Sunday, November 30, 2025
Review: The Curious Poisoning of Jewel Barnes: A Samuel Craddock Mystery by Terry Shames
This comes out Tuesday...
It is always a great pleasure when
another book in the long running Samuel Craddock Mystery series by
Terry Shames comes out. The latest, The Curious Poisoning of Jewel Barnes,
is another solidly good one.
As the book begins, it is the fall of Craddock’s
discontent. He thought he was in love and they had a future together. But, Wendy
Gleason is gone as she has reconnected with her high school love who has come
back into her life. It has been a bit of a whirlwind these last few weeks for
them and they are about to be married. A break up is hard enough, but with
Jarret Creek so small, everybody for miles around knows every excruciating
detail.
Loretta has stopped by this morning, as
she almost always does, with some food and news. This time the news is a bit
strange as one of two twin sisters thinks the other is trying to kill her. Lily
and Jewel, part of the Barnes family, have lived together their entire lives. They
live a couple of blocks over from the family home. Much of their lives, they
have bickered, but nothing too serious and nothing ever got out of hand to the
point that anyone else, in the family or outside, had to really intervene.
That may have changed in the here and
now of mid-November. Loretta says she has heard from Hannah, another sister,
there is some sort of serious feud going on. Lily is sure her twin sister is trying
to poison her and, to hear Loretta tell it, the fear that Lily has is very
real.
Chief Samuel Craddock does not think
much of it as everybody in that family has a temper and there is always some
sort of petty disagreement going on. Some families are just like that. Not only
that, but the twins are in their mid-forties so Craddock believes they should
both have some sense. Beyond that, why would one try to kill the other one now?
Loretta does not know, but she is
clearly concerned as is Hannah who told her some of the details. So, he agrees
to see each of the twins and check in, but that takes awhile as various other
problems take precedence. That includes the possibility of an illegal dumpsite
just outside the limits of his jurisdiction. A site that, it soon becomes clear,
nobody wants to talk about or have it investigated.
Soon, Jewel is dead from an apparent
poisoning. Lily is the main suspect. She is also devastated by the death of her
twin sister. That death also has rocked Hannah and the entire family. A death
that has to be investigated by Craddock and others as either it was an accident
or deliberate.
If that wasn’t enough, Wendy’s kids who
have always thought the world of Craddock are concerned about the return of the
old flame and his criminal history. It doesn’t take long for Craddock to
realize they have reason to be concerned though he has no idea what to do about
it. Where is the line between being a lawman and a concerned ex-boyfriend?
As always in this series, much is going
on via many fronts, and Samuel Craddock does his best. The Curious Poisoning
of Jewel Barnes: A Samuel Craddock Mystery brings back numerous
characters that are old friends/ The latest installment of a great series that
began with A Killing at Cotton Hill is another solidly good read.
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3JmQlU1
My digital ARC came by way of Severn
House, through NetGalley, with no expectation of a positive review.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2025
Saturday, November 29, 2025
Beneath the Stains of Time: Dance of Death (1938) by Helen McCloy
SleuthSayers: The Long Road to River Road
Scott's Take: Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman
Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt
Dinniman is the first book in a multi book series. There is also a graphic
novel version that you can read each chapter weekly through Webtoon for free as
it is released. Those issues will be version which will be collected into a
finished volume later. I first read some of the graphic novel that is out and
decided to read the book version. The graphic novel version cuts out some of
the adult content and seems to be more teen friendly than the book.
In this series, Carl is an ex-Coast
Guard member who has recently broken up with his cheating girlfriend. He is
alone with her prize-winning show cat, Princess Donut. It is a snowy night and
Princes Donut has decided to escape their dwelling. This means Carl has to,
without pants or shoes, chase after the cat before it freezes to death. Since
they are both outside, they are some of the few survivors of a massive alien
attack that causes all buildings everywhere to suddenly collapse killing anyone
who is inside a building at the time.
