15 years later and it still hurts too much. I don't have the words to talk about it like so many folks do.
Bill Crider has this up on his blog this morning.
Sunday, September 11, 2016
Saturday, September 10, 2016
KRL This Week Update for September 10, 2016
Up this morning in KRL a review & giveaway of "Murder of a Cranky Catnapper" by Denise Swanson, along with a fun guest post by Denise about how she came up with the idea for the book http://kingsriverlife.com/09/10/murder-of-a-cranky-catnapper-by-denise-swanson/ Also a review & giveaway of "Winter's Child" by Margaret Coel http://kingsriverlife.com/09/10/winters-child-by-margaret-coel/ And a fun mystery short story by Linda Reilly about a hedgehog named Quilby http://kingsriverlife.com/09/10/the-quest-of-quilby-a-mystery-short-story/ We also have a review & giveaway of "Death Among the Doilies" by Mollie Cox Bryan, along with an interesting interview with Mollie http://kingsriverlife.com/09/10/death-among-the-doilies-by-mollie-cox-bryan/ And a review & giveaway of "Betting Off Dead" by Tonya Kappes http://kingsriverlife.com/09/10/betting-off-dead-by-tonya-kappes/ Also a review & giveaway of "The Bluebonnet Betrayal" by Marty Wingate http://kingsriverlife.com/09/10/the-bluebonnet-betrayal-by-marty-wingate/ And a review & giveaway of "The Widower's Wife" by Cate Holahan http://kingsriverlife.com/09/10/the-widowers-wife-by-cate-holahan/ Happy reading, Lorie
Sandi's Latest Creations: Angel Rings
As we grind closer to another visit with her cancer doctor and probably a resumption of chemotherapy, Sandi has been working on angel rings. She now has them for sale over at her iOffer store along with lots of other stuff. These sell for $5.00 each and that includes shipping. You can order here and pay through the paypal widget over to the left or there at iOffer.
We have a mandatory monthly installment payment of $270 due in just a few days to Texas Oncology at Medical City Dallas Hospital so it would really be nice to sell some things as we do not have any of it.
We have a mandatory monthly installment payment of $270 due in just a few days to Texas Oncology at Medical City Dallas Hospital so it would really be nice to sell some things as we do not have any of it.
Friday, September 09, 2016
Crime Time : THE MAN IN THE QUEUE -- Josephine Tey
Crime Time : THE MAN IN THE QUEUE -- Josephine Tey: The look of horror on Albert Sorrell's face finally got to me. I'd been avoiding it for months since downloading The Man in the Q...
Writers Who Kill: The Red House Mystery by A.A. Milne: A review by W...
Writers Who Kill: The Red House Mystery by A.A. Milne: A review by W...: The Red House Mystery by A.A. Milne: A review by Warren Bull The Red House Mystery is the only mystery novel written by A. A. M...
FFB Review: GRIFTER’S GAME, a.k.a. MONA (1961) by Lawrence Block (Reviewed by Barry Ergang)
After reviewing I,
ALEX CROSS last week, Barry is back today with his review of Grifter’s Game
by Lawrence Block. Make sure you check out the full list over at Patti’s blog.
GRIFTER’S
GAME, a.k.a. MONA (1961) by Lawrence Block
Reviewed
by Barry Ergang
 |
| Mass Market Paperback |
It’s
a short novel, so I want to give very little away lest I spoil a fast,
entertaining nibble of noirishment by
an always-reliable author. It’s narrated by a grifter named Joe Marlin who,
when the story opens, has to get out of Philadelphia because the con he tried
to pull off fell through and he hasn’t enough money to pay his expensive hotel
bill. Thus he takes the train to Atlantic City and steals some monogrammed
luggage from the railway station there so he can check into a respectable
hotel.
Shortly
thereafter, he meets and spends time on the beach with a beautiful young blonde
named Mona, who admits she is married to a much older businessman whom she
finds “fat and he’s ugly. Also stupid. Also revolting.” When Marlin asks her
why she married him, she says he’s “Very very very rich.”
After
Marlin returns to his hotel room, he unpacks the suitcases he stole and makes a
stunning discovery, one that could be either remunerative or lethal. When he
and Mona reconnect (to put it euphemistically) on the beach, both seem to
realize that mutual lust has turned into something mutually deeper—even after
Marlin realizes who the monogram belongs to and what it could potentially mean
for him—and apart from the fact that both agree the monogram’s owner must be
eliminated.
The
e-book edition of Grifter’s Game which
I read features a new afterword by Lawrence Block, the opening paragraph of
which says, “This turned out to be the first book published under my own name,
although I assumed it would be pseudonymous soft-core porn when I started it. A
couple of chapters in I decided that this book might be a cut above what I’d
been writing, so I wrote it as a crime novel with the hope it might work for
Gold Medal Books. They were the first house to see it, and Knox Burger bought
it.”
