A Review of "Reese's Leap" [63]

Reeses's Leap by Darcy Scott
Published by: Maine Authors Publishing
Publication Date: March 23, 2013
Number of Pages: 216
ISBN: 978-1938883347

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You want to help a friend out, be a buddy, right?
Darren's son died a short time ago in a drug fueled accident and he has been having a very hard time dealing with it. So against his best judgement, Gil accompanies his friend out to Mistake Island, where Darren's girlfriend and several other woman are meeting for their annual girls week on the private island. No phones, no electrics, no bathrooms....just a lodge and some rustic out buildings, Adria Jackman's family summer retreat.

Gil and Darren planned to head back to the mainland that evening, until the dense fogged rolled in. Then one of the woman brings a man she met wandering the island to dinner, an ex-con named Pete, who started going on about how his brother was killed on the island two years ago, and he is out to figure out what happen.
Throw in some tales of dead sailors and mysterious treasure, a dead body that soon turns up, and the realization that they are all trapped, seemingly the prisoner of a madman, and a great story is underway on the rocky Maine coast!

This the second book in Scott's Island Mystery series, and it is a good follow up to the first, Matinicus.
I must say I totally enjoyed the first and this is a worthy, if less complicated, follow up. But worry not, this one can totally be read as a stand alone. I think if you do, you will want to go back and read the first because out hero, Gil Hodges, is a fabulous character. He is a botanist, a half-hearted professor, a hard drinker, a baseball lover and a man who has the absolutely worse luck in woman in the entire world. Not that he does not keep trying whenever he can. Soon, he is going to have to learn this lesson.

The setting on this deserted Maine island is also a winner for me. Yes, I love all things Maine coast, but add in the fascinating history some of these places have, going back centuries, and the hard working, hard living people that live among them and you have a great place for a rather violent thriller. No, these are not cozies, between the drinking and a splash of sex and any number of violent deaths, these books have a bit of an edge. Happily, we have good-hearted Gil as our guide. He is a smart guy, good to have around in an emergency, but maybe he needs to be a little more suspicious of people, especially beautiful women and start thinking with his Big Brain and not with his...well, I will leave that for you to fill in, since this is not an R-rated review.
And as a botanist, specializing on the flora of these coastal islands, rich and sometimes surprising diversity due largely to migrating birds and the seeds they leave behind, he lets us explore a side of these islands I was not really aware of a pleasant addition to the murder and mayhem.

It seems there is to be one more book in this trilogy...yes, since it will be a trilogy....Gil back in an adventure that will take him back to Matinicus and I must say, I can not wait!

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 DARCY SCOTT is a live-aboard sailor and experienced ocean cruiser who’s sailed to Grenada and back on a whim, island-hopped through the Caribbean, and been struck by lightning in the middle of the Gulf Stream. Her favorite cruising ground remains the coast of Maine, however, and her appreciation of the history and rugged beauty of its sparsely populated out-islands serves as inspiration for her Maine Island Mystery Series, which includes 2012’s award-winning "Matinicus" and the newly released "Reese’s Leap." Book three, "Ragged Island," is currently in the works. Her debut novel, "Hunter Huntress," was published in June, 2010 by Snowbooks, Ltd., UK.


Be sure to check out the other virtual tour stops
from the Partners in Crime Virtual Tour for other
reviews and a chance to check out a great excerpt!

A Review of "Night Film" [62]

Night Film by Marisha Pessl

Random House, ISBN 978-1400067886

August 20, 2103, 624 pages.

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On a damp October night, beautiful young Ashley Cordova is found dead in an abandoned warehouse in lower Manhattan. Though her death is ruled a suicide, veteran investigative journalist Scott McGrath suspects otherwise. As he probes the strange circumstances surrounding Ashley’s life and death, McGrath comes face-to-face with the legacy of her father: the legendary, reclusive cult-horror-film director Stanislas Cordova—a man who hasn’t been seen in public for more than thirty years.

For McGrath, another death connected to this seemingly cursed family dynasty seems more than just a coincidence. Though much has been written about Cordova’s dark and unsettling films, very little is known about the man himself.
Driven by revenge, curiosity, and a need for the truth, McGrath, with the aid of two strangers, is drawn deeper and deeper into Cordova’s eerie, hypnotic world
The last time he got close to exposing the director, McGrath lost his marriage and his career. This time he might lose even more.

What to say about this great big book?
First, I ended up spending way too much time reading it.
But still, not as much as the author wanted.

It got off to a great start, grabbed me and pulled me into it's world. The author was a great talent for quickly creating a very creepy atmosphere, even though at this point, not a great deal of a creepy vein has actually taken place.
Don't worry, the really creepy, real or not is the question, is yet to come.
McGrath stars on his investigation, shortly joined by too young people, the rather mysterious Hopper, who, it turns out, knew Ashley from their time years ago, at one of those tough love wilderness camps for troubled teens. Seems that did not work for either of them. Then we have the more charming Nora, who latches on because she needs a place to live. Honestly, neither ends up very helpful or reliable and if are going to venture into the madness that McGrath does, you need someone reliable helping out.

But then the book fell into the very long, rather pointless middle section, a boring, series of road trips of discovery, long and short, that could have been drastically cut. Drastically.
I put the book down. I read a few pages. I put it down..I read a few more.
Finally, finally, the reader emerges, for what turns out to be a quite clever and interesting ending.
But by then I had almost lost heart.
And the desire to go on.

You may read a lot about this book in the press. It is full of all this non-bookish stuff, clippings from newspaper and magazine articles, photos, screen shoots from the secret Cordova web site, The Blackboards. I have read that in the finished book there will be links dotted throughout to web pages to explore, and as is only fitting since the book is already in production as a movie, the author has actually written scripts for all of Cordova's movies that are mentioned.
Really?

Was six hundred plus pages not enough?
Now I am suppose to spend additional hours explores the web?
Hey, I have other books to read you know!
The author, it seems, is trying to create something that is beyond a book, a mixed media..thing..and IHMO, ends up being too clever for her..and the book's..own good. Without question, she is very talented. If she were not, I would not be so disappointed at the miss. But sometimes talent needs to be restrained from throwing everything into the pot in order to end up with a successful dish. Looking to be something else, she missed at first creating a really good book and ended up with one that is attention getting but for this reader, less than fully successful.

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My thanks to the publisher and Library Thing Early Reviewers for a review copy of this book.

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Review of "The Beast" [61]

Book Details

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Published by: Harper Collins/ William Morrow

 Publication Date: August 6, 2013

Number of Pages: 384

ISBN: 9780062121752

Purchase Links:    

"Throughout his years with the LAPD, Peter Decker has handled a number of tough cases and strange killers. But few of his previous assignments compare to his latest case—the most bizarre of his storied career.

When Hobart Penny is found dead in his apartment, the cops think that his pet cat—an adult female tiger—attacked the reclusive elderly billionaire. But it soon becomes clear that the beast that killed the eccentric inventor is all too human. Digging into the victim's life, Decker and his colleagues, Detectives Marge Dunn and Scott Oliver, discover that Penny was an exceptionally peculiar man with exotic tastes, including kinky sex with call girls.

 Following a trail of clues that leads from a wildlife sanctuary in the San Bernardino Mountains to the wild nightlife of Las Vegas, the LAPD detectives are left juggling too many suspects and too few answers. To break open a case involving the two most primal instincts—sex and murder—Decker wrestles with a difficult choice."

