#1530. Killer Story by Matt Whitten

Petra Kovach. 1st generation immigrant whose parents came over from somewhere in eastern Europe. They settled in eastern LA. Here grandfather was killed accidentally in a drive-by shooting when she was young. At around 8yo, she managed to the case reopened with an impassioned plea in a letter to the editor of the LA Times. While getting the case reopened, the killer was never identified. At this tender age, she decided that journalism would be her future.

As a teenager, she was a camp counselor and developed a close friendship with Olivia Johnson (Livvy) that they maintained after that summer. One connection is that both lost important people in their lives. Petra's grandfather and Livvy's mother. Petra goes on to UCLA and starts her career in print journalism. Livvy eventually enrolls at Harvard where she is a oddball. An unapologetic conservative amongst the liberal majority that inhabits Harvard. Livvy's stepfather works in the Swedish consulate in Boston and has an older brother, Eric, also in Boston area. As a freshman, Livvy dates the star football player, has a fling with a professor, and ends up being the victim of a vicious attack in her dorm room. The prof is arrested, tried and found not guilty. He's dumped by Harvard and the public hasn't forgotten about the killer professor. This happens 2yrs prior to the opening of the book.

Petra's career path has been bumpy, but she hasn't forgotten about Livvy and is desperate to track down the killer. Petra's been fired from two middling newspapers and she is trying it again at a second tier paper in Boston. And that ain't going well either. As the book opens, Petra's job appears to the on cutting board due to budget cuts. But Petra uses Livvy's story as a means to extend her stay with the paper and her editor agrees to let her put her efforts into the case. Petra suggests a podcast to accompany her newspaper reporting.

And here's where things get interesting. She has a competitor at the paper, Natalie, whom she despises. Her boyfriend (a tech startup whiz) who is sort of her moral compass. In the process of her 'pursuit of justice'  she manages to . . .  to reveal any or everything she does, or pisses off, or is entirely illegal would spoil the story. Let's just say that journalistic ethics takes a back seat to the pursuit of (aka: obsession with) this cold case by opening doors that needn't have been even touched and damaging the lives of anyone in her way. All in the name of getting content out on her podcast. The popularity of the podcast explodes from being a local story all the way to CNN.

I have to say that there were multiple times that I said to myself, "Good Lord. Just quit. Move on to the next book." Because I didn't like Petra. She's conniving, manipulative, cloying, annoying and obsessed with the case and the sudden popularity of her podcast; damn anyone who gets in her way. But I stuck it out against my better wishes. Yeah, we find out who actually killed Livvy. That's always important in any attempt at reviving a cold case, but that's almost secondary. More importantly, we find out the consequences of Petra's actions to herself and to the people she stepped on all in pursuit of the almighty click count. 

After finishing the book, I thought my review wouldn't be all that favorable. Then I started thinking that maybe that was the author's point. To present a main character so utterly devoid of ethics that the reader has no choice but to despise her. If that was the point, then Whitten was successful. As I was reading, I started wondering if Whitten was setting us up for a new character series to which I would've said, 'Nope. No chance of reading a Petra Kovach #2.' Once finished, I realized #2 isn't gonna happen. 

I hope.

I like to check up on the author. Whitten is a TV writer for such shows as House, Law & Order, CSI: Miami, JAG, The Glades, Homicide, Judging Amy, and more. His works have been nominated for Emmy and Edgar awards. One of his past books (The Necklace) is in production by Hollywood. The guy can write and weave a compelling story. Methinks getting us to despise Petra was his intent right from the start. 

Thanks to Netgalley and Oceanview Publishing for making an advance copy available. Regular readers will know that I'm an unapologetic supporter of the Oceanview Publishing. While reading the book, I was thinking that this might be the first hiccup for Oceanview. But the further I get from the book, the most I think that the author was skillfully playing with us with his portrayal of Petra. Even so, I still don't like Petra Kovach.

