Murder Books

Merging real life events with that of the fictional super-hero world can be a recipe for mediocre and questionable storytelling. When Marvel Comics decided to respond to the events of September 11, 2001 with its publication of Amazing Spider-Man #37 (Vol.2), the story contained so many flaws that it simply proved that this was nothing but a poorly conceived sales gimmick. This is why I was somewhat apprehensive to purchase Daredevil: Redemption since the plot is inspired by the true story of "The Robin Hood Hills Murders".

However, David Hines' writing skill on the District X series made a convincing case that while I await the eventual release of the over-sized hardcover of Daredevil Volume 5, this trade paperback could somewhat appease my insatiable desire for more Brian Michael Bendis tales about Hell's Kitchen guardian. I do not regret putting my faith in him. Alongside Frank Miller, Dennis O'Neil, the often forgotten Roger McKenzie and the aforementioned Bendis, Hines' name has to be listed as the author about one of the character's best all-time stories.

This is not your standard super-hero garbage where Doctor Doom wants to avenge himself against The Fantastic Four for being second best to Reed Richards or The Avengers going head to head with Kang in order to thwart his plan for world domination by time travel.

Hines offers the reader a disturbing glimpse about police corruption, bigotry and the terrifying influence of Christian doctrine on a community that is as small-minded as its church. He also addresses cringing topics such as child sexual abuse and domestic violence. This is not the kind of evil that can be solved with mutant powers or gamma-radiated monsters.

Oddly enough, Daredevil is barely utilized throughout the story. Instead, the focus is on Matt Murdock and his abilities as a lawyer. Hines' account of the victims and their surroundings is so gripping that the reader may come to realize that this tale could have been published solely as a Matt Murdock series without the presence of his alter-ego. However, I doubt that commercially, it would have been viable for Marvel Comics.....

Artist Michael Gaydos and colorist Lee Loughridge are a perfect fit to give illustration to Hines' script. The penciling style is straightforward black and white with no shading whatsoever. The artwork has a sense of realism but it is as stern and severe as the account itself while Loughridge's use of hues are dark without being overwhelming thus giving the sombre tone that Hines is aiming for.

I would have no qualms in repurchasing Daredevil: Redemption in the over-sized hardcover format if Marvel decided to publish it as such. It definitely deserves this treatment.

Review by Brian Grindrod

There's already a brilliant review on this page, but I feel it's my civic duty to plug it some more so someone buy's it, because it deserves to be read.
As mentioned in the other review it explores some pretty shady and very real social issues within a small, deeply religous town that has been shattered and pushed to the edge by a gruesome murder of a young boy. Alongside that, it also contrasts Matt's role as both a lawyer and a vigilante, and seeks to show wheter working within the law or outside the law achieves more good, and kinda leaves it up for the reader to decide. For instance as DD he jeopardises somewhat his own legal case by elimanating a key suspect but as a lawyer he faces an extremely uphill and slanted battle, where justice is elusive. For example Matt suspects strongly someone else as the killer, so why doesn't he just beat the guy up, and turn him in? Cause he knows as a lawyer that doesn't achieve anything in the long term. He's not the Punisher, he's way cooler and more complicated.

The art, by Michael Gaydos (who provided the art for Alias by Bendis) is also great as it is very suited to the story and to Daredevil (I hope he gets to draw him again someday)though it may not be everyone's cup of tea if your more used to art in more "Super-hero" titles like the Avengers or X-men. Covers, however, are by Bill Sienkiewicz.

The only complaint I have is that it could have been shortened by an issue, as about mid-way through it starts to slow down, hampering the flow and excitement of the story, but thankfully picks up again.

4 and a half stars.

I am a real Barbara Parker fan. Her newest book is not a disappointment. The story line is exciting and as intriguing as all of the "Suspicion of" novels. The twists and turns as well as exciting characters makes one call for more even when this particular story is through.

Anyone who likes intriguing characters, a plot full of twists and turns, and a tropical Miami setting should read Barbara Parker! Parker is a former Florida prosecutor; her protagonist in this novel is high power defense attorney C.J. Dunn, whose clients are not the only ones with skeletons in their closets. I enjoyed Parker's "Suspicion" series as well, and hope that she will write more books about C.J. Dunn. If you have enjoyed other legal thrillers, try reading The Dark of Day--it won't disappoint you.

I won't repeat the basic storyline, which is already here in the book description. Instead, I'll just say that the book is a great read and hard to put down. It has a complex protagonist--a very successful defense lawyer, a recovering alcoholic with a secret past. It it set in Miami, and delves into the sordid side of the lives of that city's "beautiful people." It has a compromised politician, society high-rollers, an unscrupulous journalist, vulnerable young women seeking a piece of the action, and a shadowy client, who may or may not be guilty of murder. The author takes her protagonist on a suspenseful, roller-coaster ride, as C. J. Dunn tries to find the truth before she loses her reputation or even her life. Highly recommended, as are Parker's early books, also set in Miami, which featured attorneys Gail Connor and Anthony Quintana

Greg Yawman is a talented writer who has "done it again". "Dead Luck", his second novel, was even more ejoyable to read than his first piece of work, "The Ultimate Plan". Once I started reading this book, it was difficult to put down.

