The Looking Glass War by John le Carré
My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Jacket Blurb: John le Carré's classic novels deftly navigate readers through the intricate shadow worlds of international espionage with unsurpassed skill and knowledge, and have earned him unprecedented worldwide acclaim. THE LOOKING GLASS WAR Once upon a time the distinction had been clear: the Circus handled all things political while the Department dealt with matters military. But over the years, power shifted and the Circus elbowed the Department out. Now, suddenly, the Department has a job on its hands. Evidence suggests Soviet missiles are being positioned close to the German border. Vital film is missing and a courier is dead. Lacking active agents, but possessed of an outdated mandate to proceed, the Department has to find an old hand to prove its mettle. Fred Leiser, German-speaking Pole turned Englishman -- once a qualified radio operator, now involved in the motor trade -- must be called back to the colors and sent East....

Read as an audio book.

While I enjoyed the narration, I did have some troubles following who was who and some of the transitions. It was as if the reader skipped the pauses that would indicate a change in POV.

Dovetailing on the audio quality, I either zoned out or missed a key point on the *why* of the overall plot. I *thought* the impetus was going to be to find out why an agent was killed, the importance of a set of photos, and where those photos went. The whole premise ended up being something completely different which left me vaguely bemused for a goodly portion of the book.

I think I may have enjoyed this more if I had read it rather than listened to it, and I may yet go back and re-read.

Recommended as it's book four in the Le Carre George Smiley series.



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A Murder of Quality by John le Carré (George Smiley #2)

A Murder of Quality by John le Carré
My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Jacket Blurb: John le Carré's classic novels deftly navigate readers through the intricate shadow worlds of international espionage with unsurpassed skill and knowledge, and have earned him -- and his hero, British secret Service Agent George Smiley -- unprecedented worldwide acclaim
.
George Smiley was simply doing a favor for Miss Ailsa Brimley, and old friend and editor of a small newspaper. Miss Brimley had received a letter from a worried reader: "I'm not mad. And I know my husbad is trying to kill me." But the letter had arrived too late: its scribe, the wife of an assistant master at the distinguished Carne School, was already dead.

So George Smiley went to Carne to listen, ask questions, and think. And to uncover, layer by layer, the complex network of skeletons and hatreds that comprised that little English institution.

Read as an audio book.

There are enough reviews summarizing the book that I'm going to skip the rehashing part.

This second installment is not a spy story, it's a classic mystery. I'm not entirely sure that George Smiley solved the mystery so much as he poked around enough that the antagonist finally cracked. I think it also needs to be said, this was Mr. le Carré's second book and here, in the 2020's, it is easy to look back and say this wasn't a polished book, it lacked this or that, etc. It was the authors second book written 60 years ago>/i>. It has the feel of a new author getting their literary feet under them.

I rather think it is going to be interesting to watch Mr. le Carré's writing prowess develop as the series unfold, to watch as outside events shaped the coming plot lines, to see little snippets of the past from the present. The best part, I don't have to wait for coming installments!

But back to the book. I mostly enjoyed this. I had some trouble with the narration in that I wasn't always sure of which character was speaking and where the sentence breaks were. Was this a function of poor reading? I have no way of knowing - but I was frequently a bit confused as to who was talking to whom. I would just zone out for a bit until the story got back on track and I was on more solid ground character-wise.

It is a twisty-turny mystery, with obvious red-herrings, obfuscation, and not so subtle social commentary. I quite enjoy these older mysteries because they tend to be on the shorter side - the paperback came in at 160 pages and the audio book was about five hours? It was short. A nice "snack" that I can enjoy on my daily commute but doesn't take a month to read.

Recommended if you enjoy older, British, thinking type mysteries.


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Ocean Prey by John Sandford (Lucas Davenport #31, Virgil Flowers #13

Ocean Prey by John Sandford
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Jacket Blurb: An off-duty Coast Guardsman is fishing with his family in the Atlantic just off south Florida when he sees, and then calls in, some suspicious behavior in a nearby boat. It's a snazzy craft, slick and outfitted with extra horsepower, and is zipping along until it slows to pick up a surfaced diver . . . a diver who was apparently alone, without his own boat, in the middle of the ocean. None of it makes sense unless there's something hinky going on, and his hunch is proven correct when all three Guardsmen who come out to investigate are shot and killed. They're federal officers killed on the job, which means the case is the FBI's turf. When the FBI's investigation stalls out, Lucas Davenport of the U.S. Marshals Service gets a call. The case turns even more lethal and Davenport needs to bring in every asset he can find, including a detective with a fundamentally criminal mind: Virgil Flowers. Librarian's note: as of 2021, there are 31 volumes in John Sandford's Lucas Davenport "Prey" series and 13 in his "Virgil Flowers" series. The latest for each, "Ocean Prey," was published in April 2021. It is part of the "Prey" series but Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flowers share the billing; it is considered the most recent in both series. Read as an audio book.

I am writing this on the assumption you've read most of the previous books in both series.
This was kinda straight up/classic John Sandford with an interesting melding of Davenport and Flowers. I greatly enjoyed this one - there's one "Aw...jeez..." moment, just enough dramatic tension to keep the plot interesting but not overly anxiety producing, and it bounces fairly equally between Davenport and Flowers.

Sanford must have hit a nerve with some folks in his previous Lucas book, because there was a fair amount of ethical discussion or explanation occurring between our sub-characters regarding what Lucas did. Not so much was Lucas right or wrong, but how Lucas handled the situation and how said sub-character would handle any future situation should they find themselves in one. Perhaps that's why this book took Davenport away from the scene of the crime (so to speak) and put Virgil in the line of fire. Pure speculation on my part.

