KN Magazine: Reviews
Sherlock Holmes: The Werewolves of Edinburgh/Review by Joy Gorence
Sherlock Holmes: The Werewolves of Edinburgh
M.J. Downing
Burns and Lea Media
$10.99
ISBN 978-1733980616
Publication Date: November 10, 2020
*Killer Nashville is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. If you purchase a book from the links on this page, Amazon will give Killer Nashville a small percentage of the total sale. Killer Nashville receives zero compensation from publishers who have been selected for the Book of the Day.
M.J. Downing rivals the suspense and mysterious interludes of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson with Sherlock Holmes: The Werewolves of Edinburgh. Based on Dr. Watson’s unpublished case files, avid enthusiasts of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s novels will not be disappointed to discover some of the lesser-known and previously undisclosed files documented by John H. Watson, M.D.
Dr. Watson recounts a case enmeshed in mythical and magical realms. With the passing of Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson discloses his “ventures into the fantastic.” His work as an agent of Department Zed and his desire to become a member of the Logres Society serve as the catalyst for this engagement. The Logres Society is devoted to keeping the balance of the practical and the mystical for the good of humanity. For Dr. Watson, his acceptance into the Logres Society is dependent on his performance. That acceptance, however, comes with a cost.
Once again, Moriarty’s perfidy remains a constant in the background for Dr. Watson’s tale. In this account, the forces of evil manifest themselves at the beginning of the story with Spring Heeled Jack, a werewolf, who commits his attacks in London during the Christmas season. Omar Raboud, the occult advisor of the Logres Society, and Mycroft Holmes, Sherlock’s brother, enlist the help of Sherlock, Dr. Watson, and Guthrie to capture this creature alive. Their efforts are thwarted, however, with Spring Heeled Jack’s death. From that point forward, the twelve days of Christmas unleash onerous clashes, not only for Dr. Watson and his colleagues, but also for those who have sworn their allegiance to fighting the mysterious forces of evil.
The story begins on Boxing Day, December 26, 1888, in London when the dark shadows and cold night air propel Dr. Watson into the horrors of nightmares and dark magic. Told from his perspective, the narration mesmerizes the reader to follow Dr. Watson’s immersion into the world of fairies, werewolves, and lost kingdoms. With a steady and ominous pace, this account reveals a riveting tale of mystery and 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 French Widow by Mark Pryor/Review by Tim Suddeth
The French Widow
Mark Pryor
Seventh Street Books
$15.95
ISBN 978-1645060239
Publication Date: Sept 15, 2020
*Killer Nashville is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. If you purchase a book from the links on this page, Amazon will give Killer Nashville a small percentage of the total sale. Killer Nashville receives zero compensation from publishers who have been selected for the Book of the Day.
Any book that promises to take you to the ultimate romantic city, Paris, deserves a second look. And The French Widow by Mark Pryor, more than lives up to the billing.
This is the ninth installment in the Hugo Marston series. Marston, a former profiler with the FBI, is now the head of security at the U.S. embassy in Paris. In the country who first complained about the “ugly American tourist,” being a hero can be a fleeting thing. When Hugo stops a gunman indiscriminately shooting bystanders on the street, only a few snide comments of gun-toting Americans are heard. When it’s learned that the person he shot was also an American, and connected to the Embassy, the cries against Americans and the accusations of a conspiracy become even louder.
Getting Hugo away from the Embassy seems a good idea. The Ambassador asks him to attend an annual gala at one of Paris’s most prominent estates. The one time each year that the bluest-of-blue-bloods Lambourd family come together. A little wine, some history, and rubbing shoulders with the French elite should help Hugo deal with the trauma of the attack.
Until thefts and assaults begin happening at the chateau. Hugo learns just how cold the disdain of the upper crust can be, especially when they all have secrets they would prefer to keep to themselves.
Politics, family intrigue, unique characters, they’re all there for us to enjoy. Definitely this is one book that leaves you wanting more.
Tim Suddeth was the 2017 Jimmy Loftin Memorial Scholarship Award winner. He’s currently working on his fourth novel. He currently blogs for The Write Conversation and is trying to make a dent in his to-read bookcases. You can follow him at on his blog at timingreenville.com or on Twitter @TimSuddeth.
Hole in the Woods by Jennifer Graeser Dornbush/Review by Tim Suddeth
Hole in the Woods
Jennifer Graeser Dornbush
Ally Press
$17.99
ISBN 978-0800738624
Publication Date: August 3, 2020
*Killer Nashville is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. If you purchase a book from the links on this page, Amazon will give Killer Nashville a small percentage of the total sale. Killer Nashville receives zero compensation from publishers who have been selected for the Book of the Day.
In Jennifer Graeser Dornbush’s latest novel, Hole in the Woods, we are guided into the world of a cold case investigator. Detroit Detective Riley St. James has been sent to the small town of Derby, MI to investigate the gruesome rape and murder of seventeen-year-old Nina Laramie from thirty years ago. What she encounters when she arrives is a town full of secrets and desperate to keep them. Only a few seem happy that the case is being reopened. Even the local detective assigned to assist her seems to be holding on to secrets of his own and agrees with the town that old news shouldn’t be dredged up. Is there anybody she can trust? And since her own secrets seem to be forcing their way to the surface at the worse times, can she even trust herself?
For readers interested in forensics, Ms. Dornbush is an author to follow. Being the daughter of a coroner, she grew up playing around crime scenes and having blood samples and body parts stored around the house. We hear how old cold cases are being solved by advances in DNA testing, but in this story, we see that even after thirty years, good old detective work and forensics can still come through.
This will also be a good read for people who enjoy well-developed characters. Dornbush switches the POVs in her chapters letting us further into the thoughts and fears of the characters. These are not your too-regular story with cardboard characters. Each character has their own secrets and motivations.
