Golden Prey by John Sandford

May 29, 2023 By Leave a Comment


Golden Prey by John Sandford
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

The man was smart and he didn’t mind killing people. Welcome to the big leagues, Davenport.

Thanks to some very influential people whose lives he saved, Lucas is no longer working for the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, but for the U.S. Marshals Service, and with unusual scope. He gets to pick his own cases, whatever they are, wherever they lead him.

And where they’ve led him this time is into real trouble. A Biloxi, Mississippi, drug-cartel counting house gets robbed, and suitcases full of cash disappear, leaving behind five bodies, including that of a six-year-old girl. Davenport takes the case, which quickly spirals out of control, as cartel assassins, including a torturer known as the “Queen of home-improvement tools” compete with Davenport to find the Dixie Hicks shooters who knocked over the counting house. Things get ugly real fast, and neither the cartel killers nor the holdup men give a damn about whose lives Davenport might have saved; to them, he’s just another large target.

Lucas Davenport has been working for the US Marshal’s for the last few months and is slowly beginning to find his feet. He hasn’t managed yet to find a case – or even really an area – that he can sink his teeth into. Until a random chat with an out of state officer has Davenport slowly unraveling the case of two men responsible for the heist of a drug cartel counting house that resulted in the quick execution of everyone inside – including an innocent six-year-old girl. While Davenport slowly pieces everything together, the cartel is also looking for these two heisters and their money. Davenport quickly realizes if he doesn’t follow the trail, nothing will be left behind.

I’ve been a big fan of this series for many years and while all the books are well worth a read, I was pleased that this is one of Sandford’s best stories yet. Lucas is an excellent investigator and always at his best hunting the more difficult cases and this is no exception. His new job has a few perks over his old in that as a federal agent it now takes him across state lines. Sure, there’s more resistance in some areas, but I really feel it helps expand Sandford’s work and storytelling.

Readers who like a faster moving plot with more action (and a number of shooting scenes as well) should find this story really hits the mark for them. Once Davenport starts following the various leads and threads of the plot the action really begins to move and we see things both him his investigation’s perspective, as well as the pair of cartel employees who are also on a similar trail and looking to recover the cartel’s missing millions. Readers should be aware that while there is a fair bit of action and shoot ‘em up scenes, I didn’t feel any of the story was overly graphic and certainly none of it was written in a titillating manner or dwelled upon unnecessarily.

While this book is a long way into the series, I feel it can easily be picked up and read on it’s own merits. There is a good amount of background details given to the reader, so the characters all make sense and their connections to each other is explained. The plot is also very well contained within this book alone and so readers shouldn’t worry about starting this book if they haven’t read any of Sandford’s previous works.

An exciting and well paced mystery book I really enjoyed this.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Mercy by David Baldacci

May 25, 2023 By Leave a Comment


Mercy by David Baldacci
Publisher: Pan Books
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

For her entire life, FBI agent Atlee Pine has been searching for her twin sister, Mercy, who was abducted at the age of six and never seen again. Mercy’s disappearance left behind a damaged family that later shattered beyond repair when Atlee’s parents inexplicably abandoned her.

Now, after a perilous investigation that nearly proved fatal, Atlee has finally discovered not only the reason behind her parents’ abandonment and Mercy’s kidnapping, but also the most promising breakthrough yet: proof that Mercy survived her abduction and then escaped her captors many years ago.

Though Atlee is tantalizingly close to her family at last, the final leg of her long road to Mercy will be the most treacherous yet. Mercy left at least one dead body behind before fleeing her captors years before. Atlee has no idea if her sister is still alive, and if so, how she has been surviving all this time. When the truth is finally revealed, Atlee Pine will face the greatest danger yet, and it may well cost her everything.

FBI special agent Atlee Pine knows her parents and twin sister are out there somewhere, her family fractured and broken after her twin sister, Mercy, had been kidnapped when the girls were six years old. Now Atlee is at the end of her journey, determined to finish what she had started.

This is the fourth (and I believe, final) book in the Atlee Pine series. While the story has continued from the previous three books, I feel readers should be able to catch up pretty quickly on the backstory and enjoy this book on its own merits. I do believe, though, that a deeper and possibly more emotional connection to Atlee’s character and journey in particular might be achieved with readers who have followed the progress through the series in its entirety.

That said, this is an excellent ending to the series in my opinion. I thought the numerous sub plots were all woven very well together, and I enjoyed the different character’s perspectives. I also found it quite clear to me that the author had organized everything to dovetail neatly together. While I did feel a few aspects to the plot – especially surrounding Atlee and Mercy’s mother – was a little too easy and cliched, overall I thought most of the various moving elements all meshed well together and there wasn’t too much of a need to suspend disbelief.

