BLAZE ME A SUN

4 stars out of 5

This book marks, or so I read, the U.S. debut of this book, which hit No. 1 status in Sweden. I can see why; it's well-written, though to me it was more "dark" and, well, sad, than exciting. The complexity and detail, though, were impressive to say the least, although that meant I couldn't breeze through it as I usually do.

The decades-long story begins in a small Swedish town in 1986 with an ominous phone call to local police from someone who says he's attacked a woman and plans to do it again. On that same night, the unthinkable happens: the prime minister of Sweden is assassinated - making it a night few will forget. That's especially true for policeman Sven Jorgensson, who rushes to the scene of the caller's crime; there, he finds the victim still alive, but barely. What he does there (or does not do) changes him forever; if nothing else, solving the case becomes an obsession. And then, more of the unthinkable as two more victims turn up - and Sven's obsession consumes his entire being even beyond his retirement as his son, Vidar, joins the police and, to a certain extent, takes up what appears to be a lost cause.

Years pass with no resolution until a writer - the book's narrator - returns home and begins to collect information on all that happened for a book. By then, much water has gone over the bridge, and just a handful of the players back then are still around and much has been forgotten. Although learning the perpetrator's identity is a thread to be followed throughout, the story seemed to be much more about the ripple effects of one person's thoughts and behaviors on others around him. It wasn't a really easy book for me to read, but it was well worth the effort - and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review it. Recommended!

Blaze Me a Sun by Christoffer Carlsson (Hogarth, January 2023); 434 pp.

PRIVATE MOSCOW

4 stars out of 5

Hard to believe this is the 15th book in the Private series - several of which I've read; at this point, in fact, it's my favorite of the Patterson-Author Du Jour offerings. It's also the first, I believe, with co-author Adam Hamdy, and my gut reaction when I finished was the meshing of the two voices needs a little more work; there were a few spots when the writing switch wasn't totally seamless.

Other than that, though, the whole thing is another slam-bam page-turner, this time set mostly in, well, the obvious. Can Private founder Jack Morgan identify and thwart the roots of all evil that threatens the very future of the United States - and maybe the entire world - before someone thwarts him permanently? Well, of course - otherwise it would be the end of the series - but the devil (in the form of a really nasty Russian guy) is in the details.

Initially, Jack gets involved after a long-trusted friend and former U.S. Marine buddy invites him to New York to discuss something important - and watch as the guy rings the bell at the New York Stock Exchange to announce his highly successful company's IPO. Needless to say, it doesn't go well; just as his hand brings down the hammer, his head explodes - and Jack's heroic efforts to chase down the assassin go up in smoke (well, actually, in a helicopter). Immediately thereafter, his dead buddy's widow hires Private to start another chase, which hopefully will end on a more positive note.

Meanwhile, halfway around the world in Moscow, the Private office, headed by Dinara Orlova, is struggling a bit. Then, they take on a new client, a Russian oligarch who wants the agency to investigate a recent blast that killed a Russian woman. From that point on, scenes shift from New York to Moscow and the two cases - and readers begin to wonder (as does Jack and his team) if there's a connection between the two murders so far apart.

Suffice it to say it's a race to the finish, with a few casualties, near-casualties, successes and outright blunders (none of which, of course, I can expand upon without spoiling things for others). Fast-paced and on the exciting side, I couldn't wait to get to the end. And BTW, for those new to the Private series, while I always recommend starting at the beginning, this one stands well on its own. Thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review it.

Private Moscow by James Patterson and Adam Hamdy (Grand Central Publishing, June 2023); 480 pp.

WHO CRIES FOR THE LOST

5 stars out of 5

True story: Back in the day when I took History 101 class in college, I hated it so much that I marched out of my last class and headed straight for the registrar's office to change my major to something - anything - that didn't require me to take another history class (I'll spare the rest of the details, but suffice it to say it turned out very positive). And for the most part, I avoid historical novels of any kind. So what am I doing reading books in this series? Well, surprisingly (especially to me), enjoying the heck out of them.

I'll chalk most of that up to the tremendous talent of the author, who pulls together intriguing, entertaining stories in my favorite mystery/thriller genre while weaving in relevant, well-researched and equally intriguing and entertaining details about the time period (in this case, the fairly early 1800s). Right off the bat, there's a dead guy; but not just plain dead, mind you, nor just any old guy. The corpse has been mutilated, and he's now on the exam table of Paul Gibson, who serves as a sort of medical examiner and conducts autopsies. Identifying the corpse turns out to be the easy part; he's the ex-husband of Gibson's current lover, Alexi Sauvage (to be fair, she claims to have been tricked into the marriage).

