Review: MURDER ON THE MOUNTAIN by L. R. Starr

Release August 31 2020

4 Stars

Gorgeous scenery and an endearing pair of protagonists brighten this involving murder mystery, with a seriously twisted denouement.  A bestselling L. A. mystery writer embarks on a retreat in scenic Telluride,  Colorado. The change of scenery is immensely helpful,  till she learns about a certain long-term killer who brutally fancies redheads, exactly what Daphne is.  Meeting a hunky local former homicide detective offers tons of romantic suspense, plus terror as the "Lady Red" killer discovers Daphne.

Tour Review: THE NIGHT SWIM by Megan Goldin

5 Stars

Caution to sensitive readers: THE NIGHT SWIM is both emotionally compelling and emotionally dangerous. Compelling, because you can't stop reading; dangerous, because the topics are rape and murder, and indeed the combination of the two atrocities. 

In today's climate, discussion of rape is nearly as common as the event itself. But the revelatory movements unfortunately haven't halted the crimes. Nor has it halted the horrible viewpoint of Victim Blaming.

Release August 5 2020

Tour: LIES LIES LIES by Adele Parks

5 Stars

Before I commenced reading, I expected,  possibly,  "another domestic thriller." I was agreeably surprised to find instead of ho-hum: engrossing.  The alternating viewpoints of too very unreliable (and not always self-aware) narrators at cross-purposes; the tragedies; the coping and grief and grudge-holding; especially the way that the author balances the narrative viewpoints,  so that each rather "sees through a glass darkly," nor can ever approach actual Truth; all combine into a  fictional gumbo that is quite intriguing,  and indeed, thrilling.  I'm glad I chose to read LIES LIES LIES.

Review: THE BONE FIELD by Leonard Krishtalka

5 Stars

An exciting,  thrilling,  mystery, with a plethora of archaeological details and historical background,  THE BONE FIELD is a very engrossing and complex read. As much as I enjoyed the history,  the archaeological expositions,  and the various finely-delineated settings, from Pittsburgh's Carnegie Museums to the Wyoming Badlands, once home to Dinosaurs on the Range, for me the heart of the book was the unfolding character of the protagonist,  Harry Przewalski, former graduate student, veteran,  now private investigator.  Author Leonard Krishtalka performs an archaeological dig on his protagonist 's heart and character,  much like Harry once did during his tenure as a Paleontology graduate student. Thankfully this is the first of a series, and I plan to devour them all. 

Review: CUT TO THE BONE by Ellison Cooper

4 Stars

An unusual protagonist and a bizarre set of cases are the focus of this suspenseful mystery thriller.  Senior Special Agent Sayre Altair trained in neuroscience,  but has a gift for comprehending the psychology of serial killers. A bizarre ritual killing, coupled with the abduction of a bus of STEM high school students, propels Sayre into a chaotic maelstrom. Expect a sequel,  as I don't think Sayre is done yet with Subject 037....

Tour_HE STARTED IT

4 Stars

Talk of the "Road Trip from Hell"! Think a long trip with your children or elderly relatives is tough? Be 1grateful you're not traveling with these siblings, who with their spouses are reenacting a road trip of decades ago with Grandpa, one with frequent side trips to unexpected "roadside attractions, " a trip with danger, a life-changer. WHY do it again? Oh, only for a chance at a substantial bequest.  

"HE started it?!" Yes, you can say that again. 

HE STARTED IT is a wonderful recommendation to Staycation,  and even to "Shelter At Home." Nobody wants to be on the road with this family. Nobody. 

Review: BLOOD WORK by Michael Connelly

5 Stars

I had the second in this series (A DARKNESS MORE THAN NIGHT) from the library, read the sample of BLOOD WORK (first in the Series) from Kindle, and was enraptured! So I purchased it, and my initial excitement continued.  Introducing a brand-new Series character, in a fascinating backdrop,  BLOOD WORK focuses on protagonist Terrell (Terry) McCaleb, Catalina Island native, former FBI profiler. Terry suffered a near-fatal cardiac arrest and eventually received a heart transplant. Now spending the rest of his recovered life on a heavy medication regimen,  Terry considers he has a second chance, and ponders his purpose. Then he is sought out by the sister of his heart donor, killed in a store robbery. As he eventually agrees to look into the case, he forms a friendship with a Sheriff's Deputy, becomes adversarial to an egotistical homicide Detective,  and uncovers a puzzle stretching back to earlier novels by this author.  In the process, Terry also uncovers his driving purpose.

Review: FAIR WARNING by Michael Connelly

5 Stars

[Jack McEvoy #3]

I've not yet read THE POET or THE SCARECROW,  though I intend to, so FAIR WARNING was my first introduction to Michael Connelly's series protagonist journalist Jack McEvoy. Mr. Connelly had been a journalist before becoming a full-time author,  so he knows whereof he writes. Jack is quite a person of integrity, once enduring 63 days in jail on a contempt of court charge for refusing to reveal his source. Now employed at a consumer watchdog website, FairWarning [an actual organization and website], Jack discovers a horrifying series of killings,  when homicide detectives tap him as a contact of a murdered woman. Jack knows his innocence,  and determines to track the guilty, actually a serial killer. 

Review: THE NIGHT FIRE by Michael Connelly

5 Stars

No such thing as a "case too cold" for former LAPD Detective Harry Bosch nor his recent collaborator,  night shift Detective Renee Ballard of Hollywood Division. Fresh from concluding a nine-year-old case, Bosch by serendipity acquires the Murder Book for a homicide occurring twenty-nine-years previously.  As he and Ballard delve into it diligently,  they discover overtones of LGBTQ involvement and the long-standing institutional racism and bigotry in the Department. Bosch and Ballard are like badgers, and no passage of time nor lack of evidence will deter when they are locked onto the pursuit of justice.

Review: WHAT MUST BE DONE [Jake Houser Series Prequel] by Bo Thunboe

I've long enjoyed the Jake Houser Series by Bo Thunboe.  Jake is an exceptional individual,  and as such is a special kind of detective,  one unafraid to break rules to solve cases. In this short story prequel,  he is confronted with the choice of cleaving to protocol,  or saving an abducted young girl.

Tour: NO ONE SAW by Beverly Long

4 Stars

In the second mystery starring small-town Wisconsin homicide detectives A. L. McKittridge and Rena Morgan,  a five-year-old inexplicably disappears from her day-care. Oddly,  the case bears a close resemblance to a case one hundred miles North, a decade earlier. Of course, the first forty-eight hours are crucial,  and while going sleepless to solve the case, A. L. and Rena still have to cope with domestic upheavals and elusive "persons of interest" and individuals who either outright lie or speak truth only selectively.