Mystery Archives - Page 25 of 31 -

“Musseled Out” by Barbara Ross

Julia Snowden is back in “Musseled Out,” the third installment of Barbara Ross’ great Maine Clambake Mystery series.

The Maine summer tourist season is winding down and it’s time for Julia to make a decision. Should she stay around until the next season to help the family with the Snowden Clambake business or go back to her venture capital job in New York City? Her boss will only hold her spot open for so long – just until the end of the week. She’s got five days to choose between two jobs and lifestyles that could not be more different.

Now that the family livelihood has been saved, about the only thing that really holds Julia to Busman’s Harbor is her boyfriend, Chris. But, is that relationship really just a summer fling? Can she count on him to hang around? Is his constant disappearing act over? In a half-hearted attempt to force herself into making a decision, she looks at places to live in town. She doesn’t like the apartments she’s seen, and her boyfriend’s cabin is a little rough (translation – gutted while being rehabbed) for her taste. Plus, she has to find work in the off-season. Is that a sign?

The thing is, as in any good series, there has to be motivation for the out-of-town main character to hang around. We don’t want Julia to go anywhere, so Ross has to give this smart, savvy gal in “Musseled Out” an authentic reason. How about the body of a potential competitor, David Thwing, tangled up in the lines of a lobster boat she sees drifting off her beach? Julia has helped the local police successfully before, so they trust her not to be involved in Thwing’s death, but there are plenty of people (including her brother-in-law) in her circle that could have done the deed.

What follows is a beautifully crafted plot, with surprising twists and turns, and impeccably placed events that foil the bad guys’ plans. There is even a page-turning rescue scene that left me stunned, with the life and death struggles reading like an actual Coast Guard response.

Ross has developed the core characters of the series even further in “Musseled Out,” giving Gus and Mrs. Gus a storyline of their own that affects Julia and Chris in a profound way. The book not only explores what happens when key personnel in a family business are sidelined, and the serious decisions that must be made, but also how bad decisions can wreck havoc on the lives of everyone involved.

The motivations for everything that happens are as current as the latest news cycle, but if that’s not enough, there are some serious cooks in this series. Techniques are shared as part of the storyline, and I plan to try the one for fried eggs. Recipes for main dishes and desserts are included at the end of the book. I made lobster mac & cheese from “Clammed Up,” (delicious) and I can’t wait to try the pumpkin whoopee pies from “Musseled Out.”

Well done!

Read the review of “Clammed Up,” the first in the series, here.

For more information about Barbara Ross and her next book, “Fogged Inn,” please visit www.maineclambakemysteries.com

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“Suspendered Sentence” by Laura Bradford

Amish, Bestselling Author, Cozy, Mystery

Laura Bradford’s “Suspendered Sentence” continues the story of Claire and Jakob in the fourth book of her bestselling Amish Mystery series. Claire Weatherly, big city escapee and now shopkeeper in the Amish community of Heavenly, Pennsylvania, lives in her aunt’s bed & breakfast, helps with the Inn’s upkeep and enjoys her simpler country life.

Claire’s heart is mending after a bad marriage, and she has come to value her time with Jakob Fisher, a shunned former member of the Amish, a Detective on the police force that oversees law enforcement for the entire town, including the Amish.

In “Suspendered Sentence,” an Amish barn burns to the ground and when the barn raising begins, a skeleton is found on the property. If that isn’t enough, the skeleton is found with a bracelet that had been given to a missing girl some 15 years before. Jakob must investigate, but being shunned, is not allowed to speak with the Amish directly about what has occurred. Claire continues her intermediary role in order to get to the truth. Their relationship has developed quietly through the series, as their attraction to each other warms, moving beyond their investigative bond.

Bradford skillfully weaves in details of Amish culture, with more about the Rumspringa tradition in “Suspendered Sentence.” During Rumspringa season, the sixteen year olds experience the world beyond the isolated community and afterwards are able make an informed choice about becoming baptized and living out their lives as Amish. Occasionally, teens do leave permanently after Rumspringa, but the ones that stay supposedly have no regrets or worries about what they might be missing by staying. So, when the murdered girl had originally disappeared during Rumspringa, nobody went looking for her. It was unexpected to have no goodbyes, but not unheard of.

