KN Magazine: Reviews
Death of a Nurse by M. C. Beaton / Reviewed by Lyn Farquhar
Killer Nashville Book of the Day
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M. C. Beaton
Death of a Nurse by M. C. Beaton
Reviewed by Lyn Farquhar
Death of a Nurse by M. C. Beaton is a delightful story. Set in Lochdubh, Scotland, the author does an exceptional job of bringing the reader to the culture, geography and lives of the characters in his books. We are immediately compelled by the character of Police Sergeant Hamish Macbeth, who keeps the peace for a large tract of the country. He brings a sensible and often amusing cachet to his job and makes it is responsibility to know all the citizens in the surrounds. He also badly wants a girlfriend.
When Gloria Dainty, a private duty nurse to James Harrison, an elderly handicapped curmudgeon, arrives in the area, she seems a likely candidate. Hamish meets Gloria carrying groceries out of the store and is immediately smitten with her perfect oval face and large grey eyes. When she bends over the “boot” of her car to put the groceries away and Hamish gets a gander at stockings held up by lacy garters, he’s a goner. He asks her out to dinner and she agrees. When Gloria is a no show for their date, however, Hamish is dismal. For the first time in his life, he wishes he had a “nice wee crime” to take his mind of things.
Several days later, after learning that Gloria left her employer’s home unexpectedly, Hamish finds a small tousle-haired child at the edge of the sea holding a dripping wet nurse’s cap. With beating heart, he picks his way among the rocks and finds the shattered body of Gloria Dainty. He immediately suspects that she was thrown over the cliff and his intuition is confirmed by the pathologist.
There are a hundred twists and turns in this story: clues, red herrings, and dead ends lead readers and Hamish astray before the perp is nailed. Death of a Nurse is a rollicking ride, and I got many a good chuckle. Poor Hamish: he only wanted a date and got a murder instead!
Lyn Farquhar is the co-author of the Mae DecemberMystery series, under the penname Lia Farrell.
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.
The Necessary Murder of Nonie Blake by Terry Shames / Reviewed by Lyn Farquhar
Killer Nashville Book of the Day
Find The Necessary Murder of Nonie Blake by Terry Shames on Killer Nashville's affiliate, Amazon.com*
Terry Shames
The Necessary Murder of Nonie Blake by Terry Shames
Reviewed by Lyn Farquhar
At the outset of The Necessary Murder of Nonie Blake (the intriguing 4th book in Terry Shames’ Samuel Craddock mystery series), Police Chief Samuel Craddock gets a call from Charlotte Blake saying her older sister, Nonie, has been pulled from the stock watering pond behind the house. She is dead, ostensibly drowned. Nonie was in a mental hospital for twenty years and until a few days ago, nobody in town knew she was back in Jarrett Creek, TX. The reason for Nonie’s commitment? She tried to hang Charlotte when Nonie was 14 and Charlotte was 8. That’s right, she tried to hang her kid sister!
Chief Craddock thinks the only possible suspects are the members of Nonie’s family. They’re an odd bunch anyway. Nobody in the family works, yet they seem to have plenty of money. Adding to the mystery surrounding the Blakes is the fact that Charlotte wanted her crazy older sister released. Their mother, Adelaide, seems less than thrilled to have her daughter back. The father, an old friend of Craddock’s, is entering the early stages of dementia. When Craddock finally peels him away from his omnipresent wife, Mr. Blake’s mental problems make the information he provides difficult to trust.
When Craddock checks the records at the mental hospital, he finds that Nonie was released ten years ago, not days earlier. Where has the woman been all this time? And why is there a bottle of prescription medicine for Susan Shelby among Nonie’s possessions? Tracking Susan Shelby down to a Wal-Mart in a neighboring town raises even more questions, including this one—if Nonie is somehow still alive, whose body did the Blakes pull out of their stock pond?
Solving this one out requires sorting through convoluted lies, multiple diagnoses for Nonie’s mental problems, and finally getting to the source of the family money. It isn’t an easy business, and takes all of Chief Samuel Craddock’s skills. Terry Shames is a Macavity Award winning writer and her expertise really shows in this latest installment in the Samuel Craddock Mystery series. This compelling story made me want to read all Shames’s earlier books.
Lyn Farquhar is the co-author of the Mae DecemberMystery series, under the penname Lia Farrell.
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.
A Better Goodbye by John Schulian / Reviewed by G. Robert Frazier
Killer Nashville Book of the Day
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John Schulian
A Better Goodbye by John Schulian
Reviewed by G. Robert Frazier
You know how they always say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover? In the case of A Better Goodbye (Tyrus Books), this is one instance in which you certainly could. The cover of John Schulian’s debut novel depicts a brilliant yellow and orange sunset over the dark and gritty cityscape of Los Angeles. It’s a perfectly fitting image, as it represents the murky lifestyle Schulian paints beneath the brilliant sparkle and glamour of the movie capital of the world.
It’s in this milieu, right on the fringes of tourist-friendly Hollywood, that we find Schulian’s unforgettable cast of down-and-out characters. There’s Nick Pafko, a former professional boxer haunted by a deadly confrontation in the ring; Jenny Yee, a Korean who sells sexual favors in a so-called massage parlor so she can pay her way through college; Scott Crandall, a washed-up B-movie actor and owner of said massage parlor, who is looking for one more chance to get to the top; and Onus Dupree, a sleazy, conniving “friend” of Scott’s who doesn’t care what it takes, or whom he hurts, to make a score.
