Thrilled to Death
L.J. Sellers
Echelon, Sep 1 2010, $13.99
ISBN: 9781590807279
A few hour after impoverished Danielle Blake left her psychiatrist’s office she disappeared. Her baby son Micha’s paternal grandmother Kera Kollmorgan becomes very concerned. She calls her lover Eugene, Oregon Police Detective Wade Jackson who starts the wheels in motion for her to file a missing person’s report the next day.
At about the same time, wealthy Elle Durham, who owns plenty of property in the city, files a missing person’s report on her daughter Courtney. She never came home after going to a club with friends.
His superiors order Jackson to give his full and undivided attention to the Durham case; while, the brass all but ignores the Blake disappearance. When Courtney’s body is found on a bike path near Puget Stadium, his superiors still ignore the Blake case ordering Jackson to focus on finding the killer. Fuming, Jackson investigates the homicide while quietly working the case that interests him.
The newest Detective Jackson police procedural (see Secrets to Die For) is a terrific investigative thriller in which L.J. Sellars argues money matters as the cops chose the dead rich girl over the maybe still alive poor mom. Multilayered yet character driven, the audience will feel Jackson’s frustration with his superiors who twice select wealth (the second time in death) over poverty. The investigation is strong and realistic leading readers to fully relish Jackson’s latest case(s).
Harriet Klausner
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
The Nursing Home-James J. Murphy III
The Nursing Home
James J. Murphy III
L&J Publishing, Sep 17 2010, $14.00
ISBN: 9780984273102
The son of eighty-four year old Morris Grover can no longer cope with living in the same house as his father. Confined to a wheelchair and dependent on his family, Morris constantly makes demands of them. Morris continually fights with the three people he shares the house with until they cannot stand being with him. Sam and his wife Lila forcibly place Morris in a Florida nursing home. He quickly hates the horrific smell and the terrible tasting food. The biggest shock is the abuse the staff heap on the residents. Morris soon meets some men who not just think similar to him, but respect and like him.
At first a series of patients die unexpectedly, but the staff is dying as well and they are getting nastier especially the abusers. The police investigate but find no evidence to arrest anyone although circumstantially wheelchair bound Morris is a person of interest even though the killer had to be able to stand. Four determined teenagers and two of cops investigate who are killing the residents and staff of Riggs Nursing Home.
On top of the guilt of having to place a loved one in a nursing home, this thriller is a double sword horror tale as readers will cringe with what humans do to the elderly while there is also a supernatural spin to the fine mystery. Thus The Nursing Home grips readers on two levels with the abuse being the more horrific as that is realistically portrayed. However, it is the paranormal element that ties the homicides and other incidents together into a enthralling reading experience.
Harriet Klausner
James J. Murphy III
L&J Publishing, Sep 17 2010, $14.00
ISBN: 9780984273102
The son of eighty-four year old Morris Grover can no longer cope with living in the same house as his father. Confined to a wheelchair and dependent on his family, Morris constantly makes demands of them. Morris continually fights with the three people he shares the house with until they cannot stand being with him. Sam and his wife Lila forcibly place Morris in a Florida nursing home. He quickly hates the horrific smell and the terrible tasting food. The biggest shock is the abuse the staff heap on the residents. Morris soon meets some men who not just think similar to him, but respect and like him.
At first a series of patients die unexpectedly, but the staff is dying as well and they are getting nastier especially the abusers. The police investigate but find no evidence to arrest anyone although circumstantially wheelchair bound Morris is a person of interest even though the killer had to be able to stand. Four determined teenagers and two of cops investigate who are killing the residents and staff of Riggs Nursing Home.
On top of the guilt of having to place a loved one in a nursing home, this thriller is a double sword horror tale as readers will cringe with what humans do to the elderly while there is also a supernatural spin to the fine mystery. Thus The Nursing Home grips readers on two levels with the abuse being the more horrific as that is realistically portrayed. However, it is the paranormal element that ties the homicides and other incidents together into a enthralling reading experience.
Harriet Klausner
Theater of Illusion-Kathy Steffen
Theater of Illusion
Kathy Steffen
Medallion, Aug 1 2010, $15.95
ISBN: 9781605420868
She and her brother Tobias survived a horrendous upbringing from an abusive religious father; thanks to her courageous mom who killed the intolerant family patriarch to protect the young from his murderous piety wrath. Now a decade later in 1910, Sarah Perkins will not allow any man to prevent her from doing what she wants to do. Her dream is to become a riverboat pilot though the River Board insists that is a gender specific (meaning males only) occupation. She chooses her childhood friend Jeremy, who she bested in many contests, as a pilot.
