Tuesday, December 31, 2019
Beneath the Stains of Time: Framed in Guilt (1947) by John Russell Fearn
Beneath the Stains of Time: Framed in Guilt (1947) by John Russell Fearn: John Russell Fearn unexpectedly passed away in 1960, aged 52, when he suffered a heart attack. A fate he unfortunately had to share with...
Mystery Fanfare: CHAMPAGNE IN CRIME FICTION//MYSTERIES: National Ch...
Mystery Fanfare: CHAMPAGNE IN CRIME FICTION//MYSTERIES: National Ch...: If you follow this blog or if you know me in real time, you know that I'm a list maker . And, since today is National Champagne...
Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity: 2020 New Year's Resolution for Writers: Begin
Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity: 2020 New Year's Resolution for Writers: Begin: Pxfuel I rarely make personal New Year's resolutions. (The one time I did, in 2018, it backfired so spectacularly, I will never reso...
Review: Purgatory Bay by Bryan Gruley
Purgatory Bay: A Novel by Bryan Gruley continues what began in Bleak Harbor. While not a
straight sequel to the prior book, it features the local area and some of the same
characters. There are also numerous references, some far more detailed than
others, to the prior book and those events. For that reason, those who have
read the prior book will get far more out of this read than those who have not.
Jubilee
Rathman lives a life of wealth and splendid isolation in her home on Purgatory
Bay near Black Harbor. It has been twelve years since the night her family was
wiped out by murders. She knew who was responsible as did law enforcement, but
when the wealthy and connected are involved, the fight to hold those accountable
is often impossible. Long ago she gave up on the legal system and those within
it that had so utterly failed her. Those that believe she moved on and managed
to put the past behind her would be sadly mistaken.
Instead,
she is financing her own very personal quest for justice. She sees it as
holding those involved, no matter how far removed, as accountable for their
roles in her personal tragedy. Others would see her plan, if they knew of it
before things commenced, as nothing more than a revenge list and that many of
her targets would be misplaced targets of her rage.
One of
the not so obvious targets is a local resident, Ophelia. A renowned artist and
a contributor by way of various sculptures around the area, she lost her sight
during her teen years. Removing her from the home and making her vanish is a
key part of Jubilee Rathman’s plan. She must vanish so that former reporter
Michaela “Mikey” Deming can experience just a small beginning taste of what Jubilee
Rathman has in store for her and many other folks.
Purgatory Bay: A Novel by Bryan Gruley is very much like the preceding book, Bleak
Harbor: A Novel, in that it is another very complicated read filled with
multiple storylines, family tragedies, and acts of violence, betrayal, and
vengeance. All of the characters involved in the read are flawed and very realistic.
While the overall tone is dark for much of the book, there are the occasional flashes
of subtle humor which tend to lighten the mood at various times throughout the
book. Several of the characters in the read, evolve, and work out their own ways
to redemption by way of the violence that is unleashed across the area.
An
intense and powerful read, Purgatory Bay: A Novel by Bryan Gruley is one
of those book that most likely will be nominated for a slew of awards and
collect at least a couple. Simply put, it is very much worth your time.
The read is currently scheduled to be released
by Thomas & Mercer in eBook, audio, and print formats on January 14, 2020.
You can read my review of the first book, Bleak
Harbor, here.
My reading copy came by way of the
author with no expectation of a review.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2019
Monday, December 30, 2019
Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity: 44 Calls for Submissions in January 2020 - Paying ...
Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity: 44 Calls for Submissions in January 2020 - Paying ...: Pxfuel T here are more than three dozen calls for submissions in January. All of these are paying markets, and none charge submission fe...
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Eternal Life by Dara Horn
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Eternal Life by Dara Horn: Reviewed by Ambrea Rachel Azaria cannot die. Since she made a deal to save her firstborn child more than two thousand yea...
