June 2023 MBR The Mystery/Suspense Shelf

The Mystery/Suspense Shelf

Covert in Cairo
Kelly Oliver
Boldwood Books
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781804831717, $41.00, PB, Large Print, 426pp

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/covert-in-cairo-kelly-oliver/1142980902

Synopsis: Cairo. December 1917 -- Following a tip-off from notorious spy Fredrick Fredricks, Fiona Figg and Kitty Lane of British Intelligence find themselves in the hustle and bustle of Egypt. But ancient mummies aren't the only bodies buried in the tombs of Cairo.

When a young French archeologist is found dead in a tomb in the desert with his head bashed in, and an undercover British agent goes missing, the threat moves closer to home.

As they dig deeper, soon Fiona and Kitty uncover a treasure trove of suspects, including competing excavators, jealous husbands, secret lovers, and belligerent spies! Fiona wonders if the notorious Fredrick Fredricks could be behind the murders? Or is the plot even more sinister?

One thing is clear -- If Fiona and Kitty can't catch the killer, they might end up sharing a sarcophagus with Nefertiti!

Critique: Also available as a complete and unabridged audio book (9781804831656, $97.95), and enthusiastically recommended for community library collections, "Covert in Cairo" by novelist Kelly Oliver is another original and deftly crafted 'Fiona Figg & Kitty Lane Mystery' and a fun read for dedicated cozy mystery fans from first page to last!

Editorial Note: Kelly Oliver (www.KellyOliverBooks.com) contemporary Jessica James Mysteries have won the IPPY Award for BEST Mystery, The Silver Falchion Award for BEST Suspense, the Mischief and Mayhem Award for BEST Mystery, the E-Lit Award for BEST Suspense, and the New York Book Award for BEST Crime Novel. Her cozy historical mystery series, The Fiona Figg Mysteries are set in WW1 and follow plucky file clerk turned spy Fiona Figg from London to Paris, Vienna, New York and Cairo. The first, Betrayal at Ravenswick, won a Reader's Choice Award for Historical Mystery. The second, High Treason at the Grand Hotel, was chosen by Mystery Tribune Magazine as one of the most anticipated mysteries of January 2021. Other books in the series include Covert in Cairo and Mayhem in the Mountains. Kelly is also the author of The Pet Detective Middle Grade Mysteries, including Cub Reporter, Treasure Hunter, and Geocacher. The Pet Detective Mysteries have won a Reader's Choice Award for Children's Mystery, been a finalist for a Silver Falchion Award for Children's Mystery, and won a New York Book Award for BEST Children's Book.

Below the Line: A Hollywood Crime Novel
Lowell Cauffiel
Arcade Publishing
www.arcadepub.com
c/o Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.
www.skyhorsepublishing.com
9781956763485, $29.99, HC, 312pp

https://www.amazon.com/Below-Line-Hollywood-Crime-Novel/dp/1956763481

Synopsis: Former Detroit homicide detective Edwin Blake broke into show business as a script consultant on cop movies. Now living in Los Angeles five years later, Blake is suffering from clinical depression, is no longer in demand in film and TV - and money is short. But things look up when Blake gets a call from wealthy, oddball producer, Jason "JP" Perry, telling him he wants to hire him for a future cable TV series. But there's a catch. First he wants Blake to locate the missing ex-wife of a "friend of a friend" from Chicago. Blake will be working for free on a promise - a typical Hollywood hustle. But Blake's not the only one on the case. Hired gun Warren Poole has also been contracted to find the woman.

When a corrupt Hollywood producer, an ex-cop with a conscience, and a career criminal without one all have the same quarry, trouble is bound to ensue. And it does, with remarkably satisfying results, thanks to Blake's girlfriend, Carla, a former roller derby queen who has turned more than her own life around.

Critique: Filled with rich characters both easy to love and hate, "Below The Line" skewers Hollywood in a deliciously fresh way. With his expert eye for true crime detail and his prowess at executing elaborate plot, Cauffiel gives us a thrilling ride on the dark side of Hollywood that lingers long after the credits roll. "Below The Line" is a hard-boiled private eye murder mystery fully in the Sam Spade, Mickey Spillane, John D. McDonald tradition. Very highly recommended for community library Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of dedicated crime novel fans that "Below The Line" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $19.99).

Editorial Note: Lowell Cauffiel (https://www.lowellcauffiel.com) is the author of nine books and an award-winning veteran investigative reporter. Cauffiel's three crime novels have explored diverse characters and settings that range from a Detroit shakedown crew in Marker to the glitzy, corrupt underworld of the National Football League in Toss, which he co- authored with former Superbowl quarterback Boomer Esiason. His five nonfiction crime books have covered a monstrous, homicidal patriarch in the New York Times best-selling House of Secrets; a pair of female serial killers in Forever and Five Days, and a calculating criminal justice instructor who tried to design the perfect crime with the murder of his TV anchorwoman wife in Eye of the Beholder. Cauffiel's first true crime book, Masquerade, the story of a Grosse Pointe psychologist's deadly double life, was a national best seller.

The Last Drop of Hemlock
Katharine Schellman
Minotaur Books
c/o St. Martin's Publishing Group
www.minotaurbooks.com
9781250831842, $28.00, HC, 336pp

https://www.amazon.com/Last-Drop-Hemlock-Katharine-Schellman/dp/1250831849

Synopsis: Life as a working-class girl in Prohibition-era New York isn't safe or easy. But Vivian Kelly has a new job at the Nightingale, an underground speakeasy where the jazz is hot and the employees look out for each other in a world that doesn't care about them. Things are finally looking up for her and her sister Florence -- until the night Vivian learns that her friend Bea's uncle, a bouncer at the Nightingale, has died.

