THE GODS OF GUILT by Michael Connelly

January 13, 2014


This is the latest entry in the Lincoln Lawyer series, but fear not, Harry Bosch is lurking around the fringes. Mickey Haller is a great character, and I loved the tongue-in-cheek references to the Lincoln Lawyer movie. Yes, Mickey has had his life turned into a film, causing enough lawyers to start practicing out of Lincoln Town Cars to create some humor with Mickey hopping into the wrong car on more than one occasion.

Connelly is not known for writing humorous mysteries, and the humor pretty much ends there. An online pimp calls Mickey asking for help; he’s been accused of murdering one of his girls. Turns out Mickey knew her and had tried to help her get out of the life. He believes the pimp and agrees to defend him. This case is not as simple as it seems; a drug cartel is involved, along with the inherent violence there, and some of the unusual twists that Connelly excels at.

The courtroom is where it always ends up with this series, and again, Connelly comes through here, interweaving testimony with legal strategies and great character development. The title “Gods of Guilt” refers to the jury, and I find it fascinating to see all the legal machinations in motion; I always feel like I’m learning something. 

This was fast reading, one night, as I couldn’t put it down. Another excellent read from the master of crime fiction. If you’d like a taste, Connelly has posted an excerpt here.

1/14 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

THE GODS OF GUILT by Michael Connelly. Little, Brown and Company (December 2, 2013). ISBN 978-0316069519. 400p.

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Posted by Stacy Alesi

TRUST ME by Jeff Abbott

December 30, 2013

Luke Dantry, a young man with the double tragedy of having both his mother and father killed in accidents when he was younger, is working for his stepfather at a  job  with a Washington D.C. think tank involving investigation, on line, of possible terrorists whose verbal anger might explode into physical action against the United States.   He assumes that his identity is kept secret due to working only on computer.
Suddenly he is kidnapped, taken to a remote cabin and left there to die. Freeing himself, he realizes that the terrorists he has been tracking are more organized and dangerous than previously thought. Pushed into a situation where he must help himself or be killed he finds that there is not only one organization but two pitted against each other and which of them are the bad guys is not readily apparent.
In investigating the groups, Luke’s past comes up and becomes a motivating factor in the events.  He teams up with a girl that he had dated, and who had been kidnapped when her current boyfriend was killed by one of the groups in opposition. The two cooperate in trying to solve what becomes their mutual problem and does supply some romantic interest.
Jeff Abbott has the ability to keep his readers involved with the plots and characters he writes about.  Trust Me is a bit too simplified in terms of events and motivations of the characters involved, but is, like most Abbott books, one that will provide a satisfying read with a logical plot and ending.

12/13 Paul Lane

Trust Me by Jeff Abbott. Grand Central Publishing; Reprint edition (December 17, 2013). ISBN 978-1455552627. 480p.

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Posted by Stacy Alesi

THE ASCENDANT by Drew Chapman

December 30, 2013

A novel about a war between the United States and China with no shots fired and battles fought with psychology, financial manipulation and computer hacking, circumstances very similar to the reality of today. It is Drew Chapman’s first book and one that mesmerizes the reader immediately with the back and forth secret movements by both the US and China.

Garrett Reilly is a 26 year old bond trader with a New York brokerage house and the most successful trader in town. He has a photographic memory for numbers and the ability to sense patterns in them, to rank them and to make money for himself and his firm by working this ability to come out ahead of other buyers and sellers in trading. His ability allows him to sense a sudden enormous selloff in US Treasury bonds to the tune of billions of dollars, and he is aware that following this trend can make him very rich.

Starting to follow the Treasury market and taking advantage of it causes the US government to become interested in him and he is visited by army Captain Alexis Truffant, who advises that Garrett has stumbled upon the initial attack of a covert war started by China. He is asked to begin working for the government to help thwart the attack, and plan action against the enemy. It helps that Captain Truffant is quite beautiful and a romantic interest develops between the two. Garrett is placed in charge of a group tasked with challenging the Chinese and developing a response that does not involve military action but played out the same way as the attacks. Manipulation of markets, hacking of computer data, and psychological warfare that does not involve weapons. And oh, yes bringing China to it’s knees.

Chapman’s knowledge of computers, financial markets and the inner workings of government delivers a scenario of an unconventional war between superpowers that is fought behind the scenes, with no knowledge that a conflict is occurring by the people of these countries. Brilliant idea and delivery of the first of what should be many novels by this author in the near future.

12/13 Paul Lane

The Ascendant by Drew Chapman. Simon & Schuster (January 7, 2014). ISBN 978-1476725888. 400p.

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Posted by Stacy Alesi

GAME by Anders de la Motte

December 28, 2013

Henrik Pettersson isn’t about to pass up a free phone. No one is around to claim it, after all. But the phone is strange with seemingly no way to turn it on. Still, it’s sleek and looks cool and should fetch him at least a few bucks at a pawn shop. That’s what HP thinks until he’s invited into the game. He initially believes it’s a prank but the invitation is just too tempting and the revelation that points earned translates into cash is all HP needs to be drawn in. As the game progresses, though, the tasks HP is set with escalate soon placing his own sister in danger. Now he must decide, is it worth it to continue even when leaving could mean his own life? Game kicks off an exciting trilogy that’s already made waves in Anders de la Motte’s native Sweden. The author draws on his own experience in policing and IT to create a frighteningly believable scenario in which otherwise ordinary folks become pawns of a far-reaching conspiracy all under the guise of gaming.

12/13 Becky Lejeune

GAME by Anders de la Motte. Atria/Emily Bestler Books; Reprint edition (December 3, 2013). ISBN 978-1476712888. 400p.

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Posted by Stacy Alesi

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