"Hunting Daylight" by Piper Maitland / Thursday, March 21, 2013 / Reviewed by Clay Stafford

I’ve discovered a new series!  Today’s Book of the Day is two-for-one.  Fellow Tennessee writer Michael Lee West has duplicated herself into writing alter ego Piper Maitland.  Berkley sent “Hunting Daylight” by Piper Maitland for review.  Along with it, they sent the first book in the series, “Acquainted with the Night.”  I started reading the series and fell in love with both of them.  If you read the cover of “Hunting Daylight,” the books come across as a paranormal romance.  That shortchanges both and is far from truth.  These are books about vampires for smart readers.  Romance is the least of it.  There’s action, strong characters, fast, easy writing, science, humor, suspense, murder, thrills, romance, smart concept, delightful plotting, and even the author commitment to not always write outcomes in the way that readers might want.  It’s a ballsy ride.  In a literary genre full of vampires jumping page-to-page confusing action with plot, this is a novel for the thinking reader.  To enjoy the story to the fullest, start with the first one and read forward.  I started with the second, stopped, went to the first, and was glad I did.  Both books are over 500 pages and you’ll read them with the ease of 200.
– Clay Stafford, author and founder of Killer Nashville

Buy the book from the Killer Nashville Bookstore and help support a new generation of writers and readers.

Visit our bookstore for other similar books.

If you want to make your own comments on this selection, we would love to hear from you. Join our Facebook Killer Nashville group page or our blog and join in the discussion.

Remember that these books are listed at a discount through Amazon. You also don’t have to purchase the version that is featured here. Many of these books are available in multiple formats: e–book, hardcover, softcover, and audio. Enjoy!

"Good Prose: The Art of Nonfiction" by Tracy Kidder & Richard Todd / Wednesday, March 20, 2013 / Reviewed by Clay Stafford

Good Prose: The Art of Nonfiction” by Tracy Kidder and Richard Todd provide a rare treat for nonfiction writers.  Here is the chronicle of two men who have spent the last forty years of their lives trying to get the words right.  As they say, these are stories and advice from a lifetime of writing and editing.  It is not enough to write the facts, but to write them in an interesting, fair, and honest way in which someone might want to read them.  From their own experiences, Todd and Kidder address three major forms: narratives, essays, and memoirs, all applicable to our Killer Nashville family.  Their discussion for narratives includes notes on story, points of view, characters, and structure – things most authors reserve only for the fiction craft.  They explore ways to present engaging facts without exaggeration, to write with a style that grips readers, to know when to break the rules.  They discuss making a living as a nonfiction writer from their own experiences and those of their colleagues.  They tour the all-important relationship between the writer and the mentoring editor.  They write of successes and failures through their own experiences, sharing their veteran advice with a new generation of writers seeking guidance. The resumes of both men are impeccable.  Richard Todd has been an editor, author, graduate writing professor, and mentor to young writers most of his life.  Tracy Kidder is the winner of the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, the Robert F. Kennedy Book Award, and more.  Both have walked the walk and are more than qualified to talk the talk.  If there is a biography in you, an article, or a true crime story you wish to tell, I encourage you to explore this book before you write the first word.  It will open your eyes to the possibilities of your own exploration and temper you as you tell your own honest and captivating story.
– Clay Stafford, author and founder of Killer Nashville

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Visit our bookstore for other similar books.

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Remember that these books are listed at a discount through Amazon. You also don’t have to purchase the version that is featured here. Many of these books are available in multiple formats: e–book, hardcover, softcover, and audio. Enjoy!

"Heart of Ice" by P.J. Parrish / Tuesday, March 19, 2013 / Reviewed by Clay Stafford

I save books from P.J. Parrish for when I know I won’t be interrupted. For “Heart of Ice” even sleep had to wait. I can’t say enough superlatives about this writing dynamic duo. P.J. Parrish is the brainchild of two sisters, Kristy Montee and Kelly Nichols. In all their books, plot and character reign supreme, but where they excel is their wonderful use of location. In every book, including “Heart of Ice,” which takes place on Mackinac Island, location itself becomes a character. I loved this book. Excellent incorporation of past and present on many fronts, all organic to the story. Every story they write … simply … flows. They write stories to get lost in: Realistic. On the edge. Dramatic. Thrilling. Powerful. Unfolding. I’ve seen it written by other reviewers that P.J. Parrish gets better with every book. Not true. P.J. Parrish has been at the top of their game since their very first novel. I salivate when I hear a new Louis Kincaid novel is about to go to press and “Heart of Ice” just tripped me over the top. I’ve read it once; I’m reading it again. Readers: This is a book (and a series) you don’t want to miss. Writers: Studying P.J. Parrish is equivalent to an M.F.A. in creative writing. They are two of the best writers on the planet today.
– Clay Stafford, author and founder of Killer Nashville

Buy the book from the Killer Nashville Bookstore and help support a new generation of writers and readers.

