Monday, October 8, 2012

Case Study No. 0573: Violetta Aristotle

Ross K Reviews "Murder In The Library"
7:29
http://nplh.co.uk - Today I review "Murder In The Library" by Felicia Carparelli http://mxpublishing.co.uk/ engine/shop/product/ 9781908218407/ Murder+In+The+Library

Tags: murder in the library ross felicia mxpublishing librarian greek book review sherlock homle
Added: 7 months ago
From: Rossk
Views: 480

["Murder in the Library - The Concept" appears on screen, then cut to a man (wearing a Sherlockian deerstalker hat) speaking directly to the camera]
ROSS K. FOAD: This is one of those Holmes books that isn't a Holmes book directly, per se. Um, Sherlock Holmes is not in it as a main character, he's not in it as a minor character, he's not in it as a secondary character, he's not in it in a cameo role. How is this a Sherlock Holmes book?
[he holds up a finger]
ROSS K. FOAD: Wait for it! I'm getting to it ... "Murder in the Library" is essentially a modern murder mystery tale, however it has its basis and some of the plot and key elements on it based upon "The Hound of the Baskerville Tale", one of the most popular and famous and popular Sherlock Holmes novels by Conan Doyle.
["Murder in the Library - The Plot" appears on screen, then cut back to Ross]
ROSS K. FOAD: Not surprisingly, it begins with a murder in the library. Our main character, Violetta, discovers the body of a colleague, who has been murdered. She and her co-worker move this body, which ultimately ends up giving the police who are called in some cause for suspicion to thinking it might actually be Violetta or her colleague, uh, who committed the murder. Because they kept quiet about how they actually moved the body over ...
[cut to another shot of Ross]
ROSS K. FOAD: This man was not very popular, and he was a bit of a womanizer, so there's quite a lot of suspicion falling around on various women and the men over he's upset ...
[cut to another shot of Ross]
ROSS K. FOAD: Some of the suspicion over one of the suspects is taken away after one of the librarians is murdered, uh, which then creates a second sort of witchhunt fear of who is trying to pick off librarians, and why.
[cut to another shot of Ross]
ROSS K. FOAD: All in all, I found this plot to be an intriguing one, an exciting one. Uh, kept me reading, kept me wanting to know what would happen next. I wanted to know the motive for this murder, I wanted to know who the murderer was. I had my suspicions, and they were thrown, these suspicions were taken and thrown, uh, turned around, and quite cleverly played with, so well done Felicia there. Kept me on my toes, trying to figure it out, piece it all together. Uh, enjoyed the little Sherlockian clues and little Sherlockian mentions peppered throughout it.
["Murder in the Library - The Style" appears on screen, then cut back to Ross]
ROSS K. FOAD: The writing is first person by Violetta, here a librarian within this book. But one of the interesting things about the style of writing, though, is that althoguh it is all first person ... There are tiny little parts where, between her and the other main character, Mick McGuire the cop, we're able to actually read their inner thoughts. So they might have said something just then, but then the line after is followed by what they have actually thought, which makes for some quite amusing dialogues and dialects of them saying something but meaning something altogether entirely different. And obviously, because our main characters sort of start to develop a bit of a crush on each other, it's also quite interesting in that respect. What one's thinking, what man's thinking, what woman's thinking. What they're really saying, so I really enjoyed that little element to it.

[...]

["Murder in the Library - The Final Verdict" appears on screen, then cut back to Ross]
ROSS K. FOAD: I mean, Miss Carparelli sets out to create a book which is a modern murder mystery yet also combined elements of Sherlock Holmes. She successfully merges these two, pulls it off wonderfully. The mystery element works, it keeps you guessing, you want to know what happens next. You've got some red herrings, for your Holmesian fix, there's very clever subtle clues peppered throughout it. Characters worked wonderfully together, supporting characters such as Violetta's family I found very amusing. I particularly enjoyed that element as well. I don't know a great deal, I know very little about Greek families, and so I was interested to read how they interacted with each other.
[cut to another shot of Ross]
ROSS K. FOAD: I enjoyed that as well. Uh, there's a lot of referencing to literature and opera, and famous books and quotes peppered throughout it. Um, so it is rather a wonderful minefield of ... intellectual brilliance, to be honest.
[cut to another shot of Ross]
ROSS K. FOAD: I have to say, there is very little I can fault with this book. It does its job, and it does it very well.
[cut to another shot of Ross]
ROSS K. FOAD: "Murder in the Library" is definitely the best non-Sherlock Holmes book that I've read to date.
[he holds up a copy of the book]
ROSS K. FOAD: Five out of six Napoleons!

Presented, produced & edited by Ross K. Foad
Napoleon illustrations by Jordan Mooney

www dot nplh dot co dot uk

Special thanks to Steve Emecz and MX Publishing
www dot mxpublishing dot co dot uk

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From amazon.com:

Murder in the Library: A mystery inspired by Sherlock Holmes and one of his most famous cases
Felicia Carparelli (Author)

Are librarians meek and mild bookish types with orthopedic shoes and granny glasses? Or are they ruthless killers with voracious appetites for wine, women and song? Can a young widow solve a murder with the help of a Chicago policeman and an affinity for Sherlock Holmes? The Murder in the Library reveals all. It is elementary, my dears.

