Review: No Exit by Taylor Adams

Taylor Adams has just released a thriller that promises to be a wild ride and Kerry Hammond is here today with her review.

No Exit by Taylor Adams was published on January 15, in Hardcover by William Morrow. It’s the author’s third thriller and I couldn’t wait to dive in.

In the book, Darby Thorne has just learned that her mother is sick and the young girl is on her way to visit her in Utah. It’s December 23^rd and she’s headed through the Colorado Rockies in a blizzard. When the roads become too treacherous, she pulls into a rest stop where four other travelers are taking refuge from the storm. Trying to get a cell signal to check on her Mom, Darby passes a van in the parking lot and looks into the rear window. Inside the van is a cage, and inside the cage is a young girl. What follows this discovery is Darby’s battle to discover the identity of the kidnapper and to save the child at all costs.

You hear people throw out words like pulse pounding and heart racing. You usually assume that they’re exaggerating, maybe embellishing a bit for effect. I am not exaggerating when I say that No Exit was one of the fastest paced, nail biters of a book that I’ve ever read. Adams throws his characters into a remote location under difficult conditions, then pins them against a ruthless adversary.  He ratchets up the pace and then adds a few twists to throw you off your guard. The good thing is that the author doesn’t sacrifice his characters for the sake of the tension. They are well-built and full of depth, which only serves to increase what is at stake. Some are innocent, some are flawed, and others are pure evil.

The book is not for the squeamish, there are some scenes that will make you wince. But it’s a fast-paced read that leaves you glad to turn the last page—because you realize you’ve been holding your breath.

This book was provided to Mystery Playground by the publisher. The review was fair and completely independent.

You can always find Mystery Playground on Twitter @mysteryplaygrnd and on Facebook. You can also follow the blog by clicking the link on the upper right-hand corner of this webpage. 

Review: The Last of the Stanfields by Marc Levy

Kerry Hammond is here to review the latest book by French author Marc Levy.

The Last of the Stanfields by Marc Levy was released in Hardcover on January 1 by AmazonCrossing. It was originally written in French and translated into English by Daniel Wasserman.  It is a story of greed and deception, love and hate. It’s about family, the things that draw family members close and the events that push them apart. It spans four generations, one world war, four countries, and two continents. It is masterfully told and cleverly plotted. I enjoyed it immensely.

One day Eleanor-Rigby Donovan receives an anonymous letter informing her that her mother had a mysterious past she never knew about….and in that past she committed a crime. Eleanor is still struggling to come to grips with her mother’s recent death and latches on to the note, and the quest it encourages,  as a sort of lifeline with the past—hers and her mother’s.

Her journey takes her from London to Baltimore, where she meets George-Harrison Collins. George-Harrison has received a similar letter and is on a bit of a quest of his own. His letter speaks of the father he never knew and challenges him to find out the truth about the man his mother would never speak of. Together they learn about their mothers and the things they kept from them. As their pasts intertwine, they begin to wonder if some secrets are better left alone, for once you learn them, you can never go back.

Levy is a wonderful writer. The story unfolds at just the right pace to keep the reader going. I was invested in the characters and the information they were seeking. I found myself taking sides, mistrusting information, and urging them on. The assumptions I made at the beginning of the book were shattered halfway through and I found myself surprised at every turn. A great read!

This book was provided to Mystery Playground by the publisher. The review was fair and completely independent.

You can always find Mystery Playground on Twitter @mysteryplaygrnd and on Facebook. You can also follow the blog by clicking the link on the upper right-hand corner of this webpage. 

Review: The Last Lie by Alex Lake

Kerry Hammond is here today to review a new mystery by British author Alex Lake.

Alex Lake is the author of four mystery novels. His latest, The Last Lie, was released on December 31, 2018, in Trade Paperback by HarperCollins. Lake’s novels are all standalone psychological thrillers, so I didn’t hesitate to pick up his latest to see what it was all about. I was not disappointed.

The Last Lie is a story of marital bliss, at least for one party. Claire Daniels is madly in love with her husband Alfie. He is everything she’s ever wanted, he dotes on her, and could not be a better husband. Alfie, on the other hand, can’t stand Claire and dreams of being free of her. When the conversation turns to starting a family, everything starts to spiral out of control. What follows is a fast paced back and forth that could never have a happy ending.

