Hmmm… Which is More Important: "An Excellent Mystery" VS Sleuth Who Is "Smart, Savvy, and Successful"?
Not very long ago, MJ sent in an interesting comment about female sleuths. I have to admit that most of my favorite authors write series which feature female sleuths, so I'm pretty familiar with a whole gamut of them.
I like a female protagonist in the cozy mysteries I read to have what I call the "3 S's" – smart, savvy, and successful. The sleuths in my recommendations meet those criteria.
I read a cozy this past month where the main character/protagonist was weak and not the brightest bulb on the block. In fact there were NUMEROUS inexplicable stupid situations, both in this character's background and within the story (I don't want to give too much detail here).
This author wrote an excellent mystery. I sent an email to the author suggesting the main character be given some savvy and smarts in future stories. It would take little effort to do some tweaking and add these attributes to this character. The author wrote back and stated if this dimension was added to the character, she (the sleuth) would be totally 'out of her element' in a cozy mystery. I sent another email listing several authors whose female protagonists are smart, savvy, and successful and their books ARE considered cozy mysteries (also very popular ones).
I think we all have different ideas of what makes up an interesting/engaging main character. This just happens to be what I prefer in a cozy.
MJ, I totally agree with you. I don't stay with a series if I don't like the sleuth. I could almost venture to say that the main sleuth is my number one reason for following an author's series. Obviously, the writing, setting, other characters, and mystery are right up there, but a sleuth I don't like: No way!
I read the first mystery in a VERY popular Cozy Mystery series that I could absolutely not believe was a top-selling series. The main sleuth was a total ditz: as the first person at the scene of a crime, she actually found clues and kept them from the police. (I wrote an entry about this a while back. That's how much it irritated me!) I broke my 50-page rule, and finished the book because I knew so many people think the series is absolutely wonderful, but I was so irritated throughout the rest of the book that I wondered how this ditz became such a popular sleuth.
As for the author who wrote to you saying the sleuth would be totally 'out of her element' in a Cozy Mystery: Yow! I probably shouldn't say this, but huh? Does this mean that this author thinks all female sleuths in Cozy Mystery books are ditzes? (I'm not even sure that's a word…) Hmmm… Does this author think Miss Marple is 'out of her element' in the Cozy Mystery books that Agatha Christie wrote? Does this author think that all of us Cozy Mystery readers are reading Cozy Mystery books which feature ditzes as their sleuths?
What do you all think? If you had to pick one as being more important than the other: Do you like your female sleuths to have the (as MJ says) "3 S's" (Smart, Savvy, and Successful) or do you think the quality of the mystery is more important? As MJ said: "This author wrote an excellent mystery." so she/he delivered on that.
P.S. When writing your comment, please do not post the names of the authors/sleuths who you do not like. Let's discuss this without naming names in a negative way. Thank you!
Judy E. says
I also like them to be smart, savvy and successful but if they are a little on the quirky side, it makes for a more humorous book, at least for me. I like my heroines to be a little funny and to make me giggle and laugh, as they go about solving the mystery they have become involved with, when I'm reading a cozy. And there is a big difference to being quirky and being too silly. I read other mystery/suspense books that are not cozies, that keep me biting my nails or on the edge of my seat, so when I want to relax, I pick up a cozy mystery. So the quirkier, the better.
Jude E, you're so right about quirky VS silly!
Jackie J. Griffey says
This is just a matter of 'everyone to his (her) own taste'. When I read a book which is good enough to finish but that's all – I just don't buy any more of the series or her or his other series or stand alones. Just bless them all, I'm thankful that most of my favorites now are still writing and giving me their good books to read. (And bless you too, Danna for this great blog. 😎
Jackie, that's the best way to let authors know you don't enjoy their books: Don't buy anymore! (Or don't check them out from your library.)
Waverly says
I like mysteries featuring sleuths that are smart, savvy and successful but I also like humorous mysteries and sometimes the protagonists of those mysteries, whether male or female, are a bit ditzy. Part of the humor comes from their inept efforts to solve the mystery.
The sophisticated reader will always be a few jumps ahead of the sleuth and impatient for them to catch up. In my novels, the talking Chihuahua is smarter and more savvy than my amateur sleuth (he watches a lot of crime TV) and that's part of the comedy.
