KN Magazine: Reviews
Manitou Canyon by William Kent Krueger / Review by Clay Snellgrove
Manitou Canyon
By Willian Kent Krueger
Atria Books
$24.99
ISBN 978-1476749266
Published 09/06/2016
Book of the Day
Edgar Award-winning author William Kent Krueger delivers again with Manitou Canyon, his 15th installment to the Cork O’Connor detective series. Readers that are unfamiliar with the series should not pass on this book. Kruger’s new novel is an expertly crafted tale of suspense that weaves into its central mystery important pieces of Native American tradition, vivid details of the beautiful yet dangerous Boundary Waters of northern Minnesota, and complex family relationships.
Krueger opens the book with a nameless bad guy, perched in the wilderness, searching for our hero through the scope of a loaded rifle, ready to fire. Only a few pages later, Cork O’Connor is hired by the granddaughter of a missing man to accompany her into the wilderness to try to find him. With his daughter set to marry in a week’s time, Cork promises to return soon in order to make the wedding and avoid the deadly winter weather that is known to descend upon the Boundary Waters during the month of November.
The sniper never gets a clean shot on O’Connor, but the gunman and his accomplices do ambush the granddaughter and hold her hostage. While searching for a way to rescue her, Cork is attacked by the perpetrator keeping watch over the canoes, the only way out of the wilderness. During the ensuing fight, the lookout falls on his knife and dies. Suddenly missing an important set of hands for their escape granddaughter’s life. A moral and professional obligation to his client keeps Cork from escaping.
Back at home, Cork’s family fears the worst when he fails to check in. They consult a Native American friend and centenarian Henry Meloux. By reading the dreams and visions of those closest to Cork, Henry begins to speak cryptically of the motive behind Cork’s disappearance. A bit of old fashion detective work gives readers the first thread to pull in unraveling the underlying mystery.
Krueger is a savvy veteran when it comes to penning mystery and suspense. He drives his narrative forward using a rich cast of characters and clean, concise dialogue. Manitou Canyon is a thrilling page-turner that draws readers into the brilliant beauty and unabating dangers of the Minnesota wilderness. Cork O’Connor is a consummate hero that exudes a life and spirit that should anchor future books…If only he can survive this one.
Look for the next book in this series,
Sulpher Springs
to be released in August 2017
Clay Snellgrove is the author of The Ball Player. He’s a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University. A former professional baseball player, Clay holds an MFA in creative writing from Converse College.
Rain Dogs by Adrian McKinty / Review by M.K. Sealy
Rain Dogs
By Adrian McKinty
Seventh Street Books
$15.95
ISBN 978-1633881303
Published 3/8/2016
Book of the Day
Thanks to Rain Dogs, Adrian McKinty’s latest installment of his Detective Sean Duffy novels, Northern Irish crime fiction has firmly established itself as one of my preferred genres. Fast-paced and riveting throughout the entire novel, Rain Dogs has elegant dialogue and descriptions that immediately pull readers into the many beautifully described locations. McKinty, with his knowledge and experience, was able to create an intimate, engaging world that had me feeling as though I had once visited Carrickfergus Castle in a dream.
Additionally, McKinty has crafted a believable detective with believable struggles—with Detective Sean Duffy, readers quickly come to realize that solving the crime is only half of the equation. Duffy has had to deal with several cases that he solved but was unable to take to court. McKinty dabbles not in the realm of glamorized crime fiction; instead, he creates a gritty, true-to-life crime-solving atmosphere. The inclusion of realistic struggles in addition to the larger-than-life feeling of the plot creates a dynamism that had me turning the pages as quickly as possible, as I became more familiar with Detective Duffy and the difficulties he faces throughout the novel.
When is a suicide not a suicide? has been one of the most familiar themes of crime fiction, yet, with Detective Duffy, McKinty breathes new life into a tired plot device. When Detective Duffy becomes involved in an investigation into a crime that is not at all what it seems (as fictional crimes rarely are), readers are dragged quickly and deeply into McKinty’s world. With his settings, characters, and the motivation that sits on the breastbone of those characters, McKinty creates a world that is rooted in reality, but that is enveloping enough for readers to forget their own.
M.K. Sealy earned a Bachelor of Arts in English with an emphasis in literature from a Nashville university. She is a copyeditor for a Nashville-based publication, but also writes poetry, fiction, and is currently attempting a screenplay, all while working to obtain a Master of Education.
Should Have Played Poker by Debra H. Goldstein / Review by Sharon Marchisello
Should Have Played Poker
By Debra H. Goldstein
Five Star Publishing
$25.95
ISBN 978-1432831592
Published 4/20/2016
Book of the Day
At the outset of Debra H. Goldstein’s Should Have Played Poker, Charlotte Martin walks back into her daughter Carrie’s life after a 26-year absence, but before Carrie can get any real answers about why her mother left her, Charlotte is murdered. The scene of the crime is the Sunshine Village retirement home where Carrie’s father, a former preacher in the early stages of dementia, now resides.
Detective Brian McPhillip, Carrie’s former boyfriend, is assigned to investigate, and sparks still smolder. To further complicate things, a little jealousy enters the picture when Michael Shapiro, a widowed lawyer whose mother also resides at the Sunshine Village retirement home, gets involved. Although Brian is more helpful than his law enforcement colleagues, Carrie, who was trained as a police officer before leaving the academy for a career in corporate law, believes he is moving too slowly on the case. She enlists the aid of Michael's mother's group of Mah Jongg players as amateur sleuths. But when their efforts uncover secrets buried in the past, Carrie and the others find themselves in grave danger.
Should Have Played Poker has a fast-paced plot with short chapters, enjoyable characters, and an abundance of red herrings. It touches on issues of aging, family ties, corporate responsibility, and religious tolerance, and culminates in a surprise ending that makes Carrie question most everything she has ever believed in.
