The Exchange: After the Firm by John Grisham (Firm #2) (2023)

 

Every time I read a John Grisham novel I am reminded of why I enjoy them so much. They are well written, fast paced, and engaging stories and The Exchange: After the Firm is no exception. The story begins 15 years after The Firm. Mitch and Abby McDeere now live in Manhattan with their where twin sons, Carter and Clarke. Mitch is a partner in the largest law firm in the world and Abby edits cookbooks.

When a mentor in the firm’s Rome office asks Mitch to go to Libya to negotiate the settlement of a lawsuit between a Turkish construction company and Gaddafi’s Libyan government Mitch, who is always looking for the next adventure, says yes. He also agrees to take his mentor’s daughter, an associate in the firm’s London office. When things go very wrong and the mentor’s daughter is kidnapped by terrorists, Mitch finds himself in the middle of the a high-stakes hostage negotiation that endangers everyone around him.

Some of the reviews I’ve read complained about the frequent mention of Mitch’s air travel, meals, etc. but I found the everyday minutia of life an interesting contract to the stress of the main event.

Although The Exchange is considered a sequel to The Firm, having read The Firm is not a prerequisite to enjoying this story.

3.72 stars on Goodreads, 4.0 on Amazon

The Antique Hunter's Guide to Murder by C.L. Miller ) (Antique Hunter's Guide to Murder #1) (2024)

 

Freya Lockwood hasn’t been back to her hometown of Little Meddington in 20 years but that changes when her Aunt Carole calls to tell her that her dear friend and Freya’s former mentor in the antiques trade, Arthur Crockleford, has died under suspicious circumstances. Freya had cut all contact with Arthur since an “incident” 20 years prior so is reluctant to answer her aunt’s request for help in proving he was murdered. This “incident” is mentioned often in the first part of the book but the facts are a long time coming. I’m sure this is meant to build the suspense but I found it irritating.

Arthur owned an antique store but his real work was as an antique hunter, tracking down stolen antiques and returning them to their rightful owner. The reader meets him in the prologue as he is preparing for his eventual murder. He leaves a series of clues for Carole and Freya which lead them to an Antiques Enthusiast Retreat, planned by Arthur who warns his betrayer will be watching their every move.

At Copthorn Manor where the event takes Freya is sure the antiques in the house are reproductions and senses that Arthur had his reasons for sending her there – reasons connected to the events that led to her rift with Arthur.

Freya and her “woo is me” attitude was tiring but resolves itself by the end of the book.  The most interesting character was eccentric Aunt Carole, a former actress. Both will return in the second book in the series, Death on the Red Sea, due out in February 2025.

The author is the daughter of the late Judith Miller, a former expert on “Antiques Roadshow” and served as an editorial assistant for Miller’s Antiques Price Guide.

3.5 stars on Goodreads, 4.0 on Amazon

This book is not available at EPL. Ask any of the reference librarians to get it for you from an area library.

The Bright Spot by Jill Shalvis (Sunrise Cove #5) (2024)

 

The Bright Spot takes place in a town called Sunrise Cove near Lake Tahoe but the story itself is a ray of sunshine.  The heroine, Luna Wright, knows nothing about her biological family and never really fit in with her adopted family but she feels totally at home at the Apple Ridge Farm which she runs with her motley crew.  The future of her family and her home is threatened when the owner Silas dies suddenly and Luna discovers a large balloon payment is due to investors in two months.  Although Silas leaves 50% of the farm to Luna, the other half is left to investment manager, Jameson Hayes.

Of course, the two couldn’t be more different.  Luna leads with her heart and Jameson is guided by his spreadsheets but the two must work together to save the farm and the livelihood of the people they have grown to love.

The romance between Luna and Jameson follows the standard formula but the story is also about learning to trust and accepting who you really are.  Comic relief is provided by the abandoned farm animals housed at the farm, particularly Dammit Ziggy, or DZ, a baby goat with a pajama wardrobe and mother issues.

4.2 stars on Goodreads, 4.6 on Amazon

 

These Still Black Waters by Christina McDonald (Jess Lambert #1) (2023)

 

Neve Maguire and her 16-year-old daughter Ash have moved to Black Lake where Neve had spent her summers as a child but never returned after a traumatic incident occurred there 20-years before. Neve appears to have everything, but a violent home invasion has left her wanting a fresh start. On their first night at the house, Neve spots her childhood friend, Bailey Nelson standing in the rain starring in the window. The next day Bailey’s body is discovered in the lake, killed much earlier the previous day.

