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Kenzie & Gennaro – The 6 Book Series from Dennis Lehane

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Dennis Lehane wrote the first five Kenzie & Gennaro books between 1994 and 1999. I didn’t discover these books until 2002. However, once I did I read all five books in the first four months of 2002! I had to wait 8 more years until he wrote book 6 in the series! Check it out here!

Needless to say I can’t recommend these books highly enough!

A Drink Before the War – Kenzie & Gennaro #1

A Drink Before the War - The first Kenzie & Gennaro books from DEnnis Lehane

A Drink Before the War was my introduction to the gritty, dark world of Boston PIs Kenzie and Gennaro. my post-read thoughts……

From My Reading Journal.

Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro Boston PIs investigating some disappearing documents – leads to child pornography and gang warfare. Great characters. I can’t wait to find another……

From Goodreads (for Context)

Kenzie and Gennaro are private investigators in the blue-collar neighborhoods and ghettos of South Boston-they know it as only natives can. Working out of an old church belfry, Kenzie and Gennaro take on a seemingly simple assignment for a prominent politician: to uncover the whereabouts of Jenna Angeline, a black cleaning woman who has allegedly stolen confidential state documents. Finding Jenna, however, is easy compared to staying alive once they’ve got her. The investigation escalates, implicating members of Jenna’s family and rival gang leaders while uncovering extortion, assassination, and child prostitution extending from bombed-out ghetto streets to the highest levels of government. More at Goodreads

Read in February of 2002 and it didn’t take long! In March on 20th of 2002 I read DarknesTake My Hand

Lehane won the Shamus Award for Best First Novel for A Drink Before the War

Darkness Take My Hand – Kenzie & Gennaro #2

From My Reading Journal:

For whatever reason my only comment was Another Kenzie and Gennaro book

From Goodreads:

For Master of new noir Dennis Lehane magnificently evokes the dignity and savagery of working-class Boston in Darkness, Take My Hand, a terrifying tale of redemption.

Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro’s latest client is a prominent Boston psychiatrist, running scared from a vengeful Irish mob. The private investigators know about cold-blooded retribution. Born and bred on the mean streets of blue-collar Dorchester, they’ve seen the darkness that lives in the hearts of the unfortunate. More at Goodreads

The novel was a finalist for the 1997 Dilys Award.

I finished Book #2 on March 2oth of 20002 and started the next book on the same day!

Sacred – Kenzie & Gennaro #3

Sacred - A Kenzie & Genaro Book

From My Reading Journal:

Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro are hired to find the daughter of Desiree Stone by Trevor Stone.- gone to greif counseling over the death of her mother and boyfriend – along the was PI Jay Becker dies – good couldn’t put down the book! again the characters are great.

Goodreads Description (for context):

Dying billionaire Trevor Stone hires private detectives Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro to find his missing daughter. Grief-stricken over the death of her mother and the impending death of her father, Desiree Stone has been missing for three weeks. so has the first investigator Stone hired to find her: Jay Becker, Patrick’s mentor.

Patrick and Angie are led down a trail of half-truths and corruption where nothing is what it seems as the detectives travel from the windblown streets of Boston to the sizzling beaches of Florida’s Gulf coast. And the more Patrick and Angie discover, the more they realize that on this case any wrong step will certainly be their last. More at Goodreads

Oops I read the next book I read was Book 5 instead of Book 4 –

Prayers for Rain – Kenzie & Gennaro # 5

From My Reading Journal

Patrick aqnd Angie face aPsychological destroyer.fter ex-client Karen Wright takes a off the top of a building, Bubba and the two take on the madman. But Who’s behind it all?

Goodreads Description (for context):

When Boston private investigator Patrick Kenzie meets Karen Nichols, she strikes him as an innocent from a protected upbringing. But six months later when Karen takes her own life, Patrick is left wondering what can change so drastically and so quickly that suicide seems the only option?

