Wheat, Carolyn Books

How to Write Killer Fiction: The Funhouse of Mystery & the Roller Coaster of Suspense

Carolyn Wheat

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 19 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

An absolute keeper 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

The title hooked me, and it just got better after that. As a writer of fiction, I have a stack of "how-to" books on my shelf, some of which have been helpful, others not so much. But this one has the clearest explanation of such things as story arc, the novel styled as a classic myth, how to (and how not to) handle an ending. Better yet, not only is the book filled with excellent information, it's written in an entertaining style. And the examples that Ms. Wheat uses are from books that most of us have read and authors most of us recognize--not pages and pages of dry-as-dust "classic" novels.
If you like to read suspense and/or mystery (and she makes the distinction clear in the first chapter), this book will make your reading more pleasurable as you begin to appreciate the things your favorite author does. And if you want to write in those genres, hurry to order the book, then commit it to memory.

A lot of BANG for your buck! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I love this book! If you have a small budget and know that you want to write mystery or suspense novels, this is THE writing instruction book for you. It is a concise 191 pages (even has an index!), but it is filled with useful information. This is not a book that focuses on how to write better sentences or prose: there are other books for that. This is a book on plot structure that even seasoned writers would find useful to help strengthen their stories: a nice summation of the key elements to consider when constructing the plot. Some writing books are so large, it'd take a decade to fully digest and utilize the information: This book will get you up and surging forward right away. There are even checklists to keep you on track as few of us can keep numerous facts in mind simultaneously.

The first section focuses on the mystery novel. The second, on the suspense/thriller. The last third is on the general aspects of the novel and getting published, which is not as useful as the first two sections. Ms. Wheat uses numerous examples from published novels to demonstrate the plot techniques she outlines. I am excited to discover this book, as I am certain my next novel will have a stronger ending from studying the suspense techniques she outlines. Ms. Wheat's guidelines will not stifle your creativity; instead, it will help channel your idea to it's maximum effectiveness.

You really get a lot of bang for your buck. I would buy this, not get it from the library. It is well laid-out, with useful bold headings. You will want to keep it at your side when you plot your future blockbuster. Sworn to Defend.

Women Before the Bench

Various

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

A stunning anthology 5 out of 5 stars.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.

This collection of thirteen short stories centers on female attorneys as the stars of each tale working a wide variety of cases in diverse settings that run the sub-genre's gamut. The authors are a who's who of the legal procedural sub-genre and though mostly female, not totally. Each contributor insured that the tale was top quality (or perhaps the editor separated the chaff from the wheat) and fun to read regardless of the gender of the audience. Some of the lead characters are so good, readers will hope to see them reappear in a full-length novel. WOMEN BEFORE THE BENCH shows we've come a long way in the law and literature.

Harriet Klausner

Editorial Review:

This ingenious anthology of legal drama and suspense features all-new tories by some of the top writers in the field, featuring:
Perri O'Shaughnessy
Margaret Maron
Margaret Coel
Jonnie Jacobs
Taffy Cannon
Michael A. Kahn
Claire Youmans
Rochelle Krich
Carroll Lachnit
Sarah Caudwell
Terry Devane
Nora DeLoach
Carolyn Wheat

The Sunken Sailor (A Serial Novel)

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

Well done round robin mystery 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Between the world wars, the aristocracy tries to return to what they once had. In Rutfordshire, Daisy the Dowager Duchess of Faughstrayne hosts a weekend party with an eclectic assortment of guests. Among the attendees are wealthy American Admiral Cornelius Brandon and his son Whitchell, and the Duchess? neighbor Sir Gerry. The latter finds the murdered corpse of the Admiral.

Sir Gerry considers himself an amateur sleuth so he decides to investigate the situation after notifying Chief Inspector Reggie Arbuthnot of the homicide. Reggie wants Sir Gerry to stay out of the case except as a witness because he is jealous that the amateur always solves cases before he can.

Sir Gerry finds the body of the next victim Consuella, the new Duchess of Faughstrayne. More deaths follow and soon Reggie realizes that several of the guests are not what they seem and also have motives, but which one would kill still remains unsolved.

THE SUNKEN SAILOR is a round robin work in which fourteen authors provide a chapter that leads to the next writer?s segment. This results in many unexpected twists and turns in a plot that showcases several different writing styles that somehow blends together into a fine cohesive storey line that is a treat for readers.

Harriet Klausner

Editorial Review:

During a weekend house party in a proper English village, a body is discovered at the bottom of a pond tied to a submerged statue of Neptune.

And the weekend has only just begun.