The book drew me in immediately and I found it hard to put it down to get any sleep. The pace was perfect and the author managed to switch gears just when I thought I knew where the story was going. The characters he has created are fascinating, the dialogue realistic, and the plot fast paced. If Lake’s other novels are as good as this one, I’ve got some reading to do!

This book was provided to Mystery Playground by the publisher. The review was fair and completely independent.

You can always find Mystery Playground on Twitter @mysteryplaygrnd and on Facebook. You can also follow the blog by clicking the link on the upper right-hand corner of this webpage. 

Review: Forever And A Day by Anthony Horowitz

Ever wonder why James Bond orders his martinis shaken and not stirred? Anthony Horowitz’s new Bond novel tells us about Bond before he was 007, and Kerry Hammond is here to tell us her review of the book.

Forever And A Day is the second in the James Bond series that author Anthony Horowitz has continued in the spirit and memory of Ian Fleming. The book was published on November 6 in Hardcover by Harper.

I need to start this review off with a confession. I have never read a James Bond novel. I’ve watched many of the movies and have probably seen at least one film featuring each of the Bond actors. But I have never picked up an Ian Fleming book, never known the Bond of the page versus the Bond on screen.

I was an Anthony Horowitz follower before I even knew it. As a longtime Midsomer Murders fan, I was enjoying his work before I knew his name. Then, when my book club chose Magpie Murders as its September read, I fell in love with Horowitz’s work and knew that I had to try his 007 novels.

I didn’t start with the first in the new series, though. That would be too predictable. I started with the second book and was immediately drawn in. Horowitz is the kind of writer who just knows how to tell a good story. Again, I don’t have the reference of comparison to a Fleming novel, so I can’t comment on the similarities or differences. What I can comment on is how entertaining the book was.

Forever And A Day is written as the prequel to the very first Bond novel, Casino Royale. In it, we learn about 007 before he was 007. It’s a precursor to the series and gives backstory—based on outlines Fleming wrote for a TV series—into the character and his motivations. There’s also a lot of action scenes, a love story, and cool cars and fancy spy operations.

To complete my research, I have since purchased Casino Royale, and plan to start the series at the beginning. It’s often said that the book is better than the movie, and that’s not a cliché, it’s a fact. I look forward to finding out what I have been missing.

This book was provided to Mystery Playground by the publisher. The review was fair and completely independent.

Review: Daughters of the Lake by Wendy Webb

Gothic suspense novelist Wendy Webb has a book out and Kerry Hammond is here today with her review.

Wendy Webb is the author of five gothic novels of suspense. Her fifth, Daughters of the Lake, was released on November 1, 2018, in Hardcover by Lake Union Publishing. I have read every one of Webb’s books and each one is a brilliantly told story that transports the reader to another place, and very often another time.

Webb’s novels have a strong sense of place. The locations play a huge role in setting the scene for the story and keeping the level of intrigue throughout. Daughters of the Lake, like most of Webb’s novels, is set on the Great Lakes. It reads like a fairy tale, toggling back and forth between present day and the past. In the present Kate Granger is struggling to cope with the break-up of her marriage. While staying at her parents’ home on Lake Superior she finds a body that has washed ashore. It’s the body of a woman and she is holding a child. The police search through missing persons reports but cannot identify the woman. Kate believes she has seen her before, but doesn’t know how to explain that she’s seen her in her dreams. A century earlier, another story began on a lake, one that turned into a tragic love story. Just how the two are related, well, you just have to read to find out.

Webb is a skilled storyteller with a wonderful imagination. This book wasn’t quite as dark and foreboding as some of her others, but like the others it kept me guessing. I thoroughly enjoyed trying to anticipate where the story was going, and was pleased to learn how wrong I was.

This book was provided to Mystery Playground by the publisher. The review was fair and completely independent.

Review: A Forgotten Place by Charles Todd

There's a new Bess Crawford mystery by Charles Todd and Kerry Hammond is here today to let us know what she thought of it.

A Forgotten Place by Charles Todd is the 10^th book in the Bess Crawford mystery series. The book was published September 18, by William Morrow publishers.

Even though the armistice has been signed and the fighting is over, battlefield nurse Bess Crawford is finding herself as busy as ever. There are plenty of injured soldiers whose suffering is only beginning. Many have become amputees and the prospect of returning to their families less than whole can feel like a fate worse than death. Bess finds herself dealing with psychological wounds in addition to the physical.

