Dear Madam or Sir,
I enjoy your column very much and hope you can help me find out what has happened to the second/third books of Sharon Kay Penman's trilogy on Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine. When Christ and His Saints Slept, the first book, was published by Henry Holt in 1995; it was the first of the planned trilogy. Penman's medieval mystery, The Queen's Man, was published in 1996, but I haven't seen the promised continuation of the trilogy. Ms. Penman writes wonderful historical novels, and I am anxiously awaiting the continuation of the trilogy to add to my personal library!

Laura Davis
Alexandria, VA

You'll be happy to know that Penman is currently working on her next sprawling historical epic. These things, of course, take time -- and a whole lot of research -- so no publication date has been set. Penman will, however, release the next book in her mystery series that began with The Queen's Man next month, Cruel as the Grave (Henry Holt) features Justin de Quincy, in Eleanor of Aquitaine's service. Both of Penman's series are set in the same time period and deal with the same court, so Cruel as the Grave should keep you occupied until the second part of the other series is completed.

This New Jersey author published her first work of historical fiction, The Sunne in Splendour, in 1982. Four more have followed. Her first mystery was The Queen's Man (Henry Holt).

These mysteries are the cat's meow

Dear Burning Questions,
Who are the publishers of these mystery writers: Edward Koch, Steve Allen, and Diane Mott Davidson? Do you have a list of mystery authors that use cats in their stories (i.e. Rita Mae Brown, Lillian Jackson Braun, etc.)? Appreciate your reply. P.S. Do you "donate" books when you finish with them?

G.L. Galla
Irvington, NJ

Edward Koch and Steve Allen share Kensington as a publisher. Ex-mayor and reigning "People's Court" judge Ed Koch has a new one coming out in October entitled The Senator Must Die. Next month also marks the release of Diane Mott Davidson's latest, Prime Cut, published by Bantam.

Feline mania has officially set in. Aside from the ones you mention, other cat sleuth creators include Peter Gether (see question below), Carole Nelson Douglas, Garrison Allen, and Lydia Adamson to name but a few. In October Forge will release Douglas's latest, Midnight Louie's Pet Detectives, and in July Kensington released Garrison Allen's Dinosaur Cat: A "Big Mike" Mystery. You might also be interested in Mystery Cats (Signet), a collection of 16 tales of crime and cats by Lilian Jackson Braun, Patricia Highsmith, Ruth Rendell, Patricia Moyes, Hugh B. Cave, Fred Hamlin, and others. Mystery Cats 3 (Signet), which includes stories from Cynthia Manson and Edward D. Hoch, and Nine Lives to Murder (St. Martin's), by Marian Babson, might also be of interest.

As for "donating" books, we give them to the cats at the local animal shelter -- what else are they going to do in those tiny kennels all day?

Dear Burning Questions,
I'm curious as to whether there will be any more books about/starring Norton, Peter Gethers's cat, as in The Cat Who Went to Paris. Here's hoping the furry guy is still around. Thanks.

Jill Layfield
via the Internet

I'm afraid we've got some bad mews for you -- our contact at Ballantine says that the author is currently working on other projects and "feels it would be hard to write a third Norton book."

Shhh! We have a little secret to tell you

Dear Burning Questions,
Do you know when Rick Boyer will be publishing a new Doc Adams mystery? As far as I can determine, he hasn't written one since Pirate Trade in 1995.

via the Internet

Mama always said whispering was rude, but there seems to be a lot of it going on these days.

Not to be confused with The Horse Whisperer, Spoken in Whispers: The Autobiography of a Horse Whisperer, or The Man Who Listens to Horses, Rick Boyer's latest mystery in the Doc Adams series, The Man Who Whispered, will be published by Ballantine/Ivy in November.

Ship date

Dear BQ,
More than a few good Marines and old Sailors need to know the ETA of W.E.B. Griffin's 8th book of The Corps series; surely he doesn't intend to leave us hanging much longer before continuing the exploits of McCoy and Company! Great reading!

R.J. Carr
Cpl. USMCR
Detroit Lakes, MN

ETA: January 1999. Yes, sir, In Danger's Path: A Corps Novel will be released from Putnam this coming January, sir. We hear that this is W.E.B. Griffin's most absorbing story yet.

If you just can't wait, you might try Griffin's The Secret Warriors: A Men at War Novel (Putnam) released in July.

Cornwell corner

Patricia Cornwell fans are in for one delightful surprise. For those of you who have already read Point of Origin (Putnam) and are awaiting the arrival of the next Scarpetta adventure, you won't have to wait long. This October, Charleston based publisher Wyrick & Company offers a book like no other. In Scarpetta's Winter Table, the unflappable chief medical examiner of Virginia becomes chef medical examiner of Virginia. Cornwell offers her readers a behind-the scenes look at the three major characters of the Scarpetta books as they come together to celebrate the holidays. This book, Cornwell's boon to readers, is unlike anything else she's ever written and is a wonderful companion to her body of evidence, uh, work. It includes recipes ("cause of death eggnog," we think we might have had this one) and photographs.

Stumped no more

Our August "stumper of the month" elicited quite a response, proving once again that our readers know more than we do. Thanks to all who answered Dwight Lockwood's query. He wanted to know the author and title of a book about a young woman who was stolen at birth. Two books fit the bill: Caroline B. Cooney's young adult novel The Face on the Milk Carton (Doubleday) and Charlotte Vale Allen's adult novel Somebody's Baby (Harlequin).

Shaara shares an award

NASHVILLE NOVEL BEATS OUT COLD MOUNTAIN TO WIN 1997 MICHAEL SHAARA AWARD FOR CIVIL WAR FICTION

Madison Jones, author of Nashville 1864 (J.S. Sanders & Co.) has been named the recipient of the first annual Michael Shaara Award for Civil War Fiction. Jeff Shaara (interviewed in the June BookPage), author of Gods and Generals and The Last Full Measure, presented the award at a ceremony on July 14 at Davis-Kidd Booksellers in Nashville, Tennessee. David Madden, founder of the United States Civil War Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, was on hand to officiate the ceremony.

The $1,000 award was founded by Jeff Shaara and is given under the auspices of the United States Civil War Center at Louisiana State University. Judges for the 1997 prize were Shaara, columnist and novelist Tom Wicker, and critic and novelist George Garrett. Mr. Jones's novel was selected from a field which included Charles Frazier's Cold Mountain and Howard Bahr's The Black Flower.

Madison Jones is a native of Nashville, Tennessee, and the author of nine previous novels. He lives in Auburn, Alabama, where he is Professor Emeritus of English at Auburn University.

The paperback of Nashville 1864 is scheduled for spring 1999 from Penguin.