Deal Killer, by Neal Sanders

Neal Sanders is an author whose mystery books not only pose a puzzle, but offer an insider's view of ordinary worlds not always known to all ordinary people. His earlier murder mysteries enticed readers to reflect on the many facets of running a gardening club, involving social/economic changes in small towns, and personal interactions between generations.

Deal Killer invites us into the executive boardrooms of competing industrial plants, introducing us to a host of characters ranging from 'woodchucks' (or 'go-fers' in other arenas) to CEOs (chief executive officers)and bank accountants, project managers, Boston Irish Mobsters to, to New Hampshire state troopers (in a different light than in his Hardington stories.) His settings range from the woods of New Hampshire to large chain hotels in the small city of Nashua, to the famous Boston Fanueil Hall Marketplace and to the back rooms of a bar in South Boston.

What is not different from his earlier works is his ability to build strong characters with deceptive ease, allowing his readers to understand each player's individual motivations and values. By using interactions and conversations between his people to show the power plays behind the scenes, the complexity of what may be seen by the uninvolved public as a simple transfer of ownership, and the stakes involved in personal investment of loyalty, commitment and dedication to an employer's goals and dreams, Sanders educates us and entertains us without distracting us from the hanging question of 'who dun-it' as the chapters unfold.

With a strong female protagonist cast in a mousy persona and secondary seat at the table, to the deceptively benign posture of the head of a corporation ... and in a beautiful blonde's predictable guile balanced by her focused intelligence and resourcefulness, Sanders quietly establishes the truth about not judging people by their outward appearances, their occupational identities, or their public facades.

After reading this story, it's unlikely that one would ever look again at a corporate buy-out story in a newspaper as "just business." The threads of this story are as seamlessly, purposely woven as the most obscure pattern in a story of old... a story that concludes with the right thing being accomplished by just the right person, for the right people.

Related articles

• Murder for a Worthy Cause, by Neal Sanders (terrysthoughtsandthreads.blogspot.com)
• A Murder in the Garden Club by Neil Sanders (terrysthoughtsandthreads.blogspot.com)

A Murder in the Garden Club by Neal Sanders

Neal Sanders is a local author who incorporates the art work of a local illustrator, Lynne Schulte, in his books. A Murder in the Garden Club is one such book.

Sanders writes of a small suburban town outside the City of Boston. During the boom of larger and larger homes taking over once-revered older homes, the town of Hardington is an example of the rising and falling of the American economy. In the eighties, McMansions of all styles were appearing on former farmland pastures, with little more than an acre to spare, placing oversized colonials shoulder to shoulder with Southwestern red-tiled roofs shadowed by tall European Tudors.  And when the economy slid downward, and tastes became less eclectic, those houses stayed on the buyer's market for long inactive months.

Still, in towns like Hardington, volunteer groups made up of a population of well-funded women with time to spare, who dedicated that time to beautification of their town's intersections and open spaces, continued to advocate for reasonable growth and attractive settings. One such group, the Hardington Garden Club, conducted monthly meetings where assigned tasks such as watering the highway exits' bouquets of blooms (often involving lugging heavy containers of water to such isolated sites) and shopping for, planting, weeding and deadheading those chosen areas were often at the top of the agenda.

When a prominent, retired school teacher and long-time member of the Garden Club is found dead at her home, an apparent accidental death presumably caused by her little dog Chipper, her quarrels with a contractor building another McMansion next door, and her irritation and outbursts of anger toward a cement manufacturing plant in town whose trucks are tearing up the roads and spilling noxious liquids on the roadside gardens, begin to raise speculation that this was not an accidental death.

Liz is her friend, and co-gardener, and wants to learn the truth of Sally's death. She begins reluctantly, and then enthusiastically, working with the recently-hired detective in town. John Flynn took early retirement from the City of Boston Police Department, and is finding his new job in Hardington quite different from the well-provisioned and connected resources available in Suffolk County (Boston.) Here in Hardington, with a small town Chief of Police whose name is the source of the town's own name, where murder doesn't happen more than one in a decade, if that often, things are done slowly, calmly, so as not to upset the citizens. His frustration with that is complicated further by his own marital stresses, and he begins to see Liz as more than just a helpful local volunteer.

Liz's own marriage is depicted as happier, but lonelier, as her husband is often on the road, in other states, saving companies which have been hit hard by the economy. Her own child is grown and gone, and she is left alone to care for her extensive gardens and larger-than-now-necessary home. Liz dedicates her time to helping John Flynn understand the social dynamics of the town.

