Monday, May 31, 2021
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Three Witches in a Small Town by Willie E. Dalton
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Three Witches in a Small Town by Willie E. Dalton: Reviewed by Jeanne Sisters Agatha, Maeve, and Cerulean have all left their small hometown in the mountains to make their own way in the wo...
Aubrey Hamilton Reviews: The Magic Line by Elizabeth Gunn
The Magic
Line
by Elizabeth Gunn (Severn House, 2012) is the fourth of the Sarah Burke contemporary
police procedural series set in Tucson, Arizona. Gunn also created one of my
all-time favorite fictional police detectives, Jake Hines of the Rutherford,
Minnesota, police department. The Hines series seems to have stopped with 10
books. The seventh in the Burke series was published in 2020. Both series
deserve a wider audience than they currently have.
Despite her
plan for a quiet evening with her family in their new home, Sarah Burke is
called out during dinner to a mass shooting in a quiet blue-collar neighborhood
that appeared at first glance to be a home invasion gone wrong. A quick
inspection revealed the house to be full of drugs and related paraphernalia.
Five bodies and a significant number of weapons suggested a quick drug war with
no winners. One of the victims wasn’t quite dead, however, so the police packed
him into an ambulance for emergency treatment. In route to the hospital he
managed to overpower the attendants and escape, adding another element of the
unexpected to a crime that already didn’t quite look right.
Told from Sarah’s perspective and that of two of the criminals involved in the shooting, the story is a crisp portrayal of the law enforcement war on drugs along the United States/Mexico border and the kind of people who see it as a viable way to earn a living. The police investigation is balanced with quick looks at Sarah’s personal life, in which she, her live-in boyfriend and fellow detective Will Dietz, her mother recovering from a stroke, and her niece, abandoned by Sarah’s drug addict sister, have all recently become a blended family in a new-to-them larger house. This story is what fans of Gunn’s work have come to expect: a soundly plotted, well-written police procedural with interesting, credible characters. Highly recommended.
·
ASIN: B008L1FUS2
·
Publisher: Severn House (October 1, 2012)
·
Publication date: October 1, 2012
·
Language: English
· File size: 589 KB
Aubrey Hamilton ©2021
Aubrey
Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and
reads mysteries at night.
Sunday, May 30, 2021
Saturday, May 29, 2021
The Reading Room: The Playground Murders (The Detective's Daughter Series #7) by Lesley Thomson: Reading Room Review
The Reading Room: The Playground Murders (The Detective's Daughter S...: I am usually methodical about reading a series, start from the beginning and work my way through, but, alas, I couldn’t control myself wit...
Scott's Take: The Kingdom of Liars: A Novel by Nick Martell
The Kingdom of Liars: A Novel
by Nick Martell is the author's debut book and stars Michael Kingsman. That
matters because he is the son of David Kingsman, the murderer of the King's nine-year-old
son. Dad is dead and considered by nearly everyone to be a murderer and a
traitor to the Hollows (a city state in this fictional world). The nobility
that rules the Hollows are at war with each other as well as the Rebels who
seek to overthrow the nobility and usurp the King. Not only has the King done a
terrible job of leading his country, the death has set off a battle with the
remaining children who want the throne as well as other members of royal families
who believe they now have an opportunity to claim it. The King’s most likely
heir is commonly called the Corrupt Prince for his hedonistic and sadistic
behavior. The common folk, as they are everywhere, are stuck between all these
warring factions who do not care about who they hurt, maim, and kill.
In this world, magic is a rare gift that is tightly
controlled by the nobility. To use it, you will lose something of your memory. It
might be a little memory or it might be your own name. The nobility uses magic as
a weapon as the people do not have access to magic. Magic is great until
somebody puts a bullet in your head and the people have plenty of guns.
Michael Kingsman is determined to protect his family
and uncover the truth about his father's crimes. Did he really kill the king's
son or was he framed? To find out, he needs to work his way into the ranks of
the nobility to have any chance of finding out anything. He has to try, despite
the fact they all hate him for apparently good reason, as well as the fact that
he has gaps in his memory going back to events in his childhood. Those gaps
could hold clues to what really happened. If his mind was altered, how can he
trust himself or figure out what the truth is?
