Category: Book Reviews

Book Review: Talking to Strangers by Fiona Barton

TG Wolff

Talking to Strangers is a women’s mystery. Karen Simmons lives the life of a vibrant, sexually healthy woman in her 40s. Her murder on Valentine’s Day draws together three unlikely allies. Detective Elise King and her sergeant conduct a police investigation. Small town reporter Kiki had featured Karen in a story. A grieving mother, Annie’s 8-yr old son died in the same forest 16-years prior. It will take all of them to find the solution to Karen’s murder.

Bottom line: Talking to Strangers is for you if you like mysteries woven into the real-life drama of the modern middle-aged woman.

The strength of Talking To Strangers is the storytelling style. This is a book in three-parts, with no part more or less important than the others. A well-balanced story, the narrators are distinct and individualistic. Karen’s death is the mechanism used to explore different but real-life challenges common in the lives of women in their 40s and beyond.

Elise is the police detective who is facing the one-year anniversary of her breast cancer diagnosis. Still recovering mentally and physically from a mastectomy and chemo, she’s working to get back to the person she was. Life suddenly looks up when a sexy new neighbor moves in.

Kiki is the journalist who gave up the big city job when she became a single mom. Now with her daughter turning 13, Kiki longs for stories bigger than the small town paper she works for. Her current feature is on the dating scene for women in their 40s and her star is Karen Simmons. Karen’s death spurs her to dig deeper, unearthing a group of twisted men who treat dating as a dirty sport.

Annie is a wife and a mother. Sixteen years ago, her two boys were playing in the forest. Only one came home. A man was arrested for his murder, but he suicided in police custody and Annie never got the answers she needed. When Karen’s murder makes the news, Annie recognizes her as the woman who cut the family’s hair in their old town. Feelings buried, memories recessed boil to the surface, driving Annie to act for Karen, for her lost son, for herself.

In the same age group, the three women have different lifestyles. Themes of loneliness and surviving mental and/or physical trauma are part of each story.

The mystery is a challenge to review. There is little evidence for Elise and Kiki to work with. The suspects are derived from Karen’s dating life and one by one, explored and eliminated until there is only one remaining. I did not think the same level of detail was given to exploring background and alibi of the last person standing as was given to the others. At the end of the book, I was left with a number of questions, which were answered in the epilogue. While this made for a feeling of closure, it highlighted that the story was not really finished when the book ended.

TALKING TO STRANGERS was very well written and the stories of the three narrating women were engaging. This was listed on Amazon as Women’s Crime Fiction, Women’s Psychological Fiction, and Psychological Thriller. The common theme is this book was written for women and their experiences in their 40s and beyond. This is stronger as a women’s fiction story than a mystery, but all around enjoyable.

Book Review: South California Purples by Baron Birtcher

TG Wolff

South California Purples is a historical, western mystery. April 1973. Cattle rancher Ty Dawson is getting a late start on Spring Works and things aren’t going well with four of his cows dead. Then the Korean war veteran is tagged to act as the undersheriff when a dispute between a horse trainer and the Bureau of Land Management turns into dangerous spectacle.

Bottom line: South California Purples is for you if you like a strong hero who can use his head as well as a gun  

Baron Birtcher’s writing style can best be described as lyrical. From his description of sunrises, to the land of the Double Diamond ranch, to the people and events of Meridian, Oregon, his style is smooth and sophisticated yet easy to read. Ty Dawson is our narrator, and you pick up the cadence of his speech. If you’re like me and tend to “hear” characters, you’ll enjoy listening to Dawson.

Dawson is a hero. He lives by a code of honor in good times and tough times. That code is put to the test in Sour California Purples and it interesting to watch how he navigates that code while accepting his conscription as undersheriff. We meet his wife, Jesse, and daughter, Cricket, as well as the men who help run the Double D. The “cast” is large enough to support the story without being overwhelming with townsfolk who don’t have a role in this story.

The plot is on the complex end of the spectrum. There are three storylines. The murder of one of Dawson’s ranch hands along with having four of his cows not just killed but blown up. The stand-off between a horse trainer and the federal Bureau of Land Management, which draws in hippie protesters, a documentary film crew, and a violent motorcycle club. The mysterious Blackwood who looks like a biker but acts that something dangerously different. If there is a morale to this story, it is found in the horse trainer whose good intentions to protect the wild horses from a cruel culling is subverted by people with selfish motivations.

