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click on links for buying info The Quest for Anna Klein by Thomas H. Cook An Otto Penzler Book; Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Reviewed by Joe Obermaier, New Mystery Reader The Quest for Anna Klein is a tale told within a tale. We start with an elderly Thomas Jefferson Danforth meeting with a young Paul Crane, a worker at a Washington think-tank summoned to interview Danforth a few months after 9/11. It seems Danforth has had “an experience” which might be relevant to those making policy in the wake of the attack on the Twin Towers. The tale Danforth relates is the inner tale and concerns his unexpected recruitment in 1939 into “the Project,” a covert operation planned for the outbreak of the Second World War. Danforth is initially only to provide a place where a certain woman (the eponymous heroine Anna Klein) can receive training in covert actions. Anna is an enigma. She is a linguist with a dark, hidden past; a natural actress who can slip from persona to persona with ease. Danforth quickly falls in love with her, but things inevitably go wrong and Anna vanishes mid-operation leaving him with only questions. Who is Anna Klein? Who was she working for? And what went wrong? The quest for Anna and her fate begins in earnest, sending Danforth on a decades-long search across the globe to uncover the answers. The story’s point of view swings back and forth between the meeting in 2001 and Danforth’s “little parable.” The tale unfolds into a romance of deception and duplicity; it is a tale of the unexpected twists in life that change the plans we thought we had, and deals honestly with questions of revenge and forgiveness. This is a truly dark and many-layered novel. But is it a mystery? Well, yes, it is a mystery, and it is also an espionage thriller, a love story and an historical epic. Don’t look for red herrings and the usual suspects in this genre-bending tale; they aren’t there. The plot is precisely woven, full of double-crosses and deception, choices and consequences, that in the end make perfect sense and never come across as gimmicky. The writing is likewise elegantly constructed; there is no doubt that we are in the hands of a master craftsman with a gift for rich, lush language. The novel defies easy categorization and is elevated instead into the realm of quality literature. My sole reservation is that it seemed at first to take a long time to get there. The novel begins with a slow pace, a pace that doesn’t pick up until much later. Early on, Danforth holds forth repeatedly with a series of fortune cookie aphorisms and blatant foreshadowing in the “Had I But Known” vein that quickly grows tiresome. I found myself repeatedly longing for their return to the story set in the thirties and forties and wishing they would just stay there. But when the novel does take off, it’s a real page-turner. Those scattered threads of characters and stories from across the novel (and Danforth’s life) are woven back together seamlessly in a series of surprise twists, none of which I anticipated. It is only in the final pages that everything becomes wonderfully, and startlingly, clear.
Waist Deep : A Stefan Kopriva novel by Frank Zafiro Reviewed by Karen Treanor, New Mystery Reader Anyone who wondered what happened to Stef Kopriva after he dropped out of the River City series can find out in this new stand-alone novel by that master of noir, Frank Zafiro. Kopriva’s living in a spartan apartment in a run-down part of town and by means of well-integrated flashbacks, Zafiro illustrates what happened to the tough but sensitive cop after he left the force. Eaten up by guilt demons, Stef crawled into a bottle and took a long time to reach bottom. He found a precarious balance and might have gone on barely existing but for bumping into an old school friend. Not a friend, really; an acquaintance—but a man with a problem that somehow makes Stef care about something again. Matt Sinderling’s 16 year old daughter Kris has gone missing. The police aren’t interested in what they term just another runaway, but Matt is desperate. He convinces Stef to try and find her, and reluctantly, Stef starts to do so. Almost against his will, he’s drawn into the case deeper when he discovers a lot of really nasty people involved in making movies you wouldn’t take Aunt Hattie to see. While he’s tracking the missing girl, Stef gets some rough treatment and loses one of the few possessions he treasures, but he also runs into the kindness of strangers when he most needs it. Unfortunately the old saying is proved right, “Lie down with dogs, get up with fleas”. His attempts to put rescue Kris from the nasties leads to Stef’s coming to the attention of his former colleagues on the River City police force, who jump to the conclusion he’s involved in the underage porn industry. The book comes to a rather surprising but perhaps inevitable conclusion, leaving the reader wondering what might be next for Kopriva. Will he go up the ladder, or slip back into the snake pit? This is the second book in recent years that’s brought Humphrey Bogart to my mind. This is his sort of story, and if there were an actor of that type around today, this book could make a confronting and probably prize-winning film. “Zafiro” means sapphire in Spanish, and in the old days, sapphires were thought to be an antidote to poison. I can’t help wonder if this author chose his nom de plume for the same reason, and exorcises some of what he’s experienced as a working copper through his writing. Definitely worth the price of admission. (It’s available in print or as an e-book.)
