Rush is a gentle literary novel of the New South involving a diverse group of freshmen co-eds adjusting to college life, facing new challenges, and rushing sororities, each hoping to become members of Alpha Delta Beta. When the sorority sisters and pledges learn that their beloved African-American housekeeper has been denied a promotion due to […]
“Troubles Wedding Caper,” by Jen Talty and “The Truffle with Weddings,” by Laura Durham
April 17, 2019 by 1 Comment
Reviewed by Claire Hamner Matturro Isn’t there something about a cozy mystery and a wedding that makes for a natural nexus between the two? A cozy mystery—a subgenre of crime fiction—is charming, but not without its drama, tension, and suspense, which, it so happens, are also elements of a typical wedding. Thus, within the ever-popular […]
“Love and Death in the Sunshine State: The Story of a Crime,” by Cutter Wood
January 17, 2019 by Leave a Comment
Reviewed by Claire Hamner Matturro Even amid high crime statistics and several infamously grisly Florida murders, the 2008 killing at the center of Love and Death in the Sunshine State: The Story of a Crime (Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 2018) still drew national attention, including a 2016 feature on NBC’s Dateline. But it wasn’t […]
“The Stranger Inside,” by Laura Benedict
January 8, 2019 by Leave a Comment
Reviewed by Claire Hamner Matturro Let’s get the obvious out of the way: The Stranger Inside (Mulholland Books, 2019) is a big, grand, intelligent thriller by Laura Benedict that will have readers guessing and gasping as they avidly turn the pages. The phrase “the plot thickens” is an understatement with regards to The Stranger Inside. […]
“Key West—A Lush and Magical place for Cozy Mysteries,” by Claire Hamner Matturro
November 8, 2018 by 3 Comments
Review essay by Claire Hamner Matturro Key West. Ah, just read the words in a mystery novel and a certain whirl and whoosh of coconut-scented, warm, moist air seems to fly off the pages. From the lush tropical landscape and the complex history to the raucous party atmosphere, from the old-world elegance of the Hemingway […]