A brief non eating few moments with Grandpa....
Sunday, April 30, 2017
Grandbaby Visit!
Three month old Jacob Ryan came today for a visit. Sandi with the baby......
A brief non eating few moments with Grandpa....
A brief non eating few moments with Grandpa....
The Short Mystery Fiction Society Blog: Society Members' News: April 2017
The Short Mystery Fiction Society Blog: Society Members' News: April 2017: The members below reported their publishing successes this month: Karen Abrahamson, Death By Effigy , Guardbridge Books (April 2017)...
Saturday, April 29, 2017
The Short Mystery Fiction Society Blog: Final Day of Voting for the 2017 Derringer Nominee...
The Short Mystery Fiction Society Blog: Final Day of Voting for the 2017 Derringer Nominee...: Eligible SMFS members have been voting during the month of April. As set by the Derringer Coordinator, Dan Persinger, voting ends at 11:59 p...
KRL This Week Update for 4/29/17
Up in KRL this morning reviews & giveaways of several
fun new April mysteries-"No Charm Intended": A Cora Crafts Mystery by
Mollie Cox Bryan, "A Good Day to Buy": A Sarah Winston Garage Sale
Mystery by Sherry Harris, "Occult and Battery": A Bay Island Psychic
Mystery by Lena Gregory, and "Called to Justice": A Quaker
Midwife Mystery by Edith Maxwell
We also have a review & giveaway of "Of Books and
Bagpipes" by Paige Shelton http://kingsriverlife.com/04/29/of-books-and-bagpipes-by-paige-shelton/
And a review & giveaway of "The Decorator Who Knew
Too Much" by Diane Vallere, along with a fun guest
post by Diane
http://kingsriverlife.com/04/29/the-decorator-who-knew-too-much-by-diane-vallere/
Also a review & giveaway of "Date with Death"
by Julia Chapman, along with an interesting interview with Julia
http://kingsriverlife.com/04/29/date-with-death-by-julia-chapman/
And we have a review of the mystery TV series" Jack Taylor", on Acorn TV
http://kingsriverlife.com/04/29/jack-taylor-on-acorn-tv/
And the latest mystery Coming Attractions from Sunny Frazier
http://kingsriverlife.com/04/29/may-coming-attractions-mothers-day-edition/
For those who also enjoy fantasy and superheroes, a review & giveaway of
"Dreadnought" by April Daniels, the first in
a trilogy about a transgender superhero
http://kingsriverlife.com/04/29/dreadnought-by-april-daniels/
And on KRL Lite a review & giveaway of "The Logan
Triad" by Nathan Walpow
--
KRL is now selling advertising & we have special discounts for
mystery authors & bookstores! Ask me about it!
Mystery section in Kings River Life http://KingsRiverLife.com
Check out my own blog at http://mysteryratscloset.blogspot.com/
Mystery section in Kings River Life http://KingsRiverLife.com
Aubrey Hamilton Reviews: Death at Charity’s Point by William G. Tapply
After making her debut
appearance last week with her review of Come
Dark by Steven F. Havill last week, Aubrey Hamilton is back today with
her review of Death at Charity’s Point by
William G. Tapply.
Death at Charity’s Point by William G. Tapply is the first
title in the Brady Coyne mystery series. Tapply released 28 mysteries
featuring Coyne beginning in 1984. The last one was published in 2010 after
Tapply’s death. Books 19, 22 and 26 were written jointly with Philip R. Craig,
who wrote the Martha’s Vineyard mystery series featuring a retired Boston
police detective Jefferson “J.W.” Jackson, eking out a living on Martha’s
Vineyard.
Coyne is an attorney in Boston who loves to fish. He’s a
sole practitioner with a small office because he is unable to fit into the
large corporate legal mold. He’s developed a specialized practice among the
wealthy residents of the Boston area. Like other contemporary fictional lawyers
– Dismas Hardy, Jake Lassiter, Deborah Knott, Paul Madriani, Matthew Hope, and
Antony Maitland and Perry Mason before them – Coyne finds that he can’t meet
his client’s expectations or needs by sitting behind his desk. His client in
this case is a wealthy elderly widow who lost one son in Vietnam and the
remaining son has just walked off Charity’s Point, a cliff overlooking a rocky
section of the Atlantic Ocean north of Boston.
She cannot accept the idea of her son George committing suicide and
retains Coyne to find out what actually happened. As incentive she offers him a
percentage of the insurance payout that will otherwise be denied if the suicide
verdict stands.
Coyne begins by asking questions of the staff at the private
school where George taught without learning much. His interview with the
medical examiner describes the autopsy in graphic detail. A search of his
apartment reveals a large library of historical reference and current research
into the protest movements of the 1960s and 1970s, as well as a list of numbers
with no explanation and receipts from a physician his mother didn’t know he was
seeing. The murder of a student from the same school reawakens police interest
in George’s death, and a near-fatal attack on Coyne follows quickly.
