Review of "A Second Death: A Josef Slonský International Thriller" by Graham Brack

In this 5th book in the 'Josef Slonský' international thriller series, the detective investigates the death of a young girl. The book can be read as a standalone.

*****

Newly promoted Captain Josef Slonský of the Czech Criminal Police has two main interests in life: solving his cases and filling his stomach - usually with beer and sausages or coffee and pastries.







Slonský's team has been severely depleted because of transfers and suspensions, but he still has three detectives, including Jan Navrátil - his personal protégé. Slonský also gets part-time assistance from his former officer, Kristýna Peiperová - who's been temporarily seconded to Colonel Urban, the Director of Criminal Police.





It so happens that Navrátil and Peiperová are engaged to be married, and Slonský feels he has to keep a close eye on them, to forestall excessive canoodling on the job. 💞



Slonský knows he needs to supplement his detective ranks - and increase the number of women on his squad - so he uses innovative (and sneaky) techniques to get exactly who he wants. Slonský's maneuvers in this regard are quite entertaining, as are his frequent stops at canteens and cafes, where he (constantly) 'replenishes his energy.'

Slonsky needs good cops because he has an especially troubling case. The body of a ten-year-old girl, showing signs of long term sexual abuse, has been fished out of the Vlatava River.



DNA evidence shows that this is a girl who disappeared seven years ago, when she was three-years-old. The toddler vanished from her nursery school at dismissal time - while her mother was waiting out front to pick her up.

Slonský learns that the original investigation of the girl's disappearance was shoddy at best, and the nursery school director was more interested in covering her butt than helping the police.



While Slonský and his crew are investigating the case of the dead girl - which includes a probe into her original disappearance - Slonský gives himself an additional job. Slonský's been expecting to get Officer Kristýna Peiperová back for good when Colonel Urban is promoted to Director of Police for the Czech Republic. However, it's starting to look like a different administrator - with important government connections - will get the job. So Slonský recruits some police buddies to help him rectify the situation. Once again, Slonský's clever strategies are on display.



Slonský and his detectives have to interview people all over Czechoslovakia to solve their homicide case, and they learn some disturbing things along the way.....but they're successful in the end. We also get a peek into the personal lives of the main characters, which adds to the book's interest.

This is a fun suspense novel, with an interesting setting and an engaging lead detective. Fans of humorous mysteries would probably enjoy this book.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author (Graham Brack), and the publisher (Sapere Books) for a copy of the book. 

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review of "Finders Keepers: Bill Hodges Trilogy # 2" by Stephen King

"Finders Keepers" is the second book in a trilogy that begins with "Mr. Mercedes." The trilogy features detective Bill Hodges and his makeshift (but capable) group of amateur helpers. In "Mr. Mercedes" the team assists in the capture of psychopath Brady Hartfield, who briefly shows up in this book as well.

"Finders Keepers" is a long book with a lot happening so I'll just summarize the main points.

The story begins in 1978. Morris Bellamy - a vicious young criminal - breaks into the home of famous, reclusive author John Rothstein.



Morris is obsessed with Jimmy Gold, the protagonist in Rothstein's "Runner" trilogy. In the first couple of "Runner" books Jimmy is a rebellious, young man that Morris identifies with. In the third book, however, Jimmy 'sells out' by having a family and working in advertising. This infuriates Morris and compels him to confront the author.



Morris ends up killing Rothstein and raiding his safe for money and a huge stack of moleskin notebooks that contain Rothstein's unpublished writings - including two more "Runner" books. Morris buries his stash just before he's sentenced to life imprisonment for another crime.



Jump ahead to 2010. The economy is bad and thirteen-year-old Pete Saubers is distressed because his parents are constantly fighting over money. Pete comes upon Morris's buried treasure and keeps it.



Pete then anonymously starts sending the cash to his parents, $500 a month. The money helps the family get back on its feet. Pete also becomes obsessed with the writings in Rothstein's notebooks, especially the last two "Runner" books.

By 2014 the money from the buried treasure is gone and the Saubers can't afford to send Pete's little sister, Tina, to the private school of her dreams. Thus Pete cooks up a scheme to sell some of Rothstein's notebooks. He contacts a rare book dealer named Andrew, who happens to be Morris Bellamy's former acquaintance. This turns out to be a bad idea.



Also in 2014, Morris finally gets out of prison on parole and tries to retrieve his buried treasure. When he discovers it's gone, Morris - who's been obsessing about reading the Rothstein notebooks for over 35 years - goes nuts. A violent man with no conscience, Morris will do anything to get "his" notebooks back.

Enter Bill Hodges and his team, which includes African-American computer whiz Jerome Robinson (currently a student at Harvard) and eccentric Holly Gibney (a gifted amateur sleuth who has Asperger's syndrome).







