Mystery Crime Books

Well developed plot. Characters well defined. Credible story line. Denise Mina satisfies again with solid crime fiction.

I found this book to be an absolute delight to read. The primary characters are three-dimensional, fallible yet honorable. The dialogue is often hysterical and the main character's thoughts and conversations sparkle with wit, sarcasm, charm and well-chosen Scottish profanity. As a reader, you'd love to spend some time with these people. The setting, Port Glasgow, Scotland, is another place I would love to visit after reading this book, just to sit and hear people talk. I should add (embarrassingly?) that I was skeptical about reading a novel in a first-person female voice, but it wasn't off-putting at all. In fact, I feel I learned something about the female condition. This is the first book by Denise Mina I've had the pleasure to read, but you can bet that I'll be devouring her other books as well.

Some reviewers express minor disappointment with the continuity between "Slip of the Knife" and the two previous books of Mina's with the same character, Paddy Meehan. Big deal; get over it, I say. It's great fiction and a superb stand-alone novel. Also, I did not find the plot too plodding or opaque at all. It's not an Elmore Leonard novel that is written sparsely, but the description of characters and settings is, once again, a pleasure to read. I didn't skip a single paragraph and I couldn't put this book down. Mina is one of the all-time best at her craft.

Denise Mina's newest book opens with the shocking murder of Terry Hewitt, former boyfriend of her protagonist, Paddy Meehan. They had known each other since they were both in their teens, eleven years ago, but it had been six months since they had seen each other. Paddy is now 27, and has graduated from her lowly position at the Daily News to her present celebrity status with a regular column of her own, in addition to being a published author. Terry, in turn, had just signed a book deal of his own, and Paddy is told by the police that his killing "had all the hallmarks of an IRA hit...his body found stripped naked in a ditch, single shot to the head." He had been a journalist as well, later "went to war zones, conflict zones, did hard reporting on a world stage...the last of a dying breed...had witnessed corruption and brutality, women raped and murdered, children mutilated, whole villages put to the torch...a fifteen-year-old Angolan boy, shot between the eyes right in front of him." But in the moments before he is killed, after thinking that he "had been arrested in Chile, seen a woman necklaced in Soweto, stood on the edge of a riot in Port-au-Prince," he has no idea why he is about to be murdered on a road on the outskirts of Glasgow, Scotland.

In many respects Paddy has changed little over the years since she first appeared in Ms. Mina's books, of which this is the third: She still hates her appearance, believing she is too fat; still feels she has to prove herself to the misogynistic men around her; though she attends Mass, she still rebels against her family's Catholicism--her sister is a nun, "wasn't even prepared to take communion and had had a child out of wedlock," a son, Pete, now nearly six years old, who she adores. When she is told by the police that Terry had listed her as his next of kin, with her new address that she didn't even realize he had known, she has no choice. When the effects of that investigation threaten not only Paddy but her son as well, the stakes are raised all the way around.

A parallel story line deals with the release after nine years in prison of young Callum Ogilvy, who with another boy had been found guilty of the brutal murder of a toddler, following Paddy's investigation - she had been engaged to Callum's cousin, Sean - described in an earlier book.

Ms. Mina's descriptions conjure up her characters precisely, e.g., someone's wife is "blond, tall, and so thin she could have opened letters with her chin;" in a photo she sees "a woman of eighty, arms crossed, grinning, the folds in her skin deep enough to lose change in;" and, of her editor: "Nature, time and his temperament had conspired to perfect McVie's glower. His face and posture fitted around misery as neatly as cellophane over a cup." The author maintains an undercurrent of menace. Paddy is a gutsy, slightly vulgar and very human protagonist, the characters and the setting very well drawn, the writing and the story taut with a hold-your-breath quality. Highly recommended.

Reviewed by Melissa LaMunyon for RebeccasReads (4/08)

As a journalist, Paddy Meehan had accompanied the police many times throughout her career on their "death trips," when they tell the family of a recent murder victim the news. So, when Paddy hears the knock on the door of her recently-purchased flat, she knows that someone close to her is dead.

Her first thoughts are that it's her five-year-old son, Pete, who is visiting his dad, or her sister, Mary Anne, who is a nun at a nearby convent. When she discovers that the victim is Terry Hewitt, an old friend, colleague and lover with whom she had a falling out with six-months ago, Paddy can't figure out why the police came to tell her the news.

