Review: HE TROTS THE AIR by Marilyn M. Fisher
Posted by Agnes in Uncategorized on January 9th, 2012
He Trots the Air
Marilyn M. Fisher
American Book Publishing
978-1-58982-794-3
268 pages
$19.95 paperback
Reviewed by Agnes Dee
He Trots The Air is the second book in a series of Connie Holt mysteries. Connie is a quick-witted insurance investigator, for the McCutcheon Equine Insurance Company.
The ‘farms’ of Albemarle county may be stately, the owners supporting the careers of many, and the cars and horses, expensive. And a bad turn with a racehorse can cause all the wealth involved to slip through an owner’s fingers.
Sometimes an owner feels that he’d be better off claiming the insurance on a horse that has had an ‘accident’. Connie has seen such attempts. So has Cary McCutcheon, a good friend of hers, who may have made a few enemies when he confronted unscrupulous racehorse owners at the McCutcheon’s farm and stables.
Connie has found that someone may be seeking revenge, by drugging Darkling Lord, a promising horse owned by her friend. She also reconciles with Tony Stephens, a man who in, “Three Dead Horses” (the first book in the series), admits both his guilt, and his love for Connie.
Will Connie find out who is behind the plot to drug Cary’s horse, and will they be able to stop it?
DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION
I have a material connection because I received a review copy that I can keep for consideration in preparing to write this content. I was not expected to return this item after my review.
Review: THE LOVER by Laura Wilson
Posted by Amanda in Crime, Historical Mystery, Murder Mystery on December 29th, 2011
The Lover
Laura Wilson
Felony and Mayhem Press
ISBN: 978-1-934609-88-0
$14.95
321 pages
Reviewed by Amanda Capper
The Lover is a very good read with the added titillation of being a BOAT (Based on a True). This book revolves around The Blackout Ripper and will entice any fan of true crime to research further, if for no other reason than to see just how much in common The Lover has with Jack the Ripper.
Set in London during the Second World War, the story centers on three characters; Lucy, a young woman reaching maturity during uncertain times; Rene, a prostitute constantly living under a threat of local violence; and Jim, an Air Force pilot who becomes the love interest of Lucy. The author writes in the first person for each of these characters and does an excellent job of keeping the voice of each character distinct. Laura Wilson also does an excellent job of suspense, tying the characters together at crucial points of the story and giving the reader a very good idea of what motivates both victim and murderer.
The Lover also reminds us how darn good we have it these days. If our cable goes down, or our internet speed slows, we think we’re hard done by. But black-outs were routine during the war. In order to decrease targets for enemy planes, all lights were extinguished and Londoners were expected to head for air raid shelters under ground. Where they sat and listened to the bombs fall, wondering all the time if the bombs would fall on their homes and any loved ones who didn’t make it to an air raid shelter in time. Add to these fears the horror of someone attacking and mutilating the most helpless of women and you have an account of a whole city on the brink of insanity.
It is a can’t-put-down, up-all-night type of book because you want/need to know what happens next to these three main characters, as well as the secondary characters woven into their lives. As with any good book, when the end comes, you want more. Guaranteed to send the reader into research mode.
Copyright © 2011 Amanda Capper
DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: I have a material connection because I received a review copy that I can keep for consideration in preparing to write this content. I was not expected to return this item after my review.
Review: FEVER DREAM by Dennis Palumbo
Posted by Laura in Crime, Murder Mystery on December 28th, 2011
Fever Dream
Dennis Palumbo
Poisoned Pen Press
ISBN-9781590589595
342 pages
$14.95 (soft cover)
Reviewed by Laura Hartman
The weather isn’t the only thing heating up in Dennis Palumbo’s latest Daniel Rinaldi novel. Fever Dream finds psychologist Rinaldi on the hot plate when he is called in by the Pittsburg PD to help the only survivor of a bank robbery gone bad. Treva is so traumatized she is unable or unwilling to communicate with anyone but Rinaldi.
Things go from bad to worse as shady politicians, kidnapping and death circle around Rinaldi. Nothing comes easy in this case, especially when half of the cops on the PD resent the consulting psychologist and his theories.
