The Girl Next Door by Brad Parks - Newspapers, Murder, and Bears! Oh My! - Mystery Book Review

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Award-winning mystery writer, Brad Parks, returns with his third book, The Girl Next Door, featuring amateur sleuth and newspaper reporter, Carter Ross.

Nancy Marino was forty-two-years-old and single. She waitressed at the State Street Grill, delivered Bloomfield, New Jersey's Eagle-Examiner early mornings; and was a shop steward for the International Federation of Information Workers (IFIW), Local 117.

On a hot, Friday morning in July, a speeding Cadillac Escalade struck and killed her while delivering her papers. The driver disappeared onto the Garden State Parkway; confident he committed an untraceable crime.

Who killed Nancy Marino and why?

Enter Carter Ross, an eight-year veteran news reporter for the Eagle-Examiner. Reading Marino's obituary, he decides to memorialize a fellow newspaper employee, even though he'd never met her. He plans to write a story portraying Marino as an ordinary person, who spent her life serving others, and, whose contributions to society went unnoticed until her passing. Attending her funeral, he learns that her death is being investigated as a homicide, which ignites his inquiring mind.

Ross is an unpretentious thirty-two-year-old. Educated at Amherst College, he lives in a two-bedroom, ranch-style house with his black-and-white, domestic, shorthaired cat, Deadline. He ubiquitously dresses in Khakis and button-down shirts; and drives a five-year-old Chevy Malibu.

Many people are aware of the anemic state of print newspapers, given today's digital age. Longtime community newspapers have either downsized considerably, both in content and staff, or folded.

Parks weaves these challenging industry times into the book's plot. During the halcyon days of the newspaper in the late nineties, the Eagle-Examiner signed its thousand-plus carriers to an unprecedented twenty-year contract, which included great wages. Now, given the industry's tough times, the newspaper wants concessions; and the Union isn't yielding.

As the IFIW shop steward, could Nancy Marino have been murdered to silence her opposition to contract negotiations?

Tina Thompson is Ross's editor. In her late thirties and single, she's expressed interest in Ross purely from a "chromosomal" perspective. Determined to experience motherhood, she's suggested Ross become her sperm donor-nothing more.

Parks has a talent for infusing humor throughout his mystery narratives. A bear is on the loose in Newark and Thompson assigns Ross the story. It's mainly done to delineate their professional roles, reminding him that despite their mutual sexual attraction, she calls the shots. Given his career experience, he balks at the task. She prevails.

Kevin "Lunky" Lungford is one of the newspaper's underutilized interns. At six foot five and 275 pounds, his hulk-like appearance easily conveys stupidity. While inept in the newsroom, Ross is taken aback by Lunky's appreciation for literature, reading the works of Emerson, Roth and Thoreau. Ross befriends Lunky, asking him to accompany him on his bear chase story, which proves comical.

Tommy Hernandez is the Eagle-Examiner's Newark City Hall beat writer. He's "as gay as taffeta and chintz, " and an impeccable dresser. Despite his constant chiding of Ross for his lack of sartorial eloquence, Ross respects him as a fine young reporter. Hernandez plays Robin to Ross's Batman when solving crimes. Jibes about their sexual orientation differences are humorous.

Well-written fiction reflects reality and Parks conveys it throughout his story. Ross discusses his observation of human behavior everywhere, "from the meanest housing project to the gilded symphony hall." He says, "And what always strikes me is that when you strip away the superficial differences in clothing, setting, and dialect, groups of people everywhere are more or less the same. We all have our pretenses. We all posture to a certain degree. But, ultimately, most of us are just trying to find a way to fit in."

Anyone with Newark, New Jersey ties will appreciate Parks's area references, including the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, and the well-to-do communities of Glen Ridge and Montclair.

If you're looking for a fresh voice in mystery narrative, infused with humor, Brad Parks delivers in The Girl Next Door.

Brad Parks is one of numerous crime fiction writers who will be attending the annual Bouchercon Conference in Cleveland, Ohio, Oct 4-7, 2012. For details, visit: http://bouchercon2012.com.

Timothy Zaun is a blogger, speaker and freelance writer. Visit him online at http://timzaun.com/.

