The 14th Protocol by Nathan Goodman

Kindle Edition

One of the reasons I decided to read the 14^th Protocol was because of the number of favorable reviews I had seen.  Unfortunately, I didn’t come to the same conclusion as a number of other readers. 

The book is usually referred to as a fast-paced Techno thriller and I agree it is definitely that.  The basic story is simply that after numerous terrorist attacks, the American people are on edge not knowing where the next attack will happen; only that it will happen and we need the FBI to save the day.  The plot is a slightly exaggerated reflection of the times we live in and covers to some degree false flags, but remains believable. 

What I liked:

      -  The main characters are sympathetic and likeable.

      -  The plot was believable and fairly fast paced.

      -  There are some interesting plot twists.

      -  The cliff hanger ending.

What I didn’t like:

      -      Too many incidental characters.  There were times I felt they were there to up the word count and nothing else.
     -        Awkwardly worded phrases.  There were a number of places I had to reread a sentence two, or three times to be clear on the meaning. 
     -        Though fast paced, the book would have benefited from being somewhat shorter.  This would have tightened the plot and increased the pace and tension.
     -     Not finding out until half-way through who the main character actually is.
     -     Having to order the postquel (no charge) from the author in order to tie up all the loose ends.  An original idea yes, but not sure I am a fan. 

Overall an okay read that would have benefited from better editing.

The Marco Effect – A Department Q Novel by Jussi Adler-Olsen

Penguin Group - Dutton

I chose to read this book for a number of reasons.  First, it is set in Denmark and I thought that would make a change from the US, British, and French mysteries I have been reading.  Secondly, I have read good things about the Department Q series and I enjoy a crime series where you get to know the characters and watch them develop. Also, Adler-Olsen is a best-selling author who has won a number of crime-writing awards.  The summary of the book piqued my interest as well as the fact that the story is based, loosely, on real events.

Cover summary:

“All fifteen-year-old Marco Jameson wants is to become a Danish citizen and go to school like a normal teenager. But his uncle Zola rules his former gypsy clan with an iron fist. Revered as a god and feared as a devil, Zola forces the children of the clan to beg and steal for his personal gain. When Marco discovers a dead body—proving the true extent of Zola’s criminal activities—he goes on the run. But his family members aren’t the only ones who’ll go to any lengths to keep Marco silent . . . forever.”

Meanwhile, the last thing Detective Carl Mørck needs is for his assistants, Assad and Rose, to pick up a missing persons case on a whim: Carl’s nemesis is his new boss, and he’s saddled Department Q with an unwelcome addition. But when they learn that a mysterious teen named Marco may have as much insight into the case as he has fear of the police, Carl is determined to solve the mystery and save the boy. Carl’s actions propel the trio into a case that extends from Denmark to Africa, from embezzlers to child soldiers, from seemingly petty crime rings to the very darkest of cover-ups.”

Well, it seems I should have picked a different book as an introduction to the series. The story goes from Denmark to Africa and back.  This is a lot of area to cover and I found it resulted in too many characters and minor storylines that detracted from the main event.  Normally, the thought processes and rationalizations of the villain is a part of a story that I look forward to, but the sheer meanness that was Zola just didn't hold my interest.

 

The story stands alone and I had no trouble following the recurring characters in the series and understanding their relationships.  I looked forward to the pages that were about Marco, or Mørck and his assistants. The rapport between Mørck and his assistants was to my mind the best part of the book.  Their humor, understanding, and respect for each other, make for a pleasant and entertaining read.  There were, however, one too many camel analogies from Assad for my personal liking.

 

The core of the story that revolves around Marco is interesting, believable and well-developed and everything is neatly wrapped up at the end.  I just think that this is an instance where less would have been more but that won't deter me from reading another book in the series.

 

Article about the BBC documentary on gypsy child thieves

http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/gypsy-child-thieves/

 

Interview with Jussi-Adler Olsen

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mark-rubinstein/the-marco-effect-a-talk-w_b_5854086.html

Night Drop by Michael Sherer

Cutler Press

Imagine talking on the phone with someone you care about when suddenly that person's doorbell rings.  You remain on the phone while the person answers the door and then the next thing you hear are loud voices, then screaming, then dead silence. Frantic with fear you drive like a maniac across town only to find the house empty and blood on the living room floor.  You call the police.  Because you are the ex spouse of the person who has vanished, you become a prime suspect in the eyes of the police. What do you do?

If you are Blake Sanders, you immediately go on the offensive.  Your ex-wife Molly has rich parents and is a lawyer in a successful law firm.  It is not unreasonable to assume there will be a ransom demand so the FBI are in charge of the case.  Blake makes sure he is there when the ransom call comes in and he insists on implicating himself in the plans to rescue Molly.  He will bring her back alive or die trying.

