Still Waters (An FBI K-9 Novel Book 7) by Sara Driscoll – #BookReview – #TuesdayBookBlog

Still Waters by Sara Driscoll

An F.B.I. K-9 Novel, Book 7

Book Blurb:

A training session in the Minnesota wilderness becomes a fight for survival for FBI handler Meg Jennings and her K-9 partner . . .

Keeping their search-and-rescue skills honed isn’t just a job requirement for FBI Special Agent Meg Jennings and her Labrador, Hawk—it’s essential to saving lives. A water search training weekend in the Boundary Waters area of Minnesota has attracted participants from all levels of law enforcement, each vying to win. The races are challenging, the rivalry is intense, and Meg is already under pressure when Hawk alerts to a scent in the water—and discovers the fresh body of one of Meg’s fellow competitors.

The contest is called off, but Meg’s still feeling the heat. The victim had made an unfounded complaint about her, one that could cost Meg her job and see Hawk removed from her care. The field of suspects is daunting, and all of them are experts in throwing others off the trail. And though Meg’s team flies out to Minnesota to help uncover the truth, they’re on unfamiliar territory, pitted against a killer with the skills, and the motivation, to stay hidden in plain sight . .

My Review:

I’m always thrilled to get the next book in this exciting series, as the last book read always leaves me looking forward to the next. And, of course, I’m partial to books about service dogs and their staunch loyalty to their handlers.

This entry to the series has Meg Jennings, a search and rescue dog handler for the FBI’s Human Scent Evidence Team off in remote Minnesota in a field competition for dogs training to perform underwater searches. Hawk is a Labrador, essentially a rescue, who performs beautifully on land, Meg having spent countless hours training, working with the dog, honing his skills both verbally as well as through hand signals.

The competition draws members of law enforcement from all over and while the rivalry is intense, Meg is not required to add the accomplishment to her jacket—she just wanted to expand on Hawk’s abilities. When Meg discovers a competitor mistreating her dog, Meg protects the animal. The handler, however, turns the table on Meg and files a complaint about her abusing Hawk. When Hawk discovers her body in 80 feet of water after the second trial, it’s Meg who hits #1 on the suspect list.

Meg is not alone, however, as she has her team including partner Brian and his dog, Lacey (best buds with Hawk), as well as her heart partner, Todd Webb (a firefighter/paramedic), and extended family Clay McCord (her sister’s partner and investigative reporter). Unfortunately, the accusation is very serious and could spell the loss of Hawk as well as her job.

Meg going pro-active can only work for so long, even given that the competition is shut down, as no one is allowed to leave and law enforcement establishes authority—a national park is also federal jurisdiction. I enjoy the teaching moments, the tidbits about the training of the canines, their instincts and how to use them, their abilities, and the symbiotic relationship with their humans.

This storyline dealt heavily with Meg’s feelings about her possible loss of Hawk and her job, the plans to surreptitiously “interview” the other handlers, and those who might possibly have known the victim or her previous bad experiences, providing a montage of suspects. While I enjoyed the atmospheric descriptions of the cold Minnesota mountains (the camping…brrr…) and the land of a thousand lakes, I missed more active involvement with the dogs.

The conclusion swept the narrative into a climactic and dramatic operation that included both dogs and law enforcement and provided a satisfying closure to all open threads.

“Oregon Tuck: A method of floating or vertically rolling over a waterfall in a kayak or dinghy. Named for the many large waterfalls in the northwest United States.”

I’ve read most of the books in this series, enjoying each one, including the last one, Book 6, Under Pressure, and am always assured of a new, unique storyline while still involving my favorite characters, particularly Hawk. You could read this as a standalone, but then you’d miss a lot of good reading!

I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the author(s) and Kensington Books (thank you!) through @NetGalley that in no way influenced this review. These are my honest thoughts. Currently on pre-order—go ahead and get on the list!

Rosepoint Rating: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Police Procedurals, Crime Thrillers
Publisher: Kensington Books
ISBN-10: ‎ 1496735064
ISBN-13: ‎ 978-1496735065
ASIN: B09TX318L4
Print Length: 305 pages
Publication Date: November 29, 2022
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Authors: Sara Driscoll is the pen name of Jen J. Danna and

Ann Vanderlaan, authors of the Abbott and Lowell Forensic Mysteries. Jen is an infectious disease researcher at a cutting-edge Canadian university near Toronto, but loves to spend her free time writing the thrilling and mysterious. Ann lives in western North Carolina with five rescued pit bulls, including Kane, now a certified therapy dog. She also trains with Kane for competitive nose work. You can follow the latest news on the F.B.I. K-9 Mysteries at SaraDriscollAuthor.com.

