Mystery/Thriller Reading Friends discussion

Little Girls Lost: Jack Kerley
I see this is once again listed for US sale, maybe this year, but I got tired of waiting and imported a copy. The case involves pedophilia, making the publishers nervous I am told, but there is certainly no explicit sex, and the focus of the story is finding the girls, not so much what happens to them. This is the Carson Ryder series, and his enemies within the force seem more onerous than those without he is fighting. His partner is laid up from an attack in a previous book, allowing a pairing of Ryder with another disgraced cop. Toss in a couple corrupt politicians too, and there is a lot of story here, told in Kerley's meticulous style. (A-)

New Tricks: David Rosenfelt
Another dog related legal mystery/thriller. Unlike my last surprise, this was a funny book, and Rosenfelt has come far at sharpening his schtick. (Beats a sharp schtick to the eye anyway). Andy Carpenter is to defend a supposed multimurderer. As always, he is fairly certain his client is innocent, but figuring out who is guilty makes this a good trip, and takes you about to the last page. (B)

The Duke of Cleveland: Les Roberts
I could say that the telling plot element of this book was that the Red Sox lost a ball game to the Indians, but I suspect that such a summation would cause me physical pain in the future, so I will pass. (Red Sox fans seem to be readers). Instead, I'll say that the Milan Jacovitch mystery revolves around the search for a rare vase in a way that in some sense resembles the Maltese Falcon (Jacovitch does mention channeling Sydney Greenstreet at one point) but mainly is a great story that stands well on its own. Just as an unpaid advertisement, you could do much worse than the Jacovitch series. (B+)

The Lake Effect: Les Roberts
Milan Jacovitch again, this time performing a "favor" to square things with a mobster he does not particularly like. The favor is to provide protection for a candidate in a small town mayoral race. Nothing is ever simple though as murder and morality intrude while secret agendas interfere. (B+)

The Silent Sea: Clive Cusssler
co written with Jack DuBrul, a tale of the Oregon, that futuristic spy ship that does private duty for the CIA. The crew takes on a resurgent Argentina/China alliance that is trying to take over the Antarctic. The usual action and thrills. (B)

Split Image: Robert B Parker
There's not going to be many more Parker's to read, so I paid more attention to what he was doing with his characters, knowing that they were likely at the end of their tethers. At least we got a healthy dose of both Stone and Sunny Randall in this one, even if it did have an ending that poised us for a future that likely no longer exists. AS with most Parkers, the dialogue is scarce, but the smile never leaves your face. Jesse Stone works to solve some mob related killings in town, while Sunny deals with a religious sect. Their cases and lives intersect nicely. (B+)

The Silencer: James Hall
I still enjoy reading Hall, but he has slipped from the 'A' list, more by failing to improve than by getting worse. Silencer is another Thorn novel. As a character, Thorn has pretty much been played out, so when he is caught in a web of evil while trying to do the right thing, then rescued more by himself than his somewhat ineffectual partner, I was not exactly surprised. (B)

Deep Shadow: Randy Wayne White
I will grant that White is doing his best to keep the series fresh. He did a couple of books with a James Bond like character showing up to add some spice, and now he writes what was almost a cozy, a few characters in a restricted space, and the possibility of only one set coming out alive. An additional element of thrill is provided by Florida's wildlife, and the human element by Thomlinson admitting what a fraud he is. (B+)

Caught: Harlan Coben
Edge of your seat suspense and thrills in every chapter. Harlan keeps us guessing as to what is real, what is not, and even who did what. As always, one can figure out some of the elements, the commonality of the victims. The book features do-gooders who might be doing bad, possible bad guys who might not have been so bad after all, and all the little people who try to figure out just what might be going on, but pretty much cannot, since Coben likes his plots complex. (B)

Don't Tell A Soul: David Rosenfelt
Every other Rosenfelt I have read was a funny book, and part of a series. This is neither, but rather a serious M/T and sort of political thriller. If the title channels Harlan Coben, the tale of suburbanites caught in a web of intrigue does as well. (I like Rosenfelt, but Coben is the master of this genre)
Anyhow, a construction company owner must figure out why he has been targeted to take the fall for a series of murders, murders that hit, and hit close, to the ones he loves. (B+)

