Blogs / Reviews
Book Review of A Tan and Sandy Silence by John D. MacDonald
Justice and vengeance are served in this mid-1980’s mystery novel featuring Travis McGee. It’s the second MacDonald I’ve read. Neither have overly impressed me. He is considered one of the masters of mystery writing, but I’ve yet to find a masterpiece. I have four more of his books as part of this collection, so maybe one of them will be good…
Book Review of The Big Empty by Robert Crais
This 2026 Edgar Award winner for best novel features justice and mental health redemption for one of the characters. This is the twentieth Elvis Cole / Joe Pike mystery. It’s the first I’ve read since number one, which I remember enjoying. I also enjoyed this book…
Book Review of My Brother’s New Wife by Matt McGregor
This story is all about revenge. What revenge? You’ll have to read it. It’s a short novel and it’s free. Not available for sale. You must go to Mr. McGregor’s website and download the book. It’s worth the time and effort…
Book Review of Framed by James Scott Bell
This one-hundred-and-thirty-page novella hits all the key themes. Justice, vengeance, and redemption. About three quarters into the story the reader discovers the complex vengeance plot. This is a stand-alone thriller and definitely worth the read. If this was my first James Scott Bell, I’d want to read more of his stuff. It’s not and I will continue to read more of his books…
Book Review of Deadly Silence by Erik Carter
The theme here is mainly justice. There is a hint of redemption. The motives are greed and power, not vengeance. This is a short thriller novella (130 pages) featuring Silence Jones, an assassin working for a secret government agency. I know, cliché, but still fun. This is a prequel to the Silence Jones series…
Book Review of Weapons of Remorse by Chevron Ross
This book features justice and redemption. It’s hard to classify the type of book. Loosely, it could be called a crime story, but it’s much more. It’s a social commentary about the gun rights issue in the United States. Ross takes an interesting approach and argues in support of citizens taking responsibility for how guns are used in this country rather than legislating it and battling over the second amendment…





