Royals #1 from Image Comics

Eisner Award winning writer Derek Kirk Kim (The Last Mermaid, Same Difference) and rising star artist Jacob Perez (Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) have hit the jackpot with their new mind-bending crime caper series debut, Royals. Royals #1 has sold out completely at the distributor level and is being rushed back to print this week by Image Comics in order to keep up with demand.

ROYALS #1
Writer: Derek Kirk Kim
Artist: Jacob Perez
Published: April 1, 2026
Lunar Code: 0226IM0321
Page Count: 40
Image Comics
Cover price: $4.99
MINISERIES PREMIERE Twin brothers Paul and Castor have crafted the perfect poker hustle using their uncanny telepathic connection. But they might have finally met their match when they risk it all against the leader of the Bloody Cocks, the most ruthless criminal syndicate in Seoul. Eisner Award-winning writer DEREK KIRK KIM (THE LAST MERMAID, Same Difference) and rising star artist JACOB PEREZ (Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) invite you to the shadowy back alleys of Seoul, South Korea, for a thrilling, mind-bending crime caper unlike any other!

 

Book Review: A Crime Through Time (Miss Darcy Investigates Book 1) by Amelia Blackwell

A Crime Through Time: The Pride and Prejudice Mystery With A Time Travel Twist (Miss Darcy Investigates Book 1)
by Amelia Blackwell
July 10, 2025
Pemberley, 1799. When Miss Georgiana Darcy attempts to escape an unwanted marriage proposal, she isn’t expecting to end up quite so far from home. But after encountering a mysterious object in the nearby woods, she finds herself transported almost two hundred years into the future.

Saltram, 1995. At a grand country house where a film crew are busy shooting the latest Jane Austen adaptation, a terrible crime has been committed. And Miss Darcy – newly arrived, impeccably dressed and thoroughly confused – is the only witness.

It soon becomes clear that, somehow, Georgiana was meant to solve this riddle. With the help of a distractingly handsome Irishman named Quinn and a border collie named Watson, she sets out to stop the killer before they can strike again. But trouble is brewing back at Pemberley and time, it seems, is not on her side . . .

Amazon

June 25, 2026

I really enjoyed reading the book- it was written in the 18th century style jargon and the late 1990's. You have to read it to really get the style and language. The story was witty and fast, and I liked the short paragraphs- you had a real understanding of the switching between the time frames- never got lost in nether land. I hope George and Quinn reunite. Love the note left at the end. All in all, I will read any of Ms. Blackwell's work. It was a very fast and enjoyable read.

I am looking forward to reading the next Miss Darcy Investigates- "The Haunting of a Bronte". 

I give it 4.5 Baaarts, as I really enjoyed the original style of writing, but it may not be for everyone. But be sure to give it a chance if you come across a copy of the Miss Darcy Investigates series.

About the Author:
Instagram
Amelia Blackwell has a master’s degree in Creative Writing, a corn snake called Colin, and a deep love of the works of Jane Austen. Although the Boleyns appear in her family tree, it’s through marriage, not blood, which is probably just as well. Georgiana Darcy’s most persistent suitor, Baron John de Halighwell, takes his name from one of Amelia’s distant great-grandfathers, who lived in a mansion that even Lady Catherine de Bourgh would admire. Amelia lives with her husband and children in a tiny house by the sea in Cornwall.

The Unswitchable by Yoav Blum

A heart-stopping blend of cyberpunk thriller and philosophical mystery that will leave you questioning the nature of identity itself.

The Unswitchable
by Yoav Blum (Author), Ira Moskowitz (Translator)
November 24, 2025
Genre: technothriller, crime, science fiction
What if everyone could become someone else—except you?

In a world where the Switch-Bracelet lets people instantly jump into any body, Dan Arbel is cursed with something unthinkable: he’s stuck being himself. While others hire stand-ins to do their workouts, commute in borrowed bodies, or vacation through the eyes of professional tourists, Dan remains trapped in his own skin—the only person on Earth who can’t switch.

That makes him valuable. And dangerous.

