Michael A. Draper's Blog, page 44

"Dark moon...tell me why...you've lost your splendor." Song lyrics.

The story begins with a double cross. Two mobsters who work for Tony Celli meet with four Cambodians to collect a two million dollar ransom in return for return for a young Cambodian girl that they had kidnapped. The double cross backfires. The mobsters kill the Cambodians and are about to take the money when someone opens fire, killing them and taking the money. Now we are dealing with a triple cross with far-reaching consequences.

Charlie "Bird" Parker, a former NYPD officer who left the job when his wife and daughter were murdered, now has his PI license. He does a favor for Rita Purdue. He finds her former husband, Billy, and gets him to pay some of the support and alimony that was due to Rita and their child.

Unfortunately, some of the money Billy gave to Charlie was in new bills in the same denomination as was stolen a few days earlier.

This sets forces against Billy. Tony Celli's gang, two independent killers and someone else now enter the picture, to seek out Billy, retrieve the money. The killing and torture that accompanies the search for Billy doesn't bother the searchers.

Charlie is a moral man and had counted Billy as a friend, now wants to find Billy and warn him.

John Connolly seems influenced by the early work of Stephen King. His good characters are quite sympathetic and those who are evil are devilishly evil. We can imagine Charlie fighting against evil forces to save an innocent person.

There is suspense throughout the story culminating nicely at the conclusion. There are a few surprises along the way. An entertaining read.

"How deadly the viper that lives in the heart of man." Variation of quote by Martin Delany

This significant novel tells of a police investigation of a double homicide. The author provides perceptive characterization through introspection, monologue and flashbacks.

Arvid Traneus is a ruthless, arrogant businessman who returns home to Sweden after spending years in the Tokyo region building assets for his company and himself.

Shortly after his return, the maid discovers two dead bodies in the Traneus's home. The female victim was stabbed and the male was so disfigured that police had difficulty identifying him. Thinking that it must have been the woman's husband, officials are surprised when they learn that it was his cousin, Anders Traneus.

The action takes place on the island of Gotland, located sixty miles off the southeastern coast of Sweden. It is an island where gossip is a part of life and many people take pride in knowing what their neighbors are doing. We also have families who multiply and  remain on the island. One such family is the Traneus. Not only are their the cousins but older and younger generations who know all of the family secrets.

During the course of the investigation we see the relationship of the members of the Gotland police department, their friendship, camaraderie and professionalism. At the start of the novel, detective Fredrik Broman is helicoptered to the emergency room with a severe head wound. His friends and comrades wonder  if he will recover.  Through the course of the novel, the action moves back to the hospital where Fredrik's family and friends see him regain consciousness and hope for a full recovery.

The island life, the exotic setting of an island off Sweden and the closeness of the characters all blend together to create a novel rich in psychological drama and intelligently written.

Hakan Ostlundh is another Scandinavian writer whose skillful plotting places him as one of the best authors of police detective fiction.

"Innocent as a dove, you will harm no one,...wise as a serpent, no one will harm you." Haug

A man with no ties, Jimmy Veeder hadn't been home for twelve years. His father, Jack, kept his cancer to himself but now that he knew he didn't have much time left, he called Jimmy.

Jimmy's home town Holtville is in southern California across from Mexicali on the Mexican border. It's a place in the desert where "...even the plants have a chip on their shoulders.:"

Holtville hasn't changed much in the years that Jimmy has been gone and neither has his best friend, Bobby Maves. When Jimmy greets Bobby and asks how he's been, Bobby's response, "I live in Holtville. How good could I be?"

Jimmy's father has only one request, to find a prostitute named Yolanda who lives in Mexico.

In this noir novel, the desert is also a character. Jimmy, his friend, Bobby and a boyhood friend Tomas work to find Yolanda. Tomas is an underworld figure in Mexico who claims to be an arranger, to help people cross the border, to find women for pornographic movies and whatever can earn him money.

Yolanda is found and returns with Jimmy for a last visit with Jack. When Jack dies, peacefully, Yolanda is able to return for the service but something happens and the direction of the story changes. We learn more of Jack's earlier life and see a lonely man attempting to find happiness.

Jimmy sees an old girlfriend and finds another reason to remain in Holtville but will he?

I didn't know what to expect with this book but was pleasantly surprised. There is good characterization, humor is there as is a plot line that is well presented and provided me an unexpected pleasure.

"If you can't get rid of the skeleton in your closet, you'd best teach it to dance." Geroge Bernard Shaw

GIVEAWAY

Starvation Lake is a small community in Michigan with many elderly residents. Monday night bingo is a main source of entertainment and gossip for this group.

Someone has been breaking into the homes of some elderly residents on Monday nights. Up to now, they didn't seem to be taking anything.  But now, Gus Carpenter, editor of the "Pilot," learns that his mother's home has been broken into. Her friend and neighbor, who was looking after her, has been killed.

With small town politics, the sheriff is running for re-election and his challenger is using the break-ins and murder as a political tool. He claims that the sheriff isn't doing a good job and encourages people to vote for him.

