In response to the large
number of mystery fans
in the Taos community, " 'Who Did It?': A Grammatically
Correct Mystery Book Club" was started several years ago,
with regular monthly meetings held the third Wednesday of each
month. A mystery, recommended by one of the Club members, is
selected for discussion at the next meeting. One of the pleasures
Club members have experienced is the discovery of new writers.
Only a few of the members, for example, had ever read mysteries
by the Australian writer, Arthur Upfield, who wrote stories set
in the Australian outback with a half-Anglo, half-Aboriginal
detective named Napoleon Bonaparte as his protagonist. Tony Hillerman
acknowledges his debt to Upfield in creating his own Native American
law enforcement characters, Jim Chee and Joe Leaphorn.
Frequent visits to the Club meetings by mystery writers
enhance the discussions. Among the many published mystery writers
who have been Club guests speakers are Jake Page, Rex Burns,
Michael McGarrity, Steve Brewer, Robert Westbrook, Walter Satterthwait,
John Dunning, James Doss, Pamela Christie, Judith Van Gieson,
Christine Goff, Kathy Brandt, Robert Greer, Albert Noyer, P.J.
Grady, Connie Shelton, Susan Slater, Steve Havill, Lewis Owens
and Ron Querry.
Any lover of mysteries is welcome to attend meetings, which
are informal (and sometimes almost rowdy!). Fun-loving about
mysteries the members may be, but they take their books seriously.
