#1503 The Poet by Michael Connelly

Michael Connelly published The Poet in 1996. He had already written four books about his great detective, Harry Bosch of the LAPD. Connelly went on to write at least 23 books about Bosch, and this was the first of three books about Jack McEvoy. McEvoy was a writer for Denver’s Rocky Mountain News, and he wrote about real murders. This story began with the murder of McEvoy’s twin brother, Sean, who was a Denver police homicide detective who was obsessed with solving the murder of a young boy which had occurred a few months before his own death. Initially, Sean’s death was attributed to suicide and his inability to come to grips with the mystery of the boy’s death, but it was Jack who was also obsessed with his brother’s death which he thought, despite the overwhelming evidence of suicide, that his brother would never have taken his own life. 

 

As McEvoy began his own investigation, he came to believe that his brother’s suicide had been faked by a serial killer who was targeting homicide detectives around the country. With the multi-state dimension of multiple murders, the FBI became involved, but since McEvoy was a writer, no one in law enforcement was willing to trust him. However, he does develop a love interest with a female FBI agent. The action moves quickly from Denver, to Florida, and then to L.A., all sites of more murders. 

 

This story was as dark as any that I remember from Connelly. My fellow reviewer East Coast Don remembers having read this book, but that was before we began this blog in 2009. (We recently wrote our 1,501^st post.) In addition to grisly murders, it was the description of terrible child pornography which could be ordered on the internet which took the story to it’s darkest moments. 

 

But keep in mind that Connelly is a master mystery writer, and this story is no exception. I literally could not put the book now. Even though I was looking for the storyline twists for which Connelly is famous, I was surprised once again where he took this story, double twists in the last pages of the novel. This dark novel was evidence of Connelly at his best. 27 years after it was published, this story still has legs. Although it was previously reviewed in the blog by ECD (with an A+ rating), I’m now going to read the second book in the series, The Scarecrow.

 

West Coast Don

#1502. Retribution by Robert McCaw

Retribution by Robert McCaw is the fifth book in a series about Koa Kane, the chief detective in Hilo, Hawaii. I’ve read them all, and you’re about to read a rave for this author. Retribution is the best and most sophisticated thriller of this series. While he started out with good stories and great characters in the earlier books, it is clear to this reviewer that McCaw just keeps getting better at his craft. While the novels could be stand alone, I’m glad I read them in order for the sake of following the character development of Kane and Nalani who is Kane’s young romantic partner who works as a Park Ranger in Volcanoes National Park.

 

In Retribution, there are a series of murders and attempted murders which seem to be unconnected. First there’s the murder of a young man. He’s killed with a knife which has the fingerprints of Kane’s younger brother, Ikaika. Then a sniper attempts to killed Makanui, Kane’s closest colleague. The attempt only failed because Makanui was wearing a bullet proof vest. There’s a second attempt on her life which also fails. More crimes continue and the overriding question becomes if and how these crimes are linked to Kane. Meanwhile, there is a great cast of bad guys. There’s corruption in the office of the mayor of Hilo and corruption in the police department itself. On the one hand his superiors seem to want Kane fired from his job, but on the other hand he’s needed because of his remarkable history of solving complicated crimes. Filipino terrorists have come to Hawaii with an intent to murder and torture Kane.

 

One of the other positives about McCaw’s work is his descriptions of native Hawaiian culture and the way they’ve been treated by their conquerors. As the result of reading these books, I have a better understanding of the ancient culture and a much better grasp of the geography of the beautiful islands. Bravo for McCaw, and I hope that he continues to write about these characters.

 

Remember, pay attention to the publisher. Another winner from Oceanview Publishing. 

 

WCD

#1501. Unnatural History by Jonathan Kellerman

Unnatural History is the 8^th Jonathan Kellerman novel reviewed in this blog about Dr. Alex Delaware, a clinical psychologist who is also a friend and crime solver with his best friend, Milo Sturgis, an LAPD homicide lieutenant. In this book, there’s been a murder of a young man, a photographer who is currently focused on LA’s homeless population. He also happens to be the son of a billionaire. The father, Victor Clement, has structured the oddest of family lives. He’s about to have his sixth child with his soon to be sixth wife. All of the marriages have been brief, and except for a few exceptions, the children have been kept isolated from one another. Victor’s new wives have never taken on the role of step mother to the younger children. While giving generous settlements with each divorce, Clement has had almost no ongoing contact with his children. He admits that he has “abdicated” paternal responsibility for them as he moves about the world on his own whims.

 

The youngest son, Donny, was in his 30s when he was murdered at his LA photography studio. There was a list of homeless people who he had photographed, none of whom this reader found to be particularly compelling. There was little emotional connection between the family members, so there was simply a real sense of loss among the surviving family members. There was a sometimes interesting detective process as the real killer was finally discovered.

 

Basically, while we’ve generally reviewed Kellerman’s novels with praise, this is not his best work, and it does not merit by own recommendation. I’ll be curious to see if Midwest Dave, a devout fan of Kellerman, feels differently about this novel. This one is scheduled for release on 2/7/23.

#1500. White Out by Dana King

Back in Penn’s River, PA. On the Appalachian side of Pittsburgh. PRPD has their share of crap to clean up and keep in line with Chief Sullivan (Sully) on the downhill slide to retirement. But he has a good, if kinda small, force. Mainly Detective Benjamin (‘Doc’ to everyone but a couple family members) Dougherty as a voice of reason in the House (the station) and on the street. Biggest employer in Penn’s River is the Casino that is set to host a $1 million poker tournament this coming Sunday.