It slowly comes to light that one of Molly's clients, Trip Macready, has also disappeared. He is an ex-Navy SEAL dolphin trainer turned animal rights activist.  The Navy connection brings Blake's sometime girlfriend, Reyna Chase, a Naval Intelligence Officer into the search and back by Blake's side. 

The story has three main threads.  Blake's attempt to find and rescue Molly; Macready's attempt to foil a terrorist plot and also rescue Molly; Yousef preparing his team to pull off an act of terror and elude Blake and the FBI. There was a point early on when it felt like I was reading three books and I wondered how everything was going to come together to make sense.  Trust me, it does. 

There is a lot happening in the story and quite a bit to remember and process. By maintaining three distinct threads, Sherer introduces the secondary characters in distinct, well-defined and separate settings, allowing you to get to know each of them well. Otherwise, you would easily lose track of whose who and what is going on. 

I happen to really like Blake Sanders as a character.  I find him to be sympathetic, understandable and believable.  He has his problems and he has his strengths; he's not perfect and he would make a reliable neighbor or solid friend.  Macready is also a character that I came to like and I hope he makes a return in a sequel. A team comprised of Blake, Reyna and Macready has the potential for one hell of an adventure.  

 

Night Drop kept me glued to my Kindle following the unexpected twists and turns and holding my breath waiting for what was going to happen next.  Looking forward to reading Night Strike, next in the series.

Herbie's Game by Timothy Hallinan

Soho Press/Soho Crime

Sometimes a fictional character comes along that you simply connect with. Maybe you admire the character, share a common life experience or just outright fall in love with the character.  Well, I am in with love Junior Bender, he is my Hero.  He's intelligent, decent, tall and handsome, vulnerable and in touch with his feminine side. Except for the small detail that he is the thief's thief, giving him that bad boy appeal, he is perfect.  He is always on the side of right even when he's on the wrong side of the law.

This case is extremely personal for Junior.  He is hired to find out who stole a list of names from the safe of Wattles the "executive crook".  The list contains a chain of names that Wattles uses when he sets up hits.  He uses this chain of people to pass along the instructions at blind drops so that nobody in the chain knows who the actual killer is, except the killer. As soon as Junior sees the aftermath in Wattles' office he knows who stole the list - Herbie Mott.  The same man who took a seventeen year old Junior under his wing and taught him everything he knew, his mentor and substitute father has his signature unmistakeably all over the job.

Junior sets out to confront Herbie and find out what is going on, except he is too late. Someone has tortured Herbie in an effort to get him to reveal where he hid the list. But Herbie's heart gave out and he died before revealing the whereabouts of the list or becoming the next murder victim.  Once Junior begins the investigation, the people on the list start turning up dead, one after the other, and Junior wonders if he is next.

In thinking about Herbie’s Game I was struck by the fact that the story is the classical Hero’s quest.  Junior receives The Call to go down a path that he is Reluctant to pursue.  After all, this investigation means dealing with people who murder for a living and that’s not something that leaves you with a warm fuzzy feeling.  The Quest itself is, on the surface, about revenge and finding whoever tortured Herbie, but it is also about Junior’s emotional journey and how he discovers things about Herbie that he never knew.  We the readers meet Herbie through Junior’s reminiscences and Junior Re-Meets Herbie through the stories of others he encounters along the way.   He does not journey through the ordeal alone; he has his archetypical allies and helpers (especially female), most of whom we have met in previous stories, as well as a few intriguing new ones. 

The Road Back from the quest is life-changing.  Junior learns to reconcile the Herbie that he didn’t know with the one that he did and Junior matures and comes to terms with other relationships in his life.   Like all Hero quests, conquering the outer world entails mastering the inner world and Junior eventually finds peace and acceptance in his new found knowledge of Herbie and Herbie’s game.

 

I don’t want you to think that this is a serious deep book with the raison d'être to enlighten you as to the meaning of life. But it is multi-layered and Hallinan does his usual job of great characterizations, incredible dialogue and wonderful humour to demonstrate his  keen and sensitive insight into human nature as the characters come together to direct and tell the story.

 

I don’t know where Hallinan draws his inspiration from to create his characters but I hope it is a very deep well so that he can keep them coming.

Reading a book written by Timothy Hallinan is just great fun – don’t miss out.

Thank you NetGalley and Soho Press for the copy of the book. I want to mention that I love the cover art created by Katherine Grames for this series.

