Crime Fiction | Stacy Alesi's BookBitch.com™

WOULDN’T IT BE DEADLY by D. E. Ireland

February 8, 2015

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Eliza Doolittle and Henry Higgins Mystery

If you, like me, enjoyed every minute of My Fair Lady (or Pygmalion for the intellectuals), this is a must read.

Eliza Doolittle and Henry Higgins are still at odds and Liza goes to work for “that Hungarian” who was Higgins main competitor. Now Emil Nepommuck is dead and Eliza and Professor Higgins must work together to clear Higgins who is a prime suspect in the Hungarian’s death.

To say more would spoil the read, but suffice it to say everyone is there is one way or another. Enjoy.

2/15 Jack Quick

WOULDN’T IT BE DEADLY by D. E. Ireland. Minotaur Books (September 23, 2014). ISBN: 978-1250049353. 336p.

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LONG WAY DOWN by Michael Sears

February 7, 2015

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Michael Sears worked on Wall Street for 20 years and is therefore more than qualified to bring us a novel involving white collar crime in the financial world. His main protagonist, Jason Stafford, has appeared in two previous thrillers and is presented as a person with flaws but very well equipped to work on problems associated with the complex world of high finance.

Jason served two years in prison for insider trading while working for a Wall Street firm. Now, not able to return to his trade, he is dedicating himself to helping others who find themselves involved with problems within his previous field. Stafford is a complex individual fleshed out very well by Sears. He is a single father raising an autistic son and involved with a woman he is falling in love with while attempting to rebuild a life changed radically by prison time.

Philip Haley, an engineer whose company is close to developing a biofuel breakthrough, has been indicted for insider trading based on the projected increased value to be derived by the development. He asks Jason to help him prove his innocence and convinces him that the accusation is false. Stafford does take the case and finds himself involved not only with a white collar criminal accusation, but with murder and hit men attempting to do so.

Sears is extremely good at fleshing out his characters and allowing the reader to see them as human beings that are real and react to situations as most normal people would. He holds the reader’s attention by building towards a logical climax. The one flaw that I noticed is the use of overlong descriptions of various details which are extraneous to the plot and not essential in moving the action forward. While the novel has an overage of these details they should not cause the reader to lose interest in the action. An interesting and basically well written book, excellent characterizations, and one that delves into a world that most of us know little about but with descriptions that do allow the reader to understand what is involved.

2/15 Paul Lane

LONG WAY DOWN by Michael Sears. Putnam Adult (February 5, 2015). ISBN: 978-0399166716. 352p.

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A DOG GONE MURDER by Elaine Viets

February 4, 2015

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Josie Marcus Mystery Shopper (Book 10)

Josie has come a long way in this series, from struggling single mom renting her mother’s downstairs apartment to happily married to veterinarian Ted, living in their own home, a mid-century modern cottage. But she’s still mystery shopping, which I always find fascinating, maybe because I’ve been on the other side of the counter. When I worked for Borders Books & Music we were mystery shopped on a monthly basis, and people lost their jobs over those reports – or were rewarded!

Josie’s weaselly boss asks her to check out three local doggie day care centers that are seeking accreditation. This behind the scenes look at these establishments will hopefully give dog owners the gumption to look around themselves before dropping off their pets.

But it wouldn’t be a mystery without a murder, and sure enough Josie finds the popular Uncle Bob’s Doggy Day Camp local television spokesperson/celebrity, Uncle Bob himself, dying in his office. Is it natural causes brought on by a high meat diet or did someone poison Uncle Bob? There are lots of suspects, all his employees have issues with the man and he and his wife are separated.

Josie continues her mystery shopping assignment but when her mom’s new renter and possible love interest is arrested for the murder, Josie has to help out and find the real killer.

I love this series and this latest mystery is a good one – I couldn’t put it down and read it in one sitting. Viets creates believable characters, both good and bad, and I find myself thinking about them long after I turn the last page. Another winner from one of my favorite authors.

2/15 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

A DOG GONE MURDER by Elaine Viets. Signet (November 4, 2014). ISBN 978-0451465986. 304p.

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SYNDROME E by Franck Thilliez

February 2, 2015

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While keeping watch over her sick daughter, Lieutenant Lucie Hennebelle receives a quite shocking call: her ex has been struck suddenly and inexplicably blind. And while it was somewhat coincidental that Lucie’s was the number he dialed, she is both willing and able to help.

Ludovic Sénéchal was the first to arrive at the estate sale. This meant he had first pick of ad’s promised 800+ historic film reels. His most exciting purchase, though, is a reel found hidden away on a top shelf. The unlabeled movie is the first thing Ludovic loads onto his projector as soon as he gets home. And it’s the last thing he sees.

