GoodReads – Page 25 – Rosepoint Publishing

A Trail of Lies: A Mystery (A Jazz Ramsey Mystery Book 3) by Kylie Logan –#BookReview – #cozyanimalmysteries – #TuesdayBookBlog – #bookseries

Book Blurb:

A Trail of Lies is the third in the Jazz Ramsey mystery series from national bestselling author Kylie Logan.

Jazz Ramsey is just getting used to the idea that her on-again-off-again beau, Nick, might actually be a permanent fixture, when she gets an alarming call in the middle of the night from his mother, Kim: there’s a dead man in her backyard. Kim has a long history of drinking and a vivid imagination, so when Jazz’s human remains detection dog, Wally, finds no evidence of a body, Jazz thinks she can breathe easy.

But when the body of a middle-aged man, Dan Mansfield, is discovered in a nearby park, and a photo of Nick and his mom is found in his pocket, Jazz has to admit that something isn’t adding up. Kim claims not to know who Dan is, but the cops find out soon enough: he’s a recently paroled convict who served thirty years for murder. And when Jazz traces his crime back to a bar fight with an antiques dealer, she ends up with more questions than answers.

Meanwhile, no one wants her poking around—not Nick’s mom, nor the Motorcycle-riding ex-con she connects to Dan, nor Nick himself, who seems worried about Jazz’s safety, but also about what she might find. But Jazz has never been one to take no for an answer, and she won’t give up now—even if it means risking her own life.

My Review:

Yes, I found a doggy story to share with you today! So many dogs in this world and each and every one has a job—even if only to be a companion dog—like our little Bichon, Frosty. (Her job is to be a thigh buddy and she usually performs that job very well.)

In Book 3 of the Jazz Ramsey Mystery series, Jazz is awakened by Nick’s mom. Unfortunately, Nick’s mom is an alcoholic and it’s difficult to believe she is actually seeing the body of Nick in her back yard as Jazz knows her (police) boyfriend is on an undercover assignment. He had asked her to look in on his mother, however, and she dutifully drags herself over to inspect her back yard.

Kim continues to be quite adamant though and after her own Airedale terrier Wally, seven months old and training to be a HRD dog, fails to find anyone, she thinks the issue is over until the body of a man is discovered in a park. Oops. Apparently this isn’t going to go away, especially after Jazz brought in a trained dog who did alert. Double oops. Don’t tell me the woman actually did see something?

This episode focuses a little more on her position at St. Catherine and we get glimpses into the training involved with the dog, but again, I miss more dog involvement in the mystery. In the meantime, we are introduced to some interesting characters, are thrown red herrings, and follow Jazz as she pursues one lead after another up to and including the attack on her life. EEK! She’s out for the count–for three weeks(?). Little further development in Nick—he is mostly out of the scene. Her family comes roaring to her rescue—and the family theme becomes prominent.

Kim’s past appears to be catching up to her and pieces of the puzzle begin to fit, interesting twists exposed. The conclusion neatly wraps up the loose dog hair and I like the protagonists’ dogged character—she WILL get answers. A slightly more serious entry to the genre and fans of cozy mysteries will enjoy the inclusion of smart dogs with just a touch of anthropomorphic inclusion. I previously read and enjoyed The Secret of Bones and was happy to see more canine involvement in this, Book 3. Still, no problem reading as a standalone. Currently on pre-order.

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley. These are my honest thoughts.

Rosepoint Rating: Four stars

Book Details:

Genre: Amateur Sleuth Mysteries, Cozy Animal Mystery
Publisher: Minotaur Books

ASIN : B08FZ8143D

Print Length: 312 pages
Publication Date: May 11, 2021
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: Kylie Logan is the nationally bestselling author of the Jazz Ramsey Mysteries, the League of Literary Ladies Mysteries, the Button Box Mysteries, the Chili Cook-Off Mysteries, and the Ethnic Eats Mysteries.

[Goodreads] A pseudonym used by Constance Laux.

Punning with Scissors (A Crossword Puzzle Mystery Book by Becky Clark – #BookReview – #cozymystery – #TuesdayBookBlog

“Don’t bring problems, bring solutions.”

