Review of "A Steep Price: A Tracy Crosswhite Mystery" by Robert Dugoni

In this 6th book in the 'Tracy Crosswhite' series, the Seattle homicide detective investigates the disappearance of an Indian woman, while her colleagues look into a murder. The book can be read as a standalone.



*****

Aditi Dasgupta and Kavita Mukherjee, both from Indian families, grew up in the same Seattle neighborhood and have been friends since childhood.



Having recently graduated from the University of Washington, the young women hoped to attend medical school. Thus they continued to share a Seattle apartment, got jobs, and started to save money for tuition. This was anathema to the girls' families, who demanded the girls return home and agree to arranged marriages - as was the custom in their culture.



Both girls refused, determined to fulfill their dreams.

The women's plans to be doctors seemed to be on track until Aditi went to India for two months - to attend a relative's wedding - and returned married to a London man chosen by her parents.



Kavita was shocked and dismayed, and left the apartment while Aditi packed her things. Later that night, Kavita vanished.

The police were notified, and Katie Pryor, a cop with the missing persons division, got a bad feeling about Kavita's disappearance. Thus Pryor asked her friend and mentor Detective Tracy Crosswhite - from Seattle's Homicide A Unit - to help investigate.

Soon Tracy and her partner, Kinsington Rowe (Kins), are involved with Kavita's case.



The homicide boss, Captain Nolasco, wants Tracy to drop the missing persons inquiry and help with a murder investigation.



Tracy's colleagues, Del Castigliano and Vic Fazzio (Faz).....



.....are looking into the death of Monique Rogers, who was shot in front of her building. Del and Faz suspect that Monique - who spoke out against drugs and guns in her South Park neighborhood - was killed by gangbangers.



No witnesses will speak up, though, out of fear of Little Jimmy - the local drug pusher/gang leader.

In defiance of Nolasco, Tracy sticks with Kavita's case. This may spell bad news for Tracy, since she's hiding the fact that she's pregnant, and fears that Nolasco may replace her with a new homicide cop, Andrea Gonzalez, when she goes on maternity leave.

Faz and Del carry on with their murder inquiry, but Faz is distracted by additional concerns. His wife, Vera, recently learned she has breast cancer, and Faz is caught up in an officer-involved shooting that could derail his career. 😏

The suspense in the novel ratchets up as the dual investigations proceed, and the author tackles some interesting issues, including cultural expectations in Indian communities, and girls dating 'sugar daddies' from online sites.



In the course of the story, we see the affection between Faz and his wife, and get a glimpse of Tracy's home life with her husband Dan and their Rhodesian ridgebacks, Rex and Sherlock.



I got a laugh at the end of the book, when Faz asked Del if he had known Tracy was pregnant and Del responded, "I suspected, but I wasn't about to ask unless she gave birth in front of me. My luck she could just be putting on a few extra pounds since her marriage." Ha ha ha. 😁



I enjoyed the story but was disappointed with the resolution of one of the cases, which seemed mundane (to me). Still, I'd recommend the book to readers who enjoy mysteries, especially fans of Tracy Crosswhite.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author (Robert Dugoni), and the publisher (Thomas and Mercer) for a copy of the book.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review of "The President is Missing: A Novel" by Bill Clinton and James Patterson

'The President is Missing' is a novel about President Jonathan Lincoln Duncan, who's in a race against time to stop a cyberattack that would cripple the United States.



It's tempting to compare fictional President Duncan with real President Clinton (who co-authored the book), and many reviewers have had fun pointing out that Duncan is an improved version of Clinton.

Be that as it may, for my review I'll consider President Duncan a purely fictional character, made up by the authors.

*****

As the book opens, President Jonathan Lincoln Duncan is preparing for a hearing initiated by House Speaker Lester Rhodes, whose aim in life is to impeach the President.....a goal he'll do almost anything to achieve.



The grounds for the hearing revolve around the fact that President Duncan stopped pro-Ukraine separatists from killing terrorist leader Suliman Cindoruk, whose 'Sons of Jihad' followers have carried out deadly attacks on three continents.



Moreover, President Duncan later spoke to Cindoruk on the phone. These actions seem incomprehensible, and the President won't explain his behavior, citing national security.

The reader soon learns that the President's actions were an attempt to forestall a massive cyberattack on the United States. The disastrous computer virus, scheduled to be unleashed in the immediate future, would disable EVERY electronic device in the entire nation. Such a catastrophe would leave the United States in complete chaos and cripple the military - leaving the nation vulnerable to attack from enemies like Russia, North Korea, Iran, etc.