TEXAS BOOK LOVER: Monday Roundup: Texas Literary Calendar Dec 30-Jan...
TEXAS BOOK LOVER: Monday Roundup: Texas Literary Calendar Dec 30-Jan...: The poets, like the Dude, abide. Bookish goings-on in Texas for the week of December 30-January 5, compiled exclusively for Lone Star Li...
Aubrey Hamilton Reviews: The Last Act by Brad Parks
The Last
Act
by Brad Parks (Dutton, 2019) is a stand-alone thriller from the author of the
Carter Ross investigative reporter series. Tommy Jump’s acting career is
winding down after a promising start as a child actor. He has aged out of
juvenile parts, is too young for character parts, and is too short for dramatic
leads. His long-time agent has died and no one else is willing to take him on.
His girlfriend on the other hand is a talented painter and has generated a
great deal of interest in her work. She seems poised for a huge leap upward in
the art world. Tommy is determined to give her enough financial stability to
allow her to focus on her work, if he can just figure out how.
While he’s
wrestling with this economic quandary, a friend from high school, whom he has
not seen for years, approaches him with a request. The friend is with the FBI
now and the FBI is looking for an actor to infiltrate a minimum-security prison
in West Virginia to become friends with a new inmate, a former accountant to a
Mexican drug cartel who holds evidence on money laundering that would
effectively shut the cartel down. The FBI is offering $75,000 for Tommy to
agree to enter the prison under a fake identity and the same amount again if
Tommy learns where the evidence is hidden.
Despite his
girlfriend’s and his mother’s reservations, Tommy sees this opportunity as a
lifeline to financial security. He memorizes the details of the persona that
the FBI has created for him, signs a confession to a bank robbery under the new
name, and appears before a judge for sentencing. Before he knows it, he’s
actually in prison. While it’s minimum security, it’s still a prison. The food
is horrible, he is assigned to work in the prison laundry, and the prison
social worker keeps trying to make him sign up for classes. His cellmate is so
huge the standard cell bed had to be modified to fit him. He never speaks but
Tommy is still terrified of him.
The
characters are wonderful. An actor with a family as protagonist is a refreshing
change from alcoholic police detectives, military veterans with PTSD, and loner
private investigators. Tommy’s girlfriend and his mother are as fully developed
as he is; all of them exude ordinariness and normalcy. There are still
incredibly violent bits in the scenes with the cartel but Tommy could be the
neighbor down the street.
One of the
fun details in the book is the prison currency, which is foil packets of tuna,
not the usual cigarettes or other contraband. Bribes and favors are paid in
tuna. Tommy has to bribe his way into the poker game where the accountant plays
every week, so he asks his FBI contacts to provide several cases of tuna. They
are mystified but they do. The carefully developed plot has one twist after
another. Even the last few pages hold surprises. An excellent read!
Starred
review from Library Journal.
·
Hardcover: 384 pages
·
Publisher: Dutton (March 12, 2019)
·
Language: English
·
ISBN-10: 1524743534
·
ISBN-13: 978-1524743536
Aubrey Hamilton ©2019
Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It
projects by day and reads mysteries at night.
Sunday, December 29, 2019
Cowboys 2019
The Eagles win today meant they clinched the NFC East regardless of what the Cowboys did today. Dallas beat the Redskins, which is always a good thing, and finish 8-8.
This was not the season we expected here as Dallas just never did get things going at a consistent rate. I never bought into the Super Bowl hype, but did think they would make a run in the playoffs.
While the news coverage and speculating pundits are sure Jason Garret will be out as Cowboys coach, I am not so sure. I also don't see the point of bringing in another coach unless Jerry is going to step down from his position as GM and constant meddler. That is not going to happen so changing coaches won't mean much.
Mystery Fanfare: NEW YEAR'S MYSTERIES, CRIME FICTION, THRILLERS, AN...
