Review - Thunder Bay

I met this author at a writing conference and was quite impressed with a workshop he gave.  I bought this book and just now got to read it.  This was a new author to me, perhaps to you as well.  See how the book stood up to my high expectations.

Author: William Kent Krueger

Copyright: 2007 (Atria Books) 304 pgs

Series: 7th in Cork O'Connor Investigation series

Sensuality: Adult situations, nothing explicit

Mystery Sub-genre: Private Investigator, suspense

Main Character: Corcoran (Cork) O'Connor, restaurant and gift shop owner and part-time PI

Setting: modern day, Aurora, Minnesota (northern Minnesota's lake country)

Obtained Through: Publisher for honest review

Henry Meloux asks Cork, working as a part-time PI, to find a long-lost son the ancient Ojibwe medicine man has never met... from a relationship with a white woman, Maria Lima, seventy-three years ago. Cork gets two clues to work from: a location in Canada and a gold watch with a picture of Maria.  Cork proves his PI chops by shortly locating the son, who is an eccentric retired mining entrepreneur.  Managing a meeting between the rich son and elderly Henry is a challenge and his initial efforts are answered with an attempt on Henry's life.  Henry isn't deterred and insists his son needs him, propelling Cork into a dangerous labyrinth.

Cork is Part Irish, part Anishinaabe Indian. He juggles helping Henry with a family crisis.  He is a family-first guy and Henry is extended family, which shows much about his inner-man.  Jo, is his capable wife and a lawyer who I respected greatly.  Henry Meloux, Ojibwe elder and Cork's spiritual adviser is a character I quickly loved and his past love affair gave him a bittersweet quality.  Wally Schanno is a widower who is struggling through his grief and asks to help Cork with any PI work.  I felt for him from the first pages.  Trinky Pollard is a retired Canadian Royal Mounted Police who helps the gang on the Canadian side.  Cork's daughter Jenny is going through a lot in the story.  She is a thoughtful and sensitive girl on the brink of college having her mettle tested...which tests Cork's ability to not barge in and fix things.  

Krueger is known for creating a strong sense of atmosphere, and I think his reputation is well earned.  The scenes of Henry in the Canadian wilderness had me smelling the cook fire and pine trees.  The plot took a basic concept of a long lost son and built a web of suspense with murder and greed.  The pace increased as the story developed.  The climax was a nail biting deadly confrontation that got the blood pumping. The wrap up tied up all the various threads to satisfactory conclusions. 

This was my first exposure to the author and the series and it delivered a rich tapestry, layered plot, and defined characters.  This won't be my last book in the series!

Rating: Excellent - Loved it! Buy it now and put this author on your watch list

Do you need some holiday decorating ideas still?  Here is an easy one for you.  Wrap wire around a foam cone (find in floral or hobby stores) to make these pretty Christmas trees!

I found this and more great last minute decorating ideas here.

Review - Canyon Sacrifice

The Mystery and Crime Fiction Blog Carnival is approaching, so it is time to submit your reviews.  Please submit your appropriate blog posts by Sunday night (click here).


Now for this week's book review.  This is a new mystery series centered around an archeologist in national parks.  Find out about this new series right here.

Author: Scott Graham

Copyright: June 2014 (Torrey House Press) 245 pgs

Series: 1st in National Park Mystery series

Sensuality: some non-graphic violence

Mystery Sub-genre: Suspense

Main Characters: Chuck Bender, archaeologist

Setting: Modern Day, Grand Canyon National Park

Obtained Through: Publisher for honest review

Chuck is camping out in the Grand Canyon National Park with his bride Janelle and her two girls, Carmelita and Rosie.  It is meant to allow them to get a sense of his job, since he had done a few archeology projects in the park.  But, one night the oldest daughter, Carmelita, is kidnapped and Chuck may be the target because of a significant Anasazi discovery that he has not revealed yet that is quite valuable.  Suspicions run high as Chuck gets mixed messages on who he can trust, and puts his life in danger to get his step daughter back safely. Without giving away too much, two people end up dead, showing the kidnapper is dangerous.

Chuck was a confirmed bachelor who is now getting used to being married.  There are some aspects to the relationship with Janelle that I found incongruous.  Chuck is terrible at even basic communication, to be fair. Janelle, the new wife, has been burned in the past and seems to be looking for Chuck to disappoint her.  She blames him or shames him rather than worry about his life being in danger (which it is throughout the book).  Donald and Rachel are park rangers Chuck worked with on past assignments.  Rachel had been an old flame, which provides further tension.  Clarence is Janelle's brother, who joins the them at the camp ground.  Robert Begay, a Navajo, is the Chief Park Ranger who tends to suspect Chuck as everything falls to pieces.

The setting descriptions are where the book shines. The vastness, raw beauty, and yet harsh and lethal sides of the Grand Canyon are ever present.  The plot is feasible and the pacing is fairly steady and builds to the crescendo killer confrontation.  The writing style went into details about Park specifics that weren't important to the storyline, which interrupted the flow in a few instances. 

The climax was nicely hair-raising and surprising, which I appreciated.  The wrap up never happened.  I would have liked one more scene that provided some emotional closure between Chuck and Janelle, and Clarence had some explaining to do that I wanted to see.

Canyon Sacrifice is a quick read with a lot packed into it. Overall a good rush with an interesting premise played out in a spectacular setting.

Rating: Good - A fun read with some minor flaws. Maybe read an excerpt before buying. 

