Saturday, August 31, 2024
KRL This Week 8/31/2024
Up on KRL this week reviews and giveaways of 3 more great cozies for your end of summer reading-"Murder Buys a One-Way Ticket" by Laura Levine, "A Murder for the Sages" by Amy Lillard and Peg and Rose Play the Ponies by Laurien Berenson https://kingsriverlife.com/08/31/even-more-cozy-mysteries-for-end-of-summer-reading/
And a review and giveaway of "To Err is Cumin" by Leslie Budewitz along with a fun guest post by Leslie about the setting of her books in Seattle https://kingsriverlife.com/08/31/to-err-is-cumin-by-leslie-budewitz/
And a review and giveaway of "The Murders in Great Diddling" by Katarina Bivald along with an interesting interview with Katarina https://kingsriverlife.com/08/31/the-murders-in-great-diddling-by-katarina-bivald/
We also have the latest Mystery Coming Attractions from Shawn Stevens. Also, October will be her last column so we are looking for someone to take her place--if you are interested in knowing more please let me know https://kingsriverlife.com/08/31/mystery-coming-attractions-september-2024/
And another true crime article from Sarah Peterson-Camacho https://kingsriverlife.com/08/31/killer-candy-death-by-chocolate-murder-by-mail/
For those who prefer to listen to Mysteryrat's Maze Podcast directly on KRL, you can find the player here for our latest episode which features the first chapter of "Going Home" by Sharon Marchisello, read by local actor Amelia Ryan https://kingsriverlife.com/08/31/new-mysteryrats-maze-podcast-featuring-going-home/
Up on KRL News and Reviews this week we have a review and ebook giveaway of "Dancing With Danger" by Kimberly Griggs https://www.krlnews.com/2024/08/dancing-with-danger-by-kimberly-griggs.html
And a review and giveaway of the first in a new series by Misty Simon "Unbridled Hauntings" https://www.krlnews.com/2024/08/unbridled-hauntings-by-misty-simon.html
And a midweek special guest post by Joe Cosentino about the audiobook release of his book "The Perfect Gift" https://www.krlnews.com/2024/08/the-perfect-gift-bobby-and-paolo.html
Happy reading and listening,
Lorie
SleuthSayers: The Same Old Story
Beneath the Stains of Time: Murders in the Mountain Lodges Beneath the Shooting Stars (1996) by Jun Kurachi
Scott's Take: Wonder Woman Vol 1: Outlaw by Tom King, illustrator Daniel Sampere
Wonder Woman Vol
1: Outlaw
by Tom King, illustrator Daniel Sampere, deals with a complicated situation.
During a bar fight, an Amazon allegedly kills several dudes. Somehow, the media
and the government turn it into an indictment on all Amazons. All Amazons are
ordered to leave the country by the United States government. The government
creates Amazon Extradition Entity to hunt down any Amazons who refused to leave
the country. Amazons like Wonder Woman. She is attempting to uncover the truth
of what really happened and why. Of course, things get complicated fast.
Wonder Woman has
not had a big-name writer in years until now. Frankly, DC has mishandled the
franchise for several years. The last few runs were not bad, but they were not
good. They were just okay. Each writer tried something different and none of it
worked.
This run, so far,
is both acclaimed and criticized in equal measure. More importantly, it is
getting talked about. That is far more than I can say about previous runs.
People are interested, they care, and they are actually reading it. This time,
the interest is expanding past the usual base as many people are making this
their first Wonder Woman book. I enjoyed it, but I also agree with the
criticism.
The two main
villains are sexist and dumb. They underestimate Wonder Woman to such a large
degree, that might be the point. But the idea that even a sexist would come up
with a plan of sending basic infantry with tank support against Wonder Woman
who fights gods, monsters, and supervillains, and expect to win is laughingly
bad. The idea that Steve, on and off boyfriend, is depicted as concerned for
her against these enemies is dumb. Yea, babe, I saw you wreck a god just a few
months ago, but these guys with guns are a concern.
Tom King never
writes a character like anyone else. Tom King writes his version of a well-established
character so everyone is either going to be slightly off or way more off. All the character development to make several
of her rogue’s more frenemies over the last years seems to be gone here. The
government is always bad or incompetent. One expects that as he always does
this because he is a former employee of the C.I.A. and clearly has issues with
his employment and expresses that in his work.
