Mystery Crime Books

The Return is the second book (at least in the US) by Hakan Nesser, and continues the story of Inspector Van Veeteren, a very wise detective who has pretty much seen it all. As the story opens, the Inspector is in the hospital having surgery. A decapitated torso, also minus its hands and feet, was discovered by a little girl during a pre-school class outing in the woods. There is one telltale piece of physical evidence that may identify the body and it turns out to be a recently-released murderer who's returned to the area. But who killed him? And why? This is what Van Veeteren must discover, trusting the fieldwork to his subordinates while he's laid up at the hospital. This book is more of a psychological thriller rather than a straightforward mystery, and frankly, while it was good, it wasn't as good as Borkmann's Point, the series predecessor. Oh well -- I still enjoyed it a great deal and would gladly recommend it. I would recommend starting with Borkmann's Point -- you get a lot of Van Veeteren's quirkiness laid out at the very beginning in that first series novel. The writing is well done, the characterizations are excellent, and the story is quite good. The book shifts backwards and forward in time, so be careful. The ending was unexpected; I understood why the author made it so but it is definitely food for thought if you're so inclined. I'd recommend it to people who have read Borkmann's Point, and those who enjoy a mystery set in foreign countries. As noted, it is more psychological than action, but it does tie together well.

beautifully written, passionate piece of writing, i could hear merche's feet dancing in my head, a book i'd recommend everyone to read, i couldn't put it down.

Kept me on the edge of my seat!
Well written. Great characters. Great story.
Loved Brookman Point as well.

Another excellent example of mystery writing that does NOT depend on sex, violence and four letter words to tell a story that keeps you wondering about the outcome. You soon feel you know Van Veeteren and the conditions he works under as if they are old friends. You really feel the chill and damp of Scandinavian winters.

It was an early morning in August; Leopold Verhaven walks free after serving twenty four years in prison for double murder. He feels the first rays of warmth from the sun on his face; his aim, to quietly return home. On a rainy day the following April a child on a field trip wanders off into the woods alone, frantically the adults and party of friends search for the young girl they find her safe but disturbingly sitting next to a mutilated corpse half wrapped in carpet.

A new case for Chief Inspector Van Veeteren or was it? His stubborn determination not to let a case go unsolved, even if it was from a hospital bed while recovering from surgery. The decomposing body is soon identified as a local man the murderer Leopold Verhaven or so they believe. Van Veeteren becomes rattled at this news, his quick to reopen the old cases for the killings of Verhaven two lovers. Could it be that Verhaven had been judged by character and not by evidence all those years ago, was it never on anyone lips he may have been innocent? Maybe Verhaven really did commit those crimes and now this lastest killing is someone's act of revenge at long last. The only way to solve this present case was to review old documentation with complicated history of what now could be a few near perfect murders.

This Swedish series is coming to us translated out of order and quiet some years later. The Return I certainly prefered much more to the pervious novel, one small drawback for me, I felt some other police characters part of Inspector Van Veeteren team needed to be a bit more developed, you get the feeling you touch base with them but something is being held back, still we may learn more as the translation series goes on.

One character that really shines through in this book is Van Veeteren, after his serious surgical procedure his in a lighter philosophical mood with more humor and irony surfacing; and with that wonderful no nonsense attitude that I just happen to love, he couldn't go wrong. He also faces the prospect in this one of taking the law into his own hands, as he realizes the flaws in the justice system. Van Veeteren overstepping certain boundaries is very intriguing to read.

Another reason I found The Return more enjoyable would be the jump back and forth in time looking at different angles into a close-knit community with changes taking place and testimony from witnesses being broken down. We as the readers are let lose for a while, staying one step ahead of the police, the author gives to us a little extra piece of information on a certain date and time line, I found that very clever and interesting.

Håkan Nesser the Author worked as a teacher in Uppsala before turning his hand to writing Novels. In Sweden, his detective stories around Inspector Van Veeteren has received numerous honors. After reading this Novel I'm looking forward to future books in translation from this Author.

Wonderful psychological thriller. Recommended.

