I can’t tell you when this became a (largely) annual thing for me to post, but it was on a blog that pre-existed this one. As always, seems like a good day to post it.
Category: Fiction Page 3 of 299
As I was preparing this post, I discovered that the Cover Reveal I scheduled for last Monday for this book didn’t post. All the post tells me is “Missed Schedule.” So, this is going to be a longer post than I’d intended. It’ll be worth it, I assure you. So, I’m giving a belated Cover Reveal which will lead into a discussion about the Kickstarter for Way of the Wizard. It would’ve one of the better covers I’ve revealed, but alas–but I’m still going to show it.
But before I get to the Kickstarter or anything else, I just wanted to apologize to Michel–I really thought I’d had everything taken care of, but I should’ve checked.
Book Details:
Book Title: Way of the Wizard: Book One by Michael Michel
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Pages: 291 (5×8 Paperback) / 270 (6×9 Hardback)
Release Date: May 21, 2024
About the Book
Even gods have their beginnings.
Mine starts in the chasm between worlds. In the blink of eternity between life and death.
If you wish to follow, let this be your road.
First, join your brethren–those others who seek the Power. They are your allies and the key to your success. They will almost certainly try to kill you.
Second, slay a wizard and claim their topknot. Be smart, be quick, and never hesitate. They’re the most dangerous creatures alive. If destiny does not favor you, your bones will be added to the piles beneath their feet.
Third, acquire the hidden location of the Spirit Gardens. Secrets are worth more than kingdoms. Protect them at all costs or your enemies will win, and you will die.
But above all, never look back. Godhood is the goal.
If you have the courage and ambition to do so, read on.
Your path to power awaits.
About the Author
Michel lives in Bend, Oregon with the love of his life and their two children. When he isn’t obsessively writing, editing, or doing publishing work, he can be found exercising, coaching leaders in the corporate world, and dancing his butt off at amazing festivals like Burning Man. His favorite shows are Dark, The Wire, Arcane, and Norsemen. He loves nature and deep conversations. Few things bring him more joy than a couple of hours playing table tennis.
Website ~ Twitter ~ Instagram ~ Goodreads
and now…
The Cover
If you’re the type to buy a book just based on the cover, this is one to get you to open your wallet, right?
The image comes from Nino Is and J Caleb Design handled the cover’s typography and layout. I think they both did a bang up job.
The Kickstarter
The book looks great. The cover is dynamite. The rewards look nifty. Go help kick that start!
I’m running late with this, but I’m very pleased today to welcome the Cover Reveal for D.H. Willison’s The Forest of Fate this morning! It’s a a stand-alone adventure romance set on the fantastical world of Arvia. Before we get to revealing the cover, let’s learn a little bit about the book and author, shall we? It’ll just take a moment, and then we can all take a peak at the cover.
Book Details:
Book Title: The Forest of Fate: A Tale of Adventure, Romance, and Forgiveness by D.H. Willison
Series: Tales of Avira
Genre: Fantasy adventure/fantasy romance
Length: 274 pages
Release Date: May 10, 2024
About the Book:
It’s us against the forest.
Stripped of weapons and exiled to the worst wilderness in the land, we have a three-week trek to reach a friendly settlement. Why am I facing a forest crawling with creepy monsters and overgrown with carnivorous trees, unarmed? That would be my companion, a cold-hearted wolf woman who looted an ancient artifact from the only safe haven in the Forest of Nightmares.
Will my future be dodging monsters by day and uneasy nights sleeping with one eye open? Or will we work together to survive this nightmare?
The Forest of Fate, an adventure romance set on the wild and fantastical world of Arvia, is a tale of ordinary people overcoming the impossible.
Including their pasts.
About the Author:
D.H. Willison is a reader, writer, game enthusiast and developer, engineer, and history buff. He’s lived or worked in over a dozen countries, learning different cultures, viewpoints, and attitudes, which have influenced his writing, contributing to one of his major themes: alternate and creative conflict resolution. The same situations can be viewed by different cultures quite differently. Sometimes it leads to conflict, sometimes to hilarity. Both make for a great story.
He’s also never missed a chance to visit historic sites, from castle dungeons, to catacombs, to the holds of tall ships, to the tunnels of the Maginot Line. It might be considered research, except for the minor fact that his tales are all set on the whimsical and terrifying world of Arvia. Where giant mythic monsters are often more easily overcome with empathy than explosions.
