4 stars out of 5
This complex, intriguing story spans more than 20 years - from the time eight young children are rescued from certain death in a barn fire deliberately set by the leader of a cult to which their parents belonged to the present, when death once again stalks the survivors. Now, one of them - an artist whose work is in an art gallery owned by another of the survivors - commits suicide. Virginia Troy, the gallery owner, suspects the death was murder; to test that theory, she hires the private investigation firm owned by Anson Salinas, a former police officer and the man who rescued the children all those years ago.
Back then, Anson adopted three of the surviving boys; one of them, Cabot Sutter (also a former cop), now works with his adopted father. Early on, Cabot and Virginia take a closer look at a few of the victim's paintings that depict the cult fire; they suggest that sociopathic leader Quinton Zane, who reportedly was killed in a boating accident years earlier, may in fact be among the living. Still other clues from the paintings suggest that the cult held many more secrets - one of which is that cult members may have embezzled a substantial amount of money right under the leader's nose.
Apparently, those secrets aren't so secret anymore - and bodies of those who may have learned the truth are starting to pile up. Can Cabot and Virginia (who, surprise, surprise, have taken a strong liking to each other) get to the bottom of things before they themselves become victims? It's a race to the finish, with plenty of action and surprises right up to the end.
Speaking of which, it makes sense to me that this book deserves at least one follow-up. If and when that happens, I hope the publisher will once again grant me the honor of reading an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. Very enjoyable!
Promise Not to Tell by Jayne Ann Krentz (Berkley, January 2018); 336 pp.)
4 stars out of 5
No doubt about it: Government-sanctioned assassins Will Robie and Jessica Reel have never fail to get the job done, even when it comes at great personal cost and a smattering of collateral damage. This time, though, their efforts border on overkill (pun intended).
Will and Jessica are returning to action after separate assignments that left them physically and mentally devastated. They've healed as much as humanly possible, but Jessica's mind is still reeling (another pun intended) - leaving in limbo the "connection" they formed during a previous joint venture. They haven't seen each other for six months, but now they get called in to solve a surprising problem: Their elderly and much revered handler, known as Blue Man, went missing while on a fishing vacation in backwoods Colorado, where he grew up.
Their reunion is more or less amicable, but Will and Jessica are of the same mind when it comes to their mission - find Blue Man at any cost, including their own lives should it come to that. Needless to say, as they bump up against infestations of skinheads, neo-Nazis and other undesirables in this godforsaken territory, there's a good probability that's exactly how it will end. Throw in a few abandoned government bunkers and silos and it closes in on a sure bet.
But there's a bit of a problem, as I see it, is in the execution - and I mean that as a double entendre. Murders, quite a few execution-style, result in bodies piling up faster than pitchfork-flung hay in a mow (some of them deservedly so, others not). From a writing standpoint, the execution rather quickly dives into - and stays in - the realm of "you've got to be kidding." That Will and Jessica possess near super-human capabilities both individually and as a team is de rigueur in this series, but what they accomplish here stretches imagination beyond the limit, at least for me. But then again, in the end all's right with the world - except for a few issues that no doubt will carry over to the next book.
All things considered, if you're looking for serious kick-assction (I made that one up to avoid getting censored, so hopefully you get my drift), it would be tough to beat this book. And for sure, I'll be in line to get the next installment.
End Game by David Baldacci (Grand Central Publishing, November 2017); 416 pp.
3 stars out of 5
I've read and for the most part enjoyed almost all of the "Private" series (this is the 13th), but this one was a bit of a disappointment. Release of the book in November 2017 also raised a question: Earlier this year, I learned of upcoming publication of a book titled Private Delhi. I put it on my must-get list, but the release date came and went and I was never able to get my hands on it. When I saw this one, a "Private" set in Delhi with the same co-author, I wondered why there were two.
