4 1/2 Stars - The Irresponsible Reader

The Answer Is . . .: Reflections on My Life

by Alex Trebek, Narrated by: Ken Jennings, Alex Trebek

Unabridged Audiobook, 4 hrs., 35 mins
Simon & Schuster Audio, 2020

Read: August 3-4, 2020
Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

What’s The Answer Is . . .: Reflections on My Life About?

Trebek starts off talking about why he wrote the book at this time, how it’s not an exhaustive autobiography, and really too brief to be a memoir, instead, it’s some sort of French term that I didn’t catch—little vignettes about his life, some brief stories or impressions of a time/place, some are longer reflections about something.

He talks about his childhood, his parents, his education (including feuds with particular teachers—including a petty-sounding beef with a priest he in prep school that he hasn’t totally gotten past), his early days in TV in Canada, moving to the US, and starting on Jeopardy!. He even talks a bit about the impressions that Eugene Levy and Will Ferrell did of him. Beyond that, Trebek discusses the charity works he does, his family, and, of course, his cancer.

He talks a little about American culture and the state of the nation right now (exacerbated by COVID-19), and gets a little more political than we’re used to him being (more political than I think he’s used to being). While I think if he got more detailed and in-depth with his analysis, I’d probably differ with him on the details—but he didn’t, so I could only nod along with him. We need a few million more people saying what he said (and living the way he seems to).

You get a little bit of everything—some is lighthearted, some is heavier, a lot just comes across as a humble and grateful older man reminiscing. Which is exactly what this is.

A Little About the Narration

Ken Jennings was a great choice for narrator—it’s hard to think of either of them without thinking of the other (well, since 2004, anyway). He sounds like a natural doing this and I’d enjoy listening to him narrate other audiobooks (he did the audiobook for his own, Planet Funny, and I bet it sounds pretty good).

But Trebek read a few chapters himself—the one about why he swears so often (it surprised me, too), the one talking about notable Jeopardy! contestants (like Jennings), the one about his wife (Trebek didn’t like the idea of someone else talking about his wife that way), and the last chapter, where he discussed his cancer and coming to terms with his impending death. I understand why he couldn’t do the entire book himself, but I’d have preferred it (nothing against Jennings—I’d have been content with Jennings doing the whole thing). But I’m so glad he did those chapters, you could hear the sincerity in his praise for Jennings, Eddie Timanus, Cindy Stowell, and others; his love for his wife; and the resolution and contemplation he’d put into his final days (hopefully there are many more of them).

I’m still tempted to grab a copy of the hardcover, just so I can see the pictures. But, I’m so glad I got to hear parts of this in Trebek’s own voice.

So, what did I think about The Answer Is . . .: Reflections on My Life?

You can argue that my evaluation of this book is all about sentiment, fanboy-ness, and is devoid of any sense of judging the skill of writing, the depth of insight, or anything like that. I won’t disagree. Trebek’s been a fixture in my life/consciousness for longer than I can really remember. Every time I’ve heard/seen an interview with him (which, admittedly, isn’t often), I’ve been more and more impressed with him. I won’t say he’s a hero/role model or anything, but I admire the guy, respect his work ethic and attitude. I’ve got his Funko Pop figure in my cubicle at work. He’s just…well, like a said, a fixture. So listening to stories about his life tapped into that sector of my subconscious that’s been labeled “Alex Trebek” since I was a pre-teen and he started on Jeopardy!.

This book would’ve had to have been really bad for me not to love it. Thankfully, it wasn’t.

And if you can hear him talk about his wife, his children, his cancer—and the effect that the cancer’s having on his wife and children as he prepares for death without being moved? There’s something wrong with ya. At that point, any thought I had about pretending to be objective and analytical went out the window.

My sole complaint is that it’s four-and-a-half hours long. It’s just not long enough. I get that he wasn’t trying to be exhaustive—and I don’t necessarily want that—but when you start to hear these quick stories about his growing up, his getting established in the business (either in Canada or the States), his friendships…and of course, Jeopardy!—you just want it to keep going for hours and hours. So I dinged it half a star (but it deserves all 5).

I loved this book, I laughed, I was surprised, I chuckled, I learned a little, I got choked up. Can’t ask for much more.

4 1/2 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.

