Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller - The Irresponsible Reader

PUB DAY REPOST: Killer Story by Matt Witten: A Desperate Reporter Works to Solve a Sensational Murder

On January 17, 2023

In Fiction, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller

Be sure to check out this Q&A with Matt Witten—it’s a great one!

Killer Story

DETAILS:
Publisher: Oceanview Publishing
Publication Date: January 17, 2023
Format: eARC
Length: 320 pg.
Read Date: December 26-27, 2022

What’s Killer Story About?

While studying journalism in school, Petra acted as a counselor for a high school journalism camp. In that role, she met and befriended a young girl named Livvy Anderson. Over the years since then, the two forged a strong friendship—almost like sisters. At some point though, the relationship faltered—in college, Livvy started posting videos online spouting (in Petra’s view) extreme right-wing politics, hateful speech, and the like. For example, she defended a star football player accused of raping a woman on campus by trashing her reputation and exposing personal details. Rather than pushing back or even arguing with her friend, Petra chilled communication, assuming it was a phase, and focused on her own work.

And it might have been a phase if Livvy hadn’t been killed. The murder was fairly sensational—it happened while Livvy was recording a video (but she paused the recording so no one saw it or the murderer). The accused killer was acquitted—and most of the country (including Petra) assumed it was a travesty of justice and that he got away with it. The Court of Public Opinion definitely found him guilty.

Years later, Petra has found herself (like most young print journalists) bouncing around from newspaper to newspaper, trying to stay employed. She’s now at a major Boston newspaper and thinks that life is stable—the subjects of her stories might not be that glamorous, but she’s working, and the big story is around the corner.

Until she’s laid off. She panics at this point—her boyfriend (who moved cross-country with her for this job, changing the course of his career) isn’t going to put up with the lack of stability much longer, and it’s going to only get harder getting a job at the rate she’s going. So she throws out a mad pitch to her editor—what if she could definitively prove who killed Olivia Anderson? She tells him this story isn’t just the kind of thing for the paper—it’d make a great podcast.

Visions of the kind of revenue that Serial and similar podcasts could bring to the paper, not to mention the publicity of this kind of story, he gives her two weeks to firm up the story, start producing the podcast, and they’ll see what happens.

Petra heads off to find the evidence she pretended to have during that meeting—and hopefully much more.

The Journalism of this Novel

I’ve talked before about how I’m a sucker for a novel about a driven journalist—typically a print journalist, too. I’m always ready, willing, and able to embrace and fall into the romance of the crusading reporter. Or just one who does the job well, without a crusade.

But those kinds of stories are getting harder to tell and to believe in our current media landscape. Not just because print journalism is dying (for worse or for worser). It’s definitely not the track that Witten takes here. Petra is desperate and acts desperately—she lies to her editor at every turn, overstating her case and the evidence she has at each step of the way. Almost every fictional reporter* cuts a corner here and there and bends a rule and the truth in pursuit of the story and/or the truth. Even thosPetra amputates corners and forces the truth about her actions into positions only the most experienced yogi can handle—at least when it comes to what she tells her editor, coworkers, the police, her boyfriend, and so on.

* Lawyers, please note that I’m not saying anything about the methods of actual reporters or the companies they work for. Please don’t sue me.

When it comes to her actual reporting, however—in print, podcast, and elsewhere—Petra is much more honest. Bowing to editorial pressure she may say something earlier than she should* and while she never lies, she sure edges close to it. Her scripts feature incredibly well-chosen words—true, but open to interpretation.

* There are a few hundred words I could write about other journalistic ethical moves here, but I’d be getting sidetracked.

The journalism—both in print and in the podcast—we see here is very likely what fills our screens and earbuds. It’s sensationalistic, click-driven, and not necessarily all that honest. It’s depressing to think about, and it’s not great to read about if you think about it in those terms—but it makes for a thrilling (and realistic) read. Still, I think I need to go watch Deadline – U.S.A. or something to restore my faith in humanity.

The Alt-Right Depiction

Thanks to Livvy’s online persona, even now, she has a good number of fans. Many of those fans are not happy about Petra’s podcast—and make that displeasure well known online. At least one goes further than that. Between them and Livvy’s videos (and other online activities), Witten has to walk a careful line—he needs to depict them in an honest and believable way without turning them into a convenient punching bag for a reader or character to spend a lot of time venting about their politics (perhaps even himself). Or, to go in the other direction, too.

I really appreciated the restraint he showed in this regard, it’d be easy to slip here, but on the whole, he simply reports on the views espoused—sure, it’s clear that Petra and her colleagues (and many of the witnesses that talk about it) disagree with Livvy and her fans/defenders, but with only one exception, we don’t get details their differences with the alt-right views.

That exception comes from Petra having to do a deep dive into their activities and to try to interact—so it comes about organically. Even then, Witten doesn’t let Petra go too far.

I mention this to say that readers shouldn’t let the politics involved in the book dissuade them—it’s there, but it’s just part of the atmosphere. And it’s fairly evenly handled, and I can’t imagine many readers having a problem with it.

So, what did I think about Killer Story?

Early on in the novel, I made assumptions (as you do) about the kind of story that Witten was telling and what kind of things the reader should expect from the plot and characters. I was wrong on just about every point. It was a very different kind of story, the characters ended up going in directions I wouldn’t have guessed (Petra’s editor, boyfriend, and best friend were probably the exceptions to this), and every theory I had about the killing was wrong.* And the result is a richer, deeper, and more satisfying novel than what I thought I was going to get (and I anticipated this being a good one!).

* Well, almost. I did have the motive and killer right for a chapter or two, but Witten and Petra got me off of that path.

Witten’s story in last year’s Jacked was one of the higher points in a collection full of high points, and this novel solidified my appreciation for his writing. Before I got to the point where I realized that the novel wasn’t telling the story that I thought it was and shifted my expectations, I spent a good deal of time not liking the book—but I couldn’t stop reading it or thinking and talking about it when I wasn’t reading it. It was just too well done. It got under my skin. Actually, it’s still there—I can’t stop thinking about Petra and her choices. I even emailed Witten to ask a couple of questions I had about some points—points that I think the reader could have divergent opinions on, but I wanted his authorial take on it. I’ve never done this before. But I had to know—and even having his take on them, I’m chewing on it.

I’m going to be haunted by Killer Story for a bit—in the best way. If you’re looking for a mystery you can sink your teeth into and chew on, look no further.

4 Stars

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the eARC of this novel from the author in exchange for this post and my honest opinion. This did not impact my view and the above is my honest opinion.

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.

Blackwater Falls by Ausma Zehanat Khan: The Very Model of a Modern American Procedural

By HCNewton

On January 16, 2023

In Fiction, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller

Blackwater Falls

by Ausma Zehanat Khan

DETAILS:
Series: Blackwater Falls, #1
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: November 7, 2022
Format: Hardcover
Length: 371 pg.
Read Date: January 10-12, 2023

She’d thought to herself many times that the town was too shiny, too perfect, a vision of Americana, with fern-green pastures unfurling north of the reservoir, and pickup trucks and ranches that spoke of a vanished dream: the hardworking people of the heartland.

But there were hate crimes and harassment in this heartland, communities who lived at the mercy of their employers, and vigilantes and cops who were there to make them obey. In Chicago, the exercise of power was naked and direct; she knew that all too well. Blackwater’s old-fashioned gentility masked its insistence on the status quo, an insight that made her uneasy.