Aubrey Hamilton ©2017
Aubrey
Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal IT projects by day and
reads mysteries at night.
Friday, April 28, 2017
New issue of Crime Review
We feature new 20 reviews in each issue of Crime Review ( www.crimereview.co.uk), together with a top industry interview. This time it’s author James Carol in the Countdown hot seat: We’re on Twitter at: Crime Review: @CrimeReviewUK Linda Wilson: @CrimeReviewer Sharon Wheeler: @lartonmedia This week’s reviews are: THE THIRD NERO by Lindsey Davis, reviewed by John Cleal Flavia Albia must expose a plotter at the heart of Rome’s government who could plunge the city and empire into civil war. THE GIRL FROM VENICE by Martin Cruz Smith, reviewed by Arnold Taylor One night, whilst fishing in the Venice lagoon, a young man, Cenzo, comes across a girl’s body. It turns out that she is still alive but in great trouble and he finds himself compelled to help her. QUIETER THAN KILLING by Sarah Hilary, reviewed by Linda Wilson While DI Marnie Rome and DS Noah Jake investigate a seemingly random series of violent attacks in London, Marnie also has to come face to face with the demons from her own past. MURDER NEVER KNOCKS by Mickey Spillane and Max Allan Collins, reviewed by John Cleal Out-of-town killers seem to be lining up for a crack at tough PI Mike Hammer as violence follows him and his beautiful partner Velda into the poshest of all crime scenes. LIVE BY NIGHT by Dennis Lehane, reviewed by Chris Roberts When Joe Coughlin and the Bartolo brothers raid a back-room card game, they are surprised to find a party of thugs working for one of the biggest gangsters in town. Joe falls in love with the girl serving drinks. DEAD WOMAN WALKING by Sharon Bolton, reviewed by Linda Wilson The lone survivor of a hot air balloon crash has to go on the run to stay ahead of the ruthless killer responsible for the disaster. HIDDEN KILLERS by Lynda La Plante, reviewed by Kati Barr-Taylor Jane Tennison, newly promoted to DC, is about to earn a reputation as either a young, tenacious detective or a thorn in the Met’s side when she digs her claws in to two seemingly open-and-shut cases. THE BOOK OF LOST THINGS by John Connolly, reviewed by John Barnbrook David desperately misses his dead mother, despises his new stepmother and detests his new half-brother. These emotions attract the attention the Crooked Man who draws David into a dark and disturbing land where he must grow in strength and determination in order to survive.
THE HOUSE OF FOUR by Barbara Nadel, reviewed by Chris Roberts Inspector Cetin Ikmen investigates the death of four siblings, each living on a separate floor of a single apartment building, stabbed by the same hand. MURDERBILIA by Craig Robertson, reviewed by Linda Wilson The son of a prominent MSP is murdered and hung from a bridge in full view of a train load of commuters. Despite being officially off the case and at home on sick leave, DI Rachel Narey is determined to uncover the identity of the killer. CAST IRON by Peter May, reviewed by Kati Barr-Taylor Forensic expert Enzo Macleod is reviewing the murder of a 20-year old girl, another French cold case that stretches back half a lifetime. THE ROYAL GHOST by Linda Stratmann, reviewed by John Cleal A scandalous booklet attracts the attention of spiritualist Arthur Wallace Hope – and also young Mina Scarletti, a writer of horror stories and investigator of psychic phenomena, who suspects fraud. THE DROWNING CHILD by Alex Barclay, reviewed by Chris Roberts FBI Special Agent Ren Bryce is called to Tate, Portland, when 12-year-old Caleb Veir is reported missing, but the locals are reluctant to spill their secrets. BURNED AND BROKEN by Mark Hardie, reviewed by John Cleal A DI, the subject of an internal investigation, is found burned to death. A vulnerable young woman, fresh from the care system, tries to discover the truth about the death of her friend. SOMETIMES I LIE by Alice Feeney, reviewed by Kati Barr-Taylor She can hear every word. She knows she is in danger. There is nothing she can do. HAWKWOOD by Jack Ludlow, reviewed by John Cleal After the two great battles of the 100 Years War, newly-knighted Sir John Hawkwood, hoping to make his fortune, joins a mercenary band. FIND ME by JS Monroe, reviewed by Jim Beaman A young man is convinced that his girlfriend didn’t commit suicide and that she is still alive and in danger. A THOUSAND CUTS by Thomas Mogford, reviewed by Chris Roberts Spike Sanguinetti acts for a man accused of assault and finds links to wartime events which even now remain mysterious, with connections to people he knows well. THE TUNNEL by Carl-Johan Vallgren, reviewed by Ewa Sherman Danny Katz searches for the killer of his former drug dealer Ramón. While following the faint trail of Ramón’s missing girlfriend Jenny, Katz is pulled into the darkest corners of Stockholm’s porn industry. WITH MALICE by Eileen Cook, reviewed by Linda Wilson Jill wakes up in hospital with the last six weeks of her life missing. Something terrible has happened. She just wishes someone would tell her what it is. Best wishes Sharon
Writers Who Kill: Indian Killer by Sherman Alexie: A Review by Warren Bull
Writers Who Kill: Indian Killer by Sherman Alexie: A Review by Warre...: Indian Killer by Sherman Alexie: A Review by Warren Bull Image from Precut dot com Alexie uses the form of a mystery/t...