Pub Day Repost: Muzzled by David Rosenfelt: One of Andy Carpenter’s Twistiest Cases Yet

By HCNewton

On July 7, 2020

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

Muzzled

by David Rosenfelt
Series: Andy Carpenter, #21

eARC, 304 pg.
Minotaur Books, 2020

Read: June 20, 2020
Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

Wow. Andy Carpenter #21. That’s pretty mind-boggling, I’ve got to say. The way that Andy’s been ramping up the retirement talk over the last couple of books, I can’t help but wonder how many more are in store—but I have to expect we’ll get a few more. Rosenfelt’s army of dogs takes a lot of food. The more the merrier, I say—especially if there are more like this one in the wings.

Andy’s contacted by a friend also in the dog rescue biz—she’s come into possession of a stray and has been contacted by the owner to retrieve the dog. Which sounds pretty straightforward and good up until the point where she tells Andy the owner’s name. He’s the victim of a triple murder a few weeks ago when his boat was destroyed by a bomb of some sort. Yeah, you read me right—the victim. Except he clearly escaped and after being on the run for his life a bit, has decided he can’t run off without the dog. So he risks life and limb to be reunited with his pet. At this point, the reader (and everyone who knows Andy) realizes that if this man needs legal help, Andy will be his attorney. Andy needs some convincing, however.

And Alex Vogel is going to need Andy’s help—if he wasn’t one of those killed, the police would like to know, why wasn’t he? The explanation that makes the most sense to them is that Alex Vogel made and detonated the bomb, killing his friends. The motive is a little shaky, but that’s beside the point.

Alex gives Andy one possible reason that he’d be targeted, and while he doesn’t buy it, he has nothing else to go on, so while Andy tries to come up with an idea of his own, he spends a lot of time exploring that. In a long-running series like this is, it’s the little differences that really stick out and keep things fresh. It took Andy a painfully long time to come up with an alternative theory of the case. And while I found it frustrating that he was so slow, I appreciated that Rosenfelt let things go that way. I also admit that it’s not fair for me to judge, as the reader has access to some third-person narration portions of the novel that Andy doesn’t.

Whether looking for flaws in the Prosecution’s case, running down Alex’s theory, or trying to find an alternative, Andy and his regular band (which includes The K Team now) are as fun as always. The narration is clever, the humor is witty, the case complex, the herrings are red, the dogs are adorable—all the elements of a solid Andy Carpenter novel are there.

As I was mulling over this book this week, I’d mentally drafted a paragraph thinking about this one in the context of the series as a whole. At some point, it seemed pretty familiar, so I looked up what I said about Dachshund Through the Snow, the twentieth novel in the series. I’d said pretty much the same thing about that book as I wanted to say about this one. It doesn’t say much for my originality, but it says something about Rosenfelt.

I’ve read them all—some twice—and while I’ve never read a bad Andy Carpenter book, there were a few that were simply “fine” (that’s not a complaint, I’ll take a fine book over a lot of others), but there’s been a resurgence in the last five or so, particularly in the last two. In both of them Rosenfelt has done something I couldn’t/didn’t see coming, breaking his tried-and-true formula. Rosenfelt has no reason to do that at this point, he could keep churning out these books and his fans (including me), would keep gobbling them up. But he’s taking risks, he’s doing relatively daring things (while remaining true to the world he’s created).

I really liked this book on its own merits, I loved it in the context of the rest. Does that mean a new reader has to read the other twenty before this one? No—any of these novels are a good jumping on point, you’ll end up wanting to read some/all of the earlier ones though. A smart legal thriller—great stuff out of the courtroom, and amusing antics in it (I’ll never tire of reading Andy cross-examining a witness). Muzzled is one of the best in this great series.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley in exchange for this post—thanks to both for this. As always, my opinions remain my own.

4 1/2 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you.

Pub Day Post: Of Mutts and Men by Spencer Quinn: Water, Water Everywhere and a Murder, too

By HCNewton

On July 7, 2020

In Chet and Bernie, Dogs, Fiction, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller, Spencer Quinn

Of Mutts and Men

by Spencer Quinn
Series: Chet and Bernie, #10

eARC, 304 pg.
Forge, 2020

Read: June 27-29, 2020
Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

Bernie meets the man destined to his new best friend—a hydrologist who seems to share many of the same opinions as Bernie when it comes to water usage in Phoenix. I don’t think we’ve managed to get a novel where Bernie hasn’t complained about the waste of water in the area (except maybe those two when they were back East), “we only have one aquifer.” It appears that Wendell has need of a P.I., too—the two make arrangements to meet the next day to discuss it.

