KRL This Week Update for 6/16/18

Up in KRL this morning a review & giveaway (all giveaways this issue continue until June 30) of "Murder on Union Square" by Victoria Thompson along with an interesting interview with Victoria http://kingsriverlife.com/06/16/murder-on-union-square-by-victoria-thompson/

Also, in honor of Pride month, a look at Val McDermid's mystery series featuring feminist lesbian reporter Lindsay Gordonhttp://kingsriverlife.com/06/16/the-80s-redux-three-lindsay-gordons-by-val-mcdermid/

We also have reviews & giveaways of 3 more fun mysteries for your summer reading-"Murder She Wrote, A Date with Danger" by Jessica Fletcher, Donald Bain and Jon Land, "Murder Most Fermented": A Rose Avenue Wine Club Mystery by Christine E. Blum, and "Hide and Sneak": A Savannah Reid Mystery by G.A. McKevett

http://kingsriverlife.com/06/16/three-more-fun-mysteries-for-your-summer-reading/

And a review & giveaway of "Beachboy Murders" (you can also win the first book in the series-and remember all contests go through June 30) by Sally J. Smith and Jean Steffens, along with a guest post by them where they share some Hawaii memories and a recipehttp://kingsriverlife.com/06/16/beachboy-murders-by-sally-j-smith-and-jean-steffens/

And a review & giveaway of "Dead as a Doornail" by Tonya Kappes along with something a little extra (remember all giveaways go through June 30) http://kingsriverlife.com/06/16/dead-as-a-doornail-by-tonya-kappes/

And we hvae a review & giveaway of "Bleeding Tarts" by Kirsten Weiss, along with a pie recipe perfect for Father's Day (remember all giveaways go through June 30) http://kingsriverlife.com/06/16/bleeding-tartsby-kirsten-weiss/

And a review of the mystery TV show "Hetty Wainthropp Investigations" http://kingsriverlife.com/06/16/hetty-wainthropp-investigations-online-streaming-entertainment/

We also have a mystery short story by Kathleen Delaney http://kingsriverlife.com/06/16/the-trip-mystery-short-story/

And on KRL News & Reviews we have a review & giveaway of "Pick and Chews" by Linda O. Johnston (giveaway is extended to June 30 because there is no issue June 23) http://www.krlnews.com/2018/06/pick-and-chews-linda-johnston.html

Happy reading, 

Lorie 

PS Because we will be out of town there will not be an issue on June 23.

The Bookseller: Amazon comes under fire for removal of book reviews

The Bookseller: Amazon comes under fire for removal of book reviews

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Cross My Path by Clea Simon

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Cross My Path by Clea Simon:   Reviewed by Jeanne In a bleak, dystopian world, a young woman and her black cat seek to eke out a living by, as the girl puts...

Saturdays With Kaye: Death on Nantucket by Francine Mathews

Death on Nantucket by Francine Mathews

This fifth Merry Folger mystery starts slowly. A woman named Nora has come home to visit her father, Spence Murphy. Everyone knows who Spence is, a journalist who has become famous for his writings, but the cab driver doesn’t know who Nora is. Even some of the family have never heard of her, an adopted daughter. Meanwhile, Meredith Folger is planning her wedding to Peter Mason in a few months on the beautiful island.

The gentile surroundings, seaside houses of the privileged, and the prosaic lives of the inhabitants, lull the reader along pleasantly until…there’s a body. It belongs to Nora. Now old resentments start bubbling to the surface. Spence lives in a huge, rambling beachside house called Step Above. He’s getting more deaf and confused as he ages. His family is surprised to learn that Nora had been to see Spence a month ago, but much more surprised when her body is discovered a month later, on the decrepit roof walk where no one ventures. It’s learned that Nora, a former journalist, was planning on writing a book that could cause trouble.

Detective Merry Folger is assigned to investigate Nora’s suspicious death, her body too decomposed to glean many details. Her ogre of a boss is trying to make her life so hard that she’ll quit the police force. The case is hard enough. She doesn’t think any of the family members feel much grief over the passing of their patriarch. When dried apricot seeds are found mixed in with the coffee, and the coffee cup found beside the body is discovered to contain the residue of coffee, milk, and cyanide, the investigation is off and running. Family animosities swirl, making it hard for Merry to solve this cozy-feeling crime. The deeper she delves, the more tangles she discovers, blocked by dark histories that have deep roots. The story is lovely and atmospheric, with a sinister crime to solve.

Bonus: the reader learns how to prepare bluefish properly.

Reviewed by Kaye George, Editor of, Day of the Dark: Eclipse Stories, for SuspenseMagazine.

Our Anniversary

I miss her so much.

No FFB Tomorrow

Just a heads up that there will not be an FFB review tomorrow.

In Reference To Murder Bog: Mystery Melange for 6/14/18

In Reference To Murder Bog: Mystery Melange for 6/14/18

Ladies of Mystery: Some Thoughts on Writing and Publishing by Janis Patterson

Ladies of Mystery: Some Thoughts on Writing and Publishing by Janis Patterson

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Nevermore: Matheson, Genova, Kushner, Tyson, Chan...

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Nevermore: Matheson, Genova, Kushner, Tyson, Chan...:  Reported by Ambrea Nevermore jump-started their meeting off with  The Best of Richard Matheson .  Best known for his novel  I ...

