4.5 stars out of 5
The ability to write any work of fiction always fascinates me; I'm a writer, but I simply cannot fathom putting together a story that isn't based on real-world facts. And when it's as complex and entertaining as this one, I'm pretty much in awe. Having enjoyed another of the author's books, Watching Edie, I was delighted at the chance to get my eyes on an advance copy of this one to review. Now that I've finished, my opinion is that it's the better of the two. And that means it's pretty darn good.
Totally plausible? For the most part, no, but it matters not to me; there was suspense in nearly every chapter that kept me riveted to the point that with a quarter of the book left to finish, I kept on going even as my favorite college football team was in serious danger of losing an expected win. Even the chapters that alternate between two different time frames and different sets of characters - normally a bit off-putting to me - were so well written that I can't complain.
This one begins with a shocker from 1986 (conjuring up visions of the grisly offer-you-can't-refuse scene from "The Godfather"), setting the stage for Beth and Doug, who finally got the baby they'd longed for: a daughter they named Hannah. But try as they might, they can't get Hannah to respond to their caring efforts. Clearly, something is dreadfully - and dangerously - wrong with the child. Nothing they do helps, and they're now living in fear of what she might do next to them (and especially to Hannah's younger brother, Toby) or anyone else with whom she comes in contact in Cambridgeshire, England.
Then it's on to London in 2017, when Clara's live-in lover Luke fails to return home one night. Threatening emails turn up on Luke's computer - it seems he's been the target of an unknown, and potentially vicious, stalker for quite some time. Luke's parents, both retired professionals, are still grieving over the loss of their daughter (Luke's older sister), who inexplicably left home when he was 10 years old, never to be heard from again. They've still got Luke's older brother, Tom, but he's got plenty of baggage that keeps him emotionally separated from his parents. Now, they all must deal with the possible loss of yet another grown child.
The two stories - efforts by Clara, Luke's friend Mac and the police and those of Hannah's parents to understand and deal with her out-of-control behavior - run concurrently for much of the book. As most readers would expect, however, the two will converge at some point; they do, as little by little new insights (and a ton of secrets in both scenarios) are revealed, coming together in an ending that is at once satisfying and unsettling.
My own conclusion? Definitely worth reading!
The Lies We Told by Camilla Way (Berkley, October 2018); 336 pp.
3.5 stars out of 5
I'm a fan of this author's books, so of course I was eager to try this one, the debut of a new series featuring private investigator Andrew Hunter. It fell a bit short of my expectations for several reasons - perhaps the most important one being that I never quite warmed up to Hunter or his quirky assistant, Jenny. Almost every page of the way, it seemed to me that the author was simply trying too hard to get readers interested in both the characters and the plot while I, on the other hand, am in the camp that says if you want to get someone's attention, whisper.
The same is true for the humor that's interspersed throughout; some of it elicited mild chuckles and some fell flat. As always, though, I thoroughly enjoy the British take on things (the setting here is Manchester, England). At one point, for instance, Andrew calls the female voice on his GPS unit a "mardy cow" (which, BTW, I'm planning to retort next time the bloody woman in my GPS spits "recalculating" at me - take that, you hussy)! In another situation, Andrew describes the entry to a college dorm "only marginally more compromised than Britain's border control."
The story itself begins as Andrew and Jenny are working for a woman who's sure her husband is cheating. Shortly thereafter, a man named Richard Carr comes to the office, asking them to take on the case of his son, Nicholas, who disappeared around a year earlier just after he turned 18. Complicating matters is that three chopped-off fingers turned up in a woods have been identified as at one time being attached to Nicholas, but the rest of the kid is nowhere to be found.
Other suspicious deaths and other clues lead to other friends of Nicholas, and a mysterious tattoo arouses suspicions of the occult. For more clarification, Nicholas turns to his ex-wife Keira, with whom he has remained in love for the past eight years despite his being the one to pull the plug on the relationship (hmmm, what's up with that)? Apparently, he has no choice; the investigation otherwise is at a dead end and conveniently, she wrote university papers on the subject of witchcraft and thus is as close to an expert as Andrew thinks he can get.
