Linda's Latest List

Detective Inspector Chen returns in Liz William’s fourth occult police procedural fantasy set in the strange city of Singapore Three. Chen’s wife Inari has gone missing. Demon Zhu Irzh and Inari’s badger/teapot familiar have also disappeared. The evil man/woman assassin Lord Lady Seijin from Between is stalking Mhara, the new Emperor of Heaven. A Bollywood actress has been set loose on the city. She’s angry and she’s also a tigress demon. Yikes, or Growl! Yes, it’s business as usual for Chen. If you like your fantasy mixed with mystery, check out Liz’s latest thriller. Or, begin with Snake Agent and get hooked on ”John Constantine meets Chow Yun-Fat” in a unique future Asia setting.

I let my husband read Impact first because the cover had a fiery ball of flames hurtling toward earth and I thought, oh yeah, another apocalyptic meteor collision. Call Bruce Willis and full speed ahead to save the world. But my husband said, “Hey, this is great. I think you’ll really like it.” Blast it. Right again! Impact IS a blast! We’ve got three scenarios. First up is former CIA operative Wyman Ford, last seen in Blasphemy, checking out radioactive gemstones mined in Cambodia. Over in Maine, college dropout and frustrated astronomer Abbey Straw spots a meteor landing near one of the many small islands near her home. She wants to cash in by selling fragments on e-bay, so she and girlfriend Jackie begin a search for the impact crater. And then there’s the angry red planet. Gamma rays from Mars? Mark Corso, a Mars mission technician at the National Propulsion Facility gets hold of some very classified and dangerous data. How do these three occurrences tie together? Well, I’m not telling, so you’ll have to read Impact to find out. There are several reasons why I loved this story. The two women searching for the impact make a great team. While they are hunting down the point of impact, a psycho who wants in on the action, even though he doesn’t know what the action might be is chasing them! Wyman Ford kicks ass over in Cambodia in a totally moral way. And the mysterious gamma rays along with a High resolution NASA image revealing a feature hidden in the depths of a crater on Mars reveal some unique surprises about this Impact.

--LNT (and hubby Jan Tonnesen)

The third Detective Inspector Chin book finds our heroes, Chin and his demon partner Zhu Irzh, escorting an envoy from Heaven on a diplomatic mission to Hell. This is bad news for our heroes, especially Zhu, since the trip will require a visit with his family. What’s worse, Mom threw out Dad and now has a new boyfriend, the Minister of War. Then the heavenly envoy goes missing and the trail leads right back to Zhu’s family.
Meanwhile, a boy is born to newlywed ghosts. You can bet he is no ordinary boy. Hint: note the book’s title, Precious Dragon. He is also in grave danger from the forces of both Heaven and Hell. There’s a rumble brewing in the cosmos. Chin and Zhu must track down the missing emissary before all Hell breaks loose-really!
This mash-up of ancient Chinese mythology, fantasy and detective fiction represents the best of the cross-over novel between fantasy and mystery. If you have not yet investigated the fantasy world of Inspector Chin, begin with Snake Agent.

--LNT

The sequel to Blood Song delivers a necro-punch of gothic noir filled with the imagery of a fully developed world in Tristopolis, where energy is produced from incinerating the bones (and spirits) of its dead citizens. We are definitely NOT in Kansas, Dorothy.
Creating not a fantasy reworking of our reality, but a uniquely realized alternate world with magic-based technology, here you will find zombies kept “alive” by plugging in their cold, black, transplanted artificial hearts. Wraiths, bound to their elevator homes, are ignored by the humans, slaves here to do their bidding. In the middle is police lieutenant Donal Riordan (a warning to those who haven’t read the first book) seeking revenge for the death of his lover, Laura. He is also tracking down a powerful cabal of conspirators known as the Black Circle before they can carry out their political/magical takeover of the government. Meanwhile, the Unity Party’s power is building, gaining popularity among the humans on a platform of anti-zombie paranoia. Watch out non-humans. Grab your money, valuables and family and go into hiding or head out to the country where folks are a bit more tolerant of the undead. Otherwise you may find yourself being rounded up and put into camps, or worse. A zombie bookseller is killed when overly zealous citizens torch his bookstore. I have never (really!) before read a fantasy where throughout the books I am consistently surprised by a unique, descriptively meaty, morbidly imaginative world. If this doesn’t convince you to read these books, how about a necro-ninja assassin! I will say no more.
--LNT

This debut mystery has all of the elements I look for when plowing through my piles of review books in an attempt to find something, anything, a bit different, a bit fun, some adventure and romance maybe, an intriguing setting and/or time, and (joy upon joy) maybe something with delicious details about cooking. The Book of Unholy Mischief has it all. Luciano, our hero, is a poor street urchin with quick hands and a quick mind. It's 1498 Venice, and dangerous times, whether you live on the streets or in the palace of the doge, the most powerful man of Venice. Luciano is chosen as kitchen apprentice by the doge's chef. The city is abuzz over rumors of a book, a very powerful book, containing magical potions for eternal life, love spells, alchemy, and who knows what else. When Luciano learns that the book contains love spells, his interest grows, for he is a boy caught in the web of unrequited love. So while he learns the basic skills of an apprentice cook, he also learns that the chef has a mysterious box of spices and a garden of strange (magical?) plants. Could the chef be guarding more secrets than a good soup recipe? Luciano embarks on a search for the book, which he sees as his salvation, the magical road to health, wealth, and true love. But we all know that such a journey will cost dearly. I recommend this seductive novel, and suggest a bit of chocolate as a fitting accompaniment for your reading pleasure. Atria Books, $26.00. --LNT

From the author of Q&A, the source for the movie Slumdog Millionaire, a tale of Murder, Suspects, Motive, Evidence, Solution, and Confession. This is how the mystery is presented, with these headings introducing our story's progress. A real sleaze, murderer Vivek (Vicky), son of Home Minister Jagannath Rai, celebrates his acquittal at a huge bash thrown by dear dad. He is shot to death and in the aftermath, the police find six guests with firearms. Our six suspects' back stories are revealed along with a view of contemporary Indian culture. Our suspects are a diverse lot, with a Bollywood actress; the dumb as a brick American who has a crush on her; a corrupt bureaucrat who, while at a s