Author Debra H. Goldstein is a former litigator and administrative law judge who lives in Birmingham, Alabama, with her husband. A member of Sisters in Crime and author of the award-winning debut novel, Maze in Blue, she has spoken on Killer Nashville panels for the past three years in a row. Should Have Played Poker is the first in a new cozy series featuring Carrie Martin and the Mah Jongg players, and it promises to be a winner.
Sharon Marchisello is the author of Going Home, a murder mystery inspired by her mother's battle with Alzheimer's. She has a Masters in Professional Writing from the University of Southern California and is a member of the Atlanta Chapter of Sisters in Crime. She lives in Peachtree City, GA, with her husband and cat, and does volunteer work for the Fayette Humane Society.
Blonde Ice by R.G. Belsky / Reviewed by Jonathan Nash
BLONDE ICE
By R. G. Belsky
Publisher
$16.00
ISBN 978-1501129780
Published 10/18/16
Want to read it? Buy it here!
Book of the Day
Review by Jonathan Nash
A recent string of murders has New York City on edge in R.G. Belsky’s latest Gil Malloy novel, Blonde Ice.
Malloy, an ace reporter for the New York Daily News, has the scoop on a series of peculiar murders. However, the more he investigates it appears that the murderer has the scoop on him.
Belsky allows the reader to unravel the case through the eyes of Malloy, whose life becomes hectic after an unexpected visit from Veronica Issacs. While her appearance resurrects nightmares from Malloy’s past, it proves to serve that he has much bigger problems ahead.
Malloy soon finds himself on the frontline of a serial killer investigation. He is forced to adapt to the ever-changing landscape of journalism while juggling his personal life, job opportunities, and, ultimately, his safety.
The novel is a suspenseful read from start to finish. The reader gets to pull back the layers of the investigation with Malloy, and the twists and turns of each chapter leave the reader wanting to bite in. Belsky delicately toys with the reader's psyche as they try to solve the murders alongside Gil.
Belsky’s attention to detail throughout the novel is much like a journalist painting their story. Each detail, no matter how insignificant it may seem at the time, plays a part in the suspenseful reveal. Much like watching a movie again to see what you might have missed, Blonde Ice leaves the reader wide-eyed and eager to start back from the beginning.
Reading Blonde Ice through the first-person perspective of Gil Malloy provides everything a reader can ask for. Malloy’s witty humor and sarcasm pairs perfectly with the seriousness of the murder investigations. The reader is also given a window to see past his snarky, outward persona and into his flawed and doubt-filled conscious. His doubt and internal dialogue make the reader question the mystery as much as the character does.
As the investigation unfolds, the reader is pulled closer and closer to the edge of their seat. Each character's prerogative and motives fall into question, and anyone can have a hidden dark side. As Malloy notes, “you never know what demons are inside people.”
Blonde Ice is an exhilarating read and is on sale now. Put yourself in Malloy’s shoes and witness how the story unravels. One way or another, Gil Malloy is sure to end up on the front page.
Jonathan Nash was the former Special Projects Coordinator for American Blackguard, Inc. He graduated from Tusculum College in May of 2014 with a degree in Journalism and Professional Writing. He has previously served as a Copy Editor for the Citizen Tribune newspaper in Morristown, TN. In his free time, he enjoys being outdoors, playing music, and writing.
The City of Seven Gods by Andrew J. Peters / Review by Garrett C. Crowell
The City of Seven Gods
By Andrew J. Peters
Bold Strokes Books
$15.95
ISBN 978-1626397750
Published 09/13/2016
Book of the Day
The City of Seven Gods, by Andrew J. Peters, came to my attention in an unusual way, and this is fitting because it is an unusual book. It is the debut book in Peters' new series, The Lost Histories, which is written for an adult audience.
It’s not really erotica, LGBT or otherwise, though the relationships drive the story, and those relationships for good and for ill, are same-sex. It’s not solely about the religion or love, either, though both of those things figure prominently in the story. There’s a lot of institutionalized corruption in the book, and this the underlying motivator for much of the action. The book feels like it could be the first in a series, but could also be something that stands on its own – it’s certainly a strong enough story for that. There’s a lot going on here in a scant and easily-read couple of hundred pages.
At the beginning of the book, we are introduced to Kelemun, who is an exemplar priest of the god Aknon, in whose temple those with enough wealth can receive a “blessing of the flesh” from one of the priests. Kelemun comes to be desired by the son of the Caliph, prince Praxtor, but it’s not until Kelemun encounters hired muscle Ja’Bar during a change in fortunes that the real story of this book begins.
The world in which The City of Seven Gods takes place is like an H. Rider Haggard or Robert E. Howard Conan-type world – a third or fourth-century environment where life is cheap, barbarism lurks at the edges, and it’s very much like the world we live in without being that world. The Gods of the title are reminiscent of the prophets of Islam or Hinduism but steeped in ancient Egyptian myth. Races of people on Peters’ world include the Stripelings (who have actual striped patterns on their skin and of which group Ja’Bar is a member) and this serves also to differentiate and distance this world from ours, intensifying the sense of the fantastic while preserving relationships that seem familiar.
The depth of the world is considerable, like Scott Lynch’s Gentleman Bastards series, there is much about it that is ill-understood by those who populate it, and a fair bit which has become a myth, even to its citizens. The story is compelling, and feels like a cascading series of chance encounters, with cause-and-effect simply propelling toward inevitable destinies, then taking dramatic turns when multi-dimensional characters seize their own circumstances. The actual sexual encounters in the book are few and far between, so readers of erotica may feel shortchanged. This is a complicated, faceted gem of a book that sets itself up to be something bigger, and so it’s worth a look from any curious, open-minded reader.