Subscribe to his newsletter for art, stories, and humorous articles (some of which are actually intended to be humorous).
Author Links:
Website ~ Instagram ~ Facebook ~ Twitter~ Goodreads
and now…
The Cover
Credit goes to Papaya for that little treat for your eyes.
Keep your eyes peeled for this book, folks. It’ll be out in a little over a month and will be worth the wait!
When I first posted about this book, I said I couldn’t say much about the art because my ARC didn’t include much of it. Well, the authors fixed that for me, so I’ve augmented that section a little bit.
The Tenacious Tale of Tanna the Tendersword
by Dewey Conway & Bill Adams
DETAILS: Series: The Chronicles of Tanna the Champion by Galdifort Quillpen, #1 Publisher: Willow Wraith Press Publication Date: April 2, 2024 Format: eARC Length: 283 pg. Read Date: March 14-18, 2024
What’s The Tenacious Tale of Tanna the Tendersword About?
Tanna is an aspiring Champion, a hero in training, and a student at Edic Academy of Valient Adventurers who is looking for her first quest. It ought to be small, as she’s young and inexperienced, this is the chance to show that she can accept a challenge and complete it successfully, thereby earning the opportunity to further her education.
Traveling with her is a Chronicler-in-training. His duty is to accompany her as she seeks for and then completes her quest, writing the official (and perhaps mildly dramatized) version of her heroics. When/if Tanna becomes a full-fledged Champion, he (or another Chronicler) will accompany her, so someone can tell the tale of her adventures for the entertainment and edification of non-heroes. Galdifort Quillpen is less than appreciative that Tanna’s search for a quest centers on a village populated largely by pigs and pigherders. The sights, smells, and sounds are not what he had in mind.
But she’s not finding a quest, and they only have a few days before they have to return to the Academy. Returning empty-handed will set them back in their training—perhaps derailing it entirely. Tanna is keeping busy helping people with chores and being friendly—but that’s not a guidebook-approved quest.
She excitedly comes to him, however, with an opportunity. Someone knows someone who can send them on a search to request for a quest. They only have to talk to a few people, travel after curfew (and a great distance) to a place that will put them very near the territory of a witch who is largely only referred to as What’s-Her-Name, to hopefully find the person with a quest. Tanna’s dogged determination and some rather exciting circumstances force Galdifort into agreeing to go along with her (complaining and objecting the entire way).
And that’s just the beginning…
Along the way, they will meet a peg-legged Rooster who is a vicious fighter, talking (and crying) mushrooms, a giant hawk-like bird, and enough other strange creatures to fill a Bingo card. They’ll face dangers and personal challenges. And maybe, just maybe, learn something. You know, if they survive.
Spoon!
Okay, Tanna doesn’t have a battle cry that silly. (Yet?) But throughout the book the relationship between Tanna and Galdifort reminded me so much of The Tick and Arthur (in every incarnation, but primarily the animated version, just because I’ve spent more time with that one). Tanna has The Tick’s optimism, the sheer belief that things will work out, she’ll vanquish her foes, and that the right will prevail—because that’s how it goes. She also has The Tick’s, um, poor grasp on vocabulary, understanding of complicated matters, obliviousness toward their companion’s attitutde, and propensity for overblown dialogue.
Meanwhile, Galdifort has Arthur’s intelligence, reluctance to rush into danger, preoccupation with the kinds of things that their heroic companions miss, pessimism (they’d both argue realism), and both find themselves more loyal to and confident in their companion.
I don’t think that Conway and Adams consciously modeled their duo on Edlund’s—but there are worse ideas. I think it’s just that this combination of traits really works for comedy, drama, and ongoing character development. Something they all discovered and used to well. It’s also a good way to explain to blog readers of a certain age what kind of character dynamics are present when they buy a copy of this book of their MG readers (or themselves, I don’t judge).
The Illustrations
(somewhat edited, as I indicated above, but just somewhat.)
Because, I’m so lousy at describing art, I do want to point you to some samples on the author’s site, and they are great. Cute as all get out, Galdifort’s personality is captured perfectly. Tanna’s wide-eyed optimism and energy is clear. And I’d love a print of that Peggs illustration.
