Assassins Anonymous

This book with a somewhat preposterous premise by Rob Hart, is nevertheless filled with the kinds of struggles faced by those in any 12-step addiction recovery program. The book jacket gives an accurate flavor of the storyline. "Mark was the most dangerous killer-for-hire in the world. But after learning the hard way that his life's work made him more monster than man, he left all of that behind, and joined a twelve-step group for reformed killers. When Mark is viciously attacked by an unknown assailant, he is forced on the run. From New York to Singapore to London, he chases after clues while dodging attacks and trying to solve the puzzle of who's after him. All without killing anyone. Or getting killed himself. For an assassin, Mark learns, nonviolence is a real hassle." 

Publishers Weekly opens their review with this, "A legendary assassin joins a support group of murderers hoping to cure themselves of their addiction to violence in Hart's nail-biting latest..." and concludes, "Mark's continued efforts to stay "clean" from violence provide welcome humor to the otherwise breakneck proceedings. Strong characters and rattling suspense lift things further above par." Kirkus generally concurs, saying "Despite Mark’s insistence that 'being an assassin is nothing like John Wick,'  Hart’s latest wears its myriad cinematic influences on its sleeve. Escalating stakes and precisely choreographed action sequences keep the pages turning, but a slew of increasingly gonzo twists skew the tone toward camp—a vibe underscored by Mark’s droll yet angsty first-person-present narration. Though Hart often mistakes quirk for character development, the scenes Mark shares with his fellow recovering murder addicts impart some nice emotional resonance, helping to ground the tale and lend it heft. Bombastic whiz-bang fun."

The Frozen River

This historical mystery by Ariel Lawhon is based on the real life midwife, Martha Ballard, who in the late 1700's delivered over 1,000 babies and never lost a mother. When the rape of a friend and a murder occur in her small town, Martha is determined to seek justice. Here is the plot summary and review from Booklist: 

"Spanning the winter of 1789--90 in Hallowell, Maine, from the freezing of the Kennebec River to its late thaw, Lawhon's outstanding sixth novel is based on the actual life of frontier midwife Martha Ballard, who recorded daily diary entries about her household and career. Called to examine the body of Joshua Burgess after it was retrieved from icy waters, Martha recognizes the telltale signs of hanging. Burgess and another man, a local judge, had been accused of raping a young pastor's wife four months earlier, and Martha believes her account unquestioningly. She also guesses the two crimes are connected. A sage, strong presence at 54, Martha is an extraordinary character. Devoted to her patients and her six surviving children, mostly young adults with complicated love lives, she battles subjugation by a Harvard-educated doctor who dares to think her incapable. Although this isn't a traditional detective story, Martha's narrative will capture historical mystery fans' attention with its dramatic courtroom scenes and emphasis on justice, particularly for women. Flashbacks to Martha's past add context and generate additional suspense. Martha's enduring romance with her supportive husband, Ephraim, is beautifully evoked, and details about the lives of the townspeople make the post-American Revolutionary atmosphere feel fully lived-in. Lawhon's first-rate tale should entrance readers passionate about early America and women's history." 

Publishers Weekly concurs, concluding, "Lawhon combines modern prose with the immediacy of her source material, making for an accessible and textured narrative. This accomplished historical powerfully speaks to centuries-old inequities that remain in the present day." Highly recommended.

Pro Bono

Thomas Perry is the author of almost 2 dozen books. Kirkus calls this a "lumpy but irrisistible thriller" and summarizes the plot as follows:

"Three years after George Ellis left a party he was hosting and never returned, his wife, Vesper, notices that some of his investment accounts have been shrinking instead of growing. Suspecting fraud, she consults Charles Warren, who’s been recommended by a mutual friend. Charlie turns out to be an excellent choice for several reasons. He’s both an attorney and accountant, so he’s good with numbers. He’s hard to bully, as any number of bankers and potential assailants learn to their cost. And he has both sympathy for the victims of fraud and extensive criminal experience, which began long ago when he raced after his fleeing stepfather, Mack Stone—who’d plundered the accounts of Charlie’s mother—running him off the road into a fatal crash that’s never been tied to Charlie except by Andy Minkeagan and Alvin Copes, two convicts who turned up at the scene of Mack’s accident ahead of the police, ran off with his financial papers, and are still bent on finding a way to cash in on their discovery. In fact, Charlie and Vesper are surrounded by so many lowlifes in pinstripes that it’s a good thing they have each other. As the story goes on, though, the obstacles to Charlie’s legal victories seem to fall away, and readers familiar with Perry’s knack for steering his tales in new directions they never saw coming may wonder what will happen during those last hundred pages. A series of completely new threats against a completely different person, that’s what. A model of suspense, though not of construction."

