4 stars out of 5
Welcome to the Lindsay and Yuki show! When the four members of the Women's Murder Club come together in a book - in this case, the 17th in the series - it's a pretty sure bet that San Francisco Police Department Sergeant Lindsay Boxer will snag a leading role. Which of the other three will take the stage with her is up for grabs, but this time out, Attorney Yuki Castellano gets the nod. Their compadres, medical examiner Claire Washburn and crime reporter Cindy Thomas, are pretty much relegated to walk-ons.
There are two cases to follow; murders for Lindsay and her partner, Rich Conklin (who lives with Cindy) to solve and a case with a twist for Yuki: Getting a jury to believe a man who claims to have been sexually abused by a woman. Recently returned to the District Attorney's office, Yuki is convinced that the man is telling the truth and convinces her boss to let her prosecute the high-profile woman, who was the man's boss. On the home front, Yuki is worried by the sudden inattention of Jackson Brady, her main squeeze and Lindsay's boss. So not only is she worried that her case may unravel before her eyes, she's afraid she may be losing the love of her life.
Meanwhile, Lindsay runs straight into seemingly random gun-down of a homeless victim in a neighboring district. When Lindsay learns there have been similar murders that are not, apparently, being taken seriously by the local cops. That the officers tell her to mind her own business angers the ever-professional Lindsay - to the point of taking action that threatens to derail her own career. Still, she can't get involved in a case outside her own playing field, so she's forced to sit on the sidelines until fate intervenes and a homeless person is murdered right on her home turf.
Is it possible that Yuki will lose a big case and her big love all at once? Will Lindsay get sidelined by a suspension before she can catch whoever's shooting down the homeless folks? Get the answers in this easy-to-read book - another more-than-adequate murder lite that's perfect for reading on a beach or waiting for a doctor's appointment.
The 17th Suspect by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro (Little, Brown and Co., April 2018); 368 pp.
4 stars out of 5
Whatever else I think about this book - the first in the crime-thriller category by this author - I cannot deny his way with words. Even when the going takes gruesome turns, the main character, Isaiah Coleridge, has the chutzpah of a Raymond Chandler private eye combined with the philosophical musings of the late Robert B. Parker's Spenser.
And that's a good thing; otherwise, Coleridge - once a mob enforcer - wouldn't be a particularly appealing guy. Big, brawny and half Maori, he manages to get on the wrong side of his father and his Chicago mob bosses, who send him north to Alaska. There, his cantankerous genes kick in once again, and he is "retired" to remote Hawk Mountain Farm in upstate New York, where he performs mundane tasks like mucking horse stalls.
Needless to say, the work isn't very challenging, and he misses the hard action of his former life (even he isn't sure whether he prefers getting punched or punching someone else's lights out). Still, he vows not to return to his old ways; but then the Michael Corleone effect kicks in: "Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in."
In truth, "they" really aren't the problem; Isaiah simply doesn't have it in him to stay on the right side of trouble. He runs amok of some nasty characters - basically turning their body parts to mincemeat - and saves a wayward young girl from the clutches of some particularly dastardly dudes. Then, in the midst of his having to deal with enemies old and new, the girl he saved goes missing. That hits Isaiah right in the heart (it's stashed right behind his shoulder holster), and nothing - not broken bones, not bloody knife slashes and certainly not threats of a slow and painful death - will stop him from saving her once again.
This is, I believe, the first of a new series - and yes, it's enjoyable enough that I look forward to the next. Thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review an advance copy. Well done!
Blood Standard by Laird Barron (G.P. Putnam's Sons, May 2018); 336 pp.
5 stars out of 5
So much did I love the first two books in this series - "The Butterfly Garden" and "The Roses of May" - that I couldn't wait to get my hands on this one. And I thoroughly enjoyed it as well, although for a somewhat different reason. It doesn't have the emotionally charged, edge-of-your-seat thrills like the others, but the writing is superb and I loved the character development and their interactions with one another.
And to that end, I'll offer a word of advice: Read the series from the beginning. The books can stand alone, yes, but the full understanding and impact from each, IMHO, will only come to those who've read them all in order.
This one begins as Mercedes Ramirez, an agent with the Crimes Against Children unit and survivor of horrific abuse as a child, comes home after a romantic evening with her lover, Siobhan, to find a bloodied child in her porch swing. An "angel," the youngster haltingly explains, forced him to watch while she murdered his parents. Then, she gave him a white teddy bear and dropped him off at Mercedes' house, telling him Mercedes would make sure he's taken care of.
