4 stars out of 5
I admit to being more than a tiny bit claustrophobic
(go down in a submarine, even when it's docked? Fuhgettaboutit). But oddly, elevators really don't bother me too much. No, I'm not fond of them - especially those that are old, rickety and not much bigger than a bread box. But overall, I'm good.
This book changed that - albeit not as much as I'd expected based on the description. Most of the ups and downs happen near the beginning and end, with the middle more focused on the hows, whys and whodunits. And that's okay with me; it's still a fast-paced and thrilling book that "forced" me to stay up late to finish.
As the title suggests, elevators take center stage here, starting with an horrific and unexplained freefall in a midtown New York City highrise that leaves the occupants quite dead. Meanwhile, Detective Jerry Bourque and his partner Lois Delgado are called to the scene of a murder; the badly beaten victim is unidentifiable because whoever did him in chopped off all his fingers. Early on, readers also learn that Bourque is carrying around emotional baggage, some of which, at least, may be responsible for the bouts of severe shortness of breath that require him to carry an inhaler (making me wonder how that might be worked into the story as it progressed).
Throw into the mix journalist Barbara Matheson, who's got baggage of her own but has carved a successful career for herself at the expense of alienating the affections of a now-grown daughter. Most recently, she's been dogging the for-the-most-part unpopular New York mayor, a Trump-like guy whose nastiness is tempered only once in a while by a hint of compassion for other people (none of which is bestowed on his son Glover, who works for him).
There are questions of whether the murder and elevator plunge are related (acts of terrorism, perhaps?), but for the most part, city officials are trying to play down both incidents. Then the unthinkable happens: Another elevator misbehaves, this time mutilating one of the occupants whose identity triggers even more suspicions as to who's running the show. At this point, there's no choice but for the powers-that-be to come clean publicly, putting fear in the hearts of city residents who can't help but wonder if their building's elevator will be next and prompting city leaders - including the mayor - to fear that their actions (or inactions) could lead to even worse consequences.
Matters get even more complicated when Barbara's mom-defying daughter lands a job in the mayor's office and gets friendly with the mayor's son. Needless to say, mom's not a happy camper, but she seems up about far more than the potential for conflict of interest. As the investigation progresses, readers learn more about the characters and their backstories and read on in anticipation that one or more of them just might bite the dust on the elevator floor before the police get the drop on whoever's pushing the wrong buttons.
A very entertaining book on its own, but I must add - should no one else think of such a thing - it would make an excellent disaster movie as well.
Elevator Pitch by Linwood Barclay (William Morrow, September 2019); 464 pp.
5 stars out of 5
It's no secret that I love Bureau of Criminal
Apprehension agent Virgil Flowers - he long ago earned a forever spot on my Top 10 list of favorite book heroes. But it's also no secret that I'm not thrilled that he's in a serious relationship with a woman - Frankie - who in fact is close to delivering a set of twins she and Virgil concocted seven months or so ago. Somehow, he'd turned into a kinder and mellower Virgil - and in the process lost a bit of the edge that endeared him to me.
Well, after reading this, the 12th book in the series, I'd say he's still a little mellow and his language is, for the most part, more like a tricycle salesman than a truck driver. But overall, he's got that edge back - and for sure he's kept that irreverent sense of humor alive and well, as evidenced by my chuckles throughout, to-wit:
"You know how to kill any earworm? You hum that Walt Disney thing, 'It's a Small World.' It'll kill anything, but it's such a miserable song...it won't stay in your head on its own."
Couldn't have said it better myself.
But I digress. This story begins as Virgil is called in when a big-shot medical doctor and University of Minnesota professor is murdered in an upper-level, usually locked library room on the campus - a place he's really not supposed to be. Especially since he's for the most part an unlikable jerk, there's no shortage of suspects, from his research team colleagues to members of a rival research team to his own daughter. Most of the characters are quirky, to say the least (well, this is a university campus, after all). And early on, it appears the good doctor just might be living a secret life that involves illicit drugs and blackmail.
As is customary in these books, Virgil touches base with his former boss, Lucas Davenport (the subject of another popular series by this author and another of my love-to-read-about characters, BTW). A couple of his old friends get to help out, as does a scrappy female officer from the local police who gives Virgil a good run for his money in the sarcasm department.
Problem is, all of those above-mentioned suspects have what appear to be iron-clad alibis. Clearly, it will take a goodly amount of sleuthing to uncover the motive and catch the killer. All that is accomplished in fine Virgil style, making this another must-read book for fans like me. Thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy. Bloody good!
Bloody Genius by John Sandford (G.P. Putnam's Sons, October 2019); 384 pp.