Review - Zero-Degree Murder

It may be the first stirrings of spring, but this book is in the depths of winter.  This is the first book in a new series focusing on Search and Rescue operations.  I read the book cover blurb and knew I had to read it.  Usually it takes me several days, sometimes a full week to read a book.  Not this one, 24 hours only because I just could not put it down. 

Copyright: January 2014 (Berkley) 304 pgs

Series: 1st in Search and Rescue Mystery

Sensuality: adult situations, some violence, language scatter throughout

Mystery Sub-genre: Thriller

Main Characters: Gracie Kinkaid -- rescue expert 

Setting: Modern day, San Rafael Wilderness

Obtained Through: Publisher for honest review

Gracie is a a volunteer for Timber Creek Search and Rescue.  It is the Thanksgiving holiday and she is one of only three to answer a rescue call.  There are four hikers missing in the San Rafael Wilderness of Southern California -- and one is a famous movie actor so there is intense pressure to find them.  Gracie is paired with a self-absorbed Search and Rescue volunteer, Cashman, who is more interested in getting an autograph when they find the famous actor than in finding all four.  Gracie is the experienced tracker, and she finds blood on the trail indicating something suspicious happened to the hikers.  They locate one hiker, the heart-throb actor Rob Christian, who is injured but has bits of memory involving an attack and blood.  But before they are able to locate any of the remaining lost hikers, an early blizzard settles in and Gracie is on her own to save any surviving hikers and hide from a killer while warding off hypothermia for both her and Rob.

There are a few sections told from the woman hiker as she hides from the killer, and a few from the killer as well.

Gracie Kinkaid has some emotional damage and isn't your typical woman.  She loves being out in the wilderness and surviving.  She comes with some baggage, but not too much.  Ralph Hunter is a senior Search and Rescue team member who reminds you of a traditional gentleman with modern ideas.  He is in the command trailer providing the rescue team's communication and support.  Steve Cashman is the blundering dolt who feels nobody respects him.  He is an enemy to the rescue efforts in his own right.  Rob Christian is the mega-star actor who will not be pampered in this rescue and he must toughen up.

Timber Creek County and San Rafael Wilderness area are vividly rendered highlighting the wild and dangerous alongside the breathtaking.  The wilderness is the primary setting for most of the book and it was so well done that I believe I got chilled. 

The plot is simple but quite effective with tension and suspense built upon as the story develops.  There aren't any slow spots and once you are a chapter in, you are hooked.  The climax was white knuckle excitement and the wrap up was bittersweet. 

This was an intense and riveting debut perfectly drawn and executed.  This should be a great series if this first offering is any indication. 

Rating:  Near Perfect - Buy two copies: one for you and one for a friend.

Review - Missing You

Online dating has plenty of potential for murder, such as the 2000 Mary Higgins Clark book "Loves Music, Loves to Dance" provided.  But what if online dating was more than fodder for a serial killer, but a mechanism for tech savvy criminals to select their next victims and effectively make them dissapear with all their assets?  Dead men tell no tales after all.  Harlan Coben gives us a glimpse into how that might work, and it is frightening indeed.

Author: Harlan Coben

Copyright: March 2014 (Dutton Adult) 400 pgs

Series: Stand alone

Sensuality: Language, violence

Mystery Sub-genre: Police Procedural/Suspense

Main Character:  Kat Donovan, NYPD Detective

Setting: Modern day, New York city and rural

Obtained Through: Publisher for an honest review

NYPD detective Kat Donovan is one of those women with plenty of baggage who never has a long-term relationship - damaged.  Her best friend signs her up for an online dating site to help her out.  Kat manages to find the profile of her ex-fiancé Jeff who left her 18 years ago (incidentally, right around the same time that her father was murdered.)  Kat sends a message to Jeff, but he acts like he doesn't know who she is.  That message to Jeff is seen by a young man, Brandon, who hacked his mother's online dating account to try and track his mother who disappeared with the man in the profile -- Jeff, Kat's ex.  The youth tracks Kat down and convinces her to look into his mother's disappearance.  But he has gotten a couple of text messages making it seem like she is okay and extending her vacation with Jeff.  Nothing appears wrong on the surface.  Kat pursues it because it is Jeff's profile and something doesn't add up.  What she will uncover is a scary criminal enterprise that could have continued undetected for a long time, except for Jeff's profile on that dating site getting Kat involved.

A secondary plot line is Kat's father's murderer, Monte Leburne - a Cozone mob hit man, is dying and swears that inspite of his confessing to murdering her father that he actually didn't kill him.  He was already getting life in prison for two other murders that he freely admits to doing, but confessed to killing her dad, a cop, because it served a purpose and didn't really impact him since he already had life in prison.  This sends Kat to look into the eighteen year old closed murder case of her father, putting her at odds with her captain.

Missing You is the title of a song by John Waite from the 80s and is a song Kat and her ex had a running joke about. 

Kat Donovan is the damaged middle-aged heroine, a jaded and hardened cop who gets mushy over her 18 year dead relationship. There is a bit of implausibility in that sad paradox alone, but the writing makes it somewhat believable.  I like Kat and was surprised this wasn't the first in a series, because she would be a good series character. Hint, hint.  Charles (Chaz) Faircloth is Kat's partner from a wealthy family who lacks even a smidgen of class with his sexism. Money can't buy everything.  His only redeeming quality is that he gets serious and has Kat's back when she needs it.  Brandon Phelps is a University of Connecticut computer science student looking for his mother. He is a well done character that most would discount as crying wolf for attention.  Dana Phelps, missing mother of Brandon, is the surprise breakout character of the book.  Although her shining moment isn't until late in the book, she easily eclipses the other characters with her sheer guts and determination.  Titus is the criminal master mind of the online-dating money/murder scheme and he is effectively portrayed as heartless and mercenary.  Reynaldo, Titus' muscle, is a contradiction as ruthless killer while being devoted to his dog and Titus - realistic but mind boggling.

