KN Magazine: Reviews
The Muse of Wallace Rose by Bill Woods/Review by Joy Gorence
The Muse of Wallace Rose
by Bill Woods
Westview
$14.00
ISBN 978-1628801804
Publication Date: May 2019
*Killer Nashville is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. If you purchase a book from the links on this page, Amazon will give Killer Nashville a small percentage of the total sale. Killer Nashville receives zero compensation from publishers who have been selected for the Book of the Day.
2020 Silver Falchion Finalist
Bill Woods is a talented author whose novella The Muse of Wallace Rose reads like a literary matryoshka. Instead of a series of nesting dolls, Woods gives the reader a series of events, one dependent on another. With the epigraph “We are what we pretend to be…” (Kurt Vonnegut, Mother Night), Woods weaves a muse’s tale through Wallace Rose’s writing. Wallace Rose, a writer and the opening narrator, presents us with the role a writer plays in telling a story: “Maybe […] a writer comes in-giving voice to restless dead people.” Little do we realize that Woods uses Wallace in this manner.
With a style that Vonnegut would have lauded, Woods “found a subject he cares about,” i.e., writing. He doesn’t ramble, he keeps it simple, and he seems to have only left sentences in the novella that “illuminate the subject” (Bianchi 2019). In chapter one, we are told that “[Wallace] can make people do anything he wants.” It all begins with an imaginary story about two lovers who plan the murder of an unsuspecting husband. As we become enmeshed in the story, more murders occur in which Woods has removed the demarcation between imagination and reality. At the end, Detective Duffy tries to figure out how the murders are related. Woods, however, has given the reader the key to the nesting tales.
A Muse has inspired Woods in this narrative of passion and mystery. His talent as a master storyteller is evident in this and subsequent stories.
Joy Gorence is new to Killer Nashville. She is an author, world-traveler, English professor (ret.), and avid reader. Originally from Long Island, NY she now lives in South Florida with her husband, Bill and their two pampered kitties.
The Unrepentant by E.A. Aymar/Review by Sharon Marchisello
The Unrepentant
by E.A. Aymar
Down & Out Books
$17.95
ISBN 978-1948235587
Publication Date: March 2019
*Killer Nashville is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. If you purchase a book from the links on this page, Amazon will give Killer Nashville a small percentage of the total sale. Killer Nashville receives zero compensation from publishers who have been selected for the Book of the Day.
Book of the Day
2020 Silver Falchion Nominee
The Unrepentant (Down & Out Books), the new thriller by E.A. Aymar, has been nominated for a Silver Falchion award.
Mace Peterson is a disabled war veteran whose PTSD cost him his marriage. The story opens when he happens on a young girl being attacked in the woods by two thugs. Despite the odds, Mace intervenes and helps free the girl, Charlotte Reyes, who turns out to be quite a fighter herself. His first instinct is to report the incident to the cops, but Charlotte won't let him. One of the men who has been holding her against her will is a cop.
Like it or not, Mace stays involved in Charlotte's life as she tries to elude the men who want to kill her. He drags his ex-wife, Eve, and her friend Dory, a victim's advocate, into the web of danger. Charlotte goes from deception and distrust to opening up and asking for help. She's also hell-bent on revenge.
This book is not for the fainthearted, as it exposes the ugly, violent side of sex trafficking in graphic detail. Parts were painful to read. Most of the bad guys are unrepentant, as the title says. The ending is sad, with just a small glimmer of hope.
Aymar's other thrillers include the novel-in-stories The Night of the Flood (in which he served as co-editor and contributor), I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead and You’re As Good As Dead. A member of the Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime, Aymar also runs the Noir at the Bar series for Washington, D.C., and has hosted and spoken at a variety of crime fiction, writing, and publishing events nationwide. He is represented by Michelle Richter with Fuse Literary.
Sharon Marchisello (sharonmarchisello.com) is the author of two mysteries published by Sunbury Press, Going Home (2014) and Secrets of the Galapagos (2019). She has also published short stories, travel articles, and a nonfiction book about personal finance, Live Well, Grow Wealth. She earned a Masters in Professional Writing from the University of Southern California and is a member of Sisters in Crime. Residing in Peachtree City, GA, Sharon does volunteer work for the Fayette Humane Society and the Fayette County Master Gardeners, and she writes a blog about personal finance, Countdown to Financial Fitnesshttps://sharonmarchisello.blogspot.com/.
The Mask of Midnight by Laurie Stevens/Review by Sharon Marchisello
The Mask of Midnight
by Laurie Stevens
FYD Media, LLC
$15.60
ISBN 978-0997006803
Publication Date: January 2019
*Killer Nashville is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. If you purchase a book from the links on this page, Amazon will give Killer Nashville a small percentage of the total sale. Killer Nashville receives zero compensation from publishers who have been selected for the Book of the Day.
Book of the Day
2020 Silver Falchion Nominee
The Mask of Midnight, the third installment in the Gabriel McRay homicide detective series by Laurie Stevens, has been nominated for a Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Award.
Detective Gabriel McRay is finally getting his life together. He’s reconnecting with his estranged family and seeing a psychiatrist to work out his problems with anger management and history of sexual abuse as a child. His boss assigns him a new case. Gabriel is dating medical examiner Dr. Ming Li, and the two of them are set to testify at the capital murder trial of his nemesis, serial killer Victor Archwood.
Throughout the trial, the author skillfully catches up readers who are new to the series with the backstory between Gabriel and Victor. It seems that the evidence against Victor is overwhelming, but he’s not going down without a fight.
Victor Archwood is a terrifying villain: charming, good-looking, and absolutely cold-hearted. Extremely intelligent, he’s a master at disguise and manipulation. And he’ll stop at nothing to get revenge against Gabriel for something he’s been told took place in their past.
Gabriel is also a well-drawn character. Due to his insecurities and damaged childhood, he struggles to lead a normal life. But that’s not going to happen until he exposes Victor Archwood for the monster he is.
