Howard OwenCritiques
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Critiques
A story that soon changes and becomes far more personal with the discovery of two bodies in an apartment over a nearby bookstore. There had been protests in the area and there had been vandalism and damage. Checking out the situation as the door of a used bookstore stored open, officers checked the bookstore on the ground floor, and went upstairs. On the second floor, those two officers soon found a woman and a man tied to chairs in the living room. Both were bound and gagged and each had been shot in the chest and head. As they checked the rest of the apartment, they found a baby alive and unharmed in her crib.
The deceased are soon identified as William and Susan Keller, both of whom were in their early thirties. While they do not have a motive, the local cops quickly have an identified suspect. Adam Walker, the son of Willie Black’s first wife, Jeanette. Willie Black is not be the boy’s biological father, but he was Jeanette’s first husband, so that means a lot. That personal angle means that he has access to information that others do not have as the days pass and the investigation moves forward. It also puts him in the crosshairs of at least one person who determined to shut up the pesky reporter once and for all.
Monument is the latest in the long running Willie Black mysteries. This latest one is set against the backdrop of the BLM protest, the Covid pandemic, and various societal issues that have been at the forefront of the news these past months. Intense and powerful, the book also spins a mighty good mystery read. Strongly recommended by myself as well as Publishers Weekly which gave it a starred review.
Monument: Willie Black Mystery Series
Howard Owen
http://www.howardowenbooks.com
The Permanent Press
https://thepermanentpress.com/products/monument-willie-black-mystery-11
November 2021
ISBN# 978-1579626471
Hardback
232 Pages
I received a PDF of the book from the publisher with no expectation of a review.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2021
Finding the body is seen by some as proof that he did it. The fact that the man still owed Willie forty-five thousand to write his autobiography gives him motive in the minds of some folks. The fact they have a long history and got along does not seem to play into those considerations.
For most in journalism, it is a recognized fact that the reporter should never be part of the story. For Wille Black, he is very much part of the story. His bosses at the steadily shrinking paper do not like that fact or the fact that he is a suspect. That includes the current publisher, Ben Stine, who has a few thoughts about that issue and others.
As long-time readers know, this isn't the first time Willie Black has been suspected of a crime by the police. Over the years, he has made his bosses wonder more than a few things about him. One would think by now that all involved would know better.
Willie Black knows that he has to investigate to clear his name. It does not take Willie long before things start escalating. Playing fast and loose with the questions might get him killed.
The latest in this long running series is another solidly good read. Jordan's Branch: A Willie Black Novel by Howard Owen brings back a number of characters long familiar to readers in a read filled with societal observations and commentary. Those societal observations serve as background while never getting in the way of the main mystery of Jordan's Branch: A Willie Black Novel.
Strongly recommended.
I received a PDF of the book from the publisher with no expectation of a review.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2021
It is a lovely afternoon in early April as the book opens and Scuffletown Park is about to be in the news in a big way. A small park surrounded by homes and apartments, it is where Willie Black and the first of four wives started their lives as young married people. Based on the amount of blood splashed across one of the brick walkways, something did go down the night before. The cops had been called out around midnight for a fight of some sort. Upon their arrival, there was nobody in the park. They certainly did not find a body in the dark park and never saw the blood on the bricks. With no body and no signs of a struggle or anything amiss, they soon packed up and moved on to other crimes in the city.
It was not until this morning, a Thursday, that it became clear something bad had gone down in the old park. A jogger cutting through by way of the alley that runs down on side of the park called the cops after he saw the massive amount of blood on the brick stones. Despite a thorough search and spending hours at what clearly is a crime scene, the police still do not have a weapon, a body, or any evidence of an actual crime.
That soon changes when a video, taken by a resident, suddenly turns up. A video that clears shows Willie’s friend and roommate, Abe Custalow, clearly standing over what appears to be a dead man. Almost everyone at the paper, on the police force, and at various local watering holes, knows that Abe has a bedroom in Willie Black’s condo unit. Abe is family and that has not changed. What has changed is that he is now a suspect and the police are looking hard for him. Abe has a criminal record, one that is far more complicated than it would appear from a dry read of the facts. Willie is absolutely positive that Abe did not do this no matter what one can see on a video.
