Mark Billingham: Die of Shame & Love Like Blood Wednesday, Jul 19 2017 

Award winning novelist and complex mystery and Continued series winner and great read and mystery to die for Auntie M Writes Crime 12:06 am

Readers of Auntie M Writes know that Mark Billingham is one of her favorites. So it was frustrating that she’d missed reading Die of Shame, which starts out as a stand-alone featuring Detective Inspector Nicola Tanner and has a tie-in to Tom Thorn at its end.

It starts with six people, all addicts of some kind, in a group therapy session held by their therapist in his home. With his wife and teen daughter on the periphery, the six speak of their secrets and tell their stories of the life they’ve tried to leave. The object is to reveal their deepest shame.

It’s an intriguing setup, as each of these characters has something to hide. When one of them is murdered, it will fall to DI Tanner to ferret out the murderer. Readers will learn of the addict’s ability to obfuscate and explain away any situation. As Tanner’s investigation advances, it soon becomes clear that one of the six is responsible for the victim’s death.
That’s where Tom Thorne comes in at the end, working undercover as the newest member of the group.

While this one can definitely be read as a stand-alone, and it’s new in paperback for those like Auntie M who missed it last year, Billingham’s newest, Love Like Blood, follows the thread. Not with the group, which is tied up easily, but with DI Nicola Tanner as Thorne’s off-the-books newest partner.

It opens with a grissly home invasion that becomes a ghastly murder. At first, readers assume it Tanner who’s the victim, but although she was probably the proposed victim, Tanner’s partner Susan has borrowed her car that day and is brutally murdered in her stead.

Due to her closeness to the victim, policy dictates Tanner must be off the case. She enlists Thorne to take the case on, with her aiding him unofficially. When a young couple from different cultures go missing, they soon realize their targets are a pair of contracted killers, performing so-called ‘honor’ killings for families.

It’s a set-up that has nothing good about it. Thorne worming his way into a community where he’s despised just for being a cop; Tanner continuing to investigate when she shouldn’t. There’s Tom’s home with Helen and her son, Alfie, to consider, too, with Helen dealing with her own bad case.

A sobering Author’s note describes the statistics of increasing honor killings in the UK, and details one particular heartbreaking case. Leave it to Mark Billingham to sensitively explore this issue. Highly recommended, both of them. Do yourself a favor and read them both.

 

Rob Hart: The Woman from Prague Friday, Jul 14 2017 

Continued series winner and great read Auntie M Writes Crime 12:20 am

Rob Hart returns with PI Ash McKenna in The Woman from Prague., which is where he finds himself, laying low for the past months, but on a visa ready to run out.

This entertaining novel elevates the spy genre with Ash’s first person POV, the crisp dialogue, and Ash’s wry thoughts when he finds himself strong-armed into working for a supposed US agent who knows far too much about Ash and his background. But can “Roman” be trusted? And is he who he says he is?

Things quickly go south–did Auntie M mention there’s a woman involved? –as the meet Roman sets up turns deadly. Ash is forced to go on the run with the mysterious Samantha. Despite the lovely Sam in tow, Ash finds the role of an international spy is not all James Bond made it seem.

He’s in a foreign city, with someone he can’t trust, being hunted for reasons he can’t fathom.

Non-stop action gives readers a wild ride in a great setting. The fast pace makes this a perfect summer read.

 

Bill Schutt & JR Finch: The Himalayan Codex Wednesday, Jul 5 2017 

complex mystery and Continued series winner and great read and thriller Auntie M Writes Crime 12:25 am

Action, adventure and science wrapped up together prove an explosive read in the second outing from this duo of Bill Schutt and JR Finch in The Himalayan Codex, the second book featuring zoologist RJ MacCready.

This time the adventure captain finds himself on searching the plateaus of Tibet for the legendary Yeti. For the post WWII era, 1946 is a time of rebuilding. MacCready heads to Tibet to examine mammoth bones that were recently discovered in the Himalayas.

Yeti may not exist, but a codex purportedly written by Pliny the Elder certainly does, giving rise to the theory of a new race of ancestral humans, whose presence gave rise to the stories of the Yetis, yet with one startling aspect–their ability to speed up evolution.

