#1503 The Poet by Michael Connelly

Michael Connelly published The Poet in 1996. He had already written four books about his great detective, Harry Bosch of the LAPD. Connelly went on to write at least 23 books about Bosch, and this was the first of three books about Jack McEvoy. McEvoy was a writer for Denver’s Rocky Mountain News, and he wrote about real murders. This story began with the murder of McEvoy’s twin brother, Sean, who was a Denver police homicide detective who was obsessed with solving the murder of a young boy which had occurred a few months before his own death. Initially, Sean’s death was attributed to suicide and his inability to come to grips with the mystery of the boy’s death, but it was Jack who was also obsessed with his brother’s death which he thought, despite the overwhelming evidence of suicide, that his brother would never have taken his own life. 

 

As McEvoy began his own investigation, he came to believe that his brother’s suicide had been faked by a serial killer who was targeting homicide detectives around the country. With the multi-state dimension of multiple murders, the FBI became involved, but since McEvoy was a writer, no one in law enforcement was willing to trust him. However, he does develop a love interest with a female FBI agent. The action moves quickly from Denver, to Florida, and then to L.A., all sites of more murders. 

 

This story was as dark as any that I remember from Connelly. My fellow reviewer East Coast Don remembers having read this book, but that was before we began this blog in 2009. (We recently wrote our 1,501^st post.) In addition to grisly murders, it was the description of terrible child pornography which could be ordered on the internet which took the story to it’s darkest moments. 

 

But keep in mind that Connelly is a master mystery writer, and this story is no exception. I literally could not put the book now. Even though I was looking for the storyline twists for which Connelly is famous, I was surprised once again where he took this story, double twists in the last pages of the novel. This dark novel was evidence of Connelly at his best. 27 years after it was published, this story still has legs. Although it was previously reviewed in the blog by ECD (with an A+ rating), I’m now going to read the second book in the series, The Scarecrow.

 

West Coast Don

#1502. Retribution by Robert McCaw

Retribution by Robert McCaw is the fifth book in a series about Koa Kane, the chief detective in Hilo, Hawaii. I’ve read them all, and you’re about to read a rave for this author. Retribution is the best and most sophisticated thriller of this series. While he started out with good stories and great characters in the earlier books, it is clear to this reviewer that McCaw just keeps getting better at his craft. While the novels could be stand alone, I’m glad I read them in order for the sake of following the character development of Kane and Nalani who is Kane’s young romantic partner who works as a Park Ranger in Volcanoes National Park.

 

In Retribution, there are a series of murders and attempted murders which seem to be unconnected. First there’s the murder of a young man. He’s killed with a knife which has the fingerprints of Kane’s younger brother, Ikaika. Then a sniper attempts to killed Makanui, Kane’s closest colleague. The attempt only failed because Makanui was wearing a bullet proof vest. There’s a second attempt on her life which also fails. More crimes continue and the overriding question becomes if and how these crimes are linked to Kane. Meanwhile, there is a great cast of bad guys. There’s corruption in the office of the mayor of Hilo and corruption in the police department itself. On the one hand his superiors seem to want Kane fired from his job, but on the other hand he’s needed because of his remarkable history of solving complicated crimes. Filipino terrorists have come to Hawaii with an intent to murder and torture Kane.

 

One of the other positives about McCaw’s work is his descriptions of native Hawaiian culture and the way they’ve been treated by their conquerors. As the result of reading these books, I have a better understanding of the ancient culture and a much better grasp of the geography of the beautiful islands. Bravo for McCaw, and I hope that he continues to write about these characters.

 

Remember, pay attention to the publisher. Another winner from Oceanview Publishing. 

 

WCD

#1501. Unnatural History by Jonathan Kellerman

Unnatural History is the 8^th Jonathan Kellerman novel reviewed in this blog about Dr. Alex Delaware, a clinical psychologist who is also a friend and crime solver with his best friend, Milo Sturgis, an LAPD homicide lieutenant. In this book, there’s been a murder of a young man, a photographer who is currently focused on LA’s homeless population. He also happens to be the son of a billionaire. The father, Victor Clement, has structured the oddest of family lives. He’s about to have his sixth child with his soon to be sixth wife. All of the marriages have been brief, and except for a few exceptions, the children have been kept isolated from one another. Victor’s new wives have never taken on the role of step mother to the younger children. While giving generous settlements with each divorce, Clement has had almost no ongoing contact with his children. He admits that he has “abdicated” paternal responsibility for them as he moves about the world on his own whims.

 

The youngest son, Donny, was in his 30s when he was murdered at his LA photography studio. There was a list of homeless people who he had photographed, none of whom this reader found to be particularly compelling. There was little emotional connection between the family members, so there was simply a real sense of loss among the surviving family members. There was a sometimes interesting detective process as the real killer was finally discovered.

 

Basically, while we’ve generally reviewed Kellerman’s novels with praise, this is not his best work, and it does not merit by own recommendation. I’ll be curious to see if Midwest Dave, a devout fan of Kellerman, feels differently about this novel. This one is scheduled for release on 2/7/23.