So, that’s the flavor. The art isn’t a major component of the book–there’s a small illustration on the first page of each chapter, just a little bit of eye-candy. There are some medium-large illustrations scattered throughout the text as well. Nothing to distract you from the story (well, much). Mostly their purpose appears to be to grab your eyes and suck you in. They are whimsical (there’s one that depicts a miserable and harrowing experience, but even the illustration is a little whimsical–without taking away from the misery), and add just a little pizazz to the experience. The text doesn’t require them, but I can’t imagine that they’d do anything but entertain and engage the reader.
Consider me a Dewey Conway fan.
So, what did I think about The Tenacious Tale of Tanna the Tendersword?
This was ridiculously fun. I wish I was in Middle Grades so I could appreciate it a bit more—I’m too jaded and old to really get into it the way I wanted to, I could see what the authors were doing, and so on. It took a little bit of the fun out of it for me. But when I could suspend my, um, advanced adulthood and just enjoy the story, boy howdy, did I.
There were some rough patches for me when it came to grammar and language, and they most likely will have been addressed by publication. I couldn’t even tell you what they were now, so they were pretty minor (nor could I find them easily, because I tried). But I can’t imagine that any 5th +/- grader is going to pick up on them (or care).
The humor and heart are both evident throughout—I don’t know that I laughed out loud (see the jaded bit above), but I was frequently amused. There were some subtle messages/life lessons woven into the text that I appreciated and probably won’t come across as messages or life lessons for the target reader. I have to be vague with what I liked because a lot of the fun is in the discovery—or the way that Galdifort grumpily engages with or describes the world around him (he’s not quite Puddleglum or Eeyore, but he could get there one day with enough effort). But I assure you, it’s entertaining from at least page 3 right up to the end.
I think the experience would be enhanced a bit by having the illustrations, but even without them, I was entertained. The Tenacious Tale of Tanna the Tendersword is good, wholesome fun that will surely engage most readers of all ages, with a satisfying conclusion—and a good hook to bring us all back for the second in the trilogy.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this ARC from the authors in exchange for my honest opinion.
I’m very pleased to welcome the Cover Reveal for Jonathan Nevair’s Cosmic Widow to The Irresponsible Reader this morning! This novel is the third in this series of stand-alone SF adventures. Incidentally, the other two books in the series, To Spy a Star and Stellar Instinct are on sale .99c on April 2nd for the Cover Reveal. Before we get to revealing the cover, let’s learn a little bit about the book and author, shall we? It’ll just take a moment, and then we can all feast on the cover.
Book Details:
Book Title: Cosmic Widow by Jonathan Nevair
Series: Agent Renault Adventures, Book 3
Genre: Adult Science Fiction
Publisher: Cantinool Books
Release date: November 19, 2024
Preorder Date: September 1, 2024
About the Book
A deadly race to recover a priceless portrait.
When the legendary Cosmic Widow vanishes from the galaxy’s premiere art museum, Agent Lilline Renault delves into a shadowy underworld to hunt down the missing masterpiece.
Her only clue: the thief’s enigmatic calling card. Following a scant trail of evidence, Lilline crosses paths with shady art dealers, eccentric university professors, and elusive forgers in a tangled search for the stolen work of art.
But the robber’s end game is more sinister than mere theft. Sleeping secrets stir inside the Cosmic Widow… If they wake, an arcane mystery locked away for ages could spell disaster across the stars.
About the Author
Jonathan Nevair is a science fiction writer and educator originally from Long Island, NY. After two decades in the classroom, he finally got up the nerve to write fiction. His character-driven space operas and spy-fi thrillers have been nominated for multiple awards, including the National Fantasy Fan Federation Laureate Award (Stellar Instinct) and the Indie Ink Awards (Wind Tide and Stellar Instinct). Jati’s Wager was a 2022 Indie Ink Awards finalist and runner-up for the category, Writing the Future We Need: Nonbinary Representation. His short fiction is published in sci-fi journals, including Simultaneous Times.
Jonathan lives in southeastern PA with his wife and rambunctious mountain feist, Cricket. When not writing and teaching, he spends his time chasing his dog through the woods and stargazing with dreams of walking in space.
