Wednesday, March 22, 2023

Short Story Wednesday Review: This Old Star by Wayne D. Dundee


While this no longer seems to be available, I can remind you of the read in case you already have it in your TBR pile thanks to the magnificently massive archive here at Casa Tipple and Home Eatery Library.

 

The concept of duty or responsibility is often a major part of the western world as envisioned by Wayne D. Dundee and that is certainly the case here in This Old Star. For more years than he cares to count Jeb Stander was the sheriff of Flatrock Crossing, Nebraska. He isn’t the sheriff these days, but he still feels a duty to help out when the posse is out chasing Shake Whitley.

 

There was a jail break and bank robbery back in town and several of the good people of Flatrock Crossing joined up with the current sheriff, Ben Tembow, to give chase. Shake Whitley is a crafty devil which is why the law has been chasing him for one thing or another the last dozen years. The posse has been hard at work the last two days and don’t seem to getting anywhere. The weather has been nasty with rain and snow with no sign of the fugitive and the rest of the posse is just waiting for a reason to call it quits. Jeb offers to help and though Ben may not be thrilled with the prospect he isn’t about to publicly say no.

 

What follows is a complex story involving duty and responsibility in This Old Star. Like other very good westerns by this author, along with plenty of action there is an undercurrent about serious issues of the time that are just as valid today. Characters of complexity populate this author’s work where a single action may have multiple meanings. The 2010 Peacemaker Award winning short story recently released in e-book form, This Old Star is another very good one. 

 

Material was picked up to read and review using funds in my Amazon Associate account. 

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2015, 2023

Tuesday, March 21, 2023

The First Two Pages: “First You Dream, Then You Die” by Donna Moore

 The First Two Pages: “First You Dream, Then You Die” by Donna Moore

Lesa's Book Critiques: SANDIE HERRON, RIP

 Lesa's Book Critiques: SANDIE HERRON, RIP

SleuthSayers: First we had Malice in Dallas. Now, things are Reckless in Texas by Barb Goffman

SleuthSayers: First we had Malice in Dallas. Now, things are Rec...: Earlier this month, Reckless in Texas — the second book in the Metroplex Mysteries anthology series — was published. It follows last year&#3...

Review: Hide: A Detective Harriet Foster Thriller by Tracy Clark

 

Hide: A Detective Harriet Foster Thriller by Tracy Clark is the first book in a new police procedural series. It introduces a wide-ranging cast of characters and establishes a ground floor for what one can expect going forward. The solidly good book revolves around Detective Harriet Foster who has been through quite a lot in the last few months and years.

 

A black woman in a heavily male dominated environment, she brings a lot of baggage to her new posting in Chicago. Others have expectations who she is and those expectations may or may not be accurate.   Word of what happened just a few weeks ago has made it to her new boss and colleagues at CPD’s District One. Her new partner, Jim Lonergan, appears to be your classic old school, non-politically correct cop straight out of Hollywood casting. Like the old rickety desk she is assigned, he is not fixable, so the two clash almost from the second they lay eyes on each other. Things are wrong from almost the get go, but that does not matter as they have a body this Monday morning.

 

It is also going to be a very high-profile case as the body was dumped on the Riverwalk. Part of the nearby legendary, Magnificent Mile, the body has a lot of witnesses. Many of those same witnesses have thoughts about how quickly police responded to the scene as Lonergan and Foster arrive to work the case. The murder and subsequent dumping of the body in a very public place means the pressure is on from all sides to solve the case.

 

It also won’t be the last body with the same signature style.

 

What follows is a complex and very enjoyable read. Marketed as a thriller, it comes across to this reader as a police procedural. Regardless of the marketing label, Foster, as well as nearly everyone in the read, are complex. The focus is on Foster, but the secondary characters get extensive details about themselves as well. None of the characters are simple as even Jim Lonergan is a bit more complex than it first appears.

 

Then there is the complexity of the case as the read shifts to follow other characters besides Harriet Foster. Plenty of action, misdirection, and a hunt for a killer drive Hide: A Detective Harriet Foster Thriller forward at a steady pace. The very good read is well worth your time.


The second book in the series, Fall, is currently scheduled to come out on December 5th.


