Tuesday, October 27, 2026
Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity: 38 Writing Contests in November 2026 - No entry fees!
Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity: 38 Writing Contests in November 2026 - No entry fees!: This November there are more than three dozen free writing contests for short fiction, novels, poetry, CNF, nonfiction, and plays. Prizes ra...
SleuthSayers: File Purging
SleuthSayers: File Purging: Many members of the crime fiction writing community spent this past weekend at Bouchercon in Calgary. I spent it cleaning out my files. The ...
Publication Day Review: The Hollow: A Bosch Novel by Michael Connelly
As The Hollow: A Bosch Novel
by Michael Connelly begins, retired LAPD Detective Harry Bosch is at a
cemetery. Having undergone a recent knee replacement, he can’t chase anyone,
and is using a cane for support. He doesn’t plan on chasing anyone today though
he is definitely going to confront Gregory Talbot.
He knows without a shadow of a doubt
that Talbot killed his wife years ago. It has been 25 years since he did it and
got away with it. Jenifer was found beaten to death in her apartment where she
had recently moved. The scene appeared to be of an intruder that had waited for
her to come home from work and then killed her. Bosch knows that the scene was
staged and that the husband did it.
Back in the day, Bosch was very close to
breaking Talbot. They verbally fenced in the interrogation room for a couple of
hours and then Talbot asked for a lawyer and that was that.
He still wants justice for Jennifer. Good
thing he has the help of LAPD Detective Renee Ballard and her volunteer cold
case team.
That isn’t the only long dormant case
Bosch is working and seeking justice. Decades ago, after the murder of his
mother, Bosch was in the foster system. He spent a lot of time MacLaren
Children’s Center (MacLaren Hall). Allegedly a safe place for youth in the
foster system in Los Angeles, it was a very bad place.
In a way, Bosch was one of the lucky ones.
He was only physically abused. He was never sexually assaulted. He survived the
horrible place. His friend, Charlie Edward Lamb, known to all as “Chops,” did
not.
Bosch is convinced that Chops was
murdered back in 1965. There was a place, under the stairs, that was referred
to as “the hollow.” Bosch is sure Chops was killed in that space. Now that the
lawsuit has been settled with the county, and finds will be released to the
survivors, the legal case is over. Now, through his lawyer brother, Mickey
Haller, Bosch can finally see all of the discovery materials related to the
case. That includes internal reports of what happened to Chops and other kids
at the facility.
Those records give him a thread to begin
digging into the past. That digging will also bring him into a world of
problems.
The result is a complicated and very enjoyable
read. We learn quite a bit more, through flashback scenes of his memories of his
time at MacLaren Children’s Center (MacLaren Hall), how Bosch came to be who he
is now. While it would be best to read this series in order, one could safely
read The Hollow: A Bosch Novel first as references to other reads
are fairly minimal.
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4xEuMRQ
I received a digital ARC, at my request,
of the book from the publisher, Little, Brown and Company, through NetGalley,
with no expectation of a positive review.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2026
Monday, October 26, 2026
Little Big Crimes: Louie the Mailman, by Jim Fusilli
Little Big Crimes: Louie the Mailman, by Jim Fusilli: "Louie the Mailman," by Jim Fusilli, in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, November/December 2026. This marks Fusilli's...
Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity: 22 Notable Writing Conferences and Workshops in November 2026
Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity: 22 Notable Writing Conferences and Workshops in No...: This November there are more than a dozen writing conferences and workshops. Some conferences and workshops will be held online, but most wi...
In Reference to Murder: Media Murder for Monday
In Reference to Murder: Media Murder for Monday: It's the start of a new week and that means it's time for a brand-new roundup of crime drama news: THE BIG SCREEN/MOVIES Patrick Sch...
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Hidden Haunts: A Creepy Collection of Forgotten Ghostly Places by Conner Gossel, illustrations by Natalie Dean
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Hidden Haunts: A Creepy Collection of Forgotten Gh...: Reviewed by Jeanne With an interest in both history and ghosts, Conner Gossel combined his interests to create “The Haunted Historian,” wh...
