This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. Last week, I got caught in a perfect storm: hot weather and hotter books. I was in New York City for BookExpo—once known as BEA, or Book Expo America. Starting this year, the show’s name was shortened to emphasize the global nature of the event. BookExpo is … Read more
This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. I was as eager as anyone to see Netflix new television miniseries, The Keepers. The program, which investigates an unsolved murder in 1969 Baltimore, has received admiring reviews. It’s the story of former Keough School students—now women in their sixties—trying to identify the killer of their beloved … Read more
This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. Pink rhubarb stalks fill the tables at farmers’ markets in early spring. With the stiff body shape of celery and the tender texture of a fruit, rhubarb is the barb of jokes—a misunderstood and under-appreciated bit of produce. I speak as a rhubarb convert. The first time … Read more
This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. Last weekend, when I was visiting the “Twin Cities” of Minneapolis and St. Paul, I was hit with an unexpected surge of purple. Purple was the favorite color of Prince, a Minnesota funk-rock star—and April 21 was the one-year anniversary of his untimely death in 2016 by … Read more
This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. Thousands of cherry trees blossom every spring in Washington DC, a tradition spanning 105 years. At the same time, brilliant light sculptures and art installations glow along the port promenade in Baltimore. Two festivals I’d never experienced drew me away from my work. Which festival first? I … Read more
This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. I’m the last member of Murder is Everywhere to write about the Left Coast Crime convention on the Island of Oahu. Jeffrey shared the people part of the convention and the contrasts between busy Oahu and quiet Kauai. Susan got up insanely early to photograph a sunrise … Read more
This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. It had been a challenging week. The shooting of two Indian professionals in a Kansas bar was followed by the knifing of an Indian-American outside his home and the news that a number of South Asian business owners have had their shops torched. Whether or not the attackers … Read more
This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. “Want to go for a walk?” My daughter surprised me with this request last week. During the Baltimore winter, nobody in the family walks together—even the dog doesn’t want to be out more than five minutes. While Maryland winters are not fierce like the seasons I spent in … Read more
This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. I’ve had a little too much Thai, Indian and Vietnamese restaurant food lately. Even good food can become boring. Looking for another Asian taste, I decided to go after the obvious: Korean food. Fortunately, there are a lot of Korean immigrants around Baltimore. I’ve dined at places … Read more
This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. I regret to interrupt my regularly scheduled post—which was going to be food-related, alas!—because my life keeps getting interrupted. Just like my nation’s standard operating procedure. These days, my writing schedule seems divided between fiction and emails to senators, congressmen, and activist friends. And I’ve been on … Read more