Writer Unboxed: Fiction Writing Contests Worth Your Time in Fall 2022 by Arthur Klepchukov
Monday, August 15, 2022
Beneath the Stains of Time: The Grouse Moor Murder (1934) by John Ferguson
Beneath the Stains of Time: The Grouse Moor Murder (1934) by John Ferguson: John Ferguson was a Scottish clergyman, playwright and novelist who wrote ten detective and thriller novels between 1918 and 1942 with half ...
Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: M, King's Bodyguard by Niall Leonard (Pantheon, 2021
It is January
1901 and the United Kingdom is undergoing cataclysmic change: Queen
Victoria is dying. Ascending to the throne at the age of 18 in 1837, most people
could not remember a time when she was not their queen. Prince Albert, the
Prince of Wales, calls Melville to Osbourne House, where the family is
gathered, to enlist his assistance for the arrival of Kaiser Wilhelm of
Germany, Victoria’s grandson and Albert’s nephew. There Melville meets
Steinhauer.
Plans for the
funeral have been in place for years. Melville’s job is to ensure the
anarchists running rampant in Europe do not converge on London and assassinate
any of the crowned heads paying their final respects. That many coveted targets
in one highly visible location would be irresistible to any dissident worthy of
the name, and Melville knows it. When he receives word of a credible plot to
kill the Kaiser, his clueless supervisor declines to provide back-up staff so
Melville enlists Steinhauer’s support instead. Locating and neutralizing a nameless radical
revolutionary proved more challenging than Melville expected. The would-be
killer leads Melville and Steinhauer on a chase across London from safe house
to safe house, into a high-class bordello, through a muddy river, around the
public gasworks, and down subway tunnels.
This fast-moving and action-filled narrative describes the
people and the city of 1901 in exquisite detail, conveying authentic sights,
sounds, and smells of a place from more than 100 years ago. Leonard certainly
did his research; the book has a sense of immediacy I would not have expected
in an historical account. I especially liked the description of Melville
sailing through the air during an explosion. The writing is wonderful.
Hints of the war to come are evident even in 1901. While Melville is forced to rely on Steinhauer, he never really trusts him, aware of the underlying discord between the new King Edward and the Kaiser. Later on in their lives they become adversaries. The final pages of the book lay the groundwork for Melville’s career in what would become MI5 as well as for a sequel to this very fine historical thriller. I am looking forward to it.
·
Publisher: Pantheon (July 13,
2021)
·
Language: English
·
Hardcover: 272 pages
·
ISBN-10: 1524749052
·
ISBN-13: 978-1524749057
Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2022
Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on
Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.
Sunday, August 14, 2022
Guest Post: Architect of Courage by Victoria Weisfeld
Thank you, Kevin, for your willingness to host a blog essay
related to my new mystery/thriller Architect of
Courage. In it, protagonist Archer Landis is a successful Manhattan
architect whose orderly life falls into disarray when the woman he loves is
murdered. That’s just the beginning of a summer of disastrous events that
befall him, which put him and everyone around him in danger. Events that,
ultimately, he has to try to sort out.
I’m pleased with the reader response, and one question
people often ask is, what was it like to write a book from the male
point-of-view? First, I never considered having a woman protagonist for this
story, so I had a male firmly in mind from the get-go. I took into account that
he is a successful businessman and a lot of the story’s action takes place in
his office, not at home. His role as the leader of a prominent architectural firm
is essential to who he is, and fits his “let’s get on with it” personality. You
see this in his interactions with his staff, helping them move forward through a
variety of difficulties.
In thinking about this post for you, Kevin, I realized that,
in fact, most of the principal characters in this novel are men: Landis’s two
principal associates, his lawyer, the police detectives, his right-hand when
situations become dangerous. Many conversations occur among these characters,
and in them, especially, I worked on the gender issue. Women (at least women of
my generation) were socialized to express themselves tentatively, “It’s just a
suggestion, but would you like a roast beef sandwich? Or, maybe . . . something
else?” whereas a man would say, “Let’s have a roast beef sandwich” and be done
with it. Of course I’m exaggerating. (See how I did that? Tried to get you to
go along with my example by using the “of course.”)
I reviewed all the dialog numerous times to make sure the
“weasel-words”—the things you say to minimize importance or weaken a statement—were
removed, except in instances where the speaker was genuinely unsure. I don’t
know, what do you think? (See?) A document search found every instance of the
word “need,” which I usually replaced with “want.” There’s a subtle difference
between “I need you to finish that floor plan” and “I want you to finish.” Once
you go on the hunt for weasel-words, they’re everywhere!
