BLACK DOG

5 stars out of 5

Prolific author Stuart Woods passed away July 22, 2022, I'm sorry to say - just a few days before this book was released. But I'm comforted by knowing he wrote more than 90 novels in his 84 years and that I've read most of those in his popular Stone Barrington series (of which this is the 62nd). I'm sure I speak for other readers when I say he'll be missed.

As far as the Barrington books go, while I've grumbled about the somewhat boring content of some (at one point, I referred to him in my reviews as Stone Yawnington), the last few have been quite enjoyable. And I must say this one is notable to me because of the humor - yes, I out-loud chuckled my way through it, polishing it off in the equivalent of maybe half a day just because I wanted to.

This time out, Stone's uber-efficient secretary, Joan Robertson, plays a leading role. For openers, she brings her mother's youngest sister, Annetta Charles, into Stone's prestigious law firm as his client. An extremely wealthy recent widow, she wants to make a new will - and the firm gets the potential to earn a goodly amount of "rain," as Stone puts it (methinks he's become quite woke since the last book). It also puts Stone in contact with Annetta's stepson, a young man she dubs "Black Dog" because he's "too awful" to be a black sheep. To say he's an obnoxious pest would be a kindness; unfortunately, it just may be he's dangerous to boot.

As the story progresses, Stone (and Joan) try their best to keep him at bay and themselves alive, but most of the time the best they can do is play clean-up. No one is safe - not Stone, nor Joan, nor even Stone's friend and police commissioner Dino Bacchetti. But despite everybody's suspicions, the jerk somehow manages to elude detection and certainly arrest - even when murder is involved. Throughout it all, Stone and Dino don't miss a beat - and neither do they miss many of their nightly dinners at some of New York's finest restaurants. Stone's well-known penchant for bedding beautiful women seems turned down a notch, but that's probably more from lack of opportunity than desire.

I can't say the rather abrupt ending was satisfying to me, but for Stone, all's well that ends well as usual. All in all, it's another fun romp that loyal readers should love. Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for providing me with a pre-release copy. 

Black Dog by Stuart Woods (G.P. Putnam's Sons, August 2022); 299 pp.

THE LAST TO VANISH

3.5 stars out of 5

Don't get me wrong: This is a well-written story that held my attention from beginning to end just because I wanted to find out what really happened to all the people who inexplicably went missing over the years in the small town of Cutter's Pass, North Carolina. But as "thrillers" go, I have to say there wasn't a whole lot of edge-of-my-seat tension. Besides that, there wasn't a single character for whom I would have cried had he or she been bumped off somewhere along the line. 

That includes Abigail Lovett, who sort of wandered into town a decade ago and stayed to help run The Passage Inn, situated not far from an Appalachian Trail trailhead. Accessing that means traversing what's now known as the "Vanishing Trail" that ends at Shallow Falls - a place best known as the site of the disappearance of the so-called "Fraternity Four." This group of four friends ventured out on a hike 15 years ago, never returned and never have been seen again. Since then, two women have gone missing and never been found, as did, more recently, journalist Landon West, who was investigating their disappearances. Now, that journalist's brother Trey has come to town looking for clues as to what happened, staying at a cabin at the Inn and making Abby, her co-worker Gloria and Inn builder/owner Celeste quite nervous for reasons not really clear. Maybe that's on purpose, intended to make readers more curious as well; instead, it only gave me another reason not to care much about what happens to any of the three characters.

Meanwhile, the townspeople seem to have closed in around themselves, allowing the rumors surrounding the disappearances to fuel the fires of the tourist trade while avoiding any meaningful discussion of the facts. They totally dismiss rumors of a strange man who lives a secluded life in the woods who, some say, might have had something to do with what happened to the missing people. Glimpses of other townspeople, including the sheriff, seem to suggest some kind of awareness or even culpability, but nothing is fleshed out enough to make for a really intriguing theory.