Bottom line, I enjoyed this latest installment. Not a lot of time spent in the antagonist's heads, all my favorite characters make an appearance and the characters I don't care for didn't. In some regards, character development was minimal in this one and I was completely okay with that. The story just churns along quite nicely on it's own.

Lastly, Richard Farrone is an excellent narrator and I'm thrilled that he's been the narrator for all 31 Davenport books. What would have made this an outstanding narration, is if they had used the narrator for the Virgil books too. That would have just been the cat's meow.

Recommended if you've been reading the Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flower's series.

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The Dog Who Knew too Much by (Chet and Bernie #4)

The Dog Who Knew Too Much by Spencer Quinn
My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Jacket Blurb: Bernie is invited to give the keynote speech at the Great Western Private Eye Convention, but it's Chet that the bigshot P.I. in charge has secret plans for. Meanwhile Chet and Bernie are hired to find a kid who has gone missing from a wilderness camp in the high country.

The boy's mother thinks the boy's father, her ex, has snatched the boy, but Chet makes a find that sends the case in a new and dangerous direction.

As if that weren't enough, matters get complicated at home when a stray puppy that looks suspiciously like Chet shows up. Affairs of the heart collide with a job that's never been tougher, requiring our two intrepid sleuths to depend on each other as never before.

Read as an audio book.

This installment took me months to get through. Yes, months. I think the Husband and I started this last Fall on a road trip, then I continued reading after. Well, tried too. I fully admit, even knowing that everything will end well because, hello sequels, the initial plot made me so apprehensive I had to set the book aside. Yes, I know Bernie would be okay, yes I know Chet would be okay, but I just couldn't listen to it.

I had to skip a bit in the recording to get beyond the dramatic tension.

After that I could settle in and enjoy classic Chet and Bernie. Chet the Jet! Best part of the story - Chet making his way home and meeting a puppy with ears that don't match, and then Chet and Iggy. Honestly, laugh out loud!

Overall mystery was better than most cozy mysteries, with some deftly woven convolutions and plot twists. I am still not a fan of our hero and heroine confronting the murderers without strong back-up, that that delves into a whole 'nother quirk about cozies and the antagonism between the hero(ine) and law enforcement.

Despite taking forever to finish, I intend to read the next one.

Recommended.

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Win by Harlan Coben (Windsor Horne Lockwood III)

Win by Harlan Coben
My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Jacket Blurb: From a #1 New York Times bestselling author comes this thrilling story that shows what happens when a dead man's secrets fall into the hands of vigilante antihero—drawing him down a dangerous road.

Over twenty years ago, the heiress Patricia Lockwood was abducted during a robbery of her family's estate, then locked inside an isolated cabin for months. Patricia escaped, but so did her captors — and the items stolen from her family were never recovered.

Until now. On the Upper West Side, a recluse is found murdered in his penthouse apartment, alongside two objects of note: a stolen Vermeer painting and a leather suitcase bearing the initials WHL3. For the first time in years, the authorities have a lead — not only on Patricia's kidnapping, but also on another FBI cold case — with the suitcase and painting both pointing them toward one man.

Windsor Horne Lockwood III — or Win, as his few friends call him — doesn't know how his suitcase and his family's stolen painting ended up with a dead man. But his interest is piqued, especially when the FBI tells him that the man who kidnapped his cousin was also behind an act of domestic terrorism — and that the conspirators may still be at large. The two cases have baffled the FBI for decades, but Win has three things the FBI doesn't: a personal connection to the case; an ungodly fortune; and his own unique brand of justice.

Read as an audio book.

If you've read the Myron Bolitar series by Harlan Coben, then you've been introduced to Win. This...this is Win's book. Myron is mentioned a lot, but he's not present nor does he make an appearance, so it may be helpful to read the Bolitar series. If you haven't, you'll get the jist that Myron is Win's dearest friend.

As I mentioned, this is Win's story. By all rights, Win should be a despicable character - filthy rich, entitled, elitist, despicable (um...murder,anyone?), questionable methods, but yet, yet...we revel in his money, applaud his morals, and admire his devotion and dedication to those he has picked as "friend".

Why is that?

This first installment (of what I hope will be at least several books), bounces between the past and the present. Rare paintings were stolen, an uncle murdered, a cousin kidnapped, and a group known as the Jane Street Six committed an act of vandalism that lead to the deaths of several people and an FBI agent was shot in the line of duty. In the present, one of the paintings resurfaces and when the FBI contacts Win to help, this kicks of a chain of events that unravels everything.
This was, simply, classic Harlen. It was the perfect commute "read" where I could sit back and let the plot unfold and just enjoy the story.

But that's not to say I didn't have any quibbles. There is - repeated - mention of a "Hut of Horrors". The overuse of the "nickname" to this circumstance became a bit...much. There was an instance of someone getting shot in the shoulder. My impression was this was a through-and through (I don't remember mention that this was just a "graze" - it may have been?). From a medical standpoint, one does not get shot in the shoulder (assuming the through-and-through) and pick up with life as normal five days later. So...I'm hoping it was a graze and I misunderstood, but, even then, stitches, itching, clothing is going to irritated it, and you can't change a bandage on your back by yourself.
So, some minor quibbles.

