Category Archives: Mystery

By J.J. Hensley Permanent Press, $28.00, 248 pages Resolve by J. J. Hensley is a very impressive first mystery novel or thriller. The narrative structure is interesting as it takes us mile-by-mile through the Pittsburg Marathon with flashbacks explaining how our hero …

By Parnell Hall Minotaur Books, $24.99, 320 pages I was completely captivated by Arsenic and Old Puzzles by Parnell Hall. Having contrived to miss the first thirteen outings of the Puzzle Lady series (yes, I do live as a hermit in a dark …

By Keigo Higashino Minotaur, $24.99, 330 pages I begin this review with a warning, but not an apology. When we get a chance, we fans deserve the chance to shout praise from the rooftops, hoping others will hear and join us in …

By Mark Pryor Seventh Street Books, $15.95, 309 pages The Bookseller by Mark Pryor is a real page-turner. This is what thriller writers always aim to produce and so often fail to get right. It gives us a great sense of Paris …

By Martin Walker Knopf, $24.95, 318 pages The Crowded Grave by Martin Walker is the fourth in the Bruno, Chief of Police series set in Saint-Denis — a fictional village in the Dordogne, a region in the southwest of France famous …

By Sam Hawken Serpent’s Tail, $14.95, 306 pages The Dead Women of Juarez by Sam Hawken is a powerful thriller set in Ciudad Juárez, a growing city just south of the Mexican border. The author generates tension and excitement as …

By Adrian McKinty Seventh Street Books, $15.95, 340 pages The Cold Cold Ground by Adrian McKinty, the first in The Troubles Trilogy and A Detective Sean Duffy Novel, is a wonderful semi-autobiographical book in which the author recreates his youthful experiences in conflict-torn Northern Ireland. It …