Tag: Mystery Series

The Sinister Pig – Tony Hillerman -Visiting an Old Favorite

  By ,
The Sinister Pig -Tony Hillerman

The Sinister Pig – Tony Hillerman

I’ve read almost all of the books in Tony Hillerman’s Jim Chee – Joe Leaphorn series. But the last one I picked up before this was way back in 2000, when I read Hunting Badger (Book #14)!

The Sinister Pig (Book #16) has been sitting on my shelves unread for at least five years. One of my 2018 reading challenges was to read 25 books from my TBR shelves—especially books from series I haven’t visited in years—so choosing The Sinister Pig was a no-brainer.

In The Sinister Pig, former Navajo Tribal Police officer Bernadette Manuelito has left the Navajo Police and joined the Border Patrol. Jim Chee misses his former subordinate, but he’s busy investigating a nameless corpse found at the edge of the Jicarilla Apache natural gas field. His frustration grows when the FBI swoops in and takes control of the case.

Meanwhile, Bernie follows a suspicious trailer onto the Tuttle property, where mysterious construction is underway. She may have just made dangerous enemies—and uncovered a link between both cases involving an old abandoned pipeline. That’s the theory retired police legend Joe Leaphorn proposes.

Jim and Bernie each face big challenges: Jim is determined to prove a murder where the FBI claims there’s only a hunting accident, while Bernie is unknowingly up against the ruthless and greedy Rawley Windsor. Can Jim solve the case and save Bernie, or will help have to come from somewhere else? And will Jim and Bernie admit they miss each other and want to be together?

Bottom Line

While The Sinister Pig was an okay read, it didn’t feel like the Tony Hillerman I remember. One of the things I always enjoyed about his novels was how Navajo culture was woven into the story, and how Jim Chee struggled to balance his heritage with modern life. That element was largely missing here, making the book feel more like a standard crime novel rather than a special glimpse into a different culture.

That said, I’ve already downloaded The Wailing Wind (Book #15) from my library. I want to find out what happened to drive Jim and Bernie apart—and I’m hoping it will feel more like the Hillerman I remember.

EKK Rating: 3.0  |  Goodreads Rating: 3.85

Post Update: According to both my memory and my Goodreads shelves, I haven’t read The Wailing Wind yet. The good news is I picked up a free copy—so maybe this time I’ll actually read it. And if the plot of The Sinister Pig sounds familiar, it’s because elements of it were used in Season Three of Dark Winds!

Shadow of Death – Wiliam G Tapply – A Return to an Old Favorite

  By ,

Shadow of Death (Brady Coyne #21) – William G. Tapply

Here we are in February 2018, and I still hadn’t formalized my Reading Challenges. I knew my goal was to read 65 books that year, with at least 25 pulled from my “to be read” shelves. By the first week of February, I was already off to a decent start — and book number six turned out to be one that had been waiting patiently on my shelves: Shadow of Death by William G. Tapply.

EKK and the Brady Coyne Series

Shadow of Death, published in 2004, is the 21st entry in Tapply’s Brady Coyne series. The series began in 1984 with Death at Charity’s Point. My own journey with Coyne started a little later, with Dead Winter (#8), which I read in the summer of 1990 when the paperback came out. By the end of that year, I had caught up with the series!

Sadly, William Tapply passed away in 2009, bringing the series to a close. The final Brady Coyne book, Outwitting Trolls (#28), was released in 2010. Between 1990 and 2001, I read 16 of the 18 Coyne books available at the time. After that, I shifted to his short but memorable Stoney Calhoun series.

Reading Shadow of Death reminded me just how much I enjoyed these books. Brady Coyne, a Boston lawyer handling divorces, wills, and trusts for wealthy New England families, always seems to get pulled into something bigger. That mix of law, mystery, and human drama was Tapply’s strength.

About Shadow of Death

In Shadow of Death, Brady is hired by the campaign manager of Ellen Stoddard, who is running for the U.S. Senate. The task: find out why her husband, Al Stoddard, is acting strangely. When the private investigator Brady hires is found dead on a lonely New Hampshire road, Brady is drawn into a dangerous search. As he digs deeper, he discovers two of Al’s childhood friends have also died under mysterious circumstances — and the story turns darker.

