Mystery

Review of Winter Counts by David Heska Wanbli Weiden

December 12, 2020 by Roger Hyttinen Leave a Comment

I was delighted when I started reading this and discovered that it takes place on the Rosebud reservation in South Dakota. I actually rode through there during my motorcycle trip a couple of years ago, as well as the Pine Ridge reservation, which was also mentioned, so that fact really brought the story to life for me.

I don’t know if I can really classify this as a thriller; it’s more of a crime fiction story though there were undoubtedly some thrilling elements to it. But I decided to chat about it for Thriller Thursday nonetheless as I think it would appeal to those who enjoy mysteries, thrillers, or crime fiction.

So we follow Virgil Wounded Horse, a Lakota man living on the Rosebud Reservation who is sort of a vigilante. Others call him “a hired thug.” When the justice system fails, people hire tough-guy Virgil, who ends up delivering his own kind of punishment. When the government decides not to prosecute or pursue those committing rape, assault, or even murder on Indigenous, you call Virgil.

The story opens with Virgil delivering some “special justice” to a rogue teacher who’s sexually assaulted one of his young students. Because of his “chosen career,” Virgil’s kind of an outsider in the community, and people tend to steer clear of him….unless they need his services. He’s also a reformed alcoholic and is trying to turn his life around.

The latest job that he’s hired for — by his ex’s father, nonetheless — is quite a bit different than his previous assignments. The man has requested that Virgil find out who’s bringing heroin into the Reservation and make them stop — any way he can.

It appears that both men know the culprit — someone who used to bully Virgil — so he doesn’t hesitate in taking the case. The task then becomes personal when his beloved teenaged nephew, who is Virgil’s charge, overdoes on heroin and nearly dies, all of which motivates Virgil even more to get to the bottom of it.

But as Virgil soon discovers, things are a lot more complicated than he had thought and much more dangerous. Things really get interesting when he’s pretty much forced to collaborate with the Feds, which may or may not go according to plan and seriously endanger certain lives in the process, with murder being a strong possibility.

This was quite a compelling character-driven story as we got to delve into Virgil’s mind and had firsthand insight into his motivations. Virgil is such a riveting character with so many layers and vulnerabilities and conflicting motivations, and it’s apparent that he’s still trying to figure out his place in the world. There’s a lot more to him than being merely a vigilante for hire. In fact, all of the characters in this book are richly developed, complex, and engaging.

It was also a riveting, sometimes gritty look at what life is like on the Reservation. I also appreciated the discussion around Native-traditions, ceremonies, and teachings that Virgil has come to reject over the years.

But apart from that, there’s also a serious conversation around the crucial issues of drug abuse, economic poverty, and horrendous injustices aimed at Indigenous people, which was genuinely heartbreaking to read.

The lack of government involvement around serious crimes was incredibly eye-opening, especially since, by federal law, tribal police couldn’t prosecute any federal crimes that happen on the Reservation. In this way, the legal system is mostly non-existent, so criminals walk away, and you have to turn to a man like Virgil to obtain justice.

This novel worked for me on so many levels. I loved learning about the culture, and the author really brought the characters and the setting to life for me. This extremely well-written novel was touching, endearing, humorous in place, shocking, heart-breaking, and heart-mending. It touched on so many serious issues that affect Indigenous people today, and in so doing, I feel that it provides valuable insight into these issues.

Additionally, the author gives us a compelling, heart-in-your-throat mystery to solve as Virgil enters deep into a web of corruption, deception, and danger and quickly finds himself in way over his head.

It was difficult for me to leave Virgil as I finished this action-packed book as I grew quite attached to this character. I hope the author gives us more books that follow this character as I’d love to see Virgil Wounded Horse once again.

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Review of Death Overdue by David S. Pederson

July 14, 2020 by Roger Hyttinen 2 Comments

I was so excited when this book came to my attention, given that it takes place in Milwaukee, my hometown. The story takes place in the 1940s and follows police detective Heath Barrington, who is having a clandestine affair with another police officer, Alan Keyes. Given that being gay during this time period could lead to arrest, being institutionalized, and certainly fired from one’s job (especially if you’re a police officer!), it’s essential that the two men keep their relationship a secret.

