Author

Brian Kenney

Review

Suddenly

by Brian Kenney

Parisians Ludovic and Louise, each thirty-something, are enormous outdoor enthusiasts. Louise in particular is an avid mountain climber, and her passion for nature is part of what draws Ludovic to her. Ludovic is more the risk-taker and he convinces Louise to take a sabbatical, before they marry and have children, and sail around the world. After months of planning, they head off in their sailboat to the Cape of Good Hope. In the Antarctic Ocean, they make a stop at a deserted island. In fact, visitors aren’t allowed there at all, which makes their clandestine visit all the more exciting. But then, by immense misfortune, they become stranded on the island, a place never officially on their itinerary and that no one knows they planned to visit. Suddenly, everything changes, and they are forced to rely on each other in completely new ways while maintaining hope they’ll be rescued. Autissier is the first woman to have sailed around the world solo in competition, and her experience informs the narrative brilliantly. The suspense is rooted in her knowledge of nature, from the fierce storms that roll over the island to the lives of the penguins and seals that provide the couple with sustenance. Prepare to be thinking about this book for a long time. It’s that suspenseful, that emotionally engaging, that beautifully written and translated.

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Review

Vampires of El Norte

by Brian Kenney

It’s clear that Isabel Cañas wants all the genres—speculative, historical, horror, romance, mystery—and why not? She does such a magical job of blending them together, as this follow-up to the Gothic The Hacienda makes clear. Set during the Mexican-American War, known in Mexico as intervención estadounidense en México (United States intervention in Mexico), at its core this is a Romance. Nena, daughter of a Texas rancher, and Néstor, son of vaqueros, are young teens who’ve grown up together. During a late-night excursion on the ranch—in search of lost treasure—Nena is attacked by a beast that drains her of her blood. Feeling no pulse and assuming she’s dead, Néstor flees. But Nena survives, and years later, amid the war, they meet again. He’s a member of the calvary, she a curandera, or healer. Their reunion shocks them both, with Nena unleashing her anger at Néstor for abandoning her. But soon there are bigger issues at hand, including attacks from the Yanquis and bloodthirsty creatures lurking in the dark. Compelling, steamy, and with a wonderful perspective on the War, this unique tale is not to be missed.

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Review

My Murder

by Brian Kenney

Brilliant writing. Clever plotting. And a work of speculative fiction, set in a near-future world, that is totally fascinating. Lou is the fifth victim of a serial killer, leaving behind a lovely toddler and bereft husband. Until she—along with the other four victims—is brought back to life through a government program, the “replication committee,” that clones victims. Celebrities and women advocates, who took to the streets with a red gash painted across their necks—mimicking how the victims were murdered—drew attention to their plight. But understandably, adjustment to her old/new life isn’t easy, although a support group with the other women helps. Then Lou learns some things about her murder that raise some serious questions, making her wonder whom, if anyone, she can trust. Much of the beauty of this book lies in the details; Lou works as a touch therapist in a franchise in a strip mall, dispensing hugs to the emotionally needy. These sorts of facts build on each other slowly, creating a fascinating world, when all of a sudden the book takes several sharp turns that will leave the reader gasping. Addictive, fast, and smart.

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Article

by Brian Kenney

What’s firstCLUE?

firstCLUE is a free weekly newsletter that reviews crime fiction months ahead of the books’ publication. Subscribe here to receive the newsletter. Reviews are published on this website two weeks later.

Are our reviews too far in advance? Then look for a special issue, on the first Wednesday of every month, that provides reviews of those books that are publishing that month.

At firstCLUE, we only review books we love, or at least like a whole lot. The idea is to provide librarians, booksellers, and other readers with advance information on great reads.

We will soon launch a database that will allow you to search our 500-plus reviews.

Who are we? Two experienced editors/librarians with a passion for crime fiction but different reading preferences—so we cover a lot of ground, from cozies to espionage.

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Review

The Gulf

by Brian Kenney

Southern Gothic meets crime fiction in this beautiful, haunting tale set in the 1970s. Parson, Texas is a place to leave, not stay. But twenty-nine-year-old Lou keeps finding reasons to hang on, despite that Hurricane Celia destroyed much of the town; the Vietnam War is still consuming many of Parson’s youth, including Lou’s brother; and any work is scarce. But Lou keeps thinking about Miss Kate, her surrogate mother of sorts, whose murder Lou can’t shrug off, even if the rest of the town can. The situation grows more complicated when Joanna, Miss Kate’s daughter and Lou’s first, great love, arrives on the scene. Joanna made her escape years ago—off to a fancy college, then grad school—only to be tugged back to Parson on account of Miss Kate’s house, a huge and creepy mansion that’s tumbling down. Joanna hires Lou to help her renovate the structure, which slowly leads to revelations that help Lou in discovering Miss Kate’s murderer. Insights into Parson’s queer community, and the decisions they make to survive, are fascinating. If Carson McCullers were to write a mystery, this would be it.

