Monday, March 17, 2025
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Reading of the Green: Irish Writers
Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: Man in the Water by David Housewright
Rushmore
McKenzie, created by David Housewright, is one of my favorite fictional
characters and I am happy to see his adventures continue. Pleasantly
self-indulgent and not especially energetic in his so-called retirement, he
still periodically serves as unofficial private investigator, he calls it doing
favors, for his friends, as well as for friends of friends.
In Man in
the Water (Minotaur, 2024) the 21st title of this very good
series, the temperatures are rising after a long Minnesota winter, and Nina and
Rush are looking forward to joining their friends on a trip down the St. Croix
River. Upon arrival at the largely deserted marina they encounter a distraught
woman who says her husband was looking at the boats and now she doesn’t see
him. Rush begins to search, checking the marina office and nearby coffee shop,
but it’s Nina who finds the husband in the river near the edge of a dock. Rush
called the police; when they arrived and he and Nina answered their questions, they
stepped back from a sad situation that did not require them.
The insurance
company declined to pay the double indemnity for an accidental death and the victim’s
widow filed a lawsuit; Nina was considered a critical witness so they became
involved again. Then the dead man’s daughter became convinced her father was
killed and she asks Rush to investigate.
He started
out, logically enough, at the marina. The boat-owning denizens of the marina were
a lively bunch. One of the yacht owners seemed to hold a perennial open house
where the liquor flows and the good times roll.
Rush noticed
a reference to a co-owner of the company the dead man owned, only no one can
tell him who that partner is. He learned a co-owner might well take precedence
in the payout of the insurance policies at issue. Tracing the money flowing
into and out of the small but prosperous company became critical.
It’s always a pleasure to spend time with Rush and his friends, only this time his usual sidekick Bobby Dunston isn’t around. Instead a couple of his boating friends are added to the mix and the insurance company that Rush has worked with several times is represented. While Housewright normally concocts complicated plots, this one is downright byzantine, up to the unexpected but satisfying ending. Not the place to start the series but readers familiar with earlier entries will like this one.
- Publisher:
Minotaur
Books (June 25, 2024)
- Language:
English
- Hardcover:
320
pages
- ISBN-10:
1250863600
- ISBN-13: 978-125086360
Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2025
Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works
on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.
Sunday, March 16, 2025
Little Big Crimes: The Scarlatti Skip, by Richard Helms
Beneath the Stains of Time: The Tale of the Tenpenny Tontine (2021) by P.J. Fitzsimmons,
Bitter Tea and Mystery: Scene of the Crime: Margot Kinberg
Review: The Silence of the Dead: A Charlie-316 Novel by Colin Conway and Frank Zafiro
The Silence of
the Dead: A Charlie-316 Novel by Colin Conway and Frank Zafiro is a complicated
book that spans a period from 1951 to more recent months. Set in 1951, 1973, 2005
and more recently, it considers the idea of a generational serial killer and
the repercussions involved in opening cases long ago declared solved. Set in
the Charlie-316 Universe, this sixth book in the series isn’t an
easy book to review as revealing details of the situation early in this read
would ruin the book.
Suffice it to
say, and it has to as this reviewer does everything possible to avoid spoilers,
the book begins in 2023. Major Crimes Detective Wardell Clint is a good cop,
even though he has a large axe to grind with many people inside and outside the
Spokane Washington Police Department. One of those people he dislikes, and the
feeling is fairly mutual, is former Police Chief Robert Baumgartner. Not only
does he think the former chief is a bit racist, he also thinks that the chief
did everything from a political perspective first, and as a cop a distant
second. So, he does not trust the man at all. But, Detective Clint is on the
track of a killer that has been active for decades and the former chief has the
knowledge and thereby the answers he needs. So, he heads out to the lakehouse
to see the former chief, have a chat, and surreptitiously record what answers
he gets.
Detective Clint
is investigating the 2016 murder of Melaine Paz back when Baumgartner was still
chief. Sexually assaulted and left dead behind a dumpster, her case is
classified as a cold case and one of several Detective Clint is working. While
still in the Major Crimes Unit, he has been put on cold cases only due to
recent events. He’s not in the active current rotation and has been
professionally sidelined. A man who is known for his conspiracy theories, he
believes a conspiracy of some type is at work here with this murder case and others,
and intends to expose all to get his status back.
If nothing else,
Detective Clint is thorough. He has found links to other murder cases going
back as far as 1951. All the cases share a common denominator and were
classified as solved even though he sees inconsistences and holes in the investigations.
Thus, he believes there is a coverup and wants know what really happened and
why Baumgartner and others apparently covered it all up
Baumgartner
eventually agrees to tell all that he knows, unofficially, this one time. As
the hours pass, he starts telling it all from the very brutal beginning in
1951.
