DOWN A DARK ROAD

Author:  Linda Castillo

Genre:  Police Procedural,
Kate Burkholder Series #9

Published:  2017

Personal Rating:  3.75/5 (good +)

Format/Narrator:  Audiobook/
Kathleen McInerney

Yearly Count:  40

From NetGalley:

Eight years ago Joseph King was convicted of murdering his wife and sentenced to life in prison. He was a "fallen" Amish man and, according to local law enforcement, a known drug user with a violent temper. Now King has escaped, and he’s headed for Painters Mill.

News of a murderer on the loose travels like wildfire and putting Chief of Police Kate Burkholder and her team of officers on edge. A nightmare scenario becomes reality when King shows up with a gun and kidnaps his five children from their Amish uncle’s house. He’s armed and desperate with nothing left to lose.

Fearing for the safety of the children, Kate leaps into action, but her frantic search for a killer leads her into an ambush. When King releases her unharmed, asking her to prove his innocence, she begins to wonder whether the police are hiding something, and she embarks on her own investigation to discover the truth.

It was nice to get back to work with Kate Burkholder.  There were moments of disbelief for me, but it was still a good story, and it held my attention.  I enjoy this series as a whole and always look forward to the next.

Thoughts of Joy

My thanks go to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for providing me with the eGalley.

  

COP TOWN

Author:  Karin Slaughter

Genre:  Police Procedural, Standalone

Published:  2014

Personal Rating:  2/5 (not enjoyable)

Format/Narrator:  Audiobook/Kathleen Early

Yearly Count:  30

From NetGalley:

Atlanta, 1974: As a brutal murder and a furious manhunt rock the city’s police department, Kate Murphy wonders if her first day on the job will also be her last. She’s determined to defy her privileged background by making her own way—wearing a badge and carrying a gun. But for a beautiful young woman, life will be anything but easy in the macho world of the Atlanta PD, where even the female cops have little mercy for rookies. It’s also the worst day possible to start given that a beloved cop has been gunned down, his brothers in blue are out for blood, and the city is on the edge of war.

Kate isn’t the only woman on the force who’s feeling the heat. Maggie Lawson followed her uncle and brother into the ranks to prove her worth in their cynical eyes. When she and Kate, her new partner, are pushed out of the citywide search for a cop killer, their fury, pain, and pride finally reach the boiling point. With a killer poised to strike again, they will pursue their own line of investigation, risking everything as they venture into the city’s darkest heart.

Hmmm.  This one is terribly difficult for me to rate.  I thought the manhunt was done well, but everything surrounding it was incredibly tough to hear.  There was every kind of discrimination and "ism" you can imagine.  Reality of the times (70s Georgia, and maybe even now), but nonetheless, it was tough to hear over and over and over.  Not a pleasant listen for me, but solving the crime kept me from making it a DNF.  (yikes)

Thoughts of Joy

My thanks go to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing me with the eGalley.

  

EENY MEENY

Author:  M. J. Arlidge

Genre:  Police Procedural,
DI Helen Grace Series #1

Published:  2015

Personal Rating:  3.5/5 (good)

Format:  eBook

Yearly Count:  31

From NetGalley:

Two people are abducted, imprisoned, and left with a gun. As hunger and thirst set in, only one walks away alive.

It’s a game more twisted than any Detective Inspector Helen Grace has ever seen. If she hadn’t spoken with the shattered survivors herself, she almost wouldn’t believe them.

Helen is familiar with the dark sides of human nature, including her own, but this case—with its seemingly random victims—has her baffled. But as more people go missing, nothing will be more terrifying than when it all starts making sense....

I think the premise of this book was incredibly intriguing.  It truly had great potential, but something was missing OR overdone.  Instead of so many victims, I wonder if Arlidge honed in on less victims' experiences, it would have had more substance.  Just a thought.  :)

Coming from the UK, the second in this series, Pop Goes the Weasel, will be available as an eBook on October 6.  The remaining 2 (currently there are 4 in the series) are sporadically being released.  My interest is still piqued for this author's work and look forward to the next in the series.

Thoughts of Joy

     
My thanks go to Penguin Group and NetGalley for providing me with this eGalley.

WAITING FOR WEDNESDAY

Author:  Nicci French

Genre:  Police Procedural?, Frieda Klein Series #3

Published:  2014

Personal Rating:  3.75/5 (good +)

Format:  eBook

Yearly Count:  46

From NetGalley:

Ruth Lennox, housewife and mother of three, is found dead in a pool of her own blood. Detective Chief Inspector Karlsson can’t piece together a motive and calls in Frieda, hoping her talents will offer a new angle on the case.

When it emerges that the mother was hiding a scandalous secret, her family closes ranks. Frieda herself is distracted, still reeling from an attempt on her life, and struggling with her own rare feelings of vulnerability. Then a patient’s chance remark sends Frieda down a dangerous path that seems to lead to a serial killer who’s long escaped detection. Is Frieda getting closer to unraveling either case? Or is she just the victim of her own paranoid, fragile mind? Because, as Frieda knows, every step closer to a killer is one more step into a darkness from which there may be no return . . .

It has taken me a good 6 weeks to finish this, but it certainly hasn't been due to the book.  Every time I picked it back up, I was right back in it.  It never lost its appeal to me; however, it wasn't as good as the first 2.  There were some incidents that I didn't buy and some scenes that seemed a bit too choppy, but I'm still interested in this series and look forward to #4.

Thoughts of Joy  

My thanks go to Penguin Group and NetGalley for providing me with this eGalley.

SILENT PREY

Author:  John Sandford

Genre:  Police Procedural,
Lucas Davenport Series #4

Published:  1992

Personal Rating:  3.25/5 (just okay +)

Format/Narrator:  Audiobook/
Richard Ferrone

Yearly Count:  1

Dr. Mike Bekker (character from Eyes of Prey #3) escapes from a courthouse and begins another killing spree.  Lucas Davenport is asked to assist in the investigation.

There were a couple of things that kept me from really enjoying this addition to this series:  I did not care for the narrator at all (unfortunately I discovered that he narrates #5 as well - I now may be reading that one), and there wasn't a lot of suspense or intrigue (bit boring).  In general, I enjoy police procedurals, so it starts with a decent advantage, but overall, this one was just okay.

Thoughts of Joy