Friday, January 31, 2025
Black Beacon Books: Anthology Announcement: Samhain Screams!
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: A Murder at the Movies by Ellie Alexander
Jerry's House of Everything: FORGOTTEN BOOK: PARNASSUS ON WHEELS
Review: The Killing Plains by Sherry Rankin
The Killing Plains by Sherry Rankin takes
readers to West Texas and the town of Crescent Bluff. Colly Newland does not
want to be back there as the place brings up bad memories. Her late husband,
Randy, came from there and his wealthy family controls everything for miles
around. While he was physically living with her and their children in Houston,
he never escaped the family and their dark secrets.
Now retired and a widow, former Houston Detective Colly
Newland and her grandson, Satchel, are back on a temporary basis. They are back
for two weeks or so and that means Satchel will be in the local school while Colly
is working. Once a cop—always a cop.
Police Chief Russ Newland, brother of her dead husband
Randy, asked her to come home and investigate a cold case of sorts. Many years
ago, another brother, Willis, who had special needs, confessed to killing a
local boy. Eventually, the governor commuted his sentence because of the family
wealth and powerful connections.
Willis returned home, and shortly afterwards, another local
child died. There were very close links to the first case so suspicion quickly
fell on Willis. He soon committed suicide before authorities could clear him or
build an actual case based on facts of his guilt. The Texas Rangers, the lead investigating
agency, believed Willis was responsible for the killings both times, decades
apart, and closed the case.
Iris Newland, family matriarch and no pushover, believes
Willis never did any of it. She pushed Russ hard to call Colly and convince her
to come back and review everything. Iris did not accept it in 98 when Willis
went to prison. In here and now of the book set in 2018, she does not believe it
now either. E of it. She knows that Willis did none of it. She has pushed Russ
hard enough that Russ now has questions about it all based on what the closed
investigation turned up.
Being back is emotionally hard on Colly, Satchel, Russ,
Iris, and pretty much everybody. Beyond Willis, there is plenty of pain and
guilt to go around for everybody. For Colly, who needs some sort of healing
most of all, it is a chance to deal with the ghosts and the legacy of the past,
as well as stop a murderer as things get more and more complicated.
Iris just might have been right. If she was right about
this, what else was she right about?
A complicated atmospheric read, The Killing Plains
by Sherry Rankin makes much of its West Texas setting based on the author’s
long experience in the area teaching creative writing and literature. That
means that the obligatory rattlesnake roundup, a feature of nearly every mystery
and crime fiction novel set in West Texas, rears its head here and serves, as
expected, to be a pivotal moment. So too does the weather in a variety of
forms.
The Killing Plains by Sherry Rankin is a solidly mystery read that is well worth your time. This reader hopes that there is a sequel so that we get to see more of Colly, her grandson Satchel, and others in a book to come.
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3PKy3eN
My digital ARC came from the publisher, Thomas & Mercer,
through NetGalley with no expectation of a review.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2025
Thursday, January 30, 2025
Joan Leotta Reviews: The Medici Return by Steve Berry
Please welcome back author Joan Leotta
to the blog today….
Review of Steve Berry’s The Medici Return by Joan Leotta
The Medici
Return (Cotton Malone)
Book 19 of 19: Cotton Malone | by Steve Berry | Release Date Feb 11, 2025
This one I received in advance of its
pub date from the publisher through NetGalley.
This is the 19th in Berry’s
series featuring Cotton Malone, an intrepid detective now working for a secret
US agency. Through them Malone becomes involved with helping the Catholic
church with a sticky problem calling for confidentiality and break in skills.
Malone, armed with those skills , his eidetic memory, and flair for languages
(helped by same) ships off to Italy to find evidence of wrongdoing by a
cardinal of the church. Who hired him? Vatican. Who is the villain? Another arm
of the Vatican—so many secrets here! And oh yes, the Medici! (A 500 year old
mystery enters in)
When it comes to popes, the Medici were
no slouches. When it comes to dirty dealing, the same. Plot issues here span centuries
and connect to modern day crimes. One of
the things I absolutely love about this book is the setting in Italy—Sienna,
which I only got to know in 2023, Florence where I spent a lot of time while a
student in Bologna, and oh yes, the Vatican museum and my beloved Rome.