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Canned Hunt: A Nick Tanner Crime Thriller by Kerry K Cox – #BookReview – #crimethrillers

Canned Hunt by Kerry K Cox

Rosepoint Publishing: Five Stars

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Special Agent Nick Tanner goes undercover to follow up on another agent’s investigation—one that may have led to her murder. From the stark canyons and soaring rock walls of Book Cliffs to the gritty back streets of Las Vegas; from the swift-flowing Green River rapids to a pastoral Utah town hiding violent secrets, Tanner is drawn into a seething vortex of a wildlife trafficking family, a crooked sheriff, a white nationalist church, and a killer with the perfect alibi.
And one of them has Tanner in their crosshairs.

His Review:

The United States Fish and Wildlife Service is charged with the control of hunting and the protection of our country’s wildlife. One of their own has been found dead near the Book Cliffs in southern Utah. Although the area looks desolate, it is teeming with wildlife including deer, elk, bears, mountain lions, and bobcats.

Hunters gravitate toward the area for the hunting trophies achieved for those who are tenacious enough to hunt the area. A lucrative business flourishes with the unscrupulous charging $10,000 to $15,000 per hunt for big game. The licensed operators contribute to local politics and other endeavors.

Assisting the hunters that may no longer enjoy perfect health are activities onerous to most hunters, but wounding an animal in the area and then releasing it from a cage is not uncommon. The wounded animal will seek shade and a place to heal from the wound. The “hunter” then is directed to hunt in that particular area and finding the wounded animal is able to harvest the specimen.

The local sheriff, Vernon Rice, is complicit in the endeavor. He is paid a handsome fee to look the other way. His brother has a church that thinks that the federal government has no business controlling and policing local business such as hunting. Federal agents are not well received in the area.

This is a well-written and researched book. The blind bobcat, Ray Charles, makes for a charismatic support character and Nick Tanner as the main character is a strong, passionate, and caring law enforcement officer. The independent attitude and dislike of the federal government is well displayed. Graft and independent spirit are portrayed in a very believable story fabric. I recommend you read and enjoy this fast-paced fictionalized exposé. 5 stars – CE Williams

Many thanks to the author for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book. I enjoyed it as much as the first in the series, Money Bear.

Book Details:

Genre: Crime Thrillers
Publisher: Level Best Books
ASIN: B09P4G4WXH
Print Length: 362 pages
Publication Date: March 14, 2022
Source: Publisher and NetGalley
Title Links: Canned Hunt [Amazon]
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

The Author: [Kerry K Cox] When I was a kid, I didn’t want to be a policeman, or fireman, or astronaut, or major league third baseman. I wanted to be a forest ranger.

Okay, also a major league third baseman. Y’know, as a summer job.

But it turned out my inability to comprehend biochem made a career in wildlife management as realistic as my chances of starting for the Dodgers.

So, after four years at Oregon State University I declared myself graduated, and returned home to Southern California. There I taught swimming, karate, and pre-school while I sold articles to various magazines, wrote children’s shows for The Disney Channel, and eventually became a full-time writer.

And because one of my childhood dreams lives on, I now write novels focused on the dark underworld of wildlife trafficking, and work with various wildlife, marine mammal, and feral cat/kitten groups as a rescue volunteer along California’s Central Coast.

I’m still waiting on that call from the Dodgers.

I live by the ocean in Cambria, California with my wife and a clowder of cats.

Enjoy Your Sunday

Cold Justice by Nolon King and David W Wright – #BookReview – #pulpthrillers

Cold Justice by Nolon King and David W Wright

Book Blurb:

A collection of corrupt men inside the justice system ruined his cousin Frank’s life, and now Stan Manning is going to make them pay. Instead of starting at the bottom, he enlists the help of his old friend and special ops army veteran, Moses White.

Frank Grimm left behind a notebook with a list of interesting names. At the top was Senator Royse Mickelson.