It’s a process that would bring with it benefits but also potential for devastation with no limits. Is this the truth? And if not, why would Communist Chinese among others be hunting him and his team?

There’s enough plausible science here with technical research to allow readers to suspend disbelief to enjoy the action-packed ride. A thorough author’s note gives a complete explanation on what is fictional, what is not, and just what might be possible.

 

Jan McCanless: A Touch of Humor from the Beryl’s Cove Mystery Author Friday, Jun 30 2017 

Continued series winner Auntie M Writes Crime 12:54 am

Just in time for Father’s Day: Jan McCanless, author of the Beryl’s Cove Mysteries, is known for her wit, and here’s her essay on her “new” inventions to lighten your day. Don’t miss her books, either, filled with the same humor, fun reading for all. Here’s Jan to bring a smile to your day:

I’ve just invented the neatest toy, it’s called a Hula Hoop!

How does the saying go, a day late and a dollar short? Describes my lifestyle to a ‘t.’ While I have never been accused of being lazy or slack, I have been known, sometimes, to be a wee bit slow to find out things. It only took me 15 years of owning my electric can opener to discover it was also a knife sharpener – – -who knew? I’ve owned a computer now for oh, about a dozen years, and this past weekend, I figured out how to use the printer – – – – I feel so empowered!

Having all this self confidence, and empowerment, I sat down and thought I would come up with a really peachy keen idea for a new toy. It’s a round, tube thingy, with a large hole in the middle, and you put it around your waist, wiggle your hips like you are doing the hula, and spin it all at the same time. I’ve dubbed it a Hula Hoop. I was very proud of my invention, until I applied for a patent, and what do you know? It’s already been invented, decades ago! Why didn’t somebody tell me?

All this slowed me down somewhat, but, never let it be said, I don’t have sticktoittiveness. I have come up with another great idea, this one even better than the Hula Hoop, and it takes less brain power. And, I can lay in my hammock while I enjoy it. I have always loved pets: dogs, cats, fish, rabbits, I love them all, and over the years have enjoyed the company of many animals. When we lost the last of our 4 cats, it coincided with some remodeling and redecorating we did, so, spouse and I decided that we would leave the pets to others. He’s getting too old for them anyway, but, there is a way to enjoy a pet without the mess and cleanup AND vet bills. It’s called a Pet Rock, and I have even made a box with holes in it to carry the pet rock around in. The holes are so it can breathe, doncha know.

I was so excited about my invention, I called the kids and told them about it. “What happens when the rock dies?” one of my smarter offspring asked. “Well then, I’ll invent the Pet Rock cemetery,” I told them. “Been done,” they offered. You know, I’m starting to resent all these patent people for their comeuppance; they obviously don’t know a genius idea when they see it.

I went back to my hammock, where I do my best “work”, and put my thinking cap on. I’m never at a loss for ideas, you see. In the meantime, one of my sons delivered a load of gravel for my garden, and, as he dumped it all in the yard for me, he shouted out that the pet rock I invented had ‘babies.’ I’m definitely going to have to speak to these kids about their attitude. In the meantime, I’m going to stick to writing, – – – -and my hammock.

There’s the old adage that says, what ‘goes around, comes around,’ so I’m sure my ingenious inventions will have relevance again someday.

My brother always had a way with words, he too, one enjoyed a brisk ‘sit’ now and then, and when told something, he would always offer these words of wisdom: “I wish you had said something before you spoke.”

Couldn’t have said it better myself!

 

Carolyn Haines: Sticks and Bones Wednesday, Jun 28 2017 

amateur sleuth and Continued series winner and mystery to die for Auntie M Writes Crime 12:19 am

Carolyn Haines returns with her next Sarah Booth Delaney cozy, Sticks and Bones. This time the southern sleuth examines a cold case that comes to light in a most unexpected way.

An old acquaintance comes back into Sarah’s life in the form of Frangelica McFee, known as Sister. Now a bestselling author who lives in New York, she woman is still as arrogant and downright cruel as Sarah remembered.

