Book Review-The-Fix

The Fix

by

David Baldacci

As Amos Decker is making his way to work, he becomes an unintentional witness to a murder/suicide just outside FBI Headquarters.

Even Decker’s total recall of events brings him no closer to working out why a man would simply walk up to a woman kill her and then turn the gun on himself.  There is no known connection between the gunman and his victim. He is a successful businessman, and she was a school teacher.   And no matter how much Decker investigates the murder the connection between the victim and perpetrator remains a mystery as does a motive.

Harper Brown, a Defence Intelligence Agency (D.I.A.) agent, orders Decker to back off the case as the murder is part of an ongoing DIA Investigation.   Decker soon becomes aware the DIA believes solving the murder is a national security issue as critical information may have been leaked to foreign sources and that a terrorist attack may be imminent.

As usual Baldacci’s The Fix (my 20th Baldacci read) moves at a fast pace with enough twists and turns to keep readers guessing.

I rated The Fix as a solid

four-star read

At the time of writing my review,

other Goodreads readers have rated

 The Fix

an average of 4.17 stars

from 68,773 ratings

and 4,051 reviews

***

The Fix

can be purchased online at

Booktopia, Fishpond and Amazon

 

 

 

Book Review-The-6.20-Man

The 6.20 Man

by

David Baldacci

World War II veteran Travis Devine works for the prestigious firm of Cowl and Comley, a finance company in the Manhattan District of New York.

Every morning he rides the 6.20 commuter train into Manhattan’s Finance District, where he works long and hard.

One morning the tedium of his work is shattered by an anonymous email that reads simply; She is Dead.

 ‘She’ is Sara Ewes, Devine’s former girlfriend and now co-worker.

Sara’s body was found hanging in a largley disused storage room of his office building.  Even though it was presumed to be a suicide that did not stop NYPD question him regarding his whereabouts at the time of her death.

Hot on the heels of the NYPD questioning comes another visitor who threatens to dredge up his secrets from his days in the army unless he participates in a clandestine investigation into his firm.

Devine’s role in this investigation will take him from the wealthy life style he used to glimpse through a train carriage window to some dark corners of the country’s economic power.  As he carries out his part of the investigation the body count mounts around him.

I rated The 6.20 Man as a solid

four-star read

At the time of writing my review,

other Goodreads readers have rated

 The 6.20 Man

an average of 4.19 stars

from 33,195 ratings

and 1,957 reviews

***

The 6.20 Man

can be purchased online at

Booktopia, Fishpond and Amazon

 

 

Book-Review-Triple-Crown

 

Triple Crown

by

Felix Francis

After hosting Tony Andretti from the US Federal Anti-Corruption in Sports Agency (FACSA), in the ways of British Horseracing Authority (BHA),  Andretti invites Jeff Hinkley to come to America and help him find a mole in his organization.

And that is how Triple Crown begins with British Horseracing Authority’s (BHA) lead investigator, Jeff Hinkley, working with the US Federal Anti-Corruption in Sports Agency (FACSA) to find a mole in the agency.

Hinkley joins his FACSA colleagues on a disastrous raid on a trainer’s barn at Churchill Downs.  The only thing they discover is a body.  Then, on the morning of the Derby itself, three of the most favoured horses in the field fall sick and are withdrawn from the race.

At this point, Hinkley decides to go undercover as a groom at Belmont Park racetrack in New York where he discovers some corrupt individuals who will stop at nothing, including murdering Hinckley to win the Triple Crown.  The Triple Crown is a series of races that include; The Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes.  These three races are contested over five weeks in May and June each year and only three-year-old thoroughbreds are eligible to enter.   Therefore a racehorse has only one year, during its career, in which to win the Triple Crown.

I rated

Triple Crown

as a

four-star audiobook.

***  

At the time of writing my review

other Goodreads readers had awarded

Triple Crown

an average of 3.66 stars

from 1,995 ratings

and 298 reviews.

***

Triple Crown

can be purchased online at

Booktopia, Fishpond and Amazon

 

Book Review-A-Gambling-Man

A Gambling Man

(Archer #2)

by

David Baldacci

 

 

After reading One Good Deed (Archer #1) I was looking forward to the next installment in the Archer Series and was not disappointed.   Archer is on his way to Bay Town, California, and a job with Willie Dash a local private eye.

He stops for a while in Reno and with some luck, he finds a wad of cash in his possession and a French, Delahaye convertible.  He also gains a traveling companion in the form of the beautiful Liberty Callahan who is an aspiring actress.