The supporting cast in The Kingdom of Liars: A
Novel by Nick Martell is very diverse and different. Everyone has realistic
motivations and evolves throughout the novel. Michael Kingsman is complicated
and makes clever decisions at times and at other times makes decisions based on
emotion that may or may not be the right one.
One of the more entertaining characters is an all
and friend, Kia. A blind noble who offers a lot of funny commentary. One of
which is, “I can't tell where we are going, but I never can tell where we are
going.”
While the author does tend to lean into cliches at points, overall, this debut novel is very good. This very good read is followed by The Two-Faced Queen. That came out earlier this year and remains on order by the Dallas Public Library System. I have a hold for a copy when it finally arrives.
The Kingdom of Liars: A
Novel
Nick Martell
Saga Press (Simon &
Schuster, Inc.)
June 2020
ISBN#: 978-1-5344-3778-4
Hardback
608 Pages
My reading copy came from the Central or Downtown Branch of the Dallas Public Library System.
Scott A. Tipple ©2021
Friday, May 28, 2021
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Granny’s Got a Gun by Harper Lin
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Granny’s Got a Gun by Harper Lin: Reviewed by Kristin Barbara Gold looks like a sweet little widow who just relocated to the aptly named New England town of Cheerville to b...
Jerry's House of Everything: FORGOTTEN BOOK: THE SAINT'S CHOICE OF HOLLYWOOD CRIME, edited by Leslie Charteris
Jerry's House of Everything: FORGOTTEN BOOK: THE SAINT'S CHOICE OF HOLLYWOOD C...: The Saint's Choice of Hollywood Crime , edited by Leslie Charteris (1946) In 1945 and 1946, seven paperback digest anthologies were is...
FFB Review: Immortal in Death: Eve Dallas Mysteries (Book 3) by J. D. Robb
It
is 2058 and marriage is on the menu as Immortal in Death by
J. D. Robb begins. Roarke asked her, she
said yes, and now she is stressed about it. Marriage is complicated and Eve
Dallas is worried about it. Thanks to her childhood, it is very hard for her to
let her guard down or trust anyone else. Only a very few people are close to
her and even they only get glimpses of the real Eve Dallas.
One
of those few people in her inner circle is Mavis. An entertainer, Mavis is
everything Eve is not. Flamboyant, loud, and brash in so many ways, Mavis knows
people and has quite a few contacts and friends. One of those is a designer who
is going to handle her wedding dress. Not only does Dallas meet Leonardo, she
also meets Pandora, a model, who saw Eve and thought she was there for other
reasons.
Not
only does she assault Eve, she goes after Mavis. When the dust settles, Pandora
threatens to end the career of the designer, Mavis, and pretty much everyone in
sight before she leaves. It is no surprise when hours later, Pandora is dead
and Mavis is suspect number one and soon arrested.
Despite
the evidence forcing the arrest, NYPD Homicide Lieutenant Eve Dallas is sure
that Mavis did not kill Pandora. Some of the other potential initial suspects
she is not sure about. That list of possibilities seemingly grows exponentially
while at the same time, the evidence continues to point to Mavis. In the
following days as a media frenzy breaks out and Dallas’ professionalism is
questioned by many, her long buried childhood memories begin to unlock adding
to her stress.
There
is still the wedding and the mounting stress of that as well.
This
third book in the series is another enjoyable police procedural/romance read. The
author’s ongoing habit of pov head hoping continues what seems to be a default
style. Despite that fact, the read is entertaining and moves as at a rapid pace
as we learn more and more about Eve Dallas and what drives her. 2058 has a lot
of cool high-tech stuff, but humans are still present, and murder still happens
for the same reasons it has going back to the first time one of our ancient
ancestors decided to whack somebody else.
The
books to this point and my reviews:
Naked
in Death: Eve Dallas Mysteries
(March 2021)
Glory
in Death: Eve Dallas Mysteries
(April 2021)
Immortal in Death: Eve Dallas Mysteries (Book 3)
J. D. Robb
https://jdrobb.com/1996/07/immortal-in-death/
Berkley Books (Penguin Random House)
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/300633/immortal-in-death-by-j-d-robb/
July 1996
ISBN# 978-0786507658
eBook (also available in audio, hardback, and paperback
formats)
312 Pages
My
copy came via the LibbyApp from the Dallas Public Library System.