Wonder Woman Vol
1: Outlaw
does have its positives as well. The art is incredibly good. Daniel Sampere
does some really impressive work. The fights are action packed, Wonder Woman is
complicated, she is kind but fierce, her rogue’s gallery is used well even if
character development has been changed back to what was previously done in some
cases. The new villain is interesting commentary on the country.
The Wonder Girls
actually are all here and play a role. Most of the time the Wonder Girls are
usually either not in a run or only one of them. All four have a role to play.
There are some humor moments too. Tom King is clearly a fan of Wonder Woman and
has done his research. Not many people remember that Wonder Woman has a pet
kangaroo, for example, as the Kangaroo is allowed a small cameo.
I am looking
forward to reading the next volume called Sacrifice which is
coming out in November. Despite DC planning on rebooting a lot of the lines
later in the year for their new All In (the new banner/marketing
term for the DC books which has nothing to do with Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry
Jones and his rants) campaign, this title is one of the few which should not
see major shakeups as DC is happy with the product.
Amazon Associate
Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3YqTtDe
My paperback reading
copy came from the Timberglen Branch of the Dallas Public Library System.
Scott A. Tipple ©2024
Friday, August 30, 2024
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Forget Me Never by Susan Wittig Albert
Jerry's House of Everything: FORGOTTEN BOOK: THE RARE BREED
FFB Review: Connections in Death: In Death Series by J.D. Robb
It is March 2061 as Connections in Death by J.D. Robb begins and Eve Dallas is out with her husband, Roarke, at a party. Just about the worst thing for her, but you do what you have to do when you are married to the richest man on the planet. She’s come a long way from where she started and she knows it.
Besides, the party obligation tonight is a party at Nadine Furst’s new place. Nadine is a good friend and Dallas also knows many of the guests. Both facts make it all a bit more tolerable. But, she does not know everybody in attendance.
While at the penthouse, she meets Rochelle Pickering, a child psychologist, and a good one. Roarke is going to hire her for one of his projects. Specifically, a soon to open shelter that Roarke is putting together to honor some young victims in a previous case while also trying to make sure, at least in a few cases, that the kids that come through avoid some of the horrors Dallas dealt with as she moved through the foster system. Roarke has made sure to include Dallas in every step of the project and Dallas approves.
Rochelle is thrilled to be hired and goes out with her boyfriend, to celebrate. She comes home after a great evening out to find her brother, Lyle Pickering, dead in the apartment they shared. Her date got her out of the apartment and called Dallas.
Dallas is the one and only Lieutenant Eve Dallas of the NYPSD and a very good homicide detective. Lyle was getting his life together. He did his prison time, got clean, learned a trade in prison, cut his gang ties, and was getting somewhere. Now he is dead as somebody ended his future just as things were getting better.
And it is very clear to Dallas from the start that this was a homicide. There is no doubt that this was staged to appear as a fatal drug overdose, but the killer or killers really were sloppy in staging. A fact soon confirmed in autopsy.
Lyle Pickering was flat out murdered. So, who did it? Was it person or persons unknown from his old gang days? A prison cellmate from back in the day now out and settling a score? Somebody in the here and now?
Dallas, Roarke, and the team are soon on the hunt. This also won’t be the only murder tied to the case.
Part police procedural, part romance, and all around good, Connections in Death works and entertains the reader. Billed as the 48th book in the series, one does not expect any new character development here. Yet, a little bit comes through as Dallas continues to evolve and appreciate where she is now as compared to where she started from back in Dallas as a young child brutalized by her father. It has been one heck of a journey.
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4aeE8bj
My large print reading copy came from the library we visit, the Lochwood Branch, here in NE Dallas.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2024
Thursday, August 29, 2024
Jerry's House of Everything: FATHER BROWN MYSTERIES: THE EYE OF APOLLO
Wednesday, August 28, 2024
Beneath the Stains of Time: Midsummer Murder (1937) by Clifford Witting
Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity: 67 Calls for Submissions in September 2024 - Paying Markets
Little Big Crimes: Time and Tide by Edd Vick and Manny Frishberg
Tuesday, August 27, 2024
Foot Update
As some folks
already know, I woke up Sunday morning around six in a lot of pain with the
outside of my left foot swollen and bruised looking. I had no memory of doing
anything to my foot. By that afternoon, I was in such pain that I very seriously
considered going to ER. I have very limited feeling in my feet so I knew
something bad was wrong to be hurting like I was. I also did not want to go and
already had what was supposed to be a routine office visit with the podiatrist
scheduled for today.
