Carl Brookins

Before he became a mystery writer and reviewer, Brookins was a counselor and faculty member at Metropolitan State University in Saint Paul, Minnesota. He has reviewed mystery fiction for the Saint Paul Pioneer Press and for Mystery Scene Magazine. His reviews now appear on his own web site, on more than a dozen blogs and on several Internet review sites, Brookins is an avid recreational sailor and has sailed in many locations across the world. He is a member of Sisters in Crime, and Private Eye Writers of America. He can frequently be found touring bookstores and libraries with his companions-in-crime, The Minnesota Crime Wave. He writes the sailing adventure series featuring Michael Tanner and Mary Whitney, the Sean Sean private investigator detective series, and the Jack Marston academic series. He lives with his wife Jean of many years, in Roseville, Minnesota.

Website: http://www.carlbrookins.com
Facebook: Facebook profile
Blog: http://agora2.blogspot.com

http://www.carlbrookins.com

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• Danger in Deer Ridge on Sep. 24, 2011
  
  I liked this novel a lot. Sure, there's a big fat coincidence early on, but these things happen in real life, so why not in our fiction as well. After enduring a really nasty abusive relationship with her husband for far too long, Elizabeth moves out with her son and goes deep underground. Readers will experience her terror at making a mistake and being found. And there's more at stake than "just" the lives of her son and herself. A nice job of building both a positive relationship and Elizabeth's growing apprehension as her husband draws closer.
  
• PUN-ishing Tales: The Stuff That Groans Are Made On on Nov. 09, 2011
  
  I don't do puns. I don't even like them all that much, especially when they appear in book titles. I was provoked, or challenged to read this one by the author. So I did. Have you read Aesop's Fables? This volume is sort of like that, although maybe without quite as much depth or significance. It's a group of short or very short stories, many involved with crimes, including the crime of punning. I laughed as some, groaned at others. There are good puns and not so good puns or plays on words here. It's fun and worth every penny.