• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Harper Paperbacks; Reprint edition (January 17, 2012)
• ISBN-10: 006213441
• Source: Publisher

Chief Detective Inspector Jane Tennison has finally moved up the ranks; she now leads the Vice Squad. On the first day of her new assignment, she’s presented with a case that may threaten all the work she’s done to build up her career.

A sixteen year old boy, burned beyond recognition, is found in the apartment of Vera Reynolds, a drag queen and night club icon. Tennison’s team leads an investigation into his death, a well-known public figure is their prime suspect.  As the case proceeds, Tennison is threatened by powerful figures to dial down her case. In order to peruse this case, Tennison’s career, her very life, is at stake.

This is the third book in the Prime Suspect series, following Prime Suspect and A Face in the Crowd. I had high hopes when I started this book; I didn’t necessarily have a great fondness for the first book, but my interest was gained after reading the second. Unfortunately, my excitement about this book was in vain. As I felt while reading Prime Suspect,  I felt no connection whatsoever to Tennison’s character.  While I sympathized with her struggles to break through the glass ceiling that hung over Scotland Yard, I honestly couldn’t find anything endearing about the main character in this book. Unfortunately, this interfered with my feelings about the book as a whole; I found it quite difficult to have any vested interest in the story, the case, the resolution. Perhaps my feelings would have been different had I started with this book rather than reading the two previous; at this point in time I believe my expectations were built up after the stunning conclusion to A Face in the Crowd.

That’s not to say that this book fails to have any value; the case Tennison and her team embark on is a chilling one that unveils a whole host of secrets buried, victims ignored. As with the previous two books the action is intense, the progression of the case is thrilling. Ultimately, I go back to the belief that my opinion of the previous books tainted my feelings about this one. With that, I would still recommend this book to readers looking for an action-packed read, particularly if you have a fondness dark, gritty crime novels.

Be sure to check out the tour page for other stops in this tour.

Review: Prime Suspect 3: Silent Victims by Lynda La Plante is a post from: Jenn's Bookshelves. Reproduction of this content is forbidden unless approved through prior written consent.

Frightful Friday is a weekly meme in which I feature a particularly scary or chilling book that I’ve read that week.

The featured book this week is Defending Jacob by William Landay

• Hardcover:432 pages
• Publisher:Delacorte Press (January 31, 2012)
• ISBN-10: 0385344228
• Source: Publisher (BEA)

Every parent likes to believe they know their child: what kind of person they are, what they are/are not capable of. What happens when it turns out that you didn’t know your child quite as well as you believed?

Andy Barber is a well-respected Assistant District Attorney in the small Massachusetts down where he, his son Jacob, and his wife Laurie reside. They are your typical suburban family, content with their lives.

One morning things change.  A boy who attends the same middle school as Jacob is found murdered, stabbed to death on a path in the woods that leads to the school. Since it has the potential to be a high-profile case, Andy accepts the case. He joins the police in interviewing the students about the deceased. One individual suggests he check out what is being said about the crime on Facebook. When he does, he sees that Jacob’s best friend implicates Jacob in the crime, reporting to have seen him with a knife. He takes this news at face value: it appears to be just a bunch of kids posting their opinions on social media. Nothing to be worried about. Yet, he’s completely shocked by what happens next: Jacob is arrested for the murder. For obvious reasons, Andy is put on paid leave, removed from the case completely.

As the case builds and evidence is introduced, the Barber family begins to become unraveled. Andy and Laurie want to stand behind their son, want to believe he’s innocent of the crime. When Andy reveals a secret about his own family it all begins to crumble away. Andy & Laurie, normally an extremely close couple, begin to become strangers to one another. They, Laurie in particular, looks back at Jacob’s childhood. Were there any indicators that he may predisposed to this sort of anger?

In a whirlwind court case, Andy and Laurie stay by their son’s side, posing a united front, at least in appearances. In the back of their minds, they can’t help put wonder: How well do I know my child? Just how far will I go to protect him?

Defending Jacob is without a doubt one of the most suspenseful, emotionally-tolling books I have read in some time. As the mother of a middle-schooler myself, I couldn’t help but wonder what I would do in the Barber’s place? Just like the Barber’s, I believe I know my child. Yet this book inspired me to learn more about my own child, the emotions he’s feeling, the relationships he has at school. It generated quite a lengthy, but healthy and important discussion with my son, one that will continue.  Assuming life is grand, everything is perfect isn’t the way to live life, as the Barber’s unfortunately learn.