By yesterday, the
pain level was lower, as was the swelling, and I felt a little better about not
trying to go to the ER.
Well, the news
sucks. X-Rays were done and the foot got
manipulated a bit and that hurt like holy heck. Diagnosis-- Some tendon that
runs from the back of the leg and under the ankle and then along the side of
the foot is massively inflamed and on the edge of rupture. I may also have
small stress fractures. If I do, they will not show up on x-rays too well, and
there is so much fluid and inflammation there is not much point in trying an
MRI right now. The assumption is that I have them too.
I am now booted
for when I am up and walking around. The frigging boot is huge and very heavy
and makes walking with my cane way harder. Thankfully, I don’t have to sleep
with it.
I have to go back
in two weeks.
Assuming the boot
works and I don’t rupture the thing in the meantime, which apparently could
easily happen, I am going to have to do multiple weeks of physical therapy. How
long? Don’t know yet. Depends on how I heal, time, and all that.
Been a brutally expensive couple of months just in medical bills and I am sick of being in medical places and being a complex patient.
SleuthSayers: Bouchercon Bound
Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity: 41 Writing Contests in September 2024 - No entry fees
Monday, August 26, 2024
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Maigret
Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity: 33 Splendid Writing Conferences and Workshops in September 2024
Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: Lies and Deception by Laraine Stephens
I have
Australian librarian Ward Saylor to thank for this week’s read. He has
mentioned the adventures of crime reporter Reggie da Costa before and the
latest title finally worked its way up the TBR stack. Lies and Deception
by Laraine Stephens (Level Best, 2024) is set in 1925 Melbourne. The period
detail has been carefully researched and woven into a convincingly authentic
narrative of con men of all kinds in a booming metropolitan city.
Smooth-talking
businessman Jasper Fitzalan Howard is found dead in his room at The Hotel
Windsor with 10 stab wounds. He is holding the tarot card Ten of Swords. The
city’s social elite had welcomed Howard, distant cousin of the Duke of Norfolk,
into their circle. Many of the women had fallen prey to his charm and many of
the men had leaped to invest in the property development scheme he said he was
in Melbourne to finalize. His death set tongues wagging while the police hit
one wall after another in trying to pin down the movements of his last days.
Reggie da
Costa, ace crime reporter for the city’s largest newspaper, lost no time in
delving into Howard’s background, only to find that nothing was as it had been
presented. Even the name couldn’t be traced. Howard did not exist until he
showed up in Melbourne. What could be established though was that Howard had
left a trail of unpaid bills, a group of angry prospective investors who had
been bilked out of thousands of pounds, and dozens of women who had been
carefully set up for blackmail. Any number of people were candidates for the
role of suspect in chief.
Secondary to
the murder investigation was da Costa’s campaign to squelch the booming market
in pseudo-medicines. Tonics, remedies, and dietary supplements that made
outrageous claims were being sold without regulation of any kind. They often
contained morphine, opium, and other dangerous drugs. Since the charlatans
peddling these poisons were profiting immensely, they resisted any attempt at supervision
or limitation. But da Costa sent the syrups and tablets off to a private
laboratory for analysis and printed the results, much to the dismay of the
medico swindlers.
Da Costa is an innovative character as is his police detective buddy Detective Sergeant Clary Blain and his conservative girlfriend Ruby Rhodes. The historical detail is pitch perfect with multiple references to the vehicles of the time and extensive mentions of the clothing. Since da Costa is something of a fashion aficionado, the reader is well informed as to what the up-and-coming young man was wearing then. A great addition to lists of 1920s historical mysteries.
· Publisher: Level Best -
Historia (July 2, 2024)
· Language: English
· Paperback: 284 pages
· ISBN-10: 1685126723
· ISBN-13: 978-1685126728
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3SYFZLK
Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2024
Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.
Sunday, August 25, 2024
SleuthSayers: In Which A Line of Dialogue is Written
Bitter Tea and Mystery: Dark Fire: C.J. Sansom
Guest Post: For the Love of the Detective Novel: Love You Till Tuesday by M.E. Proctor
Please
welcome M. E. Proctor back to the blog today…
For the Love of the Detective Novel: Love You Till Tuesday
by M.E. Proctor
How often
have you heard that the detective story was dead? Or exhausted. Or drained of
its last drop of blood. People (critics, reviewers, literary agents …) have
been saying that for the past thirty years, at least. Meanwhile readers,
unaware they were hugging a desiccated corpse, showered affection on the likes
of Bosch, Robicheaux, Scarpetta, and Kenzie & Gennaro, among many others.
