The Irresponsible Reader - I Read (a lot) and then Rant, Rave and maybe Review

Dog Eat Dog

by David Rosenfelt
Series: Andy Carpenter, #23

eARC, 304 pg.
Minotaur Books, 2021

Read: June 24, 2021
Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

What’s Dog Eat Dog About?

Coming home from a walk, Andy and Laurie see a man abusing his dog across the street. Before they can intervene someone else jumps in to defend the dog (and it’s probably good for the abuser that it happens before Laurie can get her hands on him). Both the man who protected the dog and the man who attacked it are arrested—but the way the defender reacts, Andy’s sure it’s about more than just the assault.

It turns out that this man, Matthew Jantzen, had used one of those online genetic tracing sites to try to find out if his father had left other kids when he died (Jantzen is pretty sure he did). This allows him to track down a half-sister and to put his DNA in a place where law enforcement can see it and compare that DNA to what was found at the scene of a murder. Jantzen knew it was coming (the police had visited his sister about the time of the murder a few years ago), but had hoped to avoid having to deal with it.

Andy just can’t figure out why someone who was wanted by the police would expose himself the way Jantzen did when he protected the pug. So he has to learn more about Jantzen. Then he finds himself going to the town in Maine where the killing took place to help secure legal counsel on Jantzen’s behalf. One thing leads to another, and Andy ends up in court defending Jantzen.

Little by little, Andy’s team comes to join him in Maine, investigating the things the police were supposed to take care of. They find themselves looking into a mess of drugs, racist militias, and hard-to-explain DNA evidence.

How Did Rosenfelt Make It This Long?

Given the number of Dog-themed and Dog-Pun-Filled titles in this series, how has he not used Dog Eat Dog until book 23? Even if you subtract the holiday-themed titles, it’s still nineteen novels without using it. You have to admire the restraint he’s shown up to now.

Stranger in a Strange Land

Unless I’m forgetting something, this is the second time that Andy’s taken on an out-of-state client (the last time was in 2007’s Dead Center, the fifth book in the series). When he arrives in Maine he learns three things quickly: the people are friends and welcoming, the lobster rolls in Maine are a wonderful thing; just about everyone is convinced Jantzen did it, no matter what the big-shot New York lawyer says (he seems incapable of convincing anyone he’s from New Jersey).

Andy has to employ a local lawyer for the purposes of the trial and hires a criminal defense attorney Charlie Tilton. Tilton has no desire whatsoever to take on Jantzen’s case himself—but is perfectly content to take Andy’s money to help out. He ends up taking on the role of Eddie Dowd, Kevin Randall, or Hike Lynch—he does the paperwork, legal research, and so on while Andy investigates, annoys the judge, and needles the prosecution. Charlie’s pretty normal compared to the rest, maybe a little more mercenary than the others, but that’s about it. It was a refreshing change (but I’m ready to see Eddie Dowd again).

It’s nice seeing Andy in a new setting, unable to rely on his media and police contacts, etc.

So, what did I think about Dog Eat Dog?

This is the second David Rosenfelt book I’ve read in 2021—there’s one more to go (The holiday-themed novel). How he’s able to write three solidly entertaining, frequently humourous, complex mystery novels in a year is mind-boggling. Once again, I thought I knew where Rosenfelt was going with the case and was ready for it—and then Rosenfelt pulled a rabbit out of his hat and I was caught unprepared a couple of times to see where he went.

I loved some of the recurring jokes in this-both those exclusive to this novel and some that are ongoing over the years.

There are series out there that ebb and flow in terms of quality—I don’t think these books have done that—truly impressive at the 23rd book. You know what you’re going to get when you crack open a David Rosenfelt book—and I’m so glad he continues to deliver.

Solid courtroom action, some good out-of-court detection, plenty of fun with characters old and new—particularly with Andy’s narration. These can be read as stand-alones or as part of a series. Either way you go—you’ll be happy you tried this.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley in exchange for this post—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, opinions are my own.

Till Morning is Nigh by Rob Parker: It’s Not Quite the Employee Party in Nakatomi Plaza, But It’s Close

By HCNewton

On June 28, 2021

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

Till Morning is Nigh

by Rob Parker
Series: Ben Braken, #4

Kindle Edition, 267 pg.
Lume Books, 2019

Read: June 21, 2021
Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

I’ve never been at a large crime scene before, moreover I’ve usually been part of their creation and have high- tailed it before the flashing lights showed up. Consequently, this is interesting. It’s a hub of activity, of urgency, of constant footsteps and the cold crackle of static.

