IN SEARCH OF JESSICA - Declan Conner

I like all kinds of books.  I like to be entertained.  Sometimes it's romantic fiction; sometimes it's an engrossing family saga - historical or contemporary; sometimes it's just a good story.  Recently I find myself reading more and more psychological and/or crime thrillers.

This one seems to tick the boxes for crime/psychological/thriller.        

I enjoyed reading this book. It was hard to put it down once I started it. I liked the main characters and the pace of the story is just about right.

Jessica has been released from a secure mental hospital 15 years after her father was brutally murdered. There were several suspects at the time but no one went on trial for the murder although the lead detective in the investigation believed 12 year old Jessica, who had been found at the scene, holding a kitchen knife and with blood on her nightdress, was the culprit and that she may have been abused by her father.

On her release she is taken to a halfway house by her social worker who may or may not have ulterior motives. There she is befriended by another resident, Debbie, who may not be entirely honest. We also know from the start of the book there is a brother Jesse who was taken away at the time of his father's murder and subsequently adopted. He hasn't had any contact with his sister Jessica during her long stay in hospital and desperately wants to meet her and have her come to stay with him so he can protect her. The authorities want to delay any meeting to allow Jessica time to assimilate into the community.

Shortly after Jessica is released there is another murder with a similar MO. Jason Stone is the young LAPD detective assigned to the case. He's not shy about breaking the rules in his search for the killer and ends up getting taken off the case. However he continues to investigate the case unofficially.

The suspect list keeps getting longer and there are a few red herrings along the way (and a few more deaths).  
I had my suspicions as to the identity of the killer but was never really be sure and was kept guessing until the end.

An enjoyable book. Although it's not the author's first book, I believe this is the first of the Jason Stone books. I hope there will be more. 

Author's website:     www.declanconner.com

My Sister's Grave - Robert Dugoni

Sometimes I inadvertently do things back to front.  In an earlier blog I mentioned Her Final Breath by Robert Dugoni.  That book was the second in a series of crime thrillers set in the Seattle area.  It was a good book that I enjoyed without having read the first in the series.

I have now managed to read the first book in the series,  My Sister's Grave.

This book was just as good.  I liked the characters (some of whom I had met in the second book of the series) and the pace of the story was good.  Like "Her Final Breath", there is no slow start - the action starts almost immediately and interest is maintained throughout.

Tracy Crosswhite is a homicide detective.  Her sister Sarah had disappeared, and was believed murdered 20 years previously.  Tracey has spent those years questioning the facts surrounding her sister's disappearance and the trial of Edmund House who was convicted of the murder.  She thinks they may have convicted the wrong person.

When human remains are found near the town where Tracy's family lived, they are identified as her sister's remains. Tracy decides to investigate further and to get the answers she has been seeking. There are a few twists and turns and shocks along the way.

The story is told in the present (after the remains are found) and in the past (the events leading up to and following her sister's disappearance) but the shifts in time are clear.

I actually don't read a lot of crime thrillers (I just happen to have read more of them recently).  I enjoyed this one, and once I had started reading it I found it hard to put down.

Apparently there is a third book in the series due out in May 2016.



Author website:    www.robertdugoni.com

MORE CRIME NOVELS!

I'm still on the crime novels!  I've been lucky enough to have been given advance copies via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

It might seem a bit strange that I'm really liking nearly all of them.  However that might just be that I am getting better at requesting books that I think I will enjoy. So here are another couple of short reviews.

The first one is The Lion and the Rose by Riccardo Bruni (author) and Aaron Maines (translator).  I loved this book (I was given an advance copy through Netgalley).  

The story is set in early 16th century Venice, a perfect setting for all the dark goings on.

There is something for everyone - gruesome murders, secrets, open secrets, political intrigue, secret societies, plots, conspiracies, torture, forbidden love and a scholarly German monk named Mathias (who has been questioning his faith) who has reluctantly been hired (or rather pressed) into investigating the murders.

Venice is the perfect setting for the book with its network of canals and dark alleyways. 

It seems to be a good translation of a well written book.  I loved this book even although initially I wasn't sure if it was my type of book (until the last month or so I seemed to be reading a lot of romance and 'chic lit' and enjoying these too).  It reminded me a little of the Brother Cadfael novels by Ellis Peters although these were set in an earlier century and not quite so 'dark'.  I would say The Lion and the Rose is perfect for those who like crime thrillers and mysteries, especially those in a historical setting.  