Late February Monday in Penn’s River. Snowing, but nothing unusual or too bad. Trevor Boston is somewhat new to the force. While on his rounds about town, he takes a call about a dust-up at Fat Jimmies bar. Upon arrival, he finds the tail end of a fight at the pool table. Boston starts in taking statements. When he gets to Richard Johnson, one of the combatants, Boston quickly learns that Johnson doesn’t play well with Blacks. Turns out he’s a card-carrying member of Potentia Albus – a white supremacy outfit mostly headquartered in western PA. And he’s not going to allow Boston to touch him much less make an arrest.

Questions turn to raised voices turn to Johnson slapping Boston and running out the front door. Boston pursues. Pulls his sidearm as he carefully moves through the snowfall and trash. As he rounds a corner to the back of the bar, Johnson jumps out from behind a dumpster and Boston puts three bullets into him. Despite his best efforts at some first aid, Johnson dies is the debris-ridden slush behind the bar.

Sully sends Doc and other cops to the bar. Boston is of little help; too stunned at how things evolved so quickly. SOP for an officer-involved shooting is to place Boston on suspension, take his badge and gun, and call the PA state police to come in to do the IAB job that small-ish departments Penn’s River can’t do.

The word gets out. Fast. Black cop killed a white citizen. The spokesmen for Potentia Albus call in the true believers to attend Johnson’s funeral set for the coming Sunday and about 500 are expected. Sully knows he must get his force ready. Cancels all leave. Frees up overtime money. Doc is the boots-on-the-street commander who’s running logistics moving law enforcement units and personnel around town like pieces on a chessboard to keep brush fires from becoming a full blown nightmare. His army experience from tours to Afghanistan and Iraq come in handy.

And despite most all resources being devoted to the potential for a race riot, there still remains the usual Penn’s River issues like domestic calls, fights over a basketball game, Doc’s aging parents . . . and that damned poker tournament . . . all coming together right when mother nature decides that a foot or more fresh snow might be an appropriate accompaniment to the weekend's crowded calendar.

White Out in Dana King’s 8^th Penn’s River crime novel, this being the 3^rd that we’ve reviewed. Small-ish town police procedural told in a fine, straight forward, and colorful narrative. Dialogue is on point. Descriptive prose takes you right in the living rooms and the jail within the House. King has been nominated for a Shamus Award on multiple occasions. I’ve been remiss in waiting so long since my last visit to Penn’s River. Good stuff. Realistic small town police procedural. Think you’ll like it.

Published 26 July 2022. First learned about King from Charlie Stella, an MRB power rotation author. When Charlie speaks . . . ECD listens. He hasn’t steered us wrong yet.   

 

East Coast Don

 

#1499. Early Grave by Paul Levine

Seven of the 12 Jake Lassiter series have been reviewed at Men Reading Books, so you know we are fans of Paul Levine. Early Grave is the 12^th book In case you don’t know, Lassiter’s first career was as an NFL linebacker, and he was on the undefeated team in Miami in 1972. In his second career, he became a very successful attorney, but he led a hard life and had left his active practice to pursue a less stressful role as the head of the ethics group for Florida’s State Bar where he handed out fair justice to attorneys who had scammed their own clients, although his means of doing so was unconventional. By this time in his life, he was beginning to suffer from symptoms of CTE (chronic traumatic encephalitis) and his relationship with Melissa Gold, a neuropathologist, was in trouble. She happened to be an expert in CTE and was involved in ongoing research on the subject. Jake and Melissa were in therapy to save their relationship, and he was trying to grow out of his long-term and admittedly juvenile type of unsuccessful relationships.

 

Meanwhile, Jake’s godson suffered a horrific high school football injury in which Jake detected incompetence and over competitiveness of the successful coach, one who was sacrificing the safety of his players for victories. Tank Pittman was a former Dolphin teammate and the father of Rod who took a severe hit on the field at a time when he should not have been in the game. It was a life and death situation for Rod. Jake had forged the signature of Rod’s mother on the permission slip just so Rod could play, and after the injury, he felt appropriately guilty. Jake then decided to take on the legal challenge against the coach and Florida High School football. It was not Jake’s intent to abolish high school football, but it was his intent to interrupt it until the game could be made safe. But, he had never been involved in anything like the civil litigation that he wanted to pursue, and he sure looked to be in over his head.

 

Jake had to battle a corrupt judge and the Consortium, a secret organization that funded lawyers to fight against such lawsuits as Jake was bringing on Rod’s behalf. Rod’s parents were very unhappy that Jake did not accept the settlement that had been offered to him. In addition to CTE, Jake was also battling atrial fibrillation which was not well-controlled, and his medical conditions impacted the end of the trial and the end of this story. The courtroom drama was fantastic even if some of it was a bit unrealistic and might make my attorney friends somewhat uncomfortable – but it was still excellent drama. The title of the book might give you a clue to this story’s conclusion. I only hope that this is not the end of the Lassiter series – it’s too much fun for me to let go.

 

West Coast Don

#1498. Storm Watch by CJ Box

Can it really be? #23 in the Joe Pickett series? And we’ve reviewed most of them.

Wyoming Game Warden Joe Pickett has been called to track down an elk that was injured by a car and has wandered off on its three remaining good legs onto the Double Diamond ranch property. Not a duty Pickett likes because he must put the animal out of its misery.

A serious spring snowstorm has pelted the Big Horn mountains and while the snow makes tracking the elk easy, the knee-thigh deep snow is a challenge. He finds the animal near a heavy pine forest and sees what appears to be a car partially hidden by the snow.