So has this ingenious mystery-a literary game of round robin in which fourteen master crime writers have each contributed a chapter of their own. What they deliver is a wildly entertaining whodunit with as many dizzying twists, turnabouts, double-crosses, and divergent styles as there are solutions and suspects.

Featuring the bestselling and multiple award-winning talents of:

Simon Brett
Jan Burke
Dorothy Cannell
Maragaret Coel
Deborah Crombie
Eileen Dreyer
Carolyn Hart
Edward Marston
Francine Mathews
Sharan Newman
Alexandra Ripley
Walter Satterthwait
Sarah Smith
Carolyn Whe

Female Sleuths (Great Mystery)

Sara Paretsky, Nancy Pickard, Liza Cody, Sue Grafton, Susan Dunlap, Carolyn G. Hart, Carolyn Wheat, Antonia Fraser

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Fun audio collection 4 out of 5 stars.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.

So this is a fun audio collection -edited by Sara Paretsky, part of the Great Mystery Series. Includes 4 audio tapes with 8 mysteries.
Narrators are Lorri Holt and Gina Leishman- 1st is American, second is English. Ms Leishman's English accent is ideal for the stories here by some of the United Kingdom's best mystery talent.

Stories are listed here:

1. Settled Score by Sara Paretsky - this one is also included on Skin Deep read by Kathleen Turner- I prefer the Turner reading for the grittier turn she gives to V.I Warshawski.

2. The Scar by Nancy Pickard

3. Lucky Dip by Liza Cody- this is great! Has an English street urchin finding a huge treasure on a dead man and then having to scramble through the London streets to keep her bounty.

4. Full Circle by Sue Grafton- a Kinsey Milhone short story

5. Death & Diamonds by Susan Dunlap- done well here- this is a great short story. Also available in "Crime's Leading Ladies" and read by Sharon Gless.

6. Her Good Name by Carolyn Hart

7. Ghost Station by Carolyn Wheat- scary story with the NYC subways as setting

8. Getting to Know You by Antonia Fraser

Mean Streak (Cass Jameson Legal Mysteries)

Carolyn Wheat

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

WONDERFUL book, part of a PHENOMENAL series 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Although I have read -- and enjoyed -- virtually every book in every series by the most famous female mystery writers, Carolyn Wheat unequivocally remains my favorite.

This series is about a Legal Aid attorney named Cass Jameson. As such, it introduces fascinating glimpses into seldom-seen areas of the legal system -- along with providing excellent mysteries. This is one series I buy in hardcover as soon as each book is published.

The books are all very well-written, fast-moving, and entertaining. I cannot sufficiently recommend them. IMHO, this is the best mystery series available.

Editorial Review:

Carolyn Wheat, one of the mystery world's emerging stars, proves that she's the equal of any of the best writers in the legal jungle in her new Cass Jameson novel. The courtroom crackle and icy insights into the hearts of lawyers, criminals, cops, and judges that the author soaked up in her years as a Legal Aid defense attorney are apparent on every page, and her writing is full of energy and compassion. Jameson's ex-lover, a manipulative mob lawyer, is charged with bribery and wants her to defend him. But is he counting on her brains or her heart to get him off? Other Wheaties in paperback are Fresh Kills and Where Nobody Dies.

Fresh Kills (Cass Jameson Legal Mysteries)

Carolyn Wheat

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

A fascinating look at the private adoption trade--and murder 4 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Although somewhat slow to really grab me by the throat and not let go, Carolyn Wheat's second Cass Jamison mystery novel finally caught my interest and never gave up. Cass, a late-30-ish NY attorney, is roped into representing a birth mother in a private adoption spearheaded by her old law school roommate. What seems simple, of course, is not. Cass finds the uncomplicated legal aspects of adoption are not the problem; the birth mother's unusual behavior and eventual murder make it far more complex than she ever dreamed. As an adoptive parent (through an agency) and the husband of 40-something lady lawyer with a family law practice, this book opened my eyes to the dangers, thrills, and heartache of adoption when improperly done. The plot is deftly drawn, with a logical but surprising conclusion. Heartily recommended--even if you don't have a particular interest in adoption.

Editorial Review:

The attorney for Amber, a surrogate mother, in a routine adoption, Cass Jameson finds herself in an ugly custody battle when Amber changes her mind and embroiled in a case that turns deadly when Amber is killed in the Staten Island swamplands. Reprint. K. NYT.

