THE OTHER PASSENGER

4 stars out of 5

This is my first book by this author, and it certainly won't be my last. It kept me swiping through Kindle pages from beginning to end, with twists (some predictable, others not) at just about every flip. At the heart of the story are four characters: unmarried partners Jamie and Clare and Christopher ("Kit") and Melia. The first two live in a sumptuous home owned by Clare, who's also the primary breadwinner. The second couple are ensconced in somewhat of a dump, heavily in debt and nearly living hand-to-mouth. 
 

Jamie works in a coffee shop, commuting back and forth each weekday day on a ferry boat. One day he meets Kit there, they strike up a conversation and soon a friendship. Meantime, Melia joins the realty firm at which Clare works, and a similar friendship is born. When they discover that they don't live that far from each other, the friendship blossoms and spreads to after-work hours.

But one not-so-fine morning, Kit isn't on the ferry; Melia, sick with worry, calls Jamie, Clare and the police to report him missing. That anything bad happened to Kit is, to Jamie, unfathomable; after all, Kit rode the ferry with Jamie the previous night. But the next night, as Jamie debarks for the walk home, he's greeted by two police officers; he was, they tell him, the last person to see Kit alive - and what's more, a passenger on that same ride insists that Jamie had a reason to kill his so-called friend.

Chapters switch in time from Jamie and Kit's first meeting to the present - roughly spanning a year. Readers see what each character is thinking, how he or she is coping and what really happened that led up to Kit's sudden disappearance. Throughout it all, Jamie, who swears innocence, keeps trying to find out the identity of the ferry "snitch" - the mysterious other passenger. On the surface, it's just another puzzle the police need to solve. But my advice to readers? Don't get complacent (or, put another way, keep in mind that people and recollections aren't always what they seem).

All told, this is a very entertaining and well written book. Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy.

The Other Passenger by Louise Candlish (Atria Books, July 2021); 396 pp.

BUTCHER PEN ROAD

2 stars out of 5

Honestly, I wanted to like this one; it's got the major ingredients I love, like being a series with a couple of intriguing-sounding characters, here in the form of Chickasaw Lighthorse Police Sergeant Bill Maytubby and his friend, Johnston County Deputy Hanna Bond. This book is the third in the series and my first) - and therein, perhaps, lies my problem. By the end of the first handful of chapters, I was totally lost - in part, I suspect, because I had no background from which to draw.

Character after character came into play, many of whom go by different names and nicknames depending on the chapter and who's mentioning them - some I suspect made appearances in previous books and some probably are new to this one. Interspersed often in the conversations were words and phrases I've never heard of before, with no explanation as to what they meant nor context to provide a way to figure it out. Add to that jumbled sentences here and there - Kindle formatting errors, I suppose - and by the halfway point I really wanted to call it quits. But I persevered, mostly because the book came as a pre-release review copy courtesy of the publisher (via NetGalley) - and with these, I've always pledged to finish what I start.

What I gleaned is this: Maytubby and Bond are called to a local creek to examine the dead body of a man who was found by a young deaf boy who lives with his mother. At first, it looks to be some kind of fishing accident, but clues like finding fish in the dead guy's creel that don't live in the creek suggest it's more likely murder. Later, it appears someone wants to permanently silence the boy, and it's up to Maytubby - who has ties to the local Native American tribes (and may be one himself - never did find that out, nor how he ended up in this relatively desolate place) and Bond to keep him and his mother safe. When he gets a spare minute, Maytubby makes nice with his fiancee, Jill, who I think may be some kind of health food expert (or alternatively, a total nutcase on the subject). He also buys tons of food for friends and rents airplanes with his own money; I have no idea where or how he got it, but I find it hard to believe he has that much to spare on a backwoods Oklahoma sheriff's salary.

