Rage by Jonathan Kellerman ( Alex Delaware #19)

Rage by Jonathan Kellerman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Over 20 years ago, I never missed the opportunity to read the newest Alex Delaware. Then, for some reason I just kinda quit. So after a long hiatus, I'm back and glad I am. I have missed Kellerman's writing and the likes of Alex and Milo.
In Rage, Delaware receives a phone call from a troubled young man who 8 years previously with another kid, kidnapped and killed a toddler. Having just been released the young man, Rand, wants to meet and talk with Delaware who consulted on the earlier murder case. Delaware agrees only to be stood up. Later he finds out from Milo that the young man was killed that night.
Flashbacks to the earlier time as well as the new investigation moving forward dominate the story line.
Once Milo and Alex start digging, things just start to not add up and there are more questions than answers that stretch back to the original murder. Through sheer perseverance and much hypothesizing, the duo begin to make sense of the convoluted timeline and come to realize that there well may be a serial killer on the loose. Thrown into the mix is Alex's relationship with another Psychiatrist as well as the possible reemergence of Robyn, and things are getting interesting.
Looking forward to reestablishing my relationship with these two.

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The Autumn Republic by Brian McClellan ( Powder Mage #3)

The Autumn Republic by Brian McClellan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

There is not a lot I can say about this series except I am so sad that this part is over. The Powder Mage Trilogy, ( Promise of Blood, The Crimson Campaign and The August Republic) were so good.
This is what fantasy is all about. Creating different worlds and magic systems that resonate and imbue the reader with a sense of wonder and dare I say it... This is so cool!
These books have it all. Great characters, tremendous story line, mortals fighting Gods and humor, love and tragedy in all it's forms.
No spoilers.. Just trust me and give it a try.. You won't be disappointed.












































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































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Shadows of the Dead by Spencer Kope ( Special Tracking Unit #3)

Shadows of the Dead by Spencer Kope
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

If you haven't discovered Spencer Kope and his Special Tracking Unit series, you are missing out. I was lucky enough to receive a ebook ARC from Netgalley for the purpose of this review.

There are a lot of really good thriller writers out there. Greg Hurwitz, Nick Petrie, Ben Coes and now it's time to add Kope to the list.
His thrillers are unique. His hero's aren't larger than life, they can't go toe to toe with Dewey, or Reacher or Peter Ash, but they don't need to. Kope's protagonist, Magnus "Steps" Craig, a professional tracker for the FBI has a secret. He can see everyone's shine. Every person leaves a residue, when he walks, or touches something. All of these shines have a different and distinct color, and just like DNA no two are the same. His ability to see shine is from his childhood where he got lost in the woods and actually died from hypothermia. After being brought back to life, he could see the shine.
Quite handy for a tracker of killers. The only people "in the know" are his partner Jimmy and the FBI Director.
In Shadows of the Dead, women are being abducted and "fixed" because they are broken. This fixing comes in the form of casts made of their faces and then those casts being placed in mannequins and posed in lifelike situations. Then, the women are killed.
In the course of their investigation, they come to find out that an individual known as the Onion King, is responsible.
The story moves along, with great forensics, the dark web and characters you cheer for as they hunt for the killer. One extra benefit of shine is that Steps can tell if a person is still alive by the look of the shine. Which becomes increasingly important as another women is abducted and they must find her before her fate matches all the others.
If you haven't discovered this author, Pick up book 1, Collecting the Dead and enjoy. Kope has the professional background as a criminal analyst to give a believability to his work which can sometimes be lacking in other writers.

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The Wild One by Nick Petrie ( Peter Ash #5)

The Wild One by Nick Petrie
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Nick Petrie is stellar and his Peter Ash series is one of the finest series out there. These books are well written with well drawn characters that you genuinely care about.
In The Wild One, Peter is trying and failing to control his PTSD from the war. Unable to escape from the dreams if people who died underbid watch, Peter takes a job from a wealthy woman whose grandson is missing with his father who is accused of killing his wife
who is her daughter. The real story however is that she did overed secret files that would prove damaging to the powerful in Washington DC.
The job is in Iceland and as Peter arrives it becomes quickly apparent that someone powerful doesn't want him to succeed.
The action begins immediately in this book with the scenes alternating between current day and 12 montgs previous where the child, Oskar and his parents, Erik and Sarah are in the throes of trying to expose the powerful. Much to their own danger.
In Iceland, Peter comes to find the relatives if Erik and Oskar and to see if they are hiding with family. The brutal beauty that is Iceland is on full display as is the powerful loyalty of family.
This book is not to be missed.

