5 stars out of 5
What do I think of this book? It's complicated.
Mostly, I'm talking about the plot. It's sort of like hiking in the woods and, just when you think you see the end of the trail, it veers off in another direction. Bodies turn up on different street corners, motives and suspects change almost by the chapter and friends turn out to be enemies. All this action keeps police consultant and quadriplegic Lincoln Rhymes and his partner (on and off the job) Amelia Sachs on their toes - and me on the edge of my seat.
That's not to say the action is nonstop; in fact, there's plenty of detail here, in character development, technology and historical background (in other words, there's no shortage of evidence that the author has done extensive research). I'll admit that once in a while that drifted a little closer to the too much information line than I'd like, but on the other hand, I'm always open to getting educated on subjects I know little about.
In this case, it's primarily the diamond industry. In fact, that's where the complex story begins; in a Manhattan diamond-cutter's back-street shop, where the owner and a couple of customers are murdered in rather brutal fashion. An apparent witness - a young man who worked for the owner - somehow escapes, notifies the police and disappears into the wind. Lincoln and Amelia are called in (she, physically, and he, mentally from his technology-rich apartment). Together, they determine, surprisingly given the [diamond] setting, that robbery doesn't seem to be the motive.
Rather, the killer - dubbed the Promisor - was targeting the couple themselves (a conclusion reached when other couples are attacked in similar fashion). He - closed-circuit photos prove it's a man - apparently has some kind of kinky fixation with diamonds, making brides-to-be who boast rocks on the third fingers of their left hands high on his hit list.
Another angle involves construction of a geothermal energy facility, complete with a tie-in to local earthquakes, gas line ruptures and more deaths. Still another is the upcoming trial of a dangerous criminal Lincoln and Sachs helped to nail awhile back; now, though, he may find himself on the other side of the fence (not to mention in a sticky situation with police colleagues). Should you think that's enough for one book, just wait, there's more: A shaky relationship between the runaway apprentice, his set-in-his-traditional ways father and his girlfriend that's causing all kinds of trauma.
More than that I won't reveal, except to say that by the last page the loose ends are tidied up (well, most of them, anyway). And this: Congratulations on another 5-star entry in a stellar series!
The Cutting Edge by Jeffery Deaver (Grand Central Publishing, April 2018); 449 pp.
4.5 stars out of 5
Red is, for those who don't know, an elite NYPD task force that caters to the exceptionally well-heeled. When the crime is of a sensitive nature (meaning, often, that the political powers-that-be want it wrapped up in plain brown paper and buried under City Hall before the press gets wind of it), the team - notably Detectives Zach Jordan and Kylie MacDonald - is called in to do their thing. As the title suggests, this is the fourth book in the series, all co-written by Marshall Karp. I hope that writing team sticks together for the future, because so far, the series has been a winner in my book.
This one continues that streak; it's interesting, with several easy-to-follow story lines and kooky characters (one described as a person who "couldn't sell a five-dollar cure for the clap if it came with a four-dollar coupon") and just plain fun to read.
The various scenarios emerge early on, starting with the murder of a beautiful star on her way to a fancy schmancy movie premiere in Manhattan. She's shot while in her limo, and a multi-million dollar necklace is yanked off her neck - a one-of-a-kind piece designed by an egotistical, self-centered (to put it mildly) jeweler to the stars who loaned her the piece for the gala.
Just as Zach and Kylie begin to sink their teeth in the case (and Zach wrestles with issues involving his live-in love, an NYPD psychologist), they're summoned to the mayor's office. Expensive, highly specialized medical equipment is disappearing from the borough's hospitals; hospital officials, concerned that news of the thefts would scare away patients (especially since it appears to be an inside job) want the thieves corralled quickly and on the QT.
As if that weren't enough to keep the team occupied, Kylie's husband - a talented scriptwriter with a serious drug abuse problem - has left rehab for the umpteenth time and is missing. With the two NYPD cases taking almost every second of their free time, will she and Zach be able to find him in time to save him (again)? Will Zach be able to save his relationship with the woman he loves?
Short chapters (and, at 332 pages, a relatively short book) make it easy to put it down when life intervenes and the whole thing go quickly, so readers will get the answers in short order- and all in good fun.
NYPD Red 4 by James Patterson and Marshall Karp (Little, Brown and Co., January 2016); 332 pp.
3.5 stars out of 5
It's a case of star-crossed lovers (think Romeo and Juliet) with a bent for murder (add a touch of Bonnie and Clyde). That's who Manhattan police Lt. Eve Dallas and her crew are chasing here. It begins when a victim turns up in an alley, the body so mangled that Eve nearly misses the heart with two initials - E and D - carved into the victim's skin. That leads the team to believe this might not be the first victim, and sure enough, further investigation turns up a string of bodies from Arkansas to New York and the possibility of a pair of serial torturer/killers who most likely have no plans to stop any time soon.
