Murder Books

A disturbing work that showcases the skills and emotional depth of this up and coming (or is he already here?) author.

"Dog 'Em" will have its reader turning pages in anticipation of finding out if Mick Hart can solve another baffling crime. This story combines love, suspense and intrigue. Lawrence Christopher has created another metaphor to the phrase "Dog 'Em." This is a fast paced story that will keep your interest with its crisp dialogue and dynamic plot. Anyone looking for an excellent short mystery to read should definitely purchase this book!

I couldn't put this book down! Lawrence Christopher weaves a spellbinding mystery, leaving any reader's mouth gapping. Just when the reader thinks he/she has got it all figured out...BAM! And the reader must start chasing his/her tail all over again.
It ain't over 'til it's over.

A very satisfying read, love, mystery, relationnship issues; all in a fast paced slice of life book, I look forward to more Mick Hart mysteries

Looking for a quick paced mystery to get your mind running as you try to figure out whodunit? Well, Dog 'Em: A Mick Hart Mystery, fits the bill and goes the extra distance to take you into the world of Mick Hart, private investigator! It also throws in a measure of drama and romance to give it an extra twist and provide wider audience appeal.

Mick Hart can't win for losing. When he goes against the rules and bends the rules for a single mom to help her find the father of her child, he loses his job. We then take on a journey through one of Mick's cases in which he's hired to find Amanda Monroe, reported missing by her grandmother, and using his first tactic of checking the city morgues, he comes up empty handed...well, almost empty handed. Instead of finding her, he finds two corpses with similar injuries and then finds Amanda in the hospital in a coma with the same injuries. The plot thickens when he finds out that all the women know each other and are members of the Sisters of Empowering and Learning Book Club.

Their last read was How to Train the Dog in Your Black Men so perhaps that has someone feeling a bit threatened, challenged, and ridiculed by women across the country. Many women are picking it up and trying to put its principles to practice at the risk of becoming the next victim. And the serial killer is on a rampage trying to redeem himself. He's [upset] and tired of being the one dogged.

Christopher has brilliantly penned a novel that is poignant and revealing, just as it is suspenseful and intriguing. I read this book in under two hours and my only disappointment was that it was over. I look forward to the next installment in the Mick Hart series and would highly recommend this book.

Reviewed by Tee C. Royal
The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

Anything where Mr. Collins is involved it number one with me. End of discussion.

When attaching ones self to a celebrities persona, (i.e. actor) one tends to critique only the physical contributions. Stephen Collins is not just an actor. He is an intellectual literary artist capturing your interest from beginning to end in this book. The character, "Nicolette Stallings" embraces your fantasies and simultaneously engages you in a plethera of empathy. Her erotic behavior is stimulating, believable, and before long, desirable to any red blooded American woman. Stephen Collins? A Minister?
(Eric Camden) not in this book.............he's too delicious for words.

I actually read `Eye Contact' a few years ago. It was the first erotic thriller that I'd ever read and it still stands out in my mind as on of the best.

This is the story of actress Nicolette Stallings who only feels powerful when seducing someone of the opposite sex. However, her sexual game of cat and mouse soon turns deadly when she propositions a man she meets in a restaurant who she playfully dubs as "Wally Wall Street". After their one night encounter at a high class hotel Nick finds it hard to get rid of "Wally" who now blames her for the break up of his marriage. After an unsuccessful attempt on his own life "Wally" otherwise known as Jeffery White, finally does succeed in killing himself but not before he manages to frame Nick for his murder! As Nick becomes the center of the medias attention and hunted by the police she tries to find a way to prove her innocence not without having a few sexual encounters along the way.

`Eye Contact" is an excellent erotic thriller not for the timid and will keep you at the edge of your seat trying to figure out how everything will play out in the end. Who would have though that the minister for 7th Heaven could write like this?

This novel really does stand the test of time. I read this book many years ago and it still sets well in my memory to this day. It has just about everything in it that one can imagine. Reading this novel is quick and doesn't drag on and on like some novels that I've completed. The long of the short of it, "If this book stands out in my mind today, even though it has been many years since I've read it, then it has to be good reading."

If you don't believe me - buy it and read it yourself.

I actually read 'Eye Contact' a few years ago. It was the first erotic thriller that I'd ever read and it still stands out in my mind as one of the best.

This is the story of actress Nicolette Stallings who only feels powerful when seducing someone of the opposite sex. The sexual game of cat and mouse soon turns deadly when she propositions a man she meets in a restaurant who she playfully dubs as "Wally Wall Street". After their one night encounter at a high class hotel Nick finds it hard to get rid of "Wally" who now blames her for the break up of his marriage. After an unsuccessful attempt on his own life "Wally" otherwise known as Jeffery White, finally does succeed in killing himself but not before he manages to frame Nick for his murder! As Nick becomes the center of the medias attention and hunted by the police she tries to find a way to prove her innocence not without having a few sexual encounters along the way.

'Eye Contact" is an excellent erotic thriller not for the timid and will keep you at the edge of your seat trying to figure out how everything will play out in the end. Who would have though that the minister from 7th Heaven could write like this?

Wife with too much money kills husbund. Brother who wants more money is killed. Was it worth it? She now sits in a jail in China.No money,kids,or boyfriend.

