Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Be My Valentine

Sweetheart Sleuths Quiz

Fans of crime fiction sometimes like it cold, favoring stories that are noir and chilling to the bone. In this type of story there are frequently relationships of the wham bam sort, or the blood curdling variety.

There's a fine line between cuddling and holding someone down so they can't get away.

Then there are those who like it hot with steamy scenes of violence and no sparing of bedroom acrobatics.

My tastes are like baby bear’s, with preferences somewhere in the middle. I find that I like mysteries with a hint of romance.

I am not alone in this because I have noticed Amazon forums discussing this very subject.

Nick and Nora
Tommy and Tuppence
In character-driven stories I think it adds to the depth of the narration if some of the protagonists do have relationships. We all know the famous romantic duos such as Agatha Christie’s Tommy and Tuppence, Nick and Nora Charles from the Thin Man series. But I would like to test your mettle on less well-known detective duos. See if you can match up these partners in romance. Tell us in comments. The answers will be available this weekend.

    1. Lady Emily                          
     2. Albert Campion 
     3. Gemma James 
     4. Alan Markby 
     5. Corinna Chapman 
     6. Rina Lazarus 
     7. Charlie Piotrowski 
     8. Carol Jordan 
     9. Danny Lloyd 
    10. Roderick Alleyn 
    11. Desiree Mitry 
    12. Bill Smith 
  13. Harriet Vane 
  14. Walt Longmire 


          A. Mitch Berger, 
          B. Agatha Troy 
          C. Peter Decker 
          D. Victoria Moretti 
          E. Duncan Kincaid 
          F. Karen Pelletier  
          G. Lydia Chin 
          H. Colin Hargreaves 
           I. Amanda Pontisbright 
           J. Peter Wimsey 
           K. Tony Hill 
           L. Daniel Cohen 
          M. Meredith Mitchell 
          N. Judy Hill

Celebrating this juxtaposition of love and the death wish is the Love Is Murder conference, which takes place yearly in early February, an award known as the Lovey is awarded. This year's winners are:

Best First Novel
Basic Black by Scott Doornbosch

Best Traditional
The Fine Art of Murder by Donald Bain

Best PI/Police Procedural
The Towman's Daughters by David J. Walker

Best Thriller
Northwest Angle by William Kent Krueger

Best Historical
Terror at the Fair by Robert Goldsborough

Best Suspense
ToxiCity by Libby Fischer Hellmann

Best Paranormal/Sci-Fi/Horror
Homefront: The Voice of Freedom by Raymond Benson

Best Series
The White House Chef Series by Julie Hyzy

Best Romantic Suspense
A Lot Like Love by Julie James

Best Short Story
"Diamonds Aren't Forever" by Mary Welk

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4 comments:

  1. BonnieFebruary 16, 2012 at 4:57 PM

    I guess 9 out of 14 isn't too bad.

    1. Lady Emily
    2. Albert Campion -- Amanda Pontisbright
    3. Gemma James -- Duncan Kincaid
    4. Alan Markby
    5. Corinna Chapman -- Daniel Cohen
    6. Rina Lazarus -- Peter Decker
    7. Charlie Piotrowski
    8. Carol Jordan -- Tony Hill
    9. Danny Lloyd
    10. Roderick Alleyn--Agatha Troy
    11. Desiree Mitry
    12. Bill Smith--Lydia Chin
    13. Harriet Vane -- Peter Wimsey
    14. Walt Longmire -- Victoria Moretti

    ReplyDelete
  2. Maltese CondorFebruary 16, 2012 at 5:55 PM

    Bonnie,

    9 out of 14 is great!

    Of the five remaining three duos are British and two are American. Do you have a favorite mystery series that you enjoy?

    ReplyDelete
  3. BonnieFebruary 17, 2012 at 3:11 PM

    Not just one! The most eagerly awaited for me are probably: Deborah Crombie, Margaret Maron, Steven Havill, Craig Johnson, William Kent Krueger, Reginald Hill (sadly no more), Andrew Vachss, Michael McGarrity. Loved the McGarr series, too, by

    Lately I've been going back and reading old favorites, too, and see some of them gradually coming to Kindle: Nicholas Freeling, Janwillem van Wettering, James McClure, the old Charlie Muffin spy stories by Brian Freemantle. I adore the Russian series by Stuart Kaminsky, and enjoyed his Lou Fonesca stories but could never get into the Toby Peters ones. Wish the Napoleon Bonaparte stories by Arthur Upfield would make it to e. And I like Corinna Chapman better than Phryne Fisher, who kind of gives me the creeps.

    My biggest find of the last two years has been Tim Hallinan, though, especially is Poke Rafferty series. I've even taken over updating his website!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Maltese CondorFebruary 18, 2012 at 4:18 PM

    These are all favorites of mine as well. I just started rereading the VanVetering books as well. It must be something in the air. I prefer the Maron Harald book to the Knott series.

    I am also a fan of the Poke Rafferty series. It must be fun to be a web master for his site. I will make a point to check it out.

    ReplyDelete

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