The Bone Hacker

The Bone Hacker by Kathy Reichs
8/1/23; 336 pages
Scribner
Temperance Brennan Series #22

The Bone Hacker by Kathy Reichs is a highly recommended thriller and the 22nd novel in the series featuring forensic anthropologist Temperance (Tempe) Brennan.

For this outing Tempe starts out in Montreal, Canada, but circumstances send her to a tropical setting in the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI). In Canada, while examining a young man thought to have been struck by lightning, Tempe notices a an unusual tattoo that she discovers is tied to the islands of Turks and Caicos. Tiersa Musgrove, the police superintendent there, enlists her help to solve the disappearance of male tourists over the years. These cases are ongoing and when new bodies turn up, the potential danger to Tempe also rises.

The writing is entertaining and intelligent, as expected, and Tempe is always a perceptive, strong and resourceful character. She is capable and able to uncover evidence and clues needed to figure out what is going on with her cases. And, while in the investigations of the cases are interesting, there is always danger nearby and it always comes uncomfortably close to Tempe. 

As with other books in the series, The Bone Hacker can be read as a stand alone novel. Author Kathy Reichs, much like her fictional character, is a forensic anthropologist for the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, State of North Carolina, and for the Laboratoire des Sciences Judiciaires et de Médecine Légale for the province of Quebec. This expertise and insight is brought into every novel she writes.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Scribner via NetGalley.

Just Another Missing Person

Just Another Missing Person by Gillian McAllister
8/1/23; 384 pages
HarperCollins

Just Another Missing Person by Gillian McAllister is a highly recommended heart-stopping police procedural and thriller concerning a missing-person case and an impossible moral choice.

DCI Julia Day is the lead detective investigating the disappearance of 22-year-old Olivia Johnson. Olivia is on CCTV entering a dead end alley and never walked out. Julia know the time this case will involve and the potential heartbreak for the family. What she doesn't expect is an ethical dilemma, but this happens when a man blackmails her into planting false evidence or he will expose the biggest secret she has, one that will threaten the safety of her daughter, Genevieve. And there is one thing that Julia knows: she will anything she can to protect Genevieve.

After a slower start when all the characters and the case is presented, the pace picks up and doesn't stop until the end. There is a surprising and shocking twist about half way through the novel that will shake the world of everyone reading it since it is so unexpected. After the major twist, the procedural aspects of the novel become stronger.

The narrative is told through multiple points-of-view, with Julia being the dominate voice. This plot device works well in the novel as you question where the truth lies. Julia is a fully realized character, obviously with flaws, but also with strengths. Another excellent novel from McAllister.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of HarperCollins via Edelweiss.

Gone Tonight

Gone Tonight by Sarah Pekkanen
8/1/23; 352 pages
St. Martin's Press

Gone Tonight by Sarah Pekkanen is a very highly recommended novel of suspense.

Catherine Sterling and her mother Ruth have always presented a united front against the world. She knows her mother has always worked hard to care for her. Now that Catherine has her nursing degree, she has accepted a job and is planning to move, but she has to put her plans on hold when Ruth begins to show symptoms of  Alzheimer’s disease, symptoms Catherine is familiar with since she currently works at a nursing home with an Alzheimer's unit.

However, Catherine makes a discovery which lead to doubts Ruth's diagnosis and perhaps everything her mother has told her about her life. At this point a cat and mouse game begins between the mother and daughter. Alternating chapters are told from Ruth and Catherine's points-of-view and they are eye-opening. Ruth has been trying to protect her daughter from the real story of her past. Catherine is trying to uncover who her mother really is.

Both women are very original, fully realized characters. Catherine's suspicions are understandable based on the information she has and readers will believe her suspicions. However, as Ruth tells her backstory all of her present actions make perfect sense and readers will quickly realize that the situation is much more complicated and potentially dangerous. The suspense increases as each woman tells us what they know while they have no clue what the other is really thinking. The pace is even at the beginning and then as more information is revealed, the tension increases as the threat is real.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of St. Martin's Press via NetGalley.

Deadly Depths

Deadly Depths by John F. Dobbyn
8/1/23; 320 pages
Oceanview Publishing

Deadly Depths by John F. Dobbyn is a very highly recommended action/adventure thriller.

Matthew Shane is a law professor in Salem, Massachusetts, when his mentor and friend, Archeology Professor Barrington Holmes, is found murdered in his office. His death is made to look like a suicide, but the truth soon becomes clear. Matthew promises his widow to find the truth and the murderer. This requires looking into a group of four other notable archaeologists who along with Holmes, called their alliance “The Monkey’s Paw society.” They all had one of five clues that purported to show the way to a valuable historical artifact and it appears someone is targeting the members for death.

