Category: Leaves Books

Down Range (Garrett Kohl #1) – Taylor Moore The Great Start of a Reading Friendship

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Down Range Taylor Moore

In September of 2021 I found Down Range, the first book in the Garrett Kohl series, at my local library. It looked interesting, and then I read this quote on the back of the book.

“Having lived it Taylor Moore hits very bit of the cost of counterterrorism in Down Range but this story is much more. It’s a riveting thriller with a family in crisis at the core. It’s my kind of book.” – Brad Taylor

Well, even though I’ve never read any of Brad Taylor’s books (several are sitting on my TBR shelves), I figured I’d take a chance.

Boy, was he right. This turned into one of those series where I just kept coming back.

About Down Range

Down Range is a thriller that blends action, crime, and Western elements. It introduced me to DEA agent Garrett Kohl. Kohl is returning to his Northwest Texas home after serving in Afghanistan. He finds it overrun by criminals, and Garrett uses his elite military and intelligence skills to protect his family and community.

What Makes the Garret Kohl Series Stand Out

hile the action is great throughout the book, what makes this series special is the heart that the characters bring to the story—especially Garrett and Asadi, a young Afghan boy Garrett brings back with him after his family is killed.

The rest of Garrett’s family—his father and siblings—are also strong characters and add depth to the story.

Through my reading I often get to visit places I’ll never see, and Taylor Moore does a great job of transporting me to Northwest Texas. The descriptions of the ranch and surrounding area make you understand why Garrett loves his home.

This ended up being one of those series I read over a stretch of time without ever getting around to writing about it—something I’m trying to fix now.

I’ve since read several books in the Garrett Kohl series, and it all started here with Down Range.

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Taylor Moore

About Taylor Moore

TAYLOR MOORE is the author of Down Range, which was nominated for the Barry Award for Best First Novel, named a Strand Magazine best mystery of the year, and selected for the Texas Library Association’s … Google Books

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Taylor Moore Author Page

The White Crow – (Philomena McCarthy #2) – Michael Robothom

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THe White Crow - Philomena McCarthy #2)- Michael Robotham

The White Crow (Philomena McCarthy #2) – Michael Robotham

I have been a big fan of the books of Michael Robotham since I read my first Joe O’Loughlin novel Suspect way back in 2008. There are 9 books in that series and I’ve read all but one, The Wreckage . While the book is considered book #5 in the series the main protagonist in the book is Vincent Ruiz an ex-cop who Joe interacts with on several levels. I liked the character of Vincent Ruiz so I really should read the book!

However, let’s get back to The White Crow. The White Crow is the second book to feature PC Philomena McCarthy. The first book was When You Are Mine released back in 2022 and it was terrific.

The Story

Philomena McCarthy is London police officer. She is also the daughter of Edward McCarthy and a niece to Edward McCarthy and his brothers. The problem? Edward and his brothers are known London criminals. And while Edward has never been convicted of any crimes, his brothers have and spent time in prison.

In this book, while Philomena is responding to a home invasion, she spots a five year old little girl in the rain wearing bloody pajamas. The little girl turns out to be the daughter of the woman who was murdered in the home invasion.

Meanwhile, nearby a top of the line jewelry store is being robbed, and the owner is strapped to a chair holding a bomb that’s ready to go off!

Soon Edward McCarthy and his brother are considered to be a prime suspects in the jewelry store robbery even though he is now a developer and not a crime boss. And Philomena is also placed under suspicion. Did she help her father? Soon the suspended Philomena is struggling between two worlds and who does she believe the police or her father and his brothers??

What Michael Robotham Says About The White Crow

In the acknowledgements of the book Michael Robotham writes the following…..

When I created the character of Philomena McCarthy in When You Were Mine, I thought I was writing a standalone., but I fell in love with Phil, and in particular with her father and uncles. who were old-school East End Gangsters. Geezers if you will, who made me laugh.

Some novels come more easily than others and this was a joy to write because I love these characters and how they react with a world that is changing so quickly.

My Thoughts

Last year when I started to redesign and update this site I discovered that When You Are Mine was not a standalone novel. That Michael had written The White Crow, which is the second book in the Philomena McCarthy series. I must confess I didn’t remember much about When You Are Mine but when I started The White Crow the memories of Edward McCarthy and his brothers started flowing back and good memories they were! Kind of makes me want to go back and read When You Are Mine again!

The White Crow is a well written books with a great twisty storyline and a powerful ending! The characters are what’s special. I don’t think there’s a weak character in the book. And while Edward and his brothers are terrific characters and their nemesis may be even better!

