Lesa's Book Critiques: HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Friday, December 31, 2021
Beneath the Stains of Time: Sable Messenger (1947) by Francis Vivian
Beneath the Stains of Time: Sable Messenger (1947) by Francis Vivian: Back in 2018, Dean Street Press resurrected another, long out-of-print and forgotten mystery novelist, Arthur E. Ashley , who produced eigh...
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Twelve Days of Tudor Christmas
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Twelve Days of Tudor Christmas: Reviewed by Jeanne I have to admit I love the Lucy Worsley documentaries about British Royals. I think the first one I saw was on He...
FFB Review: Shot To Death: 31 Stories of Nefarious New England by Stephen D. Rogers
From the massive archive ….
Reviewing anthologies and collections is always tough. A novel can lag in spots providing an uneven and yet enjoyable read. That same effect can happen in an anthology or collection where not every story is going to work well for a particular person. Then there is the fact that space limitations often prevent the reviewer from ever going into any depth on all the stories. These situations and others make reviewing such books problematic.
At the same
time, readers are asking more and more for anthologies and collections.
Subsequently, the last couple of years there has been a surge in publication of
anthologies and collections. Most collections and anthologies pass pass right
on by due to time constraints. However, when this was made available for review
by Stephen D. Rogers, it seemed like one that should be a good book.
My expectations were met with a few personal favorites being:
“C.O.D.” points out that damaging a mailbox is both a federal crime and a personal offense with repercussions for all in the area.
“Fill It with
the Cheapest” isn’t just about the gas, the road trip, or the unnamed driver in
a story that isn’t clear until the very end.
Twists are
guaranteed in this book and that certainly is also the case in “Last Call.”
Training the new employee can come back to get you in not so obvious ways.
“One-Eyed Jacks”
blends a unique drinking game, several friends with secrets, and a need for
final justice.
Justice along
with making things right are the twin themes of “Smoking Gun” where a mother
simply has no more choices.
While the New England settings of these tales is often vague or not defined at all, meaning the tales could be located anywhere, the sense of desperation comes through clearly in each one. Whether told from the perspective of the good cop, the bad cop, the petty thief, the hard working parent, or the many other character choices the author uses in each story, the sense of immense desperation comes through in every single case. Often the reader is left with the feeling that characters involved never had a chance because everything always had been and always would be stacked against him or her.
While bodies and crimes abound in the collection, that sense of desperation makes this a good book that is not easy reading. These are stories that nestle under your skin like chiggers and don’t go away easily. The fact that they linger is a basic part of what makes a good writer and a good book.
Review copy provided by the author in exchange for my objective review.
Kevin R. Tipple
© 2010, 2011, 2013, 2021
Thursday, December 30, 2021
Bitter Tea and Mystery: Rules of Civility: Amor Towles
Bitter Tea and Mystery: Rules of Civility: Amor Towles: I found Amor Towles' Rules of Civility to be an excellent book. It was one of those that took me at least a quarter of the book to sett...
Favorite Books of 2021
Back in July, I told you of my four favorite books of the year to that point. Today as the year winds to a close, I give you more favorites. 15 books in all. Several books are series and I recommend reading in order. One is an anthology and the second one in the series is now out and in my eBook TBR pile.
As I said before, I remain very slow
reading wise. Everything I do now is way slower and takes a lot more effort
than it seemed to be just a few years ago when I had to juggle so much more as
a husband, caregiver, dad, etc.
I am also back editing a little bit here
and there while also working on a possible idea for an upcoming anthology that
I was invited to submit to last night. Writing anything fiction wise is
brutally hard now as I have not done any of that since the end of 2016. My mind is not working anything like it used
to so the process now, for me, is liking trying to learn to ride a bike from
scratch all over again.
Without further ado, I offer you eleven
more reads on top of the previously four suggested reads for a grand total of 15
books for the year. The list includes two anthologies. The books selected refer
my personal tastes, biases and all that jazz. I am not saying that these are the
best books. I am stating that they were my favorites during the past year.
