Black Betty

Black Betty by Walter Mosley       Audio Book:  8 hrs., 35 mins   Paperback Book:  368 pages          

Good book.   I pictured Samuel L. Jackson as the lead character, Ezekiel “Easy” Rawlins.   The story is told from Easy Rawlin’s perspective.   About a lady named Betty he had a mad crush on when he was a young boy.  He didn’t understand a lot of the goings on but many of Betty’s beaus would give him a nickel or a quarter to watch out to see that they were not disturbed while they went into dark alleys.  Lots of years have passed since those days of Easy’s youth and now someone has come to his door hired by a rich family to find her (Betty).   He was told the Easy Rawlin’s could find anybody and knew everybody.    Seems the rich Beverly Hills family that Betty has been working for for years has reported her missing and they want her back,    Seems there are a lot of whys since this is 1961 L.A. and Rawlins can’t imagine why this rich white family is so hot to find their maid who just didn’t show up to work one day.   Naturally there is way morfe here than meets the eye, and more than once in the story the Easy Rawlins’ is running for his life from white cops, business and property owners from Compton to Ojai, even some of his longtime friends are looking at him and treating him funny like they have it in for him, too.    Trying to take care of his non-blood children he took in from their abusive backgrounds and keep them safe from all the mayhem he is dealing with and stay alive himself from all the people who are now tracking him for his interest in Betty, it is an entertaining, edge of your seat nail biter.    Bodies are piling up and sometimes he just has to allow what will be to be and walk away letting the chips fall where they must (“You know somebody is gonna die, Easy, now is it gonna be you or you gonna tell me the name of who I’m looking for?”)    I didn’t realize this book was part of a series, but, it stands alone just fine, although you suspect there is lots of history between many of the characters.   I am going to have to start at the beginning and check out the Easy Rawlins series.  Mr. Mosley presents the underbelly of life for all to see and tells some fine tales about the goings on there and introduces some of the most well-rounded folks in all their glory and/or infamy as suits.   Good story.   If you like gritty private eye stories you will like this one for sure.     I did.   Highly recommend this to adult readers as there are adult themes involved.   Good book.

Frozen Charlotte

Frozen Charlotte by Alex Bell 297 pages Hardback 

Reviewed by Rae C.

Had I known the “Frozen Charlotte” dolls were central to the story, I might not have read this!  Haunted dolls usually scare me, even though I am in my 50’s.  However, I am glad I read this book!  It was edge of the seat engaging, genuinely suspenseful, frightening, and well written and plotted.

The book begins with a bang.  Sophie’s friend Jay has an Oujia board app on his phone.  Sophie’s dead cousin Rebecca is summoned. Rebecca died in a mysterious accident years ago in Skye. Mayhem and tragedy occur during and after the app’s use.   (I’m leaving out a big spoiler.)

A few weeks later, Sophie goes to the Isle of Skye to visit her other cousins.  Sophie is seeking answers to the death of her cousin, and also the clues that her cousin’s spirit communicated through the app.  Sophie is a very strong willed and determined.  She has a strong sense of self, and facing things squarely.  

But she is also unable to navigate the conflicts in her cousin’s family: her uncle is a basket case; her absent aunt is in an asylum; cute cousin Cameron has a burned hand and strange, sometimes violent, behaviors; Lilias is afraid of her own bones, and believes that the Frozen Charlotte dolls are haunted; and then there is perfect Piper, the only normal member of the family.

From Sophie’s first night there are strange and unexplainable events.  Plot twists, while sometimes predictable, always take unseen turns, but Sophie remains strong.  She is a heroine a girl can feel good about rooting for!

I had a few problems with the story, but they were fairly easy to ignore.  The first was the Skye location.  The Frozen Charlotte dolls were wildly popular in North America, but not so much in Scotland.  And the author did nothing to illustrate the landscape, culture, language or customs of Skye or Scotland.  I’d actually have preferred to have the location be in North America, as all that was needed was the creepy, haunted former school and the gates, beach, etc. 

