Wednesday, July 29, 2026
Beneath the Stains of Time: The Flow of Time: Case Closed, vol. 98 by Gosho Aoyama
Jerry's House of Everything: SHORT STORY WEDNESDAY: THE LOCKED TOMB MYSTERY
Bitter Tea and Mystery: Short Story Wednesday: Feuille D'Album by Katherine Mansfield
Short Story Wednesday Review: Forget Me Not by Stephen Ford (Thriller Magazine: June 2026 issue)
The plan was complicated and yet simple. Sir
Alistair Pembroke was willing to pay in the short story, Forget Me Not, by
Stephen Ford (Thriller Magazine: June 2026 issue). Sir Pembroke claims
to have heard of Mr. Frost and the services he can provide clients by way of discreet word of mouth. What he wants is
simple on the face of it--“’Find Your Item. Steal it back. Leave a gift.’”
The item to be retrieved is a certain book. The item
to be left behind is some sort of flower petal.
Nobody said a word about the dead body in the target
location. But, that is exactly what awaits Mr. Frost and his team at the home
of Jarvis Stowe somewhere in England. And a caravan of police vehicles is
closing in rapidly.
What follows is a story of twists, turns, and deceit
that has the roots in what was once called “The Cold War.” It is also a mighty
good read in an issue I enjoyed.
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4futRwr
My digital reading copy came by way of my ninety-day free Kindle Unlimited trial.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2026
Tuesday, July 28, 2026
Review: Wildwood: A Novel by Amy Pease
Wildwood: A Novel by Amy Pease is
the second book in the series that began with the very good Northwoods.
As the book begins, it is October in North Wisconsin and Eli North is in a far better
place mentally. He’s quit drinking, is in therapy for PTSD and other issues,
and is coping with everything better than he has been in some time. He’s still working for his mom, the
sheriff, who ordered him to take the day off. So, he started the day chopping
wood. Not only is it therapeutic for him, it is being proactive as winter is
coming.
His day off is soon out the window when
his mom calls him in. With only three members of the Sherman County Sherrif’s Department,
one of whom is the dispatcher, she did not really have a choice. Sheriff Marge
North might have dealt with the missing woman case on her own.
But, she got into the home, and judging
from the blood sprayed on the bedroom walls, probably Trinity Campanella is
dead. If so, they are looking for a body and a killer. There are other troubling
signs in the home as well.
So, she needs her son and fellow officer,
Eli North, and other outside resources. She had not reached out to the FBI and yet
they have shown up in form of FBI Agent Alyssa Mason. They dealt with her last
summer and now she is suddenly back in Shaky Lake, Wisconsin, and has arrived, unannounced,
at her crime scene. She has also brought an undercover DEA agent with her. For
good reasons too in an increasingly complicated case and a mighty good read.
While this could be read first, if one
so desired, I recommend reading the series in order to see how things are evolving
for the characters involved. Both books are very good and strongly recommended.
As I was with the first book, I am indebted
to a comment on Lesa Holstine’s What Are You Reading blog posts. I had no idea
this was even out until I saw the news there and requested the book via my
library. The read is also available by way of Kindle Unlimited (as is the
first) so I read it that way in a larger font than the hardback library book.
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3TmDgyH
Amazon Associate Purchase Series Link: https://amzn.to/4pEdG4l
Kevin R. Tipple ©2026
Monday, July 27, 2026
In Reference to Murder: Media Murder for Monday
Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity: 40 Writing Contests in August 2026 - No entry fees!
Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: The Amateur: A Novel by Chris Bohjalian
The Amateur
(Doubleday, 4 August 2026) is the latest crackerjack thriller from critically
acclaimed author Chris Bohjalian. Set in the 1970s in the posh suburb of Tallmadge
in Westchester County, New York, where everyone who is anyone is a member of
the country club, the story is a memoir told by Mira Winston in later life and
with the benefit of considerable hindsight.
Mira fell in
love with the game of golf as a tween and became notably proficient, practicing
relentlessly and working with a coach to the point she’s won a few regional
tournaments. Now upon graduation from high school she’s been promised a place
on the golf team at Yale, where she expects to begin classes in a month. On an
ordinary summer day she’s at the club, driving golf balls into the practice net
one after another. The net breaks with the force of her swing and the sphere
weighing an ounce and a half becomes a lethal weapon as it strikes the temple
of one of the high school students working as a caddy that day.
At first the
practice net seemed to be faulty, and the manufacturer was the focus of
attention, then upon closer investigation Mira took the brunt of the blame, as
a secret affair with a married man 30 years older was made public and some of
her impulsive acts from the past were spun as indicators of instability and viciousness.
