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Sunday, October 21, 2018
Beneath the Stains of Time: The Case of the Platinum Blonde (1944) by Christop...
Beneath the Stains of Time: The Case of the Platinum Blonde (1944) by Christop...: The Case of the Platinum Blonde (1944) is the twenty-eighth entry in the Ludovic Travers series and one of Christopher Bush 's warti...
Sunday Movie Review: Black Water
I like action movies. A movie that has Jean-Claude Van Damme
is sure to get a look. Even if what they are doing has been done to death.
Black sites and escapes from them have all been the action movie rage the last
couple of years in between the flood of cartel drug gang violence flicks. BLACK
WATER takes the black site deal from the oil tanker or underwater base and puts
it on a submarine.
A skeleton crew of Navy personnel works in one part of the submarine
while a CIA team works in the other part doing what they do. Dolph Lungren
plays the role of a captured German intelligence dude who is already onboard when
Jean-Cluade, in the role of Scott Walker, CIA operative and studly hero, is
brought on board to be tortured about missing files.
The interrogation by the CIA team led by a traitor goes
wrong—or right if you are Jean-Claude—and he escapes to do his version of Bruce
Willis causing trouble in a skyscraper –submarine style. This is a decent
action movie as long as you don’t think about it too much. Plenty of violent action,
but nothing that is excessive or gory. There is no frontal nudity though there
is a very little bit of side nudity of one of the actresses.
We got it by way of Netflix who also provides the
synopsis/details below. For those who
wonder, there is no frontal nudity though there is a very little bit of side
nudity of one of the actresses.
After he's spirited away to a submarine being
used as a secret CIA interrogation site, operative Scott Wheeler learns that
he's been framed for treason. But to prove his innocence, he must team up with
a fellow prisoner and find a way to escape.
Cast
Jean-Claude Van
Damme, Dolph
Lundgren, Patrick
Kilpatrick, John
Posey, Jasmine
Waltz, Courtney B
Turk, Tandi
Tugwell, Lance E.
Nichols, Tom
DeNucci, Mark Sherman
Director
Genres
Moods
Saturday, October 20, 2018
KRL This Week Update for 10/20/18
Up in KRL this morning a review and giveaway of "A Whisker in Time" by Kathi Daley, a mystery with magical cats perfect for Halloween reading!http://kingsriverlife.com/10/20/a-whisker-in-time-by-kathi-daley/
Also up, another magical mystery for your Halloween reading, a review and giveaway of "Samhaim Secrets" by Jennifer David Hessehttp://kingsriverlife.com/10/20/samhain-secrets-by-jennifer-david-hesse/
And another mystery perfect for you Halloween reading, "Be Our Ghost" by Kate Kingsbury, along with a fun Halloween guest post by Kate http://kingsriverlife.com/10/20/be-our-ghost-by-kate-kingsbury/
Cats and Halloween seem to go together, so up in KRL this morning we have reviews and giveaways of a trio of cat mysteries, which includes some magical cats-"A Catered Cat Wedding": A Mystery with Recipes by Isis Crawford, "Feral Attraction": A Cat Groomer Mystery by Eileen Watkins, and "The Cats Came Back": A Magical Cats Mystery by Sofie Kelly http://kingsriverlife.com/10/20/magical-mystery-cats-for-halloween/
We also have a Halloween mystery short story by Guy Belleranti http://kingsriverlife.com/10/20/the-house-of-screams-a-halloween-mystery-short-story/
And an article about Dennis Wheatley's dark magic series http://kingsriverlife.com/10/20/dennis-wheatley-three-tales-from-a-master-of-eerie-adventure/
Up on KRL News & Reviews this week we have a review & giveaway of a mystery with a haunted house, another perfect book for your Halloween reading, "The Spirit in Question" by Cynthia Kuhn published by Henery Press https://www.krlnews.com/2018/10/the-spirit-in-question-by-cynthia-kuhn.html
And a review and giveaway of yet another Halloween mystery, "Penned" by Eileen Brady https://www.krlnews.com/2018/10/penned-by-by-eileen-brady.html
And if you enjoy fantasy and magic, we have a review of "Magic Triumphs" by Ilona Andrews and a giveaway of the first book in that series "Magic Bites"
Happy reading,
Lorie
Mystery Fanfare: MYSTERY BYTES: TV, Movies, and other Media
Mystery Fanfare: MYSTERY BYTES: TV, Movies, and other Media: Here's a Round-Up of some upcoming Mystery Movies, TV shows, and other media . Lawrence Kasdan to Script & Direct Adaptation of...
