Review of "Dark Sacred Night: A Harry Bosch and Renee Ballard Mystery" by Michael Connelly

In this 21st book in the 'Harry Bosch' series, Michael Connelly unites the vintage sleuth with his new detective Renee Ballard.....and they turn out to be a good match. The novel provides enough background information to be read as a standalone.

*****

Detective Harry Bosch worked for the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) for over three decades but was always a maverick who bent the rules and eschewed authority. Thus Harry was finally pushed out of the LAPD, and eventually took a job with the small San Fernando Police Department - where he mostly works cold cases.


Titus Welliver as Harry Bosch

Bosch's daughter Maddie attends college in southern California but rarely visits home because Harry has taken in a fiftyish recovering drug addict called Elizabeth Clayton. Elizabeth is still reeling from the unsolved rape/murder of her 15-year-old daughter Sophie nine years ago and Harry - who has a soft heart - is trying to help her keep clean. Harry is also re-opening Sophie's case, hoping to bring her sadistic killer to justice.





LAPD Detective Renee Ballard was on the fast track in the Robbery-Homicide Division until she reported her boss for sexual harassment. The 'Me Too' movement hadn't quite reached the police force - and Renee's traitorous male partner (who saw what happened) didn't back her up - so Renee was reassigned to the night shift. There Renee starts cases that are then handed over to daylight detectives - a situation Renee finds frustrating and unfulfilling.

Renee is still on the outs with some cops, who sometimes give her a hard time or neglect to send back-up when requested, etc. (They should be fired IMO.)



Renee marches to her own drummer. She (sort of) lives with her grandmother Tutu in Ventura, but usually sleeps in a tent on the beach after surfing/paddling in the ocean. Renee's dog Lola stays in 'doggie care' when the detective is at work, where Renee can monitor her on CCTV. Renee sometimes frets about being a bad 'dog mom' but Lola seems to be a happy pooch.....and is a good guard dog for the tent.😊



Renee and Bosch meet when Harry is sneakily looking into his old file cabinets at the LAPD, claiming he was passing the time while waiting for someone.



In reality, Harry is looking for old field interview cards (shake cards), which document informal police contacts during the course of patrol - like intoxicated pedestrians, loiterers, people in parked cars, and so on. Harry thinks these cards might provide information about Sophie's rapist/killer.



Renee, who's adamant about catching sex murderers, signs up to work with Harry and the temporary partners start looking at thousands of shake cards that were put in storage. The cards provide possible clues about Sophie's death, and the detectives follow up when they're not working other cases.

For his part, Harry is investigating the long ago murder of a 'San Fer' gang leader. A reformed thug has provided a tip about the bullets used, and Harry is following it up. Unfortunately, the case springs a leak that has unfortunate consequences.....but gives Renee the opportunity to shine.



On her side, Renee is investigating the theft of valuable Andy Warhol paintings of 'red lips' from the home of a recently deceased woman.....as well as going out on miscellaneous night calls.



As things shake out, a chance observation helps the sleuths solve Daisy's murder, and that's all I can say without spoilers.

Harry shows a dark side in this book, using unorthodox methods of interrogation and a thirst for vengeance. Renee, on the other hand, is a 'by the book' gal and relies on her fine detective skills and good instincts. Together, Harry and Renee are a formidable pair.

I enjoyed the book, which is a police procedural interspersed with snippets about the characters' personal lives. Both Harry and Renee are essentially loners, devoting most of their energy to the job. This makes them excellent partners, and I hope they continue to work together.



I'd recommend the book to readers who like mysteries, especially Harry Bosch/Renee Ballard fans.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review of "Miss Seeton Rocks the Cradle: An Emily Seeton Mystery" by Hamilton Crane

In this 13th book in the 'Miss Seeton' series, the elderly artist/accidental sleuth has adventures in Scotland. The book can be read as a standalone.

*****

Years ago I read several "Miss Seeton" books by Heron Carvic (the original author of the series) and enjoyed them very much. Miss Emily Dorothea Seeton is a gray-haired, retired art teacher who - due to her daily yoga exercises - is unusually agile and spry.



Miss Seeton (or MissEss as she's dubbed at Scotland Yard) has the uncanny ability to aid criminal investigations with her perceptive drawings. Miss Seeton also tends to cause havoc wherever she goes and has been known to foil crooks with her trusty brolly (umbrella)....always on hand in case of rain. Miss Seeton is especially amusing because she's generally oblivious to the criminal activity around her.