Mystery Fanfare: FATHER'S DAY CRIME FICTION: Fathers & Sons; Father...

Mystery Fanfare: FATHER'S DAY CRIME FICTION: Fathers & Sons; Father...: Father's Day. My father passed away 15 years ago, but I still think about him every day. He encouraged and supported me throughout ...

Only days left to win copies of books by Auralee Wallace, Terry Ambrose, Carolyn Haines, and more from KRL

Only days left to win a copy of "What You Want to See" by Kristen Lepionka
& while there check out a Pride related guest post by Kristen about LGBTQ+
mysteries
http://kingsriverlife.com/06/09/what-you-want-to-see-by-kristen-lepionka/

And to win a copy of "Down the Aisle with Murder" by Auralee Wallace Author,
and while there check out a fun guest post by Auralee about weddings
http://kingsriverlife.com/06/09/down-the-aisle-with-murder-by-auralee-wallace/

Also to win a copy of "Clues in the Sand" by Terry Ambrose and while there
check out a guest post by Terry about Father's Day
http://kingsriverlife.com/06/09/clues-in-the-sand-by-terry-ambrose/

And to win a copy of "Charmed Bones" by Carolyn Haines
http://kingsriverlife.com/06/09/charmed-bones-by-carolyn-haines/

And a copy of "Trouble in Tampa" by Louise Tichener
http://kingsriverlife.com/06/09/1885-florida-wild-pigs-wild-people-and-trouble-in-tampa/

And on KRL News & Reviews, only days left to win a copy of the SciFi
mystery "Blood Orbit" by KR Richardson
http://www.krlnews.com/2018/06/blood-orbit-by-kr-richardson.html

Happy reading,
Lorie

Fire Star Press: How Does Your Personality Type Affect Your Writing by Angela Crider Neary...

Fire Star Press: How Does Your Personality Type Affect Your Writing...: We’ve all heard of the introvert and extrovert personality types, and ambivert refers to a fairly even mixture of the two.   So in wha...

Crime Time : THE OVERSTORY -- Richard Powers

Crime Time : THE OVERSTORY -- Richard Powers: I approached The Overstory with the kind of wavering curiosity those apes in 2001: A Space Odyssey had for the mysterious, shiny b...

Vet Today

Scott's cat at the vet this morning getting checked out for her left leg limp. Apparently she sprained her ankle. How she did it remains the question as she is indoor only and does not really jump around. Surprisingly, no boot for the foot or cane. She has pain meds and just had her vaccinations a few minutes before this picture was taken. The pain meds are every twelve hours so now we will have a stoned cat the next few days.

This is a Tough Week

I am around here and there. Just missing Sandi a lot. Our anniversary is Friday. I don't have any reviews scheduled for the rest of the week until Saturday so things here will be a bit erratic as I find things and post them. Mostly, I am staying offline and to myself.

In Reference To Murder: Media Murder for Monday 6/11/18

In Reference To Murder: Media Murder for Monday 6/11/18

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Country Wisdom and Know-How: A Practical Guide to...

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Country Wisdom and Know-How: A Practical Guide to...: Reviewed by Ambrea Sometime in May, I stumbled across a book called  Country Wisdom and Know-How:  A Practical Guide to Livin...

Unlawful Acts: Incident Report No. 45

Unlawful Acts: Incident Report No. 45

Monday Markets and Jobs for Writers for June 11, 2018

Monday Markets and Jobs for Writers for June 11, 2018

Aubrey Hamilton Reviews: Death Comes in Through the Kitchen by Teresa Dovelpage

Death Comes in Through the Kitchen by Teresa Dovelpage (Soho Crime, 2018) is an intriguing culinary mystery that is by no means cozy. At all. Set in Havana late in the Fidel Castro regime the book begins when Matthew, a journalist from San Diego, travels to Cuba to marry his online girlfriend Yarmila, whom he met through her food blog that showcases classic Cuban cuisine. He is traveling with another American who is meeting her much younger lover. Yarmi is not at the airport to meet him, as they had arranged, so he makes his way to her apartment house, only to find her body in the bathtub there.

The police are well aware that Yarmi was killed before Matthew arrived in Havana but they confiscate his passport anyway. He is limited as to what he can do in this highly regimented country without a passport and after a few days he grows desperate enough to enlist the help of a private detective to clear his name so he can return to the United States. In the meantime he hears enough to notice gaps between the persona Yarmi projected on her blog and the person her closest friends knew. While he turns the discrepancies over in his mind, he sees something of Havana and the deprivations its residents endure, as well as the small ways they circumvent the severe limitations on their lives.

This book is as much a social and political commentary on the time and setting as it is a mystery, perhaps more. The impact of governmental oppression and economic hardships is clearly delineated in a matter-of-fact way, which renders the effect more powerful. Every two or three chapters is punctuated by one of Yarmi’s blog posts which includes a classic Cuban recipe and the comments of her readers. The book begins with Matt’s arrival in Cuba and ends with his departure, a clean way to delineate the beginning and ending of his adventure here.

This is the second book I’ve read in as many months in which the ease of getting people to accept a false online persona is a major theme. Matt realizes just how gullible he has been by the time the plot is resolved, and I expect readers will have every sympathy for him.