Bottom Line

Like all of William G. Tapply’s books, Shadow of Death is exceptionally well plotted and believable. But what makes these novels shine is Brady Coyne himself — a lawyer who’d rather be out fly fishing than handling divorces, but who still manages to be a convincingly heroic and likable sleuth.

Publisher’s Weekly, writing about Scar Tissue, praised Brady as “one of the most convincingly heroic and likable of the contemporary sleuths.”

And the Florida Times-Union, reviewing Muscle Memory, noted that “Mystery lovers will thoroughly enjoy Brady and the other characters that Tapply creates… one of the best in the game.”

Another little delight for me has always been the subtle crossover with Rick Boyer’s Doc Adams series. Tapply and Boyer were close friends, and in almost every Coyne novel there’s a sly reference to Doc Adams. Shadow of Death is no exception — it’s brief, but it’s there!

Shadow of Death, like most of the Coyne novels, can be enjoyed on its own. If you haven’t tried Tapply before, this would be a fine place to start. I still have two more Brady Coyne books waiting on my shelf, including Outwitting Trolls, which I’ll save for last.

P.S. Don’t overlook the Stoney Calhoun books. Those three are shorter, but equally strong — and best read in order.

Return to Roots Author’s Page
Return to William G Tapply Page

John Verdon -Shut Your Eyes Tight – (Dave Gurney #2)

  By ,
Shut Your Eyes Tight - John Verdon

Shut Your Eyes Tight – John Verdon

Originally posted on March 14, 2012. Updated October 2025 with new links, images, and notes.

So yesterday I did it. I reached what I thought was an unreachable goal. When I finished Shut Your Eyes Tight by John Verdon, I reached my goal of reading 60 books in 2017!

Shut Your Eyes Tight by John Verdon is the second book in his Dave Guerney series. The main character in the book, Dave  Guerney, is a retired New York City homicide detective. He is a gifted detective and is the most decorated detective in NYPD history.

 An intriguing Case Comes to Dave

Fellow NYPD detective Jack Hardwick brings the case that forms the plot for Shut Your Eyes Tight  to Dave. The case is four months old case and involves the beheading of a bride on her wedding day. Jack brings Dave the case because he thinks the police are moving in the wrong direction. And he believes the Dave the Super Detective can use his skills to solve the case.

Initially, the case seems  to be a pretty open and shut. The new bride, of a noted psychologist, was the victim.   While the killer appears to be a Mexican who came to work for the psychologist as a gardener and rose to the position of assistant to said psychologist. The Mexican was the last person to see the bride alive and he has now vanished!

But after for months the police are no closer to finding the killer, than the day of the murder. Hardwock believes there is much more to the case than  do the two officers who are heading the investigation. He brought the case to Guerney for that reason . He believes that the great detective Guerney can solve the mystery.

Dave thinks the case is intriguing. His wife Madeleine sees it as a diruption of their new idyllic life.  Despite Madeleine‘s objections, Dave decides to help the victim’s mother and investigate for two weeks. Then report what he found to the mother and the police.

Dave Finds Out the Case IS like an Onion

When Jack Hartwicks brings  the  case to Dave, he says the case was like an onion. The removal of each layer reveals something new. And that’s just what Dave’s investigating reveals.

As Dave investigates his discoveries  turn the simple slam dunk case into the search for a serial killer! The question then becomes can he ever get to the center of the onion,  before he or his wife are the necat victims!

Bottom Line

I am now a fan of Dave Gurney the character and John Versin the writer. I look forward to moving onto book # 3 Let the Devil Sleep.  In fact I just checked the e-book editon out of my library! 

Anyway I enjoy the characters that Verson has created,  both Dave and Madeleine and the surrounding cast. I also enjoy the plots that Verdon has created.  The storyline in Shut Your Eyes Tight was like an onion and each new discovery gave the case a new look until the final pages!

Goodreads Rating. 3.97  My Rating 4.0. So Check it Out

Update Note : Since this post was written in 2012 John Verson has written six more Dave Gurney books. I have read one of them book 1 # 3 Let the Devil Sleep . I think it’s time to pickup this series again! Book #4 Peter Pan Must Die is in my Kindle Library!

Links

Author’s Website
Goodreads
Amazon

John Verdon

John P. Verdon is an American novelist. In 2010, Crown/Random House published his first mystery thriller, Think of a Number, the debut novel in the Dave Gurney detective series. Wikipedia

Born: 1942 (age 83 years), The Bronx, New York, NY

Education: Fordham University, Regis High School

Parnell Hall -A Puzzle to Be Named Later and the Series Gets Better and Better!