Captain Williams, an amputee himself, tries to help Bess improve the morale of his men, but many who are released from the hospital’s care are unable to face the life they left, choosing instead to end their lives. When Bess receives a letter from the Captain after he and his men have returned to Wales, she feels compelled to travel to a remote area in the dead of winter to check on her patients. What she finds is a small town full of secrets, one that does not welcome outsiders.

Beth is stranded when her driver leaves in the middle of the night without a word. With no way to contact her family or the military hospital, she takes it upon herself to investigate the strange happenings. Ships are crashing at the shore, townspeople are being attacked, and Bess feels that her own life may be in danger.

The atmosphere that the Todds create in A Forgotten Place is the reason I think it is one of the best book in this series. The Todds have captured the eerie setting of the Welsh coast and I felt transported to the cold, harsh locale. The storyline kept me guessing and I enjoyed watching the mystery unfold. As an added bonus (for those who are familiar with the series and the recurring characters) it’s fun to note that Simon makes an appearance.

This book was provided to Mystery Playground by the publisher. The review was fair and completely independent.

Q&A With Charles Todd

Charles Todd is a writing duo comprised of Caroline Todd and her son Charles Todd. They continue to entertain readers with not one, but two captivating series set around the time of WWI. Kerry Hammond is a huge fan of both and today she caught up with the two writers to find out about the latest in the Bess Crawford series, A Forgotten Place.

What inspired you to place Bess in such a remote locale in the latest book?

Caroline: It was such a marvelous place, and yet it had a real history that was dark and intriguing. We knew we had to write about it. As we worked with the story about what happens to amputees returning home at war’s end, we could see how the two could be combined, bringing out how Hugh Williams learns to cope and how Bess would fare in a place where she had no one she could really trust.You never know, starting a book, how it will end, but the challenge of getting there is half the fun.

Charles: I like the cover, because Bess is standing where we stood, looking down on that stunning bay. She fits that place so well too. When we’re searching for a setting and a story, it’s important for the two to work together. And we could see Bess out here, we could see Hugh Williams struggling with his crutches, wondering if he was still a man despite his injuries. In the Great War men feared amputation more than they feared death. And Bess is on her own, as Caroline said. We liked that idea, and wanted to explore it.

What kind of documents do you read up on to maintain the historical accuracy of the various scenarios in your books?

Caroline and Charles: When we first began writing about the Great War, we realized that we had two choices. We could use it as accurately as possible, keeping our mysteries well grounded in the period—what might have really happened then. Or we could make the war just a backdrop. We chose to make it real, not just a framework. And so we started looking for everything we could find on the period, mostly what was written and believed and felt at the time, not later material which looked back, using what had been learned about the war in later years. This wasn’t limited to reading. We’ve walked in trenches, been to museums, flown in a WW1 open cockpit biplane, clambered over tanks and handled weapons. These give you first-hand knowledge that can’t come from books.

How much does historical accuracy determine the plotlines you draw for Bess?

Caroline: It’s everything. Every Bess mystery hinges on something that could very well have happened at the time. We’ve been lucky too, in both the Rutledge and the Bess mysteries—we often discover something in the actual setting as we explore it ourselves, that becomes part of the story.  Sometimes we turn it on its head and explore it that way, sometimes we use it to start us off.

Charles: We’ve used the influenza epidemic, we’ve taken a horrific explosion and explored the aftermath, we’ve taken a hero to meet the King and receive a medal—all of these are real events that happened to real people, and could also happen to characters in a book. There was a real story here in Wales, too, and we could see how what happened in the past might have an impact on the present—Bess’s day.  And it worked remarkably well. It’s also very exciting to see how this plays out as we write. When you know you’re on the right track, the story just unrolls, and some of this excitement and enthusiasm reaches the reader too.

How do you manage to come up with plotlines and scenarios to fill two mystery series a year?

Caroline and Charles: That’s why we have to go to England and walk the ground. You can Google places or read about them, yes, that’s true. But when you walk into a little shop and see a photo from 1918, and the shop owner tells you a story about that photograph, your imagination is off and running. Or there’s something in the churchyard or in the stand of trees close by that seems dark and mysterious, or you hear a story of heroism by four young girls, and you know you have a story. What’s more, we can begin to see the characters, the people who might have lived there. That’s precious in putting people into your story line. They are real, not puppets, and they give the story a depth that really works.

Do you take Bess's adventures book by book, or do you have a longer term game plan for where you will take the character and what she might get involved with?

