KN Magazine: Reviews
Escape Velocity by Susan Wolfe / Reviewed by Laura Hartman
Escape Velocity
By Susan Wolfe
Steelkilt Press
$29.99
ISBN 978-0997211702
Published October 4, 2016
Book of the Day
Escape Velocity has been described as being approximately 33 times the speed of sound on earth. That defines the pace of this second novel by Susan Wolfe.
Georgia Griffin is a daddy’s girl. She loved spending time with him at their home in Piney, Arkansas. Taking care of their horses and learning how to read and manipulate people were activities he taught Georgia and her younger sister Katie-Ann. They have his skills, but didn’t use them. But when one if his cons goes bad and sends him to prison, Georgia knows she has to make some drastic changes to survive. Things go from bad to worse after her mama takes up with a real creep. Georgia set a goal and is determined to see it through. Getting a job in Silicon Valley is the first step, and then saving enough money to get her younger sister out of harm’s way is the second. Katie-Ann is only in high school and too much of a temptation for her mom’s latest boyfriend, so Georgia is on a tight timeline to accomplish what may be near impossible with only a paralegal certificate.
Lumina Software could be her big break. She has interviewed with several companies, but nothing has panned out so far. But this interview is different. She is so convinced it might be the thrust she needs to begin her escape velocity, she is willing to put just a little of what her daddy taught her into play to give herself an edge. She immediately clicks with her potential boss, and finally getting the break she has been looking for; the job is hers.
The pay is great, her boss is even better than she first imagined, but some of the others in the company seemed to have personal agendas. The deeper she becomes involved; the more Georgia feels she needs to channel her daddy to make sure the company is a success. After all, if the company has problems, she might lose her job, then how would she get her little sister out of the mess of a life she has in Arkansas? Georgia is good at finding things out and using them to her advantage. If she pulls one small con to help the company, how could that be wrong? First she needs to find a vulnerable spot or two in a few obnoxious execs, then play them just like daddy would. But could she find out something that might put her in more danger than the business losing a bit of money? Certainly these boardroom bullies wouldn’t go as far as to kill someone – or are the stakes higher than Georgia imagined?
I love the mind games the characters play with each other. After working in an office for over twenty years, I could picture a few of my former unsavory co-workers taking things a step further than they should and then over the line. Fortunately in my life that never happened, but the realistic settings, events and characters in Wolfe’s book bring the schemers and scammers to life. I love hating the bad guys in this book and kept turning the pages to find out if and how they get what they deserved.
Anyone who likes twists, turns and intrigue will love this book. It was fun trying to figure out just who was bad and who was good until the very end. There is nothing better for a mystery reader than not knowing all of the answers until they are revealed in the final chapter, and then realizing the clues were there all along.
Laura Hartman is a short story author and book reviewer. She has work appearing in A Woman’s Touch: 11 Stories of Murder & Misdemeanors and The Killer Wore Cranberry, A Second Helping. She began reviewing books for GenReviews in 2011 and currently reviews for publicist Maryglenn McCombs, Penguin First to Read and NetGalley. She is a writer by day and a reader by night.
DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: I have a material connection because I received a review copy for free from the publisher/author in connection with Killer Nashville in return for my review. Copyright © 2017 Laura Hartman
Order to Kill by Kyle Mills / Reviewed by G. Robert FrazierKiller Nashville Book of the Day
Book of the Day
Vince Flynn’s CIA agent Mitch Rapp is in good hands with author Kyle Mills, who takes Rapp to the limit in his latest novel, Order to Kill ($28.99, Atria Books). This time around, Rapp is called upon to ferret out the location of nuclear fuel stolen from a half dozen Pakistani warheads and prevent the fissile material from being detonated in a series of dirty bombs.
Rapp goes deep undercover, taking on the identity of an American ISIS recruit. In doing so, he subjects himself to a ferocious beating at the hands of a friend in order to mimic the wounds inflicted on the actual recruit by interrogators. Apparently there is no easier way to play the part—there are no makeup artists on hand—showing the lengths that Rapp will go for God and country.
At the same time, Rapp is desperate to discover the identity of a Russian assassin who has critically injured his friend, Scott Coleman. Grisha Azarov, who is in the employ of Russian President Maxim Krupin, has an agenda of his own—specifically the death of Rapp—setting the stage for a knockdown kill-or-be-killed faceoff between the two.
Mills writes with authority and skill, making him a worthy successor to Flynn, who died in 2013. His prose literally puts you in the middle of the action so that you feel like you are ducking bullets right alongside Rapp.
While Rapp isn’t known for sentiment —this is an action-thriller, after all—Mills does a good job attempting to humanize him somewhat in this outing. For instance, when his friend Coleman is nearly killed, Rapp is clearly upset. He shirks orders just to bring Coleman home, even though it means letting his adversary get away.
Despite all of that, you never feel like Rapp is in any mortal danger. That’s the downside to a series character like Rapp or James Bond or Jack Bauer. You know that no matter what happens, he’ll survive and he’ll get the bad guy. It takes a bit of the suspense out, but not much. Because in the end, what readers really want from adventures like these is a hero kicking butt and taking names, which Rapp is.
When he’s not working on his own novel or screenplays, G. Robert Frazier writes about other writers and their works on his blog and other sites such as BookPage and US Review of Books. He is a script reader for both the Austin Film Festival and Nashville Film Festival screenwriting competitions and is a member of the Tennessee Screenwriting Association. He used to write and edit stories for several newspapers in the Nashville area until the industry caved in on itself and set him free. And he once won a flash fiction contest in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, so there’s that.
A Negro and an Ofay by Danny Gardner / Reviewed by A. Grace Miller
Book of the Day
A Negro and an Ofay by Danny Gardner, set in Southville, IL in the 1950s, delves into the world of crime and race in a way that feels new and fresh. Mixed-race Elliot Caprice has been restless since the day his mother abandoned him with his Uncle Buster. But when he wakes up hung over and at the end of his rope in St. Louis’ notorious, desegregated jail known as the Meat Locker, he’s about to realize there really is no place like home.