Stirring in ex-girlfriends, former patients and the possibility of a new love interest thickens the plot as things become more and more complicated. The fast-paced action makes this novel a real page turner, but take the time to appreciate the beauty of Palumbo’s writing. Descriptions like “…spreading tendrils of Interstate 76 reaching delicately into furrowed valleys…” are gems found throughout the book.
Fever Dream is Palumbo’s second in his Daniel Rinaldi Mystery series, following Mirror Image. I have not read the first in the series and found Fever Dream fine as a stand-alone novel. Because it was well written and intriguing, I am looking forward to going back and reading the first in his series.
Copyright © 2011 Laura Hartman
DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: I have a material connection because I received a review copy that I can keep for consideration in preparing to write this content. I was not expected to return this item after my review.
Review: CHOKE by Kaye George
Posted by Laura in Cozy mystery, Crime, Female sleuth on December 28th, 2011
Choke
Kaye George
Mainly Murder Press, LLC
ISBN-978-0-9827952
214 pages
$14.95 (soft cover)
Reviewed by Laura Hartman
Kaye George has a recipe for success with her Imogene Duckworthy mystery Choke. Imogene – Immy to her family and friends – quits her job working for at her slimy uncle’s diner in hopes of following her dream to become a private eye. How hard can it be? Immy watches PI shows on TV and even reads The Moron’s Compleat PI Guidebook for tips and tricks of the trade.
She jumps into her new career with both feet in mismatched shoes when Uncle Huey turns up murdered and her mother is the main suspect. Immy breaks her mom out of jail and they go on the lamb while Immy searches for the real killer. The sharp contrast of Hortense’s propensity for ten dollar words when discussing everyday things and Immy’s new PI lingo made me laugh out loud more than once.
This quick cozy is entertaining and often tongue-in-cheek. Subtle jokes make me chuckle like Immy’s late father’s name, Louis and her Uncle’s name Huey. All we need is Dewey and we have all three of Donald Duck’s nephews. Very fitting names for a Duckworthy family. Immy’s daughter is named Nancy Drew Duckworthy, again perfect for the daughter of a want-to-be detective.
Stephanie Plum needs to watch out for the new PI in town, Immy has all the charm and the right touch of zaniness to take over as top duck with her mixture of armchair detection and just enough knowledge to get herself in trouble without even trying. Mix in the small town cast of characters, a couple of possible love interests that popped up in Choke and we are on the way to books that readers can’t wait to get their hands on next in the series.
Copyright © 2011 Laura Hartman
DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: I have a material connection because I received a review copy that I can keep for consideration in preparing to write this content. I was not expected to return this item after my review.
Review: MURDER IN A BASKET by Amanda Flower
Posted by Diane in Cozy mystery, Crime, Murder Mystery on December 28th, 2011
Murder In A Basket
An India Hayes Mystery
Amanda Flower
ISBN: 978-1-4328-2567-6
Five Star Publishing
281 Pages
Reviewed By Diane Grace
India Hayes, college librarian and struggling artist, is talked into running a face-painting booth at the Founders’ Day Festival by her older sister, Carmen. She’s not sure how her sister persuaded her to dress in the pink pioneer costume, including mobcap and granny boots, but that’s a small problem when she finds one of her fellow artists dead.
The woman, a basket weaver named Tess Ross leaves behind an angry blacksmith husband, an adopted son, squabbling siblings, an artists co-op she helped start and a labradoodle with a trust fund.
India with her backbone of cooked spaghetti and relatives that put the word dysfunctional in the dictionary, finds herself talked into searching for the killer by the distraught son, a college student with a crush on India. In her search for answers she is conned by the victim’s lawyer into being the foster-owner of the labradoodle until things are settled. To make matters worse, Tess is the sister of the college provost, India’s pompous superior. The further India looks into the matter the worse things get. With a little luck, India will find the answer to her quest before she becomes the murderer’s next victim.
Murder In A Basket is Amanda Flower’s sophomore effort in a series featuring India Hayes, college librarian and amateur artist. Ms. Flower’s writing style fits in nicely with other professional cozy mystery writers, Earlene Fowler, M.C. Beaton, Barbara Colley and others. The story has more twists and turns than the baskets the murder victim made. India goes blundering into one situation after another. And if she can’t get into enough trouble by herself, her neighbor and family will be happy to do it for her. All in innocence of course.
