Blog Archives
A Place of Fog and Murder
T.E. MacArthur delves into the atmospheric 1930s noir setting of San Francisco in her novel, A Place of Fog and Murder. The story follows Lou Tanner, a pioneering female private investigator who, in her maiden case, is plunged into the search for a missing woman. Navigating the labyrinthine world of government operatives, unruly gangsters, and less-than-cooperative police officers, Lou is confronted by quite the cast of characters, each harboring their own clandestine motives.
MacArthur intricately weaves themes of justice throughout the narrative, examining its breach through heinous acts like murder and the subsequent path to its restoration. The tale illuminates the contrasting lengths two distinct characters will traverse to see justice prevail. Lou embodies integrity, evident in her unyielding commitment to the case even when faced with potential death and her unwavering moral compass.
Set against a backdrop that melds steampunk and sci-fi elements, A Place of Fog and Murder presents an intriguing take on 1930s San Francisco—complete with robots and authentic period slang. MacArthur’s character development shines, especially with Lou, whose genuine reactions to traumatic events provide a depth of realism.
With engaging writing, authentic characters, and a suspense-filled mystery plot, A Place of Fog and Murder, by T.E. MacArthur, is a must-read for fans of the whodunnit and mystery genres.
Pages: 299 | ASIN : B07RG7YW17
O’SHAUGHNESSY INVESTIGATIONS, INC. The Cases Nobody Wanted
In the heart of 1942’s Brooklyn, A.G. Russo introduces readers to the formidable pair, Maeve O’Shaugnessy and Vic Marino, in O’Shaughnessy Investigations Inc: The Cases Nobody Wanted. This duo delves into cases others hesitate to touch, their most challenging being the chilling murder of Lucille Sullivan, a young woman whose life was tragically cut short within the walls of a luxurious apartment.
Though the circumstances surrounding Lucille’s death scream for justice, the police show a surprising lack of interest, propelling Maeve and Vic into a whirlwind of danger and intrigue. As they navigate a world rife with thugs and enigmatic figures, the narrative masterfully pieces together an intricate puzzle of suspense and deception.
Russo paints a vivid historical canvas, transporting readers to a Brooklyn gripped by the aftermath of Pearl Harbor’s attack and the ongoing upheavals of World War II. With numerous men on battlefronts, women like Maeve find themselves stepping into roles beyond domestic confines. Her journey from a secretary, ensnared in societal expectations, to a fierce detective alongside the pragmatic ex-cop Vic is a testament to resilience and partnership.
One of Russo’s strengths is character development, with Maeve emerging as an especially compelling figure. Her tenacity, even in the face of adversity, resonates deeply and adds layers of depth to the narrative.
This neo-noir mystery doesn’t shy away from the realities of its era. Themes of violence, racial tensions, sexism, and more are explored with raw authenticity, sometimes employing language and situations reflective of the times.
Engrossing and evocative, O’Shaughnessy Investigations Inc: The Cases Nobody Wanted is a treat for those yearning for a robust mystery novel that both entertains and challenges. Highly recommended for the discerning mystery aficionado.
Pages: 316 | ASIN : B0CJ228TXX
For What It’s Worth
For What It’s Worth follows the adventurous escapades of high school senior Jon Ryan and his friends Hernandez, Fonz, and Weasel. Set in the twilight of their school years, these young individuals are united by a shared aspiration to execute pranks that will secure their legacy as unforgettable characters within their community. They embark on a journey of pranks, guided by a unique set of rules. However, their path is fraught with unpredictability, and not everything unfolds as they expect.
Simultaneously, there is a parallel narrative involving a group of friends who, too, find that their well-laid plans unravel unexpectedly. The story intriguingly juxtaposes these seemingly unrelated events and leads to a compelling climax that leaves the reader questioning whether Jon Ryan and his friends will even make it to graduation.
Pettijohn has created a vivid cast that’s appealing, grounded, and relatable. Jon Ryan, despite his flaws, such as being slightly overweight, indulging in alcohol, and dabbling in recreational drugs, emerges as an engaging protagonist. His friends—Hernandez, Fonz, and Weasel—are well-fleshed-out characters, their antics providing consistent entertainment. The chemistry between these characters and their perfect balance adds depth and texture to the narrative.
The pace is quick, while the setting is artfully described, evoking curiosity about the surroundings and the people in them. The action sequences are meticulous, punctuated with heart-stopping moments that keep the readers on the edge of their seats. Pettijohn’s willingness to explore flawed characters confronted with daunting challenges enriches the tale, encompassing all the components for an exhilarating read. Taking place over a matter of days, I think the narrative’s continual leaps between timelines can, at times, hinder the reading experience, causing a slight disconnect.
For What It’s Worth is a novel bursting with originality, fun, and excitement. The blend of humor, suspense, and character-driven storytelling makes for a compelling read. Although the story’s structure may be a point of contention for some, it doesn’t diminish the overall enjoyment. I recommend this book to anyone in search of a fresh and lively literary adventure.