Those who were outside and survived are
then rounded up by the aliens who have plans for them. They will now be forced
to fight for their lives in a televised game show that will be watched by other
space aliens elsewhere. The aliens have designed this gameshow based on video
game logic, so Princess Donut and Carl must face goblins in level 1 if they
wish to survive. This is just the beginning of their journey as a man and a cat
must face the apocalypse together.
This book has plenty of adult content.
There is drinking, smoking, peeing, violence, and even an AI generated sex tape
comes to pass. This is a violent humor
filled adventure. There will be death and a talking cat. Princess Donut is
leveled up by the aliens to be a true partner for Carl. So now the cat can talk
and cast magic spells.
I read the large print version of this from
my local library which included a bonus short story from the perspective of one
of the goblins. There are seven books in the series out now. Book eight, A
Parade of Horribles, comes out in 2026.
The second book in the series is called Carl’s
Doomsday Scenario as a man and his cat continue their quest to survive
the game. Carl still has no pants and no shoes. There is an important reason
why this is, but I am not going to ruin it for you.
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/448BhQX
Scott A. Tipple ©2025
Friday, November 28, 2025
Mystery Fanfare: Black Friday: Death in Department Stores By Aubrey Nye Hamilton
In Reference to Murder: Friday's "Forgotten" Books: The Night the Gods Smiled
Jerry's House of Everything: FORGOTTEN BOOK: NOBODY TRUE
In Reference to Murder: Mystery Melange - Thanksgiving Edition
Thursday, November 27, 2025
Jerry's House of Everything: CASEY, CRIME PHOTOGRAPHER: HOLIDAY (NOVEMBER 25, 1948)
Wednesday, November 26, 2025
Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity: 69 Calls for Submissions in December 2025 - Paying Markets
Beneath the Stains of Time: Cracking Nuts: "The Murder of Santa Claus" (1952) by Tage la Cour
Jerry's House of Everything: SHORT STORY WEDNESDAY: TWO GENTLEMEN AT FORTY
Tuesday, November 25, 2025
Little Big Crimes: Poison is the Wind That Blows, by C.W. Blackwell
Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity: 43 Writing Contests in December 2025 - No entry fees
In Reference to Murder: Media Murder for Monday
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Artifact by Gigi Pandian
Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity: 6 Distinctive Writing Conferences in December 2025
Monday, November 24, 2025
Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: Closing Time: A Michael Gannon Thriller by Michael Ledwidge
Michael
Ledwidge is a New York author who wrote 14 books with James Patterson, most of
them about New York City detective Michael Bennett. Beginning in 2020, he has
written a thriller series about Michael Gannon, a former Navy SEAL, who
inadvertently attracts the attention of formidable international groups who
prefer to wield their power from the shadows.
The fifth
book Closing Time (Hanover Square, 2025) will be released in early
December, just in time for holiday gift giving. It starts off innocuously, as
so many thrillers do. Gannon is in Key West, recuperating from his last
adventure and watching his son pitch in minor league baseball games. He’s
connected with a new love Colleen and they seem to be settling into a long-term
arrangement. All in all, everything is good. Then Colleen gets a call about her
father in New York, sudden illness, she has to go. Gannon accompanies her to
the airport and then misses the ferry back to his place. He decides to look up
an old buddy who is running a bar in the area and meets John Hayden, an amiable
but worried-looking Australian who offers personal security work to Gannon.
Gannon is
focused on his son’s burgeoning professional baseball career and turns the job
down but the two share a couple of beers. After they leave the bar, Hayden
enters a convenience store while Gannon continues down the street. When he
hears gunfire and screams behind him, he realizes the trouble Hayden was
expecting has found him and returns to help, thus launching himself into a
maelstrom of elite killers, Albanian gangsters, a years-old crime, and a
quantum computing chip being sought by criminals from all over the world.
I am a huge
fan of thrillers that start with the protagonist minding his own business and
suddenly stumbling into a situation not of his making. Gannon is an engaging
protagonist, not the usual loner that so often appears in thrillers. He is
devoted to his son and delights in the success that his son has achieved.