Apparently, I wasn't wrong about an original version. I found it listed on Amazon with a totally different cover, a different publisher, just eight customer reviews and available only through third-party sellers. I don't know what happened, but I'd have to guess there were serious issues that resulted in rewriting and reissuing. Curious!
As for this installment, I'm honestly not sure why it didn't quite measure up (especially when I'm assuming a rewrite was done to make improvements). For one thing, though, I admit it was hard to keep all the names straight. Because I always review books I read, I keep notes on the main characters - and thank goodness for that, because it's the only thing that kept me at least somewhat on track here. The story, too, was a bit hard to follow, with two different investigations going on which - when coupled with the confusing names - more than a few times left me lost and backtracking pages to see what I'd missed.
The "star" of this one isn't Jack Morgan, founder of the global investigation agency; rather, it's Santosh Wagh, whom Jack installed as head of the new office in Delhi, and his assistant Nisha Gandhe. Shortly after the opening, a bunch of human remains that are in various stages of being dissolved is unearthed. It seems the Delhi powers-that-be may be trying to cover the whole thing up, and Jack gets called in by another government official (an enemy of the aforementioned powers) to learn why the incident is being withheld from the press. After passing the baton to Santosh, Jack turns to other tasks and makes only the occasional reappearance.
Meanwhile, other mutilated bodies are turning up right and left (there's no shortage of blood and gore here, BTW), and questions arise as to whether they're connected to the original bodies or the work of a serial killer. As all this plays out, more questions crop up along the who-can-you-trust lines, further complicating Private's ongoing investigation. Everything comes together at the end, but not without serious disruptions in the (ahem!) private lives of Santosh and Nisha.
All things considered, it's not an awful book - but if you're a newbie to this series, I suggest that you start elsewhere.
Count to Ten by James Patterson and Ashwin Sanghi (Grand Central Publishing, November 2017); 416 pp.
2 stars out of 5
When I opened this book, the 24th in the series featuring offbeat bounty hunter Stephanie Plum, it was not without a bit of trepidation. The previous installment, Turbo Twenty-Three, was so lackluster that I gave it just 3 stars (and grudgingly at that). Aside from the same old, same old characters who just can't seem to grow up, the story itself was borderline silly.
But alas, my hope of improvement just wasn't to be. Not only is Stephanie still trying to decide whose bed she prefers - that of her supposedly main squeeze, detective Joe Morelli, and studly security consultant Ranger - she adds yet another irresistable guy to her wishy washy list with the return of Diesel (a character who's made appearances in other books).
That she remains fixated on getting laid (or not) is bothersome, but in previous books the one-liners have pulled me out of my funk sufficiently to say that for the most part, I enjoyed them. Not so here; as I said to myself a few chapters into it, I guess in one sense I'm happy that at my advanced age I'm still able to chuckle at seventh-grade bathroom humor. But what's in here kicks the level down to the kindergarten level (and really, isn't this supposed to be a book for grown-ups)?
As for the plot, silly doesn't begin to cover it. From tracking down an errant boa constrictor to exploding groundhogs to zombies who steal brains from the living and the dead (yeah, you read that right), the whole thing quickly goes from bad to worse and stays that way. A mix of cucumbers and cat pee wards off zombies is supposed to be funny? Only Stephanie's rotund work buddy, Lulu (who, we're told more than once, is fond of wearing skirts that barely cover her hoo-hah with a purple thong underneath), would come up with that one.
If there's a saving grace humor-wise - and honestly, even it falls short - it comes from the antics of Stephanie's funeral-loving Grandma Mazur, who lives with Stephanie's parents and has found a new man online she's determined to go visit. She, and Stephanie's long-suffering mother, manage to provide a few real chuckles in an otherwise hopeless mess of a story.
My conclusion? Whichever of the guys - Morelli, Diesel or Ranger - ends up with Stephanie deserves what he gets, and I really don't care to who gets the spoils. Stick a fork in me: I'm done.