I take a moment, and feel it.

What’s Till Morning is Nigh About?

So Ben’s got a day job (under an assumed name) working with the National Crime Agency. He’s doing some data entry work, some number crunching—and theoretically, he’s around to impart some of his special knowledge when needed.

The NCA is focused on a sudden upsurge in the drug trade in Manchester (which had experienced a good drop in criminal activity after the last time Ben was in town). So they’ve sent in an Undercover Officer. When we start this novel, that officer is dead—in a particularly vicious killing, almost performative. Ben accompanies some of his colleagues to the Crime Scene (his first out-of-the-office work), which leads to some more time out of the office—and eventually, fieldwork.

If you’ve read any of the Ben Bracken works, you have a pretty good idea what follows his being given a Field Work assignment. If you haven’t read any of these—let’s just say there are many bullets, probably some explosions, some hand-to-hand combat, and a decent number of people who end up bloody and beaten (very possibly Ben).

DCI Okpara, Maasai Warrior

There are a lot of new characters introduced in this book—and I”m not just talking suspects/targets for Ben, but allies, colleagues, etc. But DCI Okpara stands out—I’m not going to describe him much, because that’s the kind of thing that ruins the effect of meeting him in the novel. And really, who needs more than “DCI” and “Maasai Warrior” referring to the same character to not want to know more?

There’s just something special about this guy—he’s the second character this year that I’d love to see as the subject of a spin-off series. I know I’d buy at least the first three installments.

Back to His Roots

Circumstances have brought Ben back to Manchester where we first met him. I’m a little troubled about some of the details on that front, I realize as I write this, but that’s neither here nor there.

He’s back because he recognizes one of the main suspects for the killing–someone he met in A Wanted Man, other experiences he had in that novel pave the way for him to be a very effective presence for the NCA for the case. Bringing him back to the beginning at this point works well, both in terms of story and character.

I Didn’t See That Coming

Jack Reacher, Zeb Carter, Orphan X, Peter Ash–and all the other lone gunman/vigilante/hero types you can think of along these lines—have a few things in common beyond their uncanny fighting abilities and high body counts. One of those is lack of a day job—but Ben breaks the mold a little here. As I said, he has a job as a consultant for the National Crime Agency. No running around three steps ahead of the law for Ben, he is the law. Or at least consults for it.

The other relates to thing these characters have in common relates to a personal life—and wow, you’re not going to believe what’s going on for Ben there.

Approaching the Political

Ben gets a little political in response to some of what he’s forced to listen to over the course of this novel, but not much—and it’s not that preachy. But Ben does end up spending time around a group dedicated to getting Britain “back” to a purer state (read: white), which was a little hard to read*. It frequently reminded me of a UK version of Ace Atkins’ Tibbehah County.

* Just to be clear, it’s ard to read because Parker does a good job portraying that kind of bigot, not that he or Ben are bigots.

Of course, this group had a plan to take over the UK government as a means to get that pure UK. Over the last 2 years, I’ve read more books where a militant and powerful group wants to take over the British government and clean up society. This is the first one that seemed plausible—the one that might actually work in the real world. And that’s terrifying.

So, what did I think about Till Morning is Nigh?

There is indeed more than a few things that are extremely horrible about the way that the man has been quite clearly executed, but too many times I have witnessed human life reduced to nothing but tissue and pulp, the romance of the miracle of life lain exposed for what it really is. Each time I have seen someone split asunder, their contents revealed, what comes out of the person is always the same as the last. Blood and organs arranged artfully on bone. No myth, no mysticism. We are made of soft material that splits and spills, nothing more.

This. This novel right here is the payoff to the potential I saw in Ben Bracken back in A Wanted Man—I liked it, and the novels that followed, but I didn’t think they were everything the character could be. This is exactly the kind of thing I thought Ben could be, and probably a little more. Sure, Parker’s more than capable of writing a better thriller, and there’s room for Ben to grown and/or develop—I’m not saying this is the definitive Rob Parker/Ben Bracken. I’m just saying that this surpasses everything that’s come before.

