Tag Archives: crime/thrillers

Amy Caudill’s Reviews : Holmes, Marple & Poe

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Holmes, Marple & Poe by James Patterson

Holmes, Marple & Poe (Holmes, Margaret & Poe #1) by James Patterson (Goodreads Author), Brian Sitts

Amy Caudill‘s review

From the genius of James Patterson and Brian Sitts, comes this new novel about three private investigators that may or may not be related to three legends of detective fiction.  The trio sets up practice in present-day New York City, and immediately proceeds to solve several baffling crimes while making enemies of the police commissioner and mayor.  Their only official/unoffical ally is a Detective Lieutenant Helene Grey.

Holmes, like his fictional namesake, is able to discern many clues from the scents that frequently overwhelm him, and also has, like the fictional Sherlock, a heroin addiction.  Poe, named for the author of some of the earliest crime fiction, is a womanizer and rare car collector with a trouble past who is skilled at computer programming, and under-the-table hacking. Marple is a singularly mysterious lady with numerous shady connections to some well-placed government officials.

While they are investigating several cases that include an art heist, a kidnapping, and a possible serial murderer, the trio continues to embarrass the police department with their superior work and manage to become suspects in themselves.  However, they seem more than willing to save the day and see the truly deserving punished.

The authors take the time to set up the main characters well, and even include a romance for Poe’s character, with hints about a tragedy in his past.  There are also several well-developed secondary characters, including a secretary for the agency who makes several real contributions to their work and cases.

There is also plenty of action, with car chases, gun fights, and a chase that leads to an underground bunker under a crypt, as well as several twists in the mysteries presented by the various cases the partners undertake.

My only real complaint about the book is that the in the end, the trio seems to be at least temporarily breaking up.  Though Detective Grey is at least suspicious that their assumed identities are not authentic, she seems willing to overlook this because of the results they get in aiding the city. However, with Holmes off to rehab and Marple on the road, it seems unlikely that this may ever be the series I would like to see.

I give this novel four stars, and recommend to fans of classic detective fiction as well as fans of Patterson and modern crime novels.

Absence and Book Review

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Hello, dear followers and friends. I have not fallen off the face of the earth. I have just had to be away for awhile because of demands on my time from work, family, and holiday events, but I hope to be back more frequently now. I am trying to make writing a priority again, as it hasn’t been in a while, and I apologize to anyone this has affected. So now I present my first book review of the year, and plan to continue posting semi-regularly in the future. 

Amy Caudill’s Reviews : Win

Win by Harlan Coben

Win (Windsor Horne Lockwood III, #1) by Harlan Coben (Goodreads Author)

Amy Caudill‘s review

Jan 17, 2024  

When Windsor Horne Lockwood III, Win to his few friends and family, is invited to a crime scene by the FBI, he is automatically wary and aware that something unusual is occurring.  He realizes quickly this case has nothing to do with his recent bout of vigilantism that he perpetrated on a girlfriend beater and rapist, but rather to do with events that happened to his family twenty plus years ago.

His billionaire family loaned two priceless masterpieces to a university only for them to be stolen.  One of the pieces, which has been missing for twenty years, has just been recovered at a murder scene where the victim has been identified as a fugitive domestic terrorist, who has been missing even longer.  Even more telling, a suitcase with Win’s own initials is also found at the scene- a suitcase Win gave to his cousin, who was abducted from a different murder scene in the past.

Thanks to his mentor/friend/former handler with the FBI, a man who goes by PT, Win is allowed to investigate these events on his own terms as he looks for the rest of the domestic terrorist group, and how they are linked to the art theft, kidnapping of his cousin and murder of her father in the past. 

Win has advantages the official police and FBI do not to help him in these tasks.  For one, he is a billionaire with all kinds of contacts.  For another, he is a master of multiple martial arts and weapons, without a fear of getting his hands dirty.  In fact, more than once he compares himself to Bruce Wayne, a rich vigilant able to enact his own form of justice.

As he investigates these cold cases and how they tie into recent events, Win uncovers a lot of family secrets that perhaps are better off left buried, and must decide how much can be revealed and who in his opinion deserves punishment.

When I began reading this book, I was unaware the title character is the best friend/sidekick in the author Harlan Coben’s Myron Bolitar series, which I have obviously not read yet.  I was impressed with how deeply developed Win’s character is; he is egotistical, violent, and smart, and a dangerous adversary in his own right.  He is unapologetic about his choices, his vices, and his preferred methods of finding justice, but he does have some (closely guarded) vulnerabilities that keep him from being completely unlikeable. 