In the course of the investigation, terrible and unexpected secrets are revealed, jealousy is uncovered, and bitterness erupts in destructive ways. The characters’ relationships are touching and difficult and quite real in this outwardly gentle community. We feel the pain, the anguish and finally horror as long hidden truths are laid bare and discussed.

Bradford’s effective use of Amish cultural values as a plot device, some of which might make little sense to an outsider, keeps us turning the pages in this well written mystery. The barn raising after the fire in “Suspendered Sentence,” is a fascinating look at how the community bands together when disaster strikes. We learn why Jakob is not allowed to speak with his own family members and along the way, Aunt Diane provides comforting advice and insight to Claire about the Amish.

Layers of complex stories involve both communities, with elections, family squabbles, new employees, the lives of the English and the Amish both clashing and blending, all leading to a surprising outcome.

“Suspendered Sentence” is a wonderful addition to the series. 🙂

Please visit www.laurabradford.com for more information about Bradford and the Amish Mystery series, as well as other books she writes under a pseudonym.

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“Trapline” by Mark Stevens

Award Winner, Mystery, Suspense, Western

“Trapline” is the third book in Mark Stevens’ series featuring Allison Coil, a hunting guide with a talent for looking beyond the obvious in order to solve crimes in her beloved Colorado mountains. With a past that still haunts her, she is happiest away from crowds of people, following the trails into the hills on her horse, or guiding hunting parties to bag big game. Her boyfriend, Colin, a hunk that also works for her, is making serious inroads into her heart. Who can resist a guy that knows how to use an atlatl and understands without asking, what she needs?

A mangled body is found near a campsite, and Allison’s investigation leads to a horrifying discovery. A Senatorial candidate is shot during an outdoor speech in a nearby town, but why? And does the shooting have anything to do with the body in the mountains? As the parallel storylines sizzle and explode in “Trapline,” Stevens reveals a lot about the depths to which humans will go when greed is involved. We learn more about one of this country’s hot button topics: undocumented workers. Problems with the border, people who seek to exploit the undocumented and/or transient workers, the impact on the economy, and the scandal of private prisons, are all explored from several sides of the complex issues.

Allison’s best friend, Trudy, the pesto queen and kitchen cook delivering to local stores in book #2, has grown into a full fledged regional farmer and business woman who supplies assorted organic, locally sourced goodies throughout the region. This character is so well-developed that I felt compelled to search for pesto recipes while reading “Buried by the Roan.” A vegan pal shared a great one. 🙂

The survival of Trudy’s business may be at stake in “Trapline,” because Trudy hired workers that she thought were legal, but may not all be. She has a few that she knows very well, but as in any growing organization that hires temporary farm workers, it’s practically impossible to know everyone’s story and how they came to work there. Her boyfriend has been in charge of managing the company and she has happily given him more and more control. Can a couple survive when linked together in both business and love?

The unspoiled mountains of Colorado take center stage again, with discussions about the tugs of war between commercial development and a wish to keep the wild safe and protected from greedy businessmen – businessmen who seem ignorant of the fact that destroying the very wilderness that provides their livelihood gets them to sum zero. Nobody wins.

Readers of “Buried by the Roan” will recognize the central characters in “Trapline,” with Duncan Bloom taking a greater role this time, and others changing/growing as the books continue. Allison is tenacious about her love of the high country and fights to keep its reputation and glory intact, despite several threats to her own safety. She is tenacious about maintaining her privacy as well, but a few edges have softened since her arrival in the first book, and Stevens lets us see more of the vulnerabilities and strengths of this very human lead character.

Stevens is adept at weaving the majesty of the Colorado terrain with the serious societal and political topics he brings to each book. With layers of compelling story and a solid group of friends in Allison, Trudy, and the rest of the tight-knit crew, he creates page-turners that linger with us long after the books have ended.

