4 stars out of 5
If you enjoy reading about female characters who are totally consumed by angst, paranoia and self-doubt, do not - repeat, do not miss this book. Not only is there one such character here, but three - and until the end, it's virtually impossible to tell who's telling the truth. It's a story with a past that began five years prior to the present day, when Mia Hamilton has finally come to grips - almost - with her husband Zach's suicide. He died on the same day that Josie, one of his university students, disappeared (he was a professor); the claim was that he and his student were having an affair that somehow went awry. The unfortunate result, it appears, is that he murdered her and took his own life in remorse.
Despite a few misgivings, Mia never believed Zach was a murderer; and now, she's getting by at their London home with help from their young daughter, Freya, her close personal boyfriend Will and Zach's ever-loving parents, who live nearby. She's undergone training as a personal counselor, seeing clients in her home office, and her life after Zach is back on a track toward normalcy. That changes, though, when a young woman named Alison seeks her out and makes an appointment. Clearly, Alison is seriously disturbed, but she makes a claim that chills Mia to the core: She knew both Josie and Zach, and more to the point, she insists Zach did not kill himself. That said, she abruptly runs off, leaving Mia to deal with the fallout and start questioning Zach's death, and just about everything else she's come to believe in, all over again.
But can what Alison says and does be trusted? Just as Mia begins to think she's the real deal, something happens that make her think she's delusional. As Mia tries to separate fact from fiction, what really happened back then is revealed to readers through flashback chapters narrated by Josie, the student supposedly murdered by Zach (I've grown weary of this technique, in all honestly, but the author does it very well). After a number of twists and turns, everything comes together in a surprising end.
That ending was not, however, all that satisfying. I'm not totally sure why, except perhaps that I never really related to any of the three women (hey, that's just me, but I prefer my female characters to be strong and mentally stable, I guess). Still another reason is that I guessed wrong - make that way wrong - so maybe my let-down is just a touch of sour grapes to compensate for being fooled. The bottom line is that this is a well-written, easy-to-read book that I really didn't want to put down. Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read it in exchange for an honest review.
Silent Lies by Kathryn Croft (Bookouture, October 2017); 321 pp.
4 stars out of 5
Finding a new series -especially one that shows promise - to me is akin to finding gold pellets in a stream. First comes the excitement of discovery, followed by the hope of more to come. Such is the case here, with the introduction of Sacramento, California, private investigator Jessie Cole. I won't say it was love at first word, but she's interesting enough that I look forward to future adventures.
As is the usual case with series heroines, Jessie brings "issues" to the table - most notably, the disappearance of her younger sister Sophie 10 years earlier. Since then, Jessie has become almost obsessed with finding her - or at least what happened to her - especially important since Sophie's daughter, Olivia, lives with Jessie and is for all intents and purposes now her daughter. When she's not focused on Sophie's disappearance, Jessie spends most of her time finding missing persons on behalf of her clients.
At the outset, one of those clients puts Jessie in a real bind. Hired to document a stalker, she ends up on the other side of the crime and facing prosecution (and possible jail time). Her one-time love interest, detective Colin Grayson, is still around, but for the moment, at least, their future as a couple doesn't seem to be in the cards. He's been hard at work trying to find the so-called Heartless Killer, who's kidnapped, tortured and killed numerous victims.
Almost out of the blue, Jessie is contacted by journalist Ben Morrison, who has a backstory of his own. A decade ago, he was seriously injured in an auto crash that left the driver dead and Ben with no memories of the accident or, for the most part, his past (except, I guess, his ability to write - apparently he's continued his newspaper career with only time out for recuperation). But now, triggered by bothersome but unexplainable flashbacks that include a woman who resembles Sophie, Ben wants to rehash her now-cold case, and it's important that he has Jessie's support.
He gets it, albeit reluctantly since Jessie questions his motives. And, she's got cases of her own to work on, including the possible kidnapping of a mentally disturbed young woman whose off-the-wall father is desperate to find. As all this plays out, chapters switch to what's going on with the very active serial killer; the only thing that's clear is that he will keep doing his thing until he's caught.
The action is almost nonstop, so I was happy to be able to finish the book in two days of spare-time reading (for the record, I'd have been even happier if I could have done it in a single day). Jessie is off to a great start -and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
Her Last Day by T.R. Ragan (Thomas & Mercer, October 2017); 318 pp.
