Category: Authors Page 13 of 115

DETAILS:
Publisher: One More Chapter
Publication Date: September 27, 2022
Format: eBook
Length: 378 pg.
Read Date: October 6-11, 2022

When you’re given the opportunity to confront your mother’s killer, do you take it?

I did.

No words were spoken though.

I just killed him.

Was it worth it?

Absolutely.

Do I have any regrets?

Only that I didn’t make him suffer longer.

What’s 6 Ripley Avenue About?

6 Ripley Avenue is a Probation Hostel—similar to what we call a halfway house in the U.S.—focusing on probationers convicted of violent crimes (including murder). It’s been plagued by controversy since before its opening two years ago. The concerns go beyond the typical NIMBY protests because of the violent nature of the residents.

Sloane Armstrong, a freelance investigative journalist, and Helen Burgess, an elderly woman who lives next door to the house, have been at the forefront of the effort to move and/or close Ripley House Approves Premises from the start. Their friendship was forged by this effort but has grown since then.

Now, a resident there—a convicted murderer—has been killed. The investigation into the murder highlights many of the concerns Helen has voiced and Sloane has published—poor staffing levels, inadequate security, malfunctioning CCTV, and more. Helen and Sloane see this as their opportunity to close the facility once and for all and work to uncover as much as they can about the crime and the systemic problems it exposes as possible for their purposes.

On the other hand, Jeanette Macy is the Senior Probation Officer on staff—she learns of the same problems (and more) during the investigation and sees this as the opportunity to improve things both at Ripley House and throughout the system.

The narrative bounces between the perspectives of these women as they investigate the happenings of that fateful night and interact with each other and the police during the inquiry. Will any of them be fast enough in their investigation to ensure the murderer is caught in time to save more lives?

It’s almost a locked-room mystery—but if you can’t trust the locks on the room…

The Prologue

I see a lot of hate/antagonism toward Prologues online lately. I’m not sure I get it, but if people want to skip them, I guess that’s their prerogative. However, anyone who is anti-prologue probably hasn’t read a Noelle Hotlen prologue—they’re consistently very good. This is one of her best—it’s not Dead Perfect—good, but it’s close.

If you read this book, don’t gloss over/skim/skip it.*

* I think that should apply to Prologues/Epilogues in general, but whatever. You do you.

On the Other Hand…

I think the last two chapters could be cut and the book would be stronger. I get (I’m pretty sure) the impulse for them, and they do make sure that some of what was suggested/implied in the text was nailed down. I also wonder if she answers a question or two that would be better left lingering. But I think most readers would either assume almost everything contained there—or wouldn’t care. It’s like watching deleted scenes from a movie and thinking “yeah, that was good to see, but I see why it didn’t make the final cut.”

Okay, the last six paragraphs of the penultimate chapter—they’re a distinct section—would’ve made a good, punchy last chapter on their own. But the rest felt like overkill.

Your results may vary, and it’s not like these chapters hurt the book significantly. But for me, they took a little of the luster off.

So, what did I think about 6 Ripley Avenue?

“Sometimes the places where you are meant to be safe are the ones you should fear the most.”

The violence in this book centers on those places you’re meant to be safe—home and family—and what happens when that safety is disrupted. The whodunit of the novel is the focus—but there’s a lot said about the ripple effects of (many, but not all, of) the crimes talked about. How the repercussions of a moment of violence or other dangerous choices are long-lasting and alter the lives of those only indirectly affected by them. Crime Fiction in general is getting better at showing this, and few do it as well as Holten does.

Holten’s signature style of terse chapters and paragraphs is well-evident here,* jumping from perspective to perspective to make sure the plot is always steadily advancing. This makes the pacing almost relentless and it’s hard to put the book down, no matter what the reason for doing so may be. I’m not saying that I burned any meal or let a pot boil over while reading this, but I’d absolutely understand why someone would. Thankfully, the style also makes it incredibly easy to pick back up and get fully immersed in the story immediately. You could easily read 6 Ripley Avenue in one sitting without intending to.**

* Really, does she draft on cocktail napkins? What would happen if she invested in a couple of reams of 8.5 x 11/A4?
**The fact that it took me as long as it did to read this is a commentary on my schedule this month, not the book.

The only problem with the pace is that we don’t get quite enough time to see enough of Helen and Sloane’s friendship—it’d be easy to see their relationship as Sloane exploiting the lonely woman for ammunition and Helen as desperate for an emotional connection. That’s what I saw it as initially. But as the novel progresses, we see actual affection between the two and it’d have been nice if circumstances had allowed us to see more of it. On the other hand, things do allow the reader to change their initial impression of Jeanette over the course of the novel (at least this one did).

