Shannon C.’s review of Flood (Burke Series, Book 1) by Andrew Vachss
Mystery fiction released by Vintage 10 Mar 98

I’m not sure that I would have picked up this book if I hadn’t seen a blog post about its author. I would provide a link, but blog posts run together in my head, and I don’t remember who it was. Anyway, Andrew Vachss is a serious bad-ass. The proceeds of his books, according to his wiki page go toward his law practice, where he defends children and youth. In real life, I am a social work major, and I figured if anyone was going to write compelling books about issues that are important to me, it would be someone like him. But when one of my good online friends confessed to being a Burke fangirl, I decided I had to see whether the badassery would translate into decent writing.

I suspect that a reader’s enjoyment of Burke will depend a lot on her politics and her squeamishness. Vachss has his opinions, and he doesn’t sugar-coat them, and not all of his opinions are easy to swallow. (Burke clearly dislikes social workers, for one thing, and he doesn’t seem to have a lot of love for middle-class white liberals, either.) And, good Lord, is this book violent.

There were a few places where I was reading with clenched teeth, just on the point of being squicked. But it all works for me. I didn’t feel any of the violence was gratuitous or inserted there just so that we could have a random violent scene. Burke’s world is a hard, cold place, and bad things happen, and it all serves its purpose.

Burke himself is a compelling character. He lives an underground life, hiding from normal everyday citizens because it’s easier that way. Stepping into Burke’s world leaves the reader, as it does Flood, the woman who finds Burke and asks him to find a man called the Cobra so she can kill him, either keeping up or being lost. I was able to keep up, though for the first bit of the book, I didn’t especially find Burke a likeable character. He was, however, compelling, and that goes a long way. I also found him to be an alpha male type I could certainly respect, even if I don’t always like him.

This isn’t a romance, and it’s not even so much a mystery as it is a look at some of the seedier places the world has to offer. But the characters aside from Burke, from the titular Flood to Max the Silent to Michelle, a transsexual prostitute, are all people I want to learn more about. I’m really glad I was pointed at this series, and if you like your mysteries with a bit of grit, this book definitely comes recommended.

Grade: B+

Summary from Amazon.com:
In Vachss’s acclaimed first novel, we are introduced to Burke, the avenging angel of abused children. Burke’s client is a woman named Flood, who has the face of an angel, the body of a high-priced stripper, and the skills of a professional executioner. She wants Burke to find a monster — so she can kill him with her bare hands. In this cauterizing thriller, Andrew Vachss’s renegade private eye teams up with a lethally gifted vigilante to follow a child’s murderer through the catacombs of New York, where every alley is a setup for a mugging and every tenement has something rotten in the basement. Fearfully knowing, buzzing with narrative tension, and written in prose as forceful as a hollow-point bullet, Flood is Burke at his deadliest — and Vachss at the peak of his form.
Read an excerpt.

Other books in the series:

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Coming 30 Dec 08:

LauraD’s review of Faefever (Fever Series, Book 3) by Karen Marie Moning
Urban fantasy hardcover released by Delacorte Press 16 Sep 08

I confess to having never been a big fan of Karen Marie Moning’s paranormal romance novels. Thanks to a great heroine and an enigmatic hero(?), however, I am all on board with her Fever Series, and have been impatiently waiting for book three.

MacKayla “Mac” Lane arrived in Dublin to find out who killed her sister. She found not only the killer’s identity, but her own — Mac is a sidhe-seer, a rare human who can see the fae that walk amongst us. She has reluctantly partnered with the mysterious Jericho Barrons to try and stop the walls between the world of fae and human from crumbling and what would be left of the human race from their enslavement by the faery courts. Mac has the unique ability to sense when certain sacred fae objects are near, making her invaluable to both Barrons and to V’lane, a “death-by-sex” faery prince whose motives are very murky at this point.

Faefever starts off running and doesn’t really slow down. Mac becomes much more independent, as she uses the knowledge she has and the people she knows to do her own detective work instead of merely being Barron’s hunting dog. Of course, she still manages to get in trouble once or twice, and both Barrons and V’lane get their chance to rescue her — but in this version of Dublin rescue always comes at a cost. It was really enjoyable to see Mac become a stronger character, an arc I think will continue to develop in books 4 and 5.

