Reviews
American Psycho – Theater Thoughts from BOLO Books
American Psycho began life as a controversial novel by Bret Easton Ellis before becoming an equally shocking movie. Now, there is a stage production, wherein the story of the stunningly handsome psychopath Patrick Bateman is set to music written by Duncan Sheik. Yes,...
The Semester of Our Discontent – The BOLO Books Review
Academic mysteries are popular enough that they practically constitute a sub-genre of their own. With her debut novel – The Semester of Our Discontent - Cynthia Kuhn adds another winning entry to that ever-expanding category. The Semester of our Discontent features...
Random –
The BOLO Books Review
Craig Robertson will be the International Rising Star Guest of Honor at this year’s Bouchercon in New Orleans (September 15-18, 2016). In light of that and the fact that many readers may be unfamiliar with his work, I have decided to review his debut novel – Random...
Lie in Plain Sight – The BOLO Books Review
Maggie Barbieri’s series featuring Maeve Conlon consistently presents compelling mystery plots woven into dramatic and realistic relationship dynamics. The third book in the series, Lie in Plain Sight, was recently released and may just be the best one yet. Like the...
The Saints of the Lost and Found – The BOLO Books Review
Occasionally, a book will be released which is virtually impossible to classify. The Saints of the Lost and Found by T. M. Causey is just such a book. Yes, it’s crime fiction, it’s a family drama, it’s magical realism, but it’s just so much more than all of them. Any...
Jane Steele –
The BOLO Books Review
Any time a writer attempts to re-imagine a beloved classic, especially when doing so in the same style as the original, the journey before them is a treacherous one. On the one hand, it is almost guaranteed to disappoint some fans of the original; while at the same...
And Then There Were None – A BOLO Books Television Review
The Lifetime television network recently aired the BBC One-produced adaptation of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None (it’s available on-demand and on Blu-ray/DVD). While the new version does alter certain details from the original plot – likely in an effort to...
Skies of Ash –
The BOLO Books Review
Like the sun slicing through the smog-encased Los Angeles skyline, Lou Norton broke through as a shining hope of diversity in Rachel Howzell Hall’s debut mystery, Land of Shadows. In a genre which can at times seem too cookie-cutter-ish, Hall’s fresh and urban voice...
Orphan X – The BOLO Books Review
A top-secret government program rescues orphans from the streets, covertly trains them to become instruments in service to their goal, until one subject breaks from the organization in rebellion and spends his life running from those who feel they own him while trying...
The Passenger – The BOLO Books Review
Lisa Lutz has been writing consistently high quality work for a number of years now. She has written across different styles and tones – all with equal aplomb. Similar to Alison Gaylin and Gregg Hurwitz, her 2016 release seems poised to break her out to a wider...
Hidden Bodies – The BOLO Books Review
You, the debut novel from Caroline Kepnes was a bit of a slow burn success. Critics and loyal crime fiction devotes like myself latched on early, but it wasn’t until the paperback was released that the buzz really started to build. With that momentum in place, the...
What Remains of Me –
The BOLO Books Review
High in the California hills and deep in the shadow of the legendary Hollywood sign, exists a glamorous world few are provided access to. Alison Gaylin’s What Remains of Me pulls back the curtain on the movers and shakers of the movie industry, thereby revealing them...
Where It Hurts –
The BOLO Books Review
On any list of under-appreciated crime fiction authors, the name Reed Farrel Coleman is sure to appear. A critical favorite with a very loyal fan base, Coleman has yet to become as popular and name-recognizable as his talent warrants. With the release of Where It...
The Poison Artist – The BOLO Books Review
Typically, when a reader picks up a book, they follow the journey set out for them by the author of that novel. Even when the structure of a novel is complex and labyrinthine, there is a feeling that the author is in control. With his new novel, The Poison Artist,...
The Narrow Bed – The BOLO Books Review (UK Edition)
The latest Culver Valley novel by Sophie Hannah will be released in the United Kingdom in February. Like the others in the series, The Narrow Bed continues the stories of Simon Waterhouse, Charlie Zailer, and their extended team of detectives, as well as featuring a...
The Ex –
The BOLO Books Review
How far would you go to help an ex? What about if you felt like you had previously ruined that person’s life? That is the quandary facing criminal defense attorney Olivia Randall in Alafair Burke’s juggernaut of a novel, The Ex. Jack Harris has had a rough life. His...
Secrets & Lies – A BOLO Books Television Review
Secrets & Lies is an Australian television series starring Martin Henderson. It was recently remade for American television with Ryan Phillippe and received decent enough ratings to warrant a season two later this year. I will admit that I have not seen the...
Every Seven Years – A BOLO Books Short Story Review
Otto Penzler’s Mysterious Press has been releasing Bibliomysteries for a number of years now. These are short stories written by some of the leading names in crime fiction. Each of the stories focuses the central mystery around the concept of books – every one of them...
The Darkest Secret – The BOLO Books Review (UK edition)
With just two crime fiction novel releases under her belt, Alex Marwood has positioned herself as one of the leading tastemakers of the genre. This week, her third psychological suspense novel, The Darkest Secret, was released in the United Kingdom and it will further...
I Let You Go – The BOLO Books Review (UK Edition)
Clare Mackintosh’s I Let You Go is a difficult book to review. There are revelations within the plot so integral to the success of the novel that revealing them would spoil the reader’s enjoyment. With that in mind, this review intentionally contains very few plot...