Abby herself remains mostly in the dark, musing over possibilities until incriminating evidence turns up in an unexpected place. At that point, some of what may have happened years ago begins to make sense, but mostly it arouses more suspicions about who her co-workers and neighbors really are and what they really know right up to the end, when Abby learns the hard way that there's good reason for the truth to be hidden all these years.

All told, it's an enjoyable book that, if I were taking a vacation, I'd be happy I toted along to read on the beach. Thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy. 

The Last to Vanish by Megan Miranda (Scribner/Marysue Rucci Books, July 2022); 332 pp.

ROBERT LUDLAM'S THE BOURNE SACRIFICE

5 stars out of 5

Over the years, I've read less than a handful of the books in this series, but I've seen all, I think, of the motion pictures. Starting to read this book immediately underscored why I'm reluctant to see any movie made from a book: All the way through, all I could do was envision Matt Damon on a big screen instead of letting my imagination conjure up what the characters look like as is my preference (not that I'm not a Damon fan, mind you). Oh well, safe to say this one would make a great movie too, should that be where it's headed. And at this point, the damage is done - so yes, if it does, I'll go see it (or more likely watch it on TV). Meanwhile, I'll pass on some notes on what is a really, really good book.

If you're wondering, I had no problem "catching up" with what's going on; some things, in fact, don't appear to have changed much - Jason is still searching for the memory he lost and in a hold-hands-to keep-from-fighting relationship with former employer Treadstone and his handler, Nash Rollins (the latter Jason suspects knows far more than he's willing to disclose). At the moment, Jason is trying to locate and capture a killer-for-hire named Lennon - a man he believes can fill in most of those memory blanks.

Early on, they find each other and get into a tussle that leaves no one unscathed and Jason with hints that Lennon knows even more than he'd surmised. But the man gets away and Jason's chase is on again. Into the mix comes Abbey Laurent, an investigative reporter who, as loyal readers may recall, had a one-time fling with Jason that left both wanting more. Knowing closeness to him would put her life in danger, Jason reluctantly left her in the dust a couple of years earlier and, for the most part, never looked back. As luck (and the story) would have it, she starts digging into what she believes is a covered-up murder that, ultimately, ties into Jason's search for Lennon.

Needless to say, working out the details of that connection proves difficult and life-threatening for both Jason and Abbey, who seem to have found common ground both in the investigation and their relationship. Everything points to a seemingly up-and-up corporation run by a billionaire with a questionable reputation , but Jason and Abbey suspect there's a far more sinister purpose lurking behind the balance sheet that relates to a real-life timely topic. Problem is, security being at the highest level that can be bought, how do they gather evidence of what's really going on without getting themselves killed in the process?

The devil, of course, is in the details - none of which I'll reveal except that it's an action-packed adventure that ends with the mother of all cliffhangers: A revelation that reveals nothing (well, except the need to read the next book). Until then, many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy of this one.

Robert Ludlam's The Bourne Sacrifice by Brian Freeman (G.P. Putnam's Sons, July 2022); 381 pp.

THE BIG DARK SKY

5 stars out of 5

"When people think their lives are without meaning, they'll seek meaning even from the creepiest of charlatans." Truer words may never have been spoken, whether it's in real life or in a work of fiction like this engaging book that reeled me in fast and kept me on the hook all the way to the last page. 

While I'm in accolade mode, I'll add this: Dean Koontz is among very few writers - the other two who come to mind are J.K. Rowling and Stephen King - who never fail to make me wonder how in blazes he (or she) could even conjure up such intricate plots, much less write them down in such cohesive, delicious detail and (no small feat) make the supernatural seem, well, plausible.

This story centers around Rustling Willows Ranch in Montana, where Joanna Chase lived as a child until both her mother and father died, both thought to be accidental. Years later and living on her own as a writer, she experiences a series of strange events, the most troubling a phone message from an unknown female caller begging Joanna - in her former life nicknamed Jojo - to come help her. It takes a while and a few more bizarre experiences, but finally Joanna gets that the unknown caller wants her to return to her Montana home.

