Rob Cline doesn’t make it look easy yet, but that could be just around the corner for the Cedar Rapids author. Cline delivers an engaging yet inconsistent first novel in “Murder by the Slice” (CreateSpace, 302 pages, $11.99). The book displays considerable wit and charm in the form of lead character Paul Chambers, a philosophy [...]

It would be fair to wonder if Lawrence Block had run out of things to say about his fictional hit man Keller. In the last book to feature the antihero, 2008’s “Hit and Run,” Keller’s entire life had been upended in ways both positive and negative. It seemed possible that he might retire from the [...]

Heartwarming and humorous, this tribute to moms of the world gathers the best things anyone ever said about motherhood. From Dolly Parton to Dear Abby, women (and a few men) crack wise on the subject of the center of every family, Mommy dearest! “Mom’s the Word” by Allen Klein (Publishes June 6, Cleis Press, 224 [...]

Allow me to foreshadow the end of this assessment: I won’t be giving “Fifteen Digits” (Mulholland Books, 329 pages, $14.99) a rave review. Newly out in paperback, this thriller by Nick Santora — whose credits include writing for TV’s “The Sopranos” and “Prison Break” — almost lost me in the early going because of excessive [...]

In 1900, life expectancy in America was just 45 years old, thanks to poorly constructed buildings, unsafe working conditions, and no antibiotics. In a world like this, it didn’t seem unusual to Mary Mallon, a cook and the main character in Mary Beth Keane’s second novel “Fever,” that a number of her New York City [...]

There are many words that describe David Morrell’s latest novel, “Murder as a Fine Art.” Author Douglas Preston called it a “masterpiece.” “Brilliant” also comes to mind. I prefer to simply call it the best book Morrell has ever written. The best book I have ever read. Best known for his first novel — “First [...]

In “Nola: A Memoir of Faith, Art, and Madness,” Hemley is a detective seeking clues in texts. The mystery he is trying to solve is his family. Hemley is the director of the non-fiction Writing Program at the University of Iowa. A new edition of “Nola,” first published in the late 1990s, has been published [...]

The wonderfully gruesome fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm recently have enjoyed a resurgence, spurring a number of televisions shows and movies. While some depictions have stayed true to the original tales, others have transported the stories to modern settings, with mixed results. The young adult novel “Strands of Bronze and Gold” by Jane Nickerson [...]

If I told you that “A Questionable Shape” is the best book featuring the undead that I have read this year, you might have some questions of your own. Am I offering up a backhanded compliment? Do I, as a rule, like books featuring the undead? And just how many of that sort of book [...]

Extraordinary novels do more than tell a good story; they cross multiple orbits, discussing family, love, politics, money and art. What’s amazing about Robert Perisic’s “Our Man in Iraq” is that it does all of the above — while also being wickedly funny. It’s 2003 in Zagreb, Croatia, a country just beginning to stagger out [...]