Fata Morgana by William Kotzwinkle

Review by Matt B. (BuffaloSavage)

William Kotzwinkle blends elements of fantasy and mystery in this curious novel.  Set in 1861 in Paris, detective Picard finds he’s getting the crappy assignments simply because he burnt a tenement down in the course of an unsuccessful pursuit of the serial killer Baron Mantes.

Picard’s mission is to investigate the doings of a charlatan who’s separating gullible members of the aristocracy from their money. The swindler is using a fortune-telling machine that pops out predictions on the order of, “People close to you have been taking advantage of you. Your basic honesty has been getting in your way.” Really? Like that’s not accurate for, like, everybody?

The fantasy elements are keen senses of wonder and the macabre, especially in the descriptions of the toy market in Vienna and the climax set at a masquerade ball. There is also the inevitable quest, which takes Picard to Nuremburg, Vienna, and remote districts of Hungary.

Feeling bewitched by feelings of dread and fear of his own demise, he finds himself in odd interviews with a hashish-smoking police chief, a kindly Gepetto-like toymaker, and a primitive family in rural Hungary. These evocative passages reminded PI Lew Archer’s quests for information in Ross Macdonald’s crime novels.

Not being a reader of fantasy, I have no feeling for whether knowledgeable fantasy fans would  like this 1977 novel. I’m confident that mystery fans who are looking for something different will probably like it. Kotzwinkle writes plain English, able to get across the uncanny without resorting to over the top language. He follows the conventions of a mystery fairly. Plus, though the hero is insecure, middle-aged and overweight, he’s quite the hit with the ladies. I suspect this will console middle-aged and overweight male readers,  though fans of erotica may find the sexy passages rather like alcohol-free beer.

Other books by William Kotzwinkle:

The Bear Went Over the Mountain

Doctor Rat

The World Is Big and I’m So Small

Walter the Farting Dog

Tainted Night, Tainted Blood by E.S. Moore

Review by Kelsey O.

First Line:

“The body lay crumpled in the driveway—a heap of cloth that could have been anything if not for the distinctive smell that drifted on the light breeze.”

Kat, aka Lady Death, is back taking down one vampire house after another. In Moore’s follow-up to To Walk the Night, Kat is faced with a new challenge. Someone is also taking down vampire houses and werewolves and they aren’t making it pretty. They are also killing innocent Purebloods. Kat notices that the kills look like what she did before she was changed and before she had silver weapons. But who is doing this and why? When Kat comes face to face with the person behind this new rash of killings, she is faced with a new dilemma. This person, who she once thought dead, is someone near and dear to her heart. But how did he survive and how will she end his murderous rampage without killing him? Kat also discovers a little town that seems to be under a spell. She is drawn to it yet in her mind she knows that something just isn’t right. But when you can forget your troubles and worries, would you want to know the secret?

The town, Delai, that Moore introduces is a mystery and I am curious to see where he is going with this. It has many interesting characters and even when reading about it, you feel peace and wonder maybe this is a good place for Kat. Here Purebloods, wolves and vampires all live in harmony with each other but sometimes something too good can’t be true, right? Moore makes us anticipate what will happen in this serene town and what Levi, the so-called leader, has in store for Kat.

A storyline that I was hoping would progress would be the one between Kat and Adrian. There is an attraction there but Kat is so stuck on fighting it that it at times it is frustrating. Adrian isn’t a golden boy that is for sure and his very neanderthal thinking is obviously a trait that will have to be curbed for these two to have any kind of relationship.

Moore continues his dark and terrifying world with a great second installment in his Kat Redding series. Moore’s characters are raw and edgy. Kat’s sidekick, Ethan and his demon, Beligral, are brought to the forefront more. I wish there could have been more growth out of Kat. She is still struggling with being a vampire and finding a place in this world. Being alone is what is making her weak. She is also still running head on into trouble without thinking and seems to end up in a bloody heap. The best thing she does is form a semi-truce with Jonathan, the Luna Cult leader, so maybe there is still hope for her. In the words of Jonathan, “Things would be much easier if we could learn to work together.” If only Kat would see that.

