Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Simple Truth, David Baldacci

"Simple Truth" by David Baldacci is a good murder mystery that shows Baldacci is in perfect form. The mystery includes political members, the military and Supreme Court justices. Rufus Harms has been incarcerated for 25 years for a crime he did not do. He was in the Army during the Viet Nam war and could not follow orders and ended up in the stockade. That was the beginning of his trouble. Through the years and many appeals later, Rufus got an appeal out of Fort Jackson prison to the Supreme Court, the highest court available. The head man of the prison, Rayfield, intercepted the appeal and could not let the simple truth out. Conversing with his cohorts, Rayfield took matters in his hands which led to the murder of Mike Fisk, a lawyer in the Supreme Court. John Fisk, his brother and Chandler, homicide detective on the Washington DC police started a lengthily investigation. Harms was able to escape from Fort Jackson and helped Fisk uncover a scandal of the Army experimenting with LSD and PCP on unyielding soldiers. Rufus Harms was one!

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Sudden Mischief, Robert Parker

"Sudden Mischief" by Robert Parker is a Spenser detective mystery. Parker writes a smooth prose that is in the first person, this makes the reader feel like part of the story. The chapters are short and contain good humor. Parker is descriptive with his characters looks and the setting of the scenes. The reading goes fast and is very easy to understand.

Spenser is a private detective in Boston and while having a drink with his lover, Susan, she asks him to help her x-husband. Brad Sterling, her x, is being sued for sexual harassment and is desperate for her help. Spenser agrees, and starts investigating. Sterling was the man behind a fund raising benefit, Galapalooza, that was successful and even got praise from the President. This is where the harassment case allegedly took place. With the success of the event, the charity recipients got no funds. Something is not right! Sterling disappears after a dead body was found in his office. Spenser was searching the clues and discovered that the fund raiser was not legitimate. Sterling was using the charity as a front for some criminal activities, money laundering and embezzlement.

With murder and other shady activities, Spenser tells Susan what he came up with. Spenser once again proves himself as detective, friend, lover, and human being as Sterling's reappearance forces Susan to examine her past and her conscience. Spenser must do the same and realizes this to will pass.

Parker has written a good mystery, with love, friendship, humor and violence. This is the 25 series with Spenser and he dose not seem to get older, but he does get wiser.

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

White Shell Woman, James Doss

"White Shell Woman" by James Doss is a good mystery with an American Indian myth and modern day results. White Shell Woman was a moon goddess that the Indians worshiped. She provided rain for their crops. The rain did not come for several seasons and the crops would not grow. The Anasazi Indians performed human sacrifices to make the moon cry. The moon cried fire and the Indians left, but not before they buried a treasure in the Wolf Mesa area. Charlie Moon was bequeathed a cattle ranch, Columbine, with five square miles of pristine grazing land and a lake full of trout. He was no longer a police for SUPD but a rancher. He became an investigator for the Ute tribe along with a badge, gun and enthusiasm for the challenges in front of him. The ranch foreman did most of the work so Charlie had some free time to devote.

Dr. Amanda Silk, an archaeologist, was watching over the Wolf Mesa site for the forest service, to keep pot hunters and treasure hunters away. On one walk, she uncovered an ancient petroglyph which pointed to where the Anasazi treasure was buried. This was great news and brought many professors with a PhD to study the rock carving. At the site of the treasure, the murder of a graduate student found in a grave and burnt, was the start of the myth of the fire tears of the moon. The FBI were called in and there was a search for the perp. Charlie did his own investigating, for the murder was on the Ute reservation.

Charlie Moon was hit on the head and nearly died. He was found in a grave covered with rocks and pine needles, about to be torched. The howling of a dog saved him. Doss has provided a fine mystery with the Indian Myths and a modern day solution. Doss knows American Indian folklore and puts it in a story of mystery with good results, that the reader enjoys.