The following books are reviewed by Montiese McKenzie

Blue Heron Marsh by Douglas Quinn

Webb Sawyer is back home in his beloved South Carolina marsh. Here he can fish, listen to the music that moves him, drink a beer, and leave behind the trappings of modern society. A former military investigator, he spent a year in a psychiatric hospital following a murder in Bosnia . This life of solitude is just what he needs and craves but it comes crashing down when Amanda Eure enters his life. A friend of a friend of a friend, Amanda is trying to clear her friend Clara of the heinous murder of her father. She knows what Webb used to do and hopes he can be of help.

Helping, which he is not even sure he wants to do, sends Webb on a journey all over the state of North Carolina . He finds himself getting mixed up with Amanda in sex and intrigue that he is not sure he can handle after his life of quiet on the marsh. Soon he too thinks Clara is innocent and he will do what he can to clear her name. This continues even after she commits suicide while in jail and a falling out with Amanda breaks up their crime-fighting duo.

The murder of Buck Haynes resembles a hanging suicide, with a few details that make it clear that its murder. While running around the state looking for information, Webb discovers that more than one man has died like this and information takes him back in time to a place where lynching was a regular occurrence. As he closes in on the incident that triggered the series of murders, he finds his own life in danger while also gathering new and old friends to help him solve the case and get out alive.

I find Webb to be a likable and flawed character. He does what he believes in and even though he loses some things that are precious along the way, he keeps plugging along. The book however, tends to be a little slow. Overly descriptive with enough information about marshes and fishing to make the reader feel they have stepped into a documentary about rods and reels on the Capes . Many of the characters that surround Webb in the earlier chapters, like his part-time girlfriend Nan and her friend/employee Nehi are one-dimensional at best.

Later characters like Ben, Blythe, Joe, and even the cat Basil, kept me turning the pages. The mystery heats up but never explodes. The story seems to end in an anti-climax and there is no explosion that makes the mystery genre worth coming back for more and more. Still, the lead character is a person you root for and like. The person he becomes by the end of the story might lead you to want to read about him in the future.

City of the Absent by Robert W. Walker

The very popular mayor of Chicago is murdered on the last day of the great World's Fair. That act begins an intriguing series of events in the novel City of the Absent. Set against the backdrop of late 19 th century Chicago, Detective Alistair Ransom is called to the scene at the mayor's mansion. There is chaos and it's up to him to solve the murder. Across town, a prostitute suffers the same fate as the mayor, though in a much more gruesome fashion. Normally a murder that would go unsolved, even unnoticed, that all changes when it is discovered the victim was not a prostitute at all. An undercover Pinkerton Agent on duty, Nell Hartigan is slashed to death and her organs removed.

Ransom needs to find out what is happening in his city. Two friends are dead and more victims could be coming. With the help of his partner Mike O'Malley, police photographer Philo Keane, a few snitches, and his lover Jane Francis, Rance sets off in a race against time to find a ghoul who is murdering what some would call the dregs of society. Along the way, he encounters a variety of corruption and wrongdoing. He quickly finds himself pulling the triple duty of being a police detective, protecting those he loves, and keeping himself alive. Getting closer and closer to the truth may mean losing more loved ones and could even send Rance to the gallows.

This novel is a page-turner with very likable and unlikable characters at every turn. Alistair Ransom is a person you root for, though he cannot always be the good guy working in a very grey area of society as a 19 th century crime solver. You get a feel for the Chicago of the era as you wander through dark backstreets, take rides in horse drawn cabs, and guided tours of clapboard housing developments. Twists and turns have you gasping for more when the story comes to an almost abrupt end. A terrific book that keeps the reader engrossed from start to finish. This detective and the colorful characters that surround him certainly leave you wanting more even after it's all over.

Death at the Old Hotel by Con Lehane

Brian McNulty has some problems. No, it's not his son's arrest for smoking pot. It's not his friend Barney Saunders being beaten by thugs and having some of his fingers chopped off. It's not even a waitress being fired from the Savoy Hotel, where he works as a bartender. That just causes the whole workforce to go on strike with the Christmas holidays approaching. No, Brian McNulty is up to his neck in two murders and possibly a third, his own.

