Kathleen Marple Kalb's Blog: So You Wrote the Book, Now What?: Made to be Broken
Sunday, August 24, 2025
KRL Update 8/24/2025
Up on KRL this week a review and giveaway of "Something Whiskered" by Miranda James https://kingsriverlife.com/08/23/something-whiskered-by-miranda-james/
And a review of "Shot Through the Tart" by Victoria Kazarian, along with a giveaway of the first 2 books in the series, and an interesting interview with Victoria https://kingsriverlife.com/08/23/a-shot-through-the-tart-by-victoria-kazarian/
And a review and giveaway of "Just Another Dead Author" by Katarina Bivald https://kingsriverlife.com/08/23/just-another-dead-author-by-katarina-bivald/
We also have a review of season 4 of "The Madame Blanc Mysteries" on Acorn TV https://kingsriverlife.com/08/23/season-4-of-the-madame-blanc-mysteries-on-acorn/
For those who prefer to listen to Mysteryrat's Maze Podcast directly on KRL, you can find the player here for our latest episode which features the mystery short story "A Funny Name" written by Gregory Meece and read by local actor MW Hoffman https://kingsriverlife.com/08/23/new-mysteryrats-maze-podcast-featuring-a-funny-name/
Up during the week we posted another special midweek guest post, this one by thriller author Darden North about his latest novel "Rooftop" https://kingsriverlife.com/08/20/rooftop-by-darden-north/
Up on KRL News and Reviews this week we have a review and giveaway of "Lavender Lies Bleeding" by Leslie Budewitz https://www.krlnews.com/2025/08/lavender-lies-bleeding-by-leslie.html
And a review and giveaway of "Everlasting" a fantasy novel by Sara Fanfarillo https://www.krlnews.com/2025/08/everlasting-by-sara-fanfillo.html
Happy reading, listening, and watching
Lorie
Beneath the Stains of Time: It's About Impossible Crime (2025) by James Scott Byrnside
Beneath the Stains of Time: It's About Impossible Crime (2025) by James Scott ...: Last time we heard of James Scott Byrnside was a short story, "The Silent Steps of Murder," posted on his blog as an appetizer to...
Sweet Freedom: Friday's "Forgotten" Books: the links to the reviews and more: 22 August 2025
Sweet Freedom: Friday's "Forgotten" Books: the links to the revie...: Patti Abbott: The Dramatist by Ken Bruen Tony Baer: Lady Sings the Blues by Billie Holiday (with William Duffy) Frank Babics: Paingod and ...
Paula Messina Reviews: A Gentle Murderer by Dorothy Salisbury Davis
Please welcome back Paula Messina to the blog today…
A Gentle Murderer
By Paula Messina
The
title of Dorothy Salisbury Davis’
novel, A Gentle
Murderer, is not an oxymoron. It is ironic. The story begins in the
confessional at nine o’clock
on a Saturday night. Father Duffy waits “for perhaps one tardy penitent”
seeking absolution. The priest is startled by a voice, “having heard no sound
near him, nor noticed any light as the curtain parted.” In the dark
confessional, Father Duffy sees the outline of a face, and he is reminded of
St. Francis.
The
man with the saintly visage says he wanted to be a priest. He proceeds to
confess to murder. His weapon of choice is a hammer, the only present his
mother ever gave him. He mentions one other gift, a prayer book given to him by
Father McGohey.
Father
Duffy can only provide “conditional
absolution,” and attempts to persuade the confessor to turn himself in to the
police.
The
gentle murderer disappears into the night.
Bound
by the seal of confession, Father Duffy cannot share the murder’s confession with anyone, not his
bishop, not another priest, not the police. The cleric is left “in darkness.
And he had never known a darkness more profound.”
Murderer
is not a whodunit. Davis exposes the killer, Tim Brandon, in the third chapter.
Brandon is small, insignificant, a would-be poet who cannot keep a job. A
boarder in Mrs. Galli’s
home, he hasn’t paid the rent. Mrs. Galli’s daughter, Katie, is smitten with
the deadbeat. And so is the lonely, passionate widow, Mrs. Galli.
Norah
Flaherty, a maid, cleans her way to the bedroom of the sleeping Miss Gerbhardt,
a woman of questionable repute. Mrs. Flaherty’s “knees betrayed her in the instant she realizes that she
had seen all there was left of Miss Gebhardt’s face….It was not until she
reached the foyer that she found her legs and her voice. Then she ran screaming
into the hall.”
Detective
Sergeant Ben Goldsmith arrives at the murder scene and becomes relentless in
his pursuit of the murderer. So too is Father Duffy. After he reads the
newspaper report that Miss Gerbhardt was beaten to death with a hammer, he
concludes his only clue to the murderer’s
identity is the priest who gifted the gentle murderer with a prayer book. He
sets off to track down Father McGohey. Thus begins parallel investigations,
Sergeant Goldsmith’s pursuit of the killer and Father Duffy’s search for the
man he could not grant absolution.
Father
Duffy traces Brandon’s
earlier life from when he was a child, his time in a seminary, and eventual
arrival in New York. He learns Brandon’s father was an abusive alcoholic. The
mother smothered her son, but her sins are never spelled out. It also becomes
clear that Miss Gerbhardt is not Brandon’s first murder victim. It is likely he
will kill again.
