Tag Archives: crime

the last witness

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Lou Mason #2 by Joel Goldman

From Goodreads:

What’s it like to be a target for murder? Every step you take, every sigh you make – could be your last. Could you outsmart a desperate killer?

Just as his life has returned to normal, Lou Mason’s surrogate father, Homicide Detective Harry Ryman, arrests his best friend, ex-cop Wilson ‘Blues’ Bluestone, Jr. on murder charges. Mason rolls in like a freight train to defend Blues uncovers dark and terrible secrets – secrets worth killing for. As his investigation closes in on the killer, the hunter becomes the hunted…and all Hell breaks loose.

Lou Mason is back in The Last Witness and this time, it’s personal. Our sexy, brilliant, and flawed trial lawyer unwittingly becomes the sole focus of a brutal killer. Witness this second thrilling installment in the Lou Mason series.

My Rating: 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟

Really enjoyed this book. I’ve read a number of crime and investigative thrillers set around courts, prosecutors, defense lawyers etc but this series is one of the better.

The writing is a real fast pace with the plot constantly developing and little twists and turns keeping the interest going. Enough that I think I read this book in less than 3 days.

The real success of this book is the number and variety of characters involved. Most of the supporting characters are detailed enough to get to know them without complicating the story while there are plenty of central characters to give the story depth.

Looking forward to the next instalment and getting to know them better.

black notice

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Kay Scarpetta Series #10 by Patricia Cornwell.

From Goodreads:

An intriguing Dr Kay Scarpetta novel which will take Kay an ocean’s breadth away from home. The case begins when a cargo ship arriving at Richmond, Virginia’s Deep Water Terminal from Belgium is discovered to be transporting a locked, sealed container holding the decomposed remains of a stowaway. The post mortem performed by the Chief Medical Examiner, Kay Scarpetta, initially reveals neither a cause of death nor an identification. But the victim’s personal effects and an odd tattoo take Scarpetta on a hunt for information that leads to Interpol’s headquarters in Lyon, where she receives critical instructions: go to the Paris morgue to receive secret evidence and then return to Virginia to carry out a mission. It is a mission that could ruin her career. In a story which crosses international borders, BLACK NOTICE puts Dr Kay Scarpetta directly in harm’s way and places her and those she holds dear at mortal risk.

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

I really like the character of Kay Scarpetta and many of the associated characters such as Lucy and Marino. I also really like the style of Patricia Cornwell’s writing.

The story this time is just OK. The plot behind it is solid but it skips around an awful lot and doesn’t really get deep into the potential of the new characters – police officer Bray or the new rookie Anderson in particular. I also found the handling of her relationship with Tally pretty bizarre.

Add that there is very little further development of the main characters and I can’t help but wonder what the point of this instalment is? I guess that’s to be expected after 10 books based on the same character.

My favourite thing about this series is that the main character is female and so is the author. I don’t read many female centric books so this is interesting for more than just the story.

If I gave half stars this would definitely be 3.5 but I don’t so I’ve given it the benefit of the doubt and gone for 4.

fever of the bone

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Carol Jordan and Tony Hill #6 by Val McDermid.

From Goodreads:

Meet Tony Hill’s most twisted adversary – a killer with a shopping list of victims, a killer unmoved by youth and innocence, a killer driven by the most perverted desires …

When teenager Jennifer Maidment’s murdered and mutilated body is discovered, it is clear that there is a dangerous psychopath on the loose. But it’s not long before Tony and DCI Carol Jordan realise it’s just the start of a brutal and ruthless campaign targeting an apparently unconnected group of young people. Their chameleon-like killer is chatting with them online, pretending to share their interests and beliefs – and then luring them to their deaths.

But just when Tony should be at the heart of the hunt, he’s pushed to the margins by Carol’s cost-cutting boss and replaced by a dangerously inexperienced profiler. Struggling with the newly awakened ghosts of his own past and desperate for distraction in his work, Tony battles to find the answers that will give him personal and professional satisfaction in his most nerve-shattering investigation yet.

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Really enjoyed this. Previous books have focused heavily on Carol, her private and professional struggles and her relationship with Tony. This book is written much more from Tony’s point of view, taking his character in a different direction and hopefully setting up the next book to be a really different relationship for the two of them.

I also really enjoyed the development of the other characters, especially the other members of Carol’s MIT. Paula in particular got a nice focus throughout this book and I think Ambrose will feature in the rest of the series.

On top of all that it’s a cracking bad guy story with a bit of a twist from the norm.