Stan assembles a small crew to build evidence against the Senator to bring him to justice, but when the senator dies in a terrible — and suspicious — car accident on the way to the police station after his public arrest, Stan must once again go into hiding.

His Review:

Hiding in a closet and listening to the footsteps of the killers coming for you is a tough way to start a day. Stan was inside a closet trying to make himself invisible but with little success. He calculates the correct angles to disable them and prepares for the worst. The footsteps get closer.

Four killers ought to be better prepared to complete their mission. Success is most often contained in the minutia and details. They learned too late that their prey was also armed as portions of a closet door disintegrated in a loud debris storm. Two killers down and two calling from below, “was the job done?”

These authors collaborate brilliantly in developing frightening snippets of lives saved and lives wasted. Reading this book, I wondered if people intent on killing someone could be so obtuse. A hunter needs to consider the survival instincts of the prey they are after. Overconfidence causes some of the best-hired guns to make life-ending mistakes.

The book is well written and leaves no time for recollection. The chapters are fast and the results impressive. I applaud the collaboration of these two writers. 4.5 stars – CE Williams

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Pulp Thrillers, Crime Thrillers, Suspense
Publisher: Sterling & Stone
ASIN: B0B146QP4Q
Print Length: 215 pages
Publication Date: June 20, 2022
Source: Publisher and NetGalley
Title Links: Cold Justice [Amazon]
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

The Authors:

Nolon King writes psychological thrillers designed to have you on the edge of your seat. His stories are dark, twisty, and often decidedly close to home.

When not writing you will find Nolon drinking black coffee and observing humans in their natural habitats.

↔↔↔↔↔↔

David Wright is a suspense thriller writer and co-author of the bestselling #1 horror and #1 sci-fi series, “Yesterday’s Gone.”

…With Nolon King, he is the co-author of the standalone suspense thriller “12” and the vigilante thriller series “No Justice.”

…He is the author of the non-fiction book, “Into the Darkness” which looks at how books and comics provided an escape from his youth and now he writes to offer that same escape to readers.

He is also one third of The Story Studio Podcast with authors Sean Platt and Johnny B. Truant.

He currently lives on the east coast with his wife, his young son, and the world’s most poopingest cat.

When he’s not writing books, David can be found writing about the things he enjoys (TV shows, movies, books, video games, and going off on the occasional rant) at http://DavidwWright.com.

Have a Nice Weekend!

Family Money by Chad Zunker – #BookReview – #crimethrillers

Family Money by Chad Zunker

Best Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

Book Blurb:

A dead man’s secrets put a family in peril in a twisting novel of suspense by the Amazon Charts bestselling author of the David Adams series.

Alex Mahan is married to his high school sweetheart, Taylor. They have two daughters and a beautiful home, and Alex’s startup business is about to explode thanks to massive private funding from his compassionate and supportive father-in-law, Joe. With millions more to come, all is perfect—until Joe is abducted and murdered during a family trip in Mexico.

Alex’s world is about to be turned upside down. He can’t bear to tell his grieving wife why. The man they’ve both idolized has been keeping secrets. The pledged millions are nowhere to be found. The source of the original investment is a mystery, even to Joe’s financial adviser. No one, it seems, has any idea who the man they knew, loved, and trusted really was.

As Alex digs deeper into Joe’s shadowy life, the most shocking surprises are yet to come. Deadly ones, too, because every lie that Alex uncovers in Joe’s dark past puts his family in more danger.

His Review:

Everyone is excited to go on a fantastic trip to Mexico to see the pyramids with the whole family. The two young girls were totally spoiled by their grandfather. Joe is the type of man who couldn’t do enough for his family. He had been a little reticent to go but seemed to be really enjoying himself.

Then the enjoyment of one of the excursions was broken by Joe being abducted by three men! They put a blindfold over his head and pulled him into an old van. He mouthed the words, “Sorry Alex”! But Alex cannot save him and watched as the van disappeared around the corner.

The local police said they could help, but would they? Alex and family waited for a ransom call but none came. The local authorities soon gave up the search and rescue attempts. Alex is on his own to try and recover Joe and began a saga of heroic proportions. He kept his search a secret from his wife and mother-in-law because he didn’t want them to worry.

