The Bomb Maker Mysterious Book Report No. 328 by John Dwaine McKenna One way to judge the character of a hero is by assessing the nature of his or her adversary. The wickeder the villain, the more courageous the protagonist will appear to be, because conflict creates drama, and it is the following sequence of events . . . emotional, turbulent or tragic . . . which keeps readers
Pushback Mysterious Book Report 354 by John Dwaine McKenna Serendipity is the ability to make a fortunate discovery by accident... which is just what happened to the MBR last summer, when an author we were interviewing asked if we had read or reviewed the work of a sci-fi writer named John Stith. “No,” the MBR is crime fiction oriented was the reply. “Well, you should,” she said, “because he
Author Interview: John Stith by John Dwaine McKenna Our interviewee today is bestselling and award-winning author John Stith, whose newest thriller Pushback, is reviewed in MBR No 354, along with a brief account of our own serendipitous introduction by Ms. Nickless. It’s an honor to be able to speak with you, and please accept our sincere thank you for doing so. That said, here’s our first question: Who’s your
Wrecked Mysterious Book Report No. 361 by John Dwaine McKenna One of the most original, interesting and compelling characters in contemporary crime fiction is an unlicensed private eye named Isaiah Quintabe . . . “IQ” to his friends, clients and legions of readers. He’s the creation of award-winning California novelist Joe Ide, who’s just come out with his third—and best, in our opinion—installment of IQ’s adventures in his East
Interview With The Author: Joe Ide by John Dwaine McKenna Hello, to all of you out there in the MBR Nation, and welcome to our author interview with Joe Ide, one of the hottest new authors on the literary scene today, whose newest work is reviewed in MBR number 360. And thanks Joe for taking time to speak to our audience today and sharing your thoughts with us. I’ve
The Boy Who Killed Demons Mysterious Book Report No. 215 by John Dwaine McKenna Our Halloween Freak-fest continues this week with a YA (Young Adult) novel whose title says it all. His name is Henry Dudlow. He’s “fifteen and a half and cursed. Or damned. Take your pick.” The reason? “I see demons,” in Henry’s own words. And so begins, The Boy Who Killed Demons, (Overlook Press, Peter Mayer
Interview With The Author: Rob Hart by John Dwaine McKenna We have an exciting author interview this week with an author whom we’ve admired since his work was first brought to our attention by the folks at Otto Penzler’s Mysterious Book Shop in New York City a few years ago. His name is Rob Hart, and it’s one to remember because he’s going to be a monster in the
My Bad, A Mile High Noir Mysterious Book Report No. 264 by John Dwaine McKenna The word noir (pronounced NWAR) comes from the French. Its literal translation is black, but it can be interpreted as dark or wicked. As it applies to the Mysterious Book Report, it’s a type of crime fiction that’s characterized by cynicism, fatalism and moral ambiguity. The noir genre has become so popular over the
Interview With The Author: Manuel Ramos by John Dwaine McKenna The Mysterious Book Report would like to extend a warm welcome to Denver native and acclaimed award-winning fellow crime fiction writer Manuel Ramos, who’s put a Hispanic twist to the hard-boiled genre with an ex-con turned private eye named Gus Corral, whose sardonic voice narrates his stories. It’s a pleasure and an honor to speak to you Manuel,
Potter’s Field Mysterious Book Report No. 348 by John Dwaine McKenna Three years ago, a new writing talent appeared and lit up the hard-boiled crime scene like machine-gun fire on a moonless night. The author’s name was Rob Hart, and his character, Ash McKenna, is a tough guy who—like Raymond Chandler’s Phillip Marlowe—gives bad-assiveness a good name. Happily, he’s now back in his fifth adventure. Potter’s Field, (Polis Books,