Genre: Thriller

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Joseph Finder searches out the perfect story, and he tells it well. His ability to flesh out his characters is masterful, and his plots are captivating. In House on Fire he takes a most relevant topic and puts it into a story that we can’t put down.

Nick Heller is a reoccurring protagonist in several of Finder’s books. He is definitely the heroic figure, with a military background and a penchant for the moral high ground. This novel opens with the death of his good friend, Sean, a man who saved his life. Sean was killed by a drug overdose. He had been addicted to opioids after returning home wounded from war.

Nick is approached at the funeral by Sukie Kimball, daughter of a pharmaceutical kingpin,  whose company sells opioids even though her father is well aware of the dangers and buries the evidence. She hires Nick to find the evidence and help her expose her father and the company.
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This is actually a bit of a family dynasty story as well as a thriller. There is the domineering father and his foreign fiancé and the spoiled children who are more interested in money than each other. Finding out who the “bad guy” really is puts Nick in constant danger, a place with which he is quite familiar, and his developing relationship with Sukie doesn’t make things easier.

House on Fire is a great read for the new year, and my only disappointment is having to wait another year for his next book.

- Beverly


Publisher - Dutton
Date of Publication - January 21, 2020

Genre: Thriller

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L.C. Shaw’s book, The Network, was a great way to finish off my year of reading. It was well written, exciting and informative in many ways. My one complaint is that I believe the author spent too much time moralizing throughout the book. It was difficult to tell if the religion and moralizing were used to further a plot that centered on good versus evil, or it was Ms. Shaw  just using this book to further her own agenda. It did make me uncomfortable at times.

The story was an exciting one though, and the characters were well developed. The hero, journalist Jack Logan, is visited by a frantic Senator Malcolm Phillips who asks him to protect Taylor, who happens to be Phillips’ wife and Logan’s ex-girlfriend. Phillips is sure that he will soon be murdered and needs Jack to make things right. If the beginning seems a bite trite, fear not...there is nothing about this book that is humdrum.

The twists and turns take us through the past and the present, and the evil characters give new meaning to the term evil. Shaw helps us to understand how the antagonist became so hateful, but it is still difficult to accept that a human being can be so devoid of emotion and empathy.

There is a bit of Dan Brown in The Network, as the characters search for old coins purported to give them eternal life, and I enjoyed the little bit of history thrown in here and there. The obvious feelings between Jack and recently widowed Taylor seemed odd at times, but I am a sucker for a good love story.

All in all this was a good book, and I am looking forward to the next offering from L.C. Shaw. Hopefully the next book will be less moralistic and concentrate on the author's obvious ability to tell a good story.

- Beverly


Publisher - Harper Paperbacks
Date of Publication - December 17, 2019

Genre: Mystery

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Trace of Evil begins with sisters Natalie and Grace visiting their sister Willow’s grave as they do each year on her "deathaversery". Willow had been murdered twenty years before by a jealous boyfriend. We learn a bit about the past and protagonist police detective Natalie’s recent break-up as the girls catch up by their sister’s grave.

Natalie has been assigned a cold case involving a number of transients who disappeared years ago in upstate New York. At the same time she is assigned a new case involving the murder of the wife of a fellow detective, Daisy. She was a friend of Natalie’s, and the murderer seems to have been someone Daisy knew. Natalie sifts through possible suspects looking for answers. Could it be Daisy’s detective husband or one of her high school students?

I found the town itself, and it’s Wicca culture an interesting draw to the tale.  The story got a bit convoluted at times for me, and that slowed it down a bit, but for the most part I enjoyed the interweaving of characters and the ultimate conclusion.
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This was my first Alice Blanchard mystery, and I will definitely try another.

Beverly
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Publisher - Minotaur Books
Date of Publication - December 3, 2019

Genre: Thriller

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Morgan’s life changed forever when her husband took his own life. Nicole’s life forever changed years before, when the child she was babysitting died while Nicole napped.  While they never met, their lives would forever be linked and changed again on a subway platform, when Nicole throws her baby into Morgan’s arms and says “Keep her safe. Love her for me, Morgan,” and then jumps in front of a moving train.

Morgan is in shock as people run to her and the baby. How did this woman even know her name? Things happen quickly from this point on, and I had trouble putting the book down. Woman on the Edge alternates chapters between Nicole before the incident and Morgan after the incident, and author Bailey does a good job building the characters of these two women.

Although I figured out who the “bad guy” was pretty quickly, there were several strong possibilities along the way that kept me guessing if I was correct until the very end. Both characters are being blamed for things  they had no control over and have difficulty moving on with their lives. Bailey gives us a window into the dark paths of mental illness, and while it was often uncomfortable for the reader, it did bring an important reality to the story.

