Obey All Laws by Cindy Goyette – #BookReview – #TuesdayBookBlog

A Probation Case Files Mystery

Book Blurb:

When Phoenix probation officer Casey Carson goes to work, she expects naked people to answer doors, meth-addicted clients to hit on her, and angry judges to chew her out in court. After a routine home visit with a client, a Diablo gang member, goes horribly wrong, she knows she must watch her back. Even she must admit that a one-eyed, bad-ass, angry gangster and his crew gunning for her is a bit more than she was trained to handle.

Casey has even more reason to fear Diablo when her cousin Hope goes missing, and it looks like their handiwork. With women vanishing at an alarming rate in the area, police treat Hope’s disappearance as a priority. Still, Casey can’t sit on the sidelines, even with her ex-husband leading the investigation. After she receives information that proves her suspicions about Diablo right, the gang will do anything to keep her from sharing it with police, even if that means taking her on a one-way trip to the desert.

My Review:

Well, here is a new and fresh take on a crime thriller coming from the unique perspective of a probation officer. Casey Carson is a seasoned, savvy PO officer. She is also a main character you can identify with. She’s smart when it comes to her job—well—not always as every main character I’ve ever known tends to go off by themselves without backup. As a reader, you can yell at them all you want. They won’t hear you.

Still, the author has packed some very likable characters behind her engaging main character, including an ex-husband, Barry Betz, that you keep asking why the “ex”?

“Detective Barry Betz that is, got out and walked toward me, shaking his head.

He looked good.

Damn it.”

From the opening action-packed chapter through the sub-plot with Casey’s cousin, the fast-paced narrative doesn’t lag or resort to constant repeats. It doesn’t help when Hope’s sister Joy arrives to help find her sister—only to heap on additional problems.

I love the dry sense of humor from the first person POV and the twists and turns, but no, didn’t need a new heat-inducing sexy neighbor clouding the issue with the ex. I liked the ex. But the new neighbor adds tension, suspicion, and a little fun.

So, really, this is a debut novel? I love the unique aspect and info coming from that side of the law. Since we lived for a short time just outside of Phoenix, I was fairly familiar with the area—and the heat—and descriptions give it an atmospheric and comfortably recognizable quality.

A great start for a new series and one I’m looking forward to.

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 own thoughts.

Rosepoint Rating: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Police Procedurals, Women Sleuths, CrimeThrillers
Publisher: Level Best Books
ISBN-10: ‎1685125344
ISBN-13: ‎978-1685125349
ASIN: B0CQ17GQ8V
Print Length: 310 pages
Publication Date: January 9, 2024
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: Cindy Goyette is a former probation officer who had a front row seat to the criminal justice system. Her experiences helped her create fiction that mirrors real life situations. Her mystery, OBEY ALL LAWS, is part of a series published in January of 2024 by Level Best Books. Cindy lives in Washington state with her husband and two Cocker Spaniels.

Payback in Death by J D Robb – #BookReview – #policeprocedurals

An Eve Dallas Novel

Book Blurb:

A retired colleague’s suspicious death puts Lt. Eve Dallas on the case in Payback in Death, the electrifying new novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author J.D. Robb.

Lt. Eve Dallas is just home from a long overdue vacation when she responds to a call of an unattended death. The victim is Martin Greenleaf, retired Internal Affairs Captain. At first glance, the scene appears to be suicide, but the closer Eve examines the body, the more suspicious she becomes.

An unlocked open window, a loving wife and family, a too-perfect suicide note—Eve’s gut says it’s a homicide. After all, Greenleaf put a lot of dirty cops away during his forty-seven years in Internal Affairs. It could very well be payback—and she will not rest until the case is closed.

My Review:

Hard to believe you can write fifty-seven of these and still have it be fresh and exciting—but seems it is. The last time I read and reviewed one of this series was Golden in Death released in February of 2020. Of course, J D Robb is a pseudonym for Nora Roberts—the latter being her romance series—this one more serious. Back then, Roarke was a significant other that I couldn’t decide if I liked or not.

Perhaps he’s mellowed.

This unique police procedural is also set in 2061 and as in my last review, I didn’t see a whole lot of difference in the forty-plus years to contemporary police procedurals, albeit a few changes in technology.

Lieutenant Eve Dallas, protagonist, and now hubby Roarke have just returned from a vacation. No rest here at all when she is called in the middle of the night to a possible suicide of a retired IA police captain. Yeah…no. She doesn’t think so! And as an internal affairs captain, the list of those who might want him dead is as long as he served.