Kevin
R. Tipple ©2021
Thursday, May 27, 2021
Crime Review Update: New issue of Crime Review
We’re now featuring 24 new reviews in each issue of Crime Review www.crimereview.co.uk together with a top industry interview. This time it’s author Caroline England in the Countdown hot seat: http://crimereview.co.uk/page.php/interview/9245
We’re on Twitter at:
Crime Review:
@CrimeReviewUK
Linda Wilson:
@CrimeReviewer
Sharon Wheeler:
@lartonmedia
This issue’s reviews are:
A Song for the Dark Times by Ian Rankin, reviewed by Ewa Sherman
John Rebus always focused
on his job. But family is important which he realises more than ever when his
distraught daughter Samantha calls in the middle of the night. Her partner
Keith, interested in the old POW camp on the windswept coast, has gone missing.
Rebus knows he has to help her.
A Prince and a Spy by Rory Clements, reviewed by John Cleal
Cambridge-based American
history professor Tom Wilde investigates the death of George, Duke of Kent,
brother of the King of England, in a mystery plane crash.
Box 88 by Charles Cumming reviewed by Chris Roberts
Lachlan Kite, working
with top-secret spy agency Box 88, is abducted by Iranians and subjected to
questioning about events one summer 30 years ago.
What Abigail Did That Summer by Ben Aaronovitch, reviewed by Linda Wilson
While magician and copper
Peter Grant is off chasing unicorns and missing children, his 13-year-old
cousin Abigail has some missing kids of her own to investigate, with the help
of a bunch of talking – and very organised – foxes.
Double Agent by Tom Bradby, reviewed by Chris Roberts
A Russian foreign
intelligence agent offers to defect, bringing evidence that the British Prime
Minister is in the pay of Moscow.
Secret Weapon by Anthony Horowitz, reviewed by Linda Wilson
Seven short stories featuring teenage spy Alex Rider.
Blackout by Simon Scarrow, reviewed by John Cleal
Criminal Inspector Horst
Schenke is assigned to investigate the murder of a former well-known actress, but
is put under immense pressure by rivalries in the Nazi hierarchy in an
atmosphere where ‘disloyalty’ can mean death.
Smoke Screen by Jørn Lier Horst and Thomas Enger, reviewed by Viv Beeby
When a bomb rips through
the centre of Oslo as the clock strikes in a New Year, police officer Alexander
Blix and journalist Emma Ramm are both at the scene. And so begins a new investigation
and a ten-year-old mystery to solve for this unlikely partnership ...
The Coldest Case by Martin Walker, reviewed by Linda Wilson
With the ever-present
danger of forest fires adding to his workload, Bruno, Chief of Police, still
finds time to help investigate a cold case that has haunted his friend J-J
throughout his career.
The Finisher by Peter Lovesey, reviewed by John Cleal
As teacher Maeve Kelly
struggles to compete in a charity half marathon, Superintendent Peter Diamond,
tasked with crowd control, spots a violent criminal he once jailed – and his
suspicions are raised when a runner disappears without trace.
The Island by Ben McPherson, reviewed by Ewa Sherman
Scottish Cal and
Norwegian Elsa leave their home in Washington DC to stay for six months in
Norway, with their two teenage daughters and a baby son. The change of scene
brings a devastating change to their lives: 15-year-old Licia vanishes from a
summer camp on a tranquil island where two men shot tens of youngsters.
Knife Edge by Simon Mayo, reviewed by Linda Wilson
Seven journalists are
murdered on a single day in London. They all worked for the same news agency.
The question in everyone’s mind is who will be targeted next. It’s not a happy
thought for Famie Madden, or her colleagues, but that doesn’t stop them when a
possible lead turns up.
A Double Life by Charlotte Philby, reviewed by John Cleal
Foreign Office counter-terrorism
expert Gabriela finds her life falling apart in a web of lies, while drunken,
drug-taking journalist Isobel is in danger as she investigates people
trafficking and prostitution.
Making Wolf by Tade Thompson, reviewed by Chris Roberts
Weston Kogi returns to
his birthplace in West Africa for the funeral of his aunt and is pushed into
investigating the death of a revered statesman.
After Dark by Dominic Nolan, reviewed by Kati Barr-Taylor
The little girl suffered
from man's inhumanity. Now the police must piece together her story because she
may never find the words.
