August 2024 Additions to My Digital Security Blanket

 

You knew it was going to happen sooner or later. After months of relatively modest eBook buying, I fell off the wagon. I fell off the wagon so hard, I think I have wheel marks on my credit card. Granted, almost all of them were on sale for I-can't-pass-this-up prices, but there's no way I can avoid saying that August was a month of overindulgence. And since I did, I'd better shut up and start telling you about the eBooks I simply could not resist!

I've grouped my purchases by genre, and if you click on the links in the book titles, you'll be taken to Amazon US where you can learn more about them. I've also included authors' websites where available.

=== Police Procedural ===

Coffin Island by Kate Ellis. Set in England.

 

Synopsis: "Despite many years living in South Devon, DI Wesley Peterson has never visited the tiny island of St Rumon's. That is until erosion from a storm reveals three bodies buried outside the local churchyard.

Two are ancient skeletons, but one is far more recent, and Wesley realises he has uncovered a case of murder. But whose remains are they? And who killed them?

The island has only a small number of inhabitants. Yet one resident keeps cropping up in Wesley's investigation: the author and self-styled academic, Quentin Search.

Meanwhile Wesley's friend, archaeologist Neil Watson, becomes fascinated by the remains of the island's old priory. His discovery of a journal, written by a sixteenth century cleric, reveals an eerie tale of strange rituals and disturbing deaths.

As Wesley begins to wonder whether the past might be repeating itself, another murder occurs . . . There is a calculated killer on the island - one whose grip is as deadly as the rising tide." 

▲ This is a favorite series of mine, so much so that I've already read it. You can take a look at my review if you like.

 

 

Blind Eye by Aline Templeton. Set in Scotland.

 

Synopsis: "DCI Kelso Strang is led to believe that something very odd is going on around the prosperous fishing port of Tarleton on Scotland's south-east coast.

Firstly, a young detective inspector is traumatised after witnessing a doctor throwing herself off a cliff, and accusations of extortion have riven the local community. When the ugly death of a young farmer sets off a murder investigation, Strang finds himself caught in a spider's web of criminality.

He is entirely unprepared when he is struck by the worst tragedy of his career, even though it has connected him with an advocate's assistant, Catriona, daughter of DI Marjory Fleming." 

 

▲ This is an entry in another favorite series of mine. One of the reasons why I like it so much is because the author takes readers around lesser known areas of Scotland. This one looks especially intriguing because it ties in with her DI Marjory Fleming series-- another good'un. 

=== Thriller ===

Wilderness Justice by Todd Borg. Set in California.

 

Synopsis: "It was a brutal demand from the California Bureau of Investigation to medieval weapons expert Professor Josie Strong. Your 14-year-old daughter was picked up on a smuggling charge. Never mind whether she was framed. We’re going to send her to prison unless you help us find a twisted killer who is hiding in the Yosemite wilderness.

 

With no other options, Josie is forced to team up with a former student and professional hacker to find the missing killer. Instead, she finds evidence of a conspiracy and cover-up, and she and her daughter Samantha will be lucky to escape alive..."

▲ I enjoy Todd Borg's Owen McKenna series so much that when I learned he had a new series coming out, I pre-ordered them all. This is the second book in the Josie Strong series. You can read my review of the first, Wilderness Vacation, if you like.

The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz.

 

Synopsis: "Jacob Finch Bonner was once a promising young novelist with a respectably published first book. Today, he’s teaching in a third-rate MFA program and struggling to maintain what’s left of his self-respect; he hasn’t written—let alone published—anything decent in years. When Evan Parker, his most arrogant student, announces he doesn’t need Jake’s help because the plot of his book in progress is a sure thing, Jake is prepared to dismiss the boast as typical amateur narcissism. But then . . . he hears the plot.

Jake returns to the downward trajectory of his own career and braces himself for the supernova publication of Evan Parker’s first novel: but it never comes. When he discovers that his former student has died, presumably without ever completing his book, Jake does what any self-respecting writer would do with a story like that—a story that absolutely needs to be told.

