KN Magazine: Reviews
Below the Fold by R.G. Belsky/Review by Liz Gatterer
Below the Fold
By R.G. Belsky
Oceanview Publishing
$16.00
ISBN 978-1608093243
Publication Date: May 07, 2019
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2020 Silver Falchion Finalist
R.G. Belsky’s latest novel, Below the Fold (sequel to Yesterday’s News) features Clare Carlson, seasoned news director at Channel 10 in NYC. It is her job to decide which stories to put on-air, trying to choose those that will sell but still have some depth to them. She decides to take a risk and report on the seemingly unimportant murder of a homeless woman in the vestibule of a bank. This is woman no one cares about, which is why Clare sees this story as important. Every life has value. Everyone has a story—and this one turns out to be very important.
Dora Gayle, the murdered homeless woman, was once a beautiful young student at NYU with all her life ahead of her. How did she fall so far? Clare has only found out a little bit about Dora when a second murder is committed. This time, it is the brutal murder of a Wall Street executive—a woman who very much mattered.
The second murdered woman, Grace Mancuso was wealthy, beautiful, and corrupt. She was at the center of a huge investment scam and had taken a plea that saved her own neck while sending many of her colleagues to jail. The police discovered the murder weapon—a cheap, wooden statue of the Empire States Building—and a list. The list is of five names that include a former congressman, a police detective, a well-known defense lawyer, and Dora Gayle, the murdered homeless woman. What on earth these names have to do with each other seems unfathomable. But, Clare intends to find out.
Belsky certainly shines in the mystery genre. As a resident New Yorker and a former journalist, he has the inside knowledge that makes his characters vividly authentic and believable. Clare is not an “observant-little-old-lady” or a “high-functioning-sociopath.” She is a tenacious bulldog of a reporter that cannot put a good story down. Her connections are not conveniently coincidental but come from her real (and sometimes very conflicted) life. She is a strong character. Not a strong female character—don’t cut her short by bringing those kind of labels in. She can and will bring you down.
Belsky’s writing style is pragmatic and reflects his journalistic past. But don’t expect the puzzle pieces to fit together too easily. What may appear, on the surface, to be an easy 500 piece puzzle turns out to be a double-sided nightmare where the pieces fit together in more than one way.
Liz Gatterer attended Tulane University while living in New Orleans. It was there that she first began working with authors in the printing industry. Originally from Upstate New York, she moved to Nashville with her husband to pursue their careers (his being music). Three (absolutely fabulous) children later, she has returned to the working world in the industry she loves. She currently lives in Spring Hill with said husband and children, dogs, cats, and various other creatures. The necessity of multitasking has led her to an addiction to audiobooks – but, when able to, she still prefers to curl up with a good book (and a child in her lap).
A Knife's Edge by Eliot Parker/Review by Jim Reed
A Knife's Edge
By Eliot Parker
Headline Books
$19.95
ISBN 978-1946664426
Publication Date: October 2018
Silver Falchion
BOOK OF THE DAY
A Knife’s Edge by Eliot Parker is a twisted bit of fiction. The sequel to Fragile Brilliance (Roundfire Books 2015), this is not a mystery for the faint of heart – and you will not guess the ending. The Clay Center was twenty years in the making. Completion was only made possible with the generous donation by the BTech company, the savior apparent of economically depressed Charleston, West Virginia. Charleston has been in a downward spiral for a while. The streets are run by gangs and the residents have turned to the absolutely devastating drug Krokodil (Krok). But tonight marks the beginning of a new era – maybe. The drama begins when Sargent Ronan McCullough of the Charleston police department crashes the celebration dinner and reception of a new cancer center at the Clay Center. But he’s not the only one. A car barrels though the windows into the crowded ballroom and chaos ensues. Interestingly, the driver of the van is dead – and was dead before the van crashed the party. In the trunk of the vehicle is the brutally murdered body of Sarah Gilmore, former nurse and current employee at BTech. There is a lot happening in Charleston.
Eliot Parker is a magician at the thriller genre. This is a completely engrossing, high-speed page turner of a book. I truly enjoyed the ride. But, there is more to it than that. Parker has a way of slipping in details quietly that lodge in your subconscious until they assemble into a vivid revelation. He never tells you what is happening. He shows you. Paints the scene and you are right there with the characters experiencing it. That is not an easy trick.
I have not read the first book in the Ronan McCullough series – but it is next on my “to read” list.