But when our dynamic duo shows up at Wendell’s worksite office, they find him murdered. Which puts the kibosh on the bromance. Bernie naturally begins investigating—spurred to action after meeting the Sheriff’s Deputy in charge of this case, if nothing else—who is one of the sorriest excuses for a law enforcement officer that I’ve read this year. Some quick detective work leads Bernie to a suspect—not one that he believes really did it, but he still feels compelled to hand him over to Deputy Beasley.

This was a mistake as Beasley locks in on the suspect and ignores any other possibilities. But the more that Bernie looks into things—if only to find out why Wendell wanted to hire him—the more he’s convinced the suspect is innocent. Only no one—including the deputy, and the suspect’s own defense attorney—will listen to him.

We Need to Talk About Chet

What is there to say about Chet the Jet? He’s the same loveable, heroic champ we’ve come to know and love. For those who don’t know—Chet’s our narrator, Bernie’s partner, and a 100+ pound dog. Other than a couple of sentences showing a more libidinous side to Chet than we’re used to seeing, he’s exactly what we’ve come to expect. Don’t read anything into me not having a lot to say about him—he’s the best dog in fiction (for my money), but there are only so many ways you can say that.

But We Can’t Forget Bernie (or Anyone Else)

On the other hand, I think I’ve given Bernie short shrift over the years—it’s easy to focus on Chet. But Bernie’s more than just the guy who complains about wasting water while making horrible investment choices. He’s a top-notch P.I., but like most fictional P.I.’s, his principles, independence, and lousy business sense keep him from being much of a success. His residence and devotion to Chet are most of what separates him from Elvis Cole, for example (sure, Elvis has his cat, but he doesn’t take the cat with him on cases).

I felt more connected to Bernie in this novel than usual—I’m not sure if that’s a reflection on me or Quinn’s writing. Bernie’s outrage at the treatment of the suspect (some directed at himself for getting the Deputy looking at him) drives him more than any desire for a fee or to discover what Wendell wanted.

In addition to the case and the machinations of the principles involved, there’s a lot going on in Bernie’s private life. He doesn’t deal well with most of it, which isn’t a surprise, dealing well with personal relationships isn’t his trademark. It seems to affect him more in this novel than I’m used to seeing him—both positively and negatively (although, there’s a lot of negative in this novel—all around).

In case you can’t tell, I can’t put my finger on what’s different this time—but Bernie seems more human, more real, less “merely the guy who Chet is devoted to” (although he absolutely is that). Quinn puts him through the wringer in many ways here, and the novel is better for it.

It’s not just with Bernie, I think that this novel has some of the most subtle and rich character work in the series (last year’s Heart of Barkness) headed in this direction (growth prompted by The Right Side?). The villain of this novel is the most complex and compelling foe for these two. Beyond that, there were so many characters that showed up for a scene or two—five or six pages total—that were just dynamic. Even Malcolm, the husband of Bernie’s ex-wife, Leda makes a couple of positive contributions! He’s rarely been much beyond an antagonist for Bernie, a competitor for the paternal role for Bernie’s son—and here he’s in such a better way, I almost liked him.

Don’t Forget the Kleenex.

There are three—maybe four—scenes in this book that “hit you in the feels.” One only took two or three sentences to deliver the punch, and could easily be missed. But the emotional core of this novel is shown in a couple of others (some readers will be torn up by them, others will be satisfied—either reaction is warranted).

But there’s one scene—it has only the most tangential tie to the plot—that will (or ought to) devastate you. I’m honestly not sure why Quinn included it, but I am so glad he did. You’ll know it when you read it, I’m not going to say anything else about it. Chet was still his goofy self, but even he came across differently in it. The book is worth the purchase price for it alone.

So what did I think about Of Mutts and Men?

I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again, I’ve been a fan of this series since maybe the third chapter of the first book eleven years ago. And I’ll be a fan until Quinn moves on. But there’s something different about this book. Still, I’m going to try to thread the needle here—this is not my favorite book in the series. However, I think it’s unquestionably the best book so far. I’m not crazy about some of the longer-term arc events here—hey’re the smart move by Quinn, I’ll defend them, but I didn’t like them.

