Murder Under Redwood Moon by Sherri Dodd; A Realistic Mystery Thriller Starring a Modern Witch

 Murder Under Redwood Moon by Sherri Dodd; A Realistic Mystery Thriller Starring a Modern Witch

By Julie Sara Porter

Spoilers: Sherri Dodd’s murder mystery, Murder Under Redwood Moon is a Supernatural Murder Mystery that doesn’t feel like one. Many Supernatural Murder Mysteries that star witches or similar people, for lack of a better term, Harry Potter the book. They depict witches using superpowers like clairvoyancy, precognition, telekinesis and often depicts them going against paranormal characters like other witches, ghosts, demons, vampires and the like. The emphasis is less on mystery and more on the fantasy-like setting in which they live. Muder Under a Redwood Moon is a realistic Murder Mystery that happens to star a witch.

Arista lives in Boulder Creek, California near her Aunt Bethie who raised her and works at a New Age shop called Earth and Ocean. A former high school acquaintance, Michelle is missing and later her body is found. She has been murdered so Arista, Bethie, Arista’s best friend Maddie, boyfriend Shane and their other friends try to find out what happened to her. Could the new Goth couple, Jaxon and Yelena have anything to do with it? How does this correlate to another missing woman? Why is there a strange connection to Arista’s own past and those of her missing parents?

Murder Under a Redwood Moon is the closest many fiction writers can get to portraying what it’s like to be a witch in the real world. They may have different rituals, traditions, and invoke the names of gods, goddesses, or an unnamed deity. But the magic is very understated and not fanciful. It is based not on amazing magical things physically happening but on the power of belief over what witches can do. 

We don’t see magic spells work except in situations that could be interpreted as magical or mundane. Arista has flashes of insight that could be examples of psychic powers but could just as easily be signs of her being a good judge of character. There are communications with the dead mostly via Ouija board, but they are not set up as unspeakable demonic horror. It's depicted as a ritual to cleanse the mind of confusion and hopefully get some solid leads and answers. 

When Arista and her aunt chant to their gods, it’s treated like prayer, something that they believe in but is not noticeable by anyone else. It's a means to open their mind to possibilities and release tension during stressful and tense times. When they use magical objects like crystals and Tarot cards, the only power is what they put into them through their belief and intentions. 

The protagonists’ Pagan path is portrayed authentically and so is the antagonists’ path. In many Occult/Supernatural Based Mysteries, the antagonist is often something or someone magical. It could be a demon, a more powerful witch or wizard, or another fantastic creature that defies expectation. Here they are human, all too human. They have a sick perverted mind over how they think that the world should be and who they have to hurt to make it happen. 

The opening chapter which is a flashback to Arista’s childhood shows the kind of enemy the characters are stacked against. Someone who will hurt anyone, even those close to them, if it means their goals are met. It’s an all too real action, one we are exposed to every day through the myriad of true crime stories involving people with destructive violent impulses, no respect for those around them, and an outlook that dehumanizes their victims. 

Murder Under Redwood Moon is not the type of Supernatural Mystery that one reads for escape. It is the type that one reads when they want to find a path that helps them face the darkness that surrounds them every day.

Elegance and Evil: A Cleo Cooper Mystery Thriller Book 2 by DK Coutant; Average Cleo Cooper Mystery Lacks The Sparkle of The First Volume

 Elegance and Evil: A Cleo Cooper Mystery Thriller Book 2 by DK Coutant; Average Cleo Cooper Mystery Lacks The Sparkle of The First Volume 

By Julie Sara Porter 

Bookworm Reviews 

Spoilers: I suppose it's ironic that my previous review in DK Coutant’s first Cleo Cooper Mystery novel, Evil Alice and The Borzoi began with the importance of setting and how it is intrinsic to literature but especially a murder mystery. Because setting is one of the issues that impair its sequel, Elegance and Evil.

The book moves Cleo from her Hilo, Hawaii home to a new life in Santa Fe, New Mexico. A psychology professor, she is on sabbatical researching information at a domestic violence center. She also broke up with her former boyfriend, Ben and is now involved with Luc, who recommended her for this new position. At a dinner party, Cleo meets the locals including domestic violence center directors, Ginger and Samia who have disagreements over how the center should be run, Matias, Samia’s frequently absent husband, Kyle, Ginger’s freeloading boyfriend, and Jon, Luc and Ginger's unlikable outspoken friend. Cleo's new life becomes complicated when Ginger is found in the desert dead from heatstroke. Someone tampered with Ginger’s car and sent her out of her way so she could get lost in the desert and die from the heat. The question is who?

This book has some interesting characters particularly Cleo, Ginger, and some of the suspects but the setting is something of a letdown and the plot is predictable. It amounts to an average Murder Mystery which could be so much better. 

The characters are as well written as in the first volume. Cleo is not as positive and self assured as she was in the previous volume. She is out of her depth and element embarking on a new relationship but unsure about what she wants and how to express her feelings. She is more cautious and preoccupied but is still holding onto a good nature that instantly befriends Ginger and admires her for her work. Even though she just met her, she still feels grief at her death.

The other characters are rich in their usual roles of victim, suspects, leads, and so on. Ginger is a woman who is instantly likeable. She is dedicated to helping women at the domestic violence center and practices generosity towards friends and strangers. She puts on a show of kindness and empathy which makes discovering her murderer difficult because who would murder such a benevolent woman?

Other characters have their moments that show depth behind their initial assessment. In comparison to Ginger’s warmth, Samia is more business like and seems colder. Her backstory of being an immigrant from male dominated Saudi Arabia reveals her vulnerability. Jon is mostly a narcissistic thoughtless misogynistic creep but there are hints of a softer side. Luc has some tender moments where he introduces Cleo to his family and provides her with necessary knowledge about the suspects. He also is a worthy aid to Cleo while standing back and making sure that she is the main character. 

However, with her attention to character, Coutant falters in some aspects. One of the things that is really missing from this volume is setting. The original book was set in Hawaii and Coutant described it so beautifully. She knew the sights, sounds, and other senses of the place. She knew the culture, the terms, and colloquialisms, and how people referred to each other. She saw the beauty of Hilo but also the ugliness. 

She did not just describe the scenic spots and charming locals, she was well aware of the crime, domestic violence, poverty, and murder that can simmer in such a place that tries to maintain a positive facade to hide the negative aspects within. The type of setting where a body is not expected but is sure to be found. This loss is greatly felt with the news that a volcano has erupted in Hilo and many of Cleo's friends are displaced or traumatized. Cleo sends as much assistance as she can but is anxious for those that are caught in this situation. 