Still, I'm thrilled that Win has been spun off from the Bolitar series and I look forward to seeing where this goes. Recommended.

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Agent Running in the Field by John le Carre

Agent Running in the Field by John le Carré
My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Jacket Blurb: Nat, a 47 year-old veteran of Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service, believes his years as an agent runner are over. He is back in London with his wife, the long-suffering Prue. But with the growing threat from Moscow Centre, the office has one more job for him. Nat is to take over The Haven, a defunct substation of London General with a rag-tag band of spies. The only bright light on the team is young Florence, who has her eye on Russia Department and a Ukrainian oligarch with a finger in the Russia pie.

Nat is not only a spy, he is a passionate badminton player. His regular Monday evening opponent is half his age: the introspective and solitary Ed. Ed hates Brexit, hates Trump and hates his job at some soulless media agency. And it is Ed, of all unlikely people, who will take Prue, Florence and Nat himself down the path of political anger that will ensnare them all.


Read as an audio book.

This is the first book I've read/listened to by le Carre. I've watched the 2010's version of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy numerous times and enjoy it immensely. I love the complexity, the subtleties, the cerebral-ness of the plot. The whole British spy bit is fascinating to me. I don't know why it took me so long to go pick up one of his books.

Agent Running in the Field had the same complexity, subtlety, and thinking aspect that I enjoyed from the TTSP movie. What this story lacked for myself was any surprising turn of events within the overall plot. And having only read this singular book by le Carre, maybe that's how his books are structured? I found this to be a story where I could observe the set up, watch the plot unfold, and then sit back and enjoy how everything is resolved. This is a thinking book, not an action book.

The author doesn't hold back on his viewpoint on the current political climate in the US, UK and Europe. Current meaning Brexit and the Trump presidency.

I could ramble on about the main character approaching retirement after working abroad for years and how that affected his family relationship, but you can read it instead. I could discuss the internal workings of British Intelligence, but again, you can read about it instead. And badminton - I think this the first time I have ever read a book or watched a movie where badminton was the sport of choice. Badminton! Go read about it!

When all was said and read, I enjoyed this and will look into reading - or listening to on audio book - more of le Carre's works. Recommended if you like British spy novels.


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Matters of Doubt by Warren C Easely (Cal Claxon #1)

Matters of Doubt by Warren C. Easley
My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Book Blurb: Cal Claxton is determined to reinvent himself as a small town lawyer in the aftermath of his wife’s suicide. Once a hard charging L.A. prosecutor, he now lives in solitude in an old farmhouse overlooking the Oregon wine country. When a scruffy, tattooed kid shows up asking for help in solving his mother’s cold case murder, Cal wants to say no: times are tough, and he’s no private eye, anyway. But the kid, who calls himself Picasso, has ridden a bike all the way from Portland in the rain, and something about his determination touches Cal.

It turns out Picasso is homeless, joining the legions of kids who are drawn to Portland’s Old Town. He is also a gifted artist painting a mural on the side of a health clinic operated by an idealistic doctor named Anna. Things take an ugly turn when Picasso is charged with the murder of a prominent Portland businessman. The evidence against him is overwhelming, but, at Anna’s urging, Cal steps in to defend Picasso. Suddenly Cal finds himself pitted against the police, the media and some of Portland’s most powerful citizens.

Is Picasso being framed? And if so, is there a connection between the two murders? As he peels back the layers of truth, he realizes too late that he has put both himself and Anna in the crosshairs of a ruthless killer.

The book blurb (and multitude of reviews) summarize the plot more than adequetly so I won't rehash.

"Read" as an audio book.

I'll start with the narration as performed by Michael Kramer. If you've listened to some of Brandon Sanderson's books or the Wheel of Time books by Robert Jordan, you've heard Mr. Kramer. I quite enjoyed the sound of his voice, he adroitly managed different intonations for both the male and female characters, and had a good cadence which all made for an engaging reading experience.

I had stumbled across this book on Audible and was intrigued as I've bounced around the Portland and Dundee area and have relations living in Corvalis. I'm also well aware of Portland's (western Oregon, really) homeless concern so thought this could be an interesting book.

And it was, with some caveats. I'll start with - this is a first book and the book itself could have used a couple more rounds with an editor or proofreader. Two examples come to mind, calling a Glock 19 a revolver (it's not) and Anna putting a finger to her lips when her hands were tied behind her back. Glaring mistakes that could have been easily avoided.

I also found the lamentations about the homeless issue as relates to kids and Oregonian liberalism to be a bit heavy handed. I have talked to Oregonian's and while yes, homelessness is a concern (problem), it's not "just" kids, and many 20 year olds are doing it intentionally. It's a complex, complicated, and polarizing issue.

For a cozy mystery, I thought the murder mystery was overly complex and - I'm going to say it - unrealistic. Yes, yes, that's almost the definition of "cozy mystery". I think if the author had stuck to two main murders and hadn't expanded beyond that, this would have been a stronger book.

My quibbles aside (and the grumbles from the Husband), it was still an entertaining listen. I enjoyed Cal, Anna, Picasso and Nando. I worried about Cal's dog. I loved the food descriptions (the book should have come with a menu at the end). And the setting didn't disappoint and loved tracking the characters around Portland and Dundee. My only regret is this is the only installment available on audio/Audible.

Recommended with some small reservations.

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Ice Cold Heart by PJ Tracy (Monkeewrench #10)

Ice Cold Heart by P.J. Tracy
My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Jacket blurb: On a bitterly cold winter night, Kelly Ramage leaves her suburban home, telling her husband she's going to meet a friend.