Kevin F. McMurray missed his calling. This investigative reporter should have been a detective. With him it just the facts. His research is SUPERB! Not a rehash. He doesn't embellish the case with his own speculation. He leaves that up to you. McMurray lifts the dark veil of the Kissel Dynasty, and what he reveals is the dark side of their high society, Wall Street, power, fame, wealth, fraud, sex and murders. McMurray extensive interviews paint a portrait of the Jekyll and Hyde within each personality. His work is thorough and yet he treats each suspect and victim with respect. This style makes his books page turners. It would make one hell of a movie. A real life who-dun-it?

I also read his fascinating book, "Deep Decent" about his dives on the infamous Andrea Doria sunk in 1955. His hair raising adventures of deaths and near death experiences makes great reading. This guy seems like the real deal.

I have been reading Kevin's works as they come out and this is his best effort to date. A must read !! Kevin puts you right into the lives of this family and shows all the scars.

The poor Kissell family who had it all but was cursed by it's own success. The poor brothers, Robert and Andrew Kissell, were murdered. Robert was murdered by his wife, Nancy, in Hong Kong. She was sentenced to life in prison there. Their three children would face a custody battle among in-laws. Andrew had lots of legal problems because he acted illegally and immorally in most business and finance transactions not like his brother Robert who graduated college, married, and rose up the financial ladder as being one of the hardest working financiers even in Hong Kong. Regardless, Robert and Andrew did not deserve their fate. Robert's wife, Nancy, was lonely and was having an affair with a blue collar television repairman in Vermont where they had a second winter home. Sadly, Robert and Andrew were laid beside their mother Elaine Kissell at Riverside Cemetery in Saddle Brook, New Jersey. Robert's children are being raised by the only surviving Kissell child, Jane Kissell Clayton, in Seattle, Washington with her two children. The Kissell patriarch is still alive and living in Florida. It's still a sad story but I think the writer's inexperience at writing true crime stories surfaces here and will get better in the future.

A Family Cursed: The Kissell Dynasty, a Gilded Fortune, and Two Brutal Murders (St. Martin's True Crime Library)

Kevin McMurry strikes again! This story of real life power, wealth, greed, desperation and yes murder, will captivate you. You do not need to be a lover of true crime stories to get hooked on this compelling story by Kevin. The author's vivid descriptions of desperate people doing the unthinkable in order to retain & gain wealth will capture your imagination. Two perfect American Families that any of us would love to be a part of or maybe not. Kevin's investigative reporting & analysis mixed with a true Irishman's uncanny ability to tell a story makes this read a real winner!

This was a great true crime book, these books usually are. Mark Putnam was an upper crust athelete from New England, Susan Smith was a poor Appalacian girl. Through twists of fate, their paths crossed, and Susan's dead body was thrown off the side of a road up in the mountains.

Mark Putnam graduated from the FBI academy and was stationed in the West Virginia/ Kentucky region for his first assignment. He met and used Susan Smith as an informant to nab a serial bank robber known as 'Cat Eyes'. They had an affair behind their spouse's backs. Everything went well until Susan got pregnant and Mark got reassigned to Miami.

Well poor Susan was a loose end that demanded child support, so Mark came back from Miami to 'take care of things'. For killing his lover and his unborn child he got 16 years. In Kentucky, it is not murder to kill an unborn child. Nonetheless, Mark got off easy and the 'system' protected him.

Aphrodite Jones was a very fluid writing style and made this book and enjoyable 2 day read.

I have never read this book yet but I do intend on doing so. I went to school with Susans boy who just recently passed away at age 19 last month. Also I read where someone was asking about the killer and yes hes now out of jail he has been for a few years. Why in the heck hes out I dont have a clue a killer doesnt deserve a second chance. It just broke Bradys heart whenever he got released from prision. Justice wasnt served thats for sure.

I loved the book but i want to know what is going on now. Is Mark Putnam out of jail at this time. I got done and closed the book and wanted to keep reading and finding out more about it and can't seem to find anything on the internet about it.

AJ gives us a really good insight into what happened to Susan Smith. And good thing because I'm pretty sure Putnam's confession consisted of 95% lies and only about 5% truth. What I find reprehensible is the FBI's role in the whole crime. They not only chose to ignore it in the beginning but then when they were forced to deal with the issue they basically did everything they could--even after Putnam confessed--to make it easier for the murderer, to cover up important details and, from my understanding, to dispose of some of the remains that would have told a more incriminating story than the one Putnam told, if they'd been examined. And Ron Poole--what was his deal? He acted inappropriately from the get go. I can just see all these professional federal agents sitting around the Pikeville FBI office drinking their coffee and eating their donuts and laughing like a bunch of bozos about Putnam getting a little from the cute little informant. Made my stomach turn. Makes you wonder what kind of people we have looking after us. Mark Putnam, like the book said, is a much darker figure underneath the surface. When I first began reading the book I thought Susan probably fabricated most of their time together. But by the end, I was sure there was more to it and while his version was mostly fiction, hers was not.

Often in true crime, we find that the victim (and even sometimes the suspect) is made out to a sympathetic soul who others are shocked wound up in a homicide situation. Not in the case in this extremely well written book by Aphrodite Jones about FBI Agent Mark Putnam who killed his pregnant mistress, Susan Smith, when she began pressuring him to support his child that she was carrying either by support payments are divorcing his wife, Kathy, and marrying her.