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Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Glow of Death by Jane K. Cleland
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Glow of Death by Jane K. Cleland: Reviewed by Jeanne Antiques appraiser Josie Prescott is called to the home of a wealthy couple to evaluate what may be a Tiff...
FFB Review: A Time For Hanging by Bill Crider
It is Friday and that means it is once
again time for Friday’s Forgotten Books usually hosted by Patti Abbott. For this final
Friday in April, I have a classic western tale for you from author Bill Crider.
As I and many others have said, you simply can’t go wrong with a book by Bill
Crider. After you read the review, go check out the list of reading suggestions
over at Todd Mason's Sweet Freedom blog.
For Paco Morales it
certainly was a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time as A
Time For Hanging begins. All he had done was run an errand to Tomkins’
Store to get some sugar for his mom. He was supposed to go right back home, but
he stopped to talk to Juanito Garcia. After that, night was falling so he took a
short cut off the trail. That was when he found the dead woman.
He sort of knows her
as she had been by their small shack a lot in recent weeks. What they would
talk about he doesn’t know as his mother would always send him away to do
something. His mom is a healer of sorts so the visits might have been related
to that. One look at her on the ground and he knows she will never come to
their shack again.
For Morales, finding
the body is just the start of his nightmare as he is savagely beaten by a number
of locals sure he killed the woman. If it weren’t for Deputy Jack Simkins, Morales
would be already dead and swinging from the nearest tree.
For the Reverend
Wayne Randall and his wife, Martha, the nightmare is also just beginning. They
do not yet know Elizabeth is never coming home again. They just know she is
late for dinner and has not been behaving as she should in recent weeks.
Deputy Jack Simkins
managed to save Paco Morales from certain death at the hands of the mob that night.
It is going to take a lot of work by Simkins as well as Ward Vincent, Sheriff
of Dry Springs, Texas, to keep Morales alive while they investigate. For those
who damn near beat the young man to death, it would be best for Morales to hang
as soon as possible. If the young man was dead, he would never talk about what
they did to him. It would also be best for the real killer as well.
Author Bill Crider
has another very good western with A Time For Hanging. Set in West Texas with an interesting cast of
characters, a mystery, some romance, and a few more elements, all combine in a tale where what you do and
stand for truly matters. For nearly every character in this tale, guilt over
the past plays a heavy role as does the consequence of current actions.
Originally published
in January 1990 and released in digital format by Crossroad Press in 2010, A
Time For Hanging is a classic western tale. Those readers that expect a
tale along the lines of a book from the Sheriff Dan Rhodes Mystery Series
might be surprised as this is a tale with plenty of violence and is far different
from those books. It is also well worth your time.
A Time For Hanging
Bill Crider
Crossroad Press
July 2010
ASIN# B003WEAJ0M
eBook
175 Pages
$2.99
According to Amazon, I picked this up at the end of June
2015. I have no idea now if it was a free book, a reduced book, or any history
regarding the download.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2017
Thursday, April 27, 2017
Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity: 34 Writing Contests in May 2017 - No Entry Fees
Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity: 34 Writing Contests in May 2017 - No Entry Fees: May hosts nearly three dozen free contests. They cover the full range of topics, styles and genres, from essays, to poetry, to full-len...
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Bill Crider's Pop Culture Magazine: NASA makes their entire media library publicly acc...
Bill Crider's Pop Culture Magazine: NASA makes their entire media library publicly acc...: DIY Photography : No matter if you enjoy taking or just watching images of space, NASA has a treat for you. They have made their entire coll...
CT Scan Scheduled
Sandi's CT Scan is now scheduled for early Tuesday morning at Texas Oncology at Medical City Dallas. Hopefully, all will go well.
From a weather perspective, always a worry this time of year, the forecast is for severe weather tomorrow and Saturday and then dry for the next six or seven days. That should mean the weather should not be a potential issue Tuesday.
From a weather perspective, always a worry this time of year, the forecast is for severe weather tomorrow and Saturday and then dry for the next six or seven days. That should mean the weather should not be a potential issue Tuesday.
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Nevermore: Sotomayor, Schlink, Mental Health, McC...