Andrea Bowhill

"Injustice For All" by J. A. Jance, ©1986

This is a tried and true sort of mystery novel. The hardbitten detective is trying to solve a murder that is not on his duty roster.
I enjoy the Seattle area and it is always nice to read about somewhere that you know. The detective is good at what he does and has gotten caustic about. I recently read about genius' are idiosyncratic, so people they have to work with or through tend to dislike them. It begins to be that the genius is not appreciated as he should be, and Beau is getting to like that genius.
In the beginning he gets to enjoy the fruits of love, and, of course, she enjoys it as much as he does. How wonderful, but it is sort of contrived, maybe. I am not all that experienced, so I am not a real good judge of this stuff, but it seems that it makes him a little bit too perfect. Like his being independently wealthy: just a bit too much of all the good things happen to him.

This is one of Jance's earlier J.P. Beaumont mysteries. It was still a page turner. The story is set in the Seattle area and those readers familiar with the city will appreciate the many references that make this series so enjoyable. The series only gets better.

J.P.Beaumont has buried Anne Corley, but isn't finding being rich as attractive as it's advertised. J.A. Jance fulfills our expectations with Beau's "hard boiled, flawed" character and his partner Ron Peters. A mystery wouldn't be any fun if the good guys didn't win in the end, but a confessional is trite.
One of the best characters in the story is the flamboyant city of Settle, especially for someone who has never been near the west coast and missed seeing "Sleeping in Settle." I personally enjoy the character of Ralph Ames. Maybe because he reminds me of a cousin I had by the same name who was slicker than oil on water.
A vacation gone bad with a beautiful blonde, needing comfort because of the body at her feet keeps you turning pages.
Nash Black, author of "Sins of the Fathers" and "Travelers."

Just buy it and all the other stories with JP Beaumont.
I love them...all!

I enjoyed this book all the way through. The characters are great and the situations Beau puts himself into are quite entertaining. All the way up to the last 30 pages I was waffling between a four or five star rating. The ending just didn't work for me. I've never been a fan of the bad guy thinking he's got the upper hand spills his guts to the cop ending. That knocked me back to 3.5 stars.

That said, Judith Jance really has something going on. It was fun riding along with the investigation, meeting the suspects, attending events uninvited to harass politicians. Something that I particularly enjoyed was that the list of suspects was assembled complete with negative perspective and suspicion and then as Beaumont moves through the list, the suspicion dissipates and we meet every day likeable people. Well done.

There were some very funny and creatively developed scenes that went a long way toward establishing me as a fan of J. A. Jance. The word-picture memory trick was hilarious. And the Pasco police chief's office as well as the Mary Kay convention were stand out scenes.

The Deep Blue Good-By is the very first of the highly successful and long running Travis McGee series by the late John D. MacDonald. This is a well written mystery and by that I mean the pacing is fast and it has a very smooth narrative flow. Furthermore, the ending is not what most readers will expect.
I do have to object to a couple of things, however. At one point, MacDonald has McGee torture a man, not because he is a miscreant deserving of torture, but simply because he may have information McGee thinks he might be able to use. The shocking ease with which McGee carries out this barbaric act greatly diminishes any admiration readers could be expected to have for him.
Secondly, it is fairly well known that the Travis McGee series has a streak of misogyny running through it. While that in itself does not make for bad writing, I believe the author took things a little too far in The Deep Blue Good-By. Two of the characters, who are otherwise smart resourceful women, are depicted as having a childlike malleability that make them easy prey for the novel's sociopathic villain. Not only is this aspect of the book a major insult to women, it detracts from the story's believability.
Bottom line: John D. MacDonald was a talented writer and that talent is very apparent within the pages of The Deep Blue Good-By. But, there are flaws, disturbing ones.

I read this book for the first time back in December. Now, while waiting for "A Tan and Sandy Silence" to arrive, I went back and read it again. It was even better the second time around. The first read, I ripped right through just to see what happened. With MacDonald's writing this was easy to do. The second time, I slowed it down and really soaked it all up

What makes this book so good, I my eyes, is that there is so much packed into to the comparatively short work. First, and foremost, there's Travis McGee himself. He describes himself as a beach bum, but in truth he's more the "knight" that he so disparagingly calls himself. He doesn't like to get emotionally involved in his work, but he always does, and it take it's toll. Trav's reaction to the events at the end of the book really stuck with me. (Side note, (to all the claims of sexism): McGee may always be out "saving the weak-willed women of the world", but, at least in this book, Travis is saved/redeemed in the end by one of those women he set out to save.)