Book Review: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

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Sweden is frequently being touted as one of the most desirable countries to reside in. And rightly so. Swedes enjoy one of the highest standards of living in the world, powered by one of the most globalized and competitive economies and the prized social welfare system. Education is for the most part free. Crime rate is low. Healthcare is cheap and accessible to everyone. Childcare is universal and spanking of children is a criminal offence. Gender discrimination is practically non-existent. You'd be hard pressed to find more environmentally aware people than Swedes.

Sounds pretty darn near perfect -- so it's a little surprising (or not?) that as of late literary depictions of society coming from the land of the midnight sun are often in sharp contrast with the country's impeccable image, suggesting that Swedes might not be so far detached from their Viking days after all. The most glaring example of this trend is the immensely popular Millennium trilogy of mystery novels, written by late Stieg Larsson; the picture he paints in his celebrated work is one of a gruesome, cynical world involving gut-wrenching sexual violence, misogyny, sadism, murder, intrigue and corruption at the highest corporate and governmental levels.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is book one of the renowned trilogy. At the center of the story is Mikael Blomkvist, an investigative journalist and co-owner of a monthly magazine Millennium who finds himself convicted of aggravated libel of a shady corporate magnate - albeit under dubious circumstances.

The sentence includes a monetary fine and a three-month term in prison, but even worse, Blomkvist faces professional disgrace and is forced to step down as the magazine's publisher and member of the board. And just when he gets reconciled with the idea of spending the next few months moping in self-pitying idleness, a strange job offer comes his way from Henrik Vanger, an 82 year old patriarch of the powerful Vanger family: the old man wants Blomkvist to investigate the disappearance of his great-niece Harriet who went missing at the age of 16 -- 36 years ago. Vanger believes she was murdered by a member of his own family and wants to take another shot at solving the mystery before his days are over.

The offer is not something Blomkvist would jump on in a normal situation, but right now he has little else to do, there is a generous payment involved and -- probably most important of all -- Vanger has hinted he's in the possession of certain incriminating information on the shady magnate that has cost Blomkvist his reputation, and that he'd be willing to share this information with Blomkvist -- after the job is done.

So Blomkvist moves to the small island in the north of Sweden where the Vanger estate is located and where the events took place almost four decades ago and delves into it. He sifts through old police reports and family photos, talks to family members still living on the island and soon some of the family's dark secrets long buried come to the surface. Having reached a point where he can't make further progress without the help of a skilled researcher, he recruits Lisbeth Salander (the girl with the dragon tattoo) who works part time for a Stockholm security firm, to help him.

Salander is something of a social outcast: tough, distrustful, unforgiving, sporting a violent temper ready to flare up whenever she feels threatened. She is 24 but looks 14 and is riddled with piercings and tattoos -- but she also has photographic memory, incredible computer hacking skills and an uncanny ability to discover anything about anyone, especially when it comes to dirt.

The unusual duo pools their unique skills and little by little they start putting the pieces of the puzzle together. An attempt at Blomkvist's life confirms they are on the right track -- but the incident also makes them realize that the case they are working on may not be so cold after all...

Visit JustGoodFiction.com for more best seller reviews.

Kate Wilhelm's Death Qualified - Review of a Legal Thriller

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Kate Wilhelm has been writing books since 1962 and is best known for her award-winning science fiction novellas and short stories. In 1987 she launched a mystery series with a married detective duo named Constance and Charlie. Constance is a psychologist and Charlie is an ex-arson investigator. The series ends in 1999 after eight books.

Another series begins in 1991, when attorney Barbara Holloway decides to come back to Eugene, Oregon. Her father Frank convinces her to help him with a case and defend Nell Kendricks, a woman accused of killing her husband. Barbara has to contend with her old boyfriend Tony, the prosecutor and her frustration with the flaws in the justice system. Barbara thinks the whole defense rests on the experimental work that Nell's husband was involved with during his six-year absence. That work has to do with the chaos theory and the fantasy part of the story.

