Reviews
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...
Blood Red –
The BOLO Books Review
Wendy Corsi Staub has been terrifying readers with her psychological suspense novels throughout her long career. The author of over eighty novels, Wendy knows her way around a topical plotline and always manages to find something fresh to say on her subject matter....
The Guise of Another – The BOLO Books Review
This week, Allen Eskens follows up his critically-acclaimed and multi-award-winning debut, The Life We Bury, with an equally strong second novel, The Guise of Another. The over-arching theme of this new novel is deception and the ramifications resulting from it. The...
Blessed Are Those Who Mourn – The BOLO Books Review
Kristi Belcamino certainly knows how to grab reader’s attention. This not only refers to her ability to raise her name-recognition among the public due to the improvement she displays with each new book in the Gabriella Giovanni series, but also refers to her skill at...
A Song of Shadows –
The BOLO Books Review
Since the beginning of John Connolly’s series, Charlie Parker has been battling against evil in all its forms, so it should come as no surprise that with this latest entry – the thirteenth – Parker is facing one of the worst evils humanity has ever known – the Nazis....
On the Road with Del and Louise – The BOLO Books Review
It has been said that life is more about the journey than the destination. It is clear that Art Taylor received this memo and his new novel On the Road with Del & Louise is proof positive. Already a success thanks to his many award-winning short stories, Taylor...
Pretty Girls – The BOLO Books Review
Karin Slaughter first came on the radar of crime fiction fans back in 2001. Since then, she has released a string of very successful series novels, short stories, and one critically acclaimed historical standalone. Next week, Slaughter opens a new chapter in her...
Splinter the Silence –
The BOLO Books Review
(UK Edition)
The best crime fiction often reflects on the society in which we live. Few authors can so successfully tap into the zeitgeist as can Val McDermid. With Splinter the Silence, McDermid returns to her most popular series characters – Carol Jordan and Dr. Tony Hill – and...
The Girl Without a Name –
The BOLO Books Review
Last February, Sandra Block introduced readers to Dr. Zoe Goldman in Little Black Lies, one of the strongest debut mysteries of the year. Now, Zoe has returned in The Girl Without a Name. While some things in Zoe’s life are different, what has remained the same is the...
Violent Ends –
The BOLO Books Review
One book, seventeen chapters, seventeen different authors. If your first thought is that this can never work, you would be forgiven, but in actually it does work and in the case of this new young adult novel, it works very well indeed. Violent Ends was conceived by...
The Little Men – A BOLO Books Short Story Review
Vintage Hollywood and Megan Abbott is like Chocolate with Strawberries – a perfect pairing. Megan has already shown readers that she can write damn fine novels (such as Dare Me, The Fever, and Bury Me Deep) and she has written one of my favorite overlooked short...