Showing posts with label Book Reviews. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Book Reviews. Show all posts

Thursday, June 12, 2025

Mystery Review Spotlight: Freedom Drop by Brian Silverman

I love mysteries and crime thrillers! Today, I have a mystery with a Caribbean setting that is perfect for your summer reading list! Learn about Freedom Drop and Brian Silverman, read my thoughts on the book and be sure to come back tomorrow as I continue reviewing the second book in the Len Buonfiglio series!

FREEDOM DROP by Brian Silverman Banner

Len Buonfiglio Caribbean Mystery Series

FREEDOM DROP

by Brian Silverman

May 19 - June 27, 2025 Virtual Book Tour

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About the Book
 

FREEDOM DROP by Brian Silverman

A Len Buonfiglio/St. Pierre Caribbean Mystery

Len Buonfiglio is a former New York bar owner and family man. He has the perfect life until he yearns for more—for something he knows will destroy everything he had, but something he can’t resist. He makes his choice and that, along with a traumatic event, shatters his world. His life and what he had now broken, his only choice is to leave the city and his family. His flight takes him to the remote Caribbean island of St. Pierre where he opens a sports bar that he runs with his friend and partner, a young local islander named Tubby Levett.

In Freedom Drop, a genial tour guide, Rawle “Big Tree” Johns is a suspect in an American woman’s fall from a cliff and held in custody. John’s mother enlists Buonfiglio to help free her son and to prove that he had nothing to do with the woman’s death. Conflicted by the need to spend time with his sixteen-year-old daughter who he hasn’t seen in two years, Mr. Len as he’s known on the island, reluctantly agrees to help.

Buonfiglio’s search for the truth reveals that there are other, much more powerful forces involved in the woman’s death that threaten both his life and his family. In the course of his investigation, he confronts a high-ranking island politician, the local superintendent of police, the dead girl’s mother, and, ultimately, a shady yet powerful outsider investor. Was the girl’s death an accident or did Johns cause that accident? Or was she murdered? The lack of clarity—the mystery of what really happened to the girl—he realizes, reflects the enigma that is St. Pierre. It’s a riddle that, despite living on the island for several years, he still cannot solve.

Genre: Mystery
Published by: April 7, 2025 by Down & Out Books

 

My Review

 

Expect an Engaging Mystery. This was a great first book to the Len Buonfiglio/Caribbean mystery series. Readers will be immediately pulled into Len's life in St. Pierre and the island mystery that he is drawn into. The mystery itself is interesting, with enough action and thrills to hold your attention from beginning to end. I think a larger part of the mystery is Len himself! While we get to know Len in stages, we don't know all there is to know about him and his past. While the main mystery of the novel is resolved, you will definitely want to read more books to try to piece together some of the character's missing pieces or secrets!

Freedom Drop Blends Drama and Mystery Well. The author does a great job keeping his characters real and even relatable. Len's family dramas are not brushed aside in light of the crime drama that unfolds--nor are the sleuthing adventures overly done or unrealistic. The characters feel real, and the novel blends the various aspects of Len's life into a believable, entertaining storyline. 

Would I Recommend Freedom Drop by Brian Silverman? I enjoyed Len's character and following along with this first adventure. I enjoyed the author's writing style, realistic characters, vivid settings and the well-written mystery plot. If you enjoy tough, strong characters who jump in to find the truth--the author sets Len up well to fill this role in this novel and in future ones. I look forward to reading more from this series and the author--and seeing what other "mysteries" surround the main character. 

