Sunday, August 09, 2026
Review: Death at a Scottish Halloween: A Scottish Isle Mystery by Lucy Connelly
This comes out Tuesday....
As I noted long ago when I reviewed the
first book of this series, An American in Scotland: A Scottish Isle
Mystery by Lucy Connelly, I am not a cozy mystery kind of guy. I lean
more towards police procedurals as well as grittier mystery and crime fiction.
But, I enjoyed that first book quite a lot and have enjoyed every read since.
That includes the latest book, fifth in the series, Death at a Scottish
Halloween: A Scottish Isle Mystery.
Dr. Emilia McRoy left it all behind to
move to Sea Isle, Scotland, and she could not be happier. As the book begins,
she is working on her room in an extensive haunted house. Halloween, or as the locals
refer to it, All Hallows Eve, is a big deal. Doctor McRoy missed it last year due
to attending a wedding so her and her assistant, Abigail, are going all out to
create the spookiest doctor’s office ever. Their room is one of several that
people will walk through and experience scares a plenty.
It is a fun evening until, after nearly
everyone has left, they discover a body in the room across the hall from their
own. Not only is Duncan, a man they just met a few hours earlier, dead, a butcher
knife is planted in his chest. The same butcher knife that Dr. Emilia McRoy had
brought from home and was using as a prop in their horror scene. With all the
people that came through and the loud commotion these past hours, neither the
good doctor nor Abigail noticed who took it or when it went missing. But, it is
definitely is now planted in the dead man’s chest. Probably right through his
heart.
Despite the fact it was her knife that
is the murder weapon, and their multi hour close proximity to the victim, they
are never considered as suspects by Constable Ewan or the other locals.
Instead, as part of their jobs, they handle this situation as they have before
with other murders and get to work with the removal of the body, the autopsy,
and the investigation of the crime.
So, if they did not do it, then who did?
That is the question that Constable Ewan
and his team, along with the good doctor and Abigail must answer. A second
murder soon happens and that ratchets up the pressure. At the same time, other things
are going on and the good doctor is getting threats and more.
The latest in the series is another good
read. I recommend reading the series in order from the beginning as significant
character development has happened over the course of the series and relationships
have changed and evolved. Those who are fans of Halloween, or All Hallows Eve,
will get far more out of this read than those of us who don’t care for any of
it at all.
A very good read in a very good cozy
mystery series, Death at a Scottish Halloween: A Scottish Isle Mystery
by Lucy Connelly is well worth your time.
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4eFU5wu
Entire Series Amazon Associate Purchase
Link: https://amzn.to/4uA7nj6
My digital ARC came from the publisher, Crooked
Lane Books, through NetGalley, with no expectation of a positive review.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2026
Saturday, August 08, 2026
KRL Update
Up on KRL this week the latest Mystery Coming Attractions from Victoria Fair https://kingsriverlife.com/08/08/mystery-current-coming-attractions-august-2026/
Beneath the Stains of Time: She Walks at Night (1948) by Seishi Yokomizo
Scott's Take: Paladin’s Grace by T. Kingfisher (The Saint of Steel series)
Paladin’s Grace
by T. Kingfisher is the first book in the series, The Saint of Steel. It is also
set in the overarching “The World of the White Rat” universe that covers
several different series.
Stephen, the main male character, is a Paladin that
has fallen in to depression. What is a Paladin, you ask? A Paladin is usually a
heroic figure that derives their powers from a god. They are the knights of a
God. For want of a better way of putting it, they have a sort of psychic spiritual
connection to a god that gives them powers, guidance, and support.
The Saint of Steel (a god) is considered dead since
his prescence is no longer felt by his followers. Many of those psychically
connected followers having lost that connection, became adrift, and could not
handle the loss of the presence of the god. Some died in battle. Some went completely
insane. Many of them killed themselves.
As the book opens three years later, Stephen and 6
others remain, and have united together to survive. Stephen stumbles into an assassination
plot that involves a local perfume maker named Grace. Soon Stephen and others
are attempting to uncover the truth of what is going on. Additionally, Stephen
is also involved in the secondary storyline involving murders and decapitation.
This is a romance fantasy book that follows
Kingfisher’s usual plot beats. So, you get a lot of character development,
action, comedy, romance, and characters dealing with their past. As expected,
the read is a fantasy featuring romance type characters in their mid-thirties or
so in a medieval style world. Her books are a little repetitive and follow a sort
of template that applies across multiple series.
It usually takes me to Chapter Five before I start
liking the characters enough to stay with the read. Despite what you read on
the synopsis on Goodreads and elsewhere, the idea of the god being dead is not
a substantial part of the book. Some plot threads lead into the next book, Paladin’s Strength.
There are currently 4 books out in this series and 3
more planned. There are also several other
series that tie into this series. So, there is a lot to read if you are
interested in this type of book.
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3T0RIMw
I read this in digital format by way of the Libby/Overdrive
App through the Dallas Public Library System.
