Lesa's Book Critiques: Kevin’s Corner Annex – Fury in Death by J.D. Robb
Friday, October 16, 2026
SleuthSayers: Book DNA – is it for you?
SleuthSayers: Book DNA – is it for you?: This is my penultimate SleuthSayers post, and I hope you'll find it helpful if you have a book to promote - or if you just like to read ...
Jerry's House of Everything: FORGOTTEN BOOK: RIPTIDE
Jerry's House of Everything: FORGOTTEN BOOK: RIPTIDE: Riptide by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child (1998) Every time you think you've hit rock bottom, you find there's a bottom below...
In Reference to Murder: Mystery Melange
In Reference to Murder: Mystery Melange: After a hiatus in 2025, the Crime Fiction Lover blog is once again sponsoring the Crime Fiction Lover Awards , its fifth installment celebr...
The Rap Sheet: Oh No, Not Again
The Rap Sheet: Oh No, Not Again
I have the same concerns having been flagged in the past on a couple of reviews. For now, I am leaving things alone and hoping for the best.
Review: Split Screen by Lee Goldberg
Split Screen by Lee Goldberg
is the seventh installment of this thriller series. It opens with Homicide
Detective Eve Ronin of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department out running
solo because her partner, Duncan Pavone, is desk bound. He is going to be there
on his desk in the Lost Hill substation for the foreseeable future as the
powers that be are still pondering his fate. Detective Eve Ronin is feeling a
ton of guilt as he is taking the very public fall for a decision they both made
a few months ago. So, she is responding solo to the home of actress Juliette
Winter who was found dead that morning in her sprawling home in a gated
community in Calabasas.
A predictable and tragic end for the
former child star who became known for drugs and partying more than anything
she accomplished in front of the camera. Her assistant found her in the steam room.
Clearly, she had been there for quite some time before discovery. That same assistant,
Georgina Sabella, had last seen her around 7 the evening before when she left.
According to Ronin’s fellow LASD
Deputies manning the perimeter, the house was locked and the security alarm was
on when Georgina arrived earlier that morning. The firefighters that responded
to the initial call had also reported that the steam room door was not locked
and that the door was unblocked.
Ronin went up to the second-floor steam
room and found Medical Examiner Emilia Lopez and the head of Crime Scene Unit, Nan
Baker, assessing the body and the scene. With Juliette Winter’s history, it
would be very easy to assume she just overdosed and died.
But, did she really?
That is just one of the questions Ronin
has to answer while also dealing with departmental politics and pressure. Her
celebrity status continues to dog her career. The last thing she ever wanted was
for the publicity to overshadow her actual work doing the job. So, she tried
very hard to keep considerable distance between herself and the job and the very
fictional tv series based on her.
That plan is out the window now as there
is a new sheriff in town. Sheriff Waylon Gifford is well known for coming in and
taking over a law enforcement agency for a year or too, improving the image of
that agency, and then leaving for a bigger and more prestigious job. He took
over the LASD, the biggest in the nation, two weeks ago and has a very preconceived
notion of who she is, how she got to her position, and what she has done in the
department.
He demands that Detective Eve Ronin use
her celebrity status to help the department and has several expectations of how
she will do that. Not only does she have to participate in the new ad campaign,
she also has to actively participate in the department’s active social media. She
has to participate a certain number of times a day, every day. She also has to
conduct a week-long ride along with the actress, Erin Casey, who plays her on
the show and participate in their social media videos as well. Otherwise, there
will be huge consequences for herself as well as her partner, Duncan Pavone.
If that was not enough, she has to deal
with the hatred and death threats coming from within the department. While that
has always happened, it had died back some, until recent events stirred
everything back up again. At least she can still count on Duncan Pavone and a
few others who see her for what she actually is and still have her back.
And there is the Juliette Winter case to
solve as well as some other crimes.
The result is another fast paced and
highly entertaining read in this great series. The author has steadily built,
book after book, a complicated primary character, and a host of interesting
secondary characters while still delivering on a heady mix of action, mystery,
and suspense. The latest read, Split Screen, fits that mandate
and delivers from start to finish.
