February 2024 MBR The Mystery/Suspense Shelf part 3 of 4

The Mystery/Suspense Shelf part 3 of 4

Death Under the Deluge
C.M. Wendelboe
https://cmwendelboe.com
Encircle Publications
https://encirclepub.com
9781645994800, $16.99 Paper/$4.99 ebook

https://www.amazon.com/Death-Under-Deluge-Spirit-Mystery/dp/1645994805

The sixth book of the Spirit Road mystery series (revolving around Lakota F=
BI agent Manny Tanno) again involves tribal interests in a murder scenario =
in which a body turns up too close to the Sioux Indian reservation. The age=
 of the body makes it a historical mystery -- until Manny's probe reveals t=
hat the history might not quite reside only in the past. As a cold case tur=
ns hot, Manny finds that being in law enforcement offers no immunity to dea=
th when a fellow officer is shot and his own life is repeatedly threatened.

The murder may have taken place some seventy year ago, but its impact is st=
ill alive and kicking. C.M. Wendelboe creates another powerful mystery that=
 sizzles with not only intrigue, but a surprisingly wry sense of humor that=
 runs like a thread through the story from its opening lines: "Mel Peel bro=
ught the binoculars down from his eyes and handed them to Deputy Sam Christ=
ian. "I'm only a lonely diver hired by you guys now and again and who flunk=
ed anatomy class in school, but I suspect those five fingers are attached t=
o a wrist down there somewhere." The body was supposed to stay buried in th=
e murky waters of a submerged cabin under the Missouri River, but nothing s=
tays hidden forever.

Manny's probe forces him into many uncomfortable positions, from facing bul=
lets to encountering old flames that may hold not only clues, but equally w=
ell-hidden passions. He's armed with added-value abilities which also feel =
dubious, at times: "...my visions do not feel like gifts. Be different if m=
y visions were . . . pleasant, but they're not. They're frightening." Neith=
er his strong connections nor his savvy may be enough to prevent the re-eme=
rgence of a murderer from the past, as evidence points out to the perp.

Though Manny's expertise and processes received embellishment in many books=
 before this, newcomers to Wendelboe's character should not be dissuaded fr=
om taking up the story as a stand-alone, despite its prolific historical pr=
ecedents. It's easy to become immersed in Manny's persona and surroundings =
-- and just as easy to find his dilemmas and choices realistic and thought-=
provoking. Vivid action compliments insights into murderers, victims, and e=
ven love.

Libraries and readers seeking mysteries which incorporate Native American i=
nterests and procedural intrigue will find Death Under the Deluge a compell=
ing, highly attractive story whose twists and turns make it hard for even s=
easoned mystery readers to predict.

One Icy Night
W.A. Pepper
Hustle Valley Press, LLC
B0CN5C9RHB, $4.99 eBook

https://www.amazon.com/One-Icy-Night-Anniversary-Delta-ebook/dp/B0CN5C9RHB

Imagine waking up to a madman who is trying to kill you. Such is the openin=
g scenario in the Rook thriller One Icy Night, where a drunk driver is tran=
sporting an equally drunk detainee, who is in handcuffs; careening through =
icy streets until an ax-wielding stranger stands before their car.

And that's just the opening scenario! As the story unfolds, Rook presents a=
s a traveling female bassist in a band who confronts betrayal, a soon-to-be=
-ex boyfriend, and murder with equal competency and a "physical and mental =
thick skin" that serves her well, whether in a band or participating in bar=
 brawls.

Another strength lies in the wry sense of humor that peppers vivid descript=
ions and action: "At first, I think I'm the one screaming like a gerbil in =
a blender. But no, the high-pitched yell comes from Riley. Everything in th=
e vehicle bounces around and pelts us as gravity and momentum team up to be=
at our asses."

As a storm of physical and mental events emerges, the story moves between t=
he "then" and "now' of last year and today, juxtaposing a series of confron=
tations and events which test Rook's ability to accept what she has done an=
d how to move on.

References to the Quran and Bible pepper her journey. Characters who cheris=
h a higher power and law intersect with Rook's self-examination to provide =
further moments of enlightenment, irony, and insights into her efforts to s=
top the bad guy and regain her power.

W.A. Pepper's ability to lead readers through Rook's actual hell and back l=
ends to a thriller replete with unexpected moments of enlightenment and rev=
elation. Libraries and readers seeking a story steeped in conflicts of inte=
rest and one event's lasting impact on a young woman's life will find One I=
cy Night a powerful study in psychological and spiritual contrasts. It take=
s a conflict with the law and moves it into arenas of psychological and phi=
losophical inspection that are gritty, unexpected, and hard to put down.

Searching for Dali
Robert Lane
Mason Alley Publishing
9781732294578, $14.95 Paperback/$4.99 eBook

https://www.amazon.com/Searching-Dali-Jake-Travis-Book-ebook/dp/B0CQMXBHRT

Fans of Robert Lane's Jake Travis series well know the supercharged nature =
of Jake's pursuits; but in Searching for Dali, Jake's efforts introduce the=
 added value of characters such as Veronica Stafford, whose phone calendar =
includes mention of her projected death date. At the heart of her decisions=
 are not only physical health issues, but the disappearance of an original =
Salvador Dali painting, The Lost Body, that she was mandated to protect for=
 her husband.

