5 stars out of 5
This series has long been a favorite of mine - discovered quite a few years back. I admit I've skipped a handful in more recent years (to be honest, I own them all, but with all the read-to-review books I get through NetGalley, I simply haven't found time to work them in). The current Christmas-New Year's holiday season brought a brief respite from that must-read list, though, so I jumped on the opportunity to start this one. And happily, I finished it the same day just because I didn't want to stop.
Although it's the 23rd in the series, this entry stands alone quite well (as evidenced by my not getting even a little bit lost even though I haven't stayed up to date). This one begins as central character John Jordan, an investigator for Florida's Gulf Coast Sheriff's Department, on a Florida beach - invited there to present a series of lectures. Recently, the prison at which he served as chaplain was decimated by a hurricane; rather than move his wife, Anna, and their young daughter, Taylor, to the area in which the destroyed prison's inmates were transferred, he resigned.
But John had another reason to accept the invitation to lecture; he hopes to find time to look into the disappearance of three-year-old girl named Magdalene Dacosta about a year ago (the book is, for the record, "inspired" by the real-life case of Madeleine McCann). Not long before she went missing, she'd been adopted out of foster care by gay couple Keith and Christopher. Overjoyed at getting a child, the two managed to win over most of the local residents who, let's say, resisted the concept of a child having two dads. They also were instrumental in bringing John in for the lectures, hoping he'd help them find out what happened to their precious daughter (even if it's not what they want to hear).
The first lecture goes well, and the parents, who own a rather spooky bed-and-breakfast and hold an annual Winter Solstice party for select guests, are thrilled that John agrees to poke his nose in the case. It was the night of that party, in fact, that Magdalene disappeared, never to be seen again. John's wife, Anna, though, is less than happy that John is once again (in her view) putting work ahead of family. Quickly, the relationship becomes strained, although both continue to dote on their daughter.
In a sense, the investigation is more clear-cut than most; it would have been impossible for anyone except those at the party (including her parents) to have taken Magdalene from the home that night, all those involved - even the police - agree. That means, of course, that the kidnapper - and possibly murderer - is someone they all know and love. But who? And how? And when? Readers are introduced to all the party-goers, making it an ongoing guessing game as to who the culprit might be. Worse, the closer John gets to the truth, the more he puts his own family in danger and further alienates his already distressed wife.
Most issues get resolved by the end, but the tension doesn't let up a bit till then. Happy to report this remains a favorite series, and one of my New Year's resolutions is to make sure I don't miss any more of them. Highly recommended!
Blood and Sand by Michael Lister (Pulpwood Press, November 2019); 278 pp.
4 stars out of 5
Not to sound like a broken record, but I do love a good series - especially when I'm fond of the main character. John Jordan, senior chaplain at the Gulf Correctional Institute in Florida and an investigator for the Gulf County Sheriff's Department, certainly fills that bill. He works two jobs, BTW, simply because he loves doing both and can't decide which to give up.
This is the 13th in the series; I've read several others, although I have to admit I've skipped at least two before picking up this one. No matter; I've read enough that there was no problem catching up. At this point, John has an ex-wife and child, a live-in fiance, Anna, and their very young child.
In 2005, a 21-year-old student at the University of West Florida went missing; apparently, the car she was driving crashed in a remote area near the Gulf of Mexico. According to passers-by, the woman - Randa Raffield - was very much alive when they saw her at the scene of the accident. But then, she vanished - leaving her still-drivable car locked and in a spot many miles from the place she'd told others she'd be. A police investigation ensued, but no conclusions were reached (and since she was considered to be a troubled young woman, many believed she committed suicide).
It's 12 years later now, and true crime podcast reporters Merrick and Daniel are looking into the cold case in hopes of getting to the truth. They're both friends with John and ask him for help; after getting permission from the Sheriff (who has close ties to one of the reporters), he agrees. As new details turn up, though, the investigators get threatening messages telling them to back off or else. Needless to say, they don't listen - leading up to a surprise ending that's a real cliffhanger.
And that, perhaps above all else, was what soured me a tiny bit on this one - we're talking a doozy of a cliffhanger, and I'm just not enthralled with that tactic no matter who's doing the writing or how good the book otherwise is. Add in a few too many "coincidences" and an overload of praise laid on John for his wonderfulness, both personally and professionally (to the point of sappiness), and the whole thing just missed being perfectly enjoyable. But it's still well worth reading, and I've already got the next two just waiting for me to find time to read. For those who haven't read this series, I highly recommend that you go for it.
Cold Blood by Michael Lister (Pulpwood Press, February 2017); 306 pp.
