The Nightmare Thief Review

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The Nightmare Thief ReviewI'm a great fan of Meg Gardiner's. Have been since she published her first book, "China Lake," which featured her intrepid character Evan Delaney squaring up against The Remnant, a fanatical church whose members use violence to create their heaven on earth. Following "China Lake," Gardiner gave us "Mission Canyon," "Jericho Point,""Crosscut," and, finally, "Kill Chain." With each novel, Gardiner honed her talent, shone brighter, and wove a tighter story.
Gardiner put Evan aside after five books, turning her sights to Jo Beckett, a forensic psychologist living in San Francisco. The first Jo book, "The Dirty Secrets Club," gained Gardiner a new circle of thriller fans, and each book in the series has upped the ante on action and thrills. The Jo books now number four, with "The Memory Collector," "The Liar's Lullaby," and now "The Nightmare Thief." In this latest book, Gardiner pulls out all the stops, gripping her readers from the get-go and not letting the action slow even for a moment as she follows Jo and her partner Gabe as they struggle to survive in the wilderness, while being hunted by trained killers.
It's an action thriller, but Gardiner takes the time to develop her characters, from full portraits to single-stroke images that are seared into the reader's mind. She knows her characters, both the main ones and the toss-asides, and, as a result, every action they take is believable, and inevitable. That's just excellent storytelling.
The story is filled with twists and turns, as are most of her novels, but every single thread is tied up by the end, with nothing left hanging loose or unexplained. The storyline makes sense in the end, and the reader understands the connections and seeming-tangents. Again, excellent storytelling.
Do yourself a favor. If you've never read a Gardiner book, start with this one. Just jump right in. (If you're the kind of reader who must know the beginning, then start with "The Dirty Secrets Club" and then choose any book after that.) If you have read her, continue. Unlike some authors who seem to "phone it in" after publishing their first few books, Gardiner clearly strives for perfection with each and every novel. She's getting closer.The Nightmare Thief Overview

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Highway 61: A McKenzie Novel (Mac Mckenzie) Review

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Highway 61: A McKenzie Novel (Mac Mckenzie) ReviewRushmore McKenzie is sweet talked by his girlfriend's daughter, Erica, into helping her father, Jason Truhler, who is being blackmailed by persons unknown. Someone has photographs of Jason lying unconscious in bed; nearby, a young girl, with her throat slashed, lies in a spreading pool of blood. McKenzie travels on Highway 61 from the Twin Cities to the Chalet Motel in Thunder Bay, Ontario, where the girl was stabbed. Jason is an unscrupulous pedophile who can't be trusted and McKenzie soon finds himself ensnared in a complex web involving drug trafficking, arson and internet prostitution. At the center of this web is a nineteen-year-old prostitute who has information for which everyone is willing to kill in order to obtain.
David Housewright's "Highway 61" is a prime example of modern noir. It has big guns, big thugs, car chases, illegal drugs and hot, young prostitutes who McKenzie must protect. All the while McKenzie's inner voice keeps telling him not to get involved in Jason Truhler's sordid existence; unfortunately, his love for Jason's ex-wife, Nina Truhler, owner of a classy jazz bar, and her daughter, compels him to continue his investigation. "Highway 61" is a fast-paced pot boiler that really explodes towards the end when the body count escalates. McKenzie doesn't know who to trust when betrayal runs rampant as characters desperately try to save their own skins.
"Highway 61" is the first novel I've read in the best-selling McKenzie mystery series, and now Housewright has me for a new fan. Honestly, if not for my research, I wouldn't have known "Highway 61" was the series' eighth installment. Nor does it seem to contain any major plot spoilers that would ruin the enjoyment of reading previous ones. Also, this is the first mystery that I've read that is set in the Twin Cities, a densely populated, metropolitan region, located in east central Minnesota, composed chiefly of Minneapolis and St. Paul. During his investigation, McKenzie travels the mean streets, seeking assistance from a wide assortment of unusual characters ranging from a career arsonist to a wealthy governor to an evil billionaire to a Heidi Fleiss-like madam.
I admire McKenzie. He's a large, handsome, mature man with a wry sense of humor; he enjoys jazz, quotes Robert Burns poetry and has a favorite Arabian proverb that performs an active role in this novel: The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Often caught in the middle of a skirmish, McKenzie pits bad villains against bad villains in order to survive. He genuinely feels sorrow for murder victims and wishes to avenge them. He truly loves Nina Truhler and her daughter Erica. A former police officer, McKenzie knows how to fight and shoot a weapon; the Beretta seems to be his weapon of choice. Also, he promised his dead father he'd take care of the ducks living on the manmade pond behind his home in Falcon Heights; worried about them, he keeps calling his DNR friend, asking him when they'll leave for the winter.
The wealthiest people aren't always the most intelligent. My favorite part of the novel is McKenzie's discovery of an internet prostitution website known as "My Very First Time." Legal prostitutes, dressed up like little girls, strike various lewd poses on the homepage. Considered a selective, exclusive club, men pay Roberta Weltzin huge fees to have sex with these young girls. This is subject matter that has been ripped from today's headlines. Rep. Anthony Weiner recently joined an ever-growing list of celebrities/politicians who've sent explicit, sexually suggestive material over the internet, which is an uncontrollable means of distributing information. Business conducted over the internet is not sacred; anyone can find out about it.
If you are craving an exciting, shoot-'em-up thrill ride, David Housewright's "Highway 61" is a must read. There are some intense action scenes involving car chases and parking lot shootouts. There are also some gruesome torture deaths but they are described ex post facto, after the fact. As I expressed earlier, "Highway 61" contains all the key ingredients of a great modern noir. This McKenzie mystery series is destined to continue for many years and garner a legion of followers. Fans of vicious noir may also want to read Steve Ulfelder's "Purgatory Chasm," Darryl Wimberley's "Devil's Slew" and Wallace Stroby's "Cold Shot to the Heart."Joseph B. Hoyos
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A Dark and Lonely Place: A Novel Review