What’s Blackwater Falls About?

Well, I could put this in a very bare-bones way—a pair of detectives take over a murder investigation in a small town outside of Denver. There’ve been a number of complaints about the Sherriff, so Denver PD has sent them. One high school girl has been killed, and there are rumors of two others that are missing. The detectives deal with local roadblocks, an antagonistic Sherriff’s department, and some internal troubles as they search for answers.

This is not a new idea to Police Procedurals—at all. And for good reason—that’s the makings of a good story. But…let’s put some meat on those bones and see what Khan does that makes this novel stand out.

Detective Imaya Rahman has recently moved from Chicago to Denver, following some professional failure and personal trauma (it’s initially unclear what both were). She’s part of the Community Response Unit—which is assigned to any case calling for police accountability, particularly in cases involving overpoliced communities/areas. The unit was formed following the protests of 2020, and Rahman was involved in police oversight back in Chicago, it was a natural fit. The murder victim—a Syrian refugee—was a member of the same mosque that Rahman and her family attends (her father’s a criminal defense attorney, and her younger sisters attend a local college, I’m not sure what her mother does other than worry about getting her daughters married), and was discovered in that mosque. Her body was posed and displayed in a way that seemed to invoke both Christ’s crucifixion and the Virgin Mary. Between the victim, the building, and the imagery—this screams hate crime. And the tensions between the Sherriff’s Department and the (largely immigrant) Muslim community in the area are at a boiling point.

Enter CRU and Det. Rahaman, in particular. Her partner was a former trauma therapist who moved into criminal psychology, bringing valuable insights and profiling abilities. Before joining the CRU, Det. Catalina Hernandez had worked for years on the border helping immigrants with legal and medical aid. With her eye for detail, her ability to relate to the immigrant population of Blackwater Falls, and her people skills; and Rahman’s investigative instincts and shared background with the victim’s families—they’re the ideal team for this case.

There’s no dearth of suspects—there’s an evangelical megachurch in town where the preaching is as frequently anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant as it is pro-Christ. There’s the Disciples, a Christian motorcycle club—they appear to be the enforcers of the outlook of said megachurch (and make an aggressive appearance at the victim’s home the day of her body’s discovery). There’s the private (and very white) school the victim attended, where she’d been harassed and assaulted for her race, her apparel, and her success. Part of that success was getting a coveted internship at a local tech firm that she’d recently been fired from. Lastly, her father had been part of a movement to organize a union at the plant he worked at—and management’s response was both aggressive and seemingly targeted at the families of the organizers.

It seemed like a large suspect pool when I was reading it, but having typed it all out just now, it seems even more daunting.

As I said earlier, the Sherriff’s department is hostile—naturally because no one likes being pushed off a case, and possibly because there’s a good reason for them to be removed. At the same time, they seem awfully well-informed about what’s happening in the investigation (as do some of the potential suspects)—does the CRU have a leak?

The Subplots/Worldbuilding

Yeah, even with all of that going on, Khan is able to work in a handful of subplots—some of which serve the story, some establish the characters, and some help build the foundation of a series. It doesn’t feel over-stuffed and nothing is given short shrift. I’m not going to go into them all at this point because I don’t want this post to get too long, so I’ll be vague here.

This is a fantastic world here (well, okay, it’s a horrible world because it’s pretty realistic—but it’s a fantastic world for the purposes of an ongoing series. I’m pretty sure that the entities that proved to have nothing to do with the murder will be seen again in relation to a future crime.

The tensions and problems within the CRU will give all the characters opportunities for growth and development as that Unit becomes better (or devolves into uselessness).

Over the course of the case, Rahman and Hernandez form an alliance (and possible budding friendship) with a local attorney and minority rights activist—the potential for mutual aid and clashes within this group of women alone is enough to fuel readers’ imaginations for a few books.

Also, you have to account for Rahman’s backstory, family, and potential romantic entanglements that we’ve only scratched the surface of in this book, it’s going to take a few more to really explore all of this. And I’m sure the other members of the team could have similar arcs as well.

Culture Clashes

Blackwater Falls is a pretty diverse community at the present (but not historically)—you’ve got the families that have made this community over the generations—largely white, Protestant (of various types), and moderately-to-very affluent. There’s a new Muslim community appearing—Rahman’s family, Syrian refugees, and significant numbers of Somalis—largely brought into do blue-collar work. Denver’s CRU itself is pretty diverse.

The key to both success when it comes to this case and for the health of the community is understanding each other to some extent. Khan makes this point subtly throughout, but you can’t walk away from the book without it making an impression. The detectives struggle to overcome their lack of understanding of parts of the communities, cultures, and religions in the town, as do the citizens/residents, the suspects, and (I think I can say without spoiling anything) even the killer is tripped up by not really understanding things. The lack of mutual respect and awareness will destroy this unit and community until bridges are built—and used.

For the way she handles this theme alone, Khan deserves a kudos or two.

So, what did I think about Blackwater Falls?

I think I’ve tipped my hand already here. I was very impressed by this book—I’ve seen a lot of people talk about how a good police procedural can be written post-George Floyd. Here’s the answer. Khan tackles the struggles of a police department trying to do the job they’ve always done while making slow changes and resisting others—the CRU’s lieutenant (who I’ve ignored solely for reasons of space up until now) is the poster child for this. There are outside voices wanting these changes to happen more rapidly and others decrying the entire idea—and these detectives are stuck in the middle while trying to stop a murderer.

Is this a template for others? No. But it’s a shining example that the subgenre can survive and thrive. Possibly even drawing new readers in, too.

The character work—both major and minor—is fantastic, there’s not one of them that couldn’t walk off the page as a living, breathing person. The pacing is tight. The tension is organic and ratchets up throughout just the way it should. The mystery(ies) are well-plotted and executed. Khan left a giant red herring for readers to be distracted by, wondering why the detectives weren’t following one line of investigation—and my notes are full of my grumbling about it, smug in knowing that I’d figured out a significant part of the case (and maybe the killer’s identity) hundreds of pages ahead of them. And as I called it a red herring, I clearly couldn’t have been more wrong, but I didn’t give up on it until I had to.

Right now, I have this sense that there are a point or two that I intended to make that I’ve completely forgotten about—and I feel bad about that, because this is one of those books that you can really sink your teeth into. At the same time, I have a sense that I’m nearing the “said too-much” line, so I’ll leave this here and not try to think of those neglected points.

This is a great procedural in the way it embraces the defining traits and pushes them in new ways, it’s a great character study, a good commentary on several issues facing the country—and it’s a pretty solid mystery, too (can’t forget that). I’m more than eager to see where this series goes next. Get your hands on this one, friends.

4 1/2 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.

Catch-Up Quick Takes: A Few Audiobooks from December

By HCNewton

On January 12, 2023

In Audiobook, Fiction, General Fiction/Literature, Joe Pickett, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller

I’m a little worried after all of last week’s Favorites lists, I’m having a hard time writing something that takes multiple paragraphs. Thankfully? I had another stack of books I don’t have that much to say, so…let’s do a few more quick takes.

As always, I want to note, the point of these quick takes posts is to catch up on my “To Write About” stack—emphasizing pithiness, not thoroughness.

