Fuhrman’s Book Brings Us Back To Scene

A copy of Mark Fuhrman’s book, “Murder in Brentwood” (Regnery Publishing, 392 pages, $24.95 ISBN 0-89526-421-8) is making the office rounds, so I haven’t read it yet.

But I plan to.

Fuhrman, you’ll recall, is the former Los Angeles homicide detective who was among the first officers on the scene of the Nicole Brown Simpson-Ron Goldman murders. You’ll also recall that he later was a key figure in the O.J. Simpson murder trial when he faced off with defense lawyer F. Lee Bailey.

Fuhrman is retired from the L.A.P.D., and now lives in Sandpoint. If you’re wondering whether his book is a worthy buy, here are some excerpts from the New York Times review by Columbia University journalism professor Craig Wolff to help you decide:

“It now falls to Mr. Fuhrman to rehabilitate (his) name. So, first he apologizes. He says he is ashamed; he says he is sorry. Then he becomes, at times, self-serving, self-righteous and moralistic. And, critically, he attempts to soften the edges on some of the most ruinous mistakes he committed during the trial.

“Yet even at this late date - ‘Murder in Brentwood’ is roughly the 60th book on the case to be published so far - Mr. Fuhrman’s account makes a contribution, bringing us strikingly and necessarily back to the crime scene, recalling the brutality of the attacks that claimed the lives of Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman. In calm, unruffled tones, Mr. Fuhrman opens his detective’s pad and tells us about the blood.”

By the way, Fuhrman will sign copies of his book from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday at Vanderford’s Book Store in Sandpoint’s Bonner Mall. For details, call (208) 263-0031.

Authors, authors

It’s not too early to prepare yourself for the Spokane Public Library’s celebration of National Library Week, which will be observed April 14-18.

The events calender is as follows:

April 14: Paul Quinnett, author of “Pavlov’s Trout” and “Darwin’s Bass,” will discuss his books at noon in meeting room 1A at the downtown branch, 906 W. Main.

April 15: Chris Crutcher, author of such books as “Ironman” and “Athletic Shorts,” will read from his selected works at 7 p.m. at the Hillyard Branch Library, 4005 N. Cook.

April 15: Anita Endrezze, award-winning poet, will read from her work at 7:30 p.m. at the South Hill Branch Library, 3324 S. Perry.

April 16: Tony and Suzanne Schaeffer Bamonte, co-authors of “The History of Pend Oreille County,” will read from their book at 7 p.m. at the East Side Branch Library, 524 S. Stone.

April 17: John Roskelley, Spokane County Commissioner and author of several mountaineering books, will read from his works at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Shadle Branch Library, 2111 W. Wellesley.

All readings are free and open to the public. For further information, call 626-5312.

Along came Mary

At the rate he is going, Mitch Finley one day will have celebrated more book publishings than birthdays.

Finley, who is the coordinator of the Auntie’s Bookstore reading series, has a new book out. “Surprising Mary” (Resurrection Press, 109 pages, $7.95 paperback, ISBN 1-878718-37-1) is Finley’s study of Christ’s mother.

As always, Finley slips a sense of divinely inspired humor into his spiritual study.

“The Son of God is also the son of a human woman,” Finley wrote. “Fully human, fully divine, he slips into the world in the usual way. Does this shock us? Does this scandalize us? It did not shock or scandalize the Creator of the universe, who thought it was a good idea, so let us be quiet.”

So, what is a Mootsy?

The “Story of Mootsy” short-story contest has been judged, and the winner is Linda Scott of Spokane.

If you’ll recall, the contest was inspired by Rick Turner, owner of Mootsy’s, a tavern at 406 W. Sprague. The site of regular poetry readings, Mootsy’s got its name from… well, because Turner liked the sound.

But continual questions about the name’s origin prompted Turner, with the aid of Spokane poet Tom Davis, to hold a contest inviting writers to give Mootsy a special meaning.

For Scott, one of 23 contest entrants, that name stands for a not-always-accurate-but-always-faithful memory.

“The name ‘Mootsy’s‘ is the culmination of half-a-lifetime,” Scott wrote. “Is Mootsy the nickname of my bunkmate? Is it the moniker of a much-maligned old woman? Or the family name on a bottle of cleaner? Yet, it could be that awful clarinet screech or the never-explained colorful snow event the year I was 10.”

Scott won $300 for her efforts.

Let’s hope Turner decides to hold a second-annual “Story of Mootsy” contest. I’m willing to bet that there are other Mootsy-inspired tales to be told.

The reader board

George Rohrbach, author of “Zen Ranching and The Farming Game,” will read from his book at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Auntie’s Bookstore.

, DataTimes