So when Heath receives a note that says, “I know what you are,” his world crumbles. As it turns out, a low-life named Larry Crowe, a janitor as the police station, is blackmailing him to the tune of $500, or else he will tell everyone about Heath and Alan’s secret. After Heath meets with Larry, Heath, after having consumed several double-martinis at a local bar, decides to return to Larry’s apartment, perhaps to further negotiate with him. Heath’s not sure because he doesn’t remember anything after having left the bar — which is unfortunate because Larry was found murdered later that afternoon. Heath then becomes the prime suspect in Larry’s murder. And the kicker is that he’s not even certain of his own innocence given that the events of that afternoon for Heath are a complete blank and it’s not inconceivable that in his drunken state, he returned back to Larry’s apartment and killed him given that Larry was threatening him with utter ruin.

So even though it’s against the rules and could land Heath in some significant hot water, he, along with Alan, decides to investigate the crime and attempt to discover what really happened that afternoon. Luckily for Heath, he’s not the only suspect. We also have Heath’s cousin Liz who was married to the blackmailer, a dangerous gangster known as Vinnie the Horse, and Miss Caldwell, the local librarian who seems to be sweet on Larry’s current wife, Alice.

I loved the underlying tension throughout the story as we, along with Heath and Alan, journeyed to discover whether Heath did, in fact, kill Larry Crowe. The suspense is taut, but there is an emotional element at play here, and the story expertly portrayed the difficulties that gay people faced during this time period and how they always had to be extremely careful of what they said or how they acted, lest they find themselves in a whole heap of hot water. In this way, the author does a phenomenal job of portraying the atmosphere of a 1940s Milwaukee as well as illustrating the danger in being outed and how quickly it could quickly destroy lives, all of which really brought the story to life for me.

Additionally, the book explores some very real concerns about spousal abuse, intolerance, regret, secrets, and discrimination, and my heart broke in so several places as it was quite a traumatic roller coaster of a ride. I was overwhelmed with the deep impact portions of this story produced on me.

It was still a lot of fun to unravel the mystery of what happened to Larry Crowe, and what we end up with then is a twisted and suspenseful little mystery that entangles secrets, identity, and murder. Death Overdue is a masterful historical fiction set in the late 1940s that illuminates the very real issues of discrimination and intolerance. Moreover, it’s a well-written, lovely, eloquent, and engaging story with a twisty little mystery to solve. I definitely plan on picking up more books by this author

A huge thank you to NetGalley for providing a review copy of this book.

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Review of Secret at Skull House by Josh Lanyon

May 24, 2020 by Roger Hyttinen Leave a Comment

This is the second novel in Josh Lanyon’s new Cozy Mystery series (Secrets and Scrabble), and we follow our snarky and often clueless main character Ellery Page who once again finds himself him a whole heap of trouble.

As it turns out, Ellery’s ex-boyfriend and famous horror author Brandon Abbott has just come to town and purchased the supposedly haunted/cursed Skull House. Abbott has purchased the house because of the two murders that have occurred there. Ellery is not happy about Abbott’s surprise appearance in Pirate’s Cove, given that their relationship ended badly.

Things become even more complicated when Brandon stirs the hornet’s nest of a twenty-year-old murder case of a local high school football player and the subsequent disappearance of his supposed killer — a case that certain townspeople want to be forgotten. As Brandon begins to investigate the cold case — much to the chagrin of certain locals — Ellery finds himself once again thrust into the middle of a murder case. As in the first book, Ellery begins ‘sleuthing’ to clear his name and reputation, which are once again being smeared in the local paper. As in the first book in this series, Ellery’s amateur investigating leads him into even more trouble.

In this story, we also see the continuation of Ellery’s hot and cold, romance/non-romance with Police Chief Jack Carson, which again, stalls before it can take off, which, truth to told, resulted in somewhat of a frustrating reading experience. So like the first book, romance in this one is mostly non-existent. The author does a magnificent job of placing the story’s primary emphasis on the murder mystery with a small (and possibly developing?) side story on the two principal characters.

