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.

Summertime, All The Cats Are Bored by Philippe Georget

Europa Editions

I wish I could remember on whose recommendation I decided to buy this book, but since it has been sitting on my TBR pile for a year I simply don't remember.  Whoever it was - Thank You. 

Philippe Georget weaves a tale that involves murder and kidnapping in Perpignan, a town on the French Mediterranean near Spain.  Sebag and Molino, two tired cops who are being slowly devoured by dull routine and family worries, deal with the day’s misdemeanors and petty complaints without a trace of enthusiasm (from the book's cover). When the body of a young Dutch woman is found and another young Dutch woman goes missing as does a Spanish taxi driver she knew, the general lethargy that had an iron grip on the police department suddenly vanishes and a game of cat and mouse begins between Inspector Gilles Sebag and the kidnapper/murderer.

One of the amazing things about Georget's writing is his ability to create tone and atmosphere.  Georget is himself a resident of Perpignan and his intimate knowledge of the city permeates his descriptions of the residents and the city and surrounding areas. You feel the lethargy that has set in from the heat and humidity of summer. You sense the impact on the burgeoning small town invaded by summer tourists. You feel the pressure of a small police force under the microscopic eye of the international press. You witness the kidnap victim slowly acquiesce to her situation  - and you understand, completely.  You experience all these things not just through Sebag's eyes and thoughts, but also those of the kidnapped Dutch girl and her kidnapper. 

Sebag is an observer of life  who listens to his instincts about people and events.  He doesn't always immediately realize the significance of his observations and needs to let his thoughts ferment for awhile. He underestimates his own ability as a police inspector, as his wife, his partner and his boss often remind him.  The image of Sebag sitting beside the family pool with a glass of wine while he quietly mulls over the day's developments in his case, is reminiscent of Inspector Morse sitting in a pub with a pint, thinking things through. 

This is a police procedural and a well-written one that kept me reading late into the night.    The laid back atmosphere disguises a deceptively complex narrative.  The investigation is well thought through and develops at a very natural pace, but it is the characterizations that make this such an enjoyable read.  The relationships between Sebag and his colleagues, Sebag and his wife, Sebag and his children, all come together to create a character that you look forward to meeting again.

 

I am kind of happy I only recently got around to reading this book since the next book in the series, Autumn, All the Cats Return, will be released this October.  With a bit of luck I will read it before next spring.

 

 

 

 

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

Maxwell Street Blues by Marc Krulewitch

Random House Publishing Group - Alibi

As kids, a lot of us want to grow up to be like our parents or, their exact opposite.  Jules Landau is in the latter category.  He retains a strong memory of coming home from school to discover his prized basketball hoop lying mangled on the driveway. The Feds tore it down just for the heck of it, and then took the house, the cars and his prized Peugeot bike before sending his father off to jail.  With no great respect for law enforcement and even less for the criminals that dominate his family tree, he chooses to go to college to become a PI.  Checking up on the indiscretions of husbands and wives, doing background checks, surveillance and skip traces pays enough for the rent on a neat apartment. It's also enough money to own a 16 year old Honda Civic, buy cat food and keep raspberry sorbet in the freezer.  Jules is Living the life! - then his dad shows up.

 

Just 10 days out of jail his dad hires Jules to find out who murdered Snooky, an old family friend.  Charles Snook was a gentle man, a CPA and a money launderer for those in need of such services.  He was good at his job and appreciated by many on both sides of the law.  So why then did he end up on top of a pile of construction debris with two bullets in his head? 

 

When it comes to murder, Jules is the new kid on the block. This is his first murder case and it comes with some tough lessons not taught in PI 101.  He takes enough beatings in this one case to make you wonder why he doesn't change professions.  But he had a great affection for Snooky, so he pursues the case and like any great detective, he follows the money trail.

The trail leads to some very interesting characters, tattoo artists, meth heads, politicos, corrupt academics and cops.  Ultimately, he solves the case and the reader is left with the same feeling I imagine you have after eating a Maxwell Street Polish - full and satisfied.

