Mystery | Self-Publishing Review

Review: Death by Disputation by Anna Castle ★★★★★

Death by Disputation: A Francis Bacon Mystery (Book 2), by Anna Castle, is a clever historical fiction whodunit.

Thomas Clarady is recruited to spy on a radical group of Puritans at Cambridge University in 1587. Francis Bacon is his spymaster. The mission doesn’t start off well. Tom’s chief informant is found hanging. The university assumes the man killed himself. Tom is convinced he was murdered. Now Tom must figure out who killed his informant and spy on the radical group, especially since he believes the two are linked. Can Tom figure out they mystery before it’s too late?

This is […]

T B Markinson2016-01-04T12:43:13+02:00December 2nd, 2015|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Historical Fiction, Mystery|

Review: Katya: A Mystery and Romance by Jon Martell and Jamie McCormick ★★★★

Katya: A Mystery and Romance, by Jon Martell and Jamie McCormick, explores the depths of personal secrets.

A woman’s body is discovered inside a medieval tower in rural Germany. A detective unaccustomed to investigating suspicious deaths attempts to piece together the clues. He starts to wonder if the events leading to the death go back thirty years and takes place in Germany and America.

What happened in the tower? And are people in today’s world allowed to have secrets?

This mystery is a curious twist on the genre. Officer Max Forscher is a small town policeman and he’s perfectly content […]

T B Markinson2015-12-04T06:32:29+02:00November 11th, 2015|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Mystery, Romance|

Review: The Bootlegger’s Legacy by Ted Clifton ★★★★

The Bootlegger’s Legacy by Ted Clifton takes the reader on a wild ride through Oklahoma’s bootlegging history.

When Patrick Allen, an old-time bootlegger, dies and leaves his son Mike a cryptic letter hinting at millions in hidden cash, Mike and his friend Joe follow the clues. They end up traveling through three states and half a century of history.

The mystery starts with a key, embossed with the letters CB, and a puzzling reference to Deep Deuce, a neighborhood once filled with hot jazz and gangs of bootleggers. But what’s really at stake? Money? Memories? And can Mike handle learning […]

T B Markinson2020-12-23T05:53:10+02:00October 27th, 2015|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Crime Fiction, Mystery|

Review: Death by Romance by Anne Kennison ★★★★★

Death by Romance, by Anne Kennison, is a clever whodunit that’ll keep you turning the pages frantically to uncover the murderer.

The night Gordon Taylor, a prominent businessman and philanthropist, is murdered changes the lives of many people. Detective Ryan Hamlin is about to retire from the force when he’s handed this high-profile case. Gordon’s wife is devastated by his death. To complicate matters, Gordon’s company was about to go public, which would have made many of his associates rich.

At first, there are no leads in the case. A chance conversation months later uncovers a long list of […]

T B Markinson2015-08-10T08:23:04+02:00July 27th, 2015|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Crime Fiction, Mystery|

Review: Welcome, Reluctant Stranger! by E. Journey ★★★★★

Welcome, Reluctant Stranger! (Between Two Worlds Book 3), by E. Journey, is a touching story about a woman who must confront her family’s past.

Leilani Torres, a psychologist, helps people heal. But can she heal herself?

When she was only nine, Leilani, her mother, and two siblings flee their Pacific country, Costa Mora. Her father was supposed to follow them to the United States, but he never arrived and was never heard from again.

Justin Halverson is a brokenhearted computer nerd. After his girlfriend of seven years ends their relationship, he turns to booze to drown his sorrows. But he […]

T B Markinson2015-07-21T05:43:29+02:00July 6th, 2015|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Mystery|

Heart Break by MF Moskwik

Heart Break by MK Moskwik is a fun and spirited tech-driven mystery with a likable central character, Isabel Swift, an engaging protagonist for a new series. Swift is an up and coming police officer and human lie detector who dreams of making detective. Her mentor, Ben, dies mysteriously and Swift learns there may be a connection with his death and her latest case about stolen technology. She’s paired with a surly data scientist who’s making her job more difficult. When other cops are found murdered, Swift has only 48 hours to connect the dots, solve her mentor’s death, and make […]

Lysa Grant2015-06-30T07:15:54+02:00June 30th, 2015|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Mystery|

Review: Murder Over Kodiak by Robin Barefield ★★★★

Murder Over Kodiak, by Robin Barefield, is a clever Alaskan-set mystery that will keep readers guessing until the final pages.

Research biologist Jane Marcus has a bad feeling when the floatplane she’s waiting for is late. On the plane is her young research assistant. The weather is perfect and Jane is familiar with the charter company. While Jane hopes there’s a good reason for the delay she fears the worst.

And indeed the worst has happened. A bomb has exploded on the plane she’s waiting for, and there are little remains left of the pilot and five passengers. Why […]

T B Markinson2017-03-24T10:29:21+02:00June 17th, 2015|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Mystery|

Review: Black & White & Dead All Over by Anna Castle ★★★★★

What happens when the Internet service provider in a small town spies on his clients’ cyber-lives and blackmails them for gifts and services?

Murder and mayhem abound in Anna Castle’s cozy mystery novel Black & White & Dead All Over.

Penelope Trigg is new to Lost Hat, Texas. She’s opened a photography studio and has a few clients, some friends, and has started dating a sexy and successful man. Everything is going well. That is until she submits nude figure studies of her boyfriend to a contest. Penny receives an email blackmailing her. If she fails to comply, the […]

T B Markinson2015-11-24T06:32:23+02:00May 29th, 2015|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Cozy Mystery, Mystery|