The story expands into international intrigue and the understanding of who Joe is takes on a whole new character. You will become involved in the seamy side of governments and clandestine operations. Enjoy the adventure and unbelievable lengths Alex employees to protect his remaining family. 4.5 stars – CE Williams

We’ve read two in the David Adams legal thriller series, the last one Book 3, Runaway Justice in December 2020 and find the author’s writing style engaging and well-paced. We received a complimentary review copy of this book from the author and publisher through NetGalley that in no way influenced this review. These are his honest opinions.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Domestic Thrillers, Crime Thrillers, Murder Thrillers
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
ASIN: B08SLW9ZL1
Print Length: 239 pages
Publication Date: March 1, 2022
Source: Publisher and NetGalley
Title Link: Family Money [Amazon]
Barnes and Noble

The Author: CHAD ZUNKER is the author of the David Adams legal thriller, An Equal Justice, as well as The Tracker, Shadow Shepherd, and Hunt the Lion in his Sam Callahan series. Chad has worked for some of the country’s most powerful law firms and serves at Community First! Village, a 51-acre master planned community that provides affordable, permanent housing and a supportive community for men and women coming out of chronic homelessness. He lives in Austin with his wife, Katie, and their three daughters, and is hard at work on his next novel. For more information visit http://www.chadzunker.com.

Chill--It's Sunday

Real Easy: A Novel by Marie Rutkoski – #BookReview – #crimethrillers

Best Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

Book Blurb:

A compulsive, tenacious, and unexpectedly hopeful thriller set in a Midwestern strip club, told by New York Times best-selling author Marie Rutkoski in the spirit of Gillian Flynn and Tana French.

It’s 1999, and Samantha has danced for years at the Lovely Lady strip club. She’s not used to taking anyone under her wing – after all, between her disapproving boyfriend and his daughter, who may as well be her own child, she has enough to worry about. But when Samantha overrides her better judgment to drive a new dancer home, they are run off the road. The police arrive at the scene of the accident – but find only one body.

Georgia, another dancer, is drawn into the investigation as she tries to assist Holly, a Harvard-educated detective with a complicated story of her own. As the point of view shifts from police officers and detectives to club patrons and children, the women round up a list of suspects, all the while grappling with their own understandings of loss and love.

Drawing on her personal experiences as well as interviews with police, Rutkoski immerses us in a subculture that is all too often reduced to cliché. Gripping, deeply feminist, and character-driven, Real Easy spellbinds us and gets to the heart of this timeless question: How do women live out their lives knowing that men can hurt them?

A Macmillan Audio production from Henry Holt and Company.

(Includes a bonus conversation between the author and narrator.)

My Review:

Wow, when I step outside my normal genres, I go WAY out. This audiobook on NetGalley caught my attention—and once I started listening—kept listening.

It’s 1999 and the reader is introduced to Samantha, a veteran dancer at the Lovely Lady strip club. She’s been there long enough to have the best stage, the following, and the income that comes with experience and being very good at what she does. She lives with her boyfriend and his daughter but she appears to be closer to the daughter than the disapproving and abusive boyfriend.

A new dancer is hired, and as dancers come and go, she is extremely naïve, inexperienced and not the brightest. Samantha provides some mentoring and volunteers to drive her home but neither reach home that night. That’s unfortunate as the reader is just beginning to develop empathy and engagement with her.

The reader is gradually introduced to the entertainers, the employees, and the boss, with a few backgrounds providing the explanation for the how and why they became sex workers. The owner has enforced a number of rules, but the patrons are there to drink and satisfy some carnal urges providing various *ugh* moments. Any violence happens off page and left to the reader’s imagination.

Upon the discovery of the body of the newbie, police become involved in the investigation and the other side of society now views the strip club, the dancers, and the patrons with a jaundiced, somewhat crude eye. The newbie isn’t the first and won’t be the last.

It’s a character-driven narrative as seen through the eyes of the women and the community that supports or protects the trade. The women are drawn with individual goals, stories. This is a world of the salacious underbelly of fringe society and one where most of us are ignorant. It’s dark and atmospheric and a far cry from the sex entertainment trade movies that produce a rather starry-eyed version with happy endings.

While I suspected the perp, was disappointed in the reveal and the slight let-down of the conclusion. Otherwise, I found the audiobook to be engaging and entertaining. It is well paced with little filler and moves the storyline well, producing more than one or two heart-pumping moments. An unusual premise, plot, and unique characters. Looking for something different? This is out now.

