Friday, May 16, 2025

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: How to Buy a Planet by D.A. Holdsworth

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: How to Buy a Planet by D.A. Holdsworth:   Reviewed by Kristin   “The Earth has been sold. What could possibly go wrong? ” Have you checked out some of the gems in Tennessee...

Trace Evidence: When & Where (by R.T. Lawton)

 Trace Evidence: When & Where (by R.T. Lawton)

Donnell Ann Bell: When Short Story Characters Take a Leap … by M.E. Proctor

 Donnell Ann Bell: When Short Story Characters Take a Leap … by M.E. Proctor

The Rap Sheet: Nibbies Endorse Tense Tale

 The Rap Sheet: Nibbies Endorse Tense Tale

Happiness Is A Book: Friday’s Forgotten Book: Error of the Moon by Sara Woods

 Happiness Is A Book: Friday’s Forgotten Book: Error of the Moon by Sara Woods

Jerry's House of Everything: FORGOTTEN BOOK: FRIGHT

Jerry's House of Everything: FORGOTTEN BOOK: FRIGHT:   Fright  by "George Hopley" (Cornell George Hopley Woolrich) (1950; reprinted as by Cornell Woolrich, 2007) Cornell Woolrich was ...

FFB Review-- Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: The Coffin Trail by Martin Edwards

 

From the archive…. 


The Coffin Trail by Martin Edwards (Poisoned Pen Press, October 2004) is the first book in the author’s Lake District mystery series, which now has seven titles. He has also written eight mysteries featuring lawyer Harry Devlin. Edwards is perhaps better known as a crime fiction critic and anthologist, which is unfortunate, because his mysteries are fine reads.

Daniel Kind, an Oxford historian, visits a childhood vacation spot in England’s scenic Lake District with his new lover Miranda, where they impulsively buy a run-down home and decide to leave their urban lives to start over. Part of his interest in the village is in clearing the name of a local youth he’d been friends with during the long-ago holiday and who since then had been unofficially blamed for the gruesome murder of a tourist. About the same time DCI Hannah Scarlett of the local police force is assigned to clear up a number of cold cases, including this one. DCI Scarlett carries out her official investigation in parallel with Kind’s informal questioning of the long-time residents, both of which upset a lot of people for different reasons. They each gather essential clues that eventually they jointly assemble into a resolution that has a further twist at the very end.

Kind serves as tour guide to Miranda, in between wrangling with the local contractors they have hired to renovate the house, which allows the story to showcase the geographical features of the Lake District.  Setting is sometimes referred to as an additional character in a story; in this one the rich descriptions of the region’s hills and landmarks nearly elbow everyone else off the page.

This book was nominated for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival’s prize for best British crime novel of 2006.

 


  • Series: Lake District Mysteries
  • Hardcover: 312 pages
  • Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press; First Edition (October 1, 2004)
  • ISBN-10: 1590581296
  • ISBN-13: 978-1590581292

 

 

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

 

Aubrey Hamilton © 2017, 2025

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

Thursday, May 15, 2025

Lesa's Book Critiques: What Are You Reading?

 Lesa's Book Critiques: What Are You Reading?

Publishers Weekly: Libro.fm Launches In-App Direct Purchase, Member Signup

 Publishers Weekly: Libro.fm Launches In-App Direct Purchase, Member Signup

Don't Need A Diagram: Adrian McKinty, “Hang On St. Christopher”

 Don't Need A Diagram: Adrian McKinty, “Hang On St. Christopher”

Beneath the Stains of Time: The Case of the Carnaby Castle Curse (2022) by P.J. Fitzsimmons

Beneath the Stains of Time: The Case of the Carnaby Castle Curse (2022) by P.J...: Last time, I looked at P.J. Fitzsimmons' The Case of the Canterfell Codicil (2020), first in the Anthony "Anty" Boisjoly seri...

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Nevermore: Crime and Punishment, Everything is Tuberculosis, King of the North

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Nevermore: Crime and Punishment, Everything is Tu...:   Nevermore Book Club readers enjoy a wide variety of books, old and new, fiction and non-fiction. Here are some of the books recommended ...

