A RIVER RED WITH BLOOD

5 stars out of 5

There’s always a touch of the netherworld in this series, but this time, it’s more of a smack in the face. Who are Charlie Parker and his friends Louis and Angel? How are they able to see and speak with his dead daughter Jennifer, and what is she trying to tell them?

I won’t say I’m any closer to the answers to these questions after reading this, the 23^rd book in the series, but I sure did have a great time traveling through it. The story begins when Charlie, a private investigator, is asked by the attorney for Ward Vose, who’s in jail, to look into the death of Ward’s son Scott Theriault. The body of the young man, who’d been put by his parents in a school for incorrigible youth, was found near Maine’s Kennebec River. His death was determined to be an accident that happened when he ran away from the school (not for the first time). His father, though, is convinced the boy was murdered and wants Charlie to prove it. Concurrently, 19-year old Mallory Norton went missing – and by some accounts, she and Scott may have been an “item.”

A second storyline kicks in as a small group of grown men gather every three years to participate in what they call the Game – a sort of cat-and-mouse affair with serious consequences for person chosen to be the rodent. But the Game has strict rules, and it appears at least one member of the group has stepped out of line – a transgression that must be dealt with.

Of course, early on I suspected there may be some kind of connection between the young man and woman and the Game players, but if so, what is it? And over the course of the book, I learn whether or not that’s true. And no, I can’t share the details; that’s for other readers to learn just as I did. I will say it’s quite an adventure – one that, like previous books, ends with almost as many questions as answers. Overall, it’s another winner in my book – and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for providing another wild ride by way of a pre-release copy. Well done once again!

A River Red With Blood by John Connolly (Atria/Emily Bestler Books, June 2026); 416 pp.

DEATH OF AN EX

4 stars out of 5

I missed the first book in this series, but I certainly enjoyed the heck out of this, the second - an easy one to read as a standalone. That said, I'll be watching for the installment for sure.

The main character, Evander (Vandy) Myrick, is a cop turned private investigator who's come home to ply her trade in Queenstown, New Jersey - the only Black P.I. in the community. Years ago, she was married for a brief time to Phil Bolden, with whom she had a daughter Monica, who died close to three years ago in a fraternity house as a student at nearby Rutgers University. After their marriage broke up, Phil remarried and has become a prominent Queenstown resident, businessman and philanthropist; he and his wife have a son, Tyriq, a star athlete with an artistic bent and a chip on his shoulder.

Vandy is befriending Ingrid Ramirez, a student at the town's prestigious Rome School. It's the school of choice for the town's wealthier folks, with scholarships available to the less financially fortunate (read: Blacks). Accompanying Ingrid to an awards dinner where the girl will get an award that's a first for a Black student, Vandy learns that Tyriq and Ingrid have a "thing" - and that Vandy's ex, Phil, is getting some kind of award. But when Phil gets up to give his presentation, what he says seems to be not only unexpected, but not, shall we say, well received.

Later, Phil - who is married to another school employee and private college guidance counselor, Melinda - later reconnects with Vandy, who starts having second thoughts about why they divorced. The next morning, Vandy gets the surprise of her life as the police knock on her door.

From that point on, I can't divulge much without spoiling the thrill for other readers (tempting though it may be). Suffice it to say that Vandy becomes part of an investigation that for me conjured up memories of a certain "Full House" star, bribery and money laundering. The whole thing ends with a bang as well as my vow, as I mentioned at the beginning, to not miss another of the books in this series. Meantime, I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for introducing me to it by way of a pre-release copy of this book. 

Death of an Ex by Delia Pitts (Minotaur Books, June 2025); 306 pp.

THE BIG EMPTY

5 stars out of 5

Over the years, I've come to love the investigative team of Elvis Cole and Joe Pike; Elvis is charismatic, while all Joe needs to do is stand there and everybody knows what he's thinking. This latest adventure - the 20th - had me glued to my Kindle from start to finish.

It begins as Traci Beller, she of The Baker Next Door fame and fortune, asks (through her humorless promoter Kevin) Elvis to find her long-lost father, Tommy. A decade ago, he apparently abandoned his family and hasn't been seen since, and both police and private investigators turned up nothing. The owner of an HVAC company, his last known location was Rancha, a small town near Los Angeles.

