THE NIGHT OF THE SLEEPOVER

4.5 stars out of 5

I've lost count of the number of books I've read by this author, and while I've enjoyed some more than others, of course, I've never been disappointed. This one follows in that fine tradition - ending with an unexpected twist and the promise of a sequel (the latter by the author in his acknowledgements).

At a sleepover at one of their homes, three youngish girls - Leah, Jasmine, Victoria and Harriet - crawl into their sleeping bags after a night of chatter, consuming copious slices of pizza and even more copious glasses of vodka-laced drinks. The next morning, one wakes up - only to find three other empty sleeping bags. Now, some 20 years later, what happened to the girls remains a mystery and the only "survivor" - Leah - has moved on to get married (and divorced) and have a 14-year-old son. What happened that night, though, continues to haunt just about everyone in town - especially the missing girls' parents and relatives like Esther, now a lawyer and Victoria's sister.

Enter Owen, younger brother of the missing Jasmine. Now a filmmaker of sorts, he's returned with his team determined to make a documentary on the disappearances that he hopes will turn up evidence that will lead to the truth. Leah, of course, is on his list of people to interview; her first one doesn't go well, but quickly, it gets worse: she gets an email warning her to do whatever it takes to stop Owen's project.

Chapters switch from the present to days before, during and after the sleepover so readers get gradually more insights into the girls' lives and what might have happened on that fateful night. One of the biggest questions, for instance, is how Leah was able to stay asleep while three other people somehow got up and left the same room? And was Leah's father - a not-so-upstanding citizen who's about to be released from prison - involved in any way?

In the end, of course, everything is resolved - though probably not quite in the way most readers will expect. Overall, it's an engaging read - and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to get in on the action by way of a pre-release copy.

The Night of the Sleepover by Kerry Wilkinson (Bookouture, October 2023); 287 pp.

OBSESSION

4 stars out of 5

Although I've never considered myself to be a big fan of ex-CIA operative Teddy Fay (at least not in comparison to the related Stone Barrington series), this one is in my mind the best of the lot so far (it's the sixth). Teddy, who by most accounts is considered to be dead, is trying hard not to be resurrected and takes on the persona of three different characters (yes, his ability to switch identities so quickly without anyone suspecting defies rational thought), so it's sometimes a little hard to keep them all straight. But somehow, it works.

The story takes place primarily in and around Santa Barbara, California, where Centurion Pictures and a Croatian billionaire are close to a deal on a joint venture. Centurion is owned by Ben Bachetti, and a film starring Mark Weldon - one of Teddy's alter egos - is being directed by Peter Barrington (both names will be familiar to readers of the Barrington series so I won't bother with details). Early on, the billionaire's wife is kidnapped, and Teddy agrees, under one of his other identities, that his "friend" (secretly the real Teddy) will try to rescue her. Meantime, another bad guy has the hots for Ben's dazzling model wife Tessa, and his quest to win her over turns from stalking to something way more threatening.

The rest of the story follows those two themes all the way to their conclusions, with plenty of action - and a lot of help from familiar friends including Stone - along the way. One hallmark of both series is that it's rare for any of the main characters to meet an untimely end - at worst, one might get roughed up a little - so I and other readers can stay on the edge of our seats without biting our nails to the quick. While situations certainly get serious and there are several casualties of war, so to speak, things tend to work out in the end, as they do here. All in all, it's another enjoyable romp and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy. 

Obsession by Stuart Woods and Brett Battles (G.P. Putnam's Sons, October 2023); 315 pp.

INCENTIVE FOR DEATH

4 stars out of 5

Two things struck me after I finished this book: First, I really enjoyed Washington, D.C., homicide investigators McDermott "Mac" Burke and Oliver Shaw (just don't call him Ollie) and hope to read more books with them as the stars of the show. And second, if the repetitive parts of this one were weed-whacked, the book probably would be half as long. By the end, it got very tiring to have the detectives regurgitate every detail of the case they're working on to every new character they meet.

That out of the way, though, I found the plot unique and timely. While I'm aware of the practice of selling large life insurance policies at a discount to get cash now (somewhat akin to reverse mortgages), the possibility of hastening the deaths of the sellers to boost profits never occurred to me.

But apparently it did to the company in question here, although it took a while for Mac and Oliver to suspect what was going on. When a local hot-shot lawyer is found dead in his office, it appeared to have happened by natural causes. A closer look, though, reveals a tiny prick on the man's neck - and the medical examiner (an astute one, to be sure) suspects he'd been injected with horse tranquilizer succinylcholine, once famously though erroneously touted as a "cure" for COVID-19, which dissipates in the body too fast to be identified after death.

