"Dead Man's Time", by Peter James

Roy Grace volume # 9

This story concerns the theft of valuable paintings and other antiques from a house of an elderly woman who died a short time later from the savage beating sustained during the robbery, Aileen McWhirter was 98 years old. Her younger brother Gavin is not only shocked and saddened by this tragedy but is particularly upset about the disappearance of a treasured watch. Detective Superintendent Roy Grace will head the enquiry and finds himself following a murderous race against the clock....and us in another very exciting saga.

The story opens in 1920’s New York when a boy’s mother is killed and the father kidnapped by hard looking men. Then the story quickly moves to Brighton present day with Grace investigating the home invasion. The story unfolds gradually with these two events on both sides of the Atlantic. Back and forth we go. I quite like the way the two different time periods come back together especially at the end. In tandem with the main story but not really a part of it is that someone is after Roy and his family and wants desperately to pull them apart even killed them. Grace nemesis, Amis Smallbone, definitely has a twisted obsession for revenge against our protagonist.

I love how Mr. James is able to takes ideas and make it seem real and believable such as the antiques trade and the psychology of revenge. The cast of characters is great I particularly loved Roy’s relationship with Cleo and their baby Noah which is very well-done in my books. Grace and his team of investigators also work superbly well together. They dig out clues and drive the investigation along while building tension for us to stay riveted till the very end, another plus. Of course the bad guys are interesting and their part give traction even more to this very exciting drama. Oh! Sandy as always has her usual snippet to tease us...what will she do?. Said with short chapters, this gripping tale is a masterful juggling act for the author as well as for Grace.

There is a lot I could mention going on here but I have to leave some for you to discover. This story is so smooth; I zipped through it in no time.

"The More the Terrier", by David Rosenfelt

An Andy Carpenter Novel volume 30

Lawyer Andy Carpenter defends Brian Bremer, a Rutgers student, accused of killing his professor, Prof Steven Rayburn, over the grade on one of his assignments. Apart from the flimsy motive, the evidence is dismayingly strong but despite all the claims against his client Andy will not be deterred in anyways and will not take long for him to unmask the true killer.

Don’t fool yourself with the Christmas book cover this latest can be read at any time and doesn’t need to follow its predecessor to enjoy. So go for it.

I simply love the humoristic tone all through; not funny out loud but the happy grin never left my face. Andy has a dry, sarcastic sense of humour and says anything with wit. His comments really hit the spot in my books. The plot is intriguing as it slowly develops the action gets exciting and we see Andy at his best. Since this is not my first experience with Mr. Rosenfelft style, I can say he has adopted a formula that suits him just fine and he is sticking to it but never forgets to give us a fresh and captivating story to enjoy. We have recurring actors that never stop pleasing the readers: Tara, a golden retriever, Hunter, a pug, Sebastian. A basset hound and the star, Murphy the terrier, Andy’s wife...Laurie also the regular cast have parts to help things move along. Oh yes we have courtroom scenes ... imaginative and entertaining.

This is a fun series. I am looking forward to Andy’s next drama.

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

"The President's Lawyer", by Lawrence Robbins

A Legal thriller

Attorney Rob Jacobson is asked by his lifelong best friend, the former President of the U.S., to defend him when he is accused of murdering his mistress. Typical of many powerful men, the president has anger issues, some unconventional sexual habits and can be an unpleasant man. As the high-profile case unfurls their past complicate Rob’s efforts and doubts begin to take roots in his head: could his friend be capable of murder?.....politic aside let the trial begin...

The thriller is mostly entertainment it starts at a snail pace and keeps pretty much that tempo till the end. We have intensive background on both the president and the defence attorney and through the story tid-bits of memories show up. By the end we pretty well know these two characters and what makes them tick.

I loved the court shenanigan the back and forth between the defence and the prosecutor was active and well-done, mostly amusing. Following the court proceedings there is a fair amount of edge-of- your seat action with a few surprises tossed in. Rob defends Jack and will prove his innocence in the trial of the century with all one’s might.

This story is written by a man familiar around a courtroom and knows how to pull his readers into the drama. Once in the courtroom I couldn’t put this book aside. The story is narrated mostly by Rob although by the end one unknown character share his voice setting doubts and second guessing who the killer may be..... Wow what a mind-blowing ending.....

This story is a quick read, entertaining and suspenseful.

Thank you Aria Books and Netgalley