I’d love to say that the author reveals the true soul of Jericho Barrons, but I’m beginning to feel we may not get that until the last page of the last book! However, some fascinating clues as to who (or what) Barrons might be are revealed. A new possible love interest for Mac is introduced, and he has ties to Moning’s Highlander books — it will be interesting to see if any of those characters make an appearance in the future episodes.

One of the things I really appreciate about this book and series is the strong sense of place. Dublin isn’t just a name-check, it’s a part of the book. Barrons’ bookstore is also almost a character; reading about Mac’s love for it makes me wish I could visit it someday. Without being overly descriptive the author does a great job making streets and buildings come alive on the pages.

If you haven’t yet read Darkfever or Bloodfever, I’d suggest reading at least one of those before this one. Faefever starts with world building and mythology complete, and not a lot of backstory is provided for new readers. It’s a wonderful series, and this is a great continuation — I’ve read it twice already, looking for more clues and tidbits I might have missed the first time around. Multiple plot lines are left unresolved, which again makes it impossible to read as a standalone.  Me,  I’ll be patiently waiting on book 4, Dreamfever.

Grade: B+

Summary:

He calls me his Queen of the Night. I’d die for him. I’d kill for him, too.

When MacKayla Lane receives a torn page from her dead sister’s journal, she is stunned by Alina’s desperate words. And now MacKayla knows that her sister’s killer is close. But evil is closer. And suddenly the sidhe-seer is on the hunt: For answers. For revenge. And for an ancient book of dark magic so evil, it corrupts anyone who touches it.

Mac’s quest for the Sinsar Dubh takes her into the mean, shape-shifting streets of Dublin, with a suspicious cop on her tail. Forced into a dangerous triangle of alliance with V’lane, an insatiable Fae prince of lethally erotic tastes, and Jericho Barrons, a man of primal desires and untold secrets, Mac is soon locked in a battle for her body, mind, and soul.

As All Hallows Eve approaches and the city descends into chaos, as a shocking truth about the Dark Book is uncovered, not even Mac can prevent a deadly race of immortals from shattering the walls between worlds with devastating consequences.

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

LauraD’s review of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (The Millennium Series, Book 1) by Stieg Larsson (translation by Reg Keeland)
Mystery Fiction hardcover released by Knopf 16 Sep 08

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo has had major buzz for quite awhile. The story behind it could be a novel itself – Swedish reporter writes several mystery novels for fun at home after work, gets published, and then dies tragically young of a heart attack. TGWTDT has topped European bestseller lists, won an award at home in Sweden, and totally deserves the hype. 

Author Stieg Larsson introduces one of the most compelling fictional characters I’ve read in a long time. The girl of the title, Lisbet Salander, is in her mid-twenties, a genius, an emotional cipher, and a legal ward of the state. She is also fiercely antisocial, a computer hacker, and is employed as an agent by an exclusive security firm. Lisbet is described as being “anorexically thin,” having multiple piercings, and has plenty of other tattoos in addition to the aforementioned dragon.

Mikael Blomkvist is an older reporter disgraced after publishing false information about a wealthy industrialist. Unable to work at his craft and in self-exile from the city, he is hired by the very rich and elderly Henrik Vanger. Ostensibly Blomkvist will write the history of the large and eccentric Vanger family, but in reality Henrik wants him to investigate the disappearance of Henrik’s niece Harriet some decades earlier. There is no body, but a young Harriet vanished from a private island and hasn’t been seen or heard from since.

The gracious reporter and sullen investigator meet, and form an unlikely alliance. Together they search for the truth about the Vanger family and Harriet’s disappearance. However, TGWTDT has several other mysteries taking place as well; don’t forget about the wealthy industrialist. There are many themes running through this book, including racism, corporate greed, personal accountability, and violence-especially violence against women. The original title in Swedish is “Men Who Hate Women”. This is a dark and at times very disturbing book; it’s a tribute to Larsson’s writing that while at times it is graphic, it never becomes gratuitous. While I do want to be honest about the book’s darker side, don’t be scared off-this is also a very thoughtfully written mystery.

I have to come back to Lisbet, a character that will probably inspire more than a few young female readers to get dragons tattooed on their backs. A brilliant character, because she is sympathetic and heroic, even as she repels you and breaks your heart.