Building off of The Good Detective
and The Evil Men Do is the third book in the series, A Good
Kill. This read by John McMahon ties up some things that have been
going on in this entire series. It begins with a school shooter in Fall Magnet
Middle School and that means a full-scale response by the police department of
Mason Falls, Georgia. P. T. Mason and his partner, Remy Morgan, arrive on
campus to find one gunman holding three students and two teachers hostage. The
hostages are being held in the art room. The read builds from there and goes
far beyond a school shooting. The rest of my review from July can be read here.
Mickey Finn Vol. 1: 21st Century
Noir,
edited by Michael Bracken, is a dark read as one would expect. After all, as
the title makes abundantly clear, this is an anthology of noir style short
stories so one does not expect sweetness and light with sunshine and flowers
with flying unicorns and rainbow kisses. That being said, some of these stories
are very dark and disturbing. The kind of tales where you finish the story and
you need to take a break for awhile before getting back to the read. The rest
of my review from July can be found here.
A murder has happened again in the same
areas as others as The Silenced Woman: A Violent Crime Investigations
Team Mystery by Frederick Weisel begins. For Violent Crime
Investigations (VCI) leader Eddie Mahler, the body on the bench in Spring Lake
Park, Santa Rosa, California, is clearly yet another kill by a man he has been
chasing for two years now. He knows the same guy has done it again and is sure
of that fact. He could not prove it before and his marriage and his health has
suffered greatly because of that fact. You can read the rest of my review from
August here.
It is
early September 2019 as Jordan's Branch: A Willie Black Novel by
Howard Owen begins. Reporter Willie Black knew that Stick Davis has been dead
for quite a while when he sees the body. More than half a dozen times somebody
shot the man. Once someone had thoroughly through ventilated Stick David, he or
she left, and now Willie Black has found the body. You can read my August
review here.
After you read that, you should move in to the next book in the series. It is May 2020 as Monument: Willie Black Mystery Series by Howard Owen begins and just a few days after the death of an unarmed black man in police custody occurred in Minneapolis. There have been Black Lives Matter protests all across the county and that includes Richmond, Virginia, where reporter Willie Black has been on the story. A story that is expanding as the protests become increasingly violent. You can read the rest of my November review here.
Mick
Hardin, an agent in the Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID), is back
home in the Kentucky hills as The Killing Hills by
Chris Offutt begins. Home on leave with a family problem that is not going to
get fixed by drinking himself to sleep each night, he is at his grandfather’s
place. That makes it easy for his sister, the new sheriff, to find him. You can
read the rest of my August review here.
Former Charleston Police Officer Davis Reed is missing a woman and much of his life due to pills, alcohol, anger and anxiety issues. He has fled home for a change of scenery and an attempt to focus himself. For the next six months, he is living in a cabin in Cruso, North Carolina, with the intention of writing a book. The book is to be on the true story of the B-25 plane crash at nearby Cold Mountain. There were no survivors in the crash just after WWII. The fact that he has no experience writing, beyond police reports and whatever he did for his private detective gigs, does not deter him from the book writing plan. You can read the rest of my review of Graveyard Fields by Steven Tingle here.
City Problems: An Ed Runyon Mystery by
Steve Goble takes several classic tropes and generates a compelling read. Ed
Runyon left the NYPD after the search for a missing teenager ended in her
brutal and savage murder. Haunted by his failure to save that girl from her
torture and death, Runyon ended up in Ohio working for the Mifflin County
Sheriff’s Department. You can read the rest of my review here.
There you have my list. I hope, if you read them, you enjoy the books.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2021
Wednesday, December 29, 2021
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Nevermore: Waking Up White, Alexander Hamilton, Before She Disappeared, An Elderly Lady Must Not be Crossed
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Nevermore: Waking Up White, Alexander Hamilton, B...: Reported by Garry The books brought to Nevermore this week ran the gamut from historical fiction to farce and romance to murder myst...