This is one of those novels that is strengthened by the use of multiple POVs—the overlapping motives, agendas, and methods of the women looking into the crime and its repercussions, sometimes in alignment, sometimes at odds, but leading to getting at the truth was really well done. I’m not sure that, outside of the first bit of narrative from the Killer’s point-of-view that having their perspective present is that helpful—but I’d say that about at least 98% of those that I’ve read, so take that comment with a boulder-sized grain of salt.

This standalone solidifies Holten as an auto-buy for me, it’s a pleasant departure from Holten’s series work, displaying her already visible strengths and giving her a chance to show new ones. 6 Ripley Avenue is a fast, compelling, read that will stay with you for a while—you can’t ask for more than that.

4 Stars

PUB DAY REPOST: Santa’s Little Yelpers by David Rosenfelt: A Little Yuletide Cheer and Two Dangerous Cases Andy Didn’t Ask Santa For

By HCNewton

On October 11, 2022

In Andy Carpenter, David Rosenfelt, Fiction, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller

Santa’s Little Yelpers

by David Rosenfelt

DETAILS:
Series: Andy Carpenter, #26
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: October 11, 2022
Format: eARC
Length: 304 pg.
Read Date: September 30, 2022

What’s Santa’s Little Yelpers About?

There’s a new employee at the Tara Foundation—he’s an ex-con, and an ex-lawyer (the former led to the latter). Chris is clear that he was wrongly convicted, but is trying to rebuild some sort of life and move on from there. Andy, Willie, and Sondra are happy to have him on board—especially because one of the shelter’s dogs just had a litter, and Chris has taken mom and her pups into his house until they’re ready to be adopted.

But since this is an Andy Carpenter novel, you know what’s coming next—the dog lover introduced at the beginning of the book is headed for trouble. Chris is told by the major witness in the case against him that he was lying and will recant in court. But before Andy can get anything filed on Chris’s behalf, the witness changes his mind. Chris goes to confront him, the witness is murdered, and, as we all expected, Chris is arrested for that crime.

It’s up to Andy, The K Team, and the rest of Andy’s team to try to prove him innocent of the murder—and maybe the initial crime.

It’s Beginning to Look (a Little) Like Christmas…

I’m not sure why Minotaur keeps doing these Christmas-themed Carpenter novels—there’s very little Christmas-y (or other holidays) in them. The Christmas content in this one is less than usual—don’t worry, there’s enough to justify this being considered a holiday novel or to satisfy those who want that content. But just enough for that—not one sentence more.

I should stress—I’m not complaining about this. I’ll take any excuse for an Andy Carpenter novel, and this gives us two in a year—and some of these “Christmas” novels have been better than the others released that year. I’m just wondering.

So, what did I think about Santa’s Little Yelpers?

Between the 25 previous books in the series and the 3 K-Team books, I like to think I’m pretty familiar with Rosenfelt and his bag of tricks—the series and I are old friends by now, and while I have a ball with these books, I pretty much see most things coming. Or so I thought. Sure, most of the book went as I expected, and I was enjoying it as much as I expected to. And then Rosenfelt pulled off a twist that I didn’t see coming—my interest and appreciation for the book increased.

And then he did it again. I wouldn’t have guessed that by book 29, Rosenfelt would be surprising me twice in one book. I’m not saying that I don’t appreciate the twists and the turns of the stories in most of his books, because I really do—but I usually know something like them is coming—I didn’t see either of these coming at all. (I do think I should’ve been in the ballpark for one of them, though, if I’d been on my game). And because of these reveals, a lot of the book played out in ways I didn’t fully expect. I love it when an author does this.

Are all semi-savvy readers going to experience this? Not necessarily—but you just might.

Even without that—this is a classic Andy Carpenter book, there’s some good Ricky material, Laurie and Marcus get to do their thing—Corey and Simon Garfunkel get some nice moments, too. Sam Willis (very minor spoiler) gets some out-of-the-office work, which is fun. And Andy meets a new judge and prosecutor and doesn’t totally alienate them (I’m not sure he endears himself to either, either).

It’s a good time, a clever case, with some typical quotable lines. Everything an Andy Carpenter fan wants—and, as always, this would be a good jumping on point for a newbie looking for an enjoyable mystery/legal thriller to read.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books via NetGalley in exchange for this post and my honest opinion–thanks to both for this.

4 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.

The Iron Gate by Harry Connolly: The Twenty Palaces—Back and Better than Ever

By HCNewton

On October 10, 2022

In Harry Connolly, Twenty Palaces, Urban Fantasy

The Iron Gate

by Harry Connolly

DETAILS:
Series: Twenty Palaces, #4
Publisher: Radar Avenue Press
Publication Date: September 30, 2022
Format: E-book
Length: 390 pg.
Read Date: October 1, 2022

“My name is Ray Lilly,” I said to the empty room.