Garrett C. Crowell is a Nashville native, Murfreesboro Librarian, husband, and father of two. He reads more than 100 books a year and likes some of them.
Dark Water by Robert Bryndza / Reviewed by Danny Lindsey
Book of the Day
Dark Water (Bookouture, an imprint of StoryFire Ltd. United Kingdom, 2017) is the third Erica Foster crime thriller novel by Robert Bryndza. Set in the UK, complete with foggy nights, cold temperatures and short days, the weather helps set the mood for the book’s plot. Had the “dark and stormy night” phrase not already been taken, it would act as an apt descriptor for the setting.
DCI Erica Foster has a checkered career, not because of anything she’s done wrong or failed to do properly, but because the word “tact” is absent from her vocabulary. Although her reputation is that of someone who has solved the most difficult of crimes, she has managed to cloak herself in the persona of a loner, a sometimes renegade, and one who displays a flagrant disregard of propriety and of protocol. Nevertheless, she persists.
The 26-year-old case of a missing young girl is moved from retired to cold case status when Foster’s divers find not only the drug cache they were searching for but also a small skeleton, wrapped in tarps and chains, at the bottom of a lake. DCI Foster jumps her chain of command and manages to be placed in charge of the revived murder investigation. Clues are few and witnesses non-existent, but she doggedly pushes forward and discovers that someone is actively working to keep the case unsolved.
A surprise ending actually does take the reader by surprise, and the plot twist is as unpredictable as can be. Bryndza has acquired quite a following in the UK, and Dark Water is a good example why.
A warning to American English readers. Unlike Lee Child and J.K.Rowling, Bryndza’s works have not been “Americanized.” British English, spelling, word usage and idioms are sometimes obvious, other times amusing, and occasionally off-putting.
Danny Lindsey keeps trying to retire. After a 20-year Army career and a 25-year second one in the private sector, he’s finally settled down. His current gig is as the Veteran Employment Services Manager for a Huntsville, A.L. based non-profit, Still Serving Veterans. Both full careers were characterized by numerous writing assignments, from war plans to operating policies and procedures, then on to white papers, analyses of alternatives and competitive contract and grant proposals. Now his writing consists of blogs for the website www.ssv.org, podcasts for the local NPR affiliate, and a half dozen Pulitzer-worthy, albeit unpublished novels.
Coffin Road by Peter May / Review by Brittany Menken
Book of the Day
Peter May’s latest novel, Coffin Road, weaves three gripping tales together to reach one cohesive truth—all while incorporating elements of mystery and some spin-chilling thrills. May is no stranger to thriller and crime novels, having experienced success with The Lewis Trilogy and The Enzo Files. The seasoned Scott adeptly crafts each piece of the puzzle from beginning to end, pulling the reader along through the multifaceted plotlines. Each vignette in Coffin Road feels like a photograph, life preserved in a snapshot.
May masterfully blends economic, sparing exposition with ethereal, detailed description of setting—elements that are apparent in the novel’s opening pages. Set in Scotland, Coffin Road’s first scene captivates the reader and lures them in with mystery and a sense of foreboding. In those first paragraphs, a man washes ashore a stranded beach. He is void of any memories about himself or how he ended up in this state. He’s soon discovered and welcomed by locals who then lead him to a cottage in town—a cottage that his muddled brain partially remembers. He does not know why he recalls this place or why the townsfolk treat him with the familiarity reserved for those one has known for an extended amount of time.
The man soon discovers his name (Ned) and a clue to his past by way of a woman named Sally. Sally reveals to Ned that the pair had been romantically involved and they rekindle the romance before heading off to Coffin Road in an attempt to find more clues that will help Ned regain his memory. While there, he discovers a hoard of beehives—a clue that coincides with the mysterious stings on Ned’s hands.
As Ned’s addled thoughts become more lucid, he recalls a book he was writing that contained details of a century-old mystery concerning the disappearance of three men on a nearby island. Driven to know more about what facts this latest recollection can shed light on, Ned sets out to the island where the men reportedly went missing. But there he’s confronted with yet another daunting mystery to unravel when he discovers a corpse that looks to have suffered a violent death. Ned begins to wonder if he might be the murderous culprit—and he’s not the only one.
This mysterious island has also caught the attention of Detective George Gunn, who is investigating a murder committed by a killer who could be lurking in the same area, looking for clues of his own.
Karen, the final strand of these interweaving narratives, is a girl living in constant rebellion of her mother. Primarily, she’s hell-bent on uncovering the details of her father’s suicide. Convinced her father didn’t kill himself, Karen journeys to the island to seek out the truth. Once there, trouble finds her and she’s thrust into sudden jeopardy.
With accolades such as the U.S. Barry Award for Crime Novel of the Year for his book The Blackhouse and the national literature award in France CEZAAM Prix Litteraire, it’s easy to see why this novel—along with his other works of fiction—is beloved by fans across the globe. No matter what genre one enjoys, Coffin Road enthralls readers with so many twists and turns that even an expert in the crime and mystery genres won’t see the conclusion coming until it hits full force.
The Martyr's Brother by Rona Simmons / Reviewed by Kate Proffitt
Killer Nashville Book of the Day
The Martyr's Brother by Rona Simmons
Reviewed by Kate Proffitt
Alicia Blake is certain of three things: She has an unhealthy dependence on Starbucks coffee, she is overqualified for her underpaid security job at the elite Riverside Centre mall in Atlanta, and she will go to any cost to ensure the safety of her eleven year old son, Kyle.
