ANGLE OF INVESTIGATION by Michael Connelly

Buy At Amazon Angle of Investigation: Three Harry Bosch Stories After I dove into the first batch of Michael Connelly short stories about Harry Bosch, I couldn’t resist a second lap. Angle of Investigation is another great collection that showcases LAPD detective Harry Bosch across the broad spectrum of homicides handled across his career. “Christmas […]

SUICIDE RUN by Michael Connelly

Buy At Amazon Suicide Run: Three Harry Bosch Stories Michael Connelly is one of those mystery writers I perennially enjoy, but I tend to read him in batches rather than stay up with his book or two a year output. I don’t know why. I just like bingeing on the characters I guess. I binged […]

OLD MARS by George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois

I spent part of my childhood and young adult years on Mars. Not a lot of people can make that claim these days because the books I read have given way to stories about Harry Potter and Percy Jackson. But before Harry and Percy ever made the scene, I had Edgar Rice Burroughs and Leigh […]

A FACE IN THE CROWD by Stephen King & Stewart O’Nan

Stephen King can grab you by the throat and scare you to death from the outset. But, even more sadistic, sometimes he can slip inside your head while you’re casually reading something, getting to know characters and a situation, and gently nudge you every so often till you look around and realize you’re in the […]

FORT WORTH NIGHTS by James Reasoner

Although James Reasoner is mostly known these days as a writer of Westerns and historical fiction, he cut his teeth on detective writing. For a long time, he was the “ghost” for the Michael Shayne Mystery Magazine, penning monthly adventures of Miami’s favorite redheaded detective. Somewhere in there, he also started writing the adventures of […]

STEAMPUNK!: AN ANTHOLOGY OF FANTASTICALLY RICH AND STRANGE STORIES by Kelly Link and Gavin J. Grant

Steampunk!: An Anthology of Fantastically Rich and Strange Stories by Kelly Link and Gavin J. Grant was a mixed bag for me. Some of the stories didn’t seem to have more than a passing acquaintance with steampunk, or seemed to be too estranged from the genre to work for me. Others seemed to be the […]

UNDER THE MOONS OF MARS by John Joseph Adams

For those in the know, Under the Moons of Mars was the original title of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ first John Carter novel, which was subsequently retitled A Princess of Mars. With that one story, of dead Mars and the most beautiful woman in two worlds – a princess that just can’t seem to stay out […]

THE NIGHT AND THE MUSIC by Lawrence Block

Lawrence Block is one of those authors I’ve been reading practically all my life. At least, the parts of it when I was grown and wanting my world to be bigger than that small town I grew up in. Unlicensed private eye and recovering alcoholic Matt Scudder is one of those formative blocks (yeah, insert […]

SECOND SON by Lee Child

Second Son by Lee Child is the first juvenile Jack Reacher story the author has given his fans via the ebook market. I don’t know if the story was actually intended for YA readers, but I’m going to let my 13 year old sit down with this one. Maybe it’ll lead him into the adult […]

MILE 81 by Stephen King

“Mile 81” is the first original short story Stephen King has written for the Kindle, and it’s also a return to the kind of horror story that he used to write before he got famous. The story has very pulpy roots, and the action is something that – along with the short length – that […]