Thus
the beginning of the deservedly multi-award-winning career of an outstanding
writer. See my opening sentence for a recommendation of this particular work. Or
ignore it and just read the book.
©2016
Barry Ergang
Thursday, September 08, 2016
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Nevermore: Fairstein, Florence, Food, Dark Money,...
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Nevermore: Fairstein, Florence, Food, Dark Money,...: Reported by Ambrea Starting out this week, Nevermore looked at a heart-pounding thriller by Linda Fairstein. In Killer Look , Distr...
Review: Star Wars: Darth Vader Volume 2: Shadows And Secrets by Kieron Gillen (author) and Salvador Larocca (illustrator) and Edgar Delgado (illustrator)
It is a bad thing
when the boss blames you for the destruction of his favorite project. When you
upset the Emperor and you are Darth Vader you take matters in your hands in Star
Wars: Darth Vader Volume 2: Shadows And Secrets. The investigation and
pursuit of those responsible as outlined in the first book,
Star Wars: Darth Vader Volume 1: Vader, continues in this second volume of
the series published by Marvel.
As the colorful
graphic novel opens, Darth Vader has returned to Tattooine. Accompanying him is
the archeologist Doctor Aphra. They are on the trail of Boba Fett and
Skywalker. As the good Doctor points out to Darth Vader while they consider the
scene of the crime, if not for the murder of his family, the Empire would still
probably have the Death Star. Their deaths and destruction of his home set
Skywalker on a journey of revenge that directly led to the destruction of the
Death Star and Vader’s far diminished place in the eyes of the emperor. That
result and Darth’s anger has led him to seek Skywalker for his own revenge.
Deep, the irony is.
After making sure
what remains of the home is destroyed and obliterating any trace of Vader’s
presence, Vader moves on to attend to other duties. That means dealing
with various issues on The Outer Rim, The Plasma Devils, and various threats
against him by those who see his weakened status and believe they can make a
move.
They would be very
mistaken. Those issues, as well as his latest assignment from the Emperor, will
not impede Vader’s ongoing hunt for the young rebel pilot. Vader intends to
administer some payback and his hunt goes far and wide in the latest
installment, Star Wars: Darth Vader Volume 2: Shadows And Secrets.
As befitting a title with
the phrase “shadows and secrets” most of the artwork in this volume is of the
dark variety as befitting a tale of the hunt for vengeance. Many of the panels
are done in shades of blue and black and tend to be dark in tone whether they
depict space situations, underground tunnels, or justice meted out by Vader.
The coloring from start to finish, even with the occasional rare use of the
brighter colors of the pallet, is of a dark nature as is the tone of the text.
Star Wars: Darth Vader Volume 2: Shadows
And Secrets collects issues
seven through twelve of the comic. Written by Kieron Gillen, drawn by Salvador
Larroca, and colored by Edgar Delgado, this second volume of the series is a
good one. It continues the tale of the aftermath of the Death Star destruction
from Vader’s perspective. He is not a happy camper and those who test him make
a serious mistake.
Star Wars: Darth Vader Volume 2: Shadows And Secrets
Kieron Gillen (author) and Salvador Larocca (illustrator) and Edgar Delgado (illustrator)
Marvel
January 2016
Marvel
January 2016
ISBN# 978-0-7851-9256-5
Library Hardcover (also viable in paperback and eBook)
136 pages
$105
$105
Material supplied by the good folks of the Plano Public Library System.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2016
Wednesday, September 07, 2016
Review: The Branson Beauty by Claire Booth
The Branson Beauty is a paddle wheel boat that takes a
certain route around the lake under the captainship of Albert Eberhardt. He’s
been on the route for almost 20 years and knows this lake in the Ozarks just
outside of Branson, Missouri like the proverbial back of his hand.
Inexplicably, with
approximately 120 passengers on board and many of them
elderly, he has managed to run the classic showboat aground on the rock
outcropping in the lake.
Getting the folks on
the boat safely off on this cold windy day is going to strain local resources
to the limit. This is going to be the first real test for new Sheriff Hank
Worth. He has to coordinate a rescue operation and control a number of volatile
factors including the representative of the company who is far more concerned
about bad publicity than the safety of the passengers and crew.
Things become immeasurably
more complicated with the discovery of a body onboard. In a variation of a
classic locked room mystery, eighteen year old Mandy Bryson is found dead inside
the captain’s private dining room. There is no question from the start that it
was murder. Not only is Captain Albert Eberhardt unable to answer questions
about how and why the boat ran a ground, no one seems to know why Mandy was on board
or who killed her. Sheriff Hank Worth is an outsider and folks are not about to
start telling secrets.