There it was. I’d remembered my name, and with it came the realization that I had come to this place, whatever this place was, to find someone—no idea who at the moment—and kill them.

Setting the Stage

It’s been a while since the last Twenty Palaces fiction was published (a novella 5 years ago, a novel more than twice that), let me give a quick review.

Magic is in the world, people who come across a book of it run the risk of opening a gate to another dimension and letting monsters (called predators) into our world. Once in, they won’t stop until our reality is gone.

Standing in the way is the Twenty Palaces Society—their peers track down the books and those who are using them and stop them. Almost always this is a lethal stopping. Annalise has been a peer for quite a while now, she gets the job done without really worrying too much about what stands between her and the target.

Ray Lilly is her wooden man. His job is to be a distraction, getting the attention of the troublemakers (human) and the predators focused on him, so Annalise can dispatch them. He’s not supposed to survive for long, but somehow he’s both lived and proven pretty effective when helping Annalise. Before this, he was a criminal—a car thief, freshly released from prison and trying to live a better life for the sake of the relatives who supported him.

What’s The Iron Gate About?

Annalise sends Ray into a building in a small coastal town to do some recon. They know a predator is in the building, but before she does something (probably destroying the building) he goes in—something happens and his ghost knife (the one spell Ray possesses) lands at her feet. Ray’s been taken by that predator but is still alive. She cancels the “apocalyptic tsunami of magic” she had planned for the building to wait for Ray to either die (which would get that tsunami rescheduled) or to escape.

Meanwhile, Ray finds himself in an Everytown, USA. Everyone calls him “Carl” and…ugh, I’m just going to copy and paste from the book description, because it’s more concise (and better) than what I’ve come up with:

[Ray] realizes that for some time now he’s been living as a puppet, his body and mind under the complete domination of an unknown power, and the townsfolk think this puppet is his real identity.

And that power can still seize control of Ray’s body at any time, forcing him and the people around him to playact in nonsense stories that center around a mysterious boy and his monster dog.

The town and its people shift and change, but only Ray seems to notice.

While she waits to find out what’s going on with Ray, Annalise devotes her time, energy, and money into keeping other people from getting access to that building. The last thing she wants is anyone else feeding that monster.

It’s the Little Things

Ray’s Ghost Knife could easily be the MVP of this series. Despite being a simple spell—and Ray’s version of it screams “bargain basement” in an endearing and charming way—is a surprisingly effective and reliable piece of magic. It turns out to be as versatile as a certain someone’s Sonic Screwdriver.

The way it’s utilized in this book is completely different than we’ve seen before, and is probably responsible for me spending more time thinking about it than I would’ve otherwise (although it’s always been a favorite thing in each book/story). As much as I enjoy the whole world and magic system that Connolly has given us, it might really be this tiny element—which almost seems to be a forgettable gadget when we first saw it—that could be his masterstroke. Just for what it’s allowed him to do in each setting.

Character Growth?

There are certain characters you run into in novels/series that are formed. They don’t display a lot of growth and development and that’s fine, they don’t need to. Most of the time, that’s a flaw in the writing/character design—but sometimes the character just is who they are and that’s good. Everyone around them changes and grows, but they remain a rock. Like a rock that Marcus Aurelias would talk about amidst the raging waves.

Annalise Powliss has always seemed like one of those characters to me—Ray and the civilians they were around would change, and Annalise would remain pretty much the same (maybe relaxing a bit and trusting Ray, but that’s it). But man, over the course of this novel, things happen to change her. The Annalise who drives away from this is not the one we met in Child of Fire.

I’ve liked her since the beginning, but this version takes less effort. More than that, I enjoyed watching the transformation (and how much she hated it when she noticed it happening, yet she rolled with it).

So, what did I think about The Iron Gate?

This book is everything I’ve thought this series could be—not that I thought the previous novels, novellas, short stories, etc. lacked anything, but this seemed to be a slightly better version of them. That’s probably because Connolly’s a better novelist now than he was when he started the series.

Given the set-up for this series, that extra-dimensional powers are about to break into this reality and devour everything—there’s an inherent darkness to the books. Ray, Annalise, and the rest of the Twenty Palaces are the equivalent of the proverbial little Dutch Boy, and they might be running out of fingers to hold back the destruction. There’s a sense of futility to what they’re about, every victory is Pyrrhic. That doesn’t take away from the gripping nature of the storytelling or the entertainment value of the novels—but you don’t shake the feeling of impending loss. I didn’t feel that this time—I have a few theories to explain it, but most feel inadequate, so I’m not going to share them. I don’t know if that’s a tweak Connolly’s making to the series, something tied to The Iron Gate‘s events, or if he’s setting us up for something. I’ll buy any of those explanations—or a combination.