Make sure you check out Lesa Holstine’s far more detailed review from last December on her site here


 

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

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2023

Monday, March 20, 2023

The Hard Word: WRITING, AGING, DIRIGIBLES: CRAIG MCDONALD'S THE ADVENTURES OF ZANA O'SAVIN #1 BLOOD OGRE

 The Hard Word: WRITING, AGING, DIRIGIBLES: CRAIG MCDONALD'S THE ADVENTURES OF ZANA O'SAVIN #1 BLOOD OGRE

Lesa's Book Critiques: THE WHITE LADY BY JACQUELINE WINSPEAR

 Lesa's Book Critiques: THE WHITE LADY BY JACQUELINE WINSPEAR

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher: Reviewed by Ambrea When Alex Easton receives the news their childhood friend Madeline is dying, they quickly race to the ancestral home of...

Bitter Tea and Mystery: Two Country Music Mysteries

Bitter Tea and Mystery: Two Country Music Mysteries: In this post I am covering two humorous mystery novels set in the country music world.  The first book was Fender Benders by Bill Fitzhugh,...

In Reference To Murder: Media Murder for Monday 3/20/2023

 In Reference To Murder: Media Murder for Monday 3/20/2023

Markets and Jobs for Writers for 3/20/2023

 Markets and Jobs for Writers for 3/20/2023

Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: The Red Pole of Macau by Ian Hamilton


Ian Hamilton is a Canadian journalist turned mystery writer. He has published three books in his Uncle Chow Tung series and 15 books about Ava Lee, a Chinese-Canadian forensic accountant who deploys her martial arts skills far more often than most accountants do. Ava Lee first appeared in The Water Rat of Wanchai, which won the 2012 Arthur Ellis Award for Best First Novel. The fourth book about Ava Lee is The Red Pole of Macau (Picador Paper, 2013), which plunges Ava into family drama. Her father has been married three times, has children from each marriage, and maintains a relationship with all three wives while keeping the children apart. The fact that the three families live on different continents helps the separation. Thus Ava has never met her half-brother Michael until her father solicits her assistance in pulling Michael and his business partner out of a real estate deal that has gone sideways. The money they pledged was backed by her father and its loss would cause disruption to the financial equilibrium of all three families, so Ava Lee has a personal stake in the outcome.

She flies to Hong Kong to meet Michael and his partner Simon, then they go to gambling haven Macau to meet the real estate consortium organizers, who react negatively to the request for the return of Michael’s investment. They express their displeasure and show their true colors by kidnapping Simon and demanding a ransom. Ava Lee draws on all of her local resources to locate Simon and retrieve him safely, while tracing the consortium’s finances, which seem to have Triad connections, in order to extract the family’s money with her hacking skills.

Slickly executed and well plotted with relentless action, this story is an absorbing piece of escapism. Ava Lee is too good to be real but she is fun to watch. It reminds me of the Kill Bill films with its focus on Asian themes and martial arts but the violence is not as extreme. The nonchalance with which these people undertake international travel is staggering to me; they globetrot the way I visit a grocery. For fans of crime fiction with strong female leads and of international thrillers.


 

·         Publisher: Picador Paper; Reprint edition (December 31, 2013)

·         Language: English

·         Paperback: 334 pages

·         ISBN-10: 9781250032317

·         ISBN-13: 978-1250032317

 

Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2023

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

Sunday, March 19, 2023

Lesa's Book Critiques: KEVIN’S CORNER ANNEX – THE DEAD CERTAIN DOUBT BY JIM NESBITT

 Lesa's Book Critiques: KEVIN’S CORNER ANNEX – THE DEAD CERTAIN DOUBT BY JIM NESBITT

Beneath the Stains of Time: Prague Fatale (2011) by Philip Kerr

Beneath the Stains of Time: Prague Fatale (2011) by Philip Kerr: Philip Kerr was a British author who garnered wide success with his World War II thriller series about Bernhard "Bernie" Gunther,...

Mystery Fanfare: LEFTY AWARD WINNERS 2023: LEFT COAST CRIME

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Saturday, March 18, 2023

Dru's Book Musings New Releases: Coming Week of March 19, 2023

 Dru's Book Musings New Releases: Coming Week of March 19, 2023

A Writer's Life....Caroline Clemmons: 99¢ SALE AND $5 AMAZON GIFT CARD FOR SOMEONE!

A Writer's Life....Caroline Clemmons: 99¢ SALE AND $5 AMAZON GIFT CARD FOR SOMEONE!: By Caroline Clemmons I’m still celebrating Saint Patrick’s Day. MURDOCH’S BRIDE is only 99¢ today through March 22 nd . MURDOCH’S BRIDE is...

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Treacherous Strand: An Inishowen Mystery by Andre...

