Book Review: A Common Evil by Billy Ray Chitwood
Not only do I write mysteries but I love reading them, too, especially the ones that take me to new places. This week's book review is of A COMMON EVIL by Billy Ray Chitwood, a gem I discovered via...
3 Essential Tips for Safe Travel in Mexico
Are you travelling to Mexico but getting nervous when you read the headlines? Yes, there are security issues in Mexico, many of which I write about in the Detective Emilia Cruz mystery series set in...
Book Review: The Garden of Dead Dreams
Etta Lawrence has staked everything on a year at a prestigious writing academy in the rainy Oregon woods. But truth be told, she’s an indifferent writer. She’s also distracted by her roommate’s...
The Right Fork
A number of years ago, when my children were young and we were living in Mexico, my family was invited to the residence of a NATO ambassador and his family for a New Year’s Eve dinner. Our children...
Reshaping the Acapulco Skyline
Acapulco has alot to offer: beautiful beaches, water sports, cliff divers, iconic skyscrapers, swimming with the dolphins. Get off the beaten path and you can add gun violence, murder, cops, and...
DIABLO NIGHTS Cover Reveal and Kindle Release
The third installment of the Emilia Cruz mystery series, featuring the first and only female police detective in Acapulco, is out on Kindle! The paperback version will be available in August. And...
The Lure of the Open Notebook
Maybe it's a sickness. Yesterday, as I was cleaning out my den (also known as the writer's cave, Mom's office, and a total mess) I found a COMPLETELY VIRGIN hardcover spiral notebook...
Book Review: Homicide Chart by V.S. Kemanis
The second Dana Hargrove legal thriller is a well paced, polished, and highly enjoyable read. I liked the first Dana Hargrove book, THURSDAY’S LIST, but Kemanis has hit her stride with HOMICIDE...
If You Went Missing, Who Would Know?
Donde estan? The question amid all the shoes in the picture is Where are they? This is the cry of those who search for and mourn the missing who are the casualties of Mexico's drug war.But...
Writing for Water Update: Hooked a Minnow in May
Throughout 2014, I'm donating $1 for every Kindle book I sell to Water.org. Every time someone buys one of my books, they help bring clean water to communities worldwide. Some terrific author...
Book Review: Something like A Dream by Robert Richter
SOMETHING LIKE A DREAM by Robert Richter is an unusual novel that crosses genres between international mystery and politically oriented literary fiction. It’s the 1980s in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico,...
Bookstores of the Future: A Case Study of Retail Creativity
Are bookstores facing a "survival of the fittest" era? If so, what can make a bookstore "fit?" In the case study letter below, the key is creativity and willing to do something wholly...
Book Review: The Dogs of Rome by Conor Fitzgerald
THE DOGS OF ROME is an unusual mystery, in that it has a narrow cast of characters, there's no climax, and the main character is not involved in the ultimate denouement. Does it work? I'll let you...
Bookstores of the Future: 5 Lessons About Survival of the Fittest
Will bookstores survive? Must they innovate in order to stay relevant and solvent in the era of ebooks and ecommerce? Simply out of curiosity, I began posing this question to authors, book bloggers,...
Book Review: The Origin of Murder by Jerold Last
THE ORIGIN OF MURDER by Jerold last is the latest offering in the Roger and Suzanne mystery series. The book is two parts travelogue to one part murder mystery, all with a nod to famed researcher...
Writing for Water: We Shot for the Moon in April
We made a big leap for mankind in April toward the goal of giving 25 people access to safe and clean water for life through donations to Water.org. Led by a surge in sales of CLIFF DIVER, the first...
Book Review: Federales by Christopher Irvin
FEDERALES is a short novel by Christopher Irvin that packs a hefty punch, slugging the reader to the heart with a story about Mexican corruption, violence, but also redemption and hope. It falls...
On the Occasion of My Second Anniversary as a Published Author
In addition to being a famous Mexican holiday, now celebrated around the world for reasons unrelated to the Mexican victory of Puebla over the French in 1962, Cinco de Mayo is also my anniversary of...
Book Review: By Its Cover by Donna Leon
BY ITS COVER is Donna Leon's 23rd Commisario Brunetti mystery novel and it follows the series' tradition of immersing the reader in today's Venice. The mystery revolves around a crime rooted in...
Publishing Insiders Dispute the Future of Bookstores
Can publishing insiders predict the future of bookstores? What will stores look like in 10 years as they face competition from ebooks and ecommerce? Over the past 6 months I've asked...
From Book to Beach: Favorite Hotels in Mexico
Planning a trip to Mexico? Wondering where to stay? Readers often ask if the Palacio Réal, the hotel in Acapulco that Kurt Rucker manages in the Emilia Cruz mystery novels, is real. The answer is...
A Counterfeit Money Mystery
Have you seen the new US 100 dollar bill? Compared it to the old bill of the same denomination? Money and Mystery The changes in the $100 bill drive the plot of "The Cliff," a short story from MADE...
Friday Fiesta: Focus, Book Discoverability, and a Discount
The Friday Fiesta is stuff worth celebrating from the past week. This week it’s how to focus on a goal, the quest for discoverability, and a book sale in defiance of the trolls. The margaritas are...
Book Review: In the Woods by Tana French
I love writing mysteries and I love reading them, too. The ones that send me to new places around the world are some of my favorites and The Dublin Murder Squad has quickly become a fascination. IN...
Writing for Water: March Update and Our Global Impact
Can a couple of indie authors make a global impact? Yes, and we are doing it. In March 4 authors were part of the Writing for Water team: Jerry Last, Norm Hamilton and Sharon Lee Johnson joined me...
Friday Fiesta: Of Water, Web Design, and Writing
The Friday Fiesta is stuff worth celebrating from the past week. This week it’s water and web design. Plus a bonus courtesy of omnimystery.com. Water In March, the Writing for Water Team was...
From Panama to Mexico and back again
Every thriller needs the big climax, right? But suspense needs to be built with action scenes that intrigue us. The mystery setting Remember how in THE KEY TO REBECCA, there's the big climax in the...