Stone Cold

by C. J. Box, David Chandler (Narrator)

DETAILS:
Series: Joe Pickett, #14
Publisher: Recorded Books
Publication Date: March 10, 2014
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length: 10 hrs., 49 min.
Read Date: December 2-5, 2022

(the official blurb)
This was a good way to bring Nate back into the series if nothing else. The story was okay, and seeing Joe balance out working for his new administrator and Gov. Rulon was fun. I was less-than-excited about Sheridan’s storyline, it was good to see her in action, and any way that Box can do that is okay with me—I just wanted more, I guess.

Bringing Missy in (and Box might as well have saved time with that reveal, anyone could’ve seen that coming 5 miles away) didn’t do much for me at all. The series really needs less of her, and I don’t get Box’s need to use her as much as he does.

A decent installment in this series—nothing special, but nothing bad, either.
3 Stars

The Twist of a Knife

by Anthony Horowitz, Rory Kinnear (Narrator)

DETAILS:
Series: A Hawthorne and Horowitz Mystery, #4
Publisher: HarperAudio
Publication Date: November 14, 2022
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length: 8 hrs., 31 min.
Read Date: December 12-15, 2022

(the official blurb)
Until I heard Horowitz on a podcast talking about this book, I wasn’t sure if I was going to bother with the book—but he piqued my interest. I’m glad he did—he’s really good at keeping this series from falling into a formula, and bringing Hawthorne into this case to get Horowitz out of trouble was a nice twist (but something he can’t repeat).

I didn’t buy—at all—the way Horowitz didn’t involve his wife in his situation—or how she reacted. The way the other detectives focused on Horowitz and didn’t really listen to him seemed less-than-credible, too—but not as much.

Still, this was a fun listen—Kinnear’s a great narrator—and this mystery was clever. It was a good time—I know you’ll find more enthusiastic recommendations from several other people, and you should probably take their advice. The best I can do is that this book probably led me to get the next one .

3 Stars

Secrets Typed in Blood

by Stephen Spotswood, Kirsten Potter

DETAILS:
Series: A Pentecost and Parker Mystery, #3
Publisher: Random House Audio
Publication Date: December 12, 2022
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length: 9 hrs., 40 min.
Read Date: December 15-19, 2022

(the official blurb)
This was a nice step up from the previous books. Spotswood is gaining in confidence and it’s showing. The main client this time out was the best yet and was so believable—the crime was an interesting twist on a familiar setup (see the Castle pilot, for example). The secondary case was pretty much just filler (so much so that Pentecost was willing to give it up), but it still gave some good moments and set up some other promising things. There’s a side trip into an ongoing crusade of Pentecost’s that was really well done—I’m really interested in seeing how this progresses in the future.

This is clearly a Nero Wolfe-inspired series, but it’s becoming less of one all the time—and that’s good. Even better because Spotswood’s Zeck is going to prove to be more formidable and subtle than Stout’s was. (although I wish he’d give Parker the same kind of privacy when it comes to her personal life as Stout gave Archie)

Overall, I liked this.
3.5 Stars

Your Perfect Year

by Charlotte Lucas, Alison Layland (Translator), Carly Robins, P. J. Ochlan (Narrator)

DETAILS:
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Publication Date: October 31, 2019
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length: 13 hrs., 33 min.
Read Date: December 23-28, 2022

(the official blurb)
Ugh. A few years ago I was in the middle of a “I need to read more ‘General Fiction” kick and saw an advertisement (or something) for this—it wasn’t on a blog, I know that much. Something about the description appealed to me, and I got a good Whispersync deal, so the audio and ebook versions sat around since. I wanted to go through the ebook rather than the audio initially—but never seemed to find the time. But I finally broke down and just wanted to get it finished, it’s been calling to me for so long.

I should have held off a little (or a lot) longer. This book didn’t work for me in just about every imaginable way. Within a chapter or two you could see how the whole thing was going to go—including the “big surprise twist”. This is fine if the ride’s enjoyable. But it really wasn’t. The comedy wasn’t all that funny. The drama felt contrived (it’s fiction—all of it is contrived, I realize—but there’s “contrived” and there’s “feeling contrived”). The introspection and self-discovery really didn’t click for me, either.

The best thing I can say about it is that the arc of the publisher of only captial-L Literature and noteworthy Non-Fiction discovering the value and appeal of popular fiction was pleasant (and I just spoiled that…oops). A little self-serving for the writer of popular fiction, but I’m not going to criticize that.

Just pass on this one.
2 Stars

This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase from any of them, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, my opinions are my own.

Early Grave by Paul Levine: Lassiter v. Friday Night Lights

By HCNewton

On January 9, 2023

In Fiction, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller

(Paul Levine participated in a Q&A about this book after I posted this, you should check it out)

Early Grave

by Paul Levine

DETAILS:
Series: Jake Lassiter, #15
Publisher: Herald Square Publishing
Publication Date: January 10, 2023
Format: eARC
Length: 372 pg.
Read Date: December 28-29, 2022

What’s Early Grave About?

Jake and his former teammate Tank are at a High School Football game—Tank’s son, Rod (also Jake’s godson), is making his debut and the two older men are beyond excited. On the opening play, Rod takes a hard hit, and Jake (who suffers from CTE) is concerned that the concussion protocol isn’t being followed, but before they can do anything, play resumes and Rod takes another hit—one he does not get up from.

The two men rush to the field and help the medical professionals until Rod can be taken to a hospital. Rod’s moment of glory has been turned into the worst day of their lives—and it’ll be worse when Tank’s wife/Rod’s mother is informed (no one had told her that Rod was playing football). He’s going to live, but it’s impossible to say whether he’ll walk again—or be able to do much at all.

Jake wants blood—so he sues the school, certain he can get around the waiver Tank signed, and seeks an injunction from the court to suspend High School contact football games until it can be proven that all schools have taken steps to ensure the game is safer.

Tackling Football

No one can blame Jake for the first part of his suit—although many doubt he’ll be able to get around the waiver (Victoria Lord gives him some help on that). But the second part feels like career suicide—he becomes a laughing stock in town, on local radio, in the legal community, and on social media.

I need to stop for a minute and talk about the social media parts—throughout the book, there’ll be news updates on the case which triggers Twitter responses (possibly other sites, but they feel like tweets to me). They are hilarious, in a funny-‘cuz-it’s-true way. This is precisely how the Internet would respond to a lawyer doing this. Levine did a great job on this front.

On a more serious front—if Jake pulls off a miracle here, that will suggest there’s something wrong with the game. If people aren’t being careful enough at the local level, what about college? What about the NFL? Powerful groups and people don’t want this to come anywhere near a courthouse, there’s just too much to lose. Jake finds himself, his associates, and his clients the target of many less-than-ethical endeavors to keep the case from progressing.

The legal aspects of this case are hard enough, but when you throw in the threats, intimidation, and money flying around to stop it? Things get even uglier.

Counseling

Jake and Melissa are in counseling—she’s discovered he’s been hiding medical issues, and who knows what else, from her. The trust is broken and she’s concerned about their future. Their engagement may be on the rocks. Melissa doesn’t have much to do in the primary story, so this is the main interaction we get with her. Through their counseling sessions, we get to see a lot of introspection and some flashbacks to Jake’s childhood.

I don’t know that they add a lot to the story, but these scenes do a great job of exploring parts of Jake’s character we probably wouldn’t be able to see otherwise—once he stops joking around defensively, that is.

Is This is the End?

