Criminal Appetites Edited by Jeffrey Marks
Silver Dagger Mysteries
reviewed by Kevin Tipple

2004 may well mark the year of the anthology assuming one can judge such things by press releases and author contacts. I was contacted by far more authors, editors, publicists as well as publishing houses in regards to reviewing anthologies than ever before. I turned down a considerable number of them not just due to a lack of time, but also due to the fact that an anthology is far more difficult to review than a normal novel.

As we all know, an anthology is made up of a number of stories sharing a common theme or elements from a number of different authors. The number of stories included can vary widely from just a few to twenty-five or more, which means a number of different writing styles, characters, plots, etc. to take into consideration. Usually an anthology will contain a few stories that are noticeably weaker than the others. That generates a roller coaster effect for the reader and presents a major reviewing problem for the reviewer. How to handle the work fairly even when several of the stories don't meet the same level as the others can become a major issue. Fortunately we don't have that here, but more on the book in question in a minute.

Then there is the risk of an author feeling slighted if his or her work isn't mentioned in detail in the review. Occasionally, and this has happened to me several times, an author will thank the reviewer for the review and then go on to criticize the selections made and make a disparaging comment or two as to how the review was done. Or one hears from the "friend" of the author who wasn't covered in great detail and the same criticism is leveled. From my readings on various lists as well as discussion with other reviewers, I am not alone in being the recipient of this wonderful thrill in life. A word to the wise for those so inclined, it is not a good business practice.

So, after having many more negative experiences than positive, I had pretty much sworn off anthologies by late last fall. I was seriously behind in my reading anyway and the last thing I needed to do was to request another book. Then, and I can't remember exactly what list I saw it on so the list will go nameless, I saw a posting by Jeffrey Marks requesting reviews. The premise was intriguing and I went for it. I can safely assure you that "Criminal Appetites" does not produce the dreaded roller coaster effect and is simply good stuff, twisted at times, from start to finish.

While some apparently see food as an aphrodisiac, for the authors of this anthology, food becomes either a weapon directly or as a reason for murder. Food, which includes a recipe or two with every story, much like the "Martha's Vineyard" mystery series by Philip R. Craig, is an integral part of each scenario. Some stories are more hands on with food than others, but each story would collapse without the vital food element.

For Nancy Pickard in her story, "Truth Serum" A Marie Lightfoot Story" food involves a coffee shop in Spokane, Washington. Marie Lightfoot begins to investigate the deaths at Qahveh Khaneh and soon finds the suspect right under her nose.

In "When Henry Met Salad" by Tamar Myers, it isn't just all about the food that makes this story both intriguing as well as funny. One can try but one can't fake being truly Amish.

Then there is the dark twisted story, "Best Served Chilled" by Robert Perry. I'm not going to even try to explain this one full of twists and turns that will leave you guessing until the end. You just have to read it.

While those three were my personal favorites, the rest of the book is equally good. It features stories by Joanne Pence, Tim Hemlin, Denise Dietz, Camilla T. Crespi, Kris Neri, Jeffrey Marks, Amy Myers, William Allen Peck, Toni L. P. Kelner, Anne Perry and Janet Laurence. Not a bad one in the bunch. Each one serves as a tasty read and guaranteed, no matter your level of cooking skills, you won't look at food as quite so innocent again.

PARADIGM by Diane J. Newton
reviewed by Julie Obermiller

Of all the places a four year old could go, Kate Manning was hopelessly unprepared for the reality when her son, Danny, disappeared. Who would accept a reality as surreal as to be impossible? The innocent, gleeful moppet with extraordinary telekinetic powers had seldom been beyond the protection of his mother's arms or the Middleton Research Center where he was being monitored and studied by Dr. Ethan Hawthorn. Kate follows a mother's instinct to call for help to find her child and her safe and private cocoon is torn wide open. Kate is called a kidnapper, murderer and a lunatic when she tries to explain Danny's disappearance and her carefully buried past becomes tabloid fodder. The desperate mother waits in the spot where Danny vanished before her eyes, as threads of intrigue spin tighter and she begins to doubt her own reality.