Eve follows her gut while also sticking to the book. Roarke seems more supportive this time, not quite so annoying, offering his opinions gleaned from years of his own experience. Eve’s partner, Delia Peabody gets more print time, initiating and taking on more responsibility. I like the support characters. They add a strong sense of department intelligence and professionalism.

What shines through is the procedures, the laws that hamper or control their actions, particularly in the investigation of other officers. Payback, being the theme of this novel, pings back and forth in the narrative, along with the sense of responsibility to victims, relationships, and reverence.

It’s well-plotted, generally fast-paced with twists and few interruptions off the main plot (romance). If you enjoy police procedurals, particularly one from a few decades hence, you’d enjoy peeking into future crimes.

I received a copy of this book from my local library which in no way influenced this review. These are my honest thoughts.

Rosepoint Rating: Four Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Police Procedurals, Women Sleuths
Publisher: St Martin’s Press
ASIN: B0BQGJ182N
Print Length: 364 pages
Publication Date: September 5, 2023
Source: Local library

Title Link(s):

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: J.D. ROBB is the pseudonym for #1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts. She is the author of over 200 novels, including the futuristic suspense In Death series. There are more than 500 million copies of her books in print.

Under Pressure (An FBI K-9 Novel Book 6) by Sara Driscoll –#BookReview – #TuesdayBookBlog

Rosepoint Rating: Five Stars

Book Blurb:

FBI handler Meg Jennings and her K-9 partner, Hawk, are drawn into a case that involves a fortune in uncut gems, and an enemy whose power and ruthlessness know no bounds . . .

Diamonds are no one’s best friend when the jewels in question are smuggled conflict gems. Meg Jennings and her Labrador, Hawk, have undertaken many search-and-rescue missions, but this case has an unusual twist. A Philadelphia syndicate is importing diamonds from war-torn African nations and selling them with fake certificates to Stateside dealers. Agent Finn Pierce of the Organized Crime Program is embedded with the syndicate, but being caught with a wire or tracking device would mean instant execution. If Meg, her partner Brian Foster, and their dogs can track Pierce to a deal location, they can break the smuggling chain while maintaining Pierce’s cover.

With the syndicate monitoring every move, it’s a risky operation with more players than Meg and Brian first assumed—on both sides of the law. And when one of their own gets caught in the line of fire, the team embarks on a desperate rescue mission, knowing that mere seconds are all that separate life and death . . .

My Review:

Yes, I do love this series and thrilled to snag Book 6, Under Pressure. Each novel is unique but getting into the storyline with Meg Jennings and her black lab, Hawk, always brings a smile to my face as I get to greet an impressive, independent old friend once again and live vicariously the choreographed work between handler and K9. The support characters, including her sister Cara, are all smart, young professionals.

In this well-plotted narrative, Meg and Hawk as well as their handler partner Brian and his K9 are asked to work outside their usual Search and Rescue team when they are requested to work a cross-division collaboration involving a Philadelphia syndicate. They’ve implanted an agent into the mob, but are having problems with logistics and timing without blowing his cover. They are hoping the dogs will be able to track the players responsible for the buys of conflict diamonds hitting the local market. (Each of the chapters provide a lesson in diamond jargon—fascinating tidbits of info.)

I love how the authors strike a perfect balance between the lives of the main characters and their service animals with that of the current operation. Their lives become immersive, real.

The operation is not wholly successful at first—trial and error. Timing is key. But Meg is made and she is attacked shortly thereafter. Maybe there is something more than the mob here and they’ll have to track the source. Then an unofficial member of their team goes missing.

The novel never flags, slows down, no sags in the middle. There are action packed scenes, the dogs are in the thick of it, and the tension ramps up as further discoveries are made and pieces come together.

The conclusion, gritty and gripping, is satisfying. There is more than one theme here, the bond between the handler and their canine, the amazing intelligence of a service K9, and that a family can be comprised not just of blood relatives but those closely bonded by circumstance. The novel is an easy one to fly through—you don’t want to put it down!

I’ve read Storm Rising (Book 3), No Man’s Land (Book 4), and most recently Leave No Trace (Book 5), and loved them all. Really, you can begin with Book 6, as this is a series you don’t have to start at the beginning, each can function as a standalone. 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!

Book Details:

Genre: Cozy Animal Mysteries, Police Procedurals, Crime Thrillers
Publisher: Kensington Books
ASIN: B08Y65J3CG
Print Length: 267 pages
Publication Date: November 30, 2021
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

Jen J Danna - author — Jen J Danna – author

Sara Driscoll - author(s) — Sara Driscoll – author(s)

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 central Texas

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 FBI K-9 Mysteries at saradriscollauthor.com.