Ice Into Ashes by John Carson

July 29, 2024 By Leave a Comment


Ice Into Ashes by John Carson
Publisher: Amazon Kindle (Self-published)
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Time is a healer…unless you’re the one doing the killing…

DCI James Craig is heading home to Fife for a family funeral after the discovery of his wife’s uncle’s lifeless body at home, having fallen down the stairs. The incident was classified as a Sudden Death, attributing it to the man’s advanced age and fragility. Case officially closed.

Or is it?

Craig, inherently skeptical, approaches matters from a unique perspective, a skill honed on the streets of London. He hesitates to accept the neatly wrapped conclusion surrounding the old man’s demise.
As he contemplates letting the matter rest, certain details stand out, prompting him to reconsider the circumstances surrounding the death.

Craig reconnects with his former boss, now a Superintendent, from his probationary days in Fife. He requests permission to join the inquiry and is paired with DS Isla McGregor.

The two of them are soon caught up in a series of killings that stretch back years, back to the days when a young copper called James Craig was just starting out. A case that Craig remembers very well.

Because he almost caught a serial killer who was starting out on his own journey.

And now their paths are going to cross again.

DCI James Craig has returned for a week to Fife, Scotland from London with his wife Eve. Eve’s uncle tragically died falling down the stairs in what has been ruled an accident and they’re each taking a little time to arrange things including the funeral. But Craig spots a few odd items around Eve’s uncle’s home that has him quietly questioning whether this was an accident or something far darker. Calling in a few favours with his previous colleagues at the local precinct, Craig is determined to find answers – no matter where that might lead.

This is the first book in what I believe will be a new series for this author. I enjoyed the set up and found myself drawn into the deepening mystery as Craig uncovered more and more strange coincidences. While I expect this series will become more police procedural style this particular book wasn’t too heavily focused on that, partly I expect because Craig was away from his own turf of London and the Met, but equally because as the victim was his wife’s uncle this was an incredibly personal investigation for Craig. I found these two points made this an engrossing mystery, but since I strongly enjoyed the author’s prose and style, I expect I will be just as happy with a more regular police style investigation.

While the plot didn’t feel overly complicated to me, I was incredibly happy with there was quite the twist at the end – most of which I didn’t see coming at all. As an avid reader it’s not often a plot can so comprehensively turn on its head and retain all sense of logic. The author managed this admirably to my mind and it had me rechecking all the facts and hints for quite some time after I turned the last page.

I admit this author usually writes with a huge cast and while this book certainly wasn’t slim on the number of characters I was rather pleased the cast was kept well done in terms of size. I found this really helped me keep a handle on who everyone was and what their involvement was – particularly considering this was the first book. I feel readers absolutely should feel confident in picking this book up on a whim and using it as a tool to decide if they like the author’s style or not.

With a solid mystery and some enjoyable characters, I really felt this was a good book and I am pleased I gave it a try. I expect I’ll pick up the next book in the series fairly soon.

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Lies to Tell by Marion Todd

July 26, 2024 By Leave a Comment


Lies to Tell by Marion Todd
Publisher: Canelo, UK
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Keep your friends close and your enemies closer…

Early one morning DI Clare Mackay receives a message from her boss DCI Alastair Gibson telling her to meet him in secret. She does as he asks and is taken from St Andrews to a secure location in the remote Scottish hills. There, she is introduced to ethical hacker Gayle Crichton and told about a critical security breach coming from inside Police Scotland. Clare is sworn to secrecy and must conceal Gayle’s identity from colleagues until the source is found.

Clare already has her hands full keeping a key witness under protection and investigating the murder of a university student. When a friend of the victim is found preparing to jump off the Tay Road Bridge it is clear he is terrified of someone. But who? Clare realises too late that she has trusted the wrong person. As her misplaced faith proves a danger to herself and others, Clare must fight tooth and nail to protect those she cares about and see justice done.

DI Clare Mackay is all settled in St. Andrews and feeling good about how things are going. When she’s instructed that her morning meeting has been cancelled and she needs to meet her boss in secret things become weird fast. DCI Gibson and Clare are taken to an underground bunker in the remote Scottish hills and threatened with having their Warrants taken if they breathe a word of what’s discussed in those walls. Clare trusts her team implicitly, but with the threat of her entire career hanging on the line she’s going to have to get used to subterfuge very quickly. Will it all be a deadly mistake?