The second one is a bit different and maybe even a bit quirky.  It's not available until 20 October 2015. 

The Unfortunate Decisions of Dahlia Moss by Max Wirestone involves a 'virtual' theft and a murder but it is a whodunnit with a twist.  Dahlia (not an experienced detective) gets herself involved in the virtual world of gamers.  

At the start Dahlia is given money to investigate the theft of a 'virtual' spear - "The Bejewelled Spear of Inifinite Piercing" but she soon becomes involved in a real murder.

To be honest I didn't dislike this book and I did read it to the end but it didn't quite catch my attention enough to keep me up to the small hours to finish it. 

It would probably appeal to someone a bit younger than myself.  I'm retired now and I've never really been involved in online virtual worlds so I might be a bit too old to be classed as a total geek.

I have to say I did like it very much in parts.  Towards the end it was pretty funny, especially at the convention.  In fact the more  I read, the better it got.  Dahlia certainly gets herself into some weird situations.

TRYING TO CATCH UP!

I've only just realised, I've read at least 5 books (possibly more) since I last posted here.

September has just galloped by.

I had a wonderful time singing with the Big Big Sing Community Choir at Glasgow Green for Proms in the Park (the last night of the Proms) and we even appeared live on BBC2 Scotland.

Two days after that I left for a week's holiday in Spain.  I did plenty of reading but no time for blogging!

I have recently been reading crime/thrillers/mysteries.  I enjoyed them all although they were all very different.  I was given advance copies via Netgalley but two of them have still to be published, one on 6 October and the other on 20 October so I'll put these in a separate post.


The first was The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra by Vaseem Khan.

There are at least two stories going on here. On his last day at work Inspector Chopra encounters a distraught mother whose son has been found drowned and the body brought to the police station. No one seems to be investigating the matter. In fact Chopra's superior wants the case closed, saying the boy drowned. Chopra thinks the death could have been the result of foul play and wants to investigate.

On that same day Chopra had received word that he had inherited a baby elephant. When he arrives home from his last day at work the small baby elephant has been delivered. The problem is Inspector Chopra and his wife Poppy live on the 15^th floor of a tower block in Mumbai. However Chopra is one of these people who seems to be able to deal with anything that comes along. His wife Poppy seems the strong quiet type. Although they have been married for a long time they have no children but they obviously love each other.

Naturally Inspector Chopra continues to investigate the boy's death unofficially and uncovers some terrible goings on. You don't know who can be trusted and who is 'on the take' and/or involved in criminal activities.

I love the way the various threads of the story are interwoven. While investigating the boy's death he is also trying to find out how to help the baby elephant, now named Ganesha. The little elephant has a part to play in the unfolding investigation.

Also, unknown to his wife Poppy, he has been preparing for his retirement. All she knows is he take regular phone calls from someone but doesn't speak to her about them. Then when his investigation starts and he leaves the house, sometimes for several hours, she starts to think he has another woman.

I like the Chopras. They seem a charming couple.  Although it is a stand alone book the story ends leaving a door open for further books.  I'll be looking out for the next book!

It reminded me a little of the No 1 Ladies Detective Agency (only very slightly, not a copy) although that was set in Botswana and the protagonist was a strong, sensible young woman and not a hardworking retired police inspector. If you liked that series of books by Alexander McCall Smith then you would probably like this book.

Her Final Breath by Robert Dugoni is the second book in a series of three.

I haven't read the first book but that didn't prevent me getting drawn into this story. There are references in Her Final Breath to events and characters in the first book but Her Final Breath can stand alone.   I thought this was a great book right from the start and having read it, I now want to read My Sister's Grave.

Tracy Crosswhite has returned to work as a detective following the retrial of her sister's killer and becomes involved in the investigation of what turns out to be a number of murders of young women in the North Seattle area.

It would also appear someone is out to get Tracy.

The suspense begins almost immediately - no long drawn out introduction to the characters before anything happens - and the tension is maintained throughout.

Clues are pretty scarce but there may be a link to an older homicide in the area.  However Tracy's attempts to investigate this further are thwarted by her boss at every turn.  Does he have something to hide?

There are lots of suspects along the way (and red herrings) but I didn't manage to guess the identity of the serial killer.

This is definitely one of these books that keeps you reading through the night just to find out who the serial killer is and if Tracy will be targeted next.