By excising that fluff from the men’s conversation, the
women’s voices became more distinctive. Yes, there are women in Architect
of Courage! One character readers single out is Landis’s
receptionist/assistant Deshondra. She’s young and a practitioner of upspeak?
You know what I mean? It makes sense that her conversation would be kind of
(there I go again) a counterpoint for the men’s because of her youth,
inexperience, and gender.
All this focus on how Landis expresses himself provides a
window into the more fundamental issues of how he thinks, analyzes problems, and
reacts to situations. Even though he doesn’t talk about feelings a lot, his
behavior reveals what’s going on inside.
I have a second novel that includes chapters in alternating
points of view, female (my protagonist) and male (a police detective). Compared
to Archer Landis, I find the female protagonist harder to write. There’s too
much “me” in there. She’s not me; I need her to bring her own self to the
project. What I want to avoid is a book in which the main character seems to be
the author projecting, what I call wish fulfillment literature. Action heroes
are prone to this.
Thank you again, Kevin, and I hope your audience members who
read Architect of Courage will enjoy it!
Victoria Weisfeld ©2022
Award-winning short story writer Vicki Weisfeld is a
Midwesterner (Go Blue!) transplanted to New Jersey. Many of her mysteries are
set in those places. Her mother’s Texas family inspired stories about Brianna
Yamato, rookie reporter and expert investigator for the Sweetwater (Texas)
Register. Vicki’s first thriller, Architect of Courage, out June 2022, is set
in the summer of 2011. Everything goes from bad to worse to worst for Manhattan
architect Archer Landis, who must find the courage first to survive, and then
for redemption. Visit her blog at www.vweisfeld.com.
Saturday, August 13, 2022
KRL: KRL This Week Update for 8/13/2022
Up on KRL this morning a review and giveaway of "Death by Bubble Tea" by Jennifer Chow along with a fun guest post by Jennifer where she shares some fun summer drink suggestions to go along with you reading https://kingsriverlife.com/08/13/death-by-bubble-tea-by-jennifer-j-chow/
And reviews and giveaways of more fun food mysteries for your summer reading-"A Catered Doggie Wedding": A Mystery with Recipes by Isis Crawford, "Donut Disturb": A Bakeshop Mystery by Ellie Alexander, and "Dairy, Dairy, Quite Contrary": A Sunflower Café Mystery by Amy Lillard
https://kingsriverlife.com/08/13/food-mystery-catchup/
And a review and giveaway of "Too Mulch to Handle" by H.Y. Hanna https://kingsriverlife.com/08/13/too-mulch-to-handle-by-h-y-hanna/
We also have a review and giveaway of "Death Plans a Perfect Trip" by Mary Jane Maffini along with an interesting interview with Mary Jane https://kingsriverlife.com/08/13/death-plans-a-perfect-trip-by-mary-jane-maffini/
And a mystery short story by Guy Belleranti https://kingsriverlife.com/08/13/a-painful-day-in-pinedale-mystery-short-story/
For those who prefer to listen to Mysteryrat's Maze Podcast directly on KRL you can find the player here for our latest episode which features the mystery short story "Bubbles Baubles" written by Elaine Faber and read by local actor Thomas Nance https://kingsriverlife.com/08/13/mysteryrats-maze-podcast-featuring-bubbles-baubles/
We also have another local true crime story by Sarah Peterson-Camacho https://kingsriverlife.com/08/13/black-pearl-red-light/
During the week we posted another special midweek guest post, this one by mystery author Lucy Burdette about her latest book "A Dish to Die For" and why she doesn't write historical mysteries https://kingsriverlife.com/08/10/why-i-dont-write-historical-mysteries/
And another special midweek guest post, this one by mystery author Thomas Kies where he talks about what he learned about apps during his research for his new book "Whisper Room." You can also enter to win a copy of the book https://kingsriverlife.com/08/10/looking-for-love-in-all-the-swipe-places/
Up on KRL News and Reviews this week we have a review and giveaway of "Killers of a Feather" by TC LoTempio https://www.krlnews.com/2022/08/killers-of-feather-urban-tails-pet-shop.html
And a review and giveaway of "Lies, Spies, and the Baker's Surprise" by Terry Ambrose https://www.krlnews.com/2022/08/lies-spies-and-bakers-surprise-by-terry.html
And a review and ebook giveaway of "Tutus, Fries & Dead Guys" by Jennifer Fischetto https://www.krlnews.com/2022/08/tutus-fries-dead-guys-by-jennifer.html
Lorie
Scott's Take: Black Hammer Vol 1: Secret Origins by Jeff Lemire
Black Hammer Vol 1: Secret
Origins
by Jeff Lemire is strange. A group of superheroes are stranded on a farm in a
small town somewhere. They have been stranded for the last ten years and are
unable to escape despite several attempts to do so. They work to keep their
secrets from others while also trying to uncover why they are trapped here.