His death is ruled a suicide, but Bea isn't so convinced. She knew her uncle was keeping a secret: a payoff from a mob boss that was going to take him out of the tenements and into a better life. Now, the money is missing.

Though her better judgment tells her to stay out of it, Vivian agrees to help Bea find the truth about her uncle's death. But they uncover more than they expected when rumors surface of a mysterious letter writer, blackmailing Vivian's poorest neighbors for their most valuable possessions, threatening poison if they don't comply.

Death is always a heartbeat away in Jazz Age New York, where mob bosses rule the back alleys and cops take bootleggers' hush money. But whoever is targeting Vivian's poor and unprotected neighbors is playing a different game. With the Nightingale's dangerously lovely owner, Honor, worried for her employees' safety and Bea determined to discover who is responsible for her uncle's death, Vivian once again finds herself digging through a dead man's past in hopes of stopping a killer.

Critique: A cozy mystery involving an amateur female sleuth and set in the violence of the Roaring Twenties, "The Last Drop of Hemlock" by author/storyteller Katharine Schellman is an impressively riveting and non-stop fun read from first page to last. With more plot twists and turns than a Disneyland roller coaster, "The Last Drop of Hemlock" is especially and unreservedly recommended as a popular addition to community library Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of those with an interest in historical mysteries and plucky if imperiled amateur female murder mystery solvers that "The Last Drop of Hemlock" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Dreamscape Media, 9781666634211, $22.99, CD) deftly narrated by Sara Young.

Editorial Note: Katharine Schellman (https://www.katharineschellman.com) is a former actor and one-time political consultant who currently lives and writes in the mountains of Virginia. She is also the author of Last Call at the Nightingale.

The Murder Of Madison Garcia
March McCreary
CamCat Books
www.camcatpublishing.com
9780744308303, $26.99, HC, 336pp

https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Madison-Garcia-Family-Mystery/dp/0744308305

Synopsis: Detective Susan Ford notices a missed call on her phone from a number she doesn't recognize, and when Madison Garcia, a woman with past ties to the town of Monticello, New York, is found stabbed to death the next morning, Susan realizes that Madison was the one who had called her. But why?

Susan teams up with her father, retired Detective Will Ford, to find the killer, and their investigation soon threatens to uncover Madison's family secrets - an inheritance, accidental death, money laundering, extramarital affairs, and family rivalries, just to name a few and they don't appreciate the Fords digging into their business.

As the investigation twists and turns, the Fords discover that Madison was planning to confess to a long-kept secret, but someone brutally silenced her. Everyone she knew is a suspect. Anyone could be her killer.

Critique: With a very special appeal to fans of police procedurals and murder mystery solving amateur female sleuths, "The Murder Of Madison Garcia" by novelist Marcy McCreary is a classic 'whodunnit' that is a fun read for dedicated Cozy Mystery enthusiasts and Police Procedural fans. The second book in the author's 'A Ford Family Mystery' series, and very highly recommended as a pick for community library Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Murder Of Madison Garcia" is also readily available in a paperback edition (9780744308419, $19.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $4.99).

Editorial Note: Marcy McCreary (https://www.marcymccreary.com) worked for several years as a marketing and sales executive at various magazine publishing companies and content marketing agencies before turning to fiction writing. She is the author of "The Disappearance of Trudy Solomon" the first of her 'A Ford Family Mystery' series published by CamCat Books.

Never Sleep
Fred Van Lente
Blackstone Publishing
www.blackstoneaudio.com
9798200813490, $27.99, HC, 312pp

https://www.amazon.com/Never-Sleep-Fred-Van-Lente/dp/B0B5P7FDMT

Synopsis: The year is 1861, the eve of Abraham Lincoln's inauguration. For Kate Warn, the first female private detective in American history, the only assignment tougher than exposing a conspiracy to assassinate the new president is training her new mentee, Hattie McLaughlin, in the art of detection. The two women's mission to save the president takes them from the granges of rural Maryland to the heart of secessionist high society, and sets them on a collision course that could alter the course of history. When Kate's cover is blown, Hattie must choose between saving her new friend, and her country.

Critique: Although a work of finely written fiction, "Never Sleep" by novelist Fred Van Lente is actually based on a true story. Readers with a interest in novels featuring women sleuths and historical mysteries will find "Never Sleep" a fun and interesting read from first page to last. While a very highly recommended pick for community library Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of dedicated mystery buffs that "Never Sleep" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $8.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Audio, 9798200813001, $31.95, MP3-CD).

Editorial Note: Fred Van Lente (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Van_Lente) is a six-time New York Times bestseller for his graphic novels, including a number one with Dean Koontz's Odd Is on Our Side. His original graphic novel Cowboys & Aliens was adapted into a major motion picture starring Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig. His fifteen years in comics have garnered him many awards, including an American Library Association Best Graphic Novel for Teens for Action Philosophers! Ten Speed Press published his latest non-fiction book, The Comic Book Story of Basketball.

Cherokee Emerald
R. M. Morgan
https://rmmorgan.com
3rd Coast Books
www.3rdCoastBooks.com
9781946743541, $15.95, PB, 333pp

https://www.amazon.com/Cherokee-Emerald-Gannon-Murder-Mystery/dp/1946743542

Synopsis: In the 1830s a tragedy was inflicted upon the Native American nations in the south-eastern USA. Sometimes called the Indian Removals -- the Cherokee, Muskogee, Seminole, Chickasaw, and Choctaw nations were moved from their ancestral homelands to areas west of the Mississippi River designated Indian Territory. The Cherokee were the last to be displaced in 1838, following the discovery of gold in Georgia. This displacement is known as the Trail of Tears.