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Nevermore: Sotomayor, Schlink, Mental Health, McC...: Reported by Ambrea This week, Nevermore returned with another look at Sonia Sotomayor’s My Beloved World . Published in 2014, My Bel...
Wednesday, April 26, 2017
Market Call: The Space Unicorn Saw Its Shadow and Other Tales of Whimsy
OPEN FOR SUBMISSIONS!
*Author
keeps all rights to story. Upon submission, author gives permission to
editor to publish submitted story in one anthology, The Space Unicorn Saw Its Shadow and Other Tales of Whimsy,
in any format in perpetuity. Author may buy unlimited “at cost” copies
plus shipping. Author will be given one paperback copy as payment.
The Space Unicorn Saw Its Shadow and Other Tales of Whimsy
Edited by Pat Hauldren
Whimsical
speculative fiction tales of dark or delight are welcome in this
anthology. We’re looking for something unusual, special, with a twist or
turn, or lead us down a crooked alley. Themed poetry will be
considered.
MUST contain the word “space unicorn” in the story.
OPEN FOR SUBS: May 1, 2017 / DEADLINE: November 1, 2017
PUBLISH DATE: 2018
PAYMENT: ’ with one copy
WORD COUNT: 5,000 max (if over, must be VERY VERY good)
(if it’s not there, I might lose your submission. All submissions will be acknowledged in email as soon as possible.)
A Writer's Life....Caroline Clemmons: FALLING HARD BY STACY FINZ!
A Writer's Life....Caroline Clemmons: FALLING HARD BY STACY FINZ!: FALLING HARD by Stacy Finz Pub date: 4/11/2017 Genre: Contemporary Romance In the beautiful Sierra Nevada mountain...
WELCOME TO HELL ~ by Glenn Walker: Blog March 2017
WELCOME TO HELL ~ by Glenn Walker: Blog March 2017: From my dear friend Robin Renee 's blog , please join the blog march if you feel the same, and contact her at the email at the bott...
Review: The Last Second Chance: An Ed Earl Burch Novel by Jim Nesbitt
In the wreckage of
the S&L crisis of the late 80s and early 90s, Ed Earl Burch works as a private detective.
His office located near Mockingbird and Central in Dallas is in a shabby office
park with a view of the time and temp sign over at the Dr. Pepper Plant. It
features the noise of the traffic, an air conditioner that wheezes and does not
cool, and a man with a serious thirst for alcohol.
Ed Earl Burch is
hanging on as best as he can. He has made a few bucks thanks to the scavengers that
have come to feats on the remains of the S&L crash as well as former
business partners looking for their partner or bank officers looking for the developer
that just vanished. He has connections all over town and beyond dating back to
his days with the Dallas PD. That fact, as well as his low overhead in an
increasingly vacant building, has helped him survive.
About ten blocks away
is a small Mexican joint on Ross. Owned by Arturo Garcia, the place known to
everyone as “Café Garcia” is always
open to Ed Earl Burch. Bringing home the pregnant teenage daughter of Arturo Garcia
means there is always a plate of food and a beer for Burch. It has been that way
for quite some time so it means it is one of several locations that Burch can
be predictably found.
The woman with the
gun who interrupts his late dinner has other plans. After dropping a name from
the past, at gunpoint she escorts him out to her car. Before very long, they
are north of Dallas, up in Grayson Country, and on the land of a man who has
left the life of crime behind for the life as a gentlemen rancher. Appearances,
if one ignored the gun toting guards scattered everywhere, could be deceiving.
Burch knows exactly
what Norville Ross is and could have done without the jaunt down memory lane. But,
Ross wanted him here and made sure he was brought in as safely and as quickly
as possible. Coming himself was not an option. The woman’s name is Carla Sue.
Ross sent her to bring back Burch so that he could discuss with him a business proposition
that each could find mutually satisfactory.
If any of them can
say alive long enough to seal the deal.
The Last Second Chance: An Ed Earl
Burch Novel by Jim Nesbitt is a violent crime fiction ride
across Texas. Written in a noir style it features a read where the language is
coarse, the sexual situations are graphic, and bullets and blood are on nearly
every page. Burch takes no prisoners and will unleash hell on those who come after
him and those he cares about.
Along the way, there
will be heavy toll in carnage and death with plenty of ghosts of the past to
keep him company in quite moments. Author Jim Nesbitt is building the bottom
floor of a series with The Last Second Chance: An Ed Earl Burch
Novel. A novel that packs quite the punch and is highly
recommended.
The Last Second Chance: An Ed Earl
Burch Novel
Jim Nesbitt
Self-Published
March 2016
ASIN: B01D0FAJ70
eBook (also available in
paperback)
236 Pages
$4.99
According
to Amazon, I picked this up in the middle of last November. I don’t know now if
I took advantage of a free read promotion or used funds in my Amazon Associate
account. Either way, I did it after a publicist contacted me about reviewing
the second book in the series, The Right Wrong Number. A paperback
copy of that read is in my TBR pile.