That is what is missing in the Santa Fe setting. It's not a bad place. The desert gives off a very tense atmosphere especially knowing the dry desert heat was purposely used to kill someone. But here isn't enough of Santa Fe. It could be replaced with any city and wouldn't impact the plot. There isn't really much about the character of the city or its locals. We are looking at it not as insiders just as visitors. The series went from someplace specific to anyplace anywhere making it more generic. 

The missed opportunities are also found in the plot. There are some genuinely suspenseful moments but some leads are very obvious. The resolution is all too easy to figure out and its execution is extraordinarily rushed. It isn't the type of conclusion that leaves you thinking about how it all came together so much as it leaves you wishing that another conclusion could have been met.

Elegance and Evil has some good qualities but not enough to make it outstanding. With this series, the first volume is the best. 

Redemption The Last Order by Anirudh Vaishya; A Broken Reflection by Shelly M. Patel

 

Redemption: The Last Order by Anirudh Vaishya 

Redemption: The Last Order is a screenplay that is both cerebral and thrilling. It is equally a mental challenge and adrenaline rush. It would be interesting to see how it resonates as a film for moviegoers who like action military movies and those who like psychological and political thrillers. 

On his first mission PFC John Brandt is the only survivor in a strategic fiasco that ended with the deaths of his crew, a base destroyed in a nuclear standoff, and injuries that put him in a coma for five years. When he awakens, he is informed that he was in a simulation and the memory was one of his lieutenant’s. He’s awake but the rest of his team are still in their comas and his CO has died. His superiors are very interested in how he broke from the simulation and woke up as though his brain is somehow immune to the computer interface that his teammates are still in. Meanwhile, his journalist girlfriend, Amanda, is missing while covering a high profile story in China and war between the US and North Korea seems inevitable because of interference from Su Hyang, a former US ally/informer turned traitor. Weapons threaten to rain down on both sides and one location hits a bit too close to home for Brandt, literally. 

This is a very effective Thriller. The opening is tense as Brandt is faced in a worst case scenario that is meant to have no positive resolution. Every decision is calculated for him to lose which puts him out of his element. It’s an overwhelming and traumatizing experience that plays on many of the fears and anxieties of being in a warzone and knowing that every decision that one makes could be their last. 

That this is a simulation offers no comfort. In a way, it is very similar to The Manchurian Candidate or other films that play on the plan of brainwashing military personnel. They study the fears and anxieties and don’t have any considerations about what it might do to the participants. It is a microcosm of the concept of war itself in which people in the higher echelons send those in the lower to fight and die, testing their resolve, physical endurance, intellect, adaptability, strategy, and survival instincts. They send them to die and consider the results either unfortunate mistakes, acceptable losses, or satisfactory when more on the other side are killed.

Brandt’s relationship with other characters flesh out his personality. While there are many characters such as his mother, friends, and colleagues who awaken Brandt’s protective nature, there are two in particular that serve as counterpoints to Brandt’s journey. The first is Amanda. Sometimes romances are a distraction or an unnecessary subplot in the genre but in this specific case and context it works. 

Amanda is just as dedicated to her journalism career as Brandt is to his military career. Their encounters are not a passionate romance between lovers but a partnership of equals who use their different talents to report the truth and protect the people doing so. Their relationship is a realistic coupling of people in high risk stressful situations. They gravitate towards each other as an emotional release so when things are settled, they have a hard time functioning with the day to day dilemmas and conflicts like where are they going to live or what their future plans are. 

The other emotional counterpoint is Brandt’s father, Charles. He seems like a quiet unassuming guy but we later learn that he is more involved than he lets on. In an extended flashback, one of the highlights of the script, we learn Charles’ backstory and his close connection to the current events. We see him as a young inexperienced brilliant student and his allyship with another character. We also see how these past decisions shaped his son’s future and those of other key players. The tragedy is human error caused this situation. Things were done and said at the wrong time,place, and circumstances. Decisions were made that only peripherally involved the lead characters but led to distrust, suspicion, and a lifetime of rage, despair, revenge, and compliance. 

Redemption: The Last Order is the kind of screenplay that keeps you at the edge of your seat but makes you think about what you just observed. It says a lot about patriotism, free will, mind control, domination, propaganda, and what it really means to fight, die, and live for your country.

A Broken Reflection by Shelly M. Patel 

This is a shorter adaptation of this review, the full review can be seen on LitPick. 

A Broken Reflection presents an absorbing investigation with multiple viewpoints and leads but ends with a resolution that is disappointing, overdone, and does very little to make this variation unique or stand out from others.

Claire and Stephen seem to have an idyllic affluent married suburban life but it's all surface. There are cracks in their home life that are becoming more evident. Stephen has had many extramarital affairs and Claire is being seen by many colleagues and acquaintances as unstable and temperamental. Stephen’s infidelities and Claire's characteristics become more evident when a woman known to the couple has been found murdered. Claire is seen as a primary suspect especially when it turns out that the deceased woman was Stephen’s mistress. As bodies pile up, evidence gathers, and Claire and Stephen become more suspicious towards each other, Claire conducts her own investigation to clear her name. Meanwhile a very devious pair observe the events with their own agendas. Jessica has a dangerous fixation for Stephen and Cole is stalking the object of his affection: Claire.

There are some engaging bits, particularly as the characters are introduced and the investigation consumes them. Since the book is told from multiple viewpoints starting with Claire's, we already see the imperfections but not outright. Our sympathies move back and forth between Claire and Stephen depicting one another as abuser and victim, innocent and guilty. This causes the Reader discomfort and suspicion as we search for the real answers.

We peer into the points of view from various characters and we experience quite a few obsessions and potential motives. No one in this book comes off particularly well or likable. When the murders occur, it's not necessarily a question of whodunnit and is more who wouldn't do it?

By far the two most intriguing characters are Jessica and Cole. It says something in a cast of unstable dangerous people, that these two are the worst. Jessica is conniving and manipulative in her approach while Cole is more immature, having an almost adolescent crush on Claire. They take different pursuits towards the objects of their affections. These two are not a mentally well duo.

Unfortunately as interesting as the investigation is, the resolution is every bit as disappointing. Because of spoilers, it won't be revealed but let's just say that it's a cliche that is often found in soap operas and Psychological Thriller.There is a final twist that salvages the reveal somewhat, but it undermines what had been revealed so far and could have done with it. 

The ending of A Broken Reflection shatters what would have been a clear image of a good suspense novel into pieces.

Double Takedown (A Mike Stoneman Mystery) by Kevin G. Chapman; Double Double Your Murder, Double Double Your Excitement

 

Double Takedown (A Mike Stoneman Mystery) by Kevin G. Chapman; Double Double Your Murder, Double Double Your Excitement 

By Julie Sara Porter 

Bookworm Reviews 

Spoilers: I apologize for the Doublemint ear worm. Believe me, I'm paying for it.