Jess Lambert is the detective assigned to the case and she's desperate to prove to her male collegiates she can still do the job. A tragic car accident in which Jess’s daughter Isla lost her life, has left Jess in constant pain, walking with a limp, and requiring the assistance of a cane to get around. What no one knows is that Jess sees and talks to Isla’s ghost. Neve sees her too.

When Jess interviews Neve, every instinct tells her Neve is hiding something. The discovery of the body links the two women together as secrets from the past and present are revealed through the alternating narratives of Neve, Jess and “the killer”.

3.91 stars on Goodreads, 4.0 on Amazon

This book is not available at EPL. Ask any of the reference librarians to get it for you from an area library.

Buried In Books (Bibliophile Mystery #12) by Kate Carlisle (2018)

 

Who doesn't love a cozy mystery? Brooklyn Wainwright is a bookbinder and restorer and has a habit of stumbling across dead bodies in libraries or library adjacent buildings. In this installment Brooklyn is presenting at the National Library Association’s annual conference in her hometown. San Francisco. And she’s getting married that Saturday to the handsome British security officer introduced in the first book of the series.

At the conference Brooklyn reconnects with her two best friends from college whom she hasn’t seen or spoken to in 20 years, since Brooklyn was caught in the middle of Heather and Sara’s competition for the same man. At a surprise wedding shower during the conference, both Heather and Sara present Brooklyn with rare first editions of The Three Musketeers and The Blue Fairy Book.

The mystery in this story doesn’t come into play until more than a third of the way through the book. One of the two friends is found dead under a pile of books in the basement of the conference hotel and Brooklyn discovers that one of the books she received is a forgery. Was her murdered friend involved in the forgery scheme? How about the boyfriend, now husband, whom Heather never trusted? And just who is trying to take the book from Brooklyn?

If I had one criticism for this book, it would be the overuse of terms of endearment.  It got a little repetitive.

Recipes for the food served at the wedding appear at the back of the book.

The 17^th book in the series, The Twelve Books of Christmas, is scheduled to be released later this year.  All the books are available within the library cooperative.  Ask a Reference Librarian for help in getting the titles not in the EPL collection.

4.11 stars on Goodreads, 4.6 on Amazon

Curiosity Thrilled the Cat (Magical Cats Mystery #1) by Sofie Kelly (2011)

I have read many cozy mysteries over the years but none I enjoyed as much as Curiosity Thrilled the Cat. Sofie Kelly adds whimsy and magic to the elements one would expect to find in this kind of mystery which made for a very charming story.

Kathleen Paulson has recently moved to Mayville Heights, Minnesota to oversee the renovation of the town’s Carnegie Library. Unfortunately, the project is moving slowly due to a series of accidents. Kathleen shares her home with her two adopted cats, Hercules and Owen, each with a distinct personality and talent. As the town prepares for the annual Wild Rose Summer Music Festival, Kathleen discovers a dead body and becomes the primary suspect of a murder investigation as the evidence against her mounts.

Unlike most cozy mysteries, it is the cats who are the amateur detectives, bringing Katherine “gifts” that somehow provide clues to solving the mystery. It is up to Kathleen to interpret what the items mean and how they fit into the case.

Like the first book in any series, Curiosity Thrilled the Cat sets the stage for future installments, providing the necessary background information about the town and its residents.

Eastpointe does not own any of the titles in this series.  If you are interested in reading this or any of Sofia Kelly’s other books ask a reference librarian to get it for you from an area library.

3.9 stars on Goodreads, 4.5 on Amazon

 This book is not available at EPL. Ask any of the reference librarians to get it for you from an area library.

Wyoming Wild (Savage Wells #3) by Sarah M. Eden (2023)

 

When reading Wyoming Wild, I experienced the same warm feelings I did when watching TV westerns back in the day.  Good triumphing over evil; the white hat always wins. In Wyoming Wild, the U.S. Marshall is a young John Hawkings (“Hawk”) but I pictured him as James Arness appeared in Gunsmoke.

When Marshall Hawkings receives an anonymous telegraph warning him of a plot against his life, he immediately begins to investigate. After Hawk traces the telegraph to Sand Creek, Wyoming he and female deputy Paisley take up residence on an area farm posing as brother (John) and sister (Mary). It isn’t long before the two meet the sheriff’s daughter, Liesl Hodges, who they discover is doing everything she can to protect the townspeople from its violent and corrupt sheriff. Everyone in the town is afraid of Sheriff Hodges and his cronies. But when Liesl discovers John is completely unfazed by the sheriff’s attempts at intimidation, she thinks she finally has found an ally in her struggle.