Website ~ Instagram ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Amazon Author Page ~ Goodreads ~ Indie Story Geek ~ Bookbub
and now…
The Cover
This eye-catching cover is the handiwork of Cover Artist/Designer: MIBLart.
Be sure to preorder this in September—and get the first books in the series, To Spy a Star and Stellar Instinct on sale .99c on April 2nd
from Miracles by C.S. Lewis:
In all my life I have met only one person who claims to have seen a ghost. And the interesting thing about the story is that that person disbelieved in the immortal soul before she saw the ghost and still disbelieves after seeing it. She says that what she saw must have been an illusion or a trick of the nerves, And obviously she may be right. Seeing is not believing.
For this reason, the question whether miracles occur can never be answered simply by experience. Every event which might claim to be a miracle is, in the last resort, something presented to our senses, something seen, heard, touched, smelled, or tasted. And our senses are not infallible. If anything extraordinary seems to have happened, we can always say that we have been the victims of an illusion. If we hold a philosophy which excludes the supernatural, this is what we always shall say. What we learn from experience depends on the kind of philosophy we bring to experience. It is therefore useless to appeal to experience before we have settled, as well as we can, the philosophical question.
If immediate experience cannot prove or disprove the miraculous, still less can history do so. Many people think one can decide whether a miracle occurred in the past by examining the evidence “according to the ordinary rules of historical inquiry.” But the ordinary rules cannot be worked until we have decided whether miracles are possible, and if so, how probable they are. For if they are impossible, then no amount of historical evidence will convince us. If they are possible but immensely improbable, then only mathematically demonstrative evidence will convince us: and since history never provides that degree of evidence for any event, history can never convince us that a miracle occurred. If, on the other hand, miracles are not intrinsically improbable, then the existing evidence will be sufficient to convince us that quite a number of miracles have occurred, The result of our historical enquiries thus depends on the philosophical views which we have been holding before we even began to look at the evidence, The philosophical question must therefore come first.
Here is an example of the sort of thing that happens if we omit the preliminary philosophical task, and rush on to the historical. In a popular commentary on the Bible you will find a discussion of the date at which the Fourth Gospel was written. The author says it must have been written after the execution of St. Peter, because, in the Fourth Gospel, Christ is represented as predicting the execution of St. Peter. “A book,” thinks the author, “cannot be written before events which it refers to.” Of course it cannot—unless real predictions ever occur. If they do, then this argument for the date is in ruins, And the author has not discussed at all whether real predictions are possible. He takes it for granted (perhaps unconsciously) that they are not. Perhaps he is right: but if he is, he has not discovered this principle by historical inquiry. He has brought his disbelief in predictions to his historical work, so to speak, ready made. Unless he had done so his historical conclusion about the date of the Fourth Gospel could not have been reached at all. His work is therefore quite useless to a person who wants to know whether predictions occur, The author gets to work only after he has already answered that question in the negative, and on grounds which he never communicates to us.
This book is intended as a preliminary to historical inquiry. I am not a trained historian and I shall not examine the historical evidence for the Christian miracles, My effort is to put my readers in a position to do so. It is no use going to the texts until we have some idea about the possibility or probability of the miraculous, Those who assume that miracles cannot happen are merely wasting their time by looking into the texts we know in advance what results they will find for they have begun by begging the question.
Back in September (about the time I should have been sending him my part of this Q&A), J.M. Gulmire stopped by with a Guest Post, “Shaping Smiles with Kay-9 The Robot Dog,” giving a little BTS about the book I posted about this morning. Last week, I finally got around to sending the questions that have been rattling around in my brain since then–and he was gracious enough to get the answers back right away, so I can talk about this charming book a little bit and bring you this post. I hope you enjoy.
Why don’t you take a moment to introduce yourself to the readers, and tell us about your path to publication?
Sure sure. Well, I’ve been a storyteller for about 300 years now, it feels like. About a dozen years ago I started querying agents. I submitted mountains of work as I kept writing during this period, and got some great responses praising my work but no takers. I usually received comments about how great my stories are but that they’re not what agents are looking for.
I fell in the “too different” category. That tends to happen when you live with elves and have conversations with your dog.
So last year, the elves and my dog demanded to read my books in book format and that drove me to test out self-publishing.
My first title, “A Vacuum for my Birthday” hit #1 in its genre on amazon and since then I’ve released two other books that have all become Amazon bestsellers.
