A Brief Summary:

There’s no “fun” in “fund-raiser” for Judith McMonigle Flynn when she donates an overnight stay at Hillside Manor for the parish school’s annual auction and the winning bid goes to the persnickety Paine family. Then her husband Joe’s latest surveillance job ends abruptly when an insurance fraud suspect is blown away. Unfortunately the gun belongs to Joe, who finds himself in a jail cell while Judith tries to find what’s left of her mind—and the real killer.

But Joe’s dilemma and the unbearable Paines aren’t Judith’s only problems. Her cantankerous mother, Gertrude, has agreed to let a wealthy parishioner stable a horse in her tool-shed apartment; Cousin Renie is trying to force-feed her loathsome Shrimp Dump recipe to the parish cookbook fund-raising committee; and neighbor Arlene Rankers wants to know why some parish school kids, including her grandson, are sick after the weekly hamburger lunch. What else could possibly go wrong? On the other hand, at Hillside Manor, what can possibly go right?

Our Take:

This was the first book we read from this series and our impression is that this novel is written for the loyal fans of the series. It seemed to us that the author assumes all readers are familiar with the characters and anything that has happened previously in a series. Therefore at times we felt a bit ill-informed in terms of the character backgrounds and their relationships to each other.

The characters in this book didn't seem real but we appreciate the fact that this might be the style in which the author has adopted. There were many references to the events in Judith's other mysteries and that also got us lost a bit.

Overall, we believe if a reader likes books by Carolyn Hart and Joanne Fluke, this will be an enjoyable read. We also advise you not to start with this book if you are new to the series (after all it was not too smart to start with the 26th book in the series).

Our Rating: 3.0

Like Books By Mary Daheim?

If you enjoy novels from Bed and Breakfast series, you can check out the following titles. Click on the images to go to Amazon page for each book.

How did you come to write the story?

Years ago – during a prior career as a television writer/producer – I made a two-hour documentary about the Vatican (called “The Vatican Revealed,” still available on DVD from Amazon!). While filming that documentary, we shot for two days in Avignon, France, where a series of French popes were based for most of the 14^th century. The Palace of the Popes – the biggest Gothic palace in Europe – totally blew me away, and I knew I wanted to go back someday. The idea of setting a modern crime novel there germinated a couple of years ago, from that seed that was planted in 1998. The eventual fruit was The Inquisitor’s Key, which weaves together a modern murder, a medieval mystery, the Shroud of Turin, and a skeleton that might (or might not be) the bones of Christ.

How did you research the novel?

My scientific collaborator, forensic anthropologist Dr. Bill Bass, and I talked in detail about the modern forensic techniques that would be used to examine a skeleton that could potentially be that of Jesus. In addition, I read many, many books on Avignon, the popes of Avignon, the Shroud of Turin, and medieval art & artists. Finally, I spent a grueling – grueling – week in Avignon consuming wine, cheese, and … er, I mean, researching history, art, and Avignon’s Inquisitor-turned-Pope.

What was most difficult about it?

Weaving together the dual narratives – modern and medieval – was complicated: like a 3D jigsaw puzzle. Even more difficult, though, are the withdrawal pangs I’ve suffered since finishing the book and ending my time-traveling stint in Avignon.

Give us a writing tip.

If you’re stuck in one part of a story, jump ahead, or back, or sideways – to a different project, if need be – to keep moving. As my novelist friend Julianna says, go where the energy is.

What are you working on now?

Guest blogs and social-media promotion of The Inquisitor’s Key (titled The Bones of Avignon in the United Kingdom, BTW).  Also, two short stories for an anthology of murder tales – one story  by “Jefferson Bass,” the other by Jon Jefferson.

Thank you very much for your time.

Like Books By Jefferson Bass?

If forensics is your cup of tea, you can check out the following titles. Click on each image to go to Amazon page for each book.

Steve Berry

The Amber Room

The Romanov Prophecy

Today, Berry's novels have earned spots on The New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, and BookSense bestseller lists. He has nearly 11 million books in print, which have been translated into 37 languages and sold in 50 countries. "The Columbus Affair " is his new novel.

A Brief Summary:

Pulitzer Prize–winning investigative journalist Tom Sagan has written hard-hitting articles from hot spots around the world. But when a controversial report from a war-torn region is exposed as a fraud, his professional reputation crashes and burns. Now he lives in virtual exile—haunted by bad decisions and the shocking truth he can never prove: that his downfall was a deliberate act of sabotage by an unknown enemy. But before Sagan can end his torment with the squeeze of a trigger, fate intervenes in the form of an enigmatic stranger with a request that cannot be ignored.

