Tag: Madam Tulip and the Rainbow’s End

Madam Tulip and the Rainbow’s End by David Ahern: Derry and Bruce on the Hunt for Treasures Not Associated with Leprechauns

DETAILS:
Series: Madam Tulip, #5
Publisher: Malin Press
Publication Date: March 1, 2022
Format: eARC
Length: 274 pgs.
Read Date: March 5-8, 2022

Yeah, okay, the post title is pretty lame. It’s the best I can come up with. Let’s move past that, okay?

What’s Madam Tulip and the Rainbow’s End About?

Thanks to a series of events that probably rings true for many struggling actors, Derry and Bruce find themselves stranded by the touring company they’d been a part of without funds and a pretty hefty hotel/bar tab. One thing leads to another, and Derry finds herself suiting up as Madam Tulip to do some fortune-telling at a charity event to work off this debt.

She’s happy to do that for a few reasons—it seems that Derry’s trying to cut back on her Tulip work, and really only does it for charities anymore. This time, she can do it for her own benefit and a charity, so she’s okay with that.

As she’s wont to do, as Madam Tulip she befriends a couple of women—one local, and one fellow American (who turns out to employ the local woman). Both women have recently had family members die, and are still grieving. The local woman comes to Madam Tulip for confirmation of her suspicion that her brother was murdered—which Tulip gave her without realizing it. The other woman’s father was supposed to leave her a large amount of money, but didn’t—her focus isn’t on the money as much as it is on understanding what happened (which makes it so much easier to like her).

Having confirmation of her brother’s murder, Mary Jo sets out to prove it and find the murderer—Derry’s friend, Bruce, is going to prove more useful than his psychic bestie on this front and is happy to try. Being able to look at things more objectively, Derry’s able to suggest a thing or two to Lena that might help her find the closure she needs.

Given the nature of a cozy mystery novel, obviously, it won’t be long until Derry finds herself more caught up in the efforts of both women to get the answers they seek—and a little more peril than any three of them expected.*

* Although by this point, Derry should know better—even without any psychic abilities..

Derry’s Gift

Derry’s abilities that stem from being the daughter of a seventh son of a seventh son have gotten her into (and out of) plenty of trouble in the past few books—but they’re never enough by themselves. Derry’s got to figure things out and take advantage of the information she gains—and frequently needs an assist from Bruce for those things that those abilities can’t cover.

This time out, she doesn’t get to take advantage of that gift too much—there are a couple of tarot readings that help her friends (and maybe some of the other readings she does in between those, but we don’t see them). But that’s pretty much it—the rest comes from Derry putting on her metaphorical deerstalker and sussing things out for herself (talking things over with Bruce helps, too).

I think I like it better this way—Derry’s never used her psychic (or whatever) capabilities as a crutch to get to the bottom of things. But the further she gets from that, the better for me.

(although, I can’t imagine I’d complain too loudly if Book 6 or 7 has Derry acting more like Jean Grey/Professor X than Jessica Fletcher)

Jacko Off-the-Grid

You can’t have a Madam Tulip novel without Derry’s father, Jacko, turning up to make things interesting. This time, fresh off a new variety of financial woes (for him, anyway), he decides to rent out his home and go live on an isolated island for a while—to reconnect with his art and avoid the distractions of technology and the city.

Neither Derry nor her mother have a lot of faith that this is going to work too well. But Derry wants to give him the chance and refuses when her mother tries to enlist her to stop him.

In the end, Jacko’s storyline brushes up against Derry’s in a few places, but in more of a “what a small world” kind of way. The two barely interact with each other, and Jacko’s never part of the main action. This is a good use of the character, who is prone to taking over the books (in an entertaining way, but a bit too dominant). Here he gets to go full-on with his antics without impacting the main story—that’s perfect.

So, what did I think about Madam Tulip and the Rainbow’s End?

At this point, getting a Madam Tulip book is a chance to spend time with some friends—with all the warmth, comfort, and pleasantness that comparison brings to mind. Ahern’s got his world and characters down pat now, and the novel moves like clockwork.

This isn’t the same old-same old by any means, however. As he mentioned in our Q&A about this book, Derry not only has to solve a crime this time but there’s a puzzle, too.

Madam Tulip and the Rainbow’s End gives you everything you want in a cozy mystery—good characters, a grin or two, a clever mystery or two, a well-constructed story, and a diverting read for a couple of hours. As expected from this series/author, I’m glad to recommend it to you.

I know Madam Tulip #6 is on the way, and I’m looking forward to it—and hopefully, several more before people in Ireland figure out that they need to stop inviting the fortune teller to their events if they want things to go smoothly (especially nefarious things).

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from the author in exchange for this post. I thank him for that, but the opinions expressed are mine.