Putnam eventually confessed to the crime after failing a polygraph administered by the FBI. However, he told a 'sweet and endearing' version of how his 'accidentally' killed his mistress. Unfortunately, Pike County officials let him enter his plea and confession before forensics were completed and Putnam was sentenced to sixteen years; not even in a state penitentary but in a Federal medical center.

Jones provides a clear, concise, yet unopinionated, account of the politics played in closing the books on Susan Smith's case; just a poor girl from the hills of Kentucky, who was well known to use and sell drugs and defraud the welfare system. Kentucky and FBI officials make it clear that Smith just wasn't worth Putnam serving a life sentence. Quite frankly, I had the feeling that, given the opportunity, Putnam would have walked away a free man if not for his confession.

This is truly one of the best true crime books I have read. Everyone in this book is portrayed just as they are; readers are not given the 'airbrushed' version created by many authors, especially of law enforcement officials.

If you enjoy reading the truth, irregardless of it's ugliness, check out The FBI Killer. You will not be disappointed.

Wow! All of us readers agree, we LOVE this first book from Kelley Pounds. At the moment it is in limited supply, so if you are lucky enough to own a copy, HANG ON TO IT! The other reviewers said it all. This is a tender romance, passionate and believeable. I loved the interplay between Adela and Christian Ladino. At first they appear to be opposites, but as they mature their strengths and weaknesses dovetail to elegantly build up to the moment Adela must choose -- life as a Bride of Christ or a life's partner with a man she has come to love deeply. The other characters are well developed too, not just background. Adela's mother's story is plaintively revealed, and so much more. I found it to be much more than I had expected especially for a first novel. Let's hope this is published again and soon. It would be sad if it doesn't receive the audience it deserves. Way to go Kelley -- please keep writing!

Adela Fremont was a nurse and a novice Sister of Charity. On her first solicitation trip, her group came upon a dead young man and a seriously wounded half breed.

Christian Ladino awoke in the care of the nuns. He had been a prisoner on Alcatraz Island for seven years and had recently been released. His only desire was to kill Nigel Smeet, the one who had killed his grandmother. His only lead was to find the daughter of Smeet's latest victim.

Adela was the only one who would care for the Apache. (She was also the one that Christian had been searching for.) Adela had not seen her mother in over fifteen years. The day they were to finally meet, disaster struck! Her mother, step-father, and infant half-brother had been on the way to see Adela when a Mescalero Apache, Pajaro, and his band attacked. The step-father was killed, the infant was stolen, and the mother was near death. Adela received permission to care for her. This she did until her new found mother passed away. Adela turned to Christian for help in locating her missing brother. Smeet and Pajaro were working together. Now, so would Christian and Adela!

**** A vivid and exciting ride into the past! It was fabulous! If you enjoy Historical Romances then this one is A MUST for you to read! ****

The Awakening Fire is a book you will remember! As rich as a tapestry, it weaves us through New Mexico on a riveting adventure filled with love, emergence, fear, hate and finally acceptance. Ms. Pounds teaches us there are no boundaries dividing two souls when love is involved. The characters are as vivid as the backdrop, each one so unique and so memorable. They each have their own demons to wrestle with and it's wonderful to see them emerge on the other side. The two main characters, Ladino (my all time favorite now) and Adela are forever emblazoned in my memory-like old friends you have met along the way and will never forget. This book is not just a good read-it's an escape into a vast sensory of what New Mexico's history and people were really like. If you've never been to New Mexico-this book will take you there! A must for all serious historical romance readers!

In 1882 New Mexico Territory, traveling nuns from the Sister of Charity accompanied by a novice find the near dead body of half-breed Christian Ladino lying next to a corpse. The women provide aid to Christian taking him to their St. Vincent Hospital in Santa Fe. However, when Christian holds a sister as hostage, the novice Adela Fremont bravely intercedes.

As Christian heals, he and Adela are attracted to one another. They are also connected through con artist and illegal gun seller Nigel Smeet. Christian wants to kill Nigel whose false testimony sent him to Alcatraz while Adela is linked through her mother married to Smeet's former partner. Adela learns that her stepfather, whom she never met, was murdered and her mother, who she has not seen in fifteen years, was abducted along with her stepbrother allegedly by the Apache. She turns to Christian for help though she is not sure she can trust her heart with him.

This entertaining western romance stars two delightful protagonists who feel their growing love is taboo for several reasons and need to avoid one another, but must work as a team if they are to rescue the youngster. The story line contains a whiff of mystery involving what happened to force Adela's mom to "hide" her child in a nunnery. The secondary players provide a feel for the era and Smeed is an incredibly manipulative villain getting lonely teens to do his bidding. Kelley Pounds furbishes an action-packed thriller that will please fans of the sub-genre.

Harriet Klausner

Adela Fremont was a nurse and a novice Sister of Charity. On her first solicitation trip, her group came upon a dead young man and a seriously wounded half breed.

Christian Ladino awoke in the care of the nuns. He had been a prisoner on Alcatraz Island for seven years and had recently been released. His only desire was to kill Nigel Smeet, the one who had killed his grandmother. His only lead was to find the daughter of Smeet's latest victim.

Adela was the only one who would care for the Apache. (She was also the one that Christian had been searching for.) Adela had not seen her mother in over fifteen years. The day they were to finally meet, disaster struck! Her mother, step-father, and infant half-brother had been on the way to see Adela when a Mescalero Apache, Pajaro, and his band attacked. The step-father was killed, the infant was stolen, and the mother was near death. Adela received permission to care for her. This she did until her new found mother passed away. Adela turned to Christian for help in locating her missing brother. Smeet and Pajaro were working together. Now, so would Christian and Adela!