Anyway, things have changed considerably since this blog previously encountered Police Detectives Mike Stoneman and Jason Dickson deuteragonists of Righteous Assassin, the first of Kevin G. Chapman's Mike Stoneman Mystery Series. In that endeavor, the two were partnered to investigate a series of murders that corresponded to the Ten Plagues from the Book of Exodus in the Bible. During their investigation, they faced personal and professional hurdles as single men that acquired love interests during the course of the book. Not to mention they faced their own prejudices and biases as the wily experienced Caucasian veteran Mike clashed with the eager young African-American rookie Jason. They came together, made amends, and solved the murders.

Now in this volume, Double Takedown, things have looked up. The duo are thick as thieves, best friends. Mike is married to Michelle, a forensic pathologist. Jason is married to Rachel, a makeup artist, and is the father of three year old Jason Jr. AKA JJ, who refers to Mike as “Uncle Mike.” Their reputation as criminal investigators has acquired a wide network of friends, allies, informants, and acquaintances who give them the VIP treatment. They also acquire many enemies from the less law abiding crowd who recognize and fear them.

That network puts them right into the path of their latest cases. That's right cases, plural, as in more than one. 

During a night out at a Broadway Cares ballet production, Alex Bishop, Tony nominated star of Godfather: The Musical is murdered in public in the front row. Cause of death: poisoned by a fatal concoction of drugs. Director Nathan Matthews is subsequently investigated, charged, indicted and is now awaiting trial for Bishop’s murder but Mike and Jason think that the case is too easy and they have the wrong person. Their suspicions prove correct when TikTok influencer, Kayleigh Bronson is found murdered at a party after ingesting Montezuma's Delight, a drug concoction of the same drugs that killed Alex Bishop. The duo realize that the deaths might be connected when the same suspects and evidence turn up in both cases.

This is a solid double mystery in which two separate cases are connected by methods, suspects, and motives. It's not quite a serial murder because the circumstances are different but they do have similar patterns. They are also separated by a period of two years (Adam Bishop’s death occurred in 2022, Kayleigh Bronson’s in 2024). Also it's the death of an established nominated top billed theater actor combined with the death of a young flaky party girl social media influencer. That's definitely worlds apart. Many would not associate the murders with each other but Mike and Jason do. 

The investigation takes the detectives through interesting leads through Broadway productions, drag venues, and social media videos to interview a bevy of eccentric entertainers. There's a production of Sharknado: The Musical where they stake out a person of interest. Okay, I can buy The Godfather becoming a musical. It's operatic, Shakespearean, has a lot of raw emotion, and they can take advantage of the Italian folk style to write original songs. But Sharknado: The Musical? That's a line that no one should ever cross.

A drag performer gives Mike and Jason a lead which results in them comparing performances to see if a potential suspect was at a particular show. It's interesting as they compare things like vocal infections, makeup consistency, stance, and posture to see if they are watching the same person or a substitute in a costume, wig, and makeup. It's a test in observation skills for them.

By far the strangest person of interest is The Pharmacist, a mysterious character who peddles holistic remedies on his YouTube and TikTok videos. Many of his suggestions provide a bit more kick, much of it of the opioid and potentially illegal variety. The Pharmacist is an odd composite of Timothy Leary and a street drug dealer from an 80’s PSA. He is both charismatic and menacing, especially since he isn't above using a customer's interest in his endorsed products to his advantage. It's easy to see why he has a large Internet presence especially in a time where many reject traditional medicinal means.

Mike and Jason’s partnership is a highlight. Even though they have pretty happy home lives, their personal lives are still a focus. That family members like their wives, Rachel's brother, and Michelle's niece get involved in different ways show that criminal catching can be a family affair. There is a tense chapter where Michelle's niece, Star, is in the wrong place at the wrong time and finds herself in a potentially dangerous situation. What is fun and exciting for her is a job for Mike and Jason and she sees first hand what it's like to live a life of danger.

There is a constant theme of theater, putting on a performance, and pretending to be someone else. This climaxes in a sting operation where Mike, Jason, and their colleagues put on a performance of their own with acting, costumes, and disguises. Unfortunately, the suspects also know about performing too so the question isn't who's acting. It's who can put on the better performance and make the first and last move.

Double Takedown is double the excitement, thrills, suspense, and mystery fun.

The Serpent's Bridge (The Serpent Series Book 1) by S.Z. Estavillo; Immigration Controversies Surrounds Murder Mystery

 

The Serpent's Bridge (The Serpent Series Book 1) by S.Z. Estavillo; Immigration Controversies Surrounds Murder Mystery 

Spoilers: With President-Elect Trump's mass deportation plans looming on the horizon after his Inauguration, concerns and issues involving immigrants are very timely.

Soon there will be mass deportations of undocumented immigrants which may cause economic and labor hardship to them and the country. The future Trump Administration is also considering deporting whole families regardless of citizenship, removing the status of DACA recipients and asylum seekers, sending the military and National Guard to enforce their laws, and sending immigrants to detention centers to be processed. If this sounds ominous and familiar that's because it is. Many dictatorships often used mass deportations as a means of control and dominance to remove the latest minority to be scapegoated and derided as “The Other”, an enemy.

These controversies are explored in S.Z. Estavillo’s mystery, The Serpent's Bridge, Book 1 of The Serpent Series. Besides being a tightly woven solid Murder Mystery, it personalizes the immigration debates by giving us three people who stand on opposite sides.

Defect Anaya Nazario just finished a case in which a long time family enemy is finally stopped. She won but is left physically wounded, emotionally battered, and longing for the alcohol that she is in the process of giving up. 

A new case comes Nazario’s way when single mother, Esperanza Flores and her son, Alex witness the nighttime murder of a man by an unidentified assailant. Esperanza's employer, Millie Goodwin, a pastor’s wife, also becomes involved in the investigation when she starts to develop feelings for ICE Agent Eric Myers after his adopted son, Nicky is seriously injured by an unidentified party.

The three lead characters intersect with the investigation and the larger controversies surrounding it. They represent different facets of the immigration experience and pursuit of the American Dream. That makes the book surprisingly relevant for 2024 Readers.

Nazario represents the children of immigrants, those whose antecedents came from another country and made good and whose children are citizens. Nazario’s late father was the highest ranking Puerto Rican narcotics officer and considered the best narc agent on the force. That's a lot to live up to and even though Nazario loved him, she still feels the pressure of filling that void to represent herself, her gender, and her ethnicity in a tough mostly white mostly male dominated field.

It's not a surprise that her flawed behavior is just as present as her dedication to her job. She is brave and protective of her suspects. She is able to make the connections in the murder investigation to arrive at potential suspects and motives but she is also packed with vulnerabilities and insecurities that this case tests.

