The Absence of Mercy - John Burley

John Burley makes his fiction debut with The Absence of Mercy.

In the small Ohio town of Wintersville, Dr. Ben Stevenson wears two hats - that of the town doctor and when needed, that of the medical examiner.

But rarely is he called to examine violent deaths - Wintersville is a place where the neighbours all know your name - and a lot of times, your business.

Who then could be responsible for the frenzied attack on a local teenager that left him dead in a field? Suddenly, folks are locking their doors and keeping their kids close. That goes double for Ben. His older son was friends with the slain boy.

Ben becomes more involved with the investigation, especially when another attack occurs - and the victim is found barely alive.

Burley explores the reaction to such a crime through the townsfolk, most notably the teenagers in town and through Ben's eyes - both as a father and a coroner. This is a lot of the focus of the book, as there are not a lot of clues to follow.  Instead, things ratchet up a notch when the killer's identity becomes known. While I was not overly surprised at this turn, it did raise some interesting questions. I was surprised at where Burley chose to take his story after that - it was a nice twist.  I'm not sure if I liked the ending, but again it wasn't nice and tied up with a bow. I like that. And I liked this debut by John Burley - I would pick up his next book without hesitation.

Burley's background is in medicine. This background certainly gives the medical scenes a ring of authenticity. But, after a few lengthy descriptions it also had me skipping further explanations - they were filled with too much 'technical' jargon.

The title? "The same was true for the absence of mercy – not because mercy was something such individuals chose to withhold, but because it was a faculty they simply did not possess." Chilling.

Read an excerpt of The Absence of Mercy. You can find John Burley on Facebook and on Twitter.

Out of Range - Hank Steinberg

 Out of Range is Hank Steinberg's debut novel. But Steinberg was also the creator and producer of a television show I enjoyed - Without a Trace. The fictional tv show setting was the Missing Persons Unit of the FBI in New York City and their search for - you guessed it - missing persons.

Well, Steinberg has taken that successful one hour formula and parlayed it into a novel that I also really enjoyed.

Charlie Davis and his wife Julie were living and working in Eastern Uzbekistan in 2005 when the country erupted in violence. They barely made it out with their lives - and newborn son. They move back to the US to raise him in a stable and safer environment. Life is good for the Davises. Or so Charlie thought. Until the day his children are found alone in the family's vehicle on a dead end street. And Julie is missing.

Out of Range is my favourite kind of suspense novel - an everyday person forced into extraordinary circumstances. Steinberg ups the ante with an international setting and by incorporating actual events into his story.

Out of Range is a perfect summer read. Lots of action, suspense, cliff hangers, international intrigue, terrorist and more all added up to a entertaining read.  Yes, some of it is a bit over the top, but again - perfect escapist reading. Fans of Harlan Coben and Linwood Barclay would enjoy this new author. And this reader will be looking for his next novel.

And if sounds like a great movie plot....it is. Steinberg is working on the screenplay for Out of Range for Paramount Pictures. Read an excerpt of Out of Range.

Poppet - Mo Hayder

Quite frankly, Mo Hayder scares the bejesus out of me. The first page of her latest book Poppet grabbed me and just never let go. (and check out that creepy cover....)

Poppet is the sixth book featuring Detective Inspector Jack Caffery of Bristol, England's Major Crime Investigation Team. "His unit is the one that gets all the murders and difficult cases. The cases that need high-level attention."

The opening chapter takes us to a mental institution. Each and every resident is afraid of The Maude - who will sit on your chest and ......Is this a mass delusion? Or is someone targeting some of the unlikeable and bothersome residents of the ward. None of the patients will even say the name aloud....And now the staff is afraid as well.

Isaac, a young resident deemed 'cured',  is released back into society. Caffery is called in when Isaac is found to have connections to the deaths on the ward.  A bag of little human effigies, also known as 'poppets' is found hidden in Isaac's old room.....and he's disappeared.

Jack is also working on the disappearance of a young woman named Misty - but Caffery knows much more about the case than he's letting on.

"But truth is stranger than fiction and the world is never what it seems: for over a year Caffery's been hopscotching over the issue, he's been guarding the case like a hound, appearing to be working on it while simultaneously leading the unit away from what he really knows about Misty's disappearance, - which is more, much more than any cop has a right. It's a big fat secret he's been hiding. Something he can't do anything about."