To read an excerpt go to the author's web site:
http://www.timothyhallinan.com/index.html

Great interview:
http://www.omnivoracious.com/2014/08/amazon-asks-timothy-hallinan-author-of-herbies-game.html

Russian Hill by Ty Hutchinson

The couple that slays together stays together.  At least that's the way it is for Jerry and Vicki Carlson,  a psychopath and a sociopath respectively.  The tie that binds them is simple - the thrill of the kill.

The Carlsons are involved in a game that requires travel to major cities to complete challenges.  Their current game is called "Chasing Chinatown" and it consists of five Attractions. When the story starts they have just completed Attraction number three and are eager to embark on number four.  The game is being played out in San Francisco and this particular variation of the Amazing Race always ends in murder.

FBI Agent Abby Kane has been enjoying her work on white collar crime cases, a break from serial killers and organized crime, her specialities.  When a hiker is found with an axe sticking out of her chest Abby somewhat reluctantly accepts the case.  Then when the local  precinct thinks they have a serial killer on their hands, they consult with Abby and she realizes there is a link to her murdered hiker and their cases.  She teams up with SFPD Detective Kyle Kang and the adventure begins.

The first part of the story seesaws back and forth between the viewpoint of the Carlsons and Abby. It is fascinating to read the thoughts of Jerry and Vicki as they methodically plan their moves as a team, play their creepy game and live a lavish and somewhat perverted lifestyle. 

 

At the other end of the seesaw is Abby, working diligently to track them down. She is a creative thinker who gives her grey cells a work out before acting. But that entails methodically going over her notes late into the night and sacrificing some of the wholesome family time and outings she so cherishes.

Together Kane and Kyle systematically follow-up on every possibility in their pursuit of the killers.  Just as the case appears to be wrapped up, the story smoothly steers us into the criminal underground world of San Fran's Chinatown. Kane and Kyle are both trained in martial arts and this helps to ratchet up the action scenes with the Chinese villains.  Abby relies mostly on her wits, but when she has to defend herself physically, her petite size is deceptive and she kicks butt with the best of them.

The plot has a number of twists with just enough evil and danger lurking around corners to create a nice tension. Some scenes are a bit graphic, but Hutchinson lightens the mood  by providing off duty moments for some of the characters and witty banter between Abby and Ken to achieve a nice balance.

An engaging, entertaining, and quick read that I read in one sitting on a rainy afternoon.  Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this book.  Oh, and I love the cover art.

http://tyhutchinson.com/

A Swollen Red Sun by Matthew McBride

Open Road Integrated Media
Mysterious Press

 

Normally when I start a book I want to be drawn in by the first sentence, the first paragraph or first page.  By the time I had finished the first page of A Swollen Red Sun all I wanted to do was hurl.  Page two never looked so good. 

Now, before you get the wrong idea, it wasn't that the writing was bad; it was the scene and the unfortunately good description.

The setting for this novel is Gasconade  County, Missouri, which was once called the methamphetamine capital of the world.  The essential premise is a deputy sheriff stumbles across some drug money and although he is basically an honest guy, this time he decides to keep the money.  This one impulsive decision sets into motion a series of actions that are disastrous and deadly. 

Except for the main character Deputy Sheriff Dale Banks and his family, the majority of the characters are involved in the drug trade both as producers and users.  McBride takes us inside their heads so we can see how they see themselves and their dreams, especially when they are high, and leaves us to compare it to their downtrodden reality.  Life in Gasconade county is hard with very few rewards.

The character of Olsen Brandt is well drawn.  He is a lonely old man living out his days with his cherished dog on what is left of his farm.  Olsen is a sympathetic character whose strength is tested on a daily basis.  A tragic accident killed one of his sons at a young age, the surviving son is serving time in prison, and since his wife died a year ago all he wants to do is join her. 

Some of the characters are true degenerates like the very unsavory self-appointed Reverend,  Butch Pogue.  Yup - the name says it all. 

When thinking about this book I decided this simply isn't my type of book because it contains some rather graphic scenes.  Yet I realized I have read other books with scenes at least as violent, perhaps even more violent.  It's McBride's writing.  He can turn simple words into very powerful images.  The descriptions of the dry rural landscape in the humid heat, the dusty back roads with their "buffet" of potholes will leave you feeling parched. I particularly liked this description:

The sun went down behind the mobile home like a burst of egg yolk that dripped from the sky and consumed the trees. Sycamores on the river cast long shadows in the burnt auburn hue, and golden shafts punched holes through plump clouds that looked ripe to carry wetness for days.

The story itself is slow paced to start but picks up speed about two thirds of the way through.  All the loose ends are nicely tied up and will leave you feeling satisfied that some justice has been served.

