Leslie Keller Books

I'm going to step away, for this one book review, from the usual topic of murder and review a different genre.  You may have already heard about Liane Moriarty. The author of What Alice Forgot , The Husband's Secre t, Big Little Lies and more. Call it chick lit or women's literature but if you want a novel you can't put down - this is it. My first exposure was her book, What Alice Forgot . Imagine going to the gym and then in less time than you can burn calories, you forget what's been going on in your life for the past few years. A great concept and one which we might all be tempted to experience at one point or another. Big Little Lies is another story about the lives of women. We meet Madeline, Celeste and Jane - all parents with children in the same school. Liane escorts us through their worlds and leads the reader in one direction while simultaneously pulling the reader in another. Just when you are sure you know who the characters are and what is going ...

Hi, my name is Jayne and I'll be doing your restaurant review.   A nice change from being your server. This month I decided to re-visit a place I used to enjoy happy hour at on a semi-regular basis. It's been a long time since I was here and I wanted to know how the place was fairing in the highly competitive Scottsdale restaurant scene. I arrived at four p.m. on a Friday night and expected to find it already crowded, especially since the weather was spectacular. I was really surprised to find empty tables and only a few patrons seated at the bar. I'm happy to say that by the time I left the bar area was full, however sadly the restaurant was mostly empty. Once a trendy hot spot for the Scottsdale crowd it seems as if its popularity has died down. Service wasn't great, in fact we waited several times for drink refills, but the food was as good as I remembered. If you are a fan of sushi Sapparo remains a solid option. If you prefer teppenyaki that too is a good cho...

In my never ending search for great Italian food in Arizona I dined at Babbo Italian Restaurant in Phoenix. This is a family owned restaurant that has multiple locations around the Valley. We went in starving on a Saturday night which happened to be the same night as a father/daughter dance.  Which, by the way, was super cute. I've never seen so many third grade girls dressed to the nines having a dinner date with their dads. But that has nothing to do with the dining experience. We arrived at the restaurant at six p.m. on a warm Saturday night, I didn't expect it to be crowded, but of course I also didn't expect it to be father/daughter date night. The restaurant was full so we sat at the bar and ordered a glass of wine and checked out the wine. The bartender was friendly and knowledgeable.  Before we even had time to consider ordering an appetizer our table was ready. We were seated and our server, Will arrived soon to get our salad order. We split a large caesar sa...

As I watch mystery series on television which is set in early 20th century England, I wonder if readers prefer their mysteries set in current times or years previous? I've never been a fan of historical fiction but sometimes it's interesting to watch a detective solve a crime without the assistance of modern technology. Then there was the television show with Andy Griffth, Matlock. Certainly more modern but still years before DNA was available. Do you prefer your mystery to be along the lines of a Sherlock Holmes? Sherlock Holmes has been a huge player in the world of mystery for many years and continues to dominant the market. Think about the not one but two block bluster movies starring Robert Downey, Jr. Perhaps it was his James Bond type of detective? Or maybe the way Holmes would take crazy risks and morph into someone else in disguise? Move forward in time to Miss Marple, another very prominent character in historical mystery. Agatha Christie's iconic protagonis...

I'm very excited to announce that Menu for Murder is now available on Amazon as an e-book or paperback.  I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. The main character, Jayne Stanford (who writes her own restaurant review here) has been waiting for her chance to trip her way across the pages. I appreciate your review on Amazon and look forward to receiving feedback. Here is a link to the page on Amazon. Menu for Murder

Do you have a favorite leading man? For me it's very easy to pull novels from memory which have a strong leading man - the kind of man you want to rescue you. Think about Rhett Butler from Margaret Mitchell's Gone With The Wind. He's a scoundrel and profiteer but he loves Scarlet and we know in our hearts he will come back to her despite the obscure ending. How about Atticus from To Kill A Mockingbird? Personally, I have a hard time picturing anyone other than the amazing Gregory Peck to represent this character. He's so tender and loving with his children but tough enough to stand up for what's right. And there is Cool Hand Luke by Donn Pearce. Yes, there was a book before the movie. Luke is so tough and yet caring you cannot help but love him. These are all classic examples of sexy, strong leading men in literature. I could say that Edward from the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer is a strong leading man, even though technically he's not human. What ...

We are in the final countdown to the release of Menu for Murder. This is the first book in the Jayne Stanford series. I'm very excited to share the book cover with you. Watch on Facebook, my website or here for the release sometime this month. Happy Trails, Leslie