The puzzles increase when Paddy finds out that Terry was executed and the police are whispering rumors of an IRA hit. Terry seems to have wanted Paddy involved, however, because, despite their falling out, he leaves Paddy his belongings, including a house and a box of notes; notes that Paddy presumes hold the details of a story that Terry was following and that perhaps lead to his death.

While Paddy becomes embroiled in a new mystery, an old mystery is about to be released from prison. Callum Ogilvy was jailed at age 10 for the death of a toddler nine years ago. Forced to murder the child, Callum is a sought-after news story in Scotland; and Paddy is trying to help keep Callum away from the press. Both mysteries, new and old, collide in away that threaten the people Paddy loves most.

"Slip of the Knife" is the third book in Denise Mina's acclaimed crime thriller series. If you are a new reader to the series, like I was, I would strongly recommend starting with the first Paddy Meehan book, "Field of Blood."

Considering, however, that I was jumping blindly into the third book of a five-book crime series, I really enjoyed "Slip of the Knife." Despite being incredibly confused as Mina drew heavily on convoluted plot lines established in the first two books, the sheer brazen fabulousness that is Paddy Meehan drew me headlong into the story.

Paddy is a strong, independent woman who does what she wants, and considering that she lives in Scotland, is very unusual. Paddy has established a successful career as a journalist in a culture that frowns on things like career-oriented women and children






being born out of wedlock. I loved the scene where Paddy tells her son's teacher that she isn't married and the teacher starts to frown, while fingering her gold crucifix.

The same way I could relate to Paddy's mother issues as personified by a container of split pea soup; I felt the growing horror and fear right along with Paddy as she discovers that Terry's death might lead to her son being hurt. Mina writes a smooth, sharply funny story woven around Paddy's courage and love for her family. "Slip of the Knife" is a tightly written crime thriller that fans of the series are sure to enjoy.

Paddy Meehan, a successful journalist with a leading Scottish newspaper is shattered when police come to her door late at night, to inform her of the death of her long time friend, Terry Hewitt. Terry's naked body has been discovered with a bullet through his head, making Paddy assume that he'd antagonised someone during his recent travels as a war correspondent. Paddy then receives threats from a IRA man, using the life of her young son as a lever against her. Another element of this book is the release from prison of a juvenile baby killer, Callum Ogilvie now free because the police can no longer jail him. I have to wonder if this is based on the true life story of the two boys who kidnapped, tortured and killed a five year old boy, and who are now supposed to be here in Australia. After a few more hair raising experiences with the IRA, Paddy finally manages to ensure the safety of her child and herself.

This is my 3rd, and my favorite Nevada Barr novel. Track Of the Cat was very good, Deep South was OK, but Blind Descent was great. Ms. Barr is top notch with her imagery, but I found early on I had to be more of an active reader, keeping up with the technical jargon to stay on top of it. There's lots of caving and climbing equipment and techniques mentioned, and lots of trekking through caves describing each move; if my mind wandered the slightest, I'd lose my mental image and get lost, having to backtrack to refresh myself with just how an ascender worked or where she was in the cave relative to the other person. She makes her subject material fascinating...I found myself googling Lechuguilla Cave, and discovered it's an actual cave just as she describes in the book. I learned a lot, and appreciate being educated while I'm enjoying a book. I love her writing: her humor, her wonderful similes and metaphors, the unpredictability of her plot. In the book the protaganist Anna is hiding in a cave, slips out of her hole and manages to grab a supply pack & return to her hiding place unseen. Ms Barr's description: "Scuttling backward with her prize, like an alligator with a Pekinese, Anna vanished into the trough." Danger sprinked with humor, I love it! Describing Anna's sighting of a rope she desperately needs to escape: "Daring one flick of her lamp, she sighted the ascension rope on the far side of the pit. Between the looming crusted tables, a red snakey tongue licked dead white stone". Tension loaded with vivid imagery; Ms. Barr does it so well.

I always enjoy Nevada Barr's novels. Once again Anna Pigeon finds herself in another dangerous situation, this one inside a vast underground cavern with some very tight spots. Great suspense!