A newlywed Cherokee huntsman named Waya discovered a magnificent natural treasure, a large Emerald of the deepest green. News of Waya's discovery quickly spread around Macon County. Knowing he would be soon forced to march westwards, Waya and his trusted friend Ian McDonald bury the treasure on the McDonald farm, hoping that someday Waya would be able to return and unearth it. Sadly, Waya never returned.

163 years later, the McDonald farm is burglarized and beset by night-time trespassers digging holes in a field. In desperation the McDonald's turn to the Roth Detective Agency for protection and answers. Harriet Roth, the master sleuth, assigns the case to Don Gannon her primary investigator and right-hand man.

Critique: With more plot twists and turns than a Disneyland roller coaster, "Cherokee Emerald" by R. M. Morgan will prove to be of particular interest to fans of the Mickey Spillane/Mike Hammer style detective murder mystery. A 'whodunnit' of the first order, "Cherokee Emerald is a fun and riveting read from first page to last. While readily available for personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $3.99), "Cherokee Emerald" is a welcome and unreservedly recommended pick for community library Contemporary Mystery/Suspense collections.

Editorial Note: R. M. Morgan (www.rmmorgan.com) worked as an engineer in both the U.S. government and academia. In his job, he investigated mysteries like a detective, unraveling the physics of car crashes to establish how to save drivers and passengers. After years of writing articles in that world, R. M. Morgan discovered the joy of writing mystery novels. Currently, he lives in Southern California and is writing the fourth book in the Roth/Gannon series.If you enjoy detective mysteries, give R. M. Morgan novels a read. The books that keep the reader guessing whodunit right up to the end.

The Pigeon
David Gordon
The Mysterious Press
http://mysteriouspress.com
9781613164051, $17.95, PB, 336pp

https://www.amazon.com/Pigeon-Joe-Bouncer-Novel/dp/161316405X

Synopsis: Harvard dropout and ex-Special Forces operative Joe Brody is climbing the ranks in the criminal underworld. After successfully executing multiple missions for the various crime syndicates that run New York City, he has come to earn the trust and respect of the city's most dangerous denizens. Which is why his newest task (retrieving a pet pigeon snatched from a rooftop coop in Brooklyn) has Joe puzzled -- until he learns that the bird is valued at close to a million dollars.

Joe hatches a plan to sneak into the luxury park-side apartment building where the pigeon is held captive. But that simple plan takes a deadly turn when he stumbles upon a nest of international war criminals and a ruthless building manager overseeing the nefarious operation. Fearing that Joe's entry into the building has somehow compromised the scheme, they put a bounty on his head. In New York, Joe is untouchable, but his new foes come from outside the flock, and he'll need a wing and a prayer to elude their assassins.

Critique: With a series of impressive high-stakes action sequences that are punctuated by laugh out loud humor, "The Pigeon" by novelist David Gordon will have be of special and particular interest to fans of organized crime thrillers and hard-boiled mystery novels. A part of Gordon's 'Joe the Bounder' series, "The Pigeon" is readily available for dedicated crime novel buffs in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.49) and a prime pick for community library Mystery/Suspense collections.

Editorial Note: David Gordon (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Gordon_(novelist)) is the author of "The Serialist", which won the VCU/Cabell First Novel Award and was a finalist for an Edgar Award. It was also made into a major motion picture in Japan. His work has also appeared in The Paris Review, The New York Times, Purple, and Fence, among other publications.

The House on Prytania
Karen White
Berkley Books
c/o Penguin Group (USA)
www.penguin.com
9780593334621, $28.00, HC, 400pp

https://www.amazon.com/House-Prytania-Royal-Street-Novel/dp/0593334620

Synopsis: Nola Trenholm may not be psychic herself, but she's spent enough time around people who are to know when ghosts are present, and there are definitely a few lingering spirits in her recently purchased Creole cottage in New Orleans. Something, or someone, is keeping them tethered to this world. And not all of them are benign.

But with the sudden return of Sunny Ryan, Beau Ryan's long-lost sister, Nola has plenty to distract her from her ghostly housemates. Especially when the tempting (yet firmly unavailable) Beau, wanting to mete out justice to those he blames for Sunny's kidnapping, asks Nola for a favor that threatens to derail her hard-won recovery and send her hurtling backward. He asks her to welcome Michael Hebert back into her life, even though Michael is the reason for Nola's bruised heart. Beau is convinced that Michael's powerful family was behind Sunny's disappearance and that Michael is the key to getting information the police won't be able to ignore -- if Nola is willing to risk everything for which she's worked so hard.

Torn between helping Beau and protecting herself, Nola doesn't realize until it's almost too late why the ghosts are haunting her house -- a startling revelation that will throw her and Beau together to fight a common enemy. Assuming Nola can get Beau to listen to what the spirits are trying to tell him, because ignoring them could prove to be a fatal mistake!

Critique: A deftly blending of the supernatural with mystery and suspense, "The House on Prytania" is a 'must' for the legions of Karen White fans. Original, fun, populated by deftly crafted and memorable characters, and with a narrative driven plot that has more twists and turns than a Disneyland roller coaster, "The House on Prytania" will prove to be a high demand and enduringly popular addition to community library Mystery/Suspense and Supernatural Fiction collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists that "The House on Prytania" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99). Librarians should note that there is also a large print paperback edition of "The House on Prytania" (Random House Large Print, 9780593676752, $29.00, 560pp).