I wonder a little bit if that makes this a more commercial novel than the previous ones. Hopefully—and hopefully word gets out about this book and it finds the audience it deserves.

There’s so much in this book to celebrate—the way Ray figures out what’s going on and how he tries to address it, everything Annalise gets up to, the way things wrap up, and the promise of the last chapter for what’s to come. Connolly is firing on all cylinders here, and it’s great to see. You’ve got unique magic, great action, flawed protagonists, unexpected humor, and a couple of compelling intertwined plots—what more can you ask for?

This would be a good jumping-on point for this series, Connolly gives you enough to get your footing in this world and overarching story while immersing you in this book’s plot (actually, he probably made this as accessible for new readers as the first book was). This is an Urban Fantasy for those who want something out-of-the norm, and is well worth your time.

4 1/2 Stars

Santa’s Little Yelpers by David Rosenfelt: A Little Yuletide Cheer and Two Dangerous Cases Andy Didn’t Ask Santa For

By HCNewton

On October 3, 2022

In Andy Carpenter, David Rosenfelt, Fiction, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller

Santa’s Little Yelpers

by David Rosenfelt

DETAILS:
Series: Andy Carpenter, #26
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: October 11, 2022
Format: eARC
Length: 304 pg.
Read Date: September 30, 2022

What’s Santa’s Little Yelpers About?

It’s up to Andy, The K Team, and the rest of Andy’s team to try to prove him innocent of the murder—and maybe the initial crime.

It’s Beginning to Look (a Little) Like Christmas…

So, what did I think about Santa’s Little Yelpers?

Are all semi-savvy readers going to experience this? Not necessarily—but you just might.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books via NetGalley in exchange for this post and my honest opinion–thanks to both for this.

4 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.

Hell and Back by Craig Johnson: They Say All Haunting is Regret

By HCNewton

On September 28, 2022

In Craig Johnson, Fiction, Walt Longmire

Hell and Back

by Craig Johnson

DETAILS:
Series: Series: Walt Longmire, #18
Publisher: Viking
Publication Date: September 6, 2022
Format: Hardcover
Length: 336 pgs.
Read Date: September 21-22, 2022

“Something wrong?”

“I’m not sure, but I’m thinking I might’ve screwed things up.”

“How?”

“The way you always do, by doing a good deed.”

What’s Hell and Back About?

Recently, Walt has across repeated references to Fort Pratt—a military base and a school for natives there. Neither Walt nor Henry had heard of this place before, and it made him curious—he did a little looking and asking around about it and found one person who knew something.

And now…Walt wakes up in the middle of the street in that town. He doesn’t know who he is, or what he’s doing there, and keeps running into people he vaguely recognizes (or thinks he should) and readers do. Then he finds himself witnessing events surrounding that school’s destruction by fire—which killed the 31 boys living there.

Meanwhile, Henry Standing Bear and Vic are trying to track down Walt. He’s been on the hunt for a suspect in a murder and hasn’t checked in for a while—they get to the area he was last known to be and find some disturbing signs, but no Walt.

While they look for Walt, our favorite sheriff and the reader have to figure out where he is and why—and does it have anything to do with the Éveohtsé-heómėse, the Wandering Without, that Walt encountered in the last book?

Hmmm…

I wanted to give a section focusing on each of our main trio of characters—or at least the two main storylines. And I can’t. Anything I say would divulge so much of the plot/mechanics of the novel that I’d ruin something.

So why am I spending time talking about this? 1. I don’t want it to look like I’m harping on just one point (see the next section) and 2. to make a point—these threads are so tightly woven in this book that to look at any of them, you have to look at how it all plays out—from beginning to ending. Don’t decide—or try to decide—what you think of anything until the ending—you’ll be wasting time and effort.

Is Craig Johnson Taking a Stand?

A mixture of native Spirituality (beliefs, practices, and possible occurrences) have been around since the beginning of this series as a constant, but emphasized in books like Hell is Empty and last year’s Daughter of the Morning Star. But the novels have never really taken a stand on whether a spiritual entity/entities or powers are interacting with Walt and others or whether that’s one possible interpretation—and maybe Walt was hallucinating/dreaming due to physical injury, mental exhaustion, hypothermia, etc.

It really seems like Walt believes it’s true in the moment (sometimes he has to be convinced), but then brushes it away. Although a couple of times, I thought it was Henry who suggests an alternate explanation—Vic never seems to give a mystical idea any precedence.

If only for the amount of this book that appears not to transpire in our world, I think that Johnson’s not really pretending to be neutral anymore. Even Walt’s “but maybe…” take seemed halfhearted.