Found Money: James Grippando
The premise is a bit shaky, some common middle class people suddenly involved in a feud to the death with one of the world's richest men. It is a testament to Grippando's skill that he pulls it off, and builds a story around the premise, one that keeps you on the edge of your seat as things just keep going from bad to worse. (B)

The Runner: Christopher Reich
Every so often another author tries to take on Fredrick Forsythe's Day of the Jackal. The Runner is such a story, set in immediately post war Germany an escaped German military spy is involved in a plot to destabilize the Allies while an American cop tries to stop him. Not bad, but does not measure up to the master. (B)

A Shoot in Cleveland: Les Roberts
Solid. If I had to use one word to describe this hard-boiled mystery, it would be solid. Milan Jacovitch takes on the case of the murder of a man he was to protect in his usual no compromise way, but as black and white as he sees the world, shades of gray creep in. Comic relief is provided by his new girlfriend ("is 11:00 this morning a good vintage?") (A-)

Reef Dance: John Decure
First novel by a new author. Legal thriller. The lawyer is a surfer and a family law lawyer, who works the public sector trying to keep families together and sometimes justify the unjustifiable. The main character himself has family issues, so I suspect the author does as well. A good first effort, but if he put too much of himself in it, may be hard to follow. (B)

Troubleshooter: Greg Hurwitz
A war between the marshals and drug running bikers. Cruel, bloody, and suspenseful. (B)

Fallout: James Huston
Poor San Onofre. As lyrical as its name is ( we call it SONGS for San Onofre Generating Station) in the industry, every book that wants a nuclear disaster seems to zero in on them. But I digress.
Fallout is a lightweight techno-thriller about a fighter pilot school that gets some rogue students. There is a fair amount of action, a fair amount of suspense,and the usual satisfaction of the bad guys laid low, even as we mourn the good guys that perished to allow it to happen. (B)

I got all of Rosenfelt's Andy Carpenter books on PBS this month so hope to start reading them next month. Your reviews of the Milan Jacovich books have me really wishing that Les finds it in his heart to write another....SOON!

I read the first 3 or 4 Andy Carpenter books and loved them. Thanks for reminding me to go back to reading Rosenfelt! Haven't read Don't Tell a Soul (it looks good) and Rosenfelt just released Down to the Wire this past month. More good reading ahead.

There is always too much good reading out there. Contrary to some opinions, I have other hobbies too.

Thank you Barry for the effort you put in writing these reviews for us! I'm reading Play Dead by Rosenfelt right now, but I think it's the slowest book of his and I'm having to push my way thru it.

Barry

You also had a good month. I have read all of the Rosenfelt books and have enjoyed all of them. I'm going to have to put the Coben on hold! I also enjoy Grippando's books.

Marcy wrote: "I read the first 3 or 4 Andy Carpenter books and loved them. Thanks for reminding me to go back to reading Rosenfelt! Haven't read Don't Tell a Soul (it looks good) and Rosenfelt just released Do..."

I lOVE the rosenfelt series, another "find" by Jake or Gabby

Barry:
Once again your books read list makes me drool and wish for more time to read. At least this time I get to read one of them sooner rather than later (or at all), Little Girls Lost came in the mail Friday -- woo hoo and thank you! I haven't read a book in the Milan Jacovitch series in a few years, but always enjoyed them. Silencer and Split Image are in my library TBR. I better get to reading!

Barry wrote: "Little Girls Lost: Jack Kerley
I see this is once again listed for US sale, maybe this year, but I got tired of waiting and imported a copy. The case involves pedophilia, making the publishers nervous..."

We'll see how my reading does while I'm on 12 hour nigh shifts through May. I'll try to make up for it while on line at Disney World while I recover from it.

The Ides?! I think there was a murder on that date, but we already know whodunit. Is that a spoiler?

Being the literate sort I am, my first exposure to this was a 1950ss vintage Mad magazine called the Ides of Mad.