KN Magazine: Reviews
Rigged by D.P. Lyle/Review by G. Robert Frazier
Rigged
by D.P. Lyle
Oceanview Publishing
$26.99
ISBN 9978-1608093380
Publication Date: May 19, 2020
*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 from publishers who have been selected for the Book of the Day.
Jake Longly may be one of the most reluctant private investigators you’ll ever come across. If it weren’t for his father Ray, who owns the company, and his girlfriend Nicole who pushes him into the business, he’d be just as happy running his Gulf Coast restaurant. But at least once he takes a case, he puts everything he has into it.
Jake is back for the fourth time in D.P. Lyle’s newest novel, Rigged (Oceanview Publishing, $26.95, 9781608093380). But if you’re unfamiliar with him, rest assured this adventure is easily accessible to newbies without having to read any of the prior novels to catch up.
His latest investigation begins simply enough with a routine probe of a couple’s finances ahead of a steamy divorce settlement. But when the female and her newest boyfriend is discovered slain execution style on a beach, the scope of the investigation takes a decidedly sharper turn.
The case is of personal interest to one of Jake’s associates, Tommy (Pancake) Jeffers, who knew the female victim in his grammar school days.
The team quickly divvies up a list of potential witnesses to interview and leads to follow, all with the blessing of the local police chief who welcomes the extra help in solving the twin murders. A packet of drugs found on the male victim opens the door to a possible drug deal gone awry, while the woman’s estranged husband is a natural suspect as well, despite his seemingly airtight alibi on an oil rig at sea at the time of the murders.
Lyle, who is an award-winning author of numerous books and short stories, screenwriter, and host of the Criminal Mischief podcast series, lets the reader in on who did the deed fairly early on, spoiling some of the mystery but amping up the suspense as our intrepid team moves closer and closer to the killer.
The fun part, as in all the Longly books, is in the snappy dialogue exchanges between Jake, his team, and the assorted suspects, making for a somewhat humorous literary escape compared to Lyle’s more serious thriller novels.
G. Robert Frazier is a freelance writer and former reporter and editor at several Middle Tennessee newspapers. He also reviews books for BookPage and BloggingforBooks and has served as a script reader for both the Austin Film Festival and Nashville Film Festival screenwriting competitions.
The Gryphon Heist by James R. Hannibal/Review by G. Robert Frazier
The Gryphon Heist
by James R. Hannibal
Oceanview Publishing
$29.99
ISBN 978-0800737139
Publication Date: Sept 3, 2019
*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 from publishers who have been selected for the Book of the Day.
2020 Silver Falchion Finalist
The Gryphon Heist by James R. Hannibal has been compared to Ocean’s Eleven meets Mission Impossible, and that’s a more than adequate comparison. Certainly, the wide range of characters – each with specialized skills and attributes – are there, as are the thrills and twists associated with such thrillers. Like those movies, I could easily visualize this novel coming to life on the big screen.
Heist starts in typical thriller fashion as we are introduced to protagonist Talia Inger in a Star Trek-like “kobyashi maru” final exam of her CIA training. She fails (Captain Kirk, as you know, cheated), but shows enough ingenuity and determination that she makes a favorable impression. Her reward: an assignment to Other, a literal hole-in-the-wall division nestled in a sub-sub-basement at CIA headquarters.
Not exactly what she was expecting.
Talia, though, makes enough waves in the days that follow that she wins a field assignment: to evaluate the security measures of a Moldovan executive developing a new defense technology. She’s coupled (or should I say hog-tied) with a freelance civilian partner, Adam Tyler, to assist her, though she’s more than wary of Tyler’s true purpose on the mission.
After an attack on the facility by a suspected international terrorist known only as Lukon, Talia is surprised to learn the defense designs are safely stored on the Gryphon, a high-tech aircraft roving in the mesosphere above earth.
Together with a hastily assembled team of uniquely qualified individuals – a pilot, a grifter, a tech geek, and others — Talia launches a bold plan to steal the designs in mid-flight to keep them out of enemy hands. But treachery and double-crosses abound and it isn’t long before Talia suspects Tyler may not be as innocent as he seems and wonders if he is, in fact, the notorious Lukon himself.
A former tactical deception officer and stealth pilot, Hannibal draws on his own expertise and familiarity with covert operations to bring a level of verisimilitude to the novel. A fair dose of cyber-tech jargon is cleverly weaved into the explosive action.
While I am was a bit dubious that a rookie CIA agent would be thrust into the middle of such an intense, high-stakes adventure on her very first field assignment – and I didn’t like that a main character is linked to the death of her father years ago (too coincidental or contrived for my liking) — I didn’t let either of those factors stop me from enjoying the novel as a whole. There’s too much action and intrigue here to let a few little nit-picky things like that get in the way.
Hannibal writes with such skill and authenticity – as well as emotion – that you are immediately wrapped up in the tale at hand. A sequel, Chasing the White Lion, is already on bookshelves (and in my to-be-read stack), so readers should hurry and get in on the ground floor of this new series now. It’s definitely worth the ride.
G. Robert Frazier is a former newspaper reporter and editor. He reviews books for Killer Nashville, BookPage, Chapter 16, and his blog. 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.
THE LAST SCOOP by R.G. Belsky/Review by Sheila Sobel
The Last Scoop
by R.G. Belsky
Oceanview Publishing
$26.95
ISBN 978-1608093571
Publication Date: May 5, 2020
*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 from publishers who have been selected for the Book of the Day.