Elliot Caprice has hit rock bottom – except things keep getting worse. Once a Chicago cop, his attempts to do the right thing have brought him nothing but trouble and, after being on the run for a year, he has no place left to go. Caprice heads home, but once there, learns the family farm has been repossessed and his uncle’s health is failing. Desperate to put things right and make up for abandoning the uncle who raised him, Caprice finds a job serving papers for a local attorney—the son of the Jewish mobster Caprice collected for in his younger days. In an attempt to make extra money, Caprice agrees to hunt down missing chauffeur Alistair Williams in order to close a client’s last will and testament. It should be an easy job, but Elliot quickly realizes that everyone, including the mobster, is looking for Williams. As another body drops, the stakes get higher. Soon, the job to find Williams is just one of the seemingly impossible tasks Elliot needs to complete in order to get his life back.
Gardner’s writing electrifies the action and will enthrall you from page one. The spunky dialogue, written in dialect, makes every character colorful and unique. Gardner’s characters pop off the page. He melds the rich back-stories of his characters and the history of Southville so well that you will feel like you have known the people and the town for years. Meanwhile, the plot is packed with increasingly dangerous confrontations with impossible odds that will keep you turning pages until the end, and then wishing for more.
The deeper into the mystery Elliot gets, the less likely it seems that he will be able to survive. With the help of an unlikely crew—a mix of old friends and new, some lawmen and others outlaws—Elliot must learn to live with the many ghosts of his past in order to move forward with his life.
Grace Miller is a freelance writer and editor.
The Devil's Bible by Dana Chamblee Carpenter / Reviewed by Kelly Saderholm
Killer Nashville Book of the Day
Look for The Devil's Bible from Pegasus Books on Killer Nashville's affiliate, Amazon.com*
Release date: March 7, 2017
The Devil's Bible by Dana Chamblee Carpenter
Reviewed by Kelly Saderholm
Fans of Dana Chamblee Carpenter's Bohemian Gospel (Pegasus 2015) will be thrilled that the wait for more of Mouse's adventures is over. The Devil's Bible (Pegasus 2017) offers more of Mouse’s story in this beautifully crafted and extraordinarily well-researched novel which begins where Bohemian Gospel ends, in 13th century Bohemia—a setting that Carpenter brings to life with her smart, lively writing and attention to historical detail. For those not familiar with the first work, Mouse is an orphan left at a monastery. She has a mysterious origin and odd powers—powers that even the holy place’s residents cannot identify or explain.
In the Devil’s Bible, we flash forward into the modern day. Mouse is a professor and scholar working at an American University. When a former student of hers presents research on the mysterious Devil’s Bible, Mouse realizes that he is dangerously close to the truth of her own existence. The relic is a hand-written bible from medieval times that is shrouded in mystery and legend. As the name would suggest, the book is rumored to be written by the Devil himself. Through the centuries it has called out to scholars and those seeking power. It is whispered that those who come in contact with this ancient book are never the same afterward.
Hoping for a normal life, Mouse goes into hiding. All too soon she realizes that she has been found and that those close to her are in danger. She also learns that certain pages of the Devil’s Bible are missing, and she suspects those pages hold the key to the resolution of the conflict from which she’s spent centuries hiding—a conflict that is revealed to us in a series of deftly-crafted flashbacks.
In The Devil’s Bible, Carpenter has crafted well-rounded and complex characters. The novel’s plot is interesting and fast-moving. She provides gorgeous historical detail, without bogging down the novel’s pacing. Carpenter’s prose is detailed without being convoluted, and she weaves plotlines and histories together into a masterfully crafted tapestry of a tale. The history, the rich details, the folklore, and legends, with a dose of magical realism are reminiscent of Elizabeth Kostova’s The Historian and Umberto Eco’s the Name of the Rose.
Carpenter based The Devil’s Bible on the true-life medieval manuscript Codex Gigas, (Giant Book) or, as it has been known throughout history, “Devil’s Bible,” a name it received due to a large portrait of the Devil inside the manuscript. There is also a legend about a monk who sold his soul to the Devil in order to complete the work. There is more to this ancient tome than just the canonical books of the Bible; it also contains history, medical information, magic spells and other mysterious works. Carpenter cleverly uses all these pieces to conjure a riveting tale and memorable characters. She casts a spell over readers who, once they start reading, will find it nearly impossible to put The Devil’s Bible down.
Dana Chamblee Carpenter’s debut novel, Bohemian Gospel won the 2014 Killer Nashville Claymore Award. Her short fiction has appeared in The Arkansas Review, Jersey Devil Press, and Maypop. She is a professor in Nashville, Tennessee and is currently at work on another novel.
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 writing a non-fiction book dealing with Folklore in the American South. She is a recipient of a Kentucky Foundation for Women Writer’s grant. She lives in South Central Kentucky with her family and two feline office assistants.
Weregirl by C.D. Bell / Reviewed by Ashlyn Duke
Killer Nashville Book of the Day
Weregirl by C.D. Bell
Reviewed by Ashlyn Duke
C.D. Bell presents a unique twist on a werewolf story in Weregirl. This is the story about Nessa Kurland, an ambitious girl who is striving to get an athletic scholarship to go to college by running track. Her goal changes somewhat once she realizes that she can no longer be just a girl striving for college.
Weregirl is set in small town Tether, Michigan. After Dutch Chem had their way Tether was left a poison wasteland, and many people from Tether had to move. That is until the white knight Paravida shows up to save the day. Everything should be perfect now - until something slips. It’s up to Nessa to save Tether, but she has a problem of her own.
This is a book that is not focused on a love story, but of Nessa transforming into a stronger person. She doesn’t focus on guys, like her best friend Bree seems to. Her priorities are more focused on beating her rival Cynthia at the meets and getting the best running time. Nessa is a unique character that smashes the typical teenage stereotype. The evildoers in the story even have a unique motive.
Weregirl is a book for anyone looking to enjoy comedic/suspenseful/action filled book. The questions to be asked are: Will Nessa be able to control herself? What are they really doing in the labs? Can Nessa uncover the mystery of her little town or will she have to roll over and play dead?