Good Dark Night by Harry Brett, reviewed by John Cleal
Tatiana Goodwin, widow of
crime boss Rich, has struggled to take over his business as enemies pile up.
Now she must learn that power comes at a price.
Killing Rock by Robert Daws, reviewed by Chris Roberts
Gibraltar-based detective
Tamara Sullivan joins forces with a colleague across the border to solve
murders from the past and present.
Like Mother, Like Daughter by Elle Croft, reviewed by John Barnbrook
Kat has two daughters,
Imogen and Jemima. She has a secret about the elder daughter, Imogen, that even
Imogen does not know. One day Imogen disappears, and Kat is desperately worried
that this is linked to what she knows.
Private Moscow by James Patterson and Adam Hamdy, reviewed by John Cleal
One of PI Jack Morgan’s
oldest friends is shot dead at his company’s New York public launch. In Moscow
an office worker is murdered in a bomb blast. Morgan finds a link and exposes a
deadly conspiracy.
Like Flies From Afar by K Ferrari, reviewed by Chris Roberts
Self-made businessman
Luis Machi has made plenty of enemies, but who dislikes him enough to leave a
body in the boot of his beloved BMW?
The Viper by Cristobel Kent, reviewed by Sylvia Maughan
Two bodies are found in a
remote area of the countryside near Florence. Sandro Cellini is called back
into his old police department as a consultant.
He knows why, but is he strong enough to be able to help?
The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse, reviewed by Viv Beeby
An isolated hotel in the
remote Swiss Alps, which was once a sanatorium, is cut off by an avalanche. A
deranged masked predator stalks the residents and the only person who can help
them is convalescing fellow guest, Detective Elin Warner.
The Last Thing to Burn by Will Burn, reviewed by Chris Roberts
A young Vietnamese woman
smuggled into Britain is imprisoned in a rural hell and as the last of her
possessions are taken from her she desperately seeks a means to escape.
Slow Burn by Stephen Leather, reviewed by Linda Wilson
Spider Shepherd is taxed with bringing a former jihadists wife and son back to the UK as the price for his cooperation with the security services but, as ever, there are added complications.
Best wishes
Sharon and Linda
Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity: 57 Calls for Submissions in June 2021 - Paying markets
Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity: 57 Calls for Submissions in June 2021 - Paying mar...: This June there are more than four dozen calls for submissions. All of these are paying markets, and none charge submission fees. As always,...
Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity: 49 Writing Contests in June 2021 - No entry fees
Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity: 49 Writing Contests in June 2021 - No entry fees: This June there are more than four dozen writing contests calling for every genre and form, from poetry, to creative nonfiction, to complete...
Beneath the Stains of Time: The Key to the Case (1992) by Roger Ormerod
Beneath the Stains of Time: The Key to the Case (1992) by Roger Ormerod: I reviewed two of Roger Ormerod 's late-career novels in January, A Shot at Nothing (1993) and And Hope to Die (1995), which he wrote ...
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Nevermore: Hill Women, Professor and the Madman, Mrs. Wiggins
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Nevermore: Hill Women, Professor and the Madman, ...: Reported by Garry The first book this week was Hill Women: Finding Family and a Way Forward in the Appalachian Mountains by Cassie...
Wednesday, May 26, 2021
Jerry's House of Everything: SHORT STORY WEDNESDAY: THE DRUMS OF KAIRWAN by The Marquess Curzon of Kedleston
Jerry's House of Everything: SHORT STORY WEDNESDAY: THE DRUMS OF KAIRWAN: "The Drums of Kairwan" by The Marquess Curzon of Kedleston (exerpted from Tales of Travel , 1923; reprinted in Twenty and Three S...
Little Big Crimes Review: Brain Damage by Tom Leins
Little Big Crimes: Brain Damage by Tom Leins: "Brain Damage," by Tom Leins, in Coming Through in Waves: Crime Stories Inspired by the Songs of Pink Floyd, edited by T. Fox D...