Always a sucker for a pretty woman in distress - and knowing he's pretty darned good at finding people - Elvis decides to give it a try and sets off for Rancha, mostly to look for anyone who might remember Tommy or anything that might provide a clue as to what happened to him. Early on, though, his questioning of local folks - especially former convict Sadie Givens and her daughter, Anya - puts him in the crosshairs of some nasty guys who clearly want him to cease and desist - or else.

That experience, in turn, leads to his calling his partner Joe for help, and it's a good thing he did; Joe is particularly skilled at dealing with nasty guys (and no doubt gals as well), and as the investigation progresses, those skills definitely will be put to the test. Clues - and fists and shots - are coming strong and fast, and only one thing is for certain: Traci's father isn't even close to the man she remembers.

Other than that, all I can say is it's a fight to the finish that I'm glad I got to read - and I heartily thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for making that possible by way of a pre-release copy.

The Big Empty by Robert Crais (G.P. Putnam's Sons, January 2025); 384 pp.

NIGHT CANDY

4 stars out of 5

This is the fifth book in the series featuring ex-con Colleen Hayes, who's now out of prison - convicted of killing her husband - and working as a private eye (albeit unlicensed). It's also the first one I've read, but it certainly won't be the last; I'm intrigued by Colleen's rather unconventional approach to her work - sort of the means-justifies-the-end attitude. Often, ethics is far less important than outcome.

She does not, for instance, feel remorse for the murder she committed; he was, after all, seriously abusing their daughter Pamela, with whom Colleen is trying to reestablish a working relationship (with mixed results; not long ago, Pamela once again disappeared from Colleen's life). A bit of remorse there? You bet.

Meantime, a serial killer known as "Night Candy" has been targeting sex workers in San Francisco in the late 1970s. It's almost 1980 now, and Colleen's cop friend Owen - in jail for the murder of his wife Alice - needs her help (his police department colleagues seem to have washed their hands of him, and their disdain extends to Colleen as well). But she's convinced that Owen was railroaded and sets out to prove it despite doubts of her friends and colleagues.

Needless to say, that puts her squarely in the sights of the SFPD as well as police departments of surrounding communities to which her investigation takes her. Fairly early on she identifies her prime suspect, but pinning down the required evidence isn't the easiest of tasks (and certainly isn't without more toe-stepping and outright danger). By the end - and at least two more murders - she's frustrated enough to throw caution to the wind (again) to bring the case to a close. It's an action-packed adventure, although a little repetitive here and there - and there's plenty left to carry over to the next installment. I'm looking forward to reading it, and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy of this one.

Night Candy by Max Tomlinson (Oceanview Publishing, July 2023); 385 pp.

GOOD DOG, BAD COP

4 stars out of 5

Unhappy that I'd missed quite a few books in this series after reading "Holy Chow" last year, I was looking forward to this, the next in the now four-book series. While it was enjoyable, but I'm somewhat unhappy again. Why? The character that made me love that one, retired criminal attorney Andy Carpenter of Paterson, New Jersey, is conspicuous in his absence.

The focus here is on the K Team, comprised of Corey Douglas, Laurie Collins, Marcus Clark and their K-9 partner, Simon Garfunkel (who really doesn't get to shine as much as I'd have liked, but at least he's in it). The team members aren't employees of the Paterson Police Department, but they've been hired by the Police Chief as sort of consultants to investigate cold cases. Their pick of the litter is the death of two people - a woman and a cop generally thought to be "dirty." But that man was a mentor to Corey, who never believed the rumors. They also plan to investigate murder of another guy who was shot while in his car in a parking lot.

The investigation sort of wanders all over the place as hunches are followed up and leads go not much of anywhere except to hint at local mob connections and a possible event that could bring part of the country to its knees. But here and there, connections are made, giving the team incentive to keep digging. It's quite a chase, and in the end, all's well that ends well. As for me, I'm ready for the next one (hopefully with Carpenter back in action), and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review a prerelease copy of this one.

