KN Magazine: Reviews
Dragonsworn by Sherrilyn Kenyon / Review by E.J. Boyd
Dragonsworn: A Dark Hunter Novel
By Sherrilyn Kenyon
$27.99
ISBN 978-1250102652
Published August 1, 2017
Book of the Day
Family, you can't live with them and you can't eat them, even if sometimes you would really like to. Dragonsworn by Sherrilyn Kenyon is the 28th book in the Dark Hunter series. It is the story of Falcyn, the oldest of the Drakomai–an ancient race of dragons with the ability to shift into human form. He pretty much hates everyone–but with good reason. Betrayal has haunted him his entire existence. The one thing that he does have is his Dragonstone and no one will ever take that from him.
The Dark Hunter world is vast. Sherrilyn Kenyon blends bits of legend, history, with her enviable talent to create characters that you really love to love - or hate. And just when you are sure that you know who is the bad guy she will write a story from a different point of view and the paradigm will shift. She is very good at making you feel sympathy for the devil (or Devyl...)
While you could pick up and start the series from pretty much anywhere, it is best if you start from the beginning. Some characters become so familiar that just the mention of their name is more than enough for a fan to understand what is really happening. And there are ties between families, species, and pantheons that can change the entire meaning of a scene if you are aware of them. It is still a lot of fun to explore her worlds, even if you don't start with Night Pleasures (Dark-Hunter, #1). You can count on there being action, adventure, suspense, and romance (plenty of romance) but there is always a good story behind it all. Her characters are always well developed and relatable. While some may challenge the existence of shape-shifting dragons, the love of a father for his son and the cost of that love, is something we can all believe in.
There are a lot of new things happening in the Dark-Hunter universe. Kenyon started the Young Adult series, The Chronicals of Nick a few years ago (a series my son loves) that explores the teen-age years of one of the adult characters. And now she is expanding into the children's literature! The Simi's ABC's will be released December 19th. I cannot wait!
The Whispering Room by Dean Koontz / Review by Liz Gatterer
The Whispering Room
By Dean Koontz
Bantam
$16.99
ISBN 978-0345546807
Publish Date: November 21, 2017
Book of the Day
Sometimes at night, I come wide awake, I come wide awake, I come wide awake,
I come wide awake and I feel a spider crawling inside my skull,
and it speaks to me...in an evil whisper.
Anyone who knew Cora Gunderson would have told you she was such a sweet person. They would have said she was the epitome of a spinster school teacher. But witnesses say she they could see her laughing as she plowed her car, engulfed in flames, and loaded down with gallons of gasoline, into the hotel killing scores of people. But why? Local sheriff, Luther Tillman was one of the people who knew Cora–and he cannot accept that she could have done such a terrible thing.
With an intro that would have been too shocking to believe a decade ago, but could easily be taken from the headlines of today's news, Dean Koontz' latest novel, The Whispering Room, continues the pulse-pounding story of government conspiracies, mind-control, murder, and vengeance. The main character, Jane Hawk is a rogue FBI agent with the skills and determination to track down and stop the powerful people responsible for her husband's murder. In the process, she uncovered their Manchurian-esque plan of world domination through mind control. In the first book, The Silent Corner, she sought out and killed the scientist that developed the process. But this plot is a Hydra with many heads left.
Jane Hawk is relentless. Her ability to compartmentalize what has happened and still do what must be done is epic. She commands both respect and awe while still being a character that has heart. But, that is what Koontz does best, tearing at your heartstrings what scaring the crap out of you. This series is compelling because of the similarities between the fictional events that happen and what is really happening in the world. The names have been changed to protect the innocent...
A-List by D.P. Lyle / Review by G. Robert Frazier
A-List
By D.P. Lyle
Oceanview Publishing
$26.95
ISBN 978-1608092703
Publication Date: December 12, 2017
Book of the Day
When A-list actor Kirk Ford wakes up next to a deceased woman in a New Orleans hotel, his arrest for her murder threatens to derail his career and ruin a multi-million dollar Hollywood film series. Enter Jake Longly and a team of investigators determined to find the truth behind the murder.
A-List, written by cardiologist and forensics expert D.P. Lyle, is billed as a thriller, but more accurately is an old-school whodunit mystery. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Longly and company – his father, Ryan, girlfriend and fellow investigator Nicole Jamison, and computer expert/muscle Tommy Jeffers, aka Pancake – are more than up to the challenge, whether it comes from the begrudging police detective in charge Troy Doucet to the less-than-friendly assistance of the local mafia don, Tony Guidry, whose niece was the victim.
After a tox screen by the medical examiner reveals both Kirk and the victim had traces of the date rape drug Ketamine in their systems, the clues point to a possible third party involved in the murder whose intent was to frame Kirk for the crime. Jake and Nicole spearhead a line of questioning of potential witnesses and acquaintances to both the victim and beleaguered actor, turning up occasional clues and red herrings along the way. Guidry, meanwhile, is intent on seeing Kirk punished for the death of his niece and uses his own streetwise resources to bully his way to truth.
Lyle’s medical background is a plus here as he is able to succinctly explain the technical details of the death while keeping the plot churning. The head-to-head confrontations between Longly and Guidry are entertaining reads, with snappy dialogue masking underlying threats. The clues ultimately pit the team of investigators in a thrilling head-to-head confrontation with Guidry in the violent finale.
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 BloggingforBooks. He has served as a script reader for both the Austin Film Festival and Nashville Film Festival screenwriting competitions and is a member of the Tennessee Screenwriting Association. He used to write and edit stories for several newspapers in the Nashville area and he once won a flash fiction contest in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, so there’s that.