As this is a cozy mystery, there is no sex, cursing, or on-page violence, but what we do have is a fast-paced, whimsy, light and comforting read with a few exciting twists along the way as decades-old secrets become revealed. But that being said, I found that Secret at Skull House contains all the things that cozy mystery readers live: quirky and colorful locals, a small town, plenty of gossip, and a compelling mystery to solve and I’ll be interested to see where Lanyon takes the series in future books.

A huge thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this story.

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Review of Murder at Pirate’s Cove by Josh Lanyon

March 8, 2020 by Roger Hyttinen Leave a Comment

Murder at Pirates Cove book Cover Murder at Pirate’s Cove is a cozy mystery that follows our main character Ellery Page who has inherited a failing bookstore and a somewhat crumbling mansion, both located in the seaside village of Pirate’s Cove. Ellery, who is determined to make a fresh start in his life after a particularly bad break-up in New York, takes on the challenge of turning the bookstore into a profitable venture.

One night on his way home from dinner, he notices a light on in his bookstore. When he stops to investigate, he discovers a dead body on the floor, and, as it so happens, the victim, Trevor Maples, is a man with whom Ellery had been arguing only hours earlier at his store as witnesses can attest.

The handsome yet gruff police chief Jack Carson investigates and doesn’t hesitate to let Ellery know that he is the prime suspect in the case. Even though Ellery isn’t a detective, he takes it upon himself to investigate Trevor’s murder in order to prove his innocence, much to the chagrin of Chief Carson. The task proves more difficult than first Ellery first imagined given that pretty much everyone in Pirate’s Cove disliked Trevor, and many of the residents have their own secrets, hidden motives, and reasons for wanting the man dead.

I typically don’t read Cozy Mysteries as they aren’t my favorite genre, but given that I tend to enjoy this author’s work, I wanted to check it out — and I’m so glad I did. This story was not only fun but also gripping and kept me turning the page until the big reveal at the end.

The story is populated with delightfully eccentric and zany characters/suspects that made reading this so much fun. I especially loved Ellery’s character and found him to be much more relaxed and less stuffy than some of the characters in the author’s other mysteries (Adrian English comes to mind). Though certainly impulsive and flawed, I found Ellery to be relatable and endearing as well, and going through the same struggles as many of us are. I found Ellery to be a breath of fresh air.

As this is a Cozy Mystery, there is no violence or sex on-page, so this is a perfect book for those who don’t like their mysteries too gory or too sexy. And though Lanyon typically writes M/M Romance, you won’t find much of that here. However, there is a heated energy between Ellery and Jack, hinting at the budding of a potential relationship in future books. But any attraction between the two characters takes a back seat to the main plotline of who murdered Trevor Maples.

All in all, I found Murder at Pirate’s Cove to be a delightful and well-crafted mystery that kept me guessing until the end. What an unexpected gem this turned out to be! It was so much fun solving this mystery along with Ellery and Jack, and the excellent writing makes for a seamless reading experience. There’s just enough tension and drama to bring the story home to a pretty compelling and satisfying conclusion, and I look forward to reading future books in this series.

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Review of Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

January 10, 2020 by Roger Hyttinen Leave a Comment

Where the Crawdads Sing is a fascinating book that takes place during the 1950s and ’60s and follows a misunderstood girl named Kya Clark, who is also known as the Marsh Girl or Marsh Trash by the local people in Barclay Cove. Kaya is abandoned, first by her mother, then all of her siblings, and finally, by her drunken and abusive father, leaving her to fend for herself all alone on the marsh, without assistance from anyone. I think she was ten years old or so when the last of her family abandoned her.

The story is told in two alternate timelines: the first, focusing on Kya’s life in the marsh and her eventual romantic involvement with two young men from town. The other timeline occurs in 1969, during which a young man named Chase Andrews is found dead. At first, police think I was an accident, but upon further investigation, begin to suspect that the young man was, in fact, murdered. The townies immediately suspect the strange and aloof Marsh girl, especially given that she has been seen several times over the years in Chase’s company.