Kevin
R. Tipple ©2017
Tuesday, April 25, 2017
One More Time
For what should be the final time this semester, I am now on the campus of UTD hanging out with Scott. He has one more class this afternoon and evening and then his first semester as a graduate student will be completed.
Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity: 32 Great Writing Conferences in May 2017
Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity: 32 Great Writing Conferences in May 2017: Conferences are not only the best way to meet agents, get tips from other writers, and learn about the publishing industry, they make you ...
Monday, April 24, 2017
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: The Book That Matters Most by Ann Hood
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Another day, Another doctor
Just got home from seeing Sandi's new Ear, Nose, and Throat guy. Doc did a camera thingy up her nose and was not
happy about what he saw in there. Even after he shot some stuff up her nose to open her up, it didn't work very well. What could be seen did not look good. Even my medically untrained eyes saw things that looked to be problems.
Like Texas Oncology, he also wants a CT scan of her sinus cavities and surrounding areas.
If it is just what he thinks it is, he believes he can do an outpatient deal in the office and do some sort of surgical procedure to open her up and also install tubes in her ears.
But, and you knew there had to be a but, there is a more than decent chance that all of this could be caused by some sort of sinus tumor. In other words..... cancer. Exactly what I have worried about for the last two months and did not say a word about to anybody looking at her. Taking into account her history, there is a more than a decent chance she has a damn tumor up in there somewhere.I got the feeling he is pretty sure that is what we are dealing with and just did not want to say so.
We won't know until the CT Scan is done.
As usual, she is handling this way better than I am.
Like Texas Oncology, he also wants a CT scan of her sinus cavities and surrounding areas.
If it is just what he thinks it is, he believes he can do an outpatient deal in the office and do some sort of surgical procedure to open her up and also install tubes in her ears.
But, and you knew there had to be a but, there is a more than decent chance that all of this could be caused by some sort of sinus tumor. In other words..... cancer. Exactly what I have worried about for the last two months and did not say a word about to anybody looking at her. Taking into account her history, there is a more than a decent chance she has a damn tumor up in there somewhere.I got the feeling he is pretty sure that is what we are dealing with and just did not want to say so.
We won't know until the CT Scan is done.
As usual, she is handling this way better than I am.
Do Some Damage: Spinetingler News
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Review: Two-Trick Pony: The Drifter Detective Series No. 8 by Garnett Elliott
The eighth book of The Drifter
Detective Series is split into two parts. As Two-Trick Pony by Garnett
Elliot opens, it is 1948 in the Texas panhandle. Jack Laramie has to listen to
nonsense from some trucker as the miles of Route 66 pass by. The Desoto broke
down on his way to Amarillo so he was forced to hitchhike and that resulted in
his riding with the trucker who sees Commies everywhere. Jack Laramie saw far
worse than Commies when he served during WWII and is well aware this guy is an
idiot. Using the gun he has with him that was once carried by his legendary grandfather
would be a bad idea and not just because to do so would disrespect the weapon.
Newly minted private
detective Jack Laramie is on the way to Amarillo on behalf of his boss, Hobart
Jones, an insurance investigator down in Dallas. All he knows is he is supposed
to see a Mr. Adair about a horse. It isn’t a case Laramie is going to want
either after he hears the man out, but he has been paid and the job has to be
done.
Part Two picks up 11
years later in Dallas where Jack Laramie has given up the lure of the open road
for a shabby office in the Wilson Building near Commerce Street. Despite what
had happened with members of the local mob three years earlier, Laramie had
come back and opened his office. At least the Montmartre Club is within walking
distance.
He has become a
regular. One of the entertainer’s tonight is new in town. She is also a woman
he knew in another time and in another place. She was trouble then over in
Longview. No doubt she is trouble now. He has unfinished business with her. He
isn’t the only one.
The grandson of legendary
US Marshal Cash Laramie first appeared in The
Drifter Detective. He continues on here in Two-Trick Pony. Every
installment gives readers a strong taste of noir style crime fiction and this two-part
read is no exception. Drive by nightmares from his past, Jack Laramie is a
loner looking for peace in a bottle and justice at the end of a gun. Whether he
finally found it is open to interpretation. This reader hopes the search is not
over.
The series:
The
Drifter Detective
(Reviewed March 2013)
Hell
Up In Houston
(Reviewed September 2013)
The
Girls Of Bunker Pines
(Reviewed March 2014)
Wide
Spot In The Road
(Reviewed June 2014)
Dinero
Del Mar (Reviewed August
2014)
Between
Juarez and El Paso
(Reviewed September 2015)
Torn
And Frayed (Reviewed June 2016)
Two-Trick Pony: The Drifter Detective
Series No. 8
Garnett Elliott
Beat To A Pulp
October 2016
ASIN: B01M8I5H4J
eBook (also available in paperback)
99 Pages
$1.99
According to Amazon, I purchased this back last December.
