Reviewed by Sefina Hawke for Readers' Favorite

Open Season by Alisa Schindler is an intriguing mystery novel that would appeal most to a mixed audience of young adults and adults who enjoy murder mysteries and baseball. Wayne Savage was the Little League baseball coach well known for his big ego and personality; he was equally respected and loathed by all those who knew him. Yet his reign as head Little League coach ends with his corpse on the home plate. Was Wayne Savage’s personality enough to finally drive someone off the deep end or was he just in the wrong place at the wrong time?

Open Season by Alisa Schindler is a very well written murder mystery with a mix of intrigue, suspense, drama, and baseball. The author’s decision to use emails as a method of communication between the different characters was a nice addition as it allowed for communication between the characters without wasting pages on setting up full scenes. I found the story itself enjoyable, though I do wish there had been more focus on the murder itself instead of all the focus on the reactions of those who had a connection to the team. My favorite part in the book would have to be chapter 26 where the author shares a flashback of what actually happened to Wayne Savage. Overall, this book had more of a baseball drama feel to it than murder mystery, but I found myself intrigued by the way the different characters dealt with the death of coach Wayne Savage. I really did enjoy reading this book.

Reviewed by Grant Leishman for Readers' Favorite

In Pancake Money by Finn Bell, Bobby Ress is a young detective who works homicide in the small city of Dunedin at the bottom of the South Island of New Zealand. He has a firm conviction of who he is and what his role is in this crazy world of good guys vs bad guys. With his more experienced partner Pollo beside him to guide him, Bobby firmly believes that what he does makes a difference. When elderly priests, who appear on the surface to be almost saintly, start turning up dead, alarm bells start ringing in Dunedin. These priests have not only been murdered, but were also tortured and died in abject misery, their bodies arranged in some sort of ritualistic representation of Catholic history. It seems that somehow the local gang, The Manga Tahu, must be involved, but why and why kill these priests so horrifically? Bobby and Pollo must solve these dreadful crimes before more people wind up dead.

When I started reading and discovered this story took place in my old hometown of Dunedin, it definitely did bring it more alive for me. The places and references made total sense to me. Pancake Money is an out and out thriller/cop mystery and does extremely well on that level alone. The tension is tight, the main characters are well-defined and the story rollicks along from one killing, one mystery, to another. It’s a hard book to put down. What I appreciated even more from Finn Bell was his attempt to examine some of the more interesting aspects of human behavior through the narrative. The author doesn’t shy away from asking and attempting to answer the big questions of good vs evil, and what makes a moral man turn to violence and even progress to insanity. I was super impressed with this book and it has opened my eyes up to another new author worth following. I particularly liked the section at the end of the book, where the author shares his own philosophy on some of these issues. It definitely made me smile. A great job by this author.

Reviewed by Ankita Shukla for Readers' Favorite

Cold Case No. 99-5219 is the fourth book in the Samantha Church Mystery Series by Betta Ferrendelli. When she visited her sister's grave, Sam found another grave with a very peculiar headstone. The inscription on the headstone did not say anything about the real name of the child who was buried there; instead, it called her "Baby Hope" and had an appeal to the general public to call the given number if they knew anything about the infant. Sam was deeply touched by Baby Hope and decided to dig more to discover something that might help solve this cold case. She talked to her friend and the owner of Perspective, (the place where she worked as a reporter) Wilson, and convinced him that there might be a story here. Although he wasn't happy with the idea, she got the go-ahead from Wilson and started digging around. Amidst this very important murder investigation, she was also dealing with her personal troubles. Earlier Sam had had a problem with alcohol and was unfit to raise her daughter, April. Given this scenario, April had been living with her grandmother, Esther. The relationship between Sam and Esther was very bitter since Esther held Sam responsible for the suicide of her son. To get April back, Sam started going to the AA meetings and soon she would have to stand in front of a judge to get full custody of her daughter.

