Stumpy, The Three-Legged Alligator, The Trailer

Devil’s Playground by D. P. Lyle

Sam is a deputy in Mercer’s Corner a tiny town in the desert.   The story begins with a satanist’s conviction for the foul murder of three children.   Richard Earl Garrett believes he is connected to the devil and he seems blithely unconcerned about his confession to murder and subsequent conviction.   The plot includes Nathan, a tabloid journalist seen by Sam as a bottom-feeding slime bucket.

Sparks fly between Nathan and Samantha.  Their mating dance is interwoven throughout the story.   Manson like followers of Richard Earl Garrett show up in town and murders begin.  

Lyle creates a lot of tension.  The fearful community, the insanely attractive slimeball journalist, the town’s mayor, Reverend Billy, an unscrupulous pseudo evangelist all seem pitted against each other.

The tension carries to the end and as this is the first in a series featuring Sam, you can guess he survives the terror-stricken town’s ire.

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

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