Category: Roots Books

Savages (#31) Bill Pronzini – Returning to The Nameless Detective Series Hoorah!

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Svages A Nameless Detective Novel - Bill Pronzini

Through the years, I have read many of the books in Bill Pronzini’s Nameless Detective series. I read my first Nameless Detective novel in 1990. In fact in that year I read four of the books in the series.

From 1990 until 2001 I read the series from book Deadfall #15 to # 26 Crazybone and only missed one book Hardcase #15. While I was moving on the other authors, Pronzini was making major changes to the Nameless series.

Bill Pronzini transforms the Nameless Detective series

At the end of Crazybone Nameless and his wife Kerry are planning to adopt a child. Pronzini wanted to move the characters in a different direction. However, he returned to the series with major changes.

The series continued with an ensemble cast. Nameless becoming older, grayer and wiser. He moves away from being a solitary investigator to hiring both a savvy female assistant Tamara as a partner of their new agency. Additionally, they hire an ex-cop Jake Runyon to held cases..

From Crazybone on each of the books features at least two storyline featuring Nameless and another member of the ensemble.

Savages is the third book I have read in the series since these changes have been made. It is book #31 in the series. I read book #29 Nightcrawlers in 2006. Twelve year later I read book #30 Mourners. Now in 2025 I have just read Savages book #31 in the series.

Savages – The Story

Savages follows the same ensemble cast direction of the books post Crazybone. Both Nameless and Jake Runyon are working separate cases.

Nameless Detective is talked investigating the accidental death of the sister ofa former client, a sharp-tongued woman named Celeste Ogden. Celeste is convinced her sister Nancy Mathias’ death was a homicide not an accident.

Celeste has never liked her sister’s husband Brandon Mathias. She had previously hired Nameless to perform a background check on him before her sister marriage. Nameles found no evidence of wrongdoing.

Now, with Nancy dead in what officials call an accident, Celeste is convinced of murder and insists Nameless is honor-bound to prove it. As he delves into Nancy’s life, he becomes more inclined to believe it was a murder, despite ethical dilemmas and a lack of clear evidence. 

Concurrently, his agency partner, Jake Runyon, takes on a case to serve a subpoena, which escalates into a complex investigation involving serial arson and murder. The novel weaves these two cases together, keeping the entire San Francisco detective agency on edge. 

My Thoughts

Reading Savages was a nice return t the world of Bill Pronzini’s Nameless Detective. Typical of all Bill Pronzini books the characters are all well-drawn and the storylines are both compelling. Of the teo storylines I found the Jake Runyon story the better of the two.

Jake was just delivering a subpoena to a witness in a San Francisco court case. When he is thrust into the middle of a homicide AND arson case. Where nothing seems to add up. The prime suspect was friends with the victum and he seems to be liked by all! There’s a few twists and turns in the investiation enough to keep the pages turning. The ending somewhat surprising was satisfying

. While Nameless’s case was less satisfying for some but a surprise ending.

While Savages average rating was 3.68 It was a strong 4.o for me. Now I do believe you can read this book as a standalone. I do think think should read the four books that come before it to get to know the characters. As for me, I think I need to go back and read it Bleeders and Spook!


Links

Wikipedia
Goodreads
Amazon

Bill Pronzini Page

About Bill Pronzini

and Nameless Detective

Bill Pronzini (born April 13, 1943) is an American writer of detective fiction. He is also an active anthologist, having compiled more than 100 collections, most of which focus on mystery, western, and science fiction short stories.[1] Pronzini is known as the creator of the San Francisco-based Nameless Detective, who starred in over 40 books from the early 1970s into the 2000s. Wikipedia

 

Shadow of Death – Wiliam G Tapply – A Return to an Old Favorite

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Shadow of Death (Brady Coyne #21) – William G. Tapply

Here we are in February 2018, and I still hadn’t formalized my Reading Challenges. I knew my goal was to read 65 books that year, with at least 25 pulled from my “to be read” shelves. By the first week of February, I was already off to a decent start — and book number six turned out to be one that had been waiting patiently on my shelves: Shadow of Death by William G. Tapply.

