Chet The Dog

Posts Tagged ‘snow’

Beginnings

On Sundays we do beginnings, taking a look at the start of a Peter Abrahams novel including those written under the Spencer Quinn moniker™.  Since there’s been lots of snow lately how about Nerve Damage, where you’ll find some very snowy scenes. For this one the idea really did come out of the blue, complete in all essentials, including the first sentence (below). Lucky things sometimes happen in this business.

[“From the reliably marvelous Peter Abrahams comes Nerve Damage, another top-drawer psychological thriller.”
– Jennifer Reese, Entertainment Weekly]

Sometimes the dead live on in your dreams.

Franklin Discovers Snow

(thanks to WTAFP)

http://www.chetthedog.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/trim.8A228CEC-41D6-498B-8704-4F1C20D1E0A1.MOV

Snow

Snow is in the news. Chet comes upon it for the first time in The Dog Who Knew Too Much (below) but there’s plenty more in It’s A Wonderful Woof, the Chet and Bernie Christmas/holiday novel appearing in October (after Tender Is The Bite in July, “both preorderable” – Mrs. Publicist’s pushy mom).

“Snow, big guy.”

Snow? I’d heard of it, of course, seen it lots of times on TV during the divorce, when for some reason Bernie had really gotten into skiing videos. The snow sent coldness up into the air. I sniffed at it. Snow went right up my nose! I sneezed. Bernie laughed. I licked at the snow. It turned into water on my tongue, although not much water. Bernie picked some up and patted it – hey! – patted it into the shape of a ball. Yes! One thing about Bernie: just when you think he’s done with amazing you, he amazes you again. Now, after all this time, I was just finding out he could turn snow into a ball. I knew what was coming next, one of my favorite feelings.

Beginnings

On Sunday we’ve been doing beginnings – all the Peter Abrahams novels, including those written under the Spencer Quinn moniker. Since this is the first full day of winter, how about a book where snow plays a big role? (I love writing snow scenes!) So, A Perfect Crime.

[“Roger Cullingwood, one of the villains in Peter Abrahams’ ninth suspense novel, is a “throwback.” He believes in aristocracy, both inherited and earned. He has a mansion on Boston’s Beacon Hill, a summa cum laude degree from Harvard and an IQ of 181….Roger has lost his job as a securities analyst and can’t get another, for reasons that are mysterious to him but clear to us: He lacks the normal complement of human feelings, except for jealousy and pride….Only when A Perfect Crime is over do we see how Abrahams, a plotter even more skilled than Roger, has manipulated us. We don’t mind too much, because in this case the conventions of the genre have packaged not only the expected thrills but that always unexpected bonus: good writing.” – The Los Angeles Times]

Thursday, the best day of the week – the day of all days that Francie was predisposed to say yes. But here in the artist’s studio, with its view of the Dorchester gas tank superimposed on the harbor beyond, she couldn’t bring herself to do it. The problem was she hated the paintings.