#1500. White Out by Dana King

Back in Penn’s River, PA. On the Appalachian side of Pittsburgh. PRPD has their share of crap to clean up and keep in line with Chief Sullivan (Sully) on the downhill slide to retirement. But he has a good, if kinda small, force. Mainly Detective Benjamin (‘Doc’ to everyone but a couple family members) Dougherty as a voice of reason in the House (the station) and on the street. Biggest employer in Penn’s River is the Casino that is set to host a $1 million poker tournament this coming Sunday.

Late February Monday in Penn’s River. Snowing, but nothing unusual or too bad. Trevor Boston is somewhat new to the force. While on his rounds about town, he takes a call about a dust-up at Fat Jimmies bar. Upon arrival, he finds the tail end of a fight at the pool table. Boston starts in taking statements. When he gets to Richard Johnson, one of the combatants, Boston quickly learns that Johnson doesn’t play well with Blacks. Turns out he’s a card-carrying member of Potentia Albus – a white supremacy outfit mostly headquartered in western PA. And he’s not going to allow Boston to touch him much less make an arrest.

Questions turn to raised voices turn to Johnson slapping Boston and running out the front door. Boston pursues. Pulls his sidearm as he carefully moves through the snowfall and trash. As he rounds a corner to the back of the bar, Johnson jumps out from behind a dumpster and Boston puts three bullets into him. Despite his best efforts at some first aid, Johnson dies is the debris-ridden slush behind the bar.

Sully sends Doc and other cops to the bar. Boston is of little help; too stunned at how things evolved so quickly. SOP for an officer-involved shooting is to place Boston on suspension, take his badge and gun, and call the PA state police to come in to do the IAB job that small-ish departments Penn’s River can’t do.

The word gets out. Fast. Black cop killed a white citizen. The spokesmen for Potentia Albus call in the true believers to attend Johnson’s funeral set for the coming Sunday and about 500 are expected. Sully knows he must get his force ready. Cancels all leave. Frees up overtime money. Doc is the boots-on-the-street commander who’s running logistics moving law enforcement units and personnel around town like pieces on a chessboard to keep brush fires from becoming a full blown nightmare. His army experience from tours to Afghanistan and Iraq come in handy.

And despite most all resources being devoted to the potential for a race riot, there still remains the usual Penn’s River issues like domestic calls, fights over a basketball game, Doc’s aging parents . . . and that damned poker tournament . . . all coming together right when mother nature decides that a foot or more fresh snow might be an appropriate accompaniment to the weekend's crowded calendar.

White Out in Dana King’s 8^th Penn’s River crime novel, this being the 3^rd that we’ve reviewed. Small-ish town police procedural told in a fine, straight forward, and colorful narrative. Dialogue is on point. Descriptive prose takes you right in the living rooms and the jail within the House. King has been nominated for a Shamus Award on multiple occasions. I’ve been remiss in waiting so long since my last visit to Penn’s River. Good stuff. Realistic small town police procedural. Think you’ll like it.

Published 26 July 2022. First learned about King from Charlie Stella, an MRB power rotation author. When Charlie speaks . . . ECD listens. He hasn’t steered us wrong yet.   

 

East Coast Don

 

#1499. Early Grave by Paul Levine

Seven of the 12 Jake Lassiter series have been reviewed at Men Reading Books, so you know we are fans of Paul Levine. Early Grave is the 12^th book In case you don’t know, Lassiter’s first career was as an NFL linebacker, and he was on the undefeated team in Miami in 1972. In his second career, he became a very successful attorney, but he led a hard life and had left his active practice to pursue a less stressful role as the head of the ethics group for Florida’s State Bar where he handed out fair justice to attorneys who had scammed their own clients, although his means of doing so was unconventional. By this time in his life, he was beginning to suffer from symptoms of CTE (chronic traumatic encephalitis) and his relationship with Melissa Gold, a neuropathologist, was in trouble. She happened to be an expert in CTE and was involved in ongoing research on the subject. Jake and Melissa were in therapy to save their relationship, and he was trying to grow out of his long-term and admittedly juvenile type of unsuccessful relationships.

 

Meanwhile, Jake’s godson suffered a horrific high school football injury in which Jake detected incompetence and over competitiveness of the successful coach, one who was sacrificing the safety of his players for victories. Tank Pittman was a former Dolphin teammate and the father of Rod who took a severe hit on the field at a time when he should not have been in the game. It was a life and death situation for Rod. Jake had forged the signature of Rod’s mother on the permission slip just so Rod could play, and after the injury, he felt appropriately guilty. Jake then decided to take on the legal challenge against the coach and Florida High School football. It was not Jake’s intent to abolish high school football, but it was his intent to interrupt it until the game could be made safe. But, he had never been involved in anything like the civil litigation that he wanted to pursue, and he sure looked to be in over his head.

 

Jake had to battle a corrupt judge and the Consortium, a secret organization that funded lawyers to fight against such lawsuits as Jake was bringing on Rod’s behalf. Rod’s parents were very unhappy that Jake did not accept the settlement that had been offered to him. In addition to CTE, Jake was also battling atrial fibrillation which was not well-controlled, and his medical conditions impacted the end of the trial and the end of this story. The courtroom drama was fantastic even if some of it was a bit unrealistic and might make my attorney friends somewhat uncomfortable – but it was still excellent drama. The title of the book might give you a clue to this story’s conclusion. I only hope that this is not the end of the Lassiter series – it’s too much fun for me to let go.