Jerry's House of Everything: INCOMING...AND A POEM
Jerry's House of Everything: INCOMING...AND A POEM: Incoming: Yesterday, Open Books, the best used book store in Pensacola, held its annual Fall Book Sale, with thousands of books priced at on...
Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: Midnight in the House of Commons: A Charles Lenox Mystery by Charles Finch
I was lucky
enough to receive an early copy of the newest book in one of my favorite series
via NetGalley. Charles Finch writes a wonderful historical series set in
Victorian London, nicely balancing credible characters with a clear portrayal
of a transitional time in English history. Midnight in the House of Commons,
the 16th case of Charles Lenox, a member of the aristocracy turned
amateur sleuth who now owns a detective agency, is set for release by Minotaur
in a couple of weeks on 3 November 2026. I am happy to report it is up to the
standard of its predecessors, maybe even a little better.
Charles
juggles multiple cases, including a shocking murder in the House of Commons,
where a womanizing conservative MP is found poisoned. The death has
far-reaching political consequences, as a hard-fought bill for relief of the
poor is tied in the House. With the loss of the dead member’s vote, the bill
will pass. One of the members known to favor the bill could not confirm an
alibi and is charged with the murder, even though a number of people had cause
to object to the victim’s personal life.
In addition,
Sari, one of the new members of the Lenox household introduced in the last
book, has incurred a romantic disappointment. The man she hoped to marry has
older relatives who object to her dark skin and she is devastated. Angela, on
the other hand, Lenox’s cousin and ward, is blooming happily with an
appropriate engagement and her study of government economics. The visitor to
the Lenox menage in this book is a cousin on Jane’s side of the family, an odd
young man whom the Lenox daughters tease unmercifully. And Lenox is approached
by another young lady whose fiancé has disappeared with no explanation, and
Lenox searches for him while he tries to sort out Sari’s romance.
The English
social structure is examined closely here, how various placements on the
invisible ladder affect life in particular for women, most clearly demonstrated
by the two young ladies who were not considered good enough for their
prospective husbands. The hotly contested bill for poor relief is a window into
the wide gap between the wealthy and the destitute, highlighted by the novels
of Charles Dickens. Then there is Laura Runcible, a newly wed matron with great
social ambitions, anxious to capture the Lenox couple as guests in her home, as
their status would enhance her own.
All in all,
this is a lively story with multiple plot threads and a considerable number of
characters. Followers of the series will enjoy it immensely. Readers new to the
Lenox saga will find enough back story to understand the narrative but will
miss the finer detail that has built up over the course of 16 books. An
excellent addition to a reliably good mystery series.
·
Publisher: Minotaur Books
·
Publication date: November 3, 2026
·
Language: English
·
Print length: 272 pages
·
ISBN-10: 1250433940
·
ISBN-13: 978-1250433947
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://link.amazon/B0b6DFvyu
Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2026
Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.
Sunday, October 25, 2026
SleuthSayers: Publishing Malpractice
SleuthSayers: Publishing Malpractice: I've written here before about the murder mystery book club I joined a little over a year ago at my local independent bookstore. They te...
Beneath the Stains of Time: Crime in May (1946) by Marten van Alland
Beneath the Stains of Time: Crime in May (1946) by Marten van Alland: Back in July, I reviewed a long out-of-print, practically forgotten Dutch mystery novel, De dood kwam door de sneeuw ( Death Came Through t...
