Grant of Immunity by Garret Holms

Garret Holms, in real life, is a former prosecuting attorney and is now a judge, and he brings his knowledge of the court system to life. This story, which takes place in Los Angeles, is graphic, brutal, and blunt. Grant of Immunity is a nonstop read. I was drawn into this drama very quickly as an early life mistake haunted Danny Hart for the rest of his life. Lonely and unsure of himself, having grown up in a dysfunctional family and then barely 15 years old, Danny was befriended by a 20-year-old he only knew as Snake. As a kid, he never knew Snake’s real name. Danny, unwittingly, became Snake’s accomplice in the murder of Sarah Collins. Be warned, this is deeply sick stuff that Holms writes about. After the murder, Snake told Danny that for insurance, that he had kept the knife that had Danny’s fingerprints on it, so if he told anyone else about the murder, Danny would go down too. Snake then disappeared from Danny’s life for the next 19 years.

Meanwhile, Danny managed his guilt and self-contempt by dedicating himself to his studies, becoming a young and successful prosecuting attorney, and then finally a well-respected judge. At 35, he was appointed to the Superior Court bench in Los Angeles, and two years later, as he was about to have to run a race for election, he encountered Snake once again. But now, Snake is an LA Patrol Sargent, Jake Babbage. He was the worst of rogue cops, finding people he thought needed to be exterminated, and then he found ways to do that. He seemed to have pulled the wool over the eyes of his colleagues because he was looked on as being a cop’s cop. Babbage had a fixation on the 21-year-old daughter of the woman he killed 19 years earlier, and he made himself known to Judge Hart in an attempt to set her up for a fate like the one her mother suffered. The Judge is stuck between a rock and a hard place, between Charybdis and Scylla.

Holms has been very successful in creating opposing forces. On one side, there is Snake and his defense attorney, the narcissistic and pathologically ambitious Doris Reynolds. They are easy to hate as they attempt to use each other to accomplish their own desired perverted ends. On the other side is Judge Hart, the investigating officer, William Fitzgerald, and the two children of the murdered woman, 24-year-old Sean Collins and his little sister who is Babbage’s new obsession, Erin Collins. It’s a good story with a satisfying end, although it was not an end that I could have predicted. This one gets my highest recommendation – it’s the sort of crime novel that we at Men Reading Books wait for and thrive on. It’s available now on Kindle, in paperback, and in audio format.

Dry Bones by Craig Johnson

Didn't know there was a dinosaur museum in Durant, Wyoming. But it's highly regarded seeing as the area is one of the most fossil-rich locations on the planet. Museum director Dave Baumann and his subordinate Jennifer Watt are out on the prairie when a flat tire stalls the outing.  Jennifer and her pet Mastiff wander off in search of shade under a rock ledge. The dog interrupts her nap,  growling at something above her head . . . a two fingered talon.  The dig is on and the Museum unearths one of the most significant archeological finds ever. 

A nearly complete skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus Rex. Tradition is that the new find is given the name of the finder.

At issue is ownership. Depending on various lines drawn on some map and a plethora on odd laws, its ultimate fate is up in the air. The publicity machine kicks in to keep the dinosaur local, "Save Jen" becomes the local cry.

One corner of the of property belongs to Danny Lone Elk who has deeded the property the skeleton was found to the Museum. Living with Danny are his son Randy, wife Eva, and high school age son Taylor. Uncle Enic is nearby. Danny is found face down in a pond further complicating the ownership  issue. Mercury poising. Accident or murder?

As if Sheriff Walt Longmire didn't have enough on his plate, daughter Cady is headed home from Phillly for a visit with her 5-month old daughter Lola.

The local community has rallied around behind the "Save Jen" movement, but politics, the 'Acting' assistant US attorney, Robert and Bob the FBI twins, the museum, and the Lone Elk family dance around each other until it all comes down to a Sotheby auction to see us where "Jen" will reside.

