Crime Fiction | Stacy Alesi's BookBitch.com™

Spotlight Review: DIRTY THIRTY by Janet Evanovich

November 7, 2023

Stephanie Plum, Book 30

From the publisher:

#1 New York Times bestselling author and “most popular mystery writer alive” (The New York Times) Janet Evanovich is in top form as she sends Stephanie Plum on the trail of a stolen cache of dirty diamonds.

Stephanie Plum, Trenton’s hardest working, most underappreciated bounty hunter, is offered a freelance assignment that seems simple enough. Local jeweler Martin Rabner wants her to locate his former security guard, Andy Manley (a.k.a. Nutsy), who he is convinced stole a fortune in diamonds out of his safe. Stephanie is also looking for another troubled man, Duncan Dugan, a fugitive from justice arrested for robbing the same jewelry store on the same day.

With her boyfriend Morelli away in Miami on police business, Stephanie is taking care of Bob, Morelli’s giant orange dog who will devour anything, from Stephanie’s stray donuts to the upholstery in her car. Morelli’s absence also means the inscrutable, irresistible security expert Ranger is front and center in Stephanie’s life when things inevitably go sideways. And he seems determined to stay there.

To complicate matters, her best friend Lula is convinced she is being stalked by a mythological demon hell-bent on relieving her of her wardrobe. An overnight stakeout with Stephanie’s mother and Grandma Mazur reveals three generations of women with nerves of steel and driving skills worthy of NASCAR champions.

As the body count rises and witnesses start to disappear, it won’t be easy for Stephanie to keep herself clean when everyone else is playing dirty. It’s a good thing Stephanie isn’t afraid of getting a little dirty, too.

“Those who don’t yet know sassy, spunky New Jersey sleuth Stephanie Plum simply must meet her…An uproarious, crazy, laugh-a-minute caper”—Booklist, starred review

“This is fast-paced and laugh-filled fun.”—Publishers Weekly
https://amzn.to/3tOwIff

Like millions of others, I loved this series but finally stopped reading at book 23. They really started to go downhill around book 20, with ridiculously far-fetched plot lines, including giraffes wandering the streets of Trenton, New Jersey, but once the zombies arrived, I was done. Oh, and please, please skip the movie of One for the Money, it was so miscast and awful.

Then the other day, I received my Book Club email from the Washington Post (highly recommend!) and I read about Evanovich reaching this milestone, the thirtieth book of an uber-successful series. I decided to take a look at it. And I enjoyed it! Things seem to have gone back to where they started, without forcing me to strain credulity and just enjoy the ride. Thank you, Janet!

Some things never change, thank goodness. Stephanie Plum hasn’t aged a day; she’s still a bounty hunter working for her cousin. Her best friend is the former hooker Lula, Connie is still running the office with a loaded gun in her desk, and Grandma Mazur is still kicking and staying on top of all the gossip in the Burg. And somehow, she is still torn between two men – her childhood sweetheart and Trenton cop Joe Morelli, and form Special Forces, current security expert Ranger.

This time Morelli is headed out of town to testify in a case in Miami. While he’s gone, he asks Stephanie to watch his dog, Bob, a loveable mutt who will eat anything, including furniture and car interiors. Stephanie has a few skips to pick up, but is having some trouble and if things don’t turn around, she won’t be able to pay her rent. When a local family-owned jewelry store is robbed, the owner hires her to find his security guard, who he suspects of stealing a tray of diamonds out of the safe the same day as the robbery.

The usual antics ensue, but it finally seems as if Stephanie has gotten at least a bit better at her job. Lula is as feisty as ever, and with Morelli out of town, things start heating up with Ranger again, despite her being in a committed relationship with the cop. There are several surprises along the way, and some nice twists towards the very shocking ending. Maybe taking a few years off helped, but I thoroughly enjoyed this latest Plum adventure, and look forward to whatever comes next.

11/2023 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

DIRTY THIRTY by Janet Evanovich. Atria Books (October 31, 2023). ISBN: 978-1668003091. 336pp.