Ashlyn Duke will graduate from Tennessee Tech in December 2017 with a Bachelors Degree in English Literature. She always has a book handy on her for those just-in-case moments. She also enjoys drawing, and going on hikes with her Australian Shepherd.
If you have a book you would like featured, send a digital ARC for consideration to books@killernashville.com. The Killer Nashville Book of the Day Reviews are coordinated by Clay Stafford with the assistance of Liz Gatterer and credited guest reviewers.
*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.
Marry in Haste by Susan Van Kirk / Reviewed by Britany Menken
Killer Nashville Book of the Day
Marry in Haste by Susan Van Kirk
Reviewed by Britany Menken
In the mystery, Marry in Haste, by Susan Van Kirk, a retired English teacher from Endurance, Illinois gets drawn into a murder case of an abusive loan shark and discovers that a secret floor board could be the key to clearing a past students name. Grace Kimball, retired teacher, has a simple life with her boyfriend, Jeff Maitlin, until a string of events lead her into helping a former student, Emily Folger. Trapped in an abusive relationship, Emily indulges her husbands every whim to avoid his hand on a daily basis. The bruises on her body imply no whim of his will ever be satisfied as she savors alone time while he’s away at work, discriminating against people who come to him for loans. Grace often wonders about Emily, one of her brightest students who had a concrete future full of promise. From the outside, Grace sees a secluded life with a man not suited for one of her favorite students and questions her life choices.
When Grace learns of her blue-eyed beau’s newly purchased house and the history behind it, she can’t resist her longtime hobby of writing historical articles and decides to amass as much research as she can on the Lockwood Home. Unbeknownst to her, the research could become clues in this wonderfully written murder mystery. Abandoned and turned into multiple things throughout the decades, she finds a one-hundred-year-old secret in the form of a diary. Grace discovered it once belonged to a young girl, Olivia Lockwood. Olivia was married to Judge Charles Lockwood and realizes the predicament of Olivia and Emily are uncanny; Both abused and treated like the bits and pieces section in the back of a newspaper. Grace sees the resemblance in both stories in hopes it could be the key to proving Emily’s innocence. Two pains in the same dignity, stretched out one-hundred years apart from each other, both suffer the same cruelty, one hidden underneath an old floor board and the other living it on a daily basis.
The only thing stopping Jeff from pursuing his dream of the Lockwood home is signing a few papers to finalize his loan and must pay a visit to Conrad Folger, a depictable man in the workplace and at home to his wife, Emily. At the meeting, Grace reads him and his fake exterior as Conrad chats with the pair, making it more obvious he would be a reasonable candidate for murder. TJ Sweeney, Endurance’s only female detective and a longtime friend of Grace, is on the case of solving the murder. The well-off tycoon stemming from a rich family has a number of enemies, such as a pair of Grace’s old students who opened a new restaurant together but were denied a loan because of their sexual orientation. Or maybe it was relative after more than money. Was it any of Conrad’s disgruntled customers? After reading this book, it’s easy to see Van Kirk has a knack for mystery and a deep understanding of women from any time period. If you haven’t picked up your copy of Marry In Haste, I strongly urge you to do so and be prepared to enjoy this hard-to-put-down mystery.
If you have a book you would like featured, send a digital ARC for consideration to books@killernashville.com. The Killer Nashville Book of the Day Reviews are coordinated by Clay Stafford with the assistance of Arthur Jackson and credited guest reviewers.
*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.
Wolf: A Jessica James Mystery by Kelly Oliver / Reviewed by Joseph Borden
Killer Nashville Book of the Day
Purchase your copy of Wolf: A Jessica James Mystery.
Wolf: A Jessica James Mystery by Kelly Oliver
Reviewed by Joseph Borden
Jessica James, a quick-witted Montana cowgirl turned philosopher, and star of Kelly Oliver’s Wolf: A Jessica James Mystery, wants only to successfully defend her thesis and earn her degree—an achievement that would be a slap in the face, of sorts, to all those who doubted she could survive the rigors inherent in the patriarchy that is academia. But when she discovers Professor Wolfgang Schumtzig’s—her thesis advisor—dead body in a bathtub, she becomes entangled in a web of lies, secrets, mystery, and murder from which the only way out is through. For Jessica, survival begins to take on a new, and deadlier, meaning.
Enter Dmitry Durchenko, university janitor and former-heir to The Oxford Don’s Russian mafia syndicate. At the age of eighteen, Dmitry cut ties with his family and fled his homeland with two of his father’s most prized possessions—antique Russian paintings valued at several million dollars apiece. He’s kept a low profile for decades, but after Schumtzig’s death, he realizes his life, and his family’s lives, are at stake.
Dmitry’s actions serve as the impetus for the story, but, of course, Jessica and her ragtag group of friends—Amber, a tech-savvy hippie, Jack, a wise-cracking stoner, and Lolita, Dmitry’s smart, seductive, and fearless daughter—are the stars of the show. And each of have a long row to hoe if they want to unravel this mystery.
Simultaneously heartwarming, irreverent, clever, suspenseful, and humorous, this novel moves quickly and keeps the reader glued to the page. Oliver’s characters—particularly the women—are fierce, unique, and largely unpredictable. Unlike many mysteries, even those with women protagonists, Jessica does not rely on the good graces of a knight in shining armor to save her—which is refreshing and commendable. With the help of her friends (and a lot of luck) Jessica is more than equipped to handle the likes of the Russian mob, fratty, would-be rapists, and the difficulties inherent in navigating the academic world. Clever, funny, brave, and endearingly awkward, Jessica James is a character that readers will not be able to get enough of.
Oliver’s Wolf is just the first enthralling installment of (hopefully) many more Jessica James mysteries to come. Wolf and Coyote (the second book of the series) are already on sale, and Fox is set to release in February 2017. Pick up your copies today; you won’t be disappointed.
Joseph Borden graduated from Tusculum College in December of 2014 with a degree in Creative Writing. Previously, he’s served as Managing Editor for The Tusculum Review and as an advertising specialist for a The Hickman County Times. He spends most of his time reading and writing fiction—his short story “Hell or High Water” was Editor’s Choice for the 2014 edition of Din Magazine. His hobbies include playing guitar, singing, people watching, and riding his motorcycle. He currently lives in Lyles.