  By ,

Originally Posted July 2017 revised April 2026

Ok so maybe juts maybe Parnell Hall is not going to win any major literary awards for his Puzzle Lady series. But if you are looking for a fast, funny and just enjoyable read try a Puzzle Lady book! I admit I have not read even close to the majority of the book series. I usually just pick up one of them at the library when I need a laugh break from all the murder and mayhem that I read.

The latest one that I just finished A Puzzle to Be Named Later was a welcome break after the last few intense books that I’ve finished. Especially, Chris Carter’s I Am Death and of course the ongoing circus of the Trump Administration.

My History with Parnell Hall

I first started reading the books of Parnell Hall way back in 1991 when I read my first Stanley Hastings mystery. Strangler, which was the fourth book in the series. Since then I have read all but two of the books in the now 20 book series.

One of the books that I haven’t read is A Fool for a Client which is book 20 in the series. I totally missed the release of this one. But is now being held at my local branch of the Burlington County Library System. Anyway, the point is that I have always preferred Stanley over Cora but after reading more of the Puzzle Lady books, Cora is growing on me. Booklist writes this about Cora……

“If sweet-looking, gray-haired Miss Marple cursed, smoked, and carried a gun in her purse, she’d be a ringer for Cora Felton.”

AboutA Puzzle To Be Named Later

In A Puzzle to Be Named Later  Cora is once again in the middle of a Bakerhaven murder investigation. This time the murder revolves around an up and coming new star pitcher for the New York Yankees – Matt Greystone. After signing a huge contract Greystone, who came to the Yankees as a “player to be named later”, breaks his arm in an automobile crash.

Greystone moves to Bakerhaven to avoid the bright lights of  New York and rehab in peace. When a sleazy New York gossip columnist is found dead in Matt’s sauna, during a welcome to Bakershaven bash, Matt’s wife becomes the prime suspect. There is also a crossword puzzle found with the dead man. The solution to the puzzle says “you’ll find a surprise in the file of this guy”. That sends Cora onto the trail of the killer and she won’t stop to she finds out who did it!

Bottom Line:

The Cora Felton Puzzle Lady books are a fun and welcome change from gruesome murder mysteries. Parnell is a master of witty dialogue. He also is great at creating characters, who are foils for his lead characters. Cora Felton has two foils. First. Captain Harper of the Bakerhaven police. And secondly, Sargent Crowley of the NYPD. Cora’s relations with both policemen are some of the best parts of the books.

So let’s see A Puzzle to Be Named Later gets 5 stars for a fun character and snappy dialogue, 3 stars for artistic style i.e descriptiveness, creation of a sense of place, etc. Finally 4 stars for a twisty turning plot that kept my interest. Those twists never stopped until the last pages of the book.  Averaging those three ratings gives the book a solid 4 star rating.  That means that I really, really liked A Player to be Named Later.

Now I must admit that I am a lot like Cora Felton, when it comes to doing crossword puzzles. I don’t do them very well. In each book puzzles from Will Shortz provide clues to solve the mystery. I guess in one of these books, I really have to try to solve some of these puzzle. Does anyone else who read these books, do the puzzles? Just curious!

Author’s Website
Facebook
Twitter
Goodreads

Parnel Hall - author of Stanley Hastings and Puzzle Lady novels

About Parnell Hall

If you like a little humor in your books….

You might enjoy these authors:

Tim Dorsey
Janet Evanovich
Christopher Moore

Whether you’re solving crosswords with Cora or running from the mob with Stephanie Plum, these authors prove that a good mystery is always better with a side of laughter.

The Kept Woman Another Winner From Karin Slaughter

  By

So I have not been able to write anything much since November 8th. Election Day the day America, as I know it, may have died! Anyway even through I haven’t been writing, I have been reading. As such, I have finish four books this month. The first one was Redemption Road by John Hart. I wrote about Redemption Road earlier in the month. The second was the latest Will Trent novel from Karin Slaughter The Kept Woman.

The Kept Woman – Karin Slaughter (Will Trent #7 )

Karin Slaughter has been one of my favorite authors since I read KissCut the second book in her Grant County series. Since then I have read all of her books.