Nazario falls down, doubts herself, and is caught up in her personal struggles as much as the victims and suspects. In one terrifying chapter, she falls off the wagon so badly that she loses consciousness and has to be cared for by her ex. She also has a dark past which says that she understands what it means to be a woman of color caught in a bad situation which could mark her for life.

Esperanza represents the recent immigrants and their experiences moving to a new country trying to fit in and be accepted. While she has all of her documentation in order, she understands how easy it is to be thought of as “an illegal.” It could be someone with a criminal history or for some innocuous reason like forgetting where they put their papers. She understands because she has been there and knows the struggle to leave one politically and economically unsafe country, move to a potentially hostile and judgemental one, and live there with very little.

Esperanza has very little in her life except Alex and it is he whom she takes pride in. He's a genius who is overly mature with a rational scientific mind. She pushes him to become an American success because she is unable to. She is very protective of Alex and often worries about him in a dangerous neighborhood surrounded by drugs, violence, gangs, and a potential premature loss of life.

It is Esperanza's place in society as a recent immigrant that puts herself and Alex in the situation that they find themselves in. They witness the murder but can't tell anyone about what they saw. It's a conspiracy of silence brought on by fear, mistrust, and suspicion towards the authorities. This conspiracy is the effects of the racism and xenophobia towards newly arrived immigrants and the American society that often protects and even at times rewards that behavior.

The third side in this triangle is Millie. She represents the white American activists who either help or hinder the immigrant cause. While one would expect she and her husband would be anti-immigrants, they are the opposite. They defend them because many are part of their congregation. They help them receive important services like food pantries and counseling. In fact, they help local immigrants so often that they weigh the consequences whether Eric, an ICE agent who attends their church presents trouble for them and their parishioners. 

An early chapter shows the conflict inside Millie. She attended a protest defending immigrants and Eric arrives to not only uphold his position as an ICE agent but so Nicky can share his own personal story. While Millie recognizes that the agent is exploiting the boy's grief for his own purpose, she also sees how parental he is towards him and it moves her. 

Millie has problems in her own life with an unhappy marriage and a troubled son with whom she is estranged. However, she has to hide it all under a veneer of respectability within the community. She denied a lot of her own anguished personal trauma and now she has someone whom she can confide in and fall in love with. Her affair with and empathy for Eric and involvement in the case causes her to question everything that she originally thought and believed.

The investigation causes Nazario, Esperanza, and Millie to examine themselves and their feelings towards justice, personal happiness, identity, racial profiling, and what it means to live in America. The issues raised in the book move far beyond a simple fictional murder and resonates in real life.

The Water Doesn't Lie (A Dalton and Gibb Investigation) by Kim Booth; Exciting Investigation But Dull Detectives

 

The Water Doesn't Lie (A Dalton and Gibb Investigation) by Kim Booth; Exciting Investigation But Dull Detectives

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews 

Spoilers: Naturally I begin 2024 with a frequent trend found in many of my other reviews. Reading two books of the same genre who are direct polar opposites of each other. Indy Perro’s Journeyman and Kim Booth’s The Water Doesn’t Lie are both Murder Mysteries that emphasize separate components. Journeyman’s mystery plot concerning drug dealing, murder, and gang warfare is nowhere near as compelling as the personal struggles and frienemyship of its two leads, police detective Vincent Bayonne and ex-con, informant, and recent gang leader, Kane Kulpa. Booth’s book on the other hand excels at a mystery that is suspenseful and engaging but is unfortunately investigated by two detectives who so far are interchangeable and completely unidentifiable. 

In 1984, Thomas Ferguson, a young boy at the Lannercraig Children’s Home in Glasgow took his own life. Detective Sergeant Douglas Beattie and Detective Constable Jim Callender investigated the death and allegations of sexual and physical abuse at the children’s home. When they found out some prominent people were involved in covering up the allegations, they were ordered to drop the case. However, Callender and especially Beattie never let the case go and it continued to haunt them even into promotion and retirement. 

21  years later in Lincoln Central Lincolnshire, a dead man is found and appears to have been physically assaulted and drowned. He is identified as Father Patrick Burman and one of his previous places of employment was, you guessed it, the Lannercraig Children’s Home in Glasgow. Detective Sergeant Barry Dalton and Detective Inspector Alex Gibb investigate Burman’s murder and several other mysterious deaths of people affiliated with the Lannercraig case. They travel to Glasgow to solve the case and maybe deliver some long delayed justice to the perpetrators and their victims. 

The mystery in this book is compelling particularly when Dalton and Gibb arrive in Glasgow and pool their resources with Beattie and Callender. There is a sense that this case needed to be resolved and that its victims suffered tremendous pain and trauma not just from the abuse but the long wait for those who hurt them to seek some form of accountability. 

The detective’s interviews with the former children, now grown up but still hurting, are some of the most emotional passages. We see these characters deal with their trauma in different ways such as one who fell into a criminal life and saw no honest way out of it. Another tried to live as a successful business executive but it’s only a front for a still traumatized child who hasn’t yet come to terms with what happened. The abuse that they endured left painful physical and emotional scars to the point that the Reader hopes that the ones who hurt them and were murdered suffered horribly before their deaths. 

The emotional core is in the murder investigation but the characterization of the investigators leave something to be desired. Dalton and Gibb don't have a lot going for them. There is no discussion of their home lives or any information that makes them distinct. They are both married and one is a father and that's all we know about them. I know Booth probably wanted to move beyond typical detective tropes but that's no reason to make them boring. There really is nothing there about them.

It might just be me, but in reading Journeyman and The Water Doesn't Lie, I learned something. I can live with a book with a weak mystery but strong characters better than I can with a strong mystery but weak characters. Maybe because I look at it this way: anyone could solve the mystery in The Water Doesn’t Lie but not just anyone could solve the one in Journeyman. With Water Doesn’t Lie, one could replace Dalton and Gibb with any other investigators and it would still work just as well. But the mystery in Journeyman needed Vincent Bayonne and Kane Kulpa to solve it. No one else could do it. 

In fact, Water Doesn't Lie itself has a better investigation team in Beattie and Callender. With Beattie, we have the retiree who still wants to see justice done and is still haunted by that which is still unsolved. With Callender, there is the one still on the inside doing his best in a system that he knows is flawed and corrupt. I fantasized what it might have been like if the mystery involved them and not Dalton and Gibb, even perhaps separated by decades with Beattie taking the investigation in 1984 and Callender instead investigating in modern Glasgow. I am left to wonder, “Did they even need to go to Lincolnshire?”

A strong mystery is a great aspect to Water Doesn't Lie but it needs better detectives and more characterization so Dalton and Gibb don't end up as “One Book Wonders.”