It’s a four-wheeler, well taken care of, with a U Wyoming parking sticker. The trail is still navigable, so Joe follows to see if the owner needs assistance. What he finds is a large windowless, metal shed, and the driver is half in/half out of a ventilation fan, dead from the fan blades. Takes some crime scene photo before a couple shots ring out. Nothing more.

Pickett returns to his truck and phones it into the sheriff. The next day, a crime scene unit finds nothing. No car, no victim. No tracks (more snow). Pickett gets a call from his boss in Cheyenne that Governor Colten Allen wants to see Pickett now, snow be damned. Joe goes and is told in no uncertain terms to cease and desist any further investigation into the death of this university professor.

The death of the prof leads to a series of tentacles that include his mother-in-law, Nate Romanowski (of course) and Geronimo, a fellow falconer from Colorado, daughter Sheridan and her sometime boyfriend (the son of the DD Ranch foreman), a loosely knit clan of conspiracy theorists/secessionists and associated dirtbags, the FBI, former Governor Rulon, and a disabled FBI agent roaming around in an RV.

Yeah, convoluted.

But Box is a seasoned pro and he tells his tale with all the skill and grace we expect from him. His easy way of weaving a story is comfortable for his devotees, including the boys here at MRB.

Box is consistently a winner; another 5-star outing. If you’ve never read him, start anywhere. While there is some order to his books, most any can be a standalone. And if you haven’t been aware, Paramount+ streams a Joe Pickett series, the first season came out in 2021. Nice to watch if so you can put faces to the characters as you read.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance reader copy. Available 28 Feb 2023.

And for anyone out there taking notice, this represents our 1500th post to this blog. 

 

East Coast Don

#1497. The Blood of Patriots and Traitors by James Scott

Max Geller, part 2.

In The President’s Dossier (part 1), CIA operative Max Geller managed to find some pretty damning evidence that the newly elected president was in bed with the Russians. While finding the dirty pictures in Moscow, Max managed to piss of a highly placed CIA asset, rob a Russian bank (for a cool $5 million), kill a bunch of Russian agents, get bounced out of the CIA mostly for naught because the evidence never made it out of some file drawer.

Part 2 opens with Max and girlfriend Vanessa (also CIA) relaxing on a beach near Sydney. All’s well until a small hit squad opens fire. This doesn’t help Max’s disposition one bit. He wants to find out who outed his whereabouts. When he gets an audience with Rodney, his former boss at the Agency, the hit squad’s intentions are brushed aside.

Rodney needs Max. Now Max and Rodney aren’t chums after Rodney fired Max. An asset deep within the war planning arm of the Kremlin wants to defect and the only person he trusts with he and his wife is Max. As a war planner, ‘Rampart’ would be a prize worth winning. Problem is that the GRU/SVR/SUV, yadda yadda yadda wants Max for a very public trial and incarceration in the deepest hole the Kremlin can find. Max doesn’t think any plan has a good chance of success, but with a little arm twisting and a bit of blackmail, Max agrees to sneak back into Russia, contact Rampart, and then plan/execute an exfil to get Colonel and Mrs. Rampart out.

Two chases are underway. One is Max (and some ‘friends’) chasing freedom for Rampart. The other is the Russian state security people desperately wanting the catch Max. The chase goes all over NW Russian, Finland, Germany, Cyprus and ending in some creative solutions to multiple problems in DC. Some of the solutions devised by the Russians. Some by the CIA. Some by Max and friends. And plenty of people, Russian and US, wouldn’t find a deceased Max to be something to mourn over.

The President’s Dossier had quite the far-fetched, but entirely possible, plot line. Blood picks up shortly after Dossier ended. The key thing for me is that Scott outlines multiple duplicitous plans that generally seem quite possible (all except one involving the Washington Monument) that has Max stumbling over his own two left feet. Good thing his most important weapon is his ability think/decide/act quickly with or without any loss of life. The first half of the book is classic espionage – who’s thinking what, when might something happen or not, then what should be do or what might they do. When the chases begin, the plotting pace accelerates considerably. While the two books can be standalones, I might suggest that they be read in order.

I’m getting to be a broken record here. Publishers. Pay attention to a book's publisher. This is another winning thriller from Oceanview Publishing.

Thanks to NetGalley for making the advance reader copy available for review.

East Coast Don

 

 

#1496. No Plan B by Lee Child and Andrew Child

Jed, a 15yo kid in foster care somewhere in LA, learns that the father he never knew is soon to be released from prison in Mississippi and takes off on an ill-conceived cross-country trip.

Minerva Correctional is one of those new-fangled for-profit prisons designed to help inmates return to normalcy. Not to mention that they specialize in cleaning up the records of the wrongly convicted.

An arsonist-for-hire’s son has destroyed his liver through drug abuse. An off-the-radar group performed a transplant that failed. He’s on the prowl to destroy anyone involved in the supply chain of the diseased liver.

Angela St. Verain, bookkeeper, dies in Gerrardsville, CO. Suicide. Hit by a bus.

An accountant, this one in Winson, MS died the week before in a house fire. Apparently, he died while smoking in bed.

Jack Reacher saw the woman’s death. She didn’t step in front of the bus. She was pushed. Reacher takes off after the guy in the hoodie, corners him in an alley, ‘suggests’ the guy fess up. Checked out an envelope the guy pulled from the woman’s purse. Only thing he learns is Winson, MS and a photo.

