ALL THE SINNERS BLEED (PolProc-Titus Crowne-Virginia-Contemp) Standalone – S.A. Cosby Titus Crowne is the first Black sheriff in the history of Charon County. A year to the day after his election, a school shooting rocks the town. A beloved teacher is killed by a former student, and as Titus attempts to deescalate and get the boy to surrender, his deputies fire a fatal shot. However, it becomes clear that the dead student had been abused by the dead teacher. The trail leads to buried bodies—and secrets. While Titus tries to track down a killer hiding in plain sight, he must face what it means to be a Black man wearing a police uniform in the American South.
Don - VG+ - Cosby is getting better and darker. Great plot which ends quite well. Erin – Good – Really liked the character development and writing. The portrayal of everyday racism was well done without it overwhelming the story. Did have a problem with the plot which seemed to be a series of cliches, and found certain parts very predictable. Ginny – VG+ - Enjoyed it very much, and was engrossed in it. It was beautifully written and engaged her mind. A very visual read. Helen – Good – It was pretty good. Some parts were hard to read, but the mystery was well told. It was a heavy emotional lift. Hearing about the bigotry of the Deep South is always frustrating. Kathleen - VG+ - The detailed picture of a small, bigoted town where the racism is not even under the surface was compelling, especially in today's fraught political environment. The crimes, as horrible as they were, were handled sensitively. I thought the character of Titus Crowne was interesting, particularly his internal conflicts on his FBI career, on the racism in his current role as sheriff, and regarding his relationships with family and girlfriends. His character was well-developed and really came through. Some of the other characters were less fleshed out and there were simply a lot of characters to keep track of. I found the criminals, particularly the last Lone Wolf killer, to be enigmatic--the teacher with a secret life, the weak youth, Latrell, pulled into the conspiracy, and then the surprise bus driver as the root of all evil. A bit of a stretch. I thought the writing was excellent, as was the author's ability to evoke emotion and empathy. Ron - Good— Good characters and setting with interesting plot. This was the most true as a mystery.
Group Average Rating: VG
THE POACHER'S SON (GameWarden-Mike Bowditch-Maine-Contemp) – 1st in series – Paul Doiron Game warden Mike Bowditch returns home one evening to find a cryptic message on his answering machine from his father, Jack, who he hasn't heard from in two years. The next morning Mike gets a call from the police: a beloved local cop has been killed and his father is their prime suspect. Coming to terms with his haunted past and desperate for answers, Mike and a retired warden pilot journey deep into the Maine wilderness to clear his father's name and find out why Jack is on the run. But the only way for Mike to save his father is to find the real killer before the killer finds him.
Corona – G+ - I read this last summer but reread a few chapters to freshen my memory. I really enjoyed the sense of place and the description of his job. His experience of being a Game Warden is so different from Joe Pickett's. He's more of a cop and seems less engaged with the environment. I enjoyed the book mostly because of the rich sense of place. However, I found the characters thinly portrayed and not attractive; - It is not very good reading when none of the characters are likeable. Liked the ambience more than the characters. Don - Good - I enjoyed the story, but was very disappointed with the ending; messy and unfulfilling Gabriel – Okay - On the positive side, it really brings the Maine woods to life. The characters weren't very good, but they were interesting enough to keep me from getting bored with the story. Was frustrated with how long it took for the murders to happen in the story, then with how the investigation happens mostly offscreen. Brenda Jo was badly written. And Jack Bowditch was written worse when he reappeared in the story. Helen – Good – The plot was okay although it stretched plausibility in places. The main character was self-destructive, and the ending seemed abrupt. Kathleen - G+ - I enjoyed this; I thought the writing was very good, and the descriptions of scenery of Maine and Mike Bowditch's job as a game warden were interesting and entertaining. The plot, too, was interesting and kept me reading. However....I found the idea that Mike would essentially go rogue to prove the innocence of a father he barely knew, and who had always treated him poorly, to be a bit of a stretch. Other than Mike, and to some extent the father, the characters were a bit one-dimensional; after their initial description, they didn't seem to grow much. I thought the relationship Mike had with his girlfriend was odd to say the least, and unsatisfying. His cavalier attitude toward his bosses and willingness to jettison his career seemed inconsistent with his reasons for having that career.
Group Average Rating: Good
A COOL BREEZE ON THE UNDERGROUND (PI-Neal Carey-New York-Cont) - 1st in series – Don Winslow Neal Carey is not your usual private eye. A graduate student at Columbia University, he grew up on the streets of New York, usually on the wrong side of the law. Then he met a PI who introduced him to the Bank, an exclusive institution with a sideline in keeping its wealthy clients happy and out of trouble. Now it’s payback time. The Bank wants Neal to put his skills to work in finding Allie Chase, the rebellious teenage daughter of a prominent senator.
