Wednesday, March 22, 2023

Short Story Wednesday Review: This Old Star by Wayne D. Dundee


While this no longer seems to be available, I can remind you of the read in case you already have it in your TBR pile thanks to the magnificently massive archive here at Casa Tipple and Home Eatery Library.

 

The concept of duty or responsibility is often a major part of the western world as envisioned by Wayne D. Dundee and that is certainly the case here in This Old Star. For more years than he cares to count Jeb Stander was the sheriff of Flatrock Crossing, Nebraska. He isn’t the sheriff these days, but he still feels a duty to help out when the posse is out chasing Shake Whitley.

 

There was a jail break and bank robbery back in town and several of the good people of Flatrock Crossing joined up with the current sheriff, Ben Tembow, to give chase. Shake Whitley is a crafty devil which is why the law has been chasing him for one thing or another the last dozen years. The posse has been hard at work the last two days and don’t seem to getting anywhere. The weather has been nasty with rain and snow with no sign of the fugitive and the rest of the posse is just waiting for a reason to call it quits. Jeb offers to help and though Ben may not be thrilled with the prospect he isn’t about to publicly say no.

 

What follows is a complex story involving duty and responsibility in This Old Star. Like other very good westerns by this author, along with plenty of action there is an undercurrent about serious issues of the time that are just as valid today. Characters of complexity populate this author’s work where a single action may have multiple meanings. The 2010 Peacemaker Award winning short story recently released in e-book form, This Old Star is another very good one. 

 

Material was picked up to read and review using funds in my Amazon Associate account. 

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2015, 2023

Tuesday, March 21, 2023

The First Two Pages: “First You Dream, Then You Die” by Donna Moore

 The First Two Pages: “First You Dream, Then You Die” by Donna Moore

Lesa's Book Critiques: SANDIE HERRON, RIP

 Lesa's Book Critiques: SANDIE HERRON, RIP

SleuthSayers: First we had Malice in Dallas. Now, things are Reckless in Texas by Barb Goffman

SleuthSayers: First we had Malice in Dallas. Now, things are Rec...: Earlier this month, Reckless in Texas — the second book in the Metroplex Mysteries anthology series — was published. It follows last year&#3...

Review: Hide: A Detective Harriet Foster Thriller by Tracy Clark

 

Hide: A Detective Harriet Foster Thriller by Tracy Clark is the first book in a new police procedural series. It introduces a wide-ranging cast of characters and establishes a ground floor for what one can expect going forward. The solidly good book revolves around Detective Harriet Foster who has been through quite a lot in the last few months and years.

 

A black woman in a heavily male dominated environment, she brings a lot of baggage to her new posting in Chicago. Others have expectations who she is and those expectations may or may not be accurate.   Word of what happened just a few weeks ago has made it to her new boss and colleagues at CPD’s District One. Her new partner, Jim Lonergan, appears to be your classic old school, non-politically correct cop straight out of Hollywood casting. Like the old rickety desk she is assigned, he is not fixable, so the two clash almost from the second they lay eyes on each other. Things are wrong from almost the get go, but that does not matter as they have a body this Monday morning.

 

It is also going to be a very high-profile case as the body was dumped on the Riverwalk. Part of the nearby legendary, Magnificent Mile, the body has a lot of witnesses. Many of those same witnesses have thoughts about how quickly police responded to the scene as Lonergan and Foster arrive to work the case. The murder and subsequent dumping of the body in a very public place means the pressure is on from all sides to solve the case.

 

It also won’t be the last body with the same signature style.

 

What follows is a complex and very enjoyable read. Marketed as a thriller, it comes across to this reader as a police procedural. Regardless of the marketing label, Foster, as well as nearly everyone in the read, are complex. The focus is on Foster, but the secondary characters get extensive details about themselves as well. None of the characters are simple as even Jim Lonergan is a bit more complex than it first appears.

 

Then there is the complexity of the case as the read shifts to follow other characters besides Harriet Foster. Plenty of action, misdirection, and a hunt for a killer drive Hide: A Detective Harriet Foster Thriller forward at a steady pace. The very good read is well worth your time.


The second book in the series, Fall, is currently scheduled to come out on December 5th.


Make sure you check out Lesa Holstine’s far more detailed review from last December on her site here


 

My paperback reading copy came from the Park Forest Branch of the Dallas Public Library System.

