Four Mysteries

Finished September 3
Shake Hands Forever by Ruth Rendell
This is one of Rendell's that I missed and finally got around to reading. Inspector Wexford and his sidekick Burden, get a case of a murdered wife. The woman is discovered by her mother-in-law upon arrival for a weekend visit. The husband was at work when the murder occured, but Wexford is sure of his involvement. Wexford is however forbidden from more contact with the man after a complaint of harrassment and is forced to take his actions on the case onto his own time. He gets his nephew, in the London police, interested and along with him finds out more about the man's actions. When another investigator does Wexford a favour, things really start to come together, but it is a close thing. Good plot with interesting characters.

Finished September 2
The Seventh Sacrament by David Hewson
This novel takes us back to Rome and the team of Nic Costa, Leo Falcone, Gianni Peroni, and pathologist Teresa Lupo. Leo is targetted by a man he put in jail fourteen years ago for beating a suspect to death, after being left alone with the suspect by Leo's boss Arturo Messina. The man, Giorgio Bramante, is trying to find out what happened to his 7-year-old son Alessio. The victim, Ludo Torchia, and five other students were in the same underground archeological site as Giorgio and Alessio and are suspected of knowing what happened to him. Because of Giorgio's attack on Ludo, none of the other students are questioned, and Arturo Messina loses his job. Now, Arturo's son Bruno is Leo's boss. Will he make mistakes as well, or trust Leo's guidance to find the real story at last. The action is good. The characters good and the plot, told from various points of view, developed nicely. I enjoyed this one while lying in my hammock in the shade, great activity for the long weekend!

Last Breath by George Shuman
This is the second Sherry Moore book. After the last book, when her friend and the man she loved, John Payne, died she is struggling to deal with her grief and the stress she endures when she uses her gift. She is brought in by the Pennsylvania attorney general to try to find out who killed the three kidnapped women, recently found in cold storage in a warehouse. They disappeared two years ago, and police attributed the kidnappings to three young men killed in a police chase with another kidnapping victim. As the state police and the FBI both get involved, Sherry is taken to her lowest and finds the strength to take on this new serial murder case with newfound dedication. Very enjoyable with good suspense and a good plot, moving point of view between the perpetrator, enforcement personnel, and Sherry herself.

Finished August 31
Bad Luck and Trouble by Lee Child
This is the latest in the series featuring Jack Reacher, an interesting character who travels only with his passport and a folding toothbrush. When he buys a new shirt, he throws away the previous one. In this novel, he is contacted by a member of his old team from the services. Another member of the team has been murdered and they are out to discover why. As they try to contact the remaining members of the team, they find that the murdered man is not the only one involved, and more may be dead as a result of whatever killed their buddy. As the remaining members hunt down clues to the case that was being investigated, they are given false trails and remain unsure who to trust. Reacher is elected leader and is sometimes forced the overrule others, but he comes through as usual. An exciting, action-packed plot with lots of tight situations. Fun to read.