Reviews
Fool Me Once –
The BOLO Books Review
(This is the second in a series looking at the work of Bouchercon 2016 Guests of Honor.) Reading the standalone novels of Harlan Coben is like placing yourself in front of a firing line, except instead of bullets, you are going to be assaulted with plot twists and...
Storm Warning – The BOLO Books Review
Every few years the Chesapeake Chapter of Sisters In Crime releases a themed short story anthology. Next week, their newest offering will be available and this time out the theme is weather. To whet your whistle, I wanted to give you a small sampling of the stories...
Quiet Neighbors –
The BOLO Books Review
In addition to her Dandy Gilver historical mystery series, Catriona McPherson continues to write stand-alone novels that defy categorization. Just this month Quiet Neighbors was released and while it is certainly a novel filled with secrets, at its core it is a...
A Death Along the River Fleet –
The BOLO Books Review
Historical mysteries are a delight to read because they offer a glimpse into the past, but they are at their best when they also cause readers to reflect on the current state of life as well. Susanna Calkins’ Lucy Campion series does just that and the newest in that...
Sunset City – The BOLO Books Review
In the crime fiction genre, readers could easily fill a yearly to-be-read pile with novels by authors they have read before and/or series books they have been following for eons. But one should not discount the debut novels released each year. Within those books are...
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...