Through Jerome's little sister Barbara, who's friends with Tina Saubers, the team learns that Pete is in some kind of trouble.



Hodges et al. - being sympathetic, do-gooders - decide to try to help Pete. The inevitable confluence of Pete, Morris, and Andrew (the book seller) - plus the detective team - lead to a series of events that are dramatic, violent, creepy, and horrific.

"Mr. Mercedes" is a mystery/thriller and "Finders Keepers" (more or less) follows along those lines as well. "Finders Keepers", however, has a little more of the horror vibe that King is famous for. The character Morris Bellamy is reminiscent of the crazy book lover in "Misery" and his greedy book dealer pal Andrew is a devilishly dislikable guy.



For a detective novel, Bill Hodges and his compadres show up late in the story and play only a minor role in resolving the situation. The story also goes a bit long detailing Morris's boyhood, his relationship with his controlling mother, his feelings about Rothstein's writing, what happens to him in prison, and so on. There's also a lot of exposition about Pete - his concerns about his mom and dad, his reactions to Rothstein's journals, his worries about his sister, etc. All this made the book seem rather lengthy, but I was never bored.

All in all, the story is engaging and Morris and Pete are compelling characters. I know there are a wide range of opinions about this book, but I'd recommend it as entertaining and worth reading.

Rating: 4 stars

Review of "The Wangs vs. The World: A Novel" by Jade Chang

This humorous novel centers on Charles Wang, an immigrant who had tremendous luck and success in the United States.....until he didn't.

Growing up, Charles Wang couldn't have predicted the direction his life would take. Charles' family lost their ancestral lands in China to the Communists, fled to Taiwan, and started a company that sold chemicals for fertilizer.



When college graduate Charles is dispatched to the United States to expand the family business, an airplane bar of soap triggers an epiphany.



As a result Charles launches a cosmetics business that becomes a phenomenally successful empire - and multi-millionaire Charles soon has a wife, three children, and an uber-luxurious lifestyle in southern California.







Charles is on vacation with his wife and kids, one of whom is a baby, when his spouse dies in a tragic accident. Hearing about this, a young Taiwanese woman - who's always hankered after Charles - abandons her life in Taiwan, hurries to America, and becomes Charles' second wife....and the stepmother to his children. The woman, who renames herself Barbra, quickly adapts to the upscale life she's inherited.



Things seem to be going smoothly for Charles until the financial crisis of 2008, when his luck runs out.

SPOILER ALERT                  SPOILER ALERT               SPOILER ALERT 

Charles' new 'minority cosmetics line' is a colossal failure, the huge loan to finance it is called in, and Charles is bankrupted. He loses EVERYTHING - from houses, furniture, boats and cars to computers, watches, jewelry, clothing, toiletries, kitchenware, and sundries.





Left with nothing except a bit of cash he hid away, Charles decides to move his entire family to the upstate New York home of his 28-year-old daughter Saina. Until recently, Saina had been a successful, much-fêted conceptual artist living in New York City.



However an ill-considered exhibit derailed Saina's career, and a philandering fiancé soured her on the city. Thus Saina left her small Manhattan apartment and bought a country farmhouse, which - serendipitously - can house her entire pauperized family.



Charles' long-term plan is to drive his family to upstate New York, deposit them in Saina's house, and take off for China. There, Charles hopes to reclaim the family's ancient lands and reestablish the Wangs' vaunted place in the universe.

Charles no longer has a vehicle to transport his wife and children, but Ama (the family's nanny since Charles was a baby) offers up the used car Charles gave her years before.



Thus Charles, Barbra, and Ama set off to pick up boarding school student Grace - who has a fashion blog, and college boy Andrew - who aspires to be a stand-up comedian, from the expensive schools they can no longer afford.





Ama is dropped off at her daughter's house, and the Wangs embark on a road trip across the country. Thus begins a raucous journey - during which the Wangs experience a different side of America, and ultimately grow closer as a family.

En route to New York the Wangs eat hot dogs that look like 'skinny penises on buns';



 break into a cosmetics warehouse that's been seized by Charles' creditors; 



party with relatives in New Orleans; 



have car trouble and stay in cheap motels; 



deliver accidently melted cosmetics to off-the-books customers; and more.....until they finally reach their destination. 

Along the way, Andrew takes off with an older woman named Dorrie; has new sexual experiences; lives rough; and obsessively looks for open mic nights to perform his comedy routine.

Interspersed with the Wangs road trip are scenes from Saina's life. We learn about her fall from grace in the art world; her former boyfriend Grayson - a selfish cheater;



her current boyfriend Leo - a sensitive farmer who sells produce; and the steps Saina takes to get her life back on track. 