Each of these carries a wonderful
weight of historical interest and intrigue. Enough for ten books. In this case,
Sienna and its annual Palio, a free for
all of an historic horse race becomes a central element to the plot. Berry is ingenious
as to how he works this into his tale about finding = an ancient document. I applaud
his creativity and oh yes, I must applaud the horsemanship of Cotton Malone as
well. Heroes such as cotton Malone are often invested with far-beyond-normal abilities
to deal with things like taking over the jockey role in a bareback race, the
Palio. I was happy to suspend disbelief and bear down with Malone as he leaned
over the neck of his steed and pushed forward to the goal while other jockeys
tried to trip them up and a gunman had a rifle trained on Malone.
Wait, do you think all of this
distracted me from the main mystery? Who killed the Swiss guard in the book’s
early pages? The mysterious missing Medici era document that would cost the
church billions of dollars if found? The two or three other subsequent murders
and attempts on Malone’s life that follow? Nope.
Never fear—Berry is a master juggler of
plot elements. These balls are never out of sight. To draw on another metaphor,
he weaves all of the threads cleverly, carefully and at just the right moment,
inserts one than then another element together to keep readers on track even as
the plot twists and turns with more gyrations than that round, stone track in Sienna’s
main piazza.
I’m only a so-so Malone fan in general,
in spite of good dialogue and plotting, but this book brought out Berry’s writing
skills and took me back to a city (Sienna) I enjoy, and had me traipsing
through Rome and Florence, two cities I love, while still captivating me with
the plot, so I must give this book a five star recommendation.
Both for fans of Malone, occasional readers
of the series such as myself and dare I say—even if if you have never read
Berry’s Malone series before, I think you will enjoy this fast-paced well and
deviously plotted book.
Five stars
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4aDY6hu
Joan
Leotta ©2025
Joan Leotta plays with words on page and stage. Her poetry, essays, cnf, short stories, and articles are widely published. Mysteries are favorite things to read.. short and long.. and to write.
Wednesday, January 29, 2025
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Nevermore: How to Hide an Empire, Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books, Memory Quilt
Bitter Tea and Mystery: Short Story Wednesday: Anything is Possible by Elizabeth Strout
SleuthSayers: Test the Best
Jerry's House of Everything: SHORT STORY WEDNESDAY: HE PATRONIZES PAMELA
Short Story Wednesday Review: We’ve Been Trumped Editor Andrew MacRae
From the archive….
Published in September 2016 by Darkhouse Books,
We’ve Been Trumped is an anthology of short stories speculating about life
after Trump became President. Some stories are set during the president’s first
term while others are set far into the future. In either case, most of stories
make heavy use of the candidate’s rhetoric during the recent campaign cycle.
That means these stories tend to dystopian situations and futures and are not
lighthearted reading or humorous despite what it says on the cover.
In addition to not having author bios there is not
an introduction to the anthology. The read begins right away with the stories
and does so with “Exceptional” by Michael Guillebeau. Set a few years in the
future, Trump National Corporation runs everything. Panama was nuked because
South America refused to drop the America part of its name. Chihuahuas went
crazy in 2021 and the only way to stop them was explosive bullets fired from
M-15s wielded by average citizens. There are other glitches. Of course, some
folks have to be eliminated to do their part for making America great again.
Kaye George’s tale “Ivanya Figures It Out” comes
next and is even further in the future. Things have changed a lot since The
Imperial Regime was established in 2017. For one thing, everyone born these
days has to be named after a member of the Imperial Family. Twelve-year-old
Ivanya has been busing tables at Doyle’s diner for three years now. Very glad
to have the job the walk to and from work is the scary part of life. One must
worry about crumbling sideways, roving gangs of men since the cops are not
around anymore, and other issues. It is the 2040’s and the life is hard, though
it could easily be worse. Some folks are lucky and escape to Canada. That might
be an option for Ivanya and her mom, but it is incredibly risky.
Readers are taken back to the early spring of 2017 in the murder mystery, “A Feast for Fools” by Joanne Lucas. When the lights came back on in the restaurant in Fresno, California, it was very clear that Trevor Sorenson was very much dead thanks to the knife stuck in his chest. If the Eccentric Gourmet is on the premises to do one of his reviews, the murder could destroy their business. For Dorothy and Jeff, the sister and brother owners, the night of March 31st is proving far too memorable.