I shall digress for a moment to say it's refreshing to see an openly gay woman (Mercedes) portrayed with such, well, normalcy. She's a competent agent who is both admired and totally accepted by her co-workers for who she is (that she gets hugs from her straight female team members unaccompanied by an "OMG, if I touch her it's gonna rub off on me" attitude is truly amazing considering the way gay females all too often are portrayed).
The killer may be reprehensible, but she's right; Mercedes is the perfect person to make sure the young boy gets the right kind of attention and care. Immediately, she gets down to the business of identifying the killer, with help from her partner Brandon Eddison and boss, Victor Hanoverian - the two who, years ago, rescued Mercedes from her hellish life and are the reason she's making a career out of protecting abused children.
The trail leads nowhere, and then three more blood-covered kids show up on Mercedes' porch telling the same story. And then come even more, prompting Mercedes to wonder why she's been chosen to be the children's savior. Could it be because of something, or someone, from her storied past? Whatever the reason, it's clear that the murders aren't going to stop anytime soon; if anything, they're escalating. In the end, it's a race to save lives - and the killer from herself.
Honestly, I'm a bit confused as to whether this is the last in the series - some places I've read that it is while others call it the third of four books. This one wraps things up in fine fettle; but that said, almost any of the characters are strong and intriguing enough to have starring roles in future editions, including Mercedes and her quirky but very capable team. In any event, many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this one.
The Summer Children by Dot Hutchison (Thomas & Mercer, May 2018); 300 pp.
5 stars out of 5
Oh, how I look forward to reading books in this series - this is the 16th, I believe, so I've had lots of practice. Even though my mystery/thriller tastes don't cross the line into the paranormal, I've made an exception for private detective Charlie Parker, who somehow managed to die three times and return to the land of the living. But that experience didn't leave him unscathed; inexplicably, he remains "connected" to that very dark place in which he narrowly escaped making his forever home. He plies his trade just like any other human, but he's acutely aware of the evil that lurks in the hearts of [non]men.
This one begins as Charlie, an FBI consultant, meets with old friend Louis, whose life partner Angel is recovering from surgery to remove a tumor. As they are leaving, Louis - not known for an accepting attitude - spots a truck tricked out in all manner of fancy including a couple of decals Louis considers offensive. One thing leads to another, and let's just say Louis and the truck's owner will never be friends.
Concurrently, a very bad man named Quayle and his even badder girlfriend are on the hunt, looking for a pregnant woman named Karis Lamb. Clearly, they won't stop till they find her - and woe is anyone they run into who can give them any leads (or not). As the story progresses, a storm in Maine topples a tree in the woods, unearthing the remains of a woman who appears to have given birth before she died. Parker is called in to help with the case, but her identity can't be ascertained, there are no clues as to what happened to the infant and Parker has no awareness of Quayle and his quest (much less why he's so determined to find the woman).
Eventually, though, everything begins to come together - meaning that Quayle now knows Parker and Louis may be major roadblocks in his path. Here and there, Parker's dead daughter Jennifer makes an appearance (occasionally speaking to her father as well, since she's tuned into what happened to and what's happening now with the woman in the woods). Needless to say, getting to the end means wading through some gruesome murders; and to get the full enjoyment out of the book, I'll caution readers to keep an open mind about "other-worldly" matters. As with other books in the series, the ending is mostly satisfying, but a few loose ends will, I assume, be picked up in the next installment.
Of course, I'll be waiting; meantime, many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read an advance copy of this one. Thoroughly enjoyable!
The Woman in the Woods by John Connolly (Atria/Emily Bestler Books, June 2018); 496 pp.
3 stars out of 5
My first reaction as I read this book? Wow, what a motley crew of misfits. Every single one, including lead character Detective Harriet Blue, has issues so deep it would take a bulldozer to dig them all out. And quite honestly, with one possible exception (Harriet's partner, Detective Edward Whittacker), I didn't care enough about any of them to look for even a shovel.
Set in Australia, where Harriet is a sex crimes officer with the Sydney Police, the story begins with her efforts to free her brother Sam. Despite a ton of evidence to the contrary, Sam was found guilty of murdering three young women. He insists he's innocent, and Harriet is certain (as is he) that he's been framed.
