BOOK REVIEWS BY L.DEAN MURPHY

International bestselling author of A Quiet Belief In Angels and The Anniversary Man, R.J. Ellory opined:
“Dean Murphy is a wordsmith, possesses that ‘ear’ for sentences that is so refreshing. Beyond his natural ability to
write well, he understands writers, prose, narrative, tension (or lack of), and pace. I nervously anticipate a Murphy
review. Why? Because he has become my reader, my judge, my conscience. And I know that if Murphy enjoyed my
book, well I must have done okay.”

 
   
   
   
   
   
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
   
   
   
   
 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Linda G. Shelnutt wrote 15 books and said of Murphy’s U is for Undertow review:
“This is a pleasantly succinct review with a uniquely excellent, perceptive synopsis of
the essence and appeal of this novel, a synopsis which ties this offering to the gestalt of
the series and the author. Well done Dean Murphy! Creatively appropriate title, too.”
Elite literary agency Kimberly Cameron & Associates uses on its website “Debut novelist Matt Coyle is a modern-day Raymond Chandler,” taken from my Bookreporter.com review of Yesterday’s Echo.

When Medallion published Stress Fracture by prolific D.P. Lyle part of Murphy’s review
is used on the cover: “D.P. Lyle writes the perfect prescription for a psychological thriller.

Charlyne Kilpatrick, who sang with Gregg Allman, said of A Simple Act of Violence review:
“You have a most amazing command of the English language. When you write, it takes readers
exactly where you want them. The review is very good. I want to read the book!”

Dean Murphy’s “New kid on the Blog” concerns writing and reviews, and is on the Books Page,
as is his nonfiction tale of inspiration, The Big Hug. His Amazon reviews are at this link.



Dean Murphy's top picks for 2017 on Bookreporter.com.
Dean Murphy’s top picks for 2016 on Bookreporter.com.
Dean Murphy’s top picks for 2015 on Bookreporter.com.
Dean Murphy’s top picks for 2014 on Bookreporter.com.
Dean Murphy’s top picks for 2013 on Bookreporter.com.

Dean Murphy’s top picks for 2012 on Bookreporter.com.
Dean Murphy’s top picks for 2011 on Bookreporter.com.

Reviews news: Authors often speak well of others but when they reference reviews on their websites,
that speaks volumes. Some website blurbs and review links follow. Visit the authors’ websites and
let ‘em know their novels are appreciated. Click on the hyperlinked titles or book photos to read the
reviews. The Interviews page has additional links.


Ridley Pearson’s Killer Summer “has readers holding onto this cliffhanger with fingertips as strong
and manicured as his poetic prose. He leaves subtle clues, and then, like freezing water in a shower,
shocks readers with how obvious are circumstances that lead to a killer conclusion.” [See Interview.]

Michael Connelly’s Nine Dragons “is the culmination of Connelly’s craft. With cherry-hued herrings
to tease readers, Connelly is a righteous writer of unparalleled skill, Jonathan Kellerman on steroids.”

Julie Compton’s Rescuing Olivia is a five-star story of love and devotion.

Bad Cop by Paul Bacon “deserves a galaxy of stars.”

The Beijing of Possibilities by Jonathan Tel “...captures the essence of that rapid change
in a collection of endearing short stories, set in a country where storytelling is an art form.”


Featured reviews:
Death at Whitewater Church is Andrea Carter's phenomenal début, set in an Irish maritime village.
David Corbett's Long-Lost Love Letters of Doc Holliday features a modern thriller based on history.
Hangman author Daniel Cole is a puppet master, pulling strings of horror, intrigue and suspense.
Scorpion Strike is a Jonathan Grave thriller that is pure John Gilstrap--on steroids!
Mystical Madagascar comes to life in Stephen Holgate's satisfying thriller.
Gumshoe on the Loose by Rob Lieninger features go-to gumshoe Mortimer Angel.
Charles Finch's Woman in the Water is a prequel to the Charles Lenox series.
Vindication by H. Terrell Griffin is the ultimate courtroom drama.
Matt Coyle's Blood Truth is my #1 top pick for 2017. [December 2017 interview with Matt Coyle.]

