In this 4th book in the 'J.P. Beaumont' series, the Seattle homicide detective investigates two suspicious deaths. The book can be read as a standalone.
*****
This is an early book in the 'J. P. Beaumont' series, and the homicide detective is a jackass 🤨, unlike later books where he's more mature.
In any case, Beaumont (Beau) investigates when two gay lovers die in suspicious circumstances. One man is bashed with a high-heeled shoe near Seattle railroad tracks and the other dies in his bed, supposedly from AIDS.
The two deaths occurring so close together is too much of a coincidence, and Beau suspects two murders. Moreover, the apartment the men shared contains illegal drugs, which may figure in the deaths somehow.
Beau's investigation leads him to a pop singer on tour, who employed one of the victims as a stage hand.
Beau questions the singer and her entourage and other people who knew the victims, including the nurse who cared for the AIDS patient; relatives; etc.
There's a good bit of homophobia in the story, from Beau (mild homophobia) to Beau's police partner (strong homophobia) to the parents of one of the victims (rabid homophobia - they disowned their son). In addition, Beau can't keep it in his pants and actually gets sexually involved with a potential suspect in the case!!
The book is set in the 1980s when anti-gay sentiments, and horror at the idea of AIDS (which was basically a death sentence) were more prevalent and open. Still, it's uncomfortable to read the book today.
In addition, the case is so convoluted that Beau's resolution - and how he got there - has to be explained in detail at the end of the story. (Completely inorganic story-telling.)
Unless you're determined to read this series in its entirety, you can skip this book without missing much.
Rating: 2 stars
In this 15th book in the 'Ali Reynolds' series, the security expert protects a Catholic Archbishop whose life has been threatened. The book works fine as a standalone.
*****
Ali Reynolds and her husband B Simpson run High Noon Enterprises, a highly respected cybersecurity firm based in Phoenix, Arizona. During a Halloween party for High Noon employees - where Ali looks great as Wonder Woman....
…...Ali and B get a surprise visit from their acquaintance Archbishop Francis Gillespie.
Archbishop Gillespie, who heads the Phoenix Diocese of the Catholic Church, reports that he's been getting death threats. The police don't take the threats seriously, but the Archbishop does, and he's worried about the writer's immortal soul. Ali and B sign on to help, planning to identify the sender and protect the Archbishop.
As Ali and B start to organize the Archbishop's security, B is summoned to Europe by an important client. This isn't a problem since Ali and other High Noon personnel are very clever and capable.
Though Ali doesn't know it, the threats are being sent by a woman called Rachel Higgins (not a spoiler). Rachel's 25-year-old son David died from a drug overdose, a tragedy that shattered Rachel's life and marriage.
Rachel recently learned that David was sexually abused in high school, by a pedophile priest named Father Needham. The priest, who abused many boys, was since prosecuted and sent to prison, where he died from AIDS.
When Rachel realizes her son got AIDS from Father Needham, and may have overdosed on purpose, her fury is off the charts. Rachel wants revenge, and since Father Needham is dead, she vows to kill Archbishop Gillespie....even though the Archbishop has zero tolerance for pedophile clergy and has removed several from his diocese.
The story is told from the viewpoints of Ali and Rachel, pinging back and forth between the two women. Rachel carefully plans her assassination of the Archbishop, and even sets up a fall guy to take the blame.
For her part, Ali plans to protect the Archbishop, and assembles a cadre of priests and nuns (who could double as Army Special Forces) to help.
Some of Ali's best assets are her colleague Stu and his Artificial Intelligence (AI) Frigg.
AI Frigg, who was originally created by criminals, has a felonious brain and the ability to hack into anything. Frigg illegally accesses police files, phone records, credit card records, etc....and provides very useful information.
I don't want to give away too much but the story includes a shooting and an arrest, which gets Ali Reynolds talking to a Phoenix police detective.
All this heightens the suspense and moves the story forward. The novel isn't exactly preachy, but - since one of the main characters is an Archbishop - does include Catholic rituals, prayers, and chitchat about immortal souls (in case you need to know).
I enjoyed the book but felt the story faltered towards the end, which I expected to turn out differently. On the upside, I love Frigg, who's one of the best detectives around.
