THE PARADOX HOTEL

5 stars out of 5

Back when I was a teenager and Jeff Bezos, much less Amazon, wasn't even a gleam in his mother's eye, science fiction was my favorite genre. Dogeared paperbacks by Bradbury, Orwell and Heinlein were all over the house (who could afford hardbacks)? This book, coming to me in the form of a prerelease review copy - thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley - brings back much of that early interest in time wrinkles and such, but with a twist: Even though it's set in 2072, a lot is relevant to today, when Kindles and virtual wallets are taken for granted and billionaires tout cryptocurrency,  excursions into outer space and elimination of fossil fuels. In fact, climate change has taken a toll here, obliterating Florida and New Orleans, and there's talk of colonization on other planets. The latter isn't being taken too seriously, even with the prediction of an estimated two generations of life left on earth; instead, guests at the Paradox Hotel enjoy taking trips to long-ago periods using the nearby Timeport. Heck, there's even a shop in the hotel that rents costumes appropriate for the destination.

January Cole used to be a guide on these tours, making sure paying guests follow the rules and don't do anything that could alter something that happens in the future. Now, she's chief of security at the hotel, taken off the job that she loved because she's become an "Unstuck" - the term for a person for whom the present isn't always present. She can see things no one else can, and that's not a good thing; the condition will only get worse, the end stage being an vegetable-like existence until her body gives out. Her big challenge as the story opens is maintaining control over a very important conference; the hotel, owned and managed by the government, is losing money, so the plan is to sell it off. To that end, a group of four trillionaires are gathering to place bids - and not surprisingly, security is a nightmare.

But concurrently, a blizzard is rolling in so time travel bookings, flights and transportation services are shut down; nobody can go anywhere. Worse, January finds a dead man in her room - except no one else can see it, so she's pretty sure he's the victim of a murder that hasn't happened yet. She also sees someone who has died who was once very close to her, but she doesn't dare reveal that lest she be sent away never to see her again. In the midst of all this, clocks start going screwy, electricity flickers, and January's drone, Ruby, gets flustered from time to time (pun intended) for no apparent reason. Something's going very wrong, but no one can, or wants, to believe January because of her shaky mental state. She sets off to investigate, but she can't do it alone so faces still another challenge: Who can she trust when she can't even fully trust herself?

All that said, let the action begin as she fights to keep her job amid a trio of smuggled-in prehistoric critters, fighting among guests who demand only the best accommodations and unsettling visions of the past and future. As I suspected from the beginning, this is a very complex, but thoroughly entertaining, story that's action-packed but requires more than a little concentration to fully comprehend (which, IMHO, is well worth the effort). And if you're like me, strains from "Hotel California" will run through your head almost from the first page. For a big Eagles fan like me, that's not a bad thing, but for others, forewarned is forearmed. And to this very talented author, thanks for rekindling an old passion.

The Paradox Hotel by Rob Hart (Ballantine Books, February 2022); 336 pp.

THE LIGHTNING ROD

5 stars out of 5

Mix together brilliant writing, unique characters (some likable, some not) and a complex but easy-to-follow plot and you've got the recipe for a book you won't want to put down. And oh, did I mention brilliant writing?

It didn't come as a surprise; I read the first book in this series, The Escape Artist, for which a 5-star review was a no-brainer. Still, while I started this one with high expectations, I always keep an open mind; just because a couple of books in a series are stellar doesn't mean all of them will shine (trust me on this; I've been there, done that, many times). But I'm delighted to say this one was as much a joy to read as the first one was.

The primary characters are government mortician and beekeeper Jim "Zig" Zigarowski and Sgt. Nola Brown, a.k.a. the lightening rod, who was artist-in-residence for the U.S. Army and who at best can be called antisocial. She was as good a friend as she's capable of being with co-worker and mentor Archie Mint, a career military guy who gets killed during an apparent robbery at his home. To his surprise, Zig, who no longer works at the Dover Air Force Base mortuary, is called in to prep the body for viewing - no one can touch his professional skill in that department. But at the viewing, things happen that make him suspect that not everything is as it should be, prompting him to set out to track down the ever-elusive and usually reclusive Nola. Yet another surprise comes in the form of Roddy, Nola's long-lost twin brother who's known for his sinister ways; he's desperately trying to locate her while claiming he's a changed man (Zig isn't so sure about that, but he agrees to team up with Roddy anyway).

