Tag: TG Wolff

Book Review: No Room to Hide by Carol Light

TG Wolff

No Room to Hide is a cozy mystery. Crystal Ward is a professional organizer. Her latest client, Eva Rolfe, hired Crys for her de-cluttering skills but really wants her expertise-amateur sleuthing. The Victorian home Eva and her partner are flipping has a history and Crys is asked to suss out the truth that could make or break their bottomline.

Bottom line: No Room to Hide is for you if cozy mysteries and cold cases are the perfect ways to warm your Autumn nights.

The star of this show is Crys Ward. She is a charming mix of curious and practical that first gets her into trouble and then gets her out. I both liked and respected her as our detective because she didn’t let a good lead die, but she also wasn’t foolishly rushing into proverbial dark alleys. Her husband, Rick, a Chicago PD financial crimes detective, is a nice balance to her. His position gives Crys the connection to the police every good cozy detective needs while being different enough that they aren’t trampling over each other. His often grumpy disposition was a fun comic relief.

There are several storylines here nicely woven together. We have the original job Crys is hired for – going through boxes salvaged from an attic. Then there is the potential that a famed suffragist lived in the house which could make it a historic landmark. And we can’t forget the young mother who put her son to bed and disappeared from the house some 30 years ago. There’s the drama around the restoration of the house itself including interesting characters from the local board. Finally, there’s a little antagonist action with a reporter who is splashing Crys’s life on the front page. One reason I think these worked together so well is because they are all related. Where in other books, you might feel like you are jumping around from one storyline to another, you don’t get that feel here. The transitions are smooth and reasonable.

Standing at the end of the story and looking to the beginning, I did have a few questions, primarily related to the bad guy. The logic of Crys’s actions were solid as she followed the trail paved by her client Eva and her own intuition. Eva is a little more difficult to figure out but that’s intentional and part of the fun. Crys made significant contributions to the story continuing forward. Often her role was more of advisor as Eva was deciding to continue to end the project. In the end, the bad guy asserted control, creating a nice little thriller moment.

The entertainment value on No Room to Hide is high. It is a fun read at just the right pace to hold your attention. This is the fourth book in the series and I have not read the others. With the majority of this story focused on the mystery, I did not feel like I was missing information or backstory needed to enjoy the book. In my opinion, new readers are good to start here.

M2D4 E21: Death by Candy Land by Kyra Jacobs

TG Wolff

Mic Garcia loves Halloween. In his most elaborate party theme ever, he transformed his back yard into the beloved game world of Candy Land. But all is not well inside Gumdrop Mountain and Sheriff Cantalone has to figure out who gummed up this Halloween party.

Listen here or wherever you get Mysteries to Die For Podcast

Meet Kyra Jacobs

Kyra Jacobs is an extroverted introvert who writes of love, humor, and mystery in the Midwest and beyond. When this Hoosier native isn’t pounding out scenes for her next book, she’s likely outside, elbow-deep in snapdragons or spending quality time with her sports-loving family. Kyra also loves to read, tries to golf, and is an avid college football fan. Connect with her on social media, links can be found on her website at http://kyrajacobsbooks.com

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

TG 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

M2D4 S7E20 Get A Clue by Chuck Brownman

TG Wolff

Toy store owner Andy Clay is called to the scene of a murder. Detective Lansing is up to his ears in suspects, rooms, and weapons. And like it or not—and he does not—he needs Andy’s expert help to make a spot on accusation. The body belonged to Gene Dockary. He died in the library with a rope. Everyone seemed to have a reason to want Dockary dead. His wife. His investors. His business partner. Even the people who owned the inn where he died weren’t particularly fond of him. So many suspects…so little time.

ABOUT Clue

The game of Clue had a simple beginning. Anthony Pratt, a British factory worker and musician, created a way to pass the time in air raid bunkers during WWII that took the concept of a game he played at parties and reduced it to a board. In the game called Murder, players would run around the host houses, sneaking up on other players, who would scream and “die”. In turning into a board game, Mr. Pratt borrowed the dice and token moving action of Lido (think of the game Sorry) and the detective novel concepts of suspect, weapon, and location. During the years of 1943 – 1945, Mr. Pratt and his wife, Elva designed the game board and the rules.Mr. Pratt patented the game and sold it to Waddington’s in the UK and Parker Brothers in the US.

