Goodreads Group: March Mystery Madness
(#MarchMysteryMadness)
*Challenges*
~~~~~ The Food/Craft/Hobby Cozy~~~~~
1. “It wasn’t the way that Hannah preferred to attract new clientele, but she had to admit that finding Ron’s body had been good for business. The Cookie Jar was jam-packed with customers. Some of them were even standing while they munched their cookies, and every one of them wanted her opinion on what happened to Ron LasSalle.”
Everybody has a craft–a hobby. Whether it’s baking sugar cookies or crocheting Forget-Me-Not dollies. Maybe even culturing herbs for organic dishes. Or are you into nature photography and are a dedicated bibliophile? Now imagine engaging with your day-to-day passions when a body suddenly crosses your path. What would you do? Do you have what it takes to balance your craft with solving murders? Explore the possibilities by reading a cozy mystery with a food/craft/hobby theme.
~~~~~ The Get Christie Love Lead~~~~~
2. “Finally, after all my procrastinating and avoiding Bessie’s calls, I was able to put the finishing touches on my report, explaining exactly how I had spent her money (I didn’t include the manicure), apologizing for what I hadn’t been able to find out, but pointing out that her involvement may have sparked the cops’ renewed interest in the case. I included the name of the lawyer that Jake had given me as well as the contact for the program for Rayshawn. I also warned her in strong language that Rayshawn had been on the verge of committing a serious felony and had some serious problems that had to be dealt with, and if she and Viola didn’t make sure he got help, I’d be forced to go to the authorities with information that would result in his arrest.”
Find and follow your inner Christie Love and Foxy Brown. Read a mystery/crime fiction novel powered by an African (-American) female sleuth. Or, from Tokyo to Seoul. Shanghai to Kolkata. Or even New York to Los Angles. Read a mystery/crime fiction novel featuring a sleuth with an Eastern perspective on matters. (In general, a book featuring a person of color taking lead.)
~~~~~ The Christie/Poe Complex~~~~~
3. “I wish I could write as mysterious as a cat.”
“Dogs are wise. They crawl away into a quiet corner and lick their wounds and do not rejoin the world until they are whole once more.”
Did you know Edgar Allan Poe did mystery and crime fiction before mystery and crime fiction were even a thing? Let’s face it; he’s the godfather of the genre. He’s the seed to this entire challenge. Therefore, your challenge is simple: indulge in one or all three of Poe’s mystery shorts…
A. The Murders in the Rue Morgue
B. The Mystery of Marie Roget
C. The Purloined Letter
Or how about the matriarch of mystery and crime fiction, Agatha Christie?
~~~~~ The Rule of True Crime~~~~~
4. “Have you ever heard the expression: Walk a mile in my shoes, and then judge me? And write your own books.”
The truth is often stranger than fiction. So are you courageous enough to try one of the late, Queen of True Crime, Ann Rule, “case studies”? Are you willing to get into the psychology and criminology of an actual–probably imprisoned–killer? Let’s pay some respect to Rule–or any other True Crime writer–by reading into the depths of real murders.
~~~~~ The Syndicating Spell-Caster~~~~~
5. “For those of you whose only exposure to the world of an empath was through Star Trek, allow me to explain. I can’t read your mind (well, not often), and I can’t see what you had for dinner last night (unless you’re still wearing it on your tie). A psychic I’m not. It’s just that sometimes I feel things, in the same way that you feel them. As though your emotions and motivations are my own, residing within my own body. And, well, sometimes I sense things–disturbances–in the world around me.”
Medium, Psychics, Witches, and even Ghost. I dare you. Go to your local Barnes & Nobles, stroll to the mystery section, and look at the first few rows of mass market mysteries. You’ll see them there. There’s Madelyn Alt and Juliet Blackwell’s witchy sleuth. Victoria Laurie writes both a ghost hunter and psychic series with a female sleuth. They’re cozy mysteries with a paranormal twist. So are you up for the challenge of diving into one?
~~~~~ The Whispering Pet Whispers~~~~~
6. “No animal on the face of the earth could conceive of taxation. You and I work roughly six months a year to pay our local, state and federal taxes. If nothing else, this should convince you that animals are smarter than people.”
Are animals really smarter than people? Personally, I tend to think so. But let’s challenge that through some cozy mystery novels. Let’s see how well your pets can find a conclusion to murder before you. There’s plenty of authors out there doing this. From Rita Mae Brown to Shirley Rousseau Murphy. Miranda James does it. As well as Carole Nelson Douglas. And naturally, Lilian Jackson Braun. Let’s see what our pets have to say about murder by reading a cozy mystery book designed for the feline/canine lover in us.
~~~~~ The Baggage Claims~~~~~
7. “Heat waves shifted in transparent rippling ribbons as Jade stepped off the stifling, noisy train onto the equally hot and far more raucous Nairobi station platform. It was late afternoon, and she had no idea whether the thrice-weekly train was on time. Probably not, considering that in addition to the numerous water stops, a herd of wildebeest had blocked the tracks for three-quarters of an hour. Another delay had occurred near Voi, when some young British bucks spotted a lion and insisted on wanting a bit of sport. The lion didn’t and vacated the area as soon as the train halted.”
No matter where one goes, there’s a crime that needs solving. So let’s think about this for a moment. Albania, France, Germany, Greece, or Switzerland. Algeria, Seychelles, Egypt, or South Africa. Lima, Buenos Aires, Salvador, or Sao Luis. Anywhere you go there’s a murder that requires a capable sleuth–either in the area or willing to pack her bags to get there. Will you join in the purists by reading a regional (maybe one far removed from your own) mystery?
~~~~~ The Not-So Kid Gloves Sleuth ~~~~~
8. “Ned said, ‘Nancy Drew is the best girl detective in the whole world!’
‘Don't you believe him,’ Nancy said quickly. ‘I have solved some mysteries, I'll admit, and I enjoy it, but I'm sure there are many other girls who could do the same.’”
We can’t forget the 17-and-under crowd. The teens and pre-teens–and even children. That’s right, adolescents solve crimes as well. So let’s challenge each other to read a mystery/crime fiction novel with an amateur sleuth out-doing the adults. It’s a unique perspective worth the experience. And further exemplified in classic stories featuring characters such as Nancy Drew, Encyclopedia Brown, and The Boxcar Children. Not to forget the Hardy Boys and Trixie Belden. Many of us started here, so let’s take on the nostalgia of our childhood favorites.
~~~~~ READY. SET. GO! ~~~~~
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