Laurie R. King

Award-winning, bestselling, thought-provoking mysteries

LAURIE'S NEWSLETTER

The BUZZ has a question

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My newsletter, The Buzz, just went out–and there’s a survey in it asking if you’d like to come to one of the FOUR Russell & Holmes events being held next year. We’re in the process of negotiating with the hotels, so we need to have a rough idea of numbers.
In case you didn’t get this Buzz, or aren’t a subscriber (Why aren’t you? You might want to sign up here) there’s a link to the online version, HERE
Because 2024 is the 10th anniversary of The Beekeeper’s Apprentice, and it’ll be all about Russell & Holmes.

Waves of glass

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Every October, my county hosts Open Studios, three weekends when selected artists in all manner of media open their doors and let people wander in and out, asking questions, buying things—and commissioning projects of their own.

I always set off with a list of artists I want to see, and I try to buy something from most of them. Last year, one of those was a woman who does stained glass and mosaics…and I fell in love. Haven Livingston’s Wavehaven studios incorporate glass and river stones in a way I’d never seen before. And since I was looking for something interesting to do around my fireplace….

Haven at work.

Small golden fish, swimming among the stones and currents.

 

Fabulous, no? And because there are streams of golden fish swimming through it, and they reflect the light, it changes throughout the day, always capturing a different pattern.

I’m already looking forward to October–and to weather that makes a fire like this appealing!

The Case of the Upside-Down Hebrew

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A Grave Talent, as my first book was dedicated to my husband, Noel–in Hebrew, which is only right between two scholars. Amos 3:4 means, more or less, Can two people walk together unless they be in agreement?

I know, scholars are really romantic, right?

 

 

Now, there are two mysteries here (beyond the mystery of married relationships, that is.) One, why was the Hebrew dedication to A Grave Talent flipped over in the first edition? Because if you don’t know Hebrew, the line linking the letters is supposed to be along the top.

And the second puzzle was, why was the Hebrew sometimes not topsy-turvy?

As to the first, I suppose it proves that St Martin’s Press at the time had no Jewish typesetters. The page I’d sent them with the Hebrew went in the wrong way. I noticed, let them know, and they fixed it for subsequent editions.

But as for the second question…

There are some copies of Grave Talent out there that have the numbers of a true first edition, and yet the Hebrew is the correct way around. And it’s possible that someone noticed halfway through the printing, fixed it, and finished the run. It’s possible.

The first edition, first printing is indicated by the countdown to 1. A number is dropped with each subsequent printing. (Different publishers do it different ways.)

On the other hand, there was a while in the Nineties and Aughties when modern first editions were a Big Thing. Recently published books—as in, within ten years or so of publication—could leap to ridiculous sums, if collectors thought the author was going to be a Big Thing. First editions of A Grave Talent went for as much as $1400.

And what happens when there’s quick money to be made? Right: forgery.

Of those, I am certain. The first one I saw was when someone handed me a copy to sign, and—as I generally did—I checked to see if it was a first draft, because personalizing a true first could reduce the value. This one said it was a first edition…except that the dedication was the right way around. And when I looked more closely, the dachshund logo on the title page looked somehow, well, photocopied.

Tom Dunne’s dog. Printed, not photocopied.

That’s right. Someone had taken apart some second editions, cut out the title page, photocopied the publishing history of a first edition on both sides of a replacement, and glued that one in. I actually had one that someone bought from a sidewalk display for $1, in which the glue was more obvious—clearly an early failed attempt.

The thing took on a life of its own. Mystery Scene wrote it up. That’s when the theory came along that the printers had themselves found the mistake and changed it. But honestly? A small printing, of an unimportant first-time author? Not only would no one have bothered, but they didn’t know before I told them.

Anyway, the bottom dropped out of the Modern First market after a while, and the books aren’t worth enough now to forge them.  I just hope you’re not one of those who shelled out a thousand dollars for the book. And if you find yourself with a “first edition” that has the correct Hebrew, well, do enjoy the story. All the words are the same.

**

Read about A Grave Talent (with order links), see the other Martinellis,

or order a signed copy.

