AJ Speaks

Pineapple Grenade by Tim Dorsey

The newest in a long series of stories about Serge A. Storms and his sidekick Coleman set in the ‘real’ Florida. Which looks a lot like where I live and not a lot like the tourist posters and ‘Come to Florida’ ads. In this book Serge decides to deviate from his career in Freelance Law Enforcement and swerve over into Freelance Spy Work. With just a bit of Law Enforcement thrown in as a favor to an old friend. As in all Tim Dorsey’s tales, it is told with tongue in cheek and pokes for all. Bad Florida drivers, tourists, local merchants, the government, litterbugs, domestic abusers, all purpose idiots, they all get their fair share. There is no sense trying to explain the details, we don’t have all day. Just read it, you know you’ll like it. 5 Stars.

D.C. Dead by Stuart Woods

I like all of Stuart Woods stories. He has several series, including Holly Barker ( a female police chief), Ed Eagle (Native American lawyer in Santa Fe), Will Lee (a lawyer), and Stone Barrington (NYC ex-homicide cop turned lawyer’s lawyer) of which D.C. Dead is the latest. He also writes some free standing novels, which often have cameos by his series characters. One of those got me hooked on Mr. Woods.

In this ‘episode’, Stone and his pal Dino Bacchetti (A Manhattan murder squad lieutenant) are recruited by the President (via the CIA) to investigate a year old White House murder. As usual Stone and Dino fine dine, drink Knob Creek bourbon, screw every woman they cross paths with and investigate (almost incidentally to the real business of bedding every woman they meet, did I mention that?) to a successful conclusion. Though in this case with several false conclusions until, finally, the murderer is revealed. 3 Stars.

Rust by Julie Mars

Rust is the story of Margaret Shaw, an artist slightly outside the mainstream of society. After reading a story in a travel magazine that there are coyotes on the banks of the Rio Grande in the middle of Albuquerque she decides to pack up and move there from NYC. She is also determined to switch from oil painting to metal sculpture thus requiring welding lessons. She is able to get lessons from a local low rider welder with his own troubles. I found this an interesting and compelling story that I enjoyed quite a bit. You should read it. 4 1/2 Stars.

77 Shadow Street by Dean Koontz

I will read anything by Mr. Koontz. Even his grocery lists - LOL. This book is an example of why. It starts out like a horror type novel with possible hauntings and apparitions. But the source of this weirdness is not the graveyard as per usual. I will not tell more, get this book and read it. All the best of Koontz, great characters, some friendly dogs, possible heroes and/or villains. And of course an captivating storyline. 4 Stars.

Cloudland by Joseph Olshan

I read this because it was set in Vermont, where I spent ALL my summers with my family when I was a kid. I read it even though the protagonist was a household hints column  writer. These sorts of murder mysteries are usually not my cup of tea, you know the type. With recipes at the beginning of each chapter, or something similar. This is not that sort of book, Catherine Winslow is not that sort of column writer, she is a ex-investigative reporter turned college professor who had a affair with an older ex-student that turned bad, so she retired to her old home in Cloudland, an area in NE Vermont. This book covers all that detail and the hunt for a serial killer who has struck too close to her home. The story is interesting with many suspects and kept me page turning right to the end. 3 Stars.

Emperor Mollusk Versus The Sinister Brain by A. Lee Martinez

A rather odd space opera about a warlord mollusk, from Neptune who has conquered the Earth and now is bored. But then the Sinister Brain’s plots against the Earth become a problem. Along with Saturnites, Venusians and Mercurials. A rollicking shoot ‘em up that rolls right along. You should read it.  3 1/2 Stars.

Heart of a Killer by David Rosenfelt

Jaimie Wagner is a lawyer. He is at a dead end in the firm he works for as he realizes he will never make partner. He is a Harvard trained underachiever who gets assigned a pro bono case that changes his life. The case seems sort of straight forward, a woman who murdered her husband who is approaching parole. Seems like a simple case. Not. The involvement of her late husband (six years dead) with a nationwide terrorist plot would be the first clue.  4 Stars.

The Best Bad Dream by Robert Ward

Jack Harper and Oscar Hildago are FBI agents and they are going rogue. They have just finished a tough case and it’s vacation time. However, Jack gets a call from his ‘girlfriend’, car thief Michelle Wu. Her sister, Jennifer, has been kidnapped in Santa Fe, NM. This turns into the rogue investigation I mentioned earlier. The story gets going pretty good and the plot twists get pretty involved. This is Sci Fi disguised as mainstream, which seems pretty popular nowadays. I don’t mind, but I would read it with a Sci Fi tag sooner than I did. 3 1/2 Stars.

