RICHARD PAOLINELLI - RESERVATIONS (2015)

Synopsis/blurb ...

DEATH STALKS THE RES

Who – or what – is killing members of the Navajo tribe? RESERVATIONS, the first book of the Jack Del Rio political mystery/thriller series, is set near Gallup, New Mexico, where the Navajo, Hopi and Zuni reservations lie adjacent. Three tribal leaders have been murdered - murdered in a fashion that suggests the deeds were carried out by COYOTE, a legendary supernatural evil trickster feared by many Native Americans.

The tribal president contacts an old friend in the FBI for assistance in solving the crimes and preventing more murders. Star agent, Jack Del Rio, is dispatched to New Mexico where he finds a situation tangled in political intrigue. Jack must work his way through those issues on his way to solving the mystery. Sparks fly as Navajo police officer Lucy Chee is assigned to assist him in his quest.

Question is can Del Rio and Chee solve the mystery and find the killer before he strikes again? Because the killer is on the hunt and he has his sights on Del Rio himself.

Enjoyable enough, but not amazing.

Interesting setting, informative backdrop with Navajo characters, customs, history and culture at the heart of the mystery. Decent main character, an outsider who operates in the environment sensitively. 

I enjoyed the story, it's quite pacey without feeling rushed. There is more than one murder to be solved and time is crucial before too many more victims are created. The ending was credible and satisfied me, answering all the questions previously posed. The motive for the murders held up.

I did have some minor gripes. I found the raison d'etre for the main tribal leader withholding information from the investigator initially unconvincing. And I found the main character's back story involving events occurring previously in London and involving the Queen, eye-rolling and near vomit inducing. I think the author went a bit OTT regarding his credibility. He could easily have been shown to be a capable and competent agent without resorting to a gimmick.

Otherwise lots to like about it, including a well sketched support cast of characters, a touch of romance and overall a satisfying multiple murder mystery. This one is the first in Paolinelli's Jack Del Rio series and I wouldn't be averse to trying another one in the series when time allows.

I liked the narration from Theo Holland - one of the best in the business in my opinion.

3.5 stars from 5

Richard Paolinelli's work has been enjoyed before - The Last Lonely Trail, co-authored with Jim Christina.

Read - (listened to) January, 2023

Published - 2015

Page count - 350 (6 hrs 46 mins)

Source - Audible purchase

Format - Audible

HEIDE GOODY and IAIN GRANT - SEALFINGER (2021)

 

Synopsis/blurb ...

Meet Sam Applewhite, security consultant for DefCon4’s east coast office. .

She’s clever, inventive and adaptable. In her job she has to be.

Now, she’s facing an impossible mystery.

A client has gone missing and no one else seems to care.

Who would want to kill an old and lonely woman whose only sins are having a sharp tongue and a belief in ghosts? Could her death be linked to the new building project out on the dunes?

Can Sam find out the truth, even if it puts her friends’ and family’s lives at risk?

A bit of quirky comedy crime fiction which there was more to enjoy than not. That said, some of the humour was a bit hit and miss and there were no outright belly laughs.

A seal, an alligator, a property deal in jeopardy, an elderly parent, a cactus for a work companion, an old flame reappearing, a new friend, a useless cop, a missing woman, a couple of crims - one dim, one not so. An amateur investigation.

The book grew on me as the story progressed, as early stages it was a bit like swimming through treacle. I wasn''t really vibing the story. 

By the end I was enjoying things. Decent storyline, eccentric cast of characters, multiple character POVs as the reader was privy to events the main character Sam wasn't. Interesting setting of Skegness and the surrounding area. Satisfying pay off. 

3 stars from 5.

Sealfinger is the first in the co-authors' Sam Applewhite series. I think there are three more in the series. Not rushing to any more of them if I'm honest. Too many other books are demanding my attention. 

Read - January, 2023

Published - 2021

Page count - 412

Source - Kindle Unlimited

Format - Kindle

HARRY CREWS - THE HAWK IS DYING (1973)

Synopsis/blurb ...