Russell’s life onscreen

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The other day, a charming appointment popped up on my e-calendar:

This was to remind me of a video conference with the English team working to bring Russell to the screen.  And despite smoke in the air, the occasional rolling blackout, and the inevitable problems of getting Microsoft to talk to Apple, we managed to meet up.

Once we’d linked up, I started the discussion by saying that I had a really important question for them.

They did look slightly alarmed—since this was a first meet with one and only the second for the other.  Good lord, you could see them think: do we have one of those writers on our hands?  The kind who starts out pushy and gets worse?

But no, I hope I’m not one of those writers.  Instead, my question was: “So, are you two having fun yet?”

And the answer I got was, oh yes indeed, they were—all kinds of fun.

Now, I have no way of knowing whether Russell & Holmes will show up in your living rooms.  I do feel very positive about the project, and these people certainly have the experience and resources to see it through. But to have people who clearly adore Mary Russell, who want to bring me in as a consultant on basic decisions, and whose enthusiasm was palpable—well, all I can say is, Mary Russell is in good hands.

A RussellKing Twitter chat

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Miss Mary Russell and I (her editor, of course) had a conversation on Twitter over the weekend, which a mutual friend kindly transcribed and rearranged so it goes from start to finish, rather than having to scroll down to the bottom for the start (as happens when you follow the conversation hashtag, #RussellKingChat ):

MRH: Good day, @LaurieRKing, so here we are for a conversation on twitter. Thank you for joining me.

LRK: Hello Miss Russell! I’m not very good on Twitter, but this is the way you wanted, so please forgive any errors…

MRH: I’m sure they will be few. I find Twitter the ideal way to communicate with my readers. It is at once intimate and affords distance.

LRK: I remember you had a conversation with my friend Les Klinger some years ago, which he greatly enjoyed.

MRH: I found it tedious.

For the rest, pop over to the web site page of Fun Stuff.

Enjoy!

A Russell-King Twitter conversation

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Saturday morning (or afternoon, or evening depending on your zone) Miss Russell and I will have a Twitter conversation that you, her reading public, may listen in on.  You can look at her feed or mine–@mary_russell or @LaurieRKing–and we’ll be using the hashtag #RussellKingChat.

Some years ago, my friend and co-editor Les Klinger valiantly attempted to conduct a similar conversation with her, which ended up in the very first of our “inspired by Sherlock Holmes” anthologies, A Study in Sherlock.  Here is how that one went:

A STUDY IN SHERLOCK: AFTERWORD

Laurie R. King and Leslie S. Klinger

The following is a transcript of a conversation conducted via Twitter between Leslie S. Klinger (whose Twitter address is @lklinger) and Mary Russell (@mary_russell) in the fall of 2011. Klinger is the editor of The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes. Russell is a theologian and investigator, who married Mr. Sherlock Holmes in 1921. Her memoirs appear as the “novels” of Laurie R. King–The Beekeeper’s Apprentice, et cetera.

(Les Klinger) @mary_russell Am editing w/LRKing “stories inspired by SH” & wd love an interview w/him or you. OK 4 LRK 2 giv me yr contact info?

(Mary Russell) @lklinger No, my literary agent Ms King does not have permission to give you my private contact information.

(LK) @mary_russell But wouldn’t u prefer to talk in private?

(MR) @lklinger “Private” conversations undergo changes in the mind of the interviewer. I prefer that such exchanges be on public record.

(LK) @mary_russell U want me 2 interview u on Twitter?

