by Kristopher | Feb 6, 2023 | Review
With The House Guest, Hank Phillippi Ryan continues her string of excellent cat-and-mouse stand-alone thrillers, keeping readers wrong-footed throughout as they struggle to determine who is telling the truth and whose every word is a lie. The House Guest begins as...
by Kristopher | Feb 3, 2023 | Review
Keeping a long running series fresh for almost two dozen books is a challenge for any author, but works like A Killing of Innocents—the nineteenth Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James mystery—by Deborah Crombie make it look easy. The release of this new entry in this beloved...
by Kristopher | Jan 31, 2023 | Review
From the moment Finlay Donovan sat down at that Panera Bread table in Finlay Donovan is Killing It, crime fiction fans knew she was a character who would be having many more on-page adventures. After the madcap escapades of Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘em Dead, Finlay and...
by Kristopher | Jan 20, 2023 | Composite Sketch
Holly West and I have been friends since we first encountered each other at a mystery convention years ago. I love sitting down with her to have an extended conversation, because you just never know where that rabbit trail will lead. But you can count on it being both...
by Kristopher | Jan 19, 2023 | Composite Sketch
Deb Well can often be found at crime fiction conventions by the side of her “partner in crime” Gabriel Valjan, but make no mistake about it, she is also a huge fan of the entire genre. Always approachable, gregarious, and full of interesting information,...
by Kristopher | Jan 17, 2023 | Composite Sketch
Having seen Wanda M. Morris’ performance on one of those lying panels, where authors try to trick the audience into believing a story that is completely false, I would say always be cautious around this one–She’s got game! That said, the honesty and...
by Kristopher | Jan 13, 2023 | Review
There are many different things that can make a novel a critical darling. It could be the depth of characterization that resonates with the reader. Sometimes the setting is brought to life in such a realistic way that readers feel transported. Or maybe the plot is...
by Kristopher | Jan 11, 2023 | Review
Knowing that an Indian author, who resides in Singapore, has written a crime novel set in Mumbai, it is only natural that some readers would expect a work that sheds new light on old perspectives and something that might defy standard expectations because of the...
by Kristopher | Jan 10, 2023 | Review
Scandinavian crime fiction has a reputation of being some of the most morally complex and gritty writing available in the genre. This of course is a stereotype, but like most stereotypes, it is rooted in some grains of truth. One recent example from the region—Blaze...
by Kristopher | Jan 6, 2023 | Review
The crime fiction community knows Craig Sisterson for his excellent book reviews, his stellar panel moderation, and his overall extensive background knowledge of the genre itself, but being unable to sit back and rest, Sisterson is also the editor of two excellent...
