Kevin’s reviews of other people’s books
This bestseller and Reese’s Book Club selection is my book club’s January read. Based on the hype and the 60,000 reviews on Amazon, I had high expectations. The book did not live up to them. I’m certainly not the target audience, and I’ll admit that, as a male, I may be missing the emotional connection … More The last thing he told me, by Laura Dave [Review]
This book is its own genre, to be categorized as gibberish satire fantasy adventure. I happen to be a fan of James Joyce, and have a dog-eared copy of Ulysses on my bookshelf. The Reeking Hegs starts out as a kind of retelling of The Odyssey, written in even more impenetrably language than Joyce, with … More The Reeking Hegs, by Pete Peru and Lord Tupelo [Review]
This is my first dive into Mark S. Bacon’s Nostalgia City Mysteries, and it was a worthwhile read. The author oddly chose not to identify the protagonist, Lyle, as a former cop, now working as a cab driver in the Nostalgia City theme park – and occasionally doing investigation work for the park’s owner – … More Dark Ride Deception (Nostalgia City Mysteries Book 4), by Mark S. Bacon [Review]
This book is really more about the main narrator, Tom, searching for Nina – his sister. The story opens with Tom and his family preparing to dispose of Nina’s ashes, after her sudden death from a heart attack in her mid-50s. The story is then told in a series of flashbacks, some from Tom’s … More Searching for Sarah, by Phillip Vega [Review]
Five Clones will have a following. If you are a fan of character-based sci fi and dystopian depictions of the future of the United States, you may love this. If you enjoy a complex plot with multiple stories that keeps you guessing about how they will connect, and if you enjoy getting a deep backstory … More Five Clones, by Ed Bonilla [Review]
l Capitol Murder is the first book in a new series by Judith Erwin, featuring former FBI Agent and current hunk P.I. Jake Shepherd. Ms. Erwin is a new author for me and I picked up this book on a free Kindle offer. The writing here is good and the characters are interesting. Jake and … More Capitol Murder, by Judith Erwin [review]
Logan McKenna is an interesting character who has fascinating friends. They are always getting in some kind of trouble, usually including a corpse. This seventh installment of the series is a welcome event for fans of Ms. Davisson’s quirky world. Whisper Creek refers to the body of water near The New School, an enclave in … More Whisper Creek (A Logan McKenna mystery), by Valerie Davisson [Review]
There are very few truly original ideas, but Justin Alcala has found one. His new “noir supernatural thriller” dips us in the river Styx and puts us inside the head of Buck, a former military sniper, recent professional assassin, and now intern to The Grim Reaper. After being shot in the head during an … More Dead End Job, by Justin Alcala [Review]
Jason Wade is a police forensics technician and a former professional boxer – an interesting combination. Although the subtitle of this first book in what promises to be a series indicates a forensic crime thriller, there is not much forensics involved – but there is plenty of crime and thrills. At the start, the story … More Dead in the Water (A Jason Wade Forensic Crime Thriller Book 1), by Donna Collins [Review]
The debut novel by well-known comic book writer and editor Fabian Nicieza combines sarcastic humor with a cozy mystery in very specific suburban setting. I happen to live in the same town as the author, which is the setting for the story. Mr. Nicieza nails both the specifics of the location and, more importantly, the … More Suburban Dicks, by Fabian Nicieza [Review]