It turns out the President obtained information that Suliman Cindoruk organized the electronic assault, and may be the only person who can stop it. Thus Duncan needed to keep the terrorist alive, so he could try to negotiate a ransom (even though we don't negotiate with terrorists). Unfortunately the effort proved fruitless and Duncan fears the digital shut-down will happen at any moment.

If anyone can deal with a possible catastrophe like this, it's President Duncan. He's super smart; a war hero; and has surrounded himself with capable women - including his chief of staff; senior political advisor; CIA director; FBI director; and personal physician. Even the Vice President is a woman. (One wonders why Clinton and Patterson didn't go whole hog and make the President a woman. 🙂)



President Duncan does have some vulnerabilities, including his continuing grief over the death of his wife from cancer, and a blood disorder called immune thrombocytopenia (a low platelet count) -which requires medications and protein infusions that leave him weak and woozy. Lamentably, the President can't be properly treated during this emergency situation, which adds to the crisis atmosphere.



After the President's failed attempt to bargain with Cindoruk, he's contacted by a couple of foreign computer geniuses who claim they helped the Sons of Jihad create the computer virus. The hackers assert that they've broken away from Cindoruk's group and - if their demands are met - will help America stop the cyberattack. Moreover, the cyber-criminals have proof that one of the President's INNER CIRCLE (the 'Gang of Eight') is a traitor who gave away secret information.


Can you find the traitor? Just joking! 😁

To have a confab with the two brainy hackers, the President must sneak out of the White House COMPLETELY ALONE - unaccompanied by security.



This leads to a series of occurrences - including car chases, gunfire, and several deaths - that leave President Duncan holed up out of public view. The shootings are carried out by a highly skilled female assassin called Bach and a group of deadly mercenaries.....who have more information than they should!

When the press learns that the President has 'disappeared', the 24-hour news cycle declares him 'missing.'



This causes all kinds of wild speculation, with people saying that President Duncan is terribly ill; has stolen a lot of money and fled the country; is avoiding the impeachment hearings; and so on.

In the meantime, the President is conferring with representatives from Israel, Germany, and Russia, and there are some major twists in the story.

I was on the edge of my seat (or actually treadmill) as the clock controlling the computer virus ticked down to zero - 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 - while the President and his team raced to stop the cyberattack. Do they succeed? Is the 'Benedict Arnold' unmasked? You'll have to read the book to find out.




I enjoyed the novel, which - though not very realistic - has compelling characters, an engaging plot, and heart-stopping action. I'd recommend the book to fans of thrillers.

The book is being adapted into a Showtime mini-series, which I'll watch for sure (when it gets to DVD 😎).

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review of "A Morning for Flamingos: A Dave Robicheaux Mystery" by James Lee Burke

In this 4th book in the 'Dave Robicheaux' series, Detective Robicheaux goes undercover to take down a New Orleans drug lord. Dave's personal life evolves through the series, as he ages, marries (and remarries), raises his daughter, etc. So some readers would probably prefer to read the series in order. Still, the novels can be read as standalones because the mystery in each book is self-contained.

*****



At the beginning of the book, Detective Dave Robicheaux - who works for the Sheriff's Office in New Iberia, Louisiana - is transporting two convicted killers to death row. The jailbirds are Jimmie Lee Boggs - a sociopathic multiple murderer,



and Tee Beau Latolais - a hapless young man who claims he's innocent.



The transport goes wrong, Boggs gets hold of a gun, and the convicts get away after Dave is shot and his partner is killed.



Dave, who's recently widowed and raising his adopted daughter Alafair, recuperates for several months before going back to work. However, the shooting preys on Dave's mind, and he vows to recapture Boggs. So when the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) asks Dave to go undercover in New Orleans, to help take down a drug lord, the fact that Jimmie Lee Boggs has been spotted in 'The Big Easy' is an added inducement to take the job.

Posing as a disaffected former cop who plans to get rich by selling drugs, Dave makes the acquaintance of Tony Cardo - a New Orleans gangster who runs a drug syndicate.



Tony is a mobbed up crook, but Dave has some empathy for the man because - like Dave - Tony is a Vietnam vet with deep psychic scars from the war. Moreover, Tony is a solicitous father to his disabled little boy.



Still, it's Dave job to get Tony arrested, and he means to do just that. It so happens that Dave's best friend, ex-cop Clete Purcell, now runs a night club/bar in New Orleans.



Clete wants to help with the sting operation, so Dave convinces the DEA to put Clete on the payroll, so he can help take Tony down. Clete is a big, tough guy who eats too much, drinks too much, and gets involved with too many wrong women - but he has a heart of gold where Dave and his family are concerned.