ECD

 

Michael Connelly, Daniel Silva, C. J. Box , Louise Penny - a second look at various books

Various books listened to:

I’ve continued listening to audiobooks which we’ve already reviewed just for the pleasure of listening to old mystery/thriller masters like Daniel Silva and Michael Connelly. 

For Silva, I just finished listening to both The Unlikely Spy and The English Assassin which were the first two books in the Gabriel Allon series.  In the second one, Silva broadens the picture of the international ring of assassins with the character Michael Keller. These books were among the first ones that were reviewed by me in 2009 when this blog began, and ECD reviewed the second one more thoroughly in 2011. And now I've added The Confessor to the list, and this one might be Silva at his very best. Silva takes us back through the history of the Catholic church's lack of action during the holocaust when the church essentially supported the slaughter of jews by the Germans and helped hundreds to thousands escape punishment by hiding in convents and gaining passage to South America. A new pope is intent on correcting those wrongs, but Crux Veritas, a secret corrupt society within the papacy which was bent on assassinating the pope before his planned appearance for an apology at the synagogue in Rome (an apology that happened by John Paul II in 1998). In April 2023, I reviewed A Death in Vienna again, the fourth one in the Allon series. In Chapter 17, the account of Allon's mother of her survival experiences in the Holocaust was told in audio form for Vad Yashem, the memorial in Jerusalem for the survivors of that horror. Now, I find myself debating which was really the best of Silva's novel, and this book deserves mention in that debate.

For Michael Connelly, I’ve recently listened to The Black Echo, The Black Ice, The Poet, The Narrows, Echo Park, and The Overlook. Given that those books have already reviewed, sometimes by more than one of the men at Men Reading Books, it is unnecessary to review them again.

I've added C. J. Box's first Joe Pickett book to the list of audiobooks revisited: Open Season, which I reviewed in 2011, thanks to Midwest Dave. Listening to the book was a great way to remember Pickett and his introduction of the main characters he would follow over the course of his books. I think I'll get the second Pickett book, Savage Run, just for more fun. (See my original review from 2011, and the addendum written now, in 2023.)

I listened to the Louise Penny novella, The Hangman, reviewed here in 2015, during my morning walk. One hour and 22 minutes of such a skillful story told in audiobook form. What a delight. The second Gamache novel was A Fatal Grace, originally reviewed here on 12/1/13. I've listened again, and I'll restate, "what a pleasure." I just got through The Cruelest Month, which was reviewed in 2014, and I've added to that time review. Please search for that. This story was masterful. The book in Penny's series was The Brutal Telling was originally read for this blog in 12/13. It may have the most complex plot as Penny shows her skill at taking the reader down one rabbit hole after another as she writes about  Gamache's efforts to solve the murder of a woman with a bow and arrow. She also perfectly describe the struggle that painter Peter Marrow has with his narcissism and the damage it causes to his relationships.

My point is merely that there’s a reason certain authors have made it to the top of our list of great 

 story tellers, and it’s a pleasure to take the time to read them again.

#1529. Liquid Shades of Blue by James Polkinghorn

#1528. The Narrows by Michael Connelly

The Poet was published in 1996, which is when Connelly introduced FBI Agent Rachel Walling, but the sequel, The Narrows was not published until 2004 with at least nine other books published during that span of time. He is incredibly prolific, and in The Narrows, we get to see Agent Walling again. Although it’s hard to really choose which of Connelly’s novels are the best, it’s my opinion that in The Poet and The Narrows, we see him at his finest.

 

For me, The Narrows was another dog walking audiobook. I did provide a brief ravingreview on 6/10/10, but after a 13 year hiatus, I decided to listen in an audiobook. So, if you want that review, search for it in this blog. You won’t go wrong by reading this one.

 

West Coast Don

#1527. The Power of Vulnerability by Brene Brown:

Warning, this is another example of my stumbling away from our usual genre of murder mysteries and thrillers.