5 stars out of 5
Ever since the first book I read in the John Jordan series by Michael Lister, I've been a huge fan. Admittedly, I've read only three prior to this one, but I'm far from done. This one, which is the seventh in the series, easily gets 5 stars from me once again - and it also has the distinction of being one of the saddest books I've ever read.
Although the author says it's best to read them all in order (a piece of advice with which I always agree), he adds that each can stand alone (I agree with this as well). That's perhaps even more true of this one; it's written as a prequel that takes readers back to Jordan's very first investigation - one that had a profound impact on the who and what he was to become. We see Jordan as a young man trying to sort out his intense interest in becoming a chaplain or a law enforcement officer and exploring whether combining the two would be a possibility. For the time being, he's left home for Atlanta - in the progress ignoring his police officer father's wishes for the first time in his life - to enroll in a church-run school for ministers.
Actually, the story began when John was 12, when he bumped heads with a man who was convicted of murdering some children in Atlanta. Never quite certain of the man's guilt, when John returned to Atlanta for school, he vowed to investigate further. As he gets started, he gets a call and a bit of advice from none other than Harry Bosch, a friend of his father (and, for those who might not know, the character in a best-selling series by Michael Connelly).
In Atlanta, he befriends a couple of disadvantaged boys as well as the owner of a local daycare center whose young son was snatched from her back yard and murdered several years earlier. Her daughter, the boy's older stepsister, also works at the center; all I'll say about that is that the course of true love never runs smooth. As he learns more about the situation - including a suspicion that all the murders may be somehow connected - John vows to keep investigating until he finds the murderer. The course of that, too, is far from smooth, putting him at odds with some nasty characters and taking his mind to some very dark places.
The ending is both surprising and definitely not pleasant for readers and disturbing, to say the least, to John. All in all, the book is a crucial part of the series and one that shouldn't be missed.
Innocent Blood by Michael Lister (Pulpwood Press, February 2015); 264 pp.
4 1/2 stars out of 5
John Jordan, the main character in this series, became a favorite "hero" of mine after reading two of the books (this is the 6th). This one somehow got lost in my pile of to-read books, but once I discovered the error of my [forgetful] ways, I hustled to correct it.
And after just a few chapters, I still loved the character, but the story not quite so much. I'm not sure why, exactly, except some of the subject matter - prison sodomy (Jordan is the chaplain at the Potter Correctional Institution in South Florida), gruesome lynchings and a mother on her deathbed - just isn't that appealing to me. That said, it was hard to put down.
Actually, there are several story lines going on at the same time in this one, including the impending death of Jordan's mother (to whom he isn't terribly close, but it's still his mother, for goodness sake). At the same time, someone has been sexually abusing inmates, but a new prison wardon - intent on replacing Jordan and is insisting that he stick to his chaplain's duties - has put the kibosh on nvestigating. Meanwhile, a prisoner escapes and can't be found, a couple of mutilated bodies thought to be the victims of lynching turn up, and Jordan's Sheriff father is desperately trying to win a primary election (whew!)
That's a lot to wrap your head around in one book, but believe it or not, it all comes together - in just 211 pages, no less. Admittedly, it's a little hard to keep all the players straight, but in the end, the whole thing makes sense (even a serious romantic issue gets resolved, at least for the time being). I'll also say that while this book can stand alone, I think I got more out of it because I've read at least a couple that preceded it.
I'm also a bit curious about this: According to Lister's website (http://www.michaellister.com), he's written eight books in the John Jordan series. I've found the first six, but search as I might, I haven't been able to unearth Nos. 7 or 8. If anyone out there has a clue where I might find them, please let me know!
Rivers to Blood: A John Jordan Mystery Book 6 by Michael Lister (Pulpwood Press, January 2014); 211 pp.
5 stars out of 5
After I read Blood Sacrifice, which is No. 5 in the series featuring North Florida prison chaplain and former cop John Jordan, I loved it so much I knew I wouldn't stop until I'd read others - even if it meant reading them out of order. If my experience with that one taught me nothing else (except what a terrific writer Michael Lister is), it's that these books can stand alone (read my review of that one at https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/880641103).
Since I'm always looking for bargains, I didn't rush out to buy another one, though, and as it turns out I'm glad. Not long after I finished Blood Sacrifice, I was notified of a credit to my Amazon account as a result of a class-action settlement regarding Kindle book pricing, and I was able to snag two more of the series including this one. It's No. 4, and I had zero problem with reading it even though I'd already read the one that follows.