Jerry's House of Everything: SHORT STORY WEDNESDAY: MR. WRAY'S CASH BOX
Jerry's House of Everything: SHORT STORY WEDNESDAY: MR. WRAY'S CASH BOX: "Mr. Wray's Cash Box: or The Mask and the Mystery: A Christmas Sketch" by Wilkie Collins (first published in book form by R...
Little Big Crimes Review: Born a Ramblin' Man by Michel Lee Garrett
Little Big Crimes: Born a Ramblin' Man, by Michel Lee Garrett: "Born a Ramblin' Man," by Michel Lee Garrett, in Trouble No More : Crime Fiction Inspired by Southern Rock and the Blues, edit...
Short Story Wednesday Review: Guilty Crime Story Magazine: Issue 2, Fall 2021
With the recent news that one can now preorder issue three currently scheduled to drop Sunday, I thought I would remind you today of this quality magazine with my review from back in September. You can also read my review of the first issue here.
Guilty Crime
Story Magazine: Issue 2, Fall 2021, opens with “At Fury Crossing” by Brent
Spencer. Hella, a homeless vet, put her military skills to work to help Cliff.
It was a job and nothing more. Now as she watches him get increasingly agitated
outside the hotel known as “The Smiling Orchid,” she realizes she may have to
get much more involved than she would like in order to again save lives.
Harlan had a skill to separate people from their money. The problem was that he talked big, but nothing ever came of it. Now he has gone and fled town and left Madison White holding the debt in “Newfound Gap” by Adam Leeder. They can’t find Harlan. They can find her and her son, Jackson, and mean to collect the money. One way or another.
Ted has to die
in “Matter of Conscience” by Marie Anderson. Nancy met him at her sister’s
wedding. She has her reasons why he must die that slowly become clear.
Editor Brandon
Barrows is up next with “Between Friends.” Mike is tending bar, a gambler, and
in a world of trouble. He needs a miracle. He might have found it in Mr.
Steinberg. Surely Nr. Steinberg, who has known him for years, will help once he
explains his problem in enough detail.
Abby took the
shot in “No Recoil” by M. E. Proctor. A man is dead. The reasons why are at the
heart of short this tale.
“Learning To Dream”
by Stanton McCaffery comes next where life sometimes goes in unexpected ways.
Graduating along with some other folks in the class of 2000, life is tough.
Things escalate way worse when cancer and then a brutal accident strike the
characters in this dark tale where the dream might be an illusion.
Crooked cops Lafitte
and Asimov have messed up a deal as “Them Cops” by Anthony Neil Smith begins.
Time for some payback. To do that, our narrator first needs an untraceable gun.
The issue closes
with a nonfiction piece, “American Nightmare: The Noir Roots of Sandman Mystery
Theatre” by Anthony Perconti. The essay considers the reboot of the Golden Age hero,
the Sandman, as he works in a noir style landscape in a city in the throes of
the Great Depression. It is an interesting piece.
Guilty Crime Story
Magazine issue 2, Fall 2021, is another interesting read as was the
first one. This issue is darker in tone and consistently more noirish, no
matter how you define noir, than the first one.
This issue also
has several formatting errors in the way it presented on my iPad. Some
sentences started with two or three words and then had the rest of the sentence
on the next line. While somewhat distracting, it was not that big of an issue
though it may very much irritate some readers.
Regardless of
that, the issue is a good one and well worth your time. Interesting characters,
often dark and complicated situations, combine together to create tales well
worth reading.
I picked this up in early September to read and review.
Kevin R. Tipple
©2021
Tuesday, December 28, 2021
Beneath the Stains of Time: A Tough One to Lose (1972) by Tony Kenrick
Beneath the Stains of Time: A Tough One to Lose (1972) by Tony Kenrick: Tony Kenrick is an Australian author who started out in advertising and worked as a copywriter in America, Britain and Canada, but abandone...