Editorial Note: Karen White (https://www.karen-white.com) is the author of more than thirty-two novels, including the Tradd Street series, The Shop on Royal Street, The Last Night in London, Dreams of Falling, The Night the Lights Went Out, Flight Patterns, The Sound of Glass, A Long Time Gone, and The Time Between. She is the co-author of The Lost Summers of Newport, All the Ways We Said Goodbye, The Glass Ocean, and The Forgotten Room with New York Times bestselling authors Beatriz Williams and Lauren Willig.

The Way of the Bear
Anne Hillerman
Harper
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
www.harpercollins.com
9780062908391, $30.00, HC, 288pp

https://www.amazon.com/Way-Bear-Novel-Leaphorn-Manuelito/dp/0062908391

Synopsis: An unexpected death on a lonely road outside of Utah's Bears Ears National Monument raises questions for Navajo Tribal Police officers Jim Chee and Bernadette Manuelito. Why would a seasoned outdoorsman and well-known paleontologist freeze to death within walking distance of his car? A second death brings more turmoil. Who is the unidentified man killed during a home invasion where nothing much seems to have been taken? Why was he murdered?

The Bears Ears area, at the edge of the Navajo Nation, is celebrated for its abundance of early human habitation sites and the discovery of unique fossils which revolutionized the scientific view of how early animals dealt with their changing world. Chee and Manuelito appreciate the area's scenery and wealth of human and scientific resources, but their visit to this achingly beautiful place is disrupted by a current of unprecedented violence that sweeps them both into danger.

Illicit romance, a fossilized jawbone, hints of witchcraft, and a mysterious disappearance during a blizzard add to their peril. It will take all of Manuelito's and Chee's experience, skill, and intuition to navigate the threats that arise and see justice served.

Critique: An absolute 'must' for the growing legions of Anne Hellerman fans, "The Way of the Bear" is a riveting, compulsive page turner of a read from beginning to end. Of special appeal to readers with an interest in Native American themed suspense thrillers, as well as police procedural murder mysteries, "The Way of the Bear" is an unequivocally recommended pick for community library Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of dedicated mystery buffs that "The Way of the Bear" is readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (HarperAudio, 9780063291898, $34.99, CD).

Editorial Note: Anne Hillerman (https://www.annehillerman.com) is the gifted author of the Leaphorn, Chee & Manuelito series. "The Way of the Bear" is her eighth novel in the series, which was originally created by her novelist father, Tony Hillerman. She lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Tucson, Arizona, and is hard at work on her next novel.

Sawdust Joint
Bob Adamov
Packard Island Publishing
https://packardislandpublishing.com
9798985359336, $28.00, HC, 266pp

https://www.amazon.com/Sawdust-Joint-Emerson-Moore-17/dp/B0C4G6DBZD

Synopsis: From Jamaica to Put-in-Bay to Wooster to Tulare to Las Vegas to London to Morocco to the French Riviera to Norway to New Orleans, what's killing dairy cows?

Investigative reporter Emerson Moore's search for the source takes a deadly turn when he focuses on infiltrating a British biotechnology company suspected to be involved with the deaths of the dairy cows and several humans.

Following the unexpected death of a close colleague, Moore faces his most formidable challenge yet as he embarks on a James Bond-like international odyssey with the help of a technological genius and a Royal Canadian Mountie as his unlikely wingman to confront a vengeful nemesis bent on bioterrorism.

Critique: A deftly scripted novel that includes casino action, a bevy of beautiful femme fatales, dangerous mountain road chases, treacherous cliff face climbing, incarceration in a Moroccan prison and high technology, and a diabolical villain, "Sawdust Joint" is the newest Emerson More adventure series by Bob Adamov. With more plot twists and turns than a Coney Island roller coaster, "Saw Dust Joint" has a special appeal to readers with an interest in action/adventure Technothriller crime novels. A fun read for mystery fans, "Sawdust Joint" is highly recommended addition to personal reading lists and community library Mystery/Suspense collections.

Editorial Note: Bob Adamov (www.BobAdamov.com) is an award-winning, Ohio mystery adventure author whose stories are based in the Lake Erie South Bass Island resort village of Put-in-Bay, the "Key West of the Midwest." His novels (with the exception of Memory Layne) follow the adventures of investigative reporter Emerson Moore, and are written in the style of Adamov's favorite author, Clive Cussler.Adamov was the featured author at the 2006 Ernest Hemingway Days' Literary Festival in Key West and named Writer of the Year by the University of Akron's Wayne College in 2010. Adamov has also presented for several of the Clive Cussler Collectors' Society conventions.

The School of Homer
Alexander Marriott
Vanguard Press
c/o Pegasus Publishers
https://pegasuspublishers.com
9781800164208, $18.99, PB, 416pp

https://www.amazon.com/School-Homer-Alexander-Marriott/dp/1800164203

Synopsis: Virgil Colvin, a retired homicide detective, leaves his hometown Chicago to resurrect his honeymoon memories with his dead wife in Ithaca, Greece. There, he befriends the Vathy police chief, Costas Pantakalas, over stories of a shared profession and countless cups of ouzo.

One day, Virgil wakes to the violent tremors of the earth to find Ithaca has just had an earth quake. But that is not the only unusual occurrence. In the city's public square, at the feet of Odysseus, someone has dumped the body of a British tourist in the small hours of the morning.

He ran to the ends of the earth to escape his former life, but murder had other plans for Virgil Colvin. Together, Virgil and Costas join forces to track down a killer. But in their quest to find the murderer, will they unearth an even more astounding secret?

Critique: Fun, original, and a welcome addition to the personal reading lists of all dedicated crime thriller 'whodunnit' fans, "The School of Homer" is a riveting read that showcases the impressive storytelling talents of novelist Alexander Marriott. Simply stated, "The School of Homer" is an unreservedly recommended addition to both personal reading lists and community library Mystery/Suspense collections.

