Vanished by Whit Gentry

Once again, unpleasant but very real issues are tackled by Gentry.   A slightly different take on human trafficking leads Jake Littleton and friends to vigilante justice.

Jake Littleton is again a bit of an afterthought.  He really doesn’t fit prominently in the story except for his organizational skills.   Gentry has softened up a bit, the body count was kept to a minimum in this book.  There were more successful attempts at negotiation and thusly fewer bodies.

The author has a strong penchant for biblical justice.   The eventual justice meted out was particularly creative.   The only loose end I found was the Chinese detective.   Possibly I missed the connection but I’m not sure why he was included in the book.

I admit to a fondness for Gentry’s biblical justice, one only has to read the newspaper (a news format printed on paper and available for home delivery for you podcast people) to see how money and position lead to minimal or no punishment.

I had an audible chuckle when one surprise character was introduced, reminiscent of Stan Lee, Alfred Hitchcock and Clive Cussler.

I enjoyed the book and I recommend it.

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.

Oh, Henry by Morgen Bailey

A woman and a talking dog walked into a bar…   Nope but there is a talking dog and a woman.  The plot centers on Henry, a talking dog.  Gwynne his keeper and best friend and Dr. Moss are responsible for Henry and his talking.

The interplay between Henry and various humans is the main focus of the story.   The interplay and Henry’s thoughts and responses are quite humorous.   Bailey does a nice job presenting the world from a dog’s point of view.

Gwynne and Henry team up as detectives and that teaming appears to be the direction this series will take.

I enjoyed the book. 

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.

Gone for Good by Harlan Coben

Whew!  This book is like riding the bull after four shots of bourbon, wild and crazy! Coben has never been better.  The plot is Byzantine complex.   The characters are real and the emotions are high.  A murder, remorse, revenge and redemption are all part of the plot.

Family ties are stretched to the limit and beyond when murder occurs.   A trio of psychopaths, although the Ghost exhibits many traits of a sociopath his meticulous planning strongly indicates he is a psychopath, dominate the villains.  

Will grows dramatically in the story.   His willingness to give up and stand behind others undergoes a transformation.   Who people really are is clearly shown by deceit, manipulation and transference.  Coben did a masterful job at creating intricately flawed personalities with surprisingly redemptive characteristics.

I really enjoyed this book and strongly recommend it. 

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.

Apprehension by Mark Bergin

This was a tough book to like.  The main character, John Kelly, suffers some life changing trauma early in the book.  Kelly, a police officer, is struggling to recover from the trauma.   The book details the life of a cop and the issues they face.

The courtroom and its vagrancies are also in this book.   Public defenders are shown defending people who they don’t like and, in some cases, know that the miscreants should be incarcerated.   The difficulty in having personal relationships as a cop and as an attorney are shown.

Bergin pulls no punches and brings a gritty realism to his work.   Kelly is a man out of control.   Someone needs to step in but his family is no help.

I can’t say I found the style of writing captivating but the message and story are compelling.

I have friends and relatives who are cops who struggle with the negativity that has most recently surrounded their work.  I have a friend who has defended people he really abhorred but he believes they have a right to a defense.   Bergin brought home many feelings in this book.

It is a sad and some times hard to read book that I recommend.

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.

Missing by James Patterson and Kathryn Fox

This is apparently part of a series as it is referred to as a Private novel.  Private being a corporation that does back ground checks and PI work.   A enigmatic and charismatic CEO disappears and his daughter hires Private to find him.   In a dual plot category, a woman is murdered and it appears to be surrogate related.

There was no overlap on the dual plots with the exception of the employees of Private.   It seems neither plot was sufficient to be stand alone so combining the two made for a book.  

The characters were not portrayed with a great deal of depth with the possible exception of Eliza.   She was inspiring for rising above her personal issues.  

I enjoyed the book. 

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.

The Good Spy Dies Twice by Mark Hosack

This was a who-dun-it with the added trappings of multiple victims.   An investigative reporter’s career crashes, he finds love, deceit, murder and conspiracy.

Hosack paints a good character in Jake, who is flawed in so many ways.   The plot is intricate and colorful.   This was more mystery than spy story.   The setting was nothing less than chilly. 

Hosack’s descriptive prose provided a shiver on an otherwise sweltering night.

This was a good story with a solid plot.

I recommend it.

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.