EKK and the Brady Coyne Series

Shadow of Death, published in 2004, is the 21st entry in Tapply’s Brady Coyne series. The series began in 1984 with Death at Charity’s Point. My own journey with Coyne started a little later, with Dead Winter (#8), which I read in the summer of 1990 when the paperback came out. By the end of that year, I had caught up with the series!

Sadly, William Tapply passed away in 2009, bringing the series to a close. The final Brady Coyne book, Outwitting Trolls (#28), was released in 2010. Between 1990 and 2001, I read 16 of the 18 Coyne books available at the time. After that, I shifted to his short but memorable Stoney Calhoun series.

Reading Shadow of Death reminded me just how much I enjoyed these books. Brady Coyne, a Boston lawyer handling divorces, wills, and trusts for wealthy New England families, always seems to get pulled into something bigger. That mix of law, mystery, and human drama was Tapply’s strength.

About Shadow of Death

In Shadow of Death, Brady is hired by the campaign manager of Ellen Stoddard, who is running for the U.S. Senate. The task: find out why her husband, Al Stoddard, is acting strangely. When the private investigator Brady hires is found dead on a lonely New Hampshire road, Brady is drawn into a dangerous search. As he digs deeper, he discovers two of Al’s childhood friends have also died under mysterious circumstances — and the story turns darker.

Bottom Line

Like all of William G. Tapply’s books, Shadow of Death is exceptionally well plotted and believable. But what makes these novels shine is Brady Coyne himself — a lawyer who’d rather be out fly fishing than handling divorces, but who still manages to be a convincingly heroic and likable sleuth.

Publisher’s Weekly, writing about Scar Tissue, praised Brady as “one of the most convincingly heroic and likable of the contemporary sleuths.”

And the Florida Times-Union, reviewing Muscle Memory, noted that “Mystery lovers will thoroughly enjoy Brady and the other characters that Tapply creates… one of the best in the game.”

Another little delight for me has always been the subtle crossover with Rick Boyer’s Doc Adams series. Tapply and Boyer were close friends, and in almost every Coyne novel there’s a sly reference to Doc Adams. Shadow of Death is no exception — it’s brief, but it’s there!

Shadow of Death, like most of the Coyne novels, can be enjoyed on its own. If you haven’t tried Tapply before, this would be a fine place to start. I still have two more Brady Coyne books waiting on my shelf, including Outwitting Trolls, which I’ll save for last.

P.S. Don’t overlook the Stoney Calhoun books. Those three are shorter, but equally strong — and best read in order.

Return to Roots Author’s Page
Return to William G Tapply Page

Parnell Hall -A Puzzle to Be Named Later and the Series Gets Better and Better!

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Originally Posted July 2017 revised April 2026

Ok so maybe juts maybe Parnell Hall is not going to win any major literary awards for his Puzzle Lady series. But if you are looking for a fast, funny and just enjoyable read try a Puzzle Lady book! I admit I have not read even close to the majority of the book series. I usually just pick up one of them at the library when I need a laugh break from all the murder and mayhem that I read.

The latest one that I just finished A Puzzle to Be Named Later was a welcome break after the last few intense books that I’ve finished. Especially, Chris Carter’s I Am Death and of course the ongoing circus of the Trump Administration.

My History with Parnell Hall

I first started reading the books of Parnell Hall way back in 1991 when I read my first Stanley Hastings mystery. Strangler, which was the fourth book in the series. Since then I have read all but two of the books in the now 20 book series.