This emotional cat-and-mouse game will keep the reader on edge until the end. And it might give you nightmares.
Laurie Stevens is a hybrid author who writes the Gabriel McRay psychological suspense series; she has also written short stories and a play. Her previous books, The Dark Before Dawn and Deep into Dusk, have won numerous awards. She lives in Los Angeles and is an active member of Mystery Writers of America, International Thriller Writers, and Sisters in Crime.
Sharon Marchisello (sharonmarchisello.com) is the author of two mysteries published by Sunbury Press, Going Home (2014) and Secrets of the Galapagos (2019). She has also published short stories, travel articles, and a nonfiction book about personal finance, Live Well, Grow Wealth. She earned a Masters in Professional Writing from the University of Southern California and is a member of Sisters in Crime. Residing in Peachtree City, GA, Sharon does volunteer work for the Fayette Humane Society and the Fayette County Master Gardeners, and she writes a blog about personal finance, Countdown to Financial Fitness https://sharonmarchisello.blogspot.com/.
Reaper Moon by Ted Neill/Review by Katie McGuire
Reaper Moon
by Ted Neill
Independently Published
$22.50
ISBN 978-1791550943
Publication Date: September 2019
*Killer Nashville is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. If you purchase a book from the links on this page, Amazon will give Killer Nashville a small percentage of the total sale. Killer Nashville receives zero compensation from publishers who have been selected for the Book of the Day.
Book of the Day
2020 Silver Falchion Nominee
Reaper Moon opens in 2024, after a terrible virus that attacks humans’ largest organ—the skin—spreads rapidly around the globe, and millions die an awful, painful death. It soon becomes clear that the virus is more likely to affect the Caucasian population, and so almost overnight, people of color become the majority on the planet. Readers follow the characters through what is basically a post-apocalyptic America, where this “new world order” has caused a strong resurgence of white nationalist sentiment, daily bouts of violence, and an ongoing struggle to survive.
In a unique and fascinating set-up for the story, Reaper Moon opens with journal entries from a woman named Kimberly, which basically provide enough information to fill in the backstory blanks. The journal entries are detailed and clearly well thought out. In this future world where people of color now hold the unquestioned majority, the juxtaposition of opening with a black woman’s journal, then pivoting the focus of the main narrative to a white teenage boy was an interesting choice.
The author made an admirable attempt to weave our current political moment into the narrative and explain how modern groups or factions would become twisted in the aftermath of this terrible outbreak. Through in-story discussions around important topics like race relations, equality (or lack thereof), and the US healthcare system, the characters were able to scratch the surface and hopefully spur readers to serious contemplation of the complex issues surrounding these modern problems. Science fiction has always been used to point at social issues in our present day and show readers what is going wrong and how they can do better, and Reaper Moon does just that.
Katie McGuire is an editor at Pegasus Books, largely focusing on their Pegasus Crime imprint. She graduated from Emerson College with a BFA in Writing, Literature, & Publishing and returned to her native New York upon graduation to begin her career in publishing. She has worked on both fiction and nonfiction projects at Pegasus, and has a particular soft spot for mysteries, true crime, royalty, superheroes, and spies.
Below the Fold by R.G. Belsky/Review by Liz Gatterer
Below the Fold
By R.G. Belsky
Oceanview Publishing
$16.00
ISBN 978-1608093243
Publication Date: May 07, 2019
*Killer Nashville is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. If you purchase a book from the links on this page, Amazon will give Killer Nashville a small percentage of the total sale. Killer Nashville receives zero compensation from publishers who have been selected for the Book of the Day.
2020 Silver Falchion Finalist
R.G. Belsky’s latest novel, Below the Fold (sequel to Yesterday’s News) features Clare Carlson, seasoned news director at Channel 10 in NYC. It is her job to decide which stories to put on-air, trying to choose those that will sell but still have some depth to them. She decides to take a risk and report on the seemingly unimportant murder of a homeless woman in the vestibule of a bank. This is woman no one cares about, which is why Clare sees this story as important. Every life has value. Everyone has a story—and this one turns out to be very important.
Dora Gayle, the murdered homeless woman, was once a beautiful young student at NYU with all her life ahead of her. How did she fall so far? Clare has only found out a little bit about Dora when a second murder is committed. This time, it is the brutal murder of a Wall Street executive—a woman who very much mattered.
The second murdered woman, Grace Mancuso was wealthy, beautiful, and corrupt. She was at the center of a huge investment scam and had taken a plea that saved her own neck while sending many of her colleagues to jail. The police discovered the murder weapon—a cheap, wooden statue of the Empire States Building—and a list. The list is of five names that include a former congressman, a police detective, a well-known defense lawyer, and Dora Gayle, the murdered homeless woman. What on earth these names have to do with each other seems unfathomable. But, Clare intends to find out.
Belsky certainly shines in the mystery genre. As a resident New Yorker and a former journalist, he has the inside knowledge that makes his characters vividly authentic and believable. Clare is not an “observant-little-old-lady” or a “high-functioning-sociopath.” She is a tenacious bulldog of a reporter that cannot put a good story down. Her connections are not conveniently coincidental but come from her real (and sometimes very conflicted) life. She is a strong character. Not a strong female character—don’t cut her short by bringing those kind of labels in. She can and will bring you down.
Belsky’s writing style is pragmatic and reflects his journalistic past. But don’t expect the puzzle pieces to fit together too easily. What may appear, on the surface, to be an easy 500 piece puzzle turns out to be a double-sided nightmare where the pieces fit together in more than one way.
Liz Gatterer attended Tulane University while living in New Orleans. It was there that she first began working with authors in the printing industry. Originally from Upstate New York, she moved to Nashville with her husband to pursue their careers (his being music). Three (absolutely fabulous) children later, she has returned to the working world in the industry she loves. She currently lives in Spring Hill with said husband and children, dogs, cats, and various other creatures. The necessity of multitasking has led her to an addiction to audiobooks – but, when able to, she still prefers to curl up with a good book (and a child in her lap).