Book Blurb:

1 DOWN: A PERSON OF INTEREST

Quinn Carr has been quietly creating crosswords for the Chestnut Station Chronicle in her small Colorado town since she was in high school, but she has yet to solve the puzzle of how to make a living from her passion. So she lives with her parents and works at the local diner, catering to regulars like The Retireds, a charming if cantankerous crew of elderly men. The most recent member to join the group is a recently retired tailor, the unfortunately named Hugh Pugh.

4-LETTER WORD FOR “IMPALE”

But Hugh’s misfortune dramatically increases when he’s arrested for stabbing his husband with a pair of fabric shears. With a cryptic crossword clue left at the crime scene, Quinn seems tailor-made for solving this murder. The local police may be determined to pin the crime on the kindly tailor, but Quinn will use her penchant for puzzles and what her therapist calls her “obsessive coping mechanism” to get the clues to line up and catch the real culprit—before the killer boxes her in. . . .

My Review:

An OCD breakdown is responsible for Quinn Carr returning to her parents home in rural Colorado, where she has established herself as a waitress at the local diner owned by Jake. There she caters to an eclectic group of patrons, one of whom is “The Retireds.”

“How many vegans does it take to eat a piece of bacon?” Without waiting for an answer, he said, “Just one, if nobody’s looking.”

Her position there gives her ample opportunity to exercise her OCD proclivities, arranging condiments, cleaning, and straightening objects. Her form of OCD is serious, an anxiety disorder, and she is seeing a therapist to help her tame the OCD monster.

Quinn is also a professional, albeit closet, cruciverbalist—creating puzzles for the local Chestnut Station Chronicle–something she prefers kept quiet. She has used this skill in the past to send subliminal messages to the local police captain of Chestnut Station when she becomes involved in the murder that has the newest member of the Retireds landed in the slammer.

Following the arrest of Hugh, she has taken on the care of Virginia Wolf, his dog also known as Gin, and her care almost sends her into overload. The police chief, of course, is sure he has his man and, of course, Quinn knows he didn’t do it and takes on the investigation as well as the care of his home.

I started this series with Book 1, unusual for me I know, but was left scratching my head a few times. First, creating a puzzle requires an extremely clever word smith and second, I had no idea how serious OCD could be, often referring to my straightening things as my OCD. Not even close. But I did enjoy this book for the mystery and the characters whether or not I could really connect with Quinn. Also, loved the wit and sense of humor encased in this cozy.

“Don’t meddle in the affairs of dragons for you are crunchy and delicious with ketchup.”

“…people food is for people, not dogs who think they’re people.”

I like the support characters—all are well developed (her mother’s recipes a hoot) including her boyfriend Rico (her police connection), the mystery (cloaked within the mysteries of the OCD), the clues, investigation, and puzzling scenes. Gees! Sounded like a lot of mathematics were involved and, no surprise there, also not one of my strong suits!

In Book 2, Quinn has graduated into a slightly more astute woman sleuth, tending to be more methodical while obsessive. The narrative is a well-plotted and paced mystery. While I found Book 1 a bit disjointed, novel two of the series was smoother and I could get into the puzzling aspect, unique to a cozy mystery, I’m sure. If you didn’t start with Book 1, no prob—Book 2 could be read as a standalone. Don’t read by rote; don’t read while watching TV or knitting; this cozy requires a thinking cap. Come prepared with yours.

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley and these are my unbiased opinions. Pre-order is now available.

Rosepoint Rating: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Amateur Sleuth Mysteries, Cozy Mystery, Women Sleuths
Publisher: Lyrical Press

ASIN : B08FXTDJST

Print Length: 205 pages
Publication Date: To be released May 11, 2021
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: Becky Clark is the seventh of eight kids, which explains both her insatiable need for attention and her atrocious table manners. She likes to read funny books so it felt natural to write them too. She surrounds herself with quirky people and pets who end up as characters in her books. Her stout-hearted dog keeps her safe from menacing squirrels, leaves, and deer, but not plastic bags. Those things are terrifying.