As the chase progresses, the danger builds; chapters shift from current happenings to Nola and Roddy's traumatic childhood years to perspectives of other characters, thus giving readers interesting and important background information that, of course, comes together at the end. The trail leads to a top secret military facility (reminiscent of the 112,544-square-foot underground bunker at The Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia that was built to protect all members of Congress during the Eisenhower administration). Bad things happened at at the facility long ago, and it looks as if what's about to happen now may be even worse. The only other thing I can say without giving away too much is the whole adventure has many twists, turns and surprises - plus some intriguing fodder for the next installment. Bring it on! 

Meantime, many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy of this one.

The Lightning Rod by Brad Meltzer (William Morrow, March 2022); 432 pp.

TREACHERY TIMES TWO

4 stars out of 5

This is the second book I've read in this four-book (so far) series featuring Hilo, Hawaii's Chief Detective Koa Kane, and like that other one, I enjoyed it very much. I'll admit it takes a little more effort to read these because I'm almost totally unfamiliar with our 50th state, its customs and, perhaps most important, those people names that often contain multiple apostrophes. But that's not necessarily a bad thing; to me, it means the books are of almost as much importance as a learning opportunity as for entertainment.

This one has two storylines, primary of which is the accidental discovery of a woman's body in an old cemetery that's been partially unearthed in a volcanic eruption. Problem is, the body isn't from an old burial; clearly, it's a recent murder, and whoever did the deed went to some lengths to conceal her identity. As he begins to look into the case, though, Kane's past comes back to haunt him in a big way; suddenly, he's forced to confront the possibility that the murder he committed 30 years ago will come to light. If it does, it's almost certain to ruin his career and, he thinks, his relationship with the woman he loves.

Investigation of the woman's body leads to a local defense contractor working on a highly classified project under the direction of an Elon Musk-type billionaire (is it just me, or are Musk clones showing up way too often in mystery/thrillers these days)? Anyway, it soon becomes clear that corporate powers-that-be haven't been totally honest in their explanation of the dead woman's job, prompting Kane and his crew to dig a little deeper. As it turns out, she played a much greater role at the company than the company is willing to admit - leading to questions as to which side which person is on.

Amid all this, Kane has to deal with the grandson of the man he murdered all those years ago - a death that was at the time ruled a suicide. The grandson, an attorney, claims the investigation back then was shoddy (which, pretty much, it was), and he's looking for the truth about his beloved grandfather (who was, by all other accounts, a rather nasty fellow). When somebody takes a potshot at Kane, the question becomes, who took it and to which case does it relate? From that point on, the action heats up considerably, as do Kane's angst and hand-wringing over his years-ago actions. But the woman's death isn't much easier to solve - at least not without some pretty tense moments. All told, it's another attention-holding adventure, and I once again thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review a copy.

Treachery Times Two by Robert McCaw (Oceanview Publishing, January 2022); 353 pp.

THE RECOVERY AGENT

4 stars out of 5

I know I'm not the only one to have grown a bit weary of the overall silliness of the author's popular Stephanie Plum, her wacked-out family and friends and inability to decide between two hunky guys (at her age, she should be well beyond acting like a lovestruck eighth-grader). This new series doesn't fall far from that mold in terms of either quirky characters or plot, but it's far enough to make me a believer.

Yes, recovery agent Gabriela Rose is feisty - a good thing - and still pretending to fend off the advances of a hunky man (but this time it's just one, her ex-husband Rafer - a guy she's been best friends with since elementary school and with whom she's still in lust). Gabriela's grandma in storm-ravaged Scoon, South Carolina, regularly gets messages from a spirit named Annie, but at least she's not chasing ambulances and crashing wakes like Stephanie's Grandma Mazur. Gone, (happily, IMHO), is the equivalent of Stephanie's ridiculously off-the-wall cohort Lulu (she of the wild hairdos, skanky clothes and penchant for fried chicken). But one of the things I loved about the other series, the humorous lines that never failed to make me chuckle, thankfully have been carried over and sprinkled liberally herein.

