Chanticleer Book Reviews

Tag: detective story

  • The Official List of The CLUE Awards 2013 Finalists

    The Official List of The CLUE Awards 2013 Finalists

    The CLUE Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Thriller, Suspense, and Mystery Fiction. 

    magnifying-glassFinalists will compete for 1st Place Category positions. First Place Category winners will compete for The CLUE Awards Overall Best Book 2013.

    The CLUE  Awards 2013 for Thriller/Suspense/Mystery Fiction is a division of Chanticleer Blue Ribbon Awards Writing Competitions.

    These Finalists have made it through the first 3 rounds of competition. The first sixty to ninety pages of these works have been read; they are presently making the next series of rounds. From here on out, each round is increasingly more competitive as the judges determine if the works will move forward to best of category.

    We are honored to announce the Finalists of the CLUE Awards 2013. 

    CBR Official List of Titles & Authors Finalists for the CLUE  Awards 2013  are:

    • Small Town Storm by Elise K. Ackers
    • An Accusing Finger by Richard E. Gower
    • Death Over Easy by Toby Speed
    • Forevermore by JimMusgrave
    •  Disappearance by Jim Musgrave
    • Stray Cats by Geoffrey Mehl
    • Guarding Shakespeare by Quintin Peterson
    • Without Consent by Bev Irwin
    • The Space Between  by  Sydney T. Blake
    • Firetrap by Richard Mann
    • Beyond the Bridge by Tom MacDonald
    • Connections by Sandra Olson
    • Deadly Recall by Donnell Ann Bell
    • Parchman Preacher by Michael Hicks Thompson
    • Don’t Cry Over Killed Milk by Stephen Kaminski
    • Raggedy Man by Clyde Curley
    • The Grave Blogger by Donna D. Fontenot
    • Grind His Bones by Richard Newell Smith
    • Buried Threads by Kaylin McFarren
    • Poe, Nevermore by Rachel M.Martens
    • The Last Dance by Lonna Enox
    • Auditory Viewpoint by Lillian R. Melendez
    • Eleven by Carolyn Arnold
    • Trophies by  J. Gunnar Grey
    • Spiked by Sharron Gold
    • Fyre & Ice by Barbie Ray
    • Third Eye Witness by Kathy Bjorkman
    • Too Many Violins by Mark Reutlinger
    • The Politician’s Daughter by Marion Leigh
    • Blue Coyote by Karen Musser Nortman
    • Peete and Repeat by Karen Musser Nortman
    • Blue Coyote Hotel by Dianne Harman
    • Blue Coyote in Provence by Dianne Harman

    Now this is something to CROW about!

    Congratulations to the CLUE Awards 2013 Finalists!

    • Good luck to all in the next competitive rounds for 1st Place Categories!
    • 1st Place Category winners will be announced in approximately two months.

    We are now accepting entries into the Clue Awards for 2014.  Click here  for more info.

     

  • An Editorial Review of “Without Consent” by Bev Irwin

    An Editorial Review of “Without Consent” by Bev Irwin

    Bev Irwin immediately introduces her serial killer in Without Consent by having him carve out the kidney of a conscious woman. Irwin deftly interlaces Doctor Claire Valincourt, Detective Gerry Rosko, the numerous victims, and the killer himself in this descriptive medical-thriller.

    Dr. Claire Valincourt’s world changes after she finds the first body of a spree of killings, and she struggles to face death and horror outside of the sanitized environment of hospitals. Heading up the investigation is Detective Rosko, the surprisingly clement police officer who sparks with Valincourt from the moment they first shake hands. Their growing relationship is dogged by death and danger.

    Irwin presents a wide cast of memorable characters in Without Consent. From a charismatic sketch artist, to reporters that just don’t know when to quit, Irwin organizes the plot so that not a strand is out of place, and most everything dovetails. The terror of Rosko and Doctor Valincourt surrounded by suspects, one of whom is a brutal murderer, gives their lives a level of tension that could be cut with a scalpel.

    Suspense devotees will appreciate the details revealed about the killer’s inner workings. The foreshadowing at the beginning also points to Rosko and Valincourt being thrown together, and with each missing kidney, their romance blossoms against recent personal wounds and professional instinct. The effect could be considered comical if it was not for the constant threat of a brutal death looming over their shoulders.