If you have a book you would like featured, send a digital ARC for consideration to books@killernashville.com. The Killer Nashville Book of the Day Reviews are coordinated by Clay Stafford with the assistance of Jonathan Nash and credited guest reviewers.
*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.
Clay Stafford Revisits “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Killer Nashville Book of the Day
Clay Stafford Revisits "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Many years ago—okay, decades—I was forced in school to read F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby”. Why they assign books like that to kids, even high-schoolers, is beyond me. I don’t recall having a good feeling about it. I couldn’t remember the story, but I’m pretty sure I aced the book report. Then those brain cells died.
“The Great Gatsby” was referenced three different times from three different sources this past week, which is my usual “sign from God” that I should read or re-read something. Decades after the first pass, I did.
After reading it, I understood why I hadn’t cared for it as a youth: it is a masterpiece that no one who hasn’t lived to some degree could possibly understand. I read it a second time. After reading it twice, I also watched the movie (I chose the Mira Sorvino starrer directed by Robert Markowitz and adapted for screen by John McLaughlin.)
The plot appears to be a love story. Looking on the jacket, you’ll see phrases like “playing Cupid” and “former love”. Without telling my wife anything about it, I asked her to watch it with me. She was delighted because—even after seeing it with me—she described it to our son as “a type of love story”. Her description matched the jacket. My response? It is anything but a love story.
Character Nick Carraway narrates the story of two former lovers spiraling down to murder. It’s an ensemble cast where we get to know these incredibly dysfunctional characters, learn the secrets of their pasts, feel the tension in the present moment, and know at the end as things unravel (suspense) that this was a Shakespearean tragedy from the start. From a writer’s perspective, the use of the setting (time and place) as a character itself is masterful in its craftsmanship and something missed in most modern day writing. The characters, all of them, are so well-distinguished that—even without the movie—they are solid in our minds.
It’s a short novel (mine, the Matthew J. Bruccoli edition) comes in at a mere 135 pages, which is interestingly close to the 120 page script of any feature movie. Seeing it that short, I wondered what it would look like as a film, what would be changed, what would be added or removed. I chose the Mira Sorvino version for no other reason than I liked the movie poster / DVD jacket. McLaughlin’s script and Markowitz’s directing, as well as the stellar performances of all the actors, superbly visualized what I myself had seen in the novel itself. I think Fitzgerald, who died thinking his novel was a failure, would have been one of the few writers who looked at the screen version of their work and said, “That’s just as I envisioned it.”
If you haven’t read “The Great Gatsby” or it has been years since you were forced to read it, I’m recommending it to you now to experience it by choice. If you prefer to watch the TV, rent the movie or pick it up at your local library. Like me, you’ve probably got some age on you and you will find yourself filling in all the parts of life that are masterfully left out by Fitzgerald to bring it into this tight 135 pages making it truly an interactive experience, a growing realization, and one of the most reader/viewer involved experiences (for you actually become Nick in your deciphering of what is going on) as you could possibly experience. As you read, note how skillfully Fitzgerald manipulates your loyalties beneath the watchful eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg.
Three times it was mentioned to me. Three times I experienced the story (2 times with the book, once with the movie). It is a miracle of an experience.
Clay Stafford is a writer, filmmaker, and founder of Killer Nashville. Learn more about him at ClayStafford.com
If you have a book you would like featured, send a digital ARC for consideration to books@killernashville.com. The Killer Nashville Book of the Day Reviews are coordinated by Clay Stafford with the assistance of Arthur Jackson and credited guest reviewers.
*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.
Purgatory Road by Samuel Parker / Reviewed by Joseph Borden
Killer Nashville Book of the Day
Find Purgatory Road on Killer Nashville's affiliate, Amazon.com*
Purgatory Road by Samuel Parker
Reviewed by Joseph Borden
In Purgatory Road (Revell, $14.99), author Samuel Parker seamlessly melds elements of thriller, suspense, and the supernatural to create a scorcher of a debut novel.
The book primarily follows vacationing couple Jack and Laura, two middle-aged yuppies looking for adventure in the form of a Las Vegas vacation. Nearing the end of their getaway, the couple decides to rent a slick, fast Mustang and take it for a spin in the Mojave desert. Jack drives and drives, up winding hills and down, ever deeper into the desert sands until, suddenly, the car stops dead in its tracks. Mysteriously, the couple’s cell phones have died, too. They are stranded, cut off from the world, and from all help.
That is, until a strange, old hermit arrives in the nick of time and hauls them off to his dilapidated shack nestled in the heart of the Mojave. But it isn’t long before the couple realizes that the man is more than he seems, a force to be reckoned with. And he’s the only thing protecting them from something much, much worse than the desert heat.
When a runaway teen, who has just escaped the clutches of her murderous abductor, arrives at the hermit’s shack, Jack and Laura realize the true gravity of the situation they’re in. They’ve been dragged into an age-old battle of good versus evil, man versus nature, versus himself—and there’s no telling who will come out on top.
Parker’s pacing of this novel is masterful; he piecemeals details of this mysterious desert landscape—and the secrets it holds—into a compelling and cohesive narrative, without being cryptic, and without beating the reader over the head with exposition. Purgatory Road is a page-turner, and the chapters move quickly, with inevitability. This breakneck progression of the novel serves, in a way, as a reflection of the ancient struggle present within the story proper, a war between light and dark that has waged for millennia toward an immutable conclusion.
Parker’s greatest accomplishment in this novel is not the nail-biting suspense that takes form as the protagonists face off against those who wish to do them harm. Rather, it's the way Parker treats his characters that makes the story truly memorable, and the people within it worth investing in. No one character is a cut-and-dry bad guy or good guy (well, maybe one is). And, while many of the characters feel like familiar literary tropes, they’re each nuanced in ways that humanize them. These characters, unlike many in works of similar genres, have a sincerity about them that sharply contrasts with the surreal otherworldliness of the desert—which really helps to drive the story home and lend it an immediacy that it might otherwise be lacking.