I thoroughly enjoyed Baby Hope's murder investigation. The author has included so many emotional tidbits in the plot that only a stony-hearted reader could remain detached. When I started reading about the cops finding a baby's corpse in a dumpster and then never being able to solve the case, I wasn't instantly glued, but then the author worked her magic wand and I was hooked to everything related to the case. The subplot involving Sam missing her daughter was quite emotional, too. Her intense feeling in hearing April's voice and her helplessness in getting hold of April on special occasions - due to Esther's resentment towards her - added an extra emotional factor to the already emotional murder mystery. The romance was sprinkled into the plot -- only sprinkled-- but it neither took center stage nor got any vocal acknowledgment from the characters. Every character is very much relatable and the events are quite practical. Nothing miraculous happened which might take away from the plausibility of the plot. Everything from the characters to the intrigue of the murder mystery is well executed. To rate Cold Case No. 99-5219 by Betta Ferrendelli anything less than 5 stars would be an injustice. Readers who like an emotional, turmoil-packed murder mystery will be highly pleased with this heartfelt work.

Reviewed by Gretchen Jawurek for Readers' Favorite

Hair raising, but delightful was my overall reaction to Dumpster Dicing. I know it is a strange reaction, but you have to read the book to get a full understanding of what I mean.

Dumpster Dicing: Bunco Biddies Book 1 by Julie B. Cosgrove is a murder mystery set in a retirement community. It starts right out with the murder of one of the recent residents being discovered by Janie and her friend Betsy Ann, two women of a group of twelve friends who get together once a week for Bunco. The action bounces right along as the intrepid, yup, I said it, intrepid ladies sleuth for clues to figure out who did it and why. As they turn up clues, the mystery gets complicated, but they don’t give up - even when Janie, their leader, is threatened in every way possible. Then, of course, there is the detective son-in-law, Blake, who is constantly driven crazy, trying to get Janie and the girls to stay out of it and leave it to the police, but in the end they win him over as well. And in the end the ladies solve the case, of course!

The characters are engaging and you end up wishing for a group of friends just like them. The plot is based on the investigation and unraveling of the mystery, so for those of you who love a good mystery or to quote Ms. Cosgrove “a cozy clean” mystery, this book is for you. This one is also for readers out there that love knitting, cooking, and Renaissance Faire mysteries, or anyone who just enjoys a good mystery - they will love it! It encompasses friends, mystery, and getting together to do an activity. You will gasp and laugh and want to settle into your favorite chair and finish the book in one sitting.

Reviewed by Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite

Smugglers & Scones: Moorehaven Mysteries #1 is a sleuth mystery novel written by Morgan C. Talbot. Pippa Winterbourne had never seriously considered a career as a private investigator, but her occupation as the hostess/proprietor of the Moorehaven Bed & Breakfast certainly would have qualified her to work as one. The luxurious B&B, which was perched on the cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Seacrest, Oregon, was the former home of Raymond Moore, a prolific and renowned mystery writer, who left his estate to Pippa’s Uncle Hilt with the provision that only mystery authors would be allowed to stay as paying guests. The company of mystery writers was fraught with the unexpected as they invariably ate, spoke and lived, often with sub-optimal results, the plots they were dreaming up in their minds. After all, what better way to craft an authentic experience for your character than to live it first? Pippa’s world was mystery, and she had become quite content with that fact. One night, however, she was awoken by the shrieking of tortured metal, and she realized that a boat had gone aground on the rocks below the B&B. She ran outside and saw the splintered remains of a boat with one lone man clutching onto the debris. Pippa threw him a flotation ring from one of the rescue boxes on the beach stairs and towed the disoriented man onto the beach. He had no memory of the last few hours, and complained of a head injury. Only later did the authorities find the body of a second man who was on that boat, and the rescued man was their prime suspect.

Morgan C. Talbot’s sleuth mystery novel, Smugglers & Scones: Moorehaven Mysteries #1, is an appealing blend of the noir mystery, cozy mystery and romantic suspense genres as Pippa, Lake, and the Moorehaven guests work to solve the mystery surrounding a Prohibition-era treasure. Talbot’s plot is first-rate, giving the armchair sleuth plenty of red herrings and clues to work with, and her characters are authentic and multi-faceted. I particularly enjoyed reading about Raymond Moore, Talbot’s classic crime fiction writer, and reading the selected quotes from his work which appear as the headings for each of her chapters. The setting for this novel, a Gothic pile perched over the Pacific Ocean is brilliant, and the little town of Seacrest was very inviting indeed, excepting, of course, for the non-stop damp, drizzle and fog that is coastal Oregon. Smugglers & Scones: Moorehaven Mysteries #1 is well-written and a joy to read; it’s highly recommended.