Award-winning suspense author Diane J. Newton's "Paradigm" is a skillfully crafted read that will keep adults and young adults glued to the pages. As with Newton's earlier books, "Children of the Sun" and "Unusual Destiny," this is a spellbinding page-turner. "Paradigm" is first and foremost a tale of suspense and the writer excels at leaving more genuine clues than red herrings, much to the delight of mystery fans. The characters in this human drama are vividly scripted, from Danny's no-account absentee father to the power driven research doctor. Add malevolent Pentagon operatives, Danny's spitfire lady pediatrician, religious fanatics damning Kate to eternal fires and you have a recipe for non-stop action. You'll ride a roller coaster from chuckles to chills as you search for clues to the other-worldly disappearance of little Danny. A budding romance adds the frosting and this adventure will leave you hungry for more of Kate and Danny Manning.

Readers who prefer tightly scripted procedurals with the latest in technology and forensics may not enjoy this book. Those who like to find an easy familiarity with a book's cast of characters will enjoy the robust, descriptive qualities in Newton's tale. Paradigm may lack teapots and lace gloves, but is comfortable and cozy in a different way.

In a time when the entertainment envelope is being pushed to be more bawdy, bloody and horrifying, it is refreshing to find authors who don't need to rely on shock value. Newton latest vehicle gives suspense and mystery fans an uncomplicated, pleasurable ride.

Murder a la Mode by G. A. McKevett
Reviewed by Julie Obermiller

P.I. Savannah Reid never skimps on pleasures like good coffee, great chocolate and bodice-ripping romance stories. When an opportunity arises to be part of a reality TV show with a chance to be romanced by the sexy cover model Lance Roman, Savannah jumps at the chance. Good friends, and part of Savannah's Magnolia Detective Agency, Ryan Stone John Gibson are on site as part of the crew. The medieval themed show is filmed in a spooky castle complete with a suit of armor and dreadful dungeon. The cast finds few creature comforts and Savannah is hungry for something other than the fake delicacies used before the cameras. In search of a late night snack, our heroine finds a body apparently downed by a tub of Killer Fudge gourmet ice cream. Enter Detective Dick Coulter, Savannah's best friend and ex-partner on the force and a call is put in to her assistant Tammy. Hail, Hail, the gang's all at the castle.
Despite the death of a producer, the show must go on, and it has the advantage of keeping all the suspects sequestered until the murderer can be found. The women vying for Lance's affection and the prize tiara are the usual cast of bodacious bimbos, providing treachery and humor on their way to the handsome hunk. Reality show challenges provide colorful background and more chances for mayhem. When the murderer strikes again and everyone is suspect , Savannah tries to deal with her lust for Lance, catty females, jealous Dirk and the unseen owner of the castle, a mysterious Texan with ties to one of the contestants.
This is the 11th outing for Savannah and is plainly a light-hearted romp. No delicate Southern belle, her down home banter is charming and funny, as are phone calls to her feisty Granny and whiney sister. The familiar characters play like a favorite sitcom. Red herrings abound and the solution seemed obvious to this reader despite the inevitable twist at the end. Still, if you're looking for humor and a carefree ride then this is a good choice. Sheer escapism with minimal gore and a fast pace. Mystery purists who focus on the puzzle rather than the storytelling might find this series too laid back. Writing under this
pseudonym, the author doesn't take the whole thing too seriously; it's obviously just for fun.

Sit, Stay, Slay by Linda O. Johnston
Reviewed by Dawn Dowdle - mysterybks@yahoo.com

This is the first book in a new series. Kendra Ballantyne cannot practice law. She was accused of providing a strategy memo to opposing counsel's client. The client then killed the CEO of the corporation she was suing. Kendra insists that she in innocent, but she was forced to resign from her law firm and her law license was suspended for three months. She had to file for bankruptcy. Luckily she was able to hold onto the old family home. Not that she can afford to live in it. She is living in the cottage in back. She's rented out the house.