Paul F. has some questions that only President Trump
can answer. As the authorized biographer, it should be relatively simple to use
the video chat link and speak directly to the President. However, it hasn’t
worked that way at all in “The Chat” by Paul Alan Fahey.
Alex works at the White House as a gardener in “Alex
in Wonderland’ by KB Inglee. It has been twelve years and he has steadily moved
up thanks to those above him being fired. The summer heat is on, but he loves
his job. He also believes the man in the White house just might be insane. That
thought is reinforced by his latest assignment.
“The First White House Costume Ball and Other
Trumpery” by Diane A. Hadac explains how the event is setup and will commence.
Among other items covered is the fact that Vladimir Putin, the unofficial Vice
President, will be in attendance, there will be only certain specified allowed
costumes, as well as the plans for seating and the food that will be served. It
is a weapons friendly event so you are encouraged to bring your guns and use
them at will should non-supporters storm the ball. This event as well as the
five-step jobs plan, is explained by Billy-Bob Larrabee, gardener and White
House beat reporter.
The CIA could be very different under President Trump and Craig Faustus Buck considers some the possibilities in “Trump Towering.” As the story begins, CIA director Brennan is trying to explain to the President why selling B-21s to the President of The Gambia is a really bad idea. Not only is the President of the African Nation insane, ISIS is advancing and could take the The Gambia. If that happens ISIS would take control over state of the art American bombers. While he does not grasp this problem, maybe the President can grasp the next issue.
With his family out of the way and hopefully safely
at the grocery store in town, Lucas “Luke” Pennymore awaits his company. It
isn’t long before the Sheriff and the Editor of the local paper show up to hear
what he has to say. He has known both of them most of his life. He has quite
the tale to tell them in “According To Luke” by John M. Floyd.
Five years after the Zombie outbreak, Zombies these
days are not that much a problem now. At this point, with so many of them
killed and many others just falling apart, those that remain are usually found
in isolated small groups or individually. For professional Zombie Hunter Matt
Hix his way of life is going away. After the twin shocks of a Trump Presidency
and the Zombie Apocalypse, everything is in flux. Matt has no real future
earnings wise unless he does something radically different in “Career Change”
by Ross Baxter.
Ever since Trump became President, when Barry makes
the donuts, he slaps a dollop of orange frosting on it no matter the kind of
donut. Every single donut, no matter the type, gets the dollop of orange
frosting. Barry does it because he believes he is an artist and is creating
thumbnuts. BK Donut is the only game in town for a real donut so Rudy Calles
gave up coming around because Barry had become a crazed Trump supporter. This
day he really wanted a real donut and came back in “Donalds to Donuts” by Brian
Asman. Coming back may have been a mistake.
Peter Cosgrove does not know where he is or what is
going on as “Great Again” by Zed Lawson Edwards begins. After Roger pounds on
the door of an office and yells at him a few times, Peter Cosgrove opens the
door to find his name and job title stenciled on it. That is the first shock of
a number of them in this tale of a world seemly gone mad.
For the veteran in “That Hope-y, Change-y Thing” by
Caroline Taylor he made the call requesting the President’s help two months
ago. The President had promised to help every veteran personally while he
campaigned across the country. Yet, he has not called. Hopefully, the tumor is
one of those slow growing ones. Immigrating to Canada is not an option since
the Canadians closed the border. All the veteran and his wife can do is wait
and continue to show support for the President by posting daily to social media.
A tweet caused the end of the world. President Trump
had not been in office two months when he got so enraged by a tweet that he
unleashed twelve nuclear warheads on Istanbul, Turkey. That strike resulted in
the retaliatory destruction of America in the tale “In the Service of the
People” by RJ Meldrum. One does what one needs to do to survive. Bill and Linda
do their best, but they are going to need help including a new source of food.
Arizona in July is hot, but that has not stopped the
men and machines that are building the wall. Rancher Hank Campbell sees them
coming slowly closer as they erect huge prefabricated sections and lock them in
place. Some of the locals have been employed by the Border Construction Corps
as that is the only work around these days. One such local is Jefferson Scott.
Good thing they know each other so there is no need for the military firepower
in “Down Mexico Way” by Ring Bunsen.
It is supposed to be an ordinary Saturday for Arlene
Clay. Things start a little wrong with the arrival of the delivery person in
“Arlene’s Visitors” by Andrew Garvey and never recover. In fact, they get worse
when everyone is present and do not believe her true story.