Good Dog, Bad Cop by David Rosenfelt (Minotaur Books, March 2023); 288 pp.

LAST REDEMPTION

5 stars out of 5

My guess is that every avid reader has a series (or two, or three) that never fails to be a sure bet for an entertaining, comforting go-to. I know I do, and  this one isn't all that far from the top of my favorites list. This entry - the eighth - certainly doesn't disappoint; in fact, it just may have moved the series up a notch or two.

At the outset, Rick's life is something of a roller coaster; happily, he's going to be a father as his fiancee, interior designer Leah Landingham, is in the early stages of pregnancy. Not so happily, he's been diagnosed with Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, for which the prognosis is early death (and meantime, he's experiencing brief lapses in memory). He plans to tell Leah, and his sometime P.I. partner and best friend, Moira MacFarlane, but the time just never seems right.

He's also trying to get comfortable working behind a desk rather than in the field, where danger lurks at any given moment (and has resulted in injuries that no doubt contributed to his brain condition). That switch in focus, he says, he owes to Leah - and his intense desire to become a first-time dad. His resolve gets set aside, however, when Moira calls to say her son Luke is missing - not long after his girlfriend Gabrielle took out a Temporary Restraining Order against him. Moira, needless to say, is frantic with worry, although she refuses to believe that her son did anything to warrant the TRO, much less anything worse.

But spotting Luke at Gabrielle's condo building - but going into an adjacent unit - hints at a different story that spirals into a scenario immediately calling to my mind the currently (as I write this) in-the-news trial of Elizabeth Holmes, founder of the much-hyped but ill-fated blood testing firm Theranos. In any event, it's a plot that ultimately puts Rick in serious danger almost from the git-go (and for those who might care, some of what happens gets a little cringe-worthy in spots). 

The ending wraps things up nicely, with one exception that no doubt will play a role in the next installment - to which, needless to say, I'm looking forward. Meantime, thanks once again to the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to enjoy a pre-release copy of this one. Great job!

Last Redemption by Matt Coyle (Oceanview Publishing, November 2021); 352 pp.

NINE ELMS

5 stars out of 5

As a die-hard fan of this author - especially his Detective Erika Foster series - I was delighted to learn of his newest venture, of which this book marks the debut. I was thrilled when I snagged a copy through Amazon's First Reads program, and now that I'm finished, I'm over-the-top happy; in many ways, I like "new" heroine Kate Marshall even better than Foster.

Adding plenty of background "baggage" is, I'm pretty sure, Rule No. 1 in the Heroines 101 class; and to be sure, Kate has more than her share. A former police detective who was working on the case of the "Nine Elms Cannibal" some 15 years earlier, unsavory details about her personal life emerged, resulting in her leaving the force. Now, she lectures on criminology at a small university on England's South Coast; her parents have custody of her 14-year-old son. As the story begins, she's on her way home when she gets a call from her former boss, who tells her a girl's body has been found with bite marks and other similarities to the M.O. of the original serial killer. But it can't be him - he's still in prison ever since he was convicted 15 years ago. 

Apparently, then, there's a copycat killer on the loose. But while he (or she) is successfully mimicking the original killer's techniques, further evidence is virtually nonexistent. Kate, though, is not about to walk away; enlisting help from her university research assistant, Tristan Harper, she sets out to put the bite on the copycat. But unbeknownst to her, those efforts may put her in the crosshairs of a murderer who is equally intent on taking a bite out of her.

Exciting, fast-paced from beginning to end, this is one of the best new-series entries I've read in a long time. Now I'm eagerly awaiting the next one, which, the author says, is titled "Shadow Sands." Bring it on!

Nine Elms by Robert Bryndza (Thomas & Mercer, December 2019); 392 pp.

THE BITTERROOTS

4 stars out of 5

After being mentored by Cody Hoyt, a character from another series by this author, Cassie Dewell is off on her own as a private investigator. She's got a son, Ben, and lives with him and her hippie mother in Bozeman, Montana. She's also dragging around a ton of emotional baggage from her past - baggage that continues to bog her down in this, the fourth installment.

