I want to shout from rooftops about how much I love the Junior Bender series, but it’s probably not the most effective way of getting the word out. This book is the fourth installment of Junior Bender’s exploits, and another excellent entry. It is a little more melancholy than the other books, but this case is also much more personal than the rest. After Junior’s own father left, Herbie stepped into the role, teaching him all he knew about the game of burglary along the way. After Herbie’s death, and while trying to avenge him, Junior learns things about Herbie that perhaps he would have rather not known—leaving him, and us, to wrestle with the question of how well we can ever really know someone else. And also whether or not it matters in the end.
One of the many things I love about these books is the paradox of Junior himself. He is a burglar by profession, and an unrepentant one. But he is also a decent person, with a good heart, and he works hard to do what he thinks is right and take care of the people he loves, as well as those he comes across in whom he sees something good. Junior Bender’s ability to take a beating and still crack wise also reminds me of Chandler’s Marlowe; Chandler’s Los Angeles gets a face-lift to bring it into modern times, but the humor and setting are the same. And like Chandler, Hallinan is razor sharp on the page.
Start with the first book in the series, CRASHED. You won’t regret it.
Erica Ruth Neubauer
THE HOLLOW GIRL
Reed Farrel Coleman
May 2014
Tyrus Books
A survivor of cancer, but not a survivor of grief, Moe Prager is busy drinking himself into oblivion after his girlfriend Pam dies in a car accident. A message from an old love interest, Nancy Lustig, finally dries Prager out enough to try his hand at a little PI work again. Nancy’s daughter was an Internet sensation once upon a time, calling herself “The Hollow Girl,” and performing online for an audience of thousands. That is, until her on-camera suicide over an ex-lover, all of which turned out to be a hoax. Since then the Hollow Girl has not been able to land the acting gigs she thinks she’s entitled to. Nancy hasn’t heard from her in a few weeks—they don’t have the best of relationships, but even for them the radio silence has gone on too long. Prager reluctantly agrees to look into it—and the first thing he does is discover a body in Nancy’s apartment—but not the girl they are looking for. When the Hollow Girl reappears on the Internet—new and more vicious than ever before—Prager thinks he’s off the case. Until it seems that the Hollow Girl isn’t really acting, and is actually in grave danger.
One of the many things I love about Moe Prager is that he operates on persistence, luck and a lot of intuition, which makes him seem incredibly real. He doesn’t pretend to be smarter than the rest of us—though he may well be. And in the HOLLOW GIRL, we find post-cancer Prager to be thoughtful and deliberate, more in control of himself and better at making choices, but still following his gut—a place some of us would like to see ourselves evolving to. Prager’s self-flagellation and self-exploration are neatly balanced in this novel against an intriguing plot; one that leaves both Prager and the reader not entirely sure of what is truly happening, but invested in learning the truth.
In Coleman’s loving care, the Moe Prager series has become a hallmark of PI fiction, and it is more than a little sad to see it come to an end. This book is at once beautiful, full of wisdom, yet bittersweet. Loose ends are wrapped up, and Prager finds himself in a good place after years of feeling somewhat adrift. And though it is sad to bid our friend Prager farewell, we can look forward to whatever sure-to-be-fabulous project Coleman turns to next.
Erica Ruth Neubauer
ICE SHEAR
M.P. Cooley
July 2014
William Morrow
June Lyons used to be an FBI agent with a highly promising career...until her husband became sick with cancer, and they decided to move back to June’s hometown in upstate New York to take care of him. Now she works as a local cop, running home drunks and writing tickets, while balancing life as a single mother. In fact, she is trying to do nothing more than get home to her little girl when she comes upon a distraught teenager floundering in the snow…which leads to June’s grisly discovery of a body impaled on ice from the river. The victim is none other than a local senator’s daughter, married to a refugee from one of the country’s toughest biker gangs—a gang heavily implicated in methamphetamine production. Given the prominence of the family, the FBI decides to ‘assist,’ sending Agent Hale to the scene—leaving June to sort out her feelings about old flames and newer grudges. As they chase down leads, there is more than one addition to the body count, and June needs to unravel the knot of lies—before her own life unravels.