Caroline: We try not to look ahead. One way to keep a series fresh is to view each book as a stand alone.  Of course there are the series characters, there has to be some sort of continuity in the storyline, but if we look at the story as whole in itself, we can see nuances and characterizations that really are exciting and challenging. We aren’t stuck in an overall plan. This is also why you can pick up the series at any book—or start from the beginning if that’s your preference. It’s true of the Rutledge books as well.

Charles: Of course that doesn’t mean that we never have glimpses of the future. We know Bess has to go back to India at some point. Just when or why or how we leave to the Page 1 of that particular book. And yet Bess and Melinda discuss this in one of the books because the issue came up then. There’s Ireland too. We’ve got a great story possibility there that we stumbled over a few years ago, and it fits with something in Bess’s past. But we aren’t obliged to do these on a specific schedule. 

Bess's story is fictional, but the war is very real. Do you ever feel limited in your writing because you have to stay accurate in your depictions of battles and events?

Caroline: Actually the war fits very well into the story line. And because it’s real, it gives substance to the characters and the stories. So far we’ve never been tempted to change anything. There’s also something else. We wanted to make the war the centerpiece. And so it has to be accurate. Sometimes that has funny repercussions. I was in the middle of a scene one day when I had to stop and put a check out for the mail. Without even thinking, I dated the check 1917, rather than 2017, because I was still in the period.

Charles: Caroline is right. That’s one of the reasons why we have acquainted ourselves with the period and the war. We have a sense of where it has been and where it will be going. And that makes it easier to find the right story for the right time. The influenza story had to fit into the historical time line, as did the black powder explosion that Bess is drawn into. And this story A Forgotten Place worked best after the war, just when we were ready for it.  That’s not pre-planning so much as knowing where you are and what’s happening around your character. I love that challenge—it appeals to me.

Come back next week for a review of The Forgotten Place by Charles Todd.

Crime & Beyond Book Club Reads Two Kinds of Truth by Michael Connelly

The Denver-based book club, Crime & Beyond, just read the latest Michael Connelly book; let's see if it's a good book club read.

Crime & Beyond is a big fan of everything Michael Connelly writes, and he is one of the few authors we will read over and over again. This past month we read book 20 in the Harry Bosch series, Two Kinds of Truth. In the book, Bosch’s work on cold cases is interrupted when there is a double homicide at a local pharmacy. The case leads investigators into the world of prescription drug trafficking and Bosch ends up going undercover to try and catch the bad guys. Meanwhile, one of the men Bosch helped put in jail years before is accusing him of planting the evidence that convicted him, and claims he has new DNA results that prove he’s innocent. Bosch hires his half-brother Mickey Haller to defend him.

The book got great reviews from the club. We had a long discussion about both of Harry’s cases and we absolutely loved that Mickey Haller had a cameo (more than half of us are team Haller). The book is very relevant as it deals with the opioid crisis. Connelly put a lot of research into the book and really delves into a big issue that we are all seeing in the news.

Harry also closes an old cold case he had worked on that had been haunting him. One of our only criticisms was that it seemed like there were one too many plotlines going on at once.

The end of the book contains a hint as to Harry’s next case and we look forward to book 21 when he teams up with Connelly's new female character, Renee Ballard.

Review: Walking Shadows by Faye Kellerman

Kerry Hammond is here today to review the latest novel in a well-established series by Faye Kellerman.

Walking Shadows by Faye Kellerman is the 25^th novel in the popular Decker/Lazarus series. It released on August 28 in Hardcover by William Morrow. The Kellermans are a prolific family of mystery writers. I’m a fan of Jonathan Kellerman’s Alex Delaware series and have even read and enjoyed the new series written by Jonathan and his son Jesse, which features Deputy Coroner, Clay Edison. Even though Faye Kellerman’s series had been around since 1986, I have to admit that I am new to her novels. What better place than to jump in at book 25?

In Walking Shadows, Detective Decker is called out to investigate an act of vandalism and ends up with a murder case. The victim is a young local man named Brady Neil and as Decker looks into his past he finds out that Neil’s father was sent to prison for robbery and murder. Decker needs to find out what, if any, connection there is to link Brady to his father’s crime. The stakes are raised when Decker links Brady’s murder to the disappearance of a co-worker and friend of the victim, and Decker relies on Rina Lazarus to help him sort through the past and find out just what the crimes have in common.

