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Brian Panowich: Bull Mountain
Family of crime Sheriff of duty Dark. Immersive . Violent . Compelling Bull Mountain in northern Georgia is the kingdom of the Burroughs family and Hal sits comfortably on his throne. They are a vicious lot, running their criminal enterprise in ruthless patterns of violence. Dealing mainly in meth and marijuana, they rule the mountain…
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R. Michael Phillips: Between Good and Evil
Small town suspense Big city crime Sheriff Promise Flynn is a scarred former Chicago detective who resettled in Auburn Notch after two criminals left her for dead. The events now unfolding in this quiet town have her very frightened but she is smart and knows how to work the facts. A coarse, staged…
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Terry Hayes: I Am Pilgrim
Two men, two missions, one conclusion A recommendation from a friend had me racing through this book and it’s not a short one. It’s billed as a thriller and it is, but there is backstory and reflection. We get to see the events that molded each man’s character and we see their intense…
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The Killing Lessons: Saul Black
Desperation & Loss Courage & Recovery Saul Black’s characterization of the lead investigator Valerie Hart is excellent. She’s smart, accomplished and damn good at her job. Stress has taken its toll however and her decline is marked by a serial killer case from years earlier. She becomes self-destructive and betrays her lover with another man. It’s not…
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The Last Witness: Denzil Meyrick
Retribution comes home to roost A villain thought dead for five years has returned to wreck vengeance and DCI Jim Daley is in stunned disbelief. Having attended the autopsy of James Machie, after he was assassinated in an assault on his prison bus, how can he possibly still be alive? At risk is Frank…
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The Professionals: Owen Laukkanen
Job market sucks? Don’t try this. Four young college graduates can’t find decent (translate: highly paid) jobs. Wait a minute, what about a kidnapping scheme to make money? It’s a simple process. Move from city to city, find and research a prospect, kidnap and collect a ransom of $60,000, release the victim unharmed, move…
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Trace Conger: The Shadow Broker
Caffeinated probing: Dark resolve Finn Harding wonders when exactly he crossed the line. It’s as ambiguous to the reader as to him but it’s a line which he straddles and a line which he leaps-over as circumstances necessitate. This is in keeping with a PI who has lost his license but continues to accept…
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Hello again!
Pitter patter the rain falling down Little glamor sun coming round Take a walk when autumn comes to town ~ Van Morrison As I unwind my brain from the summer pursuits of catching up with friends’ and family I am delighted that September is here. The Toronto weather has us back in…
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On hiatus: Wishing you a wonderful summer
See you in September… Murder in Common is on hiatus until the Autumn. I’ll be catching up on some reading and refreshing my brain by diving into other book genres. Thank you for all your support over the past several months. You make it all very rewarding. Looking forward to hearing…
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Sea of of tears, sea of blue
Three mile procession In crime fiction we get to write about police officers in many ways: diligent, committed, corrupt and violent. We imbue their personalities with kindness and compassion, hatred and envy, humour and weariness. The list of traits is endless. Today I watched the regimental funeral honouring officer Const. Daniel Woodall of…
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Winners! Benefit of the Doubt
Neal Griffin brings a tale of redemption against malignant forces Congratulations goes out to the following crime fiction readers: M. Vincent – Thirroul, NSW, Australia S. Cronin – Madrid, Spain There are winners outstanding and I continue attempts to validate their address for the publisher and to also post them here. Many thanks to all…
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Obituaries: Mining the unexpected
Obits are chock full of characters & storylines Reading the obituaries in my daily newspaper is not a regular pastime. But as it happened one day, looking for information for personal reasons, I came across the obituary for a WWII soldier. Out curiosity and respect for his service I began to read the many interesting…
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Grant of Immunity: A debut legal thriller
Some lives are a wheel of misfortune There are many moving parts to this book. It reminds me of a Ferris wheel. With every revolution some new matter comes about and the wheel keeps moving with you as its willing passenger. It’s 1976 and 20 year old Snake and Daniel a 15 year old teenager…