January 3, 2023
F. Nelson Smith’s immersive mystery Jack Tuesday involves corruption, retaliation and, of course, murder.
The first few pages of Jack Tuesday offer a glimpse into the protagonist’s past. Jack ran away from his mob family when he was 17. Twenty-one years later, after changing his name and following a stint in the Royal Canadian Dragoon, […]
December 20, 2022
Todd Forrest’s Into the Realm is a murder mystery set on Cape Cod.
Forrest is a seventh-generation Cape Codder who apparently lives the credo “write what you know”: His novel is about Cape Cod’s land and people. The author is also a former commercial fisherman, and the story is deeply immersed in the life and […]
December 20, 2022
Detective Tom Grant is weeks away from retiring with the city of London, Ontario, Canada police department when he’s assigned to investigate the suspicious death of a teenage girl. As he pursues this and a later case, contemporary issues surface, including cyberbullying and the fentanyl crisis.
The often-shunned, overweight victim was the recipient of constant […]
December 6, 2022
In this blend of mystery and science fiction, author Wayne Scott Harral focuses on 30 astronauts on a scientific journey. The story follows these scientists and explorers as they cultivate plants on the moon, search for ore deposits, conduct experiments, form emotional bonds and enmities—and navigate a murder.
The story is set in the foreseeable […]
November 22, 2022
Charlotte Stuart hits all the cozy mystery marks with a well-balanced blend of quirky characters, odd twists, and lively writing—adding a dollop of droll political commentary for added flavor.
Cameron Chandler likes her job as a detective for Penny-wise Investigations: Discount Detective Agency; she enjoys her co-workers, including her glamorous boss P.W. and her trivia-spouting […]
November 1, 2022
Deeann D. Mathews’ debut is an entertaining drama and a sharp denunciation of the anti-black racism endemic in the U.S.
In 2019, police stations across mostly rural Lofton County, Virginia, are in turmoil because the new black-run newspaper, the Lofton County Free Voice, has used the Freedom of Information Act to request ten years of […]
November 1, 2022
Once again, divemaster Ricky Yamamoto finds herself in hot water; this time, in Dahab on Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula.
When Sasha, a friend and fellow diver, vanishes and is presumed drowned, Ricky pursues her own investigation, believing he’s still alive based on his diving skills and knowledge of the area. Her inquiry leads to black market […]
October 25, 2022
In Mary Frances Hill’s promising debut, a young woman is compelled to confront her past and a terrifying tragedy from her childhood.
Kate, a third-grade teacher, strives to become successful in the world of art. When she approaches a gallery owner, hoping to sell her paintings, what instead catches the gallery owner’s eye is an […]
October 17, 2022
Prolific author Michael Pronko offers his fifth engaging crime novel featuring Detective Hiroshi Shimizu, a forensic accountant who investigates white-collar crimes for the Tokyo metropolitan police department.
Azabu Getaway opens with protagonist Patrick Walsh, an American investment banker, breaking into his Tokyo condominium to take his young daughters while his wife, who is divorcing him, […]
August 1, 2022
Far Out Man is a crime thriller merging familiar elements—death, drugs, and crooked cops—with the less familiar —cheating college students and an idealistic literature professor.
In his popular 1960s’ literature class, Wayne State University professor Jack Crost often quotes passages from books such as One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and A Confederacy of Dunces. […]