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SHEELAGH MEIKLEM

Many mysteries
for the season

OOKS ARE windows into other,

worlds. We all choose to open!

ibese windows for different rea-

sons. We may be Icoking for in-
formation or for enterlainment, or simply to
escape,

‘While i was growing up on an isolated
mountainside without electricity, reading
was my sole occupation.

I remember the horrific ordeal of measles
when it was decided reading might damage
my eyes and I was presented with some
wool and a pair of knitting needles!

What joy when the ban was lifted and I
could return to the illicit copy of Peyton
Place hidden beneath the blankets and read
by flashlight.

But then, as now, my true passion was a
good murder and fortunately I am not alone
for where there is demand, there is supply.

Every year there is a new crop of mystery
novels, some good, some bad. It must be
very difficult to write a good mystery: to
blend plot with characterization, to leave
clues but not be obvious, io create horror
but not revulsion.

Here are my top ten mysteries of this
year.

Steve Martini has a new book, The Lisi,

In this fastpaced story’ the heroine has

written a bestseller under a nom de plume
but in order to claim a fortune in book and
film rights she must appear in person so she
hires a man to prelend to be the author. The

plan works too well: obsession and greed

take over and Abbys’ dream tums into a
nightmare.

In The Beach, a sirange but compelling
first novel by Alec Garland, Richard, ob-
sessed by visions of the Vietnam War as
seen in movies, is wandering aimlessly
around Bangkok when he is given a map
showing the way to a beach. This beach as-
sumes mythic qualitics for Richard and a
French couple he befriends. They find their
way there and it is all they dreamed of: a
nature commune where a select few live in
peace and harmony. Soon however all this
beauty turns to horror.

Not really a murder, more a mystery of
the heart and soul, is The Dancer Upstairs
by Nicholas Shakespeare. The locale is a
South American country and the anti-hero
is a military intelligence chief.

His main task was to capture the elusive
guerilla leader, Ezequiel. After many near
misses, the policeman captures his prey
only to find himself taken off the case and
sent into a remote region in disgrace. Here
he encounters a foreign journalist and tells
his story of violence and passion.

Also full of violence and passion is
Dreaming of tte Bones by Deborah Crom-
bie. This fifth novel in a series featuring
Superintendent Duncan Kincaid and
Sergeant Gemma Jones of Scotland Yard, is
the best to date. The plot weaves together
events and people from the innocent days
of the early 1900's, the wild and crazy six-
ties and ihe present day Cambridge as a
murder in the past relurns with tragic con-
sequences for several people, including
Duncan.

James Lee Burkes’ Cimarron Rose has a new
character, Billy Bob Holland but he shares a lot
of the same characteristics as Dave Robicheaux,
with a bit more violence.

Lynn S, Hightower brings her detective
Sonora Blair back in Eyesfot, a worthy succes-
sor to Flashpoint, with an equally horrific mur-
der,

Cold Shoulder vy Lynda La Plante Is based on
a tme story of a female cop whose life falls
apart after her pariner dics in her arms, She
loses her job and her family and must fight her
way out of alcoholism to capture a sertal killer.

Ridley Pearson is never a disappointment and
makes the list again with Beyond Recognition.
As does Carl Hiaasen with his new one Lucky
You, another romp through the underbelly of
Florida.

And finally, though his latest book was nat so

* great, any other book by James Crumley is on
” my list. His hero Shug fs gritty, tough and basi-

cally crazy enough to overconte all obstacles on
the way to justice. .

“TERRACE

MORE THAN 40 jumpers took the lunge tt this year at the seventh
annual Kermode Bear Swim on New Year's Day. That's a | record.

s rain Freeze

STANDARD

- The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, January 7, 1998 - B1

Kermode Bear swimmers brave
icy waters for fun and charity

DONOVAN BAILEY
would have been proud of
some participant’s sprint
times at this year’s seventh
annual Kermode Bear
Swim.

Some were in and out of
the water in five seconds
flat.

But not everyone was so
speedy. A few took time for
a bricf dog-paddle, while
others decided once ‘was
simply not enough and they
headed back into the chilly
waters of Lakelse Lake for a
second dip.

A waterskier even made.a
drive-by salute to the swim-
mers.

Some 43 jumpers took
part in the icy New Year’s
Day tradition, making it the

said Darryl Bracken, siill
shivering after his first-ever
Kermode Bear swim. ‘'T’ve
always wanted to do it and
Pll do il again next year.”’

