Critiques
Portland Police Detective Sergeant John Byron and his partner, Detective Diana Joyner, are first on the case. Sergeant Bryon has good cause not to care for the flamboyant attorney, but that no longer matters. With the man dead, he is a victim and deserves the full efforts of everyone on the case. It does not take long before it is clear that this was no accident and was, in fact, a murder. The suspect pool is massive and seems to grow larger by the hour.
Beneath The Depths: A Detective Bryon Mystery is the second book in the series that began so well in Among The Shadows. Numerous plotlines, several involving the personal lives of Bryon and members of his team, continue here and serve as background to the main plotline as noted above. This is a series that is not static. In this series, people age, situations and characters evolve, and time relentlessly moves forward. The foundation for the series was laid in the first book and here the building of what promises to be a complex and entertaining series continues.
Like Among The Shadows, this second book, Beneath The Depths: A Detective Bryon Mystery is a very good and strongly recommended. If it is not clear already, this is a series that needs to be read in order to be fully appreciated and enjoyed.
I recently received a print copy of this book, as well as the next two, from the author with no expectation of a review.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2020
Detective Sergeant John Byron is your classic hard-working detective who drinks a lot, has a failing marriage, can’t get along with the bosses, and has a slowly building attraction to his female partner. He is also a very good detective and does not know how to back off in his search for the truth.
He is called out in this far too warm September morning to the house of Mr. James O’Halloran. At least he is missing the weekly time wasting CompStat meeting that does nothing to suppress crime, but does give the bosses an illusion that they are doing something and practicing effective leadership while chewing out those under them. Mr. James O’Halloran was under hospice care thanks to terminal bone and lung cancer, so his death is not a surprise. However, as the body is examined in place in the home, it quickly becomes clear that this was no suicide or natural caused death. Somebody decided to speed up the process by forcefully applying a pillow over his face and suffocating him. His current nurse is on the short list of possible suspects, but nobody seems to be likely including her and she found the body.
Then a second retired former officer is also killed, and Detective Sergeant John Bryon realizes that something far more sinister is going on. Something that may also link back to his own father’s time on the job decades ago and sudden death.
This is a classic police procedural that uses many of the tropes familiar to readers and yet manages to twist them in ways that create a highly entertaining read. Politics and rivalries serve as the backdrop to an increasingly violent murder investigation that puts Bryon as well as many members of his detective team at substantial risk. A solidly good read well worth your time Among the Shadows: A Detective Bryon Mystery by Bruce Robert Coffin is recommended.
My reading copy came by way of the Skillman Southwestern Branch of the Dallas Public Library System. The second book in the series, Beneath the Depths, is now on my hold list.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2020
Some of those stories have made it into this anthology edited by Liam Sweeny. Published by Joyride Press last year, there is also nonfiction in the form of essay observations, many black and white pictures of customers and staff, and more than a few drink recipes. In fact, because very story is led off by a drink recipe, there are nearly two dozen drink recipes listed in the read. Those same drink recipes contain no amounts regarding ingredients because one is encouraged to “live a little.” That concept of “live a little” is often what happens in these tales with some deadly consequences as well as the resulting biohazardous material messes to clean up.
After a forward from Eryk Pruitt, he also offers a piece on how a drink and a bar experience should be as opposed to how things are these days in many places. That is followed by a piece by Dan Barbour on his real life musical experience in the aforementioned drinking establishment. Then it is on to the twenty-two stories published in the Dark Yonder: Tales and Tabs anthology. As noted before, there is not a bad tale in the bunch. Several can cause laugh out moments. So, grab your favorite beverage and take a few minutes to read this review as each tale is briefly explained. That explanation is done without the use of herbs, bitters, or spoilers. The various illustrative pictures in the read can’t be explained. You just have to see them for yourself. Those pictures have their own tales to tell.
Travis Richardson gets things started with “Them’s Fighting Words.” Grady Edwards just wanted to be left alone. Then Eryk Pruitt and Drew showed up asking questions about the murder of Jessica Talbert. Wesley Winston spent twenty years of his life in prison until that damn DNA test cleared him. If that had not happened, Grady Edwards would not be dealing with this porch problem.
He knew she wanted to be left alone when she came into the bar by herself. He’s seen her before, usually with a bunch of coworkers, and knows that her name is Alana. He also knows she has a problem of some sort in “Run Its Course” by Frank Zafiro.