Through the final weeks of a stifling summer, and with the help of his ex-partner, Angela Gennaro, and his friend, the lethally unbalanced Bubba Rogowski, Patrick enters into psychological warfare with a brilliant sociopath who, instead of merely killing his victims, prefers to make them wish they were dead. More at Goodreads

I read my next book in May of 2002 and I went backwards from book # 5 to book #4

Gone, Baby , Gone – Kenzie & Gennaro #4

From My Reading Journal

Amanda McGready kidnapped gone! Angela and Patrick trace it back to a cop who snatches baby’s for others – many twists and turns. good characters – good book!

Goodreads Description (for context):

In this “absolutely gripping” ( Chicago Tribune ) thriller, New York Times bestselling author Dennis Lehane vividly captures the complex beauty and darkness of working-class Boston.
The tough neighborhood of Dorchester is no place for the innocent or the weak. Its territory is defined by hard heads and even harder luck; its streets are littered with the detritus of broken families, hearts, and dreams. Now one of its youngest is missing. Private investigators Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro don’t want the case. But after pleas from the child’s aunt, they open an investigation that will ultimately risk everything—their relationship, their sanity, and even their lives—to find a little girl lost. More at Goodreads

Moonlight Mile – Kenzie & Gennaro Book #6

After an eight-year gap, Lehane returned to Patrick and Angie — older, married, and still haunted by Amanda McCready.! You can read my thoughts on Moonlight Mile here.

The Black Highway – Simon Toyne (Laughton Rees #3)

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The Black Highway - Simon Toyne

The. Black Highway is the third book in the Laughton Rees series by Simon Toyne. The first two books Dark Objects and The Clearing set a pretty high bar for the series. The Black Highway clears that bar and leaves me eagerly awaiting the next installment in the series.

The river Thames aka The Black Highway is the backdrop for the third book in the Laughton Rees series from Simon Toyne. Dr. Laughton Rees is a professor and a forensic specialist who provides assistance to the London police

The Story


.The previous two books in the series Dark Objects and The Clearing were both outstanding, as was Sanctus the first book in the Sanctus trilogy (of which I have only read one book Boo Me!)
In The Black Highway the case becomes extremely personal. When a headless and handless body is pulled from the Thames, with Laughton’s home address on its arm a target is placed on both Laughton and her teenage daughter.


Soon Shelby Facer a figure from Laughton’s checkered past shows up. Shelby has been recently released from prison after serving a 16 year prison sentence in Florida. The drug deal gone bad that resulted with Shelby’s arrest was overseen by none other than Laughton’s father John Rees. Oh and Shelby unbeknownst to him is Laughton’s daughter’s father!


When a second body is found in a similar condition and it’s related to the Shelby’s prison sentence it appears that the murderer is out to avenge their imprisonment. Does that make Laughton and he daughter targets because of her father’s association with the case!
And from there story is masterfully told


My Thoughts a Book of Relationships and Murder?


The Black Highway is another gem of a book by Simon Toyne. I enjoy books and series where the character relationships are as important to plots of the novel as the action occurring be it a murder, a kidnapping or other action.


I guess that’s why I love the Cork O’Connor books where many of the story-lines revolve around Cork and is family relationships, as well as, his relationship with his Ojibwe roots. Another example is the Joe Pickett where Joe’s relationships with his family, Nate Romanowski and even the Governor of Wyoming are important to various books in the series, Oh, I forgot Joe’s relationship with his mother-in-law Missy!
Boy do relationship form the core of The Black Highway.

First there’s the relationship of Laughton, her daughter Gracie and Shelby, How do you deal with the appearance of you daughter’s biological father who is not only a convicted criminal but is now associated with a murder investigation and a potential target. But also represents a time in your life you would rather forget.


Then there is the relationship of Laughton with her own father former police commissioner John Rees. Laughton blamed her father for her mother’s murder and left home at the same age as Gracie! Oh,my! Could he have been responsible for what happened to Shelby?


Finally, there is the relationship between Laughton and Kahn Tannahill. which was just blooming. The actions throughout the book certainly put a strain on their relationship.