What was truly memorable about this book was the way Landay was able to pace, to portray, the unraveling of the Barber family. Laurie was always the one people turned to when they had a problem, she always had a perfect demeanor and could withstand anything. The true impact of the trail is unveiled through Laurie and the physical and emotional toll it takes on her. Throughout the book, Andy comments on this:

“She had lost so much weight that her hipbones protruded, and when we were together she spoke less and less. In spite of it all, I never softened in my determination to save Jacob first and heal Laurie later.”

And later during the trial:

 ”She never stopped defending Jacob, never stopped analyzing the chessboard, calculating every move and countermove. She never stopped protecting him, even in the end.

This last line plays a very poignant role in this storyline, sort of a foreshadowing of what is to come.

Bottom line: Defending Jacob is a tremendous read: memorable, thought-provoking, intense. I stayed up until the wee hours of the night to finish this one; I couldn’t bear to step away once I got involved in this story. This is a book that will resonate within you, change your perceptions of life and love, forever. Without a doubt, this book will be added to my favorites of 2012 list. Highly, highly recommended.

Frightful Friday: Defending Jacob by William Landay is a post from: Jenn's Bookshelves. Reproduction of this content is forbidden unless approved through prior written consent.

• Hardcover:416 pages
• Publisher:Atlantic Monthly Press (January 3, 2012)
• ISBN-10: 0802120172
• Source: Publisher

Clinical psychologist Dr. Tony Hill and detective Carol Jordan make quite the dynamic team. The work they’ve done together to put away dangerous criminals makes them the envy of their coworkers. One individual, however, has forever changed & affected their careers, their very lives: Jacko Vance, a former celebrity and truly evil person. Jacko is imprisoned, never to walk the streets again. So they think…

Vance has a unique way of influencing people. With help from inside the institution he is imprisoned, as well as outside, Vance is able to escape, desperate to destroy the lives of those individuals who put him in jail. Including Tony and Carol. They don’t know who Jacko will strike out against, they just know it will brutal and painful. Meanwhile, the team is also on the hunt for another serial killer, responsible for the murders of multiple prostitutes.

The Retribution is the seventh book in the Tony Hill and Carol Jordan series of books, but my first introduction to McDermid’s writing. In my opinion, this book serves as a good introduction to the characters.  While new readers miss out on a great deal of the character’s history, The Retribution does a pretty outstanding job and describing the characters and giving an introduction to who they are, including brief snippets of the past incidents that have influenced them.

I can’t believe I waited so long to read McDermid’s books! I hate to use the term “unputdownable” but I was so absorbed in the storyline and the characters that I couldn’t bear to take a break from reading. As mentioned above, we learn a great deal about the character’s past, specifically Tony’s childhood and his unloving and emotion-free mother (which just happens to play an important role later on in the book).  Additionally, the pacing is perfect, lasting throughout the entirety of the book.  This is an author I plan on devoting a lot of my reading time to. Highly recommended!

The Retribution by Val McDermid is a post from: Jenn's Bookshelves. Reproduction of this content is forbidden unless approved through prior written consent.

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Penguin ((December 27, 2011)
• ISBN-10: 0143120700
• Source: Publisher

Seven years ago, the daughter of Texas police dispatcher Ian Hunt was abducted while he and his wife were out to dinner. The abduction destroyed his family; he and his wife are no longer together. He hasn’t spoken to his son, responsible for his sister’s well-being that evening, in some time.  Four months previously, they finally declared Maggie dead, burying an empty coffin.

One day, however, he receives a phone-call from Maggie, now a teenager. She’s able to give her father a brief description of her abductor before she is ripped from the phone. Not nearly enough to make an arrest but certainly enough to re-open the investigation.

When the bodies of several young girls are found on the property of a local man, the local police finally has the leads it needs to generate a full-scale investigation. Ian can’t lose his daughter again, so he takes off on his own on a cross-country chase after the local couple responsible for Maggie’s abduction.  He abandons everything, including the law, to get his daughter back.