And happily, it didn't disappoint. This one takes place in the Potter Correctional Institution's Protective Management Unit, which houses inmates who, for various reasons, aren't likely to live long and prosper in the "regular" part of the prison. Jordan is here because he received a note claiming that a murder will take place during the Catholic Mass. Just after the elderly priest serves communion - the body and blood - Jordan sees an inmate enter a cell alone, and shortly thereafter blood begins to spread out from under the locked door.
Sure enough, the inmate is dead - his throat cut quite recently - but no one else entered or exited the cell. It turns out that the inmate, a very talented artist, may have been an innocent man - and a man who, for a different reason, was to be released in a few days. One question, of course, is why he was killed, but an even more puzzling one is how. It seems impossible that anyone could have gone in or out without being seen.
As the story moves along, still more crimes turn up, and the number of suspects grows as well. On the list of possibilities are a couple of unit officers, the victim's sister, a few inmates (one of whom is the victim's lover) and even the elderly priest. Meantime, Jordan is trying to get his jumbled personal life in order, having recently entered into a tentative reconciliation with his estranged wife Susan.
Interspersed is a bit of humor - in his car being followed by two suspicious characters, for instance, Jordan muses that if they catch him, he'll have to pull out the only weapon he has at hand - a Barry Manilow CD.
Lister has another winner on his hands, and now I can't wait to start the other one I have (Rivers to Blood, which is book No. 6.
The Body and the Blood by Michael Lister (Pulpwood Press, December 2011); 336 pp.
5 stars (out of 5)
No doubt about it: Books are expensive. Even discounted versions of books for ebook readers like my Kindle Fire can get very costly when you read as many books as I do. That's why I've signed up at websites that offer free and low-cost choices, like BookBub.com, BookGorilla.com, or Lendle.com (which are then downloaded from Amazon.com).
More often than not, the selections are from lesser-known writers, and a number of the free offerings don't cost more than three or four bucks to begin with - sometimes for good reason. So as I've said before, it's always a good idea to check customer reviews before you hit the download button (reviews with ratings of 3 stars and below get most of my attention, because I'm more interested in why someone didn't like the book than reading gushing comments.
Way more often than not, I've done well with my selections. And when I find a real gem, I want to tell the world. This one, a winner of a Florida Book Award (one of two for author Michael Lister), is one of those gems. For the record, the annual Florida Book Awards, which honors the best work of Florida authors, is coordinated by the Florida State University Libraries and co-sponsored by several other relatively impressive organizations. Medalists in nine categories are announced each February.
It was that award, in fact, that clinched the deal for me; at the time, this book had only nine reviews, mostly 5 stars - and even I have enough family and friends who would gladly award my book top honors in exchange for a six-pack of beer. Of course, the description didn't hurt; this is the fifth book in a series featuring prison chaplain and former cop John Jordan. Also for the record, Lister was named the youngest chaplain within the Florida Department of Corrections back in the early 1990s and served as a chaplain at correctional facilities for nearly a decade, so I figure he's got a good handle on that end of things.
I'm always a bit leery, though, of not starting with the first in a series; will I be able to follow what's going on, and will the book stand alone? I'm happy to say yes to both those issues, and even happier to report that I plan to get my hands on the rest in the series as fast as I can.
Here, Jordan has come to retreat center St. Ann's Abbey in the Florida Panhandle to shore up his own emotions after a nasty previous case (which I assume happened in the previous book). It doesn't take long for strange things to happen - first the apparent murder of a young boy, followed by the ghastly death of a young woman who had been undergoing an exorcism at the hands of an elderly priest who is one of the Abbey's founders. When he becomes the prime suspect, one of the nuns asks Jordan, who is here to get counseling himself and is reluctant to get involved, to well, get involved.
There's no shortage of suspects as Jordan - who is Protestant, by the way - begins his investigation, including the chief of police, an attorney who represents a large corporation intent on getting the land on which the Abbey is located and a beautiful young novelist (you really didn't think there would be no potential love interest, did you)? Untangling the ties that bind all these folks together and finding the culprit doesn't do much to drive out Jordan's personal demons, but the process sure is a treat for readers.
Blood Sacrifice by Michael Lister (Pulpwood Press August 2012); 271 pp.
This series has long been a favorite of mine - discovered quite a few years back. I admit I've skipped a handful in more recent years (to be honest, I own them all, but with all the read-to-review books I get through NetGalley, I simply haven't found time to work them in). The current Christmas-New Year's holiday season brought a brief respite from that must-read list, though, so I jumped on the opportunity to start this one. And happily, I finished it the same day just because I didn't want to stop.
