Book Review: Hell with the Lid Blown Off by Donis Casey @PPPress

Hell With The Lid Blown Off
An Alafair Tucker Mystery #7
Donis Casey
Poisoned Pen Press, June 2014
ISBN 978-1-4642-0298-8
Hardcover

I don’t know what number this novel is in the long and winding trail of Alafair Tucker mysteries. It doesn’t really matter, because this author has got the best elements of genre, character development, plot movement and setting so well ingrained in her that every book, every clever plot twist and every resolution is of the highest literary order.

This series of novels also provides a deep insightful look into one of our essentially rural states and the people who live, work love and die within its borders. This novel also provides a clear window into the early Twentieth Century decades of our nation and the many unique qualities of its citizens and troubles that beset.

The author deftly manages a cast of nearly fifty individuals who live through a huge twister in 1916 in Boynton, Oklahoma. One man is discovered dead after the storm leaves and the question then becomes a storm death or did someone take advantage of the storm to rid the town of an evil presence? The resolution may surprise readers as they are so often surprised by the clever mind and talent of this author.

Reviewed by Carl Brookins, August 2020.
http://www.carlbrookins.com http://agora2.blogspot.com
Traces, Grand Lac, Sins of Edom, Red Sky.

Book Review: After the Storm by Linda Castillo

After the Storm
A Kate Burkholder Novel #7
Linda Castillo
Minotaur Books, July 2015
ISBN 978-1-250-06156-0
Hardcover

From the publisher—

When a tornado tears through Painters Mill and unearths human remains, Chief of Police Kate Burkholder finds herself tasked with the responsibility of identifying the bones–and notifying the family. Evidence quickly emerges that the death was no accident and Kate finds herself plunged into a thirty year old case that takes her deep into the Amish community to which she once belonged.

Meanwhile, turmoil of an emotional and personal nature strikes at the very heart of Kate’s budding relationship with state agent John Tomasetti. A reality that strains their fragile new love to the breaking point and threatens the refuge they’ve built for themselves–and their future.

Under siege from an unknown assailant–and her own personal demons–Kate digs deep into the case only to discover proof of an unimaginable atrocity, a plethora of family secrets and the lengths to which people will go to protect their own.

Linda Castillo has become one of my favorite crime fiction writers largely because of her ability to so seamlessly blend a police procedural with the softer elements I expect to find in a soothing sort of mystery, not quite the coziest of the cozy but reflective of the gentle world I anticipate with the Amish community. Of course, they don’t live in a bubble, completely protected from bad things, but there’s no question their world is usually kinder than my own.

Kate is a lovely character and very complex with her Amish background and her determination to do right by these people while also upholding the law. She’s an intelligent, compassionate police chief but also a strong woman emotionally, not an easy target for those who oppose her, especially the Amish who believe she betrayed their trust when she left their way of life.

When a tornado touches down in the small town of Painters Mill, it leaves a path of destruction but also reveals a crime from the past, a murder that has been hidden for years. Investigating this cold case opens some old and very painful wounds but it also shows us how Kate’s faith in her department has built a solid team. That cohesiveness certainly works in their favor but can’t entirely prepare Kate and the others for the upheaval that is brought about by the discovery of the bones. At the same time, Kate and her lover, John, have their own issues to deal with, as intense as the homicide case.

I’m so comfortable with Kate and John and their small part of the universe and I love Kate’s interactions with the people she serves. After the Storm is one of the strongest entries in the series and I’m already eagerly looking forward to the next book. I just wish Ms. Castillo would write much faster 😉

Reviewed by Lelia Taylor, July 2015.

Book Reviews: Hell with the Lid Blown Off by Donis Casey and Battle Not With Monsters by Overton Scott

Hell with the Lid Blown Off
An Alafair Tucker Mystery #7
Donis Casey
Poisoned Pen Press, June 2014
ISBN 9781464202988
Hardcover
Also available in trade paperback

The farming community of Boynton, Oklahoma, in 1916 is like most of small town America, with parents wondering of their sons will be going off to fight in the War. Alafair and Shaw Tucker have ten children and have additional worries—two of their older daughters are about to deliver babies, and daughter Ruth is living in town with the piano teacher, Mrs. MacKenzie.

During a terrifying tornado, the Tucker homestead is damaged. Their son-in-law is seriously hurt, and some of their neighbors are killed, including local troublemaker Jubal Beldon. It’s when the undertaker is preparing Beldon’s body for burial that he discovers that Beldon was dead before the twister hit. Beldon had plenty of enemies, including his own brother. The question is: who didn’t want him dead?