All is good until Liesl learns that John has been lying to her about who he is; another in a long list of men who have betrayed her. Although Liesl continues to distrust Hawk, she goes along with his plan to end the sheriff’s reign of terror. Of course, planning is one thing and execution is something else entirely.

There are other mysteries along the way; identifying the person stealing land deeds from under the town’s landowners who must now pay an exorbitant tax for the right to stay on their own land and a corrupt deputy on Hawk’s payroll. Wyoming Wild reads like the westerns of yore; is well written, wholesome, and a quick read. I enjoyed every minute of the adventure.

4.17 stars on Goodreads, 4.6 on Amazon

No Graves As Yet (Reavley #1) by Anne Perry (2003)

 

No Graves As Yet is the first in a five book series set during the years of World War I. This first book begins in the summer of 1914 and takes place in the area surrounding the University of Cambridge, England where life is peaceful until it is not.

The reader is first introduced to Joseph Reavley when his brother, Matthew, comes to Cambridge to inform him that their parents have been killed in a car accident. Joseph is a former chaplain who is now teaching at Cambridge and Matthew is an officer in the Secret Intelligence Service, now known as MI6. Their father, Joseph, had been on his way to London to show Matthew a document he claimed proves a conspiracy reaching all levels of British government with the power to disgrace England forever and destroy the civilized world. That is all Matthew knows about the document, except that it is now missing.

Joseph and Matthew soon discover the accident was actually murder and set out to find the truth. It is not long after that that one of Joseph’s most gifted students, Sebastian Allard, is found murdered at Cambridge.  Sebastian seemed to be loved and admired by everyone who knew him. Why would anyone want to hurt him? Joseph is determined to find out.

Elsewhere, the Austrian archduke is murdered by a Serbian anarchist and England’s peaceful existence is threatened.

The book also introduces us to the Peacemaker character and his nefarious cousin who appear to be at the head of the conspiracy.  But just who are these two?  Joseph and Matthew are hot on their heels but you will have to read the other four titles in the series to find out who they really are.

Perry’s writing style in this series is very different from her other novels. It is very dense and every detail is carefully examined so this is not a fast read. But the reader will feel like they are right in the middle of the action.

3.68 stars on Goodreads, 4.2 on Amazon

Glass Houses (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache #13) by Louise Penny (2017)

 

The Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series is set in the small village of Three Pines, Quebec near the Vermont border, where Gamache lives with his wife and a variety of quirky and lovable characters, all well developed by Penny throughout the series. For such a quiet, out of the way village, a lot happens here.

In Glass Houses, Gamache has been plucked from retirement to become the Chief Superintendent of the Surete du Quebec with the task of ridding the department of the corruption that has plagued it for years. The book begins with Gamache on the witness stand in a sweltering courtroom in Montreal’s Palais de Justice. The reader is told this is a murder trial but the names of the victim and the defendant aren’t revealed until much later in the story. As Gamache testifies, the mystery unfolds for the reader. This unique story structure will not appeal to everyone but I found it refreshing.

It all begins when a tall, hooded, and masked figure appears in the green of Three Pines’ Village the day after the annual Halloween party. Gamache and the villagers are at first curious and then wary as the costumed figure never moves or speaks, all the time staring ahead at the village bistro. Or is it staring at someone inside? As no laws are being broken, there is nothing Gamache can do by watch, much to the dismay of his fellow villages. Gamache is correct that the figure has deep roots in the past and is there for some dark purpose. That purpose is to collect a debt of conscience. As its purpose becomes know, each of the villagers must examine his or her conscience. Is the masked figure there for them?

When the figure vanishes after four days and the body is discovered in the church basement, Gamache must discover who the figure was trying to shame. At the same time Gamache is overseeing a complex investigation into Canadian drug cartels and struggling with his own conscience about the decisions he has made. Little does he know, his two cases will collide and bring him right back to that quite, little village.

Penny writes each Gamache book to stand on its own and I had no problem following the story without having read any of the other titles in the series.

4.32 stars on Goodreads, 4.7 on Amazon.