Even though, from the start, Abe wants nothing done on his behalf, Willie begins digging into what Abe has been doing lately and what could have happened in the park. Even though Abe and almost everybody else wants him to stay out of it, reporter Willie Black is not about to stop in his quest to save Abe from himself. Before long he is risking his job, his life, and even his friendship with Abe to prove that his old friend did not do the crime. He does so because the past always matters.
This installment of a complicated series is yet another very good read. While the primary storyline is the case as outlined above, there are ongoing secondary storylines at work that continue previous events from earlier books. The result is another complicated read of complex characters, family drama, and plenty of mystery.
This is a really good series and one that should be read in order. Scuffletown: A Willie Black Mystery by Howard Owen is highly recommended.
My reading copy came from the Timberglen Branch of the Dallas Public Library System.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2020
Memories of the past, characters of the present, trials and tribulations of the blogger, and a dogged determination to find out who did what, all triumph in this tale. Somebody left a body on the island. A leg was found. A wife is in politics. An old friend is in the criminal underworld. And a wealth of characters populate the pages. Readers familiar with the series will delight to see how earlier trials have played out. New readers will simply delight in the voice and the story. And those familiar with Richmond will enjoy its vividly depicted regions while strangers simply enjoy the visit.
The story’s worth lots of column inches. And the truth may be stranger than any fiction Black declines to write. Meanwhile the beauty of news is lost to the blog and the island of the newsroom is sinking.
Disclosure: I was given a preview edition and I freely offer my honest review.
In the first hours and days of the fiery aftermath, it becomes clear that, despite all the public speculation, it was not domestic or foreign terrorism that rained massive destruction and death on the neighborhood. It was one man by the name of David Biggio who was the pilot and soul person on board the borrowed plane. A man that clearly had his own issues, but had no reason to target the building, the block, or anyone in the place. While several basic questions of the story have already been answered, the main question of why it happened is the angle that reporter Willie Black is chasing in The Devil’s Triangle: A Novel by Howard Owen.
Like any good series worth reading, time passes and characters evolve in this mystery series. As in real life, characters in this series go through ups and downs as events happen. This sixth book in the series continues the changes for Willie Black, his girlfriend, Cindy Peronie, and his ex-wife, Kate, among many others. The recurring theme that has been present since the start regarding the decline in the newspaper industry as well as the public cost of the lost journalism at the local and national level continues in this read.
At the core of each read is always the mystery that Willie Black is trying to solve which is the heart of the current story/case. As in the other books of the series, the mystery here is complicated and not at all easily solved. Doing so raises the risks for Willie Black. One really does not want to be Willie’s Black insurance agent.
The series that began so well with Oregon Hill continues on here, six books later, with The Devil’s Triangle. Another solidly good read by author Howard Owen and highly recommended.
My reading copy came from the Skyline Branch of the Dallas Public Library System.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2020
But, this time is different as they have the child’s body. Despite being bagged and weighed down with rocks, Artesian Cole surfaced in the waters of a lake over in Bryon Park. In the fifth grade, he also attended an afternoon tutoring program at the “Children of God.” Local legend Sam McNish has been running the program for many years despite some opposition in the neighborhood who would rather see the property put to a better use as they see it.
The death of Artesian Cole soon causes the arrest of Sam McNish by the local cops. Not only is he subsequently blamed for the murder of Artesian Cole, he is publicly blamed for the disappearances of other children as well. A fact that does not sit at all well with Willie Black.
Reporter Willie Black is well aware that the evidence against McNish is barely better than fence line gossip. Having worked the police beat for many years he is also aware that often the local cops have it all wrong. Both these two factors push him to start investigating and digging into the case. As usual, his digging causes issues with local law enforcement as well as his bosses at the paper who would prefer him to accept the official line.