Praise for FREEDOM DROP:

"An impressive debut…Silverman capably captures the feel of his setting en route to a satisfying conclusion. A sequel is warranted."
~ Publishers Weekly

"Silverman had me at the Caribbean setting, and held me with his fully human characters—of both good and bad natures—and their situation."
~ SJ Rozan, Edgar-winning author of The Murder of Mr. Ma

"A mystery steeped in authentic Caribbean atmosphere. Silverman knows his territory, as does his hero, an ex-Marine-turned-sleuth who discovers that, even in paradise, things aren’t always what they seem."
~ Wallace Stroby, author of Heaven’s a Lie and Some Die Nameless

"A buddy book, a whodunit, and a family drama, Freedom Drop is mystery magic."
~ Reed Farrel Coleman, author of Sleepless City

"Brian Silverman’s Freedom Drop is an exciting and welcome new addition to the crime writing pantheon." ~ S.A. Cosby, author of Razorblade Tears and All the Sinners Bleed

 

 Buy the Book

 Amazon | Goodreads

 

Meet the Author

Brian Silverman

Brian Silverman’s writing career has spanned over 30 years. He has written about travel, food, and sports for publications including the New York Times, Saveur, Caribbean Travel and Life, Islands, the New Yorker, New York, and others. From 2004 through 2013, he was the author of the annual Frommer’s New York City guidebook series. He co-authored the acclaimed Twentieth Century Treasury of Sports with his father, Al Silverman.

His short fiction has appeared in numerous publications, including Mystery Tribune, Down and Out Magazine, and Mystery Weekly. His stories have been selected to appear in The Best American Mystery Stories in 2018 and 2019, and The Best American Mystery and Suspense Stories 2021. His other short fiction has appeared in publications such as Down and Out Magazine, Mystery Magazine, Dark Waters, and Vautrin. Freedom Drop is his first published novel. He lives in Harlem, New York, with his wife, Heather, and his sons, Louis and Russell.

 

Connect with the Author

www.BrianSilvermanWrites.com
Goodreads
BookBub
X - @BSsilverman

 

 

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Tuesday, June 3, 2025

Literary Fiction Review: Renewals by Gregory F. DeLaurier

Today, I have a crime thriller to share in our book review spotlight. Crime thrillers and suspense novels always find their way onto my reading list. Recently, I had the opportunity to read and review Renewals by Gregory F. DeLaurier. Learn about the novel and author, read my thoughts on the book and be sure to enter for a chance to win a prize in the book tour giveaway at the end of this post.


 

Book Title:  RENEWALS by Gregory F. DeLaurier
Category:  Adult Fiction (18+), 276 pages
Genre:  literary fiction, amateur sleuths
Publisher:  Independently published/Gregory F. DeLaurier
Release date:   February 2025
Content Rating:  R. My book is rated R for one attempted child sexual abuse, not explicit. There is bad language throughout. 
 

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About the Book

When academic Richard returns to his hometown he discovers a scam that has ruined the city, he must unite his friends and family to uncover the truth, but this pits him against the scam’s architect, aging but violent drug kingpin Giacomo Duchamps, who could destroy everyone Richard loves should he fail.

Renewals captures the nature of a hardscrabble small town and those who live and struggle there, in this pitch perfect tale of corruption and renewal. It is the story of the renewal of a city but also the renewal of the lives of those who are lost or oppressed; a young woman trapped in sexual abuse and exploitation, a young ex-con searching for a better life, and others.
 
My Review
 
Expect a Fast-Paced Novel with Believable Twists, Turns and Tension. This novel creates a very believable storyline, with realistic plot twists and believable dialogue and scenes. I love reading a fictional novel that feels real enough that I find myself wondering if it's based on true events. This novel holds all of the corruption, greed and suspense of a mob thriller but does so in a real-world way that pulls average readers into the lives of those affected as the scenes unfold. 
Renewals Offers the Perfect Cast of Characters. While there are no perfect characters in the book, there are plenty of memorable characters that will hold your interest from the beginning to beyond the last page. I enjoyed the humor, the conversations, the twists and turns, and the relationships presented in the book. While the novel is well-written and reaches satisfying conclusions, you can expect to be sad to leave the characters behind as you reach the end. 
 Would I Recommend Renewals by Gregory F. DeLaurier? If you enjoy crime fiction with realistic amateur sleuths and a perfectly imperfect cast of characters--this novel is a well-done, quick read that will hold your interest from beginning to end. 
 
