Wednesday, September 20, 2023

Lesa's Book Critiques: DARK RIDE BY LOU BERNEY

 Lesa's Book Critiques: DARK RIDE BY LOU BERNEY

Make Mine Mystery: It's All In Your Point Of View by Janis Patterson

 Make Mine Mystery: It's All In Your Point Of View by Janis Patterson

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Nevermore

 Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Hang the Moon by Jeannette Walls 

Bitter Tea and Mystery: Short Story Wednesday: Hilma Wolitzer

Bitter Tea and Mystery: Short Story Wednesday: Hilma Wolitzer: Yesterday I finished reading all thirteen stories in Today a Woman Went Mad in the Supermarket by Hilma Wolitzer. I have read only a few sh...

George Kelly: WEDNESDAY’S SHORT STORIES #142: FOURTH PLANET FROM THE SUN: TALES OF MARS FROM THE MAGAZINE OF FANTASY & SCIENCE FICTION Edited by Gordon Van Gelder:

George Kelly: WEDNESDAY’S SHORT STORIES #142: FOURTH PLANET FROM THE SUN: TALES OF MARS FROM THE MAGAZINE OF FANTASY & SCIENCE FICTION Edited by Gordon Van Gelder

Patricia Abbott: Short Story Wednesday: STRANGERS IN TOWN, Ross Macdonald

 Patricia Abbott: Short Story Wednesday: STRANGERS IN TOWN, Ross Macdonald

Tuesday, September 19, 2023

The First Two Pages: “Chin Yong-Yun Goes to Church” by S.J. Rozan

 The First Two Pages: “Chin Yong-Yun Goes to Church” by S.J. Rozan

Lesa's Book Critiques: THE LAST DEVIL TO DIE BY RICHARD OSMAN

 Lesa's Book Critiques: THE LAST DEVIL TO DIE BY RICHARD OSMAN

SleuthSayers: Bouchercon takeaways: being a successful panelist

SleuthSayers: Bouchercon takeaways: being a successful panelist: Like some of you reading this, I recently attended this year's Bouchercon, which is touted as the world's largest mystery convention...

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Hillerman & Dark Winds

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Hillerman & Dark Winds:   Reviewed by Jeanne   Although Tony Hillerman wrote his first Navajo police mystery in 1970, I didn’t encounter his work until the ‘8...

Beneath the Stains of Time: Face Value (1983) by Roger Ormerod

Beneath the Stains of Time: Face Value (1983) by Roger Ormerod: Last time, I discussed Anthony Lejeune's Key Without a Door (1988), second and last novel in the short-lived James Glowrey series, whic...

Review: Blessing of the Lost Girls: A Brady and Walker Family Novel by J. A. Jance


Blessing of the Lost Girls: A Brady and Walker Family Novel by J. A. Jance is an engrossing read currently scheduled to be published on September 19th.  One should make sure to read both of the afterwords as they are very important to the context of the story.

Readers are first introduced to Charlie Milton and it is clear very soon that he is a really bad guy. One of those guys that neighbors always say afterwards during media interviews that the guy was odd and just didn’t fit in right with other folks.

It is February 2019 as the book begins and Charlie Milton is in town for the Tucson Rodeo. Charlie Milton is a serial killer. He likes to hunt for the right victim. He has a type. He prefers women of color, especially those from Indian reservations. He counts on law enforcement arguing over which agency should handle the missing person case which means the case went cold long before it ever started. That works well for serial killers like Charlie Milton. Once he has killed, he soon hits the road in his RF and drifts to the next place.

What he didn’t count on was that fact that DNA from a kill he did several years ago would make its way into the system in 2022. It did. Field Officer Dan Pardee works for a new federal agency, Missing and Murdered Indigenous People’s Task Force. Known as “MIP,” they are part of the Department of The Interior. Their mission is to work cases involving the disappearances and deaths of Native Americans.

Dan Pardee, an investigator with a background in Border Patrol, is assigned the case of Rosa Rios. With the DNA match, it makes it clear to everyone that it was her charred body was found three years ago on a rancher’s land in the jurisdiction of Sheriff Joanna Brady of Cochise County. He is going to work the case. He will need Sheriff’s Brady’s help in bringing justice and, hopefully, a little peace to her family.