Grace: A Willie Black Mystery by Howard Owen builds on the previous books in the series. Along with the occasional references to previous books in the series, characters in this read continue to evolve and change. While one could read this one as the starting point, one could also go jump off the roof if one wanted to do so. It would be far better to avoid roof jumping as well as to start this very good series from the beginning, Oregon Hill.
Grace: A Willie Black Mystery
Howard Owen
http://www.howardowenbooks.com
The Permanent Press
http://www.thepermanentpress.com
October 2016
ISBN# 978-1-57962-434-7
Hardback (also available in audio and digital formats)
245 Pages
My reading copy came from the Central Downtown Branch of the Dallas Public Library System.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2019
For the family and friends of others justice in the form of catching the killer of their loved ones can be a very elusive thing. Such is the case for the families and friends of four young female victims and counting as a serial killer or killers are working the streets of Richmond. Every six months another young and homeless teen is brutalized, killed, and dumped to be found by the authorities. Each body founds has the same strange tattoo which has caused some in the media to refer to the “Tweety Bird Killer.”
The fact that there is a small thin connection to the latest victim and his own daughter, Andi, makes Willie Black more than a little concerned. The connection is innocent and Andi did nothing wrong, but it does mean the police are going to be interested in her and therefore in Willie. They are not the only ones interested in the actions of Willlie.
A former state senator, Wat Chenault, is leading a development project that promises jobs, an increased tax base, and all the other usual amenities that make those in power grant tax incentives and other goodies. The fact that much of what is promised can just as easily go away the way the contract is written for the developer is a troubling issue, but one that is being ignored by the proponents. The fact that the development project will make traffic on the surrounding freeway system way worse as well as the fact that the project would be constructed on the graves of slaves is being ignored in the rush for the all mighty dollar.
Then there is the history of the lead proponent. Walt Chenault has a bad history and some of that has come back to light thanks to Willie Black’s reporting on the new development. Litigation is being threatened against the paper as well as Willie Black. He knows the stories were accurate. He also knows that with corporate vultures circling the carcass of his slow decaying paper yet again, those in charge are the paper are not going to do much to support and defend him or his work.
This latest installment, The Bottom is another very good read in the Willie Black Mystery Series. Rich in scene setting details, numerous twists and turns, and the occasional sarcastic commentary power along the latest mystery. As the series progresses overall, characters are not stagnant and continue to evolve as does Willie Black’s attempts to be relatively sober and have a relationship. The read works on all levels. The Bottom: A Willie Black Mystery by Howard Owen, like the previous reads in this excellent series, is
highly recommended.
The Bottom: A Willie Black Mystery
Howard Owen
http://www.howardowenbooks.com
The Permanent Press
http://www.thepermanentpress.com
August 2015
ISBN# 978-1-57962-392-0
Hardback (also available in audio, digital, and paper formats)
210 Pages
My reading copy came from the North Oak Cliff Branch of the Dallas Public Library System.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2019
It isn’t until he is on scene and sees the victim that Willie realizes the man that was shot is Les Hacker. For all intents and purposes, the man is his father as he has had such a huge presence and role in his life in recent years. Not that they are related by blood, they are still family and he has been the best thing to ever happen to Willie’s mom, Peggy. Les Hacker has no enemies and yet somebody has deliberately shot him.
Answering the question as to who shot him and why seems to be a police matter so Willie is more than content to let them figure out the case as he spends time at the hospital. As many contacts and family friends begin to show up at the hospital, one is Jimmy Deacon, better known to all as “Jumpin’ Jimmy.” A man of nervous energy with a nearly constant ability to speak in the third person about himself, the man is intense. He is also a reservoir of knowledge regarding minor league baseball in Richmond, Virginia, and the surrounding areas. So, he knows a considerable amount of history regarding the last team Les Hacker played for, the 1964 Richmond Vees.
As Jumpin’ Jimmy explains it, Les Hacker isn’t the only one on the team to be shot. Fellow players Lucky Whitestone and Phil Holt were both victims of gun violence as well in recent years. They are not the only players who are dead before their time either.
