Crime Time : MAGGIE: A Girl of the Streets – Stephen Crane

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Pulp Hack Confessions: A Strange Case of Pre-death Necrophilia

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A Writer's Life....Caroline Clemmons: MOOLA, MOOLA, MOOLA NOVEMBER 17-27

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FFB Review: The Janus Stone: A Ruth Galloway Mystery by Elly Griffiths

 Make sure  you check out the full list of reading suggestions today over at Patti Abbott's blog...

As The Janus Stone begins, Dr. Ruth Galloway, head of the forensic archelogy at the University of North Norfolk, is called to a dig site in the town of Norwich. A very large Victorian style house and accompanying grounds are being massively modified and rebuilt into seventy-five luxury apartments. Edward Spens, owner and builder, is moving fast on his project and won’t be happy that with any delay. That is too bad for him, as bones have been found which is why Dr. Galloway has been called to the site.

           

The bones, minus the skull, appear to be human and of a child. Since she can’t determine their age just by looking at the bones, it seems to best to contact the police. That means Detective Chief Inspector Harry Nelson and his team are soon onsite and working the case. Whether the bones come from the time of Romans ruling England or far more recently, is one of the many puzzles at work in The Janus Stone.

Following by just a few months after The Crossing Place both Nelson and Galloway are dealing with the events of the case. Those repercussions continue to play a role in their lives while they work the current case. Both characters continue to develop in this second book of the series, as do many of the secondary characters.

Even if one was unaware that there is a long running series, it would be clear from reading the books that author Elly Griffiths intended to continue building on the vast family of people and relationships that were established in The Crossing Places. While archeology and history have important roles in this book and series, they are secondary to the mystery itself as well as those relationships. Events have consequences and repercussions and those are present here in a major way for several characters as are the issues with the complicated new case. The result is another very good read in an intriguing series.

Like all really good series, this one must be read in order.

The Janus Stone: A Ruth Galloway Mystery

Elly Griffiths

http://www.ellygriffiths.co.uk/

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

http://www.hmhbooks.com

January 2011

ISBN# 978-0-547-23744-2

Hardback (also available in paperback, audio, and eBook formats)

352 Pages (includes 15 pages of the next book in the series)

$25.00

Material was obtained via the Plano Public Library System to read and review.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2016

MRI Results

This morning Sandi was scheduled to have blood work and a doctor visit. It was a total cluster you know what today. Staff shortages coupled with equipment on the fritz meant they were running over an hour behind. Then, because her blood pressure was significantly elevated they made us stay an extra 30 minutes after we were done to see if it would come down.

MRI shows the tumor has shrunk and is losing its definition which means the edges are dissolving. It also shows significant scar tissue in the area from the radiation as well as a very large area extending outside the radiation area that is swollen and inflamed. The belief is that the severe pain she is feeling is from that as well as the nerves in the area that are regenerating. If the pain remains severe they will have her on some sort of steroid regimen to help things.

While her red blood cell count remains stable, her white blood cell count has slipped significantly again so she starts IVIG infusions again on the 30th. It would have been next Wednesday, but they decided to back it up a week and not force her in. It is not surprising that they have to do this, but it is an indication that her blood work is no longer stable.

Crime Review Update

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 and editor Martin Edwards in the Countdown hot seat:

http://crimereview.co.uk/page.php/interview/4081

We’re on Twitter at:

Crime Review: @CrimeReviewUK

Linda Wilson: @CrimeReviewer

Sharon Wheeler: @lartonmedia

This week’s reviews are:

LOCKWOOD & CO: THE CREEPING SHADOW by Jonathan Stroud, reviewed by Linda

Wilson

Lucy Carlyle has left Lockwood & Co to strike out on her own, but her

resolve is tested when Lockwood comes to her with a proposition.

NUMERO ZERO by Umberto Eco, reviewed by Chris Roberts

A journalist, convinced that the death of Mussolini was faked in a

conspiracy linked to many subsequent Italian events, is found stabbed.

THE TIME TO KILL by Mason Cross, reviewed by Jim Beaman

Carter Blake worked for a top secret US government agency – but now they

want him dead.

THE RULES OF BACKYARD CRICKET by Jock Serong, reviewed by Sharon Wheeler

Darren Keefe and his brother are international cricket stars – but Darren

can always find trouble and someone wants him dead.

OFF THE GRID by CJ Box, reviewed by Chris Roberts

Nate Romanowski’s attempt to stay off the grid is ended when two government

agents pressure him into undertaking a special mission. Luckily his old

friend Joe Pickett is around to give him a hand.

THE ICE CHILD by Camilla Lackberg, reviewed by Ewa Sherman

In the frozen forest a traumatised semi-naked girl wanders aimlessly. When

she finally reaches a road, the approaching car fails to stop. The accident

leaves the police and the local community completely shaken.