**** A vivid and exciting ride into the past! It was fabulous! If you enjoy Historical Romances then this one is A MUST for you to read! ****

I read this book years ago but I can not get it out of my mind. This is one of the best written True Crime Books I have ever read. It is interesting from page one. It absolutely writes like a true who done it type novel except this is TRUE and the author has you wondering what happened to these poor babies. She makes you think that some mysterious thing is going on with these babies. The story builds and builds until the truth comes out who killed these precious babies. There are pictures included of her babies. These babies were absolutely beautiful babies. The author gives details of the deaths of the babies and how they reacted when they died. How the oldest fought the whole time. I had a hard time getting through some of these descriptions but I could not lay this book down as I just had to know in my own heart WHY someone did this horrible thing to such precious babies. This book is so detailed.

I read this book in a day and a half cover-to-cover. I could not put it down, simply because page after page I was left dumbfounded at the absurdness of the people involved in this story. I am appalled and enraged by the ignorance, stupidity and apathy of all who knew this woman and stood silent as she killed her children in the same arrogant pattern over and over again. As for her husband, he must have been in a coma not to catch on after the second time. This is a sad statement of the human condition- close your eyes, turn away and don't get involved. The jury was out to lunch on this one, as well, with a depraved indifference verdict. Given the obvious, this was clear-cut premeditated murder -each time she killed, she would mate, give birth and kill again. If it looks like a snake, sounds like a snake and acts like a snake..... sounds like Murder One to me. Perhaps the only redemption for those 9 innocent souls is that they were spared surviving and growing up at the hands of this calculating monster they would have called "mother" and that simpleton poor excuse for a man they would have called "dad".

Very well-written and researched. I've re-read this book many times, and each time I see a different aspect of Marybeth or the people around her. Ms. Egginton gives opinions from various scientists and other examples of mothers killing children. I do believe the theory Marybeth killed eight of her children, after possibly causing Jennifer, her third child, to be born with meningitis (because she wanted her born on Christmas). There is quite a bit of research into Marybeth's childhood, however, I wish that her brother had remembered or told more about her possible abuse at the hands of her father. If you don't receive love as a child, you can't give love as an adult. It's no excuse, as she certainly knew right from wrong and had sense enough to lie about the deaths to everyone - I believe she mainly killed them since she learned of the attention it brought her - and because she believed she was a bad mother, could do nothing right, and might as well kill them to get it over with. For some reason, she never learned her lesson, just kept trying again. What would be a nightmare that most people (with consciences) would never recover from, was no big deal to Marybeth. I don't think that she'll ever understand that these babies were human beings in their own right who deserved to live just as much as she thought she did.

Marybeth Tinning's case is fascinating. She had nine children and every single one of them died before they reached school age. There was Barbara, Joseph, Mary, Jonathan, Nathan, Michael, Timothy, Jennifer, and Tami Lynne. Jennifer was the first to go, born sickly and dying after a few days without ever leaving the hospital. It is thought that this is the only Tinning child to have died of natural causes. Marybeth murdered the other eight.

It was thought that Barbara and Joseph, the oldest Tinning children who died a short time after Jennifer, died of Reyes Syndrome. People thought it was odd, though, that Marybeth never shed a tear. As the children were born and buried one after another, their deaths were mostly chalked up to SIDS or something similar. It got to be kind of local joke: "Look at the birth announcements; the Tinnings had another baby. I wonder how long this one will last?" Many suspected Marybeth of having killed the babies, but some thought it was just a genetic deformity in the family. That was, until the Tinning's two-year-old adopted son, Michael, died for no apparent reason. That's when the authorities started to move in.

This book covers Marybeth Tinning's life, marriage, the births and deaths of her children, and her trial and subsequent imprisonment. It's clear that she suffers from Munchausen's Syndrome by Proxy, the pathological need to injure those close to her and bask in the sympathy she gets. It's a fascinating story, though I admit the characters didn't seem all that real to me -- more like ink on paper than actual human beings. I recommend this book anyway, for all true-crime fans and those curious about infanticide.

Marybeth Tinning gave birth to nine children. After the third-born died at 8 days old due to a suspected self-induction (she wanted the baby to be born on Christmas day) with a coathanger caused meningitis, her other two children (aged 4 and 2) died within the next 8 weeks. She went on to have more children, and even adopted one, who all died one by one.

Unbelievably, it wasn't until the 9th died that the public in her county, social services, police, coroner etc managed to collectively work together to bring a case against her. Previously all of these agencies knew she had children that had died, but none knew the number or all of the information -except her close friends and family.

This book has been meticulously researched, it really is very thorough and well written. As a mother I found it at times unbearable -so many questions remain unanswered. The book contains a photo of each of the children, who were all beautiful.

Gripping reading, but also it is really important to learn something from this -when a child is in distress, no matter how small your suspicion or how afraid you are of offending people -do what you can to protect the child. This is officially the mother's job, but when she is suffering from Munchausen by Proxy she is unable to carry out her role.

That's a 'nice' way of putting it. Read the book and make up your own mind.

It has been said of Texas politics that it is a blood sport. That is certainly true in this engrossing second novel from author Robert E. Armstrong. Once again, he relies on his vast experience to bring back Houston Veterinarian Dr. Duncan MacDonell. It's very nice for this reader to have him back as he is quickly becoming a good friend.

