Patricia Abbott: Short Story Wednesday "I Stand Here Ironing" Tillie Olson

 Patricia Abbott: Short Story Wednesday. "I Stand Here Ironing" Tillie Olson

Mystery Fanfare: FOURTH OF JULY MYSTERIES//JULY 4 CRIME FICTION

Mystery Fanfare: FOURTH OF JULY MYSTERIES//JULY 4 CRIME FICTION: The Fourth of July (Independence Day) used to be  one of my favorite holidays , maybe because I was born in Philadelphia , the birt...

Don't Need A Diagram: Jennifer Hillier, “Little Secrets”

 Don't Need A Diagram: Jennifer Hillier, “Little Secrets”

Lesa's Book Critiques: Road Trip by Mary Kay Andrews

 Lesa's Book Critiques: Road Trip by Mary Kay Andrews

Patricia Abbott: Short Story Wednesday: MUTTER, Esther Yi from the New Yorker

 Patricia Abbott: Short Story Wednesday: MUTTER, Esther Yi from the New Yorker  

Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: Every Lie I Told by Hilary Davidson

Hilary Davidson is a Toronto native now living in New York City. Her first work of crime fiction The Damage Done (Forge Books, 2010) won the 2011 Anthony and Crimespree awards for best first novel and was shortlisted for the Arthur Ellis and Macavity awards for best first. She’s written dozens of short stories. Every Lie I Told (Blackstone, June 2026) is her eighth work of crime fiction.

Jackie Swift is just another hamster on the enormous wheel of New York, running endlessly trying to reach the next rung on the ladder of success. Her parents died when she and her sister Madi were young, leaving them to the questionable care of an uncle. Jackie has been trying to overcome the disadvantages of her early life ever since, while pretending to have the upper-crust life that she wants. She learned early that her lack of family connections and resources would keep her out of her chosen field of journalism, no matter how hard she worked. She slid sideways into a dubious public relations firm with some credible clients and a lot of shifty ones. Her habit of shading the truth about her life quickly expanded to covering up for wealthy people behaving badly. Dissembling about everything, from her customers’ actions and intentions to the store where she bought today’s outfit, became routine.

Jackie is overwhelmingly protective of Madi, who dabbled far too often in drugs and made other unwise decisions. Jackie had come to keep Narcan on hand for emergencies so when Madi called in the early hours of Monday morning that she needed help, Jackie scrambled for the naloxone and drove to an Upper East side townhouse. She could not find Madi but she did find the quite dead body of her former mentor and employer. The police focus early on Madi as the likely killer and as they search for her, Jackie does everything she can to throw suspicion on others, including an ex-wife who tried to kill the dead man more than once.

The story delivers credible insight into the inner workings of publicity firms and marketing psychology, which I found thought-provoking. With a driving pace and one surprise after another, the story held my attention to the end despite my lack of sympathy with most of the characters, who were singularly unpleasant. Fans of contemporary psychological thrillers and unreliable narrators will love this book.

 

·         ISBN-13: ‎979-8228475151

·         Publisher: ‎Blackstone Publishing, Inc.

·         Publication date: ‎June 16, 2026

·         Edition: ‎Hardcover

·         Language: ‎English

·         Print length: ‎371 pages

  

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link:  https://amzn.to/4fv3o3j 

 

Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2026

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

Patricia Abbott: FFB: THE PRINCE OF TIDES, Pat Conroy

 Patricia Abbott: FFB: THE PRINCE OF TIDES, Pat Conroy

Don't Need A Diagram: David Szalay, “Flesh”

 Don't Need A Diagram: David Szalay, “Flesh”

Paula Messina Reviews: The Priest by Joseph Caruso

 Please welcome back author Paula Messina to the blog today. By the way, when I was looking for cover images for the piece today, I cam across this regarding the author and the West End Museum.

  

The Priest

 

by Paula Messina

 

 

I write historical fiction. One of my recurring characters and his family live in Boston’s North End. He occasionally ventures into nearby Scollay Square and the West End. Hoping to uncover some delectable morsel to use in my writing, I recently visited the West End Museum.