While it does not say how I made the purchase, I took advantage of a free read
promotion or I used funds in my Amazon Associate account.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2017
Sunday, April 23, 2017
RTE Update for 4/22/17
The April 22 2017 issue of RTE is out and includes fifteen new reviews
as well as a new interview:
http://www.reviewingtheevidence.com
Paul Levine in the 'Sixty seconds with . . .' interview hot seat:
http://www.reviewingtheevidence.com/interviews.html?id=238
REVIEWS THIS WEEK:
PRUSSIAN BLUE Philip Kerr Reviewed by Yvonne Klein
IF WE WERE VILLAINS M.L. Rio Reviewed by Sharon Mensing
LOLA Melissa Scrivner Love Reviewed by Susan Hoover
AFTER YOU DIE Eva Dolan Reviewed by Yvonne Klein
THE COUTURIER OF MILAN Ian Hamilton Reviewed by Nicola Nixon
THE SATANIC MECHANIC Sally Andrew Reviewed by Meredith Frazier
THE BOY IN THE EARTH Fuminori Nakamura Reviewed by Susan Hoover
VICIOUS CIRCLE C. J. Box Reviewed by Sharon Mensing
CELINE Peter Heller Reviewed by Sharon Mensing
TWO HEADS ARE DEADER THAN ONE Elena Hartwell Reviewed by Diana Borse
A DEATH BY ANY OTHER NAME Tessa Arlen Reviewed by Meredith Frazier
CHARCOAL JOE Walter Mosley Reviewed by Jim Napier
THE SECRETS OF GASLIGHT LANE M.R.C. Kassasian Reviewed by Cathy Downs
BAKER STREET
IRREGULARS Michael A Ventrella and Jonathan Maberry, eds., Reviewed by Rebecca Nesvet
We post more than 900 new reviews a year -- all of them are archived on the site -- as well as a new interview with a top author every issue.
Yvonne Klein
Editor: ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com
http://www.reviewingtheevidence.com
Paul Levine in the 'Sixty seconds with . . .' interview hot seat:
http://www.reviewingtheevidence.com/interviews.html?id=238
REVIEWS THIS WEEK:
PRUSSIAN BLUE Philip Kerr Reviewed by Yvonne Klein
IF WE WERE VILLAINS M.L. Rio Reviewed by Sharon Mensing
LOLA Melissa Scrivner Love Reviewed by Susan Hoover
AFTER YOU DIE Eva Dolan Reviewed by Yvonne Klein
THE COUTURIER OF MILAN Ian Hamilton Reviewed by Nicola Nixon
THE SATANIC MECHANIC Sally Andrew Reviewed by Meredith Frazier
THE BOY IN THE EARTH Fuminori Nakamura Reviewed by Susan Hoover
VICIOUS CIRCLE C. J. Box Reviewed by Sharon Mensing
CELINE Peter Heller Reviewed by Sharon Mensing
TWO HEADS ARE DEADER THAN ONE Elena Hartwell Reviewed by Diana Borse
A DEATH BY ANY OTHER NAME Tessa Arlen Reviewed by Meredith Frazier
CHARCOAL JOE Walter Mosley Reviewed by Jim Napier
THE SECRETS OF GASLIGHT LANE M.R.C. Kassasian Reviewed by Cathy Downs
BAKER STREET
IRREGULARS Michael A Ventrella and Jonathan Maberry, eds., Reviewed by Rebecca Nesvet
We post more than 900 new reviews a year -- all of them are archived on the site -- as well as a new interview with a top author every issue.
Yvonne Klein
Editor: ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com
Bitter Tea and Mystery Review: The Blackhouse: Peter May
Bitter Tea and Mystery: The Blackhouse: Peter May: Description from the dust jacket of my edition: When a grisly murder occurs on the Isle of Lewis in Scotland's Outer Hebrides that bea...
KRL This Week Update For 4/22/17
Just up in KRL a review & giveaway of "Tightening
the Threads" by Lea Wait
http://kingsriverlife.com/04/22/tightening-the-threads-by-lea-wait/
And reviews & giveaways of some fun food mysteries from
Penguin authors-Town in a Maple Madness": A Candy Holliday Mystery by B.B.
