Free Fall

The 4th of the Elvis Cole series finds Elvis, and therefore Pike, working for about $40 down and $10 a month on their usual $2,000 fee to figure out what is wrong with Jennifer Sheridan's high school sweetheart and now LAPD special task force cop, Mark Thurman. He's acting strange and she's sure he's in something over his head. When Cole's initial investigation turns up evidence--and a confession from Thurman--that he's having an affair, Jennifer refuses to believe it. And subsequent events prove that there is, in fact, a whole lot more going on.  That, for example, a "righteous" death involving the task force maybe wasn't so legitimate after all, and that the whole team is being blackmailed into aiding and abetting one of the worst gangs in the city to keep the evidence of their misdeed under wraps. Pike, as always, is the shadow that saves Elvis' butt when the chips are down, but they both come out looking like the good guys--not much richer but very noble. Mark Thurman isn't quite the white knight Jennifer fell in love with, but she does still love and believe in him, and we all want someone like that in our lives. I like that real detective work happens in these books by Crais and, although Pike is a little too scarey good at what he does to be true sometimes, you gotta love these guys.

Blue-Eyed Devil

This is the 4th in the Virgil Cole/ Everett Hitch series from Robert B. Parker (follows Appaloosa, Resolution, and Brimstone). I read this online while in New Zealand and although I enjoyed it, I don't feel it added anything new to my understanding of any of the characters, nor was the plot very original. Virgil and Everett have returned to the house Virgil built for Allie in Appaloosa and now they and Laurel are all temporarily living there. Laurel continues to be mute after her rescue from Indian kidnappers, with everyone except Virgil. Pony Flores, who also helped rescue Laurel, does reappear in this episode as do fellow gun slingers Cato and Rose, who are now "keeping the peace" in Resolution after Virgil and Everett's departure. Appaloosa is now being run by a man with big political ambitions, which require a lot of money and so he is extorting most of the saloon owners for protection. Of course Virgil can't abide that, so he and Everett take on the job of protecting the saloons, and then the whole town which a band of Indians decide to attack. So what is new is that Laurel leaves town with Pony after the "Indian troubles" are settled, Virgil becomes a land owner and immediately relinquishes the land, giving it to Laurel and Pony. The dialog is still humorously laconic. Everett is still correcting Virgil's vocabulary. Allie hasn't learned a damned thing and Virgil still loves her in spite of it. Good but not outstanding. There is one more book in the series--not written by Parker but by Robert Knott-- that I will probably still read, Iron Horse.

Bone Parade

This serial killer entry from Mark Nykanen is one I picked up in the book exchange at our last resort stay in Lake Wanaka. Hadn't heard of this person although he is apparently a much-awarded television and documentary investigative journalist. There were also good reviews from reputable sources like Booklist, Publishers Weekly and Kirkus Reviews, so I persisted even after my initial disenchantment. But the only worthwhile part of the book was the detailed discussion of modern sculpture and the processes involved, particularly in bronze casting. The story is told from alternating points of view. One is a world-renowned sculptor, Ashley Stassler, who captures in astounding detail whole families that seem to be struggling in terrible agony. Not surprising since in fact he is the one causing the agony by kidnapping, imprisoning and then suffocating them in casting material which he uses as the molds for his sculptures. I found his description of the delight he takes in the process overwrought and fairly quickly quite tedious. The alternating chapters are offered by sculptor and university art teacher, Lauren Reed, who sends her prize sculpture student off to do an internship with Stassler and then decides to investigate when the student, Kerry, goes missing. Can't recommend this one and I have to kind of wonder about the mind that came up with such detailed musings on people's suffering.

The Broken Souls

Third in a series ("Carson Ryder") by Jack Kerley, this was an author I didn't know before reading this book. Apaprently this is the UK title; the American version is Garden of Vipers. There was a fairly limited selection in the book exchange at the resort, however, and I am out of paper books, though I still have some downloaded on my computer....that won't work on a 20 hour plane trip--the battery just won't stand up to that ;-)
Anyway, solid writing and interesting characters in this police procedural. Set in Mobile, Alabama, which is not a common setting. Detectives Carson Ryder and Harry Nautilus have been partners for many years and have their own arrangements for things. For example, when they are way out of town, Carson rides lying down in the back seat while Harry drives; Carson does some of his best thinking in this "safe" place--you'll have to read to find out why. But it's just an example of the nice little quirky details that are provided. This one had me fooled until very late in the book about who exactly did what, but then I allow myself to fairly easily suspend disbelief. What starts out looking like a serial killer hunt isn't that exactly, although several women are indeed murdered by the same person. I won't go looking for his earlier books, but I wouldn't hesitate to read more by this author.

In the Moon of Red Ponies

Fourth in the "Billy Bob Holland" series by James Lee Burke, we find Billy Bob and new wife Temple living on their ranch outside Missoula, Montana. Billy Bob is working as an attorney after leaving the Texas Rangers and trying a stint as an assistant U.S. Attorney. Psychopath Wyatt Dixon has been released from jail on a technicality after burying Temple alive and being caught by Billy Bob. And he now seems intent on being a part of their lives, claiming he has found God and is a changed man. Meanwhile, decorated ex-soldier and now activist in Native American causes Johnny American Horse is calling on Billy Bob to help him out of a frame-up for murder. Johnny is in love with the daughter of a U.S. senator and she with him, but the senator will do anything he can to put a stop to their impending marriage. When people start threatening Temple and Billy Bob's son Luke, he struggles to find a path through that will leave his integrity intact. This is a very intricate plot about the abuse of political and monetary power. Sometimes it's hard to tell who the good guys are, because nobody is just one thing. And even when they're trying to do good, they don't often prevail. As Billy Bob puts it, "you're on your own." Richly detailed and colored with a love of the Montana country where he now lives, this will draw you in and not let go until you come up for air at the end. All the other books I've read by Burke are also excellent. He's a great writer with very well-developed characters, sense of place and plotting.