Buy the Book 
Amazon
add to Goodreads
 
Meet the Author 
​Gregory F. DeLaurier is a retired university professor who has returned to his first love, fiction writing. He lives in Melrose MA, and has a daughter in her 40s who lives in Brooklyn and a 21 year old son attending Berklee College of Music. His fiction and non-fiction are widely available.

connect with the author:  facebook ~ goodreads
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Thursday, May 29, 2025

Thriller Book Review Feature: The Perfect Mother by Desiree Moodie

I love thrillers and books that promise to expose "secrets" of the past. Today, I have a thriller to share that does just that. Learn about The Perfect Mother and author Desiree Moodie, read my thoughts on the book and be sure to enter for a chance to win a prize in the book tour giveaway at the end of this post.


 

Book Title:  THE PERFECT MOTHER by Desiree Moodie
Category: Adult Fiction (18 +), 
Genre: Thriller
Publisher:  Twisted Thoughts Publishing
Release date:  May 2025
Content Rating: PG-13 + M: The book has a few "f" words, one or two religious profanities and a few crude terms. There is no sex, but there is violence. Mature themes include pregnancy loss.




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About the Book


The perfect neighborhood. The perfect family. The perfect crime.
 

When Dawn Harrington moves to the quiet, picturesque town of Meadowbrook, she’s hoping for a fresh start. A place where no one knows her name. Where she can leave behind the whispers, the heartbreak, the gaping hole left by the son who vanished from a park nearly twenty years ago. But secrets have a way of following you.
 

A few blocks over, Evelyn Harper has spent years crafting the perfect life—an adoring husband, beautiful children, a home straight out of a magazine. But when she sees Dawn standing in her driveway, Evelyn feels the first stirrings of something she hasn’t felt in years.
 

Fear.
 

Because Dawn isn’t just any new neighbor. She’s a woman with a past. A past that collides violently with Evelyn’s own. 
 

At first, Dawn and Evelyn circle each other warily—neighborly smiles masking something far more sinister. But as Dawn starts asking questions and Evelyn begins watching her every move, the game between them becomes something far more treacherous.
 

As their carefully built lives begin to crumble, one of them will stop at nothing to uncover the truth.
 

The other will stop at nothing to keep it buried.
 

Because some lies can be forgiven. Others demand blood.
 

The Perfect Mother is a spellbinding psychological thriller about deception, obsession, and how far a mother will go for the truth. Perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell, Gillian Flynn, and Shari Lapena, this is one twisted suburban nightmare you won’t soon forget.​
 
 
My Review


The Perfect Mother Brings Some Twists and Turns to the Expected Storyline. While Evelyn's secret is easy enough to figure out pretty early on, the author still manages to weave some twists and turns throughout the story to keep it interesting and engaging. It did take a few chapters for me to fall into sync with the flow of the story and the shifts between time periods and points of view, but I enjoyed watching the full story unfold.

Don't Expect to Love the Characters. I didn't find myself connecting well with any of the characters in the book, but they were fairly well-developed and complex enough to keep me interested in the outcomes. While the shifts in the points of view throughout the novel helped tell the stories of both women, there were times that the voices were very similar, and this made some sections seem a little confusing or feel overly long. 

Would I Recommend The Perfect Mother by Desiree Moodie? If you are looking for an exciting page-turner--this isn't that type of psychological thriller. If you enjoy dramas that look at the impacts of events and trauma on lives, this is an interesting story. I didn't love the ending as presented in the novel and preferred the "alternate ending" provided, so be sure to read both endings! Overall, I enjoyed the book (especially with the alternate ending) and would read other books from the author. 
 

Buy the Book
 
 
 
Meet the Author


Desiree Moodie has been writing since before she could talk — seriously. As a kid, she spent weekends scribbling on notebook paper and stapling the pages together into makeshift books.

Now, she crafts dark, twisty stories featuring morally complex characters and impossible-to-put-down plots. Her writing is influenced by her travels, old-school noir films, and pro-wrestling (yes, still). She loves difficult women, villains who might just have a point, and snappy dialogue.