Mystery Fanfare: NEW YEAR'S MYSTERIES, CRIME FICTION, THRILLERS, AN...: New Year's Mysteries! Mysteries, Crime Fiction, Thrillers and Movies that take place at the New Year. I wish you a safe, health...
Sweet Freedom: FRIDAY'S "FORGOTTEN" BOOKS AND MORE: the links to ...
Sweet Freedom: FRIDAY'S "FORGOTTEN" BOOKS AND MORE: the links to ...: This week's books and more, unfairly (or sometimes fairly) neglected, or simply those the reviewers below think you might find of som...
Review: At Their Own Game: A SpoCompton Crime Novel by Frank Zafiro
At Their Own Game: A SpoCompton Crime Novel by Frank Zafiro revolves around former police officer Jacob Stankovic. He runs a small criminal enterprise using Matt for short range stuff and Brent for long haul gigs. Though he is now on the other side from his former fellow officers of the law, he has worked to keep things relatively clean these past seven years and kept things small time to stay off the radar of everyone. Especially one Detective who got seriously upset over the fact that Jacob, when he was still a cop, spent a lot of time between the sheets with the Detective’s wife.
Who would have thought he would take
things so personally?
He has
been running things small and tight with no issues. His number one rule was no
drugs. Thanks to desperate circumstances, Jacob Stankovic broke that rule and
now things are blowing up. The drug deal went sideways though it might still be
salvageable. That is one problem. Another one is the fact that minutes after the
drug deal went haywire, Matt got picked up by the cops and is in jail with that
same Detective leaning on him.
Jacob
Stankovic has never had to kill anyone before. If things keep going wrong, he
may have to rethink his rule against murders.
At Their Own Game:
A SpoCompton Crime Novel is another intense read from the mind of Frank Zafiro. A former
officer himself, Frank Zafiro brings a gritty realism to all his characters. These
are not super hero cops like you read in other books where the cops are perfect,
or nearly perfect, at home and at work. The officers and former officers in
Frank Zafiro’s tales are flawed human
beings. Some are just way more flawed than others. Under pressure, those circumstances
coupled with inner flaws, can and often do become major issues.
Issues
that drive action and result in very intense read. Such is the case here in At Their
Own Game: A SpoCompton Crime Novel. Another strong read from author
Frank Zafiro and like his other books, very much worth your time.
I purchased my eBook copy to read and review back in the middle of October.
Kevin R. Tipple © 2019
Saturday, December 28, 2019
KRL Update: KRL This Week for 12/28/19
Up in KRL this morning a review and
giveaway of "A Catered New Year's Eve" by Isis Crawford, along with a
New Year's Eve guest post by Isis
And a review and giveaway of
"Fall's Killer Vintage" by Anna Celeste Burke
We also have the latest mystery Coming
Attractions from Sunny Frazier along with a giveaway of "Thin Ice" by
Paige Shelton
And reviews of the latest seasons of
"Shakespeare and Hathaway" and "Miss Fisher's Murder
Mysteries"
We also have a review and giveaway of
"Ghosts of Painting Past" by Sybil Johnson published by Henery Press
Happy reading!
Lorie
Kings River Life Magazine https://KingsRiverLife.com
KRL News & Reviews https://www.krlnews.com/
Mysteryrat's Maze Podcast https://mysteryratsmaze.podbean.com/
Scott's Take: Avengers Vol 3: War Of The Vampires by Jason Aaron
Avengers
Vol 3: War Of The Vampires by Jason Aaron
continues the story of the Avengers as they have to deal with various vampire
factions that are having a civil war. The Avengers are not used to fighting
vampires, but they have help from the best vampire in the vast Marvel Universe,
Blade. Alongside the Avengers, Blade fights to keep the vampire war from
spreading while dealing with the Winter Guard (Russia’s Avengers that work for
a corrupt Russian Administration). For some reason, the Russians think it is a
good idea to try to make a deal with Dracula instead of just killing him.
