In Ice Cold by Tess Gerritsen, an unhappy woman makes an impulsive decision that leads to tragedy. Stranded, cold and in danger, she has plenty of time to contemplate the choices that lead her here. Pretty standard stuff, really, as far as mysteries go. Luckily, Ice Cold has a handful of plot twists that keep the story moving along. Good… Read more
The premise behind The Dark End of the Street is simple: When we proposed this book to writers from both banks of the stream dividing crime writing and literary writing, we thought we had a particularly alluring idea. Write your heart out on the twin subjects of sex and crime. Define each however you want, take any approach you like.… Read more
There’s a heatwave in Oslo. Anyone who can’t get out of the city is sweltering in the heat. There are lines at the open-air pool, the city streets are deserted…and there is a killer on the loose. Police investigations are apparently much the same the world over, as I didn’t find a lot of procedural confusion in Jo Nesbo’s The… Read more
Alone by Loren D. Estleman is a marvelous mystery about the movies. Film archivist Valentino (no first name necessary with a last name like that) specializes in hunting for lost classics and convincing their owners to donate them to the UCLA film school. He doesn’t mean to keep getting mixed up in murders, but with this cast of crazy characters,… Read more
9 Dragons by Michael Connelly is the latest installment in a series of novels focusing on Detective Hieronymus “Harry” Bosch of the LAPD. There’s a shooting that may involve a Hong Kong triad, a reluctant partner, a detective from the Asian Gang Unit that Harry’s not sure he can trust. That’s just a typical day for a fictional detective, until… Read more
The Brutal Telling is a first-rate detective novel. The mystery is complex and well-plotted, while the beautiful Canadian scenery and charming characters breathe life into the story. It is a look into the very darkest corners of the human heart, a reminder that we never truly know what another person is capable of, or what secrets they may keep. The… Read more
This is the book Spenser fans have been waiting for – it’s certainly the one I’ve been waiting for. I have all of Robert B. Parker’s Spenser novels in my library. In some cases, I have them in hardcover, paperback and audio versions (yeah, I can be a bit obsessive). In all those novels, Spenser has talked very little about… Read more
I am working my way through the Elvis Cole novels by Robert Crais. I’m not reading them in any particular order – however they happen to turn up at the library or the bookstore is fine with me. I am glad, though, to have read this one fairly early on. It gives a fascinating look at Elvis’ family history and… Read more
I have long been a fan of John Sanford’s “Prey” series, featuring Lucas Davenport of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. In this book, Sanford focuses on a different member of the BCA, Virgil Flowers, with the same excellent results. Virgil arrives in the tiny town of Bluestem in a rush of rain and fire – he’s speeding through a… Read more
I have been reading Spenser novels for a long time – a very long time. It’s gotten to the point that not a lot of people remember the old Spenser: For Hire tv series with Robert Urich and Avery Brooks. (When I read a Spenser novel, I still hear Brooks’ voice whenever Hawk speaks.) On the whole, I have been… Read more