Blast from the Past

Blast from the Past by Lauren Carr
Acorn Book Services, 1/10/2013
Paperback, 260 pages
ISBN-13: 9780985726775

4th in Mac Faraday series
http://mysterylady.net/

 

Description:

In this fourth mystery on Deep Creek Lake; Mac Faraday finds himself up to his eyeballs with mobsters and federal agents.
After an attempted hit ends badly with two of his men dead, mobster Tommy Cruze arrives in Spencer, Maryland, to personally supervise the execution of the witness responsible for putting him behind bars—Archie Monday!
Mac Faraday believes he has his work cut out for him in protecting his lady love from one of the most dangerous leaders in organized crime; but when bodies start dropping in his lakeshore resort town, things may be hotter than even he can handle.

 

My Thoughts:

 

In Blast from the Past by Lauren Carr, character Archie Monday's past connection to the mob is catching up to her in Spencer, Maryland, which is located on Deep Creek Lake. Her testimony helped convict Tommy Cruze, head of a major East Coast crime syndicate. She is a participant in the FBI’s Witness Protection Program. Now Tommy is out and he's after Archie - thus the title: Blast from the Past. Mac, Gnarly (Mac’s German shepherd), David O’Callaghan (Spencer police chief), and Randi Finnegan (U.S. Marshal) are all scrambling to protect Archie and figure out why the body count appears to be rising and who, exactly, is putting out the hit orders on all these people?

 

It is a fast paced, humorous mystery that will appeal to anyone who enjoys a light hearted mystery and dogs. I appreciated that Carr includes a complete cast of characters at the beginning of her novel. Carr's Mac Faraday Mysteries include: It's Murder, My Son; Old Loves Die Hard; and Shades of Murder. Blast from the Past is the fourth book in the Mac Faraday mystery series.

 

While I've mentioned the previous three books in the series, this was my first  Mac Faraday mystery and I didn't have any problem following the action. If you like following a series from the beginning you might want to check out the first three books, though, because I'm sure there are things I missed because I didn't have the complete back story. 

 

Blast from the Past is a well developed story full of intrigue that moves at a brisk pace. The characters are interesting, the villains varied, and the action is as quick as the humor. I have a feeling any of Lauren Carr's mysteries would be pleasurable distractions, as well as entertaining. (I got a big laugh out of the high-priced assassins named Hillerman and McCrumb.)

 

very highly recommended

 

Blast from the Past Book Trailer

Quotes:

 

When she saw the butt of the gun come out from behind his back, Archie, her eyes on the target in her side rearview mirror, fired three shots from her pink handgun, engraved with The Pink Lady across the muzzle, over her left shoulder. The first shot took out the rear driver’s side window before ripping through the gun man’s neck. The other two went through his head before he hit the ground. In one movement, Archie threw her right arm around to fire out the rear window at the partner who only managed to get one shot before she hit him in the lower neck. Her second shot went through his head. The world seemed to stop. Location 336-342

“Lucky thing I know every officer in the Spencer police department,” Archie told David as he knelt to examine the two dead men lying in the road. “When I saw two of them riding together, especially since I didn’t recognize them, I knew that they were in your stolen cruiser and something was up.”

“Or rather going down.” The police chief wiped the sweat dripping from his blond hair down the back of his neck. Location 355-358

 

“A couple of high-priced assassins—just got a match from their prints in the AFIS.” He pointed his computer tablet to the dead driver. “Benny Hillerman—suspected killer in thirteen hits.” He then pointed at the dead partner. “Frank McCrumb—suspected of seven murders. Those are only the deaths the feds believe they know about.” Location 375-378

"This witness had to give up everything—even quit school—to go into the federal witness protection program—but it was what she had to do to stop Tommy Cruze.”

Mac stared down at her. Her eyes were emerald pools of tears. “That was you.”

Wordlessly, she nodded her head. Location 416-419

“I said to get in the car. We’re relocating you. Now!”

“No.”

The federal marshal lowered her cell phone from her ear. “We don’t have time to talk about this. Cruze is out. He knows where you are. You’re in danger. We don’t even have time to pack—” Location 505-508

David drew in a deep breath. “Count of three.”

“Who’s counting?”

“I’m counting.”

“Why do you get to count?”

“Are you serious?” David asked. “We’re pinned down by a maniac wanting to kill us, and you’re going to argue with me about who gets to count to three? If it’s that important to you, you count.”

“Well,” she said, “if you’re going to be that way, you count.”

“No, you count.”

“I can be just as big of a man as you are.”

David’s chuckle held a naughty tone. “I don’t think so.” A shot from inside the window broke off a branch of the tree, and it landed next to them. “Let’s both count,” he said. “Good idea.”

“To three.” They counted in unison. Location 763-775

“No, Mac. I’ve heard it before, but now I’ve seen it with my own eyes. Bullies are chickens. They cover up their cowardice with bravado like a child in a mask on Halloween. Their bullying covers up how scared they really are. Maybe they can even forget it themselves.” She shook her finger, her nail dipped in rose-colored polish. “I called him on it.” Location 888-890

Disclosure: My Kindle edition was courtesy of Acorn Book Services and Netgalley for review purposes.