I think I’m fine with it—if only so we don’t have to have this discussion so often within the books. As long as Johnson isn’t trying to veer into Urban Fantasy or anything (and I don’t think he is), go for it. Let Walt be convinced by his experience, embrace them, and move forward that way. At least let him wrestle with it, not just brush it away.

Now, if Vic starts seeing Virgil White Buffalo or something like him…that might be a problem.

So, what did I think about Hell and Back?

In his Acknowledgements, Johnson says he attempted to create “a Western, gothic-romance with traces of horror.” “Traces” is a good word—it’s just a hint, like the hint of whatever fruit a particular can of La Croix tells you it has (maybe a little heavier). The rest seems like a good description of the result—I guess I’m not sold on “if” he should’ve tried, or at least tried in this way. I don’t want this series to turn into a bunch of cookie-cutter novels about Walt and the gang solving mysteries at home or in a nearby county. But…not all experiments are successful.

I’m torn. I enjoyed this, I like that Johnson is constantly trying to keep each novel from being a duplicate of a previous one and trying to do new things with well-established characters. I thought the ideas were great, I appreciate that Johnson wants to discuss things like the horrible conditions and events in “Indian schools.”

But I think this was a lousy Walt Longmire book. There were some strong character moments for Vic and Henry (and a moment or two that I’m not so sure about for each). I don’t think it was a good use of the character of Walt Longmire or the kind of story that’s good for the series. There are a couple of things that could spring from this for future books, but I think Johnson probably could’ve gotten there a different way.

Yes, I’m prepared to eat my words in that last sentence, but I feel pretty safe about it.

This was a good follow-up to the previous book, but it’s also a wholly unnecessary follow-up. It ended so well, and yet so ambiguously on one point that I thought was very effective. This book takes away that ambiguity and takes away the power/mystery from the conclusion.

Long-time fans will find enough to justify their time (there’s a moment where Vic reveals a lot of herself to another character that’s one of the most honest moments in the series for her, for example), but I expect most will be unsatisfied by the book as a whole. I think I was. Still, while this might not have been the most successful Walt Longmire book, I tip my cap to Johnson for giving it a shot.

3 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.

Catch-Up Quick Takes: A Few Remaining August Titles

By HCNewton

On September 23, 2022

In Audiobook, Don Winslow, Fiction, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller, Urban Fantasy

The point of these quick takes posts is to catch up on my “To Write About” stack—emphasizing pithiness, not thoroughness. Except for the two books that I want to do full posts on, this wraps up August. I’m in danger of catching up. (insert the obligatory “Narrator: He will not” joke here)

The Alchemist and an Amaretto

by Annette Marie, Cris Dukehart (Narrator)

DETAILS:
Series: The Guild Codex: Spellbound Series, #5
Publisher: Tantor Audio
Publication Date: January 27, 2020
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length:  6 hrs., 55 min.
Read Date: August 24-25, 2022

(the official blurb)
This series is the trunk that the others branch out from, it’s the anchor for the whole thing—and I’m just about at an end with it. It feels like Marie’s discovered a template and is just following it.

That said…I’m not leaving this because I want to see how the others unfold, I really like Tori, I want to see how things turn out with her brother, and the books are entertaining enough, while still being exasperating (to illustrate, Cobra Kai Season 5 is just on the other side of that line). But man…I’m tired of the non-romance romantic story and I’m fed up with the Ezra storyline (that I think is what the whole series is going to be ultimately about, so I’d better get used to it).

Putting my gripes aside—the alchemy stuff here is great, and I really liked the way all of it developed. This approach to werewolves is great and I’d really like to see more (but am pretty sure we won’t because of the whole template thing…but maybe in the Warped series?)

Also, I’m really hoping that at one point the protagonists from these series will figure out they should be allies and friends for one final, climactic battle before living a life of relative peace and routine.
3 Stars

Her Last Breath

by Linda Castillo, Kathleen McInerney (Narrator)

DETAILS:
Series: Kate Burkholder, #5
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Publication Date: June 17, 2013
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length: 9 hr., 46 min.
Read Date: August 25-26, 2022

(the official blurb)
I truly had a hard time with this one because so much of the book is about this police chief that we’re supposed to be rooting for going around and manipulating a case, lying to other law enforcement officers, and pressuring her siblings into lying to cover up what will be a clear case of self-defense so that she can keep her job.

The other storyline about the hit and run that turns out to be vehicular homicide? That was pretty good—a touch predictable, sure. But only because Castillo did everything but name the killer McMurderer, because this one needed to be about Kate figuring it out and the reader seeing what that put her through.

If we can put the self-defense cover-up story behind us now, I can keep going. Otherwise, this series becomes Dexter with a really low body count, and I’m just not going with that.