I received a complimentary audiobook review copy of this book from the author and publisher through @NetGalley that in no way influenced this review. These are my honest thoughts.

Rosepoint Rating: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Crime Thrillers, Suspense
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
ASIN: B094DQ32N7
Listening Length: 10 hrs 28 mins
Narrator: Eva Kaminsky
Publication Date: January 18, 2022
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: Marie Rutkoski is the New York Times bestselling author of several books for children and young adults, including THE HOLLOW HEART (September 14, 2021). Her debut for adults, REAL EASY (January 18, 2022), is a literary crime novel.

Born in Illinois, Marie holds degrees from the University of Iowa and Harvard University. She is currently a professor at Brooklyn College and lives in Brooklyn with her family.

(photo credit: Beowulf Sheehan)

V Williams

happy thursday!

Hidden Agendas (A Dr. Kyle Chandler Thriller Book 2) by D Marshall Craig MD – #BookReview – #medicalthrillers

Book Blurb:

When busy trauma surgeon Dr. Kyle Chandler goes to a medical symposium in London, he agrees to two innocent meetings for his friend Ian Griffin, who runs a private investigation firm. During his time in England, Dr. Chandler stumbles on a mysterious system of illegal smuggling to the United States. How could the smuggling of products in bulk wine carriers have anything to do with the shipping of French antiques? As Kyle continues his investigation, he soon realizes he faces a powerful, complex network involving organized crime. At the same time, escalating threats to him reveal the truth—and the truth nearly costs him his life.

My Review:

Interesting novel with a trauma surgeon becoming involved in all manner of medicine, intrigue, smuggling, and organized crime. (Perhaps a trauma surgeon isn’t as busy as I’d assumed.)

Dr. Kyle Chandler (KC) has quite a network of business associates, former patients, and outside interests. These contacts led him to agreeing to two easy missions while in London to attend a medical symposium. The problem is that while he can easily discern the answers to one (a problem of reproduction of French antiques) the other only leads to further investigation and that becomes a very sticky-wicket.

A bulk wine carrier, a one-time use only bladder of sorts that is easily transported and disseminated into bottles upon destination, was a new one for me though it certainly makes more sense than shipping umpteen glass bottles across the pond. So, it’s easy to figure that someone would be able to use the idea to further one’s own applications.

The doc can’t resist following up and each link leads to another until he finally attracts a bit too much attention. These guys don’t play fair but they do play for keeps. KC also has a love interest with whom he’d like to get to know on a deeper level than the occasional romp in the hay, but their schedules clash a bit. She is also a high-producing professional and I really liked her character.

So, several thoughts: First Book 2 is the first I’ve read in the series. I know Chandler is a widower, but not the whole backstory on him. He has a lot of tentacles out there, which is a good thing as he discovers a lack of interest by the feds in resolving his dispute with the mob leaves him on his own. That may be, or may not, a good thing as it almost gets him killed. He’s going to have to watch his back but has definitely earned some street cred. He and his romantic partner dissolve into calling each other by sarcastic titles which I found rather juvenile. And, I’m having a difficult time believing the mob could be handled in such a manner—scratching my head over some of the dialogue.

However, the narrative was entertaining and engaging. Unfortunately, while I didn’t note that this was an uncorrected digital proof, the copy I received was so rough as to be difficult to read sometimes for stumbling over edit misses. Otherwise, I found the story premise interesting, a bit unusual, and would read another—hopefully with benefit of additional editors.

I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the author and publisher through @NetGalley that in no way influenced this review. These are my honest thoughts.

Rosepoint Rating: Three Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Medical Thrillers, Organized Crime Thrillers
Publisher: White Bird Publications, LLC
ASIN: B09LC35T1D
Print Length: 297 pages
Publication Date: February 8, 2022
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The Author: Across a 30-year career in medicine, I accumulated plenty of wild stories and met more than my share of interesting characters. I always thought they might one day make for a good book. Then in 1995, when large insurance companies started muscling their way into the healthcare industry, providing a natural antagonist, I decided to put pen to paper. Or in this case, fingers to a little bitty vintage Dell laptop.

