Showing posts with label Kathryn Casey. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kathryn Casey. Show all posts
Monday, March 08, 2021
SHOTSMAG CONFIDENTIAL: March Books to Look Forward to From Bookouture
SHOTSMAG CONFIDENTIAL: March Books to Look Forward to From Bookouture: Amber applies a dash of red lipstick and checks herself out in the mirror before heading out on a date. ‘Don’t wait up!’ she calls to her ...
Friday, June 21, 2013
FFB: "Singularity" by Kathryn Casey
Friday means Friday’s Forgotten
Books hosted by Patti Abbott. Make sure you check out the other reading
possibilities here after you
read the review below……
For Texas Ranger Lieutenant Sarah Armstrong the summons to
Galveston to investigate the death of some big shot didn't seem that important
at first. The only criminal profiler in the Texas Rangers, she works out of
Ranger Company A, based in Houston. It took her an hour to get from her Houston
office to the multimillion dollar beach homes that signify a far different
lifestyle than her own of a single mother raising a young daughter.
Almost from the start, the investigation is problematic as she has a history with the lead detective of the Galveston P. D. The fact that the two dead bodies are posed on the bed in the master bedroom under a bloody cross means only one thing to Detective O. L. Nelson. He is convinced that the wife of Edward Travis Lucas the Third, Priscilla Lucas, arranged to have him and his mistress, Annmarie Knowles, killed. Nelson's theory is that Priscilla got mad he was cheating, maybe he wanted a divorce, maybe there is a prenup, and so she hires herself a killer. The cross on the ceiling, the posing of the bodies using fishing line to orchestrate the tableau, and other details are camouflage to throw Law Enforcement off track.
Detective Nelson has been horrendously wrong before and as he makes the case for his theory, she is absolutely convinced he is very wrong again. She is convinced that a pro killer didn't do this for money. Instead, she believes it to be the work of a serial killer who targeted the lovers for some other reason. She believes from the details at the scene that he took his time to clean up after himself because he has done this many times before and enjoys doing what he does.
Unfortunately, Sarah Armstrong's opinion is a minority point of view with the case quickly becoming a media circus and Priscilla Lucas the target. Despite being able to possibly link other cases to the serial killer, Sara Armstrong's career becomes threatened by political pressures due to the prominence of the families involved and media hysteria forcing consequences on every one involved.
Known for her published work in non fiction true crime books, this is author Kathryn Casey's first fiction novel and it frequently shows for readers familiar with the mystery genre. Somewhat clichéd in terms of character development (Sarah Armstrong is a recent widow raising an eleven-year-old daughter with the help of her own strong willed Mom), the novel soon turns into the classic deal of the taunting killer and Sarah engaged in a battle of wits. One expects the mailed notes quoting scripture and isn't surprised that they show up. What is surprising is how long it takes for them to arrive.
Long on legend and lore regarding to Texas Rangers, readers never get the sense Sarah Armstrong really is one. Despite the fact that she works on facial reconstructions with clay in the dark of night when she can't sleep, there is no depth to the character in the law enforcement arena or any real specific unique details that make the Texas Ranger angle of the novel come across as real to readers. Instead, this material comes across as generic and the same basic character type stuff seen in many books in the genre despite the acknowledgements page. It also isn't surprising and rather clichéd when two FBI agents become involved in the case with one being a negative influence and siding with Detective Nelson and the other siding with Sarah Armstrong and becoming a romantic interest. Such conflict is a classic stereotype within the mystery genre.
Yet, such classic stereotypes exist because when the human element is added well the resulting novel can and usually does work. Such is the case here as the novel builds at a steady pace while adding in the human factor making the main character and her family come alive for readers. While Sarah as a Texas Ranger is never totally believable, Sarah as a parent dealing with the tragic loss of her husband, Bill a year earlier comes across extremely well to readers. Not only the impact on her but the impact on her young daughter Maggie rings all too true to readers who are parents. The relationship between Sarah and her own mother also comes across well to readers making the family dynamic one of the strongest plot points in the novel. The human element is what drives this novel forward and when Author Kathryn Casey concentrates on that the book is at its best.