My final thought is it may be best to read When You Are Mine first to get a proper introduction to the McCarthy clan. As for me I’m eagerly awaiting book #3 in this series and a book 5 in the Cyrus Haven Series. I’m also hoping to find When You Are Mine at a Goodwill!

Near the end of the book, Edward McCarthy’s nemesis explains what a white crow is — and it fits Phil perfectly.
Do you know?
Well… go find out.

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Michael Robotham

About Michael Robotham

Michael Robotham is an Australian crime fiction writer who has twice won the CWA Gold Dagger award for best novel and twice been shortlisted for the Edgar Award for best novel. His eldest child is Alexandra Hope Robotham, professionally known as Alex Hope, an Australian producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. Wikipedia

Born: 1960 (age 65 years), Casino, Australia

Children: Alex Hope

Nationality: Australian

Notable awards: The CWA Gold Dagger, 2015, 2020

Notable works: Life or Death

 

Charlie Donlea Shines in His Debut Summit Lake

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Summit Lake is Charlie Donlea’s debut novel and a smashingly great debut it is!

From Goodreads…..

Set in a small, picturesque North Carolina town, Charlie Donlea’s suspenseful debut novel tells the haunting story of a murdered law school student, the reporter assigned to her story—and the intimate connection that comes when the living walk in the footsteps of the dead.

“No suspects. No persons of interest. Just a girl who was alive one day and dead the next.” Read More

The Story

The murder victim is Becca Eckersley a first year law student and the daughter of a powerful attorney who is about to become a judge. After Becca is murdered investigator Kelsey Castle is sent by her employer Events magazine to Summit Lake to find out what happened.

Once she arrives Kelsey discovers that the murder appears to be more complex than the theory that the Feds are promoting that it was a random robbery gone bad. The story is told from dual perspectives—Becca’s in the months before her death and Kelsey’s in the present—the book is a fast-paced thriller filled with twists and intrigue. 

The story also explores the connection between the living and the dead as Kelsey walks in Becca’s footsteps, uncovering dark secrets that may help solve the crime and confront her own past. 

Bottom Line:

Summit Lake was a very good read. It took me a while to get into the story and I must admit that I found some aspects of the story somewhat implausible. Particularly the willingness of the county police chief to give police files to Kelsey.

But the overall story more than made up for those minor dislikes

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    Village in the Dark – Iris Yamashita (Cara Kennedy Book#2)

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    Village in the Dark by Iris Yamashita is book number 2 in her Cara Kennedy series. It is a mystery thriller set in Alaska. Book 1 in the series is City Under One Roof. Cara Kennedy is an Anchorage Police Department Detective. She is on administrative leave after her husband and son disappear while on vacation in Point Mettier. Point Mettier is an isolated town where its residents all live in one high-rise.

    In book one Cara finds some of the answers to her husband and son’s disappearance and they weren’t pleasant. (I’m not spoiling things by telling you what she discovered). Anyway at the end of the book she makes another discovery that leads her back to Point Mettier to see if she can find the final answers!

    Village in the Dark is full of great characters.The story is told through the eyes of three women. First is obviously the main character Cara Kennedy. Second is the owner of a hotel within the Point Mettier high-rise Ellie and finally Mia, an Indigenous woman who left the village she grew up in to enter the White man’s world. The plot of the novel interweaves the lives of all three women. It’s really hard to say more without revealing too much!

    Bottom Line

    The bottom line is Village in the Dark is a really terrific read.  It;s filled with great quirky characters and a few twists here and there that kept me guessing, I really would recommend that you should read City Under One Roof before reading Village in the Dark. So check them both out!

     

     

    Links for the Further Exploration of the Books of Iris Yamashita

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    The Last Ranger – Peter Heller

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    The Last Ranger - Peter Heller

    The Last Ranger is only the second book I’ve read by Peter Heller. The first, The River, was one of the best books I read in 2020…

    So I was looking forward to reading The Last Ranger. I must admit that I found it a little slow going in the beginning and and actually set it aside and started reading James Grippando’s latest Goodbye Girl.

    However, I went back to it as the library due date for the book approached, uh it’s today! Anyway, I’m glad I returned.

    About the Last Ranger

    The setting of The Last Ranger is Yellowstone Park. The main character Ren Hopper is a Park Ranger or an Enforcement Agent assigned to act like the police within the Park. As an Enforcement Agent his duties range from breaking up fights at campgrounds to saving tourists from moose attacks.

    He also works to keep the peace between the vacationers,who tromp around with cameras and the locals who want to carve out a meaningful living in the lands beyond the park boundaries,.