After a year of early-morning writing sessions, and two unsuccessful years of mailing manuscripts to dozens of publishing houses, the book sat on the digital back-burner for almost two decades. Inspiration struck again in the summer of 2019, and I set about revising and re-promoting the work. Through determination, persistence, and the help of my partners at White Bird Publications, I’m proud to be able to present to you Cut to the Chase, a Dr. Kyle Chandler Thriller.

Have a great week!

The Silent Sisters (Charles Jenkins Book 3) by Robert Dugoni – #BookReview – International Mystery and Crime

“When you can have everything, you appreciate nothing.”

Book Blurb:

After a harrowing escape from Russian agents on his last mission, Charles Jenkins thinks he’s finally done with the spy game. But then the final two of the seven sisters—American assets who have been deep undercover in Russia for decades—cut off all communication with their handlers. Are they in hiding after detecting surveillance? Or have they turned and become double agents? It’s Jenkins’s duty to find out, but he’s been added to a Russian kill list. It will require all of Jenkins’s knowledge of spycraft—and an array of disguises—to return to the country undetected.

But plans go awry his first night in Moscow when Jenkins gets involved in an altercation that ends in the death of the son of one of Russia’s most powerful organized crime leaders. Pursued by mafia henchmen, Russian agents, and a particularly dogged Moscow police detective, Jenkins is determined to track down the final two sisters and get them to America—or die trying. As various forces close in, Jenkins fears this time he might’ve pushed his luck too far.

My Review:

The first of my 2-22-22 reviews, don’t you know I’m a Dugoni fan having read a number of his Tracy Crosswhite series, and this, the last in his Charles Jenkins trilogy. Once again the aging ex-CIA agent is being sent back to Russia to safely extricate two remaining of the “silent sisters.”

These missions are not getting any easier for Charles, a 6’5” black man who would probably stand out most anywhere but in Russia will require a number of ingenious disguises. He’s good at this even at 64 (65?) years—has done it before—most recently Paulina, and that’s casually mentioned in this episode.

Jenkins quickly moves the first to safety but then runs into a bit of trouble with the second. His own doing and what kinda nudged me off five stars this time, that I couldn’t believe with his track record he’d have made such a thoughtless mistake. Of course, that sets off the other well-plotted multi-antagonists as if it isn’t bad enough to anger the Russian counterintelligence.

As always, however, I enjoy getting a front row seat to the area, in this case Moscow, off the beaten path, a tour no tourist would ever get. Dugoni’s characters—yah gotta love’em. The engaging and effective women or men meant to love, you love; the antagonists meant to loathe are truly disgusting and all are well-developed.

The fast-paced series MOVES! Between flipping between mafioso, Russian intelligence, and spies, the plot never waivers or slows. Your heart sinks or soars with the twists and turns, charismatic characters to root for, and the prose thought provoking.

“…love is not about who you can live with, but about who you cannot live without.”

Always satisfying, the conclusion eases the amped tension. You could actually read this as a standalone, but for more insight into the main characters, I also recommend both The Eighth Sister and The Last Agent.

I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the author and publisher through @NetGalley that in no way influenced this review. These are my honest thoughts.

Rosepoint Rating: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: International Mystery & Crime, Espionage Thrillers
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
ISBN: ‎1542008344
ASIN: B08WLVP716
Print Length: 399 pages
Publication Date: February 22, 2022
Source: Publisher and NetGalley
Title Link(s): The Silent Sisters

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The Author: Robert Dugoni is the critically acclaimed New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and #1 Amazon bestselling author of the Tracy Crosswhite police series set in Seattle, which has sold more than 8 million books worldwide. He is also the author of The Charles Jenkins espionage series, the David Sloane legal thriller series, and several stand-alone novels including The 7th Canon, Damage Control, and the literary novels, The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell – Suspense Magazine’s 2018 Book of the Year, for which Dugoni’s narration won an AudioFile Earphones Award and the critically acclaimed, The World Played Chess; as well as the nonfiction exposé The Cyanide Canary, a Washington Post Best Book of the Year. Several of his novels have been optioned for movies and television series. Dugoni is the recipient of the Nancy Pearl Award for Fiction and a three-time winner of the Friends of Mystery Spotted Owl Award for best novel set in the Pacific Northwest. He has also been a finalist for many other awards including the International Thriller Award, the Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction, the Silver Falchion Award for mystery, and the Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award.

