Explosive second book of the Red Queen Trilogy

 

BLACK WOLF

The Red Queen Trilogy, No. 2

Juan Gomez-Jurado

Minotaur Books

March 12, 2024

Antonia Scott and her protector, policeman Jon Gutierrez, are two of the most interesting characters I have encountered in crime fiction for a long time. Antonia is a brilliant but conflicted member of the Red Queen, an international crime-fighting organization. Antonia has a clever brain that sees and makes connections at lightning-fast speed but has relentless personal demons. Her husband has been on life support for years after a failed assassination attempt on Antonia went horribly awry. Her family has taken her only child away because of her erratic behavior. On the other hand, her partner, Jon Gutierrez, is gay, nattily dressed, overweight, and neurotic. He is also Antonia's steadfast supporter and friend. Their first case together, Red Queen, was a non-stop thriller with an ending that left many questions unanswered.

Antonia and Jon are sent to Marbella, a resort city on the Costa del Sol after a Russian gangster is brutally murdered in his home. His pregnant wife, Lola Moreno, is missing and assumed to be on the run. Red Queen needs to find and extract Lola for her safety and the information she may have. The Russian gangster who killed her husband is also looking for her. If that was not enough, the head mafioso in Russia has sent his assassin to find Lola. The assassin is a female known as the "Black Wolf," with a high success rate and a seemingly endless appetite for brutality. Antonia, Jon, and corrupt Marbella cops are bound to collide with explosive results. Antonia's personal demons raise their heads, and she overuses the drugs prescribed to keep her going. Nobody is who they appear to be in this propulsive thriller.

I was blown away by Red Queen and eagerly awaited the second installment. I was not precisely disappointed by Black Wolf, even though it wasn't quite as engrossing. That is often the nature of a middle book in a trilogy. Once again, the characters are extraordinary and surprising, and the action never stops. Antonia is releasing some of her failures and regrets, which bodes well for the finish. I hope it comes soon after a jaw-dropping twist at the novel's close! Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur for an advance digital copy. The opinions are my own.

RATING- 4 Stars

There are Strange Things out in the Wilderness

THE BOY WHO CRIED BEAR

Haven's Rock #2

Kelley Armstrong

St. Martins Minotaur

February 20, 2024

I have been a fan of Kelley Armstrong's books for a very long time since I first became aware of her Otherworld series in the early 2000s. Whether it is Urban Fantasy, Mystery, Time-Slip, or whatever Rockton or Haven's Rock could be classified as she consistently delivers unique characters and great stories.

The Haven's Rock Series is a spin-off of the Rockton Series, set in the contemporary Canadian Yukon. Rockton was a well-hidden town, founded initially for people fleeing political persecution. Over the years, it became a refuge for anyone who could pay to get in. Casey Duncan was fleeing her possible prosecution for murder and the revenge of the victim's family. Brought in as a detective reporting to the Rockton Sheriff, Eric Dalton. The pairing became both professional and personal. Casey and Eric are now a married couple. When Rockton fell apart, the two founded Haven's Rock. Haven's Rock is meant as an escape for people fleeing trouble not of their own making, and hopefully, fewer serial killers and psychopaths.

Haven's Rock has accepted a mother and two children whose father was killed in front of them after testifying in a trial. The two boys are the first children in Rockton or Haven's Rock, causing concerns they have never faced before. When the younger boy reports seeing a bear with human eyes near the settlement, no one knows what to think. The boy, Max, is insistent, and everyone is all out to find him when he appears to have been abducted. Plenty of strange people are out in the woods, but why would Max be abducted? Coupled with this dilemma, Casey and Eric have their own issue, which is also about a child.

The Boy Who Cried Bear is another gripping installment in this well-constructed series. While the novel could be read as a stand-alone, I think everyone should start with the first in the series and possibly go back to Rockton. You won't be disappointed!! Thanks to NetGalley.com and Minotaur for an advance digital copy. The opinions are my own.

RATING 4.5 Stars

The Age of Steam and Conspiracy

 

MURDER AT THE MERTON LIBRARY

Wrexford and Sloan #7

Andrea Penrose

Kensington Books

September 26, 2023

Lord Wrexford sets out quickly to Oxford when he receives a message from an old friend, Greeley, a Librarian at Merton College Library. More important, he was the dearest friend of Wrexford's younger brother, Thomas. Thomas was killed in a French ambush in Portugal during the Napoleonic Wars, and Wrexford has always felt guilty that he was not there to save him. Greeley was the only survivor, grievously wounded in both body and spirit. Wrexford would never ignore a request from Greeley. Upon his arrival, he finds that the librarian has been murdered and a valuable manuscript is missing.

Meanwhile, in London, Lady Charlotte is investigating a possible arson fire at a laboratory under her pen name, AJ Quill. This is the age of steam; Stephen Fulton has just introduced the steam paddleboat in America to great success and acclaim. The British are all in on developing an ocean-going steamboat. As was the custom, consortiums are being formed to reap the benefits. Some of the consortiums have dubious characters involved, and Charlotte wants to get to the bottom of them, especially since their friend, Kit Sheffield, is tempted to join one of the most dubious.

