Rapid Reads - Speed round reviews

11/21/23 • 11 min

Rapid Reads
Show Notes
For our first Rapid Reads episode we gave short reviews of six different books:
Militia House by John Milas
“This is a beautiful horror story told masterfully and elegantly. It is a brilliant, different kind of war
novel, one that reveals the insidious ways the violences of war can tear people apart from the inside
out. “
Midnight is the Darkest Hour by Ashley Winstead
“a gothic Southern thriller about a killer haunting a small Louisiana town, where two
outcasts―the preacher's daughter and the boy from the wrong side of the tracks―hold the key to
uncovering the truth. “
Murder with Chocolate Tea by Karen Rose Smith
Tea shop owner and bride-to-be Daisy Swanson must solve a murder before she can say “I do”
in the latest Daisy’s Tea Garden Mystery set in Pennsylvania’s Amish country...
What Wild Women Do by Karma Brown
Two women's lives unexpectedly collide at a camp in the Adirondacks in this fascinating dual-
timeline novel full of ambition, secrets, betrayal, mystery, intrigue, nature, inspiration, and a journey of
self-discovery.
Spy Coast by Tess Gerritsen
“This is a nice take on retirement—five old spooks whose bones may ache but whose minds
remain sharp. You can expect mystery, action, and bloodshed in this exciting thriller launched straight
from the peaceful shores of Maine.”
TRIVIA
Last week's question was:
Which mystery author used the pseudonym Mark Sadler, John Crowe, Carl Dekker and William Arden?
a. Dan Brown
b. John Grisham
c. Mickey Spillane
d. Michael Collins
The answer is d. Michael Collins but the name Michael Collins is actually a pseudonym for Dennis Lynds.
Beginning in 1968 with The Mystery of the Moaning Cave and ending in 1989 with Hot Wheels, Lynds wrote
fourteen novels under the pen name William Arden for the juvenile detective series The Three Investigators,
which was originated by Robert Arthur, Jr. Under this same name, he also wrote five novels featuring private
eye Kane Jackson, a former military policeman who has become an industrial security specialist after leaving
the military. The first Jackson novel, A Dark Power, appeared in 1968.
Prolific, explaining that he had more ideas than he knew what to do with, in addition to his Collins name, he
created additional series under the pseudonyms Mark Sadler, John Crowe, and Carl Dekker. For a few years,
he published under three of these pseudonyms at the same time at three different publishing houses
This week's question is::
Mark Andrew Twitchell (born July 4, 1979) is a Canadian filmmaker. He became famous in April 2011 for
what?
a. He used a fictional murderer as a guideline for the crime
b. He pulled off the biggest jewel heist in history
c. He murdered his wife and 6 children
d. He murdered a man and filmed the murder

Previous Episode

Lee Goldberg Interview - Malibu Burning

Lee Goldberg
Malibu Burning Show Notes
Today we talked with our old friend Lee Goldberg about his bool Malibu Burning. It is the first in his
new seriues featuring arson investigators Walter Sharpe and Andrew Walker. It is published by Thomas &
Mercer and was released on September 1 of this year.
Hell comes to Southern California every October. It rides in on searing Santa Ana winds that blast at near
hurricane force, igniting voracious wildfires. Master thief Danny Cole longs for the flames. A tsunami of fire is
exactly what he needs to pull off a daring crime and avenge a fallen friend.
As the most devastating firestorms in Los Angeles’ history scorch the hills of Malibu, relentless arson
investigator Walter Sharpe and his wild card of a new partner, Andrew Walker, a former US marshal, suspect
that someone set the massive blazes intentionally, a terrifying means to an unknown end.
While the flames rage out of control, Danny pursues his brilliant scheme, unaware that Sharpe and Walker are
closing in. But when they all collide in a canyon of fire, everything changes, pitting them against an
unexpected enemy within an inescapable inferno.
TRIVIA
Last week's question was:
John Dickinson Carr is famous for writing what?
a. The most re-issued mysteries
b. Mysteries with hints given throughout the story
c. Impossible mysteries or locked room mysteries
d. First person mysteries.
The answer is c. Impossible or locked room mysteries. John Dickinson Carr is credited with writing the first
“impossible” mystery, Carr is generally regarded as one of the greatest writers of so-called "Golden Age"
mysteries; complex, plot-driven stories in which the puzzle is paramount. He was influenced in this regard by
the works of Gaston Leroux and by the Father Brown stories of G. K. Chesterton. He was a master of the so-
called locked room mystery, in which a detective solves apparently impossible crimes. The Dr. Fell
mystery The Hollow Man (1935), usually considered Carr's masterpiece, was selected in 1981 as the best
locked-room mystery of all time by a panel of 17 mystery authors and reviewers.[1] He also wrote a number of
historical mysteries.
This week's question is:
Which mystery author used the psynonym Mark Sadler, John Crowe, Carl Dekker and William Arden?
a. Dan Brown
b. John Grisham
c. Mickey Spillane
d. Michael Collins
Tune in next week for the answer.

Next Episode

Meet the Jersey Ghouls

Jersey Ghouls
Show notes
Today we talked with Marissa and Jacki, two women we met at Fright Reads They host the Jersey Ghouls
podcast which features horror movies with a feminist twist. We Are in the process of planning a
collaboration with them. They primarily feature movies in the horror genre and we will do a book versus
movie episode of Dark and Stormy Book Club.
We are happy we met up with the girls and look forward to working with them.
TRIVIA:
Last week's question was
Mark Andrew Twitchell is a Canadian filmmaker. He became famous in April 2011 for what?
a. He used a fictional murderer as a guideline for the crime
b. He pulled off the biggest jewel heist in history
c. He murdered his wife and 6 children
d. He murdered a man and filmed the murder
The answer is a. He used a fictional murder as a guideline for murder. He was convicted of first-
degree murder in April 2011 for the murder of John Brian Altinger His trial attracted particular
media attention because Twitchell had allegedly been inspired by the fictional characte
Which mystery author was also a barrister?
A/ Linda Howard
b. Patricia Moyes
c. Eileen Dewshurst
d. Nancy Spain