Been a brutal week and this got a snicker.
Friday, May 31, 2024
Update
The flickering with the power seems to have mostly subsided. We got out a little while ago and got down to our local Kroger which was packed. Looked like the aftermath of an ice storm as around half of the shelves in the meat, dairy, and frozen foods were empty with other empty shelves scattered throughout the place.
Forecast is for isolated storms this weekend. As always, any story can be severe.
Numerous trees remain heavily damaged, many are down, and a lot of power lines seem to have come lower than they were. At least we can get out of the neighborhood now.
Thursday, May 30, 2024
Back Online-For Now
If you saw the news about the weather in Dallas Tuesday morning, you know the city got blasted almost as bad as Houston did a couple of weeks ago. We did not have power for over 34 hours. It came on late yesterday afternoon, and then went out for a while overnight. It is on today and the internet is back. How long this holds, I have no idea, as we have heard transformers blow now and then and there is a storm line headed in that should hit around midday.
I got sick from the heat yesterday, and am generally, in bad shape. Things are going to be slow in getting back to normal around here.
But, in good news to this point, Scott is fine, the house is intact, the old big tree stayed upright, and we missed the hail and the possible twister that came through the area.
Hopefully, things stay the same. With Texas weather, one never knows.
Tuesday, May 28, 2024
Review: First Frost: A Longmire Mystery by Craig Johnson
First Frost: A Longmire Mystery by Craig Johnson picks up a few weeks after The Longmire Defense. It is a novel of two storylines. One storyline is set in the here and now as powerful and well-connected forces use a court hearing to go after Sheriff Walt Longmire for his actions at the end of the last book.
The other storyline
is set in late May, 1964. Henry and Walt are embarking on a road trip as they
head east from California to report for military service. Both have graduated
from college and that meant their college deferment is over. The Vietnam War is
well underway and Henry is to report to Fort Polk in Louisiana. Walt Longmire
is to report to Parris Island in South Carolina. They have about a week to get
where they need to be in order to comply with their orders. They are talking
Walt’s old farm truck and will go east, through Oklahoma, so that Henry Standing
bear can visit relatives, before hitting Fort Polk and then Parris Island.
At least that
was the plan.
After a slow
start out of California due to some questions from the local police after they
save some folks off of a sinking boat, they get on I-40 heading east. It is
after many hours of travel, dep in the night,, somewhere in Arizona (they
think), when everything goes sideways, literally, and they wind up in a ditch.
The result is a right front wheel bent horribly off at an angle indicating
major damage. The only answer at their isolated location is to walk for help.
After some walking,
they find the small barely existing town of Bone Valley. There are hardly any
people and most of the structures are boarded up and locked in one way or
another. It is clear from the start of their arrival that it is a strange place
and haunted by something horrible that happened many years earlier. What happened
is something the few local left don’t want to talk about or deal with as they
are desperate to keep the secrets buried and avoid all outsiders. The arrival
of Walt and Henry, who can’t easily be sent on their way as soon as possible,
are a problem for that goal.
In the here and
now, the good Sheriff is involved in a court hearing where he has to testify
regarding his actions at the end of the last book. I can’t go into more detail
without creating spoilers and I never do that. I can say that if you have not
read The Longmire Defense, it would be best to do so before
reading this book, as the events in the climax of that book are the main issue
in this storyline.
The two
storylines, decades apart run independently as this book moves forward and
steadily entertains the reader. As always in this series, the past is major
part of the here and now. First Frost: A Longmire Mystery is a
read that once again touches on friendship, faith, morality, and legacy. As has
been pointed out in this series before, regardless of the intent, noble or otherwise,
our actions can, and often do, have a lasting impact far beyond what is seen at
the time.
First Frost: A
Longmire Mystery
by Craig Johnson is another really good read in this long running series. One
that should be read in order, as always.
Amazon Associate
Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4aDdWHJ
My digital ARC
was provided by the publisher, Penguin Group/Viking through NetGalley.
Kevin R. Tipple
©2024
Monday, May 27, 2024
Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity: 53 Great Writing Conferences and Workshops in June 2024
Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity: 53 Great Writing Conferences and Workshops in June...: This June there are more than four dozen writing conferences and workshops. Some conferences and workshops will be held online, but most wil...
