Search
Don't Lie To Me (Eva Rae Thomas Mystery Book 1)
10.0
Rate It
Book
When twelve-year-old Sophie Williams went on a Girl Scout summer camp, she never returned home. ...
romantic suspense thriller police procedural mystery romance suspense
Just Cause (Detective Madison Knight Series Book 5)
Book
One cold case could be what kills her… Eight years ago, a young defense attorney was murdered,...
fiction adult murder mystery police procedural crime
The House that Jack Built (Jack Ryder Book 3)
Book
Scott Kingston is afraid of monsters. He thinks they’re lurking outside his bedroom window at...
adult fiction series Jack Ryder horror mystery
Hazel (2934 KP) rated The Night Watch (DS Max Craigie #3) in Books
Sep 4, 2022
I have read the first 2 in this series and absolutely loved them so I was a bit worried that Mr Lancaster wouldn't be able to match them however, I have to say that he has exceeded my expectations because this is an absolute cracker.
DS Max Craigie and his team are a small but formidable group; their relationship and dialogue feels authentic and I have found myself becoming rather attached to them. Max's boss, DI Ross Fraser, provided me much amusement and laugh out loud moments which helped to lighten what is a dark story of what appears to be vigilante justice with a strong suspicion that the perpetrator is a serving police officer. When he is found dead of an apparent suicide, Max and his team are convinced it was murder but how and who is responsible and who will be next?
Once again, this is a gritty, fast paced and absorbing police procedural with an engrossing plot with great twists and excellent characters and although it can be read as a standalone quite successfully, I would highly recommend reading the first 2 in the series not only because it will help with getting to know the characters but also because they are damn fine books!
Bravo Mr Lancaster, you have a fan here and I can't wait to read the next and I must thank HQ, HQ Digital and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of The Night Watch.
DS Max Craigie and his team are a small but formidable group; their relationship and dialogue feels authentic and I have found myself becoming rather attached to them. Max's boss, DI Ross Fraser, provided me much amusement and laugh out loud moments which helped to lighten what is a dark story of what appears to be vigilante justice with a strong suspicion that the perpetrator is a serving police officer. When he is found dead of an apparent suicide, Max and his team are convinced it was murder but how and who is responsible and who will be next?
Once again, this is a gritty, fast paced and absorbing police procedural with an engrossing plot with great twists and excellent characters and although it can be read as a standalone quite successfully, I would highly recommend reading the first 2 in the series not only because it will help with getting to know the characters but also because they are damn fine books!
Bravo Mr Lancaster, you have a fan here and I can't wait to read the next and I must thank HQ, HQ Digital and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of The Night Watch.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2103 KP) rated Movieland in Books
Jul 26, 2022 (Updated Jul 26, 2022)
A Sniper in the State Park
Eve Ronin’s latest case starts in Malibu Creek State Park. A former movie studio backlot, it’s been known for hiking and camping for years. But someone shot at two female campers, killing one and wounding the other. Eve’s partner, Duncan Pavone, immediately connects the shooting to some cases he was investigating before Eve joined the department, but the higher ups are refusing to acknowledge that this is anything but an isolated incident. Can Eve find the truth no matter where it lays?
This strong book may be the best in the series to date. I couldn’t figure out where the plot was going to go for quite a while, and I mean that in the best way possible. Once I reached the end, everything was resolved in a logical manner. Eve got some great growth here, and all the characters, old and new, were strong and at their best. There are a couple of sub-plots that grow out of the events in previous books in the series. While you could read this as a standalone, I recommend you read the series in order. Since this is a police procedural, there is a tad more content that I try to avoid, but it was kept to a minimum. I also really enjoyed the humor in the book. If you are looking for a strong mystery, you’ll be glad you picked this one up.
This strong book may be the best in the series to date. I couldn’t figure out where the plot was going to go for quite a while, and I mean that in the best way possible. Once I reached the end, everything was resolved in a logical manner. Eve got some great growth here, and all the characters, old and new, were strong and at their best. There are a couple of sub-plots that grow out of the events in previous books in the series. While you could read this as a standalone, I recommend you read the series in order. Since this is a police procedural, there is a tad more content that I try to avoid, but it was kept to a minimum. I also really enjoyed the humor in the book. If you are looking for a strong mystery, you’ll be glad you picked this one up.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2103 KP) rated Where the Guilty Hide in Books
Feb 2, 2023
When Home Invasion Leads to Murder
Erie City Police Detective Matthias Honeywell has been called to the site of a second home invasion robbery in a matter of days. The difference here is that the husband managed to escape and go after the thieves. Unfortunately, the next morning, photographer Emma Anderson finds the man’s body in some debris that washed on shore from Lake Erie. The more Honeywell investigates, the more he finds that revolves around Emma. Can he solve the case? Will she be the key to unraveling it?
This is a strong start to a new series. Both Honeywell and Emma come alive quickly for us, partially thanks to their backstories which are slowly given to us without over teasing. The rest of the cast is just as strong. We get the story from both Honeywell’s and Emma’s third person points of view in alternating chapters, so it is always easy to tell when we are switching. And the story is strong. I struggled when I had the put the book down, especially when I hit the page turning climax. (Stupid real life!) Since this is a police procedural, it is darker than the cozies I often read, so know that going in. Those already a fan of the author will be delighted with the new series. If you haven’t started reading her books yet, this is a great place to jump in.
