If this is Polly Stewart’s debut crime novel, get ready for more splendid books in the future because as a writer, this book is extremely well written. The exploration of Virginia’s landscape, the towns, the community, the people, and the insight Stewart gives into their relationships, bring this book alive. On the cover, the book […]
Book Reviews
Down The Hill by Susan Hendricks
Writing and reporting about true crime are two different things. Susan Hendricks describes in her book ‘Down The Hill’ the chilling story she covers: the Delphi Murders. On February 13, 2017 Abigail “Abby” Williams (13) and Liberty “Libby” German (14) vanish from a hiking trail near the Monon High Bridge, Delphi, Indiana. Their bodies are […]
James Bond by Anthony Horowitz
Anthony Horowitz has a special place in my heart. He brought Midsomer Murders to TV. I have the entire series on DVD. Yes, I still buy DVDs. I don’t trust any streaming service with things I like. The books have been out for years and summaries are easily found online. I’d like to highlight what […]
Trail Of The Lost by Andrea Lankford
You can get lost in the American wilderness. Forget about your work, the stress, the commute, and just concentrate on you and the basics. For some people, this is a magnificent experience that transforms them forever. But some never come back. To this day, we have not been able to find missing hikers Christopher Steven […]
The Cat Who Saved Books by Sosuke Natsukawa
The cover art of the book caught my eye. The note from the translator made me curious about the story. Me misreading the title made me determined to read the book. I kept calling the book ‘The Cat who Saved Lives.’ Now that I have read it, I was not too far off. Rintaro Natsuki […]
Planting Clues by David J. Gibson
Planting Clues by David J. Gibson discusses hard to solve cases, how plants ultimately helped solve them, the technology that was used, and how the thus acquired evidence was introduced in court. In this book, Gibson talks about really old cases such as Socrates and more recent ones like Caylee Anthony. Each chapter discusses a […]
There’s More Bodies Out There by Rick Porrello
Ending his 10-year career as Lyndhurst Police Chief, Rick Porrello retired after serving for approx. 33 years in law enforcement. But if you think that retirement means less activity, you are wrong. Porrello is an author with plans for more books. He also dreams about drumming again soon. His book ‘To Kill The Irishman’ was […]
Crimes of Famous & Infamous Criminals by Mitzi Szereto
You may have a star on the walk of fame or a statue in the town square of your city of birth, but that does not guarantee that your star will shine forever because as this book shows you, all these stars fell, and they fell hard. In their demise, they dragged with them loved […]
Brutish Necessity by Jon Berry
The full title of the book is ‘Brutish Necessity, a Black life forgotten.’ The author, Jon Berry, sets out to tell the story of Oswald Augustus Grey, an immigrant of Jamaica. When he was 19 years old, Grey committed a crime for which he was hanged at the age of twenty. Grey was accused of […]
Murder Your Employer by Rupert Holmes
This is the first book by Rupert Holmes in a series of the McMasters Guide to Homicide. It starts with employers. According to interviews with the author, two other books are in the making. Just like in his lyrics, you need to wait to the ending to get the last plot twist. That is the […]
Twelve Twenty-Six Seventy-Five by Tony Reid
On April 25, 2018 the world learned that Joseph James DeAngelo, Jr. was arrested. Having read several books about his crimes, one more disturbing then the other, I sincerely hoped that after sentencing I’d never have to hear that name again. Not only were the crimes haunting to read, I became friends with some victims’ family […]
Simple, Safe & Secret by Eve Carson
On November 28, 1981 Joan Lucinda Webster, a Harvard graduate student, went missing. Joan (25) was last seen at Boston Logan International Airport, Massachusetts as she returned to Harvard from her Thanksgiving break. Her skull was found on April 18, 1990. The rest of her remains were found on April 25of the same year. Joan was […]
The San Francisco Doodler Murders by Kate Zaliznock
The Doodler refers to a Black male, young, tall, unidentified, and violent serial killer who was active between January 1974 – September 1975. His target area was the LGBTQ community in San Francisco. People did not speak out and trust in police was low. Five of his victims are known but he is allegedly responsible […]
The Seeker Series by S. G. MacLean
The five books in the Seeker Series by S. G. MacLean carry you into a politically challenging period. We meet Damian Seeker in 1654 when Oliver Cromwell is Lord Protector with almost unlimited powers. There is general unrest everywhere. People fight for free speech and printers work overtime to make news pamphlets. To stay ahead […]
Unsolved Crimes & Mysteries by Mitzi Szereto
There are a lot of books about true crime and unsolved mysteries. However, this one has something I covet and not always find: the right tone. The latest installment in the anthology series ‘The Best New True Crime Stories’ by Mitzi Szereto covers everything from continent to time. We read stories from the 1800s and […]
Junk Science by M. Chris Fabricant
If you love to read about Forensic Sciences then this book by M. Chris Fabricant should be on your list. A variety of junk sciences are discussed and how they are slowly weeded out. The essence of Fabricant’s book is this: Can scientific evidence overturn legal precedent? It seemed insurmountable at one point and once the […]
Bitter Blood by Jerry Bledsoe
Please welcome guest blogger Lisa Sedlak. She wrote this book review about ‘Bitter Blood‘ by Jerry Bledsoe. ** When I visit my sister, we always go to her favorite used bookstore. The last time I visited, I went straight to the true crime section – as always. Among the Ann Rule books and books on […]
Assassin’s Lullaby by Mark Rubinstein
I read Assassin’s Lullaby by Mark Rubinstein in one sitting and it cost me a night’s sleep. It isn’t just the pace, the adventure, or the action. It is the interwoven thoughts of a contract killer who is no longer fully emotionally detached and has been in denial for a while. And now, with this […]
The Harvest Man by Alex Grecian
You don’t need to read the three books in the Yard series that precede The Harvest Man by Alex Grecian however, this one is more difficult to read than the previous one, The Devil’s Workshop. In The Devil’s Workshop, Inspector Walter Day and his Sergeant Nevil Hammersmith are tortured to the point of death by […]
Murder by Milkshake from Eve Lazarus
Author Eve Lazarus explores the case of Esther Luond Castellani and the devastating effect it had on daughter Jeannine. The book describes the lives of Esther and husband Rene Castellani, their financial struggles, their jobs, Esther’s death, and Rene’s trial. The Case The first time that Esther started to feel sick was around October 1964. […]