I finished one book this week and have, thence, started one more. I'll update that and also continue with my 8th entry in my look at the American PI sub-genre of the Mystery genre.
Just Finished
"I've previously read The Butcher Boy by author Thomas Perry. This is from a series about a Las Vegas hitman and it was quite good. Shadow Woman is the third book in his series featuring Jayne Whitefield, a shadow woman who helps people escape from life-threatening predicaments.
In this story, Jayne is in Los Vegas helping Pete Hatcher escape from a group of men who own a Las Vegas casino. This is to be Jayne's last case as she is marrying a doctor in her home town near Buffalo NY and has promised to give up this business when she marries.
Life isn't as simple as that for Jayne as the 3 men want their Security chief, Seaver, to find and get rid of Hatcher as they feel he is a threat to their crooked business dealings. Seaver hires Earl and Linda, detectives and also professional destroyers. Once assigned they don't stop until the job is done. An unsuccessful attempt brings Jayne back into the case and she must once again try to save Hatcher's life.
It's a tense, action-filled story that wanders from Las Vegas to Buffalo to Montana. Earl and Linda are deadly and somewhat psychotic. Jayne must use all of her skills to save Hatcher and also to keep her new husband alive. Interesting, well-paced story with an excellent, strong woman lead. Most enjoyable. (3.5 stars)"
Currently Reading
"When Gregory Matthews, patriarch of the Poplars is found dead one morning, imperious Aunt Harriet blames it on the roast duck he ate for supper. After all, she had warned him about his blood pressure. But a post-mortem determines the cause of death as murder by poison. Suspicion falls immediately amongst his bitter, quarrelsome family. Each has a motive; each, opportunity.
It falls to the quietly resourceful Inspector Hannasyde to sift through all the secrets and lies and discover just who killed Gregory Matthews. He faces the deadliest test of his career when members of the wealthy Matthews clan begin to die, one by one. With motives everywhere, it is no easy case for the inspector to solve in time to spare the next victim. Meet the Matthews -- while they last... Gregory, Harriet, Gertrude, Zoe, Guy, Stella and Randall."
My Ongoing Look at the Mystery Genre - American PI's Part 8
In my last entry, I looked at Loren D. Estleman / Pete Macklin and Janet Evanovich / Stephanie Plum. Moving on to the 'G' authors next. (I don't have any 'F' authors in this category on my bookshelves.
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| Meg Gardiner |
"China Lake by Meg Gardiner, the first book in the Evan Delaney series was definitely a thriller. Right from the get-go, the action started and it didn't let up until a fiery, explosive ending. Evan Delaney is a lawyer in Santa Barbara, California. At a funeral for the mother of a dear friend, the funeral party is heckled by a group of protestors from the Church of the Remnant. A confrontation ensues and actions continue from then on.
One of the members of the church is the ex-wife of Evan's brother, Brian, who is a Navy fighter pilot. Evan has been taking care of their six-year old son, Luke, since Tabitha abandoned him and while Brian was at sea. Another confrontation, at the Church of the Remnant leaves a man dead, who it turns out has rabies.
Tabitha wants to get her son back, Evan goes to the Navy air base at China Lake to get Brian's help. There is more violence and death and it turns out that the Remnant has a plan to bring about an Apocalypse. Does it sound confusing? Well, yes it is, and somewhat far-fetched, but the tension and action are ratcheted tight and you find yourself reading and reading to see how Evan and her brother, oh, and also Evan's boyfriend, Jesse, will solve it and save each other and Tabitha and Luke... Whew!!! Confusing at times and convoluted, but an entertaining, scary, exciting read.... (3 stars)"
"Evan Delaney has come to terms with the hit-and-run crash that left her boyfriend, Jesse Blackburn, in a wheelchair and killed his best friend. But when she hears that the driver, Franklin Brand, is back in Santa Barbara, she is determined to help Jesse bring him to book for his crime.
Brand was a golden boy at Mako Technologies, a heavyweight cyber-security firm. That's where Evan starts looking, and as she digs deeper, she finds evidence of theft and extortion. Then witnesses to the hit-and-run start dying. It seems that powerful interests are determined to stop Jesse and Evan - once and for all."
"When a woman’s body washes up on the shore of California’s Jericho Point, she’s identified as Evan Delaney. Except that Evan is very much alive—apparently the victim of an identity thief who’d been scamming Hollywood elite. The thief may be dead, but the crimes she was murdered for—committed in Evan’s name—are turning Evan’s life into a nightmare. Now it’s all Evan can do to survive in the shadow of a dead woman’s lies."
d. Crosscut (#4 / 2005).