In this addition to the series, written by Hamilton Crane, a baby named Marguerite MacSporran - the child of Scottish aristocrats Lord and Lady Glenclachan - is kidnapped. The kidnappers soon get cold feet and leave the infant in a phone booth, where (of course) Miss Seeton finds her.



Lord and Lady Glenclachan are very grateful to Miss Seeton for rescuing Marguerite, and take the art teacher back to Scotland with them for a wee visit.



First, however, Miss Seeton is cajoled into making a sketch that (eventually) helps the police catch the baby snatchers.



When Miss Seeton goes to Scotland, ace reporter Amelita (Mel) Forby follows, thinking MissEss will generate some juicy news stories. Mel takes a room in a small hotel, waits for something to happen, and is soon rewarded. Miss Seeton ventures out for a walk.....and finds a dead body!



While in Scotland, both Miss Seeton and Mel chat with local residents and learn a good bit about Scottish history and the House of Stuart - the 'true heirs' to the British throne as far as the Scots are concerned. It soon becomes clear that something to do with the Stuarts is brewing around Glenclachan and Miss Seeton - quite unintentionally - thrusts herself into the center of the action.





Some additional interesting characters in the story are Hamish McQueest, owner of the Pock and Tang hotel/pub - who purposely antagonizes his customers; Mrs. McScurrie, Lord and Lady Glenclachan's housekeeper, who takes a shine to Miss Seeton and fiercely protects her; and Philomena Beigg, a Scottish historian who tells a lot of interesting stories.





As the action swirls around Miss Seeton the art teacher takes recreational walks through the hills of Glenclachan, has a couple of picnics, looks at birds, meets interesting townspeople, reads her yoga book to baby Marguerite....and makes several drawings that (quite unknown to herself) reveal dark doings around town.



I enjoyed the story and thought the bits about Scottish history and geography were interesting. Miss Seeton's antics weren't as hilarious as in previous books but it's an entertaining tale, recommended to fans of cozy mysteries.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author (Hamilton Crane), and the publisher (Farrago) for a copy of the book.

Rating: 3 stars

Review of "The Wedding Guest: An Alex Delaware Mystery" by Jonathan Kellerman

In this 34th book in the 'Alex Delaware' series, LAPD Detective Milo Sturgis and psychologist Dr. Alex Delaware investigate the murder of a wedding guest. The book can be read as a standalone.

*****

When Brears Rapfogel and Garrett Burdett send out invitations to their wedding reception, which is being held at a repurposed former strip club called The Aura......



......the theme is Saints and Sinners,  and guests are informed that "Everyone needs to be hot!"



Unfortunately one "hot" young woman, a brunette beauty dressed in bright red, ends up dead....garroted in a skanky bathroom on The Aura's second floor. 






LAPD Detective Milo Sturgis catches the case......



....and recruits his friend Dr. Alex Delaware - a psychologist who consults for the LAPD - to help investigate.

Milo and Alex soon learn that nobody at the reception seems able to identify the victim, who appears to be a party crasher. Brears and Garrett say they don't know the woman and Brears's parents, Corinne and Dennis Rapfogel contend that: 'This was something bizarre that has nothing to do with us.' Throwing shade on Garrett's family, Corinne opines: 'If it's anything personal, it has to be from their side. They live out in the sticks.....probably rubes like that movie Deliverance.'



For his part, Garrett's dad - a large animal veterinarian - claims that his family has never seen the victim and says, 'I'd expect her to be one of Brears's friends.....You know. The age, the red dress....a pretty L.A. girl.' Moreover, Garrett's dowdy pretentious sister Amanda - a college student who 'curated her own major' of cultural anthropology, economic history, and communications - is actually hostile to the investigators. When questioned, Amanda states: "Your role offends me...Your presence means the world doesn't have its act together. By now, we should be more than rampaging baboons."



Because of their natural suspicions, Milo and Alex decide to look closely at both families, thinking the victim may have invaded the party to ruin the day for one of them.

The investigators spend a good part of the book trying to identify the dead girl, who turns out to be a 'dancer' who worked at The Aura when it was a strip club. The young woman is described as a quiet girl who just swayed and forth on stage or listlessly pressed herself against the stripper pole....and sometimes said she was a student.



Still, this doesn't elucidate the reason for the brunette's death. Milo and Alex must traverse a twisty path through strip clubs - as well as more unlikely locales - before they finally solve the case. Since this is a mystery, that's all I can say without spoilers.

