Lesa's Book Critiques: The Man in the Microwave Oven by Susan Cox
Saturday, October 31, 2020
Writer Beware®: The Blog: Disssecting a Scam: The Literary Scout Impersonator
Writer Beware®: The Blog: Disssecting a Scam: The Literary Scout Impersonator: Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware® I've written several posts about a fairly new phenomenon in the world of writing scams: ...
Mystery Fanfare: HALLOWEEN CRIME FICTION // HALLOWEEN MYSTERIES
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Scott's Take: Brave and Bold! Female DC Super Heroes Take On The Universe by Sam Maggs
Brave and Bold! Female DC Super Heroes Take On The Universe by Sam Maggs and numerous artists who are credited in the back pages. This book highlights the various DC female superheroes based on four categorizations: compassionate, bold, curious, and persistent. The book highlights female superheroes of various backgrounds that exhibit those traits. The foreword for the book is written Gail Simone who is famous for her stories in the Batgirl franchise and for being one of the most prominent female comic book writers at DC Comics.
The author includes commonly known heroes such as Batgirl,
Supergirl, Wonder Woman among others as well as other heroes like Fire, Ice,
Bumble Bee, Spoiler, Lady Blackhawk and more. Of course, even in a book this
detailed, there are several female heroes left out. Those not included are
mostly female superheroes who operate in countries outside of the USA, appear
in the Legion in the DC future, as well as Platinum of the Metal Men. Also,
Dreamer, Alex Danvers, and Sara Lance of the television shows in the CW DC
Universe are not included and they are not part of the DC comic book universe.
The table of contents is split in the aforementioned categories
with each female superhero appearing in only one category regardless of how
strong she is in the other categories. The author did not choose to have the
order appearance in each category mean anything in terms of how strong the
female character is in the category nor did the author make the appearance
alphabetical. Each character is given a short bio along with an iconic quote.
The small box labeled “Data File” consists of a few cool facts about the hero
who is also depicted in artwork. With
over 40 female superheroes discussed in the book there should be at least one
hero that appeals to the young reader.
This is a fun book for kids that showcases the large amount
of female heroes that exist in the DC universe. I would recommend this book for
middle schoolers or mature elementary readers because the origins of some characters
might be uncomfortable to explain to a child. For example, Mera was raised as
assassin and was sent by her father to kill Aquaman. Instead, she fell in love
with him and became his wife. Then there is Katana whose family was murdered by
a gang. She seeks vengeance for that crime with a sword that consumes people’s
souls. Inside said sword is her deceased husband who she talks to while he is
stuck in a limbo between life and death. Both of these situations and several
others could be awkward trying to explain that to a child. However, in other
cases, they have done a good job simplifying the origins of several heroes to
make the characters less complicated and lessen the traumatic origins several
of the characters have.
With the aforementioned concerns, this is a good book for
young readers who would like to learn more about the various female superheroes.
At the end of the book there is a small glossary of terms and an artists
acknowledgement page which includes over thirty artists. As these artists have
other published projects, this page also serves as a great resource to look for
artists whose work inspires the reader. Brave and Bold! Female DC Super Heroes
Take On The Universe should be a fun read for many young girls who are
looking for more female superheroes in their stories.
Brave and Bold! Female DC Super Heroes Take On The Universe
Sam Maggs
DK Books
https://www.dk.com/us/book/9781465486110-dc-brave-and-bold/
December 2019
ISBN# 978-1-4654-8611-0
Hardback (eBook format available)
130 Pages
My reading copy came from the Central or Downtown Branch of the Dallas Public Library System.
Scott A. Tipple ©2020
Friday, October 30, 2020
A Writer's Life....Caroline Clemmons: SORRY CAN'T SAVE YOU!
A Writer's Life....Caroline Clemmons: SORRY CAN'T SAVE YOU!: Don't miss the Rafflecopter giveaway at the end of the post! Sorry Can't Save You by Willow Rose Genre: Mystery, Suspense From Mu...
Beneath the Stains of Time: Swing Low, Swing Death (1946) by R.T. Campbell
Beneath the Stains of Time: Swing Low, Swing Death (1946) by R.T. Campbell: Ruthven Campbell Todd was a Scottish-born artist, critic and poet who wrote eight lighthearted, tongue-in-cheek detective novels in the m...
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Out of Body by Jeffrey Ford
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Out of Body by Jeffrey Ford: Reviewed by Jeanne Owen is the head (and only) librarian of a small town library which will soon be closed as will the other small town ...
