The Hard Word: SHOTGUN BLAST FROM THE PAST: ROBERT B. PARKER'S DOUBLE PLAY
Friday, March 31, 2023
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Shadows Over Baker Street edited by Michael Reaves and John Pelan
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Shadows Over Baker Street edited by Michael Reaves...: Reviewed by Jeanne This wonderful collection of short stories imagines the worlds of Sherlock Holmes and H.P. Lovecraft colliding to del...
Beneath the Stains of Time: It's a Numbers Game: Q.E.D. vol. 23-24 by Motohiro Katou
Beneath the Stains of Time: It's a Numbers Game: Q.E.D. vol. 23-24 by Motohiro...: The first of two stories from Motohiro Katou 's Q.E.D. vol. 23, "The Liar," begins with Sou Touma arriving in Taiwan to meet...
Jerry's House of Everything: FORGOTTEN BOOK: THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH
Jerry's House of Everything: FORGOTTEN BOOK: THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH: The Phantom Tollbooth by Norman Juster (1961) The classic juvenile fantasy, made even better (as if that were possible) by illustrations ...
FFB Review: Time of Death by J. D. Robb
Time of Death by J.D. Robb is
a novella collection featuring NYPSD Lieutenant Eve Dallas. Unlike the Three
in Death collection that was primarily straight forward, the strange
and flat-out weird plays a bigger role in this read.
It opens with Eternity
in Death. In late April 2060, Tiara Dent bought into his myth of living
forever. Now she won’t see 24 as the young beautiful woman is a very dead
celebrity. The two puncture wounds on the left side of her throat give some
indication to how it happened.
Eve Dallas hates
stiletto heels. She hates the dressing up to mingle and socialize party
nonsense. But, when you are married to Roarke, a very rich man, you do what you
have to do. That means being very dressed up and in attendance at the gathering
hosted by Maxia Caryle. It was supposed to be a fun evening in Eternity in Death. Certainly not a
murder scene. But, it is, and now there is a victim, one very bloody suspect,
and many other folks that also have to be ruled considered as killers or
witnesses. Now the real party can get started.
It is early
spring in 2060 and the traditional ferries still sail across the water to the Statue
of Liberty. One on those ferries, the Hillary Rodham Clinton, has a very
bloody bathroom. No doubt the person that was in that bathroom is dead. Nobody
could have survived that massive amount of blood loss. Yet, there is no body. That person did not just get up and leave. It
all means that Lieutenant Eve Dallas has a missing victim, a floating crime
scene, and more than a few suspects in Missing in Death.
The three
novellas in the Time of Death collection are all good ones. They push the boundaries
of the strange a little bit, but all three end up being logically solved. As
always, there are plenty of twists and turns as the reads move quickly to a
resolution.
My reading copy
came by way of the Libby/OverDrive App and the Dallas Public Library System.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2023
Thursday, March 30, 2023
Wednesday, March 29, 2023
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Nevermore: Fair and Tender Ladies, Boy Who Talked to Dogs, Dollbaby, Librarian of Burned Books
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Nevermore: Fair and Tender Ladies, Boy Who Talked ...: Reported by Garry Fair and Tender Ladies by Lee Smith. “I used to be a scandal myself. Now I am an institution.” Ivy Crow is a fire...
Bitter Tea and Mystery: Short Story Wednesday: "Birdie" by Lauren Groff
Bitter Tea and Mystery: Short Story Wednesday: "Birdie" by Lauren Groff: Some serendipitous wandering around on the internet on the weekend led me to discover a new (to me) author that I want to read, and a shor...
Jerry's House of Everything: SHORT STORY WEDNESDAY: CLOONATURK
Jerry's House of Everything: SHORT STORY WEDNESDAY: CLOONATURK: "Cloonaturk" by Mervyn Wall (firxt published in Argosy [UK], December 1947; reprinted in Wall's collections A Flutter of Wi...
Short Story Wednesday Review: Guilty Crime Story Magazine: Issue Six, Fall 2022
Guilty Crime Story Magazine: Issue Six,
Fall 2022,
opens with “Overnights at the Bumblebee Motel” by Michael Grimala. Gordon has a driven a long way from Ohio to
southern Louisiana in search of Hannah. He thinks the Bumblebee Motel might
offer a clue or two in his search. He needs to find his sister.
