The Rainy Day Killer by Michael J. McCann (Plaid Raccoon Press)

In the fourth novel in the Donaghue and Stainer series, homicide detectives Hank Donaghue and Karen Stainer are hunting a serial killer who kidnaps, repeatedly rapes, murders, and mutilates his victims—in several states—he changes locations when the local cops get close.  After stalking his victims, he dresses like a gentleman and offers the protection of his umbrella on rainy days.  The press has named him the Rainy Day Killer (RDK).  

After his first victim in Glendale MD is found, RDK begins to communicate with Donaghue, the lead investigator, through phone calls, packages containing the victim’s body parts, and DVDs of the body.  So far, RDK has managed to clean his victims, removing all trace evidence, and dumping the bodies in public areas without his face being seen.  The FBI and a state task force are brought in to help with the investigation. To add to the political landscape, the position of captain for the homicide unit is up for grabs. A temporary captain has been assigned; she is inexperienced and out to make a name for herself by putting everyone else down.

As the killer gets bolder, friction within the homicide unit, FBI, and state task force collide. To further complicate things, Karen Stainer is finally marring her FBI boyfriend, Sandy Alexander, at Sandy’s ancestral home in Virginia. Karen’s blue-collar relatives and Sandy’s old Virginia society family make an interesting wedding party.  

I enjoyed this book very much. The characters were true to form, the suspense is real, and the murders are very dark. I will think twice about trusting a stranger, especially on a rainy day. 

—Helen Jones

FTC Disclaimer: This book was provided by the publisher

Left Coast Crime Award Winners

Thanks too Lucinda Surber and Stan Ulrich of the great mystery website Stop, You're Killing Me for
posting the winners at the recent Left Coast Crime Conference (which they chaired this year!). I use this site so very often. Take a look at it—you'll be totally impressed!

If you look on their book giveaway page, you can enter for a cool Calamari Crime book bag and a book. Hurry. The contest ends on April 8, 2014.

Happy reading!

Molly

2014 DILYS AWARD PRESENTED
The Independent Mystery Booksellers Association presented the 2014 Dilys Award on March 20th at the 2014 Left Coast Crime mystery convention in Monterey, California. Our congratulations to the winner (listed first) and all of the nominees.

*	Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger [review]
°	Seven for a Secret by Lyndsay Faye
°	The Black Country by Alex Grecian
°	Spider Woman's Daughter by Anne Hillerman [review]
°	Pagan Spring by G.M. Malliet
°	The Land of Dreams by Vidar Sundstol

Previous Dilys Awards

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2014 LEFT COAST CRIME AWARDS PRESENTED
The Left Coast Crime awards, voted on by the Left Coast Crime attendees, were presented on March 22, 2014, at the Portola Hotel & Spa in Monterey, California. As co-chairs of the Awards Committee, we were thrilled to present certificates to the nominees and awards to the winners. Our congratulations to the winners (listed first in each category) and to all of the nominees.

Lefty Award for Most Humorous Mystery
*	The Good Cop by Brad Parks [review]
°	The Hen of the Baskervilles by Donna Andrews [review]
°	The Fame Thief by Timothy Hallinan [review]
°	The Last Word by Lisa Lutz
°	Dying for a Daiquiri by Cindy Sample [review]

Bruce Alexander Memorial Mystery Award (best historical mystery, covering events before 1960)
*	Dandy Gilver and a Bothersome Number of Corpses by Catriona McPherson
°	Heirs and Graces by Rhys Bowen
°	His Majesty's Hope by Susan Elia MacNeal
°	Murder as a Fine Art by David Morrell
°	Covenant with Hell by Priscilla Royal
°	Leaving Everything Most Loved by Jacqueline Winspear

The Squid (best mystery set within the United States)
*	Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger [review]
°	W Is for Wasted by Sue Grafton
°	Purgatory Key by Darrell James
°	The Wrong Girl by Hank Phillippi Ryan [review]
°	A Killing at Cotton Hill by Terry Shames [review]

The Calamari (best mystery set anywhere else in the world)
*	How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny [review]
°	Murder Below Montparnasse by Cara Black
°	Hour of the Rat by Lisa Brackmann [review]
°	As She Left It by Catriona McPherson
°	Mykonos After Midnight by Jeffrey Siger

Vintage Crime Fiction in e-Books

I got an email announcing the official launch of Chalk Line Books, a publisher specializing in republishing vintage crime fiction classics as ebooks. 

