Short Circuit

Finished August 9

Short Circuit by Wolf Haas, translated by Jamie Bulloch

This fascinating thriller novel was inspired by the artwork of M.C. Escher and jigsaw puzzles. One of the main characters is Franz Escher, a man who works as a funeral orator and lives a quiet life. Years ago, a woman gave him a birthday gift of a jigsaw puzzle of one of Escher's pictures and he became hooked. Now he has bookcases filled with jigsaw puzzles. He does them often. His other hobby is reading about the mafia, both fiction and nonfiction. Some time ago Franz wrote a fiction book about working in the funeral business, that drew heavily from his real life and real people, including a co-worker named Nellie. Nellie had not gotten angry exactly, but she brought up certain elements of the fictionalized version of herself, and why he made certain choices. Franz felt embarrassed at his literary work, and took the small advance he earned from it and invested it in an online bookstore that he read about that was doing badly financially and expected to go into bankruptcy. He just wanted the money to go away. 

Franz has a faulty outlet in his kitchen, that has been getting gradually worse, and now has a loose connection that makes him nervous. He only has the one countertop outlet, and must constantly unplug appliances in when he wants to use a different one: kettle, coffeemaker, toaster. He has called for an electrician and while he waits he first finished a jigsaw puzzle, and now he is reading a book about an Italian mafioso turned informant Elio Russo. Russo is awaiting being released from prison into a witness protection program. 

Meanwhile, Elio is nervous about his upcoming release and can't sleep, so he is reading a book about a man named Franz Escher, who is waiting for an electrician to come fix a faulty outlet in his kitchen.

As we move back and forth between these two stories, and a third voice related to one of the protagonists, we find ourselves in a surreal world as we wait for them to realize what is happening. 

Thoroughly enjoyable.

One Perfect Couple

Finished November 18

One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware

The main character here is Lyla, a vaccine scientist who has been dating her actor boyfriend Nico for nearly three years. Lyla has been working short-term contracts for quite a while and her current one isn't going well as she has been unable to replicate the results of a former researcher. Nico has also been unable to find steady work.

One day Nico proposes that they compete on a new reality show called One Perfect Couple, which is sort of a combination of Survivor and The Bachelor. There isn't a lot of lead time on the project, but Lyla eventually agrees to make Nico happy. She arranges to do the write-up for her research while on the trip, since she is pretty much finished the lab work. 

The setting for the show is a resort that is being built on a small island a long boat ride from Jakarta. The couples begin to get to know each other on the boat ride, and Lyla finds herself coached by the others on how to act for the cameras and not look awkward.

Before the ship gets to the island all the participants are required to give up their devices, so as not to give away any information about the show. 

The other couples are a mix of actors and influencers except Joel, who is a college teacher. The pair ups are Joel and Romi, Dan and Santana, Bayer and Angel, and Conor and Zana. 

There is a lot of information that Lyla wasn't privy to, due to the and Nico being added last minute. This definitely affects the way things unfold. There is some drama between the participants and the resort isn't anywhere near ready for people to stay. The staff is non existent and the food offered to the couples very limited. When a storm hits the island on the first night things begin to go downhill quick. Soon, instead of people helping each other survive it seems that someone is determined to be the last one left. 

Full of suspense and with interesting characters, this is a real page-turner. 

The Vanishing Place

Finished October 21

The Vanishing Place by Zoe Rankin

This suspense novel moves from the present to the past, as a young girl appears in a small New Zealand town covered in blood. She made an initial statement, giving her name as Anya, but hasn't talked further, and this statement causes the local police officer to contact Effie, who now lives in Scotland. Effie grew up in New Zealand, living deep in the bush with her parents and two siblings. When her fourth sibling is born unexpectedly, her parents are unprepared and her mother dies in childbirth. Effie takes on the care of her new brother, who they call Four. Her father is distraught and disappears for some time, returning with a woman Effie has met before briefly. As we gradually learn of Effie's past and her connection to this small town and the man who called her to return, we also deal with the present, the strange, quiet young girl who looks very much like Effie did as a child.