I will concede that the final chapter cleared up some of my confusion, mostly done in a conversational summary of everything that happened from beginning to end. And ttttthat's all I've got. The crimes pretty much get solved in the end (there's more than one here, but I never understood the others nor was able to connect the dots among them, if any), mostly by Maytubby's sleuthing around, sometimes barefoot (okay, so what's up with that)? My conclusion and recommendation? Reading the first two books is a requirement before tackling this one. Sorry I can't be more positive, but it is what it is.

Butcher Pen Road by Kris Lackey (Blackstone Publishing, July 2021); 177 pp.

THE EVIDENCE

5 stars out of 5

Does having read six of the author's previous books qualify me as a die-hard fan? You bet. And here's another sure thing: This one is further evidence that she's still a winner in my book.

It begins as Esme Fox, a journalist who left a day job to start a podcasting company with her sister, Michelle, is recording a podcast session with Simone Fischer, a woman convicted of murdering her husband. During her years in prison - where she remains - she's never spoken to anyone the details of how (and more important, why) she committed the crime. But for whatever reason, she's agreed to open up to Esme.

During their relatively brief first conversation, Esme is won over; Simone, she believes, is speaking the truth and her case needs to be reviewed with fresh eyes. But while the first podcast goes viral - virtually guaranteeing that Simone's fledgling company will be successful - not everyone is delighted that the case may be rehashed, including Simone's brother and now-grown son.

Behind the scenes, Esme has a 9-year-old son, Zachary, who suffers physical and mental injuries sustained in an earlier hit-and-run incident. She's also parted ways with her husband Owen, who's moved to a flat but keeps trying to get back in Esme's good graces. Esme's sister has moved in to help with Zachary, and the future is looking bright.

Until somebody hits the dimmer switch. With no warning, Michelle bails on an important meeting with a company prominent in the podcasting field. When she's found brutally beaten and dumped in a wooded area, Esme is devastated. The only person she can rely on now - albeit reluctantly - is the controlling husband (and his equally controlling parents) who'd love nothing better than to get back to doing their thing in her life. More to the point, Esme suddenly sees parallels with her life and Simone's, making her question everything that's happened up to this point.

From here on, you'll have to read the book to find out more. There's plenty of action complete with twists and turns (although I must say they're coupled with a fair amount of predictability). All told, it makes for an entertaining, easy to read story I think will hold your attention throughout as it did mine. Thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy.

The Evidence by K.L. Slater (Bookouture, July 2021); 370 pp.

GUMSHOE IN THE DARK

4 stars out of 5

This is the fifth in the author's "Gumshoe" series, and my first; it stands alone quite well, in part because a fair amount of page time is devoted to reminisces, I guess you'd say, of events I assume took place in previous installments that gave me some idea of what went on before.

In this one, what's going on is plenty. Former IRS agent Mortimer Angel, now training to become a fully licensed private detective in Nevada, has set out to find a wayward young man who has become, unbeknownst to him, heir to a small fortune. On the road to find him and many miles from anything close to civilization, he can't resist stopping to help the beautiful Harper Leland, who's scantily clad and stranded in the rain. When she tries to hijack his truck, Mort quickly snips off a valve on one of the tires - effectively bringing her to a stop. When they learn the spare tire is flat as well, they have to get creative to get going or else spend the night on a lonely stretch of road.

Realizing that they may be being followed, Mort concludes that Harper may be central to some of the suspicious things that seen to be happening to them (although she denies it). Amid all this, the state attorney general has gone missing and two teenagers have been murdered - with no connection that anyone has found. Mort stays on track to humor Harper and keep looking for the soon-to-be-rich kid while his mentor Maude Clary, an older woman who rules the office with an iron mouth, warns Mort over and over that if he finds another dead body (or any parts thereof), he's fired.