Scott A. Tipple ©2026
Friday, August 07, 2026
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Puck by Samantha Allen
In Reference to Murder: Friday's "Forgotten" Books: The Spoilt Kill
Jerry's House of Everything: FORGOTTEN BOOK: DEAD AND GONE
In Reference to Murder: Mystery Melange
Review: Dark Harbor: A Detective Justice Novel by Bruce Robert Coffin
Dark Harbor: A Detective Justice
Novel
by Bruce Robert Coffin is the latest read in an excellent police procedural series
that began with Crimson
Thaw. As
always, it is best to read in order though one could start here if you really
wanted to do so.
Granville Warren III is wealthy and one
of those guys who has to make sure everyone knows he has the best of everything.
He has the best house, the best car, the best boat, and certainly the best wife.
The former Lily Marshall is his third wife and is far younger and very beautiful.
After a day of sailing, they have returned to their mansion in Maine and are
planning on going out to dinner.
That plan died, along with Granville
Warren III, within minutes of their arrival home thanks to the intruders in the
mansion. He died, as did one of the intruders, and that is the latest case for
Maine State Police Detective Brock Justice and his partner, Detective Chole
Wright, and the rest of their team.
According to the wife who was found by
local responding police officers wearing a bloody bathrobe and holding a gun,
she shot and killed the intruder after he had shot her husband. The Warren’s
were very wealthy and the local power brokers in the community. Everyone knew
them and often had jobs because of them or some other very strong connection.
That includes the local police chief who was very tight with them as the couple
routinely donated funds and equipment to the local small department.
That local dynamic makes the
investigation more difficult. One of several difficulties that will rear their
ugly heads in Dark Harbor: A Detective Justice Novel.
This is a great police procedural series. Led by the main character, Brock Justice, and numerous returning secondary characters, the read is complicated and a real page turning pleasure to read. Every book gives a little more on the background of Justice and others and this one is no exception.
Highly recommended, as is the entire series. This
read and the others are available on Kindle Unlimited.
Amazon Associate Series Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4bfNpTR
My digital ARC came directly from the
publisher, Severn River Publishing, with no expectation of a positive review.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2026
Thursday, August 06, 2026
Update: Doing the Unwelcome Eye Thing Again--Part Two
With all the crap going on here (Scott is still home and no pay as he was all July, AC issues that repeatedly made me sick from the Texas heat, huge bills, and other stuff), I forgot to update as to my eye. See previous post here if you don't know what is going on.
In the weeks since my last post and eye doc visit, a decent sized floater has also developed in my left eye and is causing issues. More about that in a minute.
So, last Thursday I went to the eye doc where they ran me through more tests. I then saw a different doc on staff who compared the images of last Thursday with the previous visit and was pleased to see no changes. She said a retinal tear could easily still happen, but now that I had made it so long after the first indication of a problem, the chances had gone down significantly.
And I learned that the PVD in the left eye did not mean the end of floaters. As the gel in a eye "settles" as one gets older, floaters can and will still happen. Blah.
In both cases, we are pretty much in a wafting game to see how long it takes for the eye and brain to see better. It took six months before when it happened in the left and she though that it could easily be that long again for the right to improve. It could be longer as there are blood clots and other trash drifting around in there and not just the giant floater.
I was warned again, repeatedly, by multiple people of things to watch for in the eyes, and to avoid bending over to pick things up off the floor, falls, etc.
In the meantime, it remains annoying as hell. Reading and watching television remain problematic and frustrating. I cope with life by escaping, be it by book or TV, and having to fight to see words on the page, or a face on screen, is so annoying.
I know things could be even worse, but I am so frustrated with my life these days ....
The Short Mystery Fiction Society Blog: More Sizzling Summer Reads from the Short Mystery Fiction Society!
Bitter Tea and Mystery: A Graveyard for Lunatics: Ray Bradbury
Thursday Treats: 8/06/2026
Some reading opportunities of interest this week...
Black
Cat Weekly #257 is out and includes cover short story by
SMFS list member Anne Swardson (Lost in Paris) and others. You can pick up the
latest issue here.
I
have long been a fan of Larry D. Sweazy. He has announced on Facebook that the Literary Garage will publishing his short story, A
Knock at the Door, on August 13th. So, next week. And go get his
books. Great reads.
Speaking
of being a fan, I also have long been a fan of the works by Russ Hall. Especially
the Al Quinn novels. His latest in that series, Gold in Them Texas Hills, was reviewed here
last week by yours truly. He has a new two book series just out featuring Brett
Crutherstone and private investigator Ketch. You can pick up this small-town
Texas suspense series on Amazon.
This
month marks another resurrected book from author Beau
Johnson. Shotgun
Honey has now released, All of Them to Burn: Stories. Part
of the Bishop Rider series, the read is available at
the publisher and Amazon.