Dreamed It by Maggie Toussaint/Review by Joy Gorence
Dreamed It
By Maggie Toussaint
Epicenter Press
$16.95
ISBN 978-1603817820
Publication Date: August 2019
*Killer Nashville is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. If you purchase a book from the links on this page, Amazon will give Killer Nashville a small percentage of the total sale. Killer Nashville receives zero compensation from publishers who have been selected for the Book of the Day.
2020 Silver Falchion Finalist
From page one, Maggie Toussaint’s masterfully crafted Dreamed It: A Dreamwalker Mystery thrusts the reader into the world of Baxley Powell, who communicates with the dead. Disoriented, Baxley finds herself re-entering the corporeal plane without any knowledge of what has transpired only hours before. With the aid of her ghost dog, Oliver, and Sam Mayes, her spiritual and physical partner, they try to uncover the lost hours. Using her newly discovered ability for astral projection, Baxley crosses over into the world of the dead. When the sheriff consults her to find Kitty—a young girl who has been kidnapped from Sinclair County, Georgia—Baxley uses her talents to assist in the search.
Baxley, with the help of Mayes, a Cherokee who also has abilities that enable him to transcend the confines of the physical world, realizes that there may be a link between the kidnapping and a series of “suitcase murders.” Although the opening scene seems to be unrelated, it provides the catalyst for the characters to discern if the kidnapping and the murders are linked. The bonds between the characters that have been established in the past seem to play a key role in uncovering the truth of the murders. Although the relationships are not fully explored in this book, it does not hinder the reader from trying to unravel the enigmatic clues Toussaint dangles before the them. It becomes apparent that without Baxley’s powers and rationale, she and Mayes could not apprehend the guilty.
With the resolution to the criminal cases, Toussaint offers a new chapter in Baxley’s life for the reader to follow in subsequent novels.
Joy Gorence is new to Killer Nashville. She is an author, world-traveler, English professor (ret.), and avid reader. Originally from Long Island, NY she now lives in South Florida with her husband, Bill, and their two pampered kitties.
Murderabilia by Carl Vonderau / Review by Sheila Sobel
Murderabilia
By Carl Vonderau
Midnight Ink
$16.99
ISBN 978-0738761305
Publication Date: July 8, 2019
*Killer Nashville is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. If you purchase a book from the links on this page, Amazon will give Killer Nashville a small percentage of the total sale. Killer Nashville receives zero compensation from publishers who have been selected for the Book of the Day.
Book of the Day
2020 Silver Falchion Nominee
How far will one man go to protect his family? To Hell and back if that’s what it takes.
Since childhood, William McNary worked to erase his past and craft a new future. One without the terror his father—serial killer Harvey Dean Kogan—created when he murdered, dismembered, posed and photographed thirteen innocent women. It wasn’t long before Kogan’s “Preying Hands” photographs of artfully staged severed body parts launched a macabre market for his father’s “Murderabilia.” William had no choice but to reinvent himself.
After overcoming years of challenges, his horrific history is finally behind him. Or so William thinks. He has a new life—a loving wife, two adorable children, and a supportive, also re-invented, sister. He’s happily employed as a private banker and living a peaceful, if not humdrum, life in the burbs. For him, life is perfect. Until he gets the call that shatters his perfect world. From someone claiming to be his brother.
When the dismembered body of his wife’s friend and colleague is found, and with nearly irrefutable evidence against him, William McNary is arrested for her gruesome murder. His once perfect life is unraveling at warp speed. When bail is granted after new evidence is presented, William is released. He leaves jail determined to find Harvey Dean Kogan’s copycat killer. Even if it means reconnecting with the brutal murderer he used to call “Dad.”
Murderabilia is a dark tale that touches a deep-seated fear held by all—the loss of everything we hold dear. Carl Vonderau’s debut novel will keep the reader’s heart racing from page one to the end.
Carl and his wife live in San Diego. When not writing terrifying thrillers, Carl spends his time as a partner at San Diego Social Venture Partners, an organization that mentors other non-profits.
To learn more about Carl Vonderau: http://carlvonderau.com/
Sheila Sobel’s debut novel Color Blind won the 2017 Killer Nashville Reader's Choice Award for Best Fiction YA and Finalist for the 2017 Silver Falchion Award for Best Fiction YA. Sheila is a member of ITW, MWA, SinC, SCBWI, and Women in Film. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, two dogs, and a cat.
To learn more about Sheila Sobel: https://www.sheilasobel.com/
The White Heron by Jane H. Bock/Review by Saralyn Richard
The White Heron
By Carl and Jane Bock
Whiz Bang
$14.95
ISBN 978-1733011921
Publication Date: June 2019
*Killer Nashville is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. If you purchase a book from the links on this page, Amazon will give Killer Nashville a small percentage of the total sale. Killer Nashville receives zero compensation from publishers who have been selected for the Book of the Day.
2020 Silver Falchion Finalist
The White Heron has all the ingredients for a masterful whodunit. There’s tension that starts from Hurricane Irma (well-described) and progresses to man-made conflicts. Having lived on the Gulf Coast for much of my life, and having experienced hurricanes first-hand, I found the book’s depictions to be authentic. The characters are realistic and relatable. The protagonist, Sam, has just the right amount of integrity and macho-ism to keep him immersed in solving three murders, despite obstacles and hardships that threaten his physical well-being and personal life.
Anyone who is interested in botany, biology, and ornithology will delight in reading about the ways they intersect with the deaths and investigations. The plot is also filled with irony, suspense, foreshadowing, and symbolism to keep the reader turning pages. Although the book is part of a series, I read it as a standalone, and I didn’t feel lost from lack of backstory knowledge.
The way that three separate deaths come together may seem contrived, although these things do happen in real life at times, and the authors’ pacing and plot structure helps in making the plot work. I was plunged forward with little time to catch my breath between episodes, and I read the whole book in three sittings.