Proof of Life by J.A. Jance / Review by Frank Reed
Proof of Life
By J.A. Jance
William Morrrow
$27.99
ISBN 978-006265741
Published September 5, 2017
Book of the Day
J.A. Jance's most endearing and enduring character, J.P. Beaumont has been a favorite for over 30 years. Fans have followed along as he grew from a hard-headed, hard-drinking, Seattle detective with bad knees and a fractured family life to a sober, retired septuagenarian with titanium knees, a new wife, and grown children that he can be very proud of. He spends his time puttering around his new house and volunteering with the Cold-Case department, but he is a bit bored. So, when a survivor from an old case comes to him asking for help - it doesn't take much prodding to get him on the case.
One of the benefits of getting older is that, hopefully, you know better. Impulsive and compulsive behaviors are tempered and old prejudices can be set aside. That is one of the characteristics of Beau that I really liked. He was very flawed - and he still has flaws - but he is doing his best and that is good enough. Throughout the novel, Beau is presented with situations that his younger self would have completely fouled up. But now—with a little help from friends and a big dog he manages the land-mines in his life with grace and compassion an fortitude.
Creating a character like J.P. Beaumont that can keep readers coming back for more through 22 installments is an achievement few authors can claim. J.A. Jance is an especially talented story-teller. Her ability to keep characters relevant and "real" even through the changing mores of the times is remarkable. She peppered the novel with incidents where Beau had to react to situations that were certainly out of his comfort zone, and he did so with humility and compassion. Beau is one of those great characters that you feel you could sit down and have a really interesting conversation with.
In the end, I think that Beau has proof of life after retirement and I hope there will be more to his story.
Clawback by J.A. Jance / Review by Laura Stewart Schmidt
Book of the Day
*This review is a re-post from this summer. Look for the review of her new novel, Proof of Life, tomorrow!
Falling victim to a Ponzi scheme and losing everything you’ve worked for all your life is a terrifying prospect. In J.A. Jance’s latest Ali Reynolds book, Clawback (Touchstone), Ali’s elderly father learns his good friend’s investment company has been shut down by the SEC and all assets seized for distribution to creditors. Bob Larson and his wife have just lost their entire life savings with no hope of recouping anything. When Bob decides to confront his friend, he walks in on a double homicide and quickly becomes the number one suspect in the murders. Ali learns of his plight and resolves to not only clear her father’s name but recover some of the stolen and missing funds.
Clawback is told from several points of view, each with a stake in the mystery—the bad guys who are trying to flee with the funds, the loyal employee who hopes to salvage the firm’s and her own reputation, and of course, Ali and her parents. There are minor points that stretch the bounds of believability. After Bob is cuffed and taken to the police station, rather than ask for a lawyer, he twice volunteers the story of how he found the bodies. This seems so naïve as to be almost manipulative. The detective who orders him not to leave town has been watching too many Perry Mason reruns—the police have no authority to regulate the movements of someone who is not under arrest or in custody, and at that point, Bob is a free man.
But as usual, Jance does enough well that the reader will overlook these small glitches. The Larsons’ plight is compelling and frightening. America is not a country where being elderly and destitute is a desirable situation, and the Larsons’ refusal to wallow in their misfortune makes it easy to root for them. High Noon Enterprises, Ali’s firm, is staffed with computer experts the rest of us can only sit in awe of, but what will ultimately crack this case is good old-fashioned brains and legwork.
The Ali Reynolds series is one of three in Jance’s repertoire. Like Jance’s J.P. Beaumont, Ali has enough money to do the things she needs to do and remains likable and relatable. If a reader happens to pick up a random book rather than follow the series chronologically, Jance does an excellent job bringing together characters from previous books without spoiling the rest of the series. If Clawback is your first Ali Reynolds book, it probably won’t be your last.
Laura Stewart Schmidt: A lifelong reader and writer, inspired as a child by Harriet the Spy and Emily of New Moon. She minored in criminal justice in the hope that it would make her a more effective and knowledgeable mystery writer. Her Young Adult novel, Sweeter Than Life, was published by Martin Sisters Publishing in 2015. She has spent several years working as a community education coordinator, encouraging parents to read to their preschoolers and starting reading clubs for middle-school students. She also worked as a family court advocate for at-risk youth and parents suffering from substance addiction. Laura is also a member of Sisters in Crime and the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.
Origin by Dan Brown / Review by E.J. Boyd
Book of the Day
Everyone’s favorite unintentional sleuth is back! Witness to the murder of a former student and good friend, Robert Langdon finds himself once again in a mad dash, against impossible odds and a ticking time clock, to solve the code, save the girl and … well, not save the world this time. Actually, what he is trying to find out just might devastate the world. But, the truth will out – and with the entire world watching there is not a moment to lose.
Dan Brown’s style is as recognizable as the works of the artists in his books. One may be able to recognize the art of Bernini, Da Vinci, Dante or Gaudé by their signature style, but that does not diminish their work. The details are what make each piece sui generis. Origin has all of the classic elements of a great Langdon novel – a race against time, a beautiful (but unavailable) woman, an unknown mastermind, a zealot, a pawn , a wealthy/powerful friend, his Mickey Mouse wristwatch, the pivotal moment where some element of his swimming prowess saves him from disaster, the works of a famous artist, and the puzzle. But, it is the details that Brown weaves so eloquently into the story that really draws the reader in.
