Editing by Elizabeth

August 21, 2012

A Story Made for Hollywood by Gus Pelagatti

I previously reviewed The Wicked Wives by Gus Pelagatti, so was happy to welcome Gus for a guest post in conjunction with his Pump Up Your Book blog tour.

The Wicked Wives by Gus Pelagatti The Wicked Wives is a noir suspense thriller of historical fiction: murder, betrayal, court room drama, love and lust based on the true story of the 1938 poison scandals in Philadelphia.

When I was eight years old, I overheard adults in our South Philadelphia neighborhood discussing seventeen disenchanted and unfaithful neighborhood wives who allegedly murdered their husbands for insurance money. This was a fascinating topic for an 8 year- old boy eavesdropping on adult conversation. People were discussing the true story of Philadelphia’s infamous 1938 poison murder conspiracy scandals. My fascination led to obsession as I grew older, and I knew that I had to write about these women, their lovers and their husbands.

The setting of The Wicked Wives takes place when the times were marred by the Great Depression and the prelude to World War II, and is largely confined to the City of Philadelphia. At 293 pages, the novel is equal parts murder, suspense, love, lust, corruption, treachery and intriguing court suspense leading to a dynamic ending. →

August 20, 2012

Digital Bullying or Freedom of Speech? by Fiona Johnson

I’m very pleased to welcome the lovely and talented Scottish Scribe Fiona “McDroll” Johnson back for another guest post. I’ll be reviewing her latest short story collection, Kick It With Conviction, tomorrow, but Fiona has chosen to address the serious topic of bullying here in her guest post today. Please feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments below about when you think freedom of speech crosses the line to cyber bullying.

Fiona McDroll Johnson My twelve year-old son recently had his first day of high school. Instead of being an exciting next step, it was the most challenging day of his life. That night we sat for nearly two hours talking about his day, trying to make some sense of this new world that he now has to visit everyday for the next six years.

As a parent, I want my child to be excited about learning and in certain respects he is, but sadly, he also has to battle against the pressures that obstruct his right to attend school, make friends and learn in a safe environment.

You see; my son has to cope with bullying. The actions of another child have robbed him of many happy childhood times, dented his self-confidence and affected his health. Bullying is destructive, cowardly and loathsome. It is a weapon used by those lacking in kindness, respect and honesty.

With the support of his family, friends and teachers, my son will survive the first few weeks at his new school, he will emerge a stronger person and people will respect him and be impressed by his maturity. He’s a child, and this shouldn’t happen to him, but it happens to many children and in the past it may even have happened to you. →

August 17, 2012

Stardoom by John Tomaino

“There’s nothing you can say or do to make it better.”

For as long as she can remember Linda has wanted not just to be an actress, but to be famous. And for as long as she can remember it’s a dream her father has dismissed out of hand, insisting the acting “profession” was barely a step above working as a prostitute.

When Linda’s big break finally came, the one that could enable her to move to New York and really make a go of things, her father absolutely forbid it. Not willing to let go of her dream, Linda left home. It was a decision which devastated her mother, who killed herself – and explicitly laid the blame at her husband’s feet – shortly thereafter. Driven now not only by a desire to succeed, Linda’s fire is perpetually stoked by her hatred and resentment of her father.

Then the part of a lifetime comes into Linda’s life…with Broadway legend Chantelle Riviera cast to play it. Once again stuck in the role of understudy, Linda is determined to find a way to finally have her turn in the spotlight. And though it’s not openly discussed, everyone in the production seems to realize Linda actually has a better handle on the part, but Chantelle’s the name. The draw. What Linda needs is for Chantelle to become so unreliable – so unhinged – the director and producer will have no alternative but to replace her. And Linda knows just how to make that happen. →

August 16, 2012

One Bullet, Two Shots by Jason S. Ridler

First introduced in the Spar Battersea thriller Death Match, professional wrestler Keith “The Bullet” Winnick offered readers a tantalizing glimpse at a character that begged for his own showcase.

And while we’ve not gotten a full length offering built around him yet, One Bullet, Two Shots does provide a nice double-dip of short stories that flesh out Winnck’s history.