Returning to New Zealand awakens memories in Effie, memories both good and bad. The bad ones are of terror, terror for her family still out in the bush and what the presence of Anya means. She knows that she must return to find out, but the return to the home she grew up in brings her to a nearly empty cabin. Someone lies dead on the floor, and there are signs of confinement, but no possessions to show that anyone has been there lately besides the body. 

As Effie tries to get closer to Anya, and learn what she can from the traumatized girl, we also learn about the trauma that caused Effie to leave. 

This is a story that has more than one moment of suspense, and lots of unexpected situations and plot elements. I could hardly put it down. 

I liked Effie and could understand her choices. I also liked Anya and could understand why she was so wary of the people who tried to help, even though she'd run to them. This is a complex tale, with trauma across generations. Highly recommended. 

The Scarlet Papers

Finished July 16

The Scarlet Papers by Matthew Richardson

This spy thriller is very intriguing. The main character, Max Archer is an intelligence historian at the London School of Economics. He's published a couple of books, but they are in no way bestsellers, and he is barely making a living as an associate professor. His wife has left him for an investment banker and although they struggled with fertility, she is now pregnant with her new partner's child. 

When he gets an invitation to meet with a legendary retired spymaster called Scarlet King, he is very interested, but also very wary. Max had applied to MI6 himself years before, but had not been accepted. So his choice of subject as an historian is personal. There are no known pictures of Scarlet, and her background information is sparse. She was active for decades during the Cold War, and getting information from her would be a ticket to a promotion and would help him write the next book he is contracted for but is facing writer's block on. But it would also be a violation of the Official Secrets Act. 

He has questions about her motive and her reasons for choosing him for this information and the timing of her request to meet. The spycraft connected to their meeting logistics is complex and intriguing, and the information that he is given as teasers is explosive. Before he knows just what he's got himself into, he is already a subject of interest to the authorities and when the situation gets him on the verge of arrest, he finds himself on the run, not knowing who to trust. 

There is an extensive bibliography to this novel, showing the research that Richardson did in terms of coming up with the plot. This attention to detail is part of what makes this a great novel, but the writing style and character development are also key. From Max and Scarlet to the MI5 agent on his trail, we see the thought processes, the choices made, and the way each choice impacted the situation. Highly recommended. 

Abandoned

Finished June 1

Abandoned by Cody McFadyen

This is the fourth book in a series, but the first one I've read. The main character in the series is FBI agent Smoky Barrett, who has already been through some difficult situations, where she was kidnapped, raped, and tortured, and her husband and daughter were killed. Here, she is at the wedding of a fellow agent, when a car driving by the outdoor wedding venue slows down and pushes a woman out of the car. She is in bad shape, wearing only a nightgown and very thin with her head shaved. 

The wedding guests spring into action as most of them are either police or FBI. The woman is obviously traumatized and she doesn't respond to questions, so they use other methods to track down her identity. Which leads them to some very interesting new questions. 

As usual with serious cases, they also look for other similar crimes, and find some that fit. As Smoky digs deeper, she also puts herself at risk. She has extra security on her adopted daughter, and her husband is also in the law enforcement business, but this criminal is tricky and seems organized and dispassionate about the effect on their victims. 

This was a fast-paced read, with tense situations and life-changing outcomes for any victims that are released. The plotline was interesting, and there are parts where we see how the criminal was formed by their upbringing. There is also a secondary plotline with a potential job change for Smoky, and we get to see into the personal lives of many of the characters, something that brings depth to the characters. 

Burn

Finished April 4

Burn by Peter Heller

This novel absolutely gripped me. It is set in a near future time, where political tensions in the United States are high. Maine has talked about secession, as have some other states. 

Every year Jess and his friend Storey have gone away for a few weeks to hunt, going to different areas of the country. Both men grew up in small town Vermont, and Storey still lives there with his wife and two daughters. Jess now lives in Colorado and split up with his long-term partner a few months ago. 

Jess is the narrator of the novel. 

As the story begins, the hunting time is nearing its end, and the two men hike back to their truck and head south, but they find the bridge on the road is out. When Storey looks at it, he says that it was a deliberate act, but he doesn't know why, maybe they need to rebuilt it. So they try a different route, but they discover another destroyed bridge. They also note that they've met no one else on the road. 

