Book Review: The God Killer by Charles Alan Long

Reviewer: Alan Chin
Publisher: CreateSpace
Pages: 335

There is a new serial killer in the town of Normandy, Ohio, and he has a uniquely sick calling card: he arranges his killings to simulate the deaths of gods from Norse, Egyptian, Greek, and Roman mythology. Each crime scene is littered with symbolic clues, carefully chosen to indicate which god the victim represents.

The killer is extremely meticulous, and leaves no clues. Neither Detective Dylan Black nor his partner Vivienne Sheffield are versed in folklore, so they are both pleased to find that the first victim’s neighbor, Trevor McDaniel, is a mythology buff. But Trevor is more than a college student majoring in mythology, he is also gay, and when he and Detective Black work together, the sparks fly.

The killer strikes again and again, and each crime scene becomes more gruesome, more disturbing. It is clear he tortures his victims for several hours before eventually killing them. As the two detectives race to find the man before he can kill again, Dylan and Trevor become involved, hiding their budding relationship. What they don’t know, is that the killer is watching them. He knows what is developing, and will stop at nothing to put an end to their growing love.

This story is a tense, gruesome, emotional rollercoaster ride. The prose is not particularly noteworthy, and the characters do not have much depth, but make no mistake, it is a fast-paced page-turner that will keep you guessing all the way to the last page.

The author presents a great deal of mythological information, which adds interest to both the murders and the antagonist. The thing that worked best for me was the unhurried, romantic manner in which the author built the relationship between Dylan and Trevor. That connection was handled with skill, making the reader really care about these lovers.

I also enjoyed the fact that the author occasionally put me inside the killer’s mind, giving me a depth of understanding as to his motives and his flaws. I only wish the author would have spent more time telling the story from the killer’s point of view.

This is a story that mystery buffs will enjoy, and also readers looking for a good romance. I can highly recommend The God Killers.

To lean more about his book/author go to http://charlesalanlong.com/

Memory

I have a confession to make. I’m having more trouble remembering people and events in my recent past. My short-term memory seems to fail me more these days. I was never good with names, but faces and events I’ve always remembered with clarity. But I’m losing that ability.

Ha! He’s getting older, you might think, which, of course, is true. But is that the entire prognosis?

Consider this: my memory for what happens in the stories that I have written doesn’t seem to fade at all. Not only the characters and situation, but also the dialog and descriptions seem locked in my memory. I dream within the settings of my current works in progress. More and more it seems that I’m living my life through these fictional characters and their environments, and they are taking over more and more of my gray matter.

Is it even possible to use up brain cells with fiction to the point of pushing out reality? I’m skeptical, but that’s how it feels to me lately.

It’s not that I mind, so much. I enjoy my fantasy life, my imaginary worlds. But I’m beginning to feel sorry for my husband, Herman. Weekly, sometimes daily, he shakes his head at something else I’ve forgotten.

I’d be lying if I said we weren’t both concerned about the possibility of early Alzheimers. I think we’re crossing our fingers, hoping it’s just another stage of getting older. The irony is, I’ve spent years practicing to stay in the now, to spend as little time as possible in the past. Looks like that is beginning to come to me naturally, without any effort on my part.

When is it okay to be a pit bull on a public forum?

I belong to several online, writing groups where authors and readers come together to exchange ideas. Last week on my publisher’s online group, a writer described a fan of fanfic writing that had contacted her. Her long-winded message quickly turned into a personal attack of this person, who obviously had liked her work.

And yes, her attack reminded me of a pit bull. If that was not bad enough, several other authors dove right in to give her support by further bashing this guy. I don't know this guy from Adam, and he may very well be a creep, but I won’t pretend that I’m okay with this stuff ending up in my inbox.

I’ve always assumed that if you have even a marginal amount of class, there are things you say in public and things you only say in private, if at all. And email lists are a very public medium. I kept wondering when—that is: how long ago—it became okay to verbally assault people to an audience. I feel like it has been happening more frequently since the Tea Baggers began to flex their muscles. But has it been going on forever and I simply didn’t notice it? I hope not.

Bashing ideas, yes; people, no. I don’t feel that it is permissible to bash people behind their backs. It is a form of hate-bashing. My feeling is: if you have issues with someone, have the courage to say it to their face, or keep your opinions to yourself.

Okay, I feel better. I’ll step down from my soapbox now and wish everyone a fantastic, drama-free weekend.