The Dispatcher is a chilling, absorbing, addictive read. The desperation this poor father has to find his daughter is heart-wrenching. He feels that in losing his family already he has nothing to risk, nothing to lose. There is a bit of violence so I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this book for the weak-stomached.  But if you want an engrossing, heart-pounding, fast-paced, crime novel? The Dispatcher is the book for you. Highly recommended.

Review: The Dispatcher by Ryan David Jahn is a post from: Jenn's Bookshelves. Reproduction of this content is forbidden unless approved through prior written consent.

Frightful Friday is a weekly meme in which I feature a particularly scary or chilling book that I’ve read that week. Feel free to grab the button & join in!

This week’s featured book is Fun and Games by Duane Swierczynksi:

• Paperback:304 pages
• Publisher:Mulholland Books; 1 edition (June 20, 2011)
• ISBN-10:0316133280
• Source: Publisher

Charlie Hardie is a former police officer, still dealing with the act of revenge taken against his former partner three years ago. Charlie can’t help but wonder if he will face the same fate.  In an attempt to remove himself from his former life, Charlie has become a glorified house sitter. This gig started out when Charlie house sat for a friend of his in San Diego; he got to stay in a supped-up home, paid $500 for the week he stayed there.

This time, the home is in the Hollywood Hills. Due to timing, Charlie was unable to meet the owner; he was told the house keys will be in the mailbox upon his arrival. And of course, they weren’t. Charlie does what he thinks is best and obtains entry into the home. He soon learns he’s not alone, B movie actress Lane Madden is hiding out in the home. 

After an interesting (and slightly aggressive) introduction, Lane explains to Charlie that there our individuals out to kill her. She barely escaped an attempt on her life involving a car accident and injection of a mysterious drug into her arm at the scene of the crime. These individuals are referred to as “The Accident People”, a clean-up crew of sorts. They murder seeminly innocent people in an attempt as a cover up for some other action.

Charlie & Lane soon becomes captives in this multi-million dollar mansion; the “People” turn off the electricity, the water, all in an attempt to get Charlie & Lane to evacuate the house. Charlie takes his house-sitting job quite serious, he’ll stop at nothing to protect the home and whatever individuals seem to be inhabiting it.

If you are looking for a book that will force you to put your life on hold, Fun and Games fits it to a “t.” The action is non-stop, you won’t be able to take a break from the book until you turn the last page. I started it one night and was finished by the next day. Charlie’s character, while a little rough around the edges, is a very sympathetic one. Sure, he’s hard to the core but he’s a softie when it matters. The entire concept of a crew of individuals that “erase” people to suit their client’s needs is an interesting and exciting one. Luckily, I have the next book in this series, Hell and Gone, within arm’s reach. I’m almost tempted to hold off reading it so I won’t have to wait as long for the third book, Point and Shoot, due out in March.

Bottom line: Buy it. Read it. Be prepared to lose a few hours (or days, depending on your reading speed) of your life.

Frightful Friday: Fun & Games by Duane Swierczynski is a post from: Jenn's Bookshelves. Reproduction of this content is forbidden unless approved through prior written consent.

• Audible Audio Edition
• Listening Length:9 hours and 6 minutes
• Program Type:Audiobook
• Version:Unabridged
• Publisher:Iambik Audio Inc
• Source: Publisher

In a dystopian 1930′s America, archivist Arthur Puskis discovers a duplicate file in the Vaults, a dark, desolate underground hall containing the city’s criminal justice records for the past seven decades.  Puskis has devoted the last twenty-seven years of his life to the Vaults and he holds a sort of reverence for the power and honor the Vaults hold. To find a duplicate file throws him off base, the existence of this second file is impossible. The name on the file: DeGraffenreid, a man convicted of murder but apparently hasn’t served a day of jail time. What throws him off is the differences in pictures in the files.  Which one of these men is DeGraffenreid? Obsessed with the perfection that is the Vaults, Puskis attempts to track down more information on DeGraffenreid’s case.

The reader meets Private Detective and socialist union leader Ethan Poole in the process of attempting to blackmail a prominent leader with incriminating photographs for the purpose of getting said leader to agree to the demands of the union. This first impression isn’t exactly the best, but the overall opinion of Poole changes when he accepts an assignment to track down the location of a desperate woman’s son.

