Tag: Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller Page 14 of 54

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

Early Grave

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.

My Favorite Crime/Mystery/Detective/Thriller Fiction of 2022

By HCNewton

On January 6, 2023

In News/Misc.

I read 114 books I put in the category of “Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller” last year (and there are a couple of multi-genre novels that could beef that number up a bit), so I have to consider it apart from everything else when I put together my Favorites Lists, or just about everything else would get ignored. Even if I went with a Top 15-20 instead of a Favorite 10, maybe 2-3 books from the previous lists would’ve made it along with all of these.

I had a hard time writing up this post—not because I had a hard time picking the list this year (thankfully). Partially because I’m tired of doing these little snippets at this point in the week, but mostly because I want to write a thousand words or so on each one (and probably spend time re-reading huge chunks of each of these books in order to do that properly), so keeping myself to a paragraph or so is really difficult. I ended up borrowing liberally from things I’ve written here and elsewhere just to make sure this list was able to be posted before Feb. 26th.

Once again, I’ll note that I limit my lists to things I read for the first time. I’d be willing to guarantee anyone reading this page will enjoy at least 6 of these (which six will vary from reader to reader, however). I’m tempted to say that all the listed books are guaranteed for everyone, but people’s tastes are too varied, so I’ll hedge my bet. Try these, and you’ll be glad you did.

(in alphabetical order by author)

Robert B. Parker’s Bye Bye Baby

by Ace Atkins

My original post
It’s really no surprise that Atkins’ final Spenser novel makes this list—Spenser is one of my all-time favorites, and the decade that Atkins spent at the helm included several of the best novels in this long-running series (this is the 50th novel!!). He also helped legions of fans deal with Parker’s death by doing such a capable job. This book evokes some of Parker’s best early novels while remaining wholly original and compelling—true to both authors. It’s a great way for Atkins to go out.

Double Take

by Elizabeth Breck

My original post
In my original post, I said that it felt like Breck wrote this novel for me—I’m not that delusional, but it resonated with me in so many ways that she might as well have. Madison Kelly was one of my favorite discoveries of 2021 and her sophomore adventure solidified my impression of her. Madison’s tough, smart, lucky (and knows how important that is), and committed. Brisk and assured writing. A nice bit of sleuthing to find a pretty clever crime (committed by some people who really shouldn’t ever get into criminal activity—and some who seem born to it). Featuring the kind of ending where you find yourself leaning forward as you read, because somehow that helps you get to what happens next faster; you don’t hear the music/people/animals around you; and your eyes move just too slowly.

Racing the Light

by Robert Crais

My original post
We leave one of my newest PI obsessions to go back to one of my oldest—Elvis Cole. This is the best use of this character in years, and I loved every second of it. Like the best Cole novels, it starts as a missing persons case before turning into something far more complicated and deadly. But Cole is able to keep his focus on the victim (while finding justice for the wrongs he encounters). Joe Pike doesn’t get as much “screen time” as he has been lately, which makes every second that he’s around so much more effective—he owns one of the best moments of the book (and barely does anything in it). Racing the Light will no doubt be considered one of the pivotal moments in the series and I can’t wait to see what comes after this point.

The Botanist

by M.W. Craven

My original post
The last note I made on this novel was, “the last 30 pages made me happier than almost anything else this year.” And thinking back on those pages right now still makes me almost giddy. While Poe and Tilly are vital to the novel—ultimately, this novel is about the secondary characters—victims, suspects, and the killers. The primary case is brilliant on every front—the method of murder, the way that the method is finally discerned by the good guys, and then the way the case is closed? It’s all a thing of beauty (in the dark, warped way that Crime Fiction is to fans of the genre). I’m on the verge of babbling now, so I’m going to leave this and move on to the next novel on the list.

Don’t Know Tough

by Eli Cranor

My original post
I was blown away by this novel. I read it in May and I’m not convinced I’ve wholly recovered. It’s a story about faith, family, and (American) football. I can’t tell you which is more important to any character in this novel at any point (but I’d lean toward the latter for just about all of them). The prose is gorgeous and visceral, the story is intense and heart-breaking–it’s about a high school coach and a star player trying to keep their heads above water in the middle of a murder they’re both connected to. I can easily sound like I’m over-hyping this, so I’m not going to go on the way I want to. I’ll simply say that Cranor’s work is just gut-wrenching, beautiful, and powerful. And not to be missed.