Nevada Barr's BLIND DESCENT, the 6th Anna Pigeon mystery is not for the claustrophobic. New Mexico's Carlsbad Caverns is one of the most beautiful and mysterious of the National Park System. I'm not a spelunker, but have managed to find myself in several along with my camera. Tight spaces don't particularly bother me, but I've watched people freeze even in a mock up of a cave in a natural history museum. If you're one of those ease back in your best chair and let Nevada's vivid prose give you a vicarious experience. BLIND DESCENT is well worth the trip and her masterful plotting, red herrings, and convoluted paths to the exciting conclusion might cure your fear of closed places.
Nash Black, author of WRITING AS A SMALL BUSINESS and SINS OF THE FATHERS.

Though I have read and enjoyed every Anna Pigeon mystery that preceded this book, this was by far my favorite. This is because Barr's skills grow with each novel and with each new mystery, her gifts as a writer begin to flower more and more.

One of the great rewards of serial fiction is watching a character grow and develop over the course of several novels. This leads to a depth that's not possible with stand-alone novels. It also presents a greater challenge to an author, a test that Barr is passing with flying colors. I've always found Anna to be a likable character but the more I get to know her, the more I like her. I have a vested interest in her and when she does something stupid, when she's in danger, I truly care what happens to her.

An enormous part of the appeal of this novel has to do with its setting. Anyone who has ever visited a cave and been treated to even a minute stretch of time in its absolute darkness will feel the same willies I felt while reading the cave passages. Even those who have never visited will be able to feel it and will relate to Anna's claustrophobia. The cold, calculating villain of the novel has nothing on the setting, on the cave that seems equal parts source of wonder and nightmare.

My only gripe with this novel was its end and that is what kept me from rating this one five stars. The ending was too abrupt for me and left me feeling like perhaps some of my pages were missing. Still, this is a pretty minor fault in a novel that is well worth reading, especially for those who enjoy a taut, well-written mystery with a cast of interesting, well-drawn characters.

Blind Descent is my introduction to the Anna Pigeon series, and a very satisfactory one it has turned out to be. My first impression of author Barr as a writer is a favorable one. She's literate (I know, all published authors are supposed to be literate, but that's not the case), intelligent, and excels at description, dialogue, and creating palpable ambience. Anna is an attractive heroine, but while her personality is finely drawn, other characters aren't as deep. As for plot, Blind comes across as an adventure that requires courage, with a mystery thrown in to stimulate curiosity. Having visited other caves (as a tourist), I was struck by the immediacy and precision of Barr's ability to capture the qualities of utter darkness, other-worldliness, and isolation.

I haven't granted Blind Descent with a fifth star because Anna comes across as dogged and determined but makes some stupid decisions and choices. Her bravery and daring I can buy, but it's too hard to accept that someone with her training and knowledge would not be willing to seek out the proper parties for professional assistance in uncovering crimes.
That aside, Blind Darkness is a well-written, original, and most enjoyable novel.

The 9th book in the series, this book features Barbara Havers doing some investigation independent from Thomas Lynley.

While Barbara has had some time off from the "routine" of police work, she has become friends with the daughter of her new Pakistani neighbor. Soon her neighbors are off to the seaside on vacation mixed with family business. Shortly, Barbara learns that the business is murder. Barbara goes to the coast where she is asked by her old "mate", the head of police in the small seaside town, to help solve the murder, she finds that there are subtle undercurrents pulling the investigation in different directions. Was the murder motivated by love, jealousy, resentment, greed?

I found this book intriguing, complex and challenging. Although I prefer reading Elizabeth George's books in order, this book also works as a stand-alone. However, if you start with this one, I can almost guarantee that you will want to read her others.

This is one of Elizabeth George's best novels, and I've read all of them. She takes on a tricky subject here, race relations between Indian/Pakistani immigrants and the white residents of small-town England, and is able to show how they play out not only in terms of the civilian population but also within the police establishment. And she does all this in the context of a Lynley-Havers mystery that will keep you guessing until the end!

I won't give away the ending for those who haven't read it, but I will say that you NEED to read this book to understand fully the novels that come after it, as Barbara Havers suffers the consequences of her actions at the end of this one for quite a long time....

I plowed through this with my boots on. By the middle of the book it was interesting but not an easy read. That would have been ok, except by the time I waded through 600+ pages, I find she just zips up the book. There should have been even more pages! After all this, we are left with unanswered questions. If there is a sequel, I won't bother.

Ths is my first Elizabeth George novel and won't be my last. The author is a very talented author and there was great character development. I will admit that I was somewhat disappointed in the ending as there were a lot of loose ends which were not tied up. I am HOPING there will be a sequel to this nvel so I can find out how everything turned out with her wonderful characters.