Readers say her books are “fast and thoroughly entertaining” with “witty humor and tight writing” and “humor laced with engaging characters” so you should “grab a cocktail and enjoy the ride.” They also say “Warning: You will laugh out loud. I’m not kidding,” and “If you like Janet Evanovich, you will like Becky Clark.”

Becky won the 1st place “Best in Category” Mystery & Mayhem Award from the Chanticleer International Book Awards for Fiction Can Be Murder, book one in the Mystery Writer’s Mystery series.

Visit http://www.BeckyClarkBooks.com for all kinds of fun. While you’re there, be sure to subscribe to her “So Seldom It’s Shameful” newsletter. You’ll hear about new releases, get the chance to win fabulous prizes, find out about book promotions from her and others, read interviews from new-to-you authors, and more. (As you might have gleaned from the title, she won’t inundate your inbox, either.)

If you want to connect more often, join Becky’s Book Buddies on Facebook … https://www.facebook.com/groups/beckysbookbuddies/

Follow Becky Clark here on Amazon, on BookBub, and at Goodreads. If you enjoy her books, she’d swoon if you left a review. Yes, swoon.

Bone Rattle: A Riveting Novel of Suspense (An Arliss Cutter Novel Book 3) by Marc Cameron – #BookReview – Conspiracy Thrillers

Rosepoint Publishing: Five Stars

Book Blurb:

In the icy heart of Alaska, a series of gruesome murders leads Deputy US Marshal Arliss Cutter into a firestorm of searing corruption, clashing cultures, and bone-chilling fear…

In Juneau, a young Native archeologist is sent to protect the ancient burial sites uncovered by an Alaskan gold mining company. He never returns.

In Anchorage, a female torso—minus head, hands, and feet—is washed ashore near a jogging trail by the airport. It is not the first.

At Alaska’s Fugitive Task Force, Arliss Cutter and deputy Lola Teariki are pulled from their duties and sent to a federal court in Juneau. Instead of tracking dangerous fugitives, Cutter and Lola will be keeping track of sequestered jurors in a high-profile trial. The case involves a massive drug conspiracy with ties to a mining company, a lobbyist, and two state senators. When a prosecuting attorney is murdered—and a reporter viciously attacked—Cutter realizes they’re dealing with something much bigger, and darker, than a simple drug trial. The truth lies deep within the ancient sites and precious mines of this isolated land—and inside the cold hearts of those would kill to hide its secrets…

What’s buried in Alaska stays in Alaska.

His Review:

Could an American Indian burial artifact really be worth a cool half million dollars? Marc Cameron weaves a very entertaining tale around just such a find. Couple that with a historic mining area around Anchorage and I could not put the book down. The lead character, Arliss Cutter, shines as a no-nonsense investigator for the United States Marshall Service.

Alaska has attracted some very independent and sometimes unscrupulous individuals. Ruthless in many ways, they will succeed with no regard to the needs of others or their lives. Cruelty and lack of compassion are front and center in this story. Greed goes all the way to the top of the food chain. Killing someone who gets in your way seems to be an accepted form of alternative management.

Harboring someone who stands in the way of these monsters puts everyone in the crosshairs. A Senator’s son has fallen for a young lady who has information that will bring the Senator down. He is called to his fathers’ office and upon disclosing the young lady’s location summarily eliminated.

The use of the limited topography and motorboat escape routes adds a larger and more diverse area than the coastal lanes around Anchorage. Additionally, the use of language specific to the mining industry kept me asking Wikipedia for further clarification. Mines opened in the first part of the twentieth century captured my imagination. Claustrophobia takes hold as the search for the missing witness goes underground. Cutter with the aid of a local reporter sets out to find and rescue the young woman.

All of the characters are well developed and believable. The villains are palpable and even awaken memories of similar events happening in the last century. Read this book and enjoy an adventure into the world of corruption. 5 stars – CE Williams

We were given this ebook download by the publisher and NetGalley and was thrilled with the opportunity to read and review. The other half read Open Carry (Book 1) and found it unputdownable with strong male/female characters, bits of humor, and a location that adds mystery and beauty to a well-paced storyline. I can recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys a great action-adventure thriller. Currently on pre-order.