Miles away, five horribly disfigured bodies have been discovered at a work site in northern France and Chief Inspector Franck Sharko has been assigned to lend his profiling expertise. While at first the two incidents are seemingly unrelated, an anonymous call indicates otherwise, leaving Hennebelle and Sharko forced to pool resources in order to unravel a bizarre and twisted crime.

Syndrome E is fantastic. The plot is perfectly executed – with just the right amount of tension and twists – and the characters are wonderfully realized. Both Hennebelle and Sharko have great stories, though Sharko and all of his idiosyncrasies make him my own favorite of the two. They’re perfect for driving a series, which is fortunate considering they’ll both return this month in Syndrome E’s follow up, Bred to Kill.

2/15 Becky LeJeune

SYNDROME E by Franck Thilliez. Penguin Books; Reprint edition (April 29, 2014). ISBN: 978-0147509710. 384p.

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BIRD BOX by Josh Malerman

January 30, 2015

Four years ago something devastating began infecting people around the world. The outbreak was so baffling and odd that at first no one was quite aware of what was happening. People turned on one another – reports of violence in remote areas expanded and spread until those left began barricading themselves indoors. It was a viral madness, the cause of which seemed to be as simple as seeing something so horrible that it drove the viewer insane.

Malorie has lasted this long by living in perpetual blindness. It’s an awful and horrifying existence, one that her two children have only ever known. But Malorie knows they can’t continue like this and decides it’s time to try and move on. To do so means exposing them all to whatever caused this plague of insanity and hoping they can get to their final destination without laying eyes on it.

Josh Malerman’s debut is crazy fabulous. From page one I knew it was going to be unique but quite soon after that I realized it was going to be amazing.

Malorie’s world is cut off. She lived with her sister when the outbreak started, discovering that she was pregnant just as things got really bad. And then she was alone. But she was able to find others. She was able to find a safe haven. And they learned more about what was going on around them. All of this is revealed to the reader as the story progresses. Malerman begins the book with Malorie facing her coming journey with the kids, unfolding the past and present portions of the story through alternating chapters.

As the book progresses, we learn just how strong Malorie is and just how determined she’s had to be to get by this long. It’s a tense and terrifying tale. In fact, Bird Box is one of the outright creepiest horror reads I think I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading.

01/15 Becky LeJeune

Read on for the BookBitch review:

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Malorie is a young mother of two children known simply as Boy and Girl, and she is a survivor living in a post-apocalyptic world, raising her children to use all their senses, especially their listening skills, as sight is not an option here.

In this world, the survivors struggle to stay alive by living indoors with all the windows boarded up; the sight of whatever is outside is causing people to become violent murderers, as well as suicidal, in the most horrific ways possible.

The book moves back and forth over a four year period when all the insanity began, exploring the personalities of the people that came together and survived, and how they managed to live after all ways of communication effectively withered and died with most of the population. It ends with Malorie rowing her children down a river while blindfolded in hopes of taking them to safety.

The characters are interesting, the story moves along very rapidly as the suspense builds, but unfortunately, the ending is a disappointment; the reason for all the bloodshed is never explored or explained. Recommended for readers who enjoy horror and post-apocalyptic fiction.

5/14 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

BIRD BOX by Josh Malerman. Ecco (May 13, 2014). ISBN 978-0062259653. 272p.

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VERONICA MARS: THE THOUSAND DOLLAR TAN LINE by Rob Thomas & Jennifer Graham

January 29, 2015

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It’s Spring Break and Neptune is the place to be. But when a partying coed goes missing, travel plans to the beachside city start to go south… and north. In fact, the Chamber of Commerce is worried that the missing girl and the town’s inept sheriff’s lack of action could be pretty detrimental to the season’s tourist dollars. Out of desperation they turn to Mars Investigations for help.

Business has been slow since Veronica chucked her plans to return to New York City and the chamber’s case is a welcome one. Keith is still recuperating and under orders to take it easy so no matter how much he’d prefer his daughter return to the big city and her potentially big career as a lawyer, even he can’t muster up too much of a fuss in her handling this one. And it’s not like either Mars is going to miss out on a chance to show up Sheriff Lamb.

The Thousand Dollar Tan Line is a solid new installment in the seemingly ever-growing (YAY.) Veronica Mars franchise. The plot is definitely worthy of Mars and sure to please Marshmallows, but newbies will probably want to start with the show before diving into the novels. For one thing, there are the characters’ established histories and the town of Neptune itself to consider. For another, Thousand Dollar Tan Line continues plot lines started in both the series and the movie.

1/15 Becky LeJeune

VERONICA MARS: THE THOUSAND DOLLAR TAN LINE by Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham. Vintage (March 25, 2014). ISBN: 978-0804170703. 336p.

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THE GHOST SHIFT by John Gapper

January 26, 2015

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John Gapper’s first novel is a riveting express paced book taking us into the world of modern day China.