Samuel Parker has shown himself to be an adept storyteller with an excellent command of the line, and an in-depth understanding of what it means to be human—or at least what it means to explore the human condition. His debut novel Purgatory Road is an exciting addition to the genre, and to the world of literature writ large.
Purgatory Road is set to release January 3, 2017.
Joseph Borden graduated from Tusculum College in December of 2014 with a degree in Creative Writing. Previously, he’s served as Managing Editor for The Tusculum Review and as an advertising specialist for a The Hickman County Times. He spends most of his time reading and writing fiction—his short story “Hell or High Water” was Editor’s Choice for the 2014 edition of Din Magazine. His hobbies include playing guitar, singing, people watching, and riding his motorcycle. He currently lives in Lyles.
If you have a book you would like featured, send a digital ARC for consideration to books@killernashville.com. The Killer Nashville Book of the Day Reviews are coordinated by Clay Stafford with the assistance of Jonathan Nash and credited guest reviewers.
*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.
Blonde Ice by R.G. Belsky / Reviewed by Jonathan Nash
Killer Nashville Book of the Day
Find Blonde Ice on Killer Nashville's affiliate, Amazon.com*
Blonde Ice by R.G. Belsky
Reviewed by Jonathan Nash
A recent string of murders has New York City on edge in R.G. Belsky’s latest Gil Malloy novel, Blonde Ice.
Malloy, ace reporter for the New York Daily News, has the scoop on a series of peculiar murders. However, the more he investigates it appears that the murderer has the scoop on him.
Belsky allows the reader to unravel the case through the eyes of Malloy, whose life becomes hectic after an unexpected visit from Veronica Issacs. While her appearance resurrects nightmares from Malloy’s past, it proves to serve that he has much bigger problems ahead.
Malloy soon finds himself on the frontline of a serial killer investigation. He is forced to adapt to the ever-changing landscape of journalism while juggling his personal life, job opportunities, and, ultimately, his safety.
The novel is a suspenseful read from start to finish. The reader gets to pull back the layers of the investigation with Malloy, and the twists and turns of each chapter leave the reader wanting to bite in. Belsky delicately toys with the readers psyche as they try to solve the murders alongside Gil.
Belsky’s attention to detail throughout the novel is much like a journalist painting their story. Each detail, no matter how insignificant it may seem at the time, plays a part in the suspenseful reveal. Much like watching a movie again to see what you might have missed, Blonde Ice leaves the reader wide-eyed and eager to start back from the beginning.
Reading Blonde Ice through the first-person perspective of Gil Malloy provides everything a reader can ask for. Malloy’s witty humor and sarcasm pairs perfectly with the seriousness of the murder investigations. The reader is also given a window to see past his snarky, outward persona and into his flawed and doubt-filled conscious. His doubt and internal dialogue makes the reader question the mystery as much as the character does.
As the investigation unfolds, the reader is pulled closer and closer to the edge of their seat. Each character's prerogative and motives fall into question, and anyone can have a hidden dark side. As Malloy notes, “you never know what demons are inside people.”
Blonde Ice is an exhilarating read and is on sale now. Put yourself in Malloy’s shoes and witness how the story unravels. One way or another, Gil Malloy is sure to end up on the front page.
Jonathan Nash is the Special Projects Coordinator for American Blackguard, Inc. He graduated from Tusculum College in May of 2014 with a degree in Journalism and Professional Writing. He has previously served as a Copy Editor for the Citizen Tribune newspaper in Morristown, TN. In his free time, he enjoys being outdoors, playing music, and writing. He currently resides in Nashville.
If you have a book you would like featured, send a digital ARC for consideration to books@killernashville.com. The Killer Nashville Book of the Day Reviews are coordinated by Clay Stafford with the assistance of Jonathan Nash and credited guest reviewers.
*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.
Stiletto by Daniel O'Malley / Reviewed by Clay Snellgrove
Killer Nashville Book of the Day
Find Stiletto on Killer Nashville's affiliate, Amazon.com*
Daniel O'Malley
Stiletto by Daniel O'Malley
Reviewed by Clay Snellgrove
Stiletto, the newest supernatural thriller from Daniel O’Malley, is X-Men meets Mark Millar’s Secret Service (produced as Kingsman: The Secret Service on the big screen). But unlike the blockbuster comics that seem to expect their audiences to suspend disbelief, O’Malley uses his literary parlance to construct an alternate reality that earns the reader’s attention and trust. While his characters possess an array of supernatural powers, everything from telepathy to telekinesis to controlling animals with mere thoughts, O’Malley stays grounded in his story and never lets any of his characters feel invisible. The result is a high stakes page turner that never lets up on the throttle. Stiletto is a sequel of sorts to O’Malley’s earlier effort The Rook; however readers need not read the earlier book to enjoy the newest one.
The Checquy, a clandestine British spy agency, has been protecting Great Britain from supernatural threats for centuries. The agents, highly trained in combat and reconnaissance, have unique super-powers and, unbeknownst to their fellow citizens, often give their life in defense of their country. In the 1600’s the Checquy fought its deadliest battle, fending off an army of genetically modified super humans known as The Grafters. Four hundred years later, the leaders of these two groups will try to negotiate a peace. A series of deadly attacks that carry the Grafter’s signature threaten the peace talks and look to ignite another bloody conflict between the two secret organizations.
Pawn Felicity Clements, a competent Checquy soldier, can leave her body and travel through inanimate objects, seeing the past and identifying threats. Pulled from her normal post, Clements is charged with protecting Odette Leliefeld, a member of The Grafter’s negotiation team. Higher ups in the Checquy distrust the Grafter and suspect she is connected with the current terror attacks. But they understand that if she is harmed, any chance at peace will disappear.
Clements and Leliefeld are an engaging pair. Both are attractive and highly capable mutants, Clements born with her powers, while Leliefeld is genetically engineered. Their relationship is adversarial. Clements’ superior Rook Myfanwy Thomas tells her soldier to prepare for a kill order on Leliefeld. Before the execution order comes down, the two women forge a delicate friendship while teaming up to battle several deadly attacks on Britain.
Stiletto is gruesome and exciting. The author mines every inch of his imagination in bringing the multitude of rich characters to life. O’Malley drops in humor and history as he pieces together an engaging plot. Readers will race to the finish and be more than satisfied, asking only one question, “How long do I have to wait for O’Malley’s next book?”
