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The Naturals (The Naturals #1)
8.5
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Seventeen-year-old Cassie is a natural at reading people. Piecing together the tiniest details, she...
Killer Instinct (The Naturals #2)
8.5
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Seventeen-year-old Cassie Hobbes has a gift for profiling people. Her talent has landed her a spot...
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2091 KP) rated S is for Silence (Kinsey Millhone, #19) in Books
May 15, 2021
Kinsey Tries to Solve a Very Cold Case
On July 4, 1953, Victoria Sullivan vanished without a trace and was never heard from again. Her abusive husband lived under the shadow of suspicion, and her then seven-year-old daughter, Daisy, has lived with the questions about what happened to her mother and why. And so, thirty-four years later, she hires PI Kinsey Millhone to try to finally solve this mystery. Kinsey is reluctant to take on the case. After all this time, what can she find? Yet, as she begins to poke around, she suspects that the people she is talking to know more than they’ve ever told the police or are telling her. Can she figure out what happened?
Cold cases can make excellent novels, and this is a perfect example. It is obvious early on that Kinsey is gaining new information, but how that is going to play out keeps us guessing until the end. I was certain I knew who it was, but I was wrong. Still, the ending did make sense to me. The characters are strong as always. Kinsey spends much of the book out of town, so we don’t see much of the regulars, which was disappointing, but a minor issue. While all the “modern” 1987 scenes are narrated from Kinsey’s first-person point of view, there are sections from other character’s point of view back in 1953. As good as some of those scenes are, sadly, there are some very graphic scenes in them. We could have easily done without them and it wouldn’t have impacted the story at all. I’m taking a star off for that. If you are a fan, be prepared to skim those scenes and you’ll still enjoy the book overall.
Cold cases can make excellent novels, and this is a perfect example. It is obvious early on that Kinsey is gaining new information, but how that is going to play out keeps us guessing until the end. I was certain I knew who it was, but I was wrong. Still, the ending did make sense to me. The characters are strong as always. Kinsey spends much of the book out of town, so we don’t see much of the regulars, which was disappointing, but a minor issue. While all the “modern” 1987 scenes are narrated from Kinsey’s first-person point of view, there are sections from other character’s point of view back in 1953. As good as some of those scenes are, sadly, there are some very graphic scenes in them. We could have easily done without them and it wouldn’t have impacted the story at all. I’m taking a star off for that. If you are a fan, be prepared to skim those scenes and you’ll still enjoy the book overall.
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Gone for Good in Books
Aug 26, 2021
An excellent mystery where a cold case intersects with a new murder
In the 1990s, the Lovelorn Killer killed seven women and disappeared. The last known victim was Katherine Duffy, the wife of a police officer, who was killed on Halloween. After twenty years, many wonder if he's gone for good. But a group of amateur online sleuths, known as the Grave Diggers, don't think that. They take on cold cases and investigate them. One of these Diggers is Grace Harper, a grocery store worker. Grace is sure the Lovelorn Killer is out there, blending into the same neighborhoods he hunted in. Detective Annalisa Vega's father--also a cop--was partnered with Katie Duffy's husband back in the day. Her murder was a defining moment in Annalisa's life. When Annalisa is called to the scene of Grace's murder and realizes she was killed in a similar manner to the Lovelorn Killer, she wonders if the killer is back. Investigating will mean dredging up Annalisa's childhood memories and giving everything she has to catch a murderer.
"With each passing year, the Lovelorn Killer recedes into history and people shrug at the mention of his name. Looks like he's gone for good."
This is an excellent mystery--honestly no surprise when it's by Schaffhausen. I love her Ellery/Reed series, and I'm excited that there's a new series from her. This is a dark read and Annalisa's personal ties to the case and investigation only strengthen this book. It's wonderful reading a story with a strong female detective (and a female boss). Annalisa is a new detective, struggling with the fact that she must work with her ex-husband, Nick Carelli, the established detective on the force. But she doesn't let that, or anything, stop her. Schaffhausen is so good at writing a police procedural; she writes about the processes and force dynamics so well. You feel a part of the investigation and Annalisa's police family superbly. Same with the city of Chicago. She captures the city perfectly. As someone with Chicago ties, this book is so Chicago. I cannot wait for my parents, who grew up in the Chicago suburbs, to read it.
Told from Annalisa's perspective and interspersed with excerpts from Grace's journal, GONE FOR GOOD is tense and crackling with suspense. It's a fast moving read that keeps you guessing from the very beginning, which opens with Grace's death. Yet Grace always feels like another living character in the book, and she's integral to the plot. This is truly a dark read, with a lot of death and murder, and a "bad guy" who is quite bad. I'm always impressed at how Schaffhausen can write stories that permeate with evil and tension.