In addition to writing, your other big artistic endeavor is claymation. What kinds of things have you learned from claymation that have helped your writing—and vice versa?
I love swimming in clay. When I decided to self-publish a little birdie told me that marketing is super tough and that I’d have to do something different so I decided to practice making shorts so I could create my own book trailers. I grew up on Will Vinton and always had a strange obsession with claymation and stop motion work.
Claymation is super tough. The elves lent me some play-doh and I started writing scripts. Script writing helps get right to the action. It keeps things moving and filming reminds writers that timing matters. Thankfully I’m now actually working with clay, which doesn’t dry out as fast!
On the opposite end, writing has helped me realize my characters and bring them to life onscreen. The shorts I created for my “Kay-9 the Robot Dog” trailer were so fun to make, even when the clay took on a mind of its own.
So every book I’ve read for the MG audience about a kid who creates a robot/super-computer/etc. focuses on the end result—and the creation (or most of it) happens “off screen” or in the literary equivalent of a montage. But you don’t take that approach—the book is almost all about the creation-stage. Was that a conscious choice on your part to depart from the norm, or was that just the way it came about?
That was a pure choice. I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
One of my elves asked me to get them a robot dog book, but I couldn’t find one. Worst of all, most of the robot books were all about the robot’s experiences instead of its creation.
I was overly aware of this while writing “Kay-9.” Thankfully the subject was so fun and my dog offered a few suggestions because I love finding untold stories. That old saying, “every story has already been told” or something like that was created to be proven wrong. I think Mark Twain or some old timey author started that rumor just so people would work harder to make something new.
There’s a recurring theme (at least I think there was) about what makes a good parent running throughout the book. Frequently it’s Ryan’s mother telling/reminding him something like “I’m your mom, of course I’m going to ____.” Was that something you set out to layer in or did it just come up organically and you decided to run with it?
I’m so glad that came through. Yes. Raising a house full of elves and critters, I know how often little ones need to be reminded that they are supported by their family, especially their parents.
I also hoped that the children who read “Kay-9” would feel more connected to their parents through Ryan’s relationship with his mom, and how important his connection with his dad was even though he was gone.
What was the part what was the biggest surprise about the process of writing Kay-9? Either, “I can’t believe X is so easy!” or “If I had known Y was going to be so hard, I’d have skipped this and watched more TV”?
I found myself spellbound at how desperately the book seemed to want to be written. I would sit down and write and it poured out so well and so fast that I had to slow down and stretch my fingers to keep from losing my head. I didn’t want to rush it but knew that I was on to something.
This is typically where I ask about what’s next for an author, but your next is already here—tell us a little about Monster Camping Trip.
Yay. Thank you! “Monster Camping Trip” is my third best selling Amazon new release.
This one didn’t exactly know what it wanted to be called. The original title was, “Too Many Kids” because it’s about the ups and downs of being part of a big family, but it’s also about how families support each other even if they’re a little crazy at times.
This one sets Ava on a search for a mysterious cryptid that lives in Wisconsin. She learns about the legend of the hodag and ends up going on an adventure with her twin brother in search of it on their family camping trip.
And there’s no end to writing with me. I plan to release my fourth book, “Keku’s Mission,” in September. It’s my Lord of the Rings, but with all animals and a lot less wandering through the forest because the animals are small and can’t go as far. Imagine Frodo as a girl toad who is on a mission to find a plant that will heal her friend who is sick.
All of my books are about overcoming the odds and the importance of supporting others and being supported. They all have jokes and silly situations in them as well, because I don’t like cough medicine but laughter (and pineapple juice) are the best cure for everything.
Thanks for your time and participation! Thanks also for introducing me to Ryan and his friends/neighbors!
THANK YOU so much!! I love writing and am always happy to spend time giving my manuscripts time to cool off. LOL
Readers, go check out all of Gulmire’s books at Amazon!
Be sure to come back later this morning for a Q&A with the Author.
Kay-9 The Robot Dog
by J.M. Gulmire
DETAILS: Publication Date: September 2, 2023 Format: eARC Length: 160 pg. Read Date: September 16, 2023
What’s Kay-9 The Robot Dog About?
