FALLEN ANGEL

4 stars out of 5

I've read two other books in this series - this is the 13th - and enjoyed them. The main characters, Sheriff Jenna Alton and her professional and personal partner, David Kane, are likable, skilled people with intriguing, secretive backgrounds who are, well, fun to read about. So naturally, I was looking forward to diving into this one. But for several reasons, this one doesn't quite measure up.

On the plus side, the story itself held my interest from beginning to end. The setting is an expansive mountaintop resort in the middle of winter, at which a convention of current and would-be writers, agents and publishers is happening. Alton and Kane are here to follow up on a gone-missing report of one of the most successful agents; they hang around after her dead, frozen body is found in a pond near her chalet. Also onsite is another familiar character, Medical Examiner Shane Wolfe, who is accompanied by his two grown daughters Emily and Julie - both of whom play major roles this time out.

As they and other members of their team work toward narrowing down suspects - not an easy task given the well-known nastiness of the dead woman - another victim turns up in an under-construction chalet, together with a clue that ties the two murders together. Given that blizzard conditions prevent all but emergency comings and goings, it becomes clear that the murderer is in their midst; and when yet another body gets zapped, they realize they're dealing with a serial killer.

Everyone, including Wolfe's daughters, get their heads together to speculate on the killer's motive in hopes of preventing yet another ugly incident. As a team, they all work well together - even honoring professional responsibilities during a spat between two lovers that would make a junior high student cringe - but the killer's identity remains elusive. As an aside, though, I had to wonder why on earth Kane is sometimes called "Uncle Dave" and other times "Uncle Kane" by the girls - like, who calls an uncle by his last name)? But hey, maybe that was explained in a previous book.

In between "regular" chapters, readers get the musings from the clearly deranged killer himself (or herself - the investigative team realizes that the methods of death could be accomplished by either sex). It is here, too, that readers learn the killer has set sights not only on a select list of victims, but on a team member as well. Can the good guys and gals figure out who the culprit is before the unthinkable happens and one of their own goes down for the count? 

As this exciting race to the finish plays out, it's clear that pains are being taken to keep readers guessing whether the killer is male or female. That process, sorry to say, triggered one of my grammar hot buttons: Pairing a plural pronoun with a singular antecedent. An example (my words): "I saw someone get off the elevator, but I didn't recognize 'them'." No, no, a thousand times NO (which has to be close to the number of times it happens in the book, which is why I'm compelled to mention it; once or twice I could overlook). That took a big bite out of my enjoyment of this book, although I still recommend it to others because it's a well-thought-out, interesting story. Thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy.

Fallen Angel by D.K. Hood (Bookouture, November 2021); 232 pp.

BUTCHER PEN ROAD

2 stars out of 5

Honestly, I wanted to like this one; it's got the major ingredients I love, like being a series with a couple of intriguing-sounding characters, here in the form of Chickasaw Lighthorse Police Sergeant Bill Maytubby and his friend, Johnston County Deputy Hanna Bond. This book is the third in the series and my first) - and therein, perhaps, lies my problem. By the end of the first handful of chapters, I was totally lost - in part, I suspect, because I had no background from which to draw.

Character after character came into play, many of whom go by different names and nicknames depending on the chapter and who's mentioning them - some I suspect made appearances in previous books and some probably are new to this one. Interspersed often in the conversations were words and phrases I've never heard of before, with no explanation as to what they meant nor context to provide a way to figure it out. Add to that jumbled sentences here and there - Kindle formatting errors, I suppose - and by the halfway point I really wanted to call it quits. But I persevered, mostly because the book came as a pre-release review copy courtesy of the publisher (via NetGalley) - and with these, I've always pledged to finish what I start.

What I gleaned is this: Maytubby and Bond are called to a local creek to examine the dead body of a man who was found by a young deaf boy who lives with his mother. At first, it looks to be some kind of fishing accident, but clues like finding fish in the dead guy's creel that don't live in the creek suggest it's more likely murder. Later, it appears someone wants to permanently silence the boy, and it's up to Maytubby - who has ties to the local Native American tribes (and may be one himself - never did find that out, nor how he ended up in this relatively desolate place) and Bond to keep him and his mother safe. When he gets a spare minute, Maytubby makes nice with his fiancee, Jill, who I think may be some kind of health food expert (or alternatively, a total nutcase on the subject). He also buys tons of food for friends and rents airplanes with his own money; I have no idea where or how he got it, but I find it hard to believe he has that much to spare on a backwoods Oklahoma sheriff's salary.