But best-laid plans often get derailed, and after Harriet - who clearly needs several courses in anger management - smacks a prosecutor in the nose, she's banished to a nine-day stint in Last Chance Valley, a remote area of New South Wales with just 75 residents. Being driven into the community by a local cop turns out to be a blast - literally - wherein the local police chief is blown to smithereens (smaller bits than that, actually). Initially, that gets the attention of an egotistical international terrorist expert who happens to be in the area, giving Harriet a case into which she can sink her teeth while she worries about her brother.
Back home, the aforementioned partner has promised to continue the investigation, and from this point on readers follow two storylines (each detailing, as much as anything else, the horrifying childhoods that I suppose are intended to explain - if not justify - the grown-up behavior of just about every character).
Both plots thicken till near the end, when there are a few surprises plus a cliffhanger that might entice me to look forward to the next installment - if only I liked the character. Fact is, I may or may not read it; trite as they may be, it's rare for me to pass up a Patterson-and-friends book. This one really isn't awful, but neither will this series ever come close to being a favorite.
Fifty Fifty by James Patterson and Candice Fox (Little, Brown and Co., February 2018); 400 pp.
3.5 stars out of 5
This is my first experience with the Detective Anna Gwynne series (the first is The Silent Girls). Like most heroines of this genre, she's competent on the job and comes with a bit of baggage from her past (think Lt. Eve Dallas of the J.D. Robb series). She's with the Bristol Police, just having returned to work after four months off as a result of serious injuries incurred, I assume, in the first book.
One of her first assignments is the years-old cold case murder of a child named Rosie Dawson, whose boiled-and-polished bones were found but not her murderer. When Blair Smearton, a young girl who is hearing impaired, goes missing now, Anna's technology team looks to the Dark Web and finds photos of both Rosie and Blair in what is almost certain to be the same room. The team's conclusion? Both were taken by the same person, no doubt a serial killer.
Hoping to find Blair before her bones meet the same fate as Rosie's, Anna and her colleagues ramp up an all-out effort. For her part, Anna turns for help to a in-prison killer named Hector Shaw, with whom she apparently has a prior and not happy relationship. Asking him for insights about how and why he killed his victims, she reasons, may be of help in locating Blair and unearthing Rosie's killer.
Interjected into the story early on is Detective Dave Woakes, a transfer from another police department who turns out to be a thorn in Anna's side. Alas, that seems to be his only purpose; he adds absolutely nothing to the story except to give Anna someone to complain about. Perhaps he's being introduced here with the intent of having him show up in a future installment, but otherwise, he's worthless.
Anna's investigation also puts her in contact with Dr. Hawley, an ER physician who was questioned and narrowly escaped being charged for Rosie's murder simply because he "allowed" the child, who has Down Syndrome, to climb on his lap and give him a smooch when he soothed her earache during an ER visit. Anna's confidence in the doctor's innocence, however, isn't shared by other members of her team. So who's right?
The answer to that doesn't come till late in the book (and no, I'm not going to reveal that information, nor whether or not the team gets to Blair in time to save her life). I will say that the end result, when it comes, seems a bit rushed; at the very least, I'd like to have had a little more detail about the abductor's background (one incident from his or her past, though reprehensible, does not necessarily a serial killer make).
Overall, my opinion is that this is well worth taking to a summer beach or on a longer airplane trip - and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy. It's got reasonably likable characters, a touch of modern technology to keep it timely and enough suspense to hold interest throughout. Honestly, other than the inclusion of that totally disposable Woakes character, my main issue with this book is the intended-to-tantalize subtitle: "A completely unputdownable mystery and suspense thriller." It's a mystery, yes, but the rest of that description? Sorry - not even close.
Blood Runs Cold by Dylan Young (Bookouture, May 2018); 304 pp.
4 stars out of 5
I won't say I liked the plot in this book as well as others I've read, but my husband and I - both long-time fans of the Spenser series - agree that the Boston private eye's "voice" here is more true to that of original series author, the late Robert B. Parker. In 2011, Parker's estate chose Ace Atkins to carry on the legacy, and he's written - if my research is correct - six Spenser books prior to this one (all of which we've read and enjoyed).
Twenty years after an extremely valuable El Greco painting was stolen from a ritzy Boston art museum, it's whereabouts remain unknown. One of Spenser's old friends who's spent years trying to solve the case is dying, and he doesn't want to exit this world amid unfinished business. So, he asks Spenser to take on the case and insists that the museum director and chief board member go along with the arrangement. Uppity creatures that they are, they hold their noses and agree - or so it appears. Sweetening the pot is the chance at a $5 million reward, and the lengths to which some characters will go to get a piece of that action isn't surprising.