On the personal side, Alex spends some time with his longtime girlfriend Robin - who makes and repairs fine musical instruments - and his French bulldog Blanche.



As for Milo, he eats gargantuan meals (as usual) and occasionally mentions his life partner Dr. Rick Silverman. In flashbacks, we see some of Milo's travails as a gay detective with the LAPD, which might have gotten him fired if he wasn't a first-rate 'closer.' Luckily, times have changed and Milo is (mostly) accepted now.

Though I liked the novel, which is largely a police procedural, a couple of things bother me. The newlyweds treacly sweet, lovey-dovey behavior (after the murder) seems overdone and phony because - before the wedding - the ostentatious, spoiled bride had serious doubts about marrying nerdy Garrett. Furthermore, I felt cheated by the book's ending, which seems to come out of the blue.

Nevertheless, this is an enjoyable mystery, recommended to fans of the genre.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author (Jonathan Kellerman) and the publisher (Ballantine Books) for a copy of the book.

Rating: 3 stars

Review of "Memory Man: An Amos Decker 'Memory Man' Mystery" by David Baldacci

Burlington police detective Amos Decker spiraled into despair when his wife, daughter, and brother-in-law were brutally murdered 15 months ago. He quit the police force and became homeless before moving into a cheap motel and becoming a private detective. Once a football player, the 6' 5", 350 pound Decker is seriously out of shape.



He has a unique ability, however, acquired after a massive hit ended his football career. Decker sustained a brain injury that gave him hyperthymesia - a complete, detailed memory of everything he's ever seen or experienced.



As the story opens Detective Mary Lancaster, Decker's old partner, tells him a homeless man named Sebastian Leopold has confessed to murdering Decker's family. Decker, posing as an attorney, manipulates his way into the jail to talk to Leopold.



The homeless man, who appears to have mental problems, claims he killed Decker's family because the detective dissed him at a 7-Eleven. Just when Decker is sneaking into the jail to speak to Leopold a mass shooting occurs at local Mansfield High School, killing a number of staff and students.



Because he was an excellent detective Decker is asked to consult with authorities on the Mansfield High School murders. He uses his extraordinary memory to help the cops and FBI search for the high school shooter and to look into Leopold's bogus-sounding confession. Decker uncovers one clue after another in the mass shooting case, which turns out to be an intricate plot that has a connection to the murder of Decker's family. Along the way Decker, a socially inept loner, has some hostile interactions with an FBI agent and a newspaper reporter who want his cooperation. Eventually, though, Decker manages to work with others on the investigations.



This is a well-written, engaging, fast-paced mystery that kept my attention as the actions and motives of the perpetrator were exposed. My biggest problem with the plot is that both Decker - and especially the FBI - seem too slow on the uptake in unraveling some of the clues. Without giving away any spoilers I'll just say that, in real life, the FBI would probably have exposed/understood some clues well before Decker had his 'aha moments'. This may be necessary for the story's plot but it doesn't ring true. Moreover, given the motive, I would have expected the perpetrator to do some things quite differently.

Still, the book kept my interest from beginning to end and I would read more books about detective Decker's exploits. I'd recommend Memory Man to mystery fans.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review of "Lethal White: A Cormoran Strike Novel" by Robert Galbraith

This is the 4th book in Robert Galbraith's (aka J.K. Rowling) series about grizzled private detective Cormoran Strike - a veteran of the war in Afghanistan who lost his leg during the hostilities, and his former secretary, now partner - pretty, strawberry blonde Robin Ellacott. The book can be read as a standalone.



*****

As the story opens Robin is marrying her peevish, self-absorbed fiancé Matthew Cunliffe and it's clear the union is off to a rocky start - especially because of the long-running (but barely acknowledged) romantic tension between Strike and Robin.



Meanwhile, Strike has become famous for solving a serial killer case, and the detective agency is experiencing an upsurge in work.

Skip ahead one year and Robin is unhappily married, Strike is in a casual (on his part) relationship with a woman named Lorelei, and the detective agency has a couple of additional employees.

The action starts when a mentally disturbed man called Billy Knight rushes into Strike's office and - ticcing furiously - claims that he once witnessed a crime. Billy says that - as a child - he saw a girl strangled and buried....but his brother told him to keep mum. When questioned by Strike Billy runs out and disappears, but the detective decides to start investigating anyway.



It turns out that Billy's brother is Jimmy Knight, a socialist rabble-rouser who's currently protesting against the 2012 London Olympics and government in general.



