4 stars out of 5
Despite having a backlog of books to read and review, I accepted the author's offer to tackle this book - mostly because a) it sounded interesting and b) I'm always on the lookout for a new series to follow. This one is the second in the series - the first is Cold Comfort, released last year. I didn't read that one, and while I always recommend starting any series at the beginning, I didn't feel at a disadvantage here.
Hartbourne Metro Police rookie detective Bridgette Cash has been given an assignment to investigate the disappearance of fellow police officer John Tyson, last seen working for the police in Sanbury, a couple of hours away. The job is considered a bit of a respite for Bridgette, who apparently narrowly missed being killed off in the first book. But early on, she runs afoul of the Sanbury police when she tries to defend (and befriend) Hughie, a mentally challenged man, when officers use excessive force to get him to the police station. The police chief further resents Bridgette's intrusion on the gone-missing Hartbourne officer (that's putting it mildly; he sticks his foot in her way - and often in his own mouth - every time they meet and is a totally unlikable person. For the record, just about every person she meets in this town seems to be a jerk, a lecher, or worse).
Meanwhile, the town itself is in the midst of building a high-stakes ski resort that's expected to be a big boost to the economy. As she begins her investigation (trying to work around the local police), Bridgette manages to get on the bad side of one of the project's big investors, making her stay - and progress toward finding the missing officer - even more difficult. Complicating things still more is the threat of a huge snowstorm that could bring everything, most notably Bridgette's investigation, to a halt for several days.
It doesn't take long, though, for her to conclude that officer Tyson was murdered. But just like the woman Hughie is accused of murdering years ago, there's no body to be found. Bridgette finds who she hopes is a friend in a local man who was close to Tyson, and together with him and Hughie, she tries to get to the bottom of things without landing in jail or the hospital. And as she discusses progress with her chief back in Hartbourne, she gets even more distressing news: It's likely that one of her co-workers had a hand in her near-murder. But who?
As is typical in books like this, the heroine - Bridgette - comes off as super-human at times (reminding me a bit of Nora Roberts' Lt. Eve Dallas, who somehow survives injuries that would put any other woman down for the count). And I must point out that the characters here use each other's names in their conversations way, way more than "normal" people do, nearly driving me buggy at times. Still, it's a solid plot, and while the ending isn't a cliffhanger, it does leave open the door for the next installment (reportedly Cold Hard Cash).
I'll be waiting!
Cold Trail by Trevor Douglas (independently published, January 2018); 323 pp.
4 stars out of 5
Tempted as I am to give this one 5 stars just because psychologist and LAPD consultant Dr. Alex Delaware has long been near the top of my 10 all-time favorite "heroes," I have to be honest and say this one isn't my pick of the 33-book litter. Do not think I didn't enjoy it, though - it's just that the pace seemed a little slower and the number of characters maybe half a dozen too many for my aging brain to keep straight through a rather complex plot that jumps from suspect to suspect and back again. Also a bit of a disappointment is that Alex's main squeeze, Robin, is noticeably missing for almost all the action (even their lovable dog, Blanche, gets more page time).
Still, Alex remains at the top of his game, and his pal and professional colleague, LAPD homicide detective Milo Sturgis, remains just as curmudgeonly. The story begins when a mutilated male body turns up in an odd place - the home of a family of four, none of whom claims to have a clue as to who the dead guy might be. Milo catches the case, and almost immediately he calls on Alex for help. Clearly, the man was murdered elsewhere - so why would he end up in the home of people he doesn't know? Complicating the case are an obnoxious husband, an even more obnoxious wife, a teenage son with a king-size attitude problem, a sister who might be described generously as three bricks shy of a chimney and a next-door neighbor with hermit tendencies.
To be sure, there's more to that neighborhood than meets the eye, but nobody's talking (except perhaps that obnoxious husband, who just can't seem to shut up). The trail leads Alex and Milo to a few other oddball characters in nearby parts of the state and back again, with driving time interspersed with enough musings, psychological insights and banter between the old friends to keep things interesting until all the trails begin to merge.
Bottom line? Another solid book - just not exciting enough that I was willing to miss the final round of Olympics ice dancing to finish the final three chapters. It was, however, the first free-time task I tackled the following morning.
Night Moves by Jonathan Kellerman (Ballantine Books, February 2018); 416 pp.
5 stars out of 5
Back in the Dark Ages when I conducted employee development seminars on variety of topics, I made it a point to provide participants with a take-home list of resources - mostly books. If I made such a list today, for sure this one would be on it. It's jam-packed with practical, put-to-workable information on what it really takes to land a spot at the top of the corporate leaderboard.
Subtitled "The 4 Behaviors That Transform Ordinary People into World-Class Leaders," the book is based on extensive research that was featured in a 2017 issue of Harvard Business Review. But not to worry; it's far from a lofty dissertation that only a Ph.D. can understand. The authors lay out, using real-life examples, four key "CEO genome" behaviors they've found to be present in all successful CEOs and provide in-depth but simply stated steps for putting the behaviors to work in real life (yours).