Hardcore Twenty-Four by Janet Evanovich (G.P. Putnam's Sons, Novembeer 2017); 304 pp.
4 stars out of 5
Every once in a while, I do enjoy kicking back with a cozy mystery; there's usually a decent story with enough action to keep me interested while leaving my fingernails intact. The only downside, for me, is that the main character too often is borderline silly - never listening to anyone while she (it's almost always a female) sticks her nose into everybody's business and whines when something she says or does goes wrong. Thankfully, that isn't the case with former New York assistant District Attorney Irene Seligman. She's quite intelligent, sensible and capable of dealing with situations and people.
Except, that is, her mother Adelle; a more truly obnoxious character I haven't come across in a long time and will be content never to see again. She goes miles beyond the quintessential Jewish mother - and to the very end it remains a mystery to me why Irene agreed to leave her big city career and come home to Sante Fe, New Mexico, to "take care of" her. Oy!
But come home Irene did, and now she's operating a consignment shop selling high-end discards, many courtesy of Adelle's snooty friends. The store, called Irene's Closet, is in the historic Native American part of the city; and it is in this arena that much of the story takes root. Local jewelry-maker Juanita Calabaza is beside herself trying to locate her missing son Danny, who's one misstep away from gang life and drug addiction. Juanita fears that Danny stole a sacred tribal necklace, then sold it to a shady French artifacts dealer to finance his drug habit. She'd be happy to see the guy dead, she says - and prophetically, that's exactly what happens. Now she's in the crosshairs of the police, who consider Juanita their No. 1 suspect.
Irene, though, believes otherwise; no way her friend Juanita murdered anyone - her only goal is to find her son before he, too, turns up in the morgue. Meantime (while trying to placate her mother's constant demands - Lordy, what a pain she is), Irene's "friend" P.J. Bailey, a successful criminal lawyer gets into the act because he represents clients who insist they were ripped off by the French guy. I suspect Irene and P.J. are supposed to be in the throes of romantic tension, but I must say nothing either of them said or did made me believe there's any hope whatsoever for any such liaison. P.J. is far more likable than Adelle (but then so are at least half the people in the entire world), but still, I'd never allow his shoes anywhere near the underside of my bed.
There are plenty of false starts, chases and starts as well as very interesting information about local Native American history and customs. Since this is one of a series, I don't think I'll spoil anything by saying that Irene remains relatively unscathed at the end - ready, no doubt, for another adventure. I'm up for it as well - and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review this one.
Accessories to Die For by Paula Paul (Random House LLC, December 2017); 180 pp.
5 stars out of 5
"O, what a tangled web we weave when first we practise to deceive!"
-- Sir Walter Scott
I lost count of the times that quote popped into my head as I followed the adventures (and misadventures) of law school students Todd, Mark and Zola. Just one semester away from graduation at the Foggy Bottom Law School in Washington, D.C., the friends realize their school is mostly a sham and they're hundreds of thousands of dollars in student loan debt with no hope of getting meaningful employment even if they pass the bar exam (which, not insignificantly, most graduates fail to do).
On top of that, Zola's parents, who have been in the United States as productive, but illegal, residents for nearly a quarter of a century, are in danger of being summarily rounded up and kicked back to their native Senegal. It's a bleak outlook all around, to say the least. But then comes the discovery that their for-profit diploma is one of several owned by a filthy rich guy who also owns a bank that hustles student loans. So as they gather 'round a table at the neighborhood Rooster Bar, a plan starts to hatch - one that begins with dropping out of school.
In a very real sense, though, their plan is nothing to crow about. From the start - with the tactics they'll take to earn money to live on - virtually everything they do is illegal and could land them in jail if they're caught. It's also a seat-of-the-pants operation; as one door closes, they're forced to find another one that opens - and so it continues until the end, when everything that goes around, comes around. How they pull everything off admittedly tests the limits of credibiity here and there, but it also provides a wild but enjoyable romp for readers as well as a chance for the author to put the spotlight on injustices (as he sees them) in the student loan industry and immigration policies. Kudos for another one well done!