After the sudden and shocking death of her husband, killed abruptly by a bomb that wiped out a small village in the Middle East, Alicia finds herself living in constant state of fear. It’s been five years, and although she mends herself a little more with each passing day, grief has hollowed her, changed her, and she is terrified it will find her again. Although Riverside’s concept of fighting crime involves knowing how to change a flat tire and being an adequate giver of directions, Alicia can’t help but feel that something is wrong, terribly wrong, and that the seemingly idyllic shopping center that she works in is about to morph into something terrifying.
Rona Simmons’ The Martyr’s Brother presents a thrilling, bone-chilling, realistic scenario of terrorism and the devastation it creates. Simmons writes from the perspective of four characters, all working toward different outcomes, equally captivating, and paints a vivid picture of the unification they discover despite their different backgrounds. From the first page, Simmons pulls the audience into a world of deception, manipulation, and violence within terrorism, and she portrays firsthand how devastating an impact this type of violent hatred carries. There is a rawness, an unshakeable honesty that is prevalent as Simmons depicts terrorism. Terrorism, a topic that is universally relatable, but it is something that seems to be only murmured about or whispered in the most private of circumstances. Simmons strips away secrecy and exposes deception in a way that pierces the heart of terrorism, and the way in which this novel is written is engrossing and beautiful and heartbreaking in it’s honesty. One is left with the aching understanding of how devastating loss can be and that brokenness within the world is so prevalent, but Simmons also incorporates a sense of hope, of moving forward, of the strength that remains when grief fades.
Through her novel, Simmons conveys there is always good, no matter how bleak the bad is, and that choosing to fight for the good regardless of how little, how tiny and insignificant it may appear, is worth it despite the vast and impossible-to-ignore grief that is also present. Alicia believes there is good, despite her tendency toward paranoia and a possible caffeine overdose, and she chooses to fight for that, for the bit of good amidst the sea of bad, and it is this inane, unshakeable determination to uncover the good that Simmons leaves us with. This book rattled me in the best way, in the way that ensures appreciation for the smallest moments, the best moments of freedom and safety and tranquility so that in the moments of terror and grief and uncertainty, we remember there is hope and choose to fight for what little bit of good remains.
If you have a book you would like featured, send a digital ARC for consideration to books@killernashville.com. The Killer Nashville Book of the Day Reviews are coordinated by Clay Stafford with the assistance of Arthur Jackson and credited guest reviewers.
*Killer Nashville is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. If you purchase a book from the links on this page, Amazon will give Killer Nashville a small percentage of the total sale. Killer Nashville receives zero compensation (other than sometimes the book to review) from publishers who have been selected for the Book of the Day.
Love You to Death by Caroline Mitchell / Review by Laura Stewart Schmidt
Love You to Death
By Caroline Mitchell
Bookouture
$10.99
ISBN 978-1786810854
Published 11/13/2016
Book of the Day
The past refuses to stay buried for DI Ruby Preston as her latest case threatens to expose her darkest secret. Love You to Death by Caroline Mitchell (Bookouture) is the story of a serial killer whose victims share a common experience—each gave up a child for adoption years before. The killer pretends to be seeking a fairy-tale relationship with the mother who relinquished her, but clearly, she wants revenge for what she perceives as abandonment.
Opening with a prologue that introduces us to a victim in danger seems contrived, but there’s a purpose beyond engaging the reader’s curiosity, and Mitchell doesn’t dwell in the scene. She soon switches us to meet our heroine, Ruby, and her staff of law enforcement officers, as they process the mangled body of the prologue victim’s husband. They realize that the serial killer, “Lucy,” is not only kidnapping and torturing possible “mothers,” but destroying the women’s existing families to eliminate the competition.
The reader learns Ruby and her childhood sweetheart, Nathan, the son of a famous crime family, had a daughter named Lucy twenty years ago and gave her up for adoption. Ruby has kept this detail of her life private, fearing not only the loss of her job but retribution from Nathan’s vicious brother and mother. She suspects the serial killer is her daughter and thus feels responsible for the carnage. “Surely it could not be the Lucy she knew. Not after all these years. Or could it?”
As the narrative goes to Lucy’s viewpoint, we see her victims inexplicably opening their homes to a stranger who arrives on the doorstep claiming to be the daughter they relinquished twenty years earlier. This naïve trustfulness may stretch the suspension of disbelief. However, it’s an emotional situation, and most readers will understand that a gut response from the “mother” in this case might be different from ordinary or expected behavior. The victims pay dearly for their innocence. As each “mother” fails to pass Lucy’s test, stakes rise for Ruby and her staff.
The author has put together a tricky and intriguing mystery populated by interesting characters. Ruby and Nathan are both likable—together more so than apart. The book contains a dearth of plausible suspects, and the author drops enough red herrings to make the reader dismiss each. There is enough guessing to fool most readers, and even if you deduce part of the outcome, you probably won’t figure out every step. Love You to Death is reminiscent of Minette Walters’ dark thrillers, but with the promise that we might see more of Ruby and Nathan in future novels. As for their daughter…who knows?
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.
Clouds Over Bishop Hill by Mary Davidsaver / Review by Sharon Marchisello
Clouds Over Bishop Hill
By Mary Davidsaver
Midwest Writing Center Press
$14.95
ISBN 978-0990619031
Published 08/26/2016
Book of the Day
Shelley Anderson is just passing through her hometown of Bishop Hill, a historic site where most of the population is of Swedish descent, and half of them are named Anderson. En route from finishing her Bachelor's degree in art history to getting accepted into a good Master's program as far away from Bishop Hill as possible, Shelley plans to take a summer job at the local art museum and pay a farewell visit to her adoptive parents.
But then Shelley is run off the road by centenarian Pearl Anderson (no relation), which forces her to stop at the nearby Varnishtree Antique Market, where together, she and Pearl find the murdered body of craftsman Herb Anderson (no relation to either of them). Later, Pearl confides in Shelley about a vision she has been having: a memory from her childhood of a 1915 painting being done by Olof Krans, a famous local artist, right before his death. Pearl begs Shelley to locate it.
