Denise Hamilton. Prisoner of Memory.

My friend Denise Hamilton has a new novel out this month. It's call Prisoner of Memory. It's her fifth novel in the past four or five years. She's a fast and good writer. And I've enjoyed all her books.

If you're not familiar with Denise's work, let me fill you in. She writes mysteries set in L.A. But not the sunshine/beaches/palm trees/size zero L.A. you might think about. Her novels reflect the true ethnic and class diversity of our City of Angels, with her previous novels focusing on Asian Pacific, Chicano/Latino, Middle Eastern, and African American characters. They're very contemporary and current.The current novel focuses on the city's Russian population.

The mysteries are solved by Eve Diamond, a newspaper reporter, who comes across cases and works to solve them in her reporting. Eve Diamond is the constant character who holds the novels together.

On another note, Denise Hamilton is one of my guardian angels in L.A.

When I was getting started, Denise took me under her wing and provided a lot of writing, publishing, and networking advice. The advice and connections were rewarded. Denise happened to mention me to the man who is now my editor at Kensington, John Scognamiglio. The rest is history. And while I'm not turning out novels at the one-a-year pace like Denise, I'm holding my own.

If you get a chance, check out Denise Hamilton's current or previous novels. If you've read any already, drop a line here and tell us what you think. And send her a quick congratulatory note... and a thank you for discovering me!
fs