Friday, August 31, 2018
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Somebody’s Daughter by David Bell
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Somebody’s Daughter by David Bell: Reviewed by Brenda G’Fellers I like this book. Well-written, suspenseful, and generally believable, it offers unexpected twist...
FFB Review: Bad Little Falls: A Novel by Paul Doiron
After
reminding you of The
Poacher’s Son and Trespasser
in recent weeks, I remind you today of the third book in the series, Bad Little Falls. Like any good series,
or at least the ones I like, this series shows the passage of time and
character development for Maine Game Warden Mike Bowditch. The series also does
something else for me as a person who has never been to Maine and can’t get
around very well. Because of the author’s ability to bring the outdoors angle
to his books alive for the reader, when Mike is going places and doing things I
feel like I am right there with him. That talent shines through in the books as
well as the recently published novella, Rabid:
A Story.
For
the rest of the reading suggestions today make sure you head over to Patti Abbott’s blog.
When you annoy the bosses once too many times and
you work as a game warden for the State of Maine, you get sent to their version
of Siberia. In this case, Warden Mike Bowditch has been sent to Washington
County. The eastern most county in Maine is well known for poaching, drug
abuse, high unemployment, and a host of other social ills. Not to mention the
brutal winter working conditions. Bowditch is being punished and he knows it. Just
about everything Bowditch has to deal with in his new assignment is made worse
because his considerable reputation precedes him.
The biggest place in the county population wise is the
county seat of Machias. The town barely has two thousand people. The small town,
as well as the surrounding county, is a place where everyone knows everyone
else, looks the other way, and pretends to know nothing. That includes ignoring
the actions of a local drug dealer. A drug dealer that soon winds up dead with
his friend severely injured by frost bite.
While others believe the friend killed the drug
dealer during a snowstorm, Bowditch doesn’t think so. Any shred of credibility
he had coming in was shot by his involvement in the case (never get
romantically involved with a suspect is rule one no matter what agency you work
for), so he is forced to go it alone to get to the truth. It isn’t the first time and won’t be the
last.
The series that began with The Poacher’s Son and
continued with Trespasser just keeps getting better and better. This is a very
complicated novel that continues to build on an excellent foundation while
bringing further nuance and depth to the Bowditch character. Those efforts do
not get in the way of the multiple storylines at work in this complex and multi-layered
novel. Bad Little Falls by Maine
author Paul Doiron is very good and well worth your time.
Bad
Little Falls: A Novel
Paul
Doiron
Minotaur
Books (St. Martin’s Press)
August
2012
ISBN#
978-0-312-55848-2
Hardback
(also available in e-book)
310
Pages
$24.99
Material supplied by the good folks of the Plano,
Texas Public Library System.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2012, 2018
Thursday, August 30, 2018
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Nevermore: Dorothy Allison, Louisa May Alcott, Do...
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Nevermore: Dorothy Allison, Louisa May Alcott, Do...: Reported by Jeanne Our first Nevermore member was very excited to share two novels by Dorothy Allison. She felt Allison’s writin...
Crime Review Update
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 Rod Reynolds in the Countdown hot seat: http://crimereview.co.uk/page.php/interview/6581 We’re on Twitter at: Crime Review: @CrimeReviewUK Linda Wilson: @CrimeReviewer Sharon Wheeler: @lartonmedia This week’s reviews are: BROKEN GROUND by Val McDermid, reviewed by Linda Wilson The case of a body found in a peat bog is investigated by DCI Karen Pirie of Edinburgh’s Historic Cases Unit. A TREACHERY OF SPIES by Manda Scott, reviewed by Chris Roberts A series of murders in modern-day Orleans appears to be linked to events over 70 years old - the struggles of French resistance fighters battling the Nazis. SMOKE AND ASHES by Abir Mukherjee, reviewed by John Cleal Drug addict war veteran Captain Sam Wyndham, now a senior officer in the British-India police, is surprised in an opium den by a vice squad raid. During his escape he finds a mutilated body and then stumbles into a plot to disrupt a royal visit. ALL THE PIECES MATTER by Jonathan Abrams, reviewed by Sharon Wheeler Actors, writers, directors and others involved with The Wire contribute to an oral history of the influential TV drama. FORCE OF NATURE by Jane Harper, reviewed by Linda Wilson Five women trek into the bush on a company awayday. Only four of them make it out. THE MIDNIGHT LINE by Lee Child, reviewed by Sylvia Maughan Jack Reacher finds a small ring in a pawn shop that must have belonged to a marine. As an ex-military man himself, he sets off to track the owner down. GOLDSTEIN by Volker Kutscher, reviewed by Chris Roberts In Weimar Berlin, police detective Gereon Rath is assigned to shadow Abraham Goldstein, a New York hit man who has recently arrived in town. MAIGRET TRAVELS by Georges Simenon, reviewed by Arnold Taylor Maigret investigates the death of a very wealthy Englishman.
