Category: Newest Blog Post

Windows into Other Worlds: Book Gifts for the 2023 Holidays

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To give a book is to give a window into another world. Here are five gift ideas for the 2023 Holidays.

First, two mystery/detective suggestions:

The Wolf and the Watchman by Niklas Natt och Dag, English translation from the Swedish, 2019. The Wolf and the Watchman should please any fan of historical crime/mystery fiction. The novel (set in 1793, in Sweden) presents a captivating tale, beautifully told. The whodunit angle alternates between darkness and light, judiciously balancing good and evil. The Wolf and the Watchman is the first book in the Jean Mickel Cardell trilogy, which includes The City Between the Bridges and The Order of the Furies.

Muskie Falls by Ron Corbett, 2023. The first novel in Corbett’s Detective Yakabuski series, Ragged Lake, revealed that Corbett (from Ottawa, Canada) was a born storyteller. With Muskie Falls, the fourth novel in the series, his story-telling virtuosity becomes even clearer. Muskie Falls is equal parts riveting mystery and stylistic tour-de-force. The plot unfolds on the fictionalized Northern Divide, an unforgettable locale, perfectly rendered. The story is delivered with nuanced authenticity and the rip-roaring drive of a northern river.

All The Colour In The World by C.S. Richardson, 2023. All The Colour In The World is lean, fast-paced, and atmospheric, more prose poem than traditional novel. If your giftee prefers expansive, detailed novels, this won’t likely be their cup of cheer. On the other hand, if they like reading outside the box, this could be their cuppa, a spare yet powerful story, anchored in Toronto but displaying all the colours of the world.

Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton, 2023. Birnam Wood is both a beguiling story and a novel of ideas, a crucible of eco-idealism, survivalism, and human striving. The novel transports the reader to NZ’s South Island. Catton, a previous Booker Prize winner, knows how to hook an audience. The plot unfolds slowly (perhaps too slowly for some) but cleverly, reaching a thriller-type crescendo.

The Tao of Travel by Paul Theroux, 2011. Some travel books are timeless. Theroux’s The Tao of Travel is one of them. It contains a collection of evocative quotes whose origins span the globe. The reader can open it at any page. They’ll be instantly transported to the quote’s location. When they’re ready to venture off again, they can simply turn the page.

Ron Corbett’s Kudos for The Color Red

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“The Color Red is a first-class mystery that will keep you guessing until the final pages …. Potter’s vivid and memorable descriptions of Cape Cod will leave you smelling salt air and thinking of the Kennedys.”  

~ Ron Corbett, Author of the Frank Yakabuski and Danny Barrett Series (reviewed in the New York Times), Edgar Award and Arthur Ellis Award Nominee

Corbett’s site: https://www.roncorbettbooks.com/

A Little Entertainment (Just for the Heck of It)

A.M. PotterLeave a comment

A friend of mine used to call certain men “entertaining.” They might not be marriage material, but they could be fun for a dalliance. They were certainly a diversion; they made her laugh. As for serious objects of desire, they had to have at least some entertainment value. What good was a partner – be they rich, handsome, or blameless – without a sense of humour?

‘Okay, AMP,’ you say, ‘this isn’t a matching-making blog.’ Right. Onward, from amour to fiction, just for the heck of it. Critics and scholars often classify novels as being either commercial (i.e., entertaining) or literary. Nobel-prize nominee Graham Greene, widely-read and widely-respected, called some of his novels “entertainments.” Critics said it downgraded his oeuvre. I don’t see it that way. In my view, to be entertaining is a plus, not a liability. Books won’t save the world. However, they might take your mind off a few woes or tickle your brain – a little entertainment.

The Color Red: Bleeding Facts into Fiction

A.M. Potter4 Comments

The history of the novel has been characterized by unending experimentation. However, one thing has remained constant. Novels are based on facts, real-world details that are twisted and turned to spin a story.

