Execution in E - A Review

Execution in E

by

Alexia Gordon

Alexia Gordon brings back the paranormal world of Gethsemane Brown on the coast of Ireland. Gethsemane and Eamon McCarthy’s friendly and annoying ghost as they discover the person responsible for murdering Sunny Markham’s wedding party one by one. The motive focuses on a crime committed half-a-world away and a decade earlier - but then “revenge is a dish best served cold”, very cold.

The story brings back many of the key inhabitants of Dunmullach Ireland - Father Tim, Niall O’Reilly (the cold case detective), and Inspector Sutton (the local Garda Chief). What did make this story stand out was a stronger appeal to the occult than in other books in the series. I came close to putting down the book and not finishing it, The author also wove in more Irish slang and nomenclature - a page of definitions at the front of the book would have helped this reader.

The book will appeal to the classical music enthusiast (especially with the use of classical works as “sound”: effects) and for those who enjoy a hint of the occult in their reading (I did not enjoy it as much this time). The frequent mention of classical music works occasionally drove me to YouTube to hear snippets of the mentioned pieces. I even thought of building a Pandora station built off of those pieces - I did not, but it might be fun. I would give the author 3-½ stars for the latest book.
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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions expressed are my own.

Past Deeds - A Review

Past Deeds

by

Carolyn Arnold

Past Deeds is a well-written police procedural featuring the Behavior Analyst Unit of the FBI - easily compared to the BAU team featured on the CBS drama Criminal Minds. Sadly, both for the reader and the BAU team, Zach (the counterpart to Spencer Reid from the TV series) has departed the team for other tasks. Kelly is the new member of the team - but she is no replacement for Zach. Though an experienced Florida homicide detective, she will need to find her voice among the talented and experienced members of the BAU.

A murder in Arlington VA has caught the attention of the BAU - the team quickly discovers that the murder is not one, but four, with connections from California to Baltimore MD. Half of the team will go each direction in order to put together the pieces of the puzzle that will point to their unknown suspect (the unsub). The team finally regroups to trap the unsub in the midst of a final crime.

I enjoyed the plot and rhythm of the novel, but the awkward switches the author makes between first-person narrative and a third-person observer is sometimes difficult to understand. Given that the team split, the change in writing style might be needed at times; but at other times the book continues with a third-person perspective, though the reader might be better served by a return to the first-person narrative

For the reader who was a fan of Criminal Minds (which has already aired its final episode even as I read Past Deeds), this series might fill a hole in their desired entertainment needs. This book is the eighth in the series from this author, but I never felt lost having read none of the earlier books.
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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions expressed are my own.

Fatal Strike - A Review

Fatal Strike

by

DiAnne Mills

Snakes and Leah Riesel do not go well together. The problem is that the latest serial killer striking Galveston, TX, is using snakes to hunt down and kill members of the law enforcement community. That wasn’t that was not her only problem - she was not a people person. But her new partner was so attractive and single and she wished that she was more of a people person. But Leah’s problems did end there; she also had issues with her family in Brooklyn.

As both Leah and Jon Colbert, her partner, look for the killer, they will both have to begin to face their spiritual lives and the God that is seeking them out.

The plot is well-executed, the characters appear real, and the book is one that this reader could not put down. Leah will face her fears and her history and will be touched by a God is full of grace and hope. My only concern is that the author wraps up the story with an epilog when a follow-up book could have done a better and moe complete job of bring closure to these characters and their lives.

The book will find a place on the shelves of many church libraries and in the homes of believers. I would hope that it would find a spot on the shelves of many public libraries as well.
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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions expressed are my own.

Dead Drift - A Review

Dead Drift

by

Dani Pettrey

A Review

This is the fourth and final (?) book in a series begun in 2016. I have enjoyed each as I read them. The stories built on each other for the most part — though it would not be too difficult to jump in midway and pick up with the story with any one book.

This book brings to a conclusion two stories that have flowed through the entire series — the murder of Griffin’s sister and ten other young women across the southern USA and tracing and dealing with the nemesis that kept Luke away from his one true love for the last seven years. A fitting, if unwanted, conclusion, to a well-written series. My only wish would be to see the characters grow their PI business and families in coming books. Alas, this is fiction, and like real life, a story does not always have a “happily ever after” ending.

The author has promised more in her new series “Coastal Guardians” — but with new characters and problems. I, for one, will be looking for this new series in the coming months.

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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions expressed are mine alone.  

