Monday, May 18, 2026
In Reference to Murder: Media Murder for Monday
Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: Hero: A DS Walker Thriller by Patricia Wolf
The fifth book in the DS Lucas
Walker series by Patricia Wolf, to be released later this month, is as good as
the earlier titles. Wolf has the gift of creating immersive and original narratives
that immediately pull me in. I raced through this one in a day.
Hero (Embla Books, May 2026) finds
Walker back in Queensland, after being caught up in an internal political
fracas within the Australian Federal Police. He ended up on the Queensland
force, in a tiny town called Katima, an easy drive from his hometown Caloodie,
where he spends his weekends with his family, something he couldn’t do in his
previous job.
The body of a young man
hanging from a tree was the first big case for Walker in his new job. Walker
was suspicious of the supposed suicide arrangement from the start and sure
enough the autopsy revealed the man had died of an overdose. Walker was
attempting to identify the victim when a retired member of the force mentioned
a cold case with strong similarities. The earlier victim was never identified
and it always worried the retiree. A call from the Conroy estate sent the two
cases from Walker’s mind, as Caden Conroy, the professional cricket player and
national hero, had been bloodily murdered in his drawing room. The killing set
off frantic demands for immediate arrests, and political strings were pulled at
all levels. Walker as part of the local police was considered incapable of
handling a major investigation. While he was forced to hand the Conroy case
over to the federal police, he still had the other two cases to work, which
began to show odd connections to the Conroy family and the cricket academy they
ran.
The craze for sports gambling
of all kinds and the potential for its abuse as well as the tendency to hold
sports figures up as objects of adulation are examined thoroughly in this
story. My knowledge of cricket, which is considered to be Australia’s national
sport, is unfortunately limited to a chapter in Murder Must Advertise by
Dorothy L. Sayers where Lord Peter Wimsey displays his skill at the game.
A thread about Walker’s niece
demonstrates his attachment to his family and his desire to stay close to them.
His late grandmother and her house remain deeply important to him, giving him a
depth of humanity not always seen in crime fiction protagonists.
The settings are exotic, the
characters are terrific, and the plots in this series are innovative and well
executed. Fans of outback noir and police procedurals should definitely add
these books to their TBR lists. Readers of the series will be delighted with
this new entry. Recommended!
- Publisher:
Embla Books
- Publication
date: May 20, 2026
- Language:
English
- Print
length: 432 pages
- ISBN-10:
1471422666
- ISBN-13:
978-1471422669
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4nv7Qkx
Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2026
Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal
It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.
Sunday, May 17, 2026
KRL Update
Up on KRL this week a review and giveaway of "Drafted in Deceit" by Simone Stier, along with an interesting interview with Simone https://kingsriverlife.com/05/16/drafted-in-deceit-by-simone-stier/
And week a review and giveaway of "A Crime Through Time" by Amelia Blackwell, along with an interesting guest post from Amelia about the unique premise of her series https://kingsriverlife.com/05/16/a-crime-through-time-by-amelia-blackwell/
And a review and giveaway of "Murder in a Lavender Daze" by Daryl Wood Gerber https://kingsriverlife.com/05/16/murder-in-a-lavender-daze-by-daryl-wood-gerber/
We also have week a mystery short story by Guy Belleranti https://kingsriverlife.com/05/16/mystery-short-story/
Up during the week we posted another special midweek guest post, this one by mystery author John Degan about the setting of his new book "Seldom Seen Road" https://kingsriverlife.com/05/13/is-that-a-real-place/
And another special midweek guest post, this one by mystery author Nicolas DiDomizio about the movies that inspired his main character in his new book "Murder Most Camp." https://kingsriverlife.com/05/13/a-murder-most-camp/
Up on KRL News and Reviews this week we have a review and ebook giveaway of "Death Under the Dogwoods" by Neil Plakcy and Joanna Campbell Slan https://www.krlnews.com/2026/05/death-under-dogwoods-by-neil-s-plakcy.html
And a review and ebook giveaway of "Mares and Murder" by Leslie Langtry https://www.krlnews.com/2026/05/mares-and-murder-by-leslie-langtry.html
And a review and giveaway of "Wrought in Flesh" by Corinne Price https://www.krlnews.com/2026/05/wrought-in-flesh-by-corinne-price.html
Review: Mist and Malice: A Haven Thriller by Rachel Howzell Hall
Mist and Malice: A Haven Thriller
by Rachel Howzell Hall picks up within
hours of the conclusion of the preceding novel, Fog and Fury.
Several of the ongoing storylines from the first book are resolved here in this
second read. There are also ongoing repercussions from that book that are part
of the background to this read.