It took me a while before I read the first Will Trent book, but once I read the first book that series has been a favorite, too. For several years now Sara Linton a character from the Grant County series has been a central figure in the Will Trent series. Sara was a pediatrician and part-time medical examiner in the Grant County series..After leaving Grant County Sara became staff member at an Atlanta Hospital., In The Kept Woman, she has left the hospital and joined Will Trent and Faith Mitchell as a member of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI)

The Story

A grizzly murder,at an unfinished nightclub of a major basketball player kicks off the book.  The GBI is called to help with the investigation. At the crime scene, tons of blood covers the walls of the room. The only victim found  is a former dirty cop. He is found with a door knob in his neck. Only the stabbing did not kill him or was it the source of all the blood! Evidence suggested that a mortally wounded woman fled the scene. Angie Polaski, Will Trent’s estranged wife appears to be that woman!

The plot twist and turns revealing the true nature of the crime. The progressing investigation  reveals truths, that threaten to destroy Sara and Will’s relationship.  In addition, the reader learns more about Will and Angie’s convoluted relationship. A relationship, which started, when they were in an orphanage together.

Final Thoughts

Once again Slaughter has created a psychological thriller with characters that her readers have come to know and love. The Kept Woman delves deep into the  wounded psyches of Will, Sara and Angie. As such, they are always struggling to find happiness. Sara and Will had thought they had found it together, but now Angie threatens to tear their relationship apart.

The story, I believe can be enjoyed even if you have never read any of the previous book, However, to fully appreciate Slaughter’s work you should read the earlier books in both the Grant County books and the Will Trent books! That should keep you busy for a while!!

Manitou Canyon – William Kent Krueger as Good as Ever!

  By

Manitou Canyon – William Kent Krueger (Cork O’Connor series #15)

Manitou Canyon is the fifteenth book in the Cork O’Connor series from William Kent Krueger. And I for one don’t think the series is slowing down at all! I have read all of the books in this series and this one holds its own with any of them.While the Cork O’Connor books are firmly planted in the  mystery.thriller genre they are also more than just mysteries. They are also books about family and cultural identity.

Lee Child says this about the work of William Kent Krueger….

“One of today’s automatic buy-today-read-tonight series…thoughtful but suspenseful, fast but lasting, contemporary but strangely timeless.” (Lee Child)

The Story Begins

When Manitou Canyon  opens it is November and the O’Connor’s are preparing for oldest daughter Jenny;s wedding. Everyone is excited except Cork. For Cork November is a painful month. In Novembers past Cork saw the violent deaths of his wife, father, and best friend. So when the grandchildren of a childhood friend John Harris’ showed up asking Cork to resume the search that had ended two days prior. Cork jumped at the chance to help. John Harris had disappeared in October while on a fishing trip with his grandchildren into the Boundary Waters. The search had turned up nothing, but Cork felt he had missed something so he wanted do whatever he could to find John.

The Search Begins

So Cork went off into the Northwoods of Minnesota to search for John. Lindsay Harris, John’s granddaughter volunteered to go with Cork, while grandson Trevor stayed behind.  Soon, Cork and Lindsay vanish just like John. The disappearance baffles the O’Connor family and the Tamarack County Police.

Throughout Cork’s life his Objibwe heritage has always been important. His spiritual guide the Mide Henry Meloux has helped Cork overcome life’s obstacles. Cork has always viewed himself as an Ogichidaa.. An Ogichidaa is one who stands evil and his people.

In this adventure Cork is pitted against men who view themselves as Ogichidaa and the losers in their battle with evil may be hundreds of citizens of a small town! If Cork and his family can’t figure out what’s going on!!

My Thoughts

Manitou Canyon was a four plus thumbs up book for me. Once again this visit to Aurora and the Boundary Waters was very, very enjoyable. You would think that in the 15th edition in a series the reader would be saying, same old same old, but that is not the case with Manitou Canyon.

William Kent  Krueger is a master storyteller and the plot of this Manitou Canyon twists and turns enough to keep you guessing about what is really happening. But also excels at creating a sense of place in his stories and he certainly makes me feel like I have visited the Minnesota’ Boundary Waters and other locations many times over the years!

