Reviews

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...

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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....

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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....

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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...

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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...

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Queen of Hearts –
The BOLO Books Review

Are you looking for a leisurely way to pass a summer evening? Then scope out your most comfortable reading chair, pour yourself a favorite libation, surround yourself with a variety of hors d'oeuvres, crack open Queen of Hearts – the latest novel from Rhys Bowen – and...

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The Black Hour –
The BOLO Books Review

With the increase in occurrences of school-related shootings, it was only a matter of time before the crime fiction genre began to address the issue head-on.  Recently, with novels like The Competition by Marcia Clark and now Lori Rader-Day’s debut novel, The Black...

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Runner –
The BOLO Books Review

Runner is the newest thriller from Patrick Lee.  Like Lee’s previous works, this novel blends elements from various genres to create a unique style and storyline.  This time out, we have everything from mind-reading and government experimentation to corporate greed...

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The Good Girl –
The BOLO Books Review

Mary Kubica’s debut suspense novel, The Good Girl, is often compared to last year’s smash success story, Gone Girl.  Regardless of your feelings towards that Gillian Flynn novel, don’t let The Good Girl pass you by.  There are some similarities, but The Good Girl is...

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Invisible City –
The BOLO Books Review

Reading can give you access to people and places once thought to be inaccessible.  In the case of Julia Dahl’s debut novel, Invisible City, readers are granted entry to the fascinating world of the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community in Borough Park, Brooklyn.  Invisible...

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The Competition –
The BOLO Books Review

In her latest novel, The Competition, Marcia Clark confronts the current crisis involving school shootings head-on.  While touching on all the most controversial aspects of these investigations, Clark still manages to avoid any sensationalism.  The Competition is an...

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The Prime Minister’s Secret Agent – The BOLO Books Review

Everyone knows that writing a novel is not easy, but every time I read historical fiction, I am always amazed at the level of research that is required.  With a non-historical book, the author can typically alter things to fit the needs of the story.  However, when...

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Someone Else’s Skin –
The BOLO Books Review

Someone Else’s Skin by Sarah Hilary is a debut novel, but you would never know it from the reading experience.  When picking up a book by an unknown author, there really is no way to know if you are going to enjoy it.  Certainly, you can read reviews, get...

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All Day and A Night –
The BOLO Books Review

Alafair Burke is the type of writer who knows how to tap into the collective societal psyche and pluck out just the right hot-button topic around which to build a thrilling crime procedural.  She has done it time and time again and things are no different with her...

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Bittersweet –
The BOLO Books Review

The Oxford dictionary definition of bittersweet is “arousing pleasure tinged with sadness or pain.”  This would also be an apt description of one’s experience reading Miranda Beverly-Whittemore‘s Bittersweet.  Of course, I mean that in only the best possible sense....

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The Murder Complex –
The BOLO Books Review

Dystopian landscapes continue to dominate the young adult thriller genre.  With the success of books like The Hunger Games, Divergent, and The Testing, it is no surprise that many authors are attempting to tap into that existing audience.  The latest to succeed is...

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The Fever –
The BOLO Books Review

From The Booking Desk: I am electing to run this review a week earlier than intended in the hopes that it will encourage readers to preorder the novel.  Megan Abbott is just one of many authors who are affected by the ongoing dispute between Hachette Publishing and...

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The Bones Beneath –
The BOLO Books Review

The Bones Beneath is the twelfth book in Mark Billingham’s Tom Thorne mystery series.  As one would expect, the books over the years have documented many changes in Throne, but no where is that more evident than in this novel, where Thorne is forced to contend once...

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The Stranger on the Train –
The BOLO Books Review

From the very first page, Abbie Taylor’s debut suspense novel, The Stranger on the Train, will grip readers in its high-octane clutches and won’t let go until the final twist is revealed.  But this novel is also an unflinching look at single parenthood and the...

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I Am Pilgrim –
The BOLO Books Review

It is simple.  If you are a fan of spy novels or political thrillers, you need to read I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes.  If you are a fan of large books with multiple locations and intertwined character dynamics, you need to read I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes.  Or if you...

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