“Trapline” won the 2015 Colorado Book Award for Mystery, and the 2015 Colorado Authors League Award for Genre Fiction. Deservedly so.

Read the review of “Buried by the Roan,” here.

“Lake of Fire,” the fourth in the series, will be available on September 8, 2015.

For more about Mark Stevens and his work, please visit www.writermarkstevens.com

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“The Skeleton Takes a Bow” by Leigh Perry

2 Comments / Bestselling Author, Cozy, Mystery

“The Skeleton Takes a Bow” is the second entry in Leigh Perry’s series featuring Georgia Thackery and her very own skeleton, Sid. Sid has been Georgia’s best friend since she was a little girl and as long as she’s known him, he’s been a skeleton. Adult, clackety, walking, talking, intelligent, able to separate head from body, and with a somewhat mysterious past. Yup, just the qualities you’d want a best friend to have.

Georgia’s daughter, Madison, is in the bare bones high school production of “Hamlet” and needs help with props. Sid, being the ham that he is, is more than happy to comply and step in as Yorick. Nobody outside the family knows that the ‘alive’ Sid exists, except for the occasional Halloween or Manga/anime outing, so Sid’s skull will be transported back and forth in a bowling bag. The plot thickens when Madison accidentally leaves him at school and while Sid is waiting in the auditorium to be picked up, he hears a murder being committed.

Problem is, there is no body and no evidence left at the scene – the very public school auditorium. Georgia believes Sid’s story, but what can she do? Sid can’t call the police and report the crime; Georgia can’t call it in from her home phone. How would she explain knowing about the murder?

So, you guessed it – they have to figure out who disposed of the body so that the police will have something to go on. What happens as “The Skeleton Takes a Bow” unfolds, places everyone in Georgia’s circle in jeopardy at one time or another while multiple suspects are revealed and ruled out. Sneaky professors, gossipy colleagues, slimy parents – nobody is left out of the “Whodunit?” possibilities. Another murder is discovered and the mixups and misunderstandings multiply.

Cool new characteristics of this original character, Sid-the-computer-skilled-skeleton, are introduced. With Madison’s help, he learns how to manipulate his bones more effectively with hilarious results for the plot. Sid still hides when outsiders show up at the house and is probably the biggest eavesdropper on the planet, but we love his protective interference.

As in “A Skeleton in the Family,” Perry explores the serious side of the life of an adjunct professor. In a cost-cutting move over the years, colleges have employed more adjuncts and it has become harder to move into tenured positions that provide benefits and living-wage salaries. Not knowing whether or not there will be a job the next semester, or whether the family has to move again, is a constant worry in the back of Georgia’s mind.

Not to give too much away, but another subplot addresses a very real problem facing colleges today and a scam that has been around for decades. Georgia stumbles upon the wrongdoing and doesn’t want an old friend to be implicated, but as the subplots overlap, life gets complicated for everyone.

Relationships within the family are developed in “The Skeleton Takes a Bow,” and as we get to know this very likable group of people, we can’t wait to see what they will do together next. Thoroughly entertaining read!

Read the review of “A Skeleton in the Family” here.

Please visit www.leighperryauthor.com for information about Ms. Perry, Sid and her future projects.

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“Prime Target” by Ellis Vidler

4 Comments / Mystery, Suspense

“Prime Target” is Ellis Vidler’s intriguing look at what the average person might do to escape the mob. Madeleine Schier receives a phone call from her husband in the middle of the work day, asking her to come home quickly. When she does, he tells her that they have to get out of town right away. She protests, not understanding, and before they can leave, he is killed in their apartment while she hides under the bed.

Her husband’s accounting firm unintentionally worked for a criminal specializing in human trafficking and the only way to bring the guy down may be for her to testify about her husband’s murder. Hiding out with the FBI at hotels until the court date doesn’t work – there is a leak in the department. Madeleine intends to testify, but can’t rely on the feds to keep her safe in the city. She must ‘disappear or die.’

