KN Magazine: Reviews
The Hour of Death by Jane Willan/Review by Bill Hopkins
The Hour of Death
By Jane Willan
Crooked Lane
$27.00
ISBN 978-1683317593
Publication Date: October 2018
2019 Silver Falchion Candidate
BOOK OF THE DAY
This is a British village murder mystery. That genre is not as breathless and rapid as a lot of American series, but you have to love this one. The Hour of Death by Jane Willan is the second installment of the series featuring Sister Agatha (a wannabe writer) and Father Selwyn (her confidant). It takes place in Pryderi, Wales and involves the nuns who reside at Gwenafwy Abbey. An unfortunate death takes place in the parish hall. The coppers don’t think it’s a homicide so the scene is swept clean of all forensic evidence. Maybe. Sister Agatha plunges ahead with a murder investigation because she not only wants to be a mystery novelist but also yearns to be a real-life detective.
What I found appealing about this story is the development of characters and the way they behave in the midst of the Welsh countryside side where a nasty old capitalist is determined to destroy a “fairy meadow” and put up cheap houses.
Sister Agatha, with her trusty notebook at the ready, does her best to interrogate people without seeming to be a real detective approaching reluctant suspects. Although I hadn’t read the first in the series, I was able to cobble together the backstory on Sister Agatha. In fact, every page (it seems) reveals some new fact about Sister Agatha or her surroundings. I also appreciate her comments about real-life books she’s reading and about the authors who wrote the books. Add to that, she describes her own book she’s writing and the problems she’s having with her characters in that book. This leads to a bunch of puzzles.
This book made me literally laugh out loud. I’m going back to read the first in the series. I don’t doubt that I’ll be just as entertained by the first as I was the second!
Retired judge Bill Hopkins is from Missouri. His poems, short-stories, non-fiction, and plays have appeared in different venues. Bill is a member of Sisters In Crime, Horror Writers Association, Heartland Writers Guild, and SEMO Writers Guild. He and his wife Sharon Woods Hopkins (also a mystery writer) live in Marble Hill. COURTING MURDER was Bill’s first novel in the Judge Rosswell Carew series. The second novel RIVER MOURN won first place in the Missouri Writers’ Guild Show-Me Best Book Awards in 2014. THE ANGEL SPOKE MURDER, the latest and seventh novel, was published in 2019.
Deadly Relations by P.A. DeVoe/Review by Sharon Hopkins
Deadly Relations
By P.A. DeVoe
Drum Tower Press, LLC
$14.99
ISBN 978-1942667094
Publication Date: February 2018
BOOK OF THE DAY
2019 Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Entry
I had never before read any historical mystery set in the Ming Dynasty of China. The premise intrigued me, and I was not disappointed.
Although the story starts a bit slowly, the beginning was a great introduction to the characters. Hong Shu-chang is a young man who has devoted himself to his studies at considerable expense for his parents. His goal is to get a top government position in order to bring status and a secure financial future to his family and his clan. Upon completion of some of his tests, he receives word that his father and uncle have been killed. The killers haven’t been found. This forces Shu-chang to go to his maternal uncle’s home and fulfill the required two years’ mourning with his relative.
While there, he becomes involved in two other murders and becomes friends with a young woman healer named Xiang-hua whose brother is accused of the murders. Together the two set out to clear Xiang-hua’s brother, and find the real killers.
The plot moves at a good pace, and the characters are well developed. The settings were woven in well and it was easy to mentally put myself in this place. I look forward to a sequel that will hopefully pair these two young people together again and perhaps find the thugs who murdered Shu-chang’s father and uncle.
There are many notes in the back of the book on pronunciation, and notes of historical value as to the time in history. I didn’t know that before I read the book, but I didn’t feel like I missed anything. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a good story that crosses time and culture.
Sharon Woods Hopkins' mystery series featuring mortgage banker Rhetta McCarter and her '79 Camaro hits close to home. Sharon is a former branch manager for a mortgage office of a Missouri bank. She also owns the original Cami, a restored '79 Camaro like Rhetta's. Sharon's hobbies include painting, fishing, photography, flower gardening, and restoring muscle cars with her son, Jeff. She is a member of the Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, Guppies, Thriller Writers of America, the Southeast Missouri Writers' Guild, Heartland Writers, and the Missouri Writers' Guild.
