Mystery & Crime Fiction Blog Carnival August 2010

It is August already! Where has this year gone?  It is time for the blog carnival again, enjoy and remember to submit your mystery and crime fiction book reviews.

Police Procedural Book Review


Ashley's Bookshelf gives us Crucifying Angel by P.I. Barrington

Booking Moma gives us Ice Cold by Tess Gerritisen
 
Private Investigator Book Review
 
Mysteries and My Musings gives us Storm Front by Jim Butcher

Mysteries and My Musings gives us Last Illusion by Rhys Bowen
 
Amateur Sleuth book Review

Ashley's Bookshelf gives us Revenge Served Cold by Jackie Fullerton

Paperback Dolls gives us Last Writes by Sheila Lowe

Random Ramblings presents Belly Up by Stuart Gibbs This mystery is aimed at tweens, but it's wonderful for adults, too.
 
Cozy Mystery Book Review

Curling Up By the Fire gives us Grace Under Pressure by Julie Hyzy


Thriller/Suspense Fiction Book Review

 Confessions of a Psychotic Housewife gives us Hand of Fate: A Triple Threat Novel Lis Wiehl with April Henry

The Red Room gives us Book of Shadows by Alexandra Sokoloff

Stacy's Books gives us Inside Out by Barry Eisler
 

Author Interview
 
On YouTube Voices in Mystery - Parnell Hall
 

Writing Tips and Advice

Writers in Residence gives us Tried (and Sometimes True) Interview Techniques

The Write Type gives us The Challenge of the First Page

Time to Write gives us How to Kick-start Your Early Morning Writing Routine




#####Let's make next month's Carnival even better. For more information on the specifics of the Carnival and how to submit your posts go here. #######

Submit your blog entry for next month's Carnival here: (http://blogcarnival.com/bc/submit_8796.html)

Spread the word far and wide!!!

Post a widget on your blog for this carnival here  (http://blogcarnival.com/bc/widget_2_demo_8796.html)
 

I came across this somewhere in my blogoshere travels and thought you might enjoy this video:






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Mystery & Crime Fiction Blog Carnival for April 2010

We have reached 100 followers!  I am so tickled, please, overjoyed.  "Celebrate, celebrate, dance to the music." 

* * * * * If you have enjoyed this blog, then PRETTY PLEASE vote for this blog as best Entertainment Blog (proving reading is entertainment) and also as best Hobby Blog. Thank you most sincerely. There are voting buttons on the sidebar too. You will have to register with Blogger's Choice, but it is a simple process. I am listed under Mysterysuspence.Blogspot.com. * * * * * * * *

 

Mystery & Crime Fiction Blog Carnival for April 2010

It is the first Monday of April and time for our fifth blog Carnival. It is another chocked full directory of mystery and crime fiction reviews across the blogosphere.

Police Procedural Book Review

 KerrieS reviews A CARRION DEATH by Michael Stanley.  She tells us it is "one of my best reads for 2010. an impressive debut novel structured in a way that gets the reader thinking. For example, the events are layered in time rather than sequential, so you are forced to take notice of chapter headings. There are little puzzles to solve and as one is resolved, the next presents. It is also populated with engaging characters such as Kubu Bengu, his wife Joy, and his boss Mabake."

The Book Mole presents an oldie but goodie Gallows View by Peter Robinson

Mason Canyon reviews An Axe To Grind by F.M. Meredith

Private Investigator Book Review


Ms. SP...as in Smarty Pants presents The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler
 
Marie Burton reviewed 31 Bond Street by Ellen Horan  and says it was an unforgettably nostalgic journey through 31 Bond Street in New York City that I would not hesitate to recommend to fellow mystery lovers.
 
Amateur Sleuth book Review

Bernadette at Reactions to Reading reviews Borderline by Nevada Barr

Beth Fish reviews Baltimore Blues by Laura Lippman

Mayhem and Magic reviewed It Happened One Knife by Jeff Cohen

Jennifer reviewed Full Tilt by Janet Evanovich

Tiny lIttle Reading Room reviewed The Sweetness At the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley

Cozy Mystery Book Review

Violet at The Mystery Bookshelf reviews Blood Orange Brewing by Laura Child

Mark  gives us a mini review of The Last Illusion by Rhys Bowen

Pudgy Penguin reviewed Devil's Food Cake by Josi S. Kilpack

hristina reviewed Death in Kashmir by M.M. Kaye and says it is an entertaining mystery, in the tradition of Agatha Christie

Thriller/Suspense Fiction Book Review

Matt Fullerty presents his book The Murderess and the Hangman

Missy Frye reviewed Deliver Us From Evil by Robin Caroll

Elena reviews the classic Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky

Douglas Cobb reviews Drood by Dan Simmons

Author Interview


 You can hear the Bookhabit PodCast (a 23-minute interview) with British Author Matt Fullerty by clicking here.