I’m curious about what happens to those behind the death of the UC officer in general—but don’t foresee Parker spending time on that in the future. I’m very curious about the fallout from this on Manchester and the NCA team Ben’s associated with—assuming Parker decides to let us see that. But mostly, I can’t wait to see what comes next for Ben, in terms of story and quality. Thankfully, the next book of the series is out and I can jump into that in a day or so.*

* Also, I have to—I have a Book Tour spot for the next book on July 1. But I probably would’ve jumped in this week anyway.

Can you jump on at this point? Yeah, you could. I do think it’s worth it to get a running start with the earlier books in the series, but it’s not a deal-breaker either way. The main takeaway from this post should be that if you want to see a Thriller writer doing just about everything right and seeming to have a lot of fun with it while he’s at it—grab Till Morning is Nigh.

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, opinions are my own.

Death in Adam, Life in Christ: The Doctrine of Imputation by J. V. Fesko: Careful Words on an Important Topic

By HCNewton

On June 27, 2021

In Non-Fiction, Theology/Christian Living

Death in Adam, Life in Christ:
The Doctrine of Imputation

by J. V. Fesko
Series: Reformed Exegetical and Doctrinal Studies

Paperback, 280 pg.
Mentor, 2016

Read: May 23-June 21, 2021

What’s Death in Adam, Life in Christ About?

The Back of the Book:

The doctrine of imputation is the ground in which salvation is rooted. It centers around the three great ‘assignments’ of the Bible:

Adam’s original sin assigned to mankind

The sins of God’s people assigned to Chrsit

And Christ’s righteousness assigned to all of His people.
This doctrine is often seen as superfluous or splitting hairs, and yet, without it, redemption automatically becomes reliant on our own works and assurance of salvation is suddenly not so sure.J. V. Fesko eloquently and systematically works through this doctrine, looking at its long history in the church, its exegetical foundation, and its dogmatic formulation. In exploring imputed guilt from the First Adam alongside the imputed righteousness from the Second, this volume offers a helpfully well-rounded explanation of the doctrine.

Fesko starts out by sketching the doctrine and how he’s going to approach the argument. He then discusses the history of the doctrine, how the Church has discussed this from the Early Church through to the present—this takes about half the book. Then we get two carefully structured chapters looking at Imputation in the Old and New Testaments. He wraps things up with a long chapter that brings all the data together to lay out a doctrine of Imputation that reflects the exegesis and honors the best of the history.

So, what did I think about Death in Adam, Life in Christ?

I’d been wanting to try the R.E.D.S. series for a while, but hadn’t taken the leap. When Jonathan Landry Cruse cited this in The Christian’s True Identity, I figured this was the way in. This volume speaks well for the series.

If J. V. Fesko convinces you to embrace his position on something it won’t be through soaring rhetoric, emotional ploys, or charm and wit—it’ll be because he’s right. I’m not saying that Fesko drains all the life and verve out of important and interesting topics; but if you said it, I wouldn’t argue. It’s dry, it’s careful, it’s painstaking. It’s also very good.

These are important ideas, difficult topics, and they should be talked about as if they are. This is what Fesko does.

The historical overview was helpful and informative. The exegetical chapters were great. The doctrinal chapter and conclusion? Gold. It’ll take work and perseverance, but if you want to understand this vital doctrine, I can’t think of a better way.

4 Stars

Saturday Miscellany—6/26/21

By HCNewton

On June 26, 2021

In Books, News/Misc., Saturday Miscellany

Record high temps and an AC system that’s not holding its own sum up most of the week for me. Thankfully, I read a few books that were good enough I could ignore how much I was perspiring. I truly hope you’re faring better in your corner of the world than the Northwest US is.

Also, have you all seen this site: BlogOverview.com? It looks like a great resource to find blogs on all sorts of topics, researched and curated by people, not an algorithm (and I’m not just saying that because I really dug the way they described this site, I’ve picked up a few to follow)