Editorial Note: Alexander Marriott (www.historymystery.blog) is a trained historian and amateur world traveler who writes on topics in American intellectual and political history, as well as contemporary culture and society. He also publishes detective novels featuring his sleuth from Chicago (where Marriott hails from originally), Virgil Colvin, transplanted for life's second act in Greece.

Liquid Shades of Blue
James Polkinghorn
Oceanview Publishing
www.oceanviewpub.com
9781608095506, $27.95, HC, 208pp

https://www.amazon.com/Liquid-Shades-Blue-James-Polkinghorn/dp/1608095509

Synopsis: When hungover ex-lawyer and Key West bar owner Jack Girard groggily wakes up one morning, he's greeted by a beautiful woman lying next to him and a shrill, ringing telephone. Seeing the call is from his father, Claude "The Duke" Girard, Jack answers. Within seconds, he learns that his mother is dead in an apparent suicide, and Jack hits the road, heading back to his childhood home in Miami to face his tyrannical father.

The death of his mother brings up haunting memories from Jack's past -- memories of his brother Bobby's suicide when they were in college together. Being back in Miami only continues to dredge up his family traumas, but things grow more complicated when The Duke suggests that his estranged wife's alleged suicide may have been a murder.

As Jack begins to uncover the truth about his mother's death, including the secret she had revealed to only two people (the same secret Bobby had taken with him to his grave) he finds himself in imminent danger. Can Jack reveal the true story before it's too late? He has to act quickly, or he fears he may be the victim of the next Girard family tragedy.

Critique: All the more impressive when considering that "Liquid Shades of Blue" is author James Polkinghorn's first novel, this psychological suspense thriller of a read will hold a special appeal for readers with an interest in carefully crafted amateur sleuth stories that come with more unexpected plot twists and turns than an Oklahoma tornado. Original, fascinating, memorable, "Liquid Shades of Blue" is highly recommended for community library Mystery/Suspense collections and is available for personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $6.49).

Editorial Note: James Polkinghorn is a lawyer and partner in a national law firm specializing in labor and employment law. He has extensive trial and litigation experience accumulated in multiple jurisdictions throughout the country. A Pittsburgh native, Polkinghorn moved with his family to Florida in high school, where he has since stayed. He has a degree in political science as well as a law degree from the University of Florida. He now lives in Key West with his wife, Becki, and their dog, Major Tom.

Summer Rental
Rektok Ross
Ic13 Books
https://feedyourfictionaddiction.com/reviews/publishers/ic13-books
9780988256828, $17.99, PB, 266pp

https://www.amazon.com/Summer-Rental-Rektok-Ross/dp/0988256827

Synopsis: Riley March and her friends are headed to ritzy, remote Palm Key Island for one last blow-out party weekend before college. It's the vacation of a lifetime: beautiful beaches, epic nightlife, and hot guys like Riley's crush-superstar soccer player Sebastian Ramos. There's just one catch. Everyone on this trip is hiding something. Riley is hiding her past in order to fit in. Sebastian is hiding his feelings for Riley. And someone is hiding what really happened to Jordyn Chang, a classmate that mysteriously died last summer.

Things take a dark turn after one of their friends goes missing, and a hurricane cuts the group off from civilization. Trapped inside their rental house, a killer stalks them one by one. No one is safe. Everyone's a suspect. As the body count rises, Riley and her friends will have to confront the secrets they've been keeping if they want to stay alive.

Critique: With the publication of "Summer Rental", suspense thriller novelist Rektok Ross reveals a genuine flair for originality, deftly crafted characters, and the kind of narrative driven storytelling style that keeps the reader's riveted attention from first page to last. A compelling read with more plot twists and turns than a Disneyland roller coaster, "Summer Rental" will have a particular appeal to adolescent and young adult readers with an interest in coming of age stories blended with serial killer murder mysteries. The kind of novel that will linger in the mind and memory of the reader long after the book is finished and set back upon the shelf, "Summer Rental" is an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, highschool, and community library Mystery/Suspense collections for ages 16 to 26.

Editorial Note: Rektok Ross (https://rektokross.com/about) is an expert on young adult literature who has worked as a columnist for the national online magazine The Examiner, reporting on news and trends in YA. Her articles have also been featured in popular literature websites such as Frolic, SheWrites.com, and SheReads.com. Ross also has a successful book blog with a robust social media following on Instagram and Twitter and a popular Facebook group for readers and writers called The Book Nook. Most recently, she can be found hosting the popular weekly chat "Level Up Writers" on the Clubhouse app with her co-hosts Mary Weber and Sorboni Banerjee, teaching the business of being a writer.

Bring the Night
J. R. Sanders
Level Best Books
https://www.levelbestbooks.us
9781685122447, $16.95, PB, 172pp

https://www.amazon.com/Bring-Night-Nate-Ross-Novel/dp/1685122442

Synopsis: When an oddball sister and brother duo hire him to find out if their father's suicide was in fact a suicide, private investigator Nate Ross figures he's in for an easy job. That is, until he discovers that the evidence doesn't add up and the cops (who are strangely cooperative) have rubber-stamped the case and filed it away.

Soon Nate finds himself dealing with crooks on the lam, dodging local bigwigs and shady lawyers, and chasing a clear-cut case of murder. Meanwhile, he wrestles with a conflict of interest as he's forced to investigate his own client.

The more threads he pulls, the more things threaten to unravel completely. But with the help of old sidekicks, and a couple of new ones, Nate may get to the truth first. If he doesn't die trying!