In a few short years, all of Evan Parker’s predictions have come true, but Jake is the author enjoying the wave. He is wealthy, famous, praised and read all over the world. But at the height of his glorious new life, an e-mail arrives, the first salvo in a terrifying, anonymous campaign: You are a thief, it says.

As Jake struggles to understand his antagonist and hide the truth from his readers and his publishers, he begins to learn more about his late student, and what he discovers both amazes and terrifies him. Who was Evan Parker, and how did he get the idea for his “sure thing” of a novel? What is the real story behind the plot, and who stole it from whom?" 

▲ The synopsis intrigued me so much, and the price was such an incentive that I couldn't resist this one.

Drowning: The Rescue of Flight 1421 by T.J. Newman.

 

Synopsis: "Six minutes after takeoff, Flight 1421 crashes into the Pacific Ocean. During the evacuation, an engine explodes and the plane is flooded. Those still alive are forced to close the doors—but it’s too late. The plane sinks to the bottom with twelve passengers trapped inside.

More than two hundred feet below the surface, engineer Will Kent and his eleven-year-old daughter Shannon are waist-deep in water and fighting for their lives.

Their only chance at survival is an elite rescue team on the surface led by professional diver Chris Kent—Shannon’s mother and Will’s soon-to-be ex-wife—who must work together with Will to find a way to save their daughter and rescue the passengers from the sealed airplane, which is now teetering on the edge of an undersea cliff.

There’s not much time. There’s even less air.

With devastating emotional power and heart-stopping suspense, Drowning is an unforgettable thriller about a family’s desperate fight to save themselves and the people trapped with them—against impossible odds." 

▲ I enjoyed this author's first thriller (Falling) so much that there's no way I could pass up a sale on this second title. I need to get to The Poisoned Pen for one of her events. She's a local author.

The Spy Coast by Tess Gerritsen. Set in Maine.

 

Synopsis: "Former spy Maggie Bird came to the seaside village of Purity, Maine, eager to put the past behind her after a mission went tragically wrong. These days, she’s living quietly on her chicken farm, still wary of blowback from the events that forced her early retirement.

But when a body turns up in Maggie’s driveway, she knows it’s a message from former foes who haven’t forgotten her. Maggie turns to her local circle of old friends—all retirees from the CIA—to help uncover the truth about who is trying to kill her, and why. This “Martini Club” of former spies may be retired, but they still have a few useful skills that they’re eager to use again, if only to spice up their rather sedate new lives.

Complicating their efforts is Purity’s acting police chief, Jo Thibodeau. More accustomed to dealing with rowdy tourists than homicide, Jo is puzzled by Maggie’s reluctance to share information—and by her odd circle of friends, who seem to be a step ahead of her at every turn.

As Jo’s investigation collides with the Martini Club’s maneuvers, Maggie’s hunt for answers will force her to revisit a clandestine career that spanned the globe, from Bangkok to Istanbul, from London to Malta. The ghosts of her past have returned, but with the help of her friends—and the reluctant Jo Thibodeau—Maggie might just be able to save the life she’s built."

▲ I enjoyed the TV series Rizzoli & Isles so much that I kept telling myself I needed to read the books the series was based on. Especially when I got to meet the author at The Poisoned Pen. But... that never happened. When I saw this book on sale, I took a look and liked what I saw. I think this will be better since I won't read it with any memories of a TV series.

 

 

=== Short Stories ===

 

 

Lawless: New Stories of the American West by Various Authors. Set in the American West.

Synopsis: "Saddle up for a wild ride in this all-new volume of original short stories that explore the untamed lands and rugged characters that define the western frontier. From outlaws and lawmen to cowboys and frontiersmen, these tales capture the rough and tumble spirit of the West in all its glory and danger.