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley and these are my unbiased opinions.

Book Details:

Genre: Conspiracy Thrillers, War & Military Action Fiction
Publisher: Kensington Books
ASIN: B08F2W2X1SPrint Length: 336 pages
Publication Date: To be released April 27, 2021
Source: Publisher and NetGalley
Title Link: Bone Rattle [Amazon]
Barnes and Noble
Kobo

The Author: A retired Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal, Marc Cameron spent nearly thirty years in law enforcement. His assignments have taken him from Alaska to Manhattan, Canada to Mexico and dozens of points in between. He holds a second degree black belt in Jujitsu and is a certified scuba diver and man-tracker.

An avid adventure motorcyclist, Cameron’s books heavily feature bikes and bikers–from OSI Agent Jericho Quinn’s beloved BMW GS to Harley Davidsons, Royal Enfields, Ducatis and…most everything on two wheels.

Cameron lives in the Alaska with his wife, blue heeler dog, and BMW GS motorcycle. Visit him at: http://www.marccameronbooks.com

Skull attribution: Kensington Books via Amazon page

The Manhattan Job (Spider Heist Thrillers Book 3) by Jason Kasper – #BookReview – #financialthrillers

Book Blurb:

The Manhattan Job is the third installment of the heart-stoppingly suspenseful Spider Heist series by USA Today bestselling author Jason Kasper.

Before she was a thief, Blair Morgan was a disgraced FBI agent…her corrupt former boss sending her to jail as a scapegoat.

Now a world-class thief, it’s time for Blair’s revenge.

Blair has all the evidence she needs to take her old boss down…she just needs to steal it first.

But when another master thief beats her to the punch, Blair finds her evidence up for sale in a bidding war between her crew, her enemy, and a mysterious figure known only as Fixer. The journey will take her crew from their LA hideout to Washington DC and Manhattan, where the final victor will be determined once and for all.

With ten days until the auction, Blair’s crew must find a way to uncover Fixer’s identity and convince him to join their cause.

If they can’t get leverage, the man who put Blair in jail goes free forever…

…and then he’ll be the one coming after her.

His Review:

Really successful thieves are well educated and smart. Many of them go into politics. Jim Jacobson has risen from the ranks of the FBI to state and federal government. He had his eye rising from a seat in Albany to a chair in Washington DC. Along the way he did not hesitate to do everything necessary for self- promotion.

A series of four digital tapes could derail his chances for upward mobility and a possible run for president. He was determined to acquire those tapes and continue climbing the ladder to the federal government. Standing in his way is a group of professional thieves’ intent on exposing him for the corrupt politician he has become.

The group is called “The Sky Thieves.” Trained Federal Bureau of Investigation operatives are working on both sides of this novel. Blair is a former FBI Agent burned by the aspiring Mr. Jacobson. She is being trained by fellow master criminals including Sterling who was broken out of a maximum-security prison by the Sky Thieves. Their current mission is to stop this man on his road to the presidency.

The book reads like a primer or introduction into the many tools available to the Federal Bureau of Investigation and its’ operatives. Criminals of course soon gain access to these tools and they work on both sides of the law. Many of the tools are the things of former science fiction! Laser voice recorders and observation tools, heat sensors showing people in rooms, disguises which would earn an Oscar for a set designer and devices which disarm phones without detection are just a few of the tools available.

Read the book and see if you can identify other science fiction tools. Quantico is a very good finishing school for those who would become master criminals. Enjoy! Currently on pre-order. 4.5 stars – CE Williams

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from publisher through NetGalley. These are my honest opinions.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Financial Thrillers, Heist Thrillers, International Mystery & Crime
Publisher: Severn River Publishing
ASIN: B08CPV5WVH
Print Length: 416 pages
Publication Date: To be released May 4, 2021
Source: Publisher and NetGalley
Title Link: The Manhattan Job [Amazon]
Barnes and Noble

The Author: Jason Kasper is the USA Today bestselling author of the Spider Heist, American Mercenary, and Shadow Strike thriller series. Before his writing career he served in the US Army, beginning as a Ranger private and ending as a Green Beret captain. Jason is a West Point graduate and a veteran of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, and was an avid ultramarathon runner, skydiver, and BASE jumper, all of which inspire his fiction.