This is Cooley’s debut novel, and it is hard to believe that this is a first novel—it is exceptional. The language flows naturally and feels conversational, and the characters are well drawn, charismatic and engaging. Cooley’s use of setting is also excellent—the winter, ice and snow paint a bleak picture at times, almost becoming a character in the story itself, while mirroring the lives of some of the town’s inhabitants.
As a new protagonist, June Lyons is fabulous—hardworking, levelheaded and smart, as well as dedicated to her family. June has returned to her hometown—a place that has seen better days, where local businesses are struggling to stay afloat—in order to be near family and care for her husband. Her father was the police chief—now retired and babysitting for her daughter—and between her family connections and her previous career with the FBI, June takes a lot of grief. Yet she keeps her head down and does her job, even though she is being under-utilized as a beat cop. She is finally given an opportunity to step up with the murder investigation, but the FBI shows up and starts butting into the local investigation. June isn’t necessarily happy to be working with former FBI colleagues—people who thought she couldn’t hack it, when the truth was that she made choices based on what was best for her family. Yet she perseveres and does the best she can possibly do.
I really enjoyed the storyline, which has some unexpected and gory twists. Plus, biker gangs and a methamphetamine ring? How can you go wrong? Cooley also has a great handle on pacing—the action keeps the story moving quickly forward, while the twists and turns keep you guessing. I think fans of writers such as Hank Phillippi Ryan will be well pleased with this investigative thriller—which will hopefully bloom into a long-running series. Cooley is a talented new voice on the crime fiction scene, who I’m sure will continue to bring us even bigger and better things.
Erica Ruth Neubauer
THE KILL SWITCH
James Rollins and Grant Blackwood
May 2014
William Morrow
THE KILL SWITCH can be considered part science fiction, part historical novel, and part military thriller. Intertwined within all Rollins books is a combination of these genres. This book is the first in a series about a military dog, Kane, and his handler, Tucker Wayne, although this former military team was first introduced in the Sigma series book, BLOODLINE.
It is interesting how the two authors used their strengths to write this storyline. Grant brings to the table his military mindset, which was needed since Tucker is a former Army Ranger. Since Grant is a former Navy veteran he knows how a service person would handle a threat differently from a civilian. On the other hand Rollins is able to write about the historical and scientific elements as well as the behavior of Kane.
The plot has Tucker and Kane assigned by the Sigma Team to extract from Russian soil a pharmaceutical scientist. He is a volatile man who holds the secret to a deadly bioweapon. This scientist, Abram Bukatov is close to finding a “kill switch” for LUCA, a plant organism that spreads like wildfire and if turned into a weapon will disrupt or destroy the food supply. Throughout the book is a cat and mouse chase between the Tucker team and a rogue Russian General’s team that includes the Swedish sniper, Felice Nilsson. Written in a very intense and suspenseful manner, the story delves into how Tucker and Kane must ov
ercome betrayal, being hunted, and a terrorist attack that could be catastrophic to the world’s agricultural supply.
The scenes with Tucker and Kane are the most interesting parts of the book. Rollins, a practicing veterinarian, skillfully writes Kane, a Belgian Malinois, as one of the main characters. He writes from Kane’s point of view through the use of italics, and uses the present tense to capture the dog’s mindset since most live in the moment. The relationship between Kane and Tucker is heart felt and as strong a bond as any human companionship. Readers might think to accept this animal story you have to put belief to one side, but not true. As someone who has done research and written articles on military dogs I can attest to the believability and realism.
Any dog lover will appreciate the quote, “No wonder I like dogs better than people.” Rollins captures what all dog lovers feel from their furry companion: the unconditional love, loyalty, and honesty. Being a veterinarian he is able to explain animal behavior through Kane’s actions.