The Christmas Hummingbird by Davis Bunn (Miramar Bay, #7) (2022)

 

Fighting an out-of-season wildfire in Miramar Bay, California is not the way any one wants to celebrate the Christmas season but that is the backdrop for The Christmas Hummingbird.

Ryan Eames is a policewoman and single mother to an artistically gifted son who doesn’t communicate with the rest of the world, Liam. Exhausted by the double shifts required by the fire, Ryan is responsible for getting people out of their homes before the fire reaches them. One of whom is Ethan Lange who now has only the clothes on his back.

Ethan is a bank Vice-President and creates concept sets in miniature for a movie producer in his spare time. At the time of the fire, Ethan had just been commissioned to come up with a set idea for the movie adaption of book one of the Elvin Child series, a favorite of his childhood novel  Before the story ends he is also a volunteer fire fighter, working with the police.

With the police force already stretched to its limits, Ethan is deputized and assigned to help Ryan protect the belongings in the destroyed homes with wealthy, absentee owners from the professional thieves operating in the area.  As the two get to know each other, Ethan is introduced to Liam.  Much to Ryan’s surprise, Liam opens up to Liam and even shares his drawings which even his mother isn’t allowed to see.  Together they forge a plan to save the hummingbirds whose habitat is being destroyed by the fire.

Although this is a love story, the real star of the book is the hummingbird and the lessons we can learn from them. They figure prominently throughout the story.

The story moves very quickly but is a little too sweet for my taste.  I also felt the author went overboard with all of Ethan’s great ideas for the town and his almost instant connection to Liam. However, if there ever is a time for a story tied up in a perfect bright red bow, it is Christmas.

4.02 stars on Goodreads, 4.7 on Amazon

Remember Love by Mary Balogh (Ravenswood #1) (2022)

 

Mary Balogh is my favorite Regency author and Remember Love is just another reason why. It is the love story of Devlin Ware, the heir to the Earl of Stratton, and Gwyneth Rhys but the road to their happy ever after is not an easy one.  Both have loved each other from afar while thinking the other despised them. They have one beautiful day together when they confess their love for each other and look forward to a beautiful future.  That evening a scandal rips the Ware family apart and Devlin is banished from his family home forever.

Feeling betrayed by what he always believed to be true and the mother and woman he loved, Devlin enlists in the fight against Napoleon and didn’t look back for six years. He thrusts his family and Gwyneth behind a mental wall, behind which he never visits. His only contact with his old world is his half-brother Ben who travels with him.

When Devlin returns two years after the death of his father, he is a changed man. His face bears a nasty scar, he has lost the ability to feel, and his family and friends are virtual strangers. Everyone has been scarred by the scandal Devlin unknowingly unleashed.

After the shock of seeing what Devlin has become, Gwyneth is convinced the Devlin she knew and loved is still in there, buried deep but struggling to come out. And she feels it will be her love for Devlin that will help him learn to love and trust again and heal all their fractured lives.

The book starts slowly as the reader is introduced to all the members of the Ware family and their relationship to one another. No one paints a character or a place as thoroughly as Mary Balogh and it can be a bit tedious. After learning all about the idyllic world of the Wares and their Ravenswood home, the rug is thorn out for under everyone.

The next book in the series, Remember Me, is due out the end of June 2023.  Mary Balogh has written a number of different series and you really can’t go wrong with any of them but I highly recommend her Survivor’s Club series.

4.06 stars on Goodreads, 4.5 on Amazon

Coming Home for Christmas (Haven Point #10) by RaeAnne Thayne (2019)

 

Luke Hamilton’s wife Elizabeth disappeared without a word seven years before the story begins, leaving Luke to care for their two young children. Luke has known for several months now that Elizabeth is indeed alive and living in Oregon but he wanted nothing to do with the woman who had deserted him. That is until Luke learns he is to be arrested for her murder. Determined to prove his innocence, Luke knows he has to bring Elizabeth home and present her to the district attorney.

What Luke finds in Oregon is not what he expected. The woman who says she is Elizabeth has her eyes and voice but looks totally different, has a visible limp, and goes by the name Sonia Davis. Luke has no interest in finding out why Elizabeth never contacted him and the reader doesn’t learn the entire backstory until Elizabeth meets with the DA. A car accident had left her disfigured and with a traumatic brain injury (“TBI”) that stole her memory but that’s only part of the story.

Neither Luke nor Elizabeth really understand what the other has been through during the past seven years. As they get reacquainted – Elizabeth and Luke, and Elizabeth and the children – things are not always easy but Christmas is the time of miracles.