As for the plot, that storm that damaged the small community didn't miss Gabriela's family home. But do or say what she might, she can't convince her relatives to cut their losses and move elsewhere. What they need, they say, is enough money to rebuild - $15 million ought to do it, they say. To get it, Gabriela's grandma begs her to go to Barbados, where she'll find maps belonging to the pirate Blackbeard (from whom Gabriela is descended, or so the story goes). How does grannie know of this treasure? She got it straight from her usual source - Annie.

Gabriela, it should be noted, lives in relative poshness in SOHO, is an expert in martial arts and a gourmet cook. Her job of recovering stolen heirlooms, lost treasures and such has taken her to some faraway places, but nothing quite like she encounters this time out. Once she decides that granny/Annie might be onto something, she makes a first stop at the house she once owned but gave to Rafer in the divorce. Wonder of wonders, she finds a treasure chest in the floorboards, exactly as Annie had predicted. No money, though; rather, the find is a very old journal from a well-known explorer who describes his quest to find the Treasure of Lima, notably the Seal of Solomon. That, in turn, is believed to have been held by Spanish conquistador Pizarro, who stashed it somewhere in the Incan city of Paititi.

Gabriela decides to head for the jungle, but Rafer - eyeing an opportunity to get both rich and lucky - insists on tagging along. Without too much fussing, she agrees, and off they go into what can only be called a wild adventure that nearly gets them both killed. And it is here that I'll stop; telling more would give away too much. What I will say is that those who have enjoyed Stephanie Plum should enjoy this series as well - or even agreeing with me that it's better. I'll also say thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to get in on the ground floor with a pre-release copy. Already, I'm looking forward to the next installment!

The Recovery Agent by Janet Evanovich (Atria Books, March 2022); 320 pp.

A DEATH AT SILVERSMITH BAY

3.5 stars out of 5

I'm such a huge fan of this author's Lord and Lady Hetheridge cozy mystery series that I was thrilled to discover this one featuring special collections librarian Jemima Jago. It was entertaining - especially after a noticeable improvement after the second half or so - but I can't say I'm super eager to read another one.

That may be in part because I haven't read any others - this is the third in the series. And while it stands alone fairly well for the most part, the references to events that clearly happened in previous books left me wishing for a little bit more detail (like how is she able to hold down a job at which she works only a couple of hours a week and from which she can take big chunks of time off). Add in some glitches like a character who's unable to use a cell phone because of a dead battery only to pick it up and make a call 15 minutes later, and I was left scratching my head more than once.

All that aside, the story itself is intriguing. Jem has just returned to Penzance, where it appears she has a flat and a job, after weekends spent on the Isles of Scilly, where apparently her investigative skills earned her the nickname "Scilly Sleuth" (that struck me as kind of scilly, truth be told, but then this is a cozy and such things aren't all that unusual). Anyway, Jem returns to a flat that stinks to high heaven because, she discovers, there are bags of garbage in her bathtub. Besides that, there's a cat who seems to have made himself right at home and a young woman who turns out to be Jem's eight-years-younger sister Tori - and the less said about this wench the better. But worst of all, there's a bloody weapon in one of the trash bags. The aforesaid Tori, who's basically been passed out drunk, comes up with an explanation for how the garbage bags got where they are, but Jem isn't buying it for an instant (nor would any sane person). Bottom line for me from that point on was whatever Tori gets, she deserves; Jem seems to have a forgiving streak, but Tori gets zero sympathy from me and for sure would get the boot if she tried to hunker down at my place.

Amid all the brouhaha with the garbage bags - Jem finally does call in the cops - she and her good friend Micki go to visit a local bookstore and find the owner, who's Micki's former sister-in-law, rather dead. And wonders never cease: It looks as if she's been hit in the head with a weapon eerily similar to the one in Jem's garbage bag. Since the police seem to be having a tough time investigating on their own - another thing that somehow always happens in a cozy mystery - Jem decides to take matters into her own hands (ditto). She gets some help from a childhood sweetheart who's still sweet, making things a little confusing for Jem since she's hot to trot for another potential sweetheart I assume became that way in previous books. Oh my, however will she choose?

