Category: Crime Fiction

Book Review

Passport to Death by Yigal Zur [Book Review]

Posted on by Darinda
Book Review

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BOOK INFO

Title: Passport to Death

Author: Yigal Zur

Publisher: Oceanview

Publish Date: November 5, 2019

Genre: Crime & Detective

Series: Dotan Naor Thriller #2

My Rating: 4/5

Passport to Death by Yigal Zur

BOOK BLURB

In a world of shadows, it is easy to get lost

Dotan Naor, an Israeli private investigator, ousted from Shin Bet—Israel’s internal security service—goes to Thailand to find Sigal Bardon, a beautiful young girl from a wealthy Israeli family. Sigal has disappeared in Bangkok—completely.

Dotan has connections in Thailand and he’s familiar with Bangkok’s dark side—the narrow alleys with bars and hookers, trenches of stagnant water, hotel rooms with illicit activity. This is where he intends to start his search. But when the passport of the missing Israeli girl ends up in his hands during his first taxi ride in the city, he’s suspicious that someone is playing him. But who? And why?

As Dotan searches for Sigal, police corruption blocks his every path while he delves deeper. Every lead he pursues draws him closer and closer to a black hole in his “own” past—one intertwined with his pursuit of Sigal—one that leads him to Reuven—and the haunting failure that led to the dismissal of both of them from Shin Bet. The wound between Dotan and Reuven is raw and deep, but Dotan realizes it must be healed in order to save Sigal.

Passport to Death by Yigal Zur

MY REVIEW

Passport to Death is the second book in the Dotan Naor series by Yigal Zur. Dotan Naor is a former Israeli agent turned private investigator. In this book, Dotan travels to Thailand to locate a missing young woman.

A captivating mystery involving the dark side of Bangkok. Dotan’s investigation into the missing woman takes some turns and becomes more complex than he expected. Dotan is an interesting character, and more things from his past are revealed in this novel.

An enjoyable read with intriguing characters and a vivid setting. Dark, gritty, and fast-paced.

I received a digital copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Books in the Dotan Naor Thriller series:
  1. Death in Shangri-La
  2. Passport to Death
Book Review

No Good Deed by James Swain [Book Review]

Posted on by Darinda
Book Review

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, read my Disclosure Policy.

BOOK INFO

Title: No Good Deed

Author: James Swain

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

Publish Date: August 20, 2019

Genre: Crime & Detective

Series: Lancaster & Daniels #2

My Rating: 4/5

No Good Deed by James Swain

BOOK BLURB

A human-trafficking case hits dangerously close to home in a heart-racing thriller by the Amazon Charts bestselling author of The King Tides.

A disturbing missing-person case reunites ex-Navy SEAL Jon Lancaster and FBI Agent Beth Daniels. Skye is just one of a dozen young women who have disappeared from Florida without a trace. Beth can do more than just imagine their fear. She was a victim herself—a trauma that’s strengthened her fight for justice.

Then Lancaster uncovers a scrap of evidence, and the mystery begins to unravel. But the lead comes with a personal sting: the involvement of his estranged brother, Logan, an ex-con recruited into the shepherding of human trade. The only way for Logan to shed his demons is to come clean. For Lancaster and Daniels, that means being drawn, secret by secret, into a dangerous underground world.

With time running out, three damaged pasts will collide; more secrets will spill; and Lancaster, Daniels, and Logan will have to fight to save themselves first if they ever hope to find the girls alive.

No Good Deed by James Swain

MY REVIEW

The second book in the Lancaster & Daniels series by James Swain. Jon Lancaster specializes in missing persons investigations. He is a ex-SEAL and ex-cop who volunteers with Team Adam in addition to working private jobs. Beth Daniels is a FBI agent who works missing persons investigations.

In No Good Deed, Lancaster and Daniels work an investigation to find missing women. Lancaster and Daniels have some personal issues with one another, but they have to put their personal lives on the back burner and work together to find the women. The investigation involves gangs and human-trafficking.

The characters are stereotypical, but I still found it an entertaining read. Lancaster is especially annoying since he seems to know everything and be perfect in every way. His only flaw is a medical condition that makes him appear out of shape. Of course, he’s not out of shape, he’s the most fit and toughest guy around.