If you like your suspense stories with a touch of red neck then this one is for you.

Author's tweet

Hangtown by Karen Sandler

Angry Robot Ltd.
Exhibit A Books

With her San Francisco apartment building going condo and her office space about to be razed, Janelle Watkins finds herself living in an old RV on a parcel of land she inherited from her father.  The arrangement provides for her basic needs and suits her budget while she tries to save enough money to move back to San Fran.  Sounds good, except for one little drawback, the location - Greenville - her hometown. The one place she doesn't want to be. 

Greenville is loaded with memories of her monster of a father. As well, her former SFPD partner and on again off again lover, Sheriff Ken Heinz, lives there with his teenage niece Cassie.  For reasons that Janelle doesn't quite fathom, Cassie has taken a liking to Janelle and keeps ending up on her doorstep.  This wouldn't be so bad except that it makes it difficult for Janelle to avoid Ken, even though she isn't entirely sure she wants to.  However, when Janelle and Cassie find a teenager hanging from a bridge and another one disappears, Janelle's involvement in the investigations makes it impossible for her to avoid the Sheriff professionally or personally.

There are a number of tangled threads in this web of a plot involving past indiscretions. As the cover says "no secret can ever stay buried.." and this is key to the plot and the characters, including Janelle and a very dark period in her life.  There is also the ongoing theme of children being abandoned, physically and/or emotionally, by less than adequate parents.  As we learn more about Janelle's past and her ongoing psychological issues, we are witness to her allowing her vulnerability to show on occasion. 

I love the character of Janelle.  She is so perfect in her imperfections.  She is physically and emotionally disabled and I appreciate how Sandler incorporates this into the storyline to reveal to the reader Janelle's feelings, thoughts and the stubborn reactions she has to ensure she doesn't fall victim to any sort of pity, kindness or affection.  The same sense of pride makes it difficult for her to have a relationship with Ken, or anyone.

The relationships between Janelle and Ken, Janelle and Cassie, and Janelle and Reverend Brown all make this an enjoyable read for me.  The small town, rural setting adds to the feeling of intimacy between the reader and the story.  It also makes the plot somewhat plausible because small towns can conceal big secrets.

A great read and I look forward to Janelle's next investigation.  I hope the demise of Exhibit A books doesn't get in the way. http://exhibitabooks.com/2014/06/20/news-about-exhibit-a/

To learn more about Janelle and Karen Sandler read my review of Clean Burn, the first Janelle Watkins investigation.

http://birch-bark.blogspot.ca/2013/08/clean-burn-by-karen-sandler.html






 

The Mangle Street Murders by M.R.C. Kasasian

Open Road Integrated Media

When in the late 1800s March Middleton is orphaned after her father's death, her godfather, Sydney Grice, offers her the opportunity to live with him in London.  March accepts and moves in.  Grice is a "personal" detective of renown and before she is barely moved in, March is involved in a case.  She is quick to pit herself against her uncle when he refuses to accept a case because the client doesn't have the means to pay him.  Convinced of the innocence of William Ashby, who stands accused of stabbing his wife to death, she insists on paying Grice's fee and being part of the investigation.

 

March is not your average Victorian lady.  She spent many years helping her father, who was an army doctor, so her upbringing was less than conventional.  She smokes and swigs gin and hangs out at a woman's private club.  She also follows Grice through the less genteel parts of London to examine dead bodies and blood spatter patterns, chase down clues and interview potential witnesses.  And all this before tea! The more Grice is convinced of Ashby's guilt, the more March is convinced of his innocence.  The sparring between the two main characters and the addition of some interesting secondary characters, keeps the story entertaining and moving along at a fair pace.

Overall, I enjoyed the story and would read another with these two characters.  Despite the numerous red herrings, I knew who the murderer was the instant the character was introduced.  The twists in the plot made me question myself once or twice, but it still was a little obvious to me.  There is a cameo appearance by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and I suppose it can be argued that the characters of Grice and March are a type of homage to Holmes and Watson.   I really think, however, that Grice and March stand on their own and to compare them to Holmes and Watson is to give them less than their due.  The author might disagree on this point.

The one thing I didn't like about the book was the references to letters about a relationship in March's past.  Yes, they show another side of her character and emphasize her strength as a woman, but in this case, less would have been more.

 

Overall - an entertaining read that will hold your attention, give you an occasional laugh and show you that those Victorian ladies weren't quite as delicate and gentle as you have been lead to believe.