Review: No Lie Lasts Forever: A Thriller by Mark Stevens

  

Mark Steven’s last book, The Fireballer, was a very good book. It was very good, even though he did not have my team, the Texas Rangers, present in the read that much and even had the wrong team winning the World Series. That book touched on many things, not just baseball, and like his Allison Coil Mystery series, was a mighty good read. So, when Mark Sevens let me know he had a new book coming out and offered me a reading copy, even though with my worsening health and everything else here I had no idea if I would ever get to read it, I eventually accepted the offer.


No Lie Lasts Forever: A Thriller takes readers to Denver in a complicated tale of mystery, murder, treachery, and a lot more. Reporter Flynn Martin, a television icon, is our heroine. Her dad was a legendary newspaper reporter in Denver and the proverbial apple fell right at the base of that tree. It is supposed to be her day off as the book opens.

 

But, her boss has reached out as a gunman is holding hostages and wants a television reporter to be a go between for him and the police. Flynn was not his choice, but she is available, and he will accept her as the go between, if she agrees. Even though these days she is more known for her projects on climate change and think pieces, she has a long history on the police beat and has many contacts.

 

Grudgingly, with lives at stake, she gets involved only to have things go horribly wrong through no fault of her own. In the violent and deadly aftermath, she takes a lot of heat internally and publicly from the police and average folks who have an opinion, shaped by the storm of media coverage at rival networks and elsewhere, of what she did that fateful day. Suspended and flooded with grief, she would like to be left alone to cope with what has happened.

 

Instead, a long dormant serial killer decides he is going to involve her in his quest to set the record straight. He wants credit for the three successful, as he sees it, kills he got away with many years ago and how he has behaved since. He does not want anyone placing a murder he did not commit on him. PDQ was a legend in Denver and some believe he is back killing again. He isn’t and wants his legend intact and not desecrated by an imposter. He is very mad about somebody doing a very poor job of copying him and wants Flynn to prove it wasn’t him. She is supposed to do that without involving anyone else whether it be coworkers, family, or the police.

 

While the initial goal of preserving his legacy might have been achievable, his ego drives him, as it does Flynn, and numerous other people in this read. Mistakes and assumptions are made and things quite rapidly escalate for everyone. A violent collision was and is inviable with its own rippling aftermath.

 

No Lie Lasts Forever: A Thriller by Mark Stevens is one heck of a read. Multifaceted and moving forward at a rapid pace, Flynn finds herself deeper and deeper into a nightmare. It also reinforces my long held personal belief that leaving the house is often a very bad idea in many more ways than one. 


Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/44zuNMa

 

 

My print ARC was provided by the author with no expectation of a review. As it happens, the read was selected for the Amazon First Reads this month. That means, until the end of the month, the digital version of the read is free for Amazon Prime members, and $1.99 for other readers. Published by Thomas & Mercer, the book comes out on June 1st.

 

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2025

Wednesday, May 14, 2025

Lesa's Book Critiques: Mrs, Presumed Dead by Simon Brett

 Lesa's Book Critiques: Mrs, Presumed Dead by Simon Brett

Mystery Fanfare: UNFORGOTTEN: Season 6 News!

Mystery Fanfare: UNFORGOTTEN: Season 6 News!: Unforgotten, Season 6 Unforgotten returns to PBS Masterpiece Mystery! on August 24, 10/9c. There will be 6 episodes. DCI Jess James, DI S...

Jane Friedman: The Hidden Costs of AI Copyediting Tools: An Editor’s Review by Ariane Peveto

 Jane Friedman: The Hidden Costs of AI Copyediting Tools: An Editor’s Review by Ariane Peveto

George Kelly: WEDNESDAY’S SHORT STORIES #224: THE PRITCHETT CENTURY Edited by Oliver Pritchett

 George Kelly: WEDNESDAY’S SHORT STORIES #224: THE PRITCHETT CENTURY Edited by Oliver Pritchett

Little Big Crimes: You Know What You Did, by Karen Harrington

Little Big Crimes: You Know What You Did, by Karen Harrington: "You Know What You Did," by Karen Harrington, in Trouble in Texas, edited by Michael Bracken, North Dallas Chapter of Sisters in ...