Schulian gives each character their own needs and desires and flaws that humanize them. They’re not the sort of characters you’d want to associate with, but you can sympathize with their plight. And, at least in the case of Jenny and Nick, you can hope along with them that maybe, just maybe, their fortunes will change somehow for the better. When the two begin a romantic relationship, that hope pushes ever higher.
But this is a noir novel, above all else. It’s down and dirty,scathingly real and gritty as hell. Happy endings be damned. The lives of Schulian’s characters are irrevocably intertwined and destined to come crashing down in a bloody finale.
Schulian’s hard-edged storytelling gives an air of verisimilitude to his novel. A lifetime of reporting sports stories for publications like Sports Illustrated, The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and the Oxford American, along with stints on iconic crime dramas such as Miami Vice and Wiseguy, clearly arm Schulian’s imagination and prose.
G. Robert Frazier reads and writes in La Vergne, Tenn. Follow him on Twitter @grfrazier23 or visit his Adventures in Writing blog at https://grfrazier.wordpress.com.
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.
The Girl in the Ice by Lotte and Søren Hammer / Reviewed by Kelly Saderholm
Killer Nashville Book of the Day
Find The Girl in the Ice on Killer Nashville's affiliate, Amazon.com*
Søren and Lotte Hammer
The Girl in the Ice by Lotte and Søren Hammer
Reviewed by Kelly Saderholm
There is a Christmastime tradition in Iceland called the Jólabókaflóð, or “Christmas book flood”, in which people buy each other books, and on Christmas Eve, after eating a delicious dinner, Icelanders crawl into bed and read their new books. Absolutely my kind of holiday. Although The Girl in the Ice was written by the Danish (not Icelandic) sister and brother team of Lotte and Søren Hammer, it's an excellent candidate for an all-night read, because once you pick it up, it is difficult to put down.
The Girl in the Ice begins with the grim discovery of a body spotted on an ice cap in Greenland by a helicopter pilot. Detective Chief Superintendent Konrad Simonsen is flown in to investigate. He quickly realizes he has seen a similar scene, and deduces that this killer has struck before. The hunt for the killer takes us back to Denmark, and through many twists and turns in the story before the gripping conclusion.
Along the way, Simonsen and his team face not just the dangers of finding and apprehending the killer, but also past memories that the investigation dredges up, and internal conflicts that each member of the team has to work through. And it is not just the team that deals with the past. There are powerful people who don't want these secrets uncovered, and will go to great lengths to keep it that way.
The Girl in the Ice is the second in the Konrad Simonsen series, following the highly-acclaimed The Hanging. First published in Denmark in 2010, the English translation for The Girl in the Ice, translated by Paul Norlen, was published by Bloomsbury: New York, London, in November, 2015.
Kelly Saderholm has written, blogged, and lectured about aspects of the mystery novel. She has moderated panels and presented papers at literary conferences, on both the Mystery Novel and Urban Fantasy. She is currently shifting from writing about mystery fiction to writing actual mystery fiction, and is working on a novel, as well as a non-fiction book dealing with Folklore in the American South. She is a recipient of a Kentucky Foundation for Women grant. She lives in South Central Kentucky with her family and two feline office assistants.
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.
He Will Be My Ruin by K. A. Tucker / Reviewed by Shelley Haley
Killer Nashville Book of the Day
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K. A. Tucker
He Will Be My Ruin by K. A. Tucker
Reviewed by Shelley Haley
Imagine the extraordinary, profound sadness you would feel if the one person in the world that you loved and trusted with all of your secrets, hopes, and dreams ended her life in suicide. The case is closed, and you find yourself sitting in her lower east side apartment, nestled among the remnants of her cherished life with a million unanswered questions.
What would you do? Well, you would do what every tried and true, pinky-swear best friend would do. You would incessantly search for answers like a madwoman—despite all obstacles and abrupt dismissals—because every solitary fiber of your being tells you that this is wrong, seriously wrong. In K.A. Tucker’s He Will Be My Ruin(Atria Books), Maggie Sparkes hunts for the truth behind her friend Celine Gonzalez’s apparent suicide; not only for her own closure, but also for Celine’s dying mother, Rosa.
Celine Gonzalez was a smart, beautiful, and ambitious young woman with a zest for life far too great to take her own. She had fought long and hard to make it this far. With an opportunity to study at the Hollingsworth Institute of Art, she was on a direct path to successfully realizing her dream to become a respected antiques appraiser. For Maggie, it just doesn’t add up. The question remains: Why?
During the dreaded task of sorting through Celine’s eclectic collection of garage sale treasures and thrift shop finds, Maggie finds a disturbing note and a shocking photograph. Her subsequent discovery of a multitude of diaries chronicling an unknown, unexpected side of Celine perplexes Maggie further, and fuels her appetite for the truth.
In this sea of confusion, Maggie finds solace in Grady—the scruffy, yet adorable, building super—as she struggles to piece together the clues in this evolving mystery. Maggie’s delightfully inquisitive new neighbor Ruby provides insight and shortbread cookies to sweeten the investigative process. A process that, in due time, places Maggie in the immediate line of danger…
Captivating from beginning to end, He Will Be My Ruin is a non-stop tour of New York City, as two young friends—one dead and one desperately searching—take you from the inner sanctum of a secret garden rooftop to Manhattan’s high-end world of movers and shakers. This novel will leave you breathless—I read it in a day, and it was certainly worth the ride!