Follow the money...isn't that what they say? Especially if your murder victim is a very rich and, it's seems, a very nasty man. And as promised we have a large and interesting group of suspects. A very rich and slightly odd ex-wife who seems to have a few secrets, a couple of grown children, who to various degrees, hated their father. Then there is the director of a wildlife refuge who is very, very interested to see if her group is in the will and maybe just a little too desperate for cash. Then, when the dead man's very sorted past..and present..is revealed, a whole new reasons for some people to want him death come to light.

Granted, the murder, what with the tiger in an apartment and all, is a bit over the top. But if you can suspend your disbelief long enough to believe that someone could keep wild animals in a city apartment it is a fun read..and in reality it seems to happen at least once a year in New York City that they find someone keeping a lion in their efficiency apartment!

This is the 21st book in this series, and I must admit, I do not believe I have read any of them before. Which led to two issues for me with this book, one small and one a bit bigger. This is billed as a Decker and Lazarus and it took me awhile to realize who the Lazarus half of that equation was, Decker's now stay at home wife. She plays a small role in this installment, too small a role, apart from asking if anyone wants something to eat and a little parenting of their piano prodigy foster son.
The 17 year old foster son and his romance with a 16 year old girl is the second problem. Yes, since I did not read the previous book, I don't know their history together but still I think too much time was given to that story line to the detriment of the main plot.

All in all, a fun summer read, that I am sure fans of the series will be looking forward too.
And another series that I need to go back to the beginning of, because Decker and Lazarus are appealing characters.
But 20 books! Where to find the time?

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Review of "The Cuckoo's Calling" [60]

The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith
Mulholland Books, ISBN 978-0316206846
April 30, 2102, 464 pages

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Cormoran Strike has had better days.
He has broken up with his posh, rich girlfriend, is a bit broken hearted and finds himself homeless as well, since he had moved in with her. His business as a private detective is going down the drain and a large part of his day involves trying to avoid calls from the man who holds the loan he cannot pay. Then he arrives at his rather seedy office to find that the temp agency has sent another secretary, who he also cannot afford to pay. Not to mention the constant pain from the prosthetic leg due to his war injury by a land mine in Afghanistan.

But things take a decided turn for the better up when a new client walks in the door. He is a wealthy man, the adopted son of a well known family whose sister, Lula Landry, a very and very rich supermodel supposedly killed herself 3 months ago, jumping from her apartment balcony. But the brother does not believe that is what happened and is willing to pay Cormoran several times his normal rate, with a big advance, to find out the truth.

OK, so now Cormoran can afford to keep that secretary, Robin, which is a very good thing, for the investigation and for the book. See, it has always been Robin’s secret dream to be a PI and this may be her one chance to fulfill that dream as she interviews for some "real jobs". She is very clever in her own right, adding a balance of finesse to Cormoran's rather hulking presence. She is the Dr. Watson to his Sherlock, an excellent team that I hope we will see again.

Of course, I am sure you have heard that the real author of this book is no other than the very famous JK Rowling. That would make no difference to me, not being a fan of her previous work, if only because I never read them. Either way, I would still have very much liked this book and would recommend it.

The characters, especially Cormoran and Robin are very good, and their interaction is great fun. Not that Robin's rather prissy fiancé agrees. But many of the secondary characters are very good as well, painting an interesting view of the whole paparazzi/club scene/super model/fashion world. And yet, for the entire very modern scene, it is a book that has a rather old-fashioned feel. I would forget at first that Cormoran was a vet of a very present day conflict. Cormoran could easily have been an injured soldier coming home from WWI or WWII. I read that Rowlings is a great fan of the earlier classic mysteries of Agatha Christie and Dorothy L Sayers and wanted to write a book in that style. If so, she certainly succeeds, along with adding a very modern touch, a fair bit of humor, and a no doubt personal understand of the danger of fame and success.

A well written, well plotted, quite enjoyable 'debut' mystery, that I certainly hope is the first in a series.

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Review of "Eva's Eye" [59]

Eva's Eye by Karin Fossum
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, ISBN
8/6/2013, 36 pages

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A mother, Eva, and her daughter walk along the river and ,shockingly, come upon the body of a man in the water. Except the woman does not seem that shocked, and only pretends to call the police to report what they saw to placate her daughter.
How very odd.

Of course, someone else reports the body and the dead man is soon identified as Egil, a brewery worker who disappeared four months ago after he had gone out to sell his car to a mysterious buyer. And how odd that Eva was also childhood friends with another woman that was found dead in her apartment, murdered, just days before the man who was found floating disappeared. Also, what is it with her daughter's frequent comments about how they are now financially better off than they were a short time ago.
Any fan of good mysteries does not believe in coincidences and neither does a good detective like Inspector Sejer.

I have read several of the books in the Inspector Sejer series, but I must say this one, the first, at last translated and published in English, made more of an impression than some of the others.Yes, it is a bit of a pet peeve of mine, these series being translated out of order...
Happily now, readers can now start at the beginning and be introduced to Sejer properly, because this is a fine place to start. We find out how his beloved wife died, how his daughter just returned from Africa with her husband and a new grandson. He met his doggie and go skydiving with him, an interesting hobby.

In many ways this is a low key book, small facts being gradually revealed, connections becoming obvious, all moving to what is a rather sad but inevitable ending. Sejer is a man that understands such things. He is a very solid and believable man, someone you trust as the reader to do the best that can be done and yet allow justice to prevail.
Personally, I am off to check out some others in the series that I have missed.

A solid, well written, very enjoyable mystery.

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My thanks to Amazon Vine and the publisher for providing a review copy of this book.

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Review of "6 Ingredient Solution" [58]

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6 Ingredient Solution 

by the Editors at America's Test Kitchen

Boston Common Press, ISBN 978-1936493449

August 1, 2013, 328 pages

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Oh boy, my friends at America's Test Kitchen have a new cookbook out and I got my hands on a copy! So what is this one about?

"How to Coax More Flavors from Fewer Ingredients

Think it takes more than a handful of ingredients to get a hearty chicken soup, Sunday dinner-worthy roast beef, or robustly flavored spaghetti and meatballs on the table? Think again. The test cooks at America's Test Kitchen tackled a new challenge with this collection of 175+ fuss-free recipes that slash the shopping list but deliver the big flavor you'd expect. We put our ingredients to work and revamped cooking methods for everything from starters and soups to braises, casseroles, pastas, and desserts--without losing any of the flavor."

How will they achieve great recipes with just six ingredients? Well, they are a number of key points. Look Beyond the Usual Cooking Fats...like using coconut milk to fry in.
Use High Heat to Develop Flavor...searing and browning add great flavor.
Stock Up on Spice Blends..and add some new ones to your pantry like 5 Spice or herbes de Provence.
Unlock the flavors of Spices and Herbs...by, for examples, heating them in a little oil.
Discover New Uses for Store-Bought Sauces..store made pesto or BBQ to name just two.
Build Glazes for Meat with Jams and Jellies...fig jam on a pork roast or hot pepper jelly on chicken!
Rethink Pickles and Marinated Vegetables...jarred roasted peppers, Giadiniera and stuffed cherry peppers appear in several recipe. Easy and full of flavor.
Explore the International Aisle...think outside the box with curry paste or oyster sauce and many other suggestions.
Consider the Snack Shelf When Cooking...baked cheese sticks crushed as a coating for fish or chicken..crushed cookies to make a quick trifle, to name just a few.

This book is full of great, interesting recipes, from easy appetizers to quick desserts, and in between, casseroles, soups, grilled items, a big pasta section, lots of chicken, beef and pork and a nice section of vegetarian mains dishes which even tempted this carnivore. And every one with just 6 ingredients.

