INVISIBLE DEAD

SAM WIEBE

Sam Wiebe is an impressive writer. I absolutely loved his first novel, Last of The Independents. As soon as I started it, I wanted him to draft another book. And he just did, writing another moody, atmospheric, grey, and pensive novel, Invisible Dead.

It takes place in Vancouver, B.C., Canada. The plot is initially straight forward. A girl went missing a long time ago. Dave Wakeland, an earnest P.I. wants to find out what happened to the missing girl. Unfortunately, more than a few people, both good and evil, do not want her found. We accompany Dave as he deals with Vancouver’s meanest, deadliest, and scummiest. This is what being a P.I. is like. No glamour, girls, and glitz. Just hard-nosed reality in all its glory and gloom.

How Dave carries himself propels the reader rapidly through the story. Take a day or two to familiarize yourself with Dave Wakeland, a P.I. that has lived through a lot but can still talk about it. Once you read Invisible Dead you will cheer and root for another outstanding Dave Wakeland novel. I know I will.

SKITTER

EZEKIEL BOONE

Skitter is the second of Ezekiel Boone’s superbly entertaining, cinematic, and down-right fun end of the world novel. The Hatching, the initial entry was simply great fun and Skitter is even better. We pick up where we left off, spiders of unknown origin, have invaded the planet. Our heroes, if there are any, are the scientists madly working to find an answer to the ever-worsening catastrophe. So far, without any luck. The book follows a variety of characters as they cope with this invasion. What happens next is anybody’s guess. The only good news is that there is another installment on the way. Do yourself a favor – buy Skitter and The Hatching and settle back for tons of fun.

ZERO DAY

EZEKIEL BOONE

Zero Day by Ezekiel Boone is the third part of this tremendously fun and entertaining end of the world trilogy. In this case, it is imperative that you read the first two entries, The Hatching and Skitter.

The premise is simple. Man- eating spiders have infested the entire world and there is nothing to stop the rampant destruction and chaos. Hundreds of millions of people are in danger and nobody knows what to do.

Enter our players, politicians, Presidents, police, military, scientists of all stripes, and ordinary civilians.
What ensues in Zero Day is a marvelously entertaining and cinematic tale of destruction, redemption, and all-around fun. Buy The Hatching and Skitter and then read Zero Day. You will have a wonderful time.

PENDULUM

ADAM HAMDY

Pendulum by Adam Hamdy is just that. The story kept me swinging back and forth, racing along the streets of London and New York trying to avoid a nameless and faceless killer particularly good at his job. What captured my attention and held it long into the night was an elemental yet frightening question. Who is trying to kill our hero, and why? Along the way, in this entertaining and wild ride, we meet unknowing and undeserving victims from all occupations. But are they what they seem? The truth is revealed late in the game which means that you must race through to the end. The ride is wild, bewildering, and fantastic. I loved this book and hope for more by this talented and innovative writer.

THE ROOM OF WHITE FIRE

T. JEFFERSON PARKER

The Room of White Fire burns with intensity and tension. T. Jefferson Parker has written an involving, passionate, and enthralling P.I. novel. You will finish this outstanding book within days of starting it.

A vet has escaped from a high-end mental hospital. Think of Betty Ford or Hazelden in Minnesota. Is he there due to what everybody believes, PTSD, or is it for another reason entirely? Roland Ford is the PI hired by the hospital. His job: find the missing vet and return him to the anxiously awaiting doctors at the hospital. It appears straight-forward, and it should be.

Ride along with Roland and experience bad guys, killers, dopers, CIA agents and whoever else has an interest in finding our vet. You will find out that there is no such thing as a straightforward case when you are a PI.

The Room of White Fire is the initial entry of what I hope will be a long series. There are few writers that compare with Parker. Do yourself a favor and buy this book. You will have an exciting time.

SWIFT VENGEANCE

T. JEFFERSON PARKER

I just finished reading a wonderful book by one of my favorite mystery authors, Jefferson Parker. Swift Vengeance has everything. Roland Ford is a P. I. in San Diego, California. Lindsay Rakes is a retired Air Force drone operator whose team killed a suspected terrorist along with nine civilians. The civilians killed were not terrorists and therein lies the problem and the plot of this tremendously exciting and beautifully written novel. Along the way our hero Roland Ford teams up with a truly dedicated FBI agent and has conflicts with another private investigator who may or may not be working for the suspected terrorist. The reader follows all this with rapt attention as time runs out before a terrorist attack plagues San Diego.

T Jefferson Parker is one of the world’s best crime and thriller writers. Swift Vengeance will be on sale 21 August. Rush to wherever you buy books and purchase this the second you do.

GANGSTER NATION

TODD GOLDBERG

Gangster Nation by Todd Goldberg is every bit as funny as GANGSTER LAND the initial entry into this Las Vegas- Chicago Mob tale of comic woe and laughs. Sal Cupertine is a deposed hit man. He has been relocated to Las Vegas and is a Rabbi. And such a Rabbi. Quoting the Torah and the Talmud, all the while calculating how he can escape his new identity, reclaim his wife and child, and get out finally. Unfortunately, the mob bosses back in Chicago have other ideas, as does a dedicated ex-F.B.I. agent who wants revenge for his murdered partner and a few other dead agents.