But maybe, just maybe, someone (or something) has a sinister reason to draw her to the ranch. And as readers soon learn, she's not the only one being targeted; and elsewhere, a couple of others are being "saved" by the intervention of a strange man dressed in white, while still others, shall I say, aren't quite so fortunate. Lurking out there, just waiting for a chance to get his jollies by mayhem, torture and horrific murder, is a man with a manifesto that claims human extinction is the only way to salvation. He welcomes the sight of a "big dark sky," and he'll do everything he can to make that happen.

Joanna, the man in white and the handful of characters (including a private investigator, a white hat hacker and a disfigured, nonverbal young man once befriended by Joanna) who escape his grasp are coming together as fast as they can grasp what's happening. But can they get the answers they need before the madman gets them? Well of course, I'll never say another word, except that that their trials and tribulations make for one heck of a tale. You'll have to read it for yourself to learn the details of their journey - and I highly recommend that you do (if you do, watch for the sneaky little references to a heroine in one of the author's popular series along the way). As for me, I'll just thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the privilege of reading a pre-release copy.

The Big Dark Sky by Dean Koontz (Thomas & Mercer, July 2022); 380 pp.

UPGRADE

5 stars out of 5

Save a dying world by surreptitiously installing DNA "upgrades?" Let me think on that for a bit. When it means a billion human beings will be collateral damage? Um...

There's plenty more food for thought in this fascinating tale of a radical plan to keep the human race going for more than the century some experts insist it's got left. Problem is, it's illegal. Following a colossal disaster brought on by Logan Ramsay's brilliant geneticist mother Miriam, the Gene Protection Agency was formed and the practice of so-called gene-editing became a federal crime. Now, Miriam is long gone, Logan is all grown up, married with a young daughter and working for the GPA. When they learn about an illicit gene lab, a team that includes Logan heads out to shut it down. And that's when everything goes haywire and the nonstop action begins in a setting in which half of New York City and Miami are under water, Lake Mead has dried up and the outlook for the rest of the planet looks bleak at best.

When the lab explodes, you see, Logan is injured by sharp objects; soon, it becomes apparent that he's changing. Suddenly, he's physically stronger, has a noticeably sharper mind and somehow has acquired the ability to "read" other people and their thoughts. In other words, his genome has been altered - but by whom? And perhaps more importantly, why?

The answer, at least to Logan, is absolutely mind-blowing and changes his life forever - even more so when he learns of a plan to "save" civilization by way of the aforementioned genetic upgrading. What should he do? Clearly, the world won't survive much longer if nothing is done - but is this the only solution? Should there be a solution at all? Heavy questions with no easy answers for Logan (or for readers, except maybe for climate deniers). Whatever he decides to do, it won't be easy; of course, I'll save the details for those who want to tackle this intriguing and thought-provoking story that I'm glad I had the chance to read. Thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the pre-release copy to read and review.

Whew!

Upgrade by Blake Crouch (Ballantine Books, July 2022); 341 pp.

THE DISINVITED GUEST

4 stars out of 5

Set a decade or so after the 2020 pandemic, the scariest part of this book to me is that another go-round is not only possible, but probable. Would I pack up my family and go live on a deserted island until it all blows over again? It's doubtful, in large part because I, unlike Lucy Harper and her husband Reed, don't have access to family property nor money enough to keep us well fed for however long it took to ride out the storm. The Harpers, though, have no such problem - inviting a handful of their best friends (including Reed's not-so-sisterly sister Liz and her significant other, Niko) to tag along.