Visit our bookstore for other similar books.

If you want to make your own comments on this selection, we would love to hear from you. Join our Facebook Killer Nashville group page or our blog and join in the discussion.

Remember that these books are listed at a discount through Amazon. You also don’t have to purchase the version that is featured here. Many of these books are available in multiple formats: e–book, hardcover, softcover, and audio. Enjoy!

"Dead Letter Day" by Eileen Rendahl / Tuesday, March 12, 2013 / Reviewed by Clay Stafford

A smorgasbord of supernatural characters await in Eileen Rendahl’s well-written “Dead Letter Day.”  Third in the series and a combination of mystery, fantasy, and romance, this novel is an excellent blend of story elements set in our “human” world with a nice, steady, progressive plot.  Series character Melina Markowitz can sense supernatural beings.  Her friend Paul – a werewolf – has gone missing.  From there and while circumventing a cast of otherworld characters, Melina must first determine if Paul’s disappearance is sinister and, if so, then rescue him.  Rendahl has a nice arc going with Melina who continues to grow here in Book Three with newly discovered and growing powers, and a personal issue quite unexpected for a messenger of the spiritual world.  I eagerly look forward to how Rendahl plays out the personal developments in Book Four and how that element changes the perspective of the main character Melina.  “Dead Letter Day,” by the way, is enjoyable as a standalone title without having read the previous books in the series.
– Clay Stafford, author and founder of Killer Nashville

Buy the book from the Killer Nashville Bookstore and help support a new generation of writers and readers.

Visit our bookstore for other similar books.

If you want to make your own comments on this selection, we would love to hear from you. Join our Facebook Killer Nashville group page or our blog and join in the discussion.

Remember that these books are listed at a discount through Amazon. You also don’t have to purchase the version that is featured here. Many of these books are available in multiple formats: e–book, hardcover, softcover, and audio. Enjoy!

"Three Graves Full" by Jamie Mason / Friday, March 8, 2013 / Reviewed by Clay Stafford

Bodies buried in the backyard. Well, the front yard, too. And he only killed one of them. Excellently plotted and filled with surprises, it is an unlikely romp of Good Samaritans, curious wives, a couple of helpful detectives, twins, a few low-lives that need to die, a dog who will stop at nothing, and a monkey. A delightful frolic in a mysterious and unpredictable tour de force of horrific efforts by a debut author. When it gets really weird, it is like quicksand, sucking you deeper. Peppered with delightful asides that made me chuckle, no good deed goes unpunished. Great twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page. I loved the ending. I’m not going to give it away, but it was exactly what was needed, true justice be done. Watch for more from this talented writer.
– Clay Stafford, author and founder of Killer Nashville

Buy the book from the Killer Nashville Bookstore and help support a new generation of writers and readers.

Visit our bookstore for other similar books.

If you want to make your own comments on this selection, we would love to hear from you. Join our Facebook Killer Nashville group page or our blog and join in the discussion.

Remember that these books are listed at a discount through Amazon. You also don’t have to purchase the version that is featured here. Many of these books are available in multiple formats: e–book, hardcover, softcover, and audio. Enjoy!

"Baksheesh" by Esmahan Aykol, translated by Ruth Whitehouse / Tuesday, March 5, 2013 / Reviewed by Clay Stafford

Bribery can get you many things. Including an apartment where a dead body turns up and you become the main suspect.  Such is the case with Esmahan Aykol’s second book in her Kati Hirschel series, translated beautifully by Ruth Whitehouse.  I love the charm of the main character.  She’s of German descent, though born in Turkey.  She owns a small mystery bookstore, reminding me of one of our Killer Nashville sponsoring bookstores, Mysteries & More. I am drawn to the subtlety of the storytelling.  It doesn’t hurry as an American genre novel would.  It’s like a slow flowing brook.  It eventually gets there in its own good and purposeful time, to be enjoyed along the way, not rushed, maybe like a fine Turkish tea in the afternoon. It’s a mystery, but you have to get rather far into it (by American standards) before the body shows up.  You know, sometimes we need something different, maybe a journey abroad.  If you’re not thinking of reading it now, go ahead and buy it while it is still available in the States.  These foreign titles, my experience, don’t stay around as long as we would like.  And then on that day in the future when you are feeling a need to get away, it will be there, to the right, on the third shelf waiting, and in no time you’ll be strolling the streets of Istanbul, finding yourself maybe in a quaint little mystery bookshop.  No finer place could one be on a rainy afternoon.
– Clay Stafford, author and founder of Killer Nashville

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Remember that these books are listed at a discount through Amazon. You also don’t have to purchase the version that is featured here. Many of these books are available in multiple formats: e–book, hardcover, softcover, and audio. Enjoy!