Love Story, with Murders by Harry Bingham

Random House Publishing

Detective Fiona Griffiths takes us across Southern Wales in a bizarre search for body parts.  The parts start showing up in a freezer, a shed, a loft and are eventually identified as belonging to a young female university student who was reported missing five years prior to the first gruesome discovery. The young woman also worked as a waitress and dancer in the local Cardiff bars, like the one owned by Fiona’s father. Soon more body parts are discovered, but this time they belong to a young male metallurgist, who worked for a firm with links to the arms trade.

As Fiona works on the investigation she begins to believe there is a connection between the two murders.  Suffering from Cotard’s Syndrome, Fiona has developed her own peculiar investigative process that helps her relate to her victims and understand their lives. Bingham is clever in how he reveals the story behind the murders all the while using the investigation to reveal more about Fiona. How she struggles in her relationships with family, boyfriend and colleagues, to understand, analyze and respond to their emotional signals (think Sheldon in the Big Bang Theory), and how her reflections on these relationships as well as her self-reflection, are connected to the unravelling of the murders. Because I haven’t read the first book in this series, I may not have appreciated the aspect of Fiona’s personal growth as much as readers who have read Talking to the Dead.

Eventually, Fiona discovers the connection between the two victims and how that connects to the export of arms.  The development of this political aspect to the story brings her into contact with the UK Trade & Investment Defence & Security Organisation (UKTI DSO) that actually does exist and whose aim is to help UK companies to export arms.  Apparently, they aren’t too picky about where they export to, even though they are using tax dollars.  The selling and export of arms/technology is a key aspect of the plot.

 

I found this book to be a little over ambitious in the amount of ground the author wanted to cover.  There is a lot of information, the descriptions are very detailed and the plot itself is complicated. As a result, I didn’t find the writing to be as tight as it could have been.  The suspense is there, and it did hold my interest, but I was able to put the book down and return to it a day or two later.

 

Bingham’s characterizations are definitely his strong point.  I felt each character was distinct and that I knew each one well.  It is also clever how the title can refer to both the victims and Fiona herself. 

 

Definitely a worthwhile read.

Runner by Patrick Lee

St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books

You need to be in shape to read this book.  Your eyes will devour the pages at a frantic pace and your mind will try to keep up with the action. Your futile attempts to unravel the plot will leave you red-eyed from lack of sleep.   There is an end.  You will get there.  You will arrive relieved and exhausted, ready to get on with your life - just like Sam.

Sam Dryden has been having trouble sleeping and has gotten into the habit of running along the boardwalk in the middle of the night.  There aren't usually many people out and about at that time of night, except for a few sitting at bon fires on the beach.  This night is different.  This night a young girl, barefoot and terrified, runs right into him.  She is being chased by a group of armed men who are intent on killing her. He helps her escape and in so doing he becomes entangled in Rachel's race to remember who she is and why someone wants her dead.

Keeping Rachel and himself alive is no easy task.  The people they are up against are devious and ruthless, highly trained professionals.  They reach deep into the highest level of government and have endless resources at their means to track the pair down.  Sam's skills as a former Ranger, Delta and member of an elite black ops team are a little rusty and his technical knowledge is out of date - but he knows how to survive.  The pair form a special bond as they try to figure out what is going on and how to outsmart their pursuers.  Over the course of events, their special bond will be sorely tested.

The main thread in the plot is about mind control, not the sodium pentothal type, but something much more devious.  Patrick Lee conveys his ideas in such a convincing manner, you may have to remind yourself that you are reading fiction.   The possibility that this type of mind control could be real is very, very, scary.  Here's hoping the bad guys don't read Patrick Lee books.

The other thread in the plot is about learning to trust and love again. The necessity to let go of old memories, good and bad, so that you can move forward with your life.  Sam and Rachel both need to run along this path, for different reasons and in different ways, together and apart, so each can have a future.

I found reading this book was like being pulled into a vortex of intense action and suspense. This is a thriller in every sense of the word and it definitely won't disappoint.

Night Tide by Michael W. Sherer

When I read the synopsis of this book on NetGalley what first caught my interest was the mention of one character, Perry Langford, who is being released from jail after spending the last 20 years of his life in prison for a crime he insists he never committed. My thoughts immediately went to Donald Marshall, David Milgaard and Steven Truscott, some (certainly not all) famous miscarriages of justice in the Canadian legal system.  The price these individuals paid and the toll on their family and friends is difficult to imagine. Perhaps easier to understand is the need for retribution. 

 

Langford is out of prison and he wants to even the score with the people that put him there.  He has had twenty years to think about what happened that night, the night the lab was blown up at the university he and his friend Blake Sanders attended.  The night that an innocent young woman died and he was blamed for her murder.  That young woman's sister, Kealey, ends up at Blake's home, begging him to help her find Langdon.  She believes in his innocence and she wants to find the real murderer. 