Despite all of Mort's efforts, of course, he and Harper find mayhem and mayhem returns the favor - resulting in Mort's wife Lucy, who's got serious chops of her own in a number of areas (and inexplicably, more than willing to join in with the getting-naked jibes) meeting up with them. All three get stuck in some impossibly dangerous situations covered with plenty of blood and gore and only Mort's aforementioned creativity - combined with a few almost unbelievable contortions by Lucy - can hope to save them. Can they find out what's really going on before at least one of them bites the dust? I'll never tell, so if you want to find out, you'll just have to read the book (just for the record, I always advise starting at the beginning with any series, but you won't be disappointed if you opt for this one). 

Although I enjoyed this book overall, I must mention that after the first couple of chapters I grew weary of the unrelenting risque repartee between Mort and Harper. Yes, he's a healthy male and she's wearing dripping wet next to nothings, but he's also married, in his mid-40s and she's a five-year schoolteacher - both well beyond the years when bathroom banter is age-appropriate, at least in my mind. For a while, it was sort of amusing; but when it was still outdoing the Energizer Bunny at the 25% mark, I literally said to myself, "Okay - I'll give it one more chapter and if it doesn't stop, I will." Since you're reading this, it did - at least enough that I could find an actual plot to follow that was both interesting and intriguing. Thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for giving me the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy.

Gumshoe in the Dark by Rob Leininger (Oceanview Publishing, June 2021); 385 pp.

STEEL FEAR

5 stars out of 5

It's been awhile since I read a book I really, really didn't want to put down - and ironically, it's one I almost didn't want to start. Why? It's got a military flair, one that includes a flawed hero and references to atrocities in dusty foreign countries that just isn't in my list of top mystery/thriller scenarios (nor, for that matter, is a setting mostly aboard a huge aircraft carrier with way too many cramped nooks and crannies that can trap unsuspecting victims and trigger claustrophobic gasps from readers like me). What a wonderful surprise, then, to be captivated from the git-go - and willingly held captive all the way to the super-exciting end.

The flawed hero goes by Finn - no other name. He's a Navy SEAL who's being picked up in Bahrain by a Navy helicopter to be on an aircraft carrier that's headed back to the United States. Finn's background isn't known, nor is the reason he's heading home (not even to him) - and clearly, he isn't a talkative sort anyway. But from the minute he's deposited on deck, he smells a rat; whether it's looking for a place to settle in or jump from a sinking ship Finn isn't sure. He starts getting suspicious, though, when a package he'd ordered to be sent to him on the carrier doesn't arrive. Then something far worse happens; one of the crew members suddenly disappears. With that, Finn digs in his heels and starts a surreptitious investigation.

Meanwhile, a top helicopter pilot has suspicions of her own; her best friend, also a pilot, died in one of the regular training runs. Pilot error, was the official cause - not possible, her friend insists. She, too, begins to conduct an investigation on the QT. The whole ship is run by a commander who wears his ineptitude on his sleeve like a medal - a man who literally turns his back as more of his crew fall victim to what Finn is sure is not only a deranged serial killer, but one of the carrier's own.

Finn, though, has more to worry about than the ever-more-dire situation on the carrier. All he can remember from his childhood years and his time in Bahrain is that in both instances, something went horribly wrong. But just thinking about either is enough to cause literal paralysis, both mentally and physically, prompting him to behave in ways that make the powers-that-be ever more certain that he's the one behind all the bad things that are happening onboard.

Needless to say, there's an abundance of action - and evidence piles up to suggest any number of suspects. And that's where I must stop lest I reveal too much. What I can say is wow - plus thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy. Outstanding!

Steel Fear by Brandon Webb and John David Mann (Bantam, July 2021); 464 pp.

CHOOSE ME

4 stars out of 5

At best, this one is an intriguing meld of literary lovers with real life - at least in the eyes of a totally unhinged college student who's totally fixated on her self-absorbed college professor. At worst, it's a sometimes contrived story with characters their mothers would find hard to love. 

It begins with the apparent suicide of brilliant college student Taryn Moore, a case investigated by 34-year veteran detective Frankie Loomis of the Boston Police Department. Although it looks like an open-and-shut case, when an autopsy reveals the woman was pregnant, Frankie begins to have second thoughts. From there, scenes shift in time frame and character perspective, with each adding details that help readers understand how and why her death came about and who was responsible.