Short Story Wednesday Review: A Killing at the Copa: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Music of Barry Manilow Editor J. Alan Hartman

 

A Killing at the Copa: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Music of Barry Manilow was a read that stirred up a lot of feelings for me. As a writer, I knew there was absolutely no way I could conceive, write, and submit a story for consideration for this project as my late wife’s love for all things Barry Manilow made it impossible.

 

One small example of that reality for me—Back in the day, I changed the song “Mandy” to “Sandi.” I would often slow dance with her in our apartment kitchen when it came on and I would sing the song to her. I’m no singer—as a certain Junior High School music teacher made clear when she very loudly pronounced me “hopeless” and publicly gave up on me in front of everyone during the mandatory music class one day—so, I only did it for her in private. That would include coming home from chemo when it came on the radio as she slept on the nearly hour long drive home.

 

She was a huge fan and his music, along with Elton John, Neil Diamond, and a few others, was interwoven thickly into the fabric of our lives. With her gone, music remains pretty much dead to me as it is way too upsetting. The music of the 70s to the early 2000s was the us and Barry Manilow was a huge part of us. It all seems like a lifetime ago now.

 

This anthology by Editor J. Alan Hartman, published by White City Press earlier this year, plays homage to his music. There are sixteen short stories in the read. The Copacabana is directly referenced in several of the tales and briefly mentioned in a couple of others. Diversity on terms of characters and writing styles is present throughout the read. While all the tales are good ones, I did have some personal favorites. As always, my brief explanation of my favorite ones is written in such a way as to not generate spoilers. You can be assured that I just skim the surface and the tales are far more complicated than they may appear by my brief description. You can also be assured that, no doubt, your personal favorites may vary quite a but from mine. Such is the case with any anthology or short story collection.

 

Linda Kay Hardies’s “Rain as Cold as Ice” takes readers to Reno, Nevada, where the falling water from the sky is nasty. A conversation on a bus stop bench leads the reader to an unexpected event.

 

Adam Gorgoni’s “Radical Boys” is a tale of regret, pain, and what might have been if a different choice was made decades ago. It is also a redemption story, of sort, and a chance for a new beginning.

 

“I Write the Songs” by Maya St. Clair takes readers on an exploration of a long since abandoned club. At one time, the place was filled with music legends and patrons. Now it is full of water, rot and decay, and possibly something more in this highly atmospheric story.

 

A police procedural is at work in “The Daybreak Killer” by Matt McGee. The 30 something and very dead woman in the Los Angles club, “Flamenco,” is the latest case for Detectives Parmenter and Bernal. She even has yellow feathers in her hair. A reference that Detective Parmenter is not picking up on or any of the others that his far younger partner is pointing out.

 

“Ready to Take a Chance Again” by Kurtis Rupé makes extensive use of the current pollical climate to tell a tale that ius all too realistic. Bad things are happening in Marina Vista, California, and Geri is slowly putting the pieces together.

 

There are some short story writers that always make the read better by their presence. John M. Floyd is one of those rare breed. “Lonely Together” opens with a Russian and an American in a crowded nightclub in Moscow. The music and the vodka flows, as does their conversation that touches on Aristotle’s six elements of drama, and a lot more.

 

As you can see, my personal favorites make up nearly half of the read. That is not to say the others were not good. They are. I just happened to like these seven a bit more.

 

A nice touch here is the fact that each story has a header that explains what song inspired the tale and what album includes that song. The book closes with a detailed bio of each of the contributing authors.

 

A Killing at the Copa: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Music of Barry Manilow, edited by J. Alan Hartman, is an interesting and entertaining crime fiction read. For those of us of a certain age who can mentally hear each song as a story unfurls, we probably get more out of the book thanks to the memories of what were often better days than the here and now. There is plenty to read and enjoy here and the book is well worth your time.


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

 

Digital Review copy provided by the publisher sometime in March with no expectation of a review.