This
story features all the Avengers and focuses on Ghost Rider and how much he does
not know regarding his status. The Ghost Rider has to face the question of
whether or not he is a monster. If he is a monster, how is he doing to deal
with it? Will he make the same choice as Blade – be a monster that hunts
monsters or try to find a way out?
I
enjoyed having Blade in this Avengers team since he is not a character that is
featured often, despite the fact that he is one of the cooler supernatural
characters. Also fun and present in this issue is Captain America who has experience
fighting vampires as he did so in Europe during World War Two. Iron Man also is
present and is dealing with more family secrets regarding his adoptive father.
The
action filled issue has plenty of other characters such as Dracula, various
vampires, and an Evil Demon Dog. Also present is Thori which is a pet dog
belonging to Thor. He is a talking, kill happy dog that wishes to be the “best
murdering dog” he can be. He is fun.
The
action is good and this volume connects very well to the other volumes in this
series. The characterization of the characters is better in this book than the
earlier ones in the series. I enjoyed Avengers Vol 3: War Of The Vampires
by Jason Aaron and I recommend it.
Avengers Vol 3: War Of The Vampires
Jason
Aaron
Marvel,
Inc.
June
2019
ISBN#
978-1-302-91461-5
Paperback
136
Pages
Material
supplied the Grauwyler Park Branch of the Dallas Public Library System.
Scott
A. Tipple ©2019
Friday, December 27, 2019
Barry's Sale At Smashwords
The ebook site Smashwords is running its year-end sale between now and January 1st. Barry Ergang is among the many participants, and is offering his titles at reduced prices (not that they're pricey to begin with), and some of them are freebies. Take advantage of this opportunity to read his work and that of thousands of others. Barry's offerings include but aren't limited to:
Barry also hopes that readers who acquire any of his ebooks will, after reading them, post ratings and their honest comments on their site pages.
Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity: 43 Writing Contests in January 2020 - No entry fee...
Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity: 43 Writing Contests in January 2020 - No entry fee...: Wikipedia January is a wonderful month for writing contests. This month there are more than three dozen contests calling for every genre...
FFB Review: The Empty Manger by Bill Crider
Back a number of years
ago, I first heard about The Empty
Manager by Bill Crider when Ben Boulden mentioned his 2008 review of the
same over on his Gravetapping Blog. It wasn’t available via eBook or at my
local library so Bill Crider sent me a copy from his own personal library. I
reviewed it here on the blog late December 2014. I mentioned in here again in
December 2016. I had planned to read the other novellas in the book and still
have not managed to do that. Life tended to laugh and interefer with my plans
on this and quite a number of other things. So it goes. Though I have not
managed to get the job done, my advice remains the same as it was then—if you
can get your hands on the book do so.
For this final Friday in 2019, head over
to Todd Mason ‘s Sweet Freedom
Blog for the full list of reading suggestions.
Sheriff
Dan Rhodes can’t remember it ever snowing in Blacklin County on Christmas. It
certainly didn’t look like it would happen this year with daytime temperatures
in the upper 60’s and low 40’s at night. Typical weather for the area residents
of the county located in East Texas, but not conducive to the postcard winter
wonderland so many long for at this time of year.
Like
a lot of small Texan towns-- and elsewhere for that matter-- the downtown area
of Clearview has a number of vacant buildings in various states of disrepair.
Some of the vacant buildings are in very bad shape. Shoppers were drawn away to
the nearby Wal-Mart or one of the big new grocery stores and local businesses
closed leaving the buildings to decay and rot. City council member Jerri Laxton
had been pushing plans to restore the grandeur of the downtown area.
One
of her ideas was to get some of the local high school students to paint a mural
on one of the walls of a downtown building. Some of the local religious leaders
convinced all that in the spirit of the season the mural should be of a manger
with a brilliant star hanging over it. Somebody else came up with the plan to
have members of the local Baptist congregation play the parts of Joseph, Mary,
wise men, and the shepherds with a doll standing in for the baby Jesus. After
all, the risk with a real baby as part of the outside scene would be too high.
