A densely plotted, absorbing murder mystery set in a vibrant landscape.
In this mystery series entry, an Alaskan police squad dives into a decades-old homicide case with few clues to go on.
The Alaska Investigation Bureau’s Cold Case Unit often concentrates on “solvables”—cases that could be easily closed, for example, with new DNA tests. However, Annie Brewster wants her team to proactively solve a more difficult case, so they focus on a case from 20 years ago. The corpses of two Indigenous Inupiat men—Bertram Tusroyuk and his cousin Freddy Nanatooluk—were found wrapped in sheets, and an unidentified White man’s body was discovered stuffed inside a mattress. Astonishingly, the investigators back then didn’t consider these to be murders, as the bodies showed no signs of trauma, though the cops did collect some items they found near the mattress as evidence. Annie and the team, including new partner Arturo Felize, have just a few clues, including a mysterious key and what appears to be a partial page of a book. It’s up to them to gather DNA and prints; interview relevant people such as the cop who inspected the original scene; and identify the John Doe. Annie surmises that the cases are murders and that their killer may have murdered others. As in the first installment, Just Politics (2021), Nancy Buell, with Bill Buell, develops an assiduously detailed investigation. Annie picks apart and pieces together evidence until it makes sense; and even when the team has a suspect, she keeps working for the strongest possible case. The authors include spoiler-heavy nods to the earlier novel as well as a separate investigation into missing girls, which stays mostly on the back burner. Alaska, in this book, is shown to be about much more than snow; the narrative unfolds in the spring and summer as Annie passes lush greenery and enjoys breezy walks with her beloved, Fred, and their dog, Bones: “Annie didn’t think about anything but the dog, the green trees, the creek that glistened in the afternoon sun below them, and the amazing mountains in the background.” Despite a gratifying resolution, some plot threads hint at another installment.
A densely plotted, absorbing murder mystery set in a vibrant landscape.Pub Date: Sept. 16, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-73755-797-5
Page Count: 394
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: Nov. 1, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
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
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