"I think what a review should do above all, whether the reviewer likes the book or not, is to give some flavor of the book--not just a plot summary, but a suggestion of its essence... If you want to see a good example, look no further than Kevin Burton Smith's reviews... in Mystery Scene. And it's a nice bonus when the reviewer can turn a phrase the way he does. Too many fan reviewers just don't take the time to polish what they produce."
Enid Schantz
Rue Morgue
In reverse chrological order, this list covers book and film reviews.
Review of IQ by Joe Ide
Review of Catacombs of Terror! by Stanley Donwood
Review of Black Hills by Franklin Schneider and Jennifer Schneider
Review of End of Watch by Stephen King
Review of Charcoal Joe by Walter Mosley
Review of Willnot by James Sallis
Review of The Drowned Girl by Neil Jordan
Review of Floodgate by Johnny Shaw
Review of The Vinyl Detective by Andrew Carmel
Review of White Leopard by Laurent Guillaume
Review of Woman With a Blue Pencil by Gordon McAlpine
Review of Jack of Spades by Charles McCarry
Review of Dragon Day by Lisa Brackmann
Review of The Monet Murders by Terry Mort
Review of So Nude, So Dead by Ed McBain
Review of Unidentified Woman #15 by David Housewright
Review of Fast Shuffle by David Black
Review of Green Hell by Ken Bruen
Review of Jack of Spades by Joyce Carol Oates
Review of Someone is Watching by Joy Fielding
Review of Thieves Fall Out by Gore Vidal
Review of The Autumn Dead/The Night Remembers by Ed Gorman
Review of The Violent Century by Lavie Tidhar
Review of The Burning Gates by Bilal Parker
Review of Death in the Pines by Thom Hartmann
Review of Riders on the Storm by Ed Gorman
Review of In the Company of Sherlock Holmes, edited by Leonard Klinger and Laurie King
Review of Sweet Sunday by John Lawton
Review of Brainquake by Samuel Fuller
Review of The White Van by Patrick Hoffman
Review of Tunnel Vision by Aric Davis
Review of Black Rock by John McFetridge
Review of Third Rail by Rory Flynn
Review of Robert B. Parker's Cheap Shot by Ace Atkins
Review of Bred in the Bone by Christopher Brookmyre
Review of Don't Look for Me by Loren D. Estleman
I make the case for The Double by George Pelecanos, Hour of the Rat by Lisa Brackmann, Kinsey and Me by Sue Grafton and A Mysterious Something in the Light: The Life of Raymond Chandler byTom Williams.
Review of After I'm Gone by Laura Lippman
Review of Shovel Ready by Adam Sternbergh
Review of American Death Songs by Jordan Harper.
Review of The Creep by John Arcudi.
Review of The Double by George Pelecanos.
Review of Hour of the Rat by Lisa Brackman
Review of Kinsey and Me by Sue Grafton.
Review of Purgatory by Ken Bruen
Review of A Nasty Piece of Work by Robert Littell
Review of Inherit the Dead, edited by Jonathan Santlofer
Review of W is for Wasted by Sue Grafton
Review of A Tap on the Window by Linwood Barclay
Review of Others of My Kind by James Sallis. I called this one "powerful stuff." Sallis reciprocated by calling it a "kind and thoughtful review." and informed Kate Stine, my editor, that my review was "very much -- perhaps even lavishly -- appreciated."
Review of The Ides of April by Lindsey Davis
Review of Nemesis by Bill Pronzini
Review of The Trojan Colt by Mike Resnick
Review of Collecting Coopers by Paul Cleaves
Review of 13 Million Dollar Pop by Steve Ulfelder
Review of A Bad Night's Sleep by Michael Wiley
Review of The Fifth Witness by Michael Connelly
Review of Guy Langman, Crime Scene Procrastinator by Josh Berk
Review of Dance in the Dark by Terence Faherty
Review of Stolen Lives by Jassy Mackenzie
My review of the poetry collection, The Lineup 4, edited by Gerald So, Reed Farrel Coleman, Sarah Cortez and R. Narvaez. In free verse, no less! Pretentious? Moi?