Shelley Haley is an eccentric artist, reader of novels, and writer of chronicles fueled by an insatiable fascination with history and the lessons that lie therein; prone to wanderlust and born under the sign of Aquarius.
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.
*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.
Betty Boo by Claudia Piñeiro / Reviewed by Tessa Bryant
Killer Nashville Book of the Day
Find Betty Boo on Killer Nashville's affiliate, Amazon.com*
Claudia Piñeiro
Betty Boo by Claudia Piñeiro
Reviewed by Tessa Bryant
As someone who reads and watches quite a lot of suspense and mystery, my tendency is to immediately try to solve the puzzle myself. I usually spend the entire piece making wild predictions, attempting to stay ahead of the plot, and trying get to the end before the author does. Claudia Piñeiro absolutely derailed my every attempt to figure out the next step in this novel. She is a whip-smart author and spins a tight, thrilling story in her newest book, Betty Boo(Bitter Lemon Press).
Piñeiro pushes the reader directly into the action without warning, ignoring any potential for a brooding noir introduction to the story. Her clipped prose offers little chance for the mind to wander as the facts present themselves and the story unfolds. Her steady, confident narrative voice leads the reader’s imagination in a nearly cinematic way, constructing a full, breathing world almost imperceptibly. The plot itself leaves nothing further to be desired. Her characters are unique and rock-solid, her dialogue is fun and punchy, and she leaves no room for plot holes or confusing secondary stories. If you’re looking for a top-notch thriller, you’ve found it.
What’s truly delightful about this novel is not only the complex plot, strident narrative voice, or intrigue, but the genuine heart underneath it all. Piñeiro, while weaving a perfectly wonderful crime web, manages to fill the entire book with another layer of warmth and wit that leaves the reader walking away in total satisfaction.
After having read Betty Boo, I felt a pang of near-embarrassment at never having read any of Piñeiro’s other work, given that she is obviously a master crime author and skilled writer. Rest assured that at the end of this novel, you’ll want to read everything Piñeiro has ever written as soon as possible. Betty Boo is a wonderful addition to an already impressive body of work.
Tessa Bryant is a graduate of the Departments of Theatre and English at Lipscomb University. She is a writer, director, administrator, and researcher of the performing and fine arts, and works and guest lectures at Lipscomb University. She is currently pursuing an M.F.A. in Creative Writing.
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.
Missing Pieces by Heather Gudenkauf / Reviewed by M. K. Sealy
Killer Nashville Book of the Day
Find Missing Pieces on Killer Nashville's affiliate, Amazon.com*
Heather Gudenkauf
Missing Pieces by Heather Gudenkauf
Reviewed by M. K. Sealy
Though the Halloween season is little more than a memory, and the holiday scents of warm vanilla and Scotch tape are being replaced with heart-shaped chocolates and multicolored roses, a novel I read recently gave me as many chill bumps as any good trick-or-treat. Heather Gudenkauf’s newest novel Missing Piecesis a page-turner guaranteed to take your breath away.
Written with the same poignancy and intensity that landed Gudenkauf's The Weight of Silence a place on the New York Times bestseller list, Missing Pieces is the best of Criminal Minds meeting the best of Cold Case—it is an intense thriller that leaves you turning pages more quickly than you imagined possible, your heart pounding with each discovery.
Missing Pieces, written in third person but still eerily easy to sink into, chronicles the tale of Sarah and Jack Quinlan. Sarah, on whose perspective the reader leans, joins her husband when he returns home to his troubled, dark past, with which Sarah has only ever been vaguely familiar. However, horrific circumstances pull Jack back in (an accident involving his aunt), and Sarah finds herself waist-deep in the strange and upsetting history surrounding Jack and his family. Soon, she is making discoveries that she neither expected nor desired, putting both she and what she holds dear in a tenuous, and possibly life-threatening, position.
Missing Pieces is well-paced, and the characters feel authentic; when Sarah holds her breath, the reader does the same. Though this piece is not a typical, methodical thriller filled with the investigative rumination one often expects from novels of the genre, Missing Pieces, in its uniqueness, offers readers an excellent and easy read.
M. K. Sealy earned a Bachelor of Arts in English with an emphasis in literature from a Nashville university. She is a copyeditor for a Nashville-based publication, but also writes poetry, fiction, and is currently attempting a screenplay, all while working to obtain a Master of Education.
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.
Dark Homecoming by William Patterson / Reviewed by Kelly Saderholm
Killer Nashville Book of the Day
Find Dark Homecomingon Killer Nashville's affiliate, Amazon.com*
Dark Homecoming by William Patterson
Reviewed by Kelly Saderholm
The opening premise of William Patterson’s new novel Dark Homecoming (Kensington Press) will sound familiar to readers and lovers of Gothic Fiction: a moody, secretive (and fabulously wealthy) man and a young naïve woman fall in love in a resort setting, suddenly marry after a whirlwind romance, and then return to the groom's enormous (and famous) home, which is run by a domineeringly grim housekeeper. After only a day or two together, the husband must go away on business, leaving the young bride to discover the dark secrets of not only the house, but also of the beautiful and sophisticated first wife who died so mysteriously in a storm at sea.
But while Dark Homecoming echoesRebecca, and maintains the same suspenseful mood, Patterson gives us an updated, American story that stands completely on its own. There are dark forces that roam Patterson’s Huntington House, more sinister than anything that might have lurked at Manderley. (For starters, there is a Haitian Chef who is cooking up more than just dinner.)