The Branson Beauty is the first in what hopefully will be
a long running series by Claire Booth. A complex multi-faceted mystery, a host
of secondary characters with their own stories to tell, and a richness of
setting and details make this a very good read. It reminded this reviewer quite
a bit of the Sheriff Dan Rhodes series by Bill Crider as well as the Sheriff
Samuel Craddock series by Terry Shames. The same down home folksy feel
with family, small town secrets and gossip, and strong mysteries.
If it isn’t clear
already, The Branson Beauty by Claire Booth is very much recommended.
For a far more
detailed reviews of this very good book, check out David Cranmer’s review.
The Branson Beauty
Claire Booth
Minotaur Books (St. Martins Publishing
Group)
July 2016
ISBN# 978-1-250-08438-5
Hardback (eBook format available)
321 Pages
$25.99
Material supplied by the
good folks of the Plano Public Library System.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2016
Tuesday, September 06, 2016
HISTORY’S RICH WITH MYSTERIES: "ELVIS PRESLEY – TBI Killed the King, not Drugs" by Earl Staggs
Texas author Earl
Staggs is back this month with his latest “History’s Rich With Mysteries” guest
blog. This time he takes a look at the death of the legendary Elvis Presley.
HISTORY’S RICH WITH MYSTERIES
When I look at the past, I
find stories about people which fascinate me, particularly those in which there
is a curious mixture of fact, legend, and mysterious uncertainty. In this
series of articles, I want to explore some of those stories. I think of them as
mysteries swaddled in legend. While truth is always desired in most things,
truth easily becomes staid and boring. Legend, on the other hand, forever holds
a hint of romanticism and an aura of excitement borne of adventure, imagination
and, of course, mystery.
ELVIS PRESLEY – TBI Killed the King, not Drugs
Elvis Aaron Presley was
born on January 8, 1935 in Tupelo, Mississippi. His twin brother (Jesse Garon)
died at birth. As a youth, during his time in the Army, and all through his
early performing years, Elvis was active, healthy, and a bundle of energy.
On August 16, 1977, forty-two years old and known worldwide as the
King of Rock and Roll, he collapsed on the bathroom floor of Graceland, his
mansion in Memphis, Tennessee. He was pronounced dead at Baptist Memorial Hospital at 3:36 p.m.
At the time of his death,
Elvis weighed an estimated 350 pounds. He was practically bed-ridden and
required permanent nursing care. His heart was enlarged to twice its normal
size with evidence of cardiovascular disease. His lungs showed signs of
emphysema even though he'd never smoked, and his bowel was twice the length of
normal. In addition, he suffered from an immune disorder.
Three days later, the
coroner issued a death certificate stating the cause of death as“hypertensive
cardiovascular disease with atherosclerotic heart disease.” In plain English, a
heart attack. Officially, the King had died of natural causes.
Since 1967, Elvis had been
under the primary care of Dr. George Nichopoulos a well-known doctor to celebrities. Then, Elvis was 32 and
weighed 163 pounds. His only known medical ailment was slightly high blood
pressure, presumably due to his high-fat diet.
That same year, however, he began to experience progressive chronic pain
throughout his body, insomnia, hypertension, lethargy, irrational behavior, and
weight gain. Over the next few years, he was hospitalized several times and
began self-medicating with an assortment of drugs.
Doctor Nick, as Nichopoulos
was called, remained Elvis’s personal physician till the end and was present at
the death scene as well as during the autopsy. He concurred with the coroner’s
conclusion that the cause of death was a natural cardiac event.
When the toxicology report
was released, however, everything changed. The report
said:
“Diazepam, methaqualone, phenobarbital,
ethchlorvynol, and ethinamate are below or within their respective ranges.
Codeine was present at a level approximately 10 times those concentrations
found therapeutically. In view of the polypharmacy aspects, this case must be
looked at in terms of the cumulative pharmacological effect of the drugs
identified by the report.”
Because the tox report appeared to
contradict the autopsy report’s stated cardiac cause of death, a prominent
toxicologist was asked to review the findings. In his opinion:
“. . .all this information points to a
conclusion that, whatever tolerance the deceased may have acquired to the many
drugs found in his system, the strong probability is that these drugs were the
major contribution to his demise.”
As a result, the Tennessee Board of
Health began an investigation which resulted in Dr.
Nick being criminally charged with murder because he had been the main
physician prescribing medications to Elvis. Evidence showed that during the
seven and a half months preceding Elvis’s death, Doctor Nick wrote
prescriptions for him for more than 8,800 pills, tablets, vials, and
injectables. The drugs included uppers, downers, and powerful painkillers such
as Dilaudid, Quaalude, Percodan, Demerol, and Cocaine Hydrochloride in
quantities more appropriate for those terminally ill with cancer.