Ironically, Jimmy is actually in cahoots with a government bureaucrat named Geraint Winn, and the two of them are blackmailing Jasper Chiswell (pronounced Chizzle) - the Minister of Culture.....whose office is next to Winn's.

For his part, Jasper Chiswell hires Strike to derail the blackmail scheme by 'getting something' on Winn and locating incriminating photos. Chiswell doesn't explain his misdeed, but says it happened a long time ago and 'wasn't illegal' at the time.



Robin dons colored contacts to go undercover as Chiswell's intern, which gives her the opportunity to spy on Winn and bug his desk. Robin hopes to discover some serious wrongdoing on Winn's part.....which is almost inevitable since the man is in politics 😊.



While working for Chiswell Robin meets his daughter Isabella - a privileged young woman who's worried about her dad.....

.....and his son Raphael - a handsome lothario who's been in prison for a fatal car accident. Raphael tries to hit on Robin, which is awkward all around.



Robin also gets to meet the blackmailer Geraint Winn, a creepy lech whose eyes and hands tend to roam. Winn is married to the Minister for Sport Della Winn, a blind woman working on the Paralympic Games. Both Winns continue to mourn the suicide of their teenage daughter years ago - a sad event they can't let go.



While Robin is working undercover in Chiswell's office, Strike follows Jimmy Knight and attends his political rallies. The detective wants to uncover Jimmy's blackmail evidence AND locate his troubled brother Billy - who furtively called Strike and claimed he was being held prisoner.



Eventually a murder occurs, and Strike adds solving the crime to his to-do list, which includes several cases beside Chiswell - like nailing a doctor who consorts with underage girls.

As the story unfolds we read about bad teenage behavior; excessive drinking; bullying; greed; a diamond necklace; horses; paintings; cover-ups; and more. I didn't guess the solution to the crimes, so well done Robert Galbraith.

The book is very long, mostly because it meanders deeply into Robin and Strike's private lives. We read all about Robin's dissolving marriage to Matthew - who's as obnoxious and sulky as ever. We also learn about Strike's personal affairs, which include visits with his family and friends; a chance re-acquaintance with his former girlfriend Charlotte - who's married, pregnant, duplicitous, and vindictive; and his relationship with Lorelei - who's not so secretly trying to marry him. All this adds interest to the story (for me), and I really didn't mind the length.

I enjoyed the book and recommend it readers who like mysteries, especially fans of the 'Cormoran Strike' series.

FYI: "Strike" is now a British television series.



Rating: 3.5 stars

Review of "Fin & Lady: A Novel" by Cathleen Schine

In the early 1960s, beautiful twenty-four-year-old Lady Hadley swoops in to take over the care of her half-brother Fin Hadley when he's orphaned at eleven. Lady is a free spirit - able to travel, maintain a luxurious home, and indulge in favorite political causes - due to a generous trust fund.




Lady and Fin soon move to Greenwich Village where Fin is enrolled in an 'alternative' school that favors lots of freedom and little homework.



In the village, Fin is exposed to Lady's rather eccentric lifestyle, which includes several boyfriends, whimsical activities, and plenty of drinking and partying.



Fin also becomes an advocate of Lady's political views. This is the era of the Viet Nam War and of the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, and Martin Luther King. President Johnson is unpopular with anti-war activists and there's plenty to protest about. Thus, Fin accompanies Lady to rallies and marches, and even manages to get taken into police custody. Fin is devoted to Lady and considers all this great fun.



One thing Fin isn't please about is Lady's request that he help her find a husband since he doesn't like most of her beaus. Lady insists she needs to marry by twenty-five but is perfectly happy to give herself extensions as needed. Lacy's looking for someone to love but can't seem to find him.

The book doesn't really have a plot as such. Instead it's a character study of Lady, Fin, their black housekeeper Mabel, and their friends. Mabel is the loving motherly figure who takes care of Fin when his sister flakes out.



Lady has two former roommates who enjoy suggestive chit-chat and she has three boyfriends who are very different from each other: a lawyer, a jock, and a Hungarian refugee.



Fin makes friends with kids on the block and at school and roams the city with them. The closest relationship in the story, though, is between Lady and Fin - who have a tight, loving bond. Lady's whims eventually result in a lovely summer on the island of Capri in Italy, which sets up a big change in everyone's life.

I thought the book was slow and plodding in places, which lessened my enjoyment of the story. Overall it was an okay book with some interesting characters.

Rating: 3 stars