The more he learns from Les when he is awake enough to talk and from Jumpin’ Jimmy, the more it seems that the shooting has to be connected in some way to that 1964 team. Many of whom who have died in the years since and often in violent ways long before their age and health issues would have naturally struck them down. Pitching the story to the newspaper bosses as a follow-up to the members if the 1964 team—a where are they now type piece--- gets Willie the freedom to chase leads as he starts trying to identify the motive of the shooter as well as that person’s identity. Hopefully, chasing the story won’t get Willie Black killed.
Third in the series behind Oregon Hill and The Philadelphia Quarry, Parker Field: A Willie Black Mystery is another very good read. All the established characters make return appearances. Some of those appearances result in discussions of past events. Plenty of mystery and the frequent flashes of sarcastic humor prevalent in the previous books are also present here. Parker Field: A Willie Black Mystery is another very good read in a series that should be read in order.
Parker Field: A Willie Black Mystery
Howard Owen
http://www.howardowenbooks.com
The Permanent Press
http://www.thepermanentpress.com
July 2014
ISBN# 978-1-57962-361-6
Hardback (also available in audio and digital formats)
224 Pages
Material supplied by the White Rock Hills Branch of the Dallas Public Library System.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2019
In August 1983 in the good city of Richmond, Virginia, Richard Slade was arrested for the rape of sixteen year old Ashley Simpson. In May of 1984 he was convicted on little evidence and sent to prison. In the middle of January 2011, he was finally released when DNA evidence proved without a shadow of a doubt that he did not do it despite the fact that Ashley Simpson identified him as her rapist those many years ago. Her accusation was the main evidence against him at the time.
Did she make a horrible mistake or did she deliberately lie?
The Innocence Project may have successfully proven the point that Mr. Slade was innocent of the crime of rape, but nothing can restore Mr. Slade’s reputation in the minds of many or undo what Mr. Slade has gone through all these years in prison. As he was held for a crime he did not do, his reputation took a beating over the years, in large part, due to scathing editorials that came out in the same newspaper that Willie Black works for as a reporter. The paper, through those editorials, has been very vocal in the belief that Mr. Slade was guilty and a threat to the community. Then, as in now, many people did not understand that editorial writers and news reporters share little in common other than being employed by the same paper.
Decades ago, reporter Willie Black worked the night crime beat and reported on the case from the start. All these years later he is back on that same crime beat and thus back on the story of Richard Slade and the victim, Ashley Simpson. In the hours following Mr. Slade’s release, Willie Black is trying to do follow ups with the two principals and isn’t getting any traction with either one of them. Simpson and her well connected family want their privacy while Mr. Slade’s family sees Willie Black as the enemy thanks to the editorials from the paper.
He is getting nowhere at all and then everything changes. Within hours of Mr. Slade’s release, Simpson is shot and dies. Who has the best motive to kill her? A man recently released from prison after being convicted of a rape he did not do or somebody else? Within hours of her death, Richard Slade is again arrested for a crime he did not commit. The elite and powerful close ranks and before long Willie is being asked to choose employment over chasing a story that is clearly going in a different direction than his bosses would like.
The Philadelphia Quarry is a powerful sequel to Oregon Hill. It is a timeless crime fiction tale with plenty of twists and turns. Set in the twin dying worlds of journalism and newspapers, the read powers along at a steady clip while also delivering societal observations that are even more relevant today six years after publication. It is also a mighty good mystery read.
The Philadelphia Quarry
Howard Owen
http://www.howardowenbooks.com
The Permanent Press
http://www.thepermanentpress.com
July 2013
ISBN# 978-1-57962-335-7
Hardback (also available in audio, digital, and paper formats)
240 Pages
Material was received and read by way of the Interlibrary Loan Program where a copy owned by the Rockwall County Library System was shared with the Dallas Public Library System.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2019
Isabel Ducharme also attended classes at Virginia Commonwealth University. Andi did not know her directly, but she sort of knew of her through friends. She went to school there until somebody killed her and put her headless body into the South Anna River. It might have gone away with no one the wiser if not for the body getting snagged on a tree branch in the river.