MONEY IN THE MORGUE by Ngaio Marsh and Stella Duffy, reviewed by John Cleal A government paymaster is trapped overnight at an isolated hospital. With the telephones out and the nearby river about to burst its banks in a storm, the payroll disappears from a locked safe. When bodies follow, Scotland Yard Inspector Alleyn must investigate. TIME IS A KILLER by Michel Bussi, reviewed by Kati Barr-Taylor Twenty-seven years after the accident that killed her parents and brother, Clotilde is back on the island of Corsica where they died. But her past is about to rise and threaten her and her family. WRONG WAY HOME by Isabelle Grey, reviewed by John Cleal DI Grace Fisher of the Essex Major Investigation Team re-opens a 25-year-old cold case in which a girl was raped and killed. The possible involvement of a local hero and a young true-crime podcaster hampers her investigation. PERFECT DEATH by Helen Fields, reviewed by John Barnbrook A naked girl is found dead on Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh in midwinter in mysterious circumstances. DI Callanach and newly promoted DCI Ava Turner investigate. THE FIRE PIT by Chris Ould, reviewed by Ewa Sherman On the Faroe Islands local detective Hjalti Hentze investigates the suicide of an old drunk. In Denmark the British DI Jan Reyna searches for answers to his past. Both men realise that both stories might be connected. BOX OF BONES by Peter Morfoot, reviewed by John Cleal A man suffers a fatal fall at the Nice carnival, the first in a series of suspicious deaths. Captain Paul Darac of the Brigade Criminelle investigates. GIRL ON THE LINE by Alice Vinten, reviewed by Linda Wilson An account of Alice Hearn’s life as a female officer in the Met from idealistic beginnings to a soul-wearing ending. STRANGE FASCINATION by Syd Moore, reviewed by Anthea Hawdon A stone with an old legend is about to cause major problems for the locals in the village of Adders Fork. SONG OF THE DAMNED by Sarah Rayne, reviewed by Sharon Wheeler Music researcher Phineas Fox finds himself embroiled in a school’s sinister legends when he’s asked to investigate the possible plagiarism of an opera. TRUTH STONE by Michael O’Byrne, reviewed by John Cleal DCI Rachel Stone puts her job on the line when she allows a child killer to lead her to a second body. BLACK VIOLET by Alex Hyland, reviewed by Chris Roberts Michael Violet is a skilled pickpocket who uses his talent to lift top-end cars. When his journalist brother is murdered, Violet ends up in a team tracking the killers. THE BOOK CASE: AN EMILY LIME MYSTERY by Dave Shelton, reviewed by Linda Wilson After an unfortunate incident at her old school, Daphne is offered a scholarship to St Rita’s School for Spirited Girls where she’s soon plunged into the mystery of a missing schoolgirl and a robbery at the local bank. Best wishes Sharon www.crimereview.co.uk
Mystery Fanfare: The Blood Road: Guest Post by Stuart MacBride
Mystery Fanfare: The Blood Road: Guest Post by Stuart MacBride: Stuart MacBride: The Blood Road I’ve been writing about the northeast of Scotland for about sixteen years now. Which is a lot of time...
Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity: 33 Calls for Submissions in September 2018 - Payin...
Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity: 33 Calls for Submissions in September 2018 - Payin...: Maxpixel There are nearly three dozen calls for submissions in September. As always, anything you can think of is wanted - flash fictio...
Review: The Digest Enthusiast: Book Eight Editor Richard Krauss
The
Digest Enthusiast: Book Eight distinctively features
prolific short story author Michael Bracken on the cover. Edited by Richard
Krauss and published by Largue Press, the issue opens with a roundup of current
story and feature lineups in the mystery, science fiction/fantasy digests and other
news.
Starting
on page 16, Editor Richard Krauss interviews Michael Bracken in considerable
depth regarding his writing career and background. Included in the far ranging
interview is how Mr. Bracken goes about the writing process, how some of his
published works link up in terms of location and/or characters, and how his
writing has appeared and continues to do so across multiple genres. Naturally,
such an in depth discussion of the writing process also features his editing
work and future projects.
That
far reaching interview is followed by “Manhunt 1953 part three.” Peter
Enfantino summarizes the issues of Manhunt: Volume 1 No.9 September 1953 to No.
12 December 1953 and gives a brief recap of each short story starting on page 35.
A
fantasy short story featuring the power of toy soldiers titled “Junior and the
Little Guys” by Robert Snashall begins on page 46. Junior Tward has a tough
time at home and at school. His only escape is his toy solider collection. A
very special collection that has the power to help him as well in a very
entertaining tale.
Vince
Nowell, Sr. considers the first issue run of Gamma starting on page 56. In the
piece, “Gamma New Frontiers in Fiction” he charts the publication’s short run
from June 1963 to 1965. He does so by providing an overview detailing why it
stood out as well as synopsis of each issue and the print format changes made
to the publication as each issue came out.
After
some comics by Bob Vojtko, Tom Brinkmann goes into considerable depth in the
life and death of Playboy Playmate
Connie Kreski. Tied into the article are synopses’ of various magazines and
other publications that featured her in some way. “The Connie Kreski Conundrum”
feature begins on page 68.
Many
people seem to believe that it is only ezines that release one issue and then
vanish from sight. That is not the case at all as you can learn starting on
page 83 with Steve Carper and his “One-and-Dones part two.”
Editor
Richard Kraus takes over on page 97 with his tribute piece titled “The Creative
Worlds of Joe Wehrle, Jr.” The tribute and appreciation piece extends far
beyond the work he did for The Digest Enthusiast.
It
is back to fiction next with the reprinting of a short story by Josh Pachter. The story, “The Defenestration of
Prague” originally appeared in the June 1986 issue of Espionage. At that time
there was a printing error which has been noted and corrected for the printing
here that starts on page 114. The second part of the story will appear in the
next edition of The Digest Enthusiast where readers will learn the fate of
Mckenna and much more.
Starting
on page 125, Peter Enfantino makes a second appearance in the issue as he recounts
the history of “Western Magazine.” Filled with short stories and novels of 15k
to nearly 30k, there was clearly plenty of reading in each issue starting in
July 1956.
“Opening
Lines” comes next starting on page 151. It features a compilation of the
opening sentence of numerous short stories appearing in the various digests
featured in this issue.
“Links”
for the publisher/magazine and some of the people in the issue follows the “Opening
Lines” page. The list also includes in alphabetical order the names of the
current digests operating and their location on the World Wide Web. For all
intents and purposes this is the end of the issue as that is followed by three
pages of ads for various books and the publication itself.
According
to Amazon, I picked this up on May 22, 2018. As to the why, I did it solely
because Michael Bracken was on the cover. I wanted to read what he had to say
because whenever he has an opportunity to talk about writing the resulting
piece is always informative. As I try to find my way back to my own fiction
after the death of both my mom and my wife last year, the very difficult struggle
is helped by reading of the successes of those I admire and the respect.
Beyond
the Michael Bracken interview itself, which was most definitely worth the price
of the read, there was/is plenty of other very worthwhile informative and
entertaining pieces in The Digest Enthusiast: Book Eight.