It’s easy to get caught up on the lives of the Tucker family members—Ruth has a budding romance with the deputy sheriff, the Tucker’s take in a young cousin, and they find a baby amidst the debris of the tornado. Seventh in the series, the appeal of a close knit and loving family draws the reader in. If you loved the “Little House” books as a child, you’ll find much to like in this appealing series.

Reviewed by Susan Belsky, October 2014.

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Battle Not with Monsters
Overton Scott
Good Heart Press, March 2014
ISBN 978-0615989556
Trade Paperback

This author has come up with an interesting and fresh protagonist. Justine Ford, commonly called Neen, comes into the story while going through her lower middle class life as an underpaid security guard working for a Dallas, Texas firm. One discovers she is firmly committed to a healthy body and a rigorous athletic routine. She also teaches children at a local dojo.

When she observes her partner being bludgeoned to death in the garage of the building they are supposed to be guarding, her first reaction is to run to his aid. It’s an important clue to her view of the world, but her reaction is still deficient, something she recognizes and which plays an important part in the rest of the novel. Because she arrives on the scene too late to save her partner’s life.

The novel develops a clear pro-gun, pro-state’s rights, libertarian stance, when a man shows up to lead Justine away from her roadway of ordinary existence. He is her savior in a number of important ways, but Justine does retain her innate sense of independence and self-awareness. As the story progresses, through several rambling and overly-detailed segments, Justine develops a plan to visit retribution on the killer who has murdered her partner and attacked Justine.

The novel is wordy, rambling and desperately needs a firm editorial hand. I confess I do not make the connection to the title. At the same time, it is an exciting and credible novel to read, beyond a typical frothy beach read, but the pace is uneven while we repeatedly learn about aspects of her physical training. The action scenes are excellent, each time ratcheting up the tension and feeding Justine’s uncertainties as she walks step by step into new and dark violent confrontations.

Reviewed by Carl Brookins, September 2014.
Author of Red Sky, Devils Island, Hard Cheese, Reunion.

Book Review: Whirlwind by Rick Mofina

Whirlwind
Rick Mofina
Harlequin Mira, March 2014
ISBN No. 978-0778316091
Mass Market Paperback

Jenna Cooper was shopping at the Old Southern Glory Flea Market. She enjoyed shopping at the flea market and even though her husband Blake had recently gone to work, the time he was laid off put the family in a financial bind. Jenna was bargaining with the owner of one of the stalls. The woman asked Jenna the ages of her little ones. Jenna responded that Cassie was four, almost five, and baby Caleb was five months old. A young woman at the end of the stall commented to Jenna that her little girl was beautiful. Then the young woman asked again if Caleb was five months old. The young woman came over, leaned over Caleb’s stroller, and continued to make remarks about his age and his looks. Jenna noticed a man at the end of the stall that seemed to be with the young woman.

Jenna decided she needed to get Caleb fed but first was going to look for a lamp she saw a little earlier. About that time, the wind started up and people began running for shelter. Just as she managed to get Cassie into a rain jacket and the canopy down on Caleb’s stroller, the crowd began to be peppered with golf size hail. A man in the crowd just hung up his phone announcing that his wife was east of Lancaster and a tornado had hit. He said he had to go find his wife and everyone should take cover. Suddenly an old man noticed a school bus spinning around hundreds of feet in the air above the flea market.

The children were terrified and Jenna was sure she couldn’t make it to her car. The nearest building seemed to be her best hope of shelter. Suddenly the redheaded woman who had spoken to Jenna and talked about the children was beside her and along with the man Jenna had seen earlier, was directing her to a safer area. Jenna held tight to her children but suddenly she was struck on the head by something and blacked out. When Jenna came to Cassie was there but the baby was gone.

Kate Paige is an intern reporter at the Dallas headquarters of the global news service, Newslead. Dorothea Pick, the bureau’s news editor, was not a fan of Kate and Kate was having a rough time getting her stories past the editor without the stories being chopped to pieces. In spite of her own problems, when Kate hears Jenna’s story she is determined to find out what has happened to baby Caleb.

Kate begins to uncover a plot so sinister that unless something is done and done quickly Caleb may be lost to his family forever. The FBI begins an investigation but Kate continues to follow her own instincts and is determined to get baby Caleb back with his family where he belongs.

This is a fast moving novel that grabs the reader and doesn’t let go. Mofina has written a powerful story that keeps the reader on edge all the way.

Reviewed by Patricia E. Reid, March 2014.