Sworn to Defend

Carolyn Wheat

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Of all the legal eagles nesting in the thriller trees these days, Carolyn Wheat is definitely the one with the brightest feathers. Her dialogue-- in and out of court--crackles with focused energy, and her obvious knowledge of and respect for the trappings of the law immediately add verisimilitude. "If the Appellate Division, First Department, courthouse in Manhattan, where I'd taken my oath as a lawyer, was a Gothic cathedral of the law, then the Second Department was a Protestant meetinghouse," she has her alter ego, Cass Jameson, say as she approaches that Brooklyn edifice to plead a case. "Its austere lines and jewel-box proportions were in sharp contrast to the ornate, overblown style of its Manhattan counterpart, with its stained-glass dome and overpowering wood-and-brass ornamentation. This courthouse was equally dignified, but without the florid Gilded Age excess. The cloakroom didn't boast long brass pegs on which 19th Century lawyers once placed their beaver hats while addressing the court." Cass is in the building that day to defend an apparently framed client. She succeeds, unfortunately--and Keith Jernigan turns out to be a stalker who directs his dangerous attention toward Cass. But Cass's problems don't end with Jernigan. There's also a very nasty drama critic upset over Cass's handling of his wife's divorce case, and a troubled cop with a mysterious agenda. If you like your legal thrillers fresh, feisty, and grounded in reality, harvest this latest Wheat. Past crops in paperback: Troubled Waters, Where Nobody Dies, Mean Streak, Fresh Kills. --Dick Adler

Troubled Waters (Cass Jameson Legal Mysteries)

Carolyn Wheat

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

WONDERFUL book, part of a PHENOMENAL series 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

Although I have read -- and enjoyed -- virtually every book in every series by the most famous female mystery writers, Carolyn Wheat unequivocally remains my favorite.

This series is about a Legal Aid attorney named Cass Jameson. As such, it introduces fascinating glimpses into seldom-seen areas of the legal system -- along with providing excellent mysteries. This is one series I buy in hardcover as soon as each book is published.

The books are all very well-written, fast-moving, and entertaining. I cannot sufficiently recommend them. IMHO, this is the best mystery series available.

Editorial Review:

Carolyn Wheat must be the best listener in the mystery business. The former Brooklyn, New York, defense attorney has the awesome ability to capture and create whole characters in just a few perfectly shaped sentences of dialogue. She also knows how to move her people through a complicated narrative without losing focus. This book about lawyer Cass Jameson flashes back and forth from the present to 1969 and 1982, as Cass looks for connections between some old activist friends, her Vietnam vet brother, and the 15-year-old murder of a Federal agent that links them all. Other top-grade Wheat paperbacks include Fresh Kills, Mean Streak, and Where Nobody Dies.

Where Nobody Dies (Cass Jameson Legal Mysteries)

Carolyn Wheat

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

WONDERFUL book, part of a PHENOMENAL series 5 out of 5 stars.
12 of 12 people found this review helpful.

Although I have read -- and enjoyed -- virtually every book in every series by the most famous female mystery writers, Carolyn Wheat unequivocally remains my favorite.

This series is about a Legal Aid attorney named Cass Jameson. As such, it introduces fascinating glimpses into seldom-seen areas of the legal system -- along with providing excellent mysteries. This is one series I buy in hardcover as soon as each book is published.

The books are all very well-written, fast-moving, and entertaining. I cannot sufficiently recommend them. IMHO, this is the best mystery series available.

ok, almost nobody dies 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

so you can't have a murder mystery without at least one death, but it's nice to read a mystery that is intelligent, enjoyable, has realistic characters, and takes place in my neighborhood. the only problem i had with it was that i ended up reading it in one sitting and now i have to find another one.

Editorial Review:

Cass Jameson must defend former rival Brad Ritchie when he is framed for the murder of his wife, a situation that is complicated when Cass learns about the victim's unsavory dealings throughout half of Brooklyn. Reprint. NYT. K. AB.

Murder on Route 66

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Get your Kicks! 5 out of 5 stars.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful.

What fun this book was to read! From Chicago to L.A. you'll have the a trip full of adventure and mystery reading this anthology I enjoyed every one of the stories, and some of them were just excellent! Lots of trivia and history is set around some engrossing and nostalgic stories! Great for light reading! Usually I don't rate anthologies because stories vary from very bad to good, but this one deserves 5 stars for all the stories!

Editorial Review:

Today's best mystery writers take to the road with a brand-new collection of stories featuring the great American highway, Route 66. Take a ride on the wild side with:

* David August
* Eleanor Taylor Bland
* Barbara D'Amato
* Michael Allen Dymmoch
* Earlene Fowler
* Carolyn Hart
* J.A. Jance
* Charles Knief
* John Lutz
* Doris R. Meredith
* Gary Phillips
* Les Roberts
* Lillian M. Roberts
* Judith Van Gieson
* Carolyn Wheat

* All-new stories by Earlene Fowler, Carolyn Hart, J.A. Jance, John Lutz and others