Mysteries Galore.com

Archive for August, 2011

Reviewed by Allen Hott

The song Moonlight Mile written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards is used to aptly describe this Dennis Lehane mystery. “But I am just about a Midnight Mile down the road” pretty well sums up where the supposedly lost girl in the story is.

About 10 years ago Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro had worked as private investigators finding a four-year-old girl who had been kidnapped. Happily they were able to find her but then unhappily she was reunited with her mother who was worthless and the girl was actually worse off back home.

Since that time Kenzie and Gennaro had married and had a daughter of their own. Angie had become pretty much a stay at home parent while Patrick worked hard at finding steady employment. He was trying to get on with an agency which would afford him better benefits and stable income but that was not that easy.

One night out of the blue the aunt of the girl who had been kidnapped years ago called Patrick and told him that Amanda was again missing. Not for sure if kidnapped again or more than likely just a runaway. The aunt badgered Patrick into hunting for Amanda again because the aunt felt that Patrick should have known that the kidnappers years ago offered Amanda a much better chance at a good life than her own mother offered her. Read the rest of this entry »

Reviewed by Caryn St. Clair

As In Search of the Rose Notes opens, sixteen years have past since the event that shapes this novel. Nora, through whose eyes we follow the story, has just heard from Charlotte for the first time since the girls left for college. Charlotte has contacted Nora to let her know that a skeleton has been found that is believed to be Rose, their long missing babysitter. Nora returns to the town she grew up in and stays with Charlotte during the re-opened investigation.

Sixteen years earlier, Nora lived with her single mother on the same street with her classmate Charlotte. Since Nora and Charlottes’ mothers worked together and the girls were best friends, Charlotte’s family hired Rose, a local teenager to watch the girls after school each day. Their after school activities follow the expected path of snacks, homework and television, until the girls discovered a set of Time-Life books on various supernatural subjects in Charlotte’s older brother’s closet. From then on, the world of hypnotic states, dream interpretation, Ouiji boards and communicating with ghosts consume the girls time.

One evening after Charlotte’s father came home, Rose walked Nora home as usual, and continued up the hill to her house-or so everyone thought. Rose not only didn’t arrive home that evening, she was not seen again. Charlotte and Nora decide to investigate by using the Time-Life books. Read the rest of this entry »

Reviewed by Elizabeth Sheehan

The story takes place in the Boston, MA area. Twelve years earlier Amanda McCready was kidnapped. This was actually done by rogue police who then placed her in a loving home. She is found by PI’s Patrick Kenzie and his wife Angela Gennaro. Patrick insists on returning her to her mother Helene who to be honest is a poor example of a parent. He has always questioned his decision. Amanda now 16 along with her friend Sophie are now missing again. Patrick & Angela are again asked to investigate. Then a mystery begins with Patrick being beaten and his laptop taken by someone associated with the Russian mob. Read the rest of this entry »

Reviewed by Julie Moderson

Steven Gore improves every time he writes another book and I wouldn’t have believed that he could improve. Each of his novels becomes my favorite until the next one comes out.

Donnally is a former detective and he is asked by a dying friend to find his younger sister that he hasn’t seen since he was young. Donnally promises to find her and deliver a letter to her. Little does he know that this promise will take him on a wild adventure to find the young woman. Donnally finds himself doing battle against very powerful and wealthy people on both sides of the border. He is driven to keep the promise to his dear friend and discovers demons he never imagined he would find but keeps going until he knows what really happened. Read the rest of this entry »

Reviewed by Douglas R. Cobb

Love Lies Bleeding by Jess McConkey is an intense psychological thriller that creeps up behind you, and make you question what is real and what is not. Samantha Moore, the main character does, after having been viciously attacked and beaten and left for dead. Sam is trying to move on with her life, yet she knows it will never be like it was before the attack by gang members. She was in a coma for two months, and despite having undergone rehabilitation and physical therapy, her left leg has been so severely injured that at the start of the novel she can barely use it.

Sam, the daughter of a wealthy businessman (Lawrence Moore), had had such plans for her life before the attack, including getting married in two weeks to her fiancé, Jackson, a doctor. However, all of her plans get put on hold indefinitely because of what happened, and her father and Jackson arrange for Sam to be nursed back to health while staying at a secluded Minnesota lake house. Sam soon learns that the residents of small towns have secrets, too, and that nowhere is truly safe.

