Mysteristas: Interview: Carl Brookins

Mysteristas: Interview: Carl Brookins

A Question of Evidence-- Carl Brookins

A Question of Evidence-- Carl Brookins

Via Carl Brookins-- Radio interview: shameless promo

As posted elsewhere earlier today. If you have not read Carl's stuff, you really should.

I'll be interviewed about The Case of the Purloined Painting on Monday. 4/7 at 7:10 am MDT on Colorado Springs  radio KCMN.  Hope you can hear hear us there.

-- Carl Brookins
www.carlbrookins.com  http://agora2.blogspot.com,
The Case of the Purloined Painting,
Case of the Great Train Robbery, Reunion, Red Sky

Review: "The Minnesota Crime Wave Presents: Fifteen Tales of Murder, Mayhem, and Malice from a land of Minnesota Nice"

After a brief introduction to the anthology written by Pete Hautman, The Minnesota Crime Wave Presents: Fifteen Tales of Murder, Mayhem and Malice from the land of Minnesota Nice opens with “This Old House” by Marilyn Victor. Esther spends her days in a nursing home while Justine spends her days deep in bitterness. When she visits Esther in the home their meetings are of the past, family secrets, and debts to be paid in this mystery where sibling rivalry follows to the grave.

“The Dark Under the Bed” by Richard A. Thompson tells the ultimately harrowing tale of a patient at VA Hospital trying to survive.  Odysseus G. Boosalis, known as “Oddie” to all, is firmly convinced, for good reason, that sleeping under the bed is the only way to prevent them from making him disappear during the night.  Something that has happened to others and it has to be stopped.

As everyone should intuitively know, it is a bad thing when the getaway car won’t start. Sappo and Dwayne figure that out pretty fast in “Desperados” by Michael Allan Mallory. Getting away on foot with the money is going to be way harder than either one ever thought.

Being allergic to certain things means eating something can kill you in a manner of minutes. It does in “Death by Potato Salad” by Jess Lourey. How it happens is just a small part of this entertaining tale featuring Mrs. Berns, a church related weekend retreat, and her quest for some male companionship.

Poetry makes an appearance by way of two poems by Mary Logue. “Murder” considers the reverberations for survivors of murder while “Crossing” talks about writing and the ultimate journey we all face.

It took the creep fifteen years to come up with his extortion plot for past misdeeds. Now Margo and Jan have hatched a plan to deal with the problem in “An Age Old Solution” by Lori L. Lake.  Both of them properly acting old is just one of the problems they will face in this tale.

William Kent Krueger comes next with his dark and compelling tale “Woman in Ice”. Otto Krakauer did the only thing he could think of when he found the woman encased in ice. He drug with his mule the block of ice containing the woman to the village. He went right through and didn’t stop until he got to the church. Fortunately, the priest has ideas on what to do as well as how to take care of his people.

 ”A Turn of the Card” by David Housewright features Mr. G. and his quest for truth. He isn’t happy that others, including his wife, think he is having an affair. He isn’t and having one is the last thing on his mind. But, they can’t know the truth as what he is doing could easily get him killed.

Maren Nielsen is convinced her sister’s ex-husband had a role in her sudden death.  Harper is dead and Marin plans to prove he did it in “Overstuffed” by Ellen Hart. Even from beyond the grave Harper is still there for her.

The play is the thing in “The Butler Didn’t” by Elizabeth Gunn. The butler, or more correctly, the guy playing the role of the butler in the play “The Importance of Being Earnest” is dead and he certainly didn’t commit suicide. That makes everyone in the small production company a suspect where, because they are actors and actresses, being convincingly deceitful is an art form.

Howard T. Crandall is very particular and obsessed with routines in all aspects of his life. The fact that his sub shop is out of honey oat rolls on a Friday is just one sign things are going badly in “Iced” by Lois Greiman. Another one is that his boss wants to see him after lunch.

Adeline fears the dreaded mother-in-law visit in “Minnesota Iced” by Pat Dennis. It isn’t just a simple visit. Apparently four time divorcee Dorothy Nordskov wants to move in for the winter months. Not just the rest of this winter, but for all winters to come. Something has to be done.