The entire town turned against her; she eventually was charged with involuntary
manslaughter. While she waited for trial, she was targeted in every way
possible by acquaintances and neighbors. The stress of false accusations and
societal disapproval hit the heretofore privileged teenager like an anvil
falling from the sky.
A strikingly
good book, with complex characterizations, a carefully layered plot, and a
flawless duplication of the 1970s social code. Mira was subjected to societal
censure that from the vantage point of 2026 belonged somewhere else and it is
agonizing to read. Along with toxic social issues, the mechanics surrounding
the failure of the net was examined from all aspects. Considering the damages
likely to be awarded the dead boy’s family in a civil lawsuit, the manufacturer,
the country club, and Mira’s family all pointed at each other. The real cause
of failure was a last-minute surprise I should have seen coming but of course I
didn’t.
Starred
reviews from Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, and Booklist. A
riveting read, highly recommended!
·
Publisher: Doubleday
·
Publication date: August 4, 2026
·
Language: English
·
Print length: 336 pages
·
ISBN-10: 0385551290
·
ISBN-13: 978-0385551298
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4bdgShj
Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2026
Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.
Sunday, July 26, 2026
Little Big Crimes: Noir Canal, by Manu Causse
Bitter Tea and Mystery: Murder on the Yellow Brick Road: Stuart M. Kaminsky
Review: Waves of Burden: A Novel by Curtis Ippolito
Waves
of Burden: A Novel by Curtis
Ippolito is an intense crime fiction read. Published by Rock and a Hard Place
Press, the read takes the usual crime fiction stereotype of the problematic
family member that is always in a jam and shakes it up a bit. It’s also good to have
friends you can call on for help.
Drew
Jones works hard for the money in San Diego, California. He is a contractor
with a baby on the way as the baby is due in less than three months. Drew needs
every penny he can earn as Gaby and he live on the edge as it is and their baby
is going to need things. As he finishes up a job one day, he gets a call from
his former foster brother, Jake. He hasn’t seen him in months and his older
brother is back in town.
They
get together, eat, hang out, Jake crashes at their place, and things are
seemingly okay. He has a tendency to bring trouble with him. It has been that
way since Drew was left to clean up the mess when they were kids and he is
still that way as he lives a nomadic lifestyle. But, this time seems a bit
different, at first.
That
was a mirage. It soon slowly becomes
clear that, Jake being Jake, has really screwed up things this time. Before
long, cops want to talk. If that was not enough, some very dangerous people
have started showing up and are making demands that must be met. Everything and
everyone Drew holds dear is under threat of prison or worse. With next to no
frame of reference for the mess they have been shoved into, Drew has to figure
out a way to save them all.
What
follows is a complicated crime fiction read full of rich characters, plenty of action,
and a world where almost nothing is clear. The author loves San Diego and that
is clear as the area is its own character from start to finish. What isn’t
clear is how Drew will save those he loves.
Amazon
Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4yxgEvk
My
PDF ARC came from the publisher shortly before publication day with no
expectation of a review.
Kevin
R. Tipple ©2026
Saturday, July 25, 2026
KRL Update
Up on KRL this week a review and giveaway of the latest Longmire mystery by Craig Johnson, "The Brothers McKay" https://kingsriverlife.com/07/25/the-brothers-mckay-by-craig-johnson/
We also have reviews and giveaways of 3 more fun mysteries for your summer reading-"Dead Men Don’t Play Fetch" by David Rosenfelt, "Sweet Spot" Ghostwriter Mystery by Kemper Donovan, & "I, Spy" by L.M. Kemp https://kingsriverlife.com/07/25/end-of-july-mystery-catchup/
And a review and giveaway of "Murder at Haddonford Manor” by Irina McGrath https://kingsriverlife.com/07/25/murder-at-haddonford-manor-by-irina-mcgrath/
And the latest Queer Mystery Coming Attractions from Matt Lubbers-Moore https://kingsriverlife.com/07/25/queer-mystery-coming-attractions-august-2026/
Up on KRL during the week we posted an excerpt from "The Girl on the Beach" by Carol Snow https://kingsriverlife.com/07/22/excerpt-from-the-girl-on-the-beach-by-carol-snow/
Up on KRL News and Reviews this week we have a review and giveaway of the latest Marlow Murder Club mystery, "The Mysterious Affair of Judith Potts" by Robert Thorogood https://www.krlnews.com/2026/07/the-mysterious-affair-of-judith-potts.html
And a review and Kindle giveaway of "The Corpse at the Cottage" by Kathleen Bridge https://www.krlnews.com/2026/07/the-corpse-at-cottage-by-kathleen.html
And a review and giveaway of "The Taverna at the Edge of Night" by H.Y. Hanna https://www.krlnews.com/2026/07/the-taverna-at-edge-of-night-by-hy.html
Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity: 19 Awesome Writing Conferences and Workshops in August 2026
Scott's Take: A Parade of Horribles (Dungeon Crawler Carl series) by Matt Dinniman
A Parade of Horribles by Matt
Dinniman is the eighth book in the Dungeon
Crawler Carl series.