I won't answer that question, nor will I serve up details of the investigation that comes to a conclusion during a sort of intervention in that aforesaid bookstore. Overall, it's rather a fun book, but I strongly suggest that to get the most out of it, readers should start at the beginning. As for me, I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for offering me a pre-release copy to read and review.

A Death at Silversmith Bay byEmma Jameson (Bookouture, February 2022); 256 pp.

DIABLO MESA

5 stars out of 5

When I first realized the direction this book was taking, I admit my first reaction was, "Aww, c'mon, guys, you're really not going to go there, are you?" Well, yes - yes they did - and guess what? It was a heck of a ride.

This is the third in the series starring archaeologist Nora Kelly and Corrie Swanson, an FBI agent. I've been following the two since the beginning, and this entry certainly doesn't disappoint. When billionaire Lucas Tappan (think: a more affable but no less filthy rich version of Elon Musk) asks the Santa Fe Archaeological Institute to take on a scientific excavation of the Roswell Incident site on his dime, the Institute head and Nora's nemesis assigns Nora to the project. Nora refuses - after all, the UFO crash theory was debunked years ago. When the boss insists, Nora walks out.

As it turns out, so does Tappan - right to the parking lot, where he turns on his charm and opens his wallet to convince Nora to head up what now will be their private project. To her surprise, she learns that her brother Skip, who lives with her and works at the Institute, has accepted a job with Tappan's new venture. After much cajoling - and a closer look at the crash site - Nora agrees (well, it's not like she has a job to go back to, and besides, there's no one else to keep an eye on her brother). 

The dig site is at a remote spot called Diablo Mesa, the spot where an alien spaceship is believed by some to have crashed - an event the government has tried to cover up ever since. When a pair of not so well-buried bodies turns up early on and it seems great pains have been taken to hide their identities, Nora gets suspicious. She calls in her friend Corrie, who through a nasty turn of events has just been assigned a new FBI mentor (readers get a glimpse of what he's up to in previous chapters). The dig resumes, unearthing clues that lead to more questions than answers. Neither Nora nor Corrie are about to quit, at least until things start to happen that could force that issue and possibly even bring their careers to a permanent end.

Honestly, I can't say I've ever bought into the conspiracy theories of a Roswell cover-up, but this tale certainly put a new, and at least somewhat plausible, spin on it. Besides that, I was so intrigued by the cologne that Tappan favored - called "Creed Santal" - that I just had to look it up. At roughly $300 for a relatively small bottle of the stuff, though, guess I'll have to settle for popping in an upscale department store to see if I can find a salesperson who'll let me sniff a sample. Meantime, many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy of this book. It was a dandy!

Diablo Mesa by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (Grand Central Publishing, February 2022); 400 pp.

THE OVERNIGHT GUEST

4 stars out of 5

It takes a little work to really get into the swing of this - chapters that alternate among characters and time frames make it a little hard to keep track of what's going on, when and to whom. But once you get the hang of it, everything comes together to make the kind of good story for which this author is known. It opens in August 2000 in rural Iowa when two 12-year-old girls run toward a cornfield to escape someone who is shooting at them. Later, readers learn that one of the girls was shot but lived, the other is nowhere to be found and presumed dead, the parents of the injured girl have been brutally murdered and her brother is missing.

Fast-forward to the present, when Wylie Lark has rented an old farmhouse in the area and is writing a true crime book about what really happened there 20 years ago. She's almost finished, but a huge snowstorm hits, knocking out the power and cell phones. Thankfully, Wylie has stocked up on groceries, and there's plenty of wood in the shed (assuming she wants to plod through several inches of snow to get to it). Now, all she needs to do is wait it out.

Best-laid plans, though, often go awry; it happens here when Wylie finds what she's afraid is the dead body of a young boy out in the yard. Thankfully, he's alive, so she manages to get him inside and warmed up. What she cannot do, though, is get him to speak or eat. Something is definitely amiss, but with no clues to go on and no way to contact the police, there's not much she can do - except venture out to the road to see if by chance the boy was the victim of an accident. There, Wylie makes another human discovery; but when she runs back to get blankets and warm clothing, that human has mysteriously disappeared. So for now, Wylie can only try to make her new overnight guest as comfortable as possible.

