ALL THE SECRETS OF THE WORLD – Steve Almond

Posted by Daniel on September 23, 2022
Posted in: MYSTERY, YA. Tagged: , , , , , . Leave a comment

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Steve Almond has written a novel?  That’s really good news.  It’s better news that this is a really powerful, epic novel.

The book begins almost as a YA angst story when two 13 year-olds from very different social and economic backgrounds are assigned to work together on a school project.  The teacher believes it is good for the girls to get to know one another and see what life is like for the other.  They do form a friendship which binds together not only them but their families.

But this isn’t a YA novel and it twists, turns, and convulses into an anxiety filled police thriller with families torn apart, a criminal justice system that run amok, and cops that straddle the line between ‘good cop’ and corrupt. There are no easy answers here, and that’s part of what Almond smacks the reader over the head with … we don’t always get the right answer, or the good answer, of the easy answer. And sometimes life has to go on for the survivors. And yeah, that really sucks.

The book identifies and crosses boundaries – territorial, social, gender, moral – making this a terrific social exploration that is both physically and figuratively expansive in its coverage.

I first got turned on to Steve Almond’s works when I randomly picked up his collection of short stories, My Life in Heavy Metal, and I’ve been a fan of his work ever since (I even showed up for an in-person author discussion with Steve Almond – something I generally don’t do).

Although Almond has typically written short fiction and nonfiction (Candyfreak is a must read for anyone who’s ever had a favorite candy treat) this novel, sort of a debut novel if you don’t count the co-authored Which Brings Me to You (and I don’t), is a spectacular achievement. Its scope is broad and topical. It is no wonder that this has already been picked up to become a television series. Read it now so that you can tell your friends you read it before it was a popular show!

Looking for a good book?  All the Secrets of the World by Steve Almond is a thematically heavy book but the author brings the reader into the story gently and with great curiosity before showing us the underside of the world.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

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All the Secrets of the World

author: Steve Almond

publisher: Zando

ISBN: 1638930023

hardcover, 416 pages

ENJOYING BOURBON – Frank Flannery

Posted by Daniel on September 21, 2022
Posted in: ENTERTAINMENT, NON-FICTION, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

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This is a very good beginner’s guide to understanding and, as the title suggests, enjoying bourbon.

Author Frank Flannery doesn’t get too deep into any of the topics touched upon, but the reader will come away feeling confident enough to join a bourbon conversation at a cocktail party.

We start with a brief history of bourbon and how bourbon is made. Then we get some tips on how to read a bourbon label.  This is pretty helpful and not something you typically find in books like this.  Note that Flannery states right at the start: “Depending on the bottle, a bourbon label might tell you a whole lot or very little.” I’ve found that the information I am most interested in when I’m shopping for a bourbon is generally not listed on the label (the rye content).

The chapter on tasting bourbon was also quite helpful. However, I do think that this is one of those categories one must really experience to understand.  To talk about hints of cherry or vanilla or oak or cinnamon can be hard to fathom without having a bourbon in hand.

A chapter titled “Famous Bourbons” was a bit unusual.  Flannery selects five brand names that are “Names You Know.” I only recognized four of them and, more importantly, I thought there were some big names left off the short list. But it was nice to get a brief background on these names, the tasting notes, and the mash bill for these.  This is the information I’d like on all bourbons but many don’t list the mash bill.

The book also includes a couple of bourbon cocktails, but these are the most basic of cocktails.  These are the drinks that every bartender should know how to make (and one is a drink I almost always order when I order a cocktail) but these aren’t fancy or ‘new’ bourbon drinks.  Anyone familiar with bourbon has probably made one or more of these.

The biggest portion of this book, however … probably about 2/3 of the book … are pages for the reader to write in.  Tasting Notes.

Go on your own bourbon tasting journey and fill in the pages.  Brand name, distiller, flavors – with a tasting wheel!, a color chart (how rich is that amber color?), and prompts to describe the first sip and the third sip, and whatever else you want to say about the drink.

It’s a nice notebook to have, but that’s really what this is … a bourbon journal notebook, with a few, simple pages to help you know what you’re looking for. If that’s what you’re looking for, then this is really well done.  If you’re looking for a slightly more thorough guide to bourbons, then you might want to thumb through this and see if this will work.

Personally, I liked the journal aspect, but I didn’t get anything new about bourbons in the informational pages.

Looking for a good book? Enjoying Bourbon: A Tasting Guide and Journal by Frank Flannery is more journal than guide, but that works just fine for me.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.