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Treacherous Strand: An Inishowen Mystery by Andre...:   Reviewed by Jeanne When the body of Marguerite Etienne washes up on a beach in Inishowen, solicitor Ben (Benedicta) O’Keeffe is troubled...

KRL This Week Update For 3/18/2023

Up on KRL this morning a review and giveaway of "Good Dog, Bad Cop" by David Rosenfelt https://kingsriverlife.com/03/18/good-dog-bad-cop-by-david-rosenfelt/ 

And a review and giveaway of "Standing Dead" by Margaret Mizushima along with an interesting guest post by Margaret about a dog's sense of smell https://kingsriverlife.com/03/18/standing-dead-by-margaret-mizushima/

 

We also have reviews and ebook giveaways of the first 3 On Pointe Mysteries by Lori Robbins along with an interesting interview with Lori https://kingsriverlife.com/03/18/on-point-mysteries-by-lori-robbins/

 

And the latest Queer Mystery Coming Attractions from Matt Lubbers-Moore https://kingsriverlife.com/03/18/queer-mystery-coming-attractions-april-2023/

 

Up during the week we posted another special midweek guest post, this one by mystery author and comedian Ian Moore about writing his comedic mystery "Death and Croissants" and about location in mysteries https://kingsriverlife.com/03/15/around-the-world-in-80-detectives/

 

Up on KRL News and Reviews this week we have a review and giveaway of "Wolf Bog" by Leslie Wheeler https://www.krlnews.com/2023/03/wolf-bog-by-leslie-wheeler.html

 

And a review and ebook giveaway of "Fishing Badge Murder" by Leslie Langtry, published by Gemma Halliday https://www.krlnews.com/2023/03/limited-release-fishing-badge-murder.html


Happy reading,
Lorie

Scott's Take: Nightwing Vol 2: Get Grayson by Tom Taylor


Nightwing Vol 2: Get Grayson by Tom Taylor is technically the third volume because there is an unnumbered volume that collects the Fear State tie ins along with some other miscellaneous other stories. I reviewed the first volume,  Nightwing Vol 1: Leaping Into The Light, but not the Fear State tie ins. This volume collects 4 issues of Nightwing and one issue of Superman. The same crossover that is in Superman: Son of Kal-el Volume 2 that I reviewed previously is reprinted here again in its entirety.

 

In Nightwing Vol 2: Get Grayson, Blockbuster puts out a hit on Dick Grayson, Nightwing, because Dick Grayson publicly said he was going to use his money to help the people of the city have a better life. For scum like Blockbuster, he needs people to suffer for him to make money. Grayson’s plan simply can’t happen. So, he puts a hit on Dick Grayson. Luckily, Batgirl discovers the problem, and alerts Nightwing as well as the entire team of Titans. This result in Nightwing teaming up with various heroes, Raven, the Flash (Wally), and others, throughout this tale as he resolves his assassin problem.

 

While the assassins are a major threat for Nightwing, as soon as his friends show up, the read becomes more comedic in nature. While several of these trained killers are the world’s best assassins, facing off with people with actual superhero powers and not just skills, is beyond their capabilities. Such as the genius who decides to headbutt Superman. Then there are the folks who decide to shoot ordinary guns at The Flash. These brilliant folks shoot at him even though they are aware that The Flash has super speed.

 

The art is excellent and Nightwing Vol 2: Get Grayson is a fun volume even if it is a rather short one. I am looking forward to the third volume when they do finally release it. There is also a new series that will tie into that third volume by this author which will see the Titans being the premier superhero team in the DC Universe as the Justice League has disbanded after various deaths and resurrections. Can Nightwing and friends step up to the plate as Earth’s defenders?


 

My reading copy came from the North Oak Cliff Branch of the Dallas Public Library System.

 

Scott A. Tipple ©2023

Friday, March 17, 2023

BookDivasReads: Guest Post: Jim Nesbitt – THE DEAD CERTAIN DOUBT

 BookDivasReads: Guest Post: Jim Nesbitt – THE DEAD CERTAIN DOUBT

The Hard Word: SHADOWS ON THE PLAINS: SLADE AND MANHUNTER BY ARNOLD HANO

 The Hard Word: SHADOWS ON THE PLAINS: SLADE AND MANHUNTER BY ARNOLD HANO

Friday's "Forgotten" Books: The Port of London Murders

 Friday's "Forgotten" Books: The Port of London Murders

Jerry's House of Everything: FORGOTTEN BOOK: TIME TO TELEPORT by Gordon R. Dickson

Jerry's House of Everything: FORGOTTEN BOOK: TIME TO TELEPORT: Time to Teleport  by Gordon R. Dickson (expanded from "No More Barriers," Science Fiction Stories , September 1955; first publishe...

