Books

Today sees the launch of Clonk!, a humour-filled crime novel by the Baltimore author J Paul Rieger, and here at Crime Fiction Lover we’re overjoyed to bring you an interview with the man himself. Based in the Baltimore suburb of Towson, JP is a retired real estate attorney who has always been a writer only

One book. Nine readers. Ten changed lives. New York Times bestselling author Erica Bauermeister’s No Two Persons is “a gloriously original celebration of fiction, and the ways it deepens our lives.” That was the beauty of books, wasn’t it? They took you places you didn’t know you needed to go… This program includes a bonus

Summer is right around the corner and what does that mean? It means that you (hopefully) have more time to read! If you don’t, at least the children in your life do. Enter the best summer reading programs 2023 has to offer. Kids are on summer break, and they have a lot more time on

Subtitled A Sister Holiday Mystery, Scorched Grace is all about the crime-solving queer punk nun, Holiday Walsh. Originally from New York, she has found herself after a series of personal disasters as the music teacher at New Orleans’ Saint Sebastian’s Catholic School. Her chaotic life has left her emotionally burnt out, and a period of

People often ask, “When did you know you were going to be a writer? When did you decide?” I have many answers to this question, because being a writer is a way of moving through the world, a way of seeing, of hearing and, I’ve learned, believing. When I was last asked this question, in

A beach read is more than strictly a book you read by the ocean. You don’t even have to be near the shore to read one. It’s less about the setting, strictly speaking, and more about the feeling. Beach reads are books that deeply engross you, leaving you hanging on to every word. They’re the

Help! I’m Wilder Harlow and I’m trapped in this review. Before that, my prison was more substantial and somewhat of a labyrinth, although perhaps telling you that Looking Glass Sound was like a prison is a white lie. My time in Catriona Ward‘s book depicts all the facets of my life – joy and love,

Five teenagers, spread across two rival countries, each have a story to tell in The Isles of the Gods, the first book in a fantasy duology from Australian author Amie Kaufman.  Selly is an Alinorish sailor whose magician’s marks never matured, leaving her without the ability to communicate with elemental spirits. Alinor’s Prince Leander knows

In 1894, a group of women banded together to honor their history and legacy. These women, all white, established themselves as the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC) in Nashville and set to work venerating the history of the Confederacy. UDC established both a national chapter and chapters throughout member states in the south, their

Author Paul E Hardisty may have lived and worked all over the world, but his Canadian roots are showing in his latest book, The Forcing. It is an eco-thriller set in the not too distant future in the aftermath of two global pandemics. The world is in a precarious state. Lies, misinformation and conspiracy theories

“You must do the thing you think you cannot do,” Eleanor Roosevelt once wrote. In journalist Shannon McKenna Schmidt’s detail-rich and revealing account, The First Lady of World War II: Eleanor Roosevelt’s Daring Journey to the Frontlines and Back, it is abundantly clear that the four-term first lady lived her words. Beginning as a Red

It feels like Kellerman crime novels come as regularly as the tides on Venice Beach. Psychologist Alex Delaware and LAPD lieutenant Milo Sturgis have been investigating deaths in the LA suburbs since the award-winning When The Bough Breaks, and now here is Unnatural History, the 38th in the series. The story unfolds as fans would

When Rachel Klein was born 12 years ago, Krasnia’s oceanside capital of Brava was a lively, lovely place dotted with palm trees and populated by citizens who reveled in living there. Sadly, in British screenwriter and playwright David Farr’s The Book of Stolen Dreams, lightheartedness is long gone from present-day Brava.  A tyrannical man named

ThriftBooks, where teachers get FREE BOOKS! Buy 4 used books, get a 5th one free with ThriftBooks teacher-only promo code! Teachers, faculty, and staff members at accredited K-12 schools and universities, as well as homeschool instructors, childcare workers, and library staff can qualify for our educator program, ThriftBooks 4 Teachers™. Get more for less with

Wait. <Tap. Tap. Tap.> What’s this on the radar? Is it? No, it can’t be… Is it working? Maybe the Russians messing with our comms? Oh, wow, it is real! A new novel in Martin Cruz Smith’s Renko series is on the way and it’s the lead book this week in our news column this

