"Deadly Décisions", by Kathy Reichs

Book 3 in the Temperance Brennan series

The main premise of this novel surrounds the rivalry between biker gangs in Montreal Canada and the drug trade and the activities linking them to their counterpart from the USA. Using her expertise as an anthropologist Ms Reichs has juggled once again a great amount of forensic details into this mystery.

Dr Temperance Brennan is especially touched when a nine year old girl is gunned down in the streets of Montreal, an innocent victim of the increasing violence between the bikers. Tempe feels compelled to assist Operation Carcajou, a special police task force assigned to infiltrate and investigate the bikers’ criminal activities. The unexpected visit from her teenage nephew and his fascination for Harley Davidson and the fast life of a biker add to the challenge Tempe and her colleagues are up against.

Featured are characters from the previous novels with the exception of Andrew Ryan who seems to have fallen in disgrace….or has he? ….The novel dramatizes many of the events that actually happened, the gory details (not for the faint of heart) augment to the excitement and suspense piquing the reader’s interest.

Ms Reichs use of minute details helps to bring the characters to life making them easier to follow. Although the author has minimized the swearing, her writing and dialogue do reflect the aggressiveness expected from a bunch of murderous bikers and the drama behind their culture.

This is another enjoyable novel by Ms Reichs.

Note:
L’escouade Carcajou was created in 1995, it brought together a group of specialists from different forces, their mandate was to eradicate the brutal out of control criminal activities of the bikers. It was dismantled in 1999

"Pursuit of honor", by Vince Flynn

Book 10 in the Mitch Rapp series

Strap yourself in; the story moves rapidly, lots of thrilling action, no dull or sluggish moments. This latest installment puts Mr Flynn at the top of his game, making him one of the kings in this genre of writing.

“Pursuit of Honor” follows “Extreme Measures” in it a series of cataclysmic events occurred and Rapp and Nash managed to thwart the terrorist attack with grave consequences to the first responders. In the aftermath, Rapp’s priorities are to deal with the laps in security and help Nash get over the psychological effects of loosing his close colleagues.

The mastermind behind the attacks Karim with his associates are on the run across America leaving a bloody trail that will sooner or later proved to be their Achilles’ heel. After dealing with the oversight committee, Rapp turns his attention on Karim and manoeuvres Nash into a safer position, beneficial to all. Unfortunately Rapp underestimates the task at hand and once again he needs to put his life on the line to save his nation along with his friend.

This thriller highlights the current political situation regarding homeland and national security into a fictional plot that brings out the issues of terrorism and the extreme methods in dealing with America’s safety. The characterization seems to sum up the public’s perception of the CIA “ Take any means but reach the objective“…some agree, some disagree…Flynn has developed a strong protagonist in Rapp, we may or may not agree with his approach but as a reader it is an adrenaline rush….

I have read the entire “Mitch Rapp” series and enjoyed every novel, this latest is no exception. The characters have evolved with great detail through the series, I would suggest to read the novels in order to better appreciate the writer’s portrayal of each one. There is no doubt “Pursuit of Honor” is a sequel to “Extreme Measures”.

"Sea of Troubles", by Donna Leon

Book 10 in the Commissario Guido Brunetti Mystery series

Donna Leon‘s novels are based around corruption, public distrust and fear of government and police. This story opens when a fishing boat catches fire and sinks after a violent explosion. A subsequent investigation into the cause of the incident and the discovery of the owner and his son’s bodies points to foul play.

The murder of the two fishermen of Pellestrina draws Commissario Brunetti to a tight knit community where villagers have grown suspicious to outsiders and are extremely loyal to each other. The Questore’s secretary, Signorina Elettra offers to visit the island where she has relatives to covertly find out what the locals think and are not openly discussing with the police.

Brunetti finds himself not only having to confront the issues of her safety but also of his feelings for her….Guido knows he has a dangerous task ahead and anxiously waits to see what Elettra will uncover……

The plotting is excellent, highlighting family ties and personal friendships. Great character development exposes another side to the illusive Signorina Elettra, a person we known up to now as a machine like secretary. Yes she really has a personal side, a life off the job….This is a refreshing change of focus….As usual Brunetti’s family life is part of the story. Woman’s intuition leads his wife to be concerned about his working involvement with Elettra…The story ends with a violent storm that catches Brunetti completely off guard….

The novel is an asset to the series, another one I enjoyed.

"Spy", by Ted Bell

Book 4 in the Alexander Hawke series

This thriller is a captivating tale of international suspense that brings its readers to different localities: from the primitive jungles of Brazil to a small town near the Mexican Border, to the Floridian coast and to the U.K.

Rapidly drawn into never ending action, the reader is taken on a roller coaster-ride as we follow a madman concocting technological warfare, a sheriff who faces a vicious group of thugs, and a puzzling and frightening encounter in the Florida Keys involving an insidious plot against the U.S.A and a wrap up in the U.K.

What brings everything together is Hawke, Lord Hawke leads a mysterious expedition deep into the heart of the Amazon River where he is eventually captured and forced into hard labour by an indigenous tribe that has been infiltrated by extremists. There he witnesses the birth of a terrorist militia, their recruiting and intense training with state of the art high tech weaponry. The ultimate recipe to launch jihad missions...designed to change the western world forever... He must escape and warn the world of this impending disaster and with help return to eliminate this terrible threat..

Parallel to this exciting saga Mr Bell's prolific imagination takes us to a small border town where one of the stronger characters is the town sheriff who due to a lack of resources finds himself in over his head facing motorcycle gangs and many other dangerous situations. Eventually the two stories cross paths when the sheriff meets Hawke...

The wild ride continues in the Florida Keys when a downed plane is discovered with nuclear war heads on board...

Of course, putting all excitement aside, in the end, everything wraps up in a satisfying manner.

This is another thriller that is full of impossibilities but highly entertaining, an adrenaline rush.