I Know Who You Are by Alice Feeney/Review by Liz Gatterer
I Know Who You Are
By Alice Feeney
Flat Iron Books
$27.99
ISBN 978-1250147349
Publication Date: April 23, 2019
BOOK OF THE DAY
I Know Who You Are is the second novel from British author Alice Feeney. Feeney is a terrifically twisted storyteller and her novels are wickedly entertaining. I have read both of her novels and absolutely love her ability to create characters that are deeply flawed yet very relatable – at least to me.
Aimee Sinclair is an up-and-coming actress British actress. Her career is taking off as her marriage is dissolving. When she returns home to find that her husband is missing – she doesn’t seem too concerned. He has been quite an ass lately and it is almost a relief that he is not home. But where is he? It is all a bit strange. The police don’t quite know what to make of the disappearance and they believe Aimee is hiding something – which she is, but it’s nothing to do with her husband. Aimee’s secrets are her own and not even her husband knew them. Or did he?
It is almost impossible to recap this novel without giving away key points, so I am not going to try. Suffice it to say, you won’t see the end coming! Feeney’s writing style is similar in some ways to Gillian Flynn – they both have very demented imaginations and are masters of the unreliable narrator genre. As with Feeney’s first novel, Sometimes I Lie, we know from the beginning that we can’t quite trust the characters, but that doesn’t keep us from enjoying (in a nail-biting and psyche-cringing way) the story as it unfolds. The moral of the story is, be careful what you wish for… you just might get it.
City of Grudges by Rick Outzen/Review by Gary Frazier
City of Grudges
By Rick Outzen
Select Books
$16.99
ISBN 978-1590794432
Publication Date: March 2018
Silver Falchion Candidate
BOOK OF THE DAY
You’ve got to have a thick skin if you’re going to be a reporter. Just look at the abuse real-life journalists take daily from a certain individual in the White House who has an affinity for calling them the “enemy of the people” and declaring their stories as being “fake news.”
Fictional journalists, like Walker Holmes, the hero of Rick Outzen’s new novel, City of Grudges, aren’t immune to such treatment either.
Holmes is the main investigative reporter/editor/publisher of his weekly paper, the Pensacola Insider. His quest for the truth gets him into trouble with his readers, sources, and subjects of his stories. He’s constantly confronted with advertising and readership boycotts, warrants for his arrest, defamation lawsuits, looming financial ruin, and even death threats because of his stories.
Holmes quickly learns that everyone has a grudge to settle.
Only his commitment to exposing falsehoods, corruption, and illegal acts see him through. When we meet Holmes, he’s already facing an angry backlash from philanthropist Bo Hines and Hines’ supporters after an article revealing potential embezzlement and fraud from the Arts Council that Hines heads up. An audit sparked as a result of his articles reveals $200,000 missing from the nonprofit and indictments against Hines.
Throw in the apparent suicide of Hines’ wife, the death of the sheriff’s brother, a missing persons case from 1973 involving Hines and local developer Jace Wittman, a bust involving a national porn ring, and the complications for Holmes quickly stack up.
Yet, through it all, Holmes maintains: “There’s nothing personal about any of this. It’s about the truth.”
Clocking in at just 256 pages, Outzen packs a lot into City ofGrudges’ pages and keeps the twists and turns coming at a fast and furious pace.
Robert Frazieris a former newspaper reporter and editor. He reviews books for Killer Nashville, BookPage, and his blog site. He has served as a script reader for both the Austin Film Festival and Nashville Film Festival screenwriting competitions and is a member of the Tennessee Screenwriting Association.
Under a Dark Sky by Lori Rader-Day/Review by Laura Hartman
Under a Dark Sky
By Lori Rader-Day
William Morrow
$26.99
ISBN 978-0062846143
Publication Date: August 2018
Silver Falchion Candidate
BOOK OF THE DAY
When Eden Wallace finds out her late husband had a reservation for their tenth year anniversary at Straits Point International Dark Sky Park, conflicting emotions boil inside her. Leaving Chicago to travel to a place where the night was king was not something she wanted to do. Since Bix died, she could not be in a dark room and venturing outside after dusk was physically impossible for the young widow.
Out of a sense of duty, like the military wife she had been, she decides to spend the week her husband mysteriously planned for them before his death. Upon her road weary arrival, she finds another couple in the house Bix reserved. That is when they all find out that the house has been rented to Eden as well as six strangers, who were college friends, for the next week. With night drawing near, Eden cannot drive back to Chicago, but plans to leave first thing in the morning. Unfortunately, one of the seven occupants in the house is murdered that night, most likely at the hand of one of the remaining six.