There are overtones of Philip Marlowe in this tale.  The story is told in the first person and the plot contains the requisite femme fatale, criminals, and murder.  Like any good story it's all in the telling.  The dialogue is smart and snappy and the atmosphere has a big city smoky feel. The city itself is a major character in the story with its history of crime and corruption.  Maxwell Street really does exist in Chicago and I've read that there is a housing construction site right beside a major university, a key element in the plot. 

 

I look forward to further adventures with Jules in the south side of Chicago, the baddest part of town.

For a short interview with the author visit:
http://www.omnimysterynews.com/2014/08/please-welcome-mystery-author-marc-krulewitch-1408041200.html

Is truth dead and nobody told me?

This is not a book review.  This is me being philosophical again.  You have been warned.

 

According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, truth is a noun (a person, place or thing) that means the real facts about something.  In light of the recent events surrounding the tragedy of Malaysian Airline flight MH 17, I have been wondering if this noun truth can be found anywhere besides the dictionary.  Is truth dead and no one wrote an obituary?

I look at pictures of the disaster and see the remains of an airplane torn apart, burnt remnants strewn everywhere, some with flames still burning.  Then another photo shows what appears to be the wreckage in a pile as if the plane had landed and exploded on impact.  I have to ask myself - are the photos simply taken from different angles or different areas, or are these pictures even of the same plane or wreckage. 

 

No, I am not a conspiracy theorist.  But in this technological world it is easy to distort the truth, even help it morph into something completely different.  Words, images, and minds are easily manipulated.  We see what we want to see.  Or do we?  Or do we see what others want us to see?   Are we able to clearly see things that aren’t now or ever have been part of our individual frames of reference?  And is that really seeing or is it imagining with the help of visual aids?

 

I watched a video of the aftermath of this disaster and a hand in the video is shown holding approximately twenty different passports. Of course, which ones does the person open and display to the camera, the ones of children.  How and why did these passports survive the crash and the flames, but not the passport holders? 

The camera pans to suitcases, some of which have either opened on impact or been opened for the benefit of the cameraman.  The camera macabrely lingers over a bright pink suitcase packed with books etc. for a young girl, then on a child’s toy, and next a child’s drawing. The cameraman or video editor opportunistically includes only items guaranteed to wring every last tear from your eyes and permanently bruise your heart.

 Yes, this is a human tragedy, a tragedy of lost lives, dreams and lost futures.   But all the while pictures and videos are being shot of the human carnage let’s not forget what sells.  Or more importantly, “Did you get the shot?”  Don’t forget to post to Twitter, You Tube, Instagram and to share on Facebook.    And if you have to use some artistic license to doctor the photo for dramatic effect, that’s okay.  How many ‘likes’ did you say the photo got?

I find it disconcerting to see that the integrity of the evidence is at stake on the site in the Ukraine.  I also find it disconcerting to look at photos of grim-faced men, shown in gray tones, combing a field of brilliant yellow sunflowers looking for bodies or body parts.  The contrast between gray and yellow, grimness and beauty are stark and crude.  And again I wonder if it’s real or photo shopped.

At the moment it appears there are those who are working hard to find out what really happened to flight MH 17. But it also appears there are those who are working just as hard to destroy evidence and hide what happened.  All we know for sure is that the passenger list shows 283 passengers and 15 crew members boarded that flight.  Out of respect for the victims and their loved ones I hope truth is not the unidentified casualty in this tragic event.

 

 

I'm not the only one who has been struggling with the definition of truth lately.  Follow the link to one of my very favorite sites Humans of New York - photojournalism at its finest. You'll find an older gentleman sitting on a park bench who is writing a play on the nature of truth.

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

Face Value by Michael A. Kahn

Poisoned Pen Press

The body of a young attorney is found in an alley beside a 10 floor parking garage.  The police rule the death a suicide, something not uncommon amongst those stressed out by the high demands of being a young law associate.  Stanley Plotkin, a mailroom employee from the same firm as the young attorney Sari Bashir, is convinced that Sari didn’t commit suicide but was murdered. 

