A little over a year ago, I shared my pleasure when Pesticide, the first Linder and Donatelli mystery, received a starred review from Kirkus. Since then, there’ve been no more Kirkus stars for my Polizei Bern books, although Sons and Brothers and the forthcoming A Fondness for Truth (April 2024) were praised by its reviewers.Continue reading “A Small Blast on My Own Trumpet”
Author Archives: Kim Hays
The Small Miracle of Switzerland’s Federal Council
These days, when I feel brave enough to contemplate the state of the world, I worry about the integrity (and, in some cases, the sanity) of many national leaders. Even democracies, supposedly built with checks and balances, don’t seem to be able to stop their heads of state from making truly disastrous decisions. That’s whyContinue reading “The Small Miracle of Switzerland’s Federal Council”
Latest Interview about the Polizei Bern Books
I became a published writer nineteen months ago, and since then I’ve been interviewed several times for podcasts or write-ups. So far, I’ve enjoyed the experience of answering questions about my books. Recently, I was asked to do something new for me, an “interview” in writing, and that was even more satisfying. No more reflectingContinue reading “Latest Interview about the Polizei Bern Books”
The Allure of THE BLUE SWORD
Since my last blog post was about Bern and pumpkins, and the previous posts were about me, I sat down today planning to write about a recently read book. I went through a list of the last six months of titles and found that I didn’t want to review a single one, although I’d admiredContinue reading “The Allure of THE BLUE SWORD”
Bern Learns to Eat Pumpkins
Countless things, big and small, serious and frivolous, have changed since I moved to Bern thirty-five years ago. The people filling the city’s streets are no longer 98% white, and grocery stores now offer shelves full of Thai, Chinese, Indian, and Mexican food. There are many popular East- and South-Asian restaurants and even one Ethiopian place;Continue reading “Bern Learns to Eat Pumpkins”
Under Cover
Don’t judge a book by its cover. Are you kidding? Of course we judge a book by its cover. Not if it’s by a favorite author, perhaps, but when we’re browsing in a bookstore or even online for a novel by a new writer, we look for covers that appeal to us. So I’m delightedContinue reading “Under Cover”
SONS AND BROTHERS in the Old City
I haven’t had a chance to tell you about a launch for Sons and Brothers that took place some weeks ago at a small bookstore in Bern’s Old City (Altstadt). The Münstergass-Buchhandlung sells mostly German-language books, but its two delightful women owners were still happy to hold an event for my second mystery. The shopContinue reading “SONS AND BROTHERS in the Old City”
Recognition for PESTICIDE
I got great news this past Monday. Pesticide is a finalist for an award for Best Mystery of 2022. The prize, a Silver Falchion, is offered by a writers’ organization called Killer Nashville. I’m delighted. After I finished dancing around at the good news, I decided to find out what a falchion was. Turns outContinue reading “Recognition for PESTICIDE”
School’s Out!
Memory is unreliable—we all know that—but my childhood summer vacations seemed endless. I remember getting out of school at the end of June and not returning until the beginning of September: three months of pure fun. And, I now realize, three months of stress for parents who had to figure out what to do withContinue reading “School’s Out!”
Avoiding a Swiss Dystopia
I read predominantly mystery novels, and that’s fine, but sometimes I need a break from crime. So for the past couple of weeks, before and during my husband’s and my vacation in Uzbekistan (which was fabulous), I’ve been reading highly praised literary novels that I’d downloaded onto my Kindle but hadn’t yet gotten around to.Continue reading “Avoiding a Swiss Dystopia”