4 Stars

Yet A Few More Quick Questions with . . . David Ahern

By HCNewton

On March 16, 2022

In A Few Quick Questions With..., Fiction, Madam Tulip, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller

The fifth Madam Tulip—Madam Tulip and the Rainbow’s End—book came out two weeks ago, and I’ve somehow conned the author, David Ahern, to come back for his third Q&A with me. I’ll try to get my post about the book up in a couple of hours, but until then, enjoy Ahern’s As to my Qs. And maybe go check out his website and the books if you haven’t yet.

Madam Tulip’s back for her fifth adventure, you’ve said all along that this was intended as a series—did you see it going this long originally? Have the characters/mysteries developed the way you initially imagined, or have they taken on directions you didn’t expect?
I did envisage five books, but only if I could make each as good or better than the last. I’ll be honest, I hadn’t a clue how the characters would develop. They’ve gone their own way, and I just tag along. They’re wandering into book #6 just now.

On the craft side of writing—looking back over these five books (plus whatever drafts you have in progress), can you see the difference in your own writing? Would you say you’re a better writer now, or (as I’ve heard others say) are you finding new and exciting mistakes to make?
If I wasn’t learning something with every book, I’d quit. Writing by numbers, never trying anything new, would make writing too boring for me. On the other hand, getting out of the comfort zone is risky. With ‘the Rainbow’s End,’ I thought more than once I might not be able to pull off what I was trying to do. The story has both a mystery and a puzzle running in parallel. Neither should weaken the other, and they have to synch neatly at the end. Technically a tall order, but I knew if it worked it would be a great read. And when you do pull off a craft challenge and everything clicks, you know it, and that’s satisfying.

While the MadamTulip books aren’t really “humor” per se, there’s a lot of comic moments throughout them. One of the things I’ve been thinking about lately is how authors strike the balance between comedy and the serious matters being depicted in their stories. How do you approach this idea? Also, is that something that’s there from the first draft onwards? Or is that something you address in one of your re-writes? On a related note: when you read for pleasure, what do you gravitate toward—the comedic or the serious/dark?
On the technical side, mixing humor and serious material does have to be managed carefully, but it’s more instinctive with me than thought through. I never have to redraft for taste reasons, only for pace. Good mysteries are very moral books and crime isn’t funny. Folly is where the comedy lives, and that’s ok.

I’ve always loved comic writing. Thurber, Wodehouse, our own Flann O’Brien, Douglas Adams – I adore them. Most of my reading these days is non-fiction, especially history, and almost all of my TV work when I used to produce documentaries was on subjects that don’t leave much room for cheer. Humor is a great relief from all of that. I’ve pretty well given up reading dark fiction, especially anything with graphic violence. Having said that, I’m reading Alexander Pope’s translation of Homer’s Illiad right now, and the thing is one long catalogue of brilliantly described homicides. I should stop reading it but I can’t. That boy Homer has talent and may have a future.

Not only do you have to come up with new settings and mysteries for Derry to stumble into for each book, you have to come up with a storyline for her father, Jacko. Which idea is harder to plan: his escapades or Derry’s? The first time we did a Q&A, you said your grandfather inspired Jacko—are you still drawing on your memories of him?
Derry’s adventures are by far the most demanding, because they’re both mystery and thriller. Jacko’s scrapes seem to arrive of their own accord, though I do like them to share something of the same drivers as the main story. In ‘the Rainbow’s End,’ everybody is chasing some dream, and Jacko is no exception.

Yes, my old granda is still in my thoughts. He had the wonderful quality of relishing life with an infectious enthusiasm. He always had a plan, usually none too practical. My mother lately reminded me that when he left the Irish Army (he was a sergeant several times), he spent his gratuity payout on a piano he could hardly play and a stuffed alligator that cluttered up the hallway for years. I guess he just liked the idea at the time.

We’ve also talked about Bruce before—Derry’s ex-Navy SEAL friend who she can pal around with, and who provides the physical prowess she occasionally has to have to stay alive. He’s such a great character, have you considered a novel/short story focused on him alone?
To be honest, I haven’t thought of a way to do that. Although the Tulip stories are unlikely in the way all amateur sleuth stories are, I keep them psychologically very realistic. Bruce uses his acting vocation to help cope with the more troubling things from his history in the service. That works for him, and no big deal is made about it. But if he were the main character, keeping him realistic without veering into the darker side would be impossible and not the Bruce we know now. In the life he has in the Tulip stories, he’s just himself. There’s something charmingly unreflective about him that in a main character could veer into a cartoon.

What’s next for David Ahern, author?
Another Madam Tulip. She’s not finished with me yet.

That sounds like a win for me! Thanks for your time—and thanks for Madam Tulip and the Rainbow’s End and I hope you have plenty of success with it.
Thanks, H.C. A pleasure talking to you as always.