In The Last Scoop, the third book in the Clare Carlson Mystery series, Clare is busy as ever with her current responsibilities as the Channel 10 news director. So busy, she has no time to help her old friend, mentor and former editor, Martin Barlow, at a time when he needs it the most—when the now-retired Marty is working on what might very well be his last big scoop. When Marty is murdered not long after their meeting, Clare’s sadness and guilt propel her to continue his quest, to complete the investigation that she suspects got him killed. Clare puts all her Pulitzer-Prize-winning, fact-finding skills to work in a relentless effort to discover the truth—a decades-old truth which leads her to a serial killer more deadly and elusive than any other. While navigating both a political minefield in New York and a thirty-year-old murder in Indiana, problems begin to mount for Clare when nobody believes any of her theories. She needs to dig deeper to exhume the long-buried secrets that will convince everyone, including old flame FBI agent Scott Manning, that she has linked the murders of twenty women killed over a thirty-year period. And, she needs to do it before becoming the latest victim of “The Wanderer.”
With multiple suspects, multiple motives, and a hair-raising ending, The Last Scoop is a must-read. Written with a “ripped-from-the-headlines” authenticity, R. G. Belsky has achieved what most authors aim for—that unputdownable, break-neck, can’t-wait-to-see-what-happens-next kind of novel that leaves you waiting in anticipation for the next book in the series.
Yesterday’s News, the first Clare Carlson book, released in 2018 and won the 2018 David Award for Best Mystery at Deadly Ink. Below the Fold, the second Clare Carlson book, released in 2019.
R.G. Belsky is an award-winning author of crime fiction and a journalist in New York City. Belsky won the 2016 Killer Nashville Claymore Award and previously finished as a finalist for both the Silver Falchion and David awards. As a former managing editor at the Daily News, Belsky has an extensive background in everything news. Learn more: https://www.rgbelsky.com/
Sheila Sobel’s debut, Color Blind won the 2017 Killer Nashville Reader's Choice Award for Best Fiction YA and was a Finalist for the 2017 Silver Falchion Award for Best Fiction YA. Sheila was nominated for the 2016 Allegra Johnson Prize in Novel Writing through UCLA Extension Writers’ Program. Learn more: www.sheilasobel.com
Lovely Digits by Jeanine Englert/Review by Laura Stewart Schmidt
Lovely Digits
by Jeanine Englert
Soul Mate Publishing
$13.99
ISBN 978-1682919576
Publication Date: December 20, 2019
*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 from publishers who have been selected for the Book of the Day.
2020 Silver Falchion Finalist
Lucy Wycliffe has a profession that would make her unusual enough in modern times. But in Victorian England, she is positively unique. Lucy lays out corpses for viewing and burial, and takes special pride in treating her deceased clients with the respect they deserve.
As the book opens, Lucy is preparing two of her close friends, both of whom were murdered, presumably by the same killer. At the same time she is dealing with her grief, she has other troubles: she is trying to support her younger sister and baby niece, and the man who owns the note on her family’s house is calling it in. Unless she accepts his proposal of marriage, Lucy will lose the only home she has ever known.
New Constable John Brodie needs Lucy’s help solving the crimes. He has a terrible secret, however, one that would wreck their budding and fragile romance.
Ms. Englert is a good writer, and she has mastered several aspects of storytelling. The narrative voice is more intellectual than modern readers tend to expect, but it fits with the times. Lucy grabs the reader’s attention and sympathy from the opening pages. John is a good man with a kind heart, and the reader senses that he must have had a good reason for doing the deed that will turn Lucy against him once she learns of it. Lucy’s friend Miss Clara is a hoot, and the reader will never be quite sure what her nephew Abe is capable of—or is actually doing.
Suspense is present almost from the beginning—stakes are high all around; the reader knows John’s secret will come out eventually, and both dreads it and anticipates it. Tension ratchets as a body is stolen and John’s office is broken into. There aren’t a lot of suspects, but the few there are have equally good reason to commit murder. Even if you guess who the murderer is (I didn’t), you want to read on for the beauty of the story. What a delight to have a new writer of this caliber!
Laura Stewart Schmidt is the author of Until Proven Innocent, a YA mystery (Black Rose Writing, 2018), and Don't Fear, My Darling, a domestic suspense novel (Black Opal Books, 2019). She has degrees in Political Science and Public Policy Administration from the University of Missouri-St. Louis and has attended enough writing workshops at the University of Wisconsin-Madison to qualify as an honorary Badger. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), Sisters in Crime, and International Thriller Writers. Her eclectic career includes stints as a family court coordinator, drug court advocate, youth mentor, reading specialist, preschool teacher, and disability support counselor. Laura and her husband, whom she met at a hockey game (Let’s go Blues!), live near St. Louis and are the proud companions of two rambunctious hound dogs.
Devoted by Dean Koontz/Review by Liz Gatterer
Devoted
by Dean Koontz
Thomas & Mercer
$18.99
ISBN 978-1542019507
Publication Date: March 31, 2020
*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 from publishers who have been selected for the Book of the Day.
For Megan Bookman, the only thing that matters is her son, Woody. She has built a very structured and safe life for him. It may be lonely for her, but that’s okay. Woody is autistic. He has never spoken a word. But he is exceedingly intelligent. Like many on the spectrum, Woody follows a very specific routine every day, but can also become consumed by a solitary pursuit.
Lately, his obsession has been investigating and documenting the circumstances of his father’s death. He is almost ready to present his findings to his mother.
