Dubai. New York City. Lexington, Kentucky. The Tallest Building in the World. Luxurious suites in five-star hotels. The Kentucky Derby. Lurking gangsters. Perfidious terrorists. Kidnappings. Bombs. Murder. A secret weapon. A helpful cat. And—believe it or not—Klingons.
It’s that time of year again, a time to look back at the books we reviewed here at KRL over the past year and share with you some of our favorites! We reviewed a LOT of books last year. All of our main reviewers share in this post their top 5-10ish favorite books they reviewed in 2023, except for me. To find my list click here and you can also enter to win a $5 Amazon gift card!
When I wrote Nick Of Time, a Nick Donahue Adventure, I created my character as an intelligent, suave, and good-looking guy who works as an International Blackjack player. If it sounds sexy and a little bit risky, it is. Nick, a good guy, often finds himself caught up in circumstances that have more to do with danger than Blackjack — like coming to the aid of a beautiful woman in distress, Marina DiPietro, and getting kidnapped for his trouble, or helping his brother, Alex, a banker at Suissebank, avenge the death of a co-worker, or taking on the New York mob and it’s capo, Tommy B Bonnanniao. As I said, professional gambler, not an action hero. And the settings, Venice, Zurich, and Monte Carlo, make things more exotic and intriguing.
A Mediterranean cruise, a gift for newly-engaged Jude Dillane and Eric Ramirez, turns into a ship of jewel thieves, disappearances, and murder in With a Twist, the fourth Murder on the Rocks Mystery by Cathi Stoler.
“So, what’s the story?” Have you ever asked anyone that question? Or has someone asked you the same thing? Chances are it wasn’t about what was happening at that very moment, but something in the past. The backstory.
Creating the kind of atmosphere that lets readers become totally immersed in a story—the setting—is very important in my writing. For me, setting is the one element that brings the characters, voice, and plot together to create a real sense of place. That’s what I strove for in Last Call: A Murder On The Rocks Mystery.
Suave, sophisticated, and savvy, professional Blackjack player Nick Donahue is one of my favorite characters to write. I created him when I wanted to write a story with a male protagonist and recalled the well-dressed men I’d seen playing Blackjack in a Venice, Italy, casino.
“You don’t get what you don’t ask for,” Marti always said, “but sometimes you get more than you wanted.” It was good advice from a mother who didn’t have much else to give, and I carried it with me as I moved through life. Although, right now, I wish I had understood it better.
A FEW FATES are worse than death. I should know. I’m living one right now. In a secluded villa high in the hills somewhere in the Czech Republic. A place where no one will ever find me should anyone care to look.
