Author Interviews - No Apology Book Reviews

Interview with Luanne Rice (Last Day)

February 22, 2020

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Last Day by Luanne Rice is a gripping psychological suspense story. It starts out with an intensity from page one that never lets up. The story delves into survivors of trauma, sisterhood, best friends, and small communities shaken by violence or death. The plot begins with the brutal murder of Beth Lathrop who was six months pregnant. She is found by her sister Kate, strangled in her bed with her skull bashed. Kate also …

Interview with C. M. Gleason (Murder at the Capitol)

February 13, 2020

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Murder at the Capitol by C. M. Gleason is a unique historical mystery. With a superb ability to combine famous and admired historical figures with characters of her own, Gleason masterfully creates a suspenseful and informative story. The characters created bring to life the Civil War era. This third book in the series has want-to-be journalist Sophie Gates and Southern Belle Constance Lemagne sitting in the Senate Gallery waiting for a session to start. …

Interview with Lisa Gardner (When You See Me)

February 6, 2020February 6, 2020

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper When You See Me by Lisa Gardner is a home run. This book has four female heroines stepping up to the plate, working together to solve a town’s murders. What makes it extra-special is that it brings together three characters: Boston Homicide Detective D.D. Warren, FBI special agent Kimberly Quincy and recovering torture victim turned vigilante Flora Dane. FBI Special Agent Kimberly Quincy and Sergeant Detective D. D. Warren have built a task force …

Elise’s Review – Knot on Her Life by Mary Marks

February 6, 2020

Book Review by Elise Cooper Knot on Her Life by Mary Marks is a cozy mystery with a different perspective. Some would think that a story with quilts could not make a good mystery, but Marks is able to stitch everything together. She is one of a few mystery authors who has a Jewish protagonist. The author explained why she used the quilt angle. “I have made quilts for twelve years. I decided to write about them, which turned into …

Interview with Debra H. Goldstein (Sarah Blair Mysteries 1 & 2)

February 6, 2020January 31, 2020

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper A new series by Debra H. Goldstein, Sarah Blair Mysteries, is a fast-moving, intriguing plot set in the world of food. Readers should probably read the books in order, One Taste Too Many and then Two Bites Too Many. These first two books have the main protagonist, Sarah Blair, trying to defend family members of murder. First her sister is accused, and in the second book her mother. Sarah would rather catch bad guys …

Interview with Amanda Flower (Matchmaking Can Be Murder)

January 25, 2020

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Matchmaking Can Be Murder by Amanda Flower, is the first in a new series for the New Year. This spin-off from the wildly popular “Amish candy-Shop Mysteries” has some of the beloved characters including Deputy Sheriff Aiden Brody, and introduces some interesting others, some eccentric and some very appealing. The plot has matchmaker Millie Fisher just returning to Harvest, Ohio after spending 10 years taking care of her ailing sister. Millie is a widow …

Elise’s Review – Murder at Icicle Lodge by J. D. Griffo

January 19, 2020

Book Review by Elise Cooper Murder at Icicle Lodge by J. D. Griffo brings back the Ferrara women detective team. They are investigating a murder where the people of interest mount up. The four women are related and range in age from 65 to GenX. They are Alberta, her granddaughter Jinx, sister Helen and her sister-in-law Joyce with a supporting cast of police chief, Vinny; Jinx’s boyfriend, Freddy; Alberta’s boyfriend, Sloan; and Helen’s frenemy Father Sal. What makes these characters …

Interview with Jayne Ann Krentz (The Vanishing)

January 19, 2020

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper The Vanishing by Jayne Krentz is an action-packed story that relies heavily on the paranormal. The psychic element adds to the suspense along with murder, conspiracies, and a kidnapping. The story opens fifteen years earlier where two teenage girls, Catalina Lark and Olivia Dayton witness a murder in a cave. Convinced the girls were hallucinating, their story was dismissed. Readers find out how the government was running paranormal experiments in the mountains close to …

Interview with Iris and Roy Johansen (Hindsight)

January 11, 2020

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Hindsight by Iris and Roy Johansen is a unique thriller. The protagonist is Investigator Kendra Michaels, whose former blindness has left her with uniquely insightful observational skills. Blind for the first twenty years of her life before gaining her sight via a revolutionary surgical procedure, she has become known for her razor-sharp senses and keen deductive abilities. Kendra has highly developed senses of smell, hearing, and spatial awareness that she’s used to help the …

Elise’s Review – Christmas in Winter Valley by Jodi Thomas

January 3, 2020

Book Review by Elise Cooper Christmas in Winter Valley by Jodi Thomas has an unusual format. Instead of having one hero and heroine there are multiple relationships. Each are connected with the theme involving the importance of family. The author noted, “Having many relationships, instead of just one, has become very much my style. I like to have an interconnection between the lives of those who live on a ranch as well as a sense of community. I wanted to …