5 stars out of 5
Any time a book by one of my all-time favorite authors is released, it goes on my must-read list. And when it brings the promise of a new character, well, I immediately move it to the top; after all, it could be the start of something good.
Honestly, I don't know if the intent here is to launch a series featuring World War II veteran and newly released prison inmate Aloysius Archer; I do know that if it is, count me in. Set in 1949, it's certainly different - with words like "gumshoe," "grub" and "dames" sprinkled liberally throughout. Men wore hats (Archer, a fedora), ladies wore gloves and Veronica Lake peekaboo hairdos and everybody smoked - usually unfiltered Lucky Strikes or Pall Malls. The only thing halfway resembling technology came in the form of a Dictaphone machine (if you need to ask what that is, you're just a young whippersnapper).
Deposited by bus in prison-assigned Poca City, Archer will be on parole for three years and report to officer Ernestine Crabtree. Chancing a stop in a local bar - off limits to parolees - he meets a flaunt-it-all high-roller who's there showing off his female arm candy. They begin to talk, and the guy hires Archer, who must find gainful employment as a condition of parole, to collect a debt (specifically, a Cadillac) he's owed by another local businessman. But when Archer goes to meet that man, he learns there's more to the story; that arm candy, it seems, is the daughter of the guy who hired him. What's more, that Caddy's going nowhere unless the daughter agrees to come back home to daddy - and she ain't budging.
That leaves Archer somewhere between a rock and a hard place, and matters get even more complicated when said daughter decides she's sweet on Archer. If that weren't enough, everywhere he turns, the rather stuffy Miss Crabtree keeps her eye on his comings and goings - as does another ex-con Archer knows to be nastier than most. When one of the characters bites the dust right under Archer's nose, the law comes calling - tapping Archer, of course, as the primary suspect.
Returning to jail understandably isn't on Archer's agenda, though, and the only way he can prove his innocence is to find the motive and unearth the real killer. That's exactly what he sets out to do, finding an unlikely ally in the form of one of the detectives on the case - who tells Archer he's got the makings to become a pretty good gumshoe (which I'm taking as a clue that we'll see him again).
And that's where my part of the story ends; the rest is a very entertaining, finely tuned story that had me riveted right up to the end. Yes, it's a bit of a departure from the author's usual fare and the time setting is reminiscent of a Raymond Chandler or Dashiell Hammett book. But I absolutely loved it, and I think other readers will agree. Highly recommended - oh, and more, please?
One Good Deed by David Baldacci (Grand Central Publishing, July 2019); 433 pp.
4 stars out of 5
For the first few chapters, at least, I felt sorry for Tess Clarke. She's in the hospital after being stabbed, and her son Jamie - who celebrated his 8th birthday the previous day - has gone missing. That's on top of losing her husband Mark in an airplane accident a few months earlier, so needless to say, she's a bit of a physical and emotional mess (emphasis on the latter). Making matters worse, she's sure that Mark's brother Ian, and Shelley, her grief counselor, are in cahoots and have absconded with the child. So why isn't anybody listening?
The story proceeds to outline day by day, starting 55 days before Jamie's birthday party, the things that happen in Tess's life after the tragic loss of her husband. We see her bond almost instantly with Shelley, who lost a young son who closely resembles Jamie (hmmm, a clue, perhaps)? We hear Ian's constant insistence that Tess, as executrix to Mark's estate, should get on with the paperwork because Mark owes him a substantial amount of money that Ian desperately needs (aha, another clue)?. We also watch Tess's relentless, over-the-top angst, about which I'll say this: Somewhere around the 39th day prior to the birthday bash, I stopped feeling sorry for her and started to root for Shelley and Ian.
Even if you can't work up a lot of empathy for Tess, though, this is a good "mess with your head" story. I tried to guess at the ending and missed; honestly, that actually makes me happier with the outcome. This is a great beach read - yep, there's still time before the kiddies head back to school - and overall a quite enjoyable one. Thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review a pre-publication copy.
The Perfect Son by Lauren North (Berkley, August 2019); 368 pp.
