On Saturday, June 7, we gathered in Copperfield’s Books in San Rafael for the Spring Showcase of NorCal’s Sisters in Crime to hear nine authors read from their books that had been published in the previous six months. What a great showcase it was!
New York Times bestselling author Juliet Blackwell took to the podium first and read from her newest in the Haunted Home Series, Home for the Haunting. I’ve read other books by Juliet, and I can’t wait to get started on this next one. It sounds quite chilling!
Next up was Elin Barnes with her debut novel, Justification for Murder. She started with a gruesome scene that hooked me, completely drawing me into the story. I was leaning in to catch every word…and then…she stopped. Damn it! I have to find out what happens. Back to the cash register I go!
Camille Minichino (writing as Margaret Grace this time) always delights us with her stories. She refuses to crack open a book that has been published, and who can argue with her success. So instead of reading from Madness in Miniature, she brought us a story she’d written just for this special event. Unfortunately, she was losing her voice so she couldn’t read her story for us, but fortunately, Ann Parker was there to read to us instead. Great job!
I had never had the opportunity to hear W.H. Matlack’s work before, and I was thoroughly entertained by his reading from Noir Town. This is his debut novel, and his second, Waiting to Run, is a supernatural tale that is now out as well.
For me, the surprise of the day was Liz Jasper (EPPIE Award winning author!) and her Underdead series. She read from Underdead with a Vengeance, which is the third in the series. So what does “Underdead” mean? “Not undead, merely…underdead.” By the way, Liz strongly recommends that her books be read in order, so now I’ve got the first on Kindle and the other two on the new book shelves I had to install in my bedroom.
Gigi Pandian, one of my favorites to read, is a Malice Domestic award winner. She read from the second in her Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt Mystery series, Pirate Vishnu. One of the things I most love about her books is the scenery and exotic locations. What a marvelous job she does!
Andrew MacRae… I can say “I knew him when…” I have never before liked books with a criminal as a protagonist, but MacRae’s pickpocket The Kid stole my heart. I thoroughly enjoyed his first book, Murder Misdirected, and can’t wait to dig into the second in the series, Murder Miscalculated.
And then for something completely different, Pricilla Royal brought Covenant with Hell, the tenth in the Medieval Mystery series, which is set in 1277. She gave us a teaser, and we could all see why this story was a finalist for the Bruce Alexander Historical Mystery Award and why Publishers Weekly gave it a starred review!
Award winning author Terry Shames wrapped up the Spring Showcase with a dedication to veterans to commemorate D-Day before reading to us from the second in the Samuel Craddock series, The Last Death of Jack Harbin. I will often share the first book in a series with friends and family members to get them hooked on an author. But not with Terry’s books. Nope, I’m not letting my copy out of my hands. So back to the cash register I go to get more copies to send out.
What a great Spring Showcase this was! The turnout was terrific, as was the potluck spread. Everyone had a great time and went home with new treasures!
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