At the heart of the book is George Gattling of Gainesville, Florida, fighting the boredom, the excruciating unimportance, of his existence.

He has a successful custom-seatcover business, a family of sorts – his sister Precious, who lies in bed reading aloud the “Ask Them Yourselves” questions in Family Weekly; her son Fred, who every now and then utters one word like “cork” or “toe” and is definitely either retarded or a genius; and Betty, a psychology major whose actual study is copulation.

And he has his hawk.

The hawk is the mirror for all of George’s held-in passions. It goes with him everywhere – to breakfast, to Betty’s bed, to a funeral home at four in the morning. When the hawk at last springs from his arm, prompted by the thought of freedom, swooping for its prey, life will become exciting, animated, tumultuous.

In a story filled with scenes that are funny and touching and wonderfully bawdy Harry Crews has superbly described the search of a man for release into a world where the senses are quickly awakened and emotions are unrestrained.

Enjoyable, interesting, informative on the art of trying to train a hawk, funny and sad.

The main character is eccentric, obsessional and unwilling to live according to other people's expectations. He cares deeply for his nephew and values the times they spend together. He probably cares more for his hawk though. There's a real battle of wills as he seeks to dominate it. I enjoyed the history lesson Crews serves up in respect of the history of falconry through the years.

Our main character, George suffers a grievous loss in the book, an incident that is by turn funny, horrific and absurd. Ditto the follow up scene when he visits the funeral parlour. 

I've not read any Harry Crews for a fair few years. I'm minded to dig out some of the other treasures in the collection.

4 stars from 5

Read - December, 2022

Published - 1973

Page count - 244 

Source - owned copy

Format - Hardback (Secker & Warburg)

PETER ROBINSON - GALLOW'S VIEW (1987)

Synopsis/blurb ...

In this first Inspector Banks novel, a peeping tom is frightening the women of Eastvale; two young thugs are breaking into homes; and an old woman may or may not have been murdered. Inspector Banks investigates these cases, which weave together as the story reaches a tense climax.

Judging by the fact that I could find books numbered 2 to 18 from this series in my collection, it's probably a safe bet to assume I've read this one before. Long enough ago that I couldn't remember anything about it.

Enjoyable, interesting, multiple cases going on, hence quite a busy book. I quite liked the main character. I was curious to see if he would succumb to temptation with the attractive profiler he is working with, in respect of the peeping tom situation. Banks is married with two children, but inevitably the job gets in the way of family life.

Enjoyable setting of Yorkshire, albeit a fictional town and a decent cast of supporting police characters, both underlings and an understanding boss.

All three cases get solved. Solid detective work closes one, a rash act solves another and a bit of luck combined with a hunch from Banks completes the set.

I've been enjoying the TV adaptations of the books recently which inspired me to pick this one up. I must have fancied reading them at one time, otherwise why hoover up so many. Hopefully I'll read the next one at some point this year.

4 stars from 5

Author Peter Robinson sadly passed in 2022. His shortish offering Seven Years was enjoyed back in 2021.   

Read - January, 2023

Published - 1987

Page count - 321

Source - Kindle Unlimited

Format - Kindle

BRANDON BARROWS - ABOVE WATER: A RURAL CRIME STORY (2021)

 

Synopsis/blurb ...

Morgan needed a little help, just something to keep his head above water, but tight-fisted old Uncle Mike wouldn't hear of it. If Morgan didn't get that money, they'd kill him, so else could he do but take matters into his own hands?

Includes an excerpt from BURN ME OUT, the newest, 5-star rated novel by Brandon Barrows!

50% story, 50% preview of Barrows' latest book, Burn Me Out - something which sits on the TBR pile.

I enjoyed both, though I think I might have crossed paths with Above Water before - one of those stories that oozes familiarity but has a certain don't know where, don't know when vibe.