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2025

Tuesday, May 13, 2025

Lesa's Book Critiques: Tough Luck by Sandra Dallas

 Lesa's Book Critiques: Tough Luck by Sandra Dallas

Publishers Weekly: Audible Expands Catalog with AI Narration and Translation Services

 Publishers Weekly: Audible Expands Catalog with AI Narration and Translation Services

The Hard Word: A WEST WILD & WEIRD: FREDERIC S. DURBIN'S THE COUNTRY UNDER HEAVEN

 The Hard Word: A WEST WILD & WEIRD: FREDERIC S. DURBIN'S THE COUNTRY UNDER HEAVEN

Publication Day Review: Skin and Bones And Other Mike Bowditch Short Stories by Paul Doiron

  

Skin and Bones And Other Mike Bowditch Short Stories by Paul Doiron is an entertaining collection of eight short stories. Some of the tales here are actual short stories while others are novellas. Seven of the reads have been previously published and are collected here with the all-new tale, “Sheep’s Clothing.” If you have read the previously published tales before, doing so now once again is like visiting old friends. And, of course, there is that new short story, Sheep’s Clothing, and it is really good too.

 

The book opens with the short story, “Bear Trap.” Charley Stevens, retired Maine Game Warden, friend, mentor, father figure, and a lot more, and Mike Bowditch are in a canoe fishing for northern pike. Mike is in his first year as a game warden. They are on a lake that back in the day saw Charley on patrol a lot. Many things have changed here in the decades since. The subject of a local legend, a hermit of sorts, comes up and Charley tells the story.

 

Next up is “Backtrack.” When Charley Stevens gets the call, he is a 28-year-old Maine Game Warden. Dr. Phillip Stoddard, one of four men staying at a hunting cabin has been missing for a few hours. A major snow storm is on the way. Soon Charley Stevens is with the remaining hunters at their cabin and working to get the details such as Dr. Stoddard’s mental state, what supplies he has with him, and determining who saw him last and where. All of that is important as those details will help him find the missing hunter in this highly atmospheric tale. If so inclined, you can read my November 2019 full review of the story here.

 

“Rabid” comes next where, after a long day of riding with Mike Bowditch while he was on patrol, retired Maine Game Warden Charley Stevens is finally going to explain why he put a large brown package in the bed of the patrol truck that morning. The actual events that Charley tells and later explained in further depth by Charlie’s wife, Ora, happened decades ago. It is a situation that has long haunted both Charlie and his wife and one that is very hard for them to talk about even today. If you want to know more, you can read my full August 2018 review here.

 

Next is the “The Imposter” where Maine Game Warden Mike Bowditch was new to “Down East Maine.” In those early days, he had a bit of a reputation and his new boss is less than friendly. As the short story opens, Bowditch is on the dock at Roque Harbor watching as a body is recovered from the water. The body has a driver’s license with the dead man’s name on it. Who he was claiming to be and what he was doing these past few weeks is the driving focus of this entertaining short story. The rest of my full review from May 2020 can be read here.

 

“Skin and Bones” from May 2022 is also set early in Mike Bowditch’s career. This time, Mike has been working for the warden service about three years and is in a very foul mood. He has come to his old friend, Charley Stevens, for advice. He brings the body of a deceased American Bald Eagle that was killed for no other reason that the guy could shoot it in a wing and leave it to die. While Bowditch wants to tear the fishing camp where he believes the suspect is hiding out apart with his bare hands and toss the guy into jail, Charley has a better way of getting the suspect into custody at minimal risk based on his own story from long ago that still haunts him to this day.

 

Next in the collection is the short story, “The Caretaker.” Warden Maine Game Warden Mike Bowditch is sitting on the porch with Charley Stevens when Violet and Josiah Baker show up to ask for help. They recently bought an old cabin at nearby Quillpig Pond and started massive renovations. Things were going as expected until approximately two weeks ago when strange things started happening. Violet is sure their caretaker, Kevin Moran, is responsible. Charley and Mike are not so sure. While he is known to the Game Wardens as a loner and with a strange sense of humor, he isn't known for what Violet is reporting. The couple, especially Violet, are frustrated and want it stopped. If so inclined, you can read the rest of my June 2021 review here.

 

As “Snakebit” begins, a woman has called Maine Game Warden Mike Bowditch to report that she saw a rattlesnake. She claims to have seen it during her hike on Black Cat Mountain. Without proof and with a bad attitude, Mike Bowditch doesn’t believe her. He soon has an opportunity to reconsider that thought when hours later he is awakened with news that a teenager has been bit while attending a keg party in the nearby woods. Something is going on and Bowditch is going to get to the bottom of it. My full May 2023 review can be read here.