Where do we come from? Where are we going? These are the two questions mankind has tried to answer since time began. Every culture has its own genesis and apocalypse story. The religions of the world are based on these stories. But science has failed to find a definitive answer – until now. Billionaire, futurist, former student and dear friend of Robert Langdon—Edward Kirsch, has found the answers and despite the havoc, his revelation may cause, he is about to share his discovery live and on camera with the whole world. The story begins in Spain at the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao where Kirsch and museum director Ambra Vidal have spent weeks planning the event at which he will launch his presentation. SPOILER ALERT! At the penultimate moment, Kirsch is murdered. To solve the murder of his friend and carry out his last wish to share his discovery, Langdon and Ambre Vidal must discover the 47 character password that will launch the presentation. They know the password is a line from Kirsch's favorite poet. But they do not know who that poet is or which poem it might be from. Help comes in the form of Winston, an incredible interactive computer program developed by Kirsch.
Religion versus science, tradition versus innovation, love versus obligation—Origin touches on many of the theological, political, and social arguments currently fueling debates around the world. Readers that are open to such debates will enjoy this book immensely. As always, Dan Brown’s books are well researched and loaded with so many factoids that one must read them at least twice to catch them all. Alas, the burdens we must bear…
The Silent Corner by Dean Koontz / Review by Liz Gatterer
The Silent Corner
By Dean Koontz
Bantam Books
$28.00
ISBN 978-0345545992
Published June 20, 2017
Book of the Day
The Silent Corner
Review by Liz Gatterer
The Silent Corner is the first in the thrilling new series by Dean Koontz. Touching and terrifying, it is the story Jane Hawk, a young widow that will not accept that her husband committed suicide, even though she was the one to discover his body. The man she loved would never abandon her or their son—never. And she will risk everything prove it.
As a trained FBI agent, Jane Hawk has the resources and training needed to thoroughly investigate her husband's death. She sells her house and her car, cashes out her bank accounts and secrets away her son. She buys a car that has been illegally modified to be untrackable by GPS. She buys disposable cell phones and acquires fake identification. She steps into the silent corner - a place where she should be invisible to all of the tracking capabilities of modern society. Step by step she follows a trail that may give her answers—or may take her life...
Fans of Dean Koontz will understand that he has two types of "scary stories". On one side you have books like Ticktock, Odd Thomas, or Ashley Bell—tales that have a touch of the paranormal. They are fun and they will get your heart racing, but, they are not terrifying. Voo-doo dolls, Elvis' Ghost or using "Scrabble-mancy" to devine the future isn't "real". We are protected by the bubble of suspended disbelief. Then, there are the books that could very well be real. For me, these are by far the scarier of the two. That is the kind of book The Silent Corner is. This could really happen. Many of the things that Jane Hawk discovers—are really happening! I now fear of all the tech in my life.
The Silent Corner is very well written. The characters are very well developed with detailed backstories that support their abilities and personalities. Even the minor characters are well defined and their roles are clear. This is where Koontz really shines. He paints with a very fine brush. But, he is never course. Although his stories have a sharp edge, the language and sexual content are more implied than stated. And, of course, there are plenty of dog references. The man does love his Goldens!
The second book in the Jane Hawk Series, The Whispering Room will be released 11/7/2017. Look for that review soon!
Coyote Zone by Kathryn Lane / Review by Robert Selby
Coyote Zone
Kathryn Lane
Pen-L Publishing
$16.99
ISBN 978-1683131083
Published September 27, 2017
Book of the Day
Coyote Zone is the thrilling new installment in the Nikki Garcia series by Kathryn Lane. Once again, Lane takes her readers to exotic locales with glutinous helpings of adventure and intrigue. The heroine, Nikki Garcia is drawn back into threatening circumstances when her client's daughter, kidnapped from the local food court by a Mexican coyote, sends her into undercover work that threatens her life and those of the young victims she needs to rescue.
The setting, as with all of Ms. Lane’s thrillers, is a big part of the story. San Miguel Allende is the historical town in Mexico where the drama begins. As the story unfolded, it was entertaining to recognize how many similar characteristics Ms. Garcia has with internationally renowned author Isabel Allende; whose last name is attached to the town where this story originates by way of her infamous uncle.
Ms. Lane is a master at pacing the “thrill”. She sets the emotional hook the moment the little girl is abducted. The pace intensifies to such heart-stopping degree that it is almost hard to read more—yet, it is impossible to put down. Following the strange turns of events that seem to overshadow every step forward with head shaking steps back, it seems the drama has run it's course, as the young kidnap victim has been returned to her mother. However, by the number of pages left to read, it's obvious that there's a quarter of the story yet untold. It's a rare drama that can successfully take a reader on a roller-coaster ride to a climax, only to realize that it's premature and still lead to an exciting and satisfying end. But when Nikki goes undercover to be taken by the coyote and his small band of kidnappers and killers the adventure begins again.
The first book in this series, Waking Up in Medellin, won the 2017 Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Book of the Year Award. Coyote Zone is the perfect sequel. It is a well-written and suspenseful tale that all thrill-seeking readers of adventures will enjoy. We look forward to more Nikki Garcia adventures in the future.
Robert Selby is a screenplay writer, book reviewer, and volunteer at Killer Nashville
Waking Up In Medellin by Kathryn Lane / Review by Robert Selby
Book of the Day
Waking Up in Medellin, by Kathryn Lane, is as hard to put down as an unscratched lottery ticket. With each chapter, the reader is more thoroughly invested than they were at the end of the previous chapter. Nikki Garcia is the accountant version of James, James Bond, and she is sent by her multinational company boss to discern whether reports of financial dirty dealings are true. The antagonist in her story, Señor Manuel, is a bad, bad man, made even worse because he’s filthy rich and blatantly self-important. Even as the story unfolds, the reader, knowing who the bad guy is, is still carried on a roller-coaster of emotional adventure.