Lawless brings together thirteen of today’s best writers, each offering a unique perspective on the American frontier. From a boy caught between his abusive stepfather and the bank robbers he stumbles across to a young woman willing to do whatever she must for her freedom to a heart-pounding tale of tracking outlaws across the southwestern territories, these stories will transport you back to a time when the West was still raw and untamed, justice is scarce and life a constant battle for survival.

Featuring tales of adventure, intrigue, and the timeless struggle between good and evil, Lawless will take you on an unforgettable journey through the untamed heart of the American West."

▲ I do like reading stories set in the American West, and since this anthology has a few of my favorite authors (like Steve Hockensmith and Larry D. Sweazy), I couldn't resist.

=== Noir ===

Code of the Hills by Chris Offutt. Set in Kentucky.

 

Synopsis: "With his signature crackling prose, literary master Chris Offutt has staked out his own territory in crime fiction, a place of familial allegiances, old wounds, and revenge—the code of the hills. His new book, a sharp, twisty southern noir with echoes of James Sallis and Daniel Woodrell, will force Mick to face up to the way of life he thought he’d escaped.

Mick Hardin is supposed to be retired, transitioning to civilian life. Back in the hills of Kentucky after a two-year absence, he’d planned to touch down briefly before heading to France, marking the end of his twenty-year Army career.

But in Rocksalt, trouble is brewing. Mick’s sister Linda, recently reelected as sheriff, and her deputy Johnny Boy Tolliver are investigating the murder of Pete Lowe, a sought-after mechanic at the local racetrack. Mick doesn’t want to get involved—he wants to say his goodbyes and get out of Dodge. But when he reluctantly agrees to intervene in a family dispute requiring a light touch, he uncovers evidence of an illegal cockfighting ring and another body, somehow linked to the first. And then, Linda steps into harm’s way, leaving Mick to solve the crimes himself.

Code of the Hills is a harrowing novel of family—of what we’re willing to do to protect and avenge the ones we love." 

 

▲ This is another series that has turned out to be a favorite. Offutt has a way of making the natural world an integral part of his stories that I just love. This one was on sale (finally), and since I already have an advance reading copy of the book to follow, I knew I had to get this one.

 

 

=== Amateur Sleuth ===

 

 

How Lucky by Will Leitch. Set in Georgia.

 

Synopsis: "For readers of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and Nothing to See Here, a first novel as suspenseful and funny as it is moving, the unforgettable story of a fiercely resilient young man living with a physical disability, and his efforts to solve a mystery unfolding right outside his door. 

Daniel leads a rich life in the university town of Athens, Georgia. He’s got a couple close friends, a steady paycheck working for a regional airline, and of course, for a few glorious days each Fall, college football tailgates. He considers himself to be a mostly lucky guy—despite the fact that he’s suffered from a debilitating disease since he was a small child, one that has left him unable to speak or to move without a wheelchair. 

Largely confined to his home, Daniel spends the hours he’s not online communicating with irate air travelers observing his neighborhood from his front porch. One young woman passes by so frequently that spotting her out the window has almost become part of his daily routine. Until the day he’s almost sure he sees her being kidnapped..." 

 

▲ The synopsis drew me in, and the reference to The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time was probably the clincher. (I read Curious Incident... so long ago that I didn't have this blog yet!)

=== Non-Fiction ===

 

 

Left for Dead: A Young Man's Search for Justice for the USS Indianapolis by Peter Nelson and Hunter Scott.

 

Synopsis: "Hunter Scott first learned about the sinking of the USS Indianapolis by watching the movie Jaws when he was just eleven-years-old. This was fifty years after the ship had sunk, throwing more than 1,000 men into shark-infested waters—a long fifty years in which justice still had not been served.

It was just after midnight on July 30, 1945 when the USS Indianapolis was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine. Those who survived the fiery sinking—some injured, many without life jackets—struggled to stay afloat as they waited for rescue. But the United States Navy did not even know they were missing. As time went on, the Navy needed a scapegoat for this disaster. So it court-martialed the captain for “hazarding” his ship. The survivors of the Indianapolis knew that their captain was not to blame. For fifty years they worked to clear his name, even after his untimely death.