One of the books that I haven’t read is A Fool for a Client which is book 20 in the series. I totally missed the release of this one. But is now being held at my local branch of the Burlington County Library System. Anyway, the point is that I have always preferred Stanley over Cora but after reading more of the Puzzle Lady books, Cora is growing on me. Booklist writes this about Cora……

“If sweet-looking, gray-haired Miss Marple cursed, smoked, and carried a gun in her purse, she’d be a ringer for Cora Felton.”

AboutA Puzzle To Be Named Later

In A Puzzle to Be Named Later  Cora is once again in the middle of a Bakerhaven murder investigation. This time the murder revolves around an up and coming new star pitcher for the New York Yankees – Matt Greystone. After signing a huge contract Greystone, who came to the Yankees as a “player to be named later”, breaks his arm in an automobile crash.

Greystone moves to Bakerhaven to avoid the bright lights of  New York and rehab in peace. When a sleazy New York gossip columnist is found dead in Matt’s sauna, during a welcome to Bakershaven bash, Matt’s wife becomes the prime suspect. There is also a crossword puzzle found with the dead man. The solution to the puzzle says “you’ll find a surprise in the file of this guy”. That sends Cora onto the trail of the killer and she won’t stop to she finds out who did it!

Bottom Line:

The Cora Felton Puzzle Lady books are a fun and welcome change from gruesome murder mysteries. Parnell is a master of witty dialogue. He also is great at creating characters, who are foils for his lead characters. Cora Felton has two foils. First. Captain Harper of the Bakerhaven police. And secondly, Sargent Crowley of the NYPD. Cora’s relations with both policemen are some of the best parts of the books.

So let’s see A Puzzle to Be Named Later gets 5 stars for a fun character and snappy dialogue, 3 stars for artistic style i.e descriptiveness, creation of a sense of place, etc. Finally 4 stars for a twisty turning plot that kept my interest. Those twists never stopped until the last pages of the book.  Averaging those three ratings gives the book a solid 4 star rating.  That means that I really, really liked A Player to be Named Later.

Now I must admit that I am a lot like Cora Felton, when it comes to doing crossword puzzles. I don’t do them very well. In each book puzzles from Will Shortz provide clues to solve the mystery. I guess in one of these books, I really have to try to solve some of these puzzle. Does anyone else who read these books, do the puzzles? Just curious!

Author’s Website
Facebook
Twitter
Goodreads

Parnel Hall - author of Stanley Hastings and Puzzle Lady novels

About Parnell Hall

If you like a little humor in your books….

You might enjoy these authors:

Tim Dorsey
Janet Evanovich
Christopher Moore

Whether you’re solving crosswords with Cora or running from the mob with Stephanie Plum, these authors prove that a good mystery is always better with a side of laughter.

The Matarese Countdown – Robert Ludlum

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The Matarese Countdown a Return to the Works of Robert Ludlum

 

Robert Ludlum - author of The Matarese CountdownI finished The Matarese Countdown (Book Number 37 for 2015) yesterday and it was another good read from one of the masters of the thriller genre Robert Ludlum. The book was one of the last books written by Ludlum, before his death in 2001. Through the 1990s my reading changed from reading political thrillers to mostly mystery series, but  during the 1980s Robert Ludlum’s novels were mainstays of my reading. They were always were thrilling reads, as typically, either one person or a small group of people was out to save the world. They were action packed with very well drawn plots and characters. Ludlum’s descriptive writing style really made it feel like you were part of the action, Ludlum wrote over 27 thrillers. The number of copies of his books in print is estimated between 290 million and 500 million. They have been published in 33 languages and 40 countries

After Ludlum’s death, several novels or novels based on his outlines were released. They were penned by authors like Eric Van Lustbader  who continued the tales of Jason Bourne and Gayle Lynds, Patrick Larkin and Kyle Mills who created a series called Covert-One based on the ideas of Robert Ludlum.