What follows is a complicated read. Dan Pardee is the focus, but Brady and her family make a number of appearances in this very enjoyable read. A tale that also, in addition to providing a complicated and enjoyable mystery, brings attention to what has been going on for decades for missing indigenous women. Complicated and fast moving, Blessing of the Lost Girls: A Brady and Walker Family Novel by J. A. Jance is well worth your time and attention.


 

My reading copy came by way of a NetGalley ARC with no expectation of a review.

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2023

Monday, September 18, 2023

Lesa's Book Critiques: THE GOLDEN GATE BY AMY CHUA

 Lesa's Book Critiques: THE GOLDEN GATE BY AMY CHUA

In Reference To Murder: Media Murder for Monday 9/18/2023

 In Reference To Murder: Media Murder for Monday 9/18/2023

Markets and Jobs for Writers 9/18/2023

Markets and Jobs for Writers 9/18/2023 

Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: The Vinyl Detective: The Run-Out Groove by Andrew J. Cartmel


Andrew J. Cartmel is a British script editor, author and journalist. He was the script editor of Doctor Who between 1987 and 1989. He also worked as a script editor on other television series, as a magazine editor, as a comics writer, as a film studies lecturer, and as a novelist. The Vinyl Detective, whose name is never revealed, is a specialist in old and rare vinyl recordings. His sidekicks are his girlfriend Nevada, who haunts the charity shops for vintage clothing, and Tinkler, a computer whiz and collector of vintage rock memorabilia. Their friend Agatha Dubois-Kanes collects vintage Penguin paperbacks. Their various hobbies engender a great interest in the thrift shops and estate sales of London.

In The Vinyl Detective: The Run-Out Groove (Titan Books, 2017) John Drummond and Lucy Tegmark approach the Vinyl Detective to hire him to help with the book on Valerian, a famous rock singer of the 1960s, that Lucy’s father, a journalist who followed Valerian’s band, had started but dropped after Valerian’s sudden death. Drummond is the singer’s brother who wants to find Valerian’s child who disappeared about the same time Valerian died. Drummond also wants a 45 single that was due to be released at the same time as his sister’s last album but in view of her death, the record company destroyed most of the copies. Tegmark has a wealth of original source material that needs to be verified and prioritized. Drummond thinks that the three lines of research overlap and that the Detective can assist with them.

Tracking down people who knew the singer proved to be more difficult than expected. The Detective did manage to locate the photographer who shot the big rock groups of the time, Valerian’s psychiatrist, and some of her friends. None of them have worn well. When the Detective manages to interview a few of them, he hears a different theory about the child from each person. The 45 single was a little easier to find but someone else wanted it too. The Detective’s apartment was thoroughly tossed, as was the shop of the record seller where they found it. They found themselves locked into a house set ablaze in one scene and under attack by a goose trained to guard her home in another.

The book is full of references to the English music scene of the 1960s with its personalities. It’s worth reading just for the social history. The complicated Drummond family story alternates between the preposterous and the somber. The antics of The Detective and his friends are entertaining and the ending was ingeniously plotted. The seventh book in this very good series is scheduled for publication in April 2024. Recommended.


 

·         Publisher: Titan Books (May 9, 2017)

·         Language: English

·         Paperback: 320 pages

·         ISBN-10: 1783297697

·         ISBN-13: 978-1783297696


Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2023 

Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.

 

Saturday, September 16, 2023

KRL This Week Update for 9/16/2023

Up on KRL this morning a review and giveaway of "Murder in the Book Lover's Loft" by Ellery Adams https://kingsriverlife.com/09/16/murder-in-the-book-lovers-loft-by-ellery-adams/ 

And reviews and giveaways of 3 more fun mysteries for your fall tbr-'All that Glitters Isn’t Gold": A Whit and Whiskers Mystery by Gabby Allan, "Death of a Clam Digger": A Hayley Powell Food & Cocktails Mystery by Lee Hollis, and Steeped in Malice: A Tea by the Sea Mystery by Vicki Delany https://kingsriverlife.com/09/16/mysteries-for-your-fall-tbr/

 

We also have a review and giveaway of "Seams Deadly" by Maggie Bailey along with an interesting interview with Maggie https://kingsriverlife.com/09/16/seams-deadly-by-maggie-bailey/

 

And a review of the second season of "The Chelsea Detective" on Acorn TV https://kingsriverlife.com/09/16/the-chelsea-detective-season-2-on-acorn/

 