I am already counting the days until The Girl Who Played With Fire comes out January 2009, because I cannot wait to find out where these characters will go next. In the meantime, I’ll end up reading this again just to keep trying to figure Lisbet out. Can I give an extra + after the A+?

Grade: A++

Summary:

Forty years ago, Harriet Vanger disappeared off the secluded island owned and inhabited by the powerful Vanger family. There was no corpse, no witnesses, no evidence. But her uncle, Henrik, is convinced that she was murdered by someone from her own deeply dysfunctional Vanger clan. Disgraced journalist Mikael Blomqvist is hired to investigate.

Read an excerpt by going to the Knopf page and navigating to the widget on the right side of the screen.

[Ed.: The author died in 2004 of a sudden heart attack. There are two more books in this series coming out that were written before he died.]

Devon’s review of The Laughter of Dead Kings (Vicky Bliss, No. 6) by Elizabeth Peters
Mystery released by William Morrow 26 Aug 08

Recently, I wrote of my excitement upon discovering this book had been published. Finally, after fourteen years, I would find out what had become of my beloved Vicky and John. This series of slightly slapstick adventures, set in the world of art and antiquities, had been a favorite comfort read since I was a tween. I lucked into it at work, intercepting the new release cart as it came down from Technical Services. Hoorah! I eagerly sat down to this entertaining, convoluted, and rather stale novel.

Was I disappointed? A little bit, but not really. It reminded me of getting together with an old friend. It’s great to see them, and you wish them all the best, but you don’t really have all that much in common anymore and the conversation feels really forced. So much of The Laughter of Dead Kings felt so familiar. The turns of phrase, the small actions…when you’ve read the prior books as often as I have, you can tell when it’s been said and done before.

The caper, which involved the theft of the most famous mummy in the world, could have been interesting. We are reunited with American Art Historian, Vicky Bliss, and her love, John Smythe, a former art thief trying to go straight. When John is implicated in the heist of the celebrated Egyptian Pharaoh, it is up to John, Vicky, and Vicky’s employer, Herr Doktor Professor Anton Schmidt, to track down the mummy and find the real criminals.

Everyone’s acting like their old selves, if only a shadow of them. Vicky seems angry and brittle, rather than witty and charming. Perhaps she’s getting sick of John’s crap, because he was pretty damn annoying. John was always morally ambiguous, and sometimes a douche, but also charming and amusing. He was redeemed by his constant rescues of Vicky, and their awesome chemistry. In this installment, he kept disappearing and being all withholding and sketchy for no good reason. Like Vicky, he lacked his previous charisma, seeming querulous instead.

Feisal, John’s old school chum from Night Train to Memphis, was featured, along with a number of new characters. None were particularly memorable. In fact, when a character re-appears late in the story, I had to leaf back to remind myself who he was. The show belonged to Schmidt, finally getting some respect. The aging Santa look alike is laughed at by Vicky and John, but constantly proves himself to be ten times more with it than everyone else in the book.

The book was disappointing, but not terrible. There were a number of very funny moments, and I loved the ending, despite not particularly liking John or Vicky throughout the book. It just felt like it had a lot of padding, and all the padding was recycled from other books. The Laughter of Dead Kings did not attain “definite re-read” status the way other Vicky Bliss books have, but I’ll read it again, to see if I change my mind. Vicky Bliss/Elizabeth Peters fans should read this for closure, but if you haven’t, start with The Street of the Five Moons.

Grade: C+

The Summary:
Who stole one of Egypt’s most priceless treasures? That is the question that haunts the authorities after a distinguished British gentleman with an upper-crust accent cons his way past a security guard and escapes into the desert carrying a world-famous, one-of-a-kind historic relic. But the Egyptian authorities and Interpol believe they know the identity of the culprit. The brazen crime bears all the earmarks of the work of one “Sir John Smythe,” the suave and dangerously charming international art thief who is, in fact, John Tregarth, the longtime significant other of Vicky Bliss. But John swears he is retired—not to mention innocent—and he vows to clear his name by hunting down the true criminal.