Still, there’s a good mystery, you get the wonderful partnership of Chet and Bernie, probably the best use of Bernie yet, and a new depth to Quinn’s writing—it’s precisely what the doctor ordered. New readers will have no problem jumping in at this point, returning fans have to be pulling on their leashes to get to this. Highly recommended.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from Macmillan-Tor/Forge via NetGalley in exchange for this post—thanks to both for this. Also, sorry that I didn’t get this posted sooner, I really did try.
4 1/2 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.

Pub Day Repost: The Finders by Jeffrey B. Burton: A Serial Killer Hunt Goes to the Dogs

By HCNewton

On June 30, 2020

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

The Finders

by Jeffrey B. Burton
Series: Mace Reid K-9 Mystery Volume 1

eARC, 288 pg.
St. Martin’s Press, 2020

Read: June 12-15, 220
Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

One of the worst things about the way this Spring got away from me is that I’ve been unable to get to this book until now—from the synopsis, this was so far up my alley that it might as well have been titled The Finders: Meet HC’s New Favorite Series. But the important this is that I got to it now, and that subtitle would’ve been pretty much correct. I can’t imagine there’ll be a new series this year that’ll top this for me.

I’ve kind of tipped my hand there, haven’t I? It’s a good thing I don’t pretend to write suspense, eh? Still, having established what I think about it—what about you—is this something you should read? Probably, yeah.

It’s called the “Mace Reid K-9 Investigations” series, and the novel pretty much starts with the K-9 part, so I will, too. We meet a golden retriever puppy on one of the worst days imaginable for a young dog (or person). She’s soon adopted by Mason Reid (call him Mace) a dog trainer who has a few Human Remains Detection dogs, in need of one more. This pup takes to HRD in a way that surprises Mace, she’s more than a natural. I absolutely adore this dog. Mace does, too. He’s in a pretty bad place when he meets this girl, and she’s just what he needs to get out of it.

The other members of this pack would probably be as endearing if we’d got enough time with them—I’m going to leave their names out because Mace’s names are so fun that you’d best read them (and the reasoning behind them) for yourself, I don’t want to take that from you. There’s a German Shepherd (Mace’s descriptions of him are wonderful) and two trouble-making Collies.

There is a section where Mace describes the process that the dog goes through when scenting—probably not as technically correct as what Cat Warren gave in her book (adult or young reader’s version*)—but as gripping (if not more so) and entertaining—and it really gives you an idea what’s going on (as best as we can understand) during that process. Burton could’ve given us two or three more passages along those lines in this book and I wouldn’t have complained at all.

* Either or both of which I recommend to anyone interested in this novel.

So, yeah, Mace is our narrator, he’s got a great voice. You pretty much feel like he’s a close friend telling you a story right away, and sitting around watching his dogs play while drinking cheap beer and eating pizza (preferably non-Hawaiian) sounds like a great way to spend an evening. He’s funny, self-deprecating, smart, and driven (especially when the health and well-being of one of his “kids” is on the line). If I wasn’t talking about an eARC waiting final revisions, this post would be littered with quotations–he is oh so quotable. His affection for his dogs and dogs in general, is right up there with Bernie Little, Andy Carpenter and anyone gutsy enough to try to feed and care for Clifford the Big Red Dog. Even if the plot was blah and the writing uninteresting, I’d have enjoyed meeting Mace (thankfully, that’s not the case)

There are four cops in this book that Mace interacts heavily with—an unusual number, to be sure. Two are uniformed officers and two are detectives. Mace’s relationship with each varies a little bit, but they’re the kind of cops you want to believe fill our police forces. I don’t know if all four of them will return in future volumes—but I’d be happy to see any or all of them again. I’ll hold off on further discussion of them for the future when we get to know them a little bit more (assuming that’s the case)

After Mace and his retriever find the remains of a serial killer’s latest victim, something goes very wrong. This compels him to take a more active role in the hunt for the killer. Between his dogs, desperation, and a healthy portion of beginner’s luck, he has remarkable success at that. Which ends up putting a target on his back—creating a need for more luck, his dogs, some more desperation, and the help of his police acquaintances/friends.

The plot moves pretty quickly—there’s a time or two that your credulity might get stretched a bit further than you’d like. But if you roll with it, Burton’ll reward you. The book moves quickly—even more than I realized a few times. Which isn’t to say that anything feels rushed, it doesn’t, you’re on a roller coaster that starts quickly and doesn’t let up. There were a couple of reveals that I didn’t see coming, some plot twists I wouldn’t have expected—in retrospect, I felt I probably should have seen it all, if I wanted to do something silly like stop reading the book to analyze and predict what’s coming rather than just buckle in and read it.

