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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.  

Roulette is a Medical Thriller. A new drug has hit the Gainesville, Fl rave scene and what it’s doing to people is the stuff nightmares are made of. When the strange happenings go beyond what Sheriff Dewey Steen can handle, the feds send help in the form of Eric Bannon, a supposed forensic accountant. With Dr. Stacie Swann and Dewey’s nurse wife, Carol, the four set out to do the impossible – find the root of the devastating drug and stop it before the college population pays the price.

Bottom line: Roulette is for you if you like medical thrillers with high stakes, conspiracy elements, and riding by the seat of your pants.

Strengths of the story. There are several strengths of this story, the first being the premise of an extraordinary tale from ordinary beginnings. College kids and young adults doing drugs and going to raves is fairly ordinary. But if you ask ‘what happens if one of the drugs is new and experimental?’, then you are at the start of extraordinary.

The story is lead by four characters, not equally featured. All were well crafted and developed. It was added fun that there are two in their thirties and two in their fifties, balancing action and strategy, experience and knowledge. There is someone in the group that everyone will relate to.

The pacing of the story is excellent. It unravels at a pace that draws the reader into the intrigue, not spilling too much too soon, but also not drawing things out too long. The thriller and suspense elements were excellent as well.

Where the story fell short of ideal: There wasn’t much for me to pick on here. The bad guys, their motivation and actions were well thought out. Heroes and bad guys both drove the story, countering each other. The premise held up, the authors lived by the rules they created without relying on coincidence, incompatible twists, or just-in-time saves from outside the core team.

The race to the finish was fast paced and epic. At the end, I wanted to know more but was satisfied with what I was given.

It’s Halloween and Sam Spade is taking the night off and attending a party. Naturally, he’s going as himself, the world’s greatest private detective. His flirting with the beautiful Marilyn Monroe is interrupted by a six-foot tall jackalope, who falls dead at their feet. It’s no mystery what killed him – a samurai’s katana. What is a mystery is which of the party goers skewered him. It’s a cast of suspects unlike anything Sam has seen before: a samurai, a jester, a mime, a fairy, a dragon, a pirate. . . and her parrot, Luther

Listen here or wherever you get Mysteries to Die For podcast

25 to Life is a PI Mystery and is also characterized as Noir Fiction and Crime Thriller. Jack Bertolino is back for his fifth case. A law student is dead. Her crime? Working on a Project for the Innocent case on behalf of Carl Forbes. What Gloria Millhouse finds? Well, it stinks. Before she can move on it, someone moves on her. Now Jack is on the case, looking for the scum behind the shiny badges of the LAPD SWAT team to find the answers.

Bottom line: 25 to Life is for you if you like classic hard-boiled PIs who punch first and ask questions later and do the dirty work that the good cops can’t.

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

Strengths of the story. The set-up is classic PI. A bright, talent law student is killed in a murder made to look like an accident. (I don’t consider this a spoiler b/c if it was an accident, there wouldn’t be a story.) She’s connected. Her father is a renowned attorney and political supporter who asked his friend the Los Angeles mayor for help. That help comes in the form of Jack Bertalino, former NYPD inspector turned private investigator. I really like this set-up because it gave Jack a legit reason to dive into the case and the backing to go places and ask the questions he needed to.

The pacing is excellent. At no point did my attention wander or did I get bored. I got a little anxious a few times, but that was a good thing.

This is Jack’s fifth case. I have not read the prior ones and this one stood solidly alone. Lansing did an excellent job of briefly providing any needed back story without providing a full page synopsis of the prior cases. It is obvious that Jack’s team were in the previous books as they were fully developed characters, comfortable in their own skin.

Where the story fell short of ideal. There wasn’t a place it fell short of ideal, per se. There were a few grammar typos, such as “ in the wrong place, but those were minor and did not detract from the story.