Finally a personal character favorite of mine, Sean No-Middle-Initial Sean, the diminutive detective makes an appearance. In “The Horse He Rode In On” by Carl Brookins the detective investigates the death of Mr. Tom Springfield. The councilmember rode out alone only to ride back in hours later dead and on a different horse.

Kate and Anna were friends since kindergarten when Kate rescued Anna from a bully. The years have passed in “Stone Arch Bridge” by Judith Yates Borger and now Kate has to rescue her again. One way or another she intends to do because Anna clearly needs help.

The disturbing “Blue-Eyed Mary” by Joel Arnold concludes the anthology. A long ago pregnancy, an adopted baby, and other family secrets are just some of the elements in this twisting and good tale.

Featuring 14 stories and two poems the fifteen authors here all work with the concept of Minnesota residents seen as being nice in a variety of ways. While the tales are nicely done the actions of the characters involved are rarely nice. Humor and romance are also often in short supply in this book where getting even or solving an ongoing potential problem is the order of the day.

As many characters in these stories find out, they are not the only one planning deceit and treachery. Agendas and motives abound in The Minnesota Crime Wave Presents: Fifteen Tales of Murder, Mayhem, and Malice from the land of Minnesota Nice resulting in very good short story reading with often dark overtones.

The Minnesota Crime Wave Presents: Fifteen Tales of Murder, Mayhem, and Malice from the land of Minnesota Nice

Minnesota Crime Wave

http://www.minnesotacrimewave.org/

Nodin Press

http://www.nodinpress.com/

October 2012

ISBN# 978-1-935666-43-1

Paperback

176 Pages

$16.00

Material supplied by author Carl Brookins in exchange for my objective review.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2013

Interesting Reading Elsewhere--An Interview With Carl Brookins

Having run my review of "Old Silver" by Carl Brookins on Friday as part of Friday's Forgotten Books, I was amused the coincidence of PJ Nunn running her interview with him yesterday. Carl is one of my favorite authors and I highly recommend him.

If you go to http://bookbrowsing.wordpress.com/2012/06/30/an-interview-with-carl-brookins/ you can read his take on his books and the world of publishing today.


Kevin

Review: "The Case of the Great Train Robbery" by Carl Brookins

Minnesota based private detective Sean NMI (No Middle Initial) Sean returns in The Case of the Great Train Robbery. Featuring far less comedic moments than the earlier books in the series this latest read provides both an interesting mystery and a history lesson on crime in the Minneapolis/ St. Paul area.

It began as a simple home repair project according to Mr. Kent Kava. The garage was a mess and cleaning it out of the accumulated junk took awhile. Getting all the junk out exposed some structural issues with the garage that had to be addressed. Like a home renovation project gone bad, every point Mr. Kava looked at, he uncovered bigger and bigger issues with the garage. Once word spread among the locals in White Bear, Minnesota that he was going to have to tear down the structure, more and more folks took an inordinate interest. Not just because his house and detached garage were located in the local historic district. The interest is intense from neighbors as well as two strangers in the neighborhood who passed themselves off as amateur historians.

Who the mysterious two guys that came poking around Mr. Kava swears he has no idea. He didn't report that visit to the police or the other visit by someone else around two a.m. All of that happened the previous week before Mr. Kava's young son, Alex, and his puppy found the old gun in a box buried in a hole next to the garage. Mr. Kava wants Sean NMI Sean to find out about the gun, what else might be buried nearby, and why so many folks seem to have an interest in his garage project. Why Mr. Kent didn't just go to the police with the gun along with several other questions come to mind for the detective, but the case is interesting so he takes it.

An interesting and difficult case that will feature the occasional act of violence along with plenty of history and family legacy. The past is often a theme of many books and such is the case here where (as noted in the title) an old train robbery plays a major role. Yet, despite the fact that a major segment of the book is given away by the title as well as the Amazon Kindle product description, the many details of the case are what drive this increasingly complex novel forward. While humor once again plays a backseat role as it did in the preceding novel, The Case of the Deceiving Don, this latest cozy style installment is another good book in the series featuring main characters that are old friends, plenty of history and romance, and plenty of bad guys along the way.

Those unfamiliar with earlier novels in the series, while encouraged to read them starting with The Case of the Greedy Lawyers, can safely read his book as a stand alone mystery. Those familiar with the series will enjoy this latest adventure featuring Sean Sean and his red keds.