5 stars out of 5
In the interest of full disclosure, this series (more specifically, art restorer and accomplished Israeli spy Gabriel Allon) has held the No. 1 spot on my Top 10 "heroes" list for quite a few years now. This is his 19th book; and I assure you he's in no danger of losing that lofty perch. The story is intricately woven with enough suspense to make me hold my breath here and there and the writing is, as always, exemplary. Add in the appearance of several familiar characters from previous books and the result is, well, another winner in my book.
Despite the singular title, there are two characters here who are bestowed with that moniker; the first is a young lady who has been enrolled in a fancy private school in Switzerland (you'll have to read the book to learn the identity of the other one). It is this young lady, though, who kicks off the story with an unhappy event: She's been kidnapped. Conventional wisdom says it's by enemies of her father Khalid bin Mohammed, the soon-to-be king of Saudi Arabia. When he takes the throne, it's believed he will lead dramatic reforms that would bring his country and its residents into the 21st Century - not a place many of those residents want to be. Other outsiders are less inclined to believe his motives are genuine - after all, he's thought to be behind the recent murder of a dissident journalist (hmmm, now where have we heard something like that before)?
Gabriel's reputation for fighting terrorists (and killing more than a few) are legendary, and Khalid wants him to find his daughter. To bring Gabriel into the fold, he turns to common acquaintance, art expert (and former CIA agent) Sarah Bancroft, with whom Khalid has a professional relationship. Gabriel isn't exactly a fan, but for the sake of the argument, he's willing to believe Khalid's claim that he'll turn his country away from radical Islam. Only one thing is certain: Both Gabriel and Khalid have a lot to lose should something go wrong (not the least of which is their lives).
And go wrong it does, fairly early on with an unexpected and devastating event that changes the playing field and course of the story now focused on a Middle East power struggle. Along the way, Gabriel enlists help from colleagues old and new to work every angle he can to bring down political enemies old and new. The text is sprinkled with the author's political perspectives (I'm very interested with what's happening in that part of the world so that's fine with me, BTW). But I will carp a bit because Gabriel's beautiful wife Ciara and their young twins don't get enough mention to suit me.
Everything comes to a head at the end with a cliff-hanger that may well open the door for the next book. For that, I'm ready already: Bring it on!
The New Girl by Daniel Silva (Harper, July 2019); 497 pp.
5 stars out of 5
For the record, this is the third in a series featuring private investigator Roland Ford. I've not read the other two and so was a bit apprehensive at tackling this one, but I needn't have worried - nor should other readers. It stands alone just fine.
That bit of information out of the way, I found it to be just fine in just about every other way as well; interesting, likable characters, intriguing story (not exactly a thrill a minute, but enjoyable and easy to follow) and a satisfying ending. What that means to me is that I don't intend to miss any others in the series; what it means to other readers is that I think you'll enjoy it as well.
Kick-off here is a visit by Penelope Rideout, who wants to hire Roland to find her much younger sister Daley. Roland, you see, is a former G.I. and sheriff's deputy turned private eye practicing in Encinitis, California. Daley, Penelope explains, has run away - apparently with a much older boyfriend. When Roland checks up on the boyfriend, he sees two suspicious - and incongruous - events: First, the young girl leaves the building with two bruiser-type guys, apparently willingly; and second, the boyfriend's dead body inside his home. Is it possible, Roland wonders, that the girl is an accomplice to a murder?
Clues - and information from Penelope that she previously withheld - lead Roland and his cadre of friends to the charismatic pastor of a cash-rich evangelical megachurch and clandestine activities of a very privately held security firm. Roland isn't sure whether to believe Penelope or the pastor or, for that matter, whether Daley's life really is in danger, but he vows to find her come heck or high water. Finally, everything comes together with a bang (actually, several of them, both literal and figurative) and all's right with the world until the next adventure.
All in all, an entertaining read - and a new series to which I'm now looking forward. Thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy.
The Last Good Guy by T. Jefferson Parker (G.P. Putnam's Sons, August 2019); 352 pp.
5 stars out of 5
Part of my time is spent as a writer, but every single word of it is nonfiction. I read the made-up stuff - in particular the mystery/thriller genre - for pleasure; it really does amaze me how anyone's mind can even conjure up such complex characters and intricate plots that don't really exist, much less pull them all together in coherent and entertaining fashion. And when it comes to all that, boy, this one's a doozy.