It
was a very good thing that a doll was used because, according to Francis Blair,
somebody stole baby Jesus. She is very upset that somebody would do that. She
might be more upset if she knew there was a dead body in the alley behind the
building.
While
Rhodes never drinks a Dr Pepper----though he does talk about it---- and he
never eats any crackers, he does actively work the cases. Any Rhodes story is a
good one and this one is no exception. The novella The Empty Manger by Bill
Crider is well worth the effort to get your hands on the book, Murder,
Mayhem, And Mistletoe. Crider’s story is one of four novellas in the
book that also contains works from Terence Faherty, Aileen Schumacher, and
Wendi Lee.
Material supplied by the author so that I could read and review.
Kevin
R. Tipple ©2014, 2016, 2019
Thursday, December 26, 2019
Mystery Fanfare: BOXING DAY MYSTERIES // BOXING DAY CRIME FICTION
Mystery Fanfare: BOXING DAY MYSTERIES // BOXING DAY CRIME FICTION: December 26 is Boxing Day . I've put together a list of over 1400 mysteries that take place at Christmas , and although I'm s...
Review: The Lost Are The Last To Die: A Sonny Burton Novel by Larry D. Sweazy
Sometimes
a short story takes on a life of its own and becomes a full sized novel. Such is
the case with The Lost Are The Last To Die: A Sonny Burton Novel. This read
is a sequel to the very good, A Thousand Falling Crows.
It is October 1934 as this novel
begins and Sunny Burton is no longer a Texas Ranger. Drought and the depression
have Texas in their two handed grip and men and the land are being crushed
alike. Sonny Burton, thanks to the gunshot that ultimately took his right arm,
will never be able to do a two handed grip again. His new prosthesis allows him
to work the stick on his old model A Ford pickup truck and that makes
driving a little easier than it was for a while there though he prefers to stay
close to home.
That isn’t to be.
Collingsworth County Sheriff Layton
Jones, known to all the locals as “Jonesy” brings word that Billy Bunson has
escaped from Huntsville. When Burton was working for the Texas Rangers, he had
several encounters with Bunson over the years. The first time was back when
Billy was a small child. The last one got the adult Billy put away in
Huntsville. Not only is he out, but he took the warden’s pregnant wife with him
as a hostage when he left the legendary Texas prison.
Billy He
took her because the police grabbed his girlfriend. Donna Del Rey was helping
in the escape and now is sitting in the county jail for her efforts. He wants
to make a trade-- the warden’s wife for his girlfriend. To make sure he got his
point across, he sent a piece of one finger. Everyone understands that if he
does not get what he wants, he will keep taking pieces off of her until she is
dead as is the baby. The Rangers want Sonny to find him. Billy knows that the
Texas Rangers would get Sonny to help as nobody knows Billy better than Sonny.
Sonny coming to Hunstville to lead the search would be expected and another
piece of Billy’s plan.
Sonny does not have a choice and he
knows it. He is going to have to go to Huntsville and find out all he can so
that he can stop Billy if at all possible. A man who was passing his days
waiting for the end is given a reason to do what he does best. Even if he does
not want to admit it to himself that being back on the chase and needed makes
him feel alive in ways he has not felt in a very long time.
What
follows is a highly atmospheric mystery with a lot going on. Author Larry D.
Sweazy uses a current storyline in 1934 as well as numerous flashbacks across
various other storylines primarily to weave a complicated tale in terms of
Billy and Sonny’s relationship. Those various storylines and flashbacks also
serve to illustrate the complicated relationship Sonny had with everyone including
his late wife, Martha, his son, Jesse, and the Texas Rangers, and others. More
than once these storylines also touch on Billy and illustrate his childhood
years and more and how, in some ways, his destiny was always pre-ordained as
was the destiny of Sonny to this point. Multiple storylines are at work through
the book as is the overarching idea of a sort of new beginning for Sonny who
has suffered so much over the years. There is a lot going on in this very
complicated read and far more than what is described here in this review.