So all these relationship are tied into the weaving story line of The Black Highway resulting in a rip-roaring finish that I believe sets the stage for more Laughton Rees books in the future, At least I hope!


(oh Laughton is named after the actor Charles Laughton!

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Simon Toyne

About Simon Toyne


Simon Toyne was born February 29th, 1968 in Cleethorpes, England, but spent his formative years in Peterborough. He moved further south, to Goldsmiths College, part of the University of London, to study English and Drama then ended up working as a producer, director in commercial television for almost twenty years.
He quit in 2007, just shy of his fortieth birthday, to try and focus more on writing. His first book, Sanctus, became the biggest selling debut thriller of 2011 in the UK and also an international bestseller, translated into 27 languages and published in over 50 countries.More at Goodreads

 

Amos Walker (#27) -Loren D Estleman- Black and White Ball (- Return to an Old Friend!

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Black and White Ball (Amos Walker #27) by Loren D. Estleman

A few weeks ago I checked Black and White Ball by Loren D. Estleman out of the library and finally got around to reading it. It’s book #27 in the Amos Walker series. For reference, the first Amos Walker novel, Motor City Blue, was published in 1986 — and it was the very first entry in my Book Lovers Journal in 1987! The most recent Walker novel is City Walls (#31), released in 2023, so I clearly have catching up to do.

Between 1987 and 1991 I read 8 of the first 10 Walker books. Then I didn’t pick up the series again until 2012, when I read #20, The Left-Handed Dollar. Next came #12, The Witchfinder, in 2022. So when I grabbed Black and White Ball (#27), I’d read 10 of the earlier books and none of #27–31. Honestly, until a few years ago I didn’t realize Estleman had taken the series that far. Now that I do, the TBR pile just grew.

Black and White Ball (Amos Walker #27)

The book reminded me quickly why I like this series: reading an Amos Walker novel feels like catching up with an old friend. The setup: Amos is hired by an old flame to track her cheating husband, who has also skimmed $600,000 from his company. Walker traces him to Canada. While Amos is trying to confirm the couple’s room number, a woman screams. By the time he reaches the room, the husband is dead and the window is open — the killer apparently gone.

After the police interrogation, Amos is told the hit was the work of professional killer Peter Macklin. Soon after, Macklin “introduces” himself by pressing a gun into the back of Amos’s neck from the backseat of Walker’s car. Macklin, in the middle of a divorce, has received a photo of his wife with a note demanding $100,000 — or she dies. He hires Amos to keep her safe. The threat comes from another hit man Macklin knows all too well.

My Thoughts (with Spoilers — at least I think they would be)

Reuniting with Old Friends

Reading Estleman’s Amos Walker always feels like traveling back in time to meet an old friend. Here, it’s like meeting two: Walker and Peter Macklin. Estleman brings them together for the first time in this novel. While Amos has anchored 30+ books, Macklin has headlined only a handful; I’ve read one — Roses Are Dead.

Walker Meets Macklin

Their paths cross at the Cabot Lodge in Toronto, where Amos arrives to help his client’s husband, Guy Lennert. The killer is Peter Macklin. Soon after, Macklin — facing a pending divorce — receives a note and photo of his second wife: pay $100,000 or she dies. He wants Walker to protect her. The twist? The would-be assassin is Macklin’s own son, Roger — a hitman like his father, but with a very different motivation.

A Killer’s Code and a Detective’s Morality

This puts ex-cop PI Amos Walker in a bind. He’s spent a career chasing men like Macklin, and now he has to help one. But saving a life means more to Walker than sticking rigidly to his personal code. Macklin, for his part, follows a cold professional ethic — not admirable, exactly, but consistent. The friction between Walker’s decency and Macklin’s “code” gives the story its moral backbone.

Family, Hatred, and Inherited Violence

There’s also a generational angle: how criminality — and hatred — gets passed down. Roger isn’t driven by the detached professionalism that defines his father; he’s fueled by resentment. That difference matters. It shifts the stakes from a tidy noir chess match to something more volatile and personal.