Award-winning mystery and children’s book author, Saralyn Richard, was a teacher who writes, but now she’s a writer who teaches. Murder in the One Percent has received outstanding reviews and several awards. It was listed as a best suspense/thriller of 2018 by Hungry for Good Books. Her children’s picture book, Naughty Nana, has reached thousands of children worldwide.
Saralyn is an active member of International Thriller Writers and Mystery Writers of America.
Valley of the Shadows by Steven Cooper/Review by Sharon Marchisello
Valley of the Shadows
By Stephen Cooper
Seventh Street Books
$15.95
ISBN 978-164506000
Publication Date: September 2019
*Killer Nashville is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. If you purchase a book from the links on this page, Amazon will give Killer Nashville a small percentage of the total sale. Killer Nashville receives zero compensation from publishers who have been selected for the Book of the Day.
Book of the Day
Valley of the Shadows (Seventh Street Books) is the third installment in the Gus Parker / Alex Mills mystery series by Steven Cooper.
This character-driven whodunnit / police procedural opens with the investigation into the death of wealthy socialite Viveca Canning, shot dead on the floor of her ransacked Phoenix mansion. Despite the disarray, the only thing missing is an original, untitled painting by Salvador Dali. Viveca served on the Board of Directors of the cult-like Church of the Angels Rising, and until a recent change to her will, her entire fortune was earmarked for the church. The revised document leaves the money to her grown children, Bennett (a rising star in the church) and Jillian, who was banished from the church because of her homosexual lifestyle.
The point-of-view alternates between Detective Alex Mills, lead investigator on the Viveca Canning case, and Gus Parker, medical-imaging technician by day and part-time psychic elevated to fame after being cited in a bestselling memoir by his friend and mentor, Beatrice Vossenheimer, and the fact that he's dating mega-rock star Billie Welch. Despite having little in common, Alex and Gus have learned to respect each other and work together to solve cases by looking at evidence from different angles; over the years, they have become friends.
The personal lives of the main characters are as much a part of this drama as the mystery of who killed Viveca Canning and why. Alex is distracted by his anguish over his beloved wife Kelly's breast cancer diagnosis. Gus struggles with his feelings about the status of his long-distance relationship with Billie, who is married to her music, and his budding attraction to TV news reporter Aaliyah Jones, who disappears while investigating the underside of the Church of the Angels Rising. Viveca Canning was one of her sources.
Although a bit heavy on the curse words, Cooper's prose is fresh and peppered with clever metaphors and creative turns of phrase. The reader can feel the sweltering heat and visualize the hauntingly beautiful desert landscape. Even without reading the earlier books in this series, readers will have no problem becoming fully engaged with these three-dimensional characters.
Steven Cooper, a past panelist at Killer Nashville, is the author of Dig Your Grave and Desert Remains. A former investigative reporter, he has received numerous accolades including Emmys and a national Edward R. Murrow award. He has lived all over the country, including the Phoenix area where this series takes place, but currently resides in Atlanta.
Sharon Marchisello (sharonmarchisello.com) is the author of two mysteries published by Sunbury Press, Going Home (2014) and Secrets of the Galapagos (2019). She has also published short stories, travel articles, and a nonfiction book about personal finance, Live Well, Grow Wealth. She earned a Masters in Professional Writing from the University of Southern California and is a member of the Atlanta chapter of Sisters in Crime. Residing in Peachtree City, GA, Sharon does volunteer work for the Fayette Humane Society and the Fayette County Master Gardeners, and she writes a blog about personal finance, Countdown to Financial Fitness https://sharonmarchisello.blogspot.com/.
Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo/Review by Emma Boyd
Ninth House
By Leigh Bardugo
Flat Iron Books
$28.95
ISBN 978-1250313072
Publication Date: October 8, 2019
*Killer Nashville is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. If you purchase a book from the links on this page, Amazon will give Killer Nashville a small percentage of the total sale. Killer Nashville receives zero compensation from publishers who have been selected for the Book of the Day.
Book of the Day
Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo is her first book in the “new adult” genre. This is important for fans of Bardugo’s earlier works which were all firmly in the middle-grade genre. If your pre-teen brings home this book, you may want to read it first. There is sex, violence, cursing, etc., basically all of the hallmarks of a book by Stephen King, Joe Hill, Charlaine Harris or Lev Grossman (all of whom gave Ninth House great reviews). If you like their styles of writing, then you should appreciate Bardugo’s work as well.
Ninth House is the tale of Galaxy (Alex) Stern, a freshman at Yale University in New Haven Connecticut. As we have seen in the news, there seem to be many ways to get into Yale. One can be exceptionally brilliant, exceptionally wealthy, or be of a distinguished pedigree with powerful connections. Alex is none of these. But she is uniquely talented. She can see the dead. This is not a skill she wants. In fact, she has spent most of her life trying to hide the fact that she can see “greys.” But there are secret forces out there searching for those that can detect the “uncanny” and they have found Alex. Despite being woefully unprepared for the scholastic rigors of an Ivy League university (she is a high school dropout), Alex is offered a full ride to Yale. In exchange for this, she is to use her gift to benefit the secret societies at the university. She must also pass the classes—which I think was a nice touch by Borduga. Alex is smart. The question is whether or not she is smart enough to get out of this alive.
When I see that a book has received good reviews from four of my favorite authors, I am going to read the book. And my expectations of that book are going to be high. I was not disappointed in the least by Ninth House. I enjoyed the multiple POV style of the book and the flash backs that supported the characters' development. The pacing of the novel might have slowed down at times, but overall it felt "right." I delighted in the bits of historical facts sprinkled throughout that lent a degree of “truth” to the story. I was also intrigued by the author’s own personal history that seemed to mirror that of the main protagonist, Alex. I would classify Borduga’s style as a bit of Lev Grossman (The Magicians) and Charlaine Harris (The Sukie Stackhouse books) mixed together. There is not quite the level of horror that Stephen King can manifest, nor the dizzying plot twists that Joe Hill is known for. But, I am eager to see what Borduga writes next.