SleuthSayers: On Whiteyball
SleuthSayers: On Whiteyball: Whitey Herzog, former Major League Baseball player and manager, passed away in April, at the age of 92. What does that have to do with wri...
Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: Death at Chelsea by Anna Sayburn Lane
Once again I
have the UK Crime Book Club to thank for telling me about an author and a series
new to me. Followers of 1920s historical mysteries will be delighted to learn
about private investigator Mrs. Iris Jameson and her assistant Marjorie Swallow who have
appeared in three books so far by Anna Sayburn Lane. (The UK Crime Book Club is
a private group on Facebook. The administrators also issue a monthly email of
new releases and organize events in the UK. It is a sure way to expand one’s
reading universe.)
The newest
title in the series was released in early May. Death at Chelsea
(Starling Street, May 2024) finds Mrs. Jameson and Marjorie in the country,
where they have been retained by the Halls to identify the person responsible
for damaging the rare Himalayan lilies on which the Halls have pinned their
financial hopes. Their horticultural firm will be displaying the blue lilies at
the upcoming 1923 Chelsea Flower Show, where they hope to win a prize.
The garden
show is held by the Royal Horticultural Society each year in the spring. Much
more than just a display of flowers and plants, it is the event that kicks off
the social season in London. Members of the royal family invariably attend, and
crowds of enthusiastic, well-heeled gardeners flock to find new and unusual
plants to add to their collections. The show is a gold mine for any business in
the plant and flower industry, and the Halls’ fears are well-founded.
The 2024
Chelsea Flower Show just ended, see the prize winners here: https://www.rhs.org.uk/shows-events/rhs-chelsea-flower-show/awards
When the lead
gardener responsible for the Halls’ exhibit died suddenly just days before
opening and a toxicology review found yew in the dead man’s system, the Jameson
investigation of sabotage expanded to include murder. Fortunately Inspector Peter
Chadwick with whom Iris Jameson had previously worked was assigned to the case.
This story
immediately reminded me of the John Putnam Thatcher case involving plant
research and development, Green Grow the Dollars (Simon & Schuster,
1982). The amount of money generated by the lawn and garden industry has always
been considerable. And where there is money, there is always crime, as Peter
King noted in one of his Gourmet Detective mysteries.
I liked this
book more than I expected. The character of former drapers’ assistant Marjorie,
who provides the narrative, is likable, naïve but learning fast. Her boss Iris
Jameson is enigmatic, at least to Marjorie, but perhaps more will be revealed
as the series unfolds. The period details include references to the political
unrest in England and the great interest in geographical exploration that
absorbed Europe in the early 20th century. The plot resolution
relies more on confession by the culprits than sound police work, though.
This story will
appeal to a broad sector of mystery readers: private detective fans, those who
like original characters, those who favor historical mysteries, especially in
the time between the wars such as the Daisy Dalrymple series and the Dandy
Gilver books, and to admirers of flower and gardening mysteries. The next book
about the Jameson and Swallow duo is scheduled for release in October 2024.
·
Publisher: Starling Street Books
(May 2, 2024)
·
Language: English
·
Paperback: 262 pages
·
ISBN-10: 1739514440
·
ISBN-13: 978-1739514440
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4dNyArn
Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2024
Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.
Sunday, May 26, 2024
Little Big Crimes: Restoration Software, by Robert J. Binney.
Little Big Crimes: Restoration Software, by Robert J. Binney.: "Restoration Software," by Robert J. Binney, in The Killing Rain, edited by Jim Thomsen, Down and Out Books, 2024. Let's t...
Bitter Tea and Mystery: The Warden: Anthony Trollope
Bitter Tea and Mystery: The Warden: Anthony Trollope: I was excited when The Warden by Anthony Trollope was selected for my Classics Club Spin result. I had read nothing by Trollope and I was...
Guest Post: SECOND – OR FOURTH? – CHANCES by Kathleen Marple Kalb, author of A FATAL RECEPTION
Please welcome Kathleen back to the blog
today….
GUEST POST: SECOND –
OR FOURTH? – CHANCES
By Kathleen Marple Kalb, author of A FATAL
RECEPTION
I’m terrible at giving up.
That’s the easiest way to explain
why the Ella Shane Mystery Series is picking up at Level Best Books. It’s not
the first time I’ve flatly refused to quit, either in my writing career or my
day job as a radio news anchor. But seeing this fourth Ella book, A FATAL
RECEPTION, come out into the world at a new home, with a dream-come-true cover
is an incredibly sweet victory.