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 Bailey Harris 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.
Since She Went Away by David Bell / Reviewed by Kelly Saderholm
Killer Nashville Book of the Day
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David Bell
Since She Went Away by David Bell
Reviewed by Kelly Saderholm
Bestselling author David Bell has produced another gripping crime thriller in his newest offering Since She Went Away. This novel, in the best literary mystery fashion, keeps the reader guessing until the final twist, and leaves the reader with much to consider after closing the book, all the while entertaining and informing the reader with a well-written story and engaging characters.
Bell explores the darker side of friendship when Jenna Barton and her best friend Celia Walters plan to meet at a local park for an impromptu night out. But Jenna was running late that evening and when she got to the park, Celia was not there. She was not anywhere. She had completely disappeared. The police are baffled as are Jenna and Celia's husband Ian. Three months later, Jenna is still filled with remorse and guilt when new developments begin to unfold. Jenna's son, Jared, has a new girlfriend, Tabitha, whom no one knows anything about. That is until she, too, goes missing. Slowly, secrets begin to emerge. Celia had secrets that she kept from even her best friend. Tabitha had dark secrets of her own. Celia begins to wonder if the two disappearances are connected in some way.
While keeping the reader fully engaged in the story, David Bell also has much to say about the dark side of relentless 24-hour cable news channels, and the personalities who constantly search for sensational stories—even searching for scoops in small Kentucky towns. Renna Huffman makes on-air insinuations to drive her ratings and she doesn't care what effect it has on people like Jenna, who, along with the rest of the town, feels the effects of constant surveillance and the weight that settles on one’s shoulders in the face of the unknown. Jenna obsessively consults online message boards devoted to Missing Persons but discovers harmful secrets there, as well.
Since She Went Away, by David Bell is published by New American Library, an imprint of Penguin Random House, New York, New York, and is available for sale on June 28t,th 2016.
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 Bailey Harris 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.
Two for the Show by Jonathan Stone / Reviewed by G. Robert Frazier
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Jonathan Stone
Two for the Show by Jonathan Stone
Reviewed by G. Robert Frazier
Two for the Show (Thomas & Mercer, $15.99) by Jonathan Stone is a deceptively good novel that will leave you guessing at every turn.
Stone, who wrote the award-winning short “The Mailman” in last year’s Killer Nashville Noir: Cold-Blooded anthology, returns with a thoroughly engrossing tale of false identities, lies, kidnapping, and, maybe, just a little magic for good measure.
The book follows the firsthand account of Chas, who professes to have “the strangest job you’ve ever heard of.” Chas is a detective, but not the kind that scopes out the dirt on extramarital affairs, missing persons, or femme fatales. Rather, our hero is a computer hack whose specialty is garnering just enough information about his targets to make his employer, “Wallace the Amazing,” look, well, amazing.
Wallace, you see, is a supposed clairvoyant who mesmerizes crowds nightly at his Las Vegas show by picking folks from the audience and then proceeding to astound them with facts about their lives that he couldn’t possibly know. Of course, he knows everything because his marks are always carefully pre-identified prior to the show, giving Chas enough time to learn everything about them, and then secretly convey that information to Wallace.
When one of the targeted couples turns the tables on Wallace, Chas’s world is turned upside down. He immediately dreads that he has made a costly mistake that will expose Wallace for the fraud he is.
As Chas investigates the mysterious couple, he soon learns they have their own “Amazing Wallace” tied up in a bathtub at their home.
Confused, terrified, and determined to get to the truth, for the first time Chas begins asking questions about his own boss, leading to a deeper and darker rabbit hole of misinformation. Before long, he’s caught up in a perfectly conceived blackmail scheme, leaving him to perform his own sleight of hand if he’s going to get out of the mess in one piece.
As in “The Mailman,” Stone brilliantly takes a seemingly mundane and harmless profession and manages to turn it on its head. The result is a surprisingly suspenseful and thoroughly intriguing novel that will keep readers mesmerized to the last page.
G. Robert Frazier is an author and screenwriter. 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 Bailey Harris 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.
Warlock Holmes: A Study in Brimstone by G. S. Denning / Reviewed by Mary Hankins
Killer Nashville Book of the Day
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G.S. Denning
Warlock Holmes - A Study in Brimstone
by G.S. Denning
Reviewed by Mary Hankins
Lovers of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson alike, enter a world where everything you thought you knew is wrong—and one that is infinitely more strange than you can possibly imagine!
Sherlock Holmes is one of the most fantastic fictional characters ever written. He is complex, intelligent, and mysterious, and over 100 years after his creation, still dazzles the imagination of readers and writers alike. Dozens of writers have gone back to Baker Street with a new puzzle for the great detective to crack, with adventures including time travel, space aliens, or even the son of the man himself. Into this mighty multitude steps G. S. Denning, whose take on the classic Holmes story is in a word, unique.
We enter this eccentric tale of crimes and the supernatural via the journal of doctor John Watson, where he begins by apologizing for his part in the downfall of the human race. Really. Expertly nesting himself in the normal Victorian ambiance, Denning takes the familiar story and characters and introduces a new element, one that shifts the entire world on its axis: magic.
The principal players are the same, though not with all of their names and classic characteristics intact. Watson is indeed a doctor who was recently wounded in Afghanistan, and Holmes indeed works with Scotland Yard on strange cases. But in this version, it is Watson who is the deductions expert. Holmes is in fact a sorcerer, named Warlock. His involvement with Scotland Yard has nothing to do with the drive to solve puzzles and put his great mind to work; rather, he works to help hide the existence of other beings who are not considered “normal” by polite Victorian society. Beings such as Detective Inspector Lestrade, a vampire, and Trog Groggson, a troll, enter the sitting room of 221B, much to the chagrin of Watson and their beadyeyed housesitter, Mrs. Hudson.