So here’s the thing about serial killers in fiction—I’m pretty much over them. I think I’ve been over-exposed to them, and by and large, I don’t react positively to them. That’s not to say I can’t enjoy a Serial Killer novel if the plot is well done, the other characters are well executed, and so on—but I’m almost always apathetic about the killer himself/herself anymore. But this one? Initially, it seemed like this was going to be one of those books that I liked despite the killer. However, by a little after the mid-way point, the killer had won me over and had got me interested. I can’t explain why without ruining the whole thing for you, so I won’t. But color this jaded reader interested.

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.

A strong and fun central character, a collection of interesting police officers, a compelling serial killer, a well-paced plot, and four wonderful dogs. I can’t think of anything else this book could deliver for me. I when I wasn’t on the edge of my seat, flipping the pages as quickly as I could, I was reading as slowly as possible so I could relish the scenes with Mace and his dogs doing their thing. Now that Burton has established Mace’s world and characters, I can’t wait to see him explore it some and build on this really strong foundation.

Highly recommended. I won’t pretend to assure you that you’ll enjoy it as much as me, but I can’t imagine anyone not liking this book.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley in exchange for this post—thanks to both for this. As always, my opinions remain my own.

4 1/2 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you.

How the Wired Weep by Ian Patrick: Patrick’s Latest Crime Thriller Does Not Disappoint

By HCNewton

On June 30, 2020

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

That’s a lame headline, but I couldn’t come up with anything short of 40 words that I was satisfied with. Also, I really should’ve devoted a couple of sentences to that cover, one of my favorites of the year.

How the Wired Weep

by Ian Patrick

Kindle Edition, 293 pg.
2020

Read: June 22-25, 2020

In my world you’re always looking over your shoulder. Evade and escape is the game. To remain still makes you a target. A sitting or standing one doesn’t matter. Always be on the move until you’re sure it’s safe to stop. The training I’ve had was for a reason: survival.

London is a war zone. My battleground is the street. My unit is on a hearts and minds campaign to keep control and maintain law and order through gathering intelligence.

There are two point-of-view protagonists in this book, the first is DS Ed Hunter. He recruits and handles informants—excuse me, Covert Human Intelligence Sources. He’s been at it quite some time now—it’s in his blood, he’d have a hard time leaving for another assignment at this point. He has a number of sources, but we only see and track his involvement with one in this novel. Ed’s a solid detective, dedicated (would be the polite way to say it, Mrs. Hunter might have other words), but isn’t opposed to coloring just a bit outside the lines.

I started dealin’ young. I was nine years old when I got into this game. I’d move anythin’ they asked me. They knew that because of my age I wouldn’t get charged. Apparently at nine you don’t know nothin’ so can’t know what you’re doin’ is against the law. Screw that! I knew everythin’ I was doin’ were wrong. That’s why I did it!

The source the book focuses on is the other POV protagonist, Ben. Ben’s recently out of a short stint in prison and is looking to get back to the things that landed him in prison in the first place. Primarily robbery and miscellaneous tasks for a local gang leader, Troy*.

* As far as notorious, or would-be notorious, criminals go, Troy seems like an unlikely name. It really doesn’t command respect or fear. It’s mundane enough that it comes across as verisimilitude

With Ben freshly out of prison and re-establishing his criminal contacts and career, this is the prime time for Ed to use him. So he leans hard on Ben, looking for intelligence that he can use immediately as well as information on larger, future activities. Troy has a special combination of ambition and ruthlessness that makes this an advantageous time for both Ed and Ben.

These two men are really two sides of the same coin. Ed works Ben and the system to his benefit (and occasionally Ben’s), Ben works Ed, Troy, Ghost, and others for his benefit (and occasionally Ed’s). Both Ed and Ben seem trapped by circumstances, trapped by their association, but only one of them really has a shot at getting out, if he wanted it.

Theirs is not a partnership, a friendship, or anything really. Ed is using Ben to satisfy his superiors, to get some information that can lead to bigger arrests, or to prevent something major from happening (a large concern as London prepares for the Olympics). He may show flashes of concern for Ben or his soon-to-be-born child. But those flashes are quickly gone. Ben isn’t in this out of some ethical consideration, either. He’s not trying to go straight—he’s using Ed to get a little extra money, to take out a rival, and to keep at least some of the police off his back.