This story is based on a true event. At the end of the book, the author writes about meeting with the original victim’s father and tells how she used that to shape her own characters in the story. There is also a touching letter from the father describing his feelings.
A portion of the proceeds will go to the Cold Case Foundation who helps solve cold cases all around the world.
Tim Suddeth was the 2017 Jimmy Loftin Memorial Scholarship Award winner. He’s currently working on his fourth novel. He currently blogs for The Write Conversation and is trying to make a dent in his to-read bookcases. You can follow him at on his blog at timingreenville.com or on Twitter @TimSuddeth.
Don’t Keep Silent by Elizabeth Goddard/Review by Sheila Sobel
Don’t Keep Silent
Elizabeth Goddard.
Revell
$29.99
ISBN 978-0800738624
Publication Date: June 30, 2020
*Killer Nashville is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. If you purchase a book from the links on this page, Amazon will give Killer Nashville a small percentage of the total sale. Killer Nashville receives zero compensation from publishers who have been selected for the Book of the Day.
In Don’t Keep Silent, when journalist Rae Burke’s sister-in-law, Zoey, goes missing, her brother Alan begs her to use all her investigative skills to locate his beloved wife. When the trail leads her to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Rae is reluctant to return to the scene of a previous crime. One that nearly cost her and former DEA agent, Liam McKade, their lives and did cost them their jobs. But Rae has no choice. family comes first. Once in Jackson Hole, it doesn’t take long for Rae and Liam to cross paths. As feelings are reignited, the two confront a past from which neither one has yet healed. Understanding Rae is desperate to find Zoey at whatever the cost—even her own life—Liam sets aside his distrust and once again teams up with her to solve the mystery of the missing sister-in-law. Set against the majestic backdrop of the Grand Tetons, Jackson Hole is a picture-perfect place where danger and romance seem to thrive. At least they do when Rae Burke is in town, when long buried secrets threaten to destroy everybody she cares about. Don’t Keep Silent is the third book in the Uncommon Justice series and will appeal to fans of both Romantic Suspense novels, as well as Christian fiction.
Elizabeth Goddard is the bestselling author of more than 40 books, including Never Let Go, Always Look Twice, and the Carol Award-winning, The Camera Never Lies. Her Mountain Cove series books have been finalists in the Daphne du Maurier Awards and the Carol Awards. Goddard is a seventh-generation Texan and can be found online at www.elizabethgoddard.com.
Sheila Sobel: After thirty-three years in the film business, Sheila left to complete her YA novel. Her debut, Color Blind won the 2017 Killer Nashville Reader’s Choice Award for Best Fiction YA and was a Finalist for the 2017 Silver Falchion Award for Best Fiction YA. www.sheilasobel.com
Queen's Gambit by Bradley Harper/Review by Liz Gatterer
Queen’s Gambit
By Bradley Harper
Seventh Street Books
$15.95
ISBN 978-1645060017
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.
2020 Silver Falchion Finalist
A Queen’s Gambit is a well-known opening move in chess where a bishop or pawn is sacrificed to save the queen. In Bradley Harper’s new novel of the same name, we are treated to a tale that—move by move—proceeds like a champion chess match. Tension building with each opponent’s move. But will the gambit payoff? Who might be sacrificed, and will the Queen survive?
In Bradley Harper’s first novel A Knife in the Fog (winner of the 2019 Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Award), the main characters were Arthur Conan Doyle (as of yet un-knighted) and Professor Joseph Bell – the real-life author of Sherlock Holmes and the real-life inspiration for the character Sherlock Holmes respectively—and the fictious, but fabulous Margaret Hawkness. This wonderful tale features Margaret Hawkness, with just a taste of Prof. Bell. Doyle has killed off Sherlock Holmes (much to the disappointment of Queen and country) and is busy writing other stories. But Prof. Bell has an intriguing proposition for Harkness and together they take a brief trip to Germany to assist in uncovering a bit of espionage. After which, Bell returns to Edinburgh leaving Harkness on her own in England. But Harkness is a wonderful character and more than capable of carrying this story all by herself! In the novel Harper credits her as being the inspiration for Irene Adler in the original Sherlock Holmes stories, which is a fun little bit of surrealism since Hawkness is fictional and was more likely inspired (at least to a small degree) by the Irene Adler character but I happen to have it on good authority that the true inspiration for Margaret is real and much closer to home… but I’ll keep that a mystery for now. That is the fun of historical fiction – bits of facts laced with bits of fantasy. It is one of my favorite genres.
Bradley’s writing style is very fast paced and witty. He expertly weaves his factual details into the story so well the reader doesn’t realize how much true knowledge they are being taught. He reminds me of an expert docent from a museum that not only shows you some artifact but has engaging stories about that object and peoples from that time that cause you to happily stand there for hours listening to him. His character development is spot on, with even minor characters being well formed and not easily forgotten.
Does the Queen’s Gambit succeed? You will have to read it to find out. I highly recommend this book and look forward to more form Harper.
I had the privilege to listen to this as an audiobook as performed by Danielle Cohen. She did a phenomenal job employing multiple accents that truly brought the book to life. I highly recommend this format.
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 audio books – but, when able to, she still prefers to curl up with a good book (and a child in her lap).
The Fog Ladies by Susan McCormick/Review by Joy Gorence
The Fog Ladies
by Susan McCormick
The Wild Rose Press
$17.99
ISBN 978-1509227006
Publication Date: October 2019
*Killer Nashville is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. If you purchase a book from the links on this page, Amazon will give Killer Nashville a small percentage of the total sale. Killer Nashville receives zero compensation from publishers who have been selected for the Book of the Day.