Details, twists and turns of the investigation are well thought out, although a bit hard to believe in spots. As for the lead characters, I'm hoping the next book will find Andrew a bit less dorky and Jenny a bit more conventional. They do counterbalance each other's personalities well and I hope that continues - just a little toned down, if you please.
Overall, definitely worth a read - especially for those like me who are always on the lookout for a solid new series (I'm of the opinion that better things are to come). Thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read an advance copy.
Something Wicked by Kerry Wilkinson (Bookouture, October 2018); 334 pp.
4 stars out of 5
This is the third in the series featuring Jessie Cole, a private investigator in Sacramento, California. It's a good one, but I do strongly suggest reading the other two first. In large part, that's because all the recurring characters have storied (and very troubled) pasts; with so many in the mix here, it helps, I'm sure, if readers already have a leg up on what's happened in the past. I read the first, and I have no doubt I'd have enjoyed this one more if I'd had the second under my belt as well.
At the epicenter here is Jessie's friend Ben Morrison, who is an investigative reporter with a past he can't remember, courtesy of an auto accident. But while Jessie believes in him, plenty of other folks from his past claim he's got a mean, sadistic streak that he's trying to hide. That includes Ben's father, who's in jail for murder (in fact, he insists Ben is "deranged"). Other early-on characters include Jessie's teenage niece Olivia, who lives with her aunt; Jessie's assistant Zee Gatley, who needs meds to control her schizophrenia but is nonetheless colorful and fun; and Colin Grayson, a local homicide detective with whom Jessie has an on-again, off-again romantic relationship.
To kick off the action, a young woman turns up dead in a barn; just as that investigation gets underway, Zee agrees to take on the case of a man who's looking to prove his wife is having an affair (Jessie eschews domestic cases, but Zee wins this battle, in large part because the firm can use the hefty retainer). Meantime, Jessie is trying to uneath Ben's real backstory; she sees him as a friend, but could it be that he really does have a history of violence? Speaking of violence, I must mention that while it doesn't bother me, there's some super-salty language and [brief] descriptions of lewd sexual acts here that might be offputting for those who may be sensitive about such things.
Other murders follow, leading to the suspicion that a serial killer may be at work. Throw in the coach of an athletic team on which Ben's daughter plays; Ben thinks he's up to no good, putting him at odds with his wife and daughter, both of whom think he practically walks on water. Ben's father, Lou, threatens his psychological counselor at Folsom Prison in an effort to get out of jail free. Chapters shift from the perspectives of several characters (plus from that of the killer, whoever he or she may be). While I'm not a huge fan of this technique, it's done well enough that I have no complaint at all.
But the big question is, do any of these goings-on relate to Ben's past and the person he really is? If so, how? Those questions get answered for the most part, with plenty of fodder left for the next book (said to hit the presses early in 2019). Overall, this is an enjoyable, fast-paced read - and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to review an advance copy.
Deranged by T.R. Ragan (Thomas & Mercer, October 2018); 288 pp.
3.5 stars
Picture this: It's the deep south, where conventional wisdom dictates that whites and blacks don't hang around in the same social circles. Beautiful white woman and a hunky black ex-jock defy said conventional wisdom (several times, most recently in a beach cabana). White woman gets brutally murdered. Black man gets charged with said murder. Snarky judge assigns defense to newbie white female attorney. Client insists he's innocent and refuses to take a plea. Case heads to trial with odds (including the jurors) stacked against a win. Anyone hear a familiar twang?
Yup, me too. The only surprise is that it's not by the author I'd have expected.
Nonetheless, the plot makes this a better-than-just-tolerable read; the only other surprises, I guess, come as said newbie white female attorney, Ruby Bozarth, learns who she can trust. Otherwise, the story follows her efforts to be taken seriously by the judge, prosecuting attorney, jurors and even her client (she's already given up on her snooty rich racist ex-fiance, Lee Greene).
Problems begin at the voir dire, when the prosecutor runs roughshod over Ruby's juror choices; in particular, she's suspicious about the person seated as Juror #3 (wow, that would make a great book title)! But from out of the blue comes her ex-fiance's Aunt Suzanne - an established, blustery local attorney strongly reminiscent of TV's fiesty, oversized but oddly lovable Harry Enfield, played by Kathy Bates. Then, out of the blue blood appears said ex-fiance - wearing an orange jumpsuit. It seems he's been accused of murdering a beautiful young woman. Despite his disdain over Ruby's boots-on-the-ground lower-class social background, her inexperience and his family's misgivings, he insists that as his attorney, only she will do.