For those who prefer to listen to Mysteryrat's Maze Podcast directly on KRL, you can find the player here for the new episode which features "Murder Faux Paws" by T.C. LoTempio and is read by local actor Ariel Linn https://kingsriverlife.com/09/16/new-mysteryrats-maze-podcast-featuring-murder-faux-paws/

 

Up during the week we posted an excerpt from Martin Clark's new thriller "The Plinko Bounce" https://kingsriverlife.com/09/13/the-plinko-bounce-by-martin-clark-excerpt/

 

And a special midweek guest post by mystery author Rebecca K. Jones about her latest book "Stemming the Tide" https://kingsriverlife.com/09/13/damsels-in-distress/

 

Up on KRL News and Reviews this week we have a review and giveaway of "Desert Deadline" by Michael Craft https://www.krlnews.com/2023/09/desert-deadline-by-michael-craft.html

 

And a review and ebook giveaway of "Sliced, Diced, and Dead" by JC Eaton https://www.krlnews.com/2023/09/sliced-diced-and-dead-by-j-c-eaton.html

 
Happy reading, watching, and listening,
Lorie

Lesa's Book Critiques: MURDER AND MAMON BY MIA P. MANASALA

 Lesa's Book Critiques: MURDER AND MAMON BY MIA P. MANASALA

Beneath the Stains of Time: DeKok and the Immortal Death (1998) by A.C. Baantjer

Beneath the Stains of Time: DeKok and the Immortal Death (1998) by A.C. Baantjer: Today, September 16, 2023, marks what would have been the 100th birthday of A.C. Baantjer . A former Amsterdam police inspector and part of ...

SleuthSayers: The Scene of the Crime by Josh Pachter

SleuthSayers: The Scene of the Crime: Pachter in the Begijnhof. The Scene of the Crime  by Josh Pachter   As readers of this blog may remember, I have been selling short fiction ...

Scott's Take: Invincible Iron Man Vol. 1: Demon in the Armor by Gerry Duggan


Invincible Iron Man Vol. 1: Demon in the Armor by Gerry Duggan is the latest new Iron Man series. This book is heavily crossing over with the X-Men titles and is considered part of the Fall of X series. Iron Man is an X-Men title and is being run by the X-Men editors. The Fall of X is about the X-Men losing their island and being scattered across the globe and elsewhere. They are being hunted by the organization, Orchis, and the general public has turned on the X-Men. This volume is set before that stuff and helps setup how the X-men lose their island. The next volume is set during the Fall of X and the Hellfire gala (3rd one).

 

So, this is another Iron Man loses everything while he is being introspective about himself run. Yes, that is the book. I realize this is pretty much covers the same ideas has the previous Slott, Bendis, Cates runs.

 

But, this one is done way better than these runs even if the core ideas are the same.

 

It’s hard to talk about the villain for this run since it is a character that heavily ties into the X-Men books. There is murder, a conspiracy, and hostile takeover of Tony Stark’s company. He has a new place and new status quo. If one keeps up with the current promotions by Marvel comics, one probably knows that this (major spoiler) series is building to the wedding of Emma Frost of the X-men to Tony Stark (aka Iron Man).

 

The art is good and Gerry Duggan has a good grasp on the character of Iron Man. This is the most interesting Iron Man book in a long time, in my opinion. I still don’t like the current Iron Man suit. I also think that Tony’s mustache is a really bad look. Outside of those nitpicks, Invincible Iron Man Vol. 1: Demon in the Armor is a really good book even if it is reusing the same ideas that all the previous other most recent writers have done.


The second volume of this series currently does not have a title or a release date.


 

My reading copy came from the Dallas Public Library System and the Hoopla app. This read was read on hoopla.

 

Scott A. Tipple ©2023

Friday, September 15, 2023

The Rap Sheet: Revue of Reviewers: 9-15-23

 The Rap Sheet: Revue of Reviewers: 9-15-23

Writer Beware: Anatomy of a Fake Film Company Scam: The Greendot Films / Better Bound House

 Writer Beware: Anatomy of a Fake Film Company Scam: The Greendot Films / Better Bound House

Lesa's Book Critiques: KEVIN’S CORNER ANNEX – STYX & STONE BY JAMES W. ZISKIN

 Lesa's Book Critiques: KEVIN’S CORNER ANNEX – STYX & STONE BY JAMES W. ZISKIN

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Sandwiches and Sweets: Cookbook Roundup!