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Tuesdays with Ambrea: The Witch’s Heart by Genevie Gornichec
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Tuesdays with Ambrea: The Witch’s Heart by Genevie...: Reviewed by Ambrea Punished by Odin for refusing to share her magic sight, Angrboda is burned at the stake three times and pie...
Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity: 67 Calls for Submissions in January 2022 - Paying Markets
Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity: 67 Calls for Submissions in January 2022 - Paying ...: This January there are more than five dozen calls for submissions. All of these are paying markets, and none charge submission fees. As alwa...
Review: Gated Prey by Lee Goldberg
As the third book in the series, Gated Prey, begins, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Detective Eve Ronin and her partner, Duncan Pavone, are working undercover out of a house in Calabasas. The house is a McMansion type of deal to fit their roles of beautiful trophy wife/girlfriend and rich old man. There have been numerous attacks on homeowners behind the gates of their exclusive communities so the undercover operation is important. Duncan, who is weeks away from retiring, plays his part to the hilt thanks to his do clothing and the walker he uses to shuffle around in public as he flashes cash. The plan is to get the take down the three-armed home invasion robbers who have been conducting their own increasingly violent redistribution of wealth campaign.
The plan works…and almost gets Eve and Duncan killed in the
line of duty.
When the carnage stops and the smoke clears, Eve and Duncan soon
realize that the failure of backup officers to arrive on time could have been
far more than accidental. Being the youngest detective as well as how Eve goes
about things could have had deadly consequences. That ongoing resentment and internal
threat has not gone away either.
Then there is the case itself. Dead suspects tell no tales
and Eve and Duncan are left still looking for answers regarding how the armed robbers
came and went from gated communities, what they did with stuff they stole, and
many other questions. It also becomes
clear that these guys were working at the behest of at least one person who has
yet to be identified.
Completely ignored on the book jacket copy is the second
case which involves a fetal abduction. Called out on what appears to be a still
birth due to a late term miscarriage, it soon becomes clear that something far
more horrible is going on. Little can be said about this case without creating spoilers,
but readers should be are aware of the topic as this will be triggering for
some readers. Parts of this case was tough to read.
Overall, Gated Prey by Lee Goldberg is an
enjoyable police procedural that continues to build on the foundation laid by Lost
Hills and Bone
Canyon. This remains a series that should be read in order. The
complicated backstory to the Eve Ronin character as well as her previous
actions in earlier cases are repeatedly referenced as this read moves forward.
Not quite at the same level of the previous book as this one reads differently
in an unexplainable way, Gated Prey by Lee Goldberg is still very
much worth your time as is the series.
Make sure you read Lesa Holstine’s more descriptive review.
My reading copy in print format came from the Lochwood Branch of the Dallas Public
Library System.
Kevin R. Tipple © 2021
Monday, December 27, 2021
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: A Gift From Bob Film
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: A Gift From Bob Film: Reviewed by Jeanne James Bowen was an addict in the streets of London, busking and selling copies of The Big Issue, a paper which helps...
Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity: 54 Writing Contests in January 2022 - No entry fees
Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity: 54 Writing Contests in January 2022 - No entry fees: This January there are more than four dozen writing contests for short fiction, novels, poetry, CNF, nonfiction, and short plays. Prizes ran...
Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: Primary Storm by Brendan DuBois
Brendan
DuBois is a talented author of mystery, fantasy, and science fiction. He’s
written dozens of short stories as well as novels. His work has been awarded
the Shamus three times, the Barry and the Derringer two times each, and nominated
three times for the Edgar. Most recently he’s teamed up with James Patterson as
co-author of three books.
DuBois
introduced former Department of Defense analyst Lewis Cole in 1994 and has
since produced 10 more titles about his adventures. After his DoD career Cole
retired to the small town of Tyler Beach, New Hampshire, where he writes for a
local magazine but he seems to become readily entangled in more complicated
matters.