Stanley approaches Rachel Gold, a lawyer he knows, to say that he has proof Sari was murdered. He points to a broken heel from a high heel shoe and a tube of lip balm found four spaces down from Ms. Bashir’s parking space. He also brings into play his knowledge of FACS, the Facial Action Coding System that correlates hundreds of facial muscle actions to specific emotions and mental states.

Stanley may have Asperger’s but his knowledge of FACS is nothing short of genius. This knowledge tells him that in the days preceding her death, Sari may have been preoccupied or agitated, but she was definitely not suicidal.  Rachel agrees to look into the matter and along with her team she investigates the top lawyers at Warner & Olsen, an investigation that leads to secrets, cover ups, questionable ethics and finances.

This is my idea of a cozy mystery.  A main character supported by a group of other characters, some zany and others either really smart or really lucky.  Stanley is an original character, so much so that I felt at times he overshadowed Rachel. There are no gory scenes and the plot moves along at a moderate pace with little gems of humour incorporated into some well written dialogue. 

The author is a lawyer and the legal and financial information is well presented in a readable and informative manner that doesn't detract from the story.  Kahn also provides Rachel the ingenious idea of creating a memorial video about the victim, enabling Stanley to design the questions to ask each suspect and see their responses without having any social interaction with them, since social interactions can be very difficult for someone with Asperger's.  As ingenious as the idea is, and as well as it works as a device for plot development, it doesn't always make for great reading.

I loved how Kahn has the ability to make the setting of St. Louis seem so familiar and the characters so comfortable to be around, like old friends.  Even though this is the ninth book in a series I can vouch for it being a stand alone since I haven't read any of the others and I didn't feel that it made a difference.

Overall I found this a fun, interesting and worthwhile read - just not a nail biter.

To read an excerpt go to:

 http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/face-value-michael-kahn/1117166469?ean=9781464202803 

 

Author and publisher links:

 http://www.michaelakahn.com/

http://www.poisonedpenpress.com/michael-kahn/

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 Truth Will Out by Jane Issac

Legend Press

This book hooked  me right from the start.  Imagine two best friends skyping when one, Naomi, says to the other, Eva, that she thinks she hears an intruder in her place.  No sooner does Naomi say this than a mysterious figure attacks her from behind.  To her horror, Eva is a witness to what is happening to her friend until the intruder turns the screen off.  Frantic, she takes off in her car, panicking as she realizes that the intruder will be coming after her next. Eva thinks Naomi has been badly beaten as a warning that is related to their recent misadventure in France.  She doesn't know Naomi has been brutally murdered.

DCI Helen Lavery is assigned to the case.  A case that is not just about murder by a psychopath, but also involves organised crime, drug smuggling, and police corruption.  This is a psychological thriller and a police procedural at its best.  But what really holds the story together is the character of Helen Lavery.

DCI Lavery is reminiscent of Lynda La Plante's Anna Travis in her tenacity to get to the truth.  Also, like Travis, she had a father who was in the police force and that she looked up to and admired as an officer. Both Travis and Lavery are strong female characters, common in British mysteries. However, Lavery is original as she is older and widowed with two teenage sons and an ageing mother to look after.  She strives to balance work and home and is familiar with the politics of the glass ceiling.

 

There are moments in the story when dealing with police work seems a lot easier than being the mother of a teenage boy with raging hormones or a daughter handling the health issues of an ageing parent.  It is easy to relate to Helen - she makes mistakes at home and at work,  she enjoys her family and her job and is often caught between the conflicting demands of the two.  Lonely, and missing the closeness of being in a relationship, makes her a vulnerable, very believable and sympathetic character.

 

The story is told primarily from the viewpoints of Helen and Eva, shifting back and forth between the two as the plot unfolds.  Eva is also a well-developed character. At the start, I didn't particularly care for her, finding her immature and selfish.  But as the story progressed, I began to like her more and to appreciate her resourcefulness. A number of other characters are also well drawn and I especially liked Lavery's assistant, Sean Pemberton, whose loyalty to her rivals the loyalty of the long-suffering Detective Sergeant Lewis in the Inspector Morse series.

