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Review: Forgotten Trail: A National Park Mystery by Claire Kells

Forgotten Trail: A National Park Mystery by Claire Kells is the latest in this very good series that began with Vanishing Edge: A Novel. This third book in the series takes readers to Pinnacles National Park in California. One of the newer parks, it includes a newly opened hotel, Pinnacles Grand Hotel. Only open about a week, not only is it a bit of hike from the parking lot to get to the hotel, once there, the room are not cheap. A murder is not going to help the price point or their reputation. But, that is what has happened.

At least, that is what the manager, James Dunaway, claims in a phone call to Special Agent Felicity Harland. He has bypassed the protocols in place to report the situation directly to her. Since the scene is in the park, that makes it an Investigative Services Branch case. Since she is a special agent with ISB and currently covering Pinnacles National Park, and several other parks, that makes the case hers.

Before long, Agent Harland is at the hotel, as is her partner, Investigator Ferdinand “Hux” Huxley. The deceased is Chris Mason though, according to his wife, his real last name is Denton. The same wife who was found standing over the body of her dead husband. A serial cheater, according to his wife, he checked in with another woman who is now believed to be missing.

There is also a missing hiker elsewhere in the park and a serious terrorism threat situation at San Francisco International airport. That means Harlan and Hux have to handle the case on their own without any assistance from the FBI. They are pretty much on their own with a lot to do.

What follows is a complex mystery where readers are given little more regarding the backstory of Harland and how she got to this point in her life. That further character development does not get in the way of the complex mystery at work in Forgotten Trail: A National Park Mystery. Like any really good series where each book builds on the previous ones, such is the case here. So, if this series is new to you, start in the beginning with Vanishing Edge: A Novel. That is followed by An Unforgiving Place: A National Park Mystery. The reads are well worth it.

If it is not clear already, Forgotten Trail: A National Park Mystery by Claire Kells is a mighty good read. Strongly recommend, as is the series. 

My reading copy came by way of a publisher ARC through NetGalley with no expectation of a review.

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2023

Lesa's Book Critiques: SEPTEMBER TREASURES IN MY CLOSET

 Lesa's Book Critiques: SEPTEMBER TREASURES IN MY CLOSET

Lesa's Book Critiques: BROADWAY BUTTERFLY BY SARA DIVELLO

 Lesa's Book Critiques: BROADWAY BUTTERFLY BY SARA DIVELLO

Beneath the Stains of Time: The Delft Blue Mystery (2023) by Anne van Doorn

Beneath the Stains of Time: The Delft Blue Mystery (2023) by Anne van Doorn: Good news for your non-Dutch speaking mystery readers and impossible crime connoisseurs. Last year, I reviewed the first short novel in the ...

In Reference To Murder: Media Murder for Monday 7/31/2023

 In Reference To Murder: Media Murder for Monday 7/31/2023

Markets and Jobs for Writers for 7/31/2023

 Markets and Jobs for Writers for 7/31/2023

Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: Night Candy by Max Tomlinson

Max Tomlinson is a native of San Francisco. He is the author of a crime series set in South America, an international espionage series, and the Colleen Hayes mysteries, set in 1970s San Francisco. Max also writes under the pen name Max Radin.

Colleen Hayes killed her abusive husband and spent ten years in prison in Colorado. When she was released, she drifted into private investigation work and eventually received her license. Colleen’s main focus was on reconnecting with the daughter who went into foster care while she was incarcerated and she ended up in San Francisco, because that’s where her daughter was.

Night Candy is the fifth book about Hayes, released by Oceanview in July 2023. Colleen is grieving the death of her first grandchild. Her daughter has disappeared to mourn on her own and Colleen is left to carry on her fledgling PI business. Fortunately there is no shortage of wives checking up on husbands and vice versa to keep her gainfully employed.

A serial killer who targets prostitutes is prowling the streets. Because of his chosen victims, the press is calling him Night Candy. Colleen is keeping an eye on a trio of sex workers that she is trying to persuade to find other sources of income, hoping to keep them safe. Their pimp isn’t especially happy about her efforts to deprive him of revenue streams.

In the meantime one of her few friends on the San Francisco Police Force, Inspector Edmund Owens, is arrested for the murder of his ex-wife. Colleen is convinced that he is being railroaded and turns over every stone and cuts all sorts of corners in her attempt to identify the real killer.

This is a fast-moving, tightly plotted thriller with more than one surprise as Colleen shreds the DA’s case against her friend. Colleen Hayes is a great character. She is the feminine version of the loner private investigator seen in so many crime fiction series. She takes just as many chances and is just as ruthless as her male counterparts. Her lack of friends and family weighs heavily on her but not enough to change her life. I have not read the first four books in the series and had no trouble following the back story, so they do not have to be read in order.

Especially for fans of contemporary female private investigators.