I love Elizabeth George and her characters never cease to amaze me. The plot can be quite macabre and a lot of the scenes seem so real, it's scary. Great stuff to read!

I love all this author's books! The Callahn Garrity series is one of my favorites as far as mysteries go. I love the characters she brings to life, especially those working for her at her House Mouse cleaning business!

I read this book in record time. It was a fairly easy read but still interesting enough to make it difficult to put down. Fairly predictable ending, but it does keep you guessing until the end. Glad to have discovered "Callahan Garrity".

Try this author. She does not have the high public profile of some other female authors but she stands up there with the Graftons and Paretskys. This author has a lovely writing style and has created warm, believable characters. The mystery is compelling but I found myself wanting and enjoying more the dialogue and interaction between the characters.

On the cover of this book is the warning: "This title may offend some readers." It wasn't the title but the language used by the writer which is offensive. She is apparently from Georgia, a Southern state, but her resentment and low view of the wealthy and educated people show her status in life.

Even though it mentions such Confederate generals as Robert E. Lee and Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate states at the time of the Civil War, (and Abraham Lincoln, the President of the United States at the time), the only thing about Dixie is the theft of a diary purportedly written by a Civil War madam.

It reminds one of the movie IN THE GARDEN OF GOOD AND EVIL which also takes place in Georgia what with two murders by a prominent collector of antiques. Our investigator is a 'has-been' with the police department and now cleans houses for a living. She is crude, calculating, and not very professional.

Not at all what I thought I was getting into, but a slight diversion off the path of knowledge. At a recent talk about Nathan Bedford Forrest, a UT professor called him white trash, which I refuted most vociferously as he not only hadn't done his homework; he had Forrest as being from Memphis, and he was born in Chapel Hill, TN, (not too far from Shelbyville, home of the Tennessee Walking Horses), who proved to be one of the most brilliant officers and calvary tacticians of that war.

I have read all of Kathy Hogan Trocheck's books many many times. She is the best writer of fiction that I have ever read. Callahan is one great sleuth. Also be sure to check out Mary Kay Andrews who is also Kathy Hogan Trocheck.
This book is set in Atlanta and she makes you feel if you are right there with Callahan. If you are familiar with the area, you will recognize a lot of the places that she mentions.

GREAT BOOK!

One of the best books I've ever read. Very suspenseful. I loved this book so much I also purchased the next in this series Sliver of Truth. Also a very good book.

I loved this book. It was captivating and I enjoyed it thoroughly. Worth the read, very entertaining.

I read a lot of novels, many not so great but fun nonetheless for escapist reading. What a treat to read a book by a terrific writer, with so much more than just action and adventure. The descriptions and narrative are just great! It truly was a "can't put it down" book. I wish there were many more of Unger's books to get me through the summer. Hope she can write quickly!

This book had promise. What could have been a tense novella turned into a long series of lectures about "how life is."

I like it when a book causes me to reflect on my own life, not when it dictates how life should feel to me using generalizations. Show, don't tell! The huge chunks where the main character describes how life is like this-or-that felt very condescending and really hurt the pace of the book. It is great for the character to feel emotions, but when they are dissected and explained to death, they lose any punch they might have had.

The story premise was good, and I wanted to know what would happen-- in the beginning. Unfortunately, most of the secrets were let out pretty early on. If some of Unger's tangents would have been cut short and some action put in their place, this could have been a good book. Instead from about mid-point on I was bored and disconnected from the characters. When the last bits of "the truth" came out, I was beyond caring, and so I was not too disappointed that there were no great revelations anyway.

I had not heard of Lisa Unger until I noticed her newly released paperback version of "Beautiful Lies".

I read the back cover and was intrigued. I ordered the book and found that I had a hard time putting it down.

The way Lisa Unger writes is very refreshing. The story is a conversation between her(the main character, Ridley Jones), and you the reader. I enjoyed that approach.

I found myself rapidly turning the pages, wanting to know more. That's hard to do in a novel, much less your first attempt.

My guess is Lisa Unger is going to have a very long stay at the top of her genre.

The characters were very believable, and the plot nice and fresh.

Definitely worth your time. I will most certainly be ordering the sequel(Sliver of Truth), and her newest work (Black Out).

Happy Reading!