As head of the Bureau of Animal Regulation and Care in Houston, Texas, Dr. MacDonell is still in charge after the events depicted in the first book, "Canis." While there has been a shakeup and his new boss who wants nothing to do with the department feels safer staying as far away as possible, Dr. Armstrong and his office are still burdened with the modern day problems of a shortage of qualified and competent staff, financial woes, and unwanted pets. Add to that, a simple lack of appreciation for his necessary job and Dr. Macdonald is just a bit fed up and then his problems suddenly get massively worse.

Dr. MacDonell is in the parking lot of the posh Kingswood Country Club one summer evening waiting for his wife as attendees of a $500 a plate political fundraiser dinner begin to leave. Various dignitaries and others leave with their groups and police escorts quietly into the early summer night until someone starts screaming that the Governor needs a doctor. The Governor, Pat Sawyer, is the former Governor of New Jersey who is just days away from in all likelihood accepting his party's nomination for President in Dallas during the convention. In the meantime, he has been viscously mauled by something and is loosing blood rapidly.

MacDonell treats him as best as he can while Sawyer explains that he needed some time alone and had just sat down in his car when he was attacked. He thinks it was a Bobcat or something but is so traumatized by the viscous attack he isn't sure. Dr. MacDonell soon manages to control his bleeding and then is moved out of the way when the Paramedics arrive. MacDonell checks the car and sees a viscous animal acting berserk. But it isn't a Bobcat but instead a housecat which might have rabies.

While initial tests on the cat come up negative and Governor Sawyer seems to recover, his health soon begins to take a nosedive. As soon as Governor Sawyer becomes deathly and terminally ill with no hope of recovery, Dr. MacDonell becomes the murder suspect in the eyes of various law enforcement types. Either he was grossly incompetent and didn't handle things correctly or he was totally involved and orchestrating events in the eyes of law enforcement and CDC staff investigating the case. While seeking to clear his good name and keep his office intact under a mounting political firestorm, Dr. MacDonell begins to work the case. He begins to suspect that a deep and abiding personal hatred by someone closest to Sawyer just might have been the motivation to kill. That person is still motivated and as so many others have found out over the years, the cover-up is always messier than the original crime itself.

This is another excellent book in this new series and another pleasurable read. In this author's novels, when people die, they die in unusual and interesting ways and this novel repeats that pattern. The author neatly brings the reader into his world and while informing the reader on various issues, manages to deftly mix in a story with a complex mystery. In so doing, the author demonstrates his ability to follow the old rule about writing what he knows while at the same time, making a very good book. Like his first book "Canis," this is another non-stop murder mystery full of action, complicated characters and nifty plotting, which results in another fine page turning read.

I met and quickly warmed up to Dr. Duncan MacDonell in CANIS. Now he returns in a story about rabid cats. A politician is attacked by a cat and although tests on the animal are negative, the governor still dies of rabies. Was it an unfortunate accident or was the governor murdered? City politics and budget problems continue to plague MacDonell. To complicate matters further, the FBI suspects foul play by MacDonell or someone on his staff. INDEX OF SUSPICION is a well-written, intriguing mystery. The characters are believable and dialogue sizzles. But you get more than just an entertaining read. As in CANIS, Bob Armstrong's expertise shines through. He continues to educate his readers, this time on rabies and how it can be contracted (you don't have to be bitten by a rabid animal), as well as life in the trenches at an Animal Control Center. This was an excellent follow-up in a great series.

Dr. Duncan MacDonell, a Veterinarian, finds himself smack dab in the middle of another mystery. When a man is literally shredded in his car by a psycho cat, Dr. MacDonell is there to save his life and get the animal

out of the car. What at first just seems a bizarre incident, quickly escalates into political intrigue. Because it wasn't just any man that was being slashed by a raving cat. It was the Governor.

Who could be behind such an atrocious attack? What kind of monster could

set something like this up? The plot gets thicker and the suspects are out in droves. I couldn't figure this one out till the end and every exciting page kept me up late at night in anticipation.

Robert Armstrong has written his second gripping thriller. I was excited

to see that he continued with the same main characters from Canis and stepped up the intrigue in INDEX OF SUSPICION. I really enjoy his way with dialogue and the life experiences he must draw upon to give the reader a

sense of the atrocities that some animals have to endure during their short lives. I truly enjoyed INDEX OF SUSPICION for it's great writing, excellent information and exciting storyline!

Index Of Suspicion
By Robert Armstrong

This is the second in the series about veterinarian Duncan MacDonell and his wife Jeannie set in Texas. This story opens with the governor being attacked by a cat in his limo. From there it is all excitement and a wonderful look into the world of veterinary science. I particularly enjoyed the way the author
showed Texas and the world of the forensic science as used by Dr. MacDonell. I also found it refreshing to have a protag with a wife where there was no ... hanky panky going on behind her back. These two people were very in tune with each other and as I said that was a refreshing change from the usual hi jinks of main characters. I am not very good at writing reviews because I am afraid of giving away too much of the story. I will say this, there are certainly enough bad guys and an interesting plot to keep you interested but if you like a good story and good people as the star of the story you will like this book. I highly recommend it.

Dr. Robert Armstrong is a retired veterinarian, and held the post of animal control officer for the health department in Houston, Texas for ten years. He also served in the Air Force veterinary corps and for three years served as director of medical readiness for the Air Force's European Command. He was based in Southeast Asia and Germany, working with military dogs.