From the Secretary General of the UN

The time has come, he says, for full rights for LGBT folk
everywhere. http://tinyurl.com/7ehozwq

Please check out this video.


alan

24th Annual Lambda Literary Award Finalists

Los Angeles, CA - Finalists for the Lambda Literary Awards were announced today by the Lambda Literary Foundation (LLF) in Los Angeles. Books from major mainstream publishers and from academic presses, from both long-established and new LGBT publishers, as well as from emerging publish-on-demand technologies, make up the 119 finalists for the "Lammys." The finalists were selected from a record number of nominations.

The awards, now in their twenty-fourth year, celebrate achievement in lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) writing for books published in 2011. Winners will be announced at a Monday evening, June 4th ceremony in New York at the CUNY Graduate Center (365 Fifth Avenue) with an after-party at Slate (54 West 21st Street).

Lambda set a record in 2010 for both the number of LGBT books nominated (520) and the number of publishers participating (about 230). That record has been surpassed this year, with more than 600 titles represented from about 250 publishers.

"For three consecutive years we have broken the records for both book nominees and publishers, which is extremely heartening in a time of uncertainty for the publishing industry as a whole, and LGBT publishing, in particular," said LLF Board of Trustees Co-Chair, David McConnell.

More than 90 booksellers, book reviewers, librarians, authors, previous Lammy winners and finalists, and other book professionals volunteered many hours of reading time, critical thinking, and invigorating shared discussion to select the finalists in 24 categories.

"The Lambda Literary Awards would not be possible without the time, energy, and intelligence of our volunteer judges who put countless hours of reading into selecting our finalists," said Lambda Executive Director, Tony Valenzuela. "Because of their hard work, this day is a celebration of our finalists, whose outstanding books extend the fabric of our literature and enrich our community. Congratulations to these talented authors on their tremendous achievement."

Pioneer Award honorees, the master of ceremonies, and presenters will be announced the second week of April.

Tickets for the Lambda Literary Awards ceremony and after-party go on sale today. For information visit our website.


24th Annual Lambda Literary Award Finalists

Lesbian Debut Fiction
The Girls Club, by Sally Bellerose, Bywater Books
Megume and the Trees, by Sarah Toshiko Hasu, Megami Press
My Sister Chaos, by Lara Fergus, Spinifex Press
Nickels: A Tale of Dissociation, by Christine Stark, Modern History Press
Zipper Mouth, by Laurie Weeks, The Feminist Press at CUNY

Lesbian General Fiction
The Dirt Chronicles, by Kristyn Dunnion, Arsenal Pulp Press
The Necessity of Certain Behaviors, by Shannon Cain, University of Pittsburgh Press
Six Metres of Pavement, by Farzana Doctor, Dundurn Press
When She Woke, by Hillary Jordan, Algonquin Books
Wingshooters, by Nina Revoyr, Akashic Books

Lesbian Memoir/Biography
How to Get a Girl Pregnant, by Karleen Pendleton Jimenez, Tightrope Books
Sheepish: Two Women, Fifty Sheep, and Enough Wool to Save the Planet, by Catherine Friend, Da Capo Press/Lifelong Books
Small Fires: Essays, by Julie Marie Wade, Sarabande
Taking My Life, by Jane Rule, Talonbooks
When We Were Outlaws: A Memoir of Love & Revolution, by Jeanne Córdova, Spinsters Ink
Lesbian Mystery
Dying to Live, by Kim Baldwin & Xenia Alexiou, Bold Strokes
Hostage Moon, by AJ Quinn, Bold Strokes
Rainey Nights: A Rainey Bell Thriller, by R.E. Bradshaw, R.E. Bradshaw Books
Retirement Plan, by Martha Miller, Bold Strokes
Trick of the Dark, by Val McDermid, Bywater Books

Lesbian Poetry
15 Ways to Stay Alive, by Daphne Gottlieb, Manic D Press
Discipline, by Dawn Lundy Martin, Nightboat Books
Love Cake, by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha, TSAR Publications
Milk and Honey: A Celebration of Jewish Lesbian Poetry, edited by Julie R. Enszer, A Midsummer Night's Press
The Stranger Dissolves, by Christina Hutchins, Sixteen Rivers Press