Haywood, "A Frying Shame": A Deep Fried Mystery by Linda Reilly, and
"Silence of the Jams": A Down South Café Mystery by Gayle Leeson
And a review of the Kenni Lowry Mystery series by Tonya
Kappes & a giveaway of the latest book in the series "Southern
Fried"
http://kingsriverlife.com/04/22/kenni-lowry-mystery-series-by-tonya-kappes/
Also a review & giveaway of "Kangaroo
Dreaming" by Sally J. Smith & Jean Steffens, & an interesting
interview with Sally & Jean
http://kingsriverlife.com/04/22/kangaroo-dreaming-by-sally-j-smith-jean-steffens/
And we have an article about the Kate Shackleton mysteries
by Frances Brody
http://kingsriverlife.com/04/22/frances-brodys-kate-shackleton-golden-age-mysteries-in-yorkshire/
And a review of the Oxford Tearoom Mysteries by H.Y. Hanna - Author & a giveaway of one of the
books-winner's choice
http://kingsriverlife.com/04/22/oxford-tearoom-mystery-series-by-h-y-hanna/
And a mystery short story by Kate Fellowes, Author
http://kingsriverlife.com/04/22/arson-at-als-auto-parts-mystery-short-story/
And for those who enjoy fantasy with their mystery, a review
& giveaway of "The Holver Alley Crew" by Marshall
Ryan Maresca
http://kingsriverlife.com/04/22/the-holver-alley-crew-by-marshall-ryan-maresca/
--
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mystery authors & bookstores! Ask me about it!
Mystery section in Kings River Life http://KingsRiverLife.com
Saturday, April 22, 2017
On Conversations: #award-winning #author Caroline Clemmons ...
Conversations with Author and Screenwriter Lisa Mondello: On Conversations: #award-winning #author Caroline ...: Please join me in welcoming award-winning bestselling author Caroline Clemm o ns to Conversations today! Caroline is here to talk abou...
Writers Who Kill: World Book Day
Writers Who Kill: World Book Day: Image from coffeecupsandcrayons (dot) com Reading changes lives World Book Day - Sunday April 23, is all about celebrating re...
Aubrey Hamilton Reviews: Come Dark by Steven Havill
Please welcome Aubrey Hamilton to the blog today as she reviews the latest installment of one of my all time favorite series.....
Come
Dark by Steven F. Havill (Poisoned Pen Press, 2016) is
the 21st title in the Posadas County contemporary mystery series.
Set in fictional Posadas County, New Mexico, a few miles from the Mexico border,
this series began with Undersheriff Bill Gastner as the protagonist and shifted
in the 10th title to Estelle Reyes-Guzman, originally a detective in
the sheriff’s office who later moved up in rank. Books 16 and 18, according to
the publication dates, feature Gastner again, as Havill decided to go back in
time to expand on some of the characters’ history in those stories. Otherwise
each book builds logically on the previous books.
Havill’s entry on Stop!
You’re Killing Me sorts the books in chronological sequence according to
the story line, not the publication date. Readers new to the series might find
this list helpful. And yes, it is possible to read each book as a stand-alone.
Havill is adept at sketching enough backstory for the reader to grasp context
and characterization. However, these books are so good that it is not likely
anyone will want to read just one.
In this latest entry, the huge astronomy park
rancher Miles Waddell is building inches closer to completion, with the train
that will convey visitors finished enough to allow journalists and local
politicians to ride to the top of the mountain where the park is sited.
However, the park’s massive satellite dish falls victim to the anonymous
graffiti artist who has been decorating the schools and other buildings in town.
In addition, one of the patrolling officers runs a routine check on a car with an
out-of-state license plate to learn the plate is not on the vehicle it’s
registered to and the people in the car don’t have a good explanation. On the
same day the young wife of a banker walks into a big box store, leaving her
baby and puppy in a hot car with the windows closed, and does not return. To
spread the staff of the Sheriff’s Office even thinner, the high school
custodian goes to the school Saturday to clean up after the big game the night
before and finds the body of the coach in the showers. With multiple visible
gunshot wounds, the cause of death is not in question. On the homefront
Estelle’s mother is celebrating a milestone birthday and Francisco, Estelle’s
musical genius of a son, arrives unexpectedly from the conservatory where he is
studying to participate. Bill Gastner is still recovering from the hip fracture
incurred in the previous book.
All of the usual characters are present, if a couple
of them are only mentioned by the others. For instance, Estelle doesn’t want to
bring Linda Real, the department photographer, to the crime scene because she
is in the last stages of pregnancy and Estelle thinks there’s no need for her
take chances. New officers and some temporary personnel bring a sense of
realism to the department, which is perennially short-staffed and underfunded
as any rural sheriff’s office is likely to be.
The plot lines unfold in a coherent manner; pacing
is smooth and unrushed. My only quibble here is with the subplot involving
Francisco, the musical prodigy, and it isn’t intrinsic to the story. Highly
recommended, as is the entire series.
Series: Posadas County Mysteries (Book 21)
Hardcover: 308 pages
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press (April 5, 2016)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1464205256
ISBN-13: 978-1464205255
Aubrey
Hamilton ©2017
Aubrey
Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal IT projects by day and
reads mysteries at night.