That prompts Mac and Oliver to look a bit deeper, and that's when they learn the victim recently sold a substantial life insurance policy to one of the so-called viatical companies. That, in turn, leads to the discovery that this dead guy is neither the first nor only victim who met an untimely death shortly after selling a policy. But who's behind it all? Ah, therein is the substance of the rest of the book. Mac and Oliver get a ton of expert assistance from co-workers and long-time friends; even Mac's ex-wife Maggie Hampton, who actually still lives with him from time to time and may or may not be working for a clandestine U.S. government agency, gets into the act.

But time is of the essence; once they learn about the other victims, they realize that unless the killer(s) are stopped, more are sure to follow. Whether they prevent that from happening - and how - is up to other readers to find out; I'm not gonna tell. Now, I'm looking forward to reading another installment - and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review this one.

Incentive for Death by James Spoonhour (Oceanview Publishing, October 2023); 417 pp.

THE EXCHANGE

4 stars out of 5

Well, the ending wasn't a direction I'd have foreseen (nor chosen, for that matter), but getting there was quite a trip in this, the follow-up to the author's super-popular 2010 book The Firm. It was good to see what Mitch McDeere and his wife, Abby, have been up to since they narrowly escaped with their lives after he turned informant against his old law firm and its ties to organized crime.

And that, I suppose, is the biggest issue I have with this book. Somehow, I just can't see powers-that-are looking the other way when they know a man stole, and is hiding, a huge amount of money - even if it once belonged to the mob and the guy who stole it is a hero of sorts. But apparently, $10 million somehow got lost in the shuffle (we all know one hand of the government rarely knows what the other is doing, but still...) I, on the other hand, am not quite so forgiving; the money wasn't Mitch's to keep.

But mine is also not to reason why, and besides, the rest of the story is interesting, timely and held my attention throughout. And this is now, not then; Mitch is a successful and valued partner at the auspicious law firm of Scully & Pershing at the ripe old age of 41. Abby is a senior editor who honchos cookbook creation and publishing, and together they have twin sons Clark and Carter. Smooth sailing, yes? Well, that's about to change; his boss asks (read: demands) that he go to Rome to see Luca Sandroni, the head of a partner firm. One of Luca's best clients, it seems, is being cheated out of payment for building an ill-fated bridge in Libya and  needs a hot-shot attorney like Mitch to argue the case in front of an arbitration board in Geneva. Mitch was actually looking forward to representing Luca's client, right down to personally visiting the bridge; that went south when Luca's daughter Giovanna - who accompanied Mitch to the bridge - is kidnapped. Subsequently, the kidnappers demand an ungodly sum for her safe return - choosing a reluctant Abby as the go-between.

And that's just the beginning; the rest of the story, of course, deals with trying to find Giovanna [alive] with help from sources who won't be discovered by the kidnappers and coming up with $100 million in a very short time, mostly from sources who outwardly, at least, refuse to pay ransom under any circumstances. While there's no courtroom drama, it's pretty heady stuff - all well laid out with a few potshots at some of the people, institutions and issues who (IMHO) well deserve them as well as intriguing groundwork for (I hope) another sequel. All told, well done - and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy.

The Exchange by John Grisham (Doubleday, October 2023); 352 pp.

OVERDUE OR DIE

4 stars out of 5

Sometimes, I just need a break from heavy-duty, mind-bending thrillers and gory murders that make up the bulk of my reading matter - and that's when I turn to a trusted cozy mystery series like this one. In particular, I enjoy heroine Carrie Singleton, head of programs and events at the Clover Ridge library, just because she's not the typical cozy airhead who insists on nosing around where her nose (and the rest of her body) has been warned not to go by those in authority. Yes, she's a competent sleuth - aided by her almost-husband, investigator Dylan Avery - but she basically works with the cops, not behind their backs. Then too, she's got a cat; Smoky Joe not only lives with her and Dylan, but is the official library cat. What's not to love about that?

The only thing about this series I don't love is that the library is a haven for ghosts - yep, "real" ones that Carrie sees and talks to with regularity. It's sort of a cute touch, I suppose, but to me it's just a silly distraction. That said, as this begins, new programs are set to begin in the new addition to the library - an old adjacent building that's been renovated. Dylan has gone off to check out a painting that belonged to his recently deceased great-uncle; the plan is that sometime after he returns, he and Carrie will begin making plans to get married. As she and Dylan visit the home of a well-to-do local art collector to pick out some paintings for a library art show, Carrie is taken with the surroundings and wishes the wedding could be held at the opulent house and garden.

But at the library ceremony to show off the new facility, an elderly woman interrupts, claiming that she owns the building and the library has no claim on it - throwing a wrench in the deal. Not long thereafter, Carrie learns that Dylan is in the hospital; it seems that after he picked up his great-uncle's painting, he was mugged and the painting was stolen. Not long after that, the owner of a local art gallery - a woman who seems intent on poaching one of Carrie's best employees from the library - is found in her gallery, quite dead. But with few clues to go on, the suspect list is both highly speculative and almost endless. A couple more murders happen to complicate things, but of course Carrie carries on with help from Dylan and the local police. I had a suspect in mind for about the final third of the book and it turned out I was right, but I admit I'd never have guessed the motive in a million years.