Special to the Star by Richard J. Thomas
September-November 2005, The Rap Sheet
First Kill by Michael Kronenwetter
September-November 2005, The Rap Sheet
Death's Little Helpers by Peter Spiegelman
September-November 2005, The Rap Sheet
Two Guys, a Girl and a Pell-Mell Pace
September-November 2005, The Rap Sheet
Reviews of The Hardy Boys: The Ocean of Osiyra by Scott Lobdell and Lea Hernandez and Nancy Drew: The Demon of River Heights by Stefan Petrucha and Sho Murase
Easy Streets
Fall 2005, Mystery Scene #91
Review of Easy Streets by Bill James.
Killing Rain
Fall 2005, Mystery Scene #91
Review of Killing Rain by Barry Eisler.
Riding With the King
October 2005, January Magazine
Review of The Hot Kid by Elmore Leonard
Seeing Double
August 2005, January Magazine
Reviews of In a Teapot and The Confessions of Owen Keane by Terence Faherty
Joint review by Kevin Burton Smith and Cindy Chow
To the Power of Three by Laura Lippman
June 2005, The Rap Sheet
Busted Flush by Brad Smith
June 2005, The Rap Sheet
Dangerous Games by John Shannon
June 2005, The Rap Sheet
Legends by Robert Littell
June 2005, The Rap Sheet
Short But Savage
June 2005, January Magazine
Review of Transgressions, edited by Ed McBain
Controlled Burn
Spring 2005, Mystery Scene #89
Review of Controlled Burn: Stories of Prison, Crime and Men by Scott Wolven.
Ten Little New Yorkers
Spring 2005, Mystery Scene #89
Review of Ten Little New Yorkers by Kinky Friedman.
.
The Rosary Girls
Spring 2005, Mystery Scene #89
Review of The Rosary Girls by Richard Montanari.
.
What Goes Around, Comes Around
Spring 2005, Mystery Scene #89
Review of What Goes Around, Comes Around by Con Lehane.
.
Out
Spring 2005, Mystery Scene #89
Review of Out by Natsuo Kirino.
.
What Exhumes a Legend Most?
April 2005, January Magazine
Review of Digging James Dean by Robert Eversz and The James Deans by Reed Farrell Coleman
The Executioner's Game by Gary Hardwick
March-April 2005, The Rap Sheet
Controlled Burn by Scott Wolven
March-April 2005, The Rap Sheet
Dead Is Forever by David Cray
March-April 2005, The Rap Sheet
The Op Goes Continental
March 2005, January Magazine
Review of Cavalcade by Walter Satterthwait.
Angeltown
Winter 2004, Mystery Scene #88
Review of Angeltown by Gary Phillips and Shawn Martinbrough.
.
It's Hammett, Damn It!
February 2005, January Magazine
Review of Vintage Hammett by Dashiell Hammett. Part of January's "Let's Talk About the Black Bird," a 75th anniversary tribute to Dashiell Hammett and The Maltese Falcon.
Second Sight by William Tapply and Phillip R. Craig
January-February 2005, The Rap Sheet
The Man Who Tried to Get Away by Stephen R. Donaldson
January-February 2005, The Rap Sheet
Secret Dead Men by Duane Swierczynski
January-February 2005, The Rap Sheet
Northcoast Shakedown by.James W. Winter
January-February 2005, The Rap Sheet
Tonight I Said Goodbye by Michael Koryta
January-February 2005, The Rap Sheet
January Magazine's Best of 2004
December 2004, January Magazine
Including reviews of Double Play by Robert B. Parker , Hard Revolution by George Pelecanos, Little Scarlet by Walter Mosley and Nobody Runs Forever by Richard Stark.
The 2004 January Magazine Holiday Gift Guide: Crime Fiction
December 2004, January Magazine
Including my reviews of The Killing of the Tinkers by Ken Bruen, and Tonight I Said Goodbye
by Michael Koryta
Road to Purgatory
Holiday 2004, Mystery Scene #87
Review of Road to Purgatory by Max Allan Collins.
Nobody Runs Forever
Holiday 2004, Mystery Scene #87
Review of Nobody Runs Forever by Richard Stark.
