Paul Austin Ardoin's Blog, page 10
April 4, 2020
12 Shots
Dive into this anthology with 12 short thrillers from 12 different authors, each featuring the main character from a series.
It's the exclusive place to read the new Fenway Stevenson short story The Coroner and the Body in the Bath (read excerpt)
Other authors include my very own editor, Max Christian Hansen! Other authors include David DeLee, David Beckler, and Joseph Bendoski, who have all been featured in my newsletter.
Each pulse-pounding story features the author’s main characters. When you find one you love, there’s a series behind it, waiting for you.
So click my affiliate link below and discover your next favorite crime fiction series!
March 15, 2020
Women's History Month
In honor of Women's History Month, I've compiled a list of female authors I admire and some of their best books. Most aren't mysteries, but I hope you enjoy each and every one.
Siri Hustvedt
What I Loved, The Enchantment of Lily Dahl. I rarely give five stars on Goodreads, but What I Loved earned every one.
P.D. Workman
Her Zachary Goldman books, following a private investigator who's struggling with his mental demons, is excellent. Workman is a prolific author with several other series as well, including a medical thriller series.
Michelle Damiani
You may have seen the 5-star reviews I gave to her Umbrian dramatic novels, Santa Lucia and The Silent Madonna. I loved the magic and light themes in both books. Now, Damiani has released her third book in the series, The Stillness of Swallows. Like the first two, it's part mystery, part romance, part travel novel—and all delightful. Damiani writes about Italy, too, which has been hit especially hard in the last few weeks.
N.K. Jemisin
The Fifth Season. I just discovered this one—I don't read a lot of science fiction, but I'm glad a friend recommended it. If everything she writes is as good as the first half of The Fifth Season, N.K. Jemisin will officially make my list of favorite authors.
Jenny Lawson
This month has been epically challenging for many of my friends who suffer from anxiety and despression, and Read More
March 8, 2020
Exclusive Preview: The Courtroom Coroner, Chapter 1
Fenway Book 5, The Courtroom Coroner, is coming in April! For you loyal readers, here's a sneak peek of the first chapter. WARNING: spoilers of Book 4, The Incumbent Coroner, lie ahead—so if you haven't read Book 4 yet, get it now!
Copyright © 2020 Paul Austin Ardoin. All rights reserved.
Read MoreExclusive Preview: The Courtroom Coroner Chapter 1
February 11, 2020
Excerpt: The Coroner and the Body in the Bath
The "12 Shots" mystery anthology is now on pre-order, so here's a sneak peek of one of the scenes from the new Fenway Stevenson short story, "The Coroner and the Body in the Bath." The story takes place between books one and two. In this scene, Fenway interviews the victim's wife, who seems to be giving mixed signals. Is she just a grieving widow? Or is the woman scorned actually a murderer?
Read MoreJanuary 14, 2020
Review: The Winter Mystery by Faith Martin
The Winter Mystery (Jenny Starling Book 2)
By Faith Martin • ★★★★★
Meet Jenny Starling: travelling cook and reluctant amateur detective.
I love mysteries, and while cozies are often hit-or-miss for me, Martin's Jenny Starling's series is eminently readable. The Winter Mystery is one of the most satisfying cozies I've ever read: sharp dialogue, compelling situations, and a main character who I absolutely love spending time with.
This particular story is wonderful and the ending is deeply satisfying. I love a mystery where the clues are staring you in the face the entire time and you can't connect the dots until the sleuth connects them for you. When Faith Martin is on top of her game, her mysteries are as good as the best that Agatha Christie or Sue Grafton has to offer, and The Winter Mystery showcases Martin's talents brilliantly. Rooting for most of the characters in this book would be difficult, but Martin shows (almost) all the characters' hopes and dreams very well. Highly recommended!
Buy The Winter Mystery on Amazon, or read for free with Kindle Unlimited.
Read MoreJanuary 11, 2020
Slow Train by Jack Benton
Slow Train (The Slim Hardy Mystery Series Book 4)
By Jack Benton • ★★★★★
I received an early copy of Slow Train —and I loved it. It's another excellent Slim Hardy mystery.
Flush with an infusion of cash, Slim is back on the wagon and trying to take easy cases that keep his demons at bay. A missing woman from 1977 seems like a great choice—but uncovering all the creepy-crawlies that scurry out from under the rocks he overturns soon have him fighting to stay sober.
And yet, even with his struggles, Slim stays focused in spite of his revulsion to the case, and the unpleasantries it reveals. His dogged determination reminds me of Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone, and as in the other Slim Hardy books, it's the difference in how he succeeds where others have failed.
