Review: The Teacher: A DS George Cross Mystery by Tim Sullivan

 

With DS Josie Ottey off as she moves her family to a new house, DS George Cross is stuck partnering with his boss, DCI Ben Carson, as The Teacher: A DS George Cross Mystery by Tim Sullivan begins. Those of us who have read the series to this point understand very well that this is not an optimal situation for DS George Cross.

 

In the coming days and weeks, it will get way worse for him as well as a couple of other members of the investigate team.

 

Carson and Cross have been called out to the scene of where an elderly man apparently went down a narrow staircase the hard way. The smear of blood, a long trail, shows the path Alistair Moreton’s head took in its final seconds. The neck is obviously broken. While DCI Carson sees a slip and fall, PC Trevor Bain saw the defensive puncture wounds to the hands of the deceased man and called for assistance.

 

As DS Cross notes, there are also bites to the victim’s legs as well as some sort of puncture wound to his chest. It is clearly not a simple slip and fall. In Cross’ opinion, the police constable was one hundred percent correct in alerting the Major Crime Unit of the Avon and Somerset Police.

 

What follows is a complicated case and a hunt for the killer or killers. Along the way, not only do we see Cross deal with a series of challenges, professionally and personally, we also follow as various members of the team deal with their own professional and personal challenges. In every case, those challenges would be spoilers if I revealed them here, so I won’t.

 

Instead, I will simply point out that The Teacher: A DS George Cross Mystery by Tim Sullivan is a very good police procedural. Part of the excellent series that began with The Dentist. This read, and the others, should be read in order as each one extensively builds on the previous books of the series.

 

 

Strongly recommended.

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4rBurxe

 

 

I received a digital ARC from the publisher, Atlantic Crime, imprint of Grove Atlantic, through NetGalley, with no expectation of a positive review.

  

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2026

Lesa's Book Critiques: Twelve Months by Jim Butcher

 Lesa's Book Critiques: Twelve Months by Jim Butcher

Lesa's Book Critiques: The Murder at World’s End by Ross Montgomery

 Lesa's Book Critiques: The Murder at World’s End by Ross Montgomery

Publication Day Review: Death on a Scottish Train: A Scottish Isle Mystery by Lucy Connelly

 

Death on a Scottish Train: A Scottish Isle Mystery by Lucy Connelly is the fourth book in this solidly good cozy mystery series that began with An American in Scotland. It has been about a year since Dr. Emilia McRoy left it all behind in Seattle and moved to Sea Isle, Scotland. The past year has been a lot, but she is happy. Other than the cold, she loves the place and the people and has made a number of friends. Life is pretty good and she feels more and more at home.

 

As the book begins, tourist season is almost over and the good doctor is worn out. So many tourists has meant an increased workload for her and that has made for long days. But, she promised to attend the Friday night train party and to help out a little bit. So, she is dressed up in her 1930’s outfit and is pushing through for her friends.

 

Her good friend, Mara, and a number of other folks have refurbished a train that has not run in the last fifty years. Now named the “Scottish Story Tellers Train,” it will run twice daily between Sea Isle and Edinburgh. On board will be a rotating group of storytellers that will share tales for tourists and locals. Tonight is the launch of the train from the local station (also refurbished) and will feature a rolling party of numerous people, food, storytellers, and more.

 

A fun evening goes a little wrong when one of the storytellers goes missing after he checked in and the train is well underway. The man had been heavily involved up to this point. He was clearly a bit nervous at check in, but the idea he just walked away before doing his storytelling part on the train seems a bit much.

 

It is only after the train returns to the station and the guests have left that a search party is organized to check the station and the surrounding area. It is the good doctor that finds him wedged into a broom closet at the back of the office. He vomited before death and has a yellow haze in the whites of his eyes and a blueish tint to his lips. He has been dead for some time as rigor is setting in. The good doctor is very sure it is murder. In her secondary role as corner, she will be in charge of the body for sometime as she assists local constable Ewan McGregor and his team in investigating the murder.

 

What follows is another strong read in this excellent cozy mystery series. Numerous relationships between characters continue to develop and evolve here so it is best to have read the previous books in the series. The mystery is complicated, much like the weather in Scotland, which continues to play its own role in this book and the series. The result is a highly entertaining read in Death on a Scottish Train: A Scottish Isle Mystery and one well worth your time.

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/44gpvF9

 

My digital ARC came from the publisher, Crooked Lane Books, through NetGalley, and with no expectation of a review.

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2025

Publication Day Review: The Girl from Devil’s Lake: A Brady Novel of Suspense by J. A. Jance

 

The Girl from Devil’s Lake: A Brady Novel of Suspense by J. A. Jance is one of those books where the reader knows the identity of the killer almost from the beginning. This is done by way of alternating chapters from the killer’s point of view. The book opens in Fertile, Minnesota, in 1956 where a child hears voices in his head and eventually kills. That prologue is followed by numerous chapters detailing the point of view of the killer that strikes again and again. Eventually, the killer relocates to Bisbee, Arizona, and continues his work, undetected, while becoming a pillar of the local community in a variety of ways.

