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Crashed

Soho Crime, 2012, 356 Pages

ISBN No. 978-1616952747

Reviewed by Patricia E. Reid

Junior Bender is a burglar but he has some rather unique ways of approaching his jobs. Some of his methods will have you rolling on the floor laughing but they seem to work for him – at least most of the time. There are a few moments when the reader wonders if Junior will survive to steal another day.

An LA crime boss is producing a porn movie starring Thistle Downing. Thistle is a former child star who was loved by her fans but time has taken a toll on Thistle and she is currently living in a drug-induced stupor, destitute and uninsurable. The movie would bring income to Thistle but would only send her further down her current path of destruction.

Junior is blackmailed into accepting the free-lance job of finding out who is sabotaging this movie. His job is to keep the movie on track. The problem Junior is running into is that he likes Thistle and knows the movie is not the best thing for her even though she needs the money. Junior sets out to fulfill his obligation but at the same time do right by Thistle and this isn’t an easy thing to do. Junior has some very interesting friends who lend a helping hand along the way.

I want to read more and more about Junior. He is a character that is full of charm and certainly has some interesting escapades. Crashed is written in a totally different style from the Bangkok series. This novel proves that Timothy Hallinan can entertain us with more than one type of novel and I for one want to read everything he writes.

Midnight Alley

Miles Corwin

Oceanview Publishing, 2012, 304 Pages

ISBN No. 978-1-6080-038-9

Reviewed by Patricia E. Reid

When I reviewed “Kind of Blue” I commented that Miles Corwin had written a book full of danger, excitement and secrets and “Midnight Alley” is more of the same. The reader learns more about Ash Levine, top detective in the LAPD’s Felony Special squad. Ash is not an ordinary detective. He served as a paratrooper in the Israel Defense Forces and this experience gives him a little different outlook.

This second in the Ash Levine series puts Ash in charge of solving the murder of two young black men found shot to death in a Venice Alley. The timing could not be worse. Ash has just left for a weekend with his ex-wife Robin. When he received the call ordering him back to work, Robin understood, but Ash was very disappointed.

Raymond Pinkney, one of the victims, was the son of City Councilman Isaac Pinkney. Isaac has been a frequent critic of the LAPD. Ash is under heavy pressure to find the killer but the case is puzzling. Teshay Winfield, the other victim, had just returned from serving in the armed forces. The two victims had known each other when they were younger but had gone separate ways. What brought them together to be found dead in an alley? And what was the strange marking on Pinkney’s bicep? And what does it mean? These are just a few of the many questions that leave Ash searching for answers.

Ash discovers that Teshay had returned to the States with a mask he discovered while serving overseas. Teshay had high hopes that the mask would bring him a lot of money. The more answers that Ash finds the more danger he is placing himself in.

This is a complicated story that reveals itself little by little until the surprising conclusion. It leaves the reader waiting for more about Ash Levine, his life, and the cases he investigates in a manner that is totally devoted to solving the puzzles presented to him.

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/305976151

http://www.bestsellersworld.com/2012/04/06/midnight-alley-by-miles-corwin-review-2/

http://www.mysteriesgalore.com/2012/04/07/midnight-alley-by-miles-corwin-review-2/

http://www.book-views.com/articles/1003/1/Midnight-Alley-by-Miles-Corwin/Page1.html

http://book-critique.com/articles/581/1/Midnight-Alley-by-Miles-Corwin/Page1.html