Monday, March 18, 2024

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Bittersweet in the Hollow by Kate Pearsall

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Bittersweet in the Hollow by Kate Pearsall: Reviewed by Jeanne The first James woman walked alone out of the Forest in Cabal Hollow, West Virginia generations ago.   Since then, al...

Lesa's Book Critiques: KEVIN’S CORNER ANNEX – BLAZE! SPANISH GOLD BY BEN BOULDEN

 Lesa's Book Critiques: KEVIN’S CORNER ANNEX – BLAZE! SPANISH GOLD BY BEN BOULDEN

The Rap Sheet: Revue of Reviewers: 3-17-24

 The Rap Sheet: Revue of Reviewers: 3-17-24

In Reference To Murder: Media Murder for Monday 3/18/2024

 In Reference To Murder: Media Murder for Monday 3/18/2024

SleuthSayers: Novel to Short Story to Novel (Again)

SleuthSayers: Novel to Short Story to Novel (Again):   Photo by Stephen E. Morton A special treat today.  Kevin Egan is the author of eight novels and more than 40 short stories. His three lega...

Markets and Jobs for Writers 3/18/2024

 Markets and Jobs for Writers 3/18/2024

Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: Charlie Muffin by Brian Freemantle


The first of Brian Freemantle’s books about British intelligence agent Charlie Muffin was a contemporary spy novel at the time it was published in 1977 but today it is definitely a historical thriller. The Berlin Wall was still standing when the book was written and that’s where it opens. Charlie and two of his younger, greatly despised colleagues are planning to enter the border crossing to the West after completing their assignment in Communist East Germany. Charlie’s department considers him a relic of the past with no current useful purpose. They have furtively arranged to have him arrested at the Wall, thereby ridding themselves of an embarrassment to their agency. However, Charlie has not survived twenty-five years of danger by accident. In fulfillment of the adage “Old age and treachery will always beat youth and exuberance”, he recognizes their skullduggery and smoothly circumvents it.

After that bold attempt to erase him, Charlie has no illusions about the hostility of his workplace but he continues to do his job, convinced he can’t afford to retire. British Intelligence recently captured a major Russian player and, gloating over their success, decided to go after another significant figure. Bringing in General Valery Kalenin of the KGB would be an astonishing coup, one that would restore the reputation of British Intelligence in the world, much needed after the scandals of the Cambridge Five and Profumo. They need Charlie’s help to do it, though.

An excellent look back at Cold War spycraft in all its paranoid and cutthroat detail. A reminder of the alliances and the hostilities that formed quickly and just as quickly shifted into something else. The competitiveness of the various intelligence agencies, even those theoretically on the same side, is illustrated too with the CIA anxious to take some of the credit for the British efforts.

Charlie Muffin is an inspired creation, a working class donkey among the Oxbridge racehorses around him, but still head and shoulders above them in the tricks of their mutual trade. Charlie’s debut seems originally meant to be a stand-alone as the plot threads are tied up at the end. But fifteen books follow this first one with the last issued in 2013, so Freemantle found a way to untie them. Readers of John LeCarre and spy thrillers will relish these stories, as will anyone who enjoys robust senior protagonists who believe in getting even instead of getting mad.

 

·         Publisher: Jonathan Cape; First Edition (January 1, 1977)

·         Language: English

·         Hardcover: 192 pages

·         ISBN-10: 0224013122

·         ISBN-13: 978-0224013123

 

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4aiQQq5 

 


Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2024

Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.

Sunday, March 17, 2024

Kathleeen Marple Kalb's Blog: So You Wrote the Book, Now What?: RED FLAGS

 Kathleeen Marple Kalb's Blog: So You Wrote the Book, Now What?: RED FLAGS

Little Big Crimes: What is Your... by Mat Coward

Little Big Crimes: What is Your... by Mat Coward:   "What is Your..." by Mat Coward, in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, January/February 2024. This is the eighth story by Coward t...

Lesa's Book Critiques: SUNDAY SPOTLIGHT – MADDIE DAY

 Lesa's Book Critiques: SUNDAY SPOTLIGHT – MADDIE DAY

SleuthSayers: 51 and Counting

SleuthSayers: 51 and Counting: There's an old saying that figures don't lie, but liars do figure. However, one can also choose those figures from the data which a...