Given Lassiter’s health, readers had to expect that he couldn’t keep going forever—I even asked about that back in 2020 when Levine participated in a Q&A, he said,

Lassiter told me he retired after “Bum Deal” in 2018. But when his beloved nephew Kip gets indicted for taking other kids’ SAT exams as an imposter, well, what choice did he have but to get back in the courtroom? [that’d be Cheater’s Game] I suspect Jake has one more case in him.

This might be that one more case—it’s being marketed as the last book in the series, anyway. Early Grave certainly feels like it’s the end—in several ways.

Still, since at least the days of Holmes and The Reichenbach Falls, we all know that authors have a tendency to change their minds about ending things. I’m not sure I’d close the book on this series, you never know what Levine might do. If nothing else, there’s room for books between the previously published adventures.

So, what did I think about Early Grave?

It’s probably just as dangerous for an author like Levine to mess around with something like Football as it is for an author to mess with a character’s pet dog or cat. There are some things you just don’t threaten. But Levine (and Lassiter) dance along that nasty third rail with aplomb and panache—throw in some good personal plot lines and some ominous actions from the other side and you’ve got yourself the makings of a solid thriller.

Like with most legal thrillers, the best parts of this novel happen in the courtroom—the reader is treated to great tension, some genuine comedy, and some clever reveals. The lawyers, legal assistants (for the defense), and the judge are just what’s needed for Levine to make this aspect of the novel really sing.

Jake’s a long-established maverick—and he acts like one with witnesses, his opposition, even his clients, and the law. All while dealing with his own ongoing medical issues—you have to wonder at times if Jake should’ve had a second chair just in case he doesn’t survive until the verdict is pronounced. But it’s that maverick nature that’s got him this far in life—and this far in the series, so you know that’s exactly what the readers want.

The conclusion to the case is satisfying—maybe a little credulity-stretching, but at that point, who cares? What happens after that shows Levine’s intentions for the character in pretty definite terms (with a little wiggle room, all that someone like Jake Lassiter needs). The whole thing is about as satisfying as you could want.

My only regret is that I haven’t managed to go back to the beginning so that I can feel the cumulative weight of this series coming to an end. That said, these books are designed to be read as stand-alones, and there’s no reason this couldn’t be the first installment that someone picks up.

Disclaimer: I received this novel from Saichek Publicity in exchange for this post and my honest opinion.

4 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.

Triptych (Audiobook) by Karin Slaughter, Michael Kramer: A Rough Way to Start a Series

By HCNewton

On January 6, 2023

In Audiobook, Fiction, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller

Triptych

by Karin Slaughter, Michael Kramer (Narrator)

DETAILS:
Series: Will Trent, #1
Publisher: Books on Tape
Publication Date: August 11, 2006
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length: 13 hrs., 15 min.
Read Date: January 3-5, 2023

What’s Triptych About?

I’m going to start off by saying it took me far, far, far too long to figure out how the title was appropriate. I cannot express how clueless I felt once the light bulb went on. I should stress that I wasn’t sitting around pondering it—and had essentially forgotten the title. I’m pretty sure I’d have sussed it out earlier. The more I think about it, however, the less I think it’s appropriate—Polyptych would be better—Tetraptych or Quadriptych would be even more accurate. But who even knows those terms anymore?

Anyway, there’s a serial killer/rapist afoot in the Atlanta area—the ages, races, and socio-economic status are varied enough that the typical pattern doesn’t fit. The novel shows the hunt for the killer from three overlapping perspectives (with a fourth for a significant portion of the book, too).

The first is from APD Homicide Detective Michael Ormewood, who might be a perfectly adequate detective (it’s hard to tell at the beginning, but you have to assume he is). He is a terrible person however. I know the two aren’t related, but…ick. You want the killer to be stopped, but you really don’t want him to be the one who stops him. So, it’s nice that an agent from the Georgia Bureau of Investigations, Will Trent, comes along to consult on the murder investigation Ormewood’s involved with—and shows him that it’s connected to others.

The second perspective is that of an ex-con, who has been out for only a few months. You can’t help but like him—in sharp contrast to Ormewood—but he’s a convicted murderer and is a registered sex offender, so it’s hard to generate a lot of sympathy for him. The part of the novel focused on him includes so much backstory you’d be well within your rights to forget that you’re supposed to be worried about a killer in the present. He’s clearly reformed (but honestly, doesn’t remember committing the crime he’s convicted of), he’s a rare success story for the Criminal Justice system—sadly, the world isn’t going to recognize that anytime soon. Connecting him to the present case takes a long time, but proves to be pretty important.

The third perspective is that of Will Trent. I don’t know if this was supposed to be a stand-alone, or if the whole point of the novel was to introduce Trent as central character of the series. In the end, that was the result, though. Trent’s an oddball of a detective—but he’s incredibly good at what he does. Eventually he, and his on-again-off-again lover/lifelong best friend (a detective in Vice with an ugly history with Ormewood) start to put the pieces together.

Alllllmost DNFed

I didn’t like this novel much at all—and was pushing myself through it for at least the first half. Why? I don’t know—I just wasn’t in the mood for any other audiobook I had my hands on, I guess. Kramer’s narration, Slaughter’s style, the characters, and the experience as a whole, just left a sour taste in my mouth.

Eventually, while I still didn’t enjoy the book, I got to the point that I was going to listen just to see how the ex-con’s storyline ended up. Still, I almost returned this to the library at least eight times before that point (and once or twice after).

When Trent’s perspective took over, I enjoyed it enough to start thinking about getting book 2. Also, I wanted to see how Slaughter took this particular book and turned it into a series that’s gone on into eleven books (as of later this year) and spawned a TV series.

The Narration

Kramer does a capable job, I guess, but it just didn’t work for me. I’ve listened to other books by him before (have only written about one of them, though) and I’ve felt the same way. His name didn’t trigger anything for me, but that voice and delivery sure did.

Kramer has a list of credits that can only be described as “enviable,” and keeps getting work—so clearly I’m in the minority when it comes to him. His name isn’t enough to keep me from listening to a book—but it sure won’t convince me to give something a try if I’m on the fence about it.

So, what did I think about Triptych?

Huh. What do you know? I said pretty much everything I have to say already.

I actually think I’d have been better off walking away from it. The ending was satisfying and my curiosity about the ex-con was satiated. But I’m not happy with myself about it.

Trent and his friend (or whatever), Angie, are interesting enough that I do think I’ll come back for another ride, but I don’t think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship. They’re the reason the book gets that 1/2 star.

2 1/2 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.

A Few Quick Questions with…Matt Witten

By HCNewton

On January 3, 2023

In A Few Quick Questions With..., Fiction, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller

Earlier this afternoon, I posted my thoughts (or at least many of them) about Killer Story, and now I’m pleased to present this Q&A with the author, Matt Witten. I loved his responses to the questions—and have plenty of homework to do based off of this. I didn’t realize that I was familiar with his work before due to watching way too much TV.

Also, no offense to anyone I’ve done a Q&A with before, but I’m pretty sure the opening to his fifth answer is probably the best response I’ve ever received. Enjoy—and be sure to pick up Killer Story!

Why don’t we start off with you telling us a little about yourself, what got you into writing/your path to publication, and so on.
I started writing poetry in first grade. Mostly my poems were about how great the Baltimore Orioles baseball team was, and how terrible the New York Yankees were.

