Tuesday Book Reviews

 

Five-star review of Killer by Jonathan Kellerman

 I was reminded of why I enjoy Kellerman’s books so much. The characters are clearly drawn, the plots are complex and intriguing and the endings are satisfying. The story starts with the court fight between Ree, the mother of Rambla, and her richer sister over custody of the little girl. On the surface, Connie, a rich doctor, would appear to be poised to give the toddler a good life, but when Alex Delaware is called in to evaluate the two sisters, he finds her cold and aloof, while Ree, a free spirit, is motherly and compassionate. Then, the first twist occurs when Connie is murdered and Ree and Rambla disappear. Along with detective Milo Sturgis, Alex delves into the sisters’ backgrounds for clues. If you haven’t tried Mr. Kellerman’s books, this is a good one to start with.

Tuesday Book Reviews

 

Four-star review of Perseid Collapse: A Post-Apocalyptic Survival Thriller (Alex Fletcher Book 2) by Steven Konkoly

 The second book in this series finds something streaking across the stratosphere, possibly an asteroid, breaking up, and striking the Atlantic Ocean in at least four places not far off the eastern US coast. The novel focuses on how Alex Fletcher and his family and neighbors cope with the ensuing flooding and tsunami and attempt to retrieve Alex’s son and a neighbor’s daughter in Boston. The tsunami is combined with an EMP, arguing against an asteroid, but there’s no explanation beyond that. Also, no one seems to know how far the devastation has spread. Prepared for any eventuality, Alex and neighbors Ed and Charley, set out south and west to avoid military and police barricades, but the story quickly dissolves into excessive violence.  This is a quick, engrossing read.  

Tuesday Book Review

 

Five-star review of  Deep Sleep by Steven Konkoly

 

This is the first in a conspiracy series in which Devin Gray, a counterespionage agent, is tasked by his mother after her death with following up on her work to unearth a huge Soviet sleeper cell in the US. He doesn’t work on it alone. The characters are mostly fleshed out and some progress is made in this first book on finding second and third generation members of the cell, a few in positions of power, but there is obviously a huge amount for Devin and his crew to do in the sequels. Great action sequences but the quieter ones are also well-written. I look forward to spending more time with Devin and his friends. 

 

Five-star review of From the Corner of His Eye by Dean Koontz

 Suspense, horror, murder mystery, paranormal thriller, romance, literary family saga and more. This book has it all. It’s filled with wonderful characters from the psychotic, delusional murderer to the disfigured but spiritual cop with a strange ability, from the generous pie lady to three miraculous children, from the preacher’s wife and daughter to the doctor, and many more. This is the first Koontz book I’ve read, but it won’t be the last. Although at first I thought he spent more time from the warped viewpoint of the psychopath with too much horror elements for my taste, I realized this character indirectly became the reason all the others met and became a large found family. Novels as long as this one usually take me months to read, but I read this one in less than four weeks when I was busy with so much else. Koontz’s command of craft is apparent in every word, carefully chosen.