Frank Frings is a journalist scrounging up sources and evidence of corruption in the office of Red Henry, the city’s mayor.  Unknown to Frings & Poole, they are hitting up the same source.  Frings, Poole, & Puskis are initially strangers, brought together by one case of deep corruption.

I’m unique in that I both read and listened to the audio production of The Vaults. In the print edition, there is a vibrancy in many of the characters that just isn’t quite carried over into the audio production.  Agreeably, Puskis is a lone, almost hermit-like man, the majority of his time spent in the Vaults. The narrator, Michael Agostini, does a stellar job at portraying the voice of Puskis.  Unfortunately, the tone he uses carries over to the other characters as well. Frings and Pool are completely unlike Puskis in personality. They are more animated, “alive” than he is. It’s a shame that these characteristics of these two men didn’t carry over into the audio book. Oftentimes, the pacing of the book lagged, mainly because the lack of expression in the narrator’s voice.

That said, I highly recommend The Vaults itself, in print format. It covers a wide range of subject matter, including political corruption, and is reminiscent of classical novels dealing with class struggle. I look forward to reading more of Toby Ball’s work, he has quite a bit of potential in him!

Audiobook Review: The Vaults by Toby Ball is a post from: Jenn's Bookshelves. Reproduction of this content is forbidden unless approved through prior written consent.

• Paperback:416 pages
• Publisher:Berkley Trade (April 3, 2012)
• ISBN-10: 0425245632
• Source: Publisher

In Grafton’s 20th crime novel featuring Kinsey Millhone, private investigator is tasked with investigating an automobile accident when her elderly neighbor Gus, suffers a fall requiring hospital attention.  Gus has never been the easiest person to get along with; he was known to report everyone and everything he deemed to be going wrong in the neighborhood. Despite this, Kinsey still feels a need to assist her ailing neighbor. 

When he’s released from the hospital, it’s apparent that Gus requires assistance in his day to day living.  Kinsey tracks down his niece, who isn’t exactly excited about leaving her live to deal with her uncle.  She begins interviewing home care nurses to deal with her uncle, not an easy task.  Several of the nurses fail to stay an entire day, unable to deal with Gus’ behavior. But then she meets Solana Rojas and believes her to be a perfect fit. Aware of Kinsey’s occupation, she asks Kinsey to run a background check on this woman.

From page one, the reader is aware this woman is a sick, twisted psychopath, living the life and the identity of a woman she used to work with. She’s pretty slick, however, and is able to evade any suspicion when the background check is run.  She quickly assumes the role of Gus’ home care nurse and his niece heads back home to New York.

It doesn’t take long before Kinsey gets suspicious.  While she was never really that close with Gus, she is concerned about his well-being and begins to notice quite a few startling changes taking place.  First, his home was a horrible mess prior to his injury. Mouse droppings on the floor, rooms filled to the brim with old newspapers and other trash. Yet it doesn’t take long for Solana to take control.  She rents a dumpster and begins to rid Gus’ home of all the trash that has been piling up for years. 

On the surface, this appears to be an improvement, but when Kinsey learns that Gus’ mental capacities are waning she’s immediatly concerned.  Gus, despite his personality issues, was a pretty sharp guy.  Upon a visit to Gus’ home she notices a check register for his bank accounts. The balance is dwindling…quickly. It becomes her mission to find out who this Solana Rojas really is before Gus’ life begins to dwindle as quickly as his bank accounts.

It’s been several years since I’ve read any of Grafton’s alphabet series books, but it didn’t take long for me to get immersed in Kinsey’s life again.  Grafton’s books are set in the 80s, so it was interesting to see how much life and society has changed since then. No cell phones, no computer databases. It was almost refreshing to see a tech-free life again.

The strength in these books are the rich characters. One can’t help but love Henry, Kinsey’s sweet neighbor.  He’s Kinsey’s backbone and, oftentimes, her conscience. I appreciate how this book dealt with elder abuse, individuals taking advantage of the elderly for the sake of financial gain.  Gus was a pretty mean guy at times but he certainly didn’t deserve the treatment he received.