Neal Sanders' characters come quickly to life in recognizable settings. He has more books that either follow or precede this one, and I look forward to reading those, too. And Lynne Schulte's artwork makes for delightful covers of Sanders' books. Click here to find more of Neal's books at Amazon, and click here to see more of Lynne's art:  www.lynneschulte.com

Evan Katy has added her third book to the Sam Rialto Mysteries. A Violet March picks up where Sam was left following the destruction of her home in February.  She is sharing temporary rental space with her life-long best friend Maxie and with Olivia, the sister of Sam's current paramour, Ben.

Sam's role as the middle school's music teacher is more the basis of the plot than in the previous two books of this series. Sam's student, Violet, comes to her for help; Violet's father is missing and the police seem to have given up their search. Violet is convinced that he can be found, and believes that Sam is the one to find him.

But Sam instead turns to Skipper, a private detective with whom she has worked in the past. Skipper's strategies and tactics are at times on the edge of the norm, but he does have a good track record in finding people, and in getting to the root of a story.

When Sam, Katie and Olivia find a dead body in their potential rental house, the story gets more complicated. Ben, formerly a local police officer and now a federal agent,becomes involved in the investigation of the death. Sam's abusive ex-husband (and Ben's former partner and now nemesis) is also in this story, as he is living with Skipper's fishing shack manager, Birdie. This mix of characters encounters many hazardous situations involving the missing parent, as well as his two ex-wives and two unknown (to Violet) sons.

Evan Katy continues to write mysteries that are wrapped in webs of comedy and drama. This one includes an abandoned home called "The Convent" (for ironic reason.) Thugs, gangsters, stun guns, pepper spray and real weapons are all a part of this story. A character familiar to readers is unexpectedly killed toward the end of the book, leaving Sam bereft and unsure of what is to come in her future.

This series and the main character Sam continue to hold my attention; I give this one five stars as well. To read the reviews of Evan Katy's earlier Sam Rialto Mysteries, click the links below:

      Terry's review of January Kills Me

      Terry's review A Bomb in February

Review for two more e-book mysteries!

Here are two more summer reading mysteries that will hold your attention when it is too hot to do anything but read, read, read!

Buying Time: an Aspen Moore Novel by Kelly Cochran

Kelly Cochran takes us into the world of a woman who is just finding her way in a new setting. Having lost her fiance, witnessed his murder, and testified against the criminals who killed him, she is now in the witnesss protection program.

Amber, formerly Amelia, has left her family, her friends, her professional career, her possessions and her success to start over miles away from her home. She has to begin establishing new goals and dreams. Her new choice of career is as a personal concierge, running errands for people who don't have enough time to do their own. She has one pair of dress shoes from her former life, but now spends most days in her favorite red sneakers, and her snappy blue jeep.

She is always aware of the need to stay under the radar, to keep her new identity hidden. But she finds ways to keep in touch with her mother without being tracked by "the bad guys." She has made a few new friends and is beginning to establish a manageable routine -- until things start going wrong

A client is dead. Another is robbed and assaulted. Her own apartment is ransacked. A dog she is responsible for feeding and walking is suddenly dog-napped.The post office front window is shot in as she is inside picking up a client's mail. She receives an unexpected gift, finds a note inside, jumps to a romantic conclusion, goes to a mysteriously arranged rendez-vous, and finds herself in harm's way.

Kelly Cochran keeps the twists and turns intertwined through the story, bringing it to closure only after Amber experiences more danger than she thought would be possible in her new life. This could be the start of a new female-lead detective stories. If there are more ahead, I'll be reading them. Five Stars!

Spell Checked, Book 1 of the No Uncertain Logic Series by C.G. Powell

A trip to Ireland undertaken by two best female friends Gemma and Mae who are suddenly joined on the airplane by a handsome, charming, sophisticated Irishman named Aiden with charisma that attracts both of them is the beginning of this paranormal romance story.

Upon landing, they agree to meet for dinner in Dublin, and he brings a friend, Beck, to the table. The foursome's delightful dinner is suddenly interrupted when the man called Beck is suddenly called away.

As the story unfolds it begins to involve Greek mythology, ancient history, and warlocks, vampires and witches. Science fiction enters the story line when the history of witches and vampires is told to Mae and Gemma. Having always been interested in the paranormal, they accept the stories and the realization that one of them is, in fact, a witch.

I will leave it to you to read the story, to learn who is what and to whom each one 'belongs.'  The story does have some editorial issues that might be cleared up with another thorough proofreading. But those issues do not detract from the overall plot line.

This is not a book I would recommend to readers younger than 18, for there is a fair amount of physical intimacy in the story. But college and adult readers will no doubt be intrigued with the history and characterization of such figures as Helen of Troy being depicted as a reincarnation through the ages ... this time being hosted by a witch rather than a vampire's mate.

I'll give this one four stars.

Related articles

• A Personal Concierge Can Help Manage the Minutiae (hauteliste.com)
• Helen of Troy (http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/poets/g_l/hd/abouthelen.htm)