Lesbian Romance
For Me and My Gal, by Robbi McCoy, Bella Books
Ghosts of Winter, by Rebecca S. Buck, Bold Strokes
Rescue Me, by Julie Cannon, Bold Strokes
Storms, by Gerri Hill, Bella Books
Taken by Surprise, by Kenna White, Bella Books

Lesbian Erotica (4 finalists)
The Collectors, by Lesley Gowan, Bold Strokes
Lesbian Cops: Erotic Investigations, edited by Sacchi Green, Cleis Press
A Ride to Remember & Other Erotic Tales, by Sacchi Green, Lethe Press
Story of L, by Debra Hyde, Ravenous Romance

Gay Debut Fiction
98 Wounds, by Justin Chin, Manic D Press
Dirty One, by Michael Graves, Chelsea Station Editions
Have You Seen Me, by Katherine Scott Nelson, Chicago Center for Literature and Photography
Mitko, by Garth Greenwell, Miami University Press
Quarantine: Stories, by Rahul Mehta, Harper Perennial

Gay General Fiction
The Empty Family, by Colm Tóibín, Scribner
The Great Night, by Chris Adrian, Farrar, Straus & Giroux
Leche, by R. Zamora Linmark, Coffee House Press
The Stranger's Child, by Alan Hollinghurst, Alfred A.Knopf
The Unreal Life of Sergey Nabokov, by Paul Russell, Cleis Press

Gay Memoir/Biography
Celluloid Activist: The Life and Times of Vito Russo, by Michael Schiavi, University of Wisconsin Press
For the Ferryman: A Personal History, by Charles Silverstein, Chelsea Station Editions
Halsted Plays Himself, by William E. Jones, Semiotext(e)
If You Knew Then What I Know Now, by Ryan Van Meter, Sarabande Books
The Jack Bank: A Memoir of a South African Childhood, by Glen Retief, St. Martin's Press

Gay Mystery
The Affair of the Porcelain Dog, by Jess Faraday, Bold Strokes
Blue's Bayou, by David Lennon, Blue Spike Publishing
Boystown: Three Nick Nowak Mysteries, by Marshall Thornton, Torquere Press
Malabarista, by Garry Ryan, NeWest Press
Red White Black and Blue, by Richard Stevenson, MLR Press

Gay Poetry
Dear Prudence: New and Selected Poems, by David Trinidad, Turtle Point Press
Double Shadow: Poems, by Carl Phillips, Farrar, Straus & Giroux
A Fast Life: The Collected Poems of Tim Dlugos, edited by David Trinidad, Nightboat Books
Kintsugi, by Thomas Meyer, Flood Editions
The Other Poems, by Paul Legault, Fence Books

Gay Romance
Every Time I Think of You, by Jim Provenzano, CreateSpace/Myrmidude Press
Settling the Score, by Eden Winters, Torquere Press
Something Like Summer, by Jay Bell, Jay Bell Books
Split, by Mel Bossa, Bold Strokes
Tinseltown, by Barry Brennessel, MLR Press

Gay Erotica
All Together, by Dirk Vanden, iloveyoudivine Alerotica
Backwoods, by Natty Soltesz, Rebel Satori Press
Best Gay Erotica 2012, edited by Richard Labonte, Cleis Press
George Platt Lynes: The Male Nudes, edited by Steven Haas, Rizzoli New York
History's Passions: Stories of Sex Before Stonewall, edited by Richard Labonte, Bold Strokes

Transgender Fiction
The Book of Broken Hymns, by Rafe Posey, Flying Rabbit
The Butterfly and the Flame, by Dana De Young, iUniverse
I am J, by Cris Beam, Little, Brown Books for Children
Static, by L.A. Witt, Amber Allure/Amber Quill Press
Take Me There: Trans and Genderqueer Erotica, edited by Tristan Taormina, Cleis Press

Transgender Nonfiction
Captive Genders: Trans Embodiment and the Prison Industrial Complex, edited by Eric A. Stanley and Nat Smith, AK Press
Letters For My Brothers: Transitional Wisdom in Retrospect, edited by Megan M. Rohrer and Zander Keig, Wilgefortis Press
Normal Life: Administrative Violence, Critical Trans Politics and the Limits of Law, by Dean Spade, South End Press
Re-Dressing America's Frontier Past, by Peter Boag, University of California Press
Tango: My Childhood, Backwards and in High Heels, by Justin Vivian Bond, The Feminist Press at CUNY

