Wednesday, December 26, 2018

The First Lady by James Patterson and Brendan DuBois

When you're campaigning to become the President of the United States of America for a second term the last thing you need is a scandal, but that's exactly what President Tucker is facing.  Caught red handed cheating on his wife, the only hope he has is that the First Lady will stand by his side and gracefully forgive him so the campaign can continue., as so many First Ladies have done in the past.  Banking on her cooperation, the President is shocked when Grace Tucker doesn't play ball - but there are other players involved with this game, and not all of them play by the same rules when a presidential campaign is involved.

When it becomes clear that the First Lady has gone missing it is up to Secret Service Agent Sally Grissom is responsible for the safety of the President and First Lady, but her team is not trained or equipped to deal with a missing persons case - especially not when hobbled with so many restrictions.  As she tries to find the First Lady it becomes clear that there is more to the story than she thought, and that if things go wrong her whole team will be thrown into the cogs of the ruthless machine that is politics.  

Washington D.C. is full of secrets, and some of those secrets can be deadly, especially when there are people who will stop at nothing to get what they want.  Agent Grissom has just one shot at saving not only the First Lady, but also her career and life.  As the faint trail of breadcrumbs becomes clearer, and as she gets closer to the truth, the danger level grows and the consequences of a mistake could be fatal.  

The First Lady is another brilliant collaboration between James Patterson and Brendan DuBois who have written some of my favourite Bookshots.  This is a political thriller that has multiple layers of secrets and players, people who are more than happy to fight dirty to get what they want no matter what the cost, and people who are desperate enough to throw everything they have at a fight to make sure they don't lose.  This was a well written thrill ride that was thoroughly enjoyed in one sitting, and fingers crossed that Patterson and DuBois collaborate on another full length novel soon!

If you like this book then try:

Reviewed by Brilla

Wednesday, December 19, 2018

Burning ridge by Margaret Mizushima

Burning ridge is the fourth book in the Timber Creek K-9 mysteries, and while you can read it as a stand alone this review contains ***SPOILERS*** if you have not already read Killing trail, Stalking ground and Hunting hour.  I highly recommend reading the series in order.

Mattie Cobb and her K-9 partner Robo are a well oiled team, providing support for their fellow officers.  With each passing day their partnership deepens, and Mattie is constantly working with Robo to broaden his skills and experience.  When the local vet Cole Walker and his family find the partial remains of a person while they're in the mountains Mattie and Robo are part of the team called in to help find the rest of the body she has no idea that the case is about to get deeply personal - because Mattie knows the victim.

Working in a small town is always a challenge for the police because it's hard not to get involved in the lives of your community, and when a ghastly crime occurs it's difficult not to look at everyone with suspicion.  As the team works to untangle the mystery of the recently diseased, they make the startling discovery that the body has company - the remains of several people who were also likely murdered many years before.  As Mattie fights to stay involved with the case she also struggles to cope with the memories of her past that keep surfacing, making her feel unbalanced and adding to her stress levels.  As the suspects are slowly cleared Mattie has no idea that the killer is closer than she knows - and that they have plans for Mattie.

The Timber Creek K-9 mysteries have been a delightful find, not only because they are well written mysteries with twists and turns that keep the story interesting and challenging to solve, but also because of how well rendered the human and animal characters are.  With each book in the series we see new layers for each of the characters, and with each book Margaret Mizushima grows in her confidence with giving those characters more layers and depth.  With this fourth book in the series it feels like Mizushima has reached her full stride, her characters and stories meeting on an equal playing field and I can't wait to see what is next for Mattie as her personal story is starting to reveal hidden depths that will add to her character and the other characters around her.  This is a great series, and one of the few that my mother and I both read avidly.

If you like this book then try:

Reviewed by Brilla