Gibson is a good friend of series "star" Sebastian St. Cyr, a.k.a. Viscount Devlin, an investigator who at the moment is recovering from a recent wound that nearly did him in. Wishing that he could join his comrades to fight Napoleon as he drives his troops to Waterloo, Sebastian decides to do some sleuthing in the hope of finding the killer. Early on, he gets help from his pregnant writer-wife, Hero - whose father, Lord Jarvis, is on the suspect list - as are any number of women the dead guy has "seduced" over the years including Alexi. On top of that, the man - Major Miles Sedgewick - apparently was "into" the history of witches and the occult and an island that was used for prisoners and all manor of torture.

Add in a previously secret list of prominent and not-so-prominent Londoners who at one time were spies for Napoleon, and Sebastian and Hero have their work cut out for them. Other bodies that start to pile up - some mutilated, others not - create even more confusion to confound the usually competent investigators. Worst of all is that suspicion falls mostly on the his friend, the medical examiner, and his lover - so it becomes a race to find the real killer before they're carried off to the gallows. All told, it's another exciting, nail-biting adventure, and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review another pre-release installment of this terrific series.

Who Cries for the Lost by C.S. Harris (Berkley, April 2023); 352 pp.

TOM CLANCY'S OP-CENTER: FALLOUT

4 stars out of 5

Embarrassing but true factoid: Although I'm somewhat of a Tom Clancy "regular," this is the first of the 21 previously written Op-Center books I've read. It won't, I assure, be the last unless for some reason they stop being written. That's despite not being a big fan of espionage, torture (especially torture) and all that gory military stuff.

Members of the uber-secret Black Wasp group affiliated with the (so far) government-sanctioned Op-Center pulled off a coup that made the Chinese look bad - or so they decided - and they retaliated with an almost unthinkable act. Trying to get to the bottom of it - and prevent escalation - Chase Williams, head of the Op-Center, agrees to meet with a man who's been trusted by Matt Berry, head of think tank Trigram Institute. That, alas, didn't turn out well; and now, the other Op-Center members are on high alert against real threats to their own lives while at the same time trying to figure out how to help their much-admired commander. Thrown in the mix is a Chinese defector and his family - a man the Chinese very much want back - and a wishy-washy President who doesn't seem to have a backbone.

It's all very fast-paced and, as might be expected, the outcome goes right down to the wire. There's even a cliffhanger that could change the direction of future books. None of this I can elaborate upon without spoiling things for other readers, but suffice it to say it's all very exciting and forced me to delay bedtime in order to find out how things turned out. And just for the record, two other things: first, there's really not a ton of the aforementioned gory military stuff; and second, the book really, really needs another serious editing pass. Way too many glaring errors to be overlooked at this stage of the game. That said, I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy. Bring on the next one - I'm eager to see how that cliffhanger is resolved!

Tom Clancy's Op-Center: Fallout by Jeff Rovin (St. Martin's Griffin, May 2023); 336 pp.

CLOSE HER EYES

4 stars out of 5

No, no, no - not an ending I saw coming and decidedly not one I wanted to bring to a close the 17th installment of this very entertaining series. A few other surprises were in store near the end as well, but this one is a doozy.

Other than that observation, upon which I will not expand, I'll say that books in this series stand pretty well on their own, although I do think it helps to have read at least some of the others first (I've had seven on my Kindle in addition to this one). The focus is on Denton, Pennsylvania, Detective Josie Quinn and her very competent team. As this one begins, she's at home with her twin sister, Trinity Payne, Trinity's boyfriend Drake Nally (an FBI agent from the New York City Field Office) and her husband, Denton police Lt. Noah Fraley. After dinner, Josie gets a call from another of her team members, Finn Mettner, explaining that a woman's body has been found along nearby Kettlewell Creek.

During the initial inspection by Medical Examiner Dr. Anya Feist, it's discovered that the woman has a cattle brand on her hip - a horrifying sight that terrifies the good doctor for an equally horrifying reason: She's got an identical brand on her hip, inflicted by her former husband from whom she ran away to Denton (and has been on edge ever since wondering where and when he'll find her). Problem is, there's zero evidence tying Anya's ex-husband, or his equally mean father, who's somewhat incapacitated by a stroke, to the new murder. 