Gus's on again, off again, girlfriend, Darlene Esper is a sheriff's deputy and Gus thinks that if the sheriff isn't re-elected, Darlene would change job.

The only clue about the home invader is the name of a former priest who had been at the local parish when a nun disappeared in 1944. After this comes out, some officials wonder if the Catholic Church could be behind the break-ins.

Much of the novel's enjoyment comes from the narrative voice of Gus Carpenter. The author also has a talent for the use of dialogue and there are many scenes when the reader can visualize being right there in the action.

There is an interesting sup-plot about the incidents about what was going on with the nun who disappeared and the priest.

Beneath the central story is the fact that the town is heading toward a possible state hockey championship and one of the players becomes a pawn for a religious group.

This is a well written, smoothly plotted mystery with good characterization and an interesting plot.


http://www.amazon.com/review/R1T1Y2GRMOKUCC/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=1416563660&nodeID=&tag=&linkCode=

Giveaway Rules:
1. see above link and read Amazon review, following the review, indicate "YES" helpful.
2. be a follower of this blog
3. leave email address for contact and indicate steps 1 and 2 are complete.
4. this is for a hard cover copy, and only U.S. and Canada
5. Through June 22.

Good luck

"Before you roll those dice. Baby think twice." Song lyrics

Det. Archie Sheridan is still recovering from his last encounter with serial killer Gretchen Lowell. He sleeps with his light on, takes Ambien to help sleep through the night and keeps a loaded gun in his desk.

As the story begins, Archie is at Mount Tabor Park in Portland. He and his men are examining the body of Jack Kelly who was murdered, tied by his wrists to a tree and appeared to have been skinned from the neck down.

 His men are concerned about Archie and he admits that he is still weak.

He was almost killed by Gretchen who is now at Oregon State Mental Hospital. Then, Archie gets a call relayed from Gretchen's doctor. She asks for Archie's help because someone is after her child.

When Archie refuses to believe Gretchen's message, his friend, reporter Susan Ward goes to the hospital and Gretchen gives her a detailed interview on tape where she admits to a murder in her past. He return, Gretchen asks Susan to tell Archie that she needs to see him.

Another body is found, suspense mounts. This time it is a woman who has been burned. While Archie and his unit investigate these murders, there is something in Gretchen's message about having an associate in her killings and mentions a name. Then she admits that the associate went renegade.

The author writes an interesting story. The plot is a cat and mouse game in finding the killer before they can reach their intended victim. The characters are correctly portrayed and the author gives her reader information about Gretchen's past which helps us to understand her.

Chelsea Cain is a superb entertainer. I thought that the conclusion was somewhat predictable but overall the story was clever and engrossing.

"Loaded like a freight train' Flyin' like an aeroplane." Song lyrics

GIVEAWAY



Denis Johnson is an award winning poet and short story writer who studied under Raymond Carver at the Univeristy of Iowa.

In "Train Dreams," Robert Grainier is a type of Everyman. His story begins in 1917 and through his eyes we observe many major events of his life and presenting us with the underside of his history. Through this, the reader can experience what certain events were like in the early part of last century.

Grainier is there while the Spokane International Railway was building its lines. He assists when a number of men decide to attempt to throw a Chinaman off a bridge. The man's offense, stealing from the company store.

The man makes his escape by jumping into the water below and while Grainier is walking home to his wife and infant daughter, he seems to see the Chinaman in many places. In one "...dancing up and out of the creek like a spider."

We see flashbacks to Grainier's earlier life and picture the scene when he comes upon an injured man who asks that he give him some water and when he dies, to tell the sheriff the name of the man who robbed him and caused his death.

As in many books dealing with the development of areas in the country, he describes returning to his home one summer after earning money while away. A fire was consuming an entire area, causing people to flee in every direction.  What happens to his family has a profound effect on the rest of his life.

This novella was an enjoyable read and gave me pause to consider the hardships that
others have gone through to get us all to where we are today.

Amazon review of "Train Dreams"

Giveaway Rules:

1. Go to Amazon review and  at the end of the review, indicate "yes" helpful.
2. be a follower of this blog.
3. leave email address and indicate steps one and two are completed.
4. U.S. and Canada
5. Giveaway through June 15th.

"Loaded like a freight train' Flyin' lik an aeroplane." Song lyrics

GIVEAWAY



Denis Johnson is an award winning poet and short story writer who studied under Raymond Carver at the Univeristy of Iowa.

In "Train Dreams," Robert Grainier is a type of Everyman. His story begins in 1917 and through his eyes we observe many major events of his life and presenting us with the underside of his history. Through this, the reader can experience what certain events were like in the early part of last century.

Grainier is there while the Spokane International Railway was building its lines. He assists when a number of men decide to attempt to throw a Chinaman off a bridge. The man's offense, stealing from the company store.

The man makes his escape by jumping into the water below and while Grainier is walking home to his wife and infant daughter, he seems to see the Chinaman in many places. In one "...dancing up and out of the creek like a spider."

