M2D4 Toe Tag: The Legacy by C.L. Tolbert

TG Wolff

The Legacy is a mystery / legal thriller. Professor Emma Thornton’s newest case is complicated. Jeremy Wilcox is accused of killing his mother, stabbing her to death. Diagnosed as schizophrenic, Jeremy is off his meds in jail, making communication difficult. He has a history of self-medicating with painkillers and escaping from the local hospital’s mental health ward. The family dynamic is dysfunctional, support is non-existent, and answers to even basic questions are not forthcoming.  

Bottom line: The Legacy is for you if you like legal thrillers where it takes more than evidence to get to the truth.

Listen to the first and second chapters here or wherever you get Mysteries to Die For Podcast

The Legacy was released from Level Best Books and is promoted by Partners In Crime Tours

Strengths of the story. This is the fourth story in the Emma Thornton series. The cast of characters are mature, each comfortable in their skin. Tolbert’s detailed and loving description of New Orleans IS a treat. I have only been a visitor to the city a handful of times but feel like she transports me onto the streets and into the culture.

Tolbert also does a very nice job of giving us a meaningful story without crossing the line into a lesson driven story. She explores the idea of and consequences of heredity. In the Wilcox storyline, it is the genetic heredity of schizophrenia and the impact it has on a leading New Orleans family. This is paralleled with Emma having to face to other legacies that hit closer to home. As her 14-yr-old twins start experimenting and rebelling, Emma has to confront their father’s legacy of alcoholism. At the same time, she realizes she had passed on traits that drive her to excel in one area, even at the cost of others. It is an excellent study and very well done.

The Legacy is listed on Amazon as a mystery and traditional detective. Those are reasonable genre descriptions. Certainly, they do not reflect the degree to which the legal case is front and center. Also, as Emma is a law professor, this is an amateur sleuth, not PI or cop detective. There are thriller elements in the resolution, which lead me to the opinion that legal thriller or legal mystery (making up my own genre here) give a more accurate impression of this story.

While this is the 4th, readers can jump in right here. There is a continuing growth arc with Emma, her new husband Ren, and Emma’s two boys, but Tolbert does a nice job of giving us what we need to know them without leaving us feeling left out. Of course, if you are one of those reader who CAN NOT NOT start at book one, by all means, pick up book 1, OUT OF SILENCE, to start from the beginning.

Where the story fell short of ideal: There isn’t a lot to pick on here. Looking from the end back (as you know I like to do), the story holds up. The mystery is made up of different layers where looking at the whole implies a different story than when you take apart the individual layers. Emma is true to her character, even when its going to cause her problems. The issues related to mental health are hard for me to develop an opinion of reasonableness, as that is exactly what mental health issues are not. At the end of the book, Tolbert sites that this story was formed and informed from her experiences working pro bono on cases like this. I trust that her representation of mental health issues, while they may not be every patient’s experience, does represent actual experiences of her and her clients. I appreciated that she represented all of the characters with dignity and individuality.

About CL Tolbert

Licensed in Georgia, Louisiana, and Mississippi, Cynthia Tolbert retired after thirty-five years of practicing law and began writing full time. After winning the Georgia State Bar Fiction Writing Contest, she developed the winning short story into the first novel in the Thornton Mystery Series, OUT FROM SILENCE, published in 2019. Cynthia taught at Loyola Law School for several years where she directed a homeless clinic, and worked with third year law students in actual cases. All of these experiences have informed her fiction.

She is an avid reader, a mother of two, and a grandmother to three beautiful girls. She lives in Austin, TX with her husband and schnauzer, Yoda.

https://www.cltolbert.com/

Partners In Crime Tours represents a network of 300+ bloggers offering tailor-made virtual book tours and marketing options for crime, mystery and thriller writers from around the world. Founded in 2011, PICT offers virtual book tour services for well-established and best-selling authors, as well as those just starting out with their careers. PICT prides itself on its tailored packages for authors, with a personal touch from the tour coordinators. For more information, check out their website partnersincrimetours.com

M2D4 S6E12: Detective Connolly Gets Audio Jacked by Jack Wolff

TG Wolff

Tryson St. James was the greatest guitar player in the world, or at least the greatest guitar player in England Connolly’s world. He went north of the border for a chance to meet his hero, who was recording at Guitar Nirvana. After security broke up an awkward introduction, Tryson is found dead. Now Connolly is on the case where he would claim the title “Detective.”

