Peter James
Dead Man's Time
Detective: Roy Grace
Location: Brighton
Time: Current
Genre: Police Procedural
This is the ninth of the Roy Grace series. It concerns the brutal murder of an elderly lady and the theft from her own of both valuable antiques and a valuable watch, the only memento she and her brother have of their father, a gangster murdered in New York ninety years previously. As Grace and his team seek the killers, the brother, himself a wealthy man begins his own brutal search for the killers and the watch.
At the same time a released convict plans a horrific revenge on Grace for putting him inside for 12 years by plotting an attack on Grace's partner and their new son.
In other aspects of the underlying story arc, we learn more about Grace's first wife who disappeared a number of years ago and who is now living under a new identity in germany, but who may be planning to return to Brighton.
The story builds to a climsx in New York with the elderly man eventually seeking revenge on the descendant of his father's murdered.
A+
Peter James' web site
Previously read
Dead Simple
Looking Good Dead
Not Dead Enough
Dead Man's Footsteps
Dead Tomorrow
Not Dead Like You
Dead Man's Grip
Not Dead Yet
Sunday, 25 August 2013
Monday, 19 August 2013
Thomas Enger
Pierced
Journalist: Henning Juul
Location: Oslo
Time: Current
Genre: Scandi Noir
This is the second book by Enger featuring Henning Juul. There is a key underlying arc. Juul was badly burned and his son died in a fire at his home. He has nightmares about it and the perpetrator is unknown.
In this novel Juul is persuaded to investigate the case of Pulli, a man imprisoned for murder who is proclaiming his innocence. His leverage to get Juul to help is that he promises to reveal what he knows about the fire at juul's home.
This takes him into a murky world of enforcers (bouncers/debt collectors) and the rivalries and jealousies between them. At the same time a hitman forces a TV cameraman into murdering Pulli. How that resolves itself is a sub plot. the death of Pulli drives Juul to solve the murder for which Pulli was imprisoned in the hope that he can work out what Pulli knew.
This is going to continue in other books.
A-
Thomas Enger Web Page (In Danish)
Previously Read:
Burned
Pierced
Journalist: Henning Juul
Location: Oslo
Time: Current
Genre: Scandi Noir
This is the second book by Enger featuring Henning Juul. There is a key underlying arc. Juul was badly burned and his son died in a fire at his home. He has nightmares about it and the perpetrator is unknown.
In this novel Juul is persuaded to investigate the case of Pulli, a man imprisoned for murder who is proclaiming his innocence. His leverage to get Juul to help is that he promises to reveal what he knows about the fire at juul's home.
This takes him into a murky world of enforcers (bouncers/debt collectors) and the rivalries and jealousies between them. At the same time a hitman forces a TV cameraman into murdering Pulli. How that resolves itself is a sub plot. the death of Pulli drives Juul to solve the murder for which Pulli was imprisoned in the hope that he can work out what Pulli knew.
This is going to continue in other books.
A-
Thomas Enger Web Page (In Danish)
Previously Read:
Burned
Sunday, 11 August 2013
Martin Walker
The Devil's Cave
Detective: Bruno Courreges
Location: "St Denis" in the Perigord, France
Time: 1990?
Genre
This is the fifth in Walker's Bruno Courreges series set in the fictional town of St Denis in the Perigord region of France. While Bruno may be styled the Chief of police, he is the police for the small town. The series in general reflects Walker's fondness for the area and for the relative simplicity of life in rural France.
The crime to be investigated is the death, possibly murder, of an unidentified woman, found floating in a punt towards the town naked and possibly the victim of a black mass. Simultaneously the town council is being persuaded to invest in a holiday village scheme despite the fact that a similar investment by the same developers went pear shaped in a previous town. As Couureges investigates both siutations he finds himself under pressure from government level to drop the matter.
The threads come together effectively, but this is as much a book to enjoy the location, the cast of characters and their continuing development as it is a hard nosed police procedural.
A-
Martin Walker's Bruno, Chief of Police blog
Previously read
Bruno, Chief of Police
The Dark Vinyard
Black Diamond
The Crowded Grave
The Devil's Cave
Detective: Bruno Courreges
Location: "St Denis" in the Perigord, France
Time: 1990?
Genre
This is the fifth in Walker's Bruno Courreges series set in the fictional town of St Denis in the Perigord region of France. While Bruno may be styled the Chief of police, he is the police for the small town. The series in general reflects Walker's fondness for the area and for the relative simplicity of life in rural France.
The crime to be investigated is the death, possibly murder, of an unidentified woman, found floating in a punt towards the town naked and possibly the victim of a black mass. Simultaneously the town council is being persuaded to invest in a holiday village scheme despite the fact that a similar investment by the same developers went pear shaped in a previous town. As Couureges investigates both siutations he finds himself under pressure from government level to drop the matter.
The threads come together effectively, but this is as much a book to enjoy the location, the cast of characters and their continuing development as it is a hard nosed police procedural.
A-
Martin Walker's Bruno, Chief of Police blog
Previously read
Bruno, Chief of Police
The Dark Vinyard
Black Diamond
The Crowded Grave
Wednesday, 7 August 2013
Anne Holt
Death of the Demon
Detective: Hanne Wilhelmsen
Setting: Oslo
Time: Mid 1990's
Genre Scandi Noir
This is the third of the Hanne Wilhelmsen series, set just after Wilhelmsen has been appointed aDetective Inspector.