I will concede that the final chapter cleared up some of my confusion, mostly done in a conversational summary of everything that happened from beginning to end. And ttttthat's all I've got. The crimes pretty much get solved in the end (there's more than one here, but I never understood the others nor was able to connect the dots among them, if any), mostly by Maytubby's sleuthing around, sometimes barefoot (okay, so what's up with that)? My conclusion and recommendation? Reading the first two books is a requirement before tackling this one. Sorry I can't be more positive, but it is what it is.

Butcher Pen Road by Kris Lackey (Blackstone Publishing, July 2021); 177 pp.

MISSING AND ENDANGERED

4 stars out of 5

Other than a short story co-written with Eric Van Lustbader in a collection compiled by members of International Thriller writers, I've had no real acquaintance with this author. After reading this one - the (wow!) 19th in his Sheriff Joanna Brady series - I'll be watching for more. And no worries about it standing alone; plenty of time (almost too much) is spent rehashing past situations and relationships so I never felt lost.

As this one begins, Joanna gets a call from her daughter, Jenny, who is attending Northern Arizona University Flagstaff on a rodeo team scholarship. Her ultra-sheltered roommate, Beth, is estranged from her ultra-straight-laced parents and has nowhere to go for Christmas vacation. Could she bring Beth home with her to be with Joanna, her writer-husband Butch Dixon and her two much-younger siblings?

Of course, was the response. Before that happens, though, Joanna, chief at the Cochise County Justice Center, must continue to deal with employee issues and pushing through her request for next year's budget. But then she gets a call that one of her deputies has been shot while investigating a domestic violence case. As for Beth, she's gone head-over-heels for the guy she met online - and it looks as if that may be a big mistake that could spell danger for both Beth and Jenny.

Ultimately, Joanna has no choice but to get involved in both situations; luckily, she has plenty of old contacts to all in for help and a husband who's more than willing to pitch in wherever and whenever he's needed (should she part company with him, in fact, I'd be more than happy to interview him for a similar job). By the end, everybody involved gets a good workout - including the reader - and now I'm looking forward to Joanna's next adventure. Thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy.

Missing and Endangered by J.A. Jance (William Morrow, February 2021); 384 pp.

BONE CANYON

5 stars out of 5

The first book in this series - Lost Hills - didn't disappoint, and neither did this one (in fact, I think it's better). Los Angeles Sheriff's Department homicide detective Eve Ronin isn't perfect - nor is she likely to become besties with most of her department colleagues - but she gets the job done even if she has to step on some really big toes to do it.

It begins as Eve and her almost-retired partner, Duncan Pavone, are called to investigate human remains discovered in the rubble of a wildfire in the Santa Monica Mountains. As it turns out - with help from hunky and single forensic anthropologist Daniel Brooks - the tidbits belong to a woman who went missing several years ago not long after she'd reported a crime to police that somehow, in intervening years, got lost in the system.

That, of course, makes Eve's ears perk up and her nose twitch. Despite warnings to cool her heels from a few of the aforementioned colleagues - most of whom are convinced she got her homicide job by grandstanding - she plods on with the help of Duncan, who says he has nothing to lose by ruffling a few feathers. Good thing, because some of those feathers not only get ruffled, but totally bent out of shape.

The investigation goes slower than Eve would like - patience isn't one of her virtues - with roadblocks coming from unexpected places that bring a whole new meaning of dead end. The conclusion brings a twist; I was expecting one that I hoped was wrong, and, happily, I was (sorry, my lips are sealed). All told, another winner, for which I heartily thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for a pre-release copy.

Bone Canyon by Lee Goldberg (Thomas & Mercer, January 2021); 287 pp.

DEAD WOMAN CROSSING

4 stars out of 5

If the first entry is an example, the Detective Kimberley

King series should have a long run. For sure, I'll be waiting to get my hands on the next one.

Detective Kimberley King and her young daughter, Jessica, have relocated to Dead Woman Crossing in Custer County, Oklahoma. It's far a more remote, and presumably laid back, place compared to the NYPD she left behind (along with some not-so-good experiences). For a while, she'll be living with her mother and stepfather in what turns out to be a small cottage on the farm that her stepbrother and his wife operate.

The town got its name after an unsolved crime from 1905, when a young woman was murdered on the banks of a creek. Just as she's getting to know her way around - and to know the ways of Sheriff Sam Walker, her boss - another young woman is found murdered at the same place and in the same manner. Whoever killed the girl back then can't still be alive, so is someone trying to copy what happened back then?

Meantime, Kimberley works to find the murderer, but her family isn't as supportive as she'd like - especially when clues lead to the possibility that the killer is someone they all know. The outcome of that could lead to more than ruffled family feathers as Kimberley learns she and her daughter could be in the crosshairs of a very dangerous person.

