Review of "Pretty Baby: A Psychological Thriller" by Mary Kubica

Heidi and Chris Wood are an upscale thirtysomething Chicago couple with a twelve-year-old daughter, Zoe, who exhibits typical tweenie angst. Chris is a successful investment banker and Heidi is a warm-hearted social worker who feels compelled to help everyone in need.




One rainy morning Heidi spots a teen girl with a baby and a suitcase at the train station, soaked and obviously homeless.



Heidi can't get the girl and baby out of her mind and - after seeing them a few more times - offers assistance. Skip ahead a day or so and teenage Willow and baby Ruby are ensconced in the Woods' apartment, though Willow is clearly scared and uncomfortable.

Heidi knows it's illegal to harbor homeless underage juveniles for more than a couple of days but can't bring herself to call child protective services. So Willow and Ruby remain, much to the chagrin of Chris and Zoe. Chris, who suspects Willow may be dangerous, is especially perturbed.



The book is told from three rotating points of view: Heidi, Chris, and Willow. As the story unfolds the reader slowly learns about the history of the characters, what goes on in the Woods' apartment, and what happens afterward.

We find out that Willow was orphaned at age eight and placed in a frightful foster care situation.



We also learn Heidi hoped to have lots of children but was thwarted for health reasons; and that Chris is a loving husband who's obsessed with making money.

Other characters add interest to the story including Heidi's best friend Jennifer, and playboy neighbor Graham; Chris's sexy co-worker Cassidy; Willow's little sister, foster parents, and foster brothers; and more. To say much more would risk spoiling the plot.

The book is an interesting psychological thriller with some big surprise twists and some outcomes that are fairly predictable - but this shouldn't detract from the enjoyment of the story. For me the book moved too slowly and I got tired of Willow's frequent (and sloppy) pancake eating.



There was also too much about Heidi cleaning, feeding, and rocking the baby; Chris's numerous business meetings; etc. I was impatient for things to move along. I did appreciate, however, the way the book's various narratives smoothly led to the dramatic climax and ending.

I wasn't a huge fan of Mary Kubica's previous book, "The Good Girl", which also has a rotating series of narrators. The format just isn't my favorite. Nevertheless, "Pretty Baby" is a decent mystery that I'd recommend to fans of psychological thrillers.

Rating: 3 stars

Review of "Curious Minds: A Knight-Moon Novel" by Janet Evanovich and Phoef Sutton

This is the first book in Janet Evanovich's new comical mystery series, written with Phoef Sutton, about Emerson Knight and Riley Moon - an oddball billionaire and junior financial analyst who solve crimes together.

*****

With degrees from Harvard Business School and Harvard Law School, 28-year-old Riley Moon - who just started working at the Blane-Grunwald Bank in Washington DC - hopes to climb the corporate ladder.



The huge bank, which has international clients and substantial gold reserves, is owned by the Grunwald family. Of the four Grunwald brothers, two work at the bank: Werner Grunwald is the director and Günter Grunwald is an account manager.



Günter was scheduled to call on eccentric billionaire Emerson Knight, to discuss Knight's newly inherited assets, but the banker hasn't been seen or heard from for weeks. Thus, Riley - a junior analyst - is dispatched to Knight's home, Mysterioso Manor.



When Riley arrives at the enormous residence, which looks like it was designed by wealthy fairy tale witches, she sees an irate cleaning lady rushing off, yelling "You’re all whacko. And I’m not cleaning up after no damn armadillo.”



Soon afterwards, Riley observes said armadillo trotting down the mansion's hallway; meets 'Emmie's' Aunt Myra - who looks like a disheveled refugee from the Dust Bowl; and encounters the billionaire himself - a strikingly handsome man who listens to 1970s go-go funk (“I feel like bustin’ loose. Bustin’ loose!”), and claims he can 'cloud people's minds.' Riley decides that Emerson is "physically a ten, but intellectually a certifiable fruit basket."



When Riley brings up Emerson's assets, the billionaire expresses concern about Günter's disappearance, and grave doubts about the management and security of his assets. Riley assures Emerson that his money is in good hands, but the tycoon insists that he wants to withdraw his holdings.....in gold. Emerson accompanies Riley back to the bank, and insists he AT LEAST wants to SEE his gold. Emerson also declares that he's going to search for the missing Günter.



Bank director Werner Grunwald assigns Riley to 'babysit' Knight as the billionaire begins his dual quest, and she reluctantly complies. (Riley didn't go to Harvard to be a nanny!)



The tycoon turns out to be more savvy than Riley thought, and he soon uncovers a vast conspiracy to steal the nation's gold reserves. Emerson is determined to expose the culprits, and - to further that goal - he and Riley rush around to the country's gold vaults, in Washington DC, New York, and Nevada.



The duo meet an interesting array of characters along the way, including: bank officials from Mauritius, who provide valuable help; a dental hygienist called Xandy - who's familiar with Nevada's Area 51 and lives in fear of being probed by aliens; and an assortment of dastardly villains, some VERY high in government circles, who want to kill them.



