The Crossing: by Michael Connelly | Summary & Analysis


Book*Sense - 2015
    Michael Connelly, continues the Hieronymus Bosch series as the titular character transitions from life as a police detective to life in the private sector. Presenting a view of the police from one who has been among their number and finds himself unhappily and uneasily outside it, the novel is sure to please Connelly’s long-time readers, even as it welcomes new ones into the series. The novel offers readers a thrilling, engaging tale of a man coming to terms with a new life and reassessing the one left behind. It points up problems that have yet to be addressed, as well, and in so doing does what the best literatures do: expose the flaws in human nature and offer hope that they can be addressed. Connelly follows Hieronymus “Harry” Bosch as, several months into a forced retirement, he is brought into the work of his half-brother, defense attorney Mickey Haller. Despite the antipathy between his former profession and Haller’s, Bosch finds himself doggedly working to uncover the truth behind the killing of Alexandra Parks, a killing Haller’s client stands ultimately wrongly accused of committing. That truth exposes ongoing corruption in the Los Angeles Police Department, and Bosch’s efforts manage to put a stop to one iteration of that corruption, exonerating a wrongly accused man and giving Bosch cause to question his former professional pursuits. This companion includes the following: • Book Review • Story Setting Analysis • Story elements you may have missed as we decipher the novel • Summary of the text, with some analytical comments interspersed • Thought Provoking /or Discussion Questions for both Readers & Book Clubs • Discussion & Analysis of Themes, Symbols… • And Much More! This Analysis fills the gap, making you understand more while enhancing your reading experience.

Mistletoe Malarkey


Stella Bixby - 2021
    They practically live together. Now, Shayla's meeting his family for Christmas.In Ireland. Seamus is a park ranger, shares an apartment with three other guys, and drives a beat up pickup truck. How would Shayla have known he was practically Irish royalty? When they arrive at the airport and are bombarded by camera flashes, Shayla's insecurities move closer and closer to the surface. An old girlfriend, a creepy uncle, and an entire town are on hand for a getting-to-know-you dinner party. Everything is going well until someone ends up dead.The guarda want Shayla to stay out of it. She may be a police officer in the United States, but she has no jurisdiction in Ireland. Too bad, she can't seem to keep from stumbling onto clues everywhere she goes. Cozy up with this fun Christmas mystery this holiday season.

No Place to Hide


Dan Latus - 2018
    He wants revenge on those who put him there.He also wants the missing £20 million from his last heist.Fogarty is ticking names off his hit list.He knows where Jake lives.It’s time for Jake and Magda to run.But Magda is no stranger to the criminal underworld — or to the violent men hunting them. CAN JAKE REALLY TRUST HER?AN EXHILARATING THRILLER THAT WILL LEAVE YOU BREATHLESSMEET JAKE ORD, an ex-spook who does not dwell on the past. Why would he? It holds few attractions for him. He just wants some peace and quiet in his retirement. But characters from the old days keep cropping up. And they always bring trouble. Luckily, Jake is a man who can handle himself. And he’s not afraid of getting his hands dirty.

Ian Rankin Collection


Ian Rankin
    

Blood Lure / Hunting Season / Flashback


Nevada Barr - 2004
    But back in her beloved mountains, where the air is pure and cool, Anna fails to find the spiritual renewal she expected. Instead, nature seems to have become twisted, carrying a malevolence almost human in its focus. Hunting Season (Ruth Bloomquist, Melissa Coates): When Anna answers a call to historic Mt. Locust, the last thing she expects to encounter is murder. But the man Anna finds in the stand's old bedroom is no tourist in distress. He's nearly naked, and very dead, his body bearing marks consistent with an S & M ritual gone awry. When hidden agendas and old allegiances are revealed, it's suddenly Anna's life on the line. Flashback (Ruth Bloomquist, Mikael Naramore): Running from a proposal of marriage from Sheriff Paul Davidson, Anna Pigeon takes a post as a temporary supervisory ranger on remote Garden Key in Dry Tortugas National Park. This island paradise served as a prison for the Lincoln conspirators during and after the Civil War. When a mysterious boat explosion - and the discovery of unidentifiable body parts - keeps her anchored to the present, Anna finds crimes of past and present closing in on her. A tangled web that was woven before she arrived begins to threaten her sanity and her life.