Thief of Shadows by Elizabeth Hoyt

Review by Issa S. (Issa-345)

Book 4 of the Maiden Lane series begins close to where Book 3 ended.  An injured Ghost of St. Giles, is running from an angry mob and is saved by Lady Isabel Beckinhall.

The Ghost of course is Winter Makepeace.  He and Isabel have met before.  He is the schoolmaster and manager of the Home for Unfortunate Infants and Foundling Children.  Lady Isabel is a member of The Ladies’ Syndicate for the Benefit of the Home for Unfortunate Infants and Foundling Children.  They have clashed in the past but Isabel believes Winter is the best choice for schoolmaster of the Home.  When a Lady of the Syndicate sets out to remove Winter from his position, Isabel volunteers to help Winter learn some polish so he may sell himself better to the aristocracy that funds the Home.  Winter for his part has no interest in this nonsense in light of the fact he is managing a school and is looking for lost children as the Ghost at night.  However, he gives in and thus begins his unbreakable fascination with Lady Isabel.

For me, Winter carried the book, and that is no insult to Isabel.  He has made choices in his life, carefully and with resolve, and shares the reasoning behind all his choices.  He is steadfast and bears no shame or regret for the path he has chosen.  He is very self aware and practical.  People are people regardless of status.  The fact that Lady Isabel is much wealthier and of higher social status is something that makes her what she is, but it does not affect how he views her or how he sees her in his life.  One of my favorite quotes that reflects this is:

“She was a strong-willed woman, older and of a rank far above his.  If he let her, she would ride roughshod over him.  This, then, was where he needed to make a stand, cast a template for how they would get along in the future.”

For Lady Isabel, she is fascinated by the Ghost and later surprises herself by her interest in Winter.  She has secrets of her own and despite being tough and carefree on the outside, she is just as lonely as Winter, her mask just isn’t as obvious.  She doesn’t understand why he does what he does and she tries to push him away.  What strength one of them is missing, the other one has.  So like magnets they are continually pulled toward each other despite their intention to stay away.

The love scenes in this novel are very hot and a bit beyond what you normally see in a historical.  But there are also honest and real for two people such as themselves.  There are so many wonderful quotes from them but they would spoil too much.

The only niggle I would give this book was an interlaced side story involving two other characters.  By the end of the book, and by the excerpt from the next one you know where it will go, but it felt out of place and added very little to the main story.

This, I think, was my favorite of the series.

Pulse by John Lutz

Review by Kelsey O.

First Line:

“It gave Garvey the creeps, transferring somebody like Daniel Danielle.”

In 2002 the serial killer Daniel Danielle disappears when the transport vehicle carrying him to a maximum security prison flips when it is caught in a hurricane. Everyone assumed Daniel died in the hurricane but know they aren’t so sure. Bodies are starting to show up in the same M.O. as the Daniel Danielle killings. Frank Quinn and his partner, Pearl, must figure out what is going on. When the Police Commissioner Renz calls, they know this is serious business.

Pearl’s long lost daughter, Jody Jason, makes her debut. Even though it felt too easy for her to infiltrate Pearl and Quinn’s life, her character finds its place. Jody’s internship with a law firm ends up tying together the loose ends that Pearl and Quinn are looking for. Add in the fact that in addition to having the same M.O., the killer is murdering women that look just like Pearl so to Quinn, this is personal.

The serial killer is a mystery. Is it Daniel Danielle or is this someone that was obsessed with him and wants to “bring” him back from the dead? The chapters that provide the insight into the killer’s mind are intriguing because the monster doesn’t truly believe that what he is doing is wrong.

 Lutz knows how to write a suspenseful story that keeps a person glued to its pages. Non-stop action keeps the thrilling storyline rolling and the reader’s pulse never has a chance to slow down. I highly recommend Pulse to all mystery/thriller lovers.

Duck Skates by  Lynne Berry, Illustrated by Hiroe Nakata

Review by Issa S. (Issa-345)

Five little ducks wake up to snow and pull on their snow clothes to play in the snow.  This is a very bland description of this wonderful book.  Officially tagged as for ages 4-8, younger readers will enjoy it as well.