Hearing the President’s voice boom through the
barracks isn’t helpful when one is seriously hung over. That is Marissa’s
problem as the day starts in “Looking Good, America” by Katherine Tomlinson. At
least the new military uniforms are in and nobody will have to wear those awful
camouflage pattern outfits anymore. The new uniforms made in China are just
part of what is at work in this tale.
Candidate Trump promised to pay the legal fees of
anyone who was arrested at one his rallies for punching a protestor. Getting
the promised help from President Trump is difficult in “A Phone Call to the
White House” by Pat Anne Sirs (Kathleen Rockwood). Unfortunately, the protestor
died. The guy who did it has been arrested and is calling from the county lock
up looking for the promised help.
The nuclear weapons have also fallen in “Lunch
Special at The Trump National Golf Club” by Rachel Cassidy. Food is also an
issue here, but at least one survivor has a plan.
Written in a play format, “Pulling Strings in DC” by
TL Snow explains how the candidate became President. Manipulating the American
People was just a small part of the strategy.
Ernie and his wife, Gloria, have more business than
they know what to do with in “Success Story” by Robert S. Levinson. It helps
that the name of the business is “WALLS.” The media attention also helps. So
does the fact that Ernie has the contract for building the greatest wall the
world has ever seen.
Glenn Beck is just one of a number of reporters at
the press conference of the Secretary of Defense and Personal Fitness, Josey
Callahan. There isn’t just one wall in “The Wall” by Warren Bull. Beck isn’t
going to be out of jail for very long after asking a question that he should
not have asked in this political climate.
Making sure you have all your papers for the Census
Master is vitally important. The night of the census is vitally important. Make
a mistake and lose it all in “The Census Master’ By Manuel Alex Moya.
As the chief editor of superlatives and censorship
at the Bannon Times, Sarah has a very important job. It takes a lot of her time
and that is why her day starts long before dawn in “The Emperor’s New Wall” by
Tamar Auber. It is going to be a very important day as the first block of the
wall will be unveiled in Times Square. Trump’s America is grand and she has a
mountain of misinformation to process.
Educating students in the public schools is far
different in “Trumped” by Ronald P. Wolff. It should be the greatest year ever
for the students as the new principal has fixed everything. Mrs. Roberts is
doing her best to keep the class on track, but her newest student, Mario
Hernandez, is not helping.
Life is very hard in “As American as…” by Khomans
Ens. It is 2021 and the drought and trade wars have taken a huge toll. This is
especially for Sophia and Olivia in their Minnesota cabin though they do have
it better than many folks. With Sophie off to her job in Minneapolis moping
hospital floors, it up to Olivia to figure out something for dinner out of
their meager supplies.
Considering how much money is present during an
election cycle to get people to vote for a candidate, would it not make more
sense to pay people directly for their vote? A little cash, a signed contract,
and a new way of doing business are at work in “Buying Votes” by Don Noel.
The party has to be fantastic according to his
assistant, Christina, so Marcos agreed to let her and his wife, Donna, handle
all the details. The celebrity impersonators should be a huge hit. However, one
such impersonator does not seem to understand what he is supposed to do in “The
Impersonator” by Timothy O’Leary.
By order of the President, things are going to be
different this year for Flag Day and that means a major hassle for the
Secretary to the Mayor, Connie Edwards. Instead of the traditional ceremony for
Flag Day held at the front of town hall, this year there will be a parade. June
14th is no longer to be known as Flag Day as it is also the President’s
birthday. Henceforth, the birthday of the President is to be celebrated in
every town and city in the United States by way of a parade under very specific
and detailed guidelines. Celebrating the birthday is their patriotic duty and
everyone needs to get on board and make it happen in “76 Trombones” by
Anne-Marie Sutton.
“The Divine & Infernal Top-Secret Mission to
Stop the False Apocalypse” by Joshua James Jordan brings the read to a close.
Representatives of Heaven and Hell both thought the other side was responsible
for Trump. Angels get ambient light from all directions and have to wear
sunglasses all the time so they look like the new President. The angels always
thought Trump’s hair covered up the horns. This means the Hell Representative,
Jason, and the Heaven Representative, Veronica, need to have a private meeting in
Limbo to see how to fix the Trump problem.