While Rollins concentrates on Kane, Blackwood writes about Tucker’s mindset towards the enemy. Any Special Forces person feels it is their duty to find and destroy, to seek out the enemy and eliminate the threat. Throughout the book Blackwood makes it obvious that Tucker has no apprehension of killing the bad guys and anyone who becomes an enemy combatant becomes a target.
Readers through this book quote, “such was the changeable nature of war, where life, death, disfigurement, were measured in inches and seconds,” will understand the dangers a military person must go through each and every day, that firefights in itself present chaotic environments.
The authors also gave a heads up about the next book in the series. In the second book a former flame of Tucker lands on his doorstep with child in tow, and requests his help. The Sigma team will make a cameo appearance after Tucker realizes he is in over his head and asks them for help. This plot will deal with germ warfare and surveillance systems. Rollins describes it as a techno-scientific-thriller.
Because the authors feel strongly about military personnel they hope that this book appears authentic. It is a fantastic adventure story with non-stop action. But it is more than that because THE KILL SWITCH shows the close bond between dog and partner, and the readers will fall in love with this canine and his handler.
Elise Cooper
KING OF THE WEEDS
Mickey Spillane/Max Allan Collins
2014
Titan Books
A few years back we ran a cover story with Max Allan Collins in which he discussed Mickey Spillane and talked about being asked by Spillane to finish his unfinished projects. Max Allan Collins was Spillane’s chosen heir and, as a fan of both authors, I have to say that I can’t tell where Spillane ends and Collins begins. It is proof to me that Collins was the right choice.
KING OF THE WEEDS opens with things kind of quiet for Mike Hammer. He and Velda are getting married and longtime associate Pat Chambers, Homicide Captain is retiring. But things never stay quiet in Hammer’s world for long and that is the case in this tale as well. Someone wants Hammer dead, nothing new there. The trick is figuring out who it is and stopping them. It might be someone about to get out of prison after spending years locked up because of Hammer. It might also be the mob guy who is mad at Hammer over some hidden money. It looks like Mike’s going to have to wait for another opportunity to relax.
This is pure hard-boiled (don’t call this noir) detective story telling here, as done by a pair of masters of the craft. Books like this are why I started reading crime fiction and it makes my heart soar to know they are still being published. Collins is on the top of his game.
Jon Jordan
KOKO TAKES A HOLIDAY
Kieran Shea
June 2014
Titan Books
Fast Forward: 500 years…
Koko Martstellar has done her time. A one-time top-flyte corporate mercenary, Koko has since retired from her life of violence and adventure. She now spends her days running a high end bar and brothel on the Sixty Islands. The Sixty Islands are the pinnacle of the manufactured vacation experience: sex and violence served up any way you want it, all brought to you in the perfect Gilligan’s Island environment.
Only, y’know...sexier.
When Koko’s old comrade-at-arms Portia Delacompte sends a crew of armed personnel to take her out, Koko’s brothel is reduced to smoke and cinder, and Koko, barely makes it out alive in her one-woman escape pod.
Seeking refuge on the residential barge Alaunpaya in the low orbiting Second Free Zone, Koko needs to figure out a plan. Why has Portia turned against her? And why now? They’ve both been out of the corporate mercenary world for some time now. What’s going on? So many questions, and no easy answers. Koko knows her way around brothels, bars, and current world socio-political environments, but not the Second Free Zone. A chance encounter with suicidal security agent Flynn gives her a sympathetic partner to show her the ins and outs of life on Alaunpaya.
With Flynn in tow, Koko must stay ahead of the bounty hunters, keep her eye in her skull, and solve a mystery that may have already been wiped away by technology. Without putting too fine a point on it, KOKO TAKES A HOLIDAY is a super fun-time book. If Warren Ellis was gene spliced with Phillip K. Dick, this would be the result of their unholy union.