Critique: "Bring the Night" is a fun read for any and all dedicated mystery buffs and showcases author J. R. Sanders' genuine flair for originality, his complete mastery of the genre, and effective knack for the kind of narrative driven storytelling that keeps the reader rapt and compulsive page turning attention from cover to cover. While highly recommended for community library Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Bring the Night" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $5.99).

Editorial Note: J. R. Sanders (https://jrsanders.com) has been a private investigator and police officer in Southern California. He regularly contributes nonfiction articles to a variety of periodicals, among them Law & Order and Wild West magazine. A former living historian, he has portrayed 19th-century soldiers, cowboys, lawmen, and Gold Rush prospectors in presentations to schools, colleges, and historical societies all over Southern California, as well as for institutions including the Autry Museum of the American West and the Huntington Library. He has also written public service spots for local cable television broadcast and has worked both on-camera and behind the scenes on A&E/History Channel's documentary series Dangerous Missions. His books have been used in educational programs by the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum and the Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center.

See President McKinley or Die Trying
Fedora Amis
Mardon Moore Books
9781955983013, $19.95, PB, 355pp

https://www.amazon.com/See-President-McKinley-Die-Trying/dp/1955983011

Synopsis: It's 1898 and eighteen-year-old Jemima McBustle stands at the crossroads of life. She can marry a "Man of Substance" and float through life in luxury as her family wishes. Or she can follow her idol (the infamous Nelly Bly) and forge her own way in a man's world as a stunt reporter. After finessing a job at a St. Louis newspaper, she must deliver stories that will sell papers. Time is running out on her six-months' trial. The only idea she has is to follow Nellie's example and go undercover in a "Madhouse."

Jemmy reaps a story much bigger than she imagined. A possible murder to solve (and something more sinister, secret, terrifying) about the devilishly handsome Dr. Lyman himself. Confusion reigns not just in the asylum but also in Jemmy's life as new puzzles pop up like dandelions in spring.

Worse yet, her newspaper editor Suetonius Hamm saddled her with gangly red-haired photographer Hal and his chartreuse tandem bike. Adding to the chaos, Aunt Delilah McBustle has demanded that Jemmy make her grand debut into society at the elegant Oracle Ball that selfsame week.

Piling horror upon horror, her escort turned out to be her young cousin Horrible Heathcliff the Hellion, the piss alley boy of Laclede's Landing. What's a girl to do?

Critique: An original, cleverly crafted, and fun read from cover to cover, "See President McKinley or Die Trying" is a wonderfully entertaining Jemmy McBustle Mystery by Fedora Amis. With a particular appeal for fans of amateur woman sleuth and historical 'whodunnit' thrillers, "See President McKinley or Die Trying" is highly recommended for community library Mystery/Suspense collections, and is readily available for personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $3.99) as well.

Editorial Note: Fedora Amis (https://fedoraamis.com) won the Mayhaven Fiction Prize for her Victorian whodunit, Jack the Ripper in St. Louis. She dons corset and hoop skirts to perform as real historical people and imagined characters from the 1800s.

Death Watch
Stona Fitch
Arrow Editions
https://www.arroweditions.com
c/o Concord Free Press
http://www.concordfreepress.com
9780990805953, $18.95, PB, 250pp

https://www.amazon.com/Death-Watch-Stona-Fitch/dp/0990805956

Synopsis: Coe Vessel, son of a legendary adman, lands the much-anticipated ad campaign of artist-provocateur Watanabe's latest creation, a mysterious watch called Cassius Seven. The enigmatic Watanabe claims the watch can kill its wearer.

Convinced it's a high-art hoax, Coe and his team of renegade creatives work furiously to land the campaign and persuade the world that the watch (rebranded as Death Watch) is the must-have accessory for end-time capitalism.

Thanks to the team's inventive launch, Death Watch finds eager buyers among the brazenly cocky, thoroughly disillusioned, and silently suicidal. Death Watch soon becomes a cultural phenomenon, harbinger of a new nihilism, and a target for moral outrage. Exactly what Watanabe envisioned.

But his hoax turns horrific when the watches start going off, killing their wearers. Appalled, Coe and his team reverse course and work feverishly to alert would-be customers. But can they stop the juggernaut they set in motion?

Critique: Impressively original, fully engaging, exceptionally entertaining, and a compulsive page-turner of a read from cover to cover, "Death Watch" by author Stona Fitch is the stuff of which intense and satire laced thriller movies are made. While available for personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $7.99), and with an inherently fascinating science fiction element at its base, "Death Watch" is a deftly crafted and unreservedly recommended addition to community library collections.

Editorial Note: Stona Fitch (https://www.stonafitch.com) is the author of seven novels, including Give + Take and Senseless. He is also the founder of Concord Free Press, a revolutionary non-profit publisher that inspires generosity among readers.

Stranger on the Shore
William J. Borak
https://www.williamjborak.com
Atmosphere Press
www.atmospherepress.com
9781639888177, $14.00

https://www.amazon.com/Stranger-Shore-William-J-Borak/dp/1639888179

Stranger on the Shore opens on a twilight evening at the Jersey shore, Chris's favorite time of day. A year ago, he was reaching the pinnacle of his career at the same time as his love for Theresa was cresting. All vanished in the blink of an eye. Little does he know, now, that he stands at another crossroad - that of restarting his life anew. William J. Borak presents a series of entwining personalities and lives in a story that rises from the ashes of death and addiction to assume quite a different countenance than readers might expect from its opening lines. Indeed, the strength of this mystery lies in its evolving interactions between disparate lives and the forces that drive them in unexpected directions. This approach creates an entwined series of stories that flow between characters' lives like the threads of a Google search.