Cops arrive. The detective interviews Reacher. Runs his name and is impressed by his record. Wants help. The detective says there has been another recent death. Ray, a local 40ish accountant, divorced and living next door to his ex-, died of a heart attack. His ex-, Hannah, discovered the body. Also a numbers guy, he was an obligatory exerciser who died of a heart attack. 

Suicide. Heart attack. Fell asleep smoking. Life sucks. Stuff happens.

All 3 cases are closed. No connection seen. Reacher checks up on the two Colorado deaths. Both had worked for Minerva Corrections. Some irregularities were found by the Winson victim (also a Minerva employee). He talked with Angela because the numbers didn't add up. Angela takes the data to Ray, a mentor to her. Now all three are dead. To find some justice for Angela, Reacher sets out for Winsom, MS. Ray’s ex-, Hannah, decides she wants justice for Ray so she grabs Ray’s truck and takes off driving Reacher to MS.

All roads lead to Winson. The CEO of the prison and his top subordinates do more than house and rehabilitate inmates. They get their pick of inmates, some of which are ne’er do wells that no one will miss. They also house some who have some medical experience, forgers, and anyone smart enough to follow directions while cooking. These hand-picked cons are housed apart from gen pop. Get extra privileges. The prison's feature activity is when they get wrongly convicted inmate acquitted. When this happens, the CEO puts on a big show for the publicity. And this week’s acquittal just happens to be none other than Jed’s father, neither of which knows the other. But their profit margin comes not from housing prisoners.

And the arsonist will be arriving the same day Reacher, Hannah, and Jed turnover the remaining puzzle pieces.

If Reacher’s involved, you should be able to guess what’s gonna happen when all these ingredients get shoved into the same pot. The CEO thought he knew how to take care of a homeless lug. 

Problem is, when confronted by Reacher, he has no plan B.

The MRB boys have been firmly in Reacher’s camp since we first started this blog way back when (’05? ’06?). Child delivers what his readers want. An alpha male who wanders around helping out those in trouble for no reason other than to do what’s right regardless of what the law says. Since daddy Child (Lee) retired, he’s been joined by son Andrew to carry on the Reacher saga. This is the 3^rd book written jointly. I thought that I could tell when a different Child was writing in the first book. Not anymore. I see the story as being a seamless effort by the two. The Childs continue to deliver what fans want. With 2 movies and 1 Prime series, there is no loss of subjects for more Reacher streams.

This one is a bit more complex than recent Reacher books what with multiple story lines finally intersecting in a typically Reacher-ish conclusion. Doesn't matter. It's a fast read. Got it from the library on Monday. Finished in on Friday. Not to mention I managed to read Plan B while being distracted by the World Cup – my true obsession.

East Coast Don

 

#1495. Total Empire by AJ Tata

Dateline: desert east of Dahkla, Morocco (it's a real place. I looked it up):

General Garrett Sinclair and team attempt to rescue an American being held hostage by some breakaway group in NW Africa. Dahkla is a hub of activity in what used to be Western Sahara, which has been annexed by Morocco. A land grab not universally recognized. 

Like most all clandestine rescues, the team hits a roadblock. Almost looks like the bad guys had been tipped. In the process of the rescue, Sinclair’s senior non-com, Sgt Major Sly Morgan, gets captured and is beheaded on the spot. By all appearances, Sgt Major Morgan had been targeted.

At the funeral back home in NC, Morgan’s daughter Zoey tells Garrett that her dad had been gathering intel in the area including notes about a meeting between governmental officials from the US, France, and China where the topic of discussion was the so-called China US Partnership (CUSP). While some agreements have been signed, mostly about China being transparent about its intentions in the region, the real reason for the partnership is the proverbial New World Order where China and the US establish a universal worldwide government (with China having plans on shouldering the US aside). Zoey is hot for revenge of her father’s executioner and disappears.

Garrett tries to alert the President (a childhood friend of the General) about the behind-the-scenes goals of CUSP and who is plotting behind the scenes. Plus, he's butting heads with the Secretaries of State, Defense, and the President’s staff advisors, all of whom favor this new world order. It’s bound to happen eventually so best be on board at the start. Sinclair wants to go after Zoey but is expressly told not to intervene. Why he isn't to go find her doesn't hold water.

Of course, loyalty to Sly Morgan and daughter Zoey take precedence resulting in the General’s teams reassembling to find Zoey wherever she is being held in the western Sahara. Upon learning that Sinclair headed back to Africa, the Sec’y Defense advises the President to cut off all support leaving Sinclair and team effectively in the dark with no resources.

What they find in the sands east of Dahkla are two separate but connected expeditions. One, mostly a diversion, is a treasure hunt for untold hidden wealth in an area called The Eye Of Africa (look that up, too) and possible proof of Atlantis. The other is the development of a Chinese base for land-based lasers that will be used to target orbiting hypersonic nuclear missiles. The idea is China launches these missiles/satellites into orbit. When a target is selected, the lasers signal and target the missiles for ground targets.And they aren't hesitant about using them.

Without Presidential direction, Sinclair realizes he has multiple tasks. First, find Zoey. Second, learn what he can about this Atlantis dig. Third, gather intel on the growing Chinese presence and their goals. Fourth, if anything happens, he’ll need to incapacitate the laser system. He, his Apache pilot, his team of about a half dozen loyal operatives, and, currently, the world’s best sniper, a Moroccan now have to plan on the fly to attack on multiple fronts. Walk in the park, right? If that isn't bad enough, the General also has to keep looking over his shoulder for DC-based interference.

