Mystery | Self-Publishing Review

Review: Looks Are Deceiving by Bill VanPatten

The tight-knit small town of Mañana, CA is turned upside down by a cruel hate crime in Bill VanPatten’s Looks Are Deceiving, a mystery novel featuring an endearing amateur sleuth and timely conversations about racism and homophobia in contemporary America.

Will Christian is a 49-year-old aspiring writer and gay Latino man who moved to Mañana to live closer to his sister. Everything is going swimmingly until he sets out for a bike ride in late June and makes a grim discovery: the body of a young man, subject to severe blunt force head trauma, a 22-year-old who also happens to […]

Michelle Hogmire2022-04-07T03:00:16+02:00February 24th, 2022|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Bill VanPatten, LGBTQI, Mystery|

Review: The Cosmic Killings by Thomas J. Thorson

Author Thomas J. Thorson delivers a gripping Malcolm Winters mystery with his latest installment, The Cosmic Killings.

A young Amish girl is found dead at a zoo during her Rumspringa adventure, and while the Chicago PD are shrugging it off as random violence, there is something decidedly strange about this monkey house murder. Mal and Vinn, mild-mannered professors once again moonlighting as reluctant sleuths, find themselves diving into the mysterious and tight-lipped realm of the Amish, hunting for clues and hints as to why someone would want to remove a bone from the young woman’s forehead. When a second body […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-02-10T03:50:52+02:00December 22nd, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Mystery, Thomas J. Thorson, Thriller|

The Church Murders and the Cat’s Prey by F. Della Notte

The third installment of the thrillingly unpredictable Housekeeper Mystery Series, The Church Murders and the Cat’s Prey by F. Della Notte is a wild, bullet-riddled ride.

Navigating the assassination attempt of her dear friend Father Melvyn, Mrs. B. is back in the hunt for the would-be killer with quiet determination, wicket wit, and her feline-boosted sleuthing skills. The crime hits close to home, and brings her even closer to Detective Jake, adding strong emotional tension to an already taut narrative.

Balanced well between bursts of action, lightbulbs of discovery, intimate moments of reflection, and meticulously written dialogue, Della Notte […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2021-11-08T05:15:24+02:00November 8th, 2021|Categories: New Releases|Tags: F. Della Notte, Mystery|

Review: Trouble Isla by Lynda L. Lock

Author Lynda L. Lock dives deeper into the murderous side of paradise in Trouble Isla, the second installment of her Isla Mujeres Mystery series. Following the treasure-laden introduction to this female-driven series, Lock’s sophomore offering is packed with new mysteries to unravel, new dangers to dodge, and new hangovers to survive.

The serial killer from Book 1 may be in custody, but it doesn’t mean that the lives of Jessica, Yasmin, or Carlos are getting back to normal. When Carlos disappears without warning and threatening notes begin to arrive, the pace kicks into high gear for an adrenaline-fueled romp […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2021-04-01T04:19:37+02:00February 21st, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Mystery|

Review: Spent Identity by Marlene M. Bell

Mystery and murder vie with a decades-old secret in Spent Identity by Marlene M. Bell, the second book in the Annalisse series, following the riveting Stolen Obsession.

Mired by pressures at work and worried about her stalling relationship with her tycoon boyfriend, Alec Zavos, antiquities expert Annalisse Drury heads for the comfort of her Aunt Kate’s farm in upstate New York. Shortly after arriving at her childhood home, she learns from her aunt that her cousin, Jeremy, wants to sell her aunt’s beloved farm – news that is quickly trumped by the discovery of a decomposing body in the […]

Marta Cheng2020-05-20T05:17:24+02:00January 2nd, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Marlene M. Bell, Mystery|

Review: Catwalk Dead: Murder in the Rue de L’Histoire Theatre by F. Della Notte

A nearly century-old mystery, an historic theatre and fears of the Macbeth curse make for an irresistible trifecta in Catwalk Dead: Murder in the Rue de L’Histoire Theatre, F. Della Notte’s newest whodunit in her Housekeeper Mystery series.

Life has become much more exciting as of late for Mrs. B. since her son and daughter-in-law moved to Austin and have accepted positions as artistic directors of the Bernardi-Bono Ballet Company, situated in the old Rue de L’Histoire Theatre. What Mrs. B. doesn’t know is that the theatre’s stage manager had voiced his concern about strange goings-on at the theatre […]

Marta Cheng2020-02-06T10:42:58+02:00December 11th, 2019|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Cozy Mystery, F. Della Notte, Mystery|

Review: Exploration’s End: A New Orleans Mystery by George Sanchez

Southern charm and an old-fashioned mystery make for a great duo in Exploration’s End by George Sanchez.

After returning home to New Orleans, actor Jeff Chaussier has put his mediocre acting career on hold in order to find out what’s going on with his cousin, Cal. Rumor has it that his cousin is in the theater and is even dating an actress.

After some roundabout digging, Jeff suspects that drugs or sex may be involved but he also has other problems he has to deal with that involve facing the beautiful Bryna – who family and friends call his girl […]

Marta Cheng2019-11-14T08:28:33+02:00October 21st, 2019|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Mystery|

Review: All Fall Down (Furnass Towers Trilogy Book 3) by Richard Snodgrass

In All Fall Down, the epic conclusion to Richard Snodgrass’s Furnass Towers Trilogy, the characters and families that loyal readers have come to know so well all come together for one final piece of the puzzle – centered dramatically around the murder of Dickie Sutcliff.

The Sutcliff family, specifically Dickie and his brother Harry Todd, have featured heavily in this trilogy, being at the center of the real estate market in the mill town of Furnass. However, over those many decades and deals, Dickie has certainly made enemies along the way, so when he turns up dead, it is […]