Vicky’s faith in her man’s integrity leaves her no choice but to take a hiatus from her position at a leading Munich museum and set out for the Middle East. Vicky’s employer, the eminent Herr Doktor Anton Z. Schmidt, rotund gourmand and insatiable adventurer, decides to join the entourage.

But dark days and myriad dangers await them in this land of intriguing antiquity. Each uncovered clue seems to raise even more questions for the intrepid Vicky—the most troubling being, Where is John going during his increasingly frequent and unexplained absences? And the stakes are elevated considerably when a ransom note arrives accompanied by a grisly memento intended to speed up negotiations—because now it appears that murder most foul has been added to the equation.

Read an excerpt.

Connie’s Quick Quack review of Sweetheart (The Beauty Killer, Book 2) by Chelsea Cain
Mystery thriller hardcover released by St. Martin’s Minotaur 2 Sep 08

Archie is back, and addicted to pain pills, when another girl is found in the park where Gretchen’s first victim was discovered. He’s managed to get back with Debbie and is not visiting Gretchen when this victim is found. Then, Archie is forced to see Gretchen again when she is attacked in the prison where she was incarcerated at the end of Book 1.

Henry goes behind Archie’s back and arranges to get Gretchen moved far away from Archie. All Henry has actually done is play into Gretchen’s hands and she escapes while being moved – she has found new lovers to do her bidding.

Susan is back, with another hair color, and we see a lot more of her mother than we need to when, because of Gretchen’s escape, they and Archie’s family are forced to go into hiding. Problem is Archie is in liver failure and wants to end the threat to his family – so he has a plan…

Archie’s story is a sad one. He is actually someone who cares. Gretchen targets him and a family is ruined because of her sick desires.

Cut Archie a little slack and enjoy the book. I love a good serial killer and Gretchen certainly fits the need, and then some. I enjoyed this book more than the first so be sure to check out Archie’s plan!

Grade: A

Summary:

With Heartsick, Chelsea Cain took the crime world by storm, introducing two of the most compelling characters in decades: serial killer Gretchen Lowell and her obsessed pursuer Portland Detective Archie Sheridan. The book spent four weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and garnered rave reviews around the world. But the riveting story of Archie and Gretchen was left unfinished, and now Chelsea Cain picks up the tale again.

When the body of a young woman is discovered in Portland’s Forest Park, Archie is reminded of the last time they found a body there, more than a decade ago: it turned out to be the Beauty Killer’s first victim, and Archie’s first case. This body can’t be one of Gretchen’s—she’s in prison—but after help from reporter Susan Ward uncovers the dead woman’s identity, it turns into another big case. Trouble is, Archie can’t focus on the new investigation because the Beauty Killer case has exploded: Gretchen Lowell has escaped from prison.

Archie hadn’t seen her in two months; he’d moved back in with his family and sworn off visiting her. Though it should feel like progress, he actually feels worse. The news of her escape spreads like wildfire, but secretly, he’s relieved. He knows he’s the only one who can catch her, and in fact, he has a plan to get out from under her thumb once and for all.

Chelsea Cain has topped her own bestselling debut thriller with this unpredictable, edge-of-your-seat story.

Read an excerpt.

Other books in the series:

Mass market paperback released 29 Jul 08

Wendy the Super Librarian‘s review of Murder on the Eiffel Tower (A Victor Legris Mystery) by Claude Izner
Historical mystery hardcover released by St. Martin’s Minotaur 2 Sep 08

While the United States is a publishing powerhouse, there are plenty of books published overseas that might never find an American distributor. Case in point, Claude Izner’s debut historical mystery set in late 19th century Paris was first published in 2003 and is just now seeing the light of day in the U.S in 2008. Given that historical romances haven’t exactly been breaking the mold with fresh, original locales, I find historical mysteries to be a refreshing change of pace when I get burnt out from reading about English dukes or American cowboys. However, while Murder on the Eiffel Tower cleansed my palate when it came to the locale, I can’t say the book was entirely successful for me.

The highlight of the 1889 World Exposition in Paris is Gustave Eiffel’s magnificent tower. It’s causing a sensation around the world, not just with Parisians – some who think it’s marvelous and others who think it’s an eye sore. However the excitement turns to shock when a woman collapses and dies while visiting the tower with her niece and nephews. It’s suggested she died as the result of a bee sting, but then a cryptic letter begins arriving at the newspapers and more dead bodies turn up.