Working as a black-market courier in a society where identity is fluid, Dan thought his condition was just a lonely burden. Then a dying stranger in a borrowed body whispers impossible words—tying Dan to a secret buried deep in his past. Before he can process the revelation, assassins with ever-changing faces descend, hunting for something he carries without knowing.

In a world where anyone can be anyone, how do you know who to trust?

Dan’s unchanging identity, once his greatest curse, becomes the one constant in a deadly maze of deception. To survive, he must rely on the only thing no one else can claim anymore: his own irreplaceable self.

A heart-stopping blend of cyberpunk thriller and philosophical mystery that will leave you questioning the nature of identity itself.

Amazon

About the Author:
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Yoav Blum is an author known for blending high-concept speculative ideas with gripping mystery, thriller, and philosophical depth. His work explores extraordinary situations—time travel, body switching, orchestrated coincidences—while grounding them in questions of identity, perception, fate, and free will. Beneath each thriller or puzzle lies a reflection on what it means to be human. His tone is introspective, suspenseful, and often playfully self-aware.

In the Blink of an Eye by Yoav Blum

 

In the Blink of an Eye
by Yoav Blum (Author), Galia Vurgan (Translator)
November 24, 2025
Genre: crime, mystery, hard science fiction, time travel
A locked room. A dead scientist. A time machine.

Professor Yonatan Brand, a world-renowned physicist, amateur magician, and hot-chocolate enthusiast, dreamed of unlocking time itself. He mapped every danger, every paradox, every temptation of hubris. But when his body is discovered inside his sealed study, Brand leaves behind one impossible crime—and a machine that might have killed him.

Enter Benjamin “Bunker” Kronovic, a washed-up actor, and Abigail Canaani, a reclusive librarian. They’re not seasoned detectives; their usual cases involve lost pets and unpaid bills. Now they must face something far stranger: a corpse, a time machine, and a circle of Brand’s childhood friends, each guarding secrets darker than the past itself.

As Bunker and Abigail stumble through a mystery where time is as treacherous as truth, they discover that the question isn’t just who killed Professor Brand, but when.

In the Blink of an Eye is a locked-room mystery with a science-fiction twist, blending razor-sharp suspense, mind-bending paradoxes, and two unlikely detectives you’ll never forget.

Amazon

About the Author:
website-FB
Instagram-X
Yoav Blum is an author known for blending high-concept speculative ideas with gripping mystery, thriller, and philosophical depth. His work explores extraordinary situations—time travel, body switching, orchestrated coincidences—while grounding them in questions of identity, perception, fate, and free will. Beneath each thriller or puzzle lies a reflection on what it means to be human. His tone is introspective, suspenseful, and often playfully self-aware.

5 Sheep Comic Review: The Loose End by Dave Dwonch (from Titan Comics)

"The award-winning imprint Hard Case Crime presents a wacky story of guns, ganja and gambling from writer Dave Dwonch artist Travis Hymel."

 

Remember to  Support your local comic book store
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The Loose End
by Dave Dwonch
Illustrated by Travis Hymel
Publisher: Titan Books (US, CA), 2025
ISBN 1787746445, 9781787746442
Length 112 pages
Genre: Crime & Mystery, Action & Adventure
Steven Hollis is a mild-mannered scriptwriter with a love for risk and reward. When he gambles his way into debt, the Mob offer him a one-way ticket from under their thumb. All he has to do is kill the biggest Hollywood executive in the industry…

However, plans derail when a trip to Mexico City turns sour. A drug deal gone wrong sets the cartel on the hunt for a rag-tag group of actors, writers and executives as they have a no-holds-barred standoff!

If you’re a fan of cinema classics and a totally balls-to-the-wall action adventure, this is the book for you!

The Loose End graphic novel collects The Loose End issues #1-4.

Gonna start off with what I say in EVERY Dave Dwonch graphic novel review: Dave is talented, skilled and one of my favorite writers. I have never been disappointed with his storytelling.

My review of The Loose End could double as a movie review; reading it felt like watching an action release. I agree with the comparison to a Quentin Tarantino action movie script, but I'd like to add that it has Pulp Fiction humor. 