We see flashbacks to Grainier's earlier life and picture the scene when he comes upon an injured man who asks that he give him some water and when he dies, to tell the sheriff the name of the man who robbed him and caused his death.

As in many books dealing with the development of areas in the country, he describes returning to his home one summer after earning money while away. A fire was consuming an entire area, causing people to flee in every direction.  What happens to his family has a profound effect on the rest of his life.

This novella was an enjoyable read and gave me pause to consider the hardships that
others have gone through to get us all to where we are today.

Amazon Review of "Train Dreams"

Giveaway Rules:

1. Go to Amazon review and under 'newest review'  and at the end of the review, indicate "yes" helpful.
2. be a follower of this blog.
3. leave email address and indicate steps one and two are completed.
4. U.S. and Canada
5. Giveaway through June 15th.

"Why can't I free your doubtful mind and melt your cold cold heart." Song

Granite City is in the vicinity of Aberdeen, Scotland.  The story opens with the body of a three-year-old child being found. David Reid had been strangled and murdered.  Since David had been missing for a time and was found to be dead for at least two months when his body was found, the police investigation was criticized for taking so long.

< span="">. Sgt. Logan McRae is just back on the job after being stabbed by a criminal in his last case. He's the kind of man the police assign to cases that are delicate and need to be solved quickly.  He's ordered to inform the Reid family about finding their child's body. When he does, he finds the family in distress at having been called by the press prior to their notification by the police.

McRae is working for a controlling, authoritative supervisor. Det. Inspector Inch is a large, bald man who McRae thinks looks "...like a well-dressed Buddha. Only not so friendly."  Inch also has a hobby of doing pantomine on the stage and encouraging members of his department to be sure to purchase their tickets.

Another body is found. This time it's a five year old girl. She had been killed in a different manner and authorities were baffled because no one had reported the little girl missing.

McRae is eminently believable and is the type of character that the reader comes to like and feel that if it were them, in that situation, that's how they would act. I look forward to more of the stories of Sgt. Logan McRae in the future.

"In the bleak midwinter frosty wind made moan. Earth stood hard as iron...long ago." Poem

To be released June 5, 2012.


Malin Fors is a thirty-four-year old superintendent in the Linkoping, Sweden police department. She's alerted to the scene of a naked body of an obese man who had been tortured, murdered and then left hanging from a tree.

Linkoping is a small town surrounded by plains and forests. In some respects it seems as though time had stood still for some of the residents who kept memories of the past alive.

It is one of the coldest Februaries in memory with cars that refuse to start and people bundled in layers of clothes to stay warm.

The victim, Bengt Andersson was a man who was ignored by most people and teased by others due to his weight. He lived in an area that Malin describes, that includes "...scared kids, teased kids, never go to school kids. Alcoholic's kids."

The story is well told and unique in that we listen to segments from character's minds, even Bengt, telling things that he experienced in a manner that longed for a better world.

His father was cruel and ended up in jail leaving his mother to care for him by taking in sewing. When his father's jail term was over, he seemed to resent Bengt  and was abusive to him and to Bengt's mother.

The police procedural follows the search for a possible motive and a killer. One thought was that this was a ritual killing in Midwinter's Blood where people were sacrificed to gods.

The sadness of the unfortunate victim's life leaps from the pages. Unloved, with a cruel father, in and out of mental homes and killed for a reason the police have difficult in understanding.

This psychological thriller will have the reader glued to the pages. Malin Fors the kind of protagonist that the reader can enjoy. She has a teenage daughter that she is on good terms with and tends to work too long but her reason is to catch criminals and protect society.

The writing is smooth and when we hear the thoughts of various characters, it gives the reader a deeper understanding of the characters.

Highly recommended.

"A house divided against itself cannot stand." Abraham Lincolin

Two skiers discover Abbie Cooper's body. She had been dead for some time and her body was frozen in a mountain creek.
Abbie was wanted for murder and ecoterrorism but how did she come to be alone, shot, and in an isolated area like this?
"The Divide" tells the story of Abbie Cooper as an innocent teenager who was about to finish her high school days and who had close family ties. She loved her family and the life they had together.

Her family life seemed idyllic as she and her family went on their annual vacation to a dude ranch in Montana.

At the dude ranch, Abbie met and became romantically involved with a ranch hand, Ty Hawkins. One day, Ty brought Abbie to his parents ranch, a wondrous place where his father raised horses. She learns that companies are drilling for gas in the area and he's been notified that they will be drilling on his ranch. When his family and others in the area bought the land, the government only sold them the surface rights. The government kept the mineral rights and has been leasing the land to private companies.

Abbie and her family went on with their vacation and their lives seemed normal until her father, Ben, decided to leave the family for another woman.

This had a simmering adverse effect on Abbie. She picked a college in the west where she became involved in various protest movements. This progressed into more radical movements and hardened Abbie toward corporations who she felt were harming the ecology.

In this story, the author provides the reader with a well described story showing how divorce can destroy a family and that it is often the children who suffer the most. There was good pacing in the novel and Abbie was a well described character who the reader comes to feel sympathy for.

A quick and entertaining read.