Shades of Gray

The title Black and White Ball is a neat bit of irony. Neither Walker nor Macklin operates in purely black-and-white terms. They both move through gray areas — different grays, for sure — and that moral complexity is what elevates this book beyond a standard cat-and-mouse.

The Bottom Line

Black and White Ball is a strong addition to the Amos Walker series. It works as a brisk thriller, but it also wrestles with ethics, loyalty, and family damage — which makes it linger. If you’re dipping into Walker again (or for the first time), this is a rewarding stop.

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About Loren D. Estelman

Loren D. Estleman is an American writer of detective and Western fiction. He is known for a series of crime novels featuring the investigator Amos Walker. Wikipedia

Born: 1952 (age 73 years), Ann Arbor, MI

Partner: Deborah Morgan (1993–)

Awards: Spur Award for Best Western Novel · See more

 

Noir By Christopher Moore: A Hilarious Tribute to Classic Crime Fiction

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Noir - Chrostopher Moore

Noir by Christopher Moore

Through the years  I have read and enjoyed many of Christopher  Moore’s books. Typically, I find them extremely funny and Noir is a very funny trip through a quirky underworld, using both humor with a great storyline . A story set against a backdrop the reminds the reader of a classic film noir.

From Moore’s website…

The absurdly outrageous, sarcastically satiric, and always entertaining New York Times bestselling author Christopher Moore returns in finest madcap form with this zany noir set on the mean streets of post-World War II San Francisco, and featuring a diverse cast of characters, including a hapless bartender; his Chinese sidekick; a doll with sharp angles and dangerous curves; a tight-lipped Air Force general; a wisecracking waif; Petey, a black mamba; and many more. Read More

The Bottom Line – Christopher Moore’s Wit Shines Through

The Bottom Line is Noir deserves between around 4.5 stars. What the plot lacks, the setting and characters and Moore’s quick wit more than make up for, leaving me (and you if you read it) laughing and happy! But don’t just take my word for it here’s what some others say about Noir….

Moore is a master of metaphor and a sultan of simile. . . .It takes an author of remarkable talents to keep a profitably urinating snake, a dame named for a dairy product, and a slimy extraterrestrial all running through a narrative.”
– Washington Independent Review of Books

Raymond Chandler meets the SyFy Channel… Fans of noir film and fiction will find a lot to enjoy in this loving genre tribute, and those already familiar with Moore’s books will simply be in love.”
– Library Journal (starred review)

So Check it Out! As for me I will be checking out Moore’s latest book Razzmatazz soon!

Links

Author’s Webpage
Chris’s Blog
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About Christopher Moore

Christopher Moore is an American writer. Christopher Moore was born in Toledo, Ohio and grew up in Mansfield, Ohio. An only child, Moore learned to amuse himself with his imagination. He loved reading and his father brought him plenty of books from the library every week. He started writing around the age of twelve and realized that this was his talent by the time he was 16, and he began to consider making it his career.

Visit Christopher Moore Page

The Hush by John Hart (Johnny Merrion #2)

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John Hart is one of my favorite authors. Here’s what others say about the writing of John Hart

“John Hart creates novels that are somehow raw, tender, brutal, and exquisite – all at the same time. Exceptional.” – CJ Box , #1 NYT Bestselling Author

“Hart’s writing soars off the page with a lyricism that probably only James Lee Burke can match.”      – Daily Mail, UK

About the Hush by John Hart

The Hush is the second book writtenby John Hart featuring Johnny Merrimon. The first was The Last Child. So while The Hush is technically a sequel it just doesn’t feel like a series. At least not like the other series books.

The Story

The Hush picks up Johnny  ten years after the actions in The Last Child….from JohnHart’s website…

It’s been ten years since the events that changed Johnny Merrimon’s life and rocked his hometown to the core. Since then, Johnny has fought to maintain his privacy, but books have been written of his exploits; he has fans, groupies. Living alone in the wilderness beyond town, Johnny’s only connection to normal life is his old friend, Jack. They’re not boys anymore, but the bonds remain. What they shared. What they lost.

