The Maze by Nelson DeMille

John Corey is back for another adventure.  This time his shortcomings are used by his friends to maneuver him into infiltrating a PI firm that his friends feel is bogus.

I’ve not read any Corey stories lately.   I recall them more fondly than this book.   John Corey in this book has a boundless ego and little self-control.  Snark usually amuses me but it was carried to extremes in this characterization.  It was almost like DeMille was trying to write a eminently dislikeable character.

I enjoyed the book anyway but this would not rank in my top five DeMille books. 

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases if you click on a purchasing link below.#CommissionsEarned

The Phantom Glare of Day by M. Lazzlo

This book was not my cup of tea.   I couldn’t get into it, I tried.   It is three novellas and not one of them captured my attention.   I’m not sure how to characterize the stories, romance, psychological introspection, and coming of age, for me, it was hard to say.

I suspect if you are into romantic fiction you might like this book.

I didn’t. 

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases if you click on a purchasing link below.#CommissionsEarned

The Body In The Alley by James Dain

Keith is a bouncer.  Things go awry one night and he finds himself involved with Shawn Toomey a notorious killer.   Keith’s life goes downhill from there.

Keith’s inability to commit has a bearing on the plot.

This is a short story.  It was entertaining and I liked 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. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases if you click on a purchasing link below.#CommissionsEarned

The Hunt by Faye Kellerman

This book is two plots that merge near the end of the book.   I’m not familiar with the characters from any previous books so I don’t know if there is a backstory to tell but it appears there may be.   Chris Donatti runs a legal bordello.  His ex-wife comes to him for help escaping her current husband.   Peter Decker is a detective who retired from LAPD and currently working in the small town of Greenbury.  He has an unsolved murder that he wants to solve before he retires to Israel.

Chris Donatti is a high-functioning psychopath.  He is a semi-recovered addict and runs his lucrative but tiny empire with a tight fist.   Terry, his ex-wife is a medical doctor who can’t see that she is the classic abuse victim apologizing for her behavior that “forced” her abuser’s behavior.   Neither character is likable.  

Decker and Rina, his wife, are likable, affable, generous family-focused people.    Their side of the dual plots is less fraught with profaneness and depravity. 

The story comes together and solutions are found. 

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases if you click on a purchasing link below.#CommissionsEarned

Forget Me by Lisa Sherman

Claire is a successful businesswoman whose life is turned upside down by her murder or was it.   The story revolves around a missing, presumed dead woman and her doppelganger.  

This was a good story but I am not fond of the before and after sequencing of the writing.   It worked but I don’t like that back-and-forth technique. 

It was a good mystery and I recommend it with the above caveat.

 This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases if you click on a purchasing link below.#CommissionsEarned

Stumpy, The Three Legged Alligator an Oral Reading

Kids seem to live on their devices. This is a reading of the book, Stumpy, The Three-Legged Alligator. The book is read by the author in the hopes that it might encourage kids to read books on their devices or perhaps to even read real paper books.  Stumpy is an inspirational tale of not letting an impairment define your life.  Please share. This is a BETA. #impairment #books #reading

The Girl Who Escaped by Mark Nolan

Although Jake and Cody figure prominently in this book, Brenda the anal-retentive FBI agent seems to be the subtle main protagonist.  A young woman and her friends are drugged partying on South Beach and kidnapped.  The kidnapping goes array and thus begins the blot.

Angie is the girl who escaped.   The trials she goes through are epic but Jake and Cody are there to help.   A  sociopathic thug and an egomaniacal pseudo-prince combine as the villains.

Lots of action although Jake and Cody are dramatically less lethal than in some of their previous stories.

I enjoyed the story and recommend it. 

UPDATE:  My wife read the book and LOVED it.   So a double review.

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases if you click on a purchasing link below.#CommissionsEarned