The following from Wikipedia is a description of the writings of Robert Ludlum…

Ludlum’s novels typically feature one heroic man, or a small group of crusading individuals, in a struggle against powerful adversaries whose intentions and motivations are evil and who are capable of using political and economic mechanisms in frightening ways. The world in his writings is one where global corporations, shadowy military forces and government organizations all conspire to preserve (if it is good) or undermine (if it is evil) the status quo.

Ludlum’s novels were often inspired by conspiracy theories, both historical and contemporary. He wrote that The Matarese Circle was inspired by rumors about the Trilateral Commission, and it was published only a few years after the commission was founded. His depictionsThe Matarese Countdown of terrorism in books such as The Holcroft Covenant and The Matarese Circle reflected the theory that terrorists, rather than being merely isolated bands of ideologically motivated extremists, are actually pawns of governments or private organizations who are using them to facilitate the establishment of authoritarian rule. Read More

The Matarese Countdown was published in 1997 eighteen years after the 1979 release of The Matarese Circle. I read The Matarese Circle sometime in the early 1980s before I started keeping a log of my reads, so it’s probably been a good thirty years since I read the book. But not remembering all of the details of the prior book, did not hamper my enjoyment of  The Matarese Countdown, The plot of The Matarese Countdown revolves around the re-establishment of The Matarese, a shadowy organization that is between on destroying the world’s economy to obtain global domination! One of the heroes of the book is Brandon Schofield, who along with his wife Antonia are called out of retirement to battle the Matarese. Scofield thought that he had destroyed The Matarese twenty years prior only to find that they are back stronger than ever! So Scofield aka Beowolf Agate teams with CIA case officer Cameron Pryce and Army Intelligence Officer Leslie Montrose in a race to destroy The Matarese before the Countdown reaches zero and the world economy crashes!!

I will say that it took me a while to finish this book. I started it several months ago and set it aside to finish several other books. I picked it up again earlier this week and yesterday I didn’t, or rather couldn’t, put it down until it was finished!! So check it out!! Obviously, since I didn’t remember much about The Matarese Circle, one book can be enjoyed without reading the other!!

Hum, let’s see there are other Ludlum books on my TBR shelves The Bourne Supremacy, The Bourne Ultimatum, and The Janson Directive and I need to read some more from my shelves to meet my TBR Pile Challenge! Could another Ludlum be in my future?

 

David Morrell: The Brotherhood of the Rose and more

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David Morrell

David Morrell – The Mortalist, Frank Balenger, and   Thomas De Quincey series

So back in the 1980s (Ok think about that Edward the 1980s were 35 years ago! Ouch! When you were 14 in 1965 would you have thought about anything that happened in 1930 as anything but ancient history? Nope!) I read a lot of thrillers from the likes of Robert Ludlum, Clive Cussler, Bill Granger (November Man), Richard Hoyt and others. And right up there with the best of them were books from David Morrell. Morrell’s 1972 debut novel was First Blood was adapted into Sylvester Stallone’s movie Rambo.

My three favorite books from David Morrell were The Brotherhood of the Rose, The Fraternity of the Stone and The League of Night and Fog. The sad thing is that aside from the fact that I remember that I really liked the books, I remember little bit about them. I rarely read books a second time but thinking about how much I liked the books starts me thinking may I should read at least The Brotherhood of the Rose again! I do remember that The Brotherhood of the Rose was made into TV a mini-series that I thought starred Richard Chamberlain. In looking it up on IMDb I see that it started Peter Strauss, Robert Mitchum and Connie Sellecca. Richard Chamberlain starred as Jason Bourne in a TV Mini-series based on Robert Ludlum’s The Bourne Identity. I never watched either of the series!

About The Brotherhood of the Rose from Goodreads:

They were orphans, Chris and Saul–raised in a Philadelphia school for boys, bonded by friendship, and devoted to a mysterious man called Eliot. He visited them and brought them candy. He treated them like sons. He trained them to be assassins. Now he is trying desperately to have them killed.