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Spotlight Review: THE SECRET by Lee Child & Andrew Child

October 24, 2023

Jack Reacher, Book 28

The gripping new Jack Reacher thriller from the #1 New York Times bestselling authors Lee Child and Andrew Child

A string of mysterious deaths. A long-classified mission. A young MP with nothing to lose.

1992. All across the United States respectable, upstanding citizens are showing up dead. These deaths could be accidents, and they don’t appear to be connected—until a fatal fall from a high-floor window attracts some unexpected attention.

That attention comes from the secretary of defense. All of a sudden he wants an interagency task force to investigate. And he wants Jack Reacher as the army’s representative. If Reacher gets a result, great. If not, he’s a convenient fall guy.

But office politics isn’t Reacher’s thing. Three questions quickly emerge: Who’s with him, who’s against him, and will the justice he dispenses be the official kind…or his own kind?

“This is a terrific novel. Reacher continues to be one of the most compelling lead characters in the thriller genre, and the lean, unadorned writing continues to pull us through the story. If there were any doubts when Lee Child announced his retirement and started cowriting the books with his brother, Andrew, his eventual successor as Reacher’s chronicler, the last few books should have put them to rest.”–Booklist

“The plot gets a bit complicated, and readers will find a few nice twists. But mainly, Reacher provides the entertainment with his not quite believable fighting skills. An enjoyable, fast-moving yarn.”–Kirkus Reviews
https://amzn.to/40b0hEb

I had almost given up on this series as I didn’t much care for the first two books written by Lee Child with his brother, Andrew. The Sentinel was okay, but I hoped the next book would be better. Better Off Dead was worse though, I didn’t really enjoy it, not the way I loved all the earlier books. In fact, I skipped the third book, No Plan B. But then I read that Andrew had gotten a contract for the next four books in the series alone, with no Lee Child involvement. So I decided to give him one more chance, and I’m very glad I did. I enjoyed The Secret; it was a one-day read for me, as it should be!

In an interesting turn, the book was set in 1992, so it was nice getting some more of Reacher’s back story. Reacher is an Army MP and is assigned to an inter-agency task force. There are representatives from Treasury, the CIA, the FBI, etc. The group is told that in 1969, there was a special project in India with a team of seven men, all chemists, working on a project together. One of the men has since died of cancer, but two of them had recently died under suspicious circumstances. The task force is asked to figure out who is behind the possible murders and more importantly, how to stop them.

This was a completely engrossing read with all the usual Reacher tropes; a decidedly taciturn Reacher, a deserted old building, underground passages, an occasional fight with Reacher against multiple opponents, and some really good twists at the end. I am so happy to say I am now looking forward to the next book in this series.

11/2021 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

THE SECRET by Lee Child & Andrew Child. Delacorte Press (October 24, 2023). ISBN: 978-1984818584. 304pp.

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BURNING JUSTICE by Tee O’Fallon

September 22, 2023

K-9 Special Ops, Book 2

From the publisher:

Some cases are hot enough to kill.

After narrowly surviving a childhood fire that killed two of his friends, ATF Special Agent Brett Tanner knows what it’s like to get too close to the flame. The trauma only spurs him and his K-9 partner to track down the arsonists targeting a Colorado town. This latest warehouse blaze looks suspicious as hell…and there’s a body. Now it’s murder.

Fiercely independent insurance investigator Gemma Scott has been burned enough times to know she doesn’t need anyone—especially a handsome agent with an agenda. Teaming up with the hardened and determined ATF agent means not just trusting her instincts…it also means trusting him.

Now they’re racing against an arsonist with a lethal agenda—one who’s willing to burn and kill to hide the evidence. But the killer is only part of a larger mystery. And the searing attraction between Gemma and Brett adds fuel to an already dangerously lethal fire. One that will smoke out a killer…along with Brett’s darkest secret.

“great characterization, action, suspense, attraction, arson, and danger“ – Mystery & Suspense Magazine

“Tee O’Fallon heats the pages up in BURNING JUSTICE, giving us arson, murder, mystery, and a delicious slow-burn romance… Gemma and Brett’s chemistry absolutely sizzles on the pages.” – Fresh Fiction
https://amzn.to/3EL1jwM

I admit it; a dog on the cover always piques my interest. I have read several of O’Fallon’s books from different series, and they are all good. Even more importantly, they all stand alone and this book, the second book of a series, does as well. I didn’t realize this was book two while I was reading it – it wasn’t until I started this review that it came out. That is one of the things I really love about reading on a Kindle, especially e-galleys, pre-publication books. A lot of the time there is no cover art, so there is nothing to help form any preconceived notions, no judging a book by its cover, if you will. So I’m often surprised to learn that the book I just read was part of a series, as was the case here.