Trinity, a TV journalist who does stories on unsolved, or questionable, crimes, is in Denton to gather more information on a different case. When a second woman's dead body turns up - with that same brand on her hip - the action starts to heat up and, not unsurprisingly, so does suspicion that the story Trinity is working on has ties to the current murders. But suspicion isn't proof, so Josie and her team keep digging despite the threat - which too often extracts physical and mental tolls - until the exciting conclusion that includes that unforeseen, and most unwelcome ending. I have to say I enjoyed this one a teeny bit less than most of the others I've read, in large part because a little too much of it just seemed a little too contrived. But I'm also sure most fans of the series will love it (well, except for, you know...) As for me, I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for once again allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy.

Close Her Eyes by Lisa Regan (Bookouture, May 2023); 389 pp.

THE BODY BY THE SEA

4 stars out of 5

A police procedural with relatable characters, an intriguing plot and a far-away setting that sounds like a wonderful place to visit (if only through someone else's eyes)? In my book, it doesn't get much better. The star of this show is French Commissaire Georges Dupin, who lives in Brittany. And for the first time in the series, his home turf is the setting for some very nasty goings-on.

This is the eighth in a series, of which I've previously read only one; I assure other readers, though, that this stands alone well (although I do feel it was an advantage to be at least somewhat familiar with the characters). At any rate, it's Pentecost season, and most of Dupin's cohorts are on vacation - even he, a workaholic, is taking things a bit easier than usual. Then, it all takes a nosedive; well, more accurately, a town big-wig, a doctor, takes a dive off the balcony of his residence - and not by accident. 

Turns out the good doctor and two also big-wig friends are business partners in several ventures, and in the midst of an investigation that seems to be going nowhere, one of them is the scene of a big explosion that quite likely also wasn't an accident. One by one, Dupin's treasured and relied-upon team members return to work (all of them are workoholics just like their boss). In the midst of all this, Dupin's lady love, Claire, was hoping he'd be around for the weekend because her parents are coming for a visit. Having to be on the job makes Dupin quite certain they won't be happy - and Claire's mother has never been all that fond of him anyway. Then comes yet another murder, and an intriguing twist: What's happening now bears an uncanny resemblance to events from a book a local author wrote many years earlier. 

As always, readers are treated to enticing descriptions of Brittany, its people and it's places as well as plain old good sleuthing by Dupin and his colleagues. Very enjoyable, and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy.

The Body by the Sea by Jean-Luc Bannalec (Minotaur Books, April 2023); 298 pp.

SIMPLY LIES

4 stars out of 5

If this book is intended (or hoped) to be the start of a new series, it's a solid start that sticks to a proven formula. There's a female former cop with a personal life in something of a turmoil, a potential love interest she can't quite trust, a seasoned ex-cop for a father, a self-centered female "accomplice" and a whodunit chase with the potential of putting her life in danger especially when she doesn't listen to reason (her own or anybody else's). So if you're looking for a gobsmacking thriller with truly unique characters, you won't find it here; but there's still plenty to love and if this does end up with a sequel, or several, yes, I'll be wanting to read them.

At the center of this one is Mickey Gibson, a single parent of two toddlers (more on that later) who works from home tracking down illicit exchanges of big money on behalf of ProEye, a global private investigation agency. She misses the old days of being out in the field, but she's pretty much resigned to a life of kid vomit, patching scraped knees and wiping up errant poo. That's a little easier since her parents live nearby and can pitch in pretty much on demand and she can afford a part-time sitter - both of which doesn't elicit much sympathy from those of us who went through the kid thing without the benefit of help from anybody else. Then, she gets a phone call from a company rep asking her to make an emergency trip to a house to inventory potentially valuable contents. When she does, she makes a find that will change the direction of her life - and not necessarily in a good way.

It's a dead guy, and he's not just dead, but murdered. At this point, Mickey remains true to her profession (more on that later), calling it in to the authorities. Enter Wilson Sullivan, a hunky unmarried (of course) Bureau of Criminal Investigation agent whom she finds intriguing but doesn't trust and who doesn't trust her (also of course). Back home, Mickey learns the female caller wasn't really from the company; but when she calls again to ask Mickey to find the killer, she seems even more evasive.

And that's pretty much when Mickey turns into an investigator who decides to eschew most of her professional ethics and instead follow instructions of a woman whose identity she doesn't even know - even though it could be costly to her career (i.e., the career that supports those two kids she basically lets run the household because, as she frequently notes, she recalls her own behavior as a child and identifies with their behavior that often includes the aforementioned puking). 

