Book Review: Blind Dates and Broken Hearts: The Tragic Loves of Matthew Murdock

Book Review: Blind Dates and Broken Hearts: The Tragic Loves of Matthew Murdock by Ryan K. Lindsay Disclaimer:  I received this book as a Goodreads giveaway on the premise that I would review it. Matthew Murdock is the Marvel Comics character known as Daredevil, a blind lawyer blessed with a “radar sense” that allows him… Continue reading Book Review: Blind Dates and Broken Hearts: The Tragic Loves of Matthew Murdock

Book Review: The Lies of Locke Lamora

Book Review: The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch Disclaimer:  I received this book in a Goodreads giveaway on the premise that I would review it. Locke Lamora is a con artist and thief living in the city of Camorr, a sort of fantasy version of Venice strongly influenced by Dickens and Machiavelli, and… Continue reading Book Review: The Lies of Locke Lamora

Book Review: Conquering the Chaos

Book Review: Conquering the Chaos by Ravi Venkatesan Disclaimer:  I received this book from the publisher in a Goodreads giveaway on the premise that I would review it. This book is subtitled “win in India, win everywhere” and part of its message is that a multinational company that learns how to compete in India will… Continue reading Book Review: Conquering the Chaos

Book Review: Spur #30 Boise Belle

Book Review: Spur #30 Boise Belle by Dirk Fletcher I’m not sure what this type of book is called in the marketing department, so I’m going to borrow a phrase from the pulps and call it “spicy Western.”   This is a subgenre of the Western, usually in long-running paperback series, in which a tough… Continue reading Book Review: Spur #30 Boise Belle

Book Review: Dark Waters

Book Review: Dark Waters by Robin Blake Disclaimer:  I received this book in a Goodreads giveaway on the premise that I would review it.  My copy was an Advance Reading Copy, and there may be minor changes in the final product. It is the Year of Our Lord 1741 in the small but bustling English… Continue reading Book Review: Dark Waters

Book Review: The Jewels of Aptor

Book Review: The Jewels of Aptor by Samuel R. Delaney This is the first novel by Samuel R. Delaney, published in 1967.  He was one of the first successful African-American science fiction authors, as well as one of the first openly gay SF writers, and certainly the most successful person so far to be both.… Continue reading Book Review: The Jewels of Aptor

Book Review: Murder for Revenge

Book Review: Murder for Revenge edited by Otto Penzler This is another themed anthology, this time around the concept of revenge.  That’s a pretty loose theme as these things go.  It’s got a big-name author list going for it though. “Like a Bone in the Throat” by Lawrence Block starts the book off strong with… Continue reading Book Review: Murder for Revenge

Book Review: The Spider #7

Book Review: The Spider #7 by Grant Stockbridge When the Shadow kickstarted the pulp hero magazines in the 1930s, it was no surprise that a similar character, the Spider, was featured at a rival publishing house.  Written under house name Grant Stockbridge (usually Norvell Page), the Spider was wealthy socialite and amateur criminologist Richard Wentworth.… Continue reading Book Review: The Spider #7

Book Review: Who Died in Here?

Book Review: Who Died in Here? edited by Pat Dennis Themed short story anthologies are a perennial favorite for genre fiction.  “Best of” collections tend to feature heavy overlap with other best ofs, while single-author collections have to rely on the reader being willing to pick up a particular author’s work.  Themes allow the authors to… Continue reading Book Review: Who Died in Here?

Book Review: The Guns of Navarone

Book Review: The Guns of Navarone by Alistair MacLean There are more than a thousand British soldiers trapped on a small island off the Turkish coast, and the Germans are sending a huge force to smash them.  The British Navy wants to pull them off, but the only route that can be taken goes right… Continue reading Book Review: The Guns of Navarone