As they head towards a small service centre, they run out of fuel and decide to walk up to get some. But the buildings are burned to the ground and there are bombed out vehicles on the road. 

When they find a small town in a similar condition, and no internet service, they know something big has happened, but don't know what. Is there a civil war? Is something bad happening locally? Storey also has his family to worry about. They are in a nearby state, must be worried about him, and he has no way of reaching them. 

They note that while land transportation options seem destroyed, there are still boats at the docks on the lake, and they might have supplies they can use. As they are now on foot, they look for options and hide when they see others, not sure who to trust. They aren't even sure what direction they should go in. Home is south and west, but south seems difficult. The ocean is east, and maybe others who have fled from this area might go there and they might find a way out. There is also Canada to the north, and that might be an option, except the border might be well-guarded.

As they move as quietly as they can, look for clues as to what their new reality is, and then find another complication that makes their situation both more difficult and more risky, they are in nature, camping and moving through the beautiful inland Maine landscape. 

Jess finds himself spending time in memories as well, of his childhood growing up with Storey and spending time with his family. We learn about how they became close and the experiences they've shared, and the occasional secret they've held apart from each other. This really enriches the story and shows the depth of the friendship and gives us a sense of how their characters formed, and what issues they might have. 

Because of the current American political situation, this novel felt so possible and so scary. Being cut of from everything but each other and the skills they have, these two men search for the truth and a way to stay alive and, for Storey, to return to the family he loves. 

A story that moved me, and that will stay with me. 

Clever Little Thing

Finished April 2

Clever Little Thing by Helena Echlin

This psychological thriller is set in England. Charlotte, who is English, is married to Pete, an American. Pete works for a startup company using mushrooms to make biodegradable packaging. They have had some success, but are trying to get a big company on board, so Pete is working long hours. The couple have a daughter, Stella, who is eight, and Charlotte is pregnant with their second child. 

Stella has a lot of the signs of being neurodivergent, but they've not had her tested. She is very sensitive to noise, likes her food separated, and taught herself to read early. She very interested in birds and science, and as we see at the beginning, on a trip to the beach, she finds a dead bird that she wants to bring home to examine. Some of her behaviours can be offputting for the neurotypical kids in her class, and Charlotte is trying to socialize her more. 

Charlotte has a babysitter that looks after Stella, a woman named Blanka, who is very patient with her, and doesn't talk a lot. When Blanka suddenly quits without explanation, Charlotte is surprised and disappointed. When she finds out Blanka died a few days after quitting she is saddened. Shortly afterward, she begins to notice changes in Stella, who seems to be losing her fear over some things, but is becoming more withdrawn. She is using phrases that Blanka used to use like "Oh yes" in her responses, and doesn't seem interested in her usual passions. As Charlotte tries to make sense of these changes, Pete seems to think that Charlotte is making too much of it, and increasingly Charlotte feels herself alone, without anyone to tell her worries to. She reaches out to an unlikely ally and finds herself trusting to herself more than ever before.

This is a story that escalates slowly. We can see the changes in Stella as Charlotte notes them, and understand her growing worries, and why she takes some drastic actions. Charlotte loves Stella as she is, and while she wants Stella to be able to function more easily in school and have friends, she also feels that Stella isn't herself and finds herself thinking about Blanka and how Stella seems to be exhibiting more and more elements of Blanka's personality. 

This is a story of manipulation, of love between mothers and daughters, with an eerie underlying tone. The touches of creepiness are so well done, and you feel Charlotte's frustration and desperation as she tries to understand and save her children. 

Hard to put down. 

The Blue Hour

Finished August 22

The Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins

This novel is centered around Eris, a small island in Scotland, accessible only during low tide via a causeway. Vanessa Chapman, a famous artist known for her moods and innovative work, owned the island and lived there in a house she renovated after it being unoccupied for many years. She also transformed the barn into her studio, doing not only painting, but also pottery and multimedia work there. Despite her ownership, the island outside of the buildings is open to the public and does get some visitor traffic. 

