Road Trip Listens

Fire and Bones by Kathy Reichs (read by Linda Emond)

Always apprehensive about working fire scenes, Tempe is called to Washington, DC, to analyze the victims of a deadly blaze and sees her misgivings justified. The devastated building is in Foggy Bottom, a neighborhood with a colorful past and present, and Tempe becomes suspicious about the property’s ownership when she delves into its history.

The pieces start falling into place strangely and quickly, and, sensing a good story, Tempe teams with a new ally, telejournalist Ivy Doyle. Soon the duo learns that back in the thirties and forties the home was the hangout of a group of bootleggers and racketeers known as the Foggy Bottom Gang. Though interesting, this fact seems irrelevant—until the son of a Foggy Bottom gang member is shot dead at his home in an affluent part of the district. Coincidence? Targeted attacks? So many questions.

As Tempe and Ivy dig deeper, an arrest is finally made. Then another Foggy Bottom Gang-linked property burns to the ground, claiming one more victim. Slowly, Tempe’s instincts begin pointing to the obvious: somehow, her moves since coming to Washington have been anticipated, and every path forward seems to bring with it a lethal threat.

Tempe gives up her vacation to help out with a case that turns into a bigger mystery than she expected. Secondary characters add to the intrigue of the story. After 23 books Tempe is still interesting and finds herself in intriguing situations. Linda Emond does a great job narrating the characters with great tone and pace. 

Middletide by Sarah Crouch (narrated by Kaleo Griffin)

One peaceful morning, in the small, Puget Sound town of Point Orchards, the lifeless body of Dr. Erin Landry is found hanging from a tree on the property of prodigal son and failed writer, Elijah Leith. Sheriff Jim Godbout’s initial investigation points to an obvious suicide, but upon closer inspection, there seem to be clues of foul play when he discovers that the circumstances of the beautiful doctor’s death were ripped straight from the pages of Elijah Leith’s own novel.

Out of money and motivation, thirty-three-year-old Elijah returns to his empty childhood home to lick the wounds of his futile writing career. Hungry for purpose, he throws himself into restoring the ramshackle cabin his father left behind and rekindling his relationship with Nakita, the extraordinary girl from the nearby reservation whom he betrayed but was never able to forget.

As the town of Point Orchards turns against him, Elijah must fight for his innocence against an unexpected foe who is close and cunning enough to flawlessly frame him for murder in this scintillating literary thriller that seeks to uncover a case of love, loss, and revenge.

This debut "whodunit" draws you in and doesn't let go despite some repetition and drama. It is told in then and now sections that did get confusing at times while listening. Many times you wonder if the narrator can be trusted.  Very well narrated by Kaleo Griffin and probably saved the story for me. 

*Thanks to Simon & Schuster audio for these review copies

Cross The Line (audio) + Giveaway JIAM

Alex Cross chases a cold-blooded killer...with a conscience.

Shots ring out in the early morning hours in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. When the smoke clears, a prominent police official lies dead, leaving the city's police force scrambling for answers.

Under pressure from the mayor, Alex Cross steps into the leadership vacuum to investigate the case. But before Cross can make any headway, a brutal crime wave sweeps across the region. The deadly scenes share only one common thread – the victims are all criminals. And the only thing more dangerous than a murderer without a conscience, is a killer who thinks he has justice on his side.

As Cross pursues an adversary who has appointed himself judge, jury, and executioner, he must take the law back into his own hands before the city he's sworn to protect descends into utter chaos

The Alex Cross series has remained one of my favorites. Have I loved every book? Nope, but I like this character and his family. He is good at his job, but loves his family more than anything. It has been great to watch them grow, change and become closer as the years have passed. There are three cases pulling both Alex, his partner Samson and wife Bree in many directions. Could they be connected?  A couple of twists, fast paced with plenty of action made for an entertaining listen. What frustrates me with this series is that I listen on audio and there have been a few narrators for the voice of Alex Cross. Most of them has done a good job, but this latest voice was too young sounding for a veteran Detective with three kids. I loved Peter Bradbury's voice of the villain.  Despite the change in narrators, I will listen to the next Alex Cross book that releases in November.