 

West Coast Don

#1498. Storm Watch by CJ Box

Can it really be? #23 in the Joe Pickett series? And we’ve reviewed most of them.

Wyoming Game Warden Joe Pickett has been called to track down an elk that was injured by a car and has wandered off on its three remaining good legs onto the Double Diamond ranch property. Not a duty Pickett likes because he must put the animal out of its misery.

A serious spring snowstorm has pelted the Big Horn mountains and while the snow makes tracking the elk easy, the knee-thigh deep snow is a challenge. He finds the animal near a heavy pine forest and sees what appears to be a car partially hidden by the snow.

It’s a four-wheeler, well taken care of, with a U Wyoming parking sticker. The trail is still navigable, so Joe follows to see if the owner needs assistance. What he finds is a large windowless, metal shed, and the driver is half in/half out of a ventilation fan, dead from the fan blades. Takes some crime scene photo before a couple shots ring out. Nothing more.

Pickett returns to his truck and phones it into the sheriff. The next day, a crime scene unit finds nothing. No car, no victim. No tracks (more snow). Pickett gets a call from his boss in Cheyenne that Governor Colten Allen wants to see Pickett now, snow be damned. Joe goes and is told in no uncertain terms to cease and desist any further investigation into the death of this university professor.

The death of the prof leads to a series of tentacles that include his mother-in-law, Nate Romanowski (of course) and Geronimo, a fellow falconer from Colorado, daughter Sheridan and her sometime boyfriend (the son of the DD Ranch foreman), a loosely knit clan of conspiracy theorists/secessionists and associated dirtbags, the FBI, former Governor Rulon, and a disabled FBI agent roaming around in an RV.

Yeah, convoluted.

But Box is a seasoned pro and he tells his tale with all the skill and grace we expect from him. His easy way of weaving a story is comfortable for his devotees, including the boys here at MRB.

Box is consistently a winner; another 5-star outing. If you’ve never read him, start anywhere. While there is some order to his books, most any can be a standalone. And if you haven’t been aware, Paramount+ streams a Joe Pickett series, the first season came out in 2021. Nice to watch if so you can put faces to the characters as you read.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance reader copy. Available 28 Feb 2023.

And for anyone out there taking notice, this represents our 1500th post to this blog. 

 

East Coast Don

#1497. The Blood of Patriots and Traitors by James Scott

Max Geller, part 2.

In The President’s Dossier (part 1), CIA operative Max Geller managed to find some pretty damning evidence that the newly elected president was in bed with the Russians. While finding the dirty pictures in Moscow, Max managed to piss of a highly placed CIA asset, rob a Russian bank (for a cool $5 million), kill a bunch of Russian agents, get bounced out of the CIA mostly for naught because the evidence never made it out of some file drawer.

Part 2 opens with Max and girlfriend Vanessa (also CIA) relaxing on a beach near Sydney. All’s well until a small hit squad opens fire. This doesn’t help Max’s disposition one bit. He wants to find out who outed his whereabouts. When he gets an audience with Rodney, his former boss at the Agency, the hit squad’s intentions are brushed aside.

Rodney needs Max. Now Max and Rodney aren’t chums after Rodney fired Max. An asset deep within the war planning arm of the Kremlin wants to defect and the only person he trusts with he and his wife is Max. As a war planner, ‘Rampart’ would be a prize worth winning. Problem is that the GRU/SVR/SUV, yadda yadda yadda wants Max for a very public trial and incarceration in the deepest hole the Kremlin can find. Max doesn’t think any plan has a good chance of success, but with a little arm twisting and a bit of blackmail, Max agrees to sneak back into Russia, contact Rampart, and then plan/execute an exfil to get Colonel and Mrs. Rampart out.

Two chases are underway. One is Max (and some ‘friends’) chasing freedom for Rampart. The other is the Russian state security people desperately wanting the catch Max. The chase goes all over NW Russian, Finland, Germany, Cyprus and ending in some creative solutions to multiple problems in DC. Some of the solutions devised by the Russians. Some by the CIA. Some by Max and friends. And plenty of people, Russian and US, wouldn’t find a deceased Max to be something to mourn over.

The President’s Dossier had quite the far-fetched, but entirely possible, plot line. Blood picks up shortly after Dossier ended. The key thing for me is that Scott outlines multiple duplicitous plans that generally seem quite possible (all except one involving the Washington Monument) that has Max stumbling over his own two left feet. Good thing his most important weapon is his ability think/decide/act quickly with or without any loss of life. The first half of the book is classic espionage – who’s thinking what, when might something happen or not, then what should be do or what might they do. When the chases begin, the plotting pace accelerates considerably. While the two books can be standalones, I might suggest that they be read in order.

I’m getting to be a broken record here. Publishers. Pay attention to a book's publisher. This is another winning thriller from Oceanview Publishing.

Thanks to NetGalley for making the advance reader copy available for review.

East Coast Don