Waverly, without humor, I doubt we'd want to read books just about murders the way we like to read our Cozy Mysteries…
I would rather have my main character smart, then savvy, then successful. and quirky adds a good element to the story. (and any combination of the 4) I did read a book recently that the character was a total ditz and irritated me to no end, I did finish the book hoping she'd get better, to no avail. Won't be getting any more of that series, and there are several.
Anne, you are more patient than I am. I usually try to make it to page 50 before I finally stop. Occasionally I will "make myself" finish a book because the series has been so highly recommended, but that usually makes me think I should have had a V-8!
Donna Mc says
Gee, Danna, can't a reader have both a good mystery AND a great sleuth in the same book? 🙂 I'm a little puzzled about the author's comment that her sleuth would be "out of her element". How can she solve the mystery if she isn't a sharp cookie? Miss Marple was considered to be a harmless but nosy old busybody, but she actually was very observant and intelligent. Is that what the aforementioned author is trying to do with her sleuth – make her seem clueless but she's really smart? I don't see how the book could work, otherwise. On the other hand, the killers always underestimated Columbo because he appeared to be bumbling and confused, but the key there was that he merely appeared that way – he wasn't really like that at all.
My preference is that the sleuth must be smart enough to understand the clues even when others miss them – but she (or he) doesn't necessarily have to be savvy in life or have a successful career of some sort in order to hold my interest. And to clarify that statement I point to Miss Marple, Columbo and Father Brown (the original stories, not the lame new TV series. Such a disappointment!). However, in each of those stories the reader/viewer knew that the sleuth was smart, while the other characters underestimated them.
Deahna says
You've put this very well.
I feel that the sleuth can appear stupid and preoccupied with silly things to the public. Miss Marple often does.
But I simply must have a hint or rather more than a hint that she's really smart and observant behind all this, either by being able to follow their thoughts or by various comments made in private. Like Miss Marple on one occation to the police (as far as I remember it, not actual quote): "But it would be much more noticeable if I did not gossip. It's what old ladies do, it's expected of them."
I can't stand sleuths that really are stupid and just stumble upon clues because it gets the book moving. Even worse are those that break the law to solve a crime.
Donna, I agree with Deahna about your reply. And, Deahna, I can't stand sleuths who stumble onto clues, either.
I love the "undervalued" sleuth who doesn't necessarily hide her talents, but doesn't flaunt them either. Miss Marple is a great example. She can fly under the radar so easily! One of my favorites as well is Maisie Dobbs. She's intelligent but unassuming, even doubting her own talents at times.
In writing my Dulcie Chambers mysteries I want Dulcie to be the "Three S's" but one thing that I'm really trying to avoid is having a man take over. Yes, there is a detective, and yes, he's a man (and yes, there's a level of romance!) but he doesn't swoop in and save the day (or even solve the mystery, for the most part).
The bottom line for me is characters who seem like real people, warts and all. I want to feel as though I can talk to them (and hear them talk to me – crazy, huh?!). For that reason, I especially enjoy women sleuths because I just want each of them to be my best friend and share every last detail of their crazy/fun/interesting/exciting (I could go on and on!) lives.
Stash Empress says
I have to like the sleuth to read the books. I can probably count on one hand the number of books that I actually put down without finishing but I just did that last week because I couldn't tolerate the sleuth! I didn't even wait for the murder LOL — if she was such an idiot behaving in such a puerile manner in her everyday life, I can't imagine finding a corpse would improve her any LOL! (And this wasn't the first book in the series, just new to me — so she's presumably found at least 3-4 corpses already 😉 Now this was a series that I picked up because I've read (and enjoyed immensely) another series by the same author — with a smart savvy sleuth — so we know the author *can* write good sleuths and good plots — but I just couldn't stomach this one & gave it up.
That said — I doubt its possible to have a good plot with a bad sleuth — I think the two have to go together, no? If the sleuth is behaving like a total ditz, the plot will have serious problems right there.
On the other hand, there's been some books where I loved the sleuth & other characters, loved the basic story/premise — but was exceedingly annoyed by stupidities in the plot — things where the author should have known better (especially since this was an author who had written numerous books in various series under various names — so he *really* should have known better than some of the ridiculous plot devices that would NEVER ever EVER happen in real life).
So in answer — yes — you need a good sleuth — smart savvy women abound! — but you also need a good plot!