It comes in the form of a big black semi, which idles for a few minutes in front of her house - bringing a stark reminder of a now-dead serial killer and fears that some way, some how, someone from that disturbing part of her life has come back to haunt her. Meantime, an attorney friend to whom she owes a favor calls in a big one: she's defending an accused child rapist and wants Cassie to find out how strong the prosecution's case is so she can plan her trial strategy (or beg the client, who denies any wrongdoing, to take a plea deal). Cassie's certain he's guilty, but her friend convinces her that she's really not trying to get him off (and besides, there's that favor thing) so Cassie agrees and heads out to remote Lochsa County. 

There, she bumps heads with a family from hell - descendants of a branch of religious cult Hutterites who, quite literally, own everything and everybody in the county. Her friend's client, it seems, is their first-born son, who essentially has been disowned because he left home to make his home and fortune elsewhere. Besides that, the young girl he's accused of raping is his niece - the daughter of a brother who stuck with the family program. It goes without saying, then, that Cassie isn't welcome in them there parts.

Threats to her life notwithstanding, Cassie ferrets out enough evidence to make her visit worthwhile; the trick now is getting back out alive. While she's trying to deal with some of the nastiest characters I've read about in a while, her son is having issues of his own, including teenage infatuation, a grandmother who's firmly rooted in the 1960s and yes, that big black semi.

It all makes for a very readable, fast-paced book with a couple of surprises thrown in at the end. Enjoyed it!

The Bitterroots by C.J. Box (Minotaur Books, August 2019); 320 pp.

JACK FROST

5 stars out of 5


I've read and enjoyed two other books by this author - one a standalone ("The Girl Who Lived") and the other "Jack of Hearts," another in this series featuring private investigator and bounty hunter Jack Stratton. When I got a chance to read an advance copy of this one, saying yes was a no-brainer. Am I glad I did? You betcha; in fact, it's my favorite.

Some things have changed a bit, most notably that Jack and his fellow investigator, Alice, are now engaged to be married - though they haven't yet set a date. Alice is still grieving the years-ago loss of her parents in an auto hit-and-run; to help, she's asked a mercenary friend, Kiku, to try and track him down. Meanwhile, Jack is asked to get to the bottom of a suspicious death on the set of "Planet Survival," a popular realilty show. Jack decides the best way to go is undercover - the current show is being filmed atop Minuit Mountain in the middle of winter. Alice isn't happy about having to stay home, but the producer insists she can't add more than one person to the crew without causing undue notice.

Jack and the producer win out, leaving Alice to handle research chores, the progress of Kiku's investigation of her parents' death and taking care of Lady, Jack's gigantic King Shepherd. Actually, that was fine with me; Jack may be smitten, but I didn't much care for her from the git-go. And here, when Jack learns that she wants him to call her "darling" because that's what Jack's dad calls his mom, I actually hoped she'd defy orders, climb the mountain and get buried in an avalanche like the crew member whose death is being looked into.

But for better or worse, she's never in much danger. The same can't be said, though, for Jack. Up on that snowy mountain, Murphy's Law is not only alive, but well; what can go wrong does - and then some. From the initial gondola ride to the lodge, when Jack sees as rock painted with an Iroquois symbol for death, the action is pretty much nonstop. A killer blizzard - literally - keeps everyone chilling out in the dark as dead bodies start piling up. Clearly, someone's on a spree; can Jack find out who it is before everyone gets frosted? 

The ending thrills, chills and brings a few surprises, making for an exciting read. Now I'll be eagerly awaiting the next installment (which the author says will be titled "Jack of Diamonds"). Bring it on!

Jack Frost by Christopher Greyson (Amazon Digital Services LLC, April 2018); 326 pp.

TWO GIRLS DOWN

4.5 stars out of 5


I've always maintained that declarations of whether or not a book is well written shouldn't be soured by how much you love, relate to, or even like, the main characters - ttttthat's my story and I'm sticking to it. But when you do, it sure sweetens the whole experience - as was, happily, the case here. In fact, perhaps the primary strength of this book is the exceptionally well-developed characters.

