Saturday, March 07, 2026
Mystery Fanfare: DEATH IN PARADISE, SEASON 15 release date
Mystery Fanfare: DEATH IN PARADISE, SEASON 15 release date: Death in Paradise, Season 15, will be released in the US March 24, 2026, on BritBox . The new season already began in the UK on BBC One. Re...
KRL Update
Up on KRL this week the latest Mystery Coming Attractions from Victoria Fair https://kingsriverlife.com/03/07/mystery-current-coming-attractions-march-2026/
And a review and ebook giveaway of "Buried in the Sand" by J.C. Kenney https://kingsriverlife.com/03/07/buried-in-the-sand-by-j-c-kenney/
And a review and giveaway of "The Case of the Murdered Muckraker" by Rob Osler https://kingsriverlife.com/03/07/the-case-of-the-murdered-muckraker-by-rob-osler/
For those who enjoy fantasy with their mystery, up on KRL this week a review and giveaway of "Twelve Months" by Jim Butcher https://kingsriverlife.com/03/07/twelve-months-by-jim-butcher/
Up on KRL News and Reviews this week we have a review and ebook giveaway of "Embroidered Lies and Alibis" by Lois Winston https://www.krlnews.com/2026/03/embroidered-lies-and-alibis-by-lois.html
Happy Reading,
Lorie
--
Kings River Life Magazine https://KingsRiverLife.com
KRL News & Reviews https://www.krlnews.com/
Mysteryrat's Maze Podcast https://mysteryratsmaze.podbean.com/
SleuthSayers: At Ease with These Apostrophes
SleuthSayers: At Ease with These Apostrophes: The following is a modified version of a post I made at the Criminal Brief mystery blog almost twenty years ago, griping about the improper ...
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: The Central Appalachians: Mountains of the Chesapeake by Mark Hendricks
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: The Central Appalachians: Mountains of the Chesap...: Reviewed by Jeanne I picked this book up because the Bristol Public Library has started a photography club and I was interested in see...
Scott's Take: The Flesh King: The Discreet Eliminators Series by Richard Kadrey
The Flesh King by Richard Kadrey is the second novella in The Discreet Eliminators series that
began with The Pale House Devil. I had thought I had reviewed
that one, but neither I nor dad can find any trace of it here on the blog.
The
trio of hit people are now in New York City and living in a former police
station. The local mob want them to go after a serial killer called the Flesh
King. This killer is absorbing the flesh of people and leaving what’s left
behind in a mess. Of course, this is getting the attention of the police who
have no idea what they are actually dealing with. The local mob wants them to
cap this freak and then they will talk about hiring them for actually paying
work. So, the hunt begins.
This
is a dark horror themed story with plenty of action and some humor. There is a
good amount of character development in the short run time of this book.
Overall, I enjoyed it. The ending sets up another book, but we will see if we
get it.
Amazon
Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4asRBzE
My
slim hardback reading copy came from the Central, aka Downtown, Branch of the
Dallas Public Library System.
Scott
A. Tipple ©2026
Friday, March 06, 2026
Beneath the Stains of Time: Bad Weather: "The Rainy-Day Bandit" (1970) by Edward D. Hoch
Beneath the Stains of Time: Bad Weather: "The Rainy-Day Bandit" (1970) by Edwa...: Edward D. Hoch 's "The Rainy-Day Bandit," originally published in the May, 1970, issue of Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine ...
In Reference to Murder: Friday's "Forgotten" Books: First Cases
In Reference to Murder: Friday's "Forgotten" Books: First Cases: Before they were stars, everyone's favorite literary private eyes had to start somewhere. Many jumped to life fully-formed in novels, bu...
In Reference to Murder: Mystery Melange
In Reference to Murder: Mystery Melange: The Southwest Festival Reading Festival returns this Saturday, March 7, to downtown Fort Myers, Florida, sponsored by the Fort Myers Region...
Thursday, March 05, 2026
Thursday Treats: 3/5/2026
Welcome back to “Thursday Treats.”
SMFS member Judy Sheluk announced that
her short story, The Last Detail, was published online at Brown Hound
Press.
