Crime Watch: Review: EITHER SIDE OF MIDNIGHT by Benjamin Stevenson

Crime Watch: Review: EITHER SIDE OF MIDNIGHT: EITHER SIDE OF MIDNIGHT by Benjamin Stevenson (Penguin, 2020) Reviewed by Karen Chisholm At 9.01 pm, TV presenter Sam Midford delivers the m...

Final Hours To Vote In The Annual Critters Readers' Poll

These are the final hours to support Kevin’s Corner for consideration as Best Review Site. This year, we attempt to defend our crown as the Best Review Site. As always, we are up against  a lot of sites that have teams of reviewers and are active in many genres across multiple forms of media. Most of them host book giveaways and other events as well. This site remains an underdog as always as we do not have all the bells and whistles use on a daily and weekly basis.

If you think we are worthy of your vote, please go cast your vote today. Remember, you have to respond to the confirmation email for your vote to count.

On behalf of Aubrey Hamilton, Barry Ergang, Jeanne of the BPL, and the numerous guests that have visited the blog during 2020, and myself, thank you for your support.

https://critters.org/predpoll/reviewsite.shtml

While I am not sure how much longer I am going to keep the blog going, I can assure you that this is the final year for me to enter the blog in this contest. So, let’s go out on top with a back to back crown as number one! Please and thank you.

Crime Watch Review: THE FORGER AND THE THIEF by Kirsten McKenzie

Crime Watch: Review: THE FORGER AND THE THIEF: THE FORGER AND THE THIEF by Kirsten McKenzie (Squabbling Sparrows Press, 2020) Reviewed by Craig Sisterson  FIVE STRANGERS IN FLORENCE, EACH...

My Favorite Books of 2020 So Far -- Part Two

Back in late July, I told you about my favorite books of 2020 thru June.  I gave you six reading suggestions for the first six months and did so here. That means you need at least six more of my favorite reading suggestions for the back half of the year. They are…. 

 

A coyote found the body first as it lay at the base of a pagoda in Thailand Plaza. Driven by the fires that had consumed Griffith Park moving her natural food sources away, the scrawny coyote took off a chunk of thigh before the flashing lights and sirens of the first officers to arrive on scene sent her scurrying off elsewhere this new day. The rest of my review of One Day You’ll Burn: A Novel by Joseph Schneider can be found here in this post from late July. I also now have the sequel, What Waits For You by way of the publisher. Publication day is 1/5/2021 and I do not think I will make that.

 

 

“She was lucky to have escaped with her life when the intruders came for her that cold and snowy night. She had been ready and had a plan, but as often happens with plans, things went sideways from the point her door crashed inward. She fled into the night and by sheer luck survived and got to the vicinity of Painter’s Mill, Ohio. There is one person there she knew long ago that might help her now: Kate Burkholder.” The rest of my late July review of Outsider: A Novel of Suspense by Linda Castillo can be found here.

 

 

“It is late June 1898 as Sooner Than Gold by J.R. Lindermuth begins. Hiram Mariner is the local doctor and he has come to fetch Sheriff Sylvester Tilghman in his newfangled horseless carriage as they both are wanted down at a mine just outside of town. Nathan Zimmerman, owner of the mine just outside of Arahpot, Pennsylvania wants both men pronto. Since Zimmerman is technically his boss, the good sheriff has to go as fast as possible and that means his own horse is out.” The rest of my review of Sooner Than Gold by J. R. Lindermuth can be found here from last August. Sadly, this is out of print right now.  

 

“Never Look Back In Texas by Russ Hall begins innocently enough with Al Quinn long since retired being asked by Sheriff Clayton to do a little mentoring. He has the experience and despite the grumbling, is ready to help out. He just was not ready to see on his way home hours later, Fergie in deep conservation with a man who clearly is very special to Fergie.” Also from August comes my review of Never Look Back In Texas: An Al Quin Novel by Russ Hall. I have long said you can not go wrong with a Russ Hall book and this series is absolutely great. I recommend reading in order, but you are a grown adult and will do what you do. The review of the sixth book in the series can be found here.