FFB Review: Hell Up In Houston by Garnett Elliott
Back in September I reminded you of The Drifter Detective. Today I remind you of the second book in the series, Hell Up In Houston. It appears that the eBook is no longer available and the print is only available via third parties at an insane price.
After you read the reviews, make sure you head over to Patti Abbott’s blog as well as Aubrey Nye Hamilton’s Happiness Is A Warm Book blog and see what they suggest today. Todd Mason is back collecting links so you will have even more suggestions om his Sweet Freedom blog later.
Private
Detective, Jack Laramie, is back in another gritty fast moving tale that is
also very good. First seen in The Drifter Detective Jack makes his
money by drifting from city to city across Texas doing work as a private detective
while living out of the horse trailer he tows with his Desoto. Having wrapped
up the current case after discovering the real truth of the matter the grandson
of legendary US Marshal Cash Laramie is headed to Galveston to deal with a
client as Hell Up in Houston opens. That mission is temporarily stopped thanks
to mechanical problems with the old Desoto requiring him to stay for at least a
few nights at “The Fulton” in Houston.
Jack
had no desire to be back in Houston as the last time he was in Houston things
did not go well. He also didn’t want to stay at “The Fulton” either. However,
it is clear the Desoto is going to be at the garage awhile, the horse trailer
is miles back on the side of the road awaiting its own tow truck pickup, and he
really has no choice. “The Fulton” has a bit of a less than stellar reputation as
well, but Jack doesn't care as the place has air conditioning. In 1946 Houston,
Texas as now air conditioning is all that truly matters.
He
also soon learns the place also has a house detective by the name of Frank
Grogan. Frank wants him to do some work for him and will pay him a decent
amount of money for a few days of work. Considering the repair bill for the
Desoto, Jack doesn't really have a choice. Besides, Frank said the work should
be easy. If Jack keeps his head down and goes about his business quietly with
no one wiser that he is in town everything should be easy.
Frank
lied.
This latest installment in the series is another good one. Reminiscent of the hard boiled pulp of yesteryear, Jack Laramie is a man's man who gets his hands and boots dirty which fighting the good fight. As in the preceding book, the read here has plenty of action, deceitful characters, and a twisting storyline to keep readers very entertained. You certainly don't have to read the very good The Drifter Detective before reading Hell Up in Houston but, I recommend doing so. You won’t regret it.
Material supplied long ago by David Cranmer in exchange for my objective review.
Kevin R Tipple ©2013, 2020
Thursday, October 29, 2020
Bitter Tea and Mystery Review: City of the Lost by Kelley Armstrong
Bitter Tea and Mystery: City of the Lost: Kelley Armstrong: I was drawn to this book for several reasons. It is set in a very cold, very isolated area and I like that kind of story. The author is Cana...
Criminal Minds: A Solitude of Wolverines by Alice Henderson
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SleuthSayers: So This Happened....
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Bookblog of the Bristol Library: HILL HOUSE COMICS ROUND-UP
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Smart Girls Read Romance: LIFE IS FULL OF SURPRISES! by Caroline Clemmons
Smart Girls Read Romance: LIFE IS FULL OF SURPRISES!: By Caroline Clemmons filling in for Beth Trissel Beth has several family events going on that have taken over her life. Please send prayers ...
Wednesday, October 28, 2020
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Nevermore: 18 Tiny Deaths, Women's Short Stories, ...
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Bitter Tea and Mystery: Short Story Wednesday: The Fever Tree by Ruth Rendell
Bitter Tea and Mystery: Short Story Wednesday: The Fever Tree by Ruth Rendell: This collection contains 10 short stories and one novella. None of them are Inspector Wexford stories. All of the stories are excellent. U...
Guest Blog: One Sleuth’s Bottom Line by Rosemary McCracken
Please welcome author Rosemary McCracken to the blog today as she explains why she writes financial mysteries.
One
Sleuth’s Bottom Line by Rosemary McCracken
When I decided to write my first mystery
novel, I had been writing articles about personal finance for a number of
years. As a financial journalist, I had interviewed scores of financial
planners and investment managers. I’d attended their conferences. I understood
the issues they faced. There was, and still is, a huge concern about the bad
apples in their industry: the bent advisors and investment managers. The
financial services industry revolves around money, so it provides opportunities
for those clever and greedy enough to challenge the system.