This is a big getting to know the characters volume since they are all original
characters inspired by various genres and characters elsewhere.
For example, there is a Martian warlord,
there is a Shazam rip off, there is a robot, there is a science fiction 80s
style hero called Colonel Weird, and others. This is a series that is fairly
unique and kind of hard to explain.
There is some flashback origins style action while most of it the pages are character drama contrasting who they were with who they are now. Most of the characters are not doing well, except for one. I have in my TBR pile the second volume called The Event.
My reading copy came via the Hoopla app and
the Dallas Public Library System.
Scott A. Tipple ©2022
Friday, August 12, 2022
August Issue of Gumshoe Review in online
Gumshoe Review August 2022 now Online
Editorial License:
Just the Facts - August 2022 by Gayle Surrette
Essays:
Bullseye #1: The Society of Crime by James Fleming
US Book Reviews:
Death at the Manor (Lily Adler) by Katharine Schellman
Front Page Murder by Joyce St. Anthony
Girls Without Tears by T.L. Finlay
Holy Chow (Andy Carpenter) by David Rosenfelt
House of a Thousand Lies by Cody Luke Davis
The It Girl by Ruth Ware
The Local by Joey Hartstone
The Lost (Mace Reid K-9) by Jeffrey B. Burton
Shutter by Ramona Emerson
--
Gayle Surrette
Brandywine, MD 20613
Email: davinci@amperzen.com
Blog: http://amperzen.com/blog
A Writer's Life....Caroline Clemmons: GENTRY AND THE MAIL ORDER BRIDE IS RELEASED!
A Writer's Life....Caroline Clemmons: GENTRY AND THE MAIL ORDER BRIDE IS RELEASED!: By Caroline Clemmons GENTRY AND THE MAIL ORDER BRIDE released today! This sweet, historical western romance is the first in my new Texas ...
Beneath the Stains of Time: Emergency Exit (1941) by Anthony Wynne
Beneath the Stains of Time: Emergency Exit (1941) by Anthony Wynne: Last week, I reviewed a short story by Anthony Wynne , entitled "Footsteps" (1926), which is one of thirty-some magazine stories ...
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys Revisited: The Big Lie and The Death of Nancy Drew
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys Revisited: The Big L...: Reviewed by Jeanne When a new author takes up established characters and puts a new spin on them, the results are usually either ad...
SleuthSayers: Time to go to the movies again by O'Neil De Noux
SleuthSayers: Time to go to the movies again: It's fun to make lists. Here are some movies lists. What does this have to do with writing? Movies have scripts, don't they? 1. Mov...
FFB Review: The Bughouse Affair by Marcia Muller and Bill Pronzini Reviewed by Barry Ergang
The year is 1894, the city is San Francisco, and Sabina Carpenter and John Quincannon, owners and operators of Carpenter and Quincannon, Professional Detective Services, have been partnered for over three years. “When they had met by chance in Silver City, Idaho, he had been an operative of the United States Secret Service investigating a counterfeiting operation, and she had been a Pink Rose, one of the select handful of women employed as investigators by the Pinkerton International Detective Agency, at the time working undercover to expose a pyramid swindle involving mining company stock. Circumstances had led them to join forces to mutually satisfactory conclusions, and resulted in an alliance that had prompted Quincannon” to suggest the business partnership—an equal one—to which Sabina agreed.
In the case
under consideration, Sabina has just been hired by the owner of the Haight
Street Chutes Amusement Park to find and stop the activities of a pickpocket
who has been plaguing the site’s customers. Quincannon, meanwhile, has been
hired by the Great Western Insurance Company to find and stop the activities of
a burglar who has already robbed the homes of three “prominent citizens,” all
of whom are policy-holders. The company suspects that at least three other such
citizens are targets.
When the
detectives manage to identify the objects of their separate pursuits as
pickpocket Clara Wilds and burglar “Dodger” Brown, they wonder if their cases
have somehow converged because Clara and Dodger are known to be—or to have
been—a romantic pairing. But then Sabina finds Clara dead, murdered, and Dodger
immediately becomes a prime suspect.