While readers expect the showdown between crimminal and avenging Sarah Armstrong at the end of the novel, the setup to get there and the resulting outcome contains a few surprises. That fact, along with a strong character that frequently pushes at the boundaries of stereotype, plenty of action and depth to the mystery, make this a good novel that will keep readers entertained and turning pages.
This title is followed by Blood Lines (2009) reviewed here and The Killing Storm (2010) reviewed here.
Singularity
Kathryn Casey
http://www.kathryncasey.com/
Thorndike Press
http://www.gale.cenage.com/thorndike
2008
ISBN# 1-4104-1064-1
Large Print Version (also available as e-book, paperback, bargain hardback and audio)
459 Pages
This book was provided by the good folks of the Plano, Texas Public Library System.
Kevin R. Tipple © 2009, 2013
Almost from the start, the investigation is problematic as she has a history with the lead detective of the Galveston P. D. The fact that the two dead bodies are posed on the bed in the master bedroom under a bloody cross means only one thing to Detective O. L. Nelson. He is convinced that the wife of Edward Travis Lucas the Third, Priscilla Lucas, arranged to have him and his mistress, Annmarie Knowles, killed. Nelson's theory is that Priscilla got mad he was cheating, maybe he wanted a divorce, maybe there is a prenup, and so she hires herself a killer. The cross on the ceiling, the posing of the bodies using fishing line to orchestrate the tableau, and other details are camouflage to throw Law Enforcement off track.
Detective Nelson has been horrendously wrong before and as he makes the case for his theory, she is absolutely convinced he is very wrong again. She is convinced that a pro killer didn't do this for money. Instead, she believes it to be the work of a serial killer who targeted the lovers for some other reason. She believes from the details at the scene that he took his time to clean up after himself because he has done this many times before and enjoys doing what he does.
Unfortunately, Sarah Armstrong's opinion is a minority point of view with the case quickly becoming a media circus and Priscilla Lucas the target. Despite being able to possibly link other cases to the serial killer, Sara Armstrong's career becomes threatened by political pressures due to the prominence of the families involved and media hysteria forcing consequences on every one involved.
Known for her published work in non fiction true crime books, this is author Kathryn Casey's first fiction novel and it frequently shows for readers familiar with the mystery genre. Somewhat clichéd in terms of character development (Sarah Armstrong is a recent widow raising an eleven-year-old daughter with the help of her own strong willed Mom), the novel soon turns into the classic deal of the taunting killer and Sarah engaged in a battle of wits. One expects the mailed notes quoting scripture and isn't surprised that they show up. What is surprising is how long it takes for them to arrive.
Long on legend and lore regarding to Texas Rangers, readers never get the sense Sarah Armstrong really is one. Despite the fact that she works on facial reconstructions with clay in the dark of night when she can't sleep, there is no depth to the character in the law enforcement arena or any real specific unique details that make the Texas Ranger angle of the novel come across as real to readers. Instead, this material comes across as generic and the same basic character type stuff seen in many books in the genre despite the acknowledgements page. It also isn't surprising and rather clichéd when two FBI agents become involved in the case with one being a negative influence and siding with Detective Nelson and the other siding with Sarah Armstrong and becoming a romantic interest. Such conflict is a classic stereotype within the mystery genre.
Yet, such classic stereotypes exist because when the human element is added well the resulting novel can and usually does work. Such is the case here as the novel builds at a steady pace while adding in the human factor making the main character and her family come alive for readers. While Sarah as a Texas Ranger is never totally believable, Sarah as a parent dealing with the tragic loss of her husband, Bill a year earlier comes across extremely well to readers. Not only the impact on her but the impact on her young daughter Maggie rings all too true to readers who are parents. The relationship between Sarah and her own mother also comes across well to readers making the family dynamic one of the strongest plot points in the novel. The human element is what drives this novel forward and when Author Kathryn Casey concentrates on that the book is at its best.