Listen here or wherever you get Mysteries to Die For Podcast.

Book Review: Lovely, Dark and Deep by Frank Zafiro

TG Wolff

Lovely, Dark, & Deep is a PI Mystery. Stef Kopriva used to be a cop, but that was ten years ago. A shooting, a wrong call, and a deep, personal relationship with a liquor bottle took him from a stand-up guy to the bottom of the barrel. He’s unofficially in the business of doing favors for people who need help. This time it’s a pimp who needs a poor but clean White boy to look into who put one of his girls in the hospital.

Bottom line: Lovely, Dark, & Deep is for you if you like gritty heroes so far from perfect they’re exactly what a story needs.

Strengths of the story. Kopriva is a well-developed character, having been part of Zafiro’s River City series and then taking the lead in Waist Deep and several short stories. You get to know his backstory through cops who won’t let Stef forget what he did.

The premise for this story is simple but interesting. Stef and his coffee buddy, Adam, watch an odd exchange featuring one of the most beautiful women either have seen. A year after Rolo, a pimp who runs a good part of River City’s night life, beat him and took Stef’s prized possession, the man comes knocking. One of his girls was beaten to within an inch of her life, he needs to know who did it. That’s all Stef has to do. Rolo will take it from there.

But it isn’t as simple as Stef or Rolo hope. It never is when Stef is involved, which is what keeps those pages turning.

Where the story fell short of ideal: Standing at the end and looking back, this story is pretty solid. Zafiro excels at endings that complete the story, but aren’t happy endings. Without giving anything away, the guilty characters are too smart to run their mouths for the likes of me. So we know whodunnit. The how and why are a little less firm.

About FRANK ZAFIRO

Frank writes gritty crime fiction from both sides of the badge. Frank served in the U.S. Army from 1986-91 in military intelligence as a Czechoslovak linguist. In 1993, he became a police officer in Spokane, Washington. During his career, he worked as a patrol officer, corporal, and detective. In 2002, he became a sergeant and entered into leadership roles. He was fortunate enough to command patrol officers, investigators, the K-9 unit, and the SWAT team. He retired from law enforcement in 2013 as a captain in order to write full time and to teach.

M2D4 Toe Tag: The Medusa Murders by Joy Ann Ribar

TG Wolff

The Medusa Murders is an amateur sleuth mystery.  Professor Bay “L.L.” Browning is drawn into a serial killer’s world when her coat is found at a crime scene. The killer has an agenda and a style, one that emulates the mythical Medusa turning her victims to stone. Her knowledge of art and mythology turns out to be the expertise the police need.

Bottom line: The Medusa Murders is for you if you like clean mysteries with a cozy feel and centering on art and mythology.

Listen to the second chapter (not a typo) here or wherever you get Mysteries to Die For podcast

Strengths of the story. The Medusa Murders is classified on Amazon as amateur sleuth, women’s crime fiction, and contemporary women’s fiction. It absolutely is an amateur sleuth follow-along mystery. Crime fiction has become the broader term for stories involving crime, so it fits again. Contemporary women’s fiction is a story of a woman’s growth through the story. This is an element of the story but is most applicable to the secondary stories. While it is not listed as a Cozy, the clean storytelling style (no cursing), lack of on-screen violence, and prominent role of interesting and quirky specialties (classic art and mythology), make The Medusa Murders a good fit here, too.

The setting in a fictional Wisconsin college in the winter is a nice variation on a small town setting. The social complexities of working inside higher ed gives a “peak behind the curtain” from what life looks like from a professor’s perspective.

The story does a nice job of showing Bay having to juggle her work responsibilities and family problems that includes her ex-con sister showing up at her door, while also working to find a link between the murders and mythology.

All in all, it’s a fun read. For those who dig mythology or know their way around classic art about mythology, you will find a lot to dig your teeth into with this one.

Where the story fell short of ideal: One of the first and biggest challenges for authors using amateur sleuth is getting the hero into the story. From the beginning, Bay doesn’t know why she is part of the investigation and, several times, makes credible arguments that someone else who knows more should be doing the work. For me, this undermined the strength and credibility of the character. Ultimately, it doesn’t affect the flow or result of the story.