Currently this novel is only available through Amazon’s Kindle device. The author provided me a print copy of the book for my objective review as I do not have a Kindle, iPad, etc. As such, I am unable to address the format or other aspects of the experience reading on an e-book device.

The Case of the Great Train Robbery: A Sean Sean Detective Story

Carl Brookins

http://www.carlbrookins.com/

Amazon Kindle

http://www.amazon.com/Case-Great-Train-Robbery-ebook/dp/B003MQNCN6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=books&qid=1285985172&sr=1-1

Kevin R. Tipple © 2010

Friday's Forgotten Books--"Bloody Halls" by Carl Brookins

For today’s Friday Forgotten Books segment hosted by Patti Abbott, we are supposed to be covering books that we remember being great when we were eighteen to twenty-three. For me, this was the early eighties and at this point in my life, nothing book wise stands out from that time. I remember well going to school and working various on campus jobs, dating the woman who became my wife, but book wise I remember nothing. I am sure I read good stuff, but I have no idea now any specifics.

So, I thought I would approach this entry from an academic setting. What book, featuring college life and the college institution, was crime based and good? A couple came to mind and I finally settled on Carl Brookin’s “Bloody Halls.” Part of an outfit calling itself “The Minnesota Crime Wave” Carl has a number of series going in a variety of writing styles.

If you haven’t read him, pick up anything and it will be a good one. Below is the original review…

********************



As Director of the Office of Student Life at City College of Minneapolis located in a number of buildings scattered across downtown Minneapolis, Jack Marston knows dealing with older adult students is going to be different and a challenge. This isn’t the normal college experience just because it is a campus-less college. The student population demographic is of older students juggling busy lives and careers, family responsibilities, and other issues with a college schedule. Then too there have been serious problems in the recent past with the Office of Student Life and it is Jack Marston’s job to lead the office forward and through his staff provide strong support services.

Along the way he has found time to begin building a relationship with Lori, a young lady in another department. There are issues there as well and they are trying to keep things as quiet as possible. Not because they are doing anything wrong but because people will talk and gossip can kill your career in a heartbeat in the world of academia.

Jack Marston has also found the time to indulge in his desire to act on stage. The College will be presenting Ibsen’s play, “Enemy of the People” and as Ibsen is a personal favorite, Marston is hoping for some minor role after he auditions. Instead, the young bitter director from the University across town selects him for the major role as Dr. Stockman, the enemy of the people. Marston knows he is overmatched and he also knows he has absolutely no way of getting out of it.

The same is true when the President of the College, Arthur Trammel assigns him the role of police liaison after a student is found murdered and dumped in the lobby of the theater. While Jack Marston would have had some contact possibly with the media once the story gets out, President Arthur Trammel expects him to do far more. Tapped for being discreet and with a mandate to assist the police with their investigation any way possible so that they quickly close the case because there is a fund drive and other issues at stake, Marston has no choice and must accept his new role for however long it takes.

When not working on his role in the play, Marston plays his other role of investigator. He starts with the troubling fact that the entire record of the deceased student has vanished from the computer system. The dead student no longer exists in the system. If he can figure out who did it and why that might point him in the direction of who committed the murder as opposed to the Police who seem to going in other directions. As the days turn into weeks and another death rocks the campus, Marston is led down a trail of lies, office politics, perversion and murder, until a violent confrontation in a snowstorm just outside his office puts everything he has worked for at risk.

Featuring some cutting humor about the joys of working at intuitions of higher learning, this cozy style mystery steadily ratchets up the suspense factor. Jack Marston has more than a cynical humor working for him and readers who work in academia will find themselves often nodding in agreement.

Couple that with an engaging writing style that quickly pulls readers into a world populated with interesting real life characters, a constantly changing mystery full of expected and unexpected twists, and plenty of action as Jack Marston gets out and gets his hands dirty investigating, this read is a real treat to start off the year. As in his other books and short stories, Author Carl Brookins, a member of the “Minnesota Crime Wave,” shows a real talent for story telling.


Bloody Halls
By Carl Brookins
http://www.carlbrookins.com
Echelon Press
http://www.echelonpress.com
Large Trade Paperback
ISBN# 1-59080-570-4
260 Pages
ARC

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

Kevin R. Tipple © 2008, 2010