3 Stars

The Heron

by Don Winslow, Ed Harris (Narrator)

DETAILS:
Publisher: Audible OriginalsT
Publication Date: July 28, 2022
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length: 1 hr., 6 min.
Read Date: August 12, 2022

(the official blurb)
This is only an hour long, so it’s really difficult to talk about. But that’s a shame because I want to go paragraph by paragraph and talk about it—a live-blog running commentary seems to be the best way to talk about it, but who has the time for that?

I’m going to start with Ed Harris rocking this one—the dude is perfect and I want nothing else out of life than a new Winslow story every month or so read by Harris. That’s hyperbole to make a point, but it feels like one of the most honest sentences I’ve uttered recently.

This is short fiction at its best—a great premise, some good twists, a great conclusion, and a perfect ending. It just made me happy. I was about to say that there’s a great villain, but I’m not sure which character I’d attribute that to. There are a good number of great criminal characters running around committing crimes against each other—it’s just a matter of who comes out on top and how they do so. Grab some popcorn and enjoy.

Also, as I look back at what I noted when I listened—only 4 stars? I remember it better than that. Maybe it was the length? I’m going to trust my initial reaction, but as I write this, 4 seems like I’m underselling it.
4 Stars

This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase from any of them, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.

The Friday 56 for 9/23/22: Hell and Back by Craig Johnson

By HCNewton

On September 23, 2022

In Craig Johnson, Currently Reading, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller, News/Misc., Quotations, The Friday 56, Walt Longmire

This is a weekly bloghop hosted by Freda’s Voice.

RULES:
The Friday 56 Grab a book, any book.
Turn to Page 56 or 56% on your ereader. If you have to improvise, that is okay.
Find a snippet, short and sweet.
Post it.

from Page 56 of:
Hell and Back

Hell and Back by Craig Johnson

We slowly drove through town. I could see the lights were still on in the library, and I felt a twinge of guilt about not having been able to lock it up. “I made a pass at your librarian.”

“He kept his eyes on the road. “You what?”

“Well, not the librarian exactly, but the one from the café that re-shelves books, Martha?”

He nodded. “Who else have you had contact with since “you’ve been in town?”

“What, you think I’m contagious?”

“I’m just curious as to what a fellow does after finding himself lying out there in the road during a blizzard.”

The Days of Tao by Wesley Chu: A Fast and Fun Post-Script to the Trilogy

By HCNewton

On September 21, 2022

In Science Fiction, Wesley Chu

The Days of Tao

by Wesley Chu

DETAILS:
Series: Tao Trilogy, #3.5
Publisher: Hunter & River, Inc
Publication Date: April 30, 2016
Format: Kindle Edition
Length: 104 pg.
Read Date: September 10, 2022

You can do this, Cameron. You have intelligence, competence, and experience on your side.

“You’re right. I can handle this job on my own. I got this,” he huffed as he tried to make himself believe those words.

I was referring to me.

What’s The Days of Tao About?

Cameron Poe is about to graduate from college—he would’ve graduated already if he hadn’t picked up a D in Art History, of all things. To make up for that before he can start training to be a full-fledged Prophus operative, he’s taking a summer class in Greece with a couple of his friends. It’s a relaxing time in a fascinating part of the world with an interesting group of students—and a chance for one last college romance before he has to focus.

But then a Prophus agent needs immediate extraction because he has vital information to share, his life is in danger, and the Genjix are about to take their aggression to the next level throughout the world. And Cameron’s the closest thing that the Prophus have to an operative in the country.

Cameron can’t abandon his friends, though—and they won’t abandon their classmates—so he ends up dragging along most of the group on his rescue mission (why make things easy for himself?)

What did I think about The Days of Tao?

I bought this shortly after its publication, and have no idea why I didn’t read it until now (and don’t get me started on The Fall of Io). If it accomplished nothing else, it got me thinking about the series and remembering how much fun it was.

I don’t remember what I thought of them while reading them (and I’m not going to look), but I remember the Tao novels being a little longer than they needed to—that’s not a criticism, but I think they could have been tightened up a bit. Not this—the advantage of the novella—there’s not an ounce of fat to this, not one wasted word. That’s not to say that it’s all plot or anything— Beyond the action and the extraction, there are some good character moments, some necessary development of Cameron, and a couple of laughs—but this novella never slows or drags for a moment. Once the agent says he needs extraction (and, even before that), we’re off to the races and you’d better be buckled up.