The museum was enjoyable, but I didn’t uncover anything I didn’t already know. That is until I spotted a dark blue, thin volume in one of the display cases, Joseph Caruso’s The Priest. Published in 1956, both novel and writer were new to me. I left the museum hoping that The Priest would provide that tasty tidbit I’d been searching for. I can’t say I found it. Instead, I discovered something far more rewarding, a gripping novel.

The priest in question is thirty-eight-year-old Father Octavio Scarpi, the eighth and youngest surviving son of an Italian fisherman. ‘Tavio is huge, so huge he cannot fasten his Roman collar. He is not Hollywood handsome, nor is he blessed with a plain face. A former boxer, fisherman, and World War II soldier, the priest has a “crooked, broken nose.” He’s an ugly giant whose exceptional strength is his undoing.

Father Scarpi is assigned to St. Dominic’s in the West End, where he grew up. He is haunted by the death of his brother Onofrio and a war-time rape. A priest who hears confessions and absolves others of their sins, he cannot forgive himself.

The novel begins as a jury returns to the courtroom with its verdict. Joseph Shannan, a gangster who unquestionably has earned a place behind bars, is found guilty of the murder of Ellen Greer. When asked by the judge if he wishes to speak before sentencing, Shannan tells the judge, “What’s there to say?...I been saying I didn’t do it.”

Father Scarpi is called to hear the confession of the dying Vincent Spinale. Grabbing the priest’s wrist, Spinale begs for absolution after divulging, “I have sinned….I killed a woman, father….Greer. I killed Ellen Greer. Save me, Father!”

Father Scarpi grants Spinale absolution as the confessor lapses into a coma. Bound by the seal of confession, the priest cannot reveal that Vincent Spinale is Ellen Greer’s murderer. All hope of convincing Spinale to confess to the authorities is doomed when he dies. Short of a miracle, the for-once-innocent Joseph Shannan will die in the electric chair.

His lips might be sealed, but that doesn’t keep Father Scarpi from attempting to right a wrong. He visits Shannan, whose real name is Peppino Schianno, in prison. Shannan recognizes ‘Tavio. Peppino and Onofrio were best friends. The meeting stirs Father Scarpi’s memory of the first time he and Peppino met. An enraged Octavio “poleaxed” his inebriated brother Onofrio. Their brothers Victor and Anthony as well as Peppino restrained the massive Octavio as he lifted Onofrio “to hit him again.”

The priest becomes obsessed with Shannan and disobeys his superiors in a desperate effort to save his dead brother’s friend. As he struggles to save Shannan from the electric chair,  Father Scarpi discovers Ellen Greer’s murder hinged on rape. Ultimately, Octavio Scarpi, who cannot escape his guilt in Onofrio’s death and the rape he committed during the war, cannot save Shannan. Devastated by his failure, the priest decides to leave the priesthood.

Caruso doesn’t sensationalize Father Scarpi’s dilemma. Instead, he depicts a very human, deeply vulnerable man haunted by his violent past. Father Scarpi has lots of company. St. Dominic’s other priests suffer from the same affliction as do others, including Beneditto Scarpi, the priest’s father, who blames himself for his wife’s early death. These Christians, who all believe God forgives sins, cannot forgive themselves.

Beneditto tells Octavio, “There is guilt in all of us, but at times the feeling of guilt is more than the act that brought it on.”

Because of his failure to save Shannan, ‘Tavio resoves his Roman collar and leaves the priesthood. His brother John is unable to convince him to return to St. Dominic. He tells the priest, “What I am doesn’t matter. It’s you that matters. You are another man’s hope….Would you deprive your parishioners of their hopes just for your own feelings of guilt?”

John sees what his brother Octavio, blinded by guilt, cannot see. Father Scarpi is respected by his parishioners, who seek and need his comfort and guidance. The priest, who believes his physical strength is his greatest weakness, fails to recognize his real strength, his faith.