Overall, I loved everything about this book. The unification of old and new cases and way the Internet sleuths added to the cases. How Annalisa's personal life intertwined with the investigation. GOOD is well-written and keeps you guessing until the very end. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series. 4.5 stars.
I received a copy of this book from Minotaur Books and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review.
"With each passing year, the Lovelorn Killer recedes into history and people shrug at the mention of his name. Looks like he's gone for good."
This is an excellent mystery--honestly no surprise when it's by Schaffhausen. I love her Ellery/Reed series, and I'm excited that there's a new series from her. This is a dark read and Annalisa's personal ties to the case and investigation only strengthen this book. It's wonderful reading a story with a strong female detective (and a female boss). Annalisa is a new detective, struggling with the fact that she must work with her ex-husband, Nick Carelli, the established detective on the force. But she doesn't let that, or anything, stop her. Schaffhausen is so good at writing a police procedural; she writes about the processes and force dynamics so well. You feel a part of the investigation and Annalisa's police family superbly. Same with the city of Chicago. She captures the city perfectly. As someone with Chicago ties, this book is so Chicago. I cannot wait for my parents, who grew up in the Chicago suburbs, to read it.
Told from Annalisa's perspective and interspersed with excerpts from Grace's journal, GONE FOR GOOD is tense and crackling with suspense. It's a fast moving read that keeps you guessing from the very beginning, which opens with Grace's death. Yet Grace always feels like another living character in the book, and she's integral to the plot. This is truly a dark read, with a lot of death and murder, and a "bad guy" who is quite bad. I'm always impressed at how Schaffhausen can write stories that permeate with evil and tension.
Overall, I loved everything about this book. The unification of old and new cases and way the Internet sleuths added to the cases. How Annalisa's personal life intertwined with the investigation. GOOD is well-written and keeps you guessing until the very end. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series. 4.5 stars.
I received a copy of this book from Minotaur Books and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review.
Nazi Fugitive: The True Story of a German on the Run
Eugen Dollmann and David Talbot
Book
An SS colonel goes underground at the end of WWII Eugen Dollmann was a scholar and member of the SS...
Win
Book
Over twenty years ago, heiress Patricia Lockwood was abducted during a robbery of her family's...
Point Blank (Badlands #6)
Book
Sexy psychic Simon Kincaide and skeptical homicide detective Vic D’Amato are getting married--if...
MM Fantasy Romance Urban Fantasy Opposites Attract Established Relationship
Lindsay (1706 KP) rated Shades of Murder (Mac Faraday Mystery #3) in Books
Apr 16, 2022
Are you a murder mystery fan? Do you enjoy mystery altogether? You may fall in love with Lauren Carr. Her books will get you hooked. You and start any of her series by reading any one of her books. But you can read her books from the beginning. You can read any of her books as stand-alone as well.
I got hooked on her book by reading a mystery book of hers. Now I have read quite a few of them. The book I just finished is “Shades of Murder” in the form of an audiobook, book three of her Mac Faraday series. I have read almost all of her books in all of her series. They do get interlocked. Some readers may introduce you to new characters and a new series of books.
We started with the prologue of the story and murder in the preamble. We stand introduced to David and his parents, who are on vacation when we open this book. David stands called out to a crime scene. We want to know who killed Ilysa Ramsey.
We get introduced to Mac and his german shepherd in chapter one. When he receives a mysterious package sent to him, Archy wants to know. It seems like it was a painting that had stood stolen. We are wondering whether she painted her death.
Then we are introduced to Joshua Thornton and Cameron Gates. They seem to be working on a murder mystery of their own that when cold. Who is this Jane Doe?; Who kills her? Who happens to be Neil Hackaway’s wife?
What will happen when Cameron Gates and Joshua Thornton find out that there is another Ilysa Ramsey murder in Deep Creek Lake? Who out to kill who. Why does the FBI get involved? There seem to be more murders cases and lots of questions.
These cases seem to collide, and what will ever happen. Will the group work together and figure out the killer? Is there more than one killer? There may be a plan for each of the suspects years later. You will have to read or listen to find out how it all fits together.
I got hooked on her book by reading a mystery book of hers. Now I have read quite a few of them. The book I just finished is “Shades of Murder” in the form of an audiobook, book three of her Mac Faraday series. I have read almost all of her books in all of her series. They do get interlocked. Some readers may introduce you to new characters and a new series of books.
We started with the prologue of the story and murder in the preamble. We stand introduced to David and his parents, who are on vacation when we open this book. David stands called out to a crime scene. We want to know who killed Ilysa Ramsey.
We get introduced to Mac and his german shepherd in chapter one. When he receives a mysterious package sent to him, Archy wants to know. It seems like it was a painting that had stood stolen. We are wondering whether she painted her death.