Zachariah Simon has the look of a scholar, the soul of a scoundrel, and the zeal of a fanatic. He also has Tom Sagan’s estranged daughter at his mercy. Simon desperately wants something only Sagan can supply: the key to a 500-year-old mystery, a treasure with explosive political significance in the modern world. For both Simon and Sagan the stakes are high, the goal intensely personal, the consequences of opposing either man potentially catastrophic. On a perilous quest from Florida to Vienna to Prague and finally to the mountains of Jamaica, the two men square off in a dangerous game. Along the way, both of their lives will be altered—and everything we know about Christopher Columbus will change.

Our Take:

Historical secrets, grand conspiracies and action-packed storylines…Steve Berry excels at such things.

This book follows the similar pattern of Berry's previous novels: A piece of historical fact is mixed with some elements of mystery and a lead character or a group, at the present time, are trying to find the secret behind a historical object or location. There are usually some evil characters involved who want to stop the hero from making progress.

If this sort of thriller is your cup of tea, or if you are a Berry's loyal fan, then you will enjoy this book. It has all the elements in which you might like in a Da Vinci Code type of story: An exciting action-packed storyline, conspiracies, historical mysteries and interesting setting. Overall, this was a good read an we liked it.

Our Rating: 3.7

Like Books By Steve Berry?

You can check out the following interesting titles from this author. Click on the images to go to Amazon page for each book.

A Brief Summary:

In a Berlin hotel room in the late 1990s, two former French intelligence agents hire Klaus Reiner, a ruthlessly effective killer, to eliminate an American industrialist vacationing in southwestern France. Reiner easily locates his target in the small Dordogne village of Taziac, but the hit is compromised when three innocent people are in the wrong place at the wrong time. Enter Inspector Paul Mazarelle. Formerly of Paris but now living in Taziac, the inspector is charged with bringing his experience and record of success in the capital to bear on the gruesome quadruple homicide at the height of tourist season.

Both Mazarelle’s investigation and Reiner’s job become complicated when Molly, a New York City district attorney and daughter of two of the victims, arrives to identify the bodies and begins asking questions. All evidence points to Ali Sedak, a local Arab handyman, but Mazarelle and Molly have doubts, forcing Reiner to return to Taziac to ensure they see things as he arranged them. Little does anyone in the picturesque French countryside know how politically charged this crime is: its global ramifications, stemming from the NATO bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade, could overshadow everything.

Our Take:

This is a very refreshing story with a style which we have not usually seen from American authors: The book has a European flavor with most of the story happening in relatively small towns in France. The lea character reminded us a little of Georges Simenon's Commissaire Maigret. Character development is very strong and quite bit of detail is provided on the life of Inspector Mazarelle and his personal challenges, his past life in Paris and his dead wife.

But beyond all these, there is something in the way the author writes his dialogues and shapes the characters that made us love the book.

Gerald Jay is truly a master in elegant use of language and a bright star in the world of crime fiction.

Our Rating: 5.0

This is one of those books that we really loved. You can check out the Amazon page for the book by clicking on the image below.

Just before the start of the summer reading season, Amazon announced its annual list of the Most Well-Read Cities in America yesterday. The ranking was determined by compiling sales data of all book, magazine and newspaper sales in both print and Kindle format since June 1, 2011, on a per capita basis in cities with more than 100,000 residents.

The interesting thing in the list was that New York was not even among the Top 20. The reason is kind of clear: The City has around 8 million inhabitants and although there are a lot of students and avid readers in New York, that is not enough to offset the impact of a huge segment of the population who are alien to books.

Anyways, here are the Top 10 cities on the list and Mystery Tribune's first impression on why each of them are on the list:

1. Alexandria, Va.

MT: It's close to Washington D.C.; there are lots of Think Tanks and NGOs; also close to several universities…

2. Cambridge, Mass.

MT: Harvard; MIT and all those nerds…you get the picture.

3. Berkeley, Calif.

MT: Proximity to University of California in Berkeley.

4. Ann Arbor, Mich.

MT: Similar…It's where one of the Big 8 Universities is located.

5. Boulder, Colo.

MT: No Idea…maybe the folks who live there are very literate?

6. Miami

MT: Retired folks trying to fill up their free time with books…or maybe lot of people who want to lie down and browse some magazines…

7. Arlington, Va.

MT: Same as Alexandria…Lots of government folks, NGOs and also proximity to several universities.

8. Gainesville, Fla.

MT: Not sure…Maybe it's the same as Miami?

