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Kerry Greenwood and Phryne Fisher: Cocaine Blues is Historical Mystery Par Excellence (Book Review)

by Barbara the Bibliophage | Jan 10, 2021 | RELAX: Mystery-Thriller

Author Kerry Greenwood introduces a new mystery heroine in her 2012 book, Cocaine Blues. Phryne Fisher is different from a typical late 1920’s female sleuth in many ways. First, she’s based in Melbourne, Australia instead of the more typical New York, London, or...

The Red Lotus: A Prescient Mystery for 2020 from Chris Bohjalian (Book Review)

by Barbara the Bibliophage | Dec 29, 2020 | RELAX: Mystery-Thriller

The Red Lotus is another strong entry in the mystery / thriller genre from Chris Bohjalian. And this time, he chose an oddly prescient topic for a 2020 release. The story centers around Alexis Remnick, a New York City ER doctor. She’s on a bicycling trip to Vietnam...

C.J. Sansom: Dissolution—A Chilly Tudor Era Mystery (Book Review)

by Barbara the Bibliophage | Dec 26, 2020 | RELAX: Historical Fiction, RELAX: Mystery-Thriller

C.J. Sansom creates an unlikely hero in his character Matthew Shardlake. In Dissolution, the time is Tudor England, and Shardlake is a lawyer working in the service of Thomas Cromwell. He’s just two degrees from King Henry VIII. But he’s still just a lowly guy charged...

Hope Rides Again: Obama Biden Mysteries #2 by Andrew Shaffer (Book Review)

by Barbara the Bibliophage | Nov 23, 2020 | RELAX: Mystery-Thriller

Starting Hope Rides Again: Obama Biden Mysteries #2 by Andrew Shaffer right after Election Day was celebratory. And more than a little bittersweet. With Joe Biden now the U.S. President-Elect Shaffer most likely won’t write another of these quirky mysteries. At least...

More Gwen Proctor Thrillers: Wolfhunter River & Bitter Falls (Series books 3 & 4)

by Barbara the Bibliophage | Nov 10, 2020 | RELAX: Mystery-Thriller

These two satisfying thrillers follow more of Gwen Proctor and her family, which still comprises her teenage son and daughter and now adds a trusted male friend and love interest. If you remember from my recent reviews, she fights vicious Internet trolls and stalkers...

Rachel Caine Thrillers: Stillhouse Lake & Killman Creek (Series books 1 & 2)

by Barbara the Bibliophage | Oct 26, 2020 | RELAX: Mystery-Thriller

Rachel Caine and her main character Gwen Proctor know how to create tight-as-a-drum tension throughout this series based in rural Tennessee. In the first book, Gwen moves to Stillhouse Lake, near the small town of Norton, TN after leaving a long string of other...

The Lottery and Other Stories: Classic Horror from Shirley Jackson (Book Review)

by Barbara the Bibliophage | Oct 19, 2020 | RELAX: Mystery-Thriller

The Lottery and Other Stories proves that Shirley Jackson was a master storyteller. Everyone knows this, so I’m not saying anything new. I’m behind on reading Jackson’s work, having only read We Have Always Lived in a Castle previously. But I figured October was a...

Alex Michaelides: The Silent Patient is a Thrill Ride (Book Review)

by Barbara the Bibliophage | Sep 25, 2020 | RELAX: Mystery-Thriller

Alex Michaelides builds layers of psychological suspense in The Silent Patient. It’s tempting to think you’ve got it all figured out. But the maze of the characters’ minds is complex. In this drama of betrayal and therapeutic potential, Theo is a psychologist treating...

Book Review: Lakewood by Megan Giddings

by Barbara the Bibliophage | Jun 13, 2020 | RELAX: Mystery-Thriller

In Lakewood, the debut novel from Megan Giddings, Lena Johnson is just trying to hold it all together for her family. And that family recently lost its most senior member, her grandmother. That leaves Lena with her ailing mom to care for, as their mountain of debt...

Book Review: Murder as a Fine Art by David Morrell

by Barbara the Bibliophage | May 2, 2020 | RELAX: Historical Fiction, RELAX: Mystery-Thriller

Author David Morrell skillfully blends history and mystery in his 2013 novel, Murder as a Fine Art. Morrell uses real-life historical figures and inserts them into likely situations. Plus, he bases events on the history surrounding their lives. In addition, he...

Book Review: The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair by Joël Dicker

by Barbara the Bibliophage | Apr 26, 2020 | RELAX: Mystery-Thriller

Marcus Goldman and Harry Quebert are New York-based writers in this mystery from Swiss-born Joël Dicker. But none of the action takes place in Manhattan. Instead it is set at Harry’s New Hampshire home, in the small town of Somerset. Goldman is a former student of...

Book Review: The Holdout by Graham Moore

by Barbara the Bibliophage | Mar 27, 2020 | RELAX: Mystery-Thriller

Graham Moore does courtroom dramas and legal thrillers proud in The Holdout. His characters are believable, the plot is layered and complex, and the conclusion satisfying. I don’t ask for much more in a dramatic thriller. Maya Seale was a young, somewhat aimless...

Book Review: The Missing Sister by Elle Marr

by Barbara the Bibliophage | Mar 17, 2020 | RELAX: Mystery-Thriller

Elle Marr tells the story of twin sisters, nefarious dealings, deaths, and the catacombs of Paris in her debut mystery, The Missing Sister. She gathers plenty of action and plot points, with a unique cast of characters in an iconic city. Mix it up, and you’ve got a...

Book Review: Takes One to Know One by Susan Isaacs

by Barbara the Bibliophage | Mar 13, 2020 | RELAX: Mystery-Thriller

​ Back in the day, Susan Isaacs was an auto-buy author for me. But that was literally decades ago. When I happened to read an excerpt of her 2019 book, Takes One to Know One, I thought it was time to give her writing another try. And this was an enjoyable, if not...

Book Review: Drive Your Plow over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk

by Barbara the Bibliophage | Jan 31, 2020 | RELAX: Mystery-Thriller

Olga Tokarczuk is a celebrated Polish writer and Man Booker International Prize winner. No wonder my IRL book group decided to read her work in January. And what a wintery, chilling book this is. Titled “Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead,” it references works...

Book Review: Knots and Crosses by Ian Rankin (Inspector Rebus #1)

by Barbara the Bibliophage | Jan 27, 2020 | RELAX: Mystery-Thriller

Reading Knots and Crosses from Ian Rankin is a trip into the underbelly of Edinburgh, Scotland. Inspector John Rebus is a troubled man, assigned to the team investigating a series of abductions. Not just any abductions, though. Someone is taking young girls, about the...
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