Patterson deftly adds supernatural elements, so the novel maintains its psychological thriller edge, but with a deliciously creepy overlay. The twists and turns will keep the reader turning pages until the exciting end, but if you read into the night, you'll want to make sure to keep the lights on. This reviewer enjoyed Dark Homecoming very much and looks forward to reading more of William Patterson's novels.
Kelly Saderholm has written, blogged, and lectured about aspects of the mystery novel. She has moderated panels and presented papers at literary conferences, on both the Mystery Novel and Urban Fantasy. She is currently shifting from writing about mystery fiction to writing actual mystery fiction, and is working on a novel, as well as a non-fiction book dealing with Folklore in the American South. She is a recipient of a Kentucky Foundation for Women grant. She lives in South Central Kentucky with her family and two feline office assistants.
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.
The Ripper Gene by Michael Ransom / Reviewed by Mary Hankins
Killer Nashville Book of the Day
Find The Ripper Gene on Killer Nashville's affiliate, Amazon.com*
Michael Ransom
The Ripper Gene by Michael Ransom
Reviewed by Mary Hankins
What makes a man? Is it his home, his upbringing? Or is it his biology, written from birth in his DNA? Do we really have a choice as to who we are, or is it boiled down to chemicals and synapses firing in our brain? Are we responsible for our own souls, or is there no such thing after all? In this sophisticated murder mystery, Michael Ransom gives air for these questions and more.
Here we meet special agent Lucas Madden, member of the FBI’s special BAU (Behavioral Analysis Unit). While studying to be a doctor, he discovered a link between violence and genetics, leading to what he called “the ripper gene”, which is involved in dopamine production in the brain. Now as a criminal profiler, he uses this discovery to help him predict criminal behavior. And he’ll need every lead he can get as he encounters a serial killer who stabs women and leaves them with an apple and bloody letters on their forehead.
But the genius of this book is that it takes a complicated scientific idea (protein manufacturing and mRNA coding) and explains it clearly, all without insulting the intelligence of the audience or making it too boring to read through. The result is a story that makes the reader feel smarter than when they started, without too much effort on their part.
But don’t despair, adventure seekers: this is no philosophical debate or some dry scientific report. There is enough action to keep the blood pumping, and a mystery that you won’t unravel until the final words on the last page. Chases, near-misses with a devious serial killer, and an ending that will have you on the edge of your seat make this book a smart, well-rounded mystery adventure.
Perhaps the most intriguing aspect about this book is the moral/religious questions that it holds. Once we begin down the path of identifying what DNA does to a person’s behavior, we are left with the question I posed before: “Are we responsible for our own souls?” As Agent Madden struggles to find the killer, he is faced with his own questions of faith as he uses his formula to predict the killer's behavior.
After all, if a person's behavior can be predicted based on their DNA, is anything they do really their own choice? Is free will just an illusion, something we have to believe in so that we can survive day to day? Because you can’t control what your DNA is, anymore than you can control whom you are related to. So how can we control ourselves if our DNA says that we are prone to certain dangerous behaviors?
Do we even have a choice? Ransom’s genius in handling this complex conflict is by not letting it take center stage the whole book, and not taking sides—not even Madden’s—as to who is “right” or “wrong”. Both sides are allowed to look good, and while the ending perhaps favors one side a bit, the reader is left feeling educated and able to make a reasonable choice for themselves. If you love arguing and Criminal Minds, The Ripper Gene (Tor/Forge) is definitely for you!
Mary Hankins is a recent graduate of Lipscomb University. She is putting her Bachelor's of Fine Arts degree to use in the Nashville community theatre scene. Loves God, her family and friends, and Phantom of the Opera—in that order.
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.
The Undoing by Averil Dean / Reviewed by Will Lasley
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Averil Dean
The Undoing by Averil Dean
Reviewed by Will Lasley
The book opens with a suicide.
I’m not even going to bother with a clever intro and lead-in; I’m just gonna go ahead and say it. The book opens with a suicide. From the victim’s point of view. That’s the type of story you’re in for with Averil Dean’s The Undoing. And frankly, that’s all you need to know. That, alone, will tell you whether or not you will like this book. I’d much rather let you learn the story as you go, as I did, which makes for a much better experience.
This story is very emotionally cold, even to a point where the reader can begin to feel physically chilly, and I really liked that about it. Dean has created a stingingly cynical environment that is befitting of such a dark story. Friendships unravel, sick sexual taboos are broken, trust is betrayed, and bodies add up. Anything could happen. And the Memento-style storytelling, in which we learn events in reverse order, sets up many opportunities for twists and turns. The Undoing is that rare thriller that gives the reader a truly uncomfortable experience, and I mean that in the best way possible.
MATURE CONTENT WARNING:This story does contain instances of emotionally charged violence and perverse sexual encounters.
Will “Savage” Lasley is a writer and self-described horror junkie who simply loves a good story. He’s also met Bruce Campbell, so there’s that.
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.
The Girls She Left Behind by Sarah Graves / Reviewed by Tessa Bryant
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Sarah Graves
© John Squibb
The Girls She Left Behind by Sarah Graves
Reviewed by Tessa Bryant
Sarah Graves has already seen great acclaim for her first novel in the Lizzie Snow series, Winter at the Door. If you read any major reviews of the book, you’ll see it called “stylish,” “fast,” “thrilling,” and “dangerous,” with many reviewers pleading for the next novel. It looks like devoted readers are going to get exactly what they’re longing for in her second Lizzie Snow novel, The Girls She Left Behind.
