5 stars out of 5
Have I mentioned that I really like this new series? Why yes - yes I did - when I read the first one last year. To that one I gave a resounding 5-star rating, and if anything, I enjoyed this one even more.
Atlee, a tall weightlifter now an FBI agent based in a relatively remote part of Arizona, has been on a 30-year quest to find out what really happened to her twin sister, Mercy. In the night back then, someone came into their bedroom, snatched Mercy and gave Atlee a whack on the head that nearly killed her. So far, her efforts to learn anything more about Mercy have led to dead ends; but now, she's got to ratchet up her search a few notches because she lost her cool on the job by unnecessarily beating up a killer she's just captured (and if she does that again, she'll lose her job as well).
Advised (make that ordered) to take some time off, Atlee and her very capable assistant Carol Blum head to Andersonville, Georgia, and the now-old house from which Mercy was taken all those years ago. Their father is dead - a declared suicide - and their mother inexplicably took off for parts unknown to Atlee. Not long after they arrive, though, a local woman is found dead - murdered, positioned and dressed in a ritualistic fashion. A Georgia FBI guy is called in for the official investigation, but shorthanded, he welcomes Atlee's help. Then, another murder happens with a similar M.O. Could it be there's a serial killer on the loose?
At that point, another FBI guy arrives to help; turns out he and Atlee have a history that wasn't all that pleasant for either of them. As they try to overcome their history and work together on the murder cases, Atlee continues to collect information on what happened to her family (with a little help from the very sympathetic FBI guys). Interviews with local folks who knew the family back then unearth new leads as well as the surprising awareness that not everything Atlee has been told was the absoute truth - some of it not even close.
It all builds to an exciting ending as well as, of course, enough loose ends to get a good start on the next book. And that, hopefully, will not be long in coming.
A Minute to Midnight by David Baldacci (Grand Central Publishing, November 2019); 433 pp.
4 stars out of 5
To say that the family in this story is royally screwed up is an understatement. The parents don't have the least bit of redeeming social value as human beings, although by the end it was pretty clear how they came to be that way. The best I can say is that others in the story - themselves seriously flawed - managed to escape, though certainly not unscathed.
While I can't say I really "enjoyed" the book, I can't deny the almost inescapable "can't put it down" aspect. Had I not started it on an evening when a couple of favorite TV shows and a couple too many glasses of Labbatt's Blue hadn't intervened, there's no doubt I could have polished it off in one day (at 235 pages, not all that difficult to do).
The title refers to a battle of words between 15-year-old Olivia and her mother, Hannah, when Olivia returns home late after going to a party her parents had nixed. Olivia is so enraged at what she considers her parents' unrealistic, controlling attitudes that she announces she will never speak to her mother again. And by golly, she sticks to her guns - much to the angst and anger of her parents.
As for her parents, Hannah and Michael wish Olivia could be like her little sister, Rosie, who's both outgoing and compliant. Little do they know, though, that despite their efforts to keep Olivia from turning Rosie into a cohort, the two girls have formed a solid bond. As the story progresses, readers learn that there's much more going on in Olivia's head than typical teenage rebellion - and once that realization dawns on her mother, things begin to turn sour. Meantime, weird things start happening in what Hannah always considered a close-knit household - things that worry Hannah even more than the silence of her elder daughter.
Honestly, I did guess the biggest "twist" a while before it was revealed, although to be fair I wasn't sure I was right until I read it with my own eyes. Toward the end, things got really hectic, and yes, from that point on, nothing would have stopped me from getting to that last page. Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read an advance copy.
The Argument by Victoria Jenkins (Bookouture, December 2019); 235 pp.
4 stars out of 5
The only radio I own is in my car, and it probably hasn't been turned on in a decade (which, for the record, is five fewer years than the age of said car). If you ever find me listening to an audiobook, start unzipping the body bag - I'm almost ready. Streaming, to me, means the fish are biting and an earbud is somebody's hearing aid. So for the love of all that's holy, why am I reading a book about podcasting and audio storytelling?