Kipp was Dorothy’s golden retriever. Like most goldens, Kipp is smart, obedient, good-hearted and loyal. But Kipp is not most goldens. He is very special. When Dorothy passed away, Kipp was supposed to go to Dorothy’s housekeeper, but Kipp has different plans. It’s time for him to move on as well. There is something he is supposed to do. Someone he is supposed to help.
Lee Shacker has just left behind the life he worked so hard—too hard—to build. He is on the run and leaving a trail of disaster behind him.
He is changing. Evolving. Becoming.
And what he is becoming is very evil. But before he vanishes forever, there is just one person from his past he must see… Megan Bookman. She won’t be “the one that got away” for long.
For fans of Dean Koontz, you will be thrilled by his new release, Devoted. If you have never read any of Koontz’s work, Devoted is a great place to start. The tension builds from the first chapter and doesn’t let up until the end. Koontz novels are intense stories that tend to make one stay up until the wee hours of the night. The phenomenal elements that he incorporates into this story are so credible that you may start looking at both dogs and people in a very different light.
Liz Gatterer attended Tulane University while living in New Orleans. It was there that she first began working with authors in the printing industry. Originally from Upstate New York, she moved to Nashville with her husband to pursue their careers (his being music). Three (absolutely fabulous) children later, she has returned to the working world in the industry she loves. She currently lives in Spring Hill with said husband and children, dogs, cats, and various other creatures. The necessity of multitasking has led her to an addiction to audiobooks – but, when able to, she still prefers to curl up with a good book (and a child in her lap).
Two Bites Too Many by Debra H. Goldstein/Review by Gregg E. Brickman
Two Tastes Too Many
by Debra H. Goldstein
Kensington
$7.19
ISBN 978-1496719485
Publication Date: September 24, 2019
*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 from publishers who have been selected for the Book of the Day.
Two Bites Too Many by Debra H. Goldstein is a cozy mystery, the second in the Sarah Blair Mystery series. Sarah, the protagonist and amateur sleuth, is joined again by her twin sister Emily, her boss Harlan, and her cat RahRah. Other familiar characters make an appearance as well, and the reader is introduced to Sarah’s wacky mother Maybelle.
Sarah now lives in the carriage house behind the big house she inherited from her dead ex-husband. She intends to partner with her sister and Marcus, Emily’s boyfriend, to convert the big house into a fine-dining establishment. There are other plans floating around to rezone all of Main Street for conversion to commercial space. Mr. Rogers, Sarah’s across the street neighbor, is one of the locals who objects to the conversion, while his two nephews favor it.
Maybelle finds the bank president and city council president Lance Knowlton dead in his office. The new acting police chief considers her a prime suspect and seems uninterested in pursuing other suspects, though there seems to be many possibilities. The Chief is building a circumstantial case which is augmented by finding Maybelle’s prints on the murder weapon. Sarah is sure her mother is innocent and begins to investigate. At first, Sarah’s boss tells her to leave the investigation to the professionals, later, he encourages her activities.
Goldstein presents an interesting and entertaining mystery for cozy mystery fans. She skillfully develops her continuing characters and shows growth for each from the baseline set in the first in series, One Taste Too Many.
Gregg E. Brickman was born in North Dakota. She completed her education in Florida and embarked on a varied career in clinical, administrative, and academic nursing. Credits include Imperfect Escape, Imperfect Defense, Illegal Intent, She Learned to Die, Plan to Kill, Imperfect Daddy, Imperfect Contract, Illegally Dead, Chapter 14 of Naked Came the Flamingo, a Murder on the Beach progressive novella edited by Barbara Parker and Joan Mickelson, and On the Edge, a short story [MiamiARTzine.com]. The Writers’ Network of South Florida recognized On the Edge among the finalists in their Seventh Annual Short Story Contest. Gregg resides with her husband, Steve, on the Northern Cumberland Plateau in middle Tennessee.
Karluk Bones by Robin Barefield/Review by Laura Stewart Schmidt
Karluk Bones
by Robin Barefield
Publication Consultants
$17.95
ISBN 978-1594338908
Publication Date: September 1. 2019
*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 from publishers who have been selected for the Book of the Day.
KARLUK BONES by Robin Barefield (2019, Publication Consultants), is a great way to get a glimpse into life in Alaska. Karluk is an actual village in the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge that is known for its fishing and bear-watching. According to Ms. Barefield’s notes, there are no roads on the refuge, and small planes and boats are the only ways in and out. The wilderness presents all kinds of danger in the form of blizzards, dense vegetation, bears, and most of all, humans. Therein hangs the tale.
Jane Marcus is on a camping trip with friends when a carelessly-started fire uncovers a set of human bones. Jane’s curiosity and scientific mind (she’s a marine biologist by trade) compel her to want to know who could have gone missing and died in the Alaskan wilderness. The next chapter takes place in 1976 and introduces Bently and Schwimmer, two bear hunters who chartered a local plane to Karluk. An astute reader will immediately smell trouble for the young men. Could the bones belong to one of them? If so, where is the other?
Jane is even more intrigued when a bullet hole is discovered in the skull. Meanwhile, Sergeant Dan Patterson has a new case—pilot Jake Shepherd never returned from a trip to Karluk, and he is ultimately discovered shot to death in his plane. Patterson’s too busy with the case to worry about the old bones Jane has, and with no real evidence of murder (no one reported missing, the faint possibility of suicide, no shells in the vicinity), he gives Jane the go-ahead to research the bones and their possible owner.
