Roundup of new and recent Texas mystery<\/p>\n

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Good news never gets old, so even if it\u2019s a bit late, I\u2019m delighted to congratulate Ann Weisgarber on the 2020 Willa Literary Award for Historical Fiction from Women Writing the West, an organization of professionals writing about the American West, with an emphasis on the experiences of western women and girls. The Willa Literary Award is named in honor of Pulitzer Prize Winner Willa Cather, whose novels portrayed the life of pioneering women on the Great Plains. The Willa is given for outstanding literature featuring women’s stories set in the West, and winners are chosen annually by a panel of professional librarians. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>Weisgarber was recognized for her third novel, <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>The Glovemaker<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/span>, <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/em>set in the Utah Territories during the winter of 1888. When Deborah Tyler\u2019s husband, Samuel, is weeks overdue returning home to their small, isolated Mormon community, Deborah waits and worries, earning a living making work gloves. When a stranger shows up on her doorstep, fleeing from a marshal seeking him on polygamy charges, Deborah must make decisions that question her faith and humanity and jeopardize her future. The Houston Chronicle <\/em>called it \u201cCompelling historical fiction . . . Part love story, part religious explication, and part mystery . . . A journey you won\u2019t forget.\u201d The Glovemaker <\/em>was also a finalist for the 2019 Western Writers of America, Inc., Spur Award for Historical Novel<\/span><\/span><\/span> and for the 2019 David J. Langum, Sr., Prize in American Historical Fiction, as well as a finalist for the 2019 Association of Mormon Letters\u2019 Novel Prize. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Weisgarber, who lives in Houston, is also the author of The Promise <\/em>and The Personal History of Rachel Dupree.<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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The long-anticipated third book in the Seasons Mystery Series from award-winning author Maryann Miller is now available. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>Desperate Season<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/span> <\/em>involves Miller\u2019s two female detectives, Angel Johnson and Sarah Kingsly, in a<\/span><\/span><\/span> despera<\/span><\/span><\/span>te race t<\/span><\/span><\/span>o<\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/span><\/span>stop the spread of a nasty new street drug that is killing kids. It\u2019s every cop\u2019s nightmare and makes both women, still figuring out their working relationship, question who owns the streets of Dallas.<\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Library Journal <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/em><\/span>wrote, \u201cTry this debut mystery by a journalist for its open treatment of current urban problems, clean prose, and realistic depiction of women working together. For readers who enjoy Robin Burcell and fans of police procedurals.” Previous titles in the series are Open Season <\/em>and Stalking Season.<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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The Benevolent Lords of Sometimes Island<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/a>, <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/em>the eighth title by award-winning Texas writer Scott Semegran, will take you right back to William Golding\u2019s Lord of the Flies, <\/em>only this time it\u2019s a group of middle-school boys stranded on an island in one of Central Texas\u2019s small, man-made lakes. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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The year is 1986. William and his friends are being mercilessly hounded by high-school bullies, led by one they call \u201cBloody Billy.\u201d William finds Billy\u2019s backpack, containing money and marijuana, and he and his buddies escape first to an abandoned lake house, where they find themselves prey to both wild creatures and the high schoolers who will inevitably come looking for them, and then find themselves stranded on an island, without food or water. The boys\u2019 desperate situation is lightened by their banter with each other, a touch that justifies Semegran\u2019s reputation as<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> a writer of humorous fiction with a dose of heart.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Will the boys survive the adventure when death seems to lurk everywhere? Will they turn on each other? <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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In case you missed it, I was pleased to participate in the virtual Boerne Book & Arts Festival on October 3. Sarah Bird (Daughter of the Daughter of a Queen), <\/em>Elizabeth Wetmore (Valentine), <\/em>and I were panelists on the “Strong Women Writing About Strong Women” panel. <\/span><\/span>Watch it here on Zoom<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/a> or <\/span><\/span>here on YouTube<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/a>. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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