mystery - No Apology Book Reviews

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 – A Killer Carol by Laura Bradford

December 24, 2019

Book Review by Elise Cooper A Killer Carol by Laura Bradford expertly combines a good mystery within the Amish community. In this novel, she is able to highlight the suspense with a secondary story about Christmas preparations and festivities. Bradford decided to write the series because she wanted to “have an interesting backdrop for a mystery. They live in the 1800s with no cell phones in their houses, do not keep large amounts of money in their house, will not …

Interview with Karen Rose (Into the Dark)

December 24, 2019December 20, 2019

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper With Into The Dark, Karen Rose has outdone herself, which is hard to do. This story is a great read for the holiday season: full of intense scenes of suspense, a sprinkle of romance, and great characters the readers will fall in love with. The core of the story is finding acceptance, trust, and love while struggling to avoid extreme danger. But an added bonus is how Rose delves into subjects such as living …

Interview with B. J. Daniels (Restless Hearts)

December 14, 2019

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Restless Hearts by B. J. Daniels is the first in a new series and it starts off with a home run. This story has a great murder mystery, some western romance, and family conflict. The plot begins with the heroine, private investigator Blaze McClintock, returning home. She is asked by the Judge who set her on the right path to help her estranged father who is accused of murdering a neighboring rancher. As the …

A Murderous Relation by Deanna Raybourn

December 9, 2019December 8, 2019

Title: A Murderous Relation Author: Deanna Raybourn Series: Veronica Speedwell #5 I adore this series My profuse thanks to Deanna Raybourn, Berkley Publishing Group, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. No major spoilers, but I might have let a few minor ones slip through. This book was awesome. If I hadn’t had a prior commitment last night, I’d have inhaled this book in one day. After reading the very first …

Elise’s Review – Bookmarked for Murder by V. M. Burns

December 6, 2019

Book Review by Elise Cooper Bookmarked for Murder by V. M. Burns is the fifth book in the Mystery Bookshop series, one of three the author writes. Many of the amateur sleuths in this series are not young at heart, which adds to the plot. “I write three series and this one is from the “Mystery Bookshop series.” It has a story within a story with a contemporary murder and a historical cozy mystery. The protagonist has two poodle dogs, …

The Ghost Hunter’s Daughter by Caroline Flarity

November 24, 2019

Title: The Ghost Hunter’s Daughter Author: Caroline Flarity Series: n/a Solid plot, interesting mythology, characters and style need some work I would like to thank Caroline Flarity, East Side Press, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book won’t become a favorite, but I enjoyed it. Spent most of today binging it. I easily became immersed in Anna’s world and was intrigued by Flarity’s take on paranormal mythology and the …

Interview with John Marrs (The Passengers)

November 23, 2019

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper The Passengers by John Marrs is a pulse-pounding read. This riveting story delves into the potentially destructive nature of technology and how social media contributes to a mob mentality, where people determine who will live and who will die. Imagine a world where there are only driverless cars. The rationale is that there will be less accidents, less deaths, and more safety. This is exactly what takes place in England because of a government …