    The book takes off when Ren finds his friend Hilly, a biologist and wolf expert, nearly dead in the steel jaws of a wolf trap. He hopes it’s just an accident.

    However, a small red ribbon tied to the stake makes him fairly certain that it wasn’t. The first and best suspect is a known poacher, who has an ongoing feud with Hilly.

    Aside from this investigation Ren soon finds that someone is also out to get him. The best suspect is a member of a local group of ranchers

    \.These ranchers have formed an alliance at odds with both the park and with Ren’s responsibility to protect it. Is the poacher a member, too?

    From Goodreads

    Rife with surprising humor, populated by a cast of extraordinary characters, each drawn to Yellowstone for their own reasons, Peter Heller once again mines the rich vein where our very human impulses play out against the stunning beauty of the natural world.

    More at Goodreads

    My Thoughts about The Last Ranger.

    The setting is one of the aspects like the most about The Last Ranger. I have only visited Yellowstone Park and surrounding area via the books of C.J. Box. And both authors have left me feeling that I’ve been there and wishing that I could be there. I get the same feeling from the William Kent Krueger’s Cork O’Conner books.

    Needless to say, the characters are the other aspect of the book I love. Major and minor characters are real life folks with real life problems. And the reader gets to know and care for them all. Even if you are rooting against some of them you still understand their behavior.

    Speaking of behavior, I also like books that teach me something. The Last Ranger does just that discussing both behavior of the wolves of Yellowstone, as well as, their impact on the environment.

    The bottom line is I highly recommend this book. So check it out. As for me, I will be on the lookout for books from Heller’s back catalog! I will also be getting back to Grippando’s Goodbye Girl.

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    Petwer Heller
    Peter Heller

    About Peter Heller

    If You Enjoyed The Last Ranger Here’s Where My Reading Went (and Where It’s Going)…

    This one sent me down a bit of a wilderness/conservation rabbit hole…

    • Nora Kelly (Preston & Child) — archaeological thrillers I’m planning to dive into, a natural. It’s also set in the rugged moutnains of the American west.
    • Breaking Wild — Diane Les Becquets — a gripping wilderness survival story that I couldn’t put down (see my original post)
    • Alice Henderson — Alex Carter series — where I’m heading next with environmental thrillers
    Preston & Child
    Diane Les Becquets
    The Vanishing Kind Alice Henderson
    Alice Henderson

    Jeff Gunhus -SilentThreat – A Wild Ride

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    Jeff Gunhus -Silent Threat
    So if you’re in a Dollar Tree over the next few weeks and see a book titled Silent Threat buy it! You should buy it because it’s everything that Steve Berry says about this Jeff Gunhus book on the front cover.

    “With an aplha female herione and a tantaliuzing premise, this hard-edged, gripping thrillermatches wits and wiles, delivering an entertaining romp”

    Mara Roberts is the female herione and we meet her in the first sentence, which drew me into the book immediately…….

    Mara Roberts knew the Agency would try to kill her father the day he got out of prison; she just didn’t expect her to be the one to do it.

    Mara’s father Scott Roberts is a former agent and a convicted traitor, was responsible for the death of Mara’s mother and is in fact Mara’s father! Needless to say there is no love lost between Mara and her father. However, the killing dod not go as planned and soon Mara and her father are on the run.

    Mara, who is an ex-Marine. She is also one the Agnecy’s most reliable assasin’s! Needless to say her  world is turned upside dow,  as she and her father head first to Chicago to get answer, from the ex-President of the US is speaking! Their most important is: Who ordered the hit onMara’s mother?? Wait Scott didn’t kill her mother?? Oh, and to make sure that Mara kills her father the agency has kidnapped her nephew!!

    Stteve Berry characterizes Silent Threat as an “entertaining romp”. I’d say it’s more of a “wild ride,” with a lot of twists, as Mara and Scott are not only being chased by the Agency, but also by a shadowy cabal known as “Omega”. Who present a clear and present danger to Mara, Scott and the World!!!

    Bottom Line

    The bottom line Silent Threat is a terrific read and proof that great bargain books can be found at Dollar General. Jeff Gunhus is a USA Today best-selling author. He writes thrillers and horror for adults, fantast for middle-graders, and picture books for  children. So Check Out Silent Threat.  As for me, I have already purchased the ebook version of Imminent Threat (Mara and Scott Roberts #2),

     

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    The Resting Place -Camilla Sten ( Book 30 of 2022)

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    The Resting Płace - Camilla Sten

    Now that I am semi back into the swing of writing blog posts, I’ll first try to write about the books that I am currently reading, or just finished. With that being said, I just finished The Resting Place by Camilla Sten and it was really, really good!

