New book release: ‘Righteous Prey’ by John Sandford

‘Righteous Prey’ is John Sandford’s newest best-selling novel. Photo: Amazon

John Sandford is the pseudonym for the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist John Camp. He is the author of thirty-one Prey novels; four Kidd novels; twelve Virgil Flowers novels; three YA novels coauthored with his wife, Michele Cook; and three other books. His new book “Righteous Prey” is a Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flowers novel and this time they are going up against a powerful vigilante group with an eye on vengeance. (Amazon, 2022)

“Righteous Prey” – “We’re going to murder people who need to be murdered.” So begins a press release from a mysterious group known only as “The Five,” shortly after a vicious predator is murdered in San Francisco. The Five is made up of vigilante killers who are very bored and very rich. They target the worst of society—rapists, murderers, and thieves—and then use their unlimited resources to offset the damage done by those who they have killed, donating untraceable Bitcoin to charities and victims via the dark net. The Five soon become popular figures in the media though their motives may not be entirely pure. After The Five strike again in the Twin Cities, Virgil Flowers and Lucas Davenport are sent in to investigate and they soon have their hands full. The killings are smart and carefully choreographed, and with no apparent direct connection to the victims, the killers are virtually untraceable. But if anyone can destroy this group, it will be the dynamic team of Davenport and Flowers.

Excerpt available.

New release: ‘If It Bleeds’ by Stephen King

According to Amazon, from #1 New York Times bestselling author, legendary storyteller, and master of short fiction Stephen King comes an extraordinary collection of four new and compelling novellas: Mr. Harrigan’s Phone, The Life of Chuck, Rat and the title story If It Bleeds; each pulling you into intriguing and frightening places.

The novella is a form King has returned to over and over again in the course of his amazing career. Several have been adapted into iconic films, including “The Body” (Stand By Me) and “Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption” (Shawshank Redemption). Like “Four Past Midnight,” “Different Seasons,” and most recently “Full Dark, No Stars,” “If It Bleeds” is a uniquely satisfying collection of longer short fiction by an incomparably gifted writer.

Television adaptation: ‘The Outsider’ by Stephen King

Stephen King is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, science fiction and fantasy. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and many of them have been adapted into feature films, miniseries, television shows and comic books. He is best known for classic novels like “Carrie,” “It,” “The Green Mile” and the Dark Tower series and most recently “The Outsider,” “Sleeping Beauties,” co-written with his son Owen King, and the Bill Hodges trilogy: “Mr. Mercedes,” “Finders Keepers” and “End of Watch.” “The Outsider” follows a seemingly straightforward investigation into the gruesome murder of a young boy. But when an insidious supernatural force edges its way into the case, it leads a seasoned cop and an unorthodox investigator to question everything they believe in. It has been adapted into a 10 part limited series that will premiere on HBO on Sunday January 12 at 9p.m. Cast includes Ben Mendelsohn, Cynthia Erivo, Jason Bateman and Bill Camp.

According to Amazon, “The Outsider” the story centers around an eleven-year old boy’s murder. When his violated corpse is found in a town park, eyewitnesses and fingerprint evidence points to one of Flint City’s most popular citizens. His name is Terry Maitland, and he is a Little League coach, an English teacher, husband and father of two girls. Detective Ralph Anderson, whose son Maitland once coached, orders a very quick and public arrest even though he has an alibi. Anderson and the district attorney add DNA evidence to go with the fingerprints and eyewitnesses and assume they have an ironclad case. Typical of King, this is not the ending, for as the investigation expands and horrifying answers begin to emerge, the story kicks into high gear and brings along strong tension and unbearable suspense. Terry Maitland seems like a nice guy, but is he really?

Movie adaptation: ‘It’ by Stephen King

itcover2 — The feature film adaptation of Stephen King’s ‘It’ opens in theaters on Friday September 8, 2017.

The last time audiences experienced Stephen King’s “It” was in 1990 by way of a television mini-series starring Tim Curry as Pennywise the Clown. The latest adaptation of the best-selling horror novel opens in theaters on Friday September 8, 2017. It is also known as It Part 1 The Losers Club because it is intended to be the first installment in a planned duology. The supernatural horror movie tells the story of seven children in Derry, Maine who are terrorized by a shapeshifting supernatural being while facing their own personal demons. This time around it is Bill Skarsgård’s turn to give life to Pennywise.

In “It,” Seven adults return to their hometown to confront a nightmare they had first live through as teenagers and it is an evil without a name so they call it ‘It.’ They are now grown men and women who have moved on with their lives and achieved success and happiness. Twenty-eight years ago, they promised to return if it ever resurfaced. Now that children are being murdered again they are back and so are their repressed memories of a terrifying summer when they battled an evil creature that preyed on the city’s children. The creature appears in the form of a clown to attract its preferred prey of young children, but it also exploits the fears and phobias of its victims to disguise itself. The story is told through alternating narratives between two time periods and recurring themes include the power of memory, childhood trauma and overcoming evil through mutual trust and sacrifice.

Best seller of the month: ‘The Late Show’ by Michael Connelly

lateshowmichaelconnelly2 — ‘The Late Show’ by Michael Connelly holds the top stop on The New York Times best seller list. Photo: amazon

New to the best seller list on The New York Times is “The Late Show” by Michael Connelly. It was released this month and it holds the number one spot on the list. Michael Connelly is the author of detective novels and other crime fiction, the most popular being the ones featuring LAPD Detective Hieronymus “Harry” Bosch and criminal defense attorney Mickey Haller. With “The Late Show” he introduces Renee Ballard, a young detective fighting to prove herself on the LAPD’s toughest beat.