9. Washington, D.C.

MT: It's the capital…government agencies might buy a lot of books…NGOs and media organizations might be a factor too.

10. Salt Lake City

MT: No Idea…HELP!

Amazon's analysis also revealed some other interesting details: 

• Berkeley, Calif., is a city full of jet-setters – it topped the list by ordering the most Travel books.
• Boulder, Colo., keeps the closest eye on its waistline by topping the list of cities that order the most books in the Health, Fitness & Dieting category.
• Virginia is for lovers – Alexandria, Va., that is, which tops the charts in the Romance book category.
• Cambridge, Mass., grows the most budding entrepreneurs. These locals topped the list for ordering the most books in the Business & Investing category.

Aileen – Life and Death of a Serial Killer is a 2003 feature-length documentary film about Aileen Wuornos, the famous prostitute who used to kill her clients, made by Nick Broomfield as a follow-up to his 1992 film Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial Killer. The film focuses on Wuornos' declining mental state and the questionable judgment to execute her despite her being of unsound mind.

The film climaxes in a final interview with Wuornos just one day before her execution. In the interview, she states that she was tortured while in prison and claims that the prison used sonic pressure to control or alter her mental state. In a fit of rage, Wuornos rails against a society that she says "railroaded my ass" before abruptly ending the interview. Broomfield comments that he finds it hard to understand how the same person in front of him was deemed "of sound mind" the day before by Florida governor Jeb Bush's psychiatric examiners.

Broomfield seems to be promoting an anti-death penalty agenda with the movie: He presents an interesting piece of data which shows states without death penalty have lower murder rates. This is a bit irrelevant to the main character and might be correlational but it is still something very interesting to think about.

Some critics argue since it costs the states around $1 million to execute someone, even half that amount can be used to hire more cops and do things which decrease the murder rate…We like the idea though we believe in reality, crime prevention is more complicated than that.

Overall, this is a nice documentary an you will be mesmerized by the true and tragic story of a paranoid prostitute who began killing her customers in a murderous rage.

Like Movies About Aileen Wuornos?

You can check out the following notable titles. Click on the images to go to Amazon page for each book.

Sara Blaedel

A Brief Summary:

A young woman in Copenhagen, Susanne Hansson, becomes the victim of an unusually brutal rape attack in her own home. detective inspector Louise Rick is summoned to talk to the victim, where she quickly determines that Susanne met the rapist via a dating website, a fact that Susanne shamefully tries to hide, especially from her domineering mother.

The police suspect that the rapist may have been caught on video in the subway, so Louise and a colleague go through the tapes. They’re lucky enough to find him, but unfortunately the image is blurry and shows him only in profile. While the police investigation is making progress, things take a negative turn for Susanne, who tries to commit suicide. The rape is not the only reason.

In the meantime Louise becomes more and more immersed in the online dating world. In her search she comes across the web site “nightwatch.dk,” which allows her to upload images that show people out in the night-time scene and who they’re with. She finds a picture of the man, who is now calling himself “Prinzz.” She contacts him using the name "Princess," and they agree to meet.

Our Take:

We liked the plot of this novel and enjoyed all the realistic details the author provides on the police investigation methods. The novel starts slowly but the tension picks up and by the late chapters, the reader become very absorbed in the story.

The relationship between the characters, the use of language in the dialogues and the choice of words didn't ring true. We think that may partially be because of translation. The lead character Louise also was developed in such a way that we did not feel very close to. This is something that might change in the future books in the series. Overall, an entertaining read.

Our Rating: 3.5 

Like Books By Sara Blaedel?

You can click on the images to go to Amazon page for each book.

Her debut thriller, Sworn to Silence, garnered starred reviews from Library Journal, Publisher’s Weekly, and Booklist—and hit the New York Times bestseller list for four consecutive weeks.  The book will soon be made into a two-hour original movie starring Neve Campbell as Kate Burkholder. The second and third books in the series, Pray for Silence and Breaking Silence, also appeared on the New York Times bestseller list.

We recently conducted a Q&A with the author about her upcoming work, Gone Missing which comes next.

Tell us a bit about Gone Missing?

Gone Missing is the fourth book in my Kate Burkholder thriller series set in Ohio’s Amish country.  A teenaged Amish girl has disappeared while on “rumspringa” which is the time when Amish teens get to break the rules before committing to the church—all while the adults look the other way.  Because of her Amish roots and fluency in Pennsylvania Dutch, chief of police Kate Burkholder is called upon by state agent—and part-time lover—John Tomasetti to assist in the investigation.  The case takes them to the northeastern part of the state where they discover a crime scene that indicates murder.  As they delve into the girl’s disappearance they discover links to cold cases that go back years and a killer with his sights set on some of the most vulnerable in Amish society.

