Silent Victim by Michael Wood

 I love this murder mystery series. Michael Wood does an excellent job of bringing the characters to life with dark, twisty plots that grip the reader. Each book builds on previous events and characters, so I feel like I'm with old friends each time I pick up a new book.

Matilda was brought back after her team was disbanded, and she was made redundant in a scandal-laden case involving child abuse. This time, she is after a serial killer who rapes and kills his victims. One victim survived, however, but she had life-changing injuries and can no longer speak. It is now up to Matilda and her team to hunt a killer who leaves no trace evidence. Leads are sparse, and political pressure is high to catch the killer before he strikes again.

This fast-paced police procedural has Matilda stumped with no clues to the killer's identity; she and her team grasp at straws. It's interesting to see how the meager clues eventually identify the killer and the lengths Matilda goes to capture him. I'm looking forward to book #11 in the series. 

5/5 stars.

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Death at the Sanatorium by Ragnar Jonasson

 I am drawn to Icelandic authors. I like their dark take on murders, the atmospheric environment, and the exciting plots. I especially liked Jonasson's last book, "Reykjavik," which he co-authored with Katrin Jakobsdottir. In this, his latest book, Jonasson, is again at the top of his game.

In 1983, at a former tuberculous sanatorium, a nurse was found brutally murdered. Detective Sverrir arrests the groundskeeper, only to release him when the chief physician is found dead. The cause of death is suspected suicide - overcome by his guilt of the murder of his colleague. The case is closed.

Flash forward to 2012. Helgi Reykdal is completing his master's in criminology. His dissertation focuses on the 1983 deaths and the police investigation. As he digs into the past, he begins to doubt the competency of the police investigation, but the lack of cooperation of those involved makes him wonder what they are hiding. Soon, the past and present collide, and what Helgi uncovers threatens to reveal long-held secrets and again endanger lives.

This is an intricately plotted book with interesting characters and excellent pacing. The back-and-forth timelines reveal clues to the murderer and the long-buried secrets that add to the absorbing story. If you enjoy good suspenseful crime fiction, I recommend this book. 

4.5/5 stars.

Thank you, NetGalley and Minotaur Books, for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The publication date is September 10, 2024.

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Death at the Sign of the Rook by Kate Atkinson

I thought Kate Atkinson retired her Jackson Brodie character, so I was delighted to see this book featuring him. He's older, more tired, and funnier than ever.

Business isn't booming at Jackson Brodie's detective agency, so he readily takes the assignment to find a stolen painting. It isn't long before he finds two other art thefts and an elusive woman who may be behind them. One of the thefts, at Burton Makepeace manor house, whose owners have been selling off valuables and now are hosting murder mystery weekends to keep up with repairs, has also caught the attention of the police. Much to her chagrin, Brodie tries to partner with Detective Constable Reggie Chase- an uneasy partnership, but one proving fruitful. When a snowstorm isolates many of the characters at Burton Makepeace, can murder be far behind?

I love Atkinson's humor. The back-and-forth between Brodie and Reggie is laugh-out-loud funny. The characters and situations are similar to an Agatha Christie book, only humorously written. Atkinson is at the top of her game with this book. 

5/5 stars.

Thank you, NetGalley and Doubleday, for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The publication date is September 3, 2024.

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The Dark Wives by Ann Cleeves

In this eleventh book in the Vera Stanhope series, Ann Cleeves again populates the story with great characters in believable situations set in a complex plot that kept me turning pages.

New employee Josh Woodburn's body is found outside of a home for hard-to-place teens, and one of the charges, fourteen-year-old Chloe Spence, is missing. Vera and her team, including new member Rosie Bell, have been called to investigate. Their first question: did Chloe run away because she is the killer or because she is in fear of her life as well? As the team delves into the murder, the motive is as elusive as Chloe's whereabouts. When another body is found in a remote village near three standing stones known as the Three Dark Wives, Vera connects the dots to both Chloe and the group home and steps up her efforts to find the killer.

This series is my favorite of the three mystery series Cleeves has penned. I enjoyed the Shetland Island series, and her Two Rivers series gets better and better, but Vera is such a unique character that she's hard to beat. How Cleeves comes up with such intriguing plots is impressive to me. This book can be read as a standalone, but why deprive yourself of the ten other Vera novels? 