Breaking Silence by Linda Castillo Publisher: Minotaur Books Reviewed by Stephanie Padilla, New Mystery Reader Small town Painter's Creek, the bucolic village that's a mixture of Amish and non-Amish, is where Police Chief Kate Burkholder is assigned to instill law and order. And as it turns out, this town and the different cultures, especially the Amish, are no strangers to her. But having been raised as Amish, while a teen she was forced to leave the clan after a tragic event left one man dead and the aftereffects led Kate down a very dark path. So when Kate is called to an Amish farm where three adults have died in a deep hole of waste for the animals, at fist she's quick to agree with the others involved that it looks like an accident. But after questioning the surviving victims, two of them head-strong teens, she begins to doubt the initial conclusions. A feeling soon supported by the M.E.'s determinations of death; this was not in fact an accident but, instead, murder. And as Kate feels a certain connection to two of the victim's daughters, she finds herself becoming more and more emotionally involved with the entire case, a closeness that just might be clouding her judgment. After all, she's been down the road of tragedy, and even though she's since left the flock, her heart still connects to the trials and tribulations of this highly misunderstood sect. But as she slowly uncovers the truth, she'll be shocked when it's discovered who is truly responsible for the crimes, a truth that will make her give her own past a second glance, along with her final understanding of how behind the image of purity there can lie a multitude of sins. Ironically, when this title came out, I had just finished watching several documentaries on the Amish lifestyle; in particular, those involving young adults and their often times difficult decision to return to the Amish way after a foray into the "real world." That being said, I think Castillo has more than managed to portray this way of life in a compassionate and understanding way. Her realistic depiction, and the trials and tribulations her character goes through, come off as sincere, sometimes heartbreaking, and altogether human. And if that's not enough for most readers, she throws in plenty of twists and turns to keep things interesting until the end. Add plenty of blowing snowstorms and snaps of cold to highlight a dreary and windswept ambience and you're left with what might perhaps be her best in the series. This one is a keeper.
Murder One by Robert Dugoni Publisher: Touchstone Reviewed by Ray Palen for New Mystery Reader Robert Dugoni has quickly become one of the most exciting writers of legal thrillers working today. His David Sloane series is well above-average as this genre goes and MURDER ONE is a fine addition to this collection of high-octane suspense rides. Coming off the success of the most recent David Sloane effort, WRONGFUL DEATH, David is dealing with two wrongful deaths. The first was the family of the young boy who was killed as a result of negligence at the hands of a toy company empire. The second was the murder of his wife by a hit-man that the evil toy company hired to eliminate the lawyer who ‘never loses’. Sloane has been reeling since these events and bounced around the globe trying to collect himself. He has spent time forgetting himself in the seaside village of Zihuatanejo, Mexico (“The Shawshank Redemption”, anyone?). Now, he has returned to the Pacific Northwest to ease back into his old life, law practice and responsibility of raising a teen-aged son. He bumps into an old rival, Barclay Reid, his opposing counsel from WRONGFUL DEATH. She has softened her look from the last time they met --- and appears to be sweet on Mr. Sloane. Barclay and David instantly hit it off because she too is suffering from a deep personal loss. Her only daughter died of a drug overdose and she holds the local head of the Russian Mafia, an evil man named Filyp Vasiliev, ultimately responsible. As they go on a few innocent dates, the inevitable bonding occurs and David finds himself falling for someone for the first time since his wife, Tina, was murdered. However, Barclay and David’s little romance is abruptly halted when Vasiliev is found shot to death and all evidence points to Barclay Reid as his killer. A .38 gun matching one in her name is the alleged murder weapon and prints from a woman’s size 7 shoes are found outside of Vasiliev’s home. Throw in the fact that Barclay has been quite vocal since Vasiliev escaped prosecution for some of his drug trading and you have what appears to be a slam dunk case for the prosecution. She now is counting on the ‘lawyer that never loses’ to save her. Sloane begins his own investigation into Barclay’s story --- which includes a visit