Rarely have I read a book that made it hard to even take bathroom breaks. Each time I tell myself to stop at the end of the chapter being read…impossible, the next chapter (and the next, and the next) are a siren’s call. That this author pretty much tells us who the bad guy is from the very beginning seems to make the build-up and plethora of surprises that much more titillating trying to guess how something so obvious could insert such suspense. There is more suspense and romance in this story than a normal helping, in fact, even the romance in this story is filled with suspense.
Our heroine flies from her US corporate office to Medellin, Columbia to ascertain if the president of a major steel production company is guilty of embezzlement. Her financial forensic skills and tenacity are apparent as she bulldogs her way to finding the financial evidence she is after. Unfortunately, people begin to die as a result of these same skills, which gradually brings her closer to meeting the same fate. As much as there is a desire to see where her talents will take her, there is a growing desire to see her back away and leave before she becomes one more victim.
The story has many strong characters and the supporting cast is a necessary part of the story, however, through-out it really comes down to the two main characters, Nikki and her Doctor. There are so many good guys, bad guys, and many that can go either way that the story moves at lighten speed toward an explosive finish. Ironically, encapsulated within the story, are tidbits of fact and interest that are stories within the story and amazingly they add more spice than seems possible, almost as a breather from the ever-building suspense. Grisham comes to mind, a great story accompanied by teaching another culture, as a comparison to this tale.
I would invite every reader of this genre to read the first chapter, but only when there’s time to read the story in its entirety because there is no stopping once you start. It is guaranteed that in addition to a very provocative story, every reader will know more about our first president, and his brother Larry than they knew previously. That nugget alone is worth the price of admission.
This review is reprinted from July 2017
Robert Selby is a screenplay writer, book reviewer, and volunteer at Killer Nashville
Unholy City by Carrie Smith / Review by Sheila Sobel
Unholy City
By Carrie Smith
Crooked Lane Books
$27.99
ISBN 978-1683313298
Published November 7, 2017
Book of the Day
Secrets, lies, and motives abound in the third book in Carrie Smith’s Claire Codella Mystery series, Unholy City. Three bodies and a plethora of suspects bring Detective Claire Codella, Detective Brian Haggerty, and Detective Eduardo Muñoz back together again. The rector, the vestry members, the organist and the homeless men living in the church basement shelter find their lives under the microscopic lens of Detective Claire Codella in this fast-paced mystery set in St. Paul’s Episcopal Church on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.
Still struggling with post-cancer perceptions of the fragile female and anxious to get back on top of her career, Claire inadvertently snatches the investigative lead on the murder of senior churchwarden Philip Graves from Detective Brian Haggerty, creating tension in both their professional and romantic relationships. As the story unfolds and the body count rises, the lives of the prime suspects unravel and long-standing church associations splinter.
Once again, Carrie Smith deftly weaves common issues which face women in the workplace together with an exciting who-dun-it.
For fans of Silent City and Forgotten City, books one and two in A Claire CodellaMystery series, Unholy City is a must-read. If one is new to the series, Unholy Cityquickly educates the reader to recurring characters. A good standalone, a terrific series.
Sheila Sobel’s debut novel Color Blind was the winner of the 2017 Killer Nashville Reader's Choice Award for Best Tween/YA Fiction and Finalist for the 2017 Silver Falchion Award for Best YA Fiction. She was also nominated for the 2016 Allegra Johnson Prize in Novel Writing through the UCLA Extension Writers’ Program.
As a Senior Auditor for Warner Bros., Sheila oversaw production costs for films including “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” the “Matrix” trilogy, “The Dark Knight” and “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.” After working on 70+ Independent and Studio movies, Sheila stepped away from the film business to complete her first YA novel.
Sheila is a member of International Thriller Writers (ITW), Sisters in Crime (SinC), Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), Children’s Book Writers-LA (CBW-LA) and Women in Film (WIF). She lives in Southern California with her husband, two rescue dogs and one rescue cat.
A Season to Lie by Emily Littlejohn / Review by Sharon Marchisello
A Season to Lie
by Emily Littlejohn
Minotaur Books
$25.99
ISBN 978-1250089410
Published November 14, 2017
Book of the Day
A Season to Lie, Minotaur Books, is the sequel to Emily Littlejohn's compelling debut novel, Inherit the Bones, which was a Killer Nashville Silver Falchion nominee.
The story opens when Detective Gemma Moore returns from maternity leave, trying to ease back into the job on a part-time basis. On her first night, she and her partner Finn are assigned to investigate a prowler reported at the Valley Academy, a prestigious private school. Instead, they discover the stabbed body of a world-famous author who had been masquerading as a visiting professor at the school. In the victim's mouth, they find a cryptic note, "This is only the beginning."
Suspects abound. Teachers, staff, and students are caught in lies. There are reports of a mysterious "Rabbit Man" lurking in the forest surrounding the school. A faceless bully known as Grimm has been terrorizing the students, and everyone wonders if Grimm could be the murderer—or maybe even the victim. And then there's a second murder.
Alistair Campbell, a shady developer who recently came to town with a crew of ex-convicts, begins stalking Gemma's family. Alistair tempts Brody, the father of Gemma's baby daughter, with a lucrative offer to go on the road with him and forsake his promise to be a stay-at-home dad while writing a grant-funded geology textbook.
Although Brody and Gemma are living together and raising their daughter as a family unit, Gemma still can't bring herself to tie the knot. She harbors unresolved feelings of betrayal from an affair Brody had with a co-worker, even though he has assured her it is over for good. In the last book, Gemma resented being paired with Detective Finn, whom she found uncouth and a bit unethical, but in this book, their partnership is blossoming into one of mutual trust and respect, with their diverse strengths complementing each other to solve crimes. I predict romantic sparks in future installments; after all, opposites attract.
