THE LAST MILE (Amos Decker Series) (Lic Inv-Amos Decker- -Contemp) - 2nd in series - David Baldacci EBMRG liked the 1st in the series Convicted murderer Melvin Mars is counting down the last hours before his execution--for the violent killing of his parents twenty years earlier--when he's granted an unexpected reprieve. Another man has confessed to the crime. Amos Decker, newly hired on an FBI special task force, takes an interest in Mars's case after discovering the striking similarities to his own life: Both men were talented football players with promising careers cut short by tragedy. Both men's families were brutally murdered. And in both cases, another suspect came forward, years after the killing, to confess to the crime. A suspect who may or may not have been telling the truth. The confession has the potential to make Melvin Mars--guilty or not--a free man. Who wants Mars out of prison? And why now? But when a member of Decker's team disappears, it becomes clear that something much larger--and more sinister--than just one convicted criminal's life hangs in the balance. Decker will need all of his extraordinary brainpower to stop an innocent man from being executed.
Charlotte – G+ - She didn’t like it as well as the first book, but it did keep her reading until 2 a.m. It was gripping as long as you’re very forgiving. Christine – Okay – It made her very cross. She love the first three-quarters of the book, but then felt it became rubbish. The characters were well developed but the last quarter she ended up skimming. Without the first part of the book, it would have been a wallbanger. Don – VG – He liked it, but he does like Baldacci. He was fascinated by the character’s syndrome. It worked for him because he reminded himself that criminals are inherently stupid. Erin – Poor – Started it and really liked it but feels Baldacci is one of those successful authors who phones it in a bit. The whole thing disintegrated toward the end. LJ – Okay – Baldacci is a very good plotter, but you felt as though you could see his index cards on his wall. He did create a good cast of characters. However, Decker’s weight-loss diet with it’s completely lack of protein became annoying. Plot twists can be very effective, unless it’s way overused. The whole thing felt over-the-top, and I shan’t even talk about chapter-ending cliffhangers. Can an author not just tell a good story without needing “read-my-book” tricks? All-in-all, it was a read-it-and-leave-it airplane book Marcy S. – DNF – Read, and really liked, the first three-fifths, but then the author started making idiotic assumptions. After the third of those, she just stopped reading.
GROUP RATING AVERAGE: Okay
PAST CRIMES: A Van Shaw Novel (Susp-Van Shaw-Seattle-Contemp) - 1st in series - Glen Erik Hamilton Best First Novel - 2016 Anthony Award Winner and Macavity Award Winner Van Shaw was raised to be a thief, but at eighteen he suddenly broke all ties to that life and joined the military—abandoning his illicit past and the career-criminal grandfather who taught him the trade. Now, after ten years of silence, his grandfather has asked him to come home to Seattle. But when Van arrives, he discovers his grandfather bleeding out on the floor from a gunshot to the head. With a lifetime of tough history between him and the old man, Van knows he’s sure to be the main suspect. The only way he can clear his name is to go back to the world he’d sworn to leave behind. Tapping into his criminal skills, he begins to hunt the shooter and uncover what drove his grandfather to reach out after so long. But in a violent, high-stakes world where right and wrong aren’t defined by the law, Van finds that the past is all too present . . . and that the secrets held by those closest to him are the deadliest of all.
Christine – G+ - She enjoyed it. The characters were good and the story well developed. LJ – Good – In spite of being very tired of authors following “How to Write A Mystery 101” with short chapters, with an arc and cliff-hanger segue at the end of each one, Hamilton did create interesting characters with the standout being Addy Proctor, the elderly neighbor. The ticking-clock aspect of Van only having 10-days leave, works quite well. However, although the flashbacks to Van’s youth explain the development of his character, they also become distractions and feel as though they are simply filler to make the book longer (longer book-more money to the author). It is an interesting debut into the noir space, but a definite airplane book. Marcy S – Good – She did read the whole thing but, in the end, realized she really prefers true murder mysteries rather than reading about criminals. It was well-written, but just isn’t interested in the whole criminal world. The event at the end seemed completely out of the blue. Susan – Okay – The plot didn’t really grab her or particularly hold her attention, but she did read it.
GROUP RATING AVERAGE: Good
THE KILLING KIND (Anti-Hero-Michael Hendricks- -Contemp) - 1st in series - Chris Holm BEST NOVEL - 2016 Anthony Award Winner / 2015 Boston Globe Best Book Michael Hendricks kills people for money. That aside, he's not so bad a guy. Once a covert operative for a false-flag unit of the US military, Hendricks was presumed dead after a mission in Afghanistan went sideways. He left behind his old life--and beloved fiancée--and set out on a path of redemption...or perhaps one of willful self-destruction. Now Hendricks makes his living as a hitman entrepreneur of sorts--he only hits other hitmen. For ten times the price on your head, he'll make sure whoever's coming to kill you winds up in the ground instead. Not a bad way for a guy with his skill-set to make a living--but a great way to make himself a target.
Christine – DNF – It just wasn’t her thing. Don – Good – This was truly an airplane book. He liked the premise. It was a quick read with a good climax. It made him think of B-movies; good enough, and quite visual, but not that special.
