Nyssa
2018-06-04 21:06:24 UTC
Let's see if I can get a few more of my recent finishes
checked off the to-do list.
"Signature Kill" by David Levien was one of my Dollar Tree
finds that finally migrated near the top of my TBR pile. I'd
never heard of the author, so I had no idea what I was in for.
It turned out to be an especially gory serial killer tale and
part of the Frank Behr series with Behr being a hard working
ex-cop private detective based in Indianapolis. He gets pulled
into the hunt by a worried mother whose 20-something daughter,
Kendra, has disappeared leaving behind her toddler daughter.
The book alternates between narrative that follows Behr as he
starts to put the puzzle pieces together and the thoughts of
the killer.
There is a lot of graphic descriptions of the killer's handiwork
and his methods of finding, kidnapping, torturing, and disposal
of the bodies. Too much information for me!
The following of clues portions of the book were things I would
have enjoyed in a less-graphic murder mystery, but weighed down
by all of the blood, gore, and body parts, it just wasn't a
good balance. The gore outdid the puzzle, and I couldn't wait
to finish the book and move on to something else.
Readers who enjoyed "Silence of the Lambs" might like this book,
but I didn't like SotL either and found this book exploitative rather
than entertaining. As with all things, YMMV.
I picked out "The Crochet Killer" by C.K. Martin because it sounded
like it might be a pleasant cozy mystery. Wrong! It turned out to
be neither pleasant or cozy, but Yet Another Serial Killer story.
What are the odds of tripping over two of these things so close
together? Yuck.
The series subtitle didn't give a clue that it was a non-cozy
either since it's labeled a "Teddie McKay Novel" which sounds
like a nice, cuddly character. Wrong again! Teddie is a hard-
boiled police detective who comes back from her vacation to
be dumped on an on-going case that has stumped the department
so far.
Considering the case (as per the title) has been dubbed The
Crochet Killer supposedly by the totally ignorant media, that
should be a Big Clue that this entire book might not be very well
thought out since there is absolutely nothing to do with crochet
about the murders at all. Not even a little bit. Some type of blue
string was used to strangle each victim so somehow plain *string*
caused them to think of crochet. Really? Not only does the fictional
media and police force not know what crochet is, but the *author*
doesn't either? And no beta readers, editors, or proofreaders
either who might have mentioned to the author that her title
for the book is silly and meaningless to the plot?
I should also mention that Detective Teddie is a lesbian. You
might wonder why I mention this, but it seems that this fact is
as important to the book as the serial murderer. It must be since
it's mentioned repeatedly along with the ups and downs of Teddie's
relationships including that of her ex-girlfriend/roommate who
is a reporter on the local newspaper.
As with "Signature Kill" the narrative shifts between the
description of the police work and the actions of the murderer.
There is a lot of forensics and a lot of discussions among the
police team of the clues, relationships, and whether Teddie
has been feeding inside information about the investigation to
her reporter ex.
So if you like lesbian police detectives following the trail
to a serial killer while dealing with romantic relationships,
this one's for you. For me, it wasn't.
Too much gore, so let's switch to "Tune in to Danger" by Donald
J. McGill, the first in the Talk Radio Mystery series which has
some humor and much less blood.
This one is centered around a talk-and-call-in radio station
in the San Francisco area that caters to the right-leaning political
crowd (do these even exist in San Francisco?). Their afternoon
personality, Jeremy (Jerry) Jeremy is under pressure from the owners
of the station to do something to increase the market share of his
show. He's still recovering from the disaster to the station that
was caused by his last big idea that cost the station big bucks
after his guest, a dodgy spirit medium Madame Zoroaster, supposedly
cost a listener her inheritance in the form of a missing necklace.
There's a lot of things going on in the book besides Jerry trying
to save his career including an auto accident that turns out to
have been murder, a supper club magician and his assistant, a
reverse con, and damsel in distress. A wild ride overall and
a lot of fun characters.
After all the serial killers and body parts, I needed the laughs.
"Clammed Up" by Barbara Ross is the first book in the Maine
Clambake Mystery series and it was another winner. There are
six books in the series so far with a seventh coming later this
year. Good characters, well plotted, and most importantly, a
believable setting and situation.
Julia Snowdon has taken a leave of absence from her job at a
venture capital firm in Manhattan to return to her family's home
in Maine. The family business, Snowdon Family Clambakes, is in
grave financial trouble. After re-negotiating the bank loan
that had been taken out for equipment upgrades and maintenance
she hopes that the company will be back on firmer footing at
the end of the current summer tourist season. But the schedule
is tight and won't allow for many lost business days.
Unfortunately a tragedy occurs on the first day when a body
is found on the company's island where the clambakes are
held. The police close down the island until the murder
can be solved. No island available means no business being
done, so Julia puts on her detective hat to try to find the
killer ASAP so her business can re-open.
This book was a good example of what a cozy should be. Good
characters and a well-researched background of what actually
goes on in such a business environment in small town Maine.
The mystery was a good one too with logical steps that track
down the murder and motive. I look forward to the rest of
the series.
[Ping Carol: we have a winner here, in case you need a new
cozy series to add to your pile.]
That's enough for this installment. *Only* thirteen more to go.