On a serious note, the book highlights the damage done by abusive priests and strikes a laudatory note for high-ranking clergy like (fictional) Archbishop Gillespie, who root then out. 👍
Thanks to Netgalley, the author (J.A. Jance) and the publisher (Gallery Books) for a copy of the book.
Rating: 3 stars
Inspector Ian Rutledge of Scotland Yard returned from World War I suffering from shell shock (PTSD) exacerbated by guilt. In addition to being traumatized by the horrors of war, Rutledge killed an insubordinate soldier in his own company. The dead man, named Hamish, now haunts Rutledge, constantly whispering in his head - usually about criminal cases.
In this 12th book in the series, Inspector Rutledge investigates a very baffling murder. The book can be read as a standalone.
****
As the story opens World War I has just ended and Florence Teller, who lives in Hobson (a few hours north of London), is anxiously awaiting the return of her beloved husband Peter, who fought with the British army.
Florence paints the front door red and waits, day after day, and week after week. However Peter doesn't come home, and heartbroken Florence doesn't know what happened to him.
Skip ahead a couple of years and another family named Teller is having troubles of its own. These Tellers, who live in London, consists of four siblings: Leticia, Edwin, Walter, and Peter....
…..as well as Edwin's wife Amy, Walter's wife Jenny, and Peter's wife Susannah.
The Tellers are in an uproar because Walter has disappeared. Since the Tellers are wealthy and influential, Scotland Yard is called in, and Inspector Rutledge is put on the case. Rutledge institutes a police search for Walter, and the other Tellers race off to look for Walter also.
After a few days Walter returns on his own, with a disjointed and unsatisfactory explanation of where he was.
As it happens, Florence Teller of Hobson was murdered while Walter and his family were running around England, and Rutledge suspects a connection between these events.
Rutledge cooperates with the Hobson police to investigate Florence's death. He examines the crime scene, interviews Florence's friends and neighbors, unearths possible motives, and so on. Rutledge also interviews the Tellers who live in London, all of whom claim they never heard of Florence, but the detective is skeptical.
Meanwhile, there have been a rash of muggings in London, and Rutledge himself was almost robbed.
The perpetrator has now escalated to murder, and Scotland Yard hatches up a 'decoy' scheme, involving Rutledge, to catch the killer.
As the story unfolds there are more deaths, and Rutledge has his hands full trying to resolve all the unfortunate incidents.
The story is engaging but Rutledge spends too much time driving back and forth between London and Hobson, and questioning the same people again and again.
This is a common plot device in this series, and it gets old. On the upside, Hamish's murmurings are helpful, and steer Rutledge in the right direction as he pursues his investigations.
As always, Rutledge's boss - nasty Superintendent Bowles - hassles Rutledge and tries to make his life miserable. Other series regulars also make an appearance, including Rutledge's sister and godfather, and a woman Rutledge pines for.....but seems unable to ask for a date.
The story is engaging, but the abundance of characters is confusing and the plot is overly contrived. Still, fans of Inspector Rutledge would probably enjoy the book.
In this 3rd book in the 'Hamish Macbeth' series, the police constable is temporarily assigned to patrol a new town. The book can be read as a standalone.
*****
Police Constable Hamish Macbeth lives and works in the Scottish village of Lochdubh, where he patrols the community, raises a few sheep, and roams the countryside with his dog Towser.
Macbeth loves Lochdubh and is chagrined when he's temporarily assigned to the town of Cnothan, when the only cop there takes a vacation.
The people in Cnothan are notoriously cold to outsiders, and won't even provide directions to the police station. Hamish has the gift of gab, though, and manages to befriend everyone.....
except for William Mainwaring - a bully who delights in putting people down.
As Hamish chats with the residents of Cnothan, he realizes that almost everyone hates Mainwaring, including the man's long-suffering wife.
Most people in Cnothan are farmers, but the town also boasts the 'Fish and Game Company', an enterprise that raises lobsters and ships them to high-end stores and restaurants.
One night, after alcoholic security guard Sandy Carmichael shirks his duties at the Fish and Game Company, a skeleton turns up in the lobster tank....the remains of a person eaten by the crustaceans.
Sandy panics, fishes the skeleton out, and hides it. Later that that day the lobsters are sent off to be sold and consumed.