The reader is introduced to a lot of characters here, which can be confusing, but it’s worth it to hang on. You want to know who killed Jake. The pace of the story may slow down a bit in the middle, but once things pick up, you will be hooked. The last third of the book moves like Jake’s Beaver, and readers will find it hard to walk away until they know what happens to everyone.
The setting is a character in itself, especially when we see the hapless Bently and Schwimmer in the wilderness, threatened not only by the elements but by the trapper. The reader is never sure what their fate was, and even when it starts to become clear, there are surprises in store.
Ms. Barefield has a gift for putting the readers smack in the middle of a complicated story and settling us in for the ride. KARLUK BONES is the fourth in a series that should continue to captivate readers.
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.
The Loop by Nicholas Holloway/Review by Joy Gorence
The Loop
by Nicholas Holloway
JPM Publishing
$8.99
Publication Date: September 2019
*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 from publishers who have been selected for the Book of the Day.
Gallagher Fenton, aka Gal, wakes with a blinding headache to find the brutalized body of a young woman in his bed. Unfortunately, the knife in her throat is his pocketknife. His only recollection of Daphne is one of pleasure. He has no memory of the events surrounding her murder. This “bloody visage of violence and volatility” initiates a series of mysterious events in Nicholas Holloway’s The Loop.
With a dark and ominous tone, Holloway creates a setting of isolation that envelops the characters in his story. Beginning with drops of blood, the novel can only lead the reader to the conclusion that Gal’s story is seeped in misery. Living in a dilapidated house in the shadows of the Sierra Nevada, Gal's life is one of coldness and isolation, which is further illustrated by the snow that shrouds this landscape in this desolate setting.
When Daphne does not return the calls of her aunt, Sandy Castro, Sandy takes the investigation of her missing niece into her own hands. What she uncovers is a number of treacherous and ruthless people in charge of the Sierra Red Lodges, a closely guarded network of prostitution. Gal unfortunately becomes one of its victims and is charged with Daphne’s murder.
Gal’s father is incarcerated for the murder of his mother, and his two older brothers have little love for their mother’s favorite son, Gal. His sister, Scarlet, however, provides him with the support he needs. As the mystery of deaths unfolds, Holloway scripts a message that blood ties can be a curse and a blessing.
Joy Gorence is new to Killer Nashville. She is an author, world-traveler, English professor (ret.), and avid reader. Originally from Long Island, NY she now lives in South Florida with her husband, Bill, and their two pampered kitties.
Deadliest Thief by June Trop/Review by Joy Gorence
The Deadliest Thief : A Miriam bat Isaac Mystery
by June Trop
Black Opal Books
$8.99
ISBN 978-1644372012
Publication Date: October 26, 2019
*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 from publishers who have been selected for the Book of the Day.
2020 Silver Falchion Finalist
The Deadliest Thief is the fifth in the series featuring first-century sleuth, Miriam bat Isaac. When beaten and bruised Penelope arrives at Miriam’s doorstep, she has only minutes to utter, “Document,” before she dies. Distraught, Miriam cradles Penelope’s broken body before she unravels the parchment cylinder and breaks the wax seal. What she learns is that the woman who has died in her arms is not Penelope but her unknown twin, Leda. Soon afterwards, Miriam, a member of an elite class, discovers that Penelope, her best friend and former household slave, has been kidnapped.
In the Deadliest Thief, set in ancient Alexandria, author June Trop manages to paint a canvas that depicts the sights and sounds of the city. As Miriam travels through the city to uncover the mystery behind the death of Leda and Phoebe’s disappearance, the setting becomes integral to the plot. As the reader’s senses are entrenched in the description of Alexandria and Pharos Island, the unlikely alliance between Miriam and a dwarf, Nathaniel ben Ruben, becomes essential.
The mystery involves missing jewels and thievery, with twists and turns that leave the reader guessing until the very end.
Joy Gorence is new to Killer Nashville. She is an author, world-traveler, English professor (ret.), and avid reader. Originally from Long Island, NY she now lives in South Florida with her husband, Bill, and their two pampered kitties.
The Dead of Summer: A Piper Blackwell Mystery by Jean Rabe/Review by Gregg E. Brickman
The Dead of Summer: A Piper Blackwell Mystery
by Susan McCormick
Boone Street Press
$11.00
ISBN 978-1732526716
Publication Date: July 5, 2019
*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 from publishers who have been selected for the Book of the Day.
2020 Silver Falchion Finalist
The Dead of Summer is the third title in the Piper Blackwell Mystery series. Piper Blackwell is a too-young sheriff in Spencer County in southern Indiana. She has a background as an Army MP, but is learning domestic law enforcement from her more experienced deputies, both of whom think they’d be better at her job than she is.
The story begins with two very exciting chapters detailing a tragic accident at the county fair. The narrative then shifts to solving the murder of a local comic book and gaming store owner who is found brutally murdered in his home. A second body, this one belonging to a young man, is found in the trunk of the dead man’s car. A second young man is missing.
The sheriff and her deputies follow multiple leads while struggling with limited resources, long hours, and confusing clues. Meanwhile, the public is seeking answers about the tragedy at the fair.
The powerful opening chapters centered around the county fair tragedy that killed five people snare the reader. Then, as the story progresses it shifts to a more traditional mystery. It is an interesting and entertaining read.
