Reviews
What You Want To See – The BOLO Books Review
When your debut novel is as universally enjoyed and critically acclaimed as Kristen Lepionka’s The Last Place You Look was, the pressure for the follow-up can be over-whelming. None of that fear makes it to the pages of What You Want To See. This second novel in the...
The Unseeing – The BOLO Books Review
The Unseeing is Anna Mazzola’s Edgar Award-nominated debut, the strength of which will have readers adding this author to their must-read list moving forward. The Unseeing is a unique blend of fact and fiction. The criminal case at the core of the novel really did...
Tangerine – The BOLO Books Review
It is rare that readers can escape into a debut that is so assured and well written that it feels like one is in the hands of an esteemed veteran of the literary world; but that is exactly the experience had while reading Christine Mangan’s Tangerine. The bulk of...
The Darkness – The BOLO Books Review (UK Edition)
Ragnar Jónasson’s Dark Iceland series has set the bar very high for this author’s unique brand of cozy noir mysteries, so readers may approach The Darkness – the first in a new series – with some trepidation. Rest assured, Jónasson has outdone himself with this new...
The Bad Break – The BOLO Books Review
Last year, Jill Orr introduced readers to Riley Ellison and the other residents of Tuttle Corner Virginia in her debut cozy mystery, The Good Byline. Now, in The Bad Break, Riley is back and just as hilarious as remembered. As The Bad Break begins, Riley has left her...
All the Beautiful Lies – The BOLO Books Review
Peter Swanson’s All the Beautiful Lies owes a fair bit of debt to Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolilta. Like the illicit “relationship” that forms the core of that classic novel, Swanson’s book deals with cross-generational obsession – except in the case of All the Beautiful...
Scot Free – The BOLO Books Review
After proving that she can write both historical cozies (the Dandy Gilver series) and an assortment of stand-alone suspense novels of every ilk, Catriona McPherson is once again trying to prove that she can conquer anything she sets her mind to – at least as far as...
The Other Mother – The BOLO Books Review
When thinking of modern authors who have a strong grasp on the Gothic tone, the name Carol Goodman must rise to the top. In novel after novel, she manages to find creative ways to explore the dark psychological temperaments common to the Gothic subgenre while also...
Sometimes I Lie – The BOLO Books Review
The unreliable narrator trend in crime fiction continues with many authors attempting to find new ways in which to explore this phenomenon. Alice Feeney decides to tackle the trope directly by having her character tell readers right from the start: “Sometimes I lie.”...
Penance – The BOLO Books Review
Towards the end of Stephen Sondheim’s musical Into the Woods, the Witch sings the lines “Careful the things you say, children will listen.” This is advice that Asako Adachi, the mother at the center of Kanae Minato’s Edgar Award-nominated novel Penance, should have...
The Hate U Give – The BOLO Books Review
The Hate U Give is Angie Thomas’ Edgar Award-nominated debut and it also happens to be one of the most important young adult novels of all time. Of course, this praise could be hyperbolic, but the significance of works that make tangible the social problems of the day...
Come and Find Me – The BOLO Books Review (UK Edition)
Come and Find Me is the fifth book in Sarah Hilary’s excellent and vastly under-rated mystery series. Like the others that precede it, this new novel puts DI Marnie Rome and her partner, Noah Jake, through the ringer – both emotionally and physically. However, as...
If I Die Tonight – The BOLO Books Review
The women of crime fiction have already made quite a mark on 2018 and we are only a few months into the year. The trend is going to continue next week when Alison Gaylin releases her latest impressive stand-alone suspense novel, If I Die Tonight. Crime fiction...
Dodging and Burning – The BOLO Books Review
There are few things as exciting to a reader as discovering an author at the beginning of their career. That sense of the unknown in palpable and once it is clear that the writer has the skills to captivate and entertain, the wonder at the magic of it all is...
The Widow’s House – The BOLO Books Review
Diehard fans of contemporary gothic suspense likely know the name Carol Goodman, but based on her consistently superior writing, recurring themes, and complex characters and plots, this author should be better known to crime fiction enthusiasts. The Widow’s House is...
The Photographer – The BOLO Books Review
Craig Robertson risks wading into rough waters with The Photographer, but the results are more than worth it. With a tale as timely as it is tense, Robertson advances his series in unexpected ways, while also trying to educate readers and validate victims. The...
The Undertaker’s Daughter – The BOLO Books Review
The writings of Sara Blaedel remain a treasure trove yet to be discovered by many crime fiction explorers. Her series featuring homicide detective Louise Rick is beloved by fans for its portrayal of the rarely-seen underbelly of Danish society, but with The...
The Night of the Flood – The BOLO Books Review
It is not easy to come up with new concepts for short story anthologies. In recent years we have seen anthologies based around the music catalog of certain artists – such as Trouble in the Heartland – and those focused on a certain location – such as the Anthony-Award...
Sunburn – The BOLO Books Review
Sunburn is a Pandora’s box of a novel – looking harmless on the exterior, but ultimately harboring complexity beyond measure within. It represents Laura Lippman’s homage to the masterpieces of noir, while never being anything less than authentic Lippman. Sunburn is...
The Perfect Nanny – The BOLO Books Review
Leila Slimani’s The Perfect Nanny is an odd little book; at first seeming superficial and sparse, with time, the story – and in fact the storytelling itself – burrows into the mind of the reader, haunting and horrifying in equal measures. Leila Slimani wastes no time...