 

Sanders isn't keen on the idea of helping Kealey.  His life is simple.  He delivers papers and has a second job washing dishes in a restaurant.  A comedown from where he once was, but as long as he has enough money to pay for his meds to keep his ADHD under control and stay out of trouble, life is okay, maybe.  However, while at a BBQ at the home of the parents of his police friend Charlie, commandos show-up and start shooting.  The end result is Charlie is injured, his parents have disappeared and Blake becomes inextricably entangled in an intricate puzzle that he wanted nothing to do with.  He soon realizes that Langdon, the lab explosion and the disappearance of Charlie's parents are all somehow connected.  He finds himself in need of figuring out what, how and why, if he wants to stay alive.

In order to find all the pieces to the puzzle, the past must be re-visited, re-examined and re-imagined to decipher and illuminate current events.  The people and events are not now and were not then, what they first appeared to be.  Sanders has his work cut out for him and needs all the help he can get. 

Underlying and complementing the action, is an examination of friendship.  Can the friendship between Sanders and Langford be resurrected after all that has happened over the past twenty years?  Does deep friendship ever really die?  Can the friendship between Blake and Charlie survive the accusations being made by Blake against Charlie's parents?  Can Blake and his ex-wife Molly ever be 'just friends'?

This is a thriller and a page turner with commandos, disgruntled FBI agents, unhappy exes, some American history from the 60's and a very sought after revolutionary design worth killing for.  The plot is credible and well constructed with a myriad of twists and turns that will keep you up at nights wondering what's next.    A great engrossing read.
 

http://www.michaelwsherer.com/

When I first downloaded this book from NetGalley, for some strange reason, it wasn't readable.  The author emailed me a link to a new copy and I thank him.

Sutton Place by Louise Gaylord

Little Moose Press

Julia Fairchild is from a wealthy New York family and is on the road to personal success.  After years of studying hard she has landed an internship in the Department of Psychology, at Payne Whitney in New York.  Her work is impressing everyone in the department and her attraction to a colleague, an older doctor, seems mutual.  Life is good.

The story begins on Julia's birthday.  She has a birthday lunch with her beloved sister Ariel, and then later, a dinner celebration with her parents.  The family is close and spends a lot of time together, except for Ariel, who has recently become secretive and distant.  At the root of her distance is a family secret.  A secret that is only one of many that have been hidden by the family to avoid scandal.  Secrets that in the end will be responsible for the pain and suffering of those they were meant to protect. Secrets that will be linked to murder and attempted murder. 

 

In an effort to save herself from the dark figure and secret from her past, Julia moves away to New Mexico to start a new life.  But there is no escaping the monster who will stop at nothing to possess and control her.  He has been patient for years, waiting and planning.  But now he is tired of waiting.  It's time - time to claim his treasure.  

This is the first book I have read by this author and when I first read the synopsis of this story I thought it sounded like a cozy mystery.  Well, I was wrong about that!  I have read other reviews of this novel that describe it as being about family (agree), scandal (agree) and obsession (disagree).  The behavior of the character this refers to is not obsessive; it is behavior that is pathological and perverted. The exploitation of the therapist patient relationship, as described in this story, is not just an inappropriate and disconcerting relationship; it is a nauseating abuse of power that will make you cringe.  Definitely not a cozy.

That being said the book is well written, well paced and the tension mounts as the plot twists keep you hooked and turning the pages.  Transitions between chapters, characters and perspective are very well executed.  There is some back and forth between past and present that it is seamless and natural, and essential to the plot.

Just be prepared to cringe.

Louise Gaylord looks like such a nice person - you have to wonder where those dark thoughts come from.

http://www.louisegaylordauthor.com/index.html

 

The Bleiberg Project by David Khara

Translated by Simon John

Le French Book

I’m not a big fan of books that relate to World War II, the Holocaust, and famous Nazis etc.;  but I do like a good thriller.  I also very much like the books I have read from Le French Book and that is why I decided to read The Bleiberg Project. 

 

The story centers on Jay Novacek, real name Jeremy Corbin, a trader who has made himself a small fortune on Wall Street, enough money to last him the rest of his life if he chooses.  Money however, can’t buy him happiness or the peace of mind he so desperately seeks. 

The news of his estranged father’s death is the first domino in the series to fall.  When he tells his mother the news, she gives him the locket she has always worn and asks him to leave her alone. Before he has the chance to ask his mother about the locket’s contents she is assassinated and he turns to the one person he knows he can trust, his boss, only to discover that he too has been keeping secrets.