A Season to Lie, full of twists and turns, will keep the reader guessing until the end. Emily Littlejohn, a California native who has made her home in Colorado, writes so beautifully about the gorgeous ski-town setting that you can see the majestic Rocky mountains, smell the snow-covered evergreens, and feel the bitter winter cold as you immerse yourself in Gemma's story.
Sharon Marchisello is the author of Going Home, (Sunbury Press, 2014) a murder mystery inspired by her mother's battle with Alzheimer's. She earned a Masters in Professional Writing from the University of Southern California and is a member of the Atlanta Chapter of Sisters in Crime. She lives in Peachtree City, GA, with her husband and cat, does volunteer work for the Fayette Humane Society, and writes a personal finance blog, Countdown to Financial Fitness.
Inherit the Bones by Emily Littlejohn / Review by Sharon Marchisello
Inherit the Bones
By Emily Littlejohn
Minotaur Books
$25.99
ISBN 978-1250089397
Published January 1, 2017
Book of the Day
Inherit the Bones, published in 2016 by Minotaur Books, is a compelling, beautifully written debut novel by Emily Littlejohn. It was also a 2017 Killer Nashville Silver Falchion nominee.
The story screams for a hard-boiled detective, but playing against the stereotype, the protagonist is female, six months pregnant, and conflicted about whether she can trust her baby's father enough to marry him. While Brody is away on an extended business trip, Detective Gemma Monroe is tasked with investigating the murder of a clown from a traveling circus. The young man's throat has been torn open in a jagged wound.
Shortly after the medical examiner performs an autopsy and runs the clown's fingerprints, she reveals to Gemma the identity of the victim: Nicky Bellington, son of the town's mayor, who supposedly fell over a cliff to his death three years ago. (The body was never found.) Gemma must visit the town's most prominent family and inform Nicky's parents, aunt, grandfather, and twin sister Annika that their loved one survived the fall, let everyone believe he was dead for three years, and then came back to town under a false identity, only to be murdered.
Cedar Valley, a small tourist town in the Colorado Rockies, sees very little crime. But its citizens are still haunted by an unsolved mystery from 1985 when two young boys went missing. Although the boys disappeared before Gemma was born, she feels a special connection to the case, because in 2011, while hiking with Brody, she found a skull. The case was reclassified from a disappearance to a murder, and old wounds reopened. Despite exhaustive investigation and attempts to connect the boys' deaths to the murder of a young woman who was found floating in the river shortly after their disappearance, both crimes remain unsolved and most likely unrelated. The boys' killer has been nicknamed "The Woodsman."
But now that Nicky Bellington has been murdered, Gemma starts to uncover clues that may connect his death to the older unsolved crimes. If only she and her fellow police officers can stay alive and out of danger long enough to put all the puzzle pieces together...
Inherit the Bones, is a fast-paced mystery with strong characters and a surprise ending. Emily Littlejohn, originally from Southern California, now lives in Colorado, which obviously inspired the dramatic setting. Look for Sharon's review of the second novel in the Gemma Monroe series, A Season to Lie (November 14, 2017), tomorrow!
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.
Killer Nashville Noir: Cold-Blooded by Clay Stafford / Reviewed by Clay Snellgrove
Killer Nashville Noir: Cold Blooded
Edited by Clay Stafford
Diversion Publishing
$19.99
ISBN 978-1626818781
Published October 27, 2017
Book of the Day
Killer Nashville Noir: Cold-Blooded, the first annual anthology of short fiction inspired by the Killer Nashville Writing Conference and online magazine, is a treat for any fan of crime and mystery fiction. The twenty stories making up the collection bleed from the pens of established writers who boast impressive resumes. Editor Clay Stafford lays out this smorgasbord of quick, exciting reading, anchoring the roller coaster of suspense, intrigue, twists, and blood with his own story, “Savage Gulf.” This story more than holds its own with those that come before.
Every story in this collection puts forth some heat, admirably showcasing the writer’s specific flavor. Like tapas, most of these shorts will give readers a taste that will have them googling the authors’ novel length works, adding many to their “must-read” lists.
Like any appetizer menu, Cold-Blooded boasts a couple dishes that could stand alone, the prime cuts. International best-selling author Jeffery Deaver delivers with “Repressed”, a tight thirty-page piece revealing why college professor Sam Fogel should have never sought counseling for his mid-life malaise. Every bit as gripping as Stephen King’s best shorts, “Repressed” is well worth a second read even after its disturbing conclusion is known.
Robert Dugoni and Paula Gail Benson team up to write “A Matter of Honor”. Without the blood and guts that paint the pages of the rest of Cold-Blooded, this satisfying mystery featuring agent B.A. Azevedo has the feel of a much longer piece. Readers will want this to be the start of a series starring the South Carolina sleuth.
Beginning the anthology amidst the decomposing corpses on the Body Farm with “In Plain Sight” by the writing duo Jefferson Bass is a great move, setting the tone and making it clear that this collection was born in Tennessee. Blake Fontenay starts his intriguing historical mystery in front of President Andrew Johnson, and Jon Jefferson shows the readers every ounce of life-supporting fluid in the human body in his story “Giving Blood.”
The Killer Nashville-inspired short-story collection would not be complete without a country-western singer killing for a number-one song. Eyre Price’s “Sad Like a Country Song” takes what could be a hokey premise and crafts something cool. “Sad Like a Country Song” will make readers smile because it’s so darn good! Readers will be glad to know this anthology is set to be a yearly event.
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.