Forgot to add one more bugaboo — when you have a great sleuth, a great plot — but for one minor detail — there's absolutely NO REASON that the victim had to be murdered… {sigh}}}}}}}}}
Stash Empress, maybe it's possible "to have a good plot with a bad sleuth" but I don't think most of us would want to even begin reading the book if we knew that was going to be the case. We'd probably skip the series all together. (Anyway, I would!)
For me, the mystery is the plot device that allows me to spend more time with characters I enjoy. What I look for is interesting people in interesting settings. I do expect my hero or heroine to exhibit some basic competency, even if they have other areas where they are clueless. I read a number of crafting mysteries, even though I am not a crafter, because the author has created a community of people that are fun to spend time with.
Yes Judith summed it up very well — I read the book to spend time with the people whose company I enjoy! (Ooops — I really need to get a life then LOL). For that reason I think its very important that authors remember to "introduce" us to all of the repeating characters in each book – for those readers who are picking up the series somewhere in the middle. Because I enjoy crafting cozies so much, I picked up the current book in a very popular series — I think it was number 9 or 10 in the series but it was new to me. I was expecting to enjoy it. But the book started out with the sleuth having a party of 10 or so of her "nearest and dearest" — and the author made no attempt to "introduce" us to any of these other people. During this first scene it was clear that there were undercurrents related to the various relationships that these repeat characters had — which someone who had read the previous books would be familiar with. But I really felt uncomfortable like you do at a party where everyone knows each other & I didn't know a soul! So I continued the book waiting (in vain) for the author to let us in on the various back stories — but it never happened! So yes, its a very popular series, there's been several more in the series since then — and maybe if I'd started from the first in the series, I might have loved it (and that author would have had a new fan for life) — but since I felt like I never had a chance to be part of the "In crowd", as it were, I never read any of her other books.
Contrast that with authors like the Lavenes who make you feel like their characters are your long lost best buddies — I just read the newest Peggy Lee Garden Mystery this week — Lethal Lily — which is I think #7 or so in the series? But right away in the first chapter I felt like I *KNEW* (and loved) all the repeat characters! You can be sure I hit Amazon for all the earlier books in the series!
Judith, I share your same thoughts about the plot allowing me to spend time with a favorite character. Every once in a while a favorite author of mine might have a book that fails to deliver on a good plot, but at least I have the characters who I enjoy visiting.
Lynn T. says
I have stopped some series at the first book because the sleuths lacked common sense, maturity and independence. We have read about sleuths that must be smart due to their professions but lack common sense. I think those sleuths are the most frustrating because one expects a high level of common sense from them.
I have stopped some series at one book where the sleuth lacks maturity. One example was one sleuth who was out on her own for the first time and talked badly about her parents. When she got in trouble she would call her dad to bail her out. Maybe a younger reader would relate more to this. This was a book written for adults but must have been targeting a young readership. It is a popular cozy series. However, some children can show maturity and some adults show a lack of it so it isn't necessarily age related. It is hard to explain but you know a lack of it when you see it in a character's personality.
A sleuth who is overly dependent on others would stop me from reading on in a series. Maybe that goes somewhat with maturity too. I like independent sleuths who do not cling and whine to others. I remember one book where the sleuth kept quoting what her deceased father would say. Once or twice ok, but by the end I was almost banging my head on the wall when she would bring up what dear old dad would do or say. I did finish the book but don't follow the series.
So instead of smart, savvy, and successful, I prefer common sense, maturity and an independent spirit. A successful person to me is one that is happy with their circumstances and enjoys life. That is the kind of sleuth that one wants to read about.
The mystery is as important to me as the sleuths. I would like to be challenged and engaged as I read. Too many cookie cutter plots can make one stop a series too. It was a good question to think about.
Lynn T, I hadn't thought of it before, but it's reasonable that most of our sleuths are independent, since our sleuths aren't usually sleuthing teams. I totally agree that a successful person is one who is happy with his/her life, and that makes it a pleasure to read. I know of some sleuths who are curmodgeonly, which is OK for the first (maybe!) ten books, but then it just gets old.