Tonight I Said Goodbye
Holiday 2004, Mystery Scene #87
Review of Tonight I Said Goodbye by Michael Koryta.
Boyos
Holiday 2004, Mystery Scene #87
Review of Boyos by Richard Marinick.
The Fabulous Becker Boys
(Orig. title: Wish They All Could be California Girl)
November 2004, January Magazine
Review of California Girl by T. Jefferson Parker.
Other Voices
October-November 2004, The Rap Sheet
Reviews of Fade to Blonde by Max Phillips, Little Girl Lost by Richard Aleas and Gravedigger: The Scavengers by Christopher Mills and Rick Burchett.
Little Scarlet
Fall 2004, Mystery Scene #86
Review of Little Scarlet by Walter Mosley.
Other Voices
September 2004, The Rap Sheet
Reviews of Shark Tank by Tom O'Neill, The Mongol Reply by Benjamin M. Schutz and Pattaya 24/7 by Christopher G. Moore.
There's a Riot (or Two) Goin' On...
September 2004, January Magazine
Review of Little Scarlet by Walter Mosley.
Silver Screen Sports: Bend It Like Beckham
Valley Sports News & Review
Movie/DVD review.
Other Voices
July 2004, The Rap Sheet
Reviews of Terminal Island by John Shannon, By a Spider's Thread by Laura Lippman, Retro by Loren D. Estleman and Death Match by Lincoln Child.
Down Here
Summer 2004, Mystery Scene #85
Review of Down Here by Andrew Vachss.
Death Match
Summer 2004, Mystery Scene #85
Review of Death Match by Lincoln Child.
Terminal Island
Summer 2004, Mystery Scene #85
Review of Terminal Island by John Shannon.
Other Voices
June 2004, The Rap Sheet
Reviews of The Alias Man by Bill Pronzini, The Burglar on the Prowl by Lawrence Block, Primal Spillane by Mickey Spillane and Echo Bay by Richard Barre.
Silver Screen Sports: Miracle
June 2004, Valley Sports News & Review
Movie/DVD review.
Bicycle Love: Stories of Passion, Joy and Sweat
June 2004, Valley Sports News & Review
Book review of Bicycle Love, edited by Garth Batista.
Drop Dead, My Lovely
Spring 2004, Mystery Scene #84
Review of Drop Dead, My Lovely by Ellis Weiner
Sleeper: Out in the Cold
Spring 2004, Mystery Scene #84
Review of Sleeper: Out in the Cold by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips
It's All About Soul
April 2004, January Magazine
Review of Hard Revolution by George Pelecanos. see also my review of Hard Revolution: The Soundtrack to the Novel.
Tricks of the Light
April 2004, January Magazine
Review of Shadow Men by Jonathon King.
Other Voices
April 2004, The Rap Sheet
Reviews of The Troubleshooter by Austin S. Camacho, Cold Case by Robin Burcell and The Spy's Guide: Office Espionage by H. Keith Melton, Craig Piligian and Duane Swierczynski.
Bangers
Winter 2004, Mystery Scene #83
Review of Bangers by Gary Phillips
The Killing of the Tinkers
Winter 2004, Mystery Scene #83
Review of The Killing of the Tinkers by Ken Bruen
Other Voices
Febuary-March 2004, The Rap Sheet
Reviews of Weeping by Shelly Reuben, Breaking Up Is Hard to Do by Ed Gorman and Dead Man's Touch by Kit's Ehrman.
Good Thing We Didn't Step in It
February 2004, January Magazine
Review of Dark As Night by Mark T. Conard.
I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues
January 2004, January Magazine
Review of Tribeca Blues by Jim Fusilli.
Other Voices
January 2004, The Rap Sheet
Reviews of Fedora II edited by Michael Bracken and The Killing of the Tinkers by Ken Bruen.
January Magazine's Best of 2003
December 2003, January Magazine
Including reviews of City of Strangers by John Shannon, Dynamite Road by Andrew Klavan, Every Secret Thing by Laura Lippman and Tribeca Blues by Jim Fusilli
The 2003 January Magazine Holiday Gift Guide: Crime Fiction
December 2003, January Magazine
Including my reviews of Cold Pursuit by T. Jefferson Parker, and Hard Boiled Love edited by Kerry J. Schooley and Peter Sellers.