Gemma Scott has a unique skill set; she is a National Insurance Crime Bureau Investigator. She digs into suspicious fires, looking for evidence of arson. Unfortunately, the last guy she worked with basically stole her work and presented it as his own. In a job that is completely dominated by men, Gemma stands out, and Brett can’t help but notice that.

Brett is special agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, better known as the ATF. He has a working K-9, one of the few in the country that can sniff out accelerants, making him invaluable for arson investigative work. He also survived a fire as a child, but two of his friends died in that fire. Understandably, that has affected his whole life.

They are working together, and the chemistry between them is, well, combustible. And the dog! Can Gemma learn to trust another man? Can Brett get past his own past to help figure out who is setting these mysterious fires? Will Gemma and Brett learn to work together? And will Gemma and Brett give in the fire that is smoldering between them? Of course! This is romantic suspense, so the ending is a given, but it is a dark, twisty road to get there and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. Now I’m on the hunt for the first book in the series, Tough Justice.

9/2023 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

BURNING JUSTICE by Tee O’Fallon. Entangled: Amara (August 22, 2023). ISBN: 978-1649373397. 400p.

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Spotlight Review: EVERYONE HERE IS LYING by Shari Lapena

July 25, 2023

From the publisher:

Another thrilling domestic suspense novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Couple Next Door

“Lapena is a master of manipulation.” —USA Today

Welcome to Stanhope. A safe neighborhood. A place for families.

William Wooler is a family man, on the surface. But he’s been having an affair, an affair that ended horribly this afternoon at a motel up the road. So when he returns to his house, devastated and angry, to find his difficult nine-year-old daughter, Avery, unexpectedly home from school, William loses his temper.

Hours later, Avery’s family declares her missing.

Suddenly Stanhope doesn’t feel so safe. And William isn’t the only one on his street who’s hiding a lie. As witnesses come forward with information that may or may not be true, Avery’s neighbors become increasingly unhinged.

Who took Avery Wooler?

Nothing will prepare you for the truth.

“As usual, Lapena offers a clever, disturbing page-turner with deeply flawed characters and a stunning conclusion.” —Booklist

“The suspense here is real; Lapena does a great job of exposing layers of domestic dishonesty and betrayal one conversation at a time…[Everyone Here Is Lying] succeeds as a domestic thriller and procedural.” —Kirkus
https://amzn.to/44rsyYo

Shari Lapena has truly perfected the domestic thriller. She takes suburbia to the dark, twisted places that fill our nightmares and the local evening news. This story is based on a missing child, which seemingly happens way too often.

Avery Woolery is a nine-year-old problem child. She’s difficult, headstrong, and disobedient and has caused a lot of trouble in her parent’s marriage. Her mother only sees the good in her and is oblivious to her lying, manipulative ways. Her older brother is 12, and he recognizes how manipulative she can be, as does her father. He is a well-respected surgeon and is having an affair with a neighbor, Nora, who volunteers at the hospital where he works. Nora is also married with two children, and the guilt is really getting to her. She finally tells William that she can’t do this anymore and ends things.

William is upset and decides to go home so he can be alone for a little while. But when he gets home, Avery is there by herself. She is supposed to be at school, and her brother is supposed to walk her home. But she tells William she got ejected from choir practice for misbehaving and decided to walk home alone. She is very mouthy to him, and in his bad mood, he snaps and slaps her so hard that she falls to the floor. He is immediately contrite and begs her forgiveness, but she won’t even look at him. He takes off, leaving her home alone, and drives around for another hour or so.

Meanwhile, Avery’s brother goes to pick her up, but since she’s not there, he hurries home. When he can’t find her, he calls his mom. She starts panicking, running out of her office and heading home. Then William arrives, and there is still no sign of Avery. William figures she must have run away to teach him a lesson, but when a frantic search of the area is fruitless, the police are called. But he doesn’t tell anyone that he had been home and had struck Avery.