The book begins by poo-pooing conventional wisdom; it's not necessary, for instance, to be an Ivy League grad or an egomaniac. And surprise (at least to me, who grew up with the notion that if I worked hard I'd get noticed and get ahead), work ethic plays no role in the likelihood of becoming a CEO. Still another? Future CEOs typically have held from eight to 11 positions in four to six companies. So much for the late 1950s CW that job-hopping is a sure-fire career ender (if I recall correctly, anything less than five years at one place was a no-no).
Interspersed throughout are nuggets I found especially noteworthy, such as that it's better to make a decision that's potentially bad than to make no decision at all. Or this one, which struck a chord with me, no doubt in light of the current political climate: "When you are a leader, most things that go wrong are not directly your fault - but they are always your responsibility."
Chapters end with "key takeaways," and at the finish line are a ton of endnotes, arranged by chapter for easy reference. Here's my own takeaway: If you've got your eye on becoming a CEO of any size company - or just want to emulate the behaviors of those who have been there, done that - this book is a must. Many thanks to the publisher (via NetGalley) for the opportunity to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
The CEO Next Door by Elena L. Botelho, Kim R. Powell and Tahl Raz (Currency, March 2018); 288 pp.
3 stars out of 5
The story in this latest series entry is interesting and well thought out. The execution? Not so much.
Even if I don't mention the mother of all cliffhanger endings - never a way to win my heart - I kept running into "what the heck?" references I didn't quite understand simply because I've read only one of the previous books. For that reason, I can't recommend this as a standalone; to get the most out of this series, my advice is to start from the beginning.
Along the way, other issues bothered me as well. The book is set in Manchester, England - and having a wonderful, very British daughter-in-law, I'm fairly comfortable with most words, phrases and spellings that somehow were transformed when they [we] crossed the Pond (some for better, some for worse, IMHO). But in this instance, more than once something left me scratching my head and sending her an email or turning to Google for an explanation. Other times, the author seemed confused as well, such as when central character Detective Sergeant Jessica Daniel reaches for a "cookie" and a couple of sentences later is eating a "biscuit." But when she popped a single broken "crisp" into her mouth (in the States, folks, that's a lone potato chip) and immediately had trouble talking because she had a "mouth full," I pretty much lost it.
As for the plot, Jessica has dragged her live-in fiance to Piccadilly Station in hopes of catching a pickpocket who's been targeting couples like them (why she has to explain the reason they're there when Adam complains is a bit of a mystery - surely she would have told him ahead of time). But just as she realizes her own purse has been victimized, Jessica gets a call that a body has been found in a waste bin. That turns out to be Damon Potter, a 19-year-old student and college rowing team member. Meantime, Jessica and her partner, Archie Davey, have been working on another major theft case that involves a robber with a so-far unidentifiable tattoo (although this, too, turns out to be such a well-known design that I couldn't believe no one in the entire Manchester police department had ever seen it before).
The initial investigation of the rower's death reveals a possibility that hazing may have been the cause, but it's suspicious enough for Jessica to lean toward murder. Although the student president of the rowing society, Holden Wyatt, is deemed a person of interest, Jessica is gobsmacked to learn that an unknown someone or someones way above her job level are determined that Wyatt must be prosecuted whether or not he's guilty. That, plus her immediate supervisor's sudden and inexplicable cold shoulder toward her, make her wonder if her career is in jeopardy. When yet another body turns up, it matters not to the powers-that-be; that's a case of a different color, and Wyatt remains expected to go down for Potter's murder no matter what Jessica thinks.
As I said at the beginning, the basic story is of sufficient interest to keep me reading (and I do thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read it in exchange for an honest review). But given all the inconsistencies, I'm sorry to say this one just didn't do it for me.
Scarred for Life by Kerry Wilkinson (Bookouture, February 2018); 375 pp.
4 stars out of 5
The second book featuring Detectives Jenna Alton and David Kane hits the ground running with the discovery of teenage Felicity Parker's mutilated body in a Black Rock Falls, Montana, forest. At first blush, it's the result of a bear attack; at first glance, it's an especially gruesome murder. Given an influx of visitors to the town for the summer rodeos, Jenna suspects one of them did the dirty deed. But just a few days later, one of Felicity's friends, Kate Bright, is laid out in similar fashion - complete with flowers carefully placed next to the bodies - this time at the local swimming pool. That triggers a query of other communities and the realization that murders similar MOs have happened before - prompting Jenna and profiler Kane to conclude that a serial killer is on the loose (one who almost certainly will kill again and again).
Amid all this, Jenna is breaking in brand-new deputy Shane Wolfe, soon to have a Medical Examiner license that should be of benefit to the local department. The relationship between her two deputies - who seem to know each other from somewhere unknown to Jenna - makes for a bit of a strain, adding another mystery to the situation ( I won't go into further detail lest I reveal things best left to readers to discern for themselves). The chapters record the progress of the investigation interspersed with thoughts and intentions straight from the murderer. Suspect after suspect comes, goes, and comes back again, but so few clues are left at the murder scenes that honing in on the culprit is almost impossible.