Suddenly, men in black cars with Argentinian plates are after Jeremy and they mean business.  The first attack on his life ends with him being inexplicably saved by a giant of a man, Eytan Morg, a very dangerous Mossad agent.  At this point the CIA enters the picture and Jeremy finds himself on a plane to Zurich with Jackie, a very petite and attractive CIA agent.  Jeremy soon realizes he needs to discover what his father had been involved in if he stands any chance of staying alive long enough to enjoy the fortune he has amassed.

The story ricochets between past events and the present to gradually make sense of what is happening in the present. The WWII backdrop provides real monsters to interact with the fictional ones to reveal a consortium at work to gain the ultimate power to rule the world. This may sound a little like Austin Powers, especially when a scientific formula is included in the plot, but it is much, much better than that.

Khara has written a fast-paced race against time thriller with sympathetic characters.  Everyone has a secret it seems and it is this vulnerability of each of the main characters that serves as a stark contrast to the power seekers for whom life is cheap.  The pace is a bit slow at the very beginning but once it picks up it doesn’t let up. My one criticism is that the epilogue could have been fleshed out a bit more but that is really a small detail.

This is a thriller that fans of John Grisham, Robert Ludlum or Ian Fleming will enjoy.


http://www.lefrenchbook.com/

Clean Burn by Karen Sandler

Angry Robot Ltd./Exhibit A

Janelle Watkins isn’t your typical heroine.  Gimpy leg, arms full of burn marks – many self-imposed and others not – a woman who spends restless nights haunted by dark dreams, that’s Janelle.  At times, the dreams terrify and torment her to the point that she awakens screaming and shaking.  To keep her demons at bay, she creates an insular world to protect her vulnerabilities and to hide her madness from others. 

 

A former San Francisco PD  she once helped parents with the nightmare of missing kids; she has a photo gallery of happy children reunited with their parents adorning one office wall, a testament to her success.  After leaving the police department, she became a PI and set about tracking down wayward spouses.  However, when she is presented with two cases of missing children she allows herself to be pressured into investigating the disappearances.  The investigations take her back to her home town, Greenville, the place where her nightmares began.

 

Greenville is also where her former San Francisco PD partner and ex-lover, Ken Heinz, now resides. He is the Sheriff and when Janelle arrives in town he is working on some local arson cases.  There is still an attraction between them and things start to heat up when they eventually agree to help each other with their respective cases. 

 

The quick pace of Clean Burn gets you hooked.  But it is the unraveling of the plot and the flawed characters with their twisted minds that will reel you in.  I enjoy stories that allow you inside the mind of a psycho.  And believe me, Mama, the very first character you meet, is definitely a psycho.

 

Karen Sandler has written an essentially dark story about missing children, child abuse, arson, and broken families.  There are many characters that you can’t like and aren’t meant to like.  But she also illustrates the strengths, weaknesses and vulnerabilities of humans, and how we develop coping mechanisms, good or bad, in order to survive. Sandler also has a keen sense of humour that she allows to gently seep in here and there to lighten the mood. 

 

Do yourself a favor and read this book even if you have to read it by candlelight.  Just be careful you don’t get burned.

Here is a link to an article on the story behind Clean Burn.
http://upcoming4.me/news/book-news/story-behind-clean-burn-by-karen-sandler

 

 

Multiple Exposure - by Ellen Crosby

Book Review

Published by Scribner

Even though the basic story line isn’t particularly original – wife left to prove her husband isn’t guilty of the crimes for which he is accused and she has to fight off the bad guys – it does work.  The addition of a little art history and some history about Russia is smoothly incorporated into the story.  It works because the writing is fluid and the plot is well thought out.  Yes, you can figure out who the real perpetrator is and even predict some of the story line.  However, the main character, Sophie Medina a photojournalist, is what holds the story together. 

Sophie is a strong, independent, likeable woman who is also a believable character. She has no super powers, no eccentricities and no comic sidekicks.  Just the firm belief that her husband is innocent and they will reunite. 

She returns to Washington, D.C. to be near family and friends and to start her life over.  But since her husband’s enemies are convinced that she knows where he is they watch her every move. She is soon running from them in an effort to save her life.

Multiple Exposure is the first in a new series by author Ellen Crosby and I am looking forward to reading the next installment.

The Paris Lawyer by Sylvie Granotier

Translated by Anne Trager
Le French Book

Book Review 

This is another award winning psychological thriller from LeFrench Book.

 

In this story Sylvie Granotier introduces us to Catherine Monsigny a young, ambitious lawyer and a rising star at a major Parisian law firm. Catherine finds herself with a major felony case and sees an opportunity for her career to take off.  She has to defend a black woman accused of murdering her rich husband in a pastoral village setting on the outskirts of Paris.  The journey to the village to meet her client and investigate the case becomes a journey of self-discovery for the young lawyer.

