Fall 2023
Fancy Dancer and the Seven Drums
A novel by John Roskelley » More ...
Mystery novels
Fall 2023
Fancy Dancer: Q&A with adventurer and author John Roskelley
Fancy Dancer and the Seven Drums, John Roskelley’s first novel, traces its origins to the 1967 Omak Stampede, when a similar but more streamlined story first came into his mind. Here, Roskelley (’71 Geol.) discusses the roots of the narrative, his writing process, other works, and more.
Where did the idea for the book come from? Is it rooted in or inspired by any true events in your real life?
The idea for Fancy Dancer and the Seven Drums morphed from an early personal interest in central Washington’s unique place in American history to a more realistic focus on the diversity and lives … » More …
Winter 2022
The Cascade Killer: A Luke McCain Novel
Rob Phillips ’78 Comm.
Latah Books: 2020
A father and son snag a black bear near Chinook Pass during their first hunt of the season and come across human remains—an ear among the animal’s stomach contents. Luke McCain, a Yakima-based Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife officer who also just happens to be a WSU alum, is called to the scene along with his trusty sidekick.
Jack, a yellow Labrador retriever, leads McCain and a crew of sheriff’s deputies … » More …
Spring 2021
Sins of the Bees
Review of Annie Lampman's novel Sins of the Bees » More ...
Summer 2019
Briefly noted
Brief reviews of books by WSU alumni, faculty, and the WSU Press: crime novel, cryptocurrency, childrens' books, humor, insects, and plants. » More ...
Fall 2013
New & noteworthy
Luna Sea
by Kim Roberts ’82
2012
Aloha Jones, harbormaster at Lahaina, Maui, investigates the murder of a local troublemaker in this mystery set in Hawaii and filled with sharks and funky characters on the dark side of paradise.
The Boys From Ireland: An Irish Immigrant Family’s Involvement in the Civil War
by Neil W. Moloney ’53
2012
In this historical fiction, a group of dispossessed Irish immigrants find themselves embroiled in America’s Civil War, enduring poverty, starvation, and the loss of family members.
Biodesign Out for a … » More …
Spring 2012
All You Can Eat
Richard Harlan Miller
Gray Dog Press, 2011
In an expensive downtown Spokane condo lives a predator. You wouldn’t guess it from his expensive wine, conservative clothes, classical music, and penchant for nature and historical TV programs, but Darius is part of a group who must drink the blood of humans.
They don’t use the v-word, turn into bats, or sleep in coffins, but the bloodsuckers in All You Can Eat live a very long time … » More …
Summer 2011
Murder at Foxbluff Lake
Jesse E. Freels ’99
Gray Dog Press, 2010
Cougar fans of all ages will enjoy reading Jesse E. Freels’s first book, Murder at Foxbluff Lake, a Coug Hawkins mystery. The novel tells the story of Coug, the teenage son of a WSU football legend, who goes on a camping trip with two of his buddies only to find a body and wind up entangled in an illegal drug deal.
The book is set in north- central Washington in … » More …
Summer 2003
Index of Suspicion
Don’t read Index of Suspicion by Robert E. Armstrong until all your pets have had fresh rabies vaccinations. Using his knowledge as a veterinarian—he graduated from WSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine in 1962—Armstrong has constructed a complex and frightening plot that hinges on the deliberate infection of people with the rabies virus as an instrument of murder.
Set in Texas, where Armstrong now lives, this fast-paced whodunnit stars an aging veterinarian who becomes caught up in the rabies plot. Armed with his technical knowledge and plenty of courage, the vet investigates the death of a presidential candidate and a grand old dame of the Texas … » More …