The Remo and her once-glamorous residents are no stranger to hard times. When Rex “Suicide” King rolls out of an elevator with his throat cut, the hardened residents barely flinch. In fact, only two people even seem to realize the situation. The house detective Joe Hall, retired NYPD, and the desk clerk, Roby, have to put the pieces together that spell murder. It’s an impossible crime in an impossible location.
For the past two seasons, Jack and I brought the amazing storytelling of our podcast to mystery readers by publishing the episodes in an anthology. We are proud to announce that this season’s anthology, Things That Go Jack In The Night, will be released on September 12, 2023.
Begin with KM Rockwood’s innocent looking package of pepper jack cheese, then sleuth your way through a lumberjack, a night Wolfman Jack never had, Jack be nimble, a one-eyed jack, a jackass, a public masterbator, a skewered jackalope, a different kind of jack-in-the-box, a deadly jackknife, and a missing jackpot to end with that always unpredictable Detective Connolly figuring out what to do with the working end of an audio jack.
Just like the podcast, the e- and print books are formatted for you to beat the detective to the solution. Happy hunting, detectives.
Deadly Depthsis a genre crosser. It can be found under Amateur Sleuth mystery and murder thriller. I would classify it as an Adventure bookended by Amateur Sleuth. Archeologist Barrington “Barry” Holmes is dead. With a slit wrist, the police rule it suicide. Holmes’s protégé, Matthew Shane, former Air Force Intelligence and current professor of law, calls bullshit. The path to resolving Holmes’s death puts him face-to-face with a voodoo curse, a notorious antiquities dealer and a three hundred-and fifty-year-old promise between the leader of the Aztec people and the famous Englishman, Captain Henry Morgan.
Bottom line: Deadly Depths is for you if you like treasure hunts, a jumble of altruistic, self-serving, and devious characters, and murder of the lowest degree.
Listen to the first chapter here or wherever you get Mysteries to Die For Podcast.
Strengths of the story. There are several things to love about Deadly Depths. First in my book is the treasure seeking adventure. Lovers of Indiana Jones stories, “National Treasure”, and “The DaVinci Code” will enjoy the mix of folk lore, voodoo, pirates, and the potential of a treasure of incomparable value. The clues are cryptic yet meaningful. The locations are grounded in real history. The characters are distinct and true to their nature—for good or for bad.
The pacing is strong. Once picked up, this is a hard one to put down.
While this story does not have the time deadline common in this genre, there is a sense of being up against a ticking clock. For most of the book, there is a sense of an unseen hand manipulating the situation, creating the feeling of a race but against an invisible competitor.
.Where the story fell short of ideal:
As noted, this story crosses genres. It stands strongly but readers focusing on only one of the genres may find areas for complaining. The story begins as an Amateur Sleuth, creating the impetus for starting the Adventure. Then Adventure takes over, driving most of the book. Only after the Adventure is nearing completion is the original mystery resolved. Adverture lovers could scoff at the time to get the Adventure going. Mystery lovers could do the same for pursuit of the murder. If those genre-specific expectations are put aside, Deadly Depths is a very satisfying read.
Legendary stuntman Howard Cline, better knows as All Jacks of All Trades, died while demonstrating his latest epic stunt. He jack-be-nimbled over the room size candlestick but instead of sticking the landing, it stuck him. He landed on his beloved, full-size ceramic cow with crumbled horns. Now Silver City, NM Duties Amanda Thomas and Johnny Travis are trying to determine if it was an accident or if there was foul play…in the house that Jack built.
Listen here or wherever you get Mysteries to Die For podcast.
Bastard Verdict is a Political Thriller. FBI Special Agent Imogen Trager is on sabbatical. She’s taking a break from the fall out of her last cases to dive into the safe world of academia. At visiting fellow at Scotland’s University of Glasgow, she’s diving into the data behind referendums in the US, Scotland, and Sweden. But then a question is raised about the validity of the 2014 Scottish referendum on independence. And that quick, Imogen is back in the thick of it.
