Reviews
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...
After the Crash – The BOLO Books Review
Once in a while, you stumble upon a book with a premise so intriguing, so clever, you instantly know that if the author can pull this off, it is going to be a great book. After the Crash by Michel Bussi is just such a novel. On December 23, 1980, a plane crashes into...
Woman with a Blue Pencil – The BOLO Books Review
Gordon McAlpine’s Woman with a Blue Pencil certainly gets points for taking risks. It is rare that a book comes along in which the structure feels so completely original and inventive while also seeming like the only natural way to tell the tale at hand. Woman with a...
A Banquet of Consequences – The BOLO Books Review
Elizabeth George has been releasing books in the Thomas Lynley mystery series since 1988's A Great Deliverance. The newest book in the series, A Banquet of Consequences, is the nineteenth. Fans who have felt that the last few novels have not been as strong as the...
The Secret Life of Anna Blanc – The BOLO Books Review
One of the more popular sub-genres of crime fiction has always been the historical. Whether you are talking about legends like Barbara Peters and Lindsey Davis or more recent practitioners of the category such as Rhys Bowen and Susan Elia MacNeal, readers love to...
Bryant & May and the Secret Santa – A BOLO Books Short Story Review
Similar to Helen Smith’s short story from last year – called "Real Elves"– "Bryant & May and the Secret Santa" tells a holiday story set in the uniquely British local of a department store Santa’s Wonderland. "Bryant & May and the Secret Santa" is written by...
A Line of Blood –
The BOLO Books Review
Fans of crime fiction know that sometimes the criminal element of the story is the least interesting part of the reading experience. That is certainly the case with A Line of Blood by Ben McPherson. In this novel, the death at the center of the story is simply the...
The Searcher – The BOLO Books Review
With The Searcher, Simon Toyne has launched a new series perfect for thriller fans expecting more than just car chases, gunfights, and clichéd motivations in their tomes of choice. Solomon Creed feels like a character that is at once both familiar to readers and yet...
The Grownup –
A BOLO Books Short Story Review
Gillian Flynn’s short story “What Do You Do?” first appeared in the George R.R. Martin-edited collection, Rogues. Capitalizing on her current popularity, Crown has repackaged the story as a slim stand-alone volume, now called The Grownup. Whatever you call it and...
Dark Turns – The BOLO Books Review
A novel set in a private school and featuring a cast of elite ballet students is probably not the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the term thriller. However, that is exactly what Cate Holahan has delivered with her debut novel, Dark Turns. Dark Turns is...
The Shield and The Hangman – The BOLO Books Comic Reviews
The Shield Dark Circle Comics has done it again. With the release of The Shield #1, they have further demonstrated their commitment to making these older comic book characters accessible to modern readers. With a story by Adam Christopher and Chuck Wendig and art by...
Night Music – The BOLO Books Review
Over a decade after the original Nocturnes collection, John Connolly has returned with Night Music: Nocturnes Volume 2. As with the original collection, Night Music features short fiction in a variety of lengths, styles, and tones. And once again, Connolly proves...
What You See –
The BOLO Books Review
First with the introduction of Charlotte McNally and later with that of Jane Ryland, Hank Phillippi Ryan has added to the crime fiction canon two of the strongest and most fascinating female protagonists of recent years. Their complex relationships with their family,...
Those We Left Behind –
The BOLO Books Review
Some writers write the same book over and over again, just changing the specifics in an attempt to make the work feel fresh. Let it be known, Stuart Neville is not that type of writer. Even though most of his books are part of a loosely connected series, every single...
The Black Hood (Issue Six) – The BOLO Books Comic Review
The Black Hood is back! After a short hiatus, Duane Swierczynski and Michael Gaydos’ gritty comic anti-hero has returned in the next chapter of The Black Hood’s journey. "Flor de Muerto" is a single-issue story – serving to bridge the gap between the longer origin...
Bull Mountain –
The BOLO Books Review
“A little more than kin, and less than kind.” – Shakespeare - Hamlet Act 1, Scene 2, 64-67 One has to wonder what it was like when Shakespeare’s plays began to appear in the 1500’s. The public must have been in awe of the talent displayed by this previously unknown...