I’m a fan of the genre. Let me loose in a bookshop and I’ll go straight to the
crime section. I just finished a Robert B. Parker book, and yesterday I bought
a Louise Penny. I’m incorrigible.
When I
decided to write a crime novel, ten years ago, I didn’t give the possible lack
of commercial appeal of a classic detective story a second thought. It’s what I
wanted to write, no matter all the gloom cast by doomsayers. The journey has
been long but not unusually so. Books take a long time to get published if you
go the traditional route. It’s a good thing I’m stubborn. It’s also a good
thing I enjoy spending so much time with my main character. After six
manuscripts in various stages of completion, we’ve become quite close.
Let me
tell you about him.
Declan
Francis Philip Shaw.
He usually
drops the two middle names but they’re on his private investigator license.
Declan is no amateur sleuth.
Like many
lovers of the genre I grew up reading Agatha Christie, but I was never fond of
Miss Marple. Even as a kid, I found the notion of a middle-aged lady in a quaint
village stumbling on crimes, not once but with disturbing regularity, way too hard
to believe. I hadn’t yet written the first chapter of what would become the
first Declan story, but I was already thinking more of a series than a
stand-alone novel. That meant the man had to be a professional, with an office
and his name in the phone book. Well, sort of … translated into contemporary
terms it means a website, a server with a firewall, and social media accounts. If
Marlowe and Spade set up shop today they would have a hard time finding a pay
phone.
I lived in
Houston, Texas and giving Declan an office in town made a lot of sense. The
city is known for its cycles of boom and bust, diversity, and buzzing sprawling
growth. Oil and NASA. Good old boys and young ambition. Floods, hurricanes, and
a summer heat that slaps you silly. In other words, a fertile terrain for a
talented snoop.
What kind
of snoop? Young, for starters. He isn’t a retired cop gone private to
supplement his pension. Declan is in his early thirties and doesn’t investigate
from behind a desk. He’s at his best in the field, which requires some stamina.
Rereading Chandler recently comforted me in my decision; Marlowe is referred to
as “a young man” (I love Bogey in The Big
Sleep, but it’s a different vibe). I also gave Declan a happy childhood in
Texas and troubled teenage years in New Orleans—what he calls the perfect
training for a private dick—followed by a hard-earned college degree, history
and pre-law. He might have become a lawyer but fate had other plans.
Then I went
against the grain. Declan never carries a gun. He has very good reasons for disliking
guns. On the other hand, he keeps a hunting knife in his cowboy boots, because it
would be insane to go into hairy situations without a weapon. He’s fond of
telling people that clients and cases that would require him to own a gun don’t
interest him. He specializes in finding misplaced people and objects—stolen
art, missing persons, and the occasional cold case. He declares that he doesn’t
“do murder”. It’s a practical choice more than a lofty principle. Cops are on
the front line in homicide cases and they don’t look kindly on private
investigators poaching on their turf.
In Love You Till Tuesday, the first book in
the Declan Shaw mystery series now out from Shotgun Honey, the no murder rule will be challenged with
severe consequences.
As the
book blurb says…
The
death of April Easton makes no sense. She was a jazz singer working the clubs.
Maybe the recording contract she just signed would have been her breakthrough.
It certainly wasn’t a motive for murder. Steve Robledo, Houston PD, is on the
scene. He’s known for working fast and closing cases. This one has all the markings
of a head scratcher. And when witnesses and security cameras confirm Declan
Shaw, a local PI with police connections, spent the night with the woman, it
just makes everything more complicated.
Not that Declan has anything to do with the
murder. He likes music and he liked April. He certainly didn’t kill her.
A collaboration, uneasy at first, is in the
works. Declan can’t get April out of his head. Her memory is fading and he
wants to hang on to it. What better way than to find more about her? Steve is
running out of time, a few more days and he’ll have to turn his attention to
other cases. They strike a mutually beneficial alliance.
For the powerful men behind April’s death, that
alliance means trouble. Declan is stubborn and resourceful. He worries them a
lot more than the police. There’s no telling what he could dig up. The stakes
are high: a trial with the death penalty in play, cartel ties, money.
