Scott's Take: Fantastic Four: The Ultimate Collection Book One by Mark Waid and Mike Weiringo

Fantastic Four: The Ultimate Collection Book One by Mark Waid and Mike Weiringo is a book about what makes the Fantastic Four different than other superhero teams.  A PR expert is brought in to help figure why the Fantastic Four are losing popularity. Another storyline features Sue Storm and her plan to make Johnny grow up. Additionally, the Fantastic Four must face off with giant bugs, a living mathematical equation, and deal with other strange events.

 

This is a fun collection with a cartoony art style. This is a good starting place for new readers of the Fantastic Four. This is an old book reissued and recollected here multiple older issues of the Fantastic Four.

 

Additionally, a very old Avengers tale that was the first time Mark Waid and Mike Weiringo worked together. The Avengers tale is completely irrelevant and not connected at all.

 

Overall, I enjoyed this Fantastic Four collection. There are three more in my reading pile from the same creative team.

 

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3SM06vE

 

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

 

Scott A. Tipple ©2024

Review: Pierce by Patrick B. Simpson

Pierce by Patrick B. Simpson opens with the discovery of a body. College professor Danielle Hutchins was found face down in her classroom late one day. She was found by the janitor, Truman Pierce, who had been out on a date with her the day before. The same janitor who turned the body over as well as lifted evidence from the crime scene. It is a small town and he neglects to tell Detective Longhorn and Detective Johns any of what he did upon finding her.

 

The 28-year-old Pierce was supposed to have a second date with Daniele that very evening. They were supposed to go out for dinner. Now that will never happen.

 

Pierce doesn’t trust the cops for reasons that are never fully articulated so he holds back possible relevant information, does not even tell them he touched the body, and does not disclose that he lifted possible evidence from the scene. He also decides to start investigating on his own beginning with where Danielle worked part time.

 

The visit to Danielle’s second job, a bar, brings unwanted attention in a variety of ways. It also starts him down the road of being a murder suspect, a useful pawn for bad folks, and on the trial of Danielle’s killer.

 

Pierce is an interesting story, that could have used the assistance of a continuity editor. Among other things, the community college setting comes across more through various descriptions as a public school though community college university and college are all also referenced. Pierce goes to fill a glass with water, does so, and the drinking object is then subsequently described as a “cup” or a “water cup.” These and other inconsistencies in continuity are distracting in the read.  

 

It would also have helped the read if the backstory of Pierce and why he acts more like a cop than a janitor as well as why he had a negative attitude towards police was explained. Both aspects were not dealt with much at all in the read. Those details may not be an issue for readers not well familiar with crime and mystery fiction.

 

Overall, despite the aforementioned negatives, Pierce by Patrick B. Simpson is an entertaining mystery. Published by Apprentice House Press of Loyola University Maryland, the book is the author’s first novel. For those well familiar with crime fiction and mysteries, that fact shows throughout the read. The book also shows a lot of promise as the author creates and entertaining and interesting story.  

 

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3SJHqwC

 

My digital reading copy came from the publisher, Apprentice House Press of Loyola University Maryland, through NetGalley with no expectation of a review.

 

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2024

Would You Like To Be A Guest?

 

As the blog soars above three million page views, and since I have not mentioned this in some time, I thought I would remind you that I welcome guest posts here. 

Guests are more than welcome. Unlike some folks and their places, I don’t have a lot of forms to fill out or hoops to jump through so I have made the process as easy as possible. Most questions you may have are already answered below so please read the post before reaching out. 

The open days are currently Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays. I usually run excerpts from published or about to be published works on Sundays as they seem to work best on those days. 

Topic--pretty much anything goes. While my blog is mainly aimed towards items of interest for readers and writers of mystery and crime fiction, I am open to pretty much anything. I do ask that folks avoid the topics of religion and politics unless either or both directly relate to the work being discussed or promoted. I also am not going to run anything that advocates big pharma is hiding the cure for cancer. Folks that come up with that stuff deserve a special place in hell. 

Before contacting me, please have an actual idea in mind. I absolutely do not assign topics. That means I am NOT going to tell you what to write about. This is your opportunity to write what you want to write about. You know your books, your expertise in topics, etc. I do not. Your idea does not have to be set in stone. It does need to have some detail. Have at least a couple of things that you know you want to have in your piece and tell me that in your pitch. 

Word Count: Totally up to you. I do not set a maximum or a minimum word count. 

When your piece is ready, you send it to me by email and include a 100 word or fewer bio. Also send any pics that you think should be included in the piece. While some guest posts are super heavy in pictures, I think it works best to have two or so. While I can and do lift author photos and book covers from Amazon and author websites, it is easier if you just send it from the start as well as any other pics you believe should be included. 

This is, as always, a nonpaying opportunity. Yes, I absolutely value your work. I also have no income other than SSD (and that is just a few hundred each month) and am supporting myself, my adult son, and this old house on what little I inherited when my Mom passed. The bank account is steadily shrinking and I am doing the best I can to hang in here as inflation, my worsening health, and other issues are making it even harder.