Well, okay, it's a teeny bit far-fetched, mostly when it comes to how so many characters with such screwed-up lives could possibly have found each other. But that feeling quickly went by the boards as I got caught up in all the twists and turns of the story. In fact, I read the whole thing in just a few hours - that's how wrapped I got in what was going on.
In the prologue, an unidentified woman is trying to hike to the top of a mountain in the dark (yeah, I know, anybody who would do that pretty much deserves what she gets, but hang with me here). She makes a wrong turn, then a misstep, and then takes a fatal tumble. Next up is a week prior to her death, when readers meet fast friends Grace, Lee, Alice and Carol, who get together after school at least one day a week in Nashville. Lee, a hairdresser, has a young son named Mason who is on the spectrum; to help, her friend Grace introduced her to occupational therapist Noah.
Not a lot more is said about Alice and Carol, except that they want the foursome to go on a long getaway weekend at a mountain resort. Lee wants (actually, she's desperate) to go, but Mason isn't an easy child to hand off to someone else. But he does love Noah, so Lee reluctantly asks if he'll stay with her son. He agrees, and the trip is on.
Chapters shift from the perspectives of Grace, Lee and Noah - all of whom clearly have "secrets" they've been trying to hide (well, Grace has one she plans to share with Lee once the right opportunity arises, which she hopes will be during their getaway). Little by little, readers get glimpses of all three characters to learn what brought them to this point - memories that gradual merging with the present and - you guessed it - that woman who fell off the mountain.
More details? Sorry, no can do; from this point on, you'll just have to read it for yourself - and I hope you will. Thoroughly enjoyable - many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy.
Because You're Mine by Rea Frey (St. Martin's Griffin, August 2019); 358 pp.
5 stars out of 5
The description of this book enticed me to give it a go - and I'm happy to report it more than lived up to expectations. Part thriller, part ill-fated romance and a whole lot of throwback to vintage crime Raymond Chandler-style, I must say I enjoyed every minute of reading it.
As the story begins, we find a guy named Tom Gantry blowing money to the wind in a Las Vegas casino. He's not there as Tom, though; he's really a fugitive from Illinois who's taken over the identity of a man named John Manis (who's also known as Johnny Manic). It seems Tom embezzled a ton of money, got caught and went to jail, got out and violated parole, so a new identity was a must to avoid capture.
When he's down to his last $10,000, give or take a few shekels, Johnny cuts his losses and heads to Napa, California, in hopes of buying a tech repair company from a computer whiz who wants to do something else with his life. There, he meets a femme fatale named Marilyn Dupree, who's married to a filthy rich but philandering dude named Bastion. Sparks fly the very first time they eyeball each other, so it's inevitable that they'd hook up even though it's clearly a match made in hell.
Throw into the mix at least one other unsavory character, a couple of untimely deaths and Lou Eisenfall, a detective who's suspicious of everybody but hones in on Johnny and Marilyn like a fly on a honeypot. Stir up that pot, add a twist or two of spice and you've got a very entertaining and well-written story. Thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for providing me with a pre-publication copy to read and review.
To Hell with Johnny Manic by Andrew Diamond (Stolen Time Press, August 2019); 279 pp.
4 stars out of 5
As a relatively prolific reviewer of pre-publication books I request through NetGalley.com, I've been fortunate to have been put on the pre-approved list by publisher Bookouture (meaning if it's available for review, I don't have to ask for it). That also means I need to pay attention; in the case of this book, I somehow missed the window of opportunity to get it before it was archived. And since I'd read and loved another of this author's books - The Missing Child - I was bummed. But never fear - Amazon is here. And since I happened to have a few dollars in earned credits, I was easily able to buy it there.
I'm glad I did; for sure, it takes "pinky swear" to a whole 'nother level. And while it's a story that isn't unlike other stories I've read, it certainly got - and held - my attention throughout.
It begins in the past, 1995 to be exact, when Lucy Gibson is a young girl who is less than popular in school. From an affluent family in England, she forms a rather unlikely friendship with Adele Watts, who might be considered a wrong-side-of-the-tracks kind of gal. Something bad happens at the local swimming hole - so bad that both girls swear they'll never tell anyone else what really happened.
