4 stars out of 5
It took me a while to get into this book, mostly because I haven't read any others in the series (and since there have been more than 20, clearly I've missed a lot) and also because for whatever reason I didn't realize that it's a turn-of-the-century setting. Once I figured that out, though, the dialog and interactions among the characters made total sense; from then on, reading it was quite an enjoyable experience.
At the beginning, New York married couple Sarah (nee Brandt) and Frank Malloy (she a midwife and he a private detective) are hoping to adopt Catherine, a child Sarah apparently has been raising (how that came to be was, I suppose, the subject of an earlier book). They learn that the man Catherine's mother was married to isn't her birth father; and under the law, only the real father has parental rights and can sign over his daughter to the Malloys. Turns out he's Parnell Vaughn, an actor in a small, independent theater company, and he's more than willing to give up the child he neither knew nor wants anything to do with. His actress fiancee, though, isn't about to let him give something for nothing; ante up, she demands, or she'll put the kabosh on the deal.
Even though the real dad doesn't care about the money and such payments are illegal, Frank agrees; but when he returns to the theater with cash in hand, he finds that Parnell has been brutally murdered. Worse, since Frank gets covered with Parnell's blood when he inspected the body and nobody else seems to be around, Frank becomes the No. 1 suspect. Needless to say, he didn't do it - so he and his partner Gino, with help from Sarah, set out to prove his innocence.
There's no shortage of other suspects, including the aforementioned fiancee, a long-in-the-tooth actress who refuses to give up ingenue roles and act her age, her producer husband who would do anything to keep her happy and an agent who may have motives that are not in his clients' best interests. Helping to sort things out is Serafina, another character from an earlier book or books; as a medium, she just may be able to conjure up insights that will help get to the truth.
The action moves along quickly (although it does get a bit bogged down here and there by too-lengthy "what if" discussions among the characters). The writing is interesting and true to the period, and once in a while there's a touch of humor. The only thing I was never able to figure out, though, is why Frank is referred to by his first name in some instances and his last name in others (for a while, I actually thought they were two different people).
Still, I'm happy to find this series, a delightful combination of historical fiction and murder mystery. For sure, I'll be watching for the next installment. Meantime, I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read an advance review copy.
Murder on Union Square by Victoria Thompson (Penguin Group, May 2018); 336 pp.
5 stars out of 5
I have three things to say about the books in this series, of which this is the third: First, I loved every single minute of reading them all. Second, they're good enough to keep you looking forward to the next one - but even more so because the endings aren't quite endings at all. And third, if you want to get the most out of them, start at the beginning (with The Silent Corner and The Whispering Room.
That doesn't mean the books can't stand on their own, because they do. But I also know that I enjoyed Books 2 and 3 a lot more because I read what came before (and I'd say that's more true of this one; had I not read the second, I'd have felt a bit lost throughout the first several chapters).
The series features Jane Hawk, a disgraced standout FBI agent who's now on the Bureau's Most Wanted list and on the lam. She's certain her husband Nick's suicide (in a previous book) was murder - committed by an ultra-dangerous and secretive group of powers-that-be called the Arcadians who use nanotechnology to infiltrate the minds of their victims and control their words and actions. Those victims, it seems, are chosen based on a computer model that identifies people who are most likely to get in the way of the group's idealogy - and that certainly included her highly principled husband. While trying to stay out of the group's crosshairs, Jane is now searching for an especially violent member who has threatened her young son, Travis - forcing her to stash the boy with friends at a place where he won't be found (or so she fervently hopes).
Also featured prominently here are fraternal twins and writers Tanujat and Sanjay, who apparently have landed a place on that hit list. Chapters switch from what's happening in their world as they slowly realize somebody's out to get them to what's happening in Jane's - ditto, except in her case, there's nothing slow about the realization.
Her chase is, as might be expected, fraught with identity changes, close calls and dead bodies, but eventually she gets what she wanted (or thought she did). That, in turn, leads her to a frightening encounter with - you guessed it - a crooked staircase that, no matter whether she's going up or down, is filled with almost unimaginable horrors. Put another way, there's never a dull moment in this book; and once again, I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read an advance review copy.
