Category: Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller Page 140 of 153

Dusted Off: Rizzo’s Fire by Lou Manfredo

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On December 9, 2013

In Fiction, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller

Rizzo's FireRizzo’s Fire

by Lou Manfredo
Hardcover, 304 pg.
Minotaur Books, 2011

It’s always tough to follow up a strong first book–and Manfredo isn’t the first author to come up a little shorter the second time around.

Still, it’s a solid read. Each page, each moment screams “authentic.” Not just because of what Manfredo used to do, though that certainly helps. The way that Rizzo and Cil have to juggle cases, call in and ask for favors, cut deals with all sorts of unsavory types, play politics, so on and so forth–if that’s not as close as you can get to reality, I don’t know what is.

The central case is less-than-gripping, but it’s still good to see solid procedure in a police procedural (even if our heroes cut a few corners). And I could sit and listen to Sergeant Rizzo tell war stories and share his philosophy of crime solving for hours.

Not a great book, but a really good one.

—–

3 Stars

Dusted Off: Rizzo’s War by Lou Manfredo

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On December 9, 2013

In Fiction, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller

Rizzo's WarRizzo’s War

by Lou Manfredo
Hardcover, 290 pg.
Minotaur Books, 2009

Wow! Where has Manfredo been all my life? This was a gripping tale with great characters and just enough twists to keep you on the edge of your seat.

Sure, I have no way of knowing how authentically the characters, situations, and ethics of the NYPD detectives are depicted, but man, it couldn’t feel more authentic. You get the feeling you’ve been shadowing actual detectives for eleven months by the time you’re done.

Can’t wait for the sequels!

—–

4 Stars

Unleashed by David Rosenfelt

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On December 6, 2013

In Andy Carpenter, Authors, David Rosenfelt, Fiction, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller, P-U

Unleashed
Unleashed

by David Rosenfelt
Series: Andy Carpenter, #11

Hardcover, 308 p.
Minotaur Books, 2013

Granted, he has 13 less books under his belt, but at this point Rosenfelt’s Andy Carpenter series is managing to do something that Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series has failed at — it’s still funny, still smart, and the criminal/suspense elements are as serious as any hard-boiled novel. Sometimes, sure, certain elements of the series — Hike’s depression, Marcus’ size/appetite, Edna’s allergy to work, for example — are overdone, and by being overdone, aren’t as funny as they could be. But Rosenfelt can rein in his impulses and produce a book that balances the whackiness with the grim and result it’s easy to forgive him for indulging his too-silly moments.

MAJOR COMPLAINT: How long has it been since Sam & Andy have song talked? Multiple books, not sure how many, but far, far, far too many books. Sure, part of the upside is Sam being a more critical character, and well-rounded. But it’s too high a price to pay.

This starts off like a typical Andy Carpenter book — a trip to the Tara Foundation, someone wanting Andy to take a job and him not being interested (I actually thought he was wrong in this — Sam was asking, not a stranger), and then Andy getting sucked in anyway — and away we go. Laughs, twists, Andy talking about his dog (and other people’s, too), smart-aleck courtroom antics, and so on. And that’s good enough for me. Sign me up for another 11 of them right now. But this one’s a little special.

The first adult mysteries I ever read were Erle Stanley Gardner’s Perry Mason books — I read and reread my public library’s collection I don’t know how many times — and when I could find them, I bought every one I saw. Andy’s more entertaining then Mr. Mason ever was, but his legal strategies aren’t quite up to his level. By this time, I really thought I knew all of Rosenfelt’s tricks (and he plays them well enough I don’t care if I can see them coming), but he pulled the rug out from underneath me in Unleashed. I may have gasped audibly, I’m not sure — I do know my jaw literally dropped.

Without giving too much away, Andy gets a little more into the nitty-gritty of the outside the courthouse action this time, as shown here:

[Marcus] does give me the handgun I’ll be using. He had shown me how to use it in the motel — basically just pointing and pulling the trigger. If I have to use it, I may add in some moaning and whimpering, just to jazz it up.

Perfect Rosenfelt, real, self-deprecating, and just funny.

Unleashed is another successful outing for this series — imagine Janet Evanovich ghostwriting Erle Stanley Gardner.

EVEN MAJOR-ER COMPLAINT: I’ve now worked through the Andy Carpenter series. I have to wait until Rosenfelt finishes the next one. Ugh.

