Review of "Gone For Good: A Detective Annalisa Vega Mystery" by Joanna Schaffhausen

The Lovelorn Killer had stalked Chicago twenty years ago, leaving behind the bodies of women who were intricately bound and choked to death.

The killer then wrote letters to the newspapers, telling the victims how much he loved them and how sorry he was to have murdered them.



Detective George Vega was a cop on the Lovelorn Killer case, but was shunted aside when his friend and neighbor Katie Duffy - wife of a fellow cop - became a victim. The Vega and Duffy families were good friends and George couldn't let it go, dabbling at the edges of the case and roaming the streets looking for the murderer.



The police didn't catch the killer but the murders stopped, the theory being the perp was in prison or dead.

It's now two decades later and the Lovelorn Killer appears to be back. A grocery store manager named Grace Harper is found bound and choked to death, just like the original victims.



This time Detective George Vega's daughter, Detective Annalisa Vega, gets the case - and she's determined to solve it for her father, the dead women, and the Duffy family.



Katie Duffy's murder twenty years ago tore up both the Duffy and Vega clans, and Annalisa's boyfriend - Colin Duffy - left town and didn't come back.

The Lovelorn Killer's new victim, Grace Harper, belonged to an online detective club called the Grave Diggers. The club had been looking into the Lovelorn Killer, and Grace had tacked up pictures of all seven victims, along with a map showing the locations of the crimes, a police artist's sketch of the possible suspect, and other information she'd unearthed.



Grace also left behind a journal with entries about her detective work, and excerpts from the diary are interspersed through the story.

As Annalisa reads Grace's observations, she suspects the killer may have targeted Grace because the amateur sleuth was getting close to identifying him.

Annalisa is joined in the investigation by her cheating ex-husband Detective Nick Carelli.



In addition, Annalisa's old boyfriend Colin Duffy - who's become a photojournalist - returns to Chicago to help the police.



Annalisa's situation gets even more complicated when the Lovelorn Killer starts to phone her, and seems almost jealous of the other men in her life.



A cat and mouse game develops between Annalisa and the perp, which leads to more attacks and additional deaths. This ends in an exciting climax, where Annalisa does something EXTREMELY foolish. (I don't like when authors resort to this trope.)

Additional characters add interest to the story, including the people in Annalisa and Colin's families; the amateur sleuths in the Grave Diggers club; Annalisa's neighbors; Annalisa's boss and colleagues in the police department; and more.



This is the debut novel of Joanna Schaffhausen's new series, and I look forward to the next Annalisa Vega book (despite my quibble mentioned above).

Thanks to Netgalley, Joanna Schaffhausen, and Minotaur Books for a copy of the book.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review of "Fire on the Fens: A Detective Inspector Nikki Galena Mystery" by Joy Ellis

In this 9th book in the 'DI Nikki Galena' series, the detective's team is on the trail of an arsonist. The book can be read as a standalone but familiarity with the characters is a bonus.

*****

Detective Inspector Nikki Galena and Detective Sergeant Joseph Easter are romantically involved, which - if discovered - could have them sent to separate precincts.





So the partners are relieved when their new boss turns out to be Superintendent Cameron Walker, an old acquaintance who's willing to overlook the amorous relationship.


Superintendent Walker has to hit the ground running, however, because his arrival coincides with the appearance of an arsonist in the Fens. The first person to note the serious nature of the crimes is retired arson inspector John Carson, who tells Walker the fires will get more destructive.



This happens when a caravan (mobile home) goes up in flames, killing the occupant. Worse yet, the victim was deliberately trapped inside.



Arson expert Carson works the case with Nikki, Joseph, and their team, but they find few clues. The murderer goes on to set more fires, trapping and killing a victim each time. The ONLY connection between the victims seems to be the fact that they're in their mid-twenties and do various kinds of good works for the community.

While this is going on a group of wealthy party-lovers, who call themselves Luciferians.....