Saturdays With Kaye: In This Grave Hour by Jacqueline Winspear
In This Grave Hour by Jacqueline Winspear
The latest Maisie Dobbs
novel begins as Neville Chamberlain declares war with Germany and London starts
gearing up with air raid siren tests, allocation of gas masks, and night
blackouts. Maisie is hurrying to her friend’s house to hear the anticipated
announcement on the radio. War is, of course, unwelcome, as they all remember
the last one and everyone has suffered some sort of loss. But, as they remind
themselves, they came through it.
A phone call comes for Maisie from an acquaintance who wants to
give her some investigation business. The caller, Dr. Francesca Thomas, is
calling from inside Maisie’s flat, which she locked when she left.
The business has to do with some happenings during the last war
when Great Britain accepted over a quarter of a million Belgian refugees,
fleeing from German invasion. Most returned home after the war, but not all.
Several thousand stayed, married, took jobs, and some even changed their names.
Dr. Thomas herself is Belgian and tells Maisie that one of the former refugees
has been murdered, shot in the back of the head. Scotland Yard doesn’t have the
personnel to investigate his death and is treating it as a robbery gone wrong.
Maisie suspects that Francesca isn’t being completely open with her, especially
when another former Belgian is murdered. Maisie must follow the delicate
threads from the past that connect the men, hoping her friend Francesca isn’t
responsible for some of the death.
Meanwhile children are being evacuated from London in
anticipation of the bombing that happened in WWI and some need a place to stay.
One girl, brought to the family country estate, has arrived alone and is mute
and dark-skinned. No one knows who she is or who her people are. Maisie is
drawn to her, maybe dangerously so.
There is much detail here on wartime England and the people who
lived through that dark period. History buffs and Maisie fans will love this.
Reviewed by Kaye George, author
of Ella and the Ball in Once Upon
a Fact, for Suspense Magazine
Friday, October 19, 2018
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Lair of Dreams by Libba Bray
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Lair of Dreams by Libba Bray: Reviewed by Christy It’s been many years since I’ve read the first installment of the Diviner series (five to be e...
Do Some Damage: Dominoes and Houses of Cards Want To Fall
Do Some Damage: Dominoes and Houses of Cards Want To Fall: The supply chain from publisher to consumer is broken. Major distributors absorbed supply chain entities (Ingram/PGW, Bookmasters/Baker &am...
Bitter Tea and Mystery: 1944 Club: The Book of the Dead by Elizabeth Daly
Bitter Tea and Mystery: 1944 Club: The Book of the Dead by Elizabeth Daly: I am a long-time fan of the mystery novels of Elizabeth Daly. She wrote 16 books in a series starring Henry Gamadge, an expert in rare bo...
Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity: Pen America Files Lawsuit Against President Donald...
Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity: Pen America Files Lawsuit Against President Donald...: Creative Commons Note: When Donald Trump took the oath of office, he swore to "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the...
FFB Review: Fool’s Gold by Ted Wood
Friday means
Friday’s Forgotten Books hosted by Patti Abbott. Make sure you check out the
full list over at Patti’s blog.
Jim
Prudhomme is the dead man. Apparently, he was attacked and killed by a bear
while Mr. Prudhomme was out doing survey work in an isolated area. Killed by
the bear who then gnawed on his hands and head making things a mess and very hard
to identify, he was identified by his clothing more than anything.
His wife
is a friend of Bennett’s ex-wife, so Bennett came to Olympia on her request to
check and see if things are really the way she has been told. A review of the case
file complied by the local police chief leaves some questions unanswered. Like
why he had no rock samples with him? He had been out there awhile in the hours preceding
the suspected time of the attack and yet there were no geology core samples
found with the body or at the camp site. That fact also means that it would be
interesting to know about what his helicopter pilot knew about what Mr. Prudhomme
was doing in the days and hours before the bear attack. What a local guide who
also worked with Prudhomme knew would be helpful as well. Still, it isn’t much
to go on and Reid Bennett does not see anything that really strikes him as an
obvious indicator that anything happened differently than what is described in
the police report.
All in
all, while not everything has been tied up neatly, most things are and Bennett
and Sam should be headed back home to Murphy’s Harbour. The fact that there
hadn’t been a bear mauling in over 30 years probably does not mean anything
either. And yet, Reid Bennett soon believes that things just don’t seem right.
Fourth
in the series that started with Dead
In The Water, Fool’s Gold is another action
oriented mystery read. Some additional backstory on Reid Bennett is dispensed
to readers as are several reminders of earlier events in this highly
entertaining series. That is not the main focus of the book and takes up very
little space or time. Much of the book is focused on the mystery of what
happened to Mr. Prudhomme and how it relates, if it does, to the ongoing nefarious
actions of many of the characters in this complicated tale.
