Resolution by Denise Mina

Resolution is the final book in Denise Mina’s Garnethill trilogy, two of which received Notable Books of the Year awards from New York Times Book Review. Featured protagonist, Maureen O’Donnell is forced to deal with more than her share of misery.  Abused by her father and raised by her alcoholic mother, Maureen has become an alcoholic herself and sells contraband cigarettes to get by.  She had spent some time in therapy and her psychologist, Angus Ferrell had helped her until it was discovered he had raped several patients and murdered Maureen’s boyfriend.  Maureen is to be the star witness at Ferrell’s trial but Ferrell is threatening to kill her and her loved ones if she testifies against him.

Meanwhile, Maureen befriends an elderly woman, Ella McGee at the flea market where she works.  Maureen helps Ella file a complaint against her son over unpaid wages.  Ella ends up in the hospital severely beaten and unexpectedly dies.  Suspicious of Ella’s son, Maureen learns the son’s place of business is a brothel, staffed with Polish sex slaves.  With the police unwilling to investigate, she covertly devises a dangerous plot against the son to vindicate Ella’s death.

Maureen feels her world closing in around her.  Threats from Ferrell, contempt from Ella’s son, hatred of her own father, and fear of repercussions from some of her own illegal activity, Maureen’s only escape is through a bottle.  Can she survive this hopeless abyss?

Resolution is my first Denise Mina novel and probably my last.  I had great expectations for Mina’s work since I heard she is one of C.J. Box’s favorites.  But this particular book just didn’t do it for me.  First, I couldn’t relate to the characters and therefore did not find them likable.  They seemed to dwell on a problem but not take any action… just fret about it… seemingly endlessly.  Second, I thought Mina tried to tackle too many social issues without any resolution (ironically the title of the book.)  Sexual slavery, child abuse, alcoholism, multiple murders, doctor abuse of patients, and relationships in dysfunctional families seems a bit much to cover in a single novel.  Finally, the Scottish slang appropriately used in the Glasgow, lower middle class setting, was lost on me.  Many times I just didn’t get the meaning.  So, thanks to C.J. Box for the tip and attempting to broaden my scope of fiction writers but the experience for me was only a reminder of how narrow my tastes have become.

Green Hell

I’ve read at least 15 books by Ken Bruen, and his protagonist, Jack Taylor, may be my favorite character in all of the crime novel genre (i.e., better than Connelly’s Bosch, Burke’s Robicheaux, Box’s Pickett, Child’s Reacher, etc.) High praise, indeed. I thoroughly enjoyed this pre-publication read, Green Hell, and the book is due for release in July 2015. But, if you aren’t already familiar with Taylor, this is not the place to start.

Green Hell is in two parts. First, an author is trying to write a biography of Taylor, and in so doing, many of Jack’s earlier adventures are relived. But, the character who is writing the novel about Taylor, Boru Kennedy, is too fixated on the violence and drug/alcohol abuse which have plagued Taylor. I’ve always thought Taylor’s intermittent triumphs over his demons was one of the best parts of the stories. Bruen clearly writes with knowledge and compassion about the world of addictions, but his fictional biographer Kennedy does not capture that side of Jack.

The second part of the story is about Kennedy being accused of the murder of the man Jack is after, a college professor, Anthony De Burgo, who is not only bedding, but badly abusing his female college students. Of course, that idea is ridiculous, and before Kennedy can be cleared and released from jail, he commits suicide, thereby only adding fuel to the fire for Jack to deal with de Burgo. It’s Jack’s plan to “take him off the board.” This takes us to Emerald, the mysterious woman who is Jack’s female counterpart to violence. If I tell you more, I’d give away the plot, which is too good to reveal.

In summary, good stuff. Ken Bruen’s writing is unique and powerful. He remains one of my go-to guys, near the top of my power rotation of authors.

True Detectives by Jonathan Kellerman

True Detectives is a spinoff of Jonathan Kellerman’s popular Alex Delaware/ Milo Sturgis series.  Lead characters, Moses Reed and Aaron Fox are half-brothers but other than both being investigators, they could not be more different.  Moses is an ambitious LAPD homicide detective and Aaron is a high-end private detective.  Moses is down to earth, analytical, structured and disciplined… a rule follower whereas Aaron is more intuitive, impulsive, even flamboyant… a right brain thinker.  Consequently, they don’t get along at all but coincidently end up working the same case.

Caitlin Frostig, a Pepperdine college student has disappeared without a trace.  Moses has been assigned to the case for months but even with the help of his mentor, Lt. Milo Sturgis has developed no concrete leads.  Then, Caitlin’s father’s employer hires Aaron to find the young woman.  The rivalry between the brothers injects new life into the investigation.  Working independently and gradually building trust in one another, Moses and Aaron uncover some disturbing connections from Caitlin to another girl’s murder and to a dark Hollywood style underworld.  Caitlin’s seemingly straight arrow boyfriend has some suspicious associations to the entertainment industry and the seedy parasites that prey on its popular players.  Could the boyfriend have led his wholesome sweetheart over the edge to the dark side?  Could these associates of the boyfriend be involved in several other sinister crimes?