The Bad Break by Jill Orr / Review by Sharon Woods Hopkins
The Bad Break
By Jill Orr
Prospect Park Books
$16.00
ISBN 978-1945551208
Publication Date: April 2018
2019 Silver Falchion Candidate
BOOK OF THE DAY
Riley Ellison, an obit-writing, wannabe-full-time-journalist, sleuth solving protagonist, manages to talk her editor into writing Tuttle Corner, Virginia’s biggest crime story, the murder of Doctor Davenport. While detecting and stumbling after leads, Riley tries to untangle herself from an online self-improvement app and the results are both humorous and surprisingly meaningful.
Meanwhile, the mystery of who killed Dr. Davenport moves along with Riley both helping and hindering and getting help from her ex-boyfriend’s pregnant ex-girlfriend, who has moved in next door to Riley. Riley wants to hate her but finds herself captivated by her instead. Her own love life isn’t going so well, and many bumps produce an ending which, as a reader, I hope isn’t the ending. The Bad Break is a great read, a darn good mystery with plenty of humor.
Sharon Woods Hopkins' mystery series featuring mortgage banker Rhetta McCarter and her '79 Camaro hits close to home. Sharon is a former branch manager for a mortgage office of a Missouri bank. She also owns the original Cami, a restored '79 Camaro like Rhetta's. Sharon's hobbies include painting, fishing, photography, flower gardening, and restoring muscle cars with her son, Jeff. She is a member of the Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, Guppies, Thriller Writers of America, the Southeast Missouri Writers' Guild, Heartland Writers, and the Missouri Writers' Guild.
Deepest Grave by Jeri Westerson / Review by Sharon Marchisello
The Deepest Grave
By Jeri Westerson
Severn House Publishers
$28.99
ISBN 978-0727887948
Publication Date: August 1, 2018
2019 Silver Falchion Candidate
BOOK OF THE DAY
The Deepest Grave, the 11th installment of the Crispin Guest medieval noir mystery series by Jeri Westerson (Severn House) has been nominated for a Silver Falchion award.
Degraded knight Crispin Guest has been banished from the royal court to live with commoners as a tracker, the medieval version of a private investigator. He has an apprentice, Jack Tucker, a reformed cut-purse; Jack and his pregnant wife Isabel live with Crispin.
When the story opens, a local priest, Father Bulthius Braydon of St. Modwen's Church, hires Crispin to investigate terrifying sightings of corpses rising from the graveyard and becoming bloodsuckers. Skeptical, Crispin figures there has to be a logical explanation for the phenomena, but his and Jack's late-night observation trip to the churchyard proves chilling.
The next day, Crispin gets another request for service, from Philippa Walcote, a former lover for whom he still carries a torch. She's married to another man so is totally off-limits. Philippa's seven-year-old son has been accused of murdering a neighbor and stealing the family reliquary, and he risks hanging for the alleged crimes. Philippa implores Crispin to investigate and find evidence of her son's innocence. When he goes to interview Philippa's son, it's like looking in a mirror, and, doing some calculations, Crispin realizes that Philippa's child is also his.
There's a rich back story and history between the characters, but the author skillfully brings a new reader up to speed. The author also does a great job of evoking 14th century London. She provided a glossary at the beginning of the book to explain unusual terminology, but I seldom had to refer to it, as I was usually able to decipher unfamiliar words from their context.
The mystery is cleverly done and the two cases are interwoven. I got the impression that Crispin's character has been somewhat hardened, but in this story, his heart begins opening up.
Jeri Westerson is a native of Los Angeles. In addition to her award-winning medieval noir mysteries, she writes a paranormal romance series. She is active in the Southern California Chapter of Mystery Writers of America as well as Sisters in Crime.
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 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. Residing in Peachtree City, GA, Sharon does volunteer work for the Fayette Humane Society and the Fayette County Master Gardeners, and she also writes a blog about personal finance, Countdown to Financial Fitness https://sharonmarchisello.blogspot.com/.