And while former LAPD Homicide Detective
Alyson “Sonny” Rush needs a break,
working as a private investigator in the small town of Haven, California, means
the cases keep coming. She works for her godfather, Ivan Poole, who now has a
missing person’s case for her. Sonny Rush is now about to be on the hunt for
Emiliano Rivas. He has been missing almost three months, since around Memorial
Day, and his wife, Araceli Rivas, has finally come to them for help.
They are a young couple and money is
tight. He is also undocumented so the police have been little to no help. She
has no idea if he simply abandoned her or if something bad happened. He didn’t
have a work permit. On the plus side, she claims that he has no criminal
history. He did have a job at a local construction site. According to her, he
is very well liked there. All she really knows is that he left one day to go
get a propane tank refilled and never came back home.
She provides a couple of leads and Sonny
begins to work the case while also dealing with a previous unsolved case of
hers, and various other issues, personal and professional. She has a lot going
on, besides the missing person’s case. A case that gets darker as she scratches
the surface. Before long, as they say, she is deep in it, and the lives of her mom
and her are very much at stake.
As Sonny very quickly learned soon after
moving to town, Haven is no Heaven, no matter what some would claim.
This second book in the series is another
good one. About half of this read is devoted to the current missing persons
case and about half is devoted to tying up numerous situations/storylines from
the first book. The result is an entertaining read that gives a lot of answers
to readers of this series. Mist and Malice: A Haven Thriller by
Rachel Howzell Hall is a good read while also providing a satisfying conclusion
to the series. It also provides a possible way forward should the author
continue the series.
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4uPx7bP
My reading copy came from the publisher,
Thomas & Mercer, through NetGalley, with no expectation of a positive
review.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2026
Saturday, May 16, 2026
SleuthSayers: It's Still a Mystery
The Short Mystery Fiction Society Blog: SMFS Spotlight: John M. Floyd
Beneath the Stains of Time: Murder in the Air (1931) by Darwin L. Teilhet
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Cinder House by Freya Marske
Scott's Take: The Gate of the Feral Gods (Dungeon Crawler Carl series) by Matt Dinniman
The Gate of the Feral Gods
is the fourth book in the Dungeon Crawler Carl series by Matt
Dinniman and continues the adventures of Princess Donut and Carl. In this
adventure, the Princess Donut and friends must take down four castles in a row
to escape this level.
They start in the desert in a little town being run
by alien camels and being bombed by a bunch of airplane flying gnomes. They
need to find a way to breach the flying castle in the sky to stop the bombings.
If that is not bad enough, they also have the other castles to take down such
as Necropolis, a submarine, and more. Obviously, some of those locations are not
really castles, but they are classified as such for the game.
Carl and Donut also must work with the survivors
assaulting the other castles. As nearly all the other survivors are pretty much
idiots who have somehow still survived to this point, despite the fact that the
AI clearly wants them dead, things are going to get harder for Carl and Donut.
This series remains fun and each book remains an
action packed adventure with plenty of humor. There are things that happen in
this book that should have major ramifications for the series. The print
version still includes a bonus short story which I am still not sure what is
the point of these characters yet.
This series is continued by the Butcher’s Masquerade which is book
five in the series. I am currently reading this in eBook via the library. The
crawlers have reached level six, The Hunting Grounds, so the space aliens who
have been watching the show now can play as well. The space aliens that are now
participating in the game have been classified as “Hunters” and have been
assigned the mission to kill every crawler and their primary target is Carl. He
has pissed off a lot of alien factions who have placed a bounty on his head.
Can he survive this level?
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3Q6maU7
I read the print version of this book by way of a
copy from the Polk-Wisdom Branch of the Dallas Public Library System.
Scott A. Tipple ©2026
Friday, May 15, 2026
In Reference to Murder: Forgotten Books Friday - The Long Shadow
FFB Review: See Also Murder: A Marjorie Trumaine Mystery by Larry D. Sweazy
From the archive....
Living on a farm in Stark County, North
Dakota in July of 1964 is hard, but it isn’t winter and that helps a little
bit. Things are harder for Marjorie Trumaine than most because she is trying to
manage it all pretty much by herself. It has been that way since her husband,
Hank, had his hunting accident that left him blind and paralyzed. He spends his
days, except for a rare trip away from home, lying in their bed unable to care
for himself or the farm they both love.
The Knudsens on the next farm over were
there for Hank and Marjorie long after everyone else in the small community got
on with their lives and forgot about them. Erik, the father, supervised his
sons, Peter and Jaeger, while they did chores on the place after they had
finished work on their own farm. Lida, their mom and Erik’s wife, brought food
for months while Marjorie and Hank slowly adjusted to the catastrophic change
in their lives. Over time that help as well as Marjorie’s ongoing job as a
freelance indexer has allowed them to survive in their new normal post-accident
reality.