This is not your typical Christmas romance. Elizabeth’s TBI plays a large part in the story, as well as the depression that caused her to run in the first place.

4.17 stars on Goodreads, 4.7 on Amazon

This book is not available at EPL. Ask any of the reference librarians to get it for you from an area library.

Santa's Little Yelpers (Andy Carpenter #26) by David Rosenfelt (2022)

 

This was my first foray into the world of Andy Carpenter and I will definitely be visiting again. Andy is a defense attorney who doesn’t want to practice law and has an aversion to talking on the phone. And he always manages to get roped into both.

Throughout the book I felt Andy was sitting in my living room telling me all about his latest case, complete with wise cracks and asides. Secondary characters receive the same treatment, as well as Andy’s three dogs. I was laughing out loud at the author’s description of Andy’s basset hound, having owned one myself.

Santa's Little Yelpers has very little to do with the puppies on the cover. Rather it deals with their caregiver, Chris Myers, an ex-con who has always maintained he was innocent of the crime for which he was convicted. When the main witness against Chris recants his testimony, Chris asks Andy to help him get the decision overturned.  When that witness is murdered just after recanting his recant, all trails lead once again to Chris.

Andy and his private investigator wife are convinced Chris was framed for both crimes and set out to determine by whom. In addition to his wife, Andy works with a large team with a diverse collection of talents. It was very entertaining to be introduced to all of Andy’s vice presidents in charge of … There always seemed to be one when he needed it. The road to proving Chris innocent had many twists, turns, and dead-ends before reaching its satisfying conclusion.

The library owns 18 other titles in this series, including three other Christmas titles.

4.35 stars on Goodreads, 4.7 on Amazon

Fierce Poison (Barker & Llewelyn # 13) by Will Thomas (2022)

 

Fierce Poison was my introduction to author Will Thomas and his pair of private equity agents (private investigators in Victorian London). Cyrus Barker and his assistant Thomas Llewelyn first appeared in Thomas’ 2004 book Some Danger Involved. Although each book in the series reflects the passage of time, it is not necessary to read them in order. Each contains enough backstory for the reader to keep up. In Fierce Poison, Barker and Llewelyn have been partners for ten years.

The pair couldn’t be more different from each other. Llewelyn has spent time in prison and Barker has spent much of his life in the Far East. The books are narrated by Thomas Llewelyn and he infuses the story with many humorous asides, observations, and descriptions.

In Fierce Poison, Roland Fitzhugh, the newest Member of Parliament, arrives at the equity agent’s door but dies on the floor before he can tell them why he is there. The agents quickly learn he's been poisoned with a cyanide laced raspberry tart and Barker is determined to find the culprit even though there is no paying client. The very next day an entire family in the East End is found dead after consuming a large raspberry tart. As Baker and Llewelyn’s investigation heats up, they find themselves the poisoner’s latest target; even Barker’s dog is at risk.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, reading it in two sessions. It is an easy read, the writing is excellent, the characters well-rounded, and the mystery intriguing. I figured out the motive for the killings near the end of the book but had no idea which of the unusual cast of secondary characters was the guilty party.  Maybe you’ll have better luck.

Book 14, Heart of the Nile is due out in April 2023.

Sunburst (Sky King Ranch #2) by Susan May Warren (2022)

 

Sharpshooter and Navy Seal, Ranger Kingston has always put duty above dreams and he therefore views love as the biggest liability out there. When Ranger gets word that his brother Colt has been taken hostage in Nigeria along with the refugee worker he was there to protect, Ranger rushes to join the rescue team. No one is more surprised than him when it turns out the refugee worker is none other than the woman he loved and left four years before, Noemi Sutton.

When the injured Ranger and Noemi get separated from the rescue team they are on their own to get to safety. Ranger needs medical care but both know the hospital is out of the question as they are still being hunted by the kidnapping terrorists. When they arrive at a small village, the people are reluctant to aid the white soldier. It is only when Noemi introduces herself by her Nigerian name and tells the villagers she and Ranger are married they agree to help.

The lie backfires when Noami’s Nigerian uncle comes to collect them. According to Nigerian custom the prospective groom must first bargain for the bride’s hand and get permission before the marriage takes place. Noami’s extended family insist the couple get married again. Will the relationship last this time around? Are Ranger and Noami finally free of the terrorists who kidnapped her?

