Well, I've finished two books in May so far and have started two replacements. I'll update that and also continue with my look at American PI's.
Just Finished
"Ten Big Ones is the 10th book in the Stephanie Plum mystery series by Janet Evanovich. Stephanie is a somewhat clumsy bounty hunter who works out of New Jersey for her cousin, Vincent Plum, a local bail bonds man. Her often assistant is Lula, an ex-prostitute who adds humor, as if there isn't enough already, to the stories. Stephanie is torn between two 'lovers', local cop Joe Morelli and fellow bounty hunter, Ranger, both of them hunks. Throw into the mix, Stephanie's wonderful family and you've got a recipe for fun and action.
In her latest adventure, Stephanie, in the course of trying to catch up to folks who are not meeting bond requirements, falls astray of a local gang and her life is threatened. In fact the gang purportedly has hired a West Coast hitman, the Junkman, to have Stephanie bumped off. Stephanie moves out of Morelli's house and hides out in one of Ranger's hideaways to ensure nobody in her family is put at risk.
All the while, stubborn as she is, Steph still takes Lula out with her on her bounty hunter duties, leaving a trail of burned out cars behind her as people take pot shots and other things at the terrible twosome. She also is involved in planning sister Valerie's wedding and escorting Grandma to funerals and letting her accompany her on her duties. As well, she is still torn between the two men in her life, desiring both but unable to sort out her priorities.. Oh, don't forget Sally, transvestite rock singer / school bus driver / wedding planner.
So it's more of the same and there is sufficient action and humor to keep you satisfied. A bit more of the sexiness from previous stories might have been appreciated but there is still enough to tease you along. Fun and games and chuckles. (3.5 stars)"
"Savage Run by C.J. Box is the 2nd book in the Joe Pickett and my first exposure to Wyoming Game Warden Joe Pickett. I have to say I enjoyed very much, action, intrigue and a neat character, maybe a cross between Park Ranger Anna Pigeon and Sheriff Longmire... or maybe not.
I imagine I should have read the first book in the series first but it didn't seem to be all that critical as I was introduced nicely to both Joe and his family, Marybeth and their three daughters. This story starts with what seems to be an implausible bang, an environmental radical and his wife blown up when a cow explodes in front of them. But ultimately this won't seem so implausible and everything will make sense.
A mysterious person(s) has hired a pair of killers to get rid of a select group of environmentalists, with Stewie Woods the first. The main leader of the pair is an implacable killer, the other has doubts. Joe is involved only peripherally at first, assisting the local sheriff in investigating the explosion. The sheriff takes over and Joe is more involved trying to prove a local landowner, a nasty individual if I've ever seen one, killed an elk out of season, just for the head and antlers, and leaving the meat to rot.. This landowner is powerful and seems to have many connections.
The story moves between the killers as they take after the names on their list and Joe and Marybeth. It turns out that Marybeth knew Stewie from her past and she seems to be getting phone calls from someone pretending to be Stewie.
So there you have the gist of this entertaining story. Joe and the killers are drawn inexorably together as we near the climax and exciting finish. I guess it's a simple story in its own right but it was fun to read and to get to know Joe and his family somewhat. I will continue with the series. (4 stars)"
Just Started
"Allyson Brown, the Girl Gatsby, is a woman of wealth, hostess of fabled parties, patron of the arts--especially of poets. Found floating in her own swimming pool, shot to death.
Poet and fledgling detective Talba Wallis gets an urgent call from the sister she barely knows: Janessa. To Girl Gatsby Janessa is close friend. But this call isn't an invitation to an elegant literary salon. Janessa wants off the hook as the principal murder suspect.
Investigating, Talba and her irascible boss, Eddie, find the reality behind the Gatsby glamour. Allyson was widely hated, a con artist who neglected her children, failed to pay her bills, and lied to everyone she wanted something from. The one person she loved may have ushered her to her death.
The case takes Talba and Eddie from literary parties to Gulf Coast bait shops, from biker bars to abandoned wharves, and finally, to the story of another Gatsby, which may yield answers, or greater mysteries."
"Edgler Vess is a sociopath intent on murder. He lives for one purpose only: to satisfy all appetites as they arise, seeking ever more outrageous experience. To live with intensity.