As always, the burgeoning world of science is at the heart of the Wrexford and Sloane mysteries. The Regency era brought many new scientific advances and new ways to cheat others out of their wealth. In this particular entry, I found myself lost in all the theories of propulsion from DaVinci to more modern theorists. However, the cast of characters redeems that. Time spent in the company of the Wrexfords, their formerly street urchin wards, Raven and Hawk, and Peregrine, the new addition, Peregrine, is well-spent. It is an unconventional family, but a family nonetheless. We even get answers about Charlotte's taciturn housekeeper, Mac, and a resolution to just who was responsible for the death of Thomas in the ambush that killed him.

Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for an advance digital copy. The opinions are my own.

RATING- 3.5 Stars

The First Book in an Explosive Trilogy from Spain

RED QUEEN

Juan Gomez-Jurado

MacMillan Audio

February 14, 2023

 So far, 2023 has been a good year for thrillers, and Red Queen is outstanding. Originally published in Spain in 2018, it has gained a worldwide following and is now available in English. Juan Gomez-Jurado has introduced a detecting duo and a cast of characters as fascinating as any I have ever read. Inspector Jon Gutierrez of the Madrid Police is in hot water, not for the first time. He is a clothes-horse, despite being barrel-chested and overweight. Gutierrez also still lives with his mother and is gay, neither of which makes him popular on the force. This time he may have finally ruined his career by planting evidence on a pimp and drug dealer. Gutierrez did it to help one of the pimp's girls get loose from his influence. The girl, however, filmed it and put it on social media. Suspended without pay and with Internal Affairs on his heels, he has no idea what to do. Then he receives a phone call from someone only known as the "Mentor," who offers him an opportunity to resurrect his career.

The "Mentor" is part of a shadowy organization that pursues the worst of criminals, serial killers, killers-for-hire, and terrorists. "Mentor" wants him to meet with a former operative, half-English, half-Spanish Antonia Scott. She is a genius forensic expert with a mind like a high-functioning computer. They need her to solve several high-profile kidnappings of influential and wealthy people and the death of one of the children of the families involved. Antonia, however, has refused since her husband was shot and has been in a coma for three years. Her father has taken her young son away and assumed custody of him. She only leaves her apartment to go and sit with her husband in the hospital every night. Her life has collapsed, and she blames herself. The killer was after her, not her husband. Gutierrez has a tall order to get her out of her apartment, but the situation escalates when Carla Ortiz, the daughter of one of the world's wealthiest men, is kidnapped. There is no ransom demand, at least financially, but the families involved are not forthcoming about the orders made. Carla has only 40 hours left to live. 

There is non-stop action in Red Queen, kidnappings, car chases, subterranean pursuits, bombings, and encounters with some of the worst people one could imagine. If you aren't afraid of shadowy international organizations who think they have the right to decide the fate of everyone, you will be after reading this novel. Through skillful character-building, Juan Gomez-Jurado has written a story of love, friendship, and healing. I can't wait for the next book in this trilogy.

I received the audiobook of Red Queen from McMillan Audio and NetGalley. It was superbly narrated by Scott Brick, who I was aware of, but this is the first time I heard him. I will be on the lookout for his work in the future. The opinions are my own.

RATING- 5 Stars

Timely and Chilling Novel of Nazi Sympathizers in Pre- World WarII Hollywood

     

 MOTHER DAUGHTER TRAITOR SPY

Susan Elia MacNeal

Bantam Books

September 20, 2022

It's 1940 in New York, and everything seems to be coming up roses for Veronica Grace and her widowed mother, Violet. Ever since childhood, Veronica has wanted to be a journalist, modeling herself on Martha Gellhorn. She is graduating with honors from Hunter College and has a great job lined up. Her father, a Naval Commander, has been dead for six years, so her uncle Walter has come from Southern California to celebrate. Little do they know that everything is going to change. Veronica has a secret. She has been having an affair with an older reporter who was supposed to be mentoring her, and his wife has found out about it. Unluckily, the wife is part of a mighty publishing family who has reported it to Hunter and Veronica's prospective employer. Veronica's dreams are smashed, and even worse, she is just one of a string of girls who were fooled by him.

