Dixie Hemingway Books In Order

Publication Order of A Dixie Hemingway Mystery Books

Blaize Clement was born in 1932 in Grayson County, Texas, USA and died in the year 2011. She married at a young age. At different times of her life, she was a family therapist, dressmaker, and stay at home mum. Though she has never been a pet sitter she constantly interacted with animals.
She was affected by polio at the age of 20, a condition that made her spend an year in the hospital. Nevertheless, she was able to regain her health but was never able to walk unassisted.

After the birth of her second child, Clement divorced her husband. She proceeded to join University of Houston and later Baylor University to become a successful clinical psychologist. Her health problems were compounded when she tripped out of a wheelchair while being wheeled by an airline personnel.
Clement always loved books. When she was growing up, she would check out up-to seven books from the libraries. Though her career was in psychology, she would write textbooks, fiction, and poetry. She never tired of joining and being active in various writing groups. She took pride in mentoring budding writers and was humble enough to learn from others. Currently, the Blaize Clement Award is offered in the memory of the life and literature contribution of Blaize Clement. She says that her motivation to writing comes from her love of words. She would feel weird if she spent a day without writing.

Clement is survived by her son John, elder son Don- a construction engineer in Durham D.C., five grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

Clement said that she was passionate about the importance of the family as well as loyalty. She further said that she saw an appreciation of people of different color, race, religion, and sexual orientation. She feels that the world would be a better place if the people respected each other and gave each other the much-needed space and privacy. Consequently, these principles found their way in the structure and development of the series.

Dixie Hemingway Series

The idea of the Dixie Hemingway series was conceived when Clement was conceived in a workshop that she was facilitating. In one of the scenes, a man drowned in a cat’s water bowl. Therein the setting and basic plot of Curiosity Killed the Cat Sitter was born and laid a solid foundation for his future work.
There are various elements that define Dixie Hemingway series. To start, the novels fall under the mystery novels. Mystery fiction has its main focus as crime investigation. Typically, a detective solves a crime or a mystery. One of the characteristics of mystery fiction is that the solution about the crime does not have to be logical or conventional. Rather, a talented detective solves the mystery of a crime in an extraordinary way.

Second, the novels center around a former policewoman who became a pet-sitter. Most of the plots are set in the beach-side town of Sarasota, Florida, a setting she is too familiar with.

Lastly, pets are a great component of Clement’s series. Dixie Hemingway is a pet sitter. It therefore goes without saying that the plot will have pets. Animals represent wisdom and loyalty. The friendship between human beings and animals is unconditional and is that of sacrifice. It should be noted that quite a number of readers are fascinated by settings with nature and animals. Clement is concerned that man has continued to keep a distance from animals and consequently losing the connection. She says that her use of pets in the series is to reestablish that relationship and bridge the gap between the human and the animal world.

Curiosity Killed the Cat (2005)

This the first novel of the series. Dixie Hemingway notes that a lot of things in life are worse than a dirty litter box. This is because of the loss she went through when tragedy struck her. Being a pet sitter, her life deals with “crime.” For example, she has to unearth who peed on the bed. The watershed of her life is an event where she finds a man face down on an Abyssinian’s water bowl.

The book is cozy and features an appealing heroine. There is humor that naturally comes with interaction with pets. Clement weaves interesting subplots into the story. There are interesting twists and turns as well as legitimate red herrings that come with traditional mystery fiction.

Duplicity Dogged the Dachshund (2007)

This is the second of the Dixie Hemingway series. By implication, a reader who has read the first book has been introduced to Dixie and her behavior as well as the philosophy and style of Blaize Clement. The adventurous streak forms a great component of anyone who loves Dachshund. Dixie is not ready to deal with personal relationships due to the loss of her family. Dixie is taking care of a Dachshund who who runs away to investigate a mound of mulch. This does not come as a surprise to Dixie. However, the turn events find Dixie at the center of tracing a psychopathic killer.

It contains quite a number of vivid descriptions that touch on cruelty. It also shows characters who were going through a dark spell in life. The author gives a lyrical approach to the beach at sunset. Like most of Clement’s works, the animal world features prominently. The characters in the book care about the animals and take care of them.

Movies and Films

The works of Blaize Clement have not found the way into movies and film. However, it remains to be seen if John Clement will take the work of his mother to the movie and film industry. The improvement in technology will mean easier and more affordable ways of turning popular novels into movies and films.
The Future of Dixie Hemingway Series

The death of Blaize Clement did not mean the death of her series. Rather, she sent the last moment of her life laying concrete measures that would ensure the continuation and sustainability of death beyond her demise. In the last days of her life, she worked against the ultimate deadline to complete the seventh and eight novels of her series.

Clement spent the last seven days of her life with her son John discussing the future of Dixie. Her son John has signed a contract with St.Martins Minotaur to write two additional books in the series.

Conclusion

Clement weaves interesting novels that are full of suspense. Her concentration on mystery fiction gives her an upper hand in the genre. The greatest advantage with her works is that readers will continue to enjoy her works even after her death. Clement’s works are not only thrilling but also outstanding.

One Response to “Dixie Hemingway”

1. Anne Moretti: 2 years ago

   Hello John. I recently stumbled upon the Dixie Hemmingway series in our local library. Over the past several months I’ve read the entire series, more or less in order. I found them to be delightful and especially loved the connection to animals. I too, love animals, especially cats. As a birder, I also loved the way she (and you) described the birds of the area as well as the plants and trees. I could easily picture myself in that beautiful setting. I was saddened and shocked to learn of your mother’s death in 2011. I’m glad that you were able to carry on with the last 2 books in the series, but that last paragraph sure left me hanging! Guidry back in Dixie’s life?? Most gratefully, Anne

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