I'm not a fan of fantasy, and I wasn't sure where the book was going at times. The fantasy part seemed incongruous with the legal storytelling. What held things together for me was the romance between Barbara, the main character, and a mathematician, Mike Denesen, whom she consults to help understand the work of Nell's husband. There is a rush at the end to solve the murder, but it left me feeling somewhat unsatisfied.

I may try another book in the series, since the chaos theory elements of the first book may be what made me uneasy. It was a page-turner, and I did like the psychological complexities of the characters and the detailed sense of place. The investigator that Barbara and Frank use promises to be an interesting character. I just wasn't excited enough to make the second book a priority. Those, who like a little fantasy and appreciate that escaping reality is what reading is all about, may be more attracted to the series.

Copyright 2011 by Linda K. Murdock. Linda wrote Mystery Lover's Puzzle Book, Crosswords with Clues from Your Favorite Mystery Series. In it she reviews 29 mystery writers, has a check-off list of book titles and a puzzle for each series. Download a FREE sample crossword on Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series or sign up for more mystery book reviews under Author Bio at http://bellwetherbooks.com/

Review - Diary: Alone on Earth

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Diary: Alone on Earth, JD Weldy, 2011, B005W3NACK (Kindle e-book)

It's normal to wonder what it would be like to be the last person on earth. That is, until it actually happens.

David is a senior citizen who has reasons for wanting to cut himself off from the rest of the world. He finds an isolated house outside of a small town in Alabama, where he plans to spend the rest of his days with his faithful dog, Ralph. One day, the whole world is menaced a strange humming sound. The media is full of speculation as to the cause. Several hundred people are driven to suicide, including one of David's neighbors. Countries are ready for war, convinced that their "enemy" is about to attack. David goes to bed.

The next morning David wakes up to no electricity, and no battery power, either. Even new, freshly charged batteries are dead. David travels to the houses of his neighbors, to find them deserted. He visits the small town, a place called Axis, to find it also deserted. He finds a motorcycle that he can push start, and visits Mobile, Alabama. He finds hundreds and hundreds of abandoned, burning cars, like people were in a panic. But there are no people, not even dead bodies. He finds the same thing in Atlanta, along with signs that people tried very hard keep something out, or in.

The book turns into something of a psychological battle between David and a being that he calls The Blackness. David feels that it wants him dead, but it can't kill him, so it torments him constantly. David hears Ralph barking, but no matter how much he calls out to Ralph, he doesn't come. David also hears voices that he should recognize. David and The Blackness meet late in the book (think "demon from hell"). David decides to travel west to keep looking for any other people. For some reason, he feels that answers will be found at the end of Interstate 90, in the town of Van Horn, Texas. As he travels, with The Blackness making it as hard as possible, David has to maneuver around thousands and thousands of smashed and burning cars, but still no people. Does David reach the end of his journey? Does he discover what happened to mankind?

Told all in diary form, this is a really interesting suspense story. It does a very good job of showing the despair that will set in after the "novelty" wears off, including the wondering if God would really let such a thing happen to His people. It is very much worth reading.

Paul Lappen is a freelance book reviewer whose blog, http://www.deadtreesreview.blogspot.com/, emphasizes small press and self-published books.

Cinnamon Roll Murder by Joanne Fluke - Mystery-Thriller Book Review - Music, and Murder in Minnesota

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Cinnamon Roll Murder continues author Joann Fluke's trademark talents of combining fictional murder mystery with morsels of food. Fluke's narrative centers around amateur sleuth, Hannah Swensen. As owner of The Cookie Jar, Lake Eden, Minnesota's coffee and bakery shop, Swensen's never far from comestibles and crime.

The Cinnamon Roll Six jazz band is en route to perform at the first-ever weekend jazz festival at the Lake Eden Inn. It's early April, on an ice-filled evening, when the musicians' bus crashes and overturns near town.

Hannah and her sister, Andrea, are traveling in the company van to deliver a large cinnamon roll order to the Lake Eden Inn. Witnessing the accident, they stop to offer help. Driver, Clayton Wallace is dead at the scene. Fortunately the band's entourage suffers only minor injuries yet need to be examined at Lake Eden Memorial Hospital.

