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Trial By Fire by J.A. Jance

Publisher: Touchstone  ISBN-10: 1416563806

Reviewed by Pam Voisey, New Mystery Reader

With the addition of Trial By Fire, J.A. Jance adds to her estimable list of best selling mystery and suspense novels.  The fifth in the Ali Reynolds series, Jance continues to add to her repertoire. 

By accepting a position as media liaison in the Yavapai County Police Department, Jance’s protagonist, Ali Reynolds, is drawn into a politically charged arson/murder.   When arson occurs in a new upscale housing development and an unidentified woman is pulled from the fire with second and third degree burns over most of her body, at the request of a patient advocate on staff at the hospital, Ali goes undercover to discover the underlying motive for the murder.   Spending time in the hospital’s burn unit waiting room, Ali is able to observe the reactions of the victim’s husband, son and daughter. 

Writing cleanly and without elaboration, Jance moves her plot along at a breakneck pace, moving quickly from scene to scene; sometimes a bit too quickly and the story would have been greatly enhanced had the characters been more fully developed, as it is written though, it’s hard to develop any affinity for them.  The ending ties everything up in a neat package; however it seems a little too neat.  Murder/arson etc. is a messy business but somehow the reader never really feels that it’s more than a minor inconvenience for Ali.

If you are looking for a quick read without investing a great deal of energy or gray matter, this is the book for you.

Bryant & May on the Loose by Christopher Fowler

Publisher: Bantam ISBN-10: 0553807196

Reviewed by Bonnye Busbice Good, New Mystery Reader

The Peculiar Crimes Unit has been disbanded and thrown away like yesterday’s rubbish, because of their habit of showing up the more traditional police departments and showing no humility about it.  While the squad members search for unemployment, Senior Detectives Bryant and May reassemble the team for one last hurrah after a decapitated body is accidentally found by a PCU member.

Granted only one week to finish the job, the PCU team includes Detective Sergeant Janice Longbright who reluctantly leaves her cushy part-time job in a lingerie shop, Sergeant Jack Renfield (who grudgingly bears with the expected Bram Stoker allusions), Detective Constable Meera Mangeshkar and an unlikely cast of helpers quickly set up shop in an abandoned warehouse that has its own supernatural secrets.

Full of well-timed puns and historical connections once commonly found in popular literature, Bryant & May on the Loose heads into Bryant’s territory in the mystical realm when the pagan, Catholic and Protestant histories of Knight’s Cross smash into the pavement-covered rehabilitation plans of a government-approved developer.  This is one well-trodden building site filled with odd archaeologists, arrogant businessmen, government officials, curiously secular church officials, and the occasional witch or oddity-seeker, all combining to make tracking an iron-willed murdered that much more difficult.

The most dismal aspects arrive in the form of the pencil-pushing bureaucrats in constant fear that the PCU will tarnish the constabulary’s reputation, even though it’s an accepted fact that PCU cases are often unsolvable by anyone else.

After a man covered in deer fur and bearing antlers made of deadly knives begins terrifying construction workers, the PCU knows that their strictly imposed deadline to solve the case may not give them enough time to stop the murders.

Peculiar in every sense, including the promise of twists, myths and darkly humorous characters, Bryant & May on the Loose will please readers looking for a little extra with their mysteries.

Breathless by Dean Koontz

Publisher: Bantam  ISBN-10: 0553807153

Reviewed by Stephanie Padilla, New Mystery Reader

Writing a concise synopsis for this book is difficult enough, let alone a review.  But with that warning in effect, here goes.  Koontz takes the stories of several characters and places them in alternate chapters that highlight how they are affected by a mystical and nearly inconceivable event that will shake their, and soon enough the rest of the world’s, preconceived notions of science and beliefs to the core.

Included in this array of characters is a lonely veterinarian whose scars from a painful past have yet to heal; an ex-marine - now furniture maker - whose solitary life in the beautiful forests of Colorado with his dog keeps him honest and sane; a psychopathic killer whose past in our nation’s capitol has led him to know some secrets that makes him willing to kill in order to create his dream survival setting; a husband who considers murder a better alternative to divorce; and a scientist whose controversial opinion on chaos theory leads him to the latest ground zero to make sense of it all.

And just what exactly is the event that connects all these characters together?  Well, in order to not give too much away, let me just say it’s a pair of never-before-seen creatures whose ability to transfix, transform, and transcend seem nothing short of a miracle.  But, then again, could their sudden appearance instead be an ominous prelude to something dark coming this way?

As in his recent writings, Koontz tackles some complicated and thorny subjects: faith, science as we know it; science as it might be; the fragility of belief systems; and pretty much life as we understand it.  And in so doing, he does manage to raise some provocative questions that will make most readers at least consider his main premise that everything we think we know is either wrong now or will soon be proven as such.  But, yes, while he does do this in a magical way that tempts and challenges the reader to follow, those who have agreed to go down that road will find that some of his implied conclusions too must eventually fail because of the very reasons he puts forth for what’s failed before.  But in the end, if understood correctly, Koontz might be saying there is no conclusion to be had and that’s the magic of it all. 