Ultimately, it’s always about money.
Declan has to be stopped, incapacitated. He’s
put under surveillance, a trap is set to ensnare him, a campaign is launched to
discredit him—The P.I. and the Dead Jazz Singer. It’s a mistake. Declan will bite back.
Many will get hurt.
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3YDebjm
M. E. Proctor ©2024
M.E.
Proctor’s short story collection Family
and Other Ailments is available in all the usual places. She’s currently
working on a contemporary PI series. The first book, Love You Till Tuesday, was recently published by Shotgun Honey. Her
short fiction has appeared in Vautrin, Bristol Noir, Mystery Tribune, Reckon
Review, Black Cat Weekly, and Thriller Magazine among others. She’s a Derringer nominee. Website: www.shawmystery.com
Saturday, August 24, 2024
Beneath the Stains of Time: Prelude to Revival: The Locked Room Mystery & Impossible Crime Novel in the 1980s
SleuthSayers: Los Angeles - The Novels by Michael Mallory
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Silent Came the Monster by Amy Hill Hearth
Scott's Take: Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong by Brian Buccellato, illustrator Christian Duce, and illustrator Tom Derenick
Justice League
vs. Godzilla vs. Kong by Brian Buccellato, illustrator Christian Duce,
and illustrator Tom Derenick, features Lex Luthor and the Legion of Doom having
the brilliant idea to use Godzilla, Kong, and others to destroy the Justice
League. Despite the fact they know they can’t control them; Lex and friends
unleash the Titans upon the world. That means it is time for the Justice League
to save the world again.
Most of the main
Justice League heroes are involved except for the Martian Manhunter. I guess
having the team communicate telepathically around would have made things too
easy and he could calm them down. Also, most of the magic users are notably
absent. Probably so none of the magic characters can use magic to make things
better.
Supergirl is a
main member of the team for story reasons. Personally, I highly enjoyed how big
of a role she played in this tale. Shazam is hit with the immature stick to
help justify certain events and some events are rushed. There are some events
that don’t have an impact like one would expect. The art is brilliant and no
side of the crossover is valued more than another.
Overall, this is
a fun crossover that I highly enjoyed. If you want to see Superman and Godzilla
throwing down, then this is the book for you.
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4cROrUI
My digital reading copy came by way of the Hoopla App through the Dallas Public Library System.
Scott A. Tipple © 2024
Friday, August 23, 2024
A Writer's Life....Caroline Clemmons: MY FIRST SERIES TO BE NARRATED--THE BRIDE BRIGADE!
SleuthSayers: Home Is Where They Have to Take You In
Jerry's House of Everything: FORGOTTEN BOOK: NIGHT AT THE VULCAN
FFB Review: The Mojito Coast by Richard Helms
From the massive archive....
Miami private investigator Cormac Loame isn't at all
thrilled with the idea of going to Cuba on a case. He has been there before,
done that, and was rather lucky to get back home to Miami alive and in one piece.
But, when Cecil “Madman” Hacker walked into his office just before the
Christmas holidays while Cormac pushed paperwork and fantasized about buying a
brand new 1958 Buick Roadmaster, he didn't have any really good way out.
Hacker's fourteen year old daughter Lila has been taken by Danny McCarl. Danny
was an employee of Madman and served as a sort of bodyguard. Hacker, who is a
retired boxer with mounting troubles of his own, can’t very well go to Cuba
right now and bring his daughter home. He wants Cormac to do it and does not
care if McCarl does not make it back stateside alive. Cormac isn’t going to
kill McCarl unless he absolutely has to and makes that clear before he takes
the job and the money. After all, with Madman’s connections, he gets what he
wants and you don’t tell the man no.
The last time Cormac was in Cuba it was in 1952 and
he was lucky to do his business and get out of the country. Back then Batista
was firmly in control and thanking his buddies in organized crime for their
help by opening the island to anything they wanted to do. Now in late 57 the
crime syndicate connected hotels have been built, organized crime is getting
their share across all aspects of entertainment and vice, but Castro and the
rebels are coming with a vengeance. State controlled radio says the government
is winning the battle, but everyone knows reality is that now it is matter of
time, maybe just a few days, before the rebels capture the capital city and the
corrupt Batista government collapses. Against that backdrop, Cormac has to find
the girl in a land that has never been that friendly to him where old alliances
are dead or crumbled and powerful enemies are facing desperate times. The clock
is ticking on the Batista government as well as on the case itself and survival
goes to the luckiest.
