Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles Update, Part 2

 In my previous post, I talked about the first 3 books in the Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles series.

In this post, I want to continue from where I left off and present to you Books 4 through 6 in this amazing series. And here they are!

You Won’t Know How… Or When

I love the clerical sleuth genre. There’s something about a man or woman of faith matching wits with a murderer. That combination elevates the moral nature of the detective story.

James Callan’s Father Frank has never been to the Texas Hill Country and hasn’t had a vacation in 4 years. When he decides to visit his friend, Father Lee, in Magnolia Bluff, that’s when the fun begins.

Here’s what one reader thought:

…an exciting, well plotted mystery. Father Frank takes a vacation to Magnolia Bluff and finds himself hearing confessions for his friend. 

Bound not to reveal anything he has learned in the confessional, Father Frank has to find a way to stop the potential killer and save his friend’s life - some vacation! 

I was fascinated, as well as intrigued and engaged, watching Father Frank stay true to his vows while being determined to save both his friend and the potential killer. 

The Flower Enigma

A techno-thriller in Magnolia Bluff? Well, why not? Our favorite town is connected to the internet. And is not immune to other upsets to rural tranquility. Breakfield and Burkey take those two facts and spin us a suspense-filled yarn.

A review from Amazon that captures what this installment in the Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles is all about:

JJ and Jo are finally taking a much-needed vacation and choose a small Texas town to decompress and enjoy stepping back from their fast-paced lives. 

Jo is a celebrated fashion model, and JJ spends his days bringing down cybercriminals. No chance of having to deal with publicity or technology hacks at the quaint bed and breakfast in Magnolia Bluff.

And yet, when they arrive, JJ is immediately sucked into helping a group of ladies who are under a cyber attack meant to prevent their daily podcasts from being streamed. 

From that starting point, the plot thickens and gets more and more complex. The young lovers willingly sacrifice their vacation not only to save the ladies' podcasts but also to help break up a human trafficking ring.

The mystery surrounding the newest resident of Magnolia Bluff, who erected an eight-foot wall around his ranch, deepens with each page of the book. 

The characters in this story are believable. Lily, the owner of the B&B, became one of my favorites. She caters to her customers but stands her ground when threatened. 

I love the small-town setting where everyone knows everyone. Having lived in a small town for many years, I related to the setting. I enjoyed how the authors added a unique Texas flair to the story through the cuisine and descriptive settings.

The Shine From A Girl In The Lake

Richard Schwindt is one of my favorite authors. In fact, I think he is one of the finest storytellers spinning yarns today.

His books are highly imaginative. Poignant. Often hilariously funny. His prose is imbued with a sense of place. He makes you feel you are there.

And all those elements come together to make The Shine from a Girl in the Lake one heck of a mystery-thriller.

Dr. Michael Kurelek teaches psychology at Burnet College in Magnolia Bluff. He also has his own private practice. He’s a man with a past looking for a new start in the small Texas town. Then one of his patients is found dead. In Burnet Reservoir.

When another patient ends up in the lake, Kurelek is driven to find the real killer before the police decide they are convinced he did it. The game is afoot. And it is a suspense-filled game of hunter and hunted. The ending had me biting my nails. Seriously.

The Shine from a Girl in the Lake is the perfect blending of classic whodunit and serial killer thriller. A fabulous book from the pen of one of the most imaginative writers working today.

There you have it: three more fabulous books set in beautiful Magnolia Bluff. You can get them and the rest of the series on Amazon.

Comments are always welcome! And until next time, happy reading!

CW Hawes is a playwright, award-winning poet, and a fictioneer, with a bestselling novel. He’s also an armchair philosopher, political theorist, social commentator, and traveler. He loves a good cup of tea and agrees that everything’s better with pizza.

If you enjoyed this post, please consider buying me a cup of tea. Thanks! PayPal.me/CWHawes

Book Review: Last Deadly Lie

 

Ever since I was a kid, I’ve preferred the series over the standalone book. I read fiction because of the characters, I don’t give two hoots about the plot. Because if the characters are good, they’ll make any plot, or even no plot, work.

Nevertheless, every once in a while I do pick up a standalone novel or story and give it a read.

That’s what happened with Last Deadly Lie by Caleb Pirtle III. I like Mr Pirtle’s writing, the word pictures he draws, and I like his characters. So even though a standalone, I bought a copy of Last Deadly Lie. And I’m glad I did. (You can get it on Amazon.)

What I found was a tour-de-force of contemporary Southern Gothic. Now you might be asking, What the heck is Southern Gothic?