The news that Sheriff Hilo Jenkins
brings Marjorie this July morning is hard to deal with on any level, but
especially now after everything that has happened in recent months. Erik and
Lida have been brutally murdered while they slept in their bed. Their sons,
Erik and Jaeger, are physically fine as they slept through the murders in their
home. Sheriff Jenkins does not believe the boys had anything to do with it
though he does intend to question them about the murders. He does believe an
amulet found in Erik’s dead hand plays some role in the case.
Marjorie has a reputation, one that she
has tried hard to control and stifle, as being the smartest person around. She
can’t help using words that many in the area don’t know or understand. Her love
of books and knowledge has only increased the last several years as she has
built a career of freelance work of writing indexes and meeting deadlines. What
began as a source of extra income is now her sole escape from reality as well
as the primary source of income for the
family. Sheriff Jenkins wants Marjorie to figure out what the amulet means so
that he might figure out who killed Erik and Lida. It is his only real clue and
he wants her role in the case kept secret. She reluctantly agrees to help it is
the least she can do for the Knudsens – the living and the dead.
What follows is a very complex and
highly atmospheric mystery by award winning author Larry D. Sweazy. The North
Dakota landscape is a constant character presence in this novel that blends
history and lore, a mystery full of twists and turns, and the role of family
(by birth and other means) into a read that quickly pulls the reader into a
different time and place far from home. Recently published by Seventh Street
Books, See Also Murder: A Marjorie Trumaine Mystery is a highly
addictive read that will keep you reading far past your bedtime. It is very
much well worth your time.
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3RF8CiV
Material supplied for my use by the good
people of the Plano Public Library System.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2015, 2018, 2026
Thursday, May 14, 2026
In Reference to Murder: Mystery Melange
Criminal Minds: Old Dog, New Tricks from James W. Ziskin
Thursday Treats: 5/14/2026
The latest reading opportunities…
Fellow SMFS list member Gerald Elias announced on
the list that his short story collection, Murder on Vacation, is
about to be released by White City Press. Releasing in a
variety of formats, the book contains sixteen crime fiction tales billed as Stories
from the Case Files of Maury Gross, NYPD (Ret.). You can get a copy at
the White City Press
store.
Last October, author Jeannette de Beauvoir was here on the blog to share some background on her book, The Everest Enigma: An Abbie Bradford Mystery. At the time, I set up an Amazon alert on her so that I would get updated regarding her books. I got an alert last week that her latest book, Trafficking In Murder: A Sydney Riley Provincetown Mystery was now out. Published by Becket Books, this 11th book in the Sydney Riley Series, is available in eBook format at Amazon as is the entire series.
An Amazon
alert was also how I found out that O'Neil De Noux also had a new book out this month. Ain't That New
Orleans is now out. This 11th book in the LaStanza New Orleans Police Series is available in eBook
and print formats at Amazon and other vendors.
This week
saw the publication of The Emperor's Palace (The Turner and Mosley Files
by LynDee Walker and Bruce Robert Coffin. Released by
Severn River Publishing, this is the fifth book in The Turner and Mosley
Files series, and is available in a variety of formats at Amazon and elsewhere. I am way behind in my
reading of this very enjoyable action adventure series.
The latest issue of Black Cat Weekly
also came out. Black Cat Weekly #245 includes short stories by SMFS list
members Teel James Glenn (That’s Shoe
Biz) and Anna Scotti (Man or Bear)
among others. Also in this issue is a novella and a novel. You can pick up the
latest issue of this weekly, multi genre, magazine here.
The latest roundup of publishing news of
members was compiled and posted by SMFS President Joseph S. Walker. Among other
items covered in the post
on the SMFS Blog was the news that the latest issue of Dark Yonder is
now out. Per Mr. Walker, fellow SMFS list members Mark Coggins, Christina
Hoag. Veronica Leigh, and Steve Liskow, all have short stories in the issue.
Yet another deal that I am way behind in reading.
Finally, author and editor Michael Bracken sends word that
Michele Slung (first reader for Otto Penzler) is asking printed copies of
original (i.e., first published in 2026, from January 1st to December 31st)
stories to be mailed —- in paper form only, including all relevant publication
info —- to:
Otto Penzler
BEST MYSTERY STORIES 2026
58 Warren Street
New York NY 10007
[Please understand that such material
arriving in a variety of formats simply is too difficult to deal with.]
Until next time….
Kevin R. Tipple ©2026
Personal Note: Thank you to those who saw my plea and donated. Much appreciated. I am not sure what the future holds for us as Scott is still home. Today marks one month without work. What was supposed to be just a few days maybe a week has gone on far longer. He is still looking for a job. But, AI has really done a number on the job market in the last two to three months. Things do not look good at all.