The Rooster Bar by John Grisham (Doubleday, October 2017); 368 pp.
5 stars out of 5
I've never panned for gold, but I can imagine my delight at finding a nugget or two amid the rocks. Similarly, given the substantial number of books I read each year - some wonderful and some not so much - it's a treat to find a gem like this one.
The story is, if I may borrow the title of another novel and motion picture, an anatomy of a murder; after all, readers know from the start that the title character isn't new to the game ("Evelyn's first murder was an accident," the description reads). That at least one more follows, then, comes as no big surprise.
Discovering the who and why is what kept me reading almost nonstop (which didn't take long; at 185 pages, the book is closer to a short story than a novel). It's well thought out, riveting and reminiscent, at least to me, of Hemingway's "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber." And that's a good thing.
Evelyn Marsh can lay claim to being a "normal" housewife; at age 49, she's been in a somewhat boring but comfortable marriage for 25 years. Now that their two children are grown and out of the house, she's looking into selling the artwork she's been giving away all those years - encouraged by friends and family (except perhaps for her successful lawyer-husband, who's content to have a stay-at-home wife with a nice hobby).
What follows is a story of betrayal and awakening of inner emotions that most likely lie within all of us. Are we all capable of following a course of action as Evelyn did? Probably. Would we? Probably not - at least I'm pretty sure I wouldn't. But on the other hand, I'm willing to concede that anything is possible.
Just because I know folks who would be upset by sexually graphic language, I'm compelled to note that there's a little of that in here. As one who's way too old not to have heard those words before, I'll call this one a winner and thank the author for sending me a copy to review.
Evelyn Marsh by S.W. Clemens (Kindle Press, March 2017); 185 pp.
5 stars out of 5
By now - the 22nd book in the series - Jack Reacher seems like an old friend. And like most old friends, he's welcome to visit my home any time he wants. Thankfully, though, he's not the real deal and I don't need to feed him; at 6 feet 5 and not far from 300 pounds, this former West Pointer wouldn't make it much beyond breakfast on what we've got in our fridge.
Speaking of West Point, the academy provides the impetus for this story. On his way to nowhere in particular from a short stretch in Hawaii at the end of summer, Reacher ends up on the shores of Lake Superior. In a small town there, he stops at a pawn shop and finds a ladies' West Point class ring from 2005 - with a price tag of 40 bucks. Given all that the owner went through to get that ring, Reacher figures she didn't relinquish it under normal circumstances. So, he makes it his mission to track her down and, if she's still alive, return it.
Turns out, though, that she wasn't the one who brought it to the pawn shop; a few physical encounters later (Reacher 1, bad guys 0), all Reacher can get is the name of the man who did. That trail winds its way to Rapid City, Iowa, and a man named Arthur Scorpio - a guy the local cops and feds have been trying, so far unsuccessfully, to put behind bars. He owns a laundromat with a suspicious back room, but despite stakeouts by local law enforcement like Detective Gloria Nakamura, enough evidence to get a search warrant hasn't turned up.
As an aside, Scorpio's colorful description is an example of one of the reasons I love these books: He was, "Maybe six feet two. Maybe a hundred and sixty pounds. But only if he had a dollar's worth of pennies in his pocket."
Eventually, Reacher manages to learn the name and background of the woman he's searching for. That in turn leads him to a close relative and former FBI guy Terrence Bramall, who's now a private investigator. They end up in remote Wyoming, where of course Reacher and Bramall find themselves on the receiving end of even more physical encounters (hey, that's another reason I love these books). The rest of the story isn't pretty (figuratively and literally), and it also puts a spotlight on issues facing way too many returning U.S. veterans. No doubt that's a big part of the point; the book is dedicated to Purple Heart recipients.