A secondary story revolves around the non-speaking Tae who was introduced in the first book in this series and is now staying at the Sky King Ranch where the Kingston clan live. I suspect book number three, Sundown which is due to be released in November, 2022, will be Tae’s story. The three books are tied together by this story arc but can also stand alone.

I have also read Warren’s Global Search and Rescue series and enjoyed those books as well. Several of the characters from that series make an appearance in the book. Warren is a Christian author and her story lines reflect that.

4.57 stars on Amazon, 4.7 on Amazon

This book is not available at EPL. Ask any of the reference librarians to get it for you from an area library.

Under Lock and Skeleton Key (Secret Staircase Mystery #1) by Gigi Pandian (2022)

 

A locked door mystery, a puzzle mystery, magic, family curse, misdirection, hidden staircases/rooms, and quirky characters – all can be found in Under Lock and Skeleton Key, the first book in a new mystery series by Gigi Pandian.

Tempest Raj is a once famous but now disgraced illusionist who has returned to her childhood home after losing everything. Her’s is not the average family; her mother, another magician, disappeared while performing on stage five year before, her father designs and constructs hidden rooms and staircases inside homes, and her grandparents live in a house built in a tree.

Tempest doesn’t believe in the family curse that the eldest Raj in each generation will die by magic but begins to wonder when her doppelgänger stage assistant is found murdered inside a 100-year old wall at her father’s latest construction site. Concerned that perhaps her life is in danger, Tempest sets out to find the murderer herself with the help of her best friend, Ivy. She is convinced the murder is simply a case of misdirection, a subject in which Tempest is an expert. All she needs is to find the one thread that will unravel everything.

The reader is introduced to a variety of characters that are something difficult to keep straight and all of whom will undoubtedly appear in future books. The writing is repetitive at times and much of the story revolves around the preparation and eating of foods from India and Scotland. Some reviewers felt the book was written with the young adult audience in mind and I would agree. However, if you enjoyed Nancy Drew mysteries growing up, you should enjoy Under Lock and Skeleton Key.

The second installment of this series, The Raven Thief, is due out in March 2023.

3.64 stars on Goodreads, 4.1 on Amazon.

This book is not available at EPL. Ask any of the reference librarians to get it for you from an area library.

The Dead Room (Harrison Investigation #4) by Heather Graham (2007)

 

If you are looking for mystery suspense book with an unconventional twist, The Dead Room is for you. Leslie MacIntyre is an archaeologist who barely survives an explosion that takes the life of her fiancé, Matt Connolly. As a result of her brush with death, Leslie now has the ability to communicate with ghosts, something she is slowly coming to grips with, with a little help from the people at Harrison Investigation.

Leslie is returning to lower Manhattan’s historic Hastings House, the site of the explosion, to work on a newly discovered burial ground in the area. She insists on staying at Hastings House to conquer her fears of her new abilities and come to terms with the loss of her fiancé the year before. Restless spirits, including Matt, inhabit both the house and the burial ground and lead Leslie to not only important archeological discoveries but also put her in grave personal danger.

Although Leslie can’t see Matt’s ghost he visits in her dreams, warning Leslie about the house and offering clues to the truth about the explosion which both Leslie and Matt’s cousin Joe believe was no accident. Torn by her feelings for both men Leslie finds herself caught between the worlds of the living and the dead. As she gets closer to solving the mysteries surrounding the house, Leslie must ultimately face the evil mind of someone very much alive.

The secondary plot centers around female prostitutes in the area who are disappearing without a trace. When the niece of a wealthy socialite disappears in much the same manner, Matt’s cousin Joe Connelly is the PI hired to find her. And, of course Leslie has to help him which puts her in even more danger.

There are 10 books in the Harrison Investigation series. This series, which ended in 2010, was followed by Graham’s The Crewe of Hunters (38 titles and still growing). This series also features Adam Harrison and his staff of investigators but on a much larger scale. The first title in that series, Phantom Evil, is also reviewed in this blog.

3.95 stars on Goodreads, 4.6 on Amazon

Box 88 (#1 in Book 88 series) by Charles Cumming, (2020)

 “A pulse-pounding narrative that straddles two eras — 1989 and 2020 — BOX 88 is a “wonderfully taut, exciting and up-to-date spy thriller” that introduces a compelling new character and a captivating international storyline”.  Spectator, Books of the Year

 Box 88 was my introduction to Charles Cumming and I now I understand why his books are so popular. Even though the story jumped between years and locations, I never lost track of who was where and why.

