#policeprocedurals – Page 3 – Rosepoint Publishing

Blood Mountain by Alisa Lynn Valdés – #BookReview – #TuesdayBookBlog

Jodi Luna Book 2

Book Blurb:

New Mexico game warden Jodi Luna disrupts a murderous wilderness adventure in this thrilling second installment from Alisa Lynn Valdés, New York Times bestselling author of The Dirty Girls Social Club.

Former poetry professor Jodi Luna hasn’t quite adjusted to life as a game warden. Her boss thinks she’s better with animals than humans, and the man she’s seeing wants a real relationship. Still reeling from her husband’s death, Jodi has to admit that she keeps people at a distance.

After her new friend, wealthy actress Claudia Evans, gathers with family members in the New Mexico wilderness, Jodi gets some unsettling news—that Claudia’s brother-in-law is missing. Eager to help, Jodi ventures into the wild to investigate, only to be thwarted by a blizzard that leaves the entire group stranded at a fishing lodge.

Jodi is no stranger to extreme weather, but when these reluctant adventurers start turning up mauled around the snowed-in lodge, Jodi suspects the worst: This was no bear. This was murder.

And inside the snowy confines of this rustic hideaway, everyone is fair game…

…for a killer.

My Review:

Lest you assume this might be the ole people stuck in a blizzard and start disappearing you could be right.

With a couple caveats: Jodi Luna was raised in New Mexico and has returned to try and chill both she and her daughter following the death of her husband on the East Coast where she was a professor. Her fifteen year old daughter Mila, whether or not having witnessed the death of her dad, certainly sounds like a typical teenager to me and a pretty smart one at that. So it is her daughter who saves the day.

Hoping to turn their lives around, Jodi has gotten a job as the local game warden. She loves animals and knows how to handle most people and the situations involving them.

Her new supervisor assigns her a job requested by the governor as a favor and is clearly no request. She is to proceed to a ranch compound owned by a billionaire who is hosting his annual elk hunt on his palatial estate. Teddy Evans and his wife invited his brothers and a sister, and their spouses then splits leaving the guiding up to Jodi.

Of course, the siblings feel ridiculously entitled, are obnoxious, and the men less than thrilled over having a female guide. The wife just wants Jodi to help organize and keep them from killing each other.

Oops.

The property is massive, beautiful, and there’s a treacherous storm brewing that threatens to cancel the hunt (for animals anyway). They are high up in the mountains and isolated. Jodi brought her daughter along who transitions from Godzilla to brilliant loving daughter (I had a little disbelief there).

There is a little property that straddles the ingress/egress road to the ranch compound owned by a woman been there longer than dirt and has a pet bear. She can effectively stop traffic going through but there are far more reaching reasons why the billionaire wants her property.

Jodi seems pretty intelligent but makes a few decisions that I wondered whether might have been irrational. They discovered a body that appears to have been mauled and she is taking no chances and isolates everyone. Jodi is dealing with other issues as well and her job is in jeopardy.

So many conflicts, themes of family dysfunction, entitlement, greed, and trust are interwoven into a plausible plot. The storyline keeps a good pace, pushes some disbelief, throws in twists and adds complexity. It’s entertaining. The female protagonist reminded me a little of Nevada Barr’s Anna Pigeon series, although I think Pigeon is softer around the edges than Jodi who could become grating.

I enjoyed the book, it kept my interest. Thinking I’ll go back to Book #1 and catch up, although this could very well be read as a standalone.

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 Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Political Thrillers, Psychological Thrillers, Police Procedurals
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
ISBN: 1662507151
ASIN: B0BTJC7JFR
Print Length: 331 pages
Publication Date: April 16, 2024
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The Author: Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of many novels. Published in 11 languages and with more than 1 million books in print, Alisa was named one of the 25 Most Influential Hispanics in the United States by Time magazine; Latina magazine named her a Woman of the Year; Entertainment Weekly hailed her as a Breakout Literary Star; and Hispanic Business magazine has twice named her among the 100 Most Influential people in the nation. Alisa is a former staff writer for the Boston Globe and the Los Angeles Times, and holds a master’s in journalism from Columbia University. Alisa is also a screenwriter and TV and film producer, and a playwright and composer with a bachelor’s from Berklee College of Music.

