2 BY R.C. BRIDGESTOCK

A couple from an untried author double act - R.C. Bridgestock

Bridgestock the author is a husband and wife team - Robert and Carol.
And I've ignored their books for a long time.


Payback is the start of a new series.
Poetic Justice is their 9th Jack Dylan book, but is a prequel which is an ideal place for me to start with their books.

I think what drew me to their books is the connection to Happy Valley which I caught up with last year on TV. They served as consultants to the makers of the programme which is testament to their credentials.

They also seem like lovely people on my limited interactions with them on social media.

Their author website is here.
Catch them on Twitter - @RCBridgestock

Poetic Justice (2019)

'A multi-faceted page turner. The perfect way to meet Jack Dylan.' Alison Bruce, author of I Did It For Us

From the husband and wife team who are the storyline consultants to TV's Happy Valleyand Scott & Bailey, comes the brand new book in the D.I. Jack Dylan series, which takes the reader back to where it all began...

When Detective Jack Dylan heads home after a residential course, he has no idea that an extraordinary succession of events is about to turn his life upside down. A vicious, unprovoked attack is just the start. Soon his wife is dead and his step-daughter - dangerously depressed - is being expelled from university for drug use. And at work, two teenagers have gone missing.

An ordinary man might break under the strain, but Dylan is no ordinary man. He knows that his survival depends on him carrying on regardless, burying himself in his work.

He is determined to pursue the criminal elements behind the events - both personal and professional - whether his superiors like it or not. And, as his family disintegrates around him, a newcomer to the admin department, Jennifer Jones, seems to offer some sort of salvation.

Life may have changed, but nothing will stand in the way of Dylan's quest for justice.


Payback (2019)

The brand new series from the storyline consultants to TV's Happy Valley and Scott & Bailey and author of the DI Jack Dylan novels.

Charley Mann left Yorkshire for the Met and a fast-track career - but now she's back, she's in charge and the area's first young, female DI. Her hometown, the Yorkshire countryside, and her old friends all seem unchanged, but appearances can be deceptive. When a brutal murder is discovered, Charley is forced to question everything, and the interest of her ex - reporter Danny Ray - doesn't make it easier.

LAWRENCE BLOCK - STEP BY STEP: A PEDESTRIAN MEMOIR (2009)

Synopsis/blurb......

From the revered New York Times bestselling author comes a touching, insightful, and humorous memoir of an unlikely race walker and world traveller

Before Lawrence Block was the author of bestselling novels featuring unforgettable characters such as the hit man Keller, private investigator Matthew Scudder, burglar Bernie Rhodenbarr, and time traveller Evan Tanner, he was a walker.

As a child, he walked home from school (mostly because he couldn't ride a bike). As a college student, he walked until he was able to buy his first car (a deep blue 1950 Chevrolet coupe named Pamela, after the Samuel Richardson novel). As an adult, he ran marathons until he discovered what would become a lifelong obsession--never mind if some people didn't think it was a real sport--race walking.

By that time Block had already spent plenty of time walking through the city of New York. But race walking ended up taking him all over the country, from New Orleans to Anchorage, from marathons in the punishing heat to marathons in the pouring rain. And along the way, as he began to pen the books that would make him a household name among suspense fans all over the world, he found that in life, as in writing, you just need to take one step after the other.

Through the lens of his adventures while walking--in twenty-four-hour races, on a pilgrimage through Spain, and just about everywhere you can imagine--Lawrence Block shares his heartwarming personal story about life's trials and tribulations, discomforts and successes, which truly lets readers walk a mile in the master of mystery's shoes.

A bit of non-fiction from Lawrence Block as he recounts his journey from an overweight, exercise free smoker and drinker into a hardened race walker competing in marathons and 24 hour races over a twenty five year period. There's confirmation of a long suspected illness which Mr Block has successfully combated for many years. I say long suspected, maybe I read about it somewhere but forgot the source. Block's honesty and openness is admired.

Along the way we visit a variety of locales and accompany Mr Block and his wife through a vast number of races in numerous states as well as a mammoth trek through Spain as they conduct a pilgrimage. Enjoyable anecdotes abound throughout, though sometimes the recollection of race times and PB improvements that are recounted get a bit tedious. I can understand the need to record times and dates and keep a log as I've done that myself periodically as I've fallen in and out of love with exercise.

I enjoyed the mindset and resolve that Block applied to his training and some of his endurance races. I've tried to do some running myself on and off throughout the years in an effort to retain fitness and control my weight and I can testify to the little voices in your head that tell you ..... to stop, to quit, to give up, it doesn't matter, do it the next time, etc etc. It takes a strong will to shut them out and ignore them. Block's mental strength and determination to persist in the face of the niggling head voice and very often strong physical pain during many races is really inspirational.

