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Book List: Lynn Chandler Willis

Leave a Comment / Award Winner, Book List, Crime, Inspirational, Journalism, Mystery, Nominated for Award, Reviews, Romance, Suspense, True Crime

Have you read all of Lynn Chandler Willis’ books? Are you sure? Read on and click on the links to find out more about her terrific work.

North Carolina author, Lynn Chandler Willis, has been a professional in the writing business for quite a while, first as a newspaper owner/publisher/reporter. During that experience, she developed a keen eye for detail and for what makes people tick. She could sniff out a great story and her first book dealt with the real-life murder of the wife of a preacher’s son, committed by the preacher’s son himself in small town North Carolina. Willis attended the trial every day and did meticulous research into everything that surrounded that case. Twenty years later, the book is still being sold, a rarity in the publishing world. That book is “Unholy Covenant” (also known as “The Preacher’s Son”) and was the subject of a TV documentary about the case.

“The Rising” won a Grace Award (review here)

“Wink of an Eye” A private investigator tries to lay low in Texas and still gets involved in a case. (review here) It won Minotaur’s PWA Best First Private Eye novel competition. Well deserved!

The Ava Logan Series is a romantic suspense trilogy featuring newspaper publisher/reporter Ava Logan.

“Tell Me No Lies” is the first in the series (review here)

“Tell Me No Secrets”

“Tell Me You Love Me” third book in the Ava Logan trilogy (review here)

Periodically, Nightstand Book Reviews has a crossover post with www.kerriansnotebook.com. Ava Logan was a Visiting Detective with “Crime in Appalachia.” Take a look here.

New Series: January, 2023, brings us the highly anticipated “What the Monkey Saw.” I read it and can tell you it’s got a fantastic lead character, and taut action scenes. You’ll feel like you’re right in the middle of the fray! You can order it here.

The Second New Series: Introducing Raynor Beck, a detective who operates on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Coming in May 2023, The Devil to Pay: Raynor Beck, Book 1.

The setup: “Private Investigator Raynor Beck has been hired by the victim of a crime more than once. But he’s never been hired by a murder victim. Until now.”

How long is it until May? 🙂

Please visit www.lynnchandlerwillis.com for details about Ms. Willis’ appearances as well as news about Finn and the events in her life.

Facebook Author Page

*Book Covers and banner from Ms. Willis’ website and Facebook page.

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Book List: The Scot Harvath series by Brad Thor

Adventure, Bestselling Author, Book List, Fiction, Military, Thriller

The Scot Harvath series by Brad Thor, delivers action that never stops. The highly successful twenty-one novels feature counterterrorism as the central theme, more topical with each new title.

Back in 2013, when I reviewed “Takedown,” Thor arranged for an entire year of “Thrills, Threats, and Thor.” He invited his fans to read each of the books (one a month) in order, starting in January, 2013, with the first, “The Lions of Lucerne.” Thor’s website has videos and extras about each of the books and of course, an opportunity to buy them.

Scot Harvath is well written, with depth and a sense of humanity despite the gravity of his tasks. We experience moments of his deep commitment and never question his patriotism as the books unfold. “Takedown,” first published in 2006, dealt with post September 11^th terrorism action in New York City. See my review here.

If you’d like to try the Thor reading plan, here are the books in order. Click on the titles:

January’s Book: The Lions Of Lucerne
February’s Book: Path Of The Assassin
March’s Book: State Of The Union
April’s Book: Blowback
May’s Book: Takedown
June’s Book: The First Commandment
July’s Book: The Last Patriot
August’s Book: The Apostle
September’s Book: Foreign Influence
October’s Book: The Athena Project
November’s Book: Full Black
December’s Book: Black List

Additional books published since then are (in order):

Backlash read my review here

Near Dark

Black Ice

Rising Tiger – pre-order

Please visit www.bradthor.com to read about the current books in the Scot Harvath series, as well as Thor’s new release coming in July, 2022, “Rising Tiger,” the highly anticipated #22.