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Boar Island: An Anna Pigeon Novel by Nevada Barr – #Audiobook Review – Police Procedural Mystery – #TBT

Book Blurb:

Nevada Barr brings National Park Ranger Anna Pigeon to the wild beauty of Acadia National Park in the New York Times bestseller, Boar Island.

Anna Pigeon, in her career as a National Park Service ranger, has had to deal with all manner of crimes and misdemeanors, but cyberbullying and stalking are new ones. The target is Elizabeth, the adopted teenage daughter of her friend, Heath Jarrod. Elizabeth is driven to despair by the disgusting rumors spreading online and bullying texts. Until one day Heath finds her daughter, Elizabeth, in the midst of an unsuccessful suicide attempt. And then she calls in the cavalry – her aunt Gwen and her friend, Anna Pigeon.

While they try to deal with the fragile state of affairs – and find the person behind the harassment – the three adults decide the best thing to do is to remove Elizabeth from the situation. Since Anna is about to start her new post as acting chief ranger at Acadia National Park in Maine, the three will join her and stay at a house on the cliff of a small island near the park – Boar Island. But the move east doesn’t solve the problem. The stalker has followed them. And Heath (a paraplegic) and Elizabeth aren’t alone on the otherwise deserted island. At the same time, Anna has barely arrived at Acadia before a brutal murder is committed by a killer uncomfortably close to her.

Boar Island is a brilliant intertwining of past and present, of victims and killers, in a compelling audiobook that could come only from Nevada Barr.

My Review:

I kept wondering—where is Anna Pigeon? She is the reason I listen to these great audiobooks. But I continued to listen—she does eventually make an appearance, though not before a number of characters have been well developed. Into the book now, it’s quite obvious this won’t be a normal Anna Pigeon book.

Protagonist Anna Pigeon is a ranger and her locations vary from park to park. There is always an interesting story, engaging mystery, depth, description, and prose. But I missed her while the other main characters were building their argument for the well-plotted twist coming. And it IS a douzy. It’s tragic. But it may come too late.

I’m a big fan of the Anna Pigeon books, so despite the fact this is a decided departure (and I wouldn’t advise beginning with it if you want to jump into the series), I enjoyed the novel ably narrated by Barbara Rosenblat—thank heaven—and will continue to look for Anna Pigeon books. I love her character, the description of our beautiful parks and all the fascinating information usually imparted regarding the region.

There are a lot of books in this series—I also reviewed Deep South and Hunting Season (loved them and sold on the series)–this was just one off. So listen to it as a standalone. The conclusion ratchets up the blood pressure and boils into a climax with a resolution you might have expected, but not quite in the way it did. Good ending. Sad. But what other way could it have gone?

Book Details:

Genre: Police Procedural Mysteries, Women Sleuth Mysteries, Suspense
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
ASIN: B01BZ87VFM
Listening Length: 12 hrs 18 mins
Narrator: Barbara Rosenblat
Publication Date: May 17, 2016
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Link: Boar Island

Rosepoint Publishing: Four of Five Stars

The Author: Nevada [Barr] was born in the small western town of Yerington, Nevada and raised on a mountain airport in the Sierras. Both her parents were pilots and mechanics and her sister, Molly, continued the tradition by becoming a pilot for USAir.
Pushed out of the nest, Nevada fell into the theatre, receiving her BA in speech and drama and her MFA in Acting before making the pilgrimage to New York City, then Minneapolis, MN. For eighteen years she worked on stage, in commercials, industrial training films and did voice-overs for radio. During this time she became interested in the environmental movement and began working in the National Parks during the summers — Isle Royale in Michigan, Guadalupe Mountains in Texas, Mesa Verde in Colorado, and then on the Natchez Trace Parkway in Mississippi.