As the outsider, Eden is immediately under suspicion. The local police begin questioning her and each of the friends. They are not under arrest but must remain together in the house until things are sorted out. When tragedy strikes again, the tenuous link between all of them begins to crumble and secrets come to light.
Under the Dark Sky has everything a reader needs and more. The characters are engaging and realistic. I loved the way bits of the characters’ back stories are parceled out to the reader. The timing is perfect and just like meeting someone new, you only know what that character wants to share with you until they begin to open up. Everyone has secrets, some of them deadly. And last, but certainly not least, the setting is absolutely perfect. Not only the home that the seven main characters are thrust into sharing, but the Dark Sky Park itself plays a major role in the mystery.
This is the first book I have read by author Lori Rader-Day, but is the fourth one she has written. Under the Dark Sky is deservedly nominated for several awards. I highly recommend this book and would give more than five stars for this page turning mystery if that were possible. As the characters tell us in the book, there are an infinite number of stars in the sky. This author has earned them.
DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: I have a material connection because I received a review copy for free in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Copyright © 2019 Laura Hartman
For Sissy by A. H. Gilbert/Review by Laura Hartman
For Sissy
By A.H. Gilbert
Toad Song Publishing
$11.99
ISBN 978-1946091031
Publication Date: October 2018
Silver Falchion Candidate
BOOK OF THE DAY
Emerson is paying for the sins of his father. In hindsight, he made the mistake of his life by leaving his research work on invasive insects and coming to work for his father at the resort he was building. It seemed like the logical choice after his grant ran out and he discovered he is the father of six year old Courtney whom he met recently. Her mother was killed by a hit and run driver so now he has custody. But the worse turn of events was finding out his father used shoddy building materials, might have murdered someone and bilked others without Emerson’s knowledge. Since his father is gone, Emerson is now facing charges that may put him away for a long time even though he had no knowledge of his father’s crimes.
Just when Emerson assumes life cannot get any more complicated, the police have started questioning him in the recent attacks on young women. They seem to be connected to him so he is the logical suspect in their eyes. But there is a serial killer on the loose and he is hunting for Courtney, Emerson’s daughter. Courtney doesn’t fit his profile, but she is the only one that can identify him as the man she has had nightmares about since her mother’s death. Can Emerson stay out of jail long enough to keep her safe? Will the police listen to him when he thinks he has a stalker?
For Sissy is paced as fast as lightning and just as brilliant. The story picks up momentum like and approaching storm rumbling in the distance and doesn’t stop until it unleashes its fury. The page turning tension makes this a must read for all psychological thriller buffs. The story is solid, dropping clues like breadcrumbs for the reader to follow, ending with a shocking surprise at the end that I did not see coming.
I love everything about this book. The characters are multi-dimensional and believable, from the chilling calculations of the killer to the little girl. The bit players such as Emerson’s girlfriend and the police officers add richness and depth to the story. It kept me up late reading one more chapter to see what was going to happen next.
The is the first book I’ve read by A. H. Gilbert, but the second one he has written. I have already put his previous book, The Crandall Haunting at the top of my list of must read books.
DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: I have a material connection because I received a review copy for free in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Copyright © 2019 Laura Hartman
Absolute Proof by Peter James/Review by J.R. Gatterer
Absolute Proof
By Peter James
Macmillian
$26.00
ISBN 978-0230772182
Publication Date: October 2018
BOOK OF THE DAY
What would it take for you to be certain of the existence of God? That is the basic question that journalist Ross Hunter is asked in Peter James’ new thriller Absolute Proof. What would it take for the world to believe in God? What would one do with that proof? Does anyone really want there to be proof?
As far as a thriller goes, it is a slow-burning, intense, thought-provoking novel. Similar in many ways to Dan Brown’s books it features the main character, a journalist named Ross Hunter, thrust (more or less) unwillingly into the story. Hunter is approached by a widower that, through the services of a medium, is in possession of certain facts that he has been told to only share with Hunter himself. These facts will lead to absolute proof of the existence of God (let’s be clear, this is not proof of the Devine power, or evidence of the historical Jesus, but a very specific interpretation of the Christian God that would potentially incinerate relationships between religions.
There are three bits of “evidence” that leads to intense world-wide chase scenes, several bad guys, murders, budding romance and love gone wrong. For those who think it’s time to question how and what we believe about religion, this is a novel for you. Imagine, if you will, a Dan Brown novel infused with even more contemplation about our understanding of the Devine. James is very good at writing a dramatic thriller.
