Aubrey Hamilton Reviews: Lesser Evils by Joe Flanagan

Lesser Evils by Joe Flanagan (Europa Editions, 2016) is an astonishing piece of noir fiction. Bill Warren, its protagonist, is surrounded by corruption in his small Cape Cod town of 1957, yet he remains convinced of the need to be an honest, fair, and upright human being. Bill is the acting police chief in Barnstable while the police chief is on medical leave. He is the sole support of a disabled son since his alcoholic wife wandered away years ago; he’s trying hard to care for young Mike while doing his best on the job. His rectitude backfires on him sometimes, as when he discovered the antique store owned by a gay couple is being robbed but no one on his force responds to the reports. He investigates himself and finds the thief to be the son of one of the selectmen, who threatens him with his job if he doesn’t close the case. While he damages his standing with the very people who can give him the chief of police position permanently, he is able to return the latest stolen items to the store owners, much to their surprise and gratitude.

Someone is killing young boys on Bill’s turf. His team turns out in full force only to have a publicity-hungry State Police captain sweep the case out from under them. Another family disappears after they reported violent treatment by a local group of gamblers in an attempt to collect money. An investigation of the bar that fronts the gambling den links the group to organized crime in Boston. Bill organizes a raid on the place, only to find it cleaned out and the pigeons flown – someone within his own team is feeding them information.

There are some great characters here. The local politicians are deliciously seedy. The pedophiles pulled in for interviews are skin-crawlingly creepy. A doctor trolling for patients to try his new drug on betrayed every ethic of his job. A prominent subplot involves Father Boyle, a sad priest who believes he’s lost his faith and his calling but he continues to carry out his duties at the local hospital and the school for disabled children run by a group of nuns. Father Boyle has a confused past; his grasp on reality doesn’t seem to be firmly in place. He’s deeply committed to the children in the school, where they are delighted to see him on his visits. I held my breath waiting for him to be accused of the murders. Like Bill Warren, he would have been unable to defend himself. Instead the subplot resolves unexpectedly in possibly the most unusual way I can remember in crime fiction.

This book is deeply dark and violent, showing humanity at its absolute worst at moments. I nearly stopped reading midway. The writing and the story became so compelling I was driven to learn how it all ended and a wonderful ending full of optimism it is. Publishers Weekly starred review.

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Europa Editions; First Edition (March 1, 2016)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1609453107
• ISBN-13: 978-1609453107

Aubrey Hamilton ©2020

Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.

Aubrey Hamilton Reviews: Shotgun Boogie by Steve Brewer

I have been a fan of Steve Brewer and his writing for a long time, since I found him and his books about Bubba Mabry on the online mystery discussion list DorothyL. He’s a versatile crime writer, producing stand-alone novels and novellas, short stories, and mystery series, all of which seem to be set in the Southwest. As if giving rabid bookworms more than two dozen full-length books to appease their need to read is not enough, he and his family recently opened a bookstore in Albuquerque. Excellent news, since there cannot be too many bookstores. But perhaps I am biased.

Shotgun Boogie (CreateSpace, 2016) is the first book by Brewer about Jackie Nolan. Jackie works for Howard Bell, owner of Duke City Truck Salvage in Albuquerque. Among the legitimate trucking assignments Duke City Truck Salvage receives are a few under the table arrangements that involve Jackie’s ability to drive a semi and Howard’s ability to offload stolen goods. Jackie is desperate for money and not in a position to turn down these illegal gigs. Her mother is failing and unable to stay alone; the cost of caretaking is skyrocketing but Jackie is determined to keep her out of an institution.

So when Howard asks her to boost another semi at the same place she stole a truck full of cigarettes the night before, she’s appalled at the risk but in too great a need for the extra money to turn it down. She knows the cargo has to be contraband of some sort because Howard offers her twice her usual rate to steal the truck, but he assures her it’s not drugs and not people, so how bad can it be? After Jackie steals the truck and inspects the contents, she discovers the load consists of U.S. guns and ammunition that have been stolen from an Army base. That’s how bad it can be.

Jackie has no intention of turning these weapons over to anyone but the U.S. government. She’s trying to figure out how to do that while staying anonymous when suddenly all kinds of unsavory people are after her and Howard. Neither the Mexican gangster who commissioned the theft nor the various hooligans who expected to acquire a small munitions depot appreciate the disruption to their plans. Jackie learns quickly how hard it is to go on the lam with a mother suffering from dementia in tow.

