November | 2014 | Stacy Alesi's BookBitch.com™

COSMOSIS by Rainer Rey

November 20, 2014

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Jace Kelton and Madison Marro meet while investigating the deaths of their respective fathers. Their parents were on a search for an unlimited supply of alternative fuels to replace the now dwindling supply of fossil fuels.

The search touches on mysteries of ancient peoples; the pyramids of Egypt, Easter Island, and the Bermuda Triangle. They are pursued by a force of Chinese warriors who have heard about the possibility of an alternative fuel and want it for their country.

Maddy and Jace in their search stumble upon a mysterious Interstellar force that probably placed the alternative energy source long ago and left it for humankind when they have reached a certain evolutionary stage. They also find a love between them that helps them to overcome the obstacles in their path to getting the source.

A fast moving novel, well done with a more than interesting thesis to keep the reader constantly involved in the action. A followup book is a possibility with further action in bringing the alternative power source to market.

11/14 Paul Lane

COSMOSIS by Rainer Rey. Turner (November 11, 2014). ISBN: 978-1620459928. 348p.

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ANGELINA’S BACHELORS by Brian O’Reilly

November 20, 2014

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A Novel of Food

Narrated by Xe Sands

This is a sweet, old fashioned tale – so old fashioned, I’m really not sure when it is supposed to take place. Could be the 1950’s-60s, but sometimes feels more modern and then with a jolt, no cell phones, back to another era. I guess the author, the Executive Producer of Food Network’s Dinner: Impossible, was going for timeless, and perhaps it was achieved.

I listened to the audio book, so had a different experience from the printed version. For one thing, there are no recipes in the audio, just a note at the end to check out the website for recipes. Some of the print reviews made note of the fact that recipes were interspersed throughout the chapters, in the midst of story, which some felt were jarring, but the audio book avoided that issue.

So this novel of food is exactly that – if you don’t want to read lavish descriptions of meals on a regular basis, then this is not the book for you. I love that stuff, so it worked for me.

Angelina is a young woman whose husband dies suddenly in her kitchen. The young widow quickly loses her job and when a neighbor comes knocking on her door, offering to pay her to cook him breakfast and dinner six days a week, she decides that food may be her salvation, in more ways than one. Soon other men come knocking, and almost immediately Angelina’s dining room table is full of bachelors looking for a good meal.

The men quickly become a family of sorts, with Angelina the glue that binds them together. When she finds out she’s pregnant some months after her husband’s passing, the bachelors all rally around and support her.

If it hasn’t slapped you in the face yet, the message here is that when one door closes, another opens and Angelina steps through into a good life, despite her tragedy. And despite her tragedy, this is a light hearted read, interspersed with humor and love. It is a lovely read, and a memorable one.

11/14 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

ANGELINA’S BACHELORS by Brian O’Reilly. Tantor Audio (December 30, 2011). ASIN: B006RCYUFQ. Listening Length: 7 hours and 22 minutes.

Paperback: Gallery Books; Reprint edition (August 9, 2011). ISBN 978-1451620566. 384p.

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WANT YOU DEAD by Peter James

November 18, 2014

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Detective Superintendent Roy Grace series, Book 10

In this tenth entry into the Detective Superintendent Roy Grace series, Grace is preparing for his wedding to Cleo. His long missing wife, Sandy, has been declared dead, but is she?

That is but a minor footnote to this story, which centers on Red Westwood, a young woman being stalked by her ex, Bryce Laurent, a brilliant psychopath, who blames her parents and the police for their break up. Everything was fine until her mother hired a private detective and found out that Laurent had lied about pretty much everything in his past.

Laurent has some serious skills, including pyrotechnics, bomb building, close up magic, and high tech skills beyond that of the police. Red, a realtor, knowing she’s being stalked, refuses to move, fudges her whereabouts when making appointments to show properties to strangers, and in general is just too stupid to live.

Nevertheless, she gets through her days while Laurent plans her demise, frightening her on a regular basis and not caring how many die as he destroys everything and everyone she holds dear. Short chapters help make the pages fly, and the suspense builds strongly until the expected ending.

11/14 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

WANT YOU DEAD by Peter James. Minotaur Books (November 18, 2014). ISBN 978-1250030207. 416p.