Paper Angels by Billy Coffey

A bit of a spiritual story about Andy Somerville, who has a personal angel who he calls the “Old Man”. Andy met the angel when he was 10 and he prayed to the second star in the Big Dipper (like his Mom had told him to do) for help. Though I don’t usually like stories like this, I persevered and found it an enjoyable tale. 3 stars.

Running The Maze by Jack Coughlin

Marine Gunnery Sargent Kyle Swanson is a sniper and part of Task Force Trident, a black ops, off the radar special operations team that answers only to the POTUS. This books goes right down the road you are envisioning. And it does it very well. No real surprises. None. Hard to believe, an action adventure story with no surprises. I still enjoyed it though. 3 Stars

The Man From Primrose Lane by James Renner

This is a story about an odd man, the man from Primrose Lane, a well known character in West Akron, Ohio. He is a reclusive man who always wore mittens, a different pair every day, even in summer. And on one summer day, he is murdered.

Four years later, soon after his wife’s suicide, David Neff is introduced to the story of the man from Primrose Lane. David is a best selling true crime author, and he decides to investigate him and his murder.  ‘Nuff said. 4 3/4 Stars.

Hitchers by Will McIntosh

A interesting slice of life about Finn Darby and the loss in his life. Which started with the unrelated deaths of his wife and his grandfather on the same day, 2 years ago. He takes over his grandfathers comic strip (against his wishes). Then a terrorist attack on Atlanta. Soon things take a strange direction. A good direction, but I don’t want to ruin your enjoyment by telling you more. Just know it’s good. 4 Stars.

Bleed For Me by Michael Robotham

Pretty good British psychological thriller whose protagonist is a psychologist who is trying to help his daughters friend Sienna who is suspected of murdering her father. Quite a few twists and turns. Sometimes, maybe,  a bit too much internal angst but it held my interest once it got going.  2 3/4 Stars.

The Spy Who jumped Off The Screen by Thomas Caplan

Former spook Ty Hunter is now a movie star. While attending the Cannes film festival, he befriends some folks that the US Government has an interest in. Naturally he is recruited back into service and his top secret clearance restored. While sort of a predictable plot, the writing is good and the story moves along well right to it’s happily ever after ending.   Includes a introduction by President Bill Clinton.   2 1/2 Stars.

By Blood by Ellen Ullman

A rather odd story about a disgraced professor who takes an office in downtown San Francisco and over hears a doctor and patient next door discussing the patients life as an adopted child and who she is related to ‘by blood’.

I read this all the way through though I almost quit a couple of times. It was OK. 2 1/2 Stars.

Victims by Jonathan Kellerman

Another Alex Delaware - Police Consulting Psychologist – Procedural (Whew! Quite a mouthful). These are always great and I will always read anything Kellerman puts out there. Try One, you’ll like it! 4 Stars.

Implied Spaces by Walter Jon Williams

I really liked this book. It’s a tale of the future when AI’s run the universe and mankind is spread out though dozens of pocket universes run by the AI’s. Aristide is a geek turned swordsman, a scholar of implied spaces in architecture. While traveling around, he stumbles on a plot the might end all civilization. So Aristide and his cat (who is really an avatar of one of the AI’s, Endora) investigate and save the day. Of course. But the story is so well told that some obviousness doesn’t matter at all. Another Williams tour de force.    4 1/2 Stars.

Play Nice by Gemma Halliday

The story of an ex-assassin, Anya Danielovich, recruited a a tender age  and indoctrinated into killing for the Kosovo secret police (KOS) until she decided she didn’t need to do this anymore. So she faked her death while on the run from her last job, killing a Russian General.

Now, many years later, living under an assumed name in San Francisco she is attacked by 2 killers. The second killer seems pissed off that he wasn’t the lone attacker as promised and winds up on the run with Anna/Anya. An engaging story and a good read. 3 Stars.

you think that’s bad by Jim Shepard

A diverse collection of short stories about the human condition. Some were very compelling, all were good. One story is about a woman who travels and explores the middle east way before it was common for women to even travel alone. Another is about the relationship between people and water in the Netherlands. Yet another is about the director of special effects at the studio that produced Gojira, King of the Monsters (Godzilla). All in all a good read. Get it, Read it. 3 Stars.