 

“Sheep’s Clothing” is the all-new tale and brings the book to a close. Due to recent events that took Mike Bowditch to Canada, he has been busted back down to patrol. He is lucky to still have a job. He knows it and always liked patrol so he is happy. Though the Withams are not folks he likes to deal with as they are so problematic in many ways, they also haven’t been seen for some time now as the read begins. As the only representative of law enforcement in the area for many miles, it is up to him to go out to their place and do a welfare check.

 

As one always expects from this author, Skin and Bones And Other Mike Bowditch Short Stories, is highly entertaining. If you have read most of the works in the book before, like I had, the new tale is worth the price of admission. If you are new to this excellent series, this short story collection will give you a glimpse of what you have in store by way of his novels. CJ Box may own Wyoming, but Paul Doiron owns Maine.

 


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

 

 

My digital ARC reading copy came from Minotaur Books, through NetGalley, and with no expectation of a review.

 

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2025

Monday, May 12, 2025

Lesa's Book Critiques: Creeping Venom by Sheila Pim

 Lesa's Book Critiques: Creeping Venom by Sheila Pim

Mystery Fanfare: Department Q: New Series on Netflix

Mystery Fanfare: Department Q: New Series on Netflix: The new "Department Q" series , starring Matthew Goode, will be available exclusively on Netflix and will premiere on  May 29, 2...

In Reference To Murder: Media Murder for Monday 5/12/2025

 In Reference To Murder: Media Murder for Monday 5/12/2025

Markets and Jobs for Writers 5/12/2025

 Markets and Jobs for Writers 5/12/2025

Dark City Underground: Review: "Skin and Bones and Other Mike Bowditch Short Stories" by Paul Doiron

 Dark City Underground: Review: "Skin and Bones and Other Mike Bowditch Short Stories" by Paul Doiron

Beneath the Stains of Time: The Case of the Canterfell Codicil (2020) by P.J. Fitzsimmons

Beneath the Stains of Time: The Case of the Canterfell Codicil (2020) by P.J. ...: I previously reviewed P.J. Fitzsimmons' The Case of the Ghost of Christmas Morning (2021) and The Tale of the Tenpenny Tontine (2021),...

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Glory Be by Danielle Arceneaux

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Glory Be by Danielle Arceneaux:   Reviewed by Jeanne Glory Broussard is a devout, Church-going woman of a certain age in Layfayette, Louisiana but don’t let that lull y...

Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: Dead in the Water by Mark Ellis


Dead in the Water by Mark Ellis (Headline Accent, 2023) is the fifth book in the DCI Frank Merlin historical mystery series. Set in 1942, after the United States entered the war on the side of the Allies, the conflict is in full swing and seems never ending to the folks on the Home Front. Merlin and his limited personnel are inundated by one crime wave after another. He gets pulled into what might be an art theft when one of the negotiators to the sale of some rare da Vinci drawings turns up dead. The timing is just too pat for the death not to be connected to the sale of the sketches that one young man insists were stolen from his family by the Nazis about 10 years earlier. The provenance of the drawings isn’t clear, but the timing lends credence to the claim of theft. And the Nazis were known to have sticky fingers for classic art pieces. On the other hand, the amount of cash stolen might explain homicide aside from the artwork.

Consideration of espionage is inevitable under the circumstances. Whose spy is where and are they double agents or triple agents? Are they in any way involved with the art sale and subsequent murders? Then the cash that was taken from a locked wall safe: Only two crooks were known to be able to crack a safe of that caliber. Where are they? The potential murderers and possible motives and blameless bystanders are legion and hard to keep straight.

A compelling side plot deals with a black U. S. soldier, whom an Alabama lieutenant of the military police adjudged guilty of a crime without further investigation. Merlin was aghast at the blatant injustice and stepped on more than a few political toes to stop the execution of an innocent man.

This series consistently offers a strong authentic setting that faithfully describes life in London during the first years of the war. Crime ran rampant and the police could do little to stop it, with most of its personnel gone off to war. This particular title is involved and has almost too many characters to easily keep sorted. Fans of historical mysteries will want to read these books, starting with the first one. The sixth title is due to be released at the end of May 2025.



