3 stars out of 5
After reading and enjoying other books by
this author, I jumped at the chance to get it as an Amazon Prime Reads selection. Now I've finished it, and I have to say it just didn't push the right buttons for me. It's heavy-handed in the focus on sexual abuse (often graphically described), psychologically damaged victims and some of the sickest characters I've ever had the displeasure to meet. It's not that it isn't well-written, I hasten to add - it was for me just too much of a bad thing.
There are two plots going on here, both tinged (make that doused) with violence and revenge. A group calling themselves The Crew meet on the Dark Web, plotting to make sexual predators "pay" for what they've done. No killing or maiming allowed, they claim; they simply want to impress upon them that payback is a you-know-what. The other story focuses on Sawyer Brooks, a 29-year-old journalist who longs to be on the crime scene beat. She and her two sisters, Aria and Harper, are themselves victims of extensive and horrific sexual abuse - and dealing with it in very different ways (Harper is a neat freak, Sawyer avoids emotional or physical attachments and Aria simply refuses to go there). Not only are all three seriously psychologically damaged by abuse, but in large part because of those experiences, they have tended to not play well with each other.
Things get heated when Sawyer gets her wish to partner up with the nationally recognized crime reporter at their Sacramento newspaper and her beloved grandmother dies. Since she's going home to nearby River Rock for the funeral, she convinces her new boss to let her report on the years-ago murders of two young girls and another - Sawyer's best friend - who went missing but was never found. Meanwhile, The Crew keep busy chasing down and showing the predators who abused them the error of their ways (oh golly, what could possibly go wrong with that scenario)?
For Sawyer, going home puts her right back in the eye of her storm - visiting the parents who at best ignored their daughters and the prison release of one of their abusers. On top of that, no one - including the police - are happy that old rocks are being overturned for all the world to read about in Sawyer's story. There are a few twists here and there, although they're for the most part predictable. Still, it's an action-packed adventure, albeit not what I'd call a totally satisfying one.
Don't Make a Sound by T.R. Ragan (Thomas & Mercer, June 2020); 285 pp.
5 stars out of 5
This, the author's second adventure set on
Camino Island, puts some of the characters from the first (appropriately titled Camino Island) back in the eye of the storm. This time, though, it's literally; not long after the story begins, Hurricane Leo threatens to disrupt the festivities honoring successful author Mercer Mann that are to take place in Bruce Cable's Bay Books store. Mercer, who has a college teaching gig, has returned to the island with her latest boy toy, Thomas, expecting to be wined and dined by her old friends.
But it's not long before all those plans are blowin' in the wind; Leo, it seems, has set his eye on the island's downtown. Evacuations are ordered, but Bruce and a couple of his friends decide to ride it out. Luckily, they survive the devastation; but no such luck for Nelson Kerr, a thriller writer and one of Bruce's friends. He's found dead at his damaged home; but an up-close-and-personal look determines that Leo may not have been the killer.
Since Nelson died in the storm when debris was flying everywhere, the local police aren't quite ready to buy the murder angle - and even if they did, they're up to their eyeballs in clean-up efforts and making sure looters don't start running rampant. Bruce, though, is positive he's right. As he and his friends, including Mercer and Thomas, put their heads together, the consensus is that somebody, somewhere, didn't want Nelson's not-yet-published manuscript to see the light of print.
But who might that be? Surely not one of their own - each of whom has a background and secrets that are slowly revealed as the story unfolds - and issues are resolved - over a period of a year or so. As was the first book, it's told in a narrative style, although there seems to be more dialogue here (and, maybe because of that, I think I slightly prefer this one). Those expecting courtroom theatrics will be disappointed, although lawyers do get involved in some of the goings-on. All in all, this one is thoroughly enjoyable - and I've definitely taken a liking to this series. More, please!
Camino Winds by John Grisham (Doubleday, April 2020); 290 pp.
5 stars out of 5
Enchanting. Tear-jerking. Edge-of-seat scary. All this and more await readers of this exquisitely written book. If I had to describe it in a single word, it would be mesmerizing.
At the heart of the activity is a telepathic dog named Kipp; Woody, a high-functioning autistic boy who hasn't spoken a word for all of his 11 years; and a diabolic plan to increase human longevity that goes horribly wrong. It's sort of a The Art of Racing in the Rain meets The Shining. Seriously, how can you top that?
Woody's dad was killed three years ago, leaving his mom, Megan, as a single parent who loves her son unconditionally. Woody returns her love even though he's unable to express it; what she doesn't know is that he's convinced that his dad's death was murder, not an accident. Elsewhere, an elderly lady named Dorothy has watched over her beloved Kipp for years, understanding his human-like abilities that include membership in the "Mysterium," a group of 86 golden retrievers and Labs who communicate with each other on the "Wire."
