Blogcritics Category: Books: Mystery

Book Review: Poe, edited by Ellen Datlow (stories inspired by Edgar Allan Poe)

Richard Marcus — Sun, 4 Jan 2009 07:20:17 EST

Works of mystery and imagination that not only do justice to the author they celebrate, but are fine stories in their own right.
Anthologies of short stories are usually put together to honour the best of a particular genre for the past year. It's not uncommon therefore in January to see collections titled The Best Fantasy, or The Best Science Fiction being released by various publishers. In those instances the editor's job isn't really that difficult as they...

Book Review: The Ghost and the Femme Fatale by Alice Kimberly

Mel Odom — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 15:55:30 EST

Pen McClure and the ghost of PI Jack Shepard confront a twisted mystery spanning 60 years and offering certain death.
Alice Kimberly’s Haunted Bookshop Mystery series is a treat for cozy mystery readers. The conceit of having a single mom team up with a ghost of a private eye from the late 1940s might not, on the surface, seem like it would work, but Kimberly has done a swell (to use the 1940s lingo) job over her last four books. The fifth book is due out...

Book Review: The Case of the Left-Handed Lady (An Enola Holmes Mystery) by Nancy Springer

Mel Odom — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 08:25:49 EST

Sherlock Holmes's fourteen-year-old sister investigates again, and the game is afoot!
With The Case of the Left-Handed Lady Enola Holmes is back in her second adventure, and this time she’s in the heart of London. While she’s prowling the dark streets and dangerous alleys of 19th century England, she’s also being hunted by her brother Sherlock Holmes. Nancy Springer has created an excellent series for young readers...

Book Review: The Brass Verdict by Michael Connelly

Nancy Fontaine — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 16:48:49 EST

The verdict? It's one of the best of 2008.
Michael Connelly's The Brass Verdict is a crisp crime/courtroom mystery. Written in muscular, straightforward prose, it's a sure hit for both Connelly and mystery fans alike and not surprisingly has landed on many "best of" lists this year (New York Times notable crime fiction, Library Journal best thrillers, Publisher's...

Book Review: Two Weeks Under by Rivka Tadjer

Lynda Lippin — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 14:45:24 EST

This is a fast paced enjoyable yet scary commentary on our cultural obsession with weight.
Imagine a world where changing your physical body is easy. Want bigger perkier breasts? There is a pill for that. It may have a few side effects, but what doesn't? Want to feel better about yourself? Take Normal! Want to lose weight? Go into a medically induced two week coma and wake up 20 pounds lighter.Rivka Tadjer's Two Weeks...

Beyond the Books: Interview with Crime Mystery Author Marta Stephens

Dorothy Thompson — Sun, 7 Dec 2008 17:39:13 EST

"In many ways it�s a study in human nature � how the criminal mind works and what mistakes will lead to his or her capture."
Marta Stephens is represented by the interviewer's Pump Up Your Book Promotion, a public relations agency specializing in online book promotion. Marta Stephens is a native of Argentina who has made Indiana her home since the age of four. This mild-manner lady turned to crime with the publication of the first in her Sam Harper Crime Mystery...

Book Review: Smoke Screen (Faithgirlz!/Boarding School Mysteries #3) by Kristi Holl

CeeCee McNeil — Tue, 2 Dec 2008 23:12:36 EST

Young amateur sleuth leans on God in times of danger.
There’s never a dull moment for Jerri McKane at the Landmark Boarding School. Just as anticipations are high for the upcoming Hawaiian dance, the biology lab is deliberately set on fire. Jerri’s best friend and lab partner is hurt and is sent to the hospital. But who and why would someone set the biology lab on fire? When another fire...

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Tue, 2 Dec 2008 23:12:36 EST

Book Review: Murder at the Bad Girl's Bar and Grill by N.M. Kelby

Lisa Solod Warren — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 20:09:41 EST

N.M. Kelby sustains a complicated plot, hysterically funny and sophisticated dialogue, and beautifully rendered musings on art, life, and Florida�s ecosystem.
What do you get when you mix a little magic realism, some riotously funny dialogue that gives Carl Hiaasen a run for his money and characters you really care about and would love to see turn up in a whole bunch of sequels? You get the perfect winter read, a book that could serve as a substitute for a vacation in these troubled economic times, a...

Book Review: Deadly Harvest by Heather Graham

Katie Trattner — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 19:21:55 EST

Kept me guessing until the end about who the killer might be.
I’ve been looking for some good romantic suspense lately. Halloween has come and gone, the weather is getting colder and it’s the time of year to sit snuggled in a blanket with a cup of tea. Romantic suspense is perfect for this kind of weather. But everywhere I’ve looked lately it just seems like the same old thing; tepid and...

Book Review: The Tenth Case by Joseph Teller

Megalith — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 14:17:50 EST

The Tenth Case is a solid entry into the courtroom thriller genre.
The Tenth Case by Joseph Teller is a gripping courtroom drama for readers who love mysteries and legal thrillers. Teller’s debut novel centers around attorney Harrison J. Walker, known as “Jaywalker.” Although a bit of a cliché, the Jaywalker nickname is appropriate, as Jaywalker is known for playing fast and loose with the...