 

The same Bisbee, Arizona, where in the time of the main storyline, November 2023, Sheriff Joanna Brady just recently won reelection. Her department is under intense strain due to the political climate, things at the border, jail over population, being short staffed, and other factors. Her tenure as the Sheriff for the Cochise County Sheriff’s Department will continue. As a result, her daughter, Jenny, who is about to graduate from the Arizona Police Officer Academy, will be accepting a job to go to work in Pima County. Sheriff Brady not only will be in attendance at graduation to see Jenny graduate, Sheriff Brady will be giving the main graduation speech. So, it is a big event for all involved.

 

A lot of things have changed since Sheriff Brady graduated decades ago after her first election in the wake of her first husband’s death, but hazing and sexism is still a huge problem. While noting that and calling it out, she also notes in her speech the fact that in the decades since she graduated, the world of law enforcement has gotten darker and more violent. That the border, drug trafficking human smuggling, and the cartels are just a few of the reasons that things are more difficult and dangerous now that they were when she first started out. Now she not only has to worry about her safety and the safety of those under her command she also, like any other parent, has to worry about her daughter as she takes her first real job in law enforcement.

 

A few days later, just after Thanksgiving, as the rain pours down on Bisbee and the surrounding area, Sheriff Brady gets a call that pulls her away from the family and their delayed Thanksgiving celebration. Floods are happening and her people are on it and handling everything well. But, a highway worker trying to clear debris from a local bridge so that the flood waters could move through unimpeded has found a duffle bag wedged in a debris pile. Inside that bag was the body of a young child.

 

The waters of the San Pedro River originate somewhere in Mexico before crossing the border and making their way to the bridge near St. David. So, though the body was recovered here, the young boy probably came from Mexico. She knows Captain Arturo Peña, head of the Federales unit in Naco, Sonora, really well and has worked with him many times. That will come in hand as the case is complicated and crosses both sides of the border.

 

It is also the first death in the here and now of the main storyline as the walls begin to close in on a local serial killer who has killed for decades.

 

The Girl from Devil’s Lake: A Brady Novel of Suspense by J. A. Jance is marketed as the 21^st book in this long running series. As such, it does not break any new ground with these long-established characters. Not that it was expected as that would be out of form for the series and this author.

 

As a reader, I personally find chapters from the point of view of the nutjob killer, in this case one who has gotten away with it for decades, tedious and completely unnecessary. In my opinion, it is clichéd writing that almost does nothing expect pad word and page counts. However, it must work for many readers as authors continue to write it and publishers release books with it right and left. So, if you like it, you will be happy here as there is a lot of it.

 

Overall, despite the caveats mentioned above, The Girl from Devil’s Lake: A Brady Novel of Suspense by J. A. Jance, is a good read and worth your time. If you are new to the series, you could easily start here as previous events are only touched on briefly if mentioned at all.

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4lUbG5L

 

My reading copy came from the publisher, William Morrow, through NetGalley, and with no expectation of a review.

 

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2025

Review: An Unforgiving Place: A National Park Mystery by Claire Kells

An Unforgiving Place: A National Park Mystery by Claire Kells picks up a few weeks after Vanishing Edge. On assignment in Denali National Park, Investigative Service Branch Special Agent Felicity Harland is sent to the Gates of the Artic National Park to investigate the discovery of two bodies. Search and rescue is active in another part of the park looking for two hikers that have been missing almost a month. Timothy and Kelsey Greer might be the deceased or they might still be alive and lost in the vast wilderness.

Before long Special Agents Felicity Harland and Ferdinand Huxley (who has made the jump to ISB from being a Park Ranger and is being pulled from doing training modules- much to his relief) are at the scene of the two bodies. Unlike in most cases, there has been little involvement by animals. No obvious cause of death and no signs of defensive wounds. It is clear that they are dead, but the signs of what caused it are not clear. There are also clear indications that something strange was going on before they died. One example are the faint marks on the wrists on both bodies that indicate some sort of ligatures were used on them in recent days.

Harland and Huxley are on the case and soon forced to work undercover to ferret out the truth. Humans are one threat. Nature itself is another. Either can kill you dead if you let your guard down.

A worthy and enjoyable sequel to Vanishing Edge, much is going on in this complicated and action filled read. Events and backstory regarding the first book come up here. Quite a lot from book one is referenced, so it is strongly recommended that readers start with Vanishing Edge first. You will enjoy this very good sequel a lot more if you do so.

While An Unforgiving Place: A National Park Mystery by Claire Kells is currently scheduled to be released on November 8th, I was able to read it now thanks to a digital ARC from Severn House via NetGalley.

 

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2022

Review: A Reluctant Saint: A Josie Gray Mystery by Tricia Fields

It is mid-April in southwest Texas and far hotter than usual as A Reluctant Saint: A Josie Gray Mystery by Tricia Fields begins. Weird things are happening at her isolated house. Weird Stuff like a dog leash that was her dog’s before he died suddenly goes missing from where she had it. Then a coat that belongs to Nick Santos suddenly appears on her doorstep. It isn’t the first time somebody has messed with her at home. Her home security setup, state of the art a few years ago, is dated now and is not catching the person in the act.