#13 in the Longmire series (season 4 due Fall 2015 on Netflix) by Craig Johnson, resident of Ucross, WY population 25. What Johnson continues to deliver is the humanity of not only Longmire, but also of the myriad of supporting characters. The comfortable presentation is akin to sitting on a comfortable leather sofa listening to a favorite uncle regaling a long lost family story. The traits that make Longmire who he is are on display along with his considerable skill and luck at beating some challenge that nature throws at him all the time plus his ongoing visions.

Save Jen. Boy Howdy, Walt. You are the man.

Available May 12, 2015

ECD

Duke City Desperado by Max Austin

Put 2 losers in a car. Doc is a 40-ish career small time crook. The other is Dylan, a 20 something punk who for some reason has attached himself to Doc as some form of father figure and mentor in stealing enough to keep going.

Doc loves to get high on speed. He runs off at the mouth about any and everything. Politics, movies, cars, women, the weather. A nonstop motormouth full of braggadocio. Tells Dylan the secret to robbing banks and proceeds to demonstrate his theory by trying to pull off the robbery of a local bank's drive thru teller. I didn't say he was bright.

As might be expected, this doesn't go well. Dylan bolts and the teller drags out the heist long enough for the cops to arrive. While in custody, Doc comes to the realization that he isn't looking forward to jail time and using the time honored tradition of the idiot that speaks first gets the deal, promptly gives up Dylan as having forced Doc to try this foolish scheme.

Dylan is on the run, but really has no place to go. The cops and FBI are after him. He no longer has a girlfriend. His name and face are plastered all over the TV. He's broke. In his wanderings around Albuquerque he has to deal with a list of local characters that threaten every minute of his attempted flight.

Meanwhile Dylan is trying to survive the local detention center and avoid jail time.

This darkly humorous tale takes place over about 36 hours, presenting an interesting take on the buddy crook theme (think of Lethal Weapon only the 2 buddies are these stumbling crooks) by developing loyalty to a slightly twisted level. Is it noir? Could be. Is it a comedy of errors? Certainly. Is it worth a few hours? It was to me.

Available June 9, 2015

East Coast Don

Shooting for the Stars by R.G. Belsky

Talk about cold cases.

The Prime Time Files, a NYC-based local news magazine TV show, is preparing to do a story on the 20-year old murder of America’s sweetheart Laura Marlowe. Abbie Kincaid is the show’s host and destined for national exposure. Maybe even 60 Minutes?

Marlowe was a nothing teenage actress wannabe hitting the audition circuit when she hits the big time with a surprising leading role in an award winning film. She followed up with another winner. Her third film was beset with delays due to various Marlowe illnesses. After the film was released, Marlowe was in NY on a promotion junket where she was murdered outside her hotel by an obsessive fan. In the aftermath, Marlowe’s body was cremated quickly and the fan hung himself in a two bit hotel. Marlowe’s husband and mother worked tirelessly to keep her memory alive through foundations and fan supported cruises, film fests, memorabilia, and more. 

Abbie Kincaid uncovered some long suppressed information that implicated a mob connection with Hollywood back when Marlowe broke in and was going to run with it. The show’s producer contacted the New York Daily News and asks that Gil Malloy write a few pieces in the lead up to the big show. 

Why Gil? He’s an up and down reporter who, many years before, printed a fabricated story and suffered the eventual fall from grace. But his recent outing (see The Kennedy Connection, which was favorably reviewed here by MRB) put Malloy back on page 1 with a byline. Despite his history, the producer and Kincaid have a high opinion of his abilities as a reporter. 

Now Malloy doesn’t see himself as a publicist, much less for a TV show, but goes anyway. The teaser show and series of articles brings Marlowe’s death back into the public’s eye. 

Then Kincaid is killed in the same hotel where Marlowe was murdered. 

Malloy convinces his editor that he sort of owes it to Kincaid to continue her investigation into Marlowe’s death and what he should learn will also help find Kincaid’s killer. His editor is more interested in web hits than investigative journalism, but grudgingly agrees.

