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The Chicago Way by Michael Harvey

Publisher: Knopf  ISBN-10: 0307266869

Reviewed by Dana King, New Mystery Reader

The Chicago Way is a sincere homage to the pulp stories in which American crime fiction made its bones. Author Michael Harvey, a former investigative producer and co-creator of Cold Case Files, knows his material and keeps things moving at a pace that would make an old pulp writer proud.

Michael Kelly is a Chicago private investigator, a former crackerjack CPD detective railroaded out of a job by a shady district attorney. He’s less than thrilled to be asked by old partner John Gibbons to help with a case, but feels obligated when Gibbons is shot to death. A feeble frame points to Kelly.

Elaine Remington was savagely raped and almost killed nine years ago; Gibbons was her savior, and arresting officer of the rapist. The ball was dropped at every level. The rapist never faced charges, the police files are missing, and many of those associated with the case have since turned up dead.

Kelly is pulled deeper into the case by Diane Lindsey, a local television reporter whose shelf life is growing short and needs a big scoop to keep from having to return to Flint, Michigan to cover consumer affairs. His investigation is aided by a boyhood friend, Nicole, who works in the crime lab and fast tracks some DNA tests on the garment Elaine was wearing the night of the rape. 

Harvey uses his noir chops and television background everywhere it will help move things along. Maybe too much. The pulpy wording seems labored at times, fighting against the TV producer’s desire to keep things slick and snappy. The phrasing sometimes comes across as anachronistic in the context of the modern technology used to close the case.

There are also a few convenient plot occurrences that work well in a forty-eight minute television show, but not so well when there’s time for some thought. Nothing that rises to the level of deal breaker, but a few people show up at just the right place to say the most telling thing at the most convenient time. In keeping with the times, Kelly can, of course, get DNA tests done in a couple of days, at no apparent cost. Things like this keep the book from fulfilling its early promise to a close reader.

There’s still a lot of good stuff here. Harvey’s humor is genuinely funny, if used a little stereotypically to show the hard as nails PI laughing at danger. His TV background sometimes interferes with Harvey’s writing chops to make the book read like a dressed up screenplay. Strip out the internal thoughts, and it would be a good movie, but it still needs to move a little in the other direction to be a fully realized novel.

Last Breath by George D. Shuman

Publisher: Simon & Schuster  ISBN-10: 1416534903

Reviewed by Stephanie Padilla, New Mystery Reader

Shuman returns with a follow-up featuring blind psychic Sherry Moore in a stunning case where she must once again use her extraordinary ability to "see" the last 18 seconds of the victim's death to reveal the face of a serial killer.  This time out, it's a case involving women being targeted by a madman who uses suffocation to slowly kill his victims in his own version of "breath play," a deadly version of what's better known as autoerotica.  But this time out, Shelly, still recovering from death of the man she loved over a year ago and her ever-growing reliance on pills and alcohol, might not only miss the clues provided, but just might make herself the next target as well.

In Sherry Moore, Shuman has created one the most unique crime solvers to come along in awhile and, in his latest, once again adeptly and convincingly draws the reader into a fascinating mystery that is as captivating as his first.  Readers may wonder why they never question Shuman's basic premise involving the overwhelming energy behind the last 18 seconds of life, and it's this, along with Sherry's slow decline into that morass, that is what ultimately distinguishes this book from the pack.  Compassionately and intelligently designed, this latest from Shuman comes highly recommended.   

Scots on the Rocks by Mary Daheim

Publisher:  Harper Collins  ISBN 978-0-06-056653-1

Reviewed by Victoria Kennedy, New Mystery Reader

Two American women Judith McMonigle Flynn and her cousin Renie are going on vacation.  Their husbands keep the details a secret, so it’s a surprise when their plane lands in Scotland.  Their final destination is an old castle in the middle of nowhere.   Judith and Renie’s husbands soon abandon them for a fishing trip and the two feel free to get into whatever mischief they can.

Judith is one of those eternally curious people who are always sticking their noses into other people’s business, while her cousin Renie is outspoken and often obnoxious.  She also drinks too much.

The two women are just settling in at the castle when the owner shows up.  He’s none too pleased with his guests and Renie does her best to insult him.  To make matters worse, the caretaker’s snobby grandson dies after an explosion destroys his car.  His young widow Moira doesn’t seem bothered at all by her husband’s death.  Moira’s a flighty character that flits from man-to-man.  She’s already lost one husband, could she have killed the second one?

Judith starts snooping around and discovers the murder was part of complex web of lies and deceit.   

The story is entertaining and humorous, but does get a bit silly at times.  It didn’t amuse me that the author obviously considers rude drunks to be funny.   There are many interesting characters, but except for Judith and Renie the reader doesn’t get to know them well.  It’s still an engaging little cozy for a rainy day.