Those issues certainly got a reaction from
me. I was horrified when I heard about Bernie Madoff, the New York money
manager who swindled his clients out of $65 billion in a massive Ponzi scheme. And
we had scumbags in Toronto, the city where I live. One of them, a Bay Street
advisor, operated a classic confidence scam. He’d get close to his older,
wealthier clients, dazzle them with his interest and concern. Then he’d sell
them bogus stocks and drain their bank accounts. I knew how I’d feel if I had
been one of his victims.
This was the fuel I needed as an author. A
topic that would resonate with me for the months—and years—it takes to complete
a novel. I decided to make the central character of my mystery novel a
financial planner. Before long, my protagonist, Pat Tierney, took shape in my
mind. She believes convicted financial scamsters get off too easily. She wants
to see tougher penalties, prison terms and hefty fines. And what really makes
her blood boil is the crooks who go after decent, ordinary people who’ve worked
hard to pay off their mortgages and put away money for their retirement. When
these folks get ripped off, Pat gets hopping mad.
So I started to write a financial
thriller, although at the time I’d never heard of financial thrillers. But I
soon discovered a number of authors who were writing in this sub-genre. Their
books are popular because everyone understands the lure of easy money: we’re
all attracted by it and some people will do anything to get it. Most of us have
fantasized about what our lives would be like if we won a big lottery or
received a surprise inheritance. Easy money. Money we didn’t have to work hard
for.
Most of us are content to keep our money fantasies
as fantasies. The few of us who aren’t go on to commit financial crimes. Rob
banks. Skim money from clients’ investment accounts. Steal personal information
in order to write cheques and take out mortgages and credit cards in another
person’s name.
Some people will even murder for money.
As an amateur sleuth with a financial
background, Pat Tierney recognizes the red flags for fraud, money laundering
and other financial crimes. Not surprisingly, they turn up in her mystery
novels, and they’re all crimes that you and I can fall prey to. Uncharted
Waters, her most recent adventure, features a nasty scam to defraud
homeowners.
I’ve heard readers say, “Oh, financial
stuff is boring. I don’t understand it, and I don’t want to.” Well, some
financial thriller writers get into the nitty-gritty of market trades and
insider details, but the best writers make their characters’ worlds accessible
to all readers. They make their stories human with colorful, relatable
characters with distinct voices. I stay away from too much financial jargon and
the dry details of investing. Financial planning is Pat Tierney’s work, but I
keep it on the back burner. Pat knows that money isn’t about figures on a
spreadsheet or the intricacies of an investment portfolio. Money is about
people—the young couple saving to buy their first home, the older couple
worried that they may outlive their savings. And, of course, Pat knows that
some people can never have enough money.
As a journalist, I wrote articles about
many of the financial crimes that Pat encounters. Now, I often look up the
people I interviewed for these articles, and ask them more questions. But my research
largely tends to be in other areas. I’ve attended refugee hearings to find out
what happens when displaced people apply for asylum in Canada. I’ve talked to
scene-of-the-crime officers to learn what police do at different types of crime
scenes. I’ve talked to forensic cleaners—people who clean up crime scenes.
Welcome to the world of Pat Tierney.
Rosemary McCracken ©2020
Tuesday, October 27, 2020
Operation Awesome: A cautionary tale
Operation Awesome: A cautionary tale: On September 20, 2020, OA's senior member J Lenni Dorner embarked on a journey into a promotion for a self-published book that has resu...
Beneath the Stains of Time: The Marloe Mansions Murder (1928) by Adam Gordon Macleod
Beneath the Stains of Time: The Marloe Mansions Murder (1928) by Adam Gordon M...: Adam Gordon Macleod is one of those thoroughly forgotten mystery novelists, who's so obscure that the Golden Age of Detection Wiki d...
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: The Magic of Marie Laveau: Embracing the Spiritua...
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: The Magic of Marie Laveau: Embracing the Spiritua...: Reviewed by Jeanne Marie Laveau is a near mythic figure in New Orleans. Her name appears in songs, in stories, and even in mov...
Guest Author Judy Hogan and A Teen's Christmas in Wales: The Fourteenth Penny Weaver Mystery
Please welcome author Judy Hogan back to the blog. Her latest book, A Teen's Christmas in Wales: The Fourteenth Penny Weaver Mystery is out now in paperback with the eBook release set for November 15, 2020.