I think, as again I'm on another cycle of attempting to regain fitness and drop a few pounds, another positive to draw from the book is the affirmation that exercise can be a good tool for improved mental well-being. I know this but I forget it. Initially the exercise is hard and uncomfortable and painful and exhausting, but eventually there comes a point when you feel better after a run than you did at the beginning of it. It also helps clear my head when I run at the start of a day.

Overall - enjoyable and a welcome reminder to get my head down and get on with enjoying some regular exercise. Improved physical and mental health beckons.

4 from 5

Read (listened to) - January, 2020
Published - 2009
Page count - 365 (12 hrs, 49 mins)
Source - free Audible review copy received from one of the author's assistants. I do have a previously purchased hardback in my collection.
Format - Audible

THE BEHRG - ONE STAR (2019)

Synopsis/blurb.....

Every action has a consequence. But when Li posts a one-star review of a novel on her book blog, the results are far more frightening than she could ever have imagined. Not every story was meant to have a happy ending.

ONE STAR is a previously unpublished horror short story, being released in The Behrg's upcoming short story collection--"The Passengers You Cannot See." It is the author's love letter to book bloggers and reviewers, and thus is being offered as a free download to any book reviewer in part to thank all those who have been a part of the author's journey. And if you haven't yet been a part, there's no better time than now to jump in that car and ride along. Oh, the vistas you will see.

For more free fiction, including the critically acclaimed story "The Lines," and the first book in THE CREATION SERIES, join Behrg's newsletter at TheBehrg.com for infrequent updates and a first look at upcoming releases. Your dopamine levels will thank you.

A short story that can currently be picked up for free over on Amazon and one that would have passed me by if not for catching a couple of posts from some friends over on Goodreads.

Of interest in it's subject matter of blogging and book reviews and the fall out from the consequences of a harsh one star review. Topical in respect of fake news and media manipulation, albeit on a much smaller level.

Also gives me pause for thought when I think of the casual disregard for the feelings of others with internet trolls and the tendency to be cruel rather than kind, derisive and mocking instead of supportive.

Not especially "horror" genre content. I enjoyed the story and where the author took us. There's a decent build-up and pay-off

4 from 5

Read - January, 2020
Published - 2019
Page count - 17
Source - purchased copy (albeit FREE)
Format - kindle

BLAIR DENHOLM - BOYD AND SARGE: NYPD LAW AND DISORDER (2019)

Synopsis/blurb.....

These two cops will have you roaring with laughter

Officer Boyd and the Sarge are the dumbest cops around. DO NOT call them in an emergency
Incompetent yet lovable, hapless Boyd and long-suffering Sarge have become a huge hit online.

Their legion of loyal fans eagerly await daily episodes full of ridiculous humor.

Find out why Twitter goes crazy every day over their antics.

˃˃˃ Readers can't get enough Boyd and Sarge
"Boyd and Sarge are the busiest pair of comic-cops in the world. Not only are they fighting crime on the streets, but also battling their personal demons, and verbally fencing with each other to hilarious effect. Sarge spares no punches, but Boyd bounces right back up with the most outrageous explanations. The misadventures of Boyd and Sarge generate a laugh a minute - each tweet-sized piece is a brilliant, tongue-firmly-in-cheek commentary that uses the pun to dazzle and delight"

"Sarge and Boyd are a great way to start your morning off with laughter"If you're a fan of The Far Side by Gary Larson, there's a good chance you'll love Boyd and Sarge"

"There are times when his humor is subtle, when it catches the reader a beat after the piece is read. Other times, it is in your face, and one is rolling on the floor in belly laughs"

"I first discovered Boyd and Sarge on Twitter when I stared following the author. Every day, I began looking forward to these Twitter-sized bites of cleverly crafted play-on-words that brimmed with slapstick comedic timing.

So imagine my delight when I jokingly suggested to the author that he should compile all his Boyd and Sarge tweets into a book, and he replied that he had!

This book makes a brilliant gift for the granddad, dad, uncle or adult brother in your life - or anyone who enjoys the bumbling antics of a PG15+ Laurel and Hardy or Mr Bean.

Boyd and Sarge are two unforgettable characters who never fail to bring about a belly laugh with their antics."

˃˃˃ Packed with puns, dad jokes, black humor and fantastic illustrations, everyone will love Boyd and the Sarge
If you're a fan of The Far Side by Gary Larson, there's a good chance you'll love Boyd and Sarge.

Scroll up and grab your copy today.

Best book ever?

No, but enjoyable enough and one that raised a few smiles, a few chuckles and a few groans at the corniness of some of the puns and punchlines. A few of the jokes were telegraphed or more likely had been heard before - Christmas Cracker or the Knock Knock type of thing. I probably managed to avoid an out and out belly laugh and an accompanying roll around on the floor, but each time I put the book down - I think I read it in three short bursts - I was in a better mood than when I'd picked it up. There's a lot to be said for that.