Buried by Mark Billingham

Publisher: HarperCollins  ISBN-10: 0061255696

Reviewed by Stephanie Padilla, New Mystery Reader

Billingham returns with another engaging mystery featuring the inscrutable London detective Tom Thorne, who this time out must face a ticking clock in the search for the kidnapped teenaged son of an ex-detective.  The investigation, however, quickly turns from a typical kidnapping to something entirely different when no ransom demands are made, leaving the detectives to suspect that it might just be a crime of revenge with the answers resting somewhere in the ex-detective's case files.  But this trail too seems to go nowhere when the victim's father proves oddly hesitant to reveal possible suspects and motives, leading Thorne to suspect that the man has something to hide and the only way to get to the truth is to reveal the possibly deadly secrets lurking behind the silence.

After last year's brilliant outing, with its in-depth focus on characters and concept, this latest uneven tale seemed to pale in comparison.  While everything did tie together neatly in the end, if not a bit too neatly, the frequent drifts into seemingly unrelated cases and characters proved to be more distracting than illuminating.  Also missed was the more intimate treatment of Thorne's character, one of the more noteworthy facets in previous outings.  But, that being said, this is still an entertaining read that challenges and will ultimately satisfy most readers.         

Capitol Offense by Mike Doogan

Publisher: Putnam Adult  ISBN-10: 0399154310

Reviewed by Stephanie Padilla, New Mystery Reader

Nik Kane, once a detective with the Anchorage PD, is still working on putting his life back together after his impressive, self-destructive fall from the force.  Off the bottle and attempting to make amends with the family he left in tatters, it's his old connections to the force that keep him going.  So when he's asked by his old chief to look into the murder of a young senator's aide, a beautiful woman allegedly killed by an up and coming Native politician, he heads off to Juneau, wary of the motives behind those who hired him, but intent on finding the truth either way.  But unraveling the complicated ties between politics, money, oil, greed, power, and desire will prove to be more dangerous than he expected, as he himself becomes the target of more than one sinister force who will kill to keep their secrets buried.

Not having read the first in this new series didn't prove a problem, as Doogan does a good job of providing background with just enough information to catch up newcomers while not boring those who have returned.   And while this is a solid mystery that effectively incorporates political agendas and tempestuous desires into the unique Alaskan setting, if not for the distinctive environs and the well-drawn main character, it might have been difficult to distinguish from others like it.  However, that being said, even with its familiarity, this is still an entertaining and gripping read with enough differences to make it worthwhile.     

The History Book by Humphrey Hawksley

Publisher: Warner Books  ISBN 0 446 52744 0

Reviewed by Karen Treanor, New Mystery Reader

Most of us would be upset by the murder of a sister, and many of us would do what we could to bring her killer to justice.  Few of us would go to the lengths that Kat Polinski does in this grim and gritty book about a world that is almost ours.

Blackmailed into working as a secret agent for the US Government, Kat routinely breaks into foreign embassies to find out information that can’t be gained any other way.  Shortly after her latest such job, Kat learns her sister Suzy is dead, and when she goes to England to learn more about it, she meets polite stone walls in every direction, even from her oldest friends.  Everyone just wants Kat to go home and bury her sister and forget about avenging her.

This isn’t in Kat’s nature to do, and she soon discovers that Suzy was probably killed for what she knew about some organisations that thrive in darkness and will do anything needed to prevent the light shining on them.

Kat finds herself in the invidious position of having to fight not only the villains, but also the white hat brigade.  The more she investigates, the greyer the white hats look.  Towards the end of this fast-moving story it’s rather difficult to tell good guys from the bad.  Fortunately Kat still has a few reliable allies on the fringes of society, but will they be enough to help her avenge Suzy, and also expose the dark deeds on Voz Island?

Conspiracy theorists will no doubt latch on to this book with glee, pointing to the author’s background as a reporter on terrorism and espionage topics as proof that ‘there’s no smoke without fire.’   For the rest of us, well, let’s just say this is a disquieting book that probably shouldn’t be read last thing at night.

Hard Row by Margeret Maron

Publisher: Warner Books  ISBN 978 0 446 58243 8

Reviewed by Karen Treanor, New Mystery Reader

Newly-wed Judge Deborah Knott is back, in the thirteenth in the series.  That’s not an unlucky number: this is just as engaging a story as any of the previous books.  It’s a rather darker tale than some of the preceding books, littered as it is with body parts and racism, as well as the minefield that stepmotherhood is proving to be for Deborah.