But the navy would not budge—not until Hunter entered the picture. His history fair project on the Indianapolis soon became a crusade to restore the captain’s good name and the honor of the men who served under him." 

 

▲ I, too, remember that scene from Jaws, and since I've always had an interest in naval history and fights for justice, I couldn't pass this one up.

 

 

The Lost King of France: A True Story of Revolution, Revenge, and DNA by Deborah Cadbury

 

Synopsis: "Royalty, revolution, and scientific mystery---the dramatic true account of the fate of Louis XVII, son of Marie Antoinette, and an extraordinary detective story that spans more than two hundred years.

Louis-Charles, Duc de Normandie, enjoyed a charmed early childhood in the gilded palace of Versailles. At the age of four, he became the dauphin, heir to the most powerful throne in Europe. Yet within five years he was to lose everything. Drawn into the horror of the French Revolution, his family was incarcerated and their fate thrust into the hands of the revolutionaries who wished to destroy the monarchy.

In 1793, when Marie Antoinette was beheaded at the guillotine, she left her adored eight-year-old son imprisoned in the Temple Tower. Far from inheriting a throne, the orphaned boy-king had to endure the hostility and abuse of a nation. Two years later, the revolutionary leaders declared Louis XVII dead. No grave was dug, no monument built to mark his passing.

Immediately, rumors spread that the prince had, in fact, escaped from prison and was still alive. Others believed that he had been murdered, his heart cut out and preserved as a relic. As with the tragedies of England's princes in the Tower and the Romanov archduchess Anastasia, countless "brothers" soon approached Louis-Charles's older sister, Marie-Therese, who survived the revolution. They claimed not only the dauphin's name, but also his inheritance. Several "princes" were plausible, but which, if any, was the real heir to the French throne?
The Lost King of France is a moving and dramatic tale that interweaves a pivotal moment in France's history with a compelling detective story that involves pretenders to the crown, royalist plots and palace intrigue, bizarre legal battles, and modern science. The quest for the truth continued into the twenty-first century, when, thanks to DNA testing, the strange odyssey of a stolen heart found within the royal tombs brought an exciting conclusion to the two-hundred-year-old mystery of the lost king of France." 

▲ French history? A mystery? Count me in!

A Gentleman and a Thief: The Daring Jewel Heists of a Jazz Age Rogue by Dean Jobb

 

Synopsis: "Catch Me If You Can meets The Great Gatsby meets the hit Netflix series Lupin in this captivating true-crime caper. A skilled con artist and perhaps one of the most charming, audacious burglars in history, Arthur Barry slipped in and out of the bedrooms of New York’s wealthiest residents, even as his victims slept only inches away. He befriended luminaries such as the Prince of Wales and Harry Houdini and became a folk hero, touted in the press as “the greatest jewel thief who ever lived” and an “Aristocrat of Crime.” In a span of seven years, Barry stole diamonds, pearls, and other gems worth almost $60 million today. Among his victims were a Rockefeller, an heiress to the Woolworth department store fortune, an oil magnate, Wall Street bigwigs, a top executive of automotive giant General Motors, and a famous polo player. Dean Jobb—hailed by Esquire magazine as “a master of narrative nonfiction”—once again delivers a stylishly told high-speed ride.

A Gentleman and a Thief is also a love story. Barry confessed to dozens of burglaries to protect his wife, Anna Blake (and was the prime suspect in scores of others). Sentenced to a twenty-five year term, he staged a dramatic prison break when Anna became seriously ill so they could be together for a few more years as fugitives. With dozens of historic images, A Gentleman and a Thief is page-turning, escapist, and sparkling with insight into our fascination with jewel heists and the suave, clever criminals who pull them off." 

▲ I've always had a weakness for rogues and jewel thieves, and this one sounded so interesting that I decided to indulge myself.

Whew! See what I mean about falling off the wagon?

Have you read any of these? Which ones? Or... did I tempt you with any of my purchases? Do tell-- inquiring minds would love to know!