As always with ATK books, there are lots of great photos and the ever helpful "Why this recipe works" intro to each recipe, along with lots of tips and product recommendations. 
So which recipe to make first?
There are so many...the Hearty Italian Chicken Soup with Kale and Gnocchi looks so good in the photo. That added pesto sounds like a great idea. Or how about Braised Beef with Red Wine and Cherries...yum. You get the idea...these are not Plain Jane dishes just because they have only 6 ingredients.

So I picked something a little spicy..

Spicy Pork Tacos with Pineapple Salsa

• 9 ozs. fresh peeled and cored pineapple
• 1 small red onion
• Fresh cilantro
• 1 (10 oz) can Rotel Diced Tomatoes and Green Chilies
• 1 lb. ground pork
• 8 Store bought taco shells (old El Paso brand recommend by ATK)

Cut 6 ozs. of the pineapple into 1/4 inch pieces and coarsely chop the remaining 3 ozs.
Finely chop the red onion and mince a 1/4 cup cilantro. Toss the finely diced pineapple, half the onion and the cilantro in a bowl and season with salt and pepper.

Process the tomatoes with their juice and the coarsely chopped pineapple in food processor until smooth, about 15 seconds. Cook the remaining onions and the pork together i a 12 inch pan over medium high heat until pork is no longer raw, about five minutes. Stir in the tomato sauce and simmer until thickened, 8-10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Warm taco shells as directed on package. Divide pork mixture evenly among taco shells and to with pineapple salsa. 

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This one was a winner, quick, easy, full of flavor and very popular with the folks! Of course, the key is the spicy Rotel tomatoes that add a big punch of flavor and a nice bit of heat. Paired with the sweet salsa and the fresh kick of cilantro it was excellent.
I doubled the recipe...so I could have some left over for my lunch this weekend..lol. And I should mention that I used ground turkey instead of pork. It was on sale! I am not usually too fond of ground turkey but with this sauce it was very good. Beef, pork or turkey..I think all would work just fine.
I also added a squeeze of lime to the salsa, because I had a lime on the counter. So maybe my version was 6 and 1/2 ingredients. As you can see, I served it with some rice with black beans. And there is that lime again....
Very good, from a very good new cookbook, and a recipe I will certainly be making again soon.
And I have so many more in this book to try.

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This is my contribution this to this week's Weekend Cooking.
"Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend."
Be sure to check out the other entries this week. As always, hosted by Beth Fish Reads.

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Review of " Let Me Go" [57]

Let Me Go (Archie Sheridan & Gretchen Lowell) by Chelsea Cain
Minotaur Books, ISBN 978-0312619817
August 13, 2013, 368 pages

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"Detective Archie Sheridan just has to get through the next few days, then his birthday and Halloween will be over. But with escaped serial killer Gretchen Lowell on the loose, the investigation into the murder of a DEA agent demanding his attention, and journalist Susan Ward showing up at his apartment needing a favor, it’s going to be a long weekend.

Soon Archie finds himself crashing a masked ball on a private island owned by Jack Reynolds, a notorious local drug kingpin. By morning, Archie is back on pain killers, a guest is dead and Archie quickly realizes that little is what it seems. One thing is clear: Gretchen is back, and Archie’s nemesis and sometimes lover has something special in mind for the birthday boy, something she’s been planning for a long, long time."

Have you read the other 5 books in the Gretchen Lowell/Archie Sheridan series?
Well, if you like creepy..think a female Hannibal Lecter maybe...well written, great characters, this is a great series and this is a worthy addition to the group.
Yes, once again Gretchen is on the loose, a few dead bodies in her wake, and the strange relationship between her and Archie continues. For me, this is the key to this series. She is evil, beautiful and smart and even funny. And evil. And even though in an earlier book Archie was one of her victim and still suffers from results of the terrible torture she subjected him to, they have a connection that is hard to explain. Yet oddly believable.
Well, she did leave him a great, cute dog at least last time. I love a great dog character!

This time the odd relationship continues, as does Archie on again/off again friendship/maybe more with the quirky reporter Susan Ward. Talk about the anti-Gretchen. Yet when Archie's life is in danger, both of his 'girls' will be looking to help him out, each in their own way.
Archie is still battling his demons, including one bad addiction to pain killers, but happily he has his act a bit more in order than when last we saw him. Flawed enough, but at least able to work.

This is a series that should be read in order. These relationships have developed through each book and you really need to understand that to appreciate the relationships. I will say this one is not the most creepy of the group. And maybe not the best. That goes to the book in which Archie is tortured. And the ending in this one did stretch believability a bit too much. Gretchen is on the verge of turning into an evil Super Hero, able to leap all building...you get the idea.
I will also warn you that there are a few sex scenes that could best be described as kinky and a good deal of bloody violence.
But for fans of the series this is a must read.

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My thanks to the publisher and Amazon Vine for providing a review copy.

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Review of "The Ghost Trap" [56]

The Ghost Trap by K. Stephens 
Leapfrog Press, ISBN 978-0981514871
September 1, 2009, 327 pages

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Many of us have slightly romantic ideas of Maine..and no, you are not going to take mine away from me.
But we know the reality, like the reality of every place, is a little different.


Lobstering is a hard life, a hard way to make a living. There is the weather, often harsh, the work, back breaking and dangerous. The prices may fall, or the lobsters disappear, but the bills are still due. The boat needs repairs, your friend gets arrested, the lifelong fights with your father go on and on. And there are the trap wars, going back generations, agreements about who can put their traps where, with those that try to push the limits ending up with their gear at the bottom of the ocean..or worse.

But this is Jamie Eugley's life, like his father and his father before him. He is a lobsterman and things are hard.
I will warn you, from the beginning you know this story can not have a happy ending.
Jamie has not only the daily grind of the work and the sometimes careful dance of dealing with his friends and family and his neighbors, but he also has taken on himself the burden of caring for his brain injured girlfriend Anja.

He feels responsible for the accident that caused her injury...it will be well into the book when we find out what happened and you can decide yourself how much guilt he should bear...and has taken care of her though the last three years of her painstakingly slow recovery. Perhaps a tiny part of him hopes that someday the beautiful young school teacher, the talented artist he was about to propose to will return, hidden now in the almost child-like Anja he cares for. Maybe the saddest part of the books are our views into Anja thoughts, her own glimpses of clarity, the relentless return of the fog that clouds her days.
Jamie is a loyal man, but as the pressures of work build, as he meets Happy Klein, a mate on a tourist schooner up from Key West for the summer, he dares to glimpse another future, away from his history, away from his responsibilities. But to grasp at it he will have to abandon who he believes he is...and who we come to believe he is.

But hold on, I don't want to paint too grim a picture here. At times the book is very funny, some of Jamie's friends quite amusing. It is a gritty life, with ways too many DUIs, maybe because the local bar is their one refuge but one and all, they are a great cast of characters. I particularly enjoyed the description of a trip up the coast a bit that Jamie takes with one of his friends to a party in Camden. It brilliantly shows us the differences in the worlds of the natives vs. the privileged summer folk, quite entertaining.
Stephens, for whom this is her debut novel, has a excellent ear and the dialogue, as in all of the book, is spot on.

These characters will be so real to you, the story so authentic, you will be on the edge of your seat hoping against hope that somehow it will all work our happily for everyone, yet knowing it can not.
Personally, I could not put it down, reading it straight through in one day. The ending is just a little heartbreaking, yes. But you will just have to know how it will all play out, so you will happily read on..and maybe shed a few tears at the ending.