The Loose End covers all the action movie tropes. It even starts out with a car chase and the master-level use of the movie plot flashback technique (ex., Two days ago..., Two hours later...) to keep the story moving at warp speed to the end. Pulled into the story/action from the beginning, I couldn't put it down till I finished. And like all great stories, there are a couple of plot twists.

Big shout out to the artist. His style, panel compositions and the use of multiple color pallets to set the mood for each scene. 

The Loose End is an exciting adventure from start to finish, so buckle up, Buttercup!

Warp Speed Uss Enterprise GIFfrom Warp Speed GIFs

5 "Blink 182 thing" Sheep

 

SharonS

About the Author:
Linktree
Dave Dwonch has been a comics writer and artist for nearly two decades, penning titles like Jenny Zero (Dark Horse), Vamplets (Scholastic), as well as The Automaton and the Cyrus Perkins series under his Hellbrain imprint. Most recently he collaborated with Travis Hymel on The Loose End for Titan's Hard Case Crime line to rave reviews. He's also worked as a letterer and editor, most notably for the Eisner nominated series, Princeless.

About the Artist:
Linktree
Travis Hymel is an artist and illustrator living in Colorado. He has worked for clients such as Oni Press, Dark Horse Comics, IDW, Titan Comics, Devil's Due comics, and Action Lab Entertainment.

Check out Titan Comics 

 

Movie Review: Roofman (2025)

Roofman
Director: Derek Cianfrance
Starring: Channing Tatum; Kirsten Dunst; LaKeith Stanfield; Juno Temple; Peter Dinklage

Genre: comedy, drama, crime
Running time: 2h 6m
MPAA rating: R
Distributed by: Paramount Pictures, FilmNation Entertainment
After escaping from prison, former soldier and professional thief Jeffrey Manchester finds a hideout inside a Toys "R" Us, surviving undetected for months while planning his next move. However, when Jeffrey falls for a divorced mom, his doAuble life starts to unravel, setting off a compelling and suspenseful game of cat and mouse as his past closes in.

Roofman is beyond hilarious and also so heartbreaking, all mixed up into one compelling true story about a man just making his way in this world. Guy is a genius and yet so freaking stupid!!! I know he gets caught but watching it and hearing about him, his life, you are really rooting for this guy to outrun and outlast the law. So he took from the rich and gave some back to the poor. So what! He's a Robin Hood-type guy. Sure, he kept a lot of it, but he did some good as well. Plus, he's just living his best life!

I loved it, loved him, and enjoyed all the adventure and fun this one had to offer. It has lots of twists and so many moments where I was shouting "you idiot!!!!" but again, loved every moment. Watch until the end as they show the real-life people and stories from when this went down. I can't wait for Jeff to get out and I will sign any petition to bring him home now! 

Getting 4 and 1/2 M&M Sheep

 

 

 

 

KD

Excerpt: Failsafe by Jeff Sylvester + giveaway

The world runs on code, but not all code is safe.

Failsafe
by Jeff Sylvester
September 3, 2024
Genre: Science Fiction Action Thriller
The world runs on code, and not all code is safe. This is why Anna Flynn has a job.

Matter Manipulation Devices alter the physical world, turning dreams into reality. But some dreams are treacherous, and the streets are filled with mods that manipulate matter in illegal and dangerous ways.

As a seasoned MMD agent, Anna fights back against the criminals who misuse these devices and traffic in illegal mods. When she intervenes in a plot to assassinate one of the world's most respected political leaders, her methods draw the ire of her superiors, and she finds herself under investigation from her own agency.

Increasingly isolated and unsure whom she can trust, Anna works to unravel a conspiracy that would unleash the worst potential of matter manipulation technology on the world.

Amazon-B&N-Bookbub-Goodreads

Failsafe Excerpt
She had to move. Popping her eyes open, she pushed forward into the room as quickly as she dared. As she entered, she found the security guards taking cover behind various pieces of furniture. Klein—the only man in a security uniform—carried a staff like Anna’s. The two women with him had smaller handheld devices. None of the three had engaged with Ben, wisely taking her advice, and that had probably kept them alive. She hastened her pace, trying not to reveal her presence while still making it to Ben before he reached the bedroom door. She assumed the door was sealed, but also that this wouldn’t pose a problem for Ben.

