No Rest for the Dead

In introducing No Rest for the Dead, David Baldacci said, "The lineup of writers who have contributed to this mystery is akin to the Murderers' Row of the 1927 New York Yankees." He's right. Twenty-six authors, including Jeffery Deaver, Tess Gerritsen, Jeff Lindsay, Kathy Reichs, and Jonathan Santlofer joined forces with editors Andrew F. Gulli and Lamia J. Gulli to tell one story.

Former homicide detective Jon Nunn introduces the story, ten years after Rosemary Thomas' execution for her husband's murder. And, although Nunn's testimony helped send her to death row, he's not convinced she actually killed her husband. After Rosemary's death, Nunn's obsession with the case cost him his job and his marriage. So, when the invitation arrives from a board member at San Francisco's McFall Art Museum to attend a memorial service a decade after Thomas' execution, Nunn is eager to see all the players back in one place.

The book is divided into two parts. The 1998 section tells the story of the crumbling marriage between Rosemary Thomas and her cheating, crooked husband, Christopher, curator at the McFall Art Museum. Each author adds a little bit more to the story, revealing Christopher's schemes and character, leading up to his disappearance and the discovery of the decaying body in a Berlin museum. While Nunn investigates, he grows to like Rosemary, but can do nothing when all evidence points to her guilt.

Ten years later, the detective has lost everything but his conviction that an innocent woman was executed. When the board president invites all the players back to the museum for a memorial service, the stage is set for a final confrontation. But, remember, this is a book written by twenty-six of the prominent authors in the crime fiction business. There will be a number of surprising twists before the reader learns what really happened to Christopher Thomas.

I was surprised at how well this story worked with twenty-six writers. And, at times, their distinct styles were very evident, particularly in the first half of the book. Some of the authors created much more readable episodes than others. As a fan of cold cases, I particularly appreciated the second half of the book in which the characters looked back at the case from a ten-year perspective. I found Marcus Sakey's concluding chapter a little outrageous, but, considering the characters, even that fit in the story. And, Jon Nunn's diary entries served to tie the story together.

Looking for a fast-paced, intriguing mystery for a quick summer read? No Rest for the Dead should serve nicely. And, proceeds from the book benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

No Rest for the Dead. Simon & Schuster. ©2011. ISBN 9781451607376 (hardcover), 272p.

*****
FTC Full Disclosure - The publisher sent me a review copy of the book, hoping I would review it.

Hexes and Hemlines by Juliet Blackwell

I think Juliet Blackwell is using a little of her own witchcraft when she writes her Witchcraft Mysteries. Hexes and Hemlines, the third in the series, casts a spell over the reader. But, Blackwell's mysteries are not fluffy magical stories. They're engrossing, complex stories of good versus evil, dangerous situations, with light twists of fantasy and humor.

Lily Ivory is the witch who owns Aunt Cora's Closet, a vintage clothing store in the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco. Usually, she's leery about letting people know she's a witch, but SFPD Homicide Inspector Carlos Romero asked her to look at a crime scene. She could understand why when she saw the scene, composed as if it was a stage. Malachi Zazi had been murdered, left in a room with a trapped sparrow, a black cat, a ladder, a broken mirror, and thirteen chairs on the thirteenth floor of the building. Zazi was the founder of a local club devoted to debunking magic. Although the club was based on a NYC club in the late 1800s, most of the current members were children of the rich and powerful in San Francisco. But, none of them had answers as to Zazi's murder, and Lily had never seen anything like it.

That murder scene is something that Lily just can't let go. There were too many coincidences that continued to lead her back to the case, everything from the involvement of her assistant, to the appearance in her shop of a young movie star who attended the last dinner at Zazi's. There is a powerful woman opposed to Lily's involvement, which makes her more determined to find out who was behind the man's death. And, someone is using hexes and snakes to get their point across; stay out of this case.  Lily Ivory definitely needs the support of friends, from her familiar, Oscar, to the mysterious man, Sailor, in order to dig into this murder.

It's no surprise to see Juliet Blackwell concoct her own blend of humor, mystery, vintage clothing, and history of witchcraft. This time, we learn a little more about Lily's history, and a little more about her delightful familiar, Oscar, who takes the form of a pot-bellied pig. So often Oscar is the focus of the humor, but he proves to be quite heroic as well. And, for the first time in her life, Lily is finding a network of friends.

If you like characters with secrets and depth, a little magic and history with your mystery, allow yourself to fall under the spell of Juliet Blackwell's Hexes and Hemlines. I can foresee enjoyable reading in your future.

Juliet Blackwell's website is www.julietblackwell.net

Hexes and Hemlines by Juliet Blackwell. Obsidian. ©2011. ISBN 9780451233783 (paperback), 324p.

