Completed May 2011
In a mesmerizing debut, cop-turned-author Donald Harstad uses real-life events to paint a jarring picture of crime in America's heartland--where two-stoplight towns no longer offer refuge from modern-day brutality.
Life in Maitland, Iowa, is usually predictable, even for a cop. But all that changes the day Deputy Sheriff Carl Houseman's dispatcher receives the terrifying 911 call. The day cops find the mutilated bodies at a remote farmhouse. The first of eleven days Carl will never forget.
As hotshot investigators fly in from New York, Carl and his fellow cops use old-fashioned detective work to piece together clues. But to turn suspicions into suspects, Carl must search among his closest friends to find a killer who has shocked and bewildered cops who'd thought they'd seen it all. And before it's over, Carl will be forced into an unrelenting spiral of chaos, coming face-to-face with evil he never dreamed could exist in Maitland...or anywhere else.
My review: This was a very good book. I enjoyed the fact that it wasn't "obvious" in the whodoneit department. The police codes became a little confusing and would have been better understood by explaining when used the first time.
Showing posts with label Police. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Police. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Immoral by Brian Freeman 2011 - 20
Completed March 2011.
A Harlan Coban–esque murder/psychological suspense structure and some uninspired writing ("He saw urgency written in her face") add up to a mildly interesting but unsurprising thriller for first-timer Freeman. Called to investigate the disappearance of beautiful teenager Ruth Stoner, Duluth, Minn., police detective Lt. Jonathan Stride is haunted by the disappearance of another teen, Kerry McGrath, 14 months earlier. Stride's an honest, likable cop, full of angst over the cancer death of his beloved wife. He has a great working relationship with diminutive partner Maggie Bei, who's been in love with him for years. As Stride and Mags investigate, the only aspect of the case that becomes clear is that everyone involved with the crime—the victim, her family and her friends—is guilty of something. Tweezing apart these strands of guilt and trying to connect them to the missing Ruth occupies Stride for more than three years. Finally, in an extended denouement, the pieces fall into place, and Stride is able to solve not only the mysteries of both Ruth and Kelly, but mend his own fractured life as well.
My Review: Excellent new author I have never read before. This book was great. It kept me guessing all the way to the final chapter.
A Harlan Coban–esque murder/psychological suspense structure and some uninspired writing ("He saw urgency written in her face") add up to a mildly interesting but unsurprising thriller for first-timer Freeman. Called to investigate the disappearance of beautiful teenager Ruth Stoner, Duluth, Minn., police detective Lt. Jonathan Stride is haunted by the disappearance of another teen, Kerry McGrath, 14 months earlier. Stride's an honest, likable cop, full of angst over the cancer death of his beloved wife. He has a great working relationship with diminutive partner Maggie Bei, who's been in love with him for years. As Stride and Mags investigate, the only aspect of the case that becomes clear is that everyone involved with the crime—the victim, her family and her friends—is guilty of something. Tweezing apart these strands of guilt and trying to connect them to the missing Ruth occupies Stride for more than three years. Finally, in an extended denouement, the pieces fall into place, and Stride is able to solve not only the mysteries of both Ruth and Kelly, but mend his own fractured life as well.
My Review: Excellent new author I have never read before. This book was great. It kept me guessing all the way to the final chapter.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Edge by Jeffrey Deaver 2011 - 3
Completed January 2011
Detective Kessler is a Washington, D.C. cop, sidelined to routine investigations. So it's a surprise when he's targeted by a 'lifter,' a person who 'lifts' information from people by whatever means necessary. And this lifter is one of the most terrifying: he prefers to get an 'edge' on his target by kidnapping or endangering their family. While the FBI and other organizations race to learn which of Kessler's seemingly insignificant cases is making somebody so uneasy they've called in a lifter, the task of safeguarding the cop, his wife and daughter, falls to expert in personal security, Corte. What ensues is a deadly contest between Corte and the lifter as each tries to outmanoeuvre the other - and a surprising conclusion that even Deaver fans won't see coming ...
My Review: The book was very difficult to get into at first but picked up about halfway through.
Detective Kessler is a Washington, D.C. cop, sidelined to routine investigations. So it's a surprise when he's targeted by a 'lifter,' a person who 'lifts' information from people by whatever means necessary. And this lifter is one of the most terrifying: he prefers to get an 'edge' on his target by kidnapping or endangering their family. While the FBI and other organizations race to learn which of Kessler's seemingly insignificant cases is making somebody so uneasy they've called in a lifter, the task of safeguarding the cop, his wife and daughter, falls to expert in personal security, Corte. What ensues is a deadly contest between Corte and the lifter as each tries to outmanoeuvre the other - and a surprising conclusion that even Deaver fans won't see coming ...
My Review: The book was very difficult to get into at first but picked up about halfway through.
Tick Tock by James Patterson 2011 - 2
Completed January 2011
A bomb set in one of New York's busiest places is discovered before it explodes. But relief turns to terror when the police realize it is just a warning of greater devastation to come. The city calls on Detective Michael Bennett, pulling him away from a seaside vacation with his ten adopted children and their beloved nanny, Mary Catherine--leaving his entire family open to attack. Bennett enlists the help of a former colleague, FBI Agent Beth Peters. His affection for Beth grows into attraction and then something stronger, and his relationship with Mary Catherine takes an unexpected turn. Another horrifying crime leads Bennett to a shocking discovery that exposes the killer's pattern--and the earth-shattering enormity of his plan.
My Review - Excellent Book. Well worth the wait. I am looking forward to more Detective Michael Bennett books.
A bomb set in one of New York's busiest places is discovered before it explodes. But relief turns to terror when the police realize it is just a warning of greater devastation to come. The city calls on Detective Michael Bennett, pulling him away from a seaside vacation with his ten adopted children and their beloved nanny, Mary Catherine--leaving his entire family open to attack. Bennett enlists the help of a former colleague, FBI Agent Beth Peters. His affection for Beth grows into attraction and then something stronger, and his relationship with Mary Catherine takes an unexpected turn. Another horrifying crime leads Bennett to a shocking discovery that exposes the killer's pattern--and the earth-shattering enormity of his plan.
My Review - Excellent Book. Well worth the wait. I am looking forward to more Detective Michael Bennett books.
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