I first visited the Gower Peninsula near Swansea, Wales, in the summer of 1981. My landlady was friendly and her B&B, not very expensive. I visited Gower after that almost every time I went to Europe. My last visit was in 1996. Three of my mysteries are sited there, the first The Sands of Gower, Tormentil Hall, the eighth, and now the fourteenth.
What kept me going back? Its history, where people have lived since the Ice Age–they got though it on Gower. Some caves show that human beings were there 200,000 years ago. The most studied one is probably Paviland, which plays a key role in this mystery. A human skeleton was found there, and first called “The Red Lady,” but she turned out to be a young man. This cave is now on the coast, but once was inland.
I also visited the remains of old castles from the period of William the Conquer in 1066.
Somehow the whole peninsula made history come alive over centuries for me. For some sites there were legends, which I found in the local library. I could do well on foot, and also use the local bus to get farther down the peninsula. I had a guidebook to footpaths, only it was old, and one I landed in a field of thistles. There were also reminders of when the Vikings visited, in the names. Worm’s Head, Port Eynon, and even Swansea (Swann’s Eye) etc.
One of my readers pointed out that the characters ranged in ages from teens to elderly in their 90s, who were still active, hiking and visiting caves. My two teenagers, Seb, Penny’s grandson, and his girlfriend, Naomi, managed to get into mischief, though Penny was trying hard to keep track of them.
Then we have the British Christmas rituals, from Boxing Day to crackers with dinner on Christmas Day. Another ritual turned up of making taffy and then dripping some into cold water to form initials for the person the teen was going to marry. Since Seb had already at fourteen picked his bride, he was quite upset when Naomi didn’t recognize her initial as an S.
I used the title on purpose, thinking of a favorite poem of mine: A Child’s Christmas in Wales by Dylan Thomas, who lived in or near Swansea. His poem reminds me of Gower. It took forever to find the copyright holder, two, in fact, one in the U.S. and one in England, but my patience won out. They each let me have four quotes from Thomas’s version. I recommend his book to you, if you have never read it. What fun. As for mine, maybe a family holiday gift?
Judy Hogan ©2020
Judy founded Carolina Wren Press (1976-91) and was co-editor of Hyperion Poetry Journal (1970-81). She has published seven volumes of poetry and three non-fiction works with independent presses. She has taught all forms of creative writing since 1974. In 1983 she helped found the North Carolina Writers’ Network and served as its first president (1984-7). In 2015 she decided to set up Hoganvillaea Books, her own publishing imprint, in order to publish more of her mysteries. The Sands of Gower: The First Penny Weaver Mystery was her first release under this new imprint. Her Penny Weaver series takes up interracial community issues. She has written 19 Penny Weaver mysteries, and will continue to publish them.
Monday, October 26, 2020
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Jack by Connie Willis
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Jack by Connie Willis: Reviewed by Jeanne Set in London during the Blitz, this novella is told from the point of view of Jack Harker, a member of the a...
A Writer's Life....Caroline Clemmons: BOOK BIRTHDAY -- CHRISTMAS COMES TO DICKENS! #Dick...
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Aubrey Hamilton Reviews: No Mercy by John Gilstrap
John Gilstrap’s series of thrillers
about a private investigator who specializes in rescuing kidnap victims has
been on my TBR list for a while. The first book worked its way to the top a few
weeks ago, and it was just the escape from reality I needed. Unfolding mostly
in Virginia and Indiana, the two places I’ve called home the longest, the
high-octane story was satisfyingly low in angst and high in action.
No Mercy (Pinnacle, 2009)
opens with Jonathan Grave, loaded with high-tech surveillance equipment, on the
ground in a small rural community in central Indiana, preparing to extract a hostage,
a music student from Ball State University in Muncie, from his captives. The
maneuver goes sideways, and Grave kills the kidnappers to save the student. In
his rush to remove the student and himself from the scene, Grave leaves enough
evidence that the sheriff of the quiet town pieces together a credible picture
of what happened. She is determined that the rescuers, regardless of their
honorable intent, should go on trial for the murder of the kidnappers. We’ll
have no vigilantes in our town, thankyouverymuch.
Oblivious just yet to the knowledge
that law enforcement is looking for him and back in Virginia, Grave learns from
his ex-wife that her husband is missing and she wants Grave to find him. Grave
loathes his replacement and agrees reluctantly. Before he can organize his
resources and begin a search, she is savagely murdered and her home torn apart
in an obvious hunt for something. The Indiana police going all out to find him
and the Virginia police asking questions about just what he was doing while his
wife was being killed, Grave hides from them while tracking down his ex-wife’s assassins
and the missing husband.