Suspense, Thrillers & Mysteries:
Final Target is John Gilstrap's 10th Jonathan Grave thriller. [June 2017 interview with John Gilstrap.]
Give Up the Dead by Joe Clifford details the drama of protaganist Jay Porter.
Tosca Lee's Firstborn is a paranormal thriller. [May 2017 interview with Tosca Lee.]
Ragdoll by Daniel Cole is a debut crime thriller that is sheer psychotic genius.
Rob Leininger’s Gumshoe for Two has a brutally shocking dénouement.
Child's Play is “an Elle-oquent thriller” by Merry Jones [the Elle Harrison series].
Matt Coyle’s Dark Fissures is my #1 Top Pick for 2016. [December 2016 interview with Matt Coyle.]
The Inheritance by Charles Finch is a Victorian-era murder mystery.
Shannon Kirk’s Extraordinary Journey of Vivienne Marshall is sheer poety.
The Beauty of the End by Debbie Howells is a complex psychological thriller.
John Gilstrap’s Friendly Fire is a “teeth-rattling thriller.” [June 2016 interview with John Gilstrap.]
In LaRose, Louise Erdrich weaves a complex tapestry of retribution and acceptance.
Bad Signs by R.J. Ellory portrays America not as Leave It to Beaver but as Hitchock’s Psycho.
H. Terrell Griffin’s Mortal Dilemma weaves loose threads into a bloody tapestry of violence.
Noah’s Wife by Lindsay Starck is a modern allegory somewhat influenced by a biblical flood.
Passenger 19 by Ward Larsen “has a plot in a league of its own.”
Gumshoe by Rob Leininger is the most bawdily entertaining novel I’ve enjoyed in years.
Ellen Kirschman’s The Right Wrong Thing is a Law & Order-like police procedural on steroids.
H. Terrell Griffin’s Chasing Justice is a rocket-ride legal thriller with investigative acumen.
John Gilstrap thrills readers with Against All Enemies. See the exclusive interview at this link.
Matt Coyle’s Night Tremors has more plot twists than California cloverleafs. [Coyle exclusive interview.]
Marie Bostwick is the “elevator author” of The Second Sister. [See the Bostwick exclusive interview.]
Mike Pace’s One to Go tells of moral debate, ethics and redemption—ideal for a blockbuster film.
In Laws of Murder Charles Finch weaves words as intricate as a Peter Paul Rubens tapestry.
Mary Burton’s Cover Your Eyes has “more plot twists than a plate of rotini pasta.”
  The Boy Who Killed Demons by Dave Zeltserman has a subliminal message about a true demon. 
Merry Jones has another “Elle-oquent” thriller with Elective Procedures, one of my Top Picks.
Saints of New York by RJ Ellory is an intense thriller. [Click here to read exclusive interview.]
Marie Bostwick’s Apart at the Seams is a Crazy quilt metaphor, Amazon’s top-rated of 255 reviews.
In Nevada Barr’s Destroyer Angel, Anna Pigeon is shot, but “Today is not a good day to die.”
Jennifer Mortimer’s Trilemma is “an astounding thriller with zigzag twists.”
Charles Finch’s contemporary The Last Enchantments has Oxford University as protagonist.
J.D. MacDonald’s Travis McGee is reincarnated with Matt Royal by H. Terrell Griffin’s Found.
There’s something about Mary” — Mary Burton’s No Escape, that is, Amazon’s second review.
W is for Wasted is a surefire bestseller, Sue Grafton’s greatest novel ever.
Edgar Award-earning Lori Roy writes about a tipping point in Until She Comes Home.
Tell everyone you know to get Screwed by Eoin Colfer.
“Debut novelist Matt Coyle is a modern-day Raymond Chandler," with Yesterday’s Echo.
R.J. Ellory’s Candlemoth is a metaphoric crime thriller about America’s moral decay.
Keep No Secrets is Julie Compton’s quintessential thriller sequel to Tell No Lies. (And on Bookreporter.)
Erin Kelly’s The Burning Air is a psych thriller about dark karma, a literary coup d’éclat.
Lisa O’Donnell’s The Death of Bees is a phenomenal debut novel, dark and bawdy.
The Trouble with Charlie by Merry Jones is a terrific psych suspense novel.
Bestselling Mary Burton keeps readers in suspense with The Seventh Victim.
Late to the party with my review of John Grisham’s renaissance, The Litigators.
The Round House by Louise Erdrich (Shadow Tag; Plague of Doves) deserves the Pulitzer Prize.
Graham Joyce’s Some Kind of Fairy Tale is some kind of fantastic.
John Gilstrap’s Jonathan “Digger” Grave series packs the punch of a rocket-propelled grenade.
Viral by James Lilliefors is a New Paradigm for thrillers, one of my Top Ten picks for 2012.
The Dark Rose is a dark drama about love betrayed by literary virtuoso Erin Kelly.
A Quiet Vendetta is a thriller that causes readers to question justifiable homicide, by R.J. Ellory.
Sue Grafton’s V is for Vengeance: “Kinsey is back with a vengeance!” Amazon’s top-rated review.
Stay at Home Dead by Jeffrey Allen: “Erma Bombeck is reincarnated as Kinsey Millhone.”
What Happened to Hannah shouldn’t have, a tale of abuse/redemption by Mary Kay McComas.
Egypt: The Book of Chaos is the finale of Nick Drake’s trilogy, and Egypt’s final pharaoh.
Eoin Colfer’s Plugged: “If Carl Hiasson married Raymond Chandler and engaged Dave Barry to be a surrogate mother, Plugged would be the progeny. Oh, grow up! This is a zany crime caper where such things are possible.”
A Killer’s Essence by Dave Zeltserman is “Chef Zeltserman’s zesty secret sauce of subtle horror...”
Graham Joyce’s The Silent Land. Amazon’s top-rated review from Bookreporter.com.
The Bone Yard by Jefferson Bass. Amazon’s top-rated review.
A Simple Act of Violence by R.J. Ellory, “the Stephen King of crime fiction.”
D.P. Lyle thrills readers with Hot Lights, Cold Steel, second of the Dub Walker series.
Erin Kelly’s The Poison Tree is literary fiction at its finest, disguised as a psychological thriller.
Charles Finch’s A Burial at SeaA Stranger in Mayfair are mysteries set in the Victorian era.
Caretaker of Lorne Field by Dave Zeltserman is a haunting tale that really is literary fiction!
Daniel Judson’s Voyeur has the tension of a tuned violin string.
John Gilstrap’s Hostage ZeroNo Mercy & Threat Warning make Jon “Digger” Grave more human.
Nick Drake’s Tutankhamun brings to life a last pharaoh in a historical whodunit thriller.
The Anniversary Man by R.J. Ellory [Bookreporter.com review; see also The Big Thrill interview].
Bad Things by Michael Marshall is a good thing!
The Spy & The Wrecker by Clive Cussler and Justin Scott take readers back a century.
Noir by Robert Coover is a hilarious look at Bogey & Bacall detective lure.

