A Penny for the Hangman by Tom Savage + a Giveaway

Hi, readers! Today I'm a stop on the TLC book tour for Tom Savage's A Penny for the Hangman. There is a tour wide giveaway on this one so be sure to read through to the end to enter.

On the fiftieth anniversary of a shocking crime, a young reporter is sought out by someone who claims to have new information. 

It was Friday, March 13, 1959 when Rodney Harper and Wulfgar Anderman killed five people on the paradise island of St. Thomas. The victims were Rodney and Wulfgar's parents and a maid working in the Harper household. The boys were convicted and served their time in the United States, ordered never to return to the island again. 

With the anniversary of the murders and a new movie based on the case right around the corner, the crime that shocked the nation has once again captured people's attention and so, when Karen Tyler begins to receive strange calls implying there's more to the story, she can't possibly resist. 

In spite of the concern of her boyfriend (and her conscience), Karen flies to St. Thomas where she is to be met by her mystery caller. But Karen's scoop - a potential career maker - could also be the death of her. 

Do you remember the 2001 movie Valentine? It starred David Boreanaz (and of course topped my must see list when it was released). It was based on a book that I also bought and read at the time of the movie's release. Imagine my surprise this week in realizing that Tom Savage was the author of that book!

A Penny for the Hangman is, admittedly, somewhat better executed than Valentine. The story is broken up by pieces of Karen's journal, Rodney's diary, and other text (passages from a book written by the original investigator, Karen's piece, etc). This might hang up some readers, but I welcomed the slowing of the pace. Thrillers do beg to be read quickly but each piece fit quite well within the overall story and it allowed me to spend a bit more time with the book.

The twist - you knew there was one, right? - is a bit predictable. I have no complaints about it, I'm simply pointing out that it's easy to spot early on if you're looking. I suspect many readers will find this to be the case, and yet watching the story unfold as the author meant it to be was still quite enjoyable.

All in all, A Penny for the Hangman, was a riveting read. I am curious about its inspiration (if there is one in particular) as it did bring to mind a certain case I read about recently. Likely there's no connection but...

A Penny for the Hangman is officially due out October 7.

Rating: 3.5/5

And now for the giveaway. To enter, simply fill out the Rafflecopter below. Again this is a tour wide one so you can enter on any of the tour's posts.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


To see more stops on the tour be sure to check out the official TLC tour page here. For more on Tom Savage and his work, you can visit him on the web here.

Aunty Lee's Deadly Specials by Ovidia Yu

Good morning, everyone! Today I'm kicking off the TLC book tour for the second installment in Ovidia Yu's series, Aunty Lee's Deadly Delights!

Things turn deadly when Aunty Lee is hired to cater a party for a local law firm! 

Rosie Lee is known for her tasty Peranakan specialties, which leads to a special request from the Sung Law Firm. Mabel Sung hires Aunty Lee to cook for a party honoring the new promotion of her daughter, Sharon. For the buffet, they have two specific requirements - a nasi lemak spread and Aunty Lee's special chicken buah keluak. The chicken dish is one that has its risks, if prepared incorrectly the nuts used in the dish can be deadly. When both Mabel Sung and her son Leonard are discovered dead, fingers immediately begin pointing at Rosie and the buah keluak.  But Rosie knows her food can't be responsible. Never one to stand idly by, Aunty Lee quickly inserts herself into the investigation. This time, though, catching the killer is the only way to clear her own name and save her business!

There is an undeniable charm to Ovidia Yu's series. These characters - Rosie, Nina, Cherrill, Mark, Selina, Salim... are so richly drawn. All of their personality quirks, their signature mannerisms, everything about them comes through.

As with the first installment, Aunty Lee's Delights, the plot is fun and moves along at a rather quick pace. But, as with the first installment, the somewhat choppy prose is still present. Fortunately, it's much less of a distraction this time around. Whether this is a mark of improvement, I honestly can't say - I suspect it's more the investment in the characters at this point that's allowed me to move past some of this. The biggest issue I noticed in this particular outing is the repetition. It is consistent, though, so I believe it's intended. As a style quirk it's easy to look past and doesn't detract from the overall readability.