Sarah boards the Spirit of the River paddleboat that travels the Ohio and Mississippi praying she has the opportunity to pilot the vessel. Also on board is Le Theatre d’Illusion troupe. Soon afterward, a performer vanishes and much of the crew and passengers become ill with some dying from a mysterious ailment. She worries about her brother who drinks himself into stupors each night to bury the voice of their father that he hears when he is sober. Tobias fears his father possesses him and while intoxicated is killing in the name of God. Sarah is up against an avenging killer who might be her brother gone mad or the only person standing capable of steering the ship of doom to safety.
The third Spirit of the River historical (see Jasper Mountain and First, There Is a River) is a wonderful thriller that reminds readers women have come a long way from the past century as the heroine cannot crack the glass ceiling; women need not apply. Inside a strong mystery-adventure, this fast-paced entry looks at alcoholism, sexism, and other debilitating isms. Fans will want to ride the river with Sarah as their pilot though she reconsiders what she wished for when she first stepped on board.
Harriet Klausner
Kathy Steffen
Medallion, Aug 1 2010, $15.95
ISBN: 9781605420868
She and her brother Tobias survived a horrendous upbringing from an abusive religious father; thanks to her courageous mom who killed the intolerant family patriarch to protect the young from his murderous piety wrath. Now a decade later in 1910, Sarah Perkins will not allow any man to prevent her from doing what she wants to do. Her dream is to become a riverboat pilot though the River Board insists that is a gender specific (meaning males only) occupation. She chooses her childhood friend Jeremy, who she bested in many contests, as a pilot.
Sarah boards the Spirit of the River paddleboat that travels the Ohio and Mississippi praying she has the opportunity to pilot the vessel. Also on board is Le Theatre d’Illusion troupe. Soon afterward, a performer vanishes and much of the crew and passengers become ill with some dying from a mysterious ailment. She worries about her brother who drinks himself into stupors each night to bury the voice of their father that he hears when he is sober. Tobias fears his father possesses him and while intoxicated is killing in the name of God. Sarah is up against an avenging killer who might be her brother gone mad or the only person standing capable of steering the ship of doom to safety.
The third Spirit of the River historical (see Jasper Mountain and First, There Is a River) is a wonderful thriller that reminds readers women have come a long way from the past century as the heroine cannot crack the glass ceiling; women need not apply. Inside a strong mystery-adventure, this fast-paced entry looks at alcoholism, sexism, and other debilitating isms. Fans will want to ride the river with Sarah as their pilot though she reconsiders what she wished for when she first stepped on board.
Harriet Klausner
An Ordinary Decent Criminal-Michael Van Rooy
An Ordinary Decent Criminal
Michael Van Rooy
Minotaur, Aug 3 2010, $24.99
ISBN: 9780312606282
In Winnipeg, career criminal; Montgomery Haaviko is trying to stay legit. His efforts to stay straight are fueled by his wonderful wife and their child. However, his intentions fail when three men break into his home. Though they are armed, Haaviko kills them in self-defense.
He explains to the cops what transpired, but his past catches up with him and he is arrested for murder. Distrusting the Canadian judicial system to give him a fair shake, Haaviko refuses to talk to the police without a lawyer present. The cops severely batter him into unconsciousness trying to make him confess, but he remains mute. Later, in spite of the claim by the police that he confessed Haaviko and his lawyer force all charges to be dropped. However, legally from his point of view the case closed but he is unable to obtain employment. Someone has begun a crusade informing prospective employers that Haaviko is a career felon who just got away with murder.
This is a terrific gritty Canadian crime thriller in which the hero struggles with his past haunting him while he escorts the audience through the harsh criminal underbelly of the city. The story line starts incredible fast-paced and loaded with action, but eventually slightly decelerates as Monty’s woes take center stage. Readers will appreciate this delightfully often darkly humored tale of how difficult it is going straight especially when someone wants to get Monty.
Harriet Klausner
Michael Van Rooy
Minotaur, Aug 3 2010, $24.99
ISBN: 9780312606282
In Winnipeg, career criminal; Montgomery Haaviko is trying to stay legit. His efforts to stay straight are fueled by his wonderful wife and their child. However, his intentions fail when three men break into his home. Though they are armed, Haaviko kills them in self-defense.