Saina is unusually sanguine about the upcoming 'visit' by Charles, Barbra, Andrew, and Grace, even though she has reason to worry about her own financial prospects. 

END SPOILER ALERT     END SPOILER ALERT 

The characters in the novel occasionally speak in (untranslated) Mandarin, so it's not always clear (to me) what they're saying, but the jist of the conversations come through.

Though they're not completely likable, the Wangs grew on me. In the end I wished them well despite their once ostentatious lifestyle.

This is a well-written debut novel that provides a peek into a culture that's novel to most Americans. Recommended to readers who enjoy humorous literary fiction.

Rating: 4 stars

Review of "A Rule Against Murder: A Chief Inspector Armand Gamache Mystery" by Louise Penny

In this 4th book in the 'Chief Inspector Armand Gamache' series, the Canadian detective investigates a very puzzling case. The book can be read as a standalone.

*****

Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, head of homicide for the Sûreté du Québec is celebrating his 35th wedding anniversary. To commemorate the happy occasion Gamache and his librarian wife Reine-Marie are enjoying a vacation at the upscale Manoir Bellechasse near the village of Three Pines - where many of their quirky friends live.







Other guests at the Manoir Bellechasse are the Finney/Morrow clan, who are having their annual family reunion.



The matriarch, Irene Finney, is hosting the middle-aged children from her first marriage to multi-millionaire businessman Charles Morrow. In addition to Irene's current husband Bert Finney, the attendees include her offspring who are (from oldest to youngest):

- Thomas Morrow and his wife Sandra - an unpleasant couple who expect everyone to defer to them.

- Julia Martin (née Morrow) - who's in the midst of divorcing Ponzi scheme criminal David Martin.

- Peter Morrow and his wife Clara - both of whom are artists living in Three Pines. They also happen to be friends of the Gamaches.

- Marianna Morrow - an architect who brought her nine-year-old child Bean.

The Finney/Morrow tribe is beset by secrets and lies, and the family members dislike each other intensely. Mother Irene is cold, mean, and condescending and the brothers and sisters constantly spat and put each other down. Much of this behavior is a holdover from childhood, when the children competed for the their father's love and attention.



During the family reunion, a statue of Charles Morrow - commissioned by his wife - is to be raised on the hotel grounds. The Morrow offspring have ambiguous feelings about this (paid for) honor, but, as always, they defer to their controlling mother.



For the Gamaches, things go smoothly for their first few days at the Manoir Bellechasse. They enjoy delicious food prepared by Chef Véronique Langlois;



relax and stroll through the picturesque grounds; 



and engage in polite conversation and nightly bridge games with the other guests. 



The Gamaches never mention their professions, however, and the snobby Finney/Morrows come to believe Armand is a shopkeeper and Reine-Marie is a cleaning woman. The priggish family is disabused of this notion, however, when a murder occurs and the 'shopkeeper' leads the investigation. This part is very amusing. LOL 😊

The murder weapon is the statue of Charles Morrow, which topples and kills a family member. This seems to be an impossible crime since moving the sculpture - which weighs tons - would require an entire football team or heavy machinery.....things that would be noticed.

Gamache calls in his homicide team, Agent Isabelle Lacoste and Inspector Jean-Guy Beauvoir, who assist with the investigation.



Both Beauvoir and Gamache find it hard to be completely objective however: Gamache because he's friends with Peter and Clara Morrow; and Beauvoir because he has an odd interest in Chef Véronique, who seems familiar to him.

Other characters in the story include Madame Clementine Dubois - owner of the Manoir Bellechasse; maître d' Pierre Patenaude - a long-time employee who runs an impeccable dining room and trains the wait staff; Elliot Byrne, a new waiter who's insolent to Pierre and makes fun of the guests behind their backs; Colleen, a young gardener; Yves Pelletier - the sculptor who created the statue of Charles Morrow; and several residents of Three Pines, including the innkeeper Gabri and the disgruntled poet Ruth and her duck Rosa.



In the course of the story we obtain information about Armand Gamache's backstory - some of which is quite surprising, and learn details of Jean-Guy Beauvoir's personal life with his wife Enid.

Gamache eventually catches the perp, but not before a harrowing scene where he almost loses his life.

I enjoy Penny's Armand Gamache books but find that they tend to be overly 'literary - by which I mean the main characters' thoughts tend to be philosophical treatises. Most people don't think like this and it doesn't ring true. The author may be using this technique to convey her personal ideology, but it's distracting IMO.

Still, this is an enjoyable mystery, recommended to readers who like suspense novels, especially fans of Armand Gamache. 

Rating: 3.5 stars