The Priest portrays a vibrant community of Sicilians, Southern Italian immigrants, and their American children in the early 1950s. The men don’t attend Mass, but they and their wives have a deep faith that guides their lives. The men are “calfoni: fruit peddlers, laborers, fishermen.” In other words, they are uncivilized and crude. They may have accents and lack polish, but they live their Old World values, work hard to support their families, and trust in a God they pretend to eschew.

There’s another homicide that hovers unspoken over The Priest: the premeditated murder in the first degree of the West End by the City of Boston. In the name of urban renewal, Boston Mayor John Hynes targeted the destruction of the West End and exiled the calfoni. According to the West End Museum, in 1958 and 1959, more than 12,000 West Enders were evicted. Forty-six acres were leveled. Like the Joni Mitchell’s song, “Big Yellow Taxi,” the city tore down a thriving community to create a parking lot.

That gigantic parking lot remained until 1965 when two towers with 477 apartments were erected along with a gigantic sign that proclaims, “If you lived here, you’d be home now.”

Only the families that had occupied the land for decades could not go home. They couldn’t afford the luxury apartments. To this day, former West Enders lament the destruction of their homes.

Joseph Caruso (1924-2008) was born in Sicily and immigrated to the West End when he was seven years old. A writer, filmmaker, and painter who worked as an Art Director for the Post Office, he received a Bronze Star for bravery during World War II. Caruso was one of the founders of The Committee to Save the West End.

The families that lived in the West End couldn’t stop the government, nor could they stop the inevitable change already underway. The calfoni’s sons and daughters assimilated and abandoned the Old World ways of their parents and ancestors.

Those who lived in the West End still mourn for the vibrant community that was taken from them. Little of Caruso’s West End remains. One exception is St. Joseph Parish, the novel’s St. Dominic. It is still an active church. 

 

Paula Messina ©2026 

Paula Messina writes the Donatello Laguardia stories, which are set in Boston’s North End during the 1940s. They appeared in the Best New England Crime Stories 2024 and 2025 and another Donatello Laguardia short story is scheduled to appear in Black Cat Weekly. She lives near America’s first public beach.

Lesa's Book Critiques: The Last Letters of Sally and Walter by Cammie McGovern

 Lesa's Book Critiques: The Last Letters of Sally and Walter by Cammie McGovern

Lesa's Book Critiques: Once and Again by Rebecca Serle

 Lesa's Book Critiques: Once and Again by Rebecca Serle

Lesa's Book Critiques: Bloom by Robbie Couch

 Lesa's Book Critiques: Bloom by Robbie Couch

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: New February Fiction!

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: New February Fiction!:   Adams, Taylor   Her Last Breath Armstrong, Kelley   First Sign of Danger (Haven’s Rock) Beaton, M.C.   Death of a Groom (Hamish) ...

Bitter Tea and Mystery: Old Filth: Jane Gardam

Bitter Tea and Mystery: Old Filth: Jane Gardam:   Description from the paperback edition I read... Filth, in his heyday, was an international lawyer with a practice in the Far East. Now, o...

Thursday Treats

Welcome back to “Thursday Treats.”  The first column last week proved to be incredibly popular. More than I had thought possible. Thank you to those who commented here and elsewhere, shared the post, and made it clear that it was a hit. Thank you. The bar has been set high so I hope I can keep meeting it.

 

Cameron Trost recently announced on Facebook that Dead on the Dolmen, the first Oscar Tremont, Investigator of the Strange and Inexplicable novel, will be released on the 30th of January.  https://mybook.to/deadonthedolmen. I took advantage of the pre order deal and used funds in my Amazon Associate account to snag the eBook copy.

 

Authors Barb Goffman, Dave Zeltserman, and many others appear in Black Cat Weekly #230. BCW is a weekly publication featuring short stories and novellas in multiple genres. You can buy individual issues or one of the far better subscription deals at blackcatweekly.com.

 

Craig Johnson announced on Facebook that The Brothers McKay: A Longmire Mystery is coming out in late May. Amazon has the listing for it. Based on the synopsis there, it seems like Walt is closer to home this time. Been a big fan of this series, so I am hoping I get a shot at it on NetGalley or through the Dallas Library System. NetGalley has added it, so I put in my request. Viking is the publisher. I do not have a good track record with them in being granted the approval to read stuff.  