Little by little, chapter by chapter, readers see connections between past and present. Adding more details here, of course, would give away too much, so I'll simply say that, as expected, everything comes into focus at the end with plenty of action (some of which, I must say, seemed a little far-fetched) plus a few surprises. All in all, it's a treat to read, and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy.

The Overnight Guest by Heather Gudenkauf (Park Row, January 2022); 337 pp.

BLUE BLOODED

4 stars out of 5

I've been hooked on this series through four books, and of course, I was looking forward to reading this, the fifth. Now that I'm done, I'll call it okay, but it's my least favorite so far. In part, that's because the action crossed over almost to unbelievable; the rest of the turn-off came because I can't imagine living amid that kind of personal-life turmoil and don't much care for reading about someone else's - no matter how much I love the main characters.

They are, for the record, Lord Tony and Lady Kate Hetheridge, who have had to relocate while Tony's ancestral home, Wellegrave, is being renovated (part of the above-mentioned turmoil that I won't specify). Tony has just taken leave of his job as chief superintendent for New Scotland Yard and is trying his hand at private investigation while Kate, once his Yard subordinate, is dealing with a not-so-friendly new boss. At least she still has her best friend and co-worker,  Detective Sergeant Paul Bhar, for professional comfort (he's pretty much the same old, same old as in previous books, much to my delight).

For now, Tony and Kate have moved to a three-story condo in Westminster's newest high-rise; Kate isn't delighted, but her son, who appears to be somewhere on the autism spectrum, and Henry, the young son of her mostly estranged sister, Maura (whom Kate and Tony hope to adopt despite Maura's lawsuit to gain full custody) are having the times of their lives. Trying to drum up some business, Tony takes on a missing person case; it's for Mark, the son of wealthy acquaintances, who went missing when his twin sister Mariah took a supposedly intentional nosedive off the roof of a nearby high-rise. Meanwhile, Kate is heading up the investigation of the murder of a high-profile politician - an investigation that smacks of involvement of Tony and Kate's old nemesis and sworn enemy, Sir Duncan Godington.

The rest of the book intricately weaves all these characters and events together in a dark web that threatens lives, takes a couple of them and has a bang-up ending (for the most part implausible, but it gets the job done). All in all, it's a series entry I'd say at best is okay. But it does set the stage for the next one, which I hope to begin reading soon.

Blue Blooded by Emma Jameson (Lyonnesse Books, February 2018); 298 pp.

THE NIGHT SHIFT

4 stars out of 5

Same town, same gruesome scenario, 15 years apart: Four teenagers working late - one set at Blockbuster Video and the other at an ice cream shop, both in Linden, New Jersey - are brutally attacked. In each instance, only one of the four survives. The aftermath of the first attack in 1999 devastated lives of family and friends as well as that of Emma, the surviving girl. Now a therapist, Emma is called in to help calm the survivor of the ice cream shop murders; that plus her status as the lone survivor of the 1999 incident, she's thought to be eminently qualified.

Turns out the survivor, Jesse Duvall, is quite the handful; she's belligerent, refuses help and generally uncooperative - albeit a bit less so when she learns Emma is a survivor like she is. And suspicions that the two attacks may have been done by the same person are solidified when Jesse shares with Emma the words the attacker spoke to her when he left her for dead: "Good night, pretty girl." Shockingly, they're the same words Emma's attacker said to her.

Enter Sarah Keller, a very pregnant FBI agent who's trying her best to get the case solved before her twins decide to enter the real world, and a public defender who, unbeknownst to everyone else, is the traumatized brother of the man believed to be the Blockbuster murderer - and the man who got away.

Chapters switch from perspectives of various characters as well as time frames, with each adding bits of information that give readers insights into what's to come - which includes plenty of surprises (I did guess the culprit early on, but I'm always delighted when that happens). My only question? All the characters are referred to by their first names except the FBI agent, who's always "Keller." If that is supposed to mean something, it went over my head.

That puzzlement aside, I heartily recommend this action-packed book that I truly had trouble putting down. Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy. Another excellent book by this talented author!

The Night Shift by Alex Finlay (Minotaur Books, March 2022); 368 pp.