"The Watchers: A Secret History of the Reign of Elizabeth I" by Stephen Alford / Monday, March 4, 2013 / Reviewed by Clay Stafford

“Assassinations, espionage, torture, spies, double agents, cryptography, indignities. Page turning. Well-researched. This could be a spy novel, but it’s not; it happened. The Elizabethan world has never been more real to me. For those interested in history or writers of the Elizabethan world, this is a must read.”
– Clay Stafford, author and founder of Killer Nashville

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If you want to make your own comments on this selection, we would love to hear from you. Join our Facebook Killer Nashville group page or our blog and join in the discussion.

Remember that these books are listed at a discount through Amazon. You also don’t have to purchase the version that is featured here. Many of these books are available in multiple formats: e–book, hardcover, softcover, and audio. Enjoy!

"Bonded Labor: Tackling the System of Slavery in South Asia" by Siddharth Kara / Friday, March 1, 2013 / Reviewed by Clay Stafford

“Brings new meaning to owing your soul to the company store. A study of debt bondage and violent enslavement of men, women, and children in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal. Eighteen million bonded laborers owe their souls to the “man” generating over $17.6 billion in profits every year. Their life is not their own, but the products they make are ones that we purchase everyday: hand-woven carpets, tea, rice, frozen shrimp, more. For individuals, this is a study of the commerce chain and a questioning of who really made this product? What was the true human cost for my convenience? For writers setting anything in South Asia, this is a great resource for the human plotline. It will make you feel angry, sad, and helpless from page 1. Read it to be enlightened.”
– Clay Stafford, author and founder of Killer Nashville

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If you want to make your own comments on this selection, we would love to hear from you. Join our Facebook Killer Nashville group page or our blog and join in the discussion.

Remember that these books are listed at a discount through Amazon. You also don’t have to purchase the version that is featured here. Many of these books are available in multiple formats: e–book, hardcover, softcover, and audio. Enjoy!

"Black Fridays" by Michael Sears / Thursday, February 28, 2013 / Reviewed by Clay Stafford

“Debut novel. Murder, corruption, finances, conspiracy, dead bodies, hedge funds, secret codes, the headiness of power, temptation. A man in the wrong place at the wrong time, trying to redeem his life. Reads real, thanks to investment industry veteran Sears. Makes me wonder what I would do in his shoes. The story made my head spin. And, of course, love the main character’s last name.”
– Clay Stafford, author and founder of Killer Nashville

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If you want to make your own comments on this selection, we would love to hear from you. Join our Facebook Killer Nashville group page or our blog and join in the discussion.

Remember that these books are listed at a discount through Amazon. You also don’t have to purchase the version that is featured here. Many of these books are available in multiple formats: e–book, hardcover, softcover, and audio. Enjoy!

"The Incense Game" by Laura Joh Rowland / Tuesday, February 26, 2013 / Reviewed by Clay Stafford

“Here’s my numerical review: 16-15-1. It’s a lottery number you’ll win by. Sixteenth Century mystery. Treacherous politics. History. Culture. An earthquake bringing the city down upon them. Number 15 in Rowland’s Sano Ichiro mystery franchise. One of the best and most realistic historical mystery novels I’ve ever read, educating me in a world I knew nothing about. If you’ve never read a historical mystery, this is the one you should read.”
– Clay Stafford, author and founder of Killer Nashville

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If you want to make your own comments on this selection, we would love to hear from you. Join our Facebook Killer Nashville group page or our blog and join in the discussion.

Remember that these books are listed at a discount through Amazon. You also don’t have to purchase the version that is featured here. Many of these books are available in multiple formats: e–book, hardcover, softcover, and audio. Enjoy!

"And When She Was Good" by Laura Lippman / Monday, February 25, 2013 / Reviewed by Clay Stafford

“A mom’s sacrifices for her only child. A mom’s secret Heidi Fleiss life behind a gated community. A suicide that might be murder.  Washington D.C. politicians and power managers. Betrayal. Lies. Distraught choices. The constant fear of discovery. And the threat someone is coming for her. What will she do to protect her son? Highly suspenseful. This is why Laura Lippman is…well, Laura Lippman.”
– Clay Stafford, author and founder of Killer Nashville

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If you want to make your own comments on this selection, we would love to hear from you. Join our Facebook Killer Nashville group page or our blog and join in the discussion.