When she's not writing, Desiree is watching reruns of Perry Mason, working on her Lauren Bacall impression, or pulling Tarot cards. She’s got a soft spot for readers who love clever, gritty stories with a little bite — so don’t be shy. Drop her a line (just not in all caps).

connect with the author:  
website  ~  X/twitter  ~  facebook ~ instagram ~ pinterest ~ goodreads ~ bookbub
 
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Tuesday, May 27, 2025

Young Adult Fantasy Book Review Feature: The Web of Time by Flavia Brunetti

Today, I have a young adult novel with a magical realism theme to share! I enjoy reading young adult books--especially those with unique concepts. Learn about The Web of Time and author Flavia Brunetti, read my thoughts on the book and be sure to enter for a chance to win a prize in the book tour giveaway at the end of this post.


 


​Book Title:  THE WEB OF TIME by Flavia Brunetti
Category:  YA Fiction (Ages 13-17),  298 pages
Genre: Grounded Fantasy
Publisher: Blue House Literary
Release date:  May 2025
Content Rating: G + M: While this is fully G, it does touch on matters including physical abuse and trauma. This is done in a very gentle way, but perhaps worth noting.

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About the Book


Far beneath the ground, a web quietly spins. The threads are keeping time, marking history. What’s done is done. Until now.

Protected by the gods and powering the three Great Portals of Art, Language, and Kindness, The Web of Time rearranges itself as humans change their minds, fall in love, or cause empires to rise and fall. When the Great Portals close from the world, time begins erasing itself, histories start to disappear, Earth falls into chaos, and the gods don’t know how to stop it—until Jack meets Anna. 
 
Anna is a passionate and solitary writer who is protected by her companion, Nafusa of Libya, the cat god. When Jack, a young painter harboring a traumatic past, falls through the Great Portal of Art in Tunis, he stumbles into Anna, and his fate. 

Helped and hindered by a rotating cast of deities, the two embark on a journey that connects three ancient cities in different times: Rome, Tunis, and Tripoli. They realize that it is Anna’s gift for healing words and Jack’s natural talent for drawing places as they were that can reinstate the Great Portals and restore the world’s balance, but some of the darker gods who thrive on chaos will stop at nothing to derail their quest. As time tears faster than they can heal it, Anna and Jack must come together in time to save history, and the possibility of a future.
 
My Review
 
The Web of Time is a Unique Young Adult Fantasy. I really enjoyed the blend of history, fantasy and magical realism throughout this book. The storyline has a mythology element and a "save the world" style theme that still blends realistically with the teen characters' stories and abilities. The book is a clean read with characters that readers will enjoy growing with throughout the book.
The Writing Style May Require Some Focus. While the book is well-written and engaging, the back-and -forth movement between times, places and points of view is sometimes difficult to follow. It doesn't make the book too difficult to read, but there were times when I found myself initially a little confused during transitions. The book has wonderful characters and a unique storyline that will pull you in and keep your interest--but, I wasn't always immediately "on the same page" as the author during some of the shifts and would need to re-read a section.
Would I Recommend The Web of Time by Flavia Brunetti?  I enjoyed the characters, the settings and the magical realism presented in the storyline. I did sometimes need to re-read a paragraph or two if I found myself in a different time or point of view during a chapter--but this didn't greatly affect the story flow. If you enjoy mythology and realistic, clean teen fantasy that is presented in a unique style, this story is an interesting one for your reading list. 
 
Buy the Book 
Web of Time
Amazon ~ B&N
​add to goodreads
 
Meet the Author

Born just outside of Rome, Flavia grew up bouncing back and forth between Italy and California and has lived between a myriad other countries, so her writing often revolves around place and identity and is usually written on a plane where she inevitably apologizes to the person sitting next to her for bumping their elbow. She is the author of the novel All the Way to Italy. Her second novel, The Web of Time, a YA grounded fantasy adventure set in Rome, Tunis, and Tripoli, will be published by Blue House Literary in May 2025.

