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Joe R. Lansdale: More Better Deals
“Murderers always get caught. Except the ones that get away with it.” Ed Edwards is weary of the game. He’s been working at Smiling Dave’s used car lot for awhile and is tired of the rolled back odometers, and cars held together with electrical tape and a prayer to get them off the lot. “Buyer…
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David Hill: The Vapors
A Southern Family, the New York Mob, and the Rise and Fall of Hot Springs – America’s Forgotten Capital of Vice A bit of a departure here – crime history for your consideration. The place at play in this book is Hot Springs, Arkansas, when it was a sanctum of gambling and horse racing, organized…
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A.J. Devlin: Rolling Thunder
The Split-Lip Sallies are roller derby queens. But their coach Lawrence is missing and Stormy Daze (AKA Stephanie Danielson) hires Jed Ounstead to find him. To do so he enters into a world of fetish clubs, dachshund racing, and blackmail. There will be violence. At the Emerald Shillelagh, Ounstead’s cousin Declan pours a great Guinness…
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Author Henry Roi: With Her Fists
Prison is what you make it Clarice Ares, has recently retired as a two-time, Bantamweight Champion boxer. She and her husband Ace run a combined car shop and tattoo parlour. Custom Ace and Tattoology are considered first class operations. A cartel mule’s vehicle has electrical problems. The nearest shop for a quick repair is Custom…
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Shawn Wilson: Relentless
Brian ‘Brick’ Kavanagh, a homicide detective in Washington DC, is called out to investigate the body of a woman in the Tidal Basin. Cherry blossom season means heavy tourist traffic and the city executives aren’t happy about the optics of the murder. Their rush to judgement means they want an immediate arrest. When the woman’s…
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Peace on Earth
Whatever the season Whatever the reason May the spirit of the holidays Be with you …
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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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Benefit of the Doubt: Doubtless a hit
Corruption, intimidation & malice How much can one disgraced cop take? Ben Sawyer is cop who is pissed-off most of the time. A forced resignation from the Oakland police department came from a brutal arrest. He broods and seethes reliving the act that lost him his former status as respected police officer on the fast track.…
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Diana Hockley: Overture to murder
Polish your spectacles & turn those pages Author Diana Hockley describes herself as an “Australian granny who writes, volunteers and loves classical music. Is rat-mad and has currently, four.” From this whimsical depiction comes an adept crime fiction writer who understands the rhyme and reason of a book. In the past you may remember…
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The writer within: Getting her/him out
Conversations about writing can lead to action. Lately there have been discussions with several people who have asked about what I’m writing and when and/or if I will be writing a book. The B word scares me to death. I’ve read enough from reliable sources to know that it is a hard journey. I…
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September
September brings my favourite time of year and one could think that after the summers heated passions and murderous affairs that cooler heads have prevailed? Never! Crime fiction carries on and over the past few months, I have squeaked-in books between directing contractors and wishing for noise cancelling headphones. The steady stream of interruptions hasn’t…
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Mo Hayder: Darkly intense
Characters we don’t want to believe exist I’ll never forget the first Mo Hayder book I read: The Treatment. When I finished it I was filled with bleakness. I decided then that her writing was not for me and removed her from my author list. A few years later I picked up The Devil of…
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Elephants, rhinos and painted dogs too
In South Africa at the Tau Game Lodge delighting in another world. I’ll be home soon to talk to you about the little reading I’ve been able to catch up on. Hope all is well with everyone. ~ June Lorraine
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Chain gang: authors/writers talk about their work
Stefania Manttana of the Chase Williams Mystery Series convinced me to participate in this fun initiative. It’s a great way to learn about other writers and the work they sweat over and thrive on. Stefania’s writing is charming, fun and enjoyed by many. Perhaps it’s because as she says, “I write crime novels and detective…