Remember that these books are listed at a discount through Amazon. You also don’t have to purchase the version that is featured here. Many of these books are available in multiple formats: e–book, hardcover, softcover, and audio. Enjoy!

"Splendors and Glooms" by Laura Amy Schlitz / Friday, February 22, 2013 / Reviewed by Clay Stafford

“I picked it up to give to my son to read and loved it myself. Written by a Newberry Medal Winner who never delivers a less-than-stellar book. A confused little girl. A master puppeteer. A missing child. A witch. Betrayal via a criminal past of one you trust. Dickens-era locale. Mystery. Magic. Written for ages 9 and up, but caution for kids: the initial premise begins with reference to the death of children and the guilt of the child who survived. Once I started, I couldn’t put it down.”
– Clay Stafford, author and founder of Killer Nashville

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If you want to make your own comments on this selection, we would love to hear from you. Join our Facebook Killer Nashville group page or our blog and join in the discussion.

Remember that these books are listed at a discount through Amazon. You also don’t have to purchase the version that is featured here. Many of these books are available in multiple formats: e–book, hardcover, softcover, and audio. Enjoy!

"The Big Screen: The Story of the Movies" by David Thomson / Thursday, February 21, 2013 / Reviewed by Clay Stafford

A comparative history of moving images from around the world by one of the film world’s best living film authorities. Great prose. Reads like a personal conversation. Reflective. First film book I’ve read that ties in everything from Eadweard Muybridge (what an odd man) to today’s videogames, commercials, and cable TV while at the same time giving significant thought to not ‘what happened’ or ‘when it happened,’ but ‘what does it mean’? You don’t have to be a filmmaker to appreciate it; it’s written for all of us who live in a world of tiny, private screens, for all of us who sometimes feel the tail might be wagging the dog. I liked it because it made me ask the question, ‘Why do I watch?’”
– Clay Stafford, author and founder of Killer Nashville

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If you want to make your own comments on this selection, we would love to hear from you. Join our Facebook Killer Nashville group page or our blog and join in the discussion.

Remember that these books are listed at a discount through Amazon. You also don’t have to purchase the version that is featured here. Many of these books are available in multiple formats: e–book, hardcover, softcover, and audio. Enjoy!

"Resurrection Express" by Stephen Romano / Wednesday, February 20, 2013 / Reviewed by Clay Stafford

“Filmic in scope (written by a screenwriter). Debut novel. High-tech code hacking. A dead wife. (Maybe.) The fate of billions of lives. A death run. Action packed with unexpected twists. One you’ll recommend to friends.”
– Clay Stafford, author and founder of Killer Nashville

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If you want to make your own comments on this selection, we would love to hear from you. Join our Facebook Killer Nashville group page or our blog and join in the discussion.

Remember that these books are listed at a discount through Amazon. You also don’t have to purchase the version that is featured here. Many of these books are available in multiple formats: e–book, hardcover, softcover, and audio. Enjoy!

"All the King's Men" by Robert Penn Warren / Tuesday, February 19, 2013 / Reviewed by Clay Stafford

“A classic. Pulitzer Prize winner. Modern Library’s 36th greatest novel of the 20th Century. The fictional rise of governor Willie Stark and the self-discovery of Jack Burden. Written in the classic voice of a true Southern writer. Prose reads like poetry.”
– Clay Stafford, author and founder of Killer Nashville

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If you want to make your own comments on this selection, we would love to hear from you. Join our Facebook Killer Nashville group page or our blog and join in the discussion.

Remember that these books are listed at a discount through Amazon. You also don’t have to purchase the version that is featured here. Many of these books are available in multiple formats: e–book, hardcover, softcover, and audio. Enjoy!

“Death of a Neighborhood Witch: A Jaine Austen Mystery” by Laura Levine / Thursday, December 13, 2012 / Reviewed by Clay Stafford

Today’s featured book isDeath of A Neighborhood Witch (Jaine Austen Mystery) by Laura Levine.

Who says you can’t mix murder with laughs? And some candy?

Why Clay Stafford chose this book:

This book was released by Kensington in time for Halloween. I picked it up, loved it, and decided great fiction needed no holiday.

This is the 11th installment of the cozy Jaine Austen mystery series. Fictional character Jaine is a freelance writer living in the less prestigious part of Beverly Hills. As usual, Jaine is after sugar and Halloween is the perfect excuse.

