Tag: Toe Tag

Widow’s Run is a Mystery. Diamond. One name for a woman with one purpose in life. It should have been ordinary, her husband attending a scientific conference, except he didn’t come home. A random accident. Or was it? A video surfaces calling facts into question, but the police only have words of sympathy for the new widow. Resurrecting her CIA cover, Diamond goes where the police won’t. From Washington DC to Rome, Italy, to Tulsa, Oklahoma, her widow’s run follows the stink greed leaves in its wake. Murder is filthy business. Good thing Diamond likes playing dirty.

Bottom line: Widow’s Run is for you if you like fast-paced mysteries, dynamic characters, and story meant to be read just for the fun of it.

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

Strengths of the story. To give you an unbiased review, I’m using posted reviews. Here’s two from Amazon: “Widow’s Run is a suspenseful thriller with well-crafted characters and a plot that leaves you guessing until the very end.”

“Widow’s Run is a nonstop roller coaster ride of chaos and suspense with a lead character who’s not afraid to speak her mind…and has the resources to back her words up. Determined to find the true reason behind her husband’s death, Diamond will stop at nothing to get the answers…including faking her own death and then showing up in disguise at the funeral. Both her tongue and mind are sharp as a whip, making this a super fun read.” 

This story is about pacing and characters. It’s a solid mystery, but simple, it had to be because everything around it was so complex. I was inspired by Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series – each chapter is it’s own story and also moves the overall story along. It made it a blast to write and it what give the pacing it’s feel.

Where the story fell short of ideal: Miriam on GoodReads gave me a 3.5 for zest and enthusiasm- thanks for the bump, Miriam. She felt it was “a convoluted spy / mystery / thriller that begins in a slapstick humor manner and, while calming down some, is still frenetic as Diamond travels to Rome and back to the states. She’s got a lot of help, some more useful than others.

“There are a few grammatical errors, and a doozy of a continuity issue at the very end as the dead people are incorrectly identified.

“If you do pick up this slim mystery, don’t put it down or you’ll lose track of all the disparate threads.”

I give Miriam credit for giving a thoughtful, critical review. No book will please every reader. Mine wasn’t for her but she rated me fairly, and I appreciate her. Were there grammatical errors? I don’t doubt her. They drive me crazy. No less than 4 professionals reviewed this book…and still they sneak through. Just enjoy them, that’s what I do when I find one – it’s like finding a four leaf clover. Maybe when AI takes over, we’ll have perfect books to read. Until then, let a typo be reassurance that flesh-and-blood humans did write and edit the work in your hands.

As to the continuity issue, well I had to look into that one because continuity is one of my big thing’s and…nope…all the names were correct. Now, as Miriam implied, there were a bunch of characters, and not all of them died. I suspect she read something in a way I didn’t intend. Reading it as I did intend, no issue.  If any of you think you find it, email me. I’m curious what you see.

So take six hours out of your reality to read Widow’s Run, the first Diamond Adventure. Review it, help me get up to like 20 reviews. It would mean a lot. Then you’ll be ready to pick up with Suicide Squeeze, the first chapter is our next toe tag

Dream Stalker lists as a paranormal cozy mystery. It’s October in Salem, Massachusetts and Mrs. Lily Scott, wiccan, herbalist, and dream walker, is up to her neck in trouble. It started with a childhood friend, she suicided in front Lily. That was followed with two murders, arson, another suicide, and an accident that threatens the life of the best woman Lily knows, her sister Ann. Lily follows a trail of clues to protect the women she cares for, including the one she loves most, her own daughter.

Bottom line: Dream Stalker is for you if you like your mysteries clean, your witches wiccan, and your fiction feminine.

Listen here or wherever you get Mysteries to Die For Podcast

Strengths of the story. Gardner’s female characters are the gems of this story. All major characters and most minor are female, with a large part of the story arc dedicated to Lily recovering the relationship with her sister and her daughter. That puts this mystery solidly in the category of Women’s fiction. Each character is truly unique and stays true to themselves throughout the telling – for better or for worse. Salem, MA in October gives a colorful backdrop for a story of quiet deceit and subtle treachery. It certainly made me curious about the town, which is exactly what a good author does. The story lives up to the Cozy name with clean language and roots in the heritage and traditions of Wiccan. A sophisticated hand compares and contrasts Wiccan to Catholicism, showing that when you look for differences, that is what you see. But when you look for goodness, beauty is abound.