The Wall Street Journal praises this latest work: "Few crime-fiction authors are as skilled as Thomas Perry at keeping readers off balance and in suspense. Mr. Perry’s “Pro Bono,” a cutthroat caper of embezzlement and revenge, repeatedly shifts direction as its unpredictable plot unfolds." 

 

The Dark Maestro

This is Brendan Slocumb's "impressive third thriller" (Publishers Weekly). Here is the plot summary from Library Journal:

"Slocumb's (Symphony of Secrets) new novel, a musical literary thriller, illustrates the shady side of a life of crime but also the beauty of the strings in the symphony. Curtis Wilson is a child prodigy on the cello who received his instrument through a free school program. His father, Zippy, is a low-level drug dealer in Washington, DC, who doesn't have much time for his son. But Zippy's girlfriend Larissa sees and encourages Curtis's musical potential while gifting him the comic books he devours. While, Zippy's boss moves Zippy into a higher but sketchier business position, Curtis earns a spot at Julliard and is becoming known nationwide as a star cellist. Then his father turns state's evidence and the family is moved into witness protection, putting a hold on Curtis's skyrocketing musical career. The family comes together, however, while in hiding to create an online comic book called The Dark Maestro and to pick up where the FBI has left off on a quest for justice. VERDICT The twists of the story keep coming, and the thread of superhero comics and the Dark Maestro bring readers along on a journey that comic book fans will appreciate." 

Publishers Weekly concludes their favorable review by saying, "Slocumb effectively incorporates issues of class and race into the well-paced story, for example by prompting readers to wonder if Curtis would have to go so deep undercover if he were white instead of one of the few elite Black cellists. Though the narrative requires more than a little suspension of disbelief, it’s worth sticking around for the nerve-jangling climax. This is as stimulating as a well-played sonata."  Similarly, Kirkus offers thiese favorable closing comments: "This is an intricately plotted novel, paced perfectly by Slocumb, who keeps the book moving at a breakneck speed—but not at the expense of his beautifully drawn characters. Curtis, shy and sweet, is especially memorable; Slocumb paints a beautiful picture of the young man’s internal life. The final act of the book strains credulity, but who cares when you’re having so much fun? This novel should catapult Slocumb into the upper echelon of thriller authors. A virtuosic thriller."

Fever Beach

What to say about Carl Hiaasen's new book? It is the very definition of schadenfreude -- taking pleasure in the suffering of others. And we get to indulge this as Dale Figgo, ardent white supremacist, and his merry --and usually drunk or high-- band of brothers take a drubbing from the weather, a group of transgender performers, and wealthy eco-warrior Twilly Spree. Additional cast members are described by Booklist : "Dale Figgo, a right-wing nutcase who was too crazy for the Proud Boys; Viva Morales, who's renting a room from Dale, and whose bosses, a pair of alleged philanthropists [the Minks], are almost certainly up to no good; an ambitious and deeply corrupt congressman [Clure Boyette, "an apparent caricature of Matt Gaetz, though somewhat tame by comparison" according to the NYT]; Dale's mom, who isn't thrilled about what her son is doing with his life; and a bunch of other delightfully weird characters." They go on to close their review: "There is a serious story to be told about right-wing conspiracists, corrupt politicians, and shady philanthropists, and Hiaasen is sort of telling that story, but mostly he's making us laugh... This could be his funniest book yet."  Boyette plans to use the grant money received from the Minks to fund Figgo's group in a voter intimidation scheme, hiding this behind the public face of a phony home building non-profit using child workers. The New York Times notes that Florida beat Hiaasen to the punch  as "the satire arrives pre-obsolesced by a reality even stupider and more depraved than the author dared imagine: The Florida Legislature recently considered a bill to legalize child labor to replace the holes in the work force left by waves of deportation." was somewhat more measured in their review, saying the book is "both feverish and beachy: a bottomless margarita...'Fever Beach' becomes finally a test of the reader’s own appetite for sanctimony and schadenfreude. As with the bottomless margarita, you’ll have to decide for yourself when enough is enough." Kirkus values what the book has to offer: "The perfect antidote for anyone who doomscrolls daily headlines: more crazed, rollicking, sharply written sendups like this." And Publishers Weekly concurs, "This funhouse-mirror satire offers welcome opportunities to laugh at the absurdities of 21st-century politics. It’s Hiaasen at his finest."