In Primary
Storm (Minotaur, 2006) the presidential fever that strikes New Hampshire
every four years is in full bloom. White House hopefuls swarm the small state
and local journalists have access to them that media representatives elsewhere
only dream about. When Lewis shows up for a speech by Senator Jackson Hale, by
all accounts a strong contender for the nomination, he thinks he’s just there
to look the candidate over but ends up being arrested for attempting to kill
Hale when shots are fired during the rally and Cole’s revolver is found on the
scene. Cole’s lawyer gets him out of jail but who is setting him up is a
question that needs to be answered.
A
well-written and engaging read on more than one level. I live in another part
of the country that is also highly political, and I can attest to the accuracy
of the election madness as it’s portrayed here. Telephone calls at all hours, flyers
in the mailbox, door-to-door canvassers, and signs everywhere: on cars, in
yards, along the streets. Overwhelming until the day after the polls, when it
thankfully stops. The minor thread with the campaigner who just wants to go
home resonated with me.
Cole has acquired a love interest in this book and the romance is woven into the investigation better than a number of stories I’ve read. Not only is the would-be killer well disguised, the motive is thoroughly hidden until the last few pages. Politicians make a lot of enemies! A good series to have on any mystery reader’s TBR list. Definitely bingeworthy.
·
Publisher: Minotaur Books; 1st
Edition (September 19, 2006)
·
Language: English
·
Hardcover: 288 pages
·
ISBN-10: 0312327331
·
ISBN-13: 978-0312327330
Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2021
Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works
on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.
Sunday, December 26, 2021
SleuthSayers: The Advantage of Networking by R. T. Lawton
SleuthSayers: The Advantage of Networking: I'm sure I've mentioned it before, but this topic is important enough that I believe it bears mentioning again. You just never know...
Beneath the Stains of Time: Murder in Retrospect: The Best and Worst of 2021
Beneath the Stains of Time: Murder in Retrospect: The Best and Worst of 2021: Well, it's that time of the year again. The yearly roundup of the best and worst detective novels and short stories, past and present,...
Saturday, December 25, 2021
Friday, December 24, 2021
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares by David Levithan & Rachel Cohn
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares by David Levithan & Ra...: Reviewed by Abby My favorite seasonal Young Adult book that always makes me feel cheery and bright around the holidays is Dash & L...
FFB Review: Spirit Of Steamboat: A Walt Longmire Story by Craig Johnson
With Christmas
coming tomorrow, it seemed a good time to remind you of this very good
seasonally appropriate read.
The Tuesday
before Christmas brings snow, relative quiet, and no real plans for Sheriff
Walt Longmire other than his annual rereading of A Christmas Carol. That is
until the quiet dark haired woman toting a garment bag walked into his office.
Eventually it becomes clear that she wants to see the former Sheriff, Lucian
Connally. The woman claims to have something that she would like to return to
him.
Lucian is living
at the “Durant Home for Assisted Living” and could probably use a visit from
somebody besides Sheriff Walt Longmire and Dog. Not only is the home’s
television another victim of Lucian’s legendary temper having died by gunshot,
the man is not in the best of moods because it is Christmas and he has been
drinking quite a bit. He has no idea who the mystery woman is either until she
says “Steamboat.”
What follows is
an incredibly suspenseful flashback tale of a flight to save a child’s life
against the odds---medical and environmental. On Christmas Eve in 1988 an aging
WWII plane and a cast of locals including the recently retired Lucian and first
year Sheriff Walt Longmire pulled off a Christmas miracle. Though readers can surmise
from nearly the start that the dark haired woman was that child, there is
plenty of suspense in how the flight happened and why she is back now.
While Spirit
Of Steamboat: A Walt Longmire Story is a short book as it is a novella,
it is a powerful and deeply moving book. Craig Johnson brings alive the storm,
the people, and the history of a legendary aircraft in a way that few novelists
could do. The resulting 160 page book might simply be the best thing the man
has ever written.