The Lost Are The
Last To Die: A Sonny Burton Novel is one of those rare reads in fiction that make you think long
after the book is closed. I suspect author Larry. D. Sweazy and this book will
be up for a slew of awards next year. No doubt he will collect more than one
for this intense and very good read.
Lesa Holstine very graciously sent me
the ARC she had of this for my reading pleasure after she completed her review.
You can, and should, read that review here.
Kevin R. Tipple © 2019
Wednesday, December 25, 2019
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Nevermore: 127 Hours, Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, Ch...
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Nevermore: 127 Hours, Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, Ch...: Reported by Jeanne Nevermore opened with a report on 127 Hours: Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Aron Halston which details Hals...
Beneath the Stains of Time: Murder in Retrospect: The Best and Worst of 2019
Beneath the Stains of Time: Murder in Retrospect: The Best and Worst of 2019: So, here we are again, gathered at the yawning grave of another year that has passed too soon and, before we start shuffling dirt o...
Sweet Freedom: FRIDAY'S "FORGOTTEN" BOOKS AND MORE on Xmas; the l...
Sweet Freedom: FRIDAY'S "FORGOTTEN" BOOKS AND MORE on Xmas; the l...: famous seasonal novel This week's books and more, unfairly (or sometimes fairly) neglected, or simply those the reviewers below thi...
Merry Christmas 2019
Merry Christmas from Scott and I here in NE Dallas.... may you and yours have a great one.
Tuesday, December 24, 2019
Views From The Yard
Here in North Texas, when the weather is warm enough to sit outside, you better take advantage of it before you blink and it is 37 and trying to sleet. Today was one of those days as we climbed from 37 around 7 am to 70 by 2 this afternoon. Scott and I spent the afternoon out in the backyard reading. The holidays are very hard and getting outside for a little while helps both of us somewhat as we try to deal with the way things are these days.
While Scott was reading a fantasy book that looks to be about three times the size of one of my print reads, I read and finished PURGATORY BAY by Bryan Gruley. It comes out the middle of next month and is an incredible read. Review coming soon.
Jeanne Reviews: The Twilight Man by Koren Shadmi
This graphic novel biography of Rod Serling opens
with Serling on an airplane, talking with a fellow passenger about his
life. The moody black and white
illustrations are reminiscent of the old Twilight
Zone program, as I am sure the author intended.
I was vaguely aware of some of Serling’s background;
as a fan of both TZ and later Night Gallery, I felt I had grown up
listening to his stories. What I didn’t
know, and what Shadmi vividly portrays, is the source material that informed
his writing. Serling joined the military
in 1943, an undersized Jewish boy who wanted to be a paratrooper and fight the
Germans. He was turned down because he
was too short, but with the determination—some would say bull-headedness—he
persisted until he was sent to training. Many didn’t make the cut; for Serling,
failure was not an option.
But no training in the world can really prepare one
for war. Serling’s disappointment at
being sent to the Pacific instead of Europe was soon shattered as death and
destruction became real. The war would haunt his dreams the rest of his life.
Post-war, he went to college and decided he wanted
to become a writer, a thing much easier said than accomplished. The subtitle of the book is Rod Serling
and the Birth of Television, which is entirely accurate. This was the Golden Age of live dramas, where
an infant industry tried to find its footing.
Serling wrote script after script, meeting rejection at every turn,
until he finally broke through with a teleplay entitled “Patterns.”
But he still hadn’t found the formula that would let
him say what he wanted. Sponsors,
executives, censors, etc. seemed to be intent on gutting his work, rendering it
innocuous. The suggestions to “improve”
his script about Emmett Till are jaw-dropping. It was a chance remark that led Serling to a
revelation that would revolutionize television.