They have begun with the e-publication of two of the greatest crime fiction authors, Jim Thompson with Sharecropper Hell and David Goodis with The Secret Squad.  They'll be adding more authors such as Charles Williams, Ed McBain, Peter Rabe, and many others to their roster soon.  

SHORE EXCURSION free March 17-19…

AMAZING GIVEAWAY March 17, 18, 19, 2014 to Amazon Prime members, FREE Kindle Select download of SHORE EXCURSION by Marie Moore! Just for YOU and YOUR FRIENDS! Enjoy!


Click to order your FREE copy on giveaway days only!

This is the first in a really good series for armchair (and real) world travelers! Marie Moore was a travel agent for many years and has walked the walk so she can do the talk!

Pack your virtual bag and get ready for a great trip!

Brynn Bonner Book Launch

Join Brynn Bonner at Quail Ridge Books & Music in Raleigh when she launches the second in her Family History Mystery series, Death in Reel Time. The program will begin at 7:30, Wednesday, March 13.

It's a Book, (Jackass)

Join a host of authors reading from Lane Smith's It's a Book. The video, a project devised by the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance, is in support of the printed book—and it's two minutes of sheer fun. Nobody cares if you view it twice! BTW, I often read on my iPad, but never in the bathtub where I do a good part of my reading.

Tom Clancy Dead at 66

For more information, please see the Publishers Weekly story.

JAMES LEE BURKE FOR THE NOBEL PRIZE!

That's what Pete Mock says in his mystery newsletter from McIntyre's in Fearrington Village (Pittsboro NC). He makes a good case, too. Pete and I have shared mystery opinions for many years now. We don't always agree, but we do always respect! Take a look and see what you think. Let me know.

Happy reading.

A Skeleton in the Attic by Leigh Perry

Many families have a skeleton in their closet. You know, the family member who was a thief, an alcoholic, a rapist, or a schizophrenic. People hide them so that their own good reputation isn't tarnished by admitting that we all have a dark side. Georgia Thackery's family is one who has a skeleton, not in their closet, but in the attic, where he enjoys reading and other pursuits usually reserved for the living. This family has given him a name and keeps him hidden for his own sake. Sid, walks and talks, makes bad jokes that aren't funny, but generally he is a good guy. Oh, yeah, they know he's a he. What they don't know is who he was before he ...er....was dead. 

Georgia is an adjunct professor at the same college where her parents teach. They are on sabbatical and Georgia has moved back home for awhile. She is a single mom with a daughter, Madison, a bright 14-year old. They are happy to live here and reconnect with Georgia's sister. Georgia has known Sid almost her whole life and he is actually her best friend. Well, Sid talks Georgia into attending an anime convention, disguised as......what else?.......a skeleton !  Don't know what an anime is? The book will explain. 

While at the convention, Sid sees a woman who triggers vague memories of his past, and he is determined to find out who he is and how he died. He needs Georgia's help and their adventures are worth discovering. Needless to say, there's a killer on the loose, and the

mystery leads Sid and Geogia on a chase that could be lethal. Luckily, Sid has abilities as well as a sterling character that leads to an ending that isn't easily figured.

This is a fun read and before you go making assumptions about skeletons that walk and talk—think about it !!

—Dian Esterly

FTC Disclosure: This book was provided by the publisher.

Editor's secret: Leigh Perry is a pseudonym for my good friend and North Carolina native Toni L. P. Kelner. As Dian indicates, she's still got her funny (dare I say it?) bone!