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THE CARNAGE ACCOUNT by Ben Lieberman

November 17, 2014

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Books are often described by zealous reviewers as absorbing, fascinating, captivating and other adjectives indicating that it cannot be put down once the reader gets into it. The Carnage Account fills that bill 110%. Once you start to read it it is almost impossible to put down.

Lieberman utilizes three main characters to tell the story. The first is a multi billionaire; Rory Cage, a man that has everything but wants more. He finds a new niche in selling “death bonds” which allow investors to purchase insurance policies from the living at a discount and than collect the full value when they die. Rory decides to accelerate the collection on some high value policies by the simple expedient of murdering the person named on the document.

The second person is a lady named Dawn Knight who is doing public relations for Rory’s various companies which include an NBA basketball team and a huge highly successful Hedge Fund. Rory falls in love with Dawn and imagines her as the capstone to his possessions, sharing his kingdom with him.

Problem for Rory is that Dawn is still in love with Clay Harbor, the man she wanted to marry years ago, but was stopped by the displeasure of her father at the union. Clay, the third person, left town, became a Navy Seal, and then a doctor. He returned to town due to circumstances incurred during a battle in Afghanistan in which his specialized unit had to defend a poppy field. His rescue of a comrade trapped by enemy fire and wounded in the poppy field against orders gets Clay sent back to the states to care for the man.

In high gear Lieberman carries us through attempts by Rory to get rid of Clay in order to marry Dawn. Events putting Dawn and Clay in danger are described in fascinating detail and the finale of the book brings a very logical ending which hints, merely hints at a sequel. Very well done and certainly underscoring Ben Lieberman’s talent and creating interest in reading other novels by him.

11/14 Paul Lane

THE CARNAGE ACCOUNT by Ben Lieberman. Thomas & Mercer (October 28, 2014). ISBN: 978-1477825877. 336p.

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Bouchercon 2014: Anthony Awards

November 16, 2014

Congratulations to William Kent Krueger for winning the Bouchercon 2014 trifecta: the Anthony, Macavity & Barry awards for Best Novel, Ordinary Grace!

BEST NOVEL
Suspect – Robert Crais [Putnam]
A Cold and Lonely Place – Sara J. Henry [Crown]
Ordinary Grace – William Kent Krueger [Atria]
The Wrong Girl – Hank Phillippi Ryan [Forge]
Through the Evil Days – Julia Spencer-Fleming [Minotaur]

BEST FIRST NOVEL
Yesterday’s Echo – Matt Coyle [Oceanview]
Ghostman – Roger Hobbs [Alfred A. Knopf]
Rage Against the Dying – Becky Masterman [Minotaur]
Reconstructing Amelia – Kimberly McCreight [HarperCollins]
The Hard Bounce – Todd Robinson [Tyrus]

BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL
The Big Reap – Chris F. Holm [Angry Robot]
Purgatory Key – Darrell James [Midnight Ink]
Joyland – Stephen King [Hard Case Crime]
The Wicked Girls – Alex Marwood [Penguin]
As She Left It – Catriona McPherson [Midnight Ink]

BEST SHORT STORY
“Dead End” – Craig Faustus Buck [Untreed Reads]
“The Caxton Private Lending Library & Book Depository” – John Connolly, Bibliomysteries [Mysterious Bookshop]
“Annie and the Grateful Dead” – Denise Dietz, The Sound and the Furry: Stories To Benefit the International Fund for Animal Welfare [Amazon Digital]
“Incident on the 405” – Travis Richardson, Criminal Element’s Malfeasance Occasional: Girl Trouble [Macmillan]
“The Care and Feeding of Houseplants” – Art Taylor, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, March/April 2013

BEST CRITICAL OR NONFICTION WORK
Mastermind: How To Think Like Sherlock Holmes – Maria Konnikova [Viking Adult]
The Secret Rescue: An Untold Story of American Nurses and Medics Behind Nazi Lines – Cate Lineberry [Little, Brown]
All the Wild Children – Josh Stallings [Snubnose Press]
The Hour of Peril: The Secret Plot To Murder Lincoln Before the Civil War – Daniel Stashower [Minotaur]
Troubled Daughters, Twisted Wives: Stories from the Trailblazers of Domestic Suspense – Sarah Weinman, ed. [Penguin]