The
trial of Dr. Nick was not intended to settle the cause of death, but whether he
treated Elvis with "good faith."
Dr. Nick's defense was that
Elvis was addicted to pain killers, so he prescribed medications to keep him away
from dangerous street drugs, thereby controlling the addiction. If he found street drugs in Elvis's house or on tours, he
destroyed them. He tried to prescribe the least harmful drugs while keeping
Elvis functional and substituted placebos when he could. He tried to get Elvis
to enter a chemical dependency treatment unit, but he always refused.
The
State retained the former coroner of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Joseph Davis,
MD, who had done thousands of autopsies. He rendered the opinion that Elvis
Presley died of a heart attack, which settled the public controversy. His
conclusion was:
"The position of Elvis Presley's body was such
that he was about to sit down on the commode when the seizure occurred. He
pitched forward onto the carpet, his rear in the air, and was dead by the time
he hit the floor. If it had been a drug overdose, he would have slipped into an
increasing state of slumber. He would have pulled up his pajama bottoms and
crawled to the door to seek help. It takes hours to die from drugs."
In addition, Dr. Davis noted that Elvis was grossly obese, more
than 50 lbs of which were gained in the last few months, which put an enormous
strain on his heart. There was no pulmonary edema, a sign of drug overdose. It
was established that Elvis obtained codeine pills from a dentist the day before
his death and Doctor Nick had no knowledge of it.
One of the defense witnesses was Dr. Forest Torrent, a prominent California physician
and a pioneer in the use of opiates in pain treatment, who presented a concept
few people had even heard of.
Dr. Torrent was intrigued
by the sudden change in Elvis since 1967. He discovered that during that year,
while filming the movie “Clambake,” Elvis tripped over an electrical cord,
fell, and cracked his head on the edge of a porcelain bathtub. He was knocked
unconscious and had to be hospitalized. Dr. Torrent found three other incidents
where Elvis suffered head blows and suspected he suffered from what’s now known
as Traumatic Brain Injury—TBI. That’s
what caused the progressive ailments which had to be treated with powerful
painkillers, which weakened his heart and other organs, and eventually led to
his death.
TBI may not only produce pain in the form of headaches but also
spine, joint, and muscular pain. TBI patients are often misdiagnosed as having
"fibromyalgia."
Dr. Torrent believed that
Elvis’s bathtub head injury in 1967 was so severe it caused brain tissue to be
jarred loose and leak into his general blood circulation. This is now known to
be a leading cause of autoimmune disorder which causes a breakdown of organs.
TBI causes bizarre behaviors such as reclusivity, obsessive-compulsive habits,
paranoia, hostility, peculiar sex habits, and poor hygiene, among others. Side
effects are chronic pain, irrational behavior, severe bodily changes such as
obesity, and enlarged organs like hearts and bowels. Elvis exhibited all these
symptoms and more. He also experienced progressive headaches and lumbar spine
pain between 1967 and his death in 1977. X-rays of his lumbar spine showed a
disc protrusion at L4.
TBI was unknown during
Elvis' lifetime. Today, it is a recognized health issue in professional contact
sports, particularly in boxing and football.
Doctor Nick was absolved of
negligence in directly causing Elvis Presley’s death. Shortly thereafter,
however, the district attorney general's office brought a criminal indictment
against him for willfully and feloniously prescribing controlled substances to
Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, and others. He was found guilty.
With a change in mental
state and suffering chronic pain and failure of body functions due to TBI,
Elvis Presley entered a ten-year spiral towards death. He became addicted to
pain killers to offset the pain raging through his body as well as other
ailments and practiced an unhealthy diet and lethargic lifestyle. This led to
early coronary vascular disease and, combined with his escalating weight and
pill consumption, Elvis was a heart attack ready to happen.
If Dr. Tennant is right
about Traumatic Brain Injury, and if it had been diagnosed and treated early
enough in his life, Elvis might not have been driven to the drug usage which
affected him so drastically both emotionally and physically. He might have continued performing for many
more years and treating us to his inimitable and dynamic form of
entertainment.
I, for one, wish that had
been the case.
Earl Staggs ©2016
Earl Staggs earned all Five Star
reviews for his novels MEMORY OF A MURDER and JUSTIFIED ACTION and has twice
received a Derringer Award for Best Short Story of the Year. He served as Managing Editor of Futures
Mystery Magazine, as President of the Short Mystery Fiction Society, and is a frequent speaker at conferences and seminars.
He also invites you to
visit his blog site at http://earlwstaggs.wordpress.com to learn more about his novels and stories.
