"Dog Day Afternoon", by David Rosenfelt

Andy Carpenter book # 29

This mystery has a lot of legal aspect to it and a bit of court shenanigans but mostly is my preferred: the subdued humour that slips from time to time to make me smile. This author knows how to talk to us and tells stories in the first person narrative. Yes Andy whispered everything; he is totally in my head.....

Although this novel is part of a series it stands well on its two feet and can be read as a standalone with no trouble.

Although retired Andy carpenter runs a dog rescue organization for years his calling is representing clients in court. His long-time friend Marcus Clark is his sidekick who keeps his personal life to himself. Marcus takes disadvantage young men under his wings. So when Marcus needs Andy’s help no doubt he has it. Marcus friend Rick William is the prime suspect in the murder of 6 of his colleagues at work and needs all the help he can get...Springs into action, his our debonair lawyer....and we are into a very engaging mystery.

This mystery is witty, well-paced and filled with snappy one liner and to top it all amazing characters. The court room scenes are at a minimum but give the needed punch with all the legal verbalism...

“Dog day Afternoon”, makes it at the top of my best read list so far this year.

Excellent read I enjoyed passing time with.

I received this ARC from St Martin’s Press via Netgalley for my thoughts: this is the way I see it.

"The Waters of Eternal Youth", by Donna Leon

Commissario Brunetti # 25

In this latest outing Commissario Guido Brunetti look into a 15 years old mystery. Manuela was almost 16 when she fell into a canal or maybe pushed. She sustained permanent brain damage. The only witness was a drunk that saw a man push her. Manuela’s grand- mother wants to know the truth and asked Brunetti to look into it before she dies. The case brings him around the city.

I haven’t read a Leon’s mystery in a long time and was happy to get back into the swing of thigs. Brunetti hasn’t changed, he is still an unusual character with no major character flaw or trouble with relationship and he has a happy married life with Paola and the typical everyday contacts with his teenage kids. The usual players we came to know and love from the previous books also make their appearance and played their parts as expected. What comes out is how Ms. Leon hasn’t lost her touch in masterfully creating intrigue giving us enough clues so by the end we be satisfied with the solution but of course some may have guess long before. Ms. Leon treats murder as a simple thing....

This 25th book did not disappoint with its wonderful evocation of Venice’s streets and piazzas, food and the atmosphere of an old world confronting the new one.

It is simply well-written, easy to follow and keep a steady pace and of course gives us intrigue and wonderful characters. Although this latest may not have extensive police procedural some may wish for, but be assure the plot concludes with satisfaction.

"Two Soldiers", by Anders Roslund

Grens & Sundkvist book #6

This is a bleak tale of teen gang running amok.

Stockholm is being terrorized by a teenage gang’s reign. The crime wave is being directed from inside a maximum security prison by an 18 year old named Leon. His blood brother Gabriel’s girlfriend Wanda regularly smuggle in pills as a mule. The gang has no reservation about recruiting 12 years old ....and the book goes on. I suggest you read the synopsis to get a better idea what you’ll be into....I lost interest and abandoned it before I reached to end...Now did I bailed out too fast? Maybe.

The premise of this book sounded so good that I finally brought it up from my very long TBR list to give it priority. Frankly it should have stayed at the bottom even forgotten. The beginning is very disjointed and difficult to follow. I had a hard time getting into a narrative that is not told in chapters but in short clips of a page or two where we have point of view that changes on a wimp. This choppy narrative and the merry-go-round changing point of view are very confusing.

“Two Soldiers” is a difficult 600 pages read that focusses on the street gang, it is raw and brutal.

This is one book that will indeed divide readers.....It was far from being my cup of tea....

"Gathering Bones", by Melinda Woodhall

A Bailey Flynn FBI Mystery book #2

The story in a few words:

When an anthropologist goes missing and members of the excavation crew turns up dead during a dig at an abandoned burial ground, FBI Agent Bailey Flynn once again face off against a prolific serial killer.....

My thoughts:

This story is well thought of and is exciting to read. The suspense is continuously high and never lets go. The drama flows so well and is so fast paced that I was eager to see where it was going. Will Bailey get her man and find the missing anthropologist before it is too late or will she find her lifeless buried amongst the bones in the graveyard. Bailey is a great character not only is she smart she also has a heart of gold. She is one Agent very determined to close a case with good results. But the author always add twits to her stories to keep us on our toes and guessing who the killer might be, of course most of the time I am off base....hum. Maybe I should stop guessing and go with the flow ,,,naw.

This is another heart-pounding and emotional thriller I enjoyed quite a bit.

Since I am a huge fan of this author and Ms. Woodhall stories never disappointed I will be looking forward to the next installment.

Well-said and well-done

I received an advance copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntary

"Under a Lightning Sky", by Pam Lecky

September 1940 London is under attack, the Luftwaffe has been bombing continuously the city. While preparing dinner Madeleine Fairfax is caught in her kitchen as a bomb explodes, now trapped under the rubble of her house her only hope is that someone will come to her aid. When she sees a familiar face her prayers seemed to have been answered only to be dashed as she is tragically strangled to death... Detective Jamie Barton and Madeline’s sister Penny Fairfax will find the truth behind the mystery....

Although the London Blitz may be a player here, the story is more a very suspenseful mystery. The author unravels her mystery bit by bit and by doing so she has hooked me 1/3 in and from then on I was more than captivated. The beginning was rather slow to take off I was wondering what happened to Madeleine she seemed to have been forgotten but no ...leaving her behind was the author’s ways to keep us on our toes till Jamie Barton and Penny Fairfax came into play then springs into action the investigation and I was into a suspenseful and very captivating drama. What happened to Madeleine and who killed her was a mystery unveiled at the very end.