Odds n ends about books and reading that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
bullet Douglas Coupland on Generation X at 30: ‘Generational trashing is eternal’—Sure, this is more of an advertisement for his new book, but the fact that the novel Generation X is 30 should be noted.
bullet On the Road to Bridget Jones: five books that define each generation—Fun lists to go along with that Coupland piece
bullet Bosch Season 7 Preview: In a Changed World, How Should We Feel About Police Shows?—applies to the book version of Bosch, too.
bullet Ditto for this one: title—Michael Connelly Says Bosch Is Just Like Batman – Without ‘the Cape and Mask and Stuff’
bullet Books and Bias: Rediscovering the writing and ideologies in Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe novels—I’d quibble with some of the details sure, but great piece.
bullet Lessons of a self-published writer: independent bookstores are good, Amazon not so much.
bullet Coffee and Condolences: One Year Later—Some thoughts from Wesley Parker about the genesis of his book.
bullet Deadpool Creator Fabian Nicieza on (Finally) Finishing His Novel: It only took 35 years of writing comics to learn that 35 years of writing comics would help him write his debut mystery.—this reads a lot like something written by Deadpool’s creator should. Interesting look at the process of getting to his debut.
bullet Why I Like To Reread Books
bullet Why I am NOT telling you my book number… (But I will shout about books I love.)—I get this argument. I like it. I don’t think I’m going to stop mentioning my number and judging myself by it in my monthly posts, but…maybe?
bullet The Pros and Cons of Historical Fiction
bullet Reading during the pandemic—I think many of us can identify with this.

This Week's New Releases That I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
bullet Questland by Carrie Vaughn—Jurassic Park, but for D&D types.
bullet Suburban Dicks by Fabian Nicieza—Click the link for the whole blurb, but “a hilariously entertaining debut featuring two unlikely and unforgettable amateur sleuths. An engrossing and entertaining murder mystery full of skewering social commentary, Suburban Dicks examines the racial tensions exposed in a New Jersey suburb after the murder of a gas station attendant.”

Lastly I’d like to say hi and extend a warm welcome to tubasarwat, Elias Graves, and jakeschubert7 who all took the time to hit the follow button this week.
I wish I knew who to attribute this to, I saw it on the feed for The Shaggy Shepherd Book Reviews and had to share:

The Friday 56 for 6/25/21: Till Morning is Nigh by Rob Parker

By HCNewton

On June 25, 2021

In Currently Reading, News/Misc., Quotations, The Friday 56

Between a couple of books with dull page 56s and a few Uncorrected Proofs (I don’t feel comfortable quoting from them), it’s been a while since I had something for this. But, I’m back!

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 56% of:
Till Morning is Nigh

Till Morning is Nigh by Rob Parker

…Broadshott is easy to keep a fix on thanks to her bobbing blonde hair, and as I get to within five yards of her, leaving the maelstrom churning behind us, a figure in jeans and a green parka steps from the crowd, arm cocked facing her. I don’t know what it is, but my moral compass won’t let anyone get hurt, and in an instant, instinct has me pouncing at the man, grabbing his arm mid hurl, and twisting him back into a heap on the floor with his arm up his back. As I drop him, a strawberry milkshake pops from his grasp, glooping all over him.

I remember this started happening back in the summer, this milkshaking of right-leaning figures. Like it was an acceptable thing to do. It’s still assault at the end of the day, and if one side is using any kind of violence to intimidate or quell the other, no matter how silly and harmless a splash of milkshake is, then you’ve run out of arguments. A failure of words is a failure of reason–and I can’t see a reason it should be done. And a milkshake is one thing. Tomorrow it could be a brick or stone, just like I thought it was today.

The Bounty by Janet Evanovich with Steve Hamilton: Fox and O’Hare are on the Hunt for Nazi Gold

By HCNewton

On June 24, 2021

In Fiction, Fox and O'Hare, Janet Evanovich, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller

The Bounty

by Janet Evanovich with Steve Hamilton
Fox and O’Hare, #7

Hardcover, 305 pg.
Atria Books, 2021

Read: May 26-28, 2021
Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

“Yeah, it’s a pickle, all right,” Jake said. “We used to call missions like this one-percenters.”

“Meaning one percent chance of success?” Quentin asked. “I’ve been on a few of those myself.”

Jake smiled. “I’m not being trying to be pessimistic. As a matter of fact, one-percenters are usually the most fun. There’s no pressure when you’re trying to do the impossible.”

What’s The Bounty About?