#TuesdayBookBlog

The Wrong Side of Goodbye by Michael Connelly – #AudiobookReview – #ReadingIrelandMonth24

Harry Bosch Book 19

Book Blurb:

Harry Bosch is California’s newest private investigator. He doesn’t advertise, he doesn’t have an office, and he’s picky about who he works for, but it doesn’t matter. His chops from 30 years with the LAPD speak for themselves.

Soon one of Southern California’s biggest moguls comes calling. The reclusive billionaire has less than six months to live and a lifetime of regrets. He hires Bosch to find out whether he has an heir. Using all of his cold-case skills, Bosch pieces together a 65-year-old mystery and finds out that the case is not as simple – or as cold – as he thought.

My Review:

Harry Bosch is working as a volunteer reserve officer (working free) to keep himself in the system somewhere investigating a cold case for the San Fernando PD. He’s also moonlighting as a PI. In that capacity, he was hired by a billionaire to find an heir he may have produced when he was a college student and still very much under the thumb of family. Now he is very ill and believes he doesn’t have much time and, of course, his company would prefer no heirs be found.

The cold case may be just as tough, that of a serial rapist. Fortunately, with his hand still legimately capable of research within the department—some according to the book—some a serious no-no, he has resources and the time he can tap that will get him info not readily available at the time.

Both cases run concurrently and are simultaneously immersive.

I love the way the author manages to bring in a little backstory to explain the history of the persons in the foreground. The support characters are always lively and well developed, but it’s that voice of Bosch that provides that rich storytelling experience we’ve come to expect in a Connelly crime thriller.

This installment also includes Bosch’s half-brother Mickey Haller, the Lincoln Lawyer, a legal thriller spin-off made even more popular as a series on Netflix. It’s fun to dip into the legal side of his case and the necessary police procedures it will take to get the case to court.

I also appreciate his references to the freeway system allowing cross-town travel at snail speeds and the history of the different neighborhoods. It makes the city come alive in the imagination.

The double plot is done very well providing lots of twists and turns and both manage to converge successfully to conclusion.

I always think, “Alright, that has to be his best.” Then I read another and think the same. This one is engaging, provides tension and suspense with both stories having you root for a satisfying outcome. I don’t know how he manages it, but it always does.

Enjoying a couple of his other series as well, also listening to both Renée Ballard and The Lincoln Lawyer.

I downloaded a copy of this audiobook from my local well-stocked library. These are my honest thoughts.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Police Procedural Mysteries, Crime Fiction, Police Procedurals
Publisher: Hachette Audio
ASIN: B01K3EKBXS
Listening Length: 10 hrs 21 mins
Narrator: Titus Welliver
Publication Date: November 1, 2016
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Link: The Wrong Side of Goodbye [Amazon]

The Author: Michael Connelly is the bestselling author of more than thirty novels and one work of nonfiction. With over eighty million copies of his books sold worldwide and translated into forty-five 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 Desert Star (2022), The Dark Hours (2021), The Law Of Innocence (2020), Fair Warning (2020), and The Night Fire (2019). Michael is the executive producer of Bosch and Bosch: Legacy, Amazon Studios original drama series based on his bestselling character Harry Bosch, starring Titus Welliver and streaming on Amazon Prime/Amazon Freevee. He is the executive producer of The Lincoln Lawyer, streaming on Netflix, starring Manuel Garcia-Rulfo. 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.

Titus Welliver - actor, narrator — Titus Welliver–Compliments of Wikipedia–thank you!

The Narrator: Titus B. Welliver is an American actor. He is best known for his portrayals of the Man in Black in Lost, Silas Adams in Deadwood, Jimmy O’Phelan in Sons of Anarchy, and the title role in the television series Bosch. Wikipedia Born: March 12, 1962, New Haven, CT.

