Reviewed By Liz

Today’s featured author is Troy Cook. Troy is the author of 47 RULES OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE BANK ROBBERS, which is described as a crime thriller with lots of laugh out loud humor.

In 47 RULES OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE BANK ROBBERS, Tara Evans has been trained by her father since the age of nine to be a bank robber. Now that she has grown up and is ready to leave the nest, she is having a hard time getting away from her father, their former partners in crime, and the law.

47 RULES OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE BANK ROBBERS has received many accolades and Troy is a finalist for the Lefty Award for Best Humorous Mystery for 2007. You can find Troy on the internet and read a sample chapter of the book at www.troycook.net.

If you haven’t signed up for the Summer Mystery Reading Challenge yet, click here for directions. You are welcome to read along on your own, of course, but only registered participants are eligible for the prizes. No matter what your mystery preference - cozy, noir, hard-boiled, soft-boiled, thriller, suspense - we have it on revewiedbyliz this Summer.

If you would like to comment on a book by a featured author or ask them a question, please leave the comment on their daily page so they can find it easily. Comments about what you are reading, books you have finished, requests for readalikes or recommendations, or mystery related links can be made on the SMRC post for that day so we can all see them. Thanks!

Mystery Book Reviews by Liz at http://reviewedbyliz.com ©2007

Today’s featured author is Pamela Samuels-Young. Pamela’s legal thrillers have been described as “John Grisham with a sister’s twist.”

IN FIRM PURSUIT: Once again, Vernetta Henderson tackles life’s most challenging battles – in and out of the courtroom. The savvy L.A. attorney juggles marriage, career and ambition only to become entangled in a suspicious sexual harassment case that explodes into a tale of corporate greed, deceit and violence, placing everything she cherishes most at risk.

EVERY REASONABLE DOUBT: Two top-notch women attorneys, must put aside their personal differences long enough to defend a wealthy socialite accused of a brutal murder. Not until they come up against a hot-shot prosecutor who considers every loss a personal affront, do the two adversaries close ranks and, in the process, develop a bond that sees them through the roadblocks of trial, the pain of betrayal, and pressures neither could have imagined.

Pamela can be found on the internet www.pamelasamuels-young.com.

A corporate attorney for Toyota, Pamela decided to pen her first novel because of the absence of women and African-Americans characters in mainstream legal fiction. An excerpt of her first novel, EVERY REASONABLE DOUBT, won the Black Expressions Book Club’s Annual Fiction Writing Contest, and received an honorable mention in the SEAK legal fiction writing contest. Pamela loves talking to readers and is always looking for new book clubs to meet, either in person or via speakerphone.

If you haven’t signed up for the Summer Mystery Reading Challenge yet, click here for directions. You are welcome to read along on your own, of course, but only registered participants are eligible for the prizes. No matter what your mystery preference - cozy, noir, hard-boiled, soft-boiled, thriller, suspense - we have it on revewiedbyliz this Summer.

If you would like to comment on a book by a featured author or ask them a question, please leave the comment on their daily page so they can find it easily. Comments about what you are reading, books you have finished, requests for readalikes or recommendations, or mystery related links can be made on the SMRC post for that day so we can all see them. Thanks!

ISBN 1-880284-84-7

THE LAST FULL MEASURE is a Katy Green mystery and is set in late November and early December, 1941. Katy has taken a job with two of her former Ultra Belles band mates and a Hawaiian singer. Together they have formed a dance band called the Swingin’ Sarongs and are playing on the cruise ship Lurline from San Francisco to Hawaii and back through the holidays. But it turns out that Katy’s fellow band members have more in mind than just a singing gig.