Woven throughout these seemingly disparate careers was the written word. Nevada wrote and presented campfire stories, taught storytelling and was a travel writer and restaurant critic. Her first novel, Bitterweet was published in 1983. The Anna Pigeon series, featuring a female park ranger as the protagonist, started when she married her love of writing with her love of the wilderness, the summer she worked in west Texas. The first book, Track of the Cat, was brought to light in 1993 and won both the Agatha and Anthony awards for best first mystery. The series was well received and A Superior Death, loosely based on Nevada’s experiences as a boat patrol ranger on Isle Royale in Lake Superior, was published in 1994. In 1995 Ill Wind came out. It was set in Mesa Verde, Colorado where Nevada worked as a law enforcement ranger for two seasons.
The rest is, shall we say, HISTORY! Nevada’s books and accomplishments have become numerous and the presses continue to roll, so in the interest of NOT having to update this page, books, awards, status on the New York Times Best Seller List — and more — will be enumerated with the relevant books else where on this website.

The Narrator: Barbara Rosenblat has been narrating for more than 20 years, and even had the honor of performing the first book ever recorded at Audible in 1999.

She has also appeared on screen such as in the Netflix original series Orange Is the New Black as Miss Rosa. Rosenblat was born in London, England and raised in New York City. Upon returning to the US, she read books to the blind for four years at the Library of Congress.^[2] On Broadway she appeared in The Secret Garden and Talk Radio. Barbara Rosenblat has narrated more than 400 audiobooks.

Banner background attribute: Wikipedia

The Red Button: The Sweet Romance Prequel to A CHRISTMAS CAROL by Keith Eldred – #BookReview – Victorian Historical Romance

Book Blurb:

Find fresh affection for A Christmas Carol with this classic prequel and enjoy the new holiday tradition of the Red Button.

The untold story of the doomed romance.

Belle Endicott and Ebenezer Scrooge are young, bookish, hardworking Londoners drawn together by button-making. His brand-new factory threatens her family’s tiny shop, yet they fall in love and start planning their future. When personal and business calamities strike, they confront them vigorously side by side, but ultimately something has to give. We know what it is. They do not.

His Review:

Can a person serve two masters? Becoming the richest person in the world or a happily married man are the tasks before Ebenezer Scrooge. He is smitten with the lovely Belle Endicott and she is the daughter of a famous button manufacturer. This is at the dawn of the industrial revolution. Belle and her father have long been one of the finest button manufacturers in the world. Belle learned her craft from her mother and works with her father. Ebenezer wants to mechanize the process. He also has a very deep interest in young Belle.

A red button is at the heart of the story. The button is given to Ebenezer by Belle and he carries it with him everywhere. If the button is not in his pocket it is around his neck. The Endicott family and Scrooge develop a production alliance whereas the Endicott group prepare hand- crafted special order buttons and the factory produces the mass-produced buttons for clothing manufacturers. The Red Button chronicles the mental struggles encountered by Ebenezer.

This is a great read for anyone who wishes to excel in life. The age-old adage of trying to serve two masters is evident. Can the drive for world domination be done concurrently with making a happy life with a spouse? Ebenezer desperately hopes that this is true. However, cornering the clothing fastener market in the British Empire takes much of his time. He does not have the time to court Belle and corner the market.

The give and take of the struggles are well documented by The Red Button. Belle is smitten with her “Ben” and would entertain his proposal, but work always seems to get in the way. This middle school novel paints an interesting picture of who the young Ebenezer Scrooge might have been. It is a fun, fast, and interesting read. 4.5 stars – CE Williams

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the author without expectation of a review and these are my unbiased opinions.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Holiday Fiction, Victorian Historical Romance
Publisher: This is RED
ISBN: 097676461X
ASIN: B08L9MY4F2
Print Length: 250 pages
Publication Date: October 22, 2020
Source: Direct author request
Title Link: The Red Button

The Author: Keith Eldred created the THIS IS RED project with his wife Janet, a public library director diagnosed with early-stage dementia. With Janet’s condition making every day precious, they decided to make the most of 2020, the year of their 30th anniversary, by publishing 20 books. All profits from these titles go the Hollidaysburg Area Public Library, where Janet works. See more at http://www.thisis.red.

