Where is your Bookmark?

[Carol]

The Reckoning on Cane Hill by Steve Mosby
4.5★'s

Charlie Matheson died two years ago in a car accident. So how is a woman bearing a startling resemblance to her claiming to be back from the dead? Detective Mark Nelson is called in to investigate and hear her terrifying account of what she's been through in the afterlife. Every year, Detective David Groves receives a birthday card for his son—even though he buried him years ago. His son's murder took everything from him, apart from his belief in the law, even though the killers were never found. This year, though, the card bears a different message: I know who did it. Uncovering the facts will lead them all on a dark journey, where they must face their own wrongs as well as those done to those they love. It will take them to a place where justice is a game, and punishments are severe.

I usually try to avoid novels that are narrated by several different characters as they tend to sometimes become confusing but in this one the stories told by different characters are easily followed as the author clearly labels each chapter with the person's name so it's easy to keep up with who's speaking. As a result he has created a solid, intriguing mystery. The two separate cases presented alternately throughout will come together, immersing the reader in the story as if you were watching and experiencing the action take place.

[Carol]

Death Wore White by Jim Kelly
Shaw & Valentine Series Book #1
3.5★'s

At 5.15 p.m. Harvey Ellis was trapped - stranded in a line of eight cars by a blizzard on a Norfolk coast road. At 8.15 p.m. Harvey Ellis was dead - viciously stabbed at the wheel of his truck. And his killer has achieved the impossible: striking without being seen, and without leaving a single footprint in the snow . . . For DI Peter Shaw and DS George Valentine it's only the start of an infuriating investigation. The crime scene is melting, the murderer has vanished, the witnesses are dropping like flies. And the body count is on the rise.

This is the first novel in this series so I forgave it for being rather slow and having a improbable plot boarding on down right kooky. The characters of Shaw and Valentine are really good and they make a good team. The crusty old vet under the supervision of the young Chief Inspector who has a talent for forensics and in dealing with suspects are actually what carried this novel off and earned it the 3.5 stars. Like all of Jim Kelly's novels that I have read... this one also is very repetitive. It's almost like he has forgotten that he's mentioned this piece of evidence or advise at least five times already. I loved the idea of the plot. It was almost like a closed-door mystery. There was seemingly no way it could have happened but yet it did kind of thing.

[Marilyn]

December 31, 2017 Currently reading:

TEXT - Hidden Figures: The Untold True Story of Four African-American Women Who Helped Launch Our Nation into Space by Margot Lee Shetterly--for my "Stranger than Fiction" book club at the library

Personal AUDIO - Forest Dark by Nicole Krauss--for 3rd Thursday Book Club at the library

AUDIO in the car - The Charm School by Nelson DeMille--still plugging away on this despite a trip back and forth to Lake Charles and a couple trips to Austin!

[Carol]

Friend Request by Laura Marshall
4★'s

Maria Weston wants to be friends. But Maria Weston is dead. Isn't she?

1989. When Louise first notices the new girl who has mysteriously transferred late into their senior year, Maria seems to be everything the girls Louise hangs out with aren't. Authentic. Funny. Brash. Within just a few days, Maria and Louise are on their way to becoming fast friends.

2016. Louise receives a heart-stopping email: Maria Weston wants to be friends on Facebook. Long-buried memories quickly rise to the surface: those first days of their budding friendship; cruel decisions made and dark secrets kept; the night that would change all their lives forever.

I liked the book and found that I quickly became engrossed in the plot line. It's not an 'in-your face" type of mystery but it keeps you turning the pages anxious to find out what in the world could this woman have done to her friend when she was 16 years old that has shaped and controlled her life for the past 25 years. I often felt that she was way too hard on herself even though what happened was horrible. As a teenager I could see the kids responsible being afraid to tell the truth... but as adults you would think they should have been able to come to grips and do the right thing. This is a first book for this author but if this is any indication of the type of writer she is, then I look forward to more of her works.

[Carol]

The Jefferson Key by Steve Berry
Cotton Malone series Book#7
4★'s

Four presidents of the United States have been assassinated—in 1865, 1881, 1901, and 1963—each murder seemingly unrelated. But what if those presidents were all killed for the shocking same reason: a clause contained in the United States Constitution? This is the question faced by former Justice Department operative Cotton Malone. When President Danny Daniels is nearly killed in the heart of Manhattan, Malone risks his life to foil the murder—only to find himself at odds with the Commonwealth, a secret society of pirates first assembled during the American Revolution. Racing across the nation and taking to the high seas, Malone and Cassiopeia Vitt must break a secret cipher originally possessed by Thomas Jefferson, unravel a mystery concocted by Andrew Jackson, and unearth a document forged by the Founding Fathers themselves—one powerful enough to make the Commonwealth unstoppable.

This was another exciting adventure with Cotton Malone and his colleagues. These books would make great movies. The book was filled...as usual...with well researched history that adds so much to the story. Most American's have heard of the secret codes that Thomas Jefferson was so fond of... but only a few "history buffs" knew about the society known as "The Commonwealth" that the government actually paid to raid enemy vessels. Instead of being called "pirates" they were known as "privateers"....an attempt to make their actions more respectable??? Anyone that loves adventure and history will more than likely like the Cotton Malone series. Be prepared for a ride that is often bumpy but always fast paced with a "hero" figure that is like Captain Kirk on steroids.

[Carol]

Signature Kill by David Levien
Frank Behr series Book #4
3.5★

An unidentifiable body is found in an Indianapolis park, deliberately arranged so that police know it's not just a random crime. Former cop Frank Behr, now a P.I. with no cases, no money and no options, finds himself chasing down the disappearance of a wayward young woman who's been missing for months in a futile attempt to collect a reward. With assistance from his few remaining contacts on the force, Behr follows the tenuous thread of his case into the world of small-time prostitution-and discovers a possible connection to the body in the park. When another murder victim turns up, it's clear there's a serial killer at work, but this predator seems to be invisible, camouflaged by his perfectly normal-looking life.

Behr's relentless quest for the missing girl and his parallel pursuit of the killer become entangled with the official police investigation. Ultimately, Behr's obsession with the truth will lead him into the darkest places, and force him to make an unavoidable and devastating decision.

This was the first book i had read by this author. I usually don't care for books that switch back and forth between characters but David Levien managed to do this with an expert touch. The reader was never confused about who was narrating or what was taking place. The murders were slightly over kill for the most part and the descriptions were gruesome but you never, until the last chapter, knew who the killer was. The author had a good writing style and was very easy to read. I'll be finding more of this series.

[Book Concierge]

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