BEST CHILDREN’S OR YOUNG ADULT NOVEL
The Testing – Joelle Charbonneau [Houghton Mifflin]
Escape Theory – Margaux Froley [Soho Teen]
Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library – Chris Grabenstein [Random House Children’s Books]
Dancer, Daughter, Traitor, Spy – Elizabeth Kiem [Soho Teen]
The Code Busters Club: Mystery of the Pirate’s Treasure – Penny Warner [Egmont USA]

BEST TV EPISODE TELEPLAY, FIRST AIRED IN 2013
The Blacklist – Pilot by Jon Bokenkamp – Sept. 2013 [Davis Entertainment, NBC]
Breaking Bad – “Felina” by Vince Gilligan – Sept. 2013 [AMC]
The Fall – “Dark Descent” by Allan Cubitt – May 2013 [Netflix Original]
The Following – Pilot by Kevin Williamson – Jan. 2013 [Warner Bros. Television, Fox]
Justified – “Hole in the Wall” by Graham Yost – Jan. 2013 [Warner Bros. Television, Fox]

BEST AUDIO BOOK
Hour of the Rat – Lisa Brackmann – Tracy Sallows, narrator [Audible]
Man in the Empty Suit – Sean Ferrell – Mauro Hantman, narrator [AudioGO]
The Cuckoo’s Calling – Robert Galbraith – Robert Glenister, narrator [Hachette Audio]
Crescendo – Deborah J. Ledford – Christina Cox, narrator [IOF Productions]
Death and the Lit Chick – G.M. Malliet – Davina Porter, narrator [Dreamscape Media]

The David Thompson Memorial Special Service Award: Judy Bobalik

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Bouchercon 2014: Shamus Awards

November 15, 2014

PWA (Private Eye Writers of America) SHAMUS AWARDS

St Martins / PWA award to Grant Bywaters for The Red Storm

Best PI Short Story: SO LONG, CHIEF by Max A Collins

Best First PI Novel: BEAR IS BROKEN by Lachlan Smith

Best Indie PI Novel – Don’t Dare a Dame by M Ruth Myers

Best Paperback Original: HEART OF ICE by PJ Parish

Best Hardcover PI Novel : Brad Parks The Good Cop

LIfetime Achievement: Sue Grafton

Thanks to Ali Karim for photo, & Janet Rudolph, Mystery Scene for info

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CHRISTMAS AT TIFFANY’S by Karen Swan

November 15, 2014

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When Cassie discovers that her husband has been having an affair, she’s crushed. She’s been betrayed in the worst way and her marriage is over. But after ten years as a wife and homemaker, Cassie isn’t sure what to do next. Enter Cassie’s three best friends.

Kelly in New York, Anouk in Paris, and Suzy in London all offer to let Cassie stay with them in their respective cities for four months. While she’s there they’ll find her a job and help her pick up the pieces of her life and move on. But most of all, they’ll each offer Cassie the support she needs while she figures out what she really wants most out of life.

Cassie’s plight is a common one in fiction, but I have to say Swan’s book was refreshing even when it did wander into cliché territory. Yes, it’s pretty obvious how some of Cassie’s story is going to play out – especially in the romance department – but I loved her. I really, really loved her. I wanted things to work out for her. And I loved her friends, even when their continued makeovers and makeunders were their own obvious attempts to remake Cassie into mini-me versions of themselves.

Christmas at Tiffany’s is a lighthearted and romantic read, and not – in spite of what the title suggests – a Christmas book at all. But it is 100% sweet and fun and pretty perfect any time of year if you’re looking for a light and heartwarming read.

11/14 Becky LeJeune

CHRISTMAS AT TIFFANY’S by Karen Swan. William Morrow Paperbacks (October 28, 2014). ISBN: 978-0062364104. 592p.

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Bouchercon 2014: Macavity & Barry Awards

November 14, 2014

Big congratulations goes to William Kent Krueger, who in an unusual twist, won both the Barry Award & the Macavity Award for Ordinary Grace (Atria Books.)

The Macavity Awards are nominated and voted on by members and friends of Mystery Readers International and subscribers to Mystery Readers Journal. Nominations are for works published in the U.S. in 2013. Winners were announced last night at Bouchercon, in Long Beach, California.