2020 Silver Falchion Finalist
The Fog Ladies begins with the death of Muriel Bridge. After Sarah James, a medical intern in her twenties, moves into her newly acquired apartment in San Francisco’s Pacific Heights, she becomes acquainted with some of the building’s residents. When Sarah accompanies Mrs. Noonan, a neighbor, to Muriel’s funeral, she learns that Muriel’s death was due to an accidental fall. However, Olivia Honeycut, a friend and one of the Fog Ladies, doesn’t think that her death was the result of a mishap. When more casualties begin to befall the older residents in the building, the group, which also includes Mrs. Noonan, Alma Gordon, Enid Carmichael, and Harriet Flynn, they solicit Sarah’s help in uncovering the truth.
Susan McCormick has created a delightful cast of personalities in her novel The Fog Ladies, which includes her protagonist, Sarah James. Sarah provides the remaining group of five older women, who “played gin rummy on Mondays and Fridays, volunteered at the hospital, and kept each other company,” the moniker the Fog Ladies after Mrs. Noonan tells her “you could count on [us] like you could count on early morning fog.”
Eventually, the Fog Ladies adopt Sarah into their group. Despite the difference in age between Sarah and the older women, Sarah enjoys their company and begins to believe that the recent accidents may have a more sinister connection. She questions the intentions of some of the tenants and visitors to the apartment building. As the drama of their lives unfolds, Susan McCormick steers her readers through the everyday activities of the building’s residents.
With a series of twists and turns, McCormick builds intrigue through the characters’ interactions. Each character has his or her own story, which McCormick skillfully weaves into the plot. Just as the fog lifts as the day unfolds, Sarah uncovers the truth for the Fog Ladies.
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 Silent Victim by Dana Perry/Review by Liz Gatterer
The Silent Victim
By Dana Perry
Bookouture
$10.99
ISBN 978-1838880941
Publication Date: November 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 Silent Victim: A Jessie Tucker Mystery is a new novel by Dana Perry and the first in what is shaping up to be a griping new crime series. The protagonist is Jessie Tucker, an award-winning journalist living in New York City. She is tough. Really tough. She's the survivor of a brutal attack in Central Park that should have killed her. Her doctors were not hopeful she would ever recover, but she was not about to give up. Twelve years later, the only outward sign of her attack is a slight limp. Her assailant was captured, confessed, and ultimately died in prison. Case closed. But when another woman is attacked in an eerily similar fashion in Central Park, Jessie is determined to find out why. Could it be a copycat? Could her attacker still be out there?
Perry packs a lot of action into just 346 pages. Brutal attacks in Central Park, rape, unjust convictions, identity theft, corrupt politicians, serial killers, drunk drivers, child abusers, hidden pasts, Iraq War heroes (and villains), cross county investigations, and the healing benefits of a good daily exercise regimen. The Silent Victim is an intense read that is worth the next day hangover of an all-night reading binge. Jessie Tucker is an amazing reporter. Even with the limp, she runs circles around law enforcement and stays one step ahead of those that would do her ill.
Dana Perry is the pen name for the very talented real-life reporter, and novelist R.G. Belsky. I have to wonder how much of Jessie is based on Belsky’s own experience a journalist. The characters feel very real. The progression of the story is logical and the twists he puts in, although jarring at the time, make perfect sense. His writing style is very concise. There is not a lot of flowery prose or soul-searching nonsense. It is much more of an honest, gut-check type of book. I am eager for the next book in the Jessie Tucker series.
I personally listened to the audiobook version of this novel narrated by Kate Handford. Her performance of this work was exceptional. I highly recommend giving it a listen.
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).
Rigged by D.P. Lyle/Review by G. Robert Frazier
Rigged
by D.P. Lyle
Oceanview Publishing
$26.99
ISBN 9978-1608093380
Publication Date: May 19, 2020
*Killer Nashville is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. If you purchase a book from the links on this page, Amazon will give Killer Nashville a small percentage of the total sale. Killer Nashville receives zero compensation from publishers who have been selected for the Book of the Day.
Jake Longly may be one of the most reluctant private investigators you’ll ever come across. If it weren’t for his father Ray, who owns the company, and his girlfriend Nicole who pushes him into the business, he’d be just as happy running his Gulf Coast restaurant. But at least once he takes a case, he puts everything he has into it.
Jake is back for the fourth time in D.P. Lyle’s newest novel, Rigged (Oceanview Publishing, $26.95, 9781608093380). But if you’re unfamiliar with him, rest assured this adventure is easily accessible to newbies without having to read any of the prior novels to catch up.
His latest investigation begins simply enough with a routine probe of a couple’s finances ahead of a steamy divorce settlement. But when the female and her newest boyfriend is discovered slain execution style on a beach, the scope of the investigation takes a decidedly sharper turn.
The case is of personal interest to one of Jake’s associates, Tommy (Pancake) Jeffers, who knew the female victim in his grammar school days.
The team quickly divvies up a list of potential witnesses to interview and leads to follow, all with the blessing of the local police chief who welcomes the extra help in solving the twin murders. A packet of drugs found on the male victim opens the door to a possible drug deal gone awry, while the woman’s estranged husband is a natural suspect as well, despite his seemingly airtight alibi on an oil rig at sea at the time of the murders.
Lyle, who is an award-winning author of numerous books and short stories, screenwriter, and host of the Criminal Mischief podcast series, lets the reader in on who did the deed fairly early on, spoiling some of the mystery but amping up the suspense as our intrepid team moves closer and closer to the killer.
The fun part, as in all the Longly books, is in the snappy dialogue exchanges between Jake, his team, and the assorted suspects, making for a somewhat humorous literary escape compared to Lyle’s more serious thriller novels.
G. Robert Frazier is a freelance writer and former reporter and editor at several Middle Tennessee newspapers. He also reviews books for BookPage and BloggingforBooks and has served as a script reader for both the Austin Film Festival and Nashville Film Festival screenwriting competitions.
