Literary Scene

Scare Up Some Summer Fun with These Three Thrillers

By Ryan G. Van Cleave

Sunshine State:

A Jake Longly Thriller

by D.P. Lyle

Author D.P. Lyle’s latest from local press Oceanview Publishing, a thriller entitled Sunshine State, is built on an engaging premise. An anonymous benefactor has hired Jack Longly, an ex-big league baseball player (and reluctant PI, working for his dad’s firm), and Nicole Jamison to investigate the seven murders attributed to serial killer Billy Wayne Baker, who claims he only committed five of them. When asked which ones, he refuses to say. “If I did, they’d say your investigation was biased. That rush to judgment crap. When this is all done, I want folks to know the truth. I want them to believe it. In my experience, knowing and believing don’t always go together.”

The problem is, Baker had the motive, means, and opportunity for each murder. Worse, his DNA was found at each scene, as well. Can his claim of only being responsible for five be true? Is he simply trying to game the system or grab a few more fleeting minutes of fame? Longly might be more interested in the beach bar he owns than in being a PI who works for his dad, but he’s not about to leave any job half-done. Trust Longly to dig deep enough to find the truth, no matter what it is. And it all starts in Pine Key, Florida, where three of the murders occurred.

Lyle manages a straightforward plot with a real sense of humor that doesn’t feel out of place. It’s a good, solid read. If this sounds like your kind of murder and mayhem, you might also enjoy Lyle’s Dub Walker series, his Samantha Cody series, and the other two titles featuring PI Jake Longly.

Rating: 4 out of 5

DPLyleMD.com

Into the Jungle

by Erica Ferencik

Author Erica Ferencik’s second novel, Into the Jungle, shows that her debut, The River at Night, was no fluke. In this new story, Lily Bushwold wants to escape her life in America’s foster care system by taking a job as a teacher in Cochabamba, Bolivia. It took a while, but she finally steals enough cash to pay for the trip and off she goes.

As most too-good-to-be-true things are, it WAS too good to be true. The opportunity falls through. But Lily stays in Bolivia and finds the day-to-day hustling to be as unpleasant there as it was in the states. What now? She then finds love in Omar, the handsome local who’s forgone his life as a hunter in a remote jungle village to try out city life.

But Omar learns that his four-year-old nephew was killed by a jaguar. When he decides to head back into the jungle to seek vengeance, Lily chooses to go along with him, and along the way, she encounters ruthless poachers, pythons and a menacing indigenous tribe, among a host of other dangers.

Unlike most thrillers where there’s a murderer on the loose or an MIA person, this is the thrilling life of one person’s journey through some of the most inhospitable places and situations on the planet. Ferencik does a fine job of making the landscape, terrain, and creatures Lily encounters feel National-Geographic authentic. This is a compelling, exciting read.

Rating: 4.25 out of 5

EricaFerencik.com

Letters from a Murderer

by John Matthews

British writer John Matthews’ new historical thriller takes the Jack the Ripper lore to a new place—in this case, across the pond, as they say. It’s 1891 in New York City, and a prostitute has been brutally murdered. What else can the authorities do but pair up one of their new “untouchable” detectives (Joseph Argenti) with one of the original English Ripper criminologists (Finley Jameson) to try to solve this disturbing case?

This odd pairing of lawmen works well. Neither can be bought or strong-armed by the city’s #1 gangster, Michael Tierney, and both also seem to have a soft spot in their hearts for the downtrodden (waifs, strays, etc.). Jameson is a bit clueless at times and engages in some bizarre behavior, but he remains likable, nonetheless.

One of the strengths of this novel is the vivid sense of setting. Readers will get a good feel for the melting pot that is America during this vibrant time in history, where the barriers between the rich and the poor parts of the city were so clearly delineated. Add in the open sewers and essentially non-existent sanitation, and you’ve got a gritty, smelly environment that matches well with the growing body count and taunting letters. But are they by the real Ripper or a copycat?

Some readers could find things a bit slow at times, but the book’s still thick with menace and ambiance. In short, if you like the feel and style of the British TV show Sherlock and/or Victorian crime dramas, you’ll quite likely appreciate this story, too.

Rating: 3.75 out of 5

booksand-ebooks.com