Thursday, September 20, 2018
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Potato Branch: Sketches of Mountain Memories by J...
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Potato Branch: Sketches of Mountain Memories by J...: Reviewed by Kristin BPL Book Bingo takes us down paths where we might not usually travel, but we are often much enriched by taki...
Wednesday, September 19, 2018
Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity: 18 Magazines Accepting Reprints - Paying Markets
Publishing ... and Other Forms of Insanity: 18 Magazines Accepting Reprints - Paying Markets: Escher - Flickr - Attanatta There is nothing quite like having your work published after you have spent months sending your stories or p...
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Bono by Helen Brown
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Bono by Helen Brown: Reviewed by Jeanne Have you ever wanted to just start over? Reinvent yourself? Get out of the ruts of going to work, mak...
Only days left to win books and more on KRL
Only days left to win a copy of "To Catch a Witch" by Heather Blake
http://kingsriverlife.com/09/15/to-catch-a-witch-by-heather-blake/
And to win a copy of "Sherlock Holmes and the Disappearing Diva" by Kelly Rey and Gemma Halliday,and while there check out an interesting interview with both authors
http://kingsriverlife.com/09/15/sherlock-holmes-and-the-case-of-the-disappearing-diva/
Also to win a fun gift basket from Lorraine Bartlett when you check out our review of her book "A Reel Catch"
http://kingsriverlife.com/09/15/a-reel-catch-by-lorraine-bartlett/
And to win a copy of "Travellin' Shoes" by VM Burns and while there check out a fun guest post by her about writing what you know
http://kingsriverlife.com/09/15/travellin-shoes-by-v-m-burns/
And on KRL News & Reviews, only days left to win a copy of "In the Dog House" by VM Burns
https://www.krlnews.com/2018/09/in-dog-house-by-vm-burns.html
And to win a copy of "Disorderly Conduct" by Mary Feliz
https://www.krlnews.com/2018/09/disorderly-conduct-by-mary-feliz.html
Also to win a copy of "Live and Let Chai" by Bree Baker Books
https://www.krlnews.com/2018/09/live-and-let-chai-by-bree-baker.html
Happy reading,
Lorie
http://kingsriverlife.com/09/15/to-catch-a-witch-by-heather-blake/
And to win a copy of "Sherlock Holmes and the Disappearing Diva" by Kelly Rey and Gemma Halliday,and while there check out an interesting interview with both authors
http://kingsriverlife.com/09/15/sherlock-holmes-and-the-case-of-the-disappearing-diva/
Also to win a fun gift basket from Lorraine Bartlett when you check out our review of her book "A Reel Catch"
http://kingsriverlife.com/09/15/a-reel-catch-by-lorraine-bartlett/
And to win a copy of "Travellin' Shoes" by VM Burns and while there check out a fun guest post by her about writing what you know
http://kingsriverlife.com/09/15/travellin-shoes-by-v-m-burns/
And on KRL News & Reviews, only days left to win a copy of "In the Dog House" by VM Burns
https://www.krlnews.com/2018/09/in-dog-house-by-vm-burns.html
And to win a copy of "Disorderly Conduct" by Mary Feliz
https://www.krlnews.com/2018/09/disorderly-conduct-by-mary-feliz.html
Also to win a copy of "Live and Let Chai" by Bree Baker Books
https://www.krlnews.com/2018/09/live-and-let-chai-by-bree-baker.html
Happy reading,
Lorie
Tuesday, September 18, 2018
Review: TOUGH: Crime Stories Editor Rusty Barnes
TOUGH:
Crime Stories opens with “Texas Hot Flash” featuring
police Officer Sunshine McCall. A day in the life of the officer who happens to
be turning 40 with plenty to do and burdened by far too many memories.
Charlie
is very much lost as “Night Drive” by JM Taylor begins. A nighttime drive to
the pool at the college has gone horribly wrong. He is lost and in his
wandering has come across somebody from his old high school class. She is on a
street corner panhandling. She needs his help and one favor will lead to
another.