Excellent book, highly recommended.

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My thanks to the author for providing a copy in hope of a review.

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Review of "The Highway" [55]

The Highway by C.J. Box
Minotaur Books, ISBN 978-0312583200
July 30, 2013, 400 pages

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There is a world out there, one which many of us never give a second thought to. It is the world of the long distance trucker...hour after hour, day after day, spent alone in the cab of their trucks, with stops for the essentials at the truck stops dotting our highways. Fuel, food, a shower, and for some, maybe some female companionship in the form of the prostitutes that prowl the idling trucks, the 'lot lizards'. But a few of these men are looking for something else at those stops, victims for their horrible crimes, victims no one will miss. And as the book opens we meet one particularry nasty example of these horrible men. He thinks of himself as the Lizard King, and he see himself as king of the road and king of the woman he drugs and kidnaps, abuses and finally kills.

Into this world, drives two sisters, 18 years old Danielle and her luckily more sensible sister 16 year old Gracie. They are supposing to be driving from home in Denver to visit their father in Omaha for thanksgiving, but Danielle has other plans. She is taking a detour to go visit her boyfriend Justin Hoyt in Montana, unknown to her parents, Justin or even her sister until it is too late. She ignored that 'check engine' light for hours, drove off the main highway to avoid a road blocked by an accident, and worse of all, attracted the attention of the Lizard King. When their car finally breaks down, in a canyon with no cell reception, their worse fear is that they will be late arriving at Justin's. then they see that big black peterbilt truck coming up the road, and at least the one of them with any sense knows things are about to get much much worse.

Justin's father, officer Cody Hoyt, is having a bad day too. His partner Cassie has been forced to spy on him and found evidence of wrongdoing that allowed the sheriff, never a fan, to fire him. Feeling very sorry for himself, several years of sobriety go down the drain that night, so when his son comes looking for his help to find the girls, he is not in the best of conditions. Still Cody not at his best is better than most, and with Cassie's help he is off on the their trail...and a horror he can only begins to imagine. Still, he had not been so hungover he might have been more alert to the danger he was walking into. When Cody too disappears, Cassie is on her own, to find the girl and to save her partner.

I have read a few of Box's other books, but they were the ones in his award winning Joe Pickett series and I did not read the previous Cody book, Back of Beyond. Once again we are out in the wild and rather empty west, but this time the view is much darker, much more gritty. It almost reminded me of an episode of the TV series criminal Minds, dark and scary and a bit gruesome. Here are not many people here to like, to identify with, because one is more evil and repulsive than the next. That is, with the exception of Cassie Dewell, a widow, a single mom, and a strong, smart woman working to overcome all the misogynistic men surrounding her, someone who I hope we will see again in the future. then there is Gracie, a great young girl, a great character with so e of the best dialogue of the book. Which is saying so etching because the dialogue in this book is very good. Grace under pressure indeed!

As I said, I will warn you, this is a dark book. No rainbows and puppies here, just some examples of the worse, more scary sort of people out there. What is maybe the scariest is that some of them are not people you might suspect. And all too believable. And I must say I will never pull into a truck stop on my of my road trips in quite the same frame of mind again. The talk about FBI xxxx who are looking into disappearing woman, looking for suspects among the nations road warriors was a little eye opening. But , that being said, it is not a violent book really. No most of the violence takes place off screen happily or I might have call it quits. Even I , an admitted serial killer fan, can only take so much and I have a bit of an issue with these books with victimized young women..happily, here the hero is also a woman, that equalizes things a bit. An intense, scary thriller, maybe not for the faint of heart, but if that is your cuppa tea, this one will certainly grab your attention.

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My thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy of this book.

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Review of "Countdown City" [54]

Countdown City: The Last Policeman Book II by Ben H. Winters
Quirk Books, ISBN 978-1594746260
July 16, 2013, 320 pages

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If the world were going to end in a few weeks, 77 days to be precise, what would you do?
Run off and do something you always wanted to do like learn to surf or have an affair or see the Pacific Ocean?
Or end it yourself before the giant asteroid on it's inevitable path, hurtling toward Earth, has the chance to?
Or perhaps, like former police detective Hank Palace, your just try to keep on doing your job.

Former job, because in this new, shortly to end world the government doesn't see a role for solving crime. No, the only police left are the para-military, now under the auspices of the Justice Department who are just trying to keep, not too successfully, some degree of public order.

But when someone from Hanks past, his former childhood babysitter, comes to him, heartbroken, comes to him, he can not say no. Her husband, who promises to stay by her side until the end, has disappeared and Hank take the job and try and track him down.

"Brett Cavatone disappeared without a trace—an easy feat in a world with no phones, no cars, and no way to tell whether someone’s gone “bucket list” or just gone. With society falling to shambles, Hank pieces together what few clues he can, on a search that leads him from a college-campus-turned-anarchist-encampment to a crumbling coastal landscape where anti-immigrant militia fend off “impact zone” refugees."

Perhaps the highest praise I can give this book is for all the entertainment value of a good "whodunnit", I found this book quite disturbing. Yes, parts of it are grim, society breaking down, people attacking others, but not horrible in anyway. No, the scary part is how ordinary, how believable it all is. Food become scarce because no one is working on the farms, driving the truck. No one to come to your aid when someone is breaking into your house, except the gun you hid when the government tried to take them all away to preserve 'order'. No electricity, no phones, but the real fear, and rightfully so, is what will happen when the water from the taps stops flowing.
So why does Hank go off on this quest?

"Because a promise is a promise...and civilization is just a bunch of promises, that's all it is. A mortgage, a wedding vow, a promise to obey the law, a pledge to endorse it. And now the world is falling apart, the whole rickety world, and every broken promise is a small rock tossed at the wooden side of its tumbling form."

Hank will not be the one throwing rocks.

This is the second book in the promised Last Policeman trilogy and while I loved the first book, this one is every bit as good. Maybe even a little better because we get a bit more insight into Hank and Hank is the heart and soul of this book. Not that the other characters are not interesting, because they are, from Hank's sister, to his former co-workers, the elderly waitress at the diner they frequented, to the Utopian seeking mix at the local University of New Hampshire.

And I loved that two of the rare examples of order involved book lovers. First there are the librarians and volunteers that were keeping the local library open 24/7, a rare safe place among the chaos and second, the small group of university students who had moved into the college library, a pile of books beside them, just reading and reading and reading until the Big One hits. When society collapses, stick with the book lovers. Sounds pretty good to me!
This is a book that explores the 'big ideas', but doesn't hit you over the head going it.

And then there is Hank's dog, Houdini, happily his companion on his journey riding in a little trailer behind Hank's bike, with the bottles of water, energy bars and some bags of dog food. If the world is going to end, Big Fat Cat Larry I have to tell you I am getting a puppy dog to share the space in the trailer with you. And a Big Pile of Books.

Highly recommended!

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My thanks to the author and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review. 

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Review of "Tell Me" [53]

Tell Me by Lisa Jackson
Kensington House Pub Ltd, ISBN 978-0758258588
June 25, 2013, 336 pages

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"The most hated woman in Savannah, Georgia, is about to be set free. Twenty years ago, Blondell O'Henry was convicted of murdering her eldest daughter and wounding her two other children. The prosecution argued that beautiful, selfish Blondell wanted to be rid of them to be with her lover. Now Blondell's son, Niall, has recanted his testimony and demolished the case in the process. Reporter Nikki Gillette is determined to get the true story, and not just for professional reasons. Blondell's murdered daughter, Amity, was Nikki's childhood friend. The night she died, Amity begged Nikki to meet with her, insisting she had a secret to tell, but Nikki didn't go...
And somehow, the events of that tragic night connect to Nikki's own fractured family. But now the killing has begun again. Is Amity's murderer still at large, or is this a new, darker danger? Soon Nikki will discover what really happened twenty years ago, but the answers may come too late to save her life..."