The series features an Irish-Jewish
Lower East Side orphan who found fame and fortune as a Gilded Age opera diva
known for “trouser,” or male soprano, roles. I like to say Ella is part Anne of
Green Gables, part Beverly Sills, part Errol Flynn, and all her own woman.
She’s definitely not like any other amateur sleuth you’ve read – and she’s a
lot of fun.
Unfortunately, she’s had a rocky
ride.
The first time around, it was a long
trip to publication, with 200 rejections over three projects, most of it during
a family health crisis, and finally, a lockdown debut: April 2020. Some great early
reviews, nice support from my radio colleagues, and then the brick wall of
Covid.
As a working journalist, I’m
deadline-oriented, so after I finished the third book on the contract, I
started writing the fourth, just in case.
And maybe hoping if I had it, I’d need it.
No surprise, I didn’t need it for
Kensington. No hard feelings – with my sales, I’d have dropped me, too!
But I couldn’t let it sit on my
computer forever – I loved it too much. A FATAL RECEPTION uses a wedding as a
frame for two mystery plots, plus plenty of fun with Victorian mores, Gilded
Age snobbery, and even a wink at Titanic, because why not? In short, a
good ride with a strong mystery backbone, solid historical background, and
characters who I liked too much to let go. Plus a scene from a Civil War
veteran’s funeral that I really loved – edited excerpt below.
By early 2023, I had a new series in
the works at Level Best (the Old Stuff mysteries) and my then-agent was
retiring. It made sense to ask him to offer A FATAL RECEPTION to Level Best,
just on the off-chance they might be interested.
I was prepared for a no.
Maybe even ready to admit it was
time to walk away.
But they liked it. And even wanted
to give the series another try. Three books’ worth.
So here we are. Ella Shane is
heading down the aisle to wedded bliss, and new adventures to come. The second
– fourth? – chance I never expected.
The writing lesson? You never know.
So if you love it, don’t give up.
EXCERPT:
We all bowed our heads, as the minister intoned a
simple final prayer, with the same professional calm as the rest, and then, for
a measure or so, there was nothing but the sound of the pallbearers’ booted
feet.
I
could feel the men beside me tensing, all carefully hanging on to demeanor in
the near, and nearly unbearable, silence.
And then, suddenly, ripping through the quiet like
the first shot must have done on a humid July morning at Gettysburg, a raspy,
impossibly ancient voice, intoning:
Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the
Lord....
“The Battle Hymn of the Republic.” Because there
could be nothing else. On the second line, several others joined in, all older
gentlemen and veterans too:
He is trampling out the vintage where the Grapes of
Wrath are stored...
As he reached the last word, Preston patted my arm
and nodded to me, and I joined him:
He hath loosed the fateful lightning of his terrible
swift sword...
Then, encouraged by Preston and the others, Tommy,
Gil and the rest of the congregation began to sing along as well:
His truth is marching on...
Glory, Glory Hallelujah!
Now everyone was singing, except a few society
women, who looked genuinely confused and offended. Lorimer’s protegee put her
hand on her heart as the casket passed, proudly singing through her tears. So
did his sons, both clearly doing as their father had taught them.
The veterans, singing one more lost comrade out,
were no longer aged and decrepit but alight with pride. All standing straight,
carrying the spirit and the memory of those who never came home.
As we reached the final chorus, the congregation
marched after the family, onto the church steps, now more proclaiming than
singing as we went:
Glory, Glory Hallelujah!
Glory, Glory Hallelujah!
Glory, Glory Hallelujah!
His Truth is Marching On!
As the last notes faded in the heavy June air, the cadets
gently placed the casket in the hearse, standing together for one last silent
salute.
God give him rest.
