REMEMBER HER NAME

5 stars out of 5

Honestly, I had some trouble keeping all the characters straight, but the nonstop action had me hooked from the first page to the last (which I stayed up late to finish, I hasten to add). After reading many of the books in this series - this is the 21st - I'm at least very familiar with rural Denton, Pennsylvania Detective Josie Quinn (and more recently, her husband and co-worker, Lt. Noah Fraley, her twin sister Trinity Payne and co-worker pal Detective Gretchen Palmer).

Just off a disturbing case, Josie is reluctant to throw herself back into the investigative fray. But there's no choice; she's called to a puzzling scene with an infant girl wailing in a stroller and no parent or caretaker in sight. There is, notably, a Polaroid shot of an unknown body of water - a photo with blood on the corner. Shortly, the baby's father comes to collect her - with no clear alibi, he becomes a suspect. 

The case remains puzzling, but that provides time for readers to get to know the newest team member - a rather reprehensible dude named Kyle Turner, who's replacing an officer killed in that disturbing case mentioned earlier. No one seems to like him much (count me among those astute characters). But then, something about the photo triggers Josie's memory, and she heads to a place familiar to her from another investigation with fingers crossed every mile of the way. Alas, she's too late; she finds the baby's mother dead, another Polaroid of an unidentified scene and confirmation that a serial killer is running rampant.

But why? And who? And most important, can Josie and her team find all that out before the killer strikes again? Sorry, but I won't tell; you'll just have to read the book for yourself. It's a good one - and I'm ready for the next. Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for once again allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy.

Remember Her Name by Lisa Regan (Bookouture, September 2024); 423 pp.

SYNDICATE

5 stars out of 5

I've long been a fan of the author and before that his late father, Dick Francis - and even after all those years, for whatever reason, I took a special shine to this book. I even stayed up late one night just because I was at the 90% mark on my e-reader and didn't want to wait till morning to finish it.

My attraction wasn't just the story, although it's a good one; the owner/manager of a racehorse syndicate receives threats to his daughter's life (with actions to back them up) if he doesn't "fix" specific races in which his horses are entered. That part alone captured and held my attention from beginning to end; but sprinkled liberally in the mix were fascinating details about the racing industry, and syndicates in particular (most of which I was clueless about until now).

As a prominent and trusted member of the UK racing community, Chester Newton's reputation is at stake when he finds himself in a most unwelcome situation. After his grown daughter Amanda goes missing - and later turns up drugged but otherwise unharmed - he starts getting calls from an unknown caller that he must follow the caller's instructions or else the next abduction won't end as well. Meantime, his syndicate is doing exceptionally well thanks to a horse named Potassium, who unexpectedly wins the prestigious Epson Downs Derby - just the financial and public relations shot in the arm the syndicate needs to bounce back from its current stagnation. Getting caught fixing a race - or even thinking about it - would bring an end to an illustrious career and life as Chester knows it.

But what to do about it is another matter altogether; he certainly doesn't want to put his daughter's life in danger - nor that of his wife of 25 years, even though they've grown apart over the last several of them, nor Amanda's brother, who comes across as a sort of ne'er-do-well college student with no real purpose in his life.

With Amanda's return, Chester learns the local police have little interest in the case (after all, she wasn't really harmed - just drugged - and she claims to have no recollection of what happened to her anyway). So if he's to learn the identity of the threatening caller and bring him (or her) to justice, he's pretty much on his own. But how to do that without compromising his own values and bringing the professional life he loves to a quick end?

The details, of course, I cannot provide; for that, you'll have to read it for yourself (and obviously, I urge you to do just that). I will, however, happily thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy of another of this author's wonderful books. And oh yes, ready for the next one when you are!!

Syndicate by Felix Francis (Crooked Lane Books, September 2024); 252 pp.

ROBERT B. PARKER'S BUZZ KILL

4 stars out of 5

This, the 11th entry in the Sunny Randall series, ushers in a new author, or so I've read. While it's a solid, well-written story, IMHO it doesn't quite have the "edginess" of its predecessors. The Boston private investigator - a sometimes very close friend of the late Robert B. Parker's Paradise, Massachusetts, police chief Jesse Stone and a patient of Dr. Susan Silverman, the main squeeze of another of his well-known characters, Spenser - somehow seems a bit subdued and, well, overly nostalgic. Besides that, although Jesse often makes a personal appearance in the series, if only briefly, he's noticeably absent here and I missed him.