with her vengeful ex-husband, a psychologist named Dr. Oberman. Oberman paints a different picture of Barclay Reid. He claims she is a manipulative and deeply troubled woman who would actually beat herself about the face and neck in order to get him incarcerated on a charge of spousal abuse (prior to divorcing him and costing him his practice). He is also a key witness for the prosecution as he will testify to witnessing Barclay stating she will put a bullet in the head of Vasiliev. As Sloane admirably defends Barclay, he sees his case as an uphill battle and finds himself at odds with both the prosecution and the police detectives determined to put Barclay away for this crime. David Sloane begins to see part of Barclay Reid’s façade crumble and he is faced with the biggest dilemma of his legal career --- is he defending an innocent woman who is being rail-roaded by the system or is he helping an evil, mastermind get away with murder? Robert Dugoni’s novels are always smart, face-paced and unpredictable and his protagonist, David Sloane, comes across as a real human being full of flaws and self-doubt that keeps him from ever being legal cliché. MURDER ONE has more than a few surprises and kept me guessing right up to the final pages.
Unraveled by Maggie Sefton Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime Reviewed by Robin Thomas, New Mystery Reader Kelly Flynn is recovering from a broken heart with the help of her good friends, her passion for knitting and her successful accounting business. The real estate market in Colorado is in bad shape and things get worse when one of the most cutthroat real estate buyers is found dead in a house that he is considering to purchase. What appears to be suicide is actually murder and Kelly is back in the sleuthing business. An antique gun, a plot of land, and a family that has owned the land for over a century are the clues that Kelly follows to find the murderer. Aided by her fellow House of Lambspun knitters, Kelly helps the police to close the case. Unraveled is the 9th book in the Kelly Flynn series. Maggie Sefton envelops the reader in the spectacular rugged beauty of Colorado and the wholesome warmth of the House of Lambspun. Romance is in the mountain air and at times seems to overpower the cozy mystery. Readers that are not followers of the series may be overwhelmed by the large number of secondary characters who are introduced very quickly as the story begins. The author wisely provides a listing of the cast of characters in the front of the book. Unraveled is an entertaining read for the romance as well as the cozy mystery lover.
Misery Bay by Steve Hamilton Publisher: Minotaur Books Reviewed by Ray Palen for New Mystery Reader Steve Hamilton’s latest novel, MISERY BAY, is the 8th in the award-winning Alex McKnight mystery/thriller series. Hamilton took a brief respite from the McKnight series to pen two stand-alone novels that included the Agatha Best Novel Winning, THE LOCK ARTIST. He now returns us to the bleak and stark landscape of Northern Michigan for a new Alex McKnight effort that may be the finest in the series to date. Alex McKnight is a former major leaguer --- playing for his hometown favorite Detroit Tigers --- as well as being an ex-Detroit P.D officer who was forced out of duty after an incident that left his partner dead and himself with a bullet lodged near his heart. He has been spending his days renovating the cabins that he owns and working as a Private Investigator in ‘the Soo’ or Sault St. Marie area of northern Michigan. MISERY BAY may be the darkest entry in the successful McKnight series as the murders involved reveal an evil pattern by a devious individual who is operating on a deadly agenda fueled by revenge. When the son of a police officer is found hung from a tree off of the frozen Misery Bay authorities initially rule a suicide. However, the actual truth behind the events is far more sinister. The boy’s father is the ex-partner of Chief Maven --- the local police Chief and sometime adversary of P.I. McKnight. Maven calls in McKnight for assistance at the boy’s fathers request as they are confident that the act was not one of a suicidal college student. When the father is found murdered in Maven’s very home, McKnight and Maven realize they are dealing with something much bigger. Of course, the FBI gets involved --- this raises the suspicion of Maven and McKnight as well as muddying the waters for their own investigation. The FBI have information about another teen suicide that also is followed up shortly thereafter by the murder of the father (also ex-police). Maven and McKnight, along with the FBI, now recognize that these incidents are all murders that are tied to each other in some way that must involve revenge against these police