The book doesn’t stop there, but tells us about
Serling’s life post-TZ. I admire
Shadmi for showing us Serling warts and all; this book neither idolizes nor
demonizes him. It does portray a
complicated, haunted man who made an impact on our culture.
This is an excellent resource for anyone interested
in either Serling or early television.
Shadmi has appended an extensive bibliography. I also enjoyed his afterword, in which he
explained how he came to do the book. It’s a fitting book for its subject; I
think Serling might have approved.
Monday, December 23, 2019
Mail Call
Every now and then, the mail brings something I want and not just more bills and ads from the "we buy ugly houses" parasites. Today is one of those rare good days.
Writer Beware®: The Blog: Writing Contest Beware: Pressfuls
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Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Portrait of a Murderer: A Christmas Crime Story b...
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Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity: 10 (Warm) Writing Conferences in January 2020
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Aubrey Hamilton Reviews: Drowning in Christmas by Judith K. Ivie
Drowning in Christmas
by Judith K. Ivie (Mainly Murder Press, 2010) is
the fourth book in the Kate Lawrence mystery series. Kate and her partners Margo
and Charlene have shelved their Hartford, Connecticut, real estate business for
the present during the lingering recession. Kate accepts a temporary position
with a local nonprofit just in time for the organization’s major fundraiser.
Held during the height of Christmas celebrations, an auction is staged in the Wadsworth
Atheneum Museum of Art, the oldest public art museum in the United States, with
the attendant wine and hors d’oeuvres.
While coordinating the usual last-minute flurry
of activities leading up to the auction, family responsibilities are occupying
Kate’s mind. Her old cat is grieving the loss of the other cat a month previously
and is refusing to eat. Kate is mourning too and is frantically looking for
tidbits to tempt the sad kitty. Her daughter is bringing a new boyfriend to
Christmas dinner and wants everything Norman Rockwell perfect. Her ex-husband
begs her to host the holiday wedding of his nephew (and Kate’s godson) in her
home since his temporary apartment is too small. Kate’s live-in boyfriend is on
business travel and not sure if he will return in time to celebrate the day
with her. It’s all just about more than she can bear.
Then on the night of the auction, which goes
swimmingly up to the point Santa Claus is to appear, the nonprofit’s financial
officer, James O’Halloran, slated to serve as Santa Claus, fails to respond to
his cue. No one can find him anywhere, so Kate and the nonprofit CEO scramble
to smooth over the gaffe. After all the donors have left, a comprehensive
search reveals nothing. The local police will not accept a missing person’s
report for 48 hours, and Kate and the CEO are at a loss as to where to look for
him. Discussion with his wife reveals his black sheep brother has surfaced
after an absence of years, no doubt looking for money, and everyone wonders if
his appearance has something to do with O’Halloran’s disappearance.
The mystery here is gossamer thin, anemic and
waiflike. However, this is a fine Christmas read, full of the scents, sights, and
sounds that say Christmas in the contemporary United States, from the music to
the food to the rampant consumerism. The scene where Kate stops to listen to
the choir practicing to the accompaniment of a huge pipe organ in the nearby
cathedral dazzling with extravagant Christmas decorations is a good example. I
particularly like the way expectations are nicely tempered with realism
throughout. Kate plans a complicated menu that succeeds no better than most,
and she tries to accommodate her godson’s wedding plans that go awry. Her children
bicker and the family of her friend Charlene all come down with the flu. While
nothing goes quite as planned, the outcomes are still satisfying. A good
addition to any holiday reading list.
·
Hardcover: 234 pages
·
Publisher: Mainly Murder Press (October 1, 2010)
·
Language: English
·
ISBN-10: 0982795254
·
ISBN-13: 978-0982795255
Aubrey Hamilton ©2019
Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It
projects by day and reads mysteries at night.
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