Sometimes you jump into a series midway through and can’t seem to get acquainted with the characters, or the author tries to throw so much of the back story at you that you are overwhelmed with knowledge that you don’t understand. I didn’t feel this way at all with Decker and Lazarus.  I felt like I was reading book one in a series, getting to know new characters in my own time and in my own way. The book had a standalone feel and I enjoyed it for the mystery that it was. The bonus is that I can now go back and check out the earlier books in the series. I really enjoyed the book and look forward to reading more by the author.

This book was provided to Mystery Playground by the publisher. The review is fair and independent.

Review: What Remains of Her by Eric Rickstad

Kerry Hammond found another new-to-her author and is here to tell us what she thought.

What Remains of Her by Eric Rickstad was published on July 24, in Trade Paperback, by William Morrow. Rickstad is a New York Times bestselling author of four other novels of suspense; three of which make up the Canaan Crime Novels series.

The book revolves around the disappearance of Rebecca Baum and her young daughter Sally, a case that went cold 25 years ago and left Jonah Baum—husband and father—to try and pick up the pieces of his life. There was speculation that Rebecca took her daughter and disappeared, but there was also small town gossip that Jonah had something to do with their disappearance. Now, 25 years to the day after they disappeared, a broken and reclusive Jonah finds a young girl in the woods. He is struck by her resemblance to his lost daughter and in his mind, muddled by years of grief, he tries to protect and save the girl; something he wasn’t able to do for his own daughter and wife. As the police continue to search for the missing child, Lucinda, a deputy sheriff who is tied to the original case, begins to piece together what happened all of those years ago.

The story drew me in right away and I was mesmerized by the world Rickstad created. The setting was perfect for the story that was being told: a remote part of Vermont, in the wintertime. There was a feeling of isolation that permeated the town and everyone in it. The cold and snow both hindered and helped. It hindered those who wanted to search for clues and helped those who were trying to hide.

There were plenty of twists and turns to keep me guessing and a satisfying ending to wrap things up. I will definitely be checking out the author’s other books.

This book was provided to Mystery Playground by the publisher. The review is fair and independent.

Review: Little Girl Lost by Wendy Corsi Staub

Kerry Hammond is here with her review of the first book in a new series by Wendy Corsi Staub.

Little Girl Lost by Wendy Corsi Staub was published on July 24, in Mass Market Paperback by William Morrow. It’s the first in the Foundlings Trilogy, a new series by the author, who has written more than ninety novels—something not many authors ever achieve. I was a big fan of the Mundy’s Landing series and reviewed all three here on Mystery Playground: BloodRed, Blue Moon, and Bone White. I was excited to try the first book in a new series.

The story toggles between 1968, when a string of brutal attacks by a serial killer rocked New York City, and 1987 where we meet Amelia Crenshaw and NYPD Detective Stockton Barnes. Both Barnes and Crenshaw are searching for answers; Crenshaw wants to find the truth about her birth parents and Barnes wants to solve the missing person’s case of a Park Avenue millionaire. As information is revealed, we find that their two stories don’t just intersect, they are completely entwined, and the answers are not what they expected.

The story toggles from 1968 to 1987 as well as from character to character. This is a trademark of sorts for the author and I don’t usually mind the switches. With this book, though, I found the back and forth between characters to be sometimes hard to follow. There were quite a few characters at play, so this might explain my trouble. I did find the premise of the book extremely interesting and enjoyed the intersecting character paths. On the whole, I enjoy Corsi Staub’s writing, and her ability to tell unusual and intriguing stories.

This book was provided to Mystery Playground by the publisher. The review is fair and independent.

Review: Under a Dark Sky by Lori Rader-Day

A new book with an exciting setting is the subject of Kerry Hammond's review today.

Under a Dark Sky by Lori Rader-Day was published on August 7, in Hardcover, by William Morrow. Rader-Day is the award winning author of three previous standalone mysteries, and you can read a Mystery Playground review of The Day I Died here. One of the things that always draws me to Rader-Day’s books are the unique premises and characters.

In Under a Dark Sky, the story is set in a part of northern Michigan near a Dark Sky Park. A Dark Sky Park is an area noted for its exceptional star and constellation viewing. It’s where the public can go to view starry nights without light pollution. It’s also where Eden Wallace finds herself mixed up in murder.