Uncle Walter has a plan for them, though. He has a small cottage in California to offer them so they can make a new start. Despite having lived their whole lives in Brooklyn, Violet and Veronica see no alternative. A scandal like this can't be hidden or glossed over, not in 1940. The little family heads off to sunny LA with heavy hearts and no idea how to start over. Veronica finds it challenging to find a job, especially without any experience or education she can mention. Violet is a typical housewife and mother of the time with no work experience. She is, however, a talented seamstress and specializes in custom embroidery on clothing. One day mother and daughter engaged in a casual conversation with a woman who told Veronica of a possible job with the woman's brother-in-law doing stenographic and general office work. Violet's beautiful embroidery is also noticed by rich, well-connected women, primarily women connected to right-wing causes. Veronica takes the job but soon discovers that her seemingly "nice," jovial employers are part of the America First Committee and are distributing poisonous propaganda for the Nazi Regime. She is sickened and horrified, and when she tells Violet, the two women go first to the police, then to the FBI. The police can do nothing and seem, if anything, sympathetic. And J. Edgar Hoover was only interested in chasing Communists. A call to a Naval colleague of Veronica's father brings results, however. He puts them in touch with two active agents trying to stop the Nazi influx. Since Violet and Veronica are of German heritage and look like perfect blonde examples of Aryan womanhood, they will have no problem infiltrating. The women agree since they both are patriots who hate the rise of the Nazis. It becomes clear to them that they will be in great danger. The Nazi sympathizers are planning something "big" if Roosevelt is re-elected. 

The plot of Mother Daughter Traitor Spy would be quite fantastical if one didn't know how dangerous Nazi sympathizers were all over America, especially on the coasts. Xenophobia ran rampant when it became clear that America was being inexorably drawn into another World War. However, the characters of the agents, Violet and Veronica, as well as the Nazis, are based on real people. The agents went on after the War to successful careers and prominence. The women who placed themselves in such peril have been largely forgotten, which seems to be how such things go. Veronica's real name was Sylvia Comfort. One can't read Mother Daughter Traitor Spy without seeing the parallels to today's political climate. This is a nail-biting thriller with characters to remember.

Thanks to Bantam Books and Netgalley.com for an advance digital copy. The opinions are my 

own.

 

Assassins to Remember

 KILLERS OF A CERTAIN AGE

Deanna Raybourn

Berkley Books

September 6,2022

Deanna Raybourn takes a leap into the present day

with this intelligent and action-packed new book, and may I say, she hits it out of the park. Anyone who has read her successful Lady Julia and Veronica Speedwell Series knows that her heroines are sophisticated and competent yet rooted in the Victorian Era. The ladies are anything but shrinking violets. But they would have never imagined a foursome like this!

Billie, Mary Alice, Helen, and Natalie first met when recruited by a shadowy, non-governmental agency called The Museum. The Museum was started by US and British former agents, disgruntled by so many Nazis who were allowed to escape justice after World War II. They had managed to clean up many of them before the seventies when they moved their efforts to more familiar, garden-variety tinpot dictators, drug dealers, murderers, and the like. The women became assassins, often working as a team, the first female team in Museum history. They each had their own specialty; Billie, for instance, is accomplished in hand-to-hand combat. Billie also tells the story in Killers of a Certain Age. They came from widely divergent backgrounds but naturally developed a close relationship, having kept themselves alive in dangerous circumstances. Now, they have all entered their sixties, and retirement beckons. The Museum wants to send them on a luxury cruise together as a thank-you with a retirement package meant to keep them in comfort for the rest of their lives. However, much to their surprise, they are the targets of a young assassin, one from their own former employer. The chase to find out why they have been targeted and how to get the mark removed makes up the rest of this bang-up thriller. It's not easy, but none of these women have lost their skills. Or their desire to settle some old scores.

Killers of a Certain Age jumps back and forth in time, revisiting their training days and various missions they have done together and separately. I especially enjoyed their defeats of younger agents, often dependent on technology, using more "old-fashioned" methods. It's tremendous fun, and I couldn't put it down. The Museum should have known better. 

RATING- 5 Stars

Home-Grown Espionage in WWII England

 

THE KEY TO DECEIT

Electra McDonnell #2

Ashley Weaver

St. Martins Minotaur

May 10, 2022

The McDonnell family lives in London’s East End and is well known for locksmithing. They also do a little safe-cracking on the side when economic circumstances require it. The only girl in the family, Electra, grew up learning locksmithing at her Uncle Mick’s knee and is an expert.

But as a woman in the WWII era,  Electra is usually laughed at by prospective customers until she proves what she can do. Uncle Mick and her cousins, Colm and Toby, have no such reservations, and Electra is a welcome part of the safe-cracking side of the business. In the previous book, His Majesty’s Government, in the form of the upright and reserved Major Ramsey, offers the McDonnell family an offer they can’t refuse; forgiveness for previous crimes in exchange for help with the War effort. Part of the deal is the cessation of all illegal activities. The McDonnells agree as they are patriots; besides, England is in the “phony war,” waiting for Germany’s inevitable attack.

Electra proved her mettle in her first case, A Peculiar Combination, so it is no surprise when Major Ramsey has a new investigation for her. A girl has turned up drowned in the Thames wearing a bracelet adorned with a unique locket. When Electra opens the locket, it has microfilm inside. The young woman was involved with espionage, but why and who would kill her? She appeared a regular country girl who was looking for a new life in London in all respects. This investigation will take Electra and Major Ramsey into perilous territory as the Blitz finally arrives. The descriptions of those first nights of the bombing are riveting.