Reviewed by Kayti Nika Raet for Readers' Favorite

In The Fireproof Girl, the first in a new series by Loretta Lost, Sophie Shields is a woman with a past. Growing up in foster care, she has had to change her identity several times due to unfortunate circumstances. The one constant in her life? Cole Hunter, who grew from foster brother, to protector, and perhaps something more. But all that changes when she finds out that he's been murdered. Determined to find answers and his killer, Sophie uses her computer hacking expertise to get to the bottom of the mystery, dragging up aspects of her past in the process.

A fast paced novel told from two points of view, The Fireproof Girl by Loretta Lost asks the question of how far we are willing to go for the people we care about. I really enjoyed reading The Fireproof Girl. There's a tension that Lost expertly maintains throughout, even as she hops between the past and the present day. Sophie is a strong but broken character, occasionally coming off as unemotional, but also very resilient. It's her connection to Cole that really warms up her character. He's not the typical bad boy of the genre. Smart and warm, he is nonetheless willing to do what it takes to protect those he loves. I enjoyed their dynamic and was rooting for Sophie to solve the mystery. The end felt a little abrupt and I wished it had gone on for a chapter or two, mostly because it raised some questions that definitely needed to be answered. Luckily, The Fireproof Girl is the first of a new series and there will be more adventures in book 2.
 

Reviewed by Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite

Pages in the Wind is a psychological thriller novel written by Sally Saylor De Smet. Emily’s all-too-brief moment of calm as she drew the portrait of a young blond girl with waist-length hair was shattered by the impatient tones of the prison guard who was assigned to escort her up to the doctor’s office. Emily was still in shock over the fact that she was an inmate in the San Francisco County Jail on the charge that she had murdered her father. They said she had stabbed him repeatedly and that the two of them were found in the kitchen, but Emily couldn’t remember any of it. It had been two weeks now. Her brother hadn’t come to see her since she was imprisoned, and her mother had only called her once, speaking in impersonal and distant tones that chilled her. The fiance that she was told she had was somewhere in a boot camp training for his tour of duty in Vietnam. Added to that dismal reality was the constant reminder that she must neither cry nor show any signs of weakness. A nineteen-year-old innocent, she would be instant fodder for the more aggressive inmates if she displayed signs of weakness. Her mother had retained Dr. Daniel Lieberman to aid in her defense. He was a renowned forensic psychiatrist, and Emily thought his professional stature seemed at odds with the slight and rumpled figure she first beheld rummaging through papers in the drab, institutional green office where he would conduct their sessions. But he soon had her realizing that he was on her side, and his words, as he hypnotized her that first time, gave her a sorely-needed sense of tranquility and calm.

Who is Emily Quinn and how did she end up stabbing her much larger father to death? Sally Saylor De Smet’s psychological thriller novel, Pages in the Wind, follows the frightened and amnesiac young woman as she and her psychiatrist attempt to revive her life’s story through a sequence of hypnosis sessions. Emily’s tale takes place in the late fifties and sixties, which were a different time indeed when considering the parental right to discipline and exert total control over a child. That said, Emily’s early memories will leave the hardest hearts stunned and saddened as the young girl seeks again and again for love from her daddy and receives only physical abuse that becomes, at one point, a life-threatening assault.

Pages in the Wind is a riveting read; one I found quite impossible to step away from until I had read it through. Within its pages rests a first-rate psychological thriller and one of the most compelling coming of age stories I’ve read. De Smet’s writing style is haunting and delicious as her Emily narrates the marvelous episodes in her life as well as the most awful and nightmarish. Some passages shine so brightly; such as that describing Emily and Perry’s evening at his parents’ home. Others are sadly realistic in their starkness and brutality. Pages in the Wind is not just an impossibly good debut novel; it’s an outstanding work of literature and it’s most highly recommended.

