Tuesday, July 07, 2026
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Sex and Death on the Beach: A Florida Beach Mystery by Elaine Viets
Publication Day Review: River Deep: A Bitterfrost Thriller by Bryan Gruley
River Deep: A Bitterfrost
Thriller
by Bryan Gruley takes readers back to the town of Bitterfrost on the shore of
Lake Michigan. Like the first book of the series, Bitterfrost,
this new book is also marketed as a “thriller.” This reader would label it a “mystery.”
Regardless of label, this second book in the series lives up to the very good
first read in every aspect.
Before going further, I am being very careful
not to reveal background details here that tie into that first book. Like in his
other series, this second book should be read after reading the first book. Some
storylines continue, characters develop,
things have happened because of the first book, etc. Read in order.
There are repercussions and unfinished business
from the first book as River Deep begins. The glory of hockey is
back in this read as is another major trial. Devyn Payne has returned full
time, at least for now, to her roots. A former criminal defense lawyer, she has
her reasons for coming home, and going to work as a prosecutor. It was supposed
to make her life easier.
So much for that idea. Tragedy has again
struck. She is standing on a dark and cold riverbank watching late one night as
a crane pulls a SUV from the frigid river waters. The river, the Jako, leads
into Lake Michigan. It has taken two lives this night—twin boys that will not
see their first birthday.
That cold river water barely released
the parents back to dry ground. Catriona Delaney is on a medical helicopter
headed to Grand Rapids. The father, Sammy Hardt, fared better in the crash into
the river, and is in decent shape, all things considered. He apparently got
Catriona out. Unfortunately, he was unable to save the kids.
As the police begin the crash investigation,
the case is led by Detective Garth Klimmeck. A year older and that much closer
to retirement, he is eyeballing the increasing need for a hip replacement, and other
things. Local politics played a major role in the case last year. He is fully
aware that with the people involved, local
politics will definitely play a role in this situation, no matter what he
uncovers.
It certainly does, but politics and familial
history is not even half of it. Much is going on here. Before long, there is a full-scale
murder trial with twist after twist. Much like real life, this fictional world
is full of chaos, grief, and unpredictability.
As previously noted, the events of the
first book, Bitterfrost, play a significant role in this read. I
strongly recommend reading this very good series in order. The author continues
to develop a complicated world which gives this reader hope that the series
will continue. A mighty good read and very much well worth your time, as are
his other books.
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4dRFnCw
My digital ARC reading copy came from
the publisher, Severn House, through NetGalley, with no expectation of a
positive review.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2026
Monday, July 06, 2026
Doing the Unwelcome Eye Thing Again
It has happened again. Saw a flash, maybe three, in the corner of my right eye Saturday evening. We were outside doing the evening walk to the corner and back, so I did not think anything about it. Saw the massive floater yesterday and the tissue paper effect. Thought it had been this same eye before. Had a day of sheer panic that has stretched into today as my eye doc seems to be closed, at least for now, and the retina specialist place he told me call if anything ever happened will not see me without doctor notes.
So, they decided to send me to an eye doctor next door, and after some discussion with the very nice scheduler who wanted me to wait two plus weeks as a new patient, I go in early afternoon tomorrow for an exam.
Finally remembered I had blogged about this before. Read this and then figured out that it was the LEFT last time and now it is the RIGHT. SO NOT THE SAME FREAKING EYE, AFTER ALL.
Panic Level Alert dialed down to a 7 as it was diagnosed as a posterior vitreous detachment before and was told it would most likely happen again with the other eye. Once you do it in one, it is a virtual guarantee. As long as the retina has not also detached, I should be fine after an annoying few weeks of the giant floater with the tissue paper effect.
So, if you will, keep a good thought as I deal with this tomorrow. Please and thank you.
In Reference to Murder: Media Murder for Monday
Little Big Crimes: Three Billy Goats Gruff, by Michael Bracken
Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: The Haul: A Heist Novel by Gary Phillips
Los Angeles
native Gary Phillips has been called the hardest-working man in crime
fiction. He has written novels, comics, novellas, and short stories. He’s been
a contributing columnist to the Los Angeles Times, LA Watts Times,
Rap Pages, the San Francisco Examiner, CrimeReads, and Black
Scholar. He edited the Anthony-winning anthology The Obama Inheritance:
Fifteen Stories of Conspiracy Noir. Almost thirty years after its
publication, his debut, Violent Spring (West Coast Crime, 1994), his
first book about PI Ivan Monk set in the aftermath of the 1992 riots, was named
one of the essential crime novels of Los Angeles. He was also a writer and
co-producer on Snowfall, a show that streamed on Hulu for 60
episodes. Taking place mostly in the 1980s, it describes the first crack
epidemic in Los Angeles and its impact, particularly in South Central where Phillips
grew up.