Happiness Is A Book: FRIDAY’S FORGOTTEN BOOK: THE FIVE MATCHBOXES BY JOHN RUSSELL FEARN

 Happiness Is A Book: FRIDAY’S FORGOTTEN BOOK: THE FIVE MATCHBOXES BY JOHN RUSSELL FEARN

FFB Review: Dismal River (Lone McGantry Book 1) by Wayne D. Dundee


From the massive archive...

 

Lone McGantry has done a lot of things over the years and some of the jobs were difficult and nasty. The latest job has the potential to be seriously annoying. He really does not want to be a taking a bunch of wealthy English folks on an excursion from North Platte, Nebraska out to the Sandhills. But, he got roped into this mess by Buffalo Bill Cody himself. Telling Buffalo Bill no is a near impossibility and as a result

 

McGantry said yes when contacted by the foreign nobility. Even if he is increasingly of the mind that this is a super bad idea, McGantry isn’t one to go back on his word. There also a nice payday in store once all is said and done. As Buffalo Bill pointed out in his telegram, the English folks have money and are willing to spend it so at least some of it should come his way.

 

For Lone McGantry there are not a lot of ways to make money in the Nebraska panhandle of the 1880s. An English Lord by the name of Reginald Haddenforth, his wife, Lady Claire, and several others in the party intend to sightsee and hunt Buffalo. Lord Haddenforth and his wife have hunted boar in Germany’s Black Forest as well as gone on safari to Africa three times. Lord Haddenforth writes books about his adventures and intends to do the same regarding the Sandhill extension. All that is well and good, but Lone McGantry is of the opinion that women should stay in town where they belong and those going out on the expedition need to understand that the old west is dangerous and needs to be taken seriously.

 

For Lone McGantry and his men, life in the old west is not some grand adventure to be had before returning to a plush chair to sip cognac by a roaring fire. For men of McGantry’s ilk, the old west is their way of life and absolute reason for being. It is in their soul. It comes with, at times, a brutal cost. ­It isn’t to be trivialized in some book. A hard and painful lesson Lord Haddenforth and his party have repeated opportunities to learn over the next few days.

 

Originally published several years ago by Oak Tree Press, an e-book version was recently published by Bil-Em-Ri-Media. First of a series, Dismal River is another example of why author Wayne D. Dundee is nominated for  many awards and wins quite a few. Complicated characters, plenty of action, and plenty of mystery in a western setting makes Dismal River a mighty good read.

 

 

Material was recently picked up to read and review by way of funds in my Amazon Associate account.

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2015, 2023

Thursday, March 16, 2023

Lesa's Book Critiques: WINNERS AND A THRILLER GIVEAWAY

 Lesa's Book Critiques: WINNERS AND A THRILLER GIVEAWAY

The Rap Sheet: And Furthermore ...

 The Rap Sheet: And Furthermore ...

In Reference To Murder: Mystery Melange for 3/16/2023

 In Reference To Murder: Mystery Melange for 3/16/2023

Lesa's Book Critiques: WHAT ARE YOU READING?

 Lesa's Book Critiques: WHAT ARE YOU READING?

Wednesday, March 15, 2023

So Do I

 


The Rap Sheet: Bullet Points: Pre-Corned Beef Feast Edition

 The Rap Sheet: Bullet Points: Pre-Corned Beef Feast Edition

Lesa's Book Critiques: KEVIN’S CORNER ANNEX – THE DARKEST GAME BY JOSEPH SCHNEIDER

 Lesa's Book Critiques: KEVIN’S CORNER ANNEX – THE DARKEST GAME BY JOSEPH SCHNEIDER

MAKE MINE MYSTERY: The Horrors of Homophonic Mayhem by Janis Patterson

MAKE MINE MYSTERY: The Horrors of Homophonic Mayhem: by Janis Patterson Their going to brooch the door, and it will phase them awl if they find the diamond pen. Nonsense, right? Definitely, tho...

Beneath the Stains of Time: The Whistling Hangman (1937) by Baynard Kendrick

Beneath the Stains of Time: The Whistling Hangman (1937) by Baynard Kendrick: This year, Otto Penzler's American Mystery Classics is reprinting one of my two favorite Baynard Kendrick detective novels, Blind Man&...