Emerson and Riley have a fun dynamic: the tycoon teases Riley about her Texas accent and favorite exclamation, "Crap on a cracker" and the analyst makes fun of Emerson's alleged 'supernatural powers.' As the story unfolds, they become an effective team, and I can see a possible romance developing as the series continues.



The book is entertaining, but lacks the outright hilarity of Evanovich's popular 'Stephanie Plum' series - which has REALLY wacky characters. Still, the story is amusing and I'd recommend it to fans of humorous mysteries.

Rating: 3 stars

Review of "All Good Deeds: A Lucy Kendall Thriller" by Stacy Green

This is the first book in the 'Lucy Kendall' private detective series.

Lucy Kendall was a caseworker for Child Protection Services in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for ten years before she gave up the job, infuriated by all the child abuse she observed, and the failure to jail the perps.

Lucy is now a private detective - and secret avenger - who tracks down and kills men who sexually abuse kids, usually by throwing cyanide on them.

To Lucy, this is akin to 'taking out the trash' and doesn't prick her conscience at all.

Lucy's obsession with child abuse stems, in part, from past events. Lucy's big sister Lily committed suicide at fifteen, after years of sexual abuse by her mother's boyfriend. Afterwards, when the abuser tried to touch Lucy, she took a baseball bat to his head and put him in the hospital.



Later, when Lucy was a newby social worker, she got a case involving an 11-year-old boy named Justin Beckett.



Justin was clearly troubled, but wouldn't speak to her, and Lucy didn't get him removed from the home. Two weeks later Justin molested and killed a 10-year-old girl, which resulted in his incarceration in a youth psychiatric facility. Lucy blames herself for the tragedy, and still feels guilty about it.

It's now ten years down the road, and Justin has been released from the mental institution with NO REQUIREMENT to register as a child molester. All this enrages Lucy, who vows to keep an eye on the young man.

Meanwhile, a paramedic named Chris Hale approaches Lucy in a restaurant.



Chris says he's been following Lucy and knows about her 'hobby.' Moreover, the paramedic says he's ALSO a sociopath and murderer, that he admires Lucy's work, and that he'd like to talk shop. Lucy's offended about being called a sociopath - and doubts Chris's bona fides. (This theme - of who is and isn't a sociopath - is threaded thru the whole book, and gets old fast.)



Lucy and Chris form an uneasy alliance when a nine-year-old girl named Kailey Richardson disappears.



Lucy thinks Justin abducted the little girl, and doesn't trust the police to find her because the lead detective is Justin's half-brother Todd Beckett, who doesn't think his sibling is guilty.



(In real life, wouldn't Todd be taken off the investigation?) In any case, Lucy decides SHE has to find Kailey, and proceeds to develop and follow leads, question people, and so on.....sometimes assisted by Chris.

Lucy keeps Detective Todd Beckett appraised of her activities and discoveries, so you can't call her one of those P.I's who foolishly blows off the cops - but the whole plot is VERY UNREALISTIC (IMO).



As events unfold, all manner of secrets come to light and Lucy continues to go about her 'garbage disposal' business. This illegal activity is aided by Lucy's two helpers: a computer hacker named Kelly - whose abuse as a child made her agoraphobic;



and a chemist called Conner - who provides cyanide.



Some other characters are lowlifes who have a bad history with children, but none of it is too graphic, in case that's a concern.

There are hints of romance in the book, since Chris and Lucy seem to be on the same wavelength. Something more might develop in future books.....if Lucy stays out of prison. Ha ha ha

Though I found the book mildly entertaining, there are too many plot points that stretch credulity, and I won't be reading future books in the series. I should point out, though, that many readers enjoyed this book and wrote glowing reviews. So if the premise sounds interesting, you might want to give it a shot.

Rating: 2.5 stars

Review of "The Robots of Dawn: The Robot Series" by Isaac Asimov

This sci-fi mystery takes place in the distant future when the Earth is vastly overcrowded and the entire population lives underground and has severe phobias about going outside.

When the story opens a humanoid robot has been "killed" on the planet Aurora which was colonized by Earth people long ago. A famous roboticist - the only one in the galaxy who knows how to create humanoid robots - is accused of the crime.



The detective Elijah Baley, an Earth-man, is called in to investigate with his robot partner, R. Daneel Olivaw.



Elijah's job is made doubly difficult because most Aurorans despise Earth people, considering them to be infectious and vastly inferior to themselves.



The case is very important because its solution may determine whether space is further colonized solely by humanoid robots and Aurorans or whether Earth people will be allowed to participate.

Some interesting twists and turns lead to a satisfying surprise ending.

Rating: 4 stars

Review of "The Caves of Steel: The Classic Robot Novel" by Isaac Asimov

Isaac Asimov is well known as a science fiction writer and this book is supposed to be a science fiction/detective story "fusion" book. Apparently Asimov wanted to demonstrate that science fiction could meld with other genres (according to the book cover).