Game Piece by Alan Brenham/Review by Jerry Ridger
Game Piece
By Alan Brenham
Black Opal Books
$26.33
ISBN 978-1644370070
Publication Date: October 6, 2018
2019 Silver Falchion Candidate
BOOK OF THE DAY
For many of us, finding a balance between work and home can be difficult. For those in law enforcement seems to be even more difficult and the scale often times tips more toward work. This is true for Detective Barry Marshall of the Temple Police Department in Texas. Marshal is always the last to leave the office. He is driven, conscientious, proud that what he does makes a difference in the world. His wife Erin and their daughter Cailey often take a back seat to “the job” and Erin wants him to make a career change. Just about to head home for the weekend, when the phone rings…
The caller says he has an important lead, and against his better judgment, Marshall sets up a meeting. When he arrives at the proposed meeting place the informant is nowhere to be found – but there are two bodies with their throats cut! And thus, begins a thriller cat-and-mouse chase with the mysterious killer always one step ahead of Marshall. It becomes obvious that this killer knows Marshall and that the goal is to destroy Marshall professionally, personally, and maybe even physically. It is a race to stop this killer and save his family.
Alan Brenham is a former Texas law enforcement officer, a criminal prosecutor, and criminal defense attorney. His real-life experiences are obviously what gives Game Piece its griping level of detail and authenticity. For some authors, making the transition from writing police reports or legal brief to writing engaging fiction can be difficult. But Brenham is a top-notch writer and I truly enjoyed this novel.
Confound It by Maggie Toussaint / Review by Samantha Traci
CONFOUND IT
By Maggie Toussaint
Camel Press
$16.95
ISBN 978-1603815956
Publication Date: June 1, 2018
BOOK OF THE DAY
Killer Nashville 2019 Silver Falchion Nominee
Baxley Powell can’t seem to catch a break. Taking on the otherworldly family business by becoming the county Dreamwalker has presented a fair number of challenges, but lately things have been getting out of hand. Called in to assist the sheriff’s department with the murder investigation of a local drug dealer, Baxley quickly finds herself wrapped up in a mystery involving angry psychics, feuding neighbors and meth-making mothers.
She’s also still dealing with the not-quite-unrequited interest from fellow Dreamwalker Sam Mayes that’s complicated by the fact that her husband is still missing without a trace, all while helping her best friend deal with her own romantic entanglements. And oh yeah - someone might have put a voodoo hex on her. Despite the mounting obstacles, Baxley is determined to see this latest investigation through and find justice for the murdered woman and her orphaned son.
Toussaint’s descriptive writing does a good job of drawing the reader into the rural Georgia setting, and some of the secondary characters really have a “good ol boy” flair that altogether combine for a somewhat humorous and thoroughly southern atmosphere for the Sinclair County resident’s exploits.
Although the story contained more than a few elements of the supernatural, it was easy to suspend disbelief and simply enjoy the adventure. Characters in this universe take such things as Dreamwalking, ghosts and demons as ordinary occurrences, so it was a slightly surreal blend of paranormal problems and the more real-world problems of drugs, single-parent struggles, greed and the violence that accompanies it.
“Confound It” is the fifth book Toussaint’s Dreamwalker series, and as such the reader might feel a little adrift starting with this book. The mystery aspect of the story stands well on its own with a satisfying mix of whodunnit intrigue and a quirky cast of equally suspicious characters; but the steady references to past incidents involving Baxley and her co-horts will definitely make you want to start at the beginning to get the full scoop on the action!
Sam is the co-founder and editor of progressandtea.com, a labor of love and exercise for sanity in these politically charged times. Drawing from her background in journalism, she currently works in higher education publishing by day but is hard at work on her first novel by night. When not working with words, she can be found indulging her passion for burlesque, a hobby that provides plenty of colorful experiences for her writing!