Complicating the
detectives’ lives, Quincannon’s in particular, is an Englishman who claims to
be Sherlock Holmes. Ambrose Bierce has already surmised in his newspaper column
that the man is an impostor because it is well known that Holmes died three
years earlier in a plummet from a Swiss waterfall. Whether Holmes or not, he
insinuates himself into Quincannon’s investigation, which becomes much more
than the pursuit of Dodger Brown. It evolves into the investigation of an
impossible crime when an attorney, Andrew Costain, requests a meeting with
Quincannon at his home. The latter observes someone breaking into the home: “Up
and over the railing there, briefly silhouetted: the same small figure dressed
in dark cap and clothing. Across to the door, and at work there for just a few
seconds. The door opened, closed again behind the burglar.” When Quincannon and
Holmes, the Englishman having watched the house from a different direction,
enter, they find Andrew Costain dead—both stabbed and shot—in a study whose
doors and windows are locked from the inside. The two of them had previously
taken precautions to effectively seal the house against exit or entry, yet
their quarry managed to evade capture and vanish.
As Holmes, or
pseudo-Holmes, sums up the conundrum to Quincannon: “…You are adept at solving
seemingly impossible crimes. How then did the pannyman manage a double escape?
Why was Andrew Costain shot as well as stabbed? Why was the pistol left in the
locked study and the bloody stiletto taken away? And why was the study door
bolted in the first place? A pretty puzzle, eh, Quincannon? One to challenge
the deductive skills of even the cleverest sleuth.”
Count this
reader as one who easily nailed down the identity of the murderer upon spotting
a particular clue, but who did not come close to solving the locked room/sealed
house aspects of the puzzle. The first in a series about the Carpenter/Quincannon
partnership, this well-paced novel melds an enticing puzzle plot with humor,
picturesque characters, and colorful descriptions, based on the authors’
research, of the San Francisco of the 1900s.
Marcia Muller
and Bill Pronzini are Mystery Writers of America Grand Master Award-winners.
The only other married couple to achieve that distinction was Margaret Millar
and Ross Macdonald. As much as I recommend The Bughouse Affair, the meaning of
whose title will become evident not long after one gets into the book, the
authors’ reputations, separate and combined, recommend it far more.
Barry Ergang ©2016,
2022
Among his other works, Derringer Award-winner Barry Ergang’s locked-room novelette, The Play of Light and Shadow, can be found in e-book formats at Smashwords.com and Amazon.com
Thursday, August 11, 2022
Jeanne Reviews: The Trash Harem: Tempe Crabtree Mystery Series by Marilyn Meredith
There’s also the matter of the will. . . .
I picked this one up in part because the jacket copy
mentioned a tie-in with Erle Stanley Gardner, author of the Perry Mason books
which I devoured in middle school, along with watching the re-runs of the TV
show. Gardner lived in Temecula until
his death in 1970, and the Temecula Valley Museum has a permanent exhibition
dedicated to him. Gardner does play a
sort of role in the book, and there is some information about him, but I
confess I was somewhat disappointed. It seemed somewhat superficial, especially
given the role Gardner or some image of him plays in the book.
Native American religion also plays a role but the
references seemed (to me, at least) to be pretty vague and rather generic.
The plot was well done and it was a good
mystery. I do like Tempe, and the
solution was a surprise. Some of the supporting characters were very well done,
too.
Other titles in the series include:
End of the Trail
Spirit
Wind
A
Cold Death
Seldom
Traveled
Not
as it Seems
River
Spirits
Spirit
Shapes
Raging
Waters
Bears
With Us
Invisible
Path
Dispel
the Mist
Kindred
Spirits
Judgment
Fire
Calling
the Dead
Wingbeat
Intervention
Unequally
Yoked
Deadly
Omen
Deadly
Trail
Wednesday, August 10, 2022
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Nevermore: Horse, Tracy Flick Can't Win, Trashlands, Saints of Swallow Hill, Promise Girls
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Nevermore: Horse, Tracy Flick Can't Win, Trashland...: Reported by Garry Horse by Geraldine Brooks is the latest from the best-selling author of Caleb’s Crossing , Year of Wonders , and many...
Do Some Damage: Old Man Rider - Cover Reveal and Interview with Beau Johnson
Do Some Damage: Old Man Rider - Cover Reveal and Interview with Be...: By Paul J. Garth You stick around crime fiction long enough, you come across these characters, these singular expressions of humanity that s...
Bitter Tea and Mystery: Short Story Wednesday: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Part 1
Bitter Tea and Mystery: Short Story Wednesday: The Adventures of Sherlock ...: The first book of Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes short stories, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes , is on my Classics Club List a...
Little Big Crimes Review: Belle and Donna by Keith Brooke
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Short Story Wednesday Review: Thuglit: Issue 8 Edited by David Robinson (aka Big Daddy Thug)
After the
positive response last week, I thought I would crack open the magnificently massive
archive and remind you of yet another Thuglit issue today.