The Last Detective

This is the 9th entry in the “Elvis Cole” series from Robert Crais--fairly far along in the development of the main character; nevertheless, we gain additional insight into what drives Elvis. His partner, Lucy, and her 9 year old son Ben have moved to LA to be near Elvis.  Ben is kidnapped and the phone calls from the kidnappers make it seem that Elvis is actually the target for revenge;  but the charges leveled against Cole about murdering villagers and his fellow soldiers in Viet Nam just didn’t happen.  Elvis enlists long-time compatriot and also former soldier Pike to help him and they quickly realize that the kidnappers are no ordinary men; rather they are highly trained and extremely dangerous ex-special forces who have been working as mercenaries.  The whole kidnapping has been set up by Ben’s father in an attempt to convince his ex-wife to leave Cole and move back to Louisiana. But the plan backfires when the kidnappers decide to double cross him and demand more money. Now it’s a race against the most brutal and deadly kind of enemy to find Ben before they no longer need him. Even if you’ve never read another book in this series, the plot is gripping and the pace fast-moving so you will fall right into the sense of urgency and fear that compel Cole and Pike relentlessly forward.

Killing Floor

This is the first Jack Reacher novel by Lee Child, which I had never read although I've read several of his subsequent ones (e.g., 61 Hours, and Gone Tomorrow) and really liked them. Provides insight into Reacher's childhood and family and, therefore, into his decision to become a modern day "hobo" after he leaves the service. I agree with my husband that casting Tom Cruise as this character in the new movie just seems so wrong, since Reacher is about 6'3"....but all the interviews I have seen/read with Lee Child report him to be totally fine with this decision. Reacher has a fascination with old blues musicians and so he asks the bus driver to drop him off near a town where one particular blues player, Blind Blake, was rumored to have been murdered 60 years ago. He walks 14 miles from the highway into town and is arrested for murder while eating breakfast. It gets weirdly personal when it turns out that the murdered man was none other than Reacher's older brother Joe. Now, even though he's been cleared of the charges because witnesses place him 400 miles away at the time of the murder, Reacher is determined to find out who killed Joe. The books in this series are always fast moving and compelling reads for anyone who likes these type of tough guy books.

The Game of Kings

The first book in the "Lymond Chronicles" by historical novelist Dorothy Dunnett, this book was originally published in 1961 with several re-issues. There appear to be five additional books in the series. Set in the time after the death of Henry VIII, but told from the Scottish perspective, there is now a child on the throne of England and a child on the throne of Scotland. War and politics and treachery are the coin of all realms as Scotland struggles to maintain its independence. The protagonist, Francis Lymond, is an enigmatic character. His first appearance is as a rogue--thief, drunk, womanizer. He emerges--eventually--as a person of high moral character who is working according to his own agenda to help preserve Scotland from an avaricious England. But through much of the book, you are never really sure if he is a traitor or someone wrongly accused. I love reading about this period in history, but felt like I was talked to death at times by elaborate speeches full of literary and cultural references that left me clueless. It is complex in much the same way that Hilary Mantel's books about a slightly earlier period are--it was a complex time, admittedly, but this feels like a book for people who are much better versed in the history and politics than I apparently am.  Maybe though, as with Mantel, the second installment will be easier. I appreciate the encouragement of erudite friend Anne Zald for telling me about this book. I will pass it along to those who also enjoy this genre and time period and may even look for the next installment, Queen's Play.

Garment of Shadows

I really like this series by Laurie King, featuring the semi-retired Sherlock Holmes and his young wife, Mary Russell. Mary is a formidable character in her own right and the story is told from her perspective. She wakes up with no memory of who she is or how she came to be in a small room in what she eventually determines is the town of Fez, Morocco. But soldiers are pounding on the downstairs door and she realizes, to her horror, that she has dried blood on her hands. Making her escape, she vanishes into the souk and discovers she has talents that no ordinary woman should have--for picking pockets and locks, for disguise as a man, for Arabic language... Holmes meanwhile has just found out that Mary is missing and is searching frantically for her when he gets embroiled in political intrigues that could cause Morocco, currently administered by the French in the south and the Spanish in the north, to explode in civil war. As always, King delivers up well-drawn characters, well-researched history, fascinating period details, and a great plot. Excerpts are available on Laurie King's web site.

Vulture Peak

Jon Burdett's novels about Thailand and southeast Asia in general are always fascinating, often gruesome, and yet thought provoking. This fifth in a series that features Buddhist detective Sonchai Jitpleecheep focuses on the exploding trade in human organs and all the vices that you can imagine--and some you probably would not--in connection with the attaining and selling of same. His common law marriage to former prostitute Chanya is somewhat on the rocks; there are rumors she has a lover and Sonchai himself finds his attentions wandering. He is sorely tempted by one particular woman who seems to be at the heart of two overlapping cases, one involving a serial rapist and the other the organ trafficking empire of some very beautiful and very powerful Chinese twins. I devoured the first three in this series (Bangkok 8, Bangkok Tatoo, and Bangkok Haunts) and when I started this, realized I had missed the fourth (The Godfather of Kathmandu) which I will certainly go back and fill in. I also really like The Last Six Million Seconds--another book outside the series about the handover of Hong Kong. These books are gritting and compelling perspectives of the sex trade and corruption of the police in Thailand, but certainly don't entice me to want to visit. This is definitely armchair travel that will stay in the armchair. Kirkus offers more details of the plot.