An entertaining mix of gumshoe grind, wise-cracking dialogue, and high action.
In this mystery series opener, blackmail, kidnapping, and a rash of murders in 1956 Los Angeles keep a private detective on his toes while he wrestles with PTSD.
Cole Dunbar, a 30-something World War II veteran and former cop, is sitting in his unair-conditioned office enduring another day of LA’s hot, smoggy summer when he receives a phone call from the gorgeous, mysterious socialite Monique Smythe. The gumshoe is still decompressing from a recurring nightmare that leaves him drenched in sweat every morning, and his rough exterior is on full display when he meets with Monique. She is obviously not one of his usual down-and-out clients. When she finally pours out her story, Cole learns that she is dealing with blackmail and a threat to her father’s life. Mesmerized by her beauty and what Cole perceives is her fragile inner core, he takes the case. It is a decision that will repeatedly put his own life in jeopardy, whether he is in LA or Mexico hunting for clues. In addition, Cole suffers from a severe case of “combat fatigue.” He is seeing a psychiatrist, Dr. James Grimes, to help unravel the root cause of his low self-esteem, a trauma that reaches back to childhood and has been triggered by his experiences in Japan (Okinawa planted “its own battle flag of hurt and pain deep in my soul”). If the premise and dialogue of the primary mystery appear torn from an old Humphrey Bogart script, this secondary plotline involving Cole’s PTSD adds a modern twist to the 1950s-style detective story—and it keeps things intriguing, even during the sections in which the action slows down. Bernstein effectively floods the narrative with atmospherics evocative of LA in the ’50s, from Cole’s favorite eatery (Pink’s for chili dogs) and his local beer of choice (Eastside) to the period’s pop music and Hollywood icons. And Cole’s quotations from early-20th-century novelist/screenwriter John Fante peppered throughout the tale lay a soulful foundation for his character’s development. Cole is a promising series lead—if his breakfasts of Eastside six packs with Camel cigarette chasers and all those chili dogs don’t get him first.
An entertaining mix of gumshoe grind, wise-cracking dialogue, and high action.Pub Date: April 3, 2023
ISBN: 9781667878119
Page Count: 322
Publisher: BookBaby
Review Posted Online: Oct. 5, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Fast-moving excitement with a satisfying finish.
The feds must protect an accused criminal and an orphaned girl.
Maybe you’ve met him before as protagonist of The 6:20 Man (2022): Ex-Army Ranger Travis Devine, who’d had the dubious fortune to tangle with “the girl on the train,” is now assigned by his homeland security boss to protect Danny Glass, who's awaiting trial on multiple RICO charges in Washington state. Devine has what it takes: He “was a closer, snooper, fixer, investigator,” and, when necessary, a killer. These skills are on full display as the deaths of three key witnesses grind justice to a temporary halt. Glass has a 12-year-old niece, Betsy Odom, and each is the other’s only living relative—her parents recently died of an apparent drug overdose. The FBI has temporary guardianship of Betsy, who's a handful. She tells Travis that though she’s not yet 13, she's 28 in “life-shit years.” The financially well-heeled Glass wants to be her legal guardian with an eye to eventual adoption, but what are his real motives? And what happens to her if he's convicted? Meanwhile, Betsy insists that her parents never touched drugs, and she begs Travis to find out how they really died. This becomes part of a mission that oozes danger. The small town of Ricketts has a woman mayor who’s full of charm on the surface, but deeply corrupt and deadly when crossed. She may be linked to a subversive group called "12/24/65," as in 1865, when the Ku Klux Klan beast was born. Blood flows, bombs explode, and people perish, both good guys and not-so-good guys. Readers might ponder why in fiction as well as in life, it sometimes seems necessary for many to die so one may live. And what about the girl on the train? She's not necessary to the plot, but she's a fun addition as she pops in and out of the pages, occasionally leaving notes for Travis. Maybe she still wants him dead.
Fast-moving excitement with a satisfying finish.Pub Date: Nov. 12, 2024
ISBN: 9781538757901
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2024
As usual, Evanovich handles the funny stuff better (much better) than the mystery stuff.
Stephanie Plum’s 31st adventure shows that Trenton’s preeminent fugitive-apprehension agent still has plenty of tricks up her sleeve, and needs every one of them.
The current caseload for Stephanie and Lula—the ex-prostitute file clerk at her cousin Vincent Plum’s bail bonds company, who serves as her unflappable sidekick—begins with two “failures to appear.” Eugene Fleck is suspected of being Robin Hoodie, who robs from the rich and, yes, distributes the proceeds to the poor. Racketeer Bruno Jug, who’s missed his court date on charges of tax evasion, is also suspected of drugging and raping a 14-year-old. But neither of these fugitives can hold a candle to Zoran Djordjevic, aka Fang, a self-proclaimed vampire wanted in connection with the gruesome fate of his late wife and three other missing women. As usual, Stephanie’s personal life is just as helter-skelter as her professional life as a bounty hunter. She’s managed to get herself engaged both to Det. Joe Morelli, of the Trenton PD, and Ranger, a former Special Forces agent who runs a private security firm; she thinks she may be pregnant; and she’s willing to marry the father, whichever of her fiances that turns out to be. On top of it all, her nothingburger schoolmate Herbert Slovinski suddenly pops up at one of the funerals she ferries her Grandma Mazur to, hitting on her relentlessly and gilding his importunities by cleaning and painting her shabby apartment and laying new carpet. Luckily, Lula’s on hand to offer cupcakes that stave off the worst disasters, and whenever this hodgepodge threatens to slow down, another FTA appears, or fails to appear.
As usual, Evanovich handles the funny stuff better (much better) than the mystery stuff.Pub Date: Nov. 5, 2024
ISBN: 9781668003138
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Atria
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2024
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