It takes the cops two days to identify the killer who also confesses very quickly. Martin Fell is in police custody and he very well may have done the horrible crime. He is known to have spent time with Isabel in prior weeks and there are witnesses that state they were together and arguing the night she was murdered. He also confessed.
Willie Black thinks it is all wrapped up, but then an ex-wife of his, Kate, who is a successful attorney about to make partner at her firm takes on Mr. Fell’s case. He begins to learn things that indicate Mr. Fell may not have done it. He begins to pursue the idea that Mr. Fell is innocent and that puts him at odds with his newspaper bosses, the police, and just about everyone he knows.
Oregon Hill by Howard Owen is a very good and complicated start to this series featuring Willie Black. Along with the main complicated mystery, there are several secondary storylines featuring the complicated relationships he has with his mother and the current man in her life, his daughter, and various other folks. These secondary storylines are in as much rich detail as the primary storyline, making the nearly 240 page read a meaty one with plenty to work through as the pages pass. Through it all, the main mystery remains in focus to power much of the action forward.
Willie Black is a bit cynical, a bit sarcastic, and at all times a realist regarding everything around him. He sees the windmills, tilts at one or two anyway while being very self aware as to what he is doing, and keeps going forward through his days and nights as best as he can. You can’t ask for much more than that.
Oregon Hill by Howard Owen is highly recommended.
Oregon Hill
Howard Owen
http://www.howardowenbooks.com
The Permanent Press
http://www.thepermanentpress.com
ISBN# 978-1-57962-208-4
Hardback (also available in audio, digital, and paper formats)
241 Pages
Material was received and read by way of the Interlibrary Loan Program where a copy owned by the Houston Public Library System was shared with the Dallas Public Library System.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2019
Now happily married and pleasingly committed to protecting his friends and family, Willie Black is faced with another mystery—who was his father, and why was he always absent from his life? The overgrown cemetery of Evergreen’s title is an apt metaphor for past lives hidden and forgotten, mysteries buried in the weeds of secrets and lies, uncovered by the care of an occasional loving hand. But not all hands are loving, and not all memories are properly stored by aging antagonists. Still, Willie’s not one to drop the trail just because it’s inconvenient. And he will never let go once he or his loved ones feel threatened.
Local history, family trials, and the past of previous novels are woven very naturally into this mystery, providing satisfaction for a regular reader of the series and plenty to entice new readers. Characters and places are drawn with fascinating detail. The protagonist’s voice is natural and convincing. Dialog has depth and humor. And the world of reporting is drawn with wholly believable cynicism and honesty—as are the worlds of prejudice, violence and loss. There’s even love as well, and a redeeming lightness to the story’s sad themes that blends perfectly with the protagonist’s honest search and heartfelt loyalties.
I’ve read lots of Howard Owen’s mysteries and I suspect I believe each new one to be the best. This one’s no exception but the truth is, I really enjoy the character, I’m drawn through him to the place and urban history), I’m fascinated by the people and mysteries, and I love the whole series.
Disclosure: I was given a preview edition and I offer my honest review.
Annie’s Bones alternates between past and present, evocatively recreating the world of a student who doesn’t fit in, a romance that doesn’t obey the rules, and a loss that can’t be properly mourned because the world falls apart. Equally convincing is the present-day life of a man found guilty in the court of public opinion, yet determined to prove his innocence. It seems there really are loyal friends in this world, coincidental bystanders, and surprising opportunities. But will he find the answer before the past finds him?
I love the contrast between Grayson’s eager innocence in the past and his wary watchfulness in the present day. He’s convincingly the same man, aged; his worlds and world-views are clear; and it’s easy for the reader to become involved, longing that he should be innocent – that he really couldn’t have… could he? The author keeps his readers waiting for revelations, making them follow the same tortuous path. And truth is as insubstantial as buried bones, decayed, but hiding secrets just the same.
I loved the wise presence of Willie Black in this novel too – a solid backbone behind a man who’s searching for something to make himself more real than public opinion’s latest imagining.
Disclosure: I was given a preview edition and I really enjoyed it.
