Briar Patch Books

Category: Mysteries

  • Good guys few and far between

    Bob Moyer takes a look at a novel with Reed Parrel Coleman’s latest hero – or is it antihero? Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer SLEEPLESS CITY. By Reed Farrel Coleman. Blackstone Publishing. 321 pages. $26.99. No one wears a white hat in the Sleepless City known as New York. Not even Nick Ryan, the latest…

  • Every page a gem

    Bob Moyer reads a lot and reviews a lot of books. If he had to name his favorite authors, I’m guessing Walter Moseley would be at or near the top of the list. Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer EVERY MAN A KING. By Walter Mosley. 324 pages. $28. Joe King Oliver doesn’t really want to…

  • A mystery within a mystery

    Bob Moyer takes a look at a novel set in New Orleans and full of fire, murder, mystery, repentant nuns – and  (no surprise) heat and humidity. Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer SCORCHED GRACE. A Sister Holiday Mystery. By Margot Douaihy. Gillian Flynn Books 320 pages. $27.95. Before Sister Holiday joined the tiny New Orleans…

  • Bad guys beware: This guy has perseverance and a bag of crafty tricks

    Bob Moyer knows a good mystery/thriller when he reads it. He says Thomas Perry is in fine form with this new one. THE MURDER BOOK. By Thomas Perry. Mysterious Press. 394 pages. $27.95. Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer If you’ve read a Thomas Perry novel before, or if you’ve seen the Netflix adaptation of The…

  • Looking for love and a whole lot more

    If you’re looking for a good detective novel, Bob Moyer is the man to ask. Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer RACING THE LIGHT. By Robert Craig. Putnam. 355 pages. $29. In the pantheon of L.A. crime writers, Michael Connelly stands head and shoulders above a crowded field. His Hieronymous “Harry” Bosch manifests a modern-day version…

  • ATTENTION: If you’ve missed Burke’s latest, don’t wait any longer

    This book has been out awhile, but Bob Moyer just got around to reviewing it.  He says it’s one of the best from one of our best novelists. EVERY CLOAK ROLLED IN BLOOD. By James Lee Burke. Simon and Schuster. 278 pages. $27. In this 13th novel of the Holland family series, novelist Aaron Holland…

  • You may care…

    One mark of a worthwhile, useful book review is whether it gives the reader a good idea of whether she or he would want to read the book. By that standard, Bob Moyer excels in this review. Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer A DEATH IN DOOR COUNTY. By Annelise Ryan. Berkeley. 322 pages. $27. When…

  • Fighting the invisible monster

    Bob Moyer has produced a review in which he manages to use, correctly,  the word “antepenultimate.” He even spelled it correctly. Impressive. Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer. DESERT STAR. By Michael Connelly. Little, Brown. 388 pages $29. “The arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice.” A witness being interviewed by…

  • Murder at the salvage yard

    Here’s a remarkably good first novel by the latest addition to my list of outstanding North Carolina authors. Reviewed by Linda C. Brinson IT DIES WITH YOU.  By Scott Blackburn. Crooked Lane Books. 304 pages. $27.99. When Hudson Miller was just a boy, his dad “dismantled” what had been a reasonably happy, church-going, middle class…

  • Twists and turns in a fast-moving thriller

    Bob Moyer reviews a new thriller that sounds like a great choice for those long winter nights – or any time you want to lose yourself in an entertaining book. Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer THE LIGHTNING ROD. By Brad Meltzer. William Morrow. 419 pages. $28.99 The good news is Brad Meltzer writes a big…