The first pages of this book do not, in fact, feature Lizzie Snow herself. Instead, we spend the first fourteen pages meeting, getting to know, and losing two young girls named Cam and Janie. What follows their disappearance in the prologue is a quick-paced, blustery, twisting-and-turning novel that is difficult to put down.
When we meet Lizzie in the first chapter of the book, we immediately find a sharp, pensive, used-to-be homicide cop who is out of her element in her new small-town home. Lizzie has moved from her job in Boston to the tiny town of Bearkill, Maine, with the intent of finding a missing child—her young niece, Nicki. From there, the novel takes off, and we learn about other left-behind girls, taken girls, runaway girls, and how they’re all connected. It’s a dark, nightmarish web, and Lizzie Snow is determined to unweave it.
Graves is exceptional at her craft. Her setting for the novel is a bleak logging town in northern Maine that you can feel all around you as she moves you from page to page. It’s a dim and drizzly small town that seems simultaneously familiar and strange through Lizzie’s eyes, and it’s the perfect environment for this thriller. On top of her talent for setting a written stage, Graves is an expert at deftly moving among points of view throughout the novel, almost without the reader’s notice. Each of her characters is full and dimensional, and her narrative is strong and sure.
The Girls She Left Behind is equal parts fascinating, chilling, and altogether riveting. It already has me hoping for a new novel in the Lizzie Snow series. Although, really, I’d be happy with any new work from Graves.
I highly recommend picking up these first two Lizzie Snow installments and joining the rest of us in waiting with baited breath for a third.
Tessa Bryant is a graduate of the Departments of Theatre and English at Lipscomb University. She is a writer, director, administrator, and researcher of the performing and fine arts, and works and guest lectures at Lipscomb University. She is currently pursuing an M.F.A. in Creative Writing.
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.
Sherlock Holmes The Missing Years: Timbuktu by Vasudev Murthy / Reviewed by Mary Hankins
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Vasudev Murthy
Sherlock Holmes The Missing Years: Timbuktu by Vasudev Murthy
Reviewed by Mary Hankins
When I started reading Vasudev Murthy’s Sherlock Holmes The Missing Years: Timbuktu(Poisoned Pen Press), I thought I was reading an unpublished work by Arthur Conan Doyle: the tone and voice was so like the original Dr. Watson, chronicling the life and adventures of his best friend Sherlock Holmes. This book claims to tell the tale of what happened to Sherlock Holmes after the night on Reichenbach Falls, when all the world believed the great detective and his nemesis to be dead.
This “true” story has Holmes working for the Vatican, sailing to Africa, and Watson pretending to be Holmes’ deaf, mute slave for a day, among other things. At the heart of it is an ancient document that potentially holds a secret that can overthrow the religious order. What about this document compelled the original owner to hide it from the world? Will Holmes and Watson reach it before tightening racial tensions lash out, catching them in the crossfire? And what does all of this have to do with the elusive Moriarty, still at large after Reichenbach?
Modern fans may find the book a bit hard to get through at first, especially if they are viewers of any of many different varieties of the men from Baker Street, from the BBC sensation starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, to action-packed Guy Ritchie features, to the Americanized CBS show “Elementary,” where John Watson becomes a woman (Joan). Amidst all of these rather fantastical modern interpretations of Arthur Conan Doyle’s character, it is easy to forget that this brilliant, brawling, high-functioning sociopath first came to life in the late Victorian Era. And while he was always a loose cannon, Sherlock’s newest generation of fans may initially have trouble connecting with the tone and pacing of the original source material, and books faithfully written in its style.
Despite this, any true Sherlockian will find something to enjoy about this book. Vasudev Murthy’s imagination is truly astounding in his attention to detail, as adventure pulls the reader through the shadowy politics of turn of the century Africa, right along with the great Sherlock Holmes and his faithful friend John Watson. It is worth the time and effort you invest to see how Sherlock manages to solve a great historical mystery, while out-thinking the scheming Moriarty, protecting new friends and allies, and pretending to be a monk all at once. Enjoy the latest addition to the Sherlockian universe!
Mary Hankins is a recent graduate of Lipscomb University. She is putting her Bachelor's of Fine Arts degree to use in the Nashville community theatre scene. Loves God, her family and friends, and Phantom of the Opera—in that order.
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.
Angels Burning by Tawni O'Dell / Reviewed by Clay Snellgrove
Killer Nashville Book of the Day
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Tawni O'Dell
Angels Burning by Tawni O'Dell
Reviewed by Clay Snellgrove
Bestselling author Tawni O’Dell’s latest novel Angels Burning (Gallery Books) boasts a killer title and an irresistible cover. Throw in several ridiculously complimentary blurbs from fellow scribes pasted front and back, and readers will turn to page one with the highest of expectations. O’Dell does not disappoint, aptly navigating a murder mystery, a personal family drama, and a complicated romance, all seen through the eyes of her heroine Police Chief Dove Carnahan.
When a teenage girl is murdered, her body left smoldering in the sinkhole of an abandoned Pennsylvania mining town, Chief Carnahan’s small town police force joins her former mentor, State Police Detective Nolan Greely, in hunting the killer. As compelling as the mystery surrounding the girl’s death is, the richness and complexity of the story’s characters make the book impossible to put down.