I've loved the Jack Caffery character since Hayder's first book Birdman. He's an enigma - flawed, fearless, full of secrets but a dedicated cop - who plays by his own rules. Police diver Flea Marley returns. The back and forth of her personal and professional relationship with Caffery is far from over. I'm torn on what I think about her. Jack shares the lead role in Poppet with A.J., the psychiatric ward supervisor. He's a great character, innocent, likable and fearless in his own way. His empathy and caring of the patients struck a note. He starts his own investigation into the case.

Hayder plumbs the depths of the human psyche in both her characters and her crimes. Poppet is full of twists, turns and lots of tension. Did I mention deliciously dark and creepy?

Be prepared to stay up late with this one. Scare yourself - read the first chapter of Poppet. Poppet could be read as a stand alone, but do yourself a favour - start from the beginning of the series - you'll be hooked. You can find Mo Hayder on Facebook.

The Tooth Tattoo - Peter Lovesey

I must admit - mysteries are probably my favourite genre. Peter Lovesey is an author I hadn't yet sampled - until I picked up his latest book - The Tooth Tattoo.

This is the 13th book to feature Peter Diamond, a police detective in Bath, England. 

A young Japanese woman's body is found in a local waterway. The initial reaction is that is was an accident or perhaps suicide. Diamond is not so sure. He orders a second (unauthorized) autopsy that reveals much more - a faded tattoo of a musical note - on one of her incisors and proof that her death wasn't an accident.

I initially felt like I was playing catch up as I got to the know the characters, their personalities and the interpersonal dynamics. It didn't take too long to get up to speed. (although I do wish I had discovered this author earlier on)

What an unusual plot Lovesey has concocted! The whodunit circles around a classical string quartet and the music and machinations of this elite group are the major part of the intrigue. Each of the widely varied personalities is distinctly drawn. Lovesey employs wonderful descriptors and appreciation of the music itself and how an ensemble works together. But he also weaves in elements that you wouldn't think of blending in - the Japanese yakuza, chess sets made from mammoth ivory and more. Very original and it blended together seamlessly. I actually learned quite a bit as well.

I really liked the character of Peter Diamond - he has a gruff and biting attitude at work, but at the same time knows his team and is quite fair with them. We get a personal glimpse into this man via his on again off again relationship with girlfriend Paloma. I didn't get a chance to know the detective team as well as I would have liked. But I liked the easy banter and wide range of personalities.

The Tooth Tattoo was a wonderfully literate mystery and a great introduction to a prolific, prize winning author. Read an excerpt of The Tooth Tattoo.

Room No. 10 - Ake Edwardson

Room No. 10 is the seventh entry in Ake Edwardson's Inspector Winter series, but is a first read of this author for me.

Erik Winter is a Chief Inspector in Gothenburg, Sweden. He is called to a bizarre death in a decrepit hotel - in Room No. Ten.  It appears to be suicide by hanging, but why in the world is her hand painted white - and the note left just doesn't ring true for Winter. And he is disturbed by the setting - Room No. 10 was the first homicide that he investigated as a young policeman - and the case remains unsolved.

Erik is a likable protagonist, thoughtful, quick thinking and determined. I also enjoyed the supporting cast of players  - there is a real mix between various ages, talents and personalities. This is a group who has worked together on many cases. I didn't feel too far out of the loop on catching up with who was who at all. Room No. 10 is told in a past and present format, allowing us to see the young Winter as well.

The crime is inventive and I really wanted to see if and what the connection between the two cases might be. But I found the road there indeterminately long and drawn out. The roundabout conversations and methods of investigation annoyed me. The same information and clues are dissected more than once. Perhaps it's because I prefer a little more action in my mysteries.

Edwardson employs lots of description in his writing. But it's in short bursts of sentences. I found a lot of it extraneous and by page 320 was starting to skim. For example:

"A cup of coffee and a Danish were comforting.
They walked across the street and into the café.
The line at the counter was long"

The advance reader's edition was approximately 450 pages and honestly it was about 100 too long for this reader. The last few chapters did pick up the pace.

Ake Edwardson is "one of Sweden’s bestselling authors, and his books featuring Detective Chief Inspector Erik Winter have been translated into more than twenty languages worldwide. He is a three-time winner of the Swedish Crime Writers’ Award for best crime novel."

It was an okay read for me, but not a stand out. Read an excerpt of Room No. 10.