He also excels at character creation and the characters he has created in Cork O’Connor and his family are a large part of the appeal of the series. Readers have watched all of Cork’s children grow into strong young adults. Jenny who became a mother to Waaboo a couple of books ago, is starting a new chapter in her life, with her marriage to Daniel English

But the minor characters are just as important. Let’s see there’s Rose Thorne, Cork’s sister-in-law who helped the family survive the loss of their mother. Then there’s Rainy, the woman who brought love back to Cork’s life and niece of my favorite character Henry Meloux. At the end of Manitou Canyon new chapters are opening in their lives too.

In Manitou Canyon Krueger has also added a new character to the family. Daniel’s great-aunt  Aunt Leah Duhling, who once thought she would marry Henry, has returned to Aurora. And it appears that Leah and Henry are about to enter a new chapter in their lives, too

With all of these new chapters opening in the lives of the O’Connor extended family I can’t wait for the 16th book in this series!! You can probably pick this book up and read and enjoy it. That is the result of Krueger’s abilities as a storyteller. But if you want to enjoy the characters created go back and find Iron Lake the first book in the series and start at the beginning!!

 

The Second Life of Nick Mason – Steve Hamilton – The Start of a Great New Series

  By ,
The Second Life of Nick Mason - Steve Hamilton

Revision Note: Originally posted in September 2016, this review has been updated in 2026 to include the latest entries in the Nick Mason series.

The Second Life of Nick Mason  – Steve Hamilton

.I have been a fan of the novels of Steve Hamilton for many years now. The first Steve Hamilton book was Winter of the Wolf – Book #2 in the Alex McKnight series according to my records I read finished that book of Jun 7,2004. After finishing it, I quickly went to the library and checked out A Cold Day in Paradise -Book #1 in the series. I finished that book on June 12th of the same year! Needless to say I loved the books and the series ever since!!

In The Second Life of Nick Mason, Hamilton has created a great new anti-hero.in Nick Mason. Yesterday, I had lunch with an old (we are) high school classmate. We both talked about the fact that life is made up of choices. You make your choices and you live with them , always doing the best you can.

The Story

Well, Nick Mason throughout his life has made some bad choices. First to steal cars, then move unto burglary, and ultimately stealing from drug dealers. During that time, he made  a good choice, he married and had a daughter. But then the ultimate “easy” heist came along – he made the wrong decision. It was supposed to be easy heist, drive into the harbor, take on some cargo and then drive it to the new owner. Right decision! Don’t do it!  Nick’s decision do it! Of course doing it meant going against his pledge to his wife to stay clean.

But Nick decides this one caper is all he needs to make things better for his wife and daughter. Bad decision! When the heist goes south, it costs him everything, wife, his daughter and his freedom. The sentence 25 years!

After five years in prison, along comes Darius Cole, a criminal mastermind Cole is serving a double life term, but still runs his empire from his cell. He offers Nick a deal. All Nick has to do is whatever he’s told to do when the phone rings.

Nick accepts. His conviction is soon overturned and he walks out of prison a free man. But is he free, Cole says “It’s not freedom, it’s mobility!” He is given a new house, a new car and more.But soon the phone rings and he is asked to become a hitman, something totally new and abhorrent to Mason.

Soon, Nick is being chased by cops both good and bad! Nick is soon fighting not just to regain his old life, but to survive in his new life!!

Bottom Line: Highly Recommended

This book was a real-pager turner for me. I zipped through it in a day and a half and enjoyed every minute of the ride. I think Nick Mason is a terrific character, who is trapped between a rock and a hard place. He’s damned, if he does, and damned if he doesn’t. And while, what he does is wrong, he tries his damnedest it make it right! I for one was cheering for him!

Post Update 2026

Post Update 2026

Since I first wrote this post, Steve Hamilton has expanded the Nick Mason universe with two more gripping novels. Having followed his work since I first picked up Winter of the Wolf back in 2004, it’s been incredible to see how he transitioned from the Northwoods noir of Alex McKnight to this high-octane urban series.

Exit Strategy (Nick Mason #2, 2017): A relentless follow-up that proves Nick is truly “mobile, but not free.”

An Honorable Assassin (Nick Mason #3, 2024): This one felt a little different—the stakes are global as Nick is sent to target a high-level assassin. What really struck me, amidst the tension, was the interaction between Nick and the child he encounters. It reminded me why I cheer for him; despite the life he’s forced to lead, his heart is still intact.