The short stories were very good. I also I enjoyed learning about magazines and
people that were before my time or later when I was a small child bouncing of
the walls of this old house from time to time. As I bounce of the walls of this
old house now as a disabled adult, I am more aware than ever of the passing of
time and the loss I have personally experienced, but the loss we all suffered
whether we knew it or not as these digests and people involved vanished from
our world.
The
Digest Enthusiast: Book Eight
Editor
Richard Krauss
Largue
Press
May
2018
ASIN:
B07D6V8795
eBook
(available in print format)
156
Pages
$2.99
Material
was picked up to read and review using funds in my Amazon Associate Account.
Kevin
R. Tipple ©2018
Wednesday, August 29, 2018
Crime Time : LAST BUS TO WOODSTOCK – Colin Dexter
Crime Time : LAST BUS TO WOODSTOCK – Colin Dexter: After a fitful ride on Last Bus to Woodstock I doubt I shall read anything more by Colin Dexter. Ever again. I can't remember w...
Mystery Fanfare: Poisoned Pen Conference/RebusFest: September 2-3
Mystery Fanfare: Poisoned Pen Conference/RebusFest: September 2-3: Poisoned Pen Conference/RebusFest Celebrating Ian Rankin's 30th Year of Publishing in the U.S. Hosts: Hank Phillippi Ryan, James ...
Tuesday, August 28, 2018
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Playing for Pizza by John Grisham
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Playing for Pizza by John Grisham: Reviewed by Jeanne Rick Dockery is an NFL quarterback. . . or was an NFL quarterback. The third stringer has been bounce...
Crime Watch: Review: EYE OF THE SONGBIRD by Michael Munro
Crime Watch: Review: EYE OF THE SONGBIRD: EYE OF THE SONGBIRD by Michael Munro (2018) Reviewed by Alyson Baker She’s the target, the scientist he’s been told to bring down and he...
Review: See Also Proof: A Marjorie Trumaine Mystery by Larry D. Sweazy
“’Yes. Hank fought a long, battle.”
“He’s in a better place now.”
I forced a blank look to stay on my face and stopped the words that
were about to erupt from my mouth. I couldn’t bring myself to accept the idea
that the better place Hank was in wasn’t with me. Most people took comfort in
the idea that my husband was waiting for me in the afterlife, but my broken
faith wouldn’t allow that kind of hope to take seed. My heart had suffered a
severe break that had left lingering damage.’” (See Also Proof: A Marjorie Trumaine Mystery, Page 79).
It is
January, 1965, in North Dakota as See Also Proof: A Marjorie Trumaine Mystery begins.
Marjorie’s husband, Hank, passed away last October and Marjorie is deep into
grief. She still is unable to sleep in the bed she shared with him nor do
anything with his clothes. Having been his caregiver for so long she desperately
misses the rituals of the chores she had to do to meet his needs. His dog,
Shep, a border collie, is now her dog though she realizes he will always really
be Hank’s dog. At least it is January and there is not much outdoors on her
farm as this is the time of year when humans and animals hunker down and just
try to survive the winter. An in home visit with several of the ladies of the “Ladies
Aid” reveals she is not alone in a personal family nightmare.
Tina
Rinkerman, a fourteen year old teenager with Down syndrome has wandered away
from the family farm. Not only was she not dressed for the January weather, her
disabilities make her even more vulnerable. Family and neighbors are out
searching for her, but that search has been fruitless and was suspended due to
nightfall.
The next
day, Marjorie assists in the search and is paired with Sheriff Guy Reinhardt.
Their hunt for the young teen takes them to a nearby area where members of the
family found foot prints in the snow by a fence line very late the night
before. After some walking across barren and snow covered fields, Sheriff
Reinhardt and Marjoire spot something in a shelterbelt. The stand of
cottonwood trees was planted as a wind break by some pioneer decades earlier.
Now that shelterbreak holds a car with the body of Niles Jacobsen. He has been
murdered as the bullet holes through the windshield clearly indicate. It seems
obvious that he was lured out there and executed by someone firing from a deer
stand inside the shelterbreak.
In
addition to the hunt for the missing teenager, Sheriff Reinhardt and the very
small police force of Dickerson, North Dakota now have a murder on their hands.