Gannon tends to find ways to appropriate vehicles that do not belong to him
when he’s in crisis, leading to some exciting car chase scenes.
Publishers Weekly calls the book “riveting” and readers on Goodreads, a notoriously tough audience, have given the book 4.5 stars. For fans of thrillers with breakneck pacing and international overtones.
·
Publisher: Hanover Square Press
·
Publication date: December 2, 2025
·
Language: English
·
Print length: 368 pages
·
ISBN-10: 1335090525
·
ISBN-13: 978-1335090522
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/47WfT3M
Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2025
Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.
Sunday, November 23, 2025
Writers Digest: My Battle to Keep My Novel Series in the Marketplace
Annoyingly, now that this has happened, the Dallas Public Library System has pulled his entire series from the shelves except for the audio eBooks. I don't do audio books at all as my mind won't stay locked in on a story. It wanders off deeper into the land of worries. Having read the first one through NetGalley and enjoyed it immensely, I plan to continue on with the series, but even in eBook at Amazon, it is too expensive. Very frustrating as a reader.
Writers Digest: My Battle to Keep My Novel Series in the Marketplace
Guest Post: MINOR CHARACTERS HAVE LIVES TOO by Mary Reed
Please welcome author Mary Reed to the
blog today…
MINOR CHARACTERS
HAVE LIVES TOO
Mystery novels often feature an unusual type of character -- one who appears in the story only when interviewed by the detective in the course of his investigation. Although such characters appear on stage briefly for the purpose of providing information, treating them like spear carriers risks turning a mystery novel into a succession of staccato question and answer sessions. They need to be given some interest beyond their function as informants.
Our protagonist John, Lord Chamberlain to Emperor Justinian, necessarily encounters many people from all walks of life in the course of his investigations. Given Constantinople's colourful cosmopolitan population we've created a number of minor characters who are, we hope, memorable in their own way.
To do this we mention a few interesting details about their lives in addition to whatever clues or information they need to supply to advance the plot. This not only brings the individual to life but also gives the reader some insight into how Romans lived during the sixth century.
For example there's Helias, creator of water clocks and what he calls shadow traps, in other words sundials. He suffers badly from what would today be diagnosed as sciophobia. He therefore strongly dislikes strong sunlight and avoids it as much as possible because it causes shadows, which he views as nasty things that move fast and trip people up. He is so terrified of them his workshop is underground. At one point John personally observes how crossing a sunlit square is a positive torment for the poor fellow. Helias' useful information is provided to John not to be helpful but rather given in the spirit of spite because he intensely dislikes his merchant neighbour.
Take Aristotle, seller of antiquities and oracles, and one of seven witnesses to an oral will made by the shipper Nereus. Set during the Justinianaic plague, John's locating these witnesses is a particularly urgent matter given thousands die daily in the city. Aristotle was present in Nereus' household when the will was made, having visited to show him an oracular statue he was interested in purchasing. In conversation with Anthemius. a brickmaker who shares a work place with Aristotle, John hears an anecdote which turns out to be of some importance though not the way it implies at first glance.
Then there's Pedibastet, purveyor of faux cat mummies in Alexandria. He has no information to impart, his assistance to John being merely a matter of business but one still vital to the investigation. Pedibastet's is an unpleasant trade for he grows his own cats to use as materials for his business. Due to circumstances, John has to purchase one of the poor little cat mummies to use as a prop in a scandalous street theatre performance he and his two companion put on. This extraordinary event collects enough money from appreciative passersby to pay for the trio's passage up the Nile, their destination an estate where John has been ordered to investigate why sheep are cutting their own throats.
In these and other cases our goal was to sketch out a character with a life beyond his function as a source of information, one larger than his brief talk with John, someone who might be interesting enough to star in his own novel, or at least his own short story.