Monday, September 05, 2016
September 2016 issue of Gumshoe Review
Gumshoe Review September 2016 now Online @
Editorial License:
Just the Facts - September 2016 by Gayle Surrette
US Book Reviews:
Dead to the Last Drop (Coffeehouse Mystery) by Cleo Coyle
Die Like an Eagle (Meg Langslow) by Donna Andrews
The Graveyard of the Hesperides (Flavia Albia) by Lindsey Davis
Into the Grey (Dulcie Schwartz) by Clea Simon
The Newsmakers by Lis Wiehl with Sebastian Stuart
Outfoxed (Andy Carpenter) by David Rosenfelt
Secrets of the Tunnels by L.C. Hayden
So Say the Fallen (Belfast Novels) by Stuart Neville
Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew'd (Flavia de Luce) by Alan Bradley
Whispers Beyond the Veil (Change of Fortune) by Jessica Estevao
Widowmaker (Mike Bowditch) by Paul Doiron
Wired for Murder (Market Center Mysteries, #2) by Karen McCullough
-- Gayle Surrette
Brandywine, MD 20613
Email: davinci@amperzen.com
Blog: http://amperzen.com/blog
Editorial License:
Just the Facts - September 2016 by Gayle Surrette
US Book Reviews:
Dead to the Last Drop (Coffeehouse Mystery) by Cleo Coyle
Die Like an Eagle (Meg Langslow) by Donna Andrews
The Graveyard of the Hesperides (Flavia Albia) by Lindsey Davis
Into the Grey (Dulcie Schwartz) by Clea Simon
The Newsmakers by Lis Wiehl with Sebastian Stuart
Outfoxed (Andy Carpenter) by David Rosenfelt
Secrets of the Tunnels by L.C. Hayden
So Say the Fallen (Belfast Novels) by Stuart Neville
Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew'd (Flavia de Luce) by Alan Bradley
Whispers Beyond the Veil (Change of Fortune) by Jessica Estevao
Widowmaker (Mike Bowditch) by Paul Doiron
Wired for Murder (Market Center Mysteries, #2) by Karen McCullough
-- Gayle Surrette
Brandywine, MD 20613
Email: davinci@amperzen.com
Blog: http://amperzen.com/blog
Crime Review Update
We feature new 20 reviews in each issue of Crime Review (ww.crimereview.co.uk), together with a top industry interview. This time it’s author Frances Fyfield in the Countdown hot seat. We’re on Twitter at: Crime Review: @CrimeReviewUK Linda Wilson: @CrimeReviewer Sharon Wheeler: @lartonmedia This week’s reviews are: CRISIS by Frank Gardner, reviewed by John Cleal Sent to Colombia to investigate the murder of a British intelligence officer, Spanish-speaking former SBS man Luke Carlton is caught in a revenge plot with international dimensions – and London as its target. NOMAD by James Swallow, reviewed by Linda Wilson When a devastating attack takes out an M16 clandestine ops team, suspicion falls on Marc Dane, the sole survivor. I SEE YOU by Clare Mackintosh, reviewed by Sharon Wheeler Zoe Walker is on the tube home, glancing through a newspaper, when she sees her own face staring out at her from the classified ads. She must find out whether it’s a joke or whether she’s in danger. WHERE ROSES NEVER DIE by Gunnar Staalesen, reviewed by Ewa Sherman A violent robbery at an exclusive jewellery shop goes completely wrong. Bergen’s private investigator Varg Veum is asked to look through details of an old case of a missing child. Will he find a connection between these two crimes which happened nearly 25 years apart? THE LAST GOOD KISS by James Crumley, reviewed by John Cleal Montana private eye CW Sughrue is hired to track down a failing alcoholic author, but winds up searching for a girl missing for ten years whose trail leads him into a world of sex and crime. CLINCH by Martin Holmen, reviewed by Chris Roberts In 1930s Stockholm, ex-boxer Harry Kvist makes a routine call to collect a debt, and when the man is found dead a few hours later the police have Harry in the frame. Harry sets out to find the real murderer, and clear himself. LONG TIME LOST by Chris Ewan, reviewed by Linda Wilson Kate Sutherland needs to stay out of the clutches of the people who don’t want her to testify in a murder trial and to do that she needs Nick Miller’s help. THE MULBERRY BUSH by Charles McCarry, reviewed by Arnold Taylor. A young American meets an Argentinean woman in Buenos Aires and falls in love with her. However, he conceals the fact that he has one aim in life – to avenge his father, whose life had been ruined by the CIA.