When Vanessa's ex-husband Julian disappeared shortly after a visit with her, she became the prime suspect, but the police couldn't find any evidence to charge her of the crime. 

An exhibition that Vanessa was planning was inexplicably cancelled just after the disappearance, leading to a rift with her long-time agent, Douglas Fairburn, a man who was also a lover despite his married status. With Vanessa's recent death, her friend Grace, a local doctor, inherited the island and the task of sifting through her work and papers to transfer the artistic material to the Fairburn Foundation, a gallery owned by aforementioned Douglas. Douglas has also recently died in an accident and his son Sebastian is putting pressure on Grace to transfer the remaining artistic material to the foundation. 

When one of Chapman's multimedia pieces causes an investigation following an exhibition at the Tate, questions are raised about Julian's death again. 

Gallery curator Becker is tasked with meeting with Grace to convince her to finalize the transfer. Becker is a big fan of Vanessa Chapman and knows her work well. He wants to have a cordial meeting to convince Grace, but the meeting unveils other information that he and the gallery weren't aware of. There is an interesting plot element, that of Becker's wife, Helena, now pregnant, who was previously Sebastian's fiancée. 

There are many interesting facets to this story from the history of the island itself to many questions that become apparent over the course of the novel. Is Julian dead, and if so was he killed and where is his body? Was Douglas' death really an accident? What happened to the missing art pieces Vanessa had listed for the cancelled exhibit? Why did Vanessa leave her art legacy to the Fairburn Foundation despite her falling out with Douglas? What was the nature of the relationship between Vanessa and Grace? 

The two main narrators here are Becker and Grace, and each have their own secrets and motivations. Becker is a man who lacks confidence despite his knowledge and expertise, and Grace is a woman who has struggled with rejection and friendships. 

This is a slow-moving page-turner, with lots of suspense.  

With My Little Eye

Finished April 30

With My Little Eye by Joshilyn Jackson

This suspenseful thriller is centered around actor Meribel Mills, a woman who started off as Didi a side character in a sitcom in the '90s that she's still known for. She done a lot of work since then, but nothing big. So she finds it surprising that she's suddenly being stalked. After finding evidence that he'd been in her home in L.A., she needs to go somewhere else. She accepts a role in a film shooting near Atlanta, Georgia, and rents a condo there for her and her daughter Honor. Honor is adopted and on the autism spectrum. So she worries about the change this means for her and how she will adjust. 

She also worries about being back in Georgia, her home state. She'd grown up here, and got married here, and had a devastating event that led to the end of her marriage. She'd never had full closure on that and so she finds that being near her ex has made her start following his wife on Instagram as she posts a lot of lifestyle and personal stuff there. 

The stalked sends notes written in a smelly marker, and Honor has dubbed him Marker Man for this. He has also sometimes sent 'gifts' that are unsettling. His notes convey that he has an image of her that is an object to be possessed, and he makes some violent statements.

So when Meribel, having coffee with one of her new neighbours, Cooper, in the shop below the condos feels eyes on her, she immediately thinks of her stalker, and starts looking around. 

There are some other things going on as well. Meribel had started a relationship with a man back in L.A. who works in security and she ended it when she moved, but still has the feelings for him. Cooper's ex Addie also lives in the building and has a daughter Sheila and little older than Honor. Honor befriended stray cats back in L.A. and took care of them. She's found a stray of sorts here and has befriended them and is trying to take care of them in ways that she can. 

I loved Honor and her thoughts and how she made decisions and plans. 

There are some twists and turns and lots of suspenseful moments and a very dramatic ending that feels satisfying. 

Busted

Finished April 28

Busted by Karin Slaughter

This novella is in the series featuring Will Trent, an investigator with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), the state equivalent to the FBI. Here, Will is undercover and headed towards his assignment, one that took a lot of effort and planning to set up his identity. He's stopped at a convenience store for an icee, but the machine is super slow. As he's waiting a cop arrives and comes in to use the washroom, but after that things begin going very wrong. 

This is fast-paced, with a lot of action including a chase scene. There are a few bodies, many stories that don't stand up to scrutiny, and an unexpected mastermind behind the crime. 