Cheers

Nothing But the Bones by Brian Panowich – #BookReview – #SmallTownandRuralFiction

Book Blurb:

With lyrical prose and hard-hitting depictions of the hardscrabble life in the rural south, Brian Panowich, author of Bull Mountain, Like Lions, and Hard Cash Valley, delivers a gripping new chapter in his tales of McFalls County in Nothing But the Bones.

In McFalls County, local crime boss Gareth Burroughs runs everything on the mountain. And Nelson “Nails” McKenna has been his enforcer since he was a teenager, though his heart’s not really in the dirty work. Then one night in a local roadhouse, Nails goes too far, defending a woman, and even Burroughs’s reach can’t get him out of this one. With a dead body and countless witnesses, Nails and the woman become fugitives on the run, and unlikely partners.

But on the road to Jacksonville, where a possible escape awaits, there’s more than one interested party on the pair’s trail, and the glimpse they had of getting away scot free suddenly seems elusive. In the end, Nails must make one final stand for his freedom—or pay with both of their lives.

His Review:

Nelson McKenna is a very big, handicapped young man. He finds himself the target of every bully in the community. The community is small and a gang decides to entertain themselves with the community dimwit. He makes up for the handicap though with a very large frame and muscles that don’t quit.

The bullies make the mistake of trying to rekindle their high school fun by taunting Nelson. His boss (Burroughs) catches them, however, and the lead perpetrator wounds up in very bad shape. Nelson is given the opportunity to take care of the bully permanently but is relieved of the duty when it is taken care of without him.

When he confronts the gang again, it is in defense of Kate. She leaves the building, but not before calling him “handsome.” Nobody ever called him that before.

The McKenna name is very big in the valley. Nelson [nicknamed Nails] tries to distance himself from his father and live his own life. Unfortunately, most of the town works for his family.

The perp that attacked the woman will cause a show down and the town is going to pin it on Nails. He is given a bag of money and told to leave town and never come back. Nelson throws everything he owns in the back seat of his pride and joy, an early 1990s Ford LTD, and leaves. Kate has hidden under his clothes in the back seat. He allows her to stay in the car as he heads south to Florida.

Kate appreciates the way that Nails protected her from the others. She wants to stay with him, the only man who has stood up for her in her entire life. The relationship between Nails and Kate begins on the road to Florida.

C E Williams This book is a fast-moving read and the characters make you admire them. Enjoy! 4 stars – CE Williams

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book. These are my own opinions.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Small Town & Rural Fiction, Police Procedurals
Publisher: Minotaur Books
ASIN: B0C39XZR6N
Print Length: 336 pages
Publication Date: April 16, 2034
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: Brian lives in Georgia but he dreams of Parma. [Amazon]

Author’s website

Christmas typewriter

Audiobooks! Listen, Not Read, the Most Recent #NYTimesBestseller #TuesdayBookBlog

#Audiobooks

It’s always a challenge to find a good audiobook and I must admit to choosing and getting fifteen minutes into the narration only to find I can’t stand the narrator, the pace, or the rude, crude, and socially unacceptable (at least to my generation) dialogue.

The good news is that my audiobooks (almost without exception) are downloaded from my local library and I’m neither required to review nor explain why I dnf’d it. The best part is that they can be enjoyed in the car, in your ear at the store, or in the kitchen on that little portable speaker.

So, to my surprise, trying to choose a book for my regular Thursday audiobook post, discovered I had a number of audiobooks backlogged to review (or not). Those I did finish ranged from literary fiction, crime fiction, police procedurals, medical, and legal thrillers, coming of age, to cozy mysteries.

Yeah, I even surprised myself.