Someone
needing help is also a major point of the next story, “Lavina” by Richard
Prosch. At one end of the duplex are Danny Parks and his girlfriend, Tammy. At
the other end, there is Lavina and some guy she apparently lives with. Danny
and Tammy never paid much attention to them until it became very clear Lavina
need their help.
Our
narrator is the owner of the oldest tattoo store in the Bay Area and lives with
Megan who is a waitress. Each day is pretty much the same except for some artsy
kid from the university. The kid keeps coming in to the tattoo shop more and
more. Not only is he a bit different, he might be up to something in “St. Girard’s
Ink Den” by Mark Rapacz.
Kachencko
had spotted Jonas at the airport. That was a complication he didn’t need in “Detour”
by Tom Andes. The clock is ticking and Kachenko has a mission to complete.
Francie
is supposed to be marrying Nattie though, at the moment with his waving around
of the gun and the white powder around his nostrils, he really isn’t displaying
model behavior for a potential husband. In “Kennick” by Nelson Stanley, Kennick
deals with his cousin’s future husband as best is he can.
Mantra’s
dad used to talk about how a man needs to know himself. Mantra lives by that
principal and does in “Working Overtime” by Matt Phillips. He would also argue
that one needs to know others as well. Mantra, a cop, knows what is happening
in his city as well as what is going on in a certain bungalow in Palm Springs.
Things have to be dealt with one way or another.
James
and Harlan had a great plan in “And they Shall Take Up Serpents” by Chris McGinley.
The first part of their most excellent plan was to borrow the church van used by
their preacher. The same preacher who likes to use snakes in his services. They
really should have thought more about the snake issue.
Being
a waiter at Shenanigans on a Friday evening as happy hour rages on into the
night is not a lot of fun. Rob knows he is about to get screwed as the party of
ten sits down in “run, Jennifer” by Doungjai Gam. He has dealt with the group
before and they always leave a crappy tip. The only person in the group he
likes is Jennifer. The usual crappy tip
from the group will be the least of the problems on this night.
While
nobody has seen Carmen Sloane for five years now, everyone in the neighborhood has
seen her husband, Tom. He always makes a major point of talking about her. What
happened to Carmen is the point of “Love-Honor- Cherish” by J. D. Graves. A husband
has a duty to make his wife happy.
Chess
did his time and now is back home. Amir acts like they are fine and all, but
Chess senses that Amir is suspicious. Considering that Chess went to prison and
kept his mouth shut, Amir should be grateful in “Doubt Thou the Stars Are Fire”
by S. A. Crosby.
Stan
blew up his old life and is dealing with the aftermath in “Blood Daughter” by
Matthew Lyons. That includes trying to stay in touch with his daughter, Cassie,
despite the interference by his ex, Melinda. He may need to move forward by replacing
his family a piece at a time.
Katie
knows what is coming so now all she can do is “Leave The World a Better Place”
by Tom Barlow. She does. One shot at a time.
The
final story is an “opening excerpt” titled “Ruby Behemoth” by Court Merrigan.
Ivy was supposed to pick up Ruby Hix when she stepped out from the Women’s Penitentiary
in Chowchilla, California. She didn’t. That will be dealt with latter as Ruby
has errands to run and people to see.
The
stories in TOUGH: Crime Stories cover a broad spectrum in crime fiction. In
a couple of cases the stories tend more towards the horror genre than crime
fiction. In most of the cases, the situations the characters face are extreme
violence or day to day drudgery as whatever promise they had, if any, was never
fulfilled. These tales don’t feature kittens, balloons, or happy time thoughts---unless
serious drugs are involved. These are stories of lives coming apart at the seams
or lives dying a slow death in the day to day drudgery of just getting through
the day. Not an easy read and certainly not for all readers, the stories in TOUGH:
Crime Stories all showcase the idea that noir can come in many
different flavors.