T Is for Trespass is a stunning, captivating book.  I’m truly glad this was the book that reunited me with Kinsey Millhone. It reminded me what I was missing; I can’t wait to dive back into this series!

I’m excited to be participating in this tour, sponsored by Penguin books. Yes, because it reunited me with a pretty wonderful series but also because I have a special treat for you, my readers.  Each blog participating in this tour is able to present its readers with an excert of V Is for Vengeance , the latest book in this series, scheduled for release November 14th.  Follow the blog tour to get a exclusive access glance inside the new book!  Without further ado…an exclusive look inside V Is for Vengeance :

Nearby customers seemed unaware of the drama being played out, but I was transfixed. The shoplifter’s gaze flicked from the loss- prevention officer to the escalators. A direct path would have forced her to walk right past him. I thought a move was ill advised and, ap­parently, she did too. Better to keep her distance and hope the threat evaporated of its own accord. In most stores, policy dictates that no one make contact with a customer under surveillance as long as she is still on the premises and has the opportunity to pay. For the moment, the woman was safe, though her agitation surfaced in a series of ran­dom gestures. She looked at her watch. She glanced toward the ladies’ room. She picked up a half-slip, studied it briefly, and then replaced it. The items she’d stolen must have felt radioactive, but she didn’t dare return them lest she call attention to herself.

The prospect of being apprehended must have obliterated the alter­natives she’d planned if the caper turned sour. Her best course of ac­tion would have been to adjourn to the ladies’ room and toss the stolen merchandise in the trash. Failing that, she could have abandoned her shopping bag and headed for the elevators in hopes of stepping into the next available car. Without the pilfered items in her possession, she’d be home free. Until she left the store without paying, no crime had been committed. Perhaps with something of the sort in mind, she removed herself from Mr. Koslo’s line of sight and ambled into the women’s plus-size department, where she looked right at home.

Koslo moved away from the counter without visual reference to the woman. I watched as he circled behind her in a wide arc, herding her from the rear. Claudia moved directly to the escalator and went down, probably to intercept the woman if she tried leaving by that means.

The shoplifter’s gaze darted from one area to the next as she con­sidered viable escape routes. Her only choices were the elevators, the escalators, or the fire stairs. With Koslo ten yards behind her, the el­evators and the fire stairs must have seemed too far away to chance. From her current location, the aisle widened to form a generous apron of pale marble that led to the escalators, tantalizingly close. She strolled out of the plus-size department and crossed the open floor at a leisurely pace. Behind her, Koslo adjusted his speed to correspond with hers.

On the far side of the escalators, I saw the younger woman in the dark blue dress appear at the mouth of the short corridor leading to the ladies’ room. She halted abruptly, and as the shoplifter reached the top of the escalator a look flashed between them. If I’d entertained doubts about their being in cahoots, I was convinced of it now. Maybe they were sisters or mother and daughter on a regular late-afternoon outing, ripping off retail goods. In that brief freeze-frame, I took a men­tal inventory of the younger woman. She was fair, forty by my guess, with untidy, shoulder-length blond hair and little or no makeup. She turned on her heel and returned to the ladies’ room while the older woman moved on to the escalator; Koslo seven steps behind her. The two of them sank from view, first the woman’s head disappearing and then his.

I crossed to the balustrade and peered down, watching them glide slowly from the third floor to the second. The woman must have real­ized she was boxed in because the knuckles of her right hand were white where she clutched the rail. The sluggish speed of the moving staircase must have sent her heart into overdrive. The fight-or-flight instinct is almost irresistible and I marveled at her self-control. Her partner would be of no help to her now. If the younger woman inter­vened, she risked being caught in the same net.

Claudia was waiting on the second floor at the foot of the moving stairs. The shoplifter kept her attention fixed straight ahead, perhaps thinking if she couldn’t see her two trackers, they couldn’t see her. Once on the second floor, she took a hard turn and stepped onto the next down escalator. Claudia stepped on after she did, so that now there were two store employees in that slow-motion foot chase. The fact that the shoplifter was aware of them took away their home court ad­vantage. By this time, however, the game was in progress and there was no way to abandon the pursuit. I could see a thin pie-shaped por­tion of the first-floor shoe department, which I knew was only a short stretch away from the automatic doors that opened onto the mall. I left the three of them to their own devices. By then, the older woman was no concern of mine. I was interested in her companion.