 

 

“It is the middle of May 2018 as The Lantern Men: A Ruth Galloway Mystery by Elly Griffiths begins and a lot has changed in recent months. Kate is now nine. Dr. Ruth Galloway now teaches at Cambridge and lives with Frank. She is no longer the North Norfolk police’s resident forensic archeologist and is far from her beloved cottage on the Saltmarsh. While she will always have a connection to DCI Henry Nelson because of Kate, she is trying her best to close that door of her life and move forward with Frank and her new job duties.” The rest of my early September review of The Lantern Men: A Ruth Galloway Mystery by Elly Griffiths can be found here. This is another favorite series of mine, book in and book out, and most definitely should be read in order.

 

“Badge Heavy is the third book in the Charlie 316 series and picks up shortly after Never The Crime ended. The Anti-Crime Team is up and running and working the streets of Spokane hard. Officer Gary Stone is on ACT along with Tyler Garrett as well as well with rookie Jun Yang and veteran officer Ray Zielinski. While the four officers are on the team and, in theory, working together, they are fragmented and have settled into a Stone/Garett and Yang/Zielinski pairing. Despite their internal issues, they are generating results in their pursuit of HPOs--High Profile Offenders.” My late September review of Badge Heavy: A Charlie-316 Novel Frank Zafiro and Colin Conway is here. This is another series that must be read in order. My November review of what is currently billed as the final installment, Code Four, can be found here.

 

 

“A Private Cathedral: A Dave Robicheaux Novel is a book of two times. Set a couple of decades ago, it has numerous references to the here and now concerning the fight for social justice, the current occupant of the White House, and more. As one always expects in a Dave Robicheaux novel, aspects of the paranormal are front and center. Sometimes those aspects are subtle. At other times, like in this read, those aspects are major – if not the major character of the book.” My October review of A Private Cathedral: A Dave Robicheaux Novel by James Lee Burke can be found here.

 

 

 

“Sunshine Vicram is back in Del Sol, New Mexico, with her teenage daughter, Aurora, better known as Auri. She is also less than thrilled about living in the small tourist town of Del Sol again. Even if it is home for her parents and she and Auri are in the guest house about fifty feet from their backdoor. She is also not thrilled about being the newly elected sheriff. Especially when she wasn’t even running for sheriff far as she knew.” The rest of my October review of A Bad Day For Sunshine: A Novel by Darynda Jones can be found here.

 

 

“It is the middle of January as Beyond the Truth: A Detective Byron Mystery by Bruce Robert Coffin begins. As expected Portland, Maine, is bitterly cold and there is ice and snow the ground with a major snowstorm on the way. That snowstorm is going to make things even more complicated when investigating an officer involved shooting.” My early December review of Beyond the Truth: A Detective Byron Mystery by Bruce Robert Coffin can be found here. Earlier this week, I reviewed the fourth book in this series, Within Plain Sight: A Detective Byron Mystery here.

 

 

There were other books that I enjoyed, but hit me very hard and I chose not to review them. I was reminded of that when I read Lesa Holstine’s roundup of 2020 books which included Craig Johnson’s Next To Last Stand. A really good read, but one I found incredibly depressing. It stirred up a lot of grief in  me in regards to Sandi so I chose not to try and write a review of the book. 

 

There you have it…. nine more personal favorites from the back half of the year. Eleven if you count the two that follow for a couple of these series. Throw in the half dozen books plus I recommended from the first half of the year and you have some solidly good reading suggested for you. Not saying these are the best books. I Am saying they were my personal favorites. 