Movieland

by Lee Goldberg

My original post
This series started off strong and keeps getting stronger. The overall arc of the series is a rookie detective (who got promoted earlier than she should have) learning how to be a good, maybe great, detective. Eve Ronin makes mistakes, she learns from many of them, but her instincts are on point and she eventually gets her criminals. If she can learn to do it without burning every bridge in sight and unintentionally antagonizing everyone she works with, she’ll get there faster. This is likely the last case her partner will work and he gives it everything he’s got—while imparting every bit of hard-earned wisdom to her as he can—and boy howdy, does he shine here. This is likely the best thing by Goldberg that I’ve read—and I’ve been a fan for a long time.

Reconstruction

by Mick Herron

My original post
Dead Lions by Herron would’ve been on this list, but I don’t let myself use one author more than once, so the spot goes to Reconstruction. Possibly because I spent far more time with this than I do with most books on a first read. Herron got everything right with this book. None of the primary characters are who you think they are at the beginning—most are far worse people than you think (including the ones you have a bad impression of—they’re even worse than you imagine). Which doesn’t stop them all from being some of the best designed and executed characters you’ll run into. The plot is like an onion (or a parfait, to appease Donkey)—you keep peeling back layer after layer after layer until the very end—and each layer is practically perfect and delicious (making it more like a parfait, now that I use that word). The narration is sneakily hilarious and dark. One of my earliest reads of the year and it set the bar high for the next 11 months.

The Self-Made Widow

by Fabian Nicieza

My original post
The premise of this sequel is fantastic—what’s a detective to do when they know who the killer is, but they’re not sure how or why the murder was committed. In fact, in the beginning, Andi’s the only one sure the victim was murdered at all. Kenny takes some time out from the documentary he’s making about the events of the previous novel to help Andi out (and hopefully to get another book, documentary, whatever out of it all). Andi’s up against someone as smart as her this time, and it’s going to take more than just Kenny’s help to crack the case. Told in Nicieza’s fantastic style this is a sure-fire winner.

The Bullet That Missed

by Richard Osman

My original post
This third book in The Thursday Murder Club series is about two things—the new case the Club decides to look into (mostly so Joyce can meet some local TV personalities) and fallout from the last book–on multiple fronts. As much as I enjoy this series for the lightness and joy it brings—the looming danger that arises as a side effect of their recent success was great. By all means, let’s let things get serious. Elizabeth’s husband, Stephen, steals this novel, however. He shines brighter than ever—and is in worse shape than ever before. This series is ultimately about grief and living in its shadow—that shadow seems larger than ever, and it’s just going to get bigger.

Family Business

by S. J. Rozan

My original post
This was the first novel I read in 2022, and it stuck with me throughout the year. I was shocked—and very pleased—by the actions of a long-term character. The narration was as good as Rozan has ever given us. Once again, Rozan takes us into the depths of Chinatown’s Organized Crime and does so in a way that no one expects. Lydia’s at her cleverest when it comes to solving the crime here—even if she might not be that wise when she reveals it. The relationship between Lydia and Bill has taken on new depths, and remains one of the best relationships in detective fiction. Family Business just made me happy from beginning to end.

I want to mention really briefly the books that almost made the list—tied for 11th, I guess you’d say. (fatigue and trying to keep this list from getting too long prevents me from just making my Favorites list long enough to contain them—preventing Reader Fatigue is more important than my own).
Hell of a Mess by Nick Kolakowski
Roses for the Dead by Chris McDonald (the other two parts of this trilogy could easily be substituted for this one)
Blood Sugar by Sascha Rothchild
Jacked, edited by Vern Smith
Killer Story by Matt Witten
(links will take you to my original posts about them)

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

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.

PUB DAY REPOST: Vinyl Resting Place by Olivia Blacke: Family, Puns, a Dash of Romance, and Murder

By HCNewton

On December 27, 2022

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

Vinyl Resting Place

by Olivia Blacke

DETAILS:
Series: The Record Shop Mysteries, #1
Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks
Publication Date: December 27, 2022
Format: eARC
Length: 304 pg.
Read Date: December 13, 2022

What’s Vinyl Resting Place About?

Tired of all the corporate buyouts and reshuffling in the software business, Juni Jessup returns to her home—a small town just outside Austin, TX. There, she and her two older sisters invest in a record/coffee shop. Years before, the digital music revolution had forced her parents to close the shop that had been in their family for decades. But now, the resurgence of vinyl has given them the chance to reopen—adding a coffee counter is a clever move and something that the neighborhood could really use, too.

The sisters are energized the night of the Grand Opening party—there’s a huge crowd (free tacos from a local food truck and beer from a microbrewery helped). Not only are they optimistic about the business, but the family is back together again, after Juni’s time in the Northwest. They know the future will have challenges, but for the moment, life is good.