The day has gotten away from me, so I’m not going to come up with my own synopsis for this one, but I’ll borrow the description from Evanovich’s site so I can get a little shut-eye:

Straight as an arrow special agent Kate O’Hare and international con man Nick Fox have brought down some of the biggest criminals out there. But now they face their most dangerous foe yet—a vast, shadowy international organization known only as the Brotherhood.
Directly descended from the Vatican Bank priests who served Hitler during World War II, the Brotherhood is on a frantic search for a lost train loaded with $30 billion in Nazi gold, untouched for over seventy-five years somewhere in the mountains of Eastern Europe.
Kate and Nick know that there is only one man who can find the fortune and bring down the Brotherhood—the same man who taught Nick everything he knows—his father, Quentin. As the stakes get higher, they must also rely on Kate’s own father, Jake, who shares his daughter’s grit and stubbornness. Too bad they can never agree on anything.
From a remote monastery in the Swiss Alps to the lawless desert of the Western Sahara, Kate, Nick, and the two men who made them who they are today must crisscross the world in a desperate scramble to stop their deadliest foe in the biggest adventure of their lives.

The State of the Series

Books 1-5 (co-written by Lee Goldberg) were comedic heist/con adventures, with a goofy (slightly over-the-top) supporting cast—that were just so fun to read. The sixth book (co-written by Peter Evanovich) tried to match that and just failed.

Now, Steve Hamilton has stepped into the co-writer spot and the series has shifted a bit. The Bounty is more of a straightforward thriller—sure, it’s lighter than most thrillers, but it’s not a comedy. Almost all of the supporting cast is absent, we only get Kate’s father, Jake (frequently the best part of the early books) with Nick’s father, Quentin, being introduced. Quentin isn’t goofy at all, he’s not over-the-top, but he’s a fun character. Nick’s sleight-of-hand antics and thievery are on display—but we don’t get any hint of a con job. I missed that.

I don’t know if Book 8 will get back to the early roots (my preference) or if it’ll keep going in this path. But at the very least, I can look forward to the next book again, something I feared wouldn’t happen again.

There’s a parallel to this and my mini-rant about the cover designs from a couple of weeks ago. Which you might want to give a read if you didn’t see that.

So, what did I think about The Bounty?

This was a make-or-break entry in the series for me, if I didn’t enjoy this one, I was going to walk away from these. But Evanovich and Hamilton have reassured me. This is just so much better than the disaster that was The Big Kahuna that I’m willing to embrace (at least temporarily) this new style. I hope it continues.

If you like light thrillers with a semi-Indiana Jones feel, with a dash of flirtation between the leads thrown in, you should give this a try. The first five books in the series are better, but this is a good entry point.

3.5 Stars

99 Poems to Cure Whatever’s Wrong with You or Create The Problems You Need by Sam Pink: The Cartoon Continues

By HCNewton

On June 24, 2021

In Books, General Fiction/Literature

99 Poems to Cure
Whatever’s Wrong with You
or Create The Problems
You Need

by Sam Pink

Paperback, 103 pg.
CLASH Books, 2019

Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

A little housekeeping to start: That title is just too long to keep using, you know? I thought about using 99PtCWWwYoCTPYN, but that’s almost as bad—actually, it’s probably worse aesthetically speaking. So, I’m going to go with 99 Poems.

Why Did I Want to Read 99 Poems…?

I’ve mentioned around here before that I’m not much of a poetry reader. In fact, I think I’ve only posted about one other poetry collection. I think this the fourth poetry collection I’ve read since I graduated from college in the mid-90s.

So what possessed me to pick this up? Well, despite what it may look like around here (and certainly how it feels sometimes), I do want to keep trying new/less familiar things. What got this to my attention was that someone on my Twitter feed posted a picture of one of the poems from this book a couple of months ago—I believe it was “The Woodchuck”—it made me smile, and it seemed like a good idea to try some more.

Which is how I got here. Trying to figure out how to talk about poems.

Comic Poems

Like the poem that got my attention, many of these poems fall under the heading of “comic.” They all won’t make you laugh—but you’ll probably grin a bit. The construction is similar to a joke, but I think it’s a disservice, even for the comic poems to treat them as simply that.

The Non-Comic Poems

Then there are the poems on the other end of the spectrum, moving, poignant—even uplifting.

I think most readers will find themselves in some/many of these. Which is both comforting and unnerving.

Approachable

None of these are difficult to read (some may be challenging to chew on)—a few are two or three lines, a few are about 2 pages long. Most are 6-ish lines long.

Really, I’ve read tweets that contain as many characters as some of these poems. I guess I’m saying, there’s no reason for non-poetry readers like me to feel intimidated by these.