I was particularly pleased that both Atlee and Mercy had their story arcs rounded out in what I felt to be a satisfactory manner. This book had a well-paced plotline and a number of solid action scenes – but I definitely feel most readers will be largely invested in the closing off of the main series arc between Mercy and Atlee and I was really pleased with how the author wrapped everything up in this respect. I feel readers should be similarly pleased. While the action and mystery sides to the plot were very well handled – it was the character resolution that I feel most people will be seeking and find very suitable here.

A satisfying and enjoyable end to an excellent series, this was a good book.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Three by Valerie Perrin

May 24, 2023 By Leave a Comment


Three by Valerie Perrin
Publisher: Europa Editions
Genre: Contemporary, Women’s Fiction, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Lavender

1986: Adrien, Etienne and Nina are 10 years old when they meet at school and quickly become inseparable. They promise each other they will one day leave their provincial backwater, move to Paris, and never part.

2017: A car is pulled up from the bottom of the lake, a body inside. Virginie, a local journalist with an enigmatic past reports on the case while also reflecting on the relationship between the three friends, who were unusually close when younger but now no longer speak. As Virginie moves closer to the surprising truth, relationships fray and others are formed.

Valérie Perrin has an unerring gift for delving into life. In Three, she brings readers along with her through a sequence of heart-wrenching events and revelations that span three decades. Three tells a moving story of love and loss, hope and grief, friendship and adversity, and of time as an ineluctable agent of change.

This suspenseful tale is sure to touch the heart of its readers. It begins with three childhood friends: Adrien, Etienne, and Nina who promise to always be together. Decades later, a body is found inside a lake, and a journalist, Virginie, discusses the case. She thinks about the three friends. Could they have something to do with it?

We are taken back to 1986 in a provincial area of France, where these kids make big plans. The story unfolds in such a natural way while holding one’s interest. Details bring this passage to life while relationships are explored.

Time passes, and readers cross decades to see the friends later in time. Unexpected things have become of them. Why is this? This is answered by going back in time again. The back-and-forth timelines make for a quick pace and is done smoothly.

While the suspense gets stronger, readers are charmed with the day-to-day episodes of the characters’ lives. The protagonists and their supporting characters are delineated well.

Themes of friendship and dreams, love and choices add layers of complexity to this heart-rending tale. Also, people who love animals will appreciate the aspect of the book that brings their needs to awareness.

Filed Under: Mainstream Fiction, Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Liquid Shades of Blue by James Polkinghorn

May 24, 2023 By Leave a Comment


Liquid Shades of Blue by James Polkinghorn
Publisher: Oceanview Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Cholla

First his brother, now his mother—Jack Girard searches for the truth behind his family’s tragedies

When hungover ex-lawyer and Key West bar owner Jack Girard groggily wakes up one morning, he’s greeted by a beautiful woman lying next to him and a shrill, ringing telephone. Seeing the call is from his father, Claude “The Duke” Girard, Jack answers. Within seconds, he learns that his mother is dead in an apparent suicide, and Jack hits the road, heading back to his childhood home in Miami to face his tyrannical father.

The death of his mother brings up haunting memories from Jack’s past—memories of his brother Bobby’s suicide when they were in college together. Being back in Miami only continues to dredge up his family traumas, but things grow more complicated when The Duke suggests that his estranged wife’s alleged suicide may have been a murder.

As Jack begins to uncover the truth about his mother’s death, including the secret she had revealed to only two people—the same secret Bobby had taken with him to his grave—he finds himself in imminent danger. Can Jack reveal the true story before it’s too late? He has to act quickly, or he fears he may be the victim of the next Girard family tragedy.

Jack Girard has seen his share of tragedy. Having lost his brother to suicide in college, he’s blindsided by the news that his mother, too, has taken her own life. But something’s not sitting right with Jack. Is it his past that’s haunting him and making him doubt reality, or was his mother murdered? There’s only one way to find out.

Lawyer turned bar owner Jack Girard is an interesting character. Having mostly abandoned practicing law, he only takes on worthy clients now, focusing his time and attention on the bar. I liked that about him, that he would rather put his energy into something not guaranteed to turn a profit rather than taking on rich clients and banking the retainers. On the downside, he is a bit egotistical at times, which was somewhat a put off for me. I do get it, however, because you need to be very certain you’re right to be a successful lawyer. In the end, that ego is what pushes him until he finds the answers to the questions he’s been asking, so it works for him.