While there, Delores Swensen, Hannah's mother and leader of the hospital's Rainbow Ladies Auxiliary group, discovers keyboardist, Buddy Neiman dead in an examining room; stabbed with surgical scissors buried in his chest.

Who'd have motive to kill Buddy Neiman?

Promising, young musician, Devon Murphy (replacement keyboardist for Neiman), is one suspect. Another is the mysterious woman seen arguing with the victim outside Club Nineteen, the band's previous gig.

Dentist, Norman, is Hannah's true love interest, yet engaged to Dr. Bev, a fellow professional. Her reputation in Lake Eden is tainted, known as a conniving, self-centered woman, intent on marrying Norman with ulterior motives. Dr. Bev claims Norman is the father of her five-year-old daughter, Diana, but the Swensen clan is skeptical.

Hannah and her sister Andrea go undercover as realtor/client to gain access to DNA samples from Diana, who lives with Dr. Bev's mother, Judy Thorndike, in the Twin Cities.

Claire's dress shop, Granny's Attic (the area's gossip hub), and Helping Hands (the town's sole thrift store), contribute to Lake Eden's quaint commercialism.

Mentions of modern day, major issues, including facial implants and domestic abuse, offset the isolated, small-town charm of Lake Eden.

Piggy Chicken, Stuffin' Muffins and Pucker Up Lemon Cake, are recipes included in the narrative, along with the expectant, mouthwatering, Special Cinnamon Rolls. All twenty-two recipes are handily indexed at book's end along with a Baking Conversion Chart.

The challenge with some of Fluke's recipes is the amount of labor they require to produce. In today's time-constrained world, chicken tenders need to be pounded and dough needs to rise for several hours, as an example.

Cinnamon Roll Murder is a well-crafted mystery; designed to simultaneously tease your brain and taste buds. Indulge.

The 2012 Bouchercon World Mystery Convention is being held in Cleveland, Ohio, October 4-7. To learn more about this gathering of some of the world's best crime fiction writers, visit: http://bouchercon2012.com.

Timothy Zaun is a blogger, speaker and freelance writer. Visit him online at http://timzaun.com/.

Review - Murder at the Ocean Forest

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Murder at The Ocean Forest, Robert "Digger" Cartwright, 2006, ISBN 1425707696

This is a murder mystery set in World War II-era South Carolina. It is about a husband and wife who would have been better off never getting married to each other.

Terence and Faye Underwood are traveling by train to the Ocean Forest, a very high-class resort right on the shore. Faye thinks that Terence is a serial adulterer, constantly looking for women with which to have illicit affairs, despite his constant protestations to the contrary. They are both members of high society, so divorce, let alone raising their voices in argument where others might hear them, is simply not an option; the scandal would be overwhelming.

A few days later, Terence goes off by himself quail hunting, while Faye goes horseback riding along the beach. Several hours later, the horse returns without her. A diligent search along the beach is made, led by Feltus le Bon, the hotel detective. Faye's red scarf, along with some blood, is found near a patch of quicksand. The next day, Terence is coerced into showing Feltus exactly where he was hunting. It turns out to be just a few yards from the quicksand. It would have been very easy for Terence to shoot Faye with the shotgun he was carrying, and dump her in the quicksand, freeing him to have as many illicit affairs as he can handle. Things get complicated the next morning when, serving an arrest warrant on Terence, Feltus finds him in bed, murdered.

Investigating further, Feltus focuses his attention on Preacher Cooper, a priest involved in illicit activities, Elizabeth Bascomb, an elderly, blind psychic, and Lord and Lady Ashburn, visiting from England, all of whom have very good reasons for wanting Terence Underwood dead. Feltus tries several ways to ratchet up the pressure, hoping that the guilty party will crack. While all this is going on, the area is battered by a major hurricane.

This is a really good mystery, but I thought that it moved too slowly. The first death does not occur until almost halfway into the book. I understand what the author was trying to do, and totally agree that not all murder mysteries have to move at breakneck speed. The author certainly knows what he is doing; I guess I would have liked it more if the first half of the story moved a little faster than it did.

Paul Lappen is a freelance book reviewer whose blog, http://www.deadtreesreview.blogspot.com/, emphasizes small press and self-published books.