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2020 ITW ThrillerFest Awards

Leave a Comment / Crime, Debut Author, Mystery, Short Stories/Collection, Thriller

Thriller writers bring us thrills and chills and keep us awake long into the wee hours of the morning. Check out the 2020 ITW ThrillerFest Award finalists and winners (indicated in red) and enjoy the reads!

BEST HARDCOVER NOVEL
David Baldacci — “One Good Deed”
Joe Clifford — “Rag and Bone”
Blake Crouch — “Recursion”
Rachel Howzell Hall — “They All Fall Down”
Adrian McKinty — “The Chain”
Denise Mina — “Conviction”

BEST FIRST NOVEL
Samantha Downing — “My Lovely Wife”
Angie Kim — “Miracle Creek”
John McMahon — “The Good Detctive”
Alex Michaelides — “The Silent Patient”
Lauren Wilkinson — “American Spy”

BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL NOVEL
Max Allan Collins — “Girl Most Likely”
Alison Gaylin — “Never Look Back”
Alastair Luft — “Jihadi Bride”
Dervla McTiernan — “The Scholar”
Lisa Sandlin — “The Bird Boys”
Kate White — “Such A Perfect Wife”

BEST E-BOOK ORIGINAL NOVEL
Author Brett Battles — “Night Man”
Sean Black — “The Deep Abiding”
Brian Shea — “Murder Board”
LynDee Walker — “Leave No Stone”
Kerry Wilkinson — “Close to You”

BEST SHORT STORY
Hector Acosta — “Turistas” (Down & Out Books)
Michael Cowgill — “Call Me Chuckles” (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine)
Tara Laskowski — “The Long-Term Tenant” (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine)
Lia Matera — “Snow Job” (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine)
Twist Phelan — “Fathers-in-Law” (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine)

Congratulations to all the nominees and winners!

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CrimeFest 2020

Leave a Comment / Debut Author, Featured, Fiction, Mystery, Non-fiction, Suspense, Thriller, Young Adult/Teen

Covid19 has struck down yet another crime fiction convention, this time CrimeFest, held in Bristol, UK, each year. In most cases, eligible titles were submitted by publishers, and a team of British crime fiction reviewers voted to establish the shortlists and the winning titles. The winners were announced on July 6th. The authors and their books are innocent bystanders in this pandemic, and deserve to have your attention and support. Click on the links to take a look at the nominated titles. The winners are indicated in red.

CRIMEFEST has a new sponsor and they have instituted a new award for a crime novel by a debut author first published in the British Isles in 2019. The winning author receives a £1,000 prize as well as a Bristol Blue Glass commemorative award.

Specsavers Crime Fiction Debut Award nominees:
– Fiona Erskine for The Chemical Detective
– Katja Ivar for Evil Things
– Carolyn Kirby for The Conviction of Cora Burns
– Alex Michaelides for The Silent Patient
– Laura Shepherd-Robinson for Blood & Sugar
– Holly Watt for To The Lions

AUDIBLE SOUNDS OF CRIME AWARD The Audible Sounds of Crime Award is for the best unabridged crime audiobook first published in the United Kingdom in 2019 in both printed and audio formats.

Audible Sounds of Crime Award nominees:
– Kate Atkinson for Big Sky, read by Jason Isaacs
– Oyinkan Braithwaite for My Sister, the Serial Killer, read by Weruche Opia
– Alex Callister for Winter Dark, read by Ell Potter
– Lee Child for Blue Moon, read by Jeff Harding
– Lisa Jewell for The Family Upstairs, read by Tamaryn Payne, Bea Holland & Dominic Thorburn
– T.M. Logan for The Holiday, read by Laura Kirman
– Peter May for The Man with No Face, read by Peter Forbes
– Alex Michaelides for The Silent Patient, read by Louise Brealey & Jack Hawkins

eDUNNIT AWARD The eDunnit Award is for the best crime fiction ebook first published in both hardcopy and in electronic format in the United Kingdom in 2019.

eDunnit Award nominees:
– Helen FitzGerald for Worst Case Scenario
– Sarah Hilary for Never Be Broken
– Andrew Taylor for The King’s Evil
– L.C. Tyler for The Maltese Herring
– Holly Watt for To The Lions
– Don Winslow for The Border

LAST LAUGH AWARD The Last Laugh Award is for the best humorous crime novel first published in the United Kingdom in 2019.

