TG Wolff Book Reviews

Book Review: Maximum Pressure

January 8, 2026TG Wolff

Maximum Pressureis an amateur sleuth mystery. Handwriting expert Claudia Rose is headed to her 25-year high school reunion and a cold case. Lucy Valentine was a junior when she walked out of the high school and was never seen again … but she did leave a note. Now, her ex-boyfriend and current filmmaker Matt Macedo is making a documentary and enlisting Claudia’s help. As they start interviewing people, the reluctant witnesses reveal there was much more going on than a girl unhappy at school.

Bottom line: Maximum Pressure is for you if you like cold case mysteries where there is more than meets the eye.

Hear me read the first 3 chapters on Mysteries to Die For podcast to sample the pressure and decide if this one is for you!

M2D4 Podcast Toe Tag

The note Lucy Valentine left has always been a point of confusion for Lucy’s mother and now for Claudia. After examining the original, Claudia doubts everything about the note—from the message to the hand that wrote it. Twisted with Lucy Valentine’s cold case is the very fresh case of the death of Josh Dickson. Claudia finds the body of the former teacher and driver’s ed instructor at the bottom of the high school swimming pool. What is first chocked up to the sad result of too much alcohol is determined to be murder. Claudia decides to quietly ask questions to figure out exactly who was where that evening.

Claudia is our storyteller and our detective. She straddles a line between an amateur detective and an expert detective. She isn’t a cop, though she is married to one, but she is an expert in handwriting and is frequently consulted and testifies in civil and criminal court cases. Claudia knows the rules of policing and generally follows them; she is not a renegade type of character. But she has friends and isn’t afraid to use them, which makes her a resourceful detective.

As a mystery, MAXIMUM PRESSURE falls into the “ride along” category. Perhaps because this is a cold case, the clues and suspects evolve as Claudia discovers them. One of my favorite things about the book is that we do generally know everything Claudia knows. This is a pet peeve of mine, when narrators withhold information, and so I was very happy that Claudia was not that kind of narrator. Overall the pace is deliberate, taking the time to interview the witnesses in a way mystery lovers will be accustomed to.

Standing at the end and looking to the front, overall, the logic holds up. For Claudia, this was a straightforward, Point A to Point Z investigation, but then she was looking at it 26 years after the fact. Going back to the original events, I do have some questions related to timing and sequence, but what happened, why, and what happened after are solid.

MAXIMUM PRESSURE is the 9^th book in the Claudia Rose series. It is the first I have read. This does work as a stand alone or a good place to jump into the series because the case largely takes place away from Claudia’s normal turf. The scenes with her husband are brief and point to their current relationship, backstory not required.

Overall, MAXIMUM PRESSURE and Claudia Rose was an enjoyable read. It kept my attention and read quickly in just a few sittings. Definitely recommended for ride-along and cold case mystery lovers and anyone looking for a new series to sink their teeth into.

M2D4 Toe Tag: On The Horns of Death by Eleanor Kuhns

October 25, 2024October 20, 2024TG Wolff

On the Horns of Death is historical mystery. Sixteen-year-old Martis volunteers as a bull dancer in Knossos on the isle of Crete. An ordinary day of practice turns dark when she discovers the body of another dancer inside a bullpen. But why would he climb into the pen? Answer: murder.

Bottom line: On the Horns of Death is for you if you like amateur sleuths and the rich sights, scents, and sounds of Ancient Greece.

Listen to the first chapter and full review here or wherever you get Mysteries to Die For podcasts

The On the Horns of Death was released from Severn House and is promoted by Partners In Crime Tours and is available from AMAZON and other book retailers.

About Eleanor Kuhns
www.eleanor-kuhns.com

Eleanor Kuhns is a previous winner of the Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel competition for A Simple Murder. The author of eleven Will Rees mysteries, she is now a full-time writer after a successful career as the Assistant Director at the Goshen Public Library in Orange County, New York.

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 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

Book Review: Dutch Threat by Josh Pachter

February 10, 2024TG Wolff

DUTCH THREAT is an amateur sleuth mystery. History grad student Jack Farmer gets the opportunity of a lifetime – a two-week research assignment in Amsterdam. But when the old crone in the apartment next door is murdered and her young, beautiful nurse is suspected, well, what’s a guy to do but jump in and make like a detective.

Bottom line: DUTCH THREAT is for you if you like light-hearted mysteries where the setting is as interesting as the plot.

Strengths of the story. DUTCH THREAT is a stand-alone novel featuring the lead character Jack Farmer. Jack Farmer is a 24-year-old history grad student. He doesn’t take himself too seriously, is known to make references to mid-20^th Century pop culture, and generally doesn’t know when to stay quiet. He has a wonderful amount of energy and curiosity. Working with Jack is Jet (pronounced yet), the nurse suspected of the murder. She is patient with a sweet disposition who finds Jack charming.

Most stories have a side plot and in DUTCH THREAT this is a tour of Amsterdam. Jack and Jet dine on everything from fries dipped in mayonnaise (which we are taught to pronounce correctly) to local Chinese food. Jet takes Jack to her favorite museums and shares history as well as some ghost stories. Foodies and travel lovers will delight in the excursions into neighborhoods of Amsterdam.

The pacing is fair and steady. With breaking up the murder investigation with the side trips into Amsterdam, this doesn’t have a frantic sense of pace but a more deliberate one, perhaps reflecting the city itself.

The biggest strength of this story was just how enjoyable it was to read. It is largely a clean book, for those who prefer that style. Near the end, Jack goes on a little rant which prevents it from being completely clean. Jack was very entertaining as he interjected poorly timed attempts at humor that referenced Americana some 40-80 years before he was born. References to Groucho Marx and similar may be lost on young readers and delight older ones.

Where the story fell short of ideal: For me, I look for the detective to be instrumental in the resolution of the mystery. That didn’t happen here. Despite the work Jack and Jet did, the mystery was resolved when the killer revealed itself (note word choice to avoid any spoiler!) I did appreciate the killer’s confession, explaining the whys and hows. In the end, there were few clues or evidence revealed that the reader could use to deduce the solution.

Throughout the story, there is a lot of Dutch dialog. I hope those who speak/read Dutch find this to be charming. As I don’t have even a rudimentary understanding the language, at some point, the dialog swung from being a strength to a shortcoming. I eventually found myself visually skipping over those passages. I don’t at all think that incorporating other languages is a negative. In this instance, it just was too extended for my tastes.