Fool’s Gold is a good one and
is strongly recommended as are the previous installments in this engrossing
series.
Fool’s Gold
Ted Wood
Charles Scribner’s Sons
1986
ISBN# 0-684-18568-7
Hardback (also available in paperback and digital formats)
233 Pages
Material supplied by the good folks of the Dallas Public
Library.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2018
Thursday, October 18, 2018
Only days left to win books & more froom KRL
Only days left to win a copy of "The Ghost and the Bogus Bestseller" by Cleo Coyle (you can win a signed copy of the book and a Jack is Back Tote bag), and while there you can also check out a fun guest post by Cleo
http://kingsriverlife.com/10/13/the-ghost-and-the-bogus-bestseller-by-cleo-coyle/
And to win a copy of "Depth of Winter" by Craig Johnson
http://kingsriverlife.com/10/13/depth-of-winter-a-longmire-novel-by-craig-johnson/
Also to win a copy of "Haunted Hayride for Murder" by Auralee Wallace
http://kingsriverlife.com/10/13/haunted-hayride-with-murder-by-auralee-wallace/
And to win a copy of "Witch": A Doyle With Mystery by Kirsten Weiss and while there check out a fun interview with Kirsten
http://kingsriverlife.com/10/13/witch-a-doyle-witch-cozy-mystery-by-kirsten-weiss/
Only days left to check out our review of "Crumbled to Pieces" by Catherine Bruns and a enter too win a copy of the first book in the series, "Tastes Like Murder." We also have a fun recipe from the first book
http://kingsriverlife.com/10/13/crumbled-to-pieces-by-catherine-bruns/
And on KRL News & Review only days left to win a copy of another Halloween mystery, "If the Coffin Fits" by Lillian Bell
https://www.krlnews.com/2018/10/if-coffin-fits-lillian-bell.html
And a copy of "Wuthering Kites" by Clover Tate
https://www.krlnews.com/2018/10/wuthering-kites-by-clover-tate.html
Happy reading,
Lorie
DOROTHYL Official Homepage http://kovacs.com/dorothyl/
DOROTHYL Store http://www.cafeshops.com/dorothyl
http://kingsriverlife.com/10/13/the-ghost-and-the-bogus-bestseller-by-cleo-coyle/
And to win a copy of "Depth of Winter" by Craig Johnson
http://kingsriverlife.com/10/13/depth-of-winter-a-longmire-novel-by-craig-johnson/
Also to win a copy of "Haunted Hayride for Murder" by Auralee Wallace
http://kingsriverlife.com/10/13/haunted-hayride-with-murder-by-auralee-wallace/
And to win a copy of "Witch": A Doyle With Mystery by Kirsten Weiss and while there check out a fun interview with Kirsten
http://kingsriverlife.com/10/13/witch-a-doyle-witch-cozy-mystery-by-kirsten-weiss/
Only days left to check out our review of "Crumbled to Pieces" by Catherine Bruns and a enter too win a copy of the first book in the series, "Tastes Like Murder." We also have a fun recipe from the first book
http://kingsriverlife.com/10/13/crumbled-to-pieces-by-catherine-bruns/
And on KRL News & Review only days left to win a copy of another Halloween mystery, "If the Coffin Fits" by Lillian Bell
https://www.krlnews.com/2018/10/if-coffin-fits-lillian-bell.html
And a copy of "Wuthering Kites" by Clover Tate
https://www.krlnews.com/2018/10/wuthering-kites-by-clover-tate.html
Happy reading,
Lorie
DOROTHYL Official Homepage http://kovacs.com/dorothyl/
DOROTHYL Store http://www.cafeshops.com/dorothyl
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Nevermore: Quindlen, Lyon, Strawser, Life Lessons...
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Nevermore: Quindlen, Lyon, Strawser, Life Lessons...: Reported by Kristin Nevermore kicked off with a novel by Anna Quindlen: Miller’s Valley . Mimi’s family has lived in the vall...
Do Some Damage: One Sad Farewell and One WTF
Do Some Damage: One Sad Farewell and One WTF: By David Nemeth There was sad news in the publishing world – heartbreaking news for many – that Midnight Ink will only be publishing &q...
Review: Robert B. Parker's Colorblind: A Jesse Stone Novel by Reed Farrel Coleman
It is fall in
Paradise as Robert B. Parker's Colorblind: A Jesse Stone Novel by Reed Farrel Coleman begins. For
Police Chief Jesse Stone, it is a time of new beginnings. He is back from
alcohol rehab having been gone the last two months. His old house was sold back
during the summer and he has moved into a two-bedroom condo.