<argh!>
Nyssa, who hopes to start reading "Tower Down" by David Hagberg
next since it just came in the mail today
checked off the to-do list.
"Signature Kill" by David Levien was one of my Dollar Tree
finds that finally migrated near the top of my TBR pile. I'd
never heard of the author, so I had no idea what I was in for.
It turned out to be an especially gory serial killer tale and
part of the Frank Behr series with Behr being a hard working
ex-cop private detective based in Indianapolis. He gets pulled
into the hunt by a worried mother whose 20-something daughter,
Kendra, has disappeared leaving behind her toddler daughter.
The book alternates between narrative that follows Behr as he
starts to put the puzzle pieces together and the thoughts of
the killer.
There is a lot of graphic descriptions of the killer's handiwork
and his methods of finding, kidnapping, torturing, and disposal
of the bodies. Too much information for me!
The following of clues portions of the book were things I would
have enjoyed in a less-graphic murder mystery, but weighed down
by all of the blood, gore, and body parts, it just wasn't a
good balance. The gore outdid the puzzle, and I couldn't wait
to finish the book and move on to something else.
Readers who enjoyed "Silence of the Lambs" might like this book,
but I didn't like SotL either and found this book exploitative rather
than entertaining. As with all things, YMMV.
I picked out "The Crochet Killer" by C.K. Martin because it sounded
like it might be a pleasant cozy mystery. Wrong! It turned out to
be neither pleasant or cozy, but Yet Another Serial Killer story.
What are the odds of tripping over two of these things so close
together? Yuck.
The series subtitle didn't give a clue that it was a non-cozy
either since it's labeled a "Teddie McKay Novel" which sounds
like a nice, cuddly character. Wrong again! Teddie is a hard-
boiled police detective who comes back from her vacation to
be dumped on an on-going case that has stumped the department
so far.
Considering the case (as per the title) has been dubbed The
Crochet Killer supposedly by the totally ignorant media, that
should be a Big Clue that this entire book might not be very well
thought out since there is absolutely nothing to do with crochet
about the murders at all. Not even a little bit. Some type of blue
string was used to strangle each victim so somehow plain *string*
caused them to think of crochet. Really? Not only does the fictional
media and police force not know what crochet is, but the *author*
doesn't either? And no beta readers, editors, or proofreaders
either who might have mentioned to the author that her title
for the book is silly and meaningless to the plot?
I should also mention that Detective Teddie is a lesbian. You
might wonder why I mention this, but it seems that this fact is
as important to the book as the serial murderer. It must be since
it's mentioned repeatedly along with the ups and downs of Teddie's
relationships including that of her ex-girlfriend/roommate who
is a reporter on the local newspaper.
As with "Signature Kill" the narrative shifts between the
description of the police work and the actions of the murderer.
There is a lot of forensics and a lot of discussions among the
police team of the clues, relationships, and whether Teddie
has been feeding inside information about the investigation to
her reporter ex.
So if you like lesbian police detectives following the trail
to a serial killer while dealing with romantic relationships,
this one's for you. For me, it wasn't.
Too much gore, so let's switch to "Tune in to Danger" by Donald
J. McGill, the first in the Talk Radio Mystery series which has
some humor and much less blood.
This one is centered around a talk-and-call-in radio station
in the San Francisco area that caters to the right-leaning political
crowd (do these even exist in San Francisco?). Their afternoon
personality, Jeremy (Jerry) Jeremy is under pressure from the owners
of the station to do something to increase the market share of his
show. He's still recovering from the disaster to the station that
was caused by his last big idea that cost the station big bucks
after his guest, a dodgy spirit medium Madame Zoroaster, supposedly
cost a listener her inheritance in the form of a missing necklace.
There's a lot of things going on in the book besides Jerry trying
to save his career including an auto accident that turns out to
have been murder, a supper club magician and his assistant, a
reverse con, and damsel in distress. A wild ride overall and
a lot of fun characters.
After all the serial killers and body parts, I needed the laughs.
"Clammed Up" by Barbara Ross is the first book in the Maine
Clambake Mystery series and it was another winner. There are
six books in the series so far with a seventh coming later this
year. Good characters, well plotted, and most importantly, a
believable setting and situation.
Julia Snowdon has taken a leave of absence from her job at a
venture capital firm in Manhattan to return to her family's home
in Maine. The family business, Snowdon Family Clambakes, is in
grave financial trouble. After re-negotiating the bank loan
that had been taken out for equipment upgrades and maintenance
she hopes that the company will be back on firmer footing at
the end of the current summer tourist season. But the schedule
is tight and won't allow for many lost business days.
Unfortunately a tragedy occurs on the first day when a body
is found on the company's island where the clambakes are
held. The police close down the island until the murder
can be solved. No island available means no business being
done, so Julia puts on her detective hat to try to find the
killer ASAP so her business can re-open.
This book was a good example of what a cozy should be. Good
characters and a well-researched background of what actually
goes on in such a business environment in small town Maine.
The mystery was a good one too with logical steps that track
down the murder and motive. I look forward to the rest of
the series.
[Ping Carol: we have a winner here, in case you need a new
cozy series to add to your pile.]
That's enough for this installment. *Only* thirteen more to go.
<argh!>
Nyssa, who hopes to start reading "Tower Down" by David Hagberg
next since it just came in the mail today