February 2024 MBR The Mystery/Suspense Shelf part 2 of 4

[Midwest Book Review]

The Mystery/Suspense Shelf part 2 of 4

So Deadly Fair / Diamonds Don't Burn
Gertrude Walker, author
Bill Kelly, introduction
Stark House Press
www.starkhousepress.com
9798886010343, $19.95, PB, 272pp

https://www.amazon.com/Deadly-Fair-Diamonds-Dont-Burn/dp/B0C4NHZJFH

Synopsis: SO DEADLY FAIR -- It was dark and raining when Walter Johnson crawls out of the freight car that night. So when he sees a woman motioning to him from the window of a house across from the tracks, he decides to investigate. What he finds is a bloodied corpse, and the set-up with him as the killer. But Johnson doesn't intend to allow himself to be railroaded into a murder charge. He grabs the woman who tried to frame him, and takes off with her for California. Elizabeth is no victim herself. Sooner or later, she is going to have her way. She settles in with Johnson as a reluctant married couple, but Johnson knows that it's only a matter of time before she makes her break. He just didn't realize that this time he'd be accused of her murder.

DIAMONDS DON'T BURN -- Clara and her husband John have grown apart. Then John introduces her to his friend Roger, and she feels an immediate attraction. But Clara is torn. She doesn't want to become an unfaithful wife. Still, Roger is persuasive, and Clara finds herself meeting him in a New York hotel room. What neither of them could suspect is that a diamond robbery has been planned for the next room that night. Mike Grant has been working on this plan for some time, and nothing is going to get in his way. But how could he know that the man he has set out to rob would wake up, that he would be forced to shoot him? And that racing to escape he would bump into Clara, also trying to escape her situation? Who could foresee that their bags would get mixed up in the confusion?

Critique: Two time-lost classics of the hard-boiled crime novel genre by Gertrude Winifred Walker (April 8, 1902 - June 18, 1995) who was an American screenwriter, TV writer, and novelist best remember for her work on B movies at Republic Pictures. "So Deadly Fair / Diamonds Don't Burn" have been brought back into print by Stark House Press as part of their 'Crime Classics' series. The stuff of which film noir movies were made, "So Deadly Fair / Diamonds Don't Burn" will prove to be a memorably entertaining read for mystery and crime novel fans. While an excellent and enduringly popular pick for community library Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "So Deadly Fair / Diamonds Don't Burn" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $5.99).

Editorial Note: Gertrude Walker (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gertrude_Walker) joined the writing staff at Republic Pictures, where she enjoyed the collegial atmosphere and working with writer Dane Lussier. As Walker later recounted, she was almost laid off from the studio in 1944 - until her boss saw her script for Silent Partner (which she had written in three days) and was blown away. During her time later in the decade at Warner Brothers, she also gained recognition as a novelist; her 1948 title, So Deadly Fair, was named one of the 10 best mystery novels of the year. In 1955, her novel Diamonds Don't Burn was published.

The Glass Heart / The Sleeping City
Marty Holland
Stark House Press
www.starkhousepress.com
9798886010534, $16.95, PB, 186pp

https://www.amazon.com/Glass-Heart-Sleeping-City/dp/B0CFZDD4KL

Synopsis: THE GLASS HEART -- Down on his luck, Curt snatches an overcoat and is chased by the police into a Beverly Hills neighborhood where he meets Mrs. Virginia Block. Virginia is expecting a new handyman to show up, and Curt quickly snags the position. He doesn't realize that this seemingly sweet old woman is a rich miser, and finds himself working for pennies as her gardener, her chauffeur, and whatever else she needs to maintain her huge house. Then Lynn, as aspiring actress, moves in, and things don't seem so bad there after all. But it isn't until Curt discovers Mrs. Block's secret that he finds out what kind of a goldmine he's sitting on. All he has to do is figure out is how to work it... and then stay alive.

THE SLEEPING CITY -- Officer Wade Reed is given his mission, to pose as a member of the Les Ties gang and infiltrate a local mob. As Jim Cox, he is an out-of-town gunman who has been hired to help with a heist set up by Louie Thompson, an old-style prohibition hoodlum who's planning a comeback. It's Wade's job to find out the details and report back to the Gangster Squad. One false move from Jim Cox, and Wade's fiancee Betty will have to find a new husband. But Wade doesn't figure on Thompson's girl Madge. At first she seems like a real tough cookie. But once she gets under Wade's skin, he begins to have his doubts about the mission. Can he protect Madge and still stop the heist?

