I Love the White Magic Five & Dime by Steve Hockensmith


I have read many books by Steve Hockensmith and enjoyed them all. The Holmes on the Range series is a great mash-up of mystery and western. Cadaver in Chief: A Special Report from the Dawn of the Zombie Apocalypse was the funniest zombie book I ever read, which is probably why I liked it. (I normally do not like zombies.) So when the The White Magic Five & Dime came out I couldn’t wait to read it and I was not disappointed. The only way I could be disappointed is if this is the only one in the series.

Who is Steve Hockensmith?

Steve has the best author website. Period. You need to check it out. His tongue-in-cheek writing style grabs me every time. He started in journalism and moved to writing novels. Since his first book, Holmes on the Range, was a finalist for several prestigious writing awards I would say that was a good move. Besides writing adult mystery novels, he writes short stories, romzomcoms, (I had never heard this term but it is basically Jane Austin with zombies) and kid’s books. His series, starting with Nick and Tesla’s High-Voltage Danger Lab, and co-written with “Science Bob” Pflugfelder, are very popular with middle grade readers. I just finished the first one and loved it.

All in all I would say Steve is a writer with a capital W. He does what I think all authors need to do more of, write and publish fun books.

Why do I love this book?

The White Magic Five & Dime is a clever, slightly snarky, fun, twisty mystery. The main character thinks she is normal but she can’t escape her crazy childhood although she does a good job of trying. I liked how she struggled with who she thought she should be and who she really was. Plus her inner dialogue is pithy and cynical which is so fun to read.

All good mysteries have a hobby, or a profession to wrap the story around. This one used tarot cards. Steve didn’t know much about tarot so he co-wrote the books with a tarot expert, Lisa Falco. They did a great job incorporating tarot into the story. Different cards are explained throughout the book and they help illuminate or confuse the plot. I like tarot cards the for the same reason I like horoscopes, it is amazing how accurate they can be while being so vague. Using them in a mystery helps make the story more mysterious. Very cool.

Sticking a die-hard skeptic in a new-age town is a great way to add natural conflict to a story. Since I am a bit of a skeptic myself I loved her opinion of the people who visited vortexes and psychics. The setting of the town added to the story and to her fish-out-of-water mentality. This is a mystery I would gladly read again and again.

No book is perfect. This is what bugs me…

The only thing that bugs me is that the second one isn’t out yet. Write faster!

Why should you read this book?

If you like light mysteries that are really funny, well-written, clever, and edu-taining then this is the book for you. The best part is, even though there isn’t a second tarot card mystery out yet, you can read Steve’s other books like Holmes on the Range or Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls and enjoy more funny, clever stories.

A Quote worth Quoting

“A blind lady swinging a sword big enough for Conan the Barbarian seems like a bad idea. But look: this Justice has the traditional sword and scales but no blindfold. (her muumuu’s a lot spiffier than the usual toga, too, but that’s beside the point.) The implication: screw impartiality. If things are to work out as they should (and that’s what justice is really all about), the important thing is to look at the situation – and yourself – and truly see. Miss Chance Infinite Roads of Knowing” Steve Hockensmith, White Magic Five and Dime

I Love the Whipping Boy by Katherine Thomlinson


I read a lot of eBooks. When I moved to a small town with a really small library I started reading eBooks because a lot of them are free or almost free. I wish I could say you get what you pay for but for ninety-nine cents I might get the next great American novel or drivel so bad it wasn’t worth reading if they paid me. But I keep reading eBooks because nothing is more fun than finding a great book among all the rejects. Whipping Boy is one of the great ones. I took a chance since it was on sale and I loved it to pieces. It is a little rough around the edges, but the characters are fun, the mystery is intriguing, and the Hollywood name-dropping makes for a sassy story.

Who is KatherineThomlison?

I have no idea. She has no Amazon author page and there is nothing about her on Google except the titles of her books. She is published by Dark Valentine Press and they have no information about her either. I don’t mind, I enjoy a book whether or not I know anything about the author, but I find it interesting that in a world where an author platform is considered necessary that she has nothing.

Why do I love this book?

I enjoy mysteries but hate it when the characters are depressing or are dealing with problems that have nothing to do with the plot. In Whipping Boy the cast of characters are interesting, varied, and a little weird. Just what I like. The setting is in Los Angeles but the talk is all about the Oscars. The combination of hard-hitting police work and Hollywood gossip worked perfectly. There is a little romance, but it doesn’t overpower the story, it just provides a shiny ending.

