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The Snatch and One-Shot Harry

The Snatch and One-Shot Harry

Finishing up the new KD Thorne book, where NDA agents KD Thorne and Jeffery Blunt are on the trail of jihadis and black marketeers who are trying to gain control of a newly discovered strategic metal before the US government cuts off their access. Hope to have it off to the editor shortly. In the meantime, here’re two crime books I read last month. 

First off, The Snatch (Nameless Detective book 1, 1971) by Bill Pronzini. I’d heard of this series, but I’ve never read one. The nameless detective is hired to handle a kidnap payoff, but everything immediately goes sideways. Money taken, nine-year-old boy not returned, everyone connected to the family a suspect.

This is a classic noir detective procedural, with twists, turns, and surprises that all add up in the end. Lots of fun. If you like the old Chandler and Hammett books, this is your cup of tea.

Second, One-Shot Harry by Gary Phillips (2022). It’s 1963 in Los Angeles. Racial tension is high before Martin Luther King’s visit to the city. Harry Ingram, a Black man who is a freelance photojournalist and parttime process server, quickly finds himself on the bad side of white gangsters and the city’s power brokers as he digs into the puzzling death of his Korean War buddy, a white jazz trumpeter who hangs out in Black nightclubs.

Lots of local color about 1963 LA, plus the intricate dance of race relations during the civil rights movement, make for an explosive backdrop to this fast-moving, complex who-done-it. I’ll be checking out more of Phillips’ novels.

Happy reading!

The Passengers and The Thief Who Couldn’t Sleep

The Passengers and The Thief Who Couldn’t Sleep

Finishing up the new KD Thorne book, where NDA agents KD Thorne and Jeffery Blunt are on the trail of jihadis and black marketeers who are trying to gain control of a newly discovered strategic metal before the US government cuts off their access. In the meantime, here’re two crime books I read last month. 

First off, The Passengers by John Marrs. The premise here is the that unhackable driverless cars have been hacked, putting the lives of eight innocent passengers at risk as people across the web are provided information about each passenger and asked to vote on who will live and who will die.

Started a little slow for me, as we learn about the complicated background stories of each passenger from their own point of view, but it quickly picked up speed as the hacker makes his demands and the tension and plot twists piled up. A very clever, well-reviewed thriller.

Second, The Thief Who Couldn’t Sleep (Evan Tanner Book 1) by Lawrence Block. I’ve read most of Block’s Matthew Scudder books (disgraced detective) and the Keller books (contract killer), but I’d never read one of his Evan Tanner books.

The Scudder books are top-notch gritty crime thrillers, but this Tanner book is more lighthearted and tongue-in-cheek.

Evan Tanner is a polymath who does not sleep due to a brain injury suffered during the Korean War, which gives him plenty of time to work on his many sort-of-maybe legal interests. In this first outing, he’s on the trail of a fortune in Armenian gold hidden in Turkey during WWI. In short order, he’s stumbling into trouble all across Europe, which makes for a lot of screwball plot twists and suspense. A quick, fun read.

Happy reading!

The Man Who Died Twice and The Forgers

The Man Who Died Twice and The Forgers

Happy New Year! Hope you have another great year of fun reading. I’ve been out and about visiting family over the holidays, but now it’s back to work.

Doing rewrites of the new KD Thorne book. Going to have to think up a title. In the meantime, here’re two crime books I read last month. 

First off, The Man Who Died Twice: A Thursday Murder Club Mystery (book 2) by Richard Osman. I wrote about the first book in this series earlier this year. These are light-hearted British romps that will keep you guessing down to the last few pages.

Our four septuagenarians—Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron, and Ibrahim—who live in an upscale retirement community are back, this time trying to find stolen diamonds and the killer who’s murdering to get to them first.

Fast-paced, fresh writing and loads of human interest keep this book moving. You won’t be disappointed

Second, The Forgers by Bradford Morrow. (There are several books with the same title. This is the Broadford Morrow book.) This is a first person, unreliable narrator novel that follows the blackmail scheme that arises from a murder, all of which takes place in the word of rare book dealing and manuscript forgery.

Complex, descriptive language and lots of twists and turns in a suspenseful plot make this an interesting read. Plus all the trivia having to do with rare book world. A little different from my usual thriller read, but a fun change.

Happy reading!

March Violets and Paydirt Road

March Violets and Paydirt Road

Howdy, Michael here,

Wow! December’s already here. And whatever you’re celebrating this season, I’m wishing you and yours all the best now and in the new year.

I’m still drafting the new KD Thorne book, which is coming along nicely, I think. In the meantime, here’re two crime books I read last month. 

First off, March Violets by Philip Kerr. This is the first of the Bernie Gunther series. I wrote about Prague Fatale (book 8) previously and wanted to see how the series starts out. It did not disappoint. Set in Berlin after the Nazis take over and before WWII starts, this is an extreme noir world of cruelty and corruption. And Bernie Gunther, private investigator, is both somehow distinctly cynical and highly moral.

So when an industrialist hires him to locate missing diamonds, he soon finds himself dealing with the Gestapo and hire-ups in the government who all seem to have their own corrupt advancement at the front of their minds. Fast paced and sarcastically funny. I’ll be reading more of these.