Justice Betrayed - A Review

Justice Betrayed

by

Patricia Bradley

A Review

It is Elvis week in Memphis, but the serial murderer’s victims date back 17 years. But the police have not yet connected the dots. And, if Shirley is lucky, they still will not be doing so any time soon.

Rachel Sloan was on loan to the Homicide division from Burglary and had met the victim the night before at her office. Now she had to investigate his death. Lieutenant Boone Callahan was her supervising officer – and he wanted to be involved. That shouldn’t be a problem, except they had dated before her move to homicide; and superior officers could not date those in their charge. It might create problems.

This killer was smart – different modus operandi, seemingly disconnected victims, over a period of 17 years. It would take the combined efforts of Rachel, Boone, and other law enforcement personnel to put the pieces of the puzzle together before more murders would occur.

The plot is intriguing – and should hold the reader’s interest for the book’s 350 pages. It missed a beat somewhere – at least until the last 20% or so of the book. At that point I could not put it down. Others may find more satisfaction in the book.

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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions are mine alone.

Vanishing Point - A Review

Vanishing Point

by

Lisa Harris

A Review

Murders in and around Nashville, TN, haunt both the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Teams from both agencies are brought together over a period of a decade to find the person who is kidnapping young women, taking Polaroid pictures, and burying them in shallow graves.

But as the case is worked on over the years, relationships are growing. There are the human relationships that are often a part of these thrillers and the relationships the protagonists have with God. I found this second set of relationships particularly interesting as they struggled with the problem of evil in a God created and God controlled world. A prolonged discussion in chapter 32 of the book helped this reader resolve some of the issues related to this topic.

Whether the reader is looking for the next romantic thriller, a Christian thriller, or a readable murder mystery designed for fans of Criminal Minds, Vanishing Point might provide a satisfying read.

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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions are mine alone.

Burning Proof - A Review

Burning Proof

by

Janice Cantore

A Review

Two cold cases present themselves to a couple of friends who are local private investigators. One is personal; the other professional. The latter case involves the death of relatives in a fire many years ago. Suspects are named, but no proof is available. The professional case involves a rapist and murderer that has been on the loose for ten years. As the statute of limitations for the rape approaches, it falls upon Luke Murphy and Robert “Woody” Woods to find the unsub before the clock ticks off.  However, unbeknownst to them, there is a connection between the two cases and by the time the reader makes it to the end of the book, one case will be solved and the other will be unsolved - ready to be picked up in the third book in this series. With the help of Abby Hart, LAPD Police Detective, progress will be made in both cases.

And that is the problem I had with Janice Cantore’s latest thriller. Though I had read the earlier volume, “Drawing Fire”, a year ago, it was difficult at first to fully connect to the current book without knowing or remembering the earlier story. The writing was well-done and held this reader’s interest. Whether the author was providing details of the newest cold case to hit the fire or the case that remained solved from the earlier book (and now remains to be solved in a third book), details were revealed bit by bit.

I would suggest waiting for book three of the “Cold Case Justice” series to be published and, then, purchasing all three books together and reading them in a single sitting. The individual stories work regardless, but the on going details of the unsolved cold case, the arson, will make more sense when read as a trilogy, one after the other.

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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review.  The opinions expressed are my own.

Scheduled to Die - A Review

Scheduled To Die

by

Alan Cupp

A Review

The second book in the Carter Mays mystery series by Alan Cupp is a better and improved follow-up to his earlier book, When Lies Crumble. With the same gritty style that seems like it has dropped from a 1940's detective novel, the current book also includes the flavor of a 21^st century Criminal Minds episode.

With a work assignment in Ashville, NC, Dana Carrington meets a fellow Chicagoan while injuring a dinner alone. What begins as a nice date ends up being a nightmare – for Dana, her best friend, and her mother. When things continue to go downhill, Dana is put into contact with Carter Mays, a private investigator in metropolitan Chicago.

Carter is tough, but likable, PI, with the spunk to go the extra mile, even if it means breaking a few rules (e.g. pretending to be a cop), but he gets the job done. The mystery itself is well-written, with enough twists to keep the reader involved, but with sufficient details to allow him or her to follow the clues as they are developed step-by-step.

Though not Christian fiction, the author is not afraid to allow his own faith to peek through; both in the “Acknowledgments” and, non-intrusively, in the story itself. Looking for a good summer read that is a bit grittier than the typical cozy mystery, Scheduled to Die may fill that bill.

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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review.  The opinions expressed are my own.This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review.  The opinions expressed are my own.