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2020

Annual Critters Readers' Poll

It is that time of year and once again, Kevin’s Corner is up for consideration as Best Review Site. This year, we attempt to defend our crown as THE  Best Review Site. As always, we are up against an ever-increasing list of review sites. Most of which have teams of reviewers and are active in many genres across multiple forms of media. Most of them host book giveaways and other events as well. This site remains an underdog as always as we do not have all the bells and whistles use on a daily and weekly basis.

If you think we are worthy of your vote, please go cast your vote today. Remember, you have to respond to the confirmation email for your vote to count.

On behalf of Aubrey Hamilton, Barry Ergang, Jeanne of the BPL, and the numerous guests that have visited the blog during 2020, and myself, thank you for your support.

https://critters.org/predpoll/reviewsite.shtml

Aubrey Hamilton Reviews: The Second Mother by Jenny Milchman

The Second Mother by Jenny Milchman (Sourcebooks Landmark, 2020) is Milchman’s fifth book in seven years. In that time her work has achieved critical acclaim, winning the Mary Higgins Clark and Silver Falchion awards and being shortlisted for PEN/Faulkner, Macavity, and Anthony awards; receiving starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, and Booklist; and showing up on Strand Magazine and Suspense Magazine's Best Of lists. She is the co-chair of International Thriller Writers' Debut Program and a member of the Sisters in Crime Speakers Bureau.

Julie Weathers and her husband have been living in an alcoholic haze since the sudden death of their daughter. During an intermittent period of sobriety, she decides to leave the small town in New York State she’d lived in all her life and start over somewhere else. In her fuzzy and grief-stricken frame of mind, she decides a teaching job on an isolated island off the coast of Maine would be just right.

The island and the surrounding ocean are exquisite in their beauty. The lonely house she is given to live in on the other hand is strange. The people who lived there previously still have keys and feel free to wander in without notice. Small items appear and disappear, her dog is let out one day while she runs errands, weird sounds; in short, it’s scary. Then there’s her job. One of the children in her class is an odd youngster. His mother appears to take no interest in him, and his grandmother takes far too much. The grandmother rules the island and wants Julie to know it. She is obsessed with keeping families with children on the island to maintain its centuries old way of life and obviously to keep her power and influence which is waning as families move away. Julie is caught up right away in trying to help the grandson while keeping the grandmother at bay. She’s also unexpectedly attracted to one of the islanders.

Beautifully written, this book is billed as a psychological thriller but I heard echoes of Victoria Holt’s Gothic novels as I read. Young woman trying to escape her past – check; isolated and dangerous locale – check; resentful and powerful older woman– check; troubled child – check; attractive single man who rescues her from danger – check; old creaky house with unexplained noises – check. Pretty much hits all of the right buttons to be considered a contemporary Gothic. The icing on the cake is Depot, Julie’s huge Newfoundland-mix rescue dog, who will appeal to animal lovers everywhere. A fast-moving engaging read.

 

·         Hardcover: 464 pages

·         ISBN-10: 1728226368

·         ISBN-13: 978-1728226361

·         Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark (August 18, 2020)

·         Language: English 

 

Aubrey Hamilton ©2020 

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

Lesa's Book Critiques: Lucky Bones by Michael Wiley

Lesa's Book Critiques: Lucky Bones by Michael Wiley

Trish Hopkins: 12 NO FEE/PAYING Literary Mags – Deadlines: August 1 – 31, 2020

Trish Hopkins: 12 NO FEE/PAYING Literary Mags – Deadlines: August 1 – 31, 2020

Lesa's Book Critiques: Shadows in Time by Julie McElwain

Lesa's Book Critiques: Shadows in Time by Julie McElwain

My Favorite Books of 2020 So Far

Recently, Lesa Holstine did a piece on her favorite books of the year so far. We talked about it a little bit and I quickly realized with the way my mind works—or more accurately does not work—these days, it would take some effort on my part to go back and try to figure out what my top five or six books would be. I had planned to do so, but then things here went whacky as folks know and I did not get around to do it.