The Gryphon Heist by James R. Hannibal/Review by G. Robert Frazier
The Gryphon Heist
by James R. Hannibal
Oceanview Publishing
$29.99
ISBN 978-0800737139
Publication Date: Sept 3, 2019
*Killer Nashville is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. If you purchase a book from the links on this page, Amazon will give Killer Nashville a small percentage of the total sale. Killer Nashville receives zero compensation from publishers who have been selected for the Book of the Day.
2020 Silver Falchion Finalist
The Gryphon Heist by James R. Hannibal has been compared to Ocean’s Eleven meets Mission Impossible, and that’s a more than adequate comparison. Certainly, the wide range of characters – each with specialized skills and attributes – are there, as are the thrills and twists associated with such thrillers. Like those movies, I could easily visualize this novel coming to life on the big screen.
Heist starts in typical thriller fashion as we are introduced to protagonist Talia Inger in a Star Trek-like “kobyashi maru” final exam of her CIA training. She fails (Captain Kirk, as you know, cheated), but shows enough ingenuity and determination that she makes a favorable impression. Her reward: an assignment to Other, a literal hole-in-the-wall division nestled in a sub-sub-basement at CIA headquarters.
Not exactly what she was expecting.
Talia, though, makes enough waves in the days that follow that she wins a field assignment: to evaluate the security measures of a Moldovan executive developing a new defense technology. She’s coupled (or should I say hog-tied) with a freelance civilian partner, Adam Tyler, to assist her, though she’s more than wary of Tyler’s true purpose on the mission.
After an attack on the facility by a suspected international terrorist known only as Lukon, Talia is surprised to learn the defense designs are safely stored on the Gryphon, a high-tech aircraft roving in the mesosphere above earth.
Together with a hastily assembled team of uniquely qualified individuals – a pilot, a grifter, a tech geek, and others — Talia launches a bold plan to steal the designs in mid-flight to keep them out of enemy hands. But treachery and double-crosses abound and it isn’t long before Talia suspects Tyler may not be as innocent as he seems and wonders if he is, in fact, the notorious Lukon himself.
A former tactical deception officer and stealth pilot, Hannibal draws on his own expertise and familiarity with covert operations to bring a level of verisimilitude to the novel. A fair dose of cyber-tech jargon is cleverly weaved into the explosive action.
While I am was a bit dubious that a rookie CIA agent would be thrust into the middle of such an intense, high-stakes adventure on her very first field assignment – and I didn’t like that a main character is linked to the death of her father years ago (too coincidental or contrived for my liking) — I didn’t let either of those factors stop me from enjoying the novel as a whole. There’s too much action and intrigue here to let a few little nit-picky things like that get in the way.
Hannibal writes with such skill and authenticity – as well as emotion – that you are immediately wrapped up in the tale at hand. A sequel, Chasing the White Lion, is already on bookshelves (and in my to-be-read stack), so readers should hurry and get in on the ground floor of this new series now. It’s definitely worth the ride.
G. Robert Frazier is a former newspaper reporter and editor. He reviews books for Killer Nashville, BookPage, Chapter 16, and his blog. He has served as a script reader for both the Austin Film Festival and Nashville Film Festival screenwriting competitions and is a member of the Tennessee Screenwriting Association.
THE LAST SCOOP by R.G. Belsky/Review by Sheila Sobel
The Last Scoop
by R.G. Belsky
Oceanview Publishing
$26.95
ISBN 978-1608093571
Publication Date: May 5, 2020
*Killer Nashville is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. If you purchase a book from the links on this page, Amazon will give Killer Nashville a small percentage of the total sale. Killer Nashville receives zero compensation from publishers who have been selected for the Book of the Day.
In The Last Scoop, the third book in the Clare Carlson Mystery series, Clare is busy as ever with her current responsibilities as the Channel 10 news director. So busy, she has no time to help her old friend, mentor and former editor, Martin Barlow, at a time when he needs it the most—when the now-retired Marty is working on what might very well be his last big scoop. When Marty is murdered not long after their meeting, Clare’s sadness and guilt propel her to continue his quest, to complete the investigation that she suspects got him killed. Clare puts all her Pulitzer-Prize-winning, fact-finding skills to work in a relentless effort to discover the truth—a decades-old truth which leads her to a serial killer more deadly and elusive than any other. While navigating both a political minefield in New York and a thirty-year-old murder in Indiana, problems begin to mount for Clare when nobody believes any of her theories. She needs to dig deeper to exhume the long-buried secrets that will convince everyone, including old flame FBI agent Scott Manning, that she has linked the murders of twenty women killed over a thirty-year period. And, she needs to do it before becoming the latest victim of “The Wanderer.”
With multiple suspects, multiple motives, and a hair-raising ending, The Last Scoop is a must-read. Written with a “ripped-from-the-headlines” authenticity, R. G. Belsky has achieved what most authors aim for—that unputdownable, break-neck, can’t-wait-to-see-what-happens-next kind of novel that leaves you waiting in anticipation for the next book in the series.
Yesterday’s News, the first Clare Carlson book, released in 2018 and won the 2018 David Award for Best Mystery at Deadly Ink. Below the Fold, the second Clare Carlson book, released in 2019.