New York with O'Malley's Pub and the police precinct are well done with a sense of the overwhelming caseload homicide detectives face.  The rural setting for the farm that the victims end up at is remote and chillingly mixes rural beauty with deathly isolation. 

The plot uses online dating sites for crimes other than a lurking serial killer and is well done, the only weak link was hinging Kat's involvement on an ex who left eighteen years prior.  Most people wouldn't care after that long had passed.  But all it took was her sending one message and a computer savvy son to track Kat down and convince her something was suspicious.  In that aspect it was more believable.  The scam itself is very realistic and makes me wonder if there was a basis in reality for the idea.  The climax was heart-pounding and had me fully vested.  The wrap-up was perhaps a little too perfect, even a foregone conclusion.  That is not a bad thing necessarily in this case.  With that said, I would really enjoy another Kat Donovan novel from Mr. Coben.  Just saying.  

Rating: Excellent - Loved it! A good suspenseful novel with a few slight hiccups in an otherwise well executed book.

Review - Rasputin's Shadow

I have not read Raymond Khoury before, but the book blurb and subject of Rasputin made this irresistible.  Tess Chaykin is not an active part of the novel this time as she had apparently been in prior books.  Read on to see how this part modern thriller, part historical novel measures up.

Author: Raymond Khoury

Copyright: April 2013 (Grand Central Publishing) 400 pgs

Series: 4th in Sean Reilly Thriller series

Sensuality: Violence, some graphic violence

Mystery Sub-genre: Suspense/Thriller

Main Characters: Sean Reilly, FBI Agent

Setting: Modern day, New York

Obtained Through: publisher for an honest review


The novel opens with a scene in 1916. Somewhere in the Ural mountains of western Russia, in a mining pit where an experiment results in the miners savaging murdering one another.  The carnage is stopped when infamous Grigory Rasputin and his "shadow," a monk/scientist named Misha, blow the mine and miners with explosives.  The next chapter is in modern day New York with FBI agent Sean Rilley beginning the investigation of a Russian diplomat, who seems to have been pushed from the window of a New York City apartment owned by an old Russian physics teacher named Leo Sokolov.  Sokolov has dissapeared, and his wife Daphne goes missing immediately after leaving her job.  It becomes clear somebody is seeking the old teacher and the hunter kills with terrifying efficiency anybody in his way, including agents. 

The story has occasional chapters reverting back to Rasputin's story from a journal written by Misha.  It tells of an early device that was used on the mine with non-specific but dangerous powers.  This same device, perfected by modern technology, is what is at stake in this novel.  Imagine such a device in the hands of terrorists - or military hands!  Leo Sokolov knows the secret to this catastrophic weapon and he is now in hiding trying to save his wife who is stuck in the middle.  Sean Reily and the FBI and trying to understand what is going on and stop anymore deaths, but they are lacking key pieces to the puzzle.  Leo decides to seek help from an old student who now heads up the local Korean mob.  Things are about to go from bad to worse.

There is an ongoing storyline from the previous novel, The Devil's Elixir, that is not explained involving Sean's son and a man named Corrigan. I looked it up to make sense of it and apparently Reed Corrigan, a CIA operative, brainwashed Reilly’s son.  Just a little FYI.  That was confusing and maddening so I am sparing you.

Grigory Rasputin is depicted as a master manipulator with little supernatural, but mostly con-artist abilities (think evil mentalist).  Misha is a great example of how Rasputin manipulates and uses people.  This was my first book with FBI agent Sean Reilly and he is well portrayed as flawed, and human. Leo Sokolov is very likable and even tragic.  Jonny, Leo's old student now mobster, risks so much to help out his old teacher while still being a reprobate, the Russian FSB agent Larisa Tchoumitcheva is a wild card through most of the story which adds to the uncertainty of what is happening, Russian hitman Koschey is a classic detached assassin.

The setting is mostly New York, with a few chapters in early 1900s Russia. Both are portrayed well in their own right.  The beginning was a bit slow with setting up the story. But about a fourth of the way in, the ground-work has been sufficiently laid out and it gets interesting.  The plot itself revolves around technology that isn't explained in-depth in the story, but the author's notes at the end answered remaining questions.  It raises some scary and thought provoking scenarios for our modern world.  The climax, or showdown, arrived quickly, and was over as quickly in-spite of all the lead up.

This was my first Raymond Khoury and I did enjoy it.  The historical aspects always intrigue me.  I do have to say the story had good characters that I cared about, but the continuing storyline from the previous book was frustrating without a clear explanation. There were plenty of exciting twists and turns. There was good suspense built up and the climax was logical even though it seemed too quickly resolved.

Rating: Good - A fun read incorporating a historical angle with minor flaws.

Review - ZOO

The hype for this week's book proclaims: "Once in a lifetime, a writer puts it all together. This is James Patterson's best book ever" and "ZOO is the thriller he was born to write."  The book even has a graphic novel edition.  Find out if I felt it was his best, his pinnacle achievement.

