In this 18th book in the 'Hamish Macbeth' series, the Scottish constable investigates a string of cases. The book can be read as a standalone.
*****
Police Constable Hamish Macbeth loves his Scottish village of Lochdubh, his job, and his dog Lugs.
Given his druthers, Hamish would be a policeman in Lochdubh forever, but - because of his continual success as a detective - Hamish is constantly in danger of being promoted and sent elsewhere. In fact, Detective Chief Inspector Blair - who's jealous of Hamish - is ALWAYS trying to get the constable transferred. Thus there's an ongoing tug-of-war between Hamish and Blair, which adds to the humor of the series.
As the story opens Hamish stops off at Stoyre - a fishing village on his rounds - and is struck by the odd behavior of the residents.
The people have become furtive, uncommunicative, and obsessed with going to church. Hamish decides to attend a religious service to see what the attraction is, but finds the pastor's sermon uninspiring and uninformative.
Moreover, the house of a 'godless' resident of Stoyre is bombed. Hamish strongly suspects that something villainous is going on, and his investigation uncovers a nefarious scheme.
Hamish also deals with a store owner who was robbed and a woman who's being abused by her husband. Things aren't quite what they seem in these cases, however, and Hamish uses his smarts to winkle out the truth.
Perhaps most serious of all, Hamish hears about an old age home with an unusually high death rate. Aided by a couple of feisty nonagenarians, Hamish exposes a grisly scam.
As usual, recurring characters add interest to the story. These include Elspeth Grant, a journalist who sometimes helps Hamish with his cases. Elspeth wouldn't mind dating the constable, but that won't happen if doggy Lugs has his way.
Other characters are Angela Brody - the doctor's wife, who occasionally dog-sits Lugs; Nessie and Jessie Curry - the village's priggish gossips; Detective Inspector Jimmy Anderson - who can't think without a drink in his hand; Superintendent Peter Daviot - who mediates between Hamish and Blair; and more.
Hamish's professional successes once again put him in danger of promotion, and the constable has to be REALLY wily to avoid this horrible fate.
This is a light entertaining mystery, recommended to fans of cozies.
Rating: 3 stars
The glacial lake and mountain peaks of Flathead Valley, Montana are so enticing that wealthy people flock there to build homes and enjoy the great outdoors - just like longtime valley residents have been doing for generations.
Unfortunately, the beauty of Flathead Valley isn't matched by the atmosphere just now. Tensions are high between environmentalists who want to curtail logging in the Kootenai National Forest and people who rely on logging to support their families.
Militants on both sides of the issue depict their opponents in the most derogatory manner possible. Radical environmentalists claim the timber interests want to "clear-cut every last tree in the forest and to exterminate all of the animal species that depend on the forest habitat."
And logging proponents insist the 'enviros' are "misinformed tree-hugging elitists who care more about a handful of trees, birds, bears, and fish than they do about the men, women, children and communities whose livelihoods depend upon the timber industry."
It's in this climate that lawyer Toby Martin, a leader of the Northwestern Environmental Alliance - which filed a lawsuit to stop logging in the Kootenai National Forest - is bludgeoned to death with an axe handle.
Sheriff Chris Williamson quickly arrests Steve Helstrom, a sawmill worker who'd threatened to kill Toby during a fight at the Crossroads bar.
Moreover, Steve had the bloody murder weapon in the bed of his pickup truck. This seems like incontrovertible evidence, and Steve is locked up.
Attorney Dave Matthews, who has a solo practice in Kalispell, is recovering from an emotional trauma, drinking heavily, and NOT ready for a big case. However Steve's brother Bob Helstrom implores Dave to help, and the lawyer agrees to defend the suspect.
After talking to the arrestee, Dave believes Steve is innocent and sets out to uncover the real killer.
Dave's investigation consists largely of talking to people who might shed light on the murder. This includes Toby's fellow employees at the Northwestern Environmental Alliance; patrons of the Crossroads bar who saw Steve and Toby fighting; Toby's former girlfriend; Toby's brother; and locals who might have a grudge against Toby.
One of Toby's most vocal foes is an obnoxious newspaper editor named Kevin McKinney.
McKinney's weekly publication is a radical right-wing screed that blames the 'Eco-Fascists' for all the valley's problems. McKinney's paper screams that the "rights of all Americans are under assault by extremists posing as environmentalists who are waging war on the West to implement their Communistic views." McKinney is particularly critical of Toby Martin, who he labels a "traitor to his native state." Could one of McKinney's combative readers have killed Toby?
Dave also sets out to ascertain Steve Helstrom's state of mind and whereabouts on the day of the murder. This leads Dave to speak to Steve's buddy, who worked on a car with him that day; Steve's boss, who owns the sawmill where he works; and people who say Steve wouldn't hurt a fly unless he's drunk. Even then, Steve's supporters say, he would never KILL anyone.