 

Michael Connelly also announced on Facebook that Ironwood is coming out in mid-May. Amazon has the listing for it. This is the second book in the police procedural series that started with Nightshade. I very much enjoyed that book so I am very much looking forward to this. No sign of it, yet, at either NetGalley or the Dallas Public Library System.

 

Also on Facebook, Kevin Wade announced that One Good Eye: A Jeep Mullane Novel is coming out in August. This is the second book in the police procedural series that began with Johnny Careless. I really liked that book a lot, so I am glad to see a second book in the series is coming out. The Dallas Public Library System does not list it yet. NetGalley has it, but the publisher is, apparently, gauging interest by asking folks to “wish for it.” That wishing for something on NetGalley has never worked for me, but I still did it.

 

I am a big fan of the works of Steven F. Havill. His Posadas County Mystery series has gone on for many years, and it is mighty good. I told you about the most recent one, If It Isn’t One Thing… A Posadas County Mystery, last March. Knowing he does very little social media, I have been checking Amazon for the new one. They now have it listed. Reverse: A Posadas County Mystery comes out in May. NetGalley got it listed yesterday and I grabbed it. I got it right away as it is with Severn House who has me preapproved on NetGalley for everything they do. 

 

By the way, if you don’t already know, Lesa Holstine does a blog post every Thursday where folks, including yours truly, share what we are reading. Make sure you check it out at Lesa’s Book Critiques. It will, guaranteed, make your TBR pile grow.

 

Which in one way is not helpful at all as my long standing order for the READ FASTER, DAMN IT! brain implant is still on backorder at Amazon. Apparently, there are supply chain issues. 😉

 

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2026

Thursday Treats

Welcome to what will be, I hope, the first of many weekly columns highlighting cool stuff to check out. Publishing news of books, short stories, interviews, and more, that I have seen and think might be of interest to you. So, you will see a lot of publishing news related items as, more than anything else, I am a reader. A reader who reads both eBooks and print.

 

I’m not a true crime kind of guy. Many of you are, and so I mention that authors Judy Penz Sheluk and Amanda Capper are writing a book on the Helen Grier murder case. Judy explains the background and their plans in her post earlier this month on The Stiletto Gang. Even though I am not a true crime guy, the post is intriguing. Her post is well worth the read.

 

Ed Ridgley’s short story “The Blue Lincoln” is up at the Guilty Crime Magazine website. A flash tale and a free read. And, if you missed it, the latest issue of the magazine, Guilty Crime Story Magazine: Issue 015 - Summer 2025 is available over on Amazon. I have my copy in the TBR pile along with several other issues. Just way behind in my reading.

 

As Lesa Holstine announced on Lesa’s Book Critiques back in November 2024, Bill Crider’s books are being republished by his daughter, Angela, and her husband, Tom. In recent days, Jan Grape wrote about her love for Bill, the Dan Rhodes series, and more in a post that includes an interview with Angela. Check out her  SluethSayers post. By the way, if you have not read the mystery series set in East Texas with the good sheriff, you should do so. Begin with Too Late To Die and read in order. I have reviews of the books here on the blog as well if you want to know more. Been a big fan for decades.

 

The new issue, Starlight Pulp Review #7, is out. Features short stories by numerous folks including SMFS list members, Robert J. Binney with “Gifts of Providence,” Ron Clyburn with “Send in the Killers,” Martin Hill Ortiz with “Not Enough Corpses,” and Jennifeer Slee with “The Apex.”

 

Mystery Writers of America put out their monthly roundup of publishing news from their members. New Books by MWA Members – January 2026 also lists short stories. This month, all the stories are found in the pages of AHMM or EQMM. SMFS list members are featured in the books as well as the short story categories.

 

Speaking of SMFS, the latest publishing news post as compiled and issued by SMFS President Joseph S. Walker came out last week. With winter weather making things dangerous outside coming for most of the nation, including my part of NE Dallas where we are being threatened with a crippling ice storm this weekend (God, no), this is a good time to stock up on reading materials.

