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BUST - Ken Bruen and Jason Starr

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I’ve written before about how important it is for me to “like” the characters in a book. That doesn’t necessarily mean they have to be nice people, but I usually need to find something about them that makes me want to spend time with them. Bust , by Ken Bruen and Jason Starr, puts that idea to the test because there are a whole lot of people in this book that I absolutely would not want to spend any time with. In fact, Bust is filled with some of the most filthy, dirty, slimy people you’re likely to find in a book. They lie, cheat, steal, plot, scheme and generally do some pretty awful things. The language and conversations can be just as dirty as the characters. And yet, I really enjoyed this book. The story is a classic noir setup: Max Fisher wants his wife dead and, with the help of his mistress, sets about finding someone to do the job. Of course, things don’t go according to plan. Actually, they go wrong in so many different ways that watching the characters try to recover from o...
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JAILBAIT ZOMBIE - Mario Acevedo

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Felix Gomez isn't your ordinary detective.  He's a vampire. His vampire 'id' battles with his human 'ego' to maintain some sense self and what he clings to with his human portion, he tries to do what's morally right. He's currently charged with uncovering who is behind the creation of a horde of zombies in Colorado and put a stop to it. Not an easy task when he has to ward of the zombies when he gets close. Gomez can't turn them - they're zombies! - and they have numbers on their side. The task isn't made any easier when Felix picks up a teenage psychic along the way, and she's begging for Felix to 'turn' her. I have a physical copy of this book and nowhere on the cover, back cover, or series title page does it indicate that this is the fourth book in a series.  In fact, in bold letters on the back cover it reads: "Vampires versus Zombies, Round One..." which I (errantly) assumed indicated it was the first book. Fortunat...
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HAVE COURAGE - Craig Johnson

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Anyone who has followed my reviews, even for a short time, is likely to have noticed that I enjoy short stories, I enjoy a good Western tale now and again, and I find that I do enjoy a good mystery. One of the few authors who fits into all three of these categories is Craig Johnson with his Walt Longmire series. It's not the classic Western style, set in the 1800's, but the setting in Wyoming and the cowboy-like attitude of Sheriff Longmire definitely give off the western vibe. Have Courage is a collection of short Longmire stories, most of them set around the Christmas season. And while the stories are considerably shorter than the usual Longmire novel, Johnson doesn't skimp on the things that make these books work. We get Walt, Henry Standing Bear, Vic, Lucian, Ruby, the Ferg, Dog and the rest of the familiar characters, along with the humor, mystery, violence and occasional strangeness that we've come to expect. Seriously ... could anything be stranger than our cent...
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THE HOT BEAT - Robert Silverberg

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I'm a long-time reader of science fiction (since the 1970's) and a moderately recent devotee of classic pulp fiction of the 40's, 50's, and 60's and as such it would be nigh impossible to not be familiar with the name Robert Silverberg. However, I haven't really read much Silverberg. There's no particular reason other than 'so many books, so little time' and his books just never found their way to the top of my TBR pile. Hard Case Crime books has pulled some classic Silverberg pulp fiction out of retirement and presented it again.  Thanks, Hard Case Crime! The Hot Beat , originally published in 1960 under the pseudonym Stan Vincent, is a hardboiled crime novel set in the seedy world of postwar Los Angeles nightlife (I think hardboiled crime novels are always set in a seedy world). Bob McKay, once a successful and celebrated bandleader, has lost his career, reputation, and relationship with a beautiful aspiring actress because of his increasingly dest...
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PINFEATHERS - Christina Henry

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Nora Pacetti is happy to be a stay-at-home mom to her sweet new baby girl, Olivia. One day Olivia begins to wail in pain and Nora notices odd growths sprouting out of her baby.  Nora's mother, Giulia, who tends to believe in every crazy conspiracy theory, is confident that the growths are pinfeathers - that Olivia is growing feathers. Nora isn't convinced in her mother's theory, but she does know that something unusual is happening. Her husband, Adam, encourages a doctor visit but when the physician shows unusual curiosity and wants to run further tests, Nora fears that her baby will taken away and poked and prodded like a lab rat. Life gets dicier when their home is invaded and Nora accidentally kills an intruder. Her mother's crazy theories start to hold more weight and the family heads west before authorities come to investigate the dead man in their home. Olivia becomes more and more bird-like, and Giulia proves resourceful as she's horded cash, purchased cars, ...
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miscellaneous short works reviewed

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THE CASE OF THE GREEN CARNATION - David Gerrold The renown Sherlock Holmes is being brought in to a meeting with noted author, Oscar Wilde. Wilde is being blackmailed and is looking for help from Holmes. There is an answer, but without true willingness on Wilde's part, there won't be the resolution he hopes for. I found David Gerrold's writing to be very true to both Wilde and Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes.  There's a nice back and forth tête-à-tête with the two larg er-than-life characters (not a true tête-à-tête, I suppose, given Watson's presence in the room), each displaying their brilliance.  It's almost as though Wilde is trying to show Holmes that he is just as smart and clever, with Holmes showing Wilde that while he is certainly clever, his brilliance blinds him to the truth.  This is very nicely done and the suggestion that Holmes' relationship with Watson is something more than just business associates really made me pause and think. Th...
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THE ALCHEMIST OF ALL HALLOWS EVE - Gigi Pandian

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 I've noted before that I'm typically not a fan of cozy mysteries, but Gigi Pandian is an author I really enjoy. I'm so delighted that she's found a way to continue the Accidental Alchemist series after the initial publisher had some troubles. Zoe Faust has lived for centuries thanks to an alchemy accident and in order to not be discovered, she's constantly on the move. To say she's seen a few strange things in her extended lifetime would be putting it mildly. She is currently host to a talking, French gargoyle by the name of Dorian who also happens to love cooking. But maybe stranger still is the fact that she's actually considering settling down. Zoe is about to marry Max - a retired detective who has helped Zoe solve a few mysteries (or is that vice versa?). Max is one of the very few people who know that Zoe was actually born in 1676, despite looking all of 28 years old. Zoe is now ready to settle down and live with Max the rest of his days and she's...
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