The Good Daughter by Karin Slaughter / Review by Didi DeWitt
The Good Daughter
By Karin Slaughter
William Morrow
$27.99
ISBN 978-0062430243
Published August 8, 2017
Book of the Day
The Good Daughter is the latest thriller from Karin Slaughter. It is intense. Samantha and Charlotte are sisters living in a small town in northern Georgia. Sam is smart and fast while Charlie struggles to keep up. Witness to the brutal murder of their mother, Samantha, and Charlotte are forced into the woods where they expect to also be shot. At the mouth of what is to be their grave, Sam's only thought is to distract the killers long enough for Charlie to get away. The last thing her mother told her to do was to take care of Charlie. She is a good daughter. As a shot to her head sends her into the abyss - she just glimpses her sister running into the woods...
Twenty-eight years later... Charlie still lives in the same town. The perpetrators convicted and sent to prison. She has put the past behind her. Charlie and her father, Rusty work together as defense attorneys. But one poor decision puts her in the wrong place at the wrong time and she is witness to another shooting. A troubled girl has brought her father's gun to school and killed two people.
Slaughter tackles so many of today's headlines in this novel - home invasions, murder, school shootings, infidelity, conspiracy, police brutality, secret deals, extortion, transgenderism... and she does it very well. The story lines are clear and the conclusion is more than satisfying. The characters are like real people. They have faults and make really bad decisions but they can also work really hard to make amends. Even the worst people can have redeeming qualities.
The Genius Plague by David Walton / Review by David Neilsen
Book of the Day
The Genius Plague, by David Walton, is a very well-written thriller which delves into the question of what does it mean to be human, and is there a better way? Universal truths are put to the test as the action whips back and forth from the offices of the NSA to South America and back. There is code-breaking, betrayal, intrigue, a nasty fungus--in short everything you need for a tip-top end-of-the-world contagion catastrophe.
The stage is set on the very first page: an ominous passage that explains how a single, vast, ancient organism within the Amazon Rainforest has realized that humans exist. Knowing this, (a massive fungus over a gazillion-square-miles in size) sets to work defeating us. Yipes.
Neil Johns has always wanted to work for the NSA. His father, currently suffering from Alzheimer's, was a codebreaker and Neil wants to follow in his footsteps. On one of his first days on the job, he breaks an unbreakable code that seems to be coming from the middle of the Amazon Rainforest. Coincidentally, Neil’s brother, Paul Johns, spends a lot of time in the Amazon Rainforest. He’s a mycologist (someone who studies fungi) and begins the book in the midst of a trip down there to collect rare and unusual fungus samples. There is gunfire, bad guys, a hot girl, a swim, and a walk in the woods. That’s just the prologue.
What unfolds is a truly horrifying possibility of a fungal plague taking the world by storm. Making it even more frightening is the fact that those infected (such as Paul) get smarter, happier, and believe the plague is a good thing. So is it a terrifying plague threatening to devour the world? Or the next step in human evolution?
The characters spend the first half of the book trying to figure out what is going on, all while the fungus grows in strength, power, and verve. Eventually, Neil and his team figure everything out and spend the next 200 pages trying to figure out how to stop the fungus. There are thrilling and shocking discoveries throughout. Human nature being what it is, a very nasty twist arises upping the stakes tenfold that could make the fungus seem like the common cold. Walton never lets up, pumping action and discovery into the pages until they’re ready to explode. Which they do, more or less, during the exciting climax.
Leading up to the ending, I was excited to find out how Walton was going to tie up the loose ends and solve the various and multiple problems. He truly paints his characters, and the world, into a corner. His solution leaves the reader on pins and needles (and hoping for a sequel).
Front start to finish, The Genius Plagueis an exciting read that tantalizes the reader with the possibilities of a great story.
David Neilsen is the author of Dr. Fell and the Playground of Doom(winner of the 2017 Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Award), and several other odd, weird, supernatural, and occasionally slightly disturbing books and stories. David is also a professionally trained actor who works as a professional storyteller up and down the Hudson River Valley and in New York City. His one-man performances based on the work of H.P. Lovecraft have sent many screaming into the hills in search of their sanity. Be sure to check out David's latest release, Beyond the Doors (Crown Books for Children, Aug 1, 2018)
Little Broken Things by Nicole Baart / Review by Laura Hartman
Little Broken Things
By Nicole Baart
Atria Books
$16.99
ISBN 978-1501133602
Publish Date: November 21, 2017
Book of the Day
Little Broken Things is the latest suspense novel from Nicole Baart. It is expertly crafted and full of all of the elements that make for a great read - a solid story with plenty of mystery and tension, characters that feel very real, good pacing, and a satisfying conclusion. Baart will surely be a new favorite for fans of Karin Slaughter, Gillian Flynn or Paula Hawkins.
Quinn Cruz's life is upended when her sister, Nora Sandford, with no explanation or information whatsoever, drops a little girl on her doorstep with the imperative that Quinn must keep her safe and let no one know the child is there. How do you keep a secret like this from coming out? Quinn lives with her husband and her mother lives just across the lake. Even in a family practiced in keeping secrets, it is not long before Lucy is discovered.
While seemingly placid, life on Key Lake has never been perfect. Much is hidden beneath the surface. Through the different viewpoints of Quinn, Nora, and their mother, the fractured pieces of the past are put into place to reveal the present dangers. The sharp edges of those pieces can still cut deeply - can they cut the bond between a mother and her child? Is blood thicker than water? How far would you go to help a friend? How far would you go to protect your family?
I really enjoyed Little Broken Things. It is smart, suspenseful, heartbreaking and written so well I was holding my breath praying for the safety of the little girl at the heart of the mystery. When an author can make me care that much for the characters she has created I know she will deeply touch the hearts of all of her readers. This is the first book I have read by Nicole Baart, but it will not be the last.
DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: I have a material connection because I received a review copy for free from Netgalley, Killer Nashville and Atria Books in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Copyright © 2017 Laura Hartman
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.