I read this as an eBook so I did not have access to the short story. At the
time of writing this review at the end of May, the hardback version is still on
order at the Dallas Public Library System. I have a hold on one, whenever they
get them in, so that I can read the short story.
In this action-packed installment,
Princess Donut, Carl, and the remaining Crawlers, compete in various races and
must try to survive and win them. Then, once the races are done, the evil AI is
planning to have “A Parade of Horribles.” The AI is calling it a coming out
party for himself.
This one is heavy on the lore building
at the end. There is a lot of violence, but it is a lot less than one would
expect in this series. I also found the
races to be very different than what I was expecting. I was kind of
disappointed in that aspect of the read.
Carl and Donut get some more quality
character development but some of the gimmick jokes drag on longer than I think
they should have. Also, a lot of the plot points that have been running in the
background for more than one book are still not followed up on here. I kind of wish we would get a novel
focusing on the kinder facility or the human resistance on Earth against the
aliens. Instead of a few sentences here
and there. I feel like a lot happened in this book, but mostly towards the end.
I enjoyed this read, but maybe I was
overhyped for it. I thought this one was one of the weaker books. In the next
book, The Ascendery Games begin as the
Crawlers will attempt to escape various floors while trying to stop one of the
gods from becoming the King of The Gods.
There should be quite a lot going on as the large cast of the series has
been scattered to so many other places by this point. It is going to require
some very good scene switching to make it all work.
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4dCSpDE
My reading copy came through the Libby App by way of the Dallas Public Library system. I have a hold on the hardback through the system. Sometimes the short stories are important, sometimes not, but either way I want to read it.
Scott A. Tipple ©2026
Friday, July 24, 2026
In Reference to Murder: Friday's "Forgotten" Books: Death of a Busybody
In Reference to Murder: Mystery Melange
Review: Dirty Little Town: A River City Novel by Frank Zafiro
When I recently read and reviewed Frank
Zafiro’s cozy mystery novellas (Hallmarks
of the Job, Shades
of the Job), I was reminded that I was way behind in my reading of
his police procedural River City series.
I knew I was behind. I had no idea how far behind I was. Dirty Little
Town: A River City Novel is the seventh book in the series and was
released back in November 2021.
The read opens in August 2003 and a bit after
the events in Place
of Wrath and Tears. Officer Katie Macleod has been through some
things. In the here and now, she’s getting a provisional promotion to detective
and being assigned to assist Detective Browning on his hunt for a serial
killer. No pay bump due to contract issues, and it leaves patrol shorthanded
due to ongoing staffing issues due to budget and contract issues, but it could
give the department some positive PR at a time when that is very much needed.
It also gives her a chance to shine. She’s been an officer for twelve years.
But being a detective is like starting all over again.
As is the department as a whole because
the mayor has installed a new chief of police. Chief of Police Richard Sannael
has arrived and Captain Robert Saylor is way less than impressed. It does not
help that Saylor had been the acting Police Chief after being appointed to the
position by the previous mayor.
The recent election went way different
than planned or expected, and the new mayor has been a micromanager and
problematic. This new chief selected by the mayor seems to be focused on
casting blame and making changes that will make things worse and sacrifice
loyal officers to do it. He is a political animal and maybe something worse.
These are just two of a number of
storylines at work in Dirty Little Town: A River City Novel. I
have long said that if you loved the work of Ed McBain, the tv shows Hill
Street Blues, Southland, Line of Duty, Blue Lights,
and other authors and shows, you will love this series. These books detail
police work and the men and women who do the job. It showcases them off shift just
as much and how their jobs affect their personal lives.
This series has evolving and ageing
characters, like any really good series, and that always results in good
reading. Such is the case here. As always with any good series, start at the
beginning and work your way forward. In this case begin with Under a Raging Moon.
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4b80yye
According to Amazon, I picked this up
back in November 2021. I suspect it was by funds in my Amazon Associate account,
but I do not know that for sure.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2026
Thursday, July 23, 2026
Jerry's House of Everything: SUSPENSE: THE BLACK CURTAIN (NOVEMBER 30, 1944)
Thursday Treats: 7/23/2026
Some reading opportunities of interest this week.