The book takes place in the Baltimore area, and anyone who reads it and lives in Baltimore, will find themselves visualizing locations in the book. If you don't live here in Baltimore, it is still a GREAT read. I admire the way that Greg Yawman has been able to capture the essence of the Baltimore culture on paper.

Greg Yawman offers the reader an interesting, fast paced storyline that is "peppered" with vivid descriptions offering the reader a "spicy" treat that is savored like a good steak coooked on a grill and a glass of cold beer on a warm summer evening.

If you have not read this book, you are missing a truly enjoyable experience.

Greg Yawman has proven he is the "Master of the Metaphor", the "Sultan of Similes". Dead Luck takes you on a vivid journey through the dark, perilous streets of Baltimore and into the serenity of rural Maryland. Yawman paints a picture in your mind, so realistic, so clearly perceptible, it would make Bob Ross jealous.

Yawman has captured the imaginations of us all, by leading us through his story with a stripper from Baltimore's Block, as the heroine we all would like to "feel"....... for. Greg gives you the opinion he has personally lived through many experiences from "The Block", leaving us to wonder if the dancer is really a fictional character or a memory from his misinterpreted past.

Greg may lose some readers with his use of some odd words, such as, sycophant and subterfuge, but as long as you have a dictionary handy, you can raise your beefy arm and give it a big thumbs up!

I identified with the quirky, somewhat obsessive, compulsive protagonist. Felt like I knew him! As I neared the end, I thought the only thing missing is .....and then the author remembered! Nice twist. Easy read with a moral message that I tend to agree with.

I loved this book. It had some funny parts and some tense parts. It made me want to move to a small town in Wisconsin!

I was raised in Santo domingo and was 11 years old at the time of the revolution. We were also some of those "evacuated" by the U.S. Navy from the hotel. We lived at Avenida Independencia, esquina Wenceslao Alvarez avenue he speaks of in page #207 in the paperback book. We were also there when Trujillo was killed and we spent the following school year in San juan while things settled down. Dad of course stayed with house and business. The names and memories all cascade through my mind. My dad was the Volkswagen and Studebaker dealer in Santo Domingo, and he had to sell the dreaded black VW Beetles the secret police drove, which for a good period of time cost him a lot of business with the locals for obvious reasons. Sadly that same 1965 revolution took my father's life later that year from the stress of remaining in the island to guard house and business, while his wife and four children were away in Puerto Rico. He was only 46 years old. The book is written very well, and do not let him fool you, his spanish had to be good as he described the island and people expertly. It was hard for me to read as you might imagine. After 5-10 pages I would have to stop and let all the memories pass. I was last there three years ago, and much has changed, from the incredibly horrible traffic to the tall sky scrapers that dot the Capital city. One thing has not changed however, and that is the pervasive poverty and same crooked governments who line their and their friends pockets as the country continues to suffer. I have always been asked what it was like to grow there, so I am ordering 4-5 additional copies to give as gifts to those so inclined to read it, I will also send a copy to my extended "family" in Santo Domingo. These are friends I grew up with, and to this day I call them the brothers and sisters that they are to us.

This book is incredible. MacKinnon follows family history in this incredible piece of literary nonfiction. His uncle was a Catholic priest, murdered by police officers in the Dominican Republic in the 60s. The police were immediately shot by an army officer. Forty years later he tries to unravel what actually happened.

The thing that blew me away most was that I could feel him struggle with a foreign language in a different country. I have lived overseas as well, and his writing took me right back to the feeling of pressure inside my head, as I tried to understand. As the book progresses, the pressure diminishes. Truly spectacular writing.

I tried to take it slow, to savour the book, but I finally gave up and tore through it in a day and a half. I am going to reread it this winter.

This book introduces Ms. Wheat's series with Cass Jameson. My criteria for mysteries are that they be fast-moving, filled with interesting characters, and snappy, believable dialogue. Ms. Wheat deserves high praise. No doubt her personal experiences contributed in no small measure to this high caliber debut. She infuses her cast of characters with savvy insights, bold action, and lively details. I finished it in 24 hours!

Although I have read -- and enjoyed -- virtually every book in every series by the most famous female mystery writers, Carolyn Wheat unequivocally remains my favorite.

This series is about a Legal Aid attorney named Cass Jameson. As such, it introduces fascinating glimpses into seldom-seen areas of the legal system -- along with providing excellent mysteries.

The books are all very well-written, fast-moving, and entertaining. I cannot sufficiently recommend them. IMHO, this is the best mystery series available.

A suspicious suicide, reluctant detective, generational friction, environmental activism, and local theater provide fodder for a fairly conventional murder mystery, until the accidental death by guillotine of a lead character during rehearsals for The Mikado takes this tale into a nasty little unconventional turn. Set on the misty shores of Vancouver Island, the mystery deepens as historical grievances and levels of resentment gradually emerge with a growing list of suspects. This is a great first novel by a Canadian pair of authors steeped in drama and literature, but grounded in the concerns of the present day. While The Mikado is not at the top of my must-see list, I greatly enjoyed this page-turner, and can only imagine the concealed twists and innuendos that await revelation for true Gilbert and Sullivan aficionados.