The other characters are spot on. I felt they all rang true, like somebody I could have known. I'll admit, that I have never known anyone like "Junior"(the villain). But because all the other characters seemed real, his nastiness was easily acceptable.

Second, I loved the philosophical ramblings. They seem almost thrown in at random, but they are never really distracting from the story. I enjoy these because, whether or not I agree with them, they do make me stop and think. That in itself, forty plus years later, lifts this book above the average "pulp" novel.

The last thing I really liked about this book was the simple descriptions of interesting things I'll never really know about. From the "Busted Flush"(McGee's houseboat) to the streets of Fort Lauderdale to fencing gemstones in NYC. All the little details drew me into the story and have kept me coming back for more.

All in all, I would say that this book, and some of the others in the series that follow, are some of the best books I have ever read. They made me feel, and hit on many levels. I just can't praise them highly enough.

I recently overheard someone saying how much they enjoyed the Travis McGee books so I searched out the first-in-the-series at my local library. The copy I ended up reading was about the most worn out, dog-eared, common pocket book you can imagine. Some how it was quit fitting. The Travis McGee character is unique and appealing to probably both men and women readers. Kind of a Han Solo guy but wiser and more mellow. The author's writing style is more inventive and engaging than typical; the pace varies from silky-smooth to rapid Rainman word association. Creative with word combinations. Maybe not always grammatically correct (?) but the intended feeling and description shines through every paragraph. Interesting plot. A unique villain easy to despise... you can't wait for him to get his comeuppance. You'll have to read it to see how it unfolds.

Fifty percent is better than nothing.


At least that is what you are desperate enough to take if you hire Travis McGee as a 'Salvage Consultant', to recover something lost that may just be of dubious legality. (Not sure what he will do if it is a racehorse, woman, or parrot, however).

Here, a friend asks him to help out another friend, both of whom are female dancers, and he reluctantly agrees, ending up in a sordid plot involving some treasure recovered in a now-jailed husband's army days, and a violent man (think rape and murder) trying to get his hands on it. Along the way, there is plenty of seedy Florida, broken women, and biffo.

If you like this sort of adventurer with booze and broads style of thing, not much doubt you will find this enjoyable. Good stuff.

After consistently seeing John D. MacDonald plugged as an influence and inspiration by so many present-day authors (particularly one of my favorites, Randy Wayne White), I finally decided to see what all the fuss was about. (Sidenote: I even caught an interview with Karl Rove of all people in which he said that both he and George W. Bush were big fans of the Travis McGee books.)

THE DEEP BLUE GOOD-BY is the first in MacDonald's extensive Travis McGee series. McGee is a war veteran and beach bum who lives in Ft. Lauderdale aboard a houseboat ('The Busted Flush') that he won in a poker game. When he needs money he takes on jobs helping people retrieve things that have been lost or stolen, and in return he takes a cut, sort of like a PI but a little less legal. (Kind of reminds me of F. Paul Wilson's Repairman Jack.) DEEP BLUE is a first-person narrative, tough-guy-with-a-good-heart-helping-damsels-in-distress story.

I particularly liked MacDonald's use of setting. I grew up in South Florida a little bit later than the time in which this book is set, so it was neat to read a story set there in the early Sixties and see how it has and hasn't changed. Also, I enjoyed McGee's internal monologues, particularly the ones about Florida and how it can be such a strange place.

On the down side, I found the story a bit on the formulaic and predictable side -- if you've read a lot of Spillane, Hammet, Chandler, Ross MacDonald, etc, you'll probably think so, too. Also, I thought the dialogue sounded dated (even taking into account this story was written forty years ago), like dialogue in 1930s and '40s movies. It just didn't sound natural, didn't sound like how real people talk, to my ears, and I read lots of old books and watch lots of old movies. The dialogue sometimes made the characters into caricatures.

Still and all, worth reading if you like crime thrillers, or if you like Florida fiction -- definitely any fan of Carl Hiaasen or Randy Wayne White needs to read some John D. MacDonald if they haven't already, if nothing else to see where these authors got some of their inspiration.