The two detectives are fairly new partners, but seem to work well together. They find some inconsistencies with William’s story of leaving work early and driving around for a few hours, ending up treating the home as a crime scene, with William as their prime suspect. But as they canvas the neighborhood and the parents do their TV plea for help, they start chasing down all the info they gleam. There is a lot of finger-pointing from the neighbors, and yes, everyone is lying – or at least appears to be.

The ending was a bit rushed, and not everything is tied up neatly at the end, but it is a page-turner for sure. Pamela Dorman Books never disappoints. Be prepared to see copies of this book everywhere this summer; it is the quintessential beach read, unputdownable, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

7/2023 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

EVERYONE HERE IS LYING by Shari Lapena. Pamela Dorman Books (July 25, 2023). ISBN:‎ 978-0593489932. 336p.

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Spotlight Review: ALL THAT IS MINE I CARRY WITH ME by William Landay

May 9, 2023

From the publisher:

A mother vanished. A father presumed guilty. There is no proof. There are no witnesses. For the children, there is only doubt. From the New York Times bestselling author of Defending Jacob. . . .

“Astonishing, powerful, and provocative, this book is worth the excruciating wait for another William Landay.”—Louise Penny, author of A World of Curiosities

One afternoon in November 1975, ten-year-old Miranda Larkin comes home from school to find her house eerily quiet. Her mother is missing. Nothing else is out of place. There is no sign of struggle. Her mom’s pocketbook remains in the front hall, in its usual spot.

So begins a mystery that will span a lifetime. What happened to Jane Larkin?

Investigators suspect Jane’s husband. A criminal defense attorney, Dan Larkin would surely be an expert in outfoxing the police.

But no evidence is found linking him to a crime, and the case fades from the public’s memory, a simmering, unresolved riddle. Jane’s three children—Alex, Jeff, and Miranda—are left to be raised by the man who may have murdered their mother.

Two decades later, the remains of Jane Larkin are found. The investigation is awakened. The children, now grown, are forced to choose sides. With their father or against him? Guilty or innocent? And what happens if they are wrong?

A tale about family—family secrets and vengeance, but also family love—All That Is Mine I Carry With Me masterfully grapples with a primal question: When does loyalty reach its limit?
https://amzn.to/42k1lFo

I’ve read a couple of William Landay’s books that were excellent; his first novel, Mission Flats, and his bestseller, Defending Jacob. Defending Jacob became a limited drama series on Apple TV+ with Chris Evans and Michelle Dockery, and was very good. I was looking forward to this new book and was not disappointed.

This is a family nightmare – the mother goes missing one day, and no one knows what happened to her. Of course, the father/husband is the chief suspect, but they don’t get anywhere with him because he is a criminal defense lawyer. His kids, on the other hand, have their own theories. The family is split, but they come together when their mother’s body is found twenty years later. The original detective is retired, but he’s never forgotten this case and has always been sure of the father’s guilt. He starts working with the family to try and solve the mystery.

I don’t want to give anything away here. Most of the book explores the family dynamics, at least until the mystery starts unraveling. I found the ending to be a bit muddled, but definitely worth the read to get there. This is a beautifully written, interesting, and gripping mystery.

5/2023 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

ALL THAT IS MINE I CARRY WITH ME by William Landay. Bantam (March 7, 2023). ISBN: 978-0345531841. 336p.

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TWO NIGHTS IN LISBON by Chris Pavone

May 5, 2023

From the publisher:

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES AND NATIONAL BESTSELLER.

Tautly wound and expertly crafted, Two Nights in Lisbon is a riveting thriller about a woman under pressure, and how far she will go when everything is on the line.

You think you know a person . . .

Ariel Pryce wakes up in Lisbon, alone. Her husband is gone―no warning, no note, not answering his phone. Something is wrong.

She starts with hotel security, then the police, then the American embassy, at each confronting questions she can’t fully answer: What exactly is John doing in Lisbon? Why would he drag her along on his business trip? Who would want to harm him? And why does Ariel know so little about her new―much younger―husband?