But Jack sees danger in the wild places Johnny calls home; he senses darkness and hunger, an intractable intent. Johnny will discuss none of it, but there are the things he knows, the things he can do. A lesser friend might accept such abilities as a gift, but Jack has felt what moves in the s, and forgottenwamp: the cold of it, the unspeakable fear.

More than an exploration of friendship, persistence power, The Hush leaves all categories behind, and cements Hart’s status as a writer of unique power.

Final Thoughts

Overall the book is a little different from Hart’s previous books. Hush Arbor is a mysterious place and strange things happen to those who venture into this swampy area. So to get the full impact of the book the reader may need to be one who believes in the supernatural!

However, the end result is that The Hush is another terrific book by an ultra-talented new writer! One of my favorites.

Links

Author’s Website:
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Goodreads: John Hart
Goodreads: Redemption Road
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Discover The Lewis Man: A Gripping Tale in Lewis Trilogy

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The Lewis Man Peter May

Introduction

The Lewis Man is the second book in Peter May’s remarkable Lewis Trilogy. As The Guardian described it:

“As good as its predecessor…not only a good mystery, but also a moving and evocative portrayal of a place where the weather is matched only by the church’s harsh patronage….”

Set in the remote and windswept Isle of Lewis, this story blends murder mystery with an intimate portrait of the people who endure life in a harsh and beautiful land.

Setting the Scene

From the book’s prologue:

“On this storm-lashed island three hours off the northwest coast of Scotland, what little soil exists gives the people their food and their heat. It also takes their dead. And very occasionally, as today, gives one up.”

During the annual peat harvest, the bog gives up the body of a nineteen-year-old male. The corpse is astonishingly well-preserved—a classic bog body. Such remains are often thousands of years old, but this one has a clue that places it firmly in the modern era: an Elvis tattoo on the forearm.

The Mystery Unfolds

The boy’s internal organs are intact, allowing for DNA testing. When the DNA is matched against samples from island men (taken during the events of The Blackhouse), the results shock the community—it’s connected to Tormod MacDonald, father of Marsaili, the childhood sweetheart of series protagonist Fin MacLeod.

Fin, recently retired from the Edinburgh police, has returned to Lewis to restore his family croft—and perhaps some relationships. But Tormod is suffering from dementia, drifting between past and present, and he may hold the key to solving the mystery of the bog boy.

Tormod’s Hidden Story

Through the haze of Tormod’s mind, a decades-old tale emerges—one of two brothers unknown to Marsaili and other locals. As the narrative shifts between Fin’s investigation and Tormod’s fragmented memories, long-buried secrets are unearthed, changing everything the characters thought they knew.

Why It Stuck With Me

When my wife sent me the Facebook challenge to list 10 books that have stayed with me, The Blackhouse should have been there. Now, The Lewis Man belongs on that list as well.

It’s a tightly woven mystery that keeps the truth hidden until the final pages, but it’s also a beautiful, if sometimes bleak, portrayal of life for the MacDonalds, MacLeods, Murrays, and others who call the Isle of Lewis home.

About the Author

Peter May, a Scotsman now living in France, is also known for his China Thrillers featuring Beijing detective Li Yan and American forensic pathologist Margaret Campbell—also well worth reading.

I haven’t yet started The Enzo Files, featuring Scottish forensic scientist Enzo MacLeod, but after finishing the Lewis Trilogy, I may have to.

Awards and Recognition

Winner:

  • Prix des Lecteurs of Le Télégramme newspaper in France (10,000 Euro prize)
  • Prix des Lecteurs 2012 at Les Ancres Noires Festival, Le Havre, France
  • 2012 Prix International at the Polar & Co Festival, Cognac, France

Shortlisted for:

  • UK Crime Writers’ Association Dagger in the Library Award (2012)
  • Scottish Crime Book of the Year (2012)
  • Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year (2013)

Final Thoughts

If you’ve never read a Peter May novel, start with The Blackhouse. I’m willing to bet you’ll move quickly on to The Lewis Man.

