The Case of the Ghost of Christmas Morning

The Case of the Ghost of Christmas Morning by PJ Fitzsimmons is stuffed with Holiday goodness and British charm.  From the drunk lolling about in the pub to the local policeman, each character is full of hidden depth and the occasional dark secret, each of which contributes to this festive murder mystery set in snowy dairy country.

Whose footprints are those?  Who is hiding what?  And why did Major Flaps Fleming appear to his friends hours after his murder?  Even more shockingly, why did he pay off his bar tab?

Prepare to be stumped as you watch the ever witty Anty Boisjoly and a couple of familiar faces from The Case of the Canterfell Codicil try to solve the case.  Will our favorite gadabout find the real killer before Anty's dear Aunt Azalea Boisjoly winds up behind bars for a murder she (probably) didn't commit?

Grab a mug of mulled wine, prop your feet up in front of the fire, and sit back for a good time with Anty and his Aunty, a very mysterious murder, and a surprisingly poignant ending.  What more could you ask for?

Long live Hildy.

I received an advance copy for free from BookSirens and I am reviewing it voluntarily.

A Perfect Likeness

 "Love isn't binary. People say you fall out of love like you might fall out of bed. Love is different every day. Like a tree, it can bloom and flourish or it can die over the course of a long winter."

Love makes people do strange, terrible, and wonderful things. And love isn't always directed where we expect it.

This was a refreshing change to my reading lately. A Perfect Likeness is easy to read, mysterious, and pretty well written.

I thought for sure I knew what was going on but I turned out to be wrong, which was nice. Figuring out the solution at the beginning of a thriller is not my idea of a good time.

Definitely check this book out if you want a good weekend read. It kept me guessing page after page.

There are a few plot holes but I can't really hold that against Renee Kira because I thoroughly enjoyed the read. And I'll let the confusion over homonyms slide as well since she is far from the only author to suffer from the problem. Since the book is already out, I guess I can say that specifically the word "bare" is used when it should be "bear" more than once. It's something I can't understand proofreaders not catching before publication but like I said, I see that kind of thing a lot.

I received a free ebook for review through Book Sirens.

Dan Wells, My New Favorite Author

I Am Not A Serial Killer has been on my list of books to read ever since it came out. (Quick summary: it's like the Dexter series but infinitely better.) It sat patiently on my list while I read dozens of other things. Then one day, my world changed. I discovered they were coming out with a movie and that there is now a series of books.

I said to myself, "Quick, to the bookshelf, Kyle!" I call myself Kyle.

I make it a rule to read the book before I see a movie if it looks like the book is any good at all. So I have now spent numerous hours reading all about everyone's favorite sociopathic teen, John Wayne Cleaver. And then I rented the movie from Amazon and watched it twice.

Having seen the preview, I couldn't help but imagine Max Records as John. Slowly I realized that there was nothing dislodging this image from my mind because the books give very little indication of what John looks like. This bothered me for about 0.5 seconds until I considered John's personality. Told in the first person, his story is one of alienation and confusion. John never experiences emotion in a "normal" way. He's either giddy at the thought of touching a dead body or semi-annoyed when the cutest girls in school want to talk to him.

John doesn't really care what he looks like and we therefore don't get a self-centered description from the book's hero. And yes, John is a hero despite his shortcomings and defects. He is an extreme example of someone choosing to use their unusual traits for good. As a student of serial killers and a sociopath himself, he decides to step in and stop the killer stalking his town because it takes one to know one.

Some people have expressed a bewildered frustration with the first book because part of the way through THE ENTIRE FREAKING GAME CHANGES. But I say don't let that stop you. It's still an awesome book and the rest of the series so far is greatly pleasing. Just take it from your old friend, Kyle.

Might as Well Be Dead-Nero Wolfe

Might as Well Be Dead, by Rex Stout, is a Nero Wolfe novel. What you need to know: Nero is an obese, genius detective who only leaves his comfortable home under the direst circumstances and sends his right hand man, Archie, out to do all the dirty work. Archie is quick witted and great with the ladies, also with the punching people.

