Monday, 03 June 2024

A Lonesome Place for Dying
by Nolan Chase
Crooked Lane Books, May 2024, $29.99

The first day at a new job is bound to be full of challenges, but in author Nolan Chase's A Lonesome Place for Dying, newly hired Police Chief Ethan Brand's first challenge begins before he even officially reports for duty.

The newly promoted chief finds a threatening note and a heart on his doorstep, warning him to quit the job he's just been hired to do. If that isn't enough of a sour note for a first day, he's also readying himself to deal with the colleagues he's now in charge of, including his second in command (who feels she should've gotten his job), and the recalcitrant son of the former chief, who can't follow the simplest of orders. And lets not forget the somewhat fractious Blaine City Council, which is not exactly on his side either.

But interdepartmental and local politics will have to be pushed to the back burner when the body of a woman is discovered by the railroad tracks. Ethan and the rest of the police department don't often deal with a lot of murders in their town, but the Washington border town does offer a pipeline to and from Canada for all sorts of criminal activity. As the team works to identify the victim and why she ended up dead, Ethan soon learns that she had ties to a local crime family. He's already put one of the family members in jail, but tangling with the heir apparent isn't exactly what he was looking forward to doing as he starts the new job.

Making matters even more complicated is his less-than-ideal personal life. Hiding an injury and questionable choices in matters of the heart, Ethan has to dodge killers on duty and figurative landmines off duty. Ethan will have to stand tall against all the forces arrayed against him to get justice for the victim.

Nolan Chase (the pen name for acclaimed author Sam Wiebe) does a masterful job of introducing readers to Ethan Brand. A modern-day reluctant John Wayne kind of gunslinger he's more than competent at his job, but with his complicated personal life, he's far from perfect. Giving him a cast of supporting characters who rankle at his promotion and being delegated tasks they'd rather avoid helps to flesh out the rest of the cops and gives you insight into the town.

I found his chief deputy, Brenda Lee, very compelling. She clearly believes (perhaps rightly, no less) that she should've gotten the chief's job and has no problem telling Ethan so. But what makes her a worthwhile character is that despite her disappointment, she does her job and, when called upon to do so, stands up for her boss. The plot moves at a relaxed pace at times, giving the reader time to delve into the characters and setting as they are introduced. But the tension and action ratchets up when called to do so. As the separate plot threads tie together, there's more than a few twists in the narrative that will leave readers with their mouths agape wondering where the story is going next.

A Lonesome Place for Dying captures the imagination right from the start with a complex tale that will only leave readers wanting more.

Review: "A Lonesome Place for Dying" by Nolan Chase
Jay Roberts
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Thursday, 16 May 2024

"One of my favorite parts of writing a novel is the research. I love going down rabbit holes on lesser-known facets of history, the quirky, head-scratching, jaw-dropping stuff."

The 11th, and final, book of the Maggie Hope series, The Last Hope, might seem completely over the top if it were not grounded in actual history. Throughout the series, my goal has been to shed light on aspects of the war which are little known (at least to us now) and what “regular people” did as well as the historic bold names. My goal has also been to take “white hat” and “black hat” stories about the Greatest Generation and show them in more shades of gray.

I’ve explored the IRA bombings in London, which were simultaneous with the Blitz, and the plot to kill King George and kidnap Princess Elizabeth to put the Duke of Westminster and Mrs. Simpson on the throne. Britain not only had to deal with enemies from abroad, but enemies within, whether they were double agents or serial killers.

One of my favorite parts of writing a novel is the research. I love going down rabbit holes on lesser-known facets of history, the quirky, head-scratching, jaw-dropping stuff. Some of the historical facts I explore in The Last Hope, are so unbelievable and extraordinary that—even on my 11th book—I had to cross-reference the details with multiple sources. When that happens, I know I need to write about them. Then I research as much as possible, think of how they could affect Maggie in real time, and start imagining.

For The Last Hope I took three distinct threads of World War II history. The first was Coco Chanel’s actions as a Nazi secret agent, including her two trips to Madrid to broker a separate peace for Germany with Britain on behalf of Walter Schellenberg. The second was the story of Mo Berg, a former Red Sox catcher, who worked for the OSS (the precursor to the CIA) during World War II. His assignment was to assassinate Werner Heisenberg, the German whom the Allies believed had developed the first nuclear bomb, or was close to doing so. And then there’s Aline Griffith, the Countess of Romanones. Like Berg, she was American and working for the OSS in Madrid during the war, being romanced by the famous bullfighter Juanito Belmonte (whom she eventually married!) while carrying out spy missions.

Kim Philby during WWII
     Kim Philby during WWII

Of course, this is Maggie’s story, and I needed a way to connect all these disparate events. Enter Kim Philby—yes, that Kim Philby, one of the infamous Cambridge Spies, who eventually defected to the Soviet Union. During WWII, Philby oversaw Spain and Portugal for SOE, and ran U.K. missions there. He connected Maggie, in SOE, to everything happening in Madrid. And thus I was able to draw in the bigger themes of the start of the Cold War during the last years of WWII, and how (since it seemed inevitable the Allies would win) the world’s powers would reorganize themselves after.

Woven into the history, though, is Maggie’s own story. In The Last Hope, she navigates dangerous missions (of course) but also love, loss, acceptance and, ultimately, hope. My wish, as with all of Maggie’s books, is that real historic details make Maggie’s story come alive, and the result is enlightening, entertaining, and maybe even a little inspiring.


Susan Elia MacNealSusan Elia MacNeal is the author of The New York Times, Washington Post, Publishers Weekly, and USA Today-bestselling Maggie Hope mystery series, starting with the Edgar Award-nominated and Barry Award-winning Mr. Churchill’s Secretary. The Maggie Hope novels have been nominated for the Edgar, the Macavity, the ITW Thriller, the Barry, the Dilys, the Sue Federer Historical Fiction, and the Bruce Alexander Historical Fiction awards. The Last Hope is slated to be the final book in the Maggie Hope series.

Susan Elia MacNeal on "The Last Hope"
Susan Elia MacNeal
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Sunday, 05 May 2024

I Will Ruin You
by Linwood Barclay
William Morrow, May 2024, $30

No good goes unpunished, right? Linwood Barclay explores the price of altruism in his latest thriller, I Will Ruin You. English teacher Richard Boyle manages to stop a disgruntled ex-student named Mark LeDrew from blowing up the high school where he teaches.

In the aftermath, Richard is a hero and he gets plenty of attention—but not all of it is positive. Suddenly, he’s being blackmailed by a former student. At first, he doesn’t tell anyone—not even Bonnie, his beloved wife—because he’s afraid of his reputation getting besmirched. But trying to solve it himself, Richard only digs himself in deeper.

Richard’s rationale for responding to the extortionist’s demands makes sense in today’s day and age when everything is judged in the court of public opinion, and you’re guilty until proven innocent—and even being innocent sometimes doesn’t matter. A sad sign of the times, something Barclay delves into with vigor. But is Richard truly such a good guy? 

Barclay has written scores of excellent novels. Most notably, a few of my favorites No Time for Goodbye, Elevator Pitch, Never Look Away, and Take Your Breath Away. I Will Ruin You takes its rightful place in that list as the author takes readers on an emotional roller coaster of deft plot twists and what-the-hell?! moments. I Will Ruin You will indeed ruin you—or at least your sleep schedule until you've reached the end. Barclay proves once again that he's at the top of his game.

Review: "I Will Ruin You" by Linwood Barclay
Kurt Anthony Krug
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