They are going to need Marjorie’s help as they all know she reads a lot and is
the smartest person around. Her latest freelance index project needs to wait as
Marjorie is going to have to help out. Driven by her natural curiosity and her
grief, Marjorie pushes to find out whether the two events are linked and how.
Like all
good series, this one that should be read in order starting with See
Also Proof, followed by See
Also Deception. Readers of this series have known from the start of
the inevitability of Hank’s death which ultimately occurred in the second book.
His death and Marjorie’s grief is one of the two major storylines in this book.
That situation made this read a
difficult one for me.
Not because the
book is not good. It very much is. Marjorie’s grief and her responses to it hit
very close to home. For some reason, I have always felt a deep kinship with the
very fictional mid 30s Marjorie Trumaine. I have no idea why as not only am I a
mid 50s male and a city boy, I have never lived in North Dakota, and would have
been a little over three years old at the time of this book. We have nearly
nothing at all in common. Yet, her grief over the loss of her beloved husband
so mirrors my own over the loss of my beloved Sandi, the book brought me to
tears several times. Not just because, like the fictional Hank, it was Sandi
that had faith and optimism and always believed she would survive. Marjorie is also
trying to find her way to go on, despite everything, and is having a very difficult
struggle with doing so. More than once she expresses how much she misses the routine
chores of caregiving as she met Hank’s needs. Those who know me are also very
much aware how much I am struggling with my loss as well as how much I miss the
routine chores of caregiving with the loss of my wife. Marjorie is trying to go
on by focusing on her work as an indexer and I am trying to do as the same by
doing reviews and other writing related projects. As it was for Marjorie, my
work began as an attempt to bring some sort of income into the household. Her
grief, at times, overwhelms her as does mine. There is still more to this
shared bond that I can’t even begin to describe. She is as broken in her own
way as am I though by the end of the book one gets the sense she is going to be
okay.
See Also Proof: A
Marjorie Trumaine Mystery by Larry D. Sweazy continues a very good series. The secondary
storyline of the missing girl and the murder are complex and full of surprises.
A solidly good book in an excellent series, See Also Proof: A Marjorie
Trumaine mystery is well worth your time.
For another take on
the book, make sure you go read this review
by Lesa Holstine from late last April.
See
Also Proof: A Marjorie Trumaine Mystery
Larry
D. Sweazy
Seventh
Street Books (Imprint of Prometheus Books)
May
2018
ISBN#
978-1-63388-279-9
Paperback
(eBook format available)
$15.95
251
Pages
My
review copy came by way of the Dallas Public Library.
Kevin
R. Tipple ©2018
Monday, August 27, 2018
Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity: 22 Writing Contests in September 2018 - No Entry F...
Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity: 22 Writing Contests in September 2018 - No Entry F...: Max Pixel There are nearly two dozen writing contests in September, none of which charge entry fees. This month there are contests for s...
Do Some Damage: Are Authors Allowed to be Human?
Do Some Damage: Are Authors Allowed to be Human?: I grew up in a small town. 8,000 people and change. Gravenhurst. Named for the key items in our town's main industry - graves and hears...
TEXAS BOOK LOVER: Monday Roundup: Texas Literary Calendar for August...
TEXAS BOOK LOVER: Monday Roundup: Texas Literary Calendar for August...: Bookish goings-on in Texas for the week of August 27-September 2, 2018: Special Events: Explore Other Worlds with Smith County Libraries ...
Aubrey Hamilton Reviews: Death Dines at 8:30 AND Death Dines In Anthologies
I loved the novelty of culinary mysteries when
they first arrived on the scene and I think I read every one published for
years. Food and books! Together! I was delighted when these two collections of
short food mysteries were issued.
Death
Dines at 8:30 (Berkley, 2001) sifted to the top of one
of my stacks recently. It’s a collection of 16 short culinary mysteries edited
by Claudia Bishop, who wrote the Hemlock Falls Inn series of cooking mysteries,
and Nick DiChario, a prolific author of short fantasy and science fiction. The
premise of each is that a death occurs during an evening meal at 8:30 P.M.