I’ll go ahead and mention that of these seven, my favorite would be Michael Connelly’s The Crossing. The man can write—and never fails to capture and keep my attention. Still, you may find one here that captures your attention. I hope you do, so here, in no particular order:

The Keepsake: A Rizzoli and Isles Novel by Tess Gerritsen. Rizzoli being a Boston homicide detective, Isles a medical examiner, are off on the mystery of what appears to be the switch of a recent body with that of a mummy in a local museum. This novel released in September, 2008 by Random House Audio and narrated by Deirdre Lovejoy is deemed a medical and forensic thriller. And btw, Rizzoli & Isles also happens to be a drama TV series that appeared between 2010-2016 starring Angie Harmon as Rizzoli and Sasha Alexander as Dr. Maura Isles. While I enjoyed to an extent, I did find my mind wandering a bit, but it is a unique storyline and I always appreciate medical and legal thrillers. 4 stars

I just read The Spy Coast by this author, her new series The Martini Club.

Silent Night, Deadly Night: A Year-Round Christmas Mystery, Book 4 by Vicki Delany. My annual bow to a Christmas cozy. Yes, I got it because of the promise of a dog, a Saint Bernard, on the cover. And he is included in the storyline. It’s categorized as an animal cozy, released in March, 2023 by Tantor Audio narrated by Amy Deuchler. This one is about the protagonist’s mother throwing a reunion for her college buddies and the unexpected and suspicious death of one at a potluck. Perhaps this would be better read than listened to—the narration really got on my nerves. 3.5 stars

Betrayal: A Robin Lockwood Novel, Book 7 by Phillip Margolin. An author and series I enjoy, also read Murder at Black Oaks last year. This audiobook is narrated by Thérèse Plummer and was just released November 7, 2023 by Macmillan Audio. It is classified as a legal or crime thriller. Because the protagonist is now a prominent defense attorney in Portland but was a rising MMA fighter, I have a little difficulty identifying with her. She takes on the case of a fighter up for the death of an opponent following a fight in which she took a performance-enhancing drug. I liked it, but I’m not in love. 4 stars

The Crossing: Harry Bosch, Book 18 by Michael Connelly also an Amazon Editors’ pick for Best Mystery, Thriller & Suspense. Since Bosch’s ostensible retirement from the LAPD, the novels have been borrowing from another Connelly series, his half-brother defense attorney Mickey Haller. I love the Haller series and with the Bosch series narrated by none other than Titus Welliver, does it get any better than that? This audiobook released in November, 2015 by Hachette Audio. Of course, it’s a police procedural, crime fiction genre but I’d say if Haller’s in it, would also be a legal thriller as well. So 5 stars both for novel and narrator. Of course, there is a Bosch: Legacy TV series starring Titus Welliver developed by Michael Connelly, Tom Bernardo and Eric Overmyer. “Bosch: Legacy season 2 continues plot lines from season 1 and then uses The Crossing (2015) as the main storyline.” https://www.michaelconnelly.com/bosch-tv/

I last read Desert Star, a Renee Ballard book in March this year. Another good Connelly series.

Now Is Not the Time to Panic by Kevin Wilson, an Amazon Editors’ pick for Best Literature & Fiction. This is a short audiobook (6 hrs 13 mins), but packs a punch. Narrated by Kevin Wilson, and Ginnifer Goodwin it was released last November 2022 and is a Southern Fiction, Coming of Age Fiction novel. Wow. Once again, the critics loved it, but the general reading public is divided between 4 and 5 stars. It began rather slowly. I got hooked on what started a fascinating look into what can happen with “word of mouth.” Rumor. Stories. Pretty soon they don’t even resemble the original chronicle. These are kids. The full story may be exposed twenty years later. It’s an exploration of imagination and interpretation. I enjoyed it. So, 4.5 stars—but I can understand the slow start.

