Short Story Wednesday Review: The Perp Wore Pumpkin II: A Humorous Crime Anthology to Benefit Second Harvest Food Bank

 

The Perp Wore Pumpkin II: A Humorous Crime Anthology to Benefit Second Harvest Food Bank is the new release from White City Press, an imprint of Misti Media. Published by J. Alan Hartman, edited by Sandra Murphy, the anthology contains eleven tales of the season where crime, food, and humor are in large supply. There are also three recipes from the Mr. Hartman’s sister, Lisa Lynn.

 

It should be noted that the anthology includes the short story, Choked on Love, by yours truly. I am breaking my long-standing policy of not reviewing books I am in because this is a charity anthology. The mission here, and one I believe in, is to help others with food insolvency in some way. I am unable to do much, but I can do this, and so I am.  

 

After an introduction from the publisher, J. Alan Hartman, it is on to the stories. “A Trifle Too Far” by Shari Held kicks things off where Aunt Sadie is well known for bringing inedible concoctions to the holiday dinner. For example, it wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without her pumpkin whoopie pies. She soon arrives in her red Mustang with yet more surprises for this year. She isn’t the only one with surprises.

 

Editor Sandra Murphy is next with “And a Thanksgiving Turkey Names John Glenn.” Ronnie and Buddy are private detectives and on a stakeout. Neither one of them wants a repeat of last year when Buddy got shot. Though that did bring Sharon into his life and a lot of other changes.

 

My story, Choked on Love, is next. Enough said about that.

 

After a recipe for “Easy Poultry, Rice, and Carrot Soup” it is back to the stories with “What Cranberry Relish Can Add to Your Holiday” by Vicki Erwin. Like the main character in the last story, she had plans to for dinner, a bit of reading, and television at home. But, little sister Jenna refuses to take no for an answer and knows her weak spots.

 

Fedora Amis is up next with “A Faery Tale Thanksgiving” where Rodney and his buddy have significant expenses. They have bills to cover as professional criminals and the lifestyle is not cheap. Grabbing the daughter of a rich guy sounds like just the ticket.

 

Alice and Lorna are going to spend time with Lorna’s family in “The Turducken Murder” by Lisa Krystosek. Upon arrival, they discover the police and a lot more is already going on at the house of Lorna’s parents. They also still have to participate in all the family traditions that some folks would also consider crimes.

 

After a recipe for “Quick Black Beans” it is on to “Easy as Pie” by Mike Rusetsky. Big brother Dusty Bruiser and Davey have the huge bag of potatoes after it fell off a farmer’s truck with nobody the wiser. Now, if they could just get their hands on some pies. Dusty Bruiser has a plan.

 

He wants no part of the Rehabilitation Center in “Gelatin and Soda” by Stephen M. Pierce. But, his mom in in the place after a bad fall. Sandra King is also now missing a shoe. There will be no peace for him or anyone else until his mom’s shoe is found.

 

Ruth Harper used to be an attorney. She retired, got bored, and took a job as a sales rep for New Orleans Naughty and Nice. Basically, she sells erotica products at small parties in homes. The latest event was a fun evening. Until it wasn’t in “Laissez les Bons Temps Rouler” by donalee Moulton.

 

After a recipe for “Fruit Crumble” it is back to the stories with “Great Aunt Martha’s Pumpkin Pie” by Sally Milliken. Instead of the annual football game, these folks play a soccer game. They also do it full costumes. Dad might be having cognitive issues and some folks might be trying to take advantage of that fact.  

 

NYPD Officer Sumi Lin is a rookie and working her first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in “What the Dicken’s Is Going On?” by Wendy Harrison. She is pretty sure there is some criminality going with the folks on the float she has been assigned to be with, but Sergeant Arlo Harris won’t listen to her at all.

 

The list of authors and their short bios bring the enjoyable anthology to a close.

 

A fund read full of crimes, hijinks, shenanigans, foods, and more, The Perp Wore Pumpkin II: A Humorous Crime Anthology to Benefit Second Harvest Food Bank, delivers in all aspects. It definitely will make you laugh and it will make you hungry as food is everywhere in the read.

 

Publisher Purchasing Link: https://whitecitypress.com/product/perp2/

 

Amazon Purchasing Link: TBD

 

 

My reading copy was several proofs during the editing process because of my contribution as well as a digital ARC.