Indeed, Ben gestured, and the door disassembled. He did have access to manipulate Shah’s home. Anna wasn’t surprised.

He turned to shuffle backwards, focusing on the security guards while retaining the same awkward firing stance. With the direction he was facing, Anna knew when she got close enough, he’d see her regardless of whether her concealment mod was still active or not—light and sound bending only worked at a distance. Intending to startle him, she clicked off the mod and lunged forward, aiming her staff at his gun.

The effect was exactly what she’d hoped for. Ben’s eyes went wide as she materialized out of thin air. He was still registering her sudden appearance when her staff connected with his hand and the gun went flying. At the same time, Klein and the two other security guards bounded out from behind their cover. Ben grunted as he recovered, then crouched down to face Anna, his body tense and ready to strike. She prepared for it, pivoting her weight back into a defensive stance. One attack by him and she’d have him incapacitated. It would all be over.

Except he didn’t attack. As the three guards closed in, his eyes shifted to them in alarm, and he turned and bolted into the master suite.

“Who are you? Stop!” Shah’s panicked voice spilled through the open doorway.

“I’m coming!” Anna dashed in after him, Klein and the other two guards on her heels. She found the councilwoman and her husband backed up against the far wall, Ben advancing on them. She leapt at him and landed a strong blow across his back, crumpling him to the ground. Moving past him, she placed her body in front of the Shahs.

The three security guards lined up across the doorway, blocking any escape. Klein gave Anna a curt nod. Their communications had saved his life, and he knew it—she thought she could count on him not to mention her use of the concealment mod.

Anna looked down at the defeated man with an icy stare. She wanted to pity him, knowing that whatever this had been, he hadn’t been sure of his actions. But people had died, and he’d shot her partner. Empathy has its limits.

“It’s over, Ben.”

“It’s not.” He stared up at her, a sudden calm taking over his features. His voice contained no trace of its former waver. Right now, at this moment, his determination was absolute. “I can do this. And I will.”

He rose to his feet and extended his arm. His hand held something small and dark green. It appeared to be military. A weapon. A bomb.

“No.” The protest escaped Anna’s lips as a whisper. Her staff shook in her hand as she arced it forward toward the explosive, but before it could connect, the world around her vaporized in a brilliant flash. And then there was nothing.

Book Trailer:
https://youtu.be/DqmFjC-t2ZY

Check out the entire book in audio on Youtube!

About the Author
Website-FB-Discord
Amazon-Goodreads
Jeff Sylvester has been a professional software developer most of his life, but also enjoys writing and creating music. He and his family live in Suwanee, GA.

 

Giveaway
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Christmas Horror: Everything Is Temporary by Jon Cohn

Everything Is Temporary
by Jon Cohn
October 31, 2023
Genre: mystery, horror, crime
Jump into the gripping world of "Everything Is Temporary," where the Barnes family's peaceful life takes a surprising turn after a tragic event rocks their world. As you read, you'll be drawn into the suspense, wondering how well you really know the people closest to you.

The suspenseful journey begins when Sarah's husband, Tom, starts acting strangely. His mood swings create chaos, leading to unfounded accusations against their thirteen-year-old daughter. But hang on tight, because the tension keeps rising as Tom's actions culminate in a shocking attempt on the life of an off-season mall Santa Claus. What's truly mysterious is Tom's year-round hatred for Christmas, a puzzle that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

In the midst of the turmoil, Tom clings to a forgotten book from his past—a disturbing story he wrote when he was younger. Its pages reveal a traumatic tale that's almost unbelievable, with talking Christmas trees, an army of living toys, and a sinister figure posing as Mrs. Claus.