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Enjoying Bourbon: A Tasting Guide and Journal

author: Frank Flannery

publisher: Voyageur Press

ISBN: 0760369267

hardcover, 176 pages

THE CARTOGRAPHERS – Amy Zhang

Posted by Daniel on September 19, 2022
Posted in: Uncategorized, YA. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

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Ocean Wu has graduated from high school and, now looking to put the pressure to succeed and the heaviness of depression behind her, moves to to New York. She has been accepted to a very prestigious university and will receive a very nice scholarship.

But Ocean is still uncertain about what she wants to do, and now, out of the immediate shadow of her mother and with some unique freedom, she chooses to defer her first year of college for a year and decides to live off her savings and explore life and what New York has to offer. She moves in to an apartment with two strangers (though they become fast friends).

In a frightening moment of power outage while hoping to take a subway, Ocean meets a boy – Constantine “Constant” Brave. Constant is a graffiti artist, painting maps on subway walls.  Ocean is perhaps more fascinated than attracted to Constant, but his apparent freedom is highly appealing to the girl searching for her own path as an adult.

The two stay connected primarily through a shared Google Docs file, writing notes and sharing their stories with one another. This endears Ocean even more to Constant Brave so she seeks him out in person where they become more intimate.  But the ‘real’ Constant is not the boy she was imagining and Ocean’s new friends come to her rescue.

For months Ocean has kept the secret from her mother that school has been deferred and she’s been on her own, but it’s not a secret she can keep for long and ultimately she will need to let her mom know that, like Constant painting maps, she is also mapping out her own future.

This was a really nice slice-of-life novel of a voyage of discovery or a coming-of-age novel. We immediately feel as though we know Ocean and anyone who has experienced the angst of living up to someone else’s expectations (particularly a parent’s), can identify with her desire for independence.

Her journey is a bit more risky and dangerous than what most of us might face, but that danger is only a slight undertone through Amy Zhang’s book. Mostly we have Ocean’s journey – a creating a map as she charts new paths of discovery and new paths of love.

Ocean is the only character we really get to know in depth – her roommates have some background, but the reader doesn’t really get too familiar with them, which is slightly disappointing as they offer a safe haven for Ocean and it would be nice to have a little more insight to them.

Who Constant is is a mystery, but this is okay … that’s part of Ocean’s journey to discovery.

This book should be very popular with many YA readers – particularly those who are about to graduate from high school or are in their early years of college.  So much of this coming of age story will resonate with these younger readers.

Looking for a good book? The Cartographers by Amy Zhang is a beautifully told story of a young woman breaking away from expectations from her family and mapping out her own path to the future.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

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The Cartographers

author: Amy Zhang

publisher: HarperCollins

ISBN: 0062383078

hardcover, 320 pages

THE WOMAN IN THE WOODS – Lisa Hall

Posted by Daniel on September 16, 2022
Posted in: Dark Fantasy/Horror, MYSTERY, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , . Leave a comment

Allie and her husband Rav and their two small children have moved into the picture-perfect little cottage on the outskirts of some woods in the British community of Pluckley. This promises to be the beginning of a long, happy life together.

But Pluckley has a reputation – it is known as the most haunted village in all of England.

Shortly after the birth of their son, Allie begins to notice strange things – from scratching noises coming from the chimney and a ghostly white figure moving through the woods behind the house. Allie, alone with the children throughout the day as Rav goes to work, explores the history of the area and of their home and learns of a history of witchcraft that might still exist today.

Slowly, Allie loses control of herself and her senses.  Is this that witchcraft pulling her in, or is it, as the local doctors claim, just a case of post-partum depression? And what is Rav up to through all of this?

There is definitely a nice, creepy sense to this book, giving it the spooky atmosphere that you want in this kind of book. The mystery of who’s behind all this – is she crazy or is there a supernatural element behind everything? – is a bit overworked.

By the end of the book, I was tired. I was tired of what seemed like a constant ‘maybe she’s just crazy’ infusion in the book.  Every time Allie would start feeling something supernatural, we’d get someone (Allie, Rav, or friends) suggesting she’s just not herself.  I wish I had counted how many times this occurred, but I was nearing the end of the book when I actually said aloud, “Again? Just get on with the it!”

Some of this also has to do with the character of Allie. We’re never really given the chance to understand her, or (which would be better yet) to like her.  Her relationships with others, even her own kids, seems really impersonal so it’s difficult to rally behind her.