Like the garden at its center, poet Camille T. Dungy’s Soil: The Story of a Black Mother’s Garden blossoms in vivid hues, radiating love and illuminating the tangled roots of nature and ecology. Six years after she arrived in Fort Collins, Colorado, Dungy set out to reclaim a portion of her yard and convert it

When has there ever been a wedding when there isn’t at least a little bit of drama? Couples spend thousands (and in some cases, tens of thousands) of dollars on a big event that is meant to declare their love to the world, but they’re also bringing in all their relatives, loved ones, and friends,

As a teacher, it’s hard to find time to read just for me. I usually would labor through one book for months during the school year, picking it up for a few weeks and then putting it down for the same amount of time. I’d either finish in the summer or abandon it entirely. When

A few weeks ago, I read Annika Barranti Klein’s article, Did Maurice Sendak Hate Children? It was funny timing, because I had just picked up my phone to scroll after reading all about Maurice Sendak in children’s book historian Leonard Marcus’s book Minders of Make-Believe. While I don’t necessarily disagree with the points Annika makes,

Who is Junji Ito? If you’ve seen any of his imaginative and unsettling imagery, then you already know this Japanese horror manga artist is unforgettable. Ito is the writer and the artist of over 100 horror stories, some of which have been adapted into films, television series, and video games. Beyond his horror manga, Ito

The days are getting longer and spring is in the air. Admittedly with such a strange and unsatisfying New England winter, I have been yearning for spring for a while, so it’s a relief to finally have the weather changing and the flowers coming up. And of course there are the spring 2023 new releases

I’ll never forget the first time I heard about The Expanse. It had been a few years ago, and we were just getting to the end of a long and dreary winter. A hint of spring hung in the air, yet I still hadn’t shaken off the last dregs of the retreating cold and dark

You’ve probably heard of harems…the situation in which a man is surrounded by multiple women there for his sexual gratification. But have you heard of reverse harem romance books? If you’re just starting out in learning about reverse harem romance books, this article is for you. We’ll cover all you need to know about reverse

For fans of Agatha Christie and other mystery writers, wills — and trusts to a lesser extent — come up a lot in plots. Greed and jealousy prove extremely good motives for murder. Who inherits, who does not, and any conditions of the will can create endless reasons for one character to off another. Or

The 2023 Women’s Prize shortlist as been announced. The six books were judged by broadcaster and writer Louise Minchin, journalist and writer Bella Mackie, novelist Rachel Joyce, writer Irenosen Okojie, and member of parliament, Tulip Siddiq. They were described by judges as being “ambitious, eclectic, and hard-hitting” Half of the shortlisted authors are debut novelists,

Henry Gaunt and Sidney Ellwood are best friends and sixth-formers at the English public school Preshute College, an Eton-like boarding school. It’s 1914, and the Great War has begun killing their schoolmates. The school newspaper, The Preshutian, lists the names of dead and wounded older friends. Meanwhile, outside of school, young women hand white feathers

Welcome to our weekly news column, which lands with a humorous clonk. We lead off with JP Rieger’s new crime novel with a comic-style cover worthy of Roy Lichtenstein with an onomatopoeic title to boot. When you’ve quelled your giggles, read on to discover further new crime titles by Aoife Clifford, Susan Isaacs, Sven Elvestad

Blood Will Tell by Heather Chavez zeroes in on the complicated relationship between Frankie Barrera and her younger sister, Izzy. Frankie always stands by her sister, even when Izzy makes questionable decisions, but things change when Frankie is wrongfully implicated in a child abduction case—a crime that may involve Izzy. When a dark incident from

Have you ever known it was going to be a bad day from the moment you woke up? Crusty eyes, soggy cereal, itchy tags in your clothes—everything seems to go wrong. And that’s all before you even get to school! A line cutter in class! A missing pudding at lunch! A terrible case of the

From the author of The Dutch Wife comes a riveting novel set during World War II about a woman who offers shelter to a Jewish baby, and her sister, who must choose between family loyalty and her own safety. Amsterdam, 1941. When the Nazis invade Amsterdam, singer Johanna Vos watches in horror as the vibrant music scene