The boys at MRB have reviewed one book by AJ Tata. It too was a bit outlandish. General Sinclair is a lead-from-the-front type, refusing to sit in a room watching satellite imagery of an ongoing op. As such, he’s considered a borderline rogue warrior who should be heading for retirement, not crawling through sand caves and engaging most anyone who doesn’t look like him or his handpicked team. 

This book (and I’m guessing his 14 other novels) have two things in common. Not much character development and plenty of slam bang action. And that’s fine. Tata has a huge readership, so the story arcs of his books are resonating with a considerable audience. As military actions books go, this one’s got a ton of action. Given Tata’s history in the military, the descriptions must be on point . . . if a bit over the top.

Thanks to the good folks at St Martin’s Press for making a review copy available on NetGalley.

Available March 21, 2023

East Coast Don

 

#1494. The Ferryman by Justin Cronin

The Ferryman by Justin Cronin is not from our blog’s usual murder mystery/thriller genre. Rather, this is a novel about a future society which has been created on three islands somewhere in an idyllic island setting. The mysterious founder of this culture was referred to as The Designer. The outside world is deteriorating, but this entire group is protected from that. The first and most important island is Prospero where people lead a mostly long and trouble-free life. It’s an intelligent and creative group. When the physical and psychological health of the citizens of Prospero begins to wear out, they are taken to the Nursery island where their bodies are conditioned, their memories are erased, and they are released to begin their lives anew.

 

The protagonist in the story is Proctor Bennett, and his story begins in his mid-teenage years when he is newly released from the Nursery, and at the dock of Prospera, he meets the people who have been designated as his parents. It’s an awkward awakening for him and his parents, but they eventually learn enough about one another to carry on. The relationship seems rather emotionless, more of something the parents just wanted to try out. Meanwhile the group who lives on the third island are the laborers, ordinary people who keep Prospera operating.

 

However, there is dissension building among the laborers about their station in life relative to the privileged life of those on Prospera. As he continues his education and ages, Proctor lands a job as the ferryman. He gathers the people who are ready for retirement, and he takes them back to the Nursery. Typically, the ferrying goes smoothly. The story is complicated by Proctor getting the assignment to take his father into retirement. His father is resistant to the usual process and slips his son a strange and brief message before he is forced onto the ferry. Also, Proctor is aware that his own level of functioning is rapidly deteriorating, and he is dreaming, something that is supposed to be impossible for Prospera people, a sign that they probably should be retired from service. With the note from his father and his dreams, as well as the social unrest of the laborers, Proctor wants to find out the truth about his supposed paradise.

 

I did finish this book, actually read it twice to see if I was missing something, but the dystopian future society just did not catch my interest, so I can’t give this novel a recommendation.

 West Coast Don

 

#1493. Desert Star by Michael Connelly

Desert Star by Michael Connelly is his latest book, most of which have been reviewed in this blog. We are fans of his writing. This is the fifth in the series of five books about Renee Ballard and Harry Bosch, and their attempts to solve murders. The set up for this story begins a year after Ballard quit the LAPD detectives in the face of numerous problems with the department. However, Ballard was a skilled detective that the department needed. Now there’s a new police chief who offered Ballard a deal she could not pass up – she could rebuild the cold case unit in the elite Robbery Homicide Division. The reopening was essentially sponsored by a councilman whose 16-year-old sister had been a murder victim of a crime that had never been solved. 

 

Meanwhile, although he had already retired, Bosch was still bothered by the unsolved case of the murder of a family. Bosch had continued to try to solve the case on his own, but he needed the tools of the LAPD to really pursue the matter, and Ballard offered him the chance to do that. However, with the political pressure of the councilman, Ballard was forced to get Bosch to work on that case, too. Bosch did not like that at all, but when Ballard got a “cold hit,” which connected the death of the sister to a similar crime, indicating that a a psychopathic killer had been at work in LA for years, Bosch got busy with that case, too. So, there were two murderers that Bosch and Ballard were pursuing.

 

The reader of Desert Star delivers what we’ve come to expect from Connelly – a great crime novel. Strong characters surround the main character, and rich dialogue ensues. It should not be a surprise that I give this one a 5-star rating. However, Connelly leaves us with the possibility that this could be the final Bosch novel, although Ballard and Bosch’s daughter Maddy (who is working her way up in the LAPD), are available subjects for Connelly to write about, and I hope he does.

 

West Coast Don

 

#1492. The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon is the first of four novels in a series called The Cemetery of Forgotten Books. The book was originally written in Spanish and was translated by Lucia Graves. The book was originally published in 2001 and the translation appeared three years later. At some time before the creation of our blog in 2009, I read two of those books, and I remember being enthralled with the plots as well as the rich language. I think I must have read the second book first (The Angel’s Game) which is actually a prequel and then The Shadow of the Wind, but that was long enough ago that I’m not sure. The books are really for bibliophiles who fall in love with their books as does the protagonist, Daniel Sempere. In the first book, Daniel is admitted by his father (a book shop owner) to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books in the heart of Barcelona, but it is a secret library that only a few know about. It is the charge of each patron of the library to choose one book which he will keep secret and hold dear to his soul. Daniel’s book was written by Julian Carax, but nearly all of his books have been destroyed and Daniel strikes out on a quest to discover who would do such a thing to the author he has come to love.

 

I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed this read although I slowed down from my usual reading pace just to revel in the richness of the words. There was a great cast of characters who I quickly learned to care about. However, the story did grow rather convoluted and long, so I was ready for it to end by the time the author brought the reader to that point. A murder mystery is wrapped into the story, and it’s a love story. Finally, it is a great travel book about Barcelona. I am tempted to return to visit the second book, but at the moment, my reading queue is much too long.