She never comes back.

When her body is discovered, murdered in what seems to be a sex game gone horribly wrong, Detectives Gino and Magozzi take the case, expecting to find a flirtatious trail leading straight to the killer.

However, Kelly's sinister lover has done a disturbingly good job of hiding his identity. This isn't his first victim - and that she won't be the last...



Read as an audio book.

It's been a few years since I've read a PJ Tracy book, and I just realized I completely skipped over book eight and nine. So...that says something about reading them in order. Helpful, but not necessary.

Book blurb doesn't really summarize the book adequately, offering only one plot teaser when there are two that drive the characters. There are a couple sub-plots, but those can be left for the reader to discover.

Minneapolis detectives Leo Magozzi and Gino Rolseth pick up a murder case that at first appears to be a BDSM scene gone wrong. The more they investigate, the more they realize there's may be a connection to a murder in another state that's tied to a controversial art show.

Meanwhile, the Monkeewrench gang has been hired to revamp the cyber security of a bit-coin company that had millions stolen from their accounts. It's with great gusto that Harley and Roadrunner tackle this project, while Grace and Annie hold a supporting role. Roadrunner gets his moment in the limelight when he befriends a neighbor and her story becomes interlinked with theirs.

This was engaging for the most part, it kept my attention on my daily commute and when running errands. My main observation is there are a lot of moving pieces in this one and not infrequently I was sitting at a red light pondering who was being referenced and missing what ever was being said.

My main contention with the story stems from reading cozy mysteries, and the heroine goes to confront the protagonist by herself and ends up needing rescue. Major peeve.

This story should also have a trigger alert - there are scenes of sexual abuse and reference to sexual abuse with bondage.

Overall, it was an okay read. The plots were a bit grandiose and muddled from too many characters, and the book fell to an undesirable trope of damsel in distress. But it's Monkeewrench, and the Monkeewrench gang is enough to keep me reading.

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Masked Prey by John Sandford (Lucas Davenport #30)

Masked Prey by John Sandford
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Jacket blurb: Lucas Davenport investigates a vitriolic blog that seems to be targeting the children of U.S. politicians in the latest thriller by #1 New York Times-bestselling author John Sandford.

The daughter of a U.S. Senator is monitoring her social media presence when she finds a picture of herself on a strange blog. And there are other pictures . . . of the children of other influential Washington politicians, walking or standing outside their schools, each identified by name. Surrounding the photos are texts of vicious political rants from a motley variety of radical groups.

It's obviously alarming--is there an unstable extremist tracking the loved ones of powerful politicians with deadly intent? But when the FBI is called in, there isn't much the feds can do. The anonymous photographer can't be pinned down to one location or IP address, and more importantly, at least to the paper-processing bureaucrats, no crime has actually been committed. With nowhere else to turn, influential Senators decide to call in someone who can operate outside the FBI's constraints: Lucas Davenport.


Read as an audio book. I love the narrator's performance for these books and I won't read them any other way.

I'm not going to rehash the plot or premise of Masked Prey - plenty of other reviews to read for that along with the jacket blurb.

I'm at odds with what to write with this latest installment. On one hand, it's classic Lucas Davenport. There's no secret to the what the protagonist is doing, the only "mystery" is in how Lucas is going to solve the problem. And in Masked Prey, even that was revealed fairly early on.

Which brings me round to my conundrum - I could see everything coming down the proverbial train tracks as if I were standing on a hill in North Dakota. There was no "suspense" in this. The mystery of the 1919 Website - obvious. Lucas's intent - obvious. Resolution - absolutely no surprise. Yet...there are a few moral questions that this book raises and our main characters darker side is brought to light which is something the series hasn't shown in a while. So while the story just putters along, there's some interesting undertones happening that take a while to sink in.

Rest assured, Rae (sp? downside of audio) and Bob make an appearance. Albeit a short one that serves the purpose of setting up the ending. Still, they come in with guns and snark a plenty which I always look forward to.

Ultimately, I found this to be a middle of the road "read". The plot held my attention, there were no surprises, all the important characters made an appearance, and the narrator continues to do a splendid job. Recommended if you've read the first twenty-nine books.

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Walk the Wire by David Baldacci (Amos Decker #6, Will Robie #5.5 )

Walk the Wire by David Baldacci
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Jacket Blurb - Amos Decker -- the FBI consultant with a perfect memory -- returns to solve a gruesome murder in a booming North Dakota oil town in the newest thriller in David Baldacci's #1 New York Times bestselling Memory Man series.

When Amos Decker and his FBI colleague Alex Jamison are called to London, North Dakota, they instantly sense that the thriving fracking town is ripe for trouble. The promise of a second gold rush has attracted an onslaught of newcomers all hoping for a windfall, and the community is growing faster than houses can be built. The sudden boom has also brought a slew of problems with it, including drugs, property crimes, prostitution -- and now murder.

Decker and Jamison are ordered to investigate the death of a young woman named Irene Cramer, whose body was expertly autopsied and then dumped in the open -- which is only the beginning of the oddities surrounding the case. As Decker and Jamison dig into Irene's life, they are shocked to discover that the woman who walked the streets by night as a prostitute was a teacher for a local religious sect by day -- a sect operating on land once owned by a mysterious government facility that looms over the entire community.