The free to read tale was also inspired by real life. Judy explains more about
the story and the submission process in her guest post at The Stiletto
Gang.
By the way, if you are a writer, this is a paying market. Learn more here at the publication website.
SMFS Member M. E. Proctor announced that
her short story, Whack a Moll, appears at The Yard: Crime Blog. You can read it
for free here.
SMFS Member Barbara Ristine announced
the news that her short story, Block 16 Blues, was published at Kings River
Life Magazine. The tale is free to read here and takes folks
to Las Vegas in 1931.
Sherlock Holmes Magazine Issue 24,
Spring 2026,
is now out. Features news, reviews, and more. You can learn more about the new
issue on their website.
Until next time….
Kevin R. Tipple ©2026
Wednesday, March 04, 2026
Mystery Fanfare: Purim: A Carnival of Secrets, Masks — and Murder? Guest Post by Neil Plakcy
Mystery Fanfare: Purim: A Carnival of Secrets, Masks — and Murder? ...: Every mystery fan knows that intrigue often hides in unexpected cultural corners. One holiday that begs for its own whodunit — yet remains u...
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Nevermore!
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Nevermore!: The Nevermore Book Club is the library's free-spirited book club. Members read what they want to and report, whether or not they liked...
SleuthSayers: When Irish Eyes Are Crimin'
SleuthSayers: When Irish Eyes Are Crimin': My Irish-born Great Grandmother, Mary Scanlon It was a summer day in the mid-seventies. I was home from college and on the phone with m...
Bitter Tea and Mystery: The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie: Muriel Spark
Bitter Tea and Mystery: The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie: Muriel Spark: Description at Goodreads : 'Give me a girl at an impressionable age, and she is mine for life...' Passionate, free-thinking and un...
Tuesday, March 03, 2026
Publication Day Review: The Politician: A DS George Cross Mystery by Tim Sullivan
Peggy Frampton is very much dead in her
bedroom as The Politician: A DS George Cross Mystery by Tim
Sullivan begins. The cleaning lady had found her employer dead that morning.
Now Cross, the Detective Sergeant from the Avon and Somerset Police, will lead
the hunt for the killer or killers as this most definitely is a murder case.
At one time, Peggy Frampton was the
Mayor of Bristol. In recent years, she has been a social media influencer
through an advice column, and a writer. She has a massive online presence and
impact, not only in her local Bristol, England, community, but far beyond. She
tended to ruffle feathers, at times, with her blunt advice.
She is survived by her husband, Peter,
and their adult children. Peter is a lawyer. As it happens, he is in London, on a case, and is on
the way back home as DS George Cross looks at the body and the crime scene.
While some, such as DCI Ben Carson, believe
this is aa case of a simple burglary gone wrong, DS George Cross does not.
Before much can be done by the local police, due to the high-profile nature of the
case, Chief Superintendent Heather Mathews is brought in to supervise. Fortunately
for everyone, while she has never worked with Cross before, she knows of him
and how he is, and so she allows him wide latitude to pursue the case as he
sees fit. That means he can treat it like any other case and not be micromanaged
by Carson or anyone else.
That is always a plus. Especially here
with a case that is complex and constantly evolving as lines of inquiry are
adjusted as evidence comes to light. As always, the reader knows that Cross
will identify and build a case against those involved. The real question is
what else will he and his team unearth in their pursuit of justice for the
dead.
For that, you will have to read the
book.
It would also be best if you started
with the first read, The Dentist: A DS George Cross Mystery, and
work your way forward to this fourth book of the re-released series. This is not
a static police procedural series with very little change over time. Instead,
and one of the things that makes it so good, characters constantly evolve and
deal with things in life, relationships change, and more happens while the
police work continues.
The Politician: A DS George Cross
Mystery by Tim Sullivan is another very good installment of a
really good police procedural series. What more could you want?
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3Nu5Hrp
I received a digital ARC from the
publisher, Atlantic Crime, imprint of Grove Atlantic, through NetGalley, with
no expectation of a positive review.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2026
Monday, March 02, 2026
Mystery Fanfare: Dr Seuss's Birthday & Read Across America Day!