Always close to the surface of Catherine’s mind, is the unsolved murder of her mother that happened when Catherine was a toddler; she often finds herself in a whirlwind of questions, memories or dreams related to this traumatic event. Unfortunately, she has a father unwilling to provide any answers that might help ease her mind. As Catherine attempts to uncover her past, she is unknowingly being manipulated in the present and complicating her future.  Happening in parallel is the story of her client, a woman who quite deftly hides her past and ingeniously manipulates the present to ensure she has a future.   

As we meet the many characters in this story who provide insight into both the murder of Catherine’s mother and the case of the murdered husband, we witness different types and different aspects of love and relationships.  There is the passion of lovers, the love of husband and wife, and the love, devotion and loyalty between parent and child.  We also see happy marriages, marriages of convenience, the fallout from divorce, and the ramifications of lovers betrayed. 

 

As there is a lot going on in Catherine’s mind and life, there is also a lot going on in the story line.  Some readers will find the back and forth between past and present, dream and reality, a little confusing but it reflects the main character and makes this book so much more than just another procedural thriller.  Some readers may not like that the ending to the Paris Lawyer, isn’t neatly wrapped up and tied with a bow. However, you are left with a feeling of closure for the past and a sense of hope for the future.

Laidlaw by William McIlvanney

Canon Gate Books

Book Review

 

This book starts off with the murder of a young woman in Glasgow, Scotland.  We know immediately who the murderer is, where he is hiding and who is trying to help him and why.  Each character that we meet, leads us to another character until we find ourselves caught in an intricate web where numerous story lines intersect.     

Most of the individual characters are sad personae from a hard gloomy neighbourhood.  Not the least of these is Jack Laidlaw, one of the detectives assigned to the case.  He is somewhat of a philosopher and his thinking gives him an insight into people that the other policemen don’t grasp.  He uses wits and intuition to navigate the moral code of the hard men and low life that live in the shadows of the city.  Think part Inspector Morse, part the Singing Detective and part Kierkegaard.  

The moral concerns and social issues encountered weigh down Laidlaw and his partner Harkness. I found they could also make for heavy reading.  Overall, this is an intriguing book and I would recommend it.  The Scottish English, while it made for tedious reading in some places (at least for me) also adds an authenticity to the atmosphere and you feel as if you are right there.

Anonymous Sources by Mary Louise Kelly

Book Review

A fast paced thriller that takes you from Harvard University, to Cambridge University, London and to Washington D.C.  Alexandra James is a young Boston reporter for the New England Chronicle, who is assigned to cover the death of the son of a prominent, powerful man from Washington.  Her instincts tell her that the pursuit of this story might result in her byline on a front page scoop.

She chases leads that bring her to Cambridge, England.  Alex soon begins to realize that the death of Thom Carlyle, her original story, is just the tip of the iceberg. Through persistent investigative reporting, she unwittingly discovers a nuclear terrorist network and begins to realize that the murder of Thom Carlyle might actually have been a cover-up for a Washington conspiracy.  Spies, assassins and terrorists are soon on her trail and they are as intent on finding Alex as she is at finding answers. 

The author has created a great character in Alexandra James.  Alex is presented to us initially as    the fearless nothing left to lose type.  Through great storytelling we are witness to Alex’s vulnerabilities and how they have shaped her.  The cross that she has to bear is in the end what gives her the strength to survive.

I am looking forward to more books by Mary Louise Keller.  I hope they will include Alexandra James as a character because there is more to her story and I want to hear it.

Crashed – by Timothy Hallinan

Book Review
 

This is the first book I have read by Timothy Hallinan and it definitely won’t be the last.  His writing is very clever and amusing at the same time.

Junior Bender is the main character, a crook, obviously living on the wrong side of the law.  Bender however, is a crook with ethics and a sense of justice who is more on the right side of the law than the law enforcement officials that we meet in the story. He is in fact, in this story at least, a modern day Robin Hood rescuing a damsel in distress and righting some wrongs along the way.

The plot line is well written and will keep most mystery fans enthralled until the end.   Throw in a little blackmail, a dash of mafia, a child tv star whose star is not only faded but fallen from the sky, an ex-wife and a teenage daughter,  and murder – well it all adds up to Junior having a lot on his mind.  Mostly, what he has on his mind is staying alive and getting himself and the has been tv star out from under the thumb of one very scary mob boss.  

Personally, I couldn’t put the book down and had no trouble envisioning a tv series based on this character.