LOOK CLOSER

5 stars out of 5

It's been a while since I had a book on my Kindle that I really didn't want to put down. When it comes to this one, make that really, really, REALLY didn't want to. Not that I was expecting a dud, mind you - I've read and enjoyed other books by this author, including those with which he shares authorship (is that a word??) with James Patterson. But IMHO, this one's his best yet. 

After just a few chapters, the line from Shakespeare's "Hamlet" started to slither through my brain: "Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive." It begins on Halloween when Simon Dobias eyeballs a woman's body hanging from the balcony of her foyer; how she died is no mystery, but who did the deed isn't quite so cut and dried. One other thing is clear - Simon is acquainted with Lauren, the victim who's married to a filthy rich old codger.

Years ago, readers learn, Simon knew Lauren; but today, he's a law school full professor in waiting who is happily married to his wife Vicky, and both of them have so many secrets that it's hard to keep track of them all. In fact, just about every character in the book has secrets; as the chapters shift in and out of time frames and from the perspective of one character after another, nothing, and no one, is what and who they seem to be. Did I mention how much fun that is?

Those chapter shifts, which normally drive me bonkers, are very easy to follow here, I hasten to add. Still another perspective is that of the local police, led by Sergeant Jane Burke, who gets Lauren's case dumped in her lap. Her Spidey instincts kick in big-time once she learns about a $21 million trust that's set for payout less than a week after Thanksgiving. A high-rolling financial planner who's hot to trot to invest said trust fund, a pending job promotion that's threatened by the wealthy father of one of the candidates and a years-old family vendetta add even more fuel to the fire. Oh, wait, did I mention how much fun that is?

The surprises keep coming right up to the end when, for the most part, things get sorted out (nope, can't reveal more than that). What I will say - again - is that I thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend it highly. Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy. Outstanding!

Look Closer by David Ellis (G.P. Putnam's Sons, July 2022); 459 pp.

UNSOLVED

5 stars out of 5

This is the second book in this series, and although I somehow missed the first ("Invisible"), I've now vowed not to miss any more. For one thing, David Ellis is perhaps my favorite of prolific James Patterson's co-authors; for another, this one is plenty good enough to keep me interested.

The star of the show is FBI data analyst Emmy Dockery, who is almost insanely intent on tracking down serial killers. But while I liked her, it was her on-again, off-again main squeeze, former FBI agent Harrison "Books" Bookman, who won me over big-time. Appropriately for his name, I guess, he owns a bookstore that's struggling to make it, having had his fill of the stressful FBI life. Emmy, though, has no such illusions; she's been seriously scarred both physically and mentally (detailed, no doubt, in that first book). But rather than making her shy away from danger, her life experiences have turned her into an even more determined seeker of justice. Unfortunately, it's also costing her any semblance of a personal life.

Unbeknownst to Books or the FBI, Emmy has been trying to identify the still-on-the-loose serial killer of her twin sister, Marta for some time now. But officially, she's tasked with finding a killer dubbed "Citizen David" - someone who's hell-bent on championing the downtrodden. Along the way, it appears someone is leaking information to the media; since the reporter happens to be a friend of Emmy's, certain FBI muckety-mucks are sure Emmy herself is passing on the information.

Before long, Emmy herself makes the killer's hit list (big surprise there). Worse, it may well be that someone in the FBI is aiding and abetting the killer - or could even be the actual killer. Needless to say, Emmy runs into several blank walls, bringing a few twists to the plot along the way. Of course, I can't reveal any details, so I'll just say it's quite an entertaining journey and I'm looking forward to the next adventure.

Unsolved by James Patterson and David Ellis (Little, Brown and Co., June 2019); 481 pp.

THE BLACK BOOK

5 stars out of 5

Call me flamboozled. Call me chastised for all the potshots I've taken at Patterson's works of late (on second thought, check that - I meant what I said). Above all, call me happy that I ignored my previous rants and read this book.