Song Mei is a young woman who has been taken into the government Commission for Discipline Inspection and been in training to probe political corruption. She is considered a member with a bright future. Out of the blue she is taken to the scene of a police investigation of the death of a young woman and is jolted by the dead girl.

The woman is the exact replica of Song Mei, both in features and body form. Song immediately comes to the inescapable conclusion that the dead girl is related to her since any other explanation would not be creditable. Her superiors tell her to not attempt any investigation of the crime but Song’s every thought is to find out about her and what were the factors causing her death.

The novel takes us into the higher echelons of the party, a connection with the American CIA, the finding of Song’s parents and identifying the dead girl. Action involves a trip to the United States, the investigation of a Chinese manufacturer of electronic control boards and the discovery of an international conspiracy to spy on key figures in both the US and China.

Gapper has created a fascinating young lady about whom another book should be written following her adventures and providing more sleepless nights for his readers. A very well done book by a very promising author.

1/15 Paul Lane

THE GHOST SHIFT by John Gapper. Ballantine Books (January 20, 2015). ISBN: 978-0345527929. 320p.

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CANE AND ABE by James Grippando

January 25, 2015

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Grippando, a south Florida resident, presents a stand alone novel involving an indictment of the sugar growing companies harvesting cane in the mid section of Florida. These companies, collectively known as “Big Sugar,” have been there for many years and have the reputation of being laws unto themselves.

Abe Beckham, a prosecutor for the state of Florida, becomes involved with an ongoing investigation seeking a serial killer targeting white women who are married or are dating a black man. At one point in his past, Abe had been married to a black woman that was killed by cancer. At the present time he is married to a girl he had been involved with prior to his meeting Samantha Vine, his deceased wife.

The serial killer had left the mutilated bodies of his victims on the cane fields of the sugar companies. Grippando incorporates an unofficial history of the horrible conduct of the sugar companies towards the people hired to harvest the cane as cutters. Alleged crimes include putting the workers into debt as soon as they start by charging for basic tools, eatable food and drinkable water, causing these people to become hopelessly indebted to their employers.

The search for the killer proceeds coupled with the sudden disappearance of Abe’s wife, Angelina, giving rise to the possibility of a copy cat killer This might be a copycat because another victim is found, a black girl, while the others were all white.

In typical Grippando fashion, the pace of the story is fast and absorbing with principal characters well sketched out. Like most of his other novels the reader will find him or her self in an all nighter and caught in the action at the start.

1/15 Paul Lane

CANE AND ABE by James Grippando . Harper (January 20, 2015). ISBN: 978-0062295392. 368p.

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SERPENTS IN THE COLD by Thomas O’Malley & Douglas Graham Purdy

January 21, 2015

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The Boston Saga

The Great Brinks Robbery was the biggest heist in U.S history in 1950 Boston, and while that case was eventually solved, this novel reimagines it, adding in the additional intrigue of a serial killer working the same neighborhood. Set in historic Scollay Square on the eve of its destruction, Boston politics and the frigid winter also play major parts in the story.

Cal is an ex-cop and a veteran, trying to make a living in private security, but business is slow. His best friend Dante is a heroin addict who lost his wife to the drug and he still hasn’t recovered. Then Dante’s sister-in-law Sheila is murdered, adding another victim to the serial killer known as The Butcher.

Cal and Dante decide to help the police catch her killer, but they really don’t have the skill set for it so they turn to good old-fashioned vigilante justice.

Very short chapters ensure the pacing stays brisk, and history buffs will enjoy all the description and atmosphere of old Boston.

Sure to appeal to Dennis Lehane fans.

1/15 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

SERPENTS IN THE COLD by Thomas O’Malley & Douglas Graham Purdy. Mulholland Books (January 20, 2015). ISBN 978-0316323505. 400p.

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DEAD RED by Tim O’Mara

January 20, 2015

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Raymond Donne Mysteries (Book 3)

Former New York cop turned school teacher Raymond Donne returns in this solid third entry to the series set in trendy Brooklyn, New York.

Ray gets a call from an old friend from his days on the force, Rickey Torres, who picks him up in the taxi he’s been driving to help make ends meet. But before he can explain the middle of the night meeting, Rickey is killed and Ray injured when the cab is shot up.

Turns out Rickey was also working for a private investigator, Jack Knight, another ex-cop who shared some bad history with Ray. Nonetheless, Knight hires Ray to help out with a case, a missing teenage girl whose father is a public relations millionaire, and Ray agrees, hoping it will help him find out who killed Rickey and why, as Ray’s Uncle, the chief of police, gets involved as does Allison, his reporter girlfriend.

The characters may seem like stereotypes, but in O’Mara’s hands they come to life and comfortably bridge the suspension of disbelief. Another terrific mystery that should appeal to Robert Crais or Linda Fairstein fans.

1/15 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

DEAD RED by Tim O’Mara. Minotaur Books (January 20, 2015). ISBN 978-1250058638. 320p.

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