Pages: 253 | ASIN : B0CC11QDNX
The Loneliest Places
In The Loneliest Places, Keith Edward Vaughn delivers a captivating debut that navigates the grittier side of Los Angeles through the eyes of Ellis Dunaway, a man of enormous desires – especially when it pertains to his drug habits. Dunaway’s vocation as a private investigator incessantly plunges him deeper into society’s darker corners, exacerbating his feelings of solitude and purposelessness. His continuous struggle to align his lifestyle with the expectations of his late father serves as an intimate backdrop to his story. Dunaway’s world is thrown into chaos when he crosses paths with the Black Fist, a sophisticated crime syndicate. With his life in turmoil, he must decipher a complex mystery while confronting his personal shortcomings.
Keith Edward Vaughn showcases his distinctive literary prowess in this gripping noir novel teeming with morally ambiguous characters straddling both sides of the law. Ellis Dunaway emerges as the perfect protagonist to guide us through the unseen, darker recesses of Los Angeles, offering a stark contrast to the city’s regular tourist highlights.
I can’t help but draw comparisons with iconic noir movies such as “LA Confidential” and “Chinatown.” Much like Jake Gittes from the latter, Dunaway is a proficient detective whose worst adversary is often his own self, a fact that constantly puts him in precarious situations. Dunaway’s journey is not only thrilling but also deeply empathetic, as readers find themselves rooting for him while understanding that his emotional immaturity is his most formidable foe.
Vaughn’s narrative style is largely driven by dialogue, with judicious use of descriptive details to portray the characters and locations that make up this bleak rendition of the City of Angels. His intimate knowledge of this terrain is evident, yet he selectively unveils only fragments, effectively amplifying the sense of intrigue.
The Loneliest Places is a mesmerizing exploration of one man’s journey through the underworld of a city and his own inner demons, marking Keith Edward Vaughn as a notable new talent in the literary world.
Pages: 249 | ASIN : B0C9MXQ2MY
The Sudanese Man
In The Sudanese Man, G.D. Peters deftly demonstrates how a short story can convey a wealth of meaning and depth. Through his masterful storytelling, Peters provides a gripping narrative that will resonate with readers of all backgrounds. Set amidst the chaos of the 2012 revolution in Cairo, Egypt, the story follows two National Security Agency officers who have been tasked with torturing and killing a foreign national. Despite the heinous nature of their assignment, the officers proceed without hesitation, revealing the pervasive influence of materialism in modern society. The pursuit of wealth and fame has come to supersede even the most sacred principles of justice and morality.
Despite its brevity, the story touches on a wide range of important themes, including corruption, power, justice, and morality. Peters’ writing is engaging from the outset, drawing the reader in and holding their attention throughout. As the story progresses, the reader is compelled to ponder the motivations of the two officers and the true nature of their mission. The depth and nuance of the story are truly remarkable. As the intrigue and outrage build to a crescendo, the reader is left stunned by the sheer wickedness of the officers’ actions. This story is a call to introspection, highlighting the need to address corruption and other societal ills in our own time.
Overall, The Sudanese Man is a must-read thriller for anyone interested in thought-provoking fiction that contains profound insights and masterful storytelling. Peters’ work is an impactful lesson that will remain with readers long after they’ve turned the final page.
Pages: 20 | ASIN : B0BY7FL98Q
A Colossal Injustice
Miguel Angel Hernandez Jr. does it again with another heart-pounding ride along with the incomparable Detective Griffin Knight. A Colossal Injustice, a sequel to his first story Do Nothing, Griffin takes a trip to Seattle to help out Kalyx, the anonymous hacker who helped him to solve his last murder case. Kalyx’s fiance, Dylan Walker, was murdered after discovering someone stole money from his high-profile tech company.
Kalyx sets Griffin up with the tools and access he needs for his investigation and with help from two sidekicks, Felix and his sister Aurora. Felix was a close friend of the murdered Dylan Walker and a personal bodyguard. Aurora, his sister, is Seattle PD and helps to ensure that even though Griffin is outside of his jurisdiction and only acting as a civilian, he has police backup. Together, and with the assistance of information cleverly left behind by Dylan Walker, they discover who stole millions of dollars from the company and what other crimes they were using the money for.
The plot twists and turns as they first confront a mob boss, only to find they are following a dead end. The novel concludes in an epic way you will have to read to find out about. Hernandez keeps the door open to a follow-up story and leaves us wondering if justice will be served in the end.
I genuinely enjoy reading about Griffin Knight. He is part detective and part superhero, which is both realistic and fun to read. These two stories from Hernandez Jr. have been easy to follow without being boring or predictable. They are a proper mix of suspense and are easy to read. I would like a little more background on Griffin. We learned a little more about his life in this book, and I will be soaking up the more Hernandez Jr. can deliver!
A Colossal Injustice is a fast-paced and exciting murder mystery. While short in page count, there is no lack of thrills and suspense in this story. Readers are given a compelling mix of fantasy and science fiction in their crime mystery, leaving them wondering what could possibly happen next.