It took me some time to warm up to Bay. There were times it felt like she embodied the collegiate arrogance she accused others of having. She came into her own in the second half of the book and I came to like and respect her.

About Joy Ann Ribar

Joy Ann Ribar is an RV author, writing on the road wherever her husband and their Winnebago View wanders. Joy’s cocktail of careers includes news reporter, paralegal, English educator, and aquaponics greenhouse technician, all of which prove useful in penning mysteries. She loves to bake, read, do wine research, and explore nature. Joy’s writing is inspired by Wisconsin’s four distinct seasons, natural beauty, and kind-hearted, but sometimes quirky, people.

Joy holds a BA in Journalism from UW-Madison and an MS in Education from UW-Oshkosh. She is a member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, Blackbird Writers, and Wisconsin Writers Association.

Partners In Crime Tours represents a network of 300+ bloggers offering tailor-made virtual book tours and marketing options for crime, mystery and thriller writers from around the world. Founded in 2011, PICT offers virtual book tour services for well-established and best-selling authors, as well as those just starting out with their careers. PICT prides itself on its tailored packages for authors, with a personal touch from the tour coordinators. For more information, check out their website partnersincrimetours.com

M2D4 Toe Tag: A Grifter’s Song compiled by Frank Zafiro

TG Wolff

A Grifter’s Song is a Crime Thriller novella series. Sam and Rachel are long time lovers and lifelong grifters. No mark is too big, no scheme too hot. They zigzag across the continent, looking to make the next score and stay ahead of Little Vincent and the Philadelphia mob. From the first book to the last, nothing is sacred. . . except the love they have for each other.

Bottom line: A Grifter’s Song is for you if you get your thrills cheering for heroes who live on the other side of the tracks.

Today’s featured release is not a single book but 35 novellas in a collection called A Grifter’s Song. The collection was conceived and edited by Frank Zafiro with episodes written by Frank and 29 other authors, myself included. I have for you today an excerpt of the 1st book, THE CONCRETE SMILE by Frank Zafiro, the first chapter of the 2nd book PEOPLE LIKE US by J.D. Rhoades, and the 4th chapter of the last book, INTO THE DYING SUN by Frank Zafiro.

Listen here or wherever you get Mysteries to Die For Podcast

Strengths of the series: Zafiro created a world for the grifters with a full backstory that drives Sam and Rachel’s continuous need to move on. They have a few trusted acquaintances, including a computer hacking expert, and too many enemies, thanks to the long arms of the Philadelphi mob.

All novellas are under 30,000 words, or about 100 pages, making them easy reads that fit into a busy lifestyle.  Stories have equivalent ratings of PG to R, but most are pretty hard core. Lol, my episode, #30 GOOD FOR IT, was definitely as lighter end.

Each story is a unique blend of Zafiro’s world and the imagination and style of the individual authors. Sam and Rachel remain true to themselves and each other, no matter what situation they are thrown into.

Where the story fell short of ideal: The series concept is well developed and provides a framework that is defined enough to provide continuity but is open enough to give authors room to work. Readers are bound to have favorite stories and stories they like less – I certainly do. If you don’t love one, I encourage you to read on. This is a very satisfying series.

For behind the scenes interviews between Frank and his writers, check out the podcast Wrong Place, Write Crime wherever you get your podcasts.

All books in A Grifter’s Song were released from Down & Out Books and are available from AMAZON and other book retailers.

About Frank Zafiro

Frank writes gritty crime fiction from both sides of the badge. Frank served in the U.S. Army from 1986-91 in military intelligence as a Czechoslovak linguist. In 1993, he became a police officer in Spokane, Washington. During his career, he worked as a patrol officer, corporal, and detective. In 2002, he became a sergeant and entered into leadership roles. He was fortunate enough to command patrol officers, investigators, the K-9 unit, and the SWAT team. He retired from law enforcement in 2013 as a captain in order to write full time and to teach.

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M2D4 Episode 11: The Crackpot’s Jackpot by TG Wolff

TG Wolff

Cleveland, OH 1895. Detective Cian Kelly and Patrolman Grant McPherson are called to the home of Emmitt Childs, a local clock maker. He was found beaten unconscious in his kitchen and ultimately died from his wounds. Childs, a likeable eccentric, was survived by his daughter, Sadie, who was dating one of the suspects, the leading scorer for the Cleveland Spiders. The crackpot was a regular at a local poker hall, where he had an unusual relationship with the owner and his muscle.