Ok, let me get right to the point.
Good book, worth reading, but not the author's best. If you are a fan of Jackson, no doubt you will want to read it, if only to see if her wedding to Detective Reed actually takes place. But if you are new to her books, I would not necessarily start here.

The good part.
Jackson is a good writer, the plot unfolds in a nice, interesting way, with lots of red herrings to keep the reader on their toes. And I like the main characters, Nikki and her fiance, Police Detective Pierce Reed. Of course, he is the detective charged with looking into the case again, seeing if evidence of Blondell's guilt or innocence may now be found that was not possible 20 years ago, things like DNA. And of course, Nikki will be trying her best, unsuccessfully, to get him to spill some information. Not that she should bother, because it seems she is making more headway than the police. At least if you consider the poison snake someone puts in her car to try and scare her off. Eeek!
Savannah is a great setting and I only wish we saw a bit more of it in this book. Really authors should take full advantage of the place a book is set in. Give is a little tour, a look at th highlights, a real feel for the place. It is often one of the great fun things of a book.
Finally, I did not figure out the villain, which is always a good thing.

But the bad..
First, there are just way, way too many characters, many of them not drawn clearly enough to be memorable. When I find myself flipping back, asking "Wait, is that her cousin, who got killed, or the ex-husband of her uncle client?" I know there are too many people here. Which led to the greatest problem. When the bad folks are revealed...and there is more than one, including one who even Nikki agrees she could not understand the motivation of...I was a bit confused as to who was who.That is not good.

The worst thing? Nikki breaks my cardinal rule of doing something dumb. More than once. One example...Ok, you are in a cabin, hiding from a bad person. They know you are there and looking for you. Where is your only protection, a stun gun? In your HAND? Oh no, that would be too sensible. No, you flee and then look for it in your bag or your pocket or wherever?? Nikki should have her reporter license taken away for that. Well, if they gave reporter licenses out.

Still, I sort of enjoy yelling at stupid things people do. So maybe that is not all bad.

A pretty good read if not Jackson best, another one of those fast, not too heavy beach or airport reads that will keep you entertained if not overwhelmed.

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Review of "The Philadelphia Quarry" [52]

The Philadelphia Quarry by Howard Owen
Permanent Press, ISBN 978-1579623357
July 15, 2013, 240 pages

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I will admit, when I am hoping to win a book on Library Thing or get one from Amazon Vine, I first look for an author I know and like. But when that is not an option, I will take a change on the unknown. On in this case, get suckered in by the title. So let me be clear. There is no connection to the Pennsylvania city in this book.
Or just a very small one. The quarry where the girl was found tied up and raped 28 years ago once supplied stone use in building the city of brotherly love. But it is located in Richmond, Virginia. And I am fine with that.

The victim was the daughter of one of the city's rich and successful families. The accused and convicted man was a black teenager. He was caught at the quarry, swimming with friends who had broken in and then fled. But Richard was the slowest, got grabbed up by police and was identified by the rape victim.
Now, 28 years later, evidence not possible to test back then, in the form on DNA, has proven his innocence and he is released from prison. But the celebration by his family is short. A few days later, that rape victim from so long ago, Alicia Simpson, is dead, shot in her car on the way to the gym. And that newly released man, Richard Slade, with only his mother to alibi him, is suspect number one, soon back in jail, awaiting trial.

It seems cut and dry, especially if you don't look to deep. But Willie Black is paid to look deeper..so long as he still has a job. He is a newspaper reporter for the local daily, an industry that has seen better days, with the Internet giving the news away for free. He drink too much, smokes too much, has three ex-wives and a big mouth. A big mouth and a curious interest in this case that is not making his bosses happy. Seems there are a couple of very rich, very powerful folks in Richmond that are happy to believe Slade is guilty, including people powerful enough to convinces the powers that be at the newspaper that there is no need for further investigation.
When Willie ignores orders, he is suspended.
Great, more time to concentrate on his story!
But the next person who wants to shut him up might not be so gentle.

I said at the beginning that the author of this book was unknown to me, and he was, even though he has written 10 books. The last one Oregon Hill, is also about Willie, newspaper man extraordinaire,  another of his dangerous adventures. I might just have to pick that up next, because I liked this book a lot and I like Willie a lot.
Oh, he is flawed, but he is smart and a bit funny, with a slightly buried sense of justice. And the cast of characters surrounding him are great, none better than his weed smoking mom, with her living in boyfriend who has a touch of dementia and a homeless man, Awesome, who lives part time in their quest room. Then there is Kate, the last ex-wife, for whom Willie still has a sweet hankering, not to mention the Slade family, who Willie discovers he is actually related to. Richard, the accused killer is actually his second cousin or something. Seems the father Willie never knew was a light skinned black man and Willie, unknown to him, has been 'passing' as white all his life. Live and learn!

I certainly can't accuse Owen of writing a book that is too long, since the galley weights in at just 222 pages. But it is not too short either. Enough room for some great character development, a good, solid plot and a great little twist at the end which I almost had figure out. Except for being wrong about the killer. And the rapist.

Good, solid book. Love the Richmond setting, the characters, the plot, very well written. What more can you ask?

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My thanks to Library Thing and the publisher for proving a review copy.

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Review of "The Bat" [51]

The Bat by Jo Nesbo
Vintage, ISBN 978-0345807090
July 2, 2013, 384 pages

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I have read, I believe, all of Jo Nesbo's Harry Hole series that has been translated. I am not totally sure honestly, at least in part because they were translated into English and published in the US out of order. Something I have complain about many times as readers here may know. So I was very happy to see that the first Harry Hole book, The Bat, was about to be released and was able to get my hands on a review copy.
So, first, how are we introduced to Harry?

A young Norwegian woman, a minor celebrity who went to Australia to do bar work, is found washed up from the sea at the foot of a cliff. All the evidence points to murder. Harry Hole, of Oslo Crime Squad, goes to Sydney to assist with the Australian police investigation. He is meant to act as an observer, and one of the reasons for him going is that his superior thinks he could do with a break. Not only from his alcohol problems. He was in a car which crashed and a colleague was killed. However, being a passive onlooker is not a role Harry plays naturally; he gets involved and in the end is drawn into the case, also on a personal level, as he falls for Birgitta – a friend of the dead girl.

Harry’s stay in Sydney leads him to seamy King’s Cross and the company of pimps, strippers, transvestites, pushers and backpackers. His mental and physical journey across the fascinating continent of Australia is set against the background of a traveling fun fair with boxers and the age-old tradition of clowns. The story seems to follow the – at times irrational – plot of an old aborigine tale about the Bat Man, a human-like creature with bat wings brought to life by crime. As the Bat Man awakens, Death appears in the lives of mortals.

Now, what did I think?
Ok, that whole issue about not publishing this one earlier?
Forget it, I was wrong.

Yes, a look at the young Harry, some stories about his sister, his family, were interesting. As was the story about how his drinking once cause the death of a co-worker, something that was covered up. But, really, except for a few facts that would have been nice to figure out about Harry earlier, like the right way to pronounce his last name, I could have skipped this one.