 

As a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, I too rarely read lay literature. But there have been several recent pulls to have a look at the work by Brene Brown, including a recommendation from author Eliot Peper. Peper tends to write in near-future scenarios. I’ve read all of his ten books and enjoyed this ride. He also writes a blog that I follow. I recommend that you google him and take a look at his blog. It was in his blog that he strongly recommended Brene Brown’s audiobook, The Power of Vulnerability.

 

I think most readers may be more familiar with Brown’s body of work than me, and I feel enlightened by having done this listening. As a researcher into such topics, she covers a wide band of information about the psychological issues that are faced by people in this American society. Rather than choosing a specific topic, I’ll say that anyone who reads this particular book can’t help but take on another serious self-appraisal. She cleverly demonstrates her own vulnerability in a way that is disarming and engaging, thereby encouraging the reader to take some changes.

 

Two brief quotes about topics I’ve thought a lot about:

 

“Spirituality is recognizing and celebrating that we are all inextricably connected to each other by a power greater than all of us, and that our connection to that power and to one another is grounded in love and compassion. Practicing spirituality brings a sense of perspective, meaning, and purpose to our lives.”

 

“Faith is a place of mystery where we find the courage to believe in what we cannot see.”

 

I think the definition is the clearest and cleanest such definition that I’ve seen. I continue to struggle with the word “faith” and I’m reserving the right to think about that for a while longer.

 

Much to my wife’s delight (who was already very familiar with Brown’s work), when she asked me what I thought about the book, I said I’m ready to dance. It’s been since my mid high school years that I’ve had a phobia about dancing, an activity that brings my wife great joy. She was thrilled to hear that I’m willing to give that a go. I’ll write to Dr. Brown to let her know how this works. But her point is that life is short and there are lots of ways to feel pleasures in life that we may be afraid to partake in. It’s time to test my boundaries in that regard. However, my wife’s next comment was that she now hopes I’ll join her in her shopping activities – but of course there’s a limit to how much Dr. Brown can do and I doubt that I’ll ever find enjoyment in shopping.

 

West Coast Don

#1526. Cultured by D.P. Lyle

This is the first novel reviewed in this blog by D.P Lyle, and Cultured is the sixth in the Jake Longly Thriller series. On one hand, this is an important story about human trafficking. As the result of my wife’s volunteer work on this cause, I’ve learned something about the size of this enterprise worldwide, and the targeting of young women in the U.S. who one might assume are immune to such outcomes as this. Unfortunately, it’s far more common than us typically naïve American men would care to believe. On the other hand, the first half of this book contains an excessive amount of what amounts to junior high school dialogue. I nearly gave up reading the story until after the halfway point when the immature dialogue mostly came to an end at the same time the plot picked up.

 

Jake Longly is a retired baseball player who earned enough money to buy a restaurant, Captain Rocky’s, which is on the beach in Gulf Shore’s Alabama. The bar is a happening place where Jake’s role is to be a face man, not to really run the place. His manager is Carla Martinez who knows how to run a bar and turn a profit. Jake really lives the life of a drunkard’s dream. His girlfriend is Nicole Jamison and she is one hot and smart woman. She likes to do work for Jake’s father, Ray Longly who is a private investigator. The group of friends includes Pancake, a 300+ pound computer wizard. The author repeatedly talked of Pancake’s ability to consume massive amounts of food all on Jake’s tab. Ray is a tough guy and he does not approve of his son’s post-baseball lifestyle, but Jake continues to help Ray out on his cases apparently because Nicole likes that action.

 

The action begins when the mother of April Wilkerson, Clarice, gets Ray to take the case of her daughter who has come up missing. The trail quickly leads to Jonathon Lindemann, founder of The Lindemann Method (TLM) which is meant to make people rich and to provide them with all pleasures possible in life. Essentially, TLM is a cult which drafts college age girls to work at his enterprise and provide sexual favors to all of the TLM members. The cost of membership is $120,000, so nearly all college age girls could not afford to join. Lindemann’s right hand person is Rhea Wilson. This is a story about wealthy people who make poor decisions, sex trafficking, beautiful women, money laundering, and a ponzi scheme. As noted above, after character development, the pace of the plot picks up at the halfway point.