Their Hawaiian chanteuse, Roselani Akau, and her brother are both on a treasure hunt. Their parents had been in the inner circle of Hawaii’s last queen, Lili’uokalani, and were responsible for concealing something of great value for her. The siblings have different ideas on what the treasure is, but both are determined to find it before the other. But there is a murder onboard the ship and the radio operator keeps intercepting unusual messages in Japanese as they near Hawaii…

The Katy Green series gives the reader a glimpse into the life of a professional musician from the viewpoint of surprisingly tough and independent female band members in the early 40’s. In THE LAST FULL MEASURE, Glatzer also mixes in social commentary and politics in the run-up to the bombing of Pearl Harbor. There are some very interesting historical bits about the American acquisition of Hawaii (where Glatzer has lived) and they are woven into the story very neatly. Glatzer packs a lot of material into a very good read, without making it seem ungainly.

While THE LAST FULL MEASURE is essentially a cozy and is set in an era in which many classic cozies were written, the characters and the lifestyles depicted are a little grittier and probably more realistic than those of traditional cozy characters. And this makes them very interesting. We tend to not think of women of this era being independent and having to scrape together every dime to make rent, using birth control regularly, or having access to drugs - and when they do it is sort of an eye-opener.

Favorite character? Danny Boy. Did I guess it? Yes. Will I read another? Absolutely!

Mystery Book Reviews by Liz at http://reviewedbyliz.com ©2007

Available at Amazon!

Today’s featured author is Christine Goff. Her humorous mysteries focus on environmental concerns through bird-related issues. Her most recent title, DEATH SHOOTS A BIRDIE, the fifth in the Birdwatcher’s Mystery series, exposes the effects of development on the fragile coastal Georgia environment while highlighting the antics of a group of eclectic birdwatchers bent on unmasking the killer of the keynote speaker at a birding convention.

In DEATH SHOOTS A BIRDIE, Rachel Wilder’s first mistake was agreeing to dig up information on renowned birder Guy Saxby. Her second was involving her friend Dorothy MacBean. How could she have predicted the two would fall head-over-heels in love? Rachel’s even more surprised when he becomes the prime suspect in the murder of his protégé—whose startling exposé would have upstaged his mentor’s research on the painted bunting’s prime habitat. But working to clear his name and unravel this mess, Rachel begins to wonder if—like the painted bunting—Saxby really did kill another male who was encroaching upon his turf…

DEATH TAKES A GANDER: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Special Agent, Angela Dimato’s partner is dead, his death ruled an “accident.” She is pulled from the field and assigned to oversee a local fishing tournament on Elk Lake. The night before the tournament kick-off, she discovers the strange die-off of two hundred Canada Geese. In the course of her investigation, she discovers her partner’s death may not be an accident after all. With the help of an eclectic group of birdwatchers, Angela sets out to expose an environmental disaster in the making, and soon learns that killers of a feather do flock together.

The first three books in series are A RANT OF RAVENS (2000), DEATH OF A SONGBIRD (2001), and A NEST IN THE ASHES (2002).

Christine can be found on the internet christinegoff.com, with links to her bio, book info, signing info, and new blog.

If you haven’t signed up for the Summer Mystery Reading Challenge yet, click here for directions. You are welcome to read along on your own, of course, but only registered participants are eligible for the prizes. No matter what your mystery preference - cozy, noir, hard-boiled, soft-boiled, thriller, suspense - we have it on revewiedbyliz this Summer.

If you would like to comment on a book by a featured author or ask them a question, please leave the comment on their daily page so they can find it easily. Comments about what you are reading, books you have finished, requests for readalikes or recommendations, or mystery related links can be made on the SMRC post for that day so we can all see them. Thanks!

Today’s featured author is Amanda Stevens. Amand is the author of THE DOLLMAKER - a creepy, southern thriller. THE DOLLMAKER is the story of a twisted obsession and a mother’s desperate quest to learn the fate of her missing child.

Seven years ago, Claire Doucett’s daughter vanished without a trace. A clue has finally surfaced—a doll that looks exactly like her beloved Ruby, right down to a birthmark painted on one porcelain arm. Claire’s search leads her from a quaint collectibles shop in the French Quarter to the murky Louisiana bayou country and the shadowy home of an eccentric doll maker whose ‘portrait’ dolls resemble missing children.