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Sandwiches and Sweets: Cookbook Roundup!:   Smashed: 60 Epic Smash Burgers & Sandwiches for Dinner, for Lunch, and Even for Breakfast by The Waltwins Adam and Brett Walton  S...

In Reference To Murder: Mystery Melange

 In Reference To Murder: Mystery Melange

Sweet Freedom: A MYSTERY, CRIME & NOIR NOTEBOOK by Gary Lovisi

Sweet Freedom: A MYSTERY, CRIME & NOIR NOTEBOOK by Gary Lovisi (S...: A collection of short essays from Paperback Parade editor/publisher Gary Lovisi, a companion to his 2022 A Sherlock Holmes Notebook , also ...

Happiness Is A Book: FRIDAY’S FORGOTTEN BOOK: THE VENNER CRIME BY JOHN RHODE

 Happiness Is A Book: FRIDAY’S FORGOTTEN BOOK: THE VENNER CRIME BY JOHN RHODE

In Reference To Murder: Friday's "Forgotten" Books: Death of a Dutchman

 In Reference To Murder: Friday's "Forgotten" Books: Death of a Dutchman

Jerry's House of Everything: FORGOTTEN BOOK: COMFORT STATION

Jerry's House of Everything: FORGOTTEN BOOK: COMFORT STATION:   Comfort Station by "J. Morgan Cunningham"  (Donald E. Westlake), 1973 For thousand of years, the wisestof us have poindered the ...

Patricia Abbott: FFB: THE INNOCENT MRS. DUFF, Elizabeth Sanxay Holding

 Patricia Abbott: FFB: THE INNOCENT MRS. DUFF, Elizabeth Sanxay Holding

Wednesday, September 13, 2023

Lesa's Book Critiques: KEVIN’S CORNER ANNEX – NAKED IN DEATH BY J.D. ROBB

 Lesa's Book Critiques: KEVIN’S CORNER ANNEX – NAKED IN DEATH BY J.D. ROBB

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Nevermore: Mrs. Plansky's Revenge, Pachinko, Magician's Assistant

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Nevermore: Mrs. Plansky's Revenge, Pachinko, Magic...:   Reported by Rita Mrs. Plansky’s Revenge by Spencer Quinn is a humorous mystery that serves as a reminder to always respect your elders....

Beneath the Stains of Time: Key Without a Door (1988) by Anthony Lejeune

Beneath the Stains of Time: Key Without a Door (1988) by Anthony Lejeune: Last February, I reviewed Mr. Diabolo (1960) by "Anthony Lejeune," a pseudonym of Edward Anthony Thompson, who aspired to write a...

George Kelly: WEDNESDAY’S SHORT STORIES #141: THE ADVENTURES OF SOLAR PONS By August Derleth

 George Kelly: WEDNESDAY’S SHORT STORIES #141: THE ADVENTURES OF SOLAR PONS By August Derleth

Jerry's House of Everything: SHORT STORY WEDNESDAY: THE STONE THAT THE BUILDERS REJECTED

Jerry's House of Everything: SHORT STORY WEDNESDAY: THE STONE THAT THE BUILDE...: "The Stone That the Builders Rejected" by Avam Davidson  (previously unpublished and likely written in the mid-1950s; the original...

Patricia Abbott: Short Story Wednesday: "Possibilities" Bill Pronzini

 Patricia Abbott: Short Story Wednesday: "Possibilities" Bill Pronzini

Short Story Wednesday Review: Moonlight & Misadventure: 20 Stories of Mystery and Suspense Editor Judy Penz Sheluk


With the recent announcement by Judy Penz Sheluk that she is gearing up to do a fourth anthology, it seemed a good time to remind you of this anthology from Superior Shores Press. From the massive archive…

 

Moonlight & Misadventure: 20 Stories of Mystery and Suspense opens with a powerful tale by Joseph S. Walker titled “Crown Jewel.” Keenan Beech has brother issues. Specifically, twin brother issues. Xavier has now taken something that rightfully belonged only to Keenan. Xavier knew how to stick the knife in--figuratively-- and Keenan intends to restore balance by getting back what is his. At least, that was plan before everything got so very complicated.

Twins and their relationship are also a major part of the following story, “The Ballard of The Jerrell Twins” by Clark Boyd. Whether Darrell and Terrell really are or are not twins is not the question. The real question here is the accepted idea that two heads are better than one. In this case, they may not be as neither one is all that smart. That is apparent before the mystery, the nitrous oxide, and many other things come to light.

