I finished one book this morning, my 5th of August. I'll provide my review for you as well as the synopsis of the next book I'm starting. I'll also continue with my look at my favorite authors. For anybody coming into the Favorite Author thread for the first time, my rationale for the list can be found at my first post on the topic. Go to this link if you're interested. And, on that note, away we go.
Just Finished
1. The Woman Who Married A Bear by John Straley (Cecil Younger #1).
"The Woman Who Married A Bear is the first Cecil Younger mystery by John Straley. It's an excellent introduction to this series. Cecil Younger is a Private Eye working out of Sitka Alaska. He is a bit of a drunk, shares his accommodations with Toby, a man he feels a responsibility towards. Younger is hired by Mrs. Victor, an elderly woman residing in an old folks home in Sitka. 5 years before he son was murdered at Prophet Cove. A man is in prison for the murder but she wants the whole story. She believes there is more to the murder than the police discovered.
Younger starts his investigation on a sour note as an attempt is made to murder him but instead Todd is the victim of the assassination attempt. As Todd fights for his life in hospital, Younger begins a journey that will take him to around Alaska as he tries interview everyone involved in the event and tries to sort out the case and discover a solution that will satisfy Mrs. Victor. There will be threats to his life, someone is trying to get him to stop his investigation.
The story is well - paced and Younger is an interesting character, dealing with issues from his past, with his father, the Judge and also his ex-girlfriend, Hannah. There are so many excellent characters that also people this story, from suspects to people that Younger meets on his journey. We see details from Younger's past that also flesh out his character. All in all, it's a well-crafted story, well-paces and descriptive. It draws you in and you will enjoy the journey with Cecil until a very satisfying ending (5 stars)"
Currently Reading
"American Iraq War veteran Ellie Cooper is living in Beijing when a chance encounter with a Uighur—a member of a Chinese Muslim minority—at the home of her sort-of boyfriend Lao Zhang turns her life upside down. Lao Zhang disappears, and suddenly multiple security organizations are hounding Ellie for information. They say the Uighur is a terrorist. Ellie doesn’t know what’s going on, but she must decide whom to trust among the artists, dealers, collectors, and operatives claiming to be on her side—in particular, a mysterious organization operating within a popular online role-playing game. As she tries to elude her pursuers, she’s haunted by memories of Iraq. Is what she did and saw there at the root of the mess she’s in now?"
Favorite Authors - Jan Burke
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| Jan Burke |
Jan Burke's writing career basically ran from 1993 - 2011 and most of her mysteries are set in southern California and for the most part feature her erstwhile crime reporter / detective Irene Kelly and often as well, Kelly's boyfriend / husband, police detective Frank Harriman. The stories are all gritty and excellent. I've read seven of her novels thus far.
"Killer Nick Parrish says he'll lead authorities to the body of Judith Sayre--they will not demand the death sentence for his heinous crimes. But the criminal has no intention of spending his life behind bars--and he plans some deadly surprises." (4 stars)
"Goodnight, Irene is the debut novel in an exciting new mystery series featuring Irene Kelly - reporter, intrepid amateur sleuth, and woman of today - who tracks a murderer obsessed with keeping the past from interfering with the future. In Las Piernas, California, a beach community off the coast of Los Angeles, veteran reporter O'Connor is blown to bits by a bomb; his son is buried alive in the sand; and his best friend and former colleague, Irene Kelly, is nearly killed when a stream of bullets whizzes through the window of her home.
Unwilling to be the next victim in a frightening series of events, and determined to discover who murdered O'Connor, Irene takes it upon herself to track down the killer. She begins investigating by digging through O'Connor's files and deciphering his highly secretive, coded notes. Irene soon discovers that her friend was on the verge of solving a thirty-five-year-old mystery involving a pregnant woman who was brutally murdered and mutilated beyond recognition. And, this old murder mystery is somehow connected with a current political cover-up concocted by a group of local politicians involved in a greedy - and deadly - money-laundering scheme.