The Testaments by Margaret Atwood/Review by Liz Gatterer
The Testaments
By Margaret Atwood
Nan A. Talese
$28.95
ISBN 978-0385543781
Publication Date: July 2019
*Killer Nashville is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. If you purchase a book from the links on this page, Amazon will give Killer Nashville a small percentage of the total sale. Killer Nashville receives zero compensation from publishers who have been selected for the Book of the Day.
Book of the Day
The Testaments is the long-awaited sequel to Margaret Atwood’s dystopian novel The Handmaids Tale. I highly recommend reading these books - but do read them in order. Also, do not be concerned if you watch the television series based on the original novel. Atwood seemed to take a “what you hold true on earth, I shall hold true in Heaven” sort of philosophy when crafting this new novel. I also think she was very cleaver to leave a large time gap between the novels as this allows for the show to continue and not spin off into its own universe.
Set about 15 years after June's tale, The Testimonies focuses on the lives of three different women from Gilead: Aunt Lydia, Agnes, and Daisy. By writing this novel as “testimonies”, Atwood seems to hint that some degree of legal action has taken place against Gilead and that perhaps, the insanity has ended or may be ending.
Agnes
Born in the “time-before” but too young to remember anything of her life from then, Agnes’ testimony shows how, to the indoctrinated, the life of a woman in Gilead could seem perfectly normal. She fondly remembers her childhood – up until the death of her mother. Although she does not want to be a Wife, her privileged position as a daughter of a Commander facilitates her being admitted to the society of The Aunts. She is happy. Due to the needs of the Aunts and a special dispensation, Agnes is taught to read and write. Although she is a devoted daughter of Gilead because of this ability eventually, even she cannot ignore all of the cracks in Gilead’s idyllic façade.
Daisy
Daisy is a teenage girl from Canada. Raised on the opposite side of the boarder she does not share the Gilead beliefs. She is fiercely independent, skeptical of almost everything, and desperate to belong somewhere. By contrast to Agnes, Daisy is unhappy, and angst ridden. Basically, she is like most girls of the 21st century and in my opinion, rather unsympathetic.
Aunt Lydia
When I read The Handmaids Tale it was incredible to me that any educated woman would willingly take part in such cruel and sanctioned degradation of other women. The Wives and the Aunts seemed to be either deluded zealots, sadists – or a combination of both. Definitely more evil than godly. Unlike the other two accounts in this novel, we are not reading Lydia’s testimony, but rather her memoirs. Aunt Lydia is writing to “the reader”. I’m not sure if this makes her tale appear more or less believable. Her portions are certainly part explanation, part confession and do bring some degree of clarity and rationality as to how it all could have happened. It also alludes to the fact that she has not been able to be deposed . . .
I read The Handmaids Tale as a teenager and it was life-changing for me. After reading it, I was politically aware for the first time and have lived every day since with the belief that you have to be aware. You have to let your voice be heard. You have to make a choice. After all, a frog can be boiled alive if he is not aware that the water in the pot around him is getting hotter. The Testimonies is a less galvanizing tale, but still, very much worth the read. Perhaps, because I am older now, I can have some sympathy for the devil. But, not too much. There is still very much a cautionary sense to Atwood’s work. If you are hoping for a fairy-tale ending for June, or for it all to be explained . . . you probably won’t get everything what you want, but you should get enough to be satisfied.
Hemlock Needle by Keenan Powell/Review by Joy Gorence
Hemlock Needle
By Keenan Powell
Level Best Books
$16.95
ISBN 978-1947915091
Publication Date: January 2019
*Killer Nashville is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. If you purchase a book from the links on this page, Amazon will give Killer Nashville a small percentage of the total sale. Killer Nashville receives zero compensation from publishers who have been selected for the Book of the Day.
Book of the Day
2020 Silver Falchion Nominee
The cold and isolation of Anchorage, Alaska provides the backdrop for Keenan Powell’s captivating novel, Hemlock Needle. The narrative centers around the disappearance of Esther Fancyboy, the mother of Evan. At a Yup’ik gathering during the Christmas holidays in Anchorage, Esther tells her son, Evan, that she will be right back before she walks out into the cold winter weather. She does not return. Three days later, Cora, her mother, seeks the help of Maeve Mallory to locate her daughter.
Cora and Maeve share a history, and when the police refuse to consider the seriousness of Esther’s disappearance, Cora seeks Maeve’s assistance. Although Maeve is in danger of losing her license to practice law, she agrees to help Cora. The author provides an explanation for the lack of police concern based on a cultural bias that provides an undercurrent for the conflicts in the story. With the help of Tom Sinclair, a friend and investigator, Maeve becomes involved in more than a mere missing person enquiry. Fighting the elements of both a harsh winter and personal demons, Maeve refuses to surrender to defeat.
Keenan Powell masterfully combines the atmosphere of the times with the elements of a true suspenseful novel. Although she does not provide the warmth of a fireside tale, she does dig into the injustices of society and reveals the dark side of humanity alongside the resilience of the human spirit.
Joy Gorence is new to Killer Nashville. She is an author, world-traveler, English professor (ret.), and avid reader. Originally from Long Island, NY she now lives in South Florida with her husband, Bill and their two pampered kitties.
Saint Bob Day by K.C. Wilson/Review by Sharon Marchisello
Saint Bob Day
By K.C. Wilson
Black Rose Writing
$17.95
ISBN 978-1684333073
Publication Date: July 2019
*Killer Nashville is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. If you purchase a book from the links on this page, Amazon will give Killer Nashville a small percentage of the total sale. Killer Nashville receives zero compensation from publishers who have been selected for the Book of the Day.
Book of the Day
2020 Silver Falchion Nominee
Saint Bob Day, the second novel by K.C. Wilson, has been nominated for a Silver Falchion award.
Sixty-one-year-old Bob Day is content with his low-profile life, working in the maintenance department of the Belle Rive Lodge and Club. His boss adores him and he gets along with most of his colleagues, although they know little about him apart from the fact that he likes to give everyone creative nicknames. The only employee who is not a fan is Constance Featherton, front desk shift manager, who claims Bob creeps her out.
