When the Smoke Cleared a Murder Mystery in Malden by Bill Powers is an exciting and informative actual crime police procedural. Bill Powers was the lead investigator at the time, which gives him a particularly significant position to write about the case even though it’s been a good twenty years since the time of the crime. Bill walks us through the story of this investigation which begins as a fire investigation and quickly shifts into a murder investigation when one of the sniffing dogs alerts on to a possible scent of remains. As the investigation continues, the police finally learn that this fire was where a young girl was murdered, and from there, the search for her killer and to bring him to justice expands.

So I read and watch a lot of true crime stories. They have interested me since I was a child watching Unsolved Mysteries episodes in the 90s. However, I was particularly interested in reading When the Smoke Cleared by Bill Powers because I grew up in Massachusetts, not in Malden, where this story takes place, but about half an hour away in Lynn. So it was interesting to read about some locations I recalled seeing or being at. It was also stomach-churning to realize that the young girl who had been killed was only a couple of years older than me and stuck in a similar complicated parent-child relationship and DSS issues. With these things in mind When the Smoke Cleared may have proven a much more poignant read for me than others.

Bill Powers has given us a fantastic explanation of the court system, from the police gathering the needed information to the attorneys and other individuals helping to put the case together to a remarkably detailed description of the court process. We are all used to being given dramatized examples of these things—dramatic and short dramatizations of raised voices and death threats over concise explanations of the procedures. Bill Powers, however, has not shortened or dramatized any of the information. Instead, he has presented us with the necessary knowledge and how things are processed. When the Smoke Cleared is far from a dramatization, some parts of the book seem a bit dense, but this is not a novel. Instead, this is a procedural explaining a murder that happened to a real person by a real person.

If you enjoy learning about True Crime and the realistic process of catching and convicting a murderer, then When the Smoke Cleared is perfect.

If you are a bit more interested in Bill Powers I am happy to say I have a guest power from him which you can read below.

The Reborn Prince by Julianne Munich is an exciting historical fantasy novel and the first in the Mages in the Mundane series. It follows young Luc Bisset, formerly Prince Renaud d’Orleans, a bastard of a royal family who has had his memory magically wiped by his mother, attempting to protect and punish him for the attempted murder of his brother. Unfortunately, using magic to wipe one’s memory, more so on a human with no magical ability, is illegal, and the two end up hiding. His mother keeps them safe while he has no idea what is happening around him and continues to live as daily as possible.

One of the first things that struck me about this book was the beautiful world-building. Sure, the mundane aspects of this story take place in historical France, but the magical elements built into the fabric of the story are creative and well done. Munich’s color magical world is woven into the Parisian lifestyle, and the way the magically inclined hide their abilities from the average person is interesting to read about. The idea of mages having to conceal their magical powers from mundane people is certainly not new in the world of literature, but seeing new ways that authors come up with is always a fantastic thing to read.

Moving on from world-building, we have interesting characters. To start with the main character of Luc, for much of the book, I hated this man. I was quietly hoping something dreadful would happen to him, and when it finally did, I felt vindicated in my hopes. However, as the story progressed, I was satisfied with his character development. Another exciting aspect of this drastic character development came from the romance. Fitting for the setting, these fanciful courtships are sweet and quaint. Cute kisses and forest walks. Munich gives us an exciting affair that remains clean and sweet while still allowing you to feel the character’s passion for one another. While the aspects of the romance are easy to see coming from the introduction of the romantic partner, it is still satisfying to see it happen.

My only complaint about this book is the drastic cliffhanger it leaves us on. This is a good thing, as it means I will have to pick up the second novel in this series as soon as possible. I am looking forward to it. You should pick up this first book in the series and enjoy a new magical world.

Flock Without Birds by Filip Dousek is an interesting concept followed by an interesting concept. Admittedly, unless you are an academic, the idea of picking up a book about a data scientist or a mathematician sounds like a massive chore. A painful experience for any right-brain creative type. But that right there is sort of the plot of much of this book. A young man with a science-based mind doing his best to cope with being a young man and finding a life and study balance. It is a concept many of us have had to wrangle.

However, we are also presented with other philosophical ideas. Is God dead? Did he ever exist? Did science kill other gods as well? Are we all just worshiping the leftovers of some dead cult? None of this will be answered for you when you read this book. What this book will give you, however, is a thought-provoking adventure as you read the story from the narration of young Adam by his older self, complemented by data analysis and old-world minds.

I will not try to tell you this is the perfect book for everyone. But it is a delightful view into a talented writer’s mind and worth picking up.

So I wanted to apologize for the odd spam earlier. I was trying out a new website theme and it came with some pages I did not intend to use, including example blog posts that automatically posted to the site. I have since adjusted the issue and that kind of spam wont be happening again!

On the bright side, we do have a brand new website look however, that I am hoping many of you will find easy on the eyes when you read my reviews.

What do you get when you send a military starship and a religious prophet into the deformed space around a black hole? Well, first, do not worry, this is not a cheesy joke your great-uncle is telling at a family barbeque. The answer is Infernum by Jayson Adams. Now, despite the catchy and totally click-baity way I started this paragraph, you are probably looking for some kind of in-depth explanation. Well, I will not be giving you that. I will tell you that inside this deformed space, the crew of the Avenger finds death, suffering, and mutiny. For more, well, you will just have to read this fantastic sci-fi novel.

So now that I have teased you about the story, let me get down to the other bits you may be curious about before you pick up this book. This is a sci-fi novel, so even the hints of religious aspects have heavy science involvement. I know I always enjoy the taboo integration and religious and scientific aspects. Beyond the bit that struck my curiosity the most, I was pleased that each character has a realistic background and personality. Though I have one trigger warning for readers, if you have an issue with alcoholism, you should probably skip this one. For everyone else, you will enjoy this heavy sci-fi adventure.

Nothing good happens near a black hole, except reading this book which you can happily allow yourself to be sucked in to without fear of wasting time.