Showing posts with label Massachusetts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Massachusetts. Show all posts
Monday, August 26, 2024
Monday, August 19, 2024
Tuesday, November 14, 2023
Thursday, December 20, 2018
Bitter Tea and Mystery: The Shortest Day: Jane Langton
Bitter Tea and Mystery: The Shortest Day: Jane Langton: The Shortest Day is the 11th book in the Homer Kelly series. This story is set in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where Homer and Mary Kelly a...
Wednesday, February 28, 2018
A Writer's Life....Caroline Clemmons: GEEKS AND THINGS COZY MYSTERY SERIES
A Writer's Life....Caroline Clemmons: GEEKS AND THINGS COZY MYSTERY SERIES: Pains and Penalties A Geeks and Things Cozy Mysteries Novella #1 by Sarah Biglow Genre: Cozy Mystery A new amateur...
Thursday, October 01, 2015
Review: "Robert B. Parker’s The Devil Wins: A Jesse Stone Novel" by Reed Farrel Coleman
“You
know what I think, Chief Stone?”
“What’s
that?”
“Most
of the time he loses, but sometimes the devil wins.” (Page 243)
It isn’t a point Police Chief Jesse
Stone can argue. First with the LAPD and now with the Paradise PD, Stone has
seen things that prove to him that evil does exist in the world whether or not
one wants to specifically ascribe such things to the devil. It is especially
true currently with the discovery of the recent bodies in Robert B. Parker’s The Devil Wins.
The Nor’easter that struck Paradise,
Massachusetts was a hard storm. It did damage around the area including causing
the partial collapse of an old abandoned factory building on Trench Alley. This
is an area of town that does not fit the picture post card idea of a scenic New
England town and won’t any time soon. It is an area of decay featuring old and
long abandoned warehouse buildings that in their day provided jobs and now
serve to be last resort refuge for the homeless, drug users, and others.
In checking out the collapse, Office
Molly Crane found a body. A body that near as she could tell in the few minutes
she was surveying the scene had not been there long. She didn’t get to look at
the scene much before the Fire Department folks arrived and she was ordered out
of the building. Good thing to as minutes after Jesse Stone arrives on site and
is briefed by Crane, more of the building collapses.
When, days later, Molly and Jesse
are finally allowed back into the building they discover that the body is not
alone. Two other bodies, dead for years, are also present. Two skeletons that,
based on what little are left, appear to be childhood friends of Molly Crane. Two
young teen friends who vanished without a trace years ago.
With Suit still recovering from
recent events and limited to desk duty and Molly nowhere near the top of her
game due to her close proximity to the case, it is up to Jesse Stone to figure
out what happened and how everything is connected. He also has to stop a killer
or killers bent on tying up their last few loose ends.
Author Reed Farrel Coleman’s latest
effort in the Jesse Stone series is another good one. This read finds Jesse finally
at home in Paradise (after all it has been ten years) and at peace with his
drinking. In several other areas he is not remotely at peace and the guilt over
those situations drives him as he works to solve the murders in a town that
doesn’t want to deal with its own shameful past. Robert B. Parker’s The Devil Wins
is another good one as Red Farrell Coleman makes it all work from start to
twisted and surprising finish.
Robert B. Parker’s The Devil Wins: A Jesse Stone Novel
Reed Farrel Coleman
Thorndike Press (Gale Cengage
Learning)
September 2015
ISBN# 978-1-4104-8027-9
LARGE PRINT Hardback (also available
in regular print hardback, e-book, and audio formats)
490 Pages
$37.99
Material supplied by the good folks
of the Plano Public Library System who do not care if my review is objective or
not and just want their books and movies back on time and undamaged.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2015
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Review: "Mind Prison: A Short Story" by Dave Zeltserman
Graham Winston has a plan to
revolutionize what it will mean to be a prisoner in Massachusetts. Because the
Governor and a number of other key political people are on board with it, technology
will be used to rehabilitate prisoners while also saving the state tens of
thousands of dollars.
Whether the plan is ethical
or morally right is another question. A question Dr. Graham Winston isn't at
all prepared to answer. Especially since he is cheating on his wife with a
beautiful Russian and looking for a way out of his marriage.
Mind Prison: A Short Story
features two very different and complicated mystery story lines that gradually
come together in an ending that packs plenty of twists and surprises. The fate
of those involved is not clear until the final paragraph and even then is somewhat
open to reader interpretation. It is another good read from author Dave Zeltserman
and fits well in his growing canon of dark and twisted tales.