Every work of fiction sits on a fact-fiction continuum. On one end of the continuum there is pure fact; on the other, pure invention. Much of any novel sits somewhere in between.

What about The Color Red? What facts bleed into its fiction? The novel’s main murderee, Rollo Novak, loosely resembles Robert Herjavec; Novak’s business associate, Karlos Vega, loosely resembles Kevin O’Leary. Readers might recognize the names: Herjavec and O’Leary appeared on Dragon’s Den in Canada and now appear on Shark Tank in the US. However, the resemblance isn’t crucial to the story. Novak’s first wife, Melanya, was born in Slovenia. She might remind readers of a First Lady named Melania, who was also born in Slovenia. Of course, while Melanya Novak may mirror someone – anyone – she’s just a character in a novel. As copyright disclaimers say, “Any resemblance to actual persons is entirely coincidental.”

Then there’s Detective Lt. Ivy Bourque, the main character in the novel as well as the series. She’s not based on anyone “factual”; however, she is a prototypical New Englander: amiable, capable, and perceptive. On her father’s side, her French-Canadian heritage pays homage to Jack Kerouac, whose parents migrated from Quebec to Massachusetts in the early 1900s.

One final note for aficionados of fact-in-fiction and true crime stories. The main crime scene in The Color Red, an indoor pool, echoes the crime scene of a recent double murder in Toronto, Canada: the Barry and Honey Sherman murders. Echoes, I say. Okay, I’ve said enough. 😉 If I keep going, I’ll leak some spoilers.

Click here for sales information on THE COLOR RED.

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Kudos for The Color Red

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Kudos are coming in for The Color Red (Release Date: March 20, 2023). The Color Red brings the twisted Balkans to Boston and Cape Cod.

What critics and advance readers are saying:

“A smart, fast-paced mystery by a master craftsman of the genre who weaves complex ideas into a riveting storyline. Detective Bourque is one unique officer of the law, willing to ‘dance with the devil’ when need be.” ~ Lesley Choyce, author of The Unlikely Redemption of John Alexander MacNeil

“Potter is writing at the top of his form with the launch of his new detective series set in Cape Cod. Ancient Balkan grudges collide with no-nonsense Yankee detectives in this exceptionally well-written mystery.” ~ Caroline Woodward, author of Alaska Highway Two-Step

“The Color Red is a captivating eddy of old world and new, east and west, masculine and feminine, fed on a healthy menu of well-cooked dishes of revenge. Potter’s language is accurate and elegant, and his characters are on point. A superb read.” ~ S.M. Collins, author of To Be Human Again

“The Color Red opens with Detective Ivy Bourque encountering mysteries within a mystery. Is the case a double murder or murder suicide? What is the significance of the two dark neckties from which the victims are hanging? A maze of personal relationships complicates the investigation. But Bourque’s unquenchable curiosity helps her discover exactly what happened and the reasons behind it.” ~ Jim Poling Sr., author of Tecumseh: Shooting Star, Crouching Panther

“A winning read with fascinating suspects. Detective Bourque is wry, intelligent, and sympatico. What a great main character for a series.” ~ P. W. Tilley, Former RCMP Detective

“The Color Red stands out as a gripping, intelligent, and well-written detective story. An excellent start to what promises to be a must-read series.” ~ Jane Bwye, author of Breath of Africa

“A. M. Potter confirms his mastery of page-turner crime fiction. Detective Lieutenant Ivy Bourque arrives on a baffling Cape Cod scene that would ‘scare the scales off a salmon.’ Was it murder? Suicide? Both? Through multiple interlocking scenarios Bourque deploys her skills in connecting life in coastal and urban settings, complex individual and professional personalities, history, and culture to expose the perpetrators of the grim scene. The Color Red foretells a captivating new series.” ~ Bertrum MacDonald, Information Management Professor, Dalhousie University.

Purchase The Color Red: Click here for information.