Goldberg has written a funny, unique, and sometimes poignant novel of mistake, regret, and faith. GANGSTER NATION is violent, unpredictable, and wonderful. Read it if you know what is good for you.

THE HANGMAN’S SONNET

REED FARREL COLEMAN

The Hangman’s Sonnet by Reed Farrel Coleman is wonderful. If I close my eyes, I can imagine Robert Parker saying “bravo” to Mr. Coleman. Reed Farrel Coleman tells a tremendously entertaining and captivating story. As always, it takes place in the imaginary New England town of Paradise, where Police Chief Jesse Stone has been holding sway since resigning from the L.A.P.D. due to excessive drinking, a flaw that he still battles.

Jesse is tasked with solving multiple murders as well as dealing with some people who are planning a big blow out for a rock star down on his luck.

How all of this does or does not tie in is left up to Jesse and his officers. The story is amusing and absorbing. I love Robert Parker and can only thank Mr. Coleman for maintaining the glow that emanates from all his characters.

KILLER CHOICE

TOM HUNT

Killer Choice by Tom Hunt is my kind of book. It asks the question; would you kill somebody to save the one you love? All I can say is I loved this book. At first, all is well with our heroic couple. Then Gary’s wife collapses and is rushed to the hospital for tests and a diagnosis. Our hero’s wife is sick and going to die unless she can receive expensive treatment available in Europe. The catch- it is experimental, and the insurance company will not pay the $200,00.00 that is required.

What to do? A mystery man approaches Gary and makes a proposition; kill this guy and I will give you the money that you need. That is Killer Choice in a nutshell.

I highly recommend this intriguing and fast paced novel. You do not have a choice – Buy and read this entertaining and terrific book.

ONE FATAL MISTAKE

TOM HUNT

One Fatal mistake is Tom Hunt’s second great suspense novel. This one asks; what would you do to protect your child? And what consequences would you be willing to face?
Josh is any child. A normal kid who happens to kill somebody in a fatal car accident. Karen, Josh’s mom decides to cover it up and put it behind them. Simply fine until they run into Ross and Amber who have just robbed a bank. How these events snake and twist together make for one incredibly entertaining, exasperating, and crazy a** suspense adventure that you will finish the same day that you start. Bravo for Tom Hunt.

BTW – thank you to the publicity department at PRH and Lauren Bernstein for the early review copy.

BIG GUNS

STEVE ISRAEL

Big Guns by Steve Israel is big fun. Mr. Israel writes what he knows. Politics, money, deals, back-room brawls and promises, most of which are bought and paid for with taxpayer money

Here we find a novice southern congressperson in search of popularity and political currency. What better way than to legislate your way to fame by requiring that all Americans be armed? As you wend your way through this extremely funny and topical satire you cry as much as you laugh. Because Big Guns is dead on perfect. The characters are comical and believable, and the pot they stir is reflective of today’s Washington. Along the way we meet the star of the show, a vivacious and pretty D.C. lobbyist, whose only desire is to increase her income and her reputation, by any means necessary. Throw in a leftist mayor from the Gold Coast of New York and her agenda and you end up with a tremendously funny, cogent, and marvelous read. You win my vote, Mr. Israel.

THE REAL MICHAEL SWANN

BRYAN REARDON

The Real Michael Swann is as good as I had hoped, and better. The premise is this: A bomb has been detonated in Midtown Manhattan. Who is responsible? And why. Is it terrorist from abroad, or domestic terrorists? The writer takes us into the heart and mind of the terrorist and his family. At first, Ms. Swann is incredulous. She cannot believe that her husband has committed this unspeakable act. True – their marriage is a bit rocky, and he has lost his job. But would that make Michael Swann throw away everything and kill hundreds? We follow along as the terrorist tries to explain to himself that he has done and why. How could he do what he did? These and other questions are answered in this fast paced, thrilling, and captivating novel.

PIRATA

PATRICK HASBURGH

Pirata by Patrick Hasburgh is a wild, crazy, fun, and refreshing beach/family novel.
Nick Lutz was a family-oriented person, selling cars in Southern California. That changed when he was hijacked while demonstrating a Chevy to a potential customer/car hijacker. Something happens, and Nick leaves his family and lands in a small Mexican beach village. Here he struggles to find a new life and to figure out what happened to his old one. Along the way he meets friends, girlfriends, thieves, and two kids who make him rethink what he is doing.

Throw in descriptive surf scenes, drugs and cartels and you have a fine book written by an equally gifted author. Surf’s up – buy Pirata and enjoy the wave.

CUT YOU DOWN

SAM WIEBE

Cut You Down is the second entry into what is an enjoyable and entertaining novel staring Vancouver, B.C. P.I. David Wakeland. Based in Western Canada, Cut You Down not only is a first-class story but also offers views of Vancouver, a city not familiar to many.

