Bloom by Robbie Couch

March 04, 2026

I never really thought about reading a novel centered around a retired gay history teacher, a lost bride-to-be, and a dying jade houseplant. Robbie Couch’s Bloom made me cry. Morris Warner feels as if he’s dying, too, since the unexpected death of his...

A Lethal Walk in Lakeland by Nicholas George

January 20, 2025

While I enjoy the premise of Nicholas George’s series, and I like the protagonist, there’s just something off about this latest book, A Lethal Walk in Lakeland. I was just disgusted with the over-the-top behavior of the Uptons, a family of Texans on the...

The Arizona Triangle by Sydney Graves

October 22, 2024

Sydney Graves introduces Jo Bailen, a hardboiled PI based in Tucson in the first in a proposed series, The Arizona Triangle. Jo is a queer woman, almost forty, who works for an all female detective agency, and lands in the middle of a case involving her own past....

Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby

July 06, 2021

S.A. Cosby’s 2020 release Blacktop Wasteland was nominated for all kinds of awards. If Razorblade Tears, this year’s standalone, isn’t nominated, something is wrong with the system. It’s one of the best books I’ve read this year. On the...

Once You Go This Far by Kristen Lepionka

July 19, 2020

I like Kristen Lepionka’s mysteries featuring PI Roxane Weary for several reasons. The Columbus, Ohio setting always draws me in. But, Roxane herself is the biggest draw. She’s a complex character with flaws and personal issues. But, she tries. She really...