Publisher and Editor Brandon Barrows is
next with “One Last Ride.” Foley just wants to park his cab the night and go to
bed. Dispatcher Hugh Spenser is a serious annoyance and he is not done with
Foley yet. Instead, because the next driver is out sick, Foley has to keep
working. He has to go to the airport on a nasty night and pick up a passenger
named Thomas Bailey. Foley’s Bed, and his unhappy wife, are going to have to
wait.
Steve Liskow’s short story, “Peepin’ and
Hiddin’” is next where at least one of the neighbors is a real jerk.
Unfortunately, he is teaching his own son the same bad ideas. Wes and Louie
have fireworks, cherry bombs to be specific, and are perfectly willing to use
them. It is July 1st, a drought is happening, and they have zero concern for
others in their condo complex. That is going to change.
Dan Moore knows the kid is up to
something in “You Wouldn’t Shoot Me” by Anderson Barnes. He tailed him from the
buss and followed him off the bus at a stop in Roxbury. Every step they take
sends Dan Moore deeper in a neighborhood he does not know and where it seems
everyone is watching him.
He used to be a cop. Now, each evening,
he sits in a bar and limits himself to five drinks. He plays an inner game with
himself in “Some Sunny Day, Baby” by Joseph S. Walker and tries to figure out
if this will be the night he goes for six. That is until a face from long ago,
Anson Brancato, shows up and tells him of a problem and Carl Denham. Favors are
owed and he owes Carl Denham.
“I’ll Scratch Yours” by Thomas Nicholson
is next where our man is on a massage table having his bad shoulder and more
worked on by an unseen masseuse. The department is paying and it should help
him feel better. It might actually work if she did not talk so much. She has a
lot to say.
The author, Mr. James, is meeting with a
man known to some as Mr. John Wesley Hardin about an upcoming movie. It is to be a western and he had some
questions as Wyatt Earp, still living out in California, told him to get gone.
Lonnie put the two together for his own reasons. Getting Mr. James to show up
was just the first step in the plan in “The John Wesley Hardin Rag by Coy Hall.
The issue closes with the nonfiction
piece, “The Jeff Davis 8: A True Crime Story” by. N. Fraley. It recounts the
discovery of eight women in and around various bodies of water in Jennings,
Louisiana. During the period between 2005 and 2009 the bodies of the women were
found. All were sex workers who may have been killed by a serial killer. They
may have been the victims of rogue police officers. We may never know as this
piece explains.
As always, the stories in Guilty Crime Story Magazine: Issue Six, Fall 2022 are not happy reads. Like the tales in previous ones, these are not tales of people drinking tea, cats hanging out, or ones that make one content with the state of the world where one is sure all will work out. Far from it. Darkness, in a variety of ways, is probed in the tales that make up this issue. While this reader had his own favorites, all are solidly good reads.
My reading copy was a purchase of the eBook last October by way of funds in my Amazon Associate account.
Kevin R. Tipple © 2023
Tuesday, March 28, 2023
Beneath the Stains of Time: The Killing of Katie Steelstock (1980) by Michael Gilbert
Beneath the Stains of Time: The Killing of Katie Steelstock (1980) by Michael ...: Back in January, I returned to the work of Michael Gilbert and looked at his first mystery novel, Close Quarters (1947), which introduced ...
Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity: 85 Calls for Submissions in April 2023 - Paying markets
Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity: 85 Calls for Submissions in April 2023 - Paying ma...: This April there are more than seven dozen calls for submissions. All of these are paying markets, and none charge submission fees. As alway...
Review: Wayward Son: An Ed Runyon Mystery by Steve Goble
Picking up a few months after City Problems
and shortly before the Covid outbreak in the United States, Ed Runyon is no
longer a Mifflin County Sheriff’s Deputy. He has started Whiskey River
Investigations and, as a private investigator, will focus on missing kids. Missing kid cases are important to him and a
major reason why he left New York.
Jimmy Zachman is missing. His parents, Tammy and Bob
Zachman meet with Mr. Runyon and are doing everything they can to hold it
together. The 15-year-old has been missing around 24 hours and they have no
idea why he left. While they claim they have no idea, but Ed Runyon sees a
couple of possible reasons right from the start. But, he is not there to
discuss religion or politics. He is there to find their missing son.