In the first chapter, Bob saves three lives in one day, in three separate instances of being in the right place at the right time. But being hailed as a hero is the last thing Bob wants; he's in the witness protection program.
Sure enough, after the publicity, unwelcome acquaintances from Bob's past turn up at the Belle Rive Lodge, and two of them end up dead. One is a relative of Constance Featherton. Bob didn't kill these men, but he was in close enough proximity to be considered a person of interest. Hotel management is concerned. Bob attracts the attention of local law enforcement and the press. His handler from the U.S. Marshals Service gets involved.
Then a new guest arrives at the lodge—Aronoyad Wilgushku, a.k.a. Larry Wilhoite, the man Bob helped send to prison. The con artist has been released and has reinvented himself as business tycoon Lee J. Wilkes, and he inserts himself into the daily operation of the Belle Rive. Life for Bob has irreversibly changed.
Saint Bob Day is part caper, part deadpan humor. Bob is an endearing character with a fatalistic attitude.
K.C. Wilson, a North Florida writer, is the author of The Route, songwriter for The Rubes, a 2012 Nilsen Prize finalist and winner of the 2016 Wexford Film Festival Screenplay contest. His short fiction and poetry have appeared in various publications.
Sharon Marchisello (sharonmarchisello.com) is the author of Going Home, (Sunbury Press, 2014) a murder mystery inspired by her mother's battle with Alzheimer's disease, and a nonfiction book about personal finance, Live Well, Grow Wealth. Her psychological suspense novel, Secrets of the Galapagos, will be released by Sunbury Press next month. One of her short stories was published in an anthology, Shhhh… Murder! (Darkhouse Books, 2018). She earned a Masters in Professional Writing from the University of Southern California and is a member of the Atlanta chapter of Sisters in Crime. Residing in Peachtree City, GA, Sharon does volunteer work for the Fayette Humane Society and the Fayette County Master Gardeners, and she also writes a blog about personal finance, Countdown to Financial Fitness https://sharonmarchisello.blogspot.com/.
The Institute by Stephen King/Review by Liz Gatterer
The Institute
By Stephen King
Schribner
$30.00
ISBN 978-1982110567
Publication Date: September 2019
*Killer Nashville is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. If you purchase a book from the links on this page, Amazon will give Killer Nashville a small percentage of the total sale. Killer Nashville receives zero compensation from publishers who have been selected for the Book of the Day.
Book of the Day
Stephen King is my favorite author. I was in third grade when I did my very first book report on his novel Christine. The principal called my mother to explain that this was not an appropriate book for a child to read. To which she replied "If she can read it, I will allow her to read it." And thus began my life long love of reading, passion in the fight against censorship, and my undying admiration for my mother. So, please forgive me if my review is a little schmaltzy.
The Institute is Stephen King's latest work featuring extraordinary children. I think he loves to use children in his books because they are more resilient and noble than most adults. And, because of this, they can bring out nobility and resiliency in adults. It may be a bit formulaic, but if it ain't broke...
Luke Ellis is extraordinary. Intellectually gifted beyond anything his parents and teachers can believe. His is clever and kind and his future is wide open. Then, he is kidnapped from his home in the middle of the night and taken to The Institute. He doesn't know where he is, why he is there, or what has happened to his parents. But he is not alone. There are other kids at The Institute and they are gifted as well. But not like him. They can move things with their minds or read another person's thoughts. It all seems like a mistake.
A thousand miles away Tim Jamieson, is stumbling away from his old life. With nowhere to go and plenty of time to get there, he is pin-balling from one place to another. Temporarily coming to rest in a tiny town in rural Georgia. He accepts a job as a Night-Knocker (sort of a low-level, night-time, town security guard). But fate puts folks where they are supposed to be and, if we are lucky, they figure out what they are there for before it's too late.
Stephen King is such a great writer because he takes the absolute worst, most horrible elements of human nature and uses them to pull out the best in others. In his novels, good trumps evil every time - eventually.
The Gifted School by Bruce Holsinger/Review by Emma Boyd
The Gifted School
By Bruce Holsinger
Riverhead Publishing
$26.00
ISBN 978-0525534969
Publication Date: July 2019
*Killer Nashville is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. If you purchase a book from the links on this page, Amazon will give Killer Nashville a small percentage of the total sale. Killer Nashville receives zero compensation from publishers who have been selected for the Book of the Day.
Book of the Day
The Gifted school explores the lives of 5 families competing for coveted spots in a new public magnet school for academically gifted children in the idillic city of Crystal, Colorado. Told from multiply viewpoints, it is a study of what lengths some parents will go to get their progeny into an elite program regardless of their actual abilities and how, “wanting the best” for your child can often lead parents to do the worst things.
Holsinger does a commendable job at revealing character through action. While as a reader we are given insight into what the characters are thinking and feeling, it is what they do that paints the truest picture of their nature. The characters are designed well. They are both flawed and appealing. They feel crafted to be people that one would know and maybe even like. That readers might see themselves in these characters and think “they are like me – but at the same time, not me. Of course, not me.” Until they realize maybe they are “exactly like me.” Which means that Holsinger knows his target audience well. Being a real-life professor at a top-tier university, Holsinger must have first-hand experience with students whose best interests were not served by being accepted into that program as well as the parents that did whatever they could to put them in that position. What parent doesn't want to believe that their child is "Gifted and Talented"?