White Trash Zombie by Diana Rowland / Review by Liz Gatterer
White Trash Zombie Unchained
By Diana Rowland
DAW
$7.99
ISBN 978-0756408244
Published September 5, 2017
Book of the Day
White Trash Zombie Unchained is the 6th book in the WTZ series by Diana Rowland—and it is so much fun! Angel Crawford is a wonderful character and I have enjoyed cheering her on since the beginning of My Life as A White Trash Zombie. She has a heart of gold, a spine of steel, the fight of an alligator, and the mouth of a sailor. Now—she has a brand new body she grew herself!
Zombie-ism, in this version of reality, is not a condition in which the affected is in a perpetual state of decomposition mindlessly searching for brains. Well, at least not most of the time. The mechanism by which one becomes a zombie is best explained as a symbiotic parasite that will keep the host alive as long as a supply of prions is available. Luckily, those prions do not need to be from a warm, fresh brain (although those are quite tasty). Brains can be harvested posthumously and be preserved (and served) in various ways. Working at the coroner’s office has conveniently provided Angel with enough brains to supply her needs.
Becoming a zombie saved Angel’s life—in more ways than one. In her mortal life, Angel was an unemployed, high school dropout and drug-addict. She lived with her alcoholic father in a ramshackle house with a driveway actually made from layers of crushed beer cans. But, through the benevolence of a local police officer—she was transformed into a zombie. The process automatically stopped her drug addiction by the simple fact that drugs and alcohol do not affect zombies. Over the course of the first five books, Angel remakes herself. She gets her GED, enrolls in college, becomes a valuable member of the zombie “tribe,” and a proficient morgue attendant. She even saves her father and buys him a new house with a real driveway. But, she is about to discover that old habits die hard. The reality is that the tendency toward addiction cannot be magically dispelled. Ending the physical addiction is one thing—but it will take real work to make the changes she must to become the person she wants to be. Angel is not at all sure she can do this and thinks that maybe she really is as worthless as people used to think she was.
For fans of paranormal fiction, urban fantasies, and police procedurals, this whole series is just wonderful. If you are familiar with Sookie Stackhouse, Cat Crawfield or Rachel Morgan—you will love Angel Crawford. Rowland’s characters are well developed, her plotlines are linear and there is enough reasonable-sounding science to make the acceptance of zombies plausible. Her real life is as fascinating as the world she has created for Angel. Rowland has been a bartender, a blackjack dealer, a pit boss, a street cop, a detective, a computer forensics specialist, a crime scene investigator, a morgue assistant—and, of course, an award-winning novelist. I imagine that her biography would be just as captivating as her novels.
White Trash Zombie Unchained is a great read—even if you haven’t read the previous books. I also have the audible version performed by Allison McLemore. Her performance is excellent. A Louisiana accent is distinctive and hard to affect if you aren’t a native, but McLemore has it down pat. I recommend fans of audible books give it a try.
The Ghosts of Galway by Ken Bruen / Review by Kevin Tipple
The Ghosts of Galways
By Ken Bruen
Mysterious Press
$24.27
ISBN 978-0802127334
Publish Date: November 7, 2017
Book of the Day
One does not read Ken Bruen to be uplifted and hopeful for humanity. One reads him for the stylistic beauty of his prose and his ability to capture powerful emotion in few words. That is especially true of his latest mystery, The Ghosts Of Galway: A Jack Taylor Novel. This is an intense read where the past and the toll this mortal coil takes on the living is the story from the first to the last page.
Jack Taylor has survived a suicide attempt as well as a botched medical diagnosis. Those two incidents have not changed Jack Taylor’s outlook on life. His new job has not improved his outlook either, but it keeps him away from people and that is good for everybody.
These days he is working as a security guard. While he works nights by himself and it is boring, at least he can read on the job and get paid to do so. The warehouse on the docks does not really need protecting, but with a phone and a flashlight, he does so each night. That is until his supervisor tells him the owner, Alexander Knox-Keaton, originally from somewhere in the Ukraine wants to see out at his mansion.
While the man’s name is clearly a fake, his money is not. Jack Taylor goes out to see Mr. Knox-Keaton and learns the man knows something about his work and background in getting things done. He wants to hire Taylor to find a book known as The Red Book. Believed to be the true first book of heresy, it decries the book of the gospels also known as The Book of Kells. According to Mr. Knox-Keaton, the book has been stolen from the Vatican by Father Frank Miller. The priest is now hiding out in Galway and has offered the book for sale. Mr. Knox-Keaton wants Jack Taylor to find the priest and negotiate the purchase of the book. He will pay very well for Mr. Taylor to do so and does not really care how he goes about getting the job done.
The last thing Jack wants is to deal with any priest for any reason. But, the money is too good to pass up. It does not help that Em, also known as Emily and a few other names, is soon back in his life and definitely involved in the hunt for the priest and The Red Book. She is also involved in a couple of other matters that could easily get Jack Taylor killed.
The Ghosts of Galway: A Jack Taylor Novel is both a remembrance of things past as well as a settling of a number of scores. The past is a living, breathing presence in books by Ken Bruen and that is especially true here. Blending pop culture references and a steady pace with the mystery, author Ken Bruen creates an intense and very emotional read. The Ghosts of Galway: A Jack Taylor Novel is a very good book and one you should read.
ARC was supplied by the publisher by way of Killer Nashville for my use in a review for Killer Nashville.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2017
Kevin Tipple When not offending someone in person or online due to his strange sense of humor, Kevin reads and reviews books, watches way too much television, and offers unsolicited opinions on anything. His short fiction has appeared in magazines such as "Lynx Eye," "Starblade," "Show and Tell," and "The Writer's Post Journal" among others and online at such places as "Mouth Full Of Bullets," "Crime And Suspense," "Mysterical-e" and others. The fact that most of those publications and sites no longer exist is not his fault. You can still read his short stories by purchasing a copy of Mind Slices: A Collection of New and Previously Published Stories at Amazon and elsewhere. For those sure that the author has no brain, an image of his documented MRI was used for the cover. Fully trained before marriage, Kevin can work all major appliances and, despite a love of nearly all sports, is able to clean up after himself.