(MR) @lklinger I do not wish you to interview me at all, but clearly that is not an option.
(LK) @mary_russell We could call it a Twinterview.
(MR) @lklinger Mr Klinger, if you wish my participation, I must ask that you refrain from whimsy. And excessive abbreviations.
(LK) @mary_russell Sorry, Ms Russell. Okay, no whimsy, & I’ll keep the questions suitable for all eyes.
(MR) @lklinger I should hope so. And I prefer “Miss.” Now, may we proceed with this conversation? I have an experiment awaiting me.
(LK) @mary_russell First, how does Mr Holmes feel about having inspired the creativity of more than a century of crime writers?
(MR) @lklinger My husband does not care to discuss his feelings.
(LK) @mary_russell OK, how do YOU feel re his having inspired 100 yrs of crime writers? People other than (sorry must make this 2 Tweets)
(LK) @mary_russell—than Dr Watson were telling Holmes stories even as the originals were coming out. Why do u think they felt that urge?
(MR) @lklinger They admired Holmes. They wished to speculate about him. So they made up stories.
(LK) @mary_russell That’s it? Just a desire for more?
(MR) @lklinger Nicholas Meyer (your friend?) claimed that Dr Watson was such a great writer, others saw the stories as a challenge.
(LK) @mary_russell But NM was explaining why he wrote his books & doesn’t speak for others. I’m not even sure I believe his excuse.
(MR) @lklinger I said claimed. I met Meyer when he was young. I think he wrote them through frustration with a mere 60 published tales.
(LK) @mary_russell Does it bother u that writers make up fictions about your husband? Some of their stories are pretty outrageous.
(MR) @lklinger I was young when I realised that since Holmes was seen as fictional, by contagion I would be so viewed as well.
(MR) @lklinger Thus I have lived a long life with one foot in the real world and the other in the world of being perceived as a fiction.
(MR) @lklinger My own literary agent, Laurie King, claims that it is necessary to categorise my memoirs—mine!—as novels.
(MR) @lklinger And since I expect that you will now ask how that makes me “feel,” I will admit that the sensation of being fictional is—
(MR) @lklinger—is indeed peculiar. What our—Holmes’s and my—friend Neil Gaiman calls the sensation of being “the idea of a person.”
(LK) @mary_russell Neil is one of those contributing to this current volume—which we’re calling A Study in Sherlock.

(MR) @lklinger I grasp the reference to the initial Conan Doyle story, but this assumption of first-name familiarity jars, a bit.
(LK) @mary_russell Publishers, you know? This is the modern world. & you are after all American.
(MR) @lklinger Half American, and I retain very little of the accent, or attitudes.
(LK) @mary_russell Back 2 the questions. How did Dr Watson react? Some stories came out while his were still appearing in The Strand.
(MR) @lklinger Uncle John had many shouting matches down the telephone with Sir Arthur, demanding solicitors be hired. To no avail.
(LK) @mary_russell Well, we know what Shakespeare thought should be done with lawyers.
(MR) @lklinger That may be a bit drastic. Some of my best friends have lawyer relatives.
(LK) @mary_russell And, um, I’m a lawyer. At least during the day.
(MR) @lklinger I know you are a lawyer, Mr Klinger. That was my feeble attempt at humor. We are also very aware of your New Annotated
(MR) @lklinger—Annotated Sherlock Holmes. An excellent attempt at scholarship, which will do until Holmes’s own notes are published.
(LK) @mary_russell May I ask when that will be?
(MR) @lklinger No need to worry, Mr Klinger, it will be several more years.
(LK) @mary_russell Right. So Dr W was upset, but not Holmes?
(MR) @lklinger Holmes learned long ago to leave the shouting to Dr Watson. He finds it best to stay aloof of the literary world.
(LK) @mary_russell Some stories in this collection are less about Holmes than about people affected by Dr W’s stories. Do you approve?
(MR) @lklinger One might as well approve of breathing air, as of people falling under the spell of Sherlock Holmes, even secondhand.
(LK) @mary_russell So you do understand the appeal of the Sherlock Holmes stories over the ages?
(MR) @lklinger My dear young man, of course I understand their pull. I was captivated by the stories long before I met the man.

(LK) @mary_russell Speaking of captivation, may I ask about your relationship with Mr Holmes?

(MR) @lklinger No. Oh dear, Mr Klinger, ominous noises from the laboratory require my immediate attention. Good luck with your book.

(LK) @mary_russell Just another couple of questions, Miss Russell. May I ask, what is Mr Holmes doing these days?

(LK) @mary_russell Miss Russell?
(LK) @mary_russell Thank you, Miss Russell.

 

The Case of Laurie and the Monegasque Prince

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The Case of Laurie and the Monegasque Prince

One morning, the following email greeted my insufficiently caffeinated eyes, arriving as a message through my web site:

On Jul 11, 2020, at 6:48 AM, {Name (First):1.3} {Name (Last):1.6} <noreply@authorbyteshosting.com> wrote:

Name
  Stefano Casiraghi
Email
  24hoursred2@gmail.com
Message
  I am Stefano Casiraghi Jr, and I reside in the principality of Monaco. I have taken the privilege to write to you today, because my fiance is a huge admirer of your work.