I give this book four stars and recommend it to fans of action and detective stories, with a disclaimer about some of the gratuitous violence and adult themes present.  I will probably check out more of the main series with Myron Bolitar as I have time, and compare the levels and methods that character uses to this one.

Amy Caudill’s Reviews : The Lost Island

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The Lost Island by Douglas Preston

The Lost Island by Douglas Preston (Goodreads Author), Lincoln Child
Amy Caudill‘s review

 When Gideon is approached by Glinn to steal a page from a famous Illuminated manuscript, on display in New York and in broad daylight from inside an incredibly secure exhibition, he has to think twice before accepting the challenge.  What clinches it for him is when Glinn hints that a secret map with the key to a “miracle cure” is hidden underneath the text.  A mysterious benefactor wants to find and distribute the cure that may possibly save Gideon’s life, as well as heal Glinn’s injuries.

Gideon finds himself summarily teamed with an inhospitable partner and recreating the voyage of Odysseus on the trail of a lost tropical island.  While on the course of this mission, they will encounter the last remnant of a civilization straight out of myth, and face a heartbreaking ethical dilemma.

The authors skillfully tie this latest book into their prior novel The Ice Limit, which introduces Eli Glinn and Effective Engineering Solutions; the mission where Glinn met his first real career failure and received his crippling injuries.  Glinn’s obsession and guilt over repairing the damage done on that mission to himself and others and undoing its consequences have overwhelmed his judgement.  His entire team, not just Gideon and Amiko, as well as the previously lost island come into great risk from his actions and lack of self-control.

Although Glinn’s motives are partially altruistic, as the secret client, a fact not revealed till near the end, his goal to fix his biggest mistake ends up causing another catastrophe.  He learns the hard way, and many pay the price for his hubris, that he is not fallible, and his methodology for preventing failure by mapping out all possible failures cannot conceivable account for every variable. 

Glinn is forced to admit he needs Gideon’s impulsive, instinctive methods to counter and balance his own methods.  Only his admission of his limitations gains Gideon’s continued assistance on the next mission.  While the “cure” seems to be helping Glinn, Gideon does not appear to be so lucky, so the only real thing he has left to live for is the chance to do so good before he dies.

This story, a definite departure from previous books in the series as it takes several fantastical turns, is nevertheless an excellent thrilling adventure.  Gideon’s character continues to grow as he wrestles with his conscience and awareness of his mortality.  It is nice to see other characters are capable of growth and change as well.

I award this book four point five stars for originality and amazing action, as well as depth of character and plots that tie into the authors’ greater universe.  I look forward to reading the next book in the series, but I may have to reread the original The Ice Limit book to refresh my memory before I go forward.  Still, this book and the Gideon Crew series are must-reads for fans of thrillers and mysteries, as well as fans of modern day treasure hunting stories.

Amy Caudill’s Reviews : Gideon’s Sword

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Gideon's Sword by Douglas Preston

Gideon’s Sword (Gideon’s Crew #1) by Douglas Preston (Goodreads Author), Lincoln Child
Amy Caudill‘s review

I’ve long been a fan of the writing partners Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child.  Their Pendergast series is among my favorites.  The duo has also written another series that is only peripherally linked to that series by virtue of a supporting character that appears in both series, Eli Glinn.

Since I have (for now) finished reading the one series, I decided to turn my attention to the other.  Gideon Crew is a maverick in his early thirties who has had a difficult life, beginning with the trauma of watching his father gunned down in front of him when he was twelve for alleged treason.

A few years later, Gideon’s mother, on her deathbed, tells Gideon that his father was framed and she expects him to avenge his father’s death.  She tells Gideon to take his time; to learn; to grow; to study so that he can make those responsible for destroying their family pay. 

Gideon takes her words to heart, and the next few years see him making a career for himself as both an engineer and a jewel thief, honing skills necessary to take down a retired army officer who still has numerous contacts in the government.  This actually comprises only the first part of the book, which then takes an interesting turn.

Apparently the head of Effective Engineering Solutions, Inc., a firm specializing in “fixing” issues for multiple governments and interest groups headed by Eli Glinn, was impressed by Gideon’s takedown and want to recruit him.  They need him to help save the world as we know it; or at least intercept a Chinese scientist who may or may not be defecting and who may or may not have the details of a weapon of mass destruction with him.  Oh, and he arrives in the States in only a few hours. 

Naturally the mission is compromised by a Chinese assassin, Nodding Crane, who also is after the scientist.  Also, Eli Glinn delivers the news that Gideon Crew has only one year left to live.  Will he rise to the challenge by going undercover against Chinese and American agents, learn the truth about the “weapon” and avenge the death of his girlfriend; or will he take the money and retreat to his fishing cabin to live out what is left of his life?