The multiple view points that Holsinger employs in this novel appealed to me because they are so varied. Rose is a successful professional who believes her success to be due solely to her own efforts. She is resentful of those that had advantages she did not have and sees little value in those that do not strive for "more". Thus she is constantly pushing her daughter to do more. Beck is the result of privilege without discipline. He is the cool-guy, that because of his looks, talent, and trust fund... could do what he pleased—until his looks started to fade and the trust fund ran out. His twin boys are good kids - but he is not really aware of the fact that they are separate beings from himself and from each other. Ch''ayña is a grandmother desperately trying to keep her family connected to the traditions she was raised with. Brought to this country by her adult daughter she does not speak the language nor understand the benefit of a school that is far away from where they live with students that do not look like or act like she does. She knows that her grandson is very special, but wants protect him from those that she thinks will exploit his talents and lure him away from his family. The other points of view are from the children. Emma Z is almost precocious and competitive to the point of almost being predatory. She is privileged and pampered. Due to her pedigree much is expected of her. Tessa is the rebellious teen whose mother has pretty much given up on her. But she hasn't counted herself out yet. When others see something in her she may rise to the challenge. Then there is Zander. The real brains of this outfit that is pretty much too smart for his own good. I find that by using both adult and youth perspectives, Bolsinger is able to more succinctly paint a detailed picture of the motivations and effects of over zealous parenting.
The Gifted School is Bruce Holsinger’s third novel. His previous works were academic texts or historical fiction. I believe that he is adept at this genre as well. I enjoyed this fast paced, psychological fiction and I look forward to his next novel.
One Good Deed by David Baldacci/Review by Joy Gorence
One Good Deed
By David Baldacci
Grand Central Publishing
$26.00
ISBN 978-1538750568
Publication Date: July 2019
Book of the Day
David Baldacci has created, Aloysius Archer, a WWII veteran, who vies for the reader’s attention and accomplishes that within the first page. In One Good Deed, Archer’s focus for life begins with the opening line “It was a good day to be free of prison.” His release from Carderock Prison and his arrival in Poca City presents new challenges for Archer. The city sucks him in the same manner that “he sucked in the hot, dry air” of Poca City. His new life begins with securing a job for Mr. Pittleman, who seems to own most of the town. Although the reader may question Archer’s acceptance of the offer, the author entices the reader to acquiesce with Archer’s decision. Later on, when Archer is wrongly accused of a murder, he is determined to maintain his freedom. Luckily, his experiences in World War II have honed his skills of observation. With the introduction of a cast of characters, Archer’s appeal through his actions and interactions with others becomes enhanced.
Baldacci has once again delighted us with his storytelling techniques and his ability to manipulate our attention. He has created a cast of believable and complex characters. The reader sees the characters through Archer’s point of view. When Archer first meets his parole officer, Miss Ernestine J. Crabtree, “[H}is first thought was she looked nothing like her name. His second impression was the name did her justice just fine.” (p. 32). The complexity of her character is foreshadowed by his initial comment. Baldacci provides descriptions of characters that are succinct and visually complete. With a focus on using nouns and noun phrasing, he conveys physical descriptions that affect Archer psychologically. His description of Miss Crabtree continues with “...behind her black shell glasses, her eyes were blue and wide, the irises plump, with the overall effect being what he thought some might call vivacious. At least they held the potential if she let her hair down, in more ways than one” (p. 32). In addition, the tension juxtaposed with Archer’s observations makes for an intriguing story. Baldacci guides us along to the observe the world along with Archer. Baldacci also has the ability for the reader to observe Archer through his interaction with the other characters. In their eyes, Archer is cool, distant, but confident. All characters, although minor, play a significant role in pacing the narration. Mrs. Gibbons, who works in the clerk’s office, provides the vehicle for action that Archer must take, and she creates, although subtly, a springboard for the growing tension.
With his ability to continually build climatic action through dialogue and description, Baldacci entices us to read non-stop to the end of the novel and hope for “an abundance of possibilities” for Archer in future episodes.
Joy Gorence is new to Killer Nashville. She is an author, world-traveler, English professor (ret.), and avid reader. Originally from Long Island, NY she now lives in South Florida with her husband, Bill and their two pampered kitties.
A Perfectly Natural Murder by William Griggs/Review by Sharon Marchisello
A Perfectly Natural Murder
By William Griggs
Independently Published
$12.95
ISBN 978-1081552299
Publication Date: July 2019
Book of the Day
A Perfectly Natural Murder, William Grigg's first published novel, has been nominated for a Silver Falchion award.
The story opens with an insurance company office party where several guests are sickened and hospitalized after eating a homemade bouillabaisse. One doesn't make it. Toxicology experts, including the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, determine the cause of the woman's demise to be paralytic shellfish poisoning, sometimes associated with red tides. A natural death. Or was it?
Three characters alternate narration, and the timeline jumps around a bit to cover events and relationships pre- and post- party. The first narrator is Buck Grand, a disabled veteran suffering from PTSD, who works in the employee services division. Among his duties are oversight of the company's food service and safety, as well as ghostwriting outgoing Vice President Jeffrey Spencer's book on management. Another viewpoint character is Adrianna Canter, young claims lawyer and budding love-interest for Buck. She succumbs to the poisoning at the party, but recovers. The third narrator is the victim, Evelyn Robbins, Jeffrey's administrative assistant (and rumored former lover) who was universally disliked.
Once it has been determined that Evelyn's death was not a homicide, the police don't get involved, so most of the employees resume their normal lives. Buck is most concerned with proving that he could not have known the shellfish was contaminated, and no amount of cooking or care in storage could have prevented the poisoning. Thus, there was no negligence, and the employees of the insurance company can feel confident that the food served in their cafeteria is safe. Adrianna's main focus is an investigation into leaks about active claims from an insider to personal injury lawyers who end up winning huge settlements against the company.
Something about the toxin doesn't add up. Is Evelyn's death related to Adrianna's investigation? And someone thinks Buck and Adrianna might be venturing too close to the truth…
William Grigg served as a spokesperson for the Food and Drug Administration during the Tylenol poisoning crisis and for the US Public Health Service, the National Institutes of Health, and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences at other major turning points. He has worked as a reporter and contributed to several nonfiction books. His wife, Martha Livdahl Grigg, is also an author.
