Friday, August 28, 2009

DOG DAY GIVEAWAY AND REVIEW #2: FOR GLORY

GIVEAWAY ENDED
FOR GLORY

BY ELISABETH LEE

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Carlyle Hudson is a 50-something woman everybody calls Lyle. Making a living as a gambler, Lyle doesn't know quite what to make of her life. Lyle returns to Kansas from San Francisco after the death of her mother and encounters two mysteries, one from her mother's past, and one right in front of her. Who is the source of the ominous demands that she 'Pay Up'?
Carlyle speaks for herself in the opening paragraph of this women's detective mystery, FOR GLORY, “I deal with other people by keeping secrets. Bottom line: I do not like people knowing what I do for a living, how much money I make, my age, or marital status. The answers—gamble, six to seven figures (depending on how well the cards fall), fifty, and not interested in marriage—always raise more questions. Even well-intentioned people seem to feel entitled to that information, which irritates the hell out of me. So I lie. It entertains me, keeps my energy positive and my creativity high.... I think of it as acting. All good poker players act. I am a very good poker player.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Elisabeth Lee earned a Ph.D. in Victorian Literature from the University of Colorado at Boulder. A private school administrator and teacher, she lives in Lawrence, Kansas. It figures prominently in her work, along with San Francisco, Denver and New York where she has also lived. Elisabeth Lee earned a Ph.D. in Victorian Literature from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

A private school teacher and sometime administrator, she is an accomplished poet and author of various professional articles. Formerly a resident of Lawrence, Kansas, a blue dot in a great ocean of red, she now calls Denver home. Those cities figure prominently in her work, along with San Francisco and New York where she has also lived.

For Glory, published late in 2006, was her first work of fiction. Flashes of Glory, a sequel was published in 2009.


MY REVIEW:

Carlyle, who goes by Lyle, is a gambler who if you don't know her well, you would think she is a very tough cookie. However, those who know her well, like her aunt, Loretta, Luce, and Lenore, as well as her wonderful dog GLORY (who happened into her life when her mom died and Lyle inherited Glory) know that she is really a mush bucket! The mystery begins when we find Lyly on a losing streak in Kansas. Lyle is really from San Francisco but is there to deal with the aftermath of her mother's death and she comes upon some of her mom's things. These particular things give Lyle reason to wonder as not only is there a gun, but also some rather odd letters and correspondence including a diary. She begins to find that her mother had a life that Lyle never knew about. As Lyle contemplates what all this means, she starts to think that perhaps her mother was murdered. Some of the things that point this up are when her mother's bridal shop is robbed, crank phone calls pour in, and Lyle find a card the ace of spade, that has the words "pay up" written on it.

All this makes for a good mystery, written as seen through Lyle's eyes, but there is also so much comedy in this book that I can't call it a true mystery. I believe that is part of its charm. Lyle's relationship with Glory, the dog, especially was humorous to me. Also, two of the "L" named aunts are twins and run a candy store that carries erotically shaped candy! So much of this type of amusing interaction, and the style of writing that Elisabeth Lee has, keeps the readers attention along with entertaining you. It was nice to read of a character who is strong and feisty but about 50ish years old instead of the traditional sex kitten in her 20s. I enjoyed the book and would recommend it as an easy, fun read.

DON'T FORGET TO ENTER DOG DAY #1,
NEW TRICKS, FROM THIS MORNING HERE!

GIVEAWAY

I HAVE ONE COPY OF THIS
CHARMING MYSTERY TO
GIVEAWAY TO A DOG LOVING
MYSTERY READING FAN!

RULES:

***U.S RESIDENTS ONLY
***NO P.O. BOXES, PLEASE
***EMAIL MUST BE INCLUDED IN
YOUR ENTRY COMMENT
***COMMENTS MUST BE SEPARATE IN
ORDER TO COUNT AS MORE THAN ONE

HOW TO ENTER:

+1 ENTRY: COMMENT ON WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT A BOOK WITH AN OLDER MAIN CHARACTER LIKE LYLE

+1 MORE ENTRY: GO TO "DOG DAY GIVEAWAY #1: NEW TRICKS" AND ENTER BY WRITING IN YOUR COMMENT "DOG DAY #2: FOR GLORY" AND THEN COME BACK HERE LATER AND TELL ME WHAT # ANY OF YOUR COMMENTS THERE ARE

+1 MORE ENTRY: BLOG OR TWEET ABOUT THIS GIVEAWAY AND COME BACK AND LEAVE A LINK

ALL ENTRIES ARE DUE BY
6PM, EST, SEPTEMBER 14

GOOD LUCK!

13 comments:

bermudaonion said...

Since I'm of the older persuasion, I love older characters in books like this! Another great giveaway! milou2ster(at)gmail.com

Libby's Library said...

I think that older main characters are great. Us older gals have a lot to offer. We've gained all kinds or knowledge and experience!

Thanks for another great giveaway.

libneas[at]aol[dot]com

rhapsodyinbooks said...

I think: hurrah for older main characters! (being an older character myself!)

nbmars AT yahoo DOT com

Gaby317 said...

This sounds like a fun read. It took me a while to fully understand your question - I like these older heroes because they have interesting experiences, physical flaws (move slower, need reading glasses, etc) and generally remind me of my favorite family members!

gaby317nyc at gmail dot com

traveler said...

Thanks for this lovely giveaway. I love older characters since I relate well with them being one of them. they are also real people with frailties but are strong minded and have a sense of humor. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

rubynreba said...

A few years back I may not have liked it, but as I grow older I think an older character is fine!
pbclark(at)netins(dot)net

Kat Bryan said...

Being of Lyle's generation, I love the idea of an older heroine. I could certainly relate more to her than the 20-something, sexy, young thing.

winterset AT peoplepc.com

Libby's Library said...

Back at Dog Day Giveaway #1
My comments are #'s 33, 34, & 35.

Thanks

libneas[at]aol[dot]com

CherylS22 said...

I like reading books with older main characters. It gets old reading book after book with characters in their teens, 20s & 30s. Older characters have a wide array of life experiences to draw from & that makes them interesting.
Thanks ~ megalon22{at}yahoo{dot}com

CherylS22 said...

Back from "DOG DAY GIVEAWAY #1: NEW TRICKS" - my comments are 55, 56, 57
megalon22{at}yahoo{dot}com

Nancye said...

I think having an older person as a main character would provide an interesting perspective.

nancyecdavis AT bellsouth DOT net

Nancye said...

I posted 1 comment on the new tricks book Giveway.

nancyecdavis AT bellsouth DOT net

Nancye said...

Tweet! Tweet!

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