5 stars out of 5
Perhaps I say this because when I got within a couple of hours of finishing this book nothing short of an act of God could have pried my hands off my Kindle, but I truly believe that of all the author's books I've read, I enjoyed this one the most. His always extensive research is borderline awesome here, and the plot was totally engrossing. While I might not call the action nonstop, there was more than enough to hold my attention right from the git-go.
A couple of other pluses: The central theme - the age-old questions of where human life came from and where it is headed - is thought-provoking (though I'm pretty sure Bible literalists will disagree). Both the plot and the action seemed more within the realm of possibility than in previous books - meaning I wasn't saying, "Oh, c'mon, get real!" throughout. As usual, the settings provided a ton of learning opportunities, all so well written that a devout non-lover of history like me enjoyed every word. One of those settings, in fact, was of special interest: the still-unfinished Basilica of the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain - a structure that fascinated me as the subject of a CBS "60 Minutes" segment a while back.
The story begins as Robert Langdon, professor of symbology and religious iconology at Harvard University, is at the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao (Spain) at the request of former student, billionnaire scientist and self-proclaimed athiest Edmond Kirsch. Here, Kirsch has promised, he will reveal a scientific breakthrough that will, by answering those two fundamental questions, render moot all organized religions. The event, with a guest list of hundreds, was coordinated by the beautiful Ambra Vidal, the museum director who just happens to be engaged to marry the future king of Spain.
But just as Kirsch is about to make his big pronouncement, something unthinkable happens; the crowd is thrown into a panic, Robert lands next to Ambra, and suddenly, the two of them are on the run. They don't know who to trust nor the real significance of Kirsch's botched presentation, but they're certain they must find the password that will unlock and release the program he intended to bring to the world before someone else finds and destroys it.
Meanwhile, the man responsible for creating the panic is found to have ties to the Palmarian Church, an ultra-conservative offshoot of the Roman Catholic Church. That in turn brings up questions as to whether that group's arms extend into the Vatican and the Spanish government - and if they do, to whom. As a result, the issue of who can be trusted takes a few even more sinister turns that threaten the lives of Robert and Ambra. Unfortunately, their search of Kirsch's almost unbelievably high-tech Barcelona home yields only vague clues as to where the password may be, prompting the pair to set off once again - guided in large part by Robert's noted eidetic memory and the assistance of a very unusual "friend."
But can they find the password before someone finds them? Who, really, is behind the efforts to stop them? And what, if anything, is the significance of Kirsch's discovery? All I'll say is that it's a neck-and-neck race from the starting gate to the finish line - and you won't want to miss a second of it. Outstanding!
Origin by Dan Brown (Doubleday, October 2017); 480 pp.
5 stars out of 5
Easy to read, attention-holding and a wonderful way to take a break from my usual shoot-'em-up, gore-filled action books: That's my take on this fun book that I thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish. If there's a downside, it appears to be the last in a five-book series that I wish I'd started from the beginning (although this one stands on its own just fine).
Admittedly, I'm not a huge fan of cozy mysteries - but for one primary reason: It seems to be the rule that the heroine be downright obnoxious. She goes off on her own, never paying any attention to anyone - as well as the kind of woman who, when chased by a bad guy with a knife, turns left into the dark alley instead of heading toward the well-lit, people-filled street to the right.
Not so here. In fact, I quite liked Juliet Langley, a sometime musician and self-appointed private detective who manages Java Jive, a coffeehouse in Nashville. She's intelligent, assertive but not pushy, and actually listens to the counsel of friends (and yes, even police officers) before going off the deep end. That's not to say she doesn't have emotions, though; in fact, she's got plenty. For starters, she still hasn't come totally to grips with losing her romance with town police detective, Ryder Hamilton, who switched to her best friend and PI-business partner, Maya. She's also got mixed feelings about her current, much younger go-to guy, and conjures up visions of getting together with long-time friend and coffeehouse owner Pete. Mostly,though, she's furious with her former fiance, Scott O'Malley, who ran off with another woman, cleaning out their bank accounts and causing the downfall of the coffeehouse in Juliet's home town of Liberty, Indiana, that she and Scott co-owned (yes, it does seem she's run through an excess of male companions over a very short period of time, but then that's not necessarily a bad thing).
Needless to say, Scott's totally unexpected appearance at the Nashville shop took both her and Pete by surprise - so much so that she punches him in the nose - and when he begs Juliet to use her PI skills to find his missing wife Mandi (the one he dumped Juliet to be with), she's dumbfounded. She's flat-out gobsmacked, though, when he drops dead right in the middle of the shop. When it's determined that he may have been poisoned, the local police become aware of the hostility Juliet's harboring toward the victim and consider her a person of interest at the very least.