Mary Reed
Mary Reed and Eric Mayer co-authored twelve novels about John, Lord Chamberlain to Emperor Justinian, set in sixth century Constantinople as well as two World War II Grace Baxter mysteries taking place in England. Their short stories have appeared in EQMM and various historical mystery anthologies, including thirteen of the Mammoth Book series edited by Mike Ashley. Their website is at https://reed-mayer-mysteries.blogspot.com/
Saturday, November 22, 2025
KRL Update 11/22/2025
Up on KRL this week a review and giveaway of a Thanksgiving mystery, "Death of a Tom Turkey" by Lee Hollis, along with a fun Thanksgiving recipe from Lee https://kingsriverlife.com/11/22/death-of-a-tom-turkey-by-lee-hollis/
And reviews and giveaways of 5 more wonderful cozy mysteries, including a couple of Christmas ones-"Five Golden Wings" by Donna Andrews, "Sugar and Spite" by M. C. Beaton with R. W. Green (an Agatha Raisin mystery), "Death by Java" by Alex Erickson, "A Perilous Plot" A Booktown Mystery by Lorna Barrett, and "Murder at Holly House" by Denzil Meyrick https://kingsriverlife.com/11/22/november-cozy-mystery-catchup-with-christmas/
And a review and giveaway of "The Secrets of Old Post Cemetery" by Patricia Crisafulli, along with an interesting interview with Patricia https://kingsriverlife.com/11/22/the-secrets-of-the-old-post-cemetery-by-patricia-crisafulli/
We also have the latest Queer Mystery Coming Attractions from Matt Lubbers-Moore https://kingsriverlife.com/11/22/queer-mystery-coming-attractions-november-december-2025/
For those who prefer to listen to Mysteryrat's Maze Podcast directly on KRL, here is the link for the player for our latest episode, which features a Thanksgiving mystery short story by Erica Obey, that is read by local actor Donna Beavers https://kingsriverlife.com/11/22/mysteryrats-maze-podcast-the-shocking-assault/
Up during the week we posted another special midweek guest post, this one by mystery author Suzanne Trauth where she talks about author's inspirations for their books, and the inspiration for her latest book "The First To Die" https://kingsriverlife.com/11/19/inspiration-2/
And another special midweek guest post, this one by mystery author Robbie Bach about how he goes about choosing the main characters for his books https://kingsriverlife.com/11/19/discovering-your-character-soulmate/
Up on KRL News and Reviews this week we have a review and ebook giveaway of "Killer Commission" by Catherine Bruns https://www.krlnews.com/2025/11/killer-commission-by-catherine-bruins.html
And a review and giveaway of "All Spooked Up" by E.j. Copperman https://www.krlnews.com/2025/11/all-spooked-up-by-ej-copperman.html
And a review and giveaway of "A Pantomime of Peril" by Victoria Tait https://www.krlnews.com/2025/11/a-pantomime-of-peril-by-victoria-tait.html
Happy reading, and for those who celebrate, Happy Thanksgiving!
Lorie
Beneath the Stains of Time: Murder at the Black Cat Cafe (1946/47) by Seishi Yokomizo
Bitter Tea and Mystery: At the Table of Wolves: Kay Kenyon
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: The Panda of Death by Betty Webb
Scott's Take: DC X Sonic The Hedgehog by Ian Flynn (Author) and Adam Bryce Thomas (Illustrator)
DC X Sonic The Hedgehog
by Ian Flynn (Author), and Adam Bryce Thomas (Illustrator) is a crossover
miniseries that sees Sonic and friends teaming up with the Justice League along
with several other heroes on an adventure spanning both universes. Darkseid
invades Sonic’s universe seeking the Chaos Emeralds to augment his power so he
can obtain the Anti-life equation. Luckly for Sonic and his friends, the
Justice League has followed him. So, it’s up to these two groups of heroes to
stop Darkseid.
This is a fun, if rather short, action-packed
adventure with above average art. The Flash and Sonic have a fun rivalry while
Batman and Shadow have a weird mentorship. Each hero is given a new partner to
team up with from the other group and a strange friendship is born. The ending
sets up a sequel which I hope at some point we will get. This was a fun read
that did not take itself very seriously.