South California Purples is the first in the Ty Dawson series. I had read Book 3 (Reckoning) and Book 4 (Knife River) as Toe Tags (Follow links to hear first chapters). It is rare that I come back to the start of a series when I’ve joined mid-stream, but I am very glad I did. Having gotten to know Dawson, his family, and his ranch hands, reading Book 1 was an origin story that added texture and meaning to the allusion of the later books.

There wasn’t much not to like. As I think about the story in the days since I finished it, I have a question or two on the premise and I thought one murder was out of proportion to the rest of the story. These are definitely subjective points and did not detract from my enjoyment.

Overall, this is an excellent opener to the series and is a must read for fans of western mysteries and historical/vintage mysteries.

Book Review: The Stuff of Murder by Kathleen Marple Kalb

TG Wolff

The Stuff of Murder is an amateur sleuth cozy mystery. Dr. Christian Shaw is a mother, a widow, and the director of the historical society. She is responsible for the 17th century bible and pewter tankard used by the lead actor in a movie very loosely based on The Scarlet Letter. Then the actor dies, dramatically. Christian’s old stuff is at the heart of the investigation and where they go, she goes.

Bottom line: The Stuff of Murder is for you if you like cozy mysteries, charming characters, and everyday old stuff.   

One of my favorite things about The Stuff of Murder is the characters. Kalb does a wonderful job of giving the primary characters distinct voices and appearances, making the story easy to read. Christian Shaw is six foot one with flaming red hair. Her son Henry is a five-foot tall third-grader with photographic memory. The fathers she should have had are Garrett the academic and his husband Ed the retired state trooper. And last but certainly not least is the handsome, philanthropic, and very tall state’s attorney Joe Poli. Then there are the other parents, the society volunteers, and townspeople. This is an amazing, heart warming cast.

The setting is small town Unity, Connecticut. As with most small town cozies, the nature of the town with the tensions and conflicts of people too involved in each other’s business is an amusing counterpoint to main mystery. This is the source of much of the information Christian uses as well as the bane of her busy days.

Brett Studebaker is a fifty-something actor looking to launch into the next stage of his career on a period film based loosely on The Scarlet Letter. Brett is filming a pivotal scene, acting in the pulpit of church turned synagogue some ten feet above the floor. When he goes off script, only Christian and the locals with her notice the odd behavior. Brett falls from the pulpit, breaking his neck. But it isn’t the simple accident someone wants everyone to believe. The leading theory is poison, introduced through the pewter mug the historical society lent to the film.

This mystery is a throw back to an older style where conversations, not evidence, are the primary detection tool. Christian pieces together the small facts she learns into a chain that will catch the guilty. It’s hard to discuss the logic of the mystery without giving too much away. Suffice it to say that the motives and actions of the guilty are consistent and follow logically in their minds.

The Stuff of Murder is a character driven story that would be enjoyed by readers who love cozies as well as those who prefer traditional mysteries.

Available at Amazon and other book retailers

Book Review: The Billiard-Room Mystery by Brian Flynn

TG Wolff

Anthony Bathurst accepted the last minute spot on Sir Charles Considine’s cricket team, thinking a week of fun and games with his old university friends was just was he needed. After a dinner conversation on the skills of fictional detectives, Bathurst is willing to bet on his skills standing up to Scotland Yard’s, given the same resources. And then Gerry Prescott goes and gets murdered.

Bottom Line: The Billiard-Room Mystery is for you if like sinking your teeth into classic whodunnit mysteries.

NOTE: The Billiard-Room Mystery was original published in 1929. Reprints are available or you can get it for free at the Gutenburg Project. https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/58413

The strength of this story is…the end. Really. I was getting frustrated reading, thinking this was one of the worst written mysteries I’d ever read and then WHAMMO. Everything fell into place…and it was awesome.

This story is told in the classic Holmes-Watson style. Bathurst is the detective, working in, under and around Inspector Baddeley. Bill Cunningham, a buddy from college, is drafted into the Watson role of narrator.