Author: James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge

Copyright: May 2013 (Grand Central Publishing) 416 pgs

Series: Standalone

Sensuality: Graphic violence

Mystery Sub-genre: Thriller

Main Characters: Jackson Oz, a young biologist

Setting: Modern day, New York/Washington D.C. primarily

Obtained Through: Library

Jackson Oz was in college pursuing a Biology doctoral degree when he developed his hypothesis that something was going wrong with the entire animal kingdom.  He became obsessed with his hypothesis and ended up dropping out of college with only a few classes needed to complete his degree.  Thus, he has no degree and the scientific community considers Oz loony and his theory as wild conjecture.  Oz has refined his theory, now called HAC: Human-Animal Conflict--animal behavior is changing, displaying hyperaggresive behavior towards humans. Now animal agression has begun to pop up globally and garnering some splashy headlines.  Oz is contacted by a friend in Botswana Africa with a tip that there is proof of his theory there in Africa when an entire village is anihalated by lions.  Oz, unemployed, immediately flies to Africa. 

He gets his proof in a close encounter with a large lion pride made up of all males working as a team to kill humans.  During Oz's struggle to get away alive with video, he meets Chloe who barely survived a lion attack of a team of scientists.  Naturally Chloe, from France, follows Oz to the U.S. and becomes his girlfriend, but not before finding his chimp has killed somebody in his apartment (the worn out woman-in-a-refrigerator trope used here.)  Then there is a five year jump, Oz and several other scientists are working on the HAC crisis which sees world economies crashing from the fallout.  Can Oz and the other scientists find out what is causing global animal murder of humans while there are some shreds of civilization remaining?

Jackson Oz lives with a chimpanzee when he is the voice of Human-Animal Conflict theory.  He wants to be taken seriously as a legitimate scientist and help figure out what is happening, but he comes across as whinny and short sighted (living with a chimp).  Chloe Tousignant, a French Ecologist, is a cardboard character existing mostly for Oz's benefit and only gets a smattering of speaking lines sprinkled throughout the book. She is initially the Damsel in Distress cliché and never really progresses past that. This was a waste of a character, she could have been a layered interesting part of the plot, but no.  Attila is Oz's chimpanzee that murders and runs rampant to kill again with a chilling intelligence.  President Marlena Hardinson was an opportunity to have a strong female character, but here again the female character fell notably short.  President Hardinson is so swept away with grief from her daughter's death at the hands of the family dog that she essentially succumbs to her male advisers telling her how to handle the crisis.  Her character is practically non-existent, mowed over, and pathetic.  There are many other characters, but in general they all were rather stiff.

The setting jumps around to various locals to give examples of animal violence against humans around the planet.  The many settings are portrayed well enough.  The plot had potential but never seemed to engage me.  I believe that was due largely to the writing style that was elementary, lacking in emotion, stiff, and impersonal with an excess of "telling" rather than "showing."  Yes, I really had problems with this novel.  Even the cause of the HAC phenomenon has some logic holes.  The climax was subtle, so subtle I went back to find it.  The wrap-up is a warning to our culture that our immediate gratification mentality and inability to sacrifice for our own survival will be our downfall - a good or even great theme if it had been executed better.  

I have read early Patterson books such as "When the Wind Blows" and "Lake House" that I enjoyed.  When I read the claims that this was Patterson's best book ever, the one he was born to write, I gave it a try.  I was sorely disappointed in this book.  Really.  If the writing style had used more showing than telling the characters might have blossomed, and if female clichés hadn't been used for every female character of note, it might have reached okay or medium well status. 

Rating: Poor - I had to force myself to finish it. Fatally flawed on multiple levels. 
 

Review - The King's Deception

I have reviewed a couple of the prior Cotton Malone books including #7 The Jefferson Key (click here)  and #5 The Paris Vendetta (click here).  This particular book grabbed my interest and really got me looking up historical details on my own.  Check out what captured my attention in this book.

Author: Steve Berry

Copyright: June 2013 (Ballantine Books) 432 pgs

Series: 8th in Cotton Malone series

Sensuality: Suspense violence

Mystery Sub-genre: Suspense/Thriller

Main Character: Cotton Malone, former Dept. of Justice (Magellan Billet)

Setting: Modern day, London Britain

Obtained Through: Personal purchase

Cotton is doing a favor for his former boss at the the Justice Department by taking Ian, a petty thief, from Atlanta to London and turn him over to police custody.  But that was never the full plan, a secret society named Daedulus wants Ian dead because he witnessed a murder.  On the drive from the London airport, events take a menacing turn and Gary, Malone’s 15-year-old son who was returning to his Copenhagen bookshop, is briefly kidnapped.  Cotton realizes he is in the middle of a much bigger plan and has to figure out what the agenda really is and who is involved to save his son, Ian, and himself.  He never expected an international operation code named King’s Deception engineered to leverage secrets about Tudor Queen Elizabeth I to prevent the release of a terrorist. Meanwhile the Daedulus Society is hell bent to prevent those secrets from being proven or used.  The story makes a case for history being important, so that even events nearly 500 years ago can seriously impact a nation today by utilizing the true historical characters of Elizabeth I and her most trusted advisers William Cecil and son Robert Cecil and the mystery of Henry VIII's rumored lost treasure. 

