Even the Dead

Recovery. The seventh novel by John Rankin writing as Benjamin Black to feature Irish pathologic Quirke is titled, Even the Dead. The novel opens as Quirke continues his recuperation and recovery from brain injuries that he suffered in a brutal beating in the last novel. Quirke isn’t working, and he isn’t drinking. Within a few pages, he is drawn back to the morgue to examine a body. A large cast of characters, most familiar to fans from the earlier novels, provide Quirke with all the support and antagonism he needs for reengaging with the world, taking on the powers that be, and achieving justice. Quirke is a great character, and the writing in this series continues to be superb. Join the action here, or start from the beginning. Rating: Four-star (I like it) Click here to purchase Even the Dead from amazon.com.

Orphan X

Weapon. Readers who love thrillers have a new protagonist to enjoy, Evan Smoak, introduced by Gregg Hurwitz in a novel titled, Orphan X. This first novel in a planned series lays a solid foundation with Evan’s backstory and presents non-stop thrilling action from beginning to end. Evan is Orphan X and also The Nowhere Man (the second novel in the series). As an adolescent orphan, Evan was trained to become a weapon: a government assassin with all the skills to complete assignments successfully and avoid detection. The Orphan Project, of which he was a part, trained others to serve the same purpose. Events cause Evan to go off the grid, and in this novel, his past catches up with him. I was entertained from beginning to end, and I look forward to reading the next installment. Rating: Four-star (I like it) Click here to purchase Orphan X from amazon.com.

Night School

Deduction. Lee Child set his latest Jack Reacher novel titled, Night School, in 1996 when Reacher was in the Army. Fans of the series will be thrilled with this installment in which Reacher’s deductive skills soar, the adversaries are worthy, the action moves quickly, and medals are awarded. Reacher is a complex and interesting character, and while more recent novels have been set in his post-Army days, this novel remains true to the complexity of Reacher’s character while pulling us back to see his ways of conforming to Army discipline and breaking rules at the same time. Rating: Four-star (I like it) Click here to purchase Night School from amazon.com.

Murder on Brittany Shores

Islands. The second novel in Jean-Luc Bannalec’s Commissaire Dupin series is titled, Murder on Brittany Shores. Dupin has been outsider enough in his transition from Paris to Breton, but the latest case takes him even further outside his comfort zone: the Glénan Islands, about ten miles off the Brittany coast. Bannalec describes this magical place with enough detail that a reader might smell and taste the sea and its bounty. In this area, time stands still, connecting past and present. When three bodies wash up on shore, Dupin arrives at what he thinks is the result of an accident. Readers ride the waves with Dupin as he unravels a complicated and satisfying case. I especially enjoyed this perspective from page 226: “Bretons had, Dupin found, a special relationship with time, with the past, even the far-distant past. Which above all meant: it didn’t exist for Bretons, the past. It had not passed. Nothing was past. Everything that there had been was also present and would stay that way forever. This didn’t reduce the significance of the present at all, on the contrary: it made it even greater.” Fans of crime fiction are those most likely to enjoy this novel and this series. Rating: Four-star (I like it) Click here to purchase Murder on Brittany Shores from amazon.com.

Fatal Pursuit

Bugatti. The latest Bruno, Chief of Police, novel by Martin Walker is titled, Fatal Pursuit. Set as always in the Dordogne town of St. Denis, a new element in this novel involves a car rally event for the annual fête, including a Bugatti. The familiar cast of people and animals and food return with different exposition and development of each. For a relaxing excursion to rural France with comfortable characters, consider reading this novel and this series. Rating: Four-star (I like it) Click here to purchase Fatal Pursuit from amazon.com.

The 14th Colony

Solo. Certain formulaic novels provide sufficient entertainment to overlook any flaws. Steve Berry continues his formulaic Cotton Malone series with a novel titled, The 14th Colony, and it maintains all the familiar tropes and flaws. I was mildly entertained by the blend of fact and fiction that Berry delights in writing, and strained again in my suspension of disbelief at the plot. The dominance of the big man theory of history seems to require Berry to have both President Daniels and Cotton Malone be so great at what they do, they are often the only ones who can do what needs to be done. My credulity was strained at many plot points in this novel when it made more sense for more participants to be involved in the action, instead of the heroic sole practitioner. Fans of heroic action novels are those most likely to enjoy this one. Rating: Three-star (It’s ok) Click here to purchase The 14th Colony from amazon.com.

Last Words

Cave. There are several things I think Michael Koryta does so well in his novel, Last Words, to appeal to those readers who love suspense. Part of the novel takes place in a cavern in Indiana, and it is that place, what it means to several characters, and what happened in the past and the present, that provides the context for the plot, and Koryta describes that place to chilling effect. Second, the characters are complicated, interesting, and often troubled by life changing events. Finally, by use of a hypnotist as a key character, Koryta allows the effect of trance to confuse what is real and what may be imagined. The suspense involves a search for truth, and in a cave called Trapdoor, what could possibly go wrong? Rating: Four-star (I like it) Click here to purchase Last Words from amazon.com.