Ryan is having a rough time. His dad is overseas with the military—and Zoom calls just aren’t cutting it (actually, they may be making it worse). His mom’s allergies prevent them from getting a pet—and all Ryan really wants in the world is a dog.
So, he gets the idea of making one. Not in a bio-chem laboratory or editing genes to create a truly hypo-allergenic canine or something. But a robotic dog. His friend/neighbor Marcus helps out when he can—and Marcus’ little sister, Mariah, pushes her way into the project, too (and actually has some good ideas and contributions).
It’s not long before Ryan has moved beyond making a toy—between experimentation, online research, spare computer parts, and a little luck—he’s on his way to creating a real artificial pet.
Gulmire Zags Where Others Zig
It was in the 1980s that I first discovered stories where a kid/young person created computers, robots, androids, or spacecraft far beyond the capabilities of most professional computer engineers/corporate entities.* And while I rarely seek those out, I keep stumbling across them in various media to this day. I typically enjoy them—and have little trouble disengaging my disbelief for them, too.
* True, it was in the 1980s that I discovered pretty much everything, but that’s beside the point.
On the surface, Kay-9 The Robot Dog is one of a long line of those stories. But there’s something different about Gulmire’s approach to the creation of the Robot. Typically, most of the creation-stage happens off-screen (with maybe some comedic moments of trying it out in real life). But not here, the focus of this novel is on the creation. Trial and error. Going back to the drawing board. Thinking of a new feature and figuring out how to add it. Learning about processes necessary to get from Point A to Point B—and then beyond.
Sometimes, Ryan has to ask for help—and typically, that’s just a nudge in the right direction for research, not someone telling him what to do. The book could be titled “How to Build Your Dog” or something like that—it’s that focused on the process. I was perfectly fine with the “oh, I’ve seen this before” feeling—Gulmire was doing a good job with the usual pattern—but then when it became clear that he was taking the road less traveled, I became strongly invested.
Parenting
One of the big questions that every Middle Grade author has to deal with is “What do I do about the parents?” Often, they’re written out of the book somehow—the protagonist is at camp, or boarding school, lost in the woods, or whatever. Maybe they’re so busy at work that the protagonist rarely sees them (but generally in that case there’s some other authority figure to contend with). Sometimes, they’re written as witless or befuddled people who have to be avoided (which isn’t difficult), or they’re overbearing to one degree or another.
Ryan’s mom, however, is just a good mom. She’s involved, she makes sure he eats reasonably well, does his homework, and whatnot. They can enjoy a little back-and-forth in their conversation, but at the end of the day, she’s his mother, and he will act accordingly. She’s supportive and understanding of Ryan’s desire to have a dog, his difficulty without his father around, and then for his Kay-9 project. She’s his biggest cheerleader—but she makes sure to communicate the limits she’ll tolerate.
Marco and Mariah’s mom is also a great example of what a mom should be. The two of them together could be the focus of a TLC reality show.
So, what did I think about Kay-9 The Robot Dog ?
There’s this strong theme of a community supporting Ryan, running throughout this—and it only builds as the novel goes on. It’s understated, for the most part, but it’s there—and it generates more heart-warming energy than it should for the space it takes. I really appreciated that.
I also really appreciated the way that Gulmire addressed Ryan’s dad being overseas with the military and the stress it puts on everyone in the family. Like with so many of the things he succeeds with in this book, the depiction is strong and relatable. He never dips the toe into a “very special episode” kind of feel. But we see Ryan struggle with it, we see his mom struggle, too (we can imagine Dad’s struggle, but it’s not something the reader gets first-hand). Most importantly, this was dealt with honestly and compassionately.
This is a quick, light read (particularly for those not in the intended 7-12 year old audience). It’s full of joy and heart, with some good (and subtly delivered) life lessons. It’s a celebration of imagination, grit, and experimentation—all things we need more of. It’s also a tribute to the power of a kid-sister (your own or your friend’s) in getting things done. Best of all, it’s a fun way to spend an afternoon.
Check it out—or at least help the kid in your life give it a peek.
