Review: Catch a Tiger by the Toe

 

I make no bones about it: I’m a Joe Congel fan.

I like reading stories and he writes good stories I want to read.

Catch a Tiger by the Toe is his latest offering.

It’s a suspense-filled murder mystery that satisfies on all levels.

Retired  NYC cop Brandon Turner wants a quiet life. A life filled with the joy of his dog, his lady-love, mentoring her son, and maybe a little fishing.

However, he once again finds himself entangled in a murder investigation where it seems he’s the only one with the skill set necessary to catch the killer. A nasty person bent on killing children in a catch-me-if-you-can game with the police.

For me, characters are the story. After all, life is about people. People and what they do or don’t do. And fiction is nothing more or less than a stylized look at people and their lives.

Congel gives us real people. Its as though a giant scooped up a great big handful of the world and put it under a dome for us to observe. That’s what it’s like reading one of his books.

One indicator I go by to tell me if the writer is sensitive to his surroundings and conveys them realistically is dialogue.

Does the writer get dialogue right? Does he have an ear for how people actually speak?

If the answer is yes, then the book will be enjoyable. If the answer is no, well, I don’t go on reading. The writer isn’t listening to the world. And if he isn’t listening does he have anything for me? Probably not.

Congel listens. He hears the world around him. His characters’s dialogue tells me so. They interact with real life and so what he has to tell me by means of his story will be real too.

If you already know Joe Congel, you know what I’m talking about.

If you don’t know his voice, then you are in for a wonderful treat. And Catch a Tiger by the Toe (Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles, Book 26) is an excellent place to begin.

Only on Amazon, and only 99¢ for a very short time. Get your copy today!

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

CW Hawes is a playwright; award-winning poet; and a fictioneer, with three bestselling novels. 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 

Justinia Wright Private Investigator Mysteries on Amazon!

Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles on Amazon!

What Am I Reading These Days?

 

What am I reading these days? Mysteries!

By necessity. Although I do very much enjoy mysteries, in spite of my reading them of necessity. 

But why by necessity? Because I’ve started writing my next Magnolia Bluff mystery and if I don’t read in the same genre I’m writing in my mind starts coming up with ideas in the genre I’m reading. 

Don’t know why that happens, but it does. And I don’t particularly want flying saucers in my murder mystery.

And at the moment I’m reading the delightful Mr. and Mrs. North mysteries.

The Mr. and Mrs. North mysteries were the creation of Frances and Richard Lockridge.

The novels ran from 1940 to 1963, when Frances died and Richard decided not to continue the series alone.

The setting is New York City, where Pam and Jerry North live and get involved in the murder investigations of their friend, Homicide Lieutenant Bill Weigand.

These thoroughly enjoyable mysteries are pretty much unknown today. But the series was very popular in the ‘40s and ‘50s. The books spawned a Broadway play, a movie, a radio show that ran from 1942 to 1954. And a TV series that ran for 2 seasons (1952 to 1954), totaling 57 episodes.

What’s the attraction? Colorful characters with whom you fall in love, plenty of humor, a good measure of suspense, and clever whodunit storylines.

The books are great fun. Thoroughly entertaining. A pleasant way to spend a few hours. I can see why they were so popular in the 40s and 50s.

But like all old books some of the novels contain language and attitudes that are no longer accepted as belonging to proper society today.

So if you are easily offended by how our parents, grandparents, or great-grandparents may have acted or spoken — it’s probably best if you not read the books.

If you aren’t so offended, pick yourself up a few. You will be in for a rollicking good time.

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

CW Hawes is a playwright; award-winning poet; and a fictioneer, with two bestselling novels. 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 

Justinia Wright Private Investigator Mysteries on Amazon!

Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles on Amazon!

Lone Star Blog Tour

 

We’re in the final days of the Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles Lone Star Blog Tour.

Take a visit of the Lone Star Literary Life Tour page for links to all of the reviews and to enter the giveaway. That’s free stuff, folks. And who doesn’t like free stuff? Especially when it’s good free stuff.

Ruthie Jones wrote a great review of Death Wears a Crimson Hat. Read it on her blog, Reading by Moonlight.

Karen Siddall wrote a marvelous review of Ten Million Ways to Die. Read it on her blog, Boys’ Mom Reads!

It’s so very satisfying when readers pick up my book and get lost in the story and fall in love with the characters.

To bring someone happiness and pleasure is a very great joy.

So head on over to the blog tour page, read the reviews of all the books, enter the giveaway, and most of all — read the books!

The Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles series features some absolutely amazing writing. So get moving to Magnolia Bluff today.

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 

Justinia Wright Private Investigator Mysteries on Amazon!

Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles on Amazon!

When Bad Things Happen to Good Mice

 

The Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles keep rolling along.

This month, on March 18th, as a matter of fact, Book 11 launches

When Bad Things Happen to Good Mice

And you can pick the book up on pre-order now.

Cindy Davis gives us another fun cozy mystery, filled with great humor, plenty of suspense, and a touch of the paranormal. After all, who doesn’t like ghosts? And the pizza shop owner knowing what kind of pizza you want?

Bliss seems to be the recipient of bad mojo. Here she is camping under the stars, minding her own business, when Chief Jager hauls her back to town on a charge of murder.

Murder of her boyfriend. Well, ex-boyfriend.

Why?

Because a body, presumed to be Bliss’s ex-boyfriend, was found in the ashes of the Annual Celtic Faire bonfire. 

Of course, Bliss was miles away when he died. But not so, according to a witness, someone Bliss considered a friend. 

The witness claims she saw Bliss in town the day of the bonfire. And no one can prove otherwise.

Chief Jager is getting pressure from all sides to solve the murder. And to catch the petty thief who’s been all over town breaking and entering and stealing cash.

With the help of her ability to see people’s auras, get clues from Tom Chapin songs that pop into her head, and the clues her toucan Diablo drops on her, Bliss thinks the murder and the thefts are related.

Chief Jager, though, doesn’t buy it. Well, not until it’s discovered that the body in the bonfire wasn’t Bliss’s ex-boyfriend after all.

So who was he? And why was he killed? And why have the thefts suddenly stopped?

Bliss, with charges dropped, is on a mission to find out.

It’s not every day that a mystery is filled with suspense and thrills, and is great fun. But that’s what Cindy Davis delivers in this latest installment of the Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles.

So if you’re looking to have a good time while taking a break from spring cleaning, or relaxing in the comfy coziness of your favorite chair or sofa on a lazy afternoon, or while sitting in bed before you hit the hay — then pick up a copy of 

When Bad Things Happen to Good Mice

You won’t regret it!

And if you’re new to the Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles series, you can start your adventure with

Death Wears a Crimson Hat

And you can find all of the Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles 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