Reviews
Land of Shadows –
The BOLO Books Review
In Land of Shadows, Rachel Howzell Hall does for Los Angeles what Laura Lippman has done for Baltimore. Yes, that means that she is revealing the underbelly of the city – the less polished façade – devoid of the allure most tourists are attracted to. But more...
Night Tremors –
The BOLO Books Review
The name Matt Coyle may not be one that you are familiar with, but it is only a matter of time. Coyle’s debut novel – Yesterday’s Echo – was lavished with critical acclaim, racked up award nominations (and more than a few award wins), and secured a devoted fan base....
The Black Hood (Issue Four) – The BOLO Books Comic Review
Chapter Four of The Black Hood: "The Bullet’s Kiss" has just been released. With only five chapters in this first story arc, things are not getting any easier for Greg Hettinger. His only chance at redemption is to uncover the identity of the head honcho behind “The...
Burnt River –
The BOLO Books Review
Second novels are difficult to write; second novels within a series are even tougher. With Burnt River, Karin Salvalaggio makes it look easy. Salvalaggio burst on the scene last year with her debut thriller, Bone Dust White, and now she brings Macy Greeley back in a...
Summer Rain – A BOLO Books Short Story Review
There are currently over twenty books in Peter Robinson’s Inspector Banks mystery series - with more on the way. The critical and fan reception of these novels increases with each new title. Later this month, Robinson releases an e-only short story featuring Banks....
Let Me Die in His Footsteps – The BOLO Books Review
Lori Roy’s Let Me Die in His Footsteps is an unusual suspense tale filled with secrets, lies, truth and legend. It is basically an old-school Southern Gothic with a decidedly modern feel, which is ironic given that the tale is so steeped in history. Like most...
Dark City Lights – The BOLO Books Review
The authors in the new Lawrence Block-edited anthology, Dark City Lights: New York Stories, were tasked with writing short stories set in New York City. The resulting stories are as diverse as the city itself. These stories represent everything from gritty to...
Dying Brand – The BOLO Books Review
Dying Brand is the third novel in Wendy Tyson’s traditional mystery series featuring Allison Campbell. Readers familiar with the series will be excited to see Allison and her gang of cohorts again, but Dying Brand works equally well for those unfamiliar with their...
Luckiest Girl Alive –
The BOLO Books Review
Jessica Knoll’s Luckiest Girl Alive is a novel about reinvention. This debut work represents the arrival of a talented new author to the crime fiction community. Perfect for fans of Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train, Luckiest Girl Alive is sure to be the topic of...
The Black Hood (Issue Three) – The BOLO Books Comic Review
As issue number three of The Black Hood opens, Greg Hettinger is about as low as he can get – he’s maimed, he’s a drug addict, and now he has been arrested. Just the sort of character you would expect to find in a noir comic series written by Duane Swierczynski and...
Thin Air –
The BOLO Books Review
Ann Cleeves’ first Shetland Quartet is about as perfect a mini-series as readers are going to be able to find. In the first book, Raven Black, readers are introduced to Jimmy Perez and by the end of final book, Blue Lightning, our empathy for Jimmy has been pushed to...
Lowcountry Boneyard –
The BOLO Books Review
Her fans have been waiting patiently and finally, Lowcountry Boneyard – the latest in the Liz Talbot series by Susan M. Boyer – is available. Reading the Liz Talbot series is like sitting in your favorite rocking chair on a wraparound porch, sipping sweet tea in the...
False Tongues –
The BOLO Books Review
It has been roughly six years since Kate Charles’ last ecclesiastical mystery featuring Anglican cleric Callie Anson. Fans of the series have been waiting and False Tongues is sure to please them. Readers who have been following Callie Anson journey will be most...
Come to Harm –
The BOLO Books Review
No one can claim that Catriona McPherson plays it safe with her writing. Few authors today take as many risks as Catriona does in terms of genre, style, tone, and the various other components of writing. Even in her Dandy Gilver historical mystery series, McPherson...
What You Left Behind –
The BOLO Books Review
The idea of a crime novel which taps into the social zeitgeist of the moment is hardly a new concept. But the fact that the public’s attention span is always getting shorter means that there is constantly a new social ill worthy of being addressed through today’s...
Blessed Are Those Who Weep –
The BOLO Books Review
With the first two books in the Gabriella Giovanni series (Blessed are the Dead and Blessed are the Meek), Kristi Belcamino built a firm foundation on which to solidify her crime fiction career, but in book three – Blessed Are Those Who Weep – readers will realize...
Murder Boy –
The BOLO Books Review
There has been tremendous buzz in the crime fiction community over Bryon Quertermous’ debut novel, Murder Boy – and rightfully so. Quertermous has created a work which exists simultaneously as both a classic example of the noir thriller and as a unique dark comedic...
The Black Hood (Issue Two) –
The BOLO Books Comic Review
When we left Greg Hettinger at the end of Chapter One of The Black Hood comic, he was just starting to explore his vigilante nature. It was clear to readers that while his desire for justice was in no way dampened, his methods of achieving it were about to change. As...
Night Night, Sleep Tight –
The BOLO Books Review
Hallie Ephron is an author who plays by her own rules. She doesn’t produce a new novel every year, she doesn't write a series, and she creates works in both the fiction and non-fiction realms. The end result is that while she doesn’t have the same long list of credits...
Photoplay –
A BOLO Books Short Story Review
Hallie Ephron’s short story "Photoplay" serves as a prequel of sorts to her new full-length novel, Night Night, Sleep Tight. Many of the same characters appear in both pieces and yet Ephron succeeds in making each piece work as stand-alone narrative as well....