R.G. Belsky is an award-winning author of crime fiction and a journalist in New York City. Belsky won the 2016 Killer Nashville Claymore Award and previously finished as a finalist for both the Silver Falchion and David awards. As a former managing editor at the Daily News, Belsky has an extensive background in everything news. Learn more: https://www.rgbelsky.com/
Sheila Sobel’s debut, Color Blind won the 2017 Killer Nashville Reader's Choice Award for Best Fiction YA and was a Finalist for the 2017 Silver Falchion Award for Best Fiction YA. Sheila was nominated for the 2016 Allegra Johnson Prize in Novel Writing through UCLA Extension Writers’ Program. Learn more: www.sheilasobel.com
Lovely Digits by Jeanine Englert/Review by Laura Stewart Schmidt
Lovely Digits
by Jeanine Englert
Soul Mate Publishing
$13.99
ISBN 978-1682919576
Publication Date: December 20, 2019
*Killer Nashville is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. If you purchase a book from the links on this page, Amazon will give Killer Nashville a small percentage of the total sale. Killer Nashville receives zero compensation from publishers who have been selected for the Book of the Day.
2020 Silver Falchion Finalist
Lucy Wycliffe has a profession that would make her unusual enough in modern times. But in Victorian England, she is positively unique. Lucy lays out corpses for viewing and burial, and takes special pride in treating her deceased clients with the respect they deserve.
As the book opens, Lucy is preparing two of her close friends, both of whom were murdered, presumably by the same killer. At the same time she is dealing with her grief, she has other troubles: she is trying to support her younger sister and baby niece, and the man who owns the note on her family’s house is calling it in. Unless she accepts his proposal of marriage, Lucy will lose the only home she has ever known.
New Constable John Brodie needs Lucy’s help solving the crimes. He has a terrible secret, however, one that would wreck their budding and fragile romance.
Ms. Englert is a good writer, and she has mastered several aspects of storytelling. The narrative voice is more intellectual than modern readers tend to expect, but it fits with the times. Lucy grabs the reader’s attention and sympathy from the opening pages. John is a good man with a kind heart, and the reader senses that he must have had a good reason for doing the deed that will turn Lucy against him once she learns of it. Lucy’s friend Miss Clara is a hoot, and the reader will never be quite sure what her nephew Abe is capable of—or is actually doing.
Suspense is present almost from the beginning—stakes are high all around; the reader knows John’s secret will come out eventually, and both dreads it and anticipates it. Tension ratchets as a body is stolen and John’s office is broken into. There aren’t a lot of suspects, but the few there are have equally good reason to commit murder. Even if you guess who the murderer is (I didn’t), you want to read on for the beauty of the story. What a delight to have a new writer of this caliber!
Laura Stewart Schmidt is the author of Until Proven Innocent, a YA mystery (Black Rose Writing, 2018), and Don't Fear, My Darling, a domestic suspense novel (Black Opal Books, 2019). She has degrees in Political Science and Public Policy Administration from the University of Missouri-St. Louis and has attended enough writing workshops at the University of Wisconsin-Madison to qualify as an honorary Badger. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), Sisters in Crime, and International Thriller Writers. Her eclectic career includes stints as a family court coordinator, drug court advocate, youth mentor, reading specialist, preschool teacher, and disability support counselor. Laura and her husband, whom she met at a hockey game (Let’s go Blues!), live near St. Louis and are the proud companions of two rambunctious hound dogs.
Devoted by Dean Koontz/Review by Liz Gatterer
Devoted
by Dean Koontz
Thomas & Mercer
$18.99
ISBN 978-1542019507
Publication Date: March 31, 2020
*Killer Nashville is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. If you purchase a book from the links on this page, Amazon will give Killer Nashville a small percentage of the total sale. Killer Nashville receives zero compensation from publishers who have been selected for the Book of the Day.
For Megan Bookman, the only thing that matters is her son, Woody. She has built a very structured and safe life for him. It may be lonely for her, but that’s okay. Woody is autistic. He has never spoken a word. But he is exceedingly intelligent. Like many on the spectrum, Woody follows a very specific routine every day, but can also become consumed by a solitary pursuit.
Lately, his obsession has been investigating and documenting the circumstances of his father’s death. He is almost ready to present his findings to his mother.
Kipp was Dorothy’s golden retriever. Like most goldens, Kipp is smart, obedient, good-hearted and loyal. But Kipp is not most goldens. He is very special. When Dorothy passed away, Kipp was supposed to go to Dorothy’s housekeeper, but Kipp has different plans. It’s time for him to move on as well. There is something he is supposed to do. Someone he is supposed to help.
Lee Shacker has just left behind the life he worked so hard—too hard—to build. He is on the run and leaving a trail of disaster behind him.
He is changing. Evolving. Becoming.
And what he is becoming is very evil. But before he vanishes forever, there is just one person from his past he must see… Megan Bookman. She won’t be “the one that got away” for long.
For fans of Dean Koontz, you will be thrilled by his new release, Devoted. If you have never read any of Koontz’s work, Devoted is a great place to start. The tension builds from the first chapter and doesn’t let up until the end. Koontz novels are intense stories that tend to make one stay up until the wee hours of the night. The phenomenal elements that he incorporates into this story are so credible that you may start looking at both dogs and people in a very different light.
Liz Gatterer attended Tulane University while living in New Orleans. It was there that she first began working with authors in the printing industry. Originally from Upstate New York, she moved to Nashville with her husband to pursue their careers (his being music). Three (absolutely fabulous) children later, she has returned to the working world in the industry she loves. She currently lives in Spring Hill with said husband and children, dogs, cats, and various other creatures. The necessity of multitasking has led her to an addiction to audiobooks – but, when able to, she still prefers to curl up with a good book (and a child in her lap).
Two Bites Too Many by Debra H. Goldstein/Review by Gregg E. Brickman
Two Tastes Too Many
by Debra H. Goldstein
Kensington
$7.19
ISBN 978-1496719485
Publication Date: September 24, 2019
*Killer Nashville is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. If you purchase a book from the links on this page, Amazon will give Killer Nashville a small percentage of the total sale. Killer Nashville receives zero compensation from publishers who have been selected for the Book of the Day.