With the month of July nearly over, it seemed to be a good time to come up with my favorite books read/reviewed from January 2020 thru June 2020. Therefore, the resulting list is below.

“Set in Mason Falls, Georgia, The Good Detective by John McMahon is a complicated novel of family history, legacy, southern tradition, and in one major way, redemption. In this intense police procedural, deals are made with the devils you know to get not just what you want, but what you need.” The rest of my review from last February can be found here. The sequel, The Evil Men Do, is also very good and my review from March can be found here.

“Among the Shadows: A Detective Bryon Mystery by Bruce Robert Coffin is the first book in a police procedural series. Set in Portland, Maine, and the surrounding area, it features Detective Sergeant John Bryon and his team of detectives. Internal politics and rivalries play a role in this complicated police procedural where former officers are dying a variety of ways.” The rest of my review from April can be found here. My review of the second book in the series, Beneath The Depths ran in May and can be found here.

“It is 1982 as The Off-Islander: An Andy Roark Mystery by Peter Colt begins. Andy Roark came home from Vietnam with more than a trace of post-traumatic stress disorder and an inability to easily fit back into the normal chaos of everyday society. He tried college, the police force, and these days works as a private investigator in Boston.” The rest of my  review in April can be found here.

“Imagine, if you will, the possibility of crossing from this plane of existence into another one built on a role playing game. Where the decisions you made in setting up your character and your abilities, as well as ones made by all of the players in your group, could have life and death consequences within moments of your arrival. That magic, vampires, goblins, and more are totally real as is your ability to fight as a warrior and maybe heal yourself and others depending on the severity of the injury and what you chose moments before here in this world. That is the world as it exists for the characters in Outpost: Monsters, Maces and Magic Book One by Terry W. Ervin II.” April was a good reading month and the rest of my review can be found here.

“Sordid: Five Crime Stories by Harry Hunsicker is a collection of five previously published tales. As made clear early on, these are “Five Crime Stories about Amputee Strippers, Drifters, Meth Heads, and Other Lost Souls.” The read is exactly as advertised. This is not a cozy style read. This is graphic, often violent, and is a very good read.” The rest of  my May review can be found here.

“Throwing Off Sparks: A Riley Reeves Mystery by Michael Pool is the first book in what promises to be a highly entertaining series. There are numerous references to an earlier case which was the focus of the story, “Weathering The Storm,” in The Eyes of Texas: Private Eyes From The Panhandle To The Piney Woods anthology edited by Michael Bracken that came out last year.  While it is not necessary to have read that short story before reading this novel, it would not hurt as those events still have personal repercussions in this novel set more than a year later.” The rest of my review from last May can be read here.

There you have it. Six of my favorite books of the year so far for the first six months of the year. Eight if you count the sequels. Nine if you count the referenced anthology which is also really good. No matter how you count them, these books are some mighty good reading as I see them.

Aubrey Hamilton Reviews: The Hook by Tim O’Mara

The Hook (Severn House, 2020) is the fifth book in the Raymond Donne series by Tim O’Mara. Donne is a former policeman in the Williamsburg, New York, area, who took up teaching after an injury. He teaches special education students at a school in the same neighborhood where he used to walk a beat. The story opens with the discovery of a body on the roof of the school. The victim is Maurice Joseph, a recovering drug addict doing community service at the school, showing the students how to grow plants hydroponically. His real job was with a small technology security firm start-up, owned by a friend of Donne’s.

What’s particularly eerie about this death is that the murder was committed by bow and arrow. The fatal shot had to have been delivered from one of the surrounding tall buildings, but determining which one is going to be a challenge. The autopsy report conveys the stunning information that Joseph was full of fentanyl. His wife and his friends are shattered a second time, as they believed he had fully kicked the drug habit.