Short Story Wednesday Review: Hollow Point: A Short Story by O’Neil De Noux
As Hollow Point: A Short Story begins,
it is 1984 in New Orleans and Casey Aloysius is once again the target of a
manhunt by the New Orleans Police Department. Six years ago he went to prison
in Angola for a raping a ten year old girl. The parole board granted his
release so he got free three days ago. He came back to New Orleans and tracked
down the now 16-year-old girl. Once he found her, he kidnapped her and raped
her repeatedly making sure to do everything he had done before all over again.
He left her barely alive, savagely beaten and abused, and chained to a wall of
a garage after telling her repeatedly he was punishing her for reporting him
before. If it had not been for two neighborhood boys who thought they heard a
puppy whimpering and came looking she might have died there.
This is an all hands on deck situation as the police
of the City of New Orleans look for Casey Aloysius. That means even the
homicide unit is working the case. After briefing the officers under his
command, Lieutenant Mason sends LaStanza and his partner, Jodie Kintyre, over
to Mercy Hospital to get a statement from the victim. As it happens, Jodie’s
mom and the mother of the victim were friends so the victim, June Holmes,
remembers Jodie from the old neighborhood. Her need for vengeance is not a
solitary need as soon a member of New Orleans’s finest is gunned down.
What follows is a hard-edged police procedural type
short story that has occasional flashes of cynical humor. LaStanza has seen a
lot in his years on the force and his internal monologue and cutting comments
say as much about him as they do others. An enjoyable short story, the chase is
on in Hollow Point: A Short Story by O’Neil De Noux.
Hollow Point: A Short Story
O’Neil De Noux
Big Kiss
Productions
https://www.facebook.com/BigKissProductions/
November 2016
ASIN: B01MTIZSO2
eBook
41 Pages
Material was picked up using funds in my Amazon Associate account when the author publicized the release last month.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2016, 2021
Tuesday, May 25, 2021
Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity: 40 Fabulous Writing Conferences in June 2021
Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity: 40 Fabulous Writing Conferences in June 2021: Writing workshops and conferences always pick up in the summer. This June features more than three dozen conferences and workshops for write...
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Life Among the Savages by Shirley Jackson
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Life Among the Savages by Shirley Jackson: Reviewed by Christy Shirley Jackson is known for her quiet horror, specifically the novel The Haunting of Hill House and ...
Jeanne Reviews: Hope Rides Again: An Obama Biden Mystery by Andrew Shaffer
Please welcome Jeanne of the BPL back to the blog…
Yes, you read that right: this is a mystery where the sleuths are the former president and vice-president of the United States. And if reading that makes you skeptical, join the club. I thought the idea was ridiculous.
Then someone talked me into reading the first book, Hope
Never Dies, because it was very funny.
I needed funny at the time, so I gave it a try and nearly fell off the
treadmill laughing a couple of times.
Sure, the concept is over the top but really no more so than having a
baker solve all the murders in a small town (which has a LOT of murders!) or
other series in which Jane Austen, Edgar Allan Poe, or Eleanor Roosevelt catch
the criminals.
The stories are narrated by Joe Biden, who is portrayed as
being somewhat inept (his smartphone baffles him at times, for instance) but
who is passionate about justice, America, and looking out for each other. He’s an all-around decent guy who may not
have all the answers but you know he’ll have your back. Barack Obama is the cool guy, the professor,
the one who wants to stop and take stock before Joe rushes in.
As the second book opens, Joe is mulling whether or not to run
for president. Since the book came out
in July, 2019, Shaffer had to walk the fine line of “will he-won’t he” in
Biden’s musings. Biden is in Obama’s
home town of Chicago for an economics forum, and traffic is terrible. It’s St. Patrick’s Day weekend and the
celebrations have already started, so that when Biden gets out of the cab to
walk he smells the odors of corned beef, cabbage, and horse manure which made
him “nostalgic for the Senate Chambers in August in the seventies” before the
advent of air conditioning.
It isn’t long before there’s the murder of someone Joe met and
liked, and he isn’t sure that Mayor Rahm Emanuel is going to see that the
investigation gets the attention it deserves. So Joe is going to take the case
himself, with a little help from the guy in the tan suit.
I put off reading the second book in the series because I
figured it just couldn’t be as good as the first. After all, the element of surprise (if you
will) is gone. Finally I picked it up and I was right. It wasn’t as good as the first.
It was better.