Kieran Shea’s fiction has historically landed more on the crime-side of your bookshelf. But with KOKO, Mr. Shea takes the reader on a bold journey into a true sci-fi wonderland. A world 500 years into the future, filled with selective mind wiping, ritual suicide, and worldwide political upheaval. Like all good speculative fiction, KOKO TAKES A HOLIDAY serves up elements of the fantastic. But if you squint real hard, you can just make it out in the far horizon of today.
Dan Malmon
MURDER ON THE HOME FRONT
Molly Lefebure
2014
Grand Central Publishing
The full title of this lovely little book is MURDER ON THE HOME FRONT: A TRUE STORY OF MORGUES, MURDERERS, AND MYSTERIES DURING THE LONDON BLITZ, which gives you a better picture of what it’s all about. This is the true story of a young woman, Molly Lefebure, who was a hungry young reporter during WWII. Quite by surprise, she is offered a job working as secretary to Dr. Keith Simpson, a forensic pathologist. Over the course of five years she attends thousands of post-mortems to take dictation—the first secretary to be allowed in the morgues—and is on the scene of countless death and murder investigations. In this book she recounts tales from those years and snippets of interesting cases that she was privy to.
The narrative is somewhat meandering, but it rambles to places that are at the very least interesting. The first few chapters felt a little choppy, but Miss Molly soon finds a writing groove; by the end of the book, I found myself utterly charmed—Molly Lefebure is a woman I would have very much liked to know. She found sitting through the postmortems absolutely fascinating—and was given a hard time about it from many people (especially potential suitors), as it was unseemly for a woman to do such a job; very unladylike, indeed. Yet she was undaunted, tromping around crime scenes, packing up evidence and transporting various body parts. In true British style she also has a dry wit, and can be wickedly funny; I found myself looking forward to her observations about people and society nearly as much as I enjoyed reading about the various murder investigations. MURDER ON THE HOME FRONT provides a very unique view of London—and all of England, really—during the war, a view of the crimes and English underbelly that I thoroughly enjoyed. This is a reprint—the original was published in 1954 under the title EVIDENCE FOR THE CROWN—and I am very grateful it has been brought back.
Erica Ruth Neubauer
THE PRIME MINISTER’S SECRET AGENT
Susan Elia MacNeal
July 2014
Bantam
After a harrowing escape from Nazi Berlin in HIS MAJESTY’S HOPE, THE PRIME MINISTER’S SECRET AGENT finds Maggie Hope now teaching at the same school she once attended, training agents to go out
into the field. Maggie is suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) from her experiences overseas, and having a difficult time fighting the ‘black dog’ of depression; the isolation of the training island and the hard exercise are what Maggie feels she needs rather than heading back into the field. But on a weekend trip to visit her friend Sarah the ballet dancer, Maggie stumbles onto a national secret regarding bio hazardous weapons—and while Maggie jumps in to unravel the truth behind the weapons, the life of her friend hangs in the balance. Meanwhile, the American intelligence community is overlooking signs that a Japanese attack on their assets in Hawaii is heading their way, and Maggie’s mother—the Nazi spy Clara Hess—is quickly coming up on her execution date.
Maggie Hope has always been plucky and resourceful in the past, and while this novel takes her to some darker places, I love the realism of Maggie’s journey. In THE PRIME MINISTER’S SECRET AGENT Maggie really becomes a professional agent; losing her soft edges, yet without losing the heart that makes her so appealing as a protagonist. No one could do what Maggie has done without a few scars, both physical and emotional, and her struggles with PTSD are a natural reaction to the trauma she experienced in the previous book. In fact, I love what MacNeal has done with the psychology in this book overall—both with Maggie and with her mother Clara Hess—I found the portrayals to be incredibly realistic. I don’t want to give too much away, but I thought Clara Hess’s storyline really added true depth and background to a sinister character. (Although it still doesn’t make me like her.)
Crimespree Magazine #56 Page 16