Despite the common framework, the stories are as different as can be in the
hands of these diverse authors: Barbara D’Amato, Edward D. Hoch, Nick Danger,
Tamar Myers, Elizabeth Daniels Squire, Valerie Wolzien, Claudia Bishop, Bill
and Judy Crider, Camilla T. Crespi, Mike Resnick, Jean Hager, Patricia Guiver,
Nancy Kress, David A. Kaufelt, Sharan Newman, and Diane Mott Davidson. A recipe
accompanies each story. A nice part of this anthology is that the royalties
were donated to America’s Second Harvest, a nonprofit that feeds the hungry.
The companion volume, Death Dines In (Berkley,
2004), was edited by Claudia Bishop and Dean James, industrious author of five
mystery series and four volumes of mystery-focused nonfiction. The common
thread in these stories with recipes is a meal at home, as imagined by Donna
Andrews, Claudia Bishop, Rhys Bowen, Don Bruns, Meg Chittenden, Nick DiChairo,
Marcos Donnelly, Carole Nelson Douglas, Elizabeth Foxwell, Parnell Hall, Lyn
Hamilton, Jeremiah Healy, Dean James, Mary Jane Maffini, William Moody, and
Anne Perry.
I always like having a volume of short stories at
hand so that I can read a little here and there without having to stop
mid-action. These two books are excellent choices for grazing, as well as
offering some interesting recipes. While they were originally released in
hardcover, they are also available in mass market paperback, making them easily
portable. One drawback is that neither contains an index to the recipes.
Death
Dines at 8:30
·
Hardcover: 304 pages
·
Publisher: Berkley
Hardcover; 1st edition (May 1, 2001)
·
Language: English
·
ISBN-10: 0425174700
·
ISBN-13: 978-0425174708
Death
Dines In
·
Hardcover: 336 pages
·
Publisher: Berkley
Hardcover; 1st edition (May 4, 2004)
·
Language: English
·
ISBN-10: 0425192628
·
ISBN-13: 978-0425192627
Aubrey Hamilton ©2018
Aubrey Hamilton is a
former librarian who works on Federal IT projects by day and reads mysteries at
night.
Sunday, August 26, 2018
RTE Update - August 25 Issue
The August 25 2018 issue of RTE is out and includes fifteen new reviews as well as a new interview:
http://www.reviewingtheevidence.com
David Handler in the 'Sixty Seconds with . . .' interview hot seat:
http://www.reviewingtheevidence.com/interviews.html?id=258
REVIEWS THIS WEEK:
THE LAST HOURS Minette Walters Reviewed by Yvonne Klein
FOGLAND POINT Doug Burgess Reviewed by Cathy Downs
DON'T EAT ME Colin Cotterill Reviewed by PJ Coldren
THE MAN WHO COULDN'T MISS David Handler Reviewed by Caryn St Clair
THE BOUNCER David Gordon Reviewed by Yvonne Klein
BAD BLOOD Brian McGilloway Reviewed by Jim Napier
SWIFT VENGEANCE T. Jefferson Parker Reviewed by Anne Corey
DON’T SEND FLOWERS Martin Solares Reviewed by Susan Hoover
YOSEMITE FALL Scott Graham Reviewed by Sharon Mensing
UNDER A DARK SKY Lori Rader-Day Reviewed by Lourdes Venard
THE LAST THING I TOLD YOU Emily Arsenault Reviewed by Barbara Fister
THE PERFECT MOTHER Aimee Molloy Reviewed by Larissa Kyzer
CWA SHORT STORIES Martin Edwards, ed. Reviewed by Lourdes Venard
MURDER AT THE MANSION Sheila Connolly Reviewed by Ruth Castleberry
BEYOND THE GRAVE Judy Clemens Reviewed by PJ Coldren
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
David Handler in the 'Sixty Seconds with . . .' interview hot seat:
http://www.reviewingtheevidence.com/interviews.html?id=258
REVIEWS THIS WEEK:
THE LAST HOURS Minette Walters Reviewed by Yvonne Klein
FOGLAND POINT Doug Burgess Reviewed by Cathy Downs
DON'T EAT ME Colin Cotterill Reviewed by PJ Coldren
THE MAN WHO COULDN'T MISS David Handler Reviewed by Caryn St Clair
THE BOUNCER David Gordon Reviewed by Yvonne Klein
BAD BLOOD Brian McGilloway Reviewed by Jim Napier
SWIFT VENGEANCE T. Jefferson Parker Reviewed by Anne Corey
DON’T SEND FLOWERS Martin Solares Reviewed by Susan Hoover