When Shelley starts her job the next week at the Nikkerbo, the new art museum opened by Founding-Father descendant, Curt Hemcourt V, a famous Olof Krans painting of a Hemcourt ancestor is unveiled. The 1897 masterpiece was thought to have been lost in a fire in Chicago years ago. Upon closer inspection, Shelley discovers the painting is a forgery. But before she can say anything, the painting disappears, and Shelley is accused of stealing it.
Numerous characters with varying motives undertake the search for both missing Olof Krans paintings. Danger and double-crossing abound before the mystery is unraveled and Herb's murder is solved.
Clouds over Bishop Hill is a bit of an art caper/cozy mystery set against a rich Midwestern background, peppered with interesting historic details. The author has even planted the seed of a potential love interest that could be developed in subsequent books, should this become a series. Readers might root for Shelley's now-softened grade-school nemesis, Michael J. Anderson (also no relation) or perhaps, handsome Swedish aristocrat Lars Trollenberg (not his real last name).
Mary Davidsaver is from Iowa, but she spent time working as a silversmith and journalist in Bishop Hill, an Illinois state historic site and national historic landmark, which provides the setting for this book. Clouds over Bishop Hill is her first novel and a Silver Falchion nominee.
Sharon Marchisello is the author of Going Home, a murder mystery inspired by her mother's battle with Alzheimer's. She has a Masters in Professional Writing from the University of Southern California and is a member of the Atlanta Chapter of Sisters in Crime. She lives in Peachtree City, GA, with her husband and cat, and does volunteer work for the Fayette Humane Society.
The Spartan Dagger by Nicholas Guild / Jonathan Thurston Howl
The Spartan Dagger
By Nicolas Guild
Forge Books
$29.99
ISBN 978-0765376510
Published 12/27/2016
Book of the Day
From bestselling novelist Nicholas Guild, of The Assyrian, The President’s Man, and Blood Ties, comes a historic adventure that is sure to grip anyone’s interest, The Spartan Dagger.
In an act of revenge against the bloody rituals of Sparta, the young boy, Protos becomes a one-man army against the very people who murdered his parents. And Guild is determined to tell this story of vengeance with all its blood-stained glory.
However, this tale is far more than your simple revenge plot. What starts as a young man avenging his parents becomes a champion in a quest to liberate his own people. He finds himself questioning the values of vengeance, morality, freedom, family, and even what true power is.
If Quentin Tarantino has a way of making brutality aesthetic, Nicholas Guild has a way of making the fine details of history brutalistic. It is rare to see someone so craftily meld genuine historic research with a thrilling and gripping suspense, and, from the beginning, readers will be standing behind Protos with spears of our own, just as eager for Spartan blood.
Through this acute acumen for historic detail, Guild manages to paint a world that is not only vivid--thrusting the reader into its culture immediately--but also creates one that is realistic and informative, giving us a taste of Spartan life that leaves a coppery taste in our mouths.
If dark, edgy historic epics are in your interests--or even just a good story!--then The Spartan Dagger is a perfect read for you. Get the book, turn the page, and bury the dagger. And see how long before it gets you hilt-deep.
Jonathan Thurston Howl
Thurston Howl Publications
Editor-in-Chief
Vanderbilt University, BA in English
Middle Tennessee State University, MA in English
The Delphi Effect by Rysa Walker / Review by Danny Lindsey
Book of the Day
The Delphi Effect by Rysa Walker is the first installment in a new trilogy detailing the life of Anna Morgan. Anna is a seventeen-year-old girl with a gift. At least some would consider it a gift. But when she inadvertently “picks up hitchhikers” from touching piano keys, a No. 2 pencil, or from sitting on a porch swing, the gift becomes a burden. Personalities of people long dead hitch a ride inside her consciousness, each with the sole purpose of finding their specific form of closure. This can range from the mundane (finishing a crossword) to telling family members or beloved pets goodbye. This type of possession is referred to in Hebrew as ibbur, a positive transmigration form of the soul.
Anna’s latest inhabitant is Molly, a young girl who was kidnapped, tortured, and murdered. Anna’s attempts to satisfy and quiet this spirit lead her into a dangerous, high-level conspiracy. She meets others who possess paranormal abilities, albeit their gifts differ from her own. Unsure of whom to trust, or which actions to take, Anna seeks to escape the nightmare her gift has become.
This book is best begun with plenty of time for once started, you will not want to be interrupted. With fast paced action and plenty of suspense, The Delphi Effect is a spellbinding stand-alone novel. Knowing that it is but the first in a trilogy will leave the reader impatient for Book 2 - The Delphi Resistance (October 2017) and Book 3 - The Delphi Revolution(October 2018). There will be waiting lists at the library for those that have burned through volume one.
Danny Lindsey keeps trying to retire. After a 20-year Army career and a 25-year second one in the private sector, he’s finally settled down. His current gig is as the Veteran Employment Services Manager for a Huntsville, A.L. based non-profit, Still Serving Veterans. Both full careers were characterized by numerous writing assignments, from war plans to operating policies and procedures, then on to white papers, analyses of alternatives and competitive contract and grant proposals. Now his writing consists of blogs for the website www.ssv.org, podcasts for the local NPR affiliate, and a half dozen Pulitzer-worthy, albeit unpublished novels.
Love You Dead by Peter James / Reviewed by Connie Jones
Book of the Day
Love You Dead by Peter James is the 12th installment in the Roy Grace series. Grace is Detective Superintendent in Brighton, England, currently fit for duty again after recovering from a bullet wound. He has a new home with his wife, a new baby, a loved dog and goldfish. He also has a horrible boss whose life he once saved, is tying up the end of a case involving a serial murderer, and is dealing with changes in office location and the lack of spoons in the break room.