There are basically two concurrent plots running in this episode, though the murder takes precedence. Mean old Eleanor Jenkins, a crotchety ex-actress, is stabbed in the chest like a vampire on Halloween night with her own “Do Not Trespass” sign bringing the concept of trick-or-treat to a new height. Of course Jaine is suspected of the crime and thus must exonerate herself. The lesser plot is the shenanigans of Jaine and her male neighbor trying to impress a new neighbor whose sexual preferences leave room for doubt. And, of course, there are her elderly parents in Tampa, which are in a plotline all to themselves.

This is a humorous novel, nothing serious about it. It reads like a sitcom and there’s a reason. I’ve known of Levine a long time before she ever started writing this series from her work with 18 episodes of “Out of This World,” several others for “Private Benjamin,” “We’ve Got It Made,” “The Bob Newhart Show,” Three’s Company,” “Laverne & Shirley,” “The Love Boat,” and one of my all-time favorites, an episode of “The Jeffersons,” the last one featuring an appearance by Mother Jefferson (George’s mother). I grew up on her stuff. And not just the TV fare. I ate the cereal she created as an advertising guru: General Mills’ Count Chocula and Frankenberry. My first introduction to her mystery novel collection was “Death of a Trophy Wife,” one of my favorites, though I think “Death of a Neighborhood Witch” tops them all. Everything Levine writes is top-notch: the movement is fast, the dialogue quick and witty, the characters are off-the-wall, the set-ups are crazy, and the situations incongruous.

If you like cozies on the funny side, get “Death of a Neighborhood Witch,” even out of season. I guarantee you’ll laugh out loud.

From the publisher:

“Halloween is just around the corner, and between cauldrons of candy and a deliciously cute new neighbour, Jaine Austen is struggling to resist her sweet tooth. But this year, her once humdrum neighbourhood seems to be handing out more tricks than treats…When her faithful feline Prozac unwittingly scares to death a parakeet belonging to the neighbourhood’s resident curmudgeon, Jaine finds herself knee-deep in toil and trouble. The cantankerous Hollywood has-been once played the part of Cryptessa Muldoon, television’s fourth most famous monster mom. Now a bitter, paranoid old dame, Cryptessa spends her days making enemies with everyone on the street, and accidental bird killer Jaine is no exception. So when the ornery D-lister is murdered with her own Do Not Trespass sign on Halloween night, the neighbourhood fills with relief – and possible culprits. With a killer on the loose, Jaine hardly has time to fall under the spell of her yummy new neighbour Peter. As the prime suspect, she summons her sleuthing skills to clear her name and soon discovers that everyone has a few skeletons in their closets – and the motives for murder are endless. Could it have been Cryptessa’s next door neighbours, the barracuda husband and wife realtors whose landscaping Cryptessa had bulldozed? Or the seemingly sweet old lady whose beloved dog was the object of Cryptessa’s wrath? Or perhaps the crotchety actress was done in by her own nephew in a desperate attempt to get his hands on her money? As the masks come off, Jaine’s search for sweet justice turns up more questions than answers. And just when she thought nothing could be scarier than her run-in with a tortuous Tummy Tamer, she closes in on the killer and learns the true meaning of grave danger…”

If you want to make your own comments on this selection, we would love to hear from you. Join our Facebook Killer Nashville group page or our blog and join in the discussion.

Remember that these books are listed at a discount through Amazon. You also don’t have to purchase the version that is featured here. Many of these books are available in multiple formats: e–book, hardcover, softcover, and audio. Enjoy!

– Clay Stafford, Founder of Killer Nashville

“The Facility” by Simon Lelic / Tuesday, December 11, 2012 / Reviewed by Clay Stafford

Today’s featured book is The Facility by Simon Lelic.

A novel that will leave you questioning everything.

Why Clay Stafford chose this book:

About the first page of the first chapter, I thought, “What the…” Yet, I was riveted.

The story takes place in a growing English police state more concerned with napping terrorists – and innocents that they think are terrorists – than they are in protecting the innocent.

“My husband is not a terrorist, Mr. Clarke. Whatever he’s into, I can assure you it’s not terrorism. He’s a dentist.” That’s no deterrent. All it takes is someone to point the finger.

I found the novel so real, it was frightening. I feel myself in Arthur Priestley’s shoes, a man with no rights and finally no name (just a number) and being at the mercy of the whims of guards and officials who no longer have to even supply a charge. “Who are you? Are you the police? This isn’t legal, you know. You can’t hold me like this.” National Security covers all actions. “We cannot afford to take risks.”