Weekly Reader: Righteous Assassin A Mike Stoneman Thriller by Kevin G Chapman; Suspenseful Thriller About A Religion Obsessed Serial Killer

 

Weekly Reader: Righteous Assassin A Mike Stoneman Thriller by Kevin G Chapman; Suspenseful Thriller About A Religion Obsessed Serial Killer

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: Kevin G. Chapman is a tight and suspenseful murder mystery/psychological thriller about two police officers and an FBI agent who are on the search for a serial killer so obsessed with his warped sense of religion and justice that he is willing to kill people for.

Detectives Mike Stoneman and Jason Dickson come upon the body of a man who was killed in a very unusual way. Mob boss, Mickey "Slick Mick," Gallata or what was left of him was found inside the tiger enclosure of the Bronx Zoo with the large felines munching on his remains and the binding that held him. It's a gruesome sight.

At first the detectives think that it could be anything: a mob hit, a jealous rival, anything. Then they investigate a few earlier unsolved cases such as Pierre LeBlanc, a businessman who owned a drug company and was found frozen to death in the cold storage unit of a restaurant. There were also businessman, Nicholas Devito and fashion designer, Marlene Sheraton who died from a fatal shot of Novocain and were poisoned by a sharp object respectively. All dead in unusual ways, all unsolved, and all at the end of the month. 

With the help of a forensic pathologist, Dr. Michelle McNeil, and FBI profiler Special Agent Angela Manning, Stoneman and Dickson realize that these murders are not random. They are the work of a serial killer obsessed with religious ideology. 

In fact, the murders are reminiscent of the 10 plagues of Egypt. The killer believes that he was sent by God to bring justice into the world. Not only that but his blog entries reveal that he is bragging about it and is looking for other targets.

The mystery is a nice effective one. The Righteous Assassin is one of those villains who gets off on showing how smart they are while being consumed by their obsession. Their blog entries are filled with religious dogma and nicknames for  enemies like "Abel," "Eve," "Napoleon", "Centurion" and so on. They set themselves higher than their victims. 

Even the methods of murder are clever in a sadistic sense with how they tie to the Ten Plagues. Since New York City isn't exactly surrounded by livestock to poison, the Assassin poisons a potential victim's steak in a restaurant. Another victim is burned by boiling water, since the chances of them getting boils aren't as likely as they would have been in Biblical times.

Sometimes in thrillers, the murders are not really justifiable but understandable especially if they are the type who escaped punishment. This shows that somewhat as the chosen victims were involved in such activities as human trafficking, drug dealing, and organized crime which often resulted in the ruin and deaths of others. 

However, the Righteous Assassin does not come across any better. They are not as sympathetic as say Neiman, the serial killer, in Brian O'Hare's Murder on the Dark Web. In fact, they are judgemental, self-righteous, and delusional. Even their backstory carries no understanding for their character. This is not a case of subverting guilt and innocence, right and wrong. Instead it's the guilty vs. the truly guilty, wrong and also wrong. 

Of course the investigators on the case have their own issues as well. Stoneman and McNeil have a developing romance that gets up to them dating. Dickson and Manning have some flirtatious exchanges. The romances come to an unfortunate conclusion when lives end up on the line.

By far the biggest conflict is between Stoneman and Dickson. Stoneman is an older, street smart, seasoned detective who knows when to research information and when to follow a lead. Dickson is younger, intellectual, passionate, and is eager to look for this killer before they strike again.

However, the biggest hurdle in their partnership involves race. The Caucasian Stoneman acts condescending towards the African-American Dickson. Stoneman calls his partner demeaning nicknames like "Junior" and "Kid" and dismisses some of his theories even though Dickson is often right. It takes well into the book before Stoneman realizes that his behavior is interfering with the investigation. He slowly begins to understand his partner's position and recognizes his abilities. He develops as a character through his partnership with Dickson.

Righteous Assassin is a suspenseful thriller that looks at subjects like race, crime, justice, religion, and revenge. It is a truly righteous thriller.

New Book Alert: Dead Winner by Kevin G. Chapman; Suspenseful Murder Mystery Over a Winning Lottery Ticket Marred By Length and Too Many Plot Twists

 

New Book Alert: Dead Winner by Kevin G. Chapman; Suspenseful Murder Mystery Over a Winning Lottery Ticket Marred By Length and Too Many Plot Twists

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: Winning the lottery brings with it a host of problems: taxes taken out, strangers pretending to be long lost relatives, gold diggers and fortune hunters, harassed by shady organizations, many threats, and sometimes death. That's enough to make one wish they never bought a ticket.

On its own that would be an interesting premise for a murder mystery in which a lottery winner is found dead shortly after their win but before it is made public. Unfortunately, Kevin G. Chapman's Dead Winner is not that book. It takes that premise and mar it with too many plot twists that are used to justify its length.

Tom Williams just won the lottery and he has only told his wife, Monica and his former schoolmate, Rory McEntyre, who is his financial advisor. Unfortunately, the day after he gives this news, Tom is found dead by Monica. Monica insists that Tom's death was suicide but there are some inconsistencies to that version. Not to mention, that Tom's former employers and assistant are involved in separate subplots involving him. Tom has his own secrets and Riley and Monica are harboring a not so secret infatuation for each other.

The lottery plot is interesting. There are moments when greed overtakes the characters along with the promise of new big money. There is a seriocomic sequence when Tom and Monica discover that the lottery ticket is missing and someone holds it for ransom.

There are some real truthful moments particularly as Riley reevaluates his friendship with Tom and interest in Monica. He realized that the more aggressive and choleric Tom always took the lead in their friendship, so Riley is realizing that he now has to take control. One of those means is being there for Monica and being more available for her more than Tom was.

However, the book has too many red herrings and subplots that the narrative runs away with itself. Some of the characters don't amount to very much and others become too involved with the action. This is one mystery that needs focus and to develop one potential plot at a time instead of over crowding the Reader.

The worst is saved for last. There is a final plot twist that I won't reveal but makes absolutely no sense based on the previous information that we have been given. The twist seems to have pulled out of thin air rather than the clues and mystery itself. It's not an ending to make you wonder or marvel so much as it's an ending to make you roll your eyes or throw the book down in disgust.

For me, Dead Winner is actually a Live Loser.

New Book Alert: Glitches and Stitches (Death Violation 01) by Nicole Givens Kurtz; Police Procedural Mystery Set in The Future Focuses on Gay Heroes, AI Dependency, and Genetic Engineering

 

New Book Alert: Glitches and Stitches (Death Violation 01) by Nicole Givens Kurtz; Police Procedural Mystery Set in The Future Focuses on Gay Heroes, AI Dependency, and Genetic Engineering

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: If Science Fiction/Mysteries have shown us anything, it's that the future will be just as violent and destructive as the present. Except that there will be crimes involving AI, advanced technology, genetic engineering, cloning, and possibly aliens and interstellar travel (at least the fictional version anyway). The crossover genre shows that the human race will be just as temperamental, avaricious, lustful, rage filled, and violent as ever. They will just have new technology with which to use their schemes.