Jodie Bentley is lovely but twisted Black Widow—just getting started! The bodies begin to pile up and a hit man is tracking her down. There are twists, turns, and disconnected pieces. Will Grace and his team manage to put the whole puzzle together?
The characters are well written, complex, and engaging. The action takes place around the globe, and it all converges into a very satisfying ending. There is some dark humor, tension, as well as a bit of horror along the way. To help with understanding the area in which it takes place, the author has provided maps of Brighton and surrounding area at the front of the book, and a helpful glossary of British police terminology at the end.
What a joy to find a likable crime novel character and learn that there is a whole series to go back and read as well as a new book coming out next week! Need You Dead (Roy Grace 13) will be released June 6th.
Connie Jones By trade a CPA/MBA, and most of her professional writing has been technical papers. She gained some editing experience being the first reader for her award-winning late husband’s playwriting endeavors. Her joy, though, is reading mysteries.
Crime and Poetry by Amanda Flower / Reviewed by Sharon Marchisello
Book of the Day
Fans of cozy mysteries with a hint of the paranormal and a romantic triangle to boot will enjoy Crime and Poetry, the first in a new series by Amanda Flower and a Killer Nashville Silver Falchion nominee.
The story opens when graduate student Violet Waverly is called home to Cascade Springs, a quaint village near Niagara Falls, under the pretense that Daisy, her grandmother, and only living relative, has fallen ill. Except we quickly learn that Daisy's "illness" was a ploy. Violet left Cascade Springs 12 years earlier after she was accused of causing her best friend's death, and everyone she loved and trusted turned against her. Daisy knew Violet would never come back of her own volition, but she needs Violet to assume her legacy and take over management of the magical family business, Charming Books.
Violet is livid about being duped, but before she can hightail it back to her college life in Chicago, Daisy's boyfriend, a debonair carriage driver named Benedict, is murdered. Strangled with Daisy's scarf, in her driveway. Daisy is a prime suspect, and Violet must stay in town to clear her grandmother's name.
Violet also bonds with Benedict's adorable tuxedo cat, Emerson, who had been a gift from Daisy. Emerson follows Violet around the bookstore and rides in the basket of Violet's bicycle when she runs errands.
Snooping around town to find other suspects, Violet clashes with the local police chief, sensitive Native American YA-writer-wannabe David Rainwater, who looks at Violet with haunting amber-colored eyes. He repeatedly warns her to let the authorities handle the investigation, for her own safety. (Of course, she doesn't listen.) She also keeps bumping into her former boyfriend, Nathan Morton, now mayor of Cascade Springs, as well as his competitive younger brother, Grant, an executive at the local water company, which is trying to take control of the village's healing natural springs. Make that a romantic quadrangle.
In addition, Violet learns her family's bookstore is enchanted. She already knew about the talking crow named Faulkner, who roosts in a birch tree growing through the building. Then volumes of Emily Dickinson's poetry fly off the shelves and land at Violet's feet, opening to poems with cryptic messages that might provide clues to solving the murder mystery.
Although the plot is somewhat predictable, suspects abound, and the tension is consistent. Cozy readers will find the ending satisfying and look forward to future adventures for Violet in Cascade Springs.
Amanda Flower is the bestselling author of several mystery book series, including The Amish Quilt Shop mysteries, written under the pen name, Isabella Alan. Her YA mystery, Andi Unstoppable, won an Agatha award. Book Two of the magical bookshop series, Prose and Cons, has already been released.
Sharon Marchisello is the author of Going Home, a murder mystery inspired by her mother's battle with Alzheimer's. She has a Masters in Professional Writing from the University of Southern California and is a member of the Atlanta Chapter of Sisters in Crime. She lives in Peachtree City, GA, with her husband and cat, and does volunteer work for the Fayette Humane Society.
Fighting For Anna by Pamela Fagan Hutchins / Reviewed by Robert Selby
Fighting For Anna
By Pamela Fagan Hutchins
SkipJack Publishing
$12.99
ISBN 978-1939889391
Published 11/04/2017
Book of the Day
In this, the eighth installment of the What Doesn’t Kill You series, Fighting For Anna, author Pamela Fagan Hutchins, leads the reader on a wild beast chase from the opening paragraph. The beast, in this case, is an adorable mutt that has led our Michele Lopez Hanson and her kids to the scene of the murder of her elderly neighbor, Gidget. Who, coincidently, had recently hired Michele to write her biography. In this small Texas town, it appears there are as many folks who want to see Gidget’s story told as there are those want to keep it secret.
Hutchins weaves a tale that elicits a feeling of immense awe in the reader. With powerful and intriguing prose, she pulls the reader through each twist and turn of the novel’s ever-evolving plot. There’s always another clue to be uncovered—some blatant that unfold over the course of a few pages. Other clues—often those most key to the story—float by in a line or two.
Hutchins proves herself to be as good as any writer in her ability to create well-rounded characters, all of them imbued with distinct traits that make each respective character unique from the other. From the potential love interest with glowing black skin and dreadlocks to his waist to the brilliant—yet clumsy and bumbling—attorney who is supposed to be representing our protagonist (though whether his intentions are honorable becomes increasingly dubious as the story progresses), each character will astound readers. Hutchins' ability to give her characters such depth makes for a compelling narrative. Her cultivation of so many varied characters makes it near-impossible for even the savviest sleuth to determine who-done-it.
Fighting for Anna is riddled with surprises and compelling dramatic twists. Mystery, murder, and mayhem are around every corner. Hutchins’s ability to bring her characters to life in such a way that makes nearly each of them memorable is worth the read in and of itself. Anyone who enjoys a well-written suspense that will defy expectations until the last page should pick up this book.