Critique: As an author, Marty Holland was a master of the hard-boiled mystery genre and two of her best were "The Glass Heart" and "The Sleeping City". Now brought back into print for the benefit of a new generation of readers with an interest in crime classics, this two tale Stark House edition of "The Glass Heart / The Sleeping City" will prove to be a welcome and enduringly popular pick for community library Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Glass Heart / The Sleeping City" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $5.99) as well.

Editorial Note: Marty Holland (1919 - 1971) began writing at age 12. After moving to Hollywood with her family, she landed a job as a script typist for the movie studios. Marty's own work was soon recognized by movie mogul Otto Preminger, who snapped up her novel, Fallen Angel, and made it into a major motion picture. Known for her dark, hard-boiled writing, she again found cinematic success with The File on Thelma Jordan, starring Barbara Stanwyck and Wendell Corey. One of her last books, The Glass Heart, was made into a screenplay by James M. Cain.

McKee of Centre Street
Helen Reilly
American Mystery Classics
c/o Penzler Publishers
https://penzlerpublishers.com
c/o W.W. Norton (distribution)
www.wwnorton.com
9781613164983, $25.95, HC, 288pp

https://www.amazon.com/McKee-Centre-Street-Helen-Reilly/dp/161316498X

Synopsis: When one of New York's favorite dancers is killed in a crowded high-tone speakeasy, everyone present becomes a suspect -- and those that may have eluded questioning as well. Now it's up to Inspector McKee of the NYPD to sift through the witness statements, separate fact from fiction, and put together a picture of the crime as it happened in order to discover what's missing from the official narrative. And in the process, he'll uncover a story that leads back into the past, with blackmail and stolen emeralds lurking in the shadows...

As McKee's case comes into focus, a rich and confounding mystery plot is revealed, which will take all of the inspector's resources to solve. Along the way, the inner workings of the New York City police department in the 1930s is on full display, including the line-ups, the radio room, the morgue, and the fingerprinting office -- technologies that were at the cutting edge of this era's fight against crime.

Critique: A speakeasy performer is murdered in this pioneering mystery from the mother of the police procedural. Reissued for the first time eighty years, "McKee of Centre Street" by Helen Reilly is one of the first police procedurals novels ever written by a woman. Her realistic descriptions of New York and her insightful view of police work were an instant hit with fans and its lead character went on to star in over thirty mor crime novels. A literary treasure brought back from obscurity in a new edition from American Mystery Classics, "McKee of Centre Street" is a fund read from start to finish and a welcome, unreservedly recommended pick for community library Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of all dedicated 'whodunnit' mystery buffs that "McKee of Centre Street" is also available in a paperback edition (9781613164990, $15.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Editorial Note: Helen Reilly (April 25, 1891 - January 11, 1962) was a pioneering author of American Golden Age mysteries and considered to be one of the first women to write in the police procedural subgenre. She wrote over thirty novels starring Inspector Christopher McKee, of the fictitious Manhattan Homicide Squad. Most of her writing was published under her own name but she also published several novels under the pseudonym Kieran Abbey. A member of the Mystery Writers of America, she served as president of the organization in 1953.

The Last Word
Gerri Lewis
Crooked Lane Books
www.crookedlanebooks.com
9781639106318, $29.99, HC, 304pp

https://www.amazon.com/Last-Word-Gerri-Lewis/dp/1639106316

Synopsis: Obituary writer Winter Snow is no stranger to grief, and writing obituaries for the citizens of Ridgefield, Connecticut, is her way of providing comfort to those who have been in her shoes. But funerals and eulogies are meant for the dead, so when the very much alive Leocadia Arlington requests her own obituary by the end of the week, Winter's curiosity is piqued. Even more so when she finds Mrs. Arlington dead soon after. Officer Kip Michaels and his relentless partner Tom Bellini make it clear that Winter is under suspicion for the death.

Drafting an obituary for someone who hadn't died yet certainly looks bad, but Winter knows that it wasn't her, and she becomes obsessed with trying to figure out the real killer. She dives headfirst into the investigation to give Mrs. Arlington and herself some peace. When Winter realizes Mrs. Arlington was working on a revealing memoir that has now gone missing, Winter begins to wonder if the death wasn't exactly random - accident or otherwise.