London is a town replete with ruthless business owners, shady government officials, and religious outsiders, all determined to keep their secrets from coming out. When other murders occur, Decker will need all of his extraordinary memory and detective skills, and the assistance of a surprising ally, to root out a killer and the forces behind Cramer's death. . . before the boom town explodes.

Read as an audio book - Amos Decker #6 and Will Robie 5.5. Book is about Amos, Robie's a supporting character.

I'm actually not quite sure what to say about this latest installment. I enjoyed it, the pacing was about perfect, and I was engaged on my daily commute. That being noted, the plot(s) bordered on unbelievable, the conspiracy theories a bit over the top (but yet, not), and all the killings just didn't make sense in the grand scheme of things.

So how to review such mixed commentary?

Characters - I was quite surprised to see a "guest appearance" by Will Robie and it was a nice change of pace from bringing in Melvin from previous books. The three high school classmates that now "ran" the town of London were interesting, and Jamison is a complimentary foil to Decker. Characters worked for me.

Setting - London, North Dakota. Which, really, could be Williston, North Dakota for all practical matters. Not to many stories are set in the middle of the plains in an oil town. Made more interesting because I've been through North Dakota in the last two years, so having that visual helps with the setting.

Plot - if you are into conspiracy theories, this may be a book (and series) for you. While I could loosely accept the whole "ticking time bomb" being hidden at this second, closed, North Dakota Air Force base, the rest of it didn't work for me. And I've never understood the mind-set of "let's murder everyone" to try and cover up a conspiracy. For myself, I was more interested in Decker figuring everything out than I was of the plot itself.

Ultimately, I enjoyed this latest installment. I did have the added benefit that I want to go and pick up the next Will Robie book. I've read #1, but not the rest. Stay tuned!

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The Innocent by David Baldacci (Will Robie #1)

The Innocent by David Baldacci

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Jacket Blurb:  America has enemies - ruthless people that the police, the FBI, even the military can't stop. That's when the U.S. government calls on Will Robie, a stone cold hitman who never questions orders and always nails his target. But Will Robie may have just made the first - and last - mistake of his career... 
 

It begins with a hit gone wrong. Robie is dispatched to eliminate a target unusually close to home in Washington, D.C. But something about this mission doesn't seem right to Robie, and he does the unthinkable. He refuses to kill. Now, Robie becomes a target himself and must escape from his own people.

Fleeing the scene, Robie crosses paths with a wayward teenage girl, a fourteen-year-old runaway from a foster home. But she isn't an ordinary runaway -- her parents were murdered, and her own life is in danger. Against all of his professional habits, Robie rescues her and finds he can't walk away. He needs to help her.

Even worse, the more Robie learns about the girl, the more he's convinced she is at the center of a vast cover-up, one that may explain her parents' deaths and stretch to unimaginable levels of power.
Now, Robie may have to step out of the shadows in order to save this girl's life... and perhaps his own.


Read as an audio book.

This started out fairly strong and engaging, then mid-way through I kinda lost interest and didn't pick it up for over a week and only returned to it when I had a four hour round trip drive to a meeting and was kept engaged to the finish.

For myself, part of the mid-book dis-interest was I could see where a major sub plot was going. For the sake of spoilers I won't get into specifics. Plus that way you get to figure it out for yourself. But, as it were, yes, a big fat "this can end only one way"situation.

Another factor to my lack of interest was Julie, the young protagonist which part of the plot revolves around. This could be attributed to the narrator's performance in which she quite aptly captures a 14 year old girl's whine, petulance, and attitude which, ultimately, grated on my nerves. So an added bit of realism to the story.

The story itself bounced between moderately realistic and completely unbelievable, but that too is the point. Shear escapism. Reading about somebody else,s problems so you don't have to think about that crummy work day. However, I do prefer some realism in my escape-ism unless it's urban fantasy. By the time the whole plot was explained at the conclusion, and it was truly explained because it was quite convoluted, I was shaking my head. The impetus of the whole chain of events was just...unbelievable.

So I'm not certain where I stand on this series. I quite enjoy the two narrators (they do quite a few of Baldacci's books). I liked Will Robie. I liked Agent Vance. Julie was an interesting dynamic that spent most of her time getting shuffled around. I enjoyed how Will was working with agencies and not going rogue on the outside. But the ending left me rolling my eyes and uncertain if I want to pick up the next book.

Recommended...with reservations.



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Tier 1 by Brian Andrews and Jeffrey Wilson (Tier 1 #1)

Tier One by Brian  Andrews

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Jacket Blurb:  In a world violated by terror, the old lines have blurred. Meet the next generation of covert ops.

John Dempsey’s life—as an elite Tier One Navy SEAL named Jack Kemper—is over. A devastating terrorist action catapults him from a world of moral certainty and decisive orders into the shadowy realm of espionage, where ambiguity is the only rule. His new mission: hunt down those responsible for the greatest tragedy in the history of the US Special Ops and bring them to justice.

But how does a man torn between duty and revenge walk the line and preserve his soul?

As Dempsey struggles with the games of spies, the case propels him across the globe in a desperate effort to prevent a new, horrifying attack on American soil.

Once, John Dempsey followed orders blindly. Now he sees behind the curtain, and the security of the civilized world rests on one question: Can a Tier One Navy SEAL adapt and become the world’s most lethal spy?

Read as an audio book.

Predictable. Oh, so very predictable. It was like checking the boxes in predictability.

And, oddly, I was completely okay with that. I could just sit back and let the story spool out. No angst, no drive fraught with worry about "how will this turn out?!?", just simple enjoyment. Mostly. I became impatient with the pacing of the story with about an hour and a half to go. I think I was ready for the book to be done.