Enter, stage left, bookseller Victor Legris who spends no time over the course of this story actually working at his book shop. He’s either mooning over a beautiful red-headed painter he just met or snooping around for clues. As more dead bodies pile up, Victor finds the bee sting theory completely preposterous. The question is, will he uncover the truth, and get the girl, before the villain targets him next?

Even though it clocks in under 300 pages, this story takes a while to find some footing. One of the biggest issues is the head hopping and the introduction of several characters, all at once. Predominantly in the early chapters, it’s hard to tell if this uneven head hopping is the result of the original text (in French) or the result of the work by the translator. As overseas readers will attest, not all translations are created equal. Normally I enjoy head-hopping, when it’s skillfully employed, but here, compounded by the fact that the author introduces multiple characters in one sitting, it causes some confusion. I’m not a dense person, but it took some time for me to sort it all out.

I also found the character of Victor quite bothersome. For one thing he spends most of the early chapters mooning over a painter he meets and not doing much in the way of sleuthing. Luckily, the author eventually kicks it up a notch and the sleuthing commences with Victor suspecting just about everybody and their dead grandmother. However, I didn’t really care for the guy. Yes, I know men in the 19th century had mistresses. Some of them married. Heck, guys in the 21st century have mistresses. Doesn’t mean I want to read about it. And frankly, I didn’t appreciate the fact that he practically dumps his mistress (even though she’s married) before the sheets are cold when a newer, prettier face catches his eye. I found it unsavory, for lack of a better word.

The setting here is particularly well done, although if readers want some hand holding they’re going to be disappointed. The sister writing duo of Izner doesn’t spell things out for readers not familiar with French history, culture or landmarks. What I know about France can basically be summed up to Napoleon and de Gaulle, but I felt completely comfortable in Izner’s world once I got my feet wet.

Murder on the Eiffel Tower reminds me of the days when mystery novels were a bit more genteel. Even though there is some nondescript sex, this is a book I’d be very comfortable recommending to someone who wants a “cleaner” read without all the unsavory sex and violence mucking up the works. I thought the monologue at the end on the part of the villain was a bit over the top, but the author does explain all the twists and turns to satisfaction. While this first book in the Victor Legris series largely left me unmoved, and I’m not really compelled to continue on with it, it may work for those readers who love 19th century Paris, throwback puzzle mysteries, or just want to escape Regency England for a little while.

Grade: C-

Summary:

The brand-new, shiny Eiffel Tower is the pride and glory of the 1889 World Exposition. But one sunny afternoon, as visitors are crowding the viewing platforms, a woman collapses and dies on this great Paris landmark. Can a bee sting really be the cause of death? Or is there a more sinister explanation? Enter young bookseller Victor Legris. Present on the tower at the time of the incident, and appalled by the media coverage of the occurrence, he is determined to find out what actually happened. In this dazzling evocation of late nineteenth-century Paris, we follow Victor as his investigation takes him all over the city and he suspects an ever-changing list of possible perpetrators. Could mysterious Kenji Mori, his surrogate father and business partner at the bookstore Legris operates, be involved in the crime? Why are beautiful Russian illustrator Tasha and her colleagues at the newly launched sensationalist newspaper Passepartout always up-to-date in their reporting? And what will Legris do when the deaths begin to multiply and he is caught in a race against time?

Shannon C.’s review of Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay
Contemporary mystery/thriller fiction released by Doubleday 20 Jul 04

I wasn’t really sure what to expect when I unearthed Darkly Dreaming Dexter from the depths of the TBR. I’d heard some great things about the book — if you’re into heroic sociopaths working for the side of justice and the law — but it took a specific mood for me to really get into this book, and even after I’ve read it, I’m not sure I’ll be going out of my way to read the rest of the series.

The premise, for those of you who missed both the book and the television show inspired by the book, is that blood spatter analyst Dexter Morgan is no normal human being. His foster father, Harry, realized that Dexter had it in him to be a serial killer, and made sure to teach him how not to get caught, and to make sure that he channeled his tendencies toward the deserving.