—–

4 Stars

T is for Trespass by Sue Grafton

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On December 5, 2013

In Fiction, Kinsey Millhone, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller, Sue Grafton

T is for Trespass
T is for Trespass by Sue Grafton
Series: Kinsey Millhone, #20

Hardcover, 374 pg.
G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2007

First thing I noted about this was, “This Prologue’s a bit heavy handed and overly dramatic . . . who knows? Maybe it’ll be justified.” I still think it was a bit too much — but on the whole, it was justified.

This was a slow burn of a novel. Sure, the reader is introduced to the villain, Solana Rojas, right off the bat (thanks to third person narration focusing on her in chapters interspersed with Kinsey’s narration), but Kinsey isn’t even hired for anything regarding her until roughly 100 pages in. The whole setup for this book is so unlike Grafton. I liked this, and it bugged me at the same time. Mostly the former, though, I’m all for Grafton stretching herself.

There was a time where Rojas had the upper hand over Kinsey, and while we know in the end that Kinsey will win out, Grafton sure could’ve made things look a little more dire for Santa Teresa’s hero. It was just a little too easy for Kinsey to convince others what was going on. In the end, that didn’t make this less satisfying.

Grafton’s never been a slouch, but in these last few books she’s really upped her game — this is the best thing she’s done. Her characters are better drawn, the plot’s more intricate, Rojas was probably a little more evil than anyone that Kinsey’s crossed paths with before. This is definitely the creepiest, most disturbing Grafton novel — haven’t read much in the last couple of years that’s as unnerving, really, when I stopped to think of it. Not as gory or violent as many in the genre (nowhere near that), but when you look at the trail of destruction that Rojas has left before she’s stopped — she’s unsettling in a way that your typical fictional serial killer isn’t.

—–

4 1/2 Stars

Shaken by J. A. Konrath

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On November 29, 2013

In Fiction, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller

Shaken
Shaken

by J.A. Konrath
Paperback, 262 pages
AmazonEncore, 2011

There are three stories told in the penultimate Jack Daniels novel: one told shortly after the events in Cherry Bomb, one that takes place three years earlier, and the last that takes place 18 years before that. Now, given that I knew Jack would survive all three stories between that timeline (not being a time traveler, she obviously couldn’t die 21 years before current events) and the fact that I read this a year after the followup novel were written — you’d think I’d be able to kick back and let the novel play out.

Nope, not even close — I was on the edge of my seat from the get-go. How Konrath pulled that off, I don’t know — don’t really care, either.

In the oldest storyline — Jack’s still sporting her maiden name and is a fairly new cop working prostitution stings — with her partner, Harry McGlade — which lead to her being enlisted in a undercover operation for Homicide — and almost getting killed by a real psycho.

A bit more current, Jack and Herb are trying to prevent the murder of a child by a legendary serial killer, who they think they’re about to catch after years of people all over the country hunting him down.

The most recent story starts off with Jack kidnapped — she fell asleep in her bed next to Phin, and awakens in a dark room, bound, with no one around. But there’s a clock counting down how long she has left to live — and it ain’t long.

Last week, I talked a little bit about my problems with prequels. The storyline 20+ years old really serves as a prequel to the series — and has all the shortcomings of them — inside jokes, heavy haded bits about how no one will need a mobile phone in the future, how Jack plans to upgrade her car (she’s still driving it currently), Herb’s legendary metabolism, etc. Some of these jokes I did enjoy — the more subtle ones, mostly. Still, as always, Konrath knows when to lighten up on the humor and apply the suspense — and he does it very successfully in each story.

I’ve seen some reader reviews here and there complaining that the ending’s a bit too deus ex machina — and I think you can make that case. Still, I disagree sequel ex machina? Sure, I’ll buy that — it was all about setting up the next installment of the series. And given how effective the rest of the novel really was — I’ll give Konrath a pass on that.

A lot of laughs, some good twists, many nails bitten — a great read. This, in so many ways, is not the place to start with this series, go back to the beginning, with Whiskey Sour and jump on there. But if you’ve been sticking with Jack, this is a great addition.