Amanda can be found on the internet amandastevens.com. Her website contains new releases, excerpts, book trailer, reviews, future releases, author biography, author Q&A, author videobiography, backlist, news and blog.

If you haven’t signed up for the Summer Mystery Reading Challenge yet, click here for directions. You are welcome to read along on your own, of course, but only registered participants are eligible for the prizes. No matter what your mystery preference - cozy, noir, hard-boiled, soft-boiled, thriller, suspense - we have it on revewiedbyliz this Summer.

If you would like to comment on a book by a featured author or ask them a question, please leave the comment on their daily page so they can find it easily. Comments about what you are reading, books you have finished, requests for readalikes or recommendations, or mystery related links can be made on the SMRC post for that day so we can all see them. Thanks!

Today’s featured author is Jane Finnis. Jane is the author of the Aurelia Marcella series set in first-century Roman Britain. It tells of life (and death) in the turbulent province of Britannia, on the very edge of the Roman Empire. I loved the most recent book, A BITTER CHILL, and you can read my review here.

In A BITTER CHILL, innkeeper Aurelia Marcella and her sister Albia still run their prosperous mansio on the road to York, and face the pleasures and perils of being Roman settlers in a new province, where the native Britons are not as docile as their imperial conquerors could wish. In the depths of winter, just when the sisters are hoping for a restful time without guests, their brother brings bad news of possible disgrace for the family. Then a party of rich and quarrelsome travellers arrive to stay, bringing violence and death. There are disputes over an unsuitable marriage and a will, and the sisters find themselves under suspicion of murder. Snow, floods, and a trip to the raw garrison town of Eburacum (York) are just some of the dangers they face, as they try to clear their family name and track down the killer…

GET OUT OR DIE is set in Roman Britain in 91 AD which is the raw frontier province of Britannia, a troublesome part of the mighty Empire ruled by Domitian Caesar. Though it is almost fifty years since the legions invaded, many native tribes still hate their conquerors and seize any chance to harass the Roman settlers who are flocking in to colonise the new province. Tension is especially high in the north, where Aurelia Marcella, a young innkeeper from Italy, runs the Oak Tree Mansio on the road to York. She says it is the best guest-house in northern Britannia, but then she would say that, wouldn’t she?

A string of savage murders disrupts her peaceful life, and she and her Roman friends find themselves under attack from a secret native war-band, the Shadow-men, whose aim is to drive all Romans out. A traveller, Quintus, is nearly killed close to the mansio, and he and Aurelia must track down the rebel warriors and their mysterious masked leader. Their investigations bring them into personal danger from ruthless killers and devious deceivers. Can they find and destroy the murderers before their campaign of terror turns into open rebellion, so that all Romans must get out or die?

Jane can be found on the internet janefinnis.com or on her blog at theladykillers.typepad.com.

If you haven’t signed up for the Summer Mystery Reading Challenge yet, click here for directions. You are welcome to read along on your own, of course, but only registered participants are eligible for the prizes. No matter what your mystery preference - cozy, noir, hard-boiled, soft-boiled, thriller, suspense - we have it on revewiedbyliz this Summer.

If you would like to comment on a book by a featured author or ask them a question, please leave the comment on their daily page so they can find it easily. Comments about what you are reading, books you have finished, requests for readalikes or recommendations, or mystery related links can be made on the SMRC post for that day so we can all see them. Thanks!

Today’s featured author is Neil Plakcy. According to Neil, MAHU and MAHU SURFER are police procedurals, though there is as much emphasis on the character’s life as there is on police procedures.

In MAHU SURFER, he’s ready to return to the force and his new boss asks him to go undercover on Oahu’s north shore to catch a gunman who has already killed three surfers. After working so hard to tell the truth about his life to family and friends, he must lie to them about his return to the force in order to preserve the integrity of the investigation. The book also continues his coming-out process.

