Carolyn Wheat

I LOVE this book. It has so much great information, hints, tips and I have learned so much from it. Any author in the Mystery or Thriller genre should own a copy. It may be a few years old but the information it contains is essential. Out of the 400+ craft of writing books in my library, this has to be in my top 3.

When Cass Jameson was a child there was a roller coaster called the Blue Streak. When she grew older it was replaced with a new improved, out of control roller coaster called the Mean Streak. As a Legal Aid lawyer the equivalent of the Blue Streak had been the Brooklyn state court system where Cass knew all the curves and drop offs by heart. And as an adult, the equivalent of the Mean Streak was the Southern District Federal Court system, just across the river in Manhattan where Cass was show more going to be trying her first case as the lawyer for her former lover who is also the lawyer for the mob. And while the story has unscrupulous prosecutors, cops on the take, witnesses that turn up dead, three murders and a suicide, the story itself is not a roller coaster. In fact, at times it is rather slow and lacks tension.

The up side is that there is plenty of time for character development of the main character, Cass. She is a character that changes and grows during the story in a way that is believable - though sometimes the story is not. The ending that the reader has already figured out takes Cass a while to get to. The story turns out not to be so much of a roller coaster ride but rather a bicylce ride, pleasant but not really the Mean Streak. show less

I didn’t exactly read this cover to cover, but it gave me a lot to think about when it comes to mystery and suspense and the differences between them. It contained some of the best explanation and examples of different genres that I’ve seen. I’m always on the lookout for some sort of definitive list of genres to use as categories on my blog, and this gave me a good place to start. (By the way, if anyone has a list of genres that *they* use, please share!) It also helped me narrow down show more what exactly I’m trying to write. This was a good Kindle purchase, and I’m sure I will use it as a reference in years to come. show less

Route 66 is that famous US highway that ran nearly 2500 miles across the continent, from Chicago to Santa Monica, California. As one of the original highways of the US Highway system, it was established in 1926, and provided the route for the Dust Bowl travelers during the Depression. The highway has been much mythologized in fiction (e.g., Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath) and in song (as in Nat King Cole's recording that urged listeners to “get your kicks on Route 66.)"

This anthology show more contains 18 mystery/ crime stories have two things in common. All take place on Route 66, and all were written by authors that themselves had lived along that famous highway at some point in their lives.

The concept was intriguing; however, in audio format, I found the stories to be spotty in quality and interest. In listening to them, I did not find any of the stories that stood out in particular. However, two readers at Amazon especially liked “Motel 6” and “Rappin Dog.” Other stories that sparked reader interest include “Spooked,” “Willing to Work,” and “Blue Time.” Below is a list of all 16 stories, with their authors:

Canasta Club (Eleanor Taylor Bland)
Motel 66 (Barbara D’Amato)
Shades of ’66 (Michael Allen Dimoch)
Blue Time (Earlene Fowler)
Dead Man’s Curve (Judith van Gieson)
Spooked (Carolyn G. Hart)
A Flash of Chrysanthemums (JA Jance)
...Hell (Charles Knief)
Blind Corner (David Linzee)
Endless Road (John Lutz)
Incident on Sixth Street (D.R. Meredith)
53 Buick (Gary Philips)
Rappin Dog (Dick Lochte)
Willing to Work (Les Roberts)
Endless Road (John Lutz)
Too Many Midnights (Carolyn Wheat) show less