A late meeting at Yonder: Southern Cocktails & Brew is planned between a reporter and the man known to all as “Popcorn.” The legendary moonshiner might or might not show up for the meeting. If he does and does wish to tell it, he has quite the story to tell in “Popcorn” by Gabriel Valjan.
Will Viharo is up next with the short story, “Living Proof (A Vic Valentine Vignette).” The private investigator in from San Francisco is a long way from home as he walks into the North Carolina bar. This is a case that will get stranger by the minute as Vic Valentine quickly learns he is far from home in more than just the physical sense and is way out of his depth.
It has been a hard two years for Jewel since the FBI shut down the family law firm. She is skittish and she has good reason to be so in “Off-Label” by Terri Lynn Coop. Even with Max Geno present and her favorite adult beverage available, she knows this is not a social meeting.
Freddie the Cripple has a certain reputation and one that he likes to exploit here and there. In “Yonder There’s aMargarita” by Matt Phillips, he also likes a decent margarita. He likes the bar, Yonder: Southern Cocktails & Brew, as well and really does not want to do the job he has been hired to complete.
Gordon has been working on being a regular at Yonder: Southern Cocktails & Brew. Part of that process is always sitting on the same stool and therefore claiming it as his own. Tonight is starting off wrong from the get go in “The Regular” by Eric Beetner. As often happens in bars, making your claim for respect can result in violence.
Why the customer brought a ventriloquist dummy into the bar no one really knows. If the guy would just drink his drink and do it quietly, things would probably okay. But, he won’t. Before long the dummy, Slappy Sacramento, is talking way too much in running’s its mouth way too much in Todd Morr’s short story, “Slappy Sacramento.”
When your insides are making like explosive lava, it is nearly impossibly hard to be a quiet criminal. “Huey and the Burrito of Doom” by Nick Kolakowski need little explanation. The tale is dark, twisted, messy, and more than a little funny.
She may be beautiful, but she is cold too in “The Door in the Floor” by Allison A. Davis. She also knows exactly how her drink should be made. She also seems to know far more than she should about a lot of things. It is past time to get the boss, Eryk Pruitt, on scene to deal with her.
Technology is wonderful until it isn’t. Everything started off innocently enough in “Close Your Laptop” by Judy Wilkinson. One little thing lead to another and now, thanks to technology, she knows far too much.
The plan is to recue Darlene’s little sister in “They Have Fancy Drinks Named After Famous Writers” by S. A. Cosby. Give the pimp some money that is more than it seems. The plan is to fool him just long enough to get him out back of Yonder: Southern Cocktails & Brew and then give him the beat down he deserves to find sixteen year old Julie.
Editor Liam Sweeny is next with the short story, “Legs Diamond.” Life has been hard and Rory is doing the best he can. He’s figured out Eryk Pruitt is a good man. Finding the body proved the point.
Being a salesman is a tough gig in “The Proposition” by Phillip Kimbrough. He still has one more deal to clinch before the night is through.
Bob Dinkerman got himself murdered behind the bar known as Yonder: Southern Cocktails & Brew. According to the officer testifying in court in “Llama Juice” by Stacie Leininger he had it coming. For good reason as is made clear.
Not all battles are fought overseas. Some are fought here at home every single day as one does what one has to do to survive while desperately trying to forget the past. That works until the past is again right in front of you in “Moist Money” by Greg Herren.
Unlike that Gordon dude mentioned earlier, Belle is a regular and very much welcomed. She always sits at her place at one end of the bar in Yonder: Southern Cocktails & Brew. A classy lady, she likes her drinks in a certain way in “Old Fashioned” by Bruce Robert Coffin. She, like the place itself, is a throwback to the past and history.
It is hard to breathe when somebody holds you under whether it is water or whiskey. He really should not have caused Fat Phil an issue. He did. Now he is in a really bad spot as “The Big Splash” by Renato Bratkovicͮ begins.
When you get a bunch of crime writers to read at the bar things can escalate. A fight could break out. More than just about anyone else, crime writers know to and will use any weapon necessary. “Noir at the Bar Fight” by Dana King is a tale that will not be explained further other to say it is funny as all get out.
The suited men were clearly out of place when they walked into Yonder: Southern Cocktails & Brew. Frank Smith and Eryk Pruitt know that there is going to be a problem in “Two Clowns Walk into a Bar” by Jim Shaffer. The suits work for a certain loan shark and he wants his money now one way or another.
David Nemeth’s short story, “Retribution” comes next. An early close should have meant a peaceful evening. It didn’t. Now Heppy has arrived and he is most definitely a problem.