Goldsmith
understands Father Duffy is somehow involved when the detective learns the
priest had questioned Mrs. Flaherty. The visit with Mrs. Flaherty is
suspicious. Goldsmith traces Father Duffy’s
steps and learn everything the priest uncovers.
Over
and over in the novel, Brandon is described as gentle. A number of women in his
life protected him, gave him a roof over his head, and acted as a surrogate
mother. That was Miss Gebhardt’s
failing. She befriended Brandon, only to be rewarded with blows to her head
with the hammer Brandon’s mother gave him.
Brandon
is like so many real killers. He’s
a dreamer. How else would you describe a man who wants to be a poet but barely
works at it? He most likely lacks even a modicum of talent. He’s a nonentity
who can claim no accomplishments. And yet women fall for him. They want to
protect him, salve his wounds, revel in his dreams and empty statements. They
repeatedly fail to see that Brandon is a wolf in sheep’s clothing as he
struggles to suppress the anger surging under that harmless, benign appearance.
Brandon,
a murderous, gentle soul, a misfit, is far from the only sinner in the book.
Mrs. Galli lusts after Tim at the same time she attempts to protect her
daughter Katie from him. Because of her love for Tim, Katie deceives her
mother. Miss Gerbhardt acted like a mother to Tim Brandon, but she was a
sinner, a woman of the night. Father Duffy must bear the burden of his moral
dilemma alone.
Davis
keeps her readers turning the pages because of Father Duffy and Sergeant
Goldsmith. The priest and sergeant are not perfect. Then who is? Unlike Tim
Brandon, they have a purpose and are committed to completing the mission. They
seemingly have different goals. Father Duffy wants to absolve Tim Brandon of
his sins. Sergeant Goldsmith wants to bring Brandon to justice. Ultimately,
they have the same objective even if the emphasis is different. In one case, it’s to save a soul. In the other, it’s
to restore equilibrium to society.
There
is a reading group guide at the end of the book. The first question is “who should get credit for cracking
the case here—Father Duffy or Ben Goldsmith?” I won’t attempt to answer that
question. However, I will suggest that their pursuit is two sides of the same
coin. When a person confesses his sins, he is given a penance. Absolution is
dependent on completing that penance. Justice without punishment is
meaningless, and it leaves the criminal free to violate the laws of man again
and again.
Davis
keeps the tension throughout the novel. Brandon has run out of options, and the
pressure of Mrs. Galli’s
lust and Katie’s love is unbearable. The possibility of failure weights heavily
on the priest and police sergeant in the dash to stop Tim Brandon from killing
again.
Amazon
Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/41aKzKW
Paula
Messina ©2025
Paula Messina lives within spitting distance of the Atlantic. She writes historical, contemporary, and humorous fiction.
Saturday, August 23, 2025
Mystery Fanfare: HOSTAGE: New thriller on Netflix
Mystery Fanfare: HOSTAGE: New thriller on Netflix: I highly recommend Hostage on Netflix , a new British series that premiered on Thursday. Good acting, strong plot, if not a bit familiar,...
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong: Reviewed by Jeanne Tao is a travelling fortune teller, but will only tell “small fortunes,”minor things that do make a difference but ar...
Scott's Take: Superman: The Last Days of Lex Luthor by Mark Waid and Bryan Hitch (Illustrator)
Superman: The Last Days of Lex Luthor
by Mark Waid and Bryan Hitch (Illustrator), collects the 3 issue Black Label
series which was delayed multiple times enough so that only the first issue is
available on DC Infinite app so I read the collected trade through Hoopla via the
Dallas Public Library System. This book sees Superman attempt to save Lex
Luthor as his latest attempt to create something to kill Superman has
backfired. So, Superman reluctantly agrees to try to save his life.
Written with numerous flashbacks to their time as
teens in Smallville, those are interspersed with the present day attempts to
save Lex’s life. There is a major twist in the middle that changes the book. The
read is part moral quandary and part journey through the DC Universe.
This was a fun, if not very original read, since a
lot of this has been done before. I think this read would be better for newer
readers of Superman than long term fans. It is nice when writers remember to
show the science side of Superman, but the opening scene I have seen done at
least two other times. Batman not playing any role in this was a surprise. Lois
also has a minimal presence.
The art by Bryan Hitch was his typically great
splash pages with average regular pages. Some of his faces he has used before. In
numerous cases, he used the same expression on the same character in the last
series I read by him for things here. It has been a few years and he has not
made any improvement as an artist. You would think that with this book taking
several years between issues there would be improvement as an artist, but there
is not any.
The ending was cliched, but did set up an intriguing
sequel. However, mostly likely there will be no follow up since one has not
been announced. I don’t think they embraced the aspect of being a black label
book except for some body horror and city devastation later in the book.
Overall, this is a fun Superman story even if one
has read a lot of Superman and seen most of these elements done before.
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4nGOmcx
As noted, I read this material through the Hoopla
App by way of the Dallas Public Library System.
Scott A. Tipple ©2025
Friday, August 22, 2025
Jerry's House of Everything: FORGOTTEN BOOK: CADAVER IN CHIEF
Jerry's House of Everything: FORGOTTEN BOOK: CADAVER IN CHIEF: Cadaver in Chief: A Special Report from the Dawn of the Zombie Apocalypse by Steve Hockensmith (2012) Sometimes you just need a good zom...
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