Two Bites Too Many by Debra H. Goldstein is a cozy mystery, the second in the Sarah Blair Mystery series. Sarah, the protagonist and amateur sleuth, is joined again by her twin sister Emily, her boss Harlan, and her cat RahRah. Other familiar characters make an appearance as well, and the reader is introduced to Sarah’s wacky mother Maybelle.
Sarah now lives in the carriage house behind the big house she inherited from her dead ex-husband. She intends to partner with her sister and Marcus, Emily’s boyfriend, to convert the big house into a fine-dining establishment. There are other plans floating around to rezone all of Main Street for conversion to commercial space. Mr. Rogers, Sarah’s across the street neighbor, is one of the locals who objects to the conversion, while his two nephews favor it.
Maybelle finds the bank president and city council president Lance Knowlton dead in his office. The new acting police chief considers her a prime suspect and seems uninterested in pursuing other suspects, though there seems to be many possibilities. The Chief is building a circumstantial case which is augmented by finding Maybelle’s prints on the murder weapon. Sarah is sure her mother is innocent and begins to investigate. At first, Sarah’s boss tells her to leave the investigation to the professionals, later, he encourages her activities.
Goldstein presents an interesting and entertaining mystery for cozy mystery fans. She skillfully develops her continuing characters and shows growth for each from the baseline set in the first in series, One Taste Too Many.
Gregg E. Brickman was born in North Dakota. She completed her education in Florida and embarked on a varied career in clinical, administrative, and academic nursing. Credits include Imperfect Escape, Imperfect Defense, Illegal Intent, She Learned to Die, Plan to Kill, Imperfect Daddy, Imperfect Contract, Illegally Dead, Chapter 14 of Naked Came the Flamingo, a Murder on the Beach progressive novella edited by Barbara Parker and Joan Mickelson, and On the Edge, a short story [MiamiARTzine.com]. The Writers’ Network of South Florida recognized On the Edge among the finalists in their Seventh Annual Short Story Contest. Gregg resides with her husband, Steve, on the Northern Cumberland Plateau in middle Tennessee.
Karluk Bones by Robin Barefield/Review by Laura Stewart Schmidt
Karluk Bones
by Robin Barefield
Publication Consultants
$17.95
ISBN 978-1594338908
Publication Date: September 1. 2019
*Killer Nashville is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. If you purchase a book from the links on this page, Amazon will give Killer Nashville a small percentage of the total sale. Killer Nashville receives zero compensation from publishers who have been selected for the Book of the Day.
KARLUK BONES by Robin Barefield (2019, Publication Consultants), is a great way to get a glimpse into life in Alaska. Karluk is an actual village in the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge that is known for its fishing and bear-watching. According to Ms. Barefield’s notes, there are no roads on the refuge, and small planes and boats are the only ways in and out. The wilderness presents all kinds of danger in the form of blizzards, dense vegetation, bears, and most of all, humans. Therein hangs the tale.
Jane Marcus is on a camping trip with friends when a carelessly-started fire uncovers a set of human bones. Jane’s curiosity and scientific mind (she’s a marine biologist by trade) compel her to want to know who could have gone missing and died in the Alaskan wilderness. The next chapter takes place in 1976 and introduces Bently and Schwimmer, two bear hunters who chartered a local plane to Karluk. An astute reader will immediately smell trouble for the young men. Could the bones belong to one of them? If so, where is the other?
Jane is even more intrigued when a bullet hole is discovered in the skull. Meanwhile, Sergeant Dan Patterson has a new case—pilot Jake Shepherd never returned from a trip to Karluk, and he is ultimately discovered shot to death in his plane. Patterson’s too busy with the case to worry about the old bones Jane has, and with no real evidence of murder (no one reported missing, the faint possibility of suicide, no shells in the vicinity), he gives Jane the go-ahead to research the bones and their possible owner.
The reader is introduced to a lot of characters here, which can be confusing, but it’s worth it to hang on. You want to know who killed Jake. The pace of the story may slow down a bit in the middle, but once things pick up, you will be hooked. The last third of the book moves like Jake’s Beaver, and readers will find it hard to walk away until they know what happens to everyone.
The setting is a character in itself, especially when we see the hapless Bently and Schwimmer in the wilderness, threatened not only by the elements but by the trapper. The reader is never sure what their fate was, and even when it starts to become clear, there are surprises in store.
Ms. Barefield has a gift for putting the readers smack in the middle of a complicated story and settling us in for the ride. KARLUK BONES is the fourth in a series that should continue to captivate readers.
Laura Stewart Schmidt: A lifelong reader and writer, inspired as a child by Harriet the Spy and Emily of New Moon. She minored in criminal justice in the hope that it would make her a more effective and knowledgeable mystery writer. Her Young Adult novel, Sweeter Than Life, was published by Martin Sisters Publishing in 2015. She has spent several years working as a community education coordinator, encouraging parents to read to their preschoolers and starting reading clubs for middle-school students. She also worked as a family court advocate for at-risk youth and parents suffering from substance addiction. Laura is also a member of Sisters in Crime and the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.
The Loop by Nicholas Holloway/Review by Joy Gorence
The Loop
by Nicholas Holloway
JPM Publishing
$8.99
Publication Date: September 2019
*Killer Nashville is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. If you purchase a book from the links on this page, Amazon will give Killer Nashville a small percentage of the total sale. Killer Nashville receives zero compensation from publishers who have been selected for the Book of the Day.
Gallagher Fenton, aka Gal, wakes with a blinding headache to find the brutalized body of a young woman in his bed. Unfortunately, the knife in her throat is his pocketknife. His only recollection of Daphne is one of pleasure. He has no memory of the events surrounding her murder. This “bloody visage of violence and volatility” initiates a series of mysterious events in Nicholas Holloway’s The Loop.