officers. Making matters worse is the fact that Maven himself may be the target. Thankfully, his wife and daughter are on vacation in Amsterdam and warned not to return until a suspect is apprehended. McKnight does what he does best --- ignore warnings from law enforcement and federal agents and follow his own instincts on a private investigation that always seems to lead him closer to the truth than anyone else is able to get to. Investigation of difficult busts by the two officers that were killed produces a short list of suspects who may want revenge. One in particular, a former actor who has had many run-in’s with the law, is singled out. His name is C.C. Wiley and McKnight makes him the focus of his investigation. It turns out the Wiley and his family (a son and grand-son) run a film production company in Bad Axe, Michigan. Just when McKnight feels that Wiley is his man things take a drastic turn as C.C. Wiley is found dead in the basement of his lakeside cabin. A film spool was left running in front of Wiley’s body. McKnight and Wiley’s son play the film and are horrified when they view each of the murders that have occurred. The question remains --- did Wiley commit these horrible deeds and was he acting alone? The last part of the novel leads McKnight deep into the mind of a demented killer and the past is thrust upon the present as the streak of murders are far from over. With Maven’s wife and daughter returning from Europe --- could they be the next targets? MISERY BAY grabs the reader by the throat and never lets up. Steve Hamilton is an expert at building tension and mastering a plot that is always unpredictable. On top of that, Alex McKnight remains one of the most interesting fictional characters in literature today. What is next for Mr. McKnight? Whatever it is --- I hope we find out soon in this continually top-notch mystery series.
Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. Watson Publisher: Doubleday Reviewed by Ray Palen for New Mystery Reader S. J. Watson has written a debut novel that is one of the most memorable in many years. Ironically, BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP, deals with a woman named Christine Lucas who loses her memory every time she goes to sleep. That plot-line opens the doors to a world of possibilities and Watson takes advantage of the most clever plot twists that keep this a constantly interesting read. Just as Christine faces each day like it is brand new, the reader will enjoy each chapter that uncovers another thread into Christine’s past and a new puzzle piece to help to unlock the secrets of this brilliant novel. The fact that Christine wakes each day next to a husband (Ben) that she doesn’t remember poses a daily problem for said husband as he must post photos and notes around the house to remind her of their relationship. At times, the book felt like watching Christopher Nolan’s brilliant film, “Memento”, where the lead character has no short-term memory and can only form new and fleeting memories. Christine Lucas describes her situation in the following manner: “This is like dying every day. Over and over…I know I’ll go to sleep tonight and then tomorrow I will wake up and not know anything…It’s not life, it’s just an existence…”. To further complicate the situation, Christine has been seeing a Doctor who is attempting to help her gain her memory back and figure out what exactly was the violent attack years earlier that caused her to lose her memory in the first place. The only trouble is that the reader is never quite sure who this “Doctor” is --- and husband Ben has no idea his memory-challenged wife is even seeing him. Things pick up when Christine begins to keep a journal of each day and all that happened to her --- while the thoughts are still fresh in her mind. This allows her to piece together each new day what has transpired in the days and weeks prior. Unfortunately, it also creates new terrors for her as she reads the sentence she wrote in her own hand – “Don’t trust Ben!”. What could this mean? Could the people closest to Christine actually be lying to her and, if so, is there anyone she can trust? When she begins to have memories of a son, Ben has to confess that their only child was actually killed in the War on Terror as a member of the British military. Not only does Christine not remember this but something in the back of her mind tells her that she is not getting the whole story. S.J. Watson has put together a novel that just cries to be made into a film. Low and behold, Ridley Scott’s production has already snatched up the rights to this complex and never dull novel that holds the most brilliant twists for the last few chapters --- sure to keep the reader gasping for breath long before the final page is turned. Well done!