I’ve been enjoying this series and this book was no different. I was pleased that Clare is feeling settled and happy in her life and strongly feel this book can be read as a stand alone. The relationships and much of the history between the characters and Clare’s team is very well explained and I don’t feel readers will miss anything if they start fresh with this book.

I found this to be very much a police procedural style of novel and set in Scotland but not in Edinburgh or Glasgow I thought it had a good blend of a more rural feel while still being a university city based police story. I also was really impressed there were two or three main plotlines all twining together and this helped keep the pace of the story feeling like it was moving along and not dragging in any areas. I was pretty impressed I managed to guess one of the main plot endings – but was rather surprised with a few others and so this also felt very balanced and enjoyable to me.

I must admit Clare’s love life is getting a little more complicated and the ending left a few big questions hovering in the air. This is a love-life question – not a plot being left unresolved – but readers who dislike any real romance might find this book strays a little too far for their liking. And while the police/mystery aspects to the story are all very neatly tied up some of Clare’s personal life is definitely left unresolved so these might be issues for some readers.

With interesting characters and a very strong plot with complications and a few different aspects to it this was a complex and well written police procedural that I greatly enjoyed.

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The Hanging Tree by Ben Aaronovitch

July 22, 2024 By Leave a Comment


The Hanging Tree by Ben Aaronovitch
Publisher: Gollancz
Genre: Contemporary, Paranormal, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Where the Marble Arch stands today in London was once the Tyburn gallows – also known as The Hanging Tree. The walk toward those gallows along Oxford Street and past the Mayfair mansions has a bloody and haunted history as the last trip of the condemned. Some things never change. For both blood and ghosts have returned to those mansions of the super-rich. And it’s up to Peter Grant – England’s last wizard and the Metropolitan Police’s reluctant investigator of all things supernatural – to get to the bottom of the sinister doings.

PC Peter Grant doesn’t usually get involved with any old suspicious death, not even when the young adult who died is extraordinarily wealthy and the apartment where the death occurred is inside one of the most exclusive apartment complexes in the rich section of London. But Lady Ty’s young daughter was at the party in question and Peter owes Lady Ty a big favour. And as seems to always happen with Peter, nothing is quite what it seems. And when it comes to asking difficult questions at inopportune times, Peter just can’t help himself.

This has been an exceptional series and I am really enjoying the blend of humour with a paranormal world and some really excellently plotted police procedural murder mysteries. Readers might want to have read one or two of the previous books in this series as a number of the characters aren’t given a whole lot of background in this book and so coming in blind might make it difficult to initially work out how everyone is connected, but this is such a great book and a fabulous series reading some – or all – of the previous books really shouldn’t be too hard.

I did enjoy that a number of the longer term plot arcs got a fair bit of traction – both with Lesley May and the other magical practitioners, as well as Peter gaining some momentum with his magical skills and training. The actual plot of the murdered young adult and the rich and famous party goers was also very interesting and well paced so I thoroughly enjoyed all aspects to this book.

A great blend of dry British wit, with a large dose of police procedural mystery and a lovely sense of the absurd I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait to read more in this series. Recommended.

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Next In Line by Marion Todd

July 16, 2024 By Leave a Comment


Next In Line by Marion Todd
Publisher: Canelo Crime
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

A murder victim with celebrity connections spells trouble for DI Clare Mackay…
Gaby Fox is known to many due to her successful TV career, so when her brother and his pals hire the salubrious Lamond Lodge for his birthday celebrations, it is noted by the St Andrews locals. A ripple of shock goes round the town when Russell Fox is gunned down on the premises.

DI Clare Mackay is attending a wedding when she sees Gabrielle receive a phone call then flee. Soon after, Clare learns why when the news of the shooting reaches her. Instead of trying to enjoy the day – not easy when the groom is her ex-boyfriend – Clare is preoccupied.

Clare gets to work on uncovering the facts surrounding Russell Fox’s death. The guests at the lodge have secrets to hide, but even when Clare begins to unravel the deceit, it doesn’t bring the answers. The detective can’t help but wonder why no one who knew Russell seems capable of telling the truth, and whether there is more than one person with a reason to want him dead…

DI Clare Mackay and her team are brought in to investigate when the brother of a popular tv show presenter is shot dead during a quiet birthday weekend at the exclusive Lamond Lodge. With the press immediately covering every move the team make, pressure begins early. But Clare and her team quickly uncover more and more lies surrounding nearly every aspect to the case and the whole situation becomes ever more murky. Can they work out what was really happening that weekend?