*Thanks to Hachette Audio for this review copy*

I am hosting a giveaway of my gently used (previously listened to) audiobooks. Enter by commenting on my Friday audiobook posts. I will draw a few winners on July 7th. Please let me know which audiobook(s) you are interested in listening to of the group pictured here. 

Last Words by Michael Koryta narrated by Robert Petkoff
Distress Signals by Catherine Ryan Hyde narrated by Alan Smyth, Bronson Pinchot and Suzanne Torren
Always A Cowboy by Linda Lael Miller narrated by Jack Garret
Here's To Us by Elin Hilderbrand narrated by Erin Bennett
A Duke To Remember by Kelly Bowen narrated by Polly Lee
Spinning the Moon (2 classic stories) by Karen White narrated by Susan Bennett and Pilar Witherspoon

The Lion's Mouth (audio)

Hanne Wilhelmsen’s fourth investigation brings her into conflict with the highest powers in Norway: what secrets lie behind the death of the Prime Minister?

Less than six months after taking office, the Norwegian Prime Minister is found dead. She has been shot in the head. But was it a politically motivated assassination or personal revenge?

The death shakes the country to its core. The hunt for her killer is complicated, intense and gruelling. Hanne Wilhelmsen must contain the scandal before a private tragedy becomes a public outrage, in what will become the most sensitive case of her career…

This is a story of lies, intrigue and politics. The Lion’s Mouth questions who holds the power in Norway, and how far they will go to use it.

Rosalyn Landor does a fantastic job narrating this crime novel.  The twists and turns the novel takes kept me listening to find out who could have killed the Prime Minister.  Hanne is off in California, but Billy T is on the case, and when she returns for a short visit he is more than thankful for her help with this strange case. There are connections that were surprising, but the resolution of the crime was a bit of a let down. I've read these books out of order, but feel they stand well alone.  Looking forward to the next book that is released in the US.   

*Thanks to Simon and Schuster Audio for this review copy*

Keep the thrills and chills coming!

The Keeper of Lost Causes, the first installment in the Department Q series, features the deeply flawed chief detective Carl MØrck, who used to be a good homicide detective-one of Copenhagen's best. Then a bullet almost took his life. Two of his colleagues weren't so lucky, and Carl, who didn't draw his weapon, blames himself.

So a promotion is the last thing Carl expects.

But it all becomes clear when he sees his new office in the basement. Carl's been selected to run Department Q, a new special investigations division that turns out to be a department of one. With a stack of Copenhagen's coldest cases to keep him company, Carl's been put out to pasture. So he's as surprised as anyone when a case actually captures his interest. A missing politician vanished without a trace five years earlier. The world assumes she's dead. His colleagues snicker about the time he's wasting. But Carl may have the last laugh, and redeem himself in the process.

Because she isn't dead . . . yet.

Carl is a character that I started out not liking, but as I learned more of his story, and as the story progressed, I came to like him. The book alternates between two POVs very smoothly and the pages turn quickly as the investigation unfolds.  I look forward to the next book in the series.

The Cut by George Pelecanos

Spero Lucas has a new line of work. Since he returned home after serving in Iraq, he has been doing special investigations for a defense attorney. He's good at it, and he has carved out a niche: recovering stolen property, no questions asked. His cut is forty percent.

A high-profile crime boss who has heard of Lucas's specialty hires him to find out who has been stealing from his operation. It's the biggest job Lucas has ever been offered, and he quickly gets a sense of what's going on. But before he can close in on what's been taken, he tangles with a world of men whose amorality and violence leave him reeling. Is any cut worth your family, your lover, your life?

A new series of crime fiction. Spero is a likeable character with an interesting background. I was surprised at how much I liked, what I considered, a man's book.