"I was riveted by every word and couldn’t wait to find out how the story would progress. This is a brilliant portrayal of a family impacted by grief. Each character is relatable and likeable, and even though the situations they find themselves in are utterly crazy, their responses and emotions are believably written."
- MJ Mars, author of The Suffering

Jon Cohn, the author of "Slashtag" and "The Island Mother," is back with another thrilling story in "Everything Is Temporary." As you get into this exciting tale, you'll see just how good Cohn is at telling stories that keep you hooked. Jon's debut novel, "The Island Mother", won a big award - the Publisher's Weekly's Booklife Prize for Best Indie Horror Novel of 2022 - showing that Cohn really knows how to write spine-tingling stories.

In "Everything Is Temporary," you'll join Sarah on a heart-pounding journey against time and sanity. Can she uncover the bone-chilling secrets hidden in Tom's past, or will they all be trapped in an endless darkness? If you're looking for thrilling horror that keeps you hooked from start to finish, this is a must-read.

Amazon

About the Author
Website-FB-Twitter
Goodreads-Instagram
Pinterest
JON COHN IS A WRITER and professional board game designer based out of San Diego, California. You can follow him on Instagram and Twitter @joncohnauthor.

He would also love to give you free stuff like stories, audiobooks, and games by signing up for his mailing list at www.joncohnauthor.com.

YA Thriller: Between the Dark Spaces by Melissa Groeling

Welcome to the tour for Between the Dark Spaces by Melissa Groeling. Read on for more details!

 

 

Between the Dark Spaces

by Melissa Groeling

Genre: YA Thriller, crime

How deep do those dark places go? Sixteen-year-old Aris Black likes to think she knows about dark places. Every day, she watches her father struggle to hang on to his sobriety. She works long hours after school to help pay their bills so they don’t end up out on the street. She knows one wrong move and they could lose everything. When she meets Chapman Woolfe, she knows she’s not the only one fighting to stay in the light. Chapman is a boy surrounded by monsters that wear masks of the people he thought he knew. Together, Aris and Chapman discover the world these monsters created and its origin is a lot closer to home than they realize. Can these two teenagers find their way out before the darkness swallows them whole? 

 

CW: Drug & alcohol abuse, and family violence.

Amazon-Booktopia-Barnes & Noble

About the Author
Website
Melissa Groeling didn’t know she had an accent until she moved from New Jersey to Philadelphia. She thought everyone spoke the same way, called things by the same name…that is, until she got into her first debate with a Pennsylvanian over a “sub” or a “hoagie.” This soon led to other debates: jimmies versus sprinkles. Pork roll versus Taylor ham. It all became quite the struggle, a fight not to conform. Boldly trekking onwards, she knew she preferred a sub, sprinkles on her ice cream and Taylor ham for breakfast. So she kept at it, much like her writing. Drop her line sometime. She’ll happily talk to you about tea (oh yes, she’s a tea drinker off-set only by those fancy-shmancy mochas from Starbucks), the New York Giants (a die-hard fan), chocolate (the dark kind, thanks), and cupcake recipes, because really, without icing, the world is just a muffin.

 

Book Tour Schedule 

August 28th  

http://rrbooktours Kick-off 

http://readsandreels.com – Feature https://www.instagram.com/countrymamaswithkids - Review http://samanthainfantasyworld.wordpress.com/ - Review https://www.instagram.com/samanthainfantasyworld/ http://www.ismellsheep.com/ - Feature 

August 29th  

https://www.instagram.com/calhoun.crew/ - Review https://www.instagram.com/mermaidsreadtoo_/ - Review https://www.instagram.com/copyrightxcasey/ - Review https://www.instagram.com/gryffindorbookishnerd/ - Review 

August 30th  

https://www.instagram.com/minionjenn/?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D - Review https://www.tiktok.com/@minionjenn https://onemoreexclamation.com/ - Review http://www.crossroadreviews.com/ - Feature https://breakevenbooks.com – Feature 

August 31st  

https://www.instagram.com/id_ratherbereading_247/ - Review 

https://www.instagram.com/ninas_booknook/ - Review https://www.instagram.com/bookreviewsbytaylor/ - Review https://www.instagram.com/anta_syllaaa/?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA%3D%3D – Feature  

https://freelancewriterjannyc.com/ - Feature http://www.thefaeriereview.com – Feature 

