Review: Knockout by Catherine Coulter

Author: Catherine Coulter
Copyright: June 2009 (Putnam Adult); 432 pgs.
Series: #13 in FBI Thrillers
Sensuality: Adult references
Mystery sub-genre: Police Procedural
Main Character: FBI Agent Dillon Savich
Setting: Washington DC, Titusville Virginia, and Georgia
Obtained book through: Library Find

The book opens with FBI Agent Dillon Savich as a customer in a bank when it gets robbed. The robbery goes bad and Savich has a hand in killing the leader of the robbery gang. The leader of the “Gang of Four” was a cold-blooded woman whose daughter is injured in the robbery and vows revenge on Savich. The daughter, Lissy, breaks out of the hospital and goes on a killing spree on her way to avenging her mother’s death by taking out Savich.

While Dillion and his wife, Sherlock - also an FBI agent, are absorbed in finding Lissy a second plot line comes into play when Dillon is contacted by seven year-old Autumn. She saw the media coverage on Dillon as a hero. Autumn is in desperate need of a hero to save her mother and herself from a rabid cult that will stop at nothing to take Autumn. The cult wants her because she has the ability for mental telepathy and Dillon knows it first hand, since that is exactly how she was able to contact him.

The first time she spoke to him was midnight.

"It’s you, it’s really you. I can see you, Can you see me?"

It was a child’s voice, high, excited, with light bursts of breathing.

He heard her voice at the edge of sleep. At first he didn’t understand, thought maybe it was Sean, but then he saw her – the shape of her small head, then a tangle of long dark brown hair, and he thought, Yes, it’s me. Who are you?

I felt this was a gripping read from the first sentence. Dillon is the main character while a sheriff in Virginia, Ethan, gets sucked into the drama as he attempts to protect Autumn and her mother. The two story plots are juggled well and keep the tension cranked up. Lissy proves to be a psycho-path and clearly she and Dillon are headed for a showdown at some point. The cult members after Autumn seem unstoppable and I could not have guessed where that ride would end.

Dillon is a grand hero type while Ethan demonstrates he is pretty heroic too. Dillon’s parental side shows a good bit in this installment as he often thinks of his son Sean. The paranormal obsessed cult is done convincingly I felt, but I can understand if you are looking for strictly a police story that this aspect may not be your cup-of-tea.

Ethan is well developed and you often commiserate with him as he comes to deal with Autumn’s situation and her talents. Autumn’s character is wonderfully portrayed and I became quite fond of her character.

There are good twists and turns in the story and you will find yourself rooting for Dillon and Ethan as they jointly and separately move through the events. There are some good twists and tension is maintained believably. The ending was satisfying and wrapped up nicely.

Knockout is a suspenseful ride and I recommend it.

For your convenience, you may purchase your copy here.

Until next Monday, I wish you many mysterious moments.

You Tell Me!

It is the last day of the month - where has the year gone?  This month just seemed to fly by.  I wanted to give you, the mystery readers, a chance to share the books you have read over the last 30 days and give a thumbs up if you recommend them or a thumbs down if you don't recommend it.   All of the mystery realm, crime fiction and suspense we want to here about.

So leave a comment - share with us the title, author and your thumbs up or down.  So you guys have the helm...

Review: Sand Sharks by Margaret Maron

Copyright: Aug 2009 (Grand Central Publishing); 304 pgs.
Series: #15 in Deborah Knott Mysteries
Sensuality: N/A
Mystery sub-genre: Amateur Sleuth
Main Character: North Caroline District Judge Deborah Knott
Setting: conference at Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina
Winner of any awards: Series has won Edgar and Anthony awards
Obtained book through: Library

Judge Deborah Knot has only been married seven months and finds herself adjusting not only to married relationship dynamics but also to a stepson come to live with the newlyweds. Deborah looks forward to a little time away while at a judge’s conference at idyllic Wrightsville Beach. The first night before the conference most of the judges have arrived and have dinner together. The first inkling that Judge Jeffreys is not liked comes during the dinner when Deborah’s cousin Reid won’t even join her at her table because of Judge Jeffreys’ presence. After dinner Deborah finds the body of Judge Jeffreys.

“I turned to Reid and said ‘So why didn’t you come over and speak to Fitz and Martha? He’s retiring this fall?’

Reid’s dad, Brix Junior, was a close friend of the Fitzhumes and they had known Reid since he was a little boy.

‘I’ll catch’em later. He downed the rest of his drink in one long swallow. ‘No way I’m going over while that asshole’s there.’

