Ritual of Fire by D.V. Bishop is the third book in the Cesare Aldo series. We are once again in Florence, 1538. It is hot and there is a persistent drought. If the area does not get some substantial rain soon, crops will be lost. But there’s more at stake, people’s health and sanity matter […]
Book Reviews
The Redemption of Alexander Seaton by S.G. MacLean
Our main character, Alexander Seaton, has led a life with many difficulties. Author S.G. MacLean describes how Alexander wanted to be a minister, wanted his best friend’s sister for his wife, then fell from grace, lost it all, and after ending up with a serious mental health crisis, he settled to become an embittered teacher. […]
The Mystery of Treefall Manor by J.S. Savage
Thanks to this this blog I found J.S. Savage‘s debut and it is a gem. The Mystery of Treefall Manor is the first Inspector Graves mystery and I hope that many will follow. We are in 1926, in the UK. The prologue starts strong. A maid, Jayne Brown, demands to see wealthy, successful business man, landowner, and […]
The Cesare Aldo Series by D.V. Bishop
I am excited about this new Historical Fiction series by D.V. Bishop. It is set in the sixteenth century in Florence, Italy. The ruler at that time was Duke Alessandro de Medici. The first book, City of Vengeance, came out in 2021. The cover caught my eye in the bookstore. Having been to Florence, the […]
Clay and Bones by Lisa Bailey
The photograph on the dustcover and the book blurbs on the back give the reader the impression that this book is completely dedicated to forensic sciences, in particular forensic sculpting. It looks like a book that will take us through several unsolved cases where the skills of the author, Lisa Bailey, helped bring them to […]
Women Who Murder by Mitzi Szereto
“Women Who Murder: An International Collection of Deadly True Crime Tales” is the latest book by Mitzi Szereto. Women who kill. We all know a few either from true crime or fiction. Myra Hindley, Mary Ann Cotton, Bellatrix Lestrange, and Annie Wilkes. In this book, we have globe-covering stories and authors. We go from the […]
The Winter List by S. G. MacLean
The next installment in one of my favorite historical fiction series did not disappoint. In fact, it made me love the series more. I always wanted to know more about Lady Anne Winter, a Royalist spy from the Damian Seeker series, and in this book, we see more of her personality. But let us start […]
Zenith Man by McCracken Poston Jr.
A book about ‘Death, Love, and Redemption in a Georgia Courtroom’ it says on the cover. As you can see from the cover photo, this couple loved each other. They seem to melt in each other’s embrace daring us to keep looking. Some people tried to stop this relationship because to them, it did not […]
Lay Them to Rest by Laurah Norton
Look at the cover of Laurah Norton’s book. Skeletal remains intertwined with nature indicating that the remains were exposed for quite some time. Note how the flowers lovingly embrace the skeleton and seem to uphold the skull. Head held high, supported by Mother Nature, the skeleton becomes one with the earth. Underneath the ribcage we […]
The Monogram Murders by Sophie Hannah
“The Monogram Murders is the first original novel featuring Hercule Poirot to be commissioned by the Christie estate, more than thirty-eight years after Christie’s death in 1976.” The book is the first in a series. I have a few Agatha Christie books and saw some movie adaptations. So, I bought this book, sat down, and […]
The Good Ones by Polly Stewart
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 […]
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 […]