The search for Jimmy will take him far from Jimmy’s
home on Poplar Street in Ambletown, Ohio. It will involve technology, a chess
app, and a lot more, in a complex case where nothing is as it seems.
As this the second book in the series that began with City Problems, it would be best to have read that book first. Not only do several of the recurring characters return here, time has passed, and some situations have changed a little bit. Additionally, events of the first book are referenced repeatedly and ultimately play a role here, so read in order.
Wayward Son: An Ed Runyon Mystery is a good one. Like City Problems, the read is highly recommended.
My reading copy came from the Kleberg Rylie Branch of the Dallas Public Library System.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2023
Monday, March 27, 2023
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Hollywood Horrors: Murders, Scandals, and Cover-Ups from Tinseltown by Andrea Van Landingham
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Hollywood Horrors: Murders, Scandals, and Cover-U...: Reviewed by Jeanne While the lurid title and red blaze across the cover might entice some to pick up this book, it almost had the opposi...
Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity: 51 Writing Contests in April 2023 - No entry fees
Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity: 51 Writing Contests in April 2023 - No entry fees: This April there are more than four dozen free writing contests for short fiction, novels, poetry, CNF, nonfiction, and plays. Prizes range ...
Bitter Tea and Mystery: A Man and His Cat, Vol. 1-3
Bitter Tea and Mystery: A Man and His Cat, Vol. 1-3: A Man and His Cat is a Japanese manga series; the writer and artist is Umi Sakurai. This comic started out on Twitter, self-published on Tw...
Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: Pesticide by Kim Hays
Kim Hays
holds U.S. and Swiss dual citizenship and lives in Bern, Switzerland. After a
wildly diverse career she turned to writing crime fiction. Pesticide
(Seventh Street Books, 2022) is her first book about Inspector Giuliana Linder
and her younger colleague Investigator Renzo Donatelli of the Bern police. It
was shortlisted for the 2020 Debut Dagger award by the Crime Writers'
Association. The second book in the series is scheduled for release in April
2023.
Linder is assigned
the difficult task of looking into the death of a member of the public,
possibly at the hands of a police officer during a street celebration that
turned into a riot. The officer in question reported hitting the young man but
not hard enough to cause fatal damage. Her first job is to identify the victim.
While he was carrying cash, his identity papers are missing. In the meantime
Donatelli is pulled into investigating the clear murder of François Schwab, an
elderly organic farmer outside Bern who was found in his barn drenched in the
pesticide that he loathed. When their separate investigations reveal the two
knew each other and that they had business dealings, Linder and her associates
begin to believe the deaths are connected.
Linder’s husband Ueli
is a journalist who keeps their home going in the face of her grueling work
schedule and cares for their two children while fitting in his writing and
research as he can. The understandable tensions this arrangement generates are clearly
portrayed. Ueli has a dual role in the book, demonstrating the strain a police
officer’s work exerts on home and family and carrying the secondary theme of
the book, the issue of police brutality, which is examined from both sides. It
is an ongoing source of concern within the Linder marriage.
Donatelli is
unhappily married but adores his children. He makes no secret of his interest
in the older Linder, who is committed to her marriage while finding Donatelli
attractive. I am not a fan of crime fiction that is more romance than mystery
but this push/pull is realistic and takes a back seat to the criminal search. Anyone
who works with other people will recognize the potential for the situation.
This book is
a very good procedural; I don’t understand why it has not received more
attention, although Kirkus did give it a starred review. The plot is original,
the setting is intriguing, and the characters are wonderful. Even the secondary
characters are lifelike. The issue of police brutality is shown from both sides
in a balanced and compassionate picture. The insight into the Swiss law
enforcement system is fascinating. Highly recommended.
·
Publisher: Seventh Street Books (April 19, 2022)
·
Language: English
·
Paperback: 358 pages
·
ISBN-10: 1645060462
·
ISBN-13: 978-1645060468
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 26, 2023
SleuthSayers: A I on Short Story by R.T. Lawton
SleuthSayers: A I on Short Story: Artificial Intelligence once was a concept of science fiction, a thing of the future. Now, it's a creature of the present and we are st...