This is an interesting premise, and riding along in Dexter’s head wasn’t one of the more pleasant reading experiences I’ve ever had, although I enjoyed his snarky sense of humor and his self-deprecating wit. I also liked his struggles with sanity, which are kind of crucial to a story like that. But still… I just can’t parse what it must be like to feel such insane and utter glee at the prospect of killing someone, nor could I even begin to empathize with the rush of almost sexual connection between Dexter and the serial killer he is helping to investigate.

That being said, the writing here is really good. Lindsay gives us enough detail that we can picture the gore rather than have it spelled out for us, which I think can be extremely effective when done correctly, as it was done here. He also seems to have a strong sense of the darker part of the human psyche, which seemed eerily accurate, but which was nonetheless hard to read.

I think that’s where I ultimately had a problem with the book. It was just too gritty for me, and I never really got a sense of things being resolved at the end. I want a sense of justice when I read any kind of fiction, some idea that the characters get exactly what they deserve, and that’s where this book ultimately fails for me. I can acknowledge that this is the sort of book that people love, but I don’t think I need so many shades of gray in my fiction.

Grade: C+

Summary:

Meet Dexter Morgan, a polite wolf in sheep’s clothing. He’s handsome and charming, but something in his past has made him abide by a different set of rules. He’s a serial killer whose one golden rule makes him immensely likeable: he only kills bad people. And his job as a blood splatter expert for the Miami police department puts him in the perfect position to identify his victims. But when a series of brutal murders bearing a striking similarity to his own style start turning up, Dexter is caught between being flattered and being frightened–of himself or some other fiend.

Read an excerpt here.

Shannon C.’s review of Bloody Mary: Jacqueline Daniels Mysteries, Book 2 by J.A. Konrath
Mystery fiction released by Hyperion 16 Jun 05

Even though I’m still not a big mystery fan, I really enjoy J.A. Konrath’s Jack Daniels books. They are by turns funny and dark, and even though if I think about the books too long I am left feeling depressed, I still keep reading because tough-as-nails police lieutenant Jacqueline “Jack” Daniels is a character I’ve come to really root for.

In this second installment of the Jack Daniels mysteries, Jack finds herself trying to catch a killer who just may be a fellow cop on the Chicago police force. In the midst of all this, her ex-husband comes back into her life, she insists on her mom moving back in with her, and she still has to deal with the pest that is Harry McGlade, her former partner. In the meantime, Jack’s partner, Herb, is dealing with a midlife crisis of his own.

I really love what Konrath is able to do with Jack, and in this book, we actually see her at her most vulnerable, which is a bit of a challenge considering the fact that she does try to be stoic. In this book, I definitely got a better sense of who she was as a person, and I thought that her confusion over her love life and her worries for her mom were great.

The mystery here is as compelling as it was in the first book. We know right away who the killer is, but rather than stick with the formula he used in the last book, Konrath has this case pan out entirely differently, thus causing more psychological turmoil for poor Jack.

My quibbles with Bloody Mary were the same ones I had with Whiskey Sour. I thought the violence was a bit over the top. I hate how every book ends with Jack getting a proverbial slap in the face for her troubles, although at least this time she actually got the glory for solving the case and dealing with the killer. The killer himself crossed the line into cartoonishly over the top a few times for me, too, which made the climax just a bit less hair-raising than it otherwise might have been.

However, despite my quibbles, I think I liked this book just a shade more than I liked the last one and am looking forward to seeing what else Mr. Konrath has in store for Jack and Herb and their friends.

Grade: B+
Read my review of Whiskey Sour, the first book in the series, here.

Summary from the author’s website:
Start with a tough but vulnerable Chicago cop. Stir in a psychopath with a unique mental condition that programs him to kill. Add a hyperactive cat, an ailing mother, a jealous boyfriend, a high-maintenance ex-husband, and a partner in the throes of a mid-life crisis. Mix with equal parts humor and suspense, and enjoy Bloody Mary – the second novel in the funny, frightening world of Lieutenant Jacqueline “Jack” Daniels.

When Jack receives a report of an excess of body parts appearing at the Cook County Morgue, she hopes it’s only a miscount. It’s not. Even worse, these extra limbs seem to be accessorized with Jack’s handcuffs.

Someone has plans for Jack. Very bad plans. Plans that involve everything and everyone that she cares about.

