This is Dial's second book in the Josie Corsino series. The first one, Fallen Angels, was a book I enjoyed a year ago. LAPD Capt. Josie Corsino is a character who embodies all of women's torn emotions about job v. family. She has worked hard to reach the rank of captain and loves her job despite some of the other officers she has to deal with daily. For instance, her boss who demands daily reports but never reads them. She then calls Corsino to tell her off for not notifying her of things that were in that daily report. Definitely frustrating.
Corsino has been married for years to a man she still loves and they have a grown son who is the cause of most of the strife in their marriage. Said son lives off of handouts from dad. Then he brings home a woman he's serious about who happens to be about 20 years older than he is. Corsino isn't happy with either situation but between that and her irregular hours for her job, she and her husband are growing apart.
The plot of this book involves a cop shooting a suspended cop in a dark alley. The dead cop had aimed a gun at the cop on duty. The investigation into this shooting uncovers corrupt cops and a hornet's nest of problems in the LAPD. It's a believable scenario starring excellent characters and it kept me turning pages, although I must admit I knew who the bad guys were early on.
My one complaint about Dead Wrong is that Corsino's best friend on the force is a lieutenant who couldn't put a short sentence together without offensive profanity if she had to. Yet not one other character in the book cusses. If Dial has managed to portray various types of characters including street savvy cops without having them swear, why does she have to write in a woman who can't talk without swearing? The lack of profanity in other characters didn't deter Dial from describing them well. Each was unique and well-drawn and this woman's personality alone would have made her sufficiently her own person.
Recommended reading
Source: LibraryThing win
Monday, April 15, 2013
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
THE ACCIDENT MAN by Tom Cain
This thriller has been sitting on my TBR shelf for several years patiently waiting to be read. If only I had known how good it is, I would have read it when I bought it. This one is a real winner.
The plot begins with the death of Princess Diana in Paris. You'll remember, I'm sure, that various conspiracy theories got a lot of attention at the time, and actually some people still believe them. Tom Cain has built an intricate, frightening tale which takes off from that fatal accident.
The major character is an assassin who goes by the name Samuel Carver. Old military friends know him as Pablo Jackson and he has various other identities as well. He is a loner, wouldn't you know, who was given away by his mother when he was born, and who doesn't trust anyone except for a very few close friends. (Sorry about the snide remark about loners. It's a pet peeve of mine.) He seems to be able to survive anything and to be fearless. He is fit and healthy, but mainly he's smart and able to plan ahead quickly. He doesn't know who he works for, only that he has the job because of his old commander in the British military. Someone he knows as Max calls him, gives him the target and then provides him with the supplies he needs. Afterward he deposits lots of money in Carver's bank account. His assassinations are always supposed to look like accidents.
The other major character is a young, beautiful Russian woman. She is supposed to kill Carver but instead stays with him. Their's is the strangest love story you'll ever read but it makes sense in this story. It's also quite odd that I liked both of them even though I knew they were killers.
I must warn readers who are squeamish about violence that this is a violent book; of course, since it is about a killer. I sometimes shy away from violent books, but I was so caught up in this one that I simply expected it and greedily read until the final page. I've been lucky to read several page-turners lately. When I finished this one, I looked at my husband (who was smiling at my edge-of-the-seat reading) and said, "Wow! What a book!"
I can't tell you any more about the plot without possibly slipping in spoilers. All I can say is that this is a winner. It has well-drawn characters, everyone from the truly evil to people capable of evil to achieve a good end. The settings, whether French, Swiss, or British are beautifully depicted. The plot is intricate and ever-changing, but yet easy to follow. And the ending simply took my breath away.
Highly recommended reading, with warning of violence.
Source: probably a book sale
The plot begins with the death of Princess Diana in Paris. You'll remember, I'm sure, that various conspiracy theories got a lot of attention at the time, and actually some people still believe them. Tom Cain has built an intricate, frightening tale which takes off from that fatal accident.
