The Hunter by Tana French

 This is the second book featuring Cal Hooper and Trey Reddy. The first book, "The Searcher," was a twisty mystery that brought rural Ireland to life in a gritty, engaging story. This second book delves even deeper into the people of Ardnakelty, Ireland, and the vigilante justice they mete out to those who don't abide by their rules.

A heat wave has engulfed Western Ireland, bringing fears of selling off land or sheep to make ends meet. On top of this, scoundrel Johnny Reddy returns with Englishman Cillian Rushborough and tales of gold just waiting to be claimed. This news is a Godsend to those facing financial ruin, and even though Johnny isn't the most reliable man, the citizens of Ardnakelty see a possible out for their economic woes. Thinking they are pulling a con of Rushborough, they fall in line, not realizing there is a more significant con in play--one that will ruin them financially faster than the drought.

Retired Chicago detective Cal Hooper has taken fatherless Trey Reddy under his wing and is teaching her some skills to help her support her family. When Trey's father suddenly reappears, she is far from happy to see him. After Cal meets Johnny, he spots him for what he is: a charming grifter who is up to no good. Each develops a plan to stop Johnny, not realizing they are at cross purposes. Figuring out Cal's and Trey's plans, motives, and what Johnny is up to moves this story along.

I loved French's Dublin Murder Squad series—they were dark and compelling—but she outdoes herself with the characters Cal and Trey and their small Irish village. This is a moralistic story of revenge and the ties that bind; it sometimes left me wondering about my own moral compass. Loyalties are tested, and secrets are revealed in this raw, fast-paced novel. The writing is lyrical and atmospheric. I recommend reading "The Searcher" first, as events in that novel are referenced here. 

5/5 stars.

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The Lost Children by Michael Wood

 I usually enjoy this series—it's dark and twisty, just the way I like them. This book, however, was just a bit too dark, even for me. It deals with child abuse, a subject I don't enjoy. Even so, it is a trademark Michael Wood crime thriller—fast-paced with many twists and turns.

Peter Ogilvy has been trying to get an investigation into a murder that occurred at his former boys' home, Magnolia House. Still, with no body, the South Yorkshire police have been sweeping it under the carpet for years. Then, a high-profile man is found gruesomely murdered. When DCI Matilda Darke and her team begin investigating, they uncover his unsavory past, a link to the suspected murdered boy, and physical abuse that occurred at Magnolia House over the years. The investigation is thwarted at every turn by those higher up in the police department, forcing Matilda and her team to hide their proper investigation. It raises questions about possible police involvement in the abuse--why else try to hinder the investigation?

This is an emotionally disturbing book that some readers may find off-putting. Still, it is an excellent police procedural that is gripping and character-driven. Wood's plots are intricate, with characters facing moral dilemmas and not always choosing the best way forward. This series is addicting.

4/5 stars.

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Under the Storm by Christoffer Carlsson

What an interesting book. Unlike most police procedurals that focus on finding a perpetrator, this book looks more at the lives of those associated with the murder and what has happened to them over the years. It is an engaging and beautifully crafted novel that is by turns unsettling and embracing.

Rookie policeman Vidar Jorgensson is the first on the scene of a house fire, where he finds the body of murder victim Lovisa Markstrom in the ashes. Vidar also discovers the unconscious body of Lovisa's lover, Edvard Christensson, nearby and evidence he had been in the house before Lovisa's death. Edvard and the male members of his family have a history of violence and bad decisions, and it isn't long before he is arrested and convicted of Lovisa's murder. Edvard's ten-year-old nephew, Isak Nyqvist, who adores and defends his uncle, is soon an outcast among his peer group, setting his life path on an unexpected trajectory that intertwines with the young policeman.

The years pass, and although Vidor was on the periphery of the investigation., he can't stop revisiting the crime in his spare time. Edvard has never stopped saying he is innocent, and Vidor starts believing him, but how can he prove it with little evidence?

This is a mystery and a coming-of-age story as the reader follows Isak through his teen and young adult years. It is an expertly plotted and well-written book whose characters are nicely drawn. Carlsson is an award-winning Swedish writer, and this book is already an international bestseller. I'm so happy to have found this book and author.

4.5/5 stars.

Thank you, NetGalley and Hogarth Books, for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The publication date is February 27, 2024.

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Lethal Vengeance by Robert Bryndza

 I enjoy Robert Bryndza's Kate Marshall and Erika Foster murder mystery series, and this Erika Foster offering is one of the best so far.

