Rating: 3 stars
Summary: A former Minneapolis police officer holding in the woods like a hermit is asked by the former county sheriff to look into his missing daughter and grandson when the current sheriff thinks it’s a simple runaway.
Comments: Unfortunately weakly plotted and time line and distances are off, probably to not overly complex the plot. Rather formulated and predictable unlike Eskens previously brilliant novels.
Rating: Starred Review
Summary: A women with little going on decides to deep dive and create a crime podcast about a unsolved double murder around Christmas time in 1972 on the border of North Carolina and Southern Virginia. She enlists the help of a famous Washed up TV news anchor and some notes from her Grandfather’s attic she discovered. Told from a parent and past narrative.
Comments: A brilliant developed crime novel expertly written. Pruitt nails the narrative of the time.
Rating: Starred Review
Summary: Before a fathers release from prison for a technicality he has to defend himself from a ruthless Aryan gang. Upon his release he kidnaps his daughter when her mother is murdered by the gang in revenge. He fleas with his daughter and seeks to survive a gangland murder on himself and daughter.
Comments: A high octane violent crime thriller. Of the likes of Eli Cranor or S A Crosby float your reading boat, this will be right up your Southern Cali grill. Don’t ignore Harper like I did. Jump on it.
Rating: Starred Reviews
Summaries: The city of Baxter is going to be transformed after the announcement of a huge Nissan factory being built. Two nifty crimes stories expertly written from various character points of view. Drugs, money, desperate people.
Comments: Highly recommended crime novels. Fast paced and page flippers.
http://smile.amazon.com/A.-F.-Carter/e/B08CZYJS7W%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share
Rating: 5 stars
Summary: An American trying to start a career as a private detective in the roaring Havana of the 50’s gets himself involved in the Batista regimes attempts to end any revolution against there oh so great government.
Comments: Viva Cuba Libre Revolutions have consequences. A great crime noir and it looks like we will get a second novel here. I can’t wait.
Rating: Starred Review
Summary: A struggling author without any ideas for a new novel meets a former friend for a drink and is given an idea to look at his family past. A well off Newton Massachusetts women married to a highly successful dominant husband, disappears from her family in the mid 70’s without a trace for nearly 18 years. Told brilliantly by multiple characters we dive deadly into family accusations and hate.
Comments: Completely honest here: The story unfolds in such a way I thought is was real for the first half of the book. Absorbing and suspenseful you will not put it down. We waited a long time for a new William Landay book, and he goes and one ups us all and writes the novel of the year. Highly recommended.
Rating: Starred Review
Summary: An Earl Swagger prequel. The world is in the midsts of WW2 and Earl is back from the pacific war theater where he island hopped and became somewhat of a legend war god. When the war in Europe gets bogged down by some mysterious snipers in the hedge grows of France interrupting the D-day push the OSS calls on a Earl to solve the problem he is only capable to figure out.
Comments: Hunters gift as a writer is to slowly turn the thermostat up. No slow burn, but a continuous stoking the fire to keep the reader page flipping. His love for the rifle, the precision of shooting, oh I know how difficult this is, lives in his story. I would highly recommend some research and back reading of the Earl Swagger books. They are all excellent.
Rating: Starred Review
Summary: Back dropped in a dry dusty town during the annual festival named Sunsetter a series drug deals and possessions a young man dies of a overdose setting off a bleak chain of events. The discovery of who is doing the distribution will forever change the lives of the people involved.
Comments: I will say up front this is a top 10 novel of the year for me. Bleak, dark, and crime noir to the very core of writing. Some serious chops go into writing a novel this good. No good happens here. Don’t expect smiley faces. So great. Highly recommended.
Rating: 4 stars.
When a very popular Doctor at A Manhattan hospital is found dead in her car Jack Stapleton is asked by his wife to look into it and perform the autopsy. Jack doesn’t like what he sees but can’t prove anything either. In long tradition Jack goes into investigation mode, even though he’s been pretty well forbidden.
Comments: Medical thrillers are always fun and Cook knows how to create a page turner. Don’t worry about a slow parts because there are none.
Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Aaron Falk returns to Maralee an outback town to visit his friend who he will be a godfather to his son. Falk started looking into a missing women’s disappearance and uncommon ears a mixed up relationship family secrets and a towns hidden pasts.
Comments: A tidy little crime novels that hits on all cylinders. Much enjoying the Falk series and to see where it might go. A little tease towards the end. Great fast paced read.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09XL72RWP/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0
