Mysterious Book Report No. 254 The Second Life of Nick Mason by John Dwaine McKenna Author Steve Hamilton’s Alex McKnight series won an Edgar Award and captured a boatload of other major crime fiction distinctions, including two listings on the New York Times notable books of the year roster. Pretty impressive, to say the least. Now, he’s begun a new series with an anti-hero protagonist that’s creating an earthquake
The Fireman by Joe Hill Harper Collins, $28.99, 747 pages, ISBN 978-0-06-220063-1 When I had the pleasure of hearing this weeks author being interviewed on NPR a few days ago, he said something that hit me right in the funny bone. And although I admit to having a warped sense of humor, maybe it’ll resonate with you too. When the interviewer asked him if perhaps folks had had enough
Mysterious Book Report No. 252 Fever City by John Dwaine McKenna The joke’s on me . . . Some weeks ago I was queried by a publicist for Europa Editions in New York City: “Would I review a noir novel of theirs if they sent a copy?” I noted that it had a September release date and said, ‘Sure,” then got an ARC (advance review copy) in the mail
City of Rose by Rob Hart Polis Books, PB, $14.95, 270 pages, ISBN 978-1-940610-51-1 Is there any place on earth after you’ve grown up living in New York City . . . or anyplace you’d rather be . . . after growing up and living in New York City? It’s a conundrum for Ash McKenna, the self-described human wrecking ball and unskilled, but productive private investigator who’s damned good
Mysterious Book Report No. 250 The Mulberry Bush by John Dwaine McKenna Somewhere in the big junkyard that passes as my mind, there’s a snippet of a country song that goes . . . “I thought I’d been loved and I thought I’d been kissed, but that was before I met you . . .” which I’m going to rip off and paraphrase to introduce this week’s Mysterious Book
Pacific Burn Mysterious Book Report No. 249 by John Dwaine McKenna With a renewed focus on Asia of late, it seems as though there’s news and happenings on an hourly basis from the region. China, North and South Korea, Viet Nam, Cambodia, Burma, Taiwan, Tibet . . . and of course Japan, have all featured in the news recently . . . and why not? The majority of the
Bull Mountain by Brian Panowich Putnam/Penguin Random House, $26.95, 290 pages, ISBN 978-0-399-17396-7 This week’s author had a metric ton of A-list crime fiction writers heaping praise on his debut novel when it first appeared in the fall of last year. The likes of C.J. Box, John Connolly, James Ellroy and others were all highly complimentary of his work in their endorsements . . . and rightfully so, for
Spoils of Victory by John A. Connell Berkley/Penguin Random House, $27.00, 372 pages, ISBN 978-0-425-28156-7 Late last year an authentic, entertaining, and exciting new detective series hit the bookstores and became an instant success. Part crime fiction, part historical fiction and part military fiction, the novel featured a U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer (CWO) named Mason Collins. He’s a Criminal Investigations Division (CID) Officer in Occupied Germany just after
Mysterious Book Report No. 246 Where it Hurts by John Dwaine McKenna If you’re a fan of hard-boiled noir--as I am--you’re gonna love Gus Murphy. He’s the beat-down, used up, cynical, angry, divorced, grieving, cuckolded, bitter and weary ex-cop who’s tough as a ten year old steel-toed boot, but still as altruistic at heart as the first day he pinned on a policeman’s badge. He’s the newly-minted character from
Mysterious Book Report No. 245 The Yid by John Dwaine McKenna The legacy of Joseph Stalin, the ruthless dictator of the Soviet Union during the 1930s, 40s and early 50s, is one of famine, endless bloodshed and tens of millions of deaths due to malfeasance, malevolence and gross mismanagement. It was an era of terror for ordinary citizens . . . a time when neighbor spied upon neighbor and