Juggling the responsibilities of providing a welcoming home for her husband and his recently motherless son Cal with a demanding job wouldn’t be easy at the best of times, but Deborah is finding coping with the problems of an unhappy eight-year-old really difficult.  She still has the Knott Family Support Group behind her: a slew of older brothers and their wives and children, plus her old reprobate of a father, but this is a case where they can’t really help much: she’s got to find a way to connect with Cal herself.  Eventually she does, through a selfless act that turns out to be more enjoyable than anyone would have expected.

Meanwhile, back at the courthouse, Deborah has to deal with the day-to-day petty criminals who are brought before her, plus some much more serious cases, including a violent man whose wife lives in fear.  There’s an awful inevitability about this case, and despite the best efforts of good people, the tragedy you expect does happen.

The main case that’s occupying Deborah’s husband, Deputy Dwight Bryant, is the rapidly mounting pile of human limbs.  Piece by piece, a man’s body is accumulated—and then a third hand is found!  Are they looking at a serial killer here?  When the body is identified, the investigation leads to a complex motive involving migrant laborers and laissez faire capitalism at its worst.    

This isn’t quite as cosy a book as some of the previous offerings in the series, but it’s well worth your time. 

The Burnt House by Faye Kellerman

Publisher: William Morrow  ISBN-10: 0061227323

Reviewed by Stephanie Padilla, New Mystery Reader

When a small commuter plane takes an unexpected dive into a LA neighborhood apartment building, killing everyone on board as well as others in the building, the city's initial fear is that it might have been a terrorist attack.  And although this fear is soon put to rest when it's discovered to have been caused by mechanical failure, new questions come to light when LA detective Peter Decker is contacted by the parents of one of the alleged victims who insist that their daughter did not die in the crash, but instead was murdered by her husband.   And as Decker begins to investigate their claim, he'll begin to unravel the secrets surrounding not only this young woman's death, but also the death of another young woman years before, her murdered corpse only now discovered below the burning rubble.  

Kellerman scores a direct hit with this exciting new outing in her successful and long-running series.  There's much to like about this latest -  Peter Decker and his cohorts being especially noteworthy.  Simply put, Kellerman's cast of crime fighters are just very nice people; her detectives and their loved ones come minus the angst, dark pasts, and dangerous compulsions that seem to preoccupy most fictional detectives these days.  Not to say there's anything wrong with the darker look at life but, one has to admit, it's refreshing now and again to read of compassionate people battling the criminal element and then going home at the end of the day to peaceful and contented existence.  So if you like your mysteries cleanly and humanely told, this richly detailed police procedural is one you won't want to miss.

Beyond Reach by Karin Slaughter

Publisher: Delacorte Press  ISBN-10: 038533947X

Reviewed by Stephanie Padilla, New Mystery Reader

Slaughter returns with another outing featuring Grant County, Georgia's police chief Jeffrey Tolliver, his wife pediatrician and medical examiner Sara Linton and, of course, the seriously dysfunctional detective Lena Adams.  In this latest, Lena has found herself once again in serious trouble when the uncle who raised her, ex-drug addict Hank Norton, goes missing from her home town.  Deciding to look into it, Lena heads home to the poverty stricken hellhole that she swore she would never involve herself with again; a decision that will leave her running from the law when she's implicated in a brutal murder.  And as she digs for the truth, with Jeffrey and Sara hot on her trail, she'll uncover deadly corruption, long held secrets from her past, and a conspiracy of hatred that just might get them all killed.

With Slaughter's previous outings in the series being way above average for the genre, there's no doubt her fans have been eager for this latest addition; however, it might not take long for anticipation to turn into a bit of disenchantment once the story gets truly underway.  The plot, centering around drugs and corruption, is one that is so often told that its propensity for inciting suspenseful drama is just about nil.  Yes, meth is bad, and yes, it leads to heartache, corruption, and ruin; there's nothing new there.   So while she does add some stunning twists in regard to Lena's own private history, some interesting insights into white supremacy groups, and a kicker ending that shocks, it's still an overly familiar road that readers must travel to get to the good stuff.  That being said, fans will still no doubt want to read it, as a mediocre outing from Slaughter remains superior to the alternatives.           

Merciless by Richard Montanari

Publisher: Ballantine Books  ISBN-10: 0345492404

Reviewed by Stephanie Padilla, New Mystery Reader

Montanari returns with another exciting thriller featuring Philly detectives Jessica Balzano and Kevin Bryne in a detailed mystery that's sure to please fans.  This time out the duo and their cohorts must track a serial killer who seems intent on turning childhood fairy tales into gruesome scenes of murder, his victims found one by one positioned on the banks of the Schuylkill River with ambiguous clues relating to fairy tales from long ago.

And for Detective Kevin Bryne, finding the killer terrorizing his city is not the only problem he faces, he must also deal with the fallout of an unexpected moment of deadly violence that left one woman dead, a grieving husband who blames Bryne, and his own self doubts for failing to stop the gunman who turned a coffee shop into a scene of horror and death. 