SMFS
list member Mia Dalia announced that her short story, B Minor, was published
online at The Sunlight Press. You can read it for free here.
SMFS
list member James Patrick Focarile
announced that his short story, What Whiskey Won’t Cure, was published online
at The Saturday Evening Post. You can read it for free here.
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Black
Cat Weekly #255 is out and includes short stories by SMFS
list members N. M. Cedeño (Mirror Life
Meltdown), Stacy Woodson (She Loves You), and others. You can pick up the
latest issue here.
SMFS
list member James
W. Ziskin announced that his latest novel, The
Prank, comes out on the 28th. “Set in Christmas 1968, a
thirteen-year-old sociopath befriends his teacher, unaware she loved the man
his prank accidentally killed.” Published by Level
Best-Historia, the read is available in both digital
and print formats at Amazon and other
vendors.
Coming early next month. and edited by SMFS list members, Editors Gigi Pandian and Tom Mead, All the Crime in the World: Locked Room Mysteries and Impossible Puzzles. According to the synopsis, the anthology will feature 14 short stories by Victor Bonini, James Scott Byrnside, Shelly Dickson Carr, S.A. Cosby, Anne van Doorn, Martin Edwards, Sulari Gentill, Paul Halter, Christopher Huang, Vaseem Khan, Josh Pachter (The Allegory of the Five Senses), Masaya Yamaguchi, Ovidia Yu, and a brand-new collaboration from the editors. It is currently available for preorder at the publisher, Crippen and Landru.
And,
finally, for something completely different, the fantasy novel, Immortalized
Memories of the Omniverse: Rise of the Draconic Hero, by Alex Rosen is now out. Epic Fantasy and more are present
in this read. I am reading more than one book right now, always a dangerous
practice on my part, and this is one of them. I am not one for fantasy these
days, but I am enjoying it. Sent to me by the publisher, you can get it at Amazon or many other vendors.
Until next time….
Kevin R. Tipple ©2026
Wednesday, July 22, 2026
In Reference to Murder: Media Murder for Monday
Jerry's House of Everything: SHORT STORY WEDNESDAY: ICU
Bitter Tea and Mystery: Short Story Wednesday: "Kill Now—Pay Later" by Rex Stout
Short Story Wednesday Review: The Last Laugh by Robert Jakues (Thriller Magazine: June 2026)
The police procedural short story, The
Last Laugh, by Robert Jakues appears in the Thriller Magazine: June 2026
issue and it is a very good tale. The story opens with Detective opens with Detective
Pilsudski being awakened by Sergeant Jack Couch calling him at home long before
dawn. Pilsudski is the weekend on call Homicide Detective in South Central Los
Angeles. There is a body and he is needed. Before long he meets his partner
Detective Jim Hampton at their 77th street station house. Together, they head to
the scene.
It is mid-winter and the chilly night air
off the Pacific certainly isn’t warming anything or anyone on the deserted
streets.
The dead man is sprawled out on the
sidewalk mid-block on Dalton Avenue. He’s been shot in the back of the head. When
the body is rolled on its side by the coroner investigator, he found an open
black wallet. Inside, the driver’s license identifies the dead man as Gaylord Pettis.
Now it is up to Detective Pilsudski and Hampton to determine who killed Mr.
Gaylord Pettis and why in this very good short story by Robert Jakues.
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4futRwr
My digital reading copy came by way of
my ninety-day free Kindle Unlimited trial.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2026
Tuesday, July 21, 2026
Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity: Science Fiction and Fantasy Journals - Paying markets
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawcett
Monday, July 20, 2026
Beneath the Stains of Time: A Murder is Announced (1950) by Agatha Christie
Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: Deadly Odds 9.0 by Allen Wyler
Allen Wyler
is a retired neurosurgeon who lives in Seattle. He’s taken up writing thrillers
as a second career, first publishing seven medical thrillers and then using the
technology-rich environment of Seattle as the basis for the Deadly Odds series
about a reformed computer hacker named Arnold Gold. Three titles in the series
have been finalists for Best Thriller awards, www.bestthrillers.com. The ninth book Deadly
Odds 9.0 was released in mid-July.
Gold has
established a strong reputation as a trusted IT security specialist for the
most sensitive of systems. He and his small team are booked for weeks to come,
often for security testing of crucial networks and data centers. The most
challenging of this kind of testing is to determine how easy the network in
question is to break into, both digitally and physically, and to formulate
recommendations for strengthening the system’s defenses. In the background the
artificial intelligence network Gold developed privately is always working,
monitoring financial markets and assessing political threats.