I had a crush on my tenth grade drama teacher, Karen Kramer. She suggested I write a play, so I did. It was an abstract, surrealistic one-act called Mort-Free, about how humanity doesn’t need to be unhappy. I have gotten much less profound since then. Mort-Free was performed at the women’s club of a local church, and I was hooked.

When I was seventeen I got an undiagnosed illness and vowed that if I ever got healthy again, I would remember that writing is central to who I am and I should never give it up. Fortunately I did get healthy again, and even though I had some almost penniless years as a writer, I held tight to my dream. Except for that one time when I applied to law school.

In my early to mid-twenties I wrote plays that weren’t very good, but then at twenty-eight I wrote a good one called The Deal, about the FBI investigating political corruption in a small town. I wrote several plays after that. Probably my favorite is Sacred Journey, about a homeless Native American man I met on the streets of Brooklyn. I passed by him every day for six months, and then I started talking to him, and he was so intriguing I wrote a play about him that was performed all over the world. One of the most moving moments in my life was when he came to see the first performance in New York. He loved the play so much he ended up coming every night!

Somewhere in there I decided to start writing mystery novels, because I loved reading them. I wrote the Jacob Burns mystery series, with a main character who was a writer, married to an English professor at Adirondack Community College, with two boys aged five and three. At the time I was married to an English professor at ACC with two boys aged five and three. As they say, write what you know!

I never really intended to become a TV writer, but somehow or other I got hired to write a freelance episode of Homicide, and then a freelance episode of Law & Order, and before I knew it I was uprooting my family to live in LA, where I’ve been writing for TV for twenty years, on shows like House, Pretty Little Liars, Law & Order, CSI: Miami, JAG, Judging Amy, Women’s Murder Club, The Glades, Medium and Supernatural. I also wrote the movie Drones, produced by Whitewater Films. It’s been quite a journey, working with wonderful talented people, growing as a writer, and sitting on my living room sofa with family and friends watching a show I’ve written and realizing that millions of other people are also watching my words being performed.

Meanwhile my favorite thing to do in life – well, one of them, for sure – is to sit with my feet up and a cup of tea and read a thriller. My favorite genre is psychological thrillers; I consume them like candy. So a couple of years ago I decided I’d try my hand at writing them. It’s been incredibly fun. Collaborating on a TV show is fun too, but sometimes it feels good to just sit in your office – or the coffee shop – and write something that’s all yours, that comes totally from the heart, like The Necklace and Killer Story.

I’m thrilled that The Necklace found such a great publisher in Oceanview Publishing, and that it’s been optioned for the movies by Appian Way and Cartel Pictures, with Leonardo DiCaprio attached as producer. Killer Story comes out from Oceanview on January 17. My dream is to write a novel a year until I’m 80, and then take it from here.

All authors have more ideas running around in their head than they can possibly develop—what was it about this idea that made you commit to it? What came first—the victim, the protagonist, the murder, the way it’s solved, the story about Petra—and then how did you build it from there?
The main character came first: an idealist journalist who kept getting laid off.

I know several men and women in their twenties who are fiercely dedicated to going into journalism despite the huge obstacles they face. Journalism is such a rapidly changing field, with newspapers dying, internet news sites unable to find workable economic models, and decent paying jobs increasingly hard to get. These aspiring young journalists have a passion and sense of mission that I admire.

I found additional inspiration in my own life. All TV writers get fired at least once in their careers, or to use the industry parlance, they “don’t get their contracts renewed”; and that has happened to me as well. There are many reasons TV writers don’t get renewed – often it’s as simple as, there’s a new head writer who wants to hire people they’ve worked with before. But whatever the reason, losing your job is painful.

And it happens all the time in the newspaper industry. Will Doolittle, a reporter for the Glens Falls Post-Star, told me that when he started out twenty years ago, they had fifty reporters; now they’re down to eight. All over the country, newspapers are laying people off or going under.

So I created a main character in Killer Story, Petra Kovach, who is about to get laid off from yet another journalism job. She obsesses about all the things that just about everyone I know who’s ever lost their job, including myself, stresses about: Did I choose the right path in life? Is what happened somehow my fault? Will I ever get a job in the industry again?

But Petra gets back up off the mat and keeps on fighting. She’s a young woman who’s determined to make it in a very difficult business. When I wrote the character, I kept thinking about a brilliant young woman I know who, like Petra, is a first-generation immigrant with big dreams from an economically disadvantaged family. She’s working her way through law school now.

As to the murder itself, the last thing I figured out was who the murder victim would be. I landed on Olivia Anderson, a Harvard freshman who’s also an alt-right media YouTuber. I’m intrigued by how young people, especially ones from privileged backgrounds, can get sucked into that morass; and solving that mystery became a big part of solving the murder mystery.

Actually, when I think about it, that wasn’t the last thing I figured out. I remember being an artist colony in Iceland in June, and lying on my bed during the midnight sun thinking that I had the wrong murderer. It wasn’t satisfying. Now I’ve written a lot of murder mysteries in my life, dozens if you count TV episodes, and I’ve always known from the start who the killer was. But with Killer Story, for the first time ever, I changed my mind on that while I was in the middle of writing the novel. I’m really glad I did; I love who the killer is. I won’t say more so as not to give a spoiler.

You walk right up to the edge of politics—it’s clear what Petra thinks of Livvy’s ideas, it’s only pretty late in the book that you really get into details. How hard was that to hold back? And did you spend much time thinking about the reactions of readers with conservative tendencies (probably not going as far as Livvy, but with inclinations in that direction?
I like that expression: “walking right up to the edge of politics.” I don’t recall it being hard to hold back the details; that flow seemed to come naturally. But I definitely thought about the reactions of readers with conservative tendencies. I suspect that alt-righters will not enjoy the book, that’s just built into the story; but it was important to me to write the novel in such a way that it would be accessible to everyone else of all political stripes.

I’m a sucker for investigative journalist stories—I don’t think I’ve seen one like this before, though. You talk about this some in your author’s note, but why was it so important to you to talk about the influence of social media on journalism in general and investigative journalism in particular?
Thanks, I’m glad to hear Killer Story is original!

I’m a huge fan of crime podcasts like Serial and Accused and crime documentaries like Making a Murderer and Jinx. At the same time, I’m a skeptic of these shows. I’m intrigued by how reporters sometimes omit key details or distort the truth in order to tell a better story.

Today, for the first time in history, every reporter, editor, and publisher has instant access to: how many people are reading this story? In a way, that’s great: it pushes journalism into reporting the stories consumers want to read. But in a way, it’s terrible and scary: the very clear economic motivation is to get clicks and followers, and that can be more important than getting the truth.

Imagine if you were a young investigative journalist in this ultra-competitive field. The temptations to futz the truth a little, in exchange for clicks, would be huge! My intention with Killer Story was to explore all the financial and moral obstacles and dilemmas that journalists face today.

Who are some of your major influences? (whether or not you think those influences can be seen in your work—you know they’re there)
Throughout my life, two writers have inspired me the most: Dr. Seuss and Elmore Leonard. Dr. Seuss wrote with such freedom and wealth of imagination, and I believe has had a tremendous, underappreciated impact on so many writers who came after him. Elmore Leonard wrote with such economy of language, and such wonderful realistic dialogue, that I still marvel when I reread his work today. Swag is one of the greatest novels ever!