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Nevermore: And Finally: Matters of Life and Death, The Lowlan, Funny Farm: My Unexpected Life with 600 Rescue Animals, Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World

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SleuthSayers: Do You Taboo? by Robert Lopresti,

SleuthSayers: Do You Taboo?:  I have a story in the March/April issue of Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine , my 38th appearance there, I believe.  It involves a gr...

George Kelly: WEDNESDAY SHORT STORIES #116: LOST OBJECTS: 50 STORIES ABOUT THE THINGS WE MISS & WHY THEY MATTER By Joshua Glenn & Rob Walker

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Jerry's House of Everything: SHORT STORY WEDNESDAY -- AN "UNKNOWN" PERRY MASON STORY

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Short Story Wednesday Review: Desert Heat, Desert Cold And Other Tales Of The West by Charlie Steel

 

From the magnificent archive…

 

Filled with previously published tales as well as new ones, Desert Heat, Desert Cold And Other Tales Of The West by Charlie Steel takes you back to the old days of the west. Before society theoretically “evolved” and decided to do better by orphan children and the down trodden. Back when it behooved the young folks to listen to the hard won wisdom of their elders who had been lucky and good enough to survive to an old age. Back when a man lived by his gun, his skills on a horse, and how well he could survive after being beaten and left for dead.


That is exactly what happens in the signature story, “Desert Heat, Desert Cold” that leads off the collection from Condor Publishing. Beaten, robbed, and left to die in the Mexican desert, the narrator must put years of wisdom passed down from Old Bill to survive. 


Mike Pardee has had enough and walks out of his marriage in “Mountain Man Comes Home.” He leaves the small city of Trinidad and goes home to the mountain cabin he had before he married the town spinster. He is looking for peace.

 

The wagon train took the wrong path on its way to California. Now, everybody is dead except for one survivor in “Boy On The Desert.” Little Willie is by himself. Then the coyotes came to feed.

 

Sam Cook is a lone rancher with few plans on this Sunday in “Death Comes In The Afternoon.” A little fishing, some reading from the Bible, and a late lunch before he heads to the nearest general store for supplies. Home after the war, he is glad for every day above ground and does his best to get along with others while not surrendering his principals. No matter how pretty the Front Range is, life is never peaceful for very long.

 

The War Between the States just ended and it is a cold day in November in St. Louis. Young Otis Sutter is homeless, an orphan, and coming down with some sort of respiratory infection. That was before his few possessions were destroyed in “Kid On The Run.”

 

“The Lad From Norway” is a remarkable specimen of male vitality. How he wound up out west and very far from Norway is the point of this tale.

 

Winter had been brutal, but the spring meant the thaw and getting out of the cabin. It also meant a trip to town, a couple of purchases, and far too much drinking. At least when he woke up he still had his dog, Nuisance. He copes as best as he can with the aftermath in “Nuisance And The Girl.”

 


The old man came to town knowing his days were numbered. He has been places and done a quite a few things over the years. He has a lot of knowledge to pass on. He found a receptive audience for his memories in “Old Man In A Rocking Chair.”

 

Eight year old Sammy Tucker knows the town like the back of his hand. He had explored it all. He also knows everyone in town. So, he knows trouble has come calling in “Little Sammy Tucker And The Strangers.”

 

The old man has stories to share with his grandson. Life lessons he means to impart no matter what his son has to say about him. A boy needs to know the truth about life and more in “The Dust Still Rising.”

 

Frances Stevens did not make eighty-two years of age by being soft. “Grandma Gives No Quarter” and she isn’t about to now when the fate of those she cares about is at stake.

 

“Hot Desert, Hot Rock, Hot Snake” is pretty much self-explanatory. It all leads to a really bad day on the trail.

 

The plight of orphan children is a frequent theme in many of the stories of this collection. Such is the case in “Hard Times For Billy O’Reilly.” Being fourteen and poor is bad enough. Being beaten is worse. Then he gets thrown in the local jail before being thrown on the orphan train and shipped out of New York to be a problem for somebody else to deal with at the end of the line.

 

Being the youngest in the bunkhouse means the nastiest jobs fall to Leonard. He doesn’t know ranch life and yet “The Rain Pours On.” He has a plan.

 

Zeke and Art are old men playing checkers at their small homestead near the town of Walsenburg, Colorado. They are both cranky old guys, but they get along okay. That is until events start to happen in “Something In The Wood Pile.”