The Key to Deceit is another enjoyable entry in the series, combining a puzzle to solve, adventure, suspense, with a light touch of romance. Will she or won’t she, and if so, with whom? A secondary, important mystery is Electra’s quest to find out more about her mother, who died in prison after giving birth to her. She supposedly killed Electra’s father but always denied it and was believed by many. Electra’s Uncle Mick was her father’s brother and took her in, raising her as one of his own. Not surprisingly, it was never discussed in his household. Readers of cozy historical mysteries should enjoy the Electra McDonnell series immensely.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Minotaur for an advance digital copy. The opinions are my own. See also at www.mysteryandsuspensemagazine.com.

RATING- 4 Stars

Twists and Turns Make a Can't-Put-It-Down Thriller

THE SECRETS WE SHARE

Edwin Hill

Kensington Books

March 29, 2022

Sisters Natalie Cavanaugh and Glenn Abbott could not be more different. Natalie is a 40-something Boston detective, and Glenn is a food blogger who is on the cusp of significant success with a book coming out in a few days. Loner Natalie passes out every night from drinking too much and seems to have no one who cares about her other than her mentee on the force, Zane Perez, and her sister. Glenn appears to have everything in control, with her husband Jake and 12-year-old daughter, Mavis. There is a lot of trouble in Glenn's paradise, however.

The secrets that the two sisters share go back to the murder of their father years earlier. Alan Cavanaugh was murdered in the woods behind their house in suburban Boston. It appears that he was murdered by their next-door neighbor, who had an affair with him. She even confessed to it before killing herself. As a result, her two children were broken up and sent into the foster system. Natalie and Glenn were never separated, but many townspeople still believed that their mother, Ruth, was actually guilty. All the disparate threads of the murder of Alan come back to haunt them. 

Hester Thursby, librarian and researcher extraordinaire, and her veterinarian husband, Morgan make a brief appearance (along with their daughter, Kate, and various assorted canines). Their friend, Detective Angela White, is prominently present, who takes the investigation away from Natalie when Glenn's daughter Mavis discovers a grotesquely murdered body in an abandoned warehouse. All the clues seem to point back to that earlier murder of Alan Cavanaugh. The Secrets We Share is Hill's best work, full of head-spinning twists and turns that kept me up late. When the final solution to the puzzle was revealed, I was astonished. Hill's portrayal of Mavis, intelligent, focused, and fierce, placed in considerable danger, is also a stand-out.

I highly recommend The Secrets We Share. Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for an advance digital copy. The opinions are my own.

5 Stars

Profane, Blackly Funny and a Must-Read

 

THE TORQUED MAN

Peter Mann

Harper Publishing

January 11, 2022

When I began reading The Torqued Man, I was unsure whether it would be for me, as espionage is not my usual genre. However, I do have an enduring interest in the WWII era. The Torqued Man is in two journals, one by Adrian De Groot, a minor functionary in the Nazi Party intelligence agency and a translator. Adrian comes from an impoverished family of merchants but has the advantage of a good education. Not aligned with Nazi Party politics or philosophy, De Groot hopes to keep his head down and survive. He is also used to recruit agents to infiltrate Ireland and build sentiment for a German invasion. He recruits Frank Pike (also known as Finn), a rabble-rousing IRA fighter. After becoming disenchanted with current IRA leadership, Pike joins the International Brigades and lands in one of Franco's infamous Spanish prisons. From Pike's viewpoint, Adrian's offer is a life-saver. Pike is a riotous, completely undisciplined person whose veracity cannot be trusted on any level. De Groot and Pike are unreliable narrators on an epic scale and become irretrievably entwined as the Reich falls.

The Torqued Man is a "can't put it down" adventure story of one of the most destructive eras of world history and an exploration of the human heart. It is blackly funny, profane, and entirely unexpected with characters, even minor ones, who jump off the page. It is also replete with literary allusion and, in my opinion, impeccably researched. I have always wondered how Germany went so off the rails. One can't ignore the connections to our era. If you put the worst of society, unscrupulous, immoral, ignorant, and steeped in racial animus, in charge of the house, don't be surprised when the roof falls in.

I can't imagine that The Torqued Man will not be one of the top books of my reading year. Thanks to Harper and NetGalley for an advance digital copy. The opinions are my own.

RATING- 5 Stars

A Community in Flames

THE DRY

Aaron Falk #1

Jane Harper

Flatiron Books

January 10, 2017

The outback Australian farming town of Kiewarra has been suffering through years of drought. Businesses have closed, farms are failing, and the only really viable concern in town is the pub. Tempers are high, but everyone is shocked when a local farm family is shotgunned to death, and it appears that the father did it and then killed himself. The parents of the father, Luke Hadler, refuse to believe that he could have done such a thing. So they call in Aaron Falk, now an Australian Federal Agent specializing in financial crimes, to investigate. The last place on earth Aaron wants to be is Keiwarra. He, Luke, and Ellie Deacon were inseparable as children. The three formed a sort of adolescent romantic triangle as teenagers, and when Ellie was forcibly drowned in the river, Kiewarra decided that one or both boys must have done it. The two alibied each other, but Aaron has never been sure of Luke since Luke refused to say where he really was. The result was that Aaron and his widowed father were literally driven out of town. Luke managed to stay and put it all behind him.