Gregg E. Brickman was born in North Dakota. She completed her education in Florida and embarked on a varied career in clinical, administrative, and academic nursing. Credits include Imperfect Escape, Imperfect Defense, Illegal Intent, She Learned to Die, Plan to Kill, Imperfect Daddy, Imperfect Contract, Illegally Dead, Chapter 14 of Naked Came the Flamingo, a Murder on the Beach progressive novella edited by Barbara Parker and Joan Mickelson, and On the Edge, a short story [MiamiARTzine.com]. The Writers’ Network of South Florida recognized On the Edge among the finalists in their Seventh Annual Short Story Contest. Gregg resides with her husband, Steve, on the Northern Cumberland Plateau in middle Tennessee.
A Palette for Love and Murder by Saralyn Richard/Review by Liz Gatterer
A Palette for Love and Murder
by Saralyn Richard
Black Opal Books
$15.49
ISBN 978-1644372043
Publication Date: January 14, 2020
*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 from publishers who have been selected for the Book of the Day.
Saralyn Richard's newly released novel, A Palette for Love and Murder, is a delightful return to Detective Oliver Parrott and the posh world of Brandywine Valley, Pennsylvania. Many of the characters first introduced to us in Murder in the One Percent (The Killer Nashville 2019 Readers' Choice Silver Falchion winner) have returned in this tale of art, love, and murder. In this story, newlywed Parrott is tasked with solving the case of stolen art from the area’s most notable artist and wealthy resident, Blake Allmond. Several of his paintings have disappeared from his estate—a theft noticed first by his live-in girlfriend, Elle Carmichael (who has a very interesting back story of her own, to boot). Just as the investigation is beginning, Allmond is murdered in his New York City apartment. While the murder investigation is outside of Parrott's jurisdiction, the two crimes must be related, so Parrott is set to solve the theft and, hopefully, assist in solving the murder.
Richard's writing style is perfect for this genre. Her story lines are detailed and logical but still warm and exciting. Even when dealing with tough subjects, like Parrott's wife's PTSD from her time serving in Afghanistan, Richard's compassion and gentleness shine through. Her characters are well developed and endearing to the reader. She has created a diverse and fascinating cast of characters. I hope there will be many more books in this series. We would all be lucky to have an Ollie Parrott in our lives.
Liz Gatterer attended Tulane University while living in New Orleans. It was there that she first began working with authors in the printing industry. Originally from Upstate New York, she moved to Nashville with her husband to pursue their careers (his being music). Three (absolutely fabulous) children later, she has returned to the working world in the industry she loves. She currently lives in Spring Hill with said husband and children, dogs, cats, and various other creatures. The necessity of multitasking has led her to an addiction to audiobooks – but, when able to, she still prefers to curl up with a good book (and a child in her lap).
Secrets of the Galapagos by Sharon Marchisello/Review by Joy Gorence
Secrets of the Galapagos
by Sharon Marchisello
Milford House Press
$16.95
ISBN 978-1620063675
Publication Date: October 2019
*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 from publishers who have been selected for the Book of the Day.
Book of the Day
2020 Silver Falchion Nominee
Sharon Marchisello’s The Secrets of the Galapagos opens with a pulsating description of Giovanna’s close encounter with a hammerhead shark at Gardner Bay. Imagery for the opening scene builds a canvas for Marchisello’s novel. Providing a backdrop of the islands’ vivid details paints a backdrop for the mysterious disappearance of Laurel, Giovanna’s snorkeling partner.
Giovanna Rogers, succumbing to the charms and wily ways of Jerome Haddad, the husband of her close friend in college, entrusts him with her finances for a start-up non-profit organization. She, unfortunately, invests all of her money and her fiancé’s money in the ordeal only to learn that it ends with their financial devastation. As a result, her engagement also falls victim to Jerome’s scheme. Her grandmother, Michelle, a woman young at heart, takes her on a cruise to the Galapagos Islands as a “grand gesture to help [her] get over [her] heartbreak.”
Giovanna, however, soon finds herself a potential suspect in the death of one of the guides, Fernando, and a friend of Laurel’s. The tension builds throughout the story as Daniel Ramos, the cruise director, does not seem to be concerned with the disappearance of Laurel, a researcher who has “spent years studying the wildlife of the Galapagos region.” Giovanna discovers that Laurel and Fernando’ friendship is connected to the conservation of the islands and its tortoise population. Giovanna learns that what Laurel may have uncovered can be a potential problem for the island’s tourism trade. When Detective Victor Zuniga becomes involved in the investigation of Fernando’s murder and Laurel’s disappearance, Giovanna learns the facts of the invents that have unfolded.
Not only does Sharon Marchisello weave a tale of intrigue with a touch of romance, she brings to light tourism‘s impact on the islands’ fragile ecosystems. Hopefully, we may learn more of Giovanna’s escapades in coming novels.
Joy Gorence is new to Killer Nashville. She is an author, world-traveler, English professor (ret.), and avid reader. Originally from Long Island, NY she now lives in South Florida with her husband, Bill, and their two pampered kitties.
Last Call by Manning Wolfe & Laura Oles
Last Call
by Manning Wolfe & Laura Oles
Starpath Books
$8.99
ISBN 978-1944225391
Publication Date: October 2019
*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 from publishers who have been selected for the Book of the Day.