‘And which asshole would that be?’ I asked.

‘Jeffreys.’ He spat out the name like an expletive.
….

Once we were in the car, I could see Chelsea Ann’s face in the rearview mirror. ‘Did you just twinkle at that Edwards guy?’ I asked. “You did, You twinkled at him.’

As the uniformed officer lowered the tape at the exit of the parking lot and signaled for us to drive through, Chelsea Ann grinned and said, “So?’

Rosemary sighed and laid her head against the seat. ‘I thought you said that a chest for you new entry hall was the only thing you intended to bring back from the beach this year.’

Chelsea Ann gave her sister a reassuring pat on the arm. ‘I haven’t loaded him in my trunk,’ she said. ‘Yet.’”

As Deborah easily asks questions of her fellow judges and passes along relevant information to the local investigating detective, Gary Edwards, she finds that Judge Jeffreys was corrupt and a bad judge leaving a plethora of suspects. Was it another judge or somebody who suffered due to his bad judicial decisions? There are many characters involved in the story with the setting being a conference, so fair warning – read when you can give the novel attention with few interruptions.

Deborah is a reasonable and thoughtful main character who shows an internal strength I appreciated. The large cast of characters I felt was handled aptly and I was able to keep the relationships clear. This book’s strong point is the rich layering of setting and a sense of history. I had not read any prior Deborah Knott mysteries and I felt immediately a part of her world. The many personal histories are carefully doled out to enfold the reader.

The story is told primarily from Deborah’s viewpoint with the exception of a few chapters told from detective Edwards or Detective Wall’s viewpoint. Thus the reader is along for the ride figuring out what happened and the motive for the murder with a few miscalculations as everything is pieced together. Once the culprit is revealed it didn’t seem like there were enough clues to point the reader in that direction, so there was no satisfaction in having a fair chance to figure out whodunit. Overall a great story with a writing style I enjoyed. I am looking forward to reading more from this author for she is a good story weaver.

Mystery Book Awards

It is amazing and a bit overwhelming how many awards there exist for mystery and crime fiction novels.  Below is a list of the awards I put together for your information.  I would love your input on any of the books listed.

Edgar Winners

2009
◊ Best Novel Blue Heaven: Blue Heaven by C. J. Box
◊ Best First Novel by an American Author: The Foreigner by Francie Lin
◊ Best Paperback Original: China Lake by Meg Gardiner
◊ Best Motion Picture Screenplay: In Bruges by Martin McDonagh
◊ Grand Masters: James Lee Burke and Sue Grafton

CWA Dagger Awards
2009
◊ Gold: A Whispered Name by William Broderick
◊ Steel: The Last Child by John Hart
◊ New Author: Echoes from the Dead by Johan Theorin

Nero Award (presented Dec of each year)
2008
◊ Winner: Anatomy of Fear by Jonathan Santlofer

The Shamus Award
2009
◊ Best PI Hardcover: Empty Ever After by Reed Farrel Coleman (Moe Prager)
◊ Best First PI Novel: In the Heat by Ian Vasquez (Miles Young)
◊ Best PI Paperback Original: Snow Blind by Lori Armstrong (Julie Collins)

The Arthur Ellis Award (Canadian Award)
2009
◊ Best Novel: Too Close to Home by Linwood Barclay
◊ Best First Novel: Buffalo Jump by Howard Shrier
◊ Best Juvenile: War Brothers by Sharon E. McKay

The Anthony Awards
2009
◊ Best Novel: The Brass Verdict by Michael Connelly (Little, Brown and Company)
◊ Best First Novel: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson (Knopf)
◊ Best Paperback Original: State of the Onion by Julie Hyzy (Berkley)

Private Eye Novel Contest
2009
◊ Winner: Shots on Goal by Michael Ayoob

The Macavity Award
2009
◊ Best Mystery Novel: Where Memories Lie by Deborah Crombie (William Morrow)
◊ Best First Mystery Novel: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson (Knopf)

The Agatha Award (2009 not awarded yet)
2008
◊ Best Novel: The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny (St. Martin's Minotaur)
◊ Best First Novel: Death of a Cozy Writer by G. M. Malliet (Midnight Ink)
◊ Best Children's/Young Adult: The Crossroads by Chris Grabenstein (Random House Children's Books)

The Best Traditional Mystery Novel Contest
2009
◊ Winner: The End Game by Gerri Ferris Finger

The Benjamin Franklin Mystery Award
2009
◊ Winner: Head Wounds by Chris Knopf (Permanent Press)