In the past five or ten years, when I’ve been gobbling down psychological thrillers like candy, there are so many writers who have inspired me. Here’s a partial list: Gillian Flynn; Harlan Coben; Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen; Laura Lippman; Jessica Knoll; A.J. Finn; Paula Hawkins; Shari Lapena; Karin Slaughter; Mary Kubica; Lisa Lutz; Ruth Ware; Linwood Barclay; Fiona Barton; Lisa Jewell; JP Delany; and Hollie Overton.

Let’s play “Online Bookstore Algorithm” (a game I made up for these Q&As). What are 3-5 books whose readers may like Killer Story?
The Necklace, by the one and only Matt Witten. A very different story – for one thing the main character is an unambiguous hero; but the writing style is similar.
The Murder Rule, by Dervla McTiernan. A twisty thriller starring a young woman sleuth with a strong mission, whose behavior is sometimes questionable.
Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn. A twisty thriller with jouflawed main characters.
The Night Swim, by Megan Goldin. A thriller about a true-crime podcast.
Her Perfect Life, by Hank Phillippi Ryan. A thriller set in the world of journalism.

What’s next for Matt Witten, author?
I’m finishing up a novel called Brainstorm, a thriller about a brilliant young neuroscientist who gets kidnapped along with her blind date and thrust into a high-stakes cat and mouse game about a weapon of mass destruction that she herself accidentally created. Ariel needs to escape from her abductors, decide whether she trusts her date, and save the world from catastrophe.

I’m also doing two TV projects: cowriting a pilot for NBC called 51%, and writing a Hallmark Mystery Movie based on A Dark and Stormy Murder, by Julia Buckley.

Thanks for your time—and thanks for Killer Story. Petra is going to live on in the back of my mind for a long time. I hope you have plenty of success with her story.
Thank you!

Killer Story by Matt Witten: A Desperate Reporter Works to Solve a Sensational Murder

By HCNewton

On January 3, 2023

In Fiction, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller

Be sure to check back in an hour or so for a Q&A with Matt Witten—it’s a great one!

Killer Story

by Matt Witten

DETAILS:
Publisher: Oceanview Publishing
Publication Date: January 17, 2023
Format: eARC
Length: 320 pg.
Read Date: December 26-27, 2022

What’s Killer Story About?

While studying journalism in school, Petra acted as a counselor for a high school journalism camp. In that role, she met and befriended a young girl named Livvy Anderson. Over the years since then, the two forged a strong friendship—almost like sisters. At some point though, the relationship faltered—in college, Livvy started posting videos online spouting (in Petra’s view) extreme right-wing politics, hateful speech, and the like. For example, she defended a star football player accused of raping a woman on campus by trashing her reputation and exposing personal details. Rather than pushing back or even arguing with her friend, Petra chilled communication, assuming it was a phase, and focused on her own work.

And it might have been a phase if Livvy hadn’t been killed. The murder was fairly sensational—it happened while Livvy was recording a video (but she paused the recording so no one saw it or the murderer). The accused killer was acquitted—and most of the country (including Petra) assumed it was a travesty of justice and that he got away with it. The Court of Public Opinion definitely found him guilty.

Years later, Petra has found herself (like most young print journalists) bouncing around from newspaper to newspaper, trying to stay employed. She’s now at a major Boston newspaper and thinks that life is stable—the subjects of her stories might not be that glamorous, but she’s working, and the big story is around the corner.

Until she’s laid off. She panics at this point—her boyfriend (who moved cross-country with her for this job, changing the course of his career) isn’t going to put up with the lack of stability much longer, and it’s going to only get harder getting a job at the rate she’s going. So she throws out a mad pitch to her editor—what if she could definitively prove who killed Olivia Anderson? She tells him this story isn’t just the kind of thing for the paper—it’d make a great podcast.

Visions of the kind of revenue that Serial and similar podcasts could bring to the paper, not to mention the publicity of this kind of story, he gives her two weeks to firm up the story, start producing the podcast, and they’ll see what happens.

Petra heads off to find the evidence she pretended to have during that meeting—and hopefully much more.

The Journalism of this Novel

I’ve talked before about how I’m a sucker for a novel about a driven journalist—typically a print journalist, too. I’m always ready, willing, and able to embrace and fall into the romance of the crusading reporter. Or just one who does the job well, without a crusade.

But those kinds of stories are getting harder to tell and to believe in our current media landscape. Not just because print journalism is dying (for worse or for worser). It’s definitely not the track that Witten takes here. Petra is desperate and acts desperately—she lies to her editor at every turn, overstating her case and the evidence she has at each step of the way. Almost every fictional reporter* cuts a corner here and there and bends a rule and the truth in pursuit of the story and/or the truth. Petra amputates corners and forces the truth about her actions into positions only the most experienced yogi can handle—at least when it comes to what she tells her editor, coworkers, the police, her boyfriend, and so on.

* Lawyers, please note that I’m not saying anything about the methods of actual reporters or the companies they work for. Please don’t sue me.

When it comes to her actual reporting, however—in print, podcast, and elsewhere—Petra is much more honest. Bowing to editorial pressure she may say something earlier than she should* and while she never lies, she sure edges close to it. Her scripts feature incredibly well-chosen words—true, but open to interpretation.

* There are a few hundred words I could write about other journalistic ethical moves here, but I’d be getting sidetracked.

The journalism—both in print and in the podcast—we see here is very likely what fills our screens and earbuds. It’s sensationalistic, click-driven, and not necessarily all that honest. It’s depressing to think about, and it’s not great to read about if you think about it in those terms—but it makes for a thrilling (and realistic) read. Still, I think I need to go watch Deadline – U.S.A. or something to restore my faith in humanity.

The Alt-Right Depiction

Thanks to Livvy’s online persona, even now, she has a good number of fans. Many of those fans are not happy about Petra’s podcast—and make that displeasure well known online. At least one goes further than that. Between them and Livvy’s videos (and other online activities), Witten has to walk a careful line—he needs to depict them in an honest and believable way without turning them into a convenient punching bag for a reader or character to spend a lot of time venting about their politics (perhaps even himself). Or, to go in the other direction, too.

I really appreciated the restraint he showed in this regard, it’d be easy to slip here, but on the whole, he simply reports on the views espoused—sure, it’s clear that Petra and her colleagues (and many of the witnesses that talk about it) disagree with Livvy and her fans/defenders, but with only one exception, we don’t get details their differences with the alt-right views.

That exception comes from Petra having to do a deep dive into their activities and to try to interact—so it comes about organically. Even then, Witten doesn’t let Petra go too far.

I mention this to say that readers shouldn’t let the politics involved in the book dissuade them—it’s there, but it’s just part of the atmosphere. And it’s fairly evenly handled, and I can’t imagine many readers having a problem with it.

So, what did I think about Killer Story?

Early on in the novel, I made assumptions (as you do) about the kind of story that Witten was telling and what kind of things the reader should expect from the plot and characters. I was wrong on just about every point. It was a very different kind of story, the characters ended up going in directions I wouldn’t have guessed (Petra’s editor, boyfriend, and best friend were probably the exceptions to this), and every theory I had about the killing was wrong.* And the result is a richer, deeper, and more satisfying novel than what I thought I was going to get (and I anticipated this being a good one!).

* Well, almost. I did have the motive and killer right for a chapter or two, but Witten and Petra got me off of that path.