The top two are Max Caplan, a private investigator and former cop who left the force under a cloud; he's divorced and has a smart, headstrong daughter named Nell. Complementing "Cap" is Alice Vega, perhaps more of a bounty hunter than private eye. She's single, extremely focused, somewhat psychic and weighs in with a hefty load of emotional baggage of her own. They come together when Alice is hired to find two young sisters who have gone missing in Denville, Pa. (not far from Philadelphia).

Vega,  asks Cap for help with the case, but he turns her down - claiming he's busy chasing a bad guy who's from New Castle, Pa. (which, for the record, isn't far from my own home in northeastern Ohio), but in reality more because he doesn't want to interact with his former cronies on the police force. Not to be deterred (she's intensely focused, remember?), Vega takes off and finds the guy, thus removing Cap's reason for not jumping into her own fray. Apparently, she's very good at what she does; at one point, she tells Cap that she expects to earn $50,000 for finding the missing girls - and she's willing to split it 50-50 with him.

Somewhat reluctantly, Cap recapitulates, making them something of a team (which, depending on the situation or who's thinking about it, can be for better or for worse). Clues ferreted out and followed up by Vega and Cap turn out to be productive enough that the local police and FBI opt to at least consider them serious players in the chase (albeit grudgingly). While there's never any romantic interaction between the two, the potential chemistry is there - if only in Cap's mind. When it comes to investigation, they're not always on an identical wavelength; here, score one for Cap, and there, the edge goes to Vega.

There's plenty of action as well as false leads and twists to make for a hard-to-put-down story with an ending revelation that I didn't predict ahead of time (neither did Cap nor Vega, at least until the last couple of chapters, so I don't feel too bad). When I finished the last page, I said two things to myself: First, this is a really good book; and second, I sure hope I'll see these two characters again. Meantime, a big thank you to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy.

Two Girls Down by Louisa Luna (Doubleday, January 2018); 320 pp.

MALEVOLENT

4 stars out of 5

Okay, I admit it: I'm a sucker for a free book. But even when that opportunity gets dumped in my lap (or more appropriately, my inbox), I'm careful what I pick because I hate wasting my precious time on a loser. Well, I'm delighted to report that this one's a gem. Better yet, it's the first in what is billed as a three-book series, so now I can look forward to reading two more.

Featured is a mid-20s private investigator named Shaye Archer, who lives and works in New Orleans. She's a mystery herself; found beaten and horribly abused around the age of 15, she was adopted by a wealthy woman and counseled by that woman's close friend, an ultra-competent psychiatrist. Still, she has no memory at all of her life up to the time she apparently escaped from her unknown captor. Heck, she doesn't even know her real name, so she chose one for herself (though where on the planet she came up with Shaye is a total mystery to me; hey, maybe it will turn out she's related to Frank Zappa or Gwyneth Paltrow).

Even before she's got furniture in her small office, she gets a client. Emma Frederick, a hospital nurse, is sure she's got a malicious stalker - but since she's got no proof, the police aren't taking her complaints seriously. Worse, the stalker looks exactly like her former husband, even though it can't be him; when he turned violent and tried to kill her, she beat him to it - killing him in what the police determined to be self-defense.

In part because of Shaye's own experiences, she believes that Emma really is in danger, even though they both know it can't be her dead husband. But who could it be? When Shaye begins to dig into her investigation, the stalker clearly isn't pleased; suddenly, as those close to Shaye (and Shaye herself) become targets, the race is on to get to him before he gets to them. Along the way, Shaye manages to get on the good side of a "good" cop - one who believes Emma really is in danger but can't do much because he's stuck with a near-retirement partner who doesn't have the slightest interest in rocking the boat - or for that matter, doing any real work. And here's a big surprise: The good guy also is good-looking, single and not too far from Shaye's age. 

The action moves along quickly - and, for those who are sensitive to such things, sometimes in rather gory detail - all the way to the end. Well, almost; I probably could have done without the last chapter, which seemed to be tacked on as an afterthought. It did, however, set the stage for the next book in the series, and I'm certainly ready to pick up where this one left off. All in all, an impressive start!

Malevolent by Jana DeLeon (Jana DeLeon, July 2015); 243 pp.