Bottom line: Bastard Verdict is for you if you like sophisticated, intricately woven political thrillers steeped in real historical events.
Listen to the first chapter here or wherever you get Mysteries to Die For podcast
Strengths of the story. The strength of the story is the premise: the exploration of a fascinating “what if”. What if an election was stolen…that the victor would have won anyway? Was a crime committed? Where is the accountability? How high does it go? What would the victors do to stop the story from coming out?
This is Imogen’s 4th case so she is an established and well-developed character. As this book is set in Scotland, not the US, there are no continuing characters from previous books. This makes it an easy choice to pick up, even if you haven’t read the previous books.
Thriller lovers should be aware this is a political thriller, so the tension and action are more intellectual and less physical. The pacing is strong with the storyline continuously moving forward. Interestingly, the story is largely driven by the “villains”, forcing the heroes to act and react throughout the book.
Where the story fell short of ideal:
I had two minor challenges reading the book. First centers around point of view. Bastard Verdict is told from multiple points of view, as is common with thrillers. But occasionally, the change in point of view happened within a continuous scene, often subtly. It was enough that I had to stop and re-read to understand the narrating character changed.
The second challenge centered around logic and sequence. Once the story gets rolling, the actions of the characters are consistent, even if driven by fear, greed, or paranoia. They are bad guys, after all. The starting premise that gets Imogen going on the research isn’t the strongest and a coincidence regarding one of the characters strikes as convenient. Small detractions for an otherwise enjoyable read on an intriguing premise.
No book will ever please everyone, which is why the first two reviews for PSYCHO THERAPY, the final book in the Diamond series, really made me feel like I did something right. Excerpts are below with links to the full review. If you are interested in reading PSYCHO THERAPY in exchange for your review, please email me at tina at tgwolff dot com and I will send you the e-book. Reviews are key to getting new readers to give me a chance. As I have yet to crack the secret to getting hundreds of reviews, I am asking for your help getting started.
From Guatemala Paula Love to Read
“The plot sends Diamond across the country and around the globe as she chases down clues left behind by a master hacker, and there are plenty of twists and turns that amp up the excitement. However, Diamond’s narrative, her distinctive inner voice, and the author’s stylish prose keep me coming back for more. TG Wolff has quickly become one of my favorite writers this past year.”
“What sets Psycho Therapy apart from the classic detective style that many readers, myself included, hold dear is the quirky and memorable main female character. Strong, intelligent, and refreshingly unconventional, she subverts the typical tropes of female characters in detective fiction. Her witty dialogue and unorthodox investigative methods inject a sense of authenticity and relatability that is often lacking in similar narratives. She proves to be a refreshing departure from the norm, contributing to the novel’s uniqueness.”
Diamond. One name for a woman who is faking it until she makes it. And she will make it. At least that’s what she’s telling herself.
Dr. Robin Ransom is a therapist to first responders, cops, and spies. She has a problem. She is being blackmailed via email by a nameless, faceless crook. Her neighbor Murali Devi, is an IT wizard who said he’d take care of the problem for her. Now he’s dead. And there’s a hot British guy after her for information she swears she doesn’t have.
Before Diamond was a widow, she was a CIA agent with lethal skills. Skills she nearly used on herself. An intervention puts her on Dr. Ransom’s couch and squarely in the middle of a high-stakes game of blackmail, kidnapping, and murder. From a video gaming Beastmaster in Michigan, to a suicide bomber in Virginia, to a psychiatric conference in the south of France, Diamond jumps in with her usual flair for chaos and destruction. But Fate isn’t satisfied, pushing Diamond into a position where it is either her or the person she cares for most.
From Down & Out Books. Available from online retailers and by request from your favorite bookseller.
DJ Jaye Jordan is working alone, spinning tunes for lonely hearts on a Saturday night. When company arrives, it isn’t her yoga buddies, but a blast from the past…with a gun. Time is running out. If Jaye can’t solve this cold case, she just may have to resort to Jumpin’ Jack Flash.