Keep No Secrets by Julie Compton (Fresh Fork Publishing)

If you liked Jillian Flynn's Gone Girl, read until 4AM to finish it, Keep No Secrets is its equal. Here's the portrait of a modern marriage caught in the balance of careers, demands of raising children, and just keeping your head when your world comes apart. Keep No Secrets is a shell game of who is the hero, whois the villain. Compton's skill as a writer in her third novel keeps the reader's sympathies on a seesaw. Who is telling what lies? Who is keeping the most and biggest and worst secret of all?   

A fantastic read!

--Ruth Moose

FTC Disiclaimer: This book was provided by the publisher.

Ruth Moose won the St. Martin-Minotaur-Malice Domestic Award for Best First Novel in May. Her debut mystery, Doin' It at the Dixie Dew will hit shelves next spring from Minotaur.

Noah’s Rainy Day by Sandra Brannan (Greenleaf BookGroup)

This is the fourth book in the Liv Bergen Mystery series. The suspense begins on page one with the prologue and continues throughout the book.

Liv Bergen has finally become an FBI Special Agent entrusted with the handling and training of the bloodhound, Beulah. Liv is back home in Colorado for Christmas with her family. Noah, Liv’s 12-year-old nephew, has cerebral palsy. He cannot speak or walk, and has very limited eye site and use of his arms. Noah’s brain functions very well, in fact better than some of us. His only means of communication is with smiles for “yes” and frowns for “no”. He worships his Aunt Liv “Boots” Bergan and wants to be a spy like her. Liv gives him a secret gift of a “spy pin” that records sound.

Liv and Beulah’s Christmas visit is interrupted when five-year-old Max is kidnapped from the Denver airport. Working with veteran agent Street Pierce, enigmatic agent and lover Jack Linwood they fear the worst when no ransom demands are made. They are on a time clock to find the boy before it is too late.

Meanwhile, Noah, housebound, spends a lot of time looking out his special window to the world—a floor to ceiling window installed by his father. Noah’s active mind and curiosity notices everything that happens in his small world. When he sees a small child watching him from his neighbor’s window he has a mystery to solve and a spy pin to use. Noah’s “investigation” may lead down a very dark path for him and his family.

If the first three books in the series are as good as this one, I have some serious reading to do! As with all good series, I did not have any problems following the story and character relationships. 

—Helen Jones

FTC Disclaimer: This book was provided by the publisher.

BDP (Blatant Daughter Promotion)

I know this isn't mystery-related, but it's my blog, so…

Our daughter Erin has been nominated for the Martha Stewart American Made award. We'd surely appreciate your SIX votes each day (I have no clue when the contest is over). As Andy Griffith used to say, "I 'preciate it—and good night."

WIGGLE ROOM Amazon Free Book 8/28–30/13

I ran into Darden North at Killer Nashville this weekend. His new book, Wiggle Room, is just out and his publisher is offering the Kindle download free today through Friday (August 28–30). I just downloaded his new medical thriller featuring Air Force surgeon Brad Cummins. I suggest you grab it, too!

Congratulations

Crocodile on the Sunbank has been won—but I hope you'll all participate in "Buy a Friend a Book Day" at your local bookstore!

Happy reading!

Buy a Friend a Book Day - August 31

I was invited to this event on Facebook and I hope you'll join the effort. One new thing:  Let's all be sure to buy that book at a local INDEPENDENT bookstore. Support local economy — at least with one book.

The mystery community lost one of the greats this week. Barbara Mertz (Elizabeth Peters/Barbara Michaels) died on Thursday. To honor her, I've ordered a copy of Crocodile on the Sunbank for Saturday, August 31. I'd like to make a new friend by sending this copy to the first responder who has never read the Amelia Peabody series. You'll have to get the rest of the books on your own, because I know you'll be hooked!

Just email me with "Crocodile" in the subject line. Be sure to include your name and mailing address.

Elizabeth Foxwell has written a beautiful tribute to her friend.

CAT IN AN ALIEN X-RAY by Carole Nelson Douglas (Forge)

“Cats rule—dogs just wish they did, and people are fooling themselves.”  Yes, Midnight Louie is back with his whole clowder— feline and human with just a touch of canine. OK, I confess, I’m a fan of Las Vegas mysteries, but Louie is definitely my favorite and Carole Nelson Douglas continues to keep us guessing in Cat in an Alien X-Ray.