Irene follows a lead that takes her from her California beach community to a desert Arizona town and back, determined to find out who silenced O'Connor before he could reveal the connection between the old murder mystery and the current money-laundering scheme. Ignoring deadly threats, Irene expertly gathers clues, and narrows down a long list of unlikely suspects. There's a money-hungry-politician with more to lose than the local race if the truth is revealed; a high society babe who will do anything to protect her "impeccable" reputation; a manipulative gigolo whose bedside secrets prove lethal; a high-ranking bank official who conveniently disappears when Irene starts nosing around; and many other memorable characters, all of whom had a personal motive for wanting O'Connor dead. " (3 stars)
"It's been a few years since I delved into Jan Burke's Irene Kelly mysteries. Bloodlines, published in 2005 is the 9th book in the series and I think I can safely say it is Burke's Magnum Opus of the series.
The story covers decades, running from the 1950's to Irene Kelly's present life. It covers a variety of reporters at Las Piernas' Express newspaper, all reporting on an old story, a wealthy purportedly family lost at sea and a baby (same family) kidnapped and her nanny murdered. As well, local reporter, Jack Corrigan is brutally attacked and left for dead in a farmer's field, thinking that he has seen a car buried on the property.
We run through Jack Corrigan, his protégé Conn O'Connor and then are introduced to new reporter, Irene Kelly. It's a long drawn out story with a cast of characters, all interesting and unique. I did find it difficult at times keeping track of the varied family and social relationships so it might be worthwhile, if you read this to maybe make a couple of family trees. :0)
Conn O'Connor is a paper boy as the story is introduced and idolizes reporter Jack Corrigan and his reporting friend / partner Helen Swan. Corrigan takes Conn under his wing and helps him become a reporter as well. Corrigan is a fighter and his often times opponent are the Yeager family, booze smugglers, criminals, violent when the need to be. They are the focus of the disappearances but nothing can be proven until many years later; no bodies, no witnesses, etc.
The story is tracked over the decades and the flame is passed from reporter to reporter. We meet Irene Kelly in the middle chapters as she has moved from Bakersfield back to Las Piernas for a variety of reasons; to care for her ailing father, to try her hand at working at the newspaper and to escape from a relationship.
It's a very complex story and too difficult to describe in a few words. Suffice it to say that the mystery is fascinating the research conducted by the various reporters is well-crafted. There is sufficient action and intrigue to keep you turning the pages and the development of the various characters is excellent. The ending is somewhat pat but still filled with tension and action. All in all an enjoyable history and mystery and introduction to Irene's past. Read the earlier stories first to prepare for this one but you will enjoy. (3.5 stars)"
"Hot off the publication of "Bones," the winner of the Edgar Award for Best Novel, Jan Burke explodes onto the suspense scene with "Flight," featuring the hard-edged Detective Frank Harriman, husband of Jan's beloved series heroine Irene Kelly. A family is found murdered. In a cruel twist, one of the Las Piernas Police Department's own, Philip Lefebvre, is suspected of killing the only witness. When that detective disappears, a crime boss goes free. And the LPPD is forever changed.
Called in to investigate the wreckage of the missing detective's plane, Frank Harriman is given a set of cold cases that have suddenly become white hot. Detective Harriman's conviction that the LPPD tagged the wrong murder suspect is wildly unpopular. Alone, his instincts and integrity questioned at every turn, Harriman must stop the killer before hundreds of lives, including Harriman's own, are lost." (4 stars)
But Irene's biggest shock is yet to come - as she uncovers her husband's history, and learns of a horrific crime committed a decade earlier. As seconds slip away, Irene willingly steps into a trap set by two madmen with a score to settle. And when she does, someone is going to pay for the sins of the past." (4 stars)
The charge takes a fatal turn when a local woman is brutally murdered, and the grisly crime scene bears unholy implications. Tracking the clues takes Irene behind the closed doors of an isolated home for troubled youths, where obscuring the truth is only part of a stranger's diabolic game. To win it, Irene will have the devil to pay." (3 stars)
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