The Night Shift by Alex Finlay

 

The Night Shift by Alex Finlay

Rating: 5 stars

Summary: Told from multiple view points the story unfolds of two separate mass killings years apart and similar in circumstances. Who is the common character in both crimes and how are they solved and who is involved all unfolds. 

 Comments: Finlay wrote one of the best debuts novels last year. No sophomore slump here. Finlay continues brilliantly to create compelling characters will many points of view and keep it all tied together in a very suspenseful way. Once you start, don’t plan much else. Fans do Peter Swanson and Riley Sager will love Finlay. Highly recommended. 

https://smile.amazon.com/Night-Shift-Novel-Alex-Finlay-ebook/dp/B092T8D1M8/ref=sr_1_4?crid=1DO0L9481IRF4&dchild=1&keywords=alex+finlay&qid=1632660541&s=digital-text&sprefix=Alex+Finlay+%2Cdigital-text%2C188&sr=1-4

Damascus Station by David McCloskey

 

Damascus Station by David McCloskey

Rating: 5 stars

Summary: A CIA spy is tortured in Damascus and is scalped by the friendly Assyrians facing a losing civil war. The CIA wants revenge and sets in motion to recruit a Syrian women close to the Assad regime. She becomes highly successful in getting information out to the Americans but fate and distrust intervene rapidly.

Comments: Clearly written from an inside view. Fantastic spy fiction, maybe the best in years. Comparisons to David Ignatius but with much more gun fighting. Great novel. It will hit on all spy novel greats. 

https://smile.amazon.com/Damascus-Station-Novel-David-McCloskey/dp/0393881040/ref=sr_1_1?crid=N1GO1V1J78HM&dchild=1&keywords=david+mccloskey+damascus+station&qid=1632312552&sprefix=David+mcclos%2Caps%2C165&sr=8-1

The Unspoken by Ian K. Smith

 

The Unspoken by Ian K. Smith

Starred Review

Summary: Ashe Cayne, named after tennis star Arthur Ashe, is asked by a uber rich mother in Chicago to help find her missing daughter who has a history of missing. He goes to great lengths to find her and her now dead boy friend killer. 

Comments: Outstanding detective series and a genuinely wonderful debut. Book two is just a good. Highly recommended. 

https://www.amazon.com/Unspoken-Ashe-Cayne-Book-ebook/dp/B0831GGQS7/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=1AS41ZCVMFG6V&dchild=1&keywords=ian+k+smith&qid=1631527911&s=digital-text&sprefix=Ian+k+%2Cdigital-text%2C170&sr=1-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExUFRCQ0FMTVFWVzhMJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNDg4MDI3MTBCWjZaRUw5WVBFTyZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMjIxNTUyMVFLNERLMkwxWkkyTiZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

Somebody’s Home by Kaira Rouda

 

Somebody’s Home by Kaira Rouda 

Rating: 4 stars

Summary: Two families with overbearing and controlling husband’s find both wife’s looking to escape there power. In the middle is a young son who looks for revenge against his father for all the lies he’s created. 

Comments: Rouda again brings out the crazy in crazy and excels masterfully at it. She hooks the reader fast. 

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B08Y8JXZFZ/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i7

All These Ashes by James Queally

 

All These Ashes by James Queally

Rating: 5 stars

Summary: A down and out somewhat loser reporter and now a PI, making bad choices is asked by a rival down on his career homicide detective in the fine city of Newark New Jersey to look into a nagging 25 year old homicide. Together they must decide how far to push old wounds to find the real killer and help the dying accused find justice in the much corrupted Newark. 

Comments: Quite a marvelous crime noir by quite a marvelous writer. Highly recommended, and I expect this fine series to get even better. Must read for old school crime lovers. 

Wolf Point by Ian K. Smith

 

Wolf Point by Ian K. Smith

Rating: Starred Review 

Summary: Ashe Cayne, spelled after his fathers favorite tennis player is asked by the family of a very prominent Chicago political player to look into his death by that was said to be a suicide. All on the hush and fast tracked police investigation. 

Summary: Ashe is a very rich smooth detective with a love for Shakespeare quotes.  A terrific novel that pretty much describes the current state of corruption and crime in Chicago, a once great city. Highly recommend and should be made into movies or series. The best crime noir this year. 

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B08F563X3D?notRedirectToSDP=1&ref_=dbs_mng_calw_1&storeType=ebooks

Rainy Lake Minnesota, Canadian Border

 

Wild fire smoke from Canadian fires on the Minnesota and Ontario boarder. 

The Next Wife by Kaira Rouda

 

The Next Wife by Kaira Rouda

Rating: 4 stars

Summary: A family tech company is being attacked by a young lady who happens to have caused the divorce of its CEO first wife. With an IPO on the line and a pending split from the next wife plans for a take over quickly dissolve into chaos.

Comments: Rouda is a great writer of American Psycho type characters that have large egos and grandiose  plans. Rouda avoids slogging long narratives and gets right to the point. Fun stuff. 

https://smile.amazon.com/Next-Wife-Kaira-Rouda-ebook/dp/B08C7J3LQZ/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1SCE4VOO99QPR&dchild=1&keywords=the+next+wife&qid=1629387256&sprefix=The+next+%2Caps%2C194&sr=8-1

Better off Dead by Lee Child and Andrew Child

 

Better off Dead by Lee Child and Andrew Child

Rating: 5 stars

Summary: Reacher roams into small border town in Arizona on his way to the ocean and stumbles into a smuggling bomb maker. Reacher decides to stay and help a women searching for her wayward brother she believes sent her a message to help him. 

Comments: Basic Reacher plot. Nothing fancy but all the fun of the Child writing you’ve enjoyed over the years. This book seems cut short for some reason. But the same fun is there. 

https://smile.amazon.com/Better-Off-Dead-Reacher-Novel-ebook/dp/B08SBMCSQQ/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=Lee+child&qid=1629017955&sr=8-3

 

The April Dead by Alan Parks

 

The April Dead by Alan Parks

Rating: 5 stars

Summary: Dark Glasgow Det. Harry McCoy is sick with an ulcer and drinking and smoking like a champion. He meets a older father looking for his American son and is asked to help. Harry finds sometime and suddenly Glasgow is being targeted with bombings. Wattie his semi formal partner is looking into McCoys childhood friend ties to a local thugs death. How’s this tie altogether? 

Comments: Fourth in Parks great series. Tight dark and dirty noir. Old school crime. Love it! 

https://www.amazon.com/April-Dead-Harry-McCoy-Book-ebook/dp/B08V81B146/ref=sr_1_3?crid=371CV50E0EJNF&dchild=1&keywords=april+dead+alan+parks&qid=1628676377&sprefix=April+dea%2Cdigital-text%2C230&sr=8-3