2020 Silver Falchion Finalist
Last Call is the tenth book in the Bullet Books Speed Reads collection. In this installment, Manning Wolfe teams up with Laura Oles, author of Daughters of Bad Men and together they create a fast-paced tale that readers will absolutely devour. The story begins when Jackie Rome, a forty-two-year-old, Austin waitress, decides she needs to do “something else with [her] life” (4). A phone call leads her to a change, but not one she expects. When she arrives at The Rabbit Hole, the “dive bar” her estranged father, Chet Rome, has owned, she learns she is the new owner. Her father lived his life at the bottom of a bottle and with the help of Ray, he barely managed to keep his Colorado Springs bar afloat. Quickly she learns she has also inherited his problems. It is at this point that Wolfe and Oles begin to build the tension that the novel sustains throughout.
It is Dutch, a long-time friend of Chet’s, who educates Jackie regarding the status of the business. A financial arrangement her father made with Ray comes to haunt her, and she finds herself quickly going down her own rabbit hole. With the help of Dutch, she fights her way out.
Jackie’s narrative rapidly moves the plot from one conflict to the next, which engages the reader from the first page to the last. With change comes growth, and by the end Jackie must do “something else” with her life. The final chapter leaves the reader wanting to know what Jackie will find in the next episode.
Joy Gorence is new to Killer Nashville. She is an author, world-traveler, English professor (ret.), and avid reader. Originally from Long Island, NY she now lives in South Florida with her husband, Bill, and their two pampered kitties.
The Muse of Wallace Rose by Bill Woods/Review by Joy Gorence
The Muse of Wallace Rose
by Bill Woods
Westview
$14.00
ISBN 978-1628801804
Publication Date: May 2019
*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 from publishers who have been selected for the Book of the Day.
2020 Silver Falchion Finalist
Bill Woods is a talented author whose novella The Muse of Wallace Rose reads like a literary matryoshka. Instead of a series of nesting dolls, Woods gives the reader a series of events, one dependent on another. With the epigraph “We are what we pretend to be…” (Kurt Vonnegut, Mother Night), Woods weaves a muse’s tale through Wallace Rose’s writing. Wallace Rose, a writer and the opening narrator, presents us with the role a writer plays in telling a story: “Maybe […] a writer comes in-giving voice to restless dead people.” Little do we realize that Woods uses Wallace in this manner.
With a style that Vonnegut would have lauded, Woods “found a subject he cares about,” i.e., writing. He doesn’t ramble, he keeps it simple, and he seems to have only left sentences in the novella that “illuminate the subject” (Bianchi 2019). In chapter one, we are told that “[Wallace] can make people do anything he wants.” It all begins with an imaginary story about two lovers who plan the murder of an unsuspecting husband. As we become enmeshed in the story, more murders occur in which Woods has removed the demarcation between imagination and reality. At the end, Detective Duffy tries to figure out how the murders are related. Woods, however, has given the reader the key to the nesting tales.
A Muse has inspired Woods in this narrative of passion and mystery. His talent as a master storyteller is evident in this and subsequent stories.
Joy Gorence is new to Killer Nashville. She is an author, world-traveler, English professor (ret.), and avid reader. Originally from Long Island, NY she now lives in South Florida with her husband, Bill and their two pampered kitties.
The Unrepentant by E.A. Aymar/Review by Sharon Marchisello
The Unrepentant
by E.A. Aymar
Down & Out Books
$17.95
ISBN 978-1948235587
Publication Date: March 2019
*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 from publishers who have been selected for the Book of the Day.
Book of the Day
2020 Silver Falchion Nominee
The Unrepentant (Down & Out Books), the new thriller by E.A. Aymar, has been nominated for a Silver Falchion award.
Mace Peterson is a disabled war veteran whose PTSD cost him his marriage. The story opens when he happens on a young girl being attacked in the woods by two thugs. Despite the odds, Mace intervenes and helps free the girl, Charlotte Reyes, who turns out to be quite a fighter herself. His first instinct is to report the incident to the cops, but Charlotte won't let him. One of the men who has been holding her against her will is a cop.
Like it or not, Mace stays involved in Charlotte's life as she tries to elude the men who want to kill her. He drags his ex-wife, Eve, and her friend Dory, a victim's advocate, into the web of danger. Charlotte goes from deception and distrust to opening up and asking for help. She's also hell-bent on revenge.
This book is not for the fainthearted, as it exposes the ugly, violent side of sex trafficking in graphic detail. Parts were painful to read. Most of the bad guys are unrepentant, as the title says. The ending is sad, with just a small glimmer of hope.
Aymar's other thrillers include the novel-in-stories The Night of the Flood (in which he served as co-editor and contributor), I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead and You’re As Good As Dead. A member of the Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime, Aymar also runs the Noir at the Bar series for Washington, D.C., and has hosted and spoken at a variety of crime fiction, writing, and publishing events nationwide. He is represented by Michelle Richter with Fuse Literary.
Sharon Marchisello (sharonmarchisello.com) is the author of two mysteries published by Sunbury Press, Going Home (2014) and Secrets of the Galapagos (2019). She has also published short stories, travel articles, and a nonfiction book about personal finance, Live Well, Grow Wealth. She earned a Masters in Professional Writing from the University of Southern California and is a member of Sisters in Crime. Residing in Peachtree City, GA, Sharon does volunteer work for the Fayette Humane Society and the Fayette County Master Gardeners, and she writes a blog about personal finance, Countdown to Financial Fitnesshttps://sharonmarchisello.blogspot.com/.
The Mask of Midnight by Laurie Stevens/Review by Sharon Marchisello
The Mask of Midnight
by Laurie Stevens
FYD Media, LLC
$15.60
ISBN 978-0997006803
Publication Date: January 2019
*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 from publishers who have been selected for the Book of the Day.