Endangered Species: Anna Pigeon by Nevada Barr released on May 5, 2022, and narrated by Cindy Williams, published by Phoenix Books. Yes, I do believe that is Cindy Williams, the actress who died in January this year at the age of 75. This audiobook is a real shorty at only 2 hrs 46 mins. That’s good, as Cindy, bless her heart, definitely could not replace Barbara Rosenblat who totally sells the part of Anna Pigeon, the US park ranger. I’ve always enjoyed this series and I enjoyed this location storyline as well—picture-perfect but isolated Cumberland Island off Georgia–just not as much as usual. A plane crash on the island is the result of sabotage. A victim and—collateral damage? 4 stars

In September, this year, I listened to A Superior Death. The series is a good one and I can always find another I haven’t read/heard before.

Vanishing Hour by Laura Griffin, narrated by Julia Atwood. It was released last October, 2022 by Dreamscape Media, LLC and is a police procedural mystery. Yes, there’s a dog—Huck. Corporate lawyer Ava Burch gave up the big city to move near Big Bend National Park (Texas). She grew up raising search and rescue dogs. Her dog catches some attention when he finds an abandoned campsite that leads to a cold case. Those who are familiar with my preferences know I’m not big on romances. This one morphs into a romance when she meets Grant Wycoff. Not my cup of tea. Those who enjoy that play of tension and release might very well love it. I signed up for a police procedural. 3.5 stars

I’m currently listening to None Of This Is True by Lisa Jewell. Listed as Amazon’s #1 Best Seller in Women Sleuth Mysteries, it also has a mixed review by regular readers like you and me. Not quite sure why it’s classified as a women’s sleuth mystery, but guess we’ll both find out when I review it on Thursday, December 7.

What about the audiobooks listed above. Find one that interests you? Have you already read or listened to one? What did you think? I’d love to know.

Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter – #BookReview – #TuesdayBookBlog

Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Best Mystery & Thriller (2015)

Book Blurb:

Sisters. Strangers. Survivors.

More than twenty years ago, Claire and Lydia’s teenaged sister Julia vanished without a trace. The two women have not spoken since, and now their lives could not be more different. Claire is the glamorous trophy wife of an Atlanta millionaire. Lydia, a single mother, dates an ex-con and struggles to make ends meet. But neither has recovered from the horror and heartbreak of their shared loss—a devastating wound that’s cruelly ripped open when Claire’s husband is killed.

The disappearance of a teenage girl and the murder of a middle-aged man, almost a quarter-century apart: what could connect them? Forming a wary truce, the surviving sisters look to the past to find the truth, unearthing the secrets that destroyed their family all those years ago . . . and uncovering the possibility of redemption, and revenge, where they least expect it.

My Review:

No, no, and just…no. My third book by this author and I’m thinking might be my last.

It’s 1991 when Julia Carroll disappears. The family doesn’t cope well and the two surviving sisters each grieve differently becoming estranged both from each other and their parents. Unfortunately, a recent disappearance twenty years later draws them back. A teenage girl has disappeared but it appears the murder of a middle-aged man appears to be connected almost twenty years later.

Sometimes I’m not sure how I get myself into these books as I’m usually careful about trigger warnings that include sexual violence, murder, and torture. Other than to figure out how the author was going to pull this one off, I’m not sure why I continued to read.

While there was an occasional humorous, snarky comment, “…but that was largely because he was under sixty and still had a clear view of his feet,” it was honestly pretty awful. I just don’t need that. I find the descriptions of subconscious human mannerisms rather compelling—Slaughter knows how to turn a phrase while painting her prose black.

If graphic horror is your jam, this might appeal. The author does sketch out some dark ideas. I read and then watched the series Pieces of Her last year. Are you a Slaughter fan? Did you catch the TV series? Read this one? Is this one beyond her usual level of violence or is this standard? Last year I thought I might try one more of her novels. This was it.