Also, get your submissions in to the Derringers. All the details are up on the SMFS blog. Deadline is 1/30/2026.

 

Finally, as Lorie Ham of Kings River Life Magazine has shared on Facebook and elsewhere, “We've had some big unexpected expenses come up lately, so I'm running another big ad special for KRL. So if you are interested in knowing more reach out via email at kingsriverlife@gmail.com.”

Until next time...  

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2026

FFB Review: Dance On His Grave by Sylvia Dickey Smith

 

After the sudden death of her brother Warren due to a traffic accident, Sidra Smart comes to the small southeast Texas town of Orange to permanently close his private investigator business. Recently divorced after thirty years of a mind-numbing marriage, Sidra knows absolutely nothing about private investigations or running her brother’s business with the intriguing moniker of "The Third Eye: Intuitive Investigations." While she isn't sure what she is going to do with her life, she knows that she isn't going to take over and run Warren's business and she isn't going back to her old life as a preacher's wife.

 

Somewhere during the course of that thirty-year marriage that started when she was so very young, she lost her identity. It is something she wants back and just isn't sure how to get it back. She isn't alone with that problem as the visibly agitated blonde woman makes clear by showing up while Sidra is paying bills and clearing mail in Warren's old storefront office. The woman's name is Jewell Stone and Warren had just barely opened a file for her. With Warren dead, Jewell expects Sidra to take over and help her. Jewell is haunted by nightmares of a naked woman who she thinks might have been killed by her father, Roy Manly back when Jewell was a child. If the memories that come out of Jewel and her emotional pain aren't disturbing enough, while Jewell cries and talks, Sidra sees a small blue flame appear in the air over Jewell's head for a few seconds. Despite all the reasons not to get involved, Sidra eventually begins to investigate a sinister world of child abuse and possible murder far different than her experiences of bake sales and back stabbing church politics as a preacher's wife.

 

This is an intense read with frequent and very graphic recounts of horrible child abuse and molestation. Such scenes are intense and very disturbing and will no doubt upset a number of readers. Author Sylvia Dickey Smith details the horrific abuse over and over again to various parties throughout the entire novel while occasionally adding a little new information at the various tellings. After awhile, the graphic abuse and molestations become a bit much and could distract readers from a compelling story.

 

This is a shame because the main story is quite strong and would move the story along very well if allowed to do so instead of being stopped by the detailed abuse materials. The novel revolves around a thirty-year-old murder case and accompanying arson in the small town of Orange as well as Sidra's efforts to find herself. During the course of investigating the case, we learn quite a lot about Sidra, her relationship with her former Pastor and husband as well as the congregation, a fellow private investigator George Leger, Sidra's rather eccentric Aunt Annie, and numerous other characters along with a strong slice of life in that shadowy land full of mystique and mystery where Texas and Louisiana meet.

 

Evil walks in many forms in this intense novel. Full of suspense, interesting characters and a heroine trying to find herself once again, the novel delivers on all levels while disturbing repeatedly with the constant scenes of abuse and molestation. Few readers will find this a relaxing read but all will certainly find it suspenseful, intense, and not easily put down.

 

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

 

 

Material supplied by the author in exchange for my objective review.

 

 

Kevin R. Tipple © 2007, 2012, 2026

Criminal Minds: Some Great Books I’ve Read Recently from James W. Ziskin

Criminal Minds: Some Great Books I’ve Read Recently from James W. ...: Some Great Books I’ve Read Recently Time to propose some great reads from the past year. Click on the book covers for the links. Feel free t...

Lesa's Book Critiques: Dear Mr. Knightley by Katherine Reay

 Lesa's Book Critiques: Dear Mr. Knightley by Katherine Reay

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: New Fiction in October

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: New Fiction in October:   Adams, Ellery   The Tattered Cover (Secret, Book, and Scone) Albom, Mitch Twice Andrews, Donna   Five Golden Wings (Meg Lanslow) ...