Blog Archives
Copper Waters – A New Zealand Cottage Mystery
Marlene M. Bell’s novel, Copper Waters, presents an electrifying saga of crime-solving set amidst the awe-inspiring landscape of New Zealand. The protagonist, Annalisse Drury, an antiquities appraiser, finds herself veering away from her complicated relationships, seeking solace in reconnecting with her past. In an unforeseen turn of events, with the assistance of her detective friend Bill Drake, she becomes embroiled in a murder investigation. Through Bell’s articulate narrative and compelling descriptions, readers are transported to the epicenter of the enigma. As the narrative unfolds, the suspense escalates with each revelation, culminating in a thrilling literary journey that leaves followers of crime fiction yearning for more adventures featuring the intriguing Annalisse Drury.
Bell’s evocative writing style is engrossing and engaging, plunging readers into a realm of mystery and suspense. Her adept utilization of crisp, vivid descriptions animates the tale, enabling readers to envision the breathtaking landscapes and palpably sense the looming tension. The narrative pace of Copper Waters is masterfully orchestrated, flawlessly juggling between high-octane action and anticipation-filled interludes. Bell demonstrates a profound understanding of narrative rhythm, modulating the pace to facilitate character growth and emotional complexity and accelerating it for adrenaline-fueled climaxes that keep readers in suspenseful anticipation.
The story’s authenticity is further amplified by the captivating backdrop of New Zealand. Bell’s meticulous detailing and comprehensive research are unmistakable, immersing readers into the vibrant landscapes, indigenous culture, and even the intriguing sphere of sheep farming. This novel offers a refreshing deviation from traditional locales that imbues the narrative with depth and texture.
Copper Waters is an enthralling and excellently-crafted crime-solving novel replete with a gripping plot, multifaceted characters, and an enchanting setting. It unquestionably qualifies as a page-turner, leaving readers eagerly awaiting future adventures. I enthusiastically recommend this book for its immersive narrative and gratifying reading experience, particularly for aficionados of crime fiction, intricate relationship dynamics, and exotic locales.
Pages: 280 | ASIN : B0BL42NBFY
Scam at Old River
Jack is no stranger to difficult situations. It’s certainly not unheard of for him to get into the occasional jam, but his current predicament might be the strangest one yet. When Jack awakens to find a stranger beating on his door, he can’t predict the wild ride on which he will soon find himself. Debbie, the woman he has been seeing, has somewhat of a secret she has been keeping from him, and the man beating down Jack’s door knows exactly what that secret is. Assuming he is about to find help for them both, Jack calls the police, only to discover that Debbie is long gone.
Scam at Old River, by Mike MacKay, is a mystery/crime novel centered around Jack Rhodes, a man skilled in both computers and martial arts. Every interaction with Jack is an adventure, and he is no stranger to romance. As the main characters go, Jack is gutsy, determined, and possesses a sense of humor that lends itself well to this genre.
Mysteries have always topped my reading lists, and MacKay’s works rank right up there. MacKay keeps readers on their toes and leads them through a series of quickly-paced events, each peppered with the perfect amount of action and intense interactions between characters. Jack is a no-nonsense guy who gets to the point but has to deal with more than his fair share of struggles as he searches for answers.
The secondary characters in MacKay’s novel are ideal companions for Jack. Their dynamics are relatable and hold readers’ interest from the book’s intense first chapter to its final pages. Stella and Jack have some truly genuine exchanges throughout the book. The way they discuss their pasts and share with one another sets the stage for a relationship readers will cheer for from the beginning.
Jack’s unique skills make MacKay’s book a standout in the mystery genre. I found it interesting that the main character’s skillset centered around computers and processes and the way they relate to forensics. Though MacKay has chosen to give him physical strength and knowledge in martial arts, his abilities with computers make him all the more interesting.
Scam at Old River, by Mike MacKay, is a little more than 300 pages, but this novel moves quickly, keeping readers engaged and fully invested in Jack and Stella’s adventure. I highly recommend MacKay’s book to anyone looking for mystery/crime steeped in action with a touch of romance. I look forward to following Jack Rhodes throughout more of Mike MacKay’s novels.