Publishers Weekly starred review.

Hardcover: 368 pages

Publisher: Soho Crime; 1st Edition edition (March 20, 2018)

ISBN-10: 1616958847

ISBN-13: 978-1616958848

Aubrey Hamilton ©2018

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

EVERYTHING’S BIGGER IN TEXAS: 11 OF THE BEST LONE STAR CRIME NOVELS

EVERYTHING’S BIGGER IN TEXAS: 11 OF THE BEST LONE STAR CRIME NOVELS

David Gaughran: Cassandra Dee and Mosaic Book Stuffing

David Gaughran: Cassandra Dee and Mosaic Book Stuffing

TerribleMinds Blog: THE OPPOSITE OF “KILL YOUR DARLINGS”

TerribleMinds Blog: THE OPPOSITE OF “KILL YOUR DARLINGS”

My Reader's Block Blog Review: Rear Window

My Reader's Block Blog Review: Rear Window

Movie Review: The Hurricane Heist

I very rarely review movies as I am not at all good at it. My late friend, Glenn Walker, was and did an amazing job at his blog. Glenn passed just a few days after Sandi did last December making 2017 even worse in my mind. Glenn’s great blog, “Welcome To Hell” is still up so you can go check out his many reviews of movies, television shows, and other things anytime you would like to do so. I suspect he would have had a few words to say about The Hurricane Heist.

Netflix Synopsis:

“As a hurricane bears down on a coastal town, the U.S. mint located there faces an additional threat from hackers who’ve infiltrated the facility to steal millions—and only a storm chaser and a government agent are left to foil the thieves.”

Scott and I worked our way through this insanely bad movie Friday afternoon by way of Netflix. One knows that such a premise is going to lead to unrealistic viewing. But, we had no idea just how stupid this thing was going to be. Think SHARKNADO without the humor and you have THE HURRICAN HEIST. There are so many things wrong with this movie if I named them all you would quit reading a third of the way through reading this review. A couple of highlights will have to suffice.

The alleged coastal town is Gulf Port, Mississippi as Hurricane Tammy approaches wreaking havoc at levels far off the charts. Yet, even with 145 plus mile an hour winds that crumble buildings and rolls/ flips cars, one of our intrepid heroes is able to move around the streets shooting her gun at bad guys who are also able to dodge rolling and flipping cars, walk nearly upright, and fire their guns. At the same time, another intrepid hero is able to scale an ladder affixed to the side of a building to get on the roof to climb an additional ladder on the side of a cell tower so that they can pull down the tower and interrupt the bad guys attempt to establish a connection for the computers back in the mint.

Hubcaps can be used as a weapon when one is out of bullets. As the winds howl and flip nearby cars, you can semi stand and throw numerous metal hubcaps, one at a time, like a Frisbee. It will accelerate, turn, twist through the air, and hit bad guys. Bad guys will suffer injuries and go down hard. Good guy has amazing aim.

Also amazing is the fact that almost nobody in the area put up plywood sheeting or taped their windows and yet the glass nearly always holds. Glass in doors and windows hold as debris flies through the air with the greatest of ease. Even the skylights at the nearby mall hold as viewers are treated to action shots of various things passing by the overhead windows. That includes at least one flying door, a flying tree, and quite possibly airborne rocks. Then, in an action scene that is totally beyond any belief and generated spontaneous laughter here by both of us, things get way worse.

Then there is the whole action scene at the end which is a long sequence of people running from the attacking hurricane eyewall. Yes, the hurricane eyewall is coming after them all, bad guys and good, and can be outrun by way of semi-truck for just so long. Just when you thought things could not get more ludicrous…they do.

From start to finish this thing is just bad. Plenty of water and wind, plenty of action, plenty of violence, several family angst scenes, and more are present in The Hurricane Heist. No frontal nudity which was very disappointing as the movie would have seriously benefited by a little of that. Like a lot of action movies, one must detach the brain before viewing.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2018

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Unquiet Spirits by Bonnie MacBird

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Unquiet Spirits by Bonnie MacBird: Reviewed by Jeanne With wife Mary off on a visit again, Doctor Watson is visiting his friend Sherlock Holmes at their old digs...

Smart Girls Read Romance: GROUP PROJECTS

Smart Girls Read Romance: GROUP PROJECTS: Recently, I have become involved in two group projects—one is an anthology titled UNDER A MULBERRY MOON and the other is a book series...

Beneath the Stains of Time: The Master Must Die (1953) by John Russell Fearn

Beneath the Stains of Time: The Master Must Die (1953) by John Russell Fearn: Back in January, 2016, I read John Russell Fearn's The Lonely Astronomer (1954), originally published as by "Volsted Gridban,&q...