Jack’s father, Duke Girard, was awful from the get-go. Every interaction Jack had with him was fraught with tension and derision. While I understand that he’s just a character, his attitude sometimes made reading the interactions between himself and Jack tough to get through. He does, however, make for a very dislikable villain.

Liquid Shades of Blue is a slow burn mystery that takes you from a bar in Key West, Florida to a mansion in Miami, on a search for the truth. At times the writing could have been tightened up and made more precise, cutting down on some of the overly long sentences and paragraphs. However, the plot is solid and the characters engaging enough to make you want to know how it ends. I’d be curious to see what the author publishes next.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

The Shrine by LJ Ross

May 22, 2023 By Leave a Comment


The Shrine by LJ Ross
Publisher: Dark Skies Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

A murder for the history books…

After a long and eventful winter, DCI Ryan and his team are looking forward to the joys of spring. But, when one of their colleagues is shot dead on her own doorstep and the brass think it’s an inside job, Ryan finds himself drafted in to investigate.

He’s barely scratched the surface when reports flood in of a terror explosion at Durham Cathedral. Chaos descends on the sleepy, historic city and, when the smoke clears, they find a priceless artefact that once belonged to Saint Cuthbert is missing.

With tensions running at an all-time high, unable to trust the local police, can Ryan and his team bring a killer to justice — and restore Cuthbert’s cross to its natural resting place?

Murder and mystery are peppered with romance and humour in this fast-paced crime whodunnit set amidst the spectacular landscape of County Durham.

Spring has finally arrived in Northumbria but the peace of the warmer days is destroyed when one of DCI Ryan’s colleagues is shot dead on her own doorstep. Mere minutes apart, a terrorist explosion occurs at Durham Cathedral and a priceless artefact is stolen that once belonged to Saint Cuthbert. Far more importantly, one of their own is seriously injured during the attack. Ryan and his team will stop at nothing to uncover what’s really going on.

This is an exciting and well written addition to this long running series. While the plot stands quite well on it’s own there is a lot of background and history between the main characters. I don’t feel each of these stories needs to be read to really enjoy this book – but having some working understanding of the links and history will certainly give the reader a deeper emotional connection with the events that unfold in this book.

Much like some of this author’s previous books this one is clearly linked to the next in the series. While the book has a solid feel of being self-contained there are a number of threads that are left open and considering the next book in the series is called Cuthbert’s Way, I have the strong feeling that the unfinished items will be resolved in the next book. There definitely isn’t a cliffhanger ending but readers who dislike needing to wait for the next installment should definitely purchase this and the next book together, so they won’t have to wait.

I enjoyed the mix of pacing – while some aspects are a slower police procedural style of connecting the dots there are a few good action sequences where the story moves at a much faster pace. I also felt there was quite a bit of character growth for DCI Ryan, both in the relationship with his parents and with him coming to terms with the changes occurring in his private life. Readers who have enjoyed the previous books in this series should definitely feel this is an excellent addition and I feel they should enjoy this book.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

The Raven Song by JM Dalgliesh

May 17, 2023 By Leave a Comment


The Raven Song by JM Dalgliesh
Publisher: Hamilton Press
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

One song for the dying… sung by the dead…
When the body of a young woman is discovered at the home she shared with her disabled daughter, DI Tom Janssen and his team must investigate the circumstances surrounding her death.

The woman was a single mother, well regarded and popular among the group she frequented, but she had a chequered past… a life she kept secret from those around her… a life that may, ultimately, have led to her death. Friends, past lovers, and confidants offer conflicting descriptions of the deceased… did anyone know her at all?

The team realise the daughter is missing and, away from her medication, the little girl’s life hangs in the balance. Unless the team can solve a seemingly calculated murder, an innocent life will be lost…

Set within the mysterious beauty of coastal Norfolk, this fast-paced British detective novel is a dark murder mystery that will keep you guessing until the very end when the final shocking twist is revealed.

DI Tom Janssen is called in unexpectedly over the weekend when a young mother is found dead in her home – but her disabled daughter is missing. The child isn’t physically capable of leaving by herself and so the team is at a loss as to where she might be. The more they look into the young mother’s life, the more questions they have and still they find no leads on the child. Can they sort everything else before tragedy strikes again?

I’ve been really enjoying this Hidden Norfolk series and feel the author has definitely hit a good stride with these characters. While I can understand the pace of the mystery might be a little slow for more action-orientated readers, I personally really enjoy the grind of police procedural styles of mysteries. I feel that I can follow along with the investigators and try to solve the puzzle in time with them. Also, as this is a smaller town/more rural setting I feel this pace is a bit more realistic and logical.