While readers expect the showdown between crimminal and avenging Sarah Armstrong at the end of the novel, the setup to get there and the resulting outcome contains a few surprises. That fact, along with a strong character that frequently pushes at the boundaries of stereotype, plenty of action and depth to the mystery, make this a good novel that will keep readers entertained and turning pages.
This title is followed by Blood Lines (2009) reviewed here and The Killing Storm (2010) reviewed here.
Singularity
Kathryn Casey
http://www.kathryncasey.com/
Thorndike Press
http://www.gale.cenage.com/thorndike
2008
ISBN# 1-4104-1064-1
Large Print Version (also available as e-book, paperback, bargain hardback and audio)
459 Pages
This book was provided by the good folks of the Plano, Texas Public Library System.
Kevin R. Tipple © 2009, 2013
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Reviewing: "The Killing Storm" by Kathryn Casey
Kids always have been a key part of this series featuring Texas Ranger and Criminal Profiler Sarah Armstrong written by former true crime writer Kathryn Casey. The same is true from the first page despite the fact that the initial focus is about how the summer heat has lingered on deep into October, Hurricane Juanita is stalled out in the gulf, and somebody has killed a very expensive bull on a ranch outside of Houston in order to send a message.
With a vulture perched above the scene around in an old oak tree as a backdrop, the prize winning longhorn bull is very dead thanks to its head having been obliterated by a shotgun blast. A circle has been drawn around the entire carcass in the red-brown dirt. Additionally, a design of some sort, possibly of African origin, has been painted onto the bull hide in black ink. In a state that prides itself on the cattle industry, this case is important and not just because the value of the bull makes it a felony.
Then there is the missing children case. For months, Sarah Armstrong has thought about two missing children that have never been found. While at the crime scene at the ranch, she is advised of the latest child abduction. The latest missing child, Joey Warner, looks remarkably like the other two missing kids. From the get go, Mom seems to have a different agenda than Law Enforcement and the estranged father and his family is of little help. A missing four year old child means Sarah's romantic interest, FBI agent and fellow criminal profiler David Garrity is front and center involved. While Garrity wants and needs her help to locate the missing boy, he does not have time to talk about where their relationship is going in the wake of a new and unexpected complication. That leaves Sarah to do most of the thinking about it, while working cases and dealing with the expectations of her own mother and her 12 year old daughter, Maggie.
Old timers will tell you, the only way to break a Texas drought is a hurricane. One lurks off shore, over the horizon, stalking the upper Texas coast with a vengeance. It does not take much thought on the reader’s behalf to realize that the Hurricane has to hit at the end of the book and imperil everything Sarah holds dear.
A bit clichéd at times, overall the read is a good one despite an ending that will clearly annoy some readers-- myself included. Hurricanes seem to be all the rage these days as a back drop in Texas based novels whether they are written by Texas based authors or not. A notable exception being Tyler resident Milton T. Burton’s very good novel, Nights of the Red Moon.
In a book that occasionally shifts into the pov of Joey Warner as well as his twisted kidnapper, the primary focus is the world seen from the viewpoint of Sarah Armstrong. A world where family and innocents take precedent, evil lurks and will lash out and kill in unexpected ways, and things are not often as they seem in the most tranquil of circumstances. Overall a good novel by the Houston area resident and one worthy of your time despite the noted issues.
If you have not read her prior books in this series, I strongly suggest you read them in order.
Singularity, published in 2008 was followed by Blood Lines in 2009.
Prior events are referenced in The Killing Storm and as such it would be best to read these novels in order.
The Killing Storm: A Mystery
Kathryn Casey
Minotaur Books (St. Martin’s Publishing Group)
November 2010
ISBN# 978-0-312-37952-0
Hardback
310 Pages
$25.99
Material supplied by the Plano, Texas Public Library System.
Kevin R. Tipple © 2011
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