In a word, curiosity. Perhaps born of a childhood infused with party-line crank telephones and gearshifts on steering wheels, I'm enthralled by "newfangled" gizmos and gadgets and determined to learn all I can about them (at the rate technology is advancing these days, that keeps me plenty busy). Add in years as a journalist - an industry that might not even exist were it not for curiosity - and hey, bring it on.
Factor in also that while podcasts themselves aren't all that recent, they seem to be multiplying like bunnies of late. There are more than 700,000 of them in 100 languages, the author says, and I believe him. Every day, it seems, another dozen TV talking heads, business owners and (barf!) politicians are begging me to tune into their offerings. It's a trend that as far as I can see isn't going away anytime soon, and I want to find out more. Now that I've read this book, that goal has been achieved.
Years of interviewing hundreds of people has made me painfully aware that far more time is consumed in the preparation process than in the actual writing of my newspaper articles, so the author's insistence that the same is true for podcasts certainly didn't come as a surprise. But for those who are considering the possibility of starting one - and, hopefully, making a few bucks in the process - it's a full-on reality check. Put another way, if you think that sitting down in your garage and speaking your mind into a microphone you snagged for $20 at Amazon will make you an overnight millionaire, think again. If you need further evidence, consider this: According to the author, fully 40% of all podcasts are abandoned within a year. What's in this book can help ensure that yours isn't among them.
To be clear, this book is not a step-by-step outline of the specific equipment you'll need, how to edit your tapes (yes, that's a must) and other finer points of actual podcast production. Rather, it's a detailed and interestingly written overview - by one who clearly is an expert in the field - of what anyone who's thinking about starting a podcast needs to know before plunging ahead. The nucleus of the book, the author notes, is "finding a balance between confidence and humility, between being clear and focused while remaining open, and that there is always an opportunity to improve." Achieving success, he adds, requires compelling stories and ideas, engaging characters and a unique voice. Perhaps first and foremost is identifying your audience in almost minute detail, thus allowing you to "learn to think like they listen."
There's a good-size portion devoted to leading teams - and while it serves up excellent advice for anyone who is, or will be, in that position, I admit to speeding through this section simply because even if I ever were to attempt a podcast, I'm sure my production efforts never would reach the level of cubicles filled with worker bees and my motivational buzzwords. Moving on, I thoroughly enjoyed the final section on the history of podcasting and learned a good bit more of what I'd hoped for when I picked up the book in the first place. The whole thing is wrapped up with a list of recommended reading and online resources - always a plus for a how-to book.
Beyond recommending the book to anyone who's interested in starting a podcast, or in the start-up stages, or simply wants to learn more about the process as I did, I won't spill any more bean pods and instead urge you to read it for yourself. I'm certainly glad I did, and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read an advance copy.
Make Noise: A Creator's Guide to Podcasting and Great Audio Storytelling by Eric Nuzum (Workman Publishing Co., December 2019); 264 pp.
5 stars out of 5
Totally engrossing. Riveting, even. Wow - what an amazing book! It's the first I've read by this author, and apparently it's a departure from her usual paranormal fare. If that's true, I hope she strays again and again - this one is extraordinarily good. Not to compare the stories, but from start to finish the style reminded me of "Where the Crawdads Sing," the best-seller by Delia Owens that without question is one of the best books I've read in my rather lengthy lifetime.
Aside from simply being an entertaining story, the character development is outstanding, as are the descriptions of the New Zealand surroundings that, before now, were totally unfamiliar to me (the author lives there, though, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised at that). Then there's the suspense; even though it's told in something of a matter-of-fact manner, at the end of every single chapter I'd glance at the clock and ask myself, "Do I have time for just one more?" For the record, if there was the slightest hint of doubt, my answer always was yes.
