REVIEWS FROM VIKKI WALTON

COLLARED         
L. A. KORNETSKY         
Gallery Books / Simon & Schuster Trade PBO 11/12

Virginia (Ginny) Mallard is waiting for a client to come through with a phone call and a contract. Ginny, a professional concierge, needs the work. She heads to the local bar where she can be assured that bartender Teddy Tonica will help make her day less stressful while she waits. But when the call isn't forthcoming, Ginny's ears perk up when she overhears a man at the bar complaining about needing some help. Ginny recognizes an opportunity so tells the man she can help him out. Before Ginny knows it she's looking for the man's uncle who has disappeared without a trace. Because the uncle took with him original signed papers that are important to closing some deals, "DubJay" tells Ginny he'll pay time and a half if she can find out where he is by Monday - three short days away. Reluctantly, but grateful for the money, Ginny accepts the job. However, as much as they spar verbally, Ginny knows she needs help to solve this disappearance quickly, so she challenges Teddy to help her. What Ginny doesn't know is that she also has a couple of other helpers as well - her Shar-Pei, Georgia, and the cat that hangs out at the bar, Mistress Penny-Drops. When Ginny receives a text that says "don't play pi" she realizes someone is telling her not to play private investigator. But who sent the text? And how did they find out she was looking into the uncle's disappearance? Will she find the uncle or will this be her final job? RECOMMENDED.

Vikki's review of
DYING IN THE WOOL by Frances Brody appears on the PAPERBACK PAGE .

THREE GRAVES FULL          
JAMIE MASON         
Gallery Books / Simon & Schuster   February, 2013

Jason Getty has killed a man. It's that simple. What isn't simple is the guilt and constant looking over his shoulder at being caught. Even worse, Jason has a constant reminder of the crime outside in his backyard. When Jason decides he will get some yard work done on the front yard, it appears someone else had also committed a murder and buried the body in the yard. Now, Jason realizes the police may send in cadaver dogs and find his victim. So in the heat of the moment and the dead of night, Jason starts digging. Unfortunately, he is not the only person trying to uncover tragic events. Before the night ends, there may be more graves dotting the landscape.

THREE GRAVES FULL is not your typical mystery - or even suspense fiction. However, it is worth discovering this new voice in the literary world. As this is Mason's "first" entry into the publishing world, I look forward to many more offerings from this author in the future. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

                                                                                                 - Vikki Walton

REUNION AT RED PAINT BAY         
GEORGE HARRAR          
Other Press Trade PBO 1/13
ISBN: 978-1-59051-545-7

Simon Howe is the editor and owner of the local paper in Red Paint, Maine. Life is blissfully the same day in and day out. That is, until Simon begins receiving post cards with cryptic messages. Unsure what to think of them, he begins to realize that the covers show the person sending them drawing closer to the town of Red Paint. When the stalker presents himself to Simon's wife, the threat becomes all too real. How will Simon deal with this threat and how will he respond to the accusations that may be the greatest threat of all?

While the story unfolds over time and the crux of the story deals with the difficult side of life from a different perspective, the ending feels somewhat unsatisfying.