Heart Punch Blues takes place in 1982 at a time when “The Bullet” was a well-known character on the professional wrestling circuit, though one who’d never made the jump to the big time. Far from being a pretty boy, and lacking smooth talking mic skills, “The Bullet” seemed destined to be nothing more than a jobber (designated loser) and second tier heel (villain). Until the night of the match that changed his life forever, the match that gave “The Bullet” and his signature heart punch finishing move a deadly legend he’d never be able to live up to…or down.

Dark Match Champ takes place two years after that fateful night in 1982. Now at the top of the professional wrestling pyramid, Winnick has learned the hard way that one really does have to be careful what they wish for, especially in a business where ungodly demands are put on one’s body in order to keep performing. Taking some time off for the Christmas holiday, Dark Match Champ finds Winnick waiting incognito in a bus station to travel home and see his young daughter. Hoping to cash in on his fame and get a quickie with a woman also waiting for her bus to arrive, Winnick follows her to the bathroom where he gets something entirely different than what he was expecting. A “dark match” in wrestling is one that takes place either before or after the televised show, and in this story “The Bullet” finds himself in the dark match fight of his life. →

August 10, 2012

The Trinity Game by Sean Chercover

Ten years. Seven hundred and twenty-one cases. Not one miracle. – Father Daniel Byrne

Daniel Byrne is a man who’s spent his entire adult life looking for a miracle. Raised by his con man uncle, Reverend Tim Trinity, after his parents died, Daniel grew up truly believing in the power of faith as evidenced by the miracles he witnessed at his uncle’s traveling tent revivals. Until he was old enough to begin questioning, that is.

Daniel was barely into his early teens when he learned his uncle was a sham and the miracles he performed were staged. The discovery was devastating, and drove Daniel from his uncle’s house and into another, the Lord’s. Presenting himself as an orphan at a Catholic Church, Daniel started down the path to priesthood, and a lifelong quest to truly believe again.

Working as an investigator for the Office of the Devil’s Advocate, the Vatican’s secret branch whose members are tasked with investigating claims of miraculous happenings, Daniel is presented with his most challenging case yet…investigating the Reverend Tim Trinity, now a highly successful televangelist working out of Atlanta. Apparently Trinity has begun speaking in tongues during his sermons, and when played backwards at two thirds speed it becomes clear that Trinity is uttering prophecies on everything from the outcome of sporting events (including exact scores), to crippling traffic jams, to natural disasters. And he’s never wrong. →

August 08, 2012

Blarney: 12 Tales of Lies, Crime & Mystery by Steve Hockensmith

Though probably best known for his novels which feature brothers Gustav “Old Red” and Otto “Big Red” Amlingmeyer, cowboys turned detectives in late 1890′s America, author Steve Hockensmith started out writing short fiction. He’s damn good at it too, as evidenced by the fact he’s had scores of stories published over the years in numerous anthologies and mystery magazines, including showing up regularly in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine.

Blarney: 12 Tales of Lies, Crime & Mystery gathers together a nice collection of Hockensmith’s work which was originally published between 2000-2006. The meat of the collection is made up of six stories featuring Larry Erie, a retired detective turned P.I. and (initially) reluctant cat owner.

Derringer Award-winning “Erie’s Last Day” opens the collection and sets the stage for Erie’s future as a PI by following his last day on the job as a detective. Far from sitting back and enjoying the back pats, balloons and cake, Erie decides to give one of his cold cases a last going over and gets more than he bargained for.

Scattered throughout the rest of the collection we follow Erie, who lives in a relatively sleepy small Indiana town, on adventures that include the search for a hijacked trucking shipment (“The Big Road”), the case of a little girl’s missing dog, which turns out to be something much larger and infinitely more sinister (“Animals”), and the kidnapping of a monkey with an attitude from the local zoo (Shamus Award finalist “Tricks”), among others. →

August 03, 2012

Rough Riders by Charlie Stella

The last time he had tried to flee the country and the witness protection program he had made the mistake of involving people he couldn’t trust. – Singleton/Stewart

That was ten years ago, and much to his dismay James Singleton, now Washington Stewart, is still spinning his wheels in Witness Protection. True the FBI turns a blind eye to his occasional criminal activity as long as he helps them with various sting operations, but freezing his balls off in godforsaken North Dakota isn’t exactly a fair tradeoff as far as Stewart is concerned.