Warned you, this is one that’s near impossible to describe, but it is one that’s worth reading in order to make your own sense of in the end.  At times magical and beautiful, at times frustrating and inconceivable, for the most part this is a challenging and breathtaking read that will touch most readers in one way or another.             

Dead Air by D Shlian & L Reid

Publisher: Oceanview Press  ISBN 978 1 933515 50 2

Reviewed by Karen Treanor, New Mystery Reader

Sammy Greene is helping to fund her tertiary education by working on the college radio station, compeering the popular talk-back show “The Hot Line”.   The local news is usually pretty tame here at Ellsford University in Vermont, but then Sammy stumbles on what could be the story of the decade—if she lives to report it.

It starts when Sammy finds her favourite professor dead in his home, an apparent suicide.  The police are ready to accept the death at face value, but Sammy isn’t. Her investigation into Professor Conrad’s death leads her to discover other deaths, and suddenly the phrase ‘student body’ takes on a whole new meaning.  Students are dying or disappearing; the university health service may be involved, but how? Sammy can’t convince anyone, even her med student boyfriend, that there’s a conspiracy on the conservative New England campus.  She’s pretty sure there’s big money and big business involved, but who’s going to believe her when respected and respectable senior staff at the university claim everything’s fine?  At least one of them is likely to be a killer, but Sammy needs proof.

Sammy has one ally, Brian McKernan, the studio engineer.  Brian analyses an audio tape for Sammy, a tape that proves a lot of what she’s been alleging, but before he can tell her or anyone else what he’s found, Brian dies in a fire at the radio station, allegedly an accident.  Sammy is devastated: she’s convinced that someone murdered Brian for what he discovered on the tape, but with no tape and no proof, there’s no hope, not unless Sammy can come up with something new and irrefutable.

Sammy’s on her own now; can she find the proof and convince the authorities before the people who have a lot to lose catch up with her?  It’s hard to know who to trust in this once safe and familiar campus which now seems to be filled with enemies.

It takes very special skills for two people to write a book together and have the end result be a seamless production.  This story is not without some flaws; there are clichés and choppy sentences and tired adjectives but on the whole this book a good read.  It’s another fast-moving story from the folks at Oceanview. 

Overkill by Eugenia Lovett West

Publisher: Minotaur Books  ISBN-10: 0312371144

Reviewed by Stephanie Padilla, New Mystery Reader

When the wealthy and widowed 40-something amateur sleuth Emma Streat gets word that her young niece is avoiding her duties in Venice as a famous international opera singer, Emma naturally feels a need to jump on a plane and straighten the misguided girl out.  But when soon after her arrival, her niece’s manager is found dead and her niece is struck down by an unknown viral infection that has left her on death’s bed, Emma is quick to realize that sorting things out is going to entail a bit more than a firm talking to. 

Bringing her niece back to the U.S., Emma is quick to start making use of her international connection with a sexy operative who helped her solve her husband’s murder.  And it doesn’t take long to realize that some very bad people who are in the lethal virus business are determined to see their criminal enterprise straight through to the end no matter the cost, leaving Emma unsure who to trust, including the handsome scientist who looks like a viable future husband.  And so with danger coming ever closer, not to mention some sexy suitors, Emma’s latest quest for answers just might be her last.

While the subject matter of the danger of viral infections in this latest by West is more than timely, this alone does little to redeem this feeble and unsatisfying read.  The plot itself is actually a good one, but when combined with the one-dimensional characters, it becomes apparent that plot alone cannot keep this story alive.  While wealthy and in possession of more than one Hermes scarf, along with the respect given to her as a crime solver from the most covert and powerful agencies ever, main character Emma Streat still comes off as either unbearably prim and proper or simply uninteresting, depending on the chapter.   And, ultimately, it’s this unconvincing main character that makes this one a miss.

Tragedy at Two by Ann Purser

Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime  ISBN-10: 0425230066

Reviewed by Bonnye Busbice Good, New Mystery Reader 

In Europe, gypsies are much more than the misunderstood romantic depictions seen in American television and movies.  Modern nomadic gypsies, or Roma, retain a reputation for pick-pocketing and other sorts of criminal mischief while uneasily co-existing with those who live a more traditional lifestyle. Like in any society, there are those who build on this negative reputation but many more who just want to preserve their cultural lifestyle.

Ann Purser bravely explores two disparate worlds whose inhabitants plead for privacy from one another while attempting no understanding of the other.  Lois Meade, a middle-aged, no-nonsense Englishwoman from the village of Long Farnden, intends to walk the line between both in order to find the killer who brutally beat her daughter’s boyfriend Rob to death.  Because the gypsies were camping out on a local’s land at the time, suspicion quickly falls to them, especially when a pair of brothers and their illegal pit bull taunt lone villagers.