Despite Jackie’s illegal activities, she is a sympathetic character who is caught in a vise by the need to care for her mother. She is also quick-witted and resourceful, escaping time and time again by a hair. Fast-moving, violent, and action-packed, an absorbing read for a cold winter night.

·         Paperback: 326 pages
·         Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (October 14, 2016)
·         Language: English
·         ISBN-10: 1539162648
·         ISBN-13: 978-1539162643

Aubrey Hamilton ©2019

Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.

Aubrey Hamilton Reviews: The Defense by Steve Cavanagh

Steve Cavanagh’s fourth book about Eddie Flynn won the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year in July 2019 amidst formidable competition, which says just how good a read it is. Since I hadn’t encountered Eddie previously, I started at the beginning with The Defense (Flatiron Books, 2016) and found it an excellent legal thriller as well as a witty story of a resourceful con man trying to go straight and giving up when a law-abiding life couldn’t protect his family.

Eddie Flynn is a former grifter who learned the trade from his father. He abandoned a lucrative life running scams to attend law school and lead an average life. After a defense case gone horribly off the rails, he sold his share of his law practice and hit the sauce far too hard, losing his wife and daughter in the process. One morning awhile after Eddie began his slow climb back to sobriety, a member of the Russian mafia kidnaps him for a meeting with his chief, who is out on bail before his trial for homicide. The mafia chief Volchek explains to Eddie that he is holding Eddie’s daughter hostage until Eddie gets Volchek acquitted by killing the main witness against him.

In a desperate bid to save his daughter and stay out of jail himself, Eddie resurrects all of his rusty swindler’s tricks to outsmart the Russian gangsters as well as uses his considerable legal expertise to tap dance his way through a murder trial he’s had no time to prepare for. When it becomes clear the Russians have members of law enforcement on their payroll and no assistance can be expected from that quarter, Eddie has no choice but to call on the people he knew in his other life for help. They include his childhood friend who is now the leader of an Italian crime family, with his own agenda where the Russians are concerned.

An original and gripping plot with a host of first-rate characters. The suspense is expertly developed, resulting in some harrowing scenes, for instance, where Eddie scales the front of the old and crumbling courthouse building. Eddie Flynn is an exceptionally fine addition to the ranks of fictional lawyers, and I am pleased to make his acquaintance. 

Shortlisted for the Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award for Thriller of the Year.

Publishers Weekly starred review

·         Hardcover: 320 pages

·         Publisher: Flatiron Books; 1st edition (May 3, 2016)

·         Language: English

·         ISBN-10: 1250082250

·         ISBN-13: 978-1250082251

Aubrey Hamilton ©2019

Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.

Aubrey Hamilton Reviews: Sayonara Slam by Naomi Hirahara

Sayonara Slam by Naomi Hirahara (Prospect Park Books, 2016) is the sixth book in this award-winning series led by an irritable semi-retired Japanese-American gardener in his 80s named Mas Arai who just wants to be left alone. Instead, his daughter, son-in-law, and grandson live with him, interfering with Mas’s potential plans to ask his girlfriend to move in with him and generally complicating his life.

The son-in-law has finally gotten a good job as head groundskeeper at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, and Mas is helping him out during the World Baseball Classic series where Korea and Japan are playing. An obnoxious Japanese sportswriter from an unsavory publication drops dead among the crowd of spectators and journalists jostling for position near the dugout. Mas ends up answering questions from the police instead of watching the game, since he was helping pass water among the group.

The grandson of Mas’s childhood girlfriend arrives from Japan a couple of days later ostensibly to take over the dead sportswriter’s job and hires Mas as chauffeur and translator. In reality Yuki is investigating what has turned out to be a homicide. The victim’s computer files are missing and just what he was working on isn’t clear. Some signs point to the dead journalist dabbling in blackmail on the side. Mas’s unwillingness to explain his relationship to Yuki’s grandmother to Mas’s current girlfriend creates a possible turning point in their lives.

This is a leisurely mystery, perhaps not for everyone, no car chases and no shoot-outs, but it is a fine read about people who sound authentic. It holds a great deal of history woven into the background of the story, Japan and Korean political relationships, Hiroshima and World War II survivors, prisoner exchanges, but none of it obtrusive. Other reviewers suggest starting at the beginning of the series for a fuller picture of the characters and their backgrounds.