Spanning the globe and full of heart-stopping action, The Brotherhood of the Rose is an astonishing novel of fierce loyalty and violent betrayal, of murders planned and coolly executed, of revenge bitterly, urgently desired. More

Through the years I’ve read several more books by David Morrell and I enjoyed them all but none have even been as good as the three books from above. That is until 2013’s Murder as a Fine Art set in 1850s London Morrell wrote a terrific book using The Opium Eater Thomas De Quincey and his daughter Emily as the lead characters! Read More Here.  The conclusion of that book left me and many other readers clamoring for more! In March Morrell released The Inspector of the Dead making me and others very happy campers!  In this installment De Quincey and Emily are still in London and end up in the midst of a killing spree targeting the aristocrats of London. Cards left by the murderers reference members of Young England that have attempted to assassinate Queen Victoria. Could the queen be the ultimate target?  I just picked up the book on Friday, couldn’t put it down and have already finished it!! The review of the book will be forthcoming. In the meantime here is a list of the other books that I have read from the pen of David Morrell……Check him out!!

David Morrell Books I’ve Read
Title My Rating Average Rating* Original Publication Year Date Read
Inspector of the Dead 4 05/10/15
Murder as a Fine Art 5 3.84 2013 2013/07/23
The Shimmer 4 3.31 2009 2009/08/08
Scavenger 4 3.56 2007 2007/07/01
Creepers 4 3.59 2005 2005/09/01
Assumed Identity 3 3.77 1993 1994/05/12
The Covenant of the Flame 4 3.92 1991 1991/05/18
The Fifth Profession 4 3.94 1969 1990/06/02
The League of Night and Fog 4 4.06 1987 1987/01/01
The Fraternity Of The Stone 4 4.14 1985 1986
The Brotherhood Of The Rose 4 4.13 1983 1985

* Goodreads – rating is out of 5

Safari – Parnell Hall Stanley Hastings (Book #19)

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Safari (Book #19) is the first Stanley Hastings mystery set outside the United States. Most of the series takes place in New York City, where Stanley works as a private investigator for negligence attorney Richard Rosenberg, much to the annoyance of NYPD Sergeant MacAullif.

The only other book set away from New York was appropriately titled Cozy, in which Stanley and Alice vacation at a bed and breakfast in New England.

The Story

In Safari, Stanley and his wife Alice are finally on the trip she’s dreamed about forever — a safari in Zambia. Stanley, of course, is less enthusiastic. They book with Clemson Safaris, a budget outfit led by the gung-ho great white hunter Clemson. The tour offers up-close encounters with elephants, lions, hyenas, and other wild animals. But soon, a spotter working for Clemson is found dead — supposedly from a falling fruit from the sausage tree. Then a tourist dies in her sleep. Both deaths are soon determined to be murder, and Stanley is called upon to solve the case… though as usual, he doesn’t have a clue!

What Makes It Work

Parnell Hall’s strength has always been dialogue — witty, funny, and full of wordplay. Marilyn Stasio of the New York Times Book Review noted:

“The Stanley Hastings mysteries depend on subversively sly wordplay. In the violent verbal world he inhabits, Stanley would be happy just to win an argument.”

The San Diego Union wrote:

“A light-hearted romp, drolly told, and made pleasant by its deprecating, much put-upon and wholly charming hero.”

And when reviewing Stakeout, Booklist observed:

“Stanley, who seems to have more in common with Barney Fife than Sam Spade, is actually a pretty fair detective, and, more important, his narration is witty, self-deprecating, and observant. The plot is logical in a convoluted sort of way, and the resolution is satisfying. Stakeout continues the Hastings tradition of murder with a wink and a smile.”

Bottom Line

Safari was a three-star book for me. I enjoyed it, but I don’t think it was one of Hall’s very best. Still, it’s a cozy, light, quick, fun mystery — and fans of Janet Evanovich and other humorous authors will definitely enjoy it

Author’s Website
Facebook
Twitter
Goodreads

Parnel Hall - author of Stanley Hastings and Puzzle Lady novels

About Parnell Hall

If you like a little humor in your books….