September 1st 

https://instagram.com/beckerbingesbooks?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= - Review https://www.instagram.com/ashleys_endless_tbrlist/?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA%3D%3D – Review https://instagram.com/nvl_reads?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA== - Review https://www.instagram.com/fathomsamidstthelines/ - Review https://www.instagram.com/magicalmushroombookshelf/ - Review  

https://www.thesexynerdrevue.com - Feature

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Movie Review: Murder Mystery 2 (Netflix)

Murder Mystery 2

Release: March 31, 2023
Directed by Jeremy Garelick
Written by James Vanderbilt
Cast: Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston, Mark Strong, Mélanie Laurent, Jodie Turner-Smith, John Kani
Distributed by Netflix
Running time89 minutes

Rating: PG-13 (Suggestive Material|Bloody Images|Strong Language|Smoking|Violence)
Genre: Comedy, Mystery & Thriller, Action, Crime

Now full-time detectives struggling to get their private eye agency off the ground, Nick and Audrey Spitz find themselves at the center of an international abduction when their friend the Maharaja is kidnapped at his own lavish wedding.

My husband and I watched this last night. We haven't seen the first movie. I don't know what all the critic hate is about. It was hilarious, silly fun. We laughed from start to end. It is exactly what you think it is.

If you want something mindless and fun, give Murder Mystery 2 a watch :)

Don and I give it 4 "mystery" Sheep

SharonS

Comic Review: A Righteous Thirst for Vengeance #7 from Image Comics

A Righteous Thirst for Vengeance #7 

May 4, 2022

Age Rating: M

Writer: Rick Remender 

Artist: André Lima Araújo 

Genre: Crime, murder mystery 

Image Comics

The problem with hiding is there’s no place to run once you’ve been discovered.

This is the big one. All the trains collide.

A Righteous Thirst for Vengeance #7, created by Rick Remender and André Lima Araújo jumps right into the story with Xavier waking to what appears to be an ordinary day. Things take an ominous turn with a mysterious text, and Xavier finds himself on the run. Unfortunately, he runs into the wrong man…or men…or not. When Sonny awakes and finds Xavier missing, he searches frantically for Xavier, but will he be too late?

The artwork has a nice noir feel and does a good job depicting emotion and action. My only issue is with using words like “slash” to depict the sound made from a knife wound, or “kck” to depict a kick to the head. TBH, though, I’m not exactly sure what sound it makes when you stab someone with a knife. The worst I’ve ever done is remove a layer of skin with a vegetable peeler, which really didn’t make much noise at all until I started cursing the potato, the vegetable peeler, and every vegetable within a three-block radius.

There are some unanswered questions (who is Sonny to Xavier and how did they end up together?) and some backstory that was most likely explained in Issues 1-6 (what happened that they’re in a work camp in Hemlock Valley, BC?) but this is definitely not the authors’ fault--I’m the one who chose to jump in with issue 7. I was hooked, though, and I'm Really looking forward to #8. Is Xavier in danger or not? And who wanted him taken? Will Sonny find him before it’s too late, and should Xavier even be with Sonny? Looks like we’ll have to wait and see.

3.5 Sheep

Reviewer: Deb S.

Comic Review: LUNAR ROOM #1 (Vault Comics)

Magic, tech, gangsters…and one very tired werewolf.

Lunar Room #1

November 24, 2021

Writer: Danny Lore

Artist: Gio Sposito

Colorist: DJ Chavis

Letterer: Andworld Design

Designer: Tim Daniel

Vault Comics

Genre: fantasy/crime twist, SciFi

Cynthia “Sin” Breaker used to be a lot of things. A werewolf. A mob enforcer for a powerful mage. A name feared on every street of Solar City. But now she’s forcibly retired from all those things, trying to get over her past job and past loves.

*Variant cover by Vault Cover Artist-in-Residence, Corin Howell.

Oh boy! We got a banger here! Lunar Room #1 is what I look for in graphic novels. They fit into my favorite book genre, urban fantasy. You get world-building, kicka$$ characters, a little romance, snarky humor, and lots of action. Lunar Room is going to deliver.