All told, it's another fun adventure that stacks up well with the others I've read (this is the seventh book in the series). Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy.

Overdue or Die by Allison Brook (Crooked Lane Books, October 2023); 304 pp.

'TWAS THE BITE BEFORE CHRISTMAS

4 stars out of 5

Honestly, I'm not altogether sure what Christmas has to do with the story here except that the events transpire over the holiday season, but it's a fun tale anyhow - especially since it's got plenty of the courtroom drama I love best. It does begin at an early holiday party at the Tara Foundation, a dog rescue organization founded and run by Andy, a canine lover who's also an attorney. Near the end of the evening, foster volunteer Derek Moore, a local businessman, is arrested for murder.

Needless to say, Moore vehemently denies he did the dirty deed. He does not deny, however, that he's in New Jersey's Witness Protection Program under his new name after having ratted on a nasty gang to which he admittedly once belonged. But the evidence against him is almost overwhelming - almost too much to be believable; but clearly, Moore (actually Robert "Bobby" Klaster) desperately needs a lawyer, so who better than his friend Andy?

Even though there's a real possibility that Bobby is being framed for the murder, Andy quickly realizes that proving it will be an uphill battle; the best he can do, most likely, is create reasonable doubt. As the investigation moves along - aided by Andy's wife, ex-cop Laurie Collins, and other familiar (this is the 28th book in the series) and likable team members Cory, Sam and Marcus (the latter a bruiser capable of giving anybody a bump in the night to remember), they may not be much closer to finding a motive - or who's out to get Bobby - but they do discover that a plan with far-reaching ramifications may be in the works.

So carefully, Andy and the crew follow clues, with the primary objective of keeping Bobby out of jail for the rest of his life. As I mentioned before, much of the story - narrated by Andy - takes place in the courtroom, where Andy can show off his considerable chops and humorous asides. It's a very entertaining addition to the series, and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy.

'Twas the Bite Before Christmas by David Rosenfelt (Minotaur Books, October 2023); 304 pp.

THE PERENNIALS

5 stars

Because we're octogenerians, conversation between my husband and I every once in a while turns to where we'll need to live when we actually start to get old. On one thing we totally agree: neither of us is particularly excited about spending time in any kind of elder care facility. But that's not because we've heard horror stories about how poorly old folks are treated; rather, it's that we know our mental and physical health would suffer enormously anywhere we couldn't routinely interact with other people of other ages.

Focusing on and promoting age-oblivious lifelong interaction instead of pigeonholing people by age group (i.e., Baby Boomers, Millennials) and sequential life "stages" (i.e., childhood/play, then education, then work and retirement) is what is needed if we're all to reach our full potential, maintains the author in this intriguing book - that's just one of several benefits. For the record, I totally agree - and I honestly don't know anyone over age 50 who gets a kick out of being stereotyped simply by virtue of the year of birth.

But alas, that's the real-world truth; most of us can attest, for instance, that's it's darned near impossible to get back into the work force once we've crossed that line into "senior" status. We also know, though, what employers have been conditioned to ignore: that our skills and experience remain valuable assets that we want to contribute - and that we're capable of and willing to learn new skills (yes, even if we're learning them from someone 30 years younger).

What is needed, then, is nothing short of what the author, a management professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, calls a "multigenerational revolution" - shifting gears to the concept of "Perenniels," or those who are not identified by the decade in which they were born but rather by the way they work, learn and interact with others. Doing so will free individuals from near-mandatory adherence to those life stages in exact order, instead allowing them to move in and out of each as the need, or desire, occurs. When this happens, not only will those aforementioned sectors - education, work and retirement - take on a different and more meaningful framework, but all lives will be enriched by the experience of interacting with people of all ages.

Abandoning the sequential model of life, the author emphasizes, would usher in a multitude of other benefits to society as a whole; consider, for instance, that by 2030, the largest consumer market will be age 60 and up - with big implications for virtually all retail markets if for no other reason than buying power. Consider the stress faced by most new college students (traditionally those who enter right after high school) to decide what they want to be not only when they grow up, but for the rest of their lives. Such an attitude just isn't appropriate, or feasible, in this era of rapid technological changes wherein having to learn new skills and switch career paths more than once is inevitable.

Much pressure would be lifted if young people didn't believe they were locking themselves into a box by choosing a college major because they'd be able to shift gears at any point. And at the typical retirement age of 65, most of us can expect to have at least as many years ahead of us as we spent on the way to that high school graduation. Why shouldn't we be free to fill them with more education or a new job instead of being, essentially, put out to pasture?