From repressed memories that hold insights on many mysteries to degenerativ=
e conditions that spark questionable decisions, Veronica's choices instigat=
e a series of events. These draw investigator Jake Travis into the art worl=
d and onto a journey that proves one of the more challenging in his career =
when he becomes involved in Veronica's life.

Robert Lane maintains the philosophical observations and tone that make the=
 characters and their personalities come to life against a philosophical ba=
ckdrop designed to keep readers engaged and thinking: "She'd miss her natur=
al ability to orchestrate her surroundings. To bend the world to her purpos=
e. Like Dali's clocks. She always felt she was gifted in that area, althoug=
h now the value of the gift escaped her." Jack's background working with th=
e special forces and as a CIA agent is exactly what seventy-two-year-old Ve=
ronica wants on her special case. Her insistence on his involvement with he=
r husband and the missing painting draws him reluctantly into an alternativ=
e reality even he believes ("...the sweet spot of life was a few degrees of=
f reality.").

From hot art, a painting's rightful owner, and the search to find it to the=
 psychological motivations and reasoning of characters who are involved in =
the mystery on different levels, Lane returns to the first person when foll=
owing Jake's footsteps into not just the art world, but the undercurrents b=
uffeting his own life and choices.

Jake's duty embraces far more than uncovering a painting's whereabouts. He =
finds himself charged and challenged by those vulnerable to his decisions a=
nd their own involvement in the case: "I felt an obligation to protect Carr=
ie. For, like the gecko in my pocket, she knew nothing of the world she had=
 entered. She was alive only because Demos didn't know where the painting w=
as, and his first brutal attempt to learn its location had, for some unknow=
n reason, backfired."

Has his preoccupation with Dali led to his not listening to obvious cues ab=
out other events? Can Jake turn his back on the ten million dollars that's =
at stake in his choices? His family life with Kathleen and the children als=
o become entwined with his mandate to locate the missing Dali and too many =
other pieces of the bigger picture and puzzle.

Lane captures this relationship and impacts upon it using compelling, descr=
iptive language that leads to astute insights: "Kathleen was the conductor =
of our lives. The baton bearer who kept the disparate parts graceful, fluid=
, and in harmony. And I? I was a rover, the third-chair Wrecking Crew trump=
et player who, in one note, could blare out the entire ensemble. Everyone k=
nows when the trumpet player screws up."

The result is another Jake Travis mystery that adds additional layers of un=
derstanding for prior readers, but requires no prior familiarity with Jake'=
s relationships and approaches in order to prove equally engrossing for new=
comers.

Libraries and readers seeking stories of suspense that profile the art worl=
d's impact on private and public lives will find Searching for Dali as rive=
ting in its exploration of self and moral values as it is in Jake's discove=
ry of the real story behind a missing Dali piece that is literally worth dy=
ing for.

Stung
Cullen Scott
https://cullenscottbooks.com
Papillon du Pere Publishing
https://papillon-du-pere.com
9781915221131, $14.99 Paperback/$4.99 eBook

It's rare to see techno-thriller writing that can appeal broadly from young=
 adult into adult audiences, but Stung is such an offering, promising a spe=
cial brand of compelling appeal that hits hard from the start.

Set in 2047, it tells of a world where everyone has a chip implanted in the=
ir brain at age 16. Two fifteen-year-olds are about to enter favored adult =
status with their newly awakened chips. But, they are not happy about the m=
andate.

Talon is just entering his senior year of high school and is facing 'progra=
mming day', which will activate his chip implant and connect him to the gov=
ernment network. Yet, he has cause to worry about the event and his choices=
 as his family history comes to light: "Three years ago, his brother wrestl=
ed with the same anxieties. Deciding not to be networked, Wilder headed for=
 the depths of the surrounding mountains, where it ended badly. Talon was s=
upposed to be able to acknowledge this. That Wilder starved to death. Starv=
ing was one of the many self-inflicted consequences awaiting those that fle=
d. Through many counseling sessions, Talon came to understand Wilder had ma=
de bad choices.

The problem was, with Talon's 'special day' drawing near, he couldn't guara=
ntee to himself he would choose differently."As confrontations, new revelat=
ions, and struggles emerge, the story of a kill-chip's influence and resist=
ance moves between a disparate group of characters, from Talon and Sophia t=
o Shadow, Drake, and General Stafford. Each represent a segment of special =
agendas that flow into one another. Conflicts and the consequences of killi=
ng force each individual to confront moral and ethical decisions that chall=
enge both the status quo and their own life trajectory. Cullen Scott excels=
 at contrasting forces of government control with those that opt for freedo=
m at all costs, even if the choice involves death and retribution.

The fast-paced, action-packed story is designed to appeal to teen audiences=
, but will reach into adult readers with its further review of the philosop=
hical and psychological ramifications. The chip supposedly will quash any i=
ntention of murder or killing, but comes with its own requirement to artifi=
cially control human instincts. Scott's choice of contrasting changing char=
acter perspectives lends a more full-bodied feel to her story than other wo=
rks of dystopian fiction. It adds a depth of contrasting clashes that revie=
w the logic and thinking processes of a disparate group of individuals who =
come to question the logic of improving life by thwarting murderous impulse=
s. Who could resist such an agenda? The 'why' is even more intriguing as th=
e story unfolds its unexpected, delightful twists and turns.

All these elements make Stung highly recommended not just for teens and adu=
lt readers, but especially for libraries and book club discussion groups in=
terested in stories of survival, individuality, and the ultimate cost of so=
cial control systems.

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