The Dry is an intensely atmospheric thriller. One can feel the heat and see it shimmer off the roads. Kiewarra is a blasted landscape, ready to go up in flames, as are the townspeople. The novel is tightly plotted and filled with believable characters trapped in adverse circumstances, often of their own making. I picked up on the killer of Ellie pretty early on, but the person who killed the Hadler family was a real surprise. I don't know why The Dry sat so long on my "to be read" shelf. It is a most impressive first novel.

4 STARS

 

Secrecy Almost Fails in Rockton

 

A STRANGER IN TOWN

Rockton #6

Kelley Armstrong

Minotaur Books

February 9, 2021

Rockton is a small, secret village in the Canadian Yukon, with a strange history and an even stranger purpose. Originally established about sixty years ago as a refuge for idealistic young people who had run afoul of the "establishment," usually for political views. Since then, it evolved into people who were on the run from the law, wrongly accused or convicted, or hiding from an abusive ex-partner. Lately, though, the governing body, the shadowy "council," seems to let anyone in who has the money, no matter how heinous their crime. Even so, the number of admissions to Rockton seems to be declining, a matter of concern to Sheriff Eric Dalton and his deputy and romantic partner, Casey Duncan. Casey was tricked into coming to Rockton but has found a haven and a purpose.

Secrecy is paramount in Rockton. The council has spent huge sums over the years for the technology to make the small settlement invisible, even to aircraft. However, there are hikers and explorers from time to time. When a female hiker is found nearby, stumbling, badly injured, and delirious, it is alarming. There will undoubtedly be searchers, and when she is conscious, she seems to speak only Danish. A new resident in the village "just happens" to speak Danish and offers to translate. On the heels of this, Emilie, one of the council members and one of the village founders, arrives unexpectedly. Add complications of people from the settlements who split off from Rockton and the "hostiles" who have also split off and gone completely feral, and the story becomes very complicated.

The Rockton series is one that I have eagerly followed from the beginning. Kelley Armstrong builds an entirely believable world in this village and the characters who come and go. However, in reading A Stranger In Town, I was quite often lost in the fast-paced events and new characters appearing. I was somewhat disappointed, but as this is clearly a transitional book, I will just have to wait for the next one. Thanks to Minotaur and NetGalley for an advance digital copy. The opinions are my own.

RATING- 3 Stars

Head and Shoulders Above the Average Crime Novel

THE UNWILLING

John Hart

February 2, 2020

St. Martins Books

"We, the unwilling, led by the unknowing, are doing the impossible for the ungrateful."

Every time I open a new John Hart crime novel, I know that I am in for a challenging and thrilling read. I also wonder if he can surpass his previous books. The Unwilling does not disappoint. Part family drama, part crime thriller, part coming-of-age story, and part examination of the different aspects of brotherhood, The Unwilling grabs hold immediately and does not let go.

Charlotte, NC detective Bill French and his wife, Gabrielle, have lost more than their fair share in the disastrous Viet Nam War. One son, Robert, was killed less than one year into his deployment. The second son, Jason, came home after almost three tours bitter, alienated, addicted to heroin, and dishonorably discharged. Jason quickly falls into the world of drugs, guns, and biker gangs. The third son, Gibson, is everybody's favorite; athletic, smart, funny, and kind. He will soon graduate from high school and hit 18 when he has to register for the draft. Gibby has no real doubts about what he should do, follow in the footsteps of his brothers. Gibby's best friend, Chance, has different thoughts about his future. Chance has already reached 18 and failed to register.

Jason has been in an infamous prison, built originally in the 1860s, on a drug conviction. It's known as a hellhole, but no one who hasn't been there knows exactly how much. The prison is in the iron control of an infamous criminal known as "X." Jason has been out for several weeks and living in a halfway house in Raleigh but has not contacted his family. Jason does not know, for sure, anyway, that "X" has taken a particular interest in him and wants him back inside. Gibby and Jason reconnect, despite the elder French's wishes. A trip into the countryside with two young women leads to an encounter with a prison bus and one of the young women's hideous death. Jason is immediately a suspect, and when the other young woman disappears, Gibby is suspected as well. Now, Bill French must balance his duties as a policeman, father, and the support of his fragile wife.

In the hands of a lesser writer, "X" would be a cartoonish supervillain, as well as his minion, the detestable Reese. A lesser writer would not be able to draw all the narrative threads into a cohesive whole. There are descriptions of stomach-churning violence and depravity, contrasted with the solid friendship between Gibby, Chance, and Gibby's first love, Becky.

He has created indelible characters that will be with me for a long time, and I would love to see them again. John Hart has been known to do that.