The stories that make up this anthology run the
gamut from the realistic to the surreal. They vary from present day to decades
in the future. A number of them have a science fiction angle while a few could
easily be classified as fantasies. Many of the stories have tend to dystopian
situations and futures and are not intended to be lighthearted reading or
humorous. All of the stories to varying degrees share a less than positive
outlook about our future-- short or long term.
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4aC3eTc
I was gifted a copy by one of the included authors
with no expectation of a review.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2017, 2025
Tuesday, January 28, 2025
Beneath the Stains of Time: The Indian Rope Trick and Other Violent Entertainments (2024) by Tom Mead
Bitter Tea and Mystery: Top Ten New-to-Me Authors Discovered in 2024
Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity: 50 Calls for Submissions in February 2025 - Paying Markets
Publication Day Review: Head Cases: A Novel by John McMahon
I have long
been a fan of author John McMahon’s work. See his three-book series that starts
with The
Good Detective. So, when Head Cases came up on NetGalley,
I quickly put in for it. Even though I had quite a few already assigned to me,
Minotaur Books quickly approved my request. Very glad they did that. Especially
since the book is so very good.
FBI Agent
Gardner Camden has skills. Not social skills as he has a hard time reading
people and situations and, as a result, he is awkward. After a recent event, he
does not venture out of the field office in Jacksonville, Florida. He prefers
it that way as his skills are aimed at solving riddles and enigmas, and has an
incredible wealth of knowledge. His ability to solve things is why he and his
partner, Agent Cassie Pardo were put on a plane and sent to DFW airport.
How does a
dead man die twice, years apart?
Ross Tignon,
identified as being dead years ago, is very much dead again. This time he is
dead on his kitchen floor, next to the kitchen island that borders the living
room. The blood pool under the body trails over to and under the refrigerator.
Back in 2013,
Ross Tignon was the suspect in a series of murders in Florida. Agent Camden was
on the hunt, chasing him down while he built the case, and then a fire occurred
in Tignon’s home. While his wife was brought out, injured but alive, a male was
not so lucky. Dental records indicated that the body was Ross Tignon. At, least
what was left of him one the fire was out.
The man on
the floor, known to the locals as Bob Breckinridge, is Ross Tignon. Clearly, he
did not die easy as he was cut open wide in the stomach area. He was cut again
in his chest. The killer cut the numbers “5” and “0” into his chest. Agent
Camden has no idea what the number could mean though, Agent Pardo thinks it
might represent the police, aka 5-0.
Agent Camden,
Cassie, and three other folks work in a specialized unit of the F.B.I. known as
PAR for Patterns and Recognition. Their job is to consider cases that are
stalled. Review them, identify peculiarities in them, and offer new theories of
investigation. PAR then gives the case back to the relevant field office or
sends it to headquarters. They don’t go into the field because everyone in the
unit has a particular quirky skill that is useful and a history of screwing up
in some way.
Being sent
out in the field never happens. Yet it has this time. The reason was that it
was supposed to be because the boss wanted Agent Camden to see the body and
verify it really was Ross Tignon. With that being done, they should be soon on
their way back to the home base in Florida.
Instead, and
just after they turn the scene over to agents out of Dallas office, they are
sent to Rawlings, New Mexico. After serving thirty-one years for multiple
murders back in the 90s, Barry Fisher was just released days earlier. Every
agent studies his case in the FBI Academy. He is a legend in bad way. He is now
dead and Camden and Pardo are headed to New Mexico.
Not only
that, but in a first, Agent Camden will lead the investigation. A serial killer
is killing serial killers.
What follows
is a fast moving and complex police procedural. While the focus is on Camden,
the rest of the team and several other characters are fully developed and
multifaceted. So too is the killer who the reader gets to know through the
working of the case. Not by the usual mind of the killer POV technique in
dedicated chapters that so many authors use. The absence of that predictable
and utterly boring author technique was a major relief to this reader.
We learn
everything from Agent Camden’s perspective. A man that has special skills, a
different way of looking at the world, and a very hard time fitting in with
people. A character that very much spoke to this reader.
According to
the author’s acknowledgment at the end of the read, this is the first book of a
two-book contract. The second in the series will come out early in 2026. I was
thrilled to read this news. Head Cases was/is a great read and very much worth
your time.