You might enjoy these authors:

Tim Dorsey
Janet Evanovich
Christopher Moore

Whether you’re solving crosswords with Cora or running from the mob with Stephanie Plum, these authors prove that a good mystery is always better with a side of laughter.

Feb1995 Reads- Novels from Bill Pronzini, Frank McConnell and Vince Kohler

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Originally posted Feb 2015 updated Nov 2025

 

Tonight I started thinking about books that I’ve read, and decided to look at my Goodreads Bookshelf to see what books I finished in February of 1995, 20 years ago,yeah right!  

Books Read in February 1995

  • February 4 – Liar’s Poker – Harry Garnish #4 – Frank McConnell
  • February 21 –  Banjo Boy Eldon Larkin #3 – Vince Kohler
  • February 25 I Shackles a Nameless Detective # Bill Pronzini.

Shackles – Nameless Detective #16 – Bill Pronzini

Of the three Shackles was my probably my favorite. While I don’t remember all of the details I do remember that it was a great read! In fact the book was nominated for an Anthony Award for Best Novel (It lost to Thomas Harris; Silence of the Lambs, tough competition!

About Shackles from Goodreads…..

Who is the slightly overweight, Italian-American private investigator who never reveals his name? He is the “Nameless Detective”. This time the San Francisco Bay area’s hottest sleuth finds himself the victim of a ruthless, fiendish, and unknown enemy’s revenge.

That revenge involved shackling Nameless in a remote mountain cabin!! I just remember that it was a page turner that i finished in 4 days!

Bill Pronzini;s Nameless detective series was a staple of my reading in the 90s. Quicksilver, the 11th book in the series was the first Nameless Detective book I read. I read it in 1990, by the year 2000, I had read 11 more.books including:

Here are the Nameless Detective books I read through the ’90s and early 2000s. For the full series and more recent updates, visit my Bill Pronzini author page.

Deadfall (Nameless Detective, #15)
Jackpot (Nameless Detective, #17)
Hoodwink (Nameless Detective, #7)
Breakdown (Nameless Detective, #18)
Quarry (Nameless Detective, #19)
Epitaphs (Nameless Detective, #20)
Demons (Nameless Detective, #21)
Shackles (Nameless Detective, #16)
Sentinels (Nameless Detective, #23)
Boobytrap (Nameless Detective, #25)
Illusions (Nameless Detective, #24)

In the 2000s I read two more Nameless novels Crazybone (Nameless Detective, #26) and Nightcrawlers (Nameless Detective, #30). As I look over the Nameless Series at Goodreads, I see that June 23rd is the anticipated release date for book number 39 in the series Vixen!

Maybe I can get back into reading the series again by then…..I just found the book Mourners (the book that follows Nightcrawlers on my TBR bookshelf

  I guess I should start there, or maybe I should start with Book 1 The Snatch!! What do you think??

2025 Update: Since writing the original post, I did go back to the Nameless series. I finally read Mourners (#27), which follows Nightcrawlers, and just this month I finished Savages (#31). I’m working on a new post about Savages now — I’ll link it here once it’s live. But I still haven’t read Snatched!

Frank McConnell – Liar’s Poker – Harry Garnish #4

The  Frank McConnell book that I read Liar’s Poker was the 4th and final book in the Harry Garnish series. The series featured Sister Bridget O’Toole, a nun who inherited her father’s investigative agency, and Henry Garnish, her chain-smoking, hard-drinking, salty-mouthed assistant and they were great, really funny, as well as, exciting.

I always wished that McConnell had written more, for years if I was at the library and was looking for a good book I’d remember these books, and go and look to see if there was anything new.. Just tonight I found out why there were no more books,. Mr McConnell died in 1999. You can read more about Frank McConnell here. Seems like he was a terrific teacher and writer!