·         Paperback: 280 pages

·         Publisher: Prospect Park Books LLC - Prospect Park Books (April 26, 2016)

·         Language: English

·         ISBN-10: 1938849736

·         ISBN-13: 978-1938849732

Aubrey Hamilton ©2019

Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.

Aubrey Hamilton Reviews: First Fix Your Alibi by Bill James

First Fix Your Alibi by Bill James (Crème de la Crime, 2016) is the 33^rd book in the British police procedural series featuring Assistant Chief Constable Desmond Iles and his sidekick Detective Chief Superintendent Colin Harpur.

Mansel Shales and Ralph Ember have each established highly profitable illicit drug empires and, to maintain the status quo, they observe each other’s trading space with the appearance of great collegiality. ACC Iles has let them know that he will look the other way while they carry out their illegal trade as long as no violence accompanies their businesses. However, someone is not playing according to the rules: the vehicle carrying the family of Shales is fired on as they are going to school, killing his wife and son. The gunman is killed later before the name of the person who gave him his instructions can be determined. Shales thinks he knows who did and he suggests to Ember that Ember kill the putative traitor in Shales’ organization, a la Strangers on a Train. Shales promises to return the favor whenever Ember has someone who needs to be removed.

Ember is taken aback, as he feels he has moved on from such thuggish practices and is trying hard to establish himself as a legitimate businessman. He is waffling about the murder when a rave takes place in an abandoned hotel, the organizations of Ember and Shales supplying the drugs. A young man is killed in a brawl there. Some think the culprit is obvious, others think a member of the drug-selling troupe contributed to the death, which brings Iles and Harpur hard into the drug barons’ business, as much for self-preservation as anything else. Not everyone in the police hierarchy agrees with Iles’ hands-off stance.

One would think that James would run out of ideas after 30+ books but this title is an astonishingly inventive spin on the traditional police investigation. The end was just as surprising as the rest of the book. Highly recommended. Booklist starred review.

·         Hardcover: 192 Pages

·         Publisher: Crème de la Crime; First World Publication edition (April 1, 2016)

·         Language: English

·         ISBN-10: 1780290829

·         ISBN-13: 978-1780290829

Aubrey Hamilton ©2019

Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.

Aubrey Hamilton Reviews: The Girl at the Deep End of the Lake by Sam Lee Jackson

Finding a new mystery or thriller that I like is a great way to start the new year. How have I not heard of these books before? The Girl at the Deep End of the Lake by Sam Lee Jackson (Piping Rock Publications, 2016) is an exciting start in a series featuring Jackson and Blackhawk, two former covert operations agents who moved to unsuspecting Phoenix, Arizona. Jackson sustained permanent injuries in his last fire fight and is now living quietly on a boat, occupying his time with fishing, swimming, and reading. He’s awakened one night by a couple of thugs who are dumping a plastic-wrapped girl in his lake. Jackson has a wide streak of the rescuer in his psyche, and he immediately dives in and drags her out with the help of another lake-side resident.

The girl tells Jackson a story full of holes but sufficient for him to understand she’s associated with one of the local gangs and that she is in danger, even if she doesn’t realize how much. When she disappears the next day, Jackson goes looking for her and the story takes off.

Fast-moving and full of fresh, interesting characters, not the least of which is Jackson himself. (Although, really, the author couldn’t think of a different name?) He has re-invented himself, it’s clear, as one of the law enforcement officials he encounters points out that there is no paperwork or history on him preceding the purchase of his houseboat. He’s quixotic and not particularly observant of laws if they are inconvenient. His problem-solving approach combines the loyalty and ruthlessness of Joe Pike with the wit and affability of Spenser. Also presented for our consideration are a Catholic priest who runs an underfunded women’s shelter in the worst part of the city, a South American consul searching for his granddaughter, a singer in a local night club who wants to fix Jackson up with her best friend, and gangbangers aplenty. There are enough bar-room brawls and shootouts to satisfy the bloodlust of any reader, as well as the obligatory romance.

I enjoyed this book so much I am afraid to pick up the next in the series for fear it won’t be as good as this one. Highly recommended.

·         Paperback: 332 pages

·         Publisher: Piping Rock Publications (August 5, 2016)

·         Language: English

·         ISBN-10: 0999852620

·         ISBN-13: 978-0999852620

·         Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.8 x 8 inches

Aubrey Hamilton ©2018

Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.

Crime Watch: Review: CHARCOAL JOE

Crime Watch: Review: CHARCOAL JOE: CHARCOAL JOE by Walter Mosley (Doubleday, 2016) Reviewed by Shane Donald Picking up where Rose Gold left off in LA in the late 1960s,...