Samples

I’m no photographer, but typing out these poems to give you a taste seems strange, they should look the way they were printed. Here’s a couple of the poems that stayed with me.
Masters
It's Always Both

So, what did I think about 99 Poems…?

How do you not like something with that title? That’s practically an instant 3-Stars right there.

But more than that, I liked this collection. Reading a couple of these is a good break from everything else going on in the world around you. A simple way to look at things in a different way. I’m likely to keep an eye out for more by Pink, and I think you should, too.

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, opinions are my own.

WWW Wednesday, June 23, 2021

By HCNewton

On June 23, 2021

In Books, Currently Reading, News/Misc., WWW Wednesday

Time for WWW Wednesday!

This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived on Taking on a World of Words—and shown to me by Aurore-Anne-Chehoke at Diary-of-a-black-city-girl.

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Easy enough, right?

What are you currently reading?

I’m reading Dead Ground by M. W. Craven, and if I believed in an Id, mine would be screaming at me for taking time to do anything but read it for the next 200+ pages (like compiling this post). I’m also going through Hidden by Benedict Jacka, Gildard Jackson (Narrator) on audiobook.

Blank Space

What did you recently finish reading?

I just finished Rob Parker’s Till Morning is Nigh, probably the best of the bunch. I also finally finished Scarface and the Untouchable: Al Capone, Eliot Ness, and the Battle for Chicago by Max Allan Collins and A. Brad Schwartz, Stefan Rudnicki (Narrator) on audio.

Blank Space

What do you think you’ll read next?

My next book should be Dog Eat Dog by David Rosenfelt (you have to wonder how he waited for the 22nd book to use this title) and my next audiobook should be Death’s Rival by Faith Hunter, Khristine Hvam (Narrator) as I continue to revisit the Jane Yellowrock series in audio.

Blank Space

You reading anything good at the moment?

The Penny Black by Rob Parker: Ben Bracken Takes a Breather (for a bit)

By HCNewton

On June 23, 2021

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

The Penny Black

by Rob Parker
Series: Ben Braken, #3

Kindle Edition, 218 pg.
Lume Books, 2020

Read: June 8-9, 2021
Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

What’s The Penny Black About?

After the…shall we say, extreme conclusion of Morte Point, Ben Bracken has to disappear. Not like he disappeared after he escaped from prison either—this is a whole new level. Not only does he have to hope that the several governments and criminal organizations never learn what he did, but he also has to hope that the 3 other people who know what he did don’t come looking for him.

So he assumes a name and lives in a tiny town called Horning. He gets a job that pays him just enough, he boards with an older couple (some of the nicer people you’ll ever meet). Ben takes the time to recuperate, to soak in the atmosphere, to remember what it is about people—British people, in particular—that made him love his country so much that he is what he is.

As he starts to prepare to leave this town and move on, he stumbles on to a criminal conspiracy in this quiet community. Because that’s what Ben Bracken does. Bears bear. Bees be. Ben finds conspiracies.

Ben feels like he owes people of Horning a debt because of the solace they’ve given him. So he decides to clean up town on his way out.

Things go from quiet and bad to loud and worse before long—and then it gets deafening and horrific.

So, what did I think about The Penny Black?

It wasn’t bad. It wasn’t my favorite, but there were some really good moments. The fight scenes were well done, as I’ve come to expect, and I really liked the self-reflection Ben undertakes and the steps he takes to move on with his life.

I honestly don’t have a lot to say—and I feel bad about that. It was alright. I think it’ll end up being a pivotal moment in the series, and I’m eager to see where things go from here, but I just can’t get that excited about this one.

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, opinions are my own.

The Keepers by Jeffrey B. Burton: A Sequel Stronger than its Predecessor—a Real Treat for Fans.

By HCNewton

On June 22, 2021

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

The Keepers

by Jeffrey B. Burton
Series: Mace Reid K-9 Mystery, Volume 2

eARC, 288 pg.
Minotaur Books, 2021

Read: June 17-19, 2021
Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

What’s The Keepers About?

While at a police station wrapping up a case he’d helped Chicago Police to wrap up, Mace and his golden retriever, Vira, are brought along on an urgent call, the man in charge of the State Attorney’s Special Prosecution Office went missing at a park around midnight.

It doesn’t take long for Vira to find his body. Not long after that, while Mace is waiting to be sent home, Vira’s almost impossible/might-as-well-be-supernatural abilities give Mace a reason to believe that he knows the Attorney’s killer.