5 stars out of 5
Time was when extreme emotional distress to me meant not being able to have my morning coffee - you know, that stuff that magically turns you into something close to human - before heading out to get my annual blood test that requires fasting. But reading as many books as I have (75 so far this year), I've found something else: realizing it's 5 minutes before bedtime and I need 20 more to finish the book that's got me on the edge of my seat.
This is one such book. And yes, I lugged my Kindle up the stairs and sat in our computer room as usual - the last thing I check before hitting the sack is email - and finished it. Then - mostly because of a near-end twist - I couldn't get to sleep right away. Ah well - it was worth it.
As a mostly former journalist, it was easy for me to identify with the main character, Alice Henderson, also a journalist - with one happy exception: I've dealt with a few folks who gave me a royal chewing out over something I'd written (or failed to write), but never in my entire career did anyone threaten my life. Alice isn't so fortunate; and while first phone call mostly just shook her up, the next thing that happened left her so frightened that her boyfriend hired a private investigator.
It's pretty clear someone is out to get Alice, but who? Could it be someone who didn't like something she wrote? A person from her past, or even a co-worker? That's what P.I. and former cop Matthew Hill wants to find out, but because he's no longer on the force, he can't be an official part of the investigation. That's mitigated a bit by Hill's relationship with a very pregnant detective Melanie Sanders, his former partner who's now assigned to Alice's case. Needless to say, the whole thing becomes a race to find Alice's stalker - if that's what he or she is - before something more sinister happens.
Chapters switch to show snippets of three characters - Alice, Hill and an unidentified boy known only as "Him." Each chapter adds another dimension to the story until the very end, when everything comes together with that aforementioned twist. All told, a very well done and, dare I say, exciting book that I expect will do well. Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read an advance copy.
I Will Make You Pay by Teresa Driscoll (Thomas & Mercer, October 2019); 317 pp.
4 stars out of 5
After being mentored by Cody Hoyt, a character from another series by this author, Cassie Dewell is off on her own as a private investigator. She's got a son, Ben, and lives with him and her hippie mother in Bozeman, Montana. She's also dragging around a ton of emotional baggage from her past - baggage that continues to bog her down in this, the fourth installment.
It comes in the form of a big black semi, which idles for a few minutes in front of her house - bringing a stark reminder of a now-dead serial killer and fears that some way, some how, someone from that disturbing part of her life has come back to haunt her. Meantime, an attorney friend to whom she owes a favor calls in a big one: she's defending an accused child rapist and wants Cassie to find out how strong the prosecution's case is so she can plan her trial strategy (or beg the client, who denies any wrongdoing, to take a plea deal). Cassie's certain he's guilty, but her friend convinces her that she's really not trying to get him off (and besides, there's that favor thing) so Cassie agrees and heads out to remote Lochsa County.
There, she bumps heads with a family from hell - descendants of a branch of religious cult Hutterites who, quite literally, own everything and everybody in the county. Her friend's client, it seems, is their first-born son, who essentially has been disowned because he left home to make his home and fortune elsewhere. Besides that, the young girl he's accused of raping is his niece - the daughter of a brother who stuck with the family program. It goes without saying, then, that Cassie isn't welcome in them there parts.
Threats to her life notwithstanding, Cassie ferrets out enough evidence to make her visit worthwhile; the trick now is getting back out alive. While she's trying to deal with some of the nastiest characters I've read about in a while, her son is having issues of his own, including teenage infatuation, a grandmother who's firmly rooted in the 1960s and yes, that big black semi.
It all makes for a very readable, fast-paced book with a couple of surprises thrown in at the end. Enjoyed it!
The Bitterroots by C.J. Box (Minotaur Books, August 2019); 320 pp.
3.5 stars out of 5
If I had to describe this book - the latest in the popular series featuring NYPD Lt. Eve Dallas, of which I've read almost all - in just one word, it would be this: Bland.
On the plus side, readers do see glimpses of Eve's uber-wealthy and hunky Irish husband Roarke's love for his wife (he's on my Top 10 list of favorite book heroes, I hasten to add), but the couple's sizzling (and fairly graphic) bedroom antics that heated up the pages of past books are virtually nonexistent. I suppose I could say that the three murders that take place herein are grisly enough in the sex department to make up for it - think hours of torture and perimortem dis"member"ment - but honestly, it just ain't a good substitute.
Besides that, there's not a lot of suspense as Eve and her cohorts, including the thankfully still-effervescent Peabody, try to track down what appears to be a serial killer. Instead, we learn the identity about halfway through. I was hoping that was just a diversion - and there'd be a gobsmacking twist at the end (I even came up with one I thought would be perfect) - but no. Even the futuristic (and fun) elements, like cars that can "go vertical" and Auto Chefs programmed to instantly spit out whatever food or beverage the stomach desires are sort of glossed over (which, I suspect, could be confusing to new-to-the-series readers who might not realize this series is set some 40 years from now) . So basically, what we're left with is a fairly standard police procedural. Since the plot is solid, well-written and very readable, that's not necessarily a bad thing; but I suspect long-time fans will find the lack of pizzazz a bit disappointing.