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A Dark and Lonely Place: A Novel ReviewOne hundred years ago in frontier Miami, Florida, John Ashley was accused of murder and sentenced to hang. Proclaiming his innocence, he went on the run with his lover, Laura, and their exploits became legend. A century later, in today's Miami, Homicide Sergeant John Ashley investigates a millionaire's murder and is inexplicably drawn to a stunning model linked to the case who bears an uncanny resemblence to an unknown woman who repeatedly appears in his dreams. Her name is Laura, and the attraction is mutual. Even more strange than their connection to each other is their connection to the infamous John and Laura from the past.

When the homicide case goes bad, Ashley is falsely accused of murder. He and Laura go on the run in a repeat of history as they try to prove his innocence, only to realize that the very people who are supposed to help may, in fact, be the ones who want him out of the way.

This is the first book I've ready by this author and I finished it in one day. It started out slow for me but the suspense built as the story progressed and by the end I was figuratively on the edge of my seat, wondering if the modern-day John and Laura would meet with the same fate as their namesakes a century earlier.

There are lots of characters, but the author does a good job working them all into the story without overwhelming the reader with names and relationships. While mostly a suspense novel, it also has elements of history and romance which makes it all the more interesting. I look forward to reading more titles by this author.
I received a copy of this book for review from the publisher but the opinion of it is my own and was not solicited, nor was a positive review required.A Dark and Lonely Place: A Novel Overview

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Ten Thousand Saints: A Novel Review

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Ten Thousand Saints: A Novel ReviewThe new novel TEN THOUSAND SAINTS is certainly interesting and to me at least quite original. The book begins on New Year's Eve 1987 in fictional college town Lintonburg,VT (um if you notice Lintonburg contains the exact same letters as Burlington the home of the University of Vermont and the fictional and real cities have many similarities). Two young teenagers, Teddy and Jude, are out partying with their new friend Eliza from Manhattan and tragically Teddy is found dead the next morning after among other things huffing Freon and snorting cocaine. Both Jude and Eliza feel very guilty because Jude pressed the Freon on him and Eliza supplied the cocaine. Actually Eliza offered Teddy more than cocaine that night and she soon discovers she is pregnant from her one time encounter with the now deceased teenager. Eliza, Jude and Teddy's older half brother Johnny form a family of sorts who hope to raise Teddy's baby.
Adults are as important to the story as the teenagers and the effects of parents' actions on their children is a major theme of the book. Jude and his sister Prudence's divorced parents both make their living from marijuana as their dad Les is a prosperous grower and dealer while their artist mother Harriet, perhaps the most stable parent in the novel, makes her living from blowing glass bongs and pipes. Eliza's mom who at the beginning of the story is also Les's girlfriend is a self absorbed ballerina while Teddy and Johnny's mom is an aging hippie known for disappearing when ever things get uncomfortable. Johnny's dad is a prison inmate and Teddy's dad is an unknown man of Asian Indian descent who turns up toward the end of the book and is not what this reader at least expected.
The teenagers turn to Straight Edge music with the accompanying austere lifestyle strongly influenced by Hare Krishna beliefs. It is implied that this is a reaction against their parents' hedonistic ways. Johnny who is a musician and tattoo artist living in the Tompkins Square Park area of Manhattan's alphabet city marries Eliza in hopes of giving his dead brother's baby a chance to stay under his influence even though he has no romantic interest in women. Johnny seems to epitomize the Straight Edge lifestyle and is known as Mr. Clean because of his shaved head and vegan habits.
TEN THOUSAND SAINTS is a novel well worth reading. AIDS, homelessness, gentrification, parenthood, adoption, and drug use are among the many topics incorporated in the book. The author does a great job of bringing the late 1980's in the East Village to detailed life and the choices of the kids and parents in the book will linger in the reader's memory.And the book ends with a very appropriate and effective postscript from 2006 on the last night the famed punk venue CBGB's was open.
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Bonnie (Eve Duncan) Review

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Bonnie (Eve Duncan) ReviewI'm a fan of Iris Johansen's novels, and the Eve Duncan series in particular. The unsolved disappearance of Eve's daughter Bonnie years ago has literally haunted her and has always been the unresolved issue in her life. In a special trilogy about Eve, Quinn, and Bonnie, readers learn about the backgrounds of the characters and the events that led up to Bonnie's disappearance.
This is the last book of the trilogy and thankfully, it does give closure as readers - and Eve - finally learn what happened to Bonnie and why. I won't spoil the ending by revealing what that is but I will say it comes from a surprising source that I didn't expect. I also like that this book is not the end of Eve and Quinn. Their story and what they do in solving crime will continue with or without the appearance of Bonnie. I'm looking forward to the next thriller from Johansen.
I received a copy of this book for review from the publisher but the opinion of it is my own and was not solicited, nor was a positive review required.Bonnie (Eve Duncan) Overview

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