As a student, Taryn is extremely gifted; one of her passions is what she believes are incorrect "slants" on literary couples such as Romeo and Juliet that favor the male side of the equation. To that end, she believes that love is forever - no matter what - so she goes off the deep end when she personally experiences what she considers an unforgivable betrayal. Left with no one to smother with her undying love, she quickly latches on to the one male who encourages her and sings her praises - her English professor. He's married to and still in love with a beautiful, but extremely busy, medical doctor; can he resist Taryn's obvious charms and unrelenting pleas for his attention? And if he can't, what will happen to his marriage and his career?

Well, whether he caves or not is for me to know and other readers to find out. All I'll say is it's a not-so-merry chase for Frankie to ferret out the truth once the determination of murder is made. Clues are dropped here and there that arouse readers' suspicions as to whodunit, but it's not until close to the end that the truth emerges (for the record, initially I guessed wrong). The epilogue is relatively satisfying for all concerned, I suppose, although it seemed a little too rushed. And although it seemed the authors went to great lengths to rationalize Taryn's behavior (and most of her opinions on the distaff side of those aforementioned literary lovers were astute), I never for one second considered her anything but mentally ill - this coming from a card-carrying feminist. And as a bit of an aside, after I finished it I learned that the male co-author really is a college English professor and really does teach a class like the one taught here by fictional professor Jack Dorian. Writers are often counseled to stick to what they know most about, but in this instance, I'm hoping that the more lurid details were fabricated.

Overall, though? It's a fast-paced, engaging story that held my attention from beginning to end.

Choose Me by Tess Gerritsen and Gary Braver (Thomas & Mercer, July 2021); 290 pp.

BAD MOON RISING

4 stars out of 5

It almost seems contradictory to say this is a good book when there's not a single character I'd ever want to meet or a location that makes me want to be there even if I'm just passing through. After watching all the characters sweat their way through gruesome murders, investigations meandering through muddy streams, bug-infested woods and temperatures hot enough to grill steaks on the pavement, I said a prayer of thanks for the air conditioning that was keeping me cool while I read.

That said, the style in which it's written makes for a bit of a tough go figuring out what's going on here, but once it began to come together in my head, the whole thing was full of action, twists and turns and on the whole a real page-turner. Bad Axe County (Wisconsin) Sheriff Heidi Kick, who's in the midst of a down-and-dirty reelection campaign, is called in when a dead body is found (this is, BTW, the third in the author's Bad Axe County series). Heidi's friend, former editor-in-chief of the local newspaper that's just been bought out by the mother of the guy running against her, thinks the dead guy might somehow be connected to an anonymous person who's been sending dire (and irrational) doomsday warnings to the paper. Unbeknownst to Heidi, he sets off on his own to ferret out the truth despite health issues that threaten to sideline him (or worse) at any given minute.

Meanwhile, Heidi's personal life is less than ideal; her loving husband, Harley, is a local baseball superstar who's away at a tournament - leaving her alone with twin sons Taylor and Dylan, one of whom has serious emotional issues, a daughter who's away at some kind of camp and a mother-in-law from you-know-where. On top of trying to do her job in the unyielding heat, she has to deal with near-threats from the man who's looking to replace her.

There's no way to describe the directions the investigation, political race and Heidi's personal life will go - it's way too complicated - so you'll just have to read the book to find out how it all comes out (and together) in the end. I'm glad I read it - and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy. Beyond that, I'm still breathing a (cool) sigh that I don't live anywhere near this part of the country. Whew!

Bad Moon Rising by John Galligan (Atria Books, June 2021); 334 pp.