Her friend Darryl Nestler who runs Doggy Indulgence Day Resort talks her into dog sitting for Jeff Hubbard's Akita. She accepts because she is allowed to live in his house while he's gone. That way she won't have to see her mansion being lived in by others. Slowly she accepts additional pet sitting jobs, not always of dogs. She is able to juggle the many schedules and still have time with her dogs as well. Doesn't hurt that Jeff is sexy and easy on the eyes when he is in town. All is going well until she finds one of her clients murdered in his home when she arrives to take care of his dog.

Unfortunately the detective believes Kendra is guilty of the murder. Before she can prove that she didn't do that, she walks in on another dead client, also murdered.

Jeff, a private detective and security expert, gives her advice on proving her innocence. When he is in town, he tries to help her. Kendra is determined to find the killer, but will she survive?

This is a fun, quick cozy to read. I loved it. Kendra is a great character. She takes on pet sitting with gusto and yet some fear. She is open to new experiences. Once she starts investigating, she finds she has a knack for it, along with a little help from Jeff.

I can't wait for the next book. I highly recommend this book!


Other People's Lives: A Collection of Short Stories By Betty Kreier Lubinski
Writopia, Inc
reviewed by Kevin Tipple

"I love to eavesdrop in public places, and make up stories about what I've heard."
(author quote, back cover)

This collection of short stories by the author features works that depict the human condition in its many varied forms and often with painful consequences. Instead of perfection, like the hero from the latest thriller on the shelves, these characters are flawed. Many are deeply flawed and quite often they are fatally flawed much like the characters of the Greek tragedies. There was a reason why those stories still resonate today and the stories in the collection, for the most part, resonate in the same way. In short, each story in this collection provides a glimpse into someone's life and the glimpse is realistic and unflinching.

Sometimes, the story has more of a science fiction edge to it, as is the case of "Five Minutes After Twelve." This story revolves around Donna who wakes to find her world chaotic at best. Everyone around here seems to believe that nothing is wrong and the time is five minutes after twelve. This despite the fact that the sun is out and high in the sky so it can't be five after twelve. Is she mad or is it her world? This one had a twilight zone kind of feel to it.

Mystery fans will be intrigued by, "The Scam Artists." Miss Tessie, 82 years old and very capable, is pretty much set in her ways. Folks just can't seem to protect her from herself and the arrival of, Hinkle, a known con man doesn't help matters any.

"A Good Day's Work" also follows the mystery theme. Jimmy has a plan and the smarts to pull it off. All he needs is just a little cooperation from the obliging townsfolk.

And for those looking for a funny read, "And Blackberry Wine" should fit the bill nicely. This was the only funny piece in the collection and involves the idea that sometimes a woman just has to follow through on a threat made in jest. After all, that is what folks expected of her and she did need a man.

Like the stories themselves, covering four out of thirty four stories just provides a small glimpse into this book. Many of these well-written stories feature characters in heart wrenching situations of pain and loss. Humor is in short supply as for the most part, these characters are not in happy places or positive situations with the exceptions noted above. At the same time, despite their circumstances, these characters through out the work are bonded by the simple fact that they are survivors.

Stone's Revenge by Sylvia Hubbard
Hub Books Publisher
Reviewed by Vanessa A. Johnson, Readincolor Reviewer
http://clik.to/vanessaajohnson

In Stone's Revenge, Author Sylvia Hubbard takes us on an exhilarating and suspenseful ride. The main character, Yared Castro-Chavez a.k.a. William Stone, takes you on his personal journey that includes a traumatic upbringing and the consequences he suffers at the hands of others because of his father, a psychopathic serial killer.
Fighting desperately to escape the Castro-Chavez family's legacy of being crazed people, William finds himself constantly being harassed by his nemesis, the city's prosecuting attorney, Ramsey McPherson who was responsible for putting William's father in prison. Now the only thing that McPherson can focus on is doing the same thing happens to William when a string of murders happen again in Davenport. McPherson is adamant that William is responsible for them and will stop at nothing to prove his guilt. There is no love lost between the two men. William seeks his revenge on Ramsey through his daughter, Abigail. A childhood encounter sparks the flame that will eventually leave William with having to make the most critical decision he'll ever have to make, embrace his love for Abigail or continue his revenge against her father. At any cost, Abigail is determined to prove William's innocence. Torn between the man who gave life to her and the man she loves, could her choice be the end of them all? Stone's Revenge will have your interest piqued until the very last page.
Stone's Revenge was a very exhilarating, thrilling and suspenseful read. The combination of suspense mixed with a twinge of romance, Stone's Revenge is a must read for all suspense and mystery lovers. I definitely rank it in the top 5 of my list as one of the best books of 2004.