While
there has been quite a change in his personal life, life and crime continues on
in Paradise, Massachusetts as does politics. Biker gangs have been a
problem while Chief Stone has been gone. And the latest version of them seems
to be of the racist skinhead type. During a recent incident, things were said
to the newest member of the police department who is African American and it
has caused a little bit of internal strife. That was on top of the mood of some
of the local population which had an issue with the hiring.
In the
nearby town of Swan Harbor, they have a serious assault victim who may not be
alive much longer. The State Chief Homicide investigator, Brian Lundquist,
quietly suggested to Police Chief Forster that he ought to have Jesse Stone
come over and share his expertise. The woman has been sexually assaulted and
horribly beaten and the locals don’t have any detectives, let alone anyone that
is equipped to work the case now or when it soon becomes a murder case. That
isn’t the only reason Lundquist wanted Jesse Stone involved in the case.
At
first, Lundquist didn’t realize the victim was in the same shape as a victim
years ago when Jesse firsts started work in Paradise. A veteran of the Swan
Harbor police with 20 years plus did, Officer Drake Daniels, and said something
to his boss. Now Jesse will be poking around the fringes of the case while
Lundquist takes over on the behalf of the state.
Robert B. Parker's Colorblind: A Jesse
Stone Novel is the latest in the series and another very good read. Author
Reed Farrel Coleman has had a hard task since he took over the series several
years back. Breathing new life into the character while staying true to the
roots and flavor of Jesse Stone as well as the earlier books is no easy feat. Mr.
Coleman has constantly performed the task admirably and does so again with Robert B. Parker's Colorblind:
A Jesse Stone Novel.
Robert B. Parker's Colorblind: A Jesse Stone Novel
Reed Farrel Coleman
Thorndike
Press
September
2018
ISBN#
978-1-4328-5514-7
Large
Print Hardback (also available in audio, eBook, and regular print hardback formats)
505
Pages
$37.99
Material
supplied by the good folks of the Dallas Public Library System.
Kevin
R. Tipple ©2018
Wednesday, October 17, 2018
TOUGH: Tough News
TOUGH: Tough News: Hi all-- Tough will return to regularly scheduled content in the new year. In the meantime, we'll still be posting occasional reviews ...
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Since She Went Away by David Bell
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Since She Went Away by David Bell: Reviewed by Brenda G. The story begins with the main character Jenna Barton standing in a field with an old barn and numerous ...
Tuesday, October 16, 2018
The Rap Sheet: Say Good Night to Midnight
While there is nothing yet on their homepage, a number of sites are sharing the news that Midnight Ink is closing. With so many places saying the same thing and with some of the directly affected authors also now speaking out, I now feel comfortable with sharing the news here by way of The Rap Sheet.
The Rap Sheet: Say Good Night to Midnight
The Rap Sheet: Say Good Night to Midnight
Mystery Fanfare: HALLOWEEN CRIME FICTION//HALLOWEEN MYSTERIES
Mystery Fanfare: HALLOWEEN CRIME FICTION//HALLOWEEN MYSTERIES: Happy Halloween! Halloween so lends itself to crime fiction ! Here's my updated 2018 list of Halloween Mysteries . Let me k...
AT&T Outage
If you heard about the fire at the AT&T facility in
Richardson, Texas and the resulting
outage, you heard about thousands being affected with the loss of phone,
internet, and television services. Scott and I were two of those thousands that
were affected and had no access to anything all day. Service seems to have been restored overnight
and we once again exist online.
Review: Depth of Winter: A Longmire Mystery by Craig Johnson
When we last saw
Wyoming Sheriff Walt Longmire his beloved daughter, Cady, had been violently abducted
among other carnage unleashed by an international hit man who is also head of
one of the worst drug cartels in all of Mexico. Now in Depth of Winter: A Longmire
Mystery Sheriff Longmire is on a mission to get her back or die trying.
Considering the lack of help or assistance from the U. S. State department, The
FBI, and others, it looks more than likely he will die trying. What others see
as a suicide mission against a massive force located in an area they completely
control with a citadel style headquarters, Sheriff Longmire sees as what a
father does for his child who is very much in danger.
November
in Mexico is still plenty hot. A six-foot five inch white guy weighing 250
pounds is going to stand out in the part of Mexico he needs to go to rescue
Cady. Crossing the border at a legitimate crossing is going to be impossible
thanks to the FBI interference. But, though the odds are stacked against him
and the resources and help are extremely limited, Sheriff Longmire is going to
go and do what needs to be done as Cady is going to come home.