Pages: 305 | ASIN : B092Z81G7L
I Wanted To Write About A “Real” Heroine
Death in Paris follows a school teacher that sets off for a new job in Istanbul and while on the way gets entangled in a murder mystery. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
This is a Cozy, which follows all the Cozy conventions and the complex 15-point Cozy plotline.
Many Cozies feature women who unexpectedly become business owners or have exotic jobs.
I wanted to write about a “real” heroine who had a normal job. I wanted her to be a salt-of-the-earth type that anyone could relate to.
To use talents that she really had in order to solve crazy mysteries in a real way. Not to always know better than the police or to stumble on answers. To be a real sleuth, because she needed to be. “Cometh the hour, cometh the (wo)man.”
I wanted her to be a person, someone that people could feel for, and feel with.
The most relatable place and time for me is Glasgow in the 1970s. It was a time and place full of real-life heroines.
I wanted the reader to meet the women Màiri loves and understand why she loves them, maybe even to love them too.
Màiri Maguire struggles at the start of the novel with her situation and becomes a strong character as the novel progresses. What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?
Màiri is a real person to me. She wrote herself. She is a strong person with a strong voice but she is also soft and gentle, loving and caring, kind and compassionate. And she’s nobody’s fool, despite always seeing the best in people to the point, sometimes, of seeming gullibility.
Put a person like that into a situation like the one in Death in Paris and she cannot help but become even stronger.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
The massive global change in attitudes that began in the 1970s. In Britain, the 1970s were a period when almost all thinking people thought that almost all the world’s problems could be solved by education. Give the working classes a university education, a degree, and they’ll become just like us, thought the upper class intelligentsia. Get the upper classes down the mines for a day, and they’ll soon learn what it means to be a worker, thought the thinking workers.
And everyone loved The Beatles and Carnaby Street; and we really truly believed that we ourselves could be agents of massive global change for the common good.
The meeting of polar opposites on common ground and finding friendship inspired the introduction of Major Peverel, who has been a popular character.
The courage under fire of the Brits living through what was effectively an undeclared war, their everyday lives a battlefield.
I myself lived in frequently-bombed London, I was within seconds of gory death twice. Once if I had arrived at the tubestation 20 seconds earlier. Once if I had walked down The Strand 30 seconds later.
Many people did die. Many were horribly maimed. But we still lived our everyday lives in an everyday way and had a lot of fun.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
Death on the Istanbul Express
Book 2 in the series. It will be available at the end of May 2022.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website
8:10 a.m. on 15th August 1970. They’ve been in Paris only 12 hours. Lianna, Màiri’s closest friend, is locked up in jail, charged with murder. Màiri is being hunted by murderous criminals. She never dreamt that travelling outside Scotland would be so dangerous. Will Màiri ever again see her comfy home in Merrylea, her loving sisters Morag and Katriona, her schoolboy nephew Niall?
Major Ellis Peverel seldom leaves Màiri’s side. Respected by the Paris police, shrouded in secrets, who is this man? Is he a true friend to Màiri, or does he have an agenda of his own?
Who really killed the corrupt taxman for whose death Lianna has been framed? Màiri has only 6 days to find the murderer. Can she free Lianna in time? Or must she choose between her friend’s freedom and her own livelihood… if she’s still alive.
Death in Paris
Death in Paris by Kate Darroch, (Màiri Maguire Cozy Murder Mysteries Book One) follows a school teacher, Màiri Maguire. She starts the summer holiday with her boyfriend of twelve years, breaking up with her when he returns to Glasgow with a new girlfriend he met while working overseas. Màiri takes a job as the Head of English Studies at the Nautical High School in Istanbul to escape the embarrassment and convinces her friend Lianna to travel with her to work as her assistant. During the train trip across Europe, they book a City Break (a package holiday tour) in Paris. When Lianna becomes the chief suspect in a murder, the school teacher turned amateur detective begins her own investigation to clear her friend’s name.
This book starts slowly, methodically introducing the characters and the background to why Màiri is traveling to Istanbul. However, the story picks up the pace once Màiri and Lianna set off on their journey. I especially enjoyed it once the intrigue element was introduced after they arrived in Paris.