Malloy’s investigation into Marlowe’s history takes a number of unexpected turns through the underbellies of Hollywood, the Mob, obscure cults, Manson worship, serial killings, and lots more. 

I really enjoy Belsky’s style. His Gil Malloy has this wise cracking, to hell with it all attitude that reminds me a great deal of Nelson DeMille’s John Corey of the NYC anti-terrorist task force and Brian Haig’s Army lawyer Sean Drummond. Characters that will say and do what we readers could only dream to have the same nerve. Belsky has been in the newspaper business for years, mostly in NYC and his familiarity the the peaks and valleys of being a reporter are plainly evident as his descriptive narrative and dialogue appear spot on. Readers are taken on a personal ride through the investigative process of journalism while also displaying his obvious contempt for the ‘new media’ that places more value on electronic hits than it does on The Story.  I have an opening on my power rotation and am seriously considering elevating Belsky. Great story that I could’ve read in a single sitting. Malloy may be a deeply flawed character, but that’s part of what makes this a highly readable book. 

Shooting for the Stars will be available August 11, 2015. Put in your pre-order now.

East Coast Don

From Bruges with Love by Pieter Aspe

Hugo Vermast was trying to get what most everyone wanted, even in Belgium - a home with some real estate in the country for he and his small family. He found a place outside of Bruges and was in the process of a renovation. Bought it from a Flemish foundation that took in locals down on their luck. 

Hugo’s kids are exploring the property when the daughter, Tine, proudly displays her latest find. a bone, a big one, too that appears to have been in the ground for a long time. The cops are called and one of the chief detectives, Pieter Van In, his gay partner Guido Versavel, and chief prosecutor Hannlore Martens (and Van In’s pregnant wife) are called in to investigate. 

Tough case. Not really a cold case but certainly not a fresh case. Have to identify the remains, determine the cause of death, and then figure out the goings on for the property some 30 years before. That should give some clues about the victim. Walk in the park. 

The convoluted trail winds from Bruges to a prostitution ring for highly visible bastions of government and industry, laundered money, human trafficking, government coverups, and under the table reconstructive surgery. 

This is my second Van In book by Aspe, both of which are based in and around Bruges. It’s been a while since reading the first book and it took me a little while to get reacquainted with the characters and Aspe’s writing style. Didn't take long before I eagerly jumped in with both feet following Pieter and Hanna’s impending birth as well as Pieter’s investigation. He has the reputation as a top cop not above stepping beyond the bounds of legal investigation, even a simple version of waterboarding, to get the necessary information. 

Some of the best scenes are when Van In is questioning witnesses and suspects and would make terrific theater; think Tom Cruise vs. Jack Nicholson in A Few Good Men. Given TV and Hollywood’s fascination with mysteries by European authors, producers would be wise to consider the character of Pieter Van In. 

Take note, Hollywood.

From Bruges With Love is slated to be released in the US on July 7, 2015.

ECD

The Royal Wulff Murders by Keith McCafferty

Meet Sean Stranahan. Boston born. During and after college did some nominal work as a PI for a relative’s law firm. Got married, no kids. All that aside, his two true loves were painting water colors and fly fishing. When his marriage fell apart, he packed his bags and headed west finally settling in the Madison Valley of Montana. Home to some of the best trout fishing in the US as well as a sort of artist colony for practitioners of Western art. Sean’s front door in the Bridger Mountain Cultural Center lists ‘Blue Ribbon Water Colors (& Private Investigations).’

His new found friend is Rainbow Sam, a local fishing guide and all around colorful character, not to mention somewhat of an expert on something called whirling trout disease - killed much of the local trout population, but the numbers of fish are slowly returning. Sam’s current client has been hooking some good fish, but when he hooks a corpse, life in the Madison Valley changes abruptly.

Word gets around quickly, to put it mildly. Sam and Sean are having some beers and bar food at the local hotel’s pub, listening to a visiting woman playing standards on the piano. Shouldn’t be hard to guess who shows up to Sean’s studio/office/apt the next day. She goes by Velvet Lafayette, but her real name is Vareda (an interesting way to spell ‘femme fatal’) and she’s from Louisiana with an odd request.