What happens next is a fascinating series of moves that Madeline makes to keep herself one step ahead of the FBI and those that want her dead. Vidler provides the reader with plenty of action, but what Madeleine does to hide her identity, while protecting those she meets, is what drives much of the story. Madeleine (who becomes Grace) is intelligent and able to think on her feet, but she also has to sort out which of the supposedly ‘good guys’ she can really trust.

“Prime Target” caused me to wonder what I would do if placed in that same situation. I consider myself fairly resourceful, but would I have enough grit to stay quiet under the bed while watching my husband be executed? How would I establish that new identity? Is it easier to get lost in a big city or in the countryside, off in the woods? Technology might defeat me, since we can be tied geographically to the source of our internet connection. In order to maintain her anonymity, Grace has no phone and no contact with anyone for a while except at the grocery store and gas station. I would probably go through withdrawal after a day or so and bring the villains right to my door.

Not to give away the plot and how she does it all, but I don't have as much money as Grace, so I’d have to consider what things I would of necessity, have to do differently. Always using cash means that you have to carry around quite a bit or else have easy access to a stash.

Grace is completely capable of the tasks Vidler gives her, until the apple farm purchase. I wondered why a city gal would think, “How hard could it be to run an apple farm?” and it made for an even more believable character. Her time on the apple farm may have been Grace’s most challenging, as her naïveté comes into play and her wish to help could get her killed.

“Prime Target” has overlapping storylines, with interesting, sympathetic characters and even a tentative love interest, that lend depth to Grace’s plight. The situation of the wounded, scarred warrior, so badly disfigured that people react with horror to his scars, is handled with respect and tenderness. Bravo to Vidler’s method of dealing with his surgeries and voluntary isolation from the world, yet who still functions in a meaningful, logical way.

There is little new to be learned about human trafficking in “Prime Target,” but the fact that the players are ruthless, nasty people willing to protect their way of life at all costs is underscored whenever the villains are at the center of the action. Grace is appropriately alarmed about that cold-bloodedness and behaves accordingly. She doesn’t have super powers or unusual gifts, so instead uses her mind and the tools available to see her through. Vidler makes us believe that Grace’s survival is possible despite the odds to the contrary.

Please visit www.ellisvidler.com for information about Ms. Vidler’s books – audio, print, and ebook versions – as well as her blog.

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Writers and The Writers’ Police Academy

6 Comments / Adventure, Award Winner, Bestselling Author, Cozy, Debut Author, Mystery, Romance, Suspense, True Crime

The readers at www.kerriansnotebook.com have heard me chat about The Writers’ Police Academy (created by Lee Lofland) on many occasions. They have seen the photos, read the posts and remarked on the amazing experiences shared at each WPA. The questions I hear most often are:

Since a bunch of writers attend those events, what kinds of books do they write?
Are any of them reporters?
Are they all mystery/crime writers?
Do they write cozies or thrillers?

Here’s a chance to let the readers of both Kerrian’s Notebook and Nightstand Book Reviews know what the FAB writers from WPA contribute to our reading pleasure.

The authors are listed alphabetically, along with a photo of one of their book covers and the clickable links to their websites. Many of the writers in this terrific list have been nominated (and/or awarded) for their great writing. Their websites will reveal all! Some are debut novelists; some have several series underway. Book content ranges from PG to hot and steamy, from cozy to hard-boiled, from friendly adventure to fast-paced thriller, along with non-fiction titles that provide true crime and forensics information, so there is something for everyone. More will be added to the list each week until the middle of September (2015). Please check them out. 🙂