The clock is ticking. Ariel is increasingly frustrated and desperate, running out of time, and the one person in the world who can help is the one person she least wants to ask.

With sparkling prose and razor-sharp insights, bestselling author Chris Pavone delivers a stunning and sophisticated international thriller that will linger long after the surprising final page.

“This smart, calculating author remains many notches above others in his field” ―The New York Times

“Devilishly clever . . . Wait until you read the ending that Pavone springs on you.” ―St. Louis Post-Dispatch

“Nothing is quite as it seems in this energetic thriller that calls into question marriage, loyalty, and truth.” ―The Washington Post

Nominated as best hardcover novel, 2023 ITW Thriller Awards!
https://amzn.to/3L7O5Nc

I haven’t read Pavone in a while, but since I was heading to Lisbon I queued this book up on my Kindle and started reading as soon as the plane left the ground. We were flying to Lisbon from Miami via Air France, so a stop in Paris (always a hardship!) and then a short hop to Lisbon. I finished this book before Paris – it was unputdownable and the twists never stopped coming.

This book came out last year, and the paperback just came out this week. Fortuitous timing! This thriller features an unreliable narrator, an intriguing foreign setting, and a cast of sketchy characters, none of whom is quite what they appear to be. It starts off with a kidnapping – the main character, Ariel, wakes up to find her husband gone. And he’s not answering his phone. Nothing else seems to be missing, so she heads down to the front desk of the hotel but no one remembers seeing him. She then reports it to the local police, but since he’s only been gone a few hours, they are none too interested. Either is the American Embassy. At least they are not interested until she receives a ransom note.

Ariel has connections with someone pretty high up in the American political arena, and has enough dirt on the man to gain his cooperation in raising the ransom money. But nothing is as it appears, and as the layers unfold in this twisty story, things seem to get more and more complicated, instead of the other way around.

I never saw the ending coming, but to be fair I don’t really try and figure out books like this. I just enjoy the ride and this was a terrific ride indeed!

5/2023 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

TWO NIGHTS IN LISBON by Chris Pavone.‎ Picador; Reprint edition (May 2, 2023). ISBN:‎ 978-1250872302. 448 p.

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Spotlight Review: LOYALTY by Lisa Scottoline

April 18, 2023

From the publisher:

#1 bestselling author Lisa Scottoline presents Loyalty, an emotional, action-packed epic of love and justice, set during the rise of the Mafia in Sicily.

Loyalty can save a soul—or destroy one.

    Franco Fiorvanti is a handsome lemon grower toiling on the estate of a baron. He dreams of owning his own grove, but the rigid class system of Sicily thwarts his ambition. Determined to secure a better future, Franco will do anything to prove his loyalty to the baron. But when the baron asks him to kidnap a little boy named Dante, Franco makes a decision that will change his life—and even the history of Sicily—forever.

    Gaetano Catalano is an idealistic young lawyer whose devotion to justice is tantamount to a calling. He’s a member of the Beati Paoli, a real-life secret society of aristocrats who investigate crime in Palermo, a city riddled with graft. Gaetano sets out to find the boy and punish the kidnapper, but his mission leads him to a darker place than he had ever imagined.

    Meanwhile, Mafalda Pancari is a new mother rejoicing at the birth of her daughter, Lucia, when disaster strikes. And Alfredo D’Antonio is a reclusive goatherd under constant threat of being discovered as a Jew. How the lives of these unforgettable characters collide makes Loyalty an epic tale of good versus evil, as the story twists and turns to its monumental showdown.

    Readers will be transported to the dramatic and ruggedly beautiful island of Sicily, the jewel of the Mediterranean, where lush lemon groves and mouth-watering cuisine contrast with a turbulent history of colonization and corruption. Scottoline brings her decades of thriller writing to historical fiction, creating in Loyalty a singular novel that no reader will be able to put down.