Gumshoe on the Loose by Rob Leininger / Review by Danny Lindsey
Gumshoe on the Loose
By Rob Leininger
The Mortimer Angel Series (Book 3)
Oceanview Publishing
$26.95
ISBN: 978-1608092741
Coming: April 3, 2018
2019 Silver Falchion Candidate
Book of the Day
I came late to the party. John Leininger’s Gumshoe on the Loose(Oceanview Publishing, 2018) is the third in the Mortimer (Mort, dammit!) Angel series, but my first read. Leininger has managed to drag, infuse and sometimes confuse three – or more – generations of private eye personae into one protagonist, and has updated the expected cast of characters to the 21st century.
Mort and his boss Ma conjure up memories of A. A. Fair’s Bertha Cool and Donald Lam series that were written before Earl Stanley Gardner ‘fessed up about his real name, to include remote motels, Nevada and California desert and beautiful women. Mort himself trends more to Travis Magee, in that he never seems to have a client or sidekick that isn’t a world-stage knockout. Possibly as an olive branch to potential female readers, at least Mort’s women appear to have more brains than he, albeit well hidden by traditional female charms. I mean, how many times does a woman answer her motel room door clad only in bikini panties in real life?
The teen idol rapper Jon-X managed to get himself both shot and left for ransom. Figure that one out. Mort first stumbles, then relies on blind luck while untangling the snarl of gorgeous women, police detectives, sleazy journalist and the like. His Mike Shayne, Mike Hammer personality laced with shades as far back as Johnny Dollar doesn't come into play often, but the long-term PI reader will spot them when they do.
Do the good guys get the girls? Do the bad guys get caught? Who of the two million or so parents would kill a sleaze-ball rapper like Jon-X to keep his or her daughter from running away to become his groupie? Alas, no one knows the answer except John Leininger, and he is apparently delighted to keep the secret well after most of the pages are on the left side of the book’s spine.
Over the top? Yes. Bawdy and rollicking? Oh, yes. Politically correct? Would you really expect that of a hard-boiled PI? Of course not. The girls are too pretty and willing, the desert is too sunny and hot, and the action is not always contained within the plot.
A fun read, and a good one.
Danny Lindsey keeps trying to retire. After a 20-year Army career and a 25-year second one in the private sector, he’s finally settled down. His current gig is as the Veteran Employment Services Manager for a Huntsville, A.L. based non-profit, Still Serving Veterans. Both full careers were characterized by numerous writing assignments, from war plans to operating policies and procedures, then on to white papers, analyses of alternatives and competitive contract and grant proposals. Now his writing consists of blogs for the website www.ssv.org, podcasts for the local NPR affiliate, and a half dozen Pulitzer-worthy, albeit unpublished novels.
Update: Danny won the 2017 Killer Nashville Claymore Award with his manuscript Serial Justice – so he will not be unpublished for long!
Wrecked by Joe Ide/Review by Brad Harper
BOOK OF THE DAY
Killer Nashville 2019 Silver Falchion Nominee
Joe Ide's modern take on Sherlock Holmes in the East LA character of Isiah Quintabe (IQ), and his on-again off-again partner, Dodson, is a roller coaster of a ride from start to finish. This time IQ's client gets him in a no-holds-barred fight with an international "Security" agency with questionable clients, and even more questionable methods.
Ide has the ability to put you on the edge of your seat, and keep you there. I twice had to put the book down and take a break because I was so worried for the heroes. I read the first IQ novel, and was deeply impressed, so was curious to see how they wore with time. His characters do not fade with familiarity, but deepen in personality and insight. I believe this series will have legs for years to come.
No spoilers here, but although the world this modern "Consulting Detective" and his clients inhabit is far from the 221 B Baker Street of Victorian London, the stories are imbued with an intelligence and sense of justice Sir Arthur would recognize right away.
This is the best book I've read this year, and my hat is off to Joe Ide for his fresh take on the fabled detective and his search for justice in an unjust world.
Book of the Just by Dana Chamblee Carpenter / Review by Liz Gatterer
Book of the Just
By Dana Chamblee Carpenter
Pegasus Books
$25.95
ISBN 978-1681778587
Publication Date: October 2018
BOOK OF THE DAY
Killer Nashville 2019 Silver Falchion Nominee
Book of the Just by Dana Chamblee Carpenter is the final book in the Bohemia Trilogy—and it is a wonderful read!