Fans of John Watson from the original stories will be vindicated in this book, and not because it is Watson who is the genius. Holmes, while extremely powerful in the arcane arts, is a bumbling idiot when it comes to the science of deduction. For many years, when examining the historic duo of Holmes and Watson, people have wondered what was Watson’s use beyond that of chronicler? Indeed, compared to the brilliance of Holmes, he often appears to be an idiot himself, hardly aware of the world around him. I found it extremely satisfying that the dynamic duo was finally depicted as two equals, both with their own unique skills and strengths which compliment each other, and not as a hero and his sidekick.
Magic, demons, and the spirit of Moriarty are only a few of the adventures the two take on in this, the first of what I hope to be many books. Enter into Denning’s London, one full of the strange and unbelievable, hiding in the shadows of Victorian society. His engaging prose and irreverent playfulness with the original source material makes it a book any fan of Sherlock Holmes will enjoy.
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 Bailey Harris 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.
See Also Deception by Larry D. Sweazy / Reviewed by Sharon Marchisello
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Larry D. Sweazy
See Also Deception by Larry D. Sweazy
Reviewed by Sharon Marchisello
See Also Deception (Seventh Street Books) is Larry D. Sweazy's second installment in the Marjorie Trumaine mystery series. Marjorie, wife of a farmer who was paralyzed and blinded in a freak accident, is trying to keep their farm running by working part-time as an indexer for a New York publisher. Through her indexing job, Marjorie develops a close relationship with Calla Eltmore, the local librarian, and when Calla is found shot to death at her desk, Marjorie cannot believe the initial report of suicide.
Shortly after Calla's death, a mysterious woman shows up at the library, and she shares Marjorie's concerns about law enforcement's conclusions. Marjorie is not sure whether to consider this woman a suspect or an ally. Drawing on the skills of deduction and organizing that she has sharpened as an indexer, Marjorie is able put together the clues leading to a motive and a killer—but not before she finds herself and others in grave danger.
The setting is 1964 rural North Dakota, and Sweazy does an excellent job of conveying the bleakness of prairie life. We feel Marjorie's helplessness when someone cuts her phone line and the tires to her only vehicle; she can't just whip out her cell phone or post a plea on Facebook. Marjorie is the kind of gritty heroine, playing the cards she was dealt with pragmatism and intelligence, who will keep readers engaged in this series.
Sharon Marchisello is the author of Going Home, a murder mystery inspired by her mother's battle with Alzheimer's. She has a Masters in Professional Writing from the University of Southern California and is a member of the Atlanta Chapter of Sisters in Crime. She lives in Peachtree City, GA, with her husband and cat, and does volunteer work for the Fayette Humane Society.
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 Bailey Harris 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 Versions of Us by Laura Barnett / Reviewed by Britany Menken
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Laura Barnett
The Versions of Us by Laura Barnett
Reviewed by Britany Menken
In The Versions of Us, by Laura Barnett, step into a beautifully crafted world where destiny and 60 years worth of time, guides a young couple through three different alternate realities. Though each one is quite different than the one before, the focal point always starts with an old nail and a young boy's willingness to help a girl, Eva, fix a hole in her bicycle.
Both in college, the rich feel of the late 50's and beyond is intricately detailed throughout time of each story. When they first meet, Jim regards the planes of her face and dark eyes but only considers her half heartedly, still finding a reason to ask the off kilter girl out for a drink. From there, the boy who dreams of becoming an artist and the girl that aspires to become a writer, grow and falter in three different ways from joining the ranks of motherhood to experiencing short lived relationships that hold no strong connection or value.
Barnett's hand at subtle magical realism is executed in a way that immediately intrigues the reader as each version of their lives are played out. Three roots, split off from one another and move between each line and paragraph are connected by the life force of the story, the tree that as time passes, ages and develops well into 2014. Be prepared for a great read by Barnett. Her grasp on culture from different time periods to her way of humanizing the different realities so well feels like reading stories about real people and their continual loss and gain of love.
Britany Menken graduated from Tusculum College in '14 with a degree in Creative Writing and a minor in British literature. Besides being an avid reader, she enjoys working for different book editing/reviewing outlets online. Other skills include making a mean pot of coffee and being a mom to a gray and orange tabby who occasionally helps her review books. (Said tabby is quite picky.)
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 Bailey Harris 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 Doll-Master and Other Tales of Terror by Joyce Carol Oates / Reviewed by Britany Menken
Killer Nashville Book of the Day
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Joyce Carol Oates
The Doll-Master and Other Tales of Terror
by Joyce Carol Oates
Reviewed by Britany Menken
Stories leap from page to page in true Joyce Carol Oates fashion in her new book, The Doll-Master and Other Tales of Terror, providing excellent plots that often leave you hankering for more. Each character Oates hones in on is distinct, from a Norman Bates persona to an unreasonable killer who thinks he is justified by God’s law. Each story develops characters and their thoughts in such a way that leaves the reader constantly pondering their true nature.
In the opening act, we read The Doll-Master. At the beginning, we meet a mother, a son, and a little girl, Amy, whose days are numbered due to leukemia. Her doll and its beautiful features entrap the young boy, and he pines for the baby Emily doll, from her blonde curls to the baby booties she dons while joining the other dolls in young Amy’s room. After Amy passes, he takes the doll from her room, the first of many, until adulthood comes, and his one doll has become a collection of dolls from all over. Some forgotten and left, all with different features. By the end, Oates creates a scene that could be put right in the middle of an Alfred Hitchcock movie, and leaves the reader wishing there was just one more sentence.
In the story Soldier, a man is on trial for the murder of a black teen; he chalks up the killing to God’s will. Were there really five men attacking him on the street? Had he no choice except to shoot his gun in self-defense? His quiet love life that occasionally, silently speaks in the story also causes for a more perplexing and curious character. The cliffhanger leaves one with curiosity and imagination. If you’re in the mood for crafty endings and a bundle of wonderfully written characters whose stream of consciousness reels you in, then this is the book for you.
Britany Menken graduated from Tusculum College in '14 with a degree in Creative Writing and a minor in British literature. Besides being an avid reader, she enjoys working for different book editing/reviewing outlets online. Other skills include making a mean pot of coffee and being a mom to a gray and orange tabby who occasionally helps her review books. (Said tabby is quite picky.)
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 Bailey Harris 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.
