Month: March 2021

Mercy Carr & her retired military K-9 Elvis return for their best adventure yet, as Mercy unwittingly gains an old missing persons’ case to look into. Many years ago, Mercy’s ‘Grandpa Red’, then the local Sheriff, was killed by a man bent on revenge after his wife left him.  His then partner, now on his own deathbed, asks to see Mercy, and gifts her with the files of a case he was never able to solve, imploring Mercy to “find her”. He is referring to the young Bethie Kilgore, who disappeared along with her abusive husband, with no trace of the couple ever found, aside from a postcard sent from Vegas all those years ago.  

Meanwhile, Vermont Game Warden Troy Warner stops by Mercy’s home to notify her that her grandfather’s killer, George Rucker, has escaped from prison and disappeared, and they have good reason to believe that Mercy’s grandmother may be in danger. And if that’s not enough, Mercy receives a visit from a young soldier, Wesley Hallett, who claims that Elvis was once his military service dog, and he seems determined to have him back. 

As Mercy begins to dig into the old case files, she her grandmother are injured in an unexpected attack, and an intruder attempts to steal the old case files from Mercy’s home, thwarted only by Elvis’ quick response. Now Mercy must put aside her fears of losing Elvis, and her personal differences with Troy, as he and the lovable Susie Bear, his search-and-rescue K-9, work to  keep her grandmother out of harms’ way, and try to discover the fate of a woman who has been missing for over 20 years…

This is the third book in the Mercy & Elvis series and all I can say is that I LOVE them! Set in the beautiful northeastern state of Vermont, the story – the whole series – is fast paced and engaging, the protagonists, both 2 legged and 4, are loveable, relatable and flawed, and you’ll be flipping pages well into the night like I was!  Great, GREAT series!!  

I received this book as an Advance Reader Copy from Netgalley, in exchange for an objective review.  Do you love to read?? Visit netgalley.com and start reviewing books today!!

Charlotte “Charlie” Winters has just arrived at her uncle’s PI office, “A1 Investigations” when a well-dressed young woman comes in, with a troubling story.  Gloria Carmichael is seeking assistance in discovering who killed her father, and what has become of several hundred million dollars that is missing from the Carmichael estate. Gloria confides that she is one of six children, and that the family is not particularly close, with any one of her siblings possibly having an agenda where the missing money is concerned. There’s also the possibility of the man’s mistress being involved. 

Intrigued, Charlie accepts the case, and begins by visiting the Carmichael estate, to see the murder scene, and to meet Gloria’s siblings. As she interviews each family member, it becomes readily apparent that they have had difficult relationships with their father and with one another. Meanwhile Dutch’s mistress, remains very elusive.  Additional questions arise, including Dutch’s missing computer, and the whereabouts of Dutch’s will. Strangely, no one has been able to locate the document. 

As Charlie digs deeper, the case suddenly turns deadly in the form of a hit and run accident outside of Charlie’s office – then Charlie too, finds her life in grave danger. More determined than ever to get to the bottom of things, Charlie sneaks into a gala at the local country club to confront Dutch’s former mistress, who knows a secret or two herself.  Finally, an impromptu visit to a mountain vacation home inadvertently reveals a secret that will crack the case wide open…if Charlie lives to reveal it…

I love this new character, and the at times hysterical dialogue that she has with her deceased sister Allie, interspersed throughout the pages. The reader learns that Allie was a fairly recent murder victim, a crime as yet unsolved – hoping the authors take the series in that direction soon!  If you love strong female protagonists, this is yet another book to add to your reading list! While you’re at it, be sure to look up this duo’s ‘Violet Darger’ series as well! Great reads, all! 

I received this book as an Advance Reader Copy from #Netgalley, in exchange for an objective review.  Do you love to read?? Visit netgalley.com and start reviewing books today!!