 

West Coast Don

 

#1491. Mercury Pictures Presents by Anthony Marra

This is one of those sweeping tales of a family’s tribulations over decades. Didn’t hurt that it is set (mostly) in the movie industry. Maria Laguna was born in Rome shortly before the outbreak of WWII. Father is a lawyer who is no fan of Il Duce. Once some subversive writing of his gets noticed by the secret police, he is imprisoned. Mom and Maria scrape by for a short time before emigrating to the US. Specifically, LA where Maria manages to become work her way up to become an associate producer for a 2^nd tier studio. Her mom isn’t a fan of her chosen vocation. The studio boss must testify in front on Congress. Her Asian boyfriend/actor can’t break through the stereotypes. And Maria must suffer the indignities of the studio system that is known for its misogyny, discrimination, type casting, its underworld connections and every other stereotype we’ve associated with LaLa Land.

I knew going in that this was a bit out of our typical story matter. Most of that description comes from the jacket blurb. Can’t remember who recommended this to me, but I reserved the book from our library. Pretty hefty volume at over 400 pages. The author has won numerous book awards (that I’d never heard of) and his vocabulary is through the roof. Way way way above my pay grade. 

I managed to get through about 75 pages at a tortoise pace that allowed me to check a dictionary almost every page. Some words I could figure out the meaning based on the context of the sentence/paragraph. Most I couldn’t. Only way I could’ve gone further was if I’d had the book on my Kindle so I could quickly determine a word’s meaning. As this is new (2022) and a hard copy, I just gave up. I’m sure this is a wonderfully ‘epic’ story with legions of fans that could end up multiple 'best of 2022' lists or be green lit as one of the 10+ episode shows that populate Netflix/Hulu/etc. Glowing reviews are all over the Internet.   

It’s just not my cup of tea.

ECD

#1490. Exposed – A Circle of the Red Lily Novel by Anna J. Stewart

Now this is an interesting mix of characters:

Riley Temple – freelance photographer/paparazzi . . . Owner of the Temple House (an apartment building where studios used to house contract actors, mostly women) . . . Lives with Moxie (great aunt, once a major player in the old studio system of Hollywood) . . . houses a colorful mix of women . . . In old downtown LA.

Detective Quinn Burton. 4^th generation cop . . . 10y as a homicide detective . . .  couple in his bloodline had risen to become Chief so the pressure is on for him to decide on his career path . . . partnered with newbie Wallace (not ‘Wally’).

Riley not only follows leads for to get photos of celebs, but she also has a hobby of finding old undeveloped film from repossessed storage lockers or pawn shops. Develops/prints them just because she finds it interesting. She gets this one roll from a pawn shop. Within minutes of leaving the shop, the owner and a homeless man who squats in the shop’s parking lot are found severely beaten or killed. She learns about this after tracking a starlet to a quiet hideaway. After rushing back to the pawnshop, someone tries to ransack her car while cops are working the scene.

Detective Burton is curious, obviously, but she quickly figures out that the rolls of film are in demand and says nothing. She returns home, develops/prints some of the photos only to discover that the photos are some sort of a snuff scene showing images of a woman bound, gagged, raped, and finally murdered. The rush is on to identify the victim and learn more about the circumstances of her death.

Burton knows Riley is hiding something and stays close. In the process of trying to pry bits of info out of Riley, we come to see that both Riley and Quinn are attracted to each other. The book becomes mostly a murder mystery with a trace of romance novel thrown in.

I’ll stop there. To say more would trigger a cascade of spoilers and we wouldn’t want that, would we. Suffice it to say, both stories are woven together tightly. I’m not a romance novel type, but I’m OK with this story line primarily because Riley and Quinn are just so dang likeable.

Doing a bit sleuthing myself, I learned that Stewart has 20 (20!) romance novels to her credit and in this book, her first foray into cop/crime themes (I assume. Haven’t looked at her other books), she has stretched well beyond her comfort zone. The romance part is entirely believable. The murder mystery and police procedural are deftly portrayed. I was entirely invested into both stories.

And here’s the only spoiler . . . This is but a prologue into a larger investigation about cults, murder, coverups, politics, and Hollywood. Lots of places for Riley/Quinn to explore in all that. And that’s story line I’ll want to follow.

Thanks to the good folks at NetGalley for making this book available. Just published 11/15/22. 

ECD

The President's Henchman by Joseph Flynn

Can’t count how many, but I seem to have read more than a couple books recently about the first female president. Here’s another.

President Patricia Darden Grant stepped into the national spotlight in Congress representing the ritzy northside Chicago suburbs. Before that she was a model and actress, so she wasn’t an unknown. She was married to Andy Grant, a wealthy philanthropist. Lots of old money in his family. But infertility had them childless in their lakeshore estate.

A few terms in, the issue that catapulted Patricia to the top of the Republican ticket was abortion. Being a moderate, her stance appealed to both red and blue voters. But the far, far-right wing Republicans of the populace weren’t as enthusiastic. The wife of a TV evangelist even threatened her. Telling Grant that she’d learn what it was like to lose someone close. The Grants amped up security around them and their home. Even had anti-assault barriers sunk into the lake bed off their shoreline. Worked fine until one evening, when Patricia was in Washington, Andy was seen in their 2^nd floor bedroom . Clear enough for a rocket propelled grenade fired from a boat took out the upper corner of the house. All those lakefront barriers were to guard against an assault, not a shoulder-fired grenade.

