I’ve been reading Nelson deMille books for a long time – I first met Detective John Corey last century (!) when I read and enjoyed Plum Island (1997). And I have often enjoyed a bit of wisecracking from my protagonists (think RBP’s Spenser). I REALLY enjoyed Plum Island and Lion’s Game – and Nightfall? Wow, …
I admit it. I’m a sucker for true crime stories, and serial killers are part of that. I’d never heard of Tony Costa, but after reading a bit about Helltown, subtitle the untold story of a serial killer of Cape Cod, I was ready to read. Fortunately, Sourcebooks and NetGalley were willing to provide a …
If asked whether I was a fan of John Grisham, my best answer would be “sometimes.” I have loved some of his stuff (esp earlier books), but some have been “meh.” Last year’s A Time for Mercy, #3 in the Jake Brigance series, was a big disappointment for me (three stars — I’m an easy …
Anyone who lived in the San Francisco Bay Area in the 1970s probably has an opinion or at least some curiosity about the Zodiac killer. Never definitively identified, this serial killer was known for targeting young couples and following up his grisly crimes with letters and cards sent to various media outlets in the Bay …
Harleigh Collier, who goes by Leigh, is a hard-working professional woman, working her way up at a fancy high profile law firm. One Sunday evening, she is at her daughter’s school play and gets a call from one of the law firm’s senior partners, asking her to defend a wealthy client accused of multiple counts …
Imagine your life as an adult is filled with nightmares that include a man who was one of the adults who was actually kind to you and your sister when you were kids…he used to take you and your sister on adventures, including visits to his garden, and was someone you thought of as just …
I’m a big Michael Connelly fan, starting with the Harry Bosch and Mickey Haller books, then most recently the stories of police officers Jenkins and Ballard (The Late Show, 2017). I hadn’t read either The Poet or The Scarecrow, so I wasn’t familiar with protagonist Jack McEvoy, but was happy to start to get to …
True crime has been a guilty pleasure of mine for at least 30 years…I remember working in a public library and happily discovering the 364.1523 shelves (where even today I still browse, although TBH public library budgets often prevent a lot of trashy ephemeral reading material from making it to the shelves). These days, true …
There aren’t many authors whose latest book I eagerly await, and who maintain a consistently high level in terms of plot, character, and entertainment value. John Sandford has been one of those (along with Michael Connelly, Michael Robotham, Robert Crais, and Elizaeth George (OK, a few clunkers in the Lynley series, but overall still a …
If you want a comprehensive book on the Menendez murders, your wait is over! I just read The Menendez Murders: The Shocking Untold Story of the Menendez Family and the Killings that Stunned the Nation by Robert Rand (thanks to BenBella Books and NetGalley) and now I know way more about this case than …
I lived the Bay Area during the time the Zodiac killer was active (absolutely convinced at one point that I knew who it was — more on that later). The events that took place during the time the Zodiac killer terrorized the area have been covered in depth previously. I had read Robert Graysmith’s book …
When I started reading Alter Ego, Brian Freeman’s latest, I kept thinking “wait, I KNOW this Jonathan Stride, a cop from Duluth, I recognize his house…” But then I thought maybe I was getting him mixed up with a character in John Sandford’s Lucas Davenport/Virgil Flowers series – or maybe it was in one of …
Last year, I read and reviewed UNSUB by Meg Gardiner, and had a few challenges (ended up not being 100% positive about it). But I generally like Gardiner’s books, so I was pleased to receive a copy of Into the Black Nowhere, the second book in her new series featuring Caitlin Hendrix (thanks to PENGUIN …
UNSUB by Meg Gardiner has gotten GREAT reviews, so when I started it and found my mind wandering, I put it aside for a couple of weeks and picked it up again. I knew going in that the story involved a serial killer in the Bay Area with a catchy nickname, reminiscent of “The Zodiac …
Talk about a grabber: the description for Alan Drew’s book Shadow Man starts out “What Dennis Lehane does for Boston, Alan Drew does for Southern California in this gritty thriller…” I thought “what a trifecta!” I’ve been a Dennis Lehane fan for many years, I grew up in Orange County, CA (I am a huge …
As a teacher, I was always kind of a softie – an easy grader. And I suspect that is true of my reviews as well. And I REALLY liked the sound of this one: “emotional roller coaster filled with heart-stopping secrets and hairpin turns.” Sounds like my kind of escapist fiction! So, when I received …
Several years ago, I stumbled upon Owen Laukkanen’s book The Professionals, featuring the crime-fighting team of Kirk Stevens (with the Minnesota BCA) and Carla Windermere (FBI). It was great! Since then I have enjoyed the exploits of these partners (in Criminal Enterprise, Kill Fee, The Stolen Ones, and The Watcher in the Wall), so I …
I admit, I wasn’t sure about this one…sounds fine, a retired DEA agent moves to Missoula, MT where he has been offered a faculty position — wait, what? Sorry, but faculty positions don’t just fall from trees like that…but I overlooked that. Then there is the really creepy serial killer part…harder for me to overlook. …