The major character is an assassin who goes by the name Samuel Carver. Old military friends know him as Pablo Jackson and he has various other identities as well. He is a loner, wouldn't you know, who was given away by his mother when he was born, and who doesn't trust anyone except for a very few close friends. (Sorry about the snide remark about loners. It's a pet peeve of mine.) He seems to be able to survive anything and to be fearless. He is fit and healthy, but mainly he's smart and able to plan ahead quickly. He doesn't know who he works for, only that he has the job because of his old commander in the British military. Someone he knows as Max calls him, gives him the target and then provides him with the supplies he needs. Afterward he deposits lots of money in Carver's bank account. His assassinations are always supposed to look like accidents.
The other major character is a young, beautiful Russian woman. She is supposed to kill Carver but instead stays with him. Their's is the strangest love story you'll ever read but it makes sense in this story. It's also quite odd that I liked both of them even though I knew they were killers.
I must warn readers who are squeamish about violence that this is a violent book; of course, since it is about a killer. I sometimes shy away from violent books, but I was so caught up in this one that I simply expected it and greedily read until the final page. I've been lucky to read several page-turners lately. When I finished this one, I looked at my husband (who was smiling at my edge-of-the-seat reading) and said, "Wow! What a book!"
I can't tell you any more about the plot without possibly slipping in spoilers. All I can say is that this is a winner. It has well-drawn characters, everyone from the truly evil to people capable of evil to achieve a good end. The settings, whether French, Swiss, or British are beautifully depicted. The plot is intricate and ever-changing, but yet easy to follow. And the ending simply took my breath away.
Highly recommended reading, with warning of violence.
Source: probably a book sale
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
DEAD PEASANTS, Larry D. Thompson
This legal thriller came out last October and I can't believe I hadn't heard about it earlier. However, thanks to Partners in Crime Tours I have now read it, to the detriment of household chores.
Jack Bryant is a very wealthy man due to a successful career as a plaintiff attorney in many cases against large corporations. He was brilliant at getting huge settlements in those cases and of course his share of the settlement was sizable. After his last case, he suddenly announced that he was retiring. His son was set to play football for TCU, and you know how Texans love their football, so he was moving to Fort Worth to enjoy life and watch his son's games.
The early part of the book where he is settling into an expensive house, becoming intrigued with the beautiful realtor, meeting up with his son J.R., and where we learn about all of his cars, truck, RV, etc. is my least favorite part. Then the story picks up as he becomes bored with retirement and sets up a pro bono legal practice in his RV in a poor section of town, thereby stirring up all kinds of trouble with the people who had been taking advantage of the poor.
That's when I decided I liked this guy and the story pulled me in like a fish on a hook. I had no idea what "dead peasants" meant and was interested in the story of what that phrase has to do with taking money rightfully due unknowing people. I was fooled for most of the book; Thompson led me right down the garden path to the wrong conclusion, but in retrospect I saw all the clues I had missed. Love a book like that.
Larry Thompson is an attorney who lives in Texas so the setting and the legalities come from an author who knows what he's writing about. I enjoyed the feeling of being in Texas throughout the story.
Recommended reading
Source: Author via Partners in Crime Tours
Jack Bryant is a very wealthy man due to a successful career as a plaintiff attorney in many cases against large corporations. He was brilliant at getting huge settlements in those cases and of course his share of the settlement was sizable. After his last case, he suddenly announced that he was retiring. His son was set to play football for TCU, and you know how Texans love their football, so he was moving to Fort Worth to enjoy life and watch his son's games.
The early part of the book where he is settling into an expensive house, becoming intrigued with the beautiful realtor, meeting up with his son J.R., and where we learn about all of his cars, truck, RV, etc. is my least favorite part. Then the story picks up as he becomes bored with retirement and sets up a pro bono legal practice in his RV in a poor section of town, thereby stirring up all kinds of trouble with the people who had been taking advantage of the poor.
That's when I decided I liked this guy and the story pulled me in like a fish on a hook. I had no idea what "dead peasants" meant and was interested in the story of what that phrase has to do with taking money rightfully due unknowing people. I was fooled for most of the book; Thompson led me right down the garden path to the wrong conclusion, but in retrospect I saw all the clues I had missed. Love a book like that.