This is a strong start to a new series. Both Honeywell and Emma come alive quickly for us, partially thanks to their backstories which are slowly given to us without over teasing. The rest of the cast is just as strong. We get the story from both Honeywell’s and Emma’s third person points of view in alternating chapters, so it is always easy to tell when we are switching. And the story is strong. I struggled when I had the put the book down, especially when I hit the page turning climax. (Stupid real life!) Since this is a police procedural, it is darker than the cozies I often read, so know that going in. Those already a fan of the author will be delighted with the new series. If you haven’t started reading her books yet, this is a great place to jump in.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2103 KP) rated Calico in Books
Nov 9, 2023
A Shock and Some Flaws
After a scandal forces her from the LAPD, Beth McDade lands a job as a detective in Barstow, California. Nothing much happens in this middle of nowhere location until one night when a motorhome hits a vagrant. It appears to be a tragic accident, only no one knows who the vagrant is. And the autopsy turns up some surprising things. Can Beth figure out what is going on?
Since I normally enjoy Lee Goldberg’s books, I picked this one up without paying much attention to anything about it. As a result, I wasn’t aware it was a blend of Police Procedural, Science Fiction, and Western. It was initially shocking when I realized where the book was going, but then I got caught up in the story, which unfolds in the present and the past. It helped that I grew to enjoy the characters, although the raw nature of the first chapter made it a little hard for me. This book definitely has more content than the cozies I typically read. However, the book tried to do too much. There’s a subplot that really doesn’t go anywhere, and some of the story set in the past gets summarized for us. Meanwhile, the last couple of chapters have a bit too much exposition for me. I appreciate the attempt to do something different, but the execution could have been better.
Since I normally enjoy Lee Goldberg’s books, I picked this one up without paying much attention to anything about it. As a result, I wasn’t aware it was a blend of Police Procedural, Science Fiction, and Western. It was initially shocking when I realized where the book was going, but then I got caught up in the story, which unfolds in the present and the past. It helped that I grew to enjoy the characters, although the raw nature of the first chapter made it a little hard for me. This book definitely has more content than the cozies I typically read. However, the book tried to do too much. There’s a subplot that really doesn’t go anywhere, and some of the story set in the past gets summarized for us. Meanwhile, the last couple of chapters have a bit too much exposition for me. I appreciate the attempt to do something different, but the execution could have been better.
ClareR (5603 KP) rated Death of an Old Girl in Books
Sep 19, 2018
Old (very!) style police procedural!
I was sent this book by Sapere books to read and review, and I have to admit to some trepidation initially. A book originally published in the 1960's set in an all girls public school? Well, I needn't have worried. I thoroughly enjoyed it, to be quite honest.
The body of an 'old girl' is found in the art room after the annual reunion ('Festival') of the Old Girls. Beatrice Baynes had remained near her old school, living within walking distance, and had a reputation of being a busy body - and quite unpleasant with it. When her body is found, Scotland Yard send Inspector Pollard and Sergeant Toye to solve the murder.
I've read quite a few police procedurals recently, and the modern version can be gritty, violent and very graphic. This isn't any of those things. I do assume that it portrays the way in which murders were investigated back then quite well (I'd have to ask my Dad. He was in the Met Police in London in the 1960s, 70s and 80s!). Although I'm pretty sure that the investigating officers weren't all as pleasant as Pollard and Toye.
I loved all the old language ("frocks" for one!) and attitudes, even if they were very old fashioned. It's just so different to what's on offer now.
Well worth a read - and it's interesting to note that the Pollard and Toye series consisted of something like 19 books! Lots to be getting on with!
The body of an 'old girl' is found in the art room after the annual reunion ('Festival') of the Old Girls. Beatrice Baynes had remained near her old school, living within walking distance, and had a reputation of being a busy body - and quite unpleasant with it. When her body is found, Scotland Yard send Inspector Pollard and Sergeant Toye to solve the murder.
I've read quite a few police procedurals recently, and the modern version can be gritty, violent and very graphic. This isn't any of those things. I do assume that it portrays the way in which murders were investigated back then quite well (I'd have to ask my Dad. He was in the Met Police in London in the 1960s, 70s and 80s!). Although I'm pretty sure that the investigating officers weren't all as pleasant as Pollard and Toye.
I loved all the old language ("frocks" for one!) and attitudes, even if they were very old fashioned. It's just so different to what's on offer now.
Well worth a read - and it's interesting to note that the Pollard and Toye series consisted of something like 19 books! Lots to be getting on with!
The Protest Handbook
Tom Wainwright, Anna Morris, Katherine Craig and Owen Greenhall
Book
"It is a pleasure to welcome a book such as this; one that compendiously sets out the law relevant...
Your Mathematics Standards Companion: What They Mean and How to Teach Them: Grades 3-5
Linda M. Gojak and Ruth Harbin Miles
Book
Transforming the standards into learning outcomes just got a lot easier In these brand-new versions...