Raquel V. Reyes's Blog
February 1, 2021
Something New
I have a new blog that is a joint venture with two other Florida cozy mystery writers. It is called Cozy Florida. Tara Lush, Cheryl Hollon and I will be posting every Monday, Wednesday, & Friday. We will occasionally have guest posts and contests and other fun stuff. I hope that you will visit it often.
My RVReyes blog (Aka Cozy in Miami) will still be available as there are over six years of posts, interviews, and book recommendations on it. But I will be concentrating on Cozy Florida for a wh...
September 6, 2020
HOLLY HERNANDEZ & THE DEATH OF DISCO
Holly Hernandez and the Death of Disco
By Richie Narvaez
Reviewed by Patricia Sargeant / Olivia Matthews
Holly Hernandez and the Death of Disco by Richie Narvaez is a fun teen murder mystery set in 1979 New York City. As someone who will forever have a soft spot for Donna Summer, The Commodores, The Pointer Sisters, and Earth, Wind, and Fire—to name just a few of my favs—the title alone was enough to attract me to this story. The smart plot, layered characters, and unique storytelling kept me ...
August 17, 2020
UNTAMED SHORE
Untamed Shore
By Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Reviewed by Andrea J. Johnson
Untamed Shore is Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s first thriller. Those words alone may lead you to expect a high-octane, supernatural pursuit full of pulse-pounding action. That is not the case. But mark my words readers will not be disappointed. There is intrigue and there is death, but the clue hunting, chases, and near-misses that normally go along with that unique pairing are replaced by lies, coverups, and double crosses. In other...
August 2, 2020
MEXICAN GOTHIC
Mexican Gothic
By Silvia Moreno-García
Review by Jessica Laine
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-García follows in the footsteps of literary greats Edgar Allan Poe, Mary Shelley, and Bram Stoker, but freshens up the gothic genre by imbuing her tale with a Latinx spin. The story begins when 1950’s Mexican socialite, Noemí Taboada, receives a rambling and disturbing note from her recently married cousin, Catalina. Worried about Catalina’s physical and mental health, Noemí’s father sends her to vis...
June 21, 2020
Category Five
Category Five
By Ann Dávila Cardinal
Review by Jennifer Winters
Category Five by Ann Dávila Cardinal is a follow-up to her YA novel, Five Midnights, and continues the supernatural sleuthing adventures of Lupe, Javier, and Marisol during Lupe’s first time back to the island after Hurricane Maria. Lupe finds not only the island ravaged by the storm, but soon discovers that people are being gruesomely murdered by (possibly) supernatural beings. She also faces a shift in the dynamics in her relatio...
June 7, 2020
Side Chick Nation
Side Chic
k Nation
by Aya de León
Reviewed by Michelle Corbier
Side Chick Nation, the fourth book in the Justice Hustlers series, transported me into the heart of Hurricane Maria, 2017’s vicious storm. This was my introduction to the series, however, the novel worked as a standalone.
The story opens with a captivating high stakes drama. After stealing money from her drug-dealer boyfriend, our protagonist, Dulce Garcia, must flee before he and his crew ‘deal with her’. As a story character, Dulce...
May 15, 2020
Dominicana
Dominicana
By Angie Cruz
Review by Jennifer J. Chow
Dominicana is a powerhouse of a novel. Its really rare to read an immigration story centered around the Dominican Republic, especially using the female perspective. Cruz does a stellar job of vividly painting authentic historical scenes, both of New York and the Dominican Republic in the 1960s. I especially liked how she wove in the rich fabric of significant events and people.
The story is told mainly from the perspective of Ana, and I...
May 1, 2020
Roachkiller & Other Stories
Roachkiller and Other Stories
By Richie Narvaez
Review by Delia C. Pitts
Maybe its the quarantine, maybe its the unbleachable gray skies, but this spring Im digging the short form noir. I crave stories that snap, delivering quick hard doses of grit. Ones with full-throated characters who never met a knitting needle, a kitten, or a cupcake-toting barista. Whatever the reason, Im reading loads of noir stories. And these in the re-issue of Roachkiller and Other Stories by Richie Narvaez are...
April 28, 2020
December 15, 2019
OjO-> Gigi Pandian
I’m giddy that Gigi Pandian is the author to close out this year’s interview series. Not only is she an Agatha award winning author and a master of locked-room mysteries, Gigi is a gem of a person. I mean a true diamond. I’m lucky to share a few things in common with her, Sisters in Crime, Crime Writers of Color, and being seduced into mysteries by Elizabeth Peters. (Vicky Bliss for her. Jacqueline Kirby for me.) I’m a better writer thanks to Gigi’s encouragement and example. I have no doubt...