Literary fiction:
The Infinities by John Banville is a modern-day Shakespearean comedy/tragedy.
New World Monkeys by Nancy Mauro is a refreshing and memorable debut.
Pearl of China by Anchee Min brings to life Pearl S. Buck’s love of China.

And:
Mary Burton features FWA’s 6th anthology, The First Step, including Murphy’s “The First Page”.
It's a Crime is the 5th Florida Writers Association anthology, featuring Michael Wiley.
My Wheels is the 4th Florida Writers Association anthology, featuring Julie Compton.
D.P. Lyle puts authors on the "write" path with More Forensics and Fiction.
Let’s Talk is FWA’s third anthology, a collection of 60 dialog-only short stories.
Slices of Life is an anthology by FWA members, including Dean Murphy’s Through a Child’s Eyes.
China: Portrait of a People is Tom Carter’s portrayal of China’s “kaleidoscope of culture.”


Mystery Writers of America, International Thriller Writers, and Florida
Writers Association
have strongly influenced Murphy’s reviews, interviews and
short stories. Visit their websites by clicking on the links above or logos to the right.
 

Crime scene
[Home] [Books] [Reviews] [Interviews] [Q and A] [Contact]


content ©Dean Murphy 2010
photography © Jacqueline Pérez

web design for writers by ktf-design