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Not once during two frantic calls to 911 did Michael Peterson mention the blood…and there was a lot of blood. During the early morning hours of December 9th, as Kathleen lay dying on the stairs, police and rescue personnel rush to the home on Cedar Street. Connecting the complex sequence of dots that convinced a jury of his peers that Michael Peterson was indeed guilty of murder would have been the easy part, because the evidence had been painstakingly detailed during the five month trial.

But, Diane Fanning takes the reader behind the carefully orchestrated performance in the court room and delivers the journey through the raw, unfiltered eyes of those who lived it. Detailing the crime scene, police procedure, the autopsy and the trial I fully expected, however, this book is chock-full of extras. Intimate conversations between Kathleen and her beloved sister, details concerning the exhumation and autopsy of Elizabeth Ratliff, the suspicious death of George Ratliff and much more. There’s also eight pages of photographs that give the reader a glimpse of the Peterson’s before, during and the aftermath is punctuated with a single photo of Kathleen’s headstone.

During the trial, the defense displayed an air of arrogance both in and outside the courtroom. And much to the chagrin of Peterson’s few remaining supporters, the author pulls no punches describing the showboating behavior of David Rudolf and Thomas Maher, the mysterious discovery of the missing blowpoke and the effect these antics had on the grieving families.

Superb, unflinching, emotionally gritty at times, Written in Blood is a stinging, in your face novel that paints a haunting picture of the madness that often lurks behind the gates of the nicest communities or in the home right next door. And reminds us all that the monster hiding in the shadows is easily recognized in hindsight…but, that’s too late!Although the last chapter of this story will be written by the North Carolina Supreme Court, Written In Blood is as complete a history of the Peterson saga as could possibly be written. If you enjoy reading a true crime novel that goes behind the scenes and beyond the glare of the cameras, Written In Blood does not disappoint!

Here are five more short stories of horror and intrigue by a writer who knows how to raise goose bumps on your flesh. In “Books of Blood Volume Two” Clive Barker proves he can tell a chilling tale. These stories don’t quite measure up to those in Volume One, but they’re still worth a read and fans will want them in their collections.

The first story is a sadistic piece called “Dread” about a college student trying to understand his own fears. Quaid experiments by torturing others but in the end his own fears come back to kill him.

“Hell’s Event” is the story of a race that takes place once every century in London – Satan’s minions against the human runners. Whoever wins gains control, but Satan doesn’t play fair.

In “Jacqueline Ess: Her Will and Testament” a woman recovers from a suicide and discovers she has a special ability. She can destroy people with her mind. After she accidentally kills her therapist, then not so accidentally her husband she starts losing control.

“The Skins of the Fathers” is a bizarre story about a race of creatures that have come to reclaim a child that was born through a mating with a human woman. The humans fight back intent on slaying the monsters and things turn deadly.

The last story is “New Murders in the Rue Morgue,” about a supposed descendant of M. Dupin, the character in Edgar Allan Poe’s classic story. In a strange experiment a gorilla has been trained to act human and commits murder.

Avid fans will not be disappointed. This is a decent collection that will entertain. This book can be found used online or as part of a collection.

Clive Barker’s Books of Blood Volumes One to Three
Publisher: Berkley (October 1998)
ISBN: 978-0425165584
Pages: 528
Price: $17.00

Not only is this a beautifully written book, but it also happens to be extremely well researched, which is an irresistible combination for any lover of historical fiction based on a fascinating series of crimes that actually took place in the 17th century. I am referring to this debut novel by Rebecca Stott which takes a modern day murder and develops the theme of it as being possibly related to the murders that took place at Trinity College, Cambridge, where, amongst others, Isaac Newton was studying and eventually became a Professor of Mathematics. But, whilst Newton was solving the problems of Gravity and discovering that light was made up of a spectrum of colours, had he in fact gained his fellowship due to another’s demise?

This mystery is narrated by Lydia Brooke and is aimed at her previous boyfriend Cameron Brown. The story opens in 2002 when a body is found floating in the river Cam. The body turns out to be that of Elizabeth Vogelsang, a Cambridge historian who has been studying the alchemy experiments of Newton and the way in which he was ostensibly tied into the alchemy groups of Europe as opposed to being the lone wolf as he was so often described. As Elizabeth Vogelsang happened to be the mother of Cameron, he asks Lydia to complete the final chapter of the book on which his mother had been working.