With the help of her foodie Uncle Richard, her wise octogenarian neighbor Horace, her best friend Scoop, and Diva, the Great Pyrenees puppy she inherited from Mrs. Arlington, Winter must uncover the killer before the next obituary written is her own.

Critique: A fun read for cosy mystery fans from start to finish, "The Last Word" is author Gerri Lewis debut launch of her new A Deadly Deadlines Mystery'. This impressively original and carefully crafted 'whodunnit' mystery features an amateur female sleuth caught up in the necessity of clearing her name and involving a number of memorable characters and a dramatic conclusion. While highly recommended for community library Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Last Word" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99).

Editorial Note: Gerri Lewis (https://gerrilewis.com) started her career as a freelance writer and has published over 1,400 features, news stories, obituaries, and columns. Along with writing her novels, she continues to write magazine features for O68 Magazine. Her cover features appear regularly and her HOW WE MET column was a popular staple of the magazine for many years. Her accolades include feature-writing awards from the New England Press Association and the Society of Professional Journalists, among others.

The Lost Dresses of Italy
M. A. McLaughlin
Crooked Lane Books
www.crookedlanebooks.com
9781639105649, $29.99, HC, 304pp

https://www.amazon.com/Lost-Dresses-Novel-M-McLaughlin/dp/1639105646

Synopsis: Verona, 1947. Textile historian Marianne Baxter comes to post-war Italy with one thing on her mind: three pristine Victorian dresses, once owned by the famous poet Christina Rossetti. Hidden away in a trunk for nearly a century, they were recently discovered at the Fondazione Museo Menigatti and Marianne's expertise is needed before they go on exhibit. Still grieving the loss of her husband, the trip is also a reason for Marianne to start over. But when she arrives, she discovers an unsupportive but handsome museum owner, a superstitious local community, and a mysterious letter with a scribbled warning hidden among the dresses.

Verona, 1864. Christina Rossetti returns to her family's homeland in hopes of leaving her unfulfilled personal life and poetry career in England and beginning a new chapter. After a chance encounter with an old family friend, she finds a gift her father once gave her: a small ornate box with the three Muses carved into the lid. When she stumbles across a secret compartment, Christina finds a letter from her father with an urgent and personal request.

The letter, speaking of a pendant and stolen book that must be returned, connects Marianne and Christina - and leaves them both with more questions than answers. Inspired by the real-life mysteries surrounding poet Christina Rossetti, The Lost Dresses transports readers to Verona with the enchantment and intrigue of Italian art and fashion.

Critique: A deftly crafted and innately fascination historical mystery set in Verona, Italy, "The Lost Dresses of Italy" by M. A. McLaughlin showcases her genuine flair for originality and a distinctive storytelling style that makes for a fun read from cover to cover. Of particular interest to fans of historical fiction with events separated by the better part of a century, "The Lost Dresses of Italy" is certain to be an immediately welcome and enduringly popular pick for community library Historical Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Lost Dresses of Italy" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99) as well.

Editorial Note: M. A. McLaughlin (https://martyambrose.com) is an award-winning author who completed her M.Phil. at the University of York (England) and teaches nineteenth-century British literature, composition, and fiction writing at Florida Southwestern State College. She has also given numerous workshops in the U.S. and abroad on all aspects of creating/publishing a novel, and is a member of The Byron Society, Historical Novel Society, Florida Writers Association, and Women's Fiction Writers Association.

EDITOR'S NOTE:

The Midwest Book Review is an organization of volunteers committed to promoting literacy, library usage, and small press publishing. We accept no funds from authors or publishers. Full permission is given to post any of these reviews on thematically appropriate websites, newsgroups, listserves, internet discussion groups, organizational newsletters, or to interested individuals. Please give the Midwest Book Review a credit line when doing so.

The Midwest Book Review publishes the monthly book review magazines "California Bookwatch", "Internet Bookwatch", "Children's Bookwatch", "MBR Bookwatch", "Reviewer's Bookwatch", and "Small Press Bookwatch". All are available for free on the Midwest Book Review website at www (dot) midwestbookreview (dot) com

Anyone wanting to submit books for review consideration can send them to:

James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review
278 Orchard Drive
Oregon, WI 53575-1129

To submit reviews of any fiction or non-fiction books, email them to Frugalmuse (at) aol (dot) com (Be sure to include the book title, author, publisher, publisher address, publisher website/phone number, 13-digit ISBN number, and list price).

James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review