Rating: ★★★★¾ (4.75/5)
Year Read: 2014
Book Number: 24 for the year

Links

Author’s Website
Goodreads
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Into The Wild With – The Vanishing Kind by Alice Henderson (Alex Carter #4)

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The Vanishing Kind Alice Henderson

Wildlife biologist Alex Carter returns in The Vanishing Kind by Alice Henderson a tense, immersive novel of suspense  set in a vast wildlife preserve in New Mexico— and the his may be her most dangerous assignment yet!

Originally Posted June 2025 Revsed and Updated April 2026

📖 What’s It About?

Searching for the Elusive Jaguar  in the Wild of New Mexico with Alex Carter…..

In her fourth outing, Alex Carter accepts an assignment to determine whether any reclusive jaguars roam the preserve. Once a species that was prevalent throughout the US the species is now endangered.  Alex hopes that her study can find at least one of these great cats!

Alice is not alone in this vast preserve and the lands surrounding it.  First there is a dangerous group of anti-immigrant vigilantes are  terrorizing the nearby town and the archeological dig. The dig is excavating the grave site area of a sixteenth century Spanish conquistador near where Alex has setup her camp. When the vigilantes discover the purpose of Alex she becomes a target of their wrath! The groups fear is that if Alex finds a jaguar it will impend the completion of the border wall.

Alex also encounters a local farm couple, a couple helping the immigrants, the eccentric funder of the archeological dig and at least one person out to kill any jaguar she may find!

🧠 My Thoughts About The Vanishing Kind by Alice Henderson

Once again Henderson constructs a novel that provides both suspense and action, coupled with educating the reader about endangered species. In her previous assignments Alex has study wolverines, polar bears and caribou, and I learned more about those species then I ever knew! In addition,  I learned a lot about how a wildlife biologist sets out to study these endangered species. (Who knew jaguars are attracted to Obsession perfume).

I believe The Vanishing Kind  contains a larger and more diverse cast of characters then any of Alex’s previous assignments. But it still provides the feeling that it’s Alex against the world!

As always Henderson creates a strong sense of place in The Vanishing Kind. The presence of the archeoligical dig not only adds to the cast f characters but the importance of the jaguar in the culture of the American southwest and the Spanish presence  in the area.

If you enjoy thrillers with a strong sense of place and a capable, independent protagonist, this series is for you. While this novel can be read independently from the series, since the series is only four books old go back to the fist book A Solitude of Wolverines to get the complete backstory of Alex Carter.

So if you like novels that provide both excitement and education check out The Vanishing Kind. As for me, I can’t wait for Alex’s next assignment! Hmm, maybe my next read will be The Medici Return by Steve Berry his Cotton Malone stories also educate and entertain!

A Final Wrap – The Vanishing Kind by Alice Henderson

I will say that throughout the book, while I was enjoying it I wasn’t that impressed. I didn’t find it  all that suspenseful. That ended a little over halfway through the  book,  when the rich funder of the dig asked the members of the dig and Alex for dinner and cut off the digs funding! After that all help broke out and the novel shot along to its conclusion. And I wasn’t expecting Alex’s savior to appear!

 

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Alice Henderson
Alice Henderson
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If You Enjoyed The Vanishing Kind, Here’s Where My Reading Went (and Where It’s Going)…

  • Nora Kelly (Preston & Child) — archaeological thrillers I’m planning to dive into, a natural next step after the dig storyline here
  • Breaking Wild — Diane Les Becquets — a gripping wilderness survival story that I couldn’t put down (see my original post)
  • Peter Heller — The Last Ranger / The River — atmospheric wilderness novels blending nature, danger, and reflection (see my posts)
Preston & Child
Diane Les Bequets
Peter Heller

Scott Carson – Lost Man’s Lane. His Best yet? Yes!

