Friday, June 22, 2018
FFB Review: Thorns on Roses by Randy Rawls
I have long been a fan of Randy
Rawls work. He hooked me with his Ace
Edwards P.I. series that began with Jake’s
Burn followed Joseph’s Kidnapping.
I could not find reviews of those books so I recently ran again my review of Jade’s
Photos which is the third book in that very good series. Right now
Randy is out spreading the word of his latest book, Saving Dabba. That new book is the fourth installment of his Beth
Bowman series. Today, I want to remind you of another series he has done with
my repeat review of the first book, Thorns On Roses. The review below first
appeared in this space back on December 30, 2012 in what seems now to have been
a lifetime ago.
After you read the repeat review
below with the new publishing info, make sure you check out Randy’s guest post
from last April on my blog as he
discussed his new book, Saving Dabba.
You also should read his recent guest post over at PJ Nunn’s Bookbrowsing blog
where he discussed how he developed his new book on writing titled Randy’s Boot Camp For Fiction Writers.
Finally, make sure you check out the full list of book suggestions today over
at Patti’s blog.
You
have a lot to read. Good thing it is now officially summer and you have
absolutely nothing else to do but pour cool beverages, sip them, and read.
Tom Jeffries has done a lot of things over the
years. He used to be a member of Special Forces and still maintains links to
his old group. He used to be a Dallas cop. A cop with, according to some, a rather
checkered history though nothing was ever proved. These days he is a private
investigator in Broward County, Florida.
That means he hands out a lot of business cards with his signature and the
slogan--“If I can help, call me.”
The young dead woman in the morgue was found with
such a card between her fingers. No doubt a final indignity given by those who
raped her and beat her to death. While
the cops have his card, they don’t have her identification or much of anything
else. PI Tom Jefferies is in no rush to help them either as he has another way
of getting justice.
Mary Lou Smithson was her name and she was in that
often difficult time between a young teenager and womanhood. Found in Coral
Lakes, the woman was the daughter of old friends Charlie and Lonnie Rogers.
Seventeen and sure she knew what she was doing, she was hanging around with a punk
boyfriend who sported a certain kind of tattoo. Her parents tried everything to
stop her escalating dangerous behavior with no effect. Now, she is in the
morgue dead and Tom Jefferies wants answers and justice. That tattoo is going
to be a major piece of the puzzle.
What follows is a far more complicated story than
your typical vigilante style book. Far different in style and tone from the Ace
Atkins series, author Randy Rawls has created a much harder character
who isn’t bound by what law enforcement would consider permissible. While there
are the occasional inside nods to readers familiar with his other series based
in Texas, Tom Jeffries has very little in common with Ace Atkins.
He also has little time for outsiders no matter
their intentions as he is on a mission for Mary Lou Smithson. A mission
increasingly jeopardized by solid police work, a romantic entanglement, and
other issues including the toll the quest is taking on this heavily conflicted
character.
Published by L & L Dreamspell, this is the powerful
start no doubt of a new series from Randy Rawls. Dark in tone with occasional flashes
of humor and romance, the 266 page read takes readers on much more than a vengeance
ride. Thorns On Roses is a good one and well worth your time.
Thorns
on Roses
Randy
Rawls
L
& L Dreamspell
July
2011
ISBN#
978-1-60318-375-8
Paperback
(also available in eBook format)
266
Pages
$14.95
Material supplied by the author quite some time ago
in exchange for my objective review.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2012, 2018
Thursday, June 21, 2018
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Review: Robert B Parker’s Old Black Magic: A Spenser Novel by Ace Atkins
Robert B Parker’s Old Black Magic: A Spenser Novel is the seventh since Ace Atkins took over the franchise and
is another good one. Mr. Atkins continues to stay true to the series while also
his own little changes to bring some new life into the characters. At the same
time he also acknowledges the passing of time and how none of us are going to
get out alive. Contrary to what happened before in much of the series, folks
are now aging and Spenser is frequently contemplating the mortality of both man
and animal. That concept was present in the previous novels written by Mr.
Akins, but makes its presence here in multiple ways almost to the level of a character
in the tale.
It is early summer, a light rain is falling, and Locke has
come to Spenser’s office with one last request. Locke has terminal cancer and
wants the case that he has chased for almost twenty years solved. Three
paintings were stolen from the Winthrop Art Museum almost twenty years ago in what
remains the biggest heist ever. While some would consider the works priceless,
others place the value in the tens of millions. Locke has chased the paintings
ever since with little to go on over the years.
With the twenty year anniversary of the theft coming up a
person or persons unknown has started sending letters to the museum’s director,
Marjorie Ward Phillips. The letters don’t seem to be a ransom demand. The
letters do communicate details of the theft that only those directly involved
would know. Locke has put in a word with the director and has made it clear
that he wants Spenser to finish what he started. Take over the case, find the
paintings, and bring them back where they belong. Locke thinks the letters will
lead to a real chance to recover the paintings and wants Spenser, as a favor to
a dying man and friend, to take the case.
How do you say no
to a dying man?
You don’t. Spenser certainly can’t. From the start at least
some of the museum’s board absolutely does not want Spenser involved. There are
those among the criminal element at Boston who don’t want him involved. Local
law enforcement also would prefer him to stay out of things. Still, a promise
was made to a dying man, so Spenser isn’t about to go away. Nor are many others
who only care about getting a piece of the five million dollar reward.
Robert B Parker’s Old Black Magic: A Spenser Novel is a solidly good read. Ace Atkins does a nice job of
weaving the old and new in terms of characters and settings while also crafting
a mystery with plenty of misdirection. People and places evolve over time and
those changes provide a nice background nuance to the highly entertaining read.
Robert B Parker’s Old Black
Magic: A Spenser Novel
Ace Atkins
G. P. Putnam’s Sons
(Penguin Random House)
2018
ISBN# 978-0-399-17701-9
Hardback (also available in
eBook and audio formats)
325 Pages
$27.00
Material supplied by the good folks of the Dallas Public
Library.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2018
Wednesday, June 20, 2018
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Tuesday, June 19, 2018
Crime Watch: Review: THE THERAPY HOUSE
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