Blessing of the Lost Girls by J.A. Jance
The serial killer sub-genre has tired as of late but J.A. Jance singlehandedly revives it in Blessing of the Lost Girls.
This time out, Jance’s stalwart hero Sheriff Joanna Brady is joined by Dan Pardee, son-in-law of series regular Brandon Walker. The killer in question has been stalking his victims along the rodeo circuit, of all places. Pardee works as an agent for a task force dedicated to missing and murdered Native Americans. The missing Rosa Rios, it turns out, checks both of those boxes, her remains unearthed in Sheriff Brady’s jurisdiction, turning she and Pardee into reluctant associates. But it’s Brady’s daughter Jennifer, a friend of the victim, who actually joins forces with Pardee to track a killer who’s been leaving a trail of bodies practically since the college-age Jennifer was in diapers.
Blessing of the Lost Girls strikes the perfect tone, offering a heady mixture of light and dark and good battling evil. It’s the best serial killer thriller in years, certain to please even the most devout fans of Thomas Harris’s Hannibal Lecter books.
Malibu Burning by Lee Goldberg
Lee Goldberg fashions a terrific high-concept tale in Malibu Burning, postulating that a series of raging Southern California wildfires were started to set up a heist of epic proportions.
The man behind that brilliant, and deadly, caper is master thief Danny Cole. Cole’s currently in prison but happens to be a part of the inmate crew sent out to battle fires roiling the landscape. So what if Cole was behind setting the fire in the first place? Good thing equally masterful arson investigator Walter Sharpe is on the case in what evolves into the ultimate cat-and-mouse escapade.
This splendidly entertaining tale unfolds at a cinematic pace with all the bells and whistles you’d expect from a great crime movie. Goldberg blazes new ground in his already storied career, treading on the territory of the great Don Winslow, especially an early book of his, California Fire and Life. Not to be missed for crime-thriller aficionados.
Thicker Than Water by Megan Collins
Megan Collins is back with a terrific psychological thriller in Thicker Than Water.
Instead of following the typical mechanizations of a femme fatale, Collins serves up the male version of that trope, a “gentleman criminal.” The gentleman in question is Jason Larkin, husband to Julia and sister to Sienna, who happen to be best friends. That friendship receives its biggest test when a car accident lands Jason in a medically induced coma. Oh, and by the way, he’s also implicated in at least one murder and maybe others. Sienna wants to prove him innocent, while Julia follows a twisted trail of mayhem that takes her to unexpected places, to say the least.
Thicker Than Water keeps you guessing from the first page all the way to the last. Wondrously told in first person with Julia cast as narrator, this begs to be read in a single sitting.
Gone Tonight by Sara Pekkanen
Speaking of great psychological thrillers, Sara Pekkanen has penned a doozy of one with Gone Tonight.
It’s being labeled a “mother-daughter” tale and, while it’s all that, it’s also much more. That’s because the mother, Ruth Sterling, has been harboring a secret since she gave birth to her daughter, Catherine. As a result, the two are inseparable, until daughter begins asking mother questions she can’t answer, imperiling not only their relationship, but also their lives. The result is a tale that slides effortlessly between twists and turns that keep changing the rules and raising the stakes.
Gone Tonight is riveting and relentless, hitting its stride in pitch perfect fashion. Lisa Gardner and Harlan Coben have new company in their neighborhood in this great read tonight, tomorrow or any night.
The Lost Child by Thomas Grant Bruso
Thomas Grant Bruso has penned his best book yet in the angst-riddled and supremely well-executed The Lost Child.
Bruso’s hero is intrepid newspaper reporter Luke Sorenson, tortured and scarred by the death of his young daughter. You might think that being assigned a front-page kidnapping story is just what the doctor ordered, except in this case the victim is an eight-year-old boy, the same age Sorenson’s daughter was at the time she died. But even that tells only part of the story, the rest emerging in perfectly placed fits and starts as the truth of his past, including his daughter’s death, is revealed, one suspenseful layer at a time. Even if Sorenson’s efforts to help save the missing boy are successful, who is going to save him?
In that respect, Sorenson comes off as a post-modern version of Lawrence Block’s brilliant Matthew Scudder. That helps turn The Lost Child into one of those hidden gems, a clear candidate for sleeper thriller of the year.
The Spanish Diplomat’s Secret by Nev March
Nev March’s The Spanish Diplomat’s Secret makes for a great historical novel and well-conceived mystery to boot. Call it two for the price of one.
It’s the summer of 1894 and our setting is a luxury cruise ship headed from Spain to England. On board are detective Jim Agnihotri and his wife Lady Diana Framji, in part to repair their damaged relationship. Speaking of damaged, when a passenger is found dead, Jim takes on an investigation that features no less than a thousand potential suspects. Who knew this squabbling couple would end up finding each other while racing to find a killer before they end up the next victims.
March writes with the ease and grace of Agatha Christie, who would have loved to claim The Spanish Diplomat’s Secret as her own. A well-told tale featuring the kind of confined setting that keeps the suspense humming.
Lethal Range by Ryan Steck
Ryan Steck is back with his second book, Lethal Range, a seismic shock of a thriller.
Series hero Matthew Redd and his FBI team undertake a precarious overseas mission that goes bad and leads Redd to resort to making up his own rules. Facing the music back home, though, is only a small part of the problem. The real problem is a biker gang that has targeted his wife and infant son, not a wise move against an already dangerous man whose emotions are revving in the red. Taking on that gang becomes a metaphor for the evil coming at Redd from all angles, something he has to deal with if his young family is to survive.
At times, Lethal Range reminded me of the classic Marlon Brando film The Wild One in which a motorcycle gang takes over a small town. But Steck’s latest is much broader and more expansive than that, as he turns a relatively simple setup into a tapestry rich in human emotion and stunningly realized action. A rare combination that sets Lethal Range apart from the pack.