Right off the bat, Ruby gets Greene's trial moved from Vicksburg, Mississippi, to her tiny town of Rosedale to avoid media contamination of the jurors - a venue that seems to assure that this case somehow will intersect with that of the cabana-killer. It does, at least marginally, and after investigations make the truth hard to swallow and threaten her very life, Ruby - and the second-time-around jury - get to the truth.
Conclusion: An ending that begs for more details, but overall not half bad; so if you enjoy books with a legal bent, don't hesitate to give it a go.
Juror #3 by James Patterson and Nancy Allen (Little, Brown and Co., September 2018); 352 pp.
4 stars out of 5
So much do I love this series - in particular, the gorgeous, filthy rich, multi-talented husband of New York Police Department Detective Eve Dallas (he's near the top of my Top 10 all-time favorite book heroes - that I carved out time in between advance review book freebies to read it. But while the plot was intriguing and here and there I was worried that Eve and Roarke might meet a fate similar to other characters in the story, much of the rest seemed a bit, well, bland compared with the many others I've read. Still, it was good enough - and moved along quickly enough - that I polished it off in fairly short order. And while it may not be my favorite of this now 47-book ongoing adventure, it certainly didn't dampen my enthusiasm for reading the next one.
The whole thing starts with a bang - literally. At a corporate meeting to seal a merger deal between two airlines, one of the executives shows up, obviously upset - and just as obviously outfitted with a suicide vest. When it blows, so do several people in the room; 11 are killed and a few others are seriously injured. What set him off, though, was something totally unexpected; his family was being held hostage under threat of violent death unless he blew the place to smithereens.
Eve is on the case, and the motive is hard to determine. Could it simply be someone opposed to the merger? Or perhaps someone who figured to make money by buying stock on the cheap following the disaster and selling at a huge profit once the merger got back on track and was accomplished?
Some clues take the team into an art world permeated with a few shady characters, one of whom meets the same fate as the above-mentioned executives as another suicide bomber - faced with a similar threat - takes over the room in big-bang fashion. Now, it appears, Eve and her team - which includes her beloved Roarke - need to speed up their investigation before someone else goes off on a bombing spree.
The usual crew all play roles here, although the flambouyantly costumed Peabody gets sprung to go to Hollywood, where a video "starring" Eve is up for all sorts of awards. That adds to the fun (although I found that whole adventure just a bit silly). Everything comes together in the end, although it wasn't particularly exciting one. But the whole thing works and is well worth reading - just don't expect to be on the edge of your seat.
Leverage in Death by J.D. Robb (St. Martin's Press, September 2018); 400 pp.
4 stars out of 5
Murder, child abuse, drugs, family secrets and psychologically damaged characters turn up on just about every page in this book, the fifth featuring Ireland Detective Lottie Parker. Fairly early on I ran into an ongoing obstacle: A few too many characters and plot "angles" that made it a bit hard for me to keep track of who was who and how he or she was connected to which story line. I decided to just settle back and let my mind go with the flow, though, and before too long things started to fall into place. I've read only one book in this series (The Missing Ones, which I totally loved), and the writing I enjoyed when reading that one is here as well. It stands alone, but I'm sure I'd have felt more "clued in" had I read the other in-betweens. That said, I'm pretty sure die-hard fans who have followed the series from the start won't be disappointed.
For openers, an obviously disoriented and bloodied young woman wanders into the police station claiming she may have killed someone - then passes out and is transported to the hospital. It's clear she's just given birth; but before anyone can speak to her, she escapes. Not long thereafter, Lottie's not-yet-teenage son Sean and his friend find a dead newborn near the short where they've gone fishing (authorities assume, of course, that it belongs to the bloodied girl).
Following closely on the heels of that is the disappearance of a young socceer player - a close friend of Sean's - who in short order is found murdered. And just days later, another young boy is found murdered in similar fashion. All these cases end up on Lottie's plate, but a few personal issues get thrown into her mix (and added to my confusion) as well, such as moving into a new house with her family, an uncertain "romance" with another department detective, a jealous very pregnant co-worker, an overbearing boss and a mysterious man from her past.