I’ve been enjoying this Scottish police procedural series and in particular the strong female lead detective. I feel that much of the mystery aspect to this plot stands very well alone, but I was happily surprised to find quite a bit of forward motion happens in this book with Clare and her personal life. While the mystery can certainly stand well in this book alone, I do feel that readers will understand and better enjoy the personal aspects to this story having read the last previous few books in this series. I think the author did a good job of explaining what was happening and why this movement was important – but I personally felt the emotional connection more deeply because I’ve read the previous installments.

The mystery itself is certainly front and center throughout the entire book – though I will admit the personal aspects is a lot more forward in this book than I’ve found in the previous ones. I thought the plot was well balanced and there were plenty of dead ends and red herrings. I was also pretty interested that a few of the peripheral characters linked to the various layers in this crime linked back to previous books and crimes as well. While I can understand readers might not enjoy the connections to past books, I felt it helped give me a better sense of the world and community within this story and setting of St. Andrews and in a sense, it was incredibly logical. Petty crime and similar social circles and movements would totally overlap. There isn’t an endless supply of people in a community like St. Andrews so it makes sense sometimes a person would be revisited in the future who had been a part of a previous case.

Logical and realistic, I am definitely happy with this series and plan to continue to read it.

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The Shroud Maker by Kate Ellis

July 15, 2024 By Leave a Comment


The Shroud Maker by Kate Ellis
Publisher: Piatkus Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Historical, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

A year on from the mysterious disappearance of Jenny Bercival, DI Wesley Peterson is called in when the body of a strangled woman is found floating out to sea in South Devon.

The discovery mars the festivities of the Palkin Festival, held each year to celebrate the life of John Palkin, a fourteenth-century Mayor of Tradmouth who made his fortune from trade and piracy. It seems like death and mystery have returned to haunt the town.

When archaeologist Neil Watson makes a grim discovery on the site of Palkin’s warehouse, it looks as if history might have inspired a killer. It is only by delving into the past that Wesley can come close to uncovering the truth . . .

One year after Jenny Bercival disappeared, a young woman is found strangled and floating out to sea in South Devon. Young and beautiful, the woman was dressed in mediaeval dress like so many others celebrating the Palkin Festival – an annual event held at this time. There are many similarities between Jenny and this young dead woman and Wesley, and his team can’t help but wonder if this had been Jenny’s fate the previous year – only her body had been taken out to sea for good. Can Wesley sort out what’s going on?

Yet another good addition to this series, I was pleased that the historical and archaeology of this book was very well woven into the main plotline of the mediaeval festival going on while the killings occurred. Quite a few plots and sub-plots wove around together, including a number of the usual cast of secondary characters. I enjoyed there being some forward motion with the DCI and his grown children, as well as DS Rachel and her planned nuptials. And as always, I enjoyed Wesley and Neil working back and forth together, each finding small nuggets that the other could use to further their own investigations.

This book is well contained and while I feel readers who pick this up not knowing any of the characters might have to catch up a little on how everyone is linked together the actual plots are very well encapsulated within this story and should be very easy to follow. I do admit to getting a bit annoyed with Rachel’s character – she’s had a low-key crush on Wesley pretty much since the first book and it’s no secret to anyone who has read almost any of this series, but for quite some time now it’s been virtually non-existent and I felt it a bit annoying that the author flared it back to life somewhat after such a long dormancy, especially considering how close to her own wedding Rachel is right now. It felt a little cliched to me and a little bit like a low blow. This part was extremely brief and minor – but I couldn’t help but cringe a little when it did happen.

That said I was fairly pleased both with the unique twist to the main murder plotline that happened right at the end – that did take me by surprise, and I found it quite refreshing – and I was also pleased the murders weren’t as clear-cut and simple as I had expected them to be either. So, the murder plots themselves were exceptionally well handled I thought and this more than made up for the cliched “getting cold feet” and boozy embarrassing moment that occurred with Rachel.

A solid British police procedural murder mystery with a good amount of historical archaeology.

