Every Crooked Path by Steven James / Reviewed by G. Robert Frazier

Killer Nashville Book of the Day

Find Every Crooked Path at Killer Nashville's associate, Amazon.com*

Steven James
Credit Eric McCarty

Every Crooked Path by Steven James
Reviewed by G. Robert Frazier

Reading Every Crooked Path, the new novel by national bestselling author Steven James, is like peeling an onion: each layer of mystery pulled back reveals something more foul and evil than the last.

What starts as an investigation into a fatal stabbing takes a twisted turn when James’ recurring hero, FBI Special Agent Patrick Bowers, uncovers a child exploitation ring on the Dark Web, a cyberworld hidden away from the regular internet, where anonymous clients barter and trade in sexually explicit photographs of minors for their perverted pleasure and the profit of a mysterious cadre of webmasters.

James hooks readers right from the start, as within the first few pages Bowers is attacked at the crime scene in a Manhattan high-rise. Bowers manages to fend off his attacker, but before he can get anything out of him, the man jumps off the balcony to his death, leaving behind a key and a cryptic clue to an even larger conspiracy.

Partnered with Detective Tobin Cavanaugh, a special agent with NYPD’s Special Victims Unit, Bowers pieces together clues to a series of child abductions and their connection to the suicide victim. Bowers ultimately must go undercover to infiltrate the conspirators and bring them down from within, discovering along the way that not everyone is who they seem and that they will do anything to keep their secrets intact.

James purposefully spares readers from any graphic depictions of children in exploitative situations, explaining in an Author’s Note, “I chose to show the reactions of the characters seeing them. I’ll trust your imagination to fill in the rest.” It’s both a sensitive and confident decision on James’ part; sensitive in that the subject matter is horrifyingly real, yet is handled in a delicate manner, and confident in that James is able to craft the dark world of crimes against children without having to resort to graphic excess. Given today’s landscape of in-your-face, no-holds-barred storytelling, James’ approach is both refreshing and admirable, as well as something a lesser author might not be able to pull off.

At nearly 600 pages, Every Crooked Path (Signet) is a surprisingly quick read with short chapters, snappy dialogue, and tautly written action scenes.

James is the national bestselling author of nine novels, including the critically acclaimed thrillers Checkmate, The King, Opening Moves, and The Queen. He has won three Christy Awards for best suspense and was a finalist for an International Thriller Award. His thriller The Bishop was named Suspense Magazine’s book of the year. For more information, visit StevenJames.net, Facebook.com/sjamesauthor, and @sjamesauthor on Twitter.

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G. Robert Frazier is a writer and an avid reader living in La Vergne, Tenn. He reads for the Nashville Film Festival and Austin Film Festival screenwriting competitions and is an active member of the Tennessee Screenwriters Association, Nashville Writers Meetup groups, and La Vergne Library Board. Follow him on Twitter @grfrazier23 and visit his Adventures in Writing blog at https://grfrazier.wordpress.com.

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If you have a book you would like featured, send an ARC for consideration. The Killer Nashville Book of the Day Reviews are coordinated by Clay Stafford with the assistance of Emily Eytchison and credited guest reviewers.

For more writer resources, visit us at www.KillerNashville.com, www.KillerNashvilleBookCon, and www.KillerNashvilleMagazine.com.

*Killer Nashville is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. If you purchase a book from the links on this page, Amazon will give Killer Nashville a small percentage of the total sale. Killer Nashville receives zero compensation (other than sometimes the book to review) from publishers who have been selected for the Book of the Day.

Plain Dead by Emma Miller / Reviewed by Sharon Marchisello

Killer Nashville Book of the Day

Find Plain Dead at Killer Nashville's associate, Amazon.com*

Rachel Mast straddles the Amish world where she grew up, and the “English” world where she tried living for several years in corporate America, before returning to Stone Mill, Pennsylvania, to run a Bed & Breakfast. Plain Dead, the third installment in Emma Miller’s Amish mystery series, opens with Rachel organizing the Winter Frolic, a festival designed to bring in tourists with a much-needed cash infusion for the Amish community.

Newspaperman and gossip columnist Bill Billingsley threatens to expose a secret from Rachel’s stint on Wall Street that could jeopardize her standing in the community. The two argue publicly. The next morning, Bill is found frozen to death on his front porch, bound and gagged and locked out of his house.

Evan, Rachel’s fiancé, is the police detective assigned to the case. Although Evan does not believe Rachel could commit murder, the evidence against her mounts as one after another of the other suspects is cleared, often with Rachel’s help. Rachel feels betrayed that Evan could even consider her a suspect, and her meddling in the investigation causes friction in their relationship.

Emma Miller, who also writes Amish romances for Harlequin’s Love Inspired line, paints a vivid picture of the Amish culture, with honest insights into their beliefs and values. She has created a likable heroine in Rachel, whose understanding of the Plain ways and ability to maintain their trust uniquely qualifies her to probe where “English” law enforcement is shut out.

Clues like a lost hat and a buggy parked in the wrong place at the wrong time are dismissed by the police, but they lead Rachel down a path she would rather forego. She almost becomes another victim as the surprise murderer is revealed.

Plain Dead is not only an entertaining mystery, but it sheds light on a culture most readers know only in stereotypes.

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Sharon Marchisello is the author of Going Home, a murder mystery inspired by her mother's battle with Alzheimer's. She has 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, and does volunteer work for the Fayette Humane Society.

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If you have a book you would like featured, send an ARC for consideration. The Killer Nashville Book of the Day Reviews are coordinated by Clay Stafford with the assistance of Emily Eytchison and credited guest reviewers.

