Dear Mouse: A Tale of Love, Murder and Movie-Making in the Carolina Mountains (Paperback)

~ Schuyler Kaufman (Author) "Everyone behaved nicely at this year's hearing..." (more)
Key Phrases: dolly grip, porch set, little darlin, Crystal Beller, Golde Silver, Starling Resort (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"For a fresh voice in the world of cozy mysteries. . . Kaufman is edgy, fast paced, witty, and believable." -- –Patrick Bone, Award winning author of Bloody Mary and Melungeon Winter

“Kaufman weaves mystery and intrigue into a fascinating read.” -- B.J. Foster, Award Winning Author of Bayou Shadows

“Kaufman's writing has the grace of poetry and the emotional impact of a movie..." -- Scott Nicholson, Award winning author of Thank you for the Flowers

Product Description

Matt Logan is a has-been in the movie industry. His face still shows scars from the drunk-driving accident that broke up his marriage. His fans, if he has any left, must look for him in low-budget horror films, playing sleazy character roles. His wife has divorced him; his beloved daughter, Michaella (whom he calls “Mouse”), is cut off from him by a court order forbidding him to make contact with her. In the face of it all, Logan deals with his demons with ironic humor and blunt stubbornness. This novel is his journal, written in the form of letters to the child he has lost.

On location in the Carolina Appalachians, in a production good enough to save his career, and a budget low enough to have hired him, Logan repels a blackmail attempt by the beautiful and ambitious Crystal Beller. Too late, he learns that Crystal is a member of a local crime family. She powers her way into a job on the set, doubling the star in the shower scene.

Logan has other worries: his ex-wife Nancy, just married to her divorce lawyer, wants him to sign an adoption realease so that her husband can adopt Michaella. An established Star visits the set, a potential replacement for Logan. Halla McKee, the actress playing the bitch in the movie, turns down his romantic overtures. And Crystal Beller turns up dead in his dressing room closet, naked and strangled with his tie.

Kaufman gives this character a voice of ruthless honesty and a true actor’s sense of playfulness. Logan describes his fist: “It’s a big fist, scarred, with one bone that never healed straight after three resettings. Pike should have been impressed, except he knew that the only fights I’ve ever won were choreographed.”

The plot is character-driven. Although the killer’s identity may not come as a great surprise, the killer’s motive is a forehead-slapper. Kaufman plays fair throughout. Every clue is available, hidden in plain sight, obscured with some masterful red herrings. At one point early on, the killer is identified, the motive is propounded, and nobody recognizes the solution.

The dialogue is swift and fresh. Using rhythm, word choice and syntax rather than phonetic respellings, Kaufman gives each character a unique voice. Local characters’ dialects vary according to their education and backgrounds. Transplants like Logan and other members of the movie colony speak in voices reflecting a variety of backgrounds; the producer is not American, but has mastered the language with a few oddities; Logan, the son of a State Department official, colors his English with some Britishisms; Halla, transplanted from up North, has absorbed local expressions; Matt’s lawyer, an Ivy-League graduate, retains her mountain phrasing.

Perhaps Kaufman’s strongest ally is her respect and liking for the characters who people this novel. Logan makes no secret of his flaws, which hide a core of unexpected strength. Michaella is the prize that Logan and his ex-wife (and her husband) fight over, but the child flatly rejects the role of helpless pawn. Halla guards her independence so fiercely that her own fears ambush her. These people tend to stick around, long after we have read the last letter to Mouse.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 244 pages
• Publisher: High Country Publishers (September 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0971304521
• ISBN-13: 978-0971304529
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,403,770 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Fun and Absorbing Read, March 2, 2003

By	Cera327 (USA) - See all my reviews

Schuyler Kaufman writes in a way that makes me feel like I was a part of each scene. I felt as if I was actually there, watching and listening to everything that was happening (from being on the movie set with everyone to being alone with only his letters to his daughter for company). Many of the scenes seemed quite familiar to me. For example, in the hospital room when the three women trash one of Matt's old movies and Matt walks in on it, I laughed and laughed as this is the type of thing I love to do with my best friend.

In addition, the way she writes dialogue, I could easily hear the differences between different people's speech. For instance, when Pike, who is retired from NYPD, works with Quin, a local inspector, the clash of dialects makes their conversations that much more interesting and fun to read. Not to mention Kaufman's dry sense of humor, which worms its way even into the darkest scenes.

When I read the book, I felt as if I were in Matt's head. Kaufman gives him his own individual expressions and ways of speaking. I love the way he exaggerates. For example, in the police interrogation scene he says, "The questions went on for several millennia;" or when the director complains that Matt doesn't act enough like a star, Matt replies, "Geez. I thought you wanted an actor, not a media event."

Another thing that I really like about the book is its realism. Coming from a family that has suffered divorces, I found the way Kaufman portrayed the children to be right on target. In addition, it was refreshing to become familiar with a caring and loving father who is not a "deadbeat dad."

The events and circumstances kept the mysteries lively, and kept me guessing throughout the book. I strongly recommend this book for anyone who likes a good mystery with terrific characters. Enjoy!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Dear Mouse, February 6, 2002

By A Customer

I admit that I am a biased reader. Schuyler Kaufman asked me to read her manuscript before it was published, because she knew that my favorite pastime reading is mystery novels. I did not expect this manuscript to be so absorbing. With perhaps a little leaning toward the violent side, Dear Mouse is a well-crafted, traditional "cozy," without the excessive sex, violence, and darkness that pervades much modern literature. The lead character, Matt Logan, is multidimensional; the dialogue portrays the characters vividly; the plot is intriguing; and the setting (the making of a movie) was fun to learn about. Now I'm eagerly awaiting the next Kaufman novel. (I hope I get a preview again.)

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars the conection, December 26, 2003

By	shannon gross (salem, south dakota usa) - See all my reviews

This book was amazing. Lately I haven't been reading that much on the fiction scale, but it caught my attention. Dear Mouse, has special meaning to me. Not only was it a so-called Christmas present, but one of the caractors takes on my name. I was able to connect with this book. Recently I lost my son so the emotions were there that were triggered by this mans loss. It was always my feelings that I could still write notes to him even though he couldnt read. I was also enchanted by the way Schuyler was able to give each caractor their own personality. It made the book that much more interesting. Usually I guess what is going to happen in a book, then when I find out I was right,I dont want to read anymore. Towards the end when I find out what is going on, I couldnt put it down. I HAD to find out what happened to that adorable little girl. It was a great book. There are now about four people waiting in line to read my copy. They are all itching to find out what happens. I would recomend this book to anyone looking for a little mystery that isnt too gory. Great reading material. Ms. Kaufman keep up the good work, and stop by our TA any time.
shannon