Samantha and Jackson vacation at the lake house for a while, before Jackson breaks the news to her that her parents are coming to discuss plans they have for her further care. She is afraid to go outside, afraid of the shadows, afraid that her attackers will somehow be able to find her again and this time kill her.

Mysterious things start happening at the house by the lake. Jackson accuses her of placing a framed photograph of them face down, and a little later, a hiding it in the bathroom, though Sam tells her she didn’t do it. She hears whispering voices at night, and smells the odor of cigarettes burning. Then, she notices that the book Jackson has been reading is about haunted Minnesota lake houses. The medication which is supposed to make her sleep through the night, prescribed by Jackson, doesn’t, and instead Sam seems to have an even more difficult time of falling asleep, tossing and turning all night. And, glancing out of the window one night, Sam sees a lady with red hair in a nightgown, back turned to her, smoking a cigarette. When she looks again, shortly after this, the lady has gone. Read the rest of this entry »

Reviewed by Gina Metz

The Snowman is the fifth in Jo Nesbo’s detective Harry Hole series. It is the start of winter in Oslo when a woman disappears and all that is left behind is a Snowman with her scarf around the snowman’s neck. As Harry begins to investigate he notices a pattern in the disappearances of many women over the years. Combining that with an anonymous letter he has received Harry begins to believe that Oslo may have it’s first serial killer operating there. Read the rest of this entry »

Jo Nesbo brings back alcoholic Oslo detective Harry Hole. On a cold December night, people are gathered to listen to the Salvation Army carol concert when a shot rings out and a Salvation Army officer falls dead. In what appears to be an assassination there are no clues or evidence left by the killer. Harry has no motive and nothing to work with to try to locate the killer. However, when the assassin realizes he’s shot the wrong person and Harry’s investigation heats up the bodies start to pile up. Read the rest of this entry »

Reviewed by Patricia Reid

Wilford Hadda began life as the son of a Cumbrian woodcutter on the Ulphingstone estate. Sir Leon Ulphingstone gave him the nickname of Wolf. At one stage in his life, Wolf Hadda held the title Sir Wilford Hadda.

Reginald Hill takes the reader through the various stages of the life of Wolf Hadda and Wolf has led a very interesting life. As a boy, he charmed Sir Leon’s daughter and left Cumbrian to earn his fortune. Wolf became a very wealthy man and returned to marry Imogene Ulphingstone. The couple had a daughter that Wolf doted on but one morning a knock on the door brought a screeching halt to Wolf’s charmed life.

The police entered his home with a search warrant and arrested Wolf. To say that Wolf was surprised by the visit would be putting it mildly. He did not take well to being pushed around by the Officer in charge and so Wolf decided to make his exit from the police station. Wolf wound up in a traffic accident that left him badly injured and in a coma. As he started to come out of the coma in the hospital, the only bright spot in the day was Davy McLucky, the man in charge of guarding his hotel room. Read the rest of this entry »

Reviewed by Julie Moderson

Matthew F. Jones has written at least one other book, so this is not his first one. Like his previous book, A Single Shot is also very different. Jones has a style of writing unlike any I have experienced before. I don’t know how to describe it but he seems to like graphic violence, very detailed descriptions and some unusual sexual scenes.

The basic pretense for A Single Shot is a young girl, Ingrid Banes, is accidentally shot by John Moon while he is poaching deer. John Moon is a likeable character and he seems to be a very intelligent man. He is horrified when he shot Ingrid and is torn between turning himself in or hiding her body. While John tries to decide what to do, he temporarily hides Ingrid’s body and finds a bag with a tremendous amount of money. John’s wife and son have left him and the money might be an answer to his prayers. Read the rest of this entry »

Reviewed by Teri Davis

For anyone who works in law enforcement, fortunately they seldom have to investigate any accident or crime scene involving their loved ones. What is the right thing for them to do? Should they continue to do their daily work or should they take a leave of absence for their personal lives and investigate what really happened?

Sheriff Ike Schwartz is in this quandary. Her fiancée, Ruth Harris, was driving his vehicle when she was involved in an automobile accident. Being that he is from the small town of Picketsville, the local big city police believe that this was the result of a normal accident, even though it was a hit-and-run. They seem to have decided not to spend any more time or effort on this investigation.

Frustrated, Ike decides to investigate on his own and attempts to take a leave of absence. With an impending election fast-approaching, the mayor does not want to grant this. With Ruth in a coma, Ike feels compelled to investigate on his own. Was Ruth the target or is someone trying to get even with Ike? Read the rest of this entry »