Phillips
generally takes his readers to Los Angeles in mid to late 20th
century with its uncontrolled growth and social upheaval. I can always count on
seeing references to the LA music scene, some of the performers who made the
national stage I recognize but others are unknown to me because they remained
local gems. Some of the same places and events emerge often in his work, which
reminds me of the fiction of Rabbi Chaim Potok whose Depression-era childhood consistently
appears in his early novels.
In The
Haul (Soho, July 2026), the newest book from Phillips, O’Conner, the
professional thief who first appeared in The Warlord of Willow Ridge (Dafina
Books, 2012) is back, settled into a quiet middle-class life with Gwen who
knows his criminal past and doesn’t particularly object. He thinks he’s retired
and then someone asks him to plan the theft of several million dollars from an
unscrupulous tech bro who can spare it. In his methodical planning and
scheduling O’Conner reminded me of mercenary Cat Shannon as he prepared to take
over a third-world country in The Dogs of War (Hutchinson & Co., 1974)
by Frederick Forsyth.
With
flashbacks to O’Conner’s childhood on the streets of LA, it’s easy to see how
the adult O’Conner took shape. Of course plenty of mentions of LA night clubs
and jazz performers sprinkled throughout the pages. There’s even a quick, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it
reference to Harry Ingram from One-Shot Harry, Phillips’ historical
crime story published in 2022 and its sequel Ash Dark as Night, (Soho,
2024).
In the
afterword Phillips gives credit to Donald Westlake and Westlake’s professional
thief Parker for the inspiration for this suspense-filled takedown of an
apparently impenetrable facility with a sizable payday at the end. I always
loved the Parker books so of course I enjoyed this one.
A Los Angeles Times Best Summer Read and a
starred review from Publishers Weekly.
·
Publisher: Soho Crime
·
Publication date: July 14, 2026
·
Language: English
·
Print length: 304 pages
·
ISBN-10: 164129664X
·
ISBN-13: 978-1641296649
Amazon
Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4eIKzZJ
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 05, 2026
Review: Beach Blonde Betrayal: A Florida Beach Mystery by Elaine Viets
This book comes out this Tuesday….
Having previously read the first book of
this series, Sex and Death on the Beach, I happily requested Beach
Blonde Betrayal when it appeared on NetGalley. As the publisher, Severn
House, has had me preapproved for anything in their vast catalog for years now,
I was quickly able to download the book and start reading. There is less sex on
the beach, but a lot more murder in this installment of The Florida Beach
Mysteries.
Nora McCarthy, a native Floridian, owns
and operates, “The Florodora” in Peerless Point. The classic apartment building
sits on the beach approximately at the midpoint between Fort Lauderdale and
Miami, Florida. Her tenants, beyond her boyfriend Dean who has law enforcement experience
and is now in exile in Witness Protection for very good reason, are people who
honor the idea of the Florida Man/Woman you see in news reports. But, they do
it in good ways by being eccentric, colorful, trusting of others, and bastions
of the South Florida culture and style. They are all fun, eccentric, and play a
major role in keeping the building alive and vibrant.
Because of the way they are, they could
be a bit more susceptible to romance scams than the average person. It is also
way easier for the police, in a separate storyline, to suspect one of their own
as the culprit behind a string of murders of blonde women found dead on the
beach. Both are in play in this complicated mystery that also features a separate
murder just outside the four story Florodora apartment building as well.
Fortunately, Norah has a knack for investigation
and Dean is present to assist with his law enforcement investigative skills. As
they deal with new issues in their personal relationship and hurt feelings,
they unite to help their fellow friends in the building. A building where the
people think of themselves as family and have their own interrelationship
issues. Things get complicated and don’t always work out as planned, but like
life itself, this is how it plays out.
The result is an entertaining mystery full of a cast of characters and constant twists and turns. While it is always preferable to have read the first book of a series first, one could easily read Beach Blonde Betrayal: A Florida Beach Mystery first as spoilers for the previous book are minimal. It is also a solidly good cozy style mystery and a lot of fun.