I also really enjoy the team of characters in the police unit. They have all been working together for quite some time and so their professional relationship and I find the way they work so coherently together is a real pleasure to read. Readers also shouldn’t be too shy about picking this story up by itself to read. While there is obviously plenty of history between the main characters and a solid working relationship already in place the plot – and most importantly the murder mystery – is very well contained just to this book and so I feel readers can absolutely pick this book up and read it by itself without too much fuss.

A well written and well plotted small town murder mystery this is an enjoyable book and one I really enjoyed. Recommended.

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The Secrets She Learns by Jacqueline Diamond

May 16, 2023 By Leave a Comment


The Secrets She Learns by Jacqueline Diamond
(Sisters, Lovers & Second Chances Book 4)
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Romance, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Shocking secrets, unexpected love, a cold-case mystery—and a nosy beagle!

At the age of 50, nurse Anni discovers she has two half sisters, both of whom were hurt by a con man who has disappeared. Determined to bring her new family together and unravel the past, she hires a handsome P.I., and gets more than she bargained for. That includes his newly adopted dog, who isn’t shy about fostering a romance or digging up evidence.

Former police detective Jon, now in business for himself, is frustrated by the one who got away, a swindler who tricked folks including Jon’s own mother out of their savings. His new neighbor, appealingly warm-spirited Anni, is more than the perfect client. She’s also a woman who sends the barriers around his heart crashing to the ground.

It’s never too late to make things right again.

The dialogue was realistic and well done. It made sense to me to see the many similarities in speech between the characters since so many of them had grown up in the same community and never left it. Little details like that are part of the reason why I look forward to seeing what Ms. Diamond has come up with next. When added together, they have such a positive influence not only on character development but also on the reading experience.

I was intrigued by the mystery storyline in this tale, so it was a little disappointing to see how much space was actually dedicated to it. While I understand that this series is a romance first and foremost, there was so much more the author could have done with the mystery the audience was introduced to. I would have gone with a higher rating if she gave it a better opportunity to shine.

Just like in any small town, everyone was connected to each other in all sorts of different ways. I once again enjoyed figuring out what those connections were and what the characters really thought of each other. One of the benefits of growing up in such a small place is that many people have known each other since childhood and have a lifetime of memories, both positive and negative, to draw upon when running into friends, relatives, enemies, and exes while out and about in town. Ms. Diamond always does a good job of including these sorts of complicated webs of relationships in her stories that both push the plot forward and explore how complicated and political small town life can be.

This is the fourth book in a series. While it technically can be read as a standalone work, keeping track of the large cast of characters will be easier for readers who have read everything in order so far.

The Secrets She Learns was an interesting mixture of themes and genres.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , , ,

*Deep Tide by Laura Griffin

May 16, 2023 By Leave a Comment


*Deep Tide by Laura Griffin
Book 4 of 4: The Texas Murder Files
Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group, Berkley
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Romance
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Larkspur

With two brothers on the police force, Leyla Breda is well aware of the rising crime in her small beach town, but she never expected it to show up on her doorstep. When Leyla finds one of her employees murdered in the alley behind her coffee shop, she’s deeply shaken, and as a new law enforcement officer in town begins to circle her place of business, her instincts only sharpen.

Sean Moran is on an undercover mission: The seaside community of Lost Beach may look like a picturesque postcard, but his team suspects it’s a point of intersection for several crime syndicates that the FBI has been investigating for years. Even so, when the brash and beautiful Leyla Breda starts bossing him around, he’s immediately intrigued. He knows her brothers want him to back off, but every time he sees her, he feels more of a spark.

Leyla’s connections in the local community and Sean’s skills allow them to go deeper into the case together than they would be able to go alone. But when a single crime spirals into something much darker, Sean’s carefully planned mission takes a deadly turn.

Laura Griffin writes another heart pounding, suspenseful romance and I loved every minute of it. She is one of my favorite authors and I was excited to read her newest story, Deep Tide. I was immediately immersed into the small town of Lost Beach and I found myself quickly turning the pages to find out what would happen next.

Sean is an FBI special agent working on a case when he meets Leyla. She owns a cafe in town and is the little sister of a friend of Sean’s. Leyla is a no nonsense, take charge type of woman and she intrigues Sean. Even though Sean knows Leyla’s brother would not be happy to learn Sean is interested in his sister, Sean can’t seem to help his attraction to her.