 

·         Publisher: Headline Accent

·         Publication Date: April 25, 2023

·         Language: English

·         Print Length: 384 pages

·         ISBN-10: 1786159880

·         ISBN-13: 978-1786159885

 

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

 

Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2025 

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

Sunday, May 11, 2025

Kathleen Marple Kalb's Blog: So You Wrote the Book, Now What?: More Than One Way

 Kathleen Marple Kalb's Blog: So You Wrote the Book, Now What?: More Than One Way

Guest Post: A Memory and Places That Are Gone by Tom Milani

 

Please welcome back author Tom Milani to the blog today as he shares the backstory of his debut novel, Places That Are Gone. Published by Unnerving, the book releases this Tuesday. The official book launch will be held this coming Saturday at Elaines, 208 Queen Street Alexandria, VA 22314, at noon. Tickets are free and can be obtained through EventBrite.

 

 

A Memory and Places That Are Gone

Tom Milani

In the 1980s, I lived in a garden-style condominium in West Springfield, a Northern Virginia suburb. On my eastbound commute, I shared the road with drivers headed to jobs in the inner suburbs of Washington, DC, or into the city itself. One particular day, before I even left my neighborhood, I saw a woman hitchhiking.

And here, I’ll let Bennett Wilder, the protagonist of my debut novel, Places That Are Gone, take over: “Mary Ann Vecchio. That was Bennett’s first thought when he saw the hitchhiker. She crouched and spread her arms, the look on her face pleading. In tenth grade he’d written a paper about John Filo’s photograph of the high school girl kneeling over the body of Kent State student Jeffrey Miller.”

Like Bennett, I picked the woman up, and even at the time, she reminded me of the girl in the Kent State photograph—of that much, I’m certain. During the twenty minutes she was in my car, she told me about herself, showed me a picture of her son and, before I dropped her off, said, “I wish I could party with you.” 

I never mentioned that conversation to anyone, and when I thought about it, what always stood out was how open she had been with me. I didn’t regret turning down her offer, but as a writer, I’ve always been curious about the turn not made, the question not asked, the phone call not answered.

Flash forward to November 2020 and the pandemic. Several writing friends, along with my wife, convinced me to participate in National Novel Writing Month. For NaNoWriMo, the goal was to write 50,000 words in a month. I took two weeks off my day job and started writing just after midnight on November 1. I didn’t outline, but I had a start: Bennett Wilder picked up a hitchhiker named Liz Messina on his way to work. They talked. She said she wished they could party together. Here was where reality and fiction diverged—Bennett accepted her offer.

That was enough of a hook to get me started, and anytime I got stuck, I upped the stakes. Bennett and Liz both had complicated pasts, and what Bennett envisioned as a break from his failing marriage turned into a far darker cautionary tale. By the end of the month, I’d written 42,000 words, ending with Bennett and Liz literally driving off into the sunset. I let the novel sit like that for a few days before deciding that the ending wasn’t earned. Moreover, I wanted to explore Liz’s character and motivation, which led me to show scenes between her and Bennett in separate chapters, from each character’s point of view. The overlapping narrative paints a fuller picture of their relationship. One of my friends asked why Bennett’s buddy Paul would so readily agree to help him. Answering that question led to several scenes from Bennett’s past, showing him as being morally compromised before he even met Liz.

By October 2021, I was pitching the novel. Some three-and-a-half years later, on May 13, 2025, it will be released.

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4jTja7t

 

Tom Milani ©2025 

Tom Milani (www.tommilani.com) has published short fiction in Groovy Gumshoes: Private Eyes in the Psychedelic Sixties, Illicit Motions, Janie’s Got a Gun: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of Aerosmith, and Sleuths Just Wanna Have Fun: Private Eyes in the Materialistic Eighties, among other places. “Barracuda Backfire” was published in 2024 as Book 4 of Michael Bracken’s Chop Shop series of novellas and shortlisted for a Derringer. Places That Are Gone is his first novel. Tom lives in Old Town Alexandria with his wife, glass sculptor Alison Sigethy.

Saturday, May 10, 2025

Saturday Evening Humor Seen On Facebook

 


The Rap Sheet: From the TV Front

 The Rap Sheet: From the TV Front 

Dru's Book Musings: New Releases ~ Week of May 11, 2025

 Dru's Book Musings: New Releases ~ Week of May 11, 2025

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Conclave by Robert Harris

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Conclave by Robert Harris:   Reviewed by Jeanne The Pope is dead. It falls to Cardinal Lomeli, as Dean of the College of Cardinals, to manage the Conclave, the g...