In this double-shot police procedural, readers may find themselves a bit out of breath keeping up with Montanari as he rushes from one scene of murder and mayhem to the next.  Not that this is necessarily a bad thing, but some might find that while Montanari has increased the pure action, it comes at the price of less time spent on the remarkable characterizations that made his previous outings so noteworthy.  Instead of the intense foray into what made these guys think and act the way they do, this time out Montanri focuses on the procedural aspects of the investigation and the city of Philly itself.  Admittedly, he does this with great panache - capturing the dialogue and grittiness that make up this diverse city and its police force with convincing detail, with the results being a more than worthy read. But still, many, like me, just might wish for a return from the "what and where" to the "whom" next time around.  

The Intruders by Michael Marshall

Publisher: William Morrow  ISBN-10: 0061235024

Reviewed by Stephanie Padilla, New Mystery Reader

When ex-cop and one-time published author Jack Whalen is convinced by his successful advertising executive wife to move from LA to a rural village in Washington, he's more than happy to leave the bustling city behind.  But it doesn't take long until he notices that things are different- his wife is different; nothing he can really put his finger on, just a subtle incongruous uneasiness that not only is everything in his life just slightly off-kilter but, even odder at times, simply unfamiliar.   

Thinking it might just be his inability to come up with a new idea for his next book, Jack dismisses the foreboding disquiet; at least until his wife goes missing during a business trip only to reappear shortly after as if nothing happened.  And when combined with the odd visit from an old high school buddy who wants him to look into the murder of a mother and her son in Seattle, an inexplicable murder blamed on the husband who seems innocent after further investigation, Jack is suddenly thrust into a world in which reality is far from what he ever thought it was.        

After reading this, my first question was who IS this guy, followed by my second, where can I get his previous titles?  Not usually a fan of, for lack of a better word, horror novels, I approached this with some wariness.  It took all of about two pages until I was completely immersed for the duration.  In lesser hands, this extraordinary plot most likely would have turned into a silly, fantastical tale, but under this master's hand, instead is an ingeniously creepy, wildly imaginative, and oh so subtly menacing tale of a reality better left unquestioned.  Not only are the pace, narrative, prose, and characterizations stunningly brilliant and perfectly executed, but so too are the sly and unexpected doses of humor that can take the reader from feeling petrified to laughing in less than ten.  Simply put, this is a read that embodies all that one desires from a good book and should not be missed.           

Bloodshot by Stuart McBride

Publisher: St. Martin's Minotaur  ISBN-10: 0312339992

Reviewed by Karen Treanor, New Mystery Reader                                                     

The men and women of the Grampian Police Force Headquarters in Aberdeen make up a repertory company that will remind you of many other police forces: the 87^th Precinct, the L.A.P.D. of Del Shannon, and most of all, Peter Turnbull’s P Division, but the Aberdonians have personalities and peccadillos all their own.  From the huge and grumpy Inspector Insch to the chain-smoking, sarcastic DI Steel, from the pregnant medical examiner to the partial-amputee newsman, you’ll find this as mixed a cast of characters as any real life police community.

Standing out from the scrum is D S Logan McRae and his live-in girlfriend P C Jackie Watson.  McRae labours under the burden of a previous success which got him labelled “Hero Cop”, a source of resentment in some quarters.  It doesn’t take much for the label to turn into a weapon in the hands of the hostile media when a champion football player, Rob McIntyre, is charged with a series of vicious rapes. 

McIntyre is released without trial when his mother and girlfriend alibi him for every one of the rapes.  Later, his weaselly lawyer is attacked and nearly beaten to death, and later still Rob himself is found half-dead in an alley.  Suspicion falls on the police, who are known to bitterly resent McIntyre’s having gotten off being tried for the crimes.

This is only one of the cases that’s keeping the station stretched to the limits of its manpower and beyond.  Also on the docket is the case of a murderous eight-year-old; a bondage club death that looks at first like murder but then looks accidental but then looks like murder again; a particularly nasty porno ring; and one of the worst amateur productions of the Mikado you’ll ever hear about.  It may be hard to believe, but all of these tie up together by the end of the book, and McBride does it very neatly indeed.

McBride conveys the atmosphere of Aberdeen and its inhabitants but resists the urge to replicate the dialect except for a few flourishes here and there. Anyone who’s ever spent an evening drinking with an Aberdonian will know how wise a decision this was.

“Bloodshot” starts with a fairly gory few pages which might put off the faint-hearted, but persevere and you will find a story that’s a cut above most police procedurals; one that will keep you reading til well past your bedtime.

New Mystery Reader Magazine  editor@newmysteryreader.com