 

The horse is fine, but the rider hanging on the edge of the cliff is in a world of trouble. Six hundred feet below is certain death in “On The Edge.”

 

Bobby Carter was traveling alone when the warriors attacked. They have him pinned down in the rocks against Badito Cone. It is a matter of time before he is dead. In “Dead Man’s Song” he makes one final stand the only way he knows how.

 

The seventeen tales that make up Desert Heat, Desert Cold And Other Tales Of The West are all good ones. Each tale is accompanied at least once and often twice with a black and white illustration of the story. The illustrations by Gail Heath are a nice touch in the book. As is the detailed “Acknowledgements” page that gives background on the various sites and publications that have published many of these tales.

 

Whether new for this book or previously published in print or online, all the tales in this collection share a common theme of survival and acceptance. Survival as long as one can and acceptance of when the work is done and it is time to go. Desert Heat, Desert Cold And Other Tales Of The West by Charlie Steel is a good read and worth your time.

 

 

 

Material supplied by the author with no expectation of a review.

 

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2018, 2023

Tuesday, March 14, 2023

The Rap Sheet: Shortlists Long on Talent

 The Rap Sheet: Shortlists Long on Talent

Trace Evidence: “Feasting With Felonies” by Robert Lopresti

 Trace Evidence: “Feasting With Felonies” by Robert Lopresti

The First Two Pages: “Locked-In” by William Burton McCormick

 The First Two Pages: “Locked-In” by William Burton McCormick

Lesa's Book Critiques: SANDIE’S CORNER – THE DEAD WILL TELL BY LINDA CASTILLO

 Lesa's Book Critiques: SANDIE’S CORNER – THE DEAD WILL TELL BY LINDA CASTILLO

Monday, March 13, 2023

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Southernmost by Silas House

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Southernmost by Silas House: Reviewed by Ashley Set shortly after the Supreme Court legalized gay marriage, when some counties were still refusing to issue marriage ...

Lesa's Book Critiques: THE BIG BANG THEORY BY JESSICA RADLOFF

 Lesa's Book Critiques: THE BIG BANG THEORY BY JESSICA RADLOFF

In Reference To Murder: Media Murder for Monday 3/13/2023

 In Reference To Murder: Media Murder for Monday 3/13/2023

Markets and Jobs for Writers for 3/13/2023

 Markets and Jobs for Writers for 3/13/2023

Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: London Interrupted by J. A. Marley


I am a huge fan of Parker, Junior Bender, and Wyatt, so I snapped up London Interrupted (SpellBound Books, 2023), the first book about professional thief Danny Felix by Irish author John A. Marley. Felix has had a successful career of robbing post offices, betting shops, and banks without being nabbed once. His lucky streak came to a screeching halt when Detective Inspector James Harkness caught him with the proceeds of his latest burglary. The scene with the money-sniffing dog was fun.

Instead of being arrested and sent to jail, as Felix expected, Harkness wants him to steal a large shipment of currency for him. Felix doesn’t like either of his options -- prison or the clearly lunatic Harkness -- and begins to carefully plot a course to escape both.

In the meantime Inspector Christine Chance of the west London police station is becoming suspicious of the recent run of good luck her team is encountering, taking down one criminal enterprise after another, each yielding an eye-watering amount of cash. While her colleagues simply assume that the wheel of fortune has turned in their favor for a change, Chance can’t rid herself of the idea that the arrests were set up somehow. Her attention is easily diverted these days though, as her eleven-year-old daughter is fading away in a hospice unit, where Chance is spending her nights.

Felix arranges a once-in-a-lifetime, history-making robbery that does not go according to anyone’s plan, including his.

I especially enjoy the meticulous preparation that goes into these heists the fictional professional robbers are always taking on. The intellect required to plot out a detailed and operational scheme is considerable, requiring identification of every conceivable thing that might go wrong. The body count in this book is significantly more than I anticipated; even the Parker books, as grim as they are, aren’t as lethal. Although it’s always a pleasure to see a crooked cop taken out of action. Recommended, especially for fans of crime fiction where traditional roles of good and bad actors are reversed.


