Revenge: No Statute of Limitations by Whit Gentry

 If you carry a grudge, you will find a pair of kindred souls in this debut thriller.  

Whit Gentry has successfully created a positive reputation with his first book.   His characters were believable and portrayed with clarity and panache.   I found myself highly outraged at the circumstance and oddly sympathetic.  

Evoking emotion always indicates to me a consummate story teller.   Whit has certainly evoked emotions in this book.   A masterful display of creative ambivalence characterizes the plot.  

I look forward to reading more from Whit Gentry.

I highly recommend the book.

Body of work of Whit Gentry

Web site:  http://whitgentry.com/bio

CSI Crime Scene Investigation, The Burning Season By Jeff Marriotte

 
This book reads like a script for the TV show CSI.  If you like the TV show you will love the book.  You find characters you already know immersed in fast paced action.
I happen to like the TV show CSI so I was predisposed to like the book.    I was not disappointed.  I think that someone who isn't familiar with the show might have a little difficulty because there is not a lot of background data on the characters. 

There are multiple scenarios running simultaneously.  The author sets a good pace and the book is an easy read.

I recommend the book.

Body of work of Jeff Marriotte

Web Site: http://www.jeffmariotte.com/main.htm

Stolen Lives by Jassy Mackenzie

This book deals with the despicable practice of human trafficking.   Jade De Jong is a private detective who stumbles into a human trafficking ring.

If you are squeamish, you probably don’t want to read this book.   It is graphic and it details some pretty gruesome events.  With that said, it is a good mystery with a likeable female protagonist who survives in a Johannesburg that seems akin to the wildest days of the U.S. west. 

Jade’s characterization is excellent and Mackenzie clearly provides a detailed, colorful background and motivation.   The story jumps from the U.K. to Johannesburg and back.   Occasionally I lost track of where I was supposed to be.

I don’t know how accurate the author’s description of Johannesburg might be but it certainly provided an appropriate setting for her story.  

There is plenty of action and violence.   The book is disturbing but it is a good story and does illustrate a seamy trade that is hidden in the dark corners of our world.

I recommend it. 

Body of work of Jassy Mackenzie

Web Site: http://www.jassymackenzie.com/

Coming Back by Marcia Muller

Sometimes I feel like I live in a cave. I am frankly shocked that I have never read a Sharon McCone mystery before. Marcia Muller seems to have a ton of books out there and I have missed them all. I intend to remedy that situation.

Coming Back details the recovery of private investigator Sharon McCone from a gun shot wound acquired in a previous book. Her introspection as to her recovery is interrupted by a double kidnapping. Who is responsible and what transpires is the meat of the novel.

Ms. Muller does an excellent job in providing a reality check on her characters. They are multi-dimensional and quite human. They could be friends or family they seem so normal. She allows them to be frail, frightened and extraordinary, simultaneously.

The story had enough twists and turns to satisfy every Machiavellian obsessed reader. Torn from the pages of corporate scandals and Black Water covert ops, this mystery keeps you guessing until the very end. Sharon McCone’s tenacity and compassion make her a very likeable protagonist.

I highly recommend the book.

Body of work of Marcia Muller

Web Site:

Still Missing by Chevy Stevens

Anne is a Realtor. Her open house disastrously morphs into something disturbingly different. Her experience is compounded by an ultimate betrayal; her return to sanity remains a question throughout the book, a grossly disturbing mystery.

I had trouble reading this book. The situation is horrific to the extreme. Anne faces things that no person should have to face. Her responses seemed quite natural for the scenario. Chevy Steven did a nice job portraying such strong emotions. She also did a masterful job of misdirection which completely shadowed the true perpetrators. There were some characters that held up well in the story. This was a story of family conflict and emotional soul searching.

I recommend the book.

Body of work of Chevy Stevens

Web site:

The Time Pirate by Ted Bell

In the tradition of Tom Swift and The Hardy Boys this book is a rollicking good time for the young reader and those of us young in heart. Nick McIver is a young man with a time machine. In this adventure he faces historic events in American history, pirates and Nazis.

Ted Bell does an excellent job of recreating the feel of the grand adventures I read as a boy. Nick McIver is pure of heart and free of malice. He attacks life with gusto and with the characteristic disregard for fear illustrated so well by Tom Swift. The character shows decision making and wisdom far beyond his chronological age. He thrusts himself into situations adults would fear to approach. He incites loyalty in adults who indulge his adventurous nature and who give him full rein to jump into exceedingly dangerous situations. So much of the book is totally outrageous in that any adult that knowingly allowed a young teen to do what Nick does in this book would be committed, arrested or pilloried for their behavior. This is probably what will make the book enormously successful for the young reader.

I heartily recommend it.

Body of work of Ted Bell


Site:

Last Man Standing by David Baldacci

Apparently Baldacci decided he needed more action in his books. Well, he certainly went over the top on this one. The book has kidnapping, murder, sex, swat teams, guns, more guns, drug abuse, radical fringe groups, wealth, privilege, anguish, guilt and more of the same. This is a serious page turner whose major theme is dealing with guilt and anger. That isn’t going to be obvious until you work through the book. Some solid psychiatric principles were at work in this book. Baldacci writes a truly compelling tale. Read it!

Body of work of David Baldacci

Review: http://www.mostlyfiction.com/spy-thriller/baldacci.htm
Page down, it really is on that page.

Web Site: http://www.davidbaldacci.com/web/