The detective partners in the story are a New York detective named Elijah Baley and a very human-looking robot, called R. Daneel Olivaw. But the "detection" seems to consist of the cop just accusing one person after another - he doesn't even question suspects. Not such a good "fusion"... but later books in the series do get better.

Rating: 3 stars

Review of "When All The Girls Have Gone: A Novel of Romantic Suspense" by Jayne Ann Krentz

Charlotte Sawyer is the activities director at a retirement community in Seattle, Washington, and - among other things - oversees a program for senior citizens who are writing their autobiographies.



When one would-be author wants to spice up her story by saying she shot her husband, it causes a hubbub.....and leads to a discussion of fiction vs. non-fiction.



Charlotte has other things on her mind as well. Her former fiancé called off the wedding five days before the nuptials, leaving Charlotte with a stack of bills and a large dollop of self-doubt. And Charlotte's step-sister Jocelyn has gone off on a 'tech-free' retreat, leaving Charlotte to water her plants and take care of the mail.



As it happens, Jocelyn's mail contains a package from her best friend Louise, with a key and a mysterious note about hidden files. Shortly afterward Louise is found dead from a supposed drug overdose, and - when Charlotte goes to Louise's apartment to look for the files - she meets private investigator Max Cutler.



Max has been hired to look into Louise's death, which her cousin suspects was murder. Moreover, when Charlotte and Max try to inform Jocelyn about Louise's demise, they learn that Jocelyn isn't at the tech-free retreat and her whereabouts are unknown. 😧

Charlotte and Max team up to investigate Louise's death, and find two likely paths for inquiry. Firstly, Louise, Jocelyn, and several other women belong(ed) to an 'investment club' that's about to reap a huge profit. This brings up the possibility that one of the club members is killing off her compatriots, to get all the money for herself.



Secondly, the investment club was secretly involved in another activity. The members were looking into 'cold case' rapes and murders. The impetus for this investigation was Jocelyn's rape, on her college campus, 15 years ago. The police never solved the case, and in fact LOST all the files. The club members think Jocelyn's attacker went on to assault and kill other women, and they're trying to track down the perp and bring him to justice. Did the rapist/murderer find out they're on his trail?



As Charlotte and Max pursue their dual-approach inquiries they put their lives in grave danger.

Max is an interesting character. As a child he lived in a cult with his mother, and was almost burned to death when the cult leader set fire to the compound. Many people were killed.....and Max lost his mom.



However, all the children were rescued - and three of the boys (including Max) were taken in and raised by a loving foster father.

Max grew up, got married, and became a criminal profiler, but lost his wife and job when stress and anxiety derailed him. Afterwards, Max moved to Seattle and became a private investigator. A side issue of the story involves Max searching for the cult leader who killed his mom, and I imagine this will be revisited in future books in the series.

As Charlotte and Max work together, there are sparks of attraction that lead to a slow-burning romance.....and hot encounters between the sheets. So if you like romance in your books (unlike me) there it is. LOL 💖



During the course of the story, we meet a variety of interesting characters, including: members of the investment club; the police officer who was in charge of Jocelyn's old rape case; senior citizens at the retirement community; Max's foster father and foster brothers; Charlotte's ex-fiancé (guess what he wants....ha ha ha); and more.

The solution to the mystery struck me as unlikely, but the book is entertaining.....and there's a fun surprise at the end. I would recommend the novel to fans of romantic suspense. 

Rating: 3 stars

Review of "The 9th Girl: A Kovac and Liska Mystery" by Tami Hoag

In this 4th book in the 'Kovac and Liska' series, the police detectives are on the trail of a vicious serial killer. The novel can be read as a standalone.



*****

When the mutilated, acid-burned body of a teenage girl falls from a car's trunk a serial killer called 'Doc Holiday' is the prime suspect.



This sadistic murderer has already taken eight lives in a ritualistic fashion and police fear the teen may be his ninth victim. Detectives Sam Kovac and Nikki Liska investigate the murder of the unidentified girl - dubbed 'Zombie Doe' by the media.

Turns out 'Zombie Doe' is Penelope Gray, a high school classmate of Liska's son Kyle. Talking to students reveals that 'Gray' (as her friends call her) was at a teen hangout the night she disappeared, as was Kyle and a number of other students - some of whom were bullies who tormented both Gray and Kyle.



Questioning Gray's mother and her fiancé reveal that Gray was a troubled teen, angry about her parents' divorce several years before, who was prone to acting act and staying away from home.

The homicide detectives pursue evidence on the assumption that Doc Holiday killed Gray, wanting to stop him before he claims another victim. The book intersperses some first person scenes of Doc Holiday planning/committing his crimes with the story of the detectives' investigation.



Liska's problems raising two sons as a single mother - one of whom is a witness in the case - also plays a part in the story.

The characters are realistically depicted, the police investigation proceeds at a good pace, and the ending is almost satisfying.

All in all an okay mystery book.

Rating: 3 stars