When the lawsuit filed by the Northwestern Environmental Alliance results in a temporary halt to logging, all hell breaks loose in Flathead Valley and Missoula, where the Alliance has its headquarters. There are harsh words; threatening emails; raucous demonstrations; violent fights; fire-bombings; vandalism; etc.
Dave thinks some of this might tie in to Toby's killing, but Sheriff Chris Williamson doesn't necessarily agree.
In between working on Steve's case, Dave takes time to play tennis and golf with his buddies; dine on lasagna Bolognese in an Italian restaurant; munch on hamburgers and fries in his favorite pub; enjoy glasses of beer and wine; chat with pretty women (the book is chock full of good-looking gals 😊); go running; do legal work for other clients; reminisce about old girlfriends; recall the incident that traumatized him; and more.
All of Dave's digging around annoys some people, and there's trouble as he approaches the solution to the case.
I enjoyed the book, which has an engaging plot, picturesque descriptions of Montana, and interesting characters. I'd recommend the novel to fans of traditional mysteries.
Many thanks to James L. Thane for a copy of the book.
Rating: 3.5 stars
In this 26th book in the 'Alex Delaware' series, the psychologist helps investigate the death of a 'sugar baby.' The book can be read as a standalone.
*****
Alex Delaware and his girlfriend Robin go to a bar for drinks and notice what looks like a bodyguard outside the bar and a beautiful blonde inside.
Soon afterwards the blonde is found dead with her face shot off and Alex - a psychologist - helps homicide detective Milo Sturgis investigate.
Turns out the blonde had been the honey of a rich married sugar daddy.
The blonde's bodyguard, the sugar daddy's family, and the agency that pairs sugar daddies and young hotties are all investigated and a lot of unpleasant, arrogant people are interviewed.
Meanwhile Alex is also counseling a terminally ill former prostitute and her young son.
Jonathan Kellerman's villains are usually interesting sociopaths/psychopaths but that's not quite the case in this story. The murderer is finally revealed in a long rather boring scene towards the end and the revelation of the culprit is not particularly believable or satisfying. I don't think the side plot with the sick woman and her son added much to the story either. Not one of Jonathan Kellerman's best books.
Rating: 3 stars
Gabe Forman worked for an advertising agency until three years ago, when his wife Jenny and five-year-old daughter Isabella (Izzy) were killed during a home invasion. Or were they?
On the day his family is slaughtered, Gabe is driving home on England's M1 motorway during rush hour.
In the bumper to bumper traffic, Gabe's eye is drawn to an ancient car that sports peeling stickers like "Honk if you're horny"; "Don't follow me, I'm lost"; and "Horn broken, watch for finger." Gabe is idly gazing at the rusty auto when the face of his five-year-old daughter Izzy appears in the back window, and the girl mouths the word "Daddy!" A hand pulls the child away, and Gabe gives chase.
Gabe tries to follow the old vehicle, but loses it on the congested highway. When Gabe finally gets home, the police tell him his wife and daughter are dead.....shot!
Gabe insists he's seen Izzy on the M1, but no one believes him and - following identification by Gabe's father-in-law Harry - the bodies of Jenny and a little girl (presumably Izzy) are cremated.
Gabe is certain his daughter is alive, and quits his job to drive up and down the M1 in a camper van, searching for Izzy.
Gabe has been roaming the M1 for three years, stopping for the occasional cup of coffee and bite to eat at service stations, and sleeping in the vehicle.
A service station waitress named Katie, who works the night shift so her sister can watch her two children, notices Gabe - a tall thin haggard man who stops by once a week or so.
Katie thinks the man must have a sad story, but she has problems of her own: the tragic death of her father; making ends meet; and dealing with an alcoholic mother.
As Gabe is wandering the motorway, another pair of travelers is doing much the same thing. A woman called Fran and an eight-year-old girl named Alice are on the run from 'a bad man' who's trying to hurt Alice.
Fran is determined to protect the child, but her mission is complicated by Alice's narcolepsy - sudden bouts of sleep from which Alice awakens clutching a pebble.
Alice's pebbles are related to a supernatural part of the story, which is a bit too obscure and forced (IMO).
One fateful day Gabe's road acquaintance, a man called 'The Samaritan' - who knows Gabe is looking for an old stickered-up car - finds the auto in a lake.
The Samaritan takes Gabe to the car, where Gabe finds a pocket bible, a folded map, a notebook, and something else (not Izzy). With a hint from The Samaritan, Gabe proceeds down a road that leads to the Dark Web and a vigilante group called 'The Other People.'
The three plotlines - Gabe's search for Izzy; Katie's troubles; and Fran and Alice's flight - are interspersed with scenes of a girl in coma. The girl is the nucleus of the paranormal incidents in the book.
All the narratives come together as the book approaches its climax, and Gabe learns the truth about what happened to his family and why. The book is engaging but there are so many tragedies, and so many aftermaths, that things get confusing. To me, it feels like unnecessary piling on.
Still, this is a good book that would appeal to fans of psychological suspense.