Big news—Mouse has a new baby brother! Unlike most older siblings, Mouse hopes that her father will be so focused on the new addition that he will forget all about her. But, when your father is the Devil you never get what you hope for.
Mouse and Angelo have been hiding with the Martu deep in the Great Sandy Desert of Western Australia. Shut off from the world they have eluded both her father and Angelo’s “father”, the Bishop Sebastian and his Novus Rishi. They have enjoyed being a family and part of a community. The spiritual leader of the Martu, Ngara, knows that Mouse is special. She leads Mouse through a dream that reveals many things, but especially, the location of a “gift” from the Seven Sisters that is waiting for Mouse to find. Angelo pushes Mouse to find the gift. He knows he is Mouse’s greatest weakness. He can see the battle coming and knows that Mouse must learn to control her powers and use every bit of advantage she can find. But Mouse would rather just stay with the Martu and pretend that the outside world just doesn’t exist, her powers don’t exist, and that she and Angelo can just be a happy. But, Heaven and Hell both know that with the right bait every mouse will venture from the safety its hole. Can Mouse escape the traps that are set to snare her this time?
Carpenter has once again woven a wonderful story from the threads of history, mythology, art, fact and fantasy all laced together with emotion—love, hate, faith, betrayal, fear and fortitude. Her ability to create characters that are at once flawed and perfect is a delight to experience. I found myself at times cheering out loud the characters or desperately trying to will not to make the choices that will lead to their downfall. I have cherished each volume in the Bohemian Trilogy and look forward to what Ms. Carpenter will write next.
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 audio books – but, when able to, she still prefers to curl up with a good book (and a child in her lap).
Bar None by Cathi Stoler/ Review by Joy Gorence
Bar None
By Cathi Stoler
Clay Stafford Books
$16.99
ISBN 978-0978842727
Publication Date: October 16, 2018
BOOK OF THE DAY
Killer Nashville 2019 Silver Falchion Nominee
Events beyond Jude Dillane’s control begin to unfold when Sully, her landlord, asks her to give his key to his fellow worker from the Food Coop. Soon, Jude, a single woman and the part-owner of the Corner Lounge on the Lower East Side, finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation. With an evenly-paced narrative, the reader becomes engrossed in the unsettling events that follow. Although the character development leaves some unanswered questions, the setting helps to enhance the mystery that evolves.
Clearly from the opening line, “Somebody had to do it and that somebody was me,” Jude is the narrator and protagonist. In her normal routine of cutting fruit for the drinks that will be needed later, the reader follows Jude as she prepares for the “five to seven Corner Lounge Social Hour.” Her helper and landlord, Sully, arrives late from his volunteer job at the Big City Food Coop. This ex-marine seems to have a special spot in Jude’s life, but the reader never discovers the reason for their closeness. Stoler also never provides the background for Jude’s other relationships beyond cursory descriptions, yet this does not hinder the pacing of the novel or the emotional bond that the reader develops with Jude.
Stoler’s effective use of dialogue moves the plot along from one day to the next. There never seems to be a gap in the setting of the novel. Seamlessly, the background for the mystery is revealed in the conversations between characters as Jude begins to uncover the mystery and get closer to revealing the identity of the murderer. As a true heroine and modern-day woman, Jude seems to be able to balance work, play, and investigation—even if, at a point, she thinks, “Fatigue swooped over me like an eagle zooming in on an unsuspecting field mouse.”
Throughout the novel, Stoler masterfully keeps the reader on the edge of discovery. It is not until the end, however, the reader learns the identity of the murderer—but will it be too late?
In addition to creating a compelling mystery, Stoler has crafted a novel full of good food and drink. She reveals the recipes for some of the menu items offered at the Corner Lounge. A satisfying ending for all.
Joy Gorence is new to Killer Nashville. She is an author, world-traveler, English professor (ret.), and avid reader. Originally from Long Island, NY she now lives in South Florida with her husband, Bill and their two pampered kitties.