No book is perfect. This is what bugs me…

The world of self-publishing has come a long way in a short time. When I worked at Borders six years ago I wouldn’t touch a self-published book and I didn’t recommend them to anyone either. Now I consider myself a self-published author and hope that I provide a quality story to my readers. But no matter how good of an editor an author uses the finished product is still going to feel like it was self-published or published at a small press.

I read tons of books. I read self-published eBooks because the price is right and I enjoy them a lot. I might read ten self-published books and then one traditionally published book. When I read the traditional book I feel like a weight has been lifted off my chest and I can breathe again. The writing is just that much better. Don’t get me wrong. I think self-published authors can write a great book. But they never seem to have the polish of a traditionally published book.

What I can’t figure out is why. Is there really something in the water of New York City that causes the editors of the big publishers to put out a better book? Is it because the big publishers have more money to spend on editors and cover art? I love the plots of a lot of the eBooks I read and I think the quality is fine. I just wish I could figure out what they are missing that makes them feel slightly different than a traditionally published book. Perhaps someday the difference could be erased and a utopian book world would emerge, benefiting both the reader and the writer. Or perhaps a self-published book is supposed to feel different. What do you think?

Why should you read this book?

If you like to read mysteries and want to get them for a bargain than I suggest you try eBooks. If you want a mystery that is has quirky characters and a fast-moving plot then check out Whipping Boy. I am waiting for the next one in the series and wish it would come out sooner. You will, too.

A Quote Worth Quoting

“One of the things that was spelled out right in the job description of an LAPD criminalist was the warning that you’d often work under “unpleasant conditions.” That was an understatement. I once took a pair of dress slacks to the dry cleaners to have a stain removed. “What exactly is that?” the woman processing the clothes asked. Brain matter and bile, most likely. “Not sure,” I said. “Something organic.” Katherine Tomlinson Whipping Boy

I Love the Derek Storm Novels by Richard Castle


I am a fan of the TV show Castle. As a struggling writer I find the idea that I could become a best-selling author, like Richard Castle, and live in a penthouse in New York City very appealing.

I love it when my TV shows blend with the real world so I was excited to see that the two series mentioned on the show were actual books that I could read. Nikki Heat came out as full length books at the same time that they were being published on the TV show. Very cool. The books were very popular so someone must have decided to publish the Derek Storm novels also. This is a trickier proposition because Richard Castle killed Derek Storm in his last novel and no longer writes that series.

Luckily, no one seemed to care. The first three Derek Storm novels were released as eBook novellas. I enjoyed them a lot. Other people must have also because the fourth book came out in print and more are coming. Hooray!

Who is Richard Castle?

This is a great question. Richard Castle is a fictional character played by Nathan Fillion on Castle. The writers of this show have created a fictional history for Richard Castle, including all the awards that he has won for the Derek Storm novels. He is apparently a well-read author with millions of books sold. I wouldn’t disagree with this since I enjoy the Derek Storm novels but I don’t feel the need to list all of his accomplishments here since he is as fictional as Derek Storm. I do love the concept of a fictional character writing fictional books. They could keep going and have Derek Storm write books during his retirement. Fictional authors writing fiction could be a never-ending cycle.

Why do I love this series?

All books have a rhythm. Some plod and some race but a few feel like they are a TV show or movie in book format. The The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown has that feel. The chapters are laid out like movie scenes and I felt I was reading an elaborate script. The Derek Storm novels have that same rhythm. The scenes are short and the characters have pithy dialogue so I almost feel like I am reading a television show. This is not a bad thing. The pace is fast and that makes the action seem very immediate and hard hitting. I wouldn’t be surprised if TV script writers were writing these books.

I often have to read in small chunks as I am waiting for someone or on a break so I love books with short chapters and a storyline that moves quickly. That is one reason why I devoured the Derek Storm novels. I could pick them up and put them down and not wonder where I had left off. Plus the characters are interesting. I won’t say they are overly complicated but they are more than just caricatures. I enjoy reading books that entertain me and this series definitely did.

This is a series that I would read in order. Start with the three e-novellas, A Brewing Storm, A Raging Storm, and A Bloody Storm (each only 1.99 on Amazon) and then read the full-length novels. I would say they are perfect escape fiction.

No book is perfect. This is what bugs me…

The Derek Storm novels are non-stop adventures and I am impressed by the tight writing. I just wish I knew who was actually writing these books. Is it the writers of the show, Castle? Is it one guy who does nothing but write Richard Castle books? Does the same person write the Derek Storm and Nikki Heat novels? I don’t know and I would like to find out. It is cute to say that Richard Castle writes these books but some hard-working writer is actually responsible and I would love to give that person or group credit.