With her reputation at stake, Juliet is intent on clearing her name and sees no alternative except to take the investigation into her own hands; somewhat reluctantly, Ryder agrees to help. The place to start, they agree, is in Liberty - just a couple of hours from Nashville - where they quickly learn that Scott and his wife are "drug dealers" (a.k.a. pharmaceutical reps). Despite the potential for better-than-decent income, though, it's pretty clear they're living lives of luxury well beyond their means.
Are the drugs in any way connected to Scott's untimely death or his wife's sudden disappearance? If she's been kidnapped, is she still alive - and can they find her in time to prevent a worst-case scenario? Of course, I can't reveal the answers - but I will say it was a real treat finding them for myself. I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
Oh yes - a personal note that gave this book extra-special interest to me: Like Juliet and the author, I'm Hoosier born (but Buckeye bred). Even more coincidentally is that I grew up in Union City - less than an hour northeast of Liberty. My favorite shopping excursions were to nearby Richmond, where for a time my late father - "Buckeye Poet" Harold Pickett (a.k.a. "Slim Acres") taught Business Law at the Ivy Tech Community College campus.
Small world!
Murder Over Mochas by Caroline Fardig (Alibi, October 2017); 235 pp.
4 stars out of 5
In some ways, I enjoyed this book more than others in the pile of 44 previous editions; for instance, I felt more "comfortable" - i.e., not on the edge of my seat waiting for something awful to happen to one or more of the main characters as I usually do. Besides that, I enjoyed the interactions among the characters here, some of which provided more insights into happenings in previous books.
Conversely, the overall atmosphere seemed a bit lackluster with not much real excitement. And, I confess I was a little bummed when I learned that my fairly early-on guess of the killer's identity was, in fact, not even close (I'm joking here, of course, since being a little surprised at the end really isn't a bad thing).
The saga begins as Lt. Eve Dallas meets up with a professional acquaintenance - a forensic anthropoligist - in an upscale bar (reluctantly for Eve, who isn't into the bar scene, especially a fancy-schmancy one). Just as Eve decides she's had enough, a woman staggers into the room from the downstairs, bleeding profusely. After crashing into a server who's carrying a fully loaded tray, she collapses on the floor. Eve and her companion rush to help, but they're too late to save her; the cut on her arm severed her brachial artery, assuring that she'd bleed out in minutes.
In addition to discovering that the bar is one of the hundreds of properties owned by her Ireland-born, uber-rich husband Roarke (one of my all-time favorite book characters, for the record), Eve learns that the victim is Larinda Mars, a major TV personality in the gossip trade - certainly not someone high on Eve's list of people to know, much less love. Still, murder is murder, so she and her department colleague, the effervescent Peabody, set out to investigate. Roarke gets a bit more involved in this case as well - he's not pleased that the murder happened in one of his properties, after all.
Early on, the team determines a possible motive: Larinda, it seems, has been raking in millions by blackmailing wealthy people on whom she's dug up serious dirt. As the number of victims grows, so does the number of potential killers - exponentially. Just whittling the list down to a manageable size is a daunting task, but necessary if they're to tag the culprit.
All things considered, this is another solid piece of work, and of course I look forward to the next. Here's another thought (admittedly wishful thinking at this point): How about a new series featuring that forensic anthropologist, Dr. Garnet DeWinter, and her capable assistant? Methinks there's plenty of room in the reading world for another Temperance Brennan (another of my favorite characters, BTW). I'd be a fan in a heartbeat!
Secrets in Death by J.D. Robb (St. Martin's Press, September 2017); 381 pp.
5 stars out of 5
I'd love to meet Virgil Flowers. There. I said it. He's long been a favorite character (this is, I believe, his 10th book). Actually, so is the author's other series hero, Lucas Davenport, but Virgil always won out (if only by a little bit). I'm not exactly sure why, except Virgil has that "bad boy" appeal - coupled with an irresistible offbeat - many would say irreverent - sense of humor.
But Virgil wasn't all that thrilled to get involved here, for a couple of reasons. First, he's still got a couple of days left on his week's vacation. Second, the case takes him back to Trippton, Minnesota, where a while back he dealt with members of a local school board who put a unique twist on the concept of education. Now, the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension agent has been called in to help with the murder of a very wealthy, divorced businesswoman whose body literally was fished out of a mostly frozen river. On the suspected night of her death, she'd hosted a get-together of planners of their high school class's 20-year mid-winter reunion - and as Virgil somewhat reluctantly begins his investigation, he learns the planning committee members may have been closer to enemies than friends.