With a dark and ominous tone, Holloway creates a setting of isolation that envelops the characters in his story. Beginning with drops of blood, the novel can only lead the reader to the conclusion that Gal’s story is seeped in misery. Living in a dilapidated house in the shadows of the Sierra Nevada, Gal's life is one of coldness and isolation, which is further illustrated by the snow that shrouds this landscape in this desolate setting.
When Daphne does not return the calls of her aunt, Sandy Castro, Sandy takes the investigation of her missing niece into her own hands. What she uncovers is a number of treacherous and ruthless people in charge of the Sierra Red Lodges, a closely guarded network of prostitution. Gal unfortunately becomes one of its victims and is charged with Daphne’s murder.
Gal’s father is incarcerated for the murder of his mother, and his two older brothers have little love for their mother’s favorite son, Gal. His sister, Scarlet, however, provides him with the support he needs. As the mystery of deaths unfolds, Holloway scripts a message that blood ties can be a curse and a blessing.
Joy Gorence is new to Killer Nashville. She is an author, world-traveler, English professor (ret.), and avid reader. Originally from Long Island, NY she now lives in South Florida with her husband, Bill, and their two pampered kitties.
Deadliest Thief by June Trop/Review by Joy Gorence
The Deadliest Thief : A Miriam bat Isaac Mystery
by June Trop
Black Opal Books
$8.99
ISBN 978-1644372012
Publication Date: October 26, 2019
*Killer Nashville is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. If you purchase a book from the links on this page, Amazon will give Killer Nashville a small percentage of the total sale. Killer Nashville receives zero compensation from publishers who have been selected for the Book of the Day.
2020 Silver Falchion Finalist
The Deadliest Thief is the fifth in the series featuring first-century sleuth, Miriam bat Isaac. When beaten and bruised Penelope arrives at Miriam’s doorstep, she has only minutes to utter, “Document,” before she dies. Distraught, Miriam cradles Penelope’s broken body before she unravels the parchment cylinder and breaks the wax seal. What she learns is that the woman who has died in her arms is not Penelope but her unknown twin, Leda. Soon afterwards, Miriam, a member of an elite class, discovers that Penelope, her best friend and former household slave, has been kidnapped.
In the Deadliest Thief, set in ancient Alexandria, author June Trop manages to paint a canvas that depicts the sights and sounds of the city. As Miriam travels through the city to uncover the mystery behind the death of Leda and Phoebe’s disappearance, the setting becomes integral to the plot. As the reader’s senses are entrenched in the description of Alexandria and Pharos Island, the unlikely alliance between Miriam and a dwarf, Nathaniel ben Ruben, becomes essential.
The mystery involves missing jewels and thievery, with twists and turns that leave the reader guessing until the very end.
Joy Gorence is new to Killer Nashville. She is an author, world-traveler, English professor (ret.), and avid reader. Originally from Long Island, NY she now lives in South Florida with her husband, Bill, and their two pampered kitties.
The Dead of Summer: A Piper Blackwell Mystery by Jean Rabe/Review by Gregg E. Brickman
The Dead of Summer: A Piper Blackwell Mystery
by Susan McCormick
Boone Street Press
$11.00
ISBN 978-1732526716
Publication Date: July 5, 2019
*Killer Nashville is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. If you purchase a book from the links on this page, Amazon will give Killer Nashville a small percentage of the total sale. Killer Nashville receives zero compensation from publishers who have been selected for the Book of the Day.
2020 Silver Falchion Finalist
The Dead of Summer is the third title in the Piper Blackwell Mystery series. Piper Blackwell is a too-young sheriff in Spencer County in southern Indiana. She has a background as an Army MP, but is learning domestic law enforcement from her more experienced deputies, both of whom think they’d be better at her job than she is.
The story begins with two very exciting chapters detailing a tragic accident at the county fair. The narrative then shifts to solving the murder of a local comic book and gaming store owner who is found brutally murdered in his home. A second body, this one belonging to a young man, is found in the trunk of the dead man’s car. A second young man is missing.
The sheriff and her deputies follow multiple leads while struggling with limited resources, long hours, and confusing clues. Meanwhile, the public is seeking answers about the tragedy at the fair.
The powerful opening chapters centered around the county fair tragedy that killed five people snare the reader. Then, as the story progresses it shifts to a more traditional mystery. It is an interesting and entertaining read.
Gregg E. Brickman was born in North Dakota. She completed her education in Florida and embarked on a varied career in clinical, administrative, and academic nursing. Credits include Imperfect Escape, Imperfect Defense, Illegal Intent, She Learned to Die, Plan to Kill, Imperfect Daddy, Imperfect Contract, Illegally Dead, Chapter 14 of Naked Came the Flamingo, a Murder on the Beach progressive novella edited by Barbara Parker and Joan Mickelson, and On the Edge, a short story [MiamiARTzine.com]. The Writers’ Network of South Florida recognized On the Edge among the finalists in their Seventh Annual Short Story Contest. Gregg resides with her husband, Steve, on the Northern Cumberland Plateau in middle Tennessee.
A Palette for Love and Murder by Saralyn Richard/Review by Liz Gatterer
A Palette for Love and Murder
by Saralyn Richard
Black Opal Books
$15.49
ISBN 978-1644372043
Publication Date: January 14, 2020
*Killer Nashville is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. If you purchase a book from the links on this page, Amazon will give Killer Nashville a small percentage of the total sale. Killer Nashville receives zero compensation from publishers who have been selected for the Book of the Day.