Listen here or wherever you get Mysteries to Die For podcast.
The Hemingway Deception is a Thriller. Hemingway. No one knows who he is or what he can do, only that he is the ultimate prize. The key lies with Dr. Montilla, who some label a saint and others a guerilla.
Ana Karras Montilla survived her upbringing in the jungles of Colombia to establish a ‘normal’ life in Queens. Now her missionary parents have gone missing and saving them means embracing everything she fought to escape. Trane does the dirty work that needs to be done. To protect his Washington-insider bosses, has to find Montilla, then Hemingway to put a permanent end to his plans. Catalina Reyes is a Cuban spy who has lost her husband and has lost her direction. Desperation drives her to take on this mission where succeed or die are the only outcomes and Montilla is her guide. Luke Brennan is NYPD, working to make sense of the mess Karras and Trane leave in their wake. Everyone keeps telling him to let this one go. Right. Like he’s going to listen.
Bottom line: The Hemingway Deception is for you if you like multi-hero stories where everyone is out for themselves for damn good reasons and the stakes are so high, losing means war.
Listen to the first chapter here or wherever you get Mysteries to Die For podcast
The Hemingway Deception was released from Suspense Books and promoted by Partners in Crime Tours and is available from AMAZON LINK and other book retailers.
About Tj O’Connor
Tj O’Connor is the author of The Hemingway Deception, Dying with a Secret, (pending publication), The Consultant and four paranormal murder mysteries. Tj is an international security consultant specializing in anti-terrorism, investigations, and threat analysis—life experiences that drive his novels. With his former life as a government agent and years as a consultant, he has lived and worked around the world in places like Greece, Turkey, Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom, and throughout the Americas—among others. Tj is a Harley Davidson pilot, a man-about-dogs, and a lover of adventure, cooking, and good spirits (both kinds). He was raised in New York’s Hudson Valley and lives with his wife and Labrador companions in Virginia where they raised five children who are supply a growing tribe of grands!
Chief Tom Goldston is trying to save the Taraca Bay police department by solving the murder of the baseball team’s beloved mascot Lumber Jack aka Wilson Bain. Here are the people Tom has interviewed in the order he’s talked to them:
• Franklin Langford, owner of the Lumberjacks who hired Bain to be the mascot;
• Boomer Cordillero, low level criminal who Bain owed money;
• Paul Caverly, Lumberjacks GM who oversaw Bain;
• Kirk Van Ness, Defender of the Redwood who no showed the road trip;
• Ryan Mitchell, Lumberjacks best player; and
• … and I’m adding Sheriff Adam Jones because he’s an a-hole.
Listen here or wherever you get Mysteries to Die For podcast.
Psycho Therapyis a Mystery. Diamond. One name for a woman who is faking it until she makes it. And she will make it. At least that’s what she’s telling herself. Dr. Robin Ransom is a therapist to first responders, cops, and spies. She has a problem. She is being blackmailed via email by a nameless, faceless crook. Her neighbor Murali Devi, is an IT wizard who said he’d take care of the problem for her. Now he’s dead. And there’s a hot British guy after her for information she swears she doesn’t have.
Before Diamond was a widow, she was a CIA agent with lethal skills. Skills she nearly used on herself. An intervention puts her on Dr. Ransom’s couch and squarely in the middle of a high-stakes game of blackmail, kidnapping, and murder. From a video gaming Beastmaster in Michigan, to a suicide bomber in Virginia, to a psychiatric conference in the south of France, Diamond jumps in with her usual flair for chaos and destruction. But Fate isn’t satisfied, pushing Diamond into a position where it is either her or the person she cares for most.
Bottom line: Psycho Therapy is for you if you like fast-paced mysteries, dynamic characters, and story meant to be read just for the fun of it.
Listen to the first chapter in Diamond’s third and final (gulp) adventure mystery.
Find Mysteries to Die For wherever you get your podcasts including Apple, Google Play, Spotify…or you can listen right here.
TG Wolff 