As the author notes at the front of the
book, a reader can safely start here, if they wish. But, if you intend to read
the second book in the series, Bone Canyon, you absolutely should read that one
first as there are huge spoilers for it in Split Screen.
Strongly Recommended.
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3S9emlp
Entire Series Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/447nfP7
Kevin R. Tipple ©2026
Thursday, October 15, 2026
Mystery Fanfare: MACAVITY AWARD WINNERS 2026
Mystery Fanfare: MACAVITY AWARD WINNERS 2026: Macavity Awards 2026 (for works published in 2025) The Macavity Awards are nominated and voted on by members of Mystery Readers...
Jerry's House of Everything: MR. MOTO: A FORCE CALLED X07 (MAY 20, 1951)
Jerry's House of Everything: MR. MOTO: A FORCE CALLED X07 (MAY 20, 1951): Following the death of Charlie Chan creator Earl Der Biggers in 1933, the Saturday Evening Post was eager another Asiatic detective to repl...
Thursday Treats: 10/15/2026
Some reading opportunities of interest this week.
Black Cat Weekly #267 is out and again
features short stories and more. This issue is dedicated to Halloween and
spooky season. You can pick up the issue at the website.
Back in September 2023, on the SMFS
blog, as SMFS President at the time, I announced the publication day news
of the release of Prohibition Peepers: Private Eyes During the Noble
Experiment. Editor and fellow SMFS list member Michael Bracken
announced on social media that the anthology is back in print with a new
publisher. Crimson Gate Books is
releasing it on October 19th and you can pick it up on Amazon now. The SMFS list members that
previously annpunced their presence in the book are: Michael Bracken (Cigarette
Girl), David Dean (Three Irishmen), Jim Doherty (The Private Untouchable), John
M. Floyd (River Road), Nils Gilbertson (Lovely and Useless Things), Richard
Helms (West of the Ashley), Hugh Lessig (Cloths of Heaven), Steve Liskow (Peace
of Mind Guaranteed), Adam Meyer (The Dance), Joseph S. Walker (Getting Away
Clean), and Stacy Woodson (Moonshine Turn).
A reminder
that SMFS list member Elizabeth Zelvin recently announced that her latest short
story collection, Rifts & Reprisals: Collected Stories II, is
available in digital form at Amazon. The fifteen tales were previously
published between 2017 and 2025 in EQMM, AHMM, Black Cat
Mystery Magazine, and online at Yellow Mama. This book joins her previously
published short story collection, Breaches
& Betrayals: Collected Stories, released in 2016 and also available on Kindle Unlimited.
You can learn more at her website.
A reminder
that SMFS list member M. E. Proctor’s
new mystery, The Way You Say My Name: A Declan
Shaw Mystery, is now out. will be coming out next week from Shotgun Honey Books. You can pick it up at Amazon and other vendors. This is the 3rd read
in the Declan Shaw Mystery series.
SMFS list member John A. Tures announced on the SMFS list that he had a short story podcast up on the Mysteryrat’s Maze Podcast. His short story, Kill Your Darlings, is free to listen to at the website.
The new issue of the online publication
Yellow Mama is now out. Yellow Mama #118 includes short stories by SMFS list
members Sandra J. Cady (New Orleans
Bound), Pamela Ebel (The
Tenth Muse), and Joseph S. Walker
(Things That Didn't Happen at a Place That Doesn't Exist). You can read the
issue online, and for free, here.
Also now out is Black Petals
Horror/Science Fiction Magazine #117. Full of short stories and more, you can
read the issue online, for free, here.
After Claire A. Murray last week announced that her short story, Ned's Bedevilment, placed as an Honorable Mention in the Bethlehem Writers Roundtable 2026 Short Story contest, fellow SMFS list member, Debra H. Goldstein, announced earlier this week that her short story, My Pinball Knight, appears in the new anthology, Illusive Worlds: Sweet, Funny, and Strange® Tales of Science Fiction and Fantasy, published by the same group. The book comes out today and is available at Amazon and other vendors.