There were plenty of other
first-timers like Bracken at
this year’s event, including
aman calling himself Mr. T.

“My girlfriend talked me
into this, I had no choice,”
he said. ‘‘It was cold. The
worst part was the wind
coming off the water when
you got out,”’

Denise Broughton was an-
other person making her
debut performance. She says
the dip wasn’t actually that
horrible.

“It wasn’t as bad as ]
thought it would be,'’ she
said, ‘‘The worst part was

“The worst part was when the water hit your
face — brain freeze. But I'll probably do it
again. The money goes to a good cause’?

—Denise Broughton

ate

biggest turmout in the
evettt’s seven-year history.
The weather was clear and
cold, with a biting wind off
the water. But that didn’|
stop aboul 200 fans from
showing up to witness one
of nature’s oddest spectacles
— otherwise sensible hu-
man beings shedding their
clothes and their sanity for
dip into freaking cold water.
“It’s the best cure for a
hangover. J’m awake now.”’

when the water hit your face
— brain freeze. But [ll
probably do it again. The
money goes to a good
cause.”

The event was a big suc-
cess for the Terrace Kins-
men Club, which sponsors
the swim as a fundraiser,
This year’s swim raised a
record $6,000 for the Kins-
men Rehabilitation Founda-
tion.

‘We are ecstatic at the

turnout,” says organizer
Bruce Martindale. ‘‘We
thank everyone for their
support.”’

Martindale says the Kins-
men didn’t expect so many
Spectators to show up, so

‘there were some traffic and

viewing problems, but he
says the club will be ready
next time.

“Next year we'll be set-
ting it up more for the spec-
tators,”’ he says,

Top
participants at the swim
were Dale Lufkin, Rhea
Rouw and Brian Linden-
bach,

money-raising |

SECTION B
CRIS LEYKAUF
638-7283

The Kinsmen also received a record $6,000 in donations from the
chilly event and more than 200 fans came to watch.

EVEN SANTA came down from the North Pole for
the swim. Santa, a.k.a. Brian Lindenbach raised
nearly, $700 for the Kinsmen.

ONCE WASN'T enough for these hearty swimmers, who dove into the frigid
waters of Lakelse Lake for a second time.

New Year's brings a girl

NEW YEAR'S BABY: That's Marlene McLean with
the newest addition to her family. The litte girl who

_ had not been named as of Friday was born Jan. 1,

JUST AFTER the ball
dropped on New Year's,
Marlene McLean = was
mished to the hospital
destined to give birth to the
first Terrace baby of 1998.

It wasn’t an easy labour,
lasting nearly 16 hours, but
in the end 29-year-old Mar-
lene had a healthy little girl
at 4:21 p.m. on New Year's
Day.

She was born with a full
head of hair and weighed in
at 3,475 grams, or 7 lbs 10.5
oz for those whi still don’t
know their metric.

That's actually the lightest
of Marlene’s six children.
The rest all weighed more
than eight pounds and one
welghed more than 10
pounds.

Marlene and 31-year-old
husband George, a printer

by trade, have yet to choose

a name for their new girl.
They were expecting a boy
— their last four children
were all boys — so they had
plenty of male names ready.
*T could bear my daughter
screaming when I called to
tell them it was a girl,”
Marlene says of her oldest
child, who is very excited
about having 4 baby sister.

‘. .

Thank You

come and visit.

Cancer Society.

very good mannezs.
See you next year,
Santa.

Tree campaign.

without your help.
Thank you,

Santa says thanks

I would iike to thank the people of Terrace and area for
your generosity. Santa’s headquarters had 506 children

There was also $1,536.68 donated to the Canadian

[ must compliment the parents of all the children who
visited Santa, the children were all very polite and had

Help much appreciated

Terrace Anti-Poverty would Jike to extend our heart-
felt thanks to all the generous people of Terrace who
donated their time, talents,

We were successful in distributing gifts, etc. to each
of our registered families and covldn’t have done it

The staff of Terrace Anti-Poverty group Society,

and gifts to our Christmas

And it’s likely the last
child for the McLeans,

“No more,’ Marlene
says. ‘'‘She’s the last.”’

Marlene and George will.
now have two cribs in their.
bedroom. They still have
their 15-month-old son stay-
ing with them, so it'll be a:

tight squeeze,

But at least the McLeans
will have some help with
their new little girl. For hav-
ing the first baby of the new
year, the McLeaas will
receive a package of gifts
courtesy area businesses,

fuer