Headhunters by Jo Nesbo

Headhunters introduces us to the charming villain Roger Brown, a man who seems to have it all: he is Norway’s most successful headhunter, married to the beautiful gallery owner Diana, owns a magnificent house – and is living larger than he should. Meanwhile, he is playing at the dangerous game of art theft. At a gallery opening, his wife introduces him to the Dutchman Clas Greve. Not only is Greve the perfect candidate for the CEO position of the GPS company Pathfinder that Roger Brown is recruiting for; he is also in possession of ”The Calydonian Boar Hunt” by Peter Paul Rubens, one of the most sought-after paintings in modern art history. Roger sees his chance to become financially independent, and starts planning his biggest hit ever. But soon, he runs into trouble – and it’s not financial problems that are threatening to knock him over this time.

My first Jo Nesbo book will definitely not be my last! I could not turn the pages fast enough. The twists and turns the story takes are awesome.

Bonnie by Iris Johansen

Finally, in the trilogy that began with Eve and continued with Quinn, comes the story that fans have been dying to read. With the help of her beloved Joe Quinn and CIA Agent Catherine Ling, Even Duncan gets closer and closer to answering the questions that have tormented her. But the deeper she digs, the more she realizes that Bonnie’s father, John Gallo, is a key player in solving this monstrous puzzle. And that Bonnie’s disappearance was not as random as everyone had believed. Eve Duncan finds herself in a deadly dance where answers will be uncovered, and justice might finally be served—if she can stay alive.

Finally!! Eve has the answers she has been waiting for regarding Bonnie.  A great ending to a long time storyline.

New York to Dallas by J.D. Robb

J. D. Robb presents an intense and terrifying new case for New York homicide cop Eve Dallas, one that will take her all the way to the city that gave her her name—and plunge her into the nightmares of her childhood.

When a monster named Isaac McQueen—who was taken down by Eve back in her uniform days—escapes from Rikers, he has two things in mind. One is to pick up where he left off, abducting young victims and leaving them scarred in both mind and body. The other is to get revenge on the woman who stopped him all those years ago.

An emotional installment in the series that has Eve confronting her past.  This long running series has not let me down.  I know when I pick up and "In Death" novel I will not be putting it down until I am finished.

Justice by Karen Robards

Feisty criminal attorney Jessica Ford has done her best to comply with the orders of the Secret Service's unofficial witness protection program ever since she became the lone witness to the First Lady's murder. She changed her name, dyed her dark hair blonde, and traded her sturdy black-rimmed glasses for contact lenses. Unfortunately, winning her first high-profile case for prestigious Washington, D.C., law firm Ellis Hayes, and subsequently landing her face all over the news, is not exactly "keeping a low profile." Or so says hunky Secret Service agent Mark Ryan, whose newest assignment—despite Jess's stubborn protests—is keeping her safe at all costs. It just so happens he's also her ex-boyfriend.
The trial earns Jess a permanent spot on the firm's elite legal defense team, replacing an associate who eloped suddenly and never came back. It's the chance of a lifetime. But Jess's mind has raced with questions from the moment the prosecution's star witness shocked the courtroom with an electrifying revelation involving the handsome son of a powerful U.S. senator. Was the pretty, young mother intimidated into changing her story on the stand? Why will she not return Jess's calls? Did Jess's ambitious predecessor on the case really just abandon her successful career? Or did both women mysteriously disappear?

After Mark rescues Jess from an attacker outside her apartment, she begins to consider the possibility that she is a target. Maybe it's not so bad to have her irresistibly charming and hard-bodied former lover around for protection. Maybe. The question is, which of the many inadvertent enemies Jess has made recently is he protecting her from? The investigation leads her to some startling coincidences—and to a teenage runaway who may just hold the missing link . . . if Jess can find her.

I was looking forward to more of Jess and Mark's story, but this one was a bit flat for me.  I had it figured out early. 