Cotton Malone is dealing with family drama with his ex-wife Pam and his son Gary (which precipitates Gary coming to Copenhagen to stay with Cotton for a while).  How he deals with this stress in addition to being thrown in the middle of a dangerous plot says a lot about him.  Gary Malone is a fifteen year-old pawn being manipulated who struggles to understand the forces at work around him.  Kathleen Richards of the Serious Organized Crime Agency (SOCA) is much like Cotton, and thus in trouble with her superiors, when the British MI5 and Daedulus Society bring her into the mix mistakenly thinking she can be herded and used.   Blake Antrim, the CIA operative in charge of King’s Deception, is a master manipulator who doesn't blink at killing and specially requested Cotton bring young Ian to London and thus both into his cross-hairs.  Thomas Matthews is Britain's chief spy who is working to keep England's interests safe and secrets still secret.  Ian Dunne is a young pickpocket who picked the wrong pocket and ends up with a memory stick seconds before the man is killed.  Ian is streetwise and has a highly developed self preservation instinct that kicks in to keep both himself and Gary alive.  Adult twins Tanya and Miss Mary and the breakout stars of this tale, bringing history to life with enthusiasm and shrewd insight.  I have to give kudos on the well portrayed women characters of Kathleen Richards, Tanya, and Miss Mary who were smart and capable in their own rights.  Suspense and thriller novels can falter in this area, but not in this fine example.

London and its historical sights are utilized for not only their historical significance, which is part of the plot, but also for their atmosphere and connections to centuries of intrigue.  London's underground rivers with old bridges and long forgotten rooms was an ideal location for the climax. The underground rivers of London are the tributaries of the River Thames and were built over during the city's growth. The River Fleet, which in one place is now 40 feet below street level, is the largest of London's subterranean rivers and the section near Blackfriars station is featured in this novel.  This added an extra sense of danger to those scenes.

The logic in the plot has some holes, but that was in hind-sight as I thought back, so it didn't distract at the time. I have taken that into account, but it still makes for a solid novel with the other elements making up for those logic problems.  Without giving away much, the idea of using a politically explosive revelation, albeit nearly 500 years old, that would have actual dire consequences today was fascinating, and I thought was presented and argued well- making it quite possible.  The author's notes at the end of the book and the copies of paintings throughout helped bring the past and the suspicions vibrantly to life. 

The climax was set up well and brought four different aspects together for a tense showdown where the many deceptions are unveiled.  Tough decisions must be made and the truth of each character's true self is revealed.  I have to admit it was well done.

In the span of roughly forty hours, the reader races along with assassins, traitors, spies, and deadly members of a secret society with explosives, kidnapping, and a blend of history with international intrigue for a riveting ride. 

Rating: Excellent - Loved it! Buy it now and if you haven't read any of this series before, put this author on your watch list.

Steve Berry and his wife started History Matters (click here) to assist communities around the world with historic restoration and preservation because they believe history matters.  

Here is a book trailer for this book - enjoy!

Review - City of Exiles

This is the newest book from the author of the best-seller "The Icon Thief."  Although I have not read the first book, I dove into the second book in this trilogy with no expectations.  I enjoy suspense/thriller books, so read on to find out my thoughts on this new book.

Author: Alec Nevala-Lee

Copyright: December 2012 (Signet) 416 pgs

Series: 2nd in this trilogy

Sensuality: references, nothing explicit

Mystery Sub-genre: Police Procedural, Suspense

Main Characters: Rachel Wolfe, FBI liason with British Serious Organized Crime Agency

Setting: Modern day, London

Obtained Through: Publisher for honest review

Agent Rachel Wolfe and her partner Alan Powell go to investigate the murder of gun runner.  The murder is unusual because the chemical potassium permanganate is used to douse the victim and set him on fire.  This method starts the investigation down the road of Russian Intelligence involvement.  There also appears to be a possible leak within the department.  Additionally, the Russian thief and assassin Ilya Severin, know as the Scythian, has successfully survived an attempted hit on him and is in London to get some answers.  As former Russian intelligence he begins to put some pieces together and, for his own survival, gets involved.  There are more deaths and Agent Wolfe and Powell are desperate to get more solid leads.  In the midst of this crucial case, Rachel Wolfe is facing her disillusionment with the Mormon faith that she was raised in which causes personal struggles.  Ilya brings the bizare events of Dyatlov Pass (nine ski hikers died under suspicious circumstances) in 1959 Russia to light as part of a bigger plan that has Wolfe and Powell racing to make connections in the puzzle.  

Rachel Wolfe is a sad little character. She has her strong game face, but she also comes across as very damaged and even stunted in interpersonal relationships. Her crisis of faith is the most the reader really knows about her life.  Alan Powell is a mentor of sorts, but we only get a glimpse of what he is made of with this book.  So far his character is solid but must needs more depth. Ilya Severin, the Scythian, is a surprise as he reminded me of the currently

popular older man who is deadly with a dangerous past.  He is studious and a bit of a mystic, which was a great counter to his deadly side.  Yes, there is a leak, and that person is so well camouflaged I gasped when the individual is revealed.

London is where the majority of the story takes place, with the Russian Dyatlov Pass incident discussed (a true story, incidently), there is a chapter in Spain,and some action in Helsinki too. 

Several view points makes it a bit jarring sometimes.  I normally don't mind multiple viewpoints, but a few times it wasn't obvious right away whose eyes you were seeing through.  The Jewish/Christian mysticism angle didn't work for me, it seemed contrived and forced.  I didn't mention it in the summary because it honestly didn't seem to play any real role and could have been removed all together without any difference in the real storyline.  The main plot had some good ideas and twists.  The story takes a bit of setup over several chapters before it was rolling along and pulled me in.  By one-third of the way in, the pace was set and kept my interest from there.

I enjoyed the climax with a good cat and mouse chase. The wrap up somehow felt a bit unsettled when pieces that could have been used much earlier in the story were brought out only in the ending.  But it does a good job of setting up the next book to be even bolder.

It is a good suspense novel with a veneer of intrigue that sets situations and players into motion for a show down coming in the next book.