The reason I am writing to you is because I would like to quietly invite you to our wedding, which is coming up on the 29th of August, 2020, as her surprise guest of honour.

I assume that you are engaged in your busy schedules and it’s a bit impromptu however, your 20mins cameo will be a splendid experience and will mean the world to her. Hence, permit me to extend my hospitality by offering you a token for your preparation, so that I can make the necessary arrangement for a private to and fro flight for you and a few family members or friends.

If this cannot be made possible, please autograph one of your piece and address it to her, while I humbly ask you to accept the token that I have offered as a support from my family for your good work.

Kindly be informed that your acceptance to honour this request will mark the beginning of a new journey for all of us, while I hope that this communication will remain as discreet as possible, as to ensure that the expected excitement is achieved.

Yours Sincerely,

Stefano Casiraghi Jr.

 

Well, I thinks to myself, that’s a change from Nigerian princes. But still, there are odd people out there, and some of them have more money than they should, and so long as the fellow doesn’t ask me to click on a link or send him my bank routing number, I’ll play along.

 

On Sat, Jul 11, 2020 at 7:19 PM info king <info@laurierking.com> wrote:

Dear Stefano, what a most amusing way to begin my weekend, with a dream of flying off to Monaco for a royal wedding… (Although I cannot see that the world will be free of Covid in six weeks’ time.)

I am not sure what you mean by a “token” offered?

I am, naturally, happy to sign any book your fiancé might wish to purchase from my local Bookshop Santa Cruz, who, although they do not generally send things internationally, might be convinced to do so in this case.

As for any participation, I regret that my agent and accountant would require me to submit an invoice for however many days of travel spent (and hence writing lost), which currently begins at $3000 per day (for libraries) plus expenses.  If you wish to mail a check to the PO Box given on my web site “contact” page, my agent would be pleased to open a dialogue with you.

Thank you for your interest, and Miss Russell, Mr Holmes and I wish you and your intended the very happiest of celebrations.

Laurie R. King

 

On Jul 13, 2020, at 6:41 AM, Stefano Casiraghi Jr. <24hoursred2@gmail.com> wrote:

Flying to Monaco from the United States and back, in this covid-19 moment is not a problem to arrange, provided you have a US International Passport. However, I do not wish to pressure you.

So, I will suggest you offer her the piece you believe is your best work so far, with inscription. I think that will be great and enough for her. Her name is Emilia and she is 25yrs.

As per the token as stated, that is strictly for you. But then, you put me through to your agent. Perhaps, I will have one of my associates make contact.

So sorry that I am currently operating within a very tight schedule. But will contact you at my earliest convenient time, let’s say; a week before the wedding.

Thank you.

Stefano.

 

On Jul 15, 2020, at 8:26 AM, Stefano Casiraghi Jr. <24hoursred2@gmail.com> wrote:

Lou is my associate, and I have advised him to contact you.

He will provide the necessary assistance in regards to where the signed book will be mailed to.

Also, he will direct some funds to you as a token from me. Please accept it as my humble support to your work.

Sorry I have a lot on my schedule right now.

I hope Emilia would love to contact you, hopefully after the wedding.

All the best in your endeavors.

Stefano Casiraghi Jr.

 

July 16 On Jul 16, 2020, at 7:04 AM, Lou William <louwie20@aol.com> wrote:

Hi Laurie R. King,

My name is Lou and I have been instructed by Mr. Stefano Casiraghi Jr. to arrange a payment of $150,000.00 in your favor.

The funds can cover your travelling preparation, if you can make the wedding. Otherwise consider it as a sign of his appreciation of your work, being that he intends to have you write his biography after the covid-19 pandemic. You may also support your favorite charity with part of it.

If you cannot make the wedding, he wishes that you inscribe your heart felt message in any of your personal book of choice that you wish to give to the wife; Emilia.

Either ways, I will need the beneficiary name for a cashier’s check to be issued, and the address it will be mailed to.