·         Publisher: ‎Oceanview Publishing (July 25, 2023)

·         Language: ‎English

·         Hardcover: ‎336 pages

·         ISBN-10: ‎1608094545

·         ISBN-13: ‎978-1608094547

 

Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2023

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

Dru's Book Musings New Releases ~ Week of July 30, 2023

 Dru's Book Musings New Releases ~ Week of July 30, 2023 

Lesa's Book Critiques: WHISPERS AT DUSK BY HEATHER GRAHAM

 Lesa's Book Critiques: WHISPERS AT DUSK BY HEATHER GRAHAM

KRL This Week Update for 7/30/2023

Up on KRL this week reviews and giveaways of 2 book related mysteries-"Witch Upon a Star": A Witch Way Librarian Mystery by Angela M. Sanders and "A Cryptic Clue" by Victoria Gilbert https://kingsriverlife.com/07/29/a-pair-of-bookish-mysteries-witch-upon-a-star-by-angela-m-sanders-a-cryptic-clue-by-victoria-gilbert/

And a review and giveaway of "A Fatal Groove" by Olivia Blacke along with an interesting interview with Olivia https://kingsriverlife.com/07/29/a-fatal-groove-by-olivia-blacke/

 

We also have a review and giveaway of "How the Murder Crumbles" by Debra Sennefelder https://kingsriverlife.com/07/29/how-the-murder-crumbles-by-debra-sennefelder/

 

And a review of the final season of "Endeavour" https://kingsriverlife.com/07/29/endeavour-the-last-season-on-pbs/

 

For those who prefer to listen to Mysteryrat's Maze Podcast directly on KRL you can find the player here for the new episode that went up this week featuring the mystery short story "Swan Song" written by Donalee Moulton and read by local actor Sean Hopper https://kingsriverlife.com/07/29/mysteryrats-maze-podcast-featuring-swan-song/

 

Up during the week we posted another special midweek guest post, this one by mystery author Craig Clevenger where he shares how he came up with the idea for his latest book "Mother Howl" https://kingsriverlife.com/07/26/invisible-man/

 

Up on KRL News and Reviews this week we have a review and ebook giveaway of "Murder Under a Western Moon" by Abigail Keam https://www.krlnews.com/2023/07/murder-under-western-moon-by-abigail.html

 

Happy reading,

Lorie

Little Big Crimes: The Silent Partner, by Susan Petrone

Little Big Crimes: The Silent Partner, by Susan Petrone:   "The Silent Partner," by Susan Petrone, in Cleveland Noir, edited by Michael Ruhlman and Miesha Wilson Headen, Akashic Press, 2...

SleuthSayers: Setting the Hook by R. T. Lawton

SleuthSayers: Setting the Hook: Stone Age Fish Hook Photo from Wikipedia In his review of Nathaniel Hawthorne's short fiction book, Twice Told Tales for Graham's...

Guest Post: EVERYBODY LOVES GRACE by Nikki Knight, AKA Kathleen Marple Kalb

Please welcome Nikki Knight, aka the alternate ego of author Kathleen Marple Kalb, to the blog today. Her new book, Wrong Poison: A Grace “The Hit Mom” Mystery, came out from Charade Media earlier this month. She is also the SMFS Vice President. 

 

EVERYBODY LOVES GRACE

By Nikki Knight, AKA Kathleen Marple Kalb

 

            She scared the socks off one of my former publishers…but every time I tell someone about Grace the Hit Mom, they want to meet her. At least in book form.

            Some also want to hire her. I think they’re kidding. I hope.

            There’s something extremely appealing about the idea of a nice suburban mom who has a secret life as an assassin specializing in creepy men.

            I started noodling about Grace during a difficult and scary time in my life: my husband was in cancer treatment and I was querying a novel. The idea of a suburban mom like me with a powerful secret life entirely unlike mine was a fun escape.

            Grace pretty much grew on her own from that thread. Because I didn’t want her to be a crazed vigilante, I made her a member of an ancient order of lady poisoners who quietly set things right. She needed to be just like anyone else you’d see at the PTA meeting…with one significant difference.

            And when I started running the idea past family, friends, and beta readers, the answer was always the same: YES!

            My mother was the first person to meet Grace.

            A trained history teacher, she was especially drawn by the idea that if Grace’s sisterhood of poisoners has been around for a few centuries, they might have taken out any number of important figures. It was her idea – which made it into the book – to have Henry VIII on the lady assassins’ greatest hits list.

            Even though I eventually found an agent for a different mystery, an historical series that led to a lockdown debut (another post for another day!) my mother would occasionally ask me about Grace. She was sure everyone would love the Hit Mom as much as she did.

            Most of my mom friends certainly did. While I was writing an early version of Grace, I floated the idea with pals at school pickup. To a woman, they laughed out loud and said they’d buy it for sure.

            As appealing as Grace was to my mother, she was even more appealing to the school parents, because we were down in the intense daily work of caring for young children. It’s an incredibly stressful and exhausting time for most people, no matter how important and fulfilling it is.

