Friday, August 21, 2015
3 Minutes From Live: What's the Idea?
3 Minutes From Live: What's the Idea?: As a member of the Short Mystery Fiction Society , I recently pitched the idea of live readings of mystery & crime short fiction, Short ...
Lesa's Latest Contest-- Giveaway - Les Roberts' The Ashtabula Hat Trick
This week, I'm lucky enough to have 4 copies of Les Roberts' The Ashtabula
Hat Trick to give away. Details are on my blog,
http://www.lesasbookcritiques.blogspot.com. Entries from the U.S. only,
please.
Lesa Holstine
FFB Review: "Tequila Sunrise: Hardboiled P.I Nathaniel Rose: Bullets, Booze and Broads" by Michael Bracken
Having mentioned Tequila Sunrise: Hardboiled P.I Nathaniel Rose: Bullets,
Booze and Broads by Michael Bracken before
as part of FFB a number of years ago I thought I would mention it again. One of
several very good reads by the prolific author.
Having
read and enjoyed very much the novel, Deadly Campaign by this author, I
have been looking forward to reading this book for quite some time. But,
getting my hands on a copy wasn't easy for a number of reasons. Finally, I got
one and I wasn't disappointed in this hard hitting collection featuring private
Investigator Nathaniel Rose.
The
103-page book is made up of seven complex stories involving Nathaniel Rose and
a recurring cast of characters over a significant period of time. In almost
every case, the women are sexy, the violence is hard hitting, and Rose gets the
crook by any means necessary.
The book opens with the story
"Partners" where Rose is nearly killed when his Mustang explodes. He
survives and, with little idea who wanted him dead, starts looking.
"Fair Warning" follows and
is a case involving a missing husband, fast food, and a tantalizing wife.
"Heartbreak Hotel" comes
next in the book as well as in the book arc in terms of character development
and time, and involves a missing fiancée. Simply making photocopies can get one
killed it seems.
"Lucky Seven" is another
aptly named story. In this case, seven witnesses can all detail for court how
they saw a man kill his wife and her lover. The client just needs to know how
good the case is, which on the surface, seems simple enough.
"Even Roses Bleed" revolves around a beautiful woman and her need to have her husband dead. Word on the street is Nathaniel Rose would fit the bill nicely, in more ways than one.
Strippers have always been a hallmark in detective fiction but rarely used to such good effect in "Tequila Sunrise and the Horse."
But after all, for any P.I. the
cases are "Only Business." Something to remember in the sometimes
stormy waters of love.
With an overall story arc linking
the stories in this anthology and providing character development, this book is
a very good read and more complex than many novels. The writing style is terse
and hard hitting and usually in dialogue form. At the same time, scene
descriptions come alive for the reader who will quickly become lost in the
murky world of Bullets, Booze and Broads.
Tequila Sunrise: Hardboiled P.I Nathaniel Rose: Bullets, Booze and Broads
Michael Bracken
http://www.crimefcitionwriter.com
Wildside Press
http://www.wildsidepress.com
2000
ISBN # 1-58715-252-5
Large Trade Paperback
Wildside Press
http://www.wildsidepress.com
2000
ISBN # 1-58715-252-5
Large Trade Paperback
103 Pages
$13.95
Material received from the author in
exchange for my objective review.
Kevin R. Tipple © 2004, 2010, 2015
Thursday, August 20, 2015
QueryTracker Blog: Five Query Mistakes That Make You Look Like An Ama...
A lot of this also applies to review queries....
QueryTracker Blog: Five Query Mistakes That Make You Look Like An Ama...: A query letter is a declaration, of sorts. It says your book is ready for the world and that you are ready to be its author. Whether you que...
QueryTracker Blog: Five Query Mistakes That Make You Look Like An Ama...: A query letter is a declaration, of sorts. It says your book is ready for the world and that you are ready to be its author. Whether you que...
Sandi Update
All the blood tests came back clean. Negative. Clear. No sign of anything virus or any other thing doing anything that would cause her anemia. Basically, they found nothing to explain why her red blood cell count is not coming up. It just is not moving.
The only thing they found is she is a bit low on folic acid. That might be making the anemia worse so they are putting her on a supplement for that.