I will also issue you the tracking number of the mail, to monitor the delivery.

And do mail the inscribed book to the below information.

 

Lou William

2980 Fairview Park Drive

Falls Church

VA 22042-Virginia

Lou.

(276) 708-7213

 

July 16: sidebar

(I text with my daughter, speculating what they’re after—clearly it’s not just a book, since sending to that address—the Northrup Grumman defense contractor’s building—would promptly get it returned to me stamped Addressee Unknown…)

It’ll come out soon. Meanwhile, it’s very entertaining. And I’m trying to decide if my next step should be A) telling him I’ll go ahead and mail the book now, and that I need Emilia’s last name, and I’ll put tracking on it (so when it arrives there and there’s nobody by that name and they send it back…) or B) say that I’m so touched by this offer I want to put Emilia in the next book but I need her last name and photo and some details about her life, so the character really reflects her, or C) tell him my good friend Lee Child is flying in his own private jet to Monaco next week and why don’t I come too and we can meet?

 

From: info king <info@laurierking.com>
To: Lou William <louwie20@aol.com>
Sent: Thu, Jul 16, 2020 4:51 pm
Subject: Re: From Lou.

Dear Lou, this is amazingly generous. A check can reach me at my PO box, #4063, Santa Cruz, CA, 95060.

And I have a copy of the new book, set in Monaco, that I will send when I’ve received the check.

Have a lovely day, and keep safe,

Laurie R. King

 

On Jul 16, 2020, at 11:54 AM, Lou William <louwie20@aol.com> wrote:

Sorry, but I will need a physical mailing address to ascertain that the mail is received.

From: info king <info@laurierking.com>
To: Lou William <louwie20@aol.com>
Sent: Fri, Jul 17, 2020 2:18 am

Hi Lou, I do understand—my own address has a mailbox that is far from secure, being on a road half a mile away, and my agent is working from home at present, but I’ll send you a secure physical address tomorrow.

 

July 17 , Lou William <louwie20@aol.com> wrote:

I will be expecting the information.

 

July 20: , Lou William <louwie20@aol.com> wrote:

Please find below; the Fedex tracking number.
[#  deleted]
Thank you
Lou.

 

On Jul 20, 2020, at 8:11 AM, Stefano Casiraghi Jr. <24hoursred2@gmail.com> wrote:

Dear Laurie,
I have just been informed by Lou that you have received the cheque.
Kindly confirm if you have received the funds and how much was made out to you, please.
Stefano.

On Tue, Jul 21, 2020 at 4:56 AM info king <info@laurierking.com> wrote:

Hello, sirs—the check arrived at my accountant, but it has her name on it, and since she and I do not have a bank account in common, she will need to send it back to you for re-issuing in the name of Laurie R. King.

 

Shall I have them send it to this address?

Lou William

2980 Fairview Park Drive

Falls Church

VA 22042-Virginia

 

On Jul 20, 2020, at 12:29 PM, Stefano Casiraghi Jr. <24hoursred2@gmail.com> wrote:

Kindly inform Mr. Louis William that there was an error as made on the cheque and that it should be re-issued.

Please emphasize the error was your side.

It is very important you do this.

Thank you.

Stefano.

 

On Tue, Jul 21, 2020 at 6:21 AM info king <info@laurierking.com> wrote:

No problem, but you said you wanted the mistaken check sent to you in Monaco?

Laurie

 

On Jul 21, 2020, at 5:39 AM, Stefano Casiraghi Jr. <24hoursred2@gmail.com> wrote:

Yes, you can send it to;

Julianna

6, Bd des Moulins, bureau 3, 1st floor, 98000, Monte Carlo

 

From: info king <info@laurierking.com>
To: Lou William <louwie20@aol.com>
Sent: Tue, Jul 21, 2020 6:21 am
Subject: Re: Tracking number

Hi Lou, as I emailed earlier, the check will need to be re-issued in the name of Laurie R. King, but sent to my accountant, [name deleted]. I probably was not clear enough on this, I’m sorry for the error.

How would you like us to return the existing check?

Laurie King

 

On Jul 20, 2020, at 3:01 PM, Lou William <louwie20@aol.com> wrote:

Hi Laurie,

Thank you for your email.

