Monday, August 17, 2026
Sunday, August 16, 2026
Beneath the Stains of Time: The Hit List: Top 10 Favorite Detective Novels from the 1950s
Saturday, August 15, 2026
KRL Update
Up on KRL this week reviews and giveaways of 3 more fun cozies for your end of summer reading TBR- "All Shell Breaks Loose" A Haunted Shell Shop Mystery by Molly MacRae, "Whose Body in the Library" A Lighthouse Library Mystery by Eva Gates, & "Malice in Puzzle Land" An Alice Pepper Lonely Hearts and Puzzle Club by Roz Noonan https://kingsriverlife.com/08/15/end-of-summer-mystery-catchup/
And a review and giveaway of "Killer Art" by Jon St. Denis, along with an interesting interview with Jon https://kingsriverlife.com/08/15/killer-art-by-jon-st-denis/
Looking for a new British mystery TV show to binge? Up on KRL this week we have a review of "Inspector Ellis" on Acorn TV https://kingsriverlife.com/08/15/inspector-ellis-seasons-1-2-on-acorn-tv/
Up on KRL News and Reviews this week we have a review and ebook giveaway of "Four on the Floor" By Gabriel Valjan https://www.krlnews.com/2026/08/four-on-floor-by-gabriel-valjan.html
And a review and giveaway of "Mr. and Mrs. Dixon Hide a Body" By Jennifer Holdich https://www.krlnews.com/2026/08/mr-and-mrs-dixon-hide-body-by-jennifer.html
And a review and giveaway of "Killer Vibes" by Jack Friday https://www.krlnews.com/2026/08/killer-vibes-by-jack-friday.html
Happy reading,
Lorie
Scott's Take: Paladin’s Strength by T. Kingfisher (The Saints of Steel series)
Paladin’s Strength
by T. Kingfisher is the second book in The
Saints of Steel series that began with Paladin’s Grace. Each
book in the series spotlights a different Paladin.
In this one, the Paladin featured is Ishtvan, a
large man who sort kind of leads what is left of “The Saints of Steel.” Ishtvan
and Galen (another character from the previous book) are, allegedly, providing
escort for a merchant who is in fear of bandit attack. The real mission is that
they are hunting the head cutting off people from the first book.
Things are going slow, but predictable, until Clara,
a slave who is actually a nun, is won in a duel with the locals. As soon as
they have her, Clara says she is not the only nun that has been kidnapped. She and
the rest of her fellow nuns were taken away during a fire at their convent. Someone
has kidnapped a group of nuns for some reason.
Of course, Clara and Ishtvan are hiding things from
the other, but agree to work each with each other. Of course, there is some
sort of attraction between the two of them from the moment they lay eyes on
each other. As they search for the nun kidnappers as well as the folks cutting
off heads, they become closer. And
that’s the plot-- can their connection survive each other’s secrets?
If you like the first book, this is a lot like it,
but with different main characters. Ishtvan here and Stephen from the first
book share a lot in common since they were picked by the same God. Their main
driving emotions are duty and guilt. Clara is more of an action hero character,
than a typical Kingfisher female lead, because of her own secrets. I enjoyed
this book, but it has the same flaws as the first book. The fact that the god
being dead does not matter and that the read is very predictable as it follows
the usual template.
The third act has some horror elements that were
unexpected. They also did not fit the tone of the book. They were a surprise and
did not seem to be a natural outgrowth of the story.
The third book in the series is Paladin’s Hope. According to the plot
synopsis, Piper is a “lich doctor” (basically a fantasy version of a coroner). He
teams up with Galen (the same Galen from this book), to investigate a grisly
series of murders. Galen, who suffers from violent night terrors, is supposed
to protect Piper while he works. Of course, Galen wants to do more than just
protect him or the read would not be a romance fantasy book. But, can Galen
control himself? They are assisted in
their investigation by a Gnole. What is a Gnole you ask? Think dog/monkey/goat
hybrid thing and far more helpful than the man/bear/pig on Southpark. Yes,
Gnoles are also weird.
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4fbKEE5
My reading copy came through Hoopla and the Dallas
Public Library System.
Scott A. Tipple ©2026
Thursday, August 13, 2026
Monday, August 10, 2026
Sunday, August 09, 2026
Review: Death at a Scottish Halloween: A Scottish Isle Mystery by Lucy Connelly
This comes out Tuesday....
As I noted long ago when I reviewed the
first book of this series, An American in Scotland: A Scottish Isle
Mystery by Lucy Connelly, I am not a cozy mystery kind of guy. I lean
more towards police procedurals as well as grittier mystery and crime fiction.