Charlotte – VG+ - Loved it. Found the training fascinating and enjoyed the characters. Corona – Ex - The book was interesting all the way thru, not predictable, interesting perspectives, detailed. I also appreciated how each character was fleshed-out, even ones who were in the background showed personality. I have begun the second book in the series. Don - VG - I read this several years ago; I remember the freshness of Winslow's first book. Good characters and plot Gabriel - Good (rounding up slightly) - Fairly good, fun story with a likable protagonist. Graham is also likable, though would be a bit hard to deal with, he's so grouchy. I like Friends of the Family, a secret organization to clean up the messes of the old-money. Might read more in the series. Liked it much more than the other Don Winslow book I read. Ginny – VG+ - She liked it very much Helen – VG – Liked it. The backstory was well-written and interesting. Liked how their relationship developed. The ending felt forced, but liked the information on tailing people. LJ – Ex - I felt this was a great book. I loved the relationship between Carey and "Dad" and Carey's learning how to trail people. It was fascinating, absolutely page-turning and I absolutely loved it. Kathleen – VG - I thought this was a lot of fun and really enjoyed the ride. The premise was unusual and interesting; the case itself was not nearly as interesting as the characters, and their multiple facets. The training part was awesome and interesting, it reminded her of Dickens. I'm a character driven-reader, so this book really worked for me. The set up of having an institution driving the action is a good device for future stories and I was glad to see that there are more Nancy – Good - I enjoyed most of this book with all its twists and turns, although sometimes its myriad of very specific details made me skip through whole paragraphs. But the book’s real strength was its witty dialogue that brought characters to life. And the idea of a secret ‘Friends of the Family’ organization hidden within a bank was great. Joe Graham, painted as a tough, lovable and quirky PI who cared enough about his protege Neal to think of the two of them as father and son, made him all the more interesting to me. And what made his protege Neal interesting was his consistent ‘what the hell’ attitude with dialogue to match (although I sometimes tired of his minutely detailed plot to steal Allie back). I really laughed at Neal’s clever descriptions of Providence, RI . as well as at his conversations with his fellow book lover (and safari guide). Until I read other reviews of this book, I didn’t even think about the 70’s punk scene that Allie Chase was trapped in. I just saw a baseless pimp and an abused young woman dragged down into drug addiction. I was glad though to get the back stories of both Allie and Neal that made both characters more sympathetic. Finally, I enjoyed the book’s ending, even though it felt frenetic. But Neal Carey ending up hiding alone in that cottage with only the sheep herder and classic books to keep him company? Not even close to being satisfying or realistic for me. Ron - VG+ - Very well written and kept my interest throughout. A very appealing protagonist and well-drawn secondary characters. Unique and engaging premise.
Titus Crowne is the first Black sheriff in the history of Charon County. A year to the day after his election, a school shooting rocks the town. A beloved teacher is killed by a former student, and as Titus attempts to deescalate and get the boy to surrender, his deputies fire a fatal shot. However, it becomes clear that the dead student had been abused by the dead teacher. The trail leads to buried bodies—and secrets. While Titus tries to track down a killer hiding in plain sight, he must face what it means to be a Black man wearing a police uniform in the American South.
Don - VG+ - Cosby is getting better and darker. Great plot which ends quite well.
Erin – Good – Really liked the character development and writing. The portrayal of everyday racism was well done without it overwhelming the story. Did have a problem with the plot which seemed to be a series of cliches, and found certain parts very predictable.
Ginny – VG+ - Enjoyed it very much, and was engrossed in it. It was beautifully written and engaged her mind. A very visual read.
Helen – Good – It was pretty good. Some parts were hard to read, but the mystery was well told. It was a heavy emotional lift. Hearing about the bigotry of the Deep South is always frustrating.
Kathleen - VG+ - The detailed picture of a small, bigoted town where the racism is not even under the surface was compelling, especially in today's fraught political environment. The crimes, as horrible as they were, were handled sensitively. I thought the character of Titus Crowne was interesting, particularly his internal conflicts on his FBI career, on the racism in his current role as sheriff, and regarding his relationships with family and girlfriends. His character was well-developed and really came through. Some of the other characters were less fleshed out and there were simply a lot of characters to keep track of. I found the criminals, particularly the last Lone Wolf killer, to be enigmatic--the teacher with a secret life, the weak youth, Latrell, pulled into the conspiracy, and then the surprise bus driver as the root of all evil. A bit of a stretch. I thought the writing was excellent, as was the author's ability to evoke emotion and empathy.
Ron - Good— Good characters and setting with interesting plot. This was the most true as a mystery.
Group Average Rating: VG
THE POACHER'S SON (GameWarden-Mike Bowditch-Maine-Contemp) – 1st in series – Paul Doiron
Game warden Mike Bowditch returns home one evening to find a cryptic message on his answering machine from his father, Jack, who he hasn't heard from in two years. The next morning Mike gets a call from the police: a beloved local cop has been killed and his father is their prime suspect. Coming to terms with his haunted past and desperate for answers, Mike and a retired warden pilot journey deep into the Maine wilderness to clear his father's name and find out why Jack is on the run. But the only way for Mike to save his father is to find the real killer before the killer finds him.