    The Resting Place is Camilla Sten’s second novel. The first was internationally acclaimed The Lost Village. Rights for The Lost Village have been sold to 17 territories around the world including film and TV. And based on The Resting Place I’m sure it’s terrific! In fact I just checked the Ebook version out at my local library!

    About The Resting Place


    The Resting Place     is set in Sweden and begins when Eleanor is coming to dinner at her grandmother Vivianne’s house. Eleanor suffers from prosopagnosia (face blindness) so she doesn’t recognize the person who rushed by her, when she was entering Vivianne’s apartment. However, when she discovered her grandmother’s dead body in the apartment, she know that she had come face to face with a killer.  Maddeningly, she didn’t know who it was!

    After weeks over agonizing over the murder, a lawyer calls. Vivianne, has left Eleanor an estate     outside  of Stockholm. An estate that Vivianne had kept hidden from Eleanor her whole life!

    Soon Eleanor, her boyfriend Sebastian, Aunt Veronica, and Rikard the lawyer are off to inventory the estate. The estate is a house of secrets and it doesn’t wish to reveal them! Consequently, as the group starts to get closer to a truth that will turn everything Eleanor knows about her family, things get deadlier!

    The Bottom Line

    The Resting Place is….(from the book jacket)

    A heart-thumping, relentless thriller, that will shake you to the core, The Resting Place is an unforgettable  novel of horror and suspense.

    The story is told in alternating chapters. Current action is told from Eleanor’s POV. While the past is reveled by Anushka a maid, who worked for Vivianne’s family.

    Although the story was somewhat predictable, I I was never sure what the final answers would be until the end. And it was a pretty wild ride to get there!

    All in all, The Resting Place is a strong 4.5 star book. Check It Out! As for me I can’t wait to read The Lost Village!

    Links for the Further Exploration of the Books Camilla Sten

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    When I first saw this book in the library, the name Sten seemed familier, but I just couldn’t place it. When I googled Camilla’s name to śrutę this post I saw her mother is the reason the band Śten is familiar. Way back in 2015, Iread read her mother  Viveca Sten’s book Still Waters book one on her Sandhamn series! I enjoyed the book a lot,  ut have necer read another of her books same on me! Maybe it’s time to delve into that series again!

    What You Never Knew – Jessica Hamilton

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    Would you return to a family-owned island 30 years after an event that ripped your family apart? In Jessica Hamilton’s new psychological thriller What You Never Knew, Jane Bennett did just that….

    When she was a child, June Bennett‘s family spent their summers on Avril Island in Lake Champlain. The Island had been gift to Avril Bennett from her new husband.

    This family tradition ended tragically one night when June‘s father abruptly left his family. Now 30 years after that night, June discovers what she was told about her father‘s abrupt exit from their family may not have been the truth.

    After the tragic death of her older sister May and her mother, June discovers that contrary to what she and May were told by their mother Avril Island was never sold after the family split apart!

    So to help overcome her depression regarding the deaths and get her life back on track, June returns to Avril Island.

    When she returns she discovers that the son of the  family’s handyman West Keen, has in fact, been taking care of their cottage. It seems that West also left the Island just ten days after Jane‘s father left his family.

    Are the two disappearances connected?? The more June digs into the past the more she discovers there are “things she never knew“

    About What You Never Knew

    What You Never Knew is Jessica  Hamilton‘s debut as a novelist. She was born in Australia but grew up and resides in Canada. The book was published by Crooked Lane Books in April of 2021.

    Thoughts About What You Never Knew

    Overall, I thought What You Never Knew was a really good novel. The characters were well developed and there was a lot to like with each one.

    Hamilton uses two narrators to tell the story. And while I’m not a fan of alternating narrators it works in this book. The narrators are June and her sister May (or May‘s spirit). It works because while May doesn’t know all that happened that night behause she has repressed those memories. she does know more than June.

    Another aspect of the book, that bothered me. was the fact that June went to the Island ALONE! Then when she first visits the cottage it’s like they left it yesterday! It was 30 years…..no way these days the electrical and or pipes etc would still be in that house!

    Then when Ezra Keen son of the handyman West shows up and it explains he has been taking care of and watching the place, I guess I felt better.

    Overall, I found What You Never Knew a  well pace novel with a strong storyline and well-developed characters.

    Sister Dear’s author Hannah Mary McKinnon‘s comment on the back cover of the box sums it up pretty well for me

    Eerie and compulsive..this debut had me riveted right from the start. Well plotted and with  beautifully drawn characters, this is an excellent read.