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Review

Perfectly Nice Neighbors

by Brian Kenney

It’s the rare writer who can create an intense, well-paced thriller while taking on one of the greatest social issues of our time. And Kia Abdullah is one of those few writers. Salma Khatun, her husband Bil, and their teenage son, Zain, have just arrived at a new development in the London suburb of Blenheim. They’ve left behind the far more diverse and comfortable community of Seven Kings for fear that Zain may be getting in with the wrong crowd. Will it be a fresh start or a crash landing? Here’s the first clue: the next-door neighbor rips Zain’s Black Lives Matter poster out of the front garden, and when Salma puts it in the window, they paint over the window! Things escalate from there, but in a manner that is free of cliché and grows from the characters, who represent a range of opinions and emotions. In a nice aside, Zain and the boy next door, both budding programmers, manage to strike up a friendship that leads to the development of a software for use by those with hearing impairments. But the story doesn’t end there, and where it does lead us is shocking, tragic, and damning. One of the best books I’ve read this year; I can’t wait to discuss this with a book group

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Review

What the Neighbors Saw

by Brian Kenney

What’s the scariest place in crime fiction these days? Yes, that would be the suburbs. Alexis and Sam, her husband, buy a run-down house in a super-posh neighborhood in the DC suburbs. They love what the home could become, but for now it just feels like a bottomless money pit. Alexis is pregnant with the couple’s second child, and with little help from Sam—he’s trying for partnership at his law firm—motherhood is no picnic. To say the two grate on each other is an understatement. It doesn’t help that most people in the neighborhood assume that brown-skinned Alexis (she’s part Honduran) is one of the help. But the women in the neighborhood, chardonnay in hand, do try to make her feel welcome, while pumping her for gossip. When their neighbor Teddy is found dead by the nearby Potomac River—he was out for a run—everything takes on a sinister patina. In the ensuing weeks, Alexis grows close to Blair, Teddy’s widow, offering support while Blair fills her in on the lives of their neighbors. They’re a creepy crew if there ever was one, forever loitering in each other’s backyards, peeking into windows. Could Teddy’s death be linked to one of them? In the armful of suburban domestic thrillers publishing this summer, this debut—with its wild, super-spin of a plot, in which everything is turned upside down—is one not to miss.

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Review

Six Ostriches

by Brian Kenney

My favorite veterinarian/amateur detective is at it again. Winter is just winding down in rural Manitoba when Dr. Peter Bannerman is called to care for an ostrich who’s swallowed a bright and shiny object, which turns out to be an ancient Viking medallion—or at least a good facsimile. The object undergoes analysis as Peter investigates a horrifying series of animal mutilations, accompanied by his prize-sniffing dog, Pippin. In this book, Peter learns to keep his investigations quiet. His wife is concerned over his safety, and his Mountie brother-in-law is sick of what he brands as useless interference. But Peter can’t quit, he’s far too caught up in the tragic deaths of his patients. Described as having a mild case of Asperger’s, he brings to bear strong logical skills and the ability to see connections among the mutilations, the artifact, and the white-supremacist communities in Manitoba. A compelling read, a fascinating community, and a knock-out lead character. More, please.

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Review

Seams Deadly

by Brian Kenney

True confession: I can’t sew. Not to even to hem a pair of pants. But that hardly stopped me from enjoying Seams Deadly. After discovering her teaching assistant in bed with her boorish, snobbish husband—cheap, too, if he won’t rent a hotel room—middle-school teacher Lydia Barnes ups and moves from Atlanta to the mountain town of Peridot, Georgia. It’s very Mayberry RFD, with friendships and gossip galore. Lydia connects with her fellow sewists—in fact, she gets a job at the Measure Twice fabric store—and before you can say “zigzag stitch,” she’s set up on a date with her handsome neighbor and the town’s bookseller, Brandon Ivey. It’s one weird date, and Lydia’s comedic voice comes to the fore as she narrates the evening. But weird only gets weirder as later that night, she comes across Brandon dead as can be, with a pair of dress shears lodged deep into his neck. Ouch! Newcomer Lydia is the police’s number one suspect, and when another body is found, the cops are ready to lock her up. Lydia turns to the sewists to help get her out of this mess. If only it were that simple. Special mention goes to Baby Lobster, Lydia’s cat, for valor extraordinaire.

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Review

Between Two Strangers

by Brian Kenney

Kate White’s suspense novels always provide me with the perfect imaginary getaway—and Between Two Strangers does not disappoint. Struggling artist Skyler Moore gets summoned to a posh Scarsdale law firm on a matter of private business, only to discover that she’s to receive a large inheritance. We’re talking millions here (feel free to take ten minutes and imagine this happening to you). The catch? She has no idea who Christopher is, the guy who left her such a sum. Only after research and days of reflection does she realize he was a one-night stand from over a decade ago, when she was a grad student in Boston; she has had no contact with him since. It’s not surprising that Skyler suppressed memories of that evening as it was just a few days later that her younger sister, also a student in Boston, went missing. While being harassed by Christopher’s family, especially his wife, who’s convinced Christopher and Skyler were having an affair, Skyler has to keep it together for an important exhibit she has coming up…but can’t help being drawn back to that one fateful weekend. What was Christopher trying to tell her through the trust he left her?

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