Looking back at the last chapter, I noticed that the authors I spoke of were all new to me (except Robert B. Parker, but his was an "historical" western which is different from his usual work). This month, I seem to have picked books by authors that I've spoken about in the past, one of which is an entry in a familiar series.
Series
9 Dragons - Michael Connelly ($9.99/$.50, copyright 2009, 449 pages, Paperback)
This is a recent addition to the excellent Harry Bosch series. Harry gets involved with the murder of a Chinese liquor store owner, and it quickly becomes complicated. For one thing, his daughter gets kidnapped in Hong Kong, where she lives with her mother (I must've missed a few volumes since this was a surprise to me). Of course, Harry has to go after her. Several real surprises, some excellent action sequences, and Connelly's great grasp of people and locations. However, I did think that the ending was a little rushed. I enjoyed it.
Hour Game - David Baldacci ($7.99/$.50, copyright 2004, 590 pages, Paperback)
Baldacci's books tend to be based in Washington, D. C., or on characters who have ties to that area. Here he gives us 2 former Secret Service agents - one male (the older Sean King), one female (the younger Michelle Maxwell) - who now operate as private detectives in a small Virginia town. They get involved in a serial killer situation where the killer is copying other past serial killers - Son of Sam, the Zodiac Killer, etc - while also investigating a burglary case. There are some very interesting developments, and the main characters are well drawn, but others are merely caricatures of southern archetypes and some questions are left unanswered. It was OK.
Miscellaneous
True Detectives - Jonathan Kellerman ($9.99/$.50, copyright 2009, 462 pages, Paperback)
I am a fan of Kellerman's Alex Delaware series featuring Detective Milo Sturgis, and they make what amounts to cameo appearances here. The main characters are Moses Reed, an uptight, white Detective, and Aaron Fox, a stylish, black Private Detective. They both get involved in a cold missing person's case. Oh, and they're also half-brothers who's fathers had been police partners, and, of course, they don't get along. Kellerman tries, but it never rings true and I didn't find anything likable about the main characters. I didn't like it.
King Con - Stephen J. Cannell ($6.99/$.50, copyright 1997, 419 pages, Paperback)
Stephen J. Cannell, of course, was the creator of several of the more popular TV series' including "The Rockford Files" and "The A-Team". Here he gives us the King of Con men - Beano Bates - who runs afoul of a vicious mob boss and the bosses equally vicious but crazier brother. Beano sets out to get even by running a con on the brothers, with the help of his family of crooks and grifters, and a prosecuting attorney who wants the mob boss behind bars. Some of the situations and set-ups seem far-fetched, but I've seen similar ones shown on those news programs that warn us about what to watch out for, so...maybe Cannell had an inside source. It's a little too long, but I enjoyed it.
I came across this quote from Tom Clancy recently.."The difference between fact and fiction is that fiction has to make sense." Makes sense to me.
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