Please re-confirm if the check should be issued to the name and mailed to the address as stated

Thank you.

Lou.

———

Laurie R. King

[her address sent]

 

On Tue, Jul 21, 2020 at 8:16 AM info king <info@laurierking.com> wrote: [to Stefano]

I shall have someone send the check to this address, thanks. Does it matter to you how it’s sent? Is the Post Office okay?

And I think I need to write your fiancée a story about all this, as her wedding present…

Laurie

 

And at last, here it is:

On Jul 21, 2020, at 6:54 PM, Stefano Casiraghi Jr. <24hoursred2@gmail.com> wrote:

Yes you may send it by Post.

Before the next cheque is issued, let me add that Emilia’s father has a medical condition, and this has brought some negative energy in the family lately. Such is not needed at this time as you can see.

Considering the above, there is a charity that she is affiliated with.I wish to ask you to make a donation to this charity using part of the $150,000. Also, inscribe in your message to her that you are aware of her support to the charity, therefore have made a donation to them.

All I want is abundant joy in her at this moment, and I know such will mean the world to her, and for me as well.

Please confirm if this can be arranged.

Stefano.

 

On Jul 21, 2020, at 12:03 PM, info king <info@laurierking.com> wrote:

Oh, Stefano, I am sorry to hear that, such a cloud hanging over your upcoming wedding.

Do feel free to give as much of that money to the charity as you think appropriate, with my best wishes.

And I shall include your fiancé’s family in my prayers.

Yours,

Laurie

 

On Jul 21, 2020, at 12:55 PM, [my accountant] wrote:

This is so interesting! The way this often works is you send the “donation” after you deposit the check, so that money is definitely gone. But it can take a bank months to determine that the original deposit was fraudulent, and then the bank just debits your account. These people are spending a fortune in FedX fees to defraud us! I’m sending you a picture of the check from my Iphone.

With merriment,

M

 

(To M, July 21)

Note: the Better Business Bureau has “First Financial Bank” on their list of imposters.

https://www.bbb.org/us/oh/cincinnati/profile/loans/first-financial-bank-impostor-0292-90013561

And when I dialed the number listed for them, I first got the question if anyone in my house was over 50, and then (when I said no) the exciting offer of $100 worth of shopping credit for JUST $1.95, so get out my credit card NOW…  Thanks, no.

 

From: Laurie King <lrking@cruzio.com>
Sent: Tuesday, July 21, 2020 1:18 PM
To: M
Subject: Re: Fraud is fun

And is that return address on Happy Lane?

Oh, this is such fun.

L.

 

On Jul 21, 2020, at 2:07 PM, [my accountant]> wrote:

In Sacramento. It’s a warehouse.

 

On Jul 22, 2020, at 1:54 AM, Stefano Casiraghi Jr. <24hoursred2@gmail.com> wrote:

Thank you for your email.

Kindly confirm your understanding of my email of yesterday in regards to her charity.

Once this is clear, I will instruct for the re-issuing of the cheque.

And please confirm if the first cheque has been sent out.

Stefano.

 

On Wed, Jul 22, 2020 at 5:23 PM info king <info@laurierking.com> wrote:

Hi Stefano, sorry I haven’t been out of the house in a week (I’m about to turn 68 so I tend to shelter in place) but I do need to go out in the next few days, and will pick up the check from my accountant. And I’m mailing it to you at your Monaco address, right?

Laurie

 

On Jul 22, 2020, at 8:28 AM, Stefano Casiraghi Jr. <24hoursred2@gmail.com> wrote:

I do not intend to stress you, please.

You can send the cheque together with the book after the second cheque arrives.

But before it is sent, do confirm that my explanation on the charity is clear.

Thank you.

Stefano.

 

On Jul 22, 2020, at 9:08 AM, Laurie King <lrking@cruzio.com> wrote [to Fed Ex]:

I have been in ongoing communication with a would-be scammer, and the matter is about to come to a head, in that he is asking me to mail him a check. This is a very sophisticated scammer, who has done a lot of homework into his target.

If anyone is interested in actually catching him in the act, the opportunity is rapidly approaching, when he will need to surface in order to receive his check.

