Crime Fiction Dossier

Book of the Week: Brad Parks' "Eyes of the Innocent"

Author Brad Parks was a reporter for The Washington Post and The Star-Ledger (Newark, NJ), so when he writes a mystery novel about an investigative reporter in New Jersey, he knows what he's talking about. Parks' second novel, Eyes of the Innocent, follows journalist Carter Ross as he investigates a suspicious fire that killed two young boys. With the assistance of a smart and sexy female intern, he works to get to the bottom of the story, even if it means putting his own life in danger. Eyes of the Innocent has interesting characters, suspense, sexual tension, even a little humor -- everything you want in a good mystery. It's not to be missed.

Book of the Week: Charles Portis' "True Grit"

I've been meaning to read True Grit ever since George Pelecanos recommended it a few years back, but I didn't get around to it until now. (With all the attention being given to the new Coen Brothers film, it seemed the ideal time.) The story will likely be familiar to those readers who are fans of movie Westerns: Mattie Ross, a young girl in late-19th century Arkansas, hires Rooster Cogburn, a Marshall and a drunk, to find the man who murdered her father. The story is a simple one, but the beauty of the book is in the details. True Grit is a masterpiece of style and voice. Told from the first-person POV of Mattie, Portis' novel captures the grit of life on the frontier as seen through the eyes of its remarkable narrator. It's one of the most entertaining and impressive novels I've read in quite a while. True Grit makes an excellent finale to my annual reading, closing out a year that began with Larry McMurtry's brilliant Lonesome Dove -- no finer pair of bookends could be found.

Book of the Week: Julie Hyzy's "Hail to the Chef"

I don't read a lot of cozies, but occasionally one catches my eye, as was the case with Julie Hyzy's second mystery in the White House Chef series. Hail to the Chef is the kind of book that easily could have been pretty bad -- a series built around a gimmick, an improbable amateur sleuth, etc. -- but Hyzy is a good enough writer to make it all work. The story is entertaining, the character is charming, the setting (i.e., the White House) is interesting...Sure, it's not serious, but it's fun to read and sometimes that is exactly what hits the spot. I've found all of Hyzy's books to be worth reading and this one is no different.

Book of the Week: David Morrell's "The Spy Who Came for Christmas"

Just in time for the holidays, David Morrell has published a delightful, action-packed little stocking stuffer that is sure to delight thriller fans. The hero of The Spy Who Came for Christmas is Paul Kagan, a wounded undercover agent trying to find shelter on Christmas Eve. He's being pursued by a deadly team of operatives who are determined to eliminate the precious bundle Kagan carries: a newborn baby dubbed "The Child of Peace." Kagan takes refuge in a home he believes to be deserted, only to find that a mother and her son are living there, thus placing all four of them in jeopardy. The Spy Who Came for Christmas is a short, taut tale that demonstrates once again why Morrell is rightfully considered one of the masters of the genre.

Book of the Week: M.J. Rose's "The Memorist"

M.J. Rose follows up last year's outstanding The Reincarnationist with a pseudo-sequel that continues the theme of reincarnation and repeats one or two minor characters, but takes the story in a new direction with a new cast. Set mostly in Vienna and split between the 19th century and the present day, The Memorist follows the hunt for a fabled flute that supposedly unlocks memories of its listeners' past lives. This is a fast-paced, well told tale -- another impressive effort from Rose.

Book of the Week: Sean Chercover's "Trigger City"

Sean Chercover set the bar pretty high with his first novel, the Gumshoe Award-winning Big City, Bad Blood. It would be natural to expect that his follow-up book might have trouble matching up. But I'm pleased to report that Trigger City is not just the equal of Chercover's debut, it's even better. Chicago PI Ray Dudgeon is hired by a grieving father to investigate his late daughter's life. Dudgeon's not doing so well himself, still recovering from the abuse, both physical and psychic, that he took in the first book. Those two elements combine to set the PI down a dangerous path that sees him involved with some nasty stuff, including a government conspiracy that finds Dudgeon in way over his head. The plot might be a little over-the-top, but Chercover makes it work. He's a smooth, deft writer, Dudgeon is a great character, and the city of Chicago makes a fine backdrop for this hardboiled tale. What more could you ask for?

Bonus Book of the Week: Justin Peacock's "A Cure for Night"

I was late getting to this book, but it's definitely worth picking up if you missed it as well. Peacock's debut is a gritty legal thriller about Joel Deveraux, a high-flying attorney who crashes and burns due to drugs. In an effort to resurrect his career (and redeem himself), Deveraux takes a job as a public defender in Brooklyn. Assigned to a hot-button murder trial -- defending a a black man from the projects accused of killing a white college student -- Deveraux is forced to confront issues he thought he'd left behind. The plotting in A Cure for Night groans on occasion, but this is a sharp and impressive debut. Peacock appears to have good things ahead of him.

Book of the Week: Michael Connelly's "The Brass Verdict"

Michael Connelly returns to the world of Los Angeles attorney Mickey Haller (first introduced in The Lincoln Lawyer) in this fast-paced and entertaining story. One of Haller's colleagues is killed and he's responsible for taking over the deceased lawyer's cases, one of which has him representing a Hollywood executive accused of murder. The plot is fairly conventional, but the real draw here is Haller, an interesting character with a personality far removed from that of Connelly's regular series character, Harry Bosch. The Brass Verdict isn't as good as The Lincoln Laywer, nor does it match up to the best of the Bosch series, although it's still better than most of the books I've read this year. Readers should note that, although this book is being billed as "Harry Bosch meets Mickey Haller," Bosch only appears briefly and his part is a bit of a letdown.

Book of the Week: Alafair Burke's "Angel's Tip"

Alafair Burke's second book featuring NYPD detective Ellie Hatcher, Angel's Tip, is a skillful procedural that enlivens its serial killer plot with an appealing heroine and a fresh and engaging style. I wasn't that impressed with the first book in the series, but this one is a significant improvement. The last thing the world needs is another serial killer novel, but this books puts the emphasis on the cops and the victims, which makes for a refreshing change. Angel's Tip demonstrates that Burke is a force to be reckoned with in the thriller genre.

Book of the Week: Christopher Buckley's "Supreme Courtship"

The world of D.C. politics is a fertile one for satire and nobody plows it better than Christopher Buckley. As a former speechwriter for the first President Bush (and the son of National Review founder William F. Buckley), Buckley knows the Washington scene as an insider -- and he's also hilariously funny. Those two qualities enable him to skewer the overblown egos, pretensions and nonsense of national politics like few can. Supreme Courtship tells the story of what happens when a popular TV judge is nominated to the Supreme Court. That hook sold me on the book and the execution is admirable. One of the funniest things I've read in quite a while, but also one of the smartest.