Rating: Good - A fun, enjoyable read for suspense/thriller fans.  If you read the prior novel, The Icon Thief, you will enjoy this book.

Mystery & Crime Fiction Blog Carnival - January 2013

It is the first Monday of the month - time for another highly anticipated Blog Carnival.  Please help the newsletter for the blog carnival to get more subscribers.  I send the newsletter out once a month announcing the deadline for submitting to this blog carnival.

If a blog reviews mystery/suspense/thrillers (even occasionally) then I would like to feature those reviews.   Multiple entries from a blog are welcome.  Now on to this month's blog carnival.  Click on the title or author's name to go to that link.

Police Procedural / PI Book Review / Legal

Tea Time with Marce reviewed the legal thriller Attorney-Client Privilege by Pamela Samuels Young

Booking Mama reviewed the Black Box by Michael Connelly

A Date with a Book reviewed Body Double by Tess Gerritsen

Books to the Rescue reviewed Sketch Me If You Can by Sharon Pape

A Date with a Book reviewed Hour of Predators by Lane Stark

Booking Mama reviewed The Child Who by Simon Lelic


Amateur Sleuth / Cozy book Review

Mysteries and My Musings reviewed The Twelve Clues of Christmas by Rhys Bowen

Tea Time with Marce reviewed the more hard core In the Belly of Jonah by Sandra Brannan

Booking Mama reviewed A Marked Man by Barbara Hamilton, the first in the Abigail Adams historical cozy series.

Mysteries and My Musings reviewed A Fatal Winter by G. M. Malliet

Books to the Rescue reviewed All Sales Fatal by Laura DiSilverio

Booking Mama reviewed The Art Forger by B.A. Shapiro

Mysteries and My Musings reviewed To Hell in a Handbasket by Beth Groundwater

Books to the Rescue reviewed The Diva Takes the Cake by Krista Davis

Booking Mama reviewed Iced Chiffon by Duffy Brown

A Date with A Book reviewed If You Can’t Stand the Heat by Robin Allen


Thriller/Suspense Fiction Book Review

Booking Mama reviewed Say You Are Sorry by Michael Robotham

Tea Time with Marce reviewed Primal by D.A. Serra

Booking Mama reviewed Resurrection Express by Stephen Romano

Booking Mama reviewed Black Fridays by Michael Sears

 

Author Interview

Mysteries and My Musings gives us an interview with Beth Groundwater

Examiner gives us an interview with Terry Odell

Mysteries and My Musings gives us an interview with Juliet Blackwell

Mysteries and My Musings gives us an interview with Anna Lee Huber

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A huge "Thank You" to all the wonderful bloggers out there who contributed to the carnival.  Keep them coming.

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Review - The Burning Wire

This week I review a Jeffery Deaver thriller featuring his beloved character Lincoln Rhymes for Thrill Week.  I will warn you upfront that I am a fan of Mr. Deaver.  I was so very fortunate to have dinner, at a writer's conference, with him and he was willing to answer the many questions the ten of us threw at him.  I don't know when he ate!  That was when I purchased this book.  If you haven't read Mr. Deaver, let me introduce you to his work.

Author: Jeffrey Deaver

Copyright: June 2010 (Simon &; Schuster) 432 pgs

Series: 9th in Lincoln Rhymes Investigations

Sensuality: n/a

Mystery Sub-genre: Suspense thriller

Main Characters: Lincoln Rhymes, quadriplegic criminalist

Setting: Modern day, New York city

Obtained Through: Personal purchase

There is somebody in New York City who accesses the Manhattan electrical power substation and tampers with it to create an arc flash that destroys a city bus - full of people.  This person soon starts sending demands to Algonquin Consolidated Power and Light or he will strike again. Forensic expert Lincoln Rhyme and his partner Amelia Sachs are brought into the case along with FBI and Homeland Security's special terrorist task force who believe the attack may be from a terrorist group.  The demands or outrageous and Lincoln and Amelia race to save lives from an invisible weapon that can strike in public or private without warning.

A subplot has Lincoln working on catching the Watchmaker long distance with the Mexican authorities.  The reader also follows Lincoln as his health deteriorates from the stress of the two cases.  Emotionally Lincoln's health challenges open old emotional wounds.

I love the characterization in this series. Lincoln is a difficult and demanding forensic expert and his health makes him even more testy as this tale advances.  Lincoln is complex, in some ways his being a quadriplegic adds to that complexity.  Amelia is a counter-weight to Lincoln's intensity with her personal touch she brings to police work. Despite her witnessing the worst of human pain and debauchery, she is able to empathize with people and their pain.  The combination is effective. I would have liked more Sachs though, she mostly ran and did what Lincoln directed.  Her sections could have revealed more of her personally, besides just the arthritis.  An unexpected standout character is undercover Detective Delray on the street trying to get a lead on who is behind this. The reader is routing for him.

This book, like Deaver's other Rhyme novels, captures NY city and makes it real to people like me who have never been there.  Everything from the exciting Big Apple side to the seedier aspects are in technicolor.

I felt this book caught me from the first paragraph and didn't let go. I was riveted throughout the twists and turns.  Deaver is known for providing good twists and I thought this was definitely on par.

The climax had surprises and suspense, played out (IMO) masterfully.  The wrap-up concludes all the various storylines and you feel a part of these characters lives until the next book.

I felt this was a great, strong thriller with Deaver's characteristic suspense and pacing. 

Ratings:  Near Perfect - Buy two copies: one for you and one for a friend.