I was definitely expecting some stronger story-building and not a reliance on the same trope over and over.

Looking for a good book? In a bookstore filled with mysteries and supernatural stories, Lisa Hall’s The Woman in the Woods does not not stack up well.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.

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The Woman in the Woods

author: Lisa Hall

publisher: HQ

ISBN: 0008356483

hardcover, 368 pages

ARCHER & ARMSTRONG: REVIVAL – graphic novel

Posted by Daniel on September 14, 2022
Posted in: GRAPHIC NOVEL, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

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Archer is master of hand-to-hand combat as well as an expert marksman.  He is always on the hunt for truth but is perhaps a bit slow on .  Think of him as an updated Kwai Chang Caine.

Archer has partnered with Armstrong, a street-smart but none-too-bright fighter who cannot die. He’s been alive since the dawn of history and realized that the most important thing in life is grabbing a drink.

The pair balance each other in many ways throughout this book.

The title is 30 years old and Valiant Publishing pulls together some key past issues to give readers a good look at the history of the characters and some highlighted adventures, starting with Archer’s backstory – again, reminiscent of Kung Fu‘s Kwai Chang Caine or even Batman.

I was not at all familiar with this title, but I was not much of a comics reader back in the 1990’s. I did, however, recognize the names of the creators for this – Barry Windsor-Smith, Jim Shooter, Bob Layton – and it was on the strength of those names that I wanted to give this a try.

I felt that this was really dated. While I generally still prefer the hand-drawn, ink on board/paper artwork from comics from my generation over the slick look of drawn-on-computer graphic novels, there was something about this work that was unnecessarily busy, cluttered, and too often I had to stare at a panel to understand what was happening.  This slowed down the storytelling and therefore the art and the story didn’t always mesh well together, which is ironic since Barry Windsor-Smith often did both.

Armstrong comes off as a Falstaff-like character – larger-than-life, the comic relief, and always looking for the next drink. But he becomes pretty much a one note character, and that takes away from the humor that he’s there to create.

Overall, I was disappointed. I expected more, better, from this group of creators.

Looking for a good book? Archer & Armstrong: Revival, a graphic novel by Barry Windsor-Smith, Jim Shooter, and Bob Layton didn’t really capture my interest or make me long for more stories in this ‘buddy’ relationship adventure series.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.

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Archer & Armstrong: Revival

authors: Barry Windsor-Smith, Jim Shooter, Bob Layton

artist: Barry Windsor-Smith

publisher: Valiant Entertainment

ISBN: 1682153940

paperback, 336 pages

THE BOOK OF COLD CASES – Simone St. James

Posted by Daniel on September 12, 2022
Posted in: Dark Fantasy/Horror, MYSTERY, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

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In 1977 a small town in Oregon was rocked by murders done by a woman, dubbed The Lady Killer Murders. The leading suspect was Beth Greer – a rich, eccentric twenty-three-year-old woman who was seen fleeing one of the crimes. She was acquitted, however, and she she became a recluse in her family mansion.

Forty years later, Shea Collins – a receptionist by day but by night the force behind a true crime website, the Book of Cold Cases.  This has been a fascination of hers since she escaped an abduction attempt as a child. When Shea runs into Beth Greer by chance, Shea asks if she might interview Beth and is surprised when Beth says yes.

The two meet regularly at the mansion, but Shea is never comfortable there. She’s convinced that things in the house move about on their own when she’s not looking, and she can feel the presence of someone else at times. Even so, Shea believes she gets to the truth behind this cold case.

I wasn’t sure what to expect with this book but the description sounded interesting to me and it turned out to be a really good read.

Author Simone St. James crafts this story delicately and builds it with great precision. Would-be mystery writers should take special note of how St. James structures this book. It is a fascinating and exciting work.

Although Shea Collins narrates this, it is clearly Beth Greer’s story. Greer is such an interesting character.  By all rights, she should not be a sympathetic character.  All signs point to her being the murderer and she has nothing but distain for anyone who tries to help her. She hates people and prefers solitude. Why should we like her?  And yet we do. We are curious about her and completely invested in her story.

But what is truly tremendous here is the supernatural element. This is a mystery, but it is also a ghost story.  Unless you know that before going in to the book, the supernatural element is so subtle, barely hinted at early on and only grows as Beth’s story becomes more and more clear until we can feel that ghost at our backs as we read.

