No 5 STAR READ in the month - but a couple that came very close
4.5 STARS - David Swinson's 3rd Frank Marr book - Trigger and S.A. Cosby's debut novel My Darkest Prayer.
I honestly couldn't split them if choosing one to re-read, so it's either 2 BOOKS OF THE MONTH or none - let's say 2!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZA0ZftzZrBf3Peq5YXbdJY3lshPsGc9kxWCGmUOhaasOA2UXBJAZf6yap3D3CBu3HbYslkKCUaxJecMJD6HaKS3ZjwQlD786ax1-hScW2UUP4jjzozhlWcrTJ9uWw_MUJrPrDeqoij5Bk/s320/trigger.jpg)
4 STAR READS.....
novel - Chris Hammer's Scrubland,
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKcend6XF_qn_gdziDme06IK3SSWvGJeE0AUm0KDoKZ9r8iyZO80XRI0WM6C78WNh8mPua8jFA2tuOs84fydJrpoDASWYpd3Un2skzfbLbayC3oKQ72dKQ2XAUMuI1kTQ8ErJqX6gfzmB2/s200/THEREWASACROOKEDMAN.jpg)
novella - S.W. Lauden's That'll Be the Day: A Power Pop Heist,
short story collection - Toni Kan's Nights of the Creaking Bed,
novella plus short story collection - Graham Wynd's Love is a Grift
short stories - Tim Stevens and Snout, Steve Brewer with 5 solid kick-ass tales - Found Money. Cemetery Plot, Payoff, Love's Gone and Showdown, Shoshana Edwards and Freeze, Mike McCrary with Separate Checks
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-zMd-k_eUD-4hI1oCBJNyLgoLMKdFkBIgw1grceXP7vKg5R_7CZZr5t4VQj28IsOIdvejeayHw3aYIOOaMxg2bwjUMno7oaEGLvG8teT3iwm2vHjicxJjbnz6PehNDRg1Z9s8ZGS5txn2/s200/foundmoney.jpg)
3.5 STARS - John Brady and Golden Palms
3 STAR READS - Day Keene's There Was a Crooked Man, Joe Clifford's Rag and Bone and an okay short story from Mike McCrary - Broken
I spent time in the company of......
a straight cop turning crooked
a couple of low-level crims with poor decision-making skills
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVS9DaKwwhe4jTMqFypoed62Jx7Q0BbUDEmDwSAqAvZnjVAVtq8kf-wNZ9Irr_abF2jeTGYbLEeQBVJyuCGeSFTQqzN-jYQQ4578iC8pDpmqHvFYPfeRbSdH4hctaihOAu1AltFc6ozxsb/s200/snout.jpg)
an ex-cop PI and his new recruit, working to clear an old friend
a plethora of Nigerian characters and their trials and tribulations
an undertaker’s assistant with a short fuse and some investigating to do
a lecturer turned political lackey helping the natives in LA
criminals, biker chicks, outlaws, grifters, hit men and more
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1_90sIYAikBcEAIxxXLArU10KTOTWxX40iDQXsH0KJaTB63dJXqTHmM899lisQ2UYdiP_OnejZbrDDEbX1K9DJm92KvdgqLmLSvmB6FkFLWoIrz5mHjjudduDjtNaQLhqWi7jVJGsehs6/s200/goldenpalms.jpg)
a grave digger and his intended occupant
a feisty old-timer with a temper and a gun
a couple of drinking buddies and a women who's come between them
two friends - one with a secret, one with a grudge
a gang of old ladies reluctant to say goodbye
a blind women and her support worker
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPnpUD03_H9mTRp3-UrIZiR2CAKrjKGPi0eg2ySixFjacsVVYWY5DhvNTthJlyd9GHKAJBfPxqLoSI-mpy0I5j6CETcVR7IyZuyVaPslzJqVeWpGe2Q65KgoyODzXM5ZdEH9RHxPLxBjec/s200/loveis-a-grift.jpg)
a former couple trying to reconcile or maybe not
a reluctant former pop star unsure of a comeback
a PI type with a long held grudge
an Aussie journalist investigating a mass shooting and its aftermath
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhquNEEb2HgLdtNQwS3E8d9h65SPeMaEV7j3fdPw1DzxHdjfEqjUxxFafzRbq3s4kJC_rLRC7WgEhjsLu8iCRZDbw_jqeGfC0t_ixlPnsap4NW1I6yUsavwjI-rF6HmDlsXxdYGmO6hOVtf/s200/CEMETERYPLOT.jpg)
The full list for the month was....
