You Say Goodbye. Keith Steinbaum, author (Black Opal Books, 2019). I’ve always appreciated a good murder mystery, and this one met my expectations. Lots of possible suspects, lots of clues and misdirects, and some interesting themes weaving in and around the plot, all making a complete whodunit tapestry.

One theme is music. The victim’s boyfriend, Sean Hightower, is an aging one-hit-wonder rock musician who spends his days selling cars and has nights performing gigs where annoying night clubbers always ask for his famous song, “Looking Glass.” This is a neutral role for music, even though Sean wants to rekindle his fame.

But music plays an evil and good role too. First the good: the little girl next door, Kayleigh, has cancer, and music permits the two to develop a bond. Sean first meets his little friend when she interrupts his plans for suicide, driven to that state by his girlfriend’s death. That first meeting leads to an enduring relationship.

Now for music’s bad role: The girlfriend’s murderer is a serial killer, known as the Beatles’ Song Murderer, who has been terrorizing the area. Detective Ray Maldonado knows this from the “Hello, Goodbye” messages taped to a wall in the victim’s apartment. Ray’s convinced the killer is someone Sean knows and recruits the musician to help him solve the crime. Tension builds as Sean battles his personal demons and plays amateur detective. And the murderer is observing it all.

Those who love the mystery genre will love this tale. ‘Nough said.

Kilts and Catnip. Zoe Tasia, author (Black Opal Books, 2019). When Rebecca lost her husband, she moved to Scotland—not as big a change as you might think because she’d lived there before. With her two daughters, Jess and Tate, she returns to teaching. And, during the summer vacation, she rents a small cottage on the Shrouded Isle.

Thus begins a tale full of fantasy, thrills, and mystery. A strange man helps Becca and her children in some strange situations that are often weird and threatening. And other weird events occur too. Becca discovers her neighbor is a shapeshifter who can become a cat. The grocer and his nephew can become wolves. All three aren’t really threatening, though. But other magical beings appear who are, and that strange man, Greg Gillie, seems to be involved with all of them.

Becca seems to take this all in stride, maybe too much. Most people would be at their wit’s end, but she plods on like Miss Marple in a fantasy world, trying to figure out what’s going on. I want to emphasize that mystery aspect here, especially considering the first book reviewed above—a reader can find mystery and suspense in fantasy too. Becca receives many clues on her strange journey of discovering who Greg Gillie really is. There is also a wee bit of romance as her relationship with Greg matures, but these multi-genre descriptions only illustrate the complexity of this novel.

I’m not much of a fantasy fan, but I’m a sucker for Celtic legends and myths involving the fae and other magical creatures. This is a fascinating tale that kept me reading, weird in a great way. Because it’s “Book 1,” I’m hoping for a sequel. More mischief from the fae?

[Note from Steve: Please read yesterday’s interview for more information about the author.]

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Comments are always welcome.

“Mary Jo Melendez Mysteries.” Who are the MECHs? Find out in this trilogy featuring the novels Muddlin’ Through, Silicon Slummin’…and Just Gettin’ By, and Goin’ the Extra Mile. These action-packed stories of mystery, thrills, and suspense will provide hours of reading pleasure. Available on Amazon and Smashwords and at the latter’s affiliated retailers (iBooks, B&N, Kobo, Walmart, etc.).

Around the world and to the stars! In libris libertas!

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 25th, 2019 at 3:30 am and is filed under Mini-Reviews of Books. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.