This is the second book in the series, but it can be read as a standalone. I do recommend reading the first book, The King Tides to better understand Lancaster and Daniels characters and relationship. Personally, I found this book to be slightly more entertaining than the first one. In both, the actions and events taking place are a bit unbelievable, but they still make for quick and entertaining reads. Action-packed and exciting.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Books in the Lancaster & Daniels series:
  1. The King Tides
  2. No Good Deed
  3. Bad News Travels
Book Review

Cold Woods by Karen Katchur [Book Review]

Posted on by Darinda
Book Review

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, read my Disclosure Policy.

BOOK INFO

Title: Cold Woods

Author: Karen Katchur

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

Publish Date: August 13, 2019

Genre: Crime & Detective

Series: Northampton County #2

My Rating: 4/5

Cold Woods by Karen Katchur

BOOK BLURB

Buried bones of the past rise to the surface in this chilling mystery from the bestselling author of River Bodies.

When the long-buried bones of a man turn up in the middle of December, Pennsylvania homicide detective Parker Reed knows he’s in for a cold case.

Trisha and her friends were teenagers when Trisha’s stepdad went missing. Now, thirty years later, his remains have been found in the mountains. The women have always known there was more to his disappearance than meets the eye, and they must confront their grim past. Secrets can stay secret a long time in the lonely Appalachian foothills—but not forever.

When Parker and his partner identify the remains, their investigation leads them to Trisha’s childhood home. But the deeper Parker digs into the crime, the more he realizes that the truth isn’t always simple. In fact, it’s so complicated that even Trisha and her friends don’t fully understand what really happened in those cold woods.

Cold Woods by Karen Katchur

MY REVIEW

Detective Parker Reed has a new partner, Geena Brassard, and they are working a cold case. Remains are found on a mountain, and they go back to a missing person case from 30 years earlier. As Parker and Geena investigate, they are led to Trisha and her friends. The remains belong to Trisha’s stepfather, Lester, and it seems he was not an upstanding citizen. Trisha and her friends were teenagers 30 years ago, and Trisha has not kept in contact with them since she left after high school.

Cold Woods is told with two timelines – past and present. The past timeline follows Trisha and her friends, Carlyn and Dannie. Trisha’s stepfather is abusive and she escapes her home life by hanging out with her friends. The three girls live on the same street and have been friends for years. After Lester goes missing, Trisha becomes distant from her friends and leaves town without telling them. The present timeline is when Lester’s remains are found, and Trisha and her friends are brought into the case. Trisha has returned to town to get away from her husband, and to attend the funeral of Dannie’s mother. The girls, now grown women with very different lives, reconnect.

The mystery of what happened 30 years ago is slowly revealed. Since Lester was such an unlikable guy, there are plenty of suspects as to who killed him. It’s a difficult case for the detectives to work. The more they learn about Lester, the less they like him, but it’s also their job to find who killed him. An interesting and complex case.

Cold Woods is the second book in the Northampton County series. This book can be read as a standalone.

A suspenseful mystery. I enjoyed this book more than the first in the series, and look forward to reading more by Karen Katchur. Dark, gripping, and complex.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Books in the Northampton County series:
  1. River Bodies
  2. Cold Woods
  3. Spring Girls
Book Review

Girls Like Us by Cristina Alger [Book Review]

Posted on by Darinda
The Last Woman in the Forest by Diane Les Becquets

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BOOK INFO

Title: Girls Like Us

Author: Cristina Alger

Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons

Publish Date: July 2, 2019

Genre: Crime & Detective

Series: na

My Rating: 4/5

Girls Like Us by Cristina Alger

BOOK BLURB

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Banker’s Wife, worlds collide when an FBI agent investigates a string of grisly murders on Long Island that raises the impossible question: What happens when the primary suspect is your father?

FBI Agent Nell Flynn hasn’t been home in ten years. Nell and her father, Homicide Detective Martin Flynn, have never had much of a relationship. And Suffolk County will always be awash in memories of her mother, Marisol, who was murdered when Nell was just seven.

When Martin Flynn dies in a motorcycle accident, Nell returns to the house she grew up in so that she can spread her father’s ashes and close his estate. At the behest of her father’s partner, Detective Lee Davis, Nell becomes involved in an investigation into the murders of two young women in Suffolk County. The further Nell digs, the more likely it seems to her that her father should be the prime suspect–and that his friends on the police force are covering his tracks. Plagued by doubts about her mother’s murder–and her own role in exonerating her father in that case–Nell can’t help but ask questions about who killed Ria Ruiz and Adriana Marques and why. But she may not like the answers she finds–not just about those she loves, but about herself.