Great characters to root for and a delightful mystery to past time with.

Well-said and well-done.

My thanks to Avon Books UK and Netgalley for this ARC

"Downfall", by Mark Rubinstein

It this book a fiction, a mystery, a psychological thriller or maybe it is a police procedural drama who knows? One thing is “Downfall” gives us a bit of everything and it does it relatively well.

The story in a few words:

Rick Shepherd, a doctor, on his way to his office, finds police cars and ambulance are blocking his way...a passerby was shot and murdered at the front of his office....In the evening, on while watching the local news, Rick noticed, the deceased looked identical to him...was this a mistake in identity? But when two days later his father, also a physician is shot dead in the exact same way...A coincidence? Detective Art Nager and Liz Callaghan are assigned to the case...and an investigation is launched......

My thoughts:

Set in New York City 1983 this mystery has some excellent characters but most are stereotypes at best and filled with old clichés. The story can be confusing at times it is all over the place. The action repeats and turns in circles many times....The pacing of the plot movement was not as engaging as I would have liked. I prefer things to get going much faster. The psychological tension was at a minimum, hang up phone calls that is it although the author shows Rick’s anguish over his relationship with his father and his paranoia being the next target quite well. I guess I would too in his shoes.

Don’t get me wrong the story is not bad at all but it seemed to plod along too much for me and over all did not grab my full attention, But we do have an unexpected twist at the end but apart from that nothing really surprising or of shock value happens.

Overall “Downfall” is a fairly good mystery but nothing to write home about.

I received a copy of this book from Oceanview Publishing for my thoughts: this is the way I see it.

"Running Out of Time", by Kyona Jiles

Book#2 of Running Series

CIA Agent Jon Carter is a lone wolf but in his next mission he is paired with a newbie, Elana Miller, for an undercover job in Russia. Pretending to be lovers is their only way to face their nemesis and accomplish their task....Eventually things went south and the only way to get out of their predicaments was to play the game and then run for their lives.....and give us a thrill along the way...

This story is pretty engaging and held my attention throughout. The storyline is good and moves at a fast and steady pace and gives us a lot of visual scenes. The style is clear and easy to follow and gives us quite an unexpected ending....I love happy ending, not here. This story is a bit rough at times as Jon and Elana navigate the treacherous labyrinth of Blacks Ops. Their deadly dance between friends and foe definitely give us tension and all excitement desired. I loved these two, they are well- define and quite loveable. It is nice that the author did not forget to spice her story by adding a little bit of attraction between the two. A small break in tension was welcome.... Not a dull moment. Well-done and well-said.

I haven’t read the first book in this series and I can attest that “Running Out of Time” can be read as a standalone.

I received this book from the publisher via Netgalley for my thoughts: this is the way I see it.

The The Underhanded", by Adam Sikes

This riveting tale told by a former CIA Operative is a refreshing look into espionage. “The Underhanded” gives us an authentic thrill ride with clever twists and turns, white-knuckle action and clandestine knots. Right from the start I knew I was in for a rare treat.

Professor William Dresden is far from what we expect from the classic protagonist, he is rather unpresuming and by far not a master in the art of espionage, he is a man who simply finds himself pulled into a world of lies. In order to grapple with his trouble past William has found solitude in the south of France. He soon learns he has larger problems when he meets Adeline Parker, a MI6 officer, at an outdoor bistro....Then a bomb explodes..... They soon are pulled into a shadowy war against a cabal and their subversive plots against the Western society.

This suspenseful mix of historical intrigue and present day fallout is vividly told in the first person narrative and is ripped from headlines. I couldn’t put this thriller down I was rooting for this intelligent and complex hero who was a threat to a secret neo-fascist cabal till the very last page. Indeed this story is fast-paced and very engaging, it grabs you from page one and doesn’t let go. It may be a little farfetched here and there but in whole it has the feeling of authenticity that comes through. I love the geographical settings.

I got a thrill out of this book

I received a copy of this book from Oceanview Publishing for my thoughts: this is the way I see it.

"The Forgotten Names",. by Mario Escobar

When I see Mario Escobar has a new book available I simply have to get it, he never missed a beat and has always giving us historical facts mixed into a good story. Again he didn’t fail...

The story in a few words:

August 1942

French parents were faced with a horrible choice: watch their children die, or abandon them forever. To save them, Jewish mothers of Vénissieux were asked to make the ultimate sacrifice of abandoning them forever. The result of a coordinated effort by clergy, civilians, the French Resistance and members of other humanitarian organizations 108 children somehow managed to escape deportation and certain death in the German concentration camps.

Early 1990’s

Student Valérie Portheret in the midst of doing her doctoral research into the 108 children who disappeared from Vénissieux fifty years earlier made it her mission to match the abandoned names with the people they belong to. It took her a twenty-five year journey to allow the children to reclaim their heritage and remember their forgotten names.

My thoughts:

Told in dual timelines this account of true events is both sad and captivating. It is very well-said to keep our interest at its peak and us pushing on. It is chilling story that places us in the zone where Klaus Barbie was the German commander who ruled Lyon, France with an iron fist and did not hesitated to torture anyone. We do have graphic scenes to make the point. Of course this story is not fun to read, seeing the Jewish population hunted and shipped to concentration and children taken from their parents in order to save them is heartbreaking.

Although the conversation is fictionalized and the timeline may be out of sync, the characters are real and the events well documented. The timeline for those who hate this, the back and forth is on occasion and I felt it did not interfered with the flow. The chapters are short and the narration active. “The Forgotten Names” is well-said and well-done.

I received this Arc from Harper Muse via Netgalley for my thoughts: this is the way I see it.