O’Dell peels away layer after layer from her first-person narrator. At fifty, Chief Carnahan feels her youthful beauty fading, admits letting her emotions affect her decision-making on the job, and realizes her childhood will continue to haunt her for years to come. Despite all of this, Carnahan is captivating as the perfect hero.
To discover the identity of the killer, Chief Carnahan must investigate the victim’s relatives. Poor, dysfunctional, and ill mannered, the family of suspects ignites memories of Carnahan’s own troubled family: a murdered mother and a suicidal brother missing for decades. These threads from her past give readers a better understanding of Carnahan as a woman and a lawman, and the mysteries surrounding both sets of relatives drive the narrative forward as details surrounding each are slowly revealed.
O’Dell moves the story easily from squad room to slum, her descriptions always spot-on, giving her an authoritative voice. The finale is satisfying, and while the sharpest mystery readers might finger the culprit just before the final pages, this knowledge will not take away from the enjoyment of the beautifully crafted conclusion, one that leaves just enough dangling thread for a possible sequel.
Clay Snellgrove is the author of The Ball Player. He's a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University. A former professional baseball player, Clay holds an MFA in creative writing from Converse College.
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.
Going Home by Sharon Marchisello / Reviewed by M. K. Sealy
Killer Nashville Book of the Day
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Sharon Marchisello
Going Home by Sharon Marchisello
Reviewed by M. K. Sealy
Going Home(Sunbury Press, Inc.), the debut novel of Sharon Marchisello, is perhaps one of the most fascinating novels I came across in 2015. Though the genre of murder-mystery may be overrun with novels of coming home and confronting the past, Marchisello has breathed new life into several genres with her tight prose and gripping storyline. The dialogue is surprisingly fresh, and Marchisello often inserts poignant quips and an impressive social awareness into the characters’ interactions with one another.
However, not only does Going Home prove to be a stunning work of mystery, it also transcends a single genre and provides insight into the fragile inner workings of familial relations and the debilitating effects of Alzheimer’s on those who suffer from it—those who struggle with the disease, and the loved ones who suffer alongside them.
When Michelle DePalma goes home to Two Wells, Texas, to visit with her elderly mother, the last thing she expects to find is her mother with the dead body of her caretaker, Brittany Landers. Michelle’s plans of going back to her perfect, orderly home in Atlanta are thwarted as she must begin not only taking care of her mother, but also trying to prove that the woman whose mind is quickly fading isn’t guilty of the caretaker’s murder. Proving her mother’s innocence, however, is more than a little difficult when secrets buried long ago come back to haunt Michelle—she quickly learns not only is blood thicker than water, but it also finds you wherever you are.
Going Home is gripping from the opening line and both haunts and intrigues readers as the novel progresses. Michelle’s plight is both heart-wrenching and insightful, and the fact that Going Home was heavily impacted by Marchisello’s experience with her mother suffering from Alzheimer’s gives the novel an additional dimension that allows the readers to better understand the effects of the disease on all those involved. Going Home is emotionally and mentally engaging, and it is a stunning debut worthy of high praise.
M. K. Sealy earned a Bachelor of Arts in English with an emphasis in literature from a Nashville university. She is a copyeditor for a Nashville-based publication, but also writes poetry, fiction, and is currently attempting a screenplay, all while working to obtain a Master of Education.
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.
Blood Salt Water by Denise Mina / Reviewed by Shelley Haley
Killer Nashville Book of the Day
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Denise Mina
Credit: Neil Davidson
Blood Salt Water by Denise Mina
Reviewed by Shelley Haley
From the land of William Wallace and Robert the Bruce comes another intriguing crime novel in the Alex Morrow series by Denise Mina.
Given the ultimate literary test of being my Christmas Cruise 2015 chaise lounge book of choice, I am happy to announce that Blood Salt Water (Little, Brown and Company) indeed emerged a winner! A fast-paced read, the story kept me anxious to follow Detective Alex Morrow as she juggles her beloved family, rising small-town tension, and a police staff burdened by budget cuts, whilst struggling with her own insecurities and personal demons. Morrow’s strife is not unique in this idyllic Scottish landscape: a family secret, a troublesome conscience, a false identity… everyone in Helensburgh has a back-story—in this case, even a murderer.
The cadence of Helensburgh life is interrupted when a long-lost resident’s unexpected return home coincides with the disappearance of a new one. The missing woman, Roxanna Fuentecilla—glamorous and fiercely devoted to her children—piques Morrow’s curiosity, and her absence plays an integral role within a larger investigation.
A chef attempts to make it in a town unaccustomed to new fare, a body surfaces in Loch Lomond creating chaos, and arson takes the life of two cherished locals. Helensburgh is not unused to its own homegrown “prisony” thugs (with surprising guilty consciences), but all is not what it seems. It is up to Morrow and her steadfast partner to determine how the bizarre and macabre events intertwine while desperately attempting to avoid not only further loss of life, but ultimately kidnapping and possible evasion in this sleepy—now frightened—seaside town.
The Scottish vernacular plays a fun role in this interesting, up-to-date story, while offering up insight into the recent September Yes/No Referendum, which has potentially forged the future fate of Scotland.
A page-turner until the end with an always welcomed twist, you will enjoy this easy read that moves at a brisk pace so that you too may make your next excursion!
Shelley Haley is an eccentric artist, reader of novels, writer of chronicles fueled by an insatiable fascination with history and the lessons that lie therein, prone to wanderlust and born under the sign of Aquarius.