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4oIAKNT
I read this by way of the Hoopla App through the
Dallas Public Library System.
Scott A. Tipple ©2025
Friday, November 21, 2025
Mystery Fanfare: My Not So Secret Love Affair: Guest Post by Jeffrey Siger
In Reference to Murder: Friday's "Forgotten" Books: I'll Sing you Two-O
Jerry's House of Everything: FORGOTTEN BOOK: BLOOD OF THE FOUR
In Reference to Murder: Mystery Melange
Thursday, November 20, 2025
Jerry's House of Everything: BULLDOG DRUMMOND: HIJACKERS (SEPTEMBER 28, 1941)
Sweet Freedom: Short Story Wednesday: book received: THE LOST COAST AND OTHER SHARON McCONE STORIES by Marcia Muller (Stark House Press, January 2026)
Wednesday, November 19, 2025
SleuthSayers: Farewell to San Sebastiano
Beneath the Stains of Time: As if By Magic: Locked Room Mysteries and Other Miraculous Crimes (2025) edited by Martin Edwards
Bitter Tea and Mystery: Short Story Wednesday: Thrilling Tales
Jerry's House of Everything: SHORT STORY WEDNESDAY: THE LESSER OF TWO EVILS
Little Big Crimes: This Time Oughta Go Different, by Robert Mangeot
Short Story Wednesday Review: The Perp Wore Pumpkin II: A Humorous Crime Anthology to Benefit Second Harvest Food Bank
The Perp Wore Pumpkin II: A Humorous
Crime Anthology to Benefit Second Harvest Food Bank
is the new release from White City Press, an imprint of Misti Media. Published
by J. Alan Hartman, edited by Sandra Murphy, the anthology contains eleven
tales of the season where crime, food, and humor are in large supply. There are
also three recipes from the Mr. Hartman’s sister, Lisa Lynn.
It should be noted that the anthology includes the
short story, Choked on Love, by yours truly. I am breaking my long-standing
policy of not reviewing books I am in because this is a charity anthology. The
mission here, and one I believe in, is to help others with food insolvency in
some way. I am unable to do much, but I can do this, and so I am.
After an introduction from the publisher, J. Alan
Hartman, it is on to the stories. “A Trifle Too Far” by Shari Held kicks things
off where Aunt Sadie is well known for bringing inedible concoctions to the
holiday dinner. For example, it wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without her pumpkin whoopie
pies. She soon arrives in her red Mustang with yet more surprises for this
year. She isn’t the only one with surprises.
Editor Sandra Murphy is next with “And a
Thanksgiving Turkey Names John Glenn.” Ronnie and Buddy are private detectives
and on a stakeout. Neither one of them wants a repeat of last year when Buddy
got shot. Though that did bring Sharon into his life and a lot of other changes.
My story, Choked on Love, is next. Enough said about
that.
After a recipe for “Easy Poultry, Rice, and Carrot
Soup” it is back to the stories with “What Cranberry Relish Can Add to Your
Holiday” by Vicki Erwin. Like the main character in the last story, she had
plans to for dinner, a bit of reading, and television at home. But, little
sister Jenna refuses to take no for an answer and knows her weak spots.
Fedora Amis is up next with “A Faery Tale
Thanksgiving” where Rodney and his buddy have significant expenses. They have
bills to cover as professional criminals and the lifestyle is not cheap.
Grabbing the daughter of a rich guy sounds like just the ticket.
Alice and Lorna are going to spend time with Lorna’s
family in “The Turducken Murder” by Lisa Krystosek. Upon arrival, they discover
the police and a lot more is already going on at the house of Lorna’s parents.
They also still have to participate in all the family traditions that some
folks would also consider crimes.