And in Utah, a man who was an executive at that research laboratory working on longevity is on the run. Lee Shacket, who escaped a major disaster there with a ton of money, briefly dated Megan before she got married and knows she's now a widow. On the spur of the moment, he decides that she would be the perfect companion as he flees to another country to spend the rest of his life in luxury. But when he calls her to ask, she rebuffs him - triggering an intensive desire for revenge that grows stronger and more dangerous by the page.
Meanwhile, Kipp begins to intercept messages on the Wire from someone he believes may be a young boy - certainly a first among the heretofore all-doggie system. Kipp doesn't understand why the boy is intent on proving that his father was murdered, but he knows he needs help and sets off to find him. All that sets in motion the events that follow - events that kept me glued to the book almost nonstop till the end. My emotions pretty much ran wild, with the extremes tempered by a bit of humor here and there (my favorite laugh-out-loud line came when one character was described as having "the attention span of a Chihuahua with ADHD").
Seriously, this is one of the best books I've read this year. And for the record, I'd love to read more about the adventures of Kipp and his buddies (hint, hint). How about it, Mr. Koontz?
Devoted by Dean Koontz (Thomas & Mercer, March 2020); 381 pp.
5 stars out of 5
There are way too many reasons I love this series to mention, but - almost lifelong Ohio resident that I am - I'll confirm that one is "Memory Man" Amos Decker's connection to the Buckeye State: Not only did he graduate from THE Ohio State University, but he was signed by my favorite NFL team, the Cleveland Browns. The latter was, alas, a career-ender - on his very first play of his very first professional game, he was injured so badly that he could play no more. That experience did, however, leave him with hyperthymesia, which causes him to remember every detail of every single day (whether he wants to or not) as well as synesthia abilities - associating colors with people and objects.
Now an investigator, he and his FBI colleague Alex Jamison go where they're sent; in this instance, it's remote London, North Dakota, where the rich Bakken oil field has put the fracking industry in boom mode. They're here to investigate the apparent murder of a young woman named Irene Cramer, whose body was dumped in an open area and, inexplicably, had been autopsied. Neither Amos nor Alex has any idea why Irene is important to the FBI powers-that-be, but they do learn that by day she was a teacher at a religious community near the fracking operations (and near a secretive government facility that claims to be watching the skies for possible nuclear invasion). After the sun went down, it appears that Irene supplemented her income as a lady of the night.
Nothing, though, is as it seems; Amos and Alex spend a goodly amount of time looking into all three operations - fracking, the government facility and the religious group - trying to determine who Irene really was, why she was murdered and whether any or all of the three operations are connected in any way. It doesn't take long for the investigation to turn deadly, though, and therein came an exciting surprise - the appearance of three other familiar characters from a different (and another favorite) series. From that point on, the pace picks up fast, making for edge-of-seat action the rest of the way. Yeah, I know it's highly unlikely that an author will kill off a major character in a popular series (this is the sixth Decker installment). That said, from my perspective it's a credit to any author who can make me worry that it really could happen - and I admit to holding my breath more than once in this one. Great job!
Walk the Wire by David Baldacci (Grand Central Publishing, April 2020); 433 pp.
5 stars out of 5
Okay, I get excited when I learn that one of
my favorite authors has completed a new book. When it's part of a favorite series, I get even more excited. By the end of the first chapter of this one, I had a big smile on my face. Now I've finished - and I want another one. The sooner the better, please and thank you.
Honestly, I don't know why I love the series so much. Of course, the writing is outstanding and the stories are complex enough to be hold my attention every page of the way but simple enough that my aging brain doesn't get lost. The setting of this, the eleventh book, is mostly in relatively remote parts of Maine - appealing on its own but more so to me because my husband and I have spent some quality time there (far too little, sorry to say). The author weaves historical information throughout, adding even more interest.
The main character, game warden investigator Mike Bowditch, is a man I'd love to meet - a bit reminiscent of C.J. Box's game warden Joe Pickett. The stories are full of action and straightforward - no chapter flipping from one time frame or one character to another that tends to drive me up a wall. This one opens with Mike in Florida to do a background check on an Air Force veteran who has applied for a Maine Warden Service job. While there, he runs into the woman who was his significant other for a couple of years; they're still friends and Mike now has a newer love back in Maine, but there's a hint that old flames never burn out completely.