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

Rosepoint Rating: Three Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Kidnapping thrillers, Serial killer Thrillers, Police Procedurals
Publisher: William Morrow
ASIN: B00VES8D6K
Print Length: 548 pages
Publication Date: September 29, 2015
Source: Local Library through Kindle
Title Link(s): Pretty Girls [Amazon]

The Author: Karin Slaughter is the author of more than twenty instant NEW YORK TIMES bestselling novels, including the Edgar–nominated COP TOWN and standalone novels THE GOOD DAUGHTER, PRETTY GIRLS, and GIRL, FORGOTTEN. She is published in 120 countries with more than 40 million copies sold across the globe. PIECES OF HER is a #1 Netflix original series starring Toni Collette. The Will Trent Series is on ABC (and streaming on Hulu in the U.S, and Disney+ internationally). THE GOOD DAUGHTER and FALSE WITNESS are in development for film/tv. Slaughter is the founder of the Save the Libraries project—a nonprofit organization established to support libraries and library programming. A native of Georgia, she lives in Atlanta.

http://www.karinslaughter.com
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/AuthorKarinSlaughter/
Instagram http://www.instagram.com/karinslaughterauthor/
Twitter @SlaughterKarin
https://linktr.ee/karinslaughter

#TuesdayBookBlog

Home at Night by Paula Munier – #BookReview – #TuesdayBookBlog

A Mercy Carr Mystery Book 5

“Buy land, they’re not making it anymore.”—Mark Twain

Book Blurb:

Beware the blackbirds…

It’s Halloween in Vermont, winter is coming, and five humans, two dogs, and a cat are a crowd in Mercy Carr’s small cabin. She needs more room—and she knows just the place: Grackle Tree Farm, with thirty acres of woods and wetlands and a Victorian manor to die for. They say it’s haunted by the ghosts of missing children and lost poets and a murderer or two, but Mercy loves it anyway. Even when Elvis finds a dead body in the library.

There’s something about Grackle Tree Farm that people are willing to kill for—and Mercy needs to figure out what before they move in. A coded letter found on the victim points to a hidden treasure that may be worth a fortune—if it’s real. She and Captain Thrasher conduct a search of the old place—and end up at the wrong end of a Glock. A masked man shoots Thrasher, and she and Elvis must take him down before he murders them all. Under fire, she and Elvis manage to run the guy off, but not before they are wounded, leaving Thrasher fighting for his life in the hospital, Mercy on crutches, and Elvis on the mend.

Now it’s up to Mercy and Troy and the dogs to track down the masked murderer in a county overflowing with leaf peepers, Halloween revelers, and treasure hunters and bring him to justice before he strikes again and the treasure is lost forever, along with the good name of Grackle Tree Farm….

My Review:

I love it when one of my favorite series pops up with a new one. This one seemed rather inspired, full of prose, quotables, and down home philosophy.

While I tripped over the name of Grackle Tree Farm every time I read it, the plot is a good one and there is a lot going on. The doggies have an active part—love Elvis and Suzy Bear.

Love the atmospherics in this particular episode. The author knows how to weave in the texture, suspense, the unknown. It builds tension and multiplies interest in the characters, who are mysterious and engaging. Particularly invested in their efforts to secure the ownership of the farm—sounded so neat I wanted a tour.

“…private roads, private being Yankee-speak for unpaved.”

The mysteries are interesting, the backstories clever and complex. There are twists and pushes into the poetry world I’d never consider otherwise. Romance language is interwoven as easily as English.

“The ghosts that stalk us are the secrets we cannot keep, the trespasses we cannot forgive, the truths we cannot bury.”

I really liked the progress that Mercy and Troy made this time and can’t wait to discover what they do with the property. Never hurts to catch up on Elvis either. He is an awesome canine character, as is Suzy Bear, both are so different yet so competent in their separate roles.

I read The Wedding Plot in August 2022 and had a bit of a problem with the pacing. This one keeps interest throughout, no sags in the middle, is well-paced.

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: Cozy Animal Mystery, Cozy Animal Mysteries, Police Procedurals
Publisher: Minotaur Books
ASIN: B0BQGJSWCQ
Print Length: 352 pages
Publication Date: October 17, 2023
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: PAULA MUNIER is a literary agent and the USA TODAY bestselling author of the Mercy Carr mysteries. A BORROWING OF BONES, the first in the series, was nominated for the Mary Higgins Clark Award, and was recently named the Dog Writers Association of America’s Dogwise Book of the Year. The second, BLIND SEARCH, pubbed in November 2019. The third, THE HIDING PLACE, will debut in March 2021.