Oh yes, about that non-ending: What follows it is a preview of the next book, The Forbidden Door. When authors do this, I never - but never - bother to read them. But something - maybe the totally abrupt stop of this one - made me take the plunge, and I urge you to do the same. Even though it too ends with a cliffhanger, it eases the pain of the first one a bit and is a little less in-your-face.
The Crooked Staircase by Dean Koontz (Bantam, May 2018); 512 pp.
4.5 stars out of 5
I've gone on record at least two other times with the opinion that this may be the best of the many series by James Patterson and his co-author du jour (in this case, Marshall Karp). And nothing in this one made me change my mind. It moves along quickly, serves up a few surprises all the way to the end and enough humor to hold my attention throughout.
NYPD Red is an elite task force that caters to the rich, famous, and those who are both but prefer no one else to know about it. Sometimes - as it does here - that means detective-partners Zach Jordan and Kylie MacDonald often have to suck it up to placate stratospheric egos and play down what's really happening. Such is the case here, when a big explosion hits a hoity-toity benefit gathering at a fancy hotel that leaves a big-wig dead (and narrowly misses New York's mayor). Then comes the next body - a female who's heavily into the sadomasochistic sex scene - is a little less high priority to the Red team (and most certainly to their boss) until they identify some of her high-profile partners.
As faithful readers of the series already know, Zach and Kylie once had a fling, but now they're content, or so it seems, with new loves: Zach with a beautiful psychiatrist and Kylie with a guy Zach isn't so sure about. Since Zach's torch for Kylie hasn't been fully extinguished, he's determined to make sure Kylie hasn't picked a pig in a poke.
So we have three totally different cases, all requiring a ton of the kind of investigating that have made Zach's and Kylie's reputations as a top-notch, go-to team. All get resolved in one way or another by the end; the only issue I had (and the reason for knocking my rating down half a star) is that there are so many characters that it was a bit of a challenge for my aging brain to remember which ones belonged to which case and why. Still, I survived the experience with a smile on my face - ready and waiting for the next installment.
Red Alert by James Patterson and Marshall Karp (Little, Brown and Co., March 2018); 368 pp.
4 stars out of 5
Different, but delightful! That's my reaction after reading this, the third book in a series featuring French Commissaire Georges Dupin (Brittany Mystery Series). Although I have not read the other two, this one sounded so intriguing that I requested, and was approved for, an advance review copy from the publisher via NetGalley. And it turned out to be an excellent choice - a wonderful change of pace, in many ways, from my usual fare of police/detective/murder mysteries.
Make no mistake, though - it's in the same genre - but somehow the setting in the salt gardens near the Medieval town of Guerande gave it a more mondain (a.k.a., worldly) air. As the story begins, Dupin has come to the salt ponds at the request of his friend, journalist Lilou Breval. He is, she told him, to look for blue plastic barrels amid the ponds and small farmers' huts that dot the surroundings. As he pokes around in the surroundings that are totally unfamiliar to him, mon dieu! Bullets begins to fly in his direction, one of which hits its mark.
Not seriously wounded, Dupin begins his getaway, but suddenly the local police show up - most notably in the person of investigator Sylvaine Rose, who isn't happy to find an officer from another department trespassing on her territory. But then, with the unexplained disappearance of Dupin's friend Lilou, comes an uneasy truce; the two investigators and their teams are ordered to work together to find out who shot at Dupin and why and what has happened to Lilou.
When the latter investigation doesn't end well, sacre bleu! The situation goes from bad to worse - leading to all sorts of questions about interactions among the owners of the various salt ponds and what's really going on. In between it's fun to watch the often reluctant interactions between Dupin and Rose and learn more about salt than I ever imagined possible. All told, a very enjoyable experience.
The Fleur de Sel Murders by Jean-Luc Bannalec (Minotaur Books, April 2018); 304 pp.