The sub-genre of Southern Gothic is uniquely American, and is a regionalized version of American Gothic. It is a literary attempt to deal with the issues of Southern culture that continue to this day from the Confederacy’s defeat in the War Between the States (Civil War is a misnomer because the South never wanted to take control of the Federal government, which is what a civil war is all about — they wanted to withdraw and be left alone).

Southern Gothic uses the themes of American Gothic not merely for suspense, but to explore the values of the South.

Using the setting of a church and its community in a smallish Southern town, Mr Pirtle gives us an explosive tale that is dark in mood, and filled with corruption, power struggles, overweening pride, and lies. Lots of deep, dark, and often desperate, lies. 

Last Deadly Lie is a novel that becomes a mirror and forces us to look at ourselves, to take a long, deep, and honest look, and say, But for the grace of God go I. Then, again, maybe we can’t say that. Maybe we all, like those accusers of the woman caught in the very act of adultery, just have to slink away, tossing our stone to the ground.

Mr Pirtle has given us a suspense-filled novel that will keep us up past our bedtimes, forgetting about the baseball game and the vacuum cleaner, and will make us forget our dinners until they get cold.

Last Deadly Lie is one of the best novels I’ve read in a very long time. And that’s due to the life-like characters, placed in real-life situations, and Mr Pirtle’s magical way with words that stimulates the imagination to do what no movie or TV show can.

Seven months into the year, and Last Deadly Lie is still the book to beat for my best read of 2021.

Pick up a copy. You won’t be sorry.

Get Last Deadly Lie Here!

Comments are always welcome. And until next time, happy reading!

For the Weekend

I’m starting a new feature. On Fridays (although perhaps not every Friday) I’m going to recommend books for your weekend reading pleasure.

As regular readers of this blog know, reading is my favorite form of entertainment. And I’d like it to become yours. Movies and TV shows are okay, but there is nothing like a book or short story to get the imagination firing on all cylinders. And family reading time is absolutely magical. You don’t have to read all on your own!

Today, I want to draw your attention to a series and a short story.

The Boom Town Saga by Caleb Pirtle III

I’m currently reading Book 3 of this fantastic historical saga that focuses on finding oil in the 1930s and how the discovery changes, or doesn’t change, lives.

The central characters of the series are con-man/miracle worker Doc Bannister and Eudora Durant, once hometown beauty queen, now wife of a good for nothing husband who beats her and cheats on her.

In Doc and Eudora, Pirtle gives us people who are very real, yet larger-than-life. And their precarious love story adds spice to an already exciting series.

Couple the fabulous characters with Pirtle’s nearly magical writing that makes the past come alive, and you have the ingredients for powerful storytelling. And The Boom Town Saga is powerful story telling at its finest.

You can find the series at Amazon. And for a limited time, Book 3 is only 99¢.

The Boom Town Saga is a very satisfying way to while away the weekend.

Love’s Enigma by Breakfield and Burkey

Charles V Breakfield and Roxanne E Burkey are new to me writers. They are the authors of the 11 book Techno-Thriller Enigma series.

I haven’t read the series. I picked up the short story “Love’s Enigma” on a recommendation and from reading the reviews it seems the story provides background information on a couple of the characters from the series.

However, you don’t need to read the series to enjoy the story, which is the tale of Zara and Buzz: a romance that begs the caution, be careful what you ask for.

Zara and Buzz have a good thing going, but Buzz wants more. Will Zara give in and give him what he wants? Or would it be better if Buzz was satisfied with what he has?

I can’t say more without giving away the surprise ending. If romance is your thing, give this short story a try. You can find it on Amazon.

Books: What Price Value?

Okay, folks, today I’m ranting. Just letting you know!

Recently, my 4800 word story, Ancient History: A Modern Ghost Story, received a 1 star review on Amazon. Here is the review in its entirety:

23 pages long

The story was going along great. Then it just stopped!

I wish I had looked at the length of the story before I bought it. Even .99 is too much for a book that's only 23 pages!

My immediate takeaway was:

• He liked the story
• He didn’t like that it was a short story
• He thinks short stories should be given to people for free
• He admitted that it was his own fault he didn’t look at the length before he bought

Yet, reviewer Thomas thinks it’s totally fair to punish me for his oversight and dislike of short stories! An interesting approach to life that. Blame others for your own mistakes.

Our reviewer thinks 99¢ is too much to pay for a short story — and he is certainly entitled to his opinion. However, by way of comparison, Lawrence Block charges $2.99 for his short stories.

Now granted, I’m not Lawrence Block and I certainly don’t pretend to be in his league. But then I don’t charge $2.99 for my short stories or five bucks for my novels either.

I do however put a price tag on my work that is, I think, fair given my writing ability and the entertainment value of the stories.