The regulars call her “Hazel” and for good reason In “Not Enough to Drink” by Rob Pierce. Hawthorne is not a regular so he does not know anything when he sees her in the bar. He also has been without sleep for over 36 hours. He has a plan and intends to get what he wants from her the easy way or the hard way. She just wants to drink in peace in this final story of the read.
Edited by Liam Sweeny, Dark Yonder: Tales and Tabs is a solidly good crime fiction anthology. Violence and mayhem make a frequent appearance in these tales where everything may not be as it seems at first glance. There are secrets at work and the bartender many know just a few of them.
I’m pretty sure this is one of those reads where a lot of insider style jokes went right by me because I am not a part of the right crowd. I have never been to the bar in question and have only been to two “Noir at the Bar” style events. Many of the authors in the book I have never met. A few of them I did very ͮͮͮbriefly meet at the recent Bouchercon in Dallas. I am also sure there are some insider stories behind the many black and white pictures from inside the bar that show various folks involved in the book. I am also sure that I picked up the main stuff that made Dark Yonder: Tales and Tabs a mighty good read.
My reading copy came because Johnny Wesner put in a word and my address with Eryk Pruitt who I had met briefly at his “Noir at the Bar” event at Bouchercon 2019. Because of the efforts of the man who markets himself as “Sweet Johnny,” Eryk then sent me a signed paperback copy with no expectation of a review.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2020
Detective Sergeant John Byron and his team are called to the scene of a horrific crime in Portland, Maine. The body of a young woman has been found in an abandoned Portland lumber yard, posed, sitting up. Beyond not knowing who is responsible for her murder, the biggest question is where is her head? The crime may have ties to murders committed in Boston by a serial killer labeled the Horseman, so Byron needs to figure out if this is the case, if it is a copycat murder, or just a gruesome coincidence.
As they start investigating the case, it becomes clear that there are some well-known local people who knew the victim and may have some connection to the case. As they investigate the case there are more and more people and lines of questioning that need to be covered. It is not making their jobs easier that some details are being prematurely leaked to the press.
This is a well-written, intricately plotted and detailed police procedural that follows the investigation step by step as more information is dug up and new lines of questioning need to be pursued. There are also problems with colleagues and departmental and relationship problems going on during the investigation. This is my first Detective Sergeant Byron novel but I had no problem keeping track of the numerous characters and following the plot. The characters are developed and given depth while the investigation Within Plain Sight is a perfect choice for procedural fans who like intricate, detailed investigations with the twists and turns along the way.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of HarperCollins.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2020/01/within-plain-sight.html
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3150377083
The investigation is complicated by a few factors. Usually police hope to dig up even one good suspect. John & his crew have the opposite problem. They’ve got a whole herd of viable candidates, some of whom are part of a well known & affluent family with a lot of political pull in the Portland area.
Naturally this makes department brass a little nervous, including the freshly appointed chief. When details start leaking to the press, the results are disastrous. A new boss, office politics, a crazed father & changes in his personal life are just some of the headaches John is dealing with. And that’s before you take into account the weasel infestation. No, not the furry 4 legged variety. These varmints walk upright. One is a journalist who lives for lurid headlines. The others are a couple of John’s colleagues who would like nothing better than to see him fail.
Due to the wealth of suspects John & his crew have to dig deep, uncovering family secrets & lies in the process. As pieces slide into place, you might find yourself changing your mind more than once as the investigation progresses. I did. The procedural aspect is done very well & you get a real sense of the grunt work involved.
It’s a proper head scratcher. The plot is intricate with plenty of twists to keep you guessing. I really enjoyed the returning cast of characters. They have distinct personalities & the relationships between them are the heart of the story. Tension starts to build & by the time you hit the 3/4 mark, you’ll resent having to put it down.
I think one of the most remarkable things about these books is how consistently well written they are. As with all series, you might enjoy some story lines more than others but it’s the core characters that keep you coming back. I gradually let go of some long running series I’ve read for years as it started to feel like they were going down roads already travelled. So I’m thrilled to come across a new one to follow. Bring on book #5!
Good experience doesn't necessarily equate to a good novel.
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Some of the stories are better than others Truck stop salvation, and Smart Woman in a Really Short Skirt, were both great. And some stories also stick to the storyline or loosely to what the song is about
Pascagoula Run and Who’s the Blonde Stranger.
Anyway a fun easy read.