In his follow up to CANIS, his first mystery featuring Dr. Duncan MacDonell, politics, smuggling, and veterinary medicine all meet in a political conspiracy that involves death of a political candidate by what appears to be a rabid cat. Duncan MacDonell happens to be attending a Republican $500 per plate fundraiser for their candidate, Patrick Sawyer. When Sawyer gets into his limo to leave the party, he is viciously attacked by a cat. MacDonell is on the scene, and immediately orders rabies testing done on the offending feline:

"MacDonell scratched his chin. After mulling it over all night he expected the worst, and now he couldn't believe what he had just heard. 'Tell you what,' he said after some reflection, 'run it again and ship a chunk of the hippocampus up to Austin on Monday for mouse inoculation, just to be on the safe side.' 'Run it again?' Aaron whined. 'Run it again,' MacDonell repeated. 'Negative is negative, Doc,' Aaron said. He sounded sober. 'I'm not questioning your result, Johnny.' 'Sounds like it to me. And we usually only do mice if we suspect a false positive.' 'This isn't a usual situation, John. I saw the cat. It was flaming.'"

Armstrong's MacDonell is up against the usual bureaucracy when the candidate dies of rabies, who are only interested in covering their arses instead of getting to the bottom of the conspiracy. Mac is an instantly likeable character, with flaws and brilliance, happily working alongside a wife who is as much of a whiz with a pistol as she is in the kitchen. Set in Houston, Texas, MacDonell shows the reader what life is like in Texas, from the politics to the cooking. In Texas time, politics is gaining political correctness as MacDonell fights for justice against some rich and vindictive opponents. This is an intense and suspense-laden read.

Once again Stephanie Barron has written a great story that sounds like it came from the pen of Jane Austen. This series is wonderful, and I hope she'll write a lot more books like this.

Mystery and Jane Austen fans may rejoice in this perfect series of fictionalized murder mysteries. Based on intensive research of the author's life, but definitely fiction.

If you long to taste life at the time of Jane, this is your portal. The smells, sights and sounds of the Regency surround you immediately and you'll learn a great deal about Austen's life as well--the author drops considerate footnotes like tasty bread crumbs for you to follow into research of your own.

You just might get so caught up in the realistic descriptions, that you begin to believe Austen was the super sleuth Barron has created. Read them all. You won't be sorry!

I would call this a "mystery of manners". It portrays, in a credible way, Jane Austen, her siblings and her fellow inhabitants of the village of Chawton. All strata of society have representatives in this novel. The historical characters are embedded in a mystery story which is fun to read. The made up character of Lord Trowbridge, as revealed in his letters, adds spice to the novel. Some aspects of the murder of Lady Imogen strain belief, but this is not a major negative.

Stephanie Barron has done a marvelous job, novel after novel, of bringing not only Jane Austen's world to life, but also the beloved author herself. Barron has perfectly imbued Jane Austen as a would-be detective, a woman whose keen intellect cuts through murder and mystery alike. "Jane and His Lordship's Legacy", the eighth novel in the series, is just as fresh and enjoyable as the ones that preceeded it.

Upon the death of Lord Harold Trowbridge, Jane finds herself the recipient of his papers - all his journals and letters are left to her in his will, in an effort that she may sort through them and write his memoirs. Yet there are plenty of confederates, and enemies, of the Rogue who would do anything to know what was written about them by Lord Harold. As if the job of protecting his legacy from prying eyes wasn't burden enough, Jane finds that she and her mother as less than welcome in their new abode in the town of Chawton. Indeed, when Jane discovers the corpse of a man within the house's cellar on her first day in residence, she knows that someone is trying to paint the Austens in a negative light. And when the chest of Lord Harold's papers is stolen within mere days of her residency, Jane knows the murder and the burglary must be connected. As with all mysteries, another murder follows that confuses all of Jane's suppositions, and finds her racing to stop a murderer and to recover her lordship's legacy.

"Jane and Her Lordship's Legacy" is a worthy addition to the series Stephanie Barron has created. While she obviously takes liberties with Austen's life, and those of some characters around her, the majority of the storyline is based on established fact, and the created aspects are within keeping of Jane Austen. At times the language may be forced to fit or the descriptions befitting the time period become too bulky for the narrative, but on the whole Barron's writing vividly evokes Austen's day. It is a boon for fans who know there is no more original Austen works to be read.

I have enjoyed every one of Stephanie Barron's fine mystery series and this book is no exception. In fact, this may be my favorite of the series. The mystery is well-written but, for me, this is not the true attraction of the novel--and it never has been for this series. Rather, I am always enthralled by Barron's ability to bring Austen back to life.

Barron's grasp of Austen and her world is phenomenal. Her Jane always rings true and there are many echoes of the sentiments and expressions in this series that let the reader know that Barron is truly knowledgeable about her main character. That Barron has a great deal of affection for Jane also comes through and Jane comes alive as a witty, intelligent, and fascinating woman who is also flawed. Barron's Austen is not above bouts of pettiness and impatience and Barron serves Austen all the better for it. Anyone who enjoys and reveres Austen will likely enjoy these books immensely for Barron does an exemplary job of making Austen real and giving fervent Austen fans what they most crave--more of the fine brain and insight that characterize Austen's works. If we cannot have more Austen novels, we are yet very fortunate to have Barron's series.

