As I’ve mentioned before, I’m a fan of a good (and even some not-so-good) mysteries. I thought I’d share some more quick thoughts on what’s new in some of my favorite series.
The Spellman Novels follow the antics of Izzy Spellman as she fumbles her way along as a private investigator working for the family business, Spellman Investigations. Izzy is a disaster, professionally and personally, but she knows it, and that’s what makes these books so much fun. Most of the mysteries are pretty low key, not a lot of death or blood or high-stakes crime, but it’s not really about the mystery anyway – you know that is going to work itself out. The real joy comes from reading about this amazingly dysfunctional family and their interactions. Hilarious and touching at the same time.
In this latest installment, The Last Word, Izzy has arranged a hostile takeover of the family business and has discovered that being the boss isn’t that much fun. Her parents are boycotting work and if they do show up at the office it may be in their underwear. And are they having marital difficulties? Dad didn’t come home last night… Her sister is off starting her own questionable side business with the help of another wayward employee. Her brother keeps trying to make her babysit his completely obnoxious toddler. Her benefactor is literally losing his mind, but someone seems to be trying to rush it along, and he wants Izzy to have a conversation with his assistant about personal hygiene. Like real life, not everything has a happy ending, but getting there is worth it.
Title: The Last Word
Author: Lisa Lutz
Genre: Fiction, Mystery
Pages: 352
Publication: Simon & Schuster, July 2013
The FBI Thriller novels follow Savich and Sherlock as they solve crimes as part of the FBI. The crimes ten to be pretty gruesome, but the bad guys never win for long with this married couple on the case. Their relationship is warming as they balance doing their job with raising a family and their urge to protect one another.
In this latest installment, Bombshell, they are joined by Griffin Hammersmith, last seen in Backfire, who has been recruited by Savich to join their unit of the FBI. On his way to D.C. Hammersmith decides to stop in Maestro, Virginia to visit his sister Delsey, a music student. Before he gets there he receives a phone call telling him that his sister has been found naked and unconscious in a pool of blood that is not her own. As Hammersmith tries to protect his sister and solve the mystery of what is going on in Maestro, Savich and Sherlock are dealing with the dead body of a young man that was found displayed in front of the Lincoln Memorial.
The book jumps back and forth between the stories of what is happening in Maestro and D.C., but it isn’t distracting, instead keeping to book moving along at the quick pace I’ve come to expect from Coulter’s FBI novels. Hammersmith is a nice addition to the team, his seeming ability to “see” what is going to happen is not overplayed, but an interesting twist. A fun, fast ride through two completely different worlds of crime.
Title: Bombshell
Author: Catherine Coulter
Genre: Fiction, Mystery
Pages: 400
Publication: Putnam, July 2013
The Jack Reacher series follows the former MP as he wanders the country aimlessly, with no possessions to weight him down, and becomes entrenched in one disastrous situation after another, usually to help out a beautiful woman. These books are mysteries, but are heavy on the action and suspense, with healthy doses of romance and humor.
In this latest installment, Never Go Back, Reacher has finally made it to Virginia to look up Susan – the woman currently running his old MP unit – who he felt a connection with during a series of phone calls made several books previously. When he gets there a number of surprises are waiting for him – Susan is in jail, he’s being accused of murder, and he may be the father of a teenager. Forcefully re-enlisted into the military Reacher will need to unravel this latest mystery and find out what’s really going on. Overall, what we’ve come to expect from a Jack Reacher book, fast-paced and fun.
Title: Never Go Back
Author: Lee Child
Genre: Fiction, Mystery
Pages: 416
Publication: Delacorte Press, September 2013
The Goldy Schulz novels follow the caterer as she manages to blunder over one dead body after another in Aspen Meadow, Colorado. And no matter how much the police chief (who also happens to be her husband) wants her out of harm’s way, she seems to stumble into that as well as she tries to get justice for the recently deceased.
In this latest installment, The Whole Enchilada, her friend Holly drops dead after leaving a birthday party catered by Goldy. Even as the police try to figure out whether she was actually murdered, and if so, how, it becomes apparent that Holly had plenty of secrets and there are plenty of available suspects. Why was she broke? Who were all those boyfriends she kept talking about? Why did someone also try to hurt Holly’s son and their priest? And who’s after Goldy and why? She doesn’t think she knows anything, but someone is convinced that she does. Joined by her friend Marla, some friends from the police department, her catering partner Julian, and her husband Goldy unravels yet another mystery.
Title: The Whole Enchilada
Author: Diane Mott Davidson
Genre: Fiction, Mystery
Pages: 384
Publication: William Morrow, August 2013
Watching the Words 