Despite the short length of the story and the fast pace, you don't need to be familiar with the series to enjoy the read. If you are familiar, there are a few subtleties that make it even better. 

Jack and Joe

Finished April 20

Jack and Joe by Diane Capri 

This is the third full novel in the Hunt for Reacher series which follows FBI agents Kim Otto and Carlos Gaspar as they hunt down information on Jack Reacher. They have become aware by now that they haven't been told the real reason behind their case, and they are also aware there is some sort of rivalry around it between their boss and one of the highest ranking political advisers in the country. So, while they are pawns of a sort, they are thinking pawns and occasionally make moves that take them in directions that lead places that advance their knowledge in ways their boss may not always want. 

Here, Kim is off to interview a woman who worked for Reacher and took over a case when he was demoted. She wants to find out more particulars around that case and the cause of the demotion. She travels to an army base in North Carolina, Fort Bird, but her interviewee doesn't get there as expected and she ends up finding new information possibilities, as well as a family that isn't fans of the man she's looking for information on. 

As she and Gaspar reconnect and dig deeper into this time, they find connections to Jack's brother Joe and begin to learn more about him, his friends, and a woman who meant a lot to him. 

An interesting book, but the travel that happens in this series gets tiring after a while. Another plane, another rental car, another antacid. I like the slow plot development though. 

The Damage Done

Finished March 19

The Damage Done by Hilary Davidson

This is the first book in a series featuring travel writer Lily Moore. Lily has returned to New York City from her more recent life in Spain after the police contact her to tell her that her younger sister Claudia has been found dead in her apartment on the anniversary of their mother's suicide. The apartment is actually Lily's and she'd tried living there with Claudia, but couldn't handle her sister's personality on a daily basis. Lily goes to the apartment and notices things that seem strange and out of character for her sister. When she goes to the morgue to identify her sister, things get even stranger, as the body there is someone Lily has never seen before. 

As she tries to find her sister, tracking down who and when anyone last saw or heard from here, she finds the police seem likely to think Claudia may have something to do with this woman's death. Claudia's best friend Jesse has her back, and provides a place for her to stay when she feels unsafe in her old apartment. 

With her ex-fiance, wealthy hotelier Martin trying to come back into her life, Lily finds herself still charmed by him, and yet wary too. There are a few other interesting characters, from Claudia's ex, Tariq, to the strangely friendly new neighbour Sarah, to the two police officers, Renfrew and Bruxton, assigned to the case.

I liked Lily, and enjoyed seeing both her strengths and flaws become apparent over the course of the novel, and found the plot gripping, with a few twists thrown in. 

I'd read the other two in this series a few years ago, so it was interesting to see earlier events in Lily's life, and I would have liked to see more of some characters, like Bruxton and Tariq, in the other books. 

Jack in the Green

Finished March 12

Jack in the Green by Diane Capri

This novella continues the series Hunt for Reacher, where FBI agents Kim Otto and Carlos Gaspar search for information on Jack Reacher. Having had little luck trying to get information from those close to Reacher, this installment has them connecting with someone who has had a run-in with Reacher during his Army days. Retired colonel Thomas Weston is back at a Florida base for a memorial service, and the FBI agents have been given a directive to ask him some questions, just before other FBI agents arrest him. 

Weston was investigated for being responsible for the killing of his entire family, but the evidence wasn't found to convict him. 

Otto and Gaspar aren't sure if this meeting is a set-up to trap Reacher or not, and they can't figure out why Weston would return to the U.S. at this time. When things go wrong, as is usual in this series, they really go wrong, and we get to see a little of Tampa while they do.

This novel also brings in characters from Capri's other series, including Judge Willa Carson, lawyer Jennifer Lane, and reporter Jessica Kimball. 

I enjoyed the varied pace of this one, and the glimpse of some other interesting characters. 

Get Back Jack

Finished March 2

Get Back Jack by Diane Capri

This is the second novel in the series Hunt for Reacher, where FBI agents Kim Otto and Carlos Gaspar are on an off-the-books case to discover more about Jack Reacher as part of a supposed background check. Here, there are trying to talk to the surviving members of his core team from his army days. There aren't a lot of them left, and they find that suspicious in and of itself. When they arrive at the office of one of them and find a crime scene being processed, they get worried about the remaining members of the team. 

