Author: ekkarn

Roger Smith – Mixed Blood

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So this is the fourth country visited in my quest to read twelve books sent in different countries. So far I have read books set in Canada, Russia, and Australia and now Mixed Blood by Roger Smith set in South Africa, by far the least favorite place to visit of the four!  Book 13 of the year is a gritty book filled with murder, drugs, crooked cops, poverty and despair! The story opens with Jack Burn his wife Susan and son Matt on the run in South Africa after Jack becomes involved in a bank robbery which goes bad leaving a policeman dead. One night two black gangstas climb into their rented home.  To save his family, Jack kills the two men and his life goes downhill from there.

The book is a real page turner and the characters including Benny Mongrel a harden each con working as a watchman in a neighboring house under construction who witnesses the thieves going into the Burn house, Rudi “Gatsby” Barnard the crooked cop who rules by killing and Disaster Rondi, the good cop are a full well developed characters. Like I said the book is gritty and not for the faint of heart with lots of references to drugs, abuse and prostitution. I found that there weren’t a lot of good guys in the book to cheer for, but that did little to detract from the overall effect of the book.

Overall, I liked the book  four stars out of five and will look for more by the author.  But I will stay away from South Africa at least the Cape Flats!

No Time for Goodbye – Linwood Barclay

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No Tim,e for Goodbye - Linwood Barclay

 Orinally posted April 2010 – Revised and Updated April of 2026

What would you do if one day you were a normal fourteen year old with a mother, father and brother. You get caught with a boy in a car at the mall drinking, your father pulls your butt out of the car. you go to bed, Then you wake up the next morning and YOUR FAMILY is GONE! no note, no evidence of a fight or struggle they are just gone! That what happens to Cynthia Bigge in Linwood Barclay’s No Time for Goodbye.

The Story

The story picks up 25 years later, Cynthia is now married to Terry Archer and they have an eight year old daughter Grace. She has lived with this mystery for twenty five years and now things are happening that are opening all the wounds. Is the brown car really following her family? How did her father’s hat get in the house? What’s happening?

My Thoughts

I loved this well crafted well paced book. I have enjoyed Barclay’s books for a while now and have read all four of the Zack Walker books and Too Close to Home also highly recommended) another standalone.

In No Time for Goodbye the characters are believable and story line keeps moving and the suspense building toward the surprising conclusion!

In this book, I really enjoyed the character of Terry Archer, who narrates  the story. His character was a little like Zack Walker, someone, who at times is in a little over their head!

Anyway the book was great and rates at least a 4.5 if not a 5! Go find it and enjoy!

iWebsite
Orion Books
Amazon
Wikipdianks

Linwood Barclay

About Linwood Barclay

Linwood Barclay continues to be a prolific author, releasing new, critically acclaimed thrillers annually. Known for his high-octane plots and relatable characters, his recent work has solidified his status as a master of contemporary suspense.

Update: There is now a sequel to this book – Linwood Barclay’s No Safe House – new problems for Terry and Cynthia Archer when their daughter becomes involved in a possible murder.Check out my review here

Visit the Linwood Barclay Page

If you like standalone Mystery/Thrillers…….

Here are three Authors whose books might enjoy:

Charlie Donlea
Charlie Donlea
Michael Koryta/Scott Carson
Riley Sager
Riley Sager
  • Charlie Donlea — tightly plotted thrillers often built around cold cases, missing persons, and strong female leads, with twists that keep coming
  • Michael Koryta / Scott Carson — blends crime, suspense, and sometimes the supernatural, with a darker tone and strong atmosphere
  • Riley Sager — modern psychological thrillers with big twists, often centered on isolated settings and unreliable pasts

Parnell Hall – You Have the Right to Remain Puzzled (Puzzle Lady #8) Book 11 of 2010

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You Have the Right to Remian Puzzled 2 Book No. 11 for 2010 is the 8th book in the Puzzle Lady series by Parnell Hall, You Have the Right to Remain Puzzled. Now I read my first book in the other series by Parnell Hall featuring Stanley Hastings in 1991 and have loved that series. I read the my first Puzzle Lady book,  Book 1 A Clue for the Puzzle Lady of the series in 2000. Why I’ve waited ten years to read another I don’t know! Maybe it’s like being an Mets fan and not being able to root for the Yankees or the Giants and the Jets anyway to hell with that, I loved this book!