I will admit I am not a huge fan of Harry. But this Harry is even more annoying than usual, without some of his better qualities, his humor, his sensitivity, that come out in other books and almost makes his likable.
While I like a flawed hero as much as the next person, there is something about Harry and his alcoholism that really annoys me, in this book more than in the others. He has not been drinking for a long time as the story start. Then a man he has known for a week dies, and that sets him off on an unbelievable drunken spree. I just don't mean off the wagon. He is off the wagon, rolled in a ditch, fell off the cliff, washed away in a flood... Really, should this guy be a cop, if he falls apart over the death of a guy he liked, but barely knew?

The first half of the book is not bad, the plot fairly interesting as Harry starts to discover some facts about this girl's death that had not come out yet, make a few connections. And unlike some readers, I did not mind that the book was set in Australia, rather than in Harry's Norway home. Still, "the fascinating continent of Australia" they talk about..I would not go that far.
But then things went south. There were page after page that could, IMHO, been cut, adding little to the story. Aboriginal dreamtime story after Aboriginal dreamtime which, except for maybe one, had no connection to this story that I ever figured out. Honesty, by then it was all so convoluted, the plot, the characters, that I was losing interest in the who and the why of the killings.
And I hate clowns.
Beware any book with clowns.

If you are a huge fan of Nesbo, you will want to read this.
I know you will not be dissuaded. Just knock you expectations down a notch or two, not expecting quite what you liked in his later, better books.

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My thanks to Amazon Vine and the publisher for a review copy of this book.

Review of "When Will There Be Good News" [50]

When Will There Be Good News by Kate Atkinson
Little Brown and Company, ISBN  978-0316154857
September 24, 2008, 338 pages

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Thirty years ago, six-year-old Joanna Mason was the victim of a terrible crime. Her mother and siblings are murdered by a stranger with a knife as they walk along a rural lane, and only Joanna escapes. It is one of the most gripping openings to a book that I remember.
Now, decades later, the man who committed the crime is about to be released from prison and police, in the person of Detective Chief Inspector Louise Monroe, is dispatched to warn Joanna.

Then we have sixteen-year-old Reggie Chase, a smart girl with more than a few secrets, who gets a job working as a nanny for Dr. Hunter and her husband. She loves the job and she loves Dr. Hunter and her young charge. So when the two go missing, with a flimsy explanation from her husband, Reggie feels she must help to find her. Did I mention that Dr. Hunter's maiden name was Joanna Mason? Yes, that six year old survivor, 30 years later has disappeared with her own young child and no one, least of all her husband, seems concerned.

And finally we have Jackson Brodie, ex-police inspector, ex-husband and ex-PI, off on a personal journey that become a matter of life and death when he boards the wrong train, one hurtling toward disaster.

This is the third Jackson Brodie installment, in a series that now contains four books and a very good installment it is.
Atkinson has this wonderful ability to tell these different stories, each great on its own, and gradually blend them all together in a seamless, satisfying way that the reader will never quite see coming..and I love it. There are so many ways that these stories all come together, intersect. For example, there is the fact that Reggie, who is house sitting for her dying Latin teacher, saves Brodie's life and then hires him to find her missing doctor and child. And this is not the first time Brodie and DCI Monroe have met, bringing their own past to the story.
But I will leave the rest of the interlocking threads for you to discover yourself. Not the least because it is great fun, as you start to see how they will tie together! Some you might see coming, but I guarantee there are many that will take you by surprise. As Brodie often says "A coincidence is just an explanation waiting to happen." and Atkinson is the queen of coincidence and making it all seem very believable.

Jackson Brodie is a great character, in his heart, a man who can't "rest until the flock was accounted for, all gathered safely in. It was his calling and his curse. Protect and serve.” But he is far from the only excellent character in this book. In fact, there are so many good characters I couldn't name them all, but without question Reggie Chase, that 16 year old girl is an outstanding one. She has had a tragic life and she is not beyond a little moral sleight of hand and looking the other way to create a better future..and you will not mind one bit I think. She is smart and funny and resourceful and the heart of this book.

Yes, it is another series that is best read in order, starting with Case Histories, One Good Turn, them this one, When Will There Be Good News and finishing with Started Early, Too My Dog .
Now, I will admit that I did not do that. I read the last one first when it first came out and I paid the price a bit in this book.  I knew something that happens in Brodie's personal life that gave away part of the excellent ending. Granted it was not a big issue..honestly I forgot what happen to a degree. But not ideal. So don't do as I did, do as I say, and start with the first.
You will not be disappointed!

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Review of "Fly Away" [49]

Fly Away by Kristin Hannah
St. Martin's Press, ISBN 9780312577216
4/23/2013, 416 pages

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"Tully Hart has always been larger than life, a woman fueled by big dreams and driven by memories of a painful past. She thinks she can overcome anything until her best friend, Kate Ryan, dies. Tully tries to fulfill her deathbed promise to Kate---to be there for Kate’s children---but Tully knows nothing about family or motherhood or taking care of people.

Sixteen-year-old Marah Ryan is devastated by her mother’s death. Her father, Johnny, strives to hold the family together, but even with his best efforts, Marah becomes unreachable in her grief. Nothing and no one seems to matter to her . . . until she falls in love with a young man who makes her smile again and leads her into his dangerous, shadowy world.

Dorothy Hart---the woman who once called herself Cloud---is at the center of Tully’s tragic past. She repeatedly abandoned her daughter, Tully, as a child, but now she comes back, drawn to her daughter’s side at a time when Tully is most alone. At long last, Dorothy must face her darkest fear: Only by revealing the ugly secrets of her past can she hope to become the mother her daughter needs.
A single, tragic choice and a middle-of-the-night phone call will bring these women together and set them on a poignant, powerful journey of redemption. Each has lost her way, and they will need each one another---and maybe a miracle---to transform their lives.

An emotionally complex, heart-wrenching novel about love, motherhood, loss, and new beginnings, Fly Away reminds us that where there is life, there is hope, and where there is love, there is forgiveness. Told with her trademark powerful storytelling and illuminating prose, Kristin Hannah reveals why she is one of the most beloved writers of our day."

Ok, I will admit I did not read this book. I had read one of Hannah's books before and enjoyed it, so even though it is not my usual fare, I was hopeful. I did read about 30-40 pages and had no desire to go further. No, no, not liking it. But it is a review copy...so what to do?
Hey, one of my co-workers is a big reader and actually a fan of the author. In return for a review, I would be happy to loan her the book! Win, win, right? Well, until she texted me that she felt like cutting her throat after reading it.
And so, in the words of The Co-Worker...

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"I have read most of Kristin Hannah’s books and usually enjoy them.
Not this one. This book is very dark, depressing and repetitive.
It was also confusing as it jumped back and forth between people and time. I kept waiting for it to wrap up and inject some sort of happiness into the story but it never did.
This book was very difficult to finish."

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Short, but pointed.
She said that she was hopeful, until the very end, that just one happy, hopeful thing would happen. And it did not. 
Seems she did not like it and, from what I read, I can not disagree.
Nice cover though.

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Review of "Close My Eyes" [48]

Close My Eyes by Sophie McKenzie
St. Martin's Press, ISBN 978-1250033895
July 9, 2013, 400 pages

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They had named her Beth.
Gen Loxley and her husband Art were so thrilled when she began pregnant...heartbroken when the baby died, stillborn.
It is now 8 years later and their lives have gone on. Well sort of. Art has become a very successful business man, appearing on a TV show, being asked to join a group of business people who consult with the prime minister. But for Gen, time has, in a way has stood still. Once a fairly successful fiction author, she finds she can no longer write. She fills her week with a few hours of teaching a writing class and not much more. Something in her died when she lost Beth, and has been unable to has another child. Not for lack of trying, every medical procedure out there has not been able to help them conceive again.