Saturday, March 16, 2024

Dru's Book Musings New Releases ~ Week of March 17, 2024

 Dru's Book Musings New Releases ~ Week of March 17, 2024 

SleuthSayers: Plotters and Pantsers

SleuthSayers: Plotters and Pantsers:   Last Saturday my wife and I drove down to Natchez, a place I've visited many times, especially during my years with IBM, and this trip...

Scott's Take: Avengers Vol 1: The Impossible City by Jed Mackay


Avengers Vol 1: The Impossible City by Jed Mackay has the tough task of creating a new Avengers roster, setting up the rest of the series, and laying out the major threats that are coming to face them. This roster led by Captain Marvel includes Thor, Iron Man, Captain America (Sam Wilson), Vision, Black Panther, and the Scarlet Witch. They are teaming up with their longtime foe Kang the Conqueror to stop a new villain from obtaining the missing moment. A lost period of time that supposedly contains some sort of treasure.

 

While they work with Kang to try and stop the theft of the missing moment, they must also face off against new foes. The Ashen Combine, a group of multiversal city killers, descend upon the Earth. It’s up to the Avengers to stop these mass murdering psychos before they kill thousands of innocent people in simultaneous attacks all around the globe.

 

Featuring a roster of familiar heroes and great art, this is a high stakes action story. Every character gets a good moment to shine and help solidify why they are on the roster.

 

For this reader, not having Steve Rogers on the roster is strange. But, it makes sense as is currently fighting fascists alongside the X-Men in another book.  The dude can’t be everywhere at once.

 

A couple of characters get costume changes partially through the bound series. Why that occurs is never explained or referenced since the costume changes occurred in different reads. An example of this problem is that here, after a couple of issues, Iron Man is suddenly wearing a stealth suit as a member of the Avengers, though his reasons that are very clearly explained in his own series, are not stated here. 

 

Another example is how Sam and Black Panther have a beef from a previous series, and do not like each other, but the reasons are not explained again in this read.

 

The art is great and full of interesting action pieces with new unique villains. Avengers Volume 2: Twilight Dreaming is expected to come out in July 2024.

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3UOn1ce

 



My reading copy came by way of the Hoopla App and The Dallas Public Library System.

 

Scott A. Tipple ©2024

Friday, March 15, 2024

Lesa's Book Critiques: A MYSTERY GIVEAWAY

 Lesa's Book Critiques: A MYSTERY GIVEAWAY

Writer Beware: The Impersonation List

 Writer Beware: The Impersonation List

In Reference To Murder: Mystery Melange - St. Patrick's Day Edition 3/15/2024

 In Reference To Murder: Mystery Melange - St. Patrick's Day Edition 3/15/2024

Beneath the Stains of Time: Murder in the Family (1936) by James Ronald

Beneath the Stains of Time: Murder in the Family (1936) by James Ronald: Last month, I reviewed James Ronald's Six Were to Die (1932) and a handful of his shorter works collected in Stories of Crime & Det...

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Sleepytime by Joe Brumm

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Sleepytime by Joe Brumm: Reviewed by Kristin Or, a love letter to the creators of Bluey books and episodes, from Kristin In case you haven’t heard of Bluey, sh...

Happiness Is A Book: FRIDAY’S FORGOTTEN BOOK: MRS. PARGETER’S PACKAGE BY SIMON BRETT

 Happiness Is A Book: FRIDAY’S FORGOTTEN BOOK: MRS. PARGETER’S PACKAGE BY SIMON BRETT

In Reference To Murder: Friday's "Forgotten" Books - Death of an Old Girl

 In Reference To Murder: Friday's "Forgotten" Books - Death of an Old Girl

Jerry's House of Everything: FORGOTTEN BOOK: CIRCLE OF DEATH

Jerry's House of Everything: FORGOTTEN BOOK: CIRCLE OF DEATH:   Circle of Death  by James Patterson & Brian Sitts (2023) Not so much a Forgotten Book as it is a Was This Really Necessary? Book. Once...

FFB Review: Blaze! Spanish Gold (Blaze! Western Series Book 18) by Ben Boulden


From the massive archive...


Unity, Utah, is where Kate and J.D. Blaze were planning to celebrate their wedding anniversary. The badlands that surround the town are home to numerous silver and gold mines. Those mines are responsible for most of the males in the town of Unity. Some of those miners and few others are in the saloon known as Petey’s Bucket of Blood as is Kate Blaze. That is until a nearby gunshot draws her and numerous others out to the dark streets like moths to a flame.