He explains to the cops what transpired, but his past catches up with him and he is arrested for murder. Distrusting the Canadian judicial system to give him a fair shake, Haaviko refuses to talk to the police without a lawyer present. The cops severely batter him into unconsciousness trying to make him confess, but he remains mute. Later, in spite of the claim by the police that he confessed Haaviko and his lawyer force all charges to be dropped. However, legally from his point of view the case closed but he is unable to obtain employment. Someone has begun a crusade informing prospective employers that Haaviko is a career felon who just got away with murder.
This is a terrific gritty Canadian crime thriller in which the hero struggles with his past haunting him while he escorts the audience through the harsh criminal underbelly of the city. The story line starts incredible fast-paced and loaded with action, but eventually slightly decelerates as Monty’s woes take center stage. Readers will appreciate this delightfully often darkly humored tale of how difficult it is going straight especially when someone wants to get Monty.
Harriet Klausner
Murder in the Air-Bill Crider
Murder in the Air
Bill Crider
Minotaur, Aug 3 2010, $24.99
ISBN: 9780312386955
The residents of Blacklin County, Texas are outraged over the odious smell coming from Lester Hamilton’s humongous chicken farm. The locals demand County Sheriff Dan Rhodes act now or face unemployment. He insists he has no authority as this is a matter of the state’s Environmental Protection Agency, which everyone knows works for the protection of big business.
At a time he prefers to hide from two female authors who wrote novels starring heroic Sage Barton rumored to be him, he suddenly has a suspicious death to deal with when Hamilton is found dead near a popular fishing spot. Although the Sheriff believes it was an accident caused by "noodling," for large catfish with his hand as bait, he investigates anyway as he knows a lot of people are angry with the deceased. As Rhodes investigates the death, he deals with Robin Hood shooting arrows with notes attached to them and women scantily dressed in feathers protesting the fowl factory farm.
Filled with plenty of the trademark humor, the latest Crider police procedural (see Murder in Four Parts) is a wonderful zany Texas thriller. The story line is fast-paced and loaded with an eccentric cast who add to the zaniness of the plot. This is a fun detective tale in which there may not have been a crime beyond noodling.
Harriet Klausner
Bill Crider
Minotaur, Aug 3 2010, $24.99
ISBN: 9780312386955
The residents of Blacklin County, Texas are outraged over the odious smell coming from Lester Hamilton’s humongous chicken farm. The locals demand County Sheriff Dan Rhodes act now or face unemployment. He insists he has no authority as this is a matter of the state’s Environmental Protection Agency, which everyone knows works for the protection of big business.
At a time he prefers to hide from two female authors who wrote novels starring heroic Sage Barton rumored to be him, he suddenly has a suspicious death to deal with when Hamilton is found dead near a popular fishing spot. Although the Sheriff believes it was an accident caused by "noodling," for large catfish with his hand as bait, he investigates anyway as he knows a lot of people are angry with the deceased. As Rhodes investigates the death, he deals with Robin Hood shooting arrows with notes attached to them and women scantily dressed in feathers protesting the fowl factory farm.
Filled with plenty of the trademark humor, the latest Crider police procedural (see Murder in Four Parts) is a wonderful zany Texas thriller. The story line is fast-paced and loaded with an eccentric cast who add to the zaniness of the plot. This is a fun detective tale in which there may not have been a crime beyond noodling.
Harriet Klausner
Nemesis-Lindsey Davis
Nemesis
Lindsey Davis
Minotaur, Aug 31 2010, $24.99
ISBN: 9780312595425
In AD 77 on a hot summer day in Rome, informer Marcus Didius Falco has twin tragedies strike him almost simultaneously. His newborn son dies just hours after being born and when he took his baby to be buried on his father’s property, he learns his dad died also. As the heir Marcus must make quick business decisions. Marcus has a contract to deliver over a hundred statues to the amphitheater, but when he arrives to pay his father’s supplier for them and pick them up, Julius Modestus and his wife Livia Primilla are nowhere to be found.
The nephew of the missing couple takes remittance for the statues. He also informs Marcus that his Uncle Julius complained about Nobilis of the Claudii family who reside in the desolate Pontine Marshes. Marcus soon learns that the mutilated body of Modesto has been found. Falco and his friend vigiles Petronius investigate. They visit the Pontine Marshes and see how trashy the Claudii live and how everyone in a miles wide radius fears them. As they make progress on the case, their enemy Chief Spy Anacrites takes over the inquiry. Falco realizes someone high up in the government is protecting the Claudii so he and his partner continue their probe.