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Lost Man's Lane - Scott Carson

I have been a fan of author Michael Koryta ever since way back in 2003? And after two terrific books I am now a fan of his alter-ego Scott Carson. And I think Scott Carson’s latest release  Lost Man’s Lane just may be Scott’s best novel. As such it also makes it Michael’s best! 

 

The Story

The story grabbed me from the beginning, when Marshall Miller was pulled over by a policeman on the first time he took the car out after getting his license. The police man was very surly and while Marshall was receiving his ticket he noticed in his rear view mirror a young girl is sitting in the backseat of the police car looking terrified and crying. She was wearing a t-shirt of a restaurant that had closed years ago! 

Soon posters are put up concerning a missing girl from a neighboring town, Marshall recognizes the girl, She was the one in the back of the police car. When Marshall goes to the police to report what he saw he discovers that there are no police officers with the name he’s reporting. As a result, Marshall sets out on a quest to discover what was happening. He is soon in contact with a private investigator who is investigating the case. The PI hires Marshall as an assistant for the summer. 

The story takes many twists and turns as the investigation unravels. And the story because not only a horror/mystery story but also a coming of age story, with an ending that upturns Marshall’s life!

Bottom Line

The bottom line is go find and read Lost Man’s Lane, you won’t be sorry! It’s a terrific book on so many different levels. I think it would  make a great book club read. If anyone else has read it I would love to know what you thought about it. 

While your at it you can also check out Scott’s two other books The Chill and Where They Wait. All three books are high recommended!

As for me I have to wait until next April to read my next Scott Cason book Departure 37

Scott Carson

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About Scott Carson

Scott Carson is the pen name for a New York Times bestselling author and screenwriter Michael Koryta. He lives in New England.

Michael Koryta is a New York Times-bestselling author whose work has been translated into more than 20 languages and has won or been nominated for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, Edgar® Award, Shamus Award, Barry Award, Quill Award, International Thriller Writers Award, and the Golden Dagger. They’ve been selected as “best books of the year” by numerous publications. Michael Kortya for More

 

 

 

Update: January-February 2024 Reads

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Update: January-February 2024 Reads

 

Midnight Creed - Alex Kava

Midnight Creed (Ryder Creed #8) –

Midnight Creed  is the 8th book in Alex Kava’s Ryder Creed series  The series was a spin-off of Kava’s Maggie O’Dell series. Since Maggie and her FBI colleagues are an intricate part of the Ryder Creed series, I’m going to call this book book 19 in the Maggie O’Dell has targeted homeless people up and down the east coast. While Ryder  and his dogs are searching for a missing boy. Additionally, Ryder and his staff are awaiting a shipment of K9s that were left behind when our troops left Afghanistan. Read More

Beach Wedding -Michael Ledwidge

Beach Wedding – Michael Ledwidge

In Beach Wedding we find Philadelphia police officer Terry Rourke returning to the Hamptons to attend his brothers lavish and expensive wedding. However, this is not the first time Terry has been in the Hamptons…..

….As the designer tuxedos are laid out and the flowers arranged along the glittering surf, Terry can’t help but take another look at a decades-old murder trial that rocked the very foundations of the town—and his family. He soon learns that digging up billion-dollar sand can be a very dangerous activity. The kind of danger that can very quickly turn even the most beautiful beach wedding into a wake.

From Goodreads Read More Here

Tyranny of the Minority – Why American Democracy Reached the Breaking Point -Steven Levitsky, Dnaiel Ziblatt

Why American Democracy Reached the Breaking Point is a book that any concerned with the state of our political system has to read. The authors layout three key aspects of our political system that have helped create the mess we’re in now. k so if you don’t want to read the book,at least, which this video!

The Gatekeeper – (Dez Limerick #1) – James Byrne

The Gatekeeper is possibly my favorite book of 2024. I love the main character Dez Limerick, The book was a fast paced rollar0coaster of a ride! From Goodreads….

James Byrne’s The Gatekeeper introduces Dez Limerick in the most anticipated new thriller in years.