Collecting Candace
What Rough Beast
The Curriculum Murders
reviewed by J.R.G. DeMarco

I've read some fantastic books this time around. A collective review seemed the way to go, especially since there are some terrific excerpts from some of these works elsewhere in the issue.

Collecting Candace by Susan M. Brooks
First across my desk was Collecting Candace, a moody piece which will chill you and make you think. The characters are twisted, dark, and amoral and will make you want to jump out of your skin. It all begins with that sudden rush of fascination, that flash kind of love and obsession that some of us are lucky or unlucky enough to have experienced. He's at the Hi-N-Dri 24-Hour Liquor and Market, on quiet and unusually average night, when Candace walks in. She moves him in a way that is beyond his comprehension and outside of his sphere of experience. During a single conversation in which she talks about her life; the men who have disappointed her, the men who have left her taking away with them pieces of who she is, pieces of not just her life but of her essence. These men responsible for stealing pieces of Candace, become his enemy. His mission is clear: to make Candace whole again, to retrieve those stolen pieces at any cost. And the cost is in blood and life and the men in possession of these pieces pay the price - unwillingly and fatally.

Susan Brooks, an award winning author, has penned a wicked tale of obsession, violence, and romance. But not any kind of romance you'd want to have. These lovers are twisted to the core and their tale is dark and haunting. Brooks's writing is up to the job of making this nightmare duo ring true and scare the daylights out of you while keeping you fascinated. You can't turn away, nor can you put this book down - like watching an accident, it fascinates and horrifies at the same time. And it is also compelling.

The author's prose is detailed and draws the reader into scenes with a life of theior own. One can taste and feel and shudder at being in the same room with these people. They cannot belong to the human race, yet they do. They show us a darker side of humanity, people without morals or remorse. Yet, these are people who love deeply, in their own twisted way; who care and feel, but not as we do. Brooks's talent is in making these people convincing (probably because we fear there may be people like this) and in persuading the reader to stick with these characters. The time spent with them, dark as it is, may illuminate something about humanity that we may not want to know.

What Rough Beast by H.R. Knight
H.R. Knight has produced a magnificent book in What Rough Beast. It's a sparkling recreation of the early 20th Century - language, mores, and everything else. Knight brings Arthur Conan Doyle into contact with Harry Houdini in 1903 for an adventure you'll think about for some time to come. Conan Doyle is at a low point in his life. His wife is dying of consumption, his beloved Sherlock Holmes is dead but he is under pressure to revive him. He chances to travel to London where he has the opportunity to have a Holmesian adventure of his own. While there he meets the famous magician Harry Houdini. Houdini, in London for a series of performances and at the beginning of his quest to unmask charlatan mediums, is feisty and proves a different kind of Watson to Conan Doyle's own attempt at being Holmes. But they work well together and find more than they bargained for in this attempt to expose Maximillian Cairo, medium and more. The medium seems odious and utterly devoid of morals but arrogant and anxious to prove that he is what he claims to be. After a séance that Houdini proves is nothing more than a series of tricks and illusions, Cairo is incensed and sets out to prove that he is more powerful than his detractors say with a ceremony the following night. At that ceremony, Houdini accidentally interferes and unintentionally releases a force, a Dionysian force, that threatens to drive all London, and eventually the rest of the UK, absolutely mad. Conan Doyle and Houdini team up to get to the bottom of the mystery and reveal just what is making people commit insane acts of violence and debauchery. The ensuing romp is deliciously written and well executed. Knight makes early 20th Century London come alive and you get the feeling that he must have conjured both Conan Doyle and Houdini in a séance of his own in order to make them so real on the page. You'll be dazzled and happy and you may not be able to put this one down before you turn the last page.