Definitely a cut above the usual
action hero, Gilstrap’s protagonist is a real person with friends who try to
protect him and mixed feelings about what he does for a living. I liked him,
and I liked the momentum of the intense plot which is far from routine. Book 13
in the series due out next spring, and I have 11 more to get through before
then. Highly recommended to readers looking for a well-written and original
contemporary thriller.
·
Mass Market Paperback : 464 pages
·
ISBN-10 : 0786020873
·
ISBN-13 : 978-0786020874
·
Publisher : Pinnacle; Original Edition (July 1, 2009)
·
Language: English
Aubrey Hamilton ©2020
Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.
Sunday, October 25, 2020
Saturday, October 24, 2020
KRL This week Update for 10/24/2020
Up in KRL this morning reviews and giveaways of 3 more mysteries perfect for your Halloween reading as they involve sweets, cats and haunted mansions-"Murder Most Sweet": A Bookish Baker Mystery by Laura Jensen Walker, "A Case of Cat and Mouse": A Magical Cats Mystery by Sofie Kelly, and "Haunted Homicide": A Haunted Mansion Mystery By Lucy Ness
https://kingsriverlife.com/10/24/perfect-mysteries-for-halloween-reading/
Also a review and giveaway of "Cocktails and Murder" by H.Y. Hanna
https://kingsriverlife.com/10/24/cocktails-and-murder-by-h-y-hanna/
And we have the latest mystery Coming Attractions from
Sunny Frazier along with a giveaway of "The Corpse Who Knew Too Much"
by Debra Sennefelder
https://kingsriverlife.com/10/24/coming-attractions-be-thankful-edition/
And a review and giveaway of "Clockwork
Gypsy" by Jeri Westerson along with a fun Halloween guest post by Jeri
https://kingsriverlife.com/10/24/clockwork-gypsy-by-jeri-westerson/
We also have a Halloween short story by Margaret
Mendel
https://kingsriverlife.com/10/24/the-caldera-a-halloween-ghost-story/
For those who prefer to listen to Mysteryrat's Maze
Podcast directly in KRL, you can now find the player here for the latest
episode featuring part of the first chapter of "Lipstick, Lies & Dead
Guys" by Jennifer Fischetto and read by Teya Juarez
https://kingsriverlife.com/10/24/mysteryrats-maze-podcast-featuring-lipstick-lies-dead-guys/
Up in KRL during the week, mystery author Mollie Cox
Bryan shared her Top 5 Favorite Mysteries Read During the Pandemic
https://kingsriverlife.com/10/21/mollie-cox-bryans-top-5-mysteries-read-during-the-pandemic/
And we had another special midweek guest post, this
one by mystery author Lois Winston about writing during the pandemic
https://kingsriverlife.com/10/21/writing-in-the-time-of-covid/
Up on KRL News and Reviews this week we have a review
and giveaway of another perfect mystery for your Halloween reading,
"Murder, Take Two" by Carol J. Perry https://www.krlnews.com/2020/10/murder-take-two-witch-city-mystery-by.html
Happy Halloween!
Lorie
Scott's Take: Chosen Ones: A Novel by Veronica Roth
What
Do you do after you fulfilled a prophecy and save the world? Chosen Ones:
A Novel by Veronica Roth is a book about such a situation. Five
ordinary teenagers teamed up to defeat the Dark One who was destroying the
world using magic. Ten years later they are all dealing with their lives post
being the chosen ones and saving the world.
What
does one do after saving the world and fulfilling the purpose of their whole
lives prior to defeating the villain? How does one rejoin society after
becoming one of the world’s most celebrated heroes? What do you do when you
where trained for war, but there is no war left to fight? How do you go on?
The
main character is Sloan who is struggling with PTSD and life in general. She and
the other four are attending a reunion celebration that is honoring their work
and the fall of the dark one. After the ceremonies and celebration, one of the
other four is found dead. Things soon become very complicated with lots of
twists and turns.
Interconnected
between chapters are documents that flesh out the backstory of various
characters and events. The book is full of action, magic, humor, and fully
realized characters. The story is really different than most fantasy books. The
plot is about dissecting various types chosen ones (the heroes fated to save
the world in a prophecy) and their various flaws.