I may have to rethink the whole "star" rating. The Unwilling is head and shoulders above any other crime novel I have read in quite a while. So I will enthusiastically give it two 'thumbs up".

Thanks to St.Martin's and Net Galley for an advance digital copy. The opinions are my own.

A Well-Executed Departure in this Long-Running Series

cooperate


ALL THE DEVILS ARE HERE
Inspector Gamache #16
Louise Penny
Minotaur Books, MacMillan Audio
September 1, 2020



All the Devils are Here is a departure in this long-running series, taking place in Paris, rather than Quebec or the much-loved village of Three Pines. Armand Gamache and his wife, Reine-Marie, are in Paris for the birth of their granddaughter. The parents are their daughter, Annie, and son-in-law, Jean-Guy Beauvoir. Jean-Guy was Gamache's second-in-command at the Surete de Quebec. They have recently moved to Paris because Jean-Guy had taken a job in private industry. The person responsible for the job change, billionaire and Gamache's godfather, Stephen Horowitz, is also awaiting the birth of the baby. Gamache's son, Daniel, a banker, and his family have lived in Paris for years. The family is leaving a favorite bistro and crossing a busy street when the 93-year-old Stephen is struck down by a van and left grievously injured. It was clearly no accident. Gamache calls in his old friend, Prefect of the Paris Police, Claude Dussault, to investigate. Still, Dussault seems strangely uneager and even reminds Gamache that he has no standing in Paris.

What follows is a breakneck thriller, centered around immense corporate malfeasance by the very firm where Jean-Guy works and a sinister security firm staffed by former commandos. Stephen Horowitz has plunged them all into a situation that will be deadly unless the family can cooperate using their various abilities. The clock is ticking, both for the baby's birth and their only chance to thwart the corporate plot, thereby saving countless lives. Family, as always, plays an integral part in All the Devils are Here. Daniel Gamache has only been mentioned previously, so it comes as a surprise that he and Armand have had a stressful relationship for years. Daniel's long-held resentments might keep him from playing a part and are fully exposed in the course of the story. Success comes with a high price tag but many benefits.

The City of Paris is vividly described and almost a character itself. I did miss Twin Pines, but the quirky, much-loved inhabitants are there in spirit. Everything comes full circle with a satisfactory ending for all. The audiobook form for this series has always been my preferred format, so I was delighted to get an advance copy via NetGalley. Robert Bathurst does his usual stellar narration. Thanks so much! The opinions are my own.

RATING- 5 Stars

Someone is Always Lying

HIS AND HERS
Alice Feeney
Flatiron Books, MacMillan Audio
Narrated by Richard Armitage and Stephanie Racine
July 28, 2020


There are two sides to every story: yours and mine, ours and theirs, His & Hers. Which means someone is always lying.


I borrowed the above description from the publisher because it is the perfect encapsulation of this fantastic read. Anna Andrews has worked her way up the BBC hierarchy and has occupied the noon newsreader desk for two years. The previous newsreader has been on maternity leave for two years, and Anna has put her possible return out of her mind. All that changes when she does return, and Anna is relegated to lowly correspondent again. Anna jumps at a news story, because she needs to get her career on track, and she doesn't want to face the humiliation. A woman has been killed in the small village of Blackdown, but no one at the BBC knows that it is Anna's home village, a place that she fled at 16-years-old. DCI Jack Harper left London a year earlier to work in Blackdown, a place where nothing ever happens. Both Jack and Anna have connections to the victim that run deep and are longstanding.

The whole notion of the unreliable narrator is one that I enjoy but has been somewhat overdone in recent years. Not so in His and Hers, as told in Anna's and Jack's voices, with the killer's voice as well. It is brilliantly plotted and kept me guessing at every turn. I was always wrong when I narrowed down who I thought the killer was. I don't usually care for multiple narrators on audiobooks, but I don't see how it could be done as well without three voices. I am a big fan of Richard Armitage's narrations, and Stephanie Racine equals him.

I mentally subtracted 1/2 star for an incident of animal cruelty that I thought was not necessary, but that is something I can't tolerate. So I added the 1/2 star back, but I believe a sensitive reader should be aware of it. Also, if it's bedtime and you are nearly at the end of the novel, you might as well keep on reading! I couldn't get it out of my head.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for a free audiobook copy. The opinions are my own.

RATING-5 Stars

A Crime Novel that Transcends the Genre

A PRIVATE CATHEDRAL
Dave Robicheaux #23
James Lee Burke
Simon and Schuster 
August 11, 2020


Dave Robicheaux and his best friend and sidekick, Clete Purcel, find themselves in the middle of a war between two vicious crime families, the Balangies and Shondells. Teenager Isolde Balangie approaches Dave, telling him that she is being sold as a sex slave to Mark Shondell, and she needs rescuing. She is in love with Johnny Shondell, the youngest of the Shondell clan. Dave, knight-errant that he is, takes up the cause of this mobbed-up Romeo and Juliet. 
Dave's penchant for getting involved with the wrong woman, in this case, women, results in making deadly enemies of both crime bosses. Enter a time-traveling assassin with the ability to induce terrifying hallucinations and other enemies bringing more mundane threats. 

