I Let You Go/ Clare Mackintosh /377 pgs

I Let You Go is a bit of a hybrid book--part police procedural, part mystery as it's told from the alternating points of view of the police and the suspect in a crime. It takes place in Bristol, England and the coast of Wales, which I found a refreshing change from good old London. The book opens with a child being killed in a hit-and-run accident. Fair warning if you might find this disturbing as the accident is described multiple times. The identity of the suspect is known from the beginning by the reader, but not by the police. I enjoyed the author's writing but sometimes found the characters frustrating, especially the police. I was especially irritated that the climax of the story would not have happened if the police hadn't been incompetent. I also found the inclusion of a third point of view in the middle of the story somewhat unnecessary. As for the "twist" at the end, it was wholly unbelievable. Still, I mostly enjoyed the book and I am willing to give this author another try.

Lake House: a novel/ Kate Morton/ 495 pages

The Lake House: a novel written by Kate Morton is a double mystery that leads the reader through several twists.  The book is written in present time and flashbacks to when the crime occurred.  Detective Sadie Sparrow is on leave in Cornwall visiting her grandfather, Bertie.  While there she comes across a house, a ruin almost, deep in the woods.  Bertie explains that the house once belonged to the Edevane family and is now owned by mystery writer, Alice Edevane.  Through the dual story lines the reader learns of others who lived in the house and the disappearance of Theo, Alice's baby brother.  This book will hold your attention as Alice's story parallels Sadie's and then diverges.  The author does a good job leading the reader astray and then bringing them back to the truth.

Dark Places/ Gillian Flynn/ 349 pages

Dark Places is the second novel written by Gillian Flynn.  It explores the murder of a rural Kansas family, poverty and the hysteria over a possible Satanic Cult.  The book is written in a dual timeline.  The story moves between the current time and the day of the murders 25 years earlier.  Libby Day and her brother Ben are the survivors.  Libby is almost penniless and willing to trade her notoriety for money.  Ben is in prison for the murders of his family.  On the day of the murder the reader follows Ben and his mother Patty to the climax.  This book will appeal to readers who like criminal investigations and mysteries.  For similar read a likes and more information visit the SCCCLD website.

Child 44/ Tom Rob Smith/ 439 pages

Child 44 is a historical fiction novel set in the post Stalin USSR.  Leo delays the arrest of a political prisoner to question a family of a boy killed on the railroad tracks.  The prisoner slips away and Leo must track him down.  A series missteps puts Leo in trouble with his boss.  Not a good thing in the post Stalin Soviet Union.  Leo's demotion drops him into the center of a series of child murders, also an enigma as there is not crime in the Soviet Union.  Leo must decide to pursue the case at a risk to himself and his family or leave it be risking the lives of unknown children.  This books has lots of action and adventure and does a good job relating the  paranoia existing in the Soviet Union at that time.  For more information about this book check the SCCCLD wesite.  There are two more books in this series.

Cat o' Nine Tales / Jeffrey Archer 341 p.

Jeffrey Archer presents short stories, many based on true stories, collected during his visit at the expense of Her Majesty.  Some feature scam artists that get their just dues or maybe not and some that backfire.  The Man Who Robbed His Own Post Office where one may buy a business even, a post office business and sell at retirement and expect to make a return on one's investment...that is until the government downgrades the business and leaves one out to dry unless one get's creative.  And so go many of the stories. The twists are so interesting and the results not always predictable.

Bones Never Lie/ Kathy Reichs/ 323 pages

Dr Temperance Brennan is busy fighting off a cold in Charlotte, NC when she is called in to consult on a cold case involving a child.  As Tempe digs deeper into the files she finds they are eerily similar to a case she and Andrew Ryan worked in Montreal.  Anique Pomerlaeau slipped through their fingers years ago.  Tempe wonders if there is tie between the old case and the new.  Before she can get to work on the cases she must hunt down Andrew Ryan, AWOL from his police job in Montreal.  Together they work the case filled with twists and turns.  Kathy Reichs continues to write in the style of her earlier works.  The book was a satisfying read with the right mix of police work and personal lives.

Hostage/Kay Hooper/306 pages

Haven, a private security firm, has sent an operative into the Appalachian Mountains of Tennessee to look for an escaped felon. The felon, a mentally unstable bank robber, may have more secrets than just where he hid the ten million dollars he stole. Luther Brinkman, the Haven operative, is saved by Callie Davis, an undercover FBI agent. Together they try to devise a plan on how to deal with their shared target.


Meanwhile, on the other side of the mountain, Hollis Templeton and Reese DeMarco are visiting Anna Alexander, a widow looking to contact her husband with the help of mediums. Hollis is trying to learn how to control her powers with Reese's supervision. This training exercise turns into much more.


This is the latest installment of the Bishop/Special Crimes Unit. The body count in this novel is remarkably low compared to the other books, and that's a welcome change. However, this book also lacked the tension and excitement of the other books. All the conflicts were pretty easily handled. It was still enjoyable, but I'm hoping for more in the next one.

Chance / Robert B. Parker 307 p.

Robert Parker's Spencer returns with his pardner Hawk to find the husband of the daughter of Boston's big mafia-type hoodlum, Julius Ventura.  Spencer suspects that cash has gone missing with Anthony's disappearance.  Spencer runs into unexpected complex complications.

Suspect/Robert Crais/312 pages

Robert Crais is known for his crime novels featuring Elvis Cole and Joe Pike, which I have to admit I have never read. Someone recommended this stand alone work and I was quickly pulled into the story, not because of the mystery and the suspense but because of the friendship between Maggie and Scott. Maggie is a military dog that  survived three tours in Iraq before losing her handler to an IED explosion. Scott belongs to the LAPD and loses his partner in a brutal shootout, blaming himself for not being able to save her.  They have become each other's last chance and the relationship brings you to tears. The story goes into great detail about the training of police and military dogs and the bond they form with their partner. How can you not love a great dog story?

Criminal/Karin Slaughter/436 pgs

I was fortunate enough to attend Karin Slaughter's talk and book signing at Spencer Road Branch Library. She was interesting and entertaining--and spoke about the book she was signing: Criminal.  In Criminal, Slaughter gives the reader an inside into Amanda Wagner's background, and also, Will Trent's. It begins with an old case in the 1970s when Amanda Wagner was just a rookie cop in Atlanta. Women were barely allowed on the police force, and were hardly respected. She, and fellow officer Evelyn Mitchell, become involved in a case of missing prostitutes--even though they have been warned off by their fellow male officers. The story shifts to the present day when women are again being murdered in the same manner as the prostitutes in the 70s. Amanda becomes involved in this case, and the story shifts between the past and present, along the way giving the reader insight into Amanda's character. For readers who have followed this series, it is great to learn a little more of what makes both Amanda and Will tick.  The solving of the murder cases is almost secondary, but equally compelling.

Invisible Murder/Lene Kaaberbol & Agnete Friis/339 pgs.

This follows the authors' The Boy in the Suitcase, and it is every bit as engrossing! Nina Borg, the Danish Red Cross nurse, but also part of an underground network that helps illegal immigrants, finds herself in the midst of a mysterious illness outbreak among Hungarian Gypsies (illegal immigrants, of course). Her "volunteer work" is a bone of contention with her husband, Morten, who made her promise not to get involved in any "projects" while he was away. Simple enough, right? Enter the Gypsies--and the mysterious illness. There is mystery, suspense, family issues--all rolled into one. And, as with The Boy in the Suitcase, there are twists throughout the book. I can't wait to see what the authors do next!