Then everything in her world explodes. A woman comes to her door with a story, supposedly told her by her sister, a nurse present at the delivery, on her deathbed. She felt it was a secret that she could not take to her grave. Gen's child did not die, but was born alive, perfect, and stolen away but no less than her husband Art.

Of course, no one believes Gen, not her friends, certainly not her husband. They tell her it is a con, an attempt to get money. She has been so depressed and this woman is taking advantage of her fragile state.  And she almost believes them...until finally she gets off the couch and starts to look into things.
The doctor who performed the c-section has disappeared and does not want to be found.  The records at the funeral home are oddly incomplete, no record of who took care of things. And then the woman who came to her door is killed in a suspicious hit and run. Things are getting more than a little weird.
Is she mad, as her friends, her husband seem to imply? Or is there some terrible secret being hidden, one that people are willing to kill to keep hidden? Is Gen willing to risk everything in her life, even her life, to try and find out the truth about her child?

---

I love a great psychological thriller and this is a pretty good one.
Good, with a few flaws.
Yes, the title is totally forgettable, too similar to too many other books.
Yes, it gets off to a rather slow start and, at least at first, Gen is just a bit too whiny and helpless to be totally likable. But once the facts start coming out, things pick up and it is a fun ride to an exciting ending. The tale is helped when she is joined in the investigation by an old friend of her husband's, the slightly rakish, bad boy Lorcan. He is handsome and fun and a great liar when they need a cover story. But can she trust him?
Can she really trust anyone?
And yes, the ending goes a bit too over the top to be believable once you stop to think about it. But while you are reading it, it is good fun. And that very last page...which I certainly can not share with you...is beyond creepy.

Overall, a quite nice thriller, with enough red herrings to make a big pot of fish stew, a dashing hero, a touch of forbidden romance, a few great villains revealing themselves at the end and an entertaining plot...not bad for a nice summer read.

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My thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.

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Review of "Flat Water Tuesday" [47]

Flat Water Tuesday by Ron Irwin
Thomas Dunne Books, ISBN  978-1250030030
June 4, 2013, 368 pages

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"Rob Carrey, the son of a working-class cabinet maker, arrives at the Fenton School with a scholarship to row and a chip on his shoulder. Generations of austere Fenton men have led the rowing team, known as the God Four, to countless victories—but none are as important or renowned as the annual Tuesday-afternoon race against their rival, Warwick.

But first Rob must complete months of preparation driven by their captain, Connor Payne’s vicious competitive nature. As the race nears, the stakes rise, tempers and lusts are fueled, and no one can prevent the horrible tragedy that befalls one of them.

Fifteen years later, Rob returns home from a film shoot in Africa to end a heartbreaking relationship with his girlfriend, Carolyn. But when a phone call from one of the God Four compels him to attend the reunion at Fenton, no part of Rob’s past remains sequestered for long and nothing about his future is certain.

As much about the sport of rowing as it is a novel of finding oneself, not once, but again in mid-life; Ron Irwin's Flat Water Tuesday is a testament to the pride and passion of youth, and an ode to the journey of forgiveness.

A stunning novel of boarding school, family secrets, deep and passionate love, and the brutal pain of sports training."

Haven't we been here before? Young man with a chip on his shoulder, elite boarding school..something that goes terribly wrong, a secret they share that will shape their lives...

I must say, once again I was sold on this one by the cover, that scull on the calm water.
See, I have a bit of a thing about about rowing.
When I was a kid, I used to spend the summer with my grandparents in Atlantic City and their apartment was just across the street an inlet where an area high school rowing team used to practice. You could go out in the early morning and watch them. Since they now built a launching dock there, I assume they still practice there. Or now, you can go to Lake Lenape at the county park where several area school practice, girls and boys, four and eight man boats.
A single scull, the rower seemingly gliding over the water like some sort of huge bird..lovely.
Of course, as this book details again and again, the reality is pain and scarred, blistered hands and almost unbelievable exertion. That part of the book, I enjoyed.

And there is nothing really wrong with the rest. It is well written. There are some good characters, especially Carolyn, the girlfriend Rob is in the midst of breaking up with. But honestly, it just seems to all have been said before. And maybe a bit better.
Spoiled rich kids with terrible parents. Shocking.
Blue collar boy with chip on his shoulder. Never read that before.
Oh wait...maybe I have.

The book opens well, with Rob receiving a long, rambling letter from one of his former team members and Rob just returning home from a work assignment for National Geographic. Really, what a job!! But as the story go back to his school days, things begin to drag. And drag. All building up to the 15th reunion where we will learn the Great Secret. A secret turns out to be not that much of a secret (I bet most reader guess it) and not that terrible. Honestly, I am still sort of wondering what all their guilt was about. Once again, a Big Buildup for that does not quite pay off.

If you are a big fan of competitive rowing, this one might grab you. Otherwise, I think the prep school angst thing have been done enough before and there is nothing to really make this one stand out in a rather crowded field.

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My thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.

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Review of "Always Watching" [46]

Always Watching by Chevy Stevens
St. Martin's Press, ISBN 978-0312595692
June 18, 2013, 352 pages

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Dr. Nadine Lavoie is a psychiatrist, making her living helping people.
But she could use a little help in her own life.

After the death of her husband, she has moved back to the city of Victoria, B.C., working at a psychiatric hospital, supposedly starting a new phase in her life. But her real reason is so that she can search the streets of the city by night, looking for her daughter Lisa, a drug addict she believes is living on the streets. That is not the only issue she is dealing with. Her own claustrophobia, something she has dealt with for many years is starting to interfere with her daily life again. Over the years she has tried to get to the root cause of it, and the recover the missing memories from her childhood, where she thinks the cause may lay.

When a young woman, Heather Simeon, is admitted to the hospital after a suicide attempt, Nadine is in her element. But as she interviews the woman, a few connections to her own life and her own troubling childhood start to arise. Until recently Heather and her husband had lived at the River of Life spiritual Center, run by a man whose name that brings chills to Nadine when she hears it.

When she was a child, her mother, a woman with her with her own substance abuse issues, took Nadine and her older brother away from their violent father to live in a commune. Peace and love...and a lot of wacky weed and some suspicious goings on. The more Nadine is drawn back into looking at her childhood, the more the memories start to come back. And the more the memories come back, the more questions she starts to ask, questions that some people do not want anyone asking. None more than Aaron Quinn, the groups leader back then and the leader still today, the leader of what is now a seemingly very successful and very wealthy organization with communes all over the world.
But Nadine must learn the truth, for herself, for those she loves...and ultimately to save her daughter.

This is Stevens third book, and if you have read them, you might remember that Dr. Lavoie has appeared in them all, granted in a smaller role. This time she is front and center. And while she is a good character, I must say she is not as great as Annie O'Sullivan, her patient and the central charter in Stevens first book, Still Missing. Wow, that was a very, very good book, with an ending I still remember although I read it years ago. A hard act for Stevens to follow, although this book does a pretty good job. Maybe Nadine is not quite as good because she is so competent, she has dealt with her past so well, so she is not quite as interesting. But on the other hand it is nice to read a thriller where the 'victim' is a smart, successful, middle aged woman, able to handle things pretty darn well by herself.