Where the story fell short of ideal. The story is listed as a paranormal. Readers who prefer moderation in paranormal will appreciate Gardner’s sparing hand with Lily’s dream walking. As a reader who loves the power and imagination of a world beyond our own and prefers it in a story the same way I want chocolate syrup on my ice cream, I was left wanting more. In my opinion, framing this story as a women’s fiction cozy mystery better casts the light of the story. Lily has a lot of work to do if she is going to solve the mystery, save the shelter her sister runs, and repair the relationships most vital to her.

The Bone Records is a thriller. Grigg Orlov, the son of a Russian father and Jamaican mother (deceased), was an outsider in his own neighborhood. His father disappeared six months ago and the NYPD wasn’t interested in looking for him. Grigg alone has been searching while juggling two jobs. Just as suddenly, his father returns, with a gunman hot on his heels. His father’s last stand launches Grigg on mission for the truth. One with twisted truths and secrets buried so deep, dying is the only way out. 

Bottom line: The Bone Records is for you if you like lightning-fast pacing, engaging underdogs, and a setting in one of America’s hidden cultures.

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

Strengths of the story. Rooted in New York City’s Russian community, the story is a creative weave of fiction and facts in the foreground of the 2016 presidential election. That being said, this is not a political thriller. At its essence, The Bone Records is a thriller about a son searching for the truth about his father’s murder. The plotting is strong with Grigg taking actions that interfere with the antagonists’ goals and forcing them to react to him, propelling the story forward. There is ample lying, backstabbing, and spying to keep the reader guessing right along with Grigg about who can be trusted.     

Where the story fell short of ideal. This is a very strong thriller. Of course, there are always little things I can pick at, but nothing worth mentioning. When I got to the end of The Bone Records, I sat for several moments and unpicked the weave of the storylines. They all held up. The actions of the characters stayed consistent with the motivations of the decision makers from start to finish. It would have been interesting if Grigg had had more time with his father. What would he have learned and how would it have changed Grigg’s actions. For that matter, after six months, why did his father come back at all? 

Learn more about Rich Zahradnik at his website: https://www.richzahradnik.com/

Buy The Bone Records from Amazon and other retailers, read it, review it.

What Meets the Eye is a Private Investigator mystery. PI Kate Myles takes a job everyone else has turned down, the investigation of an avant-garde artist’s death. LAPD, Kate’s former employer, determined it was a suicide. But, of course, her father doesn’t buy it for no fact-based reason. Kate’s taken this job before and three out of three times, the cops were right. But this time? This time just may be different.  

Bottom line: What Meets the Eye is for you if you like your art edgy, your stakes high, and your dirty deeds done anything but cheap.

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

Strengths of the story. The setting is one of the stars of this story. This mystery is embedded in the LA art scene and told in a way that could only be done by someone with Kenna’s unique background. This goes beyond the death of a star artist and makes this one of the most mysteries I’m read in a long time.

The plot is equally interesting, likely because it is interwoven with the art scene itself. This isn’t a mystery that is merely dropped into an interesting setting. This story only exists because of where it is in the art scene.

Where the story fell short of ideal. The story telling style is 80% from Kate Myles POV in modern time with the remainder from other characters and/or in past times. On the “pro” side, the style gives the reader “just in time” cues to motivation and back story for the mystery or Kate herself. On the “con” side, it can pull the reader out of the story and introduce some time or speaker confusion. This will be something that some readers won’t notice at all and will bother others. For my own experience, I “hear” the story as I read, so tended to hear Kate regardless of who the narrator was supposed to be. Hence, it caused me some confusion but was able to work through it quickly.

A Bad Bout of the Yips is a PI mystery. Partners Steve Rockfish and Jawnie McGee are neck deep in the kind of trouble that puts you six feet under. First, there is the case. Their clients are being threatened and their property burned to incentivize them to sell their putt putt business. Then, there is the next streaming show. Angel is coming to talk. And so is his money. Finally, there’s the mob. Annetta Provolone may be under house arrest but Jawnie’s the one who is locked down until the retrial. Nothing goes right. Not a single, damn thing.

Bottom line: A Bad Bout of the Yips is for you if you like stubborn private investigators with smart mouths and ideas so bad, they’re great.

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

Strengths of the story. It’s a hard call on whether the characters, the fast paced storytelling style, or the dynamic storylines is the starring feature. Together, they hit the trifecta of PI mysteries. There is enough humor and irreverence to keep Yips from becoming too heavy even as the ruthlessness of the mob characters has you worried for everyone’s well-being.

Where the story fell short of ideal: There only place the story fell short of ideal was Siri listening to Jawnie and doing what she wanted the first time she asked. Ken Harris is truly living in a fantasy world. Beyond that, there isn’t a place where the story fell short. It is the third in a continuing story and, IMO, would be best enjoyed after reading the prior installments. Don’t think of it as a gotta do, think of it as a get to do.