No Truth Left to Tell by Michael McAuliffe

No Truth Left to Tell. Michael McAuliffe. Greenleaf Book Group Press. March 2020. pb, 320 pp.; ISBN: 9781626346970.

Adrien Rush is a federal civil rights prosecutor and is called to investigate and prosecute the criminals responsible for burning crosses on the lawns of private and public citizens in Lynwood, Louisiana.  The Ku Klux Klan is responsible and is proud of their actions.  However, one elderly lady, Nettie Wynn, suffers a heart attack on the night of the attack on the front lawn of her home.  She lives in an area of Lynwood that is home to a predominance of people of color.

Rush and an experienced FBI investigator, Mercer, continue their work and after a local police detective brings in one of the responsible persons, they manage to have the perpetrator judged guilty by a grand jury.  Nettie’s nice and Rush hit it off but their relationship is about to become complicated by the crime’s process. 

What happens if the means by which evidence is obtained turns out to be tainted?  Does that mean the rights of the accused become more important than the commission of a crime?  Such is the dilemma posed in this tense, controversial plot. 

It will leave readers with many confusing and complex questions about justice’s processes and the results obtained.  Who or what is the victim of such civil rights crimes and violations?  Who deserves a “fair” trial?  How are rights protected and guaranteed?  What will it take for prejudice and civil rights crimes to be abolished forever?  When does the behavior of police become excusable or inexcusable?  How many innocent people are sitting in jail because of a perversion of justice?

Rush is a cop with integrity. It’s because of that sense of fairness that the simple plot becomes so fraught with problems that challenge his relationship with both the people in town and the families of victims.  There also seems to be a well-known tension between federal and civil authorities.  Everyone wants to be top man on the totem pole and somehow justice and fair play are in danger of being obliterated.

No Truth to Tell is a fascinating read that is sure to please those who love crime novels and the stories therein.  Nice writing, Michael McAuliffe!  Look forward to more of same!

Who Slays The Wicked? by Sebastian St. Cyr C. H. Harris

Who Slays the Wicked? – Sebastian St. Cyr. C. S. Harris. Penguin Publishing Group. April 2019. pb, 352 pp.; ISBN #: 9780399585654.

A very evil nobleman who is married to Sebastian’s niece, Stephanie.  This quickly turns into a “was” married when he is found murdered in the most foul manner possible.  Years ago, he was responsible for a string of murders of young boys.  Lord Ashworth has some deviant sexual habits and is a very nasty individual with a habit of not paying his bills and sneering at those who demand payment.  When Sebastian asks who would want Lord Ashworth dead, the answer is obviously anyone and everyone who knew him. Although this is the 14^th St. Cyr novel, it’s a stand-alone that’s so very well worth reading.

So does one go after the poor vagabond prostitutes in the neighborhood or the other noble lords and ladies in London, especially quite a few from Russia here to encourage and celebrate a wedding of their own arrangement?  All have a reason to hate Lord Ashworth’s dead or alive guts.  The size of a blood stain even suggests that a small woman committed the gruesome deed, maybe even his wife Stephanie whom the Lord had married only to get an heir or he would have been cut off from the family money. 

What’s most interesting about this novel are the potentially guilty characters who carry an obvious hatred of the dead victim but also have a coldness about them that wouldn’t think twice about killing a person.  Motives boil down to they would just plain like to do it and no you wouldn’t get a smile with that verbal admission.

There’s a double whammy message here about how the aristocracy couldn’t care less about the suffering and cruel circumstances of the poor beggars, prostitutes, and local ragpickers, of whatever age.  St. Cyr has an obvious caring heart and this makes him sensitive to the suffering around him, a trait his beloved wife also shares.

One also gets a good picture of the politics of the time.  Politicians are out for money and not the good of their constituents.  Covering up evil deeds is par for the course.

This is a grand read with plenty of rumors, hints, scandals, etc. for those trying to figure out the mystery before the main character does.  Fine crime novel that will keep you enraptured for hours and hours – enjoy and then go for the other St. Cyr novels – all masterfully crafted!

Red Letter Days by Sarah Jane Stratford

Red Letter Days. Sarah Jane Stratford. Penguin Publishing Group. February 2020. pb, 400 pp.; ISBN: 9780451475572.