Bisexual Fiction
Boyfriends With Girlfriends, by Alex Sanchez, Simon & Schuster
The Correspondence Artist, by Barbara Browning, Two Dollar Radio
Have You Seen Me, by Katherine Scott Nelson, Chicago Center for Literature and Photography
Triptych, by J.M. Frey, Dragon Moon Press
The Two Krishnas, by Ghalib Shiraz Dhalla, Magnus Books

Bisexual Nonfiction
Big Sex Little Death: A Memoir, by Susie Bright, Seal Press
Bisexuality and Queer Theory: Intersections, Connections and Challenges, edited by Jonathan Alexander & Serena Anderlini-D'Onofrio, Routledge
The Horizontal Poet, by Jan Steckel, Zeitgeist Press
Sovereign Erotics: A Collection of Two-Spirit Literature, edited by Qwo-Li Driskill, Daniel Heath Justice, Deborah Miranda, and Lisa Tatonetti, University of Arizona Press
Surviving Steven: A True Story, by Ven Rey, Ven Rey

LGBT Anthology
Ambientes: New Queer Latino Writing, edited by Lazaro Lima & Felice Picano, University of Wisconsin Press
The Fire in Moonlight: Stories from the Radical Faeries, edited by Mark Thompson, White Crane Books/Lethe Press
Gay Latino Studies: A Critical Reader, edited by Michael Hames-García and Ernesto Javier Martínez, Duke University Press
Persistence: All Ways Butch and Femme, edited by Ivan E. Coyote & Zena Sharman, Arsenal Pulp Press
Sovereign Erotics: A Collection of Two-Spirit Literature, edited by Qwo-Li Driskill, Daniel Heath Justice, Deborah Miranda, and Lisa Tatonetti, University of Arizona Press

LGBT Children's/Young Adult
Gemini Bites, by Patrick Ryan, Scholastic
Huntress, by Malinda Lo, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
I am J, by Cris Beam, Little, Brown Books for Children
PINK, by Lili Wilkinson, HarperCollins
Putting Makeup on the Fat Boy, by Bil Wright, Simon & Schuster

LGBT Drama
Letters to the End of the World, by Anton Dudley, Playscripts, Inc.
A Menopausal Gentleman: The Solo Performances of Peggy Shaw, by Peggy Shaw, University of Michigan Press
Secrets of the Trade, by Jonathan Tolins, Samuel French, Inc.
The Temperamentals, by Jon Marans, Chelsea Station Editions
The Zero Hour, by Madeleine George, Samuel French, Inc.

LGBT Nonfiction
Gay in America: Portraits by Scott Pasfield, by Scott Pasfield, Welcome Books
God vs. Gay?: The Religious Case for Equality, by Jay Michaelson, Beacon Press
The H.D. Book, by Robert Duncan, University of California Press
A Queer History of the United States, by Michael Bronski, Beacon Press
Seeing Gertrude Stein: Five Stories, by Wanda M. Corn and Tirza True Latimer, University of California Press

LGBT SF/F/H
The German, by Lee Thomas, Lethe Press
Paradise Tales: and Other Stories, by Geoff Ryman, Small Beer Press
Static, by L.A. Witt, Amber Allure/Amber Quill Press
Steam-powered: Lesbian Steampunk Stories, edited by JoSelle Vanderhooft, Torquere Press
Triptych, by J.M. Frey, Dragon Moon Press

LGBT Studies
Captive Genders: Trans Embodiment and the Prison Industrial Complex, edited by Eric A. Stanley and Nat Smith, AK Press
Freedom with Violence: Race, Sexuality, and the US State, by Chandan Reddy, Duke University Press
Sister Arts: The Erotics of Lesbian Landscapes, by Lisa L. Moore, University of Minnesota Press
Techniques of Pleasure: BDSM and the Circuits of Sexuality, by Margot Weiss, Duke University Press
¡Venceremos?: The Erotics of Black Self-making in Cuba, by Jafari S. Allen, Duke University Press

24th Annual Lambda Literary Awards Host Committee
David McConnell - Co-Chair
Don Weise - Co-Chair
S. Chris Shirley - Co-Chair
Charles Rice-Gonzalez - Ceremony Director
Jamie Brickhouse - Publicity Chair
Brad Boles
J.Brooks
Mario Lopez-Cordero
David Gale
James Hannaham
Wayne Hoffman
Michele Karlsberg
Dean Klinger
Jay Moore
Dan Manjovi
Bill Miller
Heather O'Neill
Pauline Park
Lori Perkins
Jay Plum
Melanie La Rosa
Patrick Ryan
Eddie Sarfaty
Liz Scheier
Bob Smith
Linda Villarosa
Warren Wilson

Dreamspinner Press 1000th Release Sale

In celebration of the publication of our 1000th title, we're discounting all our books over the next five weeks!