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens/Review by Sharon Marchisello
Where the Crawdads Sing
By Delia Owens
G.P. Putnam's Sons
$26.00
ISBN 978-0735219090
Publication Date: August 2018
BOOK OF THE DAY
Delia Owens hit the New York Times bestseller list with her haunting debut novel, Where the Crawdads Sing. It features a murder, a mystery, and courtroom drama, but more importantly, it's the story of a young woman forsaken by society, left to raise herself in a North Carolina coastal marsh.
The narrative alternates between 1969, when the body is discovered, and flashbacks starting in 1952, to the early life of the woman accused of killing the victim.
Catherine Clark, a.k.a., Kya, the Marsh Girl, didn't realize her family was poor; life in a shack without electricity on reclaimed marshland is all she's known. Then her mother leaves. Despite having five children who need her, Ma can no longer tolerate life with an abusive, alcoholic husband. One by one, Kya's three oldest siblings leave. Kya can't even remember their names, or what they look like. Then Jodie, the brother closest to her, who taught her many secrets of the marsh, decides he can no longer live in the same house with Pa. For a while, Kya is able to coexist with her father, to learn from him when he's sober, and hide from him when he's intoxicated. Eventually, he abandons her too, but at least he leaves his boat behind, after teaching Kya to operate it.
A truant officer visits the shack and persuades Kya to go into town to attend school. She lasts only one day, when she is so humiliated by the other students, she vows never to return. Despite more visits from truant officers, she eludes them by hiding in the marsh whenever they come looking for her.
Then Kya meets Tate, a friend of her brother Jodie, who shares her fascination with and keen observation of nature. He teaches her to read and write. He's her first love. But then he, too, leaves her behind when he's accepted into college.
Lonely, Kya takes up with Chase Andrews, a popular town boy who's bewitched by Kya's mystique. Although he promises her marriage and a normal life in society, he really wants to compartmentalize their relationship. Kya finds out by reading the newspaper that Chase is engaged to someone else.
Years go by. Tate returns and, impressed with Kya's collecting and detailed documenting of marsh specimens, encourages her to write guide books about the natural world she knows so thoroughly. Although she won't let him back into her life, she does accept his help in finding a publisher for her work. As a result, life becomes easier for her financially.
The highlight of the story is the suspicious death of Chase Andrews, who tumbles from a fire tower in the marsh. Kya is the prime suspect, and her trial emphasizes the isolation from the community that has been imposed on her during her entire life.
Like Kya, Delia Owens is a wildlife scientist, and her appreciation for nature is apparent in this beautifully written novel. Delia and her husband Mark spent many years researching endangered species and working on conservation projects in Africa. Before delving into fiction, she published three internationally bestselling nonfiction books that resulted from their studies. She currently lives in Idaho.
Sharon Marchisello (sharonmarchisello.com) is the author of Going Home, (Sunbury Press, 2014) a murder mystery inspired by her mother's battle with Alzheimer's disease, and a nonfiction book about personal finance, Live Well, Grow Wealth. One of her short stories was recently published in an anthology, Shhhh… Murder! (Darkhouse Books, 2018). She earned a Masters in Professional Writing from the University of Southern California and is a member of the Atlanta chapter of Sisters in Crime.
One Taste Too Many by Debra H. Goldstein/Review by Sharon Marchisello
One Taste Too Many
By Debra H. Goldstein
Kensington
$7.99
ISBN 978-1496719478
Publication Date: December 2018
BOOK OF THE DAY
One Taste Too Many, by Deborah H. Goldstein, is the first in a new three-book series from Kensington. True to the cozy mystery genre, it contains recipes, family drama, misplaced trust, and a cat.
The protagonist, divorcée Sarah Blair, struggles to make ends meet as a receptionist for a law firm in Wheaton, Alabama. She has little to show from her ten-year marriage to ruthless real estate mogul Bill Blair except for RahRah, the Siamese cat she inherited from Bill's deceased mother. When the story opens, Sarah gets a call from her twin sister Emily (a talented chef who is Sarah's opposite) stating that Bill is dead, possibly poisoned by Emily's award-winning rhubarb crisp.
Sarah enlists Harlan, her boss, to represent Emily during questioning by Peter Mueller, the Wheaton police chief whom she's known since high school. Harlan would do anything for Sarah, including keeping her on the payroll despite her mediocre office skills because he's a little enamored of her. As is Peter.