THE HEATHENS

4 stars out of 5

This is a well-written, well-thought-out entry in this popular series - of which I've read several of the 11 so far - but I can't say it was totally enjoyable. The subject matter, and myriad of characters, were too dark for my liking, and former Army Ranger and Tibbehah County Sheriff Quinn Colson, the "star" of the series, could use more page time. In fact, the spotlight seemed to be more on characters from previous books - whether they be cool or dangerous - than on Quinn, who's I must say has become more likable to me as the series moves along.

The main story follows Tanya "TJ" Byrd, an errant 17-year-old whose equally errant mother, Gina, goes missing. Based on the outcome of her disappearance, TJ - well-known for her mental and physical battles with her mother - is the prime suspect despite, she claims, her innocence (she puts the blame squarely on an older, local ne'er-do-well who turns the tables by accusing TJ). Facing almost certain arrest for a crime she did not commit, she takes off with her younger brother, John Wesley, her boyfriend (and frequent lawbreaker in his own right, Ladarius) and her best friend Holly. 

Along the way, they pick up another troubled teen - this time a pampered rich girl with the ironic misnomer Chastity who's fond of drugs and getting "likes" on her Internet posts. Claiming she has a plan that will clear TJ's name, she manages to coerce TJ and Ladarius into following her lead - which turns out to be neither a good idea nor the truth; in fact, her plan only digs a deeper legal hole for the teens and a not-bright future for any of them.

Meanwhile, Quinn isn't convinced that TJ is guilty, despite mounting evidence to the contrary. He tries, and comes close to, winning over old friend and former partner, U.S. Marshal Lillie Virgil - but as they track the rampage and devastation the teen runaways leave behind, it becomes harder to believe they have any chance of getting off with no consequences (a belief shared by TJ, who is convinced she'll never get a fair shake). Back on the home front, some seriously bad guys make appearances as they're recruited to pull off some seriously grisly stuff (just a warning to readers who don't enjoy that kind of thing). Still other bad guys are hard at work trying to appear legitimate, muddying up the investigative waters even more.

After a lot of sleuthing, the truth starts to emerge - but it may come too late to be of much help to the runaway teens. At that point, it's a wild ride to see who can get to them first - and the winner likely will determine whether they live or die. The ending is only partially satisfying, with plenty of loose ends that no doubt will be woven into another book. I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy of this one.

The Heathens by Ace Atkins (G.P. Putnam's Sons, July 2021); 416 pp.

TENDER IS THE BITE

4 stars out of 5

When a pooch is allowed to take over the job of story narrator, things quickly go to the dogs. In this case, it's Chet - canine companion of private eye Bernie Little - who does his usual job of helping his human partner solve cases, interspersing his reactions to real danger with the humorous "Chet-icisms" that make him so lovable.

This is a favorite series of mine, although I must say this isn't my favorite entry (no particular reason, I guess, except that the plot and characters, with the exception of Bernie and Chet, just weren't as interesting to me as usual. As this one kicks off, Bernie discovers that a woman is following him as he is driving around (with Chet riding shotgun, as always). Finally, he stops and she pulls in front of him and says she needs help - but then second thoughts creep in, apparently, and she drives off again. Curious, Bernie sets out to find her.

When Bernie gets a physical address, he and Chet stop; another woman living there takes off as well, leaving behind her pet ferret named Griffie (much to the consternation of Chet, who isn't exactly thrilled with the prospect of giving up his catbird car seat to the wiggly critter, much less living with him). At another stop, though, a man swoops down on Bernie's convertible and sweeps up Griffie. Chet's delighted to be done with him, but Bernie's curious enough to decide to start detecting even though nobody is paying him.

The chase leads to at least one dead body, several serious threats to the lives of Bernie and Chet and to a police officer named Weatherly, who has a dog that has markings eerily similar to Chet. A coincidence? Maybe, maybe not; you'll have to read the book to find out. As for me, I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for once again allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy of the latest installment in this thoroughly entertaining series.

Tender is the bite by Spencer Quinn (Forge Books, July 2021); 272 pp.