I will acknowledge a couple of items that did not fall into the typical thriller trope which I greatly appreciated. The love interest/unrequited love interest basis was established, but, it wasn't brought to fruition in book one. How this was written did NOT fall into my predictability boxes for which I was very grateful. Kudo's to the authors for avoiding this particular plot devise.

There were a couple of nicely done plot twists toward the end (which I won't divulge) that also skipped some typical suspense/revenge tropes and made for a stronger conclusion to book one while establishing the basis for coming books.

All in all, enjoyable. As I noted, I read this as an audio book. I thought the narrator did a good job with voices, intonation and emotion. I will probably read the next in the series.

Recommended if you like military/political suspense.



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To Fetch a Theif by Spencer Quinn (Chet and Bernie #3)

To Fetch a Thief by Spencer Quinn

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Jacket blurb:  In this third book in the brilliant mystery series, Chet and Bernie go under the big top to solve the most unlikely missing persons (and animals!) case ever.

Chet has smelled a lot of unusual things in his years as trusted companion and partner to P.I. Bernie Little, but nothing has prepared him for the exotic scents he encounters when an old-fashioned traveling circus comes to town. Bernie scores tickets because his son is crazy about elephants. The only problem is that Peanut, the headlining pachyderm, has gone missing—along with her trainer. Stranger still, no one saw them leave. How does an elephant vanish without a trace?
 
Read as an audio book.

Another delightful installment in the Chet and Bernie series.

Premise of the book is the circus is in town, and the star of the show, and elephant known as Peanut, has gone missing. Chet and Bernie are hired to look into the disappearance of the elephant and her trainer, and stumble upon something much bigger and more dangerous than anyone realized.

I was wondering, as the story flowed along, if the trend of Chet and Bernie being separated would continue, and it did. But fortunately, not in the same way as book one and two. At book three, this is becoming a bit formulaic, but the execution was done well enough I didn't mind so much.

Bernie also continues to struggle with his burgeoning relationship with Sally while trying to do the right thing for his ex-wife Lita in a nicely written sub-plot.

And as always, Chet shows us the world through his canine eyes in the only way he knows how.

There are lighthearted and fun, perfect for a commute, vacation, or after a rough day at work. The enjoyment is in the simplicity. Recommended if you've read the first two.



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The Late Show by Michael Connelly (Renee Ballard #1)

The Late Show by Michael Connelly

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Jacket Blurb: Renée Ballard works the night shift in Hollywood, beginning many investigations but finishing none as each morning she turns her cases over to day shift detectives. A once up-and-coming detective, she's been given this beat as punishment after filing a sexual harassment complaint against a supervisor.

But one night she catches two cases she doesn't want to part with: the brutal beating of a prostitute left for dead in a parking lot and the killing of a young woman in a nightclub shooting. Ballard is determined not to give up at dawn. Against orders and her own partner's wishes, she works both cases by day while maintaining her shift by night. As the cases entwine they pull her closer to her own demons and the reason she won't give up her job no matter what the department throws at her.

Read as an audio book.

I've read and reviewed Connelly's Harry Bosch series, which I have for the most part enjoyed, with the exception that Bosch is a total git. I was on the fence about picking up The Late Show, but needed something to read for my commute and it was on sale.

I have to say I was pleasantly surprised and pleased with the first installment with Renee. I found her to be an interesting character, fairly well balanced in her approach to being a detective, treats her fellow detectives with respect but isn't afraid to push. I also liked the double mystery in this installment.

There were a handful of things that rubbed me the wrong way - not enough to set aside the book or stop reading the series - but notable on their own:

Her dog Lola. Not wild about how the dog spent most of the time with the dog sitter. Pick up the dog, then dump the dog off. That's not fair to the dog and I fully admit, my quirk.

Repetitive statements such as "the late show". Yeah, I got that "the late show" is police jargon for working the night shift after the first 10 times it was used. After that, it just felt forced.

I am not a fan of turning the female protagonist in any book into a sexual victim. It's demeaning and not necessary.

There is a scene in the book where Renee paddles out into the fog on the ocean...for someone as skilled on the water as she is - a dumb move. Yes, the scene has meaning, but given her knowledge of surfing, it was dumb.

So perhaps a bit nit-picky, but that's what a review is about - just an opinion and discussion about what worked for the reader or didn't work. I thought this was a strong and engaging read, the twists and turns were well done, the narrator did a very good performance, and I am looking forward to checking out the next installment.



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Bloody Genius by John Sandford (Virgil Flowers #12)

Bloody Genius by John Sandford

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Jacket Blurb: At the local state university, two feuding departments have faced off on the battleground of PC culture. Each carries their views to extremes that may seem absurd, but highly educated people of sound mind and good intentions can reasonably disagree, right?

Then someone winds up dead, and Virgil Flowers is brought in to investigate . . . and he soon comes to realize he's dealing with people who, on this one particular issue, are functionally crazy. Among this group of wildly impassioned, diametrically opposed zealots lurks a killer, and it will be up to Virgil to sort the murderer from the mere maniacs.

Read as an audio book.

This was bloody brilliant. The story and mystery engaging, the reader is pulled along on Virgil's quest, then BAM! all the pieces slot into place and it's like, holy shit! Brilliant!