 

That pull leads Katie Blaze and numerous members of the local populace to a nearby alley where they find Sheriff Gentry holding a man at gunpoint. That man facing the deadly blast from a shotgun should he do anything at all is her husband, J.D. Blaze. If that wasn’t bad enough, Deputy Haskins is dead nearby and J.D. did kill him. Why he did it is not clear and most folks don’t care and want Sheriff Gentry to mete out justice with his shotgun. Fortunately for J. D. and his wife, Sheriff Gentry is not ready to shoot J.D. unless he has no other choice.

 

Why J. D. Blaze killed Deputy Haskins and what that had to do with the missing Spanish gold, missing men, and an albino who seems to have nefarious purposes in mind, are just some of the factors at work in Blaze! Spanish Gold.  This is the eighteenth installment in the adult western series started by author Stephen Mertz. Like others in the series, including author Ben Boulden’s recent installment entry, Blaze! Red Rock Rampage, this is a standalone entry chronicling the exploits of the married gunfighter duo.

 

Those exploits happen on the trail, in town, and are often violent in nature against those who mean to do them harm. Those exploits are also detailed when they are in the form of a passionate nature as a married couple. These books are billed “adult westerns” and that means there is a high level of detail regarding intimate moments that one rarely sees in a western.

 

Blaze! Spanish Gold is another solidly good western tale with a few good guys, plenty of black hats, and a lot more innocents that can’t escape the evil that has Utah, Unity in its grasp. The mystery and romantic elements add color to a fine western tale.  A fast and fun read that is well worth your time. 

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4ccoejP

 

Print copy supplied by the author late last November for my use to read and review with no expectation of a review. 

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2018, 2024

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Never Consciously Decided-- It Just Happened

 


Lesa's Book Critiques: A PEEK AHEAD

 Lesa's Book Critiques: A PEEK AHEAD

Patricia Abbott: Short Story Wednesday: Michigan Man’s Tastes Get Him Into Trouble by Patti Abbott

 This is not a review, but Patti's short story from 2013. 

Patricia Abbott: Short Story Wednesday: Michigan Man’s Tastes Get Him Into Trouble by Patti Abbott. 

George Kelly: WEDNESDAY’S SHORT STORIES #165: SHADOWS 4 Edited by Charles L. Grant

 George Kelly: WEDNESDAY’S SHORT STORIES #165: SHADOWS 4 Edited by Charles L. Grant

Jerry's House of Everything: SHORT STORY WEDNESDAY: FISH AND FINANCE

Jerry's House of Everything: SHORT STORY WEDNESDAY: FISH AND FINANCE:  "Fish and Finance" by Arthur K. Akers (from Blue Book , July 1932) "Whut's done put de pe'manent wave in my  backbon...

Short Story Wednesday Review: Mystery Magazine: March 2024

 

Mystery Magazine: March 2024 opens with the cover story, “The Five Wives Book Club” by Victor Kreuiter. Every place, no matter how small, has at least one book club. This is true of the small midwestern farm town of Escher. When you are in a book club, you read a lot, and get closer to the other members of the book club. That solidarity, along with the knowledge, can lead you to places you might not visit alone.

 

“Someone Went And Killed Tickly Thomason” by Robert Mangeot is next. Tickly was a legend in Nashville and beyond. Now he is dead. Central Precinct Detective S.R. Jefferson is sure it was murder. S.R. knows this his moment to claim fame and fortune and intends to do so by exposing the truth and making the arrest.

 

As long as he keeps his anger under control and makes his boss happy at the Super-Max Supercomputer, he takes another step closer to getting out. That is easier said than done in “Solitary” by Leland Neville. Good deal that they, like any other workplace, are family, according to the boss. They even have a great softball team.

 

Next up is an espionage story that takes readers to the nation of Turkey. Levon Grace is in Ankara to contact, and bring home, Aisha Aydin. She was an informant from her job in the Turkish National Intelligence Organization. She sent a message that she was burned and went dark. She is hiding, somewhere in the city, and awaiting extraction. The question is where and how to get her out in “Yellow Tulips” by Peter W. J. Hayes.

 

Sheryl and Myra cowrite a successful book series. But, there is friction between the partners in “Four To Go” by Richard Ciciarelli. Sheryl Case, responsible for all the plotting in each book, now has to come up with a new plot by the time Myra Borne, responsible for all the writing, gets back from vacation with her latest boyfriend.  She will be back in a week.