Tammy Lee Swanley sets up to watch Lombard’s Jewelry as “Tammy Loves Derek” by Bethany Maines begins. She has history with Derek Lombard. The same Derek Lombard coming out of the jewelry store as he is locking up for the night. She has a plan. In fact, she has a five-step plan to gain wealth. That plan is now in motion.

Lorretta Bremer with two little ones and an important job to do she has her hands full in 1921 as she rides a train from Camden to Atlantic City. You do what you do when you are a widow and on your own. Things are hard. Finding a body in her hotel room makes things so much worse. The fact that the body is of Roger MacNair who had hired her for dictation and typing at the convention is going to be a huge problem in “Moonset” by Jeanne Dubois.

After reading “Reunions” by John M. Floyd, you may think again about striking up a conversation on a plane. Larry Taylor did just that, helped out Roger Farnsworth by paying for his drink, and things went into motion.

Uncle Kenny has a plan, but Josh O’ Leary does not want to hear it. Uncle Kenny’s plans are never fool proof-- even when he claims they are-- and often result in long prison sentences. Uncle Kenny is sure his plan will absolutely work this time because they will keep it in the family in “A Currency of Wishes” by Kate Fellowes.

Gwen, as a child, started lifting items here and there. The Barbie doll was the first treasure in “Cereus Thinking” by Tracy Falenwolfe. She lived with her grandparents, Don and June, who never leave the campground they run. Manatee Playground Campsite is her home and she lifts treasures from those folks who tick her off as they come through while on vacation. By the time she is of legal age, she has long since realized she needs to get out of there. Leroy Lafontaine might be her ticket out.

Readers go back in time to the early 1930s in the next tale, “Just Like Peg Entwistle” by Robert Weibezahl. In the time of the big studios and controlled access to movie stars, the sudden death of Peg Entwistle was huge news. Was it a suicide? Was the death of the young actress murder? What really happened is the subject of this tale.

The trio is out in the swamp hunting for a lost treasure in “Scavenger Hunt” by Michael A. Clark. It was lost in February 1958. All these decades later, the three are deep in the Wassaw Sound with the faint city light glow of Savannah far to their south. Lit by moonlight, the search is on.

It is back in time again with the next short story, “My Night with the Duke of Edinburgh” by Susan Daly. It is the fall of 1951 and Princess Elizabeth and her husband, Prince Phillip, will soon arrive in Canada for a royal tour. The group of college students in Toronto want to make some sort of symbolic public statement regarding Canada’s sovereignty as a nation. Exactly what kind of statement and the repercussions of their act are the theme of this tale.

She had a pretty good idea of who her big brother was, warts and all, and now Oliver is “Dead on the Beach” by KM Rockwood. At least, she thought she knew everything. But, what she is being told regarding his death does not make a lot of sense. She starts asking questions. As any reader should know, not only do snitches get stiches, asking questions can get you killed.

Mom is dead and now Uncle Peter wants his share of what the daughters have coming to them. Not that there is a lot in “Madeline in the Moonlight” by Susan Jane Wright. Mom was an artist and a bit eccentric so pretty much what you see is what you get. Peter, being Mom’s baby brother, has no claim but he certainly is pushing things.

Murder is hard and messy work. Especially when you use a sledgehammer. It was well worth it in “Not a Cruel Man” by Buzz Dixon. Cleanup should be easy.

Angie Kritt is more than ready to shut down the old tavern for the night. It has been a long day and she is very much ready to go in “12 miles to Taylorsville” by C.W. Blackwell. Once she gets rid of the last few guys from the logging crew, she can do a couple of things and get home. That is until Meena shows up terrified and on the run.

Old Man Harper is some sort of creepy perv who likes teen girls. At least, that is what everybody at school says. Everybody knows what he is and want him gone. Katy, Ron, and Grace-Rose have decided to give him a push on to somewhere else in “Chicken Coops and Bread Pudding” by K.L. Abrahamson.

Peter Hayes puts in a lot of unpaid hours. In “The Promotion” by Billy Houston, that hard work is finally going to pay off. One way or another.

Just before the power went out, the police got an alert from the security system at the library. Officers Grabowski and Tyler are dispatched in “The Library Clue” by Sharon Hart Addy. A broken basement window means they have to check it out.