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4oveckC
As previously noted, my digital ARC came
from the publisher, Severn House, through NetGalley, with no expectation of a positive
review.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2026
Saturday, July 04, 2026
SleuthSayers: Treasure Island
Beneath the Stains of Time: Everyone in This Bank is a Thief (2026) by Benjamin Stevenson
KRL Update
Due to the holiday weekend we have a very small issue up on KRL this week and this mystery seemed perfect for the holiday-we have a review and giveaway of "Hot Wings and Homicide" by Carmela Dutra https://kingsriverlife.com/07/04/hot-wings-and-homicide-by-carmela-dutra/
Jerry's House of Everything: HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY! SEEING WASHINGTON (1957)
Scott's Take: The Bat-Man: Second Knight by Mike Perkins (Author/Illustrator)
The Bat-Man: Second Knight
by Mike Perkins is a follow up to The
Bat-Man First Knight and is set in the same universe. The plot
synopsis online for the trade is only somewhat accurate in my opinion. The car
crash does not involve Batman despite what is stated. There is no cult. I did
not realize the guy in purple was supposed to be the monk. I don’t think they
even call him that.
The actual book is about the Scarecrow and a guy in
purple killing people and spreading fear gas across Gotham. Set sometime when
Germany is marching across Europe at the beginning of World War II, Batman is
attempting to stop the killing. He is also with his very scared girlfriend who is
back in town to participate in the premier of her new movie.
Lois Lane and Clark Kent are also in town for the
premier. It is also not long before they are victimized by Scarecrow’s plan. In
the wake of that attack, Clark is quickly able to figure out Bruce has his own
secrets. Can they find a way to trust each other and work together to stop the
attacks?
There is action, horror elements, vivid art, and a
classic old school Superman. In this story, Superman is way weaker than he is
now. He can’t fly. He just jumps really high. Bruce is more of an average man
in this story. Jim Gordon is a veteran of World War 1 and has his own fears to
deal with as related to gas attacks. This book gave me a new appreciation for
how scary gas attacks are. There is a lot of historical elements drawn in to
each character’s backstory.
I enjoyed this period piece. I hope the series
continues, but there is no word at the time of writing this review in early May
if it will.
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3R4bdTq
I read this by way of Hoopla through the Dallas
Public Library System.
Scott A. Tipple ©2026
Friday, July 03, 2026
SleuthSayers: On Rereading
Mystery Fanfare: FOURTH OF JULY MYSTERIES//JULY 4 CRIME FICTION
Jerry's House of Everything: FORGOTTEN BOOK: THE FURY AND THE TERROR
Thursday, July 02, 2026
In Reference to Murder: Mystery Melange
Thursday Treats: 7/2/2026
Some reading opportunities of interest this week. For a change of pace this week, we start in the world of books….
Boots, BBQ, and Bloodshed: Metroplex Mysteries Vol. V, is now out. Edited by SMFS list member Michael Bracken, published by Sisters in Crime North Dallas, the read has short stories by SMFS list members Karen Harrington (We Have Lost The Plot), M.E. Proctor (Five-Pointed Stars), Tiffany Seitz (The L-Knife Murder), and Shannon Taft. You can pick up the digital read at Amazon.
A reminder that SMFS list member and the force
behind Guilty
Crime Story Magazine,
Brandon Barrows, latest book, The Darker the Night, is
scheduled to be released on July 7th. The mystery, published by Rowan
Prose Publishing, is
available to preorder in multiple formats at Amazon and other
vendors.
Moving
on to short stories, and most of these are again this week, free reads…
Fellow
SMFS list member Stephen M. Pierce
announced that his short story, Six Shots for a Sharpshooter, was published
online at Close to the Bone Magazine. Read the tale for free here.
Fellow SMFS list member John A. Tures announced
that his short story, The Ultimate Sacrifice, was published online at Exquisite
Death. The story is free to read here.
I also remind you of his recent blog guest post appearance here.
Fellow
SMFS list member Andy Boyle announced
that his short story, Video 191, was published online at The Temz Review. You
can read it for free here.
SMFS
list member Abe
Margel announced the publication of his short story, Travis’ Benefit, at
The Yard: Crime Blog. You can read it for free here.
Today
is publication day for Rock and a Hard Place: Issue 16: Summer 2026. Features
11 crime fiction short stories including SMFS list member Christina Hoag’s “Last
Night on the Track.” You can pick it up on Amazon.
And
we close with an anthology ….
Finally,
Level Best Books—Level Short is scheduled to release the anthology, What
the World Needs Now: Mystery Stories Inspired by the Music of Burt Bacharach.
SMFS list members Joseph Goodrich (The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance) and Josh
Pachter (Me Japanese Boy) are included in the charity anthology edited by Martin
Edwards. Funds raised are for autism charities in the US and UK. The digital
version is up for preorder at Amazon.
Until next time….