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3w1R6en
Kathleen Marple Kalb ©2024
Kathleen Marple Kalb describes herself as an Author/Anchor/Mom…not in that order. An award-winning weekend anchor at New York’s 1010 WINS Radio, she writes short stories and novels including A Fatal Reception and the Old Stuff series, both from Level Best Books. As Nikki Knight, she writes the Grace the Hit Mom and Vermont Radio mysteries. Her stories have appeared in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, Black Cat Weekly, and others, and been short-listed for Derringer and Black Orchid Novella Awards. She’s currently the Vice President of the Short Mystery Fiction Society and a co-VP of the New York/Tri-State Chapter of Sisters in Crime. She, her husband, and son live in a Connecticut house owned by their cat. Website: https://kathleenmarplekalb.com/
Saturday, May 25, 2024
Mystery Fanfare: DI RAY: SEASON 2
Mystery Fanfare: DI RAY: SEASON 2: I'm so glad that PBS will be airing DI Ray, Season 2 this June. DI Ray is a British South Asian detective struggling to succeed in a...
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SleuthSayers: Three Things You Should Never Ask an Author: Moving beyond the ubiquitous and somewhat innocent, "Where do you get your ideas"- (you really don't want to peek into the dis...
Scott's Take: Spirit World by Alyssa Wong and Jeremy Holt
Spirit World by Alyssa Wong
and Jeremy Holt is one of the books that is part of the We Are Legends series which was a print run that put new Asian heroes in the DC Universe. It seems
they have killed all three of the separate series with each one having six
issues only. This means the imprint did not last long.
In this volume, Xanthe, a non-binary
Chinese hero able to travel between the land of living and the spirit world
(the Chinese afterlife) has an accidental team up with John Constantine and
Batgirl (Cassandra Cain) fought evil spirits in the land of the living (our
real world). Somehow, during the battle, Batgirl ends up banished to the spirit
world. Xanthe and John Constantine have to figure out how to get her back. They
quickly realize that, somehow, they are blocked from going to the spirit world
themselves. Of course, things soon get way more complicated.
Full of Chinese mythology and incredible
art this is a fun little series. It does have one flaw. John Constantine is
depicted here as a lot nicer than he is usually. As one of the few popular
magic characters, it’s clear that he is present to act as a sidekick to get
people interested, but to do that he has to be a lighter in tone. He is also
powerful enough to be useful, but not over shadow the main character. While I
get why they chose him, there should have been some explanation for why he
trusts Xanthe so quickly and befriends them.
Xanthe is an interesting character. The ending
clearly was a setup t showcase way more being done with the character. Their
power set is pretty unique being based on paper magic. This collected volume
also includes a prelude story and a pride story from their Pride anthology that
is supposed to highlight LGBTQ characters. I enjoyed Spirit World
by Alyssa Wong. Hopefully, someone will
use Xanthe in the future.
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3wqWFmP
My reading copy came from the branch we
visit, Lochwood Library.
Scott A. Tipple ©2024
Friday, May 24, 2024
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: The Fatal Folio by Elizabeth Penney
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: The Fatal Folio by Elizabeth Penney: Reviewed by Jeanne American Molly Kimball loves living in Cambridge, England. She helps manage the family bookstore, the centuries o...
Lesa's Book Critiques: WINNERS AND CRIME FICTION GIVEAWAY
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Do Some Damage: Bishop Rider Lives
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Beneath the Stains of Time: Shadowed Sunlight (1945) by Christianna Brand
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Jerry's House of Everything: FORGOTTEN BOOK: THE BLACK SPOT
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Thursday, May 23, 2024
Wednesday, May 22, 2024
Kathleeen Marple Kalb's Blog: So You Wrote the Book, Now What?: CHOOSE YOUR BATTLES
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Jerry's House of Everything: SHORT STORY WEDNESDAY: A CABIN IN THE WOODS
Jerry's House of Everything: SHORT STORY WEDNESDAY: A CABIN IN THE WOODS: "A Cabin in the Woods" by John Coyne (from Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine , July 1976; reprinted in Alfred Hitchcock...
George Kelly: WEDNESDAY’S SHORT STORIES #175: HOOK, LINE & SINISTER: MYSTERIES TO REEL YOU IN Edited by T. Jefferson Parker
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Patricia Abbott: Short Story Wednesday: THE NIGHT IN QUESTION, Tobias Wolff
Patricia Abbott: Short Story Wednesday: THE NIGHT IN QUESTION, Tobias Wolff Patricia Abbott: Short Story Wednesday: THE NIGHT IN QUESTION, Tobias Wolff
Tuesday, May 21, 2024
Beneath the Stains of Time: Death in High Heels (1941) by Christianna Brand
Beneath the Stains of Time: Death in High Heels (1941) by Christianna Brand: Last month, I revisited Christianna Brand's pièce de résistance, Green for Danger (1944), which is set in a World War II hospital unde...
