Crime Fiction | Stacy Alesi's BookBitch.com™

CATNAPPED! by Elaine Viets

May 23, 2014

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This is the latest entry in the Dead-End Job series, one of my favorite cozy mystery series. While it is a series, each book does stand alone, and Elaine is very good about including pertinent information for newcomers to the series.

The series started out with Helen Hawthorne, the main character, working for cash under the table to keep her ex-husband from finding her or her money. The series has evolved, and Helen is now married and running a private detective agency with her husband, Phil. But never fear, she still ends up working minimum wage jobs, but now she’s going undercover to help solve the case.

Catnapped! revolves around the cat show industry and Helen ends up working as a cat groomer for a breeder. A divorcing couple can’t agree on anything except their shared love of their show kitten. But when the kitten is kidnapped (catnapped!) Helen & Phil are on the case. Unfortunately, the ex-husband ends up dead, and the wife arrested for the murder. Meanwhile, things aren’t all good on the home-front either. The Coronado apartment building is in need of major repairs, and Margery seems more inclined to sell than renovate.

One of the best things about this series is how Viets shines a light on the minimum wage jobs and the people that work so hard for so little. Invariably I learn something new in every book – like the grooming involved with show cats! I love the south Florida setting, not only because I live there but because Viets really brings it to life – the setting becomes almost another character. This is another smart mystery with intrigue, laughs and a lot of heart.

Check out Elaine Viets’ guest blog for an inside look at bathing a cat!

5/14 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

CATNAPPED! by Elaine Viets. NAL Hardcover (May 6, 2014). ISBN 978-0451466303. 288p.

1 Comment | Book Reviews, Crime Fiction, Fiction | Tagged: Humor, Mystery | Permalink
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THE TARGET by L. J. Sellers

May 22, 2014

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With her latest Agent Dallas outing, Ms. Sellers has once again hit it out of the park. Focusing on the world of industrial espionage and cutting edge medical technology, Sellers shows that while greed is universal and seemingly boundless, you can’t keep a good agent down, and Agent Dallas is the best of the best.

Dallas lives for the thrill of working undercover and rides high on the adrenaline rush from a tense situation. The death of another agent in San Diego under suspicious circumstances starts her on the new assignment, which quickly becomes high risk. The stakes are high and the other side thinks nothing of taking those who interfere off the board. permanently.

Intertwined with the case is the murder of an aging film star. Are the two cases connected? Few authors can do one successful series, but Sellers has two – with Detective Jackson and with Agent Dallas. Which is better? Try both and decide for yourself.

05/14 Jack Quick

THE TARGET by L. J. Sellers. Spellbinder Press (May 20, 2014). ebook. ASIN B00JLSQH2M. 300p.

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RESISTANT by Michael Palmer

May 20, 2014

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Dr. Lou Welcome is a fine Boston emergency room physician who also happens to be a recovering addict. He is asked to cover for his boss at a medical conference in Atlanta, and takes his best friend, Cap, along.

While out trail running, a slippery slope causes Cap to severely injure his leg, and Lou manages to get him to the hospital but that’s just the beginning of Cap’s problems. He picks up a new bug, nicknamed the “Doomsday Germ” by the press, while hospitalized.

Turns out a right wing domestic terrorist group was the creator of the germ, which they planned on using to blackmail the U.S. government into shutting down all entitlement programs. But the flesh eating bacteria just grew out of control and completely resistant to all known treatments, including the cure the terrorists thought they had, and even the Center for Disease Control is stumped. The F.B.I. gets involved, and the race between the government and the terrorists is on to find a cure before thousands die.

Over the years, Palmer has grown an audience for his medical thrillers, and this page turner should keep them happy.

Michael Palmer, Stacy Alesi (me), Daniel Palmer

On a personal note, I need to add how saddened I was when Michael Palmer passed away in late October, 2013. I had the privilege of meeting him on several occasions, and he was a real mensch – warm, charismatic and just a wonderful human being. He always remembered to ask about my kids and was always available to anyone who needed anything.

I met Michael through the International Thriller Writers organization at ThrillerFest, their annual convention. I was always so happy to see him at conventions because he always seemed so happy to see me; his smile was infectious.

When I was looking for authors willing to visit my library, I only had to ask him once. Not only did he come down, he brought Daniel along, too, and my library patrons got to meet two authors, who not only spoke about their books, but played music and sang. It was such a fun event and a real treat for me & my patrons.

I checked with St. Martin’s Press and they informed me that Michael left one more book behind, which is scheduled for May 2015.

Michael holds a special place in my heart and I will always remember him fondly.

5/14 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

RESISTANT by Michael Palmer. St. Martin’s Press (May 20, 2014). ISBN 978-1250030924. 400p.