The crime involves the murder, one evening, at her workplace of the manager of a children's home. the possible suspects include a lover who has been defrauding her bank account, a colleague who has been fiddling the books, a husband who could benefit from a change in her will and a 12 year old boy with an ADHD problem (defined as MBD in the book) who has gone missing from the home.
The investigation is paralleled by a developing account, set in italics, of the mother's experience with her son and the attempts to get the social services agencies to support her rather than place him in the home.
It seems a dead end case but the pieces come together with a twist to reveal the murderer and with a final twist in the mother's story about a key piece of evidence.
The back story concerns the challenges facing Wilhelmsen in managing a case after her promotion and her continuing nervousness about colleagues knowing about her long standing lesbian partnership.
A+
Wikipedia background to Ann Holt
Previously read
Blind Goddess (1)
Blessed are thos who thirst (2)
1222 (8)
Death of the Demon
Detective: Hanne Wilhelmsen
Setting: Oslo
Time: Mid 1990's
Genre Scandi Noir
This is the third of the Hanne Wilhelmsen series, set just after Wilhelmsen has been appointed aDetective Inspector.
The crime involves the murder, one evening, at her workplace of the manager of a children's home. the possible suspects include a lover who has been defrauding her bank account, a colleague who has been fiddling the books, a husband who could benefit from a change in her will and a 12 year old boy with an ADHD problem (defined as MBD in the book) who has gone missing from the home.
The investigation is paralleled by a developing account, set in italics, of the mother's experience with her son and the attempts to get the social services agencies to support her rather than place him in the home.
It seems a dead end case but the pieces come together with a twist to reveal the murderer and with a final twist in the mother's story about a key piece of evidence.
The back story concerns the challenges facing Wilhelmsen in managing a case after her promotion and her continuing nervousness about colleagues knowing about her long standing lesbian partnership.
A+
Wikipedia background to Ann Holt
Previously read
Blind Goddess (1)
Blessed are thos who thirst (2)
1222 (8)
Sunday, 4 August 2013
Elly Griffiths
Dying Fall
Detective: DI Harry Nelson
Forensic Archeologist: Ruth Galloway
Setting: :Preston/Pendle/Blackpool
Genre
Time :Current (Set in 2010)
This is the fifth of Elly Griffiths novels featuring Forensic Archeologist, Ruth Galloway and Detective Inspector Harry Nelson together with a New Age Druid, Cathbad whose empathy with various strands fortunately never crosses into the paranormal.
In this story Galloway learns of the suspicious death of an undergraduate contemporary, dan golding the day before she receives a letter from him asking her to investigate the probity of some bones he has found. The letter indicates there was something frightening him and almost immediately Galloway starts getting threatening texts. Galloway however, together with Cathbad and her daughter (by Nelson) does elect to go to Pendle University.
At the same time Nelson and his wife take a holiday in Blackpool, his home town, part from nostalgia and part to renew his acquaintance with former colleagues in the Blackpool Police and discover information about the death of Golding.
The murder relates to Golding's discovery of a sarcophagus at Ribchester which may or may not contain the bones of King Arthuir. It would appear that a neo nazi organisation might be concerned that the bonesmay reveal something about Arthur they consider unpalatable. But which, if any, of Golding's colleagues may be implicated.
There's a bit of hokum to this one but enjoyable non the less.
The back story of course involves Nelson's sense of responsibility for the daughter he has fathered on Kate, while he maintains his marriage to a wife who has reluctantly learned to live with her husband's one night of infidelity.
B+
Elly Griffiths' website
Previously read
The Crossing Places
The Janus Stone
The House at Seas End
A Room Full of Bones
Dying Fall
Detective: DI Harry Nelson
Forensic Archeologist: Ruth Galloway
Setting: :Preston/Pendle/Blackpool
Genre
Time :Current (Set in 2010)
This is the fifth of Elly Griffiths novels featuring Forensic Archeologist, Ruth Galloway and Detective Inspector Harry Nelson together with a New Age Druid, Cathbad whose empathy with various strands fortunately never crosses into the paranormal.
In this story Galloway learns of the suspicious death of an undergraduate contemporary, dan golding the day before she receives a letter from him asking her to investigate the probity of some bones he has found. The letter indicates there was something frightening him and almost immediately Galloway starts getting threatening texts. Galloway however, together with Cathbad and her daughter (by Nelson) does elect to go to Pendle University.
At the same time Nelson and his wife take a holiday in Blackpool, his home town, part from nostalgia and part to renew his acquaintance with former colleagues in the Blackpool Police and discover information about the death of Golding.
The murder relates to Golding's discovery of a sarcophagus at Ribchester which may or may not contain the bones of King Arthuir. It would appear that a neo nazi organisation might be concerned that the bonesmay reveal something about Arthur they consider unpalatable. But which, if any, of Golding's colleagues may be implicated.
There's a bit of hokum to this one but enjoyable non the less.
The back story of course involves Nelson's sense of responsibility for the daughter he has fathered on Kate, while he maintains his marriage to a wife who has reluctantly learned to live with her husband's one night of infidelity.
B+
Elly Griffiths' website
Previously read
The Crossing Places
The Janus Stone
The House at Seas End
A Room Full of Bones
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