EBMRG liked the 1st in the series
Convicted murderer Melvin Mars is counting down the last hours before his execution--for the violent killing of his parents twenty years earlier--when he's granted an unexpected reprieve. Another man has confessed to the crime. Amos Decker, newly hired on an FBI special task force, takes an interest in Mars's case after discovering the striking similarities to his own life: Both men were talented football players with promising careers cut short by tragedy. Both men's families were brutally murdered. And in both cases, another suspect came forward, years after the killing, to confess to the crime. A suspect who may or may not have been telling the truth. The confession has the potential to make Melvin Mars--guilty or not--a free man. Who wants Mars out of prison? And why now? But when a member of Decker's team disappears, it becomes clear that something much larger--and more sinister--than just one convicted criminal's life hangs in the balance. Decker will need all of his extraordinary brainpower to stop an innocent man from being executed.
Charlotte – G+ - She didn’t like it as well as the first book, but it did keep her reading until 2 a.m. It was gripping as long as you’re very forgiving.
Christine – Okay – It made her very cross. She love the first three-quarters of the book, but then felt it became rubbish. The characters were well developed but the last quarter she ended up skimming. Without the first part of the book, it would have been a wallbanger.
Don – VG – He liked it, but he does like Baldacci. He was fascinated by the character’s syndrome. It worked for him because he reminded himself that criminals are inherently stupid.
Erin – Poor – Started it and really liked it but feels Baldacci is one of those successful authors who phones it in a bit. The whole thing disintegrated toward the end.
LJ – Okay – Baldacci is a very good plotter, but you felt as though you could see his index cards on his wall. He did create a good cast of characters. However, Decker’s weight-loss diet with it’s completely lack of protein became annoying. Plot twists can be very effective, unless it’s way overused. The whole thing felt over-the-top, and I shan’t even talk about chapter-ending cliffhangers. Can an author not just tell a good story without needing “read-my-book” tricks? All-in-all, it was a read-it-and-leave-it airplane book
Marcy S. – DNF – Read, and really liked, the first three-fifths, but then the author started making idiotic assumptions. After the third of those, she just stopped reading.
GROUP RATING AVERAGE: Okay
PAST CRIMES: A Van Shaw Novel (Susp-Van Shaw-Seattle-Contemp) - 1st in series - Glen Erik Hamilton
Best First Novel - 2016 Anthony Award Winner and Macavity Award Winner
Van Shaw was raised to be a thief, but at eighteen he suddenly broke all ties to that life and joined the military—abandoning his illicit past and the career-criminal grandfather who taught him the trade. Now, after ten years of silence, his grandfather has asked him to come home to Seattle. But when Van arrives, he discovers his grandfather bleeding out on the floor from a gunshot to the head. With a lifetime of tough history between him and the old man, Van knows he’s sure to be the main suspect. The only way he can clear his name is to go back to the world he’d sworn to leave behind. Tapping into his criminal skills, he begins to hunt the shooter and uncover what drove his grandfather to reach out after so long. But in a violent, high-stakes world where right and wrong aren’t defined by the law, Van finds that the past is all too present . . . and that the secrets held by those closest to him are the deadliest of all.
Christine – G+ - She enjoyed it. The characters were good and the story well developed.
LJ – Good – In spite of being very tired of authors following “How to Write A Mystery 101” with short chapters, with an arc and cliff-hanger segue at the end of each one, Hamilton did create interesting characters with the standout being Addy Proctor, the elderly neighbor. The ticking-clock aspect of Van only having 10-days leave, works quite well. However, although the flashbacks to Van’s youth explain the development of his character, they also become distractions and feel as though they are simply filler to make the book longer (longer book-more money to the author). It is an interesting debut into the noir space, but a definite airplane book.
Marcy S – Good – She did read the whole thing but, in the end, realized she really prefers true murder mysteries rather than reading about criminals. It was well-written, but just isn’t interested in the whole criminal world. The event at the end seemed completely out of the blue.
Susan – Okay – The plot didn’t really grab her or particularly hold her attention, but she did read it.
GROUP RATING AVERAGE: Good
THE KILLING KIND (Anti-Hero-Michael Hendricks- -Contemp) - 1st in series - Chris Holm
BEST NOVEL - 2016 Anthony Award Winner / 2015 Boston Globe Best Book
Michael Hendricks kills people for money. That aside, he's not so bad a guy.
Once a covert operative for a false-flag unit of the US military, Hendricks was presumed dead after a mission in Afghanistan went sideways. He left behind his old life--and beloved fiancée--and set out on a path of redemption...or perhaps one of willful self-destruction. Now Hendricks makes his living as a hitman entrepreneur of sorts--he only hits other hitmen. For ten times the price on your head, he'll make sure whoever's coming to kill you winds up in the ground instead. Not a bad way for a guy with his skill-set to make a living--but a great way to make himself a target.
Christine – DNF – It just wasn’t her thing.
Don – Good – This was truly an airplane book. He liked the premise. It was a quick read with a good climax. It made him think of B-movies; good enough, and quite visual, but not that special.
GROUP RATING AVERAGE: Okay