Pages: 94 | ASIN : B0BLT6VB3N
Do Nothing
The door is open, but you swear you closed it. Something – one small thing – is moved into your house, and you know it wasn’t you or anyone you know. You feel a chill across your body that notifies your brain – danger!
Author Miguel Angel Hernandez Jr. knows how to recreate this feeling for the reader and delivers a hair-raising suspenseful thriller. Hernandez Jr. takes his audience on a ride as the main character, gruff and gritty Griffin Knight, attempts to find the murderer of New York City’s District Attorney Natalie Costa. The evidence and another similar murder point to the reemergence of a serial killer returning after 10 years. Known as “The Judge,” he’s handing out death sentences to people he feels did nothing when justice needs to be served. Griffin has help from the previous detective on the cold case and a mysterious benevolent hacker. It points to a negligence lawsuit where a significant corporation bribed witnesses to make one man fall for the company’s illegal practices.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel as the plot moved along quickly, and the character-hopping chapters kept me engaged as I figured out who this was and how they fit into the story. However, I would’ve liked Griffin Knight to have more character development. As a reader, I want to fall in love with the main character, and with very little background information on Griffin, we only see him as he is now. Detectives in stories like these are either the new hotshot or the seasoned and jaded type. I’m not sure where Griffin falls in this spectrum, but as the reader, I would have liked a chance to get to know him and care more about him when he is fighting for his life. Overall, the story was entertaining, fun to read, and still has me looking over my shoulder in a dark room.
Do Nothing is a thrilling hard-boiled mystery that will have readers in suspense from the opening pages through the exciting conclusion. This short police procedural novel is perfect for a weekend read when you want to get your blood pumping.
Pages 76: | ASIN : B0BDJ8LZY8
The Spectrum Between “Good” And “Bad”
The Other Side of Good follows a police officer and a criminal ring leader as they work together to try to put a stop to human trafficking in the city. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
😊 Denton (Ten Ton) Jones was a support character in the first book I wrote (Full Count). He was so popular with the readers of that book (about a small college baseball team) that I wanted him in a lead role as a grown-up in TOSOG. In Full Count, he was from Cincinnati … so I was sort of “stuck” with Cincy. In another lifetime, I worked in the dinner-boat industry and had some familiarity with Cincinnati as well as good contacts there. Like many large cities, Cincinnati has several rough neighborhoods, and in Full Count, Denton came from one of those. Since I wanted to write a thoughtful novel exploring the spectrum between “good” and “bad,” it was easy to presume Denton might have had a friend growing up who didn’t take the same path as himself.
Denton Jones has to determine what is good and bad in a situation where the good guys are not always what they seem, this causes conflict in him as he has tried to be on the right side of the law and morality.
What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?
That, absent perspective, “good” and “bad” are just labels. Even as we develop laws to try to define the boundaries, they continue to evolve, often changing the boundaries. I used examples in the book, like slavery, which was perfectly legal in most of the country 170 years ago; marijuana, once outlawed everywhere in the states, is now legal in some form in all but a few.
To determine right and wrong, sometimes we must depend on our personal moral compass in the context of an existing environment. Denton, (at times naively wearing his white hat) must relax his prejudices about his former friend’s illegal practices to assist him in stopping something worse than drug-dealing. Theo (wearing the black hat as an intelligent criminal) rationalizes his illegal activities, but readers recognize solid decency in some of his opinions/choices.
Without trying to influence reader opinions one way or the other, I hoped they might recognize a little of Denton and a little of Theo in themselves. Beyond the totally “black” of trafficking and the totally “white” of assisting underprivileged children … most of us live somewhere in the gray areas between.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
- Without being “preachy” … the importance, depths, and degrees of friendship.
- That spiritual beliefs, like laws, also evolve and that we should keep our minds open to where they converge in our world.
- The danger of stereotypes
- Our slow but steady march toward ethnic homogenization
- The perspectives of poverty versus privilege for children growing up in our country
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
Tentatively titled, Pedaling West, the book follows the cross-country route (Virginia Beach to Mendocino) of a female bicyclist who lost her job and her boyfriend during the beginning weeks of the COVID-19 crisis. She decides to “reset her life” with the biking journey, unaware she has information that might expose her former (corrupt) employer to severe criminal charges. It’s part travelogue, part drama, with a little romance thrown in.
My wife and I took the exact route of the biker (only rural roads, no interstates) for fun in November. We went in a nice car, stayed at good motels, and had a blast! The trip changed the book, too!
Depending on a variety of factors, I think the book might be finished by late spring.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website
Denton’s efforts inexplicably make him a target for a corrupt city official, but a dishonest bureaucrat is the least of the city’s problems. Theo uncovers evidence of an international criminal organization facilitating human trafficking in the city. Repulsed by the crime, Theo enlists an unlikely coalition of clergy, law enforcement, and criminals to try to stop it.
Follow the characters to the uncomfortable gray areas of life where the wrong thing sometimes seems a better choice than the right thing; where a little bad turns into almost good; and where dark white and light black become the same color.
LITERARY TITAN 