Second, Pay Dirt Road (Annie McIntyre Mysteries Book 1) by Samantha Jayne Allen. This book won the Tony Hillerman Prize, which is awarded to a first-time author of a mystery set in the southwest, so I decided to give it a try.

Annie McIntyre is a young woman fresh out of college who finds herself back in her hometown at loose ends, trying to figure out what to do with her life. In the meantime, she’s working as a waitress. Her grandfather is a semi-retired, ex-sheriff, private eye. When a work friend goes missing, Annie tries to discover what happened, and in the process finds her calling as a private detective and uncovers the answer to a disturbing personal experience that has been dogging her since high school.

Careful plotting creates lots of tension here, leading to a fast-paced finale that puts the pieces of the puzzle together. If you’re okay with a twenty-something protagonist, you’ll enjoy this book.

Happy reading!

Fall Discounts

Fall Discounts

Just a short note. Enjoying the northern hemisphere fall colors and making good progress on the new KD Thorne book. I’ll have more to say about it as I get closer to being finished.

In the meantime, Fall discounts on Traveler books 1-5.

From today November 7 to Sunday November 12, the Travelers eBooks 1-5 will be $.99 (US). After that, they go back to their usual prices. So if you need to catch up on the earlier books in the series, or you know someone who’d like to give them a try, now is your chance.

Here are the universal links to your favorite bookstore:

Traveling Man: Book 1: $.99 US https://books2read.com/u/bzoz6n

Computer Heist: Book 2: free https://books2read.com/u/bP9Vzz

Blackmail Photos: Book 3: $.99 US https://books2read.com/u/3LDZd5

Freeport Robbery: Book 4: $.99 US https://books2read.com/u/m2Vz67

Kidnap Victim: Book 5: $.99 US https://books2read.com/u/38Z2YL

(I’m having some trouble with the link to the Apple bookstore, which may claim the books aren’t there, but they are.)

Happy reading!

Small Mercies and Never Let Me Down Again

Small Mercies and Never Let Me Down Again

I’m hard at work on a KD Thorne book right now, still in the early drafting, but I’m making good progress. After this I’ll write another Travelers book.

In the meantime, two crime books I read last month. 

First off, Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane. The book takes place is Boston during the run up to the school integration of 1974, which was an explosive situation. A young woman from the Irish housing projects goes out with friends and doesn’t come home. The next morning, a young black man is found dead at the nearest subway station. The young woman’s mom starts digging into where her daughter was, who she was with, and what happened to her, while the cops are looking into the black man’s death.

Could not put this book down. The local color, the use of the historical situation, the motivations and desires of the various characters. All wonderful.

Second, Never Let Me Down Again by Mark Dawson. This is number 19 in the John Milton series. Milton is a sort of Equalizer character, only he’s British and on the run from the secret government agency he used to work for.

On this outing, he’s trying to make amends for a hot-headed mistake he made back when he was a soldier that had repercussions for an old friend and, at the same time, help a dying woman find her missing son, all of which leads to facing up against an international consortium of bad players in the outer reaches of Scotland. Complex plot with lots of action. A fun read.

If you want to try a John Milton eBook, number 20, Bulletproof, is $0.99 US today.

Happy reading!

The Lady Upstairs and All the Sinners Bleed

The Lady Upstairs and All the Sinners Bleed

Thanks again to everyone who bought Grifters’ Hopscotch or my other books during the official release. I’m at work plotting a new book now.

In the meantime, two mystery books I read last month. 

First off, The Lady Upstairs by Halley Sutton. This book is a noir psychological thriller. There are bad people and worse people, but there are no innocent people. The book is told in the first person, so we follow the protagonist Jo as she tries to scheme her way out of her problems and figure out her colleagues and her adversaries.

Jo works for a blackmail crew in Los Angeles that specializes in blackmailing powerful men who abuse women. Her part is recruiting and priming the young women they use to set up their prey. She’s in debt to her boss—the mysterious lady upstairs—when the job she’s planning to use to pay off her debt goes sideways. People die, the cops are involved, and Jo is scrambling to get out from under her problems and make the big score she’s always hoped for.

I figured out a key plot element ahead of time, but that didn’t stop the story from working toward a satisfying and unpredictable conclusion.

Second, All the Sinners Bleed by SA Cosby. I’ve read three of his books, all excellent, stand-alone thrillers. On this outing, a Black sheriff in a rural Virginia county uncovers a serial killer while investigating a murder at the local high school.

I don’t want to spoil it. So let me just say there’re lots of local color, complicated race relations, and authentic detail here, as well as a complex plot that is at once surprising and completely believable. A real treat to read.

If you’re interested in giving Cosby a try, an earlier book, Blacktop Wasteland, is $2.99 US right now for the eBook. That’s the lowest price I’ve ever seen for this book.

Here’s the Amazon link:  https://www.amazon.com/Blacktop-Wasteland-Novel-Shawn-Cosby-ebook/dp/B07WCYQZ4Y/

Happy reading!

Grifters’ Hopscotch is out now

Grifters’ Hopscotch is out now

The Travelers are back!