 

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2025

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Publication Day Review: Murder in Mykonos: A Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis Mystery by Jeffrey Siger

 

Murder in Mykonos: A Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis Mystery by Jeffrey Siger is the first book in the series originally published by the Poisoned Pen Press. Now published by Severn House, the book begins a series of at least fourteen police procedurals set in Greece. In this case, specifically, the Greek island of Mykonos.

 

At thirty-four, Andreas Kaldis has been a hot shot homicide detective in the capital city of Athens. But, he annoyed those in power, so he has been “promoted” out of town. He is the new Chief of Police for the island of Mykonos. One of the smallest places in the Cyclades Islands, it has become a go to spot for the wealthy who are taking over everything. Those wealthy folks are calling the shots, the locals be damned, and Kaldis is the answer. Not only is he good at his job, it also gets him out of multiple cases in Athens, and allows some powerful people there to sleep better at night.

 

Politics and orders mean that he arrives on the island in early June along with numerous tourists. The first couple of weeks in the new job are rocky as he makes changes, but he has hope of surviving the summer, and getting back to Athens.

 

That hope takes a body blow when a worker discovers a body inside a small church. Kladis is supposed to immediately report the find to the Central Police Headquarters on the bigger island of Syros, but Kladis is here because he tends to do his own thing. So, he wants to see the situation for himself before folks from elsewhere trample all over his possible crime scene.

 

Upon arriving at the church and hearing the story from the worker, it does not take long for them to see the body in the floor of the church. The body inside the very small chamber is recent, decomposing, and clearly posing in place. With confirmation of the body, Kladis has his people report the situation to those who need to know on Syros.

 

A team is dispatched to him and arrives by boat to the island. That assemblage includes a man by the same of Tassos Stamatos, Chief Homicide Investigator for the Cyclades. Though he has several decades of experience on him, he has the same attitude about finding the truth and getting the guilty caught as Kladis. Those additional decades of experience make him better at navigating both local and national politics. That fact will be a huge help as the case moves forward.

 

Primarily because they have stumbled on the unthinkable—a serial killer. The body is the work of a serial killer who has been active for quite some time. A serial killer, who in all likelihood, has taken the daughter of Ambassador Vanden Haag. Young Annika Vanden Haag is also the niece of the Deputy Minister for Public Safety. She is missing and going to be his next kill if Stamatos and Kaldis don’t find him first. 

 

Full of Greek politics and history that does not slow down the mystery at work, Murder in Mykonos: A Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis Mystery by Jeffrey Siger is a very good read. Rich in details, both investigators do the work the old-fashioned way of going to a lot of places and asking question.

 

The result is a very complex and extremely entertaining read well worth your time. If you are new to the series, as I am, this is well worth your time and attention.

 

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

 

 

My digital ARC came from Severn House, where I am preapproved, through NetGalley, with no expectation of a positive review. While NetGalley does not yet list the second book, Assassins of Athens, Amazon has it coming out on November 20^th along with the entire rest of the series on the same day.

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2025

Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: Fun City Heist by Michael Kardos

 

Michael Kardos invokes visions of rock star wannabes in Fun City Heist, to be published in early December 2025 by Severn House. He dampens those dreams with a considerable dose of realism through stories of backstage concert prep, grueling travel, miserable sleeping accommodations, betrayals by booking agents and managers, and hopes that eventually fizzle.

Sunshine Apocalypse started with a few teenage friends who struggled through constant touring and taking every booking, looking for that one big break to strike gold. Their reality was a record contract, some radio air time, and one song that reached the national top 20. The contract evaporated and the group fractured under the strain.

Thirty years on and none of the band members are doing much more than scraping by. Lead singer John Clay appears from nowhere and wants to pull the band together for one last gig at Fun City, the New Jersey seaside amusement park where the band first played. Clay has wangled a place at the July Fourth celebration at the park, always the highlight of the summer tourist season.

Mo Melnick, the drummer with perfect pitch, hasn’t touched his drums for years, has painful memories of the group’s split, and is reluctant to even consider trying to re-create the past, but the other members are in and they pressure him to join. Then Clay explains his real motive: he intends to rob Fun City to pay his medical bills. The fact he based his plan on logistical information that is years old and not only might have changed but almost definitely has changed doesn’t stop him. He sweeps the rest of the group along with an offer of cash that they can all use.