While Matthew is currently a law professor, he formerly practiced criminal law and was an Intelligence officer in the Air Force, so he brings some observational skills, insight, and abilities in the search for the professor's killer. I rather loved the fact that he often gave credit to God in the narrative. The direction of the search and the novel changes and goes global part way through the novel, which ups the tension and suspense with several breathe-taking scenes.

Deadly Depths is an action-packed hold-on-to-your-hat thrill ride of a novel. I was engrossed in the action from start to finish. Yes, you most certainly need to suspend your disbelief while reading. I will admit to three moments of dramatic eye rolling, perhaps a few more dramatic sighs, but I wasn't about to set the novel aside. This is the kind of global action/adventure novel meant to provide pure reading pleasure while escaping reality and I was full-in for the armchair adventure. 4.5 rounded up

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Oceanview Publishing via NetGalley.

The Last Ranger

The Last Ranger by Peter Heller
7/25/23; 304 pages
Knopf Doubleday

The Last Ranger by Peter Heller is a very highly recommended, exquisitely written novel following a realistic account of a national park ranger.

Officer Ren Hopper is an enforcement ranger with the Yellowstone National Park Service. His many duties vary greatly as he deals with often clueless tourists, a park full of wildlife, and local residents. Off duty, he enjoys spending time with Hilly, the wolf biologist, who is passionate about her work. There is trouble brewing between Hilly and a local hunter/trapper, Les Ingraham, who may be poaching too. And then there is someone who is specifically leaving notes that are targeting and threatening Ren.

Heller does a magnificent, poetic job capturing the beauty and danger found in the natural environment of Yellowstone, as well as the conflicts between people in The Last Ranger. It is an even paced novel that is part mystery novel with several incidents to investigate and part ode to the natural world. Heller has seamlessly written into the plot many facts and information about wolves, bears, and other animals in the wilderness. 

At the same time Heller also populates The Last Ranger with a cast of realistic characters with differences and conflicting emotions. Ren is a wonderful, complex, fully realized character.  He is thoughtful, contemplative, and purposeful while dealing with the conflicts and questions he encounters. His emotional wounds from his past are present, but help make him the man he is.

The Last Ranger would be a wonderful choice for a book club. There are so many details and questions that could be discussed.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Knopf via NetGalley.

Zero Days

Zero Days by Ruth Ware
6/20/23; 368 pages
Gallery/Scout Press

Zero Days by Ruth Ware is a very highly recommended thriller in a race against time format.

Jack (Jacintha) cross and her husband are penetration (pen) specialists who test out security systems for companies. Jack does the physical, on the ground work, while her husband Gabe directs their operations and handles the cybersecurity tests. When Jack is picked up by the police after a job one night, Gabe doesn't pick up the phone to have their client vouch for her and their work for him. After she is finally released, Jack makes her way home, exhausted, and discovers why Gabe didn't answer her call. He was murdered.

Jack is in shock, back at the police station, now being questioned by police about the murder of her husbands. The next day it becomes clear that Jack is the main suspect in Gabe murder. If she wants to find out who killed Gabe and clear her name, she needs to go on the run. With very few people she can trust and a count down before she will eventually get caught, the tension rises with each page.

Jack is a fully realized character and readers will be anxiously wishing her success in finding answers. She is experiencing physical difficulties and grieving Gabe's death, even as she searches for information about who was responsible for his murder all while evading the police and trying to survive.

Zero Days is an un-put-downable, compelling thriller. The fast-paced novel counts down the days as Jack is on the run. This means tension and suspense rise along with every action Jack takes and every twist in the plot.  This would make an excellent movie.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Gallery/Scout Press via NetGalley.

What Harms You

What Harms You by Lisa Black
7/25/23; 336 pages
Kensington Books
Locard Institute Thriller#2

What Harms You by Lisa Black is a very highly recommended mystery/thriller and the second book in the Locard Institute series.

The first thing that happens when Dr. Ellie Carr arrives for her first day as an instructor at the Locard Institute, a forensic research center which holds classes for law enforcement experts, is that her key card didn't work. The second event was that Dr. Barbara Wright, the instructor she is replacing, is found dead on the floor of a supply closet. The death appears to be an accident, but Ellie and her supervisor Dr. Rachael Davies are suspicious. When another death occurs, the two team up to try and find the connection between the two murders. Two different classes are being held and it seems the guilty party must be one of the attendees.

With What Harms You Lisa Black has written another excellent forensic mystery/thriller. The real-life scientific details she provides as an crime scene analyst and investigator add depth and realism. Completing the exceptional narrative is the carefully crafted intricate plot. Add in the complex, fully-realized characters and the result is a compelling mystery that will hold your complete attention to the tense, exciting denouement.

Even though this is part of a series, beginning with Red Flags, What Harms You works well as a stand alone. Anyone who appreciates novels with details about the forensics and scientific details involved in an investigation along with strong, competent female characters will enjoy What Harms You immensely. I'm looking forward to the next installment of this series.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Kensington Books via NetGalley.