The Ballad of Bonaduke—
Episode 50: What Goes Around
DETAILS: Series: The Ballad of Bonaduke, #50 Format: Kindle Vella Story Read Date: March 28, 2024
The Story So Far…
A drunken Michael Bonaduke decides to use a grift (with maybe some sort of magic/magic-like “help”) to win on a scratch-off lottery ticket so he has money to buy more to drink. He pulls off whatever he did, gets his money and some booze and stumbles off into the darkness to drink himself into oblivion so he can start again the next day. He’s hit by dark memories (probably what’s driving him to the drinking) of fire, pleading, and screaming. There’s going to be a price to pay for his grift, and he’s trying to be ready.
He’s abducted by some representatives of a mysterious group who subject him to a test—if he passes, everything will be explained to him (and hopefully the reader, too). He passes—and is brought somewhere for answers, or maybe training, or maybe another test. Time will tell (or things are going to get really annoying). Answers aren’t quick to come—but the mysteries and questions keep piling up.
Things get hairy and Bonaduke leaves and finds himself back in the neighborhood he started from. He takes refuge in a homeless encampment shortly before a police raid. He’s apprehended and finds himself an interrogation room and shortly escapes after using his grift (but with results he didn’t quite intend). He finds himself by a group of squatters who seem to have strapped a woman to a chair for reasons that can’t be good. He attempts to rescue her before he even realizes what he’s doing, and seems to have succeeded—well, the two of them got away from the group anyway—breathing but bruised. They make their way to a fast-food taco joint and Bonaduke really needs to refuel to keep going. He tries, but fails to get food because he keeps passing out. Thankfully, the clerk is the same guy from the liquor store and he both recognizes him and gives him first aid. The woman (Zero) wakes up and shows some abilities of her on as she helps them escape from her captors who’ve tracked her down. One thing leads to another—Zero and Bonaduke’s magics don’t mix well (at least until they understand what each other can do?), and they end up in a video-game race against the squatters in a tricked-out version of Eric (the clerk’s) car. Note, I said video-game race, not a video-game-style race. They’re actually in one. When dumped back into reality, he’s surrounded by bruised and broken bodies (of people and cars). And then he gets into a supernatural fight and survives…just.
Or maybe not. But he gets better. And then his new…friends? Acquaintances? People who keep popping up in his life?…start explaining exactly what’s going on to him while they set up a new HQ and try to teach him about his abilities (and everyone tries to understand them) while they try to fund their further work.
What’s What Goes Around About?
The things that were going wrong with the heist continue to go wrong–this episode picks up with the dog attack and then things get worse. For all their power and ruthlessness, these dogs overwhelm them. (well, come close to it–the fact that the series has several episodes to go, you know this isn’t the end)
Things get worse, only for a quick reprieve. The group tries to make the best of the reprieve, but remember I used the word “quick” there. They’re out of the proverbial fire pan, but..
So, what did I think about What Goes Around?
You know, this wasn’t bad. Lots and lots of action. Not a whole lot of plot development–just a lot of magic and mayhem (and vicious dogs) flying around. Sometimes that’s enough.
It also means I don’t have a lot to say about this. Slaywood amped up the pace and the adrenaline and rode it well.
Rhythm and Clues
DETAILS: Series: The Record Shop Mysteries, #3 Publisher: St. Martin's Press Publication Date: March 26, 2024 Format: eARC Length: 304 pgs. Read Date: March 8-11, 2024
What’s Rhythm and Clues About?
An old college acquaintance of Juni Jessup has approached her and her sisters with a proposition—he and his partner will invest in Sip & Spin Records, help it succeed—and take a good portion of the profits. Juni and her old (and maybe future) boyfriend, Beau, attend a hockey game with them for a little wining and dining (or beering and snacking) along with the pitch. It’s not the beginning of a Record Shop Mystery that you’d expect, but it’s pretty fun.
The fun goes away later that night when a monster storm hits their area, knocking out power to the entire town, and threatening to flood buildings as well. Juni and her older sister dash to their store to try to mitigate the damage there. Before you know it, the event readers were waiting for happens—one of the investors is dead outside their shop and Juni is the one who discovers the body.
The police warn her off—but the surviving partner has heard of Juni’s previous adventures and asks for her help. Which is convenient—because she wanted to look into the murder anyway.
The storm has made leaving—or entering—Cedar River impossible for a few days, so the murderer is definitely still around. This could be a problem because it seems that everywhere Juni looks, she finds another suspect with plenty of reasons to want that investor gone. Will she be able to find them before they can get out of town?