As the story opens, Anahera Rawiri, a classical pianist, has come home to her native Golden Cove, New Zealand, after living in London with her husband, who unexpectedly died. As she begins to touch base with old friends, she meets the new and only police officer in town, Will Gallagher. He's good-looking, single, and - of course - manages to get on Ana's bad side. But the two form a truce of sorts after Miriama, the beautiful and talented girl with a bright future who works in Ana's friend Josie's tea shop, suddenly goes missing. The search to find her brings together the townspeople, who roam the sometimes dangerous seaside cliffs and forests. Then it's learned that her disappearance may be tied into similar cases of missing young women in years past. It also conjures up memories of the good and not-so-good times Ana spent here with her friends - one of whom just may be a serial killer.
As readers learn more about the complex characters, we follow along and make our own assessments as to who might be guilty. For sure I did - and boy, did I ever guess wrong. But wrong doesn't mean disappointed; in fact, not getting it right led me to even greater respect for the author's writing talents. In the end, I have no reservations whatsoever about deeming this one of the top three books I read in 2019. Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read an advance copy.
A Madness of Sunshine by Nalini Singh (Berkley, December 2019); 352 pp.
3 stars out of 5
With the possible exception of a book detailing the battles of World War II, I think it would be hard to find one with a body count as high as this one. If blood and guts in just about every chapter is your thing, you'll love everything about it. Honestly, multiple murders, no matter how gruesome, usually don't bother me, but too many happen here that just don't seem to be justified even if the victims are really, really bad guys.
In this case, they're members of rival Albanian and Ukrainian gangs who have made an uneasy peace running their loan shark and "protection" rackets in the smallish town where the bus carrying Jack Reacher to just about anywhere makes a pitstop. As he's about to step off, Reacher sees an about-to-happen robbery of an elderly man and steps in to thwart it. He then learns the man and his wife have borrowed money from the wrong people, resulting in dire consequences if it's not repaid pronto. Taking pity on the couple - who were victims of circumstances with which most readers would sympathize - Reacher decides to do what he can to take care of the problem. Temporarily, at least, his idea works - but it doesn't take Reacher long to realize he's put himself smack dab in the middle of a turf war with the take-no-prisoners gangs. If he's going to make things all better - even with a little help from a couple of brawny friends and one tiny but tough waitress - Reacher himself must adopt a take-no-prisoners approach.
In addition to the murders are numerous car chases, narrow escapes and, of course the wry humor for which Reacher (via the author) is known. One in particular tickled me, as he and the waitress drive the mob getaway car they've stolen (but not before loading three newly deceased mobsters in the trunk. As the back end of the car bounces into the road multiple times during their getaway, those extra 600 pounds, Reacher muses, were "Maybe never taken into account during the Lincoln's design process."
All told, the book is easy to read and entertaining, if perhaps a bit implausible (the extensive deductive reasoning of Reacher and his cronies alone is daunting, to say the least). If you like your heroes strong in mind and body and love constant knock-'em-down, shoot-'em-up action, this one's for you. For me, it was just a little too far over the top.
Blue Moon by Lee Child (Dell, October 2019); 359 pp.
5 stars out of 5
As a die-hard fan of this author - especially his Detective Erika Foster series - I was delighted to learn of his newest venture, of which this book marks the debut. I was thrilled when I snagged a copy through Amazon's First Reads program, and now that I'm finished, I'm over-the-top happy; in many ways, I like "new" heroine Kate Marshall even better than Foster.
Adding plenty of background "baggage" is, I'm pretty sure, Rule No. 1 in the Heroines 101 class; and to be sure, Kate has more than her share. A former police detective who was working on the case of the "Nine Elms Cannibal" some 15 years earlier, unsavory details about her personal life emerged, resulting in her leaving the force. Now, she lectures on criminology at a small university on England's South Coast; her parents have custody of her 14-year-old son. As the story begins, she's on her way home when she gets a call from her former boss, who tells her a girl's body has been found with bite marks and other similarities to the M.O. of the original serial killer. But it can't be him - he's still in prison ever since he was convicted 15 years ago.