Saralyn Richard's newly released novel, A Palette for Love and Murder, is a delightful return to Detective Oliver Parrott and the posh world of Brandywine Valley, Pennsylvania. Many of the characters first introduced to us in Murder in the One Percent (The Killer Nashville 2019 Readers' Choice Silver Falchion winner) have returned in this tale of art, love, and murder. In this story, newlywed Parrott is tasked with solving the case of stolen art from the area’s most notable artist and wealthy resident, Blake Allmond. Several of his paintings have disappeared from his estate—a theft noticed first by his live-in girlfriend, Elle Carmichael (who has a very interesting back story of her own, to boot). Just as the investigation is beginning, Allmond is murdered in his New York City apartment. While the murder investigation is outside of Parrott's jurisdiction, the two crimes must be related, so Parrott is set to solve the theft and, hopefully, assist in solving the murder.
Richard's writing style is perfect for this genre. Her story lines are detailed and logical but still warm and exciting. Even when dealing with tough subjects, like Parrott's wife's PTSD from her time serving in Afghanistan, Richard's compassion and gentleness shine through. Her characters are well developed and endearing to the reader. She has created a diverse and fascinating cast of characters. I hope there will be many more books in this series. We would all be lucky to have an Ollie Parrott in our lives.
Liz Gatterer attended Tulane University while living in New Orleans. It was there that she first began working with authors in the printing industry. Originally from Upstate New York, she moved to Nashville with her husband to pursue their careers (his being music). Three (absolutely fabulous) children later, she has returned to the working world in the industry she loves. She currently lives in Spring Hill with said husband and children, dogs, cats, and various other creatures. The necessity of multitasking has led her to an addiction to audiobooks – but, when able to, she still prefers to curl up with a good book (and a child in her lap).
Secrets of the Galapagos by Sharon Marchisello/Review by Joy Gorence
Secrets of the Galapagos
by Sharon Marchisello
Milford House Press
$16.95
ISBN 978-1620063675
Publication Date: October 2019
*Killer Nashville is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. If you purchase a book from the links on this page, Amazon will give Killer Nashville a small percentage of the total sale. Killer Nashville receives zero compensation from publishers who have been selected for the Book of the Day.
Book of the Day
2020 Silver Falchion Nominee
Sharon Marchisello’s The Secrets of the Galapagos opens with a pulsating description of Giovanna’s close encounter with a hammerhead shark at Gardner Bay. Imagery for the opening scene builds a canvas for Marchisello’s novel. Providing a backdrop of the islands’ vivid details paints a backdrop for the mysterious disappearance of Laurel, Giovanna’s snorkeling partner.
Giovanna Rogers, succumbing to the charms and wily ways of Jerome Haddad, the husband of her close friend in college, entrusts him with her finances for a start-up non-profit organization. She, unfortunately, invests all of her money and her fiancé’s money in the ordeal only to learn that it ends with their financial devastation. As a result, her engagement also falls victim to Jerome’s scheme. Her grandmother, Michelle, a woman young at heart, takes her on a cruise to the Galapagos Islands as a “grand gesture to help [her] get over [her] heartbreak.”
Giovanna, however, soon finds herself a potential suspect in the death of one of the guides, Fernando, and a friend of Laurel’s. The tension builds throughout the story as Daniel Ramos, the cruise director, does not seem to be concerned with the disappearance of Laurel, a researcher who has “spent years studying the wildlife of the Galapagos region.” Giovanna discovers that Laurel and Fernando’ friendship is connected to the conservation of the islands and its tortoise population. Giovanna learns that what Laurel may have uncovered can be a potential problem for the island’s tourism trade. When Detective Victor Zuniga becomes involved in the investigation of Fernando’s murder and Laurel’s disappearance, Giovanna learns the facts of the invents that have unfolded.
Not only does Sharon Marchisello weave a tale of intrigue with a touch of romance, she brings to light tourism‘s impact on the islands’ fragile ecosystems. Hopefully, we may learn more of Giovanna’s escapades in coming novels.
Joy Gorence is new to Killer Nashville. She is an author, world-traveler, English professor (ret.), and avid reader. Originally from Long Island, NY she now lives in South Florida with her husband, Bill, and their two pampered kitties.
Last Call by Manning Wolfe & Laura Oles
Last Call
by Manning Wolfe & Laura Oles
Starpath Books
$8.99
ISBN 978-1944225391
Publication Date: October 2019
*Killer Nashville is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. If you purchase a book from the links on this page, Amazon will give Killer Nashville a small percentage of the total sale. Killer Nashville receives zero compensation from publishers who have been selected for the Book of the Day.
2020 Silver Falchion Finalist
Last Call is the tenth book in the Bullet Books Speed Reads collection. In this installment, Manning Wolfe teams up with Laura Oles, author of Daughters of Bad Men and together they create a fast-paced tale that readers will absolutely devour. The story begins when Jackie Rome, a forty-two-year-old, Austin waitress, decides she needs to do “something else with [her] life” (4). A phone call leads her to a change, but not one she expects. When she arrives at The Rabbit Hole, the “dive bar” her estranged father, Chet Rome, has owned, she learns she is the new owner. Her father lived his life at the bottom of a bottle and with the help of Ray, he barely managed to keep his Colorado Springs bar afloat. Quickly she learns she has also inherited his problems. It is at this point that Wolfe and Oles begin to build the tension that the novel sustains throughout.
It is Dutch, a long-time friend of Chet’s, who educates Jackie regarding the status of the business. A financial arrangement her father made with Ray comes to haunt her, and she finds herself quickly going down her own rabbit hole. With the help of Dutch, she fights her way out.
Jackie’s narrative rapidly moves the plot from one conflict to the next, which engages the reader from the first page to the last. With change comes growth, and by the end Jackie must do “something else” with her life. The final chapter leaves the reader wanting to know what Jackie will find in the next episode.
Joy Gorence is new to Killer Nashville. She is an author, world-traveler, English professor (ret.), and avid reader. Originally from Long Island, NY she now lives in South Florida with her husband, Bill, and their two pampered kitties.
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