I really enjoyed the character of the Puzzle Lady and the book is written with the same sharp wit that Hall displays in the Hastings series.  The writing will never be confused with great literature, but who needs that when they can enjoy a good mystery and get a lot of laughs too!!  So it’s Tolstoy or Evanovich or Dickens or Hall. I’ll take Hall and Evanovich every time!! So go grab a Puzzle Lady book and enjoy!

Forgotten Books – Bill Granger -November Man

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Bill Granger -November Man

I have seNovember Man - Bill GRangeren other bloggers post about Forgotten Books and I’ve done Forgotten Music. So here is a post about forgotten books. I started keeping a book journal in 1987. I also recorded the date I read the book and some thoughts, Occasionally, I added ratings. ratings. Anyway,  going back through the early book, I came across a series that I really enjoyed the November Man series by Bill Granger. Looking back at March of 1988 and 1989 I read a November Man novel in each year. In 1988 it was the 8th book in the series The Infant of Prague, which I gave 3 stars and said it was better than the previous book I had read  Hemingway’s Notebook. The brief blurb I wrote says Devereaux tries to bring a defector from Czechoslovakia. My comments says the story kept moving and the ending was satisfying! Here is the synopsis at Amazon.

In March of 1989 I read Henry Magee is Not Dead. The synopsis says that Henry Magee is an agent who crossed over in Alaska and there is a complicated plan to ruin R Section (the secret organization that Devereaux heads), a bomb on the Alaskan pipeline and Devereaux and Denisov (Soviet spy defector) end up in Alaska.  There was something about that writing style that made for difficult reading at times but overall a good read! Amazon has a synopsis from Publisher’s Weekly that is a little bit (an understatement) better than mine here

You can see more about Bill Granger and his work at Fantastic Fiction

Final Thoughts

All I remember is that the books were some of the best spy novels I read. They were always exciting  and I loved the title character Devereaux.  These books set me on a course that led to authors like Brad Thor, Vince Flynn and Alex Berenson! If you ever see an old  copy at a library book sale or you online, pick it up. You won’t be disappointed.

Links for the Further Exploration of the Books of Bill Granger

Bill Granger Page

Amazon

AbeBooks

ThriftBooks

Forgotten Books – November Man

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📚 Journal Flashback: Forgotten Books – Bill Granger’s November Man

The Infant of Prague - November Man

I’ve seen other bloggers post about Forgotten Books, and I’ve done my share of Forgotten Music—so here’s a dive into a forgotten book series that still sticks with me: Bill Granger’s November Man.

I started keeping a book journal in 1987, jotting down the dates I finished each book along with a few thoughts and star ratings. Looking back, I noticed that in both March 1988 and March 1989, I read one book from this series each year—and both left a strong impression.

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📖 March 1988 – The Infant of Prague

Rating: ★★★☆☆

This was book #8 in the series. My journal says:

“Devereaux tries to bring a defector out of Czechoslovakia. The story kept moving and the ending was satisfying. Better than the previous one I read (*Hemingway’s Notebook*).”

📚 Amazon synopsis here

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📖 March 1989 – Henry McGee is Not Dead

Henry Magee is Not Dead

Journal comments:

“Henry McGee is an agent who crossed over in Alaska. There’s a complex plot to destroy R Section, a bomb on the pipeline, and Devereaux and Denisov (Soviet defector) are in the middle of it. The writing was occasionally difficult, but overall a good read.”

📚 Amazon/PW synopsis here

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🕵️ Why I Loved the Series

These were some of the best spy novels I read back in the day—always exciting, with a fascinating lead character in Devereaux. The books had an edge, a Cold War atmosphere, and a different tone from your typical spy thrillers.

More on Bill Granger at Fantastic Fiction

Looking back, the November Man books definitely laid the groundwork for my later love of authors like Brad Thor, Vince Flynn, and Alex Berenson.

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📚 Forgotten Book Tip

If you ever see a copy of a Bill Granger novel at a library sale or used bookstore—grab it! You won’t be disappointed.