Saturday, March 25, 2023
KRL This Week Update for 3/25/2023
Up on KRL this morning a review and giveaway of an Easter mystery, "Chocolate Bunny Betrayal" by Tonya Kappes https://kingsriverlife.com/03/25/chocolate-bunny-betrayal-by-tonya-kappes/
And a review and giveaway of "Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers" by Jesse Q Sutanto https://kingsriverlife.com/03/25/vera-wongs-unsolicited-advice-for-murderers-by-jesse-q-sutanto/
And a review and giveaway of "A Midsummer Night's Scheme" by Harper Kincaid along with a fun interview with Harper https://kingsriverlife.com/03/25/a-midsummers-night-scheme-by-harper-kincaid/
We also have a review of the latest Hallmark Movies & Mysteries movie "The Cases of Mystery Lane" https://kingsriverlife.com/03/25/hallmark-movies-mysteries-the-cases-of-mystery-street/
And a mystery short story by Mary Jo Robertiello https://kingsriverlife.com/03/25/mystery-short-story-hit-and-run/
Up during the week we posted another special midweek guest post, this one by mystery author Michelle Corbier about researching the crimes and methods of murder in her books and about her latest book "Murder in Gemini" https://kingsriverlife.com/03/22/research-your-crimes/
Up on KRL News and Reviews this week we have a review and ebook giveaway of the limited release novella "Mystic Wedding Bell Blues" By Sally J. Smith & Jean Steffens <https://www.krlnews.com/2023/03/limited-release-mystic-wedding-bell.html> https://www.krlnews.com/2023/03/limited-release-mystic-wedding-bell.html
And a review and giveaway of "Star Tangled Murder" by Nancy Cohen https://www.krlnews.com/2023/03/star-tangled-murder-by-nancy-j-cohen.html
And a review and giveaway of "Priceless Betrayal" by VictoriaTait https://www.krlnews.com/2023/03/priceless-betrayal-by-victoria-tait.html
FYI KRL will not have an April 1 issue as I will be out of town.
Happy reading,
Lorie
Beneath the Stains of Time: The Hit List: Top 10 Favorite Reprints from Dean Street Press
Beneath the Stains of Time: The Hit List: Top 10 Favorite Reprints from Dean S...: If you're a casual mystery reader who looked at our little niche corner on the internet, you might get the impression that the prevailin...
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Death by Smoothie by Laura Levine
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Death by Smoothie by Laura Levine: Reviewed by Kristin Jaine Austen (no, not that Jane Austen), can’t seem to get away from Cryptessa Muldoon. Cryptessa was the main ch...
Scott's Take: Ghost Rider Vol 1: Unchained by Benjamin Percy
Ghost Rider Vol 1: Unchained by Benjamin Percy (the author of the current Wolverine series) is the newest Ghost Rider series with Johnny Blaze as the lead. We find Johnny currently living a happy life with his wife and kids in a quiet town. He is suffering from the after effects of a motorcycle accident. He suffered a head injury and is dealing with occasional hallucinations that cause him to see the people around him as monsters. As long-time readers know, his wife and kids are dead so something is clearly wrong.
The first part of the read is about Johnny trying to what
is real and what is not. When he does, he then goes across the country fighting
against the demons who have made rural America their hunting grounds while
being hunted by the FBI.
This is a back-to-basics Ghost Rider volume which
establishes how hard the Johnny Blaze life is and why the world needs the Ghost
Rider. Since most superheroes are not nomadic, evil can build up in small towns
that people don’t care about. In a way, he is Jack Reacher and cleaning up
rural America one town at a time.
The art is really good and the monsters are suitable disgusting and horrific. The violent battles are bloody and full gore. There is a ton of death, body horror, and gruesome images. This is not for kids. This is a dark tale with strong horror themes. This series continues with the late April 2023 release of Ghost Rider Vol 2: Shadow Country. There are also two more miniseries that are supposed to be launching out of this series as well. This revitalization of Ghost Rider seems to be doing quite well. It’s nice to have Johnny back as a lead character again.
My reading copy came via the Hoopla app of the Dallas Public Library System.
Scott A. Tipple ©2023
Friday, March 24, 2023
A Writer's Life....Caroline Clemmons: PREORDER A ROMANCE!