I really enjoyed this book – enough to want to read more by Simone St. James.

Looking for a good book? The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James is a really wonderful supernatural (ghost story)/mystery. It is well written and draws the reader in.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

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The Book of Cold Cases

author: Simone St. James

publisher: Berkley

ISBN: 0440000211

hardcover, 352 pages

THE CORPSE-RAT KING – Lee Battersby

Posted by Daniel on September 8, 2022
Posted in: Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

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Marius don Hellespont may not be the most morally upright person, but his survival instinct is strong.  He and his apprentice, Gerd, are walking through a field of corpses, looting the fallen bodies, when Gerd accidentally informs the nearby soldiers as to he and his master’s activities.

Marius is mistaken for the King of Scorby (the body that he just looted) and the a soldier (who also happens to be dead), takes Marius to the Kingdom of the Dead.

The dead, it seems, need a ruler and since Marius came in  place of the anticipated dead king, Marius is given one chance – to return to the land of the living and send a dead king back down to the Kingdom of the Dead, or return to the land of the dead and suffer for all eternity.

It wouldn’t seem like much of a choice, but Marius tries to invoke another option … run away! But we know you can’t run away from death no matter how hard you try, and this sends Marius into a series of (sometimes amusing) incidents.

I liked the general concept of this book – it’s definitely something right up my interest – but I found the book to be slow and I struggled to stay interested.  Some of this could definitely come from what I see as a despicable, low-life central character.

When a main character is insincere and really has no redeeming qualities to him, what drives the story?  Is it only plot driven and the character is nothing more than a means to get to the end of the plot? Even if that were so (and I don’t think it is) there’s no reason that the central figure shouldn’t be appealing to the reader in some way.

What I expect with a character like Marius don Hellespont is that there will be a change in his character (think Scrooge) as a result of what he goes through in the course of the book. But we need to see the potential for change – some sign that there’s promise – and we don’t get that here.

Looking for a good book? The Corpse-Rat King by Lee Battersby starts off well with a great premise and a fun opening sequence, but it quickly devolves and we’re left with only some nice language and a character we don’t care about.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

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The Corpse-Rat King

author: Lee Battersby

series: Marius don Hellespont #1

publisher: Angry Robot

ISBN: 0857662872

paperback, 410 pages

DARRYL OPENWORLD – Oliver Peru

Posted by Daniel on September 6, 2022
Posted in: GRAPHIC NOVEL, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

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Darryl Openworld is a graphic novel based on a French YA book series by Rémi Guérin. Darryl is a journalist – probably the most popular journalist in all of Openworld because of his ability to travel between realities.

Darryl is passionate about being a journalist, and in this world journalists are generally well respected and as much detective/investigators as they are reporters.

At some point, when Darryl travelled into our world, he met and befriended Julianne. Also at some point, Darryl’s best friend, Dean, died and is now a ghost … who is in love with Julianne. Julianne thinks she might know a way to bring Dean back from the dead, but it could have significant consequences.

Meanwhile, Darryl is also investigating the disappearance of a giant and a stolen piece to a special clock.

The book has a strong steampunk sense to to it, though that comes more with the artwork than with anything specific in the story. The artwork definitely is nice to look at and does share in the storytelling function. But the story itself … it’s a bit convoluted.  There are at least three stories going on, plus we need to be introduced to the characters, and all under 140 pages. Something has to give and unfortunately it’s our introduction to the characters and this unique world(s).

This might be a series in Europe, but as far as I can tell, this is the only translated-to-English title available, and yet characters and storyline reference past events and we get the definite feeling that we’re supposed to already know a few things about Darryl and this world he lives in. But we don’t so the story feels incomplete.

Looking for a good book? Darryl Openworld, a graphic novel by Oliver Peru, Rémi Guérin, and Krystel comes to us from Europe, where it’s an existing, long running series, but this particular English issue presumes the reader is already with familiar with the characters. But if you aren’t familiar with this series, this particular story may be more frustrating than enjoyable.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.

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Darryl Openworld

authors: Oliver Peru, Rémi Guérin

artist: Krystel

publisher: Magnetic Press

ISBN: 1951719506

hardcover, 136 pages

THE VERY BEST OF TAD WILLIAMS

Posted by Daniel on September 2, 2022
Posted in: SF/FANTASY, SHORT FICTION, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment

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While I am familiar with the name Tad Williams and have seen his books in bookstores for as long as I can remember, I don’t believe I’ve ever read any of his books. There’s no particular reason for this other than – too many books, too little time. Also, I tend to think of his books as ‘dragon fantasies’ because I always picture his covers as featuring dragons (quite like the cover depicted here) and despite an appreciation of the fantasy genre, I’ve never been particularly drawn to stories with dragons.

