Several guests joined us for the November meeting.
Elections were held. The proposed slate was approved
unanimously. The new officers are:
President – Marilyn Victor
Vice President – Bill Feitzer
Secretary – Kim Reis
Treasurer/Membership – Bobbye Johnson
Newsletter editor – Pat Dennis/Lori Lake
We don’t have any speakers until March so if you have
ideas, please coordinate with Marilyn.
The book for this month is To the power of three by
Laura Lippman. It was agreed that the book has a powerful message and it was
even referred to as “literary”. Comments about the book included disappointment
in the ending and a concern regarding the subject of school violence. It was
agreed that the book was a vivid portrayal of teens and high school life.
The book for December is Immoral by Brian Freeman
and the January book is Blood ties by Lori Armstrong.
Our speaker for the evening was Randy Barnett, the range
master for the St Paul police department and a retired sniper. Randy’s job is
to teach safe handling of firearms. He brought some different types of guns and
ammunition to show. He also talked about some misconceptions people have about
guns. Members in attendance even got souvenirs to take home with them.
President Marilyn Victor called the meeting to order and
reminded us that elections are coming up. Nominations are accepted in October
and the election is in November. The following people were nominated for
positions for the next year:
President – Marilyn Victor
Secretary – Kim Reis
Treasurer/Membership – Bobbye Johnson
Vice President – Bill Fietzer
Newsletter –
Website –
We will also be accepting nominations from the floor in
November. Marilyn also suggested a programming committee to arrange speakers
for the meetings. Anyone interested?
Future speaker ideas included money laundering (Bill-Dec),
TSA (Barb-Jan), and arson investigation (Carol-Feb).
The January meeting falls on January 2nd which
is probably not a good day for many members. It was agreed to change it to the
following Tuesday, January 9th. (Secretary’s note: due to a
scheduling conflict at OUAC, the date was later changed to Monday, January 8th)
Future reads:
November – To the Power of Three, Laura Lippman
December – Immoral, Brian Freeman
January – Blood Ties, Lori Armstrong
Members reported on their experiences at Bouchercon and
goodies received there were passed out. These included bookmarks, postcards,
collections of book excerpts, and doggie treats.
The book for this month was Judgment in Stone by
Ruth Rendell. Those that read it liked it but reported it started slowly.
The speaker this month was Chris Karakostas from the
Minneapolis Police. Chris has been with Minneapolis for 15 years in patrol, as
a street supervisor, in vice, narcotics, and now in robbery/homicide. He talked
about some of the problems they had after juvenile crimes were decentralized and
how much easier it is to track crimes now that a centralized department has been
restored. He spoke about attempts to start a decoy unit in Minneapolis, and
answered many shady questions from members without arresting anyone.
Marilyn Victor reminded us about Killer Nashville, a
mystery writers conference being held Sept 15-16 in Nashville, and the La Jolla
Writers conference in La Jolla, CA October 20-22. She had sent more complete
info in an email to members recently.
She also reminded us about upcoming signings by local or
Sisters in Crime authors to be held at Once Upon a Crime:
William Kent Krueger, Sept 6
Anne Frasier, Sept 16
Clea Simon, Sept 26
Our book for this month was Bone Flour by Susan Funk. This
book was recommended to us by one of our speakers, Dr Lindsey Thomas, a forensic
pathologist. Funk is a local author and her book contains much local
(Minneapolis) history. Those who had read it recommended it.
Future reads:
Oct – Judgment in Stone by Ruth Rendell
Nov – To the power of three by Laura Lippman
Our speakers for the evening were two members of the
Minnesota Search and Rescue team along with their dogs. We learned that there
are 5 units in Minnesota and that they are all volunteers who do this because
they like to be outdoors and working with their dogs. All of the dogs are
personal pets and spend 1-1/2 to 2 hours training each day. After about two
years the dogs and their handlers certify together and continue to spend time
each day in training. Some of the dogs are trackers and some have received
cadaver training. The dog’s personality is very important to their success in
this program. After explaining the program we were given a demonstration of the
dogs in action.
The meeting was called to order by president Marilyn
Victor.
Bobbye Johnson praised the Minnesota authors list on the
website. This huge project was begun when Bobbye was president.
Pat Dennis told us that our own Rich Thompson has been
short listed for a Debut Dagger award for his unpublished novel, Fiddle Game.
He will be traveling to London later this month for the award ceremony.
There will be a launch party for Twin Cities Noir on
Thursday of this week. Several of our members have short stories in the
anthology.
Monica Ferris has a new book coming out this summer called
Sins and Needles.
Book discussion: Killer Stuff by Sharon Fiffer
Future reads:
Sept – Bone Flour by Susan Funk
Oct – Judgment in Stone by Ruth Rendell
Our speaker for the evening was Craig Stoddard. Craig is a
Minneapolis police officer who has also worked in a small town in southwestern
Minnesota. He has had various assignments including patrol officer, crack team
investigator, undercover narcotics investigator, and is currently back on the
beat in Dinkytown. We learned a lot about using informants and consensual
monitoring to get information about crimes.
Treasurer Wendy Nelson reports there is still approximately
$500 in the checking account and that we currently have 23 paid members.
President Marilyn Victor investigated touring the Bureau of
Criminal Apprehension (BCA) building but they only offer tours during business
hours since it is a secure building. There was enough interest among those
present for her to investigate further.
We are still looking for speakers for next fall. We have a
Minneapolis undercover police officer for June. Send ideas to Marilyn.
The books for this month were either London Blitz or War of
the Worlds, both by Max Allen Collins. They were liked for his incorporation of
actual historical figures and accurate history.