The Curriculum Murders by Marlis Day
The Curriculum Murders is delicious for a whole different series of reasons. I don't often read cozies - though I like them just fine. Marlis Day has written a book which allowed me to sink into a wonderful story with a very, and there's no other way to say it, cozy setting. It made me feel all warm and fuzzy and I just couldn't get enough of the book, so I read it slowly to prolong the good feelings. Margo Brown is a teacher in a school that is very like many other places. Having spent some years working similar territory (and having a few of my own yarns set in schools), this was another facet of the book which gave it a friendly familiarity and helped me to lose myself in Margo Brown's rural Indiana world. The action takes place around the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays and after, all of which adds a layer of coziness and homey warmth that makes it all the more enjoyable.
Into the coziness of the scene, we are reminded that a teacher, Patsy Steinberg, who was thought to have died accidentally may have, in fact, been murdered. Her husband pleads with Margo to investigate. Margo being Margo cannot resist this challenge and enlists her friend and fellow teacher Roxie to join forces again to complete the investigation. They begin their investigation and quickly become enmeshed in an adventure neither thy nor the reader will soon forget. When it turns out that a second murder occurred during the Homecoming celebration, a year prior to the Steinberg murder, Margo worries that a serial killer, possibly a former student, is stalking former teachers. And the next Homecoming celebration is only days away.

Day has produced a work which is appealing on many levels and, for cozy fans especially, this will be a welcome addition to reading lists. Day's writing is engaging, her characters original and comfortable. One feels that Margo is speaking to them personally and relating this tale as well as sharing her holiday recipes and cooking secrets. Day's talent for narrative and attention to ordinary details allows her to draw readers in, make them comfortable around her table and entertain them with the tales she tells. Cozy readers will rejoice, those interested in more hard core crime might just enjoy a small vacation in Margo's Indiana town.

The Anatomy Lesson by Robert L. Katz
reviewed by Vero G. Caravette

It was said of Katz's earlier book, Surgical Risk, that it didn't disappoint. Well, that's also the case with The Anatomy Lesson. This book is the second installment in the Kurtz and Barent mystery series - a medical series that is sure to please fans of the genre. But it will also please fans of police procedurals.

Katz is himself a graduate of medical school this is only one area of comparison with his hero Kurtz (names are kinda close, huh?). Kurtz lives in Manhattan and has "the life" that everyone wants to lead: beautiful girlfriend, top job in a top city, money, and everything that goes with it. Barent, with whom Kurtz is paired in this series is a polar opposite - a gritty urban policeman, he can't stand his job, loves his pregnant daughter but not her husband, and has severe and not infrequent migraines.

The story opens with a Halloween prank pulled, it is concluded, by medical students. Well, for one thing it's at a medical school Halloween party. The pranksters think it would be fun to dump real body parts around the party scene. Yuk, yuk. However, the laughs turn to gasps a few days later. Kurtz's old army buddy, medical colleague, and friend, who teaches at a medical school in New York, Rod Mahoney is a super but stolid kind of guy. He and Kurts often hang out and reminisce. That is until Mahoney's body is left dismembered in his office eerily like the scattered body parts at the party.

Kurtz and Barent are on the case and find themselves tangled in a net of revenge, recrimination, and deadly animosity. They play well off each other - the grizzled detective and the refined professional - but they also rely on each other. Katz hands this relationship well as he does the personal lives of the main characters - giving us glimpses into their loves and frustrations. The author also deftly reveals the victim's life and the guy is found to be more than just your average vet. He's heroic and not nearly so stolid as one is at first led to believe.

There's a lot to recommend this book - it's a good, well-written, intricate piece of work. The details are well crafted as Katz knows the field he writes about and the characters are well rounded, interesting people. Slide under the covers and spend the evening reading this one.