But, I enjoyed that first book quite a lot and have enjoyed every read since.
That includes the latest book, fifth in the series, Death at a Scottish
Halloween: A Scottish Isle Mystery.
Dr. Emilia McRoy left it all behind to
move to Sea Isle, Scotland, and she could not be happier. As the book begins,
she is working on her room in an extensive haunted house. Halloween, or as the locals
refer to it, All Hallows Eve, is a big deal. Doctor McRoy missed it last year due
to attending a wedding so her and her assistant, Abigail, are going all out to
create the spookiest doctor’s office ever. Their room is one of several that
people will walk through and experience scares a plenty.
It is a fun evening until, after nearly
everyone has left, they discover a body in the room across the hall from their
own. Not only is Duncan, a man they just met a few hours earlier, dead, a butcher
knife is planted in his chest. The same butcher knife that Dr. Emilia McRoy had
brought from home and was using as a prop in their horror scene. With all the
people that came through and the loud commotion these past hours, neither the
good doctor nor Abigail noticed who took it or when it went missing. But, it is
definitely is now planted in the dead man’s chest. Probably right through his
heart.
Despite the fact it was her knife that
is the murder weapon, and their multi hour close proximity to the victim, they
are never considered as suspects by Constable Ewan or the other locals.
Instead, as part of their jobs, they handle this situation as they have before
with other murders and get to work with the removal of the body, the autopsy,
and the investigation of the crime.
So, if they did not do it, then who did?
That is the question that Constable Ewan
and his team, along with the good doctor and Abigail must answer. A second
murder soon happens and that ratchets up the pressure. At the same time, other things
are going on and the good doctor is getting threats and more.
The latest in the series is another good
read. I recommend reading the series in order from the beginning as significant
character development has happened over the course of the series and relationships
have changed and evolved. Those who are fans of Halloween, or All Hallows Eve,
will get far more out of this read than those of us who don’t care for any of
it at all.
A very good read in a very good cozy
mystery series, Death at a Scottish Halloween: A Scottish Isle Mystery
by Lucy Connelly is well worth your time.
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4eFU5wu
Entire Series Amazon Associate Purchase
Link: https://amzn.to/4uA7nj6
My digital ARC came from the publisher, Crooked
Lane Books, through NetGalley, with no expectation of a positive review.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2026
Saturday, August 08, 2026
KRL Update
Up on KRL this week the latest Mystery Coming Attractions from Victoria Fair https://kingsriverlife.com/08/08/mystery-current-coming-attractions-august-2026/
Scott's Take: Paladin’s Grace by T. Kingfisher (The Saint of Steel series)
Paladin’s Grace
by T. Kingfisher is the first book in the series, The Saint of Steel. It is also
set in the overarching “The World of the White Rat” universe that covers
several different series.
Stephen, the main male character, is a Paladin that
has fallen in to depression. What is a Paladin, you ask? A Paladin is usually a
heroic figure that derives their powers from a god. They are the knights of a
God. For want of a better way of putting it, they have a sort of psychic spiritual
connection to a god that gives them powers, guidance, and support.
The Saint of Steel (a god) is considered dead since
his prescence is no longer felt by his followers. Many of those psychically
connected followers having lost that connection, became adrift, and could not
handle the loss of the presence of the god. Some died in battle. Some went completely
insane. Many of them killed themselves.
As the book opens three years later, Stephen and 6
others remain, and have united together to survive. Stephen stumbles into an assassination
plot that involves a local perfume maker named Grace. Soon Stephen and others
are attempting to uncover the truth of what is going on. Additionally, Stephen
is also involved in the secondary storyline involving murders and decapitation.
This is a romance fantasy book that follows
Kingfisher’s usual plot beats. So, you get a lot of character development,
action, comedy, romance, and characters dealing with their past. As expected,
the read is a fantasy featuring romance type characters in their mid-thirties or
so in a medieval style world. Her books are a little repetitive and follow a sort
of template that applies across multiple series.
It usually takes me to Chapter Five before I start
liking the characters enough to stay with the read. Despite what you read on
the synopsis on Goodreads and elsewhere, the idea of the god being dead is not
a substantial part of the book. Some plot threads lead into the next book, Paladin’s Strength.
There are currently 4 books out in this series and 3
more planned. There are also several other
series that tie into this series. So, there is a lot to read if you are
interested in this type of book.
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3T0RIMw
I read this in digital format by way of the Libby/Overdrive
App through the Dallas Public Library System.
Scott A. Tipple ©2026
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