“Scottoline brings nineteenth-century Sicily alive in this historical thriller…Every scene is a full sensory experience, as Scottoline weaves lemon-scented breezes, the ocean’s sounds, and sun-baked piazza stones into a timeless, tragedy-strewn story of love, power, and redemption. History fans will appreciate the novel’s well-researched foundation, especially concerning the origins of the Sicilian Mafia and early mental-health institutions.” —Booklist (starred)

“Scottoline brings her characters to life, instilling them with wit and intellect as they navigate the corruption of Sicily’s law enforcement. Historical crime fiction fans will be riveted.” —Publishers Weekly
https://amzn.to/3KfQULR

I love Lisa Scottoline – she is an incredible writer and a truly special human being. Many years ago, I was assigned her book Killer Smile for review at Library Journal. I loved that book and gave it a starred review. I was working for the Palm Beach County Library System at the time when one of my co-workers came running up to me to say I had a phone call, and it was Lisa Scottoline. Everyone was jumping up and down with excitement! We’d never had a New York Times bestselling author call our library, and everyone followed me to the back so I could take the call. Lisa called to thank me for my review, which had never happened before (or since!) I had never met her, but I did several years later at a library convention. And she remembered me! It was just the most surreal experience. I’ve met her several times since then, and she did a standing-room-only book talk for my library. A truly remarkable human being I am proud to call a friend.

With that out of the way, yes I can still do an unbiased review of her books, mostly because as I pointed out when I started this review, she is an incredible writer. She takes complicated stories like this one and makes them not only engrossing reading, but seriously unputdownable. I dreamt about these characters during the two nights I spent reading this book.

The publisher provided a good synopsis, and I don’t want to muddy the waters except to say that these characters propel the story and will be staying with me for a long time. Sicily is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been, and Scottoline brings that beauty to the page in addition to all the drama – but it’s the drama that is at the heart of this story. Book groups will find a lot to discuss here as well.

I hope you’ll read it and love it as much as I did.

4/2023 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

LOYALTY by Lisa Scottoline.‎ G.P. Putnam’s Sons (March 28, 2023). ISBN:‎ 978-0525539803. 432 p.

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Spotlight Review: STONE COLD FOX by Rachel Koller Croft

February 14, 2023

From the publisher:

A perfectly wicked debut thriller about an ambitious woman who, after a lifetime of conning alongside her mother, wants to leave her dark past behind and marry the heir to one of the country’s wealthiest families.

Like any enterprising woman, Bea knows what she’s worth and is determined to get all she deserves—it just so happens that what she deserves is to marry rich. Filthy rich. After years of forced instruction by her mother in the art of swindling men, a now-solo Bea wants nothing more than to close and lock the door on their sordid partnership so she can disappear safely into old-money domesticity, sealing the final phase of her escape.

When Bea chooses her ultimate target in the fully loaded, thoroughly dull and blue-blooded Collin Case, she’s ready to deploy all of her tricks one last time. The challenge isn’t getting the ring, but rather the approval of Collin’s family and everyone else in their 1 percent tax bracket, particularly his childhood best friend, Gale Wallace-Leicester.

Going toe-to-toe with Gale isn’t a threat to an expert like Bea, but what begins as an amusing cat-and-mouse game quickly develops into a dangerous pursuit of the grisly truth. Finding herself at a literal life-and-death crossroads with everything on the line, Bea must finally decide who she really wants to be.

“This delicious, twisty tale of deception and daughterhood will have everyone holding onto their wallets.” —Good Morning America

“This is excellent writing for a debut author and is a must-read for fans of Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl or Lisa Unger’s Confessions on the 7:45.” —Library Journal

“An absorbing story that plays with ideas of good and evil, keeping readers guessing who is the hero and who the villain.” —Kirkus (starred review)
https://amzn.to/3JU6Ncf

This book was completely unputdownable! It starts off one way then takes you over a cliff. It appears to be a story about a woman who is the epitome of a gold digger. Bea knows she’s gorgeous, smart, and sexy and she’s determined to marry rich. Filthy rich. She dates several older men, the type who want trophy wives, but no proposals come from them and the relationships fizzle out. Then she meets Collin.

Collin isn’t just rich, he’s generationally wealthy, heir to a family fortune that is incredibly appealing to Bea. This is the type of character, the type of woman, I would generally have no use for whatsoever, so I have to give credit to this author who somehow made me care about her and root for her to fool Collin enough to get her wed. Part of it is that she is so good to Collin; she listens to him when he speaks, and even though she won’t allow herself to fall in love, she cares enough about him to want to make him happy. Her methods work; he is completely besotted.