With so many characters making an appearance on the train to Paris, it might have been difficult for readers to keep them all straight. However, the author included portions of Màiri’s notebook as she worked on figuring out the clues; which helps readers remember all the details and keep track of who is who. It also makes readers feel like part of the story, working to solve the mystery alongside Màiri.
There were a lot of threads connecting various characters, and I enjoyed trying to figure out how everything fits together. I had an idea of who I thought was the killer, but the story gives so many red herrings that I was not certain, and it kept me guessing until the end of the story. There were a few unexpected surprises revealed when the mystery was finally solved. I liked that the story ended with a new mystery to solve, leading to the next book of the Màiri Maguire Cozy Murder Mysteries series, Death on the Istanbul Express.
Death in Paris is the first in a new cozy murder series that will put mystery readers on the hunt for a killer. This international crime story is reminiscent of Agatha Christie’s novels and is filled with details about Paris that will allow readers to fully immerse themselves in the mystery.
Pages: 189 | ASIN : B09PMP4J6Y
A Reluctant Protagonist
Flotsam follows a diver that stumbles upon two murder victims. While assisting in the investigation she becomes the next potential victim. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I knew from the beginning that Ricky would be a reluctant protagonist and that it would be tied to her being a divemaster, so that was the first step. The second was that it needed to be something that was outside of the normal divemaster experience — dive accidents are something they train and any accident would reflect badly on Ricky, so it couldn’t be anything having to do with a diver. As I tried to figure this out, I decided that “place” might help in the decision. Once I decided on Palau, and its complex relationship with the Japanese, I began to research the yakuza and found a story about the yakuza kidnapping a South Korean politician with plans to weigh him down and throw him overboard into the Sea of Japan (spoiler alert: Japanese officials intercepted the boat just as the yakuza were bringing him up to the deck and he was saved)
Ricky is a complex character that even other characters have trouble understanding. What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?
Ricky doesn’t think she’s complex. She is, at her core, conflict-averse. That’s why she tries to keep whole oceans between her and her family. But she has a trigger, which is an innate sense of responsibility. And when that trigger gets flipped, when others refuse to take responsibility and accountability that is theirs, she is stubbornly going to work to right the wrong. But there’s a better answer: Ricky is based on roughly a dozen women divemasters I’ve met over the years. They work and live in a male-dominated environment, 24 by 7. They have to know when to be conciliatory and when to be dominant. They are fun-loving but incredibly reliable once they step on the boat. For Ricky, the history that influences her decision of when to make that switch goes back to her teenage years in Hawai’i and her experience with a man who murdered her best friend.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Obviously, I’ve included a mix of local politics and environmental advocacy in the book. These are prominent in Palau’s everyday experience. In fact, when you enter Palau today, they take up a whole page of your passport with the Palau Pledge. It begins “Children of Palau, I take this pledge as your guest to preserve and protect your beautiful and unique island home.” Palau is at the forefront of the concept of shark sanctuaries and continues to expand that model. I don’t think you can tell a story about Palau without including that.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
Most people will be disappointed to hear that it’s not called Jetsam. There are actually four categories in maritime law that relate to shipwrecks. Derelict and Lagan are the other two. Book two will be Derelict. I’m a big fan of Tana French and her concept of keeping the story fresh by maintaining certain elements but shifting others around in the Dublin Murder Squad. The sites change and the protagonists change. Minor characters become lead characters. I decided that I would use a primary characteristic of expat divemasters and that every book would be in a new locale. Derelict is based in the Sinai Peninsula in Dahab, a small town with a very famous (and dangerous) dive site. I went to Dahab on December 27 of 2012, one day after the new president imposed a new constitution, spurring protests and clashes throughout the country. Some of my experiences made it into the book. It will be available in June of 2022.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website
When her morning dive is interrupted by a spinning tangle of chains and bodies, she is dragged into an international free-for-all. As authorities bicker, and rumors fly, the villains fight to eliminate loose ends, tracking Ricky through WWII tunnels, on a high speed chase through the lush tropical islands, and back to where it all began – the edge of her favorite cliff.
