Act of Murder: A Doc Brady Mystery: A Medical Thriller by John Bishop, M.D.

Act of Murder: A Doc Brady Mystery. A Medical Thriller.  John Bishop M.D. Mantid Press. March 2020. pb, 281 pp.; ISBN #: 97817342511040.

In the spring of one year, a neighbor of Dr. Brady dies.  He’s hit by a car and that person doesn’t stop and acknowledge what’s been done.  The police detective says to the doctor that if he remembers anything, he should contact her.  He remembers a red car a few days later. 

This is the story of how the murderer is uncovered. It’s all tied in, the death of another twin.   A shared health problem.  The death of a doctor who could have been alive today had he been treated earlier.  The skills of his son, J. J. and his friend, who are computer whiz kids and are able to track bank accounts and people who just might be part of a connection. 

All in the middle of a busy orthopedic surgeon’s life. His practice is just as successful and he’s got a great relationship with his peers. He’s got a great wife and a talented son who helps him out in this case.  He’s unable to forget this case and it’s this linkage that keeps him going. 

What could a murderer do with what’s really a secret?  Not going to spoil this one but it’s upsetting to say the least!   

This is a great mystery and it’s done in a very realistic way that makes you keep reading! 

A medical thriller for sure!  Highly recommended reading!

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!

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!

Too Close to Breathe (Frankie Sheehan #1) by Olivia Kiernan

Too Close to Breathe (Frankie Sheehan #1). Olivia Kiernan.  Penguin Publishing Group. Copyright 2018. pb. 304 pp.; ISBN: 9781524742614. 

Frankie Sheehan is dealing with two complex murders as a detective in Dublin, Ireland.  Sometimes the public fails to understand or perceive the tremendous stresses that are a constant and pervasive part of the job.  Frankie is well-respected but also has her colleagues worried about her present recovery and work on another case.

The first one involves the murder of Tracy Ward, a case in which she was physically assaulted in a brutal way.  Even now in the middle of her work, her own posttraumatic stress syndrome makes it hard to function, but Frankie is no wimp and forges on.  She dreads having to testify against the accused killer but her passion for justice far exceeds her fears.  The second and present case she is trying to solve with her colleagues involves a well-respected microbiologist scientist and professor, Eleanor Costello.  At first it was believed she committed suicide.  But clues appear that indicated murder was the truth and there is a further mystery with the mysterious disappearance of the victim’s husband. 

Add to the mix that this crime has something to do with the Dark Web of the Internet where people who enjoy violence with sex communicate with each other.  Many of these scenarios go further than intended, eventually involving law and order forces. But a chemical will prove to be the weakness that the killer leaves behind and leads to an arrest. 

Is the trial of the first murder connected to the death of Eleanor Costello?  Is Tracy in more danger than she realizes?  As the person in charge of the investigation of both cases, how clear is Frankie’s thinking as her own traumatized psyche confuses issues.

Olivia Kiernan has written a gripping, reality-based police mystery novel that will keep you flipping the pages, wondering if justice will be served or evaded. Nicely done, Olivia Kiernan!

Perish from the Earth: A Lincoln and Speed Mystery No. 2 by Jonathan F. Putnam

Perish from the Earth: A Lincoln and Speed Mystery #2. Jonathan F. Putnam. Crooked Lane Books. July 11, 2017. 304 pp. ISBN #: 9781683311393.

Meet the characters who just might be responsible for the murder of a man who was angry over losing the possible love of his life:

The Gambler – a man who deals cards with an unheard-of speed and who sweats up a storm when one person figures out his tricks and lets others know.

A Drunken Fool – a man who is mourning something but not sober enough to speak about what it is but drunk enough to lash out at anyone who approaches him.

A young Artist who can sketch anyone’s facial image or a focused setting in moments but who can’t seem to make a living beyond that skill.

A Barkeep doling out drinks and scanning the crowd for trouble and maybe something or someone else.

A Dandy dressed “to the nines” with a Negro servant quietly knitting but also watching everyone quite carefully.

A vivacious Actress dressed in red who graces all with her becoming, fluttering eye glances.

The victim – John W. Jones of Ames Manor, Nashville, TN of the doughy face and passionate nature.

Joshua Speed – the investigator who assists Abe Lincoln in solving the crime of Jones’s murder

Abraham Lincoln- lawyer, fierce advocate of abolition of the slaves, who with Speed investigates the murder.

As legal cases in Nashville are heard on a “circuit” system, Lincoln and Speed have little time to solve the murder mystery or the accused perpetrator will have to wait almost another year before going on trial, a year in a jail that is cold and cruel enough to kill anyone.

It turns out Speed’s father owns the ship where these nefarious characters are traveling and interacting.  The card game is obviously rigged but for what purpose.  The money Speed is supposed to collect is supposedly unavailable and so one realizes there’s something about this steamboat and its members that’s hiding something nefarious.  Speed must clear his own name since it’s guilt by association.  One also notices that guilt is quickly assigned based on the conjectures of both witnesses and acquaintances of any of these characters.

Perish from the Earth… is a fine mystery that keeps the interest consistent through the whole tale and makes the reader want to read more about this duo who have sharp sleuthing skills and a passion for ending wrongdoing.  Lincoln’s passion for ending slavery is a subplot that only adds to the suspense.  Nicely done, Jonathan F. Putnam!

The Ambition by Lee Strobel

The Ambition. Lee Strobel. Zondervan Publishing. May 2011. 320 pp. ISBN #: 9780310292678.

A bookie meets his end at the hands of the no-nonsense Mafia mobster, Nick Moretti. That event will foster a series of conversations and illegal actions that focus on how not to get caught and have one's future ruined. A typical scenario? Well, this one's got a bit of a different twist to it.

An Illinois Senator has been criminally convicted and is forced to resign. It's up to the Governor to appoint an interim Senator. His choices are a Chicago Judge, Reese McKelvie, or an evangelistic preacher, Eric Snow. The former engages in some manipulation in order to free the murderer, Nick Moretti; and the plot unwinds with him telling the Bugatti family. As the violent consequences follow, it seems there's no way to pull back the forces aiming to eliminate all threats to the Judge's senatorial selection!

At the same time, Eric Snow and his legal adviser are doing everything possible to secure the position as well. Meanwhile, miracles are happening in his former church, and he only wants to distance himself from acknowledging the special answers to faith-filled prayer. His once faith-filled life becomes divided until inspired words break through the hard veneer he's been developing.

Ambition has different meaning to those reaping its different consequences. The Ambition is a novel about examining choices and looking around at the lives one affects on all levels of life and death! Lee Strobel has crafted a realistic, conscious-raising story that every reader will long remember and ponder! Outstanding!