A large number of mysteries unfold at the end, each more startling than the next, and it's almost—but not quite—too fantastical. Again, like the other books, things are wrapped up quite neatly, and it makes for a satisfying read.My one complaint is that Slim's love interest—and he does, finally, get a love interest—is a bit TOO perfect. She's young (much younger than Slim) and pretty and, to be honest, I'm not quite sure why she's chosen him. I do like how she pushes against his faults. And the complaint isn't nearly enough to dock a star.
Read MoreDecember 16, 2019
Movie Review: Knives Out
★★★★ ½ (out of five stars)
Knives Out is one of the best murder mystery movies I've ever seen, certainly better than Kenneth Branagh's Murder on the Orient Express from a couple of years ago (which I also enjoyed).
Directed, written, and produced by Rian Johnson (Star Wars VIII: The Last Jedi), Knives Out features compelling characters and a great plot.
The eighty-five-year-old patriarch of a rich, spoiled family is dead. It looks like a suicide—and yet, renowned private detective Benoit Blanc believes there are pieces that don't fit.
From the first frames, the movie is gripping and a whole lot of fun. I loved the way the initial interviews were shown. Showing a main character who is physically unable to lie is a fantastic twist on the genre.
Ana De Armas is terrific as Marta, the patriarch's nurse, and is always believable. Daniel Craig has the mannerisms of the sleuth down, and you can see the gears turning in his head as he analyzes all the information in front of him. (I just wish his Cajun accent had been a little more on point—though maybe it's just because I'm so used to seeing him as James Bond.) Chris Evans, too, is solid as the arrogant grandson. Most of the other roles filled with terrific (often former A-list) actors who chew up their parts (which amount to expanded cameos—Jamie Lee Curtis, Don Johnson, and Riki Lindhome (of Garfunkel & Oates fame).
I really enjoyed the reveal of the crime: so often, murder mysteries have convoluted solutions, but this one was so breathtakingly simple I was hitting myself over the head wondering why I hadn't seen it myself—which, of course, is the hallmark of a great murder mystery.
If you're a fan of Fenway Stevenson (or of Agatha Christie or any of the recent Sherlock shows), you'll find Knives Out to be captivating and delightful.
Read MoreDecember 6, 2019
Another Fenway Story Coming Soon!
Keep your eyes peeled for a new Fenway Stevenson short story! It'll be in an anthology of mystery short stories by many different crime fiction writers—and it'll be released soon!
Set in the early summer between the first two novels, the short story follows Acting Coroner Fenway Stevenson as she investigates a suspicious death in Estancia with Sergeant Desirée Roubideaux.
The other stories vary widely: some of them are hardboiled, some of them are humorous—but they're all crime fiction. They take place all over the world: Thailand, the U.K., New Orleans, Florida—even 1950s Yugoslavia. From private investigators to police, from vigilantes to firefighters, each of the main characters anchors their own series. If you like one of the short stories, you may very well like the author's whole series!
I'm not at liberty to share the title, cover, or release date yet—only that it'll be available soon, and that I hope you enjoy the story upon its release!
Read MoreNovember 18, 2019
(not so) Secrets to Success
Last week, I attended the 20Books conference hosted by 20BooksTo50k, an organization that supports independent authorship. After speaking and listening to so many successful authors, my brain is practically exploding with ideas and inspiration. And while I know most of you aren't indie authors, there are several things I learned that apply to every industry, and every passion.
1) You have to start somewhere. One woman I ate lunch with was homeless when she started writing her paranormal romances four years ago. She just paid off her house and she’s going shopping for a Tesla next week.
2) Persistence is as good as opportunity. We all know of someone who got "their big break" on the road to success, but most stories are more about hard work despite many obstacles, not one giant windfall. Every successful writer mentioned setbacks and mistakes they made when starting out. But the thing they had in common was that they continued to write, to publish, to become better, and to learn from their experiences.
3) Find your community. Very few successful endeavors come to fruition in a vacuum. You need other like-minded people to cheer you on, inspire you, and commiserate with your setbacks.
4) Don't take yourself too seriously! See the picture below. You're doing something because you love it—don't sabotage your passion by making it work. Life is better with a sense of humor.
Keynote speaker Mark Dawson and 20Books co-founder Craig Martelle
in an inflatable T-rex costume. This is a very serious conference.
Although I’ve self-published five books, I still have a long way to go to be able to be a full-time writer. This is one of the most valuable conferences I’ve ever been to, and if becoming a writer is a goal of yours, I’d highly recommend joining their Facebook...Read More