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THE SACRIFICE by Peg Brantley

May 17, 2014

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Another great read from Ms Brantley. Although it begins in Colorado which Ms. Brantley calls home, most of the action takes place in and around New Orleans, or as we say Naw’lins.

Mex Anderson was an honest Mexican cop. The drug cartel punished him by killing his pregnant wife and two children. Now a high ranking member of the cartel has come to Mex with a proposition – find the leader’s missing daughter and he will give Mex the name of the man who ordered the murder of Mex’s family. The leader’s son applies additional pressure to Mex by kidnapping Mex’s sister to be returned only if his sister is returned alive.

Suspense builds until near the end when it all comes together, but wait, the fat lady hasn’t sung yet, so keep on reading. You won’t be disappointed.

05/14 Jack Quick

THE SACRIFICE by Peg Brantley. Bark Publishing, LLC (October 25, 2013). ISBN 978-0985363857. 298p.

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THE SON by Jo Nesbo

May 16, 2014

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Nesbo is a Norwegian author who has made his mark in English speaking countries with translations of a series of novels about Harry Hole, who is a detective operating in Norway. The Son is a stand alone novel and an excellent addition to his previous books.

Sonny Loftus has been in prison for 12 years for crimes that he has not committed. He is compensated by an easy incarceration and all the heroin he can consume to insure that he take the blame for those crimes. He is popular with the other prisoners due to his ability to calm them down and soothe them.

Sonny became an addict when his father, a police officer, committed suicide and he agreed to serve time in jail. But when Sonny learns a long held secret about his father, he executes a brilliant escape from prison and begins to hunt the people that caused his father’s suicide. Among these are two men; one known as the “Twin” and the other the “Mole,” who figure prominently in the crime scene in Oslo.

In the course of his investigation, Sonny meets a young woman who is head of a home for the indigent and falls in love with her. She reciprocates when she meets him while he is staying at the home. He also successfully kicks the heroin habit and becomes fixated with living a normal life with Martha, the young lady he met.

Police methods, investigations and good and evil people are similar to these types all over the world and the events of Sonny’s quests, while set in Oslo, are very much like those of a novel set anywhere else in the world. Characterizations are well done and readers will empathize with Sonny and his decisions to take vengeance on various people, as well as his finding both the “Twin” and the “Mole”.

Well done and engrossing book.

5/14 Paul Lane

THE SON by Jo Nesbo. Knopf (May 13, 2014). ISBN 978-0385351379. 416p.

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HOT PURSUIT by Roderick Thorp

May 15, 2014

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Thorp, the author of Nothing Lasts Forever, which was made into the movie “Die Hard” gives us a short novel filled with excitement and the fast moving action of that book.

Sam Merrill, a young Coast Guard Lt Commander comes upon a yacht filled with a fortune in gold, money, and contraband and becomes a national hero for his find. As a reward for the discovery the US government sends him and his wife Amy on an all expense paid trip to the Bahamas. Enjoying themselves and their 15 minutes of fame, Sam and Amy become turned on their heads when out of the blue, they are attacked by terrorists who succeed in kidnapping Amy. From a dream situation Sam finds himself in the nightmare of finding and rescuing his wife.

The reasons for the attack on them while on vacation become apparent when his search takes him to Cartagena Columbia and into the lair of an international drug ring. Action follows action as the reader is catapulted into the nightmare with the Merrills and caught up in a rapidly moving stay up all night book with back and forth action and reaction between all sides.

A definite must read and one which again stamps Thorp as a writer to welcome again and again as his books come out.

5/14 Paul Lane

HOT PURSUIT by Roderick Thorp. Premier Digital Publishing (May 13, 2014). ISBN 978-1624671869. 250p.

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BONE DUST WHITE by Karin Salvalaggio

May 14, 2014

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Rural Montana’s frozen tundra is the setting for this literary mystery debut. Eighteen-year-old Grace is home alone after recuperating from a heart transplant when she sees a man stab a woman on the fringes of the property behind her home, then take off.

Despite the cold, she runs out the back door to try and help. She is shocked to find the victim is the mother who abandoned her eleven years earlier, but she is too late to help. Detective Macy Greeley is assigned the case as she’s been tracking the victim in connection with a sex slavery ring. But Collier, Montana is a small town full of evil secrets and no one is talking, least of all Grace.

Greeley becomes convinced that Grace knows a lot more than she’s telling, but she has to ferret out the information herself while dealing with a pregnancy that’s the result of a liaison with her married boss. The icy winter itself becomes almost another character in this dark, brooding whodunit filled with sharp twists and idiosyncratic characters. This debut should appeal to fans of C.J. Box and Nevada Barr.

2/14 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

BONE DUST WHITE by Karin Salvalaggio. Minotaur Books (May 13, 2014). ISBN 978-1250046185. 304p.