Now for a short video with Jeffrey Deaver talking about this book.

Review - And When She Was Good

Today we are part of the blog tour for Laura Lippman's newest book.  This is a stand-alone suspense tale of a suburban madam.

Author: Laura Lippman

Copyright: August 14, 2012 (William Morrow) 320 pgs

Series: Stand alone

Sensuality: adult themes, prostitution

Mystery Sub-genre: Suspense/Thriller

Main Characters:  Heloise Lewis, secretly suburban madam

Setting: Modern day, Baltimore, Maryland

Obtained Through: TLC Book Tour/Publisher

Heloise used to be a common prostitute for Val, but when she is faced with having Val's child she makes decisions that will impact her for the next decade. She does this all for her child, determined to give a better childhood than she experienced.  She thinks that she has left the brutality of the street behind for her own carefully constructed and discreet high-paid escort service.  She runs the show and lives well now.  When another suburban madam is murdered, she doesn't think much about it - until she realizes that woman was from her past.  Her new life, meant to provide the best for her child, is beginning to fall apart. 

The story is told in both the present and Heloise's past.  The reader is filled in about her history as the Heloise in the present deals with her life unraveling.  That caused confusion once or twice, but mostly this technique allows the reader to see what in her past is influencing her present fear and decisions.

Heloise is a complex character.  She is a loner, street smart as well as self taught from books and online classes.  Most of all, she is a survivor and determined.  She will do most anything for her child. I rarely read a book where I feel like I have stepped into the main character's life.  This is one of them. Val, her pimp for many years, and the father of her child, is more than just a thug.  He is intelligent and a ruthless, opportunistic businessman who has not let go of his hold on her.  Beth, her pathetic mother, is equally well crafted.

The small town Heloise grows up in, the large house where Val keeps the prostitutes corralled, and even Heloise's suburban home are richly detailed.  The plot is spot on and the pacing builds to the climax.  There were plot twists and surprises.  I found myself telling Heloise what to do, not out of frustration with a poorly written character, but because I had become vested in her predicament.  The wrap up was satisfying. 

This was my first Laura Lippman (incredible as that seems) and I have to say I was surprised.  Initially, I was not sure about the premise of prostitution for an enjoyable story.  But Ms. Lippman expertly builds a believable tale of a woman who was dealt a bad life and engages the reader to root for her as she meets challenges and danger.

Rating: Near Perfect - Buy two copies: one for you and one for a friend.  If you can tolerate the swearing and prostitution in general, this is really that good.  If you are more sensitive towards these, consider reading a chapter or two and gauge your reaction.


Here's the tour schedule:

Tuesday, August 14th: The Blog of Lit Wits
Wednesday, August 15th: Cerebral Girl in a Redneck World
Thursday, August 16th: Book Dilettante
Monday, August 20th: Chaotic Compendiums
Tuesday, August 21st: Olduvai Reads
Wednesday, August 22nd: Peppermint PhD
Thursday, August 23rd: The Book Bag
Monday, August 27th: Book Addiction
Tuesday, August 28th: Mary’s Cup of Tea
Wednesday, August 29th: In the Next Room
Thursday, August 30th: Between the Covers
Friday, August 31st: Mysteries and My Musings
Monday, September 3rd: Don’t Mind the Mess
Tuesday, September 4th: A Bookish Way of Life
Wednesday, September 5th: libbysbookblog
Thursday, September 6th: No More Grumpy Bookseller
Friday, September 7th: so much shouting, so much laughter
Monday, September 10th: Twisting the Lens
Tuesday, September 11th: A Bookworm’s World

Review - Endangered

I was drawn to this book from the blurb on the cover and the wilderness setting in Utah, but I was very surprised by what I found.  Join me for a trip to Utah's beautiful wilds for a suspenseful tale.

Author: Pamela Beason

Copyright: December 2011 (Berkley) 320 pgs

Series: 1st in Summer Westin Mysteries

Sensuality: n/a

Mystery Sub-genre: Suspense

Main Characters: Summer Westin, Wildlife biologist for Save the Wilderness Fund

Setting: Modern day, Utah's Heritage National Monument

Obtained Through: Publisher for honest review

Summer (Sam) Westin, aka Wilderness Westin to her "Save the Wilderness Fund" website followers, is in Utah's  Heritage National Monument to do a follow-up on a previous story.  A cougar had been shot and SWF had rescued the cougar and her cubs, treated the wounds and released them back to the park.  Sam is hoping to get some photos of the cougars now to report their progress to SWF website.  She had worked at the park in the past and still knows some of the park rangers.  She is about to set off from the Ranger HQ to hike into the off-trail back country when she sees a little blond haired boy who wandered away from his camp.  Sam can hear the mother calling for Zack and  she is about to take the boy to his mother when Zack goes toddling off to a man approaching.  Everything appears as though this is Zack's father and she thinks nothing of it until she has set up camp hours later and calls into her park ranger friend Kent to find out everyone is searching for Zack.  Sam treks back into the Ranger HQ to join the search, feeling responsible not ensuring the little boy was really with his father.  It seems like a simple premise, but this book grabs the reader and won't let go until the last page. 

There are several elements at play in this story.  Sam and the SWF are getting stabbed in the back by an opportunist reporter who turns Zack's disappearance into a sensationalized tale of Cougars versus unsuspecting campers.  It doesn't help that Sam was dating said reporter.  This begins a chain reaction of "kill the cougars" frenzy spurred on by a local who resents not getting to hunt in the park.  Then the FBI join the mix which brings more exposure to the situation when it sorely needed less distractions from the search efforts.  There is a clock ticking to find Zack before the autumn temperatures get too cold at night, or a human slips out of the park with him, and before the cougars get hunters using helicopters to hunt and kill them.