My biggest gripe about characters in cozies isn't about their intelligence but lack of backbone. I don't understand why so many authors write their sleuths as pushovers. It is usually a pushy mother or older sister who forces the main character to do things she doesn't want to, and she never says no. I really hate characters like that! I had been enjoying a series with a quirky, humorous character but then I grew tired of the fact she was so wimpy. I emailed the author suggesting a little more backbone in future stories. The author emailed back that she had no intention of changing her sleuth's personality but was gracious about it and acknowledged that sometimes readers outgrow a series. One series I always enjoyed was the Miss Zukas series by Jo Dereske; Miss Zukas was likeable and strong. I wish there were more Miss Zukas like characters in cozies!
Dayna, I have "outgrown" a lot of Cozy Mystery series, and know how unsatisfying it is to do so. Perhaps at the beginning the sleuth appeared to be a good-natured daughter or younger sister, but after several mystery books, she came off like a wishy-washy push-over…
Susie Calkins says
Terrific question and I love everyone's responses! Personally I enjoy reading a great mystery with an interesting sleuth. I probably do prefer smart sleuths (but the kind that are ordinary people that dig in and find extraordinary strength if that makes sense)…I don't know about "successful" in terms of their lives or careers, I think some human foibles are endearing, but I do like when they are "successful" in solving the puzzle. What a fun question!
Susie, I thought MJ's question was a good one, also.
Joyce Ann says
Good response. Yes, I think the ordinary person who finds extra strength when she must is the best kind of sleuth in a cozy. There are different kinds of success. Also, a sleuth who is merely smart, successful, and strong might be rather boring. I prefer one with some private issues she must solve in order to grow, and, better yet, I like some quirkiness or foibles which make her human and endearing. This sleuth along with a good plot will be a winner.
I love reading cozy mysteries and I agree with MJ, I like a sleuth to have the three S's( to be someone I would like to be friends with) and I think that can go hand in hand with a good mystery.
Laura B, the friend aspect of a sleuth is pretty important, isn't it? The sleuth has got to be someone you would want to spend time with, 'cause that's what we do.
Susan* says
I agree with almost everyone so far.
I prefer my characters to have at least little common sense – I can think of at least one series where a life-threatening disaster for the (Blonde – What else?) sleuth is missing a hair appointment, or not being able to afford that new pair of Jimmy Choos… (As someone else said, how can someone that brain-dead solve anything?)
But while vapid isn't good, neither is going too far in the other direction.
The mystery I'm currently reading, the sleuth's ex has just turned up with his new fiancee – who is gorgeous, wealthy, and a brain-surgeon! (Oh and she has impeccable taste in interior decor, too!)
Someone like that as a main character would be enough to make me throw the book across the room!
I think I'll plump for a good story, and a 'real' main character, thanks. Smart and / or savvy is fine, but not completely perfect, please! I prefer my sleuths plausible.
Someone you might actually be friends with, live next door to, or meet in the street, supported by a reasonable, plausible storyline.
Not necessarily a wealthy or brilliant person (Though they could be – Peter Wimsey or Sherlock Holmes for example.) but plausibly real.
She (or he) might be flawed, and / or make mistakes, but then, don't we all? Nobody's perfect, and 'quirks' or odd habits just add to the humanity and plausibility.
I'll get off my soapbox, now, I think, Lol! and just say that while a certain amount of smarts / savvy is important, so is a good storyline. It's a mix of both that makes a good book good, IMHO.
Susan*, while I like to find a few quirks here and there in my sleuths, sometimes I feel like an author may try too hard to make his/her sleuth too quirky, which sometimes translates to "zany" which I can do without. There's a fine line…
Great article (and what was that author thinking when she told MJ changes would make her character "totally out of her element"???)
I don't have much patience with silly characters, and I seriously dislike the "helpless heroine" character. (That could be a future blog post…)
As much as I enjoyed the post, though, I absolutely LOVE the comments! Reading these is like listening to a focus group of mystery readers. Thank you, all!
Susan, I know! Aren't the comments terrific? I have really enjoyed reading them! (Thank you, MJ, for such a great entry idea!)
Rachel A H says
I don't only enjoy mysteries with female protagonists but whoever is doing the sleuthing I have to like them or it is hard to care what happens to them. They don't have to be too successful – the person who has it all is difficult to sympathize with – but smart enough to solve the mystery even if they appear less smart on the surface as part of a disguise. Too many cliches puts me off, but there has to be a good story there to hold my interest. Good characters + impeccable research + poor plot has me looking for something else to read.
