Yvonne
Just one new addition to my shelf this week – but this one will do me just fine, thanks!
I can’t believe it was almost a year ago that I reviewed the first book in the Krista Larson series ‘Girl Most Likely‘. I was therefore most surprised when author Max Allan Collins made contact to let me know that book #2 was available.
I would like to thank Max for the generous offer of a signed copy of the book, however the lovely folks at NetGalley came through with a much more environmentally friendly download, as well as offering us the opportunity for promotion and review on an extra platform! đ
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GIRL CAN’T HELP IT – (Krista Larson #2)
No sooner do Hot Rod and the Pistons reunite for their induction into the Iowa Rock ânâ Roll Hall of Fame, than two band members take a final bow. Both alleged suicides. A tragic way to go out. A bum way for one-hit wonders to be remembered. But itâs Labor Day weekend. The show must go on.
With replacements at the ready, the Pistons are back on home turf to headline the first ever Rock and Country Music Fest. Police Chief Krista Larson and her father, Keith, are there listening. And watching. Because they suspect there may be more to the band membersâ untimely deaths than anyone else can see.
As Krista and Keith navigate the investigation, a dark picture of the bandâs rocky history begins to take center stage. As betrayal, revenge, and blackmail start playing out in the present, the father-daughter team fear that this encore may be the bandâs finale.
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MAX ALLAN COLLINS
A frequent Mystery Writers of America âEdgarâ nominee in both fiction and non-fiction categories, Max has earned an unprecedented number of Private Eye Writers of America âShamusâ nominations, winning for his Nathan Heller novels, True Detective (1983) and Stolen Away (1991) and receiving the PWA life achievement award, the Eye, in 2007.
His graphic novel Road to Perdition (1998) is the basis of the Academy Award-winning 2002 film starring Tom Hanks, Paul Newman and Daniel Craig, directed by Sam Mendes.
Maxâs movie novels include Saving Private Ryan, Air Force One, and American Gangster, whilst as an independent filmmaker in the mid-west, he has written and directed five features and two documentaries.
His many comics credits include CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, based on the hit TV series, for which he has also written video games, jigsaw puzzles, and ten novels that have sold millions of copies worldwide.
Maxâs hit one-man show, Eliot Ness: An Untouchable Life, was nominated for an Edgar for Best Play of 2004 by the Mystery Writers of America; whilst his many other credits include. film criticism, short fiction, song-writing, trading-card sets, and a regular column in Asian Cult Cinema magazine.
His non-fiction work has received many honors, whilst as a musician (lead singer and keyboard), he has performed and recorded with his band Crusinâ since 1974.
Max, who also writes as Patrick Culhane, lives in Muscatine, Iowa, with his wife, writer Barbara Collins. They have collaborated on several novels and numerous short stories, and are currently writing the successful âTrash ânâ Treasuresâ mysteries. Their son Nathan translates Japanese into English with a number of novels and video games among his credits.
Check out all the latest news at Maxâs website
Follow Max on Twitter
Connect with Max on Facebook
The book is titled, Girl Canât Help It, after the Little Richard song and the Rock and Roll movie from the 1950s.
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Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share links to the books that came into their house during the last week. This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well, after all you never know where that next âmust readâ book will come from.
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Oh my, where have I been! I’ve never read a Max Allan Collins book. I’m heading over to check out all his books now. Sometimes it’s a relieve to only receive one book as it’s a good chance to do some catch up.
I must admit that I had never come across Max before last year, when I read the first book in his new Krista Larsen series.
However, his resume is really quite impressive and I spent quite some time checking out not only his plethora of book titles, but also his numerous films!
I feel certain that you will find a whole library of books to enjoy if you check out Max’s page here, but be sure to keep scrolling down, as the list is almost endless!!
https://www.fantasticfiction.com/c/max-allan-collins/
If you are a member of NetGalley this particular book, is still as I type, available as a ‘Read It Now’ download option.
If you manage to get your hands on a copy, I do hope that you enjoy the read đ
I also enjoyed the previous book so I look forward to your thoughts on this new one in the series. Have a good week, Yvonne!
Hi Mary,
I remember reading your comment that you would quite enjoy reading a series which featured Krista and Keith, so perhaps you will also be adding this one to your list?