.....are attacked by thuggish delinquents who think the Luciferians are Satanists. Nikki looks into the assaults, and also delegates members of her team to investigate the Luciferians, in case they're involved with the blazes.

When a victim of the arsonist lives long enough to leave a clue about the reason for the fires, Nikki and Joseph learn the motive lies in the past. However the exact information they need is hard to find, and Nikki's mother Eve and her friend Wendy - who were in the British army - help by contacting their government connections.



When Nikki and her squad finally learn the identity of the murderer, they're in a race against time to nab the culprit and stop the killings.

Lighter moments in the book revolve around the wedding of pathologist Dr. Rory Wilkinson and his fiancé David.



The couple's reception will take place in a World War II Air Base, and they want their guests to dress in '30s and '40s wartime outfits. Nikki scoffs when Rory suggests she come as a land girl, air raid warden, or munitions worker, but Joseph says he likes the idea of going as a fighter pilot....and sees Nikki as a gorgeous army driver. The nuptials are a fun part of the story.





For me, the events leading to the crimes seem unlikely and the story drags a bit, but this mystery will probably appeal to Nikki Galena fans.

Rating: 3 stars

Review of "It's a Wonderful Woof: A Chet and Bernie Mystery" by Spencer Quinn

This review was first posted on Mystery and Suspense. Check it out for features, interviews, and reviews.
https://www.mysteryandsuspense.com/it...


In this 12th book in the 'Chet and Bernie' series, the detective team looks for a missing person. The book can be read as a standalone.

*****

In the Chet and Bernie stories, Bernie Little and his hundred-plus pound dog Chet run the Little Detective Agency in the Southwest United States.



The books are narrated by Chet, whose somewhat limited vocabulary, unfamiliarity with idioms, and doggie logic set the stage for plenty of smiles.



Bernie is a West Point graduate, good at his job, and Chet is his invaluable partner, always ready to clamp his jaw on perps and drag them off by the pants.

It's Christmas season when the Little Detective Agency is offered a new case. A dapper little man called Lauritz Vogner, who describes himself as Mittel European goulash, offers Bernie a $5,000 retainer to look into a matter involving Baroque art.

;

This isn't Bernie's kind of case though, and he gives Vogner the name of a colleague called Victor Klovsky - a timid sleuth who's good at online research.



A couple of days later Bernie gets a call from Victor's mother, who says her son is missing. As Bernie searches for Victor, he comes across a local example of Baroque architecture - an old deconsecrated mission church called Nuestra Señora de los Saguaros.



When Bernie and Chet visit the antiquated ruin they meet archaeologist Dr. Johanna Borden, who's digging holes in the property. Borden says she's studying the site for a private non-profit, and claims to know nothing about Victor Klovsky. Chet observes that Johanna's a little nervous however, because some smells are unmissable.



Various clues lead Bernie and Chet to a museum gift shop;



an art professor;



and a hotel, where they find a corpse showing signs of torture.



It seems clear that someone is searching for something, and Bernie and Chet have to figure out what and why.

As always Chet helps with the investigation, this time while he and Bernie are searching the hotel room. Bernie mentions turning the place upside down and Chet quickly unhinges the toilet paper roll before Bernie can stop him. As luck would have it a small key is hidden inside the metal toilet paper thingies (as Chet calls them), and this leads to an important discovery.



The case turns out to be very complex, but Bernie and Chet are well up to the job.

While Bernie investigates the case he learns a little about Baroque art and architecture;



the Italian painter Caravaggio;



and the Spanish explorers that brought missions to Mexico and the American west.



Bernie also pursues a romance with Police Sergeant Weatherly Wauneka, decorates Christmas trees, and has weekends with his 6-year-old son Charlie, who wants driving lessons as a Christmas gift.



As for Chet, he enjoys the entire experience, especially the snacks. Over the course of the investigation Chet snaps a pecan and pinon tart out of Bernie's hand; scores a Slim Jim; sneaks a chewy out of a drawer; fishes the remains of a BLT out of a trash can; finds a potato chip; gets a T-R-E-A-T from someone's pocket; and more.