Kay Stewart and Chris Bullock's A Deadly Little List is a mystery set on Salt Springs Island, B.C. It teems with suspects ranging from local environmentalists to the cast of a local production of The Mikado. The title of the book comes from the Lord High Executioner's song, "A Little List," that Ko Ko sings because he hasn't met his quota of executions, so murder is afoot. Constable Danutia Dranchuk is new to her position when she is sent to Salt Springs Island to sign off on what local law enforcement sees as an apparent suicide. Her instincts and shrewd observations tell her that this is a murder and the medical examiner concurs. She persuades her superiors to let her investigate further on her own and, by the conclusion of A Deadly Little List, this female constable has successfully proven her detective skills. When Joe Bertalucci, a security guard in a historic cabin destined for demolition by a wealthy land developer, is found dead, the suspicion falls on the local environmentalists who have been protesting. However, a second murder by guillotine occurs on the set of The Mikado within days of the first. The deaths seem unrelated, but while Danutia is tracking down all her suspects, unbeknownst to her, Arthur Fairweather, a drama critic from the Victoria Post-Dispatch, begins his own snooping looking into the murder connected to the Salt Springs theatre festival's Mikado. The mystery unfolds in alternating chapters from the different points of view of Danutia and Arthur until the stories converge for a dramatic ending. Once Arthur and Danutia finally meet, together they catch the murderer. The writing in A Deadly Little List resonates with witty allusions and lovely similes. Danutia is the dominant character with hints about a dark relationship in her past and a commitment to her law enforcement profession. Arthur is a witty Brit drama critic with an ex-wife. The reader finishes A Deadly Little List expectant that Arthur and Danutia will develop a personal relationship in future sleuthing adventures in other interesting settings.

After Photographer Janet Upton comes home to New York's Hudson Highlands she sees a man fall from a cliff to his death. She gets photos as she happened to be out on a photo shoot, but the pictures don't come out. And it turns out the man who fell happens to be her uncle by marriage and it just so happens that eight years earlier a woman named Alta Ferguson also fell from the same spot. She had been about to build on the spot and another uncle had been investigated concerning her death. Now Janet wonders could these deaths somehow be related.

Somebody apparently doesn't want any building done on this land. And now Alta Ferguson's son shows up and wants to build a house there. And it seems that again, people are going to die to keep a secret or secrets buried. Will one of them be Janet, well of course not, but she gets into some serious trouble.

There are plenty of suspects in this fine mystery that was to have been the first in a series, but sadly Ms. Sprague died after the book was finished, so now this story is a stand alone, but it stands very well indeed. Five stars.

In 1987 in Phillips Landing in upstate New York, Paul and Marion Willard get a court injunction to temporarily stop Alta Ferguson from building a swimming pool on her property. Not long afterward Sheriff Investigator Noel Riesbach interrogates the Willards as to where they have been since Alta apparently fell off the side of a cliff at the spot where she was building the pool.

In 1995 during a downpour, photographer Janet Upton hears a scream and reports that to the police. The local cops investigate and find the body of Janet's Uncle Broderick Hale dead at the same spot where Alta fell. Feeling there is a link besides the connection to her, as she is also related to Marion and Paul, Janet begins to make inquiries into two deaths.

This is a terrific amateur sleuth tale with police procedural ties. Janet needs to know who killed her Uncle though she assumes the motive has to do with his vote as a local councilor on the Steep Slopes Law land use. Interestingly besides the ties through her relatives to the 1987 death, Janet begins to see another connection involving land use that brings her much closer to the killer of her uncle than she ought to be as a second murder is okay in the mind of the culprit. DEATH BY THE THUNDER is a fine regional cozy.

Harriet Klausner

As a big Sherlock Holmes fan when I was a kid, I was initially suspicious of anyone trying to imitate the master. Shane Peacock has done just that - what a great way to introduce a new generation to the inimitable Holmes. In much the way Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson have given us insight into the origins of Peter Pan in Peter and the Starcatchers Peacock explores the origins of Sherlock Holmes in his second adolescent mystery. Don't miss this one!!

Young Sherlock Holmes commits himself to fighting crime early on and finds himself in another dangerous case when he visits his father at work only to find a trapeze performance turns into an unexplainable death scene. Victorian settings and fast-paced action make DEATH IN THE AIR an absorbing read for advanced teen readers interested in complex mysteries.

To DeeDee who just reviewed this book - are you sure you read the same book I did? I found this book to be informative and filled me in on things I didn't know and couldn't have known by just watching the trial coverage on TV. I have a different take on the case now and felt this book provided a fascinating read! Just the facts, that's what I liked, and all the details that were provided for the reader to ponder.

Enjoyed this book very much, providing me with things I could not have found out about this murder on my own. It took a book written by an investigative reporter to provide the reader with an indepth look at this fascinating story. I have watched TV shows covering the trial and the life of Binion and his relationship with his live-in girlfriend, but I don't think any coverage has been as thorough as this book.