Paula was inspired to write the series by the hero working dogs she met through Mission K9 Rescue, her own rescues, Newfoundland/retriever mix Bear, Great Pyrenees/Australian cattle dog mix Bliss, and Malinois mix Blondie, and a lifelong passion for crime fiction.

Paula also written three popular books on writing: PLOT PERFECT, THE WRITER’S GUIDE TO BEGINNINGS, and WRITING WITH QUIET HANDS, as well as the acclaimed memoir FIXING FREDDIE: A True Story of a Boy, a Mom, and a Very, Very Bad Beagle, and HAPPIER EVERY DAY: Simple ways to bring more peace, contentment and joy into your life.

She lives in New England with her family, her three rescue dogs, and a rescue torbie tabby named Ursula.

#TuesdayBookBlog

Desert Star (Renée Ballard Book 5) by Michael Connelly – #Audiobook Review – #mysteryactionfiction – Little, Brown & Company

in Mystery Action Fiction

Book Blurb:

LAPD detective Renée Ballard and Harry Bosch team up to hunt the brutal killer who is Bosch’s “white whale”—a man responsible for the murder of an entire family.

A year has passed since LAPD detective Renée Ballard quit the force in the face of misogyny, demoralization, and endless red tape. But after the chief of police himself tells her she can write her own ticket within the department, Ballard takes back her badge, leaving “the Late Show” to rebuild and lead the cold case unit at the elite Robbery-Homicide Division.

For years, Harry Bosch has been working a case that haunts him—the murder of an entire family by a psychopath who still walks free. Ballard makes Bosch an offer: come volunteer as an investigator in her new Open-Unsolved Unit, and he can pursue his “white whale” with the resources of the LAPD behind him.

First priority for Ballard is to clear the unsolved rape and murder of a sixteen-year-old girl. The decades-old case is essential to the councilman who supported re-forming the unit, and who could shutter it again—the victim was his sister. When Ballard gets a “cold hit” connecting the killing to a similar crime, proving that a serial predator has been at work in the city for years, the political pressure has never been higher. To keep momentum going, she has to pull Bosch off his own investigation, the case that is the consummation of his lifelong mission.

My Review:

Okay, wait…what is Connelly telling us with Book 5? COME ON! We are talking Ballard and Bosch here! I particularly enjoy it when these two get together.

Read most of his books, I’m a fan; watched all the Netflix episodes. While Welliver sells Bosch in the title role of the TV series, he reinforces Titus Welliver in the audiobooks—makes him real! So what’s with the ending in this installment?!

This installment, though, where Ballard brings Bosch in to help her with her cold case, it also renews his interest in solving a cold case of his own. I was quite surprised when the two so quickly handled her cold case, almost too soon. But Bosch’s “white whale” (that of the odious murder of an entire family) kept the two working.

Yes, Harry had quit the force—hasn’t gotten any younger. Ballard, of course, is eyeing a successful partnership again—they work well together. Have cases to solve. She is eager to keep her funding, her new department active. Ballard has grown in character depth, but there is still a lot to learn about her while we are quite familiar with Bosch.

Connelly is preparing us though—things are going to change—hopefully not in the next episode, but Ballard appears to be gaining in her position. She’s done well under the mentoring of Bosch. Out of left-center field comes a psychic. I’m not at all sure if she is to remain part of the Open-Unsolved Unit and I’m not sold on her yet.

Fast-paced, well-plotted, packed with technology—something new to learn. Always suspenseful, building tension as Bosch navigates treachery and Ballard handles personnel, the department, the funding and budget, the direction, the clues, and dispenses appropriate action. Perhaps this is not the installment to break into this series.