Keith is also helping his granddaughter Brook Johnson (age 8) create a book trilogy about her character The Puppy Queen.

The Late Show by Michael Connelly – #Audiobook Review – #policeprocedural #TBT

– Best Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

Book Blurb:

From New York Times best-selling author Michael Connelly, a new thriller introducing a driven young detective trying to prove herself in the LAPD.

Renée Ballard works the night shift in Hollywood, beginning many investigations but finishing none, as each morning she turns her cases over to day shift detectives. A once up-and-coming detective, she’s been given this beat as punishment after filing a sexual harassment complaint against a supervisor.

But one night she catches two cases she doesn’t want to part with: the brutal beating of a prostitute left for dead in a parking lot and the killing of a young woman in a nightclub shooting. Ballard is determined not to give up at dawn. Against orders and her own partner’s wishes, she works both cases by day while maintaining her shift by night. As the cases entwine, they pull her closer to her own demons and the reason she won’t give up her job, no matter what the department throws at her.

My Review:

Yes, I suppose I’d been living under a rock when I reviewed my first ever Michael Connelly book, The Law of Innocence (a Mickey Haller Book #7 of the Harry Bosch Universe) late last year. Sorry, not having any experience with the Harry Bosch series, I was plunking down into the middle of the Haller series. This time I thought I’d start with the first of his Detective Renée Ballard Mystery series.

Detective Ballard has been through the whole sexual harassment thing with a supervisor and the loss of her six protection from the partner who witnessed the incident and didn’t back her. She’s landed on the night shift—The Late Show—in LA.

Ten years on the job and working with men, she can be abrupt, speaking her mind and standing her ground. She exudes attitude.

Ballard and her night shift partner (who tends a sick wife at home) confronts two situations: one, a transsexual woman beaten and left for dead. In the second, she assists with a nightclub shooting where five people have been shot to death. In each, she is to merely take notes and names and hand it to the day shift detectives. But with either of these two, she can’t.

Ballard keeps up a physical schedule that includes surfing—paddleboarding—and it is learned that her dad drowned under those circumstances and that she has a couple friends with benefits and her dog, Lola. But her work is her life and she’s like a dog with a bone—she’ll investigate on her own time.

I like this character. She’s strong, independent, watches her own back now, and knows where she’s going. I definitely preferred this one over the one noted above, finding more I could emphasize with, enjoying the description of the LA valley, the diversity, and the description of the Pacific and those southern California waves. I’ll be looking for the second in this series as I understand there are only four. No prob.

Book Details:

Genre: Suspense, Suspense Thrillers, Police Procedurals
Publisher: Hachette Audio
ASIN: B06Y5SW7T1
Print Length: 318 pages
Listening Length: 9 hrs 23 mins

Narrator: Katherine Moennig
Publication Date: July 18, 2017
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Link: The Late Show

Rosepoint Publishing: Four of Five Stars

The Author: Michael Connelly is the bestselling author of over thirty novels and one work of nonfiction. With over eighty million copies of his books sold worldwide and translated into forty foreign languages, he is one of the most successful writers working today. A former newspaper reporter who worked the crime beat at the Los Angeles Times and the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, Connelly has won numerous awards for his journalism and his fiction. His very first novel, The Black Echo, won the prestigious Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award for Best First Novel in 1992. In 2002, Clint Eastwood directed and starred in the movie adaptation of Connelly’s 1998 novel, Blood Work. In March 2011, the movie adaptation of his #1 bestselling novel, The Lincoln Lawyer, hit theaters worldwide starring Matthew McConaughey as Mickey Haller. His most recent New York Times bestsellers include The Law Of Innocence, Fair Warning, The Night Fire, Dark Sacred Night, Two Kinds Of Truth, and The Late Show. Michael is the executive producer of BOSCH, an Amazon Studios original drama series based on his bestselling character Harry Bosch, starring Titus Welliver and streaming on Amazon Prime. He is also the executive producer of the documentary films, SOUND OF REDEMPTION: The Frank Morgan Story and Tales Of the American. He spends his time in California and Florida.