I'll warn you - these are food based mysteries and I don't know about you guys but there are no Singaporean style restaurants in my area! Yu's description of the meals and dishes prepared by Aunty Lee set my stomach immediately growling. As a tiny bonus she does include some recipes, including the potentially deadly buah keluak! Don't worry, macadamia nuts are an alternative!

It's a nice twist, though, the inclusion of the food. While culinary mysteries aren't rare, it's the overall Singapore setting as well as the cultural details AND the food that elevate this series beyond the normal cozy fare.

Rating: 3.5/5

To see more stops on the tour be sure to check out the official TLC tour page here. For more on Ovidia Yu and her work you can like her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter.

The Imaginary Life by Mara Torres

Good morning, everyone! Today I'm a stop on the TLC book tour for Mara Torres's The Imaginary Life.

Beto told Nata that he needed some time. He suggested a temporary break and temporary is all Nata expected it would be. But Beto doesn't return Nata's calls and everyone says she should just get over him and move on. Nata sometimes imagines what it will be like when they see each other. She imagines what he's been doing while they've been apart. Eventually she even begins to imagine a life without him. 

The Imaginary Life is a nice little read, one many of us can likely identify with. It begins with Nata journaling her life post breakup, obviously pining over him in spite of her friends and her therapist suggesting it's time to move on. But moving on is hard! Especially when the other person leaves you hanging as Beto does here. And yet, things do get easier for Nata.

Nata's voice - via Mara Torres's writing - speaks to pretty much any woman who's ever gone through a breakup. Any woman who's ever wondered what the other person is thinking, what the other person is doing, if the other person is thinking of them the same way.

To see more stops on the tour be sure to check out the official TLC tour page here.

New Releases 9/30/14

Some of the new titles hitting shelves this week are:

You by Caroline Kepnes

The Haunting Ballad by Michael Nethercott

Proof Positive by Archer Mayor

Consumed by David Cronenberg

The Zone of Interest by Martin Amis

The Brothers Cabal by Jonathan L. Howard

A Sudden Light by Garth Stein

A Perfect Witness by Iris Johansen

Good House by Peyton Marshall

The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher by Hilary Mantel

The Wonder of All Things by Jason Mott

Aunty Lee's Deadly Specials by Ovidia Yu

The Madness of July by James Naughtie

Mean Business on North Ganson Street by S. Craig Zahler

A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James

The Lost Key by Catherine Coulter & J.T. Ellison

Mr. Bones: Twenty Stories by Paul Theroux

Only the Dead by Vidar Sundstol

The Lives of Others by Neel Mukherjee

French Pastry Murder by Leslie Meier

Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley

The Queen of Zombie Hearts by Gena Showalter

Belzhar by Meg Wolitzer

Unmarked by Kami Garcia

Party Games by R.L. Stine (Fear Street!)

New on DVD:
Cold In July
The Pretty One
Chef
Are You Here

New reviews at Bookbitch.com:
In a Handful of Dust by Mindy McGinnis
No Time to Die by Kira Peikoff
Sparrow Hill Road by Seanan McGuire

Pre Pub Book Buzz: Stiletto by Daniel O'Malley

OMG! The sequel to one of my FAVORITE debuts is finally coming out!!!

Daniel O'Malley's The Rook hit shelves January 2011 and I've been pining away for a sequel ever since. It's just such a very cool book and a very cool premise for a series that I couldn't imagine it not continuing. And now, at long last, there's a sequel due out! Stiletto is set to be released February 2015 from the good folks at Little, Brown.

Here's a bit about it from Goodreads:

In this spirited sequel to the acclaimed The Rook, Myfanwy Thomas returns to clinch an alliance between deadly rivals and avert epic -- and slimy -- supernatural war.

When secret organizations are forced to merge after years of enmity and bloodshed, only one person has the fearsome powers---and the bureaucratic finesse---to get the job done. Facing her greatest challenge yet, Rook Myfanwy Thomas must broker a deal between two bitter adversaries:

The Checquy---the centuries-old covert British organization that protects society from supernatural threats, and...

The Grafters---a centuries-old supernatural threat.

But as bizarre attacks sweep London, threatening to sabotage negotiations, old hatreds flare. Surrounded by spies, only the Rook and two women who absolutely hate each other, can seek out the culprits before they trigger a devastating otherworldly war.