The Midnight House – Alex Berenson (John Wells #4)

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So, four weeks plus later and two books read in between, I finally finished Alex Berenson‘s The Midnight House. The Midnight House is the fourth book in the John Wells series and I loved the first three. The story lines were good and John Wells was a well developed character who I liked. So I had high expectations when I picked up this book, unfortunately, the book fell short of those expectations. It’s not that the book was bad, it’s just that there really was no hook that brought me into the story and made me want to keep reading.

The novel revolves around interrogation unit 673 that operated in Poland at what they called The Midnight House. After their operation ended, the majority of the soldiers have been killed and John Wells is called in to find out the whys and wherefores. The story goes back and forth in time to tell the story of what happened at the Midnight House and at times that seemed awkward and confusing. The last one hundred or so pages were better than the first two hundred some and overall the ending was satisfying. But the story lacked any personal development in Wells’ character, though some things were touched on. Overall this book rates a 2 out of 5 stars for me. Maybe it would be more enjoyable for first time readers of the series. Those with no expectations. But will I be waiting for the next John Wells book, yes I will,  because Berenson may just knock one out of the park next time!

Favorite Series -Joe Pickett

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C.J.Box’s Joe Pickett series has been a favorite of mine since I read Savage Run (Book #2) in 2004. I quickly went back and read book #1 Open Season (which won an Edgar Award for Best First Novel) and have continued from there. From the beginning, I have loved the characters of Joe Pickett and his family. Joe Pickett is a game warden originally living in Twelve Sleep, Wyoming and now Saddlestring. Joe is a kinda’ normal guy living a normal life and correcting the wrongs that he encounters and there have been enough to fill ten books. From his website:

the New York Times once wrote, “…Box introduced us to his unlikely hero, a game warden named Joe Pickett, a decent man who lives paycheck to paycheck and who is deeply fond of his wife and his three daughters. Pickett isn’t especially remarkable except for his honesty and for a quality that Harold Bloom attributes to Shakespeare — the ability to think everything through for himself.”  and Joe Pickett has been compared to Gary Cooper by both reviewers and the actor’s only daughter for his quiet, but determined, approach.

Joe moves through life with the help of his beloved wife, Marybeth and his daughters Sheridan and Lucy and helped by his right hand man Nate Romanowski, falconer and man of the land who often appears at just the right time to help Joe. Joe’s life is of-times complicated by his mother-in-law Missy (with several last names due to her penchant for moving up the social ladder through divorce). All of the novels are great Box really creates a great “sense of place” in his novels muc  like James Lee Burke, so that even though I’ve never visited Wyoming, I’ve been there many times thanks to Box. Box says this about his books and particularly about  Trophy Hunt

:

My novels include environmental issues that are integral to the modern West.Trophy Hunt is no different. The boom in coal bed methane development in the Rocky Mountains has literally transformed the terrain – and the economy– in ways both good and bad. I was researching the issue for background when something entirely unrelated happened: the discovery of dozens of mutilated cattle in Montana. Remembering the stories of cattle mutilations from my youth, I contacted the lead reporter covering the story and she supplied me with clippings, reports, and extremely disturbing photos. The details of the deaths were eerily similar: no obvious cause of death; faces and genitals surgically removed; no tire tracks, footprints, or evidence near the bodies; and, strangest of all, the bodies were untouched by natural predators. I knew as I leafed through the documents that Joe Pickett would have a new case – one that would test his sense of reality.

While many of the stories stand on there own, I do think that this is a series that deserves to be read in order. So much of the character development and ancillary story lines develop from book to book that if you haven’t read the other books you’ll not get the full effect of the book. If you don’t like to read series books, you can still experience Box’s writing  talent by reading his two standalone novels, the Edgar Award winning Blue Heaven or Three Weeks to Say Goodbye both excellent reads. I can’t wait for the April 6th release of Pickett’s next adventure chronicled in Nowhere to Run. As for you who have never read any you got lots of readin’ to do, but it will be worth the effort!

Polydor Artists Circa 1971!

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So last night when I was listening to Jake Holmes I pulled out the album sleeve and looked at the other artist on the Polydor Label at that time. Some of the names are only familiar and a couple I do have the albums. Area Code 615 and John Mayall’s Empty Rooms and a favorite Mayall’s The Turning Point. Here’s a quick Poll Which Artist’s album do you have? or have you heard of?