THE LOST SWIMMER by Ann Turner, reviewed by Sharon Wheeler

Rebecca Wilding, an Aussie archaeology professor, is accused of fraud. And

then her husband goes missing …

THE DEAD HOUSE by Harry Bingham, reviewed by John Cleal

The discovery of a woman’s body, dressed in white and laid out in a

candle-lit ‘death house’ in a Welsh valley church sets Detective Sergeant

Fiona Lewis on her most baffling case.

PRESENT TENSE by WHS McIntyre, reviewed by Chris Roberts

Lawyer Robbie Munro gets a visit from old client Billy Paris, who deposits

a parcel for safekeeping. Several parties think Munro is in possession of

information they are very keen to get hold of.

THE AMBER SHADOWS by Lucy Ribchester, reviewed by John Cleal

Honey Deschamps works at Britain’s wartime top secret intercept and

decoding centre. Somebody starts to send her parcels of amber, apparently

from a looted Russian palace. Who is responsible, and in a place where

everyone keeps secrets, who can she trust?

DETONATOR by Andy McNab, reviewed by Linda Wilson

Nick Stone is on the run with a seven-year-old boy in tow, hampered by the

fact that he has no memory of who is out to kill him, or why.

RETRIBUTION by Steffen Jacobsen, reviewed by Arnold Taylor

On a beautiful autumn day a Muslim suicide bomber triggers an explosion in

the Tivoli Gardens, Copenhagen, killing more than 1000 people.  A year goes

by and, in spite of intensive efforts to find the criminals, no arrests

have been made.

STRANGERS ON A BRIDGE: The Case of Colonel Abel by James B Donovan,

reviewed by John Cleal

The true story of the arrest and trial of Soviet spy Colonel Rudolf Abel by

the man who defended him – and his eventual exchange for shot down U2 pilot

Gary Powers.

ROBERT B PARKER’S KICKBACK by Ace Atkins, reviewed by Linda Wilson

Blackburn, Massachusetts, has a zero tolerance policy for juvenile crime,

as teenager Dillon Yates discovers to his cost when a joke spectacularly

backfires.

BENEATH THE SURFACE by Jo Spain, reviewed by John Cleal

A minister’s aide is murdered in the Irish parliament building. Detective

Inspector Tom Reynolds and his team must uncover the truth in a sea of

lies, corruption and secrets.

LITTLE APPLE by Leo Perutz, reviewed by Arnold Taylor

Five Austrian prisoners of war, released by the Russians in 1918, have

sworn to seek revenge on the Camp Commandant.

A TIME OF TORMENT by John Connolly, reviewed by John Barnbrook

Charlie Parker and his two sidekicks, Angel and Louis, appear to have the

power to know and intervene in deviant criminal behaviour. This power

serves them well as they investigate cases of missing young girls and pit

themselves against the insidious power of The Cut.

JESSICA’S GHOST by Andrew Norriss, reviewed by Linda Wilson

No one is more surprised than Jessica when someone is finally able to see

her and talk to her. It’s lonely being a ghost, but now she has Francis for

a friend.

BY GASLIGHT by Steven Price, reviewed by John Cleal

American detective William Pinkerton is in London following up his father’s

obsession with ‘phantom’ crook Edward Shade.

BLADE OF LIGHT by Andrea Camilleri, reviewed by Sylvia Maughan

Inspector Montalbano is called to investigate the mystery of a house which

appears to have had a door removed.

Best wishes

Sharon

The Glory of the Stars (by Angie Lofthouse) is Now Available

The Glory of the Stars (by Angie Lofthouse) is Now Available 

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Nevermore: Brideshead Revisited, Strings of Murde...

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Nevermore: Brideshead Revisited, Strings of Murde...: Reported by Jeanne Nevermore opened with the re-reading of a classic:   Brideshead Revisited   by Evelyn Waugh.   British officer C...

MRI

MRI is done and we just got home. She is in severe back pain as the table made things way worse for her. Cancer doc in the morning.

Diabetes Doc Day

Early this morning Sandi had an appointment with the diabetes doc. All in all, the diabetes doc thinks that things are good. She wants the folks at the oncologist office to do a couple of very specific blood tests to check a couple of things, but this happens frequently.

Next visit will be Feb 13 so now you know when DFW will have a "winter weather precipitation event."

In Reference To Murder: Media Murder for Monday (11/14/16)

In Reference To Murder: Media Murder for Monday (11/14/16)

A Writer's Life....Caroline Clemmons: WAYS TO THANK READERS FOR SUPPORT!

A Writer's Life....Caroline Clemmons: WAYS TO THANK READERS FOR SUPPORT!: Dear Readers,  Thanks to each of you who made WILD WESTERN WOMEN – MISTLETOE, MONTANA an Amazon bestseller! The other authors and I ...