The Alfred
Hitchcock Mystery Magazine: November/December 2026 is now out and includes short stories by SMFS
list members. John M. Floyd (Moneyland), Kate Hohl (Advance Obituary), Michael
Penncavage (Mr. Muktod Stays For Dinner) and S.B. Watson
(Under Pressure) are in the issue. Additionally, SMFS list member Ed
Ridgley announced that
his short story, A Matter of Culture, won the May/June Mysterious
Photograph Contest and is posted in the Nov/Dec issue. Per Mr. Ridgley, “This
is my second time winning the contest!” You can pick up the issue at the website
and at other vendors.
The Ellery
Queen Mystery Magazine: November/December 2026 issue is also now out. “Be Still, Your Heart”
by SMFS list member Josh Pachter is
in the issue as is “My War 2” by Stephen M. Pierce. You can pick it up on the website
and at other vendors.
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A reminder that the latest season of
podcasts, Stuff That Can Kill You (Mysteries to Die For), is now
available in eBook format at Amazon and other vendors. SMFS list member Kathleen Marple Kalb announced
on social media her short story, The Current Situation, is in the read of
twenty stories. You can get your copy at Amazon
and other vendors.
The Sisters in
Crime Colorado Chapter has announced that their lates anthology, Colorado
Mystery Merge: Crime Fiction Collection 2, is coming out later this
month. SMFS list members Chris
Dreith (The Clueologists Club), and Lisa Harkrader (The Mall
Walkers), reported being in the read. The 26 tales are not only complete individual
mysteries; they also provide the clues to solve the overarching mystery of the
book. Sounds pretty cool to this reader. Learn more at their website. You
can also preorder the digital format at Amazon.
A reminder that coming next week is Tollund
Man: Stories by SMFS list member Jeff Esterholm who announced
this fact on social media. Published in print format by Cornerstone Press, you
can order it now in advance of the October 20th publication day on Amazon.
Until next time….
Kevin R.
Tipple ©2026
Wednesday, October 14, 2026
Jerry's House of Everything: SHORT STORY WEDNESDAY: THE PHANTOM DEATH
Jerry's House of Everything: SHORT STORY WEDNESDAY: THE PHANTOM DEATH: "The Phantom Death" by W. Clark Russell (first published in The Idler , October 1893; republished as the title story in Russell...
Tuesday, October 13, 2026
Beneath the Stains of Time: The Thirteenth Apostle (2020) by Jamie Probin
Beneath the Stains of Time: The Thirteenth Apostle (2020) by Jamie Probin: Last time, I reviewed "The Episode of the Nine Monets" (2020) by Jamie Probin, a mathematician, who has written a short series of ...
SleuthSayers: The Self-Taught Writer
SleuthSayers: The Self-Taught Writer: Recently rereleased by Crimson Gate Books. In the September/October 2026 issue of Poets & Writers , Uttama Kirit Patel describes hersel...
In Reference to Murder: Media Murder for Monday
In Reference to Murder: Media Murder for Monday: It's the start of a new week and that means it's time for a brand-new roundup of crime drama news: THE BIG SCREEN/MOVIES Emily Blunt...
Little Big Crimes: What's Her Name Today?, by Mark Billingham
Little Big Crimes: What's Her Name Today?, by Mark Billingham: "What's Her Name Today?, by Mark Billingham, in What the World Needs Now: Mystery Stories Inspired by the Music of Burt Bachara...
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Lost Souls Meet Under a Full Moon by Mizuki Tsujimura
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Lost Souls Meet Under a Full Moon by Mizuki Tsujimura: Reviewed by Jeanne It may just be an urban legend—it certainly sounds like one—but it’s said that under certain conditions, a go-betwe...
Publication Day Review: Truth to Power: A Luke Cage Marvel Crime Novel by S. A. Cosby
Truth to Power: A Luke Cage
Marvel Crime Novel by S. A. Cosby is the author’s latest read. S. A.
Cosby switched genres for this read, but brings his usual themes of racism,
greed, and racial oppression while adding in superhero powers.