Once Dave's ensconced in New Orleans, he gets re-acquainted with his former sweetheart Bootsie, whom he abruptly deserted several decades ago.



Since then, Dave went to war and became a fall down drunk. Dave's now a recovering alcoholic, and finds himself falling in love with Bootsie all over again. The Dave-Bootsie romance is complicated by the fact that Bootsie doesn't know Dave is working undercover. In addition, Tony Cardo's extra-marital girlfriend, Kim Dollinger - who has a lot of problems - repeatedly comes to Dave for help.....and possible hanky panky.



As Dave works with the DEA to get Tony arrested, he has to associate with rough gangbangers. This places Dave in very dangerous situations.....and threatens to make Alafair an orphan. Dave also comes up against Jimmie Lee Boggs - who's as murderous as ever.

On the upside, Dave gets to have delicious beignets and coffee at New Orleans Café Du Monde (a treat I've enjoyed myself on occasion. 😊)



The story has a rich assemblage of characters, including Dave's colleagues and acquaintances (including Tee Beau Latolais's grandmother); Tony Cardo's bodyguards and underlings; a collection of thugs and murderers; and more. As always, the author does a superb job of capturing the ambiance of southern Louisiana with its mixed population of Acadians, whites, blacks, and others; the swamps and bayous; the spicy Cajun food, the jazz music; recreational fishing, etc. The reader almost feels like a visitor.

Unlike most of James Lee Burke's 'Dave Robicheaux' stories, this is more of a thriller than a mystery. It's not my favorite book in the series, but I enjoyed it, and recommend it to mystery fans.



Rating: 3.5 stars

Review of "The Twenty-Three: Promise Falls #3" by Linwood Barclay

In this third book in the 'Promise Falls' trilogy, the water in Promise Falls gets poisoned, which causes havoc in the town. The books in the series can be read as standalones but it's best to read them in order for a full understanding of the story arc and the characters.

If you haven't read the first two books this review might contain some (minor) spoilers.

*****



The upstate New York town of Promise Falls has no end of troubles. An unknown perpetrator has been orchestrating all kinds of havoc related to the number 23, including: hanging 23 dead squirrels on a fence;



giving three mannequins a ride in car 23 of a defunct Ferris wheel;



sending a burning #23 bus careening down the street;



blowing up the screen of a drive-in theater at 23:23 (military time); and more.



On top of that, several women in Promise Falls have been killed in a ritualistic fashion - possibly by a serial killer. Unfortunately there's worse to come. On Saturday, May 23 - at the start of the Memorial Day weekend - hundreds of people in Promise Falls become violently ill.



The victims become weak and disoriented; vomit profusely; become hypotensive (low blood pressure); and in many cases die.

Detective Barry Duckworth - a capable cop - traces the cause of the outbreak to the town's water supply, which has been poisoned.



As sick and dead people pile up Detective Duckworth and his newly promoted assistant, Detective Angus Carlson.....,

..... have their hands full - dealing with victims, talking to family members, interviewing witnesses, etc. To add to the mayhem, a teenage boy is missing and a college girl has been stabbed to death - possibly by the serial killer. 

So Detective Duckworth is very busy - investigating the 'number 23' crimes; looking into the water debacle; and trying to solve the 'murdered women' cases. To add to the sleuth's troubles, his wife and doctor are trying to get him to go on a diet....but it's hard to give up those morning donuts.



Many colorful characters from the first 2/3 of the trilogy are on hand, such as: Randy Finley - the sleazy former mayor of Promise Falls who'd do anything to get re-elected;



private investigator Cal Weaver - who has a moral conundrum about outing a murderer;



Crystal - a smart autistic 11-year-old girl;



Samantha (Sam) Worthington - a laundromat manager whose in-laws tried to snatch her son and have her killed;



David Harwood - a former journalist who's romantically involved with Sam and (reluctantly) works for Randy's mayoral campaign;



Don - David's father who has a guilty secret;



and Marla - David's cousin who recently acquired a baby son (it's a long story).



For me "The Twenty-Three" is just okay. It's a workmanlike conclusion to the trilogy but lacks a certain level of excitement. Moreover, the solutions to the mysteries feel a bit anti-climactic.

One thing I do like about the trilogy is the author's technique of resolving dangerous situations quickly. If a character gets in trouble it's over pretty fast....for better or worse. I like this much better than hostages being locked in a basement for months.....or other plot devices of that nature.

Overall, the three books of the trilogy tell an engaging story. Recommended to mystery fans

(Note: there are some minor unresolved issues at the end of book three, which apparently will be resolved in a future volume. This is cheating, since this is a trilogy.....not a quadrilogy. Can anyone say $$$ ?)

Rating: 3 stars