Next book

DERAILED

From the A Kelly Pruett Mystery series , Vol. 1

An entertaining detective story with a personable lead.

Awards & Accolades

Our Verdict

  • Our Verdict
  • GET IT

In this mystery, a private investigator is hired to discover whether a woman’s death was really an accident.

Kelly Pruett, 32, inherited her father’s PI business, a small concern in northeast Portland, Oregon, after his recent death. She’s no hard-boiled detective; her work consists of skip tracing, process serving, and the like—until Georgette Hanson walks into her office with a real case to investigate. Her daughter, Brooke, was struck by a train and killed. Police say it was an accident, but Georgette doesn’t believe that. True, Brooke had been drinking, and witness Jay Nightingale reported seeing her stumble, but Georgette’s gut feeling tells her he’s lying. He was close enough to help; why didn’t he? Why was Brooke so far away from the bar she’d left? It sounds shaky, but the case is good money, and Kelly’s father left a letter asking her to help Georgette if she ever needed it. Kelly questions the bartender, the witness, and the train conductor while also dealing with her ex-husband’s desire to either reunite or take full custody of their 8-year-old Deaf daughter. She must uncover tangled lies and dark secrets, some with a personal connection, to avoid winding up a victim herself. In her debut novel, Keliikoa shows how dicey first-time investigation can be, involving readers in the process of judging witness reliability or weighing the significance of clues. Kelly is smart and persistent but makes understandable mistakes as she gains experience. Red herrings and murky hard-to-pin-down motives are deployed well to keep readers guessing. Romance and family conundrums add complications to Kelly’s investigation while also helping to round out her character. The novel doesn’t break any ground, but it’s a solid offering.

An entertaining detective story with a personable lead.

Pub Date: May 21, 2020

ISBN: 978-1-60381-706-6

Page Count: 232

Publisher: Epicenter Press

Review Posted Online: Dec. 30, 2020

Awards & Accolades

Likes

  • Readers Vote
  • 10


Our Verdict

  • Our Verdict
  • GET IT


  • New York Times Bestseller

Next book

NOW OR NEVER

As usual, Evanovich handles the funny stuff better (much better) than the mystery stuff.

Awards & Accolades

Likes

  • Readers Vote
  • 10


Our Verdict

  • Our Verdict
  • GET IT


  • New York Times Bestseller

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

Awards & Accolades

Likes

  • Readers Vote
  • 20


Our Verdict

  • Our Verdict
  • GET IT


  • New York Times Bestseller

Next book

TO DIE FOR

Fast-moving excitement with a satisfying finish.

Awards & Accolades

Likes

  • Readers Vote
  • 20


Our Verdict

  • Our Verdict
  • GET IT


  • New York Times Bestseller

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

Close Quickview