Lois continues her unofficial partnership with Detective Chief Inspector Hunter Cowgill, who barely hides his adoration of her in spite of her irritability.  Cowgill plays only a minor part as Lois can maneuver into the gypsy camp slightly more easily than an official police presence.  Befriending gypsies such as wise Athalia and kind George, Lois realizes that the list of suspects should include many more than just the travelers since there are plenty of disgruntled villagers, marauding teenage gangs and other strangers in the area. 

In keeping with the authenticity, the dialogue contains a specific dialect which can be jarring at first but by the end of the book, readers will find its consistency easy to understand.  This is not a story in which the main characters are likeable, but it is one in which there is an honest depiction of the contradictory motivations found in each person, and Purser gives many of her characters the chance to demonstrate inner confusion, guilt or other turmoil. 

In spite of a slow start punctuated by the seemingly unending grumpiness exhibited by many of the characters, Tragedy At Two ultimately proves rewarding for the patient reader with a fuller, unsentimental glimpse into the lives of English villagers and traveling Gypsies.

London Boulevard by Ken Bruen

Publisher: Minotaur Books  ISBN-10: 0312561687

Reviewed by Dana King, New Mystery Reader

Sunset Boulevard may be the greatest film noir ever made. Now give Joe Gillis the day off and substitute Richard Stark’s Parker as the kept man. Hire Ken Bruen to write it, and you have London Boulevard.

Mitchell is all set when he gets out of prison after three years. His buddy Billy Norton has him fixed up with nice digs, not only furnished, but full of clothes. Seems the previous owner got behind on some debts and was required to relocate. As might be expected, ain’t nothing free, and Mitchell’s physical skills are requested to help Billy in his business.

Mitchell just got out and isn’t immediately interested in going back in. A good deed done for a reporter earns him an introduction to Lillian Palmer and her servant, Jordan. Lillian is a former stage star, pushing sixty, living as a recluse. Mitchell gets a job as a handyman, with responsibilities that go somewhat beyond what gets advertised on Angie’s List. Billy’s criminal requests and Mitchell’s (more or less) straight life both become more complicated until they eventually overlap, leading to violence Mitchell had hoped to avoid, probably because he’s so comfortable with it.

Bruen spins his story out with no evident destination until toward the end; even then he holds back a twist or two. Full of treachery, sex, violence, and humor, London Boulevard pulls no punches. The matter of fact descriptions of make all of the above more effective. (The scene describing Mitchell’s first post-prison sexual encounter is a masterpiece of no frills, deadpan detachment, perfect for him and his situation.) Mitchell displays sentiment without being sentimental. The writing is sometimes funny, never comic. 

Bruen’s writing is so spot on, the style so fluid, the greatest risk for the reader is getting through it too quickly. There’s a rhythm to his writing that speeds the eye down the page; momentum builds as the reader locks in. Keep in mind it’s only 250 pages and will be over too quickly even if you don’t speed read it.

London Boulevard was originally published in 2001, re-released now to accompany the “major motion picture” that is about to be released. (Calling a motion picture anything other than “major” is like describing a mattress sale without using “blowout.”) Colin Farrell plays Mitchell; Clive Owen seems a better choice, but Farrell’s good enough to pull it off. Keira Knightley is the female lead, listed as neither Lillian nor Mitchell’s actual love interest, Ainsley, in the credits, so something has to give plot-wise.

Why take a chance? The book’s available now, telling the story just as Bruen intended it. You won’t want to miss a word.

Hollywood Moon by Joseph Wambaugh

Publisher: Little, Brown & Co  ISBN 0 316 04518 7

Reviewed by Karen Treanor, New Mystery Reader

Everyone who enjoyed “Hollywood Crows”, and there’d be a fair few of us, will be glad to see the return of Hollywood Nate Weiss and the repertory company that forms the LAPD’s Hollywood Division, including the surfer dude cops, Flotsam and Jetsam and the tough but compassionate Dana Vaughan, Nate’s partner.  She’s still treating him a bit like her kid brother some days, but Nate’s learned to accept it; he knows there’s a lot to be learned from Dana if you don’t get mired in old-time macho short-sightedness.

The new adventure has the usual line-up of weird Hollywood bit players: the strange people who dress up as super-heroes and panhandle tourists; the flaked out druggies; the lost souls and the wayward innocents.  And then there’s the dangerous ones, the people who’ve got a line on how to get rich at the expense of others, and who aren’t particularly fussed about hurting someone along the way.

Nobody in this story is what he seems to be:  Clark Jones is really Malcolm Rojas; Jakob Kessler is really Bernie Graham is really Dewey Gleason—you need a score card to keep track of the villains in this piece. They all come together in a final collision with Nate, Dana and the rest of the midwatch cops in one of those ghastly confluences that has you mentally screaming “Watch out, watch out!”  Then the thumbscrews are released, and it looks as if everything’s going to work out: the baddies bagged, the police unscathed, justice served.  But wait: who’s missing?

I hate it when a character I’ve become fond of drops out of an ongoing story, and Wambaugh had better replace this one with somebody equally good in the next book.  You’re on notice, Joe.