Sadly, that first challenge is less in the future than they realized, and it’s a big one. While they’re cleaning up after the party and getting ready to open for their first day of business, Juni finds a murdered girl in the closet with their cleaning supplies. Very quickly, the police focus their investigation on the sisters’ uncle and arrest him. The family puts up the Sip & Spin as collateral for his bail, convinced that the investigation will clear him.

Then Uncle Calvin disappears and the business is in jeopardy—not to mention the three life savings they invested. The sisters, led by Juni, take the investigation into their own hands—determined not to go down without a fight.

Juni and Everyone Else

I’ve only mentioned Juni so far because of space, but the book isn’t just about her. Juni is clearly the protagonist—but the book isn’t just about her. The sisters are the core—with their mother and the husband of the eldest sister rounding out the immediate circle. The emotional core of the novel is about Juni’s return to the family and the way they’re welcoming her back (it’s not that things were ever tense, but hundreds of miles and only brief visits aren’t the same as living near each other). It’s the sense of family, the way they come together for each other, that makes sure this book (and the series, I’m sure) is filled with the warmth and comfort you need in a cozy.

Of course, you can’t have a character come back to a small town without a love interest or two popping up, too. There’s the lifelong best friend, who apparently carried a torch the whole time—he’s grown into a pretty attractive man. And then the high school/college boyfriend who suddenly and unexpectedly broke up with her one day. He’s clearly got his eyes set on reestablishing the status quo.

Also, he’s the police detective in charge of the murder. Because why should things be easy?

It’s a great recurring cast, and one that’d be easy for a series to use in new and fun ways as the series progresses—mostly because the reader can’t help but find them all endearing.

A Tiny Bonus

The music-inspired punny drink names for their coffee counter are just perfect. Too many more would’ve been too much, but I could’ve used an additional handful. They’re the kind of little touch that adds so much to a scene—you get an idea of the characters behind them, if nothing else. Like the names of the stores and restaurants in The Good Place, they add a layer of enjoyment on top of everything else.

I’m not saying I’ll pick up book two just to read what names Blacke comes up with. But I’ve had worse reasons to pick up a book.

So, what did I think about Vinyl Resting Place?

I’m a little concerned about how this can be a series—how many murders can happen in one small town record store or involving the family that owns it? I’m sure Blacke can get another one or two out of the premise before it starts to get creepy, but suspending that kind of disbelief is part and parcel of cozies like this, right? So what do I know?

The premise and genre promise certain things about this novel—and Blacke delivers exactly that. The best word to sum this experience up is pleasant—the mystery was clever, the characters are charming, and I like the overall setup for the series. And the book was exactly what a cozy should be—an entertaining and pleasant time.

I don’t see how this book won’t find fans all of whom will be more than ready for the next murder this family stumbles across.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley. Thanks to both for the opportunity. Opinions expressed are my own.

3 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.

The Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowal: Classic Mystery and Classic SF in One Contemporary Package

By HCNewton

On December 19, 2022

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

The Spare Man

by Mary Robinette Kowal

DETAILS:
Publisher: Tor Books
Publication Date: October 10, 2022
Format: Hardcover
Length: 348 pg.
Read Date: December 5-6, 2022

“The same, but different.”

Despite it being on my list since High School, I’ve never gotten around to watching The Thin Man or the sequels. I haven’t read Hammett’s novel, either (on a similar list for almost as long). I know enough about them to catch the occasional allusion and to make the right guess when it comes up in a trivia game or crossword puzzle.

Still, when I saw Kowall’s piece on CrimeReads last month, “On Writing a New Take on The Thin Man, Set in Space“, I was intrigued and my library put it into my hands a lot sooner than I expected.

So, all I know about the comparisons between this novel and the source/inspiration material comes from this piece. So I can’t judge how much is Kowall being clever and inventive with her reworking and how much is just Kowall being clever and inventive. I can tell you there’s a whole lot of Kowall being clever and inventive, though. I’m going to write this pretending it’s all Kowall so if I give her credit for something I shouldn’t have…whoops.

So I’ll tell you now a couple of things before we dive in: 1. I won’t appreciate everything she did in the way I maybe should. 2. (more importantly) You don’t have to know anything about the movies or the book to appreciate this novel. You just have to appreciate goodness.

With that out of the way, let’s dig in.

What’s The Spare Man About?

Tesla Crane—heiress, noted inventor, and celebrity—is on her honeymoon. Her new husband, Shalmaneser Steward, is a retired detective and isn’t exactly a non-celebrity either. They are traveling under assumed names and in disguise to stay under the radar. They do get their fair share of attention, however—thanks to something we don’t get to know about at the beginning, Tesla has a service dog—an actual dog, which is apparently a very big deal to see.