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2023

Monday, March 20, 2023

The Hard Word: WRITING, AGING, DIRIGIBLES: CRAIG MCDONALD'S THE ADVENTURES OF ZANA O'SAVIN #1 BLOOD OGRE

 The Hard Word: WRITING, AGING, DIRIGIBLES: CRAIG MCDONALD'S THE ADVENTURES OF ZANA O'SAVIN #1 BLOOD OGRE

Lesa's Book Critiques: THE WHITE LADY BY JACQUELINE WINSPEAR

 Lesa's Book Critiques: THE WHITE LADY BY JACQUELINE WINSPEAR

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher: Reviewed by Ambrea When Alex Easton receives the news their childhood friend Madeline is dying, they quickly race to the ancestral home of...

Bitter Tea and Mystery: Two Country Music Mysteries

Bitter Tea and Mystery: Two Country Music Mysteries: In this post I am covering two humorous mystery novels set in the country music world.  The first book was Fender Benders by Bill Fitzhugh,...

In Reference To Murder: Media Murder for Monday 3/20/2023

 In Reference To Murder: Media Murder for Monday 3/20/2023

Markets and Jobs for Writers for 3/20/2023

 Markets and Jobs for Writers for 3/20/2023

Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: The Red Pole of Macau by Ian Hamilton


Ian Hamilton is a Canadian journalist turned mystery writer. He has published three books in his Uncle Chow Tung series and 15 books about Ava Lee, a Chinese-Canadian forensic accountant who deploys her martial arts skills far more often than most accountants do. Ava Lee first appeared in The Water Rat of Wanchai, which won the 2012 Arthur Ellis Award for Best First Novel. The fourth book about Ava Lee is The Red Pole of Macau (Picador Paper, 2013), which plunges Ava into family drama. Her father has been married three times, has children from each marriage, and maintains a relationship with all three wives while keeping the children apart. The fact that the three families live on different continents helps the separation. Thus Ava has never met her half-brother Michael until her father solicits her assistance in pulling Michael and his business partner out of a real estate deal that has gone sideways. The money they pledged was backed by her father and its loss would cause disruption to the financial equilibrium of all three families, so Ava Lee has a personal stake in the outcome.

She flies to Hong Kong to meet Michael and his partner Simon, then they go to gambling haven Macau to meet the real estate consortium organizers, who react negatively to the request for the return of Michael’s investment. They express their displeasure and show their true colors by kidnapping Simon and demanding a ransom. Ava Lee draws on all of her local resources to locate Simon and retrieve him safely, while tracing the consortium’s finances, which seem to have Triad connections, in order to extract the family’s money with her hacking skills.

Slickly executed and well plotted with relentless action, this story is an absorbing piece of escapism. Ava Lee is too good to be real but she is fun to watch. It reminds me of the Kill Bill films with its focus on Asian themes and martial arts but the violence is not as extreme. The nonchalance with which these people undertake international travel is staggering to me; they globetrot the way I visit a grocery. For fans of crime fiction with strong female leads and of international thrillers.


 

·         Publisher: Picador Paper; Reprint edition (December 31, 2013)

·         Language: English

·         Paperback: 334 pages

·         ISBN-10: 9781250032317

·         ISBN-13: 978-1250032317

 

Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2023

Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.

Sunday, March 19, 2023

Lesa's Book Critiques: KEVIN’S CORNER ANNEX – THE DEAD CERTAIN DOUBT BY JIM NESBITT

 Lesa's Book Critiques: KEVIN’S CORNER ANNEX – THE DEAD CERTAIN DOUBT BY JIM NESBITT

Beneath the Stains of Time: Prague Fatale (2011) by Philip Kerr

Beneath the Stains of Time: Prague Fatale (2011) by Philip Kerr: Philip Kerr was a British author who garnered wide success with his World War II thriller series about Bernhard "Bernie" Gunther,...

Mystery Fanfare: LEFTY AWARD WINNERS 2023: LEFT COAST CRIME

Mystery Fanfare: LEFTY AWARD WINNERS 2023: LEFT COAST CRIME:   Lefty Award Winners: Left Coast Crime 2023 The Lefty Awards were announced last night at the Left Coast Crime Convention in Tucson, Arizo...