In the late 1950s Senator Joe McCarthy began what came to be known as the “Red Scare.”  Halfway through that period, even after Senator McCarthy had to withdrawn from the HUAC or House of Un-American Activities Committee, the Committee was still holding trials of those who were blacklisted for an association with either the Communist or Red Party others associated with the same party.  The source of most of their information were lists of people who named others so that they would be released and cleared of being a Red.  This is the story of two women writers who were blacklisted, one (Phoebe Adler) of whom had escaped a subpoena by fleeing to England.  Phoebe must work as a script writer in order to financially support her very ill sister living in a health sanitarium.  After she gets blacklisted based on someone else’s false confession, she leaves for England and begins, thanks to the helpfulness of Hannah, a woman who has hired several blacklisted writers and producers.  The choice was this escape or trial and jail plus heft financial fines. However, note that Phoebe and Hannah are very good writers!

The travesty of those who did not escape is that their careers were totally ruined.  But thee exiles got a second chance.  Eventually some were arrested in England, brought back to American and made to appear before the HUAC.  Some thanks to strong supporters made it through and returned to England but the story still needed to be told because of the hell they went through, like Phoebe, in the long anxiety-producing, fearful process or journey.  Sarah-Jane Stratford has certainly done a great deal of research and this novel is a poignant account of that experience for far too many writers, actors, producers and directors accused of being Communists.

There is also a subplot of the role of married women who chose to work after the war and who therefore were considered to be unfeminine.  Some stuck it out; some wound up divorced.  These women were assuming roles for the first time that Americans were not always willing to accept.  The novel also contains some very funny moments as scripts are being prepared for the TV production of Robin Hood and another for The Legend of Lancelot.

Remarkable, intelligent, adventurous, and engaging historical fiction that is well-crafted, fascinating and highly readable.  A must read! Enjoy!

The Antidote for Everything by Kimmery Martin

The Antidote for Everything. Kimmery Martin. Penguin Publishing Group. February 2020. pb, 384 pp.; ISBN: 9781984802835.

Dr. Georgia Brown is a urologist and Dr. Jonah Tsukada is a family medicine physician.  Both work in a hospital in Charleston, South Carolina.  The journey both are about to begin is a very painful one as the Director of the hospital and a group of local citizens have decided that Jonah’s treatment of LGBT patients is immoral and therefore unacceptable as hospital policy.  So he is accused of that and also of stealing drugs from the hospital pharmacy.  Georgia stands by his side through the thick and horrendous journey of these accusations as well as when he is fired.  At the same time, Georgia has finally met and fallen in love with a businessman, Mark.  All three of these characters have experienced devastating loss and know what it takes to survive and even surpass these tragedies.  Their friendship is engaging and admirable to the uppermost degree.

Unfortunately, Jonah makes a choice that puts his life in jeopardy.  It is while he is suffering from that choice that the truth about the whole hospital situation is exposed, through the work of a very savvy lawyer and the confession of an addictive physician.  Georgia had contemplated doing something wrong in order to make the situation right but never implements that plot.  During that time of innocence, all come to understand what they want to do in medicine and make new decisions to honor that dedication.  They are stronger for the experiences.

The Antidote for Everything will leave readers thinking about opinions and prejudices.  It will also hopefully make readers think twice about the quick judgments the public and individuals make after accusations are published or splashed through the news.  The plot condemns the notion that once alleged means guilty.  It also invites readers to see all patients as equal and deserving of fairness and compassion.

This is finely crafted contemporary fiction with real characters worthy of respect and honor.  Nicely fashioned, Kimmery Martin and highly recommended reading!

One Minute Out: A Gray Man Novel #9 by Mark Greaney

One Minute Out: A Gray Man Novel #9. Mark Greaney. Penguin Publishing Group. February 2020. pb, 512 pp.; ISBN: 9780593098912.

Court Gentry, the Gray Man, is a hired assassin whose initial job is to take out a former criminal responsible for war crimes that destroyed hundreds of families.  However, as this job is panning out, he discovers that this criminal is involved with something much worse, that of trafficking sex slaves. This reviewer has a tough time with this subject as these young women are stuck in a situation that is horrific to say the least.  Anyway, Gentry knows he has a problem with a soft conscience but that means he can’t let this go.  So he starts out by killing the leader and many of his so-called guards.  Then he gets information on the fact that this business is far bigger than he had imagined.  In fact it’s world-wide.  We meet many of the leaders in the plumbing line, men who are interested in cruelty to these young women and beyond greedy for the millions they are making for their small part in planning and organizing the movement of this “product” as it’s called.  Add to that that each leader has no idea who the others are or from where they are operating.  This keeps the secret under wraps, but they are not used to the “Gray Man” who keeps showing up in the places where the product is being shipped. 

Some may say the girls were partially responsible for being snared into this hellish trap but one has to find this unacceptable when realizing how they are now living.  Add to this garbage the fact that the CIA, with whom Genry doesn’t have the greatest relationship, has an active interest in this group because they are also an active terrorist threat and so don’t want him near the top man of this trafficking organization known as the Consortium.