While Emily, out on bail, prepares for an important culinary competition, Sarah pretends to help her at the venue in order to do a little amateur sleuthing. Then a fellow chef is murdered, and Emily is again found hovering over the victim.
Another complication arises when Jane, rival chef to Emily and fiancée/beneficiary of Bill, claims she is the rightful owner of RahRah and demands that Sarah hand over her beloved pet. Apparently, Bill's mother left him a sizable animal trust and carriage house to go with it, for the use of RahRah's caretaker. Something Bill neglected to tell Sarah about when he gave her the cat. Despite Harlan's efforts to find a legal loophole, Sarah is obligated to relinquish RahRah to Jane, even though the woman obviously only wants the cat for the money associated with him.
Sarah's sleuthing takes her beyond the kitchen as she follows the money to unravel Bill's complex real estate dealings. Suspicion shifts among the characters; just when I thought I'd figured out the killer, new twists appeared. The author keeps the reader guessing until the stunning conclusion.
Deborah H. Goldstein, a frequent panelist at Killer Nashville, is the author of Maze in Blue and Should Have Played Poker, a Silver Falchion nominee. Her short story, “The Night They Burned Ms. Dixie’s Place,” was published by Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine (May/June 2017) and was later named an Anthony and Agatha Award Finalist. A former litigator and judge, Deborah now lives with her husband in Birmingham. She is active in Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and the Guppies.
Sharon Marchisello (sharonmarchisello.com) is the author of Going Home, (Sunbury Press, 2014) a murder mystery inspired by her mother's battle with Alzheimer's disease, and a nonfiction book about personal finance, Live Well, Grow Wealth. She earned a Masters in Professional Writing from the University of Southern California and is a member of the Atlanta chapter of Sisters in Crime. She lives in Peachtree City, GA, with her husband and cat, does volunteer work for the Fayette Humane Society, and writes a blog about personal finance, Countdown to Financial Fitness https://sharonmarchisello.blogspot.com/.
Room Full of Night by TR Kenneth/Review by Bill Hopkins
A Room Full of Night
By TR Kenneth
Oceanview Publishing
$26.99
ISBN 978-1608093229
Publication Date: March 5, 2019
BOOK OF THE DAY
A spy novel is the highest form of the thriller genre. A successful spy novel is one that slaps you in the face at the start, then throws you down a greased slide that twists and turns and never lets you go until the end where your destination is a surprise.
You’ll receive that treat when you read TR Kenneth’s first thriller novel, A Room Full of Night.
The premise is that a “determined gimp” winds up in a jigsaw puzzle of death and destruction left over from World War II. After a life full of misery, the point arrives when Stag Maguire “...should have stayed home and re-enacted the family tradition by slipping a needle in his arm and sinking into sweet oblivion.”
Things were horrible for Stag. Then they got worse.
Instead of giving up, though, he offers to help another loser in closing down his bar after it’s been foreclosed by the county sheriff. During the decision-making on what should stay and what should be stolen from the sheriff’s view, the two men find a secret message, crying for help. But the message is on a piece of silk, removed from the back of a picture of a nasty person who may be an ancestor of the bar owner.
The message leads Stag to an apartment in Berlin, where he finds that the National Socialists (i.e., Nazis) are still alive and as dangerous as ever.
Silk played an important part in World War II as a means of sending and receiving secret messages. (That’s explained in the book. No spoilers from me!)
After the discovery that the bad guys are still around, the race is on with the prize being a world free from nuclear war. And such a war would last years, not seconds. As one character points out, “A megaton ground burst [of a nuclear weapon] to the most fertile part of the Great Plains would ...disperse and contaminate the US’s [and Canada’s] most vital food source....”
Who doesn’t love the twists and turns of a conspiracy novel? And this one has a conspiracy going back to World War II that connects with conspiracy in the 21st Century!
That, my friends, is a platinum win!
Buy this book. Read it. Review it.
Bill Hopkins is retired after beginning his legal career in 1971, serving as a private attorney, prosecuting attorney, an administrative law judge, and a trial court judge, all in Missouri. Bill is a member of Horror Writers Association, Heartland Writers Guild, and Sisters In Crime. Bill and his wife, Sharon Woods Hopkins (a mystery writer!), live in Marble Hill, Missouri, with their dogs and cats. Courting Murder was his first novel and his second novel River Mourn won first place in the Best Novel of 2014 from the Missouri Writers Guild.
Learn more about Bill at his website, deadlyduo.net!
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