Reviewed by Tracy A. Fischer for Readers' Favorite

Wow! Just, wow! That's exactly what I thought when I finished reading The Advocate's Felony, the sixth book in The Advocate series by author Teresa Burrell. This book is a real roller coaster of a read, and will keep you turning the pages obsessively from the very beginning all the way through until the very end. Continuing the story of attorney Sabre Brown, this time she receives a very surprising phone call in the dead of night from her brother, Ron, who has been in witness protection for seven years. His whereabouts have been discovered, and he's calling Sabre to warn her that both of them are in danger. Sabre is determined to help Ron, and with her friend and private investigator, JP, races against time to save both Ron and herself. Will she succeed? You'll need to read the book to find out.

I loved The Advocate's Felony. Loved. It. How's that for a review? Well, it's definitely how I felt about this great book. Author Teresa Burrell has done a fabulous job in creating characters that her readers will connect with, relate to and truly come to care about. If that isn't a hallmark of an excellent author, I'm not sure what is. Her writing style is crisp and authentic, and her scene setting skills are second to none. Any reader who loves an exciting murder mystery, action, adventure, or just an excellent work of fiction in general should absolutely read this book. I am so pleased to be able to highly recommend The Advocate's Felony, and I am very much looking forward to reading more from author Teresa Burrell as soon as I possibly can!

Reviewed by Tracy Slowiak for Readers' Favorite

In an excellently written and thrilling murder mystery story by author Kaylin McFarren, Banished Threads: Volume 3 is a book that will keep readers obsessively turning the pages from the very start, hearts in their throats, and pulses racing! Follow the story of characters Rachel Lyons and Chase Cohen. They attend a soiree at her uncle's home in which a very valuable art collection goes missing. Rachel's aunt's granddaughter, Sloan Rafferty, is blamed, and Chase is determined to clear her name and at the same time win the favor of Rachel's uncle. What he finds might not exactly be what he is looking for, however, as Rachel's uncle is soon accused of an unsolved murder, and both of these cases might be more related than they appear. Will Chase finally get to the bottom of these crimes? You'll need to read the book to find out!

I so, so enjoyed Banished Threads. Author Kaylin McFarren has done a fantastic job in writing an exciting story with excellently drawn characters that her readers will be able to connect with, relate to and will care about. If that isn't a hallmark of a great author, I'm not sure what is. The mystery isn't one that's easily solved, even for a reader like me who frequently figures out the end quite early in the book, and there are plenty of creative twists and turns that will keep readers guessing. I highly recommend Banished Threads, and I certainly look forward to reading more from the very talented author, Kaylin McFarren, in the near future!

Reviewed by Alyssa Elmore for Readers' Favorite

An exhilarating adventure with a fascinating insight into the legal system, The Advocate's Ex Parte by Teresa Burrell is the thrilling fifth book in The Advocates series. Sabre Orin Brown is a smart, successful attorney specialising in defending juvenile delinquents. When Judge "Scary Larry" draws her into his chambers for an Ex Parte hearing, Sabre is concerned. Several of her cases are very touchy and she can't afford for them to be thrown out. Understanding that the judge has something important to say, she calls in a nearby deputy County Counsel, only for both of them to be thrown out of the chambers by the livid judge. The next day, Sabre is informed that "Scary Larry" has been murdered. Sabre is confused and afraid. Before throwing her out of his chambers, the murdered judge had indicated that the Ex Parte hearing concerned one of her clients. The last thing "Scary Larry" said was, "You are on your own!" Which of her clients had the judge been trying to warn her about? Possibly the alleged fourteen-year-old murderer, accused of beating two of his classmates to death with a baseball bat? Or maybe there is something far more sinister going on. Something that could endanger Sabre and everything important to her. When another one of Sabre's colleagues is nearly murdered, Sabre and JP must look more closely at her current cases. Maybe the judge's warning was more than him just being "Scary Larry."

Filled with murder, suspense, betrayal, and red herrings, The Advocate's Ex Parte by Teresa Burrell is a spellbinding suspense novel worthy of Agatha Christie. With a killer plot that will keep you guessing "whodunit" to the very end and characters that are endearing, this book is a must-read! Although it is the fifth book, the author wrote this book as a spectacular stand-alone. Fans of Sabre Orin Brown and JP Torn will not be disappointed. The story takes the reader deep into the conflicted and sometimes confusing lives of a children's attorney and a private investigator to the attorney, giving the reader a well-rounded view of a children's defender and advocate. If you like John Grisham and Dan Brown, then you do not want to miss this book!