"When Evan Delaney's father disappears, the cops think he's fled the country to avoid prosecution. But Evan is sure he's been abducted or killed for reasons associated with his work for Naval Intelligence. As Evan hunts for clues, she's attacked by an armed man. The attacker ends up dead—and turns out to be a federal agent. Now Evan is on the run, implicated in his murder. And then she's contacted by a sinister duo—a madam and gigolo mother-and-son team who claim her father was mixed up in their very dirty business. Can Evan save her father's reputation—and his life?"
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| Sue Grafton |
"I think S is for Silence by Sue Grafton was a bit of a return to form for Grafton. While I enjoyed the previous three books; P, Q and R, I just thought they were ok. S was so much better.
The story is a cold case. Kinsey is hired by Daisy Sullivan to find her mother, Violet, who disappeared when Daisy was a child, 35 years previously. Kinsey doesn't want to take the case as she feels it's a waste of her time and Daisy's money. But Daisy is persuasive and gets Kinsey to accept the job for 5 days. Thus begins her investigation into Violet's life and the possible reasons she disappeared, or was she murdered? The story is presented in an interesting style; alternating between present day, where Kinsey interviews people who still live in the area and who knew Violet, and then presenting the final days of Violet's life in Serena Station.
There was so much to enjoy about this latest Kinsey case. It builds nicely, the plot is interesting, the characters are interesting and there is a tension that slowly develops as Kinsey seems to be getting close to a solution. I enjoyed S very much and hope the next, T is for Trespass is as good. (4 stars)"
"Before letting someone into your house and granting access to the intimate details of your life, it's a good idea to run a background check. But as Kinsey Millhone is about to discover, a clean record means nothing if it belongs to a stolen identity. And the consequences can be deadly..."
"In 1960s Santa Teresa, California, a child is kidnapped and never returned...When the case is reopened after twenty years, a man - Michael Sutton - contacts private detective Kinsey Millhone for help. He claims to have recalled a strange and disturbing memory which just might provide the key to the mystery. He may have stumbled across the kidnappers burying Mary Claire Fitzhugh's body...But Michael's account is indistinct - he was only six years old at the time of the kidnapping; and even members of his family try to discredit his evidence. But Kinsey is certain there is something vital within Michael's recollections. And even when what is eventually unearthed isn't what anyone expected, she can't quite let go of the case. As Kinsey gradually brings to light the stories of the protagonists involved in the tragedy, from Country Club parents to their free-living, hippy children, the truth finally begins to emerge. And while stepping back into the past, Kinsey discovers more about her own history too..."
The complete list of the series is available here.
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| Anna Katherine Green |
"The Leavenworth Case by Anna Katharine Green was originally published in 1878 and was considered to be one of the first full length detective novels. I had first heard of it from a friend in one of my book groups and decided to try and find a copy. Luckily I was successful.
The story involves the murder of a rich New York merchant in his home. Suspects include two nieces who live with him; one, Mary Leavenworth, his heiress, the other Eleanore, who is due to inherit nothing. We do later discover that Horatio Leavenworth was changing his will due to differences of opinion with his favored niece.
The case is investigated by Everett Raymond, the family lawyer and also the narrator, police detective Mr. Gryce and his assistant, Q. In some ways, the story makes Gryce a sort of precursor to Nero Wolfe. Like Wolfe, Gryce spends most of the story confined to his quarters, while he uses Raymond and Q to investigate for him.
The story was very interesting, well written and a methodical investigation of the crime. Of suspects, there are a few, not only the two cousins, but Mary's fiancé and also Horatio Leavenworth's assistant. Each investigator has their own favored suspect and this does at times influence their investigations. Clues begin to pop up and lead them in new directions.
All in all I found the story, for the time frame in which it was written, an engaging, interesting mystery. It was sometimes a bit overwrought emotionally but it never really took away from the story. I'm glad I read it; it reminded me of other favorite detective stories; Sherlock Holmes for example and others. Well worth finding and trying. (3.5 stars)"
These are the remaining books in the series. I hope I can find them
- A Strange Disappearance (1880)
- The Sword of Damocles (1881)
- Hand and Ring (1883)
- Behind Close Doors (1888)
- A Matter of Millions (1891)
- The Doctor, His Wife and the Clock (1895)
- That Affair Next Door (1897)
- Lost Man's Lane (1898)
- The Circular Study (1900)
- One of My Sons (1901)
- Initials Only (1911)
- The Mystery of the Hasty Arrow (1917)
So there you go, a few books for you to check out. Enjoy your weekend!
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