Aubrey Hamilton Reviews: Forgive Me by Daniel Palmer

Forgive Me by Daniel Palmer (Kensington, 2016) is a stand-alone thriller from my Bouchercon book bag, which seems to have been light on genuine mysteries this year. Angela DeRose’s investigation agency in Arlington, Virginia, specializes in locating runaway children. Her interest in helping at-risk teens and their families stems from the disappearance of her best friend in college just before they graduated. No clue to her fate ever surfaced, and Angie is determined that no other family will suffer the same sense of loss and grief if she can help it.

Workaholic Angie is devastated when her mother dies suddenly. In sorting through her mother’s possessions and papers, she finds an older photograph of a small child with the words “Forgive me” and a string of numbers written on the back. Her father doesn’t know anything about it and Angie is haunted by this secret in her mother’s life. Her search for the child’s identity and the meaning of the numbers on the back of the photo forms the overarching framework of the book. The investigative work that leads Angie to the little girl’s name and location is well done and the plot twist at the end that explains Angie’s mother’s connection to the child is explosive, surprising, and plausible.

Nearly half of the story however is consumed with the detailed and graphic description of the seduction and coercion of a 16-year-old into a sex trafficking ring, and Angie’s search for her. This unflinching narrative reads as if it were taken from actual case records.

I find it interesting that the publisher’s blurb makes no mention of the sex trafficking thread which forms a significant part of the book, focusing only on the photo of the unidentified little girl.

However, I had the feeling that this is two separate stories folded into one book, one being extraneous to the other, making it a mildly disorienting read. Action-packed with physical and sexual violence.

·         Hardcover: 416 pages

·         Publisher: Kensington (May 31, 2016)

·         Language: English

·         ISBN-10: 075829347X

·         ISBN-13: 978-0758293473

Aubrey Hamilton ©2018

Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.

Aubrey Hamilton Reviews: Stone Coffin by Kjell Eriksson (Minotaur, 2016)

Stone Coffin by Kjell Eriksson (Minotaur, 2016) is the third police procedural mystery featuring Ann Lindell and Ola Haver, detectives in the Violent Crime Division in Uppsala, Sweden. Originally published in Sweden in 2001, this entry in the series was translated by Ebba Segerberg nearly 15 years later.

Josefin Cederen and her daughter Emily are walking along a road near their home when they are struck and killed by a car whose driver speeds away without stopping. Sven-Erik Cederen, Josefin’s husband and Emily’s father, can’t be located. He is not at his company, MedForsk, a burgeoning pharmaceuticals company that he co-founded, and his coworkers do not know where he is. An all-points bulletin for him is released as Inspector Ann Lindell organizes the initial phases of the murder investigation. An examination of the Cederen home reveals Josefin’s diary, which shows she is afraid her marriage is disintegrating. The financial expert in the Uppsala police department reviews the family’s bank accounts and finds that Sven-Erik recently purchased property in the Caribbean using money from MedForsk, not his own, essentially embezzling it. The staff at MedForsk are less than forthcoming and Inspector Lindell and her colleagues can’t quite figure out what they are unwilling to reveal.

In the meantime Ann Lindell’s personal life is up in the air. She re-establishes a relationship she broke off six months earlier and is determined to find a way to remove the geographical distance between her and her lover. This story is as much about this turning point in her personal life as it is the investigation into the Cederen family deaths.

Kjell Eriksson has won multiple awards for the books in this series. His is not one of the most well-known names in Scandinavian fiction here in the U.S., but enjoys wide name recognition in Europe. His prose is thoughtful and precise, although the translator must share the credit to some extent, while his plotting is inventive.

This series was not translated into English and published in the U.S. in the same order it was written and published in Europe. The first two books haven’t been translated or released in this country at all. Since the characters’ personal lives appear to be a big part of each book, this out-of-sequence publishing affected my understanding of events.

Not to be overlooked by fans of Nordic crime fiction and police procedurals. Do be skeptical of references to “fourth in series” and similar statements; all of Amazon’s are based on the U.S. publication date which has no bearing on the original issuance date and are therefore wrong.

·         Hardcover: 304 pages

·         Publisher: Minotaur Books (November 22, 2016)

·         Language: English

·         ISBN-10: 1250025516

·         ISBN-13: 978-1250025517

Aubrey Hamilton © 2018

Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal IT projects by day and reads mysteries at night.

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