Corona – G+ - I read this last summer but reread a few chapters to freshen my memory. I really enjoyed the sense of place and the description of his job. His experience of being a Game Warden is so different from Joe Pickett's. He's more of a cop and seems less engaged with the environment. I enjoyed the book mostly because of the rich sense of place. However, I found the characters thinly portrayed and not attractive; - It is not very good reading when none of the characters are likeable. Liked the ambience more than the characters.
Don - Good - I enjoyed the story, but was very disappointed with the ending; messy and unfulfilling
Gabriel – Okay - On the positive side, it really brings the Maine woods to life. The characters weren't very good, but they were interesting enough to keep me from getting bored with the story. Was frustrated with how long it took for the murders to happen in the story, then with how the investigation happens mostly offscreen. Brenda Jo was badly written. And Jack Bowditch was written worse when he reappeared in the story.
Helen – Good – The plot was okay although it stretched plausibility in places. The main character was self-destructive, and the ending seemed abrupt.
Kathleen - G+ - I enjoyed this; I thought the writing was very good, and the descriptions of scenery of Maine and Mike Bowditch's job as a game warden were interesting and entertaining. The plot, too, was interesting and kept me reading. However....I found the idea that Mike would essentially go rogue to prove the innocence of a father he barely knew, and who had always treated him poorly, to be a bit of a stretch. Other than Mike, and to some extent the father, the characters were a bit one-dimensional; after their initial description, they didn't seem to grow much. I thought the relationship Mike had with his girlfriend was odd to say the least, and unsatisfying. His cavalier attitude toward his bosses and willingness to jettison his career seemed inconsistent with his reasons for having that career.
Group Average Rating: Good
A COOL BREEZE ON THE UNDERGROUND (PI-Neal Carey-New York-Cont) - 1st in series – Don Winslow
Neal Carey is not your usual private eye. A graduate student at Columbia University, he grew up on the streets of New York, usually on the wrong side of the law. Then he met a PI who introduced him to the Bank, an exclusive institution with a sideline in keeping its wealthy clients happy and out of trouble. Now it’s payback time. The Bank wants Neal to put his skills to work in finding Allie Chase, the rebellious teenage daughter of a prominent senator.
Charlotte – VG+ - Loved it. Found the training fascinating and enjoyed the characters.
Corona – Ex - The book was interesting all the way thru, not predictable, interesting perspectives, detailed. I also appreciated how each character was fleshed-out, even ones who were in the background showed personality. I have begun the second book in the series.
Don - VG - I read this several years ago; I remember the freshness of Winslow's first book. Good characters and plot
Gabriel - Good (rounding up slightly) - Fairly good, fun story with a likable protagonist. Graham is also likable, though would be a bit hard to deal with, he's so grouchy. I like Friends of the Family, a secret organization to clean up the messes of the old-money. Might read more in the series. Liked it much more than the other Don Winslow book I read.
Ginny – VG+ - She liked it very much
Helen – VG – Liked it. The backstory was well-written and interesting. Liked how their relationship developed. The ending felt forced, but liked the information on tailing people.
LJ – Ex - I felt this was a great book. I loved the relationship between Carey and "Dad" and Carey's learning how to trail people. It was fascinating, absolutely page-turning and I absolutely loved it.
Kathleen – VG - I thought this was a lot of fun and really enjoyed the ride. The premise was unusual and interesting; the case itself was not nearly as interesting as the characters, and their multiple facets. The training part was awesome and interesting, it reminded her of Dickens. I'm a character driven-reader, so this book really worked for me. The set up of having an institution driving the action is a good device for future stories and I was glad to see that there are more
Nancy – Good - I enjoyed most of this book with all its twists and turns, although sometimes its myriad of very specific details made me skip through whole paragraphs. But the book’s real strength was its witty dialogue that brought characters to life. And the idea of a secret ‘Friends of the Family’ organization hidden within a bank was great. Joe Graham, painted as a tough, lovable and quirky PI who cared enough about his protege Neal to think of the two of them as father and son, made him all the more interesting to me. And what made his protege Neal interesting was his consistent ‘what the hell’ attitude with dialogue to match (although I sometimes tired of his minutely detailed plot to steal Allie back). I really laughed at Neal’s clever descriptions of Providence, RI . as well as at his conversations with his fellow book lover (and safari guide). Until I read other reviews of this book, I didn’t even think about the 70’s punk scene that Allie Chase was trapped in. I just saw a baseless pimp and an abused young woman dragged down into drug addiction. I was glad though to get the back stories of both Allie and Neal that made both characters more sympathetic. Finally, I enjoyed the book’s ending, even though it felt frenetic. But Neal Carey ending up hiding alone in that cottage with only the sheep herder and classic books to keep him company? Not even close to being satisfying or realistic for me.
Ron - VG+ - Very well written and kept my interest throughout. A very appealing protagonist and well-drawn secondary characters. Unique and engaging premise.
Group Average Rating: VG