Then it's 2018; Lucy, who hasn't seen Adele for 18 years, has been married for five years to ultra-successful heart surgeon Marcus Wheedon. He's a divorcee with two kids, and, to put it bluntly, is despicable. He treats Lucy like his servant, berates and belittles her (stopping short of physical violence) and drives her crazy in just about every possible way. Problem is, Lucy has no support system; her understanding mother has died, and her father, who is in poor health, worships the ground Marcus walks on.
Lucy tries to run away more than once, but always, Marcus tracks her down. Because of his professional status, Lucy doesn't think the police will even believe her claims of abuse, let alone be able to do anything to stop him. At her wit's end, one day she runs into Adele in the supermarket. Her childhood friend - with whom she's made a pact of silence - hasn't changed much. She's still relatively poor, has two kids but no husband and even spent time in jail. Aha, Lucy thinks: Who better to put me in touch with someone who can get me fake documents, like a birth certificate and driver's license, that will allow me to escape once and for all?
Adele comes through and Lucy gets the documents she needs from a seedy guy named Denny and runs away yet again. But somehow, Marcus finds her; and this time, he locks her inside their fancy home and cuts off all forms of communication with the outside world.
Now, she's helpless - that is, until she gets a surprise visitor who makes a suggestion. Her response - and what happens after that, including a couple of surprising turns - is the stuff of which intriguing plots are made. Even though it's a tale I've heard before, this is a tale well told. Definitely worth reading!
The Friendship Pact by Alison James (Bookouture, July 2019); 280 pp.
4 stars out of 5
Count this one as an emotional roller-coaster. For openers, it's the first book in a long time that's held my attention so well that I simply had to finish it in one day (almost in one sitting). Wow - can't wait to find out how it ends, I kept muttering to myself as I hurried along. Then I got there. And it felt as if I'd smacked into a brick wall.
Let me start at the beginning, with a prologue in which a night shift guard in a building not yet open to the public hears noises and what he fears were gunshots coming from an elevator. The cops rush in with weapons at the ready, and when the elevator doors open, there's no mistaking the gunshots. There's no further explanation; the scene shifts to the first chapter, in which readers are taken back to 34 hours earlier as investment firm higher-ups Vincent, Sylvie, Sam and Jules have been ordered to meet at the aforementioned vacant building to take part in an "escape room challenge." They've all been worried about losing their jobs, and they're sure the outcome of the challenge will seal the future of their employment.
Switch then to the story of Sara Hall, a recent MBA grad who's having trouble landing a job and barely making ends meet with a waitressing job. Resume in hand after leaving another unsuccessful interview, she gets into an elevator with Vincent, who eyeballs the resume (and her) and inexplicably offers her an interview at his firm. Of course, she says yes - and after a rather grueling series of interviews, the firm says yes to her. Thus begins an even more grueling job so high-stress that it leaves precious little time for anything resembling a personal life.
Then it's back to the elevator saga; by now, it's clear that the elevator itself is the "room" from which they must, as a team, figure out how to escape. The elevator zooms up to the building's 70th floor, where it stalls with doors locked, lights off and a digital readout on a wall to provide occasional clues. As one might suspect, the longer the "team" is involuntarily sequestered with no resolution to their dilemma, the more the ties that bound them together will start to unravel.
As the story and tension among the stranded employees escalates, readers learn much more about the firm, each of the team members (plus a few other key employees) and, of course, Sara. As I alluded to earlier, my excitement built up page by page as well; I swear my Kindle-swiping finger developed a callous in my hurry to get to the end. But even amid the constant excitement, the last few chapters - pages in which my suspicions turned out to be pretty much spot-on - were a rush to the finish that made me feel like I was in that elevator during a free-fall. And although the who and why were revealed, the how simply defied credibility.
So what's my verdict? Well, I cannot in good conscience bash any book that is so well written that I literally was unable to put it down. Besides that, I'm sure not everyone will share my dismay over the ending (pre-release reviews in large part have been positive). That said, neither can I give it a rave review; so 4 stars is my compromise. I do, however, thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy. Quite a heady experience!