 

Even though this is a police procedural, Jane Isaac's strong characterizations make this a more enjoyable read than the typical heavy focus on hows and whys.  The crime scenes are intelligently described without relying on lurid details and the plot moves along at a quick, fluid pace.

 

A truly engrossing read.
 

http://www.legendtimesgroup.co.uk/legend-press

That Touch of Ink by Diane Vallere

Henery Press

 

This is one of those light reads great for the beach or a rainy day. 

Even for the fabulous Madison Night, interior designer, receiving a rare five thousand dollar bill in the mail is not your average day.  Convinced that this bill is somehow connected to her past and a former lover, she is intrigued and starts to look into what the bill is really all about.  Soon someone is murdered, Madison is in a car chase, guns appear, a mysterious neighbor moves in and Madison is running for her life. She is also running from some pretty hot men. She isn't sure about the men in her life -  does she actually love one of them, are they good for her and can she actually trust them or anybody else for that matter. Aw Madison, dilemma is thy middle name.

While she is dealing with murder, a counterfeit ring, and staying one step ahead of the law, she comes home to find her apartment has been painted in just the right shade of daisy yellow by persons unknown, deals with some kooky clients and hides out in a house she recently inherited that shows potential from an interior design point of view.

Though I am writing this a little tongue in cheek, I did have fun reading this book.  There are numerous Doris Day references scattered throughout the story (i.e. the title) that you are either going to love (like me) or find very kitschy, much like any Doris Day movie. But if you want a few laughs, a good story, and to learn a little about counterfeiting then read That Touch of Ink.  You won't be bored.

 

You can read an excerpt on the author's web page http://www.dianevallere.com/that-touch-of-ink.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.

Rosemary and Crime by Gail Oust

St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books

Piper Prescott is recently divorced and she has invested all her money from the divorce settlement into opening a spice shop in her adopted town of  Brandywine Creek, Georgia.  Key to the opening of the store is a cooking demonstration to be given by the local celebrity chef.  Unfortunately, hours before the opening, Piper finds chef Mario dead on the kitchen floor of his own restaurant.  To make matters worse, Piper has touched the murder weapon and other key evidence at the crime scene making her the prime suspect of Wyatt McBride, the newly appointed police chief.  So she teams up with her BFF Reba Mae, the local hairdresser, to solve the crime before McBride arrests her for murder. 

Naturally, the daring duo stumble onto their clues rather than actually discovering anything through the use of brilliant sleuthing techniques.  There is the usual slate of quirky secondary characters, family issues and a little bit of a tease in the romance department.  This is definitely your typical cosy mystery.

It always amazes me how a well-written cosy mystery can turn murder into a rollicking good read and Rosemary and Crime is no exception.  This was a quick and entertaining light read that I thoroughly enjoyed.  Perfect for the beach or a day when you are stuck in the house.

Compliments of a Friend by Susan Isaacs

Open Road Integrated Media

This is the first time I have read anything by Susan Isaacs and I don't think it was a good place to start. This is a short story; apparently the only one she has written. Now Isaacs is known for her sharp, witty writing and is a very successful author.  That being said writing a good short story is no easy feat even if that is how many authors start their career.

The story is about a chic CEO of an employment agency who dies while trying on shoes in the shoe department of Bloomingdale's. Because of a large drug content in her blood the police declare it a suicide. But Judith Singer, her neighbor, is convinced that Vanessa didn't take a large dose of drugs and then go out to buy designer shoes.  Purchasing shoes, after all, is a commitment to living, a statement that there is a future  - as in - there will be some place to where the shoes.  So Judith investigates Vanessa's life and stumbles upon a few surprises as she tracks down the murderer.

The writing is sharp and I like the premise of the story, but I think for me personally, the characters needed to be fleshed out more and then it probably would have been a great read instead of simply a good read.