Perhaps the only thing that gets resolved in the end is the identity of the murderer (I'd narrowed it down to two characters, one right on the button); otherwise, I'm left scratching my head with this question: Just how much blood can one woman lose before there's none left? The rest of the goings-on will, I assume, carry over to the next book, which I certainly hope to get my hands on. For now, thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review this one.
Tell Nobody by Patricia Gibney (Bookouture, October 2018); 458 pp.
3.5 stars out of 5
In essence, this is a 46-page short story; entertaining and easy to read, yes, but a short story nonetheless. It's even too short (and certainly too costly) to be a fit with the author's BookShots series (books that are 150 pages or less and sell for under $5), so I have to wonder what's behind it. Perhaps the hope of a new series featuring Texas Ranger Rory Yates? A made-for-TV movie? Time will tell, I guess. Meantime, if you like cops-and-robber stories and/or need something you can polish off while waiting at the dentist's office, you might want to give this one a look.
In the middle of a hostage situation which his well-known skill with a gun takes care of, Rory is unable to respond to a call from his ex-wife Anne (they're divorced, but he's still very much in love with her). When he finally gets free and returns her call, she's clearly terrified; it seems she's been getting threatening phone calls and is sure she's in physical danger. That upsets Rory, who immediately starts the four-hour drive to his home town to see her. When his on-the-way calls aren't returned, he freaks out, breaking all speed limits to get to her fast.
But alas, it's not fast enough. He arrives at her home - the one they used to share - to find that she's been murdered. Not too surprisingly, he becomes an early-on suspect - as does the new man in her life, a trucker with whom, from everyone's perspective except Rory, she's totally in love. Of course, Rory is told in no uncertain terms to stay away from the investigation; also of course, he doesn't listen. As an aside, at this point he begins to annoy me as much as the heroines from cozy mysteries who forge ahead, never heeding anyone's advice, warnings or ultimatims (but who, after they've solved the problem, somehow manage to end up forgiven by everyone and free to go do it all over again). In this case, Rory crosses so many Texas Ranger lines that, had all this happened in real life, I have no doubt he'd have become Texas toast in their eyes.
The story follows his efforts to find a killer who, when another murdered woman turns up, appears to be on a roll. Along the way, he learns a few things he really doesn't want to know about his ex-wife (and himself). In short - and I emphasize the short - there's plenty of action and even some edge-of-seat moments until the end (which took me roughly a couple of hours to reach while watching the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers play to a tie in their NFL season opener).
Texas Ranger by James Patterson and Andrew Bourelle (Little, Brown and Co., August 2018); 46 pp.
4 stars out of 5
For sure this hits a good many psychological buttons, but - at least until the last quarter of the book, I'm not quite willing to call it a thriller. Most of the book follows the sometimes reality, sometimes memory, sometimes dreams of Poppy Lang, whose beloved husband Jack was brutally murdered while out jogging a year or so earlier. For a couple of days after the funeral, Poppy went missing; when she finally turned up, she had no recollection of where she'd been or what she'd done.
But that doesn't stop scenes from appearing. Right from the start, she gets flashback snippets, most of which are so vivid that she believes they're happening in the moment. Here and there, they are; but others seem to be unreal (especially since she's unable to put them in any kind of context). Is her memory starting to return? Or is her mind just piecing together fantasies that may or not be rooted in reality? Or is it both?
Needless to say, not only is Poppy confused, but her behavior tries the patience of those around her, including her mother, her best friend Layla and her husband Mac (one of Jack's best friends as well), and the concerned folks she works with at the successful photography-related firm she and Jack owned.
Augmented (or hampered) by drugs and alcohol, Poppy is determined to find out who killed her husband and why. The case remains open, and she recontacts the detective who led the investigation back then and, like her, would love to put it in the "solved" pile. But he, too, has trouble believing the scenes Poppy's mind keeps conjuring up - most of which just doesn't make much sense. Poppy does manage to hooksup with a sweet, caring man named Noah; but here, too, her visions hint that he may have been connected somehow to Jack's murder. Or not.