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From mxpublishing.me:

Philip K Jones (aka The Ill Dressed Vagabond) reviews the debut novel from Felicia Carparelli – Murder In The Library. The book has recently been picked up for translation and will come out in Italian in early 2012. Here is Phil's review:

"This book is a Sherlockian mystery only by courtesy. The characters are knowledgeable about the Canon and there are Sherlockian echoes in the clues and events. Otherwise, this is an interesting mystery with well-drawn and fascinating characters set in contemporary Chicago. I was a bit disappointed as it started, due to the book cover, which indicated a 'period' mystery. However, I soon became involved in the story and characters, which are rich and imaginative. The mystery is complex and baffling with lots of distractions and false leads.

This story is set in an un-named University Library, near Lake Michigan and downtown Chicago. The heroine is a widowed daughter of a Greek restaurant owner and a retired Italian Opera singer who gives singing lessons. Both parents cook, a lot! Our Librarian manages the Reference Department with a staff of five junior Librarians and a number of Student pages. The other Library staff are varied, interesting and quirky. Murder definitely upsets the smooth routine of the Library and sets the Gossip Machine into high gear.

The disputes, jealousies, grudges and other interrelations are more than enough to provide motives for several murders. It seems that College Libraries harbor as many ill feelings as most business enterprises. Mix in a divorced, green-eyed Police detective who pushes all of the Librarian's buttons and the situation becomes explosive. As the body count rises, the toll on nerves and relations mounts and stirs the pot. Meanwhile, the Greek Chef and the Italian Opera Singer feed friends, acquaintances and suspects and provide a safe harbor in the storm.

The editing is quite good. I only saw two or three errors in language and no errors at all in matters Sherlockian. The characters are interesting and the story is written to be continued. Another book is planned and if it is good as the first, I'm sure it will lead to a popular series."

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From chipublib.org:

Who killed Hieronymus Wilde? Was it his archenemy, his mistress, his wife or the women in his past? When his body is found dead in the Reference and Reading Room at the Midwestern University Library, on the floor of Violetta Aristotle's department, all hell breaks loose. Why would anyone want to murder a librarian? The answer to this hinges on one of Sherlock Holmes' most famous cases. Sherlockian clues are stashed throughout the book with dashes of Shakespeare and Wilde.

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From mxpublishing.me:

Felicia Carparelli is a widely acclaimed Chicago based writer with pieces published in Nit and Wit, Rockford Review, Mediphors, Cybergrrl, Feminsta!, Red Booth Review, Chicago Sun Times, Library Journal, American Libraries and others.

We caught up with Felicia ahead of the publication of 'Murder In The Library' this month to find out more about her and the book.

* What prompted you to base your thriller in a library?

My first real job was as a library page when I was 14 years old at the Evergreen Park Public Library. I worked as a library assistant when I attended the University of Illinois. I received my degree in library science when I was 22 and have been working in a variety of libraries my whole life, including the Chicago Public Library and the Chicago Public Schools. Libraries have a lot of light and shadows, nooks and crannies and can be very silent, foreboding and mysterious. Library staff and patrons can also be very colorful.

* Why the connection with Sherlock Holmes?

When I was a child, my mother, Christine, introduced me to great classics on film and in books, like Sherlock Holmes, Charlie Chan, Miss Marple, and anything by Poe with Vincent Price. I love Holmes, I love his brilliance and his fits of boredom, the way he lives life on his own terms. I wish I could have been him in another life.

* Who are your favorite Sherlocks on film?

I think my absolute favorite is Jeremy Brett, but I love Basil Rathbone and am absolutely smitten with the new Benedict Cumberbatch/Martin Freeman Holmes and Watson. Sherlock in the 21st century- it works!

* Your love of Chicago comes out in the book, how long have you lived there?

I was born and raised on the south side and ended up living on the north side now for many years. Chicago is a great city and there is a wealth of unique places to write about.

* Who or what was your inspiration for your characters Violetta and Mick?

I love sparring couples - I suppose I was aiming for a combo of Scarlett and Rhett, Nick and Nora, Lord Peter and Harriet and Abbott and Costello.

* Who will enjoy the book the most, the gals or the guys?

Of course, I have to say Murder in the Library has something for everybody! Romance, dead bodies, dudes and dandies, the opera and nods to Zorba the Greek, Sherlock and Watson and southern belles.

* How long have you been writing fiction?

I have been writing for almost 30 years. I have written young adult books, two plays, short fiction and a couple of romance novels. Murder in the Library is my first mystery.

* Any plans for future books?

This year I am going to start work on my second mystery, Murder at the Opera. More Sherlockian plots and temperamental tenors.

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From blogspot.com:

Libraries make a great place for murder and mayhem. Is it the perpetual silence that motivates mischief? Do the books emit the spirits and personalities of their characters? Possibly. If you stand next to a copy of A Study in Scarlet will you begin to warble beautifully like Irene Adler? If you stand next to The Hound of the Baskervilles will you start to change into a snarling, vengeance seeking hound?

Agatha Christie placed a corpse in The Body in the Library. Lord Peter Wimsey investigated a ransacked library in Gaudy Night. Sherlock Holmes is a great student and researcher. His musings and studies are goal directed and are intended to increase his knowledge about a particular subject. Books and papers litter 221B. His personal filing system defies a librarian's neat sense of order but it works for him.

A library is a living, breathing organism of knowledge and capable of inspiring and motivating passion, evil and even death.

Posted by Felicia Carparelli at 7:32 AM

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