Archer quickly lands a job with Willie Dash and immediately finds he is investigating extortion, blackmail case.  Very soon murder is also added to the list and as the body count grows so too, does the complexity of the case, along with his feelings towards Callahan.  As it was in One Good Deed it was the wealthy who were the villains of the story as they strived to increase their wealth by fair means or foul.

Should you have never read a David Baldacci story I can recommend Books 1 and 2 of the Archer series and have no reason to believe Dream Town (Book 3) will be any less enjoyable.

*****

I rated

A Gambling Man

as a five-star read.

***

At the time of writing my review,

other Goodreads readers have awarded

A Gambling Man

an average of 4.15 stars

from 32,183 ratings

and 1,756 reviews.

***

A Gambling Man

may be purchased online at

Fishpond, Booktopia and Amazon

Book-Review-Crisis

 

Crisis

by

Felix Francis

 

Lawyer Harry Foster decided he had had enough of drawing up wills and decided to change his job and now works for a London company dealing in Crisis management.

Harry is despatched to find out how, or why, a sheik’s horse died in a stable blaze.   However, considering Harry has no love for horses and has never been near a race track, he has no desire to investigate this fire although things begin to look brighter after meeting Katie.

As well as several horses a body was also discovered in the ashes.  The body is so badly burned identifying it becomes another problem.  When the body is identified the stable becomes a crime scene.

The investigation becomes bogged down when the family who owns the stable and trains horses are reluctant to divulge family secrets to Harry.

Crisis moves along quite nicely and the narrator does a very good job of providing character voices.

I thoroughly enjoyed Felix Francis’ Crisis.  I have met some readers who are not overly thrilled by another horse novel.  However, I find stories about or surrounding the British Horse Racing industry very enjoyable.

 ***

I rated

Crisis

as a solid

read.

***

At the time of writing my review

other Goodreads readers had awarded

Crisis

an average of 4.07 stars

from 1,9118 ratings

and 234 reviews.

Crisis

can be purchased online at

Booktopia, Fishpond and Amazon

 

Book Review-Over-My-Dead-Body

Over My Dead Body

(William Warwick #4)

by

Jeffery Archer

*****

While still smarting from Miles Faulkner’s escape and subsequent ‘death’ towards the end of ‘Turn A Blind Eye’, Over My Dead Body, number 4 in the William Warwick Series sees William promoted to the rank of Detective Chief Inspector in charge of Unsolved Murders…cold cases.

Millionaire Miles Faulkner is still playing his old games.  He attended his own funeral, has taken on a new identity and plans to remarry his former wife and all the while being represented, in all things legal and illegal, by Mr Booth Watson

I have read Over My Dead Body and listened to it twice and still find it difficult to write about.   This could be due to the fact that it is number four in a fairly predictably storyline where Choirboy can do no wrong and always gets the bad guy… eventually.

George Blagden’s narration of the audio version of Over My Dead Body was excellent, making both experiences very enjoyable.

Over my Dead Body is definitely another page-turner from the pen of Jeffery Archer, and one which Archer fans will enjoy.

I have rated

Over My Dead Body

as a

four-star read

***

At the time of writing my review

other Goodreads readers had awarded

Over My Dead Body

an average of 4.13 stars

from 7,470 ratings

and 619 reviews.

***

Over My Dead Body

can be purchased online at 

Booktopia, Fishpond and Amazon

Book Review-One-Good-Deed

One Good Deed

(Archer #1)

by

David Baldacci

Upon reading the blurb I was not all that keen on reading One Good Deed, as is set in 1949 before mobile phones, television and the internet were widely used.  One Good Deed, however, is a Baldacci book so I persevered.  And I am so pleased I did as the story moved along briskly, as do all of Baldacci’s books.

The main character, Aloysius Archer, a parolee, after serving his country during World War 2 and time in Carderock Prison had been told to meet his parole officer in Poca City.

During their first meeting Archer’s Parole Officer, who just happens to be an attractive young woman, reinforces the list of dos and don’ts he received upon his release from Carderock.

However, with his immediate past address being a prison, Archer becomes the prime suspect when the first of a series of murders occur.  In league with Detective Shaw, Archer works on solving all the murders which occur in or near Poca City.

One Good Deed is certainly well worth a read for anyone who likes the whodunit genre and I am certain Baldacci fans will enjoy One Good Deed as much as I did.

I rated

One Good Deed

as a five-star read.