All told, it's a solid start to a promising series. Thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review it.

Dead Woman Crossing by J.R. Adler (Bookouture, September 2020); 347 pp.

BAD AXE COUNTY

4 stars out of 5

If Bad Axe County really existed, I'd never go near it. And based on the characters in this story (which, BTW, there were far too many of for my aging brain to keep straight), I'm happy to not live anywhere near any of these downright detestable folks. That's not to say the book isn't well-written; it is - and no doubt many readers will love it. But I disliked the people and places so much that it was hard to work up much enthusiasm for the plot.

Heidi Kick is the new interim sheriff in Bad Axe County, Wisconsin - the first female in what's clearly old-boy territory. She's married to Harley, who in his younger days was a star baseball player (and who is the only character in this story who has redeeming social value, IMHO). More than a decade earlier, Heidi's parents were found dead on their farm, and the police ruled it a murder-suicide. Heidi never believed that, though, and has tried ever since to figure out what really happened to them.

She's also got a job to do, though much of it seems to be an uphill battle against the seedy folks in the backwoods county who don't want her to do it. So bad is the situation that she's not even totally sure she'll run for the upcoming election that, should she somehow win, would give her a more permanent status. 

As a real storm brews, a storm of another sort pops up in the local library involving an unidentified man, a young girl and a years-earlier baseball game that nobody - including Heidi's husband - want to talk about. That, in turn, leads to Heidi's learning about secret "stag parties" attended by all sorts of locals and an assortment of young girls, not all of whom were there of their own volition (think: human trafficking). One, in fact, has been missing ever since the party that followed that secretive baseball game; now, Heidi fears that the girl in the library may be another unwilling victim (one who, hopefully, she can save).

The nasty weather and roiling rivers take their toll as Heidi investigates up and down very run-down properties like a salvage yard and a restaurant/bar, both of which are operated by characters even a mother couldn't love. Can Heidi find the missing girl before it's too late? Will she learn whose hand really killed her parents? And will her marriage survive the secrets her husband has been keeping from her? All are questions that aren't for me to reveal; you'll just have to read it for yourself. Do so only, I might add, if you don't mind graphic language and really, really rough guys and gals (the language does fit the characters, but even though that usually doesn't bother me much, in this case it made me like them all even less).

Bottom line? While I appreciate the quality of the writing, this one is just too dark and gritty for me. In other words, I got through it intact, but I admit I'm now looking forward to diving into a cozy mystery (and if you know my opinion on those, you know that speaks volumes). Thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read an advance copy.

Bad Axe County by John Galligan (Atria Books, July 2019); 336 pp.

THE VICTIMS' CLUB

4 stars out of 5

Anyone who knows my reading habits knows I'm not a fan of the "glorified short story" format - such as prolific author James Patterson's "Bookshots" and Kindle Singles like this one. But in large part because I get so many freebies to read - most of them advance review copies through NetGalley - I also tend to feel a bit guilty for buying so few books through Amazon (I swear, at one time I bought enough for CEO Jeff Bezos to buy a well-tricked-out BMW). And since I AM a huge Jeffery Deaver fan, when I saw this one for $1.99, the guilt kicked in and I caved.

And it was perfectly good (but then I've read just about everything Deaver has written, and the worst anything ever got was good). It's set in New England's Monroe County, perhaps best known for the ritzy Preston College. Local sheriff's deputy and detective Jon Avery has been assigned a case formerly in the hands of a colleague who took an unexpected leave. A female college researcher, it seems, has been humiliated by Internet publication of half-naked photos via a burner phone - photos taken at a campus party after she was drugged, half-undressed and splayed out in totally nonprofessorial fashion.

The motive, though, is virtually nonexistent; the lack thereof, plus the use of a burner phone, make the case difficult to solve. Then too, Avery quickly runs afoul of the college powers-that-be, who are less than enthusiastic about the possibility of a scandal that could tarnish the school's hallowed halls, ivory towers and (gasp!) highly successful athletic programs.

The ending, which obviously comes rather quickly, answers a few questions including the reason behind the title. But even with a partial conclusion (perhaps this is the launching pad for a new series???), the whole thing makes for an engrossing story. Is it worth $1.99? Well, I polished it off in about 42 minutes. At 4424 KB, that's roughly...oh fuhgettaboutit. Avery complains about the difficulty he has helping his young son with math homework, and trust me, my skills in that department are way worse. You'll have to decide for yourself.

The Victims' Club (Kindle Single) by Jeffery Deaver (Amazon Original Stories, March 2018); 4424 KB.