SKELETON CANYON, number five in the Joanna Brady series by J.A. Jance continues to broaden the scope of a favorite lady sheriff. Just the right mix of family and workplace conflict to keep readers on their toes.
Secret lovers agree to met in one of the many deserted canyons of Arizona, but death awaits the lovely Brianna O'Brian. Her Mexican-American lover stand accused by Brianna's father, but why would he kill his love.
The beautiful southwest scenery is vividly portrayed by this native writer who grew-up in Bisbee, AZ. The story and the ugliness is a stark transparency over the buff colors of the landscape. Fans are not disappointed, Joanna's family is there to both support and confuse her. They will keep readers coming back.
Writing as a Small BusinessSins of the Fathers: A Brewster County NovelGuns Across the Rio: A Texas Ranger in Old Mexico

I really like the Joanna Brady series. They always have twists and turns. This one is no exception. Great story!!
Liz C

This is another great book in the Joanna Brady series by J.A. Jance. This time she throws a little romance into the mix of things as Brianna O'Brien is found murdered and her Hispanic boyfriend is the main suspect for some, while others don't believe he could kill. This teenage girl had many secrets and her boyfriend was only one of them. While investigating this crime, everyone's favorite female sheriff, Joanna Brady, uncovers more than she bargained for and has a difficult time in dealing with some of it.

Again, we see some of the cast of support characters return, but others are mentioned in passing, so we know they will be back in future tomes. We're given a little glimpse of what's in store for Joanna Brady with her daughter growing up quickly and her mother's new relationship that seems to have transposed some of the former anger and has made her almost approachable.

I find it interesting that Jance not only tells a wonderful story, but throws in a moral issue as well. She deals with the topic of racism in this book and does so in a very civilized way showing the prejudices of some and the extremes they will go to continue that narrow-mindedness. However, she also gives us hope for the future. She shows us that no matter what the odds some will not follow in their parents' beliefs and will, instead, have friends based on things other than the color of skin or social standing.

And along with the story line and moral issue, you can always rely on Jance to paint a mental picture of the Arizona desert at it's best. Having lived in Arizona, I can remember the millions of stars in the sky that Jance describes in detail. I can remember the rugged beauty of the various wilderness areas that are similar to those portrayed. No one gives a better mental image of these things than Jance does. Having read all of the books in this series, I feel like I've actually been to Bisbee, Arizona. I'm sure if I ever do get the chance to visit that town; I'll see things as I've seen them before in my mind while reading these novels.

After reading the first book in the Joanna Brady series, I didn't think Jance would be able to keep up with the standard she set. I was very mistaken. She has not only achieved that level of excellence but has surpassed it and continues to set new standards with each new book she writes.

I highly recommend not only SKELETON CANYON, but any and all books in this series. They're wonderful, exciting and highly addicting! I do suggest that you read them in order to get the background on the characters - it's not mandatory, but will make for a more enjoyable read and will let your imagination run wild with possible scenarios for the future!

I loved this book! Joanna Brady could be a role model for girls and women alike!

I enjoyed this one. Like other Jance books, this one takes place in the Southwest. Ms. Jance is a very descriptive writer, i.e. the land and the people, and a good story teller. The book is an easy read and like I said, it entertains, what any good book should do. This is the first of this particular series I have read and will certainly seek out and read the rest. There wer a couple of part I felt moved a bit slow, but even these were rather "homey" and quite enjoyable. All in all recommend this one.

I've read everything Tom Perry has written since the inaugural Butcher's Boy and I keep reading him because of his clever writing style and his careful grasp of the procedural, whether the procedure is hiding people or finding people or just killing them expertly. But the final mystery of Fidelity, once revealed, is so preposterous that I almost stopped reading. We are expected to believe that skilled private eye Kramer was hired by a rich psycho to find and return his runaway "daughter" and that Kramer never bothered to confirm that his client actually had a daughter, never consulted other law enforcement for leads, and when he found the "daughter," failed to discover that she was actually an underage girl his client had been bonking. Perry gives the impression of having lost his way in the plot and going to desperate measures to tie up loose ends.

I have been a long time fan of Thomas Perry, and Fidelity continues in his unique style. He is a master of character, suspense and clever plot twists. Excellent story telling - I couldn't put it down.

Way, way too much narrative -- and boring narrative -- and too little dialogue -- and boring dialogue at that. It would seem to me that Mr. Perry is way way over-hyped. This is the last Perry book I'll read, and I'm probably not qualified to write this review, as it took me about 30 minutes to read it. I started skimming because I was mildly -- very very mildly -- interested in the plot ... and kept skimming faster and faster. Basically, a waste of my time. Very amateur-ish. I'd give it a "No Star" if that rating were available.

