As always our book club meetings are open to all. During the winter months, we meet exclusively on zoom. Simply message us on facebook or email me at store (at) auntagathas.com for a zoom link. In October, we’ll meet on the 20th at 2 p.m. to discuss Michael Bennett‘s debut novel, Better the Blood, featuring a Māori detective. This is a strong start to a new series. In November, we are delighted to welcome author Vanessa Lillie on Sunday, November 17 at 2 p.m. She’ll discuss her wonderful novel, Blood Sisters, which I very much hope is a series kick off. We take December off and in January we are lucky enough to have new author Katie Tietjen join us on Sunday the 19th at 2 p.m. Katie will discuss her first novel, Death in the Details. The book is loosely based on the work of Frances Glassner Lee who created crime scene “nutshells” (miniature rooms, basically) and revolutionized the way crime scenes are processed and investigated. As Katie is a novelist, however, she brings the reader her own fascinating story. This is a terrific debut novel, one of my favorites of this year.
Here’s the publisher’s description: Inspired by the real life Frances Glessner Lee and featuring a whip-smart, intrepid sleuth in post-WWII Vermont.
Maple Bishop is ready to put WWII and the grief of losing her husband Bill behind her. But when she discovers that Bill left her penniless, Maple realizes she could lose her Vermont home next and sets out to make money the only way she knows by selling her intricately crafted dollhouses. Business is off to a good start—until Maple discovers her first customer dead, his body hanging precariously in his own barn.
Something about the supposed suicide rubs Maple the wrong way, but local authorities brush off her concerns. Determined to see “what’s big in what’s small,” Maple turns to what she knows best, painstakingly recreating the gruesome scene in death in a nutshell.
With the help of a rookie officer named Kenny, Maple uses her macabre miniature to dig into the dark undercurrents of her sleepy town, where everyone seems to have a secret—and a grudge. But when one of her neighbors who she never got along with her nemesis goes missing and she herself becomes a suspect, it’ll be up to Maple to find the devil in the details—and put him behind bars.
Drawing inspiration from true crime and offering readers a smartly plotted puzzle of a mystery, Death in the Details is a stunning series debut.
My review can be found here.