Local police, headed by Chief James McGill, and the FBI were able to convince a jury of the pastor’s wife’s guilt in the premeditated murder plan and she was convicted and imprisoned on death row. The pastor’s flock has a long memory. Not only about Patricia’s stance on abortion, but also towards Chief McGill and his chief investigator Margaret (Sweetie) Sweeney whose investigation and testimony sealed the deal.

In the months and years that followed Andy Grant’s murder, Patricia and McGill slowly became an item and eventually married. Grant was divorced with 3 kids ranging in age from 10 to 17. They live with their mother in Chicago area and the kids adore Patricia. These two blended families seem to get along quite well. Having the President in the family does have its perks.

When Patricia’s political star became transcendent, she was easily nominated and elected to be President. Much more than a pretty face. The sympathy vote didn’t hurt, either.

The nation now has ‘the first hubby’ to contend with. As a former police chief, he can’t see joining the DC social set and doing photo ops. With his wife’s OK, and the begrudging Secret Service going along, McGill sets himself up as a DC private investigator. You can bet his clientele will be well screened.

His first case is Chana Lochlan, part of the White House press corps and rising TV investigative journalist. She’s been receiving intimidating calls and notes. Not enough to involve the DC Metro police. But enough to think someone might be trying to use Chana’s White House access to get to the President.

One of the first military issues that Patricia must deal with involves an affair between USAF Colonel Carina Linberg (potentially the Air Force’s first female general) and Captain Dexter Cowan, a Naval officer in the Pentagon trying to add some stars to his shoulders. But he’s married, she's not. The case being investigated in adultery. A classic he said she said thing. A freshly minted OSI investigator, Air Force Captain Welborn Yates catches a doozy for his first case. Worrying that Pentagon brass might unduly pressure Capt Yates, President Grant has him assigned to be under her office. Pentagon ain’t happy about that.

Then there is Dr. Damon Todd. Civilian psychiatrist who seems to have worked out a way to modify personalities and manipulate his patients (subjects) to act how he pleases and remember nothing. Think of the technique as chemical hypnosis. Each ‘test’ so far is a success, some tests are even mildly humorous. Dr. Todd is trying to sell the CIA on his methods to ensure clandestine agents would effectively be immune to torture and divulge no secrets.

And if that wasn’t enough for President Grant and McGill to contend with, Cuba is acting up. And the pastor’s flock maintains a 24-hr vigil at the White House. The final straw is someone (church? Other?) threatens McGill’s children.

Flynn has a lot of balls in the air, right? And you know what? Despite the complexity of the intersecting plots, Flynn keeps everything heading towards interesting conclusions without getting all tangled up in plot details. To give all those plots the page space needed, this book is long, but not once did I even pay attention how much was left in the book. Sign of a seasoned writer.

But somehow, I ended with this book on my Kindle, so I assumed it was a recent release. Au  contraire. When I bothered to look, I was surprised to see this has a 2009 copyright and is the first (of 13) James McGill books. One per year and has maybe a half dozen titles prior to this book. Glad I stumbled onto this at book 1. Now I just must find more of these. A couple other Joseph Flynn books have been favorably reviewed here. I really liked this book and bet the series will be a ton of fun.

East Coast Don

Long Shadows by David Baldacci

It has been a year since I read a new David Baldacci novel, and Long Shadows is what you would expect, a well-written novel with a great plot line regarding murders and intrigue. Baldacci has had multiple books reviewed in this blog which have generally been reviewed favorably. Amos Decker is an FBI consultant who does not fit the typical FBI special agent mold. He won’t wear a tie, and he does not pull his punches when faced with a policy decision by a boss with whom he disagrees. While the FBI seems to want to get rid of this pain in the ass employee, the problem is that he keeps solving cases, maintaining a 100% conviction rate during his decades with the bureau. This is the seventh book in the Memory Man Series, so titled because of Decker’s perfect recall.

 

In Long Shadows, Decker has been sent to southern Florida to solve a case involving the murder of a female federal judge. Her body was found in her own home, and she had been butchered with multiple stab wounds. In the same house, there was also the corpse of her body guard who had curiously been hired privately by the judge rather than using the Department of Justice to provide her with security. Unlike the judge, the body guard had been shot.

 

Meanwhile, Decker was assigned a new partner, a young black woman named Frederica White who seemed to be the victim of racism in the department. Decker was famous for being difficult to work with and hard on his partners, so a scratchy relationship between Decker and White gradually evolved into a good working partnership. Both Decker and White were traumatized by the loss of a child.

 

It was Decker who thought the two murders which happened nearly at the same time might have actually been done by two separate murderers. The cast of characters involved the judge’s ex-husband, an attorney, and her 17 year old son who was a football phenomenon. The ex-husband, a horrible alcoholic, was obviously not over the loss of this relationship, but the son was his father’s alibi for the time of the deaths.

 

I didn’t see the end coming in this complex plot with many more wrinkles that I’ve reviewed here, and Baldacci was a pro at disguising the ending. There is a formulaic quality to this murder mystery, but the story is a good one and it still gets my strong recommendation.

 

West Coast Don

Wolf Trap by Connor Sullivan

President Angela Buchanan was just an inexperienced member of the House. But she and her husband had a vision. A Green vision. And when Bobby learned more about the potential of thorium molten salt reactors (it’s a real thing. Look it up) to replace fossil fuels, their political future took off. Other countries started following her lead and started building their own reactors. Being the elected member of the duo, Angela rode the wave into the political mainstream. Even to the point of people whispering that she’s the perfect candidate for a new green age. As her star blossomed, Bobby died suddenly of a heart attack. The resulting sympathy vote propelled her to the top of the ticket and then the White House.