You can also
read Lesa Holstine's take on the book here.
Material supplied by the good folks of the Plano Texas Public Library System.
Kevin R. Tipple
©2013, 2017, 2021
Thursday, December 23, 2021
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Staff Picks: Favorite Christmas Movies and Specials
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Staff Picks: Favorite Christmas Movies and Specials: Christina : National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, How the Grinch Stole Christmas (original), A Christmas Story and a Charlie Brown Chri...
A Writer's Life....Caroline Clemmons: 99¢ CHRISTMAS STORIES TO ADD CHEER!
A Writer's Life....Caroline Clemmons: 99¢ CHRISTMAS STORIES TO ADD CHEER!: How fast this year has flown! Here we are in Christmas week, my favorite time of year. Our youngest daughter and I looked at Christmas light...
Beneath the Stains of Time: The Finishing Stroke (1958) by Ellery Queen
Beneath the Stains of Time: The Finishing Stroke (1958) by Ellery Queen: The mystery writing cousins Frederic Dannay and Manfred B. Lee , better known by their shared penname of " Ellery Queen ," likely ...
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Nevermore: My Mother She Killed Me, Living with Cannibals, Island that Dared, and I Take My Coffee Black
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Nevermore: My Mother She Killed Me, Living with Ca...: Reported by Garry The chillingly titled My Mother She Killed Me, My Father He Ate Me is a collection of new fairy tales, edit...
Guest Post: OUTSIDERS ARE POPULAR IN FICTION, MYTHS, AND OUR HISTORY by Lynn Hesse
Please welcome Lynn Hesse to the bog today....
OUTSIDERS ARE POPULAR IN FICTION, MYTHS,
AND OUR HISTORY
Protagonists
in American crime and mystery novels and film are usually outsiders. The moral
fortitude we all hope to muster in a crisis is in reserve in our fictional heroes.
The insurmountable mountain is climbable by our main character, whether it’s
built on bureaucratic red tape, corruption, or violent street crime. True, the gray
areas of discretion creep in and when justice isn’t served by our institutions,
sometimes our main characters deliver their own brand of justice.
Texas Rangers, the 2001 western movie based on
real life after the Civil War, which was directed by Steve Miner and starred
Dylan McDermott, didn’t do well at the box office. Probably, the harsh justice
doled out by McDermott’s character to most criminals without a trial disturbed
the public’s comfort zone concerning what a “good guy” is. James Van Der Beek played a young ranger recruit
that reminded Captain Leander McNelly he must conduct himself according to a
higher standard.
There must
be a code. Jeff Lindsay’s Dexter series
is based on the premise that even a serial killer can balance the scales of
justice by taking out the guilty, who should’ve been punished for heinous acts but
weren’t. The reader or the viewer of the Showtime series overlooks or understands
Dexter’s need to kill because he cleanses society of violent criminals. Many
times, the wrongdoer appears as a valued, respectable member of the community, whereas
Dexter is a sociopath with a learned code of behavior, a misfit with a
high-functioning reclusive personality.
Clara
Shannesy Blythe, the protagonist in my upcoming suspense novel, The Forty Knots Burn, is a con artist.
She can tell a fortune or pull off an elaborate art heist of an Edward Hopper
painting at a gallery opening. Clara charms her marks and uses illusion to
promote the promise of good fortune or slight of hand to steal a masterpiece
while their attention is directed elsewhere. She understands that charismatic people
can make us believe anything is possible.
For
example, Abraham Lincoln must have had a certain something to compel people to
trust him. This heroic historical figure had an elongated build caused by
Marfan syndrome, which made him stand out as different and prone to melancholy.
A person from humble beginnings with mental health issues and physical
restrictions can even be the President of the United States of America — or so his
life or the myth surrounding his life promotes. It gives us hope.