This is a delightful story, I would find myself immersed in the characters, rooting for them to succeed, cringing when they got in over their heads. Made me wish there was a Stripling, Ohio and a Founders’ Festival to visit. I can recommend Murder In A Basket without qualm one to any cozy mystery reader.
Copyright 2011 by Diane Grace
Disclosure of material connection: I have a material connection because I received a review copy that I can keep in consideration preparing to write this content. I was not expected to return this item after my review.
Review: TWIN SPIRIT by Matthew Thompson
Posted by Diane in Fantasy, Young adult on December 28th, 2011
Twin Spirit
Matthew Thompson
Paperback: 292 pages
Publisher: Domino Galaxy (1 Oct 2011)
ISBN-10:0956974600
ISBN-13:978-0956974600
book Published by Domino Galaxy for Smashwords
218 pages
Reviewed by Diane Grace
A book, a spell, and a moonlit night allow twins separated at birth to speak to each other for the first time. Lily, a primitive spirit trapped on Earth from the time she was born with no means to make herself heard or felt, is used to disparaging her living twin with no effect. She is totally amazed when her sister, Rose, reads a spell that reveals Lily to her. Lily convinces Rose they must go to the distant world of Kiian to find their mother, the only one that can separate them so Lily can have a life of her own. There just one slight hitch. Neither humans nor primitive spirits are allowed in the alternate galaxy called Domino where the girls must go to find their mom. And the dangerous journey begins. The girls meet those who would help them as well as those who would harm them.
Twin Spirit is an interesting read despite the somewhat disjointed method of delivery. Once the actual journey begins we get the back story of every new entity the twins encounter. It makes for an abrupt stop every couple of chapters while we learn another history.
The main protagonists of this story are reputed to be nine, shortly to be ten. It is my understanding that, typically, readers prefer the main characters to be a little older than themselves which would make the average age of the reader eight to nine. Yet a good deal of the novel is written in a more mature style than that age group would indicate. I would put it in the category of young adult if I had not been told the ages of our heroes in the first chapter.
I no longer quibble about typographical errors, it’s in too many professional publications to be worth the page space to complain. I will say the ebook version of Twin Spirit contains its share.
If your tween likes alternate universes, scary but not graphic violence, she may well like this book.
Copyright 2011 Diane Grace
DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: I have a material connection because I received a review copy that I can keep for consideration in preparing to write this content. I was not expected to return this item after my review.
Review: THE CONCERT KILLER by R J McDonnell
Posted by Marlene in Crime, Modern Detective, Murder Mystery on November 16th, 2011
The Concert Killer
RJ McDonnell
isbn 978-0-9814914-5-5
Published by Kileena Publishing Scranton, PA
308 pages
Reviewed by Marlene Pyle
This is the third novel in the Rock & Roll series, again featuring former band member and mental health counselor, Jason Duffy. Now a private investigator, Jason staffs his office with past clients from his days as a therapist, and they are a quirky but lovable crew.
The son of a gruff retired cop, Jason comes naturally to the field of crime fighting, but he doesn’t always see eye to eye with his old-school, traditional dad. Jason’s also recently begun living with his school teacher girlfriend, Kelly, and they don’t quite have all the kinks in their relationship worked out yet.
But Jason’s got bigger problems. The novel opens with the murder of a young woman in a restroom at a concert arena. When it becomes evident that a serial killer is picking off victims at local concerts, the concert promoters hire Jason to track him down, but some of the businessmen seem more worried about their profit margins than the safety of their customers.
The murderer is a misguided religious fanatic. He keeps score of his kills on the back of a dollar bill and leaves taunting clues at the scene of each brutal crime. As Jason gets closer to identifying the killer, his own life and those of the people he loves may also be in danger.
Fast paced and full of action, this is a well-told story set in the glamourous world of high-dollar rock and roll.
Copyright 2011 Marlene Pyle
Disclosure of material connection: I have a material connection because I received a review copy that I can keep in consideration preparing to write this content. I was not expected to return this item after my review.