While I thought the final confrontation with the Big Bad was excellent in terms of action and excitement, I did roll my eyes at the set up. It was the only time that I thought Jack acted out of character. He is brave and aggressive, yes, but he is smart, manipulating situations to put the odds in his favor.  This time, he chose to run into hell carrying a water bottle. At least he put a vest on. This is obv my pet peeve. I bet most of you hard boiled PI lovers will love it just the way it is.

Estelle Cummings patrols Jawnville’s Locust Valley Park with the Silver Apostles (a senior version of the Guardian Angels) keeping the park safe from the elusive Nature Jacker. But on this particular night, Estelle stumbles across the alleged flasher, khaki’s around his ankles and body still warm. With the police eager to shelve the murder investigation because who cares who killed the public masturbator, it’s up to Estelle to solve the mystery.  Toss in a dash of fentanyl, an anti-woke march, a handful of clues best observed under a blacklight and our amateur sleuth is in over her head.

A Short Mystery from the Rockfish universe

Listen here or wherever you get Mysteries to Die For podcast

Echo from a Bayou is a paranormal suspense. John Bastian went head-first into a tree. He woke from a coma and, yeah, he could see dead people. Even weirder, John woke with memories of a war he never fought in, a career he never had, and a wife he never kissed. Flashes hinted at map leading to treasure and an ax leading to death of the man who John was…Jack Bachman. Now John is on the hunt for the treasure, his murderer, and the woman he left behind.

Bottom line: Echo from a Bayou is for you if you like your suspense steeped in the supernatural, paced to draw out the good stuff and finishing with one of the best, eerie endings you’ve ever seen.

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

TG Wolff Review

Echo from a Bayou is a paranormal suspense. John Bastian went head-first into a tree. He woke from a coma and, yeah, he could see dead people. Even weirder, John woke with memories of a war he never fought in, a career he never had, and a wife he never kissed. Flashes hinted at map leading to treasure and an ax leading to death of the man who John was…Jack Bachman. Now John is on the hunt for the treasure, his murderer, and the woman he left behind.

Bottom line: Echo from a Bayou is for you if you like your suspense steeped in the supernatural, paced to draw out the good stuff and finishing with one of the best, eerie endings you’ve ever seen.

Strengths of the story. From the start, the premise of the story grabs you. This isn’t a typical time travel type of story but a well-reasoned reincarnation story. This not only is a unique spin on the supernatural genre but eliminates all the problems of logic stability that is inherent in time travel.

The characters are also a winner. John / Jack is an ordinary man, put in extraordinary circumstances. He doesn’t flip a switch and go into hero mode but his slowly driven there by memories and urges his rational mind has to justify. The best friend, Kevin, is an excellent comic relief. The bad guy, Scott, is complex. Just because he’s evil doesn’t mean he’s always an asshole.

The pacing matches the expectation set with being suspense. Certainly, some scene hit the thrill level, but, overall, this is one you sit back and enjoy…until you have to read faster because the shit is hitting the fan.

Where the story fell short of ideal: Having finished this book several days ago and revisited the plot, this is a really solid suspense. There is very little to pick on here. If you like thriller-like pacing, you may find this a bit slow, but again, this is true to the suspense genre.

While I totally loved the end, I did have one question for the author on why/how it happened that way. Regardless of his answer, this is at the top of my list for cool ways to finish a book.

About J Luke Bennecke

J. Luke Bennecke, a master civil engineer, became an award-winning author, philanthropist, and daredevil pilot amidst the concrete jungles of Southern California. While constructing bridges and highways, Bennecke secretly plotted high-octane thrillers that became instant bestsellers. But his adventures didn’t end there. As a licensed real estate broker and general contractor, he built homes with the precision of a ninja, all while jetting off to exotic destinations, voiceover acting, and giving back to the community via annual high school scholarships. Living in the shadows of Cherry Valley, CA, Bennecke’s next daring escapade is always just around the corner.

Echo from a Bayou was published by Jaytech Publishing and Promoted by Partners In Crime book tours

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.

Pre-order from your favorite on-line retailer.

• Amazon
• Barnes & Noble
• Apple Books
• Smashwords

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.

Available from select booksellers and Amazon

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 4^th 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.