There are countless other negative ramifications of continuing with our linear approach to life, and the author artfully presents the benefits that shifting to a multigenerational approach can bring. To some extent, we're already seeing it happen in some sectors (as an academic retread in my 40s when I returned to college to finish a bachelor's degree and go on to earn a master's, for instance, I was the only student in my classes who actually wanted to sit in the front row; these days, so-called "nontraditional" students are anything but). It's certainly a start, but the author maintains that the timeline for meaningful change needs a jumpstart. He lays it all out in this well-written book, complete with references, citations and resources for further enlightenment. It certainly gave me a bounty of food for thought, and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review it.

The Perennials by Mauro F. Guillen (St. Martin's Press, August 2023); 272 pp.

THE STRANGER UPSTAIRS

4 stars out of 5

In many ways, there's not much to like in this debut novel; certainly not the main character, Sarah Shade, or her meek husband Joe, or anyone in the small but upitty Australian town who are, shall we say, less than welcoming to newcomers. And for sure, Black Wood House, the broken-down old house Sarah and Joe purchased - dubbed the "Murder House" because of what happened there years ago - is less than inviting to all but the most desperate would-be homeowners (readers, however, can be pretty sure it will play a central role - probably a horrific one at that - in this book).

And of course, that's exactly the case - and that's what makes the book as a whole quite likable. The couple are hoping that new identities and a new-to-them house will help them escape secrets in the place from which they came and turn a tidy profit after Sarah and Joe fix it up. But thanks to a not-so-forthcoming realtor, they slowly learn the hard way that the old house - built in 1889 - is harboring more than a few secrets of its own (put another way, things that go bump in the night tend to do it loud enough to wake the dead). 

To make matters worse, all is not well between Sarah and Joe. Sarah, a therapist and successful media influencer and blogger, hopes that getting rich from the house flip will bring her closer to Joe, who for the most part isn't having any part of it. Gradually, readers learn what happened in the couple's earlier years and watch Sarah's not-so-gradual descent into madness as the house takes on a life of its own with a Stephen King-like flair. 

It's a not totally unfamiliar story concept, but it's cleverly written with plenty of twists and turns that made me wish I could finish it in one day (as it was, I managed it in two by postponing dinner by half an hour or so). The ending? Again, a twist - but one that wouldn't have been satisfying done any other way. Loved it, and I heartily thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy. For sure I'll be watching for more from this very talented author!

The Stranger Upstairs by Lisa M. Matlin (Bantam, September 2023); 278 pp.

JUDGMENT PREY

4 stars out of 5

Any book that includes either Lucas Davenport or Virgil Flowers, Minnesota law officers and pretty good buddies, is pretty much guaranteed to be a hit with me. Put the dynamic duo together for an entire book, then, and the ball has a tendency to fly all the way out of the park. 

This time out, Lucas is still struggling both physically and mentally with injuries from a previous case (Virgil was injured, too, but he's mostly back to normal (if it's possible to use the word "normal" in any description of the guy). Lucas gets called out to an horrific crime scene in St. Paul; federal judge Alex Sand and his two sons have been fatally shot in their home. The bodies are found by the judge's wife Margaret Cooper, a local college professor and some-time actress, who is so distraught that she can't think straight (although I strongly suspect she was a few bricks shy of a chimney even before the murders).

After three weeks or so, the case remains unsolved; at that point, Virgil - a regional agent for the Bureau of Criminal Investigation - gets called in to review the case and calls Lucas to tag along. As is almost inevitable with murders, the spouse is a suspect; but while they don't trust her as far as they can throw her, neither Lucas nor Virgil think the wife did it this time around. Also inevitably, they look at past rulings by the judge that might have generated plans for payback; also at issue is the judge's planned donation - a whopper - to a local charity that's now in limbo.

Much of the fun, as usual, centers on the banter between Lucas and Virgil, bolstered by looks into their personal lives and characters readers have come to know and love like Weather (Lucas' wife). And as the investigation moves along, readers also become privvy to clues that will take Virgil and Lucas a little longer to figure out (while we cheer them on). The end was a titch disappointing just because a couple of unsavory characters don't quite get the comeuppance I'd have preferred (nope, not gonna, don't ask).

So back to that aforementioned home run: If I'm honest, this one came darned close but didn't quite make it over the fence. A couple of gaps in the story - like what the details of what the killer really did that triggered (so to speak) his need to go on that shooting spree - and some very unlikable characters made this story simmer instead of sizzle and not be my favorite book in the long series (this is the 33rd of the Davenport books). Still, it's enjoyable and held my attention from beginning to end, and in no way dampened my enthusiasm for future books with either or both of the guys who have become all-time favorite characters in them. Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me once again to read and review a pre-release copy.

Judgment Prey by John Sandford (G.P. Putnam's Sons, October 2023); 400 pp.