            My beta readers, both newsroom colleagues, loved Grace too. She hit – sorry! – right in the journalist’s sweet spot of secret lives and dark humor.

            With all of that, I was really confident in Grace…and really riding for a fall.

            After the historical mystery was well in process, I found out that my publisher at the time was looking to expand their cozy catalogue. Armed with all the good reactions to Grace, I sent the proposal that would become WRONG POISON to my agent. He loved her too, and happily sent out the pitch.  

            The editor sent it straight back. I don’t know exactly what was said, but it was very clear that the idea of a cozy mystery with a killer mom as the amateur sleuth made their head spin – and not in a good way.

            That was my first real indication that Grace is a chemistry test.

            As a journalist, writer, and wife of a cancer survivor, I live in a world with some sharp edges. So do most of the people around me – even plenty of nice suburban moms. We sand those edges down with dark humor.

            It doesn’t make us bad or crazy. It makes us humans who’ve found a way to stand on the edge of the abyss without crumpling or falling over.

            I’m not going to apologize for that.

            I’m also not going to judge anyone who doesn’t get it.

            These days, with a pandemic and everything after under our belts, I suspect a lot more people live with sharp edges. Which may be why Grace works now.

            Or maybe most of us have always loved the idea of a killer mom…but we weren’t ready to admit it.

            My mother, Grace’s first and biggest fan, died in December, before Charade Books bought WRONG POISON. She didn’t get to see Grace turned loose on the world, to good reviews and plenty of wry laughter. But I know she’s smiling.

 

WRONG POISON: She's a nice suburban mom and an assassin...and Grace Adair’s secret life has just become a problem. When a death at the Library Book Fair turns out to be murder – by a poison used only by Grace’s ancient sisterhood, she knows she’s in trouble. Now, she’ll need all her skills as a PTA mom and former prosecutor to find the killer and protect her friends…and their secrets. Hopefully without using her other skills. About those other skills: Grace and her sweet senior pal Madge are members of a 700-year-old order of lady poisoners, sacred to the Archangel Gabriel and sworn to remove evil men who elude human justice. Think #MeToo with untraceable poison.  Call it a cozy with a twist. You’ve never met anyone like Grace…and you’ll never forget her.   

 

 

Kathleen Marple Kalb ©2023

Nikki Knight describes herself as an Author/Anchor/Mom…not in that order. An award-winning weekend anchor at New York City’s 1010 WINS Radio, she writes short stories and novels. Her stories appear in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine and Black Cat Weekly, online, and in anthologies – and have been short-listed for Black Orchid Novella and Derringer Awards. Active in writers’ groups, she’s currently Vice President of the Short Mystery Fiction Society and Co-Vice President of the New York/Tri-State Chapter of Sisters in Crime. As Kathleen Marple Kalb, she writes the Ella Shane and Old Stuff mystery series. She, her husband, and son live in a Connecticut house owned by their cat. https://kathleenmarplekalb.com/nikki-knight

 

Dru's Book Musings New Releases Coming Soon ~ August 2023

 Dru's Book Musings New Releases Coming Soon ~ August 2023 

Lesa's Book Critiques: BEST SERVED COLD BY DAVID P. WAGNER

 Lesa's Book Critiques: BEST SERVED COLD BY DAVID P. WAGNER

SleuthSayers: Here Come da Judge

SleuthSayers: Here Come da Judge:   True story: While I was trying to figure out what to post for today, I was asked by a writer friend to serve as a judge for an upcoming fi...

Bitter Tea and Mystery: Disco for the Departed: Colin Cotterill

Bitter Tea and Mystery: Disco for the Departed: Colin Cotterill: This is the third book in the Dr. Siri Paiboun series and now there are 15 books total. This was my tenth book read for the 20 Books of Summ...

Scott's Take: Captain America/Iron Man: The Armor & The Shield by Derek Landy

Captain America/Iron Man: The Armor & The Shield by Derek Landy is a miniseries where Captain America (Steve) and Iron Man team up to catch a S.H.I. E.L.D. agent turned traitor. The agent was supposed to go undercover with HYDRA, not actually join them. The agent has now escaped on the way to prison so they team up to catch the agent.

Full of action, humor, and great character work, this is a fun read. The art is very good. Everything I have read by Derek Landy I have liked and this is the case again. It is a fun and pretty self-contained miniseries. Minimal references are made to how both Captain America and Iron Man have undergone extreme life changes during this time period. Iron man died and came back as a synthetic life form and Captain America was replaced by an evil version of himself who took over the world until the good version was freed and defeated his evil version. Comics can get very weird.

I highly recommend this fun title.

 

My reading copy by way of the Hoopla App and the Dallas Public Library System.

Scott A. Tipple ©2023

The Rap Sheet: Revue of Reviewers: 7-28-23

 The Rap Sheet: Revue of Reviewers: 7-28-23