So she’s doubly dismayed when it seems Sister’s memoir is being filmed on location right in Zinnia Mississippi, and the film crew decides to hire Sarah to dig out the truth about he deaths of Sister’s mother and brother decades ago.

Of course, digging into deeply buried dirt is bound to upset the real perpetrator, whose secrets have lain undisturbed until Sarah gets involved. With her trademark humor and strong protagonist, it’s another wild ride with Sarah Booth and her cohorts around.

 

Brian McGilloway: Bad Blood: A Lucy Black Thriller Friday, Jun 23 2017 

complex mystery and Continued series winner and great read and mystery to die for Auntie M Writes Crime 12:31 am

Brian McGilloway’s Lucy Black series, set in Northern Ireland, returns with the compelling Bad Blood.

Not one to shy from controversial topics, McGilloway tackles Lucy’s latest case head on, when a community becomes overwhelmed with tragedy.

A young man is found in a park, dead from head wounds, and with a stamp from a gay club on his hand. Concurrently, a hate-speech pastor was heard spouting the advocacy of stoning gay people. Could the death be connected to his talks?

At the same time as Lucy and her boss, DI Tom Fleming, try to cool things off, a Gay Rights group become involved, showing up and demonstrating at the pastor’s talks, while a far-right group target new immigrants who’ve moved into the area.

There will be vandalism that escalates to assault, arson, and more deaths before Lucy and her team, who are undergoing their own stresses, can figure out who is behind the various issues. There are turf wars within the community, and an escalating drug problem that adds to the tension.

Set against the days leading up to the Brexit vote, this highly current and compelling thriller will have readers flipping pages as Lucy and her team try to figure out who is responsible for what, when she finds herself on the receiving end of some of the ugliness.

The complex plot all makes sense in this end in this enjoyable read that will have readers searching for others in the Lucy Black series.

 

Elly Griffiths: The Chalk Pit Tuesday, May 30 2017 

amateur sleuth and Award winning novelist and complex mystery and Continued series winner and great read and mystery to die for Auntie M Writes Crime 12:02 am

Elly Griffiths returns with her ninth Ruth Galloway mystery, The Chalk Pit, a strong addition to the popular series.

The series, set in Norwich, is such a favorite of Auntie M’s that her next Nora Tierney English Mystery, The Golden Hour, features a character is reading the latest mystery–and Elly appears briefly as a friend of Nora’s.

There are good reasons why the award-winning author is hugely popular. The anthropology details are accurate but never dry, and always couched in a really good mystery to be solved. Then there are the returning characters–Ruth, Detective Nelson, and several of their friends and colleagues–who reappear and catch readers in the tumble of their lives.

This keeps the reader involved in Ruth’s world, where she’s the single parent of young Kate, a precocious child who is offered a small role in an experimental version of Alice in Wonderland.

The play comes at the same time that Ruth is called to investigate bones found in an old chalk pit during excavation for an underground restaurant. When the bones turn out to be human, it involves Nelson, too, and the mystery takes off as the relationship between Ruth and Nelson becomes even more complicated.

Ruth notices the bones appear so translucent, they might have been boiled. A second body is found, and fear mounts. Is this the work of a cannibal killer? Could there be a secret society at work? Why are the homeless being targeted? When a homeless woman goes missing, Ruth and Nelson fear she’s the next victim.

As the tension mounts, someone close them will also go missing. The story twists in their efforts to find the killer in a tense climax that will have readers flipping pages to the conclusion.

Another rewarding read in this satisfying series from the author who also writes the The Magic Men Mysteries. Highly recommended.

 

James Oswald: Written in Bones Sunday, May 28 2017 

Award winning novelist and complex mystery and Continued series winner and great read and mystery to die for Auntie M Writes Crime 12:48 am

James Oswald’s Inspector McLean series is one of Auntie M’s personal favorites. Written in Bones continues the compelling Edinburgh-based mystery series with its strong protagonist. And yes, the award-winning and nominated author really does raise pedigree Highland cattle and New Zealand Romney sheep on his North East Fife farm. You can see amazing photos of his livestock on his website and Facebook pages.