The Narrator: Born on December 29, 1977 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US as Katherine Sian Moennig, she is an American actress and producer, best known for the role of Shane McCutcheon in The L Word (2004). Her father was William H. Moennig III and her mother was Mary Zahn, a Broadway dancer. She is of Irish and German ancestry. At 18 she moved to New York City, where she studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. She’s been married to a Brazilian film director and musician Ana Rezende since 2017.

Out of Crisis by Richard Caldwell – #BookReview – #politicalthrillers

Book Blurb:

In the not-too-distant future, a radical new movement is poised to disrupt the corrupt two-party political system that has held power in the United States since the 1800s. Politically left of conservative and right of liberal, the new Centrist Party pins its hope for a better future on presidential candidate David Stakley, the former US secretary of state. As David assumes center stage with determination, intelligence, and humility, another kind of disruption rumbles deep below the earth’s surface.

In Yellowstone National Park, one of the world’s two supervolcanoes awakens with an explosive roar from a fitful 640,000-year sleep.

Through the eyes of several different players, author Richard Caldwell weaves a political/natural-disaster thriller around the collision of events that will reshape the physical and sociopolitical landscapes of the United States and North America forever.

His Review:

Envision the next eruption of a super volcano such as Yellowstone. This book looks at three potential crises enveloping the United States at once. The end result is a complete change in the fabric of life on planet earth. Sub-plots are developed to add drama and authenticity to the narrative.

There is a group who feel the Constitution has holes in it which need to be amended. The problem is that there has to be a Constitutional Congress to amend the document and this will require ratification by at least 33 states. That task alone is herculean in its’ scope. Chief among the tenets of the proposal is to revise the second amendment and establish procedures for citizenship.

Bubbling under the surface of Eastern Idaho, Southern Montana, and Western Montana is a weak spot in the mantle of the earth. After nearly 640,000 years the volcano at Yellowstone is awakening. Evidence on the surface of the earth shows lava has flowed from near Boise in Idaho east well into Wyoming. Ash fallout is tracked through the states of Colorado and Nebraska.

A group of entitled individuals get together to change the very fabric of the American electoral process and rights of citizens. They are highly educated, affluent and privileged. They begin to groom a candidate to represent them and ostensibly the majority of Americans. Their chief goal is to rewrite some of the basics of the American Constitution. They begin to design a change to the fabric of the United States.

This book is very entertaining if not frightening. Growing up in Southern Idaho I saw the extent of the lava flow from Yellowstone. The area affected and magnitude of volcanic flows cannot be overstated. Many canyons in southern Idaho including the Snake River Canyon are over 400 feet deep and the walls are made of volcanic basalt.

I found parts of the tale a bit redundant and therefore tedious. Along the way the various plots are intertwined and become a bit aggravating because some of the threads are left hanging. The novel, however, is entertaining. 4 stars – CE Williams

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the author through NetGalley. These are my honest opinions.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four of Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Political Thrillers & Suspense, Espionage Thrillers, International Mystery & Crime
Publisher: Indigo River Publishing

ASIN : B08Z3CS2PR

Print Length: 280 pages
Publication Date: April 13, 2021
Source: Publisher and NetGalley
Title Link: Out of Crisis

Also find the book at these locations:
Barnes and Noble
Kobo

The Author: Mr. Caldwell retired as an Army officer after twenty years service which included combat tours in Vietnam with 2nd Field Forces and D-71st. His awards include the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star, three Meritorious Service Medals, the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal with three battle stars, Vietnam Gallantry Cross, Airborne Badge, Expert Field Medical Badge, and various overseas service awards.

Following his military service, Mr. Caldwell worked for twenty-four years in several hospital administration positions until he retired as COO in 2014. His education credentials include a B.S. in Computer Science, an MBA, and a postgraduate fellowship in Healthcare Administration. Additionally, he is a graduate of the United States Army Command and General Staff College, holds a Black Belt in Taekwondo, and is an experienced SCUBA diver. He enjoys riding his Harley-Davidson, kayaking, fishing, camping and is a voracious reader.

He and his wife Patricia have lived literally all over the planet but currently reside in Pike Road, AL.