SILENCE by Anthony J Quinn, reviewed by John Cleal Inspector Celcius Daly investigates the car crash death of a priest and is dragged back into deadly history of the Troubles – and the death of his mother. THE PEOPLE v OJ SIMPSON by Jeffrey Toobin, reviewed by Chris Roberts A detailed analysis of the infamous trial of a much-feted sports star for the murder of his ex-wife and a friend, a signal event in recent US history. THE RAT STONE SERENADE by Denzil Meyrick, reviewed by John Cleal The board of one of the world’s biggest private companies is the target of an ancient cult bent on revenge. DCI Jim Daley and DS Brian Scott must find the killers. SANDMAN by David Hodges, reviewed by Linda Wilson DS Kate Lewis is called in to investigate the death of a journalist on the flooded Somerset levels. ANOTHER ONE GOES TONIGHT by Peter Lovesey, reviewed by Jim Beaman DS Peter Diamond arrives at the scene of a police car accident to discover an extra unconscious victim nearby and administers CPR. While the injured man lingers on life support Diamond’s enquiries lead him to believe he may have saved the life of a serial killer. CHANGING THE ODDS by Jeff Dowson, reviewed by Linda Wilson When Bristol private investigator Jack Shepherd is asked to look into the disappearance of an old friend, he soon ends up in hot water. SHADOWED by Karen Olson, reviewed by Sharon Wheeler Susan McQueen lives a quiet life as an artist on a remote Canadian island. But she is not all she seems – she is really a computer hacker. And someone from her past knows where she is. CITY OF THE LOST by Kelley Armstrong, reviewed by John Barnbrook Detective Casey Duncan has a dark secret and when her abused best friend also finds herself in serious risk the two of them decide to disappear to a town where people go to vanish. The trouble is that the past does not leave you alone. THE EXILED by Christopher Charles, reviewed by Chris Roberts Detective Wes Raney investigates a multiple murder in New Mexico, his home since his work as an undercover agent in New York messed up his life. MURDER, DC by Neely Tucker, reviewed by Chris Roberts When the young son of an important family is found dead, crime reporter Sully Carter thinks the location is key to a number of murders. DEAR DAUGHTER by Elizabeth Little, reviewed by John Cleal A technical miscarriage of justice frees wild child Janie Jenkins from prison where she is serving life for killing her socialite mother and she sets out to discover the real murderer. ONE OF US (audiobook) by Jeannie Waudby, reviewed by Linda Wilson Sixteen-year-old K Child is caught up in a devastating bomb attack that radically changes the course of her life. Best wishes Sharon
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A Writer's Life....Caroline Clemmons: DOUBLE RELEASES FROM RONALD CHAPMAN!
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Saturday, September 03, 2016
KRL This Week Update for September 3, 2016
Up this morning in KRL a review & giveaway of "Cat
in an Alphabet Endgame", a Midnight Louie mystery from Carole Nelson Douglas
http://kingsriverlife.com/09/03/cat-in-an-alphabet-endgame-by-carole-nelson-douglas/
Also up a review & giveaway of "Cat with a
Clue" by Laurie
Cass
http://kingsriverlife.com/09/03/cat-with-a-clue-by-laurie-cass/
And a review & giveaway of "Miss Dimple and the
Slightly Bewildered Angel" by Mignon Ballard
We also have a review & giveaway of "Death of an
Avid Reader" by Frances
Brody
along with an interesting interview with Frances
http://kingsriverlife.com/09/03/death-of-an-avid-reader-by-frances-brody/
And we are excited to have a never before published mystery
short story by Edith Maxwell
http://kingsriverlife.com/09/03/adam-and-eva-mystery-short-story/
And a review & giveaway of "House of Eire" by June Gillam
http://kingsriverlife.com/09/03/house-of-eire-by-june-gillam/
And for those who also enjoy fantasy, a review &
giveaway of "Breath of Earth" by Beth Cato
http://kingsriverlife.com/09/03/breath-of-earth-by-beth-cato/
And over on KRL Lite
a review of "The Rosebush Murders" by Ruth Shidlo & a giveaway of
another book in the series
--
KRL is now selling advertising & we have special discounts for
mystery authors & bookstores! Ask me about it!
Mystery section in Kings River Life http://KingsRiverLife.com
Check out my own blog at http://mysteryratscloset.blogspot.com/
mystery authors & bookstores! Ask me about it!
Mystery section in Kings River Life http://KingsRiverLife.com
Friday, September 02, 2016
Beneath the Stains of Time: Stranded in Paradise
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Crime Time : THE RUM DIARY -- Hunter S. Thompson
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Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Ambrea's Read Harder Challenge
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Ambrea's Read Harder Challenge: I’m working on my Read Harder Challenge again, and this time I decided to: Read a book out loud to someone else. Read a bo...