This is not the cover of my edition, but I couldn't find it online and uploading it myself is not high on my list of priorities. Let's just say this one is equally compelling and those little criss crossy lines are not merely the artistic expression of the cover designer. No no, ladies and gents. They are the wire mesh between Archie Goodwin (swoon) and the man he's questioning. A man already convicted of murder. But did he do it?! And is the man even who he claims to be?! So many questions?!

I enjoyed every page and the writing is highly entertaining. This book, originally published in 1956, is #27 in the series and I had no trouble following who everyone was and what was going on. It's a quick read and the characters are fantastic, so if you're looking for something enjoyable and satisfying it might be just what you need. I absolutely plan to read more of these myself.

Ghosts in Irish Houses: Halloween 2

Halloween 2015: Day 8

For a truly bizarre read, pick up Ghosts in Irish Houses by James Reynolds. Illustrated by the author, it features numerous stories about a wide variety of hauntings. It's everything from ghosts who have killed multiple people to a glove that reappears decades after its owner loses it or some such drivel. I'm not sure if Reynolds just wasn't a great writer or if the stories are so weird that they don't come across well. Either way, it's a bit of a slog to get through the whole thing. Also, many of the accompanying sketches, which are usually of the main character in the story, are mediocre at best.

There is a pretty interesting recurring theme of strong women in many of the stories. There are warrior queens and vicious murderesses galore.

My favorite story is about a birthday party that could have come straight from Game of Thrones. It went about like this:

     "Hey, hated enemy. I know you slaughtered my warrior queen mother and her army back in the day, but while you're travelling through town, do you want to spend the weekend at my house?"
     "Sure, guy who has probably gotten over me killing his mom. Thank you for your hospitality."
     "No problem. And since you're here, please help us celebrate my oldest son's birthday."
     "That was a great party, but I'm really old and I need to go to bed now. Also, my men are wondering why you wouldn't let them bring their swords into the party."
     "No reason. But before you go to bed--" STAB STAB STAB
     "Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal! Agh!"
     "Well that was fun. This one's for you, Ma. Oops the neighbors are coming. Better hide all these bodies under the floor. I'm sure they won't haunt the castle and kill everyone who disturbs their resting place. Happy birthday, Junior!"

Depraved Heart-Excerpt

I just read an excerpt of Patricia Cornwell's new Kay Scarpetta novel, Depraved Heart (isn't that just the best title?) and it was great. I have read several of Patricia Cornwell's books and always enjoy them.

If you're interested in reading the first three chapters, they are here. I love the part in chapter 1 where she says "A select few of us come into this world not bothered by gruesomeness." Having studied to be an embalmer, I can identify with this statement.  There are just some people who don't mind being close to death and these are the ones on whom we depend to care for our dead and sometimes find their killers.  Scarpetta represents this group perfectly.

There will hopefully be more posts about this book as I am trying to snag an advance copy.  Stay tuned.

The Woodchipper Murder

The Woodchipper Murder, by Arthur Herzog, Jr., could have been a much better book.

The story is true and incredibly lurid. Richard Crafts murdered his wife, Helle, in their own bedroom, froze her body, and then fed it through a woodchipper into a flowing river in an attempt to dispose of the remains. During and after this, he told everyone that Helle had disappeared, leaving him to care for their young children alone.

This book gets across the bare facts of the case and occasionally strays into muddy speculation. But it manages to make a fascinating story downright boring. The structure is poor and criticism of the police, forensic experts, and other investigators is thrown in with a heavy hand. Instead of being allowed to follow the information and come to conclusions on their own, readers are clubbed over the head with the idea that this person is EVIL or that person is STUPID.

If you like true crime and have a bit of patience, you probably won't be too disappointed by The Woodchipper Murder. But if there is another book out there on this same case, I can almost guarantee that it's better.