That's about all I can say without revealing too much, although as usual, Reacher's considerable survival and intuitive skills get a good workout. The story seems a bit darker than some of the others, but everything gets resolved at the end. That is, perhaps for one thing: Did that person who got tied up in Scorpio's back room ever get out? Inquiring minds would love to know.
The Midnight Line by Lee Child (Random House LLC, November 2017); 384 pp.
5 stars out of 5
Harry Bosch isn't getting any younger, and signs that he's even more fed up than usual with his life in general - and the Los Angeles Police Department in particular - are everywhere in this, the latest installment in one of my favorite series. A big part of his discomfort stems from learning that one of his LAPD cases is coming back not only to bring into serious question all his other cases, but to threaten his future as a volunteer who now helps solve cold cases at the San Fernando Police Department.
On the whole, I'd say this one is not my pick of the litter - it falls a little bit short of making my heart go thump-thump. But on the other hand, just when I was feeling just a bit disappointed, along comes Mickey Haller - the "Lincoln Lawyer" of the author's other popular series who's also Harry's half-brother. They've made crossover appearances in other books, but this time, the interaction seemed to last longer and boosted my interest right back to the top of the scale once again.
This one begins as Harry is starting to work on an SFPD cold case of a woman who disappeared 15 years ago, leaving behind an infant. She was never found, and because of the baby, it's assumed she was the victim of foul play. Just then, he gets a visit from LAPD representatives, including his former partner Lucia Soto. As he expects, the news isn't good; Preston Borders, who's been on death row for 30 years, has come up with "evidence" he insists will clear his name and get him released from jail. That evidence also implicates Harry, who handled the case way back then - and it's damning enough that his enemies at the LAPD are determined to reopen the file and investigate.
Meanwhile, back at the SFPD, a new case comes in; father-and-son pharmacists are shot to death in their mall store, with all the characteristics of a mob hit rather than a robbery gone terribly wrong. Immediately, Harry gets deeply involved in this case as well, taking on a role unlike any he's ever played before. As all this is going down, the LAPD investigation that calls Harry's actions on that long-ago case into question starts to heat up, he ups and calls Mickey - who's more than ready to put his sometimes out-of-the-mainstream (and always fun to read about) investigative and courtroom skills to work. But Mickey's methods almost always leave a bit to be desired on the ethics side, and let's just say that adds tension to the already somewhat strained relationship between the two.
In the end, everything comes out in the wash, although not everything ends up spotless. That's just fodder, I'm thinking, for the next go-round. Woo hoo - bring it on!
Two Kinds of Truth by Michael Connelly (Little, Brown and Co., October 2017); 417 pp.
5 stars out of 5
Almost every review of this book, I'll bet, will begin something like this: "When I was a kid, outer space was fascinating...I dreamed of being an astronaut." I wholeheartedly agree with the first part; it was true of me then - back in the '50s when the National Aeronautics and Space Administration was founded, and it is true now that I've reached septagenerian status. But beyond that, flying 900 feet in the air under a parasail firmly attached to a heavy cable is about as high as I ever want to go (and don't care to go ever again, thank you very much). Besides that, just thinking about stuffing my body into one of those capsules that carry astronauts to and from terra firma makes me break out in a cold sweat.
Truth is, I'm quite content to read about other people's experiences - and this account is one of the best I've encountered since Tom Wolfe's 1979 classic, The Right Stuff. So I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Wolfe's book served as the impetus that turned Kelly's life around - from a kid who had no plans for his future and didn't much care for education to one singularly focused on a very lofty and difficult-to-reach career goal and knew education was the key to reaching it.
In this book, Kelly, who holds the American record for consecutive days spent in space, tells it like it really was - both in his personal and professional life. For those who might not know, he is the twin brother of astronaut Mark Kelly, also the husband of Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who survived an assassination attempt in 2011. The prologue of the book hooked me immediately: now back on earth for 48 hours, Kelly was suffering the effects of a return to gravity after a year of looking down on civilization as we know it from the International Space Station (which he notes is today the longest-inhabited structure in space by far and the largest peacetime international project in history).