KRL This Week Update for 6/9/18

Up in KRL this morning a review & giveaway of "What You Want to See" by Kristen
Lepionka, along with a Pride related guest post by Kristen about LGBTQ+
mysteries

http://kingsriverlife.com/06/09/what-you-want-to-see-by-kristen-lepionka/



And a review & giveaway of "Down the Aisle with Murder" by Auralee Wallace,
and a fun guest post by Auralee about weddings
http://kingsriverlife.com/06/09/down-the-aisle-with-murder-by-auralee-wallace/



We also have a review & giveaway of "Clues in the Sand" by Terry Ambrose,
along with a guest post by Terry about Father's Day
http://kingsriverlife.com/06/09/clues-in-the-sand-by-terry-ambrose/



And a review & giveaway of "Charmed Bones" by Carolyn Haines
http://kingsriverlife.com/06/09/charmed-bones-by-carolyn-haines/



Also up this week a review of the mystery TV show "Instinct" starring Alan
Cumming, along with an interview with cast member Sharon Leal who spent
some of her youth in Fresno and performed with Good Company Players
http://kingsriverlife.com/06/09/instinct-tv-reviewinterview-with-cast-member-sharon-leal/



Also this week mystery author Louise Tichtener talks about the setting of
her books, and you can win a copy of the latest one "Trouble in Tampa"
http://kingsriverlife.com/06/09/1885-florida-wild-pigs-wild-people-and-trouble-in-tampa/



For those who also enjoy fantasy, up in KRL this morning a review &
giveaway of "Dark Queen" by Faith Hunter
http://kingsriverlife.com/06/09/dark-queen-by-faith-hunter/



And up on KRL News & Reviews we have a review & giveaway of SciFi mystery
"Blood Orbit" by KR Richardson
http://www.krlnews.com/2018/06/blood-orbit-by-kr-richardson.html


Happy reading,
Lorie

The Rap Sheet: Sunny Days Are Best with Dark Fiction

The Rap Sheet: Sunny Days Are Best with Dark Fiction

Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity: 16 Publishers Accepting Dark Fiction and Horror - ...

Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity: 16 Publishers Accepting Dark Fiction and Horror - ...: "First dates can be so awkward" (Wikimedia) Here are sixteen publishers accepting dark fiction, horror, urban fantasy, milita...

Saturdays With Kaye: Lockdown by Laurie R. King

Please welcome back Kaye George to the blog. Each Saturday look for another review from Kaye as we begin “Saturdays with Kaye.” This week she reviews Lockdown by Laurie R. King.

Lockdown by Laurie R. King

Lockdown, which deals with school violence, is timely in an unfortunate, familiar way. We know something terrible will happen. But how, to whom? Suspense builds, then builds some more, as the reader heads toward certain catastrophe. The tale is told through the viewpoints of those nervous about the upcoming Career Day at the California school, a place of violence and gangs. This year’s event is supposed to counteract what happened last year, an assault on one of the speakers, the shooting of a sixteen-year-old student, and the attempted murder of a police officer, Sergeant Olivia Mendez. All of this was perpetrated by Taco Alvarez, who is presently standing trial.

We first meet a father and son, Thomas and Brendan. Brendan is a jock who is obsessed with guns and who is planning something, while Thomas, a cocky self-made man, does his best to exert absolute control over his son. Next is Linda, the principal, worrying about the upcoming event, hoping everything will go well. She is new to the school and out to prove herself by changing the reputation of the gang-ridden institution. Then there are several students: Sofia, who seems to have it together, but is haunted by the murder of her sister; Mina; and Nick, all of whom are all hiding something. Chaco is a budding delinquent, the cousin of Taco, and he has plans, too. The most mysterious, in the beginning, is Gordon, the principal’s husband, who is not who he seems to be. Olivia, the cop there to give a presentation, knows Gordon’s life is a lie, but she doesn’t know who he really is. Maybe the most mysterious one is the janitor, known as Tio, but who isn’t anyone’s uncle.

In the center of all of their lives is the recent disappearance of a child named Bee Cuomo.

The action flashes back and forth to fill in the background of what’s happening, to uncover lurking secrets, and to propel us inevitably toward disaster.

Reviewed by Kaye George, Editor of,  Day of the Dark: Eclipse Stories, for Suspense Magazine.

Doing the Grandfather Thing

Karl just posted the below picture of JUSTIN WAYNE TIPPLE at 7 weeks as of yesterday so I must NOW do the GRANDPA THING! BEHOLD! WORSHIP HIM!!!!!

Lesa's Latest Contest: This week's giveaway - The Scottish Connection

This week, I'm giving away 2 mysteries with a Scottish connection -
Catriona McPherson's Scot Free and Molly MacRae's Scones and Scoundrels.
Details on my blog, https://www.lesasbookcritiques.blogspot.com.  Entries
from the U.S. only, please.


-- 
Lesa Holstine
lesa.holstine@gmail.com

http://www.lesasbookcritiques.blogspot.com

The Rap Sheet: Revue of Reviewers for 6/7/18

The Rap Sheet: Revue of Reviewers for 6/7/18

FunCity Stuff (DFW): Weekend Whirlwind June 9-10

FunCity Stuff (DFW): Weekend Whirlwind June 9-10

Brainsnorts: 1-Minute Book Reviews: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

Brainsnorts: 1-Minute Book Reviews: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

Business Musings: An Agent Nightmare Revealed

Business Musings: An Agent Nightmare Revealed

The Cult: THE BIG SECRET WHY BEHIND EVERYTHING SO FAR by Chuck Palahniuk

The Cult: THE BIG SECRET WHY BEHIND EVERYTHING SO FAR by Chuck Palahniuk

Crime Watch: Review: THE BLACK WIDOW

Crime Watch: Review: THE BLACK WIDOW: THE BLACK WIDOW by Lee-Anne Cartier (Penguin, 2016) Reviewed by Craig Sisterson The Black Widow almost got away with murder. But then ...