Saturday, October 24, 2026
KRL Update
Up on KRL this week perfect for Halloween season, a review of "The Ghost and the Dead Librarian" by Cleo Coyle, along with an amazing giveaway and a fun guest post from Cleo about ghosts. Note for this giveaway you can only enter via comment not email https://kingsriverlife.com/10/24/the-ghost-and-the-dead-librarian-by-cleo-coyle/
And a review and giveaway of the latest Halloween Bookshop Mystery by Emmeline Duncan, "Hysteria at the Historical Society" https://kingsriverlife.com/10/24/hysteria-at-the-historical-society-by-emmeline-duncan/
And a review and giveaway of "The Year of the Goat" by Lila Blake, along with an interesting interview with Lila https://kingsriverlife.com/10/24/the-year-of-the-goat-by-lila-blake/
We also have the latest Queer Mystery Coming Attractions from Matt Lubbers-Moore https://kingsriverlife.com/10/24/queer-mystery-coming-attractions-mysteries-and-the-cozy-magic-of-fall/
Up during the week we have another special midweek guest post, this one by horror author Elliott Dunstan taking a look at gothic horror and talking about their new book "Grotesque" https://kingsriverlife.com/10/21/a-look-at-gothic-horror/
Up on KRL News and Reviews this week we have a review and ebook giveaway of "Death By Mail" by Abigail Keam https://www.krlnews.com/2026/10/death-by-mail-by-abigail-keam.html
And a review and giveaway of "Hail Mary" by Elizabeth Urso https://www.krlnews.com/2026/10/hail-mary-by-elizabeth-urso.html
Happy reading,
Lorie
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Seasonal Favorites: King, Kingfisher, Bradbury, Schwartz
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Seasonal Favorites: King, Kingfisher, Bradbury, Sc...: Cell by Stephen King: I found this book to be a great take on the classic "zombie" trope, portraying a post-epidemic world broug...
Jerry's House of Everything: FANTASTIC FOUR #1 (NOVEMBER 1961)
Jerry's House of Everything: FANTASTIC FOUR #1 (NOVEMBER 1961): Let's hop back in time 65 years (has it really been that long?) and meet a new comic book superhero group -- The Fantastic Four -- Reed,...
Scott's Take: Time to Play by Erin Ampersand (Book 1 of the Apocalypse Parenting series)
Time to Play by Erin
Ampersand is the first book in the Apocalypse Parenting series. Meghan and her three kids are enjoying a
typical day when aliens use some sort of technology to render most electronics
and combustible materials useless. So, no cars, no internet, no cell phones, no
firearms, etc. The aliens declare that all surviving humans will be forced to
fight for their lives against monsters for alien entertainment. The kids will
be forced to fight as well.
To accomplish this each person is given
an ability is given a power. The youngest, Cassie, accidently turns her stuffed
turtle into an alien AI. The boys go with magical powers. Meghan is going to be forced to solo parent
this apocalypse until her husband can make it back from Colorado. He was away
on business when the aliens launched their take over. So, its mom and kids vs
monsters while trying to rebuild the community of survivors and while hoping
dad is alive and coming home.
This is action packed family drama is a
LITRpg is recommend by the author who writes Dungeon Crawler Carl series.
According to the acknowledgement pages, he played some role in getting this
book published. This read was humorous while being darker than I expected.
There are deaths of children, seniors, and more. This is a violent and
dangerous apocalypse
Additionally, one of the support
characters is named Scott. He is a guy training dogs to identify hostile mimics
in the environment. Mimics are shapeshifters that can disguise themselves. So,
points for naming a character Scott.
Apparently, there are five books in the
series all of which are available through Kindle Unlimited. I got my copy in eBook
form from the library system. There is a spinoff, Engineer's Odyssey: An LitRPG Adventure in the
Apocalypse Parenting Universe, which is about the dad trying to get
home to his family. The spinoff is available through Hoopla. The spin off takes
place sometime from book one until book four or so of the main series.
The second book in the main series is titled
Making Friends. Meghan is
continuing to try to survive while taking care of her kids. One son is now a wizard, one son has turned
himself into a monkey, and the daughter keeps getting new magical alien friends.
Sounds like Mom has her work cut out for her.
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4xGAD9i
I read this book through the Libby/Overdrive
app by way of the Dallas Public Library System.
Scott A. Tipple ©2026
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