A highly trained team of mercenaries launches a well-planned, coordinated attack on a well-guarded military contractor – but they didn’t count on one thing, the right man being in the wrong place at the right time.

Desmond Aloysius Limerick (“Dez” to all) is a retired mercenary, and enthusiastic amateur musician, currently in Southern California, enjoying the sun and sitting in on the occasional gig, when the hotel he’s at falls under attack. A skilled team attempts to kidnap the Chief legal counsel of Triton Expeditors, a major military contractor – in fact, Petra Alexandris is the daughter of the CEO – but their meticulously-planned, seamlessly executed scheme runs into the figurative ‘spanner-in-the-works,’ Dez himself……Full Review Pending.

The River We Remember – William Kent Krueger
Full Review Pending

Starter Villain - John Scalzi cover
Starter Villain – John Scalzi

So on Friday January 12 I finished reading my second book for 2024, John Scalzi’s Starter Villain. It is the ninth book by Scalzi on my Goodreads shelves. I began reading Scalzi’s books in 2008. The first book I read was Old Man’s War.  that book among the others in the Old Man’s War series may still be my favorites written by Scalzi.

The hero of the book, well maybe not a hero, let’s just say main character of the book is Charlie Fister. Charlie is  a divorced ex-newspaper  journalist. Who is now a substitute teacher living with his cat. A house his siblings want to sell.  All Charlie wants is to buy and run  a pub downtown. But the cost is astronomical  and his only collateral for a bank loan is the house he lives in, which his estranged siblings want to sell!

Then his estranged Uncle Jake dies and leaves Charlie his business. Charlie realizes he may be in trouble, when he’s asked to represent the family at his uncle’s memorial service. At the service, first it was the message sent on a vase of flowers. The message See You in Hell” During the visitation, one guest checks Jake’s pulse another tries to stab him! It seems his uncle was not too popular……… “Full Post

Tides of Fire – (Sigma Force #17) – James Rollins

Full Review Pending

Midnight Creed (Ryder Creed (#8) (Maggie O’Dell World #19) Alex Kava

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Midnight Creed is the 8th book in Alex Kava’s Ryder Creed series — a spin-off from her long-running Maggie O’Dell novels. Since Maggie and her FBI colleagues play such an integral role in Ryder’s world, the series often feels like an extended Maggie O’Dell universe.

The Story

In this installment, Maggie O’Dell is investigating the serial killings of homeless people up and down the East Coast. Meanwhile, Ryder Creed and his dogs are searching for a missing boy, while also preparing for a shipment of K9s left behind when U.S. troops withdrew from Afghanistan.

When another boy goes missing — one Ryder’s coworker Jason knows personally — Ryder and his team launch a frantic search. At the same time, the serial killer Maggie’s tracking is headed to Florida. The question is: will these two cases collide?

My History with Alex Kava

I’ve been reading Alex Kava since her debut A Perfect Evil, the first Maggie O’Dell book. Across the first 11 O’Dell novels, Maggie faced everything from serial killers and arsonists to a potential mall bomber, electrocuted teenagers, and deadly pathogens.

The Entwining of Maggie and Ryder

Kava introduced Ryder Creed in the 2015 release Breaking Creed. A former Marine turned K9 search-and-rescue trainer, Ryder rescues dogs and trains them for life-saving missions. Over the first seven books, Maggie and Ryder’s professional relationship has deepened, and in book 7, they finally acknowledged their love for each other — though they still live apart. Maggie can’t leave the FBI and Quantico, and Ryder can’t leave his dogs.

Final Thoughts

Once again, Kava delivers a well-paced, character-driven treat. Alongside Maggie and Ryder, supporting characters like Jason and Ryder’s sister Brodie have grown in importance. (Brodie has been part of the backstory since the beginning, but readers only met her in recent books — raising the question: where was she all this time?)

Midnight Creed can be read as a standalone, but I suspect you’ll want to dive into the earlier Ryder Creed books — and maybe even the Maggie O’Dell series — once you’ve read it.

Explore More About Alex Kava:

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