The police investigators of Inspector Baddeley and his junior officer Roper are good cops – not portrayed as bumbling, etc. The house party presents an ample pool of suspects, some with motive, some with opportunity.

Where this story fell short: I’ve been doing alot of thinking on this one and haven’t found a logic flaw. Bathurst is a good lead detective and Cunningham does his job as narrator.

While I loved the “gotcha”, I could see some readers taking exception to it. This is definitely personal preference and I fall on the “love it” side.

Book Review: Devil May Care by David Housewright

TG Wolff

Devil May Care (Mac McKenzie #11) is a PI Mystery. McKenzie is approached by the granddaughter of a locally powerful man to find her missing boyfriend. She is certain he didn’t ghost her. McKenzie starts to believe he is a ghost…or at least not the man he sold himself to be.

Bottom line: Devil May Care is for you if you like hard punching PIs who do what’s right, even if it’s gonna hurt a little.

Strengths of the story. As the star of the show, McKenzie is a strong leading man. His morals and ethics repeatedly lead him into the heart of trouble. His quick wits and fast actions get him out. He is a hero that is fun to cheer for.

The series contains a cast of characters that makes reading the next McKenzie book feel like visiting old friends. From McKenzie’s girlfriend Nina, to his best friend Bobby and his family, they round McKenzie out as well as fill in the gaps and smooth out the rough edges.

Housewright’s development of a plot that has more switchbacks than a mountain pass means that the reader is never bored and rarely goes where we think we are. The pacing matches my preferred style of fast and driving, moving forward with every chapter.

Where the story fell short of ideal: McKenzie always drives his own story and the logic of the arc holds up, so nothing to pick on here. The boyfriend McKenzie is looking for, Juan Carlos Navarre, is a character some readers will hate and others respect. That’s the sign of good writing when, even buttoned up, things aren’t black and white.

Book Review: The Preacher by Camilla Lackberg

TG Wolff

The Preacher is a mystery. The body of a young woman is found. Naked and broken, she is found on a blanket. Beneath the blanket are bones, not of one person but two. Patrik Hedstrom has his hands full with the new murder, the old murders, and the imminent birth of his first child.

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

Strengths of the story. With this second book, the story settles with Patrik Hedstrom was the lead. The mystery is a police procedural that brings in everyone at the Tanumshede police station. While Patrik does lead, the other police officers have meaningful assignments, which gives the mystery a rich texture. This is not a story where one man does all the work.

Surrounding the mystery is the drama of Patrik’s home life. He is living with his girlfriend, Erica, in her family home. She is eight months pregnant during a heat wave. And there is the never ending stream of free loading family looking for a few days on the water.

I personally enjoyed the balance between the mystery and the homelife. This mystery is pretty heavy. The homelife gives a nice counterpoint that is a mix of humorous, sweet, and ridiculous.

As with ICE PRINCESS (Book #1), this mystery is very complicated. There is no way for readers to solve this one ahead of Patrik. This book is listed on Amazon as a serial killer thriller, a kidnap thriller, and a murder story. This isn’t especially strong as a thriller – Patrik is working in a police procedural manner. He is not in danger. The categories give away that there is a serial killer element as well as a kidnapping element, both of which give an urgency to the investigation that creates a mood more alike a thriller.

Where the story fell short of ideal: This story crosses lines of mystery and thriller. If a reader prefers one or the other, you may not be fully satisfied with this story. It is for crossover readers. While the reader does get a full explanation of what happened, the author hands it to us, the detective doesn’t earn it. On one hand, it’s satisfying. On the other, the structure of the story did not enable the mystery to be resolved.  

As with the first book, I struggled with the author holding back information. This story is written in third-person omniscient from the point of view of the section’s narrator. 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. In talking to other readers, some have the same pet peeve, others don’t. This is definitely a subjective issue.

My 5 Star books of 2023

TG Wolff

I am fortunate in that the Toe Tags I do as part of Mysteries To Die For exposes me to many authors and titles I wouldn’t ordinarily find on my own. Add to that list the books that are recommended by other readers and the ones my husband gives me and, well, I read a lot of mystery, crime fiction, and thrillers. This post contains those that I gave 5 start ratings to. To earn 5 stars from me, a story has to have flawless logic, no loose ends, great characters, and, of course, be entertaining. One is missing: Room 13 by Edgar Wallace. This 1924 mystery was one of the coolest I’ve read. Happy Reading Detectives!