 

Wild Dark Shore

In this speculative climate fiction by Charlotte McConaghy, the story takes place on the sub-Antarctic island of Shearwater, home to the world' largest seed storage vault. Modeled on the actual island of Macquarie Island, located halfway between Tasmania and Antarctica, which does have a similar research station but no light house. The Salt family--father Dom, oldest son Raff, daughter Fen and youngest son Orly--are the caretakers of the island and have been ordered to prepare for evacuation as increasingly violent storms and rising sea levels are rapidly eroding the shoreline and taking the research facilities with them. During the worst storm they have ever experienced, they find a woman, Rowan, washed ashore and barely alive. As she is nursed back to health and becomes more integrated into the routine life of the family and the island, she forever alters the family dynamics. But everyone in this story is keeping secrets, secrets that may tear apart their newfound sense of hope. We don't get all the answers until the very end of the book. A predictable romance arises between widower Dominic and Rowan, but the ending is a surprise. The book is filled with delightful bits of obscure knowledge about plants and animals compliments of avidly curious Orly, and each member of the cast contributes their own viewpoints and experience in dedicated chapters. 

Library Journal closes their review with "As lush as it is taut with tension, this novel is filled with both the joys and ravages of nature." Publishers Weekly offers this: "McConaghy ratchets up the tension as the characters' paranoia and mutual suspicion increases and their motives are revealed,...McConaghy blends entertainment with a sobering message about conservation and the impacts of geographic isolation. Readers of climate fiction ought to check this out." The New York Times focuses on this observation: "In 'Wild Dark Shore,' we’re shown why a person might withdraw from the messiness of life after tragedy and trauma...The novel also offers its injured characters a path back to connection and community, a risk McConaghy argues must be worth taking, no matter how fraught the future, no matter how temporary the family. As Rowan reflects later in the novel: 'What is the use of safety if it deprives you of everything else?'" Kirkus opens their laudatory review with this, "The reality of climate change serves as the pervasive context for this terrific thriller..." and concludes by noting "While McConaghy keeps readers guessing which suspicions are valid, which are paranoia, and who is culpable for doing what in the face of calamity, the most critical battle turns out to be personal despair versus perseverance. McConaghy writes about both nature and human frailty with eloquent generosity. Readers won’t want to leave behind the imagined world of pain and beauty that McConaghy has conjured."

The Nowhere Man

This second installment in the "Orphan X" series by Greg Hurwitz turns the tables on our hero who becomes the victim rather than the rescuer in this episode. A very wealthy man with endless resources kidnaps Evan and demands access to the millions he has stashed away in a secure bank account. Meanwhile the calls for help from Evan impose an inexorable deadline on making his escape from the seemingly airtight and luxurious prison where he is being held. 

Library Journal concludes their short review by saying, "Though the loner-on-a-quest story line isn't new to thrillers, Hurwitz excels at writing smart characters and plots. His latest continues his track record. Fans of Jack Reacher will love Evan Smoak, a man who will do anything to aid the innocent..." Booklist gives this "brilliant sequel" a starred review and gushes with this praise: "Though the loner-on-a-quest story line isn't new to thrillers, Hurwitz excels at writing smart characters and plots. His latest continues his track record. Fans of Jack Reacher will love Evan Smoak, a man who will do anything to aid the innocent..."  Publishers Weekly also recommends this book, closing with these words: "Despite meticulous efforts to maintain his cover, Evan faces many enemies who wish him grievous harm. One of them is Charles Van Sciver, the most brutal of the Orphans, who’s now running the program and is on a mission to hunt down former members of the organization. Evan’s efforts to elude Van Sciver and company will keep readers on the edge of their seats, but it’s Hurwitz’s engaging, sympathetic characters who place this thriller above the pack."