Friday, April 21, 2017
Lesa's Latest Contest: Cozy Mystery Giveaway
This week, I'm giving away copies of Christy Fifield's Murder Ties the Knot
& Allison Kingsley's Extra Sensory Deception. Details on my blog at
http://www.lesasbookcritiques.blogspot.com. Entries from the U.S. only,
please.
Lesa Holstine
Mystery Fanfare: Environmental Mysteries: Earth Day 2017
Mystery Fanfare: Environmental Mysteries: Earth Day 2017: Earth Day 2017 This is an updated Earth Day/Environmental Mysteries list that is by no means complete. There are many more authors, a...
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel: Reviewed by Kristin Rosie Walsh didn’t expect to fall in love with Penn Adams. Set up by a friend of a friend, Rosie was a first ...
FFB Review: The Outcast Dead: A Ruth Galloway Mystery by Elly Griffiths
After you read the review, go check out the list
of reading suggestions over at Patti Abbott’s blog for the rest of the suggestions for today.
42-year-old Dr. Ruth Galloway is acutely aware of the history, the blood, that has been spilled over the centuries. While resurrection is not possible, she believes in treating the dead with respect. As The Outcast Dead begins, it is early June and she is on the grounds of Norwich Castle. The vicar is leading the prayers for the outcast dead so that those who died forgotten, penniless, in unmarked graves, etc. are remembered. It is an annual event and one that Ruth feels is very important.
The Outcast Dead: A Ruth Galloway Mystery
42-year-old Dr. Ruth Galloway is acutely aware of the history, the blood, that has been spilled over the centuries. While resurrection is not possible, she believes in treating the dead with respect. As The Outcast Dead begins, it is early June and she is on the grounds of Norwich Castle. The vicar is leading the prayers for the outcast dead so that those who died forgotten, penniless, in unmarked graves, etc. are remembered. It is an annual event and one that Ruth feels is very important.
It seems more important
than ever to honor those who have passed as recently some bodies were
discovered at the castle. The deceased were most likely prisoners considering
how the bodies appeared when uncovered. Included among the bodies may be the
legendary Jemima Green, aka Mother Hook. A child caregiver during Victorian times
known for her hook instead of a hand and her lower arm, she was executed after
being convicted for murdering one of the children in her care. At the time of
her execution, it was thought she might have killed at least 20 more.
The find has drawn
the interest of producers of a television show well known for sensualizing such
cases. The head of department, Phil Trent, is thrilled with the interest, but
Ruth wants no part of that. If she had her way, she would get off the dig as
well, but Phil is never going to let her do that. Knowing Phil, it is likely she
is going to have to play a role in the television show as well as the dig.
Thoughts about the Mother
Hook case make Ruth more protective of Kate than ever before. After everything
that has happened in recent years before and after Kate’s birth, she has good
reason to wonder if it is time to move from the Saltmarsh she loves to be
closer to civilization in some form. Isolation is wonderful, but with a small
child in the home, it can also be a dangerous risk.
DCI Harry Nelson is
also pondering risk though in a different form. He is the lead investigator on
the case of 37-year-old Liv Donaldson. Her child has just passed. What might
have been treated as a tragic natural death in the home gets a lot more scrutiny
when it is the third child in the family to die. Nelson’s team thinks the whole
deal is a horrible tragedy. Nelson isn’t so sure. He has a feeling she did
something to cause the death, but other than his intuition, there isn’t any evidence
to indicate foul play. Like Phil Trent, Nelson’s boss, Gerry Whitcliffe, loves
the publicity and is thrilled to have the media coverage. Like Ruth, Nelson
hates the media interest and wants no part of the coverage.
The two story times
gradually come together while someone might be copying history thanks to the
media attention. Child abduction and the death of children are certainly not
easy topics to write about, but Elly Griffiths, makes them part of a far larger
tale of mystery, greed, and obsession. The sixth book of the series that began
with The
Crossing Places is another top-notch mystery.
What really makes
this series work, as noted before, are the relationships. Complicated and well-drawn
characters that interact and evolve over time as they go about their daily
lives drive the reads. Unlike many series where the characters never learn from
the past or change in any way despite the experiences they have had, both and a
lot more are present in the Ruth Galloway Mystery Series. These
characters are about as real as it gets on the printed page.
History, archeology,
mystery, and more make this book and series well worth reading. The
Outcast Dead, like the others before it, is very good and highly
recommended.
The books, in order,
and my reviews:
The Crossing Places (Reviewed 12/26/15)
The Janus Stone (Reviewed 11/18/2016)
The House at Sea’s End (Reviewed 12/2/2016)
A
Dying Fall: A Ruth Galloway Mystery (Reviewed
2/10/2017)
The Outcast Dead: A Ruth Galloway Mystery
Elly Griffiths
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
March 2014
ISBN# 978-0-547-79277-4
Hardback (also available in paperback,
audio, and eBook formats)
384 Pages
$27.00
Material obtained via the Plano Public
Library System to read and review.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2017