Thanks to Netgalley, the author (C.J. Tudor) and the publisher (Random House Publishing Group -
Ballantine Books) for a copy of the book.
Rating: 3 stars
Astronaut collecting moon rocks
This is a (sort of) true story about the July, 2002 moon rock heist pulled off by NASA intern Thad Roberts...and presumably what put Thad on this foolish course.
Thad Roberts
Thad grew up in a strict Mormon community in Utah. Even so, temptation got the better of him and Thad had sex with his high school girlfriend Sonya. Confessing to this when he was at the Mormon Missionary Training Center got Thad thrown out of the church and banned from his family - apparently forever. Was this the traumatic event that shaped Thad's future? Who knows. In any case Thad and Sonya married and Thad became a student at the University of Utah.
Thad Roberts at the University of Utah
Thad, an excellent student with a wide variety of interests, decided he wanted to be an astronaut. Thus Thad made it his business to develop a wide-ranging skill set including scuba diving; getting a pilot's license; mastering several languages (space travel is international); studying geology, astronomy, and physics; and so on. With persistence Thad made it into the highly competitive NASA intern program in Houston, Texas where he met some of the country's top scientists plus a few astronauts.
Thad Roberts was accepted to the intern program at NASA
Thad Roberts getting space shuttle training at NASA
Ben Mezrich's writing style is 'creative non-fiction' and it's hard to know how much of the story happened as described. Thus when Thad, a self-described shy youth, is depicted as the 'star' of the intern program - partaking in risky pranks; organizing activities like skinny dipping, cliff jumping, sky diving, rock climbing, and wild parties; hob-nobbing with numerous scientists; and so on - I don't quite believe it all.
Thad, who fully cooperated with this book, also seems a bit self-serving when he (more or less) justifies having an affair with fellow intern Rebecca by putting the onus on his wife.
Thad Roberts fell in love with a fellow NASA intern
According to Thad, Sonya - who remained back in Utah - became over-involved with her modeling career and model friends and distanced herself from him. So Thad felt no guilt about cheating. I'm calling shenanigans on Thad!
In any case Thad fell madly in love with Rebecca, and four weeks after meeting her pulled off the moon rock heist. He wanted to 'give Rebecca the moon' - and of course sell the specimens for a lot of money. The idea of stealing the moon rocks had been brewing in Thad's mind for quite some time. The background: moon rocks that have been studied/used for experiments are no longer considered valuable scientific specimens. In Thad's mind, therefore, it was hardly a crime to steal these 'trash rocks'. I got the impression Thad equated his heist with taking garbage out of a dumpster.
In a documentary about the moon rock heist, George Cisneros plays Thad Roberts. Here he is, planning the heist.
Moreover, Thad wasn't new to the thief game. He regularly stole fossils being prepared for storage from the University of Utah. In Thad's opinion, it was a waste to hide these items away. As a scientist I was appalled by this! Apparently Thad never heard of specimens (be it moon rocks or fossils or whatever) being stored for rotating/traveling displays, gifts to museums, public interest, later studies (perhaps with new techniques), etc. Ben Mezrich also seems oblivious to this concept, perhaps because he isn't a scientist.
For the moon rock theft Thad had two accomplices besides Rebecca - his friends Gordon and Sandra. These two come across as underdeveloped characters with unclear motivations. My favorite person in the book is Axel Emmerman, the Belgian rock hound who's ostensibly going to buy the purloined moon rocks. Instead, Axel alerts the FBI. Axel's enthusiasm and excitement at being involved in this 'undercover' operation is fun and infectious.
Belgian rock hound Axel Emmerman informed the FBI about Thad Roberts' scheme
In the end, of course, Thad was arrested, convicted, and imprisoned.
Scene in the documentary where Thad Roberts and his accomplices are about to be nabbed by the FBI
Detectives who broke the moon rocks case
Thad Roberts' mugshot
My overall impression of Thad is that he was an immature and thoughtless young man who cared little for anyone other than himself. Perhaps the worst outcome of the heist, which involved the theft of a safe containing moon rocks and written materials, was the permanent loss of scientist Everett Gibson's notebooks - which contained 30 years worth of research. This debacle literally made me cry.
Dr. Everett Gibson lost valuable research when Thad Roberts stole his notebooks
For me Mezrich's writing style is off-putting, with over-abundant dialog, numerous descriptions of the inner thoughts of the characters, a detailed step-by-step depiction of the theft and attempted sale of the moon specimens, a long description of a drunk/high Gordon stumbling around on 'sale day'...all stuff that seems (at least partly) made up. Mezrich also mentions Thad's 'bright green eyes' and Rebecca's 'gorgeous face and body' a few too many times. In the end, I felt what should have been a really good magazine article was padded to make a book.
An older (and maybe wiser) Thad Roberts
Author Ben Mezrich (right) with Thad Roberts
Still - though the moon rock heist is far from the 'crime of the century' suggested by the author - it's an interesting story, worth reading.
Rating: 3 stars