Rachel A H, I agree about the person who has it all… it's difficult to really be able to empathize with her/him. I wonder if that is why most sleuths who have "it all" have a side-kick who doesn't.
Moonlight says
A good mystery requires a reasonably intelligent sleuth with a certain amount of common sense engaged in a reasonably intriguing plot. All the elements have to come together.
I stopped reading one mystery because the sleuth cried when her police chief friend scolded her for sticking her nose into an investigation. Murder, no problem, but she was too sensitive to get chewed out by an authority figure? I lost interest.
Then again, rules can be broken by talented writers. I love the Amelia Peabody series by Elizabeth Peters. Amelia is a smart, adventurous women who frequently rushes off to confront criminals. Why does it work? Think of a British subject in occupied territory in the Age of Victoria. The arrogance just fits. No one would dare not reform after a little lecture from Amelia! Other characters recognize her foolish attitude in these situations and react accordingly.
So I need a good plot and a character I can respect for me to enjoy a mystery.
Moonlight, that is weird: " Murder, no problem, but she was too sensitive to get chewed out by an authority figure?" I don't believe I've read that particular Cozy Mystery yet.
Hmmm, I like that you brought the word "respect" into this discussion. You make a great point.
WOW! It's really enjoyable to read this discussion and see the various (and intellectual) viewpoints/comments.
I love a little quirky (and witty) in a character, too, but it never has to take away from their intelligence. It's probably a given that most authors develop their protagonists as caring and considerate people. But I expect more.
Many protagonists, as written by current authors in a contemporary setting, have careers/businesses.
I prefer to see career success or know through determination and smart decision making skills they'll make choices to attain success in their careers, as opposed to the "oh, woe is me attitude!".
I especially appreciate successful business/career protagonists such as Faith Fairchild (Page), Hannah Dennison (Fluke), Deborah Knott (Maron), China Bayles (Albert), Theodosia Browning, Carmela Bertrand (Childs), Josie Prescott (Cleland), Lee McKinney (Carl), Clare Cosi (Coyle) and many, MANY, others too numerous to list here. It's NOT the focus of the story, but is subtly woven into it.
These authors write great mysteries (several with humorous/quick dialogue), yet also have 'successful' amateur sleuths. I've often recommended cozy mysteries to young adult female readers, and these are the types I suggest. They can enjoy a good mystery, yet can recognize/discover the attributes of a strong, successful female.
Many current authors put their female sleuths in precarious situations as the mystery is solved. Often times a male (boyfriend, detective, husband, etc.) comes to the 'rescue', usually occurring only once/story. However, when an author creates several 'precarious' situations within the same story so the sleuth can be 'rescued' (of course, by handsome/appealing male) it gets to be a bit much.
MJ, what a great entry idea! I think all of us have enjoyed reading the comments >>> thanks, again!
(The strong male coming to the rescue should have gone out in the 1960s!)
And of course there's the "twist" of BOTH males coming to the rescue — you know — the policeman and the one who is NOT a policeman LOL — and then they fight it out between them.. LOL! Yes, that entire scenario should have been retired back when — but as the author told me — the publisher insists on it because it sells books!
And thanks again for this discussion — I've been enjoying reading all the comments immensely!
Stash Empress, a sleuth in one of my favorite authors' series has two men who are vying for her, but I don't mind, as long as my sleuth is the one who solves the mysteries, and neither of the men come to her rescue…
I agree completely about ditzy characters. Hate 'em and don't read 'em. If they're that silly, I don't want to spend time with them.
I enjoy characters who are surrounded by a "family of friends." And a challenging character or two that they bump up against from time to time. I really enjoy Earlene Fowler's books because of her character's family [especially her Grandma Dove], husband, and friends, and her occasional conflicts with her police chief husband. I like I.J. Parker's historical Japanese government sleuth and his family and retainers. I very much enjoy learning about a historical period, and often a female sleuth [in Barron's Jane Austen series, for example] bumps up against cultural constraints. Her wit in circumventing them makes me like a historical female sleuth even better.
Smart, Savvy, Successful. And characters who, okay, in the first book, maybe don't know the law that well, but experience the consequences of interfering with a crime scene. And have learned these well by the second book.
Also, can I just say how much I hate the "torn between two lovers" subplot? There's a cozy series I love featuring a successful clothing designer/shop owner, who's surrounded by wonderful characters, but I'm getting a sneaking suspicion her present love will be killed off in the next book to make room for a burgeoning attraction between her and the local police detective. Ugh.