Amazon Associate
Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4a4ObRI
My digital ARC reading copy came from Minotaur Books, through NetGalley, with no expectation of a review.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2025
Monday, January 27, 2025
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Peking Duck and Cover by Vivien Chien
Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity: 80 Free Writing Contests in February 2025 - No entry fees
Little Big Crimes: Internal Monologue of a Creative Writing Professor, by Richie Narvaez
The Practicing Writer: Markets and Jobs for Writers 1/27/2025
Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: Chain Reaction by James Byrne
Chain
Reaction
(Minotaur, 2025) is the third book in the Gatekeeper series by James Byrne.
Desmond Aloysius Limerick is a retired British mercenary with specialized
training who is now roaming the U.S. seeing the sights and playing the
occasional musical gig. Mostly he is using his specialized skills to rescue
someone a la Jack Reacher. He is a Gatekeeper, he can open any door any time
any place and keep it open as long as necessary. In his debut there’s an aura
of mysticism surrounding his abilities but in the sequel he drops a comment
about his two engineering degrees, which explains a lot.
The story
starts with a scenario familiar to anyone who has seen Die Hard.
Terrorists take over a glitzy convention center in New Jersey. Fortunately for
the hostages, Dez happens to be on hand to deal with the insurgents. He’s only
momentarily distracted by meeting his guitar idol Calvin Willow who is one of
the hostages and extracting a promise of a private jam session. After the
stand-off is resolved, Dez is curious enough about the backers of the attack to
assist the FBI in their investigation, which leads to more questions than
answers.
Dez is an
original and welcome addition to the already impressive line-up of thriller
heroes on the bookshelves. At first I thought he was a mash-up of Reacher and
MacGyver but he is more of a people person than Reacher. Reacher is the
consummate loner. Dez is far too gregarious to be a loner. His ability to form
long-term friendships reminds me of Rush Mackenzie. He and Reacher do have a
compulsive tendency to help people in common though. The MacGyver comparison is
still apt; Dez can create weapons and tools out of almost anything. His
tendency to crack wise reminds me of Spenser, although Dez is funnier and his
timing is better.
These books
can be read as stand-alones, so no need to start at the beginning of the
series, yet at least, although I expect anyone who enjoys one of them will want
to read all of them. For anyone in need of an absorbing, quick-moving adventure
with a charismatic lead character. Recommended!
·
Publisher: Minotaur Books (January 28,
2025)
·
Language: English
·
Hardcover: 400 pages
·
ISBN-10: 1250319781
·
ISBN-13: 978-1250319784
Amazon
Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4ggYNOZ
Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2025
Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.
Sunday, January 26, 2025
Lesa's Book Critiques: Kevin’s Corner Annex – Faithless in Death by J.D. Robb
Kathleen Marple Kalb's Blog: So You Wrote the Book, Now What?: The Self-Care Floor
SleuthSayers: Police Reported Ahead
Saturday, January 25, 2025
Mystery Fanfare: CHINESE NEW YEAR CRIME FICTION
KRL Update 1/25/2025
Up on KRL this week KRL Staff's list of their favorite books of 2024! There are mysteries, fantasy, and non-fiction. Come share with us in the comments of the post some of your favorites! https://kingsriverlife.com/01/25/krl-staff-favorite-books-of-2024/
And reviews and giveaways of 3 more mysteries-"The Witch is Back" by Angela M. Sanders, "Booked for Murder" by PJ Nelson, and "Murder at the Lemonberry Tea" A Beacon Bakeshop Mystery by Darci Hannah https://kingsriverlife.com/01/25/witches-bakeries-bookshop-mysteries/
And a review and giveaway of "Safe in Death" by SK Rizzolo https://kingsriverlife.com/01/25/safe-in-death-by-s-k-rizzolo/
Up during the week we posted another special midweek guest post, this one by mystery author Jenny Elder Moke about her debut adult novel "She Doesn't Have a Clue" https://kingsriverlife.com/01/22/the-world-of-she-doesnt-have-a-clue/
Up on KRL News and Reviews this week we have a review and ebook giveaway of "Bridal Bedlam" by Hazel Smith https://www.krlnews.com/2025/01/bridal-bedlam-by-hazel-smith.html
And a review and ebook giveaway of "Murder at First Light" by Christine Knapp https://www.krlnews.com/2025/01/murder-at-first-light-by-christine.html
And a review and giveaway of "Tartan, Treasures, and Trouble" by Victoria Tait https://www.krlnews.com/2025/01/tartan-treasures-and-trouble-by.html
And the latest Crime Writers of Color Coming Attractions https://www.krlnews.com/2025/01/crime-writers-of-color-new-and-upcoming.html
Happy reading,
Lorie
Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity: 12 Fabulous Writing Conferences and Workshops in February 2025
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Play the Fool by Lina Chern
Beneath the Stains of Time: The Men Who Explained Miracles (1963) by John Dickson Carr
Scott's Take: Avengers: Twilight by Chip Zdarsky (Author), Daniel Acuña (Artist), and Cory Petit (Letterer)
Avengers: Twilight by Chip Zdarsky
(Author), Daniel Acuña (Artist), and Cory Petit (Letterer), is an elseworlds
tale set sometime in the future of the Marvel Universe. The Avengers were
disbanded by the various governments of the world after a tragedy that impacted
humanity. Steve Rogers was stripped of his powers and now lives as a shell of a
man as America descends into tyranny with most of the population unaware since
the media is fully controlled by the government. It is not long before Steve
realizes the world needs the Avengers now more than ever and he gets his butt
back into the fight to free the world.