After a traffic accident took the life of her husband of nearly 10 years, Eden finds among his paperwork a reservation for a week’s vacation at a Dark Sky Park. When she arrives she finds that she doesn’t have the place all to herself, but is sharing the house with six college friends who are having a reunion of sorts. Still grieving over the loss of her husband, and experiencing an acute fear of the dark, Eden decides to leave but can’t do so until daybreak—at least that was the plan. Instead she wakes to find one of the other guests has been murdered and she, along with the other five, are suspects.

Part of what sucked me right into this book was the unique premise. I love a good closed universe mystery where all the characters are snowed in or on a remote island. During the murder this was the case, and the darkness added an extra eerie aspect to the story. I found myself picturing myself there with the characters, experiencing the intense darkness, wondering how I would feel in a similar situation. 

We watch Eden struggle to make sense of the murder as well as her life and her grief. It’s a story of personal awakening as much as it’s a murder mystery. Eden was very much alone, a 7^th wheel in a situation where emotions ran high between the six friends. As can be expected, the friends toggled between acceptance of her and blame—since it’s easier to blame an outsider. The flip flopping of their feelings toward her got a little bit much, but on the whole I enjoyed the story and it kept me guessing. It inspired me too, I’m now off to find a Dark Sky Park to visit!

Review: Jane Doe by Victoria Helen Stone

A bestselling romance novelist has written a novel of suspense and Kerry Hammond is eager to tell us how much she loved the book.

Jane Doe by Victoria Helen Stone is a standalone novel of suspense that was published on August 1, in Hardcover by Lake Union Publishing. Victoria Helen Stone is the nom de plume of author Victoria Dahl, who has more than 25 books under her belt. Her genre has primarily been romance and she has only recently turned her skill toward the mystery and suspense genre. I, for one, am happy she did.

Jane Doe is a story about a woman who is single mindedly focused on meeting, seducing, and ruining one man. As the story progresses we learn her reasons, her plan, and just how cold and calculating she can be. And from page one, we are placing all of our hopes on her success.

They say that people read mystery novels and detective fiction because they like to see justice done. They like to see the good guys prevail and the bad guys punished. I think that’s true, at least for me as a reader, and this is part of the reason I loved Jane Doe. I enjoyed watching Jane on her cold and calculating quest for her own form of justice. When a story is written in first person, the narrator is also the protagonist and you have to feel something for that person. You have to identify with them or care about them in some way. As unlikely as Jane might seem as a person with whom a reader might bond, it happens, and once it does, the readers wants her to succeed. I honestly didn’t even care how she chose to go about exacting justice, I was behind her 100%, in her corner no matter where she took me.

Stone is a gifted storyteller and I loved her writing style. There wasn’t a single excess word, paragraph, or scene. Her writing is a concise narrative that takes hold of the reader and doesn’t let go. I hope to see many more books by this author.

This book was provided to Mystery Playground by the publisher. The review is fair and independent.

Review: The Man Who Couldn't Miss by David Handler

Journalist turned author, David Handler, has a new book out in a series that Kerry Hammond loves. She’s here to tell us what she thinks.

The Man Who Couldn’t Miss by David Handler was published on August 14, in Hardcover by William Morrow. It’s the 10^th in the Stewart Hoag Mystery series. We also reviewed the 9^th book in the series, The Girl With the Kaleidascope Eyes, here on Mystery Playground. I love this series and was excited to see there was a new book out; I just had to get my hands on it.

Ghostwriter Stewart Hoag “Hoagy” and his basset hound, Lulu, are back and up to their eyeballs in a new mystery. Hoagy is spending some time in the country at a farmhouse belonging to his ex-wife, actress Merilee Nash. Merilee is putting on a high priced charity event to save a local theater and tensions are running high. When one of the actors is murdered, Hoagy is there to help solve the crime.

Hoagy and Lulu are priceless. Hoagy is there with his flashy fashion sense and dry sense of humor, and Lulu, well Lulu is scared of her own shadow. But she manages to back up Hoagy when he needs her most, and she’s always there to sniff out a clue. Hoagy is smooth without being arrogant, he is dapper with a one-of-a-kind style, and he is the exact person you want around in a crises. He is calm and analytical and he always manages to catch the killer.

This is a wonderful series, I love Handler’s style of writing and Hoagy is such a unique character. It’s refreshing to find a protagonist who is outside the mold; there is nothing cookie cutter about him. The small town theater storyline and the quaint Connecticut backdrop made for a great mystery. This is a fun and satisfying series and I thoroughly enjoy it.