Vince Kohler – Banjo Boy (Eldon Larkin #3)

Finally, Banjo Boy by Vince Kohler….Banjo Boy was the third book in Vince Kohler’s series featuring Eldon Larkin.

From Mystery File:

Vince Kohler wrote four books, Rainy North Woods (1990), Rising Dog (1992), Banjo Boy (1994), and Raven’s Widow (1997). All four featured journalist Eldon Larkin who worked as reporter/photographer for the South Coast Sun, the local newspaper for small town Port Jerome, Oregon. Educated, he reads French classic literature in the original language, but proving how useful his education is, Eldon is a loser when it comes to the important things in life — women, cars, and career. He left Berkeley California and an ex-wife behind, and now dreams of the big story that will get him a job with a big city newspaper. Continue Reading

I have read three out of the four Eldon Larkin books with Raven’s Widow being the one I missed, maybe I should go back and read it!! like the other two series I remember enjoying the series.

Anyway, if you pick up any of the books by Bill Pronzini, Frank McConnell or Vince Kohler, I don’t think you’d be disappointed!! So check them out!!

NYPD Puzzle by Parnell Hall -(Puzzle Lady #15)

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NYPD Puzzle by Parnell Hall – (Puzzle Lady #15)

NYPD Puzzle

Through the years, one of my favorite mystery series has been Parnell Hall’s Stanley Hastings books. Looking at my Goodreads shelf, I see there are 18 in the series — and I’ve read all but one! (Note to self: finally read Caper — I could have sworn I had??) That’s not the case with Hall’s Puzzle Lady series. There are 15 entries, and I’ve only read three (#1, #8, and #15). The most recent for me was NYPD Puzzle, which also became book #11 on my 2014 reads list.

Why Fewer Puzzle Lady Reads?

I’m not really sure. Maybe it’s because I felt a little resentful that Parnell seemed to forget Stanley and preferred the Puzzle Lady, Cora Felton. Between 1987 and 1998, Hall wrote 13 Stanley Hastings mysteries. Then, starting in 1999, the Puzzle Lady books appeared annually throughout the 2000s, while there were sometimes four-year gaps between Hastings novels. Probably the Puzzle Lady was just more popular — and more profitable. (It’s the same reason Linwood Barclay abandoned Zack Walker in favor of standalones, which I grudgingly admit turned out better. But what do I know…)

The Mystery

NYPD Puzzle is a quick, fun cozy mystery. Attorney Becky Baldwin hires Cora to accompany her to New York to meet a new client. When they arrive, they find the man dead with a crossword puzzle on his chest. Cora hears the killer in the next room, barges in, shoots, misses, and watches the suspect escape out a penthouse window — leaving her standing with a smoking gun. Is it the murder weapon? The police can’t prove otherwise — the bullet is too badly damaged to rule it out. Suddenly, Cora’s a prime suspect.

Cora, along with NYC Sergeant Crowley and others, sets out to clear her name. The killer plays cat and mouse, leaving crossword puzzles and even some Sudoku (created by Will Shortz!) between New York City and Bakerhaven. Another body drops — the Bakerhaven Town Clerk, with whom Cora just happened to argue. The twists and turns pile up as Cora fights to prove her innocence and unmask the murderer.

What I Enjoy

Cora Felton is a fun character, always ready with a wisecrack. Hall’s humor shines through her dialogue, and the supporting cast — Sergeant Crowley and Chief Harper of Bakerhaven — provide plenty of friction and comic relief as they bicker over protecting Cora. She isn’t worried, though. After all, she has her guns… but will that be enough?

Bottom Line

NYPD Puzzle captures exactly what makes the Puzzle Lady books fun: witty dialogue, cozy mystery pacing, and playful puzzle tie-ins. It’s not as dear to me as the Stanley Hastings series, but it’s still a lighthearted, entertaining read that fans of humorous mysteries will enjoy.