Best Mystery Novel

Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger (Atria Books)

Best First Mystery

A Killing at Cotton Hill by Terry Shames (Seventh Street Books)

Best Mystery Short Story

“The Care and Feeding of Houseplants” by Art Taylor (Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, March/April 2013)

Best Nonfiction

The Hour of Peril: The Secret Plot to Murder Lincoln Before the Civil War by Daniel Stashower (Minotaur Books)

Sue Feder Historical Mystery Award

Murder as a Fine Art by David Morrell (Little, Brown)

Congratulations to everyone!

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TWILIGHT’S LAST GLEAMING by John Michael Greer
November 14, 2014

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A book that is a glimpse into the near future of the United States. It is partially a brilliant novel involving both a military and political scenario, but also a glimpse into what may be the future of our country.

The opening indicates a United States that is rapidly running out of oil and oil reserves. Fracking didn’t have the future predicted for it, and other sources dried out. A huge oil reserve is discovered off the coast of Tanzania in Africa and the American president decides that this is the answer to the U.S.’s problems.

Under pretensions of obtaining desired regime change in Tanzania a military attack is ordered against that nation. Tanzania is allied with China, but the erroneous decision that China will not intervene allows the military incursion to proceed. Greer gives a very real description of the events of that attack, and the subsequent intervention of China.

The American army finds that many of it’s vaunted weapon systems are not as designed due to the necessity of kickbacks to Congressmen and Senators in order to get approval for those systems instead of better designs. The result of the war is a major defeat for the United States, and the first instance of an America having to surrender to an enemy. The cost of the war and the end results push the States into a series of revolts against the government and a national movement for secession by some of them from the Federal government.

This segment of the book describes what could be our future based on the political environment currently in practice where politicians are not patriots, but seek and keep office for personal gain only. While Greer is writing a novel, it certainly can be construed as a prediction of a down-sliding of our union based on current trends and the falling away of real patriotism among our citizens and government.

This is a book to read and ponder about and examine our future based on current events. There are central characters that interact and are involved in the action, but the force of the book and it’s message precludes the necessity of fleshing them out. They are people that would evolve in the scenario Greer paints and that suffices.

Very well done, and certainly a must read for readers thinking about what could happen over the next several years to a country that has allowed patriotism to become a dead issue.

11/14 Paul Lane

TWILIGHT’S LAST GLEAMING by John Michael Greer. Karnac Books (November 1, 2014). ISBN: 978-1782200352. 400p.

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THE KILLER NEXT DOOR by Alex Marwood
November 13, 2014

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If you’re a tenant at 23 Beulah Grove it’s likely because you’ve got no other choice. The landlord is unreliable at best and downright criminal at worst, but he’ll take cash and you’re likely to get a room without references. Is it worth it, though?

Collette has been on the run for months and has just returned to England to be close to her dying mother. Beulah Grove is nearby and has an opening thanks to the recent disappearance of a tenant everyone suspects dodged out on the rent. Collette isn’t interested in making friends, she’s not planning to be at Beulah Grove long enough, but even she can’t ignore the things going on in the house. When one roommate is attacked and another becomes entangled in a dangerous deception that could affect them all, Collette can’t help but get involved.

But that’s not the worst of it. The missing tenant at Beulah Grove isn’t missing at all and if Collette isn’t careful, she may be the one to disappear next.

The book begins at the end with just enough information to tease the reader and set them on edge. Marwood then takes the story back to Collette’s beginning to show exactly how she ended up at Beulah Grove in the first place. As the characters are introduced, the killer’s identity is kept pretty brilliantly under wraps even as his twisted methods are revealed.

Six tenants in a rent house with a sleazy landlord would be bad enough. Break-ins, hidden cameras, and a serial killer masquerading as your average, everyday neighbor are about the worst scenarios ever. The Killer Next Door is a renter’s worst nightmare and Marwood’s characters are doomed from the get go! It feels almost wrong to say that I enjoyed reading this one – but only almost.

11/14 Becky LeJeune

THE KILLER NEXT DOOR by Alex Marwood. Penguin Books; Reprint edition (October 28, 2014). ISBN: 978-0143126690. 400p.

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