Last Laugh Award nominees:
– William Boyle for A Friend is a Gift you Give Yourself
– Hannah Dennison for Tidings of Death at Honeychurch Hall
– Helen FitzGerald for Worst Case Scenario
– Christopher Fowler for Bryant & May – The Lonely Hour
– Antti Tuomainen for Little Siberia
– L.C. Tyler for The Maltese Herring

H.R.F. KEATING AWARD
The H.R.F. Keating Award is for the best biographical or critical book related to crime fiction first published in the United Kingdom in 2019.

H.R.F. Keating Award nominees:
– Ursula Buchan for Beyond The Thirty-Nine Steps
– John Curran for The Hooded Gunman
– Barry Forshaw for Crime Fiction: A Reader’s Guide

BEST CRIME NOVEL FOR CHILDREN This award is for the best crime novel for children (aged 8-12) first published in the United Kingdom in 2019.

Nominees for the CrimeFest Award for Best Crime Novel for Children (ages 8-12):
– P.G. Bell for The Great Brain Robbery
– Vivian French for The Steam Whistle Theatre Company
– Sophie Green for Potkin and Stubbs
– A.M. Howell for The Garden of Lost Secrets
– Simon Lelic for The Haven
– Thomas Taylor for Malamander

BEST CRIME NOVEL FOR YOUNG ADULTS This award is for the best crime novel for young adults (aged 12-16) first published in the United Kingdom in 2019.

Nominees for the CrimeFest Award for Best Crime Novel for Young Adults (ages 12-16):
– Kathryn Evans for Beauty Sleep
– John Grisham for Theodore Boone: The Accomplice
– Samuel J. Halpin for The Peculiar Peggs of Riddling Woods
– Simon Mason for Hey Sherlock!
– Tom Pollock for Heartstream
– Nikesh Shukla for The Boxer

Congratulations to all the nominees and winners!

CrimeFest 2020 Read More »

Irish Fiction & Mysteries – 2020 List

6 Comments / Bestselling Author, Cozy, Crime, Featured, Mystery, Suspense, Thriller

St. Patrick’s Day will be here soon! For those of you that focus your reading on holiday/cultural themed books, the list below features Irish writers, mysteries/suspense set in Ireland, St. Patrick’s Day murders, or titles with Irish characters central to the plot. Some are modern classics, some are newbies, but all are entertaining reads. You’re sure to find a story in the updated list of 38 Irish Fiction & Mysteries–2020 List that you will want to read again and again. (Links included for bold titles)

Lisa Alber: “Path into Darkness”
Maeve Binchy: “Chestnut Street”
S. Furlong-Bollinger: “Paddy Whacked”
Declan Burke: “The Lost and the Blind”
Steve Cavanagh: “Th1rt3en”
Sheila Connolly: “Fatal Roots“
Kathy Cranston: “Apple Seeds and Murderous Deeds”
Sinead Crowley: “One Bad Turn”
Kathi Daley: “Shamrock Shenanigans”
Frank Delaney: “The Last Storyteller“
Nelson Demille: “Cathedral”
Patricia Falvey: “The Yellow House“
Tana French: “Broken Harbor”
Alexia Gordon: “Murder in G Major”
Andrew Greeley: “The Bishop at the Lake”
Jane Haddam: “A Great Day for the Deadly”
Lyn Hamilton: “The Celtic Riddle“
Lee Harris: “The St. Patrick’s Day Murder”
Erin Hart: “The Book of Killowen”
Jonathan Harrington: “A Great Day for Dying”
Mary Anne Kelly: “Twillyweed”
Amanda Lee: “The Long Stitch Good Night”
Dan Mahoney: “Once in, Never Out”
Caimh McDonnell: “A Man with One of Those Faces“
Brian McGilloway: “Preserve the Dead/The Forgotten Ones”
Adrian McKinty: “The Chain”
Ralph M. McInerny: “The Green Revolution”
Leslie Meier: “St. Patrick’s Day Murder”
Stuart Neville: “So Say the Fallen”
Carlene O’Connor: “Murder in an Irish Cottage“
Sister Carol Anne O’Marie: “Death Takes Up a Collection”
Helen Page: “Equal of God”
Louise Phillips: “The Doll’s House”
Janet Elaine Smith: “In St. Patrick’s Custody”
Jo Spain: “Beneath the Surface”
Patrick Taylor: “An Irish Country Family”
Peter Tremayne: “Blood in Eden”
Kathy Hogan Trochek: “Irish Eyes”

If your favorite Irish Fiction & Mysteries titles are not on the list, let me know and I’ll add them! Happy choosing and reading!