But I thought it was time to get familiar with Williams’ work and what better way than to read his ‘very best’?!

Overall, I really liked this collection. It definitely showed a lot or variety and versatility for Williams.

The collection starts off with a dragon story (“The Old Scale Game”) and I cringed a bit, hoping it wasn’t going to be all dragon stories, but the next is a horror story (“The Storm Door”).  This might be my least favorite story in the collection – though, while not technically a ‘story’, “Black Sunshine”, which is an unproduced screenplay, might also qualify for least favorite.

Among my favorites, “Three Duets for Virgin and Nosehorn” ranks quite highly – but I’d probably give this high marks just based on the title alone! I also really liked “Monsieur Vergalant´s Canard” and “The Stuff that Dreams are Made Of.”

There are a couple of dragon stories here, which is probably expected by his dedicated fans, and my favorite of those was “A Stark and Wormy Knight” – a humorous story told from the point of view of the dragon, with a mother dragon telling a bedtime story to her little ones.  This reminded my of the writings of Spider Robinson (whom I often think of as someone who writes short stories around puns).

“And Ministers of Grace” closes the book and it might be one of the strongest stories in the collection.  There’s a lot more philosophy here, giving the reader something to think about. This was not something I had gotten a feel for with the other stories in this volume.

This book contains the following:

Introduction
“The Old Scale Game”
“The Storm Door”
“The Stranger’s Hands”
“Child of an Ancient City”
“The Boy Detective of Oz: An Otherland Story”
“Three Duets for Virgin and Nosehorn”
“Not with a Whimper, Either”
“Some Thoughts Re: DARK DESTRUCTOR”
“Z is for… ”
“Monsieur Vergalant’s Canard”
“The Stuff that Dreams Are Made Of”
“A Fish Between Three Friends”
“Every Fuzzy Beast of the Earth, Every Pink Fowl of the Air”
“A Stark and Wormy Knight”
“Omnitron, What Ho!”
“Black Sunshine”
“And Ministers of Grace”

Looking for a good book? The Very Best of Tad Williams is a collection of the author’s short fiction. All the stories are quite well written with a few standing out as more enjoyable reads, and the volume shows the authors versatility.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

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The Very Best of Tad Williams

author: Tad Williams

publisher: Tachyon Publications

ISBN: 1616961376

paperback, 432 pages

THE CALCULATING STARS – Mary Robinette Kowal

Posted by Daniel on August 31, 2022
Posted in: SF/FANTASY, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , . Leave a comment

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In 1952 a meteorite fell to earth, destroying most of the east coast of the United States. The resulting cataclysm made much of the earth inhospitable. But unlike the dinosaurs who faced a similar event a millennia ago, humans find ways to overcome such devastation. In the U.S., this has called for an increase in space exploration.

Elma York is a WASP pilot and mathematician. Her skills and background have earned her a place in the International Aerospace Coalition which is hoping to put a man on the moon. But despite her qualifications, Elma faces discrimination just by being a woman.  Who cares that she’s more qualified than many men in the coalition? It isn’t right to send women on such a dangerous mission, is it?

Elma and a group of other, mostly equally qualified women (some are clearly more qualified for their model-like appearance to appease the journalists) who persist and fight for their rightful place in the aerospace industry.

I haven’t always been a fan of alternate history novels, but Mary Robinette Kowal’s Lady Astronaut book is really outstanding.  She manages to capture all our current biases and discriminations, brings them right into our faces, and shows us how it could wind up if we acted better.  Really, just … wow.

The early pages, with the meteorite strike, sets the tone and quickly lets us know this is alternate history, but from that point on, it could easily be the story of our current timeline (just speeded up a bit).

Elma’s story is so much like that of many women’s stories of piloting in WWII or even in today’s military.  A good friend of mine has told me that the reason she went in to the Air Force as a nurse was to be considered for the space program, then just starting to get serious, and how devastated she was that they weren’t going to seriously consider her because she was a woman.

I enjoyed the characters, the situations were incredibly believable, and the plot of women fighting for acceptance was powerful.  Everything about this book really made it a very enjoyable read.  I look forward to getting in to the next book in the series.