5 stars out of 5
What do I think of this book? It's complicated.
Mostly, I'm talking about the plot. It's sort of like hiking in the woods and, just when you think you see the end of the trail, it veers off in another direction. Bodies turn up on different street corners, motives and suspects change almost by the chapter and friends turn out to be enemies. All this action keeps police consultant and quadriplegic Lincoln Rhymes and his partner (on and off the job) Amelia Sachs on their toes - and me on the edge of my seat.
That's not to say the action is nonstop; in fact, there's plenty of detail here, in character development, technology and historical background (in other words, there's no shortage of evidence that the author has done extensive research). I'll admit that once in a while that drifted a little closer to the too much information line than I'd like, but on the other hand, I'm always open to getting educated on subjects I know little about.
In this case, it's primarily the diamond industry. In fact, that's where the complex story begins; in a Manhattan diamond-cutter's back-street shop, where the owner and a couple of customers are murdered in rather brutal fashion. An apparent witness - a young man who worked for the owner - somehow escapes, notifies the police and disappears into the wind. Lincoln and Amelia are called in (she, physically, and he, mentally from his technology-rich apartment). Together, they determine, surprisingly given the [diamond] setting, that robbery doesn't seem to be the motive.
Rather, the killer - dubbed the Promisor - was targeting the couple themselves (a conclusion reached when other couples are attacked in similar fashion). He - closed-circuit photos prove it's a man - apparently has some kind of kinky fixation with diamonds, making brides-to-be who boast rocks on the third fingers of their left hands high on his hit list.
Another angle involves construction of a geothermal energy facility, complete with a tie-in to local earthquakes, gas line ruptures and more deaths. Still another is the upcoming trial of a dangerous criminal Lincoln and Sachs helped to nail awhile back; now, though, he may find himself on the other side of the fence (not to mention in a sticky situation with police colleagues). Should you think that's enough for one book, just wait, there's more: A shaky relationship between the runaway apprentice, his set-in-his-traditional ways father and his girlfriend that's causing all kinds of trauma.
More than that I won't reveal, except to say that by the last page the loose ends are tidied up (well, most of them, anyway). And this: Congratulations on another 5-star entry in a stellar series!
The Cutting Edge by Jeffery Deaver (Grand Central Publishing, April 2018); 449 pp.
5 stars out of 5
Can this possibly be the 28th book in the Prey series? I know I haven't missed many, so guess that makes me an oldie (but goodie). And so is the series; even if "star" character Lucas Davenport, now a federal marshal, seems to be a bit more laid back these days, there's plenty of action here that kept me reading until my Kindle battery insisted it needed a recharge.
Happily - and in one case, unhappily - a few other characters make return appearances in this one. There's Weather, Lucas's surgeon wife, Letty, his daughter, some former professional colleagues and the even more lovable (to me, at least) Virgil Flowers, upon whom Mr. Sandford has bestowed a series all his own.
Still another blast from the past is Taryn Grant, a psychopath who's now a U.S. Senator. Lucas is certain she's up to her old tricks (and being a billionaire, she's able to grease wheels till the Minnesota cows come home). One of her other enemies, Sen. Porter Smalls, knows firsthand how dangerous the woman is. In fact, he's convinced that a recent auto accident that nearly killed him - and did kill the driver - was all her doing. Proving that, though, just isn't in his skill set.
So, he calls in Lucas - who turns to local law enforcement, the FBI and others to help with the investigation. All heck breaks loose in the process, with suspicions turning into twists and turns that threaten the well-being of everyone involved, including Lucas's own family. And in the end, getting to the truth doesn't necessarily mean justice will be done. Or does it?
Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy.
Twisted Prey by John Sandford (G.P. Putnam's Sons, April 2018); 395 pp.
5 stars out of 5
I've read and enjoyed two other books by this author - one a standalone ("The Girl Who Lived") and the other "Jack of Hearts," another in this series featuring private investigator and bounty hunter Jack Stratton. When I got a chance to read an advance copy of this one, saying yes was a no-brainer. Am I glad I did? You betcha; in fact, it's my favorite.