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Lethal White by Robert Galbraith

July 11, 2024 By Leave a Comment


Lethal White by Robert Galbraith
Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

When a troubled young man named Billy asks Cormoran Strike to help him investigate a crime he witnessed as a child, the private eye is left deeply troubled. While Billy is obviously mentally distressed and cannot remember many concrete details, there is something sincere about him and his story. But before Strike can question him further, Billy bolts from his office in a panic.

Trying to get to the bottom of Billy’s story, Strike and Robin Ellacott — once his assistant, now a partner in the agency — set off on a twisting trail that leads them through the backstreets of London, into a secretive inner sanctum within Parliament, and to a beautiful but sinister manor house deep in the countryside. And during this labyrinthine investigation, Strike’s own life is far from straightforward. His newfound fame as a private eye means he can no longer operate behind the scenes as he once did. Plus, his relationship with his former assistant is more fraught than it ever has been; Robin is now invaluable to Strike in the business, but their personal relationship is much, much trickier than that.

It’s a year after Cormoran Strike and his detective partner Robin were splashed all over the papers having successfully captured a famous serial killer. Life has settled somewhat into a routine for them both, though the delicate balance they each hold is smashed when Billy, a troubled young man, crashes into Cormoran’s office, insisting the detective help him solve the puzzle of his having witnessed the strangling murder of a young child many years ago. Both Cormoran and Robin are drawn into the investigation – even while they query whether Billy really witnessed what he insists he did. And neither of them could have guessed where their investigation would lead.

This enormous book (very nearly 800 pages in paperback) is a really good read and well worth the investment. While it can be read by itself, I would strongly recommend at least reading the third in the series (the book directly before this one) as the opening few chapters here carry on mere minutes after the conclusion of Career Of Evil. While it is all very clear and well explained – these opening chapters will mean a lot more to readers who are desperate for a better conclusion to the previous book. After these opening scenes though, the book jumps forward a year in time and while Cormoran and Robin still have quite the history in the previous books, I feel any reader could pick the book up from this time jump and be quite comfortable.

I also mainly enjoyed the fact the very long length of the book meant there were quite a few plots all circling around. While I do admit the book could have been more harshly edited and quite a bit of the 800 odd pages could have been cut, I didn’t feel the book really was as bloated as I was expecting. The author spent a good amount of time raising and knitting together a number of plots and threads. For much of the book I really couldn’t grasp what was red herrings and what was actually relevant. This annoyed me to a degree, but then I realised the fact I was questioning this and genuinely unsure what was relevant and what was smoke and mirrors meant the author had blended everything together very successfully.

I do feel that my patience for the will they/won’t they between Cormoran and Robin is wearing thin. I understand many readers demand conflict and tension in their stories, that chemistry and suspense is critical – but after four books and having both characters still frequently miscommunicate and just assume stuff about each other is starting to grate on me. So too is the fact both flatly refuse to acknowledge – or even try to attempt to do anything – about their feelings or try for some sort of resolution or discussion. After four books it’s beginning to get old for me and I’m feeling like they’re both being a bit immature about the whole situation. I’m not ready to give up but I can definitely see my interest with the non-professional side to Cormoran and Robin’s relationship is turning to annoyance, not enjoyment.

Readers looking for an interesting and many layered mystery should find this a good – albeit very long – book. I feel that readers wanting something action orientated or with a romantic resolution won’t find that here, but I did really enjoy the mystery and I found the story very well woven together and kept my interest all the way to the end. I will definitely be reading the next book – but I will admit to hoping a few things might progress or change.

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Out of Body by Lina Hansen

July 9, 2024 By Leave a Comment


Out of Body by Lina Hansen
A Magical Misfits Mystery Book 3
Publisher: Literary Wanderlust
Genre: Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Paranormal, Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

A skeleton unearthed, a coven in peril, and meddling villagers with a penchant for mayhem—Myrtle Coldron’s life is about to get wicked.

Myrtle Coldron, owner of the Witch’s Retreat B&B and leader of the Magical Misfits, enjoys a hike and stumbles upon a skeleton. The unwelcome discovery unleashes a series of bizarre events that shake the quaint village of Avebury to the core. And to top it off, she has scary dreams haunting her nights.

With the help of her loyal partner Chris and her quirky friends and familiars, Myrtle must navigate the tangled web of suspects to flush out a killer holding the keys to a secret from the coven’s past.

Should she fail, the Magical Misfits will be history….

Being a witch isn’t easy, but it sure is worth it.