The trail leads to some very shady characters, several with mob connections and not-so-pleasant past encounters with Spenser, who gets capable assistance from Vinnie Morris - a criminal Spenser has come to (for the most part) trust. Conspicuous in his absence, though, is Spenser's long-time pal and back-up guy, Hawk, who's said to be somewhere in South America cavorting with a woman (despite the fact that the book description at Amazon inexplicably claims Spenser gets help from both Vinnie and Hawk). Since Hawk's presence has been rather limited in the last couple of books in the Atkins series, I can't help but suspect that he's being phased out. Frankly, IMHO, Hawk hasn't been the same since his words were crafted by his creator; still, I love the guy and hope he's just on hiatus.
Most of the book is just Spenser doing what he does best; following leads, chowing down (sometimes with his girlfriend, Susan Silverman), interjecting amusing one-liners and trying his best not to get killed. The investigation puts him in contact with old police colleagues and members of the aforementioned mob, most of whom would never get invited to Spenser's wedding (should he and Susan ever decide to tie the knot, which is unlikely). Along the way, the list of characters with names ending in "i" or "o" grew too long for me to keep them straight, but in the end, Spenser prevails as usual (and with a little twist, yet).
Bottom line? A quick and easy read and another solid entry in an excellent series.
Robert B. Parker's Old Black Magic by Ace Atkins (G.P. Putnam's Sons, May 2018); 336 pp.
5 stars out of 5
What can I say about this book besides it's another stellar entry into an already great series? Honestly, not much except that this is the fourth featuring former police detective Amos Decker, who landed a spot on my Top 10 book "heroes" list right from the first. That's partly because he's an Ohio boy (I've been a proud Buckeye State resident most of my life) and a football standout - that is, until he took a nearly deadly hit on his first play as a member of the Cleveland Browns.
He didn't die, obviously, but he did end up with some rather unusual after-effects - most notably being hyperthymesia, or the ability to remember every single moment of every single day and call any one of them up at will. He also acquired synesthia, or the association of colors with people and objects. Particularly in his career as a detective, those rare abilities usually are extremely helpful, but in his personal life, not so much. There's no escaping, for instance, the years-ago horror of the brutal murder of his beloved wife and young daughter. He's also a bit emotionally challenged, in that for the most part he's unable to express his feelings. Those qualities make him a unique character - the biggest reason I'm a big fan.
These days, Amos and his partner Alex Jamison work with the FBI (another "connection" since my late mother's maiden name is Jamison). As this story begins, they are in small-town Baronville (located in northwestern Pennsylvania not far from the Ohio border - another fun coincidence, since I live in northeastern Ohio not far from the Pennsylvania line). They've come to visit Alex's sister Amanda, her husband Frank and their daughter Zoe, who not long ago relocated in Baronville when Frank took a job at a huge new distribution center. Still another coincidence; the area in which I live - just off Interstate 80 - is a hot spot for distribution centers as well.
Amos and Alex are hoping for a few days of down time, but that changes quickly when Amos notices some strange sights and sounds at the house behind the one they're in. Unable to resist checking things out, Amos finds two dead bodies. Poking around results in another serious head injury - one that has mind-altering potential. Further investigation, with help from local cops, reveals other recent murders - far more than would be expected in such a small town. Among the suspects is the hermit-like descendent of the town's founding father, who was a highly successful industrial magnate believed to have caused the town's steep economic decline and, not inconsequentally, the opoid addiction that's running rampant in and around the community.
Amos has to work to win the confidence of the local police, and gaining traction in that area puts him and his partner in the crosshairs of the bad guys. Murders keep piling up, and it's clear that someone is intent on adding Amos and Alex to that stack. Can they find out what's really going on and who's behind it before they become victims as well? Ah, but that's for me to know and other readers to find out. The only thing I'll pass on is that this is another winner - highly recommended!
The Fallen by David Baldacci (Grand Central Publishing, April 2018); 433 pp.
3.5 stars out of 5
Comparisons with James Dickey's Deliverance are virtually inevitable: Characters set off for what they expect will be an exciting wilderness experience, meet up with a character or characters who have less than honorable intent and emerge with their lives forever altered. Such is the case in this book, which begins as just-married Natalie and Doug Larson head out by canoe on a honeymoon that will take them through a remote area of New York's six-million-acre Adirondack Forest Preserve.