Interesting tidbits:

  • The game was released as Cluedo in England but Clue in the US as Lido wasn’t / isn’t a well know game here
  • Pratt’s original concept had four more characters: Mr. Brown, Mr. Gold, Miss Grey, and Mrs. Silver. Nurse White was renamed to Mrs. White and Colonel Yellow renamed Colonel Mustard.
  • The original concept had two additional rooms: the gun room and the cellar
  • The original concept had some different weapons including a bomb, syringe, shillelagh (which is a wooden walking stick), a fireplace poker.
  • Differenced between UK and US editions including lead piping vs lead pipe, spanner vs wrench, and dagger vs knife
  • In the UK, the victim ws known as Mr. Black. In the states, he was Mr. Boddy. In the 2023 update by Hasbro, the victim is known as Mr. Boden “Boddy” Black, Jr.

Unlike some of the other games we’ve featured, Clue was constantly updated for the times. The rules of the game stayed basically the same but the character depictions, like on the box cover, were updated for the styles and tends of the times. Characters were given back stories and some had major career changes. There is a lot more to the history of the game Clue. Check out the links in the shownotes.

https://www.history.com/news/clue-game-origin-wwii
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cluedo#:~:text=Cluedo%20(%2F%CB%88klu%CB%90,the%20United%20Kingdom%20in%201949.

ABOUT Chuck Brownman

Chuck Brownman has spent the last twenty-five-plus years working on becoming an “overnight writing sensation.” Concentrating on writing mystery / suspense short fiction, his work has been published in several anthologies, including those listed at the top of the episode. In his “real life,” Chuck is a Houston-based corporate and energy attorney, advising and working for some of the country’s most entrepreneurial companies. He is also an Adjunct Professor of Law, and has spoken at legal seminars for many years.

Book Review: Fistful of Rain by Baron Birtcher

TG Wolff

Fistful of Rain is a historical, western mystery. Summer 1975 and a culture clash is reaching a boiling point. On one side is an old school sheep rancher. On the other side is a hippie commune. In the middle are a slick lawyer, a high school teacher, hired muscle, and cattle rancher / sheriff Ty Dawson.

Bottom line: Fistful of Rain is for you if you like mystery steeped in period Americana. 

Baron Birtcher’s writing style is one of the stand-out features of this Ty Dawson mystery. Narrated by our hero, you pick up the cadence of his speech and, if you’re like me, you can “hear” him speak. It’s like listening to an old friend tell you a story from back in the day. Dawson is a man you can like and respect. He lives by a code of honor, treating the people he serves equally, equitably, no matter his personal opinion. A veteran of the Korean war, a cattle rancher, a cowboy, a husband, and a father. He is not a hippy. But he recognizes the young people not only aren’t breaking any laws, but they are contributing to the economy of Meridian with their businesses. When certain people in town want Ty to run them out, he digs in and stands his ground.

The plot is on the complex end of the spectrum. There is something going on between the Rainbow Ranch and Harper Emory’s neighboring farm. Harper’s taken a beating and he says it’s at the hands of the men at the ranch. Only he can’t identify his attackers. Ty investigates but with no evidence, no charges can be filed. So Emory freelances and things devolve first to arson and then to murder. Investigating isn’t easy between people lying or plain not talking. His gut says there’s something more to it and his gut is rarely wrong.

Fistful of Rain is the second in the Ty Dawson series. I had read Book 3 (Reckoning), Book 4 (Knife River), and Book 1 (California Purples), in that order. 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, going back to the beginning has been a treat. The mysteries between the stories are stand-alone. It’s the supporting characters and Double Diamond ranch that matures with each story.

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 about who did exactly what in the end. Ty is true to his character, from beginning to end. The motivation of the bad guy was crystal clear. Exactly how they accomplished it is something I’ll be thinking about for days to come.

With this story, I really came to appreciate the research Birtcher had to do into the cultural and political climate of 1975. It’s one thing for a writer to reference history-book making events like Watergate. It’s another for an author to weave individual threads of pride, distaste, faith, hope, fear, and more to the point where you can see the points of view of each of the characters. Therein lies the complexity Ty Dawson has to navigate.