After all, reviewer Thomas, there ain’t no such thing as a free lunch — in spite of what you think. Everything has a cost. Everything.

For an indie author to put a book in your hands, Mr Thomas, that writer has to spend time writing the story. And who wants to work for free? I don’t and I doubt you do either.

Then there is the cost of getting a cover for the book. There is the cost of editing and proofreading the book. There is the cost of formatting the book. And there is the cost of marketing the finished product.

From that 99¢, I get a mere 35¢. Amazon gets the rest. 

Ancient History was published 1 July 2016. I have yet to even make back the cost of the cover — let alone all of the other costs associated with the book.

I’m not grousing about the 1 star. Win some, lose some. What I find insulting is Thomas’s attitude that I should give my stuff away for free. How about this, Mr Thomas, tomorrow you tell your boss you don’t want to get paid. You’ll put in your 8 hours for free. Bet you my pension you’ll never do that in a million years. Yet, you would deprive me of a lousy 35¢. Thanks, pal.

I don’t believe in free. I think the laborer is worthy of his hire. When authors want to give me a free book to review, I tell them it’s my policy to buy the book. If I like the book, I’ll review it and promote it. In spite of that, sometimes I get free books. But my policy still holds. Because if I like the freebie, I will buy a copy — so the author gets his money. The money he is due for entertaining me.

At the end of the day, I think we indie authors are our own worst enemy. We have trained readers, like Thomas, to expect something for nothing due to all the freebies we give out. And I admit, I used to be in that camp. But I ain’t no longer.

Hear ye, hear ye! I am not giving out free books or free anything except to those who sign up for my mailing list or are on my mailing list. Because a mailing list is like a club, and with club membership comes benefits.

You want free stuff, Thomas? Join my mailing list.

Okay. Rant over.

Comments are always welcome! And until next time, happy reading!

Keeping a Reading Journal

Readers of this blog know I love to read. Reading is my most enjoyable form of entertainment. Reading brings me pleasure. Reading stimulates my imagination. Reading allows me to meet people and to go places not possible in real life. Reading is the best!

When I retired in January 2015, I decided to keep a list of the books I read. A Reading Journal of sorts. What I discovered in doing so is that I can go back over the lists and relive the memorable books and stories.

In the beginning, the lists were quite simple: just title and author. Over the years, they’ve become a bit more detailed.

What I’ve discovered in keeping my lists is that my reading has increased over the years. And that is definitely good.

In 2015, I read 23 novels. Last year I read 46. All told, I’ve read 184 novels and novellas. Plus 15 short story collections and 125 individual short stories. And this reading is just for pleasure. I’m not doing it because I’m reviewing books and such.

If I do like a book, I’ll write a review and promote the book on Facebook and Twitter. But only for indie or small press authors. The reason being is that they most likely don’t have the resources the publishing mega-corps have. Book reviews are a form of word-of-mouth advertising — and totally free! 

In looking over my lists, I’ve also noticed my reading has become narrower. More and more I find myself turning to mysteries and supernatural horror for my main reading pleasure. I’ve also noticed that I mostly read indie authors and dead authors.

And of those two groups, the dead author list is growing. Mostly because I find too much in the way of politics and political correctness dogma in the writing of far too many contemporary authors. 

As I get older, I have a decreasing tolerance for politics and the stultifying effects of political correctness. It ruins my reading pleasure. I just want a good story. If I want the other stuff, I’ll watch the news. And I no longer watch the news.

Keeping my reading journal focuses me more on reading. I challenge myself to read more each year than I read the year before. This year I want to reach 48 novels/novellas for the year. Two more than I read last year.

Keeping the journal also shows me those delightful reading surprises. Having read 2 westerns, I found I rather liked them — and will probably read more. I also read a weird west novel and short story and liked them as well. This year will probably see more westerns and weird west tales on my reading list.

I encourage you to keep a reading journal. It can be simple, like mine, which is basically just a list, or it can be more detailed, with added notes.

But do keep one. You just might find yourself turning to a book rather than the TV, and other video content.

Comments are always welcome! And until next time, happy reading!

Book Review: Defiant, She Advanced

When it comes to political and economic theory, I place myself in the libertarian camp. To my mind the rights of the individual trumps all. I’m opposed to collectivism and statism in all its forms. It does not take a village to raise a child. IMHO :)

And even though Ayn Rand was quite popular in my college days, I never read any of her books. Consequently, libertarian fiction is new to me. So when I ran across George Donnelly’s short story series, There Will Be Liberty, I decided to buy both books. After all, sci-fi and libertarianism—how cool is that?