THE DAMNED SEASON (Pol. Proc-Comm. De Luca-Italy-1945) - VG
Lucarelli, Carlo - 2nd in Trilogy
Europa Editions, 1991/2007, US Trade paperback - ISBN: 9781933372273

First Sentence: There was a land mine in the middle of the trail.

The Allies have come to Italy and Commissario De Luca is exhausted, hungry and traveling with false papers as his name is on the list of those wanted for working with the Social Republic. He is found by a young officer, Brigadier Leonardi, who wants to be good policeman solving crimes. He saw De Luca at a police-training course and offers to keep De Luca's identity a secret in exchange for showing him how to solve the murder of four people and a dog.

The translation from Italian to English does seem a bit awkward at times, but not so much as to every stop me, and while this is the second book of a trilogy, the mystery does stand alone.

The plot is a puzzle and I was fascinated watching De Luca pick up each small piece and put it in place. Having the book set in such a period of political uncertainly gave the story an element of suspense, but it is really a murder investigation. De Luca said it best "This is not a moral battle between the good guys and the bad buys, Brigadier," he said. "For us, homicide is simply a physical fact, a question of legal responsibility."

There is very little, basically no, character development which would usually annoy me. The book is totally plot driven, and I find the plot so interesting, I didn't mind. What little development there was of De Luca makes him a very human and interesting character.

As with the first book of the Trilogy, at the end the murder is solved but De Luca's future is unknown. I know I'll be reading Part III to find out.

One man damned as a wrongheaded fool.
One year and another he walked the streets,
And a thousand shrugs and hoots
Met him in the shoulders and mouths he passed."

Carl Sandburg.

At the conclusion of Carlo Lucarelli's "Carte Blanche" in the spring of 1945, the fascist government of Italy had just collapsed and Commissario (Investigator) De Luca, like many officials of all stripes tarred with the brush of employment by the regime, was last seen fleeing for parts unknown. Volume II of Lucarelli's De Luca Trilogy, "The Damned Season", finds Commissario De Luca in hiding, using a false identity, wandering through the towns and villages of northern Italy just trying to get by and avoid arrest by former partisans now in control of large areas of Italy. As luck would have it, De Luca stumbles into a village in which a triple homicide has just been committed. As fate would have it the partisan police officer tasked with investigating the murders recognizes De Luca and makes De Luca an offer he can't refuse, help me solve the murder and I will preserve you new identity or get arrested and executed. De Luca accepts the offer not just because of his strong desire for self-preservation but his almost compulsive desire to actually do what a detective does best - solve crimes.

The plot is not complex and although interesting not the main reason why this book was worth reading. As drawn by Lucarelli, De Luca is a pretty compelling figure. As noted in a Preface to the book the character of De Luca was formed after Lucarelli interviewed a police officer whose career spanned most of the middle years of the 20th-century. (The preface actually does a great job in setting up the essential character of De Luca and should not be overlooked.) He is neither a hero nor an antihero. He seems to want to be nothing more than to be a detective yet at the same time he cannot quite convince even himself that his brief stint in Mussolini's secret police did not stain his career. He may assert that he'd never tortured anyone and left the secret police as soon as he could but he knows that in post-war Italy any connection to the former regime are enough to doom him. Still, he manages to put all this aside and proceeds to help untangle the web of political, cultural and other intrigues that led to a brutal series of murder. This is what he does best and so solving crimes is what he will do even if he risks exposure and death.

Lucarelli's ability to recreate an atmosphere of Italy on the edge of chaos and anarchy in the post-war period brings "Damned Season" to life. I got a real sense of time and place while reading "Damned Season" just as I did in reading "Carte Blanche". Apart from De Luca, Lucarelli does not invest a lot of time in presenting us with a full-blown character analysis of the key parties to the crime and its aftermath. We also don't get a lot of the internal life of De Luca but De Luca's actions tend to speak for themselves and over the course of this second volume you begin to get a feel for his personality without having had Lucarelli spell it out for me. On the downside, Lucarelli doesn't invest a lot of time on his secondary characters so there is something of a disconnect between our perception of De Luca based on a pretty good sense of the character and the remaining characters who do come across sometimes as more of stick-figures rather than flesh and blood characters. However, Lucarelli's fast-paced sense of action and the very convincing portrait he draws of post-war life in northern Italy more than makes up for these deficiencies.