Although some of the situations and their conclusions seemed a bit preposterous, Bailey did an excellent job capturing her audience with a thrilling first chapter and then holding our interest throughout. Hopefully. we will see many more books from this talented writer.

- Beverly


Publisher - Simon & Schuster
Date of Publication - November 26, 2019

​Genre: Mystery

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As an English teacher myself, The Last Teacher captured my interest. Mackenzie August, a former California homicide detective spent the last year as a youth Pastor. The fit was wrong, and he moved to Virginia with his infant son Kix. His job as an English teacher seemed to be a perfect way to ease into an easier lifestyle, until his colleagues' bodies began showing up dead in front of his classroom.

Working with the local police, Mack uses his experience to track down a killer. Although some of the scenes were hard to accept, for the most part this was a well written mystery with an intelligent and humorous protagonist. His dry wit reminded me of Rosenfelt’s Andy Carpenter, but Mack is “in your face brave” while Andy is realistically a bit of a coward.

I enjoyed Mack's relationship with his dad and Kix, and found his treatment of women refreshing. I generally stay away from any books with a religious theme, and this one does bring up religion, but author Lee doesn’t seem to foist it upon us, and it is somewhat necessary to the plot. The plot, which meanders along, kept my interest and made me want to read more of Alan Lee’s writing.

- Beverly


Publisher - Sparkle Press; 2 edition
Date of Publication - ​​​April 13, 2015

​​​​Genre: Legal Thriller

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John Dobbyn’s legal thrillers written in his unique literary style are always a treat to read.  His research is evident when attorneys Michael Knight and Lex Devlin tackle a new case, and I find the information shared in High Stakes particularly fascinating. Knight takes center stage in this novel as he searches for an authentic Stradivarius violin with a jaunt through the streets of Romania. This violin is believed to house the code for a secret treasure that was hidden during the fifteenth century by Vlad Dracula.

The descriptions of the streets and little violin shop in Romania made me feel like I was there, and the notes on the tyrannical Dracula felt historically accurate and were a highlight of the story. I even enjoyed reading about the violins themselves and began to have a greater appreciation of their worth.

Dobbyn’s main setting for this series is Boston, and he seems to have a handle on the various gangs that reside there. In High Stakes we are privy to the workings of the Russian, Romanian and Chinese gangs as Knight juggles all three in his quest for the violin...and his desire to remain alive.

With little stops in Bucharest, Istanbul and even the Carpathian Mountains, this book is sure to satisfy your wanderlust as well as your craving for a good thriller. 

- Beverly
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Publisher - Oceanview Publishing
Date of Publication - ​​October 2, 2019

​​​​Genre: Thriller

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?Linwood Barclay shows his mastery of the suspense tale in his newest novel, Elevator Pitch. Each chapter introduces a new tidbit to keep the reader guessing, and the plethora of characters were interesting enough to hold my attention throughout the story.

New York City is always an interesting setting for a novel, but she really takes the lead in this one. Being one of the few truly vertical cities in the United States, it is the perfect setting for a story about runaway elevators. The novel begins with four people plummeting to their death in a Manhattan office building. What seems like a terrible but random accident takes on a new life when more elevator accidents follow. Barclay allows us to get to know the victims before their accidents, which makes their deaths all the more tragic. We also get to know the detectives working on the case, the reporter following the case and the politicians who are involved every step of the way.

The mayor is put in a no win situation. If he takes a wait and see attitude and more elevators fall, how many deaths will be on his hands? On the other hand, if he decides to shut down every elevator in the city, how will the people survive? Commerce will come to a halt, people will be stuck in their apartments or exhaust themselves climbing up and down the stairs.

While none of the characters are major protagonists, Barclay has gotten his readers invested in many different lives as terrorism takes over the city. We even spend some time with the leader of a right wing group known as the Flyovers who is in town with his wife as they celebrate their anniversary. It is obvious that he is a terrorist, but not as clear is his possible involvement with the elevators.

Barclay has always been one of my favorite authors, and this book is a clear example as to why I anxiously await his newest novels each year.

- Beverly


​Publisher - William Morrow
Date of Publication - ​​September 17, 2019

​​​​Genre: Mystery

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Rosenfelt’s twentieth Andy Carpenter book, Dachshund Through the Snow, is filled with his eccentric characters, both human and canine. Andy’s wife, Laurie, believes that Christmas should be a three month holiday, and Andy knows better than to ever disagree with her, so way before the first holiday bell rings in Paterson, New Jersey, Laurie has a holiday mission for Andy.