Others have disagreed, I’ll admit. And maybe it’s more due to really REALLY
needing something funny at the time I picked up Hope Rides Again but it
seemed to me there was something to laugh at on every page. I like Shaffer’s sense of humor and the way
he portrays the “bro-mance” between Biden and Obama and the way their wives are
always bemusedly a step ahead of them. And trailing in their wake is hapless
Secret Service agent Steve, who has to be a glutton for punishment.
I don’t suppose there’ll be a third now but if there is, I’ll
be reading it.
Monday, May 24, 2021
Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: Don't Lose Her by Jonathon King
The first
book in the Max Freeman series by former journalist Jonathon King, The Blue
Edge of Midnight (Dutton, 2002), won the 2003 Edgar Award for Best First
Novel and was shortlisted for the Anthony Award for Best First Novel, the Barry
Award for Best First Novel, and the Macavity Award for Best First Novel. It
introduced Freeman as an ex-cop fleeing from the memory of shooting a child by
accident and hiding from everyone but his conscience on the edge of the Florida
Everglades. The seventh and apparently last book in the series is Don’t Lose
Her (Open Road, 2015).
Diane
Manchester, a Federal judge and eight months pregnant, is forced into a van as
she walks down the street in Palm Beach, on break from the courtroom where she
is presiding over an extradition case involving a Colombian drug lord. Her terrified
husband Billy calls in Freeman, who conducts investigations for Billy’s law
practice. Freeman launches his own search, leaving the obvious avenues to the
FBI and believing the defendant of the judge’s current case is behind her
kidnapping. His first stop is at Billy’s bank, where he retrieves $100,000 in
cash to use as bribes for informants who won’t talk to the FBI. His hunt takes
him into the underside of southern Florida society, where poverty and drug
addiction and those that exploit its victims are the norm.
Three story lines offer multiple perspectives on the action-- Freeman, the judge, and a young woman pulled into the crime -- and then converge in the heart of the Everglades. A fast-moving, intense thriller with a strong sense of place and a suspense-filled finale. The descriptive passages about the Everglades are striking. It’s clear King knows this region well. Highly recommended.
·
Publisher: Open Road Media Mystery & Thriller (June 2,
2015)
·
Language: English
·
Paperback: 262 pages
·
ISBN-10: 1504001656
· ISBN-13: 978-1504001656
Aubrey Hamilton ©2021
Aubrey Hamilton is
a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries
at night.
Sunday, May 23, 2021
Saturday, May 22, 2021
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Shadows at the Fair & Key Lime Crime: Quick Reviews
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Shadows at the Fair & Key Lime Crime: Quick Reviews: Reviews by Jeanne Shadows at the Fair by Lea Wait Maggie Summer, owner of Shadow Antiques, is looking forward to the Spring Antiques Fa...
Scott's Take: Avengers by Jonathan Hickman: The Complete Collection Volume 3
Avengers by Jonathan
Hickman: The Complete Collection Volume 3 collects
“The Infinity Event” and all of its tie ins with the main Avengers titles so
there are two distinctly separate but connected wars. Captain America leads
most of the Avengers into space alongside a coalition of Alien races to
confront the Builders. The Builders are a hostile race of Aliens who are
killing everyone on entire worlds as they rampage on a bloody path to Earth. With
most heroes off Earth, Thanos and his Black Order goons attack. It is up to
Iron Man and the Illumanti to stop him.
While most characters get the spotlight at least once, I think the best moments in this volume are by Thor, Black Bolt, and Black Panther. Each character has intense and epic moments. Since this is a book consisting of mostly wars, there are large scale battles which result in a lot of action and are very colorful.
I still think someone should have put in editor’s note to explain things for folks not up to speed. For example, why does Iron Man have a new armor in this volume? Readers who have not read the previous books are going to be confused as that is never addressed. There are other situations like this as there were in the preceding book. Despite the minor nitpicks, Avengers by Jonathan Hickman: The Complete Collection Volume 3 is awesome and I highly recommend it.
Avengers by
Jonathan Hickman: The Complete Collection Volume 3
Jonathan Hickman
https://www.marvel.com/comics/creators/11743/jonathan_hickman
Marvel
February 2021
ISBN#:
978-1-302-92647-2
Paperback (also
available in eBook format)
512 Pages
My reading copy came from the Downtown Branch of the
Dallas Public Library System.