Book of the Day
2020 Silver Falchion Nominee
The Mask of Midnight, the third installment in the Gabriel McRay homicide detective series by Laurie Stevens, has been nominated for a Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Award.
Detective Gabriel McRay is finally getting his life together. He’s reconnecting with his estranged family and seeing a psychiatrist to work out his problems with anger management and history of sexual abuse as a child. His boss assigns him a new case. Gabriel is dating medical examiner Dr. Ming Li, and the two of them are set to testify at the capital murder trial of his nemesis, serial killer Victor Archwood.
Throughout the trial, the author skillfully catches up readers who are new to the series with the backstory between Gabriel and Victor. It seems that the evidence against Victor is overwhelming, but he’s not going down without a fight.
Victor Archwood is a terrifying villain: charming, good-looking, and absolutely cold-hearted. Extremely intelligent, he’s a master at disguise and manipulation. And he’ll stop at nothing to get revenge against Gabriel for something he’s been told took place in their past.
Gabriel is also a well-drawn character. Due to his insecurities and damaged childhood, he struggles to lead a normal life. But that’s not going to happen until he exposes Victor Archwood for the monster he is.
This emotional cat-and-mouse game will keep the reader on edge until the end. And it might give you nightmares.
Laurie Stevens is a hybrid author who writes the Gabriel McRay psychological suspense series; she has also written short stories and a play. Her previous books, The Dark Before Dawn and Deep into Dusk, have won numerous awards. She lives in Los Angeles and is an active member of Mystery Writers of America, International Thriller Writers, and Sisters in Crime.
Sharon Marchisello (sharonmarchisello.com) is the author of two mysteries published by Sunbury Press, Going Home (2014) and Secrets of the Galapagos (2019). She has also published short stories, travel articles, and a nonfiction book about personal finance, Live Well, Grow Wealth. She earned a Masters in Professional Writing from the University of Southern California and is a member of Sisters in Crime. Residing in Peachtree City, GA, Sharon does volunteer work for the Fayette Humane Society and the Fayette County Master Gardeners, and she writes a blog about personal finance, Countdown to Financial Fitness https://sharonmarchisello.blogspot.com/.
Reaper Moon by Ted Neill/Review by Katie McGuire
Reaper Moon
by Ted Neill
Independently Published
$22.50
ISBN 978-1791550943
Publication Date: September 2019
*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 from publishers who have been selected for the Book of the Day.
Book of the Day
2020 Silver Falchion Nominee
Reaper Moon opens in 2024, after a terrible virus that attacks humans’ largest organ—the skin—spreads rapidly around the globe, and millions die an awful, painful death. It soon becomes clear that the virus is more likely to affect the Caucasian population, and so almost overnight, people of color become the majority on the planet. Readers follow the characters through what is basically a post-apocalyptic America, where this “new world order” has caused a strong resurgence of white nationalist sentiment, daily bouts of violence, and an ongoing struggle to survive.
In a unique and fascinating set-up for the story, Reaper Moon opens with journal entries from a woman named Kimberly, which basically provide enough information to fill in the backstory blanks. The journal entries are detailed and clearly well thought out. In this future world where people of color now hold the unquestioned majority, the juxtaposition of opening with a black woman’s journal, then pivoting the focus of the main narrative to a white teenage boy was an interesting choice.
The author made an admirable attempt to weave our current political moment into the narrative and explain how modern groups or factions would become twisted in the aftermath of this terrible outbreak. Through in-story discussions around important topics like race relations, equality (or lack thereof), and the US healthcare system, the characters were able to scratch the surface and hopefully spur readers to serious contemplation of the complex issues surrounding these modern problems. Science fiction has always been used to point at social issues in our present day and show readers what is going wrong and how they can do better, and Reaper Moon does just that.
Katie McGuire is an editor at Pegasus Books, largely focusing on their Pegasus Crime imprint. She graduated from Emerson College with a BFA in Writing, Literature, & Publishing and returned to her native New York upon graduation to begin her career in publishing. She has worked on both fiction and nonfiction projects at Pegasus, and has a particular soft spot for mysteries, true crime, royalty, superheroes, and spies.
Below the Fold by R.G. Belsky/Review by Liz Gatterer
Below the Fold
By R.G. Belsky
Oceanview Publishing
$16.00
ISBN 978-1608093243
Publication Date: May 07, 2019
*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 from publishers who have been selected for the Book of the Day.
2020 Silver Falchion Finalist
R.G. Belsky’s latest novel, Below the Fold (sequel to Yesterday’s News) features Clare Carlson, seasoned news director at Channel 10 in NYC. It is her job to decide which stories to put on-air, trying to choose those that will sell but still have some depth to them. She decides to take a risk and report on the seemingly unimportant murder of a homeless woman in the vestibule of a bank. This is woman no one cares about, which is why Clare sees this story as important. Every life has value. Everyone has a story—and this one turns out to be very important.
Dora Gayle, the murdered homeless woman, was once a beautiful young student at NYU with all her life ahead of her. How did she fall so far? Clare has only found out a little bit about Dora when a second murder is committed. This time, it is the brutal murder of a Wall Street executive—a woman who very much mattered.
The second murdered woman, Grace Mancuso was wealthy, beautiful, and corrupt. She was at the center of a huge investment scam and had taken a plea that saved her own neck while sending many of her colleagues to jail. The police discovered the murder weapon—a cheap, wooden statue of the Empire States Building—and a list. The list is of five names that include a former congressman, a police detective, a well-known defense lawyer, and Dora Gayle, the murdered homeless woman. What on earth these names have to do with each other seems unfathomable. But, Clare intends to find out.