The Mystery of the Crooked Man

This mystery by Tom Spencer (pseudonym for Tom Perrin) starts out slow but eventually pulls you into the twisty plot. The main character is a bit of an anti-hero and the ending is a surprise. Here is Publishers Weekly's review in full: 

"Spencer... serves up an affectionate homage to Agatha Christie that seamlessly blends satire and fair-play mystery. Crotchety archivist Agatha Dorn is an expert on Gladden Green, author of a bestselling mystery series featuring the Poirot-like Père Flambeau. After she's passed over for a promotion, Dorn discovers the manuscript of an unpublished Flambeau novella by Green. She convinces Green's publisher to let her write an introduction to the text, which she insists she's vetted, and quickly becomes a literary sensation. Her achievement is marred, however, when her best friend and ex-lover, Amy Murgatroyd, dies--ostensibly by suicide, but Dorn suspects foul play. Then the novella turns out to be a fake, and a disgraced Dorn starts catching glimpses of a shadowy figure who resembles a villain from another Green novel. Bruised and grieving, she sets out to solve the mystery of Murgatroyd's death. Dorn is a refreshingly acerbic and misanthropic lead, and Spencer ushers the plot through a series of wild swings without sacrificing plausibility. This witty whodunit will delight fans of Anthony Horowitz. " 

And here are excerpts from the New York Times short review: "Sometimes you know immediately that a book is going to get under your skin and stay there...Spencer’s tart debut... vaults the reader into the world of Agatha Dorn, an irritable archivist and passionate devotee of mystery fiction — particularly the work of Gladden Green (think Agatha Christie through a fun-house mirror.) ...Is Agatha 'a crazy woman, haphazardly but unmistakably drifting down and out, sick, unemployed, drunk, obsessed with solving a murder that had never occurred?' Or 'a maverick, pursuing truth and justice … even at the cost of [her] own well-being?' Maybe she’s both."

The Briar Club

This historical novel by Kate Quinn had me from the first chapter. I previously read her book The Alice Network, which was also based on some actual people as well as actual events-- the reason I love historical mysteries.  This one is set in Washington D.C. in the early to mid-50's, during the height of McCarthy's "red scare" terror campaign. Several women who live in a down-at-the-heels women's boarding house are converted from strangers passing in the night to a tightly knit group of friends by the actions of one woman, Grace March. We are provided chapters from each woman's point of view with information about their histories, their dreams and their insecurities. Nobody is fully who they appear to be and the characters are ones you will cheer for--for the most part. Also the two children in the house, Pete and Lina, mistreated by their mother and apparently abandoned by their father, are taken under Grace's and then everyone else's care. We know from the beginning that a murder or two has been committed--this current situation is being narrated by the house itself--and the rest of the book provides the backstory to the present events. Wonderful characters, rich settings, and a twisty surprise at the end. Highly recommended.

Here is Publishers Weekly's summary of plot and characters: "when widowed 30-something Grace March arrives at Briarwood. She meets Fliss, a harried new mother; Bea, a former pro baseball player; Claire, a file clerk for Sen. Margaret Chase Smith; Nora, an employee of the National Archives; and Arlene, a secretary for the House Un-American Activities Committee who’s fully embraced the hysterical rhetoric of her boss, Sen. Joseph McCarthy. As the women bond, clash, and pursue various romantic entanglements, they remain committed to holding weekly dinner parties in Grace’s room. As Quinn gradually steers the narrative back toward the violent opening scene, she elegantly explores issues of race, class, and gender, and brings the paranoid atmosphere of McCarthy-era Washington to vivid life."

 

Murder at Gull's Nest

This cozy mystery, set in 1954 along the southern coast of England, is a first in what will be the "Nora Breen Investigates" series by Jess Kidd.  Nora has recently left her vocation as a nun after 30 years in order to find out what happened to a novitiate that she cared for at her former monastery (not a convent according to Nora). She is dealing with the loss of structure that being a sister provided her as well as the overwhelming freedoms and choices presented by the outside world. Nevertheless, she has taken up residence at a run-down boarding house in Gore-on-Sea called Gulls Nest, which is where her friend Frieda last lived before apparently vanishing one night. Nora is convinced that Frieda would not have voluntarily broken her promise to write to Nora and wants the local police to treat this as a missing persons case, which they are unwilling to do. When a resident at Gulls Nest dies from strychnine poisoning, DI Rideout concludes it's a suicide but Nora and the deceased's wife are sure it was murder. Of course Nora is relentless in interviewing the motley assortment of boarders at the Gull's Nest and uncovers secrets that the police have missed. She gradually earns the respect of DI Rideout with her results and they develop a warm working relationship.

Kirkus opens their review by saying "An undercover nun tracks the fate of a lost friend and solves a dastardly murder in an English seaside town." and recommends this as "A delightful series kickoff in a cozy community primed for more murder."

Publishers Weekly calls this a "delightful series launch" and concludes their review by saying "Elegant prose, vivid characterizations, and a fascinating protagonist add up to a thoroughly enjoyable mystery. Readers will be eager for the sequel." I totally agree.