But only a little. And it certainly doesn't mean I didn't enjoy this book - I even stayed up a bit late for bed to finish it, in fact. Sunny is in the midst of recovering from a really nasty case that nearly did her in, so she's feeling a bit vulnerable and mulling her future in the business. She's also dealing with mixed emotions regarding her ex, Richie - the son of a powerful local mobster - who's making noises about getting back together (but with some strings attached). When the wife of a billionaire stops in to insist that she take on the case of finding her missing but no-good son Dylan, then, Sunny is less than receptive. That's especially true since she's had a run-in with the kid that left her, shall we say, knowing he's hardly her favorite person.

The ne'er-do-well Dylan just happens to be the head of a highly successful energy drink company called Gonzo, although he seems to have little interest in doing anything except get into trouble (while his long-suffering mother continues to stand by her young man in her best "boys will be boys" manner). The company is actually run in large part by Dylan's best friend, a beautiful and highly talented young woman named Sky Farley.

As Sunny's investigation progresses - with competent help from her office receptionist Blake James (a pretty cool guy, actually) and some other characters familiar to regular readers - she learns that Dylan has a few secrets that might explain why someone might be out to get him - though not whether he's alive or dead. Then, one of the technology gurus at Gonzo turns up dead, and the whole situation takes a turn for the worse. 

But never fear - Sunny and her team are up to the challenge, even if it puts their own lives in jeopardy. All told, it's another satisfying romp that ends with fodder for the next installment. Bring it on! Meantime, I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy of this one.

Robert B. Parker's Buzz Kill by Alison Gaylin (G.P. Putnam's Sons, September 2024); 316 pp.

SAFE ENOUGH

5 stars out of 5

Confession time: I've always detested reading short stories. Oh sure, there are exceptions - compilations such as 2014's FaceOff, penned by many of my favorite mystery/thriller authors and MatchUp, ditto (the latter edited, not insignificantly, by this author, who also co-wrote a short story with another favorite author, Kathy Reichs, for that book). But on the whole, if there are fewer than 300 words I don't even bother.

The author, too, used to be something of a stranger to short stories (not that he avoided them - he was just too busy writing other things). It was the 1997 success of his still-popular Jack Reacher series, he says in the introduction to this book, that introduced him to short story writing - at the time, a novel concept for an (ahem) novelist. Asked to write a short story, his first, he came up with one for an anthology - then another, then another and another and so on. The collection here, he explains, is his "editor's pick" of the litter. 

That brings us to now, when I requested and happily received a pre-release copy of this collection in exchange for a review (an honest one, honest)! And despite my misgivings about short stories, I found I can be swayed; in fact, given the entries here, it was pretty darned easy. Each one seemed to be more enjoyable than the one before it - well, at least till I got to the next to the last one, which I liked least of all (still good, though). They're all exceptionally well crafted and clever as well as exceptionally brief - I read the entire book in not much over a couple of hours, in fact. I know that because I read almost nonstop - that's how much I enjoyed what to me used to be unenjoyable.

Alas, what I can't do is provide details on the stories themselves; their brevity means nothing noteworthy can be extracted without giving away too much (in review language, that means no spoilers allowed). So I'll be brief as well; I loved this book and I think you will, too.

Safe Enough by Lee Child (Mysterious Press, September 2024); 237 pp.

THE DARK WIVES

4 stars out of 5

I've followed hard-nosed detective inspector Vera Stanhope for a while now - this is the 11th installment - and she's quite an interesting, complex character. As she continues to mourn the death of colleague Holly - a death for which she feels responsible, she finds it hard to get down to business as usual (her colleague Joe Ashworth is even worried about her). But get down she must, and this time the calling is the murder of a staff member at a home for troubled teenagers. In part because she's gone missing, one of the residents, a 14-year-old girl named Chloe Spence is the primary suspect. 

But for many reasons, Vera has a hard time believing that Chloe is the killer. She gathers her team around her - including newbie Rosie Bell, for whom Vera has high hopes - to focus their efforts on finding Chloe. After learning from Chloe's mum that the girl loved Gillstead, a not-far-away hamlet near the coast, the investigation follows. Turns out it's a place familiar to a younger Vera, as well as the site of three standing stones known as the Three Dark Wives. Each year, a big witchcraft-type celebration is held to keep the folklore going, an event that's coming up soon.

The first revelation, though, is far from celebratory; rather, it's the discovery of another body - a young man who lived in the same teen haven as Chloe. Coincidence? Vera thinks not. Proving it, however, is more of a challenge. Near the end, though, Vera has a theory - one she doesn't share with her teammates nor readers. But rest assured, it all comes together, making for another well-told tale in this series (I'm already looking forward to the next). Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to get reacquainted by way of a pre-release copy of this one.

The Dark Wives by Ann Cleeves (Minotaur Books, August 2024); 377 pp.