Suspense, Mystery, Horror and Thriller Fiction - Suspense Magazine

Murder at the paInted lady
by Barbara Warren
When Allie McGregor unexpectedly inherits a large Victorian house, “a painted lady”
from a great-aunt she barely knew, she finds herself a victim of harassment when distant
relatives begin to show up trying to claim ownership. The house holds more secrets than Allie
or any of her newfound friends, who have lived in the town all their lives, could have imagined.
The action seesaws back and forth between Allie’s adventures as she renovates the house and plans its
opening as a bed and breakfast, and the terror as she contends against someone or something who wants
her out of the house. The situation becomes more serious when Allie discovers that her great-aunt, whose
husband died in prison after a conviction for jewel theft, wants Allie to clear the man’s name.
I grew up in a small Midwestern town and the characters in Barbara Warren’s book could have stepped
right off the streets of my home town. They include a loyal new friend, an obnoxious ex-fiancé and even
a rescued puppy. Even the food has all the elements of good country cooking, with plenty of chicken
casseroles, green beans, and peach pie. The book includes a comfortable balance of intrigue, terror and
romance to keep the reader turning the pages. And all this happens in a sleepy Midwestern town where
nothing much ever happens.
“Murder at the Painted Lady” has all of the elements of a mystery to curl up with on a rainy night with
a plate of cookies and a pot of tea. Ms. Warren writes in an easy going style, which does not demand much
of the reader, but it’s simply great fun.
Reviewed by Kathleen Heady, author of “The Gate House” for Suspense Magazine �
love her to death
by M. William Phelps
M. William Phelps does it again. He takes us into the mind and life of a murderer. This
time we will meet Michael Roseboro from Pennsylvania’s Amish country. Michael is accused
of murdering his wife Jan by beating her and tossing her into their pool where he claims he
found her drowned. Michael is a successful funeral director and everyone knows him. He is
the one that brings comfort to so many in their loss so what went wrong in him? Another
woman. A woman who happens to be married but wants to be with Michael. He falls in love with her and
before he knows it, thoughts of murder start running through his head. Divorce is out of the question, he
would lose too much. So in his twisted mind murder makes more sense!
Reading anything by Mr. Phelps is always an eye opening experience. His writing is smooth and reads
like a fiction mystery novel. “Love her to Death” is no exception. The characters are well researched and
well written. We have murder, adultery, obsession, lies and so much more. By the end of the book I felt
like I really knew the people. Some I liked others, not so much. I especially enjoyed the trial. It was pretty
clear cut and quite interesting to read about. I held my breath at the end waiting on the verdict. Pictures
are included too so it’s easy to put faces with the characters.
In my opinion, you can’t go wrong with any book that is written by M. William Phelps. Any true crime
fan will enjoy this book. It leaves you shaking your head and asking yourself what happens in a person’s
mind that turns them into a murderer.
Reviewed by Kendall Gutierrez for Suspense Magazine �
the sIlenced
by Brett Battles
Brett Battles has created a character worthy of his series about professional “cleaner”
Jonathan Quinn, a good man who chooses to do what some would consider criminal—he
disposes of bodies, regardless of how they got dead. But he does it for a price. “The Silenced” is
the fourth book by Battles, who knows how to weave a complicated international tale of action
and suspense intertwined with enough back story to make the reader like Quinn.
Jonathan Quinn is an alias name, used for years to hide his identity and distance himself from the notso-perfect
family that raised him. He is hired for a multiple-body job, only to find that the bodies are left by
one man who silences each before members of another group can get to those truths first. Having been a
witness, Quinn ends up in the middle, balancing the job he’s contracted to perform with the protection of
his mother and sister, who have hated him since he ran away from home at seventeen.
While readers may find his profession ghoulish and disdainful, Quinn clearly has morals about killing,
making him likeable. He’s a character with heart, feels remorse—his apprentice lost a leg while working for
him—feels love for his partner and soul mate Orlando, and finally, who feels fear when his mother and the
sister are threatened. And he risks his own life to save those for whom he cares.
Another terrific book by Battles, who has again given his readers a fast-paced, gripping tale that is
impossible to put down.
Reviewed by Val Conrad, author of “Tears of Like Souls” for Suspense Magazine �
SuspenseMagazine.com
a stranger
lIke you
by Elizabeth Brundage
What happens when
dreams become the only
things that count? That’s the question
Elizabeth Brundage asks in her
stunning novel, “A Stranger Like You”
and the question is answered by three
people in three different ways.
The narrators are Hugh, an
almost-screenwriter, Hedda, a movie
executive and Denny, a young Army
veteran honorably discharged after
serving in Iraq. While the connection
between Hugh and Hedda is
straightforward, the connection that
brings Denny into the story is the stuff
that keeps pages turning.
After the ambitious Hedda
cancels the making of the movie
that Hugh is certain would have
brought him fame and fortune, he
forces a meeting. When Hedda says
his screenplay wasn’t believable, he
decides to show her how wrong she
is. “Just like the scene he’d written in
his script, he pressed the gun into her
temple and cocked it.”
The book opens in Los Angeles, a
city that is losing its appeal for Hugh.
After an immersion in Hugh’s L.A.,
Hedda starts telling her story: “It is
raining and you are happy for the
rain…” and the setting soon shifts to
a movie set in the Middle East. From
there, we go back to L.A. and find
out how Denny’s life intersects with
Hedda’s and finally, Hugh’s.
Tension begins with the book’s
first sentence: “He had been watching
her for days,” and, with the slam of a
car trunk’s lid, escalates to a pitch that
doesn’t drop. Through all the weavings
of time and plot, we’re desperate to
learn what happens to Hedda. We
think the answer is finally coming, but
then the point of view changes again
and another piece of the tale begs to
be told.
Dark, gritty and often grim, “A
Stranger Like You” walks down the
seamy side of Hollywood life, the
side that isn’t exactly dwelled upon
in movies. This is a world where
there is no “normal,” where pain is
ever present and the characters might
never achieve their dreams, no matter
to what lengths they go to.
Reviewed by Laura Alden for
Suspense Magazine �
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