This book was provided to Mystery Playground by the publisher. The review is fair and independent.

Crime & Beyond Book Club Reads I Know a Secret by Tess Gerritsen

The Denver-based book club Crime & Beyond recently discussed the 12th book in the Rizzoli & Isles series by Tess Gerritsen and Kerry Hammond is here to give us her notes.

Crime & Beyond met this month to discuss I Know a Secret, the 12^th book in the Rizzoli and Isles series written by Tess Gerritsen. Many club members had seen the TNT series starring Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander but quite a few were reading the books for the first time. I was a bit worried at jumping in at book 12, but we went with it since it was the most recent--published earlier this year. There were a few storyline spoilers this far into the series, but on the whole it didn’t detract from our enjoyment.

In the book, Boston police detective Jane Rizzoli and medical examiner Maura Isles are pulled into several murder cases that seemingly mimic the gruesome deaths of martyred saints. Their investigated leads them back to an incident of alleged abuse of children at a school some time before and the family who were prosecuted for the crime. Maura’s biological mother, a convicted serial killer named Amalthea, is dying of cancer but still manages to taunt Maura with information relating to their current investigation.

Our bookclub really loved this book and gave it a very high rating. We thought it was an easy and quick read, although not without some gore. We loved the twists, turns, and red herrings that led us away from the true culprit. We had a great discussion and many will be going back to book one in the series to read more. It was a great choice for a book club read.

Review: In the Vines by Shannon Kirk

Kerry Hammond is here to tell us about a new-to-her author and an atmospheric thriller that she couldn't put down. 

In The Vines by Shannon Kirk was published on July 17, in Hardcover by Thomas & Mercer publishers. It is the 3^rd book written by practicing attorney and writer Shannon Kirk; a standalone novel of psychological suspense.

In the Vines tells the story of Mary Olivia Pentecost, aka Mop, a young woman who comes from a very wealthy family. She is raised by a loving and eccentric mother, a kind father, and a quirky aunt. Mop’s whole world fell apart when her mother died two years ago. She lost contact with her boyfriend Manny and her aunty Liv, who shut herself away from it all. When Mop finally sees her aunt again, she is shocked at her state and it is soon very clear that she is hiding much more than her grief for the loss of her sister. As Mop starts to unravel Liv’s secrets, she learns more about the mysterious events that led to her mother’s death and her own life is suddenly in danger.

I think Kirk’s greatest accomplishment is her ability to create interesting, quirky, weird, and wonderful characters. I wanted to meet Mop and her mother and sit alongside them as they read together. I also wanted to visit Aunty Liv’s estate and explore the grounds. I might even say that the story had a gothic flair; the plot kept me guessing and I didn’t see any of the twists coming until they were right there in front of me. Kirk writes with a literary flair that got me a bit bogged down at times, but I enjoyed the tangled story she told and look forward to seeing what she dreams up next.  

This book was provided to Mystery Playground by the publisher. The review is fair and independent.

Review: A Noise Downstairs by Linwood Barclay

New York Times Bestselling author Linwood Barclay has a new novel on bookshelves and Kerry Hammond wants to tell us about it.

A Noise Downstairs by Linwood Barclay was released in Hardcover on July 24, by William Morrow. Barclay is the author of nearly twenty novels, both standalones and series installments. I’ve read quite a few of his creations and I always enjoy the interesting plots that he cooks up. When I found out that A Noise Downstairs contained a possibly sinister vintage typewriter I was immediately hooked.

In A Noise Downstairs, Paul Davis is a college professor in Connecticut. His world is turned upside down when an encounter with a colleague turns into a nightmare. Davis catches another professor, Kenneth Hoffman, in the process of disposing of the bodies of two women he’s murdered. When Kenneth perceives Paul as a threat, he attempts to make him his third victim. Paul survives the encounter, but does not come out unscathed. He suffers from memory loss and a form of PTSD, which requires him to seek the help of a therapist.

Paul’s wife brings home a vintage typewriter to inspire his writing, and to cheer him up. He couldn’t be happier to receive such a gift, but the typewriter’s novelty soon wears off when Paul wakes in the night to hear it typing. All by itself. With no one in the house. As if it were possessed. What follows is Paul’s possible descent into madness and his struggle to deal with what happened with Kenneth Hoffman.