"Sin" was the muscle for a mafia boss (pretty sure he's a mage). But for as-of-yet-unknown reasons, her werewolf has been bound so she is basically human and she is angry and devastated. I already have a girl crush on her. 

We are also introduced to a mage who seems to be a trouble maker for his kind. By the end of issue#1, the two have met and a$$es have been kicked.

I love the artwork. It is a popular style you find on Webtoons. Which helps give it a more urban fantasy fiction genre feel. 

Not sure how many issues Lunar Room will go, but at least 8 according to Vault.

This one's gonna be a lot of fun with layered characters we can watch grow as they decide what is important and how far they will go to get it. Also lots of supernatural... wear earplugs... you won't believe what a banshee can do to you!

5 "Doing what we have to, to survive" Sheep

SharonS

Mystery Author B.R. Stateham: Discussion on writing a murder-mystery short story. + giveaway

Discussion on writing a short-story.

I like writing mysteries. But more than that, I like writing mysteries filled with interesting characters and puzzling cases. So the procedure, for me, is simple;

Begin with a murder in the most unusual situation and/or set of circumstances--and then introduce the main character or characters who are--hopefully--going to solve the case. After the initial set-up is done, its both the author and reader trying to figure out who did it together. In the beginning, I have no clue who or how the crime was done. As I am writing, I am playing off the odd clues I throw into the pile of clues found in the story, but more importantly--it is the wit and thoughts each of my two homicide detectives throw at each other which furthers the story along.

I know--it may very well be the worst way to write a short-story. Or a novel, for that matter. But that's the way I do it. So sit back and enjoy. I think you'll like the ride.

Murder Is Our Business (Turner Hahn and Frank Morales Case Files Book 1)
by B.R. Stateham

June 16, 2021

180 pages

Genre: Hard-Boiled Noir Crime Mystery, Short Stories
Ten stories from the Case Files of homicide detectives Turner Hahn and Frank Morales, these are tales of murder, deception, greed and mayhem only this duo can solve.

Murder is the operative word in this collection: from hardened criminals to deceitful damsels, to the cold minds of serial killers. Come along for the ride as Turner and Frank face off with the crazies, the cunning and the brilliant, as they try to get away with murder.

For Turner and Frank, the city pays them to do a job. But that's okay... they're good at what they do.

Goodreads-Amazon

Quote from 'A Barking Dog.'
"Earlier there was something about the kid which bothered me. Well, maybe it was more about something the kid said which bothered me. Just a kid really. Maybe fourteen, fifteen years old. A geeky little kid plagued with adolescent acne and a love for video games. Rail thin with big brown eyes and wire rim glasses. A dime a dozen. You find'em in every apartment building on this side of town. At least one.

But the one thing Frank and I knew from experience. A kid like this knew a hell of a lot more than what he usually revealed. Not because he was up to some nefarious shenanigans. Usually they keep quiet and stay out of everyone's way because, frankly, he was a geeky teenager with a case of acne with a connoisseur’s intimate knowledge of the city's many pizza parlors.

Who the hell wants to be made into a laughing stock by some toothy looking geeky kid?"

Guns, Gams, Ghosts and Gangsters (Turner Hahn and Frank Morales Case Files Book 2)
These ten short stories feature some of the homicide cases investigated by the South Side Precinct’s best homicide detectives Turner Hahn and Frank Morales.

In this riveting collection, you'll find cases of murder, revenge, greed, and insanity, with a hint of the supernatural thrown in as a bonus.

Goodreads-Amazon

About the Author
Website-FB-Twitter

Amazon-Goodreads

B.R. Stateham is a fourteen-year-old boy trapped in a seventy-one-year-old body. But his enthusiasm and boyish delight in anything mysterious and/or unknown continue.

Writing novels, especially detectives, is just the avenue of escape which keeps the author’s mind sharp and inquisitive. He’s published a ton of short stories in online magazines like Crooked, Darkest Before the Dawn, Abandoned Towers, Pulp Metal Magazine, Suspense Magazine, Spinetingler Magazine, Near to The Knuckle, A Twist of Noir, Angie’s Diary, Power Burn Flash, and Eastern Standard Crime. He writes both detective/mysteries, as well as science-fiction and fantasy.