Interestingly enough, the central character (Arthur Priestly) is not a stand-out character. In fact, he’s rather dull. Opposite to what you might think, this makes it even more harrowing. He’s a boring person who happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. Somewhere as you read, you realize: This guy could be me. Don’t get me wrong. The characters are great, but the story is about what could happen, not about the characters. It is the situation itself that is all wrong.

The novel is full of government pawns and by the time you get to the end of the book, you see them in real time in real life all around you. “No one opposes the act any more because no one can see how it’s being used.” I’m not a conspiracy theorist, but think Guantanamo. This is Guantanamo U.K. “They arrested him under anti-terrorism legislation. How could you possibly have considered that routine?” “But that’s my point! These days it is routine. Or it can be, at least in terms of how information is fed to the press.” And that’s the lynchpin. We trust the press. The press gets information from the government and then makes the case to the people. Can anyone say Nazi? “They leak information because they want us to have it.” And they want what the press gets to be very specific. Think of the wonderful sounding Freedom of Information Act, the product of an open government. Request something sometime. You’ll get a piece of paper, but it will be covered with crossed-out black lines “for National Security.”

Looking at it outside this book and in the last ten years in the U.S., using anti-terrorist, national security laws, the government can arrest anyone at any time. Technically. Not that they do, but technically. Can a health issue become a matter of national security? Maybe. If you need to protect the population. And, if so, then it falls under (in the U.S.) Homeland Security. So, in effect, something that has nothing to do with terrorism (the basis for Homeland Security) now becomes a concern and is able to be off the grid because it now falls under the U.S. Dept of Homeland Security. Then you realize that it doesn’t have to be a health issue. It can be anything! Label it a security issue and no one can ask a single question. “How I can tell how a law is being used when the whole point of that law is to prevent me finding out?” As long as it falls under anti-terrorist, national security laws, the government is not required to make a charge. If you make a charge, you might lose. Solution, use the laws and don’t make a charge. When that happens, “‘There is every chance you will remain here until – ‘” You die.” At the very least, you bide your time. “The usual rules, at this facility, do not apply. There is no board, no oversight committee. There is just me and the rules I set. So you will behave, please, as I instruct you to behave or you will suffer the punishment I choose.”

There is a strong cast of characters, each one supplying a vital function and thematic consciousness. Thankfully, there are those in the press who can’t be bought. When you’re up against the big machine, “What else do you think you can do?” “Keep digging.” There is a Josef Mengele mad doctor who views patients as lab rats rather than humans. And a more homophobic group (intentionally written that way) you’ve never read. (By the way, I love the improvised baby monitor. I don’t know that I would have the nerve to try it, but it is a clever idea.)

As you read, you wonder who, if any, will do the right thing? The thriller then is not about the lives in jeopardy, but of moral backbone, something that can’t be legislated. Who will do the right thing? Who will stand up and object? “They’re locking up innocent people using laws they said would protect us.” This is Orwellian, if I’ve ever read Orwellian. What makes this scary, though, is that this is not the future as the publisher’s publicity department states on the back of the book; this is what could be happening now, maybe not with disease, but with anything else a government would decide would be threatening. It’s terrifying. In Hollywood, we would call this “high concept.” The plot is so simple, yet overpowering.

“That’s one lesson this government has learnt. They’ve learnt that if they show it, they can’t spin it. If they can’t spin it, they can’t control it. And if they can’t control it, the truth will eventually come out: about what they’re doing; about why they’re doing it in the first place.” The only way, then, is to make it appear that it never happened or use the press to spin it.

This is blow your mind away powerful.

From the publisher:

“In a near-future dystopian Britain, democracy has been undermined. Emboldened by new anti-terrorism laws, police start to “disappear” people from the streets for unspecified crimes. But when unassuming dentist Arthur Priestley is snatched and held prisoner at a top-secret facility, his estranged wife, Julia, and a brave but naive journalist named Tom Clarke embark on a harrowing quest for the truth. Following a trail that leads to the very top of government, they soon find themselves fighting for their lives. Well-crafted, fast-paced, and totally compelling, “The Facility” is a brilliant thriller that resonates eerily with the timbre of our times.”

If you want to make your own comments on this selection, we would love to hear from you. Join our Facebook Killer Nashville group page or our blog and join in the discussion.

Remember that these books are listed at a discount through Amazon. You also don’t have to purchase the version that is featured here. Many of these books are available in multiple formats: e–book, hardcover, softcover, and audio. Enjoy!

