Murder, mystery and more for summer

Many readers prefer short bursts of creativity in short story form. This summer, enjoy these selections.

Reader, I Buried Them & Other Stories, by Peter Lovesey, 384 pages, Soho Crime paperback, 2023

Murder most efficient is the theme of this superb anthology by an octogenarian award-winning mystery writer. Follow along as each crime is solved with speed and panache.

Sixteen stories and two bonus articles portray murderers as victims and heroes motivated by lust, greed, honor and love. The plots are as clean and swift as a knife dispatched to the jugular vein. No room for meandering and character development; just a short thrust, and the deed is done. Best of all, the killer is disclosed in a few short pages. The perpetrator may come as a surprise, but you needn’t read through hundreds of pages to get to the heart of the matter. Nary a trickle of blood, gore and guts — just a masterful writer plying his trade. Reader is Lovesey’s sixth collection of short stories. The prolific, popular writer has also published 43 novels. He has been honored with the Cartier Diamond Dagger for Lifetime Achievement by the

British Crime Writers’ Association and named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America.

Hotel California: An Anthology of New Mystery Short Stories, edited by Don Bruns, 236 pages, Blackstone Publishing paperback, 2023 whose title is the same as the anthology, intersperses the lyrics of the hit song by the band The Eagles with a tale of ambition, penance and wild imaginings.

These murder mysteries are crafted by eight highly skilled authors who manage to grab your attention. Each spins a yarn of suspense and death in short story format.

Enjoy the smorgasbord of delights, but keep your doors locked and lights on. If you venture to read it outdoors, keep your belongings close by, and make sure your phone is fully charged.

Short biographies of each of the authors are included at the end of the volume. They allow readers to learn about the writer’s careers and pursue their favorite authors in book length.

Seven novellas will keep readers enthralled as they plumb their own emotions, attitudes and prejudices. Follow the lives of people on the margins of society in various times and places. The author writes these stories with a masterful touch; the surprise endings are reminiscent of O. Henry.

Several of the protagonists are older people who live alone. They are widowers who live independently, are able to withstand the pressures of society and do what is right and just.

By Dinah Rokach

The settings span the entire country, from D.C. to the beaches of Hawaii. Suspects include Mob hitmen, hired assassins, former service members gone astray, lovers, brothers, abductors, drifters, and even a highly regarded member of Congress.

Cold cases are revived, vendettas of old fester unabated, and greed never strays far from the plot line. Human nature at its nadir is examined.

However, readers are also introduced to more lofty idealistic characters. Be amazed by the altruism of some, the resourcefulness of others, and the duplicity of many.

Jack Reacher, the protagonist in a series of crime novels, appears in the opening story of Hotel California. The last story,

After the Water Level Rose: Seven Short Stories, by Joan Gil, 285 pages, Joan Gil paperback, 2022

Other stories touch upon individuals who are inhibited introverts, those with disabilities, and people born in difficult

See BIBLIOPHILE, page 26

DATES:

June 30, July 1, 7, 8, 14 and 15 at 8 p.m.; July 9 and 16 at 2 p.m. TICKETS: $26 Adults; $23 Seniors/Students her home, an endeavor so successful that, in 1987, she moved it into a commercial building in Herndon, Virginia, where it is today.

The faithful customers of Grace’s Pastries adore her sweet and savory breads, scones, croissants, strudels, cakes, cookies, fruit and meat pies, which she sells at eight Virginia farmers markets, from McLean to Old Town, Alexandria.

She and her personal “army” of four sons often work into the night and load the van for the next morning’s markets.

Banahene said she loves meeting people as they ogle her multi-table spread. “When I don’t see my regular customers, I ask, ‘What’s goin’ on?’” she said.

Growing green

Virginia farmer Sabry Alsharkawi was a “green” farmer before the practice became de rigueur. He started his business, Sharkawi

Farm, because he couldn’t find quality products grown without chemicals in stores.

Why launch his own company? “Because I love it,” he said.

Since 1985, Alsharkawi has grown chemical-free herbs and blooming plants in Broad Run for a loyal clientele at Northern Virginia farmers markets.

His stall bulges with rosemary, thyme, basil, cilantro, stevia, sage, spearmint, dill, bay leaf and more. From April to November, he also grows plants like lemongrass, nasturtiums, Japanese and patio eggplants, and fig and guava trees.

Trained in agriculture, Alsharkawi carefully plants seeds on top of the soil so the sun can promote germination, mists them hourly for seven to 10 days, hand irrigates some plants and uses drip irrigation for others.

For pest control, he uses neem oil and insecticidal soaps. Commercial producers do not give plants this kind of hands-on attention, he maintains. They focus on quantity; Alsharkawi strives for quality.

Alsharkawi also mixes and sells teas. Growing up in Egypt, he drank tea daily. Egyptian hosts routinely serve tea to guests without asking, he said with a chuckle. He gently dismisses American brands of tea, asserting that if people knew the contents, they would not drink them.

He imports tea leaves from India, Ceylon and Japan, and mixes leaves with flavors like orange, anise and hibiscus. He makes and sells 20 popular teas, such as Paradise Black, Fiji Green, Imperial Spice, Cold Comfort and Relaxing Tea.

Healthy ketchup

When Fairfax County resident Abe Karmarck learned that a leading ketchup brand has more than half a pound of sugar in each 20-ounce bottle and watched his children slather it on and slurp it up, he knew he had to do something.

Karmarck’s research found that most ketchup has proportionally more sugar than vanilla ice cream (six grams per ounce).