After a recipe for “Quick Black Beans” it is on to “Easy
as Pie” by Mike Rusetsky. Big brother Dusty Bruiser and Davey have the huge bag
of potatoes after it fell off a farmer’s truck with nobody the wiser. Now, if
they could just get their hands on some pies. Dusty Bruiser has a plan.
He wants no part of the Rehabilitation Center in “Gelatin
and Soda” by Stephen M. Pierce. But, his mom in in the place after a bad fall.
Sandra King is also now missing a shoe. There will be no peace for him or
anyone else until his mom’s shoe is found.
Ruth Harper used to be an attorney. She retired, got
bored, and took a job as a sales rep for New Orleans Naughty and Nice. Basically,
she sells erotica products at small parties in homes. The latest event was a
fun evening. Until it wasn’t in “Laissez les Bons Temps Rouler” by donalee
Moulton.
After a recipe for “Fruit Crumble” it is back to the
stories with “Great Aunt Martha’s Pumpkin Pie” by Sally Milliken. Instead of
the annual football game, these folks play a soccer game. They also do it full costumes.
Dad might be having cognitive issues and some folks might be trying to take
advantage of that fact.
NYPD Officer Sumi Lin is a rookie and working her
first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in “What the Dicken’s Is Going On?” by
Wendy Harrison. She is pretty sure there is some criminality going with the
folks on the float she has been assigned to be with, but Sergeant Arlo Harris
won’t listen to her at all.
The list of authors and their short bios bring the enjoyable
anthology to a close.
A fun read full of crimes, hijinks, shenanigans,
foods, and more, The Perp Wore Pumpkin II: A Humorous Crime Anthology to
Benefit Second Harvest Food Bank, delivers in all aspects. It
definitely will make you laugh and it will make you hungry as food is
everywhere in the read.
Publisher Purchasing Link: https://whitecitypress.com/product/perp2/
Amazon Purchasing Link: https://amzn.to/4pfI5nV
My reading copy was several proofs during the
editing process because of my contribution as well as a digital ARC.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2025
Tuesday, November 18, 2025
Lesa's Book Critiques: The Seven Rings by Nora Roberts
Lesa's Book Critiques: The Seven Rings by Nora Roberts
Mystery Fanfare: THANKSGIVING MYSTERIES // Thanksgiving Crime Fiction
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Cat Nap by Brian Lies
Publication Day Review: Murder in Mykonos: A Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis Mystery by Jeffrey Siger
Murder in Mykonos: A Chief
Inspector Andreas Kaldis Mystery by Jeffrey Siger is the first book in
the series originally published by the Poisoned Pen Press. Now published by
Severn House, the book begins a series of at least fourteen police procedurals
set in Greece. In this case, specifically, the Greek island of Mykonos.
At thirty-four, Andreas Kaldis has been
a hot shot homicide detective in the capital city of Athens. But, he annoyed those
in power, so he has been “promoted” out of town. He is the new Chief of Police
for the island of Mykonos. One of the smallest places in the Cyclades Islands,
it has become a go to spot for the wealthy who are taking over everything.
Those wealthy folks are calling the shots, the locals be damned, and Kaldis is
the answer. Not only is he good at his job, it also gets him out of multiple
cases in Athens, and allows some powerful people there to sleep better at
night.
Politics and orders mean that he arrives
on the island in early June along with numerous tourists. The first couple of
weeks in the new job are rocky as he makes changes, but he has hope of
surviving the summer, and getting back to Athens.
That hope takes a body blow when a
worker discovers a body inside a small church. Kladis is supposed to immediately
report the find to the Central Police Headquarters on the bigger island of
Syros, but Kladis is here because he tends to do his own thing. So, he wants to
see the situation for himself before folks from elsewhere trample all over his possible
crime scene.
Upon arriving at the church and hearing
the story from the worker, it does not take long for them to see the body in
the floor of the church. The body inside the very small chamber is recent,
decomposing, and clearly posing in place. With confirmation of the body, Kladis
has his people report the situation to those who need to know on Syros.
