Nine Minutes Eleven Seconds

Nine Minutes Eleven Seconds by L. V. Pederson
1/28/25; 330 pages
Raconteur 888

Nine Minutes Eleven Seconds by L. V. Pederson is a very highly recommended action/suspense thriller for the right reader. This is a great choice for those who like big conspiracies, can suspend a large dose of disbelief, and won't be bothered by the tie-in to 9/11.

The opening scene will grab your attention as a young woman is killed in a hit and run accident. Then the action follows Madison on her first day as an executive assistant at Know, Inc., a Silicon Valley tech giant. She is full of anxiety today and from her past, but co-worker Nicole offers to help her. Madison's father was a passenger on one of the two planes that crashed into the World Trade Center and died on 9/11. Now, her new boss, T.J. Khan, reminds her of someone and her anxiety rises. 

She meets Will at a support group and shares her concerns. She is sure her new boss, is Mohamed Attar, a 9/11 conspirator. Through Will's computer and hacking skills, the two figure out that she may be right and he has likely had extensive cosmetic surgery​. Just as Madison and Will are setting their plan into motion to expose him, the FBI, CIA, and NSA jump in, stop the two, and explain that their large scale, ongoing operation and surveillance involving Khan is bigger and wide spread. Lead Special Agent Niles recruits Madison to assist the operation.

After the opening, the plot slows down to set the pieces into place and you need to start setting the disbelief aside. Madison is a complicated, fully realized character who struggles with guilt, trauma, and the impact of her father's death on her life. The other characters are not as well-developed, but follow a standard type. Basically, the protagonists are all good and the antagonists are all evil.

Once the action begins to take off, Nine Minutes Eleven Seconds sets a lightning-fast pace, the action is relentless, the danger increases, and all the complicated pieces of the conspiracy and the operation begin to fall into place. The short chapters help keep track of all the players and help propel the compelling narrative to it's heart-stopping conclusion. 

Actually, the start of the novel turned me off, but once the action starts, it gets exponentially better with each page and becomes impossible to put down. It's not a perfect novel, but it certainly is an action/suspense thriller. 4.5 stars.   Thanks to Raconteur 888 for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

Dead Man's Shoes

Dead Man's Shoes by Marion Todd
1/9/25; 400 pages
Canelo Crime
Detective Clare Mackay #9

Dead Man's Shoes by Marion Todd is a highly recommended procedural and the ninth novel set in Scotland featuring Detective Clare Mackay.

There is a serial killer on the loose targeting men. He is being called the Choker since he drugs his victims and then chokes them to death with a chain. Police intelligence believes the Choker is moving into the St. Andrews area. He drives a white van and is thought to be a decorator or painter. He usually strikes on a Friday or Saturday night. DI Clare Mackay and her team are tasked with setting up a widespread surveillance trying to catch the killer.

When a young man is found dead before the weekend, it is thought it might be from the Choker, but Mackay has her doubts. The victim has ties to some local criminals in the area. The surveillance plan continues and another man is found injured. It seems that the Choker is still active and there may be more going on than the police realize.

Dead Man's Shoes is a well-written, detailed, even-paced procedural. It did seem to move a little slowly at times, but those who enjoy procedurals will appreciate all the details carefully provided. The focus is on the facts of the investigation while avoiding a lot of grisly descriptions of the crimes.

For those not following the series, it can be enjoyed as a standalone novel. Even though there are some personal things happening in the lives of the character, the focus is really on the police work. You won't have all the background information on the characters, but you will still be able to follow the investigation. Thanks to Canelo Crime for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

All the Water in the World

All the Water in the World by Eiren Caffall
1/7/25; 304 pages
St. Martin's Press

All the Water in the World by Eiren Caffall is a recommended climate science fiction dystopian novel set in a flooded world.

When a massive hurricane (hypercane) slams into New York City and breaches the flood walls, 13-year-old Nonie her older sister Bix, their father Allan, and another adult man, Keller, are the only survivors from their demolished settlement on the roof of the American Museum of Natural History. The group uses a birchbark canoe from the museum's collections and head through the flooded city to the Hudson. Their goal is to paddle north to a family owned farm in Tyringham, Mass. As they fight for survival and look for a safe place, they carry with them a notebook that holds their records of the lost collections from the museum.