Jack must put her train wreck of a personal life on hold to catch an elusive, brilliant maniac—a maniac for whom getting caught is only the beginning…

Read an excerpt here.

Liviania‘s review of Fearless Fourteen (Stephanie Plum, No. 14) by Janet Evanovich
Contemporary mystery released by St. Martin’s 17 Jun 08

I knew the seventeenth of June would be a good day because it was the street date of Jane Evanovich’s latest Stephanie Plum mystery. Evanovich has been on my auto buy list for years and there she will remain. She possesses excellent comedic timing and an appreciation for the absurd. Despite being the fourteenth novel in the series, Fearless Fourteen is accessible to newcomers. Some paragraphs describing the importance of various characters in the beginning may bore returning readers.

Skip Loretta Rizzi owns no collateral to be rebonded, so she is stuck in the Trenton jail. Thus, she needs someone to watch out for her son Mario, called Zook after his screen name on the online game Nation of Minionfire. Stephanie and her lover Morelli take the job, but someone keeps breaking into his home. At the same time, Stephanie is working again with Ranger, this time as a bodyguard to an aging diva and becomes involved with the diva’s psychic cousin/stalker. The clueless Moonman returns to protect the house with Zook and stalker Gary, as well as protect the house after Stephanie finds a dead man in the basement. Loretta’s brother Dom has an old grudge against Morelli, and he’s been involved with some scary people due to a bank heist ten years ago.

I enjoyed returning to the world of Evanovich’s lovably daffy characters. Having lost many friends to WOW, I couldn’t help but laugh out loud at her gamers. Equally funny is Brenda, the diva, as she hits on Ranger and tries to remain in the spotlight. But while the characters are the same as ever, many standard gags are missing. Stephanie’s car survives the novel and Grandma Mazur only attends one off-screen funeral – without causing any trouble. The book is just as funny without them.

Stephanie seems to be moving toward a permanent commitment to Morelli. She still thinks sexually of Ranger, but seems less responsive to his advances. There’s only one sexually charged encounter between the two that I can remember. This impression may also be caused by the time Stephanie spends at Morelli’s house in Fearless Fourteen. She and Morelli feel domestic as they care for Zook and try to keep people out of the house and off the lawn.

Lula, a former ‘ho and Stephanie’s fellow bond-enforcement agent, continues her relationship with Tank and tricks him into an engagement. Tank’s fear of the marriage and Ranger’s exasperation with Lula for distracting his employee create some of the best scenes in the novel. Of course, Lula once more diets so that she can fit into a wedding dress. Lula’s rationalizations for eating badly still amuse, although nothing beats the all meat diet.

I heard of some early reviewers being disappointed, but I wasn’t. I think Fearless Fourteen represents the series well. It delivers multiple laughs and a satisfying mystery. On the romantic side, Fearless Fourteen is less sensual than the majority of the series, but the comfortable vibe between Morelli and Stephanie satisfied me. I like Ranger, but he isn’t long-term relationship material.

Grade: B+

Personal vendettas, hidden treasure, and a monkey named Carl will send bounty hunter Stephanie Plum on her most explosive adventure yet.

The Crime: Armed robbery to the tune of nine million dollars

Dom Rizzi robbed a bank, stashed the money, and did the time. His family couldn’t be more proud. He always was the smart one.

The Cousin: Joe Morelli

Joe Morelli, Dom Rizzi, and Dom’s sister, Loretta, are cousins. Morelli is a cop, Rizzi robs banks, and Loretta is a single mother waiting tables at the firehouse. The all-American family.

The Complications: Murder, kidnapping, destruction of personal property, and acid reflux

Less than a week after Dom’s release from prison, Joe Morelli has shadowy figures breaking into his house and dying in his basement. He’s getting threatening messages, Loretta is kidnapped, and Dom is missing.

The Catastrophe: Moonman

Morelli hires Walter “Mooner” Dunphy, stoner and “inventor” turned crime fighter, to protect his house. Morelli can’t afford a lot on a cop’s salary, and Mooner will work for potatoes.

The Cupcake: Stephanie Plum

Stephanie and Morelli have a long-standing relationship that involves sex, affection, and driving each other nuts. She’s a bond enforcement agent with more luck than talent, and she’s involved in this bank-robbery-gone-bad disaster from day one.