MAHU: Kimo Kanapa’aka’s world turns upside down in MAHU. At 32, the hero of MāhÅ« has reached the pinnacle of his profession, detective on the Honolulu Police Department’s homicide squad, based at the WaikÄ«kÄ« station. But a difficult murder case, as well as turmoil in his personal life, is about to threaten everything he has worked for.

A life-threatening drug bust in chapter 1 makes Kimo realize that it’s time to stop lying to himself. He’s drawn to the Rod and Reel Club, a gay bar in WaikÄ«kÄ«, where he has a couple of beers and begins the long process of accepting his attraction to other men. Leaving the club, though, he stumbles onto two men dropping a dead body in an alley, and he launches himself into a nightmare where his private life becomes public news. Kimo’s pursuit of this case takes him from the seamy underside of Chinatown to the elegance of million-dollar homes in Maunalani Heights, from gay bars where young men stride naked down runways to bloody crime scenes.

Neil can be found on the internet mahubooks.com. There are links to books, background materials, a dictionary of Hawaiian words, and a list of mysteries featuring gay detectives, among other materials.

If you haven’t signed up for the Summer Mystery Reading Challenge yet, click here for directions. You are welcome to read along on your own, of course, but only registered participants are eligible for the prizes. No matter what your mystery preference - cozy, noir, hard-boiled, soft-boiled, thriller, suspense - we have it on revewiedbyliz this Summer.

If you would like to comment on a book by a featured author or ask them a question, please leave the comment on their daily page so they can find it easily. Comments about what you are reading, books you have finished, requests for readalikes or recommendations, or mystery related links can be made on the SMRC post for that day so we can all see them. Thanks!

Today’s featured author is Mary Ellen Hughes. Mary Ellen has two different mystery series - the Craft Corner series and one featuring math teacher Maggie Olenski.

STRING OF LIES: Jo finally sees her Craft Corner showing signs of success. But then a local developer threatens to take over her building before she can renew her lease. Jo tries to meet with him but instead finds him murdered and her good friend Dan under suspicion. Craft tips and a beading project included!

WREATH OF DECEPTION: Jo McAllister needs to pull her life back together after her husband Mike dies in a terrible accident. With the help of her good friends, she relocates to a small town in Maryland to begin life anew as owner of an arts and crafts shop.

It’s a sink or swim venture, Jo having invested every penny into her shop, and things seem to get off to a great start at her grand opening. Then the clown she hired is found murdered in her stock room, and the local police suspect Jo of a different type of craftiness – the criminal kind.

RESORT TO MURDER, was published in December, 2000 to be followed by A TASTE OF DEATH. Both novels feature Maggie Olenski, a high school math teacher who tends to take deadly vacations, and who coincidentally enjoys tennis and skiing nearly as much as Mary Ellen does.

A TASTE OF DEATH: Cedar Hill sounds like the perfect place for Maggie to write her math puzzle book - a small New Hampshire town whose biggest problem should be keeping roads to the adjacent ski slopes clear of snow. The first town meeting, however, proves otherwise. Bitter arguments break out over Jack Warwick’s proposal to buy the financially-struggling ski resort and turn it into a granite mine. Maggie thinks she can keep out of it all, until Jack drops dead of poison and her childhood friend becomes the prime suspect.

As Maggie investigates, she soon finds there were many who wished Jack dead. Which one of them acted on it, though, and planted evidence pointing to her friend? Maggie struggles to find out, before time runs out, and before the killer decides to give her A Taste of Death.

RESORT TO MURDER: Maggie decides she needs a break. Teaching high school geometry has her burnt out so she plans a week vacation at Highview Inn, a mountain resort in Maryland. The peaceful, idyllic surroundings are the perfect antidote and she looks forward to long days of playing tennis and swimming. But on her first day she discovers the body of a hotel employee in the woods. The young waitress was also a former student of hers and the murder disturbs Maggie in more ways than one.