And, really, what story isn’t remarkable that includes Andy Warhol as a love interest?
Robert Selby is a screenplay writer, book reviewer, and volunteer at Killer Nashville
Her Darkest Nightmare by Brenda Novak / Review by Danny Lindsey
Her Darkest Nightmare
By Brenda Novak
St. Martin's Press
$7.99
ISBN 978-1250076564
Published 08/30/2016
Book of the Day
Brenda Novak’s latest work, Her Darkest Nightmare is as unpredictable as the winter storms that blast throughout the Alaskan landscape which forms the setting for her story.
At 16, Evelyn Talbot’s first love betrayed, raped, tortured and left her for dead after murdering three of her friends in front of her. After 20 years, psychiatrist Dr. Evelyn Talbot has dedicated her practice to delving into the minds of the nation’s worst pathological personalities. She has arranged for them to be transferred to a newly constructed maximum security prison located in Hilltop, Alaska. The townsfolk have mixed emotions—jobs are scarce, but prisons are scary. When body parts begin to show up, the prison is the first place peoples’ thoughts turn.
Amarok, the lone state trooper assigned to Hilltop, is young and an inexperienced investigator of crimes more serious than the occasional drunk or poacher. But, he is certain that none of the Hilltop residents are capable of murder. Dr. Talbot sees three possibilities—either her teenage torturer has found her again, one of her subjects found a way to come and go from his maximum-security cell, or a member of her staff has begun to emulate the pathology of the inmates. It is not until the second murder that it becomes obvious the true target is Dr. Talbot. She and Amarok agree to join forces to track down the killer, but find themselves embroiled in an escalating relationship which at times threatens to derail the investigation.
Just as one storm after another pushes through Hilltop, one plot twist after another leaves the reader wondering whether it will take until the spring thaw to separate the good, the bad, the ugly, and the horrible. The novel is full of twists, turns, false starts, and red herrings that leave the reader breathless, and heart pounding. Readers will recognize elements of such thrillers as Silence of the Lambs and Fatal Attraction as Novak cements her standing with such names as Dugoni, Rule, and Gerritson as a leader in the genre.
Danny Lindsey keeps trying to retire. After a 20-year Army career and a 25-year second one in the private sector, he’s finally settled down. His current gig is as the Veteran Employment Services manager for a Huntsville, A.L. based non-profit, Still Serving Veterans. Both full careers were characterized by numerous writing assignments, from war plans to operating policies and procedures, then on to white papers, analyses of alternatives and competitive contract and grant proposals. Now his writing consists of blogs for the website www.ssv.org, podcasts for the local NPR affiliate, and a half dozen Pulitzer-worthy, albeit unpublished novels.
The Apothecary's Curse by Barbara Barnett / Reviewed by Bree Goodchild
Book of the Day
When you blend history with mythology and science you get a cocktail of Victorian mystery and alchemic fantasy. This decadent brew awaits within the text of Barbara Barnett’s novel The Apothecary’s Curse; a story of immortality and its consequences.
The story begins in the loft of Gaelen Erceldounes’s apothecary shop. Set in the early 19th century amongst the “vile zoology” of London. Simon Bell is a physician desperate to find a cure for his beloved wife, Sophie’s illness. Gaelen, who has recently lost both his wife and infant son, reluctantly agrees to help.
Following an ancient text bestowed upon his ancestors by the Goddess Airimid and the Tuatha dé Danann, Gaelen concocts a potion he hopes will cure Sophie—instead, it ends her life. A grief-stricken Bell takes the last few drops to join her in death only to wake up very much alive and seemingly, immortal. After years of suicide attempts, Bell discovers that Gaelen, now dubbed the “Miracle Man”, cannot die either. The ancient text has vanished without a trace, leaving Bell and Gaelen doomed to eternal life trying to escape torture and experimentation at the hands of the nefarious Dr. Handley.
Barnett’s careful use of language, shifting timelines, and abrupt plot twists seamlessly melds with the well-researched mythology. She invites the reader to become witness to the chaos and curse that is immortality. Fans of Anne Rice, Sherlock Holmes, and Celtic Mythology will appreciate this fantastic blend of chemistry, alchemy, and creativity.
Bree Goodchild is a recent graduate of Tennessee Tech University in Cookeville with a BA in English and Theatre Arts. She currently lives in Washington state with her beagle mix, Molly. A fan of a wide genre of books and authors, most recently Temple Grandin, Ira Glass, Terry Moore, Sebastian Barry, and Zora Neale Hurston.
Cast the First Stone by James W. Ziskin / Reviewed by Lia Farrell
Cast the First Stone
By James W. Ziskin
Seventh Street Books
$15.95
ISBN 978-1633882812
Available 06/06/2017
Book of the Day
It’s 1962 and Ellie Stone—girl reporter for the local paper in the small town of New Holland, N.Y.—gets a big break when she’s sent to Los Angeles to interview hometown hero, Tony Eberle. Tony has landed a big role in a real Hollywood movie, a fact which has generated a swell of pride throughout the town.
Undaunted, Ellie gets the actor’s address and sets out to conduct her interview. But Tony isn’t home when Ellie arrives. After a series of missed connections, Ellie is forced to give up the hunt and try again in the morning. She soon learns that her simple interview is anything but when a well-known movie producer—Bertram Wallis—turns up dead. The producer is believed to have fallen victim to foul play, and the missing Tony Eberle is the primary person-of-interest
Interestingly, both the movie’s director and his “fixer” are also searching for Tony. Their motivation is unclear, but Ellie suspects it might involve some missing photographs last seen in Wallis’ home or possibly a missing movie script. In her search for Tony, Ellie is propositioned by a woman and men, continually lied to, and even evicted from a bar.