And therein lie at least seven problems - eight, if you count the bear of a guy who apparently lives on the island and serves as a sort of jack of all trades by keeping the machinery running and food in the pantry. That's because while on the surface they're all friends and lovers, nobody seems to really like each other very much (too much personal history, I guess, although I have to admit I didn't like any of them very much either). And speaking of history, the island itself has a sordid background, once serving as a drop-off point for typhus patients and Reed's family mansion a quarantine hospital a couple of hundred years ago. More recently came deaths with far more personal ties to Reed and Liz.

For the most part, while she's riding out the viral storm, Lucy plans to write a new book as a follow-up to her successful first one. She hopes to find a journal written by one of Reed's long-ago ancestors, thinking the content will kick the stops from under her writer's block. But maybe, just maybe, that's exactly what shouldn't happen; it could be that some of the dead would far prefer to remain that way.

And slowly, the whole group begins to feel the ill effects of togetherness plus something more sinister; important things go missing, tensions and suspicions among the residents grow to the breaking point and accidents turn deadly serious. Clearly, something other than a virus is on the loose and full of malicious intent. But especially when she has no idea who to trust (both among the living and the dead), can Lucy figure out what's going on before it's too late to save anyone?

While all that makes for exciting reading, the chapters that were pages from the centuries-old journal were a bit too long and boring. It was also a little hard for me to work up much empathy with or sympathy for characters who expressed virtually no reaction at the loss of their loved ones (but then, no one ever seemed to care much about any of the others anyway, so I guess I shouldn't have been surprised). But despite that and my virtually nil belief in the supernatural, the story is a bit of a mind-bender and made for an enticing, enjoyable read that was hard to put down. Thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy.

The Disinvited Guest by Carol Goodman (William Morrow Paperbacks, July 2022); 333 pp.

THE IT GIRL

3.5 stars out of 5

Hand-wringing, angst-filled females never rank high on my "fun-to-read-about" list, so fairly early on this one started to lose steam. By the end, it had pretty much blown a gasket in that regard, but that said, what's in between was intriguing enough to keep my Kindle index finger busy flipping pages. 

Hannah Jones and April Clarke-Cliveden - two very different personalities - met at Oxford when they discovered they share a two-bedroom space in an old building. April is filthy rich, a self-proclaimed wild child and widely known as the "It Girl" - but her glamour and insistence on having things her way quickly won Hannah's close friendship and loyalty. They have a handful of friends, a nosy stalker and a professor who loves his female students a little too much, but they all have a blast following April's sometimes quirky, sometimes dangerous leads. Until it all falls apart.

That happens in their second term, when Hannah and friend Hugh find April dead in the dorm room after one of April's rip-roaring parties and see the aforesaid stalker running out. He's rounded up, tried and found guilty and sent to prison, thanks in large part to Hannah's testimony. But 10 years after the fact, his guilt comes into question as Hannah and her husband Will - one of those college cohorts - await the birth of their first child. The man dies in prison, and a journalist who's been following the story contacts Hannah to talk about possible holes in the chain of evidence that could substantiate the man's claim that he's not the killer. And Hannah's self doubts, of which she's had an abundance of ever since the trial, start to overwhelm her: what if her testimony sent an innocent man to jail?

From that point on, chapters shift from the group's college experiences bowing to the demands of the mercurial April to Hannah's present-day state of constant anxiety, which, coupled with her refusal to listen to reason from anyone else to the point of destroying established relationships, pretty much left me shaking my head. Honey, I thought to myself, had you been that bull-headed back at Oxford, you wouldn't be in the mess you're in now.

Needless to say, Hannah keeps up her darn the torpedoes, full speed ahead attitude, with backstory chapters filling in blanks that lead to suspicions of the whodunit that lead to what to me was an action-packed, but not entirely believable, end. But even though this isn't a favorite for me, all things considered it's an easy-to-read adventure that will appeal to many readers - especially fans of this author (and give those who are not a chance to experience her writing talent). Thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy.

The It Girl by Ruth Ware (Gallery/Scout Press, July 2022); 431 pp.