Mystery Fanfare: JAMES ZISKIN & TERRY SHAMES LITERARY SALON: June 1...

Mystery Fanfare: JAMES ZISKIN & TERRY SHAMES LITERARY SALON: June 1...: Join Mystery Readers NorCal for an evening Literary Salon in Berkeley (CA) with award-winning mystery authors James W. Zis...

FFB Review: Jade’s Photos: Book 3 in the Ace Edwards Series by Randy Rawls

I have long been a fan of Randy Rawls work. He hooked me with his Ace Edwards P.I. series that began with Jake’s Burn followed Joseph’s Kidnapping. I know I read and reviewed both books and yet I cannot find hide nor hair of my reviews for them. I could find my review of the third book in the series which is now titled Jade’s Photos: Book 3 in the Ace Edwards Series (Mysteries in Small Towns in Texas). After you read the repeat review below with the new publishing info, make sure you check out Randy’s guest post from last April on my blog as he discussed his new book, Saving Dabba, the latest in the four book to date Beth Bowman series. You also should read his recent guest post over at PJ Nunn’s Bookbrowsing blog where he discussed how he developed his new book on writing titled Randy’s Boot Camp For Fiction Writers. Finally, make sure you check out the full list of book suggestions today over at Patti’s blog.

For Dallas Private Investigator Arthur Conan Edwards (Ace) three in the morning is usually not a good time. His sleep is frequently interrupted by the ringing of the phone. Usually it is Jake about a case, but occasionally, it is a client in need that Jake has referred. Of course the call will make Ace grumpy, but in the end he will agree to meet the client or Jake somewhere in a few hours. 

In this case, it is Johnny Nicholas who calls and he is being blackmailed over an affair he had with a beautiful woman. While his wife might look the other way, his rich and powerful mother-in-law won’t. A mother-in-law who has controlled everything in his life for years and isn’t going to take well seeing pictures of her son-in-law cheating on her daughter.

Before long Ace is in the middle of a blackmail case in Grand Saline, Texas. He has Kit along for backup and assistance in a case that quickly goes nasty with many suspects and several murders. Along the way in a story told primarily from the viewpoints of Ace and Kit, their relationship and his past are used to continue an ongoing secondary storyline regarding Ace’s fallen love.

The result is a story that frequently alludes to earlier books in the series while constantly moving forward in a twisting case on many different paths. Relationships are a theme throughout the book both in terms of dysfunctional love and the choices one makes in loving others. This interesting twisting tale further develops Ace’s character along with Kit’s while providing plenty of mystery, action and a bit of Texas folklore and culture to keep readers highly entertained. Once again Randy Rawls has another strong novel in his series worth reading. 

Jade’s Photos: Book 3 in the Ace Edwards Series (Mysteries in Small Towns in Texas)

Randy Rawls

http://www.randyrawls.com/

Books by Randy Rawls

2014

ISBN# 978-0989990417

Paperback (also available in eBook format)

242 Pages

$9.99

Review copy provided by the author in exchange for my objective review.

Kevin R. Tipple © 2009, 2018

New Issue of Crime Review

We feature new 20 reviews in each issue of Crime Review (
www.crimereview.co.uk), together with a top industry interview. This time
it’s author Toby Vintcent in the Countdown hot seat:
http://crimereview.co.uk/page.php/interview/6274

We’re on Twitter at:
Crime Review: @CrimeReviewUK
Linda Wilson: @CrimeReviewer
Sharon Wheeler: @lartonmedia

This week’s reviews are:

PANDORA’S BOY by Lindsey Davis, reviewed by John Cleal
Flavia Albia investigates the suspicious death of a young girl on the
Quirinale Hill, home of Rome’s wealthiest and most aristocratic and ancient
citizens

AMERICAN BY DAY by Derek B Miller, reviewed by Chris Roberts
Police chief inspector Sigrid Odegard leaves her native Norway for New York
State to find her brother Marcus, who has gone missing.

MAIGRET AND THE HEADLESS CORPSE by Georges Simenon, reviewed by Arnold
Taylor
A dismembered body, found in the Canal St-Martin, presents Maigret with a
thoroughly baffling case involving a taciturn woman. And the examining
magistrate wants quick results.

THE SILENCED by Anders de la Motte, reviewed by Ewa Sherman
A viciously savaged body is found in the water. Detective Inspector Julia
Gabrielsson investigates the macabre case, and gets pulled into a web of
political scheming.

BLACKSTONE’S FANCY by Richard Falkirk, reviewed by Linda Wilson
Bow Street Runner Edmund Blackstone is charged with stopping a prize fight.
The only trouble is that one of the fighters is Blackstone’s own protégé,
the up and coming Ebony Joe.

THE EXTREMIST by Nadia Dalbuono, reviewed by Sylvia Maughan
A hostage situation is in progress in Rome and one of the terrorists asks
to see Detective Leone Scamarcio in person. Scamarcio then has to find
something and take it back before the deadline for the hostages to be
killed expires.

ACTS OF VANISHING, by Fredrik T Olsson, reviewed by Kati Barr-Taylor
William Sandberg is about to lose his daughter. And the world is about to
lose its last grip on safety, once and for all.