4.5/5 stars.

Thank you, NetGalley and Minotaur Books, for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The publication date is August 27, 2024.  

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Eruption by Michael Crichton and James Patterson

 I still have all of Michael Crichton's previous books on my bookshelf, so I was excited when I saw a new book coming out based on an unpublished manuscript. I'm thankful I checked this book out of my library instead of purchasing it. Although promising, it doesn't measure up to his other books.

It's April 2025, and Dr. John "Mac" MacGregor, chief vulcanologist at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, and his team are preparing for a massive Mauna Loa eruption. The one bright spot is that the lava flow isn't projected to endanger any towns; only an Army facility is in its path. When Mac finds out that the facility contains hazardous materials so deadly it could kill off all humankind, plans suddenly shift. Less than a week before the eruption, Mac, his team, and other interested parties are in a race to devise a plan to divert the lava flow, which has been unsuccessfully tried before. Can Mac be the first to succeed? With the existence of humankind at stake, failure is not an option.

I could see Crichton's hand in this book, but its touch was too light. I respect the effort to complete the manuscript with noted author James Patterson, but Patterson didn't pull it off. Some characters are stereotypes, and their fate is a foregone conclusion. Note to self: if I am ever around an active volcano, do not be the photographer; it never ends well. 

2.5/5 stars.

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Till Death Do Us Part by Laurie Elizabeth Flynn

The premise of this book sounded promising, and although I didn't know what the tag "Women's Fiction" meant, it didn't say "Romance," so I thought I was safe. Nope. I think women's fiction is another way of saying this is a romance story. I'm not fond of romance, but based on the popularity of authors specializing in this genre, I think I'm a minority. That was one of the reasons I was disappointed in this book, but just one.

After a whirlwind courtship, Josh and June quickly marry, much to the dismay of those closest to them. Wedded bliss quickly turns to horror when Josh is presumed drowned on their honeymoon. Flash forward ten years to 2022: June is now engaged to Kyle, and while photographing engagement pictures, she sure spots Josh in a crowd. Once June spotted him, she seemed to see him everywhere, including on a winery website in Napa, California. Could he still be alive?

The story then shifts to a winery in Napa in 1999. Bev discovers her husband has cheated on her. She struggles with his unfaithfulness, but not wanting to harm the reputation of their winery, she tries to overcome her feeling of betrayal.

I don't want to spoil the plot, and I've never discussed an ending, so I won't go into details, but I will say I found it hard to swallow. There are twists galore, and even though I wasn't invested in either June or Bev, I kept reading to see what would happen. I love wine, but I got tired of the explanations of the ins and outs of wine-making. I'd say this book was not my cup of tea, but saying it's not my glass of wine is more appropriate.

2/5 stars.

Thank you, NetGalley and Simon & Schuster, for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The publication date is August 13, 2024. 

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The Queen City Detective Agency by Snowden Wright

 

Set in the still racially charged 1980s Mississippi, this book follows a Black private investigator and her white partner as they get embroiled in a tricky case involving murder, potential suicide, and the shadowy Dixie Mafia. It's an excellent Southern crime novel.

After Dixie Mafia member Lewis "Turnip" Coogan falls or jumps to his death from the roof of the Meridian, Mississippi courthouse, Clementine Baldwin and partner Dixon Hicks are hired by Coogan's widow, who is convinced he was murdered, to find his killer. Turnip was accused of killing prominent real estate developer Randall Hubbard. Still, as Clem and Dixon begin digging into Turnip's death, they begin to untangle a web of shady characters, all of whom could be involved with the deaths. It falls to Clem and Dixon to follow the strands of the web to uncover the truth.

This is an atmospheric book with interesting characters and a complex plot. It illuminates what it means to be Black in the South, including the subtle and not-so-subtle digs and racist attitudes. Clem is a strong character who deftly tap dances her way through the societal layers and political intrigue to solve the deaths of the two men. Written with wit and compassion, it takes a magnifying glass to the 1980s South. 

4/5 stars.

Thank you, NetGalley and William Morrow, for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The publication date is August 13, 2024.

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