Many myths
revolve around the idea that the underdog should win. In principle we don’t
like bullies. This feeling is not surprising because our country was founded by
revolutionaries. We celebrate when the least favored team or person wins on any
playing field. Even Santa Claus is a recluse living in the North Pole with his
wife and elves. One might think in the beginning it took a while for the
general public to grasp the idea of giving every child in the world a gift on
Christmas Eve as economically and physically feasible by the jolly guy in a red
suit. Of course, the 1923 poem “A Visit from St. Nicolas,” which later became
“The Night Before Christmas” claimed by Clement Clarke Moore in 1837, furthered
the myth in United States.
In
contrast to the idea of the little guy winning the big prize is the human
desire to blame others when we are hungry, afraid, or weary of poverty and isolation.
We pick the groups unlike ourselves and deem them dirty or evil. We vent our
anger on minorities. In fact, we may invent reasons to hate them. In The Forty Knots Burn, we see bias on
both sides of the Roma and non-Roma cultures. Clara must come to terms with her
own prejudices when her non-Roma mentor dies.
In this
decade with social media, the truth hidden between the societal fringes is more
complicated than in the past and affects the books being read. The term “prepper
fiction” literature floats through the news in connection with the “redoubt
movement” phenomenon; VICE #2, Episode 10, Land
of The Free & Ethiopia’s War Within, documents this trend. In the first
part of the exposé, citizens move to less populated states like northern Idaho
to live with like-minded conservative people. Some would declare they have dropped
out. However, journalist Vegas Tenold interviews a mother who hosts a popular
podcast and lives in the Idaho wilderness with her family. She tells the
reporter she is willing to go without a working toilet in lieu of gaining many freedoms.
This idea of being an outsider or eluding restriction is part and parcel of the
American mystique as exemplified in Walden
or Civil Disobedience by transcendentalist
Henry David Thoreau. He might agree it’s not any wonder our fiction and film
are full of characters portraying rogue individualists.
Whether a
fiction writer, screenwriter, or historian we embrace our myths and tell our
stories.
Lynn Hesse
won the 2015 First Place Winner, Oak Tree Press, Cop Tales, for her mystery,
Well of Rage. Her novel Another Kind of Hero was a finalist for the 2018 Silver
Falchion Award and won the International Readers’ Chill Award in 2021. Her
short story “Jewel’s Hell” was published September 2019 in Me Too Short
Stories: An Anthology by Level Best Books and edited by Elizabeth Zelvin. Her
short story “Bitter Love” was accepted for publication in Crimeucopia’s November
issue 2021 for Murderous Ink Press, United Kingdom.
Wednesday, December 22, 2021
Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity: 12 (Warm) Writing Conferences in January 2022
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Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Tuesdays with Ambrea: Murder on Black Swan Lane by Andrea Penrose
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Bitter Tea and Mystery: Short Story Wednesday: American Christmas Stories from the Library of America
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Jerry's House of Everything: SHORT STORY WEDNESDAY: THE MYSTERY OF THE MAN WHO EVAPORATED
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Little Big Crimes Review: The Search for Eric Garcia by E.A. Aymar
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Short Story Wednesday Review: Mysterical- E: December 2021
In recent days, the Mysterical-E: December 2021 issue dropped after more than a year since the last issue. The new issue is a mishmash of good short stories and other content that is sorely lacking. In short, this issue does not rise to the long-established level one expects from this zine.
After a short publisher note by Joe Demarco, it is on to the
stories that lead off the issue. Quality stories have always been the heart of Mysterical-E
and such is the case here. There are six tales and all are good ones.
“Benny’s Luck” by K.A. Williams leads off where Benny is on
a quest because his woman wants jewelry. One way or another he intends to make
her happy. With his record, his options are few.
Sheriff Lucy Valentine does her best to keep the peace in “Gas
Pains” by John M. Floyd. Things tend to escalate quickly in this fun tale that
starts with the good Sheriff witnessing illegal posting of signs.
One does not expect to set out in the morning and find the
body of a dead neighbor. Jane Howard did in “Murder in Little Venice” by Andrew
Smith. The nylon rope probably had something to do with it as did the small oval
bruise on each side of his neck.
