Reviews 
Whether it be a book, movie, or something else, here’s a critique.
Spider’s Lullaby
The first clue was the door… open ever so slightly. “The second clue was the bittersweet scent of Were-spider blood drifting from inside the house.” Yikes! Spider’s Lullaby begins with Deacon Chalk, Occult Bounty Hunter—”have silver bullets, will travel”—and his lady friends, Charlotte and Tiff, returning to Charlotte’s place after a night of binge drinking…. Read More ›
Buffalo Noir
Akashic Books continues to grow their line of Noir titles, and this one hits a little closer to home (at least for me). Most of the Noir books have been set in big and iconic cities like Boston, Chicago, New Orleans, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and the New York City boroughs. Or they’ve been set… Read More ›
Well-Offed in Vermont
How shall I put this? I wanted to like this book—and to some extent I did—but ultimately I found it disappointing. Well-Offed in Vermont begins with Stella and Nick Buckley moving from NYC to Vermont. They’re just arriving at their new home, an 1890 farmhouse in need of a few home repairs, including the installation… Read More ›
By Its Cover: Murder in Bollywood
After spotting this mystery novel’s cover, I read the book blurb: ” ‘Someone at this table has killed before, and someone at this table will kill again.’ Nikhil Kapoor, Bollywood’s biggest film director, made this shocking proclamation to his friends one night. Sameer Ali Khan, Bollywood’s badshah, seethed with rage. Nyra Oberoi, filmdom’s queen-in-waiting, turned… Read More ›
Starship Traveller
Have you ever dreamed about exploring the furthest reaches of space? Fantasized about what it would be like to travel on a space ship like the one in Star Trek or to pilot one like those in Star Wars? What about being the captain of your very own ship? In this choose-your-own-adventure, a 344-page game… Read More ›
By Its Cover: Death on Demand series
How important is it for a book series to maintain the same look and feel? The open gateway to a cemetery—with either a church or mausoleum beyond the visible graves—first drew my eye. This nighttime scene with its full moon creates a chilling tone suggestive of the supernatural or otherworldly. And then there’s the title:… Read More ›
Blog Tour: Mystery Author Maia Chance
Fairy tales in their original forms can be quite…grim. These short tales full of wonder, magic, and “happy endings” continue to inspire our imaginations and our literature. In 2014, Snow White Red-Handed debuted with the opening/first lines: “Miss Ophelia Flax was neither a professional confidence trickster nor a lady’s maid, but she’d played both on… Read More ›
Top 10 Fantasy Novels of 2015?
After looking at last year’s top mysteries, it’s time to check out which fantasy novels were the most popular in 2015. The following list includes a mix of high fantasy and urban/paranormal fantasy titles, all of which are shelved in the Fantasy section at the library where I work. Based on circulation figures, these were the… Read More ›
Top 10 Mysteries in 2015?
Now that we’ve rung in 2016, let’s take a moment to look back at the most popular mysteries of 2015. Based on circulation figures at the library where I work, these were the most checked out mysteries in 2015. One author in particular dominated this list. *** The Scam by Janet Evanovich & Lee Goldberg— The 5th… Read More ›
Death of a Witch
Catriona Beldame has come to the village of Lochdubh in the Scottish Highlands. The superstitious locals think she’s a witch, and Catriona doesn’t dissuade them from that opinion, claiming that she supplies “therapy and herbal treatments.” She’s bewitched the men who often visit her at night. The women, however, stay away and are surprisingly tight-lipped… Read More ›
The Poisoned Martini 