Saturday, July 20, 2019

A Writer's Life....Caroline Clemmons: ORPHAN TRAIN BRIDES #newrelease

A Writer's Life....Caroline Clemmons: ORPHAN TRAIN BRIDES #newrelease: Do you have a special friend you met online? Jacquie Rogers and I met online and have since met in person several times. She is a fun pe...

KRL This Week Update for 7/20/19

Up in KRL this morning a review and giveaway of "Bite Club" by Laurien Berenson

We also have reviews and giveaways of another fun group of mysteries-"Down in Flames": A Webb’s Glass Shop Mystery by Cheryl Hollon, "Guilty as Charred": A Cook-Off Mystery by Devon Delaney, "Left Fur Dead": A Jules & Bun Mystery by J.M. Griffin, "Seeing Red": A Red Herring Mystery by Dana Dratch, and "Murder’s No Votive Confidence": A Nantucket Candle Maker Mystery by Christin Brecher

And a review of season 5 of "Shetland"

And a review and ebook giveaway of "Answers in the Attic" by Kathi Daley 

And also a review and giveaway of "Cherry Scones & Broken Bones" by Darci Hannah along with an interesting interview with Darci

For those who prefer to listen to Mysteryrat's Maze Podcast directly on KRL we have a player of the latest one here-"Sifting Through Clues" by Daryl Wood Gerber. And we also have a contest for a chance to win a copy of the book

Up on KRL News this week we have a review and giveaway of "Chai Another Day" by Leslie Budewitz

And a review and ebook giveaway of "Game Town" by Janet Elizabeth Lynn and Will Zeilinger

And a review and giveaway of "Atlanta Deathwatch" by Ralph Dennis, published by Brash Books

Happy reading,
Lorie 


The Rap Sheet: Revue of Reviewers for 7/19/19

The Rap Sheet: Revue of Reviewers for 7/19/19

Bookbrowsing Blog: What’s a publicist to do? by PJ Nunn

Bookbrowsing Blog: What’s a publicist to do? by PJ Nunn

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Death at Whitewater Church : An Inishowen Mystery...

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Death at Whitewater Church : An Inishowen Mystery...: Reviewed by Jeanne Irish solicitor Benedicta O’Keeffe accompanies Paul Doherty on a survey of Whitewater Church, an old and decons...

Scott's Take: Secret Hero Society: Science Fair Crisis by Derek Fridolfs, Pamela Lovas, and Shane Clester


Secret Hero Society: Science Fair Crisis by Derek Fridolfs, Pamela Lovas, and Shane Clester is a book aimed at the middle school or pre-teen reader.  It comes to readers from the DC Universe and features the superheroes when they were kids and members of the “Junior Detective Club.” The members include Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Aquaman and other superheroes when they were kids and investigating mysteries around their school. Secret Hero Society: Science Fair is the fourth book in the series and this time the science fair is at risk because somebody keeps sabotaging it.

The story is presented through various ways by using letters, illustrations, journal writings, texts, emails and more. This book is fun and has an enjoyable story featuring cameos of good and bad people from the DC Universe where here they are students, teachers, and more. There are various jokes made that if a person is familiar with the DC universe are funny. While the artwork in this one is not nearly as good as the earlier books, the characterizations established earlier in the series remains true

Therefore, it does make sense that a middle school aged Batman is very interested in forensic science and is always very secretive and a young Aquaman is interested in sea life and is part of the swim team. This deal works with the adults as well as James Gordon, instead of being a police captain, is a strict and fair principal. Alec Holland (aka Swamp Thing) is a biology teacher with a focus on plants. One of the PE teachers is the mercenary known as Sports Master and is really good at sports. Here he is on the straight and narrow. In the comics where he is also really good at sports, he wears a hockey mask and uses his sports skills to commit crimes.

Basically, this book and series is just a kid appropriate version of the Justice League. In these tales, the authors deal with subjects important to the primary reading audience such as bullying and other school problems. Those issues are raised in the background while a pretty good mystery keeps kids reading. If you have a child who likes mysteries and the DC Universe, this kid friendly story would be a good match. Secret Hero Society: Science Fair Crisis by Derek Fridolfs, Pamela Lovas, and Shane Clester is just fun.

This October, the fifth book in the series titled, Secret Hero Society: The Field Trip Disaster by this same writing and artwork team. The series begins with the 2016 book, The Study Hall of Justice.



Secret Hero Society: Science Fair Crisis
Derek Fridolfs, Pamela Lovas, Shane Clester
Scholastic
2019
ISBN#978-1-338-27328-1
Hardback (also available in paperback and digital formats)
176 Pages
$12.99

Material supplied by the good folks of the Dallas Public Library System. My copy came from the Skillman Southwestern Branch.