Listen here or wherever you get Mysteries to Die For Podcasts

M2D4 Toe Tag: Second Term by J.M. Adams

TG Wolff

Second Term is a Political Thriller. Cora Walker represents the best of US intelligence and skills. Sixteen years after leading a campaign to protect the US Embassy in Benghazi, Libya, she is pressed into action again. This time, she is defending the Capital and Speaker of the House against a homegrown attack.

Bottom line: Second Term is for you if you love tense, political thrillers built from today’s headlines.

Listen to the first chapter here or wherever you get Mysteries to Die For podcast

Strengths of the story. This story is told in three parts. First is a 2012 invasion of the US Embassy in Benghazi, Libya. The second is 2028, post presidential election and set the scene for Cora as the press secretary for the Speaker of the House. The third is January 2029 and the chaos accompanying a president who does not want to step down.

The first thing that pops out about this story is the intensity. Adams doesn’t waste words as he builds worlds both in Libya and Washington, D.C. We see both worlds through the eyes of the efficient, no-nonsense Cora Walker. The intensity drives the pacing and, for me, kept the pages turning.

The texture to this book is notable. JM Adams takes us to the places he has been not just through visual description but through sounds and smells. It adds a layer to the scenes making them richer and more real.

Cora Walker is a strong character who acts independently and according to her moral code. The things she does engaging the enemy places her with other elite fictional agents like Jack Reacher and Jason Bourne. She is a fun hero to cheer for.

Where the story fell short of ideal: While not short of ideal, readers are either going to love or going to hate how the main story presents a sadly easily imagined attack on US democracy by an egomaniac president who can’t accept losing and attacks everyone and everything in an effort to win.

Thrillers are one of the hardest genres to resolve the storylines without breaking logic. The Benghazi story line was especially tight and stood up well. I would have liked a bit more detail on what happened, but that is a personal preference. For Parts 2 and 3, Cora acted true to her character with no flaws in her decisions. I did take some issue with the actions of other characters in developing the situation Cora had to fight her way out of. If you can get past those and/or focus on Cora, you’ll enjoy one heck of a ride.

J.M. ADAMS has more than 15 years of on-air television journalism experience, reporting for CBS and NBC news affiliates across the United States. Highlights from his career include sea patrols with the Navy after the 9/11 attacks and reporting on location from Kuwait, Iraq, and a number of hurricane disaster zones across the country. Adams was briefly detained in East Germany during the fall of the Berlin Wall. Second Term is his debut novel.

Adams lives in Northern New Jersey with his wife, two daughters, and a pair of Cavashons who appear to have taken over the house.

Second Term is promoted by Partners In Crime Tours. PICT represents a network of 300+ bloggers offering tailor-made virtual book tours and marketing options for crime, mystery and thriller writers from around the world. Founded in 2011, PICT offers virtual book tour services for well-established and best-selling authors, as well as those just starting out with their careers. PICT prides itself on its tailored packages for authors, with a personal touch from the tour coordinators. For more information, check out their website partnersincrimetours.com

M2D4 Episode 10: Jack the Knife by Chuck Brownman

TG Wolff

Jack the Knife is one of the world’s most successful assassins. He has been tied to at least two dozen killings over the last decade. Interpol has gotten a tip that Jack will at Henri’s restaurant tonight. Europol Agent Ivan Richardson is sitting at a table when Frank Anson is killed. Now he has to sort a killer from a room of diners and restaurant staff.

Listen here or wherever you get Mysteries to Die For

Book Review: The Ice Princess by Camilla Lackberg, Translated by Steven T. Murray

TG Wolff

The Ice Princess is a Whodunnit. Alexandra Wijker appeared to have it all – successful career as an art dealer, doting husband, beautiful home, good looks. There was no rational reason why she would climb into a bath and cut her wrists. When its proven she couldn’t have suicided, the hunt is on for her killer.

Bottom line: The Ice Princess is for you if you like complex whodunnits led by engaging characters and set in the beauty of Sweden.

Strengths of the story. THE ICE PRINCESS is listed on Amazon as a Police Procedural. In my opinion, it is a cross of several mystery subgenres. The first half is dominantly an amateur sleuth as writer Erica Falck, who is asked to write a biography of Alex, investigates the last years of her life. The police procedural elements begins with the introduction of the Tanumshede police and detective Patrik Hedstrom. In addition to the dual lines of investigation, there are side stories of Erica’s and Patrik’s own lives.

