Tag: detective fiction

  • 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…

  • Soldiers, assassins, music and food – Bruno is on the case again

    What can persuade Bob Moyer to take time out from his busy schedule to read a book and write a review? The answer is simple: a new Bruno, Chief of Police novel by Martin Walker. The Bruno novels are always a delicious treat, and it sounds as though this one keeps the tradition alive. Reviewed…

  • What’s going on???

    Do you want to read a mystery that will really keep you guessing? Paul O’Connor found one that came from Sweden. Reviewed by Paul T. O’Connor GEIGER. By Gustaf Skordeman. Translated from Swedish by Ian Giles. Grand Central Publishing. 424 pages. $28, hardback. It’s been a pleasant afternoon for Stellan Boman, the long-retired but still…

  • Still going strong

    Looking for a good detective story? Bob Moyer has a suggestion. Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer   Robert B. Parker’s BYE BYE BABY. By Ace Atkins. Penguin. 315 pages, $28 hardcover.   Fifty books. Robert B. Parker’s one-name Boston private detective, Spenser, has quipped, cracked wise, and quoted Shakespeare through that many books, while dispensing his…

  • All this and COVID too

    Bob Moyer reviews a Michael Connelly detective thriller that came out late last year. If you missed it in the holiday/pandemic craziness, you’ll thank him. Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer THE DARK HOURS. By Michael Connelly. Little, Brown. 388 pages. $29. She hates taking her mask up and down for a sip of coffee, she…

  • Hollywood noir gets a new star

    Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer A MAN NAMED DOLL. By Jonathan Ames. Mulholland Books. 208 pages. $26. For some time, the niche of mystery novel called Hollywood noir has been depleted. Not L.A., but Hollywood. The territory was once inhabited by the likes of Stuart Kaminsky’s Toby Peters, who helped Hollywood stars out of trouble,…

  • A treat for Spenser fans

    Bob Moyer reviews the latest in a venerable detective series that has outlived its creator. Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer Robert B. Parker’s SOMEONE TO WATCH OVER ME. By Ace Atkins. Putnam. 306 pages. $27. Since Ace Atkins took over the Spenser franchise, he has aptly inhabited not just The Spenser voice, but the habits,…

  • A voice of pain and passion

    Bob Moyer reviews the latest in a venerable detective series that’s set decades ago but, he finds, has much to say that’s relevant to today’s readers. Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer BLOOD GROVE. By Walter Mosley/ Mulholland Books. 307 pages. $27. Long before Black Lives Matter, before George Floyd, a voice articulated the plight of…

  • Not Bosch, but a determined reporter

    If you need a good detective story to read, Bob Moyer can help you out. Here he takes a look at the latest from Michael Connelly. Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer FAIR WARNING. By Michael Connelly. Little, Brown and Company. 417 pages. $29. He’s not Harry Bosch. Poor Jack McEvoy. He has appeared in only three Michael…

  • Watch out, Chicago…

    Bob Moyer is my hero. Undeterred by all that’s going on in the world around us, he keeps  reviewing books so the rest of us will have some idea of what to read when we want some respite. Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer DEAD LAND. By Sara Paretsky. William Morrow. 405 pages. $28.99 Private eye…