—–

4 Stars

Opening lines – Blades of Winter by G.T. Almasi

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On November 26, 2013

In Blog Series, Currently Reading, Fiction, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller, Opening Lines, Quotations, Science Fiction

We all know we’re not supposed to judge a book by its cover (yet, publishing companies spend big bucks on cover design/art). But, the opening sentence(s)/paragraph(s) are fair game. So, when I stumble on a good opening (or remember one and pull it off the shelves), I’ll throw it up here. Dare you not to read the rest of the book

—–

Nothing pisses me off more than being shot at while I’m eating. It’s the midday rush here in my new favorite restaurant, a cozy Hungarian joint on East 82nd Street. I’m jammed into a small table by the kitchen, with a Redskins cap pulled low over my face. The charming old dining room is packed, and the paneled walls echo the Eastern European barks of the broad, buxom waitresses as they dominate the good-humored customers. The food here is spectacular, but right now I’m kind of distracted by that bullet hurtling straight at my left eye.

from Blades of Winter by G.T. Almasi

Saturday Miscellany — 11/23

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On November 23, 2013

In Books, Janet Evanovich, News/Misc., Stephanie Plum

Odds ‘n ends over the week about books and reading that caught my eye. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:

    Just one New Releases this week on any of my lists:

  • Takedown Twenty by Janet Evanovich — I’m still 2 behind, plan on catching up on the paperbacks by the end of this year, will probably wait ’til this is out in paperback to read it, but it’s notable the series made it this far.

The Affair by Lee Child

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On November 19, 2013

In Fiction, Jack Reacher, Lee Child, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller, Uncategorized

The Affair
The Affair

by Lee Child
Series: Jack Reacher, #16

Hardcover, 405 pg.
Delacorte Press, 2011

“You want me to impersonate a civilian?” [Reacher said]

“It’s not that hard. we’re all members of the same species, more our less. You’ll figure it out.”

Thus begins the sixteenth Jack Reacher novel. Taking place in 1997, he’s still an MP, and is being sent undercover into a small town near an army base, while another investigator is being sent into the base it self to investigate a murder possibly tied to base personnel.

His undercover disguise looks pretty much like the post-discharge Jack Reacher we know — no job, good pair of boots, a toothbrush and one shirt. He wanders into town, finds an ally or two and gets to work.

It takes very little time for Reacher to find himself at odds with some locals (I didn’t think this storyline was all that satisfying, but it gave Reacher a chance to bash in a few heads). Not that he’s ever short of ego, but he seems cockier than I’m used to — I’m assuming that comes from the inherent authority of an MP as opposed to a loan wanderer. Regardless, it was a kick to read his encounters, with this extended family:

He said, “Is there a reason I don’t get out of this truck and kick your butt?”

I said, “Two hundred and six reasons.”

He said, “What?”

“That’s how many bones you got in your body. I could break them all before you put a glove on me.”

Which got his buddy going. Hist instinct was to stick up for his friend and face down a challenge. He leaned further out his own window and said, “You think?”

I said, “Often all day long. It’s a good habit to have.”

The local county sheriff is a former Marine MP, and it takes her no time at all to suss out Reacher’s purpose and to recruit him to help her investigation into this — and related — murders. Yes, her — that particular plotline is self-evident (although this is a bit . . . more explicit than Child’s norm).

There’s little suspense in this — 1. It takes place before Killing Floor, so you know Reacher’s not killed, 2. how seriously worried are you ever that Reacher will survive? Sure, you wonder what will happen to those around him — what the collateral damage is going to be, but that’s about it. Nevertheless — the final hundred pages or so of this is an edge of your seat ride. Which is par for the course for Child, doesn’t make it any less fun.

Beyond the murder investigation — or more properly, around it — are politics (federal, local and military), discussion of the role (and shape) of the military, the future of the U. S. Army (contrasted with some other branches). In the end, the identity of the murder is pretty obvious — but the twisty path that Reacher and the others travel to find it, what obstacles they overcome, and the fallout — that’s what makes this a very satisfying read.

—–

4 1/2 Stars

The Black Box by Michael Connelly

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On November 15, 2013

In Fiction, Harry Bosch, Michael Connelly, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller

The Black Box
The Black Box

by Michael Connelly
Series: Harry Bosch, #18

Paperback, 480 pg.
Grand Central Publishing, 2013

There are few mystery series as satisfying as the Harry Bosch novels (those who’ve read the last couple of “Saturday Miscellany” posts have probably noticed my geeking out about the Bosch pilot for Amazon). Whenever a new paperback comes out, I grab it as soon as I can, and post a “Go Away, I’m Reading” sign*. I can’t get enough of this guy.

