Friday, February 24, 2023

Short Story Collection from James R. Benn, THE REFUSAL CAMP

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Crime and war. Unfortunately, they go well together. Especially in the hands of James R. Benn, whose 17 Billy Boyle mysteries place an Iris...

TINA, MAFIA SOLDIER, Striking New Sicilian Crime Fiction from Maria Rosa Cutrufelli

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The opening chapters of TINA, MAFIA SOLDIER go very slowly, as the narrator—would-be author of a biography of Cettina, now Tina, a Mafia you...

Brief Mention: LAST SEEN IN LAPAZ, by Kwei Quartey

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Collecting international crime fiction? Ghana-born physician and author Kwei Quartey 's Darko Dawson series, set mostly in Ghana, has be...
Tuesday, February 14, 2023

Third Crime Novel for Sheriff Gideon Stoltz, LAY THIS BODY DOWN, by Charles Fergus

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 [ Originally published at New York Journal of Books ] “Fergus’s writing lays out both the struggles of a new nation, and...
Tuesday, February 07, 2023

Engaging Mystery from J. D. Robb, ENCORE IN DEATH

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  [Originally published at New York Journal of Books ] “It’s unusual to find a crime page-turner that’s this compelling w...
Tuesday, January 31, 2023

Carrie Doyle Spins Another Quirky, Fun Mystery: THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGONFRUIT TATTOO

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The third Plum Lockhart mystery in the Trouble in Paradise series is at least as much fun as its predecessors, It Takes Two to Mango and S...
Monday, January 02, 2023

Dark Longings and Dork Disasters, in THE MOTION PICTURE TELLER from Colin Cotterill

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 Is it crime fiction or is it magical realism? Colin Cotterill's Dr. Siri Paiboun forensic tales, set in the collapsed corruption and co...
Sunday, January 01, 2023

Outrageous Alaska Adventure from John Straley, BLOWN BY THE SAME WIND

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The town of Cold Storage, Alaska, is John Straley 's best invention: a place where almost any sort of humane criminal activity can and d...
Thursday, December 29, 2022

North-Woods Crime, Cold Case Frame-Ups, and Easy Humor from Tamara Berry, ON SPINE OF DEATH

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Considering how tough life on a desert island can be, adding Tamara Berry 's engaging mysteries to the packing list seems very wise—from...

Delightful Peter Diamond (British) Mystery from Peter Lovesey, SHOWSTOPPER

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A good traditional British mystery is a great gift to a reader in this genre, and Peter Lovesey provides yet another in his December 2022 of...
Tuesday, December 06, 2022

New Espionage Fiction in the Top Tier, JUDAS 62 from Charles Cumming

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  [ Originally published at New York Journal of Books ] “Cumming effectively ramps up suspense, in this hefty page-turner...

A Guide to London from Christopher Fowler's Peculiar Crimes Unit—So Much Fun!

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 [ Originally published at New York Journal of Books ] “Fowler reports that his literary agent said (with delight) ‘Oh, i...

Jane Smiley Brings Gold-Rush Women into Crime Fiction in A DANGEROUS BUSINESS

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 [ Originally published at New York Journal of Books ] “There’s a lot of entertainment in seeing Eliza apply the methods ...

Anthony Berkeley's Gold Age Mystery MURDER IN THE BASEMENT Reprinted

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 [ Originally published at New York Journal of Books] “With a set of clever twists, Berkeley finally lays out the issue o...