Today, Flavia continues learning about the world while working for a humanitarian organization and getting lost in her Eternal City, writing flash fiction and non-fiction stories, and connecting with other readers, writers, and adventurers (also the armchair travel variety).

connect with the author: website ~ X ~ facebook ~ instagram ~ goodreads
 
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Monday, May 12, 2025

True Crime Travel Guide Review: Vacations Can Be Murder by Dawn M. Barclay

This morning, I have a nonfiction book to share that combines two of my favorite things: true crime and travel. Learn about Vacations Can Be Murder, learn about author Dawn M. Barclay and read my thoughts on the book! Be sure to enter for a chance to win a prize in the book tour giveaway at the end of this post.

 


 
Vacations Can Be Murder
 
As Close as You Can Get to True Crime While Still Breathing!

 

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About the Book   
 
 
 
For the true crime lover—finally, a travel guide from an award-winning travel journalist and suspense author that gives you the down and dirty on exactly where the major crimes occurred, and where the bodies are buried. For aficionados of paranormal, prison, and tombstone travel, there’s a goldmine of tourism suggestions for you here as well.
 

Along with summaries of the major crimes committed in New England, you’ll discover where to find the best crime and ghost tours; which hotels and restaurants are former jails, courthouses, or harbor paranormal activity; where infamous criminals are/were jailed, and which venues and attractions might feed your fancy for murder and justice. Reading lists in each chapter will guide you to books expounding on the crimes discussed.. Best of all, suggested itineraries bring all the pieces together to help you traverse New England’s criminal landscape in an organized and entertaining way. Up for a true crime road trip? Let Vacations Can Be Murder be your ultimate travel guide.

 

My Review


Vacations Can Be Murder is Perfect for True Crime/History Lovers Interested in Travel to New England. The author packs so much information into the pages of this book but presents it in a way that is very well-organized and easy to read. Covering local, obscure crimes, hauntings and notable locations to more well-known spots and events, the author includes many options for many interests. 

 

Readers Can Explore Beyond the Pages of the Book. The author provides additional books and resources for the user to use to continue to explore the places, crimes and events presented in the book--and also adds a travel itinerary to help the user explore the features of the book on a real-life road trip. The book is very well-researched and offers the reader a perfect opportunity to explore crime in a unique way.

 

Would I Recommend Vacations Can Be Murder by Dawn M. Barclay? I loved the format and style of this book. The author presents so many details to readers--and gives a very well-organized itinerary to help readers put the book to use through real-world travel and exploration. This is the first book in the author's series, and I will definitely look for other books from the series to explore other areas. This is the perfect gift for a true crime lover who also loves to explore and engage with locations related to the crimes and criminals.

 

Praise for Vacations Can Be Murder:

"The perfect reference book for the U. S. crime traveler. Barclay rounds up a collection of known and obscure crimes, arranged by geographic area, that features museums, cemeteries, hotels, prisons, and private properties. She even offers itineraries, murder tours, a location-specific list of true-crime books, victim resources, and some ghost stories. This travel guide is a gem. Be packed and ready before you start reading because you’ll want to go explore."
~ Katherine Ramsland, author of Darkest Waters, The Nutcracker Investigations, and How to Catch a Killer

 

Watch the Trailer  

 

Buy the Book    

Book Links: Amazon | Goodreads

 Read an Excerpt from the Book   :

This is from the Crime Summaries section of the Connecticut chapter. The actual addresses of these crimes are all included in the Itineraries section of the chapter.

Hartford may be considered one of Connecticut’s most dangerous cities, but its suburbs have seen their fair share of crime over the years.

The Hartford Witch Trials occurred between 1647-1663. In all of Connecticut, there were 43 trials and 16 executions, many in Hartford and three in Wethersfield. On May 26, 1647, Alice (Alse) Young of Windsor was the first to be executed. Servant girl Mary Johnson was the first to confess to witchcraft in Connecticut but was likely coerced by extensive torture. She was executed somewhere between 1648-1650 (reports vary).

In 1839, The Amistad criminal and civil cases were tried at Old Statehouse in Hartford. The case revolved around a mutiny by, and subsequent charging of, 53 Mende African men, women, and children who had been captured and were being transported between Sierra Leone and Havana, Cuba aboard the ship to serve as slaves. The story was the subject of the Steven Spielberg film, Amistad. Several other Connecticut locations connected to the trial can be found at https://www.nps.gov/subjects/travelamistad/visit.htm.