Unlike most math problems she encounters, this mystery has no easy answers. As the list of suspects gets longer she finds herself distrusting everyone. With clues from the girl’s diary and inquiries into her suspects’ histories, Maggie moves closer to the truth. Then she learns of other puzzling “suicides” and accidental deaths in the resort’s past which seem too coincidental to her. But the killer knows what she is up to and she will have to outwit this cold-blooded murderer or die trying.

You can read my review of RESORT TO MURDER here.

Mary Ellen can be found on the internet at maryellenhughes.com.

If you haven’t signed up for the Summer Mystery Reading Challenge yet, click here for directions. You are welcome to read along on your own, of course, but only registered participants are eligible for the prizes. No matter what your mystery preference - cozy, noir, hard-boiled, soft-boiled, thriller, suspense - we have it on revewiedbyliz this Summer.

If you would like to comment on a book by a featured author or ask them a question, please leave the comment on their daily page so they can find it easily. Comments about what you are reading, books you have finished, requests for readalikes or recommendations, or mystery related links can be made on the SMRC post for that day so we can all see them. Thanks!

Today’s featured author is Bruce Golden. Bruce is the author of BETTER THAN CHOCOLATE, a science fiction noir mystery.

BETTER THAN CHOCOLATE: Noah Dane is a mid-21st Century San Francisco police inspector who, while hunting his partner’s killer and investigating a pair of seemingly unrelated murders, stumbles onto a conspiracy that threatens all humanity. Chastity Blume is a celebrated talk show host known as “America’s Favorite Virgin” who discovers the sinister plot while searching for the mother she never knew. Along with Noah’s new crime-fighting partner, a Marilyn Monroe celebudroid, they lead a cast of quirky characters towards a climax of comically sexy proportions, where all the clues point to an insanely popular new virtual reality experience that’s Better Than Chocolate.

Bruce can be found on the internet goldentales.tripod.com.

If you haven’t signed up for the Summer Mystery Reading Challenge yet, click here for directions. You are welcome to read along on your own, of course, but only registered participants are eligible for the prizes. No matter what your mystery preference - cozy, noir, hard-boiled, soft-boiled, thriller, suspense - we have it on revewiedbyliz this Summer.

If you would like to comment on a book by a featured author or ask them a question, please leave the comment on their daily page so they can find it easily. Comments about what you are reading, books you have finished, requests for readalikes or recommendations, or mystery related links can be made on the SMRC post for that day so we can all see them. Thanks!

Today’s featured author is June Shaw, the author of RELATIVE DANGER. This book which has been described as mystery with a Cajun flair, is the first book in a series that features a spunky widow who “thinks” she wants to avoid her hunky ex-lover so that she can rediscover herself. But he keeps opening Cajun restaurants in all the places she travels — and she is so bad at avoiding tempting dishes and men.

RELATIVE DANGER: Cealie Gunther avoids things that bind—like control-top pantyhose and Gil Thurman. Widowed Cealie thinks she wants to avoid her hunky ex-lover Gil as she travels while trying to rediscover herself. But he opens Cajun restaurants in many cities, and Cealie’s not great at avoiding temptation. She tries to avoid family members so she won’t become dependant, but since her family is most important, constantly winds up around them. Murder is always involved. Cealie gets drawn in, although as owner of a copyediting agency she knows parts of speech but not weapons. She’s dropping by to visit her motherless granddaughter now and watch her become a high school graduate—unless Cealie’s interference in the school creates a catastrophe involving someone very special.

June can be found on the internet juneshaw.com.

If you haven’t signed up for the Summer Mystery Reading Challenge yet, click here for directions. You are welcome to read along on your own, of course, but only registered participants are eligible for the prizes. No matter what your mystery preference - cozy, noir, hard-boiled, soft-boiled, thriller, suspense - we have it on revewiedbyliz this Summer.

If you would like to comment on a book by a featured author or ask them a question, please leave the comment on their daily page so they can find it easily. Comments about what you are reading, books you have finished, requests for readalikes or recommendations, or mystery related links can be made on the SMRC post for that day so we can all see them. Thanks!