Moses Reed and Aaron Fox are welcome additions to Kellerman’s cast of characters.  Because these protagonists are fresh, Kellerman rightly devotes more effort to character development than in most of his more seasoned Delaware/ Sturgis novels.  But he maintains that feeling… that tension… that something very evil and disturbing is about to be discovered… the anticipation is excruciating.  This keeps Kellerman well positioned in my power rotation. 

Take Me with You

Warning, this book is way off our genre. Author Catherine Ryan Hyde wrote Pay It Forward, and this is another story about a surprising good deed, which eventually multiplies, but not without significant heart-wrenching hiccups along the way. August Shroeder is a high school science teacher from San Diego who is driving his RV to Yellowstone to bury some of the ashes of his 19-year-old son, Phillip, who was killed while his wife, Maggie, was driving. August and Maggie are both alcoholics. Her blood alcohol level was under the legal limit, but he noted she always had alcohol on board. He thought she should have looked left and right before she went through the intersection when another driver ran the red light and killed Phillip. It was the death of his son that got him to go to AA and stay sober for the last 19 months. Never able to forgive Maggie, by the time the trip began, they were divorced and August had 19 months of sobriety.

August always took the summer off to travel the country, and he Phillip had planned a trip to Yellowstone, and now August was doing it alone with the burial ashes in his glove box. But, his old RV broke down and the cost of the repairs were eating up the money he had left in his budget for the trip, so he was going to have to cut the trip short. But, the mechanic in the California desert town offered to do the job for free if August would agree to take his sons on the trip, because he was about to go to jail for 90 days on what he claimed was a check-kiting charge. Reluctantly, after seeing what good boys they were, August agreed. But the mechanic was an alcoholic and a liar – there’s a surprise. It was his 4^th DUI, not a check-kiting charge, and he was going to jail for six months.

12 year-old Seth and 7-year-old Henry were excited to get out of the little desert town that they never left before, and they were hungry for a relationship with a man who was sober. Given their dad’s continued drinking after he was released from prison, the ongoing relationship between the boys and August was difficult, but it did continue for many years. This is their story. The author obviously knows about AA and she presented that well, and she effectively captured the childhood trauma that is inflicted by having such an alcoholic parent.

Endangered by C.J. Box

Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett is investigating a remote field where a flock of sage grouse has been massacred.  Sage grouse are on the endangered species list and he knows the incident will attract federal authorities, not to mention his own ire.  He has not completed collecting evidence when the sheriff calls his cell phone.  Seems a young woman was found along the highway outside of Saddlestring… beaten, unconscious, and left to die.  Joe knows the woman is his eighteen year old adopted daughter, April.  Much to Joe’s and Marybeth’s (his wife) chagrin, April had run off the previous November with a local hellion and rodeo champion named Dallas Cates.  Dallas, his parents, and his two older brothers were constantly menacing on the fringe of the law.  In fact, Joe had sent one of the brothers to prison for hunting elk out of season, a serious crime in Wyoming.

Eldon and Brenda Cates, Dallas’ parents meet with the sheriff to dispel suspicion of Dallas in the crime.  They claim Dallas had been gored by a bull in his last rodeo and was physically unable to visit the sheriff’s office, let alone beat up April.  They claim April and Dallas had split as a couple some time ago.  Joe doesn’t buy their story until an anonymous tip identifies an eccentric survivalist, Tilden Cudmore as April’s abductor.

Meanwhile, Nate Romanowski, Joe’s outlaw pal is released from prison after agreeing to go straight and assist in capturing some bad guys.  But Nate is ambushed with shotguns on his first day of freedom and his lady friend disappears.  So for Joe the hunt is on… this is personal.  With his friend and his daughter in intensive care in a Billings, Montana hospital, Joe senses a connection between these crimes and possibly to the sage grouse massacre as well.  Joe will find who is responsible even if it kills him.

Endangered is the best Joe Pickett novel I’ve read.  Box creates a complex plot and masterfully reveals just enough information to sustain the anticipation.  Joe reacts just as you would expect… damn the torpedoes, full steam ahead.  I highly recommend this book.

C.J. Box included the St. Louis County Library as a stop on his book tour last month.  Decked out in cowboy boots and a black cowboy hat with a large feather in the brim, he personified the Wyoming gentleman cowboy.  He recently sold his Joe Pickett series to Robert Redford’s production company.  Intentions are to make each book a movie.  The Cassie Dewell character from The Highway, he has sold to David E. Kelly, the TV producer.  A new book, Badlands is due out in July featuring Cassie.  One other tidbit from his talk, Box’s favorite authors in his genre are John Sanford, Michael Connelly, and Denise Mina.  The first two are well represented in the MRB blog, Denise Mina will be soon.

