Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, & technology book reviews, plus social, political, & economic commentary
Outcry WitnessThomas ZigalTCU Press (http://www.prs.tcu.edu) This concluding novel in Thomas Zigal’s “New Orleans Trilogy” is a compelling and well-written mystery thriller. It also is timely and reflective of controvery. Worldwide, Catholicism continues to be roiled by dark headlines about sexual abuse cases involving supposedly celebate priests and other church officials. In U.S. law, according to … Continue reading Hiding and Exposing Sins
“The Book Artist,” the eighth book in Mark Pryor’s Hugo Marston mystery series, is entertaining, absorbing–and paced a bit slower than some detective/police procedurals. That’s because it offers readers a nice mixture of Paris atmosphere and American diplomats and others living, working and partying in Paris. The novel’s law-enforcement angles also require some slower pacing. … Continue reading ‘The Book Artist’ is Mark Pryor’s eighth Hugo Marston mystery – #bookreview
See Also Deception Larry D. Sweazy Seventh Street Books As I have mentioned here before, I love mystery stories where the investigator is an ordinary citizen, not a well-trained police detective or a struggling private sleuth beaten down by drunkenness, personal demons, and too many bad cases. The investigator in See Also Deception, the second novel … Continue reading ‘See Also Deception’: A good addition to the Marjorie Trumaine mystery series #bookreview
Woman with a Blue Pencil Gordon McAlpine Seventh Street Books – paperback, Kindle What if the characters in a mystery novel are alive in some other universe, and their world keeps changing, because their book, unknown to them, is being edited and rewritten? And what if one of those characters is … Continue reading ‘Woman with a Blue Pencil’ – Characters in a mystery novel that is being rewritten find themselves in conflict in a world that keeps changing – #bookreview
The Secret Life of Anna Blanc Jennifer Kincheloe Seventh Street Books – paperback, Kindle This feisty debut novel makes the case that it’s tough to be a female detective…especially in 1907. The Secret Life of Anna Blanc is a clever blending of mystery, murder, and social commentary, along with elements of a comedy of … Continue reading ‘The Secret Life of Anna Blanc’ – This debut murder mystery has everything from comedy to horror – #bookreview
The Survivors A Cal Henderson Novel Robert Palmer Seventh Street Books – paperback, Kindle What a swamp a single lie can lead to. Washington, D.C., psychologist Cal Henderson thinks this to himself while he is trying, years later, to sort out the real reasons behind why his two young brothers and father were … Continue reading The Survivors: A complex mystery unfolds in this good series-debut novel – #fiction #bookreview
The Guise of Another Allen Eskens Seventh Street Books – paperback, Kindle, Audio Book This engrossing, exciting new detective thriller by Minnesota novelist Allen Eskens has many startling twists and turns. It also has a dark soul. Under suspicion of corruption, Minneapolis police detective Alexander “Festus” Rupert has been reassigned to the Frauds … Continue reading The Guise of Another: A gripping thriller with a dark soul – #fiction #bookreview
Dante’s Dilemma A Mark Angelotti Novel Lynne Raimondo Seventh Street Books – paperback, Kindle Lynne Raimondo puts her legal background and well-honed writing skills solidly to work in Dante’s Dilemma, her third Mark Angelotti novel. Part of the enjoyment of reading this well-crafted mystery is watching the author stretch to keep Dr. Angelotti, a … Continue reading Dante’s Dilemma – A solid mystery featuring a blind psychiatrist as investigator – #bookreview
Little Pretty Things Lori Rader-Day (Seventh Street – paperback, Kindle) Lori Rader-Day already has proven she can write a good mystery. Her debut book, The Black Hour, won the 2015 Lovey Award for best first novel. In Little Pretty Things, her forthcoming second novel, the Chicago writer gives us a most unusual investigator: a … Continue reading ‘Little Pretty Things’: An engrossing new mystery from Lori Rader-Day – #bookreview
A Deadly Affair at Bobtail Ridge Terry Shames (Seventh Street – paperback, Kindle) The title may be a bit too folksy and over the top for a few hard-core mystery lovers. But the Samuel Craddock investigative series by Terry Shames does an excellent job of capturing the sights, sounds, speech patterns, customs, mannerisms and values … Continue reading A new mystery from Terry Shames: ‘A Deadly Affair at Bobtail Ridge’ – #bookreview #mystery
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