THE CHILL (1963) **** by Ross Macdonald This paperback edition published by Penguin Modern Classics, 2012, 344pp © Ross Macdonald, 1963; copyright renewed © Margaret Millar, 1991 ISBN: 978-0-141-19661-9 Blurb: Private detective Lew Archer has better things to do than take on an investigation for Alex Kincaid, a young man claiming that his new bride, Dolly, has…
Category: Book Reviews
Book Review – THE SECOND MURDERER (2023) by Denise Mina
THE SECOND MURDERER (2023) *** by Denise Mina This hardback edition published by Harvill Seeker, 2023, 245pp © Denise Mina, 2023 ISBN: 978-1-78730-285-3 Blurb: It’s mid-September, a heatwave has descended on the parched hills of LA and Private Detective Philip Marlowe is called to the Montgomery estate, an almost mythic place sitting high on top of Beverly Hills….
Book Review – 77 NORTH (2023) by D.L. Marshall
77 NORTH (2023) **** by D.L. Marshall This paperback edition published by Canelo, 2023, 362pp © D.L. Marshall, 2023 ISBN: 978-1-80436-431-4 Blurb: An agent the world thinks is dead can be useful. John Tyler has gone rogue, pursuing an international vendetta against those responsible for killing his brother. But he’s lured back by the CIA for one…
Book Review – THE INK BLACK HEART (2022) by Robert Galbraith
THE INK BLACK HEART (2022) **** by Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling) This paperback edition published by Sphere, 2023, 1,227pp ISBN: 978-0-7515-8419-6 Blurb: When frantic, dishevelled Edie Ledwell appears in the office begging to speak to her, private detective Robin Ellacott doesn’t know quite what to make of the situation. The co-creator of a popular cartoon, The Ink…
Book Review – BLOOD ON THE SHORE (2023) by Simon McCleave
BLOOD ON THE SHORE (2023) ***½ by Simon McCleave This paperback edition published by Avon, 2023, 305pp First published in 2023 © Simon McCleave, 2023 ISBN: 978-0-00-852488-3 Blurb: The beautiful Isle of Anglesey has been rocked by the brutal murders of three female students at a local college. DI Laura Hart is called in to track…
Book Review – HARRY O (1975) by Lee Hays
HARRY O (1975) **½ by Lee Hays This paperback edition published by Popular Library, 1975, 173pp First published in 1975 © Warner Bros., Inc. 1975 ISBN: 978-0-5002-6912-5 Blurb: None. Comment: In the 1970s, in the days before home video, the only way of reliving favourite TV and movie characters outside of original broadcasts or rare…
Book Review – MISCHIEF (1993) by Ed McBain
MISCHIEF (1993) *** by Ed McBain This paperback edition published by Coronet, 1993, 309pp First published in 1993 © Hui Corporation, 1993 ISBN: 978-0-340-60301-1 Blurb: A punk wielding a spray can is no match for a killer armed with a gun — and a deadly aim to knock off the city’s graffiti artists. One by…
Book Review – THE McCARTNEY LEGACY: VOLUME 1 1969-73 by Allan Koznin & Adrian Sinclair
THE McCARTNEY LEGACY: VOLUME 1 1969-73 (2022) ***** by Allan Koznin & Adrian Sinclair This hardback edition published by Dey Street Books, 2022, 712pp First published in 2022 © Allan Koznin & Adrian Sinclair, 2022 ISBN: 978-0-06-300070-4 Blurb: When Paul McCartney issued a press release in April 1970 announcing that the world’s most beloved band, the…
Book Review – KISS (1992) by Ed McBain
KISS (1992) *** by Ed McBain This paperback edition published by Mandarin, 1993, 306pp First published in 1992 © Hui Corporation, 1992 ISBN: 978-0-7493-1230-5 Blurb: When a beautiful blonde tells Detective Steve Carella that her husband’s former chauffeur has made two attempts on her life, Carella immediately begins tracking her assailant — only to find…
Book Review – WIDOWS (1991) by Ed McBain
WIDOWS (1991) **** by Ed McBain This paperback edition published by Mandarin, 1992, 309pp First published in 1991 © Hui Corporation, 1991 ISBN: 978-0-7493-0774-9 Blurb: The beautiful blonde in the penthouse apartment was dead, her face and body laced with slashes from a paring knife — grisly evidence of the terrible things the city can…