I could write for ages and pages about this subject. But I love you for bringing it up, MJ and Danna.
Oh yes — the "two boyfriends" dilemma — I HATE THAT!!!!!! And the two are always — the policeman — and the guy who is NOT a policeman…. I once emailed an author about something in her plot (a character that fell out of the book after chapter one) & while I had her ear I told her that I really hated that the sleuth has this "two boyfriends" thing going on — and she answered that yes, she hates that plot device too, but her publishers insisted. They seem to think it sells more books. Go figure???? (Oh and yes, she totally forgot the character she "lost" & was amazed that none of the proofreaders or editors or anyone else had noticed that! It was pretty obvious to me — the victim has two children in chapter one & then we get to the funeral and beyond — and suddenly she only ever had one — I was so sure that was a CLUE to something nefarious & was waiting the whole book for something to happen regarding that — and was so disappointed when nothing ever did LOLOL!)
Margaret Anne says
Haha, I just laughed out loud when you mentioned the "love" triangle of the police officer and the guy who isn't a police officer. That is so accurate! I don't care for that sort of plot device either.
This is a great question, and I have loved reading all of the responses. For me, the characters take precedence over the mystery plot. My favorite cozies involve protagonists that I can see as my friends… and because of that, I like main characters who are likeable, intelligent, down to earth, and have good senses of humor. If I like the main character, I don't mind if the mystery is weak or the resolution is a bit of a stretch. That being said, if I do not care for the protagonist, then I do find myself putting more value on the the mystery aspect of the cozy. I guess I am looking for some reason to validate finishing the book! I am currently reading Bloom and Doom by Beverly Allen, and I ADORE the main character. She is likeable, funny, and just the right amount of awkward to make her seem realistic and easy to relate to. That alone is enough to hold my interest, but the mystery plot is also very good. I can't wait for the next book in the series.
Margaret Anne, I have the same feeling about characters over mystery plot. I also don't begrudge an author for an occasional weak mystery. As for the resolutions being a stretch, well, I might be able to accept that once, but if it's a constant thing with the author, I don't care how much I like the characters. I feel sort of bamboozled if the author throws a solution at us that was not in the least bit plausible, like making the culprit a minor character who we haven't seen (or heard of) since page 15.
(Also, thank you for letting us know how much you are enjoying Beverly Allen's Bloom and Doom.)
John Clement says
I love that this is such a hot topic.
It hits close to home because it's something that often comes up in my mother's books (the Dixie Hemingway Mysteries.) My mother was a bit of trail blazer in that she grew up in rural Texas in the 30's and 40's, where women were expected to keep their opinions limited to gardening, cooking, sewing, and other "lady concerns," but in spite of that, or perhaps as a result, she received a doctorate (the first in her family) and went on to have a successful career as a psychologist and then finally a writer. Her sleuth is unquestionably smart, but, like my mother herself, often goes out of her way to hide it.
Lately I've been wondering how much of that was a conscious decision on my mother's part, and how much of it was a direct product of her upbringing. I think at times she instinctively hid her intelligence as a kind of survival tactic: in her day, a young woman who was confident in her intellect was considered to be not only a threat to her male counterparts, but a bore, a loud-mouth, a snob, or worse, a "smart-ass."
Of course, for a sleuth, there's a very good reason to have everybody think you're a bit dense and ditzy!
John, my goodness, your mom really was a trail blazer!
(I am so delighted that you continued the Dixie Hemingway Mystery Series.)
Edie Dykeman says
I'm very surprised by the author's response, and wonder what books she was reading that she thinks her main character should act like that.
I'm with those who like the 3 S's although having a quirkiness can be fun at times as well. Just not the dumb and dumber kind of lead. In fact, if they are too silly I end up closing the book for good.
Nekoninda says
I just discovered your site, and this two-year-old topic, and I must cheer for the three S's, "Smart, Savvy, and Successful". I am exhausted wading through tedious cozies, whose authors create heroines embodying the three I's, "Ignorant, Irrational, and Immature". Many of these stories are insulting to women, in their portrayals of all female characters as petty, jealous, and fairly dumb.
I look forward to reading some of the recommendations given on this page, and elsewhere on your blog.
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