Stacy Allen "Expedition Indigo"

www.stacyallenauthor.com

Melanie Atkins "Bayou Bounty Hunters Book 2: Sealing His Fate"

www.melanieatkins.com

Allison Brennan "Best Laid Plans"

www.allisonbrennan.com

Robin Burcell "The Kill Order"

www.robinburcell.com

Kris Calvert "Sex, Lies & Sweet Tea"

www.kriscalvert.com

Kait Carson "Death by Blue Water"

www.kaitcarson.com

Merit Clark "Killing Streak"

www.meritclark.com

Marco Conelli "Matthew Livingston & The Politics of Death"

www.marcoconelli.com

Doug M. Cummings "Easy Evil"

www.dougmcummingsauthor.com

Kate Flora "And Grant You Peace"

www.kateflora.com

Kaye George/Janet Cantrell "Fat Cat Spreads Out"

www.kayegeorge.wix.com

John Gilstrap "Against All Enemies"

www.johngilstrap.com

Stacy Green "All Good Deeds"

www.stacygreen.net

Judy Hogan "Farm Fresh and Fatal"

www.judyhogan.home.mindspring.com

Bill Hopkins "Courting Murder"

http://deadlyduo.wix.com/thedeadlyduo

Sharon Woods Hopkins "Killerwatt"

http://deadlyduo.wix.com/thedeadlyduo

Polly Iyer "Backlash"

www.PollyIyer.com

Linda Johnson "Trail of Destruction"

www.LindaJohnson.us

Lee Lofland "Police Procedure & Investigation"

www.leelofland.com

Linda Lovely "Dead Hunt"

www.lindalovely.com

Edith Maxwell "Farmed and Dangerous"

www.edithmaxwell.com

Patricia McLinn "Sign Off"

www.patriciamclinn.com

Donna Blanchard McNicol "Barely a Spark"

www.dbmcnicol.com

Catriona McPherson "The Child Garden"

www.catrionamcpherson.com

Linda Mickey "Test Scores"

www.lindamickey.com

Liz Mugavero "Icing on the Corpse"

www.lizmugavero.com

Pamela Oberg "Rogue Wave"

www.facebook.com/stonecreekwriting

Terry Odell "Deadly Production"

www.terryodell.com

Alec Peche "Death on a Green"

www.alecpeche.com

Ashantay Peters "Death Stretch"

www.Ashantay.com

Patti Phillips "Kerrian's Notebook, Volume 1"

www.kerriansnotebook.com

Mar Preston "A Very Private High School"

www.marpreston.com

Karen Pullen "Cold Feet"

www.karenpullen.com

Fiona Quinn "Weakest Lynx"

www.ThrillWriting.blogspot.com

Dr. Katherine Ramsland "The Mind of a Murderer"

www.katherineramsland.com

K.T. Roberts "Deadly Obsessions"

www.ktrobertsmysteries.com

Mike Roche "The Blue Monster"

www.mikeroche.com

Lori Ryan "The Billionaire's Suite Dreams"

www.loriryanromance.com

Jamie Lee Scott "Let Us Prey" – Gotcha Detective Agency Mystery, Book 1

www.jamieleescott.com

Terry Shames "A Deadly Affair at Bobtail Ridge"

www.TerryShames.com

Sarah Levine Simon "Winged Victory"

www.sandbookstudio.com

Alexandra Sokoloff "Cold Moon" – The Huntress/FBI thrillers

www.alexandrasokoloff.com

Nancy Sweetland "The Virgin Murders"

www.NancySweetlandWrites.com

Ellis Vidler "Prime Target"

www.ellisvidler.com

Elaine Viets "Checked Out"

www.elaineviets.com

Tamara Ward "Private Deception"

www.authortamaraward.com/jade-oreilly-series/

Nancy G. West "Smart, But Dead"

www.nancygwest.com

Lynn Chandler Willis "Wink of an Eye"

www.lynnchandlerwillis.com

Not a novel, but several WPA presenters contributed stories to this Mystery Writers of America collection, "Vengeance."