    The story takes on even more of a sense of urgency as Rosko realizes the athletic brunettes who are piling up, sans one kidney, look suspiciously like Valincourt. The murders begin to be personal and move closer to home as they slide into the social circle of both characters. They fight and scrape to stay alive while closing in on the killer.

    Without Consent’s strengths are highlighted in its multifaceted characters. Valincourt, despite severe trauma in her past, rarely is a damsel in distress, and Rosko isn’t just a stereotypical detective, but has a gentle side and a solid presence that serves as a sea of calm in all the chaos.

    The journey into the killer’s mind always leaves the reader feeling unclean. Each point of progression fits logically when presented by a deranged, methodical man. Occasionally, the extra knowledge held by the reader sends shivers down the spine as the police cannot manage to see or prevent disaster before it happens.

    With each kidney the killer takes, he becomes more confident and certain that his path is the right one, while Rosko and Valincourt become more determined to discover any information on how to stop him.

    Despite some heavy foreshadowing, Without Consent will have you reading to the end. And, as in this case, knowing increases the pleasure of each tiny reveal that is carved out with Irwin’s razor sharp writing…like finding the perfect kidney at the end of a long day.

     

  • An Editorial Review of “Deadly Recall” by Donnell Ann Bell

    An Editorial Review of “Deadly Recall” by Donnell Ann Bell

    Blue and Gold Clue 1st place badgeDonnell Ann Bell deftly intertwines a fast-paced thriller with an emotionally-charged love story. Deadly Recall will entice devotees of both genres, with added appeal for those who appreciate the southwestern setting of Albuquerque, New Mexico.

    The mystery begins when nine-year-old Eden Moran learns that her beloved mentor, Sister Beatrice, is leaving the school that very day. When released for recess, the devastated Eden dashes across the playground to St. Patrick’s Church with hope of finding the nun even though it was against the rules to leave the school yard. She knew it was a sin to disobey but she had to take the chance. Unseen by Father Munroe and Sister Beatrice, Eden witnesses an argument between them that turns physical. The sister falls and the priest is unable to wake her. The shocked Eden sneaks back out and races back to the school’s playground.  Here, panicked adults await her.  When they ask her where she’s been, the little girl tells them she couldn’t recall.

    Seventeen years later: Eden—who had acted so outrageously all those years ago that she was expelled from school and sent by her parents to live with her aunt—has returned to Albuquerque.  Now 26, she is an attractive and successful public defender.  Unfortunately, relations with her parents are still strained.

    It isn’t long before Eden meets Albuquerque Police Detective Kevin Dancer.  Attorney and cop can’t help but be attracted to each other, but the detective’s job is to put the bad guys in jail, while the public defender seeks to help the accused remain free. To add further complications, like Eden’s, Kevin’s family relations are troubled. Thus, both are wary of close relationships.

    The skeletal remains of one Celeste Lescano, aka Sister Beatrice, have been uncovered at a construction site inciting Detective Dancer to solve this cold case. When he investigates, witnesses recall Eden’s close childhood relationship with the nun. However, when Kevin questions Eden, she denies having known Sister Beatrice.

    Eden invites Kevin to attend her sister’s wedding at St. Patrick’s in hopes he’ll meet people who actually knew the woman. Father Munroe, now a bishop, officiates and attends the reception. Noting the bishop’s attraction to women, Detective Dancer pencils him in as a possible suspect.

    Murders and close calls occur bringing more twists and turns to the story. It seems that Sister Beatrice’s killer wants to make sure that Eden doesn’t have the chance to recall what she witnessed that fateful day—by doing whatever it takes to keep her quiet forever. The suspect list lengthens, with St. Patrick Church as the focal point, making Kevin and Eden at odds with each other even as their irrepressible attraction heats up and Eden’s life becomes increasingly in danger.

    Deadly Recall is a  page-turning thriller that comes to a breathless conclusion. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this emotion-packed action story by Donnell Ann Bell so much that her November release of Betrayed is on my personal reading list. In the meantime, I have ordered Bell’s earlier thriller, The Past Came Hunting. I look forward to reading more suspense mystery novels from this award winning author.