Called to the scene is Detective James Royce, with whom Donne has a history. Royce has several caustic comments to make, comparing Jessica Fletcher and Cabot Cove to Donne. With Donne’s journalist girlfriend Allison, who uses a drone to take photos of the crime scene after being denied access, the three make a compelling set of characters. Allison’s thirst for her next big story and Donne’s need to protect privacy and information sources force the two to continuously seek a balance acceptable to them both.

The victim’s business partner finds out that he had accepted security work unknown to the partner, contravening their agreement. He asks Donne to sit in on the meetings with this unknown customer who says he is looking for his missing stepson but the ex-cop in Donne doesn’t think what the man is saying adds up. Donne feels compelled to become involved to help the partner and to justify his faith in Joseph.

Donne’s investigation takes him back to the rehab center where Joseph spent two years. His inquiries cross Allison’s latest story lead in a surprising way that creates a secondary story thread. It all wraps up nicely with a few loose threads that will no doubt lead to the next book. Tight plot, nicely sequenced action, engrossing read. Recommended.

·         Hardcover: 240 pages

·         Publisher: Severn House Publishers; First World Publication edition (March 3, 2020)

·         Language: English

·         ISBN-10: 0727889184

·         ISBN-13: 978-0727889188

Aubrey Hamilton ©2020

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

Crime City Review: HARD CASH VALLEY by Brian Panowich

Crime City Review: HARD CASH VALLEY by Brian Panowich

Aubrey Hamilton Reviews: The Blues Don’t Care by Paul D. Marks

The Blues Don’t Care (Down & Out Books, 2020) by Paul D. Marks is the first title in his new historical mystery series featuring Bobby Saxon. Set in Los Angeles during World War II, it is an absorbing glimpse of a time and place where Hollywood’s overriding presence pushed the ongoing international crisis to the back of daily consciousness. The sight of service members in uniform on leave or on their way to their next assignment, a gold star in a window, the headlines of the newspaper served as reminders but largely everyone is taken up with the entertainment industry and finding their place in it.

Bobby Saxon is no different. He loves big band music and considers a place in a band the most wonderful job anyone could have. He plays a mean piano and quite accidentally is offered a temporary spot in the premier black band of the time. He is in seventh heaven, even though being the only white member of a black band is not an enviable position in racially charged Los Angeles. His bubble of happiness explodes quickly, when a couple of suspected Nazis and known racists are killed at the club where the band is playing, and a member of the band is arrested. The police have no real reason to arrest the man, it’s just he’s black and there, and they can mark the case solved.

The leader of the band Booker Taylor tells Bobby he can have a permanent place with the band if he finds the real killer and Booker gets his sax man back. Bobby knows nothing about being a private investigator but jumps in at the deep end. He attends all of the private detective movie showings he can find to learn what his next steps should be. He meets the police detective in charge of the inquiry and researches the background of the victim. Along the way he meets the gangster Tony Leach who owns the club where the murder took place. Leach isn’t happy about being closed down due the police investigation and decides not to be offended by Bobby approaching him. Their interactions are entertaining. Bobby knows he’s sticking his head into an alligator’s mouth but he is convinced Leach knows something that could help him.

This story has a number of surprises in it and a complexity that is hard to convey in a brief review. It is redolent of the era and offers perceptive insights into race, gender and identity, all relevant to the present day. The mystery itself is well done with a clue here and a clue there as Bobby puts the pieces together. I know this book is supposed to be the first of a series although I don’t quite see how a sequel might be set up. However, Marks is clearly a creative guy so I will be happy to wait and see. In the meantime this atmospheric, well-crafted book is highly recommended.

·         File Size: 1688 KB

·         Print Length: 396 pages

·         Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited

·         Publisher: Down & Out Books (June 1, 2020)

·         Publication Date: June 1, 2020

·         Sold by: Amazon.com Services LLC

·         Language: English

·         ASIN: B083H2T78G

Aubrey Hamilton ©2020

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

Lesa's Book Critiques: Favorite Books of 2020

Lesa's Book Critiques: Favorite Books of 2020

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