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THE THREE EMPERORS by William Dietrich

May 11, 2014

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An Ethan Gage Adventure

Dietrich continues his series of novels about the adventures of Ethan Gage traveling the world and encountering the French emperor Napoleon at various periods of the great man’s military feats.

After a quick witted escape from death at the naval battle of Trafalgar, Gage sets out to find and rescue his wife Astiza and son Harry, who have fled to avoid capture and fallen into the hands of a ruthless mystic. The mystic lusts after Astiza and to keep him away from his mother, Harry manages to disfigure him by hurling acid at his face.

The pair escape retribution by indicating that Astiza, through her skills in alchemy, will be able to turn base material into gold, and help the mystic find a fabled automaton rumored to be able to tell the future. Astiza manages to keep her unwanted suitor at bay by her experiments, promising to comply with his demands until Ethan finally reaches her and his son.

En route to find his family, Ethan is drafted into the French army and is forced to take part in the battle of Austerlitz, thought to be Napoleon’s greatest victory. He survives the fighting and manages to flee the army with the help of a Jewish soldier and continues on the journey looking for Astiza.

Dietrich delves into the metaphysics of the period when describing the search for a grave containing the automaton as well as the body of the man that created it. It is a departure for the author but well done in terms of making the story better and could have been accomplished by the skills of the period if the imagination was available. It is certain that Dietrich will continue with the characters created in this series, and there are many possibilities still open for their adventures. The research into the early 1800s, Napoleon’s time frame of action, is evident and while literary license is used in many aspects of the novels, the main events are well delineated for the reader.

5/14 Paul Lane

THE THREE EMPERORS by William Dietrich. Harper (May 6, 2014). ISBN 978-0062194107. 384p.

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BORDER WAR by Lou Dobbs & James O. Born

May 8, 2014

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BORDER WAR is also available as a audiobook read by Jeff Gurner. Listen to an excerpt !

Lou Dobbs, an eminent broadcast figure and author, and James O. Born, a major author who has been a member of the DEA and is currently an agent with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, have teamed up to present us with a novel set in the area of El Paso, Texas and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.

The Mexican side is rife with crimes including high murder rates due to the presence of drug cartels shipping to the United States. It is also an area with a huge percent of undocumented Mexicans trying to cross the border to work in the U.S.

Tom Eriksen, an agent for the FBI, was involved with some violence when he worked in the Eastern US and has been transferred to El Paso as “punishment” for his screw up. He knows that he has to redeem himself if he is to remain in the bureau. When an investigation ends in a murde,r Tom is assigned to cover the case, and when his partner is also killed he knows that he must take charge of the cases or lose all credibility and possibly be fired.

Tom teams up with two beautiful women working for allied agencies and assigned to helping solve the killings. The investigation moves through corruption and possible betrayal by a member of Tom’s team bringing up a drug warlord and the work of a computer manufacturer using shady practices to grow itself against huge rivals.

The writing is crisp, very fast, jumping from one situation to the next. Tom’s relationship with the two women helping him moves towards an affair with one, and interest in the other. There is no doubt that this is the first book of others to come involving the same characters and bringing the authors’ knowledge of the problems on the border to life. Well done, and very well worth keeping on eye out for the next novel involving these characters and their interactions with each other, and the criminals they hunt.

5/14 Paul Lane

BORDER WAR by Lou Dobbs & James O. Born. Forge Books (May 6, 2014). ISBN 978-0765327710. 336p.

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WOVERINE BROS. FREIGHT & STORAGE by Steve Ufelder

May 7, 2014

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A Conway Sax Mystery (Book 4)

Conway Sax is back and as hard headed as ever. A recovering drug addict and alcoholic, Sax is a member of the Barnburners, a hard-core Alcohol Anonymous splinter group.

When one of the members, eighty-two-year-old Eudora Spoon, asks Sax to bring her son Kenny home so she can see him one last time before the cancer takes her, he agrees and heads out to find the washed up TV star being held hostage. Sax gets him home but has some Mexican drug lords hot on his trail.

Eudora’s other son, Harmon, is the local police chief, and sibling rivalry rears its ugly head. Sax’s girlfriend is still out of the picture so he hooks up with Tricia, Harmon’s estranged wife, which complicates things even further.

Amazingly, as gritty and violent as Sax is, he is also endearing, a difficult feat to pull off but Ufelder does it brilliantly. Lots of action and violence along with a dash of humor are the hallmarks of this series, and this latest entry does not disappoint. The twists and turns run wildly through this story right up to the surprising ending. Ufelder, like Elmore Leonard, exemplifies contemporary noir.

5/14 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

WOVERINE BROS. FREIGHT & STORAGE by Steve Ufelder. Minotaur Books (May 6, 2014). ISBN 978-1250028105. 320p.

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