From that point on, though, there are differences - the first of which is that Natalie witnesses interactions among Doug's friends before the ceremony that make her suspect her new husband may be hiding something (that he's a domineering jerk apparently has escaped her notice thus far). Now, she's more than a bit reluctant to head out for a week with no way to contact any other human being besides Doug - she can't even read a map, for gosh sake.
As they paddle along (she clearly struggling), Doug continues to counter each of Natalie's concerns with his know-it-all attitude. That neither is really up to the challenge becomes clear early on as they encounter the almost overwhelming mental and physical consequences of getting lost (the latter requiring near super-human efforts to overcome). All this takes place quite some time before they encounter the inevitable bad guy. His name is Kurt, and he's a wilderness survivor in hiding who more than anything else craves the company of other humans. He's eager to welcome "guests" with open heart and arms, but he's also taken elaborate steps to ensure that whoever enters his lair will remain ensnared till death do him or her part.
The canoe trip is eventful almost from the git-go, and anticipation builds as chapters shift from the couple's perspective to that of the forest pervert (all with full knowledge that at some point, the twains shall meet up). What was most interesting to me, though, was watching the demeanors of Natalie and Doug shift almost full circle - he becoming less assertive and she more confident (not that it made either of them more likable). Kurt, meanwhile, remains true to his damaged self, but readers do get glimpses of how that damage was inflicted and by whom.
Once Natalie and Doug are in Kurt's clutches, their struggle to escape and his efforts to prevent that from happening begins. This section, too, requires the kind of human effort I seriously doubt has ever happened in real life, but it does keep the story moving along. The final section deals with the outcome, which of course I won't reveal.
I didn't mention that Natalie has a sister, who in turn has an estranged husband and recalcitrant daughter, Mia (the latter of whom makes an introductory appearance at the wedding and again near the end but otherwise is pretty much, as her name suggests, missing in action). That omission was deliberate; I mention her here only because I have to wonder why she's included at all. Her "contribution" to the finish is not only totally implausible, but borderline silly.
All things considered, this is an enjoyable adventure, at least for those (like me) who don't need to fall in love with the characters to like a story. Here's my final thought: Like that other book, this one - with a few tweaks here and there - also would make a pretty exciting movie. If that happens, in fact, I'll be one of the first in line!
Wicked River by Jenny Milchman (Sourcebooks Landmark, May 2018); 466 pp.
5 stars out of 5
Like the author, I've spent time as managing editor (and reporter and copy editor) of a newspaper, albeit something like 429 miles from big-time New York City. Unlike the author, though, I couldn't write a word of fiction if my life depended on it. No matter - he does it so well that I was perfectly content to kick back, pull out my Kindle and enjoy the heck out of this one.
It is that print/TV/news "connection," of course, that initially prompted me to request an advance review copy (thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for making that happen). But it was the intricate, well-written plot, with all its twists and turns, that hooked me from the beginning and didn't let go till the end (and then some). In short, it's one of the best books I've read in quite some time.
The star of the show is Clare Carlson, a newspaper reporter-turned-TV news director - the latter a position she earned in large part because of earning a Pulitzer Prize for her coverage of the disappearance of 11-year-old Lucy Devlin back in her newspaper days. When Lucy's long-suffering mother claims to have new information on her daughter's disappearance, Clare's TV boss agrees to do an update on the missing child story (bringing to my mind one of the things I hate most about TV news - a reporter shoving a microphone into the face of a grieving family member). But I digress; Clare agrees, and when she meets with Lucy's mother, she learns the woman is dying of cancer. Apparently, the mother has been informed of someone who saw her young daughter with a motorcycle gang - a gang to which the girl's ex-husband once belonged.
With her boss's approval, Clare starts to dig (after all, she's got a stake in the case as well as in the success of the TV update). The trail leads to a "biker chick" who claims to have seen Lucy way back when - with a man who's now in the running for a big-time political office. Clare is in awe of the guy (and it doesn't hurt that he's an unmarried hunk), but she's suspicious as well. Then, bodies of other young children are unearthed, and Clare suspects they may be related to Lucy's case and once again begins to dig in.
But surprise - as any good reporter knows, there's always more to a story than meets the eye or ear. Now it's time to get serious - and in the process, unearth some news that Clare would be happy to keep buried.
Well done - highly recommended!
And for my blog only - with our income tax refund and summer on the way, I decided to take the plunge and buy a Kindle Paperwhite to make it easier for me to enjoy reading on our sunny deck. Wow - what a difference! I'm hooked - and highly recommend this as well!
Yesterday's News by R.G. Belsky (Oceanview Publishing, May 2018); 2106 KB.