Erika stumbles upon a murdered politician who is hog-tied and suffocated, but before she can get her team together, she is taken off the case, and the death is quickly ruled as natural causes. When another high-profile victim is found, killed in the same manner, Erika digs in her heels and battles upper management to take charge of the case. During her investigation, she uncovers another similar killing, and the hunt for the serial killer is on. The only thing known about the perpetrator is that she is a sex worker who leaves explicit photos at each crime scene, signed "Annabelle." What she looks like, and her motivation is another mystery the team needs to solve to catch the killer before she strikes again.

As usual, Bryndza does an excellent job of plotting and pacing to keep up the tension throughout the book. The reader follows Erika and Annabelle in their cat-and-mouse game, with Annabelle seemingly one step ahead. The more I got to know Annabelle, the more I was rooting for her--odd, I know, but she is so well drawn it was hard not to. Although this is the eighth book in the series, there are sufficient details to read this as a standalone and not feel lost. However, I recommend reading the entire series because it is so good.

4.5/5 stars.

Thank you, NetGalley and Raven Street Publishing, for furnishing me with an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. The publication date is February 8, 2024.

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Dead Man's Grave by Neil Lancaster

 I saw this series recommended on Twitter (Sorry, Elon, it will always be Twitter to me) by an author I like. I also like British police procedurals, and this one sounded good, so I thought I'd try it. I'm glad I did, but I don't know if I'll keep reading it--I think I have too many good series reads to take one another. But never say never.

Tam Hardie is the head of a family that controls the drug trade in Scotland. He is also into genealogy, and his quest for an ancestor's grave leads him to a remote cemetery and a marker reading "this grave never to be opened." He is murdered, and his body is placed under the marker. Detectives Max Cragie and Janie Calder find the body and discover the death is a result of a blood feud between two families that dates to the 1800s. Knowing that Tam's death will resurrect the feud, they try to head off more killings, and in doing so, find themselves not only up against the Hardie family but corruption in Police Scotland as well--both are trying to hinder their investigation.

This is an excellently paced novel with a hook that grabbed me from the beginning with the grave and its ominous warning. The action didn't let up, and the investigation details rang authentically.  This is the promising start to what may be an excellent series, and I liked the two detectives so I may revisit this series to check in on them.

4 stars.

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The Rise by Ian Rankin

I have been a fan of Ian Rankin for many years, so I leaped to get this short story by him that was free for Amazon Prime members in October.

DI Jack Milton and DS Gillian Gish are on call when a murder occurs at an exclusive residential high-rise in London, aptly named The Rise. The highly wealthy inhabitants find themselves suspects, and some aren't very cooperative. The detectives must tread lightly to solve the murder.

This is a solid police procedural with a twist. Typical of Rankin, the murderer isn't apparent, and although a few clues are meted out, there aren't enough to figure out the whodunit in this intricate story—that part I didn't like. I felt like the author held back too much information--a fine line for a murder mystery, I admit, and one that often frustrates me. Overall, this is a good, solid read, and the price couldn't be beaten.

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One Last Kill by Robert Dugoni

 

I can't believe this is the tenth book in the Tracy Crosswhite series and that I've been a fan since the beginning, eagerly awaiting each new installment. The series just keeps getting better and better.

Detective Tracy Crosswhite is still the sole member of Seattle's cold case department and often clashes with Chief of Police Marcella Weber as to what direction she should take. She is blindsided when Weber orders her to reopen the decades-old Route 99 serial killer cases in advance of a series of newspaper articles on them beginning on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the last killing. Not only that, Weber orders her to partner with her nemesis and boss, Captain Johnny Nolasco, who was head of the task force investigating the crimes when they first occurred. Nolasco and Crosswhite immediately disagree on their approach to solving the cases and things go downhill from there. 

As the investigation proceeds, Tracy begins to see connections between these cases and another case she just solved involving the disappearance of an investigative reporter that occurred at the same time as the serial killings. The more Tracy and Nolasco dig, the more the evidence leads them to powerful people, both past and present, who may not want the duo to solve the murders or continue at a cost they may not be willing to pay.

This book can be read as a standalone, but the reader is missing out on some excellent books by not reading the series. I especially liked how this book dovetailed with the storyline from Dugoni's last book, What She Found, and I can see where characters from both books could feature in future books. As usual, Dugoni's plotting, pacing, and writing are exceptional. The reader is also treated to perhaps the thawing of the relationship between Nolasco and Crosswhite, or at least an uneasy truce in their working relationship that is promising. I highly recommend this book and this series in general if you enjoy character-driven police procedurals. 4.5/5 stars.

Thank you, NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The publication date is October 3, 2023

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The Raging Storm by Ann Cleeves

 Once again Ann Cleeves weaves her magic in a book that grips the reader from the beginning and holds them throughout, capturing the natural beauty of the Devon coast at its deadly best.