*****
FTC Full Disclosure - The publisher sent me a copy of the book, hoping I would review it.

If Walls Could Talk by Juliet Blackwell

I've read all of Juliet Blackwell's mysteries.  She's written two books in the Witchcraft mystery series, and, under the name Hailey Lind, writes the Art Lover's Mystery series with her sister.  But, If Walls Could Talk, the book that launches her new Haunted Home Renovation series, is my favorite so far.

Melanie Turner would like nothing more than to move to Paris, live there by herself, where they appreciated "women of a certain age," where she couldn't understand anyone, and could lick her wounds after a divorce.  Instead, she found herself living with her dad, running Turner Construction, and renovating historic houses in the San Francisco Bay area.  She didn't intend to have Kenneth, a former client, almost die in her arms in his house, and then return as a ghost that she could see and hear.  She really should have moved to Paris.

But, if Mel wasn't there, who would have taken over the renovation project, taken in two teen boys, and helped out a friend who was suspected of murdering Kenneth, his business partner?  She wouldn't have run into Graham Donovan, the man who tried to talk her out of marrying her husband on a lust-filled night.  And, maybe she and her crew wouldn't have been attacked by someone who already killed one person, Kenneth, in order to uncover a secret.  She might not have liked Kenneth, but when someone dies, and then returns as a ghost asking for help, it's hard to say no.

Juliet Blackwell's books always show a passion for old houses, art and design, vintage clothing.  The two series written as Blackwell introduce characters involved in the paranormal world.  But, Mel, a down-to-earth woman with an unexpected gift, is my favorite character.   Those dreams of Paris might be fantasies, but a woman who adopts strays; teens, dogs and ghosts, belongs in a world of construction, home renovation, and mystery.  Fortunately for us, we get to know her in Juliet Blackwell's If Walls Could Talk.

Juliet Blackwell's website is http://www.julietblackwell.net/

If Walls Could Talk by Juliet Blackwell.  Penguin Group (USA), ©2010. ISBN 9780451231819 (paperback), 336p.

*****
FTC Full Disclosure:  The publisher sent me the book, in hopes I would review it.

Arsenic and Old Paint by Hailey Lind

If you like art history, San Francisco, and a mystery with diverse characters, humor and a little sexual tension, you can't go wrong with Hailey Lind's books.  It's been three years since the last book in the Art Lover's mystery series, but Lind is at the top of her game with Arsenic and Old Paint.

Even when artist and faux finisher Annie Kincaid thinks she's taken a routine job, things can go bad quickly.  Hired to use paint to recreate the appearance of a Victorian wallpaper that had been ruined, Annie and her team hear a woman's scream, and find an unusual murder scene.  There's a man in a bathtub, with a sword in his body, and a woman in a French maid's outfit standing over him.  The murder scene reminded Annie of David's painting, Death of Marat.  But, that murder is just one of the curious activities at the exclusive Fleming-Union men's club on Nob Hill.  Once she's kicked out of the club, and told her services are no longer needed, Annie will do anything to get back in and investigate, even crawl through tunnels. 

How does Annie Kincaid get into these messes?  Before she knows it, her straight-arrow landlord, Frank DeBenton, asks her to look for a bronze sculpture that disappeared.  Her business partner, "reformed" art thief, Michael X. Johnson, gone for a few weeks, appears and disappears at the most inopportune moments.   And, in a family of forgers, it appears that her beloved "Uncle" Anton might have been involved in the forgery of a Gauguin that has disappeared.   Forgeries, stolen art work, and the reappearance of thieves and forgers in her life.  As Annie says, "When there are a lot of coincidences in my life things tend to go bad, fast."

Even Annie's love life is a mess.  She's attracted to both bad boy Michael and straight-laced Frank, who might have a mysterious past himself.  The only solution is to turn to chocolate, lots and lots of chocolate.  And, a complicated investigation doesn't hurt.  Although Annie continuously tells Michael they're not investigators, she continues to delve into the disappearance of art work, and the story of tunnels under Chinatown and Nob Hill.

Hailey Lind successfully intertwines the mystery and history with Annie's amusing life.  Annie's friends are a remarkable, unusual group of people, and some of the pleasure in reading these books is meeting up with Annie, her family and friends again.  Arsenic and Old Paint is the best book of the series, so far, but, if you haven't read any of them, I recommend you go back and start from the beginning.  It's worth reading about Annie and her unusual group of acquaintances.  Nothing is any better than a good mystery with a strong group of characters.  Arsenic and Old Paint, and Hailey Lind's other mysteries, offer a wealth of unusual characters, along with a fascinating look into mysteries in the art world.