Sam is a great character with a good mix of independent outdoors woman who is vulnerable yet daring and smart but headstrong.  She is passionate about the wilderness and animals while she dials her satellite phone to upload her story from a laptop complete with digital photos.  She is a modern woman who is very capable in the wilderness by herself but not afraid to show her softer side.  Chase (Starchaser) Perez, half Lakota FBI agent is a fascinating character too.  His cool FBI demeanor only hints at much deeper waters occasionally.  He enlists Sam to be his guide for checking spots in the park that are prime for hiding Zack and finds himself trying to keep up.  Repelling for the first time down slot canyons is but one challenge that Sam throws his way.  These two characters play well off each other in a natural believable way. 

The setting of Utah's wilderness and wildlife becomes a character in itself.  The author brings the coyotes yipping at night, the crisp autumn air, the wonder of ancient Anasazi ruins, and the magnificence of slot canyons vividly to the readers mind.  The cougars that Sam is following up on become a part of the story as you want the mother and her grown cubs to be innocent of any involvement with Zack's disappearance and ultimately left to live their lives.  I felt like I had been trekking the trails experiencing the sights and sounds with Sam.

The plot is very believable and gripping as it unfolds.  The pacing keeps the reader turning pages always wanting to read just a little further to find out the next thing.  This book is hard to put down even to eat a meal.  I warn you now.

The climax is white knuckle-edge-of-your-seat ride that has me holding my breath.  The wrap up is a resounding success that ensured my checking to see when the next book would be released.  Bear Bait is the next book and it is "coming soon" - not soon enough for me. 

If it seems like I am gushing, I just can't help it.  This was a fantastic suspense story with a plausible plot filled with suspense, characters who are compelling and exciting in their mission, with a luscious setting and a gripping climax.  

I love big cats and since the book is about rescued cougars, thought this video about Big Cat Rescue might interest some readers, particularly the first seven minutes.

Review - The Silent Oligarch

Monday M&MM is hosting the book blog tour for Chris Morgan Jones who has his debut novel out this month.  Please be sure to stop by on Monday and find out more about the author.  His first book takes us inside Russia and corporate money laundering networks.  Below is the review and it is surprising this is Mr. Jones' first novel.  Don't forget Monday's blog tour! 

Author: Chris Morgan Jones

Copyright: January 2012 (Penguin Press) 336 pgs

Series: Debut novel, stand alone?

Sensuality: some violence, not graphic

Mystery Sub-genre: Suspense, Intrigue

Main Characters:  Richard Lock, money launderer and Benjamin Webster, Corporate Intelligence Investigator

Setting: Modern day, England & Russia

Obtained Through: Publisher for honest review

The book opens with Richard Lock in Monte Carlo enjoying his wealth with the beautiful and easily bored Oksana.  The reader is introduced to his easy and pampered life just before it starts to fall apart.  Lock is a lawyer who has created a complex web of fake businesses to shuffle money around for the Russian Minister of Natural Resources, Konstantin Malin. Lock had even married Malin's daughter although they are divorced now and Marina lives in London raising their only child. Lock's world begins to fall apart piece by piece because another wealthy and vindictive operator feels he was cheated in a deal with Malin and hires Benjamin Webster to ruin Malin.  Lock's position has always been that he would be the front man and be the face to take any blame if the web of money laundering oil companies came under suspicion.  Lock has been paid well to maintain the shifting web of shell companies and the risk with it. 

But what happens in Russia when you really are under scrutiny by world courts?  Lock begins to experience real fear when a good friend dies under very suspicious circumstances and he has goons restricting his every move.  Webster instinctively feels that Lock is the linchpin and if they can get him to cooperate with their side and expose Konstantin Malin for the business crook he is the world would be better off.  Webster manipulates press and FBI contacts to raise the heat on Lock.  Webster becomes personally involved when the decade old murder of his dear journalist friend Inessa may have been at Malin's hand.  The line between doing his job and getting a personal payback for Inessa blur at times for Webster.  Is Webster too personally involved to be effective?

This book is for the patient reader who enjoys letting the story unfold and the tension slowly rise without car chases or explosions.  If you want a glimpse of the shadowy world of wealthy chess players using humans as pieces to be maneuvered in a bigger strategy, this book is your armchair vantage point.  The focus is on Lock and Webster and how these two will exit on the other side of this crucible.  The viewpoint shifts between the two characters and the reader becomes invested in both men.  Lock is reduced to the man he once was before taking the easy big payout and Webster is dealing with the dangerous people who slaughtered Inessa and who haunt his dreams and now threaten his wife and peaceful home life.

I had many distractions as I was reading this book and that didn't help.  This book simmers on low while setting the stage.  This book should be read when you have blocks of time to devote to its reading. Despite my scattered attention, the book is clearly a fine story.  The premise is sound and couldn't be more "ripped from the headlines" as wealthy corporate interests manipulate everything around them with impunity.  The plot is solid and realistic.  The character development is golden in this book, they are both flawed and make mistakes.  The pacing reminds me of Hitchcock's 1946 movie Notorious with layers of danger built up slowly as the story progresses.  The climax is as real world as I have read in a book but left one thread unanswered.  In real life we rarely get every question neatly answered, and perhaps this leaves the possibility of another Benjamin Webster novel to follow that thread.

  Remember Chris Morgan Jones' Book Blog Tour.   Don't miss it.