The plan is the thing in “Ill Met By Moonlight, Proud Miss Dolmas” by Elizabeth Elwood. Teaching Drama and English is hard enough due to the actions of some students who think they are entitled. Some want to ignore the rules. They seem to have found an ally in the new principal, Martha Dolmas, who has never taught a class in a day of her life.

Being a public health inspector is a hard job. Having an overbearing and incompetent boss, as was present in the preceding story, just makes things worse.  In “The Moon God of Broadmoor” by M. H. Callway, Liz gets reminded that her job means she has to shovel some stuff. Figuratively and literally.

The last tale is “Strawberry Moon” by Editor Judy Penz Sheluk. All she wants to do is cross the border into the US. Unfortunately, she is dealing with a United States border guard that likes his power a little too much.

From the complicated and powerful opening tale to the twist ending in the last one, the twenty stories in the book are all good ones. Moonlight as well as misadventure in a variety of ways plays a major role in all of them. So does more than a hint of madness in many of the tales. In some cases, things happened as they always would because of the nature of the folks involved. In others, the plan failed sometimes in surprising ways.

Moonlight & Misadventure: 20 Stories of Mystery and Suspense is an anthology that features many complicated reads. Every tale selected is a good one and well worth your time.

 


Editor Judy Penz Sheluk sent me a digital ARC of the book with no expectation or promise of a review.

 

 Kevin R. Tipple ©2021, 2023

Monday, September 11, 2023

Lesa's Book Critiques: KEVIN’S CORNER ANNEX – ALL THE SINNERS BLEED BY S.A. COSBY

Lesa's Book Critiques: KEVIN’S CORNER ANNEX – ALL THE SINNERS BLEED BY S.A. COSBY

Little Big Crimes: The Last Shot, by Dave Waskin

Little Big Crimes: The Last Shot, by Dave Waskin:   " The Last Shot," by Dave Waskin , in  Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine,  September/October 2023. I don't usually not...

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Clinchco: History of a Coal Camp by Dennis Reedy and Jeff Reedy

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Clinchco: History of a Coal Camp by Dennis Reedy ...:   Reviewed by Jeanne Many people enjoy reading books on the history of our area.   Our shelvers will testify to the number of times they...

In Reference To Murder: Media Murder for Monday 9/11/2023

 In Reference To Murder: Media Murder for Monday 9/11/2023

Markets and Jobs for Writers for 9/11/2023

 Markets and Jobs for Writers for 9/11/2023

Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: Perfectly Nice Neighbors by Kia Abdullah


Kia Abdullah’s latest thriller, Perfectly Nice Neighbors (Putnam, 2023), published in the U.K. as Those People Next Door (Harper Collins, 2023), takes the reader to a middle-class community in London, where Salma and Bilal Khatun and their teen-aged son Zain have moved to get away from a less desirable part of the city. From the beginning, differences between them and their neighbors arise. Their neighbor objects to the “Black Lives Matter” banner that Zain posts in the Khatun front yard. Salma finds it on the ground a few times and then she sees the neighbor knock it down. She confronts him and he is furious that she dared to challenge him. Complaints about parking and cooking smells ensue. Salma’s car is damaged. All the while, the unofficial community president and busybody keeps advising Salma that the neighborhood is nice and that she should try to fit in.

Zain records one of the confrontations between the neighbor and his mother, and he posts it to Twitter. The image of the large white man looming over the smaller brown woman goes viral, and the neighbor loses his job. Tension skyrockets, between the neighbors and between Salma and Bilal, who wants his wife to back down and ignore the abuse. He’s worried about money, having lost his restaurant during the pandemic shutdown; the family is barely making ends meet. They cannot afford to move again. Salma thinks that the meanness has to be faced or it will never stop.

The outcome of the animosity is completely unexpected and changes both families forever.

Abdullah describes the attempts of second- and third-generation immigrants in England to create a home and to go about their business while being viewed askance by those whose families have been in the country much longer. It makes for painful reading. Racism and intolerance appear in the most unlikely places; Abdullah makes it her mission to display the uncompromising reality.

The role of social media in polarizing contemporary society does not escape her eagle eye. The speed that word spread about the conflict via Twitter drew the line between the two families more deeply and left little room for easy resolution of their differences.

Abdullah is one of those contemporary thriller writers who tells a good story while highlighting serious social issues. It isn’t hard to see parallels between the experience of immigrants in the U.K. and here in the U.S. Her books are not easy to read but they always give me a lot to think about. Recommended.