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: The Maid by Nita Prose
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: The Maid by Nita Prose: The Maid by Nita Prose Reviewed by Jeanne Molly is a maid. She’s a very good maid, anxious to restore each guest’s room to a state o...
Monday, May 20, 2024
Little Big Crimes: Where's Dookie? by Greg Fallis
Little Big Crimes: Where's Dookie? by Greg Fallis: "Where's Dookie?" by Greg Fallis, in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, May/June 2024. This is the third appearance in this blo...
Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: Black River by Mathew Spencer
Black River
was shortlisted for the Ned Kelly Award for Best Debut Crime Fiction in 2023,
and it won the 2023 Danger Award for Best Debut Crime Fiction. The Danger
Awards recognize crime fiction books showcasing Australia in the setting, which
Black River certainly does.
When another
dead girl was found wrapped in black plastic at an exclusive boys’ school in
the Sydney suburbs during the Christmas holidays, popular belief was that the
Blue Moon Killer had claimed another victim. Rose Riley, the sergeant assigned
to homicide chief Steve O’Neil as part of the task force trying to identify the
serial killer responsible for two deaths already, was on the scene with the
rest of the forensic team.
Also present
was Adam Bowman, a general assignment reporter for a floundering newspaper,
whose editor knew Bowman had attended the school and expected him to find a way
around the blockades set up by the police to obtain exclusive photographs.
Bowman did not disappoint and his stock with his employer shot up, much to the
disgust of the crime beat reporter who was striking out in his attempts to get
information.
Riley and
Bowman cross paths on the school campus and they both try to take advantage of
the other’s specialized knowledge to further their career goals.
While I
really dislike the current trend of serial killer crime fiction, the serial
killer aspect was secondary to the details of the criminal investigation and to
the journalistic angles. The dual points of view give simultaneous insight into
the police work and into the operations of a traditional newsroom. The choice
of the sergeant instead of the lead detective as protagonist is original, just
as the selection of a second-string reporter instead of the star crime beat
writer is.
As usual, I
had to look up the occasional Australian vernacular or catchphrase. And the multiple
references to the summer weather over Christmas holidays was disorienting. The
Australian landscape is a key part of the book’s context.
Kirkus
(May 1, 2023) liked
this edgy, somber piece of crime fiction with a surprise ending, calling it “An engaging police procedural with a
little something extra.” The second book in the series is scheduled for
publication in August 2024 in Australia and in June 2025 in the U.S.
·
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
(July 1, 2023)
·
Language: English
·
Paperback: 303 pages
·
ISBN-10: 1662510063
·
ISBN-13: 978-1662510069
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3yrEHRZ
Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2024
Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on
Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.
Sunday, May 19, 2024
Bitter Tea and Mystery: It's Almost Time for 20 Books of Summer 2024
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SleuthSayers: From MM to WW
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Scott's Take: X-Men: Season One by Dennis Hopeless
X-Men: Season One by Dennis
Hopeless, released in March 2012, is part of a series of books under the “Season
One” tagline. These reads are designed to be a modern expansion of the origins
of various heroes. Instead of totally rewriting the origins of the characters,
the goal here is to add to the original origin story.
In this case,
readers begin with the first team of X-Men gathered by Professor X. This story
is told mostly through the perspective of Jean Grey, the first female X-Men, as
she learns to accept her gifts and learns to become part of a team. The team
consists of Angel (rich pretty boy with wings), Iceman (team jokester with ice
powers), Cyclops (closed off team leader who skills is launching concussive
blasts from out of his eyes), and Beast (genius with superhuman physical
abilities). Jean, Cyclops, and Angel have a teen love triangle because that is
what high school age teens do when not doing superhero stuff. The usual teen
love triangle drama ensues as they face off against Magneto, Unus the
Untouchable, and others.
The art is
pretty cool and displays the action well. It also does a good job of
illustrating the character moments well too. There is drama, action, and
character exploration as the team struggles to find themselves as individuals
as well as work together as a team. This is a good story for people who want to
explore the early days of the first X-Men team in the comics.
Overall, I
highly enjoyed this read.