Then a couple more missing persons come to light in Manhattan, and it becomes a race to identify the killers and catch them before they get away with two more. But even by putting to use all the technology they have at hand - notably more in the year 2061, when this book is set, than today - it's still a race to the finish.
All in all, it's an exciting ride as usual, but somehow, this one fell a bit short of my expectations (because half-stars aren't possible here, I rounded up my actual rating of 3.5 stars to four only because it's better than rounding down to three). Why? It sounds simplistic to say the book is a bit lackluster compared with the others - the plot, after all, is interesting and moves along just as a police procedural should.
But somehow, the whole thing felt a little flat, starting with Eve's super-rich, super technology talented and impossibly handsome Irish husband, Roarke, who anticipates, and caters, to her every need even before she knows she needs it. He is, in fact, near the top of my 10 all-time favorite "heroes" in mystery/thrillers. But here, his usually helpful concerns almost seemed forced, as if he was more intent on imposing his own opinion on his wife than trying to support her. It's a thin line and maybe it's just my imagination, but if he didn't cross it here, he came way too close for my comfort.
Besides that, none of the other characters seemed to be as feisty (for want of a better word) than in previous books. The only real bright spot was a cop from a backwoods town where the murder spree began who suspected foul play and didn't stop till he got to New York and convinced Eve that his hunches were on target.
All things considered, while I enjoyed reading this book, it's not the best in the series. That said, I'll be ready and waiting for the next one, if for no other reason than I've still gotta love Eve. When asked for her "take" on opera, for instance, she responds, "You can't understand anything anybody's saying, then they all die."
Yep, my kind of woman.
Devoted in Death by J.D. Robb (G.P. Putnam's Sons, September 2015); 384 pp.
4 stars out of 5
It's no secret that I read a lot of books (on my Kindle Fire, thank you very much - I think the only books with real pages I've read in the past eight years or so had Harry Potter in the title). It's also no secret that I love a good bargain. And when those two passions come together, well, I'm a happy woman.
In this case, make that deliriously happy. You see, I fell in love with the Lawrence Block series featuring Manhattan bookstore owner and part-time burglar Bernie Rhodenbarr from the very first; they're funny, a delight to read and offer a wonderful respite in between heavier tomes (another series I love and turn to when I'm tired of blood and guts, BTW, is Spencer Quin's Chet and Bernie series).
But with Block's series, there's been a teeny problem; I've now read them all. In fact, I finished The Burglar on the Prowl, written in 2005, this past August (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1015328840). On no, said I, whatever shall I do for comic relief now?
And then to my wondering eyes came a list of books on sale, as it turned out, for just one day. And would you believe that list contained the most recent, and new-to-me Rhodenbarr Book No. 11? And at just $1.99, no less? Needless to say, it was mine as fast as I could i-click it to my Kindle (for the record, it's priced at $3.99 as I write this). For a fleeting moment, I vowed to put it aside until I'd finished a book or two that messed with my head - but alas (or happily, in this case), I didn't listen to my inner voice, opened it up and got right down to it.
And while I know I'll be kicking myself later when I'm in need of something breezy, I'm too delighted to have found (and enjoyed) this one that for now, I'll worry about tomorrow, well, tomorrow.
I will say, though, that although this one is very good, it's not quite the Bernie Rhodenbarr of old. The standard formula - Bernie breaks into someone's home or apartment to steal something, finds a dead body (or one turns up shortly thereafter) and Bernie gets accused of the murder, usually by his nemesis, NYPD officer Ray Kirschbaum, really doesn't happen here. Oh yes, there is a body - that of a wealthy elderly widow who returns home early from a Metropolitan Opera concert and collapses after seeing what apparently was a robbery. But Bernie was nowhere near the place; instead, he was busy breaking in elsewhere, to steal an object for a client who has a button fetish and is willing to shell out big bucks to add to his collection.
Also in a bit of a plot twist, rather than being somewhat at odds, Bernie and Officer Ray actually team up to solve the widow's murder - culminating, as usual, with a gathering of all the suspects (and Bernie's pet-groomer lesbian sidekick, Carolyn) at the bookstore, where the culprit will be revealed.
As one reviewer pointed out, it's not known whether Bernie and friends will make more appearances between pages - Block self-published this one and
apparently isn't talking. I do know, however, that my fingers are crossed. I've got a big list of heavy-duty thrillers vying for my attention, and I'll be needing a respite soon.
The Burglar Who Counted the Spoons by Lawrence Block (Amazon Digital Services Inc., December 2013); 250 pp.
5 stars out of 5