Some things have changed a bit, most notably that Jack and his fellow investigator, Alice, are now engaged to be married - though they haven't yet set a date. Alice is still grieving the years-ago loss of her parents in an auto hit-and-run; to help, she's asked a mercenary friend, Kiku, to try and track him down. Meanwhile, Jack is asked to get to the bottom of a suspicious death on the set of "Planet Survival," a popular realilty show. Jack decides the best way to go is undercover - the current show is being filmed atop Minuit Mountain in the middle of winter. Alice isn't happy about having to stay home, but the producer insists she can't add more than one person to the crew without causing undue notice.
Jack and the producer win out, leaving Alice to handle research chores, the progress of Kiku's investigation of her parents' death and taking care of Lady, Jack's gigantic King Shepherd. Actually, that was fine with me; Jack may be smitten, but I didn't much care for her from the git-go. And here, when Jack learns that she wants him to call her "darling" because that's what Jack's dad calls his mom, I actually hoped she'd defy orders, climb the mountain and get buried in an avalanche like the crew member whose death is being looked into.
But for better or worse, she's never in much danger. The same can't be said, though, for Jack. Up on that snowy mountain, Murphy's Law is not only alive, but well; what can go wrong does - and then some. From the initial gondola ride to the lodge, when Jack sees as rock painted with an Iroquois symbol for death, the action is pretty much nonstop. A killer blizzard - literally - keeps everyone chilling out in the dark as dead bodies start piling up. Clearly, someone's on a spree; can Jack find out who it is before everyone gets frosted?
The ending thrills, chills and brings a few surprises, making for an exciting read. Now I'll be eagerly awaiting the next installment (which the author says will be titled "Jack of Diamonds"). Bring it on!
Jack Frost by Christopher Greyson (Amazon Digital Services LLC, April 2018); 326 pp.
5 stars out of 5
Two thoughts when I got to the last page of this totally engrossing book: First, how much it reminded me of James Patterson's Private series - only better. Second, what a great movie it would make!
The second book in a series featuring kidnap and ransom specialist Thea Paris, head of Quantum Security International's black-ops team (the first is "Freedom Broker"), this one, which stands well on its own, is full of intrigue, action, betrayal, blood and guts. From the first page on, I really didn't want to stop reading; had my husband and I not been invited to dinner with friends one evening, I'm sure I'd have polished it off in two days. Without hesitation, I'd put it on the list of 10 best novels of this kind I've ever read.
At the beginning, the story is pretty much up in the air as Thea is in an airplane (not her favorite place to be, BTW) escorting two young, war-scarred boys to London, where they'll be adopted by a loving couple. But that plan changes abruptly when the pilot begins to act strangely, then locks himself in cockpit. Yep, it's a hijacking - and the plane and its traumatized passengers are diverted to a landing spot somewhere in the Libyan desert.
A seasoned hostage negotiator, Thea immediately begins the process of bargaining with Prospero Salvatore, a man with whom she's had prior dealings (I suppose in the first novel). In exchange for the release of the plane and its passengers, he wants the Quantum Security team to head to Budapest and capture a truck full of Syrian refugees. Why he wants that is a mystery Thea would love to solve, but her primary focus must be on getting the passengers - especially the two boys - out of harm's way.
As this scenario gets underway, so does another storyline. In Austria, a young man named Johann Dietrich learns of a secret society of men intent on ridding the world of anyone of Middle-Eastern descent - a group led by his own father. In large part for personal reasons, Johann doesn't share his father's hatred - but he does love his father. So how far will he go to stop dear old dad's plan to release a deadly virus that targets only people of with that genetic composition?
Before long, it becomes clear that the storylines will converge; chapters shift from the perspectives of Thea, Prospero and Johann (meaning readers need to pay attention or chance getting a little bit lost). Everything comes together at the end in bang-up fashion - literally. Of course, I can't reveal much else except to say that since this is a series, it shouldn't come as a big surprise that the heroine will live to see another book.