He daddy had fished there frequently and he died on his last trip the year before.  As a catch-release fisherman, her daddy would cut a notch in the dorsal fin of his more memorable catches as some sort of a signature. Veered wanted to hire Sean to fish the nearby rivers and find one of those notched fish and scatter the ashes in the last pool he fished. Odd request, but getting paid to fish sounded good, so he took the job.

Sheriff Martha Ettinger is ready to tag the corpse as an accidental drowning. While the autopsy agreed with drowning as the cause of death, the water samples from the lung came from lake water, not from a running river. Then someone puts a slug into Rainbow Sam’s shoulder. 

Sean is still focused on finding that fishing pool with the notched trout, but darn near every time he turns around, something comes up about that fish disease, the drowned victim, a local fish hatchery, state fisheries politics, not to mention the influx of mostly west coast money and the McMansions built on the shores of all those wonderful trout streams. 

This is the debut book for McCafferty. Sean’s character is well developed and the dance between Sean, the Sheriff, Vereda, Rainbow Sam, and quite a colorful array of locals are as colorful as the local scenery. Don’t expect Sean to be Jack Reacher or Joe Pike of the Northern Rockies. He’s a down to earth guy trying to recover from a divorce by doing the two main things he loves: fish and paint. That PI thing is a sidelight that ends up taking over. Obviously, McCafferty is a fly fisherman and while I wouldn’t know, the fishing details sure do seem to be presented in accurate detail. Looks like there are 2 or 3 more Sean Stranahan books published. While not likely to break into my power rotation, it does add another author to my growing catalogue of ‘Western mysteries: CJ Box (Joe Pickett), Craig Johnson (Walt Longmire), Enes Smith (Cold River Reservation) and of course, the late great Tony Hillerman. McCafferty’s writing is a bit lighter in tone, but could well by in my 2nd tier of western authors. Perfect of a long haul flight. 

(for the uninitiated, like me. a Royal Wulff is a type of fly used by those who fish for trout. Looks like all of his book titles contain a reference to something related to fly fishing). 

ECD

Resolution by Denise Mina

Resolution is the final book in Denise Mina’s Garnethill trilogy, two of which received Notable Books of the Year awards from New York Times Book Review. Featured protagonist, Maureen O’Donnell is forced to deal with more than her share of misery.  Abused by her father and raised by her alcoholic mother, Maureen has become an alcoholic herself and sells contraband cigarettes to get by.  She had spent some time in therapy and her psychologist, Angus Ferrell had helped her until it was discovered he had raped several patients and murdered Maureen’s boyfriend.  Maureen is to be the star witness at Ferrell’s trial but Ferrell is threatening to kill her and her loved ones if she testifies against him.

Meanwhile, Maureen befriends an elderly woman, Ella McGee at the flea market where she works.  Maureen helps Ella file a complaint against her son over unpaid wages.  Ella ends up in the hospital severely beaten and unexpectedly dies.  Suspicious of Ella’s son, Maureen learns the son’s place of business is a brothel, staffed with Polish sex slaves.  With the police unwilling to investigate, she covertly devises a dangerous plot against the son to vindicate Ella’s death.

Maureen feels her world closing in around her.  Threats from Ferrell, contempt from Ella’s son, hatred of her own father, and fear of repercussions from some of her own illegal activity, Maureen’s only escape is through a bottle.  Can she survive this hopeless abyss?

Resolution is my first Denise Mina novel and probably my last.  I had great expectations for Mina’s work since I heard she is one of C.J. Box’s favorites.  But this particular book just didn’t do it for me.  First, I couldn’t relate to the characters and therefore did not find them likable.  They seemed to dwell on a problem but not take any action… just fret about it… seemingly endlessly.  Second, I thought Mina tried to tackle too many social issues without any resolution (ironically the title of the book.)  Sexual slavery, child abuse, alcoholism, multiple murders, doctor abuse of patients, and relationships in dysfunctional families seems a bit much to cover in a single novel.  Finally, the Scottish slang appropriately used in the Glasgow, lower middle class setting, was lost on me.  Many times I just didn’t get the meaning.  So, thanks to C.J. Box for the tip and attempting to broaden my scope of fiction writers but the experience for me was only a reminder of how narrow my tastes have become.