I
highly enjoyed this book, but there are various things that might cause people
issues such as the fact one character is dealing with PTSD, another is dealing
with drug addiction, suicide as well as the ideas of loss and grief are discussed
and more. The read is very adult in nature and should not be read by kids.
Chosen
Ones: A Novel by Veronica Roth is a very complicated
book and is not easily summarized while avoiding spoilers. It is also the first
book in a new series. The next book in the series is currently untitled and the
release date has yet to be determined.
Chosen Ones: A Novel
Veronica Roth
https://veronicarothbooks.com/
A John Joseph Adams Book (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
http://www.johnjosephadams.com/projects/chosen-ones/
2020
ISBN# 978-0-358-16408-1
Hardback (also available in audio, eBook, and paperback
formats)
432 Pages
My
reading copy came from the Mountain Creek Branch of the Dallas Public Library
System.
Scott A. Tipple ©2020
Friday, October 23, 2020
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Mobituaries: Great Lives Worth Reliving by Mo Rocca
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Beneath the Stains of Time: Handle with Care (1948) by A.R. Brent
Beneath the Stains of Time: Handle with Care (1948) by A.R. Brent: Alfred Rodrigues-Brent was a Dutch-Portuguese journalist, a World War II resistance fighter and, like Rex Stout , a World Federalist who ...
Bitter Tea and Mystery: A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny
Bitter Tea and Mystery: A Trick of the Light: Louise Penny: The books in the Chief Inspector Gamache series by Louise Penny often focus on murders and activities in the fictional town of Three Pines i...
FFB Review: INHUMAN CONDITION: Tales of Mystery and Suspense by Kate Thornton
Back in January 2011, I first told you just how good INHUMAN CONDITION by Kate Thornton was and that you should read it. I am telling you again today. Make sure you also check out the full list of reading suggestions over at Todd Mason’s Sweet Freedom blog. It is Friday, but you have work to do.
Sometimes
the blurb on the book encapsulates the book in an excellent way. From the back
cover of the recently released collection, INHUMAN CONDITION
written by Kate Thornton, comes this explanation:
“Human
beings tend to fear the things they don’t know, and that is often sensible,
given the lurking dangers that confronted our distant ancestors. But sometimes
we need to examine carefully the things we think we know: the pet shop owner in
town, the teenage girl who lives next door, or the nice man who walks his dog
each evening in our neighborhood. The stories in this collection will drive
that point home, and perhaps give you reason to re-define the word “'inhuman.'”
As well as define “human.” With a subtitle of Tales of Mystery and Imagination these twenty-one tales set on earth and in space, frequently push at boundaries defining what it means to be human. Frequently the tales are a bit disturbing, not in terms of graphic depictions, but in the meaning of what has happened or will happen thanks to the final twist at the end illuminating the dark working of a character's twisted mind. In nature, the concept of “camouflage” keeps both the hunted and hunter alive in the constant struggle to eat or not to be eaten. That same concept, passed down in the hardwired code of humanity from our distant ancestors is alive and well in these times. Make no mistake—this book is about the hunters hiding in plain sight among us and the prey they seek for a variety of purposes.
The
anchor story in the collection is the very good tale, “Nightwatch: Cardenio”
(pages 83-154). Using characters and other story elements originally created by
Jeff Williams and with his permission as noted, the tale takes the Nightwatch
team deep into the Amazon. A research site does not just vanish off the face of
the earth in Brazil. But, it has happened and the research site is gone without
a trace. It is now to the team to figure out what happened and why in this
adventure tale.
Author Kate Thornton creates a sort of whiplash effect for the reader several
times in this collection and this is a case in point. After the above noted
adventure tale deep in the Amazonian jungle, she follows it with “Cell Phone
Call” starting on page 155. In five short pages, the author makes parental
nightmares all too real and leaves readers, at least those of us with kids,
thinking twice about using our cell phones in public.
That
story is followed by “Vinnie's Cargo” and readers are back to adventure and
suspense. In this one, there are shuttle runs between the Moon and Mars in the
unspecified future. Despite the rules and regulations, where there are humans
involved there will always be some who attempt to move contraband and make some
ill-gotten gains. Usually, nothing good can come of some attempts and that may,
or may not, be the case here.
And
so it goes through the entire book that contains both previously published and
credited work and new. Author Kate Thornton consistently delivers through the
entire book as each and every single story is a good one. That rarely happens.