Girls Like Us by Cristina Alger

MY REVIEW

FBI Agent Nell Flynn returns to her hometown after her father’s death. The two of them had a strained relationship, ever since her mother’s murder years earlier. Her father was a homicide detective, and Nell gets involved with a case he was working at the time of his death.

An intriguing mystery featuring a trustworthy female protagonist. Nell is smart, courageous, and independent. She also has a vulnerable side under her tough exterior. When she returns to her hometown, she starts to doubt things about her father. To understand her father and what was happening in his life, she gets involved with a local case of two murdered girls. The case is much more complex than she anticipated.

Interesting characters in a fast-paced mystery. Great for fans of crime fiction with a strong female lead. Also, I enjoyed that this was a standalone novel. It seems so many police procedurals fall into series. Addictive, intense, and suspenseful.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

Books by Christina Alger:
  1. The Banker’s Wife
  2. Girls Like Us
Book Review

The Killer Collective by Barry Eisler [Book Review]

Posted on by Darinda
Book Review

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, read my Disclosure Policy.

BOOK INFO

Title: The Killer Collective

Author: Barry Eisler

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

Publish Date: February 1, 2019

Genre: Crime & Detective

Series: John Rain #10, Livia Lone #2.5, Ben Treven #4

My Rating: 4/5

The Killer Collective by Barry Eisler

BOOK BLURB

When a joint FBI–Seattle Police investigation of an international child pornography ring gets too close to certain powerful people, sex-crimes detective Livia Lone becomes the target of a hit that barely goes awry—a hit that had been offered to John Rain, a retired specialist in “natural causes.”

Suspecting the FBI itself was behind the attack, Livia reaches out to former Marine sniper Dox. Together, they assemble an ad hoc group to identify and neutralize the threat. There’s Rain. Rain’s estranged lover, Mossad agent and honeytrap specialist Delilah. And black ops soldiers Ben Treven and Daniel Larison, along with their former commander, SpecOps legend Colonel Scot “Hort” Horton.

Moving from Japan to Seattle to DC to Paris, the group fights a series of interlocking conspiracies, each edging closer and closer to the highest levels of the US government.

With uncertain loyalties, conflicting agendas, and smoldering romantic entanglements, these operators will have a hard time forming a team. But in a match as uneven as this one, a collective of killers might be even better.

The Killer Collective by Barry Eisler

MY REVIEW

John Rain is a hitman offered a job targeting three individuals. He turns down the job, but is swept up in the action when one of the targets, Livia Lone, survives the attempted hit. Not only is John involved, but so are various others with connections to Rain and Livia.

Told using alternating points of view, this novel has a lot of characters and multiple storylines. Even though there was a lot going on, it was easy to follow and everything was wrapped up by the end.

The Killer Collective is part of a series. Actually, it’s part of multiple series by Barry Eisler. I didn’t realize that when I picked it as my First Reads book this month, but, fortunately, it was easily read as a standalone. This is book 10 in the John Rain series, book 3 in the Livia Lone series, and book 4 in the Ben Treven series. John Rain is a “retired” hitman. Livia Lone is a sex crimes detective. Ben Treven is a black ops soldier. I’m sure readers of these series get more from the book than I did, since they would already be familiar with the backstories of the characters. Still, I found it to be a good, fast-paced read. I may look into the earlier books in these series.

This thriller involves multiple government agencies. From Seattle PD to the FBI to the Secret Service. A fast-paced thriller with sex crimes, black ops, and multiple bad guys. Intriguing, complex, and exciting.

Books in the John Rain series:
  1. A Clean Kill in Tokyo
  2. A Lonely Resurrection
  3. Winner Take All
  4. Redemption Games
  5. Extremis
  6. The Killer Ascendant
  7. The Detachment
  8. Graveyard of Memories
  9. Zero Sum
  10. The Killer Collective
  11. The Chaos Kind

Books in the Livia Lone series:

  1. Livia Lone
  2. The Night Trade
  3. The Killer Collective
  4. All the Devils
  5. The Chaos Kind

Books in the Ben Treven series:

  1. Fault Line
  2. Inside Out
  3. The Detachment
  4. The Killer Collective
Book Review

Death in Shangri-La by Yigal Zur [Book Review]

Posted on by Darinda
Book Review

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, read my Disclosure Policy.

