#mystery
Harry Bosch #1
by Michael Connelly
In the first Harry Bosch novel, Connelly introduces us to his character, a homicide detective who uses his talent of observation and his ability to think outside the box to solve cases.
When a body is discovered inside a pipe, it assumed to be a case of drug overdose. But Bosch is called to the scene and notices some details that the others have not. There’s a jolt of recognition when he takes a look at the victim’s face and recognizes a man he served with in Nam. As more details come to light, he realizes that what looked like a simple murder is much more complicated, but Bosch is determined to unravel the mystery and bring the killer to justice.
This book ran a little long and I had an issue with the format. Instead of using standard ‘chapter’ divisions, Connelly divided his book into very long 'parts’, in which there were no breaks between scenes. The text simply ran on, with no demarcation. Perhaps this was an issue with the digital formatting, rather than the author. Nevertheless, it was annoying.
The plot was complicated, but the book was good. I could hardly put it down.
by Michael Connelly
I’ve heard a lot about Connelly but never read him. I decided to begin with his very first novel—but it was out, and I didn’t have the patience to wait on a hold list. So I ended up with this one, Chasing the Dime, because I was intrigued by the blurb:
The phone messages waiting for Henry Pierce clearly aren’t for him: “Where is Lilly? This is her number. It’s on the site.”
So I decided to give it a try. I’m glad I did.
Henry Pierce is a research scientist whose marriage is on the rocks because of the hours he’s spending at the lab chasing his obsession. When he moves into a new apartment, the new phone number he’s assigned belonged to a sex worker, and he is constantly getting calls from men wanting to connect with ‘Lilly’. Why would Lilly move on but not remove her old phone number from the escort’s web site? Henry is determined to find out what happened to her. The deeper he delves into Lilly’s mysterious disappearance, the deeper into trouble he finds himself.
This was anexcellentbook!
Fatal Series Bk. 1
by Russell Blake
Tess had a meltdown while at her job as a computer programmer and is now working as a bike messenger in New York. The job is mindless, brings in a little money—precious little—and gives her a chance to keep in shape. It’s just what she needs to fill the time while she decides what she wants to do next. Until a serial killer starts murdering bike messengers.
Her father, who owns a watch shop specializing in rare old watches, thinks she’s wasting her life. He just sold three expensive watches to a Korean businessman for a nice chunk of change and life is looking good. Until a team of assassins targets him in an attempt to retrieve the money.
This was a very good book. Good plot, plenty of mysterious twists, lots of action, but a little too much torture and gore for my taste. Even so, I’ll probably pick up a couple more of Blake’s books.
Kinsey Milhone #1
by Sue Grafton
I love Grafton’s quirky character who refuses to fit into anybody’s mold. This is the first volume of the series that ended with Y, when Grafton passed away. In it, she introduces us to Kinsey Milhone, a feisty, 30-something, twice-divorced, female private investigator.
Nikki Fife has just been released from prison after having served time for the murder of her husband. Nikki insists that she is innocent and hires Milhone to find out who really did the deed. After eight years, clues are hard to come by, but Kinsey is convinced of Nikki’s innocence, so she takes the case. The real murderer, who has been resting comfortably for eight years, suddenly must scramble to keep Kinsey off-balance and following a false trail.
Spenser #1
by Robert B. Parker
This is the first novel in the series for which Parker was most famous.
I liked his Jesse Stone character much better than P.I. Spenser, perhaps because I first met him in a movie starring Tom Selleck as Stone, and who doesn’t love Tom Selleck! Well, okay… besides you. And so when I read the first Jesse Stone novel, I pictured Selleck as Stone.
In volume one of the Spenser series, P.I. Spenser is hired by a university to recover a stolen illuminated manuscript. His search for the thieves results in his stumbling into a murder in which a young woman is being framed. Her parents hire him to find the real killer. And so it goes.
Anyway, I didn’t care much for Spenser. He was too violent. Always threatening to punch people out. I may read book 2 to give him a second chance…
Jesse Stone #10
by Michael Brandman
This is Michael Brandman’s first book in his attempt to carry on Parker’s series featuring Paradise Police Chief Jesse Stone.