    Recommended to…..

    Through the years What You Never Knew was not The type of book I normally read. My reads were manually either action thrillers from authors like Robert Ludlum , Brad Thor and Vince Flynn, or detective/private eye mysteries from folks like Janes Le Burke, William G Tapply or Lawrence Block.

    However, lately I have read several psychological thrillers with involving families. So if I were recommending this book to othersI,  guess I would recommend it to fans of; Mary Kubica, Liv Constantine, Joshilyn Jackson and another new author Taylor Adams., and many more authors of this ilk unknown to me!!

    My Rating

    The Goodreads rating for this book was 3.77 out of 5. My Rating on Goodreads was 4.00 but if I could break it down farther it would probably be 3.85 or so. Really good but those little things still bother me somewhat. But I will still be on the lookout for Jessica Hamilton’s next book!

    Links for the Further Exploration of the Books of Jessica Hamilton

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    A Good Kill from John McMahon. Book 3 in a Great Series!

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    Ok so I had started this post as a welcome back post, but Ill’ll save that doesn’t the next post let’s just get back to the mysteries. And here’s a good one…….


    A Good Kill (Detective P.T. Marsh #3)

    Today I finished A Good Kill by John McMahon.  It is book 40 for 2021 and book 3 in McMahon’s Detective P.T.Marsh series. I read The Good Detective, the first book in the series in December of 2020 and book two The Evil Men Do in February of this year.

    The Story

    P.T. Is a detective with the Mason Falls police department in northern Georgia. In this instalment P.T.and his partner Remy Martin are called to a Magnet school in Mason Falls where a potentially active shooter is holding three students and a teacher hostage in the Art Room.

    The shooter has already killed one teacher. Soon P.T. has the shooter in his crosshairs….should he take the shot?   A call from the Georgia governor to whom Marsh owes a favor and a threatening move by the shooter results in an answer of yes. It was a “good Kill right? It’s question that haunts P.T.for the rest of the book.

    After  the shooting case is turned over to the Feds, P.T. and Remy are assigned to a double homicide investigation. In addition P.T is still haunted by the murder (made to look like an accident) off his wife and son. Marsh is still trying to find who hired his wife’s killer and why?

    My Thoughts on John McMahon and the P.T.Marsh Series

    I have really  really enjoyed all three of the books in this series! I guess that’s why I’ve read all three in around seven months! Everything about these books is terrific. Both the characters and the storylines are interesting, suspenseful and believable.

    So Check Them Out IN ORDER!! As for me, I’ll have to wait until 2022 when John MCMahon will be introducing a new character!

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    The Residence -Andrew Pyper – A Haunted White House!

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    So this morning I didn’t do my typical workout first thing. Instead I finished reading The Residence by Andrew Pyper. It’s the first book I’ve read by Pyper and the 27th book I’ve read in 2021.

    About Andrew Pyper

    Andrew Pyper is a Canadian author hailing from Stratford, Ontario. He has a B.A. and M.A. in English Literature from McGill University, He also has a law degree from the University of Toronto. However , he has never practiced law.

    His novel, The Demonologist, won the 2014 International Thriller Writers Award for Best Hardcover Novel, and was a #1 bestseller in Canada.

    The Residence is his 11th novel and the 5th published  by Simon & Shuster.

    About The Residence

    The Residence is a ghost story set in the White House during the administration of Franklin Pierce. While I never really found the book overly scary, I did find the overall story intriguing.

    Franklin Pierce is one of the Presidents that you don’t really learn a lot about in school. I had read previously about the Pierce’s losing their son Benjamin (Bennie) in a train accident  It’s Bennie’s death and Jean Pierce’s attempts to contact him in  the afterlife that is central to the story.

    While I didn’t love the book I did find it an interesting read. When I was in the middle of the book I decided I wanted to know more about Franklin and his wife and family. So I googled “best books about Franklin Pierce”. There are only a couple of biographies the most recent was written by Michael Holt and is part of The American President Series. So I checked at my library for the book and it’s on its way to me!

    Summarizing, The Residence was for me an ok read (3/5 stars). It kept me interested to the end but didn’t provide a lot of scary moments. However, there were a few thought provoking moments about slavery and the creation of our nation. So check it out! As for me, I’ll be checking out some of Pyper’s other books.

    Finally,  I was going to write about the rest of my morning in this post. However,  since I went on and on about The Residence I think I’ll post this and tell you about my morning in my next post!

    Links for the Further Exploration of the Books of Andrew Pyper.

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