Ideas, Opinions, Genealogy, and Book Reviews
He’s lived it in the nonfictional real world and now he is bringing it to us in a great fictional story.
The book Is Central Park West: A Crime Novel by James Comey. I thank both Netgalley https://www.netgalley.com and Mysterious Press for the chance to read this before publication. The book will be published on May 30.
Continue reading “Central Park West: A Crime Novel by James Comey”
Another good mystery by Jodie Lawrance. I had read and reviewed two by her a few years ago (https://www.jackreidy.com/blog/tag/jodie-lawrance/). So I was happy to see this available. I thank both Netgalley (https://www.netgalley.com) and Joffe books (https://joffebooks.com/) for the chance to read this before publication. The book is “The Missing Woman” by Jodie Lawrance.
Continue reading “The Missing Woman by Jodie Lawrance”
An enjoyable mystery. I thank both Netgalley https://www.netgalley.com and Joffe books https://joffebooks.com/ for the chance to read this before publication. The book is “The Norfolk Beach Murders” and it comes out on May 11.
First, we meet Mu and Roger, a homeless young woman and her dog. Next comes the murder that they witness. And then we meet Detective Sara Hirst, who had been with the Metropolitan Police in London but inherited and moved to her father’s cottage in a coastal village. More murders.
We slowly learn how these murders fit into the larger picture and along the way meet a number of other characters. The story is well-written and told via several points-of-view. I found this to be a wonderful mystery and crime thriller.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I have!
I picked this one for 2 reasons. One is that I was preapproved at Netgalley so I thank both Netgalley (https://www.netgalley.com) and Joffe books (https://joffebooks.com/) for the chance to read this before publication. The second is I was a fan of Colin Dexter’s novels which were also set in Oxford. As it turned out this was very different from Colin Dexter’s novels but it was a great read.
The book is “The Oxford Murders” by Peter Tickler. It will be published May 2.
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Having read many books by Peter May over the years and reviewed several https://www.jackreidy.com/blog/tag/peter-may/, I was sure this book would definitely be worth reading. And I was not disappointed.
Do you like Nazis or allied groups such as White Supremacists? Do you think they are good for America? If you answer “yes” to both questions you probably won’t like this book. But it might open your eyes if you decide to read it anyway.
Personally, I don’t like Nazis. They were bad for Germany. We fought them in World War 2 at tremendous cost. These hate groups were fringe in the United States but are becoming more mainstream.
Continue reading “Nazis are not Nice”
Welcome to 1989. This is the second novel in Val McDermid’s series featuring journalist Allie Burns. I liked the first one (https://www.jackreidy.com/blog/2021/10/04/1979-by-val-mcdermid/) and now it is 10 years later and there have been quite a few changes in 10 years.
Because I have read several books and short stories by Ann Cleeves (see The Darkest Evening ) I jumped at the chance to read this one when I saw The Rising Tide on Netgalley.
I was a bit surprised when it started out slowly for several chapters. With a book by an author I did not know, I would have probably just put the book down and told Netgalley that I would not be reviewing it. But since it was Ann Cleeves I was sure she had her reasons and a great murder mystery would soon follow. I was not disappointed.
Continue reading “The Rising Tide: A Vera Stanhope Novel by Ann Cleeves”
Mystery, thriller, and genealogy all in one fascinating story. The book is The Family Tree by Steph Mullin and Nicole Mabry. It centered around the hunt for a mass murderer with an important genealogy mystery also at the heart of the story.
I did not know what to expect but was very glad I tried it. I thank Netgalley for a chance to read this book before publication.
Continue reading “The Family Tree”
I’ve enjoyed the Scotland mysteries I’ve read so I thought I would try a new series and I did like the first one. I just finished The Suspects by Jodie Lawrance. I enjoyed this book and thank Netgalley and Joffe books for the chance to read it before publication.
Detective Sergeant Helen Carter is the central character in this series. Like the earlier books in this series it is set in Edinburgh in the 1970s when it was unusual to see a woman in her role. Work is often difficult for her in this male dominated environment but in this third book in the series she is more accepted on her own merits.
The main story focuses on the return a major criminal and suspected cop-killer to Edinburgh, probably to collect some of the loot from a 1971 robbery. Of course there are a number of other crimes occurring shortly after his return which may or may not be related to his return. Like the other in this series I have read. this is a good detective story that is engaging and well written,
I believe each book can stand on its own but would suggest reading the first in the series before reading this one. It is not at all that following the mysteries in this book is dependent on prior books but reading the first will give you useful background on DS Helen Carter.
Lieutenant Cassandra Morse, USN came from a Navy family, three generations of Admirals. She was on track to be the fourth until she was suspected of spying and forced out of the Navy. The same terrible event that ended her Navy career left her with terrible nightmares that predicted horrific events.
Cassie works to solve the mystery of what happened to her and works to understand her dream and prevent a disaster. I found the book hard to put down.
I recommend this book and thank Netgalley for the chance to read it before publication.
I especially enjoyed the strong characters and the humour. It was a fast paced thriller and seems to be a great deal. When I looked today, the Kindle version was 99 cents. It was free for those with the kindle unlimited program.
I don’t think I read anything by Harlan Coben before but I was looking for a good mystery/thriller and this was available on Netgalley. I knew Harlan Coben was a best selling author of this type of book so I thought I’d give Win a try. I’m glad I did. I highly recommend this book and thank Netgalley for the chance to read it before publication.
Continue reading “Win by Harlan Coben”
The Scorpion’s Tail is another great mystery by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. I reviewed the first in this series about 18 months back. At the time I remarked “Preston and Child are about all you need to hear to know it is going to be a good, and likely great, mystery novel. Their collaboration is simply amazing.”
Continue reading “The Scorpion’s Tail by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child”
I completely enjoyed Plunder : A Brett Carson Thriller by Keith Wilson. I read it over a 2 day period and only rarely putting it down. I thank Netgalley and BooksGoSocial for the privilege of reading Plunder . The book is now available as both Kindle and paperback editions.
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This is the third book about reporter Jack McEvoy. I first encountered Jack in The Poet many years ago. It was a very good book as I recall. He had a second book on Jack McEvoy called The Scarecrow but I didn’t read that one. When I saw there was a third book I decided it was time to revisit Jack, the reporter, and Rachel, the former FBI agent who lost her job with the FBI because of Jack.
Continue reading “Fair Warning by Michael Connelly”