The plot moves along at a good pace, each revelation, each connection coming together in a believable way. As with all her books so far it is set in British Columbia, which I enjoy. There can be something more than a little unsettling about those towering forests. The ending might not have delivered as I hoped it would, as Still Missing did, and that was perhaps my only disappointment with the book. I was hoping for a Big Bang and it just sort of fizzled.

But still, Always Watching is quite a good book, one I would recommend.
Maybe not my favorite. Yes, that would be Still Missing and if you have not read that one, you really should! Each book is free standing, so that is not the issue. It is just a great book. And then you can stop on back and read this one as well.

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My thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy of this book.

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Review of "Unseen"[45]

Unseen: A Novel by Kari Slaughter
Delacorte Press, ISBN 978-0345539472
July 2, 2013, 400 pages

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Special Agent Will Trent has something to hide. Something he doesn't want Dr Sara Linton – the woman he loves – to find out.
He's gone undercover in Macon, Georgia and put his life at risk. And he knows Sara will never forgive him if she discovers the truth.

But when a young Macon patrolman is shot and left for dead Sara is forced to confront the past and a woman she hoped never to see again. And without even knowing it, she becomes involved in the same case Will is working on. Soon both of their lives are in danger.

---

The reason Sara must head to Macon is that the patrolman shot, Jared, is the son of her husband, Sheriff Jeffrey Tolliver, who was killed because of a case he was involved in. The woman Sara hoped never to see again is Jared's wife and the woman Sara blames for Jeffrey's death, Lena. But she feels she owes it to her dead husband to be there, see if she can assist, so she goes. Because that is the sort of woman Sara is. One reason I do not like Sara. And I do not.

She is just so perfect. Well, except for blaming Lena for things she has no control over and holding on to one heck of a totally unreasonable hatred of Lena for years.
I like Lena. Oh sure, she is a screw up. But she knows it and she tries to do better. And she has failed..and tried again. She tries to do what is right, but with her history, so many triggers, so many it is not easy. She is actually doing better, her marriage to Jared going well. At least until it recently hit a big bump. And she is very respected at her job as a police officer. Well, until that mysterious gone bad drug raid that may be the reason their home was invaded and Jared hangs barely on to his life. And how does it all tie into the investigation Will is undercover on..and it does in a very unexpected way.

Another reason I do not like Sara is her relationship with Georgia Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Will Trent. I like Will, and he is too good for her. Talk about a history...Will's body, full of scars and cigarette burns gives a hint of what his childhood was like. But he has overcome it all ...and more...to become a fine man. Too good for Sara in my estimation.

To really appreciate Slaughter's books they should be read in order. These characters have a long and complex and intertwined history that you should know to appreciate the present story. And most of the books in the series are excellent, so once you start, you will want to read them all. True, not all the books are excellent. Some are just very good, and for me, Unseen was in that second category. Why is it not her best?

Personally, I am tired of the whole Lena/Sara fight. Let's move on. Hopefully, it is pretty much over by the end of this book. I guess it is too much to hope Slaughter might kill Sara off. She has killed major characters before! But still, I think too much of this book was taken up with the rivalry and distracting from the main story. Also, I thought, for Slaughters books, this one was a lot less..what? Less shocking, less violent, less surprising?

The biggest problem was that this book lacked , for me, Slaughter's Wow Factor.
Let me explain what I mean by that.
With the best of this series, several times in the book I will reach the end of a chapter and Slaughter will throw in some fact, some event, some revelation that has me literally saying out loud "Wow!!" She is able, time after time, to totally surprise me. That is rare and I love it. You look back and say "Of course!", but you never saw it coming. This time, there was only one "Wow". For any other author that would be very good, but I just expect so much from Slaughter that I was a little let down. Maybe I just expect too much because she often delivers so much. By normal standards this is a very good book, just not her best.

If you are a fan of the series, you will want to grab this one up and see what happens to all these great characters you have come to love..or hate. The rest of you, go back to the beginning and have a great time catching up.

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My thanks to Amazon Vine and the publisher for providing a review copy. 

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Review of "The Double" [44]

The Double: Spero Lucas by George Pelecanos
Little, Brown and Company, ISBN 978-0316078399
October 8, 2013, 304 pages

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"The job seems simple enough: retrieve the valuable painting--"The Double"--Grace Kinkaid's ex-boyfriend stole from her. It's the sort of thing Spero Lucas specializes in: finding what's missing, and doing it quietly. But Grace wants more. She wants Lucas to find the man who humiliated her--a violent career criminal with a small gang of brutal thugs at his beck and call.

Lucas is a man who knows how to get what he wants, whether it's a thief on the run--or a married woman.
In the midst of a steamy, passionate love affair that he knows can't last, in pursuit of a dangerous man who will stop at nothing to get what he wants, Lucas is forced to decide what kind of man he is--and how far he'll go to get what he wants"

Poor Lucas is a soldier without a war, an ex- military man who can't quite put the military behind him. His mother would love for him to go back to college, but that isn't going to happen. And I don't see him in a desk job anytime soon, with a suit and tie. No, Spero is building a different sort of life for himself.

He spends a lot of time cycling around the Washington, D.C. Area or taking his kayak out on the many nearby waterways. He is one very fit ex-marine and lucky that he is or he would probably be dead by now, all the physical confrontations he gets involved in. He is a blue collar guy. Dressing up is a shirt with buttons and something other than his work boots. He makes part of his living doing investigative work for an area lawyer, but his really area is expertise is finding lost things, for which he takes a 40% commission. That is a big percentage, but he is worth it. Usually the jobs are impossible enough and dangerous enough..and often maybe not quite legal...so people are willing to pay. And Spero Lucas is a man willing to do what he has too, to get the job done. It often isn't nice. Yes, once again he is forced to decide just how far he will go to right what he sees as a wrong. In chasing the man who befriended Grace...then stole her very valuable and sentimental painting...he has a worth adversely, a handsome and charming beast. Heavy on the Beast.

Now, if you know Lucas, you might suspect he is having a bit of an issue with the ladies as well. Lucas like the ladies and the ladies like Lucas and he tends to, shall we say, keep himself busy with things he likes. In this case it is with a married woman who just wants him for his body and a great roll in the hay. Many men might not consider that a problem, but you see, our dear boy has fallen in love and you have to think this is not going to turn out well for Lucas.

Back in this book, the second in the series after The Cut, are a few of Lucas's ex-military buddies, all of whom, like Lucas, do not seem to be adapting 100%. They are, to him, brothers and Lucas tries  to find a few tasks to keep their minds off their problems. And we have the reappearance of one of Lucas four siblings in this book. It is an interesting family, four kids, two white, two black, three of which, including himself were adopted by the Greek American couple. He is a good son and goes to visit his widowed mom, often meeting up with the one good sibling, his brother Leo, a schoolteacher, who is probably also his best friend and a moral sounding board.

You may know Pelecanos from his work on the TV show The Wire, for which he was a writer and the producer and there are some similarities. Washington steps in for Baltimore, but this is still a world of drugs and thugs, young girls selling themselves on the street, lots of bad, lots of sad people. But it is not quite as grim as The Wire was, maybe largely because Lucas is really a deep and sensitive guy. A thinker. In between the shooting and the beating and such...
He is a work in progress, trying to find a place for himself in this world and if you have read The Cut, you will see he is making some progress. And riding along with Lucas on his bike you will get a great tour of D.C. as well, its bike paths and waterways, its restaurants and bad and neighborhoods, the good and the not so good, which is always interesting.

Another very good book from a very good writer.
Run out and pre-order a copy right now before you forget!

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My thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy of this book.

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