While I have no funds to pay you, I can promise to promote the heck out of your appearance. You will be seen. I can’t promise a certain number of sales, but most guests do see a spike in their sales. Guests who are on the blog on a semi regular basis do far better than one off appearances, but everyone does see an impact. 

Questions/ pitches should be sent to me at Kevinrtipple AT Verizon.net 

I hope you choose to be a part of things here. Looking forward to hearing from you.

 

Kevin R. Tipple © 2024

Scott's Take: Spider-Man: Great Power, Great Mayhem

Spider-Man: Great Power, Great Mayhem is a book of ten short stories by various authors. This middle school age level Spider-Man stories, teenage Spider-man (Peter Parker) faces off against several of his foes while getting help from Thor, Iron Man, and Dr. Strange.

 

None of these ten stories are connected in anyway. The art is good and the writing is good for this kind of thing. Giving each writer a handful of pages does not allow for much breathing room for a story. In these tales, there is not really any character development. Instead, the focus is on the action.

 

Overall, this is a great little collection of Spider-Man stories that, while limited by the format, are pretty fun overall.

 

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/42e75BP

 

 

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

 

Scott A. Tipple © 2024

Lesa's Book Critiques: THE UNQUIET BONES BY LORETH ANNE WHITE

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Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: House Standoff by Mike Lawson

It’s been awhile since I checked in with Joe DeMarco, the sardonic Capitol Hill troubleshooter, problem solver, and fixer created by Mike Lawson. In the 15^th book of the series DeMarco leaves his usual Washington, DC, environs and heads west to Wyoming after he learns that a former girlfriend was shot in the small town of Waverly. No suspects had been identified and the only motive considered was robbery, as her purse and laptop were gone. His boss, the corrupt Congressman John Mahoney, is on a factfinding mission to China, so Joe can slip out of the office for a couple of days unnoticed.

Shannon Doyle was in Wyoming to gather material for her next novel. She had been intrigued by the standoff a few years earlier that occurred between a local rancher who wanted to graze his herd on public lands without paying for it and the Bureau of Land Management who decided to take a few cattle instead. The rancher and his staff held the BLM personnel at gunpoint and eventually the government backed down.

Feelings against the BLM were still high and DeMarco learned that a BLM agent who had been in the area to monitor public land usage had been killed a short time before Shannon was shot and no one arrested. DeMarco wondered if there was a connection. He discovered her diary, which no one knew she kept. It described the town residents in some detail and Shannon’s dealings with them.

As usual, DeMarco lost no time in annoying the locals. He was repeatedly invited to leave town. After being mugged once, he decided to buy a bulletproof vest and hired an investigator he’d worked with before to serve as bodyguard. But in the end, even after all the ructions he caused, it was the FBI who solved Shannon Doyle’s murder, not DeMarco.

Mike Lawson reliably turns out one good book after another. They each have a fast-moving, complex story with cynical asides from the jaded DeMarco and insights into the inner workings of the Federal government. Sometimes when a long-running series takes the main character away from his usual haunts, the story falters because the character relies on the world around it for definition. Perhaps because the Federal government is still present in the form of the BLM, this book doesn’t have that flaw. I am still in two minds about the ending, though, which was more than a little unexpected.

Recommended, especially for fans of political thrillers.

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3wMbXST 

·         Publisher: ‎Atlantic Monthly Press; First Edition (April 6, 2021)

·         Language: ‎English

·         Hardcover: ‎304 pages

·         ISBN-10: ‎0802158560

·         ISBN-13: ‎978-0802158567

 

Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2024 

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

Lesa's Book Critiques: TWICE THE TROUBLE BY ASH CLIFTON

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Kathleeen Marple Kalb's Blog: So You Wrote the Book, Now What?: HEY, LOOK IT OVER!

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The Rap Sheet: Spring Brings a Finale and a Feast

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Little Big Crimes: Come On Eileen, by Joseph S. Walker

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Dru's Book Musings: New Releases ~ Week of March 3, 2024

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SleuthSayers: Howtellums: They're All Mysteries to Me

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Scott's Take: The Magic Order Vol. 1 by Mark Miller

The Magic Order Vol. 1 by Mark Miller is an adult graphic novel urban fantasy series. While living among us as average people, five families that can use all the forms of magic, secretly protect the world from supernatural threats to it. Someone is picking off one by one members of the various families. Can the five families stop it before they are completely wiped out?

 

I really enjoyed this graphic novel full of twists and turns. The worldbuilding is interesting. This is a very violent and very adult read. There is nudity, sex, homicide, and graphic deaths. No one dies peacefully. All the deaths are quite horrible. 

 

My favorite characters in this book were Cordeillia, who is like Zatanna from the DC Universe, but with a more rebellious personality. I highly enjoyed Uncle Edgar. Uncle Edgar is the guardian of the headquarters of the magic order. He is completely housebound and suffers from anxiety about leaving his home, but still remains a capable hero in his own right.

 

I am looking forward to reading volumes 2,3, and 4, which are out now and available at my local library.

 

By the way, Netflix is currently turning this series into a tv series. The new show is supposed to be out this year.

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3SjtxEY

 

My reading copy from the Downtown, aka Central Branch, of the Dallas Public Library System.

 

Scott A Tipple ©2024