All that aside, the first murder is of a rich guy who's a known rapist, and the mutilated body is discovered minus an apparently ill-used body part. Attached to the body is a poem cryptically signed "Lady Justice." It's enough to disturb the most emotionally detached of cops; and when a second body turns up with an almost identical MO, Eve knows this killer is on a crusade and isn't planning to stop anytime soon. As team members follow up on clues, connections are made to various suspects, one of whom moves to the top of the list rather quickly. After that, the trick is to identify the next victim and get to him before the killer does.
All in all, it's not bad - but neither is it one I'd recommend to those interested in starting this series. The Eve and Roarke of past books are infinitely more intriguing and likable, and my hope is they'll get their joie de vivre back in the next installment.
Vendetta in Death by J.D. Robb (St. Martin's Press, September 2019; 354 pp.
4 stars out of 5
There are a few authors for whom I'll move heaven and earth to carve out enough time to read their latest efforts; Patricia Cornwell is among them. So when I got a chance to read a pre-publication copy free through the Amazon Early Access program, well, how fast can you say one-click? For years, you see, I've enjoyed the author's exploits of Medical Examiner Kay Scarpetta This one isn't about her, although similarities to both the good doctor and her tech-savvy niece, Lucy, positively leaped out of the pages. Rather, this is the first in a new series featuring Captain Calli Chase, a NASA pilot, quantum physicist and cybercrime investigator (whew!).
The first thing that came to mind when I finished is that the amount of research that went into the writing of this book must have been staggering. But as a reader, aye, there's the rub: the subject matter was just too technical for my brain to fully understand the details of what was going on. Still, I "got" enough of the gist for it to be a good story - an exciting one, even - so in the end, it was an enjoyable experience and I won't hesitate to snap up the next entry (if only to see if and how the cliffhanger in this one is resolved).
Calli has an identical twin sister Carme, a fighter pilot; both come from scientifically gifted parents from whom they inherited their considerable abilities and with whom Calli still lives. As the story unfolds, Calli gets an alert of a possible cybersecurity breach, and she and partner Fran head to what seems like the bowels of the earth - a tunnel at NASA Langley in Hampton, Virginia (as an aside, having spent a fair amount of vacation time in the Hampton area, references to places I've been made the events even more interesting). The breach is doubly concerning because in a couple of days, a rocket is scheduled for launch on the same day as a spacewalk during which astronauts will attach a top-secret high-tech "node" that's expected to initiate a revolutionary quantum network (whatever that is). Should either event go wrong, the consequences could be dire.
In the secret underground room at NASA, Calli finds evidence that someone has somehow gained unauthorized entry - evoking questions of who, when and, perhaps most important, why. From that point on, things go from bad to worse; a NASA employee who earlier reported her badge stolen turns up dead, an apparent suicide, but Callie's sleuthing tells a very different story. As the time of the rocket launch and spacewalk grow ever closer, the more it becomes clear to Calli that something really bad is about to happen.The fact that her sister hasn't been seen or heard from in some time adds yet another dimension to the dilemma; where on earth (or beyond) has Carme gone? And is she somehow caught up in the potentially disastrous events about to unfold? These and other questions dog Calli, who constantly channels the angst of the always over-thinking Dr. Scarpetta (much to my dismay since it isn't a characteristic that endears either of them to me).
Oh yes - an animation feature called Kindle in Motion is an option for select Kindle versions, but that didn't interest me a whit so I can't speak to its effectiveness. In the end, I can't say I developed a real fondness for any of the characters here; but they're intriguing enough that, as I said at the beginning, I'll give the next one a try for sure.
Quantum by Patricia Cornwell (Thomas & Mercer, October 2019); 353 pp.
4 stars out of 5
There's more than a touch of the paranormal in this book, so if ghosts and things that go bump in the night fall outside your credibility wheelhouse, you might want to skip this one. I, however, found it quite enjoyable - even nail-biting in spots.
It's set in an isolated century house on coastal Maine that's been rented for the summer by Boston cookbook writer Ava Collette. Professional carpenters are still finishing up restoration work on the deteriorated upper-level turret, but after they're gone for the day, Ava gets a distinct feeling she's still not alone. Not long after, she gets a more up-close-and-personal look; her "guest," it seems, may be the ghost of the home's original owner, Captain Brodie, who died at sea not long after building the house of his dreams. Ava's vision of him is so real, in fact, that she literally feels him touching her (always at night when she's in bed, so read into that what you will). Because he always seems to know exactly what Ava needs - both physically and emotionally - she begins to look forward to the visits.
