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Twists and turns in a fast-moving thriller
Bob Moyer reviews a new thriller that sounds like a great choice for those long winter nights – or any time you want to lose yourself in an entertaining book. Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer THE LIGHTNING ROD. By Brad Meltzer. William Morrow. 419 pages. $28.99 The good news is Brad Meltzer writes a big…
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Charlie Lovett’s new novel is a thriller, for sure
Charlie Lovett turns his considerable talents to writing an international thriller, with results that measure up to his fans’ high expectations. Reviewed by Linda C. Brinson THE ENIGMA AFFAIR. By Charlie Lovett. Blackstone Publishing, 350 pages, $26.99, hardcover. Through four fine novels now, Charlie Lovett has proved that he is an imaginative, skilled, thoughtful, intelligent…
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Soldiers, assassins, music and food – Bruno is on the case again
What can persuade Bob Moyer to take time out from his busy schedule to read a book and write a review? The answer is simple: a new Bruno, Chief of Police novel by Martin Walker. The Bruno novels are always a delicious treat, and it sounds as though this one keeps the tradition alive. Reviewed…
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Intricate, believable and gripping
Paul O’Connor is a relatively new convert to the ranks of fans who read thrillers involving crime and politics, and he can be a tough reader to impress. This novel impressed him. Reviewed by Paul T. O’Connor TWO NIGHTS IN LISBON. By Chris Pavone. Farrar, Strauss and Giroux. Hardcover. 433 pages. $28. When Ariel Pryce…
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Mystery, history and the lives of women
Reviewed by Linda C. Brinson ASHTON HALL. By Lauren Belfer. Penguin Random House Audio. Read by Jayne Entwhistle and Kristen Sieh. 12 hours, 38 minutes. Also available in hardback from Ballantine Books. Don’t start listening to (or reading) this book unless you have some time to spare. Once you start, you won’t want to stop.…
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What’s going on???
Do you want to read a mystery that will really keep you guessing? Paul O’Connor found one that came from Sweden. Reviewed by Paul T. O’Connor GEIGER. By Gustaf Skordeman. Translated from Swedish by Ian Giles. Grand Central Publishing. 424 pages. $28, hardback. It’s been a pleasant afternoon for Stellan Boman, the long-retired but still…
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Still going strong
Looking for a good detective story? Bob Moyer has a suggestion. Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer Robert B. Parker’s BYE BYE BABY. By Ace Atkins. Penguin. 315 pages, $28 hardcover. Fifty books. Robert B. Parker’s one-name Boston private detective, Spenser, has quipped, cracked wise, and quoted Shakespeare through that many books, while dispensing his…
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The hunters and the hunted
Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer THE LEFT-HANDED TWIN. By Thomas Perry. Mysterious Press. 321 pages. $25.95 She survives. Again. No spoiler alert needed here; Jane Whitefield has withstood every danger Thomas Perry has thrown at her in this successful series. She’s a “loser,” someone who helps people in peril of death disappear. She has lost only…
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Out of control
Need a vacation novel, one that’s fun and easy to read? Paul O’Connor has a suggestion. Reviewed by Paul T. O’Connor CITY ON FIRE. By Don Winslow. William Morrow. 351 pages. $28.99, hardcover. Danny Ryan knows trouble when he sees it. So, when a beautiful woman emerges from the water along the Rhode Island shore,…
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Dark, eerie – and beautiful
Paul O’Connor may have grown up in Connecticut, gone to college in Indiana and spent many productive decades in North Carolina, but there’s a lot of Ireland in him. He’s discovered a book by an Irish author that’s not exactly new – published in 2017 – and not usually what would be Paul’s cup of…