A team is dispatched to him and arrives
by boat to the island. That assemblage includes a man by the same of Tassos
Stamatos, Chief Homicide Investigator for the Cyclades. Though he has several
decades of experience on him, he has the same attitude about finding the truth
and getting the guilty caught as Kladis. Those additional decades of experience
make him better at navigating both local and national politics. That fact will
be a huge help as the case moves forward.
Primarily because they have stumbled on
the unthinkable—a serial killer. The body is the work of a serial killer who has
been active for quite some time. A serial killer, who in all likelihood, has
taken the daughter of Ambassador Vanden Haag. Young Annika Vanden Haag is also the
niece of the Deputy Minister for Public Safety. She is missing and going to be
his next kill if Stamatos and Kaldis don’t find him first.
Full of Greek politics and history that
does not slow down the mystery at work, Murder in Mykonos: A Chief
Inspector Andreas Kaldis Mystery by Jeffrey Siger is a very good read.
Rich in details, both investigators do the work the old-fashioned way of going
to a lot of places and asking question.
The result is a very complex and
extremely entertaining read well worth your time. If you are new to the series,
as I am, this is well worth your time and attention.
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3WuetHj
My digital ARC came from Severn House,
where I am preapproved, through NetGalley, with no expectation of a positive
review. While NetGalley does not yet list the second book, Assassins of
Athens, Amazon has it coming out on November 20th along with
the entire rest of the series on the same day.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2025
Monday, November 17, 2025
Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: Fun City Heist by Michael Kardos
Michael
Kardos invokes visions of rock star wannabes in Fun City Heist, to be
published in early December 2025 by Severn House. He dampens those dreams with
a considerable dose of realism through stories of backstage concert prep,
grueling travel, miserable sleeping accommodations, betrayals by booking agents
and managers, and hopes that eventually fizzle.
Sunshine
Apocalypse started with a few teenage friends who struggled through constant
touring and taking every booking, looking for that one big break to strike gold.
Their reality was a record contract, some radio air time, and one song that
reached the national top 20. The contract evaporated and the group fractured
under the strain.
Thirty years
on and none of the band members are doing much more than scraping by. Lead singer
John Clay appears from nowhere and wants to pull the band together for one last
gig at Fun City, the New Jersey seaside amusement park where the band first
played. Clay has wangled a place at the July Fourth celebration at the park,
always the highlight of the summer tourist season.
Mo Melnick,
the drummer with perfect pitch, hasn’t touched his drums for years, has painful
memories of the group’s split, and is reluctant to even consider trying to re-create
the past, but the other members are in and they pressure him to join. Then Clay
explains his real motive: he intends to rob Fun City to pay his medical bills. The
fact he based his plan on logistical information that is years old and not only
might have changed but almost definitely has changed doesn’t stop him. He
sweeps the rest of the group along with an offer of cash that they can all use.
Mo’s teenage
daughter, raised solely by her mother, decided to spend the summer at the New
Jersey beach with friends and then moves in with Mo uninvited when a squabble
ends the friendship. Mo doesn’t know how he feels about suddenly becoming a
guardian but he’s hesitantly intrigued by this human linked to him through
genes. He is at first startled and then enchanted by the discovery she has
inherited his musical talent.
Nothing about
the gig or the robbery goes as planned, as might be expected.
A surprising story,
by turns light-hearted and melancholy with overtones of midlife regrets,
beautifully expressed. Great ending.
Fans of Donald
Westlake’s Dortmunder and of Carl Hiassen will want to look at this book, as
will rock afficionados who enjoyed One Last Hit by Nathan Walpow, the
music industry references in the Harry McCoy series by Alan Parks, and the Vinyl
Detective series by Andrew Cartmel.
·
Publisher: Severn House
·
Publication date: December 2, 2025
·
Print length: 208 pages
·
ISBN-10: 1448317231
· ISBN-13: 978-1448317233
Amazon Associate Purchase Link:
https://amzn.to/4p7NaP0
Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2025
Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.
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