Larry Thompson is an attorney who lives in Texas so the setting and the legalities come from an author who knows what he's writing about. I enjoyed the feeling of being in Texas throughout the story.
Recommended reading
Source: Author via Partners in Crime Tours
Friday, March 29, 2013
THE BEGGAR'S OPERA by Peggy Blair
I found it difficult to get into this story but stuck with it because it gives such a detailed view of the two Havana realities. There is the tourist Havana with its own money and luxuries. Then there is the residents' Havana with its poverty, horrible living conditions, and restrictions. This second Havana is only visible to tourists because of the ubiquitous beggars who want not just money but soap, pencils, and other small items they can't buy.
This story is about Detective Mike Ellis, a cop in Ottawa, Canada. He has rather stupidly chosen Havana for a vacation with his wife, hoping that being away will somehow repair the problems in their marriage. The last straw for her is when he gives some tourist pesos to a little boy after she told him not to. She checks out early and flies home. The boy is found dead the next morning and Mike Ellis is accused of raping and killing him.
Knowing he has been framed and is in such peril gave me the willies, but by that time I was caught up in the story and just had to know what happened so I read the rest of the book. There is much to admire here, especially the character of Inspector Ricardo Ramirez of the Havana Major Crimes Unit. Apparently this is the first in a series of novels about Ramirez and he is certainly interesting enough to warrant a series.
The plot and writing style are excellent, but I most enjoyed learning about Castro's Cuba. I recommend the book to those who like mysteries in foreign settings, intricate plots, and well drawn characters.
This story is about Detective Mike Ellis, a cop in Ottawa, Canada. He has rather stupidly chosen Havana for a vacation with his wife, hoping that being away will somehow repair the problems in their marriage. The last straw for her is when he gives some tourist pesos to a little boy after she told him not to. She checks out early and flies home. The boy is found dead the next morning and Mike Ellis is accused of raping and killing him.
Knowing he has been framed and is in such peril gave me the willies, but by that time I was caught up in the story and just had to know what happened so I read the rest of the book. There is much to admire here, especially the character of Inspector Ricardo Ramirez of the Havana Major Crimes Unit. Apparently this is the first in a series of novels about Ramirez and he is certainly interesting enough to warrant a series.
The plot and writing style are excellent, but I most enjoyed learning about Castro's Cuba. I recommend the book to those who like mysteries in foreign settings, intricate plots, and well drawn characters.
Source: Amazon Vine
Sunday, March 24, 2013
PRIVATE EYES by Jonathan Kellerman
Jonathan Kellerman's Alex Delaware series is one that I haven't read in order. I pick them up at book sales though and save them for times when I need an Alex Delaware fix. I just love this character, a pediatric psychologist who solves crimes, often with his friend Det. Milo Sturgis of LAPD. Delaware is smart, caring, and at the moment of this story lonely. Sturgis is gay and takes a lot of you-know-what from other LAPD cops. In this story he has been put on suspension for a period of months and Delaware talks him into taking a case as a private eye.
For those who love Delaware's former girlfriend Robyn as I do, she does make an appearance in this book. She has been through a bad time and of course Delaware is there for her.
The case involves a former patient of Delaware's, a rich girl whose mother is agoraphobic, her father dead, new stepfather in the picture, and the effects of all those on the girl. Melissa is bright and after two years of treatment had seemed capable of going on without Delaware. He doesn't take patients now except for former patients, and now Melissa needs help for her mother. Mom had been horribly scarred years earlier when someone threw acid in her beautiful face. She hasn't left the house since. The guilty parties have served time and one is dead, but the other is out of prison now. Meanwhile, Melissa has talked her mother into getting treatment for her agoraphobia but doesn't like the way things are going.
Kellerman is a master at characterization which is what keeps me on the lookout for his books that I haven't gotten to yet. In this one I sometimes thought Melissa was a little over the top, but maybe not considering her situation. I figured out the bad guy fairly early on, but I didn't know the reasoning behind the crimes. It was a harrowing mystery.
Highly recommended reading - the whole series.
Source: book sale find
For those who love Delaware's former girlfriend Robyn as I do, she does make an appearance in this book. She has been through a bad time and of course Delaware is there for her.