"The Damned Season" was a good sequel to "Carte Blanche". The third and final volume (Via delle Oche) is, apparently, due out soon. I've read and enjoyed Volumes One and Two and look forward to the conclusion. L. Fleisig

"Carte Blanche" the first volume in the De Luca Trilogy concluded with the collapse of Benito Mussolino's fascist government, and with the laconic, likeable hero Police Commissario De Luca on the run. In "The Damned Season"--the second volume in the trilogy, De Luca, stained by his association with Mussolini's brutal regime, is in desperate straits. It's 1945, and with the war over, and Italy in chaos, De Luca tries to evade capture and the inevitable reprisal for his role in the fascist government. Unfortunately for De Luca, who sees himself as just a policeman who did his duty, the fate of a fugitive government employee fleeing in the countryside is not a pleasant one. Although Commissario De Luca did not participate in some of the more brutal interrogation techniques used by other policemen, he realizes that roaming groups of Resistance fighters will kill him if his identity is discovered. De Luca is close to starvation and exhaustion when Brigadier Leonardi, a member of the Partisan Police, recognizes and detains him.

Leonardi, however, doesn't turn De Luca over for execution. Instead Leonardi, who's young and ambitious, expects De Luca to help him solve the grisly murders of four people and a dog. Leonardi is a novice when it comes to solving murder, and so he coerces De Luca, "the most brilliant detective in the Italian police force" to assist in the investigation. The victims were penniless peasants, and while the son was a petty thief and poacher, there seems to be no clear motive.

While De Luca provides some answers, he finds himself in the middle of a nest of conspiratorial silence. Carnera, a local thug who has gained stature for surviving torture inflicted by the notorious Black Brigades appears to block De Luca's investigation at every turn. The prevailing attitude seems to be that some people deserve to die, and some questions shouldn't be asked. These are vicious times, and De Luca knows that it's easy to disappear without a trace....

"The Damned Season" is a slim novella that manages to capture the desperate shifting power structure at play as the fascist government collapses and people struggle to carve a favorable place in the new regime. Those who have cooperated with the fascists pay a heavy price for their crimes with justice served vigilante style outside of the bounds of a courtroom. And while national chaos reigns, the opportunistic seize the bloody moment--sometimes with less than the purest of motives.

With typical Lucarelli style, there are few words wasted in the novella, yet De Luca's compelling personality manages to reach through the pages. De Luca, still suffering from perpetual dyspepsia, is an odd character. With his own strict set of ethics, he's not too fussy who he works for. To him it's all about the crime and how to solve it. Once again De Luca is expected to compromise in order to save his own skin, and once again his methodical, unflappable style is delightfully evident.

Lucarelli's protagonist, De Luca will appeal to fans of crime and noir fiction. The novella, with its strong sense of time and place, includes a must-read introduction in which the author explains his inspiration for the De Luca character--a police who survived many regime changes: a man who "with each change of government he found himself having to tail, to spy on, and to arrest those who had previously been his bosses."

There are two relatively new genres in the overall group of "cozy" mysteries. One I call a "career mystery." This one is what I call a "hobby mystery," and it is a wonderful example of the genre because it doesn't matter that I would never collect or manufacture Teddy bears. The mystery is good.

The author writes in the first person as a former homicide policeman. The detective and his wife have a good marriage and nice friends. I like this in a mystery. Despite the "niceness" of the protagonists, they are tough, and the mystery is engaging.

I love teddy bears, and mysteries, and this combines the best. I look forward to reading more of them. I feel I know them already.

This is a thoroughly enjoyable part of a new series that I can't wait to read more of. The only (piddling) part I thought just didn't fit was the word "macadamized;" the only other place I've ever seen (or heard) the word "macadam" was in a Janet Evanovich book, set in NJ. I've NEVER heard (or said) such a thing here in the Southland! That, however, was the only false note I saw in the whole book, which is a wonder in itself. The humor in the book was just right. Bring on more Bear Collector's Mysteries code 3, please!!!

This the third book in the Teddy Bear Murder Mystery series and it's a fun read. Brad Lyon served as a San Francisco police offer for 25 years, until he was wounded and had to retire. Trying to put that life behind him, he and his wife Ashleigh moved back to her home town Remmlkemp Mill, Virginia. Ashliegh is a talented Teddy Bear creator, and Brad, encouraged by Ashliegh, has also begun to make his own hand crafted Teddy Bears. They also collect Teddies and have aquired some very valuable ones which are displayed in their home.

