HOLIDAY NEWS, REVIEWS and RELAXATION

By now you should be winding down for a relaxing weekend with friends and family. Maybe you're lucky enough to be extending your holiday by going somewhere warm and tropical. A cruise, perhaps or a stay in an exotic resort. Whatever you choose I hope you have time to sit back, relax drink some egg nog and READ a good book!! That's why today's post is longer because I'm recommending some great books I've read this year. I'm also going to mention some amazing poems to listen to as well as music I've been using while working on my latest novel. 

THE NIGHT SIDE LAUNCH NEWS

I had a lovely launch party with family and friends who've also been loyal fans. If you missed any of my podcast appearances, you can still see them at THE THRILLER ZONE and the POISONED PEN BOOKSTORE. You can also check out my article in Crimereads entitled Mystic Threads, Spirit Mediums and Psychics in Crime Fiction. Don't forget to comment or leave a thumbs up! 

Also, the best gift (gifts) you can give an author are reviews on Goodreads or Amazon or whatever platform you read the book on, as well as requesting your local library to acquire the book or a set for book clubs. Any member can make that request. I'm always available for virtual or in-person book club appearances. Check out my website for details: https://www.marjoriedeluca.com/

Re: the Holiday Launch Giveaway, four lucky winners (in B.C, Manitoba, Arizona and California) received Kindle copies or hardcovers already. Sorry I couldn't send something to everyone who entered, but I will have more giveaways in 2024.

And now, the book recommendations!!

MEXICAN GOTHIC by Sylvia Moreno-Garcia

“There’re people and there’re voices. I see them sometimes, the people in the walls. They’re dead.”

This chilling, feminist thriller by the brilliant Silvia Moreno-Garcia plays cleverly with all the tropes of a Gothic domestic-noir: a decaying and apparently haunted Victorian mansion in a post-colonial burned-out mining town, exploited for years by English silver barons, a plucky heroine who comes to rescue her ailing cousin, held captive by her oppressive husband, and finally, a dark and terrifying secret just waiting to be uncovered.
Noemí, the main protagonist is an unlikely heroine. She’s a glamorous debutante, and her chic gowns and vivid red lipstick are more suited for cocktail parties than amateur sleuthing. But she’s tough, smart and brave, with an indomitable will. She isn't scared of her cousin’s new husband, who is both menacing and alluring; not of his father, the decaying patriarch who seems to be fascinated by Noemí; and not even of the house itself, which begins to invade Noemi’s dreams with visions of blood and doom (and weird mushrooms!).
Her only ally turns out to be the family’s youngest son. Shy and gentle, he seems to want to help Noemí, but might also be hiding dark knowledge of his family’s past. For there are many secrets behind the walls of High Place. 

In its review, the Washington Post rightly calls this “a creepy, intoxicating mystery that’s almost impossible to put down,” but it’s also a chilling indictment of the real-life horrors of eugenics, racism and the plunderous practices of colonialism.

I was lucky enough to see this brilliant author interviewed at the Vancouver Writers' Fest this year. She's such an entertaining speaker and a diehard fan of classic noir movies. 

CALICO by Lee Goldberg

This was such a refreshing read. Successfully marrying a crime thriller with sci-fi and time travel is no easy feat and bestselling thriller writer, Lee Goldberg carries it off wonderfully. Loved the period detail in the historical sections and thoroughly enjoyed the twists and turns and many surprises of the fast-moving plot which features a flawed and truly likeable female cop as the protagonist. It's also set in the dusty desert town of Barstow, California, which I've passed through many times on the road from L.A to Las Vegas. Goldberg makes this unlikely setting really come to life. A great read.

DIRECTIONS FOR DARK THINGS by Stephanie Sowden

This story about an aging heiress living alone in the Hollywood Hills and the desperate real estate agent who tries to help her unlikeable boyfriend by unearthing something secret and very important from the crumbling mansion, really drew me in and kept me interested throughout. The dual timeline story tells of Audrey, the heiress's tragic and dysfunctional family during the early golden age of pre-WW2 moviemaking. 

Sowden takes an interesting and possibly little known historical event of a fascist plot to 'take over' the Hollywood movie industry, and pave the way for the Germans to march into California, and weaves a twisty story around it.
The well-paced story and great sense of atmosphere, as well as the intriguing character of Audrey, made this a compelling read.

