Kristopher Zgorski – Behind the Blogger

From the Booking Desk: Depending on what device you are viewing BOLO Books on, you may notice over the next few weeks that we are changing up the look of the blog.  I am working with someone who knows much more about these things than I do – more on that later...

The Marsh King’s Daughter – The BOLO Books Review

To law enforcement and the world, Jacob Halbrook is a kidnapper and a rapist, but to Helena Pelletier he is simply “father.” In The Marsh King’s Daughter, the new novel by Karen Dionne, the complexity of this familial relationship is examined over the course of time...

Cast the First Stone – The BOLO Books Review

“And so you left your hometown To try out for the part Everybody’s pretty little angel With a pretty little heart” Melissa Etheridge, Map of the Stars Hollywood has always been that elusive locale folks dream of running off to – a place where stardom,...

The Long Drop – The BOLO Books Review

Denise Mina’s The Long Drop is a unique book in the crime fiction genre. Not quite true crime, but also not a fictional tale, The Long Drop is somewhat similar to the method Truman Capote used with In Cold Blood – fiction inspired by actual events. However you...

More Bookshots – The BOLO Books Review(s)

From the Booking Desk: On a recent road trip, my car-mates and I decided to listen to two novellas from James Patterson’s Bookshots output during the journey. My only other experience with Bookshots was reading and reviewing The Witnesses, written in collaboration...

Anthony Award Nominations 2017

From the Booking Desk: The 2017 Anthony Award nominations have been announced on the Toronto Bouchercon website. Please check there for any changes or updates. Below is a list of the nominees along with links to the BOLO Books review of those titles covered here on...

Marathon – The BOLO Books Review

When a writer sets out to tell a very timely story with direct correlation to current events, it can be a tricky endeavor. For most, reading is viewed as a pastime, an entertainment if you will, and being bombarded with depressing current affairs can sometimes alter...

Organizing Crime – Some BOLO Books Thoughts

From the Booking Desk: When you walk through the bookroom at one of the many crime fiction conventions worldwide, you just never know what you might discover. You could stumble upon a first edition of that book you love, a signed copy of a new bestseller, or a book to...

Crime Song – The BOLO Books Review

Crime Song is the second book in David Swinson’s series featuring anti-hero Frank Marr. As with the series debut, The Second Girl, Swinson excels at the policing elements of the plot due to his own history with the occupation. David Swinson’s attitude toward the...

Malice Domestic 2017 – The BOLO Books Recap

From the Booking Desk: Malice Domestic is the yearly crime fiction convention held in/near Bethesda, Maryland. About half the size of Bouchercon, Malice Domestic is a cozier affair – in all definitions of the word. Since Malice celebrates the traditional mystery,...