Lilith: Demon of the Night, By Theodore Jerome Cohen - Book Review

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Author Theodore Jerome Cohen brings his NYPD Detective Louis Martelli back with his partner Sean O'Keeffe in his novel Lilith, Demon of the Night, as the duo sleuths solve a bizarre series of murders dealing within the dark side of cult rituals and vampirism.

When a bullet is shot into the coffin containing a corpse lying in state at a funeral home from a mysterious cloaked perpetrator, the odd circumstances alerted NYPD's homicide detectives to take notice. The obvious question of who would want to shoot someone who was already dead prevails; as other details emerge alluding to the rituals and beliefs of something out of Bram Stoker's Dracula. Using silver through the heart, wood stakes to the chest, garlic in the mouth and even a silver crucifix in the coffin, the detectives find these techniques used to keep a vampire rising from the dead as they exhume bodies linked to the trail of finding the serial killer. With twists and turns like a Boa constrictor, the venomous plot unfolds and transports the reader from a modern day high-tech crime fighting novel into the dark side of cult practices within the mind of a serial murderer fixated on revenge.

Theodore Jerome Cohen writes in a very convincing and discerning fashion, offering credibility to his characters with his commonsensical understanding of police investigative techniques. He embellishes his characters with a harmonized balance of dialogue and descriptions, achieving excellent visualization within the reader's mind. The author's written wit is consistent with stereotypical references to tough, macho police work, yet Louis Martelli possesses an intrinsic understanding of human nature. I found it rather clever that in many instances Theodore Cohen referenced prior instances of his character Martelli's experiences from other novels, rewarding the loyal readers of his series with a bit of magniloquent pleasure.

Impeccably written with the obvious goal to entertain, Theodore Jerome Cohen once again effectuates what he set out to accomplish. Lilith is a trophy on any shelf, a book worthy of an afternoon's reading enjoyment, a fine gift, or a welcome companion to take on a trip. Written for young adults all the way to mature audiences, Lilith - Demon of the Night stands on its own merit as an enjoyable read. When combined with TJC Publication's other novels in the Detective Louis Martelli series, it becomes a link in the chain of adventures; an episode quite a bit different from the others.

Editor's note: This novel contains adult language

Reviewed by: Gary Sorkin

Gary Sorkin is the Senior Editor for Pacific Book Review. Please visit Pacific Book Review at: http://www.pacificbookreview.com/

Trespasser by Paul Doiron - Mystery-Thriller Book Review - Asian Murder, ATV Adventure, and Amore

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Twenty-five-year-old Mike Bowditch is a passionate Maine state game warden. It's been seven months since the ordeal with his father, Jack Bowditch at Rum Pond (consider reading Doiron's award-nominated debut novel, The Poacher's Son as a preface to Trespasser).

Bowditch responds to a dispatcher's call to investigate a deer/car collision on Parker Point Road. He arrives to find a damaged, red, rental sedan, and deer bloodstains in the middle of the road, but no driver, no deer.

What happened to the driver and the deer? Who anonymously alerted the authorities from the pay phone at Smitty's Garage two miles away about the accident?

The rental car agreement found in the glove compartment indicates the current driver as Ashley Kim, 23, from Cambridge, Massachusetts.

State trooper, Curt Hutchins arrives at the scene soon after Bowditch. He assures him that he'll continue pursuit of Kim, now that it's a state police matter. Bowditch is skeptical. Something's not right and Bowditch knows it.

Bowditch is compelled to do his own investigation of Ashley Kim's disappearance. He entails the help of town clerk, MaryBeth Fickett and legendary, retired warden pilot, Charley Stevens. Stevens befriended Bowditch during his search for his father.

Fickett discovers that Hans Westergaard owns a summer home not far from the accident site. Westergaard is also from Cambridge, Massachusetts and a Harvard Business School professor. The Kim/Westergaard connection is too close to ignore. Bowditch calls Westergaard's wife, Jill, and learns that Kim was her husband's research assistant. She informs him too, that Hans left for a conference the day before and hasn't been heard from since.