THE MYSTERY GUEST by Nita Prose

At first I was a little sceptical that Nita Prose could recapture the quirky appeal of Molly the maid at the Regency Grand,  who readers first met in her breakout debut, The Maid, but after a few pages, I was soon drawn back into her world. The novel acquires more depth with the parallel development of Molly's back story covering her childhood when her beloved Gran looked after her due to the absence of Molly's mother who remains a shadowy figure, but makes a tantalizing and brief appearance midway through. 
The story centers around the possible poisoning death of renowned crime author, J.D. Grimthorpe, who we discover has ties with both Molly and her Gran. The author deftly weaves this storyline around the quest to unmask the culprit, led by Detective Stark, Molly's nemesis in the first book. Surprisingly, she soon turns to Molly, a stickler for the smallest detail, for help in solving the crime. 
This book was basically a cozy mystery, which is not my favourite genre because of the overly simplistic police procedures and slight unbelievability of Molly's part in solving the crime, but fans of the genre will find this an entertaining and satisfying read and undoubtedly look forward to the next instalment in the series.

PROPHET SONG by Paul Lynch

 I'm a huge fan of dystopian novels. I started out my writing career in that genre and Prophet Song, this year's Booker Prizewinner, ranks up there with classics like Atwood's The Handmaiden's Tale, sharing many parallels like a strong, heroic woman as the main character and the fact that every horrific and unimaginable incident portrayed in the story is happening somewhere in the world today. An important novel for our times, the story jogs us us out of our complacency, despite the fact we've become desensitized towards the horrors that brutal political regimes can unleash on a country. We're accustomed to watching the devastation of war and the resulting societal collapse, on TV from the safety of our living rooms. We witness the agonies of streams of displaced men, women and children driven from their homes, and risking their lives to reach safety, and we believe it can never happen to us. Reading this book sends us hurtling into the nightmarish chaos of a country—in this case, Ireland—that is suddenly and without warning, overtaken by a fascist totalitarian regime. Lynch portrays an ordinary middle-class family caught up in the complete disintegration of life as they know it. Eilish, a microbiologist, is a mother of four whose husband, Larry, a teachers' union member, is one of the first to"disappear" leaving Eilish as the sole protector of her children and her aging father. The unrelenting , barely punctuated chunks of prose give the novel a breathless sense of events spiralling out of control in this story of a mother’s desperation to save her family and children from destruction when all human rights have been completely eroded. Lynch reminds us that this living nightmare is happening right now in some parts of the world, but could easily become a reality for anyone, anywhere. Even those of us living in the more affluent west. It's an astonishing novel and a deserving winner of the Booker Prize.

POEMS

Usually when I sit down to work I take some time to listen to poetry on YouTube. That usually fires me up to keep working. You might like to listen to some as well. Some poems I've used in the past include:

A LETTER TO REMIND MYSELF WHO I AM by the brilliant Shane Koyczan. Listen here.

THE RABBIT CATCHER by Sylvia Plath, read by Sylvia Plath. Listen to it here

STILL I RISE by Maya Angelou. Can't resist this one! Listen here.

RHAPSODY ON A WINDY NIGHT by T.S Eliot, read by Jeremy Irons. Listen here

NIGHT POEM by Margaret Atwood, read by Margaret Atwood. Listen here

MUSIC

Sometimes I listen to music. I'm writing a new crime thriller set around the music business that involves iconic older (fictitious) artists, so I've been listening to a wide variety of music from different eras and genres. Here's selection for you to check out:

EVEN FLOW by Pearl Jam. Check out a dynamic Eddie Vedder, grunger extraordinaire here

GLORIA by the iconic queen of punk, Patti Smith. Listen here.

ANGEL OF MERCY by king of the blues guitar, Joe Bonamassa here

THE LAST THING YOU SHOULD DO by two of my faves David Bowie and Robert Smith right here

I PUT A SPELL ON YOU by the incredible Ledisi  right here

YOU BRING ME JOY by a radiant Yolanda Adams right here

A HOUSE IS NOT A HOME by the amazing Luther Vandross here

GIMME SHELTER by The Rolling Stones and the mind-blowing Lisa Fischer here

Happy Reading AND listening!!

Happy Holidays