Things take a slightly darker tone with intermittent chapters that harken back to Bea’s childhood, but it takes a while before we realize how egregious her mother, and her upbringing, truly were. There is additional turmoil with Collin’s best friend, Gail, who he not only relies on, but his entire family and her family are all very close friends. These are the 1%, the uber-wealthy who stick together and are not very welcoming to outsiders, to say the least. But Collin goes to bat for Bea, standing up to his parents and his best friend. Things get dicey when Bea recognizes an enemy in Gail, and Bea is sharp enough to realize that Gail is in love with Collin. Luckily for Bea, Collin has zero romantic interest in Gail so that makes Bea and Gail enemies.

Collin and Bea seem like their happily ever after is in the bag. She gets the enormous engagement ring, the wedding of her in-laws’ dreams, and the ultra-wealthy family she’s always wanted. Then things get really dark. No spoilers here – let’s just say there are twists I never saw coming, and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. This was a totally intriguing book with an unusual storyline that really works. Incredible debut – don’t miss it!

2/2023 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

STONE COLD FOX by Rachel Koller Croft. Berkley (February 14, 2023). ISBN:‎ 978-0593547502. 368p.

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FINLAY DONOVAN JUMPS THE GUN by Elle Cosimano

February 3, 2023

The Finlay Donovan Series, Book 3

From the publisher:

From USA Today bestseller and Edgar Award nominee Elle Cosimano, comes Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun―the hilarious and heart-pounding next installment in the beloved Finlay Donovan series.

“Fresh, heartfelt and witty, Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun is a twisty page-turner, and its relatable heroine Finlay Donovan is irresistible!” ―Janet Evanovich, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Stephanie Plum series

Dating. Diapers. And dodging bullets. Who said single moms can’t have fun?

Finlay Donovan has been in messes before―after all, she’s an author and single mom who’s a pro at getting out bloodstains for rather unexpected reasons―but none quite like this. After she and her nanny/partner-in-crime Vero accidentally destroyed a luxury car that they may have “borrowed” in the process of saving the life of Finlay’s ex-husband, the Russian mob got her out of debt. But now Finlay owes them

Still running the show from behind bars, mob boss Feliks has a task for Finlay: find a contract killer before the cops do. Problem is, the killer might be an officer.

Luckily, hot cop Nick has started up a citizen’s police academy, and combined pressure from Finlay’s looming book deadline and Feliks is enough to convince Finlay and Vero to get involved. Through firearm training and forensic classes (and some hands-on research with the tempting detective), Finlay and Vero have the perfect cover-up to sleuth out the real criminal and free themselves from the mob’s clutches―all the while dodging spies, confronting Vero’s past, and juggling the daily trials of parenthood.

“Fasten your seat belts . . . murder most madcap.”―Kirkus Reviews

“Finlay’s strong narrative voice carries the reader . . . This is good, fast fun.”―Publishers Weekly

“Readers who love fast-paced, action-packed mysteries should pick this up.”―Library Journal

One of CrimeReads’ “Most Anticipated Crime Fiction of 2023”
One of Bookbub’s “Winter’s Most Anticipated Mysteries and Thrillers”
One of SheReads’ “Most Anticipated Thrillers Coming in 2023”
One of Novel Suspects’ “Most Anticipated Crime Fiction Coming in Early 2023”
One of BookRiot’s “New Year New Mystery & Thrillers to Read in January”
https://amzn.to/40tF4EU

I loved the Stephanie Plum books by Janet Evanovich, but I had to stop reading them. They became so formulaic and silly that it just wasn’t fun to read them anymore, as much as I miss those crazy characters. But in a few short years and three books, Finlay Donovan has filled that void for me.

Finlay is an author who writes romantic suspense, but her latest endeavor has her editor up in arms. She hates the book, and Finlay knows why. But she just can’t seem to make herself write the sex scenes that are necessary to complete the story. Finlay’s sister is a cop, and she suggests that Finlay and Vero, her best friend and nanny, go to this citizen’s police academy training camp. It’s for a week, they would live in dorms, and her ex will keep the kids. Maybe she’d pick up some useful information for her books, plus she’d get to spend some time with Nick, the hot cop she can’t stop thinking about.