Review: DYING FOR A DANCE by Cindy Sample
Posted by Marlene in Cozy mystery, Humor, Murder Mystery, Romance on November 16th, 2011
Dying For A Dance
Cindy Sample
Published by L & L Dreamspell
ISBN 978-1-60318-427-4
263 pages
Cover price $16.95
Reviewed by Marlene Pyle
You’ve got to love Laurel McKay, the main character in Cindy Sample’s novel, “Dying For a Dance.” Laurel is a divorced mom in her late thirties who works in banking by day. In the evenings she’s taking ballroom dance lessons to prepare for her best friend’s wedding. But there’s more than just the foxtrot going on in the dance studio.
When two of the dance instructors are murdered, Laurel is quickly drawn into the hunt for a killer. Her boss is one of the prime suspects, so she needs to clear his name, and it doesn’t hurt that she has the hots for the hunky lead detective either.
Laurel is funny and sarcastic. With a blade being held to her throat, her first thought is that “nobody better move, especially me.” Her second concern is that her captor had just called her fat.
Backed up by Laurel’s loving but highly critical mother, her gay work assistant, Stan, and Tom, the cute cop, the cast of characters is packed with humor. “Dying” is a light-hearted romantic comedy sure to please female mystery fans.
Copyright 2011 Marlene Pyle
Disclosure of material connection : I have a material connection because I received a review copy that i can keep in consideration for preparing to write this content. I was not expected to return this item after my review.
Review: The House in Windward Leaves by Katherine L. Holmes
Posted by Agnes in Fantasy, Humor, Young adult, adventure on November 16th, 2011
The House in Windward Leaves
Katherine L. Holmes
Couchgrass Books
ISBN13: 9780615507170
153 pages
$9.95
Reviewed by Agnes Dee
In The House in Windward Leaves , the children are intrigued by a mystery man who has come to the small town. Hired to paint a house owned by the town’s spinster, the painter works to finish the colorful murals in time for a Halloween party that turns into a true fantasy for seven children. Though the storyline is a bit confusing, and the plot slight, it’s a very pleasant read. Each child assumes a character, establishes a new life on the ‘far away star’, and finds that by the end of the book they have developed a new talent, interest, or have discovered something about their life. Marketed for youth, this story is best suited for younger readers. Though set during Halloween, there are only positive characters.
DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: I have a material connection because I received a review copy that I can keep for consideration in preparing to write this content. I was not expected to return this item after my review.
Review: THE PORTAL by Christopher Allan Poe
Posted by Dorothy in Crime, Paranormal, Suspense on November 11th, 2011
The Portal
Christopher Allan Poe
Black Opal Books
ISBN: 978-1-937329-13-6
Copyright 2011
293 pages
Reviewed by Dorothy Francis
Most readers may be relieved to know that THE PORTAL is a work of fiction. Names, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and any resemblance to actual persons is entirely coincidental. Before reading this paranormal thriller, please be prepared to suspend your disbelief and prepare for a page turner that will keep you reading long after you decided to go to bed. Even if you went to bed you probably wouldn’t be able to get to sleep.
Also, prepare yourself to tolerate four-letter words throughout the book, sometimes several on a page. If the writing in the book wasn’t so skillfully done, one might consider the off-color words a poverty of language since only a scant dozen or so were used from a multiplicity of colorful choices.
The author has created memorable characters that are easily recognized by a few characteristics. Who could forget Mr. Vincent, the teddy bear with the dangling eye? Or Jarod with a claw-like hand? The characters are easily recognized as good guys or bad guys, and the author is adept at creating evil that lurks in many forms.
Cody Carmichael and his mother, Vivian Carmichael, (good guys) have been hiding in the San Bernardino Mountains. Their selected hideaway lies far distant from any towns, cell phone towers, or cameras as they seek refuge from Cody’s father and her husband, Jarod Carmichael (bad guy). Vivian has good reason to believe that Jarod may murder her and Cody, and she tries to protect herself and her son at all costs.
Four-year-old Cody is a different kind of child, one who can remember things that happened long before he was born, one who can carry on relevant conversations with Mr. Vincent, his teddy bear.
There are other good guys and other bad guys in the story, but every time Vivian seems about to succeed in keeping Cody safe from Jarod, the bad guys step forward and she lands in more spine-chilling danger than ever. The reader must read to the last page to discover the family’s dark secret and how Vivian and Cody deal with it.
Author Christopher Allan Poe is a writer to be aware of. The writing world will be waiting to read his future books, to see where his writing career will take him.
Copyright 2011 Dorothy Francis
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