Only a writer of James Lee Burke's power and craftsmanship could make the plot of A Private Cathedral work. I have had a long off and on relationship with Dave Robicheaux and Clete; one that I had stepped away from because of the extreme violence of the series. As soon as I started reading I knew I was in for the long haul. Burke can bring the unknown territory of South Louisiana to steamy life. I know Dave and Clete's demons well. There is an entire gallery of secondary characters who are brought to vivid life, in all their frailty and in some cases, evil. The book is set not in the present day, but several years in the past, foreshadowing the times we live in today. Burke's prose is something to be savored and I highlighted many passages to revisit.

Many, many thanks to Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for an advance digital copy. The opinions are my own.

RATING- 5 stars

Behind the Headlines

VOICE WITH NO ECHO
A Jimmy Vega Mystery # 5
Suzanne Chazin
Kensington Books
March 31, 2020



Tensions are on the rise in Lake Holly, NY, along with ICE raids and deportations and an anti-immigrant district attorney. Jimmy Vega, cleared of charges in the shooting of an unarmed man, but still on limited duty, responds to a call to that same DA's home. The new wife of the DA, Talia Crowley, has been found hanging in their flooded basement. The police are ready to call it a suicide but will go through the motions, especially in their search for Crowley's immigrant maid. The maid is the niece of Edgar Aviles, the long-time custodian at Beth Shalom Synagogue. When ICE shows up to deport Edgar, the synagogue somewhat reluctantly gives him sanctuary and calls in Adele Figueroa, Jimmy's girlfriend, and the force behind La Casa, the local immigrant advocacy group. Added to the mix is Michelle, the ICE agent sent to supervise the case; she is also Jimmy's estranged half-sister.

Voice With No Echo starts with a bang, and the action doesn't let up. The ugly underbelly of local ICE and police operations is exposed in this case. Jimmy has to confront some demons from his past. He also must deal with doing what is right as opposed to what is legal, and the fact that sometimes people are not at all what they appear to be. Once again, Suzanne Chazin is even-handed in her characterization of both the immigrant and legal community while spinning an intricate plot.

Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for an advance digital copy. The opinions are my own.

RATING- 4.5 Stars

Art Theft is Just a Part of this Heart-Pounding Thriller

THE HIDDEN THINGS
Jamie Mason
Simon and Schuster/ Gallery
August 13, 2019


Carly Lidell is not your average fourteen-year-old. She survived an attack at her own front door and in the foyer from a local lowlife by fighting back and knocking out he attacker. The whole "thing," as Carly calls it was captured on video by the home security cameras and quickly went viral. Only the corner of a painting hanging in the foyer is visible, but the video is of great interest to several people. The picture is one of the works stolen, a minor one, in the notorious robbery at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in 1990. It seems that the painting has surfaced once before and in the process changed the lives of all involved. What could it be doing hanging in a suburban foyer? The players in this drama are Marcelline, John /Jonathan, Carly's stepfather, Owen Haig, and Roy Dorring. Four years earlier John had led Marcelline into a plan to sell the painting to an obscenely wealthy family rather than turn it into the FBI or the Museum. She nearly paid with her life and had to disappear. Owen was the agent for the family and has been obsessed with getting the art back ever since. Roy was just the sad-sack trying to make a buck, which is the entirety of his life. The viral video sets this group on a collision course. And Carly? She wants to know why her stepfather is so changed and acting so suspiciously since the "thing."

The Hidden Things is a fast-paced thriller with characters that are so fleshed out they jump off the page. Marcelline made a bad mistake and just wants her life back. John is a sociopath; Roy, a quintessential loser, and Owen can only be described as a "black hole" whose real motives are indecipherable to me. And Carly is bright, gifted, compassionate and could someday rule the world. I would give this novel an enthusiastic 5 stars, had it not bogged down a bit in the middle. Jamie Mason is a gifted storyteller with a sharp eye for characterization and pacing. I highly recommend The Hidden Things. Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery for an advance copy. The opinions are my own.

RATING- 4.5 Stars

Secrets Must Be Kept

WATCHER IN THE WOODS
A Rockton Novel #4
Kelley Armstrong
Minotaur Books
February 5, 2019


Watcher in the Woods begins almost immediately after the events of This Fallen Prey. A resident of this strange little town in the Canadian Yukon, a refuge for both the innocent and the guilty, Kenny, was paralyzed by a gunshot wound. The Sheriff, Eric Dalton, and his deputy and partner, Casey Duncan are well aware that the basic medical services in the town aren't sufficient to help him. Luckily, Casey knows that her physician sister, April, is just the person to help him recover. Unluckily, the two sisters are opposites and have been estranged for years. Eric and Casey also know that the "council" who control the Rockton finances and who comes and goes will never agree to bring her in. It will be up to the pair to persuade April to consent and to smuggle her in and out. Surprisingly April agrees but having her in Rockton for even a short time will be a challenge. On the heels of April's arrival, Eric and Casey discover a man watching the town from the surrounding woods. As they pursue him, it becomes clear that he has not just happened to find Rockton. He is there for a purpose and must be found and questioned. The watcher will throw Rockton into chaos once again. The closely held secrets of the town cannot be exposed, for everyone's safety. 