BATS IN THE BELFRY by ECR Lorac, reviewed by John Cleal
A group of successful professionals jokingly share ideas on how to commit
the perfect murder. When one of them disappears under mysterious
circumstances Chief Inspector Macdonald is called in.

LOCK 13 by Peter Helton, reviewed by Sharon Wheeler
Artist and PI Chris Honeysett is asked to track down a dead angler who
miraculously seems to have come back to life six years after his boat
capsized. But he’s sidetracked by the disappearance of his life drawing
model.

THE FIGHTER by Michael Farris Smith, reviewed by Chris Roberts
Jack Boucher, who was abandoned as a child, took up cage fighting as a way
to find himself, and after 25 years has reached the end of a very long road.

A SECRET BEAT by Rebecca Denton, reviewed by Linda Wilson
Alexia Falls chucks in a chance of college in the US to follow her heart to
London and take an internship at a production company. But money worries
lead her down a dangerous path.

THE SHOCK by Marc Raabe, reviewed by Kati Barr-Taylor
A woman goes missing in a storm, but there is only one person who believes
her life is at risk.

THE DRIFTER by Nick Petrie, reviewed by Chris Roberts
Ex-marine Peter Ash returns home to the US with problems from service in
the Middle East, but none sufficient to prevent him helping out the family
of a once close comrade.

DECEPTION by Teri Terry, reviewed by Linda Wilson
With the country in the grip of a deadly epidemic, Shay has turned herself
in, believing she’s the person who started it all. Her friend Kai disagrees
and is determined to find her.

THE MAN WHO DIED by Antti Tuomainen, reviewed by Ewa Sherman
Jaakko Kaunismaa, a successful entrepreneur in the mushroom industry, is
told that he’s been poisoned and hence on the verge of death. He decides to
find his own murderer.

A FINE AMBITION by RS Hill, reviewed by John Cleal
A chambermaid’s body is discovered on Instow beach. It appears she drowned,
but Abigail March who, with detective Theo Newton is among guests at the
hotel where she worked, is suspicious.

BESIDE THE SYRIAN SEA by James Wolff, reviewed by Chris Roberts
When his father is kidnapped by ISIS, Jonas employs his skills as an
intelligence agent. But until now he has been working from behind a desk.

SWEET WILLIAM by Iain Maitland, reviewed by Linda Wilson
A father is desperate to be reunited with his son, and isn’t prepared to
let anyone or anything stand in his way.

SUBLIMINAL by CB Barrie, reviewed by John Barnbrook
After being made redundant from her commercial research job, Emma Lilton is
desperately seeking new employment. She capitalises on her secret research
into subliminal imprinting and gets employment with an advertising agency,
leading to dire implications for Britain.

CRIME, CLEMENCY AND CONSEQUENCE IN BRITAIN 1821 – 1839 by Alison Eatwell,
reviewed by Kim Fleet
A short review of the letters appealing for clemency that were sent to the
Home Secretary during the 1820s and 1830s.

Best wishes

Sharon
www.crimereview.co.uk

Bitter Tea and Mystery: Traitor's Purse: Margery Allingham

Bitter Tea and Mystery: Traitor's Purse: Margery Allingham: Albert Campion awakens in a hospital bed with amnesia; he doesn't know who he is but he knows he was on a very important assignment. He ...

Only days left to win books by Ellery Adams, Jane Cleland, Lee Hollis, VM Burns & many more from KRL

Only days left to win a copy of "Murder in the Locked Library" by Ellery
Adams, plus an added giveaway from Ellery of a tea brewer mug
http://kingsriverlife.com/06/02/murder-in-a-locked-library-by-ellery-adams/

And to win a copy of "Antique Blues" by Jane Cleland while there check out
an interesting interview with Jane
http://kingsriverlife.com/06/02/antique-blues-by-jane-k-cleland/

Also to win copies of Death of a Cookbook Author": A Hayley Powell Food and
Cocktails Mystery by Lee Hollis, "Natural Thorn Killer": A Rose City
Mystery by Kate Dyer-Seeley, "Dressed for Death in Burgundy": A French
Village Mystery by Susan C. Shea, and "Flowers and Foul Play": A Magic
Garden Mystery by Amanda Flower
http://kingsriverlife.com/06/02/mysteries-perfect-for-june-wedding-reading/

And to win a copy of "Read Herring Hunt" by V.M. Burns
http://www.krlnews.com/2018/06/read-herring-hunt-vm-burns.html

Happy reading!

P.S. And I hope you check out the new mystery podcast as well
https://mysteryratsmaze.podbean.com/

Jungle Red Writers: Inside the Case of Charles Manson--a true crime in...

Jungle Red Writers: Inside the Case of Charles Manson--a true crime in...: HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: So. Pick the creepiest scariest villain you can imagine. Non-fiction, I mean. Someone from real life. We have lots of ...

In Reference To Murder: Mystery Melange for 6/7/18

In Reference To Murder: Mystery Melange for 6/7/18

TEXAS BOOK LOVER: Review: HOW TO WALK AWAY by Katherine Center

TEXAS BOOK LOVER: Review: HOW TO WALK AWAY by Katherine Center: I I  reviewed Katherine Center's new novel, How to Walk Away (St. Martin's Press), for Lone Star Literary Life ! "As is Center...