But Ava, who provides a first-person account of what's happening, has a dark secret of her own from which she's trying to escape. And not long after the captain's nocturnal visits begin, she realizes the house holds many other secrets much darker than hers - all of which involve women with whom she bears an uncanny resemblance. Throw in a couple of past and present murders and a real wanna-be boyfriend who can't compete with the ghost in Ava's eyes, and the result is a suspense novel that's a little bit scary and a lot of fun. That said, I do admit to conjuring up the thought, every once in a while, that Jane Rizzoli and Maura Isles - much-loved characters from the popular series also penned by this author - would have had a hoot dealing with the apparition that appears here.
Well done, and I thank to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy.
The Shape of Night by Tess Gerritsen (Ballentine Books, October 2019); 288 pp.
5 stars out of 5
For a second or two, I considered giving this book - the start of a new series by the authors of one of my other favorite series - four stars with the expectation that the next one will be better. But then I remembered when, as a student, how much I hated teachers who refused to give papers an A because that "doesn't leave room for improvement" (fortunately, those nitwits were few and far between). So here's my take: No matter what comes next, I thoroughly enjoyed this one and give it top marks.
Featured here is Nora Kelly, an archeologist curator who works for a nonprofit institute and is working amid the remains of a former Pueblo Indian site. She's approached by Dr. Clive Benton (interestingly, in the official book description, the visit is by historian Guy Porter, so now I'm curious about the reason for the name change in the finished product). At any rate, he shares a story relating to the 1847 Donner Party, almost all of whom were lost to bad weather, murder and even cannibalism (and of which he claims to be a descendant). To entice the institute to fund an expedition, he dangles the real possibility of finding gold coins valued at about $20 million in today's market - a third of which would go to the institute.
The lure of much-needed funding sways Nora's boss in Benton's favor, and off they go to the Sierra Nevadas - aided by a journal Benton found that supposedly was documented by another relative. Led to the wilderness by a team of local guides, it doesn't take long to unearth two of the Donner camps, but it is in the third - not yet found - that the gold is likely to be.
As all this is taking place, newly minted FBI agent Corrine Swanson is earning her bones, so to speak, mostly with boring desk work. Corrie, some readers may recall, is a protoge of Special Agent Aloysius Pendergast - the main character in that favorite series of mine mentioned above. Then, she gets a case in which a very old grave is robbed of half its contents, after which the robber is unceremoniously murdered execution style. Because that happened on federal land, the feds are in charge - and the investigation puts Corrie in the general vicinity of Nora's excavations.
Needless to say, the two professionals end up meeting - and bumping heads - as the two storylines begin to merge and Corrie begins to suspect a connection between her case and Nora's work. Also needless to say, danger follows close behind; more suspicious deaths (and near deaths) happen before the book ends with a flurry of excitement and an appearance by a very special person.
All in all, very well done - and certainly an enticement to read about Nora's next adventure. I shall be eagerly waiting!
Old Bones by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (Grand Central Publishing, August 2019); 385 pp.
5 stars out of 5
Delicious complexity! Just when I thought I'd figured it out, I turned the page and found out I was wrong. Read and repeat. Read and repeat. Read and repeat. Know, too, that characters this devious take the definition of dysfunctional family to a whole 'nother level.
When I first started, I groaned - out loud. Oh no, I groused- not another of those books that switches back and forth among characters and time periods. I'm still not a fan of the technique, but I have to admit the author handles it adroitly here, and it didn't take long for me not only to get hooked by each of the three main characters but chomping at the bit to see what would happen next (or what happened before).
Some 30 years after she grew up at Lake Hall in England, Jocelyn Holt - who's been living a happy life in California - reluctantly returns to live with her elderly mother Victoria, accompanied by her young daughter Ruby. Jo, as she now wants to be called, has been estranged from her mother, with whom she had a contentious relationship as a child. She much preferred the company of her nanny, Hannah - who one day went missing, after which Victoria told the young Jo that it was her bad behavior that drove her loving nanny away.
Then, when Jo takes Ruby on a rowboat trip to a small island in the estate's lake, Ruby makes a disturbing discovery: the remains of a human body. Jo calls in the police, much to her mother's consternation - making Jo wonder exactly what Victoria really knows and trust her even less than she did before. But now, there's a twist: just as Jo became more attached to her nanny than her mother, young Ruby has taken an unexpectedly strong attachment to Victoria. Like mother, like daughter? Perhaps; only time will tell.
Then comes a new thorn in Victoria's side: the appearance of a person she never thought she'd see again (and never wanted to). It throws Jo for a loop as well, adding more fuel to an already smoldering fire. Little by little, insights into what Jo's childhood, and her parents' marriage, are revealed - making for an absolutely riveting, surprise-filled story. Love it? You bet. And I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read an advance copy.
The Nanny by Gilly Macmillan (William Morrow, September 2019); 400 pp.
