Widespread Panic Mysterious Book Report No. 453 by John Dwaine McKenna In a departure of sorts from his usual crime thrillers, master wordsmith and MWA Grand Master James Ellroy takes a wiiiiiiiiild, wacky and wonked out trip down the paranormal rabbit hole, based on the schemes of a notorious real-life Hollywood fixer, PI and bent cop named Fred Otash. Hot off the presses, (released June 15, 2021) Widespread Panic,
City of Fallen Angels Mysterious Book Report No. 452 by John Dwaine McKenna City of Fallen Angels, (Legend Press, PB, $15.95, 222 pages, ISBN 978-1-78955-981-1), by Paul Buchanan, is a debut novel that announces in a loud and clear voice, the arrival of a first-rate new author, writing in a classic noir tradition. The novel opens in Los Angeles. It’s August of 1962 and the city is sweltering in
How To Betray Your Country Mysterious Book Report No. 451 by John Dwaine McKenna August Drummond is his name and he’s an enigma . . . a British Secret Service agent who’s lost his wife in a traffic accident and his job for punching another intelligence officer during a hearing in which Drummond was suspected of using classified materials to aid a foreign national in a series of ‘Robin
Arctic Storm Rising Mysterious Book Report No. 450 by John Dwaine McKenna Bestselling author Dale Brown has just launched a new, edge-of-your-seat military thriller that features a brand-new protagonist with a talent for smartassery, a nose for trouble and enough steel in his character to build a battleship. He’s a U.S. Air Force Intelligence and Special Operations Officer whose rank is captain. His name is Nick Flynn, and Arctic
City of Dark Corners Mysterious Book Report No. 449 by John Dwaine McKenna The horrific death of a beautiful young college coed that takes place in the burgeoning city of Phoenix, Arizona during the spring of 1933 is the focus of a dandy new novel that’s written in the best pulp fiction traditions of Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler. City of Dark Corners, (Poisoned Pen, PB, $15.99, 256 pages,
Hold Fast Mysterious Book Report No. 448 by John Dwaine McKenna Just in time for the start of the summer reading season, a brand-new author has brought out the first volume of what we hope will be a long-running seafaring series in the tradition of Patrick O’Brian and Bernard Corwell. Hold Fast, (Norton, $25.95, 256 pages, ISBN 978-0-393-86704-6) by J.H. Gelernter, opens in England, in the year of our
Basil’s War Mysterious Book Report No. 447 by John Dwaine McKenna Author Stephen Hunter—who wrote the popular and best-selling series featuring a Viet Nam era sniper named Bob Lee Swagger—has just come up with a new character from an earlier and bigger conflict, whose name is Basil St. Florian. He’s a WWII British Army Captain, a master of wit, wine and women . . . as well as a
The Measure of Time Mysterious Book Report No. 446 by John Dwaine McKenna If you’re a fan of long, contemplative novels that feature many memorable insights into numerous character’s thoughts and memories . . . The Measure of Time, (Bitter Lemon Press, PB, $14.95, 285 pages, ISBN 978-6913394-48-6) by bestselling and award-winning Italian author, Gianrico Carofiglio, is just what you want. It’s the sixth volume in his Guido Guerrieri
Northern Heist Mysterious Book Report No. 445 by John Dwaine McKenna Belfast, Northern Ireland, has for decades been one of the most contentious, strife-ridden and fought-over territories in the world . . . which makes it a great place to set an electrifying crime fiction and thriller novel. Northern Heist, (Melville House, $26.99, 269 pages, ISBN 978-1-61219-903-0) by Richard O’Rawe, takes place in 2004, when a former IRA heavyweight
Interview With The Author: Otho Eskin by John Dwaine McKenna Mr. Eskin is a talented, well traveled and accomplished author whose exciting first novel is reviewed in Mysterious Book Report No. 444. He has much to share with us, so let’s begin. Here’s our first question: When do you write? I try to write six hours a day, six days a week, from noon to six. Mornings I reserve