March 14-20 - All eBook novels will be discounted 20%.
March 21-27 - All eBook novellas will be discounted 20%.
March 28-April 3 - All short fiction (daydreams and nap-size dreams) will be discounted 20%.
April 4-10 - All eBook anthologies discounted 20%.
April 11-17 - All paperbacks will be discounted 20%.

This will give readers ample opportunities to buy Alan Chin's books at a sweet discount.

Enjoy

Endings and Beginnings.

I’ve had two stories in the works for several months now. Last week, I finished the final edits on one, The Plain of Bitter Honey, and sent it to a publisher. Now the wait begins on that story. I had sent this story to my current publisher late last year, but they turned it down because it is more an adventure story rather than a romance, and Dreamspinner Press only publishes gay romance stories. So I made another round of edits, trying to make the story even better before sending it to a new publisher. Hopefully I will hear some positive news in the next four weeks from this new publisher.

This coming week I hope to put the finishing touches on my second work-in-progress, Daddy’s Money, and send it off to Dreamspinner, because it is a gay romance. Once that happens, I will be free to start a new story.

I have several ideas floating around my head, but none that I feel definite about. I might look at working up a sequel to one of my previously published novels, or I may strike out on something entirely new. One thing I’m rather interested to do, is break away from the romance genre. I’m thinking some kind of action, intrigue, adventure story.

One idea floating around in my head is a bank robbery where one or more of the bank robbers are gay. Not sure on that idea. I had a great story planned that had to do with DADT, but now that the law has been overturned, I’m not sure I still want to write it.

Bottom line, I’m not sure what I will be writing next, but I’m sure some story idea will grab me by the throat and force me to write it. Until then, I’m simply going to enjoy my down time.

Smack Dab open mic

Smack Dab open mic hosted by Larry-bob Roberts and Kirk Read

March 2012 feature: Remembering Sean O'Driscoll

Wednesday, March 21, 8pm, open mic signup starts at 7:30 At Magnet, your neighborhood queer health center, 4122 18th Street between Castro and Collingwood in the heart of San Francisco.
http://www.magnetsf.org

Smack Dab is all ages, all genders, all the time.

Sean O'Driscoll, one of our most frequent readers at Smack Dab, was found dead in his home after a fall on February 25, 2012. He was 67.

Sean grew up in Madison, South Dakota and had a degree in music from Mount Marty College in Yankton, South Dakota and then went to college in New York. He taught school in Buffalo, NY and Kitchener, Ontario before moving to San Francisco. Sean had studied writing as part of George Birimisa's writing workshops as well as studying drawing.

Sean attended almost every installment of Smack Dab at Magnet, with the exception of some times in the past year or so when health concerns made that impossible. His original stories touched the heart with his frequent technique of taking a new vantage on contemporary events and culture. He also guest-co-hosted at one point when Kirk Read was out of town.

He will be dearly missed by the community of attendees of Smack Dab. To honor his memory, we will be featuring Sean's writing at the March 21 Smack Dab. His writing will be read by friends, and we will have an opportunity to share and reminisce about Sean's life.

If you'd like to perform at the open mic, please bring five minutes of whatever you want to share. Musicians, one song. Prose writers: that's about two and a half double spaced pages of prose. We’re the friendliest open mic you’ll find but we pay attention to time so that nobody accumulates further open mic-related PTSD.

Presented by Army of Lovers, a project of the Queer Cultural Center with support from the San Francisco Arts Commission, Zellerbach Family Foundation, the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, Horizons Foundation, TheatreBayArea and the California Arts Council.

New Review Policy

To the writers who have sent me books to review, the writers who are thinking of sending me books, and to the readers who enjoy my reviews, I’d like to fill you in on a few changes that I believe will be ongoing.