This scenario continues until about three-quarters of the way through the book, when Poppy finally begins to get her head together (with Noah's help, although neither she nor readers can be totally sure that he's really helping). The nonstop action begins here as well, with everything coming to a head (pun intended) amid an all-too-real possibility that Poppy may meet the same fate as her late husband.
After all is said and done, I really enjoyed this book. Yes, the lead-up to the grand finale probably could/should have been chopped by a few chapters (although, unlike some other readers, I did not find it particularly confusing). And, Noah is more than a little bit too over the top on the too-good-to-be-true scale for me to not be skeptical of his intentions. Still, it's definitely worth reading, and I was happy that a rainy day made even running errands so off-putting that I just curled up on my end of the sofa and read to my heart's content. Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for providing me with an advance copy to read and review.
Under My Skin by Lisa Unger (Park Row, October 2018); 304 pp.
4 stars out of 5
When it comes down to a choice between a cat or a dog - either in a book or for real - gimme the cat every time, yo. But that doesn't mean I don't like canines, and for sure I'm a big fan of stories set in the wild and woolly outdoors (as evidenced by my undying love of books by writers like C.J. Box and Paul Doiron). And, of course, this one.
This book is the fourth in the series, and for sure it won't be my last. I read and enjoyed the third, Hunting Hour, but sadly not the first two. I choose the word sadly not because the books I did read don't stand alone quite well - they do - but simply because they're so entertaining and easy to read that I wish I'd started at the beginning. The heroine, police officer Mattie Cobb, is a strong (not to be confused with headstrong), competent woman with whom I'd be happy to share a beer or two. She's not overly nosy, whiny or self-doubting like many of the cop ladies ladies I've encountered (well, she's got a bit too much of the latter characteristic to suit me perfectly, but her abusive childhood - much of which she can't even remember - means I'll give her a pass on that score for now).
The setting here is scenic and relatively remote Timber Creek, Colorado, where Mattie is apprehensively awaiting a meet-up with her brother Willie. Separated 25 years ago and reared in different foster homes, the two have been in touch only a few times since and Mattie has no idea what to expect. She absolutely loves her K-9 partner Robo, and she's close to acknowledging her love of local veterinarian Cole Walker as well (understandable - I, too, am very fond of them both).
One day, on a horseback ride with his two young daughters, Cole's dog finds a treasure to haul back to his humans. A dead animal it's not; rather, it's what's left of a badly burned human foot and ankle that's still stuck in its charred boot. A subsequent search led by Robo turns up the rest of the body deep in the woods; evidence unearths a surprising connection to Mattie. Still other clues lead to still other searches and the discovery of more charred-beyond-recognition bodies.
Clearly, whatever's going on has been happening for quite a few years, so now it's a search for connections among the victims (and more to the point, to Mattie) and ultimately to the identity of someone who may be a serial killer. The trail leads over the rivers and through the woods, with some tense moments scattered hither and yon. The ending calls into question some of Mattie's family history - bringing, I'm sure, a big surprise to loyal readers of this series (and, no doubt, providing a solid start to the next edition). I'm up for it - and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to stay in the series loop. Good job!
Burning Ridge by Margaret Mizushima (Crooked Lane Books, September 2018); 279 pp.
4 stars out of 5
"Old friends, old friends,
Sat on their parkbench like bookends..."
--Paul Simon
After so many years of reading and enjoying the books in this series, the words to that song popped into my head as I started this one. I've followed the adventures of Detective Peter Decker and his wife, Rina Lazarus, from the time they met, fell in love and married (beginning, if I recall correctly, with The Ritual Bath in 1986). I loved watching their blended family grow and the interactions between Peter and Rina as she guides their Orthodox Jewish household and offers sage advice to him as he works to solve crimes.
Given that expectation, then, I was a bit disappointed with this book, in which Rina plays what to me is a very insignificant role. Yes, she offers some coffee and sympathy when he gets bogged down in as-yet-unsolvable details of the case he's working on, but most of what little on-page time she gets is spent making kosher sandwiches. In all honesty, though, I've said the same for all the other books written since the empty-nesters and grandparents moved from the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles to Greenbury, New York, a small, upstate college town (I believe this is the fourth).