A Writer's Life....Caroline Clemmons: PREORDER A ROMANCE!: By Caroline Clemmons Having a book listed for preorder is sort of like being pregnant—you're eager because you know it’s coming soon, b...
Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity: 30 Awesome Writing Conferences and Workshops in April 2023
Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity: 30 Awesome Writing Conferences and Workshops in Ap...: This April there are more than two dozen writing conferences and workshops. Some conferences and workshops will be held online, but some wil...
Jerry's House of Everything: FORGOTTEN BOOK: A STREAK OF LIGHT
Jerry's House of Everything: FORGOTTEN BOOK: A STREAK OF LIGHT: A Streak of Light by Richard Lockridge (1976) Richard Lockridge (1898-1982) and his wife Frances (1896-1962) are best remembered for thei...
Thursday, March 23, 2023
Review: An Evil Heart: A Kate Burkholder Novel by Linda Castillo
An Evil Heart: A
Kate Burkholder Novel by Linda Castillo opens just a few days before Chief
of Police Kate Burkholder is to be wed to John Tomasetti. Fall has come to the
Amish country side Surrounding Painters Mill, Ohio, and the land is pretty as
the trees take on their fall colors. Kate’s on the wedding is soon destroyed as
she has a case to work. What might have been a simple hit and run is instead a
murder. Not just a murder, but a brutal and savage execution.
Aden Karn is the
victim of being shot twice by a crossbow. A bolt was fired into his abdomen a
couple of inches above his navel. Then, with the twenty-year-old man gravely
wounded, the shooter manually pushed the bolt through his body and out his
back. That freed bolt was retrieved, and then is forced deep into his mouth before
being fired again through the back of the throat and back of his head. The
person who did this wanted to inflict a lot of pain and terror to kill in such
a brutal way.
Aden Karn
initially seems to have been a great guy. But, nobody’s perfect. As Chief
Burkholder and her team work the case, it becomes clear that Karn was hiding a
lot of dark things. Plenty of folks had a reason to kill him. Isolating who did
it gets increasingly complicated and more difficult in An Evil Heart: A Novel.
After the events
of The Hidden One took Kate Burkholder away from home, An
Evil Heart keeps her local and makes the tale stronger thanks to the inclusion
of the usual secondary characters. All the regulars are fully involved in this
brutal and violent case. The latest in this long running series as a
complicated and detailed read that works on all levels. Well worth your time,
it is nice to have Burkholder and the gang back together in the powerfully good,
An Evil Heart: A Novel by Linda Castillo.
My reading copy came by way of an ARC by way of NetGalley. The currently scheduled release date is July 11th.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2023
Wednesday, March 22, 2023
Beneath the Stains of Time: Window of Opportunity: "The Riddle of the Brass Band" (1934) by Stuart Palmer
Beneath the Stains of Time: Window of Opportunity: "The Riddle of the Brass Ba...: Back in November, I reread Stuart Palmer's " The Riddle of the Whirling Lights " (1935), collected in Hildegarde Withers: Unco...
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Her Story A Timeline of the Women Who Changed America by Charlotte S. Waisman and Jill S. Tietjen Who Changed Amer...
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Her Story A Timeline of the Women Who Changed Amer...: Note: We don't have a Nevermore report today, so we thought we would share this blast from the past! It was ten years and one day ago t...
Bitter Tea and Mystery: Short Story Wednesday: More Stories from Alice Munro
Bitter Tea and Mystery: Short Story Wednesday: More Stories from Alice Munro: Back in November 2022 I read the first eight stories in Dear Life , a short story collection by Alice Munro. This week I read the remainin...
Jerry's House of Everything: SHORT STORY WEDNESDAY: THE HAUNTED ORGANIST OF HURLY BURLY
Jerry's House of Everything: SHORT STORY WEDNESDAY: THE HAUNTED ORGANIST OF HU...: "The Haunted Organist of Hurly Burly" by Rosa Mulholland (first published in All Year Round , November 1866; reprinted in Mullholl...
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
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...
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
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,...
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
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
Mystery Fanfare: LEFTY AWARD WINNERS 2023: LEFT COAST CRIME: Lefty Award Winners: Left Coast Crime 2023 The Lefty Awards were announced last night at the Left Coast Crime Convention in Tucson, Arizo...
Saturday, March 18, 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
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