Reviews 
Whether it be a book, movie, or something else, here’s a critique.
The Blight Way
Bo Tully, the Sheriff of Blight County, Idaho, has his own way of doing things, thus the Blight Way. “That’s because Blight County is thirty years back in time, and Famine is at least fifty years back,” says Bo’s father, Pap. This quote is so suitable in describing the fictitious county—and the very small “town”… Read More ›
By Its Cover: Dreamless
The first thing I saw wasn’t the man running, looking behind him as if he was being chased. No, my eyes focused immediately on the familiar image below. It is the scene of a nightmare haunting a woman. Iconic images or famous works of art on a book’s cover can set the mood for the… Read More ›
Is Fat Bob Dead Yet?
Welcome to Bank Street in London, Connecticut. “It would be wrong to say it’s a good day on which to die, but surely one can imagine worse days.” Though the narrative is a bit heavy on description at the beginning–describing the New London scene from a bird’s eye view–it soon narrows the focus on hapless… Read More ›
By Its Cover: Red Line
A lone figure, his back to us, stands by the shore beneath an expanse of bridge. The bridge is ablaze with lights as dusk deepens in the background. A literal red line bleeds through the title. Colors matter. Vibrant colors catch our eye and make us notice them. The lights on the bridge drew my attention… Read More ›
Live Read: Macaroni and Freeze
Today, The Poisoned Martini‘s is reading Christine Wenger’s Comfort Food Mystery, Macaroni and Freeze. This 4th book in the series released in July 2015 from Penguin books and their Obsidian Mystery imprint. A famous TV chef and former Sandy Harbor resident returns to her hometown to judge a mac-and-cheese cook-off fundraiser. When the chef turns… Read More ›
Diners, Drive-ins, and Death
It is a truth universally acknowledged that when, in a mystery novel, a character threatens to kill someone who invariably ends up dead, said person will inevitably be arrested for the threatened deed. Within the first chapter, larger-than-life Antoinette Chloe Brownelli dramatically brandishes a knife and announces, “As soon as I find Nick, I’m going… Read More ›
By Its Cover: Mayhem
This striking cover with its skeletal visage—is it formed by smoke or fire?—wearing a top hat and the vintage map of London behind it have me asking: what is it that we have here? “A moody whodunit with a horrific twist, set in London during Jack the Ripper’s red reign…” says the quote (attributed to… Read More ›
By Its Cover: The Bones of Paris
Do some covers attract attention because they feature someplace we’ve been or wish to go? When traveling do you bring a book set in the place where you’ll be? Two things stand out on this cover: the Eiffel Tower and off to the left, an equestrian statue. It’s not the most stellar cover featuring a… Read More ›
By Its Cover: Murder with a Twist
Do certain images attract your attention to a cover? Considering the name of my blog, The Poisoned Martini, it’s not surprising that cocktails on a mystery cover would catch my eye. Here, front and center, we have two martinis. I like to think of them as a gin martini with olives and a vodka martini… Read More ›
Chapter by Chapter: The Mystery of Edwin Drood … Afterthoughts
One subtle change, one added clue can change everything. When Charles Dickens died in June 1870, he left an enduring mystery in his unfinished novel, The Mystery of Edwin Drood. Even after a careful reading, several questions are left unanswered. Is Edwin Drood alive or dead? Who killed (or assaulted) Drood? Who is the mysterious… Read More ›
The Poisoned Martini 