Apparently, then, there's a copycat killer on the loose. But while he (or she) is successfully mimicking the original killer's techniques, further evidence is virtually nonexistent. Kate, though, is not about to walk away; enlisting help from her university research assistant, Tristan Harper, she sets out to put the bite on the copycat. But unbeknownst to her, those efforts may put her in the crosshairs of a murderer who is equally intent on taking a bite out of her.
Exciting, fast-paced from beginning to end, this is one of the best new-series entries I've read in a long time. Now I'm eagerly awaiting the next one, which, the author says, is titled "Shadow Sands." Bring it on!
Nine Elms by Robert Bryndza (Thomas & Mercer, December 2019); 392 pp.
5 stars out of 5
This may be one of the shortest books I've read in a while, but by golly, it's got more twists and surprises in it than one three times its length. That brought another plus: That meant I didn't want to put it down - and I didn't have to!
I'll give the author props for something else; all too often, with female characters in situations like this (more on that later), at least one of them is such a hand-wringing, self-doubting, paranoid person that all I really want to do is smack her upside the head. Not so here - even when Darcy, a single mother who's struggling from the devastating loss of her husband, disapproval from her late husband's family and trust issues with the new man in her life. Oh sure, she has her emotional ups and downs, but at no time did I yell into my Kindle, "Get a grip, woman - put on your big-girl pants and move on!"
Following some kind of mental breakdown after her husband died, his parents took custody of her two young sons. Now, she's trying to prove she's capable of taking them back to live with her. Early on, one of her sons suffers a severe asthma attack and his rescue inhaler is nowhere to be found. Enter George, a local doctor, who runs in to save the day. His good looks and single-parent status aren't wasted on Darcy (nor are hers on him), and - you guessed it - they start what Darcy hopes will be a beautiful relationship.
Shortly after she and her boys move into George's fancy mansion, though, she gets a bunch of flowers with a dire message. George claims they're from an ex-girlfriend who's now stalking him, but he's not forthcoming with details. Darcy is concerned that she's not getting the whole story, but she's reluctant to ask because, as it happens, she's got a few secrets she's not ready to share with George.
Plenty of other intriguing characters keep the pot stirred, including a long-time housekeeper who isn't happy that Darcy may be usurping her job and a woman who, shall we say, came between Darcy and her late husband. It all comes to an exciting end as new details are revealed, making for a book well worth the time to read. Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read an advance copy.
Single by K.L. Slater (Bookouture, November 2019); 143 pp.
4.5 stars out of 5
After reading the first two books that brought together retired LAPD detective Harry Bosch and detective Renee Ballard - giving each 5 stars - I was eager to read this one. I loved it as well, albeit not quite as much as the other two. It's hard to put my finger on why, but I think for the most part it was because Bosch just didn't seem to have his whole heart in the game. Granted, he's nearly 70 years old with a couple of health issues, but somehow he lacked his usual enthusiasm for the tasks at hand.
Nonetheless, this is not to be missed if you're a fan of Bosch and Ballard; both get plenty of read time here, as does Bosch's infamous half-brother Mickey Haller (the "Lincoln Lawyer," remember)? Mix them all together, stir them up and you've got a winning recipe for an enjoyable book that holds attention throughout (well, mine, at least). It begins as Bosch attends the funeral of a former LAPD partner and mentor; his widow invites Bosch back to their home, saying her late husband had something she was to give to Bosch. It's a murder book that his old partner had taken home from him when he retired 20 years earlier (had stolen, actually). But looking through it, Bosch can't figure out why the book was so important; so he shares it with Ballard and enlists her help with figuring out what to do next.
Meanwhile, Ballard, who works the midnight shift, lands an official case of her own; a homeless man dies when the street tent in which he's sleeping catches fire. At first, it appears to have been an accident - but further investigation raises a real possibility of murder. So now, she must follow up on that case as part of her job, trying to follow up on Bosch's mystery as time allows (thank goodness she doesn't need much sleep)!