This book features one of my favourite recurring characters from the Reacher novels, Frances Neagley, a woman that he often relies on for assistance, but who also has her own issues. 

We actually get a deeper glimpse into her life here, and also find that Otto and Gaspar encounter move danger than they expected. When women and children connected to Reacher are kidnapped as leverage against some of the members of Reacher's team, Otto and Gaspar find themselves teaming up with Neagley and learning a little more about Reacher. 

I enjoyed how this book, brought in characters from Child's books, but let us see a different aspect of them. I'm enjoying this series. 

Hidden

Finished February 27

Hidden by Rebecca Zanetti

This romantic suspense novel is the first book in a series that is centered around a small unorthodox group of government agents. There are two main characters. Pippa is a woman with a past that she fears will one day catch up with her. Malcolm was an undercover cop who is drafted into the small government team early in this novel. When Malcolm moves into the house that shares a yard with Pippa's it doesn't take long for them to notice each other, but they are both wary for their own reasons. 

The team Malcolm is drafted onto is made up of misfits, people who have traumas, and many have interesting quirks. 

Pippa has a job where she can work from home and interacts with others rarely. She has one woman that she meets from time to time and we learn gradually just how they know each other. Just as we learn the life that Pippa has fled, and what she has left behind.

We also learn about Malcolm's past and why he ended up where he is now. 

There are some formulaic elements to this story, and a few things that seem unlikely as plot devices, but the story is a fast-moving one, with elements of violence and sex in small doses. 

I picked up the book to meet a reading challenge, trying out an author that was new to me. 

The Clinic

Finished February 21

The Clinic by Cate Quinn

This suspense thriller mostly takes place at a remote luxury rehab centre on the Oregon coast. Haley, an famous singer, is a patient there and we see her as the novel begins going into an area that she's not supposed to be in.

The novel then jumps to her sister Meg. Meg works at a casino in Las Vegas, where she is part of the investigative team looking for people trying to cheat the system and for other types of crimes. Meg was caught a few years back by some of the bad guys and suffered an injury that she got opioids for and now she is a functioning addict. She's already used other substances to deal with childhood trauma that she hasn't dealt with, and has recurring nightmares that include a man in a fedora and playing cards. 

She'd been close to Haley until Haley left home suddenly, leaving Meg with their mentally unstable mother. 

When Meg gets the news that Haley has died at the rehab centre, and hears rumours of suicide, she is at first very upset, then decides to enter the centre herself as a guest to try to find out what really happened to Haley. She is sure that Haley would never commit suicide. 

There is a second point of view here as well, that of the manager of the rehab centre, Cara, who hasn't been there long. Cara has a background in the hotel industry, where she worked until she got caught up in a scandal. As Cara gradually learns what is going on, partly from the doctor there, Max, and partly from her own investigations, we learn about things from a different angle. 

The other guests at the centre are as famous as Haley was, actors and singers, all there for various addictions. The head of the centre is a man from Switzerland with his own sketchy past, and as the local police also show an interest after the death of Haley, we find some other centre staff may have troublesome connections as well. 

This is a story of both psychological suspense and some physical suspense as well. It has lots of twists and turns and unexpected events that keep you guessing on things right to the end. None of the characters are particularly likeable, even though you might think are. 

The author has her own experiences in rehab, and says that this is her first novel that she's written sober. 

Night Diver

Finished February 20

Night Diver by Elizabeth Lowell

This is a gripping novel about family, trust, and fraud. Kate Donnelly left St. Vincent years ago after the death of her parents when they were doing a dive. She tried to save her father, and her mother's body was never found. Kate hasn't dived since. Now her brother and grandfather, who run the family's dive company Moon Rose, have asked for her help sorting through the finances to try to keep the company from going bankrupt. They current have a dive contract with a British antiquities organization that barely pays the costs. She feels that she must go even though she has little hope that she will be able to make the difference needed. 