Saturday, March 18, 2023

Dru's Book Musings New Releases: Coming Week of March 19, 2023

 Dru's Book Musings New Releases: Coming Week of March 19, 2023

A Writer's Life....Caroline Clemmons: 99¢ SALE AND $5 AMAZON GIFT CARD FOR SOMEONE!

A Writer's Life....Caroline Clemmons: 99¢ SALE AND $5 AMAZON GIFT CARD FOR SOMEONE!: By Caroline Clemmons I’m still celebrating Saint Patrick’s Day. MURDOCH’S BRIDE is only 99¢ today through March 22 nd . MURDOCH’S BRIDE is...

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Treacherous Strand: An Inishowen Mystery by Andre...

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Treacherous Strand: An Inishowen Mystery by Andre...:   Reviewed by Jeanne When the body of Marguerite Etienne washes up on a beach in Inishowen, solicitor Ben (Benedicta) O’Keeffe is troubled...

KRL This Week Update For 3/18/2023

Up on KRL this morning a review and giveaway of "Good Dog, Bad Cop" by David Rosenfelt https://kingsriverlife.com/03/18/good-dog-bad-cop-by-david-rosenfelt/ 

And a review and giveaway of "Standing Dead" by Margaret Mizushima along with an interesting guest post by Margaret about a dog's sense of smell https://kingsriverlife.com/03/18/standing-dead-by-margaret-mizushima/

 

We also have reviews and ebook giveaways of the first 3 On Pointe Mysteries by Lori Robbins along with an interesting interview with Lori https://kingsriverlife.com/03/18/on-point-mysteries-by-lori-robbins/

 

And the latest Queer Mystery Coming Attractions from Matt Lubbers-Moore https://kingsriverlife.com/03/18/queer-mystery-coming-attractions-april-2023/

 

Up during the week we posted another special midweek guest post, this one by mystery author and comedian Ian Moore about writing his comedic mystery "Death and Croissants" and about location in mysteries https://kingsriverlife.com/03/15/around-the-world-in-80-detectives/

 

Up on KRL News and Reviews this week we have a review and giveaway of "Wolf Bog" by Leslie Wheeler https://www.krlnews.com/2023/03/wolf-bog-by-leslie-wheeler.html

 

And a review and ebook giveaway of "Fishing Badge Murder" by Leslie Langtry, published by Gemma Halliday https://www.krlnews.com/2023/03/limited-release-fishing-badge-murder.html


Happy reading,
Lorie

Scott's Take: Nightwing Vol 2: Get Grayson by Tom Taylor


Nightwing Vol 2: Get Grayson by Tom Taylor is technically the third volume because there is an unnumbered volume that collects the Fear State tie ins along with some other miscellaneous other stories. I reviewed the first volume,  Nightwing Vol 1: Leaping Into The Light, but not the Fear State tie ins. This volume collects 4 issues of Nightwing and one issue of Superman. The same crossover that is in Superman: Son of Kal-el Volume 2 that I reviewed previously is reprinted here again in its entirety.

 

In Nightwing Vol 2: Get Grayson, Blockbuster puts out a hit on Dick Grayson, Nightwing, because Dick Grayson publicly said he was going to use his money to help the people of the city have a better life. For scum like Blockbuster, he needs people to suffer for him to make money. Grayson’s plan simply can’t happen. So, he puts a hit on Dick Grayson. Luckily, Batgirl discovers the problem, and alerts Nightwing as well as the entire team of Titans. This result in Nightwing teaming up with various heroes, Raven, the Flash (Wally), and others, throughout this tale as he resolves his assassin problem.

 

While the assassins are a major threat for Nightwing, as soon as his friends show up, the read becomes more comedic in nature. While several of these trained killers are the world’s best assassins, facing off with people with actual superhero powers and not just skills, is beyond their capabilities. Such as the genius who decides to headbutt Superman. Then there are the folks who decide to shoot ordinary guns at The Flash. These brilliant folks shoot at him even though they are aware that The Flash has super speed.

 

The art is excellent and Nightwing Vol 2: Get Grayson is a fun volume even if it is a rather short one. I am looking forward to the third volume when they do finally release it. There is also a new series that will tie into that third volume by this author which will see the Titans being the premier superhero team in the DC Universe as the Justice League has disbanded after various deaths and resurrections. Can Nightwing and friends step up to the plate as Earth’s defenders?


