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Three Thrillers

Reviewed by Bob Burnett

Monday February 05, 2024 - 02:18:00 PM

Happy New Year! Today I have three mystery/thriller novels for your consideration.

(A) First Lie Wins -- Ashley Elston (five stars)

A superb con-artist thriller set, primarily, in Louisiana.

“Evie Porter” is a successful con-artist with two problems. First, she’s fallen in love with her mark, Ryan Sumner. Second, her very evil boss, Mr. Smith, doesn’t trust her anymore and has destroyed her actual identity. Will “Evie” escape from Smith?

By the means of clever flashbacks, Ashley Elston tells us how “Evie,” real name Lucca Marino, got into this pickle. Living in smalltown North Carolina, Lucca started stealing to deal with her ailing mother’s medical bills. Lucca came to the attention of Mr. Smith and was given the choice of working for him or going to jail. Under a series of assumed names, Lucca worked her way up in Mr. Smith’s criminal syndicate. Then she was given a vital assignment: find out what information the mark, Amy Holder, had on mob bigwig Victor Connolly. Lucca doesn’t deliver the goods, so Mr. Smith gives her what might be her final job: using the identity, “Evie Porter,” she must con Ryan Sumner or else. Two problems: First, Lucca falls for Ryan. Second, she discovers that Mr. Smith has sent a sinister woman to monitor her, a new “Lucca Marino,” who is her doppelganger.

What works: Lucca/Evie is a compelling character. She’s shady but has a moral compass that Ashley Elston skillfully reveals. The author makes us feel Lucca/Evie’s dilemma; she wants to quit working for Mr. Smith but can’t do that until she knows his identity. We’re rooting for her to succeed. The plot moves well.

What doesn’t work: Ryan Sumner isn’t a fully developed character. He’s a (slightly tarnished) Ken.

A fun page-turner. One of the best thrillers of 2024. Read it.

(B) The Golden Gate -- Amy Chua (five stars)

A historical mystery set in 1944 Berkeley. One of 2023’s best debuts.

This multi-layered mystery features Berkeley Detective Al Sullivan struggling to determine who murdered a presidential candidate, Walter Wilkinson, at Berkeley’s famous Claremont hotel. The novel features wonderful period detail. And Amy Chua, who grew up in Berkeley, is not afraid to talk about the rampant racism of the period – for example, Al Sullivan was born Alejo Gutierrez but took his mother’s surname because it was impossible to get a decent job as a Hispanic.

What’s good: The period detail. The intriguing plot: the death of Wilkinson seems connected to the mysterious death of a young girl a decade prior.

What’s not so good: Without giving away the plot, the murder investigation is too complicated. There’s an unnecessary ancillary murder. And there’s too much discussion about the racism of the period: we get it; rich white guys acted badly.

An auspicious debut mystery that’s too ambitious.

The latest thriller from the James Patterson best-seller assembly line features New York uber-detectives Brendan Holmes, Margaret Marple, and August Poe.

The fast-paced narrative jumps from character to character and case to case. By the time we’ve finished the 345 pages the intrepid trio has solved 8 cases:

· Sloane Stone disappearance

· Huntley Baine theft

· Eton and Zozie kidnapping

· Lucy Ferry disappearance

· “Skeletons in Subway” murders

· Felix Rollins corruption

· Luka Franke malfeasance

· Mary McShane murder

Whew! Thank goodness Holmes, Marple and Poe have superpowers.

Comic-book detectives auditioning for a TV series.

Summary: If you want to read my book reviews, check out my FACEBOOK page: https://www.facebook.com/KateSwift.mysteries/

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