Lachlan Kite is the leader of BOX 88, a joint US/UK anti-terrorism spy agency that only a handful of MI6 and CIA operatives know exists. At the funeral of his childhood best friend, Lachlan is kidnapped and the kidnapping is witnessed by Cara, a young MI5 agent, whose team leader is determined to prove the existence of Box 88. As the MI5 team investigates the kidnapping, Lachlan’s pregnant wife is also abducted and the threat of her dead is used as leverage to obtain information he is sworn to protect.

Lachlan’s kidnapper is after information on his very first mission for Box 88. Lachlan had been recruited straight out of boarding school when it was learned that he had been invited to spend the summer of his gap year on the coast of France with his best friend and his family. This visit provides access to one of Iran’s most dangerous terrorists who will be visiting. Lachlan’s mission is find out what the man is plotting. The mission ends in the betrayal of his best friend.

This is not a James Bond type spy novel as there are no fancy gizmos or glamorous women. What it is a well written story of what spy craft looked like in the late 1980s. Though espionage is the main theme of the story it is also a coming-of-age story as young Lachlan works to discover who he really is while balancing friendship, loyalty, and romance with his mission.

The second book in the series, Judas 62, is due out in September 2022 and will continue looking back at Lachlan’s Box 88 missions. I’m sure a handful of the characters from Box 88 will also make a repeat appearance.

4.08 stars on Goodreads, 4.2 on Amazon

War Women (Sergeants Sueño and Bascom #15) by Martin Limón (2021)

 

War Women is set in Korea, 20 years after the Korean War. Sergeants George Sueño and Ernie Bascom are members of the Criminal Investigation Division (CID) of the 8^th Army, headquartered outside of Seoul. As the book, narrated by Sergeant Sueño, opens Sueño and Bascom learn that Sergeant Cecil Harvey, the man responsible for the 8^th Army's classified documents, is missing along with one of the documents. The brass haven’t been informed yet and as Harvey (called Strange by the pair) has often been a source of information for the investigators they take it upon themselves to locate him. What they stumble upon is a North Korean spy ring.

In the meantime, Katie Byrd Worthington, a reporter for the Overseas Observer introduced earlier in the series, is back and once again making life difficult for top Army brass. When she is arrested by the Korean National Police for causing a disturbance, Sueño and Bascom are tasked with freeing her and getting her to agree not to publish a photograph she has taken of the 8^th Army’s chief of staff in a rather compromising situation. She agrees and all are happy until her story about the sexual abuse of a female army unit’s members makes the headlines. This time Sueño and Bascom are ordered to take the reporter to wherever the female unit is operating to interview the women. What they find there is very disturbing. The two plot lines run parallel through most of the book and intersect only at the end.

The characters Sueño and Bascom couldn’t be more different and conversations between the pair read like a comedy routine and serve to help relieve the heaviness of the subject matter.

3.86 stars on Goodreads, 4.5 on Amazon

Phantom Evil (Krewe of Hunters #1) by Heather Graham (2011)

 

Heather Graham’s Krewe of Hunters paranormal mystery series is an offshoot of her Harrison Investigations series. Thought the plot lines are much the same, the Harrison series takes place when Adam Harrison, a firm believer in the existence of ghosts, worked in the private sector. These investigators work alone. In Krewe of Hunters (self-named) the investigators work in teams for a special FBI unit run by Harrison. Harrison handpicks the people who work for him; searching the country for individuals he believes has a special skill useful in the investigation of the unexplainable.

Harrison recruits Jackson Crowe, a skeptical veteran of the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit, to lead a krewe comprised of Angela, a seasoned cop, a nurse, a magician, the cameraman for a paranormal cable series, and a musician. All have them have had experience with the paranormal whether they admit it or not.

The krewe is called to New Orleans to investigate a house once owned by a serial killer. The house is now owned by a popular senator who is convinced ghosts caused his wife to fall to her death from their bedroom balcony. The police have ruled the death a suicide but the Senator is certain ghosts were involved and wants the team to prove it. As in most mysteries, nothing is quite what it seems and the senator might not like what the team discovers.

The book focuses mainly on Jackson and Angela whose relationship develops a little too fast. Little attention is paid to the other krewe members.  They will have to wait until their story is told in subsequent titles.

Currently there are 35 books in the series, several novellas, and seven seasonal titles. Three more titles are scheduled for released in 2022.