There is a lot
to tell. It all is very complicated and shows how some things have changed and
others have not.
The Silence Of
The Dead: A Charlie-316 Novel is an incredibly complicated read.
Unlike a lot of police procedurals, this book as well as the series, do not
push a pro police agenda. Instead, the read highlights that there are times
when no matter what you do, the choices are horrible.
While this was not my favorite read in the series to date that began with Charlie-316, it was an interesting and entertaining read. If you like complicated police procedurals steeped in shades of grey and black, this book, is well worth your time.
Amazon Associate
Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4ivGpUc
My ARC reading copy came from author Frank Zafiro back in October 2024 and with no expectation of a review.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2025
Saturday, March 15, 2025
KRL Update 3/15/2025
Up on KRL this week reviews and giveaways of 2 mysteries set in England-"Two Weddings and a Murder" By Alyssa Maxwell and "A Lethal Walk in Lakeland" By Nicholas George https://kingsriverlife.com/03/15/pair-of-mysteries-set-in-england/
And a review and giveaway of "The Wagtail Murder Club" by Krista Davis https://kingsriverlife.com/03/15/the-wagtail-murder-club-by-krista-davis/
And a review and giveaway of "Big Name Fan" the first in a fun new series by Ruthie Knox and Annie Mare, along with a fun interview with the pair https://kingsriverlife.com/03/15/big-name-fan-by-ruthie-knox-and-annie-mare/
We also have the latest Queer Mystery Coming Attractions from Matt Lubbers-Moore which includes an interview with author Marshall Thornton https://kingsriverlife.com/03/15/queer-mystery-coming-attractions-april-2025/
And another local true crime story by Sarah Peterson-Camacho https://kingsriverlife.com/03/15/go-ask-alice-the-evil-twin-who-did-her-own-sister-in/
Up on KRL News and Reviews this week we have a review of "A Side Dish of Death" by T.C. LoTempio along with a giveaway of a $15 Amazon gift card https://www.krlnews.com/2025/03/a-side-dish-of-death-by-t-c-lotempio.html
And a review and giveaway of "The Woke and the Dead" by Mark Bacon https://www.krlnews.com/2025/03/the-woke-and-dead-by-mark-s-bacon.html
And a review and ebook giveaway of "From the Delta to the DMZ" by Paul Sinor https://www.krlnews.com/2025/03/from-delta-to-dmz-by-paul-sinor.html
SleuthSayers: Never Surrender
X-Men, Vol. 1, Homecoming by Jed MacKay, Ryan Stegman (Illustrator), Netho Diaz (Illustrator)
X-Men, Vol. 1, Homecoming,
by Jed MacKay, Ryan Stegman (Illustrator), Netho Diaz (Illustrator), is the
first one of the two main X-Men titles for the “From The Ashes” which is the new
branding for the new X-Men era. The second is Uncanny X-Men by Gail Simone which I
have nothing good to say about that other than it has pretty art. While the art
is good, none of the characters are remotely right, so I am choosing not to
review it. There are several plot holes in this era because the geniuses at
Marvel decided that they would have the people who are writing this new era not
know how the previous era was going to end. So, try to ignore that since that
is not the creative team’s fault.
This book occurs sometime after a time skip from the
previous era Cyclops, Magento (who is now old and wheelchair bound), Magik and
others and living in Alaska and dealing with trying to save mutants now that
Krakoa is gone. An alien invasion is happening in San Fransico with an adult
mutant at the center of it. Thus, it is up to the team to investigate. The plot
synopsis for the book only covers the first part of the book. There are six
issues and things get a lot more interesting and complicated from there.
The art is rather good and there is plenty of
action. This is a team that is trying to gel a bit. For those who do not know,
one of the main character’s is Beast who has gone through a lot of changes over
the years from hero to villain. Basically, since the character had become irredeemable,
they killed him off and replaced him with a clone from far back in his history.
Wiping away all that character development which turned him evil.
This means the new Beast is struggling with all this
trauma. In addition, Magneto has lost control of his powers and struggling with
his health. Cyclops has PTSD and could use the help and support of his wife.
Instead, she is in outer space. Pretty much every member of the team has
issues. They all should be in therapy.
There is a lot going on in this series. There are
some plot holes with Rogue who is now being written by Gail Simone who clearly does
not know the character’s history. So Rogue is an antagonist in this book. What is
going on with Magneto don’t make sense because of the previous era. That isn’t
all of it.
There is what is going on with Wolverine here despite
him and Cyclops having moved on from having issues with each other. They were
getting along so well that the Summer’s family dinners had Wolverine considered
a member of their family. In fact, they were living to together and both
sleeping with Jean. Now for some reason Wolverine has had all his character
development thrown away and is back to his 90s self. This is even though Wolverine
was rescued by Cyclops and the team from being tortured earlier in this series.