10th Anniversary by James Patterson (Maxine Paetro)

Detective Lindsay Boxer's long-awaited wedding celebration becomes a distant memory when she is called to investigate a horrendous crime: a badly injured teenage girl is left for dead, and her newborn baby is nowhere to be found. Lindsay discovers that not only is there no trace of the criminals—but that the victim may be keeping secrets as well.

At the same time, Assistant District Attorney Yuki Castellano is prosecuting the biggest case of her life—a woman who has been accused of murdering her husband in front of her two young children. Yuki's career rests on a guilty verdict, so when Lindsay finds evidence that could save the defendant, she is forced to choose. Should she trust her best friend or follow her instinct?

Lindsay's every move is watched by her new boss, Lieutenant Jackson Brady, and when the pressure to find the baby begins interfering with her new marriage to Joe, she wonders if she'll ever be able to start a family.

Another fast-paced page turner. It is nice to see our beloved characters getting on with their lives. I look forward to the 11th book in the series.

Treachery In Death

Eve Dallas and her partner, Peabody, are following up on a brutal, senseless crime—an elderly grocery owner killed by three stoned punks for nothing more than kicks and snacks. And for the first time, Peabody is primary detective on the case, which means she has to get used to a new level of authority and responsibility. Good thing she learned the ropes from a master like Eve.

But after rounding up the perps, Peabody stumbles upon a much trickier situation. Determined to start working out as hard as she grills suspects, she chooses to do it at the old, rarely used gym at Central. After a grueling workout, she squeezes into one of the narrow shower stalls, happy to have the place to herself. Just after she shuts the water off, the gym door clatters open—and while she cringes inside the stall, trying not to make a sound, Peabody overhears two fellow officers, Garnet and Oberman, arguing. References are made to delivering product and a house in the islands, and someone named Keener who’s supposed to look like an OD. It doesn’t take long for a naked and vulnerable Peabody to realize that both officers are crooked—guilty not just of corruption but of murder as well. Fortunately, the two clear out of the locker room without realizing there was a witness.

Eve Dallas may have trained Peabody well—but this is too dangerous for one person to take on alone. Now Peabody, Eve, and her husband, Roarke, must try to get the hard evidence they need to bring the dirty cops down—knowing all the while that the two have already killed to keep their secret, and are no doubt willing to do it again.

This is the 32nd book in the "In Death" series and I still look forward to every book. What I especially enjoyed about this one was Eve's entire team was involved with the investigation and apprehension of the bad guys.  We are treated to a couple of moments between Eve and Roark, but this one is mostly about the case.  I started this one early in the day and could not put it down.  A wonderful installment in a beloved series.

Author: J.D. Robb
Published: February 2011
Pages: 384
Genre: Crime Fiction
Source: Library
Finished: 5-30-11


4 Bears

The Complaints

'Mustn't complain' - but people always do…

Nobody likes The Complaints - they're the cops who investigate other cops. Complaints and Conduct Department, to give them their full title, but known colloquially as 'The Dark Side', or simply 'The Complaints'. It's where Malcolm Fox works. He's just had a result, and should be feeling good about himself. But he's a man with problems of his own. He has an increasingly frail father in a care home and a sister who persists in an abusive relationship - something which Malcolm cannot seem to do anything about.

But, in the midst of an aggressive Edinburgh winter, the reluctant Fox is given a new task. There's a cop called Jamie Breck, and he's dirty. The problem is, no one can prove it. But as Fox takes on the job, he learns that there's more to Breck than anyone thinks. This knowledge will prove dangerous, especially when a vicious murder intervenes far too close to home for Fox's liking.

Ian Rankin is the UK's #1 bestselling crime author and after reading this book I can see why. A brilliant story of one man's relentless drive to see that the truth is uncovered. Just when you thought you have things figured out a twist happens and you are back to square one. I am hoping that this is the first book in a series.  I have not read his beloved Inspector Rebus books, but hope to very soon.

Author: Ian Rankin
Published: March 2011
Pages: 448
Genre: Crime Fiction
Source: Library
Finished: 5-11-11
4 Bears