And at the end there is fire, but the author didn’t demonstrate a thorough understanding of the reality of smoke inhalation. However, it was so well written and suspenseful that it was easy to ignore.

I recommend this book to anyone that likes supernatural thrillers, especially if, like me, you are a fan of Lois Duncan.

Truth Always Kills

Truth Always Kills by Rick Ollerman   256 pages

St. Pete, Florida, homicide detective Jeff Prentiss’ life is falling apart. His wife, Lori, has just left him and taken their daughter, Roxy. He’s exactly sure why, but he believes it has to do with the recent release of her jailbird ex, Roy Lee Evans.

As he is wallowing in his grief, he is called to the beach, where a body has been discovered, an apparent suicide. The body belongs to the King of Cats, Randy Shawcross. It took me about a fourth of the book before I truly understood that Shawcross was a cat burglar, which seems so odd.  Across the bay in Tampa, a politician is also murdered.

Prentiss is up to his eyeballs in trouble back in the squad room. But now he must circumvent his superiors as he investigates the link between the two violent deaths.

Truth Always Kills is a typical PI book. I found that it lacked tension for me. I was never truly pulled in. Well, wait, there is that one scene that did have me gasping, but I cannot divulge any of it here as it would be a huge spoiler. Truth Always Kills is an okay read, which is why I’m giving it 3 out of 5 stars, but it’s not a memorable read…nor is Prentiss and his supporting cast.  

The Trespasser

The Tresspasser by Tana French,   464 pages.  On sale 10/4/2016 (I read an e-galley of this book courtesy of Edelweiss).

The Murder Squad is nothing like where Detective Antoinette Conway came from. Apart from her partner, all the other detectives on the squad seem to have it out for her and while’s she’s holding on, she’s close to the breaking point.  When a new case lands in her lap, Antoinette and her partner dive right in to what appears to be a typical lovers’ fight turned murder, with young Aislinn Murphy discovered dead in her flat.  However, as she uncovers more details, it becomes clear that this murder isn’t typical.  Why is the rest of the squad pushing for Antoinette to arrest Aislinn’s boyfriend when it seems clear he isn’t the murderer?  And what is one of the squad detectives really hiding?  There’s clearly more to Aislinn than previously thought.  This taut, quick-paced thriller will have you looking in dark corners and following Antoinette as she determinedly digs out the truth.

This is the 6th book in the Dublin Murder Squad series, and although I hadn’t read any other books in the series, I dove right into this story with no problems.  There’s just enough background on Antoinette to make you understand her current situation, and feel like you get a good grasp on her as a character.  The author uses descriptive writing, as well as deft use of language and slang, to put you firmly in the Dublin setting and make everything feel quite real.   This is the kind of story where although it’s tempting to whip right through, it’s important to slow down a bit and pay attention to the details.  Because the information about some of the characters unravels, it’s key to be able to remember things to understand what’s happening to them in the story, and how they play a part in the bigger picture.  What I found interesting was I was equally vested in the main character as I was in finding out who committed the murder and why.  Antoinette is a complicated character, and this adds depth to the entire story.   After reading this one, I’m thinking it would be a good idea to go back and start at the beginning of the series, just because I enjoyed this one so much.

I’d give this book (and probably the whole series) to readers who enjoy books by Mo Hayder.

Patient Zero

Patient Zero by Jonathan Maberry           421 pages

Joe Ledger is planning on joining the FBI after several years as a detective when he is picked up by several agents who someone wants to ask him some questions.  The someone turns out to be a representative of the Department of Military Science.  And what he wants is to test Ledger to see if he’s right for their group.  He passes by killing a man.  The same man he thought he killed earlier that week in an operation.  Ledger is only told that he may be called on to help fight a terrorist group who, it appears, has the ability to create zombies.  This was an interesting premise and I really liked parts of the story.  There were parts that just didn’t flow very well for me though.  I will probably try the sequel still and see if I like it better because I have liked his YA material pretty well.  I think I just find some of the writing a little dry in places and scenes that should hold my attention just don’t.  Other people might like his writing style better than I do.  People who like action and horror type stories might like this book.