If you are interested, I just checked on NetGalley and the download is still available as an automatic ‘Read It Now’ option!
Have a great week and thanks for stopping by đ
It’s better to get one really good book than several so-so ones. I’m sure you’ll enjoy this one since you enjoyed the first one in the series. I hope your week is terrific!
Hi Kathy,
I must admit, that given the size of my TBR mountain, versus my available reading hours, having new books drip fed to me at a very measured pace, is probably for the best!
I have been very fortunate with the storylines and authors I am currently working with and have some great Blog Tour comment planned.
Happy Reading đ
I put the first book on my wishlist when you featured it a year ago. I’d forgotten what an interesting background the author has! This story sounds really good, too… so maybe I need to get both!
I was going to say that if you are adding both books to your TBR list, perhaps you should read this prequel first. However, in light of Max’s comment below, you might need to rethink that and read this as the second book in the ‘Krista Larsen’ series. I apologise if I inadvertently misled you with my quote đ
This quote from an interview I gave is accurately taken, but I inadvertently misspoke. After I began writing the book, I decided I didn’t think it worked as a prequel, and started over, writing it as the second book about Krista and her father Keith. Whether I ever write the story of their first case together is up to readers now….
Hi Max, thanks for stopping by!
I am sorry if you think I may have misled any of my readers / commenters with my post.
I was hoping to make the article a little more personal and only succeeded in being over zealous in using a quote I had not verified with you first, for which I apologise!
I will edit the post and remove the quote forthwith đ
That was an accurate quote! It’s just that I changed my mind about it being a prequel. I think GIRL CAN’T HELP IT works well as a follow-up, because last time it was Krista’s reunion, and this time her father’s reunion (of the band he was part of). Hope you enjoy the novel!
Thanks!
I’m sure I shall đ
PS. If you ever feel like sending through another Guest Post, I shall be sure to publish, as the last one was very well received đ
One book is fine, especially when it looks so interesting.
Happy Reading!
I have some great books on my TBR mountain, so there is sure to be something for everyone and I shall certainly never be bored!
Thanks for stopping by and I hope that you managed to bag some excellent new titles this week đ
I hope you enjoy your new book and have a great week.
Hi AJ and thanks for stopping by.
I always enjoy connecting with new to me bloggers, even though I see that our paths may not cross too often, as our tastes in reading genres are quite different.
I very rarely read science fiction, fantasy or YA, but give me a crime / mystery, or psychological thriller and I’m really happy!
I also enjoy having authors make return visits to Fiction Books, as I like to think that they are happy with the promotion and review posts I publish.
I certainly had fun reading the first book in Max’s ‘Krista Larsen’ series and look forward to reading ‘Girl Can’t Help It’
Hope to connect with you again very soon and have a good week đ
Wow! It sounds like this book has so much more to it than the cover suggests.
Bands seem to be featuring in a lot of novels at the moment. I’d be eager to know how all the other themes play out.
Hi Felicity,
I’m not too sure about the whole music band scene featuring in books, however in this particular case, I already know a little about Keith and Krista’s background and relationship, which somehow kind of gives the whole storyline a different feel! I’m not sure if that makes total sense or not, but I hope you get the gist of it!
I quite like the cover, which follows the same theme as the first book in the series and which concept I really like – It appeals to the OCD aspect of my thinking!
https://www.fiction-books.biz/reviews/its-never-too-late-for-revengegirl-most-likelyby-max-allan-collinsreview/
Hope that all is well with you and thanks for stopping by đ
This sounds good and I like the cover, it’s very “1980’s”. Enjoy it when you read it!
Hi Naida,
You might recall stopping by when I reviewed the first book in the Krista Larsen series, ‘Girl Most Likely’. I’ll leave a link to the review post. just in case you want to check it out again. However, you will see that the cover art on both books is following a common theme, although subtly adapting itself to suit the detail of the book’s premise!
I’m not generally a ‘cover snob’, but the concept of similar covers on a series definitely appeals to my OCD side!
https://www.fiction-books.biz/reviews/its-never-too-late-for-revengegirl-most-likelyby-max-allan-collinsreview/
Thanks for stopping by and I hope that you have some great reading lined up for the weekend đ