That Darkness by Lisa Black / Reviewed by Shelley Haley
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Lisa Black
That Darkness by Lisa Black
Reviewed by Shelley Haley
As humans, we long for justice to be served. We pull for the underdog to triumph over the schoolyard bully, and for the shy wallflower to become prom queen. Alas, more often than not in our personal realms, justice is rarely served—but when it is, it is glorious.
In Lisa Black’s that darkness(Kensington),the time has come for justice. When a frail young girl is found dead in a cemetery, seasoned Cleveland police detective Jack Renner has finally had enough. Sadly, not one person has even bothered to report her missing. Hot on the trail of this Jane Doe’s killer, he discovers a sealed, windowless apartment full of teenage girls in dismal circumstances and imminent danger.
Renner is closer to the truth than anyone realizes, forging new insight into evil and the motivation behind it… a bit reminiscent of Robin Hood robbing the rich and giving to the poor; except this time, it means killing the bad guy and keeping the city safe.
Meanwhile, Cleveland’s entire investigative team works around the clock, piecing together clues that may shed light on the enigmatic cemetery murder. Forensic investigator Maggie Gardiner frantically hypothesizes scenarios in hopes of leading to an arrest. Time is short and the work is tedious; unfortunately, the gurneys keep rolling into the autopsy room. Maggie continues to collect fibers, hair, and fingerprints, all the while praying for a lead in the increasingly bizarre case.
Eventually, she makes a startling discovery as the fragmented pieces begin to fall into place, leading her headfirst into unimaginable danger. Maggie has no choice but to fight for her life in the company of not one, but two villains, each with an opposite motivation. The stakes are high in a breathless finale in which she is plunged yet again into the depths of horror, struggling against an evil that holds many lives in the balance
From the depths of a forensics lab to the daily hustle-and-bustle of the street, Lisa Black takes the reader on a field trip of Cleveland’s law enforcement and forensics team, culminating in absolute terror with a completely unexpected and intriguing outcome! If nothing else, this page-turner will ensure that you remain vigilant and aware of your surroundings at all times… a C.S.I. thriller for certain!
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 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 Drowning Girls by Paula Treick DeBoard / Reviewed by M.K. Sealy
Killer Nashville Book of the Day
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Paula Treick DeBoard
The Drowning Girls by Paula Treick DeBoard
Reviewed by M.K. Sealy
Those who read often tend to come across the same tired plot in many novels, as each author tries to put a new spin on worn-out characters and over-used settings. In The Drowning Girls (HarperCollins), however, Paula Treick DeBoard takes a familiar plotline and adapts it to new purposes. From the first few words until the novel’s close, DeBoard reimagines the wheel with this suspenseful, family-oriented drama that sucks the reader into the psyches of the McGinnis family members.
As expected, things are rarely what they seem in The Drowning Girls, as Liz McGinnis, along with her husband and daughter, move to The Palms—a community that feels like it belongs in an upper-class reality TV drama. Spoiled housewives, spoiled children, and materialism are ubiquitous in their new community; money and power rule the realm, and Liz feels like she’s living on the periphery. Things become more tenuous when Liz begins discovering the hard way that no one can be trusted, and that things are never what they appear to be, even in a place where appearance is everything. Then, the character Kelsey enters the lives of the McGinnis family and stays there, creating a rift between not only Liz and Phil, but also between Liz and her daughter, Danielle.
The poisonous atmosphere of The Palms begins to seep into the McGinnis family as secrets are brought to light, alliances formed, and the family begins to crumble, the novel culminating in a brilliant scene that is not only breathtaking because of its content, but also because of the way in which DeBoard writes it. The Drowning Girls is an exceptionally well-executed novel, full to the brim with plot twists and believable dialogue. With a fast pace, The Drowning Girls is an excellent novel for the beach, the bedside, or anywhere that allows for a few hours of reading—because once you pick this book up, you’re not going to want to put it down.
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.
Sweet Dreams, Baby Belle by Kim Carter / Reviewed by Lyn Farquhar
Killer Nashville Book of the Day
Find Sweet Dreams, Baby Belle on Amazon.com*
Kim Carter
Sweet Dreams, Baby Belle by Kim Carter
Reviewed by Lia Farrell
Lizzie is just barely making it as a waitress when she meets Dr. Grant Chatsworth, and their quick courtship ends in what seems to be a picture-perfect marriage. Not only is Dr. Chatsworth tall and good-looking, but he is also a renowned cardiac surgeon and researcher into a new treatment for congestive heart failure. But when Lizzie moves into Dr. Chatsworth’s estate, things begin to go sour very quickly.
Lizzie soon finds herself a captive, cut off from her sister Maggie—her only family—under Housekeeper Flossie’s increasingly baleful eye. She is miserable and wants to leave: not only does she no longer love Grant, but she is increasingly suspicious that his research might be bogus. During a party intended to lure wealthy investors for her husband’s research, Lizzie faints. Flossie immediately suspects that she’s pregnant, which galvanizes Lizzie into launching an escape plan.
Clara, Dr. Chatsworth’s nurse, also suspects he might be up to something, and joins causes with Lizzie, skimming money from the practice to help Lizzie escape to her sister’s house. Only able to venture outside after dark, Lizzie finds a gravestone in the Old Biloxi City Cemetery, labeled only “Baby Belle”. Feeling that Baby Belle is trying to contact her from beyond the grave gives Lizzie purpose, especially when she realizes the graves in that area are all labeled “Lunatic”. Lizzie is determined to unravel the mystery of Baby Belle and to achieve justice for the little lamb whose gravestone doesn’t even bear her last name.
As Grant Chatsworth’s empire begins to crumble, he becomes determined to find Lizzie and kill her before she can reveal what she knows. Can Lizzie stay hidden long enough to have her baby? Will Grant Chatsworth be shown up for the fraud that he is? Will the mystery of Baby Belle’s life and death save Lizzie, or kill her before Grant Chatsworth can?
Kim Carter'sSweet Dreams, Baby Belle is a fast-paced action story with a subplot of messages from beyond the grave. It’s just the slightly spooky thing for readers who are interested in psychic phenomena.
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.
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