That's the premise behind Nicole Givens Kurtz's Death Violation and its first book, Glitches and Stitches. As Kurtz did with her previous book, Kill Three Birds, she puts a conventional murder mystery in an unusual setting. Kill Three Birds took place in a world of anthropomorphic birds. Glitches and Stitches is instead set in the future in which technology and AI threaten to overpower the human element.

Inspector Regulators, Fawn Granger and Briscoe "BB" Baker are called in to investigate the death of Dr. Leonard Cho, scientist at the Association of Genetically Engineered Humans. The duo find themselves smack dab in the middle of a case involving illicit genetic engineering and technological dependency. They also have to struggle with their own conflicts to keep this search going.

Kurtz does a good job of creating a suspenseful police procedural mystery and surrounding it with a futuristic science fiction setting. It's not as imaginative a setting as say Eternity in Russ Colchamiro's Angela Hardwicke series but it still has some fascinating touches to remind the Reader that "Yes, this is the future." 

One of the clever things that Kurtz zeroes in on but some SF writers overlook is the use of language and slang terms. In this setting, people aren't "murdered." They had a "death violation." It could be a sign of political correctness or just a change in police terminology. Perhaps, even an intentional reference to how current controversies towards the police force will reconstruct how they behave in the future. It's just one of those things that a masterful speculative fiction author like Kurtz acknowledges.

Another sample of Kurtz's attention to detail is the apparent change in social structure. Neither Fawn nor BB are interested in each other because they are both gay. BB is in a committed relationship in which his husband is worried about his dangerous job.

Fawn has massive PTSD and is considering relocating to the Southwest, but this case and a new relationship with an EMT restores her desire for justice and search for love.

Currently, the LGBT community are faced with various controversies such as their rights being scaled back by many bigoted Republicans, Evangelicals, and Conservatives. Because the present is so awful, it is nice in Kurtz's futuristic world that not much is made of Fawn and BB's sexualities.

In the future of Glitches and Stitches, when future generations can be created in ways besides procreation, Conservatives can't even use that excuse to prohibit rights. So, Fawn and BB are seen like any other hard-working cop that is faced with a dangerous job with little time for a social life though they try.

Of course in a science fiction world, many themes that come across are the overabundance of technology and whether we are in danger of losing our humanity. Glitches and Stitches is no exception.

Fawn and BB investigate some genetic engineering that could change humans and for the worse. It's a scary thought to imagine that someone else could change another's DNA or genetic code without their knowledge or consent (or if they give consent without being told all of the options and pros and cons towards such actions so they can make real informed choices).

This book also discusses how AI is used as an option for even the most basic of needs like sexual pleasure. In fact there are hints that there is an android prostitute ring in which horny AI lovers can satisfy their carnal pleasures without human contact. It says something that even the most basic needs like sex need a technological instead of human interaction in Glitches and Stitches. In this book, humans have even lost the opportunity to become close together physically. 

It's not a perfect futuristic world that Kurtz writes in her book. But like all murder mysteries, there will always be people like Fawn and BB who care about justice, fairness, protecting the innocent, and caring for those around them.  

New Book Alert: Thunder Road by Colin Holmes; Hard Boiled Detective Novel Begins In Noir But Takes A Detour Into Science Fiction

 

New Book Alert: Thunder Road by Colin Holmes; Hard Boiled Detective Novel Begins In Noir But Takes A Detour Into Science Fiction

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: Colin Holmes' Thunder Road is one of those detective novels that has fun playing on real events or possibly real events. 

Set in the late 1940's, it borrows heavily from the hard boiled noir detective genre with the loner detective hired to solve a case that takes him right into a den of gangsters, prostitutes, corrupt officials, and many secrets yet to be exposed. But then it takes a very strange and bizarre detour into Science Fiction which either can become the highlight or the worst thing about this book.

Jefferson Sharp has been removed from his position as a cattle thief investigator with a Ft. Worth investigation company as well as his position as husband when his wife, Evelyn, files for divorce.

Divorced and unemployed, Sharp goes gambling in Ft. Worth's Thunder Road. There he is spotted by Doyle Denniker, casino owner and gangster. Denniker wants to hire Sharp to keep watch on Myron Williamson, an associate of his rival, Bobby Caples. It's a simple tail-and-report job.

The assignment ends up being anything but simple when Sharp finds himself surrounded by dead bodies, feuding gangsters, mysterious aircraft, suspicious military personnel, and a piece of what appears to be tinfoil that is out of this world.

Thunder Road is one of those types of historical detective novels that marries its fictional world with the real world and events, well allegedly real events anyway. While Sharp faces fictional gangsters and criminals he discovers that they are connected to real life gangsters, Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel and Meyer Lansky.

 Through  Sharp's investigation we learn about the creation of Las Vegas from a backwater forgettable desert town to the gambling and entertainment venue that we know today. We also see how the creation of the city played into the decline of Lansky and Siegel's one time friendship. 

Siegel wanted Vegas to be a glitzy success. Cost was no object. He even personally oversaw the construction of the first casino hotel, The Flamingo, later known as the Flamingo Hilton (named for the womanizing Siegel's then girlfriend, Virginia "Flamingo" Hill).

 Lansky however was concerned about the cost and felt that the showboat Siegel was getting too full of himself and drawing too much attention to the illegal dealings. Unlike most friendships which end with a fight or a Twitter battle, Siegel and Lansky's friendship ended with a bullet in Siegel's head. (Fun Fact: Siegel and Lansky were the inspiration for the characters, Moe Greene and Hyman Roth respectively in The Godfather franchise.)

It's brilliant how Holmes weaves Sharp's investigation with real life people like Siegel and Lansky. It gives a sense of history to this noir novel. Thunder Road seems to be a descendant of works like James Ellway's L.A. Quartet series (which The Black Dahlia and L.A. Confidential are a part) which uses a fictional case to comment on the very real and salacious past of certain American cities. This connection shows that in fact and fiction, there is a dark history that leads to the problems that are still prevalent to this day.

So far not bad, but then things get weird. Because Thunder Road then references another event from the late 1940's one that you would not expect to find in the genre: the alleged U.F.O. crash in Roswell, New Mexico (that's where the tinfoil comes in). 

For those that don't know: In 1947, a mysterious aircraft crashed outside Roswell, New Mexico. Eyewitnesses even saw bodies near the craft that didn't look human. Authorities insist that it was a weather balloon and the supposed bodies were merely crash test dummies. However most people believe that the craft was a U.F.O., the bodies were the alien occupants, and that the United States government covered up the crash and the results.

