The Anarchists’ Club – Alex Reeve (Felony & Mayhem Press)

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Felony & Mayhem Press

I’m always up for historical fiction and historical mysteries are a big plus, so I was really excited to receive this volume in the mail from Michele Karlsberg introducing me to trans man Victorian detective Leo Stanhope. This the second book, and if I didn’t have a TBR stack that now extends to three coffee tables, I’d be anxious to read the first one. I’ll definitely be looking for the third.

Born Charlotte “Lottie” Pritchard, Leo Stanhope carries that big secret as best he can, staying at the chemist shop with its proprietor, Alfie, working at the hospital, and playing chess with his friend, Jacob. His quiet life, however, is about to get hectic when he becomes involved with the murder of a customer, Dora Harrington near her residence inside a controversial club for political outsiders. Not only was his name and address found in her pocket, but he’s also threatened by a man to provide him with a alibi or he’ll expose Leo as Lottie. Added to the mix are Dora’s children, Aidan and Ciara, whom Leo feels responsible for. He wants to find a home for them, but the closer he gets to solving the mystery of her murder, the farther away from that goal he seems to be.

Reeves does an excellent job setting up the Victorian atmosphere, both in terms of character and setting. The mystery of who killed Dora is interesting and engaging, full of twists and turns, especially toward the end. I also found Stanhope’s interest in the children to be heartfelt, Reeve setting up a fascinating dichotomy between Stanhope’s innate maternal instinct contrasted with the desire to present as a single father. Those two, of course, are not mutually exclusive, but the author illustrates the perils of such an arrangement well, especially considering the time period.

Stanhope’s father is also in poor health, adding a familial air to the plot. He left home under a cloud, and his father doesn’t know what became of him. His sister, however, does, and she’s none too happy about it–especially when he asks her to hide the children from the parties seeking them. They have a very tentative relationship with little but their father in common, and when Stanhope goes back to make amends with the old man, he does so not as Charlotte but as Leo.

The Anarchists’ Club, then, is a great little mystery with some politicial overtones guaranteed to whet your appetite for more Leo Stanhope. Well recommended!

JW

© 2021 Jerry L. Wheeler

Warn Me When It’s Time – Cheryl Head (Bywater Books)

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Bywater Books

Charlie Mack does it again–or, rather Cheryl Head does. The sixth book of the Charlie Mack police procedural series is of a piece with the other five entries, meaning it’s snappy, engaging, full of action and food, and chock full of local Detroit flavor.

A local hate group has been running rampant, using robberies and arson at many mosques, temples, and Black churches to intimidate Muslims and people of color throughout the metro area. The latest bombing has killed a prominent imam, but his children don’t feel the police are doing all they can to solve the murder. So they hire the Mack Agency to take control and get some answers. When Charlie and her people start digging, however, they find a conspiracy that reaches all the way to the top of local government–and beyond.

The character of Charlie Mack is well enough established in this series that Head feels comfortable and secure enough to let her take a backseat in favor of another character. In this installment, it’s stalwart Don Rutkowski who goes undercover with the aid of the FBI, just as Charlie herself did in Catch Me When I’m Falling. He, however, does not get to be homeless. Instead, he becomes a serial bomber. And Don himself is undergoing some changes in attitude, working on his own prejudices acquired during the World Trade Center disaster in 2011 and his time in the military.

But Charlie doesn’t disappear entirely. There are plenty of glimpses into her home life with partner Mandy and their dog, Hamm. And the ever capable secretary-turned-investigator Judy Novak is back as well, turning her hand to a number of tasks both in and out of the office.

And speaking of characters, Head introduces Robert “Robbie” Barrett, a young computer whiz working for the White Turks hate group, then the FBI, then…who knows? He turns out to be a major factor in the tension here because you never quite know whose side he’s on until the very end. And Head wisely leaves her options open regarding using him again. I’d love to see him return in a future installment.

Warn Me When It’s Time, then, is a solid, well-done entry in the Charlie Mack Motown Mystery series, guaranteed to please old fans and make new ones. Anxiously awaiting the next…

JW

© 2021 Jerry L. Wheeler

Infraction – Yvonne Zipter (Rattling Good Yarns Press)

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Rattling Good Yarns Press

I always enjoy historical fiction because the modern age holds so few charms and surprises anymore, and historical fiction from other countries is even more fun. So when Infraction offered me a chance to be transported to early nineteenth century Russia and get a glimpse into that society with an added bonus of looking at queer relationships, I jumped. And the leap was well-rewarded. Infraction is an excellent window into that world, full of strong characters, interesting turns, and an unexpected, though not unsurprising, ending.