The quiet village of Greystone is abuzz when the sailing legend Jem Rosco shows up and tells everyone he is there to meet someone, but he won't say who that someone is--adding to the gossip surrounding him. When Rosco's naked body is later found in a dinghy anchored in a cove during a raging storm, Matthew Venn and his team are called in to solve the mysterious death. 

Just as Rosco had ties to the area, so does Matthew Venn. Greystone has a large contingent of the religious cult he was raised in and he has old connections to some of the residents as well. Viewed suspiciously by the residents and coldly by the cult, Venn works to establish trust with both factions to try and solve this case. When another death occurs that is deemed suspicious, the race is on to find the killer.

I admit that Cleeves' old Shetland Island series and her current Vera Stanhope series are among my favorite reads. I also admit that I wasn't completely sold on her Matthew Venn series when it first started, but I'm happy to find that Matthew is growing on me. In this outing, we get more background on Venn and the circumstances of his upbringing. Having renounced the religious cult and then being thrown back into it to solve the murders shows how adept Venn is at dealing with all sorts of people. 

The plot and characters in this book are complex and the writing is excellent with enough twists and red herrings to keep the reader engaged. Once again, another engrossing police procedural by Cleeves.

Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur Books for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The publication date is September 5, 2023.

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What She Found by Robert Dugoni

 

I admit that this series is one of my favorite police procedurals. Robert Dugoni continually delivers excellent stories that are adeptly plotted and contain interesting characters, both with this series and his many standalone books.

Tracy Crosswhite is still the lone detective working Seattle cold cases when she is approached by Anita Childress whose mother, investigative journalist Lisa Childress, went missing 24 years ago. Under pressure to investigate only old cases with DNA samples that modern technology could probably help solve now, Tracy secretly begins to look into what happened to Lisa. What she finds intrigues her enough that she begins digging into the case, knowing full well that Lisa is probably dead, but still hoping to find something that could give closure to her daughter. To her surprise, the more Tracy digs the more she realizes that what Lisa was investigating could shine the spotlight on potential corruption not just in the police department but in the upper reaches of the Seattle government as well. Working the case could also put some of her own close relationships in jeopardy and possibly put her life at risk. 

Even though I liked Tracy more before she got married and had a child, the family relationships certainly add a depth of character to her that was missing in the earlier books. She is still a dedicated investigator but now sees that balancing her life is important to her well-being, a thing many of us perhaps need to be reminded of occasionally. This is a far-ranging story with many subplots that all come together neatly by the end. There are some moral dilemmas Tracy and other characters face that test the bonds of friendship and the need for absolution. All-in-all, this is another good book in the series.

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Judgement Prey by John Sandford

 

There's one thing I hate about every novel in John Sandford's Prey series: they end and I'm left waiting longingly for the next one. This book is no different. I just finished it and feel bereft knowing it will be at least a year before Lucas and Virgil are back.

When federal judge Alex Sand and his two sons are brutally murdered in a seemingly evidence-free killing, Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flowers are called in as a last resort to help try and solve the case. After interviewing the widow, Maggie Cooper, they come away feeling she has her own agenda and knows too much about the details of the case, which she could only get from an inside source. But just what is the grieving widow up to and how is the charity Heart/Twin Cities connected to the case? To find answers to these questions, Lucas and Virgil do what they do best:: play off of each other to develop theories and scenarios about the case. 

Once again, Sandford demonstrates why this series is such a long-running best-seller. The plot is intricate, the characters are well-developed, and the pacing is spot-on. Don't get me started on the snappy, often witty dialogue, especially between Lucas and Virgil. Both are characters I've loved, even when Virgil had his own series, but together, they are magic. Now if only Sandford could produce another book in this series in the next six months, I'd be a happy camper.

Thank you NetGalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The Publication date is October 3, 2023.

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Stolen Children by Michael Wood

 This is such an addictive series that continues to get better and better.

With one old missing child case perhaps solved, another one occurs with eerie similarities to the first. Nine-year-old Keeley Armitage disappears after being left outside a market while older sister Jodie goes in for a quick shop. Then comes the call no parent wants to receive: a ransom call. DCI Matilda Darke and her Homicide and Major Enquiries Team are called in to help the family. When the kidnappers fail to call again, the focus shifts to trying to determine who would abduct her and for what reason.

Wood doesn't seem to hesitate to kill off characters so every time a character's life is in danger the reader is left holding their breath to see if he will do it again. This makes a dangerous situation even more suspenseful and adds to the tension. Always a dark, twisty read, this series ratchets up the life-or-death situations for Darke and her team as well as the crime victims--there aren't always happy endings. If you like a good police procedural with excellent characters and plots, try this series; it's excellent.

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