Hailey Lind's website is http://www.haileylind.com/

Arsenic and Old Paint by Hailey Lind.  Perseverance Press, ©2010. ISBN  9781564744906 (paperback), 272p.

*****
FTC Full Disclosure - The author asked that the publisher send me a copy of the book, in hopes I would review it.

Murder in the Abstract by Susan C. Shea

Susan C. Shea's Murder in the Abstract is a tantalizing debut mystery. It leaves the reader wanting more of the character, Danielle "Dani" O'Rourke, and hints at future romantic developments. Shea has given readers an inside look at the politics and backstabbing in the art world, a world ripe for murder.

Dani O'Rourke is the top fund-raiser for the (fictional) Devor Museum in San Francisco. Since she was married for a short time to Richard "Dickie" Argetter III, she has connections that prove invaluable in the active world of raising money and finding modern art for the Devor. On the night of a show, a body falls from the window of Dani's fifth floor office. It's unfortunate that she also has a connection to the dead man.

As the police question Dani, they point out the body came from her office window, there was a letter requesting he meet her in the office, and she had keys to that office. Is there a better suspect, although there were hundreds of people at the Devor that night? Although Dickie offers to get her a lawyer, Dani is afraid she'll ruin her career in the art world if she starts pointing fingers at her boss, other artists, or even a collector. Maybe she can convince the handsome Inspector Sugarman that the art world is filled with people who would kill over art. Just not her.

Shea takes Dani from San Francisco to Santa Fe's art community in a search for answers. Murder in the Abstract is a solid debut, with a likable amateur sleuth and a world that holds promise as a setting for future crimes. Let's hope there are additional mysteries in Dani O'Rourke's future.

Susan C. Shea's website is www.susancshea.com

Murder in the Abstract by Susan C. Shea. Avalon Books, ©2010. ISBN 9780803477681 (hardcover), 272p.

*****
FTC Full Disclosure - The author sent me a review copy, in hopes I would review it.

A Cast-Off Coven by Juliet Blackwell

Somehow, Juliet Blackwell manages to combine witches, vintage clothing, history, humor, romance, murder, and a serious evil threat in a marvelous story, A Cast-Off Coven. This isn't a lighthearted cozy witchcraft mystery. It's a story with a great deal of depth.

Lily Ivory was introduced in Secondhand Spirits, a story that took place just a few months before A Cast-Off Coven. After a troubled youth, and a period traveling the world, the witch has settled in San Francisco where she owns a vintage clothing shop, Aunt Cora's Closet. And, in the short time she's lived there, she's gathered a group of friends, a small coven of witches, the art student who works for her, a powerful male witch, the reporter she's interested in, and, of course, her familiar foisted on her by Aiden Rhodes. Oscar, the goblin who takes the form of a miniature pot-bellied pig, adds the humorous touches to the story.

And, Lily's life could use a little humor right now. The students at the San Francisco School of Fine Arts, including Lily's employee, Maya, are complaining of noises, and a ghost. Lily isn't really in the psychic business. As she says, she's "One bona fide witch who could not communicate with the dead, much less with the undead, if her life depended on it." But she's willing to check out the school in exchange for a trunk of Victorian-era clothing found in a closet. Lily finds much more than a trunk in that closet. Someone has been messing with magic, and there's a strong presence of evil that's hanging over the third floor and that closet. When a man dies from a tumble down the stairs in that building, it's hard to know if it was murder, or magic.

Lily may have to call on her friends for help, including a homicide detective who questions why she's been in town for three months, and involved in two suspicious deaths. And, she might run her chance for romance with the reporter, Max, by taking responsibility for dealing with the forces at the school. But, a witch who has never had a home, now has friends and allies who need her, and she's determined to shoulder her responsibilities as a powerful witch.

Secondhand Spirits was an excellent introduction to Lily Ivory. But, A Cast-Off Coven shows a witch who is growing in power, and friendship. Blackwell is writing a series that manages to demonstrate the best of genreblending, filled with fascinating characters and a good mystery, but adding magic, romance, and, even some fascinating history of San Francisco. A Cast-Off Coven is genreblending at its best.

Note: Juliet Blackwell will be appearing at the Velma Teague Library for Authors @ The Teague on June 24 at 2 p.m. as part of the panel, Women Who Kill.

Juliet Blackwell's website is www.julietblackwell.net

A Cast-Off Coven by Juliet Blackwell. Penguin Group(USA), ©2010. ISBN 9780451230492(paperback), 336p.

*****
FTC Full Disclosure - The author, and the publisher, both sent me books in hopes I would review it.