NYPD Puzzle captures exactly what makes the Puzzle Lady books fun: witty dialogue, cozy mystery pacing, and playful puzzle tie-ins. It’s not as dear to me as the Stanley Hastings series, but it’s still a lighthearted, entertaining read that fans of humorous mysteries will enjoy.


← Back to Parnell Hall Author Page

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Virgin Heat – Lawrence Shames

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ok so I picked out some new names and listened to a couple of tracks from several albums but never got to listen that much to any of them. A slow connecting computer coupled with a good Phillies game and finishing Book 34 Virgin Heat kept me busy tonight!

The artist that I started to listen to included: Mark Scott LaMountain and the Blue Thunder Band and their album Guitars, Gun and Southern Women,

J.J Grey and Mofro’s album Georgia Warhorse, Jay Gaunt a blues harp player whose new album is on the Roots Music Blues Chart but Rhapsody only has some earlier albums and the one I was ready to listen to was Blown Away. Th

e last thing that I previewed today was Charlie Musselwhite’s new album The Well which sounded pretty good. So I will listen to these albums tomorrow and we’ll celebrate Blues Wednesday on Thursday!

But tonight belonged to those Phils and Roy Oswalt as they extended their lead over my daughter’s team those Atlanta Braves.

Book 34 Virgin Heat. This is the first book I’ve read by Lawrence Shames and it won’t be the last! Set in Key West the book tells the tale of Angie Amaro who for years has pined for her lost love Sal Martucci. The reason she pines is that Sal is now living as Ziggy Maxx in Key West after ratting Angie’s father a mob member Paul Amaro and sending him to prison.

After Angie’s Uncle Louie visits Key West and returns with a video in which Angie recognizes Sal, she sets off for Florida to find her lover. Soon Uncle Louie takes off to find Angie and a good tale is told in the style of Elmore Leonard and Carl Hiaasen.

Ann Helmuth of the Orlando Sentinel calls it The Birdcage meets the Godfather and that’s appropriate for this often funny and touching book, full of good characters and wit! I enjoyed it and will certainly be on the look out for more Shames and there appears to be seven other books set in Key West!

Prince of Fire – Daniel Silva

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So like I said I didn’t put down the Prince of Fire by Daniel Silva yesterday until I finished what is Book 26 of 2010. Obviously like all of Silva’s books this one was a real page turner for me! But I think that in this book more than any of his books Silva based the storyline on the history of the Arab-Isreali conflict and why both sides fight as hard as they do! The enemy that Gabriel Allon faces is Khaled al -Khalifa who is the grandson of  Asad al-Khalifa.  Asad al-Khalifa  fought the Israeli’s and Gabriel’s mentor and boss. Ari Shamron in 1948 . While Gabriel assassinated Khaled’s father Sabri al-Khalifa for the later’s involvement in the attack on the 1972 Israeli Olympic Team. Both the Sheikh and Sabri were fighting for their Palestinian homeland and their home a village called Beit Sayeed (a fictional village created by Silva) that was wiped out under the Tochnit Dalet which was the real name for the plan to remove the hostile Arab population from centers from lands allocated for the new state of Israel. The characters of Asad and Khaled were based on a photograph of a young boy on the lap of Yasir Arafat at the funeral of his father in 1979. The father was terrorist Ali Hassan Salameh the mastermind of the 1972 Munich Olympic massacre.

Anyway this book was great and really showed the humanity on both sides of the struggle and maybe for the first time Gabriel questioned the actions of his country. The book is highly recommended and while the book is part of a series that is best read from the beginning I think you could read the book by itself and still enjoy it!

Finally, I went to Borders Saturday night and used the gift card my son Peter gave me for Father’s Day to buy Karin Slaughter’s new book Broken. It’s great to be back in Grant County and the world of Sara Litton, Lena Adams, Will Trent and all the other great characters of this wonderful series! I’m already about a 1/3 of the way through the book and can’t wait to get back to it!