Green Hell

I’ve read at least 15 books by Ken Bruen, and his protagonist, Jack Taylor, may be my favorite character in all of the crime novel genre (i.e., better than Connelly’s Bosch, Burke’s Robicheaux, Box’s Pickett, Child’s Reacher, etc.) High praise, indeed. I thoroughly enjoyed this pre-publication read, Green Hell, and the book is due for release in July 2015. But, if you aren’t already familiar with Taylor, this is not the place to start.

Green Hell is in two parts. First, an author is trying to write a biography of Taylor, and in so doing, many of Jack’s earlier adventures are relived. But, the character who is writing the novel about Taylor, Boru Kennedy, is too fixated on the violence and drug/alcohol abuse which have plagued Taylor. I’ve always thought Taylor’s intermittent triumphs over his demons was one of the best parts of the stories. Bruen clearly writes with knowledge and compassion about the world of addictions, but his fictional biographer Kennedy does not capture that side of Jack.

The second part of the story is about Kennedy being accused of the murder of the man Jack is after, a college professor, Anthony De Burgo, who is not only bedding, but badly abusing his female college students. Of course, that idea is ridiculous, and before Kennedy can be cleared and released from jail, he commits suicide, thereby only adding fuel to the fire for Jack to deal with de Burgo. It’s Jack’s plan to “take him off the board.” This takes us to Emerald, the mysterious woman who is Jack’s female counterpart to violence. If I tell you more, I’d give away the plot, which is too good to reveal.

In summary, good stuff. Ken Bruen’s writing is unique and powerful. He remains one of my go-to guys, near the top of my power rotation of authors.

True Detectives by Jonathan Kellerman

True Detectives is a spinoff of Jonathan Kellerman’s popular Alex Delaware/ Milo Sturgis series.  Lead characters, Moses Reed and Aaron Fox are half-brothers but other than both being investigators, they could not be more different.  Moses is an ambitious LAPD homicide detective and Aaron is a high-end private detective.  Moses is down to earth, analytical, structured and disciplined… a rule follower whereas Aaron is more intuitive, impulsive, even flamboyant… a right brain thinker.  Consequently, they don’t get along at all but coincidently end up working the same case.

Caitlin Frostig, a Pepperdine college student has disappeared without a trace.  Moses has been assigned to the case for months but even with the help of his mentor, Lt. Milo Sturgis has developed no concrete leads.  Then, Caitlin’s father’s employer hires Aaron to find the young woman.  The rivalry between the brothers injects new life into the investigation.  Working independently and gradually building trust in one another, Moses and Aaron uncover some disturbing connections from Caitlin to another girl’s murder and to a dark Hollywood style underworld.  Caitlin’s seemingly straight arrow boyfriend has some suspicious associations to the entertainment industry and the seedy parasites that prey on its popular players.  Could the boyfriend have led his wholesome sweetheart over the edge to the dark side?  Could these associates of the boyfriend be involved in several other sinister crimes?

Moses Reed and Aaron Fox are welcome additions to Kellerman’s cast of characters.  Because these protagonists are fresh, Kellerman rightly devotes more effort to character development than in most of his more seasoned Delaware/ Sturgis novels.  But he maintains that feeling… that tension… that something very evil and disturbing is about to be discovered… the anticipation is excruciating.  This keeps Kellerman well positioned in my power rotation. 