This slow paced dystopian tale of a flooded world unfolds through the point-of-view of Nonie. Chapters follow the present day and past events. Breaking up the present day struggles with tales from the past slowed down the novel and my interest in it. It does focus on building community and preserving knowledge, which will resonate with most readers.

Honestly, the writing, the narrator, and the plot make this novel suitable for a YA reader and I'm rating it based on a reader around age 14+. Adult readers of science fiction and post-apocalyptic tales will be expecting a fast-paced, grittier story with much more realism, action, and depth. The plot has been seen before and none of the challenges they face are unexpected, but they also aren't as realistic, gruesome or formidable as one would expect. Thanks to St. Martin's Press for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The Final Truth

The Final Truth by Morag Pringle
1/8/25: 343 pages
Storm Publishing
Rachel McKenzie #3

The Final Truth by Morag Pringle is a recommended investigative crime novel, highly for those who have read the previous two books in the Rachel McKenzie series.

A body is found in a local cemetery and the case comes to the attention of Rachel McKenzie who is a prosecutor in the Scottish Highlands. The victim has a connection to the case Rachel's mother was investigating before she disappeared and presumed dead. Rachel's father was convicted and imprisoned for her murder. Hoping she can discover the truth, Rachel enlists the help of detective constable Selena MacDonald, and takes a look at the original files. She quickly discovers someone is still keeping track of her actions and she may be in danger.

This is a well-written, carefully plotted, and even-paced investigative mystery that carefully follows clues while uncovering connections and more information. There are some twists and surprises along the way and the setting in Scotland is definitely an integral part of the plot. The surprising and shocking ending endangers Rachel while providing closure about what happened to her mother. Those who appreciate strong female main characters will appreciate this novel.

Anyone who enjoyed the first two books will want to read The Final Truth for the closure it provides. Starting with this third book of the series did leave me feeling that I was missing out on some vital information, but enough background was provided that I never felt lost or confused. 3.5 rounded up. Thanks to Storm Publishing for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

Watch Your Back

Watch Your Back by Terri Parlato
12/24/24; 320 pages
Kensington
Detective Rita Myers #3

Watch Your Back by Terri Parlato is a highly recommended domestic thriller/mystery set in the Boston suburb of Graybridge and the third novel with Detective Rita Myer. It works as a standalone.

Opening with Nathan Liddle hospitalized, unable to move, and frightened his wife, Psychiatrist Eve Thayer, is about to finish the job, the narrative jumps back three weeks earlier. The couple's relationship is strained. The two have a nine-month-old daughter, Rosewyn. Nathan is the parent who takes and picks her up from the babysitter Barbara Singleton, a neighbor. While Eve works long hours heading the medical staff at a new psychiatric center, Nathan cares for Rosewyn in the evenings. Nathan has a brief extramarital affair with a woman named Nicole, but they both break it off after a few weeks.

At the same time detective Rita Myers of the Graybridge police department is investigating multiple local crimes, including a break-in at a house nearby. Then Rosewyn is kidnapped while in Barbara's care, Rita is on the case. There are numerous suspects and twists that follow.

The narrative unfolds through short alternating chapters from the points-of-view of Eve, Nathan, and Rita. It starts out strong. The compelling situation is set up, almost all the characters introduced are suspects in some way, the only character you can completely trust is Rita, and you will want them to find baby Rosewyn. After that point, the mix muddles up as reviewing suspects is on reshuffle numerous times and the pace really slows as the search for the suspect is drawn out. The question of who attacked Nathan is also unresolved until late in the novel.

Eve is initially a unappealing character but garners more sympathy as the novel continues. Part of this is due to the opening when Nathan suspects her in injuring him, which lends you to view her with suspicion. Nathan is actually sympathetic until he reveals his affair. He regains trust after he is injured. Setting aside the police officers, all the other characters introduced will be viewed as dubious right up to the end. Rita is a great character and following her investigation is engaging.