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The Crimson Campaign by Brian McClellan ( Powder Mage#2)

The Crimson Campaign by Brian McClellan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is one fine series. If you love unique magic systems, well drawn characters and great world building, you will love these books. McClelland seems to have the gist of writing and creating that Sanderson does.
The Crimson Campaign though a little more grim than Promise of Blood, was still a great story.
With three distinct story lines running through the narrative, you would think it would get convoluted and messy, but that is far from the case.

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Promise of Blood by Brian McClellan ( Powder Mage #1)

Promise of Blood by Brian McClellan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This... was... awesome! It is such a nice surprise when you pick up a fantasy and you read a few pages and you become hooked. Time ceases to exist, you are immersed in a world other than this one and you marvel at the author's imagination. Magic, Muskets, Gods and tremendous writing. Promise of Blood should be on every serious reader of fantasy's must read list. This is that good.

The book opens with a military coup that takes power away from the King of Adro. We find out the reason why is that the King was imminently going to pretty much sign over the country to Adro's enemies, Kez. Tamas and his co-conspirators cannot let this happen, knowing that if they do it will be a tremendous blow to the people and pretty much enslave them to a foreign power. While successful in the coup, there are other matters afoot. Tamas wlll shortly face traitors, treachery and near death in his fight to free the people, but the real magic here is the magic systems that are employed with great skill by McClellan. In his world there are Powder Mages, those who can ingest gunpowder and by so doing increase everything from strength to the path of a musketball and its velocity. Very reminiscent of Sanderson's Mistborn, but entirely different. We also have people who are Knacked, or Privileged who have their own magic, with the Privileged the more powerful.
In the course of the story, we meet Tamas son, Taniel a Powder Mage in his own right, like his father. His companion is a "savage" girl named Ka-Poel who is MUCH more than she seems.
Are you intrigued? Because that is all you get from me.
Get this book. You won't be sorry.



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Just Watch Me by Jeff Lindsay ( Riley Wolfe #1)

Just Watch Me by Jeff Lindsay
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Long live Riley Wolfe! Riley Wolfe is a thief, but not just any thief. He is the best in the world. But, it seems that he may be in a bit of a rut. There are no challenges. Everything is to easy. The answer? He has to find the unstealable. Something that he might fail at.
This is the premise of Just Watch Me. A very fast moving and well written book by Jeff Lindsay of Dexter fame. Riley is a complex character. There is nothing that will stand in the way of his objective:
If he has to kill,maim, or hurt it is just part of the job, which can also be a real sign of someone playing without a full deck.
In Just Watch Me, Riley has become who he is due to events that shaped him when he was young. Being bullied was part of his daily life and he had a father that died when he was young with a mother that kind of checked out. His father always told him to "not be a sheep, but be a wolf", this lesson kicks in in his teenage years and will carry him through life even with a name change to reflect the new found philosophy.
In researching the impossible heist, Riley finds that the Iranian Crown Jewels are coming to the States. With the best security that money can buy and a troop of the Republican Guard from Iran. It can't be done. Or can it?
We follow Riley in his planning which involves some pretty nifty disguises as well as his love of parkour to relax and think. One of the coolest things about this book is that Riley loves his music while thinking and Lindsay has been kind enough to let us know what he is listening to. So, if you have Amazon Music, Apple Music or Spotify handy while you read, you can really immerse your self in Riley's world.
In the course, of the heist, Riley will kill, break hearts and bank accounts. With the help of a beautiful master forger and the backstory of an FBI agent hot on his trail, Just Watch Me was well worth reading.

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