Mo’s teenage daughter, raised solely by her mother, decided to spend the summer at the New Jersey beach with friends and then moves in with Mo uninvited when a squabble ends the friendship. Mo doesn’t know how he feels about suddenly becoming a guardian but he’s hesitantly intrigued by this human linked to him through genes. He is at first startled and then enchanted by the discovery she has inherited his musical talent.

Nothing about the gig or the robbery goes as planned, as might be expected.

A surprising story, by turns light-hearted and melancholy with overtones of midlife regrets, beautifully expressed. Great ending.

Fans of Donald Westlake’s Dortmunder and of Carl Hiassen will want to look at this book, as will rock afficionados who enjoyed One Last Hit by Nathan Walpow, the music industry references in the Harry McCoy series by Alan Parks, and the Vinyl Detective series by Andrew Cartmel.

 

·         Publisher: ‎Severn House

·         Publication date: ‎December 2, 2025

·         Print length: ‎208 pages

·         ISBN-10: ‎1448317231

·         ISBN-13: ‎978-1448317233

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4p7NaP0

 

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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KRL Update 11/15/2025

Up on KRL this week a review of "Thanks for Muffin" by Victoria Hamilton, along with a fun guest post by Victoria about autumn, and a recipe perfect for your Thanksgiving day brunch! There is also a giveaway of a $25 Amazon gift card open to US and Canadian residents! https://kingsriverlife.com/11/15/thanks-for-muffin-by-victoria-hamilton/

And reviews and giveaways of a pair of mysteries with dogs-"Die Another Dane" By Laurien Berenson and "Dying Cry" By Margaret Mizushima https://kingsriverlife.com/11/15/a-pair-mysteries-with-dogs/

And a review and giveaway of "Murder Two Doors Down" by Chuck Storla along with a fun interview with Chuck https://kingsriverlife.com/11/15/murder-two-doors-down-by-chuck-storla/

We also have a review and giveaway of "Fallen Star" by Lee Goldberg, and there's a bonus mini review of the audiobook version https://kingsriverlife.com/11/15/fallen-star-by-lee-goldberg/

Up on KRL during the week we posted another special midweek guest post, this one by mystery author Barry Maher where he shares how a brain tumor inspired his book https://kingsriverlife.com/11/12/brain-cancer-for-fun-and-profit/

And another special midweek guest post, this one by mystery author KJ Charles where she talks about her new gothic mystery romance novel "All of Us are Murders" and books she thinks her main character might be reading https://kingsriverlife.com/11/12/all-of-us-murderers/

Up on KRL News and Reviews this week we have a review and giveaway of "The Corpse With The Amber Neck" by Cathy Ace - https://www.krlnews.com/2025/11/the-corpse-with-amber-neck-by-cathy-ace.html

And a review of "In the Algorithm We Trust" by local author Ryan David Ginsberg https://www.krlnews.com/2025/11/in-algorithm-we-trust-by-ryan-david.html

And a review of "Elbows Up!" a very different sort of anthology https://www.krlnews.com/2025/11/elbows-up-canadian-voices-of-resilience.html

Happy reading,

Lorie

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Scott's Take: Predator versus Spider-Man by Benjamin Percy and Marcelo Ferreira (Illustrator)

 

Predator versus Spider-Man by Benjamin Percy and Marcelo Ferreira (Illustrator) collects the miniseries which is set in the same universe as Predator vs Wolverine, Predator vs Black Panther. This miniseries sees Spider-Man attempting to stop a new serial killer during a power outage in New York. The new serial killer is a rogue Predator. It is not long before Kraven the Hunter and other Predators arrive to make matters worse.

 

Spider-Man and Mary Jane both have big roles in this quick action packed and incredibly violent horror style miniseries. The violence is not shy at all. People are skinned and way more. The art is intense and does a good job of showing the horror of the situation.

 

My one gripe is the ending is not really an ending. Instead, it is set up for the Predator vs Marvel Universe miniseries.  A book should have a proper ending and not just leave the reader going—Okay, so that’s it.

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/435P9Lw

 

I read this through the Marvel Unlimited app.

 

Scott A. Tipple ©2025

Publication Day Review: Hollywood Hitman: A Thriller by Michele Domínguez Greene

 

Billed as a “gritty police procedural,” Hollywood Hitman: A Thriller by Michele Domínguez Greene is not at all gritty or much of a police procedural if you have read a lot of police procedurals and crime fiction. This first book in the Cassidy Clarke series, is more a cozy style mystery with a lot of relationship drama than an actual police procedural.

