Briar Patch Books

Category: Police procedural

  • One last, big case

    Bob Moyer has followed Arkady Renko, a Moscow police detective,  through 10 impressive mystery novels. Now he is ready to share his thoughts about what we are told is the last book in the series. Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer HOTEL UKRAINE: The Final Arkady Renko Novel. By Martin Cruz Smith. Simon & Schuster. 273…

  • Police work – and so much more

    Bob Moyer and I are both fans of Martin Walker’s Bruno, Chief of Police novels, but lately he always manages to get the new one first. Here he reviews the 2025 addition to the series – No. 18. There’s already a 2026 book in the works. One of us will keep you posted. As Bob…

  • One corpse after another

    Are you a fan of Alex Delaware books? Bob Moyer is, and he’s just read No. 40 in the series. Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer OPEN SEASON. By Jonathan Kellerman. Penguin Random House. 273 pages. $30. Possible to probable to resolution. That’s how most mysteries proceed, from the moment the crime comes to the attention…

  • More murder and mystery in the desert Southwest

    Bob Moyer and I are both loyal fans of the late Tony Hillerman and his mysteries featuring the Navajo Nation Police. I have read one or two of the mysteries added to the series since Hillerman’s daughter Anne since her father died, but Bob beat me to this latest one. I will have to catch…

  • Bruno, chief of police, is at it again

    Bob Moyer reviews the latest in a much loved series rich in with French history, culture, food and, oh yes, crime. Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer. A GRAVE IN THE WOODS. By Martin Walker. Knopf. 283 page. $29. The past is never past; it is always present. In this charming, slightly addictive (to some) series,…

  • Classic hard-boiled detective – deftly updated

    Like a fast-paced, atmospheric, well written detective story? Bob Moyer has found a series  that’s all that while adapted to our modern age. Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer BLIND TO MIDNIGHT. By Reed Farrell Coleman. Black Stone Publishing. 291 pages. $26.99 Back in the good old days, a hard-boiled detective wore a fedora, drank cheap…

  • The last book by one of the greats

    Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer Bob Moyer reviews the final book by one of the best mystery novelists of the late 20th century. ANOTHER DAY’S PAIN. By K.C. Constantine. Mysterious Press. 232 pages. $26.95 With the posthumous publication of his 18th Rocksburg novel, K.C. Constantine deserves more than a review, he deserves an homage. He was…

  • Mystery and suspense, with a bow and a cup of tea

    Bob Moyer reviews something that is new to me: I’ve never read a Japanese police procedural. It sounds as though it’s worth a try. Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer THE FINAL CURTAIN: A Mystery (The Kyoichiro Kaga Series, Book 4). By Keigo Higashino. Minotaur. 400 pages. $29. Don’t worry. It will all become clear. The reader…

  • Past and present collide in Bruno’s Perigord

    Bob Moyer and I share a love for Martin Walker’s Bruno novels. Once again, he got hold of the new one before I did. I must catch up. Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer. A CHATEAU UNDER SIEGE: A Bruno, Chief of Police Novel. By Martin Walker. Knopf.  308 pages.  $28. Every Bruno, Chief of Police…

  • Hell on Earth

    Bob Moyer takes a look at the latest book by an award-winning and best-selling crime novelist from southeastern Virginia, and likes what he reads. Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer ALL THE SINNERS BLEED. By S.A. Cosby. Flatiron Books (Macmillan).  352 pages. $27.99 Charon County, the fictional Virginia setting of this novel, seems a typical Southern…