Bowditch and Stevens explore the capacious, oceanfront Westergaard home where they discover the mutilated corpse of Ashley Kim. The killer had carved the word SLUT on her body. With no sign of Westergaard, early suspicions focus on a romantic liaison between the two gone sour.

Seven years ago, Earland Jefferts, an affable, handsome, former lobsterman, was convicted of murdering twenty-year old, Nikki Donatelli. The crime occurred on a hot July night after drinking and seduction at the Harpoon Bar. Interestingly, Bowditch learns that Donatelli's body also had the word SLUT carved into her body.

The J-Team, led by Jeffert's aunt, Lou Bates, is determined to win him a new trial; convinced the prosecution did a botched job of presenting the evidence. They approach Bowditch about joining their mission. He initially declines. But, given the similarities between the Kim/Donatelli murders, he finds himself drawn into investigating Jeffert's conviction.

Danica Marshall is the Assistant Attorney General who helped prosecute Earland Jefferts. Often referred to as a "courthouse sex symbol," and "Black Widow," she warns Bowditch to stop investigating Ashley Kim's death, and revisiting the details of Jeffert's conviction.

The Square Deal Diner is the town's gossip hub. Upon entering, Bowditch has been the topic of conversation, both during his father's disappearance and Ashley Kim's murder.

Adventure accentuates Trespasser, as Bowditch engages in a death-defying ATV chase on an ice-filled, snow-driven night to lure local Calvin Barter. Bowditch is sure he's the culprit whose ATV tracks have been ruining neighbor, Hank Varnum's property: " I shifted into a lower gear and gassed it, aiming for as much momentum as possible and hoping to hell my wheels didn't lose traction on the icy surface."

Bowditch met his live-in girlfriend, Sarah, during college. Despite her affluent upbringing, she was attracted to his raw, love for the outdoors. "She recognized something feral underneath my clean-cut exterior, and like many good girls from proper families, she was aroused by the scent of danger."

His affinity for danger, both during the search for his father and now in the Ashley Kim murder investigation, have take its toll on their relationship. Her tolerance for his availability, both physically and emotionally, have peaked, especially now that she's secretly pregnant.

Well-written fiction mirrors reality, often presenting insightful dialogue. One of the best lines in Trespasser worth contemplating is "You never really know someone until they're no longer in your life."

If you enjoy reading crime fiction, you'll appreciate Doiron's newish voice. It's one that's sure to become more recognizable over time.

The 2012 Bouchercon World Mystery Convention is being held in Cleveland, Ohio, October 4-7. To learn more about this gathering of some of the world's best crime fiction writers, visit: http://bouchercon2012.com/

Timothy Zaun is a blogger, speaker and freelance writer. Visit him online at http://timzaun.com/.

Book Review: The Reunion by Sue Walker

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If you have been reading my posts for quite sometime, you already know that I am a fan of mystery/suspense stories. I love the chest-thumping, heart-stopping, and hand-trembling sensation brought about by suspense stories and I love making who-done-it guesses related to solving the mystery in a particular story. My love for mystery and suspense books started when I was in highschool when Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys became popular readings amongst my friends and classmates.

Suspense and mystery are inherent in most if not all crime stories and it obviously follows that I love crime stories too. Before I learned to love other genres, I thought that crime stories are the only books that I can ever tolerate. It's a good thing I came across Goodreads, and I was able to discover other genres and thus expand my reading preferences.

I bought The Reunion by Sue Walkerone fine, random day at Booksale without having any idea how good (or bad) it is and without any inkling who the author is except that it was only Php20.00 and its blurb seems to be just the kind of book I would like (suspense, check...mystery, check). It has suspense and mystery, all right, but I feel that the resolution towards the end took very long. I believe that for a suspense story to be effective, it must keep up with the pace otherwise it will turn out to be anticlimactic. The Reunion was just like that - anticlimactic. The suspense was so prolonged I finally got bored with it and did not care how the mystery will finally unfold in the end. I still endured it until finish and though there were some unexpected plot twists and surprising revelations, my interest had faded already that I was no longer that shocked nor surprised.