What really sets this book apart is the maturity that Jane shows. Barron has deftly and seemingly effortlessly written a work that mirrors the sometimes melancholy, often bittersweet, and decidely autumnal feel that characterizes Austen's late work Persuasion. Barron's Jane is not sorry for the choices she has made but has seen much and has such a keen self-awareness that she knows all that she has lost. Though Jane's relationship with Lord Harold Trowbridge is fictional, the details of her dependence on her brothers and her frustrated attempts at publishing during her lifetime are not and Barron gives voice to Jane's feelings on these subjects.

Lest I give Barron short shrift, the central mystery of the story is well constructed and engaging. Barron, like Austen, shows the reader the constraints of the class structure of the day and the lengths to which people were willing to go to climb up the society ladder. Jane's bequest is both a blessing and a curse for it brings her closer to the man she loved and lost but it also imperils her because it contains provocative details that could make or break some of society's most powerful. At heart, this is a story of greed and ambition and though it is set hundreds of years ago its themes are still very contemporary.

A fun read for most Elvis fans. The story is delightful
and fast paced with alot of twists to keep a mystery
reader happy. As a fan, I found myself wishing for a
few more details to be like the personal Elvis.
eg: language used was ok, but certain phrases
could have just as easy been used that Elvis was
known to say often. Ok..Ok... I'm picking but
all in all it was a fun book and worth a read and
a must for E collectors.

I'm not a big Elvis fan and when my husband brought this book home, I was reluctant to read it. Alas, with nothing left in the house to read, I had no choice (I am a serious book junkie!). I thought the book would be silly and rather tongue-in-cheek, but boy, was I wrong. This book is magnificent. It is a real page turner! I could hardly put the book down. Elvis plays a detective trying to figure out who is killing the young, female presidents of his fan clubs. He turns out to be an upstanding citizen and his character is portrayed as being very un-Hollywood. Elvis fights both crime and moral issues is this novel. The book is quite witty and, although I would like to say I did not know who the killer was until the end, it managed to keep my attention with the interplay between the characters. For those who like a suspense-ful novel with light-hearted brevity and a good, twisty plot, this book is a must read!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Elvis comes off as a real live breathing human being, and Daniel Klein did a great job with the various characters. I especially liked the relationship of Elvis and Selma - very sweet and tender. Elvis in the book did a lot of the things that the Elvis in real life would love to have done. The mystery itself was intriguing - strange lethal drug killing fan club presidents - various characters appearing to be the likely suspect. I liked Selma so much that I was sad at the end - and the final phone call from overseas was a great ending. My only complaint was the overuse at times of crude language which did not always seem necessary. However, I enjoyed the book enough that I would definitely buy the next in the series. Jean Donovan

Kill Me Tender by Daniel Klein

"Kill Me Tender" is a pure fiction "murder mystery" featuring Elvis Presley. Well, why not? There are many "fact"-books written about Elvis that are playing more or less fast and loose with those facts. At least the cover of this book states that this time it is fiction.

Elvis playing detective is not a strange idea at all, because it is a well-known fact Elvis had the hang of the police enforcement. Overall it is clear that the writer studied his main character pretty well. He does not only recommend Peter Guralnick's works, but it looks like he actually read them.

Daniel Klein took some liberties with stipulations as to time that catch the eye of the reader immediately, at least when the reader is an Elvis-fan. To the less fanatics those stipulations are just "Elvis-facts" that may seem in place. We can safely place the story in 1960, because most "facts" point to that. Elvis is home for just a couple of months after returning from Germany and "Elvis Is Back" is his latest album. Being a couple of weeks from the filming of "Take Me to The Fair" is in contradiction with this, because this movie (which became "It Happened At The World's Fair") was not filmed before the last quarter of 1962. Also a statue of Elvis in a jumpsuit and a TCB-belt do not really fit in the 1960-picture, because it took another decade before those things showed up. On first sight it looks strange that some of the Elvis-related people are mentioned by name, like Priscilla, Vernon, The Colonel and The Jordanaires, while Elvis' close friends are fictional.

Here we'll stop the hair-splitting. Assuming you like murder-mysteries at all this book is a nice read. It is fast, but demanding: it forces you to read on, even when you know you should go to sleep, because you have to go to work again the next day. The mystery starts when two young girls, both presidents of local fanclubs find an untimely death. Elvis gets involved and before you know it you are reading about P.I. Presley instead of G.I. Presley. There are some tender, touching moments, of course there is tension too and even humour can be spotted on several pages. In other words we enjoyed the book very much and therefore we won't say anything more about it, especially not regarding the story line. Not to give away the clue and to be sure we won't spoil your pleasure reading it!

What a great mystery. I loved having Elvis Presley sleuthing to unravel the mysterious deaths of the fan club presidents. He was very likeable but he also resembled the real King.

Elvis is made aware of two young girls who have apparently died in their sleep. They were both presidents of his fan club in different Tennessee cities. No one believes them to be anything but sad. No foul play is suspected. Elvis feels differently and enlists the aid of Billy Jackson, a self-taught doctor to a small black community. His nurse Selma also assists and Elvis is smitten with her.

He also has to deal with a Elvis impersonator that thinks he really is Elvis. Elvis consults with a forensic psychiatrist to try to understand the killer's mind.