Looking for a good book? The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal is powerful alternate history novel of women fighting for their place in the aerospace industry which desperately needs to help mankind by exploring space, the moon, and beyond.

I received this book free from the publisher as part of a promotion.

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The Calculating Stars

author: Mary Robinette Kowal

series: The Lady Astronaut Universe #1

publisher: Tor Books

ISBN: 0765378388

paperback, 431 pages

DAMNIFICADOS – JJ Amaworo Wilson

Posted by Daniel on August 29, 2022
Posted in: SF/FANTASY, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , . Leave a comment

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In the heart of a large city in a Latin American country is a once-abandoned high-rise tower. It is now filled with squatters – families with nowhere else to as well as loners just looking for a safe place to dwell.  These are the ‘damnificados’ – the unwanted; those damned to dwell where no one else dares to live. They become a city unto themselves, watching out for one another, creating schools, and stores to meet their needs.

But while the building was abandoned before the damnificados took over, it still has an owner and he wants it back. He asks nicely, trying to point out that they don’t really have a right to be in the building, but the damnificado community isn’t willing to move.

The building owner will return with an army and face off against the ragtag bunch of squatters but fate, more than skill, may save them on more than one occasion.

Wow.  This book came completely out of the blue for me, but author JJ Amaworo Wilson quickly grabs the reader’s attention with some really great characters in a really great situation.  We are brought into the damnificado community and we feel like we belong there.

There’s a lot of humor here, despite a couple of private armies ready to kill every man, woman, and child in the tower, but the humor isn’t a moment of respite from the threats and violence – it’s the humor of everyday humans and the absurdities of fate.

What really makes this book such a wonderful read, though, is the humanity. There is much to be admired about the damnificados – the people in the community appear to have a respect for one another (sometimes that respect is shown by leaving someone alone) and they will stand up for their community against overwhelming odds.

This is one of those rare books that I’m putting in my ‘read again’ pile and I think it might be one of the best new books I’ve read so far this year.

Looking for a good book? Damnificados by JJ Amaworo Wilson is an excellent morality tale with great characters, some humor and absurdity,  set in the modern era in the center of any major city. This is well worth reading.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.

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Damnificados

author: JJ Amaworo Wilson

publisher: PM Press

ISBN: 1629631175

paperback, 272 pages

SHADE OF PALE – Greg Kihn

Posted by Daniel on August 26, 2022
Posted in: Dark Fantasy/Horror, MYSTERY, SF/FANTASY, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment

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Jukes Wahler is a psychiatrist working in Manhattan – a city filled with people who could use his services, but is he soon to be in need of a psychiatrist himself?

One day, while looking out through a deli window, Jukes sees a tremendously beautiful redheaded woman walking past. She turn to look at him and then continues on down the block, disappearing in the crowd of people. It is a memorable moment, but it will become a bit more.

Shortly after seeing the stunning beauty, a patient tells Jukes that a woman has been stalking him – not an ordinary woman, but a banshee (an Irish angel of death) – a beautiful redhead. It’s probably just coincidence since the patient is generally quite delusional.

Jukes will forget about this when something more immediate gets his attention – his sister and her abusive boyfriend have gone missing. One man has offered to help find them … an ex-IRA commando who is the leader of a radical terrorist group in Ireland.

This book is part horror novel, part detective mystery, and part supernatural fantasy. Each of these is a high-selling category, so this should be a clear hit with a lot of different readers, but it doesn’t always work out that way.

I love using classic mythology in modern fiction and we haven’t seen a lot of Irish spirits or creatures, so this may have been my favorite part of this book.

The detective mystery aspect is also quite nicely done.  I do like the classic, hard-boiled-style detective, and we get that here in spades with our New York cop. I think that a straight-forward mystery with this cop would have a good deal of appeal to readers such as myself.

While I like a good horror novel (and I’m okay with splatterpunk as horror), the horror doesn’t work too well here. It’s extraneous and just doesn’t add anything to the story.

For a hard-boiled detective story, this moves along just right.  But for a supernatural thriller/horror novel, the pace is too slow.

Looking for a good book? Shade of Pale by Greg Kihn has just about everything … a New York cop, Irish IRA fighters, and even a banshee, but the various storylines move at an uneven pace, bringing the enjoyment level down a notch.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

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Shade of Pale

author: Greg Kihn

publisher: Open Road Media Mystery & Thriller

ASIN: B010GWL4BK

ebook, 256 pages