Violence, shame, desperation, frustration, family, loss, poor choices, generational differences, uncontrolled anger, and a certain inevitability about the outcome. Our main character isn't the sharpest tool in the box.

I liked it.

4 from 5

The excerpt was less explosive but interesting. An older career criminal, basically a low level messenger/gopher/employee/collector type seems to be tiring of his occupation. Retirement isn't always an option.  

Read - January, 2023

Published - 2021

Page count - 29

Source - Kindle Unlimited

Format - Kindle

BOOKS I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO IN 2023

Despite a wish to cut down on acquiring new books and to read more of the ones I've already acquired, I don't think I will be able to go a whole year without some fresh blood into the collection.

Here's six I'll be keeping an eye out for.......

Stephen Solomita - The Wrong Side of the Grass

A truck hijacking on a New York street goes badly awry in this new novel from an author who writes “top-notch hard-boiled crime fiction” (Booklist).
 
It was a sure thing. A truck with a thousand cartons of cigarettes, at a wholesale price of sixty dollars each. Mike Tedesco had thought through the foolproof plan for the early-morning hijacking. The only tricky part was disabling the GPS system that enabled the owner to track the truck and its valuable contents. He brought along the expert who swore he could do it in three minutes. He couldn’t, so Tedesco shot him dead in the middle of the rainy street in uptown Manhattan before fleeing the scene.

NYPD Detective Dante Cepeda is called in and quickly decides he can solve this one—his great joy—as he explains to the attractive redheaded sergeant who works the case with him. The hunt leads Cepeda to a Russian mafioso, Tedesco’s gorgeous girlfriend,  a curse that needs a blood sacrifice, and a scarred pit bull who’s survived a life of dogfights. A gritty tale of greed and casual violence, the latest crime novel from the Hammett Prize nominee is realistic, shocking, and relentlessly compelling.
 
“Solomita knows his city and his people, and he writes with both muscle and sensitivity.” —Los Angeles Times
 
“A keen observer of humanity.” —Publishers Weekly
 
“A master at capturing on paper the flavor of streetwise cops and robbers and their victims.” —Library Journal
 
“Solomita has Elmore Leonard’s flair for letting you view the world through his character’s eyes, no matter how narrow or how bloodshot.” —The New York Times

Thomas Perry - Murder Book

An ex-cop takes on a widespread criminal organization targeting midwestern towns in this new thriller from the author of The Old Man

When a sudden crime wave hits several small midwestern towns, the U.S. Attorney for the region calls on Harry Duncan to investigate. An ex-cop known for his unorthodox methods, Duncan is reluctant to go up against a widespread criminal organization—but the attorney in question is Ellen Leicester, the wife who left him fifteen years earlier, and to her, he can’t say no.

Initially brought in as a consultant to determine if the racketeering is severe enough to require an all-out investigation by the FBI, Duncan quickly finds himself in conflict with a syndicate far more violent than first suspected. As the investigation develops, he begins compiling a “murder book,” the notebook in which a detective keeps records, interviews, photos—everything he needs to build his case. But his scrutiny of the gang soon makes Duncan a target. And Ellen, too.

A thrilling and suspenseful tour of crime-addled midwestern towns, Murder Book is signature Thomas Perry, with characters you won’t soon forget, crisply-described action sequences, and breathlessly-tense plotting that will keep you racing through the pages.

Mick Herron - The Secret Hours

The standalone spy thriller Slough House fans have been waiting for

By the author of SLOW HORSES, now an Apple Original series streaming on Apple TV+ starring Gary Oldman and Kristin Scott Thomas.

Monochrome is a busted flush—an inquiry into the misdeeds of the intelligence services, established by a vindictive prime minister but rendered toothless by a wily chief spook. For years it has ground away uselessly, interviewing witnesses with nothing to offer, producing a report with nothing to say, while the civil servants at its helm see their careers disappearing into a black hole.

And then the OTIS file falls into their hands.

