McKenzie’s Friends Solve His Almost Fatal Shooting

 

Former police officer and current millionaire Rushmore McKenzie sometimes works as an unofficial investigator. In this guise he’s helped solve some of the most difficult crimes in the St. Paul area. He is currently working a case. Standing outside a rather seedy bar on Rice Street he’s shot in the back. While he’s in a coma and recovering, his childhood friend, Lt. Bobby Dunston leads the police investigation into the shooting. McKenzie’s friends and frenemies from many different areas also try to find answers to the crime.

The pace is fast and there are plenty of twists in this story. McKenzie in recovery tells much of the story from his point of view. Many of his friends who are also trying to solve the crime are also given a chance to tell what’s going on from their perspective. I particularly enjoyed this split between McKenzie and his friends, who are interesting characters in their own right.

Although this book is part of a series, it can be read as a standalone. Since the book has a great deal of action, the author doesn’t rely on backstory. All the characters are well developed so the need for backstory is limited.

If you enjoy police work with quirky characters and an engrossing plot, this is a good one.

I received this book from St. Martin’s Press for this review.

Bored Wives and Risky Practices

 Sophie O’Neil left a stressful, high-paying job in Chicago to move to a small Texas town with her family. At first the relaxed atmosphere seems a relief from the pressures of the city, but eventually, Sophie gets bored. She’s attracted to a socially prominent group of women of whom Margo is the ring leader and wants to be part of the group.

Sophie gets pulled into the group’s late night activities which include copious amounts of alcohol, skeet shooting, and some less savory practices. As she gets deeper and deeper into the group, she becomes obsessed with Margot. She is desperate to stay in Margot’s good graces and becomes willing to do anything to remain close to the other woman.

Then a young girl’s body is found in the woods where the Hunting Wives socialize, and Sophie finds herself in the midst of a murder investigation.

Sophie is a very conflicted character. She is so desperate to be noticed by Margot that she makes bad decision after bad decision. I can’t say I found her likable, but her emotional response to events was perfect for driving the story.

The story is filled with twists that will keep you guessing. If you enjoy psychological mysteries, this is a good one.

I received this book from NetGalley for this review.
  

Secrets, Romance, and Betrayal

 

At thirty, the only life Frankie has known is helping her mother run a shop selling movie memorabilia. When her mother dies, she’s devastated and doesn’t know whether financially she’ll be able to continue to run the store.

When she receives a package containing two letters and photograph that her step-father found among her mother’s things, she’s introduced to a life her mother had before she was born and one she’s never talked about. Frankie is surprised to see her mother in a group of people including Mitch Beckett and Glory Cartwright, a glamour couple from the early Hollywood days.

Although she could sell the letter in the shop for a great deal of money since they appear to be the last letters Glory wrote, she decides instead to go to Harpswich, Massachusetts where the picture was taken. She may even find a clue to who her real father is.

This story is told in two time periods: Frankie in the present and her mother in 1989. I often don’t like stories split between time periods because one is usually more interesting than the other. However, in this case the split worked well to give us a comprehensive view of the important characters in the story. The characters were well drawn. I felt that we got to know all of them and sympathize with their actions.

I recommend this book if you enjoy romance and secrets. It’s a perfect beach read.

I received this book from Net Galley for this review.

Three Hurting People and Their Dogs

 

George has lost his wife. He’s the epitome of a grumpy old man. He doesn’t want the puppy his wife brought home before she died and he doesn’t want the visits from Betty next door. He knows his wife is behind these visits not wanting him to sit home all day in his underwear.

Dan is a mental health counselor who has his own issues. He has OCD. It keeps him from interacting with people, but his dog, Fritz, understands him. He’s also coming to terms with his sexuality.

Lizzie is a former teacher. She escaped her abusive husband with her son, Lenny. Lizzie has bruises outside and inside. Maude, the terrier who lives in the shelter where Lizzie is staying seems to understand she provides emotional support.

If you love dogs, this is a good book. It showcases the supportive links between people in crisis and their dogs. The book is very emotional. You can’t help hoping the three characters whose lives become entwined will be able to overcome their problems and live happier lives. Perhaps most important, the book is about the support and loyalty dogs give their people.

I received this book from St. Martin’s Press for this review.

A Murder Mystery Set in Modern China

 

Inspector Lu Fei, although graduating first in his class from the prestigious police academy, has been assigned to a backwater in northern China. Lu is not unhappy. He enjoys his Shaoxing wine and reciting poetry to the attractive bartender, Yanyan. Not much is happening until Lu receives a call. There has been a murder. A young woman has been killled. Lu and his constables find her in the bathroom. Disconcertingly, her heart, lungs, and liver have been removed and the cavity sewn shut with an autopsy type stitch.

Lacking the necessary resources to handle the case alone, he requests a team of investigators from Beijing. However, unlike Lu, the inspector who arrives is more interested in a quick arrest to enhance his reputation. This leads to conflict because Lu is determined to solve the case and not take the easy way out.

The setting in modern China was new to me, but I found it interesting and very well done. The descriptions of the characters and the physical setting are excellent. Some of the writing is almost poetic. The author enhances the feel of China by having Lu quote classical poetry, particularly to Yanyan.

The author starts each chapter with a quote from Chairman Mao Zedong. This sets the stage for the background of modern China where corruption is rampant and striving for position is more important than justice to some officials.

I received this book from St. Martin’s Press for this review.

Growing up in the Sixties

 

Although the focus of the book is on the sixties, it opens in the fifties. Mick and Tara live on a small dairy farm in New York state. The farm doesn’t make much money. They’re poor but the children don’t realize it. There’s plenty to eat and the farm offers opportunities for exploration. Troy is an orphan. He runs away from the Catholic home where the priests beat him. He meets Mick by accident. They become fast friends and Mick’s family agrees to take in Troy. Daisy is Mick’s girl friend. He’s devastated when she moves away because her father takes a job in a plant out of the area.

I thoroughly enjoyed the opening of the book. The children were well developed and their concerns were very real. I wasn’t as impressed with the second part of the book where they moved into lives in the sixties. Mick was trying to find himself. Troy went in a different direction joining the Marines because he believed in defending the country. Daisy joined the peace corps, and Tara with a beautiful singing voice became part of the rock and roll scene with emphasis on sex and drugs.

In the second part of the book the focus is on Mick. Personally, I wanted to know more about what the other children, particularly Daisy, were doing. The other problem I had with the book was the rather pedantic treatment of racism. Sex was also overplayed in my estimation. Those were definite problems in the sixties. I know because that’s when I grew up, but other important things were happening also. It was a time when young people not immersed in the popular culture were also grappling with the changes and trying to find themselves in a less destructive way than sex and drugs. I thought the book was rather one sided.

I received this book from Net Galley for this review.