In this case, Luke Cage, who lives in
Harlem, is initially having a quiet morning on the streets. He is a superhero
with phenomenal strength, an impervious skin to most projectiles, and other
abilities. Those abilities make Luke Cage a formidable opponent. He is on the
phone with Jessica Jones, whom he is dating and in a serious relationship, when
the conversation is interrupted because a dude just came crashing down out of a
12th story window and landed in the street. Polar Bear Man is definitely alive
and looking for a battle.
In the aftermath, Luke Cage realizes he
missed a call from family in Majestic, Virgina. Luke had asked his cousin, Rashon,
to keep his eyes and ears open, as he was working in the area of a medical
factory that might have been working on some sort of high-tech cybernetics.
Stuff that was winding up in the hands of low-level street criminals. Rashon
was not supposed to do anything more than pay attention and call if he spotted
something or heard something. Now Rashon is dead, Aunt Letty is devasted, and
Luke has to go down there and find out what happened and why.
He can’t bring Rashon back. But, he can
find out what happened and who did it as those in charge probably are not doing
anything on the case. The massive confederate flag still flies just outside
town. The local police are incompetent, corrupt, or both. Luke is going to look
into what happened and will tear the place apart figurately, and maybe
literally too, until he finds out what happened.
If you have read this author before, it is no surprise that the same themes of his other books are present here. The difference in this fast-moving and action filled tale is that Luke is not a mere mortal. Luke has superhero powers. Those outfitted with the cybernetics are, at worst, his equal if not better.
The result is an entertaining read and
one worthy of your time.
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4jzG7ze
My digital ARC came from the publisher, Hyperion
Avenue, through NetGalley with no expectation of a positive review.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2026
Monday, October 12, 2026
Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: The 10:12 by Anna Maloney
The 10:12
by BAFTA winner Anna Maloney is scheduled for release in the US on 20 October
2026. It was released in January 2026 in the UK. An original and
thought-provoking story, it relates the hijacking of a train near Manchester
and its aftermath in chilling and realistic detail.
Art
instructor Claire Fitzroy is one of the passengers who fought back against the
hijackers. While many hailed her as a hero, others objected to a gray-haired
woman taking an aggressive stand against a group of men who threatened harm to
her and the rest of the travelers on the train. After the trial, she decides to
document her experience to set the record straight. The book purports to be her
working final draft with notes from her editor, text messages, emails, quotes
from testimony transcripts, and snips from newspaper articles.
In the second
half of the book Claire became obsessed with the ideological and political
beliefs driving the hijackers, seeking to understand how those philosophies
radicalized the young men into acting as they did, which worried the Secret
Service agents assigned to the case. They feared Claire was attracting an
element of danger she did not fully understand.
Inevitably
perhaps in reading something terrifying but entirely believable like this, I
asked myself if I could have stepped up the way Claire and other passengers did
to prevent a wholesale loss of life. We never know what we are capable of but I
suspect in my case the answer is no.
The structure
of the book is impressively creative and the portrayal of the hijacking is
frighteningly convincing, as is the unhinged social media response to Claire
and the misogynistic expectations of older women. Anyone would find an
experience like that traumatic and I found her need to process the event
through knowledge of the drivers behind it credible.
Starred
reviews from Publishers Weekly and Booklist. Reader reactions
vary widely, many who listened to the audio version found the narrative hard to
follow, which is understandable considering the way the story is presented in
multiple forms.
·
Publisher: Harper Perennial
·
Date: October 2026
·
Pages: 320
·
ISBN-10: 1526689162
·
ISBN-13: 978-1526689160
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3Uk04zN
Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2026
Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal
It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.
Sunday, October 11, 2026
One Bite at a Time: An Interview With Joe Ricker, New Owner and Publisher of Down and Out Books
One Bite at a Time: An Interview With Joe Ricker, New Owner and Publis...: Joe Ricker has appeared three times on the blog; until today, all have been as an author. (In case you’re interested, Joe’s prior appearan...
Mystery Fanfare: KAY HOOPER: R.I.P.
Mystery Fanfare: KAY HOOPER: R.I.P. : Kay Hooper passed away on Sunday, October 4, 2026. Kay's family shares the news of her recent passing. 'We know how much Kay is a...