According to Amazon, in “The Late Show,” Renee Ballard works the night shift in Hollywood, also known as the Late Show. She was once an up-and-coming detective but she was given this shift as punishment for filing a sexual harassment complaint against a supervisor. Now, she begins many investigations but does not finish them because each morning she turns everything over to the day shift. One night she gets two assignments that she does not want to hand off: the brutal beating of a prostitute left for dead in a parking lot and the killing of a young woman in a nightclub shooting. Determined not to let go of the cases, she works both by day while maintaining her shift by night. The deeper she delves into the investigation, the closer they pull her to her own demons.

Michael Connelly is the best-selling author of twenty-eight novels and one work of fiction. He has sold over sixty million copies of his books worldwide and they have been translated into thirty-nine foreign languages. Before turning to writing, he was a newspaper reporter who worked the crime beat at the Los Angeles Times and the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel. His first book, “The Black Echo” won the Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award for Best First Novel in 1992. Movie adaptations of his novels include “Blood Work” starring Clint Eastwood and “The Lincoln Lawyer” starring Matthew McConaughey. The series of books featuring Harry Bosch is now an Amazon Studios drama series starring Titus Wellliver and is streaming on Amazon Prime.

Movie adaptation: ‘The Dinner’ by Herman Koch

thedinnerpic — The movie adaptation of ‘The Dinner’ by Herman Koch is due out in theaters on Friday May 5, 2017. Photo: Barnes & Noble

Herman Koch is a Dutch actor and writer who has written short stories, novels and columns. He is best known for his 2009 international best-selling novel “The Dinner.” It has been translated into 21 languages and has been adapted into three films. The new American adaptation will be released on Friday May 5 and stars Richard Gere as Stan Lohman, Steve Coogan as Paul Lohman and Laura Linney as Claire Lohman.

According to Amazon, “The Dinner” is a suspenseful and controversial story of two families struggling to make the hardest decision of their lives all during one meal. The story is narrated by Paul Lohman, a former history teacher. His wife is Claire and they meet his older brother Serge, a politician and his wife Babette at a fashionable restaurant for dinner. Between courses the conversation at first remains polite but they are aware of the underlying topic that they will eventually have to discuss. Each couple has a fifteen-year-old son named Michael and Rick respectively who committed a crime that was filmed by a security camera and shown on TV but they have yet to be identified. The point of the meeting between the parents is for them to decide on what to do. Eventually the meal ends and politeness and friendship break down as each couple displays just how far they are willing to go to protect those they love.

Book review: ‘Infamy’ by Robert K Tanenbaum

infamypic — ‘Infamy’ by Robert K Tanenbaum is the latest book in the Butch Karp-Marlene Ciampi series. Photo: amazon

Robert K Tanenbaum is a trial attorney and The New York Times bestselling author of thirty one books which include twenty-eight novels and three nonfiction books. He is best known for the popular Butch Karp-Marlene Ciampi series. The series begins with “No Lesser Plea” and his most current novel “Infamy” marks the twenty-eight and features prosecutors Butch Karp and his wife Marlene Ciampi. This time they team up to solve the murder of a US Army coronel while facing corruption at the highest levels of the United States government.

“Infamy” begins with the Prologue that has the jury about to deliver a verdict in a New York courtroom. From there it goes back eleven months to the Middle East where several people are killed in what becomes the beginning of a political cover up. Back in the states a former Army veteran suddenly murders three people in Central Park before giving himself up. After fleeing the scene he ends up at the Central Park Zoo where he takes hostages and claims he shot those people because he was being used in mind control experiments and was set up. He asks for immunity and in return he offers to name names and gives the operation code name ‘mirage.’ As Karp gets involved he finds that the corruption surrounding the case puts him, his friends and even his family in danger but he is determined to find those responsible.

Even though this is the latest in a long line of Butch Karp-Marlene Ciampi novels it is not necessary to be familiar with the characters or their backstory to enjoy or understand the story. It is a fast paced political thriller that combines courtroom drama with politics and is hard to put down. The action flows from chapter to chapter and is easy to follow. Mr Tanenbaum makes good use of dialogue to move the story along and the language is easy to understand without being too simplistic. “Infamy” by Robert K Tanenbaum is recommended for fans of legal and political thrillers similar to John Grisham.

*A copy of this book was given for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are solely the author’s.

Movie adaptation: ‘A Man Called Ove’ by Fredrick Backman

Fredrick Backman is a Swedish columnist and blogger. He is also The New York Times bestselling author of “A Man Called Ove,” “My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry” and “Britt-Marie Was Here.” In his native Sweden they were all number one bestsellers and have been published around the world in more than twenty-five languages. The movie adaptation of “A Man Called Ove” starring Rolf Lassgård is now in limited release. It is in Swedish with English subtitles.

According to Amazon, “A Man Called Ove” is about a grumpy old man called Ove. People call him “the bitter neighbor from hell” because he has strong principles, strict routines and a short fuse. Just like everyone else, behind that cranky exterior there is a deeper story filled with sadness. He has always been this way but since his wife Sonia died it has gotten worse. He has decided that life without her is not worth living and has planned to join her. His life begins to change when a young couple with two young daughters moves in next door. They accidentally flatten his mailbox and that sets in motion a funny and heartwarming tale of unkempt cats, unexpected friendship and the ancient art of backing up a U-Haul. In the end Ove’s life, as well as those of his neighbors, will be forever changed.

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