Watcher in the Woods is another high energy thriller from Kelley Armstrong. This series has quickly become a favorite. The premise of the books is fascinating, and I never see who to trust. Everybody has a story and most of them aren't the real truth. No matter what happens Eric and Casey know that they can trust each other, however. I did find the numerous characters a little difficult to keep sorted this time. Some were not as well characterized as I would like and I had to keep thinking back to previous books to remember their places in the town. Watcher in the Woods could be read as a standalone, but I don't recommend it.

I am looking forward to the next one though. Thanks to Netgalley and Minotaur for an advance digital copy. The opinions are my own.

RATING- 4 Stars

Not What I Expected...at All

LITTLE COMFORT
Hester Thursby # 1
Edwin Hill
Kensington Books
August 28, 2018



The first thing I want to say about the debut novel, Little Comfort, is that it was not what I expected. The description ticked specific boxes: librarian, amateur sleuth, missing person, New England setting. All those boxes indicated a straightforward, undemanding, somewhat escapist mystery, at least to me. How much trouble can a librarian get into? A tremendous amount evidently.

Hester Thursby is 36 years old, 4 foot.9 (and 3/4) inch librarian at Harvard University. She has a rather odd living arrangement in an old house with Hester's "non-husband" Morgan, her best friend from college, Daphne, and Daphne's three-year-old, Kate. Daphne disappeared months previously, leaving Kate and a note. Morgan is Daphne's brother, and the two decide to take on parenting responsibility until Daphne returns. Most of that responsibility has fallen to Hester, something about which she is very conflicted. She has even taken leave from her job to stay at home with Kate although she never felt any desire for a child. Hester has built a sideline using her research skills to help find people, mostly old schoolmates, prom dates, out of touch relatives and the like. Her interest is piqued when she is approached by Lila Blaine to find her brother, Sam, who disappeared from their lakeside home in New Hampshire. Apparently, his friend Gabe vanished with him. The two could not be more different. Sam was handsome, charismatic, and evidently willing to do whatever it would take to elevate himself into the life of the rich people who come to the lake in the summer. Gabe was "invisible", both to himself and others, and bounced from one foster home to another. Lila provides Hester with a stack of postcards sent from cities Sam has lived in over the years, complete with cryptic messages. It takes Hester precisely two days to find Sam and Gabe, right in Boston, and a trail of death and destruction in their wake.

I won't say any more about the plot, which has twists and turns that made my head spin. The characters in Little Comfort are the real stand-out, however. Sam and Gabe are chilling psychopaths, but somehow Edwin Hill makes one of them if not sympathetic, at least pitiable. Hester herself is a flawed character whose cavalier disregard for her own safety and Kate's made me want to shake her at times. Her job as an investigator is not a "take your kid to work" situation. Hester is the embodiment of "tiny but fierce." 

Many thanks to Kensington and NetGalley for an advance digital copy. Little Comfort won a coveted "Starred Review" by Publishers Weekly and deserves it. The opinions are my own.


RATING- 4.5 Stars

Old Sins and Secrets Never Die

THE HUSH
John Hart
St. Martin's Minotaur
February 27, 2018


In John Hart's newest novel he revisits two characters from The Last Child, Johnny Merrimon, and Jack Cross. Ten years on, their lives have diverged widely, but the two are still the closest of friends. Jack is beginning his career as a bankruptcy lawyer, and Johnny has inherited a six thousand acre tract of swampland called "The Hush."Johnny built a cabin on the land and has essentially become a hermit, seldom going into town and living off the land. The notoriety from the events of The Last Child still clings to both, and they would prefer to stay out of the public eye as much as possible. But other people want the land; a billionaire game hunter, and the family of Isaac Fremantle. The property formerly belonged to the Merrimons but was deeded to the Fremantle family, along with manumission in 1853.The death of the last Fremantle male triggered the reversion of the property to Johnny. But there are very odd things happening both on the property and to Johnny himself, things that Jack finds frightening and dangerous.Old sins and secrets are coming to a head in The Hush.

John Hart has taken a significant risk with this novel with its jump from traditional thriller into magical realism. If you have difficulty with the suspension of disbelief, this may be a disappointment. Thinking back to The Last Child, the roots are there for this new story. I am, as always, dazzled by Hart's storytelling. It's not often that I read a book cover to cover in one day, but I couldn't put this one down. It is not necessary to read The Last Child to thoroughly enjoy The Hush, but I recommend it. 

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martins for an advance digital copy. The opinions are my own.

RATING- 5 Stars