Introduction of the amateur sleuth element was very well done as the victim’s parents commission Erica to write and thereby investigate. Erica has written several biographies and so she has some skills when it comes to unearthing details of people’s lives.

Technically, I suppose police procedural is an accurate genre but this story does not go into depth on the practices and procedures of the Swedish police. It is more about Patrik’s interviews of people and, to an extent, being in the right place at the right time. Cop fiction might be a better descriptor as it’s about the people more than the policies.

The town of Fjallbacka, the suspects, and the witnesses are all colorfully depicted and are a large part of the story’s charm.

The mystery itself is reasonably solid. When you are at the end and look back, you can see how the pieces fall into place. There are a few places where the choices made by Alex (the victim) seem inconsistent with the picture we get of her through Erica. Since we don’t hear from Alex herself, it is hard to know if this assessment is true or a false impression on my part.

I really enjoyed these lead characters and want to continue following their story.

Where the story fell short of ideal: As a whodunnit, there were very few clues for Erica and Patrik to work with and nearly as few suspects. The author did almost too good of a job at hiding evidence and clues and having witness who give partial answers.

This story is written in third-person omniscient from the point of view of the section’s narrator. This is dominantly Erica or Patrick, but also includes several minor characters. Intellectually, I know it is supposed to build curiosity and intrigue when the character whose head I am in looks, for example, at a newspaper article but doesn’t say what’s in it. For me, this creates frustration. If I know what she thinks about her weight, I should know what’s in the article when she reads it, not ten pages later when she gets around to telling someone else about it. In talking to other readers, some have the same pet peeve, others don’t. This is definitely a subject issue.  

M2D4 Toe Tag: The Algorithm Will See You Now by JL Lycette

TG Wolff

THE ALGORITHM WILL SEE YOU NOW is a Medical Thriller. Dr. Hope Kestrel is the top resident at the most cutting-edge hospital in the country, where data and algorithm solve medicals toughest challenges. Hope believes the data-driven science saves people from the pain of ineffective treatments and the illusions of false hope. With one mistake, Hope falls from the top to outcast and along the way, learns the system she built her career around has been manipulated for profit’s sake. Now Hope has a choice…fade into a sad memory or fight her way out.  

Bottom line: THE ALGORITHM WILL SEE YOU NOW is for you if you like medical and conspiracy thrillers where a thin line separates reality and science fiction.  

Listen to the first chapter here or wherever you get Mysteries to Die For podcast

Strengths of the story. The first star of the story is the premise. The book is set in 2035, extrapolating a world built from the concepts of our current American health system and the potential of artificial intelligence. While reading it, I have thoughts of Mary Shelley’s FRANKENSTEIN – not for the monster but for the way fiction was used to explore the ideas of what science and technology should do and what it shouldn’t do. In Lycette’s world, DNA sequencing is used to identify which patients will respond to treatments and which ones will not. The “non-responders” as they are called, are written off and all but cut off from a health care system unwilling to invest limited resources in a no win case.

One of the best and most terrifying things about  THE ALGORITHM WILL SEE YOU NOW is that it is easy to imagine as our future reality.

Lycette’s experience in the medical industry shines through with the informed construction of the interworkings of the hospital system. This isn’t a story about diseases and their treatment but about the people – patients, loved ones, doctors and nurses.

The story itself is very well crafted. Standing at the end and looking back, the logic holds. The conspiracy is straightforward, with the question being more about what was done than who did it. There are several high-tension moments, and they seldom resolve the way I expected them to.

Where the story fell short of ideal:  There were not many weak points in this story. It does take a little time to reveal the main plot and get into the thriller. Whether this is too long will vary by reader, but it does give us time to see Hope’s “normal life” and learn about the hospital and the technology. Because this is a medical thriller, the tension is intellectual rather than physical.   

Partners In Crime Tours represents a network of 300+ bloggers offering tailor-made virtual book tours and marketing options for crime, mystery and thriller writers from around the world. Founded in 2011, PICT offers virtual book tour services for well-established and best-selling authors, as well as those just starting out with their careers. PICT prides itself on its tailored packages for authors, with a personal touch from the tour coordinators. For more information, check out their website partnersincrimetours.com