The story is an entertaining Christmas adventure that points to a promising future for Bernie and Chet. It will be fun to see where they go next.

Thanks to Netgalley, Spencer Quinn, and Forge Books for a copy of the book.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review of "The Secret Keeper of Jaipur: The Henna Artist # 2" by Alka Joshi

This is the sequel to The Henna Artist and revisits the characters from that novel. It's not necessary to have read The Henna Artist to enjoy this story, but I'd strongly recommend it.

*****

It's 1969 and Lakshmi Shastri and her now 20-year-old apprentice Malik, both of whom left Jaipur 12 years ago......





......are happily settled in Shimla, in the foothills of the Himalayas.



Lakshmi is married to Dr. Jay Kumar, who works at the Lady Bradley Hospital and directs the Community Clinic.....



......while Lakshmi runs the adjacent Lady Bradley Healing Garden, where she grows plants used to make natural medications.





Lakshmi and her helper Malik make the acquaintance of a young illiterate widow named Nimmi, a mother of two who gathers flowers from the Himalayan foothills and sells them on the side of the road.



Malik is attracted to Nimmi, which doesn't sit well with Lakshmi, who wants Malik to have a successful career and to (eventually) wed a well-educated woman.

For this and other reasons Lakshmi sends Malik back to Jaipur, to learn the construction trade. Malik becomes the apprentice to Lakshmi's friend Manu Agarwal, who oversees building projects for Jaipur's royal family.





The royals have commissioned the construction of a movie theatre called the Royal Jewel Cinema, and Ravi Singh (the rich teenage bad boy from The Henna Artist), who's now a Yale-educated architect, is in charge of the project.



The grand opening of the cinema is a HUGE big deal, attended by film stars and high society.



Tragically, a balcony collapses during the film's intermission, killing two people and injuring many others (not a spoiler). Malik's mentor Manu Agarwal is blamed for the disaster, but Malik is sure Ravi Singh used inferior building materials and skimmed the profits. Malik makes it his mission to prove this, but it's very hard to go up against the rich and powerful.

Meanwhile, back in Shimla, Lakshmi uncovers a gold-smuggling operation run by savage bandits. The smugglers conceal the gold in the fleece of sheep, which are guided to their destination by shepherds.



If a shepherd doesn't deliver the goods, the smugglers kill the shepherd's family. This threatens people Lakshmi knows, so Lakshmi takes it upon herself to fix things, which is a dangerous thing to do.

As the story unfolds, Lakshmi and/or Malik touch base with various characters from The Henna Artist. These include Ravi Singh's (now) wife Sheila - who disdained Malik when he was a barefoot child, but doesn't recognize him now; Ravi Singh's father Samir - who gave Lakshmi her big break as a henna artist and businesswoman; Lakshmi's sister Radha, who married a Frenchman and lives in Paris; Radha's biological son Nikhil, who she had at the age of 14 and (reluctantly) gave up for adoption; Maharani Latika - who was pulled out of a depression by Lakshmi's herbs and ministrations; the dowager Maharani Indira - who has terminal cancer; and more.

During the course of the story I learned a bit about Indian culture and food, and I enjoyed broadening my horizons. I wish I could have tasted snacks like chili peanuts, pani puri, and potato samosas;


Chili Peanuts


Pani Puri


Potato Samosas

and tried dishes like chicken tikka masala, lauki ki sabji, palak paneer, and palak gobi sabzi.


Chicken Tikka Masala


Lauki Ki Sabji


Palak Paneer


Palak Gobi Sabzi

For me, this book isn't quite as good as The Henna Artist, in large part because the plot isn't as engaging. In addition, there are long chapters about accounting practices in the building trade, which I found dull, and there are scenes where Sheila 'teases' Malik with her sexy body, which made me squirm (and want to push him out the door).

Nevertheless, I found the story interesting and look forward to the next novel in the trilogy.

Rating: 3.5 stars