by Suzanne Smith ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 18, 2023
A brief but thrilling whodunit that doesn’t disappoint.
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In Smith’s mystery novella, a Chicago detective must find the person behind three grisly murders before they strike again.
Det. Sammy Stone has seen the evils of humanity firsthand, but this case may be the most troubling he’s ever encountered. In three months, three women have been found dead, all of them bound and gagged, stabbed, and scalped: Abigail May in September, Barbara Tony in October, and now, in November, 21-year-old clothing salesperson Marci Levelle. They’re all attractive women with long, brown hair but seem to have little else in common. Sammy, along with his partner, Det. Will Getz, must comb through their lives to try and find the monster responsible. In all three cases, it appears the victims trusted their killer enough to invite them inside their homes without a fight. Lately, Sammy hasn’t been sleeping well; in his personal life, he’s had a series of failed relationships and is hoping his most recent one, with the mysterious Eve Blue, won’t follow that pattern. On a date, after Eve has told Sammy about herself, he accuses her of lying about her background. Soon afterward, Eve’s younger sister, Susan, seems to confirm that Eve “isn’t who she pretends to be.” Sammy, upset with another potential romantic failure, throws himself into his work; as he digs into Marci’s background, a revelation shocks and horrifies him. Over the course of this novella, Smith has crafted a careful and detailed mystery that’s full of intensity and excitement, and its setup pays off with a surprising ending. Readers may wish that the killer’s motivation were better described and rationalized, but most of the other characters feel realistic and believable. Sammy is depicted as a classic, familiar, and worn-down detective who’s seen too many terrible things and desperately needs to take a rest but whose mission still drives him forward. Overall, it’s a fine mystery with twists that will keep the reader guessing.
A brief but thrilling whodunit that doesn’t disappoint.Pub Date: April 18, 2023
ISBN: 9781667895239
Page Count: 64
Publisher: BookBaby
Review Posted Online: April 21, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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New York Times Bestseller
by Janet Evanovich ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 5, 2024
As usual, Evanovich handles the funny stuff better (much better) than the mystery stuff.
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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
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by David Baldacci ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 12, 2024
Fast-moving excitement with a satisfying finish.
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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
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