Monday Markets and Jobs for Writers for November 14, 2016 (The Practicing Writer)

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Review: To Kill A Dead Man by Icy Sedgewick

Picking up a short while after The Guns Of Retribution, Bounty Hunter Grey O'Donnell is on the trail and heading into Bentley, Colorado in To Kill A Dead Man. He and Billy Cole are hoping to find the notorious Cyrus Guthrie. The final member of the gang that bore his name, he has left a trail of bodies and innocent lives ruined in his wake. Whether he is responsible for the bloody boot they have just found on the trail or not isn't clear, but Grey O'Donnell isn't about to follow Billy's suggestion that they investigate the surrounding woods. Instead, he wants to go to town and see if they can get some information about where Guthrie is hiding and locate somebody that is familiar with these woods outside of town.

The bar in the old mining town is pretty busy. Most of the daytime drinkers in “The Rose” are miners. Men that one would expect in the middle of the day to be up working in the mine are instead drinking and playing cards. They are not working because word is that the mine is haunted so the miners do not want to work. What is happening up at the mine isn’t the only strange thing going on in and around Bentley in To Kill A Dead Man by Icy Sedgwick.

While The Guns Of Retribution was a straight forward western and a very good one, this second novel in the series is heavy on the supernatural. Character development for main character Grey O’Donnell is almost nonexistent as the focus in To Kill A Dead Man is on what is haunting the mine and surrounding woods. Primarily a horror tale that just happens to use a western setting, To Kill A Dead Man is a good one if the supernatural or horror type of read works for you. If you want your westerns to primarily be a western tale along traditional lines, then this one might not work so well for you.

To Kill A Dead Man

Icy Sedgewick

http://www.icysedgwick.com/

Beat To A Pulp

http://www.beattoapulp.com

January 2016

ASIN: B01BCM9FSW

eBook (Paperback available)

150 Pages

$1.49

I picked this up back in April when I had some funds in my Amazon Associate account because I had very much enjoyed the first one in the series. I did not pay attention to the book description and I absolutely should have. As long time readers of my reviews and my blog well know, horror and supernatural reads are not my thing.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2016

YouCaring: Memorial for Dave Nunn Jr (Son of PJ Nunn)

Many of you know PJ Nunn, owner of Breakthrough Promotions. Her son, David, tragically passed away on Friday after a long battle against many medical issues.Now, along with their grief, the family is faced with medical bills and funeral costs. If you can help, please do so. Also, please take a moment and share this post so that others are aware and can help if they are able to do so.

From the YouCaring donation page.....


Most of you know David Nunn Jr has been fighting serious medical issues that began in 2011 with a bad staph infection that cost him his right leg and caused his lungs to fail. He's been a fighter, persistently overcoming obstacles and surprising his doctors. But this week he faced his final battle and breathed his last breath Friday afternoon,  November 11th. Unfortunately, due to his age and the chronic medical issues,  he didn't have life insurance and his family is now faced with enormous funeral costs and outstanding medical bills.  We would really appreciate any donations to help them cover these expenses. The funeral is Friday, November 18th and funeral costs must be paid by noon on Thursday. Thank you,  in advance for any help and support.

Crafty Lady Sandi: Ribbon colors

Crafty Lady Sandi: Ribbon colors: Hi! Crafters! I have been trying to get the chart posted for the ribbons for each kind of cancer.   Hopefully this will work. ...

Crime Watch: Review: THE KIND WORTH KILLING

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KRL This Week Update for 11/12/16

Up this morning in KRL a review & giveaway of "Twice Told Tail" by Ali Brandon along with a fun Thanksgiving guest post from Ali http://kingsriverlife.com/11/12/twice-told-tail-by-ali-brandon/

Also a review & giveaway of "Better Late Than Never" by Jenn McKinlay http://kingsriverlife.com/11/12/better-late-than-never-by-jenn-mckinlay/

And a review & giveaway of "Skydive" by Susan O'Brien http://kingsriverlife.com/11/12/skydive-by-susan-obrien/

We also have a review & giveaway of "A Composition in Murder" by Larissa Reinhart

http://kingsriverlife.com/11/12/a-composition-in-murder-by-larissa-reinhart/

And a review & giveaway of "Rhythm & Clues" by Sue Ann Jaffarian http://kingsriverlife.com/11/12/rhythm-clues-by-sue-ann-jaffarian/

We also have the first of several Thanksgiving mystery short stories going up this month, this one by B.k. Stevens http://kingsriverlife.com/11/12/how-safe-can-you-get-a-thanksgiving-mystery-short-story/

And another mystery short story, this one by Gary R. Hoffman http://kingsriverlife.com/11/12/spoon-murders-mystery-short-story/

And an article about the mystery novels of ML Longworth http://kingsriverlife.com/11/12/verlaque-and-bonnet-m-l-longworths-provencal-investigative-team/

Happy Reading,

Lorie

--

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/

Lesa's Latest Contest-- Christmas book giveaway

This week, giving away copies of Rhys Bowen's Away in a Manger & Anita Hughes' Christmas in Paris. Details on my blog, http://www.lesasbookcritiques.blogspot.com. Entries from the U.S. only, please.

Lesa Holstine  

lesa.holstine@gmail.com 

http://www.lesasbookcritiques.blogspot.com

A Writer's Life....Caroline Clemmons: MERRY FARMER'S CREATIVE IDEA!

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