Witten’s story in last year’s Jacked was one of the higher points in a collection full of high points, and this novel solidified my appreciation for his writing. Before I got to the point where I realized that the novel wasn’t telling the story that I thought it was and shifted my expectations, I spent a good deal of time not liking the book—but I couldn’t stop reading it or thinking and talking about it when I wasn’t reading it. It was just too well done. It got under my skin. Actually, it’s still there—I can’t stop thinking about Petra and her choices. I even emailed Witten to ask a couple of questions I had about some points—points that I think the reader could have divergent opinions on, but I wanted his authorial take on it. I’ve never done this before. But I had to know—and even having his take on them, I’m chewing on it.

I’m going to be haunted by Killer Story for a bit—in the best way. If you’re looking for a mystery you can sink your teeth into and chew on, look no further.

4 Stars

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the eARC of this novel from the author in exchange for this post and my honest opinion. This did not impact my view and the above is my honest opinion.

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.

Catch-Up Quick Takes: A Handful of Audiobooks

By HCNewton

On December 30, 2022

In Audiobook, Fantasy, Fiction, General Fiction/Literature, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller, Science Fiction, Urban Fantasy

I’m really behind on posting about audiobooks, so I’m going to tackle this half-dozen in one whack. It bugs me to not to write something about half of these, but at the rate I’m going, it’s just not going to happen. As always, the point of these quick takes posts is to catch up on my “To Write About” stack—emphasizing pithiness, not thoroughness.

Legends & Lattes

by Travis Baldree

DETAILS:
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Publication Date: June 14, 2022
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length: 6 hrs., 22 min.
Read Date: September 30-October 3, 2022

(the official blurb)
Opening a coffee shop has to be hard—period. Especially if you happen to be an ork, tired of the adventuring and killing, who wants to retire to a quiet community (instead of dying in battle). Harder still if no one in this part of the world has ever heard of coffee. But Viv’s not known for backing down, she’s going to give it her all.

This is possibly the sweetest Fantasy story ever written. It’s just pleasant—as pleasant as whiling away an hour or two in a comfy coffee shop chair with some great beverages. I’ve got nothing else to say, everything else would just be a rewording or unnecessary expansion on that.

Baldree’s narration was as good as his text—sometimes I wonder about the ego involved in an author doing their own narration, when they just shouldn’t. But Baldree absolutely should’ve.

3.5 Stars

The Old Woman with the Knife

by Gu Byeong-mo, Chi-Young Kim (Translator), Nancy Wu (Narrator)

DETAILS:
Publisher: Harlequin Enterprises, Limited
Publication Date: March 8, 2022
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length: 6 hrs., 29 min.
Read Date: October 12-13, 2022

(the official blurb)
I think I need to read this, so I can focus on some things I didn’t give enough attention to (and a couple of the names confused me a bit, so I know I missed some things while I figured out the context).

But this story about an aging assassin who might be having memory issues, and could be developing a conscience of sorts—while trying to put a young up-and-comer in their place was just great.

Every front worked—the emotional moments, the dry wit, the action and intrigue, the character development…all solidly delivered. I’d probably have rated this higher if I’d read it and could’ve been more careful in understanding. Strongly recommended.
3.5 Stars

The Vexed Generation

by Scott Meyer, Luke Daniels (Narrator)

DETAILS:
Series: Magic 2.0, #6
Publisher:  Audible Studios on Brilliance
Publication Date: June 6, 2019
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length: 9 hrs., 55 min.
Read Date: October 20-24, 2022

(the official blurb)
Oh, this was just fun. Gwen and Martin’s kids are teens now, and discover the whole magic/computer thing on their own (mostly because Gwen, Martin, and Philip are in major trouble and the teens blame Philip). We get to see some magic that’s not in the medieval England or Atlantean model, and see how strange everything in the first 5 books really is through the twins’ fresh eyes.

Daniels was his typical great self; Meyers was inventive, clever, and witty (as you expect), and the story was very satisfying.

If this is the end of the road for this series, it was a great way to go. If not? I’m really going to enjoy what comes next.
3.5 Stars

Druid Vices and a Vodka

by Annette Marie, Cris Dukehart (Narrator)

DETAILS:
Series: The Guild Codex: Spellbound Series, #6
Publisher: Tantor Audio
Publication Date: March 17, 2020
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length: 9 hrs., 15 min.
Read Date: November 16-18, 2022

(the official blurb)
I’m getting a little annoyed by this series, I have to admit—I’m in it for the long-haul, make no mistake. But man…it feels like we’re just spinning our wheels with a couple of the storylines (and not in believable ways, mostly just to stretch out the drama), and Tori just refuses to learn or develop in any meaningful way (which is realistic, sure, but irritating in a fictional character after this long).

Still, I enjoy the novels, and am intrigued by some of the developments. Dukehart is fun to listen to—and the way this is interwoven with the other series ensures I’m sticking around.
3 Stars

The Mutual Friend

by Carter Bays, George Newbern (Narrator)

DETAILS:
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Publication Date: June 7, 2022
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length: 15 hrs.,  56 min.
Read Date: November 21-25, 2022

(the official blurb)
Whatever problems I have with this are not with Newbern—I really enjoyed the narration.

I also really enjoyed portions of this—I can’t say entire storylines or characters—but maybe half of each? (some of the beginnings were great and then fell apart, some ended so well that I forgot that I really didn’t want anything to do with the characters/story, and some had great middles).

I found the overall “Friend” idea that tied all these divergent stories together both a great idea, and problematic at the same time.

I really wanted to like this, and assumed going in that I was going to love it. But I think this novel has taught me a lesson I should’ve learned with his TV show—Bays has moments of brilliance, but shouldn’t be allowed too much control over a story’s ending. (but if given the chance, I’m sure I’ll give him another try)

2 1/2 Stars

Bookish People

by Susan Coll, Alexa Morden (Narrator)

DETAILS:
Publisher: Harper Muse
Publication Date: August 2, 2022
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length: 8 hrs., 11 min.
Read Date: November 29-December 1, 2022

(the official blurb)
Coll tried so hard—you could feel the effort on every page. There were some truly amusing moments, and even a little sweetness here. But every storyline was entirely predictable—and not in the way that can be comfy and reassuring, but in a disappointing way. The madcap/slapstick moments felt disorganized and chaotic. The earnest parts felt like a Hallmark card.

The parts of the book that were about the ups and downs, travails and semi-triumphs, of a small bookstore made me like this enough not to resent the experience. But that’s about the best thing I can say.

2 1/2 Stars

This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase from any of them, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, opinions are my own.

Her Name is Knight by Yasmin Angoe: A Knock Out of a Debut

By HCNewton

On December 29, 2022

In Fiction, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller

Her Name is Knight

by Yasmin Angoe

DETAILS:
Series: Nena Knight, #1
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Publication Date: November 1, 2021
Format: Hardcover
Length: 413 pg.
Read Date: December 8-12, 2022

What’s Her Name is Knight About?

I’m struggling here (and have been for a week or so) to come up with something succinct and yet descriptive. So I’m going to cop out, and borrow the description from the author’s website, because I want to get this posted (if only so I can get this book back to the library). I don’t know if I’d have said everything the third paragraph does myself—feel free to skip the first sentence of it—but I figure if Angoe is willing to say it, it can’t be that spoilery.

Stolen from her Ghanaian village as a child, Nena Knight has plenty of motives to kill. Now an elite assassin for a powerful business syndicate called the Tribe, she gets plenty of chances.