To celebrate the release of Grifters’ Hopscotch: The Travelers Book 10, from today (August 11, Friday) through August 16 (Wednesday) the Grifters’ Hopscotch eBook will be $2.99 US and the Travelers Books 1-5 will be $.99 US. After that, Grifters’ goes back up to $4.99 US and the other books to their usual prices. So if you need to catch up on the earlier books, or you need the discount on the new book, now is your time.

Here are the universal links to your favorite bookstore:

Grifters’ Hopscotch: Book 10: $2.99 US https://books2read.com/u/31VEZW

Traveling Man: Book 1: $.99 US https://books2read.com/u/bzoz6n

Computer Heist: Book 2: free https://books2read.com/u/bP9Vzz

Blackmail Photos: Book 3: $.99 US https://books2read.com/u/3LDZd5

Freeport Robbery: Book 4: $.99 US https://books2read.com/u/m2Vz67

Kidnap Victim: Book 5: $.99 US https://books2read.com/u/38Z2YL

I’ll send a reminder with the universal links on August 16.

In case you haven’t seen the description of Grifters’ Hopscotch:

It all started with a simple blackmail scheme.

The Travelers, con artists who specialize in stealing from criminals, find themselves short on cash and plan on making a quick $100,000 blackmailing a prosecuting attorney with a taste for call girls. Convincing a call girl to partner with them was easy, but they hadn’t counted on the dogged persistence of a rule-bending FBI agent and the maliciousness of the criminals whose help they need to make their escape.

Broke and on the run, they must outmaneuver the FBI while they set up an even riskier robbery to recoup their losses. And in the meantime, a criminal gang they’d scammed previously is back on their trail, seeking revenge.

Grifters’ Hopscotch is a fast-paced thriller that will keep you guessing. If you like criminal intrigue, ingenious suspense, and unpredictable plot twists, you’ll love the tenth novel in the Travelers series.

Happy reading!

Grifters’ Hopscotch

Grifters’ Hopscotch

The Travelers are back!

Some of you have already found and purchased Grifters’ Hopscotch: The Travelers Book 10 at full price, which I really appreciate. From August 11 (Friday) through August 16 (Wednesday) the Grifters’ Hopscotch eBook will be $2.99 US and the Travelers Books 1-5 will be $.99 US to celebrate the release. After that, Grifters’ goes back up to $4.99 US and the other books to their usual prices. So if you need to catch up on the earlier books, or you need the discount on the new book, now is your time.

I’ll send a reminder with the universal links to your favorite bookstore on August 11.

The last few years, I’ve been writing the KD Thorne thrillers because I wanted to try something new. Readers have enjoyed them, and I’ve had fun writing them, but I really love writing the Travelers thrillers and, judging from the reaction to Grifters’ Hopscotch thus far, a lot of you love reading them.

Here’s the description:

It all started with a simple blackmail scheme.

The Travelers, con artists who specialize in stealing from criminals, find themselves short on cash and plan on making a quick $100,000 blackmailing a prosecuting attorney with a taste for call girls. Convincing a call girl to partner with them was easy, but they hadn’t counted on the dogged persistence of a rule-bending FBI agent and the maliciousness of the criminals whose help they need to make their escape.

Broke and on the run, they must outmaneuver the FBI while they set up an even riskier robbery to recoup their losses. And in the meantime, a criminal gang they’d scammed previously is back on their trail, seeking revenge.

Grifters’ Hopscotch is a fast-paced thriller that will keep you guessing. If you like criminal intrigue, ingenious suspense, and unpredictable plot twists, you’ll love the tenth novel in the Travelers series.

Happy reading!

People of the Book and Acqua Alta

People of the Book and Acqua Alta

We’re on the countdown to the release of my new Travelers crime thriller, Grifters’ Hopscotch. I’ll have more news about it and discounts on earlier books in the series as the time approaches.

In the meantime, two mystery books I read last month while I was on vacation in the Canadian Rockies.

First off, People of the Book by Geraldine Books. This is a literary book that moves back and forth in time, but it is an excellent mystery and an easy read.

Hanna Heath, a rare book expert, is asked to authenticate an ancient Jewish prayer book. While examining the binding, she discovers several tiny artifacts that are extremely puzzling because they don’t belong in the book. Figuring out when and where these artifacts came from tells the story of where the book has been since it was written in the late 1400s.

But there are three mysteries here—the story of the book and its origins, the story of why Hanna Heath was chosen to research it, and the story of her own origins. You won’t find out all the answers until the last few pages. A fun, fun read.

Second, Acqua Alta by Donna Leon (Commissario Brunetti Book 5). I wrote about Death at La Fenice (Book 1) earlier this year. These books are a high recommend if you like European locations and tightly crafted police procedurals.

This time out, an archaeologist friend of Brunetti’s has been badly beaten in what appears to be a home invasion gone wrong, but as Brunetti digs into the case, he finds himself of the trail of antiquities’ smugglers who won’t stop at murder to get their way. A pleasure from start to finish.

Number 15 of this series, Through a Glass, Darkly,  is $1.99 US today.

Happy reading!