To give you some background, I should explain how I used to work. I normally write from 7am to noon. After lunch and spending a few hours with my husband, I read lgbtq-themed novels for two to three hours, spend a few hours writing blogs, socializing on FB and Twitter, and generally promoting my books. At night before sleep, I normally read another twenty pages. That schedule has allowed me to read/review three to four books per month. (Yes, I read at a glacial pace.)

But that was last year’s routine, and this year I seem to have developed a new schedule. You see, I’ve recently moved to a new city, and I’m finding that my husband and I now have an active social life. We have a host of new friends and old that we are spending time playing tennis, hiking, biking, dining, and bee-bopping round town. That’s great for us, but it cuts my reading time by half or more.

The other issue that is effecting my review output is how many non-lgbtq-themed books I read. For the last two years the books I’ve read have almost exclusively been lgbtq books that I review. But I’m now feeling the need to inject more non-lgbt books into my reading. I’m thinking every other book with be non-lgbt.

Bottom line: I expect my output this year to be under twenty books, rather than the forty to fifty of previous years. If you have sent me a book, please be patient. I will get to it.

New Cover for The Lonely War

It's offical, The Lonely War as a new cover for publication under a new publisher, Dreamspinner Press. I'm thrilled to finally be with a publisher who give me lots of input into the cover design. Thank you Dreamspinner.

Bushido

In an effort to create characters for my next novel, I’m reading a book on Bushido, the Japanese code of chivalry. The book is: Bushido: The Soul of Japan by Inazo Nitode. It’s a fascinating read, going into great detail about such topics of courage, benevolence, politeness, sincerity, honor, loyalty and self-control. It was the code of conduct adopted by the samurai in feudal Japan, and still influences Japanese society today.

I’m not planning to make my characters Japanese, yet I want my protagonist to live by a rigid moral code of honor. This book has helped me greatly to determine exactly which attributes to give my lead characters, and why they are so important.

I found it interesting that the author notes, “What Japan was she owed to the samurai. They were not only the flower of the nation, but its root as well. All the gracious gifts of Heaven flowed through them. Though they kept themselves socially aloof from the populace, they set a moral standard for them and guided them by their example.”

This is exactly the sort of thing I’m looking to do—have my protagonist lead by example, and in so doing, make the people around him want to be more moral themselves. I did this in my novel, The Lonely War, which was a study in what happens when one sets such a high standard that they can’t live it. I’m looking to work more with that same theme.

Anyway, just rambling about something interesting I’ve read. I highly recommend this book on Bushido to other writers. It has helped me immensely.

Book Review: The Peripheral Son by Dorien Grey

Reviewer: Alan Chin
Publisher: Zumaya Publications
Pages: 235

Victor Koseva is a loner, has few friends, is the black sheep of a dysfunctional family who has nothing to do with him, and he is gay. While working as an investigative reporter, covering a story concerning doping within a professional boxing syndicate, he disappears without a trace.

Victor’s sister-in-law hires Dick Hardesty to investigate. Hardesty piles up more questions than clues until Victor’s body is found at the bottom of a ravine near a popular gay cruising area. All signs point to an accident, and the case looks closed, but Hardesty has other ideas. He keeps following a trail of clues that bring him up close and personal with a handsome gay middleweight boxer with eyes on the championship, Victor’s kleptomaniacal ex-boyfriend, and a host of suspicious and unsavory characters who were at the right place at the wrong time. Was it murder or an accident?

As will all of Dorien Grey’s mysteries, the author gives the reader plenty of opportunity to know Hardesty’s family: partner, Jonathan, and son, Joshua. And the reader gets a feel for the rich and loving life they share, which is a nice contrast from the gritty dealings of a murder case. Although it did seem to me that Dick and Jonathan’s relationship was not as intimate as in previous novels. Could the stress of raising a child be draining the romance out of their relationship?

This mystery is not the most exciting read on the shelf. As with all Dorien’s stories, he doesn’t use explicit sex, or gunplay, or bombs blowing up baby carriages in order to titillate the reader. And because he places his stories in the ‘80s, he doesn’t use familiar computer or iPhone apps to help him solve the cases. He uses solid storytelling to guide his readers to a logical conclusion. It is a puzzle that must be muddled over, worried like a dog with a bone.

Mystery purists will no doubt enjoy this 14th book in the Dick Hardesty series. But Grey’s writing style will allow all readers to enjoy this novel. I can recommend this to all readers who enjoy well-developed characters and an intricate plot.