Marya Zhukova is a fiercely independent woman living in St. Petersburg in the year 1875, taking care of her elderly maiden aunt Lidia, who is dying of consumption . She loves literature and mathematics, advancing as far as possible in those subjects at the St. Petersburg Institute for Girls. But she wants more, attending a series of private lectures with a number of like-minded women. There, Marya falls in love with Vera, a tutor. As their relationship blossoms, Marya’s aunt succumbs to her ailment, but before Lidia dies, she extracts a promise from Marya to marry. Despite Vera’s fears that a husband will come between them, Marya enters into a platonic marriage with librarian Sergei, altering the lives of everyone involved.

Zipter does an admirable job with St. Petersburg, placing us there with glimpses of its food, its culture, its societal restrictions, and its limited opportunities for unmarried women. But any backdrop, no matter how richly portrayed, is just scenery without powerful characters to struggle within its confines, and Zipter accounts herself equally well on that front. Marya is fierce, refusing to be bound by tradition, openly mocking the suitors Lidia parades past her at soirees Lidia organizes to acquaint her with the eligible St. Petersburg bachelors. Lidia remains the bastion of tradition in their household, clinging to the old ways and customs, providing stability for Marya as she allows her to fly in the face of those same customs. Sergei is also interesting, so hungry for intellectual compatibility that he gives up romantic passion for its sake.

Chapters are delineated by character name, but they are differentiated. Marya and Lidia’s chapters are named after them and written in third person limited, Vera’s chapters, however, are all labeled “Vera’s Journal” and written in first person. Sergei (and, indeed, all of the male characters) are also written in first person but are epistolary–letters Sergei writes to either his brother or cousin or missives Marya’s old math instructor, Grigorii, pens to his former pupil regarding her further instruction.

This rather odd differentiation between the way parts of the story are presented really has no effect on the story or its understanding–and some readers may not even perceive it–but as an editor, I tend to notice those details and wonder why the author made those choices. Why are Marya and Lidia the only characters who tell their story in third person? Or the male characters restricted to letters? Again, it really bears no impact on the story and it’s not irritating or problematic in any way…but why?

In any case, Infraction makes for fascinating historical fiction with an intriguing storyline played out through interesting and wholly absorbing characters.

JW

© 2021 Jerry L. Wheeler

White Trash Warlock – David R. Slayton (Blackstone Publishing)

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Blackstone Publishing

Although this release is from last year, David Slayton is a local Denver author and I missed this when it was first out. The sequel, Trailer Park Trickster, will be coming in October, but that’s no reason not to give this fine piece of urban fantasy a shout out now. Slayton is well on his way to creating an interesting and wholly engaging series for Adam Binder, his reluctant magic user.

Adam lives in a trailer in smalltown Oklahoma with his Aunt Sue. They both have The Sight because it runs through his father’s bloodline, but it’s meant nothing but trouble to Adam. He’s using it to try and track his long missing, abusive father, but a message from his brother, Bobby, derails those efforts. Though Bobby was responsible for having Adam committed to a mental institution in his teens, his being in Denver coincides with the next step Adam must take to find his father. When he arrives there, he finds his sister-in-law possessed by an ancient spirit that has already killed all the magicians in Denver, leaving it up to him to try and save her.

Slayton pulls out all the stops, re-imagining parts of Denver in the spirit world (including the old D&F tower on the cover), populated by elves, gnomes, and leprechauns with clocktower jails, haunted hospitals, and evil amusement parks. Richly detailed and sumptuously described, these beings and places would mean little, however, without strong characters to populate the bizarre landscape.

Adam and his brother Bobby are the real building blocks of the book. Adam’s insecurities about both his power and his self-image fuel his relationships with the elf siblings–one he has history with–who assist him in fighting the spirit invading the city. Similarly, Bobby’s guilt over not only committing Adam but about an even more evil deed I can’t relate (spoiler, y’know), seeds the ending and provides the bridge for the sequel.

Being a Denver resident, I also enjoyed seeing parts of my landscape highlighted and, in the case of Casa Bonita, the famous and famously bad Mexican restaurant, totally skewered. Little bits like that are tucked away like snacks only the locals will appreciate fully.

However, it doesn’t take a local to appreciate great characters, fine storytelling, and the vivid imagination of David R. Slayton. White Trash Warlock is a gem from start to finish, and I can’t wait for Trailer Park Trickster!

JW

© 2021 Jerry L. Wheeler