 Some also think that the Roswell crash was also tied to the mysterious section of Nellis Air Force Base, called Area 51, in Nevada (strange how Nevada appears a lot in Thunder Road isn't it?). Many people have seen strange lights and aircraft flying in and out of Area 51. Conspiracy theorists have been obsessed with it, even to the point of planning a raid on it three years ago.

 That's when Thunder Road steps away from detective noir and jumps right into science fiction conspiracy theory. It makes Thunder Road stand out from other neo noir books. The plot then makes the stakes higher than just a simple gang war. However, the book takes Sharp's investigation to a level that is distracting and only has a tangible connection at best to his initial case. 

Perhaps this is a case of Holmes doing too many things in one book. Maybe he should have split the ideas into two different books. He could have kept the noir detective book in this one and put the Area 51 stuff into a separate book. Maybe he could even have saved it for another Sharp book.

Besides the separate subplots that Thunder Road takes, there are some really great things to recommend. Among them is the development of the relationship between Sharp and his female friend, Roni Arquette. Longtime friends, they have been unlucky in love with Sharp's recent divorce and the death of Roni's husband.

 Roni and Sharp often taunt and tease each other but also are one another's confidant and partner. Roni even assists Sharp in his investigation by tailing and spying on potential targets. 

Throughout the book, Sharp and Roni are put in danger and have some very heated arguments to disguise their developing attraction towards each other. It would be interesting if a sequel to Thunder Road comes about and not only do Roni and Sharp become romantically involved but Roni becomes his partner. She is smart and observant enough to help him out. Their barbs and wit will keep one another on their toes for the rest of their lives.

Thunder Road has some aspects that work well, maybe not necessarily together. However, Holmes' book definitely makes a thunderous addition to the detective noir genre.

New Book Alert: The Paraclete by Bernard Leo Remakus, M.D.; Disturbing Thriller About The Dark Side of the Catholic Church

 

New Book Alert: The Paraclete by Bernard Leo Remakus, M.D.; Disturbing Thriller About The Dark Side of the Catholic Church

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: When it comes to sex scandals, the Roman Catholic Church has a lot to answer for. Not just for individual priests who molested patrons, both male and female, but also the Vatican's zero response to the cases. Instead of forcing the priest to resign or press charges against them, many Archbishops often simply moved them to another diocese to continue their foul deeds elsewhere or sent them to an "undisclosed location for a time for rehabilitation." 

 Someone that I know works across from such an undisclosed facility. It is remote, on a dirt road, in a rural area, and is not a safe area to be because of how far it is from local authorities. I worry about this person for that and reasons concerning their job but I digress. (For protection's sake, I will not reveal my contact's name, relation, nor where this facility is located.)

There have been some improvements in the situation. I suppose when enough people come forward with the same experiences, even the Pope has to pay attention. Recently Pope Francis has changed Vatican laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse. But for many survivors, the damage has already been done and accusations are still made. Is the Vatican's tougher approach working or are these priests being more secretive about it? It remains to be seen.

One novel that explores the Catholic Church sex scandals is The Paraclete by Bernard Leo Remakus, M.D. Like any good crime novel, it shows no matter how high up that you think you are, no matter how right you claim that you are with God, if you commit a heinous crime you will be caught and exposed.

The protagonist is Father Paul Thielemans, who is considered a "Rock Star" in the world of modern Catholicism. He is from a prominent family that made their money by distributing Belgian based beer but he entered the church upon adulthood. He is known for his lectures and best selling books. He is also not afraid to confront controversial topics like "Should the church allow priests to marry?" In many circles, he is famous and just as equally infamous.

While in San Diego, he makes the acquaintance of Bobby Kucera, an introverted altar boy and runs afoul with Father Kitterick, a sinister and rude priest. On a sea voyage to Hawaii for a lecture, Thielemans discovers that his concerns about Bobby and suspicions towards Kitterick were correct when he learns that Bobby committed suicide after having been molested by the priest.

Thielemans also meets Sister Michelle Erzengel, a nun whom he hires as his assistant. He learns that Michelle is part of a secret network dedicated to capturing and exposing priests for sex crimes. Thielemans also learns that Michelle herself has prior experience with priests who refused to keep their hands to themselves.

The Paraclete is one of those kinds of thrillers and mysteries that subverts our notions of guilt and innocence, right and wrong, black and white. Just like Thielemans does in his research, the book itself is not afraid to ask tough questions like if one knows that a crime is being committed is it their duty to report it without evidence? How long can one hide their horrible deeds under a God fearing facade? If the authorities won't do something about a crime what else can be done? If a priest hears of a crime in confession should they turn the perpetrator in? What sins can be forgiven and what cannot? Is confession enough or does true repentance involve a change in actions? There are no easy answers and The Paraclete does not give them.

Instead what the Paraclete does is give us decisions that the characters make based on their own experiences and proximity to these situations. Some characters do horrible things and are never held accountable for them. Instead they are left to their own devices and continue those crimes because their society is insulated and allows them to continue. Even worse, they carry these deeds to another generation by turning a blind eye or taking active part in the deplorable actions that the younger generation does.

Many of the characters in the Paraclete, particularly Thielemans and Sister Michelle are faced with these moral conundrums because of priests getting away with molesting parishioners and the silence of the Church itself that allowed the crimes to continue.

Michelle and her organization prefer to take a more active role in finding and persecuting these men so they can never hurt anyone else. While Thielemans takes a more theoretical cerebral approach to this situation, he too is appalled by the hypocrisy that many of his fellow priests have when they honor God with one hand while raping a male or female parishioner with the other. 

He is disgusted not only with their actions but those of the bishops, archbishops, and cardinals who allow it to happen.

Illegal, unethical, and immoral deeds can only be caught when higher ups let go of their apathy and no longer fear the repercussions or their personal loss. 

To paraphrase the famous quote attributed to Edmund Burke "Evil only thrives when good people do nothing."

Unfortunately, sometimes when the answer is to do nothing, some like the characters in The Paraclete, do something and that something isn't always right. However, in some cases it may be the only way for that evil to end.

The Paraclete is a thought provoking thriller that through its characters asks some tough questions about sexuality, morality, legality, and faith. It is a novel that leaves the Reader in suspense but also to form their own conclusions.

Weekly Reader: The Arboretum After Midnight by W.T. O'Brien; Murder Victim Steals The Murder Mystery After Death

 Weekly Reader: The Arboretum After Midnight by W.T. O'Brien; Murder Victim Steals The Murder Mystery After Death

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: With Murder Mysteries, sometimes there are specific parts that take the Reader's focus. Sometimes, it's the lead detective. The Reader is interested in their personal struggles as well as their investigative process. Sometimes it's the setting. The location and time period are so detailed that the mystery can't be set anywhere. Sometimes, like in the case of W.T. O'Brien's Aboretum After Midnight, it's the murder victim that is the most interesting part.