A Writer's Life....Caroline Clemmons: BARK TWICE FOR DANGER

A Writer's Life....Caroline Clemmons: BARK TWICE FOR DANGER: This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions . The author will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a ...

SleuthSayers: Holding tight or Letting Go by Robert Lopresti

SleuthSayers: Holding tight or Letting Go: by Robert Lopresti  Warning: I am going to quote/paraphrase a lot of authors from my own memory.  You are hereby warned that such lines...

Bookbrowsing: Boot Camp for Fiction Writers by Randy Rawls

Bookbrowsing: Boot Camp for Fiction Writers by Randy Rawls

The Rap Sheet: You Say You’re Starved for Awards News?

The Rap Sheet: You Say You’re Starved for Awards News?

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Nevermore: No One Ever Asked, A God in Ruins, Quee...

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Nevermore: No One Ever Asked, A God in Ruins, Quee...: Reported by Kristin No One Ever Asked by Katie Ganshert began this week’s book club discussion.   As a wealthy school distric...

New Books and Short Stories by MWA Members – June 2018

New Books and Short Stories by MWA Members – June 2018

City of Dallas: Delay in bulk and brush collection services

City of Dallas: Delay in bulk and brush collection services

Crime Time : SHUTTER ISLAND – Dennis Lehane

Crime Time : SHUTTER ISLAND – Dennis Lehane: Shutter Island is so deviously, darkly ingenious it's haunted me ever since I first read it a dozen years ago. The film by Martin S...

Crime Watch: Review: A LINE TOO FAR

Crime Watch: Review: A LINE TOO FAR: A LINE TOO FAR by BC Colman (Liberty Publishing, 2016) Reviewed by Craig Sisterson Chinese commandos in a lightening raid have seized ...

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: The Hating Game by Sally Thorne: Reviewed by Christy             Lucy Hutton hates Joshua Templeman. Hates him. She has ever since his publishing firm merged with...

The Reading Room: Author Guest Post: James Ziskin

The Reading Room: Author Guest Post: James Ziskin:       “The Same Thing…only Different”       by James W. Ziskin I write a series of traditional/noirish mysteries set in the...

The New Yorker: Bill Clinton and James Patterson’s Concussive Collaboration

Annoying pop ups....

The New Yorker: Bill Clinton and James Patterson’s Concussive Collaboration

Mystery Fanfare: I DIDN'T MEAN TO WRITE WHAT I WROTE!: Guest Post b...

Mystery Fanfare: I DIDN'T MEAN TO WRITE WHAT I WROTE!: Guest Post b...: BETTY WEBB: I Didn’t Mean to Write What I Wrote! When I delivered the manuscript of The Otter of Death to my editor, I told her it w...

Review: Mystery Weekly Magazine: April 2018

Mystery Weekly Magazine: April 2018 opens with the western tale,  “The Gunfighters” by Michael Cebula. Like most really good westerns there is a strong mystery element at work. In this case the mystery is the events that led up to the just concluded gun fight. This tale also inspired the intriguing cover art for the issue.

Legalizing marijuana was a business opportunity for many folks including Burt Booker. A former community college teacher, Bart Booker put all of the family savings into creating a grow room behind their rented house after marijuana became legal in California.  He hit pay dirt---literally --- and has evolved his business into a store front operation. He knows he has done all the paperwork and everything should be fine even with a compliance visit by Detective Sandy Swift of the LAPD Narcotics division. She has far more than legal compliance on her mind in “Smokin Hot Cash” by David M. Hamlin.

The new neighbor is a problem in “Kindness” by Tom Hallman, Jr. The house across the street is no longer the Anderson’s place. The entire neighborhood is suffering for that. Something needs to be done.

Readers are next taken to a place that was once filled with the horrors of death and destruction and these days stands as a calm symbol of peace and tranquility. A peaceful place just marred by the cry of terror that William just heard just heard somewhere in the area surrounding the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. It is very early on this August morning in “The Cry” by M. H. Callway and William knows what he heard. At least, what he thinks he heard as “Lately sounds conspired against him.”

In a tale with origins that that will be familiar to many of us, Gregory Cioffi explores the reality of publishing today in “The Wrath of a Writer Wronged.” Karma is something. To say more, other than the fact no reviewer was implicated or injured in this tale, would create spoilers for this enjoyable read.

Mr. Hutchins has now really gone and done it while staying at the Shady Pines Motor Lodge. Hopefully, the crime was worth it in “The Price of Friendship” by Mike Murphy.

As happens in each issue, a new “You-Solve-It” as well as the answer to the “You-Solve-It” for the previous issue closes out the current issue.

In this case, Laird Long offers “Cash Out” for the current puzzle. Wendi has finally arrived at Brad’s apartment so poker night can finally get underway. There is money to be had and everybody involved needs the money in a desperate way.

The solution to the “You-Solve-It” puzzle for March 2018 titled “Mimic To A Crime” by Rhonda Howard brings things to a close.

Mystery Weekly Magazine: April 2018 features several very good tales of complicated characters doing the best they can to deal with the reality of difficult situations. Average folks just doing the level best they can in their lives. While the settings of the tales vary, the complexity of the characters and their situations make for some compelling mystery reading.