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

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.

M2D4 Toe Tag: Rogues & Patriots by Patrick H. Moore

TG Wolff

Rogues & Patriots is an PI thriller. Los Angeles PI Nick Crane does a friend a favor by taking on the two-headed case of investigating the murder of a Confidential Informant and saving his young daughters from the horrors of the juvenile immigration. But his time isn’t his own as an underground group of vigilantes are after him and something they think he possesses.

Bottom line: Rogues & Patriots is for you if you like ballsy private investigators, conspiracy thrillers, and blurred lines between the good guys and the bad.

Listen to Chapters 1 & 2 with our full review here or wherever you get Mysteries to Die For Podcast

About Patrick H. Moore

Patrick H. Moore is a Los Angeles based investigator, sentencing mitigation specialist, and crime writer. In the field since 2003, he has worked in virtually all areas including drug trafficking, sex crimes, crimes of violence, and white-collar fraud. Mastering this job, which combines art, science, and intuition, has given Patrick the tools to write realistic crime fiction that depicts the unpredictable and violent world of cops, convicts, prosecutors and defense attorneys. Rogues & Patriots was the second in a three-part series in which veteran Los Angeles private investigator Nick Crane battles a group of aristocratic domestic terrorists known as the “principals.”

patrickhmoorewriter.com

Rogues & Patriots was released from Down & Out Books and is promoted by Partners In Crime Tours and is available from AMAZON and other book retailers.

M2D4 S7E19: In a Pickle by Kaye George

TG Wolff

The community pickleball court is directly below Harvey and Melaine’s cosy hillside home. While Harvey is furious over the game, Melaine is curious. He speaks out against it while she secretly begins playing it. But things get out of hand for both of them. Now Harvey is dead and the evidence is pointing to Melaine. She needs your help to get out of this pickle.

Listen here or wherever you get Mysteries to Die For podcast

MEET Kaye George

Kaye George is an award-winning novelist and short-story writer who writes cozy and traditional mysteries and a prehistory series, which are both traditionally and self-published. Her two cozy series are Fat Cat and Vintage Sweets. The two traditional series feature Cressa Carraway and Imogene Duckworthy. The People of the Wind prehistory mysteries take place within a Neanderthal tribe. She has a suspense novel coming out in early 2025 called SOMEONE IS OUT THERE. About 50 or more short stories have also been published, mostly in anthologies and magazines. With family scattered all over the globe, she makes her home in Knoxville TN.

Find her at her website and these social site:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kaye.george

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4037415.Kaye_George

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B004CFRJ76

Authors Guild of Tennessee: https://authorsguildoftn.org/

Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kaye-george

M2D4 Toe Tag: The Guest House by Bonnie Traymore

TG Wolff

The Guest House is psychological thriller. Allie Dawson is on the ride of a lifetime. Her brainchild for a voice-to-caption product has received preliminary funding. But moving from Milwaukee to Silicon Valley has brought more than the expected challenges of getting a new product to market. She’s moved into a guest house where the rent was too good to be true. That should have been the first clue.

Bottom line: The Guest House is for you if you like female-centric stories where thrill and mystery are mechanisms for character growth.

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

About Bonnie Traymore

Bonnie Traymore is the award-winning, Amazon bestselling author of page-turner mystery/thrillers that hit close to home. Her books feature strong but relatable female protagonists. The plots explore difficult topics such as jealousy, infidelity, murder, and the impact of psychological disorders, but she also includes bits of romance and humor to lighten the mood from time to time. She has active status member of International Thriller Writers and Mystery Writers of America.

www.BonnieTraymore.com

M2D4 S7E18: Did Not See That Coming by Ken Harris (part 2)

TG Wolff

PI Steve Rockfish stands in for his partner, Jawnie McGee, at a Women Investigators in Crime conference and lands a cold case. Karen Lazar was eight years old when she disappeared and later found murdered. Now Rockfish and McGee and amateur sleuth Estelle Cummings are digging into the past to unearth answers and more than a few secrets.

This is part 2…the part where Rockfish, McGee, and Estelle pull it all together.

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