Field of Prey by John Sandford

John Sandford is one of the most prolific crime novel writers of his time, and while I think some of his books are formulaic, this one certainly is not – it’s Sandford at the top of his game. Field of Prey is the 24^th book in the Prey Series, written in 2014, and it’s a Lucas Davenport Novel. If you love this genre, you’ll find this story spellbinding, very hard to put down.

The novel begins with the attempted kidnapping of what would turn out to be the fifth of more than 20 young blonde women who were taken, raped, killed, and dismembered. The early murders were done by an efficient two-man team, R-A and Horn, and the women didn’t stand a chance, until number five, Heather Jorgenson. She had a Leatherman tool in her pocket and used it to cut her way to freedom and then repeatedly stab Horn as he drove away from the kidnap scene. R-A couldn’t see that happening since he was just getting in the chase vehicle. Heather got out and ran for help, and then Horn was never seen again. Some of the cops thought he was dead, some thought he had just escaped and gone into hiding.

But unbeknown to the police, the killings went on. R-A and Horn were so effective in choosing their victims that no one was aware that a serial murder was operating in their midst. No pattern to the disappearance of these women in rural Minnesota was apparent for years until a young couple, out in the country on a tryst, came across a powerful stench which came from, as the press called it, the Black Hole of Goodhue, a cistern where 23 skulls and other body parts were discovered in the most gruesome of scenes. That’s when Davenport was called in, a detective with Minnesota’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. The massive database of crime facts that had to be assembled was turned over to one of Davenport’s colleagues, Bob Shaffer, who had more tolerance for such detail work while Davenport got to consider the bigger picture. And, it was Shaffer’s pursuit of the details that led to the first big break in this case which was dominating the national news during the months the case went unsolved. Unfortunately, the break came in the form of Shaffer’s death as he stumbled into R-A in the course of the investigation before he realized this was the killer. Then R-A developed a fixation for Catrin Mattsson, a Goodhue County investigator, a beautiful and formidable woman who kept appearing on the news as a spokesperson.

And so the story goes – great character development, believable and gripping plot. This one started out with intensity and it never let up. Sandford has a lot of books to choose from and I’ll immediately download another, this time one of the Virgil Flowers series.

Truth and Other Lies by Sascha Arango

There is ‘having it all’ and then there is ‘having it all.’ Henry Hayden’s life might suggest the former. At the age of 9, his mother just walked out. That night, his drunken father falls down the stairwell to his death. In one day, Henry’s life went totally south. The rest of his adolescence would be spent in various orphanages and foster homes where he learns how to survive. 

Once on his own, he meets the shy Martha, a quiet, observant, and tolerant woman who wants for little. She prefers to live simply, swimming or hiking in the morning and typing out stories late at night. Henry sends one of her manuscripts out blind to some publishers. Betty, a pushy intern at a small, barely surviving publisher looks it over and immediately takes it to the owner. Moreany Publishing House publishes Frank Ellis to great acclaim, with credits going to Henry as the author, not Martha.

That is perfectly fine with Martha. Henry if fine with the arrangement, too. He enjoys all the trappings that go with being a best selling author. The cars, the seaside home, the constant recognition, the groupies. Martha keeps turning out best selling mysteries, Henry relishes in the notoriety, and they live a decent life. Henry is, for all intents and purposes, a kept man. He takes care of the home, spends the money, and partakes of the occasional fan’s blessings. 

After the continuous productions of winning books, Betty, the former intern who uncovered Frank Ellis, and Henry begin an affair. Martha may be a homebody, but she is not unaware. Henry and Betty are very secretive, carrying on for some time. But when Betty becomes pregnant, Henry appears to accept it with grace with plans on how to support the child, but deep down, he is seeing that his perfect life of leisure funded by his quiet genius wife is in jeopardy. The cunning, cold blooded liar schemes his way as he tightropes the narrow ridge between the truth and his lies.

This is a 2014 book that was originally published in German. It becomes available in the US in July 2015. The basic storyline outlined is, while still a mystery novel, well outside of the typical fare reviewed here at MRB. The book was suggested by our friend at Simon and Schuster who has yet to suggest anything but winners to us. His previous suggestions were Ordinary Grace (one of the very best books I have ever read) and I Am Pilgrim (the exceptional and acclaimed 2014 thriller) so I wasn’t worried about liking it.

Here we have a man who really does have it all - hell, he doesn’t even have to work for it - but manages to throw it all away, literally and figuratively. Aragon’s prose is extraordinarily elegant and decidedly readable. I sat down with this on a Sunday morning and was halfway through it before I had to put it down. No matter if you love Henry or hate him, Aragon presents him in a polished and refined narrative with practically every page littered with quotable or profound lines (which, because I was reading a pre-release galley, I am dreadfully sorry that we reviewers are restricted from quoting, and I highlighted a ton). The plot zigzags between Henry, Martha, Betty, and a few secondary characters that are in no way secondary to the development of the storyline and its eventual outcome. It’s killing me not to reveal much more about the story’s direction or to present some of the more memorable or poingnant lines. 

I strongly suggest you put a note on your calendar for July so that you might make it a priority to find.

East Coast Don