Take Me with You

Warning, this book is way off our genre. Author Catherine Ryan Hyde wrote Pay It Forward, and this is another story about a surprising good deed, which eventually multiplies, but not without significant heart-wrenching hiccups along the way. August Shroeder is a high school science teacher from San Diego who is driving his RV to Yellowstone to bury some of the ashes of his 19-year-old son, Phillip, who was killed while his wife, Maggie, was driving. August and Maggie are both alcoholics. Her blood alcohol level was under the legal limit, but he noted she always had alcohol on board. He thought she should have looked left and right before she went through the intersection when another driver ran the red light and killed Phillip. It was the death of his son that got him to go to AA and stay sober for the last 19 months. Never able to forgive Maggie, by the time the trip began, they were divorced and August had 19 months of sobriety.

August always took the summer off to travel the country, and he Phillip had planned a trip to Yellowstone, and now August was doing it alone with the burial ashes in his glove box. But, his old RV broke down and the cost of the repairs were eating up the money he had left in his budget for the trip, so he was going to have to cut the trip short. But, the mechanic in the California desert town offered to do the job for free if August would agree to take his sons on the trip, because he was about to go to jail for 90 days on what he claimed was a check-kiting charge. Reluctantly, after seeing what good boys they were, August agreed. But the mechanic was an alcoholic and a liar – there’s a surprise. It was his 4^th DUI, not a check-kiting charge, and he was going to jail for six months.

12 year-old Seth and 7-year-old Henry were excited to get out of the little desert town that they never left before, and they were hungry for a relationship with a man who was sober. Given their dad’s continued drinking after he was released from prison, the ongoing relationship between the boys and August was difficult, but it did continue for many years. This is their story. The author obviously knows about AA and she presented that well, and she effectively captured the childhood trauma that is inflicted by having such an alcoholic parent.

Endangered by C.J. Box

Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett is investigating a remote field where a flock of sage grouse has been massacred.  Sage grouse are on the endangered species list and he knows the incident will attract federal authorities, not to mention his own ire.  He has not completed collecting evidence when the sheriff calls his cell phone.  Seems a young woman was found along the highway outside of Saddlestring… beaten, unconscious, and left to die.  Joe knows the woman is his eighteen year old adopted daughter, April.  Much to Joe’s and Marybeth’s (his wife) chagrin, April had run off the previous November with a local hellion and rodeo champion named Dallas Cates.  Dallas, his parents, and his two older brothers were constantly menacing on the fringe of the law.  In fact, Joe had sent one of the brothers to prison for hunting elk out of season, a serious crime in Wyoming.

Eldon and Brenda Cates, Dallas’ parents meet with the sheriff to dispel suspicion of Dallas in the crime.  They claim Dallas had been gored by a bull in his last rodeo and was physically unable to visit the sheriff’s office, let alone beat up April.  They claim April and Dallas had split as a couple some time ago.  Joe doesn’t buy their story until an anonymous tip identifies an eccentric survivalist, Tilden Cudmore as April’s abductor.

Meanwhile, Nate Romanowski, Joe’s outlaw pal is released from prison after agreeing to go straight and assist in capturing some bad guys.  But Nate is ambushed with shotguns on his first day of freedom and his lady friend disappears.  So for Joe the hunt is on… this is personal.  With his friend and his daughter in intensive care in a Billings, Montana hospital, Joe senses a connection between these crimes and possibly to the sage grouse massacre as well.  Joe will find who is responsible even if it kills him.

Endangered is the best Joe Pickett novel I’ve read.  Box creates a complex plot and masterfully reveals just enough information to sustain the anticipation.  Joe reacts just as you would expect… damn the torpedoes, full steam ahead.  I highly recommend this book.

C.J. Box included the St. Louis County Library as a stop on his book tour last month.  Decked out in cowboy boots and a black cowboy hat with a large feather in the brim, he personified the Wyoming gentleman cowboy.  He recently sold his Joe Pickett series to Robert Redford’s production company.  Intentions are to make each book a movie.  The Cassie Dewell character from The Highway, he has sold to David E. Kelly, the TV producer.  A new book, Badlands is due out in July featuring Cassie.  One other tidbit from his talk, Box’s favorite authors in his genre are John Sanford, Michael Connelly, and Denise Mina.  The first two are well represented in the MRB blog, Denise Mina will be soon.