The Escape Room by Megan Goldin (St. Martin's Press, July 2019); 361 pp.
5 stars out of 5
This is the second book in this series, and although I somehow missed the first ("Invisible"), I've now vowed not to miss any more. For one thing, David Ellis is perhaps my favorite of prolific James Patterson's co-authors; for another, this one is plenty good enough to keep me interested.
The star of the show is FBI data analyst Emmy Dockery, who is almost insanely intent on tracking down serial killers. But while I liked her, it was her on-again, off-again main squeeze, former FBI agent Harrison "Books" Bookman, who won me over big-time. Appropriately for his name, I guess, he owns a bookstore that's struggling to make it, having had his fill of the stressful FBI life. Emmy, though, has no such illusions; she's been seriously scarred both physically and mentally (detailed, no doubt, in that first book). But rather than making her shy away from danger, her life experiences have turned her into an even more determined seeker of justice. Unfortunately, it's also costing her any semblance of a personal life.
Unbeknownst to Books or the FBI, Emmy has been trying to identify the still-on-the-loose serial killer of her twin sister, Marta for some time now. But officially, she's tasked with finding a killer dubbed "Citizen David" - someone who's hell-bent on championing the downtrodden. Along the way, it appears someone is leaking information to the media; since the reporter happens to be a friend of Emmy's, certain FBI muckety-mucks are sure Emmy herself is passing on the information.
Before long, Emmy herself makes the killer's hit list (big surprise there). Worse, it may well be that someone in the FBI is aiding and abetting the killer - or could even be the actual killer. Needless to say, Emmy runs into several blank walls, bringing a few twists to the plot along the way. Of course, I can't reveal any details, so I'll just say it's quite an entertaining journey and I'm looking forward to the next adventure.
Unsolved by James Patterson and David Ellis (Little, Brown and Co., June 2019); 481 pp.
4.5 stars out of 5
When I finished Colorblind, the previous book in this series, I wasn't sure how much I liked the "new" police chief of small-town Paradise. After all, Jesse Stone had sold his spacious coastal home and moved into a condo, discovered a grown son he never knew he had, given up booze and (gasp!) answered questions with more than two words. Not that I want anyone to bang around alone in a dusty old mansion or be a drunk, mind you, but those less-than-perfect aspects did make for a unique personality that I'd come to love over many years (this is the 18th in the series started by the late, great Robert B. Parker).
And I must admit, over the first several chapters of this one, my doubts continued; the whole thing seemed to get off to a rather slow start (if nothing else, I got a bit weary of all the references to Jesse's not drinking anymore). But about a third of the way through, things started to get much more interesting. Jesse, it seems, isn't the only thing that's changed; vandalism, gangs, graffiti and drugs have crept into town to wreak havoc in the relatively close-knit community not far from Boston. And sure enough, the story takes a dark turn with the death of a teenage girl - an overdose. No one wants to believe she'd been an addict for some time, but once that was established as fact, efforts turn to finding who sold her the drugs with, of course, the hope that the arrest will lead to identifying others farther up the supply chain.
But as we all know, there's many a slip; just as Jesse and his department cohorts Molly Crane and "Suitcase" Simpson figure out who provided the girl with the lethal drugs, that figure turns up dead as well. And it gets worse; apparently, a drug ring has moved to town, so Jesse must use every trick in his bag - including his unlikely friendship with a local mobster - to get to the bottom (or more accurately, the top) of things. As if that challenge isn't enough to knock him off the wagon, he finds himself grappling with emotional upheavals on a personal level that threaten to provide the final shove.
By the end, though, I decided that Jesse is still a guy with whom I'd love to share a burger and beer (or in his case, lemonade). Put another way, this is another entertaining entry in the series and I'm already looking forward to the 19th. Thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this one.
Robert B. Parker's The Bitterest Pill by Reed Farrel Coleman (G.P. Putnam's Sons, September 2019); 368 pp.
Any time a book by one of my all-time favorite authors is released, it goes on my must-read list. And when it brings the promise of a new character, well, I immediately move it to the top; after all, it could be the start of something good.
