Boomsters

by

David Marks

An absolute laugh riot of mystery, suspense, and that little bit of retirement reality.

Boomsters is a new mystery by debut author David Marks, himself a retiree who has spectacularly followed up on that common vow to someday write a book! The story grabbed me from the start with its humor, surprising, twisty plot, and underlying realism of what it can be like when retiring after a long and active career that mattered. 

When David Blazen retired, he and his girlfriend, Mary, who was doing the same, had a vague plan of spending quality time together and traveling. While she slips comfortably into her new life, David quickly finds himself at loose ends; he feels like their togetherness is peaking and soon discovers he can only spend so much time at his gym people-watching before someone complains he’s creepy. A creative mind with a knack for observation and deduction, a taste for the vintage PI television shows of his youth, and an ingrained belief in truth, justice, and the American way, he impulsively decides to become a private detective. Without any real preparation, he jumps in with both feet, eventually finding trouble with a capital “T.” 

David is engaging and likable, but the people who know him question his choices and sanity and are dragged along on his adventure. And for me, it was Blazen’s, or BLAZE’S, personable narrative, humorous delivery, and sparkling dialogue that really set it apart from the average mystery. I laughed out loud and couldn’t help compiling a mental list of friends I needed to share this with. 

His voice energizes the plot, as do the unforeseen twists and mounting suspense. The city of Chicago, its history, and its reputation for crime and criminal organizations provide the location for the story. The author’s descriptions are vivid and evocative, creating clear images of the settings, people, and actions. 

The book literally weighs in at over 500 pages, and I admit the length was daunting initially. However, once in the story, the pages flew by: I needed every page. So, don’t let its tome-like appearance intimidate you; like BLAZE, jump in with both feet. 

I recommend BOOMSTERS to readers of mystery, thrillers, and suspense, especially those who appreciate a lot of humor in their stories. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours.

Microphones and Murder

Podcasting Sisters Mystery, #1

by

Erin Huss

A new true crime podcast team investigates a missing person cold case.

Liv Olsen was working on the number one true-crime podcast program in the nation, Cold in America, when she learned about the 10-year-old missing person's case of Amelia "Millie" Clark. Based on this case, she pitched the idea of a new podcast, Missing or Murdered, to her Cold in America boss, who not only turned her down flat but added insult to injury by scoffing at the idea of Liv as the host. With hurt feelings and injured pride, Liv quits her job and goes all-in to bring her dream to fruition, taking her younger stepsister, Camry Lewis, along as her assistant. 

Camry has relatives in Santa Maria, where Millie had lived, so the girls set up a home base for their investigation and interviews for the show at Camry's Great-Aunt Hazel's home, which eases the strain on Liv's minuscule operating budget. Hazel is delighted to host the sisters, as her life has become somewhat quiet since her husband passed away. As she learns more about the girls' project, Hazel enlists the aid of her grandson, Oliver, who is a successful YouTuber with over 5 million subscribers to his channel. 

Together, the four start looking into Amelia's disappearance, with their first step being to interview the original detective on the case. Now retired, he is anxious to see that his only open case is resolved. When one clue after another results in dead ends and Amelia's father changes his mind about the podcast reinvigorating interest in his daughter's disappearance, Liv worries that the podcast she has staked everything on is going down in flames. 

Microphones and Murder is the first book in author Erin Huss's fun Podcasting Sisters Mystery series, and I was immediately drawn to the likable young narrator who decides to follow her dream of hosting her own show. The premise of the true-crime podcast is timely and exciting, and her characters are engaging. The story is told from Liv's perspective, and her narrative is witty, fun, and entertaining. I liked that Liv's character, although competent and confident, also has a very real vulnerability as she second-guesses her decision to go out on her own and follow her dream. Stepsister Camry is young, flirty, and sassy but has her vulnerabilities as well. I felt the mystery was sound, and Liv's investigation made sense. I'll definitely be reading more of this author's work. 

With its topical premise, non-stop plot, and engaging characters, I recommend MICROPHONES AND MURDER to cozy mystery readers who like young, savvy female protagonists. 

See this and other reviews at Boys' Mom Reads!

Final Cut

Hollywood Mystery, #1

by

Marjorie McCown

Murder on location at an already troubled movie production.

Final Cut is the first book in author Marjorie McCown’s fascinating new Hollywood Mystery series, and it features Hollywood costumer Joey Jessop as the unlikely and reluctant amateur sleuth. Joey’s latest job is as the key costumer for a new superhero epic, a film she had doubts about accepting because her ex is the assistant director, and the director, while a hugely successful moneymaker, has a problematic reputation for creating a toxic working environment. From the first day of photography, Joey’s doubts appear to have been well founded, but things go from bad to worse when she discovers the body of the second assistant director, her ex’s new love interest, in the surf on the beach near the shoot. Suddenly, Joey, who lives her life pretty lowkey, is in the media’s spotlight and is attracting a lot of attention from the police. 

I loved Joey: her personality, her expertise, and her ability to navigate so well in such a highly charged work setting and demanding career. Her running explanations of what goes on behind the scenes to costume a film were fascinating, and her care and concern for her coworkers, staff, and actors made me like her even more. Due to the early trajectory of the police investigation, she is almost obligated to get involved in investigating Courtney’s murder and determine the truth behind what’s going on with the film. She did a good job gathering information and putting things together. 