Not the most original story, but it is a
fun action-packed political thrill ride with realistic stylized art. The big
battle that led to these events could have been delved into more detail as well
as some other details that made this elseworld different.
It’s hard not to read this tale as the
writer taking shots at the current American political system. Not that doing so
is a bad thing, but it’s there. In a world that many did not understand The
Boys was a direct shot at the American right, and are now very angry about
it, this read is not subtle in what it is doing here.
Steve is the main character with several
other Avengers playing roles. Thor is really cool in this book. He gets some of
the best action scenes as the big gun of the Avengers.
I liked the read overall and enjoyed it.
I think it could have easily used more than six issues to breathe since some
things are rushed. Various things could have been detailed more in a longer run
such as how Jan and Tony ended up married to each other as they are not usually
each other’s love interests. Steve is also married to a new character named
Rosa and how that happened is not very detailed. It would have also been nice
to have a prequel showing casing more of the big tragedy prior to this series.
Amazon Associate Purchase Link:
As noted before, I read this on the Marvel Unlimited app.
Scott A. Tipple ©2025
Thursday, January 23, 2025
Bitter Tea and Mystery: Parting Breath: Catherine Aird
Review: Early Termination: A Probation Case Files Mystery by Cindy Goyette
Released earlier this month by Level Best Books, Early Termination: A Probation Case Files Mystery by Cindy Goyette is the very enjoyable sequel to Obey All Laws. As storylines from that book continue here in this read, I recommend for those new to the series to be sure to read that book first.
It is late September in Phoenix,
Arizona, and Probation Officer Casey Carson has been summoned to a crime scene.
Detective Ramsey asked her to come out to a canal where a body has been pulled
out. The body is in a very bad shape. It also has one of her business cards in
his mouth. That card was inside a plastic bag inside his mouth thus making sure
to send a message no matter how long it took for the body to be found and
retrieved from the water.
The deceased was/is Brian Johnson. He
had not checked in with Carson in a few weeks and clearly never will now. She believed
he had relapsed and was getting ready to file for an arrest warrant for
probation violations. Carson thought he was an okay guy. She has far more
questions than answers she can give to Detective Ramsey.
On the other hand, she is sure that
Tony Romero, her new probation officer who she is training, is not an okay
guy. He is clearly a bit of a jerk. But his dad is the manager of the
community service unit, So Tony’s short comings have been overlooked by others
to this point. Her mission is to make him either good enough to do the job or
finding an infraction big enough to get him fired. So far, he isn’t giving her
enough to work with either way.
If that was not enough stress, Marcus
is on his way back to Phoenix and clearly wants way more than platonic friendship.
Her ex is still around and he wants them to give it another go as a couple. The
biker gang still wants her to suffer and die for reasons made clear in the
first book.
If all that was not enough, the bodies
soon start piling up, and bad goes to worse as she becomes a suspect in the
deaths.
What follows is a complicated and
highly entertaining read. Character development for Carson and other characters
continues here, as does plenty of action and mystery. Early Termination:
A Probation Case Files Mystery by Cindy Goyette is a fun read and well
worth your time.
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4js1Fv0
The author provided a digital ARC of
the read with no expectation of a review.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2025