When the local pet store hangs children’s wishes from their tree, rather than ornaments, Laurie picks a wish and is determined to see it through. The coat for Danny’s mom and the sweater for his dachshund are easy fixes, but when Danny asks for the safe return of his father, Laurie turns to Andy for help. It seems that his dad, Noah Traynor, is being accused of a murder that took place fourteen years ago.

The police seem to have caught a break, and after fourteen years they were able to match DNA found at the scene to Noah. Noah swears he is innocent, and Andy begins to believe him, so the team is assembled and they begin to follow the leads to find the actual killer.

Andy’s team has been unstoppable in this series, and this book is no exception. Andy’s relationship with each and every one of them is my favorite part of the series, and reading Rosenfelt's books is as comfortable as slippers and hot chocolate. I believe that Rosenfelt is introducing the beginnings of a new series in this book, as Laurie, investigator/bodyguard Marcus and retired policeman Corey (and his police dog Simon) tell Andy that they are starting their own investigative group called The K Team. Hopefully Andy will be an active part of any K Team book in the future.

For those dog lovers out there, have no fear, there are several new dogs introduced in Dachshund Through the Snow, and Andy makes sure that they are treated well throughout.

- Beverly

Publisher - Minotaur Books
Date of Publication - ​​​October 1, 2019

​​​​​Genre: Thriller

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Mara Garrett, an archaeologist who travels the world finding the remains of American soldiers, has spent months in a North Korean prison and is about to be executed after being found guilty of spying. She is rescued at the last minute by Curt Dominick, the U.S. Attorney who is prosecuting her uncle, a former Vice President, for obstructing justice. If the scenario sounds implausible, it is, but as in much of fiction, the reader needs to read without expectations of realism in order to enjoy Grant’s latest novel.

In Body of Evidence (Evidence Series Book 2) the protagonists are strong, intelligent and too beautiful, the action is too over the top in places and the sex scenes feel too contrived, but somehow everything comes together and keeps the reader on the edge of his/her seat for much of the book.

Dominick is known to be a “shark” with no personal life, and Mara Garrett is the niece of Andrew Stevens, the man Dominick believes is complicit in acts against our government. Dominick watches Mara bravely face a firing squad, and he seems lost in a pool of unfamiliar emotions. Her strength is obvious in most ways, but when it comes to Dominick, Mara acts like a silly teenager. 

Grant does a good job with her “bad guys,” making Mara’s former fiancé, Evan Beck, as despicable as he needs to be and has the reader wondering how Mara ever agreed to marry him. Her loyalty to the men in her life is evident, especially when it comes to her uncle Andrew, but showing loyalty in the face of Evan’s abusive and domineering treatment of her was difficult to swallow.

The storyline of Body of Evidence  was an exciting one with very few boring moments as I turned the pages, so if one can suspend reality and just buy into the relationship if the protagonists, this is a fun book to get lost in on a cold winter day.

- Beverly


Publisher - Janus Publishing
Date of Publication - ​​​​August 2, 2013

​​​​Genre: Legal Thriller

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I am a fan of Gimenez and his protagonist, Scott Fenney, so I was excited to find a book I hadn’t read featuring Fenney. In Accused, Attorney Fenney is contacted by his ex-wife Rebecca, who is being accused of murdering her current boyfriend. Since he was the one she left Scott for, taking her case is not a simple decision.

Trey Rawlins, a rising star on the pro golf tour, lived with Rebecca in a ultimate-million dollar home on the beach in Galveston, Texas. When Rebecca called the police to their home in the middle of the night, she was covered in Trey’s blood and her fingerprints were on the knife that killed him. She swears she is in innocent, and Scott agrees to bring his crew to Galveston to defend her.

The story is well written, but I found his description of all of the women in the novel disturbing. Aside from his daughters, the housekeeper and his law partner, there were few redeeming qualities in any of the female characters. They were all unfaithful, interested in money and fame above everything else and lied continually to get what they wanted.

He also made the pro golf tour seem populated with over-sexed men with questionable morals and more vices than the NFL and NBA put together. I had trouble empathizing with any of the characters other than Scott’s immediate family and co-workers and the D.A. who seemed almost too good to be true.

Scott never gave up in his defense of his ex-wife, and the reader gets to experience the seedier side of Galveston as more “bad guys” enter the scene. It was difficult to figure out who “done it” although I had my suspicions throughout. If you can get past the women bashing, this is a fun book to read.

- Beverly


Publisher - Navarchus Press
Date of Publication - ​​​October 1, 2011