Going forward the plan is for her to start chemo Tuesday assuming everything goes okay blood work and doctor visit early that morning. They would do the four day hospitalization deal which would mean she probably would not come home till Friday evening.
On the something fun front----If she is up to it we also plan to go see Jenny Milchman at THE WILD DETECTIVES Sunday evening as she will be in town for her book signing. This assumes she can go and I am well enough to drive down to the location as it is very far from our apartment. Time will tell on that.
The only thing they found is she is a bit low on folic acid. That might be making the anemia worse so they are putting her on a supplement for that.
Going forward the plan is for her to start chemo Tuesday assuming everything goes okay blood work and doctor visit early that morning. They would do the four day hospitalization deal which would mean she probably would not come home till Friday evening.
On the something fun front----If she is up to it we also plan to go see Jenny Milchman at THE WILD DETECTIVES Sunday evening as she will be in town for her book signing. This assumes she can go and I am well enough to drive down to the location as it is very far from our apartment. Time will tell on that.
Review: "Firebreak" by Tricia Fields
Weather in Texas often is one of two
extremes--- flood or fire. It has been a couple years since the floods came to
Southwest Texas. Now it has been 9 months since rain fell in the desert area
and now wildfire is the threat to Artemis and the surrounding area. The threat
comes from the north and south with Artemis trapped in the middle. Evacuations
are ordered for parts of Arroyo County, but not everyone will agree to leave.
This area of southwest Texas where folks are used to hard times, desert
conditions, and relying on themselves and their ingenuity to survive, makes for
a people to don’t turn away from a fight.
In the aftermath of the fires that
spare the home of Artemis Police Chief Josie Gray, a body is found in the
remains of the badly damaged home of Billy and Brenda Nix. If his wife and
manager, Brenda, is to be believed Billy is about to make it big with a
Nashville music contract. Billy is old school country and sings while playing guitar.
Both he and his wife evacuated, according to some of the locals, but neither
one is answering their cell phone. They may be up in Austin lining up future
events or somewhere else. In the chaos of the evacuation they were seen at
least once, but nobody really knows where they are or why they would not be
answering their cell phones.
The location of the Nixes, the
identity of the body, and figuring out what happened should be Police Chief
Josie Gray’s priority and focus. A focus that isn’t easy to maintain, as thanks
to the events in Wrecked,
her longtime boyfriend has packed up and left. Getting kidnapped by a drug
cartel can kind of put a damper on the whole romance thing. Four months later
and normalcy is a foreign concept for both her and Dillion.
Firebreak is the fourth in a series that began with the award
winning The
Territory. This latest mystery features once again the deep
characters and desert beauty present in the earlier books as well as the
complicated cases Police Chief Josie Gray and her team must solve. This is a
series best read in order as there are references to earlier events in each
novel. The books are very good and so is Firebreak. If this series is new to
you, it will be another year before Tricia Fields has another so get to work as
you have some very good books to read.
Firebreak
Tricia Fields
Minotaur Books (A Thomas Dunne Book)
March 2015
ISBN# 978-1-250-05505-7
Hardback (available in e-book)
288 Pages
$25.99
Material supplied by the good folks
of the Plano Public Library System.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2015
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
The Short Mystery Fiction Society Blog: Members' Publication News
The Short Mystery Fiction Society Blog: Members' Publication News: The following members sent in publication news this month: Jack Bates, "The Hard Screw” , Near to the Knuckle (August 6, 2015) Jac...
Mystery Fanfare: The Importance of First Lines in Short Stories: Ma...
Mystery Fanfare: The Importance of First Lines in Short Stories: Ma...: This year’s finalists for the Macavity Award for Best Short Story discuss economy in the craft of short story writing—with a particular f...
SleuthSayers: Five Red Herrings VII
I am stunned by the mention here and very grateful....
SleuthSayers: Five Red Herrings VII: by Robert Lopresti 1. Critiquing a Grand Master. If you are a fan of the late great Donald E. Westlake you owe it to yourself to take a...
SleuthSayers: Five Red Herrings VII: by Robert Lopresti 1. Critiquing a Grand Master. If you are a fan of the late great Donald E. Westlake you owe it to yourself to take a...
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