Long Gone by Alafair Burke Publisher: Harper Reviewed by Stephanie Padilla, New Mystery Reader Allison March has spent almost a year unemployed in NYC. And while her famous film producer father is more than capable of keeping her in an expensive loft in the city, dripping in diamonds and furs, that's just not her way. She's determined to make it on her own, even if that means a loss of self-confidence and a deep sense of insecurity while looking for the career that will help her define herself. Which is why when she gets offered the chance of a lifetime, running a gallery in NYC, she jumps at the chance. And even though the man offering the job is unknown to her, it looks like the opportunity she's been waiting for. That is until he shows up dead, and she finds herself accused of not only his murder, but to some nefarious events going on through the gallery. But while finding out why she looks just like the woman who is responsible for everything gone wrong looks like the bigger challenge, little does she know that her search for answers will lead her to secrets wrapped up in events from her past that are far more dangerous, and include those closer to her, than she could have imagined. It's difficult sometimes as a reviewer to justify one's opinion as to why a book succeeds or fails. Is it the characters, the plot, the setting, or something else too intangible to isolate? Sometimes pinpointing these aspects can be difficult; identifying exactly which ones are responsible for failure or success almost impossible. Which is why, now and again, you get a book such as Alafair Burke's latest that has everything going on in just the right way that while it's almost impossible to say exactly why it works so perfectly, you just know that it simply does - in its entirety. Everything comes together in such a symbiotic way that it really doesn't matter why you can't put the book down until the end; you just know that reading it evokes a craving for answers that must be satisfied. Burke gets better with each book she writes, and her most recent books exemplify why one should pick one up as opposed to the latest DVD; she gives the reader brilliant adventures that involve the senses and the heart until the very end, all the while making readers feel that they’re an intricate part of the ride. Check this one out instead of something from the red box at your grocery store next time you need a great story, you'll be glad you did.
Secret of the White Rose by Stefanie Pintoff Publisher: Minotaur Books Reviewed by Joe Obermaier, New Mystery Reader It is 1906 and Judge Hugo Jackson is presiding over the trial of his career, that of anarchist Al Drayson. Drayson, in a failed attempt to blow up a wedding including Andrew Carnegie in New York City, killed instead a group of working-class innocent bystanders, including a child. Judge Jackson, however, has just been found dead in his townhouse, the victim of a slashed throat and perhaps, an anarchist conspiracy, on the eve before the case was set to go to the jury. The police seem content to round up Drayson’s fellow revolutionaries, but Alistair Sinclair, an old friend of the Judge, sees something more and brings Detective Simon Ziele in to help with his investigation. Ziele has just returned to the city, and finds himself quickly out of his precinct’s jurisdiction and out of his league with both the high society victim and the low brow anarchist suspects. Soon another victim is found, and the two realize they must use all their wits and Sinclair’s new-fangled methods to stop the killings before the city erupts in violence. This is the third book in her turn-of-the-century police procedurals featuring Detective Simon Ziele and his friend, the Columbia Law professor and criminologist Alistair Sinclair, but it is the first one that I’ve read. And I must admit I felt a great deal of trepidation as I saw the comparisons to Caleb Carr all over the back cover. The Alienist was a revelation, and to replicate that experience is too high a burden to put on an author’s shoulders – just ask Caleb Carr himself. Pintoff’s series does live within the same milieu, New York around the turn of the century. And like Carr, she wades into the issues and personalities of the past as if holding a mirror to the problems and issues of the present. These anarchists of the last century bear more than a passing resemblance to the terrorists of our own. But don’t read too much into that; this is, after all, a mystery, and mysteries are supposed to be fun. Secret of the White Rose has all the wonderful touches of that era of the classic mystery in which it takes place. The victim is found murdered at home with all the doors and windows locked. There are secrets from the past, red herrings, conspiracy and revenge. There are even ciphers! The mystery is solid, and the pace is satisfying. But the key to the book is the richly described atmosphere of New York at the start of the twentieth century. It has all the touches we’d expect and are familiar with, like tenements, mansions, and horse-drawn carriages, and some that are unexpected, like electric automobiles. And the meals! So lovingly and enticingly described that you’ll wish you could pull up a chair. Pintoff’s recreation of the New York from a century ago is a fun place to spend some time from the safety of your favorite reading chair. And part of the fun of discovering a series after it has begun, is that you get the chance to visit the characters in the books already in print while you wait for the next one. I look forward to catching up.
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