That's impressive in and of itself, but along the way - maybe because I spent my youth in the throes of the Cold War, crossing my fingers that school desks would protect me from a nuclear blast - I was blown away by one comment in particular: That Kelly found himself heading to space with two Russian companions, all of whom not that long ago might have been ordered to kill each other. Now, their very lives depended on total cooperation and trust.
Chapters shift from Kelly's pre-astronaut years to his experiences on four space flights including his final mission aboard the ISS. Although I'm sure he left out plenty of classified details, he pulls no punches when it comes to describing what it's really like in a confined space in zero gravity (right down to how human waste is contained and what happens to any of it that isn't). Some happenings are day-to-day routine and others have the potential to make the writing of this book not a happening thing, but all share a common bond: not a single one is boring. I finished the book as fast as I could, and when I got to the last page, I wished there were more to read. As I said at the beginning, space - and Kelly's part of exploring it - are nothing short of fascinating.
Now that his in-space voyages have come to an end, to Kelly I say thank you for your service and your wonderful book. Oh yes, and one other thing.
Live long and prosper!
Endurance: A Year in Space, A Lifetime of Discovery by Scott Kelly (Knopf, October 2017); 400 pp.
4 stars out of 5
Looking for a new murder/detective series and love characters who have "issues?" This just may be a good place to start. It's the first installment featuring 34-year-old FBI Special Agent Jess Bishop, who brings sins of the past to a whole new level. To that end, she reminds me a bit of J.D. Robb's Lt. Eve Dallas, although Jess tends to be more melodramatic, devoid of emotion and on the whole rather unlikable. Still, she's a hard-working, get-the-job-done detective and an intriguing character I'd like to read more about.
She and her former partner, Jamison Briggs, parted on shaky terms; her current partner, Alex Chan, is a good detective but about as companionable as our next-door neighbor's pooch who growls every time he sees me. Jess isn't fond of him either, but she's adjusting; as the story begins, the two have gone from their Washington, D.C., base to Louisiana. In a bayou there, the torso of a woman has turned up. The head is missing - and since it appears to match the MO of other murders, the agents are concerned that they're on the trail of a serial killer who may be keeping victims' heads as trophies.
Then what to her wondering eyes should appear but Jamison - back from an undercover job and ready for reassignment as Jess's partner. There's a lot of mutual hand-wringing and head games as the two try to come to terms with their earlier break-up and Jamison's new love interest, but professionalism (and an obvious like for each other) eventually win out. As for Alex, he doesn't seem fazed by losing his shotgun-riding status - to him, it's just another crappy day in paradise, I guess - and anyway, enough headless bodies keep turning up to keep his and everyone else's minds on finding the killer.
In the middle of all this, Jess meets Matt Ramsey, a smooth-talking, exceptionally hunky FBI agent who's determined to make an honest woman out of her. True to her emotion-shunning personality, though, he pretty much has to stalk her to get her attention - and even when he succeeds, he isn't able to hold it for long. That's partly because as evidence piles up, a worst-case scenario rears its ugly head: could it be that the murders are somehow related to the sordid past Jess has spent all of her grown-up years trying to hide?
The whole thing was a wild ride all the way to the end, when a few strands are left dangling to whet appetites for the next book. Overall, this definitely was an enjoyable experience for me, though my enthusiasm was dampened a bit by repetition and typos (the latter, I trust, will be corrected before the book is released; I read an advance copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review) as well as a few glitches in the story. As hard-nosed as Jess is, for instance, it's really tough to fathom how she (or anyone else) possibly could go out for a run hours after cutting her bare feet by stepping on glass shards. Ouch!
Now You See Me by Kierney Scott (Bookouture, November 2017); 318 pp.