Watch Your Back starts out very strong and will hold your complete attention but ends with a chaotic series of deceptions and reveals on its way to a final conclusion. Thanks to Kensington for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

Lethal Action

Lethal Action by Logan Ryles
12/8/24; 376 pages
Inkubator Books
Mason Sharpe #9

Lethal Action by Logan Ryles is a very highly recommended action thriller featuring ex-military Army Ranger Mason Sharpe. This is the ninth book in the series but it can be enjoyed as a standalone novel. The opening flashback has Sharpe rescuing WHO workers from an Ebola infected war zone, which provides a clue to the plot.

It's winter and Mason Sharpe has been working at a lumber mill in Prairie Junction, Iowa, for the last three months. He is shocked to wake up one morning, hearing helicopters and obvious military equipment. Prairie Junction is under orders by the governor to be under a strict lock down, quarantined. Armed National guard soldiers in hazmat suits are enforcing martial law, setting up roadblocks, and not answering questions. Sharpe manages to get outside the quarantine zone to check on a friend's mother. He discovers her body and recognizes the cause of death - Ebola. This is the beginning of an action-packed investigation into what is really going on and Sharpe is holding nothing back to get answers.

Lethal Action is a lightning-fast-paced thriller that has Sharpe using all of his military experience, intelligence, and discernment to uncover what is really happening. He takes incredible risks to discover the truth and the scope of the deception is shocking. He manages to contact Dr. Evelyn Landry with the CDC, who understands Sharpe's concerns and immediately comes to Iowa into the fray. The action intensifies to explosive levels.

Make no mistake, you will have to set a major dose of disbelief aside in several areas and overlook a few inconsistencies (for example Landry's hair color changing). However, the plot and the action make it easy to do. In fact even while noting glitches, I was all in and committed to the end. That in itself is a huge recommendation. The plot is shocking because recent events make it more possible than anyone would want to believe.

Mason Sharpe is an extraordinary character for a military based action thriller. He is resourceful, smart, and capable. He will do whatever it takes to uncover and expose the corruption and the threat. Thanks to Inkubator Books for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The Off Season

The Off Season by Kelly Simmons
10/1/24; 331 pages
Sourcebooks/Moonlight Press
Seasons Crime Collection #1

The Off Season by Kelly Simmons is a highly recommended mystery and coming-of-age novel set in the small town of Red Cliff on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay.

Thirteen-year-old Vann (Savannah) Dixon goes to the police station wanting to talk to the coroner, insisting that her mother’s (Xan) drowning was not an accident. She is the one who found her mother's body, and is unhappy that they are not investigating it as a suspicious death. Vann is sure that they missed several clues at the scene. After talking to the police, she begins to investigate on her own.

Nate Hunter left the police force in Baltimore and joined the low-key police force in his hometown of Red Cliff. The two other young officers aren't interested in talking to Vann, but Nate takes her seriously and begins to look into the case. The Chief of police and the coroner say it was a drowning, but the more Nate looks into it, the more doubts he has.

Meg McKnight is a longtime resident who lives next door to the Dixon's. Interspersed between the story of Vann's present day investigation into her mother's death are excerpts from Meg's diary.

The characters are a large part of what makes this a special novel. Vann is an intelligent, determined, and observant young teen and her fully realized character comes to life in The Off Season. Nate is also an excellent, thoughtful character who carefully undertakes the investigation. Meg McKnight adds an additional voice and insight into the setting and background information. Rounding out the cast are interesting and unique secondary characters who add depth to the story.

The well-written narrative moves at a steady pace with clues carefully exposed and new questions arising along the way. Both Vann and Nate are introspective characters whose observations about the world help propel the plot forward and keep your interest high right to the end. As their investigations are undertaken, the characters excel at adding emotional depth to this coming-of-age novel. Look for the name-dropping of books in the plot.

The Off Season is the first book in the upcoming Seasons Crime Collection. It will be followed by #2 The Shoulder Season (2/25) and #3 The High Season (8/25). Thanks to BookSirens for providing me with an advance reader's copy. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.