I enjoyed the descriptions of magic, especially when it came to all of the research and prep work that Myrtle and her fellow witches had to do ahead of time before casting group spells. Those scenes were so vivid and exciting. Of course such things would take plenty of effort in order to work properly! If everyone could do it, casting spells and performing magic wouldn’t be half as special as they are in stories.

It was tricky to keep track of the large cast of characters, especially since most of them had brief introductions that did not provide many details about their personalities, interests, or physical appearances. It’s easier for me to keep track of characters who have something unique about themselves that will trigger my memory once I encounter them again, and I wished I had more of those clues here.

The plot twists kept me guessing. I especially liked the way the identity of the skeleton Myrtle discovered while out on a hike was revealed. It wasn’t what I was expecting, and it made me wonder what other surprises the author had in store for me. Luckily, this pattern repeated itself as I continued on, so I had several other chances to once again be surprised.

I would recommend reading this series in order for character and plot development reasons. There was a lot of material from the previous instalments that was only briefly mentioned. Knowing about it in advance makes understanding what was happening much easier.

Out of Body was an interesting read.

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Breathe For Me by Donna B. Comeaux

July 8, 2024 By Leave a Comment


Breathe For Me by Donna B. Comeaux
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: Best Book
Reviewed by Chamomile

Robert Aaron Jaeger no longer has the emotional fight to outlast his grief. Less than a month ago, his wife and four-year-old daughter were in a terrible accident on the downtown streets of Seattle. The four-year-old came away with scratches. His wife, Christina, succumbed to her injuries. Under the disguise of rafting through Glenwood Canyon, Robert sets out to kill himself, but his plan is thwarted when he stumbles upon a woman standing in freezing water aiming to do the same thing.

Lilly Radford has been riddled with guilt since the day her baby died and there’s not been a day she hasn’t beat herself up about it. She finally snaps, takes her rent money, and uses it to keep her tank filled until the money runs out. With her car running on fumes, she’s forced to exit off I-70 in Glenwood Springs at the Grizzly Creek Rest Stop where she gives up and falls in the river.

After Robert rescues Lilly and later steps off the plane in Seattle, Zachary Butler lurks close to his heels, determined to kill Robert for getting him fired. Zachary is much more than a typical killer on the loose. His disorder causes him to converse with the good side of himself to collaborate on a scheme for revenge. To complicate his chaotic existence, his wife, Ethel, threatens to derail his plan.

As danger looms and a loved one becomes a victim, Robert and Lilly let down their guard and wrestle with their physical attraction to each other. Determined to right past wrongs, their self-centered past haunts them, but if they aren’t careful, they could miss the beauty lying just below the surface of their pain … if the killer has his way.

Anger. Madness. Darkness. Murder. Obsession. Ambition. How will it all end?

Donna Comeaux takes readers on a thrilling ride with this fun read! From the opening pages I knew that this one was different, and the more I read, the more I found myself drawn into the story and the character’s lives! So good!

From the start it’s clear we are about to enter into an interesting mystery read, and it’s that, but it also turned out to be one of the best romantic suspense reads I’ve found in a while! Donna B. Comeaux has such a gift for writing, and I loved getting to enjoy that in this exciting story. Lilly and Robert are so real and raw, and I found their story to be just as delightful as I’d hoped!

This twisty story is sure to please, and offers a good balance of mystery, romance, suspenseful dangers, and unexpected surprises! And that ending! You won’t be able to put this one down! Mary Elizabeth was precious, and as with many of the characters in this one I enjoyed getting to see her character being revealed as I read and seeing her interact with the other characters was a real treat! I also really enjoyed Sarah and was surprised at how much I enjoyed another character (who will remain nameless) and their relationship with Lilly! That was a wonderful surprise, and I did not see it coming, but so wholesome!

This whole story was a delight to read, but does deal with some tougher topics, so might not be for everyone. Death, some violence, and mental illness are a few of the issues addressed in the story, all of which are handled gracefully, but are still heavy topics that need to be cautioned about in case it might not be a good fit for some readers. If it’s a story you think you’d enjoy though, I do recommend this one!

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

The Cadaver Game by Kate Ellis

July 1, 2024 By Leave a Comment


The Cadaver Game by Kate Ellis
Publisher: Piatkus Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Historical, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

The decaying body of a woman is discovered in a suburban house in South Devon, following an anonymous tip off to the police. DI Wesley Peterson has problems establishing the woman’s identity and, as he begins to investigate her death, another disturbing case arises. Two teenagers are found shot dead at the foot of a cliff.