In Death at the Old Hotel , Con Lehane's everyman is dealing with the sudden murder of his boss, James McAllister. As if that were not enough, with everyone on the picket line being a suspect, a waitress's abusive cop husband dies next, and her daughter is kidnapped. It all looks as if it points back to Barney. Brian suspects he and Betsy Tierney, the waitress, of having an affair. Barney also holds McAllister personally responsible for his beating.

While trying to hold the strikers as well as his crumbling family together, Brian begins a search for a murderer. He gets in even deeper when he becomes a suspect. The police think he is sleeping with Betsy after finding out she has spent the night with him and her daughter is returned safely to his doorstep. The mafia, who is bed with the union, wants his head too. They think he did it and it was done without their permission. Brian is running from thugs, picketing with workers, and trying to reach his disgruntled teenage son while making sure he and his friends, who he believes are innocent, stay out of jail.

This book is not fast-paced but it's interesting. All the characters are colorful and have their own stories to tell. There are plenty of different backgrounds but the book never seems convoluted or full. Time moves seamlessly and you find yourself just as engrossed as Brian in trying to find out who did what, when, and if guilty hearts equal guilty of murder.

While the ending is a bit anti-climactic, the revelation of the murderer comes as a surprise. There are so many threads and just as Brian never gets the whole story, you feel as if you don't either. That is one of the best parts of the book; everyone is human. Almost every character feels guilty about something, you keep reading to figure out what it is. You're rooting for some, hoping others take a fall, and at a short 221 pages, it all seems to be over too fast.

The following books are reviewed by Julie Obermiller

Murder Talks Turkey: A Yooper Mystery by Deb Baker
Midnight Ink, Softcover

Okay, it's official. I'm a “Yooper.” Wouldn't you like to be a Yooper, too? Becoming a part of Gertie Johnson's family in the “UP”, Upper Peninsula of Michigan, is as easy as picking up Deb Baker's latest romp through the woods. It doesn't get much more down-home than Gertie's kin-folk and crazy cohorts and you'll have to laugh out loud at every wrong turn they take. Third in the series, “Murder Talks Turkey” follows “Murder Passes the Buck” and “Murder Grins and Bears It.” As the titles convey, there's no shortage of wild life around Stonely, and it's not all of the four-legged variety.

Gertie and friends, man-chasing Cora Mae and Kitty, are partners in the fledgling Trouble Buster Investigative Company, after solving a few local crimes. All fired up over an assignment by their first paying customer (well, sort of), Gertie has a lot on her mind while waiting in line at the Stonley Credit Union. A lecherous lothario needs spying on and her family is driving her batty. She has her hands full dealing with her sheriff son, Blaze, after a serious bout of meningitis scrambles his sockets and has him on leave from the force. Add a crusty, cranky old mother-in-law from the dark side Throw in a big devil-eyed dog named Fred and a big handful of assorted nuts and you have a recipe for hilarity.

Gertie's thoughts are cut short when a botched robbery and a murder get her attention. Armed with a stun gun and more common sense than the men and lawmen in charge, Gertie adds “catch a murderer” to her to-do list.

In a town where camouflage jackets and flannel shirts are wardrobe mainstays and orange is mandatory for hunters, orange high top sneakers on a dead crook are a step too far. Can Gertie combine the search for a rooftop shooter with her calamitous efforts to spy on a cheating husband? Who is the mysterious Orange Gang? Can she keep out of trouble with acting detective Dickey Snell? One way or another our Gertie always gets herself into trouble but when she is framed for murder and has to go into hiding, it seriously hampers the efforts of her fellow Trouble Busters and sort-of-boyfriend-but-we're-taking-it-slow, George.

Baker starts some of her chapters with Gertie's Word for the Day, an attempt by our heroine to broaden her vocabulary, and serious words like extirpate and adipose are added along with Higgledy-piggledy and icky. The context is usually hilarious and it adds to the fun. The writing is descriptive and wryly amusing. We shake our heads at the antics of our gun-toting, truck-driving country brethren but come to realize we are more alike than different.