I finished reading Defiant, She Advanced: Legends Of Future Resistance a week or two ago and decided to review it. As with all short story collections, some stories are better than others. Better in my eyes, that is. Because, as we all know, what is good or bad, beautiful or ugly, is all a matter of opinion.

So let’s take a look at the short story collection Defiant, She Advanced and see how it stakes up against the competition and let’s begin with me giving you a tiny taste of the flavors that you’ll find in this collection. Then be sure to get a copy and decide for yourself!

“The Slow Suicide of Living Again” by Wendy McElroy leads off the book. The story is the most overtly libertarian of the bunch, but that isn’t bad. Wendy’s done a great job of integrating libertarian thought with the storyline and making it flow as a coherent whole. The tale begins with a restitution agent describing a tense scene where she barely escapes from sex traffickers. But that’s the least of Mackenzie Jones’s problems. For her world is soon turned upside down and reality…? Well, what is reality anyway? A very memorable story. Perhaps the best in the collection.

Stories of good guys versus bad guys are usually told from the perspective of the good guy. “Thompson’s Stand” by Jake Antares tells the story of a rebellion against authority from the perspective of the bad guy. A tale of surprising compassion.

“Under the Heel of the Aether Imperium” by J P Medved is a steampunk space opera, with all the things we love best in those two sub-genres. It is a fun-filled, rollicking adventure yarn. This story is complete, yet sets the stage for an ongoing series.

William F Wu’s “Yellowsea Yank” is another steampunk adventure. This one, though, is set on earth, in China, and is filled with action, adventure, mystery, suspense, romance, and mistaken identity. What’s not to like?

1984 is perhaps the most terrifying picture of totalitarianism ever written. George Donnelly, in “Doubleplusunhate”, gives us an Orwellian story that is dark and disturbing. Make sure your teddy bear or comfy blanket are nearby.

Steampunk and the Western frontier seem to go together. Jack McDonald Burnett’s retro-future “Get Kidd to Bounty” gives us the Old West atmosphere in steampunk trappings and does so admirably. This is a classic escape story and will keep you on the edge of your seat. It’s also thought-provoking. One of the best in the collection.

For me, Robert S Hirsch’s “The Intruder” was weak. A rather predictable revenge story, with a techno-fight scene that I didn’t find all that interesting. This was probably the weakest story in the collection.

The writing in Jonathan David Baird’s “Workaday” was very good. Unfortunately, I thought the story suffered from being too short. The storyline needed some fleshing out, because too much seemed to be left unanswered. It just seemed too contrived and sketchy to me. The writing was good, I just wished there was more of it.

“Flourescence” by J P Medved was quite different from his other story in this collection. A dystopian fantasy about a girl with a very special grandmother. The story addresses the issue of authority versus the individual. I found it thought-provoking.

The collection concludes with a long story by George Donnelley, “The Death Shop”. The tone of this science fiction story is dystopian and the story ends with a surprising twist. Even now, reflecting on this tale, I’m not sure what to make of it. I found it disturbing and it left me… Well, I’m not sure. I guess, if anything, questioning what is real and what is a dream. Read it for yourself and see what you think.

All in all, Defiant, She Advanced: Legends of Future Resistance (There Will Be Liberty, Book 1) was worth the money. There is good thought-provoking, as well as fun, entertainment here. The libertarian thought, while present, was not in your face. No preaching here. Hats off to Mr Donnelly for achieving an excellent balance in good storytelling and in presenting political/economic thought. I recommend you get yourself a copy. I don’t think you’ll be sorry. I’m looking forward to reading the second book in the series.

Comments always welcome! Until next time, happy reading!

Book Review: Entangled by J. Evan Stuart

What makes for a good mystery? For me, it is having a sleuth who is memorable. Sherlock Holmes, Nero Wolfe, Sam Spade, Phryne Fisher, Kinsey Milhone, Nick and Nora Charles, Mr and Mrs North, Hercule Poirot, Inspector Morse, Inspector Barnaby, Matt Scudder.

I don’t remember the individual cases, the puzzles the detectives solved, I remember the detectives themselves. They are colorful, unique, quirky, and have a splash of panache.

For me, the characters make the story and therefore I tend to be quite forgiving if the puzzle is less than perfect, because I don’t really care about the puzzle anyway. And this holds true for me no matter what genre I read. Give me interesting characters and I am happy, just like that proverbial clam. The story is only there to make the character shine. It is as Ray Bradbury said, create your character, let him do his thing, and there is the story.

In Entangled by J Evan Stuart, Detective Sonya Reisler is just such a sleuth. She’s memorable. She has a strong sense of justice. She wants to prove herself and is willing to take risks to do so. And she has a past.