Although the three storylines are well thought out, as always, the main attraction is the interaction between Bosch and Ballard (and Bosch and Haller). All told, this one stands on its own quite well. Bring on the next!
The Night Fire by Michael Connelly (Little, Brown and Co., October 2019); 417 pp.
5 stars out of 5
If I ever made a list of my 10 favorite book "heroines," Josie Quinn would be in there somewhere. Yes, she's got emotional baggage as a result of an extremely abusive childhood, but unlike way too many other lead characters with similar backgrounds, she doesn't whimper and whine about it and gets on with her life in fine fettle (excepting perhaps those awful nightmares). That life, for the record, includes her duties as a detective in largely rural parts of Pennsylvania and Noah, a partner both professionally and personally (for the record, I like him a lot as well).
As this episode begins, Josie and Noah are called out when two bodies are found at a remote campground about half a mile from Cold Heart Creek. At first blush, it appears that they were poisoned - even, perhaps, in a suicide pact. But further investigation changes the outlook in two ways: They are murder victims, and there was a third camper at the site who is inexplicably missing.
The search for clues makes a significant stop at a fenced-in section of private property called The Sanctuary, a haven for societal misfits who, according to commune leader and property owner Charlotte, need to find themselves. Although all the residents are willing to answer questions, Josie and Noah are pretty sure they're not being totally honest. Then, on the drive home, Josie nearly collides with a very pregnant woman staggering out of the woods - who proceeds to give birth in Josie's car. When she's finally identified and hospitalized, the woman claims to have been kidnapped two years ago and held captive in some of the remote caves that dot the region. The plot thickens even more when a young girl Josie met at the commune turns up dead.
Admittedly, there are bits and pieces that stretch credulity a bit, but overall this is a book I really didn't want to put down and could have finished in a day had the facts of my personal life not intervened. And while I have read and enjoyed other books in the series, this one stands quite well on its own. I do thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy.
Cold Heart Creek by Lisa Regan (Bookouture, December 2019); 1969 KB).
5 stars out of 5
When it comes to carrying on the legend
of the late Robert B. Parker's Spenser, Ace Atkins hit the ground running from the git-go; almost always, I'm impressed with the similarities to the originals and always look forward to the latest installment. In this one, I'd say he's hit it out of the park in that regard.
Here, Spenser goes Hollywood, hired by a friend of his main squeeze, psychologist Susan Silverman, to find her missing daughter. Far from his familiar Boston haunts, Spenser hooks up with former apprentice Zebulon Sixkill, who headed about as far west from Massachusetts as he could to ply the trade he learned from the master.
The girl, Gabrielle Leggett, hasn't spoken with her mother in 10 days, and a search of her trashed apartment raises suspicions of foul play. Spenser and "Z" learn that Gabby had been dating a high-powered movie mogul, who in turn may have ties to a local Armenian mob and/or a shady self-help group with which Gabby has become enamored (willingly or not, that is the question).
None of this bodes well, of course, but despite threats of fates worse than death if they continue to investigate, the coastal private-eye pair keep on digging (with a little help from Chollo, another old friend. There are ups and downs, ins and outs, but in the end, they manage to get to the bottom of things as usual. I was especially happy to see more of Susan, who surprisingly gets personally involved in the investigation. Conspicuous by his absence once again is Spenser's loyal sidekick Hawk - perhaps my only disappointment because I love the guy. That said, he's the only character from Parker's books whose personality and dialogue Atkins never quite nailed down, IMHO, so maybe that's a good thing.
Bottom line? Well-written, intriguing story that serves the series well - so Spenser fans, don't skip this one. Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review an advance copy.
Robert B. Parker's Angel Eyes by Ace Atkins (G.P. Putnam's Sons, November 2019); 320 pp.
Have I mentioned that I really like this new series? Why yes - yes I did - when I read the first one last year. To that one I gave a resounding 5-star rating, and if anything, I enjoyed this one even more.