His fraudulent check was sent through Fed Ex, the Ranco Cordova branch. on July 18. I can send the tracking information if you wish.

The cashier’s check was from “First Financial Bank” which is on the BBB’s list of impostors. (and is itself a scam, asking callers for credit card numbers.)

The FTC web site says that they do not investigate individual cases, only accumulate data, but if you know f someone who would enjoy making an arrest, that chance is coming soon.

Yours,

Laurie R. King

 

On Wed, Jul 22, 2020 at 10:08 PM info king <info@laurierking.com> wrote:

Certainly, I do understand—you’re sending me a replacement check (or rather, Lou is) and then I will send the book and my charity check to you in your Monaco address.

Though I’ll need to know how you want me to dedicate the book, and what the name of the charity is. Also, how much you think would be right?

(And I apologize if I sometimes don’t answer you right away, I don’t usually look at email while I’m working.)

Best wishes,

Laurie

 

On Jul 22, 2020, at 1:37 PM, Stefano Casiraghi Jr. <24hoursred2@gmail.com> wrote:

I don’t know if my English was as correct as I thought. But what I meant was that you will receive a check of $150,000 from Lou shortly.

Once you receive it and have it cleared, I will advise you where you will pay part of the funds to, and that will be the charity’s bank account.

Then you keep the balance as my support to your work as well.

The cheque that was sent previously, you enclose it alongside the inscribed book and send it to Monaco.

I hope that this is clear.

Stefano.

 

On Jul 27, 2020, at 10:43 AM, Stefano Casiraghi Jr. <24hoursred2@gmail.com> wrote:

[deleted]

The above is the tracking number of the sent cheque.

Stefano.

 

On Jul 28, 2020, at 5:19 AM, Stefano Casiraghi Jr. <24hoursred2@gmail.com> wrote:

Kindly find the assigned Fedex tracking number for your shipment.

[deleted]

Stefano

 

On Jul 28, 2020, at 12:27 PM, Stefano Casiraghi Jr. <24hoursred2@gmail.com> wrote:

From my side, I can understand the shipment is delivered.

Can you confirm to me when the donation can be made?

I will need to provide you with the details, when you are set.

Stefano.

July 30:

I picked up the above from my accountant.

I’ve been trying for the past week to interest some law enforcement in this. FTC, my bank, the sheriff’s office, Fed Ex. Because if I’m sending this chappie a check, that means someone will have to stick their head up to fetch it.

But nope.

And then tonight, I see this on Instagram:

William Kent Krueger got exactly the same scammer letter.

And here I thought I was special, Stefano.

 

The Bronze Pour

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One of the joys of writing crime stories is the wild variety of research projects that come along. In Riviera Gold, that includes bronze casting.  And what do you know—there’s a foundry right here in Santa Cruz.

Sean Monaghan and Courtney Scruggs of Bronze Works made me welcome, let me poke around, and invited me to a pour. They even went over my story and didn’t laugh at it (at least, not loud enough for me to hear.)

Here’s what Russell sees in Riviera Gold, with what I saw in Santa Cruz. (Rafe is the sculptor she meets at the house of Sara and Gerald Murphy, M. Ferrant is the owner of the foundry).

***

First, the masonry oven at the back was opened and the hot moulds, empty now of their wax, were transferred to the battered trough in the centre of the room.

While Rafe loaded the oven with a new set of moulds, the other two worked at the trough covering the waiting mouths with small squares of tin…

… and pouring sand from the buckets around their bases.

What followed was a dance between three men and a lot of deadly machinery. First, clamps from the device overhead, lifting the rough, white-hot crucible free of the flames. The young man skimmed the slag off the top with a long-handled iron rod with a half-circle at its end. Casual blobs of thousand-degree metal were knocked to the floor, inches from ill-protected legs, as the chain lowered the glowing stone bucket into the embrace of one of those Medieval torture instruments.

Monsieur Ferrant locked it into place. His side of this pouring contraption had two arms, allowing him to steer the crucible and control its stream.

“Hoop,” he called, and the clamped pot rose, moved, and hovered over the row of plaster mouths. “Là,” he said, and a miniature river of white-hot lava disappeared into an upraised mouth.