This book had a very unique premise and I love that. I couldn’t decide if the story was going to stay within the realm of reality or trail off into science fiction, but I was along for the ride and ready for whichever way it might take me. I think Barclay is a true storyteller and I enjoyed the ride, including the shout out to the vintage typewriter! There were more than a few twists and turns and I didn’t guess half of them. If you’re looking to be entertained by an interesting story, you’re in for a treat.

Review: The Day of the Dead by Nicci French

Nicci French’s 8th and FINAL book in the Frieda Klein series is out and Kerry Hammond is here to give us her review.

The Day of the Dead by Nicci French is the 8^th and final book in the exciting Frieda Klein series written by British husband and wife team, Nicci Gerard and Sean French. It was published on July 24, in Trade Paperback by William Morrow. Followers of this series, myself included, have been anticipating the finale since book one, Blue Monday. Frieda is a wonderful character and I have looked forward to each new book in the series.

Frieda Klein is a Psychotherapist living in London who has spent years being stalked by psychopath Dean Reeve. Reeve is a master at hiding from the police and killing innocent people, and he is obsessed with Frieda. From the beginning, she has tried to stay a step ahead of him, tried to help the police catch him—even when they didn’t even believe her that he was still alive. She is the only one who can get inside his mind and who stands a chance at guessing what he’ll do next. But up until now she has been unable to stop him.

In The Day of the Dead Frieda has gone into hiding. She has left her family and friends, telling no one where she’s gone. She knows Reeves will kill to get to her and in order to protect those she loves, she needs to distance herself and attempt to catch him, or die trying. One snag in her plans is Lola Hayes, a criminology student who is studying Frieda for her thesis. When she finds Frieda, she puts herself in danger and the only way Frieda can keep her safe is to take her along with her. It is soon clear that Lola’s life is still in danger and Frieda may not be able to save everyone, least of all herself.

Reading the last book in a series is always bittersweet. I struggled between savoring every word and devouring them to get to the end. I loved that although Frieda is the main character, she doesn’t even appear until nearly page 100. As onlookers, we first see the lives of her friends who are worrying about her, going about their business as if in a fog. We see people who don’t know her discussing her whereabouts and her history in dealing with Reeve. We watch police detectives investigating new crimes as bodies are turning up around town with no clear connection. When Frieda does appear the real manhunt begins and the cat and mouse game is ramped up.

Although there is no mystery as to who the killer is, there are twists and turns along the way as Frieda attempts to trap Reeve. Even though I anticipated a certain ending to the story, I was still surprised at the events that transpired and found myself drawn in until I had turned the last page.  

This book was provided to Mystery Playground by the publisher. The review is fair and independent.

Review: It All Falls Down by Sheena Kamal

Sheena Kamal’s second book in her Nora Watts series is out and Kerry Hammond is here with her review.

Sheena Kamal has created one of the most interesting new characters I have come across in a very long time. Nora Watts first appeared in the The Lost Ones and is now back in her second installment; It All Falls Down released on July 3 in Hardcover by William Morrow. I thoroughly enjoyed The Lost Ones and was eager to get my hands on the next book in the series in order to see where Kamal would take her character.

In The Lost Ones, Nora is faced with her past when she is contacted by the parents of a daughter she gave up for adoption. When she sets out to look for her daughter, she is faced with the ghosts of her past life and the choices she has made. In It All Falls Down, Nora is once again dealing with her past; this time it relates to her parents. She and her sister, Lorelei, lost both parents at a very young age. Their mother abandoned them shortly after they were born and their father committed suicide not long after she left. The girls were sent to live with an aunt and then ended up in foster care, an experience that shaped each of their lives in very different ways.

A mysterious stranger turns up and mentions her father’s time in the military and an incident in Lebanon. This encounter sends Nora on a quest that leads her to Detroit, Michigan and once again puts her life in danger. She finds out that there was more to her mother’s abandonment and her father’s death—much more. As she unravels the information, she is forced to look at her own life and perhaps change how she has always viewed her childhood and her parents.

Book two was just as enjoyable as book one. Kamal is an excellent storyteller and Nora is an exciting character. There are writers who tell you a story and then there are those that can transport you to the world they have created; telling a story so realistically that the reader feels like they’re there in the thick of it. Kamal is in the latter category and she manages to immerse her readers in the world she has created. In this book it’s the gritty streets of Detroit with a woman whose experiences have shaped her outlook and actions. This is a series that I will continue to read and will recommend to others who enjoy this genre.