Falco is home after a best selling trip to Alexandria; once again Lindsey Davis brings to life Rome mostly through the eyes of the informer. As a sort of anti-hero, Falco gets his hands dirty while seeking justice for his late father’s deceased supplier though the inquiry enables him to put his grief as the sandwich generation mourning two deaths on hold. The rest of the cast is strong especially the protagonist’s partner, the first century bureaucrat Anacrites and the squalid living Claudii who ironically have high level protection. This is a terrific Ancient Rome whodunit with surprising twists and Falco running from his grief.
Harriet Klausner
Lindsey Davis
Minotaur, Aug 31 2010, $24.99
ISBN: 9780312595425
In AD 77 on a hot summer day in Rome, informer Marcus Didius Falco has twin tragedies strike him almost simultaneously. His newborn son dies just hours after being born and when he took his baby to be buried on his father’s property, he learns his dad died also. As the heir Marcus must make quick business decisions. Marcus has a contract to deliver over a hundred statues to the amphitheater, but when he arrives to pay his father’s supplier for them and pick them up, Julius Modestus and his wife Livia Primilla are nowhere to be found.
The nephew of the missing couple takes remittance for the statues. He also informs Marcus that his Uncle Julius complained about Nobilis of the Claudii family who reside in the desolate Pontine Marshes. Marcus soon learns that the mutilated body of Modesto has been found. Falco and his friend vigiles Petronius investigate. They visit the Pontine Marshes and see how trashy the Claudii live and how everyone in a miles wide radius fears them. As they make progress on the case, their enemy Chief Spy Anacrites takes over the inquiry. Falco realizes someone high up in the government is protecting the Claudii so he and his partner continue their probe.
Falco is home after a best selling trip to Alexandria; once again Lindsey Davis brings to life Rome mostly through the eyes of the informer. As a sort of anti-hero, Falco gets his hands dirty while seeking justice for his late father’s deceased supplier though the inquiry enables him to put his grief as the sandwich generation mourning two deaths on hold. The rest of the cast is strong especially the protagonist’s partner, the first century bureaucrat Anacrites and the squalid living Claudii who ironically have high level protection. This is a terrific Ancient Rome whodunit with surprising twists and Falco running from his grief.
Harriet Klausner
Eternal Kiss Of Darkness-Jeaniene Frost
Eternal Kiss Of Darkness
Jeaniene Frost
Avon, Jul 27 2010, $7.99
ISBN: 9780061783166
Ancient Egyptian Master Vampire Mencheres believes his life is coming to an end. Ti protects those he cherishes from an in family civil war to replace him by designating Bones as his co-ruler; especially since he expects a life and death showdown with his enemy Radjedef.
In Chicago, Ghouls seemingly have trapped Mencheres, but mortal private investigator Kira Graceling saves his life; at least she thinks so when she courageously dives into the fight. Stunned by the mortal’s bravery, Mencheres finds himself dazzled by Kira who is attracted to him though fearful of the strange world she discovered when she jumped into his fight. However, as he now has a reason to live, he fears her distraction and attraction will kill both of them.
The second sidebar spin-off from the superb Night Huntress saga (see First Drop of Crimson) is a great urban fantasy as the Master vampire falls in love at an extremely bad time. Filled with action, as Mencheres tries to keep his beloved from becoming a pawn in the death match with his adversary a great risk to his existence, Jeaniene Frost continues to be one of the sub-genre’s top Master mages.
Harriet Klausner
Jeaniene Frost
Avon, Jul 27 2010, $7.99
ISBN: 9780061783166
Ancient Egyptian Master Vampire Mencheres believes his life is coming to an end. Ti protects those he cherishes from an in family civil war to replace him by designating Bones as his co-ruler; especially since he expects a life and death showdown with his enemy Radjedef.
In Chicago, Ghouls seemingly have trapped Mencheres, but mortal private investigator Kira Graceling saves his life; at least she thinks so when she courageously dives into the fight. Stunned by the mortal’s bravery, Mencheres finds himself dazzled by Kira who is attracted to him though fearful of the strange world she discovered when she jumped into his fight. However, as he now has a reason to live, he fears her distraction and attraction will kill both of them.
The second sidebar spin-off from the superb Night Huntress saga (see First Drop of Crimson) is a great urban fantasy as the Master vampire falls in love at an extremely bad time. Filled with action, as Mencheres tries to keep his beloved from becoming a pawn in the death match with his adversary a great risk to his existence, Jeaniene Frost continues to be one of the sub-genre’s top Master mages.
Harriet Klausner
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)