For both Peter and Rina, that move was supposed to put them in a relatively quiet, relaxing world; but bored with doing nothing, Peter joined the local police force, not really expecting much action. Needless to say, no sooner than he signed on, homicides started happening. This one - the body of a badly beaten young man - is discovered by Peter himself. In part because he lived in nearby Hamilton, there's some clamor over territorial rights, and the Hamilton police chief insists that his daughter, Lenora Baccus ("Lennie") be assigned temporarily to assist Decker and his Greenbury team. As sort of an aside, Lennie formerly worked for the Philadelphia police, specifically with Decker's grown daughter Cindy. Coincidence? Of course not; since Lennie has no idea that Peter is Cindy's father, it adds a couple of pages to the book by allowing him to call Cindy to check up on Lennie's performance since he really doesn't fully trust her or the reason her father lent her to Greenbury.
Peter doesn't trust her father's motives, either (nor, for that matter, those of most of the police teams of Hamilton or Greenbury). Some of that distrust may be well-earned; early on, the supposedly squeaky clean victim, Brady Neil, turned out to be involved in criminal activities. Then it was learned that his father, Brandon Gratz, is in jail for the murder of two owners of a local jewelry store. That link, in turn, leads to possible connections to members of the Hamilton police, whose detectives - including Lennie's father - were the lead investigators in the jewelry store murders. The trail also leads Peter and Rina to Florida, where they can spend a few paragraphs visiting both their aging mothers (Ida Decker, Peter's mom, is a spry 94).
Actually, the story itself is quite engrossing, but there are way, way too many characters to keep straight; about halfway through, I totally gave up trying, figuring things would sort themselves out in the end (which they did, for the most part). But keeping them all straight was made even more difficult because just about everyone in the cast had a name beginning with a "B" - either first or last. Finally, although most of the loose ends are tidied up by the end, there were a couple of stragglers; I can only assume those will become fodder for the plot of a future book (and yes, I'll be among the first in line to get it). That's because even after my kvetching about this one, Peter and Rina still feel like old friends and people with whom I'd love to sit on a park bench and chat. Oy, the stories we could share!
Walking Shadows by Faye Kellerman (William Morrow, August 2018); 384 pp.
4 stars out of 5
I know I sound like a broken record, but it's always a treat to discover a particularly good series. This one I've missed by eight-ninths of a mile; it's the ninth of the "Monkeewrench" books. I very much enjoyed reading it and, for those who might be planning to jump in this far along, it stands alone pretty well. That said, I couldn't shake the feeling that I missed out on a whole lot of background "stuff" that would have made it even more meaningful.
About a year before this story begins, the son of filthy rich businessman Gregory Norwood - Trey - died of an apparent overdose. On the anniversary of his death, the father, who had just been told he had terminal cancer, is found dead as well - an apparent suicide. Shooting himself under these circumstances would have been understandable, of course, but a few things just don't add up; the gun was found near his right hand (Gregory was left-handed), and it was totally devoid of fingerprints.
As this is taking place, there's a bit of anticipation at the headquarters of Minneapolis-based Monkeewrench, a software development company that's beta-testing the mother of all security programs. One of the partners, Grace MacBride, is within dropping distance of delivering a baby - a child she share with detective Leo Magozzi, who is investigating the abovementioned murder. Monkeewrench gets a call for help from another law enforcement official who has discovered a possible terrorist bombing plot. Is it possible the new program can be used to discover who and where the terrorists are and, more to the point, what they're trying to blow up?
These two stories run concurrently, but as I suspected, eventually they begin to converge. Along the way, I met some intriguing characters - in particular one or two who work at Monkeewrench with unusual names like Harley Davidson and Roadrunner - who I'd love to see much more of (an example, I suppose, of what readers of previous books already are clued into). Along the same line (and said as a series newbie), I guess I expected there'd be more plot involvement from the folks for whom the series is named. This time out, there seemed to be more emphasis on the cops and less on the computer geeks.
Resolution of both scenarios brings some tense moments, but the loose ends get tied up at the end - well most of them, anyway - making for a very fast-paced, almost edge-of-my seat experience that turned me into an instant fan. I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy. This may be my first Monkeewrench adventure, but it certainly won't be my last.
The Guilty Dead by P.J. Tracy (Crooked Lane Books, September 2018); 336 pp.