A terrorist
cell Gold helped take down years ago has revitalized. Its members have learned
about Gold’s powerful AI tool and they are determined to acquire it as well as take
revenge against Gold himself. Gold juggles the workload of his company to
maintain its public status while collecting data on the terrorist organization
to hand off to law enforcement and bolstering his AI network against theft. The
latter includes dismantling his back-up network in Hawaii and shipping it to
Seattle for establishment in a safe location.
A fast-moving
techno-thriller with geopolitical overtones. The story is replete with
technological references, as should be expected, with concise explanations of
more obscure aspects that are worked smoothly into the narrative flow. The
occasional references to character ethnicity, although within the context of
terrorism, can be jarring. Readers who enjoy political thrillers or
technology-driven plots will want to consider this series for their reading
lists. In particular fans of the Monkeewrench novels, 11 books about another
group of technology gurus set in Minneapolis by P. J. Tracy, will want to look
at these stories.
·
Publisher: Stairway Press
·
Publication date: July 14, 2026
·
Language: English
·
Print length: 264 pages
·
ISBN-10: 1960405713
·
ISBN-13: 978-1960405715
Amazon
Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4fnS5bF
Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2026
Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.
Sunday, July 19, 2026
Little Big Crimes: The Briar Patch, by Tom Milani
Favorite Books: January to June 2026
I wasn’t really planning to compile this, but then Lesa Holstine did her list. So, I decided she could not have all the fun and came up with my own list. As I have said more than once, I am a big fan of police procedurals. So, my list heavily features those books and police procedural adjacent ones. We don’t need no stinking romance! My list below begins in January and features eight reads that I very much enjoyed.
Inside
Man: A Head Cases Novel by John McMahon
is the very enjoyable sequel to Head
Cases. As always in any good series, it is best to
have read the first book before
the sequel. Agent Gardner Camden leads an FBI unit named PAR. The Patterns and
Recognition team exists to find peculiarities in cases that have stalled or
gone cold. Each member of the team brings a unique set of skills. Their current
case is a fraud one out of Florida. You can read the rest of my January review here.
It is
October as Bitter Fall: A Detective Justice Novel by
Bruce Robert Coffin begins. It is just after midnight on a desolate stretch of
Maine roadway. For Maine State Police Detectives Brock Justice and Chloe
Wright, what was already a long day is about to get way longer. Homicide
Detectives from the Major Crimes Unit North out of the Troop E barracks in
Bangor are not called out to investigate fatal motor vehicle accidents. They
were told to make the ninety-minute drive, one way, not simply because Summer
Randall is dead in the road. The drunk driver did not kill her though there is
no doubt that the vehicle hit her. The stab wound in her stomach probably did
the deed. You can read the rest of my review here.
The
third book of
the police procedural series that began with The Face of Greed delivers in every possible way
for the reader. Illusion of Truth: A Novel begins a few
months after River of Lies and starts with a bang. The
call out to a local church was a ploy to get police officers to respond. For
the several officers that responded to the scene, the place was anything but
safe. Within minutes of their arrival, two separate improvised explosive
devices are detonated. You can read the rest of my review here.
Marybeth
Pickett always knew that being the wife of a Wyoming Game Warden meant the
worst could happen at any time. She knows from the start of The
Crossroads: A Joe Pickett Novel that it has almost happened. At
least her husband is still alive, if only by a thread. In one of the most
intense books I have read this year, Joe fights for life as his daughters work
to figure out who ambushed their dad. You can read the rest of my review here.
Death
is something the retired DC Metropolitan Police Department Detective is very
familiar with, professionally and personally. Graham Sanderson has quit working
homicides in Washington, DC, and moved into his dad’s house in upstate New
York. He’s there to help his younger brother, Tommy. A widower who misses his
wife tremendously, he’s coping, but not well. With no hobbies and the memories
of a lifetime of police work, he has far too much time on his hands to think
and brood. Soon, he is helping the very small and short-staffed local police
department hunt down a killer in From the Dust: A Novel by David
Swinson. You can read the rest of my review here.
Grief
over losing a spouse also is a major part of my next favorite. These days,
there are few books that
just grab me and don’t let go. Seldom Seen Road: Burnt River
Mysteries by John Degen is one of those books. Mark Roth is living
in an isolated cabin on the north shore of Lake Huron. Getting drawn into
investigating a murder was never planned. But, it happens. You can read more of
my review here.
So, there you have it. I easily could have added a dozen more. The goal was to not bury you in books. Though, come to think of it, if the series reads are new to you, and you follow my advice to read the prior ones before you get to these, I probably did bury you in books.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2026
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