Wakeland specializes in finding missing persons. Here, he is hired to find Tabitha Sorenson, a college student who may have misappropriated university funds. This seems especially straightforward until it is not. Mix in a shady client who wants to find Tabitha, a mob connection related to another case, a dirty cop, and you have a compulsory P.I. novel of the best kind. And do make sure that you read Invisible Dead the initial Wakeland novel, as well as Last of The Independents, a tremendous stand alone.

ALL THE BEAUTIFUL LIES

PETER SWANSON

All The Beautiful Lies by Peter Swanson is a beautifully written mystery that smacks of Patricia Highsmith and Alfred Hitchcock. The twists and turns are unpredictable, tantalizing, and unbearable. All The Beautiful Lies is a siren that compels you to read and finish in one sitting.

Harry Ackerson is a run of the mill college student who has just graduated. When his father dies unexpectedly, he rushes back to small-town Maine to reunite with his stepmother. Something does not ring quite true. Why is his stepmother so cloying? How did his father die? In addition, what is happening at the rare bookstore that his father ran with his part-time employee? Superficially, all is well, but is it? You MUST read this outstanding novel. It is great.

TWISTED PREY

JOHN SANDFORD

John Sanford always writes an enthralling and unique story. Twisted Prey is no exception. For those of us who have followed Lucas Davenport since his first outing, reading another installment is like hanging out with a friend who happens to be a police officer. In this instance Lucas is not working for the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the B.C.A. but for the U.S. Marshall Service.

He is on the track of a doer who has attempted to assassinate a U.S. Senator. What happens next is why the book is entitled what it is. The reader is taken through a maze of twists and turns, meeting various bad dudes who are selling weapons off the books, plotting killings, robbery, and fraud on a massive scale. All of this is thrown at Lucas as he tries to decipher what is going on and who is responsible for the attempted killing.

My advice is to buy Twisted Prey as soon as it is available. If you have never
read Sanford, read his entire back list of Prey novels, and then hit the equally entertaining Virgil Flowers books. You will have a wonderful time.

BY HIS OWN HAND

NEAL GRIFFIN

By His Own Hand is the third compelling entry of the Det. Tia Suarez Newberg, WI series. The book is a great stand alone and is also fantastic for all who have followed Det. Suarez since the inception of the series.

Det. Suarez is an investigator on a small police force in a small town that has big city crime. Here she comes across an apparent suicide. All signs at the scene indicate death by shotgun administered by the victim. The story unfolds rapidly as we encounter players both within and ancillary to the department and the investigation. The action is realistic and well depicted by a practiced procedural writer. The Newburg series is a helluva lot of fun. It reads quickly, as you are propelled into the confusing, twisty, and realistic investigation.

THE DOLLAR-A-YEAR DETECTIVE

WILLIAM WELLS

William Wells is a guy I love to read. He authors an involving story full of cool police procedural jargon. He also includes enough humor to remind me of Paul Levine, SV Date, and even the king of the Florida caper, Carl Hiaasen.

The Dollar-A-Year Detective starts with a couple taking a romantic sail of the coast of Florida. A minute later, they are dead from two head shots from an unknown assailant.

Jack Starkey, our protagonist, is a retired Chicago homicide detective living on his houseboat and running his bar. Occasionally he is asked to look at a case and lend a hand to the locals. That is exactly what he does in The Dollar-A-Year Detective. We meet your typical scummy politicians and others who populate that weird place called Florida. Why the victims are murdered and by whom is what this entertaining book is about. Throw in a great police sense of humor, memorable characters, and terrific scenery. You then have a must read P.I. novel that will keep you up all night, laughing and wondering what happened. And keep in mind the author’s initial entry, Detective Fiction. Worth the read.

WRECKED

JOE IDE

I review a lot of mysteries and thrillers. Many are mediocre and only a few standout, especially from first time writers. Joe Ide has written excellent mysteries, IQ and Righteous. Both are captivating. Wrecked is the third of the IQ series. Isaiah Quintabe, IQ for short is a Long Beach, California based P.I. He earned his rep by solving cases both small and big.

In Wrecked, Isaiah is asked to find a missing person, the mother of his putative girlfriend. The action starts from page one, and never stops until the novel concludes. I will not reveal much of the plot. Only those humans are capable of horrendous behavior, especially during war. Pictures, videos, and blackmail, all fragrant ingredients in Wrecked, the third entry into what should be a terrific series.

THE BIG GAMBLE

MIKE FARICY

Mike Faricy’s The Big Gamble is a sure-fire winner in the long-established and winning Dev Haskell Private Investigator series. Faricy writes with a sure and confident hand emblematic of Hiaasen, Sanford, and other luminaries writing in the P.I and mystery field.

The Big Gamble is populated with crooks, gangsters, attractive women, police officers, office mates, and one heroic dog. Dev is asked to investigate the apparent suicide of a woman he knew in high school. At first, it looks like any other suicide and the police classify it as such and close the case. But Dev sees inconsistencies that lead him to dig deep into the Minnesota winter and find out why a happy and outgoing young woman would take her life.

The Big Gamble is another winner in this long-running series that readers will hope continues until Dev is too old to pursue criminals and love.