Weird stuff is happening in the town of Artemis as well. A recent transplant, Mike Striker, is running to be mayor. Rumor also has it that he is planning on building a greyhound dog track. If true, such a track would bring jobs and economic development, at least initially. It could also bring crime issues. Beyond the fact that it isn’t really feasible to think that such a project is remotely sustainable in the county with only around seven thousand folks living there.

The town itself has approximately 2,500 people and Police Chief Josie Gray has her hands full with routine matters. Her department, as is the county sheriff’s department, is very short staffed. Federal grants will pay for new police vehicles, for example, so they have them, but such grants don’t pay for staff. Equipment is great, but having additional police officers on staff would really help. The current situation is made worse by the fact that folks are getting very riled over the dog track issue. Then there are the rumors of voter fraud and the fact that mayoral candidate Mike Striker might have tampered with the election voting machines.

As things heat up, somebody steals two greyhounds from Jezebel Black’s home. She is involved with the project as she is now breeding greyhounds though she has no experience with doing so. The good news is that she is working and things seem to be going well as she tries to restart her life after a horrendous incident awhile back. The theft of the two dogs and vandalism of her property that happened as the dogs were taken is a setback for her.

Then the murders begin.

This is the seventh book in the series that began long ago with The Territory: A Novel and is one that hit this reader very hard. Without causing a spoiler, one of the murder victims is a long-time character from that has routinely appeared since early in the series. A murder that came out of the blue with no warning. That murder rocks everyone in the book and could change everything in the series going forward.

Whether this will be used as some sort of watershed turning point for the series from this point, or the end, I have no idea. It has been a few days since I read the book as I write this review and I am still grasping at understanding the impact and how things will go forward. Something that I think Police Chief Josie Gray does as well at the end.  I freely admit that the event colored my judgment of the rest of the book as I was so devastated by what I read.

A Reluctant Saint: A Josie Gray Mystery by Tricia Fields is a complex book that feels like it easily could be the end of the series. While I am glad (I think) I read the book, I can’t say I enjoyed it due to the shocking event as noted above. Those new to the series should absolutely not read this book, without catching up first, as a lot of material from previous books is rehashed here. 

While the book is currently scheduled to be released on September 6^th, I was able to read it now thanks to a digital ARC from Severn House via NetGalley.

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2022

Review: Murder at the Jubilee Rally: A Samuel Craddock Mystery by Terry Shames

Murder at the Jubilee Rally: A Samuel Craddock Mystery by Terry Shames opens with many of the locals less than thrilled with the coming event featuring motorcycle folks from all over. Some want the entire town closed for business during the Jubilee Motorcycle Rally. They want to force those attending to go over to Bobtail, another small town about ten miles away, to do their shopping. The theory being shutting down everything will keep the bikes and their noise out of the town.

Of course, the small business folks who need the money from the out of towners hate the idea as do the locals who do not want to be inconvenienced. Folks are very heated on both sides of the issue. The town meeting causes some folks to say things that would have been better left unsaid. Thanks to Police Chief Samuel Craddock and a couple of others, a compromise is worked out, where some businesses have an early curfew while others do not.

Soon the rally is underway, the compromise is working well, and things at the rally which draws hundreds of folks from all over the state of Texas and beyond are going okay. That is until a murder happens.

A murder that makes things way more complicated as Craddock and his team have been trying to keep things calm at the rally and in town. Not that ever having a murder is a good thing, but the timing right now is really bad, and not just because of the local event.

Craddock is also dealing with a serious family problem as his niece Hailey is giving her parents fits. The little girl he remembers is not the child she was if her parents are right about everything that is going on with her. The teen years can be ugly and things are ugly. Sixteen and acting out with alcohol, possibly using drugs, and sneaking out to see an older guy are just part of it. She is acting up at school too and her grades are falling. Things are so bad her parents are thinking of sending her to a boarding school for troubled kids.

Hailey and Samuel used to get along pretty well and she liked to watch the cows Samuel has and spend time with him. He offers for her to come stay a few days to give everyone a break. Samuel believes that if things get difficult, he can get advice and help from his lady friend, Wendy, as she has raised two girls and survived the teen wars. Before long, Hailey is in the house. The bad thing is, trouble in more than one form, followed her from Austin.

Between the murder of a local business owner, Hailey’s antics, and other things, there is no rest for a good lawman. Samuel Craddock and his patience is put to the test constantly through this read. Drama and trouble, on and off the job, power Murder at the Jubilee Rally: A Samuel Craddock Mystery by Terry Shames as does the summer time Texas heat and humidity.

If you have not acquainted yourself with the series, you should, and you could safely start here as references to prior events/books are limited. If you are a reader of the series that began long ago with A Killing at Cotton Hill: A Samuel Craddock Mystery then you know you are in for another fun read as author Terry Shames does not disappoint with Murder at the Jubilee Rally: A Samuel Craddock Mystery.

While the book is not scheduled to be released by Severn House until October 4, 2022, I was able to read it now thanks to a digital ARC from them through NetGalley.

 

Kevin R. Tipple © 2022