Brad and Ashlieh are asleep when he is awakened by an intruder in their home. Taking his gun with him, he goes downstairs, and finds a thief who suddenly fires a shot at him and makes off with a valuable antique Farnell Alpha Teddy. What upsets Brad and Ashliegh the most is that the Farnel was an anniversary gift to Ashleigh. The police are unsuccessful in tracking down the thief or the teddy bear. A couple of weeks later, Brad is taking a much needed manly break eating a BBQ lunch in town, while Ashliegh hosts the Teddy Bear club at their home, when he spots three Yakuza (Japanese gangsters) asking for directions to the Masssanutten Museum of History. Although he is retired from law enforcement, Brad's instincts make him follow the men to the museum. When he arrives, they are gone, but inside the museum, he discovers the dead body of the curator. The Sheriff knowing of Brad's detective expertise, asks him to help on the investigation. Brad, Ashliegh, and the Sheriff find that they have a long list of supects, the Japanese Yakuza, the curator's slovenly wife, his College professor mistress who believed he would never leave his wife, her foul tempered husband who knew of the affair, and finally the museum assistant.

THE CRAFTY TEDDY is a police procedural that is well ploted and is loaded with interesting characters. There are several red herrings thrown in and out of the mix because many people had both motive and opportunity to kill the victim. However, there are two reasons why I gave it 4 instead of 5 starts. First is Brad's annoying attempts all through the book at puns and humor that are highly inappropriate and which ring false in a professional police officer. Secondly, Ashliegh's and Brad's marriage of 27 years is just too good to be true. There is just too much cuteness and sexual inunendo and there is never any conflict or disgreement on any subject or topic between them. After 3 books this rings a little false. Other then those two minor quibbles, The Bear Collector's latest mystery is a worth while investment of your reading time.

Good, easy read. I didn't realize there was such a Teddy Bear collectors world. The mystery had its turns and quirks which keep you guessing. The first few chapters were alittle dry, but after you really got into the case it was good. I read the next book.

My son and I read the Parker books. I asked him if he remembered a book written years ago--I could not rememeber the name but remembered the plot. He helped me find the title, Wilderness, and we have ordered the book. We look forward to reading it again. Suspense in woods is excellent!

When I first picked up this book I was disappointed that this was not a Spencer novel, as I read it my disappointment soon ended, a great read and probably one of his finest written books spencer or no spencer.It will not dissapoint.

I've read many of parker's books like most of the people who have given review but I can't believe the high rating that they all have given this poor book. "The best of his non-Spencer books?" Are you people insane? If you think this poorly written, flat charactered, meandering novel is better than the Sunny Randall stuff or the masterpiece "All our Yesterdays," you're crazy. The first half of the book has an interesting moral dilemma as well as fairly believable interaction between the characters and the second half is a decent romp through the forest after the killers, but most of the book fell very short of the mark. I agree with the other reviewer that Janet is at first detestable and then turns unbelievable. The other two don't do much for me either. Also, much of the dialogue sounds forced and scene explaining the bolt of a gun is just maddening. If you want a good non-Spencer book, pick up "All Our Yesterdays," and if you want Parker doing the "survival in the forest thing," pick up the Spencer book "Pastime" and enjoy. This book is mostly junk

Easily Parker's best non-Spenser work, and possibly his best overall. More suspense than you might think Parker capable of delivering. Written at the peak of his talents. A shame he hasn't come back to this genre.

This is by far the best of Parker's non-Spenser novels. I enjoyed reading it tremendously. It is too bad Parker hasn't seen fit to follow it up with sequels. This book doesn't deserve the obscurity it has been forced to endure.

How can a corpse show up in the middle of the desert, with no foot tracks leading to it or from it? Right next to a railroad track? That is how this book begins and it immediately captures your interest as Lt. joe Leaphorn of the Navajo Tribal Police is brought in by an FBI agent to investigate. What makes this even more interesting is that neither the FBI, nor the Navajos have jursdiction in the case since there is no evidence of a federal level crime, nor is the crime performed on the reservation. Nonetheless, Leaphorn cannot abide by the mystery and he slowly unravels the depths of it through careful deductive logic and calling on his myriad of friends in all walks of life.

At the same time, Jim Chee is asked to arrest a white man who wants to be a Navajo but who is a fugitive from justice in Washington DC. Chee starts wondering about why the man is involved in Navajo religious affairs and how come he knows so much about it. Then, when his friend Janet Pete calls from Washington to ask him to help, he takes some vacation time off and flies out to help Pete.