They’re on a cruise from the Moon to Mars, and the ship they’re on puts the lux in luxury (wow, that’s a lame line). They plan on spending their time drinking ridiculous cocktails, having fun with various activities on board, and other honeymoonish activities. Sadly, someone is attacked while they’re nearby and Shal’s old instincts kick in and he chases after the assailant. The victim dies and Shal becomes the prime suspect because running away from the victim in pursuit of someone only you see tends to make the ship’s security think you’re lying.

Shal is content to let the authorities take care of things, certain that by the time actual law enforcement gets involved, he’ll be exonerated. Besides, he’s retired. Tesla cannot sit by and wait and she investigates on her own (ultimately Shal will get on board, but Tesla will do the bulk of the work).

Tesla and Shal

The best part of this book is probably the relationship between these two newlyweds. She shows a couple in love. Not a meet-cute followed by chapters of misunderstandings and near-misses, not a love unrequited for whatever noble/stupid/bureaucratic reason, not a couple in the first blush of infatuation and love, nor a couple trying to recapture something or having doubts. They are in love, they respect and support each other, and they actually like each other. I see this so, so rarely in stand-alones or series that it just fills me with joy to see.

They’re not perfect (who is?), they bicker a bit—and there’s some lying back and forth—mostly of the “I’m not in that much pain” type (which they generally readily admit to when asked). But even then, it’s typically a lie told so the couple can accomplish something without the other being distracted by worry.

Sure, it’s their honeymoon, so they are a little extra-lovey-dovey. But you get the impression they’d been together for a while pre-wedding and that this is pretty much the way they are together (if only because of the way Gimlet interacts with them).

I cannot express just how much I loved this couple. I wish I could see things like this more.

Fantine

The only element of this book that I liked almost as much as their marriage was Tesla’s lawyer, Fantine. Fantine isn’t crazy about the way that Tesla and Shal are being treated and starts threatening various lawsuits.

Depending on where they are in the journey, there’s a communication lag between the ship and her office, so she’s continually responding to people 3-8 minutes after they’ve said something. The comic opportunities from that alone are great.

Add in Fantine’s aggressiveness and you have gold. Think Dr. Perry Cox, but angry, her gift for creative insults and threats are gold. Fantine is clearly a power to contend with and has lawyers and security officers on the ship jumping to keep her from making the lawsuits she’s planning from becoming even bigger. I could read a novella full of nothing but her yelling at people.

So, what did I think about The Spare Man?

I feel like I should be raving over this, shooting up fireworks, and putting on a song and dance show here, but I can’t quite. The entire time I was reading, I wondered why I wasn’t liking it more.

The dialogue was great—especially when it veered toward the banter (between Tesla and Shal, either of them bantering about the other, between them and a particular security officer). The characters leaped off the pages and were practically alive. The setting and all the SF accouterments were perfect. The mystery…was pretty good. Everything else I can think of to point to was outstanding.

But I never felt engaged with the work—I admire it, I can praise a whole lot of it, but I was never grabbed. It felt like an exercise, like someone executing a recipe or equation. Wonderfully executed, but it left me cold.

I expect I’m a minority report on that—at the same time, I want to stress that this is a really good book. I’m just saying that I feel I should be giving this 5-Stars, instead of the 4 I’m giving it. There’s just so much to relish, so much to enjoy in this book that you should really ignore this last section and go get the book. It’s taken a darker turn than I intended—or want to leave you with.

This really is a great mixture of SF and Mystery, with a classic feel to both elements and yet it’s very much something that could only be produced in this moment. Kowall captured something here and you should really check it out.

4 Stars

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Vinyl Resting Place by Olivia Blacke: Family, Puns, a Dash of Romance, and Murder

By HCNewton

On December 16, 2022

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

Vinyl Resting Place

by Olivia Blacke

DETAILS:
Series: The Record Shop Mysteries, #1
Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks
Publication Date: December 27, 2022
Format: eARC
Length: 304 pg.
Read Date: December 13, 2022

What’s Vinyl Resting Place About?

Juni and Everyone Else

Also, he’s the police detective in charge of the murder. Because why should things be easy?

It’s a great recurring cast, and one that’d be easy for a series to use in new and fun ways as the series progresses—mostly because the reader can’t help but find them all endearing.

A Tiny Bonus

I’m not saying I’ll pick up book two just to read what names Blacke comes up with. But I’ve had worse reasons to pick up a book.

So, what did I think about Vinyl Resting Place?

I don’t see how this book won’t find fans all of whom will be more than ready for the next murder this family stumbles across.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley. Thanks to both for the opportunity. Opinions expressed are my own.

3 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.