Then, along comes another investigation - this one at the insistence of the Minnesota governor - and Virgil is even more reluctant to get involved. Mattel, it seems, has paid a California lawyer to track down whoever's been buying up Barbie dolls - then modifying them to "talk" using, shall we say, very suggestive phrases and reselling them on the black market. Just for the record, being not even close to a fan of Barbies (Ken and Skipper? Not in this lifetime), I immediately gave the perps points for ingenuity despite realizing (of course) the gravity of the crime.
The Barbie-doll lawyer isn't the most pleasant of women (that she keeps bugging Virgil to work harder to catch the culprits while he's busy on the other murder case is one of her less endearing qualities). To make matters worse, that murder is followed by a second - and now Virgil really has his hands full; dealing with two issues at once really puts his nose out of joint. As usual, Virgil works everything out in the end, taking readers along for another fun ride.
Maybe it's just me, but I sense that Virgil seems to have mellowed a bit over the last couple of books (or at least, ever since he hooked up with girlfriend Frankie). Of course, no one can stay young and irresponsible forever - this, I believe, is the tenth book - but I really do miss his feistiness. On the plus side, though, he's still got his chuckle-eliciting one-liners. When, for instance, Virgil is told that Amazon sells "sex toys" all of which are eligible for Amazon Prime, he doesn't miss a beat.
"That's a relief. I'd hate to wait for three days," he quips.
Virgil, my man, you've still got it (and if you'd like to discuss that over a cold Leinenkugel next time you're passing through my part of Ohio, give me a jingle - I'm buying). Meantime, many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for giving me the opportunity to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
Deep Freeze by John Sandford (G.P. Putnam's Sons, October 2017); 399 pp.
4 stars out of 5
This is the third book I've read in the author's series featuring Detective Inspector Helen Grace. Like the others, it's fast-paced and almost riveting - I'd have been quite content if I could have read the whole thing in one sitting. But truth is, I didn't actually "like" it much. Here's why: The only setting I hate more in books and motion pictures than an Afghanistan war zone is in a prison. And guess where most of the action takes place?
But that's a personal preference that shouldn't hamper other readers' enjoyment - especially long-time fans of the series - and when it's otherwise a very good book. The real focus is a question: How is it that the fiesty Helen is locked away? Well, it appears she's been disGraced - I'm assuming the details of her situation were laid out in a book I didn't read. She's now in jail awaiting trial for a murder she didn't commit; she was framed by her nephew Robert Stonehill (or so she claims). Her old department continues to run with someone else at the helm; some of her former colleagues think she's guilty and others - like her fiercely loyal friend Charlie - are working hard to gather evidence that proves Helen's innocence.
None of them, though, can protect her from what she's dealing with now. Leah, a woman who occupied the cell next to Helen's, has been murdered in the night. The word on the block is that she was a snitch - clearly grounds for reprisal in the eyes of other innates. And a gruesome murder it was: Her eyes, mouth and other body parts were sewn shut and her ears stuffed with an unidentified substance - yet there were few signs of a struggle. The prison security chief is convinced that Helen somehow did the deed, so Helen tries to put her investigative skills to work on finding the real killer. In the process, she takes a real beating that lands her in the infirmary. Another murder happens in similar fashion, leading Helen to believe it may be the work of a prison employee rather than an inmate.
On the outside, still another force is working against Helen - Emilia, the reporter who broke Helen's pre-jail story. The woman left her old newspaper job, hoping to cash in on her scoop - and when she learned of the first murder, she became more determined than ever to keep dogging Helen and turn up more dirt to boost her own career.
While all this is happening, Charlie keeps trying to nail Stonehill, much to the dismay of her superiors, meaning she's jeopardizing her own career. Inside the prison, though, all hell is breaking loose, with Helen squarely in the middle of the action. Will Charlie be able to find Stonehill and prove Helen's innocence in time to save her friend? It's a race to the finish, taking readers on a wild ride.
As a final note, I'll say that this book certainly can be read as a standalone, although knowing what happened previously would have helped me get more out of the experience (I skipped one or two more recent books in the series including the one immediately preceding this one). That said, it's another excellent addition to the series and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
Hide and Seek by M.J. Arlidge (Berkley, October 2017); 409 pp.