I am a Thomas Perry fan. i enjoyed Butcher Boy and Silence. He is the best around at making a killer interesting and even sympathetic. Unfortunately Jerry Hobart is the only interesting character in this book. As other reviewers have stated the book does not make sense. Following the old adage when you have nothing good to say say nothing I will stop the review now.

Thomas Perry's newest novel is riveting from the first page - or, more accurately, the second page, for that's when Phil Kramer is murdered in an ambush. Kramer, a 45-year-old LA p.i., leaves behind a wife, Emily, who in short order discovers that in the last year of his life, her husband has left her virtually penniless, with only several hundred dollars left in personal and business bank accounts. Emily is clueless, as are, literally, the police.

This narrative line is juxtaposed with one which introduces Jerry Hobart, the man who was paid to kill Kramer. But nothing that happens after that point can be anticipated by the reader. These story lines do not stay separate for long, as all too soon Jerry is brought within Emily's orbit, in ominous fashion.

The author, with the attention to detail that is the hallmark of his novels, has again delivered one that is original and wholly absorbing, as Emily tries to uncover the truth behind her husband's killing. She, and the reader, are wholly unprepared for the answers. In addition to giving us a suspenseful book [so much so that the conclusion is nearly anticlimactic], the author presents, in various guises, the question as to the degree of responsibility that fidelity imposes and, conversely, how much is that responsibility diminished when the fidelity is no longer there. A real page-turner, and recommended.

Not your average mystery. The infusion of the quilting makes this mystery a step above the rest. The characters are intriguing and I couldn't put the book down. It left me wanting to know more about the residents of Foggy Point. Hope there are more!

Quilt as Desired melds the world of quilting with the cozy mystery genre in a delightful way and is a must read for any quilter.

This was a super book! I thoroughly enjoyed it and any mystery lover would.

An engaging mystery, of special interest to quilters (I'm puzzled by the review from someone who refers to "arm quilting" which is really long-arm quilting, as any quilter would know), but certainly a mystery which stands on its own and has broad appeal. My 91-year old mother, who is an avid reader with an active and alert mind, loved it, and like Ms. Sachitano's other fans waits impatiently for the next book in the series.

Reviewed by J. Edwards for ReviewYourBook.com, 1/08
Harriet Truman began her new life five years after losing her husband to a terminal illness. She returned to Foggy Point, Washington to visit her aunt Beth. Beth gave her the house and the Long-Arm Quilting Studio. Aunt Beth planned for a long extended cruise to Europe. Harriet was shocked and upset; she had not planned to stay more than a month. Her Aunt's friend, Avanell Jalbert, introduces her to all of the members of their quilting group, "Loose Threads." She also meets Aiden, Avanell's youngest son, who has just returned from Africa and plans on opening a veterinarian clinic. Harriet is responsible for getting all of the shop's quilts entered in the quilting competition. Things began to happen, the shop was burglarized, quilts were damaged, and Avanell was murdered.
The plot of Quilt As Desired has great potential, unfortunately it is a stitch short. There were too many people introduced into the story line. Quilt As Desired is filled with details about arm-quilting and different quilt patterns. I like quilts but this was too much. The descriptive words were dull and choppy. Nothing flowed smoothly. I had trouble staying focused on this book. I wanted to know who committed the murder and had to restrain myself from just jumping to the end of the book. Quilt As Desired lacked some stitches...

This is a promising first novel that sets up a cast of characters for a new series and leaves plenty to be explored and expanded upon in subsequent novels.
I am not a quilter although I have friends who are but I don't need to be involved with a particular hobby or profession to enjoy reading about it.
The scenes at the convention center could have been a bit more inventive perhaps by rounding out the stories of some of the other vendors there instead of constantly going back to the annoying Kym.(don't we all know someone like that)
Including the sex scenes was brave and I thought the author made a pretty good attempt at it especially as some very well known writers have confessed that they find this difficult to tackle.
I would recommend this as a fun, fairly quick read especially for fellow Silicon Valleyites who will recognize the locales - perfect for a plane, a train, a beach or a gorgeous summer day in a San Jose backyard.
My order for the next book in the series is already in.