The book takes these five little ducks on an adventure from their home into the snow, on the ice, then home again.   I have always been partial to books written in rhyme and Ms. Berry writes this one beautifully.  You must be careful as you read it aloud, however, take this phrase for example:

“The first two lead with a duck-skate dash.  The last three chase–and the ducks all crash.”

I found several phrases like this were easy to fumble as I read aloud until I became more used to the flow.  But once you do get accustomed to the flow, it is a lot of fun to read aloud.  Ms. Berry also uses numbers throughout the story, two ducks here, three ducks there, five ducks tromping, ten feet stomping, etc. which allows for some easy counting and identification.

The flyleaf states that Ms. Nakata was raised in Japan.  I am not an expert on Japanese illustration but her work in this story is incredible.  The drawing lacks the strong black outlines often seen so the edges of the characters blend, but the drawings are quirky and follow the story precisely.  You can see expressions in the duck faces and though the pictures are still you can feel the ducks moving.

This is a book my little one and I both enjoy reading.  Very impressive for what I understand is Ms. Berry’s first children’s book.

A Week to Be Wicked by Tessa Dare

Review by Jerelyn H. (I-F-Letty)

We are back to Spindle Cove, and Payne and Miranda are up.  This is pure Tessa Dare a funny, very sexy, road trip caper.

He’s had enough of this place called Spindle Cove, the war is over.   The militia can go home now right?   Not so fast.

She’s convinced this rake this unconscionable rogue is going to marry her sister.  He doesn’t love her and her sister deserves to be loved.   He needs money, and she has a plan to keep him funded, until he comes into his inheritance, and she can get her work before the Royal Geological Society in Edinburgh. It is a good plan, a false elopement, whom will it hurt?   Minerva knows this will ruin her socially, but no one really expects bookish unattractive Minerva to marry, do they?  It is a good plan.

Payne reluctantly agrees but he has conditions, and is frankly surprised when Minerva agrees to his conditions.  But at the last minute he balks.  Minerva however is going to Scotland to present her paper with or without him.  What is a gentleman to do?  So Payne goes along, to keep Minerva safe.

What I expect from a Tessa Dare novel is here. Pure fun, laugh out loud dialogue and romantic settings. The thing I noticed in the first Spindle Cove book rings true here for me as well. They remind me of those lovely old movies that I love to watch on TV.   4 stars

The Hammersmith Maggot by William Mole

Review by Matt B. (BuffaloSavage)

The sleuth in this outstanding literary mystery is Casson, rich wine-merchant and amateur detective. Motivated by an itch to explore the margins of crime, he closely observes his fellow dwellers of London in the middle 1950s. Onto Casson’s radar appears the Hammersmith Maggot. As a consummate blackmailer, the Maggot stalks his victims, armed with information that he’s wormed out of a bank. He then levels false allegations that are impossible to refute without gross damage to one’s reputation. Collecting his cash, he disappears and never taps the same victim twice.

Casson extracts a detail from a victim that is reluctant to be interviewed. The detail enables Casson to identify the Maggot, whom he puts under surveillance. Casson also enlists the official assistance in the form of the gruff Inspector Strutt.

Mystery writer Frank Gruber said that an outstanding mystery must have a theme and invention. The theme in this mystery is the sheer villainy of the blackmailer. Casson, Strutt, and the reader feel sorry for the vics and feel so disgusted at the Maggot’s motivation and actions that we want to pound the Maggot down through the ground all the way to hell. Mole’s invention is copious. Though we know the identity of the Maggot by the half-way point, Mole builds suspense as to how Casson is going to nail him.

William Mole Younger (1917 – 1961) was a long-serving  officer in the British anti-terrorism and counter-espionage agency. Educated at Christ College Oxford, he began his writing career with three volumes of poetry and a travel narrative Blue Moon in Portugal. He wrote three mysteries. Released in 1955. The Hammersmith Maggot was a best-seller, won the approval of Queen Elizabeth, and was listed as “a best mystery” in Barzun and Taylor’s “Classic Crime Novels 1908 – 1975.”