Then, the ex-girlfriend's mother Ora calls Mike - whom they love like a son (more accurately, perhaps, the son-in-law who got away) to say her husband Charley has gone missing. He was last seen, in fact, in a heated argument with a vendor at a local flea market near their home in backwoods Maine. Mike knows Ora isn't a worrier, so he heads back home to try and track Charley down. Problem is, it becomes clear to Mike early on that Charley doesn't want to be found.
Or maybe he does.The old man leaves a cryptic letter to Mike in his seaplane, stressing that Mike shouldn't come after him. But Mike senses that's the opposite of what Charley really means. When he learns that - the flea market fight involved a badge that belonged to a warden who was reportedly killed 15 years earlier, Mike's suspicion that something, perhaps linked to that dead warden, is terribly wrong is strengthened, as is his resolve get to the bottom of things.
The rest of the book follows Mike's efforts to unearth clues and find his old friend and mentor, all the while knowing Charley's life is at stake. But dark forces from the past seem to have made their way to the present, putting the lives of both Charley and Mike on the line. It's a race to the finish with nary a dull moment - and another well-earned notch in the author's belt. Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy.
One Last Lie by Paul Doiron (Minotaur Books, June 2020); 320 pp.
4 stars out of 5
This is one of those series I can count on when I want to settle in with a fast-paced whodunit with interesting, and for the most part likable, characters. So it's hardly surprising that I enjoyed this one (the eighth featuring Detective Inspector Lottie Parker). Once again, I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy.
Lottie is older now - a relatively young grandmother, in fact - and she's found a new love - also a detective - after losing her beloved husband a while back. She and her extended family are living in a too-small house in Ragmullin, and although she loves all her relatives dearly, she's more than happy to go to work. As this book opens, she's called to a railroad track, beside which two young boys spotted - by way of the drone they were flying - what appeared to be a body. As it turns out, that's only partially true; it's the torso of a young woman who at first glance appears to have been murdered and frozen.
Readers also learn that concurrently, a pregnant woman who's trying to get her fixer-upper in better shape before the baby arrives is shocked to find the scull of a child that's been hidden behind a fireplace for who knows how long. The baby's father, though, is insistent that they keep the discovery a secret.
Chapters flip back and forth to show what's going on in the lives of some of the characters who are suspects (and to mysterious events of two decades ago), and gruesome murders in the here and now make Lottie and her police cohorts wonder if there could be a connection between long-ago murders and those of today. But despite their best efforts, the investigation seems to be going nowhere fast (further irritating Lottie's new supervisor, who clearly isn't her fan to begin with).
As I've said with the other books in the series, the very large number of characters makes it hard to keep them all sorted. But if you just sit back and go with the flow, it all works out in the end very well. And in this instance, the ending hints that Lottie could be headed in a new direction next time out. That sounds exciting to me - bring it on!
Buried Angels by Patricia Gibney (Bookouture, May 2020); 451 pp.
5 stars out of 5
It's always a treat to see a new series from a favorite author, and I absolutely loved The Never Game, which launched this one last year. I loved this - the second - as well, albeit not quite as much, but the reason is nothing more than a personal peccadillo; the primary setting isn't, shall we say, a favorite of mine. That said, you can bet your mother's G.I. boots I'll be waiting eagerly to see what's next for self-described "reward-seeker" Colter Shaw.
As he sets out to find two young male runaways who reportedly committed serious hate crimes, he learns that the local police are on the trail as well, but with a difference: Unlike Shaw, they have no intention of capturing them alive. That doesn't sit well with Shaw, and when he and the cops find the boys, he starts to take preventive action. But suddenly, he and the cops are flummoxed when one of the boys does something unthinkable. Shaw manages to get the other boy out of harm's way, in the process learning that his cohort may have been under the influence of a cult. Home-grown survivalist and realist that he is, Shaw sets out to learn more.
As all this is transpiring, Shaw's mind remains on finding out what his late father - whose death may have been helped along by unsavory characters - was working on that seems to be connected to the growing drug trade. But most of the story's action takes place on the grounds of the Osiris Foundation, the public name for a highly secretive organization that claims to help people who are carrying around a ton of emotional baggage (a "cure" that comes with two very high price tags).
It is the nitty-gritty of that operation and Shaw's personal investigation thereof that keeps the pace moving quickly and kept me on the edge of my seat much of the way through. I also got more insights into where the quirky Shaw is coming from. In that regard, had I not read the first book, I'm pretty sure I'd have had no trouble relating to this one. Still, IMHO it's always a good idea to start any series as close to the beginning as possible - and in this case that's not very hard to do. Both are definitely worth reading, and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read advance copies of both.
The Goodbye Man by Jeffery Deaver (G.P. Putnam's Sons, May 2020); 432 pp.