FLOTSAM
Flotsam, by Tracy Grogan, is a slow-burn thriller that follows an ex-pat to the Palau Islands named Ricky. Ricky Yamamoto is a divemaster for a local dive shop who enjoys her time underwater far more than life on solid ground. That is until she comes across two bodies during a leisure dive and gets herself tied up in a crime much bigger than originally anticipated.
Readers are introduced to the major plot almost immediately in this work of fiction. This suspenseful novel is richly detailed and builds readers curiosity leading them through the hair-raising adventures of Ricky while building up to an incredibly intense final act.
The story is broken up into specific times and wherever Ricky is currently at in terms of the story. Readers will find this type of story setup helpful in keeping track of the story setting as they try to follow the events of the investigation and Ricky’s personal life. This mystery novel presents facts and information leading the readers down many possible paths, not knowing what information will be useful to solving the mystery of the murders.
Readers who enjoy the thriller or mystery genre will be kept on their toes in this intriguing novel. This is an engaging story that readers will enjoy following just as much as they enjoy solving the mystery at the heart of the novel.
Ricky remains a mystery throughout most of the novel, leaving readers to draw conclusions until the author decides to reveal key characteristics and personality traits. This style allows readers to be their own judge of character and draw their own conclusions without the author explicitly telling them how to view a character, making the mystery more entertaining.
Flotsam is incredibly well-written and readers will find Ricky intriguing and likable. Readers of mystery and thrillers will love this travel adventure mystery that is filled with international crime and murder.
Pages: 386 | ASIN : B09KPZVJ81
Darkness in Ronda
![Darkness in Ronda: Crime Thriller set in the world of Bullfighting (Andalusian Mystery Series Book 2) by [Paul S. Bradley, Jill Carrott, Gary Smailes]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51WuIdmztTL.jpg)
A notorious bullfighter demands a change in the world of Spain’s bullfighting. He realizes that the younger generation is more caring about animals and that the bloodshed of animals in the industry must stop if it is to survive. This controversial topic brings about a dark and twisted story. Meanwhile, a story about the dark web emerges. A Spanish detective is solving a difficult case that leaves many unanswered questions. The author ties the two stories together with friendship, love, and culture. It is a beautifully written and cultured book that makes you fall in love with the city of Rhonda in Spain and all it has to offer.
Darkness in Rhonda was incredibly eye opening and intriguing as it tells the story of a Spanish detective named Leon Prado and his lifelong friend Juan Romero. Paul S. Bradley begins the tale with a backstory of the gentlemen when they were young and how their families merged. The story then switches to present day in the beautiful, historical city of Rhonda, Spain. As the author tells the story of what is happening, he does a remarkable job of explaining in detail how to bullfight and I felt as if I was staring the bull in the eye myself. You can imagine the bull’s horns nearly colliding with your ribs and the way the bullfighter must dance about to avoid being mauled by the beast. At the same time, the author beautifully captures the essence of the culture, going into detail about the Spanish wine, crusty bread, Spanish cheese and most importantly, the meat industry in Spain.
The story brings in many characters and at first it is difficult to stay on track but as you read, you get to understand who each character is and the important role each of them play. Alongside Pedro and Juan are business partners and family friends named Phillip and Amanda and their story becomes truly captivating. Each character is narrated in detail and you can imagine them in their finest outfits perfectly described. The author does a great job creating characters that are complex, yet relatable. The story line was surprisingly easy to follow for having no background about Spanish culture or Spain as the reader. The author has created an enthralling plot including love, tragedy, mystery, and friendship. Darkness in Rhonda is the second book in the Andalusian Mystery Series and truly captures a gorgeously historical city and makes you feel as if you are there yourself, taking part in the beautiful Spanish history.
Pages: 261 | ASIN: B07PF8BJ5Y
Aren’t We All Some Kind of Contradiction?
Michael Pronko Author Interview
In Tokyo Traffic detective Hiroshi is once again called in, to solve a crime that involves human trafficking and crypto-currency scamming. Did you know what criminal themes you were going to use for this novel or did they develop while writing?