Looking at this book’s place in the series, it serves to put the action and the characters (including Io) in place for The Rise of Io. Was this a necessary bridge between the Tao and Io books? Not really no. That’s one thing about these Subterranean Press books—they’re a nice bonus to completists, but people who don’t want to/are too slow to shell out the money for the nice hardcovers (and don’t want to go ebook or audiobook) don’t miss anything they need. But man, it was a nice way to spend an hour or so with some old friends. I really enjoyed this and would commend it (even at this late date) to fans of Tao and the Tan family.

3.5 Stars

Robert B. Parker’s Fallout by Mike Lupica: Two Murders Rock Paradise

By HCNewton

On September 15, 2022

In Fiction, Jesse Stone, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller, Robert B. Parker

When I started to write this, I thought it’d be a 5 +/- paragraph post, but apparently I can’t shut up about books in a Parker series (and I did try).

Fallout

by Mike Lupica

DETAILS:
Series: Jesse Stone, #21
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons
Publication Date: September 5, 2022
Format: Hardcover
Length: 353 pg.
Read Date: September 7-8, 2022

“I guess drinking was his way of dealing with it tonight.”

“That was always my first option,” Jesse said. “And second. And third. But no matter how many times I tried, it never seemed to work.”

There was a pause at her end.

“He didn’t get into any fights, did he?”

“Just with himself,” Jesse said. “Spoiler alert? He lost.”

What’s Fallout About?

There are two murders for the Paradise Police Department to focus on in this book—and both have a lot of personal resonance.

The first is the suspicious death of Suit’s nephew. He was a senior in High School and a hot college baseball prospect—naturally, a great athlete—and had been getting better because of Jesse’s mentoring. Suit thought of Jack as a son more than a nephew and he’s devastated by this. It’s unclear if he died after a drunken fight at a party, or if he’d been driven by inner demons to end his own life. No one wants to believe the latter—but they can’t rule it out. A very not-subtle cone of silence around the team is being enforced—as that was pretty much all of Jack’s life, that means the investigation isn’t getting very far.

Some time ago, a former Paradise Police Chief moved back to town and befriended Jesse. The two regularly had dinner together, and one of the first things we see is a meal between Jessee and Charlie Farrell. The woman that Charlie’s been seeing was recently swindled out of a few thousand dollars and now it looks like scammers have targeted Charlie. He’s been retired for decades, but still has the instincts and reflexes to try to track them down himself rather than turn things over to Jesse’s crew. He must’ve been on the right track because he was killed. This shakes (an already shaken) Jesse, who sets his sights on this case so much that he turns Jack’s death primarily over to Molly. He was Chief before any of the officers we know joined the force (as far as I can tell), but it’s still about “one of their own.”

Jesse’s Battle with Alcohol

I’m not crazy about Lupica’s way of dealing with Jesse’s alcoholism compared to Coleman’s—but it’s better than Parker or Brandman did. But I really liked Jesse’s ruminations about people being able to stop drinking while the bottle still had something left, or when the option to order another glass was available. Actually, all of the material about his drinking in this book was good—better than he’s given us so far. Hopefully, the trend continues.

Miscellaneous Bullet Points

I don’t have time/inclination to expand these beyond brief paragraphs—but I felt compelled to mention a few things.

bullet Okay, the over-use/over-reliance on Crow, basically making him Jesse’s Hawk, bugs me. It also doesn’t do that any favors for the character of Crow or Jesse—and really doesn’t help Molly’s character in any conceivable way (although Lupica may have a long game there). Parker (inadvertently?) tamed Hawk by using him too much—and was well on the way to doing that with Bobby Horse and Chollo, too. And now Lupica’s doing that with Crow. Use him less (far less) and he retains his mystery, his edge, and his ability to do the things that Jesse won’t do.

bullet This isn’t evaluative, per se, I guess I’d file it as a general musing—it felt to me like this book was (for lack of a better term) swear-ier than I’m used to. Parker and the other authors in the Spenser-verse have never been reluctant to use a four-letter word when the situation called for it, by any means. It seemed like a noticeable uptick in those words. I’m not saying that Lupica’s turned into Kevin Smith or anything, it just gave everything a slightly different feel. I wonder if that’ll continue, if it was just a blip, or if I’m imagining things.

bullet It really feels like Lupica is trying to write off Jesse’s son, Cole. Had Coleman continued with the series, I’m curious about how he’d have handled the character. I’ve had so many questions about his introduction in the first place, and now it feels like Lupica’s trying to pull a Chuck Cunningham with him—sending him to law school in London and taking him out of Jesse’s life. He actually thinks, “The kid sounded happy. Leave him alone.”