He is now mad at him in Gail’s series. Makes zero sense.
Most of what happened in the in between period of
the old era and this new era is left rather vague. This volume ends on a
cliffhanger which promises answers in the next issue. Not knowing how the
previous era ended really hurt this creative team in how should they handle
this new era.
I have read up to the next issue and there are still
little answers to be had. The second volume will tie into an X-men crossover
called Raid On Graymalkin.
I have not read but based on the internet reaction it is not good. It has been
universally criticized. I hope it’s better than I have read.
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4gYhZ4f
I read this through the Marvel
Unlimited App.
Scott A. Tipple ©2025
Friday, March 14, 2025
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: A Scout is Brave by Will Ludwigsen
Jerry's House of Everything: FORGOTTEN BOOK: SCAVENGER
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Nevermore Tibetan Peach Pie, No Plan B, Killers of a Certain Age
Beneath the Stains of Time: Lord Edgware Dies (1933) by Agatha Christie
Thursday, March 13, 2025
Still Alive
After getting a couple of emails of concern regarding the lack of blog activity and presence on social media, I thought I should say something. I'm alive. Just feeling really sick.
Scott had a doc deal with his ENT Tuesday morning. It went okay. They don't plan any further follow-ups.
I always feel bad after running an errand or three, so I knew Tuesday would be rough. It was. But Wednesday and today have been way worse. Nothing new really, just me being way worse than my normal bad.
I'm hoping this does not mean I have stepped down again on my baseline. I know the time chnage has done a number on me as it always does. But, just walking outside to the car, as I did today, to go to the library (which we absolutely had to do as we had stuff that had to go back or fines would start) was almost too much. As it was, I sat in the car a few minutes to get myself together, before we rolled out.
I stayed in the car, something I have been doing more and more, while he went inside and took care of things.
Anyway, things are not good. Scott still can't find a job, and things are getting more and more expensive as what little I have in the bank runs out. I'm so very tired of missing Sandi, watching my health get worse, and all the rest of it.
Monday, March 10, 2025
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Nineteen Steps by Millie Bobby Brown with Kathleen McGurl
Bitter Tea and Mystery: Fall from Grace: L.R. Wright
Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: Denial: A Novel by Beverley McLachlin
From 2000 to
2017, Beverley McLachlin was Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada. She
is the first woman to hold that position and the longest-serving Chief Justice
in Canadian history. McLachlin is also the author of three legal thrillers
about Vancouver defense attorney Jilly Truitt and a memoir, Truth Be Told,
which won the prestigious Writers’ Trust Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political
Writing and the Ottawa Book Award for Nonfiction. In 2018, McLachlin became a
Companion of the Order of Canada, the highest honor within the Order.
In Denial (Simon &
Schuster, 2021) the second book about Jilly Truitt, Jilly has finally reached
the point in her legal practice that she does not have to take every case that
comes along to keep the lights on. She can pick and choose and she tends to take
only those cases that she knows she can win. So when Joseph Quentin asks her to
defend his wife Vera, who has been accused of killing her very ill mother,
Jilly’s instincts are to say no. Vera was alone in the house with her mother
the night she died and there doesn’t seem to be any question about who
administered the lethal dose of morphine. Quentin is a lawyer himself and well
known as a fixer of all kinds of problems. If he can’t persuade his wife to
take a plea deal, after two other lawyers have resigned in frustration, Jilly
doesn’t know that she can help, but Quentin pressures her and she agrees to
meet with Vera.
Vera
convinces Jilly that she did not kill her mother, despite all the evidence
against her, and Jilly agrees to take the case. The judge will not allow
further delays in the trial process and Jilly has only three weeks to prepare a
defense so she calls in an investigator and they go into overdrive. Jilly looks
at the victim’s will which seems straightforward until she learns that a lawyer
had visited her on her last day alive and no one knows why. Then she discovers a
few holes in the police investigation which introduce an element of doubt. It
was still a thin case and the prosecutor is a formidable courtroom presence who
plays every trick in the legal book.
The Canadian
court system is more similar to that of the U.S. than the English one so the
process described here is not as difficult to follow as some of the English
legal thrillers are. The forceful courtroom dialog could only be written by a
subject matter expert. Jilly is a likable and sharp-witted protagonist, and her
supportive staff make a good foil for her foibles. A human trafficking subplot
is worked smoothly and all too credibly into the larger story. Fans of legal
thrillers will want to add these books to their TBR lists.
·
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
(September 14, 2021)
·
Language: English
·
Paperback: 384 pages
·
ISBN-10: 1982104996
· ISBN-13: 978-1982104993
Amazon Associate
Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3DukEFa
Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2025
Aubrey Hamilton is a
former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at
night.
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