A crime novel that reflects its main character: It’s rough around the edges but gets the job done.
An FBI profiler pursues a new case when prominent defense lawyers start dying under suspicious circumstances in Wood’s thriller.
Two years after catching a dangerous serial killer in New Orleans, Special Agent Chris DiMeglio is now chief of the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit and tasked with becoming the poster boy to improve the FBI’s image with an increasingly disgruntled public. If working closely with the media weren’t already disconcerting enough, the fact that it is investigative reporter Carla Lane (whom DiMeglio finds overbearing) who calls his attention to a new potential serial killer on the loose aggravates him even more. Butonce he learns the details, it becomes clear that the connections between the murders could not be coincidental. The victim profiles speak for themselves: Several prominent criminal defense attorneys, mostly ones who have taken on cases defending the lowest, cruelest types of criminals, begin dying by apparent suicide, leaving behind extremely similar notes. When the killer contacts DiMeglio directly with text messages that indicate a hatred for lawyers, a penchant for quoting Shakespeare, and the dedication and the means to commit these murders across the globe, the profiler realizes it will take a lot of work to catch the Shakespeare Killer before more lawyers die and the FBI loses even more of the public’s esteem. The author’s second outing with DiMeglio is a standalone novel anchored by engaging tidbits about the profiling of serial killers and a competent, if troubled, hero who has an alarming proclivity to sleep with women related to his cases. At least he is self-aware: “DiMeglio wondered if he had some sort of need to get involved romantically with women who were connected to his work.” While the narrative hops around awkwardly in places, and the story at times feels dissonant as it focuses more on showcasing Tuscany’s delightful cuisine and sights than on the FBI team’s grueling search for a cold killer, this is an effective, if familiar, procedural.
A crime novel that reflects its main character: It’s rough around the edges but gets the job done.Pub Date: June 13, 2023
ISBN: 979-8985856422
Page Count: 424
Publisher: Plum Bay Publishing, LLC
Review Posted Online: Aug. 4, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
“Nasty little fellows…always get their comeuppance,” a movie character once said. Deeply satisfying.
Following the mysterious disappearance of his wife, a struggling London novelist journeys to a remote Scottish island to try to get his mojo back—but all, of course, is not what it seems.
Grady Green hits the pinnacle of his publishing career on the same night that his life goes off the rails—first his book lands on the New York Times bestseller list, and then his wife, Abby, goes missing on her way home. A year later, Grady is a mere shadow of his former self: out of money and out of ideas. So, when his agent, Abby’s godmother, suggests that he spend some time on the Isle of Amberly, in a log cabin left to her by one of her writers, it seems as good a plan as any. With free housing for himself and his dog and a beautiful, distraction-free environment, maybe he can finally complete the next novel. But from the very beginning, Grady’s experiences with Amberly seem weird, if not downright ominous: As a visitor, he’s not allowed to bring his car onto the island; the local businesses are only open for a few hours at a time; and there are no birds. At all. Not to mention the skeletal hand he finds buried under the floorboards of the cabin, the creepy harmonica music in the woods, and the occasional sighting of a woman in a red coat who’s a dead ringer for Abby. As Grady falls deeper and deeper into insomnia and alcoholism, he begins to realize his being on the island is no accident—and that should make him very afraid. Through occasional chapters from before Abby’s disappearance, told from her point of view, we learn that Grady is not necessarily a reliable narrator, and the book’s slow unfolding of dread, mystery, and then truth is both creative and well-paced. Every chapter heading is an oxymoron, like the title, reminding us of the contradictions at the heart of every story.
“Nasty little fellows…always get their comeuppance,” a movie character once said. Deeply satisfying.Pub Date: Jan. 14, 2025
ISBN: 9781250337788
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 10, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2024
A potent and surprising novel by the ever-reliable Crais.
Hired to find the father of celebrity “muffin girl” Traci Beller 10 years after his disappearance, PI Elvis Cole uncovers a nefarious plot that puts his life and those he contacts at risk.
The sweetly likable Traci, now 23, has amassed a huge following with her website, The Baker Next Door, and on social media. Against the advice and self-interest of the people who over-manage her career, she decides to find out what happened to her father. Cole quickly determines that he was last seen at the SurfMutt hamburger stand, where he gave a ride to Anya Given, a troubled 15-year-old whose mother, Sadie, was late in picking her up from the skate park across the street. With the reluctant help of a scattered young woman who used to work at the burger joint, Cole tracks down Anya and Sadie, who is eventually revealed to have a criminal past. For his efforts, he’s jumped by a small gang of men who send him to the hospital with the worst beating of his life. (Asked by a nurse what his name is, the best he can guess is “Los Angeles.”) Still in recovery, Cole and Joe Pike, his ex-Marine partner, trace his attackers to Sadie, with unexpected results. As ever, Crais draws the reader in via his protagonist’s casual, dryly humorous manner and the book’s relaxed ties to classic noir. Slowly but surely, the plot gains intensity and deadly purpose. Just when you think the missing persons case is solved, Crais ratchets things up with a devastating follow-through. This is the L.A. novelist’s 20th Cole mystery, following such efforts as The Watchman (2007) and Racing the Light (2022). It may be his most powerful.
A potent and surprising novel by the ever-reliable Crais.Pub Date: Jan. 14, 2025
ISBN: 9780525535768
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: Nov. 9, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2024
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