One would expect Brandman to continue in the direction in which Parker has taken his lead characters. Instead, Brandman moves Jesse Stone out of his condo and into a rental cottage in a different area of town and sends Stone’s serious girlfriend away to Europe. Also, the dialogue between Chief Stone and his officers isn’t quite right. Officer Molly Crane has developed a different personality and her relationship with Chief Stone is now confrontational instead of good-humored. Everything is just a bit off. And he repeats an entire scene, word-for-word, 30 pages later. Did anyone edit this?
I’ve concluded that Michael Brandman may be a perfectly fine screenwriter, but he is no Robert B. Parker, and so I won’t be reading any more of the Jesse Stone series.
Jesse Stone #9
by Robert B. Parker
When a mobster’s ‘muscle’ is found shot to death and stashed in the trunk of his own car, and then a 'retired’ head of organized crime is found shot to death shortly after, it’s up to Chief Stone to sort it all out. Playing a large part in the investigation are the wives of the mobsters, the Bang Bang Twins. Jesse has finally told his ex-wife where to get off, and is seriously considering moving on with a woman he deeply respects.
This is the last Jesse Stone novel that Parker wrote, for he died in 2010, and the series was continued by Michael Brandman, who had collaborated with Parker on screenplays of his novels. I don’t know if Brandman is up to the task, but I’ll read his first attempt and then decide.
Of Robert B. Parker, Harlan Coben said, 'When it comes to detective novels, 90 percent of us admit he’s an influence, and the rest of us lie about it.’
Jesse Stone #8
by Robert B. Parker
Reports of a peeping Tom begin to trickle in to Jesse Stone’s office, but no one has been able to catch the guy. Then, the peeper escalates to home invasion, in which he orders the women to disrobe at gunpoint and then takes pictures. Interestingly, he taunts Chief Stone by mailing him a letter and a photo of the victim after each escapade. But how will the Paradise police catch the guy when there seems to be no routine to the invasions?
This one was pretty good.
Jesse Stone #1
by Robert B. Parker
Jesse Stone #1
Talk about timing! I’d just finished The Anonymous Source and had gone out to my holds at the local library to find this book finally available! I’d watched a Jesse Stone movie starring Tom Selleck and liked it so much that I wanted to find out how the series began, so I borrowed the book that started it all.
Jesse Stone is a homicide detective in Los Angeles, but when his wife Jennifer leaves him for her producer, his life unravels and he takes comfort in alcohol. Soon, he’s fired for drinking on the job. The only job offer he can find is one as police chief in a small New England town whose leaders assume that a drunken chief will be easily controlled. They hadn’t counted on Jesse getting a handle on his drinking problem and deciding to clean up the town.
Great book!
Alex Vane Media Thriller #1
by A. C. Fuller
I’ve had the boxed set of Alex Vane Media Thrillers 1–3 for some time but I never opened them, because ‘Media Thriller’ just sounded so boring. Finally, I was looking at the list of books on my Kindle, looking for something different to read, and decided to open the first book, The Anonymous Source. I was surprised to find that it was an excellent mystery.
Alex Vane works as a court reporter for a newspaper and is covering a murder trial in which a young man, Santiago, is presumed guilty of murder. Alex has been assigned to write a front-page report on the trial, which has become a sensation in NYC. However, a few days into the trial, he receives an anonymous call from someone using a voice scrambler who tells him that Santiago is innocent. As Alex investigates the clues provided by the unknown caller, he uncovers information that could break the case against Santiago and lead, instead, to a powerful media figure. As he comes closer to the truth, he’s fired from his job at the newspaper and finds himself the target of an assassin.
This was a real page-turner.
A Prequel Novella
An Annabelle Archer Wedding Planner Mystery
by Laura Durham
This delightful novella introduces us to Annabelle, newly arrived in DC, and her first experience as a wedding planner. While desperately trying to keep the wedding on track and fix multiple problems that arise, she meets the quirky characters that become part of her team and that we have come to know and love in Durham’s Wedding Planner Mystery series.
I thoroughly enjoyed this lighthearted little prequel!
Als drie druppels water, Linda Groen
Als drie druppels water, Linda Groen
Titel: Als drie druppels waterAuteur(s): Linda GroenUitgeverij: Uitgeverij EllessyAantal pagina’s: 284Gelezen als: Papieren boekGenre: Romantiek, Mystery
*Recensie-exemplaar gekregen van de auteur
(more…)
