Tag: Series

This is fast becoming one of my favorite series. I came in late at Her Broken Wings (#8), but have been trying to catch up since then. I’ve seen the progression. The writing is crisp, the characters are realistic and likable, and the villains are always super-creepy. This installment is no exception.

I really like how the author doesn’t beat around the bush. The action starts right away so there’s no guessing about where it’s headed and this one really takes the cake. The Sculptor is definitely one of the most chill-inducing and prolific baddies I have “met” in a book.

The camaraderie between Kane and Alton has grown over the series. They’ve been working together long enough that they’re a well-oiled machine. But that doesn’t mean they’ve become complacent. There’s a scene early on that illustrates just how “on top” of things they still are, especially Kane. The man is a beast.

The author also pays attention to secondary characters, giving them their own times to shine. FBI Agent Jo Wells and Bobby Kalo have their own parts to do. I especially like Bobby’s story.

Actually, the more I think about it, the more I realize these books read more like a popular tv show. The characters all have their strengths and together they make a team. The plots are self-contained, but have the through-plot lines that continue from book to book. I dig that.

I’m trying to avoid the plot, because I really think books like this need to be experienced, and I don’t want to be the one to spoil someone’s experience. I mentioned The Sculptor; he is as nuanced as the regular characters, and I appreciate the attention to detail. I also like that one of the victims did not act like a typical victim. I was rooting for her. And that’s all I am going to say about that.

This is one of the few series that I think you really can read as stand-alones, but I do think you miss the background of the team. So jump in now.

Author Bio:

I’ve always had a wicked sense of humour and was the kid who told the ghost stories around the campfire. I am lucky to have family all over the world and have spent many vacations in places from Paris France to Montana USA and Australia. I use the wonderful memories from these visits to enhance my stories.

My interest in the development of forensic science to solve crime goes back many years. I enjoy writing crime, mystery and thrillers. With many stories, waiting for me to write I’ll look forward to sharing many spine-tingling stories with you.

D.K. Hood is an active member of International Thriller Writers

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.