Day Keene - There was a Crooked Man (1954) (3)
Steve Brewer - Found Money (2012) (4)
Tim Stevens - Snout (2012) (4)
David Swinson - Trigger (2019) (4.5)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhToFHDwNFew0ScRpnoSN_2aduwI3mi6PZwclFvw4kO7Ay7vLsMBuTIiET16OZ0ChLPcO-TmFR5ynsGZ4qIVJDM6m98wVKm9BP_Mk34pO-xamwyXDxTathQdrd2tFHQuF7pYZF7nJsjAaRE/s200/PAYOFF.jpg)
Toni Kan - Nights of the Creaking Bed (2019) (4)
S.A. Cosby - My Darkest Prayer (2019) (4.5)
John Brady - Golden Palms (2019) (3.5)
Graham Wynd - Love is a Grift (2019) (4)
Steve Brewer - Cemetery Plot (2013) (4)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7RjyLi8h-6TntRan3qrNd00aIBrB-g2gxLIXpeM_VJmmfhc7sy6uPyxno0muPLXkGU_I76MhYQFz_zLPs3XAAsCOa68-fvGK0ephztQtdLhxZsUpdLJGvHuAf-ZBYyEZRdmGIwfGZ3hkB/s200/yvonnesgone.jpg)
Steve Brewer - Yvonne's Gone (2012) (4)
Steve Brewer - Showdown (2012) (4)
Shoshana Edwards - Freeze! (2013) (4)
Mike McCrary - Broken (2019) (3)
Mike McCrary - Separate Checks (2019) (4)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE21RgL9D5-NK_Q_VsQzv5iRpNwafk27QJjZYGhsaN-Yif46SKKaLYNFDIpQQ_1MK-Tju2o6lDyu6UynXi_myK9EoQD9GcgF2b-sD4YtsV9BKD8uottr1uSwlWT6JqrSDN74ixHCnfUEJS/s200/SHOWDOWN.jpg)
Joe Clifford - Rag and Bone (2019) (3)
Chris Hammer - Scrublands (2019) (4)
If you're not asleep yet - anal analysis for my own amusement - read on if you're an insomniac ......
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2a2fLYucm-vRzgIoeUZDkyy7m2kP95X3wPlww9ns9bPFQptdIg8DtpvASKsOIfcr2M9nrRnPC9g21sZFIkI00jovhlj4eLSI_tZxmTQsBzruQ-Lbr4_T5c2dV6bljrhrwxmjBpjOiaMoe/s200/freeze%2521.jpg)
I have more on the pile to read from Day Keene
Authors enjoyed before - 7 - Steve Brewer, Tim Stevens, David Swinson, Graham Wynd, Mike McCrary, S.W. Lauden and Joe Clifford
There's more on the TBR pile from 6 of them - Steve Brewer, Tim Stevens, Graham Wynd (or her alter ego K.A. Laity at least), S.W. Lauden and Joe Clifford
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1uSkHuw-6dHw4Iani80_I9WRkFpZSocStpoSBjpS-OSmmfPti8HDXHxvwGfmKjzdFmbNcVDCud6vWg2l3bvyddR8nGR16IXZgNx42w7mL5cSn764svK7M-fdeXKDJz32QAZ2oBhjbksR-/s200/BROKENMIKE.jpg)
Steve Brewer was read 5 times, Mike McCrary was read twice
2 were series books .....
Joe Clifford's Rag and Bone - the 5th in the Jay Porter series,
Trigger was the 3rd in David Swinson's Frank Marr series
Gender analysis - 2 female authors, 10 male.
Another poor attempt at diversity in my reading! Deja-vous.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIhB1O856BLyMmd-PRAoDm4HX6x0Hx6o5LI_l-VVPO5X1KB-dr9Z_JzFg89m6sJBBfZWswczvAJBFy-PZEW4U-yypaq94Shuzb7SrIYbdmZ5F5hKdeFzWokrdCRvpvvaen474e0fs1oEBB/s200/SEPARATECHECKS.jpg)
Of the 12 different authors read, 9 hailed from the USA, 1 from Nigeria, 1 from Australia and 1 from England - as best I can tell.