The 2003 January Magazine Holiday Gift Guide: Non-Fiction
December 2003, January Magazine
Including my Reviews of Ultimate Punishment : A Lawyer's Reflections on Capital Punishment by Scott Turow, and Death and Justice: An Exposé of Oklahoma's Death Row Machine by Mark Fuhrman.
Other Voices
November 2003, The Rap Sheet
Mini-review of Something Down There by Mickey Spillane
Have Nose Stud, Will Travel
October 2003, January Magazine
Review of Burning Garbo by Robert Everz
Every Secret Thing
Fall 2003, Mystery Scene #81
Mini-review of Every Secret Thing by Laura Lippman
Emerald in the Rough
October 2003, January Magazine
Review of Sayonaraville by Curt Colbert
Other Voices
September-October 2003, The Rap Sheet
Reviews of Velda by Ron Miller and Atomic Renaissance by Jeffrey Marks.
Review of Every Secret Thing by Laura Lippman.
Review of Director's Cut by Roger L. Simon. A few people, including the author, took exception to this review (Although I love the series in general. I was disappointed by this book), but several authors subsequently approached me about the possibility of me reviewing their books. Go figure...
Reviews of Underkill by Leonard Chang, The Repo by Bill Eidson and Dying Embers by Robert E. Bailey.
Reviews of Blood Is the Sky by Steve Hamilton, Hard-Boiled Love by Kerry Schooley and Peter Sellers, and the Moonstone Noir line of crime comics.
Review of Waiting for the Lady by Christopher G. Moore.
Reviews of Mystery: Best of 2002 by Jon Breen, One Last Hit by Nathan Walpow and City of Strangers by John Shannon.
Review of Cold Pursuit by T. Jefferson Parker.
Reviews of Small Town by Lawrence Block and The Republic of Night by Dominic Martell.
Review of The Bolshevik's Revenge by Allen Levine.
Mini-review of The Killing Kind by John Connolly.
Review of Dooley's Back by Sam Reave.
Mini-review of Hunter and Hunted by Fredric Brown.
Review of Rain Fall by Barry Eisler. The first time an actual author contacted me about a review. Although he obviously didn't agree with everything in my review (it was negative), Barry was polite and supportive and told me he had enjoyed it.
Review of Enough Rope by Lawrence Block. Fortunately, Larry Block got the joke. Unfortunately, not all his fans did.
Reviews of Without Fail by Lee Child and Games Dead People Play C.S. Thompson. My first appearance in the "Other Voices" section of The Rap Sheet, 's monthly crime fiction newsletter.
Review of The History of Mystery by Max Allan Collins. Like Blue Murder, HandHeld Crime was ahead of its time -- a professional market that offered downloadable crime fiction on the internet, and like Blue Murder, we'll miss it.
Review of Joker Poker by Richard Helms
Review of Darkest Fear by Harlan Coben.
Sidebar review of Outcast by José Latour, accompanying an author interview by my pal Peter Walker. My first overseas print publication.
Review of The Lost Coast by Roger L. Simon
Review of Demolition Angel by Robert Crais
Review of Lead, So I May Follow by Harold Adams.
Review of The Deader the Better by G.M. Ford
Joint review of Zen and the City of Angels by Elizabeth M. Cosn and Five Shots and a Funeral by Dashiell Loveless
Review of In Big Trouble by Laura Lippman. In this one I reveal my long-standing crush on The Divine Miss Monaghan.
Review of Nightmare Town by Dashiell Hammett
Review of Outcast by José Latour
Review of Shooting at Midnight by Greg Rucka. This is the one that led -- indirectly --to my "banning for life" from DorothyL. But I still say reviewers should actually read the damn books...
Review of Vengeance by Stuart Kaminsky
Review of California Fire and Life by Don Winslow
Review of City of Ice by John Farrow
Review of Hush Money by Robert B. Parker
Care to drop me a line? Go ahead, punk. Make my day.
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