Tag: Crime Thriller

I enjoyed Jessie’s Tucker’s first outing, The Silent Victim, so I was very much looking forward to her next “story.” What I got was a mixed bag, but part of that is due to my particular background knowledge.

I still like the fact that Jessie is a reporter. It adds a different angle to the crime investigation she undertakes, which makes it more interesting at times. It certainly cuts down on a lot of police procedure descriptions that, while informative, can sometimes bog down a story.

With Jessie being a reporter, we also get treated to a unique set of characters. Her co-workers at the Tribune are quirky individuals; They are definitely a different breed. I liked the interplay between Jessie and her co-workers, especially some of the stories they told.

Jessie herself did not speak to me as much as she did in the first book. I actually thought she was a bit of a mess (but maybe that was by design).  She mentioned her past quite a few times, which got repetitive, and her character seemed uneven. There was one exchange with a police officer that seemed totally out of character – almost like the scene was supposed to be someone else, and Jessie was thrown in, but the dialogue wasn’t changed. It was strange.

I’m not sure how I feel about her search for answers to her past amid everything else, so I will reserve judgment on that until the next book to see how it all pans out.

I also thought that while the author did a great job of weaving the plot threads together into a captivating story, the resolution was way too rushed. After all of the build-up and the clues that Jessie had uncovered, a lot was just exposition. The entire book wrapped up over the last 8-10%, instead of being plotted as part of the story. I think the revelations would have been more impactful. As it was, just about all of the big reveals felt contrived and caricature-ish.  

Also, and this is just a totally personal thing for me, I thought the author missed the mark on the NYPD. The codes were wrong, some police procedures were inaccurate, and other stuff was just outright offensive (again TOTALLY personal perspective here). NYPD is unlike any other police force, with its own jargon, codes, and way of doing things that are uniquely New York.

If using the NYPD, there should have been more considerable attention to detail. Given the importance of one plot point, for example, it was jarring that OCCB and RICO were not even mentioned. Those should have been obvious references. And I’m not even going to get started on undercover work. It all could have worked better in a different or fictional department.

BUT, and I can’t stress this enough, anyone without ties to NYPD will probably have no problem with the things I mentioned above. It was still a decent story, Jessie is a protagonist worth rooting for, and is as intrepid as ever. I do look forward to her next investigation.

Author bio:
Dana Perry is a New York City author who writes mystery thrillers featuring newspaper reporter Jessie Tucker. Twitter: https://twitter.com/DanaPerryAuthor

Lottie Parker just keeps getting better. After some big revelations in book 7, I was wondering what could happen next.

Suffice to say that this is one of the most convoluted investigations that Lottie and her team has faced. There are old crimes, new crimes, a virtual spiderweb of characters…and somehow it all works as a cohesive and page-turning story.

One of the things this author excels at it introducing characters who seem to have no connection to each other and disparate lives or plot arcs. However, during the investigation, links are found. Sometimes the characters know about them and sometimes they’re surprised as well. And nobody is every superfluous, even seemingly secondary characters.

Ms. Gibney also does a fine job of plotting the suspense so that it ebbs and flows. Some crime novels build until a big reveal, and that’s just fine too. But Lottie’s investigations always seem to have more than a few “big” moments, and then the action continues until the next moment. I like that push and pull in a book because it keeps it from potentially being monotonous.

I will say that this plot had a few aspects that might be troubling to some readers. Aside from child victims, there’s also domestic abuse and neglect. Nothing is overly graphic but seemed natural to the characters. I thought they were vital to the story and, therefore, did not bother me, but more sensitive readers may have a different view.

As I said at the outset, at this point, the plots are more intricate, and Lottie still stays on top. I can’t wait to see what’s in store next.

Author Bio:
Patricia is the million-copy bestselling author of the DI Lottie Parker series. She yearned to be a writer after reading Enid Blyton and Carolyn Keene and even wanted to be Nancy Drew when she grew up. She has now grown up (she thinks) but the closest she’s come to Nancy Drew is writing crime!

In 2009, after her husband died, she retired from her job and started writing seriously. Fascinated by people and their quirky characteristics, she always carries a notebook to scribble down observations.

Patricia also loves to paint in watercolour and lives in the Irish midlands with her children. 

Detective Gina Harte is back, and this time the investigation hits a little closer to home than she would like.

One thing this author does well is setting incredibly detailed scenes. But Ms. Kovach goes a step beyond several other authors and sets active scenes. Not only are static details enumerated, but dynamic moments are as well (the flash of a camera at a crime scene, the sounds of the squad room, etc.). It gives a whole different dimension to reading.

I also like how the people involved in the investigation proceed, especially how they talk things out before an official statement is made, spitballing ideas or general thoughts on the case. This type of discussion is something that happens in real-life investigations, and the author captures it perfectly.  

As to the investigation itself, it’s more personal because aspects of it remind Gina of her own past trauma. These moments do serve to catalyze Gina and drive her to find the killer while adding depth to her character.  However, there were a few times I felt that Gina’s memories bogged the plot down. I wanted to get back to the action of the story.

The crime(s) are pretty gruesome, but not gory. The close proximity of the killer and victims proves that it mostly involves the power the killer feels, and that is detailed in sporadic chapters from the killer’s point of view.

As always, the author does a fantastic job of throwing red herrings and twists in that mimic a real investigation (thinking that it’s suspect A, but maybe it’s suspect B, what does suspect C have to do with it all, anyway?). And just when you think you have it all figured out, you don’t. This author is a master at partial guilt. And that’s all I am going to say about that.

Even though this is part of a series, the sixth to be exact, it can absolutely be read as a standalone. You will just have a better sense of Gina’s (and her team’s) backgrounds if you have read the others.

Author Bio:

Carla Kovach was born in Birmingham, UK and now resides in Redditch, Worcestershire. Author of supernatural drama ‘Flame,’ psychological thriller ‘To Let,’ crime thriller ‘Whispers Beneath the Pines,’ and holiday comedy, ‘Meet Me at Marmaris Castle.’ Carla also writes stage and screenplays, some of which have been produced in the Worcestershire area. Her feature film ‘Penny for the Guy’ is being made and is set for release in 2019.

Her latest book, Her Last Mistake is the sixth book in the DI Gina Harte crime series.