Baker plays fair with the reader and clues abound, but it's not a giveaway. Several mysteries get neatly solved despite the madness and mayhem and you'll find yourself whizzing through this book quickly. There's murder but no gore, illicit trysts but no gratuitous smut and good mystery without psychobabble and terror. It's more of a comedy of farce than a serious whodunit but you'll find yourself ready for another trip to the Upper Peninsula to see what Gertie and the Yoopers are up to now.

If you're looking for a quick but chuckle-filled read, visit Stonely at every opportunity. Suddenly, your own crazy relatives won't seem so bad!

Death of a Cozy Writer by G.M. Malliet
Midnight Ink Books, July 2008, Softcover

Once upon a time there was a writer of cozy mysteries named Sir Adrian Beauclerk-Fisk. With ex-wife Chloe, he fathered Sarah, Albert, George and Ruthven. Add to the mix a huge English country estate, a social-climbing daughter-in-law, a cook, a butler, a gardener, an American secretary to Sir Adrian and assorted characters and shake well. Throw in a surprise invitation to Daddy's wedding to a younger woman with a dark past and stir the proverbial pot. Add a dash of murder. What bubbles over is a classic whodunit in the old English country house style, ready for the entrance of the esteemed Detective Chief Inspector Arthur St. Just. With St. Just come Constable Porter, Sergeant Garwin Fear and Dr. Malenfont and the mix gets richer. Toss in the close-mouthed lawyer, an old servant, an ex-paramour, some lovely settings and wry humor, and you've got a plum pudding of a mystery!

From the first page (prefaced by an introduction of characters), the reader is whisked away to the country manor, with the timeless feel of a visit with Christie's Miss Marple. The book is free of the gratuitous gore, car chases, sex and sensationalism that mark most of today's literature. While it can be argued that this is what “sells” it needs to be pointed out that there are millions of readers who choose a mystery in the cozy genre precisely because it lacks the superfluous addition of flash for the sake of flash.

Malliet has succeeded in luring you into a timeless era and then jolting you to the present with modern cultural references, yet it is done seamlessly and without distraction. While the setting is the gravy, the actual mystery is meaty and robust. The humor, mostly about the dysfunctional families gathered under the roof at Sir Adrian's “Rembrandtesque” manor house, rings like a clear bell on a gusty day; refreshingly light.

One of my favorite characters was daughter Sarah, herself a writer of another genre. The mousy drab girl who writes recipes influenced by biblical times undergoes a few changes through the book, and I found myself hoping the ugly little caterpillar would burst forth in beauty and confidence one day. It's very easy to get vested in Malliet's characters, to feel you're part of the family.

There are the prerequisite red herrings, of course, but it's a fair mystery that will keep you guessing. This is a fun, uncomplicated stroll that calls for a comfy chair and a cup of tea. It unfolds easily and holds your interest, not in edge-of-seat scary stuff, but in the interactions of all the cast. St. Just is his own man, neither natty Poirot nor bumbling Columbo, and it will be fun to see where he and his cohorts end up next.

The end of the book contains a sample of “Death of a Lit Chick,” second in the St. Just Mystery series and it leaves quaint Cambridge behind with a promise of more mayhem in Scotland !

I'm definitely a fan an eager for the next in the series. Keep them coming, Gin!

Visit www.gmmalliet.com or www.midnightinkbooks.com

The following books are reviewed by Vero Caravette

Freeman, Gwen. -- Murder… Suicide… Whatever…
Fifi Cutter and her often unemployed brother Bosco Dorff make a strange pair of sleuths but this debut novel folds you into the adventure from the beginning. Fun and funny, Fifi's adventures with her brother are great summer entertainment. An unwelcome Bosco reenters Fifi's life with the excuse that he's investigating the death of their Uncle Ted – not a real uncle but a great way for Bosco to get his foot into the door – literally. Fifi is not happy and doesn't wantto have to take her brother back into her life. Fifi is cynical and worldly, her brother is smooth talking and annoying. But Fifi overcomes her doubts and goes along with Bosco; hired on as his investigator, since she has some experience investigating insurance claims. They find plenty of suspects with good motives and Fifi becomes intent on discovering who killed Ted. There's plenty of atmosphere and lots of quirky characters. A good read.