When he attacks her friend, Laura, Chyna Shepherd is saved by the instincts developed during a dark and turbulent childhood. Not knowing Laura is already dead, Chyna follows, hoping to save her friend, as Vess carries her body to his motor home - a dungeon and morgue on wheels. The killer, unaware of her presence, drives away. But Chyna is now trapped in his dangerous orbit.
Her sole aim is to get out alive, but when she learns the identity of the killer's next intended victim, she knows she must act to save that precious life - and take risks beyond any that she ever imagined she could endure."
Next book I should finish will be Cross Bones by Kathy Reichs, one of the better Temperance Brennan forensic mysteries I've read so far.
My Ongoing Look At The Mystery Genre - American PI's #1.
In my last entry I highlighted two female PI's created by Julie Smith, Rebecca Schwarz (San Francisco) and Talba Wallis (New Orleans). I'll take a look at another female PI in this entry. I've enjoyed one of this series set in Alaska.
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| Dana Stabenow |
"A Cold Day for Murder is the first Kate Shugak mystery by Dana Stabenow. Kate was the lead investigator for the Anchorage ADA, Jack Morgan. Something happened on one of her cases which lead her to quit and move back nearer home in The Park. She lives alone with her dog (wolf) Mutt. Kate is an Aleut.
Jack and an FBI agent show up to ask her help in finding a missing Ranger and the current ADA investigator. The Ranger disappeared 6 weeks ago and his father is a US Senator who has pressured the FBI to become involved. Morgan had sent Ken Dahl to search for the young man and he also had disappeared two weeks ago. Morgan wants Kate to take up the search. (Morgan and Kate had previously had a relationship, it seems)
Taking on the assignment means Kate returns to her home town, Niniltna to find their trail. This means making contact with her grandmother Ekaterina (Emaa), who rules the roost and is a leading member of the Aleut community in Alaska. There is considerable friction between the two.
The story is a quick read, with action right from the get-go. We meet a great many interesting people, from her Uncle Abel, Bennie owner of the Road House and Bobby, the legless Vietnam Vet who provides weather reports and short wave radio communications for the community to the world at large.
There are many suspect, including family members of Kate and the story moves along nicely. We get an excellent feel for The Park and being winter, you can almost feel the cold. It's very much a Wild West (or maybe North is more appropriate) and a fascinating place. For a first story, it's an excellent intro to Kate. I hope we find out more about her past in future stories. (4 stars)"
"On her homestead in the middle of twenty million acres of national Park, Aleut P.I. Kate Shugak is caught up in spring cleaning, unaware that just miles away a man's sanity is breaking. When the sound of gunfire finally dies away, nine of his neighbors lie dead in the snow. But did he kill all nine, or only eight? The ninth victim was killed with a different weapon. It's up to Kate and her husky-wolf sidekick Mutt to untangle the life of the dead blonde with the tarnished past and find her killer. It won't be easy; every second Park rat had a motive. Was it one of her many spurned lovers? Was a wife looking for revenge? Or did a deal with an ivory smuggler go bad? Even Trooper Jim Chopin, the Park's resident state trooper, had a history with the victim. Kate will need every ounce of determination to find the truth before Alaska metes out its own justice...."
"Two crewmen of the crab vessel Avilda are missing—presumed dead—under very suspicious circumstances. The Bering Sea offers ample means and opportunity, but without bodies, a motive, or evidence of foul play, the DA doesn’t have a case. And so, freelancing again for her former employer, Kate Shugak finds herself working undercover in one of Alaska’s most dangerous professions: crab fisherman. It’s an assignment that will take her from the debauchery of Dutch Harbor to the most isolated of the Aleutians, and if the job itself doesn’t kill her, her unsavory crew mates just might."
"Work hard, play hard. That's the credo on the oilfields of Alaska's North Slope, where harsh conditions and long, isolated shifts make for some of the best-paid jobs in the state. Management typically turns a blind eye to off-hours drinking and gambling, but a spate of drug-related deaths means it's time for Royal Petroleum to get its house in order. Working on behalf of the Anchorage DA, Kate Shugak is brought in undercover to identify the dealer and shut down the flow of cocaine. Of course, the dealer might have some very different ideas."
The remaining books in the series are located here.
Two more series to go in my look at American PI's. Enjoy the rest of your week. Happy Hump Day!