Scott A. Tipple ©2021
Friday, May 21, 2021
Beneath the Stains of Time: She Had to Have Gas (1939) by Rupert Penny
Beneath the Stains of Time: She Had to Have Gas (1939) by Rupert Penny: Rupert Penny 's She Had to Have Gas (1939) is the sixth novel in the Chief Inspector Edward Beale series and has a premise as enticing ...
Jerry's House of Everything: FORGOTTEN BOOK: THE CREEPERS by John Creasy
Jerry's House of Everything: FORGOTTEN BOOK: THE CREEPERS: The Creepers by John Creasey (originally published as Inspector West Cries Wolf , 1950; US publication as The Creepers , 1952) A fairly e...
FFB Review: DEATH OF A SNOB (1992) by M.C. Beaton (Reviewed by Barry Ergang)
From the archive…
DEATH OF A SNOB (1992) by M.C. Beaton
Reviewed by Barry Ergang
It’s Christmas in the Scottish Highlands and Hamish
Macbeth, police constable of the village of Lochdubh, is miserable indoors with
a head cold while a snowstorm rages outdoors. He’s equally miserable because
he’s been looking forward to spending the holiday with his parents, who have
“moved to a croft house and land near Rogart.” Other family members will be
there as well, among them his Aunt Hannah—and there’s the rub. “Aunt Hannah,”
you see, “was a fat-loud-mouthed harridan who loathed Hamish. But she had been
generous to the not-too-comfortably-off Macbeths with presents of money and
gifts for Hamish’s little brothers and sisters. Never anything for Hamish. She
loathed him and never tired of saying so.”
“Ever since you put that mouse down her back when you
were eight, she’s never been fond o’ you,” his mother reminds him, and Hamish
understands that his attendance at the festivities, which will potentially
prove remunerative for his parents, would be looked upon with
less-than-sanguine eyes—especially Hannah’s. She is arriving on December 20th,
so Hamish promises that if the head cold doesn’t kill him, he’ll drop off
presents before then.
He’s barely back in bed when Priscilla
Halburton-Smythe, “once the love of his life, until Hamish had grown heartily sick
of the weight of the torch he was carrying for her,” shows up at his door.
She’s there to ask that Hamish give some advice to her friend Jane Wetherby,
and Hamish agrees to see Jane the following day. The tall attractive woman who
shows up is wearing “a thin white blouse plunged at the front to a deep V” that
she tends to emphasize, inadvertently or otherwise, by leaning forward when she
speaks intently. She fears that someone might be trying to kill her. Her
suspicion is based on a couple of potentially fatal accidents—or were they
merely unfortunate incidents?—which have recently occurred.
Jane is the proprietor of “a health farm called The
Happy Wanderer on the island of Eileencraig….‘I not only teach people how to
have a healthy body but how to get in touch with their innermost feelings.’”
When she explains that a villager read her tea leaves and said someone was
trying to kill her, she “began to worry about my guests.”
As you can easily imagine, Hamish becomes one of the
guests.
The farm is closed for the winter, so the guests are
friends Jane has invited to spend Christmas with her. They include two married
couples, Jane’s ex-husband, and Harriet Shaw, a woman who writes cookbooks and
to whom Hamish finds himself attracted despite their age difference. One of
these people is the titular snob, and the others are among the suspects Hamish
must contend with while also clashing with the local constabulary.
Death of a Snob is the sixth title in the Hamish
Macbeth series but the first that I’ve read. I’m not sure I ever would have
were it not for a longtime friend of mine who is an equally voracious reader,
and who told me he’d enjoyed several titles in the series which—like this
one—are short, quick, and diverting reads. M.C. Beaton excels at characterizations,
particularly through dialogue, and atmosphere, especially when depicting the
tensions among the Christmas guests at the health farm and the hostility of the
Eileencraig islanders toward strangers. She’s also quite skilled at conveying a
gentle kind of humor.
With the caveat that you avoid the epub edition I read as being obnoxiously riddled with typos and other problems in both narrative and dialogue, I can readily recommend it. Unfortunately, I can’t recall where I acquired this particular epub edition, so you’re on your own in that respect.
Barry Ergang ©20016, 2021
Some of Derringer Award-winning author’s Barry Ergang’s work is available at Smashwords and Amazon.