She is put in charge of a new arrival to the island, a dive consultant from the funding company who is evaluating the operation to see if it is viable or should be shut down. His name is Holden Cameron and he has both experience diving and an investigative background. 

As the two are forced to spend time together, they find it hard to withstand the physical attraction to each other, but also both have suspicions that something isn't right about the dive that is going on. 

Because of poor funding, Moon Rose has trouble hiring good divers, which isn't helped by the site they are diving at having a reputation for things going wrong. 

This is a story that built slowly into a finale with lots of action. The two main characters are interesting and have backstories that include trauma. They are also smart and once they start putting facts together, they find themselves coming to the same conclusion. 

Jack and Kill

Finished February 12

Jack and Kill by Diane Capri

This is another short story in the series Hunt for Reacher, and this one immediately follows Jack in a Box. Gaspar has heard of a sighting of Reacher in the tiny town of New Hope, Virginia, and now the two FBI agents, Gaspar and Otto are travelling there to see what they can find.

When they arrive, they find traffic moving slowly due to what appears to be a road accident where one vehicle has rear-ended another, but the local police seem to be expecting agency staff, and they soon see why. 

The two agents are able to access video showing them what happened, and this gives them a real glimpse of their quarry, Reacher, in action. Someone else they have met recently soon arrives on the scene as well, and the two are left with new questions. like why did Reacher return to this town and get involved in this situation. 

A nicely done story that gives us a sense of the difficult case the two agents have. 

Jack in a Box

Finished February 12

Jack in a Box by Diane Capri

This is a short story in the series Hunt for Reacher, where FBI agents Kim Otto and Carlos Gaspar are on a case looking for information about Jack Reacher. This story takes place after the first book in the series, Don't Know Jack, and both agents are digging back into physical records, but separately. 

Kim gets a message to go to her father's hometown in Wisconsin to see her grandmother who ill in the hospital there. This gives us a window into her personal life. We see how her father's side of the family, German in heritage, had not taken well to his marriage to his marriage to a Vietnamese woman, and so he's moved to Michigan, where Kim grew up. The family dynamic is interesting, with the family acknowledging her while also keeping their distance. Besides her grandmother, the only person she really interacted with is a cousin, Lothar, who is in the army, and who surprises her near the end of her visit. 

Carlos gets a message that takes him to D.C. from his Miami home, but he is anxious about his own family, with four daughters that keep things hopping and a son on the way. We don't get as much information about the dynamics here as we do with Kim, but the hints keep it interesting. 

As the two approach the place and time they've been led to, they are given a message regarding their case. 

I liked the background this story gave, which enhanced the series for me. 

Don't Know Jack

Finished February 9

Don't Know Jack by Diane Capri

I was interested when I heard about the series Hunt for Reacher, and borrowed this first book from my local library. I read it very quickly, wanting to know how it unfolded. 

The book starts with two FBI agents, Kim Otto, from the Detroit office, and Carlos Gaspar from the Miami office, being woken in the wee hours and sent on a discreet mission, meant to be off the books. They are supposed to find out as much as they can about Jack Reacher, but they are provided with very little. They are told to go to Margrave, Georgia, by a certain time, and for readers of the Jack Reacher novels, like me, this small town will immediately ring some bells. 

In Margrave, they find a female police chief, who seems like she knows more about Jack than she'd saying, but their search is interrupted when the chief is called about a murder, and they accompany her to the scene. They find a long-dead cop, a oddly calm and reticent killer, and a house that looks almost abandoned. 

As they try to pierce together the story, and make a mistake or two of their own, they find themselves under fire, mixing with questionable company, and taking way more flights than Otto is comfortable with. 

I liked both the main characters, and enjoyed seeing how their backstories unfolded, in small pieces. They both have a sense of humour and soon find a rhythm of communication that feels fun, yet not forced. They are both good agents, but their lack of knowledge creates an interesting dynamic where the reader knows more about Jack than they do. 

They're pretty sure he's a bad guy, who's killed many people after leaving the army, and this assumption means that they suspect him every time they find a crime. 

I'm definitely going to be reading more of this series to see where their search leads them, and what they learn along the way.