When Lydia moves into Elizabeth’s house and starts working in her study, strange things start to happen, which, thankfully, are not simply left as ghostly happenings by the writer but are more closely tied to the animal rights activists that are in and around Cambridge, and the activities of Cameron who is working in a laboratory for a large pharmaceutical company where he is testing a new neurological drug on rats, which is being developed for highly questionable purposes.

Once the work is well underway, Lydia cannot resist rekindling the romance with Cameron and there is a well drawn comparison between the two today sending text messages to each other as compared to the ways of communication in Newton’s time at the university. Clearly, Cameron’s work is meant to be a modern version of the discoveries of Isaac Newton, in the same way that the modern day murders reflect the five murders that took place in the 17th century.

I don’t want to take anything away from other mystery writers when I say that this is a scholarly work; but when you read it I am sure you will see what I mean, especially in regard to the research, and thereby the storyline that is so cleverly linked to the real historical situations.

A superb piece of historical fiction, beautifully written.

Agent Pendergast is at it again – solving a mystery that has everyone else stumped in the latest and fourth release from the writers Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. This time Pendergast is “on vacation” in a small town in Kansas, just the place where a murder victim has turned up. A serial killer emerges, but one that is unlike any other. Pendergast takes on an assistant in this fourth of the Pendergast series, a rebellious teenager named Corrie Swanson. Together they work with (and sometimes against) local law enforcement in attempt to stop the serial killer and save the small town.

Anyone who loves a good mystery will love Still Life with Crows! Many fans of the series agree that this latest is the best of the series thus far. Indeed, the writing style of Preston and Child has only improved as they continue to work together on mystery novels.

Agent Pendergast is always a favorite for Lincoln/Child fans, but a new favorite emerges in the side character of Corrie Swanson. The relationship between she and Pendergast is a touching one, and personally I hope they find a way to include her in future novels as they tend to do with side characters.

I also liked the supernatural feel to this mystery. Not only are the murders strange and unusual, with the killer leaving displays involving victims’ body parts, arrows and corn stalks as well as taking pieces of victims, but there is a unique history associated with the area, a ghost story involving a band of Indians called “The Curse of the Forty-Fives.” To find out what really happened, Agent Pendergast must explore using his own unique abilities.

Another aspect of Preston & Child novels that I particularly enjoy is the amount of research they conduct while writing and telling a story. The research is evident in how much information is relayed to the readers. For instance, in this novel, not only will you get a good mystery, but you’ll also learn about spelunking, tornadoes, and how a turkey processing plant works.

Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child have written a few very successful novels together. Fans tend to agree that separately the authors are average, but together they write exceptional mystery novels. I do hope they continue writing together, and I look forward to their next joint-release.

Though this book is considered part of a series (the fourth book), it is not necessary to read the others first. There is no order that must be followed with these novels. Still Life with Crows just happens to be the latest novel published. Enjoy them in any order!

Sin & Vengeance by C.J. West opens with a bang but the erotic threesome comes to an end when an uninvited guest is murdered.

Charlie Marston’s dreams of being a football hero were dashed when he was injured and forced to join the family winemaking business. He uses the house of an acquaintance to hide out whenever he feels the need to escape his father’s wrath. On this particular day he and his buddy Randy are using the place to meet with Deirdre who they contacted through an internet sex ad.

Unfortunately her husband comes looking for her and interrupts their ménage a trois. Henri is killed and in the ensuing chaos Charlie and Randy find a large amount of money hidden in the wall of the farmhouse they’re “borrowing.” Henri is creatively disposed of and Charlie, Randy and Deirdre split the money. The repercussions will change their lives forever.

Evidently there are hidden codes in the text of Sin and Vengeance, but I was much too engrossed in the story to try and decipher them. The book has everything I like in a good thriller, sex, violence, mystery and a plot that moves along at a good pace. The canvas is large. It takes you from the wine country of France to the United States and makes an interesting backdrop to this unpredictable tale.

Well developed characters make the plot that much more interesting. All their imperfections and flaws make them so realistic they fairly leap off the page. I especially enjoyed the down right nasty Randy. And the numerous plot twists and turns make Sin and Vengeance a white-knuckle ride and a delicious page-turner.

Publisher: 22 West Books (October 20, 2005)

ISBN-13: 978-0976778806 Pages: 368 Price: $14.95