Whether it is late in the collection with the very disturbing mystery
“The Eyes Never Change” or the strangely amusing science fiction tale “One of
the Family” or any other, the read is constantly good and full of rich details
in settings, characters, and storyline.
Not
only is Kate Thornton to be congratulated, so too is the publisher. Denouement
Press is an imprint of Wolfmont LLC owned and operated by Tony Burton. Known as
a publisher of anthologies and cozy style mysteries, this is a new venture for
the publisher and reflects the kind of book that might not have been published
by Wolfmont before.
One
hopes this is not the last collection released by Kate Thornton. Simply put, INHUMAN
CONDITION: Tales of Mystery and Imagination available in print and
e-book editions, is a very good book and one well worth your time and money.
INHUMAN
CONDITION: Tales of Mystery and Suspense
Kate
Thornton
Denouement
Press (Wolfmont LLC)
September
2010
ISBN#
978-1-60364-033-6
Paperback
310
Pages
$14.00
Paperback copy provided by the author in exchange for my objective review.
Kevin
R. Tipple © 2011, 2016, 2020
Thursday, October 22, 2020
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Review: A Bad Day For Sunshine: A Novel by Darynda Jones
Sunshine Vicram is back in Del Sol, New Mexico, with her teenage daughter, Aurora, better known as Auri. She is also less than thrilled about living in the small tourist town of Del Sol again. Even if it is home for her parents and she and Auri are in the guest house about fifty feet from their backdoor. She is also not thrilled about being the newly elected sheriff. Especially when she wasn’t even running for sheriff far as she knew.
But, being elected in Del Sol when you are not even running
for sheriff is not the strangest thing to happen in Del Sol as Sunshine Vicram
well knows. She has been gone for nearly fifteen years and now that she is
back, she is reminded again that Del Sol has a sun that never quits and neither
does the strange.
While her fourteen year old daughter deals with her first
day at Del Sol High School, Sunshine Vicram arrives at the station in her full
uniform to see what her first day will bring. It soon brings a visit from the Mayor
and a basket of muffins. The mayor is a problem, but nothing she can’t handle
at this point. The muffins are another and, according to everyone else, a far
more serious problem. Homemade by Ruby Moore, they certainly look and smell good.
Ruby Moore can certainly bake as all can attest. The problem is that when she
sends in food, trouble always follows. It does not matter if they eat the
delicious offering or not, trouble is coming. They just do not know it yet.
Minutes after consuming the delicious goodness, they soon
find out that they have a major problem on their hands. Wealthy new resident Mrs.
St. Aubin reports that her daughter, Sybil, same age as Auri, is missing. She
vanished during the night. Mrs. St. Aubin woke up this morning and realized
that her daughter was missing. Having searched the house in an increasing panic
she came to town in a full panic looking for help. If that is not enough, then
comes word that an incarcerated prisoner known for kidnapping has escaped
custody and could be in the area. Are the two situations linked? Does he have
Sybil? Or is something else going on?
At about the same time as her Mom has her hands fill with
her job, Auri has her hands full with her own issues at school. Being the daughter
of the newly elected sheriff on top of being the new girl in school comes with
a lot of pressure. A number of her fellow classmates are being less than
welcoming. Three or four are being downright hostile as they take a page of the
mean girls playbook. Her first day is turning into a real doozy and just like
her Mom’s situation, thiings are only going to escalate.
A Bad Day for Sunshine: A Novel by Darynda Jones is a really good book. It reminds this
reader of J. A. Janice’s Sheriff Joanna Brady series with considerably more
humor and a tad more romantic intrigue. It shifts at the start of each chapter
as well as occasionally in a chapter between Sunshine and Auri as they deal
with various events and situations. The backstory, told through memories and dialogue
discussions, is very complicated and applies to both Auri and Sunshine.
At its heart, it is still a police procedural in many ways
and that fact is not sidelined by the backstory, the personal dramas, and
potential romantic entanglements. Plenty is at work in A Bad Day For
Sunshine: A Novel is a fun and fast read that lays an excellent
foundation for the series. A Good Day for Chardonnay is currently
scheduled to be released in late July 2021.
A Bad Day for Sunshine: A Novel by Darynda Jones is strongly recommended.
A Bad Day For Sunshine: A Novel
Darynda Jones
Thorndike Press (Gale, a Cengage Company)
April 2020
ISBN #978-1-4328-7883-2
Large Print Hardback
616 Pages
My reading copy came from the Lakewood Branch of the Dallas Public Library System.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2020
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