Then there is another death of a fan club president. Still no one will listen to him and look into these deaths as murders. Plus Elvis keeps receiving recordings of his songs but with twisted lyrics. Who can be sending these? Could they be related to the deaths?

In the meantime, Elvis goes to his class reunion and runs into Penny Woodruff, a classmate and former girlfriend.

Things are getting complicated and Elvis is constantly missing recording sessions in his quest to find a killer no one else is even looking for. His is constantly have to deal with his manager and childhood pals at Graceland. His interest in Selma is constantly growing, but what about Priscilla.

Elvis ends up putting himself and others in danger to discover the identity of the killer before there are any more deaths.

I found this to be a delightful mystery. The Elvis character was so well constructed, I often found myself wondering if these things really happened!

This is a terrific new series and I can't wait to read them all. You will not be disappointed! You won't want to put it down until the last page! I highly recommend it!

For fourteen-year-old Myx Amens, a walk down a city street is a sensory experience the likes of which Ken Kesey never approached with his notorious Acid Tests. Myx, however, requires no psychoactive substances to experience synesthesia - the sensory cross-wiring that results in seeing music, smelling colors, or tasting words. All he had to do was die a couple of times.

Myx has so carefully ordered his life in the Massachusetts town of Miracle that he can literally come and go as he likes, anywhere, any time. He knows a lot more about the residents than they know themselves, in some cases. Most especially in this case - the murder and mutilation of a small-town high-school bitch queen.

In his first novel, Dave Diotalevi presents a neatly-plotted mystery, as well as the most wonderfully disorienting first-person POV since Robert Montgomery's film noir classic, Lady In The Lake.

As a life-long synesthete, I can assure readers that Diotalevi's evocative prose offers a convincing authenticity. For example, my non-synesthete husband was taken utterly by surprise by the Big Reveal at the end of the book, while Myx more or less told me precisely what it was by the middle of the story. In addition, my husband experienced none of the sensory out-of-kilterness I felt. He's a pretty literal kind of guy. He was, however, as enthusiastically engaged as I was by this tale. Diotalevi deftly inserts clues in more forms -- literary and pop cultural references, as well as archetypal and iconographic images -- than John Campbell could shake a Jungian stick at.

Hints of a richly-textured backstory and foreshadowings of Myx's future activities offer hope for follow-up novels.

I can think of only two complaints about Miracle Myx. First, I was distracted by the frequent product placements. Myx's eidetic memory could register traits other than brand and model or style of food, clothing, and electronic gear. Some segments read like the novelization of an M. Night Shyamalan film. Second, the book was too short. I want more Myx!


**a later note**: Michael disagrees with me once more. Says the flurries of product names never really attracted his active attention. He agrees with the 5 stars I awarded in his name, and states for the record that has zero complaints, can't wait to read Miracle Myx again, and wants to see more Myx.

I just love Myx, the sneaky, fascinatingly quirky, frightfully intelligent young man who takes on the mystery of some grisly murders in his small Massachusetts town. Somehow Dave makes us like this fellow who stops at nothing to learn all he needs to know about people.

And I not only love Myx, but I love the storytelling! Dave weaves this tale in a way that keeps us thinking, wondering, and laughing. Every page is interesting and fun!

I received this book in the mail yesterday. Started to read it almost immediately and could not put it down. Finished in one day. Very entertaining, kept me guessing all the way to the end. Recommend it to everybody I speak to.

Diotalevi hits the ground running with Miracle Myx.

Myx Amens is an astounding and addictive character that you'll immediately like and find yourself caring and cheering for. His synesthetic memory, two near death experiences, (I think he really died twice) and natural curiosity propel Myx into the realm of the next great fictional hero.

Diotalevi's rich writing style makes for a read that you can't put down.

Miracle Myx starts with Myx Amens, just finishing his last adventure and one quickly learns of his near supernatural powers through Diotalevi's intricate character development.

The author weaves an old world whodunit with an inexplicable modern day adolescent hero into one great read.

I highly recommend this book. When does the next book come out?

"I learned that nothing is yours until it's yours, and that you make it yours by taking it, protecting it and hiding it," says Myx Amens, a uniquely talented 14-year-old foster kid living in Miracle, Massachusetts. In Dave Diotalevi's debut novel, Miracle Myx, we encounter 42 hours in the life of Myx as he investigates a series of murders.

There's a seminal chapter in this twisty mystery of hidden secrets where Myx is in jeopardy from several thugs at the estate of their boss - a powerful Italian business man. Myx artfully escapes from the thugs and finds himself in the company of the boss' wife, Mama. Suddenly, Myx's intuitive mix of synesthesia offers up a song, for which he quickly scribbles onto paper. In Italian, no less. Mama reads it and recognizes it as her mother's homemade gnocchi recipe - written in her mother's handwriting. This isn't the first or the last time Myx uses his talents to tease out what someone needs at the moment they need it. And to this reader's point of view, this scene tells us much of what we need to know about the heart of this unique man/boy character whose primary desire seems to be easing the way of others. Particularly, if they are female.

One will read this book as much for fast-action, 42 hours in the life of Myx as they will for the poetic turns of phrase such as "My hand sang the music of its curves as I wrote," and "Air currents made the flames and shadows move in interesting ways. To me, they felt pliable and sounded like the wind in a field."

This smart, sexy novel from Dave Diotalevi may be his debut, but it is clearly not his first try at beautiful prose, evocative language, and moving storytelling. Let's hope there's more to come from this author.