The Pot Sweetens...

Okay. The past two book giveaways have been absolute busts. Disheartening? Yes. But am I disheartened? No. It all just rolls over to the next giveaway. This one is decent. Not only do you get the last two bunches of books, but you'll also get three more. These are by Robert Barnard - Robert Barnard who has won just about every major mystery writing award there is on the planet including the Croix de shoot'em up given by the monarch of Monaco, and the Russkie Booksie Policeski given by the Arts Council of Brisbane.

The three books by Barnard are as follows: The Bones in the Attic. In this book, bones are found in the attic and the police are simply too tired to get involved so the homeowner has to figure out the crime himself. No joke. Really, that's what happens. Then there's A Hovering of Vultures. I would tell you what this one is about, but, well, I haven't read it, have I?

Then there is an omnibus containing four of his novels - Death by Sheer Torture, Death of a Perfect Mother, Death in a Cold Climate, and Death of a Mystery Writer.

Frankly, though Barnard has, in fact, won just about every award available so that I hear he will soon be getting awards for "Best First Novel" since there simply isn't anything else left, and though I quite admire his prose style - quite polished - I think the stories are a bit lacking - the one with bones in the attic is a prime example - the police were so little interested you almost expected them to say "Oh, a body in the attic? Not really our job, that."

The total of books is currently at thirteen. Send along a comment if you're interested. It's all you've got to do and there hasn't been all that much competition lately...