I've been working on my 2020 Challenge list and I've been putting aside my reading to get that ready. It's meant reviewing all of the 'to be read' books on my bookshelves (and there are quite a few of them and trying to organize them into my various challenges. I'll get into those the closer I get to the end of 2019. I think I'll like them though and hopefully it'll mean finishing off a few of my ongoing series.. But that's enough of a clue. LOL!
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| Marie Yovanovitch |
Anyway, there you go, some reasons that I haven't completed but two books so far. I'm about to finish a couple more and I plan to do some heavy duty reading this weekend!
So what to talk about today? Well, I've received a couple of new books this past week. So I'll update those for you and also continue with my ongoing look at the Mystery genre - American Cops.
New Books
"It’s a sweltering summer in Sweden and Chief Inspector Van Veeteren is long overdue for a holiday when a secretive and dubious religious sect comes under investigation. One of its members, a girl on the cusp of adolescence, is found dead in the forest near their holiday camp, brutally raped and strangled; the discovery of her body has been phoned in by an anonymous caller.
The members of the sect, the Pure Life, are led by Oscar Yellinek, a charismatic but unnervingly guarded messiah figure. In an act that mystifies and infuriates Van Veeteren and his associates, the members of the Pure Life choose to remain silent about the incident rather than defend themselves. But an unidentified woman is continuing to assist the authorities, and her knowledge suggests she’s more than just a passing Good Samaritan. Her tips become doubly perplexing as a new string of increasingly horrifying crimes defy everything Van Veeteren and his team thought they knew about the case."
"Darrow would have lived in peace, but his enemies brought him war. The Gold overlords demanded his obedience, hanged his wife, and enslaved his people. But Darrow is determined to fight back. Risking everything to transform himself and breach Gold society, Darrow has battled to survive the cutthroat rivalries that breed Society’s mightiest warriors, climbed the ranks, and waited patiently to unleash the revolution that will tear the hierarchy apart from within.
Finally, the time has come.
But devotion to honor and hunger for vengeance run deep on both sides. Darrow and his comrades-in-arms face powerful enemies without scruple or mercy. Among them are some Darrow once considered friends. To win, Darrow will need to inspire those shackled in darkness to break their chains, unmake the world their cruel masters have built, and claim a destiny too long denied—and too glorious to surrender"
"Jack Taylor, a disgraced ex-cop in Galway, has slid further down the slope of despair. After a year in London he returns to his home town of Galway with a leather coat and a coke habit. Someone is systematically slaughtering young travelers and dumping their bodies in the city centre. Even in the state he's in, Jack Taylor has an uncanny ability to know where to look, what questions to ask, and with the aid of an English policeman, apparently solves the case."
"January 1888. Vera Arti carries The Communist Manifesto in Armenian through Istanbul's streets, unaware of the men following her. The police discover a shipload of guns, and the Imperial Ottoman Bank is blown up. Suspicion falls on a socialist commune that Arti's friends organized in the eastern mountains. Investigating, Special Prosecutor Kamil Pasha encounters a ruthless adversary in the secret police who has convinced the Sultan that the commune is leading an Armenian secessionist movement and should be destroyed, along with the surrounding villages. Kamil must stop the massacre, but he finds himself on the wrong side of the law, framed for murder and accused of treason, his family and the woman he loves threatened."
My Ongoing Look at the Mystery Genre - American Cops
In my last entry I looked at Archer Mayor's Joe Gunther series.
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| Ed McBain |
"Cop Hater is the first 87th Precinct mystery by Ed McBain. I'd only recently really started to get interested in McBain's stories (this one was initially published 1956) and I finally found a copy of the 1st book, this past month. It was with anticipation that I started to read it a week ago.
What a great, entertaining story! It's a simple story that reminds me of the best cop TV shows; Law and Order, Dragnet. A police detective is murdered by being shot in the back. It starts a major investigation by the detectives of his precinct, the 87th Precinct. The story is methodical, there are nice explanations of forensic techniques and other police procedures and you get into the lives of the police detectives taking a major role in the particular investigation.
For a relatively simple, short story, a great deal happens and lots of excellent, interesting detail is provided.
I enjoyed everything about this initial 87th Precinct story and I have #2, The Mugger, teed up for my follow-on read. Even though it might not be profound or offer deep philosophical ideas, it presents an excellent look at how the police act in an investigation and is told in a tidy, entertaining way and was totally enjoyable. (5 stars)"
"The Mugger is the 2nd book in the 87th Precinct series by American writer, Ed McBain. I've now read the first two of the series in pretty quick succession and I'm kind of hooked. The premise is simple; the cops of the 87th Precinct try to solve cases in their area.
The scenario for the 2nd book is a series of muggings in the precinct, with the latest involving the death of the female victim. At the same time, uniformed officer Bert Kling is asked by a childhood friend to try and get his sister-in-law to tell what she is up to and to advise her to be careful. She is the latest victim of the mugger.
The book is a police procedural in its truest form. So far, different cops have been involved in working the case. The main cop from book 1 is, in fact, on his honeymoon. You have Kling trying to solve the murder, working mostly during his off-time, and also trying to develop a relationship with a witness he has questioned. You also have Havilland and Willis from the first book following their own channels of investigation and also woman constable, Eileen Burke, walking the streets at night trying to lure out the mugger.
The book moves nicely between the various police investigators, even touching neatly with the forensic investigation. It's an enjoyable read and a very entertaining story. The Pusher is the 3rd book. I'll have to get a copy."
"First published in 1956, The Pusher is the 3rd book in Ed McBain's 87th Precinct police procedural series. I find it hard to believe, myself, that I rated this book 5 stars, but for its small size, it packs a great punch.
The 87th Precinct is set in a fictional US city and features the cops and detectives of the 87th Precinct. In this edition, they and the city they protect are preparing for Xmas. The story starts with Detective Steve Carella and his partner, newly promoted Detective King called out to a seeming suicide. The body belongs to a young Puerto Rican addict who is found dead with a rope around his neck. To Carella, it seems to pat and he suspects that the boy has been murdered.
This begins a fascinating case involving drug dealing, an addicted Police Lt.'s son who may be involved in the murders, possible black-mailing and other murders. The story moves along at a nice pace, mainly following Carella's investigation but also covering his boss, Lt Byrnes as he must deal with issues surrounding his son.
It's more than just an investigation, although having said that, there are interesting pieces of forensic work and excellent interrogations that are realistic and well-crafted. But you also get into the personal lives of the detectives; Carella's relationship with is lovely wife Teddy and Byrnes' troubled but powerful relationship with his wife and son. Even minor characters such as Carella's informant Danny Gimp are turned into real people. I loved the dedication of the police. I loved how McBain took time to present the city and the people who lived there.
The story ended emotionally for me. The story was only 158 pages but it grabbed me from the very beginning and held me engrossed from beginning to end. I've now read the first 3 books in the series and each and everyone has been excellent. (5 stars)"
"The Con Man: a trickster taking money from an old woman for his own private charity, a cheater fleecing businessmen out of thousands of dollars, and a lady-killer. If the boys of the 87th Precinct know every trick he plays, then why are the bodies still washing up on shore?"
"A homicide in the 87th Precinct wasn't exactly front-page news. But two murders made headlines. Both added up to big trouble. Pretty redhead Annie Boone lay face-down on a liquor store floor, surrounded by broken bottles and riddled with bullets. The boys of the 87th didn't have a suspect without an iron-tight alibi."
So there you go, the first five books in this series. The first three were excellent, nice, short but completely entertaining and complete. I highly recommend. The complete series plus background information can be found at this link.
Have a great weekend and like me, settle down with a good book or two.
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