Sharon Marchisello (sharonmarchisello.com) is the author of Going Home, (Sunbury Press, 2014) a murder mystery inspired by her mother's battle with Alzheimer's disease, and a nonfiction book about personal finance, Live Well, Grow Wealth. Her psychological suspense novel, Secrets of the Galapagos, will be released by Sunbury Press next month. One of her short stories was published in an anthology, Shhhh… Murder! (Darkhouse Books, 2018). She earned a Masters in Professional Writing from the University of Southern California and is a member of the Atlanta chapter of Sisters in Crime. Residing in Peachtree City, GA, Sharon does volunteer work for the Fayette Humane Society and the Fayette County Master Gardeners, and she also writes a blog about personal finance, Countdown to Financial Fitness https://sharonmarchisello.blogspot.com/.
Murder in an Irish Pub/Review by Joy Gorence
Murder in an Irish Pub
By Carlene O'Connor
Kensington
$26.00
ISBN 978-1538730171
Publication Date: February 2019
Book of the Day
When the “Dead Man’s Hand “is introduced in the first chapter of Murder in an Irish Pub, it is obvious that the player with that hand at the International Poker Tournament will soon be a victim of foul play. Early the next morning, Siobhan O’Sullivan of the Garda Siochana discovers the body. Because there does not seem to be a way in or out of the locked room, his death is initially ruled a suicide. Siobhan, however, is convinced that Eamon Foley was murdered, which presents a conundrum for the police force and the reader. With a myriad of characters who have some relationship to Siobhan, the protagonist, the reader along with Siobhan travels through a labyrinth of lies to finally uncover the truth.
With the theme foreshadowed in the opening line, “Siobhan O’Sullivan dimmed the lights...” (p.30), the author sets the stage for a mystery. People may not always be what others perceive. Though the discoveries made by Siobhan, the reader begins to wonder who may be responsible for the murder. With twists and turns, the reader also discovers that Siobhan, a new officer of the police force, has the skills that will lead her to finding the answer to the mystery.
The pacing of the plot keeps one turning the pages as the protagonist deals with the tensions of her family and her superior, Macdara Flannery. As residents of the Kilbane, Siobhan and Macdara must keep their relationship a secret, which also adds to the tension. With the pacing of the plot and extensive use of colorful characters, it is not obvious throughout most of the novel how the crime will unravel. Unravel, however, it does.
At times, it seems that the pieces of the puzzle fall into place for the reader through the eyes and narration of Siochana. When the tale finally unravels, the reader can put the book aside and not wonder what will be in store for Siobhan or the “good folks of Kilbane.” It does leave an opening, however, for more adventures of Siobhan.
Joy Gorence is new to Killer Nashville. She is an author, world-traveler, English professor (ret.), and avid reader. Originally from Long Island, NY she now lives in South Florida with her husband, Bill and their two pampered kitties.
Murder at First Pitch by Nicole Asselin/Review by Joy Gorence
Murder at First Pitch
By Nicole Asselin
Pandamoon Publishing
$13.99
ISBN 978-1950627219
Publication Date: August 31, 2019
2020 Silver Falchion Candidate
Book of the Day
Nicole Asselin opens the door to baseball fans in Murder at First Pitch, the first in the series of her Ball Park Mysteries. The protagonist, Madeline Boucher, in her thirties, learns her job will no longer exist after her technical writing contract is complete. Her Boston employer informs her she has one month to find new work in a shrinking job market. Apprehensively, she turns to her family. Luckily for her, she has the family business for support, and she rediscovers her love for the Abington Armadillos Ballpark and team. Her grandfather had bought the team years ago and turned it into a “lucrative business.”
When she reveals to her mother that she needs to find a job within a month’s time, her mother is elated to offer her a position as their social media consultant. It is a warm homecoming for her because she grew up at the park with her parents and brother. Madeline easily fits into her new position.
As the opening day of the games approaches, Madeline realizes that her easy pace in her new employment is about to take a turn for the worse. On the day of the opening games, Madeline uncovers a man’s body in the dugout. When the local news coverage points a finger at her brother for the murder and he is arrested, she becomes entangled in learning the truth behind the murder. With the support of Davis, the head of security at the park, she stumbles upon a web of intrigue.
Joy Gorence is new to Killer Nashville. She is an author, world-traveler, English professor (ret.), and avid reader. Originally from Long Island, NY she now lives in South Florida with her husband, Bill and their two pampered kitties.
The Girl in the Ice by Robert Bryndza/Review by Joy Gorence
The Girl In the Ice
By Robert Bryndza
Grand Central Publishing
$9.99
ISBN 978-1538730171
Publication Date: (reprint) February 2019
Book of the Day
Robert Bryndza’s spine-chilling novel The Girl In the Ice begins with Andrea’s final hours before her murder. Lee Kinney, a young man trying to get to work at the Horniman Museum, discovers her body under the ice. The police are called, and Chief Inspector Marsh places DCI Erika Foster in charge of the murder investigation. However, she has to navigate the murky waters of politics and the animosity of DCI Sparks, which hinder her progress. When it is disclosed that Andrea was the daughter of Lord and Lady Douglas-Brown, Erika is commanded to “go easy” (p.33). Erika, however, “despised” (p. 33) Britain’s class system, and she refuses to compromise her investigation.
Bryndza never names or identifies the sexual orientation of the murder but refers to culprit as “the figure.” Interspersed through the narration, the reader becomes privy to the murderer’s thoughts. The figure reveals that this is not the first murder, nor will it be the last. Bryndza reveals only a few clues, which keeps the plot moving along with a series of twists and turns. As the climax builds, the pacing and length of the chapters mimic the intensity of the investigation. The setting, subtly treated as a character, continues with a “fresh onslaught of snow” (p.39) and keeps the truth hidden throughout the novel. As Erika digs deeper into the cover-up of this murder, she finds a series of events and people that seem to be connected. With tenacity, she relentlessly pursues the truth, which comes at a cost.
A spell-binding novel of intrigue and suspense, Bryndza has created a thriller that reveals a truth about the façade of humanity.
Joy Gorence is new to Killer Nashville. She is an author, world-traveler, English professor (ret.), and avid reader. Originally from Long Island, NY she now lives in South Florida with her husband, Bill and their two pampered kitties.
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