 

Steve Hamilton - Author of the Second Life of Nick Mason

Links

Author’s Website
Facebook
Twitter
Amazon
Goodreads

About Steve Hamilton

Steve Hamilton is one of only two authors to win the Edgar Award for Best First Novel (for A Cold Day in Paradise) and then later for Best Novel (for The Lock Artist). Known for his atmospheric prose and complex characters, Hamilton spent years developing the Alex McKnight series before launching the high-stakes world of Nick Mason. He currently lives in upstate New York with his wife and two children, where he continues to craft some of the most compelling crime fiction in the genre.

Reflecting on Hamilton’s career, he remains one of those “second tier” masters—the kind of writer you can always depend on for a tight, emotional, and perfectly paced story. I believe I’ve read every book he’s ever put out, and while the Alex McKnight series will always be my “first love” in his bibliography, Nick Mason has earned his place right alongside him on my shelf.

Far From True – Linwood Barclay

  By

Far From True – Linwood Barclay (Promise Fall #2)

(Book 16 of 2016)

Far From True is the second book in the Promise Falls trilogy from Linwood Barclay and once again Barclay has hit it out of the park! The book picks up where its predecessor Broken Promise leaves off, only  now there’s more upheaval in the quiet town of Promise Falls, leaving Detective Barry Duckworth with his hands full! The new trouble starts when a bomb goes off  on the closing night of the Constellation Drive-In and its big screen comes tumbling down and wreaks havoc on the town. Two of the people killed are Adam and Mariam Chalmers.The couple were crushed in Adam’s prized Jaguar when said screen came tumbling down.

The next morning, Private Investigator Cal Weaver receives a call from Adam’s daughter. Someone had broken into her parents house, She hires Weaver to investigate the break-in. When he discovers a secret room in the basement used for sex parties, complete with cameras to record the action, he figures someone may have taken some incriminating DVDs from the home. But who and why is the question??

Meanwhile Barry Duckworth is still trying to figure out who killed two Promise Falls women three years apart. First Olivia Fisher three years prior, and most recently Rosemary Grayson who along with her husband were central figures in Broken Promise. Both women were killed in a similarly brutal manner.

As if all of the above is not enough, another Promise Falls resident Samantha Worthington has her own problems. Her in-laws have been attempting to take her nine-year old son Carl away from her, any way they can, legal or illegal! In Broken Promise she was photographed in a compromising position, which her in-laws have tried to us to have her give up Carl. Now they are in Promise Falls to apologize??

I could probably add  more telling you about the disgraced ex-mayor who wants to run for reelection and his campaign manager, who by the way was the other person photographed in that compromising picture, or that several incidents in the town including the drive-in explosion have revolved around the number 23, but let’s just say that there’s a lot going on in this sleepy little town. Which is probably the reason that Barclay has needed three books to tell the tale!

But wait the tales of many of the residents of Promise Falls didn’t start with Broken Promise, they started back in Too Close to Home when readers met Derek Cutter and his family. Then readers met David  Harwood and his son Ethan in Never Look Away and although he wasn’t living in Promise Falls at the time, they met former Promise Falls police officer now private investigator Cal Weaver in A Tap on the Window. Each of these Promise Falls residents have played pivotal roles in these last two books.

I can’t think of any other authors who have taken characters from several stand-alone books and blended them into a series like this Promise Falls series. I for one can’t wait until November when the final book of the trilogy will be released!

Bottom Line – Linwood Barclay is a master of telling stories about common people facing extraordinary problems whether it’s a missing child (Never Look Away) or trying to discover why your son committed suicide (A Tap on the Window)  Now Barclay has now returned to his roots and made a series from his Promise Falls characters. I say return to his roots, because his first four books were a series, featuring the original common man facing extraordinary circumstances – Zack Walker! For me Far From True is one of Linwood Barclay’s best books, like C.J. Box he just keeps getting better and better!!

The New York Times Book Review writes…..

“Some days, all you really want is for someone to tell you a wicked good story. Linwood Barclay answers the reader’s perpetual prayer”

I for one say thank you Linwood Barclay!!

Links for the Further Exploration of the Novels of Linwood Barclay

Author’s Website
Twitter
Facebook
Goodreads
Amazon

Silent Creed – Alex Kava

  By ,

Silent Creed – Ryder Creed #2 – Alex Kava

In the middle of all the chaos last week, I still managed to finish my second book of October — Silent Creed by Alex Kava. It helped that this one was a real page-turner!