Speaking of Thea, she's a bit more interesting than other action heroines in that she has type I diabetes and has an insulin pump - an issue that's happily treated matter-of-factly (yet the potential for disaster is always present). Try as I might, though, I simply can't get serious about a partner (and potential love interest) named "Rif." What's his real name? Riffle? Riffraff? Puleeze!
That aside, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Many thanks to BookishFirst.com, from which I received an advance copy for review (and the first hardcover book I've read in probably five years).
Oh, did I mention it would make a great movie?
Skyjack by K.J. Howe (Quercus, April 2018); 407 pp.
4.5 stars out of 5
Although I've never been a huge fan of cozy mysteries, they're perfect for when I've grown weary of blood, gore, shoot-'em-ups and books with "girl" in the title. But usually, by the 50 percent mark - sometimes even sooner - the heroine has annoyed me so much by poking her nose (and the rest of her body) where it doesn't belong that I'm more inclined to smack her upside the head than finish the book. What a joy it was, then, to read about the delightful, entertaining and very capable Carrie Ann Cole, an American chef who works for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (think: William and Kate) at Kensington Palace.
It is, I must add, not the first in the series; but I had no problem whatsoever following this one despite not having read the other. In fact, Chef Cole isn't a stranger to murder - she once found an assistant dead under a bed of kale. Here, though, everything seems to be going smoothly, at least until she sees a man peeking into her kitchen window. Not long thereafter, that man is found not only dead, but apparently from an unusual cause: Poisoning by eating one of Carrie Ann's delicious pies. He was found in the Orangery at Kensington Palace following a bridal shower that Carrie Ann had been called in to cater.
Readers, of course, know Carrie Ann is innocent; still, with her fingerprints on the pie pan, she's got to find a way to prove she's not a murderer lest the Royal Family sends her packing. For the moment, she's got support from a couple of hunky guys (oh, did I mention Carrie Ann is beautiful and single?), namely the palace head of security, Ian Gordon, and Jasper Feldman, the kitchen gardener. But following a pie-making contest that generates jealousy from her chef peers, her primary rival and a few of his staff become ill (another suspected poisoning). And when yet another chef is iced, guess who becomes a prime suspect once again?
Through it all, Carrie Ann's behavior never once insulted her intelligence (or mine), nor did the story challenge credibility (though I do wish the characters could find another way to react to situations besides wincing - roll their eyes once in a while, perhaps?) And if I must nitpick, I'd say there was an overabundance of the characters' speculating about whodunit and why. But the twists, turns and kneads were plentiful and fun (no, I didn't guess the ending), to the point that unquestionably, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read it in exchange for an honest review.
Lord of the Pies by Nell Hampton (Crooked Lane Books, April 2018); 320 pp.
5 stars out of 5
This series got off to a promising start with Vanishing Girls, the first to feature Josie Quinn, a very capable detective in Denton, Pa. So of course, I was eager to get my hands on a copy of this one (thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for an advance review copy). My opinion? This one is better than the first. That said, I'll add this: While this one stands on its own well, I think that starting with the first one will give you a bit more understanding of what's going on (and besides, it's also very good).
And for sure, there's a whole lot going on here with lots of players, so you need to pay close attention. Josie is now the chief of police in Denton - a job she likes, although she prefers action to sitting behind a desk keeping tabs on department budgets. She gets it in spades as she's called in when Missy, a stripper, lands in the hospital after taking a brutal beating at her home. She'd just delivered a baby, it appears - a baby who's now missing. Complicating the matter is that Missy and Raymond, Josie's late husband, were a hot item before he died; now, Josie must put aside her conflicting feelings and find out who attacked Missy and took the infant.
