William Doonan's new mystery novel, Mediterranean Grave, explores crime on the high seas and establishes a valiant and original protagonist. Henry Grave is an investigator for the Association of Cruising Vessel Operators. A World War II P.O.W., Henry is as cunning as he is charming, and at 84 years of age, he fits right in with his fellow passengers. The cruising yacht Vesper is anchored off the Greek island of Thera, in the caldera of an ancient volcano when Henry comes aboard. An Egyptian federal agent was onboard to guard a valuable Minoan cup, but the agent was murdered and the cup, stolen. With the help of a Nicaraguan soap opera star, a New Age spiritualist, and a blind pickpocket, H

Random hanging pairs of shoes on power lines has always been a source of confusion for me. I attempted to solve this mystery by calling the Sacramento Police Department, PG&E and SMUD. According to Sgt. Darrell Martin, the hanging shoes are not a sign of gang activity, at least not from local gangs. Brian Swanson, spokesperson for PG&E, told me that the hanging shoes could cause two major problems: 1. The shoes can weigh the wires down which can impact traffic. Tall trucks such as garbage trucks may snag the wires and cause power outages. 2. The shoes can also bring the two wires together which can short circuit the wires and cause damage to the electrical equipment on power poles, suc