YOSEMITE FALL Scott Graham Reviewed by Sharon Mensing
UNDER A DARK SKY Lori Rader-Day Reviewed by Lourdes Venard
THE LAST THING I TOLD YOU Emily Arsenault Reviewed by Barbara Fister
THE PERFECT MOTHER Aimee Molloy Reviewed by Larissa Kyzer
CWA SHORT STORIES Martin Edwards, ed. Reviewed by Lourdes Venard
MURDER AT THE MANSION Sheila Connolly Reviewed by Ruth Castleberry
BEYOND THE GRAVE Judy Clemens Reviewed by PJ Coldren
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
Do Some Damage: Cover Reveal by Claire Booth
Do Some Damage: Cover Reveal: By Claire Booth This week I have a cover reveal for you. The next Sheriff Hank Worth mystery will be called A Deadly Turn . You...
Sunday Morning
It is August here which means heat, humidity, and often very little wind. This morning, after I checked my email, I needed some outside time. It was only 80 as of 9 AM, according to the porch thermometer that has been out there since I was kid at this old house. Not only that, but there was a breze. So, I poured a cup of tea into my new mug that arrived last week courtesy of my brother and his step daughter who were here for a week long visit, and headed outside with my latest read.
I am working on STAY HIDDEN by Paul Doiron. No doubt you have seen the news of his new book with a different cover. I happen to have the large print format version by way of the Dallas Library. I am rapidly approaching the end of this very good book. Great series.
Saturday, August 25, 2018
KRL This Week Update for 8?25/18
Up this morning in KRL a review and giveaway of "Toucan Keep a Secret" by Donna Andrews along with a fun guest post by Donna about what comes first the plot or the title
http://kingsriverlife.com/08/25/toucan-keep-a-secret-by-donna-andrews/
And reviews and giveaways of another great group of mysteries for your end of summer reading-"Four unerals and Maybe a Wedding": Her Royal Highness series by Rhys Bowen, "Grounds for Remorse": A Tallie Graver Mystery by Misty Simon, "Midnight Snacks are Murder": A Poppy McAllister Mystery by Libby Klein, "Murder at Ochre Court": Gilded Newport Mysteries by Alyssa Maxwell, "Scandal Above Stairs": Kat Halloway Mysteries by Jennifer Ashley
http://kingsriverlife.com/08/25/end-of-summer-fun-mystery-reading/
We also have a review and giveaway of "The Halloween House" by Kathi Daley
http://kingsriverlife.com/08/25/the-halloween-house-by-kathi-daley/
And the latest mystery Coming Attractions from Sunny Frazier, along with a chance to win books by Liz Mugavero and Ginger Bolton
http://kingsriverlife.com/08/25/coming-attractions-early-autumn-edition/
And a review and giveaway of "Picked Off" by Linda Lovely, published by Henery Press
http://kingsriverlife.com/08/25/picked-off-by-linda-lovely/
Up on KRL News & Reviews this week we have a review and giveaway of "Claws of Death" by Linda Reilly
https://www.krlnews.com/2018/08/claws-of-death-by-linda-reilly.html
We also have a Q and A with local actor Max Debbas, who also is the actor who voiced our latest podcast, and you can listen to the podcast at the bottom of the post
http://kingsriverlife.com/08/25/local-actor-q-and-a-with-maxwell-debbas/
Happy reading,
Lorie
http://kingsriverlife.com/08/25/toucan-keep-a-secret-by-donna-andrews/
And reviews and giveaways of another great group of mysteries for your end of summer reading-"Four unerals and Maybe a Wedding": Her Royal Highness series by Rhys Bowen, "Grounds for Remorse": A Tallie Graver Mystery by Misty Simon, "Midnight Snacks are Murder": A Poppy McAllister Mystery by Libby Klein, "Murder at Ochre Court": Gilded Newport Mysteries by Alyssa Maxwell, "Scandal Above Stairs": Kat Halloway Mysteries by Jennifer Ashley
http://kingsriverlife.com/08/25/end-of-summer-fun-mystery-reading/