And Mace regrets that instantly—the man responsible isn’t anyone Mace, or his police friends, want to cross. But they have no choice—which leads to them being on the run, fighting some of the more powerful men in Chicago just to survive, much less get anywhere to finding his killer.

Returning Characters

In The Finders, there were two uniformed officers and two police detectives involved with Mace and the investigation. This time out, it’s pretty much just the two uniformed officers—Kippy Gimm and her partner Dave Wabiszewski. It’s not often (at least not often enough) that non-detective officers get the focus, and it’s a refreshing change of pace.

Also, while readers had enough exposure to all the police characters to be satisfied, it’s nicer this time to not have your attention split and the reader can really get to know these characters better and form a closer emotional bond. If memory serves, we met Kippy before we met Mace last year, but we didn’t get that much time with Wabs. It’s good to have that changed.

Ohh, a New Dog

Mace has added another dog to his pack, a three-month-old bloodhound named Billie Joe. Billie Joe isn’t good for much more than comic relief at the moment, but I’m sure within a book or two, Mace’ll have him trained enough that he can carry his own weight. In the meantime, he’s fun to chuckle at.

There’s an extended comedic break at the beginning of Chapter 21 that is great on its own—but it comes at just the right time in the book to give a little breather as the tension mounts and just before it shifts into a new gear. It’s just Mace talking to his dogs, pretty much the same way that anyone with pets has done regularly. I could rea 3-4 more of those each book and it wouldn’t get tired.

In the meantime, I’ll just reread that scene occasionally.

The Killer

That’s not really the best heading for this section, because there are a few killers running through these pages—and as some are acting on orders from others, who really gets that label? Anyway, I wanted to say a little about the individual who is immediately responsible for most of the deaths in the book—this isn’t a spoiler really, we meet him in Chapter 1.

He is large, frightening, brutal, and efficient. He’s also a very chatty guy who has a lot to say about the English language. This side of Justified‘s Boyd Crowder, you’re not going to find a criminal as chatty as this guy. I enjoyed his little talks about English idioms more than I should have. If this guy isn’t one of your favorite baddies of the year, you should rethink things.

Best of all? He’s not a serial killer. I was a little afraid that after The FInders this series would be Mace and His Dogs vs. Various Serial Killers. Now that it’s clear that Mace and the dogs will be dealing with a variety of criminals, I’m a bit more positive about the series as a whole.

So, what did I think about The Keepers?

At the same time I was reading this, I was listening to an audiobook (nonfiction) about Capone and Ness during Prohibition. Listening to a thoroughly researched account of corruption in Chicago politics while reading a novel about corrupt Chicago officials, really makes the fictional feel more reality-based. I’m not saying everyone needs to go out and grab a book about Capone and Ness to fully appreciate this, I’m just saying being reminded that things may not have changed that much in almost a century adds a little something to the experience.

I loved this, I really did. I remembered liking last year’s debut, I remembered most of the bigger plot points, the dogs, and so on—and remembered really enjoying the book. In less than one chapter of Mace’s first-person narration, I remembered just how much I like him and his voice. I kicked myself for forgetting that part—Mace is a great protagonist for this alone.

When I wrote about The Finders last year, I said:

It’s possible that I’m rating this a little higher than it deserves. If I was being entirely objective, I’d probably take off a half or maybe a full star from my rating. But this isn’t an objective piece, or an objective rating—this is about how much I enjoyed this, how it appealed to me, entertained me and made me want to read on. For that, it scored really high for me.

I’m not saying that this year—this is a superior novel that I enjoyed as much, if not more—I was again entertained and couldn’t wait to find out what happened. I’m giving this the same rating without apology or disclaimer.

It was tense, it was funny, it was horrifying (on a couple of occasions), and my jaw hit the floor a few times. I still can’t believe a few of the choices that Burton made, even with a few days’ worth of thought. He does some risky things, swinging for the fences with this—and they absolutely worked.

You don’t need to have read The Finders to appreciate The Keepers for what it is—great Crime Fiction with a strong central protagonist, some great supporting characters, and a fantastic opponent. Oh, yeah, and a bunch of great dogs. More than enough reasons to take this recommendation and run to your nearest library/bookseller with it.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley in exchange for this post—thanks to both for this.

4 1/2 Stars

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