ROBERT GODDARD
INTO THE BLUE
BORROWED TIME
Delta
Pub. Date: January 31, 2006
Robert Goddard’s acclaimed mystery books, some long out of print and others never before published in the U.S., are being re-launched from an American publisher. The first two books in the in the six-book launch are INTO THE BLUE and BORROWED TIME.
In INTO THE BLUE, Harry Barnett, an Englishman on permanent vacation in Greece, finds himself at the center of the mysterious disappearance of a young beautiful woman. Trapped in a web of intrigue, Harry searches for the truth, discovering blackmail, lies and murder along the way. Goddard, who’s been compared to P.D. James and John le Carre, displays his mastery at suspense in this suspenseful character study. The plot continuously twists and turns, and Harry Barnett proves that middle-aged losers can be heroes, too. INTO THE BLUE should keep you up late flipping its pages.
In BORROWED TIME, English businessman Robin Timariot has a chance encounter with Lady Louise Paxton. Soon after, the woman is found dead, having been strangled and raped. Though a man is convicted of the murder, Timariot has his suspicions. As he seeks to learn what really happened to the dead woman, he becomes entangled with her dysfunctional family. Slowly Goddard, through his elegant prose, reveals the secrets and lies of this tortured clan. The plot twists are plentiful and the characters intriguing. BORROWED TIME is a must-read for any serious mystery fan.
However, the biggest mystery is why Robert Goddard has been held from our shores for so long.
JOHN SAUL
PERFECT NIGHTMARE
Ballantine Books
Pub. Date: August 23, 2005
ISBN: 0-345-46731-0
John Saul moves into Thomas Harris country with his latest novel, PERFECT NIGHTMARE, about a sexual-psycho who kidnaps two teenagers and a single mom for some perverted games.
At the heart of the story are the Marshalls. Kara and Steve’s marriage is disintegrating because of his increased time spent at work. So to save the family, they decide to leave the idyllic Long Island, New York town of Camden Green to be closer to Steve’s job. Teenage daughter Lindsay, about to enter her senior year in high school, isn’t happy about the move, and makes life tough for her parents. But things get even tougher. During the open house at the Marshall residence, a maniac hides under Lindsay’s bed and, when the time is right, snatches the poor girl. Soon Lindsay finds herself gagged and bound to a chair in a dark chamber, about to become a member of a bizarre, captive family. The police think Lindsay is just another disgruntled teen runaway, but they change their minds when it’s discovered that two others have also been kidnaped after open houses. The newspapers dub the perp the Open House Ozzie (I know, kinda lame).
Getting through the first few dozen pages will be the most difficult part of reading PERFECT NIGHTMARE. From there the story picks up; though, if you are a savvy mystery reader, you should figure out the identity of the stalker by page 120. Saul throws in red herrings, but they can been seen for what they are.
The psycho’s first-person narration adds some eeriness to the story, and the third-person scenes of the psycho in action are often brutal and intense.
Despite its many faults, PERFECT NIGHTMARE does keep you turning pages, if only to answer that menacing question, “What’s gonna happen next?”
JONATHON KING
A KILLING NIGHT
Dutton
Pub. Date: March 28, 2005
ISBN: 0-525-94865-1
Female bartenders in South Florida are disappearing left and right. Police detective Sherry Richards has a suspect: Colin O’Shea. But no one in the department will back her crusade. No bodies, no evidence…no crime, they tell her. Enter Max Freeman, a P.I. who lives in an Everglades shack and works for a lawyer with a bad stutter. Sherry recruits her onetime beau because he has a link to O’Shea. They were once fellow cops in Philadelphia. But Freeman has another connection to the freewheeling O’Shea—the guy saved Freeman from getting pumped full of lead one night. What’s a private dick to do? Get to the truth. And that’s just what Freeman does—with a side trip to the life he left behind in the City of Brotherly Love, where his ex-wife is now a lieutenant in the Internal Affairs Department. Torn between loyalty to his friend and his old lover, and between the past and present, Freeman has to navigate waters more dangerous than an Everglades swamp.
Jonathon King’s A KILLING NIGHT, the fourth Max Freeman novel, is a thoughtful, engrossing mystery. The story is rich in detail and keeps your pulse pounding as it alternates between Freeman’s first person narration and the third person chronicles of the killer at large. Recommended for any fan of P.I. literature.
CHARLIE STELLA
CHEAPSKATES
Carrol & Graf
Pub. Date: March 8, 2005
ISBN: 0-7867-1479-4
All Peter Rizzo wanted after getting out of Fishkill Penitentiary was the fifty grand his ex-wife stole from him. Instead the poor slob got three slugs to the chest. Rizzo’s former cellmate, Reese Waters, takes up his dead friend’s quest and goes after the dough himself. But Rizzo’s ex-wife is one nasty, cheap broad. Not to mention that there’s a few other sleazebags who want the money for themselves. Everyone is working some kind of angle, and it all—sort of—comes together at the end like some kind of Elmore Leonard gangbang. Except one thing—Elmore Leonard is a god and Charlie Stella is a mere mortal.
Stella was once described as a combination of Elmore Leonard and Mario Puzo. Their influence is evident in the wacky mob tale CHEAPSKATES. But Stella’s not as cool as Leonard or as romantic as Puzo. He’s a pretty cheap imitation. Then again not many writers are in the same league with Leonard and Puzo, so I’ll cut Stella some slack. CHEAPSKATES isn’t a total waste, though. It has its funny moments and a few well-written characters.
If you want Leonard, get OUT OF SIGHT. If you want Puzo, get THE GODFATHER. If you don’t take your crime fiction too seriously and you’re not expecting to be knocked off your feet, give Charlie Stella a try.
GRAHAM MASTERTON
UNSPEAKABLE
Pocket Star Books
Pub. Date: February 1, 2005
ISBN: 0-7434-6294-7
Being deaf is the least of Holly Summers problems. By day she’s a child welfare officer; by night she’s a lip-reader for the Portland police department; in between she fends off sleazy men and cares for her young daughter. Life is hectic, but manageable. Then Holly encounters Elliot Joseph.
Joseph, a Native American who nearly beats his wife and son to death, puts the curse of the Raven on Holly, and soon Holly’s luck goes from bad to worse. She loses her job, she’s betrayed by friends, her daughter is kidnapped, and then she finds herself the victim of a bizarre sex club.
Graham Masterton’s new thriller UNSPEAKABLE is a fast-paced thriller full of twists and drama. Holly Summers, who is based on a real-life lip reader, is a sympathetic and interesting character. And the ending is sure to leave your mouth hanging wide open.