TOUGH: Crime Stories
Editor
Rusty Barnes
Redneck
Press
August
2018
ISBN#
978-0692166543
Paperback
Only
166
Pages
$10.95
ARC
PDF supplied by Editor Rusty Barnes with no expectation of a review.
Kevin
R. Tipple ©2018
Monday, September 17, 2018
TEXAS BOOK LOVER: Monday Roundup: Texas Literary Calendar for Septem...
TEXAS BOOK LOVER: Monday Roundup: Texas Literary Calendar for Septem...: Bookish goings-on in Texas for the week of September 17-23, 2018: Special Events: Writers' Feast 2018 , Dallas, September 21 SCBWI ...
Aubrey Hamilton Reviews: Accent on Murder by Richard and Frances Lockridge
Frances Davis
Lockridge (1896-1963) and
Richard Lockridge (1899-1982)
were journalists known mostly for their Mr. and Mrs. North mysteries. A
good analysis of these books (written by Charles L.P. Silet)
can be found on MysteryNet.com here: http://www.mysterynet.com/books/testimony/norths/
About 70 books
form the lavish Lockridge oeuvre, released
between 1936 and 1980. In addition to the books about the Norths and Lt. Bill
Weigand of the New York City police, the Lockridges also created stand-alone mysteries
and mysteries with Nathan Shapiro, a police detective who worked for Bill
Weigand; with Bernie Simmons, an assistant district attorney in New York City;
with Paul Lane, a detective in the New York City 19th Precinct; and with
Inspector Merton Heimrich of the New York State Police Bureau of Criminal
Identification, stationed in upstate New York. Of them all, the books featuring
Lt./Capt./Inspector Heimrich are my favorites.
Lt.
Heimrich first appears in a North mystery, Death of a Tall Man
(1946) and then features in his own book the following year. (The Lockridges
liked to work their characters hard: Paul Lane pops up in several of the Bernie
Simmons books and Nathan Shapiro appears in at least one Merton Heimrich story.
Professor Emeritus Walter Brinkley shows up in multiple series.)
Heimrich’s
beat is Putnam County and the surrounding area north of New York City, bordering
the state of Connecticut, and a developing bedroom community at the time the
books were written. The Lockridges describe the land along the Hudson River,
where Putnam County is situated, lovingly; it must have been deeply important
to them. A lot of the tension and action in this series derives from resentment
of newcomers to what had been secluded rural enclaves owned by generations of the
wealthy. With commuter trains reaching further into the country in the 1950s, suburban
home ownership and work in the city became possible and many ambitious families
took full advantage. Then there were the nouveau riche anxious to become
country squires, also deeply disliked for their new money, presumption, and
disruption to the status quo. Much of the point of these books I think was to
examine a dramatically changing way of life and its impact on different groups.
In Accent
on Murder, one of my series favorites because of its geek plot, Walter
Brinkley, Professor Emeritus, is throwing a cocktail party for a recently
married acquaintance. Professor Brinkley in his retirement is writing a book on
American accents. Amusingly entitled A Note on American Regional Accents,
the manuscript is some 1200 pages long and not yet complete. A newcomer to the
area is killed by a shotgun and a local resident who isn’t entirely stable is
suspected but those who know him can’t believe he’s violent.
While
the police procedure is solid during most of the book, I have to confess the
plot seems to gallop near the end and has a certain amount of “And then a
miracle occurred” to wrap it up. The real strength of the book is the locale
and the characters and of course Professor Brinkley’s learned commentary on the
accents of everyone around him. The interaction between Professor Brinkley and
his housekeeper is particularly charming. Highly recommended for anyone but
especially readers of Golden Age mysteries.
·
Hardcover: 223 pages
·
Publisher: Lippincott;
1st edition (1958)
·
Language: English
·
ASIN: B0007DWVA2
Aubrey Hamilton ©2018
Aubrey
Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and
reads mysteries at night.
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