a little experiment to see if he’d recognize differences in the three versions I’m most familiar with, if he’d respond to the versions he never heard before, and if there was any particular preference.
The Boo Radleys:
He recognized it, but was fairly ambivalent toward it (not an opinion I share, I should stress)
Sixpence None the Richer:
He enjoyed this. Seemed intrigued by the idea someone not The La’s performed it.
The La’s:
The original is definitively the best version (if you ask him). This song will stop a hangry fit, it will increase a great mood, it will capture his attention for at least 3 repeats and will induce dancing that will make any human that can see him smile..