(Spoilers!) Gideon leads the reader on a wild ride from start to finish, including a standoff worthy of the best of Preston and Child.  This new character, so different from the protagonists of their other joint series, is a reckless, irreverent, and wise-cracking, version of an anti-hero who doesn’t pull punches or hold back when lives or truth is on the line. 

I award this book four stars and look forward to reading the rest of the series.

Amy Caudill’s Reviews : Crooked River

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Crooked River by Douglas Preston

Crooked River (Pendergast, #19) by Douglas Preston (Goodreads Author), Lincoln Child
Amy Caudill‘s review

Aloysius Pendergast’s vacation just wants a vacation with his ward, Constance Greene, when the new assistant director of the FBI, Walter Pickett, interrupts to send him on the most baffling case of his career.  Over a hundred disembodied feet wash ashore on Sanibel Island, Florida, each wearing identical green shoes.

Pendergast agrees to take the case, with the caveat that Pickett will allow him to use his own substantial latitude in the investigation, unlike the handicap of regulations he was required to conform to in the last book, Verses for the Dead. Part of this “latitude” translates into recalling his partner in the previous case, Agent Coldmoon, who is still recovering from his injuries suffered in line of duty.

The tension is broken somewhat early in the book by a humorous scene where the Coast Guard Commander Baugh, who is the nominal head of the task force investigating, decides to cross into Cuban waters to get surveillance footage of possible beheadings related to the source of the feet.  Unfortunately for the commander but fortunately for averting an international incident, the “beheadings” he allegedly witnesses is actually a volleyball game between prisoners and guards in a Cuban prison.

Forensic evidence soon reveals that all the amputations are self-inflicted, which raises even more questions as to why?  What could possess these people, who are discovered to be immigrants trying to illegally cross into the US from Guatemala, to cause them all to sever one of their own feet in an eerily similar manner?

Each chapter takes a different point of view as a number of subplots and interactions between various characters, major and minor, add to the increasing complexity of the overall story line.  The authors, Preston and Child, have long mastered this style; often writing alternate chapters (according to their shared website.)

Three quarters into the story, the authors reveal that the title takes its name form a location in the Florida Panhandle, a river near the site of a trench where the feet were stored, and carried away during a flood.  What will the investigators, separated by different branches on inquiry, learn about this hidden location, and will they be able to stop this horrible fate from happening to anyone else?  The answers lie in a quasi-military base conducting banned experiments with psychotropic drugs.

I don’t want to give any more spoilers, but I will say that this novel equals any of the best previous in the Pendergast series, and there are hints of another epic book to come as Pickett plays interference again in the final chapter of Crooked River.

I award this book five stars and recommend this series to any readers of police procedurals, thrillers, and even paranormal detective stories, though those particular elements are light in this book.  The story could well be enjoyed by those not familiar with the series, but some nuances will escape those who have not read previous volumes, so consider going back and reading more of the series.

Amy Caudill’s Reviews : City of Endless Night

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City of Endless Night by Douglas Preston
City of Endless Night (Pendergast, #17) by

Douglas Preston (Goodreads Author), and Lincoln Child
50275498

Amy Caudill‘s review

Jan 29, 2019

This latest installment of the long-running series starring Aloysius X. L. Pendergast, oft-rogue FBI agent, is unlike so many of the authors’ previous works.  Fans of the series have come to expect Pendergast to delve into cases that flirt with the mystical, occasionally delve into the paranormal, and frequently feature macabre murders and even creepier villains.

I am happy to report that while City of Endless Night breaks this mold, the story does not suffer for it in terms of action, suspense, and chilling details.

Pendergast, ably aided by sometimes-partner Lieutenant Vincent D’Agosta of the NYPD, investigate a series of murder/decapitations that present more questions with each subsequent victim.  Is there one killer at work? Two?  A copycat?  Or even more?  The bodies pile up, the suspects dry up, and D’Agosta feels the pressure from the mayor and the police brass, but he’s left flailing by Pendergast who is inexplicably off his usual game.

The novel lacks Pendergast’s usual trip into his mind palace to find hidden clues; instead the preternaturally cognizant detective seems distracted, even disinterested at the beginning of the story.  This turn of events actually helps the plot though; no hint of the actual killer is given until three-quarters of the way through the book.

What follows is sheer classic Pendergast-a manhunt with an intelligent, cunning, and utterly ruthless murderer who seeks the ultimate “big game” hunt, pitting himself against a quarry he considers worthy of his attention, Pendergast himself.

I award this latest Pendergast thriller five stars, and am happy that although this is the seventeenth addition to the series, the authors have found a way to keep the characters fresh, and the plot both entertaining and unpredictable.