Amazon Associate
Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4djltxL
My reading copy
came from the North Oak Cliff Branch of the Dallas Public Library System.
Scott A. Tipple ©2024
Friday, May 17, 2024
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Bad Boy Beat by Clea Simon
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Bad Boy Beat by Clea Simon: Reviewed by Jeanne Emily Kelton is a journalist, currently working for the Boston Standard on three months’ probation before becoming...
Beneath the Stains of Time: The Hit List: Top 10 Best Translations & Reprints from Locked Room International
Beneath the Stains of Time: The Hit List: Top 10 Best Translations & Reprints ...: The last time I compiled a list, " The Hit List: Top 5 Intriguing Pieces of Impossible Crime Fiction That Vanished into Thin Air ,"...
Thursday, May 16, 2024
Wednesday, May 15, 2024
MAKE MINE MYSTERY: L'Envoi
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SleuthSayers: Saying Uncle
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Bitter Tea and Mystery: Short Story Wednesday: "Runaway" by Alice Munro
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Jerry's House of Everything: SHORT STORY WEDNESDAY: THE MASSACRE OF THE INNOCENTS
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Short Story Wednesday Review: Mystery Magazine: April 2024
“Palomino
Coal” by Doug Crandell opens the Mystery Magazine: April 2024 issue.
Dani and her cousin, Kimmy, at the coal mine at Snow Hill awaiting their
grandfather to come out of the mine. Coal mine located in Vigo County, Indiana.
When the shift ends, their grandfather does not come out, and the hunt for him
is on.
He
went to the speakeasy to see a dame in “On The Pad” by R.T. Lawton. The cop was
setup and now he has to go have a meet with a local crime boss. Not only did
Detective Everett Maitland get played by the woman, she has put him in a real
bind. The kind that could easily get him killed.
Larry
Alan Ruse is next with “Dance with the Dolly.” Jennifer Seymour is visiting
with her friend, Matilda Gray, who has a great home in the suburbs outside New
Haven Connecticut. The retired Yale University librarian is quite the mystery
fan. She has an extensive mystery collection as well as textbooks on forensic
science. She has an extensive mystery collection as well as textbooks on
forensic science. That means she knows a thing or three. That will come in
handy as this package is going to be far more complicated than she expected
when she did the gift order for her granddaughter’s birthday.
It
is back to a historical setting in the next tale that focuses on the legendary
lawman, Gus Hachette. In “First Arrest” by Jim Doherty, the backstory on how Gus
Hachette became a lawman, instead of a preacher, is explained. Hachette was
lucky to survive.
It
is just a few years after the depression has ended in “Cover Of The Moon” by
Robert Mitchell and our narrator is a man that rides the rails with no set
place. He’s back in Hogg Bend, Kentucky, because he heard his Pa has died. Lots
of things have changed. Some for the better. Others for considerably worse. One
of those worst deals is the fact that a bully from school back in the day is
now the deputy sheriff. The man is best avoided. Easier said than done.
It
is back to contemporary times in “Flight Control” by Jacob Aaron Reingold.
Elenna is on the plane with her children, Daniil, 14, and Zarya, 7, and headed
back to their home in the Middle East. She is less than thrilled to be going
back to the Sheikdom. She doesn’t have much of a choice as she is on the plane
headed there from Paris. It will fly over her homeland, Balgor, which she has
not been in since the war. Her options are very limited and one man on her
flight seems intent on making things worse.
“In-Laws
And Out-laws by John Floyd is the “You-Solve-It” this month. Retired Valentine
is looking for her daughter, the sheriff. She finds her at a house where
Sheriff Lucy Valentine is annoyed that her barbecue grill has vanished from her
back patio. Good thing mom came to help investigate. The solution appears in
the May issue.
This
issue closes with the solution to the March “You-Solve-It” story, “The Wisdom of
Solomon” by Eric B. Ruark.
The
seven tales presented in the Mystery Magazine: April 2024 issue
are all good ones. Diversity, as always, is the concept with this publication.
It is again present here as the tales involved showcase a wide range of storytelling
styles and themes. Those who like historical tales will find much to enjoy here
as most of the stories presented in the issue fit that designation.
The
result is another solidly good issue.
Amazon
Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4btE5tf
For quite some time now I have been gifted a subscription by the publisher with no expectation at all of a review.
Kevin
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