Righteous by Joe Ide Mulholland Books/Little Brown & Co, $26.00, 326 pages, ISBN 978-0-316-26777-9 Isaiah Quintinabe—one of the most original sleuthhounds to ever grace the pages of mystery and crime fiction—is back in a second installment that’s equally as good, or better than his Edgar-nominated first, which was entitled simply IQ. Righteous, by Joe Ide, finds IQ on a mission. He’s the high school dropout from East Long Beach,
The Downside Mysterious Book Report No. 316 by John Dwaine McKenna The MBR is kicking off the New Year 2018 with one of the best caper novels to come our way since The Sting was made into a movie back in 1973. It features one of the most unique bad guys in current crime fiction. His name is Finn and he’s a professional thief who calls himself the last
The Ghosts of Galway by Ken Bruen Mysterious Press, $25.00, 330 pages, ISBN 978-0-8021-2733-4 We’re winding up the year here at the Mysterious Book Report with one of our favorite Irish authors. His name is Ken Bruen; a writer who’s witty, campy and filled to the brim with what can only be called Irish Noir. It’s a mixture of delicacy, violence, grief and guilt as depicted by his iconic,
The Smack by Richard Lange Muholland Books, Little Brown & Co, $26.00, 352 pages, ISBN 978-0-316-32762-6 The mean streets of Los Angeles are the setting for a new kind of novel that combines action with the troubles of the real world. It’s about people on the hustle, people who swindle others out of their money . . . they’re called grifters. Grifters have no conscience, no guilt, they’re only
The Shadow District by Arnaldur Indridason Thomas Dunne/Minotaur Books, $25.99, 344 pages ISBN 978-1-250-12402-9) Iceland, positioned at the top of the world between Europe and North America, is a land of active volcanoes, long winter nights and some of the best noir writers in the world. Case in point . . . the newest crime fiction thriller by international best-selling author Arnaldur Indridason is a meticulously plotted murder mystery
The Ways of Wolfe by James Carlos Blake The Mysterious Press, $25.00, 290 pages, ISBN 978-0-8021-2577-4 I always look forward to any new work by James Carlos Blake, because he’s a master of noir. He’s not the most prolific of authors, but he’s surely one of the most polished in all of crime fiction. He’s tackled historical figures such as John Wesley Hardin, Poncho Villa and John Dillinger, among
A Promise To Kill by Erik Storey Simon & Schuster, $26.00, 288 pages, ISBN 978-1-5011-2418-1 This is part 2 of our introduction to an exciting new hero in crime fiction named Clyde Barr. He’s the altruistic world traveler, the sometimes mercenary war fighter, and a man who’s always on the side of the underdog. He’s the creation of author Erik Storey, a writer who displays many of his character’s
Nothing Short of Dying Mysterious Book Report No 310 by John Dwaine McKenna We’re excited here at the MBR, to bring you part I of an event that only comes along once in a blue moon and is scarcer than two-buck Chuck at a gang-banger’s ball. It’s our awesome two-fer . . . just like the five-to-seven happy hour at the He Ain’t Here Lounge . . . we’re
The Trust by Ronald H. Balson St. Martin’s Press, $26.99, 356 pages, ISBN 978-1-250-12744-0 The Troubles, as the conflict in Northern Ireland during the 1970s, 80s and 90s became known, has long been an area of interest for the MBR. The sectarian violence there pitted Protestant Unionists—those in favor of remaining in the British Commonwealth—against Catholic Republicans—who wanted to join the Republic of Ireland—in some of the worst violence
A Game of Ghosts by John Connolly Atria/Emily Bestler Books, $26.99, 464 pages, ISBN 978-1-5011-7189-5 We’ve saved the best for last. Our final submission for this years MBR Freak Fest is by the undisputed heavyweight king of Gothic Noir Crime Fiction. His name is John Connolly. He’s an Irish writer who’s been atop worldwide best sellers charts for ages. His Charlie Parker private eye series is noirish crime fiction