We love angst-filled detectives, don’t we? Matt Scudder, Jackson Brody, Phryne Fisher, Aimée Leduc, my own Justinia Wright. A past the detective is trying to hold at bay or run from. A haunting past he or she can’t get rid of any more than they can get rid of their brains.

Sonya has a past. A past which forces her to make decisions she might not otherwise make and to trust people no normal police detective would trust. And that’s what makes Entangled such a good read. It is the rollercoaster ride we emotionally share with Sonya as she tries to find the real killer instead of hanging it on the easy and innocent victim which the lazy sheriff wants to do — and at the same time deal with her demons.

Not that Entangled isn’t a good story in its own right, for it is. The storyline kept me on the edge of my seat. A classic howdunit, with a whizz-bang ending. What is significant, in my opinion, is that the story is the perfect stage on which the characters can do their thing and in the process tell us their stories. To me, that is the work of a superb writer.

This debut novel by J Evan Stuart is not only exquisite entertainment, it goes deeper and addresses what touches us as human beings most deeply: namely, relationships; both their significance and importance to us as social creatures. For even the most misanthropic curmudgeon amongst us still responds to a kind word and a gentle touch.

Entangled by J Evan Stuart is very highly recommended. The book is truly a cut above and one not to be missed.

Book Review: A Bump In The Night

Fantasy is a genre I no longer find very interesting. To be honest, I don’t like magic and I’m very much tired of trolls, elves, dwarves, and the whole passel of Tolkienesque rip-offs. Having written that, I recently ran across two works of fantasy I very much enjoyed. They are by Crispian Thurlborn: The Chalice and A Bump in the Night.

Today, I’m going to review A Bump in the Night. It is a ghost story, but unlike any I’ve read. I bought the book on Amazon, where the Kindle version may be purchased for $2.99. This review is unsolicited.

Ghosts. Who doesn’t love a good ghost story? I know I do. With Mr Snaggle and Mr Snuffle, we have two ghosts on a mission to save their friend, Mr Bump from fading to oblivion. I shan’t say more about the storyline, as I don’t wish to give too much away. Suffice it to say, Crispian Thurlborn has given us a delightfully satisfying and whimsical tale where Mr Bump ends up getting help from a most unlikely source. And one which ends up helping us as well.

All of the characters are well-drawn and even though Mr Snaggle and Mr Snuffle are very often mischievous imps, they are a pair one is hard pressed not to love. Mr Bump is in many ways an example of modern, urban human beings. We, who in this age of luxury and plenty, find ourselves to have lost our sense of meaning and purpose. Mr Bump’s journey is our journey. A quest to find ourselves.

Mr Thurlborn’s writing style is superbly magical. The text flows effortlessly and carries you along, as a river a boat. Here we find an eloquence not often seen today.

This book’s entertainment value is top drawer. The tale is delightful and wonderful. Superbly rich. It is frozen custard in book form. Mr Thurlborn gives us a story with humor, sadness, philosophy, and a satisfying ending. I don’t often re-read books. This one, however, is a candidate for re-reading. Very highly recommended!!

Crispian Thurlborn is a phenomenal writer. I hope he gives us more treasure. Much, much more.

Review: Apocalyptic Pub Lunches by Erik Ga Bean

Erik Ga Bean is a most interesting author. I ran across him and his novel A Trifle Airship on Twitter. I purchased the book, thoroughly enjoyed it, went on to purchase Mrs Fatterbottom’s Burden, and now have completed Apocalyptic Pub Lunches.

Apocalyptic Pub Lunches may be purchased from Smashwords. And for a mere 99¢.

I thoroughly enjoyed Apocalyptic Pub Lunches. The storyline is simple and basically character driven. A format I like very much. The author provides us with people who are less than ordinary in mostly ordinary situations, which provides a light and subtle humor. We are also given a wry commentary on our daily lives. Interesting people who are often in exceedingly boring jobs and yet somehow survive.

The writing style is laid-back, like a Sunday afternoon stroll in the park. We are not hurried through this tale. There is no frenetic pacing. There is action and there is adventure, but it takes place at a leisurely pace. 

The story is divided into 6 vignettes. Each one is from one of the principal character’s point of view. The ending of the tale is, like much of the story, indirect. Something I rather like.

The only sour note comes is in textual integrity. Erik Ga Bean tells a good story. He knows how to write. However, proofreading was insufficient and I felt the final section could have had another read through by the author or an editor as it didn’t flow as well as the other sections.

Erik Ga Bean is a delightful author. A hidden treasure. I look forward to reading the rest of his oeuvre. He is quite good and very much recommended!