This case seems to be one without an answer. A young boy walking his dog early in the morning talks of a dragon flying overhead; then a body drops into a tree in the Meadows, Edinburgh’s scenic park. It’s not a crime scene of the faint of heart.

The victim is an ex-cop who had a criminal past, and after serving his time, had reinvented himself as a philanthropist for addicts and other causes. Was his death an accident? Or a message to those left behind?

It will take McLean back to digging out past cases and history, while he comes into contact with someone he thought he’d left behind, just as he’s trying to sort out his personal life.

One of the highlights of the series is the way Oswald brings Edinburgh, and his band of characters, to life. This is gritty stuff with an edge or realism that sharpness the focus. And as always, McLean needs to avoid exacerbating his already-ugly relationship with most of his superiors, as he doesn’t always play by the book–perhaps never.

Another outstanding entry in the series. Highly recommended.

 

Pamela Wechsler: The Graves Wednesday, May 24 2017 

complex mystery and Continued series winner and great read and mystery to die for Auntie M Writes Crime 12:15 am

The Boston setting comes alive in former prosecutor Pamela Wechler’s second Abby Endicott novel, The Graves, where the young assistant district attorney known for crime convictions is still recovering from the attempts on her life in the debut, Mission Hill.

The strong protagonist has a passion for putting murderers away, but that same dedication has cut her off from her wealthy family’s backing. Her parents hope that putting her in financial straits will prompt Abby to turn to a career more in line with their thinking, along with ditching her musician boyfriend, even while ignoring the faults in their marriage.

But when a string of young women start turning up murdered around Boston, the case only makes Abby more determined to find the killer. Then another young woman goes missing, and Abby, working with Detective Kevin Farnsworth, investigates to find the man who’s been at the heart of the matter, with surprising and troubling complications.

The prosecutor will have to bring all of her smarts and wiles to bear to bring a killer to justice, and the outcome is not a foregone conclusion once a senator and his son become implicated in the crimes.

There’s enough here to keep any reader happy. Abby’s interior narrative is a strong voice, as the young, pampered woman who took personal shoppers and trendy shops for granted suddenly has to learn to economize. Wechsler also paints a realistic picture of a woman whose drive for her job makes others unhappy, while at the same time, it confuses Abby about what–or who–she really wants.

Auntie M likes Abby. She’s not a cardboard figure, but a realistic heroine with strong opinions who can sometimes see her own weaknesses and frailties, and so can we.

And in other news: Nele Neuhaus, one of Germany’s foremost crime authors, has her latest now out in paperback. I Am Your Judge brings the team of Pia Kirchhoff and Oliver Van Bodenstein facing a complex killer whose victims appear to have no enemies. The fourth installment in the bestseller series.

 

Richard Montanari: The Killing Room Sunday, May 21 2017 

Award winning novelist and complex mystery and Continued series winner and great read and mystery to die for Auntie M Writes Crime 12:00 am

This was the first of the long-running Byrne and Balzao novel’s that Auntie M has had the pleasure to read, but it certainly won’t the last. She loves when she finds a new series to dig into, and she will now go back and read what leads up to the action in Richard Montanari’s newest, The Killing Room.

Set in Philadelphia neighborhoods, from its highest to its lowest, an abandoned church becomes the setting for the team’s latest murder. Despite its brutality, neither detective is prepared when a second body and then a third is found, also in deconsecrated churches, all in different methods of horrific brutality causing the death of the victim.

For the seasoned detectives, the crimes are more than disturbing and hit them on a personal level in different ways. It only adds to Byrne’s stress that he’s taken on trying to be a kind of mentor to troubled young teen.

With an obvious killer seemingly ahead of them at each step, the two homicide detectives will need all of their smarts to outwit the chilling killer. The ties to the Church and theology are fascinating and an important clue will come to them from an unlikely source.

The interplay between senior partner Kevin Byrne, living alone with his daughter at college, and the younger Jessica Balzano, married to a detective and with a young family at home, is a highlight of the series where two professionals who have each other’s back can exist in well-practiced teamwork that allows them to mine each other’s strengths.

Readers who haven’t discovered this series, like Auntie M, will find themselves hunting for the previous novels on the strength of this absorbing story.

 

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