In the case of Arboretum, the murder victim is Whitney Colliers, personal assistant to interior decorator, Lorian Piaff. Beautiful but domineering, she takes charge of any project including roughshod over Max, Lorian's employee and who bears conflicted feelings over Whitney's sexy appearance but high handed demeanor. Lorian is practically dependent on Whitney's insights so she is well regarded in business but not so much personally. Then after a party, she is found dead in a park with her body fallen on the ground and her head smashed open by a brick.

Detectives Roscoe Romar and Peter Seagram investigate Whitney's mysterious death. They uncover deeper secrets in the deceased woman's life including an unhappy childhood, many lovers, and several enemies. The more that the detectives and others search into Whitney's past, the more that they learn what a complex troubled woman that she really was.

 Much like Laura Palmer in Twin Peaks or Rebecca DeWinter in Daphne DuMaurier's novel Rebecca, Whitney leaves quite an impression even after her untimely demise. In fact, she is made a more intriguing character the more other characters find out about her than if she were still alive and able to defend herself. Roman and Seagram, as well as Whitney's colleagues uncover layers and layers of Whitney's past and personality. These discoveries reveal a fundamental truth. We never really know the people that we are often in contact with until after death and even then maybe only a third of it comes to light if they died under mysterious circumstances.

Whitney's story is filled with contradictions that cause those layers to be opened. She was arguing with another woman at a party the night before she died. The fight was about to erupt into a catfight but about what? Were they fighting over a man? Was the argument work related? Were they a couple? Was she more than work colleagues with Max or Lorian or both? Who were her lovers anyway? 

What about Whitney's estranged mother and her background? Did her family escape from Cold War Eastern Europe and if so what was the price for their trip to freedom and what did Whitney (or her mother) provide to obtain it? Each question leads to more questions about Whitney's character and the circumstances surrounding her death. What is the huge takeaway in this book is how the facts towards Whitney's life as told by others are altered by their interpretation of her: innocent victim, ambitious businesswoman, seductive siren, troubled soul and or all of the above.

The Arboretum After Midnight shows that sometimes with murder mysteries, the loudest voice heard is that of the murder victim.

New Book Alert: What Immortal Hand by Johnny Worthen; Hypnotic and At Times Disturbing Supernatural Horror Featuring Kali, Hindu Goddess of Death

 

New Book Alert: What Immortal Hand by Johnny Worthen; Hypnotic and At Times Disturbing Supernatural Horror Featuring Kali, Hindu Goddess of Death

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: Johnny Worthen's novel, What Immortal Hand is one of those types of books that make you think it's going to be about one thing. The Reader goes into the book expecting and mostly getting a dark, disturbing, and at times hypnotic thriller. Then it takes a 180° turn and becomes more subtle, cerebral, and somehow more meaningful. 

Michael Oswald is an investigator for an insurance company who mostly resolves fraudulent insurance claims. He is recruited to look for Isaac Lowe, a semi truck driver who is missing, truck and all. The Reader learns in the prologue that Isaac attended a strange religious meeting in the desert, picked up a hitchhiker, and ran into some very violent characters before he met his untimely end. It is a very graphic beginning that grabs the Reader's attention from the word go.

Michael investigates Isaac's case but he has some mysteries of his own. He can't remember most of his childhood except for one foster family and that both parents died. His current life isn't any better. He is divorced and his ex and kids are settled into a new life with a new husband and father. However, Michael's ex wife keeps him somewhat updated on their troubled daughter. As an investigator, Michael lives nowhere in particular and just bounces around from place to place, assignment to assignment. He seems to be running towards or more than likely running away from something. 

This investigation ends up becoming very personal to Michael. He is followed by people who seem to know more about him than he does, causing him to really question the parts of his past that are blocked out.

One of the more horrifying aspects in Michael's journey are the visions or hallucinations that plague him. Sometimes, he sees tigers out of the corner of his eyes. Other times, he sees a sinister looking topless dark skinned woman with multiple arms. 

What Immortal Hand is an almost hypnotic mesmerizing journey where not only Michael but the Reader is constantly put in a state of unease and discomfort. The desert landscape really helps intensify the mounting tension. Michael gets a taste of it when he hears disembodied footsteps and sees crocodiles and melting faces.

Then there is that strange dark woman who keeps appearing and disappearing, frightening Michael to the point of paralysis.

 There is a lot of barren landscape where your eyes can play tricks on you and you can see the creepiest things. At night, it's a lot worse. It wouldn't be hard to imagine that many semi truck drivers see some bizarre unexplained things during their late night runs down the flat dry barren roads.  Of course the fact that there is a lot of abandoned hot land that could be very useful for criminal activity can't be ignored. Michael and his new partner, Craig realize this as they stumble upon a mass grave. One might be Isaac, but there also seems to be an awful lot of unidentified people murdered in that same place.

Around the halfway point, What Immortal Hand, takes a distinct turn right around the time when Michael runs into people from his past or mysterious people who seem to know him though he doesn't know them. For spoilers sake, I will try not to reveal too much, but the plot twists largely involve Kali.

Kali, for those that don't know, is the Hindu goddess of death and time. According to the Linga Purana, Kali is an alternative form of Parvati, a light benign goddess who has to become the dark active Kali to fight against the demon Daruka. She is usually depicted as a woman with black skin, multiple usually four arms, and a large tongue sticking out of her mouth

 Hindu mythology portrays Kali as a fierce, bloodthirsty, sometimes out- of-control fighter who is able to act on the other god's darker impulses but needs them, especially her consort Shiva to calm her down. She was seen as both strong and wild, protective and violent, creator and destroyer. Her function was to be the fierce warrior that carries the anger, rage, deceit, fury and darker nature that the other Hindu gods no longer carry because of their benign, peaceful, detached personalities. 

While her actual portrayal in legends is nuanced and gives more facets to her character, popular culture concentrates more on her demonic form. The Thuggee cult of mid 19th century India cited Kali as their matron goddess. In film and literature, her legacy is seen as shock value as her worshippers are seen as murderers who cold bloodedly kill without remorse. 

Worthen's portrayal of the Hindu death goddess captures the nuances of her mythological roots rather than the pop culture transmogrification. There are some dark aspects involving her character (the mass grave and hallucinations are still incredibly disturbing), but her worshippers are three dimensional. They have a code on who to attack and who not to. They are protectors who defend each other and those whom they are close to, becoming almost vigilantes. 

They aren't always good though. They are still pretty bloodthirsty and live a chaotic existence. Michael is drawn into their world because of repressed memories and his own fears and insecurities about his placement in the world. He is detached from everyone around him and feels a strange connection to this modern day Kali cult. He fears Kali but he is also drawn to her too. 

What Immortal Hand is a dark hypnotic book that is meant to scare and then seduce the Reader into a Kali driven world.