Mind
Prison: A Short Story
Dave
Zeltserman
Top
Suspense Books
October
3, 2013
ASIN:
B00FN8DUSI
E-Book
(16 Pages estimated)
$0.99
Material supplied by the author in exchange for my
objective review.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2013
Monday, August 26, 2013
Review: "Robert B. Parker's Damned If You Do: A Jesse Stone Novel" by Michael Brandman
Paradise Police Chief Jesse
has a feeling he knows the dead woman from somewhere. Found in a bungalow at
the Surf and Sand motel the dead woman might be 20 or a little younger. Whether
the name she used on the motel register is correct or not is any one's guess. Naked
and dead with no identification makes things hard with identifying her. Then there
is the compounding fact she drove a car with stolen plates. Finding out who she was is going to be a huge
problem and a definite hindrance to the homicide investigation.
What is clear from the get
go that based on where she had been found and her recent short stays at the run
down motel Jesse Stone has quickly determined that she was making money the old
fashioned way. Apparently she was an independent contractor, despite the serious
efforts of two different pimps, who both wanted her in their respective
stables. She was a young and attractive pawn in their turf battle for power and
her death has escalated the tensions involved in that situation. Jesse will
deal with that later---right now he wants to identify her for her parents and
then find her killer.
Robert B. Parker's Damned If You
Do: A Jesse Stone Novel written by Michael Brandman continues the
series in a good way. Both the primary storyline of the above homicide case as
well as a secondary one involving possible abuse of the elderly at a local
retirement home move forward at a rapid pace. Along the way there are plenty of
opportunities for Jesse to crack wise, chat with Dix his therapist, and do what
he does best to irritate those in power and seek justice.
Scheduled to be released in
September this latest in the series is another good one. It breaks no new
ground in terms of the continuing characters and none is expected by faithful
readers. It continues the late Robert B. Parker's writing style of short
chapters, very little description of settings, and snappy dialogue used to move
the action forward. The book comes together well and provides another
entertaining fast read with Jesse Stone.
Robert B. Parker's Damned If You
Do: A Jesse Stone Novel
Michael
Brandman
G.
P. Putnam’s Sons (Penguin Group USA)
September
10, 2013
ISBN#978-0-399-15950-3
Hardback
(also available in e-book and audio formats)
288
Pages
$26.95
I received an ARC of this title due to my participation
in the “LibraryThing Early Reviewers” group for my use in an objective
review. As such, my above review
appeared there first last Saturday before appearing here on the blog.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2013
Monday, June 18, 2012
Review: "Robert B. Parker’s Lullaby: A Spenser Novel" by Ace Atkins
Spenser has always had a soft spot for the
underdog. Few have been more underdog
than 14 year old Mattie Sullivan. Four years ago her mother was murdered. A
friend of her mom’s, a man by the name of Mickey Green was arrested, tried, and
convicted. Seems like a certainty he did it since when he was caught he was
cleaning the dead woman’s flesh and blood off his car at a local car wash. With
that kind of evidence, a worthless lawyer, and his history it was no surprise the
police and the courts went through the motions and he is in prison.
Mattie knows her mom did a lot of bad things. She is certain that Mickey Green did not do
it because Mickey Green was always good to her Mom. She also saw two men snatch
her mother in South Boston the night she was murdered. Not only did she see
them grab her Mattie can identify them. She’s tough and trying to take care of
her alcoholic grandmother and her twin sisters. She can’t do it all and needs
Spenser’s help in so many ways. Finding out who killed her Mom and why is one
thing Spenser can do to help her.
Spenser begins to investigate and it does not take
long for him to figure out Mattie may be right. Mattie is also very stubborn
and proud and won’t back down an inch. It is going to take everything Spenser
and Hawk have to keep her and her family alive and find justice for Mattie.
Written by Ace Atkins after the death of Robert B.
Parker, this novel works on all levels. Clearly nobody is going to be pitch
perfect Parker/Spenser and Mr. Atkins, an accomplished author, is not perfect. But,
as the pages pass by and the rhythm of the story develops the subtitle
differences in author technique begin to rapidly fade. A nice touch is the
occasional strategic reference to long ago books and other cases. Also very
nice is the fact that unlike many of the recent books, Susan and Pearl the
Wonder Dog take a very back seat role in novel that is vintage Spenser.
The result is a powerful good read that works at all
levels throughout the book. Yes, this Spenser is different slightly in tone and
style, but this Spenser is a good one too.
Robert
B. Parker’s Lullaby: A Spenser Novel
Ace
Atkins
Thorndike
Press (a part of Gale, Cenage Learning)
2012
ISBN
# 978-14104-4814-9
LARGE
PRINT Hardback (also available in regular Hardback, audio, and Kindle)
$35.99
Material supplied by the good folks
of the Plano Texas Public Library System. Again this year the summer reading
challenge for adults and kids is now underway. For more information go to
Kevin
R. Tipple © 2012
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