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  • Mysteries and secrets in Victorian England

    Reviewed by Linda C. Brinson THE LIBRARY THIEF. By Kuchenga Shenje. Hanover Square Press. 358 pages. $29.99. The Library Thief is a remarkable, entertaining and ambitious debut historical mystery novel by Kuchenga Shenje, a writer, journalist and speaker who lives in Manchester, England. It’s the story of Florence Granger, who grew up a lonely, motherless…

    May 25, 2024
  • Coben and Bolivar, at it again

    Bob Moyer had this review ready to go on the book’s publication date, but his editor (me) was off living the high life in Sin City at that time. I’ve now unpacked, done laundry and caught up on my sleep, so here it is. Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer THINK TWICE. By Harlan Coben. Grand…

    May 24, 2024
  • Mrs. Murphy and crew tackle the legislature

    Bob Moyer keeps getting ahead of me to review some of my longstanding favorite series and authors. At least Bob is good enough to write the reviews and let the rest of us know what books we need to get caught up on. Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer FELINE FATALE: A Mrs. Murphy Mystery. By…

    April 24, 2024
  • A runaway wife, intrigue and secrets in a Depression-era tale

    Paul O’Connor reviews the latest novel – the fifth –  by North Carolina author Charles Frazier.  He finds a lot to like. Reviewed by Paul T. O’Connor THE TRACKERS. By Charles Frazier. Harper Collins. 320 pages. $19.99, softcover. In 1937, a young artist has landed his dream job. Val Welch, with the help of a…

    April 22, 2024
  • The last book by one of the greats

    Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer Bob Moyer reviews the final book by one of the best mystery novelists of the late 20th century. ANOTHER DAY’S PAIN. By K.C. Constantine. Mysterious Press. 232 pages. $26.95 With the posthumous publication of his 18th Rocksburg novel, K.C. Constantine deserves more than a review, he deserves an homage. He was…

    April 11, 2024
  • Take me out to the ballpark – and watch that crowd…

    Now that basketball season is over and spring is here, how about a fun book about baseball that will entertain  and  enlighten you? Paul O’Connor has just the thing. Reviewed by Paul T. O’Connor FINDING AMERICA IN A MINOR LEAGUE BALLPARK. By Harris Cooper. Skyhorse Publishing. 199 pages. $35, hardback. As the spring of 2022…

    April 7, 2024
  • New stories illuminate Old Crimes

    Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer OLD CRIMES. By Jill McCorkle. Algonquin Press. 241 pages, $27. Any reader of literary fiction will relish the stories in Jill McCorkle’s latest collection. Once again, this North Carolina writer demonstrates the same sense of detail, depth of perception, and artful composition that have marked her ouevre over the years.…

    March 29, 2024
  • An Ivy League school confronts its history with slavery

    Paul O’Connor, longtime newspaper journalist, reviews a history of Yale University’s relationship with the institution of slavery, the result of an academic investigation. Reviewed by Paul T. O’Connor YALE AND SLAVERY: A History. By David Blight and the Yale and Slavery Research Project. Yale Press. 448 pages. $35, hardcover. Audiobook also from Yale Press, read…

    March 20, 2024
  • Murder and philosophy on a Greek isle

    Need an entertaining mystery to read? Bob Moyer has another suggestion, this one set on one of the isles of Greece. Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer THE FURY. By Alex Michaelides. Celadon Press. 320 pages. $28.99. “Character is Fate.” That’s a heady premise behind a classic mystery novel with seven people trapped on a Greek island. Does…

    February 2, 2024
  • Murder, mystery and wit in the Australian wilds

    Reviewed by Linda C. Brinson EVERYONE ON THIS TRAIN IS A SUSPECT. By Benjamin Stevenson. Mariner Books. 336 pages. $30. Benjamin Stevenson has a lot of nerve. It’s not every writer who would be so bold as to produce a modern spin on Murder on the Orient Express, Agatha Christie’s masterpiece starring the inimitable Hercule…

    January 27, 2024
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