bullet So Molly came clean with her husband about her fling with Crow several years ago. Now her marriage is all but over. No one has given us enough time with Molly’s husband over the previous 20 books for us to get that invested in the marriage—so putting it on the rocks doesn’t do much for the character either. I really don’t care either way, except that it feels like Molly’s character is drifting and becoming a different person. But that happens to all of us, so I can’t complain on principle, just…

bullet Yeah, Parker created his three series in a way to allow the characters to intersect—but other than the Jesse/Sunny love story, and the Sunny/Susan therapy relationship, the primary characters didn’t intermingle too much. I’m not sure if the current approach of bringing them all together so much is the right way to deal with them. I’m not sure it’s not, either.

bullet Building from that—if you’re going to bring these worlds together so much, and if you’re going to introduce and kill off a police chief that coincidentally(??) shares the last name of a frequently used supporting character who is also a cop? Someone had better say something. If only so that readers stop thinking about it. In a Spenser-verse book, if someone talks about “Farrell,” I reflexively think, “Lee.” I can’t imagine I’m alone there—I just don’t get that character name choice. I bumped on it every time it was mentioned (and, as the central death in one of the two major storylines, it came up a lot).

So, what did I think about Fallout?

This was entertaining and occasionally clever. I don’t know that I felt the emotional impact of either murder—I felt for Suit, but I’m not sure I cared too much about it. Maybe if we’d been able to focus on what Suit was going through while he was doing the investigation—keep it a Jesse and Suit thing with some backup from Molly. In the end, it became primarily a Molly and Jesse thing with Suit in the background.

I don’t know if Lupica’s capable of delivering a great Jesse Stone novel, instead, I think we’re going to get a streak of pretty good—and consistently so—novels (well, he’s probably capable, but I don’t get the impression that it’s his goal). That’s good enough for me, I might want something more, but consistently good and entertaining will sustain my interest.

I’m not sure if this is the place to jump onto the series—but it’s not necessarily a bad place. It’s the 21st in the series, but you don’t need the knowledge that comes from the previous twenty. It might help, but not that much, you’ll not miss much at all.

A good time will be had by those who take a dip into these waters.

3.5 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.

Opening Lines: Confess, Fletch by Gregory Mcdonald

By HCNewton

On September 15, 2022

In Blog Series, Currently Reading, Fiction, Fletch, Gregory Mcdonald, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller, News/Misc., Opening Lines, Quotations

Head & Shoulders used to tell us that, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” That’s true for wearing dark shirts, and it’s especially true for books. Sometimes the characters will hook the reader, sometimes the premise, sometimes it’s just knowing the author—but nothing beats a great opening for getting a reader to commit. This is one of my all-time favorite openings (and boy howdy, I had a hard time deciding when to stop). The movie adaptation releases this week, so it’s been on my mind.

Fletch snapped on the light and looked into the den.

Except for the long windows and the area over the desk, the walls were lined with books. There were two red leather wing chairs in the room, a small divan, and a coffee table.

On the little desk was a black telephone.

Fletch dialed “O.”

“Get me the police, please.”

“Is this an emergency?”

“Not at the moment.”

The painting over the desk was a Ford Madox Brown—a country couple wrapped against the wind.

“Then please dial ‘555-7523/”.

“Thank you.”

He did so.

“Sergeant McAuliffe speaking.”

“Sergeant, this is Mister Fletcher, 152 Beacon Street, apartment 6B.”

“Yes, sir.”

“There’s a murdered girl in my living room.”

“A what girl?”

“Murdered.”

Naked, her breasts and hips full, her stomach lean, she lay on her back between the coffee table and the divan. Her head was on the hardwood floor in the space between the carpet and the fireplace, Her face, whiter than the areas kept from the sun by her bikini, eyes staring, looked as if she were about to complain of some minor discomfort, such as, “Move your arm, wil] you?” or “Your watchband is scratching me.”

“Murdered,” Fletch repeated.

There was a raw spot behind the girl’s left ear. It had had time to neither swell nor bleed. There was just a gully with slim blood streaks running along it. Her hair streamed away from it as if to escape.

“This is the Police Business phone.”

“Isn’t murder police business?”

“You’re supposed to call Emergency with a murder.”

“J think the emergency is over.”

“I mean, I don’t even have a tape recorder on this phone.”

“So talk to your boss. Make a recommendation.”

“Is this some kinda joke?”

“No. It isn’t.”

“No one’s ever called Police Business phone to report a murder. Who is this?”

“Look, would you take a message? 152 Beacon Street, apartment 6B, murder, the name is Fletcher. Would you write that down?”

“156 Beacon Street?”

“152 Beacon Street, 6B.” Through the den doof, Fletch’s eyes passed over his empty suitcases standing in the hall. “Apartment is in the name of Connors.”

“Your name is Fletcher?”

“With an ‘F.’ Let Homicide know, will you? They’ll be interested.”

from Confess, Fletch by Gregory Mcdonald

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