I would show you the happy dance this news brought about but... yeah. Mark your calendars, folks! February 10 looks like the day. In the meantime, if you haven't treated yourself to The Rook, I highly suggest you do so immediately :)

Short Fiction Friday: All You Zombies by Robert A. Heinlein

I recently came across a trailer for a new movie from the Spierig brothers and decided to seek out the source story - to aid in my attempt to read more sci-fi in general and more classic sci-fi in particular. The movie is called Predestination and stars Ethan Hawke as "the Bartender" a time traveling cop. You can check out the trailer on IMDB here - I'll wait.

Looks cool, right? It played at this year's South by Southwest and apparently did really well. Well enough, in fact, to get picked up for distribution.

A quick look-see at the movie's dets shows that it is in fact based on a short story penned by Robert A. Heinlein and published back in 1959 (if Wikipedia is to be trusted) in Fantasy and Science Fiction magazine. BTW, don't read the actual Wikipedia breakdown of the story if you want the story or movie to be any sort of surprise.

"All You Zombies" is weird and cool and super bizarre. It's also extremely short. Supposedly, though, the Spierig brothers have stuck close to their inspiration while also fleshing out and obviously adding more of an investigation plot.

In the short, the Bartender is set on recruiting a character called the Unmarried Mother. The Unmarried Mother has a troubled past that is revealed to the Bartender during their talk - over drinks - with the Bartender ultimately suggesting he can help the Unmarried Mother in gaining some vengeance or closure. In exchange, the Unmarried Mother will sign on as a fellow temporal agent. 

It's hard to say much about the story without completely ruining it, and I do feel a bit of a sense of regret in now knowing at least part of the movie plot as well. I'm sure there's lots that can be debated about the story, but all in all it's a time travel paradox story. Everything in the story hinges on specific events that must happen via time travel.

I'm not sure how I really want to rate this read. On the one hand I know it's a classic of the genre and Heinlein is a HUGE name in said genre as well. On the other hand it's just such a weird story! It might require another read through before seeing the film.

In a Handful of Dust by Mindy McGinnis

Holy crap, Vegas! Soylent Green is people!

If you've read Mindy McGinnis's latest you'll know what I mean (even if you don't get the seventies cultural reference there). This follow up/companion to Not a Drop to Drink was rough! Not bad rough, just hard to read at some points. But what would I expect after Not a Drop to Drink, right?

Lucy is sixteen and she, Lynn, and Stebbs are now part of a small but thriving community. Lucy even has a boyfriend of sorts in her friend's brother, Carter. But when a polio outbreak hits it seems the only traceable connection to the infected is Carter - and Lucy. Lucy's grandmother knows something about the virus but not enough to ensure that either of the teens is or isn't the cause or, if they are carriers, how long the virus will be active. 

Carter is exiled and Lynn decides it's time for her and Lucy to move on as well. They've heard rumors that desalination plants in California have made ocean water drinkable. The lure of limitless water and no more harsh winters sets the two women on a trek that could cost them their lives, but the promise of a future filled with such hope is too much to resist.

Readers, don't make the same mistake I did in reading this one concurrently with Edan Lepucki's California! I've been doing that one on audio so going back and forth between the two stories quickly became unmanageable. Fortunately for me In a Handful of Dust proved to be just as quick of a read as Not a Drop to Drink and I wrapped it up in one Saturday afternoon. 

It is a tough world to be so completely submerged in for that period of time! And I do mean submerged. There were times when I'd come out of the story almost gasping for breath. It was jarring turning the final page and easing back into real life. 

I blame this on the truly treacherous path that McGinnis places her characters on. Some of it is par for the course now in both post-apocalyptic settings and survival stories. Let's face it, two women on the road are going to likely come up against at least some of the same dangers (let's play Adam and Eve, y'all! Ick!). And yet McGinnis does add in some things I've not yet come across (what happens in Vegas...).

In a Handful of Dust is a sequel to Not A Drop to Drink - same world, same characters, further into the future than that story. But you don't have to have read that first installment to dive into this one. I would warn, however, that much of Lynn's character development is left to Not a Drop to Drink. Readers skipping out on that one likely won't feel they know her character very well based on just In a Handful of Dust.

Rating: 5/5