Wednesday, May 13, 2026
Bitter Tea and Mystery: Short Story Wednesday: More Stories from Three for the Chair
Jerry's House of Everything: SHORT STORY WEDNESDAY: THE DEAD SPEAKETH NOT, THEY JUST GRUNT NOW AND THEN
Short Story Wednesday Review: Blaze Orange: A Short Story by Paul Doiron
The latest novella, while billed on
Amazon and elsewhere as part of the Mike Bowditch Mysteries, does
not have a trace of him in the read. Blaze Orange: A Short Story
by Paul Doiron is a prequel of sorts built around young Maine Game Warden Kathy
Frost. With a year under her belt, the first and only woman in the Maine Warden
Service has been transferred to a new district where she is still being ignored
and treated like a rookie. Being the first woman in the service comes with a
heavy burden and that is not the only thing she deals with on a daily basis.
Her new field training officer is
Charley Stevens. Already a legend among all, he has quite a few years on her
and, more importantly, an openness to her presence in the service. At attitude
that is almost as rare as her status.
He shows up at her new home one Sunday
morning seeking her company on a call. It is November and deer hunting season
is well underway. Earlier today a man has been shot in the area of Wilton. He
was shot and killed by a hunter.
The case should have been hers from the
start, but nobody bothered to alert her. Instead, Charley Stevens has come by
to collect her and take her to the scene. According to Charley, Douglas Ludwig
is dead after being shot by Don Sands. Both the shooter and the victim await
their arrival.
Charley Stevens takes her to the
isolated scene being held down by a Maine State Trooper who is clearly less
than thrilled to see the female game warned. The trooper has already decided it
was clearly an accident.
Was it?
Or, was it murder?
That question is one that Charley
Stevens and Kathy Frost work to answer as they investigate in this fast-moving
read. During the course of this enjoyable novella, readers learn quite a lot about
the background of Maine Game Warden Kathy Frost. The same figure that will play
a large role in Mike Bowditch’s professional and personal life in the coming
years.
Also included with the novella are the
first three chapters of the upcoming book, Storm Tide. Having
already read that book by way of the ARC by way of the publisher through
NetGalley, I skipped the approximately 20 paged excerpt. My review of that book
will appear here on the blog on the scheduled publication day of June 30th.
As to this read, while I was very disappointed
that Mike Bowditch was nowhere to be seen, I did enjoy the novella. Most of the
background of the first female game warden was already known to series readers, such as myself, so this tale just
fleshed it out a little more. We also got to see Charley in action and that is
always a treat. How successful this novella will be in attracting new readers
to the series, since it does not have one whiff of the signature series
character, I have no idea, but I did enjoy it.
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4nvqx7W
Because I thought the Dallas Public Library System was not getting it, I used a little bit of my funds in my Amazon Associate account to obtain this eBook. I should have waited as it is now listed in the Hoopla system through the library.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2026
Tuesday, May 12, 2026
John McMahon and his offer: YOUR NAME in my NEXT BOOK
Readers of this blog know that I am a big fan of John McMahon and his books. If things were not so grim here, I would do this in a heartbeat. As I can't, I asked Mr. McMahon if I could share the news here on my blog to help raise visibility of this very cool opportunity. He enthusiastically gave his support so the relevant part of his latest newsletter, THE OFFER, is below. Do it and help some folks and get the opportunity to be in the next book. And, if you have not read his books, get yourself to your favorite bookstore, library, or book selling portal. He writes great stuff! His author website is here.
This newsletter – I come to you with an offer.
• Would you like to see – YOUR NAME – as a character in my next book?
• You could live on in immortality in print (and digital).
I was challenged to help raise money for some good causes.
• Maybe your name is a judge killed under mysterious circumstances?
• Or you’re the Director of the NSA?
Not sure if there will be a demand for this or not – but trying something new.
So – ground rules:
1) Donate $250 to one of four charities. I will match donations with my own $250. So together, we could raise $500 x 4 causes = $2,000.
2) You get your name as a character in my next Gardner Camden/Patterns and Recognition book (coming out next Summer).
And if you already support good causes – you could just shift your focus this year – and support one of these.
OK. Here are 4 great causes we would together support:
charity: water – building wells; ending the water crisis in the world; 100% of our donation goes directly to fund clean water projects. No admin cost.
St. Jude Hospital – amazing pediatric research hospital, focusing on children with cancer and leukemia.
San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance – non-profit parent company of the San Diego Zoo; their mission is simple- to save species worldwide.
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation – supporting research to find a cure for CF and improve the lives of those living with it.
2) I will make you sign an agreement about your name in the book so you don't sue anyone. Don’t worry. I will not make you a child predator. (I save that for critics of my books (Kidding :))
IF YOU’RE INTERESTED – respond to this email – mcmahonjohn@att.net
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