This is the second novel featuring K9 handler Ryder Creed, and once again he teams up with FBI profiler Maggie O’Dell. Their first pairing was in Breaking Creed, and it’s been a thrill watching this partnership evolve — Maggie has been one of my favorite characters through eleven thrillers.

The Story

Ryder and Maggie are both called to a government research facility in Haywood County, North Carolina, after torrential rains trigger a massive landslide. Creed is tasked with searching for survivors, but when one of the recovered bodies turns out to be a scientist who was shot, Maggie is brought in to investigate.

Under perilous conditions — from unstable terrain to people desperate to keep their crimes hidden — Maggie and Ryder soon find themselves fighting for their lives.

Real-Life Inspiration

Alex Kava is a self-described news junkie, and she weaves real-world events into her novels. In Silent Creed, she draws from actual search-and-rescue deployments by the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation, whose teams have responded to disasters around the world — from the 2015 Nepal earthquake to the 2011 Joplin, Missouri tornado.

Kava also incorporates fascinating historical facts, including U.S. government testing on unsuspecting soldiers, citizens, and even schoolchildren during the 1950s and ’60s. These details add depth and intrigue to the story.

And yes, I still have a soft spot for Grace, Ryder’s little Jack Russell Terrier — she’s as tenacious as ever.

The Bottom Line

Silent Creed delivers an engaging storyline, high stakes, and great characters. The chemistry between Maggie and Ryder continues to intensify, adding another layer to the action and suspense.

If you haven’t yet met Ryder and Maggie, you can start here, but I recommend beginning with Breaking Creed to get the full impact of their partnership. And if you just want to stick with Maggie, her solo series is well worth exploring — she’s faced some of the most dangerous criminals (and situations) in the genre.

Book 41 of 2015

Breaking Creed -Alex Kava

  By

Breaking Creed – Ryder Creed #1 – Alex Kava

Alex Kava has been one of my favorite authors ever since I read A Perfect Evil, the debut Maggie O’Dell novel. That was one helluva way to start a series. Over the years, Kava wrote 10 more Maggie O’Dell books, each one a wild ride.

In Breaking Creed, Kava introduces a brand-new character to her fans: Ryder Creed. Like Maggie’s debut, Ryder’s first outing is a gripping, well-crafted thriller that pulls you in from the start.

Introducing Ryder Creed

Ryder Creed is a retired Marine who rescues homeless dogs and trains them to sniff out contraband and track down criminals. In this case, Ryder is called to search the Choque Azul, a ship suspected of carrying drugs. Working with his fearless Jack Russell Terrier, Grace, Ryder searches the hold beneath the ship’s fish catch. What he finds isn’t drugs — it’s something far worse: children being trafficked. The discovery upends Creed’s life and puts him in the crosshairs of dangerous people.

Enter Maggie O’Dell

Meanwhile, Maggie and the FBI receive a gruesome package: a body floating in the Potomac, accompanied by a promise of more to come. When Ryder is called in to help Maggie locate the murder scene, sparks fly — both professionally and personally.

The pairing of Maggie O’Dell and Ryder Creed feels natural, much like Karin Slaughter blending her Grant County and Will Trent series. The chemistry between the two suggests this won’t be their only case together — and fans will be glad for that.

Why It Works

One of Kava’s trademarks is giving her characters unique, high-stakes challenges — from Ebola exposure (years before the 2014 outbreak) to tangling with violent cartels. That carries over here, with Creed and O’Dell facing off against ruthless criminals while relying on the specialized skills of Creed’s dogs. Grace, in particular, is a standout character you can’t help but root for.

The Bottom Line

Breaking Creed earns 4 stars from me. Ryder Creed is a welcome addition to the thriller genre — a memorable, compelling character with a unique skill set. As author Gayle Lynds put it:

“Creed is special, a memorable character — he trains homeless dogs to sniff out contraband and hunt criminals. When he teams up with Kava’s iconic FBI forensics specialist Maggie O’Dell, you’ll discover the most exciting crime-solving duo of the year.”

And with Grace at his side, he’s even harder to beat. So check them out — this is the start of something special.

Book 11 of 2015015