Plenty of little encounters between our two cops, each episode coming in at a length that would please Twitter. I think they all were tweets at one stage.

Cop encounters, stupidity, criminals, judges, wives, girlfriends, partners, driving...... a smorgasbord of characters and scenarios.

There some smart cartoons as well depicting our hapless double act which I liked.

Blair Denholm's Sold was a fantastic read for me - a crime novel with liberal doses of black humour. I have to say I preferred that more.

3 from 5

Read - January, 2020
Published - 2019
Page count - 122
Source - review copy from author
Format - PDF

ANDREW DAVIE - PAVEMENT (2019)

Synopsis/blurb....

McGill and Gropper are unlicensed private investigators who operate out of a diner and do whatever it takes to get a job done.

When a trucker attacks a prostitute, her pimp turns to McGill and Gropper for protection.

But taking the job means crossing dangerous and well-connected criminals who will stop at nothing to settle the score.

Another top read from All Due Respect, with Andrew Davie's one sitting read - Pavement.

Our two main men - McGill and Gropper encountering pimps, prostitutes, a head sick trucker getting twisted kicks, illegal loads, a family business expanding in a new direction, a new player in town making some noise, and a Miami-based Cuban old-timer trying to set things straight for his boss with some tasty consequences for all involved. Mostly Gropper the do-er and McGill with his butt welded to a chair and stuffing his face with fast food.

Not a lot to say really. Fast-paced and my kind of book. Outsiders crafting a living on the wrong side of the tracks, which in my opinion makes for more interesting reading than ordinary Joes. Enjoyable setting - an unnamed location off the I-95 south (unless in my haste to turn the pages I missed it) and a splash of Miami.

Action, violence, and plenty of victims along the way, some deserving of their fate, some unfortunately not. Ticks in all the boxes. I especially liked the references to the Millwall brick, harking back to the 60s and the terraces.

My cup of tea.

4.5 from 5

I'm definitely interested in what this author does next.

Pavement's been saved for a re-read when I need to blast away some cobwebs in the not so distant future when my reading hits a wall.

Read - December, 2019
Published - 2019
Page count - 114
Source - purchased copy
Format - paperback

CRIME FICTION ALPHABET: K IS FOR ...... KING, KOREA, KEEPER

Week 11 on my alphabetical journey through my collection of books and it's the turn of the Ks.

K is for ......

King......... Stephen or John or Danny and Jonathon

Danny King it is and one of his standalone novels which might be more of a laddish book than crime.

I did enjoy a few entries in King's series of diary books many years ago....... Burglar, Pornographer, Hitman and Bank Robber.

The last thing I read from him was a short collection of stories - A 4-King Cracker

Blue Collar (2009)

What happens when white van man meets gold card girl? Charlie's great. She's everything Terry has ever dreamed of in a woman and more. She's sophisticated, intelligent, funny and beautiful. She enjoys dinner parties and hanging out in the West End's trendiest night spots. She is, for want of a better word, wonderful. Terry simply can't believe his luck. And neither do the lads on Terry's building site. As far as they're concerned this Charlie's just out for a bit of rough. And they're loathe to see Terry fall for such a trickster, particularly after his recent heartbreak. Charlie's own friends seem just as wary as Terry's. They can see this Jack the lad's just after her money. Why can't she? When North London meets South, gastro-pub meets local boozer, and white collar meets blue, Charlie and Terry's love is built on the shakiest of foundations. But it'll take a reality film crew to bring the whole thing down around their ears.

K is for .....

Jonathon King - an American author and not the dirty, disgusting paedophile DJ - has a seven book series featuring Max Freeman under his belt. Pretty sure I've read and enjoyed one of them a few years ago - the title of which escapes me.

Acts of Nature is the fifth. I do like books set in Florida.

Acts of Nature (2007)

Hailed for his "extraordinary" writing (Publishers Weekly) and his "incisively chiseled characters" (The New York Times), Jonathon King returns with a chilling new thriller featuring Max Freeman, the most thoughtful, well-read, and multilayered private eye hero since Spenser" (Booklist, starred review).


Craving some quiet time together, Max Freeman and Detective Sherry Richards retreat to Max's shack deep in the Florida Everglades. No television. No cell phones. No neighbors. It seems like the perfect getaway until a violent hurricane rips through South Florida, obliterating everything in its path. And that is just the beginning of the nightmare. With Sherry severely injured and no way to call for help, the couple begins a treacherous trip back to civilization only to find that the hurricane's devastation is the least of their worries. The isolation they sought becomes a deadly enemy as undesirables invade the Glades. Some have come to pillage and loot what remains, while others are desperate to protect secrets. All are willing to kill to get what they came for, and Max and Sherry are smack in the line of fire. Evoca- tive and gripping, Acts of Nature traces their race against time and the elements to escape before it's too late.