I crossed to the short corridor that led to the ladies’ lounge and pushed open the door. I was hoping she was still there, but she might well have slipped past me while I was watching her friend. To my right, an anteroom had been set aside for mothers with babies, affording them privacy to nurse, change stinky diapers, or collapse on a well-upholstered couch. That area was empty. Across from it, there was a room where sinks lined the two opposite mirrored walls, with the usual paper towel dispensers, hand blowers, and plastic-lined waste bins. An Asian woman foamed her hands with soap and rinsed them under running water, but she seemed to be the only customer present. I heard a toilet flush, and a moment later the younger woman opened the door to the second stall. She now sported a red beret and wore a white linen jacket over her navy blue dress. She still carried the shopping bag and her big leather purse. The only oddity I noted was a short horizontal scar between her lower lip and her chin, the sort of mark left when your teeth are driven through your lower lip on impact. The scar was old, with only a white line remaining to suggest a tumble from a swing or a fall against the corner of a coffee table, some childhood misfor­tune she’d carried with her since. She averted her face as she brushed by me. If she recognized me from the lingerie department, she gave no sign.

I kept my expression blank and headed for the stall she’d just va­cated. It took me half a second to peer into the wall-mounted recep­tacle meant for used sanitary supplies. Six price tags had been clipped from articles of clothing and tossed into the bin. I listened to the sound of her retreating footsteps. The outer door closed. I scurried after her and opened the door a crack. I didn’t see her, but I knew she couldn’t have gone far. I proceeded to the mouth of the corridor and peered to my right. She stood in front of the bank of elevators, pushing the down button. Her head came up, as mine did, at the sound of a persistent high-pitched whoop from the ground floor. The older woman must have breached the transmitter-receiver system at the exit doors, where electronic surveillance tags had activated the alarm. Once she stepped outside, it would at least allow the loss-prevention officer to stop her and ask her to return.

 

Following is a list of the other blogs participating in this tour.  Be sure to check them all out, the publisher is offering three sets of Q, R, S, T, U (paperback) and the brand new V to three different people who comment on every single blog throughout the tour (US/Canada only)

Tuesday, Sept. 27: Q IS FOR QUARRY http://lesasbookcritiques.blogspot.com/            
Thursday, Sept. 29: Q IS FOR QUARRY http://www.jensbookthoughts.com/
Tuesday, Oct. 4: R IS FOR RICOCHET http://www.elizabethawhite.com/
Thursday, Oct. 6: R  IS FOR RICOCHET http://www.linussblanket.com/
Tuesday, Oct. 11: S IS FOR SILENCE http://www.devourerofbooks.com/            
Thursday, Oct. 13: S IS FOR SILENCE http://www.kittlingbooks.com/           
Tuesday, Oct. 18: T IS FOR TRESPASS http://bermudaonion.net/
Thursday, Oct. 20: T IS FOR TRESPASS http://www.jennsbookshelves.com/
Tuesday, Oct. 25: U IS FOR UNDERTOW http://popculturenerd.com/            
Thursday, Oct. 27: U IS FOR UNDERTOW http://www.bookingmama.net/

 Be sure to check out Sue Grafton’s Facebook page and her Web site for more information on the Kinsey Millhone series!

Mx3 Review: T is for Trespass by Sue Grafton is a post from: Jenn's Bookshelves. Reproduction of this content is forbidden unless approved through prior written consent.

• Hardcover:304 pages
• Publisher:Berkley Hardcover (September 6, 2011)
• ISBN-10: 0425243486
• Source: Xuni

David Matthews, a widely popular candidate for Colorado’s governor seat is found murdered. Obviously, his death receives all sorts of news coverage. His wife, Sydney, becomes an immediate suspect.  Matthews was known to be unfaithful; perhaps Sydney finally got tired of his wandering ways?

Catherine McLeod, a reporter for the Denver Journal has done a number of articles on Matthews. She receives an anonymous phone call from a woman who claims to have been a witness to the murder.  The woman is afraid to contact the police, for the murderer is one of their own.  Catherine must but her job, and her life, on the line in order to bring the true perpetrator to justice.