Another Rainy Night


Patrick Goodman - 2013
    Every day blood is spilled. Every place that rain falls, it washes away some of the red that stains the streets.Eliminating every killer in the Sixth World is as impossible as drying up every raindrop in a storm, but Thomas McAllister doesn’t want to get rid of all of them. Just one. He’s been on this killer’s trail for a while, and he knows he’s getting closer. The only question is if he’ll be able to handle getting as close as he’s about to be, or if his blood will join the stream that regularly flows into the gutters of the sprawls.

Impurity


Ray Clark - 2019
    A detective on edge. A community that wants answers. One fateful night when off duty, DI Stewart Gardener intervenes in a street brawl and his wife is shot dead. Trying to come to terms with this, he gradually returns to normal duties policing the streets of Leeds. Finding his wife’s murderer is never far from his mind, but with no leads and a hazy recollection of events, it seems hopeless. Soon he is presented with a shocking case. A man is found dead in a grubby apartment, having been killed in the cruellest of ways. It is not long before another man meets the same fate. The deaths are caused by a rapid and violent disintegration of the victims’ flesh. Pathology cannot ascertain the cause. The only connection between the victims is they both worked seasonally as Santas, dressing up as Father Christmas and entertaining kids in grottos and such like. Who would want to kill such innocuous men as these? The detective is flummoxed. The local community is ruffled. The press is having a field day. The top brass wants answers. Can DI Gardener overcome his grief and solve the case? IMPURITY is the first in a series of six books featuring Leeds based Detective Inspector Stewart Gardener. They are all murder mysteries but as suspenseful as the best thrillers. FREE with Kindle Unlimited. Look out for the next in the series, IMPERFECTION, coming soon on Kindle. If you like crime fiction that has you glued to the page and reading late into the night, this is the book for you!

Every Shallow Cut


Tom Piccirilli - 2010
    Alone except for his beloved bulldog, Churchill, a despondent man who's failed at his career, his marriage, and his own simple hopes makes his way across the fierce American landscape and the spectacle of his own bitter past.

The Windy Season


Sam Carmody - 2016
    There's no trace at all of Elliot, there hasn't been for some weeks and Paul, his younger brother, is the only one who seems to be active in the search. Taking Elliot's place on their antagonistic cousin's boat, Paul soon learns how many opportunities there are to get lost in those many thousands of kilometres of lonely coastline.Fierce, evocative and memorable, this is an Australian story set within an often wild and unforgiving sea, where mysterious influences are brought to bear on the inhospitable town and its residents. Sam Carmody is a real literary talent, with an artist's inquiring mind and a natural feel for the beauty and toughness of language. Charlotte Wood, author of the award-winning The Natural Way of Things

The Case of the Misdelivered Valentine


Emily Queen - 2020
    1920’s LondonIn this prequel to The Case at Barton Manor, Rosemary Lillywhite solves her first case.When Rosemary receives an unexpected gift on Valentine's day, a gift that was not meant for her, she sets out to solve the mystery of the mistaken delivery.