And that's when the plot thickens even more. Josie's fiance Luke has been distant of late; when he goes missing, Josie learns that he knew Missy rather well. So, Josie and her team head for Luke's remote cabin, where he's been spending more time of late, and they find blood. No Luke, but there is a dead body half-buried behind the cabin - a man who's identified as a gangster type from Atlantic City. Has Luke gone off the deep end and committed murder, and if so, is it somehow connected to the baby's disappearance?
Needless to say, Josie desperately wants to find Luke, even if it means he's implicated in the goings-on. The investigation leads to a very nasty rich kid who's trying to build a casino in Denton and then to an even more wealthy man who's good friends with the Denton mayor, who threatens to relieve Josie of her job if she doesn't play well with said mayor's family and friends.
Josie isn't one to be intimidated, but with Luke involved and her upcoming marriage in jeopardy, she's conflicted. Her colleages try to help, with some success, but in the end it's Josie who must come to terms with the outcome.
The Girl With No Name by Lisa Regan (Bookouture, April 2018); 341 pp.
5 stars out of 5
I do not like them, Sam I am: Cliffhangers, I mean. Not even when they happen in a favorite series and, Lord willin' and the creek don't rise, I have every intention of reading the next one. But that aside, I quite enjoyed this one (as I expected I would).
As I've mentioned in other reviews, my interest in the series originated way back when because I share the surname of the central character, Joe Pickett, a Wyoming game warden. From that point on, though, I've kept reading simply because the books are so good - and this one's no exception despite the no-ending ending.
In recent previous books (for the record, this is the 18th), Joe served as a sort of covert investigator at the pleasure of the governor. But now, there's a new gov in town, and when he, too, asks for help - this time in finding a high-flying British company owner who's disappeared months ago from an upscale vacation ranch - Joe can't help but wonder if there's more to the story than meets his ears. When Joe learns that his eldest daughter, Sheridan, works at the ranch, though, he figures she might have some inside information and agrees to take on the assignment (not that he really had a choice in the matter). Compounding the issue is that the game warden for the territory in which the ranch is located has gone missing as well.
As if all that weren't enough, Joe is contacted by his old friend, top-notch falconer Nate Romanowski, who for the most part has shed his ne'er-do-well activities of the past and is playing nice with the powers-that-be. But Nate still doesn't trust the feds - he's especially wary of an enormous, government-subsidized wind turbine farm that's under construction not far from the ranch. For the moment, though, he's looking for Joe's help with lifting a ban on falconers who have permits to hunt with eagles but are not allowed to do so. Something untoward is going on, Nate insists, and he wants Joe to find out what it is and who's behind it.
Joe gets a hearty welcome from local law enforcement, but from others, not so much; almost immediately, he has a run-in with a couple of shady characters, and not long thereafter, his hotel room is ransacked and the file on the missing British woman does a disappearing act. Joe's curiosity is further piqued when he notices missing files at the former game warden's cabin; who would have taken them and why?
Everything that's happening is puzzling, and Joe is grateful for help from his back-home wife, Marybeth; she's a librarian and handles research tasks with ease. Daughter Sheridan also proves her mettle, earning newfound respect from dear old dad. One of the strengths of this series for me, in fact, has been watching the changes in the family as the daughters grow up and move out.
As the complexity and possible connections among the various cases increase, Joe has his work cut out for him. Whether or not he's up to the task I'll leave to other readers to learn for themselves; but I will note that staying warm in the sub-zero temperatures of the Wyoming winter in far from the least of Joe's problems. To that end, perhaps he should pull a page from the books of other characters, who I suspect may be getting retainers (and maybe a new jacket every year or so) from outdoor apparel manufacturer Carhartt. If they're not, they should; the brand got mentioned no less than eight times throughout the book.
The Disappeared by C.J. Box (G.P. Putnam's Sons, March 2018); 398 pp.
It took me a while to get into this book, mostly because I haven't read any others in the series (and since there have been more than 20, clearly I've missed a lot) and also because for whatever reason I didn't realize that it's a turn-of-the-century setting. Once I figured that out, though, the dialog and interactions among the characters made total sense; from then on, reading it was quite an enjoyable experience.