We also have a review and giveaway of "The Halloween House" by Kathi Daley
http://kingsriverlife.com/08/25/the-halloween-house-by-kathi-daley/
And the latest mystery Coming Attractions from Sunny Frazier, along with a chance to win books by Liz Mugavero and Ginger Bolton
http://kingsriverlife.com/08/25/coming-attractions-early-autumn-edition/
And a review and giveaway of "Picked Off" by Linda Lovely, published by Henery Press
http://kingsriverlife.com/08/25/picked-off-by-linda-lovely/
Up on KRL News & Reviews this week we have a review and giveaway of "Claws of Death" by Linda Reilly
https://www.krlnews.com/2018/08/claws-of-death-by-linda-reilly.html
We also have a Q and A with local actor Max Debbas, who also is the actor who voiced our latest podcast, and you can listen to the podcast at the bottom of the post
http://kingsriverlife.com/08/25/local-actor-q-and-a-with-maxwell-debbas/
Happy reading,
Lorie
Saturdays With Kaye: City of Strangers by Louise Millar
City of Strangers by Louise Millar
From the land of Agatha Christie comes, instead, a suspense
writer worthy of Patricia Highsmith. Any city can seem like a city of
strangers, especially when, like Grace Scott, one returns to it after her
honeymoon and it no longer holds one who was dear to her, her beloved father.
She misses him with an ache her new husband can’t assuage.
When they get home, Mac goes out to get groceries and she enters
the new apartment alone—and finds a dead man. She’s a journalist and her camera
helps her process her thoughts, so she quickly takes some pictures, then dials
the police.
The reader learns, right away, of Mr. Singh’s newsagent shop
below the apartment, and the presence of a mysterious man in the storeroom. We
revisit him throughout the book as his mental state deteriorates. Grace feels a
connection with the poor dead man, as she thinks of him, who has been killed in
their place and tries to follow any progress on finding his killer. Mac is much
too busy, supervising the conversion of a warehouse into flats, with a
restaurant and gym, and a bar-slash-photography-studio-slash rehearsal space.
But the authorities make slow progress. They don’t know the man’s
name. She finds a discarded envelope addressed to her. On it, he, or someone,
has scribbled the words: I am not that man Lucian Grabole. Running alongside
this story is one of two people found dead in other places. One is said to be
an Australian tourist and one a drug dealer. Grace, convincing her boss to let
her work on the story, embarks on a quest for missing pieces of the puzzle, makes
astonishing discoveries, and begins to question everything she knows.
Meanwhile, back in England, the mysterious man still crouches in
a small space one floor below her new apartment, hiding.
Lucian Grabole proves to be as illusive in life as in death. Can
she trust the people who say they’re helping her track down who he was?
Reviewed by Kaye George, author of Requiem in Red, for Suspense Magazine
Friday, August 24, 2018
Lesa's Latest Contest: Giveaway - Mysteries set in London
This week, I'm giving away 2 mysteries set in London - Diane Freeman's A Lady's Guide to Etiquette and Murder and Leonard Goldberg's The Daughter of Sherlock Holmes. Details available on my blog,
https://www.lesasbookcritiques.blogspot.com. Entries from the U.S. only, please.
Lesa Holstine
https://www.lesasbookcritiques.blogspot.com. Entries from the U.S. only, please.
Lesa Holstine
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Hell’s Princess: The Mystery of Belle Gunness, But...
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Hell’s Princess: The Mystery of Belle Gunness, But...: Reviewed by Christy When Belle Gunness’ farm house burned down in 1908 with her and her three children in it, the peop...