Thuglit: Issue 8 is the latest
installment of the series and another hard hitting anthology of eight stories
that portray life on the edges of society. If you want to feel good about
humanity you should look elsewhere for your reading material. Or, read Thuglit:
Issue 8 after donning a pair of rose
tinted glasses and loading your favorite shotgun.
After a brief
intro by Todd Robinson, the stories begin with “McFerrin and Black” by Buster
Willoughby. Working at the retirement home is a hard job, but it has its perks.
Like when sometimes one of the old folks lets slip some information about
riches to be found.
A wrestler is
looking for a payday and a way out in “The Rightful King of Wrestling” By Chad
Dundas. He might have of found both if he takes that gig south of the border.
The work of
Patti Abbott is always a treat and this issue is not exception. In “The Higher
The Heels” Cara Willis is a realtor who knows how to move real estate. Her
personal track record with men isn't so good, but maybe Joey Rinaldi will
surprise her in good ways.
A day in the life
of a teen selling crack in North Charleston, South Carolina during the summer
of 2012 is found in “Cocaine Starlight” by Isaac Kirkman. The crack selling is
just part of it in this tale packed with details and backstory.
Sure, Edmond ran
her down with his car and busted her up a bit. Something similar has happened
before so what are a few more scars in “Three Days Ahead.” by Caleb J. Ross. He
may have run her down, but he also is hanging out at the hospital and spending
time with her. Can't say that about her family. He also has a plan for the
future and she can be a major part of it.
His girlfriend,
Tammy, told Russell where to go past the old Shiloh cemetery so that he could
score for them. As long as he plays it cool with the dealers in “Nothing to Lose”
by David A. Summers everything should be fine.
It is the late 30's and movie serials are all the rage. Working as an extra is good in “Extras” by Mark Pruett, but the side job is where he makes the money. He identifies problems for people and, for the right price, quietly removes them. Eddie Ross has had all weekend to make a decision and now it is time to close the deal.
Christmas Eve is
not a happy evening for Max in “Not Even A Mouse” by Nolan Knight. A guy with
the name of “Jello” is not doing any better. Max and Jello are on a collision
course even if they don't know it just yet in the story that is the final one
in the book.
Author bios bring the book to a close.
The latest in the series, Thuglit: Issue 8, is another solidly good one. The tales are dark, for the most part, and feature people on the edge doing the best they can to cope with reality in their own ways. Some ways work, at least for a moment in time, while other ones don’t.
Material was
recently purchased for my use in an objective review.
Kevin R. Tipple
©2013, 2022
Tuesday, August 09, 2022
Mystery Fanfare: Val McDermid's Karen Pirie coming to the small screen!
Mystery Fanfare: Val McDermid's Karen Pirie coming to the small scr...: Great news! Val McDermid's Karen Pirie is being turned into a TV series. The first 3 feature-length episodes are adapted from the first...
Review: An Unforgiving Place: A National Park Mystery by Claire Kells
An Unforgiving Place: A National
Park Mystery
by Claire Kells picks up a few weeks after Vanishing
Edge. On assignment in Denali National Park, Investigative Service Branch
Special Agent Felicity Harland is sent to the Gates of the Artic National Park
to investigate the discovery of two bodies. Search and rescue is active in
another part of the park looking for two hikers that have been missing almost a
month. Timothy and Kelsey Greer might be the deceased or they might still be
alive and lost in the vast wilderness.
Before long Special Agents Felicity
Harland and Ferdinand Huxley (who has made the jump to ISB from being a Park
Ranger and is being pulled from doing training modules- much to his relief) are
at the scene of the two bodies. Unlike in most cases, there has been little
involvement by animals. No obvious cause of death and no signs of defensive
wounds. It is clear that they are dead, but the signs of what caused it are not
clear. There are also clear indications that something strange was going on
before they died. One example are the faint marks on the wrists on both bodies
that indicate some sort of ligatures were used on them in recent days.
Harland and Huxley are on the case and
soon forced to work undercover to ferret out the truth. Humans are one threat.
Nature itself is another. Either can kill you dead if you let your guard down.
A worthy and enjoyable sequel to Vanishing
Edge, much is going on in this complicated and action filled read. Events
and backstory regarding the first book come up here. Quite a lot from book one
is referenced, so it is strongly recommended that readers start with Vanishing
Edge first. You will enjoy this very good sequel a lot more if you do so.
While An Unforgiving Place: A National Park Mystery by Claire Kells is currently scheduled to be released on November 8th, I was able to read it now thanks to a digital ARC from Severn House via NetGalley.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2022
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