 

·         Publisher: SpellBound Books (January 19, 2023)

·         Language: English

·         Paperback: 310 pages

·         ISBN-10: 1739297806

·         ISBN-13: 978-1739297800

 

Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2023

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

Saturday, March 11, 2023

KRL This Week Update for 3/11/2023

Up on KRL this morning reviews and giveaways of 3 more Irish mysteries for your St. Patrick's Day reading-"Murder at an Irish Bakery": An Irish Village Mystery by Carlene O'Connor, "Irish Knit Murder": A Knit & Nibble Mystery by Peggy Ehrhart, and "Death in Irish Accents": A Dublin Driver Mystery by Catie Murphy https://kingsriverlife.com/03/11/more-irish-mysteries-for-st-patricks-day/ 

And review and ebook giveaway of "The Vintner's Other Daughter" by Anna Celeste Burke https://kingsriverlife.com/03/11/the-vintners-other-daughter-by-anna-celeste-burke/

 

We also have a review and giveaway of "Murder Served Neat" by Michelle Hillen Klump along with an interesting interview with Michelle https://kingsriverlife.com/03/11/murder-served-neat-by-michelle-hillen-klump/

 

Up during the week we posted another special midweek guest post, this one by mystery author Maddie Day aka Edith Maxwell about her new book "Four Leaf Cleaver" and food for St Patrick's Day. There is also a giveaway of the book. https://kingsriverlife.com/03/08/cooking-up-some-delicious-irish-mysteries/

 

Up on KRL News and Reviews this week we have a review and giveaway of "The Sorcerer and the Assassin" by Stephen O'Shea and published by Brash Books https://www.krlnews.com/2023/03/the-sorcerer-and-assassin-by-stephen.html

 

And a review and giveaway of "Zoning, Zealots, and Ziplines" by Tonya Kappes https://www.krlnews.com/2023/03/zoning-zealots-ziplines-by-tonya-kappes.html


Happy reading,
Lorie

Lesa's Book Critiques: OFF THE MAP BY TRISH DOLLER

Lesa's Book Critiques: OFF THE MAP BY TRISH DOLLER 

Beneath the Stains of Time: The Wrong Letter (1926) by Walter S. Masterman

Beneath the Stains of Time: The Wrong Letter (1926) by Walter S. Masterman: Walter S. Masterman was an English fiction writer who dabbled in horror, fantasy, science-fiction and detective stories, twenty-six novels i...

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Failure Is An Option: An Attempted Memoir by H. Jon Benjamin

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Failure Is An Option: An Attempted Memoir by H. Jo...:   Reviewed by Kristin H. Jon Benjamin set out to write about his many failures. This is perhaps the one thing at which he was successful...

Jerry's House of Everything: DICK COLE #1 (DECEMBER-JANUARY 1948-1949)

Jerry's House of Everything: DICK COLE #1 (DECEMBER-JANUARY 1948-1949):  Dick Cole, top-notch cadet at Farr Military Academy, began his adventures in Novelty Press's Blue Bolt Comics  #1 (June 1940), where he...

Scott's Take: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Illustrated Edition by J.K. Rowling Art by Jim Kay and Neil Packer


Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Illustrated Edition by J.K. Rowling features the art of Jim Kay and Neil Packer. All previous four other volumes feature Jim Kay only artist. However, in this book, he is sharing the artwork with Neil Packer as Jim Kay is stepping down due to mental health concerns. If the series is continued, there is a good chance that it won’t be as visually consistent as it has been in the past due to the absence of Jim Kay.

The story is the same as the novel so Harry is dealing with the Ministry trying to take over Hogwarts and refusing to acknowledge that Voldemort is back. 

Nothing is different book wise as far as I can tell. The art is excellent and highlights the visual differences between the movie version and the book version. Since the art depicts the book version, characters are not as attractive as their Hollywood version counterparts. Hagrid is more giant like and ugly while Severeus Snape is less of a pretty boy than the movies depicted him. Some parts are depicted more whimsically than the realistic style the movies preferred to go with. 

There is a lot of illustrations for this type of book. While I would prefer more, I always want more illustrations in this series. I highly enjoyed seeing how scenes in the novel are visualized here in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Illustrated Edition. I am hoping that the continue with the next book. I also hope that Jim Kay is able to get the help he needs.

 


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

 

Scott A. Tipple ©2023

Friday, March 10, 2023

The Rap Sheet: Revue of Reviewers: 3-10-23

 The Rap Sheet: Revue of Reviewers: 3-10-23

Lesa's Book Critiques: WINNERS AND A COZY CORNER GIVEAWAY

 Lesa's Book Critiques: WINNERS AND A COZY CORNER GIVEAWAY

SleuthSayers: Echoing "Get Involved" by O'Neil De Noux

SleuthSayers: Echoing "Get Involved": JT Lawton’s SleuthSayers post of February 26 th  provides excellent advice. If any of you missed it, it’s entitled – ”Get Involved.” JT advi...