I have not heard about Sue Walker before so I did not have any idea about her writings. I do not have any trouble liking the way she writes except that the repeated flashbacks in the story terribly confused me and therefore added to my growing disinterest. This may be the last time I will ever read a book from Sue Walker, no offense meant. I do not mean to say that I entirely hated the book. It is okay, but entirely forgettable.

The Reunion is a leftover reading from last year and I don't know for how long this book has been sitting in my shelf. It just feels good to finally count this off my TBR list. Now on to other more interesting reads.

2 stars.

Blood Collector - The Time Anderson Series, By TC Elofson - Book Review

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It's another Thanksgiving in Seattle, and Detective Tim Anderson has a few problems. His partner, Detective Kenny Johnson, is having family issues with an elderly uncle. Anderson has a few family issues of his own, what with rarely seeing his daughter and having to deal with a bitter ex. Worst of all, somebody's killing people left and right on the Seattle streets, and all the evidence - such as it is - points to a vampire. However, as Anderson investigates further, he discovers it's worse than that: not only is the killer a vampire, but so are her victims.

This is the setup to Blood Collector, T.C. Elofson's mashup of vampire and police procedural novels, and it's a fast-paced ride. In fact, it might be a little too fast-paced; clocking in at just over 200 pages, Elofson takes readers on a whirlwind tour throughout history and several viewpoints as the saga of Fabiana, a nearly 2000-year-old beauty bent on destroying the original vampire, unfolds. Despite switching between first- and third-person points of view, as well as a few nested flashbacks here and there, Elofson does an admirable job of keeping the plot elements straight. Even better, real care is taken with the procedural and scientific evidence aspects of the plot, demonstrating a care and thoughtfulness with the realistic portions of the narrative that thoroughly grounds the novel's events in reality and helps sell the more fantastical aspects. This realism is not as assiduously applied to the vampires' effects on the real world, but there's enough present to sidestep some of the sillier clich?s, such as the lack of reflection in mirrors.

However, in a narrative this streamlined, something has to go, and in the case of Blood Collector, it's the characters. Not one is elevated to anything more than broad archetype, and in the case of the vampires, particularly Fabiana and her longtime love Cerci, all the clich?s Elofson managed to sidestep in vampire lore come crashing to earth from the romance side of the aisle. Even given the routine nature of characterization in most thrillers, these fall flat, and the stilted dialogue, frequent homophone misuse and comma-spliced sentences do the narrative no favors. The humans don't come off much better, and in at least one case - specifically, the FBI agent investigating the Seattle killings, which follow a pattern crossing state lines - some of the characterization and motivations seem to come out of left field. Mid-narrative switches in character don't do much for suspension of disbelief, and in this case, it becomes one too many burdens for the story to bear.

While the weak characterization and fundamental language issues sink the novel overall, Elofson displays strong plotting and clear thinking in constructing the narrative, raising hope that future efforts extend those strengths to characters.

Reviewed by: Nicole Sorkin, Pacific Book Review

http://www.pacificbookreview.com/

Book Review for: "Murder in the Buff"

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Book Review for: Murder in the Buff
Written by: Maggie Toussaint
MuseitUp Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-927361-93-1
Avail as: ebook
5 Stars

Toussaint entertains with "Murder in the Buff," a cozy crime-mystery. Molly Darter is having a bad day. She's busted her husband kissing her sister and now she's chasing an obituary at the nudist colony for her day job. When the naturalists suggest that their friend, Barbara Jean, has been murdered, Molly doesn't know what's worse - searching for a murderer or dealing with her dysfunctional family.

Set in the contemporary south, Molly is a reporter for the local paper. Her mother is a modern southern belle, her father is pond scum, her sister is spoiled rotten, and her soon-to-be ex, Hadley, is in the doghouse for kissing her sister. The cherry on top of her day is her assignment to visit the nudists so she can write an obituary on Barbara Jean McAllister, a member of the naturalists who has recently passed away. It's enough to give Molly a monster-sized headache.

Mama Leon, the leader of those in the buff insists Barbara Jean was murdered and asks Molly to find the killer. Molly goes home only to discover that someone has placed compromising photos of Barbara Jean with several prominent men from the community in her paperwork. With suspects galore and her pond scum father on the list, Molly knows determining if Barbara Jean has actually been murdered, then going after the killer, is going to be challenging.