Cast the First Stone contains more twists and turns than the hairpin curves on North Canyon Road, the treacherous path near the late producer’s home. Wallis’ well-publicized parties were more orgy than cocktail party and included underage boys. These facts alone are horrifying to sheltered young Ellie, but she’s not dissuaded from continuing her search for Tony. Ellie is motivated by her zeal to find the actor and, if possible, to get his job back for him.
In this treacherous world of Hollywood wannabes, panderers, and pornographers, Ellie carries on—unearthing secrets no one wants revealed. Will she find Tony? And, if she does, what truth will she uncover? These and other mysteries carry Ziskin’s story to a satisfying conclusion borne along on his clever and incisive writing.
Cast the First Stone is the fifth book in the Ellie Stone Mystery series.
Lia Farrell is the author of the Mae December mystery series.
The Secret Life of Souls by Jack Ketchum / Reviewed by G. Robert Frazier
The Secret Life of Souls
By Jack Ketchum and Lucky McKee
Pegasus Books
$24.95
ISBN 978-1681772349
Published 11/08/2016
Book of the Day
If you’re a fan of author Jack Ketchum, you probably expect cannibals and sadistic backwoods tribes to cause trouble for hapless victims in isolated situations. He built his reputation on such novels with the likes of The Girl Next Door, Off Season, and The Offspring. His newest book, however, shirks his tendency for over-the-top brutality for more subtle, psychological shocks.
Co-written by Lucky McKee, The Secret Life of Lost Souls follows the life of eleven-year-old child star Delia Cross and her dog, Caity. Delia’s natural ability to wow both producers and directors on set, coupled with her young age, make her the perfect target of her parents, who take advantage of her and milk her earnings for their own personal gain.
A playful prank gone awry by Delia’s twin brother, Robbie, quickly changes everything. Horribly disfigured and lucky to be alive, Delia’s career appears to be over before it’s really begun. Her parents, though, see opportunity and devise new ways to exploit the tragedy that has befallen their daughter to their benefit. Things snowball from there resulting in a horrifying finale reminiscent of Stephen King’s Cujo.
Ketchum and McKee—who teamed on two previous novels—do an admirable job of developing each character’s mindset, their inner feelings, hopes and fears. You come to care for Delia and, oddly, more for her dog as the story progresses, while secretly yearning for the chapter where her parents get their comeuppance.
At just over 200 pages it is a swift read. Unfortunately, Delia’s obsessive and callous parents don’t come across as all that shocking -- not when the nightly TV news is chockfull of such true-to-life stories already. You almost wish something more would happen, like an attack by cannibals or zombies.
When he’s not working on his own novel or screenplays, G. Robert Frazier writes about other writers and their works on his blog and other sites such as BookPage and US Review of Books. He is a script reader for both the Austin Film Festival and Nashville Film Festival screenwriting competitions and is a member of the Tennessee Screenwriting Association. He used to write and edit stories for several newspapers in the Nashville area until the industry caved in on itself and set him free. And he once won a flash fiction contest in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, so there’s that.
The Spyglass File by Nathan Dylan Goodwin / Reviewed by Jeanie Stewart
The Spyglass File
By Nathan Dylan Goodwin
CreateSpace
$15.95
ISBN 978-1537228532
Published August 30, 2016
Book of the Day
For readers who like history with their mystery, The Spyglass File by Nathan Dylan Goodwin will be a treat. It is the fourth installment in The Forensic Genealogist series. The protagonist, Morton Farrier is — you guessed it — a forensic genealogist. While researching his own biological father, he is hired by a woman to find out about her biological mother, Elsie Finch, who gave her up for adoption during WWII.
Morton moves through red tape like a real genealogist. Quickly uncovering the facts of Elsie’s life. She was a young bride in 1940 Britain, whose husband went missing and was presumed dead at The Battle of Dunkirk. Rather than sit at home knitting, Elsie joins the Woman’s Auxiliary Air Force and moves into a dreary room in her mother-in-law’s house. She quickly moves up the ranks in the WAAF as part of the Y-service, where she translates and decodes the chatter of German pilots to figure out where they will bomb next. But, her personal life doesn’t go as smoothly. Her husband’s strange family seems to hate her, people come and go from her life, and when she becomes pregnant the complications become serious.
Who is the baby’s father? What happened to him? What happened to Elsie after the baby’s birth? Every answer seems to hinge on the mysterious document called the Spyglass File; and someone does not want Morton to find it. Who? Why? Morton is lied to. His computer files are wiped out. He is physically attacked by and warned to stop the search. But Morton keeps digging.
The plot is well-paced. The WWII settings are detailed without reading like a text book. The characters are varied and well drawn. Goodwin is able to move the story back and forth from the present to WWII seamlessly — all the while giving plenty of action in both time periods. The Spyglass File is both a historical mystery and a frame story similar to Fanny Flagg’s The All Girl Filling Station’s Last Reunion. This book will appeal to readers who like genealogy, mystery, history, and even romance.
Jeanie Stewart has been a mother, grandmother, speaker, freelance editor, teacher, and library director, but before, during, and after these, she was a writer. Her first novel was published in 1997. Eight books followed in Bantam’s SVU series, including thrillers: Don’t Answer the Phone and Deadly Terror. She has published 9 children’s books for Steck-Vaughn and Rigby. Ten Book Summer won the Missouri Writer’s Guild 2002 award for Best Juvenile book. New Coach Blues won the same award in 2004. Shifting Ground won MWG’s award for best book about Missouri. She has also published numerous short stories and articles for children and adults.
Submit Your Writing to KN Magazine
Want to have your writing included in Killer Nashville Magazine?
Fill out our submission form and upload your writing here: