Wednesday, June 30, 2021
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Nevermore: When Stars Rain Down, Anatomy of an Illness, Living Nations Living Words, Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba
Little Big Crimes Review: The Waiting Game by Dana Haynes
Bitter Tea and Mystery: Short Story Wednesday: Ackermanthology!, compiled by Forrest J. Ackerman
Jerry's House of Everything: SHORT STORY WEDNESDAY: THE MAN WHO VANISHED
Short Story Wednesday Review: "It Doesn’t Take A Genius" by Kate Thornton
From the massive archive ....
According to the
author’s forward, the editor refused to include the short story It
Doesn’t Take A Genius in the short story collection Inhuman
Condition because of its “graphic subject matter.” For those who read a lot of crime or non-cozy
mystery stories, the so called “graphic subject matter” is really not that
graphic at all and certainly not at all disturbing. Interestingly enough, the
tale was first published in the short story mystery and crime anthology LAndmarked
For Murder by Top Press in 2006.
The California
Institute of Technology (Caltech) is like every other smart place in the world.
The students and the faculty are really smart and tend to look down on the
support staff that keeps things humming along. Especially a certain middle aged
slightly overweight woman who works in payroll and accounting. The only time
anyone pays attention to “Miss Dean” is when something is amiss.
That works out
well for her during a lunch break from a computer training class. Two guys from
another department are also in the class and they tend to stand out. Thanks to
the fact they are oblivious of everyone around them and run their mouths it
becomes clear that Brian Spain and Tony Brandt have a serious dark interest in
the class instructor, Jennifer Pearson. She is in trouble if they really do
what are planning and she has no idea of the threat. Miss Dean does, but would
anyone believe her?
This is a very
good tale that features an intriguing character. There is much that lurks below
the surface with Miss Dean and those details gradually become clear in It
Doesn’t Take A Genius. While it easily
could and should have appeared in the very good collection Inhuman Condition
this short story is well worth it as a mystery stand alone.
It Doesn’t Take
A Genius
Kate Thornton
Self-Published
March 2011
ASIN: B004RID1JS
E-Book
20 Pages
I recently picked this up to read and review using funds in my Amazon Associate account after the author mentioned it on Facebook. I realized I had never read it and wanted to rectify that situation. I am glad I did.
Kevin R. Tipple
©2015, 2021
Tuesday, June 29, 2021
Criminal Minds: The Straw That Stirs the Drink by Frank Zafiro
Bitter Tea and Mystery: Bel Canto: Ann Patchett
SleuthSayers: Bad Contracts by Michael Bracken
Guest Post: “Moonset”--Some Historical Background by Jeanne DuBois
Please welcome Jeanne DuBois to the blog today as she explains the background to her short story, “Moonset” in the recently released anthology, Moonlight & Misadventure: 20 Stories of Mystery and Suspense.
“Moonset”--Some Historical
Background
My story “Moonset” is set in Atlantic City in 1921, but
notorious gangsters are not its
focus. The inspiration came from my grandmother who lost her husband and two
children in the flu epidemic of 1918 and never spoke of it. I found out by
accident, looking up genealogy stuff on the Internet. By 1921, she was married
to my grandfather and on her way to having three more children. What happened
to widows who didn’t remarry?
Employment opportunities were opening up for women around
that time, I found. Their salaries were lower than a man’s, no surprise. Still,
my main character, the widow Loretta, could be a stenographer/typist, a job
once closed to women. Scores of business conventions occurred in Atlantic City
back then, I discovered. Visitors flocked by the thousands to its white sand
beaches and famous Boardwalk, “the only one anywhere that deserves to be
spelled with a capital B.”
Prohibition, in effect since January of 1920, was relatively
painless in July of 1921, especially in New Jersey, where it went largely
unenforced. The law didn’t ban the drinking
of alcohol, after all. But I didn’t want my story to be about bootleggers, so I
chose Haddon Hall, a Quaker-owned hotel, where alcohol was never allowed, as
the scene of the crime. Haddon Hall and its Boardwalk companion, the Chalfonte,
began their lives in the late 1860’s as wooden rooming houses, offering guests
healthy salt air breezes and salt water baths. By the summer of 1921, the
Chalfonte was a “brick-and-iron skyscraper,” Haddon Hall had its Boardwalk
addition completed, and plans for a fireproof restructuring were about to
commence.
A New Jersey Court Judge made headlines in July of 1921 when
he accused the Atlantic City Police Department of being in cahoots with a band
of con men working to relieve wealthy vacationers of their money. One of the
incidents happened at the Chalfonte. A team of twenty private detectives from
Philadelphia, funded by a secret source, descended on the city in mid-July to
investigate. One policeman lost his job, but no one was ever arrested. A month
later, the founder of that private detective firm was in Washington being sworn
in as the new Director of the Bureau of Investigation. Got him out of town
quick, didn’t they?
For those who don’t know, the most notable of all Atlantic City conventions occurred in May of 1929. One of its attendees was Al Capone.
Jeanne
DuBois ©2021
Jeanne grew up in New Jersey, studied English and history at the University of Michigan and, after twenty-nine inches of snow in twenty-four hours, moved to the Florida Keys where she waited tables, drove the bookmobile, and fished. When her son was six, they headed north. She earned an M.Ed. at the University of Florida and taught elementary school. She lives with two retired greyhounds and still teaches, from time to time.
Monday, June 28, 2021
SleuthSayers: Why I Still Don't Outline by Elizabeth Zelvin
Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity: 62 Calls for Submissions in July 2021 - Paying Markets
Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity: 40 Writing Contests in July 2021 - No entry fees
Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: Body Zoo by J. D. Allen
J. D. Allen is
an accomplished writer, having published a number of romances before turning to
crime fiction. In addition to contributions to various short story anthologies,
her first full-length novel introduced the Sin City Investigations series and
Jim Bean, former cop, now private investigator in Las Vegas, in 2018. Bean’s
third adventure is Body Zoo, published by Severn River in June 2021. Number
Four is scheduled for release in August 2021.
Bean is hired
by an insurance company to look into a possible arson involving an old trailer.
The trailer park in question has filed two claims already this year, and the
insurance company is understandably cynical about a third one. They believe the
owner is upgrading her rentals on their dime, but they need proof to deny
payment. Bean visits the torched trailer and interviews the arson investigator
as well as the owner. He’s struck by the lack of interest in the tenant, who
has disappeared. Emilee Beck seems to have evaporated, which worries Bean. A
young woman alone should have someone interested in her wellbeing. Bean decides
that person is going to be him.
Tracing her
associates leads Bean quickly to her boyfriend AJ Ward, son and nephew of a
pair of brothers who run a profitable sports, hunting, and taxidermy emporium
in the area. AJ disappears soon after Bean starts inquiring about Emilee, and
his worried father retains Bean to find him. Everyone assumes that he’s joined
Emilee, so locating one will locate both. They learn that Emilee is on the run
from a motorcycle gang who kidnapped her as a child and pimped her until
someone helped her escape. With a price on her head and strong memories of the
abuse she endured, Emilee is desperate to avoid capture.
Alternately told from Bean’s perspective and Emilee’s, the story becomes intense. It is a realistic and grim depiction of a human trafficking survivor, a subject of deep concern to Allen, with good cause. I was shocked to learn a couple of years ago that the county I live in is the fifth most likely locale in the United States for human trafficking and that a nearby shopping center is an ongoing focus of law enforcement investigation because of known criminal trafficking activities there.
The seriousness of the plot is balanced with ingenious settings and offbeat characters. For instance, Bean’s favorite greasy diner converted into a vegan café, but he continues to eat there despite not really caring for the food. His associates are great. My favorite of Bean’s sidekicks is a Vietnam-era veteran who can hack a computer with the best of the teenagers around. Well written, fact based, fast moving, intricately plotted. An absorbing book but may trigger more sensitive readers.
·
Publisher: Severn River Publishing (June 8, 2021)
·
Language: English
·
Paperback: 370 pages
·
ISBN-10: 1648750958
·
ISBN-13: 978-1648750953
Aubrey Hamilton ©2021
Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works
on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.
Sunday, June 27, 2021
Beneath the Stains of Time: Deadly Thunder (1998) by Seimaru Amagi
SleuthSayers: Blue Light Special by R.T. Lawton
SHOTSMAG CONFIDENTIAL: Gun Honey Comic Series
Saturday, June 26, 2021
Tampa Bay Tribune: A fond and fearless goodbye to ‘Bosch’
In recent weeks, I have read a lot of pieces that indicated that the new series that is currently being filmed would be set around Ballard. The implication of this spoiler filled article is otherwise.
KRL This Week Update for 6/26/2021
Up in KRL this morning reviews and giveaways of 3 more fun mysteries for your summer reading-"Beyond a Reasonable Donut": A Deputy Donut Mystery by Ginger Bolton, "Independent Bones": A Sarah Booth Delany Mystery by Carolyn Haines, and "Punning with Scissors": A Crossword Puzzle Mystery by Becky Clark (this book is an ebook giveaway the other 2 are print) https://kingsriverlife.com/06/26/end-of-june-mystery-catchup/
As we continue to feature LGBTQ+ authors for Pride this month, up in KRL today we have a review and ebook giveaway of "The Always Anonymous Beast" by Lauren Wright Douglas, along with an interesting interview with Lauren. The book is published by ReQueered Tales https://kingsriverlife.com/06/26/the-always-anonymous-beast-by-lauren-wright-douglas/
We also have the latest mystery Coming Attractions from Sunny Frazier https://kingsriverlife.com/06/26/july-coming-attractions-beat-the-heat-and-go-to-the-beach/
Up during the week we posted another special midweek guest post, this one by mystery author Marilyn Meredith where she talks about her latest book "The Trash Harem." You can also enter to win an ebook copy of the book https://kingsriverlife.com/06/23/its-not-over-until-youre-sure-its-over/
Up on KRL News and Reviews this week we have a review and giveaway of "Pint of No Return" by Dana Mentink https://www.krlnews.com/2021/06/pint-of-no-return-by-dana-mentink.html
And a review and ebook giveaway of "Moonlight & Misadventures" an anthology edited by Judy Penz Sheluk https://www.krlnews.com/2021/06/moonlight-misadventure-20-stories-of.html
And a review and ebook giveaway of "TERF Wars" by Dharma Kelleher https://www.krlnews.com/2021/06/terf-wars-by-dharma-kelleher.html
We also have a review and giveaway of "Phantoms and Felonies" by Lucy Ness, along with a bonus giveaway of the previous book in the series "Haunted Homicide" https://www.krlnews.com/2021/06/phantoms-and-felonies-by-lucy-ness.html
Happy reading,
Lorie
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: A Book to Kill For by Harper Lin
Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity: 10 Speculative Fiction Magazines Accepting Submissions-NOW - Paying Markets
Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity: 27 Fabulous Writing Conferences in July 2021
Scott's Take: An Empire Asunder: The Scourwind Legacy Book Two by Evan Currie
An Empire Asunder by Evan Currie is
the sequel to Heirs
of Empire and begins a short time after that first book. As this is
a series where one book builds on another, it is impossible to discuss anything
in this book without causing some sort of spoiler for the reader. Therefore,
the review below does contain some spoilers, but those details are limited as
much as possible.
In this novel, the
royal twins have moved into new positions as the young prince has joined the
Cadre and the young princess has become Empress. The war between The Empire led
by the twins vs the Alliance led by General Corian escalates. Mira Desol, after
the events of the first novel, took off with the Caleb Star and has been using
it and her crew as a self-proclaimed pirate to raid Corian's forces. Corian,
who was severely injured, has become increasingly unhinged as he enacts his
latest sinister plan to take the throne. On separate paths the young prince and
Mira seek to uncover Corian's evil plot.
An Empire
Asunder
is very much like the first book. If you read it and enjoyed the fast-paced
action with strong character relationships and banter, you will probably enjoy
this novel. The addition of Matani, a seasoned Cadre member who was retired but
has come back to teach young cadre members, was the best new character with his
general attitude of world weariness was highly entertaining. Among other duties,
he is attempting to turn the young prince into a soldier. Once introduced, he
provided many observations and comments that served to move things forward as
well as entertain this reader.
The one real
change to the previous writing style evidenced in the first book is that in
this novel, is that a number of the side characters get a POV perspective while
interacting with the main characters. This allows readers to better understand
how other characters are reacting to the main characters.
An Empire Asunder by Evan Currie is
a good book that continues the events of the first one. Published in 2016, the
read is clearly a setup for the next novel in the series, but the author has
not announced one at this time.
An Empire Asunder: The Scourwind Legacy Book One
Evan Currie
47 North
(Amazon)
November 2016
ISBN# 978-1503939837
Paperback (also
available in audio and eBook formats)
331 Pages
My reading copy came from the Oak Lawn Branch of the Dallas Public Library System.
Scott A. Tipple
©2021
Friday, June 25, 2021
Writer Beware®: The Blog: Eli Bear Company, Star Alley Press: Two Writer Beware All-Stars Return With New Ventures
Six Questions For . . .: Six Questions for Sandra Ruttan, Editor-in-Chief, Dark Dispatch
Matt Paust's Crime Time : THE LONG-LEGGED FLY – James Sallis
Jerry's House of Everything: FORGOTTEN BOOK: ZOMNIBUS
FFB Review: Rapture in Death: Eve Dallas Mysteries (Book 4) by J. D. Robb
Rapture in Death by Judy Robb picks up approximately three weeks after the wedding between Lieutenant Eve Dallas and Roarke in Immortal in Death. After an offworld honeymoon that that fully involved Dallas personally and professionally, Lieutenant Dallas finds her old desk more buried than it was when she left. She has paperwork to do, court hearings to attend and testify at, and soon a murder to solve.
Or, that murder could be a suicide.
NYPD Homicide
Lieutenant Eve Dallas does not think so. Just hours after high priced defense
attorney S. T. Fitzhugh tried to trash her, her character, and her investigation,
in defense of his client, Fitzhugh is found floating dead in his tub in his
home. A hand that is hanging over the edge of the clear tub has a gaping wound
and has let blood flow out over the titles. More blood is in the water making
it clear that there are other injuries as yet unseen. The knife, presumably the
tool of choice, is present. It has all the appearances of a suicide though
Dallas isn't so sure.
Before long, she
is sure a murderer is at work as Fitzhugh isn't the only apparent suicide.
Proving that the cases are linked and are actually murders is getting
increasingly difficult. Not only due to the pressure coming at her from all
sides, but the sheer lack of evidence. Somebody is playing god, she is sure of
it, but finding proof and the identity of the person or persons responsible is
proving nearly impossible in Rapture in Death.
This is the fourth
book in the In Death series written by J. D. Robb. Police procedurals set in
the late 2050s, these books feature complicated cases, flashes of humor, and
often graphic sex. While all that is fine this reader, I remain annoyed by the abrupt
head hopping pov switches through multiple characters in the same paragraph. The
writer and editor in me screams when I see them as that is slopping story
telling. However, that being said, I must admit that what seems glaring obvious
in the first part of these books, fades to the background as the story
progresses and I get lost in the read.
These are fun books that serve as a nice break between reads for me. I recognize the flaws while I also recognize that they are highly entertaining. Like any series, one should read in order. However, each book has brief recaps of what went on before and therefore one can pick up any one of the first four to start and have a pretty good idea what has been going on in the series. A fun series that should not be taken too seriously, Rapture in Death is an enjoyable read.
The series to this
point and my reviews:
Naked
in Death: Eve Dallas Mysteries (Book 1) March 2021
Glory
in Death: Eve Dallas Mysteries (Book 2) April 2021
Immortal
in Death (Book 3) May 2021
Rapture in Death:
Eve Dallas Mysteries (Book 4)
J. D. Robb
https://jdrobb.com/1996/10/rapture-in-death/
Berkley Books
(Penguin Random House)
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/340850/rapture-in-death-by-j-d-robb/
October 1996
ASIN: B000OIZTAO
eBook (also
available in audio, hardback, and paperback formats)
299 Pages
My copy came via the LibbyApp from the Dallas Public Library System. Big time thanks to my son, Scott, as always for making the technology work for me.
Kevin R. Tipple
©2021
Thursday, June 24, 2021
Sweet Freedom: FRIDAY'S "FORGOTTEN" BOOKS AND MORE: the links to reviews, texts and more: 18 June 2021
Bitter Tea and Mystery: Three Stations by Martin Cruz Smith
Matt Paust's Crime Time: BULLETS AND OTHER HURTING THINGS – Rick Ollerman, editor
Joan Leotta Reviews: While Justice Sleeps: A Novel by Stacey Abrams
by Stacy Abrams
Doubleday (May 11, 2021)
Hardcover : 384 pages, also
available in Kindle, Paper, and on Audible
ISBN-10: 0385546572
ISBN-13: 978-0385546577
Supreme Court Justice, Howard Wynn,
lies “sleeping” in a coma. The first few pages set up the story, how he falls
into the sleep, and give us background on his intrepid clerk, the protagonist
Avery Keene, who has a family full of problems and no idea that the Justice is
about to dump his decision-making power in all areas (health, finance, papers)
on her instead of name his wife or son.
While I found the set-up pages a bit
slow moving, once into the story, I realized that the complexity of the tale,
needed that detail in order for our minds to follow the faster pace at which
Abrams skillfully weaves together the tales of family perfidy, political
perfidy, and international upset in the world of vaccines into a braid
well-worth our time. Plus she adds just a dash or romance, the bow on the
braid.