Scheduled to be released next month, The
Mojito Coast quickly pulls the reader deep into the heavily conflicted
world of Cormac Loame. A world where he can safely trust no one and where the
past five years that he has been gone has changed many and hardened others. A
world when he wants to get the girl and get out and is constantly dealing with
new obstacles in his quest. A world where the fires of revolution fill the
reader's senses while Cormac struggles to stay alive in this excellent thriller
that blends together a special mix of mystery and adventure. Award winning
author Richard Helms has crafted quite the book with The Mojito Coast
and it is very much worth your time.
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3MdlZRD
An ARC of this title was provided by the author in
exchange for my objective review.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2013, 2024
Thursday, August 22, 2024
Jungle Red Writers: Dru Ann Love: Reviewer, Influencer, AND Writer!
SleuthSayers: Recharging Your Batteries by Robert Lopresti
Jungle Red Writers: A new entry in the pantheon of noir from Michael Amedeo
Beneath the Stains of Time: Motives: Q.E.D. vol. 39-40 by Motohiro Katou
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Nevermore: What Really Happens in Vegas, Hidden Life of Deer, Burning Bright
Wednesday, August 21, 2024
Bitter Tea and Mystery: Short Story Wednesday: "Bullet for One" by Rex Stout
Jerry's House of Everything: SHORT STORY WEDNESDAY: EIGHT SPELLS A WEEK
Short Story Wednesday Review: Mystery Magazine: July 2024
Mystery
Magazine: July 2024 opens with the cover story, “Cocaine
Cowboy” by Michael Bracken. The musician had to insist on getting paid before
performing. Now Carter Reese, the owner of the Dew Drop Inn on the outskirts of
Chicken Junction, Texas, is dead, the musician and a female companion are on
the road to the musician’s next gig, and guys that one does not want hunting
them are doing exactly that.
“I’m
Not Roger Whitley Simmons” by Arthur Davis comes next where things are also
going not so great for our narrator up in Iowa. Our narrator is a widower who
is awaiting the arrival of Hudly Bernard. He is waiting for the federally
sanction contract assassin to show up as running is not an option. Which is not
to say that he is out of options--even if they have the right guy.
Though
magic and more are involved in “The Dead Girl And The Rock” by Arwyn Sherman,
murder is still murder. Khallesiah is dead in the bar and clearly the death was
violent. Enforcer Edan Stairnwen is going to figure out who did it and why
regardless of what anyone, including his coworkers and his boss, think.
If
you have ever walked anywhere, you probably had at least one meal stolen over
the years. Maybe you thought of revenge. Both ideas are heavily in play in
“Lactose Intolerance” by Gerard J. Waggett.
“The
adventure of Cecil Scumbleby” by Aggie Novak features Cecil who fancies himself
a detective. He is sure that somebody in the family killed Great Aunt Edna.
They did it for the tea strainer that he was supposed to inherit. He plans on
figuring out who did it and getting the tea strainer back.
Armed,
she has a plan and walks into a Las Cruces, New Mexico, strip mall. A client
wishes to have her use her skills to end another. Murder for hire pays pretty
well and she knows how to protect herself in “A Performance For Shadows” by Ed
Teja. This one really stood out and I would like to see a lot more with this
character.
“The
Black Scarf” by Cay Rademacher features a narrator who is not a fan of driving
through toll plazas on French highways. The incident he has happen reinforces
his fear. Soon the local police arrive and bring him in for questioning. No
matter where in the world, having to answer questions of law enforcement is
never a good thing.
The
police are also quickly involved in “Bridge To Nowhere” by William Kitcher.
Standing in the middle of the bridge over a river as the heavens open and dump
a deluge pretty much makes you look suicidal. Greenizan is not suicidal. He absolutely
is not planning that. He also can’t tell the cop why he is standing there.
The
solution to the June “You-Solve-it” follows where you find out what happen in
“A Shock To The System by John M. Floyd. This brings the issue to a close.
As one expects from this publication, all the stories are good ones. Variety is always the key here. That fact always makes every issue an entertaining read. Mystery Magazine: July 2024 works well across the board and is a very pleasant way to take a break from the real world.
Amazon
Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3Xar1o8
For
quite some time now I have been gifted a subscription by the publisher with no
expectation at all of a review.
Kevin
R. Tipple ©2024