5 stars out of 5
My first encounter with this author came via Jack of Hearts, a recent entry in his series featuring detective Jack Stratton. That one made a favorable impression - I look forward to the next one, hint, hint - and when I ran across this new standalone, I considered giving it a try. When I read the description, I was convinced that reading it would be a good idea - so even though it was just days before the release date, I requested, and was approved for, an advance copy (thank you).
In fact, it turned out to be a great idea; my concern that I might not get it finished on time vanished after a handful of chapters. NFL and college football games came and went unwatched, Lawrence Welk got recorded, and I even skipped at least one lunch because I couldn't bring myself to put it down. A 5-star rating? A no-brainer.
The book's title reflects the title of another book - one written by the mother of Faith Winters. Ten years earlier, Faith's beloved sister Kim and two others died violent deaths, reportedly at the hand of her father, who then committed suicide. Faith, who was present at the time, managed to hide out in the dark woods. She escaped certain death, yes, but she was left with deep psychological wounds. Faith's mother, a therapist, worked through her own grief by way of writing a tell-all book about the daughter - Faith - who survived.
Faith continued to bury her anguish by way of alcohol, temper tantrums and other behavioral no-nos, which in turn landed her in a psychiatric hospital. But now, close to the anniversary of the murders, she gets the okay for release - on the condition that she return to the hometown in which all the blood was shed and participate in group therapy programs. No matter what she tries, though, she's not able to shake off the trauma of her past - nor her belief that the father she loved did not commit the awful crimes. That's because she'd seen another person at the scene back then - an unknown man she calls "Rat Face."
But alas, no one - not even the police - believed her then, nor do they believe her now. Even when she spots him once again, everyone thinks it's all in her twisted mind. Everyone, that is, except Rat Face, who learns that Faith has spotted him again. Now, he - and possibly his partners in crime - must do whatever it takes to keep from being identified, including making sure that this time, they leave no witnesses. Several twists and turns lead to an exciting conclusion (I won't say it's totally satisfying, but the loose ends get pretty well tied up). In short? Very well done and highly recommended.
The Girl Who Lived by Christopher Greyson (Greyson Media, November 2017); 329 pp.
5 stars out of 5
Four things I gravitate toward when I have a spare 15 or 20 minutes: Playing word puzzles on my smartphone, seeing what my family and friends are up to on Facebook, looking for a snack in the kitchen cupboard and polishing off another chapter or two of whatever book I'm reading. Accordingly, one of the ways I know I'm loving the book I'm reading is when the other three options go by the boards.
That certainly was the case here - so besides being a little hungry, I'm now faced with major catching up to do on my phone and Facebook.
This is the second book featuring South Wales detective partners Alex King and Chloe Lane, and I admit I didn't read the first, The Girls in the Water. No matter; at no time did I notice any "holes" that made me wonder what had gone on before. As this one begins, Chloe is bunking with Alex and contemplating a more permanent hookup with another department detective. Alex's mostly estranged mother has taken a turn for the worse health-wise, and a young woman named Keira North took a fatal fall from an open window during a party. The latter looks like an accident, but to Alex and Chloe, it doesn't pass the smell test.
As they begin to investigate, they quickly learn that four of Keira's housemate friends may not be as innocent as they appear. And then - just when they start to think they're on the right track - another one bites the dust. Yet another cog hits the wheel when a young woman ends up in the hospital following an overdose; that case, too, lands squarely in the laps of Alex and Chloe.
Could it be that someone is trying to wipe out all of Keira's housemates one by one? If so, why - and perhaps more important, who? And while no one thinks the murders and overdose cases are connected, the way things are going, anything is possible. The result is that Alex and Chloe are led in many directions, providing twists, turns and surprises for readers as well.
All in all, this is a very well-written book with interesting characters - and a series I've put on my must-read list going forward. Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review it.
The First One to Die by Victoria Jenkins (Bookouture, November 2017); 346 pp.
4 stars out of 5