Belsky certainly shines in the mystery genre. As a resident New Yorker and a former journalist, he has the inside knowledge that makes his characters vividly authentic and believable. Clare is not an “observant-little-old-lady” or a “high-functioning-sociopath.” She is a tenacious bulldog of a reporter that cannot put a good story down. Her connections are not conveniently coincidental but come from her real (and sometimes very conflicted) life. She is a strong character. Not a strong female character—don’t cut her short by bringing those kind of labels in. She can and will bring you down.
Belsky’s writing style is pragmatic and reflects his journalistic past. But don’t expect the puzzle pieces to fit together too easily. What may appear, on the surface, to be an easy 500 piece puzzle turns out to be a double-sided nightmare where the pieces fit together in more than one way.
Liz Gatterer attended Tulane University while living in New Orleans. It was there that she first began working with authors in the printing industry. Originally from Upstate New York, she moved to Nashville with her husband to pursue their careers (his being music). Three (absolutely fabulous) children later, she has returned to the working world in the industry she loves. She currently lives in Spring Hill with said husband and children, dogs, cats, and various other creatures. The necessity of multitasking has led her to an addiction to audiobooks – but, when able to, she still prefers to curl up with a good book (and a child in her lap).
Dreamed It by Maggie Toussaint/Review by Joy Gorence
Dreamed It
By Maggie Toussaint
Epicenter Press
$16.95
ISBN 978-1603817820
Publication Date: August 2019
*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 from publishers who have been selected for the Book of the Day.
2020 Silver Falchion Finalist
From page one, Maggie Toussaint’s masterfully crafted Dreamed It: A Dreamwalker Mystery thrusts the reader into the world of Baxley Powell, who communicates with the dead. Disoriented, Baxley finds herself re-entering the corporeal plane without any knowledge of what has transpired only hours before. With the aid of her ghost dog, Oliver, and Sam Mayes, her spiritual and physical partner, they try to uncover the lost hours. Using her newly discovered ability for astral projection, Baxley crosses over into the world of the dead. When the sheriff consults her to find Kitty—a young girl who has been kidnapped from Sinclair County, Georgia—Baxley uses her talents to assist in the search.
Baxley, with the help of Mayes, a Cherokee who also has abilities that enable him to transcend the confines of the physical world, realizes that there may be a link between the kidnapping and a series of “suitcase murders.” Although the opening scene seems to be unrelated, it provides the catalyst for the characters to discern if the kidnapping and the murders are linked. The bonds between the characters that have been established in the past seem to play a key role in uncovering the truth of the murders. Although the relationships are not fully explored in this book, it does not hinder the reader from trying to unravel the enigmatic clues Toussaint dangles before the them. It becomes apparent that without Baxley’s powers and rationale, she and Mayes could not apprehend the guilty.
With the resolution to the criminal cases, Toussaint offers a new chapter in Baxley’s life for the reader to follow in subsequent novels.
Joy Gorence is new to Killer Nashville. She is an author, world-traveler, English professor (ret.), and avid reader. Originally from Long Island, NY she now lives in South Florida with her husband, Bill, and their two pampered kitties.
Murderabilia by Carl Vonderau / Review by Sheila Sobel
Murderabilia
By Carl Vonderau
Midnight Ink
$16.99
ISBN 978-0738761305
Publication Date: July 8, 2019
*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 from publishers who have been selected for the Book of the Day.
Book of the Day
2020 Silver Falchion Nominee
How far will one man go to protect his family? To Hell and back if that’s what it takes.
Since childhood, William McNary worked to erase his past and craft a new future. One without the terror his father—serial killer Harvey Dean Kogan—created when he murdered, dismembered, posed and photographed thirteen innocent women. It wasn’t long before Kogan’s “Preying Hands” photographs of artfully staged severed body parts launched a macabre market for his father’s “Murderabilia.” William had no choice but to reinvent himself.
After overcoming years of challenges, his horrific history is finally behind him. Or so William thinks. He has a new life—a loving wife, two adorable children, and a supportive, also re-invented, sister. He’s happily employed as a private banker and living a peaceful, if not humdrum, life in the burbs. For him, life is perfect. Until he gets the call that shatters his perfect world. From someone claiming to be his brother.
When the dismembered body of his wife’s friend and colleague is found, and with nearly irrefutable evidence against him, William McNary is arrested for her gruesome murder. His once perfect life is unraveling at warp speed. When bail is granted after new evidence is presented, William is released. He leaves jail determined to find Harvey Dean Kogan’s copycat killer. Even if it means reconnecting with the brutal murderer he used to call “Dad.”
Murderabilia is a dark tale that touches a deep-seated fear held by all—the loss of everything we hold dear. Carl Vonderau’s debut novel will keep the reader’s heart racing from page one to the end.
Carl and his wife live in San Diego. When not writing terrifying thrillers, Carl spends his time as a partner at San Diego Social Venture Partners, an organization that mentors other non-profits.
To learn more about Carl Vonderau: http://carlvonderau.com/
Sheila Sobel’s debut novel Color Blind won the 2017 Killer Nashville Reader's Choice Award for Best Fiction YA and Finalist for the 2017 Silver Falchion Award for Best Fiction YA. Sheila is a member of ITW, MWA, SinC, SCBWI, and Women in Film. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, two dogs, and a cat.
To learn more about Sheila Sobel: https://www.sheilasobel.com/
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