The teenage victims had taken part in an online game called Blood Hunt and it seems they may have been persuaded to play a sinister real-life game, which ended in their murder.

When a skeleton is found near the place where the teenagers were last seen alive, Wesley must face a terrible truth . . . and a hunt to the death.

A woman suspected of lying undiscovered for a week in her house is found and the level of decomposition has DI Wesley Peterson and his team struggling to positively identify the lady. Before they can make much progress with this case two teenagers, naked and both shot at close range with a shotgun, are found at the foot of a cliff. If this wasn’t unusual enough one of the teens has a close link to a member of the police team and when a skeleton is uncovered making it four bodies and no real connection between them Wesley really has his hands full.

I was pleased that this was another really strong addition to this series. While I do feel readers can pick this book up as a stand alone some of the secondary characters in the police team have quite a stronger than usual part to play in this book and so some prior knowledge of who is who and how everyone is linked together would be helpful I think. That said the plot itself stood very well by itself and I thought the author did a good job of knitting everything together and keeping the various plots and subplots ticking along well.

I enjoyed the fact that Welsey’s wife, Pam, didn’t factor as much as usual into this story. I’m still not a big fan of her and to be honest I felt the story moved much more smoothly and enjoyably without her impatience with Wesley and his job. After all these years of marriage I still struggle that she can be annoyed by Wesley needing to devote time – especially when there are four murder investigations all underway. I felt the book was far better for there not being a lot of Pam’s presence.

While there wasn’t a lot of Wesley’s friend, Dr Neil Watson he was integral to one of the sub plots and the skeleton and I did enjoy how he was doing something very unusual and strictly speaking not really archaeology (in a traditional sense) at all. I felt that was quite fresh and well handled.

An interesting albeit slow moving but thoroughly enjoyable British police procedural style of story with a healthy dose of history and archaeology. This was a good book and is a series I’m really growing fond of.

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

The Night Fire by Michael Connelly

June 27, 2024 By Leave a Comment


The Night Fire by Michael Connelly
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Back when Harry Bosch was just a rookie homicide detective, he had an inspiring mentor who taught him to take the work personally and light the fire of relentlessness for every case. Now that mentor, John Jack Thompson, is dead, and his widow gives Bosch a murder book, one that Thompson took with him when he left the LAPD twenty years before — the unsolved killing of a troubled young man.

Bosch takes the murder book to Detective Renée Ballard and asks her to help him discover what about this crime lit Thompson’s fire all those years ago. As she begins her inqueries — while still working her own cases on the midnight shift — Ballad finds aspects of the initial investigation that just don’t add up.

The bond between Bosch and Ballard tightens as they become a formidable investigation team. And they soon arrive at a disturbing question: Did Thompson steal the murder book to work the case in retirement, or to make sure it never got solved?

Harry Bosch might be recovering from knee surgery, but his life is as busy as ever. After attending the memorial service for his mentor as a Detective in the LAPD, his mentor’s widow gave Harry a murder book she found while cleaning up. Harry brings it to Detective Renee Ballard and together they agree to look into the cold case. With far more questions than answers Ballard and Bosch keep at it, determined to find the truth.

I have really enjoyed watching Harry evolve over the last decade or so. Even though the character has aged – Harry is now retired (again) from the police force – much of his fire, insight and dedication is as strong as ever. I also enjoy watching Harry and Ballard work together. They are each quite independent characters, so there is a little conflict occasionally between them, but it doesn’t feel forced or like it’s used as a plot device, it feels like two headstrong people who respect each other trying to work together comfortably.

I also really enjoyed how in this book it wasn’t simply about the one case, Renee picked up a few other cases as she continued her night shift work and her regular police roster, and Harry also kept busy and decided to solve a case when his actions caused the police to stop investigating. There is plenty going on in this book to keep the reader strongly invested and I feel Connelly has absolutely grown over the years and is a masterful storyteller.

Readers should absolutely feel able to pick this book up. While there are plenty of Harry Bosch novels out there, I strongly feel this can be read by itself. Even the still developing working partnership between Bosch and Ballard can easily be understood without having read any of the previous books. This is a gripping and layered murder mystery and an interesting cross between a police procedural and a PI style of detective novel. I have really loved this series for ages now and feel this is an excellent addition and great book.

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