O'Neil, Vincent H. -- Reduced Circumstances
This sequel to O'Neil's Malice Domestic Contest–winning debut, Murder in Exile (2006) has Frank Cole working as a Florida taxi dispatcher and on the trail of a con artist last seen in one of Cole's Midnight Taxies. But Cole is not alone in his search – a PI, bondsmen, or at least they claim to be bondsmen, and others also want to find the mysterious fare whose name is never consistently clear but may be Dennis. When Denis turns up dead, the pursuit doesn't stop and Cole realizes that Dennis wasn't the only object of the pursuit. Cole finds himself using his newly discovered talent for investigating once again. And as he's proven before, he's good. He's also good at getting himself involved with the colorful characters he's found in the subtropical wonderland he's retreated to after his disastrous past. Despite his past problems, Cole is a fun guy and a narrator readers will like. The plot is full of twists and turns, the characters are engaging, and everything moves quickly to the surprise ending. Some fun reading for the beach or even a quiet night at home.

Bailor, John E. -- Death Dealt the Hand
Central Pennsylvania hasn't been as exciting as this since Harrison Ford starred in Witness. Bailor knows his setting and uses it to advantage in this thriller. Special agent Trevor Byrne is investigating the suspiciously-fast approval of human trials on an experimental AIDS cure. He quickly finds himself enmeshed in danger and a fast pace thrill ride of a story oin which he eventually must prevent genetics lab DNAY from unleashing a toxin designed to kill fifty million people.Though Trevor seems like a boy next door type, he just happens to be a special agent for the government. Exactly which branch isn't revealed. But he dives into this adventure with both feet and at times the action is non-stop. Hand to hand combat, gun fights, chases – exactly what the thriller audience wants. There is sexual content but it isn't graphic; the sexual undercurrent, however, runs through the book and gives it a charged up atmosphere. Byrne is a character with charm but he's also human and fallible.

Roynesdale, John A. -- Living in Darkness
Phillip Michael Carnegie is not a typical police officer but his partner, George Maikai'moku, is. However in the Special Division Detective Team Carnegie is the one solving most of the major crimes handed to them. For this case, however, Carnegie must depend on two other members of the team, Nick Keone and Paul Noa, a gay couple working within the Honolulu Police Department. This case involves the murders of three men, all found within the grounds of a local park known to be a gay hangout. A stabbing, a hanging, and a burning has taken out three of the four members of a vicious sadistic gang who has been preying on gay men. The investigation leads to a young man who shares his story of being beaten by three young men and who admits he killed the men who had beaten him. But Carnegie is not convinced. Many details of the murders that do not match. But the teen is found hanging in his apartment and a manuscript details the three murders. There's also a suicide note which doesn't match the boy's other writing. It appears that someone used the teen's the manuscript and became the executioner described in it.
Living in Darkness has an underlying story about the distressing life lived by those on the outside. It also calls to attention the crime of gay bashing. John Roynesdal, is a retired English teacher produced 3 books for his Phillip Michael Carnegie Mystery series.

Lilley, Kathryn -- Dying to Be Thin
Plus-sized TV producer Kate Gallagher laid off because of her weight and dumped by her boyfriend enrolls in a weight loss clinic in Durham , NC . But Kate finds herself ready to do anything for something sweet. When a diet guru turns up dead with fondue forks where his eyes had been, Kate loses her appetite. But gains a breaking news story she can use to gain her way back to TV. Diet tips, good dialog, and a great plot contribute to making this a book you'll want to have on the beach. The familiarity most people have with dieting will have them connecting to Kate right from the start. A great cozy to get you back to your diet.

