The Lost by Jeffrey B. Burton

If you are a dog person you will love this book but be aware that there may be things that will give you issues.   Mason Reid and the kids are back.   The kids are a Golden Retriever, two Collies, a German Shepard, and a bloodhound pup.   Mason is a human remains detection specialist or the parent of the human remains detecting pooches.   The gang is called in when a financier’s wife and daughter are kidnapped.  

The author depicts extraordinary talents in the dogs.  He also clearly shows the level of commitment that dogs give to their human parents.  Love, loyalty, and bravery are not strictly human traits.  The dogs show those traits in spades.   I particularly like the dog’s distinctive personalities. Sue, the patriarch, German Shepard is lord of all he sees.   Vira though is practically a paranormal phenomenon. 

The story includes a psychopathic vigilante whose behavior has consequences beyond his short-sighted goals of demented right and wrong.

Mason whose social skills need honing is still yearning Kippy, his now more than just friend, cop.

I really enjoyed the book and 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. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases if you click on a purchasing link below.#CommissionsEarned

Reckoning by Catherine Coulter

Dillion and Savich are back.  Things are different with having a child.   Both are impacted.  A new protagonist is Griffin Hammersmith another FBI agent.   There are two plots to this book.  One Molly and her gangster father and two Hammersmith and a 12-year-old crime victim.

I found that the two stories both worked well but there was the potential for confusion, much like reading two crime novels simultaneously.  

Coulter did a nice job of providing a back story without being obvious about it

I enjoy Coulter’s books and this was no exception, I highly 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. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases if you click on a purchasing link below.#CommissionsEarned

Dream Town by David Baldacci

Aloysius Archer is a PI.  He is an unusual PI as he has serious morals and scruples which patently interfere with accumulating money.   He accepts a case on new years eve from a Hollywood screenwriter.   She thinks someone is trying to kill her.

The story goes downhill from there.  Archer finds himself rubbing elbows with the rich and famous and some of those elbows are spiked.   The plot includes a sociopathic thug and a wealth of disgruntled women.  The women illustrate the second-class citizen nature of the early 1950s.   The women are talented, hard-working, and subject to the whims of the men that they ofter save from themselves.

The book had a good hard-nosed detective vibe.  The plot was intricate and included drugs, murder, lying, and cheating. good cops and bad cops.

I enjoyed the book and recommended.

 

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 Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown

This is a very moving tale of a band of brothers who succeeded in winning the gold medal at the 1936  Olympics in Nazi-sanitized Germany. It starts at the University of  Washington in the middle of the Depression.

Joe Rantz is part of the eight-man crew of the Husky Clipper a handmade boat.   The story is not about things or even the sport of rowing but about the young men who came together as a rowing crew and shook the world.   

Joe is not the only character but the author spent time with him and so a great deal of the book focuses on the hardships he faced. 

Due to the popularity of the book, hundreds of reviews if not thousands of reviews have been written.   I found the book a bit slow at times but I found myself moved by the perseverance and patients of this group of young men. 

I have a relative who rows and I have a much greater appreciation of how draining this sport can be. 

This is an excellent book and I highly 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. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases if you click on a purchasing link below.#CommissionsEarned

Long Range by C. J. Box

Joe Pickett is an eclectic game warden.  He seems more into general law enforcement than just poaching and game licenses.   This book deals with an attempted assassination of a local judge and the ensuing fallout.

Joe’s best friend is Nate.  Nate is a former special forces operative who has some anger issues.   Joe and Nate were responsible for taking out a Cartel assassination team in a previous book.  That operation left some baggage that has shown up in this book.

Box does a good job with family relationships.   They seem real.   Joe doesn’t always seem to utilize common sense.   The plot was involved and had some interesting twists.  

I enjoyed the book and 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. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases if you click on a purchasing link below.#CommissionsEarned