Two things work very well in this international crime novel.  One is the fact that Gentry is one wild agent whose fighting abilities are the best you’ve ever encountered.  The next is that he thinks everything out and really cares what happens to thee young women, wanting them to get to live a normal life that has no connection to sex trade.  He also acknowledges that he has dark secrets in his past and so can excuse a certain amount of same when he meets in these women individually. 

The novel doesn’t have a perfect ending but it’s a satisfactory one for the young girls and we learn that the CIA has an even “bigger” job coming up soon.  So stay tuned for another action-packed international crime thriller!  Mark Greaney has the plots ready and adds some very human elements that make this a huge success.  Yes, it’s somewhat stereotypical but so are most of the books and movies of the same nature.  It’s a good, adrenaline-pumping story that one could envision in film form!  Nicely crafted, Mark Greaney!

The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James

The Sun Down Motel. Simone St. James. Penguin Publishing Group. February 2020. pb, 336 pp.; ISBN #: 9780440000174.

In upstate New York in 1982, Vivian Delaney takes a job as a night clerk at the motel in the small town of Fell after leaving home and her disagreements with her family.  She intends this job to be temporary as she plans to make enough money to go to New York City to become an actress.  However, this turns out to ghostbe a very complicated position.  There are ghosts in the motel, all connected with disappearances, murder and other trouble.  Years later, Vivian’s niece, Carly, travels to Fell determined to find out why and how her aunt disappeared.  Carly is an untrained but intelligent young woman who uses her skills to track the past problems.

Carly finds the job at the motel to be as creepy as her aunt did years ago.  At certain moments she smells fresh cigarette smoke but never finds out the source of that smell.  Doors in the motel randomly open and then slam shut.  She sees an appearance of a woman that she knows is a ghost.  There’s also a trace of a young boy who supposedly fell into the empty pool and died from the fall. 

The novel switches between Viv’s and Carly’s accounts, past and present.  There’s a salesman who frequently stays over who signs a different name every time he appears.  There’s a photographer who takes strange pictures that just might provide clues of a serial killer.  There’s a policewoman who tries to get both women to stop playing amateur detective.  There’s a man who’s trying to work through his very troubled past that involved his family’s violent past but who is very appealing to Carly.

This novel will keep readers awake long past bedtime.  It has ample eeriness, tension and mystery to hold any mystery lover’s interest.  And most of all, it maintains a very credible ambience that makes the supernatural seem real but not frighteningly so!

Nice read that’s well-crafted and highly recommended!

Gilded Dreams (Newborn Gilded Age Book Two) by Donna Russo Morin

Gilded Dreams. (Newport Gilded Age Book Two). Donna Russo Morin. Magnum Opus: Sold by Amazon. June 2020, 325 pp.; ASIN: B084GM8DC4.

For the last eight years, the women’s rights movement for suffrage is raging.  Donna Russo Morin brings us into Pearl’s Newport world. Beginning with a terrible tragedy, Pearl loses her father on the Titanic.  That awful event brings the reader to the event as she is forced to identify her father, the last member of her family, and the horrors she has to experience.  That loss makes her realize that she has lost everything as her husband inherits everything. She can inherit nothing as she’s a woman.  It is here that she sees the need for a women’s rights law. 

She finds her world as a novice suffragette as she meets the women involved in this far off fight. She continues to forge on, being a mother of two and drawing fashion and agreeing to do little things at the Newport level.   She and Ginerva are together through the thick and thin of it all. WWI is begun and she is separated from her beloved husband, Peter.  The hero he was emerges as she hears of his heroic action which saved the lives of hundreds.

Her world dissolves with the death of Peter and we experience it with Pearl.  A crisis develops and she must come up with the will of Peter which she does after much searching and worrying.  Who will inherit in this mess when a wife cannot inherit anything? 

The world is winding up the war.  During this time we meet the other upper echeleon of women’s rights supporters, such as the Lady Astor Brooke, whom Pearl supports.  Night and day is the picture of this lady.

Late in the novel, Pearl and Ginerva become opponents.  This is totally unexpected and shocks readers but doesn’t prevent the goal of achieving women’s rights which are signed into law. 

There are dozens of pages in which supporters help Pearl become the women she rises as she rises from little known Pearl to the leader of the Newport campaign.  She is a woman who reads a great deal and is a wise leader in sharing her knowledge. 

Donna Russo Morin is great writer who has done her research well and presented a lively and dynamic story.  This is historical fiction at its highest and all should enjoy the story!!!