This is another one of those books that is super-haunting and atmospheric, and the rich, vivid descriptions of the soggy swamp, the birds, insects, water, sand, mud, plants, fish and other animals transported me right back to the 1950s and makes you feel as though you’re in the marsh right along with Kya.

While this is a lovely homage to nature, it’s also a moving and heartbreaking coming-of-age story about a resilient young woman who had to overcome abandonment, prejudice, scorn, and immense loneliness and how a person can rise above their circumstance when people believe in you.

Where the Crawdads Sing a character-driven story with an admirable and tenacious heroine that is part mystery, part love story, part suspense, and part adventure. This was an engrossing and surprising story that I absolutely loved and one that I will no doubt contemplate for a long time to come.

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Review of Seance on a Summer’s Night by Josh Lanyon

August 26, 2019 by Roger Hyttinen Leave a Comment

Seance on a summers night Seance on a Summer’s Night follows theater critic Artemus who is summoned by his Aunt Halcyone to come to the Green Lantern Inn, her home in California. When Artie arrives, he learns the reason for the summons: Aunt Halcyone is having ghost problems and believes that her house is haunted. In fact, the ghosts have frightened off all the guests, and because of it, the inn is beginning to fall into disrepair. Halcyone believes it’s her late husband Ogden, who was killed in a car crash the year before, who is haunting the inn.

Now Artie is a skeptic and does not believe in ghosts; yet right after his arrival, he notices strange happenings such as footsteps walking on the floor above him at night. Ogden’s distraught sister Liana, who spends her days alone in her room reading Tarot cards, insists on hosting regular seances with the aid of a local psychic medium/spiritualist named Roma Loveridge to communicate with her brother. Artie reluctantly joins in, and as it turns out, the seances are quite creepy; yet Artie isn’t sure whether they’re real or a hoax.

Though everyone else in the house believes the place is haunted, Artie isn’t buying it and is determined to get to the bottom of the mystery, especially once the so-called ghost threatens his Aunt. But he is certain that it is the living and not the dead who is behind the strange occurrences. Though because of the accusations by the ghost, Artie can help but wonder whether his staunch Aunt did have something to do with his uncle’s death after all.

So I’m a massive fan of the haunted house trope, and this one did not disappoint. It had all of the classic elements of a gothic ghost story: a psychic medium, creepy and hostile housekeepers, a mysterious (and hunky!) gardener, dim lighting, strange noises, an enormous old house, secret passages, possible murder and of course, ghostly apparitions.

What’s funny about this story, is that it had an old-time gothic feel to it, though it is a modern-day story. I kept forgetting that it takes place in recent times and not during the 1920s or 1930s, and I found the modern references a tad jarring in places. That being said, because of the descriptions and dialog, this story might have worked better were it set in an earlier time period.

I really enjoyed the mystery and loved journeying along with this oddball set of characters as the pieces of the puzzle slowly fit into place. I also loved all the clues peppered throughout the story that made figuring out the mystery all the more fun.

Josh Lanyon is known for writing M/M romance novels, but as is typical with most of her books, the romance is secondary to the mystery, and that certainly is the case here. The romance definitely takes a back seat to the ghost story plot so if you’re looking for a steamy gay romance, you won’t find that here. What you will find, however, is a fun cozy mystery featuring a witty and sarcastic protagonist, a zany cast of well-thought-out secondary characters with plenty of secrets and plenty of flirting between the two male leads. There were also several laugh-out-loud scenes as well, which added to the light-heartedness/coziness of the story.

I’ve read quite a few Josh Lanyon novels, and this one did not disappoint. All in all, Seance on a Summer’s Night is a smart and original cozy mystery/gay romance story with a rapidly moving plot, irresistible characters and a good number of twists that kept me engaged throughout.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and to Josh Lanyon for providing me with a review copy of this book.

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