The skeleton incident turns into a missing persons case, and then a murder investigation. As usual Hamish's superior Inspector Blair - a nasty boob who loves to see his picture in papers - rushes to Cnothan with his team, to investigate and get publicity.
When Blair realizes the human-eating lobsters have been shipped and consumed, he's desperate to hide the fact that Britain's hoity-toity have become inadvertent 'cannibals' - fearing he'll be blamed.
As Blair ties himself in knots trying to investigate while hiding the lobster incident, Hamish quietly goes about uncovering the murderer.
While Hamish is in Cnothan he also romances a Canadian artist;
Catches the eye of a gorgeous married woman;
draws an eccentric old man out of his shell;
and generally lifts the spirits of the community.
I enjoyed this cozy mystery, which has an intriguing plot and an interesting variety of characters.
Rating: 3 stars
In this 10th book in the 'Chet and Bernie Mystery' series, the private detective and his dog investigate the death of a scientist. The book can be read as a standalone.
*****
Bernie Little and his dog Chet are partners in the 'Little Detective Agency', located in the Southwest United States.
Bernie and Chet tend to attract oddball cases, which are faithfully narrated by Chet in his inimitable - and hilarious - doggy fashion.
In Chet's eyes Bernie can do no wrong, except in the area of finances. When Bernie refuses a bonus, for instance, Chet thinks: "No bonus? With the state of our finances? Had Bernie forgotten about our self-storage...stacked from floor to ceiling with Hawaiian pants, not one pair sold."
And then there was the tin futures fiasco! Chet always hopes new cases will boost the agency's bank account.
A new case appears to be on the horizon when Bernie and Chet meet hydrologist Wendell Nero at a yard party. Wendell studies aquifers and designs water projects....
…..and when he hears Bernie is a detective, asks for a meeting the next day.
Unfortunately, when Bernie and Chet show up at Wendell's trailer in Dollhouse Canyon they find the scientist dead, his throat slit from ear to ear.
Dimwitted Deputy Sheriff Beasley shows up to investigate but it's Chet, nosing around outside, who discovers evidence that leads to the arrest of Florian Machado - a petty criminal who lives in a rundown boat parked in the desert.
Bernie has doubts about Florian's guilt, and gets even more suspicious when Florian's attorney, a pricey lawyer named Gudrun Burr - who works for the best law firm in town - urges Florian to cop a plea. SOMETHING is going on, and Bernie suspects it has to do with the aquifer that dead Wendell was studying.
Bernie urges Gudrun to hold off on the plea bargain while he investigates Wendell's murder, but the lawyer seems oddly eager to get her client locked up.
When Bernie doesn't back down it leads to consequences for himself and Chet, and I feared for their safety....and for Bernie's ability to withstand Gudrun's womanly wiles.
Chet's narrative of the case is interspersed with his personal observations and explanations - as well as references to past investigations - all of which is very funny. I'll give some examples:
- When Bernie and Chet encounter Wendell's three ex-wives, Chet observes: "Then came a lot of shouting, including a few words I hadn't heard since an all-you-can drink night at a biker bar we went to by mistake."
- And when Chet describes attending a Bat Mitzvah with Bernie's son Charlie, he recalls: "My very first bat mitzvah, so naturally I'd been on the lookout for bats, even though it was daytime and bats only came out at night, in my experience......Did mitzvah mean hunt? That was my take, and I started in on hunting the moment we arrived."
- Best of all, when Chet admits to an 'unplanned outing' and its consequences, he says: "For now let's leave out the complications of the later appearance of a puppy supposedly resembling - if that's the meaning of 'spit and image' - me, a puppy now going by "Shooter" and living with Charlie."
Bernie and Chet are brave, resourceful, and lucky as they strive to solve the case. While working they also take time to visit with Charlie (who lives with his mother); hobnob with Bernie's friends; get Slim Jims for Chet....
…..ponder water problems in the Southwest; chat with neighbors; and more.
I enjoyed the story, both for the mystery and the laughs, and recommend the book to fans of amusing suspense novels.
Thanks to Netgalley, the author (Spencer Quinn), and the publisher (Forge Books) for a copy of the book.
Rating: 4 stars
