Wednesday, October 13, 2010

What is Todd Ritter reading?

The current featured contributor at Writers Read: Todd Ritter, author of Death Notice, his debut mystery featuring small-town police chief Kat Campbell.

His entry begins:
I am terrified of snakes. I don’t discriminate between shape, size, color and killing capability. I’m scared of all of them. A few years ago, a baby garter snake sitting by the door held me hostage in the men’s room at the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in northern New Jersey. That’s how much they freak me out.

Knowing this, it would stand to reason that I shouldn’t be reading Awakening by S.J. Bolton, which is about an English village infested with snakes. Very early in the book, Bolton describes a venomous snake lying peacefully on top of a sleeping baby. That alone should have made me drop the book and run screaming.

But Awakening is about...[read on]
Among the early praise for Death Notice:
“With Death Notice, talented newcomer Todd Ritter takes readers on a roller-coaster ride of thrills and chills. Set in the small Pennsylvania town of Perry Hollow, the book captures the essence of small-town life. The characters, particularly Chief of Police Kat Campbell, are memorable and shine in their roles. The crimes are brutal with vivid details readers of crime fiction will happily devour—and beg for more. Ritter has conceived a mystery that will remain in your memory long after you finish the book. Just don’t read it when you’re alone.”
--Linda Castillo, New York Times bestselling author of Pray for Silence

Death Notice is a tense and twisty whodunit from a fresh new voice in fiction. With well-drawn characters and spare, unflinching prose, Todd Ritter offers an atmospheric and emotionally rich debut. Mystery fans will love their visit to Ritter’s Perry Hollow.”
—Lisa Unger, New York Times bestselling author of Fragile
Learn more about Death Notice and its author at Todd Ritters' website.

Writers Read: Todd Ritter.

--Marshal Zeringue