Storm and Steel: The Book of the Black Earth, Part Two - Jon Sprunk

Storm and Steel: The Book of the Black Earth, Part Two

Jon Sprunk

Pyr, Jun 2 2015, $18.00

ISBN: 9781633880108

In Erugash Horace the ship’s carpenter and mage smashed the Temple of the Sun and liberated Queen Byleth (see Blood and Iron) from their power; but also alienated nobles wanting to eliminate his influence with the monarch anyway possible.  However, Horace failed to eliminate the Sun Cult priests; who fled across the border into Akeshia.  There they obtain allies in an invasion of Erugash.

Ignoring the threats that remain to her rule from outside the kingdom and from within her palace, Queen Byleth orders her royal mage to viciously destroy a slave rebellion led by Horace’s best friend Jirom and the latter’s lover.  Horace pleads with his liege to seek a peaceful solution at a time when he struggles with his sorcery and with a rash of magical mysterious murders from an unknown source.

The second Book of the Black Earth is an electrifying fantasy due to the ineptness of the lead character who recognizes his failures from a lack of magical control, lack of finesse within the royal court and lack of understanding of his love for Alyra.  Horace wants to sail away from his responsibilities to this foreign culture and its enigmatic queen that he cannot comprehend; eliminate his unwanted magic that he cannot comprehend; and run away from love that he cannot comprehend.  In the immortal words of the late comedian Joe E. Lewis: “Show me a friend in need and I'll show you a pest.”

Harriet Klausner

Small-Town Secrets - Pamela Tracy

Small-Town Secrets

Pamela Tracy

Harlequin Heartwarming, Jun 1 2015, $6.50

ISBN: 9780373367276

In Scorpion Ridge, Arizona, Twice Told Tales used bookstore owner Yolanda Sanchez follows the smoke to a woman puffing on a cigarette days before her grand opening.  The seasoned smoker states she seeks proof that can only be found in an old history book on the town; Yolanda says she has not unpacked all the books yet.  Yolanda thinks of her pragmatic mom who’s frugal and all business-like lifestyle she emulated.  Just before her mom died, she advised her daughter to follow her dream.  Thus with her inheritance she converted the family Victorian into a bookstore.  The smoker explains she is staying with relatives, the Ventigmila family who along with the Moore clan founded the town.

Although radically different in demeanor than his employer whom he knew in school, Adam Snapp also left Scorpion Ridge to come home for a parent.  He returned when his dad became ill and obtained work renovating Yolanda’s home into Twice Told Tales.  They become engrossed in the smoker’s mystery especially when it shockingly agitates their grandparents and the other elderly who insist the smoking customer died decades ago.

The love subplot takes a backseat to the intriguing enigma of whom the first customer is, the history of the town, and a historiographer’s theory of relativity when each person interviewed provides a different perspective to what happened years ago.  Leisurely-paced, Pamela Tracy’s return to Scorpion Ridge (see What Janie Saw, Katie’s Rescue and Holiday Homecoming) is an entertaining romantic mystery.

Harriet Klausner

From A High Tower - Mercedes Lackey

From A High Tower

Mercedes Lackey

DAW, Jun 2 2015, $25.95

ISBN 9780756408985

In Freiberg, Friedrich Schnittel struggles to feed his eight children and pregnant wife Maria when he finds a plentiful garden.  He brings home food, but on his third nocturnal raid, a cold female voice growls at him for stealing from her garden.  Instead of her dogs attacking him or prison, the Earth Master allows him to continue to feed his children and spouse in exchange for the soon to be born baby.

Mother raises Giselle in isolation except somewhat for the Black Forest Foresters.  Whenever Mother must leave Giselle by herself, she locks her daughter inside a tower allegedly to keep her safe.  While Mother is in Fredericksburg, a handsome young man Johann Schmidt arrives at the Tower.  She helps him up into the Tower, but when he attacks her, she displays the skills of an Air Master until Mother tosses the rogue out the window.  When Mother dies, Giselle dressed as Gunther leaves her only home.

The Eleventh Elemental Masters (see Blood Red and Steadfast) is an engaging version of Rapunzel.  Readers will appreciate the heroine’s hairy misadventures, but lacks tension as Giselle’s key adversary makes extremely limited appearances.

Harriet Klausner

At His Service - Suzanne Rock

At His Service

Suzanne Rock

St. Martin’s, Jun 2 2015, $7.99

ISBN: 9781250059253

Exasperated by poor management starting with CEO Marco “Casanova” Perconti, Karin Norell needs to hang on for twelve weeks before she informs the Perconti Hotel leadership to “take this job and shove it” (Johnny Paycheck) up their dumb affluent butts.  Once she obtains her hospitality degree, frustrated Karin plans to quit, but will do her best even if ideas from staff like her die in unopened voice mail. 

Everyone is on edge with the General, Marco’s demanding older brother Leo, arriving at the Boston hotel.  The penthouse suite Leo will stay in was trashed last night by another brother “Martini”.  Trapped in the penthouse following a last second cleaning, Karin overhears Marco begging Leo for money for the hotel, but the General says no.  After the sibling meeting, Leo sees Karin and assumes Marco sent her.  Though she should retreat, they share sex in the tub and elsewhere.  When Marco’s female “gift arrives, Karin begs Leo not to fire her as she flees.  Distracted Leo wonders who she is while Karin now knows why her friend Wes risks all for trysts with a Perconti even as the paparazzi sharks gather for the kill. 