– Clay Stafford, Founder of Killer Nashville

“Imitation of Death” by Cheryl Crane / Monday, December 10, 2012 / Reviewed by Clay Stafford

Today’s featured book is Imitation of Death by Cheryl Crane.

Pruning sheers right in the chest.

Why Clay Stafford chose this book:

What could be finer on a cold winter day than a cozy from sunny California?

“Imitation of Death” by Cheryl Crane is the second mystery featuring Nicolette “Nikki” Harper, a Hollywood celebrity realtor who is also the daughter of fictional Hollywood star Victoria Bordeaux (just as author Cheryl Crane is the actual daughter of film legend Lana Turner).

The present-day murder mystery begins with a pair of pruning sheers. Nikki is not a detective by trade, but she can’t help but get involved to defend the gardener she knows in her heart is innocent. Using her influence as the child of a famous Hollywood actress to gain access to her mother’s rolodex, the investigative techniques of the mother / daughter partnership falls somewhere between “Murder She Wrote” and Nancy Drew. I appreciated the purposeful plotting and excellent end revelation, along with the long list of certainly flawed suspects on all echelons of Hollywood social strata.

Just by growing up in that bubble, children of celebrities know many skeletons in the Hollywood closet and Cheryl Crane fictionalizes them delightfully here. A most-enjoyable couple of hours of amateur sleuthing through Beverly Hills.

From the publisher:

“Cheryl Crane, daughter of movie icon Lana Turner, brings her Hollywood insider expertise to the second book in a star-studded mystery series featuring celebrity realtor-turned-sleuth Nikki Harper and her screen goddess mother, Victoria Bordeaux…Nikki Harper is a superstar among Hollywood realtors. Among private investigators however, she’s strictly amateur, and her first case was a Waterworld-sized disaster. But when a body turns up in a dumpster behind Victoria Bordeaux’s mansion, Nikki feels duty-bound to get involved. Before his demise, Eddie Bernard was the uber-privileged son of one of the biggest TV producers of all time, and a spoiled, violent, party-boy loser. The list of people glad to see him gone could stretch from one end of Bel Air to the other. In fact, about the only person Nikki’s sure is innocent is the prime suspect: Jorge Delgado, her childhood friend and the son of Victoria’s housekeeper. With the D.A. and the media throwing the words “death penalty” around, Nikki has to help. Victoria, of course, can’t wait to delve into another Tinseltown scandal, and soon Nikki is submerged in a secret world of celebrity drug-dealing, dangerous cults, conniving stars, illegal aliens and, of all things, the Food Network. With the aid of a voyeuristic neighbour and some good old-fashioned bribery, Nikki starts to close in on the truth. But can she keep Jorge from facing the final curtain…while keeping herself out of a killer’s spotlight?”

If you want to make your own comments on this selection, we would love to hear from you. Join our Facebook Killer Nashville group page or our blog and join in the discussion.

Remember that these books are listed at a discount through Amazon. You also don’t have to purchase the version that is featured here. Many of these books are available in multiple formats: e–book, hardcover, softcover, and audio. Enjoy!

– Clay Stafford, Founder of Killer Nashville

“Last to Die” by Tess Gerritsen / Friday, December 7, 2012 / Reviewed by Clay Stafford

Today’s featured book is Last to Die by Tess Gerritsen.

Save the kids.

Why Clay Stafford chose this book:

Let’s hope there is no “three’s the charm” in this book. Twice in a row, Teddy Clock has survived a massacre of his family: first his real family and then his foster family. Was this coincidence or was something amuck? Come to find out, it was not only Teddy’s two families that were being stalked. Other children have lost their families. Finally, we learn, it is not the families being stalked, but the kids and not only Teddy. This is a story with more twists and turns than a carnival fun house.

Detective Jane Rizzoli, Medical Examiner Maura Isles, and some smart fellow orphans work together to keep the orphaned children safe. But they must find the killer before something happens that no one can take back. Readers of Gerritsen will happily note some reappearances of characters from previous novels and Rizzoli and Isles, of course, from their own TNT breakout television series. (Oddly, these two characters have almost grown more famous than their creator.)

Because kids were involved, this was a fast page-turner for me. I couldn’t wait to get to the end of the story, not because I wanted it to end, but because I wanted to know how it turned out. I’m not going to tell you the ending, but it did come and I did have to stop.

Here’s my only gripe.

For years, I’ve been a fan of Tess Gerritsen. Nobody writes a thriller better. I’m like a kid when I finish her books. I want to sit down on the floor and start screaming until she gives me more. In this case, I was screaming while I was reading because she was torturing me with suspense. And then, of course, I screamed when I had to close the book because there was no other place to go.