The Northern
Mexico desert country is a long way from the mountains of Wyoming. There is no
mystery at work as Sheriff Longmire knew who had done it long before the
postcard arrived of a picture of the area and the single word “Come” on the
back. Instead, Depth of Winter: A Longmire Mystery is a straight forward
revenge tale with Sheriff Longmire in the role of the avenging vigilante who
would prefer not to kill anyone if he can and trust those he meets. He night
have been better off to listen to those who told him to trust no one and taken
a page from John Wick’s violent playbook.
While the mysticism
that is always an undercurrent of this series is briefly present here, none of
Walt’s companions from back home make more than a token appearance. Readers who
expected Henry Standing Bear, Vic, and others to be a part of things here will
be disappointed as other than a brief phone conversation here and there, those interesting
characters are never a part of things here. Instead, we are given a cast of new
characters that are not only eccentric, but so out there one wonders why as
they seem caricature like. And, as predictable as the sunrise, readers are
treated to a possible romantic interest for Sheriff Longmire in the classic
version of --in another time and place there might be something here--- deal. Then
there is the fact that the book has Sheriff Longmire, who served in Vietnam,
acting more like a young Rambo with feats of agility as opposed to a man of his
age. All of that and more pushes at the bounds of the suspension of disbelief
for this reader.
All that being
said, the book is worth the read because Sheriff Longmire wraps up a few things
and sets the stage for dealing with the extensive repercussions for Cady and
himself once back home in Wyoming. It is clearly a book that had to be written
to bring things back home and would work, with some adaptations, if the long
rumored movie ever was made.
Despite its flaws
for seasoned readers, Depth of Winter: A Longmire Mystery is worth reading. This
reader will be glad when Sheriff Longmire is back home in Wyoming with
mysteries to solve.
Depth
of Winter: A Longmire Mystery
Craig
Johnson
Thorndike
Press
September
2018
ISBN#
978-1-4328-5379-2
Large
Print Hardback (also available in audio, eBook, and regular print hardback formats)
425
Pages
$34.99
Material
supplied by the good folks of the Dallas Public Library System.
Kevin
R. Tipple ©2018
Monday, October 15, 2018
TEXAS BOOK LOVER: Monday Roundup: Texas Literary Calendar October 15...
TEXAS BOOK LOVER: Monday Roundup: Texas Literary Calendar October 15...: Bookish goings-on in Texas for the week of October 15-21, 2018: Special Events: Inkstravagaza Gala: The Writers Life , San Antonio, Oct...
Aubrey Hamilton Reviews: November Road by Lou Berney
November
Road
by Lou Berney (William Morrow, October 9, 2018) is an astonishingly
original piece of noir crime fiction based on the theory that President John
Kennedy was killed by members of the Mafia to stop Kennedy’s attempt to curtail
their activities. This theory has been tossed around a long time but has never had
much to back it up.
Immediately after Kennedy’s death, the syndicate
begins to methodically eliminate anyone who was involved, even peripherally.
Frank Guidry, a lieutenant in the New Orleans organization who gets by on his
charm and ability to convince just about anyone to do just about anything,
realizes his minor errand in Dallas a couple of weeks before makes him one of
the threads that needs to be cut, and he goes on the run. The only refuge he
can think of is the old enemy of the boss who wants him dead so he heads west
to Las Vegas.
In the meantime Charlotte Roy in a small town in
Oklahoma decides that her dead-end life with an alcoholic husband is intolerable
and abruptly packs her small daughters and their dog into the family car and
starts out for California to the home of an aunt she hasn’t spoken to in years,
desperately looking for a fresh start.
When Frank and Charlotte cross paths, he realizes
she and her daughters are just the cover he needs to misdirect his pursuers,
who will not be looking for a family of four. He ingratiates himself with
Charlotte and tries hard to manipulate her, but as they travel together the
tables are turned: the charismatic conman is enchanted by the little girls and he
falls in love with Charlotte.
As the hit man on Frank’s trail gets closer, Frank
and Charlotte both make irrevocable decisions that lead to the resolution of
this powerful but bleak thriller.
I read this propulsive hard-hitting story in one
afternoon. I am not the target audience for this book, which is darker than my
usual fare. That doesn’t mean I don’t recognize it for the tour de force it is. Not surprisingly, the day after it was
released a movie deal was announced. This book has blockbuster written all over
it. Richly deserved starred reviews from Library
Journal, Kirkus, and Publishers’ Weekly but not for the
faint of heart.
· Hardcover: 320 pages
·
Publisher: William Morrow (October 9, 2018)
·
Language: English
·
ISBN-10: 0062663844
·
ISBN-13: 978-0062663849
Aubrey Hamilton ©2018
Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on
Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.
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