 

As the book opens, Cassidy Clarke is a new boot in the LAPD and about to work her first day. She is looking forward to the fact that she will be assigned a patrol partner and a beat. She lives with her father, Bill Clarke, a legendary homicide detective who is about to go through his last day on the job. After 41 years with the LAPD, and with cognitive issues becoming more apparent to Cassidy and others, he is retiring. Cassidy worries as the job is all her divorced father has and he has no plans for the future to occupy his time.

 

Despite the Fact that it is his last day, Bill and his partner, Pete Barrera, are sent out to a crime scene that appears to be the latest work in a string of killings. This is the third killing in five weeks that appears to be linked to the same killers. Each of the female victims has been strangled, posed afterwards, and left with a small lipstick heart on a cheek.

 

While Bill and his partner go about their work, Watch Commander Steven Kriss puts Cassidy to work with five-year veteran Sean Riley for their first patrol in Hollywood. He has worked with her dad before and she is glad to be paired up with him. But, her time on patrol is short lived as she is soon involved in the serial killers case more than her father ever was. A father who isn’t happy being frozen out of the investigation and decides to work various cold cases all on his own.

 

While the vast majority of the characters are cops, and the police station is the setting for numerous scenes, the actual police procedural aspects of the read are few and far between. This is more of a cozy style mystery read with a lot of personal drama mixed in to the story. Cassidy is dealing with a father who is having serious and worsening cognitive issues, the perception of other officers of her, a childhood friendship forever changed due to a horrific family tragedy, and her own internalized fears regarding all of that as well as her relationship with her boyfriend that leaves a lot to be desired.

 

The result is a read heavy on feelings and relationship dramas. It simply does not have much of what an experienced reader expects to come across in a police procedural.

 

That being said, for what it actually is, the read is a good book. There are numerous interesting characters, conflicts, plenty of drama, and well as several strong mystery elements. If you read Hollywood Hitman: A Thriller by Michele Domínguez Greene for what it is, as opposed to the expectations created by the marketing, you will find an entertainingly good read worth your time.

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/47tmDou

 

My digital ARC came by way of the publisher, Thomas & Mercer, by way of NetGalley, with no expectation of a positive review. The second book in the series, The Lost Angels: A Thriller, currently has a late April 2026 publication date on Amazon.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2025

Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: Little Girl Lost: A Lucy Black Thriller by Brian McGilloway

 

Little Girl Lost by Irish author Brian McGilloway (Pan Macmillan, 2011) is the first book about Detective Sergeant Lucy Black. Black transfers from the Lisburn police station to the CID unit in County Londonderry to stay closer to her father who suffers from progressively worse dementia. A month into her new job finds the entire force caught up in the search for the missing daughter of a wealthy Derry businessman. During a heavy snowfall a girl is reported in the woods near Prehen and the team is called out to the site. Lucy gets there first and finds a child, not the missing teenager, in soaked pajamas and freezing cold. She does not speak, even to give her name, clinging to Lucy who accompanies her to the hospital.

Because Lucy is the only person who can approach the child without setting off piercing shrieks, the powers that be temporarily assign her to the Public Protection Unit to find the child’s family to her great disappointment. Her new commanding officer seems a decent sort but she can’t help feeling sidelined from the action swirling around the high-profile case of the kidnapped girl.

While Lucy begins calling schools to ask about missing students, the forensics tech looks over the child’s clothing and finds it is covered with a fine spray of blood. Not hers, because she is unhurt beyond hypothermia, but someone else’s. There’s enough to believe the child came from a crime scene somewhere, making the need to identify her more urgent than ever.

An absorbing, complex, and realistic police procedural. The multiple plot threads come together in a surprising way, solving an old crime as they do.

Lucy Black is a wonderful character. Her intelligence, kindness, and determination make her a promising police officer. Anyone who has worked in a bureaucracy will understand her struggles with the politics and the favoritism of the police organization. Her attempts to avoid putting her father into a care facility as he becomes progressively worse are heartbreakingly realistic. Watching her juggle the two as the larger drama of the kidnapping plays out is fascinating. Recommended.

Starred review from Library Journal.

 

·         Publisher: ‎William Morrow Paperbacks

·         Publication date: ‎May 6, 2014

·         Language: ‎English

·         Print length: ‎336 pages

·         ISBN-10: ‎0062336592

·         ISBN-13: ‎978-0062336590

 

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

 

Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2025

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