Archive for the ‘Mystery/Suspense’ Category
MURDER AS A FINE ART by David Morrell
MURDER AS A FINE ART by David Morrell is one of the best mystery books I’ve read this year. It is historically based, taking place in the nineteenth century. As some of you may know, Morrell is best-known for his book, First Blood, upon which the the Rambo movies are based. Murder as a Fine Art is very different from his first writings. It is literary fiction and page-turning at its best.
December 3, 2013
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Judi Clark · 
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Tags: 2013 - authors with books coming out in 2013, Historical, Literary, Mulholland · Posted in: Character Driven, Facing History, Literary, Mystery/Suspense, Real Event Fiction, Real People Fiction, Time Period Fiction
ASSUMPTION by Percival Everett
The hardscrabble desert land of New Mexico is the perfect setting for Percival Everett’s new novel, ASSUMPTION, mainly because it mirrors the protagonist’s character incredibly well. Ogden Walker is a deputy in the sheriff’s office in the small town of Plata, where he serves after a brief stint in the army. Plata might be where mom Eva Walker lives but Ogden finds her presence not enough of a comfort to overcome his unease with his mixed African American heritage (he is biracial) or his general malaise with what seems to be a dead-end career. He finds it hard to be content hunting for the small fish even if a colleague tells him, “A big fish is fun, I suppose, but so are small ones sometimes. Depends on the water. If I catch a ten-incher in a creek that’s two foot wide, that’s a big fish.â€
November 17, 2011
· Judi Clark · No Comments
Tags: murder mystery, New Mexico, Thriller, Wild West · Posted in: Award Winning Author, Mystery/Suspense, Small Town, Thriller/Spy/Caper, US Southwest, Wild West
THE GREAT LEADER by Jim Harrison
Once, many years ago when I was living in Northern Michigan, Jim Harrison walked into the restaurant where I was dining. He didn’t so much walk in, in retrospect, as lumber in. It was the Blue Bird Cafe and I confess that I’d been hanging out there in the hopes of catching a glimpse of him.
October 30, 2011
· Judi Clark · No Comments
Tags: 2013 - authors with books coming out in 2013, Contemporary, Grove Press, Literary, Michigan, Mystery · Posted in: Contemporary, Literary, Mystery/Suspense, US Midwest
THE WHITE DEVIL by Justin Evans
Kicked out of his last American boarding school for drugs, Andrew Taylor’s father has sent him to England’s Harrow Academy to redo his senior year. It’s his last chance, and Andrew tries hard to follow the rules and not bring attention to himself. But author Justin Evans has other plans for Andrew in The White Devil, his latest thriller/horror novel that sheds light on the bullying and other nastiness that can go on at boarding schools past and present.
October 1, 2011
· Judi Clark · No Comments
Tags: Boarding School, Ghost, Historical, Lord Byron, murder mystery, Speculative (Beyond Reality) · Posted in: Gothic, Horror, Mystery/Suspense, Speculative (Beyond Reality), Time Period Fiction, United Kingdom
THE VAULT by Ruth Rendell
The brilliant and prolific Ruth Rendell continues to entertain us with her latest Inspector Wexford novel, The Vault. Although he is retired and has no official standing, Wexford, the former Chief Inspector of Kingsmarkham, is delighted when Detective Superintendent Thomas Ede asks for his advice concerning a puzzling case. The scene of the crime(s) is a two-hundred year old house in London, Orcadia Cottage. The current residents are Martin and Anne Rokeby, who bought the property for one and a half million pounds. One day, Martin decides to lift a manhole cover in the “paved yard at the back of the house,” curious to know what, if anything, is down there. Little does he realize that this deed would end up “wrecking his life for a long time to come.”
September 25, 2011
· Judi Clark · No Comments
Tags: 2012 - authors with books published this year, 2012 PB Release, 2013 - authors with books coming out in 2013, Foreign Detective, London, murder mystery, Ruth Rendell · Posted in: Award Winning Author, Character Driven, Family Matters, Mystery/Suspense, United Kingdom
TRICK OF THE DARK by Val McDermid
Scottish author Val McDermid is arguably best known for her Carol Jordan/Tony Hill series. This series (7 in all so far), featuring psychologist Tony Hill and Detective Inspector Carol Hill became the basis of the television programme Wire in the Blood. McDermid also created the Lindsay Gordon series and the Kate Brannigan series as well as a number of stand-alone mysteries. Now comes TRICK OF THE DARK — an excellent crime novel that may well herald the start of an exciting new series.
September 24, 2011
· Judi Clark · No Comments
Tags: 2011 Favorites, 2011 PB Release, College Setting, Gay/Lesbian, murder mystery, Oxford · Posted in: 2011 Favorites, Award Winning Author, Class - Race - Gender, Mystery/Suspense, United Kingdom