Something’s afoot!

I’ve enjoyed previous episodes, the last Dark Sacred Night and the CE’s review of The Dark Hours. Hopefully, there will still be more.

I downloaded a copy of this audiobook from my local well-stocked library and again recommend the audiobook with Welliver’s narration. My only reservation with the audiobooks is that it sounds sometimes like he read his parts at some other place or time and it was fitted with the other two narrators. Can’t put my finger on it—but it’s an obvious change in timbre. These are my honest thoughts.

Book Details:

Genre: Mystery Action Fiction, Crime Action Fiction, Police Procedurals
Publisher: Little, Brown & Company
ASIN: B09X295Y68
Listening Length: 9 hrs 37 mins
Narrator: Titus Welliver, Christine Lakin, Peter Giles
Publication Date: November 8, 2022
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Links: Desert Star [Amazon]
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

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Retribution (Koa Kane Hawaiian Mystery Book 5) by Robert McCaw – #BookReview – #TerrorismThrillers – Oceanview Publishing

Book Blurb:

As people around him come under attack, Chief Detective Koa Kane wonders if he might be the real target

In the back alley of a bar on Hawaii Island, a young man is found stabbed to death. When Hilo Chief Detective Koa Kane begins investigating the crime, the murder weapon is recovered only a few feet away from the body. Crime scene technicians find fingerprints on the knife¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ — they are a perfect match for Koa’ s younger brother, Ikaika.

As the brothers scramble to prove Ikaika’ s innocence, another crime sends shockwaves through the Hilo police force. A sniper tries to take out Makanui, Koa’ s closest colleague. As Koa tries to figure out whether these crimes are linked, the sinister force continues their killing spree, threatening Koa and his loved ones at every turn.

Could Koa be the real target? If so, who is behind this trail of retribution? With his own secret criminal past, Koa confronts an all-out offensive against those closest to him and his police force to which he has devoted his life. As the bodies pile up, Koa finds himself the ultimate target of a ruthless adversary and must risk it all to survive.

His Review:

Something is amiss at the police department in Hilo. More murders are happening on the big island than have ever been witnessed before. Koa Kane is the Lead Detective and he is determined to find the killer.

His good friend Ikaika has been tagged for the killings but Koa knows that is not possible. Ikaika was on the volcano for a getaway with Maria when the crime occurred. The problem is that Ikaika has a criminal record and is the prime suspect.

International intrigue and espionage are woven into this tale with the culprit’s true identity carefully camouflaged. The person seems to be rising quickly through the ranks despite little actual experience in law enforcement. Money seems to be a prime prerequisite for advancement in the police department! Cliques within law enforcement make solving crimes a personality test.

Robert McCaw has developed a very twisted narrative of deceit within the Hilo Police Department. The novel is entertaining and at times frustrating, but certainly engaging. Enjoy! 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: Terrorism Thrillers, Vigilante Justice Thrillers, Police Procedurals
Publisher: Oceanview Publishing
ASIN: B0B922ZDXZ
Print Length: 334 pages
Publication Date: June 6, 2023
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: Robert B. McCaw is the author of Death of a Messenger (2016) and Off the Grid (to be published July 2, 2019).

He grew up in a military family traveling the world. After graduating from Georgetown University, he served as a lieutenant in the US Army before earning his JD degree from the University of Virginia School of Law. Upon graduation from law school he spent a year as a judicial clerk for Supreme Court Justice Hugo L. Black. He practiced law in Washington, DC, and New York City, representing investment banks, lawyers, directors, and other clients in complex civil and criminal cases, including many that generated significant press coverage.

For a number of years, Bob maintained a home on the Big Island of Hawai‘i, studying its history, culture, and peoples. Archaeology and astronomy are among his many interests. In researching his books, he talked story with Hawai‘i County cops and walked the streets where his stories take place. He and his wife live in New York City.

robertbmccaw.com

Facebook: RobertBMcCaw

Twitter: @RobertBMcCaw

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