I've read a lot of mysteries that I've gotten off of the "local" shelf of bookstores at home (Santa Cruz, CA -- just over the hill from Silicon Valley) and while traveling. Most of them have been fairly bad. "Wild Goose Chase" was a refreshing change.

I found the main character to be well-developed (no, not THAT way!) with problems that included her own character defects as well as dealing with the foibles of others. The plot was fun and well-thought out. Some of the supporting characters need more development, but I think that will come in time.

I was happy to meet Terri during our Bay Area shop hop. This is a first novel -- it's fun and wonderful summer reading. I'm looking forward to the next one.

Dewey Pellicano is the main character, who inherits a quilt store from her mother. She struggles with the store, not being a quilter, but a computer programmer. Dewey also deals with the loss of her mother, but not in a depressing way. There is a possible love interest in a police officer who Dewey knew as a child and reconnects with due to a murder at a quilt show. This book is an enjoyable read for quliters and non-quilters alike. I have never made a quilt and really enjoyed the references to quilts in this book. I thought that the story moved quickly and developed the characters very well. I am anxious to read the next book from this author.

This book has some really good points and I am glad that I read it to the end. Benni oops I mean Dewey is a live wire. She is sensative and has good character. We all know some Kyms and Vangies, they move the book along and give some tension. I liked the quilt show and some of the discriptions of the quilts. It was predictable that she and Buster would get together, but I didn't need the spacifics. Buster and Sanchez try to get her to stay out of the investigation, but she just seems to be in the wrong place at the right time. This seems to be a first for Ms. Thayer and I wish her luck. I hope she develops a little more depth and avoids so many themes from the cheap romances. I might give her another try.

As an avid quilter and a Christain, I find this book to be very offensive and poorly written. I'm disappointed and won't be reading any more by this author. If you're looking for quality fiction with a quilting theme, read books by Jennifer Chiaverini.

Are plots the center of murder mysteries? Or are the characters the center? I think that highly intelligent authors sometimes get carried away and try to do too much. That's the weakness of Blood Work. But if you don't mind a plot from Mars, you may find that the paths of Mars and Venus eventually intersect on Earth.

Blood Work is a novel filled with more imagination than I can ever hope to muster. As a result, the story becomes dizzying in its complications towards the end. What will hold your attention throughout is the riveting portrayal of retired FBI-profiler, Terry McCaleb, as he tries to track down the murderer of the woman whose heart saved McCaleb's life while recovering from the transplant surgery.

To me, the most interesting parts of the book relate to what it would be like to receive a heart transplant and to have a chance to do something for the donor's family by sorting out a murderer. That's about as interesting a premise as you can have. I'm sure you'll think about it often after you read the book.

On the other hand, I was less than thrilled by the shifts in pace within the book. It starts slow and gently . . . but is moving at breakneck pace near the end. The beginning is too slow, and the end is too fast. It's more contrast than most readers can easily absorb.

Michael Connelly also relies a bit too much on his ability to tie an infinite number of facts together into a plot. It's overkill. But I had to be impressed by the imagination that can do that.

If you haven't read other stories by Michael Connelly about Terry McCaleb, be sure you start with this one. It will enrich your appreciation of the later stories.

If you want to have some extra fun with the book, keep track of the different ways that the book's title fits into the story. You'll be amazed at how many different references are appropriate. I don't recall too many novels that use more than three such references. Connelly moves well beyond such a modest target.

Pay attention to the details. They matter!

MC can write awfully better than this. I bought this book because I wanted to relax and read a good thriller and I got uneasy and bored. The main story is OK if and only if you can find it along its pages. The story has overly loopholes that it could be a strainer.

The hero in Michael Connelly's Blood Work is ex-FBI agent Terrell (Terry) McCaleb, who's recuperating from a heart transplant when Graciella Rivers steps onto his houseboat asking him to come out of retirement and find her sister's killer. Why should he? The answer is simple, Gloria River's was the heart donor who gave Terry his new heart. This leaves Terry no choice and he goes after the killer. It seems like a store robbery gone bad, but then Terry's FBI profiling instincts get ruffled and believes it was only supposed to look like a random act. He suspects there's a serial killer at work here, a predator.