What secrets does this hold that see a long-redundant spook being chased through Devon’s green lanes in the dark? What happened in a newly reunified Berlin that someone is desperate to keep under wraps? And who will win the battle for the soul of the secret service—or was that decided a long time ago?

Spies and pen-pushers, politicians and PAs, high-flyers, time-servers and burn-outs . . . They all have jobs to do in the daylight.

But what they do in the secret hours reveals who they really are.

Dietrich Kalteis - The Get

A surefire plan that will end his marital and money problems in one swoop … what could go wrong?

Lenny Ovitz has plenty of secrets, and his wife, Paulina, has become a liability. His life would be so much better without her in it.

It’s the mid-’60s in Toronto, and Lenny works for a ruthless gangster whose travel agency is a front for a collections racket in the Kensington Market area. Lenny’s days are spent with his partner, Gabe, terrorizing the locals into paying protection on their shops and their lives. On the side, Lenny and Gabe co-own a tenement block that they bought with dirty money borrowed from shady individuals. Overextended, Lenny plans to pay them back with more borrowed money from other loans and by re-mortgaging his house, without the knowledge of his wife.

Tired of his lies and scheming, Paulina demands a divorce. Lenny is certain she’s going to take him for everything, leaving him unable to pay the debt on the tenement block. And that’s likely to get him pitched off one of his own rooftops. Lenny would rather get than be gotten, so he comes up with a surefire way to end both his marital and money problems — Paulina’s going to have to get whacked.

Alan Parks - To Die in June

Details? Nada

It'll be the sixth Harry McCoy ....

Lawrence Block - The Autobiography of Matthew Scudder

Details? Nada

Only a heads-up from the man himself via a recent newsletter. Roll on June ...

JOHN HARVEY - NEON MADMAN (1977)

 

Synopsis/blurb ...

THE END OF THE ROAD?

Kind-hearted Mitchell they called me, the private eye with the soft centre. Only this time I wasn't living up to my name. It had become a case of the survival of the fittest and I was determined that if I had to go down, I'd go down fighting.

As it turned out I had very little choice. Pollard had hired me to see if his wife was cheating on him and it didn't need Sherlock Holmes to find that she was. The guy's name was Murdock, that much I knew. But when I tried to find out more I came up against a brick wall at every turn. A brick wall and a face full of fist. It was the fist that made me realise that, if I wasn't careful, I could end up in a very unpleasant situation. Or to put it another way, dead ...

NEON MADMAN is the fourth of Scott Mitchell's violent-action private eye adventures. Don't miss

AMPHETAMINES AND PEARLS

THE GERANIUM KISS

JUNKYARD ANGEL - all available in Sphere Books 

Another book that has probably sat on my shelves ignored for about 10 years or more. Well worth the wait in fact, as unlike other previously encountered British PI mysteries, this one seemed authentic and not an imitation of the type of book more readily set in the US.

Interesting story, interesting main character, London setting, plenty of tough guy action with our main character mainly on the receiving end of threats and intimidation, after accepting a case.

A few months on from reading it, a lot of the finer details have vanished from the memory banks, but what I can recall is being absorbed by the story, the outcome, the characters and the fast pace of the book. At under 150 pages it probably only took me a day or two to blow through it. Mitchell is definitely a character I would like to read more about.

John Harvey is an author who I have read very little from. I've collected most of his Resnick and Frank Elder series books without dipping into them. I did try and hoover up the Scott Mitchell series, of which this is the last, without success. Very scarce and very expensive - when I looked back in the day. When having another look, post-consumption of this I see to my delight that they have been republished in the past few years by Mysterious Press. Maybe I'll get to catch up with the other three in the series. 

Previous encounters with this author were in the days before the blog - Trouble in Mind (a novella, May 2010) and Bluer Than This (poems, June, 2011) 

Overall 4.5 stars from 5

Read - September, 2022

Published - 1977

Page count - 144

Source - owned copy

Format - Paperback