Let’s raise a glass of vino to Coloradan Kate Lansing’s Killer Chardonnay and Parker Valentine, an ambitious and talented vintner. Valentine’s first name is unisex but her career choice is not: in California, America’s premier wine region, only around 10 percent of winemakers are female. Parker has been obsessed with wine making since her year…
Edgar Allan Poe and the Empire of the Dead by Karen Lee Street is the third novel in the Poe and Dupin series, a thrilling historical mystery about mesmerism and magic, the shadows of the past, and the endurance of love. Poe and Dupin were last together in Philadelphia in 1844. In June 1849, Poe,…
The Pinebox Vendetta by Jeff Bond is a genre-bending thriller that combines a love story, a cold-case murder mystery, and a political blood feud—told over the course of a single breathless weekend. Twenty-year college reunions are a big deal. Who made it to the top of Disraeli’s “greasy pole”? How many made-in-college romances are still…
In 1993, Deborah Crombie published A Share in Death, her first Kincaid and James mystery. In October 2019, she released her 18th in the series, A Bitter Feast. As I discuss why this series is utterly compelling, beware of spoilers! Review: A Bitter Feast A Share in Death, set in a “luxurious Yorkshire time-share,” felt…
A Bad Day for Sunshine by Darynda Jones is the first novel in the new snarky, sassy, wickedly fun Sunshine Vicram series, where Sheriff Sunshine Vicram finds her cup o’ joe more than half full when the small village of Del Sol, New Mexico, becomes the center of national attention for a kidnapper on the loose.…
“The truth shall set you free,” immortal words found in the Saint James Bible. But for the purpose of Flight Risk, Gloria Steinem’s take on it might work better, “The truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off.” Journalist Jett Glover is motivated daily by a gut-level desire to investigate every…
One Fatal Flaw by Anne Perry is the third book in the Daniel Pitt series, where two fiery deaths have young lawyer Daniel Pitt and his scientist friend Miriam fford Croft racing to solve a forensic crisis. On the surface, One Fatal Flaw is a simple, albeit harrowing, story. A docker dies in a fiery…
It’s personal in the thirteenth Jake Lassiter thriller: Miami-based lawyer Jake defends his nephew Kip, who is “charged with multiple federal crimes.” Kip has been working for millionaire Max Ringle, who concocted a “shady scheme to help rich, entitled kids gain admission to elite universities.” When the jig is up, Ringle “cops a plea” and…
Has it really been seven years since the publication of Through the Evil Days? Be assured, fans of The Reverend Clare Fergusson & Russ Van Alstyne Mysteries: lingering questions and cliffhangers are answered in the ninth book. The biggest change since Russ and Clare’s marriage is the arrival of baby Ethan. Clare, a juggler at…
No Stone Unturned by Andrea Kane is the eighth book in the Forensic Instincts series, where ancient tapestries may hold clues to finding undiscovered Irish treasures. Fiona McKay is a talented jewelry designer whose work is inspired by tapestries “passed down from McKay mother to daughter.” Her Celtic jewelry is based on the themes, colors, and…