Robert Dugoni’s books are sold in more than twenty-five countries and have been translated into more than thirty languages.

Visit his website at http://www.robertdugoni.com, and follow him on twitter @robertdugoni and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/AuthorRobertDugoni

City of the Dead: An Alex Delaware Novel (Book 37) by Jonathan Kellerman – #BookReview – #crimethrillers

Book Blurb:

The past comes back to haunt psychologist Alex Delaware and Detective Milo Sturgis when they investigate a grisly double homicide and uncover an even more unspeakable motive in this riveting thriller from the #1 New York Times bestselling master of suspense.

Los Angeles is a city of sunlight, celebrity, and possibility. The L.A. often experienced by Homicide Lt. Detective Milo Sturgis and psychologist Alex Delaware is a city of the dead.

Early one morning, the two of them find themselves in a neighborhood of pretty houses, pretty cars, and pretty people. The scene they encounter is anything but. A naked young man lies dead in the street, the apparent victim of a collision with a moving van hurtling through suburbia in the darkness. But any thoughts of accidental death vanish when a blood trail leads to a nearby home.

Inside, a young woman lies butchered. The identity of the male victim and his role in the horror remains elusive, but that of the woman creates additional questions. And adding to the shock, Alex has met her while working a convoluted child custody case. Cordelia Gannett was a self-styled internet influencer who’d gotten into legal troubles by palming herself off as a psychologist. Even after promising to desist, she’s found a loophole and has continued her online career, aiming to amass clicks and ads by cyber-coaching and cyber-counseling people plagued with relationship issues.

But upon closer examination, Alex and Milo discover that her own relationships are troublesome, including a tortured family history and a dubious personal past. Has that come back to haunt her in the worst way? Is the mystery man out in the street collateral damage or will he turn out to be the key to solving a grisly double homicide? As the psychologist and the detective explore L.A.’s meanest streets, they peel back layer after layer of secrets and encounter a savage, psychologically twisted, almost unthinkable motive for violence and bloodshed.

This is classic Delaware: Alex, a man Milo has come to see as irreplaceable, at his most insightful and brilliant.

His Review:

A gripping mystery of unsolved murders. The murderer is very sophisticated and leaves no physical evidence. A move into an upscale neighborhood is disrupted when a moving van hits a nude man at 4:00 in the morning. Everything comes to a complete stop as the investigation begins.

A gorgeous young thirty-something is found killed in her property a few houses away! Can these crimes be connected? The moving van operators are completely baffled by the accident and subsequent investigation. The nude body had appeared out of nowhere. At 4:00 in the morning, how is this even possible? Could it have been a fraternity or sorority prank gone terribly wrong?

Jonathan Kellerman keeps the suspense clouded through much of the book. His development of criminal cases dovetailing upon each other without a tangible path is masterful. It took nearly three-fourths of the book to begin to piece together the sequence of events. Meanwhile, dead-end trails were skillfully knit into the narrative to keep me as a reader on the hook.

I would suggest this book to anyone who is a fan of a well-developed who-done-it and enjoys a cunning read. 4.5 stars – CE Williams

We received a complimentary review copy of this book from the author and publisher through NetGalley that in no way influenced this review. These are his honest opinions.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Crime Thrillers, Murder Thrillers, Mysteries
Publisher: Ballantine Books
ASIN: B094GS94R4
Print Length: 336 pages
Publication Date: February 8, 2022
Source: Publisher and NetGalley
Title Links: City of the Dead [Amazon]
Barnes and Noble
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The Author: Jonathan Kellerman is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than three dozen bestselling crime novels, including the Alex Delaware series, The Butcher’s Theater, Billy Straight, The Conspiracy Club, Twisted, True Detectives, and The Murderer’s Daughter. With his wife, bestselling novelist Faye Kellerman, he co-authored Double Homicide and Capital Crimes. With his son, bestselling novelist Jesse Kellerman, he co-authored The Golem of Hollywood and The Golem of Paris. He is also the author of two children’s books and numerous nonfiction works, including Savage Spawn: Reflections on Violent Children and With Strings Attached: The Art and Beauty of Vintage Guitars. He has won the Goldwyn, Edgar, and Anthony awards and has been nominated for a Shamus Award. Jonathan and Faye Kellerman live in California, New Mexico, and New York.