Each of these books ends on a cliffhanger, so this one picks up where the last one left off. There are Russian Mafia, too many dead bodies. and lots of money at stake which just amps up the suspense even while we can’t stop laughing – truly a gift. These books are a little bit darker than the Stephanie Plum series, but they lean more black comedy than anything else. I found myself ripping through the book as I just couldn’t put it down.

These books really need to be read in order; the first two are available in paperback now. If you enjoy a fast-paced, laugh-out-loud mystery with a touch of romance, you will love this series. I certainly do.

1. Finlay Donovan is Killing It

2. Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead

3. Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun

2/2023 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

FINLAY DONOVAN JUMPS THE GUN by Elle Cosimano. Minotaur Books (January 31, 2023). ISBN:‎ 978-1250846037. 304p.

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Spotlight Review: DESERT STAR by Michael Connelly

November 15, 2022

Renée Ballard, Book 5 and/or Harry Bosch, Book 24

From the publisher:

LAPD detective Renée Ballard and Harry Bosch team up to hunt the brutal killer who is Bosch’s “white whale”—a man responsible for the murder of an entire family.

A year has passed since LAPD detective Renée Ballard quit the force in the face of misogyny, demoralization, and endless red tape. But after the chief of police himself tells her she can write her own ticket within the department, Ballard takes back her badge, leaving “the Late Show” to rebuild and lead the cold case unit at the elite Robbery-Homicide Division.

For years, Harry Bosch has been working a case that haunts him—the murder of an entire family by a psychopath who still walks free. Ballard makes Bosch an offer: come volunteer as an investigator in her new Open-Unsolved Unit, and he can pursue his “white whale” with the resources of the LAPD behind him.

First priority for Ballard is to clear the unsolved rape and murder of a sixteen-year-old girl. The decades-old case is essential to the councilman who supported re-forming the unit, and who could shutter it again—the victim was his sister. When Ballard gets a “cold hit” connecting the killing to a similar crime, proving that a serial predator has been at work in the city for years, the political pressure has never been higher. To keep momentum going, she has to pull Bosch off his own investigation, the case that is the consummation of his lifelong mission.

The two must put aside old resentments and new tensions to run to ground not one but two dangerous killers who have operated with brash impunity. In what may be his most gripping and profoundly moving book yet, Michael Connelly shows once again why he has been dubbed “one of the greatest crime writers of all time” (Ryan Steck, Crimereads).

“Thrilling… Both cases require deep dives into the past; both lead to great action scenes; and, as always, Connelly displays his encyclopedic knowledge of the latest forensics… Bosch, however, takes a low-tech approach and follows leads in the field with his trademark intensity, driven by his desire to restore order in a violent world… [Desert Star] ranks up there with Connelly’s best.”―Publishers Weekly

“Longtime Bosch followers will be taking deep breaths after this one’s superb finale, especially given its implications for the future.” —Booklist, Starred Review

https://amzn.to/3O2uGym

There is no retiring Harry Bosch. The Vietnam War vet is now a volunteer on Renée Ballard’s new Open/Unsolved unit for the Los Angeles police department. Ballard has been given pretty much carte blanche to run the unit, other than former cop Lou Rawls, who was foisted on her by the local politico who is behind this cold cases reboot. Turns out the councilman has a personal interest; his sister was murdered several years earlier and her killer was never caught.

This new unit is a motley crew that includes a former prosecutor and a genealogy expert/psychic, or empath as she prefers, among others. Bosch agrees to the volunteer position, eager to get his hands on an old case that has been haunting him for years. The Gallagher family – mom, dad, and two young children – were murdered, their bodies dumped in a desert grave and only found by accident a year after their disappearance. But working these two cases takes Bosch down a dark road.

No spoilers here but the ending definitely feels like an ending. I understand it, and I trust Connelly to do the right thing with his most beloved character. This is another gem from one of the finest crime writers in the world – and that is not hyperbole.

DESERT STAR by Michael Connelly. Little, Brown and Company (November 8, 2022). ISBN: 978-0316485654. 400p.

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