Linda knows exactly what her step mom is and what she wants
in “The Deceivers” by Jan Christenson. Somebody needs to help Dad see the
light. Or, for that matter, just remove the problem.
“The Third Monkey- A Gill Tanner Mystery” by Tom Woodward is
a classic mystery set in the 1930s. A broke private detective, a bar that
serves as the detective’s second office, a beautiful babe who is as dangerous
as she is beautiful, and other classic ingredients mix well in this highly atmospheric
story.
Deputy George Tanka has been watching the thunderheads build
and headed into Bridger County in “The Ghost of Maitland Scarp” by Carl and Jane
Bock. While the rain is good for ranchers and their livestock, it means flooded
washes and trouble in places like the Maitland Scarp. A place that already has
a well-deserved negative reputation.
If you are on FB, especially on Mysterical-E FB page, you
probably have seen the constant and often several times a day book promo by Joe
Cosentino. In this issue, “Book Excerpt: Drama TV” he has a book blurb and
extended excerpt from his recently published book along with numerous social media
and buy links for more information.
Next up is “Mysteryical-Eye: Getting Back To It” by Gerald
So. Much of the tv news in the piece is very old information by now. Nearly all
of the shows discussed in the piece have not been new for a year and are
deep into their second seasons with another one long since cancelled as planned.
The movie referred to in the piece debuted last spring, had little to do with
the book that it came from, and bombed so badly it has killed that franchise
for some time to come.
Next up is Christine Verstraete with “Some Books for Winter
Reading.” This is a roundup of news and excerpts of various books and anthologies
as well as some background info on the authors and how the books came to be.
The emphasis is on cozy mysteries.
While billed as from the publisher the “What’s Your Process”
feature is still written by author Kay George. This time she features Cathy
Pickens, L. C. Hayden, and Michele Drier. In each case, there is a short bio
and discussion of how each author creates their stories. Interesting and informative
as always.
Next up are two “Interview with a Reader” segments by
Barbara Hodges. I see absolutely no point in naming the two individuals
featured as there was zero explanation of who these people are, why or how they
were selected, and what relevance they have with anything. It was not explained
at all why anyone should care about their answers any more than why we should
ever care what some random person on the street has to say when questioned by a
media personality of the day.
The issue concludes with two items that are billed as
reviews and are absolutely not reviews.
First up is the non-review, “Book Review: One of Us by
Lorrie Ham.” Written by Vero Caravetta who opens with “In this well plotted
mystery….” followed by a blow-by-blow regurgitation of much of the plot. There is zero
analysis of any aspect of the book.
The issue concludes with “Review: Justice For All” anthology
by the publisher Joe Demarco. He also happens to be the co-editor of the
anthology. Beyond the ethics in that one never reviews anything one wrote,
edited, or published, this piece is in no way a review. This non review is nothing more than publisher promo content for the anthology.
Mysterical-E has always been known primarily for the stories
and how good they have been over the issues. Such is the case here with six
enjoyable mystery short stories. While I had three definite preferences, all
six are well done tales sure to please readers.
The rest of the issue features outdated program
information, reviews that are not reviews, and irrelevant segments. The sole notable
exception is Kaye George’s interview of various authors regarding their writing
process. This feature is consistently good and informative, issue to issue, and
the sole redeeming aspect of the back half of this issue.
Overall, the new issue has a very slapped together and
sloppy feel. The names of the author who wrote the pieces are often missing from the
TOC, misidentified at the article, and titles are often not properly
capitalized at the article. This suggests a lack of attention to detail as does
the inclusion of reviews that are not reviews, very old tv and movie news, and
other previously noted problems. While the stories and the Kay George piece
meet reader expectations and do it quite well, the rest of the issue absolutely
does not.
Mysterical- E: December 2021 certainly does not meet the normal expectations of this reader for this publication.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2021