Joseph “Mad Dog” Taborsky was a murderer sentenced to death after a string of brutal robberies and murders in Hartford and West Hartford in the 1950s. He was sentenced twice to be executed for two different crimes, but the first conviction was overturned due to the mental competency of a witness, his brother Albert, testifying against him. (Albert was later declared insane.) In December 1956, a little over a year after his release from prison, Taborsky launched a 14-month murder spree that killed gas station attendant Edward Kurpewski and customer Daniel Janowski, package store owner Samuel Cohn, shoe store customers Bernard and Ruth Speyer, and pharmacy owner John M. “Jack” Rosenthal. The second conviction stuck, and he died in the electric chair in 1960, the last execution in Connecticut until that of Michael Bruce Ross in 2005.

In 2004, Matthew Steven Johnson was convicted of the 2000 and 2001 slayings of three female sex workers he murdered—Rosali Jimenez (33), Aida Quinones (33), and Alesia Ford (37)—who were all found dead in the Asylum Hill neighborhood of Hartford. Each of the women had drugs in their system and were found with their bodies stomped upon, strewn with Johnson’s semen, and with their pants pulled down around one leg. Johnson was found guilty and sentenced to three consecutive 60-year sentences at the Cheshire Correctional Institution.

Lazale Ashby became one of the youngest prisoners on Connecticut’s death row for kidnapping, raping, burglarizing, and murdering his neighbor Elizabeth Garcia in 2002, when he was just 18. He was suspected of another Hartford rape, as well.

Ashby has actually been tried and sentenced three times for Garcia’s murder, the final time in 2023, when he confessed to the crime. Now that Connecticut has abolished the death penalty, he’s been sentenced to 46.5 years in prison. In addition, he was convicted and received a 25-year sentence for the 2003 fatal shooting of 22-year-old Nahshon Cohen of Manchester, whose body was found on a street in the city’s North End.

Speaking of Manchester, in August of 2010, the city became the location of a mass shooting at a beer distribution company, Hartford Distributors. Disgruntled former employee Omar Thorton, forced to resign after video evidence revealed he’d been stealing and reselling the company’s beer, fatally shot eight coworkers and injured two others. He then committed suicide on site. Those who knew him cited racism as the reason for his upset, but these allegations were disputed by the firm and not substantiated by the investigation that followed.

William Devin Howell’s rape and murder spree, which started on New Year’s Day in 2003, took place in Seymour, West Hartford, and Wethersfield, as well as New Britain. Triggered by a fight with his girlfriend, Howell succumbed to years-long rape fantasies, Referring to himself as the “Sick Ripper,” he would lure female drug addicts, unlikely to be missed, into his “murder mobile.” There, he would rape them, often videotaping bizarre sex acts, before murdering them and disposing of the bodies in a seldom frequented area behind a strip mall in New Britain which he called his “garden.” He was arrested in North Carolina and plea-bargained his way into a fifteen-year sentence for the manslaughter of Mary Jane Menard. However, new evidence that surfaced while he was already in jail earned him six consecutive life sentences (360 years in prison) to be spent at the Cheshire Correctional Institution.

In 1986 at the Jamaican Progressive League, a club in Hartford’s North End, Bonnie Foreshaw stopped to get a beer and ended up committing a murder that bought her the longest jail sentence ever handed down to a woman in the state. Having endured a lifetime of sexual and spousal abuse, when Hector Freeman offered to buy her a drink and wouldn’t let up when she turned him down, the encounter triggered her. She drew her handgun to fire a warning shot, but Freeman protected himself by using a pregnant woman, Joyce Amos, as a human shield. Foreshaw’s bullet killed her accidently.