This is a fast paced, intriguing story that held my interest and kept me up late at night, so I could find out what would happen next. I liked everything about this story, especially the two main characters, Sean and Leyla. They are believable and interesting and I was easily sucked into their life. While I enjoyed the suspense and mystery, I also enjoyed the romance slowly brewing between Sean and Leyla and all the chemistry flowing between them. I wasn’t sure how everything would turn out in the end, but I was hoping Sean and Leyla would find a way to be together, once they solved the mystery of the murdered young woman. I loved everything about this enthralling story and I’m sure you will too.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , ,

Never Go Home by John Carson

May 12, 2023 By Leave a Comment


Never Go Home by John Carson
Publisher: Vellum
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

You can’t run forever…

When a body is discovered on a carousel at the fair in The Meadows in Edinburgh, it brings back memories for DCI Harry McNeil. He had history with the man, having arrested him many years ago.

The victim was a high-flying politician, destined for great things, but did his secrets catch up with him? Or were the death threats he’d received not taken seriously enough?

Harry and his team hunt for a killer who will stop at nothing to achieve his goal, putting themselves in the firing line of a madman with an agenda. But it’s Harry himself who is going to have his life changed forever. If he lives long enough…

When a body is discovered at an Edinburgh fairgrounds on the carousel DCI Harry McNeil and his team are called in to investigate. The victim was a politician, but Harry knows the victim from having arrested him many, many years earlier. Can Harry and his team uncover what the madman’s killing spree is really all about and stop him before Harry’s own life is in peril?

I’ve been enjoying this series for quite some time and feel readers who have also been following along should find this book an excellent addition. There is now quite a large cast of supporting characters – both in Harry’s Edinburgh police team as well as the Glasgow team. I love all the different characters and the small bits each of them adds to the varied facets of the story – but I do feel readers who are new to this series might find it a bit harder to keep everyone in mind and understand the many different threads and currents running under the surface. While I don’t feel readers will have to have necessarily read each of the previous books in the series, having a good working knowledge of the many characters and various ties between them would definitely help in a full and better understanding of this novel and the plots within it.

I enjoyed the longer length to this novel as well. With two or three main plotlines all interweaving it gave the book a deeper complexity than I feel many of the earlier books held. I can absolutely feel that the author has grown in his storytelling skills along the way and this book really showcases that well to my mind. I also like how the plot didn’t feel one dimensional to me – linking in with various characters and situations from the past and how those ramifications were brought forward into the present day.

Readers who like a large cast of characters, multiple plotlines on the go and having a larger story arc interlocking in a single book should feel the Scottish police procedural book really has a lot to offer. I personally really enjoyed it and am eager for the next installment. An interesting and well-paced murder mystery novel that held my attention well and is definitely a series worth picking up. Recommended.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Burning Desire and Other Stories by Marilyn Todd

May 11, 2023 By Leave a Comment


Burning Desire and Other Stories by Marilyn Todd
Publisher: Untreed Reads
Genre: Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Paranormal, Historical, Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Passions run high in this sparkling collection from what Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine describes as “one of the best mystery short story writers of her generation.”

From shy insurance clerks obsessed with a stripper (Pirate of Penance) to wives plotting murder (Killing Kevin), there’s always a twist in the tail. Like harmless old beachcombers (The Old Man and the Seashore) and good-time girls finding that respectability isn’t all it’s cracked up to be (Long Slow Dance Through the Passage of Time), even magicians’ assistants (Saw Point), they’re all driven by a burning desire.

And be it for justice or greed, retribution or love, the flames burn hotter than hell.

First impressions can only go so far.

“Night Crossing” involved an angry woman named Chloris who was running away from a bad marriage and a man who was paid to ferry her far away from where she came from. I can’t go into much more detail about this one without giving away spoilers, but I enjoyed the descriptions of what warm night air feels like as summer ends and everyone knows colder weather will soon arrive. It’s the sort of fleeting moment that feels like it will last forever when it’s actually happening, and it enhanced the mystery nicely.

I struggled to connect with some of the stories in this collection because of how often they jumped around from one idea or setting to the next. “The Girl Who Walked on Rooftops” was one example of this. It was written as a conversation between two old friends who eventually reveal a huge secret to the audience. One sentence was set in the present, while the next would often reference something that happened decades ago. I had trouble piecing together all of the clues here and wished everything had been revealed more chronologically.

Dolly, the main character of “Long Slow Dance Through the Passage of Time,” intrigued me from the first line. She was so materialistic, charming, oblivious to her flaws and ignorant of what others truly thought of her that I couldn’t imagine what might happen to her next. Writing villains isn’t always easy, but Ms. Todd did a good job of balancing out Dolly’s beauty and ability to make a fantastic first impression with the dark aspects of this character’s personality that were always gliding around below the surface.

Burning Desire and Other Stories was full of surprises.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , , ,
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