Mystery Weekly Magazine: April 2018

http://www.mysteryweekly.com

March 30, 2018

ASIN: B07BTZBBST

eBook (also available in print)

92 Pages

$3.99

For quite some time now I have been gifted a subscription by the publisher with no expectation at all of a review. I now read and review each issue as I can. To date, I have never submitted anything to this market and will not do so as long as I review the publication.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2018

RTE Update for 6/2/18

The June 2 2018 issue of RTE is out and includes fifteen new reviews as well as a new interview:

http://www.reviewingtheevidence.com                   

Spencer Kope in the 'Sixty seconds with . . .' interview hot seat:                                
http://www.reviewingtheevidence.com/interviews.html?id=255

                               
REVIEWS THIS WEEK:

LONDON RULES    Mick Herron    Reviewed by Yvonne Klein

FULL DISCLOSURE    Beverley McLachlin    Reviewed by Jim Napier
  
UNBURY CAROL    Josh Malerman    Reviewed by Nicola Nixon

THE GLASS ROOM    Ann Cleeves    Reviewed by Anne Corey

DEAD MEN WHISTLING    Graham Masterton    Reviewed by Cathy Downs

WHAT YOU WANT TO SEE    Kristen Lepionka    Reviewed by Barbara Fister  
 
THE AFFLICTION    Beth Gutcheon             Reviewed by Sharon Mensing

IT BEGINS IN BETRAYAL    Iona Whishaw     Reviewed by Lourdes Venard

SEE ALSO PROOF    Larry D. Sweazy    Reviewed by Meredith Frazier

FALL OF ANGELS    Barbara Cleverly    Reviewed by Diana Borse

HOW FAR SHE'S COME    Holly Brown      Reviewed by Katie Voss

A MILLION DROPS    Víctor del Ábrol     Reviewed by Yvonne Klein
    
DEATH NOTICE    Zhou Haohui      Reviewed by Rebecca Nesvet

PAPER GHOSTS    Julia Heaberlin    Reviewed by Susan Hoover

READ HERRING HUNT    V. M. Burns     Reviewed by PJ Coldren


We post more than 900 new reviews a year -- all of them are archived on the site -- as well as a new interview with a top author every issue.

Yvonne Klein
Editor: ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com

In Reference To Murder: Media Murder for Monday 6/4/18

In Reference To Murder: Media Murder for Monday 6/4/18

Unlawful Acts: Incident Report No. 44

Unlawful Acts: Incident Report No. 44

Monday Markets and Jobs for Writers for June 4, 2018

Monday Markets and Jobs for Writers for June 4, 2018

TEXAS BOOK LOVER: Monday Roundup: TEXAS LITERARY CALENDAR June 4-10,...

TEXAS BOOK LOVER: Monday Roundup: TEXAS LITERARY CALENDAR June 4-10,...: Bookish goings-on in Texas for the week of June 4-10, 2018:  Special Events: West Texas Writers' Academy , Canyon, June 4-8 Childr...

The Short Mystery Fiction Society Blog: SMFS Short Story Saturdays: Nik Morton

The Short Mystery Fiction Society Blog: SMFS Short Story Saturdays: Nik Morton: StoryADay.org proclaimed May  International Short Story Month  back in 2013. As the short story, in the mystery genre, is the reason why th...

Aubrey Hamilton Reviews: The Case of the Missing Morris Dancer by Cathy Ace

The Case of the Missing Morris Dancer  by Cathy Ace (Severn House, 2016) is the second in the series featuring the WISE Enquiries Agency, which operates from a ducal estate near Anwen-by-Wye, Wales. This agency comprises women investigators from Wales, Ireland, Scotland, and England, hence the acronym in its name.

The Duke of Chellingworth is getting married and everyone in the community has strong ideas about the activities that must surround that event to make it absolutely right. He is juggling the demands more or less successfully when the always-reliable musician and hereditary leader of the village Morris dancers disappears a week before the wedding along with all of the necessary paraphernalia. The disruption to the regional traditions and local sensibilities should the event proceed without the Morris dancers is too horrible to contemplate, and the ladies of the WISE agency are called in by the Dowager Duchess after the police find no evidence indicating foul play has occurred.  When the investigators learn the missing dancer planned a long vacation after the wedding that his friends didn’t know about and his van turns up in an out-of-the way lay-by, everyone is alarmed.

Each of the four investigators has a unique skill set that the group recognizes and deploys to advantage, making the overall agency greater than the sum of its parts. The folklore of Morris dancing and its origins are smoothly worked into the story line, which has a couple of surprises near the end.

A Welsh-English dictionary would have been helpful in reading this book, as the villagers often speak in their native Welsh and no translation is offered, although usually I could guess meaning from the context. There are two more books in this series after this one; the well-delineated characters and the picturesque setting lend themselves to a nice long run for the ladies of WISE.

·         Hardcover: 224 pages

·         Publisher: Severn House Publishers; First World Publication edition (February 1, 2016)

·         Language: English

·         ISBN-10: 0727885545

·         ISBN-13: 978-0727885548

Aubrey Hamilton ©2018

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

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Baby Doll by Hollie Overton

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Baby Doll by Hollie Overton: Reviewed by Brenda G. Overton, Hollie. Baby Doll. New York; Redhook Books, 2017. 405 pages.             If this book were ...