Lee Child, Editor

Alafair Burke

Michael Connelly

Rick McMahan

Karin Slaughter

http://amzn.com/0316176354

Happy Reading, everyone!!! 🙂

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Choosing A Book by Its Cover

8 Comments / Bestselling Author, Christian, Cozy, Mystery, Suspense, Thriller

I buy over 100 books a year from brick and mortar stores, and am given loads of free books at the conferences I attend, so I have piles of novels and a few weighty works of non-fiction sitting around the house. (This was the reason for the free drawings we held for subscribers at NBR)

Soooo…what draws me to pick up a particular title at the bookstore if I’m not already familiar with the author? On any given day, I preselect the genre by wandering into category areas of the brick and mortar store, whether indie or big box store. Then, I am drawn to:

1) The color of the spine and cover

2) The artwork and text on the cover

3) The blurb on the back cover

Color

Notice that #1 is not about the author or the concept of the book. The initial interaction is not about the cover text. If you don’t pick the book up, you’ll never read that part anyway. Marketing people discovered years ago that the eye is drawn to bright splashes of color when choosing a product – any product – and that reds and yellows are seen first, then blues and greens. The rest of the artwork on the covers is set off by that color. Think of it as the backdrop for showcasing the information being delivered by the artwork and the text.

The art on the covers

Authors and publishers alike stay up nights, hoping and praying that the colors, the design, the font, the size of every tiny piece of graphic on the cover – all go together in a way that will entice you to pick up the book. Is there a person in the artwork? How about guns? Or beaches? Or cats? Is the setting implied somehow? Is the artwork dynamic, garish, or calming? Is the artwork representative of the actual content inside the book?

The Blurb

The publisher’s blurb on the back cover of today’s novels reveals something about the lead character and contains just enough about the plot to make us want to know more. If the book seems a little different, inspirational or more exciting than the norm, we feel compelled to plunk down money and take that book home. If the book is even better than the blurb promised? We tell our friends.

The following books exceeded the promise of the back cover. My thoughts are in bold type.

“John Rain kills people. For a living. His specialty: making it seem like death by natural causes. But he won’t take out just anyone. The job must be an exclusive. The target must be a principal player. And he’ll never murder a woman.” – Rain Fall by Barry Eisler.

This was the debut novel for the bestselling author. Excellent hit-man thriller that was made into a movie in 2011. Eisler drew from his own time as a lawyer in Tokyo for the exotic backdrop. The Rain series continues to be successful.

“Former army homicide investigator Paul Brenner has just gotten used to the early retirement forced on him after the disastrous end of his last case when his old commanding officer asks him to return for one final mission: investigate a murder that took place in wartime Vietnam thirty years before. Brenner reluctantly accepts out of curiosity and loyalty…and maybe a touch of boredom. He won’t be bored for long.” –

Up Country by Nelson DeMille. The book delivers far more than a chilling murder investigation. It is based on DeMille’s own experiences in Vietnam and takes a look at war and its aftermath. Haunting. Reviewed here on NBR.

“First a dead stranger. Now a missing police chief. Did Cade run off to elope…or has he met with foul play?” – Southern Storm by Terri Blackstock Nobody in her right mind would think that Cade had eloped. The blurb seems purposely misleading. Thank goodness for Blackstock fans that the book was better than the blurb.

“Times are a-changin’ in Pickax, giving Jim Qwilleran some newsworthy notes for the Qwill Pen. A new senior center is in the works as well as a frisky production of ‘Cats.’ And a local mansion…” The Cat Who Had Sixty Whiskers” by Lilian Jackson Braun.

This was the 29^th book in the gentle ‘Cat Who…’ series. Fans buy the books no matter what’s on the cover. Mom bought every one. The series is reviewed here on NBR.

Now for the two covers for Rain Fall. The original cover is the red one. It popped into my view at a conference, piled next to stacks of books by other authors. The more recent cover is the blue one on the right (same book, different title) designed after Eisler regained the rights to his books and changed titles and covers. If you don’t already know who Barry Eisler is, which one would cause you to buy the book?

Do you choose a book based on the blurb? Is it the art on the cover itself that helps you decide? Think about that the next time you visit the bookstore.

*note: I buy lots of ebooks as well, but that’s for another post.

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