Foreshaw spent the majority of her jail time at the York Correctional Institution in Niantic where author Wally Lamb taught a writing class for prisoners. Lamb took up her cause, believing she’d been over-sentenced, and thanks to his help, Foreshaw was granted clemency after serving just 27 years of a 49-year sentence. Once released, she changed her name to Bonnie Jean Cook and helped other ex-convicts adjust to life on the outside until her death in 2022.

All of these murders pale in comparison to the crimes of Amy Archer-Gilligan. While she was charged with five deaths (though only tried for one), she may have killed as many as one hundred. Archer-Gilligan ran the Archer Home for Elderly People and Chronic Invalids in the Hartford suburb of Windsor, where countless older residents were bilked out of money and then poisoned by arsenic, including the murderer’s own husbands. Other locations tied to Archer-Gilligan include Newington, where she and her first husband James Archer lived with John Seymour until he died, and then they transformed the home into Sister Amy’s Nursing Home for the Elderly. In 1917, she was convicted of the murder of Franklin Andrew and sentenced to death by hanging, but she appealed. During a second trial in 1919, she pleaded insanity and was convicted of second-degree murder, earning her a life sentence. In 1924, she was transferred to the Connecticut General Hospital for the Insane in Middletown, where she remained until her death in 1962. The play Arsenic and Old Lace is loosely based on her story.

Also in Hartford, the Circus Fire that killed 168 persons and injured 412-700 others through trampling and asphyxiation occurred on July 6, 1944 (“The Day the Clowns Cried”) and is considered one of the country’s worst fire disasters. The Big Top Tent was coated in paraffin plus gasoline or kerosene for waterproofing; therefore, it was highly flammable. On top of that, some of the exits were blocked by animal chutes. Arson was suspected; others blamed a carelessly tossed lit cigarette. A mentally ill man named Robert Dale Segee, 21, of Circleville, OH, confessed to setting the fire, as well as up to 30 other blazes in Maine, New Hampshire, and Ohio. He later recanted his confession and was never tried in Connecticut. However, Segee was indicted and convicted in Ohio on two charges of arson and served eight out of a four-to-forty-year jail sentence. He died in 1997.

Finally, on May 18, 1988, Billy “Hot Dog” Grant, a bookie who was in charge of Connecticut safe houses for New York’s five families, was reportedly murdered in the parking lot of the Westfarms Mall in Farmington. Grant, who had owned Augie and Ray’s Hot Dog and Hamburger shop in East Hartford, and later the South End Seaport restaurant on Franklin Avenue, was suspected of having given up details of the hiding spot of the brother of a mafia boss. He is supposedly buried underneath a Farmington residence.

***

Excerpt from Vacations Can Be Murder by Dawn M Barclay. Copyright 2025 by Dawn M Barclay. Reproduced with permission from Dawn M Barclay. All rights reserved.

 

 

Meet the Author

Dawn M Barclay

Dawn M. Barclay is a veteran travel trade reporter and an award-winning author who writes nonfiction under her own name and fiction as D.M. Barr. Her first nonfiction book, Traveling Different: Vacation Strategies for Parents of the Anxious, the Inflexible, and the Neurodiverse (Rowman & Littlefield, 2022) received a starred review from Library Journal, and won the 2023 Lowell Thomas Gold Award from the Society of American Travel Writers Foundation, Honorable Mention from the American Society of Journalists and Authors (Books that Make a Difference), and first prize in the Maxy Awards. When not writing, she edits for various authors and publishers, creates book trailers, ghostwrites (nonfiction only!), plays competitive trivia, rescues senior shelter dogs, travel, reads, and apparently, drives her family nuts...but they won't admit it, of course, since she knows a lot about murder.

 

Connect with the Author

www.VacationsCanBeMurder.com
Amazon Author Profile
Goodreads
Instagram - @authordmbarr
Facebook - @TrueCrimeTravelGuides

 

 

Follow the Book Tour

Visit these other great hosts on this tour for more great reviews, interviews, guest posts, and opportunities to WIN in the giveaway!

Click here to view the Tour Schedule

 

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This is a giveaway hosted by Partners in Crime Tours for Dawn M Barclay. See the widget for entry terms and conditions. Void where prohibited.

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