[polldaddy poll=2853085]

(polls)

Book 9 -2010 – Redemption Street

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While I am still working my way through The Midnight House I finished book 9 of 2010 Reed Farrel Coleman‘s Redemption Street. Redemption Street is the second book in Coleman’s Moe Prager series and my first read of this series. Prager is a retired New York City police officer, now running a wine shop with his brother. The story opens when a vagrant Arthur Rosen  comes into the shop and wants Prager to find his sister Karen, only problem is that his sister died in a fire in the Catskills sixteen years prior, with two other girls and sixteen other guests. Rosen, his sister and the other girls all went to the same high school as Prager, with one of the girls being a major crush of Prager’s.  Rosen is convinced his sister is still alive. Prager brushes him off as a crazy and when he goes to apologize a few days later, Rosen finds him, shortly after he has committed suicide and Prager’s name written in blood on his wall. So Prager sets out to set things right and find out what really happened the night of the fire.

I really enjoyed Coleman’s writing and Moe Prager’s wise-cracking attitude. Most of the story takes place in the Catskill town of Old Rotterdam and Coleman captures the “”sense of the town” and the last gasps of the Catskills after the demise of the Borscht Belt. The story line was interesting and the characters all believable. Overall a definite  4 out 0f 5. and I will go back and find Walking the Perfect Square the first book in the series and then catch up with the three books that follow.

Reed Farrel Coleman – Redemption Street-As Good as It Gets!

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Redemption Street -Reed Farrel Coleman

While I am still working my way through The Midnight House I finished book 9 of 2010 Reed Farrel Coleman‘s Redemption Street.

Redemption Street is the second book in Coleman’s Moe Prager series and my first read of this series. Prager is a retired New York City police officer, now running a wine shop with his brother.

The Story

The story opens when a vagrant Arthur Rosen  comes into the shop and wants Prager to find his sister Karen, only problem is that his sister died in a fire in the Catskills sixteen years prior, with two other girls and sixteen other guests. Rosen, his sister and the other girls all went to the same high school as Prager, with one of the girls being a major crush of Prager’s.  Rosen is convinced his sister is still alive.

Prager brushes him off as a crazy and when he goes to apologize a few days later, Rosen finds him, shortly after he has committed suicide and Prager’s name written in blood on his wall. So Prager sets out to set things right and find out what really happened the night of the fire.

Thoughts About Redemption Street

I really enjoyed Coleman’s writing and Moe Prager’s wise-cracking attitude. Most of the story takes place in the Catskill town of Old Rotterdam and Coleman captures the “”sense of the town” and the last gasps of the Catskills after the demise of the Borscht Belt.

The story line was interesting and the characters all believable. Overall a definite  4 out 0f 5. and I will go back and find Walking the Perfect Square the first book in the series and then catch up with the three books that follow.

Reed Farrel Coleman

Links

Author Website
Amazon
Facebook
Instagram
Goodreads;

About Reed Farrel Coleman

Called a hard-boiled poet by NPR’s Maureen Corrigan and the noir poet laureate in the Huffington Post, Reed Farrel Coleman is the New York Times-bestselling author of thirty-one novels—including the Nick Ryan series and six in Robert B. Parker’s Jesse Stone series—short stories, poetry, and essays.

In addition to his acclaimed series characters, Moe Prager and Gus Murphy, he has written the stand-alone novel Gun Church and collaborated with decorated Irish crime writer Ken Bruen on the novel Tower.

Reed is a four time Edgar Award nominee in three different categories: Best Novel, Best Paperback Original, and Best Short Story. He is a four-time recipient of the Shamus Award for Best PI Novel of the Year. He has also won the Audie, Macavity, Barry, and Anthony Awards.

With their kids moved away to far off Brooklyn, Reed, his wife Rosanne, and their cats live in the wilds of Suffolk County on Long Island. Read More

BornMarch 29, 1956 (age 69)
New York City, U.S.
Pen nameTony Spinosa
OccupationPoet, crime fiction writer
NationalityAmerican
GenreCrime fiction
Years active1991 to present
Notable worksMoe Prager series
Notable awardsAnthony (2006)
Audie (2013)
Barry (2006)
Macavity (2010)
Shamus (2006, 2008, 2009)