The Dashiell Hammett Award
2008 (awarded 2009)
◊ Winner: The Turnaround by George Pelecanos (Little, Brown)

The Dillys Award (Independent Mystery Booksellers Association)
2009
◊ Winner: Trigger City by Sean Chercover

The Spotted Owl Award
2009
◊ Best Novel: Executive Privilege by Phillip Margolin (HarperCollins)

The Barry Award
2009
◊ Best Novel: Draining Lake by Arnaldur Indridason (St. Martin's Minotaur)
◊ Best First Novel: Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith (Grand Central)
◊ Best Thriller: The Deceived by Brett Battles (Delacorte)
◊ Best British Crime Novel: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson (Knopf)
◊ Best Paperback Original: State of the Onion by Julie Hyzy (Berkley Prime Crime)

The Los Angeles Times Book Awards
2008
◊ Winner: Envy the Night by Michael Koryta (St. Martin's Minotaur)

The Gumshoe Awards
2008
◊ Best Mystery: The Tin Roof Blowdown by James Lee Burke
◊ Best Thriller: The Watchman by Robert Crais
◊ Best First Novel: Big City, Bad Blood by Sean Chercover

Best Books Award
2009
◊ Mystery / Suspense: Wyatt's Revenge by H. Terrell Griffin (Oceanview Publishing)
◊ Thriller / Adventure: Dead Air by Deborah Shlian and Linda Reid (Oceanview Publishing)

So dear readers, have you read any of these books?  Please leave a comment on how you liked it, what was the strong point of the book and did you agree with the quality being of such a caliber to win the award.  I look forward to reading your comments.

Review: Hail to the Chef by Julie Hyzy

Time to get into the upcoming holiday - Thanksgiving. 

What better way than to read a mystery set during Thanksgiving at the White House!

Copyright: Dec 2008 (Berkely);336 pgs.
Series: #2 in White House Chef Mysteries
Sensuality: N/A
Mystery sub-genre: Cozy
Main Character: Olivia Paras, White House Executive Chef
Setting: Thanksgiving at the White House in Washington D.C.
Part of a Challenge: Fall/Winter Mystery Reading Challenge
Winner of any awards: 1st book in series won several awards
Obtained book through: Library

Amidst the flurry of activity that is the holidays at the White House, there is murder ruining the festivities. Join the new Executive Chef Olivia (Ollie) as she juggles the harried preparations for Thanksgiving and the following holiday season in the White House kitchen peppered with bomb scares and a splash of murder. Mix in some personality conflicts among the staff and you have the recipe for this original second entry in the series.

The book starts out with a bomb scare and Ollie being hustled along with the first lady into a bomb shelter. The story continues from there with the first lady under pressure to sell her share of a company by the other three owners, Ollie discovering an actual bomb, the Chief Electrician getting electrocuted and the president's nephew committing suicide. Ollie feels both the deaths are not what they seem.

The main character, Ollie, is spunky and caring. The first lady is portrayed sympathetically. Ollie’s kitchen staff comes to life including the cranky and negative Bucky, the supportive Cyan and newcomer Agda who speaks limited English but sure can cook. Other White House staffers populate the story including snarling electrician Curly, and the chief of security pit-bullish Gavin, even the temperamental pastry chef Marcel creating its own tight community with the White House.

Here we join Chief of Security with Ollie:

"There are people who things happen to. And whether you consider it a blessing or a curse, you appear to be one of them." He turned to face me. "I read your dossier."

I winced

"Don’t be embarrassed," he said. "It's not that you have a black cloud over your head – it’s that you have the ability to see and to sense things better than most.” He wagged his head from side to side. “I’m not talking about ESP or clairvoyance, although maybe describing it as a sixth sense is apt. You have a great deal of intelligence and an acute awareness – more than most people – which allows you to notice things out of place. And you have the curiosity to find out why."

"It's a curse, all right."

"I disagree. We hire people with your talents every day."

All the plot lines and subplots nicely wrap up and the sleuthing is done believably through Ollie’s natural observation skills for the most part. While the "bad guy" may not come as a surprise in the end it is nicely handled and working out the details has a few surprises. Descriptions are good without running on which I imagine is a challenge when the setting is the White House – kudos there. Pacing kept me reading. Granted, some people may not care for the kitchen operations included in the story –those people might feel the story isn’t as fast-paced as they might like. But for a cozy mystery I thought it was on par. Oh and there are recipes at the end which many cozy readers love.

For your convenience, you may purchase a copy here.

Until Monday's Musings I wish you many mysterious moments.