 

So, the novel is one of good news and bad news. As noted, it’s a very important story that is too little understood in the U.S., and nearly intolerable juvenile dialogue.

 

 

West Coast Don

 

#1525 Rock With Wings by Anne Hillerman

Picking up where her father Tony Hillerman left of, this is daughter Anne's 2nd mystery based in the 4-Corners region of the US that is the home of Navajo Nation.

Officer Bernie Manualito pulls over a car for speeding. With each question, her 'perp radar' is heightened because the driver seems more and more agitated. When she asks the driver to open the truck, he promptly offers her a bribe. Cash and a rifle in the trunk. Seems odd to be offered a bribe for just a speeding ticket. Maybe that bucket of dirt in the truck means something. She issues the ticket and has the car impounded for a more detailed search. When the impound and ticket are entered into a law enforcement database, the FBI is notified. Doesn't take too long for the FBI to tell the Navajo Tribal Police to back off. The driver is on their radar for issues far exceeding speeding. 

That sets the basic scene for the story. But it isn't an overwhelming problem. Manualito and husband Officer Jim Chee have planned a weekend camping in Monument Valley (of John Ford and John Wayne fame). Wile there, Jim will try to help a clan cousin get his tour bus service up and running while Bernie explores the park. First day, the local Navajo police station asks for some help with a nuisance group in the Park. A Hollywood studio is filming a zombie flick and the accounts manager has gone missing. Would Jim be able to find her? Sure, why not? He's there.

He manages to find the girl. She wasn't really lost at all. While heading back to their cars in the failing light, Chee trips over some rocks that, on a closer look, appears to be part of a grave. Burials on Native land are forbidden so Chee has another chore. While checking with the film crew, there's a security guy who takes his job a bit too seriously, a couple of teenage groupies who want a pic of the Zombie Queen, a German couple camping who've lost some keepsake jewelry while dispersing ashes of a deceased parent, a philandering producer up to no good. Ain't one thing, it's another.

And that's just on Chee's plate. Looks like he's staying while Bernie gets called back home because her wayward younger sister isn't keeping a close eye on their elder mother. Keeping her family unit as close as she can is getting to be a full-time job given her mom's failing health, her sister's love of beer and partying that could conflict with her attempt at getting into a Native American art school, and the constant intrusions by local coyotes and feral dogs. Plus a colleague's wife is hoping Bernie can convince her mother to teach the art of weaving. If it ain't one thing it's another. Family issues alone pry her mind away from that speeder, but so does the slowly developing encroachment of wind power to Navajo Nation land that seems to be inevitable.

For just her second novel, I thought Hillerman deftly juggled all those different little stories in an eventual (near) singular conclusion. I do recall that the Tony Hillerman books were firmly based in the Navajo culture and that for all the mysticism, skinwalkers, totems, etc. surrounding the stories, the root cause of the crime du jour was no different for the Navajo or the biligaana (whites)  - money, power, drugs/alcohol, jealousy know no racial or ethnic bounds. The same applies here. Lots of little details that are seemingly unrelated told in a gentle  and engrossing progression. No slam bam mega shootout or twisted conclusion here. It ends pretty much like you'd expect, with Jim and Bernie comfortably home at the trailer they inhabit beside a small river in the desert SW. 

BTW. If you are wondering where the title comes from, it's the term for a specific rock formation near Shiprock, NM that has some spiritual meaning for the Navajo. And legendary Lt. Joe Leaphorn continues to recover from being shot in the previous book (Spider Woman's Daughter).

#3 Song of the Lion is next up.

ECD