Over her first 3 years in office, she continued to push the thorium initiative at home and abroad. Estimates that 7 reactors worldwide would effectively make fossil fuel a minor fuel source. President Buchanan put forth an international accord that would show which countries would follow her green plan. The first to publicly boast support came from an unexpected source – Saudi Arabia.

The current king is in failing health. The eldest son, a Kingdom fighter pilot, was killed maybe 8-10 years earlier when his jet was brought down by Iran. The next in line when the King finally dies, Raza bin Zaman, is a UK-educated moderate who doesn’t want to see the Kingdom lose its preeminence in the energy field. He and President Buchanan have formed a mighty alliance dedicated to getting the rest of the world on board. So far, around a dozen countries have joined in and dozens of others are lining up to sign the accord.

Brian Rhome is getting by driving a ski cat at a Montana ski resort. Once a group leader for the CIAs Ground Branch (the Agency’s paramilitary arm), Brian has become a recluse. When some intel on the leader of Al Qaeda Arabian Peninsula was deemed unreliable, Brian bullied his team into acting anyway. Brian’s entire team was wiped out in an ambush sending Brian into the mountains to deal with his emotions that are rapidly circling the drain.

Things are about to get interesting:

1.     Signing of the Green Accord will be broadcast internationally

2.     A Saudi strike force raids a Yemeni convoy transporting captured Saudi soldiers

3.     Ground Branch contacts Brian with rock solid intel that the AQAP leader (who led the extermination of his team) will be exposed at a wedding in Yemen.

4.     Not everyone in the US is as interested in the Green Accord as is the President

A complex, layered international plot is underway. A plot whose genesis dates to Reza’s brother’s death. If all the plans come together as planned, two outcomes will result. First, the Green Accord will be squashed. Second, the US and Iran, where tensions have always been on edge, will be in an all-out war.

In many fields, like sports and entertainment, there exists a pattern sometimes called a Sophomore Slump where an auspicious debut is followed by a less than spectacular 2^nd effort. Sullivan’s debut novel, 2021’s Sleeping Bear, was an out-of-the-park home run. When I learned (from our good friends at Emily Bestler Books) that Sullivan’s next book was due in the first quarter of 2023, I was both excited and a bit cautious (that sophomore slump thing). 

Have no fear. Sullivan’s 2^nd effort not only exceeds the quality, tension, and breathless pacing of Sleeping Bear, it grabs hold with a series of secondary plots, code names, back-stabbing and unforeseen twists that drags us through the White House, CIA, FBI, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Canada, and Switzerland before finally returning Rhome to the mountains of Montana.

Sullivan can no longer be thought of as a 1-time flash on the pan. With two solid, and I do mean solid, efforts, I’m adding Sullivan to my power rotation of must-read authors. Plan ahead for this one boys and girls. Set aside a few days when you won’t be disturbed. Hell, even if you are disturbed, you’ll probably shoo them away with a terse, ‘NOT NOW!’

Thanks again to the good folks at Emily Bestler Books and Atria Books for the advance reader copy. Made my day.

If you are interested, I close with one sad thought – It’s not available until March 14, 2023. That’s 4.5 months so mark your calendars.

ECD

Deadly Odds 5.0 by Allen Wyler

Although this is the first book reviewed in this blog by Allen Wyler, the author appears to be a fairly prolific writer. Deadly Odds 5.0 is the fifth book in the Deadly Odds series, and he has written several other series as well. The protagonist, Arnold Gold, quit his lifelong passion for gambling because his girlfriend, Rachel, demanded that he quit the thing that he loved and excelled, so if he wanted to continue the relationship with her. He had been living in Seattle, and he and Rachel, a dedicated nurse, agreed to move to Honolulu where Gold bought another home in Honolulu where they began living together, a first for them both. Having not read the earlier books in the series, it’s my assumption that Wyler developed that relationship over the course of the first four books. However, in this book Rachel had no redeeming features. All she did was complain about his work habits as he developed his own computer security company, which he loved doing but which he also said was an attempt to provide for both of them. She was nothing but an intolerant bitch and I just wanted to see Gold tell to get lost, and I won’t tell you if that happened in the course of this novel.

 

This book was a high-tech and hacker story, really a contest between Gold and his chief nemesis Ramesh Singh, about the strange phenomena of two startup companies in Seattle which showed great promise until they were on the verge of going public when seemingly credible information revealed both companies had hidden information from the public and their progress had been bogus. Both companies lost all standing, were not funded in their respective IPOs and ended up in bankruptcy. 

 

As the FBI investigated the companies’ failures, it was due to someone having shorted their purchases of the companies’ shares, so when they lost value, that led someone made a killing. All leads pointed directly to Carlos Lopez who loved his job and was oblivious to the shenanigans of which he was accused. He quickly sought legal advice with a firm that had previously relied on Gold to help them understand financial happenings in the dark web. The story advanced from trying to gather information to high tech sleuthing. Wyler presented a compelling cast of characters, good guys and bad guys, as well as some sexual tension between Gold and a woman he deemed to be an ideal hire to expand his operation, as well as between Gold and a woman lawyer at the firm for whom he was working. The plot was revealed in a timely manner and the end game of this book was very well conceived. 

 

I will be happy to read more of Wyler’s works.

 

West Coast Don