Abrams, while perhaps better known for
her political prowess, and stunning non-fiction work on voting rights
especially, is no stranger to fiction. Under the pen name, Selena Montgomery, she has written eight
romantic suspense novels.
Considering the timeline involved with
putting out a work of fiction with a major publisher, Abrams is also eerily
prescient in giving us frighteningly realistic negative possibilities of a
merger between an American and Indian genetics firm that supposedly is for curing
a deadly genetic disease. Her depictions of an evil genius in the White House ,
willing to commit murder to achieve his aims is also terrifying. However having
lived for more than thirty years in the DC playpen seen its workings up close
and personal, I have to say, she has created realistic characters on all sides.
I would love to see Avery Keene apply
her keen mind (pun intended) to other DC -based mysteries. Maybe a new series
is in the works? While Justice Sleeps is an exceptionally good read and
deserves five stars.
I was thrilled to have latched on to
this book as my local librarian was setting it out.
Find it. Read it. It’s the first fiction she has published under her own name. The book is available on Kindle and at local bookstores.
Joan Leotta ©2021
Joan Leotta plays with words on page and stage. Her poetry, essays, cnf, short stories, and articles are widely published. Mysteries are favorite things to read..short and long..and to write.
Wednesday, June 23, 2021
Do Some Damage: An Interview with S.A. Cosby
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Nevermore: The Premonition, Imperial Woman, A Map of the World, Sold on a Monday
Beneath the Stains of Time: Who Murdered Mrs. Kroll? (1939) by Mika Waltari
Little Big Crimes Review: Capes and Masks by Richard Helms
Jerry's House of Everything: SHORT STORY WEDNESDAY: THE SLAMBANGAREE
Short Story Wednesday Review: The Highwayman: A Longmire Story by Craig Johnson
From the massive archive…
There is a legend regarding the Wind River Canyon in
Wyoming. The legend has several pieces including a piece involving a highway
patrol officer by the name of Bobby Womack who had a complicated career
tragically cut short in a fiery crash decades ago. It is a place where strange
occurrences are customary, radio communication is still nearly impossible,
and very old gold coins appear on the roadway right before major events.
It is according to newly transferred highway patrol
officer Rosey Wayman, a place where she can hear “officer needs assistance”
radio calls from Bobby Womack. Such a call sends fear and stress through any
officer. That response is made worse by the fact these calls come from somebody
who can’t possibly be alive and no one else has ever heard the middle of the
night calls. Sheriff Walt Longmire knows her to be a good and solid officer and
intends to get to the bottom of the mystery.
Others think there is no mystery. Their perception, whether
they say it or not, is that Officer Wayman is nuts. Her supervisor wants her to
have a psychiatric evaluation. Such an evaluation, even if she would pass the
test, certainly isn’t going to help her career prospects. Trying to convince
others of what she has heard these last three months is beginning to take a
serious toll on the young officer. She needs Sheriff Walt Longmire and the Henry
Standing Bear to prove she isn’t crazy.
This is a heavily atmospheric mystery tale that is a
really good one. There has always been a hint of the unexplained by in the
stories of Sheriff Walt Longmire. It is a much heavier presence in The
Highwayman where the mystery has a modern component
as well as pieces of what legends are made of. The paranormal or the unexplainable
has a strong presence in the tale and has not surprisingly generated quite a
few negative reviews on the various review sites. As has the publisher price of
this novella which is as high as a full length novel.
Don’t pay any attention to the naysayers. Much of
their negative commentary is driven by either failing to understand the
storyline or by being annoyed by the price set by the publisher. Either
situation has nothing at all to do with the actual read. It is a fast moving novella
that that is part mystery and part psychological suspense. Not everything in
the world can be easily explained and that is certainly true in The
Highwayman: A Longmire Story by Craig Johnson. It is also a very good
book.
For another take on the book, please check out Lesa
Holstine’s review.
While checking that out make sure you also
check out the Wind River Canyon on America’s Scenic Byways as
well as the tunnels on Bridgehunter.com.
The
Highwayman: A Longmire Story
Craig
Johnson
http://www.craigallenjohnson.com
Viking
(Penguin Random House LLC)
2016
ISBN#
978-0-7352-2089-8
Hardback
(also available in eBook and audio formats)
201 Pages
Material supplied by the good folks of the Plano
Public Library System.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2016, 2021
Tuesday, June 22, 2021
Reads, Writes, Reviews: Review: The Bastard's Sons by Jeffrey James
The Reading Room: Little Black Lies by Sharon Bolton: Reading Room Review
Review: Trail Revenge by Wayne D. Dundee (Dangerous Trails: Collected Western Adventures)
Following Trail Justice in Dangerous Trails: Collected Western Adventures by Wayne D. Dundee is Trail Revenge. The second volume of the trilogy, it picks up several days after the violent events of the preceding book. It is late May 1848 and the wagon train is somewhere near California Hill in the Nebraska Territory. In addition to recent events, some in the party are aware that the trail is about to get harder as they cross begin to put the South Platte River behind them and move ever closer to the mountains of the Rockies.
Wagon Master Eugene Healy has these thoughts in mind and others as the wagons slowly move forward. Not only does he need to get his wagon across the river and ensure the safety of his wife, Ingrid, and their son, Donald, he needs to get all of the other wagons and their cargo---families and goods--across safely as well. Fortunately, young Basil St. Irons, the scout, has proven himself capable at every turn. Basil has found a place that should work well even though the snowmelt out of the mountains has made the river running fast and strong.
Finding a good spot to cross is not the only thing Basil has found today. While scouting long distance out in front of the wagon train, he also found a body. Who he was and, more importantly, how he came to be washed up against the riverbank was a question Basil wanted to have answered. It took some time and he thinks he has figured it out. He needs to have a word with Wagon Master Healy in private as soon as possible.
That threat as well as the past catching up to the Healys in a violent way that affects everyone on the wagon train drives this read forward.
Trail Revenge continues the
excellent tale begun in Trail Justice. Readers learn more of the
backstory of the Healys and several other folks familiar to readers by this
point. A solidly good tale with lots of nuance, Trail Revenge is
another good read in the Dangerous Trails: Collected Western Adventures.
Dangerous Trails: Collected Western Adventures
Wayne D. Dundee
http://fromdundeesdesk.blogspot.com/
Wolfpack
Publishing
https://wolfpackpublishing.com/dangerous-trails-collected-western-adventures-wayne-d-dundee/
June 2020
ASIN: B0898JGVZC
eBook Only
788 Pages
I picked this up in June 2020 using funds in my Amazon Associate account.
Kevin R. Tipple
©2021
Monday, June 21, 2021
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Ripped From the Headlines: The Shocking True Stories Behind the Movies' Most Memorable Crimes by Harold Schechter.
Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: Kill Me Again by Terence Faherty
He channeled his knowledge of old movies into his series
with Scott Elliott. Elliott has
something of a love-hate relationship with Hollywood. A promising actor before
the war, upon his return no one is returning his calls and he perforce falls
back on a job with a second-rate security agency who sweeps up or covers up at
the film studios’ behest.
The first in the series Kill Me Again (Simon &
Schuster, 1996) opens in 1947 when Hollywood was facing
a double crisis: the arrival of the new medium of television, which threatened
the film industry’s existence, and the attention of the House Un-American
Activities Committee, which altered or ended the careers of more than 300 directors, radio commentators, actors,
and screenwriters. Elliott’s company has been retained by Warner Brothers to
find out if Bert Kramer, the screenwriter for Warner’s sequel to its World War
II blockbuster film, has any Communist connections. That reliable source of
information, an anonymous letter, has cast aspersions on Kramer. Warner can’t
afford any trouble and is poised to toss Kramer out but wants to salvage his
script first.
The
problematic Kramer turns up dead shortly thereafter. The police find no
shortage of people that Kramer had alienated. But then they wonder if someone
at Warner Brothers took a shortcut to its personnel problem or if one of
Kramer’s Communist cronies killed him to keep him from outing others. Elliott’s
investigation takes him around Hollywood and Los Angeles and east to New York,
where some references to Broadway are folded into the story.
A well-written and cerebral look back at old Hollywood. Six more titles follow this one, the second won the 1998 Shamus Award for Best Novel. The fourth and seventh titles were shortlisted for the Shamus Award. Highly recommended for fans of classic movies, post-World War II historical mysteries, and mid-century Los Angeles.
·
Publisher: Simon &
Schuster; 1st Edition (May 1, 1996)
·
Language: English
·
Hardcover: 300 pages
·
ISBN-10: 0684826887
·
ISBN-13: 978-0684826882
Aubrey Hamilton ©2021
Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works
on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.
Posts