***

Other Goodreads readers have rated

One Good Deed

an average of 4.10 stars

from 39,110 ratings

and 3,019 reviews.

***

One Good Deed

may be purchased online at

Fishpond, Booktopia and Amazon

Book Review-Turn-a-Blind-Eye

Turn a Blind Eye

(Warrick-#3)

by

Jeffery Archer

*****

Turn a Blind Eye continues after Hidden in Plain Sight.  William has covertly been promoted to lead a newly formed anti-corruption squad.  However, for all intents and purposes, he is still working on bringing Rashidi to justice.

Miles Faulkner, Khalil Rashidi (a major player in South London drug distribution), Gerry Summers (a suspected bent cop), newly resigned Inspector Lamont (also bent), along with lawyer Booth Watson form the bad guys.

There are two court cases in Turn a Blind Eye in which Sir Julian, his daughter, Grace and her partner, Clare, again join forces to defeat the common enemy.  If I mention the outcomes of these cases I will spoil the story.   However, I will say that the majority of Turn a Blind Eye is set in the courtroom, with Christina and the now resurrected Miles Faulkner playing cameo roles.

Gerry Summers, William’s bent ‘friend’ nearly got away with his crimes, his downfall was generosity.

Turn a Blind Eye which moves along at a good pace, as usual, however, it is not until the end that the police come to the conclusion that they may have been deceived, which sets up Over My Dead Body (Warwick #4) nicely.

****

I rated

Turn a Blind Eye

as a

Four Star audiobook/read.

****

At the time of completing my review

other Goodreads readers had awarded

Turn a Blind Eye

an average of 4.16 stars

from 10,575 ratings

and 628 reviews.

****

Turn a Blind Eye

can be purchased online at

Amazon‎, Booktopia, and Fishpond

Book Review-Things-We-Do-In-The-Dark

~~~~~

Things We Do In The Dark

by

Jennifer Hillier

While a good read, sadly, Things We Do In The Dark does not live up to The Butcher also by Jennifer Hillier.

Paris Peralta has been arrested and is headed for jail after the murder of her celebrity husband.  As bad as going to jail appears, it is not what worries Paris the most.  Her main concern is the unwanted publicity which will undoubtedly dredge up her past that she has worked so long and hard to hide. 

Twenty-five years earlier her mother Ruby was convicted of murder.  Ruby is not a nice person.  She knows Paris’ real identity and has threatened to reveal all if Paris does not supply Ruby with money.

As I said at the top, Things We Do In The Dark is a good read.   However, it seemed rather slow and took a while to link both storylines together.

As previously mentioned the first  Jennifer Hillier book I read was The Butcher, which lived up to its thriller description which, in my opinion, Things We Do In The Dark does not.

If I could rate Things We Do In The Dark as a three-and-a-half star read, I would.

However, as that is not possible,

I have decided to rate it as a

four-star read.

***

At the time of completing my review

other Goodreads readers had awarded

Things We Do In The Dark

an average of 4.07 stars

from 16,447 ratings

and 2,935 reviews.

***

Things We Do In The Dark

can be purchased on-line at

Booktopia, Fishpond and Amazon‎.

 

Book Review-Stories-Untold

Untold Stories

by

Leslie Wolfe

Leslie Wolfe’s Stories Untold, was overlooked by me for several months because, my interpretation of the title said it was a book of short stories of which this reader is not all that fond.  Upon closer inspection I noted that it was not sort stories, and have, therefore, just finished reading Untold Stories.

I a nut shell, Untold Stories is about a war veteran (DJ) and his plot to commit suicide, so bad is his Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.  He settles on a time of death then enlists Doctor Angela Blackwell to be his witness to his state of mind over a six month period.  After meeting DJ Angela decides to save him.    The question is, does DJ want to be saved? Is there anything in his life that is worth living for?

I enjoyed Stories Untold, perhaps because I was in my teens during the sixties when National Service (in Vietnam) was mandatory for healthy twenty year olds.   Although I was called up my health precluded me from going into the armed forces let alone to Vietnam.

Stories Untold is again something different to Wolfe’s usual homicide fare however, I feel sure that Leslie Wolfe fans will find Stories Untold enjoyable.

I rated

Untold Stories

 as a four-star read.

At the time of writing my review other

Goodreads readers have rated

Untold Stories

an average of 4.30 stars

from 998 ratings

and 92 reviews

***

Untold Stories

is available online

at

  Fishpond and Amazon

Unavailable:       Booktopia

~~~~~~~