The action (or more to the point, the dialogue) turned overly melodramatic more often than I'd like, but it's still an intriguing story that held my attention throughout. I will admit, though, that at times I felt a little "out of it" - a feeling I'm sure came because I didn't read the first book in the series (Don't Tell a Soul). This one stands alone fairly well, but several times the events or conversational tidbit gave me the niggling feeling that I'd somehow missed something.
All in all, though, this is a well-written, fast-paced book that's easy to read in a day or two. Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
Bring Me Flowers by D.K. Hood (Bookouture, February 2018); 318 pp.
4 stars out of 5
Good book - held my interest throughout and I easily polished it off in two days. But compared to others I've read in this series (one of my favorites, BTW), it just didn't have much pizzazz - kind of like driving a Maserati with half-inflated tires.
Even though Lt. Eve Dallas and her hunky Irish husband Roarke heat up a few rooms in their house now and then, they seemed a titch off their usual game (even Roarke's faithful majordomo, the curmudgeonly Summerset, is off on a rare holiday). Only Eve's coworker and friend Peabody remains as bubbly and colorfully dressed as usual. The plot, while clever and interesting, was a bit plodding, with not much real action (again, compared with previous books in the series).
Early on, Dallas is called in when a dead woman turns up in a movie theater. Just as Janet Leigh is reeling from horrific stabbings in her hotel shower in Alfred Hitchcock's classic movie Psycho, the woman's life was similarly ended by a single ice pick plunged into her neck. In the thrill of the movie, no one noticed the killer - who left virtually no clues for Dallas and her team to follow.
Then out of the blue, Dallas gets a visit from the author of a popular series of books featuring former police detective Deann Dark. The real-life movie murder, the author says, mirrors events in one of her books - too closely for her comfort. Dallas tends to agree, and when an earlier homicide turns out to copy scenes from yet another of the books, she's convinced they're tracking a very determined, and very careful, serial killer.
It seems clear that the killer has taken the Dark books to heart; problem is, there are quite a few others just waiting to be brought to life (or more accurately, to death). To try and get ahead of the next hit, Dallas and Roarke hit the books, hoping to learn who the next victim might be.
Overall, I enjoyed the book despite its more laid-back feel (every once in a while, in fact, it's nice to read a murder mystery in which I'm not biting my nails worrying that one or two of the main characters will land in the hospital or worse). But I also suspect that not many readers, including me, will call this one a series favorite.
Dark in Death by J.D. Robb (St. Martin's Press, January 2018); 384 pp.
5 stars out of 5
Gott im Himmel - this one absolutely blew me away. Chronicling the best and worst of coming of age with dead bodies thrown in, it's Stand By Me on steroids. Whew!
And to think I almost missed it. Yes, I'd seen the extensive hype, and noticed its appearance on best-seller lists. But faced with a stack of advance-copy books that will keep my nose to the Kindle to the tune of at least one a week all the way through early May, I decided to take a pass on this one. And then, a three-week window miraculously appeared - and only one big-name author's entry (Dark in Death by J.D. Robb, which I'll be reading next) - was waiting to be squeezed in. Well then, I said to myself, let's see what everybody's talking about.
Now I know, and I'm almost speechless. The writing, dare I say, is exquisite, the character development is like none I've seen in a while and the story is both original and totally engrossing. In fact, once I hit the halfway point, no way could I have put it down. Chapters switch between two time periods; 1986, when the major characters are English kids (four boys and a girl), and 2016, when they've long gone their separate ways but strange events are pulling them back together again. I've said time and time again that I'm not a fan of time switches like this, but in this instance the chapters are clearly designated so there isn't much confusion. What's more, details revealed in the early year are so interesting - and sometimes surprising - that I couldn't wait to find out the impact they had on the friends' current lives.
The story is narrated by Eddie Adams, now a teacher. His long-ago friends are "Fat" Gav, "Metal" Mickey, "Hoppo" Hopkins and Nicky (the lone female). As youngsters, they live very diverse and for the most part happy lives; but they also witness some very unchildhood-like events like finding a pieces of a woman's body strewn thither and yon in the woods. Like most kids, they get their kicks where they can - in their case, from drawing stick-figure "secret" messages to each other with colored chalk. Fast-forward to 2016, when Eddie is contacted by Mickey, and old memories - not all of them pleasant - come flooding back. How and why did the friendships come to an end? What is each of them doing now? And why on earth has Mickey suddenly reappeared after all this time? The answers to those questions, and many others, are revealed as the story unfolds.
Along the way, there's considerable focus on social issues (some might say too much, in fact). The story touches on everything from bullying to abortion to stereotyping to Alzheimer's/dementia, with a few in between that I didn't bother to write down. That said, each is directly tied to the plot and progress of the story, with no attempt to be "preachy" as far as I could tell.
There's a lot more I could say - especially about the ending - but most of it would give away too much. I'll just stick with emphasizing that this is one of the best books I've read in a long time. Simply outstanding!
The Chalk Man by C.J. Tudor (Crown, January 2018); 288 pp.