Then we are introduced to Joshua Thornton and Cameron Gates. They seem to be working on a murder mystery of their own that when cold. Who is this Jane Doe?; Who kills her? Who happens to be Neil Hackaway’s wife?
What will happen when Cameron Gates and Joshua Thornton find out that there is another Ilysa Ramsey murder in Deep Creek Lake? Who out to kill who. Why does the FBI get involved? There seem to be more murders cases and lots of questions.
These cases seem to collide, and what will ever happen. Will the group work together and figure out the killer? Is there more than one killer? There may be a plan for each of the suspects years later. You will have to read or listen to find out how it all fits together.
Sassy Brit (97 KP) rated The Darkness in Books
Jun 5, 2019
The Darkness by Ragnar Jónasson is an exciting Icelandic crime story, that’s dark, moody and realistic in both setting and characterisation.
The moment Detective Inspector Hulda Hermannsdóttir of the Reykjavik Police was rudely told to leave her job and take early retirement to make way for a younger replacement I knew I was going to love this book. From there on, I wanted her to succeed in anything she touched, if only to get her own back on her boss.
After negotiating whilst still in shock, the detective was told she could stay on, but only if she worked on one of the cold, unsolved cases during her final two weeks. The fact that her current cases and other work had already been distributed to other staff angered both me and Hulda!
Fortunately, Hulda kept her cool (much better than I did) and immediately decided which case to pick, since it was one she’d felt her colleague Alexander had never dealt with properly in the first place, but at the time she was not in the position to argue with him.
With two weeks in her position left she re-opened the cold case of the Russian girl and asylum seeker, Elena. eager to prove she didn’t kill herself by drowning but was murdered. And in the first 24 hours she knew more than what was put on Alexander’s original report. Go girl!
From here on, we follow Hulda’s investigation, in third person point of view, and we also hear the story of an unknown girl’s own narrative in first person.
Oh, how I loved Alexander’s reaction when he discovered Hulda looking into his closed case. If that’s not the sign of a guilty man then I don’t know what is! Brilliant!
In addition, when Hulda’s two weeks on the case were reduced to only one day by her angry boss, I raced through this book as if reading it faster would help her solve the case even quicker!
Hulda is one of my favourite ‘older’ characters, who has been through a lot, with secrets of her own, and I rooted for her throughout this story. She’s a courageous, hardworking and down-to-earth character who has faced a lot of prejudice during her career in the police force just for being a woman. The fact that Ragnar Jónasson has clearly emphasised this point right up to her last few days on the job, makes the sucker-punch of an ending even harder to deal with.
I loved every minute of this book, and even the sad, disappointing, yet shocking and annoying ending cannot sway me from awarding this book five stars. Confession Time; Want to know something else? I only picked this book up to have a brief look, with the thought of getting to it soon. But once I picked it up I couldn’t put the bloody thing back down again…
The moment Detective Inspector Hulda Hermannsdóttir of the Reykjavik Police was rudely told to leave her job and take early retirement to make way for a younger replacement I knew I was going to love this book. From there on, I wanted her to succeed in anything she touched, if only to get her own back on her boss.
After negotiating whilst still in shock, the detective was told she could stay on, but only if she worked on one of the cold, unsolved cases during her final two weeks. The fact that her current cases and other work had already been distributed to other staff angered both me and Hulda!
Fortunately, Hulda kept her cool (much better than I did) and immediately decided which case to pick, since it was one she’d felt her colleague Alexander had never dealt with properly in the first place, but at the time she was not in the position to argue with him.
With two weeks in her position left she re-opened the cold case of the Russian girl and asylum seeker, Elena. eager to prove she didn’t kill herself by drowning but was murdered. And in the first 24 hours she knew more than what was put on Alexander’s original report. Go girl!
From here on, we follow Hulda’s investigation, in third person point of view, and we also hear the story of an unknown girl’s own narrative in first person.
Oh, how I loved Alexander’s reaction when he discovered Hulda looking into his closed case. If that’s not the sign of a guilty man then I don’t know what is! Brilliant!
In addition, when Hulda’s two weeks on the case were reduced to only one day by her angry boss, I raced through this book as if reading it faster would help her solve the case even quicker!
Hulda is one of my favourite ‘older’ characters, who has been through a lot, with secrets of her own, and I rooted for her throughout this story. She’s a courageous, hardworking and down-to-earth character who has faced a lot of prejudice during her career in the police force just for being a woman. The fact that Ragnar Jónasson has clearly emphasised this point right up to her last few days on the job, makes the sucker-punch of an ending even harder to deal with.
I loved every minute of this book, and even the sad, disappointing, yet shocking and annoying ending cannot sway me from awarding this book five stars. Confession Time; Want to know something else? I only picked this book up to have a brief look, with the thought of getting to it soon. But once I picked it up I couldn’t put the bloody thing back down again…