“...will leave fans breathless...” from fifth grave past the light
Detective Chief Superintendent Colin Harpur were sent to Larkspur to sort matters out. They managed to nab another cop for the deed (Undercover, 2012, etc.), but now the Home Office wants matters revisited to find out who maneuvered him. Iles, still seething over Harpur’s affair with his wife, insists that the pair reconnoiter Mallen’s death scene, a derelict building complex, with Harpur playing dead in the rubble while he, alas, has an emotional breakdown over that tryst. Harpur picks up a discarded ballpoint, stabs him in the cheek with the pen, and the two run off. Word of this episode gets out to a reporter, who unwisely asks questions of the wrong people and is himself stabbed to death. Meanwhile, an eyewitness to the Iles/Harpur situation surfaces. He’s also been privy to a meeting at the site between Mallen’s widow and Young’s wife. When Iles goes off on another rage that the Home Office hears about, it’s up to Harpur to smooth things over. Mrs. Young, who’s never before questioned her husband’s livelihood, now tries to allay her suspicions with a visit to the wife of Mallen’s killer that effectively closes the case with a dying message clue. In their 30th outing, Harpur and Iles are still at odds, still droll and still among the best the British police procedural has to offer.
FIFTH GRAVE PAST THE LIGHT
Jones, Darynda St. Martin’s (352 pp.) $24.99 | Jul. 9, 2013 978-1-250-01440-5
Charley Davidson, a grim reaper, navigates lost souls, serial killers, murderous husbands and the son of Satan as she solves crimes and ushers spirits into the light. It’s not easy being someone who can see ghosts, especially as a grim reaper, who has the complicated task of helping spirits move into the next spiritual plane. Charley, the daughter and niece of cops, has taken on the additional earthly role of solving crimes as a private investigator and consultant to the Albuquerque police force, often with the secret help of spirit allies. So when more than a few mysteries crop up, both in the real world and the ghostly realm, she’s one busy lady. Surrounded by a close circle of trusted friends on both sides of life, she is suddenly confronted with the possibility of a serial killer who’s been under the radar for decades and may be after her sister. Meanwhile, she must scrutinize an open arson case that points to Reyes Farrow as the culprit, much as she doesn’t want to face the possibility of his guilt. The guy is hotter than Hades, which makes sense, she guesses, since apparently that’s where he comes from. And if all that isn’t enough, she has to figure out who’s trying to kill her, too. Fun times. Good thing she’s perfected the art of gliding through life with a cheeky, wisecracking attitude while doing her best not to show any emotion, no matter how deeply she cares. The fifth installment of Jones’ popular Charley Davidson series is jam-packed with unique supernatural elements, an assortment of fascinating characters and enough going on to keep readers guessing until the very end and beyond, since the last few chapters introduce new series elements that deepen the mystery of Charley and
Reyes’ bond. While the book stands on its own and is accessible without previous books, readers may want to start at the beginning of the series for the best experience. A clever, fast-paced, rollicking paranormal romantic suspense which will leave fans breathless and keep them coming back for more.
DEADLY FORECAST
Laurie, Victoria Obsidian/Berkley (384 pp.) $23.95 | Jul. 2, 2013 978-0-451-23993-8 A psychic and FBI consultant must protect her fiance from a dangerous case, even if she gets too wrapped up in it herself. Think your wedding day was fraught? Abby Cooper has a bomb strapped to her chest and two hours to live. As Laurie (Lethal Outlook, 2012, etc.) explains in a series of flashbacks alternating with wedding-day drama, Abby sensed powerful negative forces surrounding her fiance, FBI agent Dutch Rivers, ever since he started working the suicide bombing case of a local hairdresser. Since Abby’s perfectly content to make herself a nuisance in order to keep Dutch safe, she talks Dutch’s boss, Gaston, into signing her up as part of the investigating team. Though Abby’s relieved that now she can keep an eye on Dutch, she can’t figure out the motivation of the bomber, who, whatever Homeland Security might think, appears to have been a young woman with no ties to terrorism. Teaming up with her partner and best friend, Candice, Abby tries to use her psychic abilities to feel out people around the case in the hope of finding some connection. Her terror in thinking that danger is still out there is nothing compared to her terror when faced with the wrath of her sister and wedding planner, Cat, after she misses yet another wedding-focused meeting. When the big day comes, M.J. Holliday and associate Gilley Gillespie must track down the bride, who is MIA, since M.J. knows she’s in grave danger. Though the constant oscillation between past and present is jarring at first, the two narratives fit together like a puzzle, insisting that fans read just one more chapter to see where the next piece will fall into place.
THE SILENCE
Rayne, Sarah Severn House (272 pp.) $29.95 | Jun. 1, 2013 978-0-7278-8248-6 Beautiful music lulls and lures the unsuspecting listener to the brink of danger and the secret of a century-old crime. Antiques dealer Nell West has been hired to evaluate the contents of her late husband Brad’s childhood home, Stilter |
kirkus.com
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mystery
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15 june 2013
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