Reviews
Horns –
A BOLO Books Movie Review
The new movie Horns is based on the novel of the same name by Joe Hill. Given that Joe Hill is the son of Stephen King, it is no surprise that Horns – both the book and the film – is a difficult to classify mixture of genre and tone. Horns effortlessly straddles the...
Some short story reviews by BOLO Books
From The Booking Desk: As the hectic holiday season descends upon us, it can sometimes be difficult to find the time to read a novel. It seems to me that this is the perfect time for short stories. Typically taking only one sitting to read, a short story can cure that...
Five Fires –
The BOLO Books Review
There are three primary types of short story writers: Those that focus on the short story format and make a successful career within the field; those that are just starting their writerly journey and use the short story genre as a way to introduce readers to...
The Whispers and The Burning Girl – The BOLO Books Reviews
From the Booking Desk: Followers of BOLO Books certainly know that I am a huge fan of Lisa Unger - in particular, I am a fan of her novels set in The Hollows. In the lead-up to her new full length novel, Lisa is releasing a series of short stories featuring the...
The Final Silence –
The BOLO Books Review
Even if Stuart Neville never wrote another word after The Ghosts of Belfast (aka The Twelve), his name would still be firmly etched in the annals of crime fiction. As a debut novel, it is impossible to ask for more from a storyteller. Fortunately, Stuart Neville’s...
Station Eleven –
The BOLO Books Review
Emily St. John Mandel’s Station Eleven, for all intents and purposes, should be destined for failure. It is a futuristic, dystopian novel marketed to contemporary fiction readers rather than the typical sci-fi audience for such things. It features numerous characters,...
Dear Daughter – The BOLO Books Review
Crime fiction that elucidates the realities of the society in which it is set can often be a very powerful and enlightening reading experience. Typically, this translates into a very dark and depressing style, but in the case of Dear Daughter by Elizabeth Little, the...
The Wolf in Winter –
The BOLO Books Review
Charlie Parker has been searching for the “root of all evil” for eleven books now. Book number twelve, The Wolf in Winter, will be out later this month in the US (it's already available overseas) and once again, Charlie and his gang of misfits are faced with trouble...
Gone Girl – The BOLO Books Movie Review
The professional marriage between Gillian Flynn and David Fincher works so much more effectively than the actual marriage of Nick and Amy Dunne, as depicted in the new film version of the mega-successful novel, Gone Girl. Gillian Flynn and David Fincher have come...
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time –
The BOLO Books Broadway Review
When you go to Broadway to see a David Mamet play, you know to expect lightning fast dialogue and a plot filled with social commentary. When you go to see a Sondheim musical, you know you are going to experience complex lyrics and some overarching theme about human...
Truth Be Told –
The BOLO Books Review
Somewhere around the third book in a series, things start to grow comfortable for both the author and the reader. Authors know that they have a loyal audience and have a sense of what it is they are trying to accomplish with the novels. Readers, on the other hand,...
The Monogram Murders –
The BOLO Books Review
Years from now, people will still be arguing over the Agatha Christie Estate’s decision to authorize the writing of a new Hercule Poirot novel, but regardless of your stance on that choice, what really matters in the end is the quality of the work. In the case of The...
Some 2014 Anthony Award Nomination Reviews
From the Booking Desk: Bouchercon 2014 in Long Beach is roughly a month and a half away. Since the Anthony Awards will be presented at the conference, I thought it might be a good idea to re-run my reviews of those nominated titles which have been highlighted here on...
You – The BOLO Books Review
Ideally, reading a novel will be an engaging and engrossing experience – an escape from the real world, and yet, still a stimulating reflection upon that world. It is less common, but even more thrilling, to discover a book that becomes all-consuming – a book that...
Rage Against the Dying –
The BOLO Books Review
Last year, Becky Masterman released her debut thriller – Rage Against the Dying. Since then, praise and award-nominations have flourished for this novel which features an unusual heroine, a gritty plot, and a deep understanding of human nature – not to mention, a few...
Broken Monsters –
The BOLO Books Review
Last year, Lauren Beukes burst onto the playing field of crime fiction with her novel, The Shining Girls. While that work was by no means her debut, it was the first that could be classified (predominantly) as a tale of crime – in that book’s case, the story of a...
Made For You –
The BOLO Books Review
Near the beginning of Melissa Marr’s new novel, Made For You, Eva Tilling wakes up after being the victim in a pedestrian-involved hit-and-run accident only to find that she suddenly has a new ability - an ability which is much more of a curse than it is a gift....
The Killer Next Door –
The BOLO Books Review
(UK Edition)
If you live in an apartment, condominium, townhouse, duplex or any other multi-family dwelling, you may want to think twice before reading the new Alex Marwood novel, The Killer Next Door. That said, if you don’t read it, you will be missing out on a hell of a story....
The Long Way Home –
The BOLO Books Review
“…You grew up and you moved away Across a foreign sea And what was left was what was kept Was what you gave to me You thought you’d left it all behind You thought you’d up and gone But all you did was figure out How to take the long way home...” Rosanne Cash - The...
The Dead Will Tell –
The BOLO Books Review
There are quite a few authors who write mystery series set within the Amish community. Without question, Linda Castillo is one of the best and most popular. It just takes reading one of her books to see why. The latest novel in Castillo’s Kate Burkholder series is...