The case involves a former patient of Delaware's, a rich girl whose mother is agoraphobic, her father dead, new stepfather in the picture, and the effects of all those on the girl. Melissa is bright and after two years of treatment had seemed capable of going on without Delaware. He doesn't take patients now except for former patients, and now Melissa needs help for her mother. Mom had been horribly scarred years earlier when someone threw acid in her beautiful face. She hasn't left the house since. The guilty parties have served time and one is dead, but the other is out of prison now. Meanwhile, Melissa has talked her mother into getting treatment for her agoraphobia but doesn't like the way things are going.
Kellerman is a master at characterization which is what keeps me on the lookout for his books that I haven't gotten to yet. In this one I sometimes thought Melissa was a little over the top, but maybe not considering her situation. I figured out the bad guy fairly early on, but I didn't know the reasoning behind the crimes. It was a harrowing mystery.
Highly recommended reading - the whole series.
Source: book sale find
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
TOM'S RIVER by Dan Fagin
Today is the publication date for this impressive nonfiction book from Bantam. I read it weeks ago but had to wait until today to post my review.
You may have lived in New Jersey in the 1980s (as we did) and therefore have heard about the cancer cluster in Tom's River, or it may have made the New York newspapers. By now the basic facts are an old story unfortunately repeated in many other parts of our country and abroad. The mother of a boy with cancer started hearing about other children who had it. She put up a map of the Brick Township area of which Tom's River is a part, and she began to put a push-pin at every home where she heard of a case of childhood cancer. It didn't take very long before that map had so many pins it was shocking. Rather than just sit on this knowledge, she began to campaign for the state, or someone, to investigate what could be causing this phenomenon that looked like an epidemic to her.
In a wooded area of the township hidden away from prying eyes was a Ciba-Geigy facility making dyes. The processes used produced toxic waste which they disposed of in open pits or the river, Tom's River. They burned other waste at night when the black smoke and putrid smell would be less noticeable. Meanwhile, the toxic waste simply ate away the tarp covering the bottom of the pits and proceeded to filter down through the sandy soil to the aquifer.
That part of New Jersey is called the Pine Barrens. It is known for its sandy soil and the aquifer which is one of the most valuable assets of the state. That plume of toxins got bigger and bigger until it entered the aquifer where the town of Tom's River had its water wells. Now many of the people who lived there, including Ciba-Geigy employees, were drinking tainted water. Did that cause the cancer cluster?
Fagin's book is the long story of the fight to instigate an investigation, the pollution that was going on, the reluctance of the chemical employees to complain about anything because the jobs were needed so badly, and the children who contracted cancer many of whom died.
This is a long book because it's a long story, but also because Fagin traces back dye making to its beginnings in Europe and he also traces back the history of dumping toxic waste. Sound boring? Couldn't be farther from it. This is a fascinating, if upsetting book that I read slowly to make sure I could retain it all. Doesn't matter if you don't know or even like science (like me) because Fagin explains everything so that anyone can understand.
Highly recommended reading.
Source: LibraryThing win
You may have lived in New Jersey in the 1980s (as we did) and therefore have heard about the cancer cluster in Tom's River, or it may have made the New York newspapers. By now the basic facts are an old story unfortunately repeated in many other parts of our country and abroad. The mother of a boy with cancer started hearing about other children who had it. She put up a map of the Brick Township area of which Tom's River is a part, and she began to put a push-pin at every home where she heard of a case of childhood cancer. It didn't take very long before that map had so many pins it was shocking. Rather than just sit on this knowledge, she began to campaign for the state, or someone, to investigate what could be causing this phenomenon that looked like an epidemic to her.
In a wooded area of the township hidden away from prying eyes was a Ciba-Geigy facility making dyes. The processes used produced toxic waste which they disposed of in open pits or the river, Tom's River. They burned other waste at night when the black smoke and putrid smell would be less noticeable. Meanwhile, the toxic waste simply ate away the tarp covering the bottom of the pits and proceeded to filter down through the sandy soil to the aquifer.
