Brief Mention: Indie Self-Published "Pathologist" Mysteries from Jane Bennett Munro

Despite all the frustrations for a mystery author of "submitting" to commercial publishers, there are two important things that the process instills: Enough willingness to meet the genre's conventions of plot, suspense, character, and excellence in pace and twists so that a book will make it up and over that bar. And professional editing that demand that the author have a darned good reason for wandering astray or scattering abundant red herrings.

So the "indie" route is a tough one for most authors, and I want to mention the murder mysteries that Jane Bennett Munro is publishing. She's gaining awards for them (including an IPPY), and they're lively and well plotted. Puzzlingly, her fourth book featuring pathologist Toni Day -- DEATH BY AUTOPSY -- turned up in my mailbox recently. It dates back to 2014, so it's not exactly a new release. But I enjoyed the pathology language in it, and of course the premise: that the autopsy might be to blame for the final death of someone! Here's a snippet, from Toni Day's point of view:

My heart sank. Did the fractured sternum make that laceration, or did I? There were no other marks on the myocardium, so my needle puncture had to be somewhere in that bruised area.

"What's that?" Pete asked.

I took a deep breath and tried to appear calm. "It appears to be a laceration of the left ventricle."

"Is that where the bleeding came from?"

"More than likely." My voice trembled. "Photograph it. Just in case."

If the "pathology talk" appeals to you, you might indulge in one or two of Munro's books for your summer reading stack. Be reasonable -- settle in for a jaunt, and a bit of learning on how an independent author may opt to spin a story. I enjoyed this one, and it gave me a lot to think about.

(The author website is out of date and incomplete, but in case you want to peek: http://janebennettmunro.com.)

PS:  Looking for more mystery reviews, from cozy to very dark? Browse the Kingdom Books mysteries review blog here.