MOVIELAND

5 stars out of 5

Having read and thoroughly enjoyed the first three books in this series, I was of course delighted to get my hands on a review copy of this one. I love Eve Ronin, the youngest-ever detective in the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, who has a take-no prisoners attitude, and her more seasoned partner, Duncan Pavone, who does a great job tempering her forays into left field (while acknowledging that she's almost always right).

But there are issues, the first of which is that Duncan is on the cusp of retirement; even Eve is reluctant to think about what she'll do without him. That's especially because she's got little support from her co-workers and supervisors, most of whom resent her lightning boost to the top following a high-profile case that also resulted in the making of a TV series based on her professional life.

But for the moment, she's got more to worry about; in Malibu Creek State Park, the former setting for countless Hollywood movies, two women were shot. One ended up with extensive injuries, but the other one was killed. The murder was up close and personal, but it soon becomes clear that it could be connected to a string of shootings over more than a year - almost all of which have been swept under the park police department's rug in an effort to keep tourism alive and well. Duncan knew of some of the prior incidents, and he now blames himself for not speaking up.

Now, both he and Eve want to go public with the potential threat to park visitors and residents who live nearby, but once again, their pleas go nowhere. Eve, of course, has never worried about stepping on toes - she's mashed quite a few along the way - so while she doesn't blame Duncan for his reticence, she takes advantage of it by enlisting his help in finding what now appears to be a serial sniper. When another murder happens with a similar M.O. and they manage to convince a higher-up to let them continue their investigation, though, they put a target on their backs that even Eve's special Kevlar vest may not adequately protect.

All in all, it's another action-packed adventure that's sprinkled with humor and interesting descriptions of the composition and history of the area (clearly, the author is familiar with the setting, and he says the story itself is based on a real-life case). It's entertaining, engrossing and just plain fun, and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review it. 

Movieland by Lee Goldberg (Thomas & Mercer, June 2022); 351 pp.

DARK FORCES

5 stars out of 5


It's been a while since I've read one of the author's terrific books featuring British M15 agent Dan "Spider" Shepherd - too long, I said to myself as I polished off this one (the 13th). Despite not being a fan of settings in countries where Americans are less than welcome, this series is so well written (and the main character so intriguing) that once I get off and running, the books are hard to put down.

As this one begins, Shepherd has been with M15 for five years, much of the time doing heavy-duty undercover work. Early on, he watches as an extremely on-target sniper escapes from a missile strike in Syria while his two companions - spotters - are blown to smithereens. Of course, Shepherd wants the one who got away, but there are no clues as to his identity or to what location he disappeared.

Back in London, he's gone undercover to infiltrate a gang that's involved with money laundering and murder; the plan is to get sufficiently entrenched in their good graces that they show him the guts of the money-laundering operation - thus allowing charges to be made that will stick and land them in prison for years to come.

But meanwhile, chapters shift to the perspective of Mohammed al-Hussain, a jihadist who's on a suicide mission. It's possible he and other IS cohorts are planning to come to London under the cover of the many refugees who are crossing borders to escape the strife in their countries. To that end, Shepherd gets help from an informant and puts his eidetic memory to good use once again.

As the end nears, it becomes clear that the terrorists have targeted somewhere in London as the site of a major strike that could kill hundreds. But where and when? And with what weapons? The answers to those questions keep the action moving along (interspersed with more than a little spewing of blood and guts) to the last few pages. 

I should add that this one struck me as a little bit different in that readers see a "softer" side of Shepherd as he ruminates on killing for killing's sake (or, put another way, whether or not the end justifies the means) and ramifications of his 18-year-old son Liam's decision to pass on going to university and instead join the army. 

Lots of meat and potatoes in this one - one of the best, IMHO!

Dark Forces by Stephen Leather (Hodder & Stoughton, July 2016); 433 pp.

FLESH AND BLOOD

4 stars out of 5


I looked forward to reading this, the 22nd book in the series featuring Dr. Kay Scarpetta, a crack medical examiner. The previous book, Dust, was Cornwell's best in a while - I'd grown weary of a whiny Scarpetta whose mostly unfounded paranoia seemed to grow worse by each successive book. Turning on my Kindle Fire and loading up this one brought expectations of a return to the Scarpetta of old.

I'm happy to say I wasn't disappointed; yes, Scarpetta continues to think the world revolves around her (pouting when she discovers her husband, FBI profiler Benton Wesley, and her technologically gifted niece, Lucy, shared information they didn't immediately pass on to her, for instance). But for the most part, that's kept to a minimum as they try to identify and catch a serial sniper who may, in fact, be targeting one or all of them as well.

The game begins on Scarpetta's birthday as she and her husband are preparing to head to Miami for a week's vacation. As they fire up the grill to make dinner, though, she notices seven pennies lined up on a wall at the edge of their yard - all polished to a fare-thee-well and all dated 1981. As she muses about what that might mean, she gets a call from longtime cohort and detective Pete Marino telling her she's needed at the scene of a nearby homicide. It's the work of a very skilled sniper, who appears to have left not a shred of evidence behind except a few copper bits. Almost before the crawly things begin to invade this body, another one bites the dust. Clearly, someone is on a spree with no end in his or her sights (pun intended).

There's plenty of technical "stuff" here, particularly on the topic of ballistics (almost too much, in fact). But as the investigations continue, what little evidence turns up begins to turn the spotlight on Scarpetta, her husband and niece. Are one or all next on the killer's list? Or is there an even more sinister, more personal connection? And will Scarpetta and Wesley ever go on that long-awaited vacation?

Most of these questions are answered, but be forewarned that there's a cliff-hanger ending - an apparent attempt to generate a ready audience for what will be the 23rd book (and a tactic I dislike intensely, for the record - hence the 4 stars instead of 5). As a Cornwell fan, I plan to read it anyway - but knowing that I must read it to get to the ending of this one doesn't sit very well with me.

Flesh and Blood by Patricia Cornwell (William Morrow, November 2014); 389 pp.