BOOK INFO

Title: Death in Shangri-La

Author: Yigal Zur

Publisher: Oceanview

Publish Date: August 7, 2018

Genre: Crime & Detective

Series: Dotan Naor Thriller #1

My Rating: 3/5

Death in Shangri-La by Yigal Zur

BOOK BLURB

Ex-Israeli operative turned private investigator, Dotan Naor—to settle a bet—agrees to locate the missing son of former acquaintance, now ruthless Israeli arms merchant, Willy Mizrachi. Willy, who does not hesitate to sell killing machines to the most heinous players in the world, is desperate to find his only son, Itiel, who has headed to an ashram in the Himalayas.

The Himalayas are also host to groups of young Israelis who have completed their mandatory military service—a sort of rite of passage. Now, those innocent kids are being hunted down by violent terrorists.

India and the disputed Kashmir region between India and Pakistan is familiar territory to Dotan, as he searches for Itiel and for the source of these heinous attacks on Israeli youth.

Unwilling to leave this quest in the hands of Dotan, Willy also travels to India, where he is murdered in Delhi, triggering international repercussions capable of ripping the world apart at one of its most dangerous flashpoints.

Nothing is as it seems in this region of the world. Betrayal reigns everywhere.

But love, in its purest form, does manage to shine through in this story of brutal international corruption.

Death in Shangri-La by Yigal Zur

MY REVIEW

Dotan Naor is a former Israeli agent turned private investigator. Willy, an arms dealer and an acquaintance of Dotan, is found dead in India. Dotan travels to India with an Israeli agent to investigate Willy’s death.

Death in Shangri-La is the first book in a new series. The main character, Dotan, is a bit of an unknown. He seems like a smart, spiritual, and dedicated individual, so it’ll be interesting to see where this series goes.

An action thriller with some mystery and romance. While the setting and plot were entertaining, I wasn’t a fan of the characters – they were not as well-developed as I would have liked. Still, a quick and entertaining read.

Books in the Dotan Naor Thriller series:
  1. Death in Shangri-La
  2. Passport to Death
Book Review

River Bodies by Karen Katchur [Book Review]

Posted on by Darinda
Book Review

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, read my Disclosure Policy.

BOOK INFO

Title: River Bodies

Author: Karen Katchur

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

Publish Date: November 1, 2018

Genre: Crime & Detective

Series: Northampton County #1

My Rating: 3/5

River Bodies by Karen Katchur

BOOK BLURB

In this dark, gripping mystery, a brutal murder unearths old secrets that should have stayed buried.

A body just turned up in the small town of Portland, Pennsylvania. The crime is eerily similar to a twenty-year-old cold case: another victim, brutally murdered, found in the Delaware River. Lead detective Parker Reed is intent on connecting the two murders, but the locals are on lockdown, revealing nothing.

The past meets the present when Becca Kingsley, who returns to Portland to be with her estranged but dying father, runs into Parker, her childhood love. As the daughter of the former police chief, Becca’s quickly drawn into the case. Coming home has brought something ominous to the surface—memories long buried, secrets best kept hidden. Becca starts questioning all her past relationships, including one with a man who’s watched over her for years. For the first time, she wonders if he’s more predator than protector.

In a small town where darkness hides in plain sight, the truth could change Becca’s life—or end it.

River Bodies by Karen Katchur

MY REVIEW

Becca returns to her hometown of Portland, Pennsylvania, to be with her dying father. Becca has been living just across the river in New Jersey, but hasn’t been back to Portland to visit her father or old friends for 10 years. Her arrival in town coincides with a murder that is very similar to an unsolved murder that occurred 20 years earlier in the same town. Becca’s old friend Parker, who is now a detective, works to uncover who is behind the deaths. Meanwhile, Becca confronts old secrets in her and her father’s pasts.

Different viewpoints are used to tell the story, but Becca is the main character, and most of the story revolves around her. Becca is in a relationship with a man she has doubts about, she is estranged from her father, and she misses her old best friend Parker.

Becca’s father is on his deathbed, but he was once the police chief in Portland. The law enforcement in town has a delicate relationship with the town biker gang, the Scions. When Becca’s father was police chief, his stepbrother was the leader of the Scions. The stepbrother is now deceased and there is a new police chief, but old loyalties still remain, though some secrets are difficult to contain.

River Bodies is a mystery because of the murders, but it’s also a story about relationships. The descriptions of the area, the people, and the lifestyles are very well done. The characters are not particularly likable, but they are real. While the story does not have a lot of action, the various relationships between the characters is gripping.

Books in the Northampton County series:
  1. River Bodies
  2. Cold Woods
  3. Spring Girls