So when he meets up with a Colonel from the local Air Force Base who also has intentions of fleeing the country, right after completing a drug deal and squaring things up with his cheating wife, it seems like a partnership made in heave. The Colonel agrees to help Stewart get out of the country in exchange for Stewart killing the Colonel’s wife. Good to go, right? Well…

You see, Stewart’s still holding a grudge against mobster Eddie Senta for shooting him in the face ten years ago back in New York during Stewart’s first stint in Witness Protection, and he’s not keen to leave the country until he pays Senta back for the night that left him missing an eye and facially disfigured. Knowing he can’t exactly slip across the country and do the job himself, Stewart designates the task to an underling. And that’s when the wheels start coming off the wagon. →

August 02, 2012

Whiplash River by Lou Berney

“Simple and safe. Is that what you want? How much fun would that be?” – Harrigan Quinn

Actually, simple and safe is precisely what Charles “Shake” Bouchon wants. Having lived a life of crime, including two stints in the joint and serving as a wheelman for the Armenian mob, Shake is ready to settle down. In fact, he’s managed to secure his dream, owning a restaurant in Belize.

Alas, simple and safe is not in the cards for Shake. For starters, he had to borrow money from local drug lord Baby Jesus in order to purchase the restaurant, and while Jesus may be patient and compassionate, Baby Jesus is not. He wants his money, and he wants it now. So, it certainly doesn’t help matters when Shake’s place gets shot to hell during an attempted hit on a mysterious older gentleman dining there one evening.

To make matters worse, FBI Special Agent Evelyn Holly is in town and she’d like nothing better than to get Shake under her thumb so she can force him to flip on the Armenian mob. And of course when it rains it pours, so when word of the failed hit makes it back to the people who ordered it they assume Shake is actually the intended target’s bodyguard and green light taking him out too. In fact, they send a stepped up professional to get the job done.

All of which may still have actually been manageable; after all, Shake’s been through worse (Gutshot Straight). Then his restaurant gets blown up. Turns out the original team sent to carry out the hit is lead by a spunky young woman who takes failure personally and will now stop at nothing to finish the job. With nothing left to his name but the clothes on his back, Shake turns to the mysterious older gentleman, Harrigan Quinn, for answers, and that’s when things get really complicated. →

August 02, 2012

Authors You Should Be Reading by Charlie Stella

Tomorrow I’ll be reviewing Rough Riders by Charlie Stella, the long-awaited sequel to his book Eddie’s World, but today am excited to welcome Charlie for a guest post, in which he has chosen to spend his time not talking about his own book, but about authors he thinks you should be reading.

Charlie Stella Amici:

First off, thanks to Elizabeth for granting me some soapbox space this fine day. Rather than yap about my latest novel (Rough Riders), I decided that today would be a good chance to put a shine on a few other authors (literary and crime and/or literary/crime). I’m in my third semester of an MFA program up at Southern New Hampshire University. I originally applied for the sake of hedging my employment bets as outsourcing continues to reduce my current job (word processing) to a memory.

Three semesters into the program, I couldn’t be happier with my decision and it has little to do with securing a future income. The reading list alone has been worth the investment. There are so many writers I hadn’t read or knew about for a variety of reasons, but mostly because I’d been a philistine most of my life. The introduction to so many new (for me) ones has been like receiving a weekly Christmas present. While I had read some of the reading list in the program, many I had not, and those I hadn’t read include authors like Alice Monro, Richard Bausch, Frederick Busch, Paul Bowles, George Saunders, Mario Vargas Llosa, Jay McInerney, etc. has added hours of pleasurable reading to my life.

Here are some writers I think everyone should read sooner or later in their lives. →

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