The Crisis: A favor for Ranger

Security expert Carlos Manoso, street name Ranger, has a job for Stephanie that will involve night work. Morelli has his own ideas regarding Stephanie’s evening activities.

The Conclusion: Only the fearless should read Fourteen.

Thrills, chills, and incontinence may result.

Shannon C.’s review of Whiskey Sour: a Jacqueline Daniels Mystery by JA Konrath
Mystery fiction released by Hyperion 2 Jun 04

I’m not a big mystery reader, but I’ve been consciously trying to pick up books I normally wouldn’t. JA Konrath’s first Jack Daniels mystery isn’t one I’d have grabbed on my own, but a review I read somewhere made me intrigued enough to pick up this book. I’m glad I did.

You see, Jack Daniels is a woman, the Jack of course standing for Jacqueline. She’s been on the Chicago P.D. for 20 years, and she’s pretty much married to her job. But even she is shaken up by the gruesomeness of the killings made by a man who calls himself the Gingerbread Man killer. And this killer gradually becomes obsessed with Jack as well.

I love kick-ass heroines. Jack definitely kicks ass, and what’s more, I really like her narrative voice. I knew going into the book that JA Konrath was a man, so I was expecting Jack not to feel feminine enough, but she really worked for me. She’s funny, cynical, and self-depricating. I even didn’t mind the fact that there was no hint of a romantic subplot, although Jack does go out on a blind date. I’m hoping that there’ll be romance for Jack in future books, but I was glad she wasn’t distracted by love and could therefore do her job. There are definitely some romantic prospects, though, and one man in particular in Jack’s life that I want to hear more from. I also loved her relationship with her partner, Herb, and could definitely tell that they liked each other a lot. And the scenes where Jack talks to her mother? Awesome and hysterical.

In fact, the whole book is funny in a witty, snarky sort of way. I know I read some other review which complained particularly about the FBI agents who are totally just there for the comic relief, but those scenes had me in stitches. I even loved the parts where Jack and Herb crack jokes which aren’t very good.

Not to say that this is a lighthearted book, because it’s not. Konrath doesn’t pull any punches, and there was a lot of gore. I mean, seriously, the killer was incredibly creepy, though that being said the masterful part of the violence is that Konrath doesn’t describe everything in loving detail. He just paints a macabre picture and lets the reader fill in the rest. The killer actually seemed pretty smart, too, and the author waits until just the right moment to spring the identity of the villain on us. I was kept guessing right along with Jack, and at least in the romantic suspense I’ve read, I tend to figure out who the villains are relatively quickly, so it was nice to actually get that “Aha! So that’s the connection!” moment along with Jack.

My only real issues with the book are that I hate the technique the author uses. We get Jack’s first-person POV and then, occasionally, we’ll get third person chapters with the killer. This does heighten the suspense and Konrath juggles the POV better than most, but it’s a pet pieve of mine and I didn’t like it. However, since the book is getting a really high grade anyway, obviously I wasn’t crying about it too much. I also hated the ending. Justice is served, the killer is apprehended, but in such a way that I really felt awful for Jack. Saying more would constitute spoilers, but if I were Jack, I would have done more than punch someone in the face. I wanted better for her, which I guess goes to show that I did connect with the character.

Despite those issues, I really enjoyed this book and recommend it, especially if you enjoy snappy dialogue, gripping suspense and kick-ass heroines.

Grade: B+

Summary:

Lt. Jacqueline “JACK” Daniels is having a VERY bad week…

Jack’s live-in boyfriend has left her for his personal trainer, chronic insomnia has maxed out her credit cards with late-night home shopping purchases, and a frightening killer who calls himself “The Gingerbread Man” is dumping mutilated bodies in her district.

Between avoiding the FBI and their moronic profiling computer, joining a dating service, mixing it up with street thugs, and parrying the advances of an uncouth PI, Jack and her binge-eating partner Herb must catch the maniac before he kills again…and Jack is next on his murder list.

Whiskey Sour introduces a fun, fully drawn heroine in the grand tradition of Kinsey Millhone, Stephanie Plum, and Kay Scarpetta. It’s both laugh out loud funny and lock the doors scary.

You can download a PDF excerpt of this book from here.