Brian O’Sullivan has been developing his own unique voice in the vast genre of thrillers and murder mysteries, with his latest effort being The Bay Area Butcher.
In it, we once again follow Quint Adler (from Revenge at Sea) as he finds himself pitted against a diabolical enemy in a serial killer who keeps escalating his actions, acting seemingly at random, all while taunting the entire world through his letters.
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The Complexity of the Power Struggle
“Heretics of Dune” by Frank Herbert – The Great Scattering
A Collision of Worldviews
“Piranesi” by Susanna Clarke – Life in the Endless House
Supernatural Murder
“The Cruelest Month” by Louise Penny – Fatal Fright at a Seance
Isaac Asimov Raises a New Avatar
“Foundation and Empire” by Isaac Asimov – The Unpredictable Factor
Led by a Vortex of Curiosity
“The Delightful Life of a Suicide Pilot” by Colin Cotterill – Lost Riddle from the War
Isaac Asimov Begins the Great Collapse
“Foundation” by Isaac Asimov – Dying of the Scientific Light
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“The Bookman’s Wake” by John Dunning – The Edition Worth Killing for
John Dunning has become known in recent years for his ability as an author to integrate his love for books into his stories as pivotal plot elements.
In The Bookman’s Wake, the second entry in the Cliff Janeway Novels series, we follow the cop-turned-bookdealer on his adventure to reign in a fugitive from Denver, one who possibly stole a priceless edition of Poe’s “The Raven”. To find the mysterious woman, he’ll have to delve deep into the strange past surrounding the book.
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“Hack” by SGM Ashcroft – Redemption for a Newspaper Lunatic
SGM Ashcroft has spent a long time working as a journalist before finally making his debut novel, titled Hack.
The story follows an ambitious newspaper reporter in Portsmouth, England, Llew Sabler, who is always trying to break the big story, even after he has become the most reviled figure in town following a stunt gone wrong. Even more, the story he’s caught the scent of promises either death or glory, nothing in-between.
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“Shakespeare for Squirrels” by Christopher Moore – Murder in the Fairy Kingdom
Christopher Moore possesses the special gift of having a unique sense of comedy, one he put on full display in his Fool Series.
In the third book, titled Shakespeare for Squirrels, we follow Pocket as he manages to anger a Greek Duke who orders his death. Upon his escape he meets the fairy king, who promises to save him from the Duke, on the condition he solves the murder of a mischievous sprite.
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“God Emperor of Dune” by Frank Herbert – The Deposition of an Immortal
Frank Herbert is a man whose works need no introduction, with his Dune series being one of the most celebrated and influential writings of all time.
In the fourth book of the series, God Emperor of Dune, we follow the story of the now-inhuman Leto Atreides, son of Paul, who once merged with a sandworm to preserve humanity, attaining a quasi-immortality. A rebellion stirs in his house to oppose his oppressive rule, but it might all play into his hands.
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“The Ruin of Delicate Things” by Beverley Lee – A Void which can’t be Filled
Beverley Lee has recently decided to step outside of the book series she made her name with, penning the standalone novel The Ruin of Delicate Things.
The story it tells is one of grief and loss, following a couple struggling to cope with the loss of their teenage son. They retreat near Barrington Hall, where the husband grew up, and the appearance of a strange boy at midnight in the woods gives his wife a new and dangerous purpose to follow.
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“A Brightness Long Ago” by Guy Gavriel Kay – The Meeting Between Free Will and Fate
Guy Gavriel Kay is without question one of the more prominent and outstanding speculative fiction authors writing today, and I think we can add A Brightness Long Ago to his list of successes.
The story follows an old and powerful man, part of the ruling council in a fantasy version of Venice, as he remembers his rather turbulent youth, how he came to be where he is, as well as all the different men and women who shaped his fate.
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“Quantum Time” by Douglas Phillips – An Extra-dimensional Journey
Douglas Phillips has explored some of the more interesting frontiers of our knowledge in his Quantum Series, and in the third book, titled Quantum Time, we join Daniel Rice, a time traveller on a mission to stop a nuclear holocaust.
After a dying man stumbles into a police station claiming to be from the future, a series of predictions come true, and it becomes clear the Earth is on the verge of truly unexpected peril.
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“The Splendid and the Vile” by Erik Larson – Stiff Upper Lip
Erik Larson has developed an aptitude for conveying important history in a comprehensible and entertaining fashion, which he did once again when he published The Splendid and the Vile.
Told from the perspective of Winston Churchill and his inner circle, the book is majorly focused on his thoughts, actions and reactions during the infamous WWII Blitz where Britain endured massive bombings by the Germans.
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“A Fatal Grace” by Louise Penny – An Open Death Nobody Saw
Louise Penny has brought the quaint streets of Quebec to the forefront of the literary world with her Chief Inspector Gamache Mystery series, and it was in large part due to the second novel, A Fatal Grace, winner of the 2007 Agatha Award for Best Novel.
Following Chief Inspector Gamache once again, we are treated to his investigation into macabre Christmas murder in a picturesque Quebecois village.
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