When I'm Dead - Hannah Morrissey

Hannah Morrissey's third book, When I'm Dead, takes us back to the town of Black Harbor. But, this latest book can absolutely be read as a stand alone.

Black Harbor is the setting of Morrissey's books, dark, grim, foreboding, dusty and dirty from the coal mine backdrop. A place that everyone wants to leave. As much as Black Harbor is the setting it seems to also be a character - with its own agenda. Here's one example - but there are many more.

"He knows the haunting air belongs to Forge Bridge which isn't far from here, its rusted rungs and railroad ties groaning and whispering, beckoning people to its edge." Shivers! I love how Morrissey has blended this into the entire narrative.

Return readers like myself will be happy to see that Investigator Nikolai Kole returns in this third entry. He's an excellent lead - determined to do the best he can, knowing that his window of leaving is getting smaller and smaller. Other characters from the first two books take larger roles. They too are well drawn. The reader is privy to their thoughts on the crime, the why, the self rumination. This plays a key part of Morrissey's intricate plotting. I also liked how tendrils from the first two books have insinuated themselves into this book. 

Morrissey's writing is unsettling and so addicting. There's no way to predict where the plot is going to go. There are many many choices for the final whodunit. I thought I had solved the case, only to be proven wrong. I love being proved wrong.

A gritty, dark tale that's another five star read for me from Morrissey. See for yourself - read an excerpt of When I'm Dead. I'm hoping there are more stories to be told from Dark Harbor. #WHENIMDEAD

The Goodbye Coast - Joe Ide

A Philip Marlow novel? You caught my attention Joe Ide! Ide puts his own spin on this iconic character, setting his tale in current day, in his new novel - The Goodbye Coast. 

Marlowe is an unlicensed private investigator in Las Angeles, often taking cases from a crusty old investigator. He often gets help from his Dad Emmet - currently on leave from the LAPD.

Now, I must admit, I went in with pre-conceived notions as to what this Marlow would be like - his thoughts and actions, who the other players would be and what the crime might entail. And I discarded them quickly. This Marlowe isn't what I expected - but I very much liked Ide's reinvention.

Marlowe has two cases on his plate - a missing wealthy teenager and a mother desperate to find her missing child. Enter the femmes fatale. Again, happily not what I was expecting - these two will give Marlow a run for his money.  Bring in Russian and Armenian gangs and the action ramps up.

I loved Marlowe's wry internal thoughts and observations. And his wishful thinking on the romance front. The dialogue is short and snappy, suiting the character and the overall tone of the book. It's often quite humorous as well. The setting of Los Angeles is portrayed in all it's glitz and grime. Marlowe and Emmet have a complicated relationship and Ide explores the father and son relationship with a keen eye.

This reader quite enjoyed this homage to Chandler and other 'classic' crime novels. Here's hoping that it's not too long of a wait for the next Marlow case. See for yourself - read an excerpt of The Goodbye Coast.

Kill the Father - Sandrone Dazieri

Kill the Father is Italian author Sandrone Dazieri's North American debut.

When a woman is beheaded in Rome and her six year old son taken, the major crimes Chief calls in an unexpected duo to secretly track the killer and find the boy. Deputy Captain Colomba Caselli is still recovering from her last case or catastrophe, depending on your viewpoint. She is joined Dante Torre, a man who spent his childhood trapped inside a concrete silo fed by the gloved hand of a masked kidnapper who called himself 'the Father'. He escaped but has been irreparably damaged by his horrific ordeal.

I thought this was an excellent premise. The two leads were well drawn and I am always attracted to the 'walking wounded' protagonists. Kill the Father is listed as the first book in the Columba Caselli series. So, a great introduction to this character and her back story. Torre is of course, horribly affected by his ordeal as a child, but I found that his reactions to situations etc. became somewhat repetitive as they were described over and over again.

The plot is intricate and complex, but I found it started to drag over the course of the 500+ pages and I found my attention wandering.

I chose to listen to Kill the Father. I do find when I read a book vs. listening to it, that it's a different experience. Repetitive descriptions that I may have glossed over in physical book format are more pronounced in audio. The character seem more 'real' when they have an actual voice.

The reader of Kill the Father was Cassandra Campbell - one of my favourite audio book presenters. Her performance was excellent. She has such a smooth voice that is so pleasant to listen to. There's a melodic undertone that makes her voice sound so polished and effortless. I liked her interpretation of the Columba character. It fit the mental image I had created for the character. Her pacing of the narrative is good, as are the inflections she gives to dialogue and action. She handles the Italian phrases used in the book admirably. Listen to an excerpt of Kill the Father.

Great audio performance, but overall, Kill the Father was just an okay book for me. Read an excerpt of Kill the Father.