Dave Gurney, a highly decorated detective now retired from the NYPD, is has just finished giving a lecture to a bunch of cadets when he receives a phone call.  An old partner, and one he owes a debt to, has just called, wanting to connect with him and discuss an unusual case. Somewhat reluctantly, Dave agrees to a quick meeting with Mike Morgan.  When Mike arrives at Dave’s Walnut Creek home, he details some rather unusual events that have taken place in the town of Larchfield where he, much to Dave’s surprise, is their chief of police.  The tale, tall at best, has culminated in the murder of a very wealthy individual, with the only prints left behind appearing to belong to the town bad boy, Billy Tate.  The only problem – Billy is dead – due to a freak accident a day before the murder. Somewhat reluctantly, but a bit intrigued, Dave agrees to take a look…

Upon his arrival to Larchfield, Dave sees a picturesque town that is essentially owned and run by the wealthy patriarchs who reside there, one of whom, Angus Russell, is now deceased. The evidence clearly points to a young man, who died after being struck by lightning while defacing the towns church steeple. But when they attempt to verify the ID of the body in the coffin at the funeral home, they discover an empty box, with a lid that was broken out of……and video showing the apparent resurrection of the young man. 

As Dave and the Larchfield Police search for an apparent ghost, more sightings of the formerly deceased Billy Tate are reported, along with his trademark orange Jeep, as he leaves a wake of victims in his path, along with an eerie calling card, painted in a victim’s blood that reads, ‘I am the dark angel who rose from the dead’. But what is Tate’s real objective? And how could he have possibly survived a lightning strike and a fall?  Looking for more insight into the town and its people, Gurney calls upon a crusty but dependable old friend, Jack Hardwick. 

As the investigation heats up, and a town is gripped in fear wondering who is next, Gurney quietly works in the background, asking questions, perusing crime scene video and amassing information as he slowly puts the pieces together that others don’t seem to see…until a quiet plan to draw out a murderer results in a showdown that even Gurney doesn’t see coming….

This is the seventh novel in the Dave Gurney series, and another stellar read! John Verdon reminds me a lot of Jeffrey Deaver with his character development, with the intricate storylines and intriguing personalities of his characters, along with the sheer brilliance of the unexpected as you race page by page to try to beat Dave to the finish line – but you won’t! He’ll outfox you every time!!  A great series and a must read if you’d like a break from the predictable who-dun-it!!  

I received this book as an Advance Reader Copy from Netgalley, in exchange for an objective review.  Do you love to read?? Visit netgalley.com and start reviewing books today!!

Alex Delaware and Milo Sturgis return to the pages, as another strange case finds its way into Milo’s hands, this one long since gone cold – thirty-six years to be exact – when, without warning, Milo is summarily tasked with solving it.

When she was three years old, entrepreneur Ellie Barker’s mother died in a fiery car crash after driving off the side of the famed Mulholland Drive in Los Angeles. Initially presumed to be an accident, it was re-classified a homicide after a bullet was located in the woman’s remains. The case was never solved. Ellie knows very little about her mother, and is hopeful, at long last, to learn more.

As Milo & Alex start to dig into the past, some strange information comes to light. There is absolutely no documentation about Ellie’s mother, Dorothy Swoboda, other than her death certificate. The original case file is missing, and a former cold case investigator hit dead ends in his own investigation, before having the case taken from him. A search for the owner of the car Dorothy died in, leads them to his living children, one of whom remembers the victim, but also provides little useful information.

 As the duo continue to dig into the past, it’s a memory from an old ex-socialite, a decade’s old picture & an old True Crime magazine that help to really spur the investigation, along with Milo’s pit bull tenacity, that inadvertently leads them in the direction of a long-forgotten murder spree – one that may have never ended…

I have read Mr. Kellerman’s novels religiously and have a years long fondness for this crime solving pair, and this book is no exception to that – in fact this might have been one of my most favorite so far! As with most series novels, it’s like stopping to visit some old and dear friends when you start one of these books, and he adventures within the pages never disappoint!!

I received this book as an Advance Reader Copy from #Netgalley, in exchange for an objective review.  Do you love to read?? Visit netgalley.com and start reviewing books today!!