Eds. Susan Budavari, Suzanne Flaig -- Map of Murder
Murder is everywhere as Red Coyote Press's new anthology proves. This is the follow-up to Medley of Murder and expands beyond Arizona to showcase a variety of writers. The twenty stories vary from hard boiled to western to romance and the settings range from Colorado , to a candy factory in Portland , Oregon and an art college in Massachusetts . There's something for every reader's taste in this compilation of mayhem, murder and mystery. Frank Zafiro is represented with his story set in El Paso . The first person narrative works well as the officer resists the inevitable. A mailroom clerk dreams of doing more important work in Robin Merrill's Coffee Break. The opening story is Audition to Murder by Kris Neri, a fun tale. How can you resist a woman in a giant cookie outfit fighting the devil over a hostage? Larry D. Sweazy examines love and parenthood in “The Assignment.” Red Wolfe, battles personal demons while trying to solve the disappearance of his boss' son. There are more and each one is as good as the rest. Dipping into this volume is taking an armchair adventure. You will find different locales, interesting crimes, and even more engaging characters.

Eds. Harley Jane Kozak, Michael Mallory, Nathan Walpow -- LAndmarked for Murder
LAndmarked for Murder is Sisters-In-Crime's newest anthology. It's a great collection of ten stories each centered around a well known Los Angeles landmark; each is also filled with mystery and mayhem. The stories range from noir to comedy; they're realistic and off the wall; and they take place in the present and the past. Every kind of character you're likely to encounter in LA, you'll meet in this collection from lawyers to actors, to the eccentric and the criminal underworld. “Leaving Slackerland” by Gay Degani - a young, woman is framed for the murder of a rival in this edgy story. In “Just Like Old Times” by G.B. Pool - aging Hollywood actors get to show their stuff when uninvited guests crash their dinner party. “Making it With Gammy” by Darrell James features a man hired to steal the ashes of his client's grandmother from his ex-wife. “Marathon Madness” by Dee Ann Palmer shows that stolen shoes, stolen jewels, and a murder can make a marathon some kind of hell for an experienced runner. “Sleepy Lagoon Nocturne” by Paul D. Marks Is a noir detective story whose twists and gritty atmosphere will keep you reading. “It Doesn't Take a Genius” by Kate Thornton features a woman trying to thwart a plot she's overheard. "The Best Laid Schemes..." by Jinx Beers has the perfect murder at Santa Anita Park. In “Setup” by Pamela Samuels-Young a popular USC athlete is killed in a police shooting but is there more to it? “Running Venice ” by A.H. Ream shows a reporter who stumbles upon a story which she may never be able to report. “Some Creature I Care About” by Arthur Coburn is another tale set in Venice . All are well written and worth a look.

Starr, Jason -- Lights Out
In this noir tale, baseball player Jake Thomas gets a hero's welcome on a trip home to Canarsie. He's got millions in endorsements riding on his reputation which is about to be ripped apart by a statutory rape charge. So, he's anxious to announce his wedding with his high school sweetheart, Christina, before the scandal breaks. But his fiancée has been sleeping former pitcher Ryan Rossetti, working a dead-end job in Canarsie. Rosetti is jealous of Jake – really jealous. And wants to keep Christina for himself. Starr portrays Brooklyn 's dark corners and hellish byways. His characters J.T and Ryan are unpleasant but that's wehat some people are like. This book is a shot of gritty reality. And then ex-con Saiquan comes into play, wanting payback for a gang shooting and the plot jumps into action heading for a finish that will leave you feeling drained. Starr is a master at telling these kinds of tales. His writing is taut and vivid. His characters are flawed and angry and sometimes tough to take but they aren't phony. Starr has a vision and he lays it out well in his books. Lights Out is no different; Starr's bleak outlook is front and center here.