 

Matthew And Jeremy have an idea for a brilliant new app. In fact, they are an hour away from launch as “The Cold Case Geniuses” by David Krugler begins. Instead of working on last minute fixes, they are face to face with an intruder, hiding behind a Richard Nixon mask, and waving a gun at them. This is a burning hot problem that quickly escalates.

 

As it happens, her college roommate is a real life Princess. Amber does not make a big deal about it and neither does anyone else in “The Princess by Janice Law. She needs her prince and they may have found each other. Or not.

 

Ayden was mugged on the way home from work. Muggings are common. Though the identity of the guy that did it in this case is mind boggling. Ayden is going to have a hard time getting anyone to take him seriously in “No One Will Believe You” by Paul Ryan O’Connor.

 

Harry Johnson needs to focus on his paper. Instead, he has to settle a dispute his younger sister, Meghan, and her two friends are having in “The Wisdom Of Solomon” By Eric B. Ruark. This is the “You-Solve-It” tale of the issue.

 

The solution to the tale last month by John Floyd closes the issue. In a rare stroke of luck, the two-sentence solution of “A New Leaf” explains what this reader had thought after reading the story last month.

 

As one expects with the publication, Mystery Magazine: March 2024 is another solidly good issue. Violence is to the minimum, foul language is not present, and the tales within encompass the wide range mystery palate in every way possible. Unlike some publications, this publication is again open pretty much to readers of all ages and persuasions. You are once again guaranteed to find several enjoyable tales.

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3IxZXay

 

For quite some time now I have been gifted a subscription by the publisher with no expectation at all of a review.  

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2024

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

The First Two Pages: “The Home Front” by Charles Ardai

 The First Two Pages: “The Home Front” by Charles Ardai

Beneath the Stains of Time: Locked and Loaded, Part 4: A Selection of Short Impossible Crime and Locked Room Mystery Stories

Beneath the Stains of Time: Locked and Loaded, Part 4: A Selection of Short Im...: I always try to somewhat vary the type of detective novels and short stories discussed on this blog. For example, I recently reviewed James ...

Lesa's Book Critiques: A GRAVE ROBBERY BY DEANNA RAYBOURN

 Lesa's Book Critiques: A GRAVE ROBBERY BY DEANNA RAYBOURN

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Erin Go Bragh! Irish series

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Erin Go Bragh! Irish series:   With St. Patrick’s Day on the horizon, it seems a good time to mention a few book series with an Irish setting.   Finfarran Peninsula se...

Review: Pierce by Patrick B. Simpson


Pierce by Patrick B. Simpson opens with the discovery of a body. College professor Danielle Hutchins was found face down in her classroom late one day. She was found by the janitor, Truman Pierce, who had been out on a date with her the day before. The same janitor who turned the body over as well as lifted evidence from the crime scene. It is a small town and he neglects to tell Detective Longhorn and Detective Johns any of what he did upon finding her.

 

The 28-year-old Pierce was supposed to have a second date with Daniele that very evening. They were supposed to go out for dinner. Now that will never happen.

 

Pierce doesn’t trust the cops for reasons that are never fully articulated so he holds back possible relevant information, does not even tell them he touched the body, and does not disclose that he lifted possible evidence from the scene. He also decides to start investigating on his own beginning with where Danielle worked part time.

 

The visit to Danielle’s second job, a bar, brings unwanted attention in a variety of ways. It also starts him down the road of being a murder suspect, a useful pawn for bad folks, and on the trial of Danielle’s killer.

 

Pierce is an interesting story, that could have used the assistance of a continuity editor. Among other things, the community college setting comes across more through various descriptions as a public school though community college university and college are all also referenced. Pierce goes to fill a glass with water, does so, and the drinking object is then subsequently described as a “cup” or a “water cup.” These and other inconsistencies in continuity are distracting in the read.  

 

It would also have helped the read if the backstory of Pierce and why he acts more like a cop than a janitor as well as why he had a negative attitude towards police was explained. Both aspects were not dealt with much at all in the read. Those details may not be an issue for readers not well familiar with crime and mystery fiction.

 

Overall, despite the aforementioned negatives, Pierce by Patrick B. Simpson is an entertaining mystery. Published by Apprentice House Press of Loyola University Maryland, the book is the author’s first novel. For those well familiar with crime fiction and mysteries, that fact shows throughout the read. The book also shows a lot of promise as the author creates and entertaining and interesting story.  

 

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3SJHqwC

 

My digital reading copy came from the publisher, Apprentice House Press of Loyola University Maryland, through NetGalley with no expectation of a review.

 

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2024