Chris's encounter with a mysterious woman (who leads him to another woman who not only looks a lot like Theresa, but apparently has many of her memories) evolves into his growing revelations about a dangerous threat that immerses Chris and fellow investigators in a deadly world where romance and destiny entwine. The mysterious Arielle introduces him not just to Theresa's look-alike, but to new realizations he never could have imagined. As he contemplates her influence and meaning, incorporating Marisa into his business world while pursuing her true identity, readers embark on a series of inquiries that delve into alternate realms of possibility as well as mystery.

William J. Borak creates a story that is not your usual mystery. It's more than a romance, too, and is more grounded in alternate and conflicting possibilities than the usual genre production. Libraries and readers looking for stories of love, growth, recovery, and discovery will find all these facets and more as Chris grows into his new life with more than one question about its people and purposes.

Summer of Angels
Jody Sharpe
Independently Published
9798987697108, $9.00 Paper/$3.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Summer-Angels-Jody-Sharpe/dp/B0BW2TXJNP

Summer of Angels introduces a different twist on the usual murder mystery by placing the murderous event in the future and the problem-solver in the past. Gayle Force lives up to her name in more ways than one. She's a psychic meteorologist about to face a storm of a very different nature when she experiences a nighttime vision about the future and an old man's demise. Alex Knight also lives up to his name. As an intuitive attorney, he's also committed to helping others (sometimes in unusual ways). His flexibility of belief allows him to realize that Gayle's vision could represent an opportunity for them both to solve a problem that hasn't even occurred yet. But it will, without their involvement. Jody Sharpe builds tension in just the right way. Gayle's dream awakens her and injects purpose into her life as she realizes she has been uniquely tapped to both assist an old man and live up to the dream's opportunity for her to do good in the world. Her "slightly psychic" traits have afforded her enough flexibility in belief that she can recognize this opportunity for what it is, while her ability to follow "signs from heaven" leads her in the right direction.

These backgrounds and explanations lend a believable flavor to the unfolding story as Gayle and Alex step into their talents in a very different way. Sharpe's focus on developing tension within characters that embrace proactive new roles as they problem-solve outside their usual environments lends a delicate reality to the puzzles they encounter both within and outside themselves. Intrigue entwines with loves in perhaps predictable paths, but with enough twists and turns that even savvy mystery fans won't foresee some of these events until they unfold.

When her parents become involved and Gayle comes to realize that Alex may have been "sent from above," the plot thickens. So does the reader's interest, due to exquisite revelations that embed the mystery component with spiritual and psychological depth: "He was calling you in the dream, Gayle. But your angel was helping too. It was meant to be. It's really extraordinary. You have to do this work. You have a team now to help." Libraries and readers looking for mysteries that incorporate spiritual components and many surprises about past, present, and future life connections will find Summer of Angels attractive and thoroughly engrossing. Gayle's mission is a force to reckon with. So is Summer of Angels, which juxtaposes secrets with surprises about belief right up to its unexpected conclusion.

Judgment Day
Rob Jung
Hawk Hill Literary
9781736610831, $4.99 ebook/$15.99 Print

https://www.amazon.com/Judgment-Day-Rob-Jung-ebook/dp/B0BR9Z17DT

Judgment Day is not a novel about the end of the world, but the story of the end of one woman's world. Magnolia Kanaranzi has just been elected to the US Senate when a probe of her past reveals that she once conspired to murder her mother. Even her powerful lawyer seemingly admits defeat when he seeks to have her declared unfit to stand trial, much less serve her country. Forensic psychologist Bishop Pollock uncovers the truth - but instead of redeeming her and restoring her good name, it only mires her in further conundrums that force her to go into hiding to avoid prosecution and a mental institution. On the run, she is lured back by the prospect of reconciliation with her now-adult estranged son Hamilton Blethen, whom she abandoned when he was four years old.

Hamilton, too, is at a crossroads. His grandmother's murderer has been identified, and his estranged mother is back in his life. Sadly, they appear to be one and the same. Ham needs answers to his questions. Only his mother can provide them. He will have to confront her, and his past, to get them. Rob Jung creates a powerful interplay between issues of justice, family connections, and psychological undercurrents that shake not just a family, but the nation. One of the threads of the thriller (and key to understanding the deeper meaning of its title) is the forged art piece of Joan Miro's 'The Reaper.' From the mechanics of a prison system which threatens Magnolia's life to psychological session notes that illustrate the truth, Jung crafts a fine tension between legal and psychological issues. Who is really the victim and who is the villain, in such matters?

Judgment Day makes you think. Its deep inspections of motive and perception and its insights into the criminal law system's successes and failures creates a story that is especially highly recommended for thriller readers interested in justice, redemption, and political entanglements. Libraries and readers seeking solid tension development, good characterization, and twists and turns they won't see coming will find Judgment Day an astute examination of escape, liberation, and the inexorable cost of revealing the truth.

A.N.D.: Acute Nepali Disorder
Mike Beetlestone
Independently Published
9781739658915, $15.99 Hardcover/$10.99 Paper/$4.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/N-D-ACUTE-NEPALI-DISORDER/dp/1739658914

A.N.D.: Acute Nepali Disorder provides another Ben Molina thriller, exploring Ben's shifting perception of his place in yet another world as new events test his mettle and approach to life. The challenge begins when an elegant Indian woman unexpectedly sits at his table in a near-empty restaurant and issues a challenge: "I will pay you one million euro if you can prove that my uncle murdered my father - the King of Nepal." No sooner is this offer extended than a spray of bullets causes everyone to dive for cover. When he emerges, his mysterious companion has vanished, leaving only her tantalizing offer in his thoughts and driving him to take on a case that is as elusive as its instigator.