 

My reading copy came from the North Oak Cliff Branch of the Dallas Public Library System.

 

Scott A. Tipple ©2023

Friday, March 17, 2023

BookDivasReads: Guest Post: Jim Nesbitt – THE DEAD CERTAIN DOUBT

 BookDivasReads: Guest Post: Jim Nesbitt – THE DEAD CERTAIN DOUBT

The Hard Word: SHADOWS ON THE PLAINS: SLADE AND MANHUNTER BY ARNOLD HANO

 The Hard Word: SHADOWS ON THE PLAINS: SLADE AND MANHUNTER BY ARNOLD HANO

Friday's "Forgotten" Books: The Port of London Murders

 Friday's "Forgotten" Books: The Port of London Murders

Jerry's House of Everything: FORGOTTEN BOOK: TIME TO TELEPORT by Gordon R. Dickson

Jerry's House of Everything: FORGOTTEN BOOK: TIME TO TELEPORT: Time to Teleport  by Gordon R. Dickson (expanded from "No More Barriers," Science Fiction Stories , September 1955; first publishe...

Happiness Is A Book: FRIDAY’S FORGOTTEN BOOK: THE FIVE MATCHBOXES BY JOHN RUSSELL FEARN

 Happiness Is A Book: FRIDAY’S FORGOTTEN BOOK: THE FIVE MATCHBOXES BY JOHN RUSSELL FEARN

FFB Review: Dismal River (Lone McGantry Book 1) by Wayne D. Dundee


From the massive archive...

 

Lone McGantry has done a lot of things over the years and some of the jobs were difficult and nasty. The latest job has the potential to be seriously annoying. He really does not want to be a taking a bunch of wealthy English folks on an excursion from North Platte, Nebraska out to the Sandhills. But, he got roped into this mess by Buffalo Bill Cody himself. Telling Buffalo Bill no is a near impossibility and as a result

 

McGantry said yes when contacted by the foreign nobility. Even if he is increasingly of the mind that this is a super bad idea, McGantry isn’t one to go back on his word. There also a nice payday in store once all is said and done. As Buffalo Bill pointed out in his telegram, the English folks have money and are willing to spend it so at least some of it should come his way.

 

For Lone McGantry there are not a lot of ways to make money in the Nebraska panhandle of the 1880s. An English Lord by the name of Reginald Haddenforth, his wife, Lady Claire, and several others in the party intend to sightsee and hunt Buffalo. Lord Haddenforth and his wife have hunted boar in Germany’s Black Forest as well as gone on safari to Africa three times. Lord Haddenforth writes books about his adventures and intends to do the same regarding the Sandhill extension. All that is well and good, but Lone McGantry is of the opinion that women should stay in town where they belong and those going out on the expedition need to understand that the old west is dangerous and needs to be taken seriously.

 

For Lone McGantry and his men, life in the old west is not some grand adventure to be had before returning to a plush chair to sip cognac by a roaring fire. For men of McGantry’s ilk, the old west is their way of life and absolute reason for being. It is in their soul. It comes with, at times, a brutal cost. ­It isn’t to be trivialized in some book. A hard and painful lesson Lord Haddenforth and his party have repeated opportunities to learn over the next few days.

 

Originally published several years ago by Oak Tree Press, an e-book version was recently published by Bil-Em-Ri-Media. First of a series, Dismal River is another example of why author Wayne D. Dundee is nominated for  many awards and wins quite a few. Complicated characters, plenty of action, and plenty of mystery in a western setting makes Dismal River a mighty good read.

 

 

Material was recently picked up to read and review by way of funds in my Amazon Associate account.

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2015, 2023

Thursday, March 16, 2023

Lesa's Book Critiques: WINNERS AND A THRILLER GIVEAWAY

 Lesa's Book Critiques: WINNERS AND A THRILLER GIVEAWAY

The Rap Sheet: And Furthermore ...

 The Rap Sheet: And Furthermore ...

In Reference To Murder: Mystery Melange for 3/16/2023

 In Reference To Murder: Mystery Melange for 3/16/2023

Lesa's Book Critiques: WHAT ARE YOU READING?

 Lesa's Book Critiques: WHAT ARE YOU READING?