That part of New Jersey is called the Pine Barrens. It is known for its sandy soil and the aquifer which is one of the most valuable assets of the state. That plume of toxins got bigger and bigger until it entered the aquifer where the town of Tom's River had its water wells. Now many of the people who lived there, including Ciba-Geigy employees, were drinking tainted water. Did that cause the cancer cluster?
Fagin's book is the long story of the fight to instigate an investigation, the pollution that was going on, the reluctance of the chemical employees to complain about anything because the jobs were needed so badly, and the children who contracted cancer many of whom died.
This is a long book because it's a long story, but also because Fagin traces back dye making to its beginnings in Europe and he also traces back the history of dumping toxic waste. Sound boring? Couldn't be farther from it. This is a fascinating, if upsetting book that I read slowly to make sure I could retain it all. Doesn't matter if you don't know or even like science (like me) because Fagin explains everything so that anyone can understand.
Highly recommended reading.
Source: LibraryThing win
Monday, March 18, 2013
MISTRIAL by Mark Geragos & Pat Harris
The subtitle of this book tells the story: "An Inside Look at How the Criminal Justice System Works . . . and Sometimes Doesn't." You will no doubt recognize the authors' names since they have represented several celebrities, including Michael Jackson when he was accused of molesting a boy who stayed overnight at Neverland.
Defense attorneys get paid to win people over to their point of view so of course I knew this book would be biased. However, they won me over right from the get-go with their definition of one thing that's wrong with the justice system at the moment, namely the "Angry Blond White Women." The name comes from a person on HLN who I cannot abide. She used to be a prosecutor, but has since become a broadcaster and nominated herself judge, jury, and God. I'm sure you know who I mean. Some of these people aren't even women, or blond, or even white, but they are universally angry.
That the authors won me over doesn't mean I agree with everything they write, but I do see their point of view and that's all they ask really. They are understandably upset at the fact that tough judges and district attorneys are easily re-elected because the public is convinced that only stiffer penalties will solve what they see as a rising crime rate. Actually the crime rate has been falling for years; we just hear more about crime on 24 hour news programs that need to keep us stirred up and tuning in. Meanwhile, the jails and prisons are full to overflowing so that in California at least, they are turning prisoners loose to free up space.
Read here about actual cases that prove dependence on eyewitness identification is wrong, wrong, wrong.
I learned a lot from this easy reading book. Each author narrates some tales that make you feel like you're one of a bunch of lawyers sitting around telling stories and laughing. There are also some unarguable points about problems with our justice system, many of which exist because the public demands them. Mistrial might make you angry in places, and laugh in others, but I doubt that you will regret reading it. When the subtitle says "the inside look," that's true and these two lawyers have the years of experience to back it up.
Recommended reading
Source: LibraryThing win
Defense attorneys get paid to win people over to their point of view so of course I knew this book would be biased. However, they won me over right from the get-go with their definition of one thing that's wrong with the justice system at the moment, namely the "Angry Blond White Women." The name comes from a person on HLN who I cannot abide. She used to be a prosecutor, but has since become a broadcaster and nominated herself judge, jury, and God. I'm sure you know who I mean. Some of these people aren't even women, or blond, or even white, but they are universally angry.
That the authors won me over doesn't mean I agree with everything they write, but I do see their point of view and that's all they ask really. They are understandably upset at the fact that tough judges and district attorneys are easily re-elected because the public is convinced that only stiffer penalties will solve what they see as a rising crime rate. Actually the crime rate has been falling for years; we just hear more about crime on 24 hour news programs that need to keep us stirred up and tuning in. Meanwhile, the jails and prisons are full to overflowing so that in California at least, they are turning prisoners loose to free up space.
Read here about actual cases that prove dependence on eyewitness identification is wrong, wrong, wrong.
I learned a lot from this easy reading book. Each author narrates some tales that make you feel like you're one of a bunch of lawyers sitting around telling stories and laughing. There are also some unarguable points about problems with our justice system, many of which exist because the public demands them. Mistrial might make you angry in places, and laugh in others, but I doubt that you will regret reading it. When the subtitle says "the inside look," that's true and these two lawyers have the years of experience to back it up.
Recommended reading
Source: LibraryThing win
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