Jinx by Ernest Lancaster/Review by Danny Lindsey
BOOK OF THE DAY
Killer Nashville 2019 Silver Falchion Nominee
Ernest Lancaster’s debut novel The Jinx (Fiery Seas Publishing, 2017) is more than just the plot and the characters. It reminds us that there is always more going on with our co-workers, our friends, and even our enemies than we can be aware of. Lancaster peels back more than one layer, character by character, and reveals what each one is, what they are perceived as, and what they want others to think them to be. He gets much closer to portraying our collective nature than most, unusual in a first work.
Memphis is a gritty, little big town. It’s not complicated; blues and barbeque, law and order, pimps and whores coexist there as in any city. Policeman Rick Munro, a fifteen-year-veteran, is a member of the elite TACT, the division made up of snipers and specialists in any type of situation that needs overwhelming force delivered. But Rick has a monkey on his back. Each time he is placed in a new situation, bad things happen – a crash that killed his partner on his first callout, a round that penetrated his targeted victim, passed through a wall and killed a child on another. His personal jinx seemingly won’t be denied.
Lancaster blends Munro’s story with other policemen and -women, both good and bad cops, with politicians, and with pimps and their “merchandise.” He takes us to the limit with all, from whores seeking to leave the life, to cops plotting their own crimes, and to careerists who are willing to further their lot at the expense of peers. He does it by weaving several plot lines into a cohesive story while keeping focused on Munro’s jinx throughout.
Internal strife, the pressure of everyone’s daily lives, and the camaraderie that persists and enables a group to succeed are all explored in a professional manner. Hats off to Ernest Lancaster for the first in what could be good reading for a while.
Danny Lindsey keeps trying to retire. After a 20-year Army career and a 25-year second one in the private sector, he’s finally settled down. His current gig is as the Veteran Employment Services Manager for a Huntsville, A.L. based non-profit, Still Serving Veterans. Both full careers were characterized by numerous writing assignments, from war plans to operating policies and procedures, then on to white papers, analyses of alternatives and competitive contract and grant proposals. Now his writing consists of blogs for the website www.ssv.org, podcasts for the local NPR affiliate, and a half dozen Pulitzer-worthy, albeit unpublished novels.
Update: Danny's 2017 Claymore Award winning manuscript Serial Justice is now available on Amazon!
When Death Imitates Art by P.D. Halt/ Review by Sheila Sobel
When Death Imitates Art
By P.D. Halt
Black Opal Books
$13.49
ISBN 978-1626948877
Publication Date: March 2018
BOOK OF THE DAY
Killer Nashville 2019 Silver Falchion Nominee
Amanda Lee is not having an easy time of it. After giving up her life in the United States for romance and a new life in Germany, everything begins to unravel. When Amanda’s fiancé dumps her, and with her New York life behind her, she forges ahead and creates a new life for herself by partnering with wealthy divorcée, Marlene Eichler, in opening a new art gallery. Just when Amanda is happy again and believes her new life to be firmly established, she is viciously attacked, her gallery partner is brutally murdered and again, her life begins to unravel, only this time, the consequences could be deadly. Not only is Amanda the prime suspect in Marlene’s murder, but she also discovers that she too, is a target. Set in the art world of 1980’s West Germany, P. D. Halt’s debut thriller, When Death Imitates Art, is a fast-paced novel of art, power, murder, and intrigue. P.D. Halt, a native Virginian, and veteran of the advertising world lives in New York and is a member of Mystery Writers of America and International Thriller Writers.
After thirty-three years and seventy films (including Harry Potter, The Matrix trilogy and Batman, The Dark Knight), Sheila stepped away from the film business to complete her Young Adult novel. Her debut novel Color Blindwon the 2017 Killer Nashville Reader's Choice Award for Best Fiction YA and was a Finalist for the 2017 Silver Falchion Award for Best Fiction YA. Sheila was also nominated for the 2016 Allegra Johnson Prize in Novel Writing through UCLA Extension Writers’ Program.
Sheila is a member of International Thriller Writers, Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and Women in Film. She lives in Beverly Hills with her husband, two dogs and a cat. www.sheilasobel.com
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/.
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