Leaphorn also ends up in Washington as a result of his own investigations - and also on vacation! - so it is no surprise that they meet up and end up investigating what turn out to be related activities. In addition to these, the author throws in a distant country's internal turmoil, all kinds of Indian religious artifacts and ceremonies, and weaves all that in with a powerful sense of how much the Indians feel out of touch in a modern american city.

The plotting is very intricate but you quickly get the sense of how the various activites interrelate and the final scene that brings everyone together is somewhat of a letdown as it is so predictable. I still enjoy Tony Hillerman's writing style and story telling ideas so to have me take two stars away form his rating needs explanation: First star came off for the plotting which crossed the line from suspended dis-belief to ridiculous. Here are two cops, who both take vacation to the same city to investigate crimes or non-crimes? And the local police force is more than willing to have them access all kinds of crime scenes and have access to all the work that the locals do. And if it is not bad enough that the DC police does this, the FBI does it as well. Based on what?

The second star removed was because almost all of the action takes place in Washington which is far removed from the normal Hillerman haunts and it shows. The description of the city and its inhabitants suffers when you read any of his other books and realize how much better he is at describing the Navajo nation.

Overall, this is a pedestrian effort and only belongs in your library if you are an avid Hillerman fan - which I am.

This one is good, but not the typical Tony Hillerman book. Rather than being based in the Four Corners area, this one mostly takes place in Washington, D.C.

It is interesting to see D.C. through Navajo eyes, but we do spend a lot of time in the mind of the bad guy as well, which is to the detriment of the story in my mind.

Chee's personal life features prominently, as does Leaphorn's painful loneliness.

I would have rated the book as four stars, but I am reviewing the audiobook. My audiobook was read by John MacDonald and I cannot think of a worse pairing than MacDonald's voice and Hillerman's writing. It's not that MacDonald isn't clear - he's easy to understand. But, his voice sounds like Eastern establishment, not Western. This audiobook lasted about 6 hours and 35 minutes.

I love Hillerman's books. Not only are they entertaining, but they are filled with factual information about the Southwest. I am never bored, and usually finish one of his books in three days.
Suzie Chiles

A Jim Chee, Joe Leaphorn mystery and one which shows the character and process of both men in the crime solving. Joe Leaphorn is investigating the death of a man found beside a railroad on the reservation, written in a notebook is a name, Agnes Tssose and a ceremonial. In a separate act Jim Chee is sent to Agnes Tsosse's Night Way ceremonial to find the man, Henry Highhawk who is visiting her, he has no idea why he has to arrest him, but observes him briefly before arresting him.

There are a number of threads running through her, but in seperate acts both Leaphorn and Chee end up in Washington DC following leads - Leaphorn to find out who the dead man is, and Chee following what is happening to Henry Highhawk and the Smithsonian.

Henry Highhawk is a born again Navajo - his grandmother is Agnes Tsosse but he has only just found that out - he has been learning all about the spirituality and culture of the Navajo and has been setting up a diorama at the Smithsonian to represent the masks of the gods, but it seems he has another presentation in mind. A much more visible act to get the world's attention and to protest against the continued storage of native American skeletons and remains at the museum.

However there are other forces at work, there is something going on at an embassy in Washington which Leaphorn suspects is related but he does not understand how - finally Jim Chee and Leaphorn meet up in Washington to compare notes and it all becomes clear.

The difference in the two men, in their styles of crime solving and the process is fascinating. Jim Chee is slightly more gauche, disturbing a tramp with unexpected results, and yet having much more of a spiritual belief. Joe Leaphorn is older, and while not necessarily more astute, he is much more poised.

I love these mysteries, I noticed someone said don't read this one first. I don't know about that, I have read these all out of order but I haven't read all of them either. This is a great book, a good demonstration of their abilities and a good read which keeps you guessing until the end.

I have been reading the Navajo mysteries for the first time, in chronological order. I was sad when each ended, and could barely wait to get the next one from the library...until this one. The plot is convoluted and far fetched with a LOT of holes, and I found the setting ugly and depressing, especially the character of the hit man. (This is the second hit man Hillerman's given us who owes it all to his unhealthy attachment to a disfunctional mama. Hmmmm...) I skimmed the last 4 chapters because I was tired of both the book and the setting...I just wanted it to see how it ended and be done with it because I was not enjoying the experience as I usually do.

So as other reviewers have advised: don't start here!