Much of the investigation centers on Mickey's online talents of ferreting out well-concealed data, explanations of which were detailed but never fully understood by me (try as I might, I've yet to "get" the Bitcoin concept). The rest of her efforts were forays to meet people involved with the dead guy's past - including some her father knew of - people Mickey is certain are tied to the murder. Overriding the whole thing, however, is determining the identity of the mystery woman who Mickey is allowing to call the shots.

If all that sounds exciting, it is; it would have been more so, to me at least, had I really felt a connect with any of the characters and their actions (well, maybe except for those kids; even grown-ups like me can relate to dumping syrup all over their plates and fingerpainting with it - and if Mom thinks that's okay, well, count me in). Needless to say, there's quite a build-up until the finish, when things are sufficiently resolved and with fodder left over for a next edition, assuming there is one. Count me in on that as well; while this may not have been my favorite book by this author (who has always been, and remains, a favorite), I know many readers will love it. I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to get in on the action by way of a pre-release copy.

Simply Lies by David Baldacci (Grand Central Publishing, April 2023); 433 pp.

RETRIBUTION

4 stars out of 5

This is the third book I've read in this series, and I have to say that I enjoy learning about our 50th U.S. state almost more than the story itself. Almost. But if it were a contest, the story would win.

This one is pretty much an edge-of-seat story that puts the lives of main character, Hilo Chief Detective Koa Kane, and those around him in jeopardy. It begins with the discovery of a murdered man; fingerprints on the murder weapon match those of Koa's brother, Ikaika, who has a troubled background but has been doing well for some time now. Of course, Koa smells a rat, but how can fingerprints lie?

Also of course, Koa is off the case because of his conflict of interest, but that doesn't stop him and a couple of colleagues (and his brother) from trying to get to the truth - impeded by the fact that the murder investigation has been turned over to a department colleague who is incompetent at best and is after Koa's job at worst. Then comes a shot across the bow - or rather an open space - that nearly kills Makanui K'au, another of Koa's close colleagues. 

The situation at the station goes from bad to worse as Koa's rival colleague's connections to the city mayor come to light; worse are the attempt to kill Nalani, the love of Koa's life, and another murder attempt that succeeds. Can Koa identify and catch the killer before even more of his friends and colleagues die? Only those who read the book will find out. Well done - and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy. Now it's your turn!

Retribution by Robert McCaw (Oceanview Publishing, June 2023); 336 pp.

NEAR MISS

4 stars out of 5

What can I say? Here we have a romp through the world of the rich and famous for the 64th time. Even with the loss of long-time author Stuart Woods last year, "takeover" author Brett Battles has continued Woods' tradition of turning banter into an art form interspersed with snippets of a plot that threatens to mess up the life of main character, New York attorney Stone Barrington. Like its predecessors, this one is mostly predictable but still fun and, dare I say, even exciting here and there. And as always, this dependably good series offers a much-appreciated break from the blood-and-guts, mess-with-my-head fare that dominates my reading list.

As often happens, this one begins with the ever-ready Stone and U.S. President Holly Barker "entertaining" one another, after which Stone joins his good friend and police commissioner Dino Bachetti for dinner, which happens with even more regularity than Stone's bedroom capers. There, they meet (and come to the rescue of) Mathilda Martin, a beauty whose date dumps her. That move, let's say, doesn't endear Stone to the guy, who clearly wants to even the score with both Stone and Mathilda. He almost does exactly that, but then Stone takes the concept of hard-headed to a whole new level. 

Before long, readers meet a prodigy named Carly Riggs, who's been hired as a new lawyer at Stone's hot-shot firm, Woodman & Weld and plays a major role here. Not only does she have close to a photographic memory, she aced - meaning answered every single question correctly - the Bar Exam. And of course, she's gorgeous (and hot-to-trot for Stone's body, despite its being at least 96 years old by now).

The action turns more complex when a Russian mob honcho decides his score with Stone is uneven as well - and sets out to put the odds back in his favor. But the ever-vigil Stone and his security team get wind of the plot, "forcing" Stone to call in his old pal Teddy Fay (who now has a new I.D. and job as a film producer with Stone's son out in California). Actually, this one seems a little grittier than past stories, with Stone becoming far more down and dirty - and perhaps closer to getting bumped off - than I've seen in the past. Of course, it all works out in the end, when Stone gets back to bed (maybe with breakfast for two) and dinner as usual - and, as always, brought a few smiles to my face. Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy. 

Near Miss by Stuart Woods and Brett Battles (G.P. Putnam's Sons, June 2023); 352 pp.