Never one to take the easy path, even when hours, pay and promises get cut, Willie Black follows clues and risks his job, his romance and his hope. From war with Twitter to war on terror to war on redundancy, the narration is spot-on, the plot is riveting, and the character is absorbingly human, flawed, and filled with determined hope. Committed to his work, committed to his friends and family, committed to finding out the truth… In a triangle of love or one of hate, “Willie Black is not afraid of commitment,” but what will that commitment do to him?
Howard Owens has created a well-drawn, humanly-flawed and super-humanly-generous character in his Willie Black series. The voice is consistent in all the books. Each tale stands alone, even as time moves on and the world grows older. The stories are steeped in time and place. And the danger, always just around the corner, always delivers its fear and ultimate hope. The Devil’s Triangle is a thoroughly enjoyable, thoroughly contemporary addition to the series and a really good read.
Disclosure: I was given a preview edition by the publisher and I thoroughly enjoyed it!
Saving lives walks side by side with losing souls in this novel, as a child goes missing and the pastor at his after-school program comes under suspicion. Would the cops search harder for the missing boy if he were white? Would they dig harder after the killer if he weren’t rich? And will Willie Black find his man, lose his girlfriend, or end up dead?
Waxing philosophical about healthcare reform, religion, and maybe grace, taking the risks no one else is willing to take, listening to cops and robbers all and earning their grudging respect, crossing boundaries and lines, Willie Black meets the grace of a loving woman, tries to throw it away, and offers grace to the bereaved, all in a wonderful novel of real, changing, trying, hoping, hurting people, making broken lives count. And grace is the key.
Disclosure: I was given a preview edition by the publisher and I offer my honest review.
Currently unmarried, Willie Black is getting older, maybe even getting balder. He’s not drinking so hard, and he’s trying to find himself in a new relationship rather than hiding in smoke. New readers will meet him and relate to a man whose daughter’s grown but not quite independent, whose mother’s in mourning, and whose job’s on the line. Followers of the series will delight to follow another investigation, and enjoy the insights into a slowly changing life. The newspaper’s still going under. The world of blogs and iphones still threatens Willie’s livelihood. The cops are still moderately competent, and journalists still need to avoid being sued.
Enter the hunt for a serial killer; enter the dichotomies of differing evils, crime and punishment, guilt and innocence, and the need for closure. Old wounds and new, painted black and white, or shades of brown and gray, all lead through evocative prose and convincing voice to something more than mystery, to a tale the reader can’t put down, because that would be like turning your back on someone you’d much rather have at your side.
Highly recommended, the Bottom opens and closes graves to set souls free.
Disclosure: I was given a preview edition by the publisher and I offer my honest review.
Critiques en avant-première
Offres passées
- Parker Field (May 2014)
- The Philadelphia Quarry (April 2013)
- Oregon Hill (May 2012)
- The Reckoning (October 2010)
Liens
Site officiel (English)
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The dead white guy isn’t the first person to die in the new year. He just might be the first to die by savage slash to the throat. A cut so vicious it almost took his head off. He is also probably the first to lose a finger after death.
He won’t be the last.
The murder of a 58-year-old plumber will the first of several linked killings over the next days and weeks. Reporter Willie Black chases the story and its ramifications because once again the police have the wrong suspect in custody thanks to heavy pollical pressure. As the murders continue, he chases the story against the backdrop of Covid and its effect along with ongoing societal issues in Richmond.
This is the latest solidly good installment of a series that does not get near enough attention. Societal issues of various types along with the slow ongoing demise of the newspaper industry servs as the background to numerous instances of murder in this series. More than once, those factors lead to the arrest and incarceration of the innocent and poor.
Such is true here in Dogtown: A Willie Black Mystery.
While it is always recommended by this reviewer to read in order, the allusions to previous events and stories in this book are minimal. That means that with the majority of the read referencing current events in January 2022 with a minimum of backstory, one could safely read this one first if so desired.
Either way, Dogtown: A Willie Black Mystery is a solidly good read.
My reading copy was an ARC sent to me by The Permanent Press last Fall with no expectation of my review.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2023