I will admit to being somewhat thrown by not knowing who the protagonist was ahead of time. Sandford's books historically reveal the murderer if not first thing, than nearly first thing, and the reader watches as Virgil (or Davenport) run around trying to figure out the crime while the reader knows everything. Not a fan of this myself, but this installment didn't do that, and I found myself waiting for the next chapter to be devoted to what the protagonist was up to. And it never happened, and, I admit, I stressed a little because "that's not how it's done".

But the ending of this one made up for everything in spades. Just...brilliant.

Except for the ending - ending. Now I'm a little nervous about the overall story arc.

Recommended if you've been reading the Virgil series.



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Thereby Hangs a Tail by Spencer Quinn (Chet and Bernie #2)

Thereby Hangs a Tail by Spencer Quinn

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Jacket Blurb:  What first seems like a walk in the park to wise and lovable canine narrator Chet and his human companion Bernie—to investigate threats made against a pretty, pampered show dog—turns into a serious case when Princess and her owner are abducted. To make matters worse, Bernie’s on-again, off-again girlfriend, reporter Susie Sanchez, disappears too. When Chet is separated from Bernie, he’s on his own to put the pieces together, find his way home, and save the day. Spencer Quinn’s “brilliantly original” (Richmond Times-Dispatch) and “masterful” (Los Angeles Times) series combines genuine suspense and intrigue with humor and insight for a tail-wagging good time readers won’t soon forget.

Read as an audio book.

A light, enjoyable, cozy mystery. I had enough fun with book number one, Dog on It, that I looked up Thereby Hangs a Tail. This installment was a bit more serious than the first book, but still retained that "cozy" aspect through Chet's point of view.

Premise of the book is Chet and Bernie are (reluctantly) hired for an easy job of body guarding Princess, a championship show dog, after several death threats are received. Chet bungles the job and they are fired. The next day, Princess and her owner are kidnapped. Bernie decides they need to investigate, and the plot is off and trotting

A couple of detraction's in this book: Bernie and Chet are separated again, and Chet has to figure out things on his own. The author did this in book one, and turned around and repeated it in book two. A bit to "stock". This next is a peeve of mine in nearly every cozy mystery - confronting the murderer without back-up. Other than trying to make the climatic conclusion more climatic, there's no reason not to call the good lieutenant before standing up and saying "YOU did it!". Frustrates the heck out of me every time. And finally, so many loose ends in this installment! Oh my gosh. I really hope some of these are resolved in book #3.

As I noted above, this is just a light, enjoyable book. If you have dogs, you will completely understand Chet. I don't know how many times I caught myself chuckling out loud. And now, thanks to the friend who pointed me in the direction of these books, repeating little Chet phrases and then giggling. If you need something fun and uplifting, be it a vacation read, travel book or a mid-week escape book, then this might be for you.




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Talking God by Tony Hillerman (Leaphorn and Chee #9)

Talking God by Tony Hillerman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Jacket Blurb:  A grave robber and a corpse reunite Navajo Tribal Police Lt. Joe Leaphorn and Officer Jim Chee. As Leaphorn seeks the identify of a murder victim, Chee is arresting Smithsonian conservator Henry Highhawk for ransacking the sacred bones of his anscestors. As the layers of each case are peeled away, it becomes shockingly clear that they are connected, that there are mysterious others pursuing Highhawk, and that Leaphorn and Chee have entered into the dangerous arena of superstition, ancient ceremony, and living gods.

Read as an audio book.

It's been a few years since I've read (as audio) the first four in the series. I was quietly hoping someone would obtain the contract and produce the middle ones, but it never seemed to transpire. Maybe someday. And because it's been a few years, and I skipped a handful of books, the story line has moved forward a bit. That being said, it was easy enough to pick up the characters and plot and I didn't feel anything was lost in the story.

I really enjoy these mysteries. These are not "action" or "thriller" mysteries, but contemplative who-did-it books. I find the pacing about perfect - the plot just rolls out much like a newly paved road and because the ride (story) is so enjoyable, you're just pulled along. The little twists and turns keep the story line engaging, the characters have a surprising amount of depth without getting bogged down in details, and the mystery in this instance was a matter of watching Leaphorn and Chee figure it out because the reader knows all along.

If you enjoyed previous books in this series, you'll probably enjoy this one. I will note, there was a change in narrators, and I enjoyed both. Recommended.



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Dog on It by Spencer Quinn (Chet and Bernie Mystery #1)

Dog on It by Spencer Quinn

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Jacket Blurb:  Meet Chet, the wise and lovable canine narrator of Dog on It, who works alongside Bernie, a down-on-his-luck private investigator. Chet might have flunked out of police school ("I'd been the best leaper in K-9 class, which had led to all the trouble in a way I couldn't remember exactly, although blood was involved"), but he's a detective through and through.
In this, their first adventure, Chet and Bernie investigate the disappearance of Madison, a teenage girl who may or may not have been kidnapped, but who has definitely gotten mixed up with some very unsavory characters. A well-behaved, gifted student, she didn't arrive home after school and her divorced mother is frantic. Bernie is quick to take the case-something about a cash flow problem that Chet's not all that clear about-and he's relieved, if vaguely suspicious, when Madison turns up unharmed with a story that doesn't add up. But when she disappears for a second time in a week, Bernie and Chet aren't taking any chances; they launch a full-blown investigation. Without a ransom demand, they're not convinced it's a kidnapping, but they are sure of one thing: something smells funny.