But while on assignment in Miami, Nena ends up saving a life, not taking one. She emerges from the experience a changed woman, finally hopeful for a life beyond rage and revenge. Tasked with killing a man she’s come to respect, Nena struggles to reconcile her loyalty to the Tribe with her new purpose.

Meanwhile, she learns a new Tribe council member is the same man who razed her village, murdered her family, and sold her into captivity. Nena can’t resist the temptation of vengeance―and she doesn’t want to. Before she can reclaim her life, she must leverage everything she was and everything she is to take him down and end the cycle of bloodshed for good.

The Dual Timelines

So it turns out that this novel is told in two timelines. There’s the “After,” describing the present time (everything that the description above talks about), and the “Before”—the things that happen between her village was attacked and her being brought into the Tribe. This had all the makings of a problem for me.

This feels like it’s a confession—maybe it is—books with two timelines making up the plot aren’t for me. I’m not talking about flashbacks, or anything like that. Or a big time-jump somewhere along the line. But where you have Story A taking place in one time and Story B taking place some in some other time and you have to follow each of them along for the entirety (or just about) of the novel until one timeline takes over or they merge. I’m not saying I don’t read them, or that I don’t enjoy those books. But they’re really not my thing—if for no other reason than I almost always only care about one of the timelines. Which one I care about might change while I read, but when we switch from A to B, I almost always begrudge it because I just don’t care about B and just want to get back to A.

This is particularly true when we’re dealing with the past of a character (as we are here). If I can’t guess or assume pretty much the major events in a protagonist’s childhood from what I know of them in the present, then the author either failed in their depiction of the present or is deliberately withholding something (which usually backfires in these situations).

That’s absolutely the case here with Nena Knight. You knew the bulk of what was happening in the “Before” timeline—it’s her origin story and in the “After” story we’re told about some of these events/people prior to them coming up in that timeline, or we get allusions that are clear enough that we can assume the rough outline.

However.

Angoe pulls it off—both timelines are gripping throughout (okay, it took a little bit—maybe a chapter or two—for me to get into the “Before” just because I assumed Angoe would have the problems that 90% of writers have with this setup). I did resent jumping from “After” to “Before,” because I wanted to know what happened next, but I was also glad to get back to the “Before,” because I was on tenterhooks about it after the last jump. When that chapter ended, I didn’t want to leave that timeline, but I had to know what was going on in “After.” It was a vicious cycle. A delicious one, too.

Don’t ask me how Angoe succeeded where so many falter. Skill? Magic? Both? Sure, why not?

Also? The two different voices for the timelines are an excellent choice. Angoe describes her approach:

During her childhood her story is in first person present tense so that you see the world and her journey through her eyes. As an adult, her story is in third person past tense to give you a panoramic view and scope of what this kick-ass assassin can do.

This works so well—I was a little skeptical going in, but she made a believer out of me quickly.

Now, if Angoe tries this again in the next book, will it be as effective? It beats me. I’m leaning toward no, because so few can repeat the same trick. But I’m prepared for her to prove me wrong.

So, what did I think about Her Name is Knight?

There are so many elements here that we’ve seen dozens of times before—Nikita, Black Widow, Hanna, Villanelle, etc.—young female with a traumatic past, raised by people other than her parents, trained to be a spy/assassin/etc., starts to wonder if/discovers that she’s been lied to by her handlers, and makes some connections outside of her organization that feeds their desire to get out/question. Now, there’s a reason we’ve seen these things so often—they’re reliable, there’s something about them that people enjoy. Angoe does something new and different (even if only a little) with these tried and true elements so that they feel fresh and inventive.

I’ve said it before—and I’ll say it again, and keep saying it—I don’t care if you’re telling me a story I know (unless it’s book four in a series and you’re telling the same story each time), as long as you tell it in an entertaining way. This is what Yasmin Angoe has done here.

There’s a strong—very strong—chance for Nena Knight to become my favorite kick-ass female in the near future. Lily Wong, Charlie Fox, Vanessa Michael Munroe—you’re on notice. There’s something very compelling about her, her values, and how she’s living them out. Her ass-kicking abilities are pretty compelling, too. (I’m not really a fan of that phrase, but after quoting Angoe earlier, I can’t think of another way to put it)

The supporting characters—I’m not sure how many of them will reappear in the series, so I’m going to hold off talking about them in any kind of detail—are just as well done. I could take a lot more focus on any one of them in a future book and have a blast with it. The Tribe, too, is a fascinating take on a shadowy international cabal employing our assassin-protagonist. I’m hoping to see a lot more about how and why they work in the books to come. There, too, I’m not sure how much to say. I have to see the future installments.

I’d better wrap things up because I feel like I’m spinning my wheels here—this is a killer introduction to a series. It’s so satisfying and so tantalizing at the same time—I need to know what happens to Nena next. How is she changed, and what’s stayed the same for her (that might be more interesting—what is she holding on to, or what’s so much part of her that she can’t shake it)? If you’re looking for your next thriller, you’d do well to make it this one.

3.5 Stars

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2022 While I Was Reading Challenge

By HCNewton

On December 28, 2022

In Miscellany, News/Misc., The Thursday Murder Club

I finished the reading for my fifth annual While I Was Reading Challenge Monday morning—and thought I was running late, but apparently, I finished 2 days before I did in 2021—how’s that for progress?

Ramona Mead has once again done a good job in making me think about books I’d never think of before—and in ways I’d never thought of (I know I’ve never cared about an author’s astronomical sign before). Next year’s looks like a lot of fun, too. Am looking forward to it. But before we get to that, let’s look at this year.

2022 Reading Challenge Categories

A book with a question in the title: Have I Told You This Already?: Stories I Don’t Want to Forget to Remember by Lauren Graham
A book of non-violent true crime: Blessed Are the Bank Robbers: The True Adventures of an Evangelical Outlaw by Chas Smith
A book with a cover you don’t like: Composite Creatures by Caroline Hardaker
A historical fiction novel not set in Europe: A Snake in the Raspberry Patch by Joanne Jackson
A book with a character’s name in the title: With Grimm Resolve by Jefferey H. Haskell
A book featuring paranormal activity (fiction or non): (that feels like half of what I read) Nice Dragons Finish Last by Rachel Aaron
A book with a number in the title: Citizen K-9 by David Rosenfelt
A food related memoir: Yes, Chef: A Memoir by Marcus Samuelsson with Veronica Chambers
A book that’s won an award: The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes (Winner of The Booker Prize, 2011)
A middle grade novel: How to Save a Superhero by Ruth Freeman
A book by an author who shares your zodiac sign: Radio Radio by Ian Shane
A book that’s a combination of genres: Bloodlines by Peter Hartog

Category: Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller Page 16 of 144

What’s Killer Story About?

The Journalism of this Novel

The Alt-Right Depiction

So, what did I think about Killer Story?

What’s Blackwater Falls About?

The Subplots/Worldbuilding

Culture Clashes

So, what did I think about Blackwater Falls?

What’s Early Grave About?

Tackling Football

Counseling

Is This is the End?

So, what did I think about Early Grave?

What’s Triptych About?

Alllllmost DNFed

The Narration

So, what did I think about Triptych?

What’s Killer Story About?

The Journalism of this Novel

The Alt-Right Depiction

So, what did I think about Killer Story?

What’s Her Name is Knight About?

The Dual Timelines

So, what did I think about Her Name is Knight?

2022 Reading Challenge Categories