Connelly departs from his straightfoward mystery/suspense novels with this story that centers on a retired FBI agent searching for the killer of the donor of his new heart. Terry McCaleb is 8 weeks out from a heart transplant when he learns of the donor's murder. Her persuasive and attractive sister spurs McCaleb to jump start the cold case of the hunt for the killer. It takes some unforeseen turns as the former FBI investigator faces his own past and the dilemma of gaining a new chance on life from someone else's loss.

Connelly, as usual, pens a suspenseful page turner. The heart transplant issue causes some missteps I think because such a patient probably would not be able to do some of the things McCaleb does or suffers without more severe physical problems. That question is present throughout the action of the book and is a part of the conflict he faces. It also limits the usual tough-guy (Bosch type) of character in Connelly's books. Other than that issue, the book is first rate.

Blood Work is based on a captivating premise: a retired FBI ace is persuaded by a stranger to investigate the murder of her sister. The recipient of a heart transplant, Terry McCaleb accepts and soon discovers that the victim was the donor of his new heart and therefore his savior. A most promising framework on which to build a police procedural.

The McCaleb novels are a departure for author Connelly, who is well known for his sharp, edgy Harry Bosch novels. Unfortunately, this new hero cannot hold a candle to Harry with respect to charisma and simple humanity. For some reason, Connelly resorted to a series of facile discoveries and coincidences to bring this mystery to its conclusion. Some of these contrivances are just too much to swallow. It didn't take long, for example, for Terry to find the exact beach location where the perpetrator hides out, and this along the southern California coast, no less.

I'll probably read the next McCaleb novel, but with lower expectations that I hold for dear Harry.

Third book in the deliciously sinister series created by Frank Miller. If you've ever heard the phrase "They had it coming to them" and agreed, you should definitely read this book. If anything is great of this decidely Noir series is that all heroes in this series make you nod in approval in regards to bloody murder. That's the magic of Frank Miller, he puts situations which are obviously not conforming to society or what we deem as correct and spins it in a light that makes you not only acquiesce but root for hookers and murderers. If that's not talent I don't know what is. So how fat is the Big Fat Kill? Did you see seven, that first guy who was fed to death? Well add another ton or so. This series and this book is not for the weak of heart or stomach. Now if you do have the required like for gore necessary for this series, you will find yet another tale of alluringly torrid happenings in a city that makes Gotham look like a Winter Wonderland. Basin City... Population fluctuates and declines with every book.

The comic came in perfect condition and superb time. I recommend it to everyone. :)

Take Dwight, the man who gets involved with the wrong women. Throw in a cop, seeing one his old girlfriends.

Add a weekend at Bernie's routine, a small female ninja sword wielding killer, some tar pits, and a lot of whores with guns desperate to maintain the status quo after some cops die on their turf.

At the end, it is a Big Fat Kill.

After the strong start of the Sin City series of THE HARD GOODBYE and A DAME TO KILL FOR, the books take a bit of a dip with this third volume, THE BIG FAT KILL. It is not bad, but it lacks that stick-to-the-ribs impact of the first two, mostly due to characters that are not as interesting as others we have seen.

Dwight McCarthy is simply not as intriguing a character as Marv from Volume 1 (nor as interesting as John Hartigan in the volume that follows this). This was not a major liability in the second volume, A DAME TO KILL FOR, for the simple reason that Dwight was overshadowed by one of the most captivating characters in the series, the ultimate femme fatale of Ava Lord. But here, Dwight has to stand more on his own and, although certainly not a bad character, he also certainly is not strong enough to really hold the audience as much as we would like.

Yes, there are the girls of Old Town. But their appeal is diluted as no one character stands out. Miho is quite something, but the fact that she does not talk limits her development. And personally, I always thought Gail was just not up to snuff for the Sin City series.

The book is saved by the action. Miho taking care of business the hard way, the Irish mercenaries, the high body count, make THE BIG FAT KILL worthwhile. The weaker characters are a detriment but, fortunately, not a deal breaker.

I've said it before and I know I'll continue to say it, when it comes to comic book artists, no one tops Frank Miller (and no, I haven't forgotten about Alan Moore). He comes in an works magic. I love the pen and ink artwork, both simple and complex. And Miller is great with noir. Sin City is everyone's favorite town of sin populated with everyone's favorite losers. You're gonna love it.