Their search for clues takes them into the desert to biker bars and other exotic locals, with Chet's highly trained nose leading the way. Both Chet and Bernie bring their own special skills to the hunt, one that puts each of them in peril. But even as the bad guys try to turn the tables, this duo is nothing if not resourceful, and the result is an uncommonly satisfying adventure.

With his doggy ways and his endearingly hardboiled voice, Chet is full of heart and occasionally prone to mischief. He is intensely loyal to Bernie, who, though distracted by issues that Chet has difficulty understanding-like divorce, child custody, and other peculiar human concerns-is enormously likable himself, in his flawed, all-too-human way.

Read as an audio book.

This was a "new to me" mystery series that slots quite nicely into the "cozy" category. This is fun, it's brain candy, it's light, it's a summer read on the porch or for a rainy autumn afternoon curled up on the porch. It's improbable, and it totally works.

Best part about the book - Chet. This is Chet's story, told from his very doggie point of view. So enjoyable! So very dog-like.

The Mystery - So so. Through Chet, the reader knows what is going on, and it's a matter of waiting for the Humans to catch up.

Least favorite part - the pound. Just, no. Not in my feel good stories with animals.

If you are looking for something light for vacation or travel, for a lazy afternoon, a story that can easily be put down and picked back up again, this might be a strong possibility. If you have dogs, you'll completely relate. If you don't have dogs, this is a pretty darn good anthropomorphization of a dog. Recommended.



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Deeper than the Dead by Tami Hoag

Deeper Than the Dead by Tami Hoag

My rating: 2 of 5 stars



Jacket Blurb:
A serial killer terrorizes a small California town in this gripping thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Tami Hoag.

California, 1985—Four children and young teacher Anne Navarre make a gruesome discovery: a partially buried female body, her eyes and mouth glued shut. A serial killer is at large, and the very bonds that hold their idyllic town together are about to be tested to the breaking point.

Tasked with finding the killer, FBI investigator Vince Leone employs a new and controversial FBI technique called "profiling," which plunges him into the lives of the four children—and the young teacher whose need to uncover the truth is as intense as his own.

But as new victims are found and pressure from the media grows, Vince and Anne find themselves circling the same small group of local suspects, unsure if those who suffer most are the victims themselves—or those close to the killer, blissfully unaware that someone very near to them is a murderous psychopath…
 
Read as an audio book.

I have very mixed thoughts on this book. This was predictable, cliched, disturbing, at times slow, and at times engaging and somewhat depressing. As a mystery, it's okay. A small town is shaken too it's roots at the discovery of a killer in their midst. Everyone is trying to hide their secrets as families are being torn apart. As a romance, with our comely heroine and damaged protagonist, I completely bounced off the story line. I don't do "oh woe is me!" female protagonists and we had that in spades.

What? So...is this a mystery or a romance? Exactly... this could go either way.

For myself, the romance completely detracted from the mystery. I skipped the sex scene, I despised the way Vince kept calling Anne, "Honey", and because it was audio, I really didn't care for Vince sounding like he was from Brooklyn or Boston when he was in fact, from Chicago. Our women are supposed to be strong, and yet, we have fainting into someone's arms (twice), we have helplessness, and we have the "oh, you have to sleep with him because your vagina hasn't see action since the Carter Administration!" Really? A woman has to have sex to define her identity? A woman needs a man to feel safe and secure?

Barf.

Okay, mystery. Not much of a mystery because the author tells you in the beginning who it is. Then the reader spends the next 9 hours waiting for confirmation, watching the protagonists struggle to figure it out (they don't have anything to go on), as the affected families become more and more fractured with hints and allegations flying around until the murderer makes a stupid mistake and all is revealed! But...not really.

Without going into spoilers, I found the resolutions (yes, plural) incomplete. There were too many loose ends left waving in the proverbial wind for my tastes and the ending ambiguity was annoying rather than interesting.

Recommended with reservations.



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Neon Prey by John Sandford (Lucas Davenport #29)

Neon Prey by John Sandford

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Jacket Blurb:  Lucas Davenport pursues a prolific serial killer who has gone undetected for years in the newest nail-biter by #1 NewYork Times bestselling author John Sandford.

It was a relatively minor criminal matter, all things considered, but enough that the US Marshals obtained a warrant to enter the home. They didn’t expect to unearth trophies from a score of killings.

Now Davenport is on the trail of a serial murderer, one who was able to operate for years without notice or suspicion. But there’s even more to this killer than meets the eye…

Read as an audio book.

If you've been reading the Davenport series you know what the premise is. Davenport hunts bad guys. In this installment our bad guy is a contract hit man who happens eat parts of his victims. The cannibalism is not in your face, it's referenced more than actually done - think Silence of the Lambs which employs one's imagination more than anything. So, Davenport is on a mission to bring this particular man and his group of friends down.

I enjoyed this one because it was a Davenport book, we get to see Lucas start to question his vocation, and it's set in New Orleans and Las Vegas. Mostly in Las Vegas - which I'm familiar with so it was great fun tracking them all over the city. All our favorite characters make an appearance, even Virgil. The plot is peppered with humor, wry comments, and sarcasm. So yes, I enjoyed this one.

My one small complaint is that I felt the Bad Guys were getting more page time than Davenport. Knowing what the antagonists are up to is not my favorite plot devise, and it seemed like I spent more time with them than Davenport. Yeah, kinda a bummer. I want to read about Lucas and Friends, not the bad guys.

But ultimately, this happily entertained me on my morning and afternoon commute, and into one small road trip. I can listen to Richard Ferrone's voice for hours. Recommended if you've read the previous books.





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