KRL Update 5/10/2025

Up on KRL this week a review and giveaway of "Alligators and Apparitions" by Jen Pitts https://kingsriverlife.com/05/10/alligators-and-apparitions-by-jen-pitts/

And a review and giveaway of "Cheddar Luck Next Time" by Beth Cato along with an interesting interview with Beth. Beth has roots in the San Joaquin Valley, and her main character is autistic which is important representation especially now! https://kingsriverlife.com/05/10/cheddar-luck-next-time-by-beth-cato/

 

And an article about the new mystery short story collection by Debra H. Goldstein "With Our Bellies Full and the Fire Dying", which is perfect for this Mother's Day weekend as mother's feature prominently in many of the stories. You can also enter to win an ebook copy of the book https://kingsriverlife.com/05/10/dont-mess-with-mama-when-murder-is-on-the-menu/

 

We also have the latest Mystery Coming Attractions from Victoria Fair https://kingsriverlife.com/05/10/mystery-coming-attractions-may-2025/

 

Up on KRL News and Reviews this week we have a special midweek guest post by mystery author Joe Cosentino where he interviews the main characters in his book "The Player" now out on audiobook https://www.krlnews.com/2025/05/the-player-by-joe-cosentino-character.html

 

And a review and giveaway of "The Chow Maniac" by Vivien Chien https://www.krlnews.com/2025/05/the-chow-maniac-by-vivien-chien.html

 

And a review and ebook giveaway of "Dog Grant Me" by Neil Plakcy https://www.krlnews.com/2025/05/dog-grant-me-by-neil-s-plakcy.html

 

And a review and ebook giveaway of "Swiss Secrets" by Hazel Smith https://www.krlnews.com/2025/05/swiss-secrets-by-hazel-smith.html

 

Happy reading,

Lorie

SleuthSayers: Behind the Scenes: Scattered, Smothered, Covered, and Chunked by Stacy Woodson

SleuthSayers: Behind the Scenes: Scattered, Smothered, Covered, ...: On Wednesday, I learned   Scattered, Smothered, Covered, and Chunked: Crime Fiction Inspired by Waffle House   (Down and Out Books), is nomi...

Scott's Take: Thundercats Vol 1: Omens by Declan Shalvey and artist Drew Moss

 

Thundercats Vol 1: Omens by Declan Shalvey and artist Drew Moss, collects the first five issues of the new series. This is a reboot that is very similar to the original show so far. In this opening volume, the Thundercats land on Third Earth to escape the destruction of their home world. Young Lion-O Lord of the Thundercats has aged from a young boy to a man because his cryopod malfunctioned. So, despite his young age, since he is a grown man now he is in charge. As they attempt to build a safe place for themselves, The Mutants have followed them, and seek to finish them off. Also, Mumm-Ra, the ever living has awoken from his slumber because of the Thundercats arrival.

 

All the original members are here. Panthro, Cheetara, and more are present as are several of the classic villains. For the most part as far as I can remember everyone seems to be pretty much the same except for Snarf who is less of a comedic presence. The art is really good and depicts all the various Thundercats really well. I do think some of the fodder characters all look the same at certain points, but that is too be expected.

 

The first four issues collects the first arc then there is a fill in team for the fifth issue which features Cheetara teaching Lion-O. I liked this a lot, but I think it helps if you are a Thundercats fan. There is a distinct lack of original characters for this new Thundercats series.

 

The main strength and its main weakness is that it feels like the TV show with very few differences. Hopefully as we go the creatives will feel the ability to add to the mythos.

 

I read this through my local library. There is a second volume out called Thundercats Vol 2: Roar which I also enjoyed. I will say more about that in an upcoming review.

 

There is also a solo Cheetara prequel series which I did read, but I was left with mixed feelings. It is a prequel that did flush out some stuff but not much. It seemed like a title that wasted its page count. I can’t really recommend it outside of for hardcore Thundercats fans.

 

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/44xwIk8

 

 

 

My hardback reading copy came to me from the Vickery Park Branch of the Dallas Public Library System.

 

 

Scott A. Tipple ©2025