·         Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons (September 12, 2023)

·         Language: English

·         Paperback: 352 pages

·         ISBN-10: 0593713818

·         ISBN-13: 978-0593713815

 

Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2023 

Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.

Saturday, September 09, 2023

Bitter Tea and Mystery: The Mulberry Bush: Charles McCarry

Bitter Tea and Mystery: The Mulberry Bush: Charles McCarry: Back in 2009, I discovered the spy fiction of Charles McCarry. He wrote a series about Paul Christopher, an intelligence agent for the CIA. ...

Dru's Book Musings New Releases ~ Week of September 10, 2023

 Dru's Book Musings New Releases ~ Week of September 10, 2023 

KRL This Week Update for 9/9/2023

Up on KRL this week we have reviews and giveaways of 2 mystery novels that involve bees-"Honey Drop Dead" by Laura Childs and "Birder She Wrote" by Donna Andrews https://kingsriverlife.com/09/09/mysteries-with-bees/ 

And a review and giveaway of "Between a Wok and a Dead Place" by Leslie Budewitz https://kingsriverlife.com/09/09/between-a-wok-and-a-dead-place-by-leslie-budewitz/

 

Up during the week we posted another special midweek guest post, this one by mystery author Sarah Bewley about the main character in her new book "Burning Eden", you can also enter to win a copy of the book https://kingsriverlife.com/09/06/the-reluctant-legacy-sheriff/

 

And another special midweek guest post, this one is by the editors of the new mystery anthology released by the Florida Gulf Coast Sisters in Crime, "Paradise is Deadly" talking about how they chose the stories in it https://kingsriverlife.com/09/06/what-do-editors-look-for-in-an-anthology/

 

With the holiday and KRL being on vacation it looks, I didn’t get the chance to share these that went up midweek last week so here you go! Another special midweek guest post, this one by mystery author Shelley Costa

https://kingsriverlife.com/08/ 30/the-first-scene-in-no- mistaking-death-is-not-on- page-one/

 

And another special midweek guest post, this one by mystery author J. Woollcott https://kingsriverlife.com/08/ 30/writing-an-emotional- roller-coaster/

 

Up on KRL News and Reviews this week we have a review and giveaway of "Mrs. Plansky's Revenge" by Spencer Quinn https://www.krlnews.com/2023/09/mrs-planskys-revenge-by-spencer-quinn.html

 

For those who enjoy fantasy, we have a review and giveaway of "Secrets in the Shadows" by Kaitlyn King https://www.krlnews.com/2023/09/secrets-in-shadows-by-kaitlyn-king.html

 
Happy reading,
Lorie

Lesa's Book Critiques: KEVIN’S CORNER ANNEX – FAST WOMEN AND NEON LIGHTS

 Lesa's Book Critiques: KEVIN’S CORNER ANNEX – FAST WOMEN AND NEON LIGHTS

Beneath the Stains of Time: The Golden Window: Q.E.D. vol. 29-30 by Motohiro Katou,

Beneath the Stains of Time: The Golden Window: Q.E.D. vol. 29-30 by Motohiro K...: Oh, ye of little faith! Last February, I (once again) returned to the Q.E.D. series by Motohiro Katou and began the review of vol. 21-22 s...

Scott's Take: Avengers Mech Strike by Jed MacKay

 

Avengers Mech Strike by Jed MacKay is a self contained stand alone Avengers title that is supposed to sell the toys aka the mech suits the characters use. In this tale, the Avengers are fighting giant monsters that are attacking the whole world. Each attack is becoming more frequent. To combat the threat, the Avengers build giant mech suits to pilot. So, such as the movie Pacific Rim, superheroes will be piloting big robots vs giant monsters.

This is well written as one would expect from Jed MacKay and he does a great job of exploring each member of the team. This book is surprisingly deep for something designed to provide the background for the toy line. For one example, Spider-Man deals with having to face his insecurities as being part of the Avengers since he is not one of their most powerful members.  The art is really good in this tale.

The reader gets the feeling that this book is the reason that Jed MacKay is now in charge of the current main Avenger book. Several of the characters in this book have journeyed on to the current Avengers read that has yet to be put out in trade format.  This is a good book to hold one over while the first trade is still being collected.

 

 

My reading copy came from the Vickery Park Branch of the Dallas Public Library System.

 

Scott A. Tipple ©2023