Mysteries and My Musings inteviewed Wendy Roberts
 
Mysteries and My Musings interviewed Diane Stuckart 
 
Writing Tips and Advice
 
Author2Author gives us Mystery Stucture

For research Angela Martin gives us The 100 Best Crime Books Ever Written

Rowena Hebert gives us 37 Lectures Every Writer Should Listen To

More research aids Isabella Smith gives us 50 Fascinating Documentaries for Forensics Science Junkies

Rowena Hebert presents 100 Twitter Feeds That Will Improve Your Writing

For research and perhaps a plot idea Mia Taylor presents The Top 10 Art Heists of All Time



*******I hope you got some ideas for new books or authors to read and even some tips and insights for writing.*******


For more information on the specifics of the Carnival and how to submit your posts go here.

And please help spread the word about this Blog carnival, it is very easy to submit a post to be included.



 

  

Special Announcement: Carnival Coming!

Introducting the Mystery and Crime Fiction Blog Carnival

I have taken a huge plunge here by deciding to run a Blog Carnival dedicated

to Mystery/Crime Fiction/Suspense books and the craft of writing them. 

 Do you review mystery, crime fiction, or suspense books?

Do you have author interviews that discuss writing mystery or crime fiction?

Do you blog on fiction writing advice?

Join us for this Carnival.

What is a blog carnival?  blog carnivals are where someone takes the time to find really good blog posts on a given topic, and then puts all those posts together in a blog post called a "carnival". 

This carnival takes your submissions and presents them in a monthly carnival.  Imagine one place to go each month for book reviews on Mystery, Crime Fiction and Suspense books as well as author interviews and writing tips and advice.

Blog carnivals are a great way for bloggers to recognize each other's efforts, organize blog posts around important topics - like the Mystery Genre, and improve the overall level of conversation in the blogosphere. The fact that carnivals are edited (and usually annotated) collections of links lets them serve as "magazines" within the blogosphere.

CONDITIONS:

1)  MUST BE A BLOG POST - NOT A WEBSITE
2)  MUST BE MYSTERY / CRIME FICTION OR WRITING RELATED

WARNING: IF IT DOESN'T MEET THE CONDITIONS I WON'T POST IT

Categories under this blog carnival include:

Police Procedural Book Review

Private Investigator Book Review

Amateur Sleuth Book Review

Cozy Mystery Book Review

Suspense Fiction Book Review

Author Interview

Writing tips and advice

This Carnival will take place the first Monday of each month. 

Submission deadline is the last Friday of each month.

Please submit links to recent articles (within the last 3 months) to keep the information fresh.

Also, your links should point to actual articles not archive lists, indexes or about pages.

Submit your blog entry here now

(http://blogcarnival.com/bc/submit_8796.html)

Spread the word far and wide!!!

Mystery lovers celebrate.

Post a widget on your blog for this carnival here

(http://blogcarnival.com/bc/widget_2_demo_8796.html)

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Review: Murder Inside the Beltway by Margaret Truman

Margaret Truman was the only daughter of President Harry Truman. She used her knowledge of national politics and Washington D.C. to write the Capital Crimes novel series. Ms. Truman died January of 2008 and this is her twenty-fourth and last book in the series.  Since this past Tuesday was election day, even if for local issues this year, I thought it would be apropos to see how easily politics can be criminal!

The novel opens with the murder scene of high-paid prostitute Rosalie Curzon (savagely beaten then strangled). Her murder creates a quiet panic among her high-powered clients when the local police discover she had videotaped her clients and the police start systematically investigating each of them. But early on there is a suspicion that one videotape may be missing.

The story is told primarily from young detective Matt Jackson's viewpoint as he deals with his demeaning and racist superior - a twenty-three year veteran, Walt Hatcher. A secondary plotline is Matt and his coworker, Mary Hall are romantically entangled and Walt can't stand a mixed couple so the pressure is on. Walt Hatcher's view point gets several chapters to get us into his anger-filled, often drunk and physically ill head.

Rosalie Curzon's murder soon becomes intertwined with a bitter presidential campaign between incumbent President Burton Pyle and his "shoe-in" opponent Robert Colgate. When the daughter of Robert Colgate's closest advisor and Washington power player is kidnapped things begin to spin out of control. Was there a video tape of opponent Colgate with the murdered call girl and what is it worth in a bitter campaign struggle? Will Detective Matt Jackson's education in Sociology help in unearthing information to solve the tangle of vice and dirty politics to save the kidnapped girl. Margaret Truman proves she knows how vile politics can be when power is the ultimate motive.

Detective Jackson and his racist boss are the most fully realized characters. Mary Hall could have been fleshed out a bit more, she was a likable character but didn't seem to come to life enough. Robert Colgate is painted as a hypocritical smooth politician, which speaks so much to our political scandal-filled time that it works in spite of its cliché status. Walt Hatcher is finely portrayed as the angry and hardened boss who is facing failing health, which he may have brought on himself. Colgate's political advisor, Jerry Rollins, is given several chapters which highlight the intricacies of Washington politics. Even Robert Colgate's wife gets a few chapters that give us a peek into how hard presidential campaigns are on the spouses - and how the wives have secrets too.

The end has a surprise twist, for the murderer is not as obvious as the reader may think. The climax is well done and will stick with you a while. The plot is nicely layered and even the wrap up gives a few surprises. All in all a solid police procedural mystery with just enough grit and grime without feeling like you wallowed in the gutter yourself.

Obtained book through: Library



For your convenience, you may purchase a copy here.

Part of the Book Blog Carnival

Until next Monday I wish you many mysterious moments.