Come Home by Patricia Gussin / Review by Linda Petrilli
Come Home
By Patricia Gussin
Oceanview Publishing
$26.95
ISBN 978-1608092598
Publish Date: November 7, 2017
Book of the Day
Come Home by Patricia Gussin is a two-pronged, culture mixed thriller. Twin Nicole Nelson and her husband Ahmed Musud have what appears to be a happy life. Fulfilling jobs as partners in a surgical practice and a son they both love. There is trouble in paradise when Ahmed starts having difficulties at work, and his family in Egypt starts pressuring him to return home and bring only his son, but not his American wife.
The story is told from two points of view. Nicole watching her once loving and easy-going husband drawing away from her and their son. Although he comes from a rich, influential family in Egypt he has never seemed to be interested in returning to that life. He has adapted American cultures, even allowing his son to be brought up in a non-Muslin church. Accepted by Nicole’s large and friendly family he appears mostly happy and is well liked. Nicole becomes increasingly worried about him as he seems to be withdrawing a little more from their life after every weekly call to his family in Egypt.
Ahmed loves living in America away from his domineering older brother and strict Muslim dictates. He enjoys his wife’s large and diverse family that has come to accept him. But the stress is getting to him. He has had some lawsuits against him and wonders if it is due to his ethnicity. He starts devolving into self-doubt and bows to pressure from his family to take control of his family and return to Egypt due to unrest in the political scene. He leaves his so American wife behind and returns to Egypt with his son to assume his place in the family textile business. When he gets there, he finds things are not as they seem and must try to save them both from the mess he’s in.
When Nicole discovers that her husband and son are gone, she turns to her family for help. With the help of her twin sister her husband, Nicole and a top line security team go after Alex.
The story hits on many current and cultural events. Spanning three continents and two very different cultures, Gussin connects with the very relatable feelings of love, devotion, greed, and arrogance. It has many twists and turns leading to an unexpected ending. Gussin keeps the tension up compelling the reader to continue on to the next chapter. Readers who enjoy strong family stories with a twist will find this a very interesting read.
Linda Petrilli Duncan, MSN, BSN, ADN, RN, has been a nurse too long to want to tell. Served as a Commissioned Officer as a trauma/triage nurse, been a Firefighter II/RN/EMT, red carded with the forestry service to fight forest fires, trained as a TEMS (tactical EMS) for SWAT and law enforcement. Trained as a pilot and flew rescue and DEA missions for the Civil Air Patrol. Trained in martial arts. Trained in most weapons of minor destruction including knifes and tomahawks. Been sent to Israel, Egypt, Turkey, and various parts of South America. According to her children, she is an adrenaline junkie and gets bored easily. Reads voraciously and writes as yet unpublished murder mysteries and thrillers. Belongs to MWA, SinC, RWA and has given internet classes on medical issues in writing, poisons and has been on various panels at KN. She lives in Kentucky with her Newfoundland Ace.
The Deep Dark Descending by Allen Eskens / Review by Danny Lindsey
The Deep Dark Descending
By Allen Eskens
Seventh Street Books
$15.95
ISBN 978-1633883550
Published October 3, 2017
Book of the Day
If you have somewhere to be or need to get 8 hours of sleep, don’t begin reading this book. Allen Eskens’ The Deep Dark Descending (Seventh Street Books, Amherst NY) starts out intense and never slows down. This is not one to read for a half hour before bedtime, not because of its content, but because of its pace. Finding a stopping place is difficult.
Max Rupert is a police detective who is haunted by his wife’s death, some 4-plus years earlier. That it was simply a hit-and-run accident has never set well with him, and her memory is still fresh and constant, even after a half-decade. When presented with proof in the form of a taped recording planning her murder he becomes single-minded, determined to find and deal with her murderer.
Set in the dead of winter in northern Minnesota, the chilling cold becomes as much a part of the plot as an additional character. Eskens toggles back and forth from present tense to the three days leading up to the final chapter in a skillful fashion, melding investigative work into the culmination. Told in the first person, that POV actually works in this scenario.
He also manages to weave a believable sub-plot into the narrative, which is used to enable his single-minded albeit short-term quest for justice. Throughout, the reader is left to guess whether the result will be vengeance or lawful justice. A reminder of who he is and should be is sprinkled throughout, courtesy of Nancy, the woman who raised him as her own. The phrase “vengeance is not justice” echoes in his mind, even as he wrestles with whether he is detective or avenger.
The pace, the style, and the ending will leave readers breathless, not really wanting more, but fully satisfied that the tale has been well told, and has ended appropriately. Eskens has a knack of engaging his audience immediately and holding them hostage until the end.
Danny Lindsey keeps trying to retire. After a 20-year Army career and a 25-year second one in the private sector, he’s finally settled down. His current gig is as the Veteran Employment Services Manager for a Huntsville, A.L. based non-profit, Still Serving Veterans. Both full careers were characterized by numerous writing assignments, from war plans to operating policies and procedures, then on to white papers, analyses of alternatives and competitive contract and grant proposals. Now his writing consists of blogs for the website www.ssv.org, podcasts for the local NPR affiliate, and a half dozen Pulitzer-worthy, albeit unpublished novels.
Update: Danny won the 2017 Killer Nashville Claymore Award with his manuscript Serial Justice – so he will not be unpublished for long!
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