The Investors
For various and sundry reasons (starting with all the roads being washed out), Juni ends up spending a lot of time with the dead man’s business partner and gets to know their business practices much better than she did during their pitch to Juni (or her sisters).
While they don’t do anything illegal, and probably not strictly unethical either, there’s something about their methods that just don’t sit right with me (or several others in the novel). As a mystery reader, we get to encounter all sorts of unsavory characters and actions that aren’t necessarily illegal, but sure aren’t good. Very often you wonder how realistic they are while hoping some fiendish writer made it all up out of whole cloth (but secretly knowing they didn’t). I suspect that Blacke is sharing something that came up in her research—or something that people she knows have run into for their own small business.
I truly hope the latter isn’t the case, because I’m sure people like this exist and people suffer because of them. It makes me glad to not own a business and have to worry about it.
Juni’s Growth
She’s been on her own for several years, and until an economic hit at her company led to her coming home, seems to have found some sort of success in life. So you’d think she’d come back to town as an adult—and she does, but she also seems to be largely treated as pretty much the same kid she’s always been. And maybe part of that is just coming back to the place where everyone knows you as that kid you were when you went to college and aren’t ready to accept that you’ve grown up.
But she’s been coming into her own, little by little, over the course of the series—and arguably arrives in this book. Maybe she’s just more comfortable in her own skin and her old hometown. Maybe it’s the way others see her. Probably a little bit of both. It certainly doesn’t hurt things at all the way she keeps finding herself in the middle of murder cases.
The important thing is that it’d be easy for Blacke to freeze all the characters so that they’re who we met in Vinyl Resting Place for the rest of the series. But she doesn’t do that—Juni’s the most notable example of this, but there are others, too. I’m so glad that Blacke has taken this path, it opens the door up for more changes, more development—and will keep readers like me engaged with the characters and the stories they find themselves in.
In my post about the last book, I said, “I do worry that at some point the residents of Cedar River are going to decide that Juni’s the Angel of Death having brought so many murders to town with her.” They still might do that—but so far, they’ve gone in another direction. Particularly the first responders in town. There’s a moment involving them and Juni that got me to laugh out loud. And I don’t know how to say more about it than that.
Juni’s Drinks
Blacke’s music pun-inspired coffee drink names are as good here as they’ve ever been, if not better. Now, I understand why she doesn’t give us too many per novel. But I think she could give her fans some supplemental material—bonus tracks, if you will—just give us some of the seasonal menus from the time between books. Just throwing that out there as an idea.
That Moment
When it comes to a lot of procedurals or other mystery shows on TV there’s a moment where the detective sees something or hears something that a friend/coworker says, they get this look in their eye and they dash out of the room, they’ve got the whole thing solved now. Gregory House was great at these—Temperance Brennan is the other prime example that jumps to mind (but I know there are many others).
It’s hard to depict those moments in novels, however. But you can still see them happening—Juni has one of those here. Well, she starts to anyway, and something comes along to take her out of the moment. For most/all readers, we won’t get taken out of the moment—if anything, we’ll keep going with it and solve the mystery (or at least get a lot closer to it). Blacke really handled that well—a trick I wish she’d teach others.
While commending her for this, her creation got on my nerves because of it. Juni took forever to circle back to that breakthrough moment and finish her thought. I was so relieved when it happened without me having to climb into the book and shake her by her shoulders until she’d focus.
So, what did I think about Rhythm and Clues?
Blacke is really onto something with these books—this is her best yet, and she shows no signs of slowing down (I hope she gets to keep going). The writing was sharp here, the characterizations—particularly of the investors, and the new people Juni encounters during the case—were on point and vivid, the mystery was her best and twistiest yet. The herrings were a bright and lively red—practically vermillion. The resolution was so, so gratifying.
This series is quickly becoming a solid favorite of mine—I’m never going to be a giant cozy mystery fan, but when I read one that works as well as this one does, I want to go find more. It’s a very clever and fast read, with some heartfelt emotional moments and it brings a lot of smiles to my face.
I honestly don’t know of a better way to put it or a better reason to commend it to your attention. Rhythm and Clues was as satisfying a read as you’re going to find. You can jump on here or you can get the first two books in the series and have a good time with them first. Either way, I encourage you to track it down.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley—thanks to both for this.
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