Complicating matters is her family. Her husband has involved her sister in his undercover work looking for drug dealers. After a long night, Hadley is caught kissing Molly's sister. Molly is furious and everyone around her feels her wrath.

Can Molly calm down and get to the heart of the matter involving Barbara Jean's murder and her family's problems or will she shoot herself in the foot?

Toussaint's writing style is crisp and sharp. She engages the reader from the get-go. Her contemporary voice brings a rich authenticity to Molly and her predicament. Just when you think it can't get any wore for the heroine it does. Toussaint keeps the reader on their toes with all the twists and turns in the plot.

The supporting cast is a hoot. From Mama Leon and his free-spirited naturalists who sell organic fruit to Molly's uptight mother, everyone in town has a motive to kill Barbara Jean. Molly's got her hands full whittling down the suspect list and managing her family's drama.

Toussaint waves a hint of romance effortlessly into this murder mystery, leaving the reader to wonder what will happen next. The love scenes are sensual in nature.

"Murder in the Buff" will keep you turning the pages and leave you wanting to know what's next for Molly, Mama Leon, and the good citizens of Marshview.

Reviewed by: S. Burkhart

StephB is an author who likes to read many books and a variety of different genres. StephB is an author at http://www.Writing.Com/ which is a site for Creative Writing.

Book Review for "Sebastian's Salvation"

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Book Review for: Sebastian's Salvation
Written by: Jillian Chantel
BookStrand Publishing
ISBN: 1-61926-313-0
Avail as: an eBook
4 Stars

Reviewed by: S. Burkhart

Chantel crafts a story filled with romance, betrayal, suspense, and love with "Sebastian's Salvation." Sebastian Hughes has seen combat in Afghanistan that's left him scared physically and emotionally. Is he ready to find love or will a foe seeking revenge ruin his happiness?

The story is set in modern day London. Sebastian Hughes is an American ex-green beret now medically retired. On his last mission, Sebastian's body suffered shrapnel wounds and he uses a prosthetic from the knee down on one leg. While in the hospital, Sebastian became a portrait painter.

The story opens with Sebastian's friend, Jackson, an art curator hosting a show of Sebastian's work. Sebastian is the talk of the town. His work involves painting women in the nude - tastefully, of course. A slew of potential clients make the night a success, but not before Sebastian receives a cryptic warming - a dead rat.

Sebastian, treating the rat like a prank, meets Lady Joanna Gresham at the event. Joanna challenges Sebastian in ways he hasn't been before and reawakens urges he hasn't felt in years. Still, he keeps her at bay, afraid his scared body is repulsive and he isn't a whole man.

Joanna isn't intimidated in the least by Sebastian's off-putting nature and goes after what she wants. When she learns her father has made arrangements for their family to entertain a group of friends at their Swiss chalet. Joanna is delighted to find out Sebastian is on the guest list. While Joanna makes her plans, Sebastian's stalker becomes bolder, putting him on edge. Dare Sebastian let Joanna into his heart knowing that danger lurks just around the corner?

Chantel's writing is easy to read and pulls the reader into Sebastian's story with ease. I appreciated the contemporary setting and Sebastian's military background. It gives the story a topical theme in which many returning from the war zones have struggles. The plot flows smoothly. Chantel builds suspense well, leaving the reader anxiously turning the page.

The author uses a good economy of words to paint nice visuals of the London setting. The dialogue also adds a nice accent to the characters.

The characters make the story shine. Sebastian is a true hero and his intentions are always noble.

Joanna is as tenacious as a bull when it comes to letting Sebastian know how she feels about him. Her steadfast belief in their love proves to be his salvation.

The supporting cast is well rounded and a delight, complimenting the main characters well.

The story is sophisticated for romance readers. There are several love scenes that capture the passion and intensity of the couple. Sebastian's Salvation is a page-turner. I highly recommend it.

StephB is an author who likes to read many books and a variety of different genres. StephB is an author at http://www.Writing.Com/ which is a site for Creative Writing.