Reviews
Dark Entries – A BOLO Books Comic Review
From the Booking Desk: Hopefully by now you have heard that Ian Rankin will be participating in a rare US book tour to celebrate the 30th anniversary of his first John Rebus novel. He will be making several stops local to me - in Baltimore, Washington DC, and...
Rupture – The BOLO Books Review
Rupture begins with a very unsettling and creepy set piece: Róbert – loving husband and devoted stepfather – is awoken by an unusual noise in another room. Going to investigate, Róbert finds the outside door to their home is open and there are wet footprints on the...
Lie With Me –
The BOLO Books Review
When the likes of Alex Marwood, Sarah Hilary, and Clare Mackintosh sing the praises of a novel, people listen – or at least this reader does. The most recent UK release from Sabine Durrant – Lie With Me – is just such a book, garnering positive critical responses from...
Peepland (Issue Two) – The BOLO Books Comic Review
Christa Faust and Gary Phillips return to the vintage Time Square setting for the second issue in their gritty, noir comic. When readers last left Roxanne Bell at the end of Issue One, she was watching the VHS tape that resulted in the death of her friend. Issue Two...
Her Every Fear – The BOLO Books Review
It is always nice when the new year begins with a book which is likely to stay in your mind for the remainder of the calendar days ahead. Her Every Fear, the third stand-alone from Peter Swanson, is just such a book. Swanson’s star has been on the rise since his debut...
Everything You Want Me To Be – The BOLO Books Review
The question of whether it is possible to really know another human being is not original or ground-breaking in any way, but with Everything You Want Me To Be, Mindy Mejia has taken this theme which recurs in many psychological suspense novels and turned it into a...
Stalked – The BOLO Books Review
Stalked, the latest in Elizabeth Heiter’s series featuring FBI profiler Evelyn Baine, continues an impressive run of books for the author. Evelyn is a character worthy of a series and each novel features a unique plot, while also extending the overall mythos of Evelyn...
Forgotten City – The BOLO Books Review
Readers love a character they can root for. Someone they can relate to, respect, and learn from – and Claire Codella is just such a character. First appearing last year in Carrie Smith’s vastly underappreciated debut, Silent City, Codella returns this month in the...
BOLO Books’ Top Reads of 2016
From the Booking Desk: I feel like a broken record, but every year I say that compiling my Top Reads list gets more and more difficult. 2016 was a stellar year for crime fiction and as such, I had to make some very difficult cuts to my final list. I could easily...
Chasing the Dead – A BOLO Books “Cold Case” Review
Often, the success of a series rests squarely on the shoulders of the characters who populate the fictional world. Occasionally, it takes several books for that respect to build, but in some cases – such as Tim Weaver’s Chasing the Dead – the reader’s connection to...
IQ – The BOLO Books Review
This past year, Hamilton revolutionized the Broadway musical by infusing it with elements drawn directly from hip-hop culture. This modernization inspired a new segment of society to engage with this historic art form – the diversity on the stage stimulated a more...
Moral Defense – The BOLO Books Review
It probably goes without saying, but readers looking to experience crime fiction centered on the legal system should look no further than the books written by Marcia Clark. Earlier this year, Blood Defense introduced readers to defense attorney Samantha Brinkman and...
Snowed – The BOLO Books Review
Writing an effective holiday story is never an easy task; there is always the risk of getting too schmaltzy, of lacking originality, and of offending readers. Maria Alexander’s Snowed easily avoids the first two and strategically straddles the line on the last. Snowed...
Little Grey Cells – The BOLO Books Review
“The past is the father of the present.” This quote by Hercule Poirot from Agatha Christie’s Hallowe’en Party is just one example of the many pearls of wisdom to be found in Little Grey Cells – The Quotable Poirot. This stylish little book is a treasure-trove packed...
The Next One Will Kill You – The BOLO Books Review
Neil S. Plakcy’s The Next One Will Kill You is best described as exhilarating, escapist entertainment. The novel’s exciting and fun nature generates from the fact that it never takes itself too seriously and the fact that Plakcy manages to avoid allowing the players...
Set Free –
The BOLO Books Review
Set Free is the latest novel from Canadian-based crime fiction author Anthony Bidulka. As with much of his work, Set Free shows Bidulka’s love of travel and exotic locales. Set Free opens with Jaspar Wills’ arrival in Marrakech after he has left his previous life...
Sunshine Noir – The BOLO Books Review
This year has seen a plethora of outstanding short story anthologies. Already this year, BOLO Books has covered Echoes of Sherlock Holmes, Blood On the Bayou, and Storm Warning – with a few others still to come, including today’s choice. Sunshine Noir is edited by...
Say No More – The BOLO Books Review
Most crime fiction readers are aware that Hank Phillippi Ryan came to fiction writing by way of her highly successful investigative reporting career on Boston television, so it should be no surprise that her novels often feature hot-button topics which affect and...
Peepland (Issue One) – The BOLO Books Comic Review
The Times Square of the Nineteen-Eighties looked vastly different to the family wonderland found in New York City today. Often described as a den of depravity, there is little doubt that at the time it was a sketchy and seedy place, but it was also a place populated...
Echoes of Sherlock Holmes – The BOLO Books Review
Laurie R. King and Leslie S. Klinger have once again edited a volume of stories aimed at expanding the Sherlock Holmes multiverse. As always, these two have gathered a stellar cast of writers for their new anthology, Echoes of Sherlock Holmes. This time out, the...