FFB Review: I, ALEX CROSS (2009) by James Patterson (Reviewed by Barry Ergang)
September… football is back, the weather should be
cooling off, and Halloween candy is on the shelves already. Barry kicks off
things here for this first Friday in September with his review of the 2009 release
by James Patterson of I, ALEX CROSS.
Make sure you check out the full list over at Patti’s blog and don’t forget to read her
novel, The
Concrete Angel.
I, ALEX CROSS (2009) by James Patterson
Reviewed by Barry Ergang
This is supposed to be a
review of James Patterson’s novel I, Alex
Cross, but it’s going to take into account some peripheral but not unrelated
factors, so bear with me, skip, skim, or simply stop reading now.
I read this novel because I
have a number of friends who are hardcore James Patterson fans. Because of
their enthusiasm and dedication, several years ago I tried to read one of the
novels in his Women’s Murder Club series. After five or six chapters I gave up.
It seemed to be clearly yet another in what has been a deluge over many years
of deranged serial killer stories, too many of which pander to some readers’
cravings for mindless sensationalism but otherwise offer no psychological
insights into these characters and why they behave as they do.
When I told one of my friends
about this, omitting the editorial about pandering, she said to forget the
Women’s Murder Club and read an Alex Cross novel instead. Having seen the two
movies starring Morgan Freeman as Cross and thinking they were just okay for
what they were but far from stellar, I obtained an e-book edition of I, Alex Cross.
With regard to James
Patterson, I must in all honesty point out that I have a problem with this man
and his—as the Wall Street Journal
referred to it in a couple of articles—publishing empire. Said empire means the
release of a considerable number of books annually, the majority of which seem to be co-authored. According to the
WSJ, Patterson outlines the stories,
after which his collaborators write them and send him their efforts. He, in
turn, either revises portions of or completely rewrites them. The books appear
with covers featuring his name in huge fonts and his co-authors’ in much
smaller ones. I can never help wondering if in most cases the co-authors didn’t
do the bulk of the work for which Patterson gets the lion’s share of credit.
Although Patterson seems to
have written the Alex Cross series without collaborators, I have to point out
to Patterson fans that British author John Creasey, who is best remembered for
a number of mystery series but who also wrote in other genres, produced in his
lifetime—see for verification the John Creasey entry on Wikipedia and the book Murder Ink by Dilys Winn—more than five
or six hundred books that he wrote entirely by himself!
On to I, Alex Cross, which being the sixteenth book in the series, is not the one to start with, as I soon
discovered, since I had no idea of the back stories of Cross and other series
regulars.
When the grisly remains are
discovered of Caroline Cross, niece of Alex Cross, detective in the Washington,
D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, and it subsequently becomes apparent that
she is but one of many victims of a particularly kinky and callous killer,
Cross dives into the investigation with an irrepressible determination to find
the party responsible. His probing intersects and sometimes interferes with
that of the FBI and the Secret Service, while simultaneously he must contend—and
quite emotionally—with the potentially fatal illness of his elderly grandmother,
with whom he, two of his three children, and his girlfriend Bree live.
The storyline involves an
expensive and exclusive mob-owned brothel called Blacksmith Farms run by Tony
Nicholson, which caters to the wealthy, famous, and powerful. Apart from
potentially embarrassing—and destroying the reputations of—senators and members
of Congress, both male and female,
revelations about Nicholson’s clientele might also spotlight members of President Vance’s Cabinet and threaten the security and equanimity of the
administration. Thus, the situation must be dealt with by the federal agencies.
Nicholson’s operation code-names
its clients, one of whom is the killer known as Zeus. Zeus, whoever he actually
is, is among those people powerful enough to prevent disclosure of his true
identity. You may rest assured that he’s a deranged serial killer whose
motivations are not delved into
insightfully—this despite the fact that, according to “biographical
information” on Patterson’s website, Alex Cross has a Ph.D in Psychology, with
focuses on abnormal and forensic psychology. (http://www.jamespatterson.com/alex-cross#.V79i2qLVN9M)
Despite a poorly formatted
and proofread e-book edition, I found the story to be an almost irresistible page-turner—the key word
there being almost—despite generally
lame and sometimes clichéd prose, and very superficial (and often-clichéd) characterizations.
Patterson is fond of short chapters in fast-moving novels. This one contains
117 chapters. (Yes, you read that correctly: 117.) The problem is, the
revelation of Zeus’s identity is a complete and utter cheat. That killed the
novel for me and made it a thoroughgoing disappointment—not to mention an irritating
and aggravating one.