Edited by
SMFS list members, Editors Gigi Pandian and Tom Mead, All the Crime in
the World: Locked Room Mysteries and Impossible Puzzles, has been
released. According to the synopsis, the
anthology will feature 14 short stories by “Victor Bonini, James Scott
Byrnside, Shelly Dickson Carr, S.A. Cosby, Anne van Doorn, Martin Edwards,
Sulari Gentill, Paul Halter, Christopher Huang, Vaseem Khan, Josh Pachter,
Masaya Yamaguchi, Ovidia Yu, and a brand-new collaboration from the editors.” Available
from the publisher, Crippen
and Landru, and Amazon,
the read was reviewed here
earlier this week by Aubrey Nye Hamilton.
As Gigi
Pandian posted to the SMFS list recently and I quote: “We've got several SMFS
members in the anthology. Josh mentioned his story, "The Allegory of the
Five Senses," which is terrific. Tom Mead and I wrote "The Problem of
the Poison Garden" as a nod to our favorite author, John Dickson Carr. I
had no idea co-writing could be such fun!”
Finally, as you may have already seen on Facebook, after more than two decades of being bandied about on the SMFS list, something very cool comes this way. This October will see the first issue of SMFS Mystery Magazine. Not only did I suggest the title to Publisher John Connelly of Murderous Ink Press (Crimeucopia series), but I also have a couple of pieces in this first issue. The plan is for 3 issues a year that will have short stories, essays, and interviews, with all the material involving the world of crime fiction and mysteries. It should be very cool. More details on where and how to buy are coming, and it should be available at Bouchercon.
Until next time….
Kevin R. Tipple ©2026
Wednesday, August 05, 2026
Mystery Fanfare: Cooper & Fry TV News
Jerry's House of Everything: SHORT STORY WEDNESDAY: THE MOST HATED MAN IN LONDON
Tuesday, August 04, 2026
SleuthSayers: Coming Up with a Story Idea to Fit a Prompt
Beneath the Stains of Time: Death in 13 Rooms (2026) by A. Carver
Monday, August 03, 2026
Mystery Fanfare: THE CHELSEA DETECTIVE, Season 4
In Reference to Murder: Media Murder for Monday
Little Big Crimes: Ovaloid Skulls, by Benoit Severac
Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: All the Crime in the World by Gigi Pandian (Editor), Tom Mead (Editor)
Crippen & Landru
Publishers (C&L) compiles and produces short story collections, usually by
a single-author, both contemporary and from the past. It’s the latter that I
find most valuable, since so many authors published prolifically in weekly
newspapers and magazines well before the digital age could capture them for
posterity. Locating copies of these stories is a real challenge; most of the
periodicals are long extinct and were not indexed. Authors contributing to
anthologies of all kinds is common now. These anthologies are seldom indexed in
any meaningful way and a compilation protects short stories that might
otherwise be lost. C&L preserves these stories for generations to come and
for readers interested in an author’s entire output.
In All the Crime in the
World, to be released on 4 August 2026, C&L honors the resurgence in
popularity of the locked room mystery. Editors Gigi Pandian and Tom Mead, both talented
authors of contemporary locked room mystery series, present 14 short stories
from an impressive line-up of international writers.
Most often attributed to John
Dickson Carr (1906-1977), the locked room mystery is one in which there appears
to be no way for the crime to have taken place. All access to the room is locked
or otherwise inaccessible, i.e., the chimney is far too small for a human to
climb down, and all potential culprits can show they were elsewhere but the
valuable relic has been stolen or someone has been killed in that room. Not to
be confused with the closed circle mystery, in which only a few people can be
considered suspects. The classic murder on an island or in a manor house during
a snowstorm is good example of a closed circle mystery. Locked room mysteries
are expected to be fair play, offering all the clues to the solution somewhere
in plain sight, so that readers can work out for themselves how the crime
occurred. I never succeed but the effort adds to the enjoyment of the story.
Included in this collection
are puzzles written by well-known authors from Australia, Brazil, Canada, England,
France, India, Japan, The Netherlands, Singapore, and the United States: Victor
Bonini, James Scott Byrnside, Shelly Dickson Carr, S.A. Cosby, Anne van Doorn,
Martin Edwards, Sulari Gentill, Paul Halter, Christopher Huang, Vaseem Khan, Yamaguchi
Masaya, Josh Pachter, and Ovidia Yu, in addition to a story by editors Gigi
Pandian and Tom Mead.
The narratives take place in
the past, in the present, and in alternate worlds. Locations are eclectic: hotels,
rooftops, universities, tea ceremonies, gardens, birthday parties, weddings, and
a murder mystery party that backfires. The equally diverse set of victims
include a drug dealer, an artificial intelligence engineer, an arrogant author,
a greedy financier, a crooked property manager, an entitled university student,
a hanging judge, and a rising politician. Solutions are nothing less than
ingenious.
Saying much about any one
story risks giving away the answer, which would be unfair. Rest assured they
are all admirable examples of the genre. Starred review from Publishers
Weekly.
·
Publisher:
Crippen & Landru
·
Publication
date: August 4, 2026
·
Language:
English
·
Print
length: 294 pages
·
ISBN-13:
978-1-9714-8906-3
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4w5o5HV
Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©202
Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.
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