Giveaway

$25 Amazon

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Book Review: We Have Always Been Here by Lena Nguyen

We Have Always Been Here
by Lena Nguyen

July 6, 2021

368 pages

Publisher: DAW

Genre: crime, mystery, science fiction, genetic engineering

This psychological sci-fi thriller from a debut author follows one doctor who must discover the source of her crew's madness... or risk succumbing to it herself.

Misanthropic psychologist Dr. Grace Park is placed on the Deucalion, a survey ship headed to an icy planet in an unexplored galaxy. Her purpose is to observe the thirteen human crew members aboard the ship—all specialists in their own fields—as they assess the colonization potential of the planet, Eos. But frictions develop as Park befriends the androids of the ship, preferring their company over the baffling complexity of humans, while the rest of the crew treats them with suspicion and even outright hostility.

 

Shortly after landing, the crew finds themselves trapped on the ship by a radiation storm, with no means of communication or escape until it passes—and that’s when things begin to fall apart. Park’s patients are falling prey to waking nightmares of helpless, tongueless insanity. The androids are behaving strangely. There are no windows aboard the ship. Paranoia is closing in, and soon Park is forced to confront the fact that nothing—neither her crew, nor their mission, nor the mysterious Eos itself—is as it seems.

Amazon

A psychological thriller in a sci-fi Alien-like setting. This book had several things going for it and some that weren't. Here are my thoughts on both:

What I liked
The dreary, dark atmosphere of the ship and the unknown planet it had landed on were both described very well. As the story progressed and several characters fell prey to a nightmare-inducing sickness that had them behaving irrationally, it only added to the suspense.

The treatment of androids and the fear of an uprising revealed an ugly aspect of humanity. Neither do we like something that's too unlike us, nor do we forgive things for being too similar to ourselves! While this trope is nothing new, it made for interesting reading.

What I Didn't like
Three timelines run simultaneously throughout the telling of this story. While they do lead to good reveals, two of them also detracted from the one that was describing the present.

I struggled to care about the protagonist. She's not described as an introvert but as a misanthrope. How such a person could go on to become a psychologist is beyond me. Not only should she be unable to get a degree in the subject, but her personality would also be a hindrance when she starts practicing. As it was, the whole concept of this book was based on this quirk of hers. So, I dunno how to take that.

Captain Sagara, with his secretive bossy ways, and Fullbreech, made for far more likable characters than the lead. However, the author's insistent way of describing Fullbreech's boy-next-door charm and how weird Sagara was did clue me in about their secret motivations.

Some repetitive parts could have been cut out during editing. Park's explanation of what was happening to Sagara comes to mind as an example.

If you like thrillers heavy on psychology with a smattering of sci-fi, then this is the book for you.

3 sheep.

Reviewer: Mindu Reads

Most of my go-to series are 3 starrers

*No rating - wasn't my genre/dnf'd so rating it would be unfair

1 sheep - won't be picking up another book in a series  again

2 sheep - average read with overused tropes and cliches. Will give the author another try/only continuing because of OCD, so must finish a series

2.5 sheep - liked the book but was put off because it was overly long/illtreatment of a character the author had me invest in and so on.

3 sheep - enjoyed the book but have reservations because I expected to be wowed and wasn't

4 sheep - was unputdownable

5 sheep - formed an emotional connection, will read the heck outta this series

About the Author:

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The daughter of Vietnamese immigrants, Lena Nguyen lives with her partner in the alien desert of Arizona. She received her MFA in fiction from Cornell University, where she also taught courses in English literature, composition, creative writing, cultural studies, superheroes, and zombies. Her science fiction and fantasy have won several accolades, and she was a Writers of the Future finalist. When not writing traditional fiction, Lena is steeped in the world of game development and is hard at work on her next choice-based game. We Have Always Been Here (DAW, Penguin Random House) is her debut novel.