Bitter Tea and Mystery: The Cover Wife: Dan Fesperman

Bitter Tea and Mystery: The Cover Wife: Dan Fesperman:   This is the second book in an espionage series by Dan Fesperman. The main character in this book is Claire Saylor, a CIA agent stationed i...

Jerry's House of Everything: FORGOTTEN BOOK: BAD NEWS

Jerry's House of Everything: FORGOTTEN BOOK: BAD NEWS:   Bad News  by Donald E. Westlake  (2001) Dortmunder. That's it.  That's my entire review.  You really don't need anything else ...

Happiness Is A Book: FRIDAY’S FORGOTTEN BOOK: THE SAINT MAKER BY LEONARD HOLTON

 Happiness Is A Book: FRIDAY’S FORGOTTEN BOOK: THE SAINT MAKER BY LEONARD HOLTON

FFB Review: Three in Death by J. D. Robb


Recently on one of my reviews in this series, Jerry House mentioned in a comment that there were also novellas. I had seen something to that effect before, but had not gone looking. Jerry’s comment got me looking in the Dallas Library system where I found a few bundled together in groups of three. Three in Death is one of those bundled novella collections.  It contains the novellas titled, Interlude in Death, Midnight in Death, and Haunted in Death.

 

It is the spring of 2059 as Interlude in Death opens and Lieutenant Eve Dallas of the NYPSD is unhappily off planet. Even worse than the fact she is off planet, something she does not like at all, is the  fact that she has been ordered to give a seminar on murder at the Interplanetary Law Enforcement and Security Conference. It is being held at the Olympus Resort in a hotel owned by her husband. She isn’t happy at all about any of it. Though, as she grudgingly admits, the resort does have some perks. One of those is the fact that her husband, Roarke, is with her and has some tricks to help her mood.

 

Peabody and a number of other coworkers are also in attendance. So too is the legendary former commander Douglas R. Skinner. Within a few minutes of meeting him, it is clear that Skinner is going after her husband. He foolishly wanted the help of Dallas. Predictably, that went nowhere.  One knows a murder will soon happen.

 

The reader is not disappointed as soon one of the men in Skinner’s detail is very much dead. Dallas is off planet and out of her jurisdiction, and quite possibly a suspect, but that is not going to stop her from working the case.

 

Midnight in Death is next and opens on Christmas morning. It was supposed to be their first Christmas together. Instead of being home with her husband and taking a much-needed break after a recent brutal case, she is standing over a body before dawn in the below freezing cold.

 

The very dead body at her feet is Judge Harold Wainger. He is naked and was dumped in the center of the ice rink at Rockefeller Center. It is clear he has been on ice for quite some time. It is also clear he was beaten and tortured extensively before he died.

 

A cryptic note and a list of those he plans to also torture and kill was left with the body. David Palmer is back in town and up to his old ways. So much for having him locked away for his previous savage crimes. It would have been nice if those in charge at the prison had alerted Dallas that he had escaped their custody. He is back and Dallas is in a race to find him as he keeps grabbing folks on the list despite all her security efforts.

 

It is January 2060 as Haunted in Death begins and Dallas is in a cold room in a derelict and abandoned building. She is with Peabody at the site of another murder.  Radcliff C. Hopkins III is very much dead thanks to being shot multiple times by a gun of some type. While guns are outlawed, there are still some around and clearly one was at work here. So too was rage.

 

He is a grandson of a legendary rock and roll family that made its fortune and name back in the late 60s.  Legend has it that the grandfather overdosed in the building that housed his club. Legend has it that the building is very much haunted. “Number Twelve” is a disaster for anyone who ever tries to live or run a business out of the building. Now his grandson is dead on the floor in a room of the old building.

 

Lieutenant Dallas does not believe in the paranormal. In the here and now of January 2060 she is going to go through some things in that building that just might make her rethink her stance. One thing that she is sure of is that ghosts don’t kill people. Flesh and blood real people do and she has a living killer to catch.

 

The three reads in this Three in Death collection are all good ones. Fun novellas, they more quickly and entertain the reader. While not as quite as complicated as full-length books, all three are fairly complicated, and are well worth your time.

 

 

My reading copy came via the Overdrive/Libby App of the Dallas Public Library System.

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2023