Book Review: Friend of the Departed by Frank Zafiro

TG Wolff

Friend of the Departed is a PI Mystery. Stef Kopriva used to be a cop, but that was more than 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 the call comes from Joel Harrity, the defense lawyer who came when Stef was the one calling.   

Bottom line: Friend of the Departed is for you if you like gritty heroes and stories that zig before they zag.

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 (Book 1), Lovely, Dark & Deep (Book 2) and several short stories. You get to know his backstory through the cops who won’t let Stef forget what he did. This one opens with Stef at the bottom of a bottle and fighting his way out.

The premise for this story is classic. A defense attorney is being asked to take a case. His potential client, however, is accused of killing her husband, a friend of the attorney. Joel Harrity is the best defense attorney in River City and he’s not afraid of tough cases. But, if he’s going to take this one, he needs to know that she didn’t do it. With nothing to go on, he calls Stef.

The mystery gives puzzlers a lot to work with. The victim, financial advisor Henry Brassart, was struck by a car while out for a run. The force shot him into a wooded area, where he struck a tree, dying from his injuries. With a nice life insurance policy and a fairly new damage to her car, the cops look at his wife, Marie. She says she didn’t do it.

As so often happens, Henry was well liked and respected. He didn’t have any enemies. He was a top performer at work, a leader in his company. So who killed a perfectly likeable man?

I like where Zafiro took Stef in this book. In the first two books, Stef is working to get out of his 10-year slump. In this book, I felt like he turns the corner and, at the end, is ready to start living life forward rather than in the past.

This is the 3rd book in the series. The mystery is completely standalone, and no past Stef Kopriva experience is needed. The character development does continue from the previous books. I don’t think you need to read the prior books to understand where Stef is, but certainly reading the prior books will enhance your appreciation for his progress.

Where the story fell short of ideal: Standing at the end and looking back, there isn’t much to pick on. The characters are true to their nature, especially Stef, which is important because he’s the hero who keeps us turning the pages. The whodunnit is nicely constructed, the mystery resolved through conversations that reveal the smallest deviations.

About FRANK ZAFIRO

Frank Zafiro 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.

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.

Book review: Waist Deep by Frank Zafiro

TG Wolff

WAIST 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. A fight at a hockey game, one in the stands, not on the ice, reconnects Stef with a guy from high school. He has a problem. His 16-year-old daughter has run away. The cops aren’t looking for the little beauty, so he asks Stef for help, who agrees. And things get shady, fast.

Bottom line: WAIST DEEP is for you if you like gritty heroes so far from perfect they’re exactly what a story needs.

Strengths of the story. Zafiro excels at writing characters who are less than perfect. His are not gentlemen detectives who’ve lived charmed lives and solve crimes while hovering above the chaos, like Philo Vance, Lord Peter Wimsey, or Sherlock Holmes. Oh, no. His characters are down in the muck, fighting to keep their heads above water. Stef Kopriva was an ensemble character in Zafiro’s first three River City series books. Ten years after that book three, Kopriva steps out on his own with this full-length case. Kopriva is a well developed character, a loner who has isolated himself from the world and now needs that world if he’s going to find the runaway teen. Maybe it’s Kopriva had already been a part of Zafiro’s world that doesn’t feel like a first book in a series.

Like the leading character, the story scenario is a little dirty, kinda uncomfortable, and totally intriguing. A teen has run away but why and to where? She seems to have caring parents…or is that a front. She was blessed with popularity at school…or is that a curse. She definitely attracts the kind of attention that can destroy a teen, mentally and emotionally if not physically. You keep turning the pages wanting the answer…is she dead?

Where the story fell short of ideal: There weren’t many things to pick on with this book. Standing at the end and looking back to the beginning, the logic is solid. Characters are true to themselves and the writing and editing are solid. There are unsatisfying elements, but they aren’t flaws of the storytelling. They’re just a reader wanting better things to happen to the hero we’re cheering for.

Check Frank Zafiro and Stef Kopriva out for yourself.