K is for ......

Korea

Funny enough I haven't come across any Korean crime fiction authors in my collection of books so far, I'm sure there are some out there. Next best thing is a police detective series with the unlikely setting of North Korea

Author James Church (a pseudonym) is an American and a former Western intelligence officer. He has six books in his Inspector O series, which provide "a vivid window into a mysterious country".

A Corpse in the Koryo (2006)

A Corpse in the Koryo is the first in the series.

Sit on a quiet hillside at dawn among the wildflowers; take a picture of a car coming up a deserted highway from the south. 

Simple orders for Inspector O, until he realizes they have led him far, far off his department's turf and into a maelstrom of betrayal and death. North Korea's leaders are desperate to hunt down and eliminate anyone who knows too much about a series of decade's-old kidnappings and murders---and Inspector O discovers too late he has been sent into the chaos. This is a world where nothing works as it should, where the crimes of the past haunt the present, and where even the shadows are real. 
Author James Church weaves a story with beautifully spare prose and layered descriptions of a country and a people he knows by heart after decades as an intelligence officer. 

“. . . an outstanding crime novel. . . . a not-to-be-missed reading experience. ” 
---Library Journal (starred)

“Inspector O is completely believable and sympathetic . . . The writing is superb, too . . . richly layered and visually evocative.”

---Booklist (starred)


K is for ....

Keeper - the first in an untried series by Greg Rucka featuring bodyguard Atticus Kodiak
Finder is the second

Keeper (1996) Finder (1997)

Keeper (1996)

In a heartbeat, a crowded auditorium or a city street can become a killzone, where life and death are separated by a split second. For AtticusKodiak, professional bodyguard, the object is to keep people alive, and thereis no margin for error. Now Kodiak faces his toughest challenge: to protect awoman and her daughter from a killer with a fanatic agenda of his own....
Tense, taut, and as brutally real as this morning's headlines, "Keeper" marks the debut of a talented young writer of tough, unflinching prose--and thebeginning of an electrifying new series.

"An impressive debut... "Keeper" is one to hang on to."

"--People"


Previous Alphabet entries.....

CRIME FICTION ALPHABET - A IS FOR.... AX, ABBOTT, ABERDEEN

CRIME FICTION ALPHABET - B IS FOR ....... BOSTON, BIRD, BONES

CRIME FICTION ALPHABET - C IS FOR.........CAPE TOWN, CONFIDENCE MEN, CROSS

CRIME FICTION ALPHABET - D IS FOR ....... DETROIT, DISHER, DEAD

CRIME FICTION ALPHABET - E IS FOR ....... EDINBURGH, EXCESS, ELLIS

CRIME FICTION ALPHABET - F IS FOR ....... FLORIDA, FRANCIS, FLOATERS

CRIME FICTION ALPHABET - G IS FOR ....... GALWAY, GUNS, GRAFTON

CRIME FICTION ALPHABET - H IS FOR ....... HAMBURG, HAMMETT, HIDDEN RIVER

CRIME FICTION ALPHABET - I IS FOR ....... ICE, ICELAND, IZZO

CRIME FICTION ALPHABET - J IS FOR ....... JAPAN, JACK CARTER. JELLO SALAD

2 BY WALTER MOSLEY

A couple from prolific author Walter Mosley and his Easy Rawlins series.

I used to love those Serpents Tail covers from their early days in publishing. I used to buy their books based on the cover alone.

Mosley's Easy Rawlins series is 14 books long and I think I've only read the first couple. I did like them but I never seem to be able to keep pace with authors whose work I enjoy.

The last time I read Mosley was back in 2013, a re-read of the first Easy book - Devil in a Blue Dress
It's been way too long

White Butterfly (1992)

The police don't show up on Easy Rawlins's doorstep until the third girl dies. It's Los Angeles, 1956, and it takes more than one murdered black girl before the cops get interested. Now they need Easy. As he says: "I was worth a precinct full of detectives when the cops needed the word in the ghetto." But Easy turns them down. He's married now, a father -- and his detective days are over. Then a white college coed dies the same brutal death, and the cops put the heat on Easy: If he doesn't help, his best friend is headed for jail. So Easy's back, walking the midnight streets of Watts and the darker, twisted avenues of a cunning killer's mind....










A Little Yellow Dog (1996)

It's 1964, and Easy Rawlins has given up street life, and has a job as a high school janitor. One
morning, Easy is seduced by a teacher with a dog. By evening, the teacher is gone, leaving Easy with her dog, and a corpse. A murderer is running loose and a little yellow dog is plotting revenge.