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.
Thin Ice by Irene Hannon / Reviewed by M. K. Sealy
Killer Nashville Book of the Day
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Irene Hannon
Thin Ice by Irene Hannon
Reviewed by M. K. Sealy
Irene Hannon, author of the Private Justiceseries, has drafted a stunning masterpiece that swings chaotically, yet satisfyingly, between thrill and romance with her latest novel, Thin Ice(Revell). Gripping from page one and thoroughly enticing, the intricately and expertly woven plot revolves around the alleged death of one Ginny Reed and the investigator who is sent to unearth the truth behind her demise. With rarely any slow moments, Thin Ice keeps readers turning the pages hungrily, the need to know what happens next easily overpowering the need to run errands, do housework, or sleep.
Thin Ice is one of the most harrowing novels I encountered in 2015*; however, Hannon strikes an easy balance between the thrill of the intrigue that develops as the reader follows investigator Lance McGregor as he unearths the truth, and the romantic elements of the novel.
Additionally, the character development allows the reader to immerse him or herself in the text. As the story is told from many different perspectives, the reader has the opportunity to fully engage with the characters, both protagonists and antagonists alike. This third-person perspective allows for a well rounded and enriched experience that raises goosebumps and sends shivers down the spine.
The truly great novel is the novel in which the reality of the characters briefly becomes the reality of the readers. Thin Ice is an impressive amalgamation of romance and suspense, and it easily pulls readers in. While reading Thin Ice, any semblance of time passing was removed, and it wasn’t until I reached the very end that I could tear myself away.
*Editor's note: M. K. Sealy received Thin Ice in advance for review, so it was indeed one of her favorite reads of 2015, but its official release date was January 5, 2016.
M. K. Sealy earned a Bachelor of Arts in English with an emphasis in literature from a Nashville university. She is a copyeditor for a Nashville-based publication, but also writes poetry, fiction, and is currently attempting a screenplay, all while working to obtain a Master of Education.
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.
What You See by Hank Phillippi Ryan / Reviewed by Kelly Saderholm
Killer Nashville Book of the Day
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Hank Phillippi Ryan
What You See by Hank Phillippi Ryan
Reviewed by Kelly Saderholm
In Hank Phillippi Ryan’s latest book, What You See (the fourth in her Jane Ryland series), almost nothing is what it appears to be. A man is stabbed in broad daylight in front of dozens of witnesses, and yet Detectives Jake Brogan and Paul DeLuca find that the pictures and surveillance cameras tell conflicting stories.
Jane Ryland has a job once again as a reporter, but finds her work coming into conflict with Jake’s investigations, causing them to struggle with the tension between their competing careers and their relationship. At the same time, Jane’s family is dealing with a serious crisis. Jane’s sister Melissa is getting married, and the flower girl, nine-year-old Gracie has been taken by her step-dad. Is the little girl, who will soon be Melissa's stepdaughter, in danger? Or is it a harmless lark? No one seems to be able to find out.
Ryan deftly weaves all these plot lines together, plus a couple more involving a dark conspiracy of extortion, and another family torn apart by its secrets, into an engaging, riveting read. Not only does Ryan carry the reader along a fast-paced story full of twists and turns, but she also explores themes of modern life such as surveillance, and instant communication, and the ways these can be manipulated so that nothing is quite what it seems.
Hank Phillippi Ryan has the personal expertise to write such a novel, as she, as an investigative reporter for Boston's NBC affiliate WHDH-TV, won many awards for her reporting. Her best selling suspense novels have also won many awards. What You See was published by Forge Hardcover, New York, NY, in October 2015.
Kelly Saderholm has written, blogged, and lectured about aspects of the mystery novel. She has moderated panels and presented papers at literary conferences, on both the Mystery Novel and Urban Fantasy. She is currently shifting from writing about mystery fiction to writing actual mystery fiction, and is working on a novel, as well as a non-fiction book dealing with Folklore in the American South. She is a recipient of a Kentucky Foundation for Women grant. She lives in South Central Kentucky with her family and two feline office assistants.
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.
Fortune's Fool by Jane Sevier / Reviewed by Lyn Farquhar
Killer Nashville Book of the Day
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Jane Sevier
Fortune's Fool by Jane Sevier
Reviewed by Lyn Farquhar
It is 1933 and youthful widow Nell Marchand is only too happy to stand in the cool March wind watching her husband’s casket being lowered into the ground. He’d catted around Memphis with women of low repute for years, making a fool out of her. But as the wake comes to an end, the Marchand family attorney informs her that she has lost more than a husband; all her spouse’s money has been lost in the stock market crash. She is now penniless, and responsible for her husband’s mother.
Nell, a former socialite, lacks any useful skills. After miserably failing as a typist and telephone operator, she and her African American servant Hattie decide to do laundry for others. It’s hard work and barely brings in enough to keep them in watery soup. Looking for hope, her mother-in-law takes Nell to see Dr. Joseph Calendar, medium to Memphis society. Nell is dubious, but when Dr. Calendar touches her fingers, a jolt of something like electricity runs up her arm. Dr. Calendar believes Nell is a “sensitive”—an idea she rejects out of hand, although her Welsh grandmother was considered to have the “sight”.
Several weeks later, arms aching from the laundry venture, Nell decides it’s worth a risk. She rents a space and sets herself up as a gypsy Tarot card reader. She’s an immediate success, until a dirt farmer named Luther Evans whose daughter Ginny has gone missing comes to her for help. Until that point, Nell has been offering advice on helping young girls get dates to the prom! This is a whole new ballgame and she is sobered by the stakes. The hunt for Ginny is on.