Why should you read this book?

If you like quick-paced James Bond-style plots with lots of witty dialogue and intrigue then the Derek Storm novels are a sure hit. They are not literature but they are definitely an entertaining read. Plus when you watch Castle you can feel like one of his devoted readers and immerse yourself in the fictional world of Richard Castle.

A Quote Worth Quoting

Showers took a deep breath and said, “At this moment, I would love to shoot you.”

He stopped in front of the Marriott. “How about a Taser?” He said. “If it really makes you feel better. Richard Castle A Raging Storm

 

 

 

I Love And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie


I don’t know if I’ll go to mystery reader Hell for saying this, but I am not a huge fan of Agatha Christie. For the longest time I didn’t like any of her books. I did feel bad about it. I mean, she is the grande dame of mysteries (and an official Dame, too). How could I not love her books? I figured there was something wrong with me and I should just give up.

However, I love to read the classics and I am a glutton for punishment so I tried reading one more Agatha Christie novel. I chose Murder on the Orient Express…and I loved it. Then I read Murder in Mesopotamia… and I loved it. Then I read Hallowe’en Party…and I loved it. I figured out I didn’t hate Agatha Christie. I just really didn’t like Miss Marple stories and those were the ones I kept picking up at first.

I had always heard of the movie Ten Little Indians. When I wanted to write a variation on that plot I picked up And Then There Were None, the book that the movie is based on. It was then that I knew what my favorite Agatha Christie novel was. I will probably read others, for better or for worse, but the one I will read more than once is And Then There Were None, a twisty, turny story with a wonderful trick ending.

Who is Agatha Christie?

Dame Agatha Christie is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the best-selling novelist of all time. Her books have sold over 2 billion copies and have been translated into 103 languages. Quite remarkable. Along with her 66 mystery novels she wrote short stories, romances, and the world’s-longest running play, Mousetrap.

In 1955 she was the first recipient of the Grand Master Award, the Mystery Writers of America’s highest honor. In 1971 she was made a Dame by Queen Elizabeth II. She continued to write into her 70s and died in 1976 at age 85.

Agatha Christie’s life story could be made into a movie all its own. She traveled extensively with her second husband and took on work during both World Wars. She even had her own mystery disappearance that has never been fully explained. She was a mystery writer with a mystery. I cannot possibly write down everything that happened in her life but I encourage you to read more about her.

Why do I love this book?

I love the idea of a group of people, strangers to each other but not to their host, stuck in one location and helpless as a murderer kills them one by one. Okay, that is probably weird, but it is one of my favorite plots. In And Then There Were None a group of people are invited to an island for a weekend party. From the start they sense that something is wrong but with a storm coming in and no boat available they have no choice but to stay and accept their fate. I don’t want to give away any spoilers, however, the title might be the biggest spoiler.

The title is the last line of a poem that Agatha Christie used as her inspiration. Ten Little Indians, while never the title of the book in the United States, was used as the title of some of the movie versions. I personally like And Then There Were None much better since the story has nothing to do with Indians except for the poem.

And Then There Were None is Agatha Christie’s top best-selling novel with over 100 million copies sold also making it the best-selling mystery ever sold. I guess I am not the only one who likes it.

No book is perfect. This is what bugs me…

This is a minor thing and probably not worth mentioning, but here I go. Why are Agatha Christie movies so dated? Some of them are okay but when I watch them again I am distracted by the outdated clothes and hair styles. The books have a timelessness to them but unless each generation makes their own cinema version the movies end up on a dusty library shelf. Of course the storylines have been used in hundreds of crime TV shows, but I would love to see a version of And Then There Were None that is as fresh twenty years from now as it would be today.

Why should you read this book?

There is something special about classic mysteries. They can be dull as dirt or full of intrigue, but they still have that bygone feeling that modern mysteries, even historic ones, can never recreate. I would never encourage anyone to read all of Dame Christie’s work, but if you have to pick just one I would pick And Then There Were None. Once you know the ending be sure to tell no one. It will be our little secret.

A Quote Worth Quoting

“The amount of missing girls I’ve had to trace and their family and their friends always say the same thing. ‘She was a bright and affectionate disposition and had no men friends’. That’s never true. It’s unnatural. Girls ought to have men friends. If not, then there’s something wrong about them….” ― Agatha Christie, And Then There Were None