A while back, Connelly moved Harry to the Open-Unsolved Unit, which was a very smart move that’s paid off in variety of cases and gives an extra edge to Harry’s cases — he’s always been obsessive about giving resolution to the victim’s families and loved ones, but now it’s also about justice delayed, about being able to start getting past years — decades even — of pain.

Harry’s got a personal connection to the cold case he’s focusing on this time — during the riots that broke out after the Rodney King verdict, Harry and his partner were called out on a series of homicides. One in particular was a white woman in an alley, shot execution-style. Before being forced to go to the next victim, they were only able to spend about half an hour looking over the crime scene and finding practically no evidence that wasn’t contaminated. As with many other homicides over those few days, this one remained unsolved. But for the 20th anniversary of the riots, all these cases are being looked at again, in hopes of garnering some good PR for the LAPD.

Naturally, the only case that Harry (or pretty much anyone else) finds the most traction on involves a white woman — and Harry starts being pressured by his lieutenant and some even higher to hold off on the investigation for a few months. Naturally, Harry doesn’t take well to that and does what he can to solve this case once and for all. There’s a lot of luck involved in Harry uncovering what he needs here — but that’s the beauty of routine and thorough investigative work — you end up creating your own luck.

Meanwhile, Harry has to deal with a politically-motivated Professional Standards Bureau (Internal Affairs) investigation into a perfectly legitimate activity. The good news for Harry is that the investigator assigned to the case is as driven and thorough as he is. The bad news is that means she’ll be a persistent interference in his life until she uncovers the truth — and that’s the last thing Harry can tolerate.

Of course, there’s a good storyline featuring Harry’s daughter, Maddie. He’s still new to the “Dad” scene, and makes more mistakes with her than he can tolerate — it’s tough enough being a father to a teenage girl, but when the girl is dropped on you because her mother was murdered and you have to be a parent for the first time? You’ve already got 2 strikes on you. As almost superhuman as he is as a cop, as a father? Harry’s very human. It’s good to see.

And if he’s human as a father, as a romantic interest? You have to feel sorry for Hannah Stone, his current main squeeze. Harry’s practically inept. Still, it’s a good storyline, and I’m glad to see that Harry hasn’t blow it (yet) with Hannah.

If you’ve never read Connelly before — the guy can make a trip to a food truck to grab some tacos into a thriller. So he has no problem making a 20 year-old unsolved murder into an edge-of-your-seat experience. You don’t need to have read the previous 15 books in this series to appreciate this one — jump in, the water’s more than fine.

—–

*Not literally, but my kids can attest that my expression conveys that message effectively.

—–

4 Stars

S is for Silence by Sue Grafton

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On November 12, 2013

In Authors, Fiction, Kinsey Millhone, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller, Sue Grafton

S is for Silence
S is for Silence

by Sue Grafton
Series: Kinsey Millhone, #19

Hardcover, 374 pg.
G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2005

Grafton’s clearly stretching her craft in these last few books, which is commendable — and, on the whole, pretty successful. Like in Q is for Quarry, Kinsey’s working a cold case, this time she’s not even sure if it’s a missing person or a murder that she’s been hired for.

There’s an interesting pattern to these chapters — one or two in Kinsey’s present, and then a chapter from the Point of View of one of the people that knew the subject of her investigation a couple of decades before. Not only is this a stylistic leap for Grafton, it’s pretty interesting for her to be giving the reader that much more insight into the characters. But overall, I wasn’t crazy about seeing how every one’s a liar, before or after they talk to Kinsey. I’d rather watch Kinsey discover the lie, or see that they’re lying, rather than we readers knowing that and Kinsey being lost.

As we move along, we are given a more complex look at our victim than Grafton’s usually able to provide. We get to know her better and better each time we’re given a look at the past. We see how various people saw her through their perspectives and end up caring a lot more about her when we learn what happened to her than we normally would.

I’m not convinced that the case itself was that interesting, but the way that Grafton told it was very interesting and raised the level of the book. Making this satisfying in a way that Kinsey stories usually aren’t.

Grafton essentially ignores the ongoing family and romance stories she’s been pursuing lately — a nice break, but hopefully she returns to them soon — as much growth as the books have displayed lately, it’d be nice if Kinsey could catch up.

Grafton took a chance this time, and it paid off. Hope she keeps stretching herself as eh move on towards Z.

—–

3.5 Stars

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