Saturday, October 10, 2026
KRL Update
Up on KRL this week a review of the latest Coffeehouse Mystery by Cleo Coyle "Eat, Drink, and Get Buried" along with recipes from the book and a big giveaway of a signed copy of the book, a tote, and an autographed set of Cleo Coyle Recipe Cards. Note for this giveaway you can only enter via comment https://kingsriverlife.com/10/10/eat-drink-and-get-buried-by-cleo-coyle/
And a review and giveaway of "Death at King's Cross" by Rosanne Limoncelli https://kingsriverlife.com/10/10/death-at-kings-cross-by-rosanne-limoncelli/
And a review and giveaway of "The Masala Chai Mystery Club" by M.J. Soni https://kingsriverlife.com/10/10/the-masala-chai-mystery-club-by-m-j-soni/
We also have the first of several Halloween short stories, this one by Rand Gaynore https://kingsriverlife.com/10/10/halloween-short-story-blueberry-fields/
Up during the week, another special midweek guest post, this one by mystery author David E Feldman about his new book "Siblings, Love, & Murder" and writing Jewish characters https://kingsriverlife.com/10/07/writing-jewish-characters-who-are-more-than-their-jewishness/
And another special midweek guest post, this one by mystery author Connor Wilson about his new book "On One Knee" https://kingsriverlife.com/10/07/a-thriller-for-the-viral-culture-era/
And another special midweek guest post, this one by mystery author Jean Thesquare about her new book "Re: Claim" https://kingsriverlife.com/10/07/sultryverse/
Up on KRL News and Reviews this week we have another Halloween mystery! A review and ebook giveaway of "Hometown Halloween Homicide" by Rosalie Spielman https://www.krlnews.com/2026/10/hometown-halloween-homicide-by-rosalie.html
And a review and ebook giveaway of "A Pinch of Assault" by Misty Simon https://www.krlnews.com/2026/10/a-pinch-of-assault-by-misty-simon.html
And a review of "Oh, Detective!" by Joe Cosentino https://www.krlnews.com/2026/10/oh-detective-by-joe-cosentino.html
Happy reading,
Lorie
Scott's Take: Iron Man Vol 1: A New Nightmare by Joshua Williamson and illustrated by Carmen Carnero and Juann Cabal
Iron Man Vol 1: A New Nightmare by
Joshua Williamson and illustrated by Carmen Carnero and Juann Cabal is the
latest relaunch of the Iron Man series. So new status quo and new creative
team.
As this begins, Iron Man is in a late-night
tryst with the villain Madam Masque. He, for some inexplicable reason, thought
it was a good idea to tell her that his worst fear is that someone could
recreate the situation that turned him into Iron Man. Madam Masque, years
later, decides to use the information against him. She decides to kidnap a
bunch of genius years that have been picked by Stark as being the future of
Earth. Her plan is to have the brilliant minds create a new Iron Man for A.I.M. (a mad scientist terror group). That means
that the real Iron Man is forced into trying to save while also dealing with
the consequences of his decisions.
There is also someone working in the
shadows against him. Someone who wants revenge. That’s the plot of first five
issues.
Then, in the sixth and final issue of this
first series, Spider-Man guest stars while trying to diffuse a situation
between Norman Osborn and Tony Stark. They are in some sort of conflict over
the Iron Patriot Armor. Someone is trying to make them throw down while Spider-Man
just came by for a bagel. Will Spidey stop their fight? Will he get his bagel?
This is action packed adventure with
Tony facing tech that he forgotten about such as his old Hellicarrier. The art
is great. Tony is well written and is allowed to be a multifaceted character. There
are several short hero cameos including Captain America being disappointed in
Tony for his pillow talk. It is also weird how Spider-Man is also a better
character as a guest star now than in his own books.
The ending tease does not bode well for
Tony and his future. I am eagerly looking forward to Volume 2. I read this as individual
issues through Marvel Unlimited as
the trade won’t be out until late October. I also recommend most of Joshua
Williamsons various Superman runs too if you are looking for a good Superman
book.
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4hoo4t2
Scott A. Tipple ©2026
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