The reader knows within the first few lines who Matthew’s killer is: Detective Ryan Beckman.  Beckman & Matthews were having an affair, but when Matthews attempted to put a stop to it, Ryan lost all control and killed him. Ironically, it is Beckman who is asked to lead the investigation.  She goes out of her way to plant and create evidence to incriminate Matthew’s wife as the guilty party.

The Perfect Suspect is an thrilling, heart-pounding chase to see which woman will come out on top. As Catherine attempts to uncover witnesses to bring Ryan to justice, Ryan hunts down these same witnesses to kill them. While the reader already knows the murderer’s identity, this doesn’t alter the reader’s experience in any way. I guarantee your heart will still be pounding, you’ll be tearing through the pages to learn what happens.

While The Perfect Suspect is technically the second book in a series, readers will have no difficulty in picking up the story due to the author providing detailed backstory.  I appreciate that the two main characters are both incredibly strong and determined women; it’s too bad one of them was a heartless killer.

While there were aspects of the book that were a bit unbelievable for me, I still found it to be quite the enjoyable read.  I do plan on picking up the first book in this series, Blood Memory, so I can learn more about Catherine’s character.  Coel is definitely an author to watch; I can’t wait to read more of her work. Recommended.

Review: The Perfect Suspect by Margaret Coel is a post from: Jenn's Bookshelves. Reproduction of this content is forbidden unless approved through prior written consent.

“M, I, crooked letter, crooked letter, I, crooked letter, crooked letter, I, humpback, humback, I”  -How southern children are taught to spell Mississippi

Twenty-five years ago, Larry Ott was out on a date with a young girl. A young girl who disappeared, never to be found.  Since then, Larry has always been considered a man to be fearful of, known as “Scary Larry.”  The fact that his house is packed with horror books and magazines doesn’t help the situation.

Decades later, another girl is missing and “Scary Larry” becomes a person of interest.  He runs an old-fashioned and outdated auto body shop, never with any customers.  Despite living as a outstanding citizen all these years, he can’t get over the characterizations put upon him by the other members of the small town. 

Silas Jones, now the town constable, was childhood friends with Larry.  This friendship was always kept a secret; they barely acknowledged one another in public.  Silas is black, Larry white.  In a small, Mississippi town, this friendship was always bound to be doomed. Still, the duo find comfort in one another’s friendship and spend their afternoons hunting together.  When Larry becomes implicated in the missing girl’s disappearance, their friendship ends. 

Silas goes on to become a high school baseball star, leaving Larry behind to become the town weirdo.

Silas attends college and returns to the small town of Chabot, Mississippi and becomes the town constable.  Decades later, he still refuses to contact Larry, despite Larry’s frequent messages on his answering machine. Larry insists and pleads for Silas to return his calls, stating he has something important to tell him, something that can’t be discussed over the phone.

In order to solve the case of the missing girl, the daughter of an important businessman, both Larry & Silas must face secrets kept long hidden.

Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter is one of those books that transcends genres.  While it has clear characteristics of crime fiction, I hesitate to define it soley as such. Instead, it has qualities of several genres, dealing with topics such as childhood friendships, small-town secrets, and a clear and evident flavor of Southern fiction.

The book vascillates between the present and the past; the reader is privileged to learn about the childhood that shaped each of the main characters.  Silas grew up poor, black & fatherless.  He and his mother relied up on the kindness of Larry’s mother to get by.  It is my opinion that Larry & Silas would have continued their friendship into adulthood had it not been for a violent altercation between Silas and Larry’s domineering and alcoholic father. 

Silas and Larry’s characters are so well-defined, so developed, the reader can’t help but feel they know them. I felt sympathy for both characters: Silas was a poor young man, not gaining the recognition he deserves until he reaches high school and becomes a sports icon.  He has to escape the small town to really become something; Larry, the recluse, the avid reader.  I think I had more of a connection with him due to our shared love of horror fiction. 

I originally read this book when it was released in hardcover last fall.  I was happy to be granted the second chance at experiencing this book when I joined this book tour for the paperback release.  However, I found that the book never really left me; the characters and the storyline lingered with me all this time.  It was a pleasure to “rediscover” Silas & Larry again.

Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter is a book to be cherished; Franklin’s writing is truly a work of art. The prose is quite detailed, the setting is so rich with Southern flavor, the reader becomes engaged in the storyline instantly.  This is not a book to rush through, however.  I found myself rereading passages several times, not because I didn’t comprehend them but because the writing was so skilled, so powerful.  Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter  is one of those books that you set down after reading, only to pick back up again, unable to separate yourself from talent and treasures contained within.

Learn more about Franklin and his other books here. Thank you to TLC Book Tours for providing me the opportunity to participate in this tour. Please be sure to check out the other stops:

Monday, May 23rd: That’s What She Read
Tuesday, May 24th: Chronicles of a Country Girl
Wednesday, May 25th: Lit and Life
Wednesday, May 25th: Helen’s Book Blog
Thursday, May 26th: Life In Review
Tuesday, May 31st: Raging Bibliomania
Wednesday, June 1st: Life in the Thumb
Thursday, June 2nd: Diary of a Stay at Home Mom
Tuesday, June 7th: Jo-Jo Loves to Read!
Wednesday, June 8th: Debbie’s Book Bag
Thursday, June 9th: Books and Movies
Friday, June 10th: My Reading Room
Monday, June 13th: Wordsmithonia
Tuesday, June 14th: Crazy for Books
Wednesday, June 15th: Teresa’s Reading Corner
Thursday, June 16th: Unputdownables
Friday, June 17th: Rundpinne

Review: Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin is a post from: Jenn's Bookshelves. Reproduction of this content is forbidden unless approved through prior written consent.

Matthew Scudder is sitting at a bar, nursing a club soda, reflecting back on a case he worked nearly twenty-five years ago…

Recently forced out of the NYPD, his life was spiraling out of control due to his alcoholism.  He was going clean, a month shy of his one year anniversary of being sober, attending AA meetings and working as a private investigator in an attempt to get some control on his life.

When he is reunited with a childhood friend from the Bronx, High-Low” Jack Ellery, Scudder begins to look back on his life as a former detective and an alcoholic.  Ellery is close to completing the twelve steps of the AA program. He becomes a sort of mentor for Scudder; in addition to coming to terms with his alcoholism Ellery is also making amends for the crimes he committed years ago.  Now on the eighth step of the program, his working down the list of people he has harmed, attempting to seek forgiveness and amends for his actions

When Ellery is killed, it becomes Scudder’s mission to track down the murderer.  Ellery was shot once in the mouth and once between; a clear sign that someone wanted him to keep his mouth shut. Is Ellery’s killer someone on his list? Did he stir up secrets long hidden? In order to find Ellery’s killer, Scudder is forced to immerse himself in Ellery’s life; an action that comes close to driving him to drink again.

A Drop of the Hard Stuff takes fans of Block’s Matthew Scudder series back in time, to a pivotal moment in Scudder’s life.  While I’ve only read a handful of the sixteen books in this series, I really appreciated the look into Scudder’s past, the actions that made Scudder the man he is now. Readers new to the series get a look inside one of the characters that has really shaped my love of crime fiction. 

The characters are completely flawed, the storyline multi-layered; two traits that really entice a reader to embrace this series. Block does a tremendous job of portraying the steps to recovery in the AA program and a completely honest look at the recovery process. There is really never a dull moment with in this book.  While I can’t deny it’s a little on the dark side, there are glimmers of hope and a happy future.

Block excels at writing one of the best detective series in American crime fiction. This series is one I can always rely on to entertain, excite, and impress me.  Each time I pick up one of Block’s books, I know, without a doubt, that I’m going to be fall in love with it. The first book in this series in six years, it was a real treat to be reunited with such an impressive character.

Like Block’s other books, A Drop of the Hard Stuff is a book that stays with you long after you read the last page.  This is a talent you do not find in a lot of books nowadays; you won’t find a neatly wrapped up plot here. While this irritates many, I enjoy a book that lingers with me.  It’s inspired me to go back and start the series from the beginning and relive the exceptional writing of Lawrence Block. Highly recommended.

Be sure to stop by Jen’s Book Thoughts today…I’ve been “caught” reading this book at my favorite indie, One More Page Books & More!

Review: A Drop of the Hard Stuff by Lawrence Block is a post from: Jenn's Bookshelves. Reproduction of this content is forbidden unless approved through prior written consent.