The cycle of Ed pressuring Ben for some intelligence, Ben giving him something largely true, the police using that information, Ben having to scramble to prove he didn’t inform and to take advantage of whatever the police have done for his own benefit. Ben knows (and is angered by) Ed using him like this. Ed knows he’s not getting the whole truth (but isn’t sure how much he is getting), and is angered when he can prove the lie, and is aware Ben’s at least trying to use him, too. This is the core of the book, and probably the majority of what does on in the book—and I could easily have easily read at least another 50-70 pages of this without growing impatient.

We get a little time with Ed’s superior and some detectives in other offices, using and supplementing what he’s gathered, and we get a little insight into Ed’s home life and wife. But largely, it’s his partner, DC Sienna Myles (“Smiles”) that we see Ed interacting with. She’s not as invested in Ben, Ed’s problems, or Troy as Ed is. She might actually care more for Ben’s welfare, but she’s also clear about Ben’s place in the world, and his priorities. Of all the secondary characters, she’s the one I wanted more of—I think she could carry a novel by herself (and would like to see something like this with her and her new source)

On the flip side, we see a few other people in Troy’s circle of influence, but we primarily see Ben interacting with Troy or his friend, Ghost. Ghost is the only person in the world that Ben truly trusts (and even then, that falters), they’re friends that go way back. I’m honestly not sure how to describe Troy—because Ben keeps vacillating in his estimation of him. He’s either an up-and-coming criminal near-genius, or he’s just some guy with enough lucky breaks and inherent meanness to take advantage of those breaks. It is clear that the streets and many, many lives would benefit from his being ousted from power and put somewhere he can’t inflict his poison or presence on more of the public more than he has.

One more similarity between the two that I want to focus on—impending fatherhood. One of the first things that Ben learns upon his release is that he’s going to be a father, he’d impregnated someone just before going away. Meanwhile, Ed and his wife can’t conceive—they’ve gone through fertility treatments but they don’t seem to be doing anything. Ed bewails the injustice in how easily someone who doesn’t want to be a father can become, while he and his wife want it so much. Both men’s reactions to future fatherhood, as well as the way they think of their own fathers (or lack thereof), says a lot about the two characters—and the office of Father in general.

Ed’s an interesting character, and I definitely felt invested in his story. But outside of a job that you don’t often see in Crime Fiction, I’m not sure there was much to make him stand out. Ben, on the other hand? I’ve seen similar characters before and were either annoyed or indifferent to them. But Patrick shaped him and used him in such a way that not only did I want to see him succeed (if he went straight or otherwise), but I cared about what happened to him. He reminded me of Dewey Crowe from Justified (or Leonard’s Raylan or any number of similar characters penned by Leonard), not that bright, overly impressed with their own criminal aptitudes, but you can’t help pity, like and wish the best for him (although Dewey was generally comic relief, and Ben’s not at all). He got under my skin, and will likely stay there for a while.

Most of this book isn’t that fast-paced—it’s well-paced, but there’s a lot of time spent establishing the characters and setting up the endgame. But there’s an energy to the narration—particularly Ben’s chapters—that makes you feel like you’re reading something at a breakneck pace. Ben’s character shines through so much, I could practically hear him as I read (in my mind he sounds suspiciously like a Kobna Holdbrook-Smith character). I should probably add that once, the plot starts moving—it matches the feel that you’d gotten from earlier when less was happening.

That ending? Perfection. That’s all I can safely say.

The difference in characters, voice, and the way the story plays out demonstrates Patrick’s skill and underlines the fact that he’s not a one-trick pony (not that many should’ve suspected that). It’d be easy for him to coast on the Sam Batford train for a while, but Patrick doesn’t do that, instead, he gives us this fascinating glimpse into another area of policing.

I’m tempted to keep going, but I’ve probably said too much. This is different, more intimate, more powerful, than Patrick’s DS Sam Batford books. If you’ve read those, you should enjoy seeing this other side of the author. If you haven’t, you should go grab them after this one. Patrick captured something special here in How the Wired Weep and I strongly encourage you to go grab it.

4 1/2 Stars

Muzzled by David Rosenfelt: One of Andy Carpenter’s Twistiest Cases Yet

By HCNewton

On June 26, 2020