She’s joined in the story by a cool variety of secondary characters, some involved in the film or the film industry, but a few are not. There were some strong personalities at work throughout the story, and several quirky individuals, as well as real celebrities, made an appearance or were mentioned, keeping the story interesting and current. The Malibu/Hollywood/LA setting is familiar, but the author’s descriptions were vivid and fresh, and I almost felt like I was seeing these places in person for the very first time. 

The plot moves quickly, first with prep for the film and then picked up even more as tragedy strikes the set and the murder happens. I was so absorbed in the story I was surprised at how much time had flown by as I’d read. This cozy mystery is perfect for a relaxed, kicked-back with a book evening. 

I recommend FINAL CUT to cozy mystery readers, especially those interested in behind-the-scenes Hollywood stories and filmmaking.

A Small Town Christmas

by

Florence Witkop

A lovely Christmas novella with a slow-build romance, a starting-over plot, and a little touch of danger.

When Leah is unexpectedly laid off from her accounting job, her only choice is to take up residence in the old Victorian mansion her great-grandmother left her in her will. Her plan is to renovate and sell it and fund the next chapter in her life. However, the dilapidated condition of the old house immediately sidetracks those plans; Leah doesn’t have the kind of money needed to even get it ready to give away let alone make a substantial profit. Thankfully, there’s a steady income from the renter of the carriage house on the old property, and the hunky Knox just happens to specialize in renovating the type of Victorian homes that this Christmas town is famous for. Still, Leah is going to have to find a job to supplement her income to get the old house back in shape and on the market so she can get on with her life.

A SMALL TOWN CHRISTMAS by Florence Witkop is quite a lovely holiday-themed novella with a slow-build romance, starting over plot, and a little touch of danger. The author’s storytelling put me right with the characters as they work together to remodel a dilapidated old Victorian home left to the heroine by her great-grandmother and keep their day jobs going.

When the owner of the Christmas shop where Leah is employed suffers a medical emergency, she and Knox step up to keep his beloved business going despite her apprehensions and relative inexperience in retail and the spate of business burglaries that are starting to plague the Christmas town. There is such a warm hometown feel to this story: a closeness among the neighbors and shop owners that it feels like the possible start of a series. (I’d vote yes!)

I recommend A SMALL TOWN CHRISTMAS to readers of romance, especially those who enjoy a holiday-themed story.

Available on Amazon.

Vibrations: Children of Atlantis

by

A.R. Alexander

A unique tale for upper middle-grade readers featuring magic and myths, friendship, and trust.

Vibrations: Children of Atlantis by A.R. Alexander is a unique adventure for older middle-grade to younger young adult readers featuring magical realism and two determined teen protagonists tasked with defending the world against an ancient enemy. Incorporating elements from several mythologies, Nada Gilbride and Kani Kakoa are all that stand between their world and complete destruction. 

The author has created a pair of unique main characters in Nada and Kani. Nada is deaf but can see sound waves. She learned to speak by mimicking the pattern of the waves she observes from others. Kani, while able to hear, can see the vibrations of energy and has learned to manipulate them. Urged from a young age to hide their unusual abilities from others, both are naturally full of questions about their gifts. Since the adults in their lives refuse to talk about it, they are desperate for answers, especially when their abilities seem to be attracting creatures only found in myths and legends and even affecting their physical well-being in public. Their confusion and need for clarity are well portrayed, and I was drawn to their situation and anxiety over not knowing what was “wrong” with them. 

The story’s suspense builds quickly with the appearance of supernatural creatures and the subsequent attention of a mysterious trio who seem to know more about their situation than they do followed by an involuntary stay with the FBI at a secret research facility. But a simple field trip to a museum where an ancient artifact awakens and causes both Nada and Kani to blackout brings things to the attention of someone close by that can finally deliver the answers the teens crave. Unfortunately, the explanation of what was behind their abilities and reactions was not clearly explained enough for me, and I was left feeling I didn’t really have a better understanding of what was going on or the magic system in play than what I’d gotten from the book’s blurb and the kids’ own suppositions. I enjoyed the growth in the relationship between the two main characters, leading to the trust they would need to complete their trials later, as well as the budding, sweet romance (which kept this story appropriate for younger readers.) However, their pairing as a team during their training and the training itself is glossed over, while much more story is expended on a rivalry with another couple to be the champions who will defend the world from destruction. 

The link to Atlantis, which given its prominence by appearing in the title, was only given a superficial explanation, leaving me wondering how all these teenagers with special abilities were connected to it. There were other instances of plot points suddenly popping up without explanation. I enjoyed that some inanimate objects were sentient, so there were some fun moments where a plane was complimented to keep her happy, and a platform was thanked for allowing their back to be used as a training surface, but there wasn’t an explanation of why these objects were aware, and others weren’t. Also, it just pops up that Auntie apparently had a rival from her past who is now the director at the island where the teens are undergoing their training. On the other hand, the various settings were diverse and vividly described, so I always had a clear picture in my mind of where the action was taking place. 

I recommend VIBRATIONS: CHILDREN OF ATLANTIS to upper middle-grade readers. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from Reedsy Discovery.