The theme was there from the beginning, but only in an abstract way. The concrete actions and decisions of the characters, along with the motivations and results, shaped the themes and made it something to see and touch and feel. The interesting part is how they develop inside the characters. As those broad themes became embodied in the characters, they came alive.
At first the theme of human trafficking threatened to swamp the whole story. It’s too big and too horrible. The more I thought about it, the more I wondered how can they get away with that? How can something so vicious and inhumane just keep going? And who’s “they”? Part of the answer is cryptocurrency. Follow the money to where theme meets characters. Some people will cast aside all human feeling for money, and cryptocurrency makes that easier. Its hidden, digital, clean. Of course, the way of the future will probably be all kinds of digital currencies, but the downside is how people use that illicitly, and for such terrible purposes.
This being book three in your series was there anything new you wanted to introduce into Hiroshi’s character?
He moves in with his girlfriend and works at being with her and not sleeping in his office on a pull-out futon. That’s hard work for him. Overall, Hiroshi gets a bit more of his footing in this novel. His skill set is limited, so he bumps against his own limitations, but he learns to pay attention to what he stumbles onto, what he suspects but isn’t sure of, and what others tell him. An intuitive accountant may sound like a contradiction, but aren’t we all some kind of contradiction? We all have that internal division between our different sides.
What were some challenges you set for yourself as a writer with this book?
This one took me a lot longer to finish than the second one. The tricky part was having three main characters. Before I’d always just focused on two. Adding that third one made the story exponentially harder to keep track of. Braiding the three threads of the bad guy, the victim and the detective, plus the people on their side, was tricky. It was like passing a point-of-view baton. The race kept going as each character carried it a bit further. But to me, that’s very Tokyo-like, different kinds of stories flung together.
It was also a challenge to have two young women as main characters. Sukanya doesn’t know Tokyo at all and Chiho knows Tokyo all too well. So, those two different young women and their different views of Tokyo were hard to get right. But I felt their point of view was important. They see the city so differently than I do, but that’s the interesting part. I’m not sure I set those as challenges for myself, writing is enough of a challenge in and of itself, but those became the challenges to tell the story the way I wanted to.
Does Tokyo Traffic end the story for detective Hiroshi or do you have other novels planned?
I have two more in the Hiroshi series already outlined. The one I’m working on right now is titled Tokyo Overtime. It’s about the pressures of the workplace. What other country in the world has a word, karoshi, for death from overwork? After that, I’m planning to write about the whole fish industry, which is very big business in Japan. Two years ago, one of the owners of a sushi chain restaurant paid the equivalent of three million dollars for a single six-hundred-pound bluefin tuna! After that, I have notes for a standalone with sumo wrestler-turned-detective Sakaguchi and Detective Takamatsu is ripe for a prequel about his early, rough days. So, I’ll see where those lead. I’m looking forward to finding out.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website
![Tokyo Traffic (Detective Hiroshi Tokyo Series Book 3) by [Michael Pronko]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51g6GztGw9L.jpg)
Running from a life she didn’t choose, in a city she doesn’t know Sukanya, a young Thai girl, loses herself in the vastness of Tokyo. With her Bangkok street smarts, and some stolen money, she stays ahead of her former captors who will do anything to recover the computer she took. After befriending Chiho, a Japanese girl living in an internet café, Sukanya makes plans to rid herself of her pursuers, and her past, forever.
In Tokyo, street smarts aren’t always enough
Meanwhile, Detective Hiroshi Shimizu leaves the safe confines of his office to investigate a porn studio where a brutal triple murder took place. The studio’s accounts point him in multiple directions at once. Together with ex-sumo wrestler Sakaguchi and old-school Takamatsu, Hiroshi tracks the killers through Tokyo’s music clubs and teen hangouts, bayside docks and byways, straight into the underbelly of the global economy.
As bodies wash up from Tokyo Bay, Hiroshi tries to find the Thai girl at the center of it all, whose name he doesn’t even know. He uncovers a human trafficking ring and cryptocurrency scammers whose connections extend to the highest levels of Tokyo’s power elite.
LITERARY TITAN 