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“Wheels Up – a novel of Drugs, Cartels, and Survival” by Jeanine Kitchel

Leave a Comment / Crime, Mystery, Suspense

“Wheels Up – a novel of Drugs, Cartels, and Survival” by Jeanine Kitchel, introduces us to Layla Navarro, the embattled niece of the head of a Mexican cartel. She’s been the bookkeeper for the family business, but is forced to become the public voice of El Patron when her uncle goes to jail and the heir apparent dies.

Layla is a woman with a tough demeanor, rough language, and a few crime worthy skills, capable of a bit more than she’s been given credit for. With millions at stake, and power shifting among the cartels in the region, she takes on her first independent project to establish credibility, only to be betrayed at every turn.

What motivates her? This is the world she has been raised in, and she has no romantic notions about the life or any interest in leaving it. Kitchel wisely incorporates the reality of the male dominated society in which Layla moves; Layla may have the brains, but the men do the heavy lifting in “Wheels Up,” one of whom is Cole, a Canadian narc dealer that helps her stay alive. The nicely written supporting characters lend texture to the story and a brief look at Mexican life. Not everybody is a criminal, although their lives may depend on being wary around the players who are.

Kitchel delivers an interesting look at a crime-based life that I can only imagine, and makes parallels to legitimate business practices. In order for any company to succeed, there has to be trust at the top between the partners that run it. In any corporate takeover, we know from watching the news that even in non-lethal exchanges, there is turmoil while power is realigned. Substitute the drug cartels for legit businesses, upper level disagreements settled with guns instead of torts and contracts, and you’ll understand the dynamics in “Wheels Up.”

This multi-layered book also explores human trafficking as a side business to the narcotics trade, a practice that not all the parties agree upon. Layla and the Canadian, along with trusted henchmen, deal with one aspect of the problem in a clever plot twist that also places her in more danger.

Kitchel happily lived in Mexico for quite a while and shares with us her love of the cuisine as well as some of the countryside. The food and the bars play like characters against the lush landscape. I had a craving to visit my local Mexican restaurant after reading about the mouthwatering dishes that Layla and her friends enjoyed. If your reading interests include take-charge women thrown into complex, no-win situations, “Wheels Up” will provide plenty of entertainment.

Book #2 in the trilogy, “Tulum Takedown,” is now available. For more information about Jeanine Kitchel, her time in Mexico, as well as her non-fiction work, please visit www.jeaninekitchel.com.

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Valentine’s Day Mysteries and Fiction

Bestselling Author, Book List, Cozy, Crime, Fiction, Holidays, Mystery, Romance, Short Stories/Collection

Are you a fan of holiday themed reading? Published between 2016 and 2020, here is a list of twenty-three novels, novellas, and short stories centered around Valentine’s Day. Be prepared to swoon, or laugh, or be delighted by the selection. Click on the titles to discover more about the books and enjoy!

Jennifer S. Alderson “Death by Baguette”

Carolyn Arnold “Valentine’s Day is Murder”

Patti Benning “Tall, Dark, and Deadly”

Franky A. Brown “What Happened to Romance?”

Susan Carroll “The Valentine’s Day Ball”

Cherry Christensen “Secret Valentine”

Sylvia Damsell “A Valentine Wish”

Steve Demaree “A Valentine Murder”

Liz Dodwell “Valentine’s Day: a Polly Parrett Pet-Sitter Cozy”

Jessica L. Elliott “Operation: Romance”

Tammy Falkner “A Valentine’s Day Miracle”

Deborah Garner “A Flair for Truffles”