The author of this delightful story, Jane Sevier, has created the perfect first novel in a presumed series: there are just too many intriguing snippets left hanging at the end of Fortune’s Fool—I was left hanging, too! Will Dr. Calendar’s passion for Nell Marchand be requited? Will we learn more about the death of Nell’s husband? Nell was told he died of a heart attack, but beautiful prostitute Mildred Epps, who was with him that night, says he was shot. Were speakeasy owner Blackjack Kelly and his henchman Little Nick involved? I loved this story and am looking forward to more in the series of plucky psychic socialite Nell Marchand.
Editor’s note: The Psychic Socialite series continues with A Billy Sunday Kind of Love.
Lyn Farquhar is co-author of the “Mae December mysteries”, written with her daughter Lisa Fitzgerald under thepen name Lia Farrell.
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.
Dig Two Graves by Kim Powers / Reviewed by G. Robert Frazier
Killer Nashville Book of the Day
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Kim Powers
Dig Two Graves by Kim Powers
Reviewed by G. Robert Frazier
Ethan Holt’s greatest accomplishment, winning the decathlon at the Olympics in his 20s, also proves to be his greatest undoing in Kim Powers’ thrilling, suspense-filled debut novel, Dig Two Graves (Tyrus Books).
Nicknamed “Hercules” for pulling off the heroic task of being an Olympian, Ethan’s success on the field translates into a coveted teaching position at his ivy-school alma mater, where he’d just as soon as forget about the Olympics and get on with his life. His biggest challenge is simply relating to his teenage daughter, Skip, whose rebellious attitude tests him in more ways than any pole vault or long-distance jump ever could.
When Skip is kidnapped, Ethan realizes she is the most important thing in his life and he will do anything to get her back. To do so, however, means Ethan will have to push himself to his athletic, and academic, limits as he must solve a series of increasingly cryptic riddles and tasks at the behest of the kidnapper.
Each test is a modern-day version of one of the Twelve Labors of Hercules, as the perpetrator uses Ethan’s past Olympic accomplishments against him. The tasks grow increasingly more difficult and the stakes exceedingly higher as the novel progresses, keeping both Ethan on his toes and readers on the edge of their seat at all times.
Complicating things is the fact the kidnapper knows seemingly everything about him, including a long-buried scandal surrounding Ethan’s Olympic games. And unlike the stories of Hercules, the kidnapper’s desire for revenge against Ethan is all too real.
Powers alternates the action between Ethan’s point of view and that of his daughter, who strives to gain her freedom against her unseen kidnapper. As a result, readers are easily able to sympathize with Ethan over the loss of his daughter as well as experience Skip’s terror firsthand.
Powers is the senior writer for ABC’s 20/20 and the series What Would You Do?, as well as numerous primetime specials with Diane Sawyer, Barbara Walters, Robin Roberts and Katie Couric. He has won both Emmy and Peabody Awards for his 9/11 reporting for Good Morning America. He previously wrote a pair of nonfiction books in Capote in Kansas and The History of Swimming.
G. Robert Frazier is a writer and 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.
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.
MemoRandom by Anders de la Motte / Reviewed by Clay Snellgrove
Killer Nashville Book of the Day
Find MemoRandom at Killer Nashville's affiliate, Amazon.com*
Anders de la Motte
MemoRandom by Anders de la Motte
Reviewed by Clay Snellgrove
On the first page of Anders de la Motte’s latest thriller MemoRandom, David Sarac is trying to figure out who he is, why he’s being chased by the police, and what is stopping him from controlling his own car. Before Sarac’s high-speed crash, the reader learns that he is a policeman himself who has just done something unforgivable. A few quick pages later, after the introduction of several more interesting players, Sarac awakens with amnesia, à la Jason Bourne. He recognizes longtime friends and colleagues from the Stockholm Police Force, but has no memory of the last year.
De la Motte uses this somewhat simple and convenient mystery-building plot tool to its utmost, keeping readers hungry for answers about Sarac as he develops other threads with a diverse cast of characters. An imposing Iranian policeman arrives in Sweden looking for those responsible for his brother’s death. Leaders of Stockholm’s criminal underworld meet in an effort to ferret out the identity of a police informant threatening their profits and their lives. A power-hungry politician covers up the circumstances of his mistress’s death.
While De la Motte keeps the pace quick, he only lets details of Sarac’s recent past leak out as if through a dripping IV, keeping the reader desperate for more. By revealing early on that Sarac is a talented detective assigned to handling top-secret criminal informants, de la Motte allows the many storylines to merge effortlessly. Each time a criminal or corrupt cop is connected to the protagonist, the danger builds.
The book prompts the reader to question who is good, who is evil, and to cheer for characters regardless of what is revealed. The story’s setting and the hero’s quest to solve a complex puzzle elicit memories of reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Sarac is on the run, putting the pieces of his fragmented memory back together until the answers come crashing down in a violent finale that satisfies the reader and sets the stage for another book.
MemoRandom cements de la Motte’s reputation as a master of thrills. Readers unfamiliar with the author are sure to track down his previously lauded Gametrilogy.
Clay Snellgrove is the author of The Ball Player. He’s a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University. A former professional baseball player, Clay holds an MFA in creative writing from Converse College.
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.
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