Moving down the row of forms, bronze filled one cup, then the next.

The angle increased with the emptying of the crucible, until again came “Hoop” and the pair emptied the crucible’s dregs into a shallow metal tray, then reversed the process with carrying frame and the tongs. The crucible disappeared back inside the furnace.

The slabs of bronze that had been pre-heating along the top were laid gently in.

Meanwhile, the forms were cooling with amazing rapidity, going from white-yellow…

to dull red to barely rose.

While the crucible sat in its nest of flames, slowly melting its new ingots, Rafe began to work the plaster shapes out of the trough and lay them to one side.

The men drank long draughts of liquid—it turned out to be small beer—and resumed their gauntlets. The oven was unloaded, the sand nestled in around these, the tallest of the pieces—but when Rafe moved to assume his handle of the pouring shanks, the older man shook his head and gestured at his assistant. The sculptor protested, but the foundry owner was adamant—and when time came to pour these, the tallest of the day’s works, I could see why. Not only were the young man’s arms nearly ten inches further off the ground than Rafe’s, but his muscles were like iron, boosting the full crucible to chest level with an ease that made my arms ache just to watch.

The pour ended, the furnace shut down, the crucible was scraped out. I was surprised to find how quickly the liquid metal set: already, Rafe was trading his leather apron and goggles for a chisel and mallet, chipping experimentally at one of the earliest moulds filled. He took care not to rest his hand on the surface, and used the chisel handle to shift the piece around. A rough shape emerged, choked with white plaster and wrapped in the octopus- sprues, but one could see the outlines of the sculpture beneath. He then propped it up to bash enthusiastically into its centre, pausing a few times to shake out hunks of broken-up core.

When he had finished, he carried his proto-sculpture in one gauntleted hand along the rope line for the admiration of all—taking care to pull it back from any out-stretching fingers. But when Rafe came to Picasso, he held the piece out as a man might display a new-born son. The Spaniard bent over it, his finger sketching a line some inches above its surface, then reached out to deliver a hearty slap on Rafe’s biceps.

***

You can read more, two weeks from today on the Riviera Gold publication day. In the meantime, you can also see more “Background Research” videos for Riviera Gold on my YouTube Channel.

Riviera Gold (here) comes out June 9, and is available signed from Bookshop Santa Cruz or Poisoned Pen—or from your local Independent bookshop, or Barnes & Noble/Nook, or Amazon/Kindle, or CD or audio.

And—the following excellent Indie bookshops will sell you a copy with a very beautiful signed bookplate in it: Book Passage, Mysterious Books, West Portal Books, Third Place Books, and Murder by the Book.

Promises, Promises

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When I opened up the fundraiser for Bookshop Santa Cruz’s Keep Kids Reading project, I promised to read the Jabberwocky, and I did. Then we hit $250 and, having promised the Owl and the Pussycat, I not only read the poem—with illustrations—I tossed in an Illustrated/Annotated “Owl and the Pussycat” for your printing pleasure. And now…

“Mrs Hudson’s Case.” In which we first encounter Mrs Hudson’s hidden life, later to surface to startling effect in The Murder of Mary Russell and Riviera Gold.

The tale is from Mary Russell’s War, here (where you’ll find it, free and downloadable, for a few more days.)  Make yourself a cup of tea and settle in to enjoy while I read to you this tale of an unexpectedly contrary housekeeper. (And if you enjoy it, you could donate a few dollars to Bookshop’s project, here.)

The YouTube link is here:

Mrs Hudson wants to give YOU an ARC!

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The “Mrs Hudson’s Case” Illustrations Contest closes on May 5. This story about Sherlock Holmes’ landlady-turned-housekeeper needs pictures—and to encourage you, I have 15 shiny new ARCs of Riviera Gold that I’ll give in a random drawing to those who entered the contest—and, the winners whose pictures end up in the Illustrated Edition will also get a signed hardback when it comes out in June.Download “Mrs Hudson’s Case” (along with the contest instructions) from the Mary Russell’s War page, here. Choose a scene or person, put together your vision of it, and get it to me by Monday night. Her kitchen table? Her sewing case? A batch of rock cakes…?

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