The Introductory Allingham Box Set: Look to the Lady, Police at the Funeral, Sweet Danger


Margery Allingham - 2017
    Unexpected news to him – but not to the mysterious Mr Campion, who reveals that the ancient Chalice entrusted to Val’s family is being targeted by a ruthless ring of thieves. Fleeing London for the supposed safety of Suffolk, Val and Campion come face to face with events of a perilous and puzzling nature – Campion might be accustomed to outwitting criminal minds, but can he foil supernatural forces? Police at the Funeral The tranquility of Cambridge is punctured when Cousin Andrew of the illustrious Faraday family disappears without a trace. No time is wasted in summoning Albert Campion and his sleuthing skills away from the bustle of Piccadilly to investigate – but little does he expect to be greeted by a band of eccentric relatives all at daggers with each other. Soon there are as many dead bodies as there are red herrings, and Campion must uncover the secrets of the Faraday dynasty before another victim falls… Sweet Danger Nestled along the Adriatic coastline, the kingdom of Averna has suddenly – and suspiciously – become the hottest property in Europe, and Albert Campion is given the task of recovering the long-missing proofs of ownership. His mission takes him from the French Riviera to the sleepy village of Pontisbright, where he meets the flame-haired Amanda Fitton. Her family claim to be the rightful heirs to the principality, and insist on joining Campion’s quest. Unfortunately for them, a criminal financier and his heavies are also on the trail – the clock is ticking for Campion and his cohorts to outwit the thugs and solve the mystery of Averna. “Don’t start reading these books unless you are confident that you can handle addiction.” The Independent

Missed Connections: A Riveting Mystery- Book 1


Alexandria Clarke - 2018
    She can’t make a break in her case without exposing the truth about her complicated friendship with the killer or give her boss enough information to keep him satisfied with her progress. Meanwhile, Veronica finds herself leading a double life as a woman named Virginia Burton. She ventures out in full view of the entire city, relying on her alter ego to protect her from notice. The two women are bound to run into each other again, but what will happen when they do?

Shall We Not Revenge


D.M. Pirrone - 2014
    His investigation proves difficult when the neighborhood's Yiddish-speaking residents are reluctant to talk. But when the rabbi's headstrong daughter, Rivka, unexpectedly offers to help Hanley find her father's killer, the detective receives much more than the break he was looking for. Their pursuit of the truth draws Rivka and Hanley closer together and leads them to a relief organization run by the city's movers and shakers. Along the way, they uncover a web of political corruption, crooked cops, and well-buried ties to two notorious Irish thugs from Hanley's past. Even after he is kicked off the case, stripped of his badge, and thrown in jail, Hanley refuses to quit. With a personal vendetta to settle for an innocent life lost, he is determined to expose a complicated criminal scheme, not only for his own sake, but for Rivka's as wel

Watch For Me By Moonlight


Kirsty Ferry - 2017
    She waited and watched by moonlight, as she had promised …” When her life in London falls apart, Elodie Bright returns to Suffolk and to Hartsford Hall, the home of her childhood friend Alexander Aldrich, now the Earl of Hartsford. There, she throws herself into helping Alex bring a new lease of life to the old house and its grounds. After a freak storm damages the Hall chapel and destroys the tomb of Georgiana Kerridge, one of Alex’s eighteenth-century relatives, Elodie and Alex find a reconnection in the shocking discovery brought to light by the damaged tomb. Through a series of strange flashbacks and uncanny incidents, they begin to piece together Georgiana’s secret past involving a highwayman, a sister’s betrayal and a forbidden love so strong that it echoes through the ages …

Badlands: The Hunter


Robert E. Hatch - 2013
    Ranchers find fifteen-year-old Lori Perkins in the wilderness on the edge of death. When she awakens, she tells a grizzly story of murder, vengeance and a ghostly rider that killed her family. Beside himself, Sheriff Rufus Mackie calls upon a mysterious Hunter to deal with the revenant that apparently is still stalking Lori. Hunter leads Elizabeth Winslow who nursed Lori back to health and her son Jonah who is the same age as Lori and heavily crushing on her along with Sheriff Mackie and Lori back to Lori’s family farm. What they find shocks everyone. Badlands: The Hunter is a 9,000-word short story that introduces readers to Hunter, the main character of the upcoming Badlands novel series. This story is the first of six leading to the premiere of the first novel Badlands: Comes the Hunter, coming soon.