India's culture and social stratas come to life as Ben hurdles down the streets of Mumbai, probes the slums of Kathmandu, and traverses the countryside in search of answers. Accompanying his journey is a mental process that draws readers on more than just an action-packed level as Ben moves from his initial freelance assignment to cover a terrorist attack in Mumbai to assume an active role influencing unfolding events. Unexpected enemies and allies coalesce with circumstances that drive Ben further into danger as interrogations, mercenaries, and kidnappings emerge. Mike Beetlestone develops an excellent interplay between action and psychological revelations.

At no time does the reader find their attention wandering as Ben moves from one confrontation to another, handling situations that demand he adjust his usual ways of viewing the world and interacting with others: "Maybe I haven't just saved her life, but I was here to protect her whether she liked it or not, even though she has been lying ever since we first met. I deserved some respect." As his curiosity leads him to the truth, Ben discovers that his journalistic skills have also involved him in a well-fabricated tissue of lies that unfolds to reveal surprising conclusions and connections based on historically accurate circumstances and Nepalese cultural inspections. The story is a work of fiction, but blends real events into the plot to gain a level of believability that reflects the country's poverty and struggles as well as Ben's emotional challenges in handling these issues. Libraries and readers seeking thrillers that go above and beyond action-packed will find the social, political, and psychological undercurrents supporting A.N.D.: Acute Nepali Disorder produce a thoroughly engrossing, reflective read.

The Beating Heart of a Mind
Bruce M. Perrin
www.brucemperrin.com
Mind Sleuth Publications
B0BWWYFV8Y, $3.99 ebook

https://www.amazon.com/Beating-Heart-Mind-Sleuth-ebook/dp/B0BWWYFV8Y

The Beating Heart of a Mind adds to the blossoming Mind Sleuth series with a vivid story of corporate pressures, marital discord, suicide, and a mystery. These lead P.I. Rebecca Marte on a complicated journey to uncover the motivations behind the bullying in the boardroom that ultimately leads to the company president's death.

Rebecca's new client (a friend of the dead man's wife, Nicole Veles) paints a vivid picture of the influences that led to the president's demise and the succession of his most virulent opponent. Once Rebecca accepts the job, however, she comes to perceive that her new client's psychological history may have contributed to the woman's suspicions more than the facts of the case. As Rebecca delves into a series of events that expose the underbelly of interpersonal and business relationships, she comes to believe that the truth lies hidden among the fabrications truly believed and those constructed solely to deceive. As with his previous mysteries, Bruce M. Perrin excels in an investigative profile that is as much a psychological analysis as a detective's deductions. The business components of decisions are nicely presented during the course of Rebecca's discoveries.

The story unfolds a sense of discovery and insights about business processes, interpersonal relationships, and professional and personal defamation, introducing moral and ethical conundrums on all sides. Tension is well-developed, whether it's psychological revelations that involve Rebecca more deeply in her client's life than she'd imagined, the wedge between client and investigator driven home by the victim's wife, or the probe of a business structure that supports dangerous undercurrents. The Beating Heart of a Mind is highly recommended for mystery libraries and readers, but its strength goes beyond the usual whodunit. Ideally, it will also be enjoyed by business readers and used as discussion material in book clubs devoted to novels of psychological, business, and social inspection, as well.

The Burden of Memory
Rick Christman
https://rickchristman.com
Atmosphere Press
www.atmospherepress.com
9781639888139, $17.99

https://www.amazon.com/Burden-Memory-Rick-Christman/dp/1639888136

In The Burden of Memory, retired college professor Robert Russell is just looking for a peaceful place to pen his first novel. The Low Country of Beaufort, South Carolina seems the perfect place to settle into his inherent shyness and hermit tendencies (and into his final craft in life), but when he witnesses a brutal murder, everything shifts in an instant. As he finds himself living a drama that he never could have developed from fiction writing, Robert finds that his lifelong ambitions (which seem to always have been thwarted) come full circle into realization in not just unusual, but terrible ways. These circumstances thwart both his tendency towards isolation and his ennui in creating his masterpiece. The story that "could have happened to him but didn't" becomes one that is all too real and did.

As Robert navigates unfamiliar territory that tests both his ability to survive and his creative craft, readers become immersed in a murder scenario that forces a literary recluse to emerge from his chrysalis of self-imposed isolation. Rick Christman crafts a literary thriller that is powerfully rendered in both psychological and action arenas. He unfolds the revelations and discoveries that prompt growth in Robert, testing this Vietnam vet's already-vetted ability to survive under extraordinary conditions. As he falls into an unexpected romance as well as a struggle for literary achievement and survival, Russell probes the underworld of human trafficking and finds himself bending with the wind, both in his investigation and his own psyche: "Everything had changed now. The murder of the boy had opened him up, somehow, but he had no real idea why. He had seen plenty of boys killed. Well, now it seemed he had no discipline, no control. He just took what came his way." Readers receive not only a powerful story of intrigue, but an equally potent story about creating a novel and a new life. Russell's writing will just have to wait. Ironically, it's also rebuilding itself from the foundations of new experiences as Robert sets aside his lifelong ambition to pursue a very different course of action.

Between its touch of romance, the murder scenario, and newfound connections between past and present events and responses, The Burden of Memory proves a far more challenging, realistic, and thought-provoking read than the usual genre thriller. Its literary touches and insights into a would-be writer's psyche as he moves from isolation to immersion makes for a compelling tale filled with not just unusual twists and turns, but psychological depth and social insights. Is Robert a hero, an achiever, a survivor - or dangerously flawed? Libraries and readers seeking thrillers that operate on several levels of value will find The Burden of Memory a powerful story of one man's walk out of his world and into his purpose, promise, and alter ego.

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Midwest Book Review