Years ago, a very successful fiction
writer taught me the valuable lesson that in spite of life’s tendency to throw
us unforeseeable surprises from left field, competent fiction is not allowed
to. It must allude, however subtly, to the surprise or twist ending lest the reader
feel cheated. In other words, the reader should be able to say, “If I’d spotted
and paid attention to that moment, I’d have seen the finish/surprise coming.” Patterson
doesn’t reveal Zeus’s identity until chapter 108 of 117 chapters, and the
character is not someone the reader
has encountered earlier except in the guise of Zeus. Having the “least likely
suspect” in a mystery novel turn out to be the villain is a long-established
and perfectly acceptable tradition, but the author has to play fair with the
reader by introducing the suspect early on and having him or her appear in
places throughout the story along with the other, more likely suspects.
Patterson doesn’t. He introduces and then reveals his villain’s true identity
when the story is nearly over.
Will I be reading any other
Patterson titles in the future? There’s no way of knowing definitively, but I
wouldn’t bet money on it. There are too many better constructed and written mysteries
and thrillers available as superior alternatives.
© 2016
Barry Ergang
Derringer Award-winner Barry Ergang’s work has appeared in a
multitude of publications, print and electronic. You can find some of it in a variety
of genres in e-book formats at Amazon
and Smashwords.
Thursday, September 01, 2016
Review: Among The Wicked: A Kate Burkholder Novel by Linda Castillo
Chief of Police Kate
Burkholder is looking forward to a quiet evening at home with her boyfriend,
Agent John Tomasetti of the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation. The first
snow of the season for Painters Mill, Ohio, is falling so she well knows what
the morning will bring. But, for now, she is unusually anxious for her
shift
to be over so she can go home and relax. Unfortunately, that is not be.
Summoned back to the
station she finds Tomasetti as well as Deputy Superintendent Lawrence Bakes of
the BCI and Frank Betancourt, senior investigator with the BCI division of the
New York State Police waiting for her. Betancourt is the real reason everyone
has come to Painters Mill. They need Kate’s help because of her extensive
background growing up in the Amish community.
An Amish girl was
recently found dead up in St. Lawrence County in New York State. The deceased
was just a few miles from her home and died of hypothermia caused by exposure. The
fact that Rachel Esh was fifteen at the time of her death, had recently been
pregnant, and had traces of OxyContin in her system all raise very disturbing
questions. The local Amish already were not being very welcoming to outsiders
and had isolated themselves even more than normal. There have been some rumors
of “bad things” going on out there in the Amish community, but no specifics.
Bishop Schrock seems to have a very tight control over everyone and everything.
Isolated for whatever reason, the local Amish absolutely refuse to cooperate in
any way with the local police.
With over forty kids in
the area, one dead, and another that clearly suffered possible physical abuse,
as well as other issues, Betancourt and Bates want Kate Burkholder to go
undercover and infiltrate the Amish
community. They figure the undercover
operation will take a few days to a week or two and she should have some
answers. Her ability to speak Pennsylvania Dutch and her other skills having
been raised Amish are definite assets to the investigation.
To go undercover far
from home means that not only will she have to vanish from her current life in
Painters Mill, she will have to revert to Amish way of life as a child and
young teen and thereby revisiting some positive as well as painful memories.
She also will be at a considerable disadvantage due to the living conditions as
well as the fact that any backup will be at distance and quite possibly
unavailable. Kate agrees and soon is deep into a case that puts her at her
limits in every way possible.
Among The Wicked: A Kate Burkholder
Novel is the eighth novel
in the series that began with Sworn
To Silence and is another good read. Long time readers expecting
once again to spend time with the very familiar people of Painter’s Mill could
be very disappointed by this read. Often reflective on her past, Kate spends
the vast majority of the book undercover in upstate New York far from home. That
means the series regulars are not at all present for the vast majority of the
book. It may also bother some readers that, considering her own history as well
as her background in law enforcement, it takes Kate far too long to realize
what is going on is basic cult like behavior.
Despite those issues Among
the Wicked is a good read. The power of memory and tradition is a theme
throughout the novel as well as tolerance of others in their faith. Those
themes are expected in this series and are present once again in this read. The
mystery is complicated through certain aspects will be easy to figure out
for seasoned mystery readers and those that pay attention to the media beyond
political stunts and sound bites.
Among the Wicked: A Kate Burkholder Novel might not be the best
in the series to date, but it is still solidly good. With so much background
covered in this one regarding Kate’s Amish past, if you have interest in
reading the earlier books in the series it would be best to do so before
tackling this one.
Among The Wicked: A Kate Burkholder Novel
Linda Castillo
Minotaur
Books (St. Martin’s Press)
July 2016
ISBN#
978-1-250-06157-7
Hardback
(available in eBook and audio formats)
320 Pages
$26.99
The very
special Lesa Holstine graciously sent me her ARC copy so I could read and
review the book. Make sure you check out Lesa’s
review.
Kevin R.
Tipple ©2016
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