The following books are reviewed by JRG DeMarco

Weinberg, Robert -- The Occult Detective
Sidney Taine is a most appealing occult detective at a time when occult sleuths are popping up with regularity. Called "The New Age Detective" he brings years of knowledge and experience in the occult arts in addition to quick thinking and great investigative instincts. The Occult Detective is an impressive and heartily enjoyable collection of seven stories. Each is well written, interesting, and a joy to find. "The Midnight El" recounts a difficult missing person case. Finding a woman who vanished at a local Chicago train station is easy; getting back home is the challenge. Taine's talents are put to the test. "Terror By Night" calls Taine to solve a string of late night disappearances at an office building. It's a good read. "The Apocalypse Quatrain," gives the reader some idea of what could happen if the Pentagon's defense computer made its own decisions based on the Nostradamus' quatrains. Sydney Taine (Sid's sister who lives a number of dimensions away in a very different world), gets personal with a newly made zombie. Seems some gangsters have found a way to run their criminal empires even after they've been whacked. Sidney is also stars in "Enter, the Eradicator!" She is summoned to a different universe to help that world's superheroes overcome the threat of a cosmic vampire. Two more stories, "The Children of May" a touching piece about a mysterious client's quest to locate the fabled Excalibur and "Seven Drops of Blood" has a cast of dangerous characters trying to find the Holy Grail. Magic with a twist is served up here. The Occult Detective is a wonderful read. Weinberg's storytelling ability matches well his creativity.

Banis, Victor -- Slow Dance
Janice McKenzie is persuaded by her terminally ill husband to take one day a week off to treat herself. On her first day in San Francisco , with vision blurred by tears, she stumbles, catches her heel, and finds herself in the arms of a young man, Brian Loomis, who whisks her off to bed. Janice is horrified at what she's done but as Brian pursues her, she finds herself increasingly comfortable in his company. Janice's childhood memories are contrasted with the newness of Brian. She develops insight into how she became a perfection-obsessed woman. Brian finds himself living temporarily with an older gay man, Robert Tyler (who, unknown to Brian, is a serial killer targeting rich older women clients). Robert learns Janice's identity and rightly guesses she and Brian are lovers. Robert has convinced himself that, given time, Brian will become his lover, he cannot let Janice interfere. Robert stalks Janice, determined to kill her. As their friendship grows, Janice and Brian begin a heated affair. Despite this affair Janice feels more deeply in love with her husband than ever. As his condition worsens, she finds herself regretting all that she has deprived him of, in their marriage. When she realizes that she has also fallen in love with Brian, Janice attempts to break off their relationship, not wanting to leave Douglas . She finds that she cannot make the break and, with Brian's agreement, determines that they will meet when they can. When Douglas dies, is when Robert's plan goes into motion. This is Banis at his level best. He's a master at this type of storytelling and he draws you into this story with ease. The characters he has created are heartfelt, honest people trapped in a difficult situation. Banis is a writer who deftly makes the reader care and turn pages. In this one, he offers surprising twists and a beautiful love story.

Plakcy, Neil -- Mahu Fire
This is the third time readers meet up with police detective Kimo Kanapa'aka. A dedicated police officer and a newly out gay man, Kanapa'aka is doing his best to deal with everything his life is throwing at him. He's known as “that gay police detective” and while that bothers him, he is more concerned that he isn't being credited with his professionalism as well as his dedication to other aspects of his life including family and friends. The murder of a homeless man leads to an investigation of a series of arson fires, bombings, and a shooting all aimed at gay-friendly businesses. Kanapa'aka finds that his notoriety as a gay man comes in handy in this investigation. He becomes a target for the killers but also a trusted presence in the gay community. Additionally, Kanapa'aka takes on personal issues in this installment: his father's declining health, the welfare of some homeless gay teens, and the start of what could be a promising relationship. As he has all along, Plakcy shows the reader some growth in his characters, including developments with Kanapa'aka's friends introduced in earlier books. Kanapa'aka is a strong character, with a developing sense of gay pride and concern for the new community he finds himself immersed in. Well written, the book is filled with a sense of wonder at the emergence of another person into the joys of a life he couldn't imagine before he came out and accepted himself. The Hawaiian background is engaging and interesting as is all the lore and language Plakcy manages to put into the mix. His characters are likeable and believable. One can't help cheering them on in what they do. Plakcy has a great series and his fans are waiting for the next installment.