Scott A. Tipple ©2019

Friday, July 19, 2019

Beneath the Stains of Time: The Case with Nine Solutions (1928) by J.J. Connington

Beneath the Stains of Time: The Case with Nine Solutions (1928) by J.J. Connin...: " J.J. Connington " was the pseudonym of Professor Alfred W. Stuart, a Scottish chemist and lecturer, who produced close to th...

Lesa's Book Critiques: Winners and A Secret Giveaway

Lesa's Book Critiques: Winners and A Secret Giveaway

FFB Review: The Philadelphia Quarry by Howard Owen

After a recent unplanned hospital stay and complications from that as I am still not back to my crummy normal, FFB here finally returns today with an all new review from yours truly. This is the second book in a series that started with Oregon Hill. This is a series that should be read in order. For more reading suggestions, make sure you head over to Todd Mason’s Sweet Freedom blog.

As we learned in the first book of this series, Oregon Hill, reporter Willie Black is not one to back off the story even when his bosses or the powerful elite order him to do so. While those in charge may think it is a character flaw, like his drinking, others would see it as his way of being principled when justice is being denied. The same is true in The Philadelphia Quarry where a wrongfully convicted man is once again arrested for a crime he did not commit.

In August 1983 in the good city of Richmond, Virginia, Richard Slade was arrested for the rape of sixteen year old Ashley Simpson. In May of 1984 he was convicted on little evidence and sent to prison. In the middle of January 2011, he was finally released when DNA evidence proved without a shadow of a doubt that he did not do it despite the fact that Ashley Simpson identified him as her rapist those many years ago. Her accusation was the main evidence against him at the time.

Did she make a horrible mistake or did she deliberately lie?

The Innocence Project may have successfully proven the point that Mr. Slade was innocent of the crime of rape, but nothing can restore Mr. Slade’s reputation in the minds of many or undo what Mr. Slade has gone through all these years in prison.  As he was held for a crime he did not do, his reputation took a beating over the years, in large part, due to scathing editorials that came out in the same newspaper that Willie Black works for as a reporter. The paper, through those editorials, has been very vocal in the belief that Mr. Slade was guilty and a threat to the community. Then, as in now, many people did not understand that editorial writers and news reporters share little in common other than being employed by the same paper.

Decades ago, reporter Willie Black worked the night crime beat and reported on the case from the start. All these years later he is back on that same crime beat and thus back on the story of Richard Slade and the victim, Ashley Simpson.  In the hours following Mr. Slade’s release, Willie Black is trying to do follow ups with the two principals and isn’t getting any traction with either one of them. Simpson and her well connected family want their privacy while Mr. Slade’s family sees Willie Black as the enemy thanks to the editorials from the paper.

He is getting nowhere at all and then everything changes. Within hours of Mr. Slade’s release, Simpson is shot and dies. Who has the best motive to kill her? A man recently released from prison after being convicted of a rape he did not do or somebody else?  Within hours of her death, Richard Slade is again arrested for a crime he did not commit. The elite and powerful close ranks and before long Willie is being asked to choose employment over chasing a story that is clearly going in a different direction than his bosses would like.  

The Philadelphia Quarry is a powerful sequel to Oregon Hill. It is a timeless crime fiction tale with plenty of twists and turns. Set in the twin dying worlds of journalism and newspapers, the read powers along at a steady clip while also delivering societal observations that are even more relevant today six years after publication. It is also a mighty good mystery read. 



The Philadelphia Quarry
Howard Owen
The Permanent Press
July 2013
ISBN# 978-1-57962-335-7
Hardback (also available in audio, digital, and paper formats)
240 Pages

Material was received and read by way of the Interlibrary Loan Program where a copy owned by the Rockwall County Library System was shared with the Dallas Public Library System.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2019

Thursday, July 18, 2019

Funny by way of Barry Ergang


Chess, Comics, Crosswords, Books, Music, Cinema: Memory Man by David Baldacci, 2015

Chess, Comics, Crosswords, Books, Music, Cinema: Memory Man by David Baldacci, 2015: Amos Decker is Memory Man. The bearded and massively-built protagonist—a former homicide detective-turned-private investigator-turned-pol...

The Rap Sheet: A Midweek Mixed Bag

The Rap Sheet: A Midweek Mixed Bag

Bronzeville Bee: Horror Reflections: The Dark Half by Stephen King

Bronzeville Bee: Horror Reflections: The Dark Half by Stephen King

Bitter Tea and Mystery: Pearls before Swine: Margery Allingham

Bitter Tea and Mystery: Pearls before Swine: Margery Allingham: I am rereading the Albert Campion series by Margery Allingham in order, although I have been tempted to skip over a few of the books and mov...

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Nevermore: Democracy, James Baldwin, Owen Meany, ...

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Nevermore: Democracy, James Baldwin, Owen Meany, ...: Reported by Ambrea This week, Nevermore started out their conversation with a work of nonfiction titled How Democracies Die by St...

In Reference to Murder: Mystery Melange for 7/17/19

In Reference to Murder: Mystery Melange for 7/17/19