All 18 of the reads were fiction,
17 of the 18 books read were published this century - this decade
9 from 2019, 1 from 2018, 2 from 2013 and 5 from 2018
1 book was from 1954,
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVYHJ1sowRBEd0jBXuebLjIA7gX6YDFtzMYltmLOkB4XlQLtg86Lmd5py7_RHO4rF9WCcKap1ezJvjC59CkajaFu_m7c_K7ojsVs5RxcC5wzB99ODihncGCu30vdd06MKX3mvIQQJ5sU04/s200/scrublands.jpg)
1 came from the man-cave blue tub stash in my garage.
Day Keene's There Was a Crooked Man
Publishers - Mulholland Books x 1, Fox Spirit Books x 1, Cassava Republic x 1, Oceanview Publishing x 1, Wildfire x 1, Intrigue Publishing x 1, Universal Paperbacks x 1, Certified - Human - Books x 1, Bad Words Inc x 2, 7 probably 8 via Amazon Media - 1 has been removed from sale so who knows?
(A few of the above probably pass as self-published but I'm fine reading that.)
4 of the 18 reads were pre-owned,
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmeM16wXJ17PH4p8k0teNTHKHXk1qASALp3dNZcSP-lNFQZSqcHmDOXyno44A_QpaWS8kenydvP-bITBOfMfpK0mcFiU6ETB_UcxSFUhk1vALWjZ9iGAxo_7vwUAaK1vzywZcLu2WDzoMl/s200/RAGANDBONE.jpg)
1 was accessed at Net Galley early reviewer site, cheers to publisher Mulholland Books. I actually ran out of time reading it so had to by myself a copy to finish
2 were accessed at Edelweiss - Above the Treeline, early reviewer site, thanks to Oceanview Publishing and Cassava Republic
1 was a review copy courtesy of Reedsy Discovery website
1 was received directly from the publisher - cheers to Fox Spirit Books
1 was borrowed from Leighton Buzzard Library
9 were read as part of a month long Kindle Unlimited trial
Favourite cover? David Swinson - Trigger
Second favourite cover - Toni Kan - Nights of the Creaking Bed
My reads were this long 112 - 11 - 33 - 352 - 176 - 222 - 288 - 256 - 11 - 14 - 9 - 11 - 14 - 20 - 18 - 74 - 256 - 500
Total page count = 2377 (1712 in May) ....... an increase of 665 pages
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJFT5XF185_Ry76alcb3EQ244SRYHnEEbWy80k6vPlRZwkBfxXIY5jH11_2V_ITTABVfl3NSocaHrtaIkuutzclbCKJ1UW39UU7Yq9G-h4_RQ_kfC8DMXJLf3q1VaD8fmfzjY-rxqGqiLu/s200/THATLLBETHEDAY.jpg)
10 were Kindle reads, 2.5 were ePub files read on the laptop, 2.5 were paperbacks, 2 were PDF files and 1 was a hardback
9 < 50,
1 between 51 < 100,
2 between 101 < 200,
4 between 201 < 300,
1 between 301 < 400,
1 > 400 pages
Chris Hammer and Scrublands was the longest read at 500 pages
Steve Brewer with Yvonne's Gone was the shortest at 9 pages long.
You did have a decent month, Col. Nice to see there were no real disappointments. And you have a decent batch of interesting characters here, too.
ReplyDeleteMore to celebrate than fret over, Margot
DeleteI like the cover of TRIGGER, too, Col. But the book has a different cover here in the U.S. Thanks for the reading list.
ReplyDeleteCheers Elgin. I have seen the different covers for the US versions of his Marr series, but I definitely prefer the UK ones.
DeleteWow such a selection and such detail too. Impressed. I shall look at some of them for my TBR pile. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteJane, thanks for stopping by and commenting. I hope you find something you enjoy!
DeleteSounds like an interesting month. And a split vote on book of the month! Some nice covers too.
ReplyDeleteMore enjoyed than not, which is always a positive.
Delete