What better gripe can you have than that?

Beginning with her first novel that went straight to the bestseller list, Tess Gerritsen has only given the best. For many reviews, I note that someone’s last book is their crowning glory. In Tess Gerritsen’s case, they’ve all been out of the park. “Last to Die” is no exception and continues her exceptional norm. If you like suspense, this is a book you need to read.

From the publisher:

“For the second time in his short life, Teddy Clock has survived a massacre. Two years ago, he barely escaped when his entire family was slaughtered. Now, at fourteen, in a hideous echo of the past, Teddy is the lone survivor of his foster family’s mass murder. Orphaned once more, the traumatized teenager has nowhere to turn – until the Boston PD puts detective Jane Rizzoli on the case. Determined to protect this young man, Jane discovers that what seemed like a coincidence is instead just one horrifying part of a relentless killer’s merciless mission.

Joining forces with her trusted partner, medical examiner Maura Isles, Jane is determined to keep these orphans safe from harm. But an unspeakable secret dooms the children’s fate – unless Jane and Maura can finally put an end to an obsessed killer’s twisted quest.”

If you want to make your own comments on this selection, we would love to hear from you. Join our Facebook Killer Nashville group page or our blog and join in the discussion.

Remember that these books are listed at a discount through Amazon. You also don’t have to purchase the version that is featured here. Many of these books are available in multiple formats: e–book, hardcover, softcover, and audio. Enjoy!

– Clay Stafford, Founder of Killer Nashville

“Far North” by Michael Ridpath / Thursday, December 6, 2012 / Reviewed by Clay Stafford

Today’s featured book is Far North by Michael Ridpath.

What if greedy investors wiped out your life’s savings and walked away unscathed?

Why Clay Stafford chose this book:

What if greedy investors wiped out your life’s savings and walked away unscathed? Well, this is a rather timely book no matter what continent you are on. This story just happens to be set in Iceland.

I enjoy discovering new authors. Such is the case with Michael Ridpath and “Far North.” I am familiar with Michael Ridpath through Killer Nashville and the British Crime Writers’ Association. However, I (shamefully) have never read one of his books until now. This was an incredible introduction.

I’m enthralled with what he has done with what he had to work with. I’ll explain. The advice to writers has always been “write what you know.” He is an Englishman, proper, polite, and humble, as one might expect. Ironically, he writes about an American (Boston-based) detective of Icelandic heritage returning “Far North.” The amount of research put into it to pull it off is impressive. Even more impressive is that this was a #9 bestselling book in Iceland. They loved it! If you can sway the locals, you have to be doing something right.

This is Ridpath’s second foray into mystery. Prior to this series, he has written financial thrillers. The first in this series was “Where the Shadows Lie.” In “Far North,” there are several unrelated murders (appearing that way on the surface) that are neatly tied together through the ample efforts of Detective Magnus Jonson. There is also a backstory murder that at first may seem in odd coherence to the plot, but makes sense nicely in the end.

I’m not sure I have ever read a mystery set in Iceland before, in a land where police officers do not carry guns. As an American, police not carrying firearms boggles me. The plotting is full of such details. For learning the culture of a different country mixed with a blast of a suspense story (trying to stop future killings), this is a wonderful introduction to a wonderful writer. I wish I had experienced Ridpath’s work sooner.

From the publisher:

“In Iceland, revenge is best served at arctic temperatures… Iceland 1934: Two boys playing in the lava fields that surround their isolated farmsteads see something they shouldn’t have. The consequences will haunt them and their families for generations. Iceland 2009: the credit crunch bites. The currency has been devalued, banks nationalized, savings annihilated, lives ruined. Grassroots revolution is in the air, as is the feeling that someone ought to pay…ought to pay the blood price. And in a country with a population of just 300,000 souls, in a country where everyone knows everybody, it isn’t hard to draw up a list of exactly who is responsible. And then, one-by-one, to cross them off. Iceland 2010: As bankers and politicians start to die, at home and abroad, it is up to Magnus Jonson to unravel the web of conspirators before they strike again. But while Magnus investigates the crimes of the present, the crimes of the past are catching up with him in Far North, the newest heart-stopping mystery from acclaimed author Michael Ridpath.”

If you want to make your own comments on this selection, we would love to hear from you. Join our Facebook Killer Nashville group page or our blog and join in the discussion.

Remember that these books are listed at a discount through Amazon. You also don’t have to purchase the version that is featured here. Many of these books are available in multiple formats: e–book, hardcover, softcover, and audio. Enjoy!

– Clay Stafford, Founder of Killer Nashville