This time Louie’s dealing with the “usual”----murder, mobsters, Max --with a twist of disappearing buildings. Is it science or aliens or just Vegas? Is that body really an Aztec astronaut somehow back from space or is the old-time  mob related to his murder? And were all those ancient space travelers really cats in disguise? Louie has all the answers. 

--Doreen Weaton

FTC Disclosure: This book was provided by the publisher.

COMPOUND MURDER by Bill Crider (Minotaur)

Reading Bill Crider is like sitting by a cozy fire—in sweats and fuzzy slippers! Every time I see "a Dan Rhodes Mystery" on the cover, I know I'm in for a good time.

When the body of an English instructor at the community college turns up behind a Dumpster one morning before classes, Sheriff Dan Rhodes is off to another rib-tickling adventure. This time he's dealing with a survivalist compound, a wild pig, and a beauty shop break-in—not to mention Dr. Pepper withdrawal.

Dan keeps the peace in and around Clearview, Texas with a supporting cast as outrageous as that in Sheriff Andy Taylor's Mayberry.  Y'all have fun, now, ya hear?

—FTC Disclosure: This book was provided by the publisher.

The Ophelia Cut by John Lescroart (Atria)

Dirty NYC cop Anthony Xavier Ricci is about to get a second lease on life, after being caught up in a Federal sting. If he cooperates with the Feds, he will not be charged with any crime and will be given a new persona, a new name, and he will be placed in the Federal  Witness Protection Program. And so, Ricci becomes Tony Solaia and is born anew and relocated to San Francisco. Thus begins John Lescroart's latest novel, The Ophelia Cut.

Meanwhile, our main protagonist, attorney Dismas Hardy is facing a mid-life crisis. The kids are grown, his practice is shrinking, and a six-year old secret may raise its ugly head. His brother-in-law, Moses McGuire, and his best friend, Detective Abe Glitsky, are both nervous about this secret. Only six people know the secret and from time to time it threatens to come to the surface.

Everything is going to become more complicated. Moses McGuire's daughter, Brittany is brutally raped by Rick Jessup,a councilman's chief of staff. McGuire roughs up Jessup, and a couple of months later, Jessup ends up dead. Quite naturally, McGuire is the prime suspect. Hardy will defend McGuire, but his friendship with Glitsky will be called into question and the six-year-old secret involving all of them may yet surface!

John Lescroart's latest book starring all his leading characters may be his best yet. Please enjoy The Ophelia Cut!

—Steve Bank

THE KILL ROOM by Jeffrey Deaver (Grand Central)

Chubby Checkers has nothing on the twists in Jeffery Deavers’ The Kill Room. It’s the latest in his Lincoln Rhyme series and it will keep you reading. 

Just then you think he’s told you everything about the good guys and the bad guys, there’s another twist. Is he really a good guy or really a bad guy? Think you know? You’re probably wrong.

“Are you a patriot or a traitor?” This time Deaver goes political, but not with opinions—with facts. You decide which side the National intelligence and Operations Service (NIOS) with its “targeted remedies” is on. 

I couldn’t wait to finish it, but didn’t want it to end. You’ll think about this one long after you finish reading. 

--Doreen Wheaton

FTC Disclosure: This book was provided by the publisher.

A DANGEROUS FICTION by Barbara Rogan

I read a lot of great books, but this one is outstanding! I resented every moment I had to be away from it—and I read it from cover to cover today.

Literary agency Jo Donovan has a gift for choosing winning manuscripts and nurturing her authors. Unfortunately, she also has to say no more often than not. One aspiring author, however, just won't take no for an answer—"Sam Spade" accosts her outside her office, insisting she's the only agent for him. Quickly, Jo's whole world is turned about—from sabotage to her agency to her personal life. 

While telling her story, Jo gives the reader a full insight into the publishing business as only an insider could. She should—her creator, Barbara Rogan once owned a literary agency. She now teaches writing.

A Dangerous Fiction will get my vote for best mystery novel next year.

FTC Disclosure - This book was provided by the publisher.