Kevin R. Tipple ©2026
Wednesday, July 01, 2026
SleuthSayers: Popcorn Proverbs 7
Pulp Serenade: "The Town Square" by Orrie Hitt (Swank, May 1964)
Jerry's House of Everything: SHORT STORY WEDNESDAY: THE LADY FROM YESTERDAY
Short Story Wednesday Review: Hallmarks of the Job: A Stanley Melvin PI Story by Frank Zafiro
Last month I reviewed the novella, Shades
of the Job: A Stanley Melvin PI Story by Frank Zafiro. That novella was
my first experience with the very detail ordered and precise in his language Stanley
Melvin. I liked the read a lot as I made clear in my review. That also led the
publisher to send me the first read, Hallmarks of the Job: A Stanley
Melvin PI Story.
As the tale begins, Alan Thorpe is an
angry man as he sits across from Stanley Melvin in his office above Hamilton’s
Barber Shop. He is adamant that his wife is cheating. He wants Melvin to prove
it and to do so with pictorial proof. Because 38% of Stanley Melvin’s caseload
are these types of situations, he knows that he is fully equipped to take the
case.
But, is she really cheating?
Thorpe certainly thinks so, but all he
has is speculation. He wants proof and he is willing to sign a contract and pay
for services rendered to get that pictorial proof.
A signed contract and payment mean that Stanley
Melvin is on the case. A man of skills, and on the spectrum, he is highly
detail orientated and organized. Lists matter a lot as he moves through both
his personal and private life. But, making a list and being able to cross it
off does not solve everything.
Hallmarks of the Job: A Stanley
Melvin PI Story
by Frank Zafiro is a solidly good cozy style mystery read. This series is far
different than the gritty police procedurals that make up his River City series. These novellas,
quirky and fun, are well worth your time.
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4aCoNEr
My digital reading copy came from the
publisher, Code 4 Press, with no expectation
of a review.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2026
Tuesday, June 30, 2026
Beneath the Stains of Time: Jack the Poetical Private (1997) by MORI Hiroshi
SleuthSayers: Using Real Life in Fiction
Publication Day Review: Storm Tide: A Novel by Paul Doiron
In some sense what began in The Poacher’s Son
long ago is about to come full circle. As Storm
Tide: A Novel by Paul Doiron begins, Maine Game Warden Mike Bowditch,
who had a very problematic relationship with his own father, is about to be a
father. His wife, Stacey, is just a few weeks away from giving birth. The clock
is ticking on the arrival of their child in a world that has seen dad demoted
back to patrol and about to lose his career with the Maine Warden Service.
On this October night others have lost far more. The
roaring blaze in the shattered remains of the house means people have lost
their lives. Somehow, a baby made it out, and a nearby neighbor has the child.
Allegedly, the father brough the baby out and went back in for his wife. Bowditch
had made it to the scene fast after the call came out and tried the same feat.
The intense heat almost killed him as he entered and saw a man in flames collapsing
to the floor. Bowditch managed to pull the man out of the raging inferno, but
it was too late.
It is only in the aftermath with the arrival of Detective
Sergeant Delphine Cruz of the Maine State Police Major Crimes Unit that Bowditch
realizes something is up. Originally from Boston, she has made it to the scene
before the Arson Investigator. So too has her attitude as she doesn’t like
Maine or, as she sees it, what Bowditch represents. Through her, while
answering her questions, he learns this is the home of the Malloys.
Specifically, the home of the infamous Brian Malloy
who has been in the news for over a year due to his infidelity, a child out of
wedlock, and the disappearance of the child shortly after he was ordered to pay
child support. Many in the area searched for the missing child that has yet to
be found. The court of public opinion has found them both guilty as people
think dad took and killed the child and his wife lied for him. Their alibis had
proven unshakable. There is a lot of anger amongst the locals who believe the Malloys
got away with it all.
Now, both are thought to be dead in what is left of
their relatively new home. Bowditch is pretty sure that something is off about the
fire and the situation, in general, but he isn’t an investigator anymore, and
never has been one for arsons anyway. Nobody is going to listen to him on this.
Especially with his record and the fact that he is about to lose his job due to
his recent actions.
Then some really weird things start happening.
Somebody is once again toying with Bowditch. To mess with him is one thing.
But, now Stacy and the baby are at risk.
What follows is a complicated read full of twists,
turns, and links to the past. If Maine Game Warden Mike Bowdicth does not
figure it out fast, he and his family may not survive.
Storm Tide: A Novel
by Paul Doiron is the latest outing in a strong series best read in order. It finds
Bowditch contemplating faith, fatherhood, and family, while also trying to
prove that he isn’t just a conspiracy nutcase with a badge and gun. Sometimes
you aren’t paranoid if they really are trying to get you.