THE MATCH

5 stars out of 5

I loved the first book in this series, The Boy from the Woods, so I was super excited to get my hands on a pre-release copy of this, the second (many thanks to the publisher via NetGalley). I certainly wasn't disappointed, although I must say I was never worried in the slightest - I've loved every single book I've read by this talented and prolific author. 

The central character, known as Wilde, is a grown man who, as a young boy, was found living in the Ramapo mountains of New Jersey. He has no memory of a family, or how he got to the woods - but he's managed to carve out a successful life that includes graduation from West Point. Still, he remains for the most part reclusive; and his closest friend, the son of feisty attorney Hester Crimstein, has died. His love interest is David's widow, Laila, but even to her, he's unable to make a serious commitment.

As this one begins, Wilde apparently has found his father through a DNA website. They meet, but the man - who has a wife and family and lives in Nevada - has no knowledge of fathering another child since, he says, he's always been faithful to his wife. Well, almost; it seems he sowed some wild oats while in the military stationed in Europe - basically one-night-stands with eight women whose names he doesn't remember.

As all this transpires and Wilde tries to decide where to go next, readers get a glimpse of an uber-clandestine group called Boomerang. The group keeps their identities top secret, even from each other; their mission is to exact vigilante-style payback on folks who have done nasty things to other folks. After careful consideration of proposals submitted online, they pick and choose which cases to follow up. 

Hester comes into play after her grandson, Matthew (David's son) tells her he's worried about not hearing from Wilde from far too long. Wilde, who's been laying low and focusing on finding out who he really is and why he was left in the woods, gets a text from a man who claims to be his cousin. That guy, as it happens, has made quite name for himself in the reality show business - and not necessarily a good one. The rest of the book follows Wilde's attempt to locate his real relatives and work on relationships with the people he loves as much as he's capable of (yes, he does reconnect with Matthew, Hester and Laila, but you'll just have to read it to get the details). Trust me, it's quite a ride that leads up to a bit of a surprise ending (nope, not gonna spill the beans on that, either). As for me, I just have to dial down my impatience level while I wait to get my hands on the next installment!

The Match by Harlan Coben (Grand Central Publishing, March 2022); 400 pp.

CRIMINAL MISCHIEF

4 stars out of 5

Don't quote me on this, but I suspect this book may have set the record for how many women uber-rich New York attorney Stone Barrington beds in the shortest amount of time. But then hey - he's gotta be 95 by now (this is his 60th book, after all) - as the old saying goes, if you've got it, flaunt it.

And flaunt it he does, starting with teeny-tiny "Tink" Dorsey, who cheekily accosts Stone while he's sipping a drink at one of his favorite bars. Two drinks or less later, they're at his pricey Manhattan digs - and she goes home with his small Remington bronze statue. She also, Stone later learns, has invested a considerable sum of money with a guy who apparently is running a Ponzi scheme and is in the process of running off with the proceeds. When she fails to believe what Stone tells her about the man (Stone has forgiven her for the theft - what's a little statue among friends), he blows her off in favor of a blind date with Kitty Crosse, a friend of the wife of Stone's friend and NYPD Police Commissioner Dino Bachetti. It goes without saying that this encounter, too, ends up with Stone and Kitty you-know-where. To that end, a word to those who might care about such things: the bedtime adventures seemed to me to be a little more graphic than usual.

Stone soon learns that Kitty, too, has invested with the Ponzi scheme guy (after it hits him square in the pocketbook). Even though he can well afford the loss, he decides to do what he can to bring the pseudo investment fund manager to justice - hopefully recouping at least some of the money for the bilked investors and a bounty for himself and Dino.

It doesn't come easy; the thief leads Stone, Dino and the FBI (including a beautiful top agent, so read what you will into that) on a not-so-merry island-hopping chase and not-so-merry time spent in a Middle East country where U.S. residency doesn't mean diddly squat. Money, however, speaks loud and clear - and that's something Stone and the U.S. government have plenty of. Still, there's the question of honor: who's to say whether the desert powers-that-be will live up to their end of the bargain?

All told, it's another relatively entertaining romp through the life of the rich and powerful that easily can be polished off in a day at the beach or in front of a cozy fire. No doubt it will be another hit with series fans (and I count myself among them).

Criminal Mischief by Stuart Woods (G.P. Putnam's Sons, December 2021); 317 pp.