The first Playboys of Boston contemporary is an enjoyable romance though the premise has been done numerous times (see the Lopez-Fiennes movie Maid In Manhattan).  There is some redundancy that affirms this originally were e-books serialization.  Suzanne Rock brilliantly captures the hotel’s hierarchy in which the actual value of an idea is equal to its worth and as critical the level of its highest supporters (paraphrasing one of Putt’s Laws).

Harriet Klausner

Resorting to Murder: Holiday Mysteries - Edited by Martin Edwards

Resorting to Murder: Holiday Mysteries

Edited by Martin Edwards

Poisoned Pen, Jun 2 2015, $12.95

ISBN 9781464203756

“The Adventure of the Devil’s Foot” by Arthur Conan Doyle.  In 1899 Holmes is on vacation when the vicar asks him to investigate a death.

“A Schoolmaster Abroad” by E. W. Horning.  In Switzerland Dr. Dollar tries to prove his mentor did not prescribe the deadly strychnine pills.

“Murder!” by Arnold Bennett.  The husband and the wannabe compete for the same woman.

“The Murder on the Golf Links” by M. McDonnell Bodkin.  The final score is murder.

“The Finger of Stone” by G. K. Chesterton.  In France, the tourists find a corpse-less homicide.

“The Vanishing of Mrs. Fraser” by Basil Thomson.  Mother and daughter attend the Paris Exhibition when the older woman becomes ill before disappearing.

“A Mystery of the Sand-Hills” by R. Austin Freeman.  Science tries to uncover what happened to a missing person.

“The Hazel Ice” by H. C. Bailey.  At an Alpine resort, Fortune and Swiss policeman Stein investigate an avalanche death.

“Razor Edge” by Anthony Berkeley.  An accident leaves one dead, but the inquiry questions what happened.

“Holiday Task” by Leo Bruce.  On Normandy vacation, Sergeant Beef joins the inquiry into a body tossed off a cliff.

“A Posteriori” by Helen Simpson.  A holiday in Paris does little good for prim and proper Miss Charters.

“Where is Mr. Manetot?” by Phyllis Bentley.  Economic historian Manetot goes missing from his Yorkshire home.

“The House of Screams” by Gerald Findler.  The ghost wants to be left alone.

“Cousin Once Removed” by Michael Gilbert.  He plans to kill his cousin to inherit the estate.

These are engrossing British holiday mysteries written in the first half of the twentieth century with most entries from the 1920s.  I enjoyed all but especially meeting authors I never heard of.

Harriet Klausner

The Unlikely Lady - Valerie Bowman

The Unlikely Lady

Valerie Bowman

St. Martin’s, May 5 2015, $7.99

ISBN: 9781250042095

In 1816 London, to her mother’s chagrin, Jane Lowndes prefers a book to meeting eligible gentlemen.  To attend her friend Cass Monroe wedding to new Earl Julian Swift (see The Accidental Countess) in Surrey without the bothersome of a chaperone, Jane invents Mrs. Bunbury.

Still rebounding from the Napoleonic Wars, Lord Garrett Upton prefers a life of rakish no responsibility except sending money to the mother of a friend who died in combat.  He looks forward to Julian’s party but loathes the bluestocking pain in the butt Miss Jane Lowndes who also will be there.  Having survived war, Garrett figures he could deal with this adversary for a sennight.  At the gala, a kiss stuns Jane and Julian.  However, as each reassesses their new found allure towards their loathsome foe, Garrett learns “no good deed goes unpunished” (Clare Booth Luce).

The third amusing Playful Brides Regency (see The Unexpected Duchess) is another lighthearted madcap romance starring beloved enemies falling in love.  Though their change from arguing like cats and dogs to intense attraction feels abrupt, this is a pleasurable jocular historical. 

Harriet Klausner

Night Tremors: A Rick Cahill Novel - Matt Coyle

Night Tremors: A Rick Cahill Novel

Matt Coyle

Oceanview, Jun 2 2015, $26.95

ISBN 9781608091492

A decade ago in Santa Barbara someone murdered Colleen Cahill.  The media and the police suspected her husband Rick, then a cop.  Though never convicted of any crime, feeling guilty over their estranged relationship before her death, and well aware his brothers and sisters in blue treat him as a pariah they never will be back-up, Rick resigned.  He became a La Jolla private investigator working for former LJPD detective Bob Reitzmeyer mostly handling cases in which clients seek proof of cheating spouses.

Eight years ago, then eighteen year old Randall Eddington was convicted of bludgeoning to death with a golf club his parents and sister.  However recently new evidence has surfaced that challenges the proof the San Quentin resident killed his family.  Randall’s septuagenarian paternal grandparents retain attorney Timothy Buckley and want Rick to verify the validity of the new information.  Knowing he may lose his PI job due to his boss’ law enforcement connection and believing the young man committed the violent massacre; Cahill takes on the case when he learns La Jolla Police Chief Tony Moretti led the Eddington carnage investigation.

The second Cahill mystery (see Yesterday’s Echo) is a tense hard-boiled noir that grips readers from the moment the emotionally damaged sleuth takes on the case.  Loaded with suspense within a dark atmosphere, Matt Coyle authors a gritty detective thriller with an astonishing finish.

Harriet Klausner