Mystery Fanfare: Dr Seuss's Birthday & Read Across America Day!: Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss! March 2nd is not only Dr. Seuss's Birthday, but it's also National Read Across America Day , a nat...
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: The Little Book of Secret Societies by Joel Levy
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: The Little Book of Secret Societies by Joel Levy: Reviewed by Jeanne The subtitle pulled me in immediately: The World’s Most Notorious Organizations and How to Join Them . Not that...
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 Sony Pict...
Beneath the Stains of Time: The Locked Village and the Eight Tricks (2024) by Danro Kamosaki
Beneath the Stains of Time: The Locked Village and the Eight Tricks (2024) by ...: Last year, I discovered Danro Kamosaki 's "Murder in the Golden Age of Locked Rooms" series, translated by Mitsuda Madoy and ...
Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: The White Crow by Michael Robotham
The White
Crow by Michael Robotham (Scribner, July 2025) is the second Constable Philomena
McCarthy book. Like Clayton Burroughs in the Bull Mountain series by Brian
Panowich, Phil is the daughter of a long-established gangster, only she’s in
London and Clayton is in Georgia. They have both chosen to step outside their
family’s deeply entrenched criminal organizations to join law enforcement, a
decision that both bewilders and infuriates their fathers. Phil uneasily
balances her love for her family with her deep investment in her job and so far
she’s been successful.
Phil,
patrolling the streets with her night shift partner, sees a child in blood-stained
pajamas on a sidewalk. Phil takes her home and finds Daisy’s mother bound and
dead on the kitchen floor. The family has been the target of a home invasion
and the father, owner of a high-end jewelry store, has been driven to the store
to allow the attackers to clean the place out.
In the
meantime, someone is systematically sabotaging the McCarthy construction site
where the latest and most ambitious building complex is taking shape. The
saboteurs have been so determined that the work is months behind and the
McCarthy capital operating budget has evaporated under the heavy costs of replacing
damaged equipment. The banks are mumbling about foreclosure, the insurance
companies are backing out, and the McCarthys are scrambling for a fix while
searching for the culprit.
Robotham
skillfully juggles dual plot lines and multiple POVs. The child outside at
night is a good device to attract police to a crime scene. Brian McGilloway
used it effectively in Little
Girl Lost (Pan Macmillan, 2011). The underlying theme of motherhood and
family is thoughtful and perceptive. Phil’s husband wants to start a family
now, Phil wants to wait. Stepping in for Daisy’s absent parents gives Phil
something to think about, as does watching Daisy’s godmother who is given
temporary custody. The question of what actually makes a mother a mother is a
good one: does a woman have to give birth to be a mother? And, can you love
someone, even a close relative, when you heartily disagree with their life
choices?
Dramatic and
violent action with far-reaching implications for Phil and her father wrap up
the plot. I am looking forward to seeing how they play out in the next book,
which hopefully we will see soon.
Starred
reviews from Library Journal, Kirkus, and Publishers Weekly for
this fine story.
- Publisher: Scribner
- Publication date: July 1, 2025
- Language: English
- Print length: 368 pages
- ISBN-10: 1668031027
- ISBN-13: 978-1668031025
Amazon
Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4rumaLx
Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2026
Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.
Sunday, March 01, 2026
Little Big Crimes: Love is Blue, by Lawrence Maddox
Little Big Crimes: Love is Blue, by Lawrence Maddox: "Love is Blue," by Lawrence Maddox, in in Tennis Noir, edited by John Shepphird, Level Best Books, 2026. This is my friend Law...
Bitter Tea and Mystery: Going to Beautiful: Anthony Bidulka
Bitter Tea and Mystery: Going to Beautiful: Anthony Bidulka: From the description at Goodreads : International chef Jake Hardy has it all. Celebrity, thriving career, plenty of friends, a happy famil...
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: March New Fiction!
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: March New Fiction!: Andrews, Ilona This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me Benedict, Marie Daughter of Egypt Berg, Elizabeth Life: A Love Story Bowen, Rhys Va...
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