Future reads:
June –Killer Stuff by Sharon Fiffer
Sept – Bone Flour by Susan Funk (recommended by tonight’s speaker)
Oct – Judgment in Stone by Ruth Rendell
There are no meetings held in July or August.
Our speaker for the evening was Dr Lindsey Thomas, a
forensic pathologist in the Regional Coroner’s Office in Hastings. This office
covers seven counties. Lindsey explained the difference between medical
examiners and coroners and talked about the political future of the position in
the state of Minnesota. She told us about how they use death data to study
public health issues such as seat belt use, drug use, and the spread of
infectious diseases. We also learned when a coroner is required to investigate
a death and what a typical crime scene scenario might be like.
The meeting was called to order with only 9 members in
attendance. Was it the nice weather, the change in meeting night, or the Twins
home opener that kept everyone away?
A sympathy card was passed around for Carol Hedberg whose
father passed away recently.
Our book for the evening was Before I Wake by Anne
Frasier.
Future reads:
May -either London Blitz or War of the Worlds
by Max Allen Collins. We had originally picked Stolen Away but it is out of
print.
June –Killer Stuff by Sharon Fiffer
There are no meetings held in July or August but we will
need a title for September. Bring ideas.
Our speaker for the evening was Dean Bartz, a retired
forensic photographer. Dean actually hired back on to his same position, after
retirement, as a civilian employee. He talked about the best places to pick up
fingerprint evidence, why he always marks the back of his crime scene photos,
and why criminals in certain professions don’t leave very good fingerprints.
Next month’s meeting is back on the regular night.
The meeting was called to order by president Marilyn Victor
and introductions were made around the room.
Once Upon a Crime will be holding their fourth annual Write
of Spring event on Saturday March 25 from noon to 4:00. 36 authors will be on
hand to sign copies of their books and to chat with readers.
Remember the April meeting was moved to the second Tuesday
of the month, April 11, due to a scheduling conflict at the store. Anyone with
ideas for future speakers should contact Marilyn.
Pat Dennis asked that all submissions for the newsletter be
in by the 15th of each month.
The book for this month was Open and Shut by David
Rosenfelt. It was very well liked and most of the members who read it had gone
on to read more in the series.
Future books are:
April: Before I Wake by Anne Frasier
May: Stolen Away by Max Allen Collins
June: Killer Stuff by Sharon Fiffer
Our guest speaker for the evening was Catten Ely. Catten is
a copy editor by day and forensic junkie whenever given the opportunity. Her
topic for this evening was crime scene reconstruction. At a recent police level
class she learned about some of the new technology in crime scene investigation
such as photography that takes a 360 degree image of a room and electrostatic
fingerprint lifters. She also told us about some actual police cases that they
discussed and studied in her class.
The meeting was called to order by president Marilyn
Victor.
Marilyn reminded us of the Sisters in Crime 20th
anniversary contest. They are looking for ideas to promote the organization or
its members. The winning entry gets the funds to carry out the plan. Entries
are due March 31st.
There is a conflict with the April meeting. OUAC has a book
signing that night with Randy Wayne White. A motion was made to move the April
meeting to the second Tuesday, April 11th. Motion carried.
Wendy Nelson reported no change to the treasurer’s report.
The balance remains $460.24.
We selected books for upcoming months. It was agreed to try
to alternate male and female authors each month.
March – Open and Shut by David Rosenfelt
April – Before I Wake by Anne Frasier
May – Stolen Away by Max Allen Collins
The book for this month was Bangkok 8 by John
Burdett. Only a few had read it and their opinions of it varied greatly.
Our guests for the evening were our hosts Pat Frovarp and
Gary Schulze from Once upon a Crime interviewed by our own Pat Dennis. We got a
chance to question them about what it takes to run an independent mystery
bookstore. Topics included how they decide what to stock, how they get authors
to appear in the store, how they compete with the big stores, and what a typical
day would be like for them. We also got to ask about their favorite books and
favorite authors.
The meeting was called to order by president Marilyn
Victor. Introductions were made around the room.
Our guest speaker this evening was Burnsville police
officer Sergeant Bentley Jackson. Sgt Jackson has been with the Burnsville
police for over 20 years. Since 1987 he has been a crime scene investigator.
Though we were doing our best not to ask questions about the homicide case from
the previous day, we asked many questions about CSI equipment, search warrants,
autopsies, blood spatter, and the effect of gruesome scenes on the police who
respond.
The book for this month was Whiteout by Ken Follett. Only a
couple read it. It was generally felt that the ensemble cast and the good
characterization seemed to fall apart toward the end.
Our guest speakers next month are Pat and Gary from Once
Upon a Crime. We want to know what it’s like to run an independent bookstore.
Upcoming speakers include Caten Ely, a criminology student who has been our
speaker in the past. Also, Sgt Jackson recommended a Dakota County ME, Lindsay
Thomas, who he thought would be a good speaker.
The Sisters in Crime 20th Anniversary
celebration includes a contest for projects or ideas for promoting the
organization or it’s members on a local level. Winners receive funding to put
their plan into action. Any ideas?
Wendy Nelson reported $460.24 in the checking account and
reminded everyone that the $50 dues are due. 13 members have renewed so far.
Pat Dennis reported that the newsletter will be available
in two formats. It will be emailed in PDF format to those with email addresses
on file. The rest will receive theirs in the mail. This will save on postage and
printing costs. She is planning to include member interviews in future issues.
Upcoming books:
February – Bangkok 8 by John Burdett
March – Open and Shut by David Rosenfelt