The title, as one might expect, refers to a missing "little black book" that didn't turn up after a raid and thorough search at a house of ill repute at which some of Chicago's finest are customers. Needless to say, the house madam ain't talking - and without it, finding even more high-level patrons (including cops on the take) and others who weren't present during the raid, may never be found.

At the epicenter is police detective Billy Harney and his partner, detective Kate Fenton. Billy's sister Patti is a cop as well, their dad, Daniel, was chief of detectives, and dad's friend (and Billy's beloved mentor) heads up Internal Affairs, so clearly copness is a family affair. As the raid is analyzed, Billy insists he had every right to initiate it; but Amy Lentini, the beautiful assistant state's attorney, seems out to prove that it wasn't justifiable (and therefore was illegal), thus putting the kabosh on potential prosecution of everyone captured.

In reality, that event took place in Billy's fairly recent past; his present has taken a very different turn that has left him unable and/or unwilling to remember details (including, perhaps, the whereabouts of that little black book). Chapters shift back and forth, with "past" chapters peeling away more clues to what really happened. Usually, I'm not fond of this technique - nor did I love it here. But it's actually done very well and helped keep me on the edge of my seat even though I guessed pretty much from the start who was behind everything. In fact, besides an intriguing, fast-moving story, my desire to find out if my guess was right (it was) and learn the how and why was a big part of what kept me going.

All in all, it's a totally engrossing book. The Patterson-Ellis collaboration hasn't always produced such stellar efforts - I'm referring specifically to The Murder House and Mistress, to which I gave 4 and 3 stars, respectively - but this one sure hit the mark. More, please! 

The Black Book by James Patterson and David Ellis (Little, Brown and Co., March 2017); 418 pp.

THE MURDER HOUSE

4 stars out of 5

First, let me get the "stuff" I wasn't crazy about out of the way. I'm not fond of first-person narratives, and I especially dislike present-tense writing. And while the ending wraps everything up in a neat and tidy fashion, it goes against the grain of  human emotion; nobody I know is able forgive and forget that fast.

Other than that, this one's a killer - starting with a first chapter that made me say "Wow! out loud  - really! It's so good, in fact, that I was almost happy when we weren't able to get the Ohio State-Maryland football game on TV - allowing me to keep my ears on he radio and both eyes on the book (the Buckeyes won, BTW).

At first, the short chapters (for which Patterson is known) zig and zag from person to person and time to time, and for a short time that was a little confusing. But that changed in short order as each one became a building block for the sometimes downright creepy plot and particularly gruesome murders that crop up along the way. The story begins as Detective Jenna Murphy has taken a job on her uncle's police force in the Hamptons, where as a child she was a regular visitor. She's accepted the job after leaving the Manhattan police under a cloud of suspicion, and this job, she believes, will be her only chance to salvage her much-loved career as a cop.

Aye, but there's something nasty lurking in the Hamptons; notably, a once-fabulous but now deteriorating house on the beach at No. 7 Ocean Drive. Rumor has it that it's cursed by way of long-ago murders that occurred there, resulting in its nickname of "Murder House." The locals have the good sense not to go there anymore, but then a couple of bodies are found inside and Jenna is on the case. That doesn't last long, though, as a suspect is arrested and the investigation becomes open-and-shut.

Ah, but if that were true, this book wouldn't exist, would it? Suffice it to say that Jenna - who's got some past demons of her own involving that house - isn't buying into the notion that the case is solved. To her dismay, though, she quickly learns that her continued poking around isn't appreciated by her police colleagues (especially not by her uncle). But as more bodies turn up, more clues are revealed that open new doors to Jenna's past as well as the culprit's real identity. Jenna isn't about to give up, no matter where the chase leads - which quite possibly could be to becoming a victim herself.

The Murder House by James Patterson and David Ellis (Little, Brown and Co., September 2015); 480 pp.