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3Mia20a
My digital ARC reading copy came by way of the publisher,
Minotaur Books, through NetGalley, in early November 2025, with no expectation of
a positive review.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2026
Monday, June 29, 2026
In Reference to Murder: Media Murder for Monday
Little Big Crimes: One For Yes, Two For No, by Will Ferguson
Bitter Tea and Mystery: Books Read in May 2026
Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: McKenna's Guy by Mike Lawson
Mike Lawson
is a consistently good author whom I wish were better known. His stories have
been shortlisted for Edgar, Barry, and Shamus awards. His political thrillers
with unofficial fixer Joe DeMarco skewers the Washington establishment
thoroughly while giving his resourceful hero yet one more problem to solve. Lawson
branches out into a stand-alone in his newest book, McKenna’s Guy,
scheduled for release by Blackstone in early July 2026.
Roger Smith
is a retirement age widower living quietly in a modest neighborhood in
Washington, DC. He is closing in on a pension from his civil service job, the
only job he’s had in his adult life. Smith has one daughter who is married with
a child of her own. Predictable and inoffensive to the point of dullness. So
why a masked man dressed in black should break into Smith’s house one night and
attempt to kill him is a mystery to everyone, especially Smith. Had Smith still
been asleep, he would not have survived, as the assassin fired four or five bullets
into the bed. Smith fortunately heard the intruder break in and had time to find
a baseball bat and retreat behind the bedroom door before the killer entered
the room shooting. Then Smith hit the man as hard as he could with the bat,
knocking him to the floor. Fear bolstered Smith’s swing, the single blow killed
the intruder.
Even in his
shock Smith knew he needed a lawyer despite acting in self-defense. He called
his friend John McKenna, who had an extensive network, and asked for help, then
he called the police. Detective Grace Lillinthal of Homicide was sent to the
scene. She assumed she was dealing with a home invasion until she learned that
the lawyer that showed up was referred by McKenna, when all her antennae went
straight up. McKenna had a reputation as a criminal middleman. No matter what
devious or illicit act someone might need assistance with, McKenna knew a guy
who could help. That Smith thought to call McKenna first made his entire story
suspect in Lillinthal’s mind.
While she relentlessly
sought to establish the illicit connection between the two, Smith was trying to
find out who cared enough about him to hire a professional hitman and why.
This is
another fast-moving, well-written thriller with a unique spin, great characters,
and a clever resolution. Readers unfamiliar with Lawson’s work might find this
book a good place to start. Recommended!
Starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Kirkus.
·
Publisher: Blackstone Publishing, Inc.
·
Publication date: July 7, 2026
·
Edition: Hardcover
·
Language: English
·
Print length: 272 pages
·
ISBN-13: 979-8228358188
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4oR3k0j
Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2026
Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal
It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.
Sunday, June 28, 2026
KRL Update 6/28/2026
Up on KRL this week as we reach the end of Pride month, this week we have a review and giveaway of "Beneath a Broken Sky" by Joshua Moehling, along with an interesting interview with Joshua https://kingsriverlife.com/06/27/beneath-a-broken-sky-by-joshua-moehling/
We also have reviews and giveaways of 3 more fun cozies for your summer reading--"Dungeons and Danger" The Ravensea Castle Book #2 by Elizabeth Penney, "The Body in the Kitchen Garden" A Hill House Vintage Murder Mystery #2 by Paula sutton, & "Ode to the Bones" by Carolyn Haines https://kingsriverlife.com/06/27/end-of-june-mystery-catchup-2/
And the latest Queer Mystery Coming Attractions from Matt Lubbers-Moore https://kingsriverlife.com/06/27/queer-mystery-coming-attractions-july-2026-hidden-truths-and-unlikely-detectives/
Up during the week we posted another special midweek guest post, this one by mystery author Lynda Allen about how her Liv Wilde Mysteries came to be https://kingsriverlife.com/06/24/menopause-as-a-superpower/
And another special midweek guest post, this one from mystery author Randy Overbeck about his new historical spy novel "Abigail Trench" https://kingsriverlife.com/06/24/women-in-the-revolution/
Up on KRL News and Reviews this week we have a review and giveaway of "Pour Choices" by Adrian Andover https://www.krlnews.com/2026/06/pour-choices-by-adrian-andover.html
And a review of "Masher of Ceremonies" by Victoria Hamilton, and a giveaway for a $20 Amazon gift card https://www.krlnews.com/2026/06/masher-of-ceremonies-by-victoria.html
And a review and giveaway of a 4th of July mystery, "The Diva Hosts a Murderer" by Krista Davis https://www.krlnews.com/2026/06/the-diva-hosts-murderer-by-krista-davis.html
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