How did you research the book? Why Amish community?

I’m originally from a small town in Western Ohio so I know the rural lifestyle.  Painters Mill is a fictitious town—but I’ve set that town in Holmes County, which has the largest population of Amish in the world.  In the course of my research for the series, I made several trips to Millersburg and surrounding areas, talking to people and soaking in the as much of the local flavor and Amish culture as possible.  Last summer when I toured with Breaking Silence, I met an Amish man who’d read the book and loved it.  He’s the curator of the Amish and Mennonite Heritage Center and invited me to a tour.  I was absolutely blown away by the Behalt, a stunning 265 ft. mural-in-the-round, depicting the history of the Amish and Mennonites.  I was spellbound throughout the tour and learned a lot about the history and persecution of the Anabaptists.

What was challenging for you when writing the book?

The Amish are a closed society and most wish to remain separate from the “English” or the rest of the world.  Their belief system doesn’t allow them to have their photos taken.  Because of those things, research can be a challenge.  I’ve been lucky in that I’ve visited Amish country and met several people, both Amish and English, who help me get the research correct.  I also turn to the book Amish Society by John A. Hostetler, which has been invaluable.

Where Do You write?

Most mornings I take my laptop to a local coffee shop where I’m nose down in the book for 2-3 hours.  In the afternoons, I write at my home office, edit, or work on administrative tasks.

Who's your favorite writer?

Oh, it’s so difficult to narrow it down to just one!  There are so many writers whose work I adore.  Gillian Flynn. Tana French. Lisa Unger. Tami Hoag.  Chevy Stevens.  C.J. Box.  John Hart.  Do I have to stop there?

Give us a writing tip.

For those of you who are writing a thriller, suspense, or crime fiction:  I always challenge myself with this:  Just when you think the situation can’t get any worse, make it worse.  That can be on an internal, emotional level or on an external/plot level.

What are you working on now?

I’m about midway through the sixth book in my Kate Burkholder series.  I also have a standalone crime fiction novel in the works that I’m very excited about.  It’s set in West Virginia’s mining country and features a female private detective with a tarnished past.  I can’t wait to introduce this heroine to my readers!  Really excited about both projects…

Thank you very much for your time.

Like Books By Linda Castillo?

You can check out the following notable titles from this author. Click on the images to go to Amazon page for each book.

In a new statement, CBS network announced yesterday that CSI: Miami, the second in the CSI franchise, is canceled. According to the network, the series “leaves an amazing television legacy – a signature look and style, global popularity and as a key player in CBS’s rise to the top over the past decade.” The show ran for 10 seasons. According to CBS, the other CSI spinoff, CSI:NY would survive and continue in the next season.

CSI: Miami (Crime Scene Investigation: Miami), which ran from September 23, 2002, to April 8, 2012 on CBS, was first broadcast in United States as an episode of CSI from the second season. Since then the series has produced 10 seasons. The series is produced in partnership with the Canadian media company Alliance Atlantis and CBS Television Studios. During the ninth season, the 200th episode aired.

Inspired by the series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CSI: Miami follows a South Florida team of forensic investigators/police officers who use both cutting-edge scientific methods and old-fashioned police work to solve crimes. Lieutenant Horatio Caine heads the team of investigators while working crimes in the steamy tropical surroundings and cultural crossroads of Miami. Horatio, his second in command Detective Calleigh Duquesne, and their team probe cases similar to those of their Las Vegas counterparts, but Miami CSIs are cops first and scientists second.

Like CSI:Miami TV series?

If you like the series, you can check out the following seasons on DVD. Click on the images to go to Amazon page for each title.

If you read the International section of your daily newspaper, you have definitely read about the economic hardship in which Greece is going through for the last 3 years. Well, the Greek author Petros Márkaris, who is famous for his detective novels starring the grumpy Athenian police investigator Costas Haritos, is turning the whole thing into a crime fiction.

I Pairaiosi, or The Settlement, the latest book by the author is about a serial killer who is stalking the wealthy suburbs of Athens with an idiosyncratic choice of victims: They are all rich Greeks who have failed to pay their taxes, and their corpses have been left scattered among the ruins of the ancient city, dead of hemlock poisoning, the means of Socrates' execution.

Although the book is centered around a fictional story, it has a main plot which resonates strongly with a mass readership furious at the country's tax-dodging elite whose fecklessness has helped bring Greece to its knees. 

The book is yet to be translated into English language for American market, but has already created a lot of buzz in the European blogsphere.