For more writer resources, visit us at www.KillerNashville.com, www.KillerNashvilleBookCon, and www.KillerNashvilleMagazine.com.

And be sure to check out our new book, Killer Nashville Noir: Cold-Blooded, an anthology of original short stories by New York Times bestselling authors and newbies alike.

“Murder, mayhem, and mystery!  Every story in KILLER NASHVILLE: COLD-BLOODED is filled with

suspense, sizzle and startling twists. I loved it!”- Lisa Jackson, New York Times Bestselling Author

*Killer Nashville is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. If you purchase a book from the links on this page, Amazon will give Killer Nashville a small percentage of the total sale. Killer Nashville receives zero compensation (other than sometimes the book to review) from publishers who have been selected for the Book of the Day.

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Want to review books for the Killer Nashville family?

With over 24,000 visits monthly to the Killer Nashville website, over 300,000 reached through social media, and a potential outreach of over 22 million per press release, Killer Nashville provides another way for you to reach more people with your message. Send a query to books@killernashville.com or call us at 615-599-4032. We’d love to hear from you.

The Secret Lives of Bats by Dr. Merlin Tuttle / Reviewed by Emily Eytchison

Killer Nashville Book of the Day

Find The Secret Lives of Bats: My Adventures with the World’s Most Misunderstood Mammal at Killer Nashville's associate, Amazon.com*

Dr. Merlin Tuttle

When first introduced to Dr. Merlin Tuttle by a blurb calling him “the real-life Batman”, I was somewhat offended. (Unreasonably so, but offended all the same.) Batman is a cultural icon, a living embodiment of justice. How DARE someone usurp that title, particularly without dedicating every second, every penny, every muscle he has to fighting crime?

But then, I opened his book.

The Secret Lives of Bats: My Adventures with the World’s Most Misunderstood Mammals (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) opens with an account of the September 1984 hysteria in Austin, Texas, over an influx of migrant Brazilian bats, which initially sounded more like a political allegory than an actual historic happening. Violent, widespread bat-hatred? Seemed a little far-fetched to me. But my very ignorance speaks to the impact of Merlin Tuttle’s life’s work.

In the preface, Dr. Tuttle’s account of Bat Conservation International’s first bat-rescue mission reads like a modern fairy tale: Austin, a city overcome by unfounded phobia, becomes a city that boasts its bat population as a major tourist attraction to this day, thanks to Merlin Tuttle’s calm and resolute intercession. The story of transformation is almost too good to be true. How often can one man say he changed an entire city by changing a few key citizens’ minds?

Yet that is the power of truth, as this tireless bat protector discovered early in his life. Although Tuttle never refers to himself this way (anymore than he refers to himself as a real-life Bruce Wayne), he emerges from the pages of his book as a near-mythic champion of knowledge, compassion, and love triumphing over ignorance, confusion, and hate.

Throughout the book, Tuttle cites so many near-death experiences, ingenious bat-study inventions, and miraculous conversions of bat haters that it is hard to believe he exists. Every time you think you’ve come through the most outrageous story, Tuttle outdoes himself with the next chapter, all with a modest, no-nonsense narrative voice that, like any conscientious scientist, simply states the facts.

Whether he’s describing the sweet and expressive (albeit strange) features of free-tailed bats, or run-ins with moonshiners and belligerent brothel owners, Tuttle writes with a gentle authority that balances extensive research with good storytelling. Latin names and scientific terms become integral parts of an often dangerous adventure story that began with one boy’s desire to understand bats because he did not believe that their stigma was true or fair. The horrors he sees human beings inflict on innocent bats along the way underscore the importance of his inspiring journey, from an inquisitive explorer to an expert quietly asking us to listen, learn, and care.

Merlin Tuttle may never have donned a cape, but he has become a formidable advocate for a group of maligned and defenseless creatures. He is a man who, for over half a century, has dedicated his life to fighting injustice with his time, resources, and considerable intellect.

Sounds like the kind of bat-themed hero we needed, after all.

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Emily Eytchison is a huge fan of anything furry and mouse-like. She tried to save a trapped bat this summer using only her empathy and a paper plate. (Somebody more qualified eventually stepped in.) She likes Star Wars, popcorn with M&Ms, and wants to save the world. That’s basically it.

If you have a book you would like featured, send an ARC for consideration. The Killer Nashville Book Reviews are coordinated by Clay Stafford with the assistance of Emily Eytchison and credited guest reviewers.

For more writer resources, visit us at www.KillerNashville.com, www.KillerNashvilleBookCon, and www.KillerNashvilleMagazine.com.

And be sure to check out our new book, Killer Nashville Noir: Cold-Blooded, an anthology of original short stories by New York Times bestselling authors and newbies alike.

“Murder, mayhem, and mystery!  Every story in KILLER NASHVILLE: COLD-BLOODED is filled with

suspense, sizzle and startling twists. I loved it!”- Lisa Jackson, New York Times Bestselling Author

*Killer Nashville is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. If you purchase a book from the links on this page, Amazon will give Killer Nashville a small percentage of the total sale. Killer Nashville receives zero compensation (other than sometimes the book to review) from publishers who have been selected for the Book of the Day.

---

Want to review books for the Killer Nashville family?

With over 24,000 visits monthly to the Killer Nashville website, over 300,000 reached through social media, and a potential outreach of over 22 million per press release, Killer Nashville provides another way for you to reach more people with your message. Send a query to books@killernashville.com or call us at 615-599-4032. We’d love to hear from you.