"The Laughing Dead" Jess Lourey

 Another great “Steinbeck and Reed” novel -- 5 stars

 I have already read and reviewed the first two books in the “Steinbeck and Reed” series, and thoroughly enjoyed them both (even if they did give me the willies!). I was feeling a little guilty about not reviewing a book last month, so for July, I decided to return to Jess Lourey’s playground.

We return to cold case agent Evangeline “Van” Reid and her forensic science partner Harry Steinbeck. And Van and Harry know something is wrong the moment arrive at their latest crime scene: Van’s old police ID -- the one she hasn’t touched since she transferred to cold cases, the one she thought was buried in a box at the back of her closet -- was found here. She keeps her expression neutral as the detective explains this to her. Harry doesn’t know about the dark secrets of her past, and she intends to keep it that way. But then she sees the girl. The body is otherwise unremarkable, but the victim’s face is stretched into an enormous grin, ear to ear, like something painted on. Strange indeed!

The investigation leads Van and her team to another cold case from decades earlier: Three girls, each found in bed, each wearing the same horrific grin. The past case bleeds into the present one, and Van and Harry begin drawing lines between them. But the deeper Van digs, the more she finds threads that pull at something closer to home. The families of those three girls have waited decades for answers. Van might finally be able to give them some, if she can keep her own secrets buried in the process.

“The Laughing Dead” is yet another Lourey thriller, with more sleepless night for this reader. This book left me wrecked by the final page -- I won’t say more than that. Five stars, no hesitation! Pick it up if you have any tolerance at all for a thriller that doesn’t play fair with your expectations. 

“All Superheroes Need PR” by Elizabeth Stephens

 Decent enough, but no “Paranormals” -- 3 stars

I’ve had moderate luck with super hero books in the past. A few of the ones back on DC Comics were just okay, but I really enjoy the “Paranormals” series by Christopher Andrews. So I decided to take my chances on a super hero romance by author Elizabeth Stephens, just to mix things up a little. Sadly, the experience was more “meh” than anything.

“All Superheroes Need PR” was passable. The world building in the early chapters was sharp and immersive, the characters just compelling enough that I did find myself reading past my bed time. I kept waiting for the story to do something worthy of its own opening.

But somewhere around half way through, I noticed I had stopped caring. I’m not sure I can explain why, either. The plot held together all right, the writing stayed competent -- nothing broke, exactly. The pacing may have dragged, or perhaps the emotional stakes just didn’t deepen the way I wanted them to. It just slipped from enjoyment to feeling like a task to finish it.

There were parts that did work. The characters’ personal histories felt considered -- not in a way that made me care about them exactly, but in a way that made them feel like they could really exist. And the world itself was drawn at the right level of detail -- enough to orient me without spelling everything out, which I was grateful for in those first few chapters.

I DID finish it, though something had definitely slipped away from me by the final pages. I won’t be continuing on to Book #2, and I doubt I’ll return to this author -- not because the talent isn’t there, because it is, but because the way she tells a story and I simply don’t speak the same language. Or something.

Again, “All Superheroes Need PR” isn’t terrible. But after reading the “Paranormals” series ... well, some books just aren’t meant for certain readers, and I think this was one of those. Sorry.

“The Reaping” by Jess Lourey

Another solid entry in the “Steinbeck and Reed” series -- 5 stars

I thoroughly enjoyed the first book in the “Steinbeck and Reed” series so much that I decided to read Book #2 sooner rather than later. If author Jess Lourey keeps up with this much quality, she’ll be up there with Christopher Andrews and Dean R. Koontz as one of my favorite writers.

“The Reaping” had me shivering with unease from start to finish. As mentioned, I loved “The Taken Ones,” but I think “The Reaping” may have surpassed it entirely.

The story rejoins cold case investigator Evangeline “Van” Reed and forensic scientist Harry Steinbeck as they plunge into the enigmatic and shadowy Finnish town of Alku, Minnesota, where the threads of an old case weave together with a chilling recent murder.

I finished the book last night, and I haven’t been able to stop thinking all morning -- “The Reaping” is the kind of book that lingers on your mind. The folklore elements are woven seamlessly through out -- there’s something deeply unsettling about an insular town where everyone knows everyone else’s secrets, and outsiders are never truly welcome. Layer on top of that (get this) a nursing home for serial killers, a blood witch prowling the woods, and the quietly inhumane rhythms of daily life in Alku, and you have something genuinely creepy.

As always, I strive to avoid spoilers, so I’d rather not give away any more details about the plot. 

Suffice to say, the epilogue left my jaw on the floor, and I’m very much looking forward to Book #3. Kudos, Ms. Lourey!

“The Taken Ones” by Jess Lourey

 A Pleasant Discovery! -- 5 stars

I came across “The Taken Ones” thanks to one of those If-you-like-Dean-Koontz-you-may-like suggestions. And like it I did! I’m also pleased to learn that it’s the first book in the “Steinbeck and Reed” series. I can only hope that the sequels are just as solid.

In July of 1980, three girls ventured into Blackwood Forest. Hours later, only Melissa Carver stumbled out, her clothes torn, unable -- or unwilling -- to explain what happened to her friends. The case of the missing Holloway sisters gathered dust in county archives for decades. Flash forward to now, when Evangeline “Van” Reed stares at crime scene photos spread across her desk while her forensics partner, Harry Steinbeck, pins up a fresh murder victim’s portrait beside the faded images of the Holloway girls. The similarities are impossible to ignore.

From there, the narrative unfolds as a taut crime thriller, yet transcends the genre through its compelling protagonists, Van and Harry. These characters resonate with remarkable depth. Van’s recurring nightmares hint at her fractured childhood, leaving her wary of human connection. She navigates the world with a quiet unease, finding solace instead in the wordless company of abandoned dogs at the local shelter where she volunteers her evenings away from the precinct.

The psychological depth of the investigators unfolds with each clue they uncover. Just when you think you understand the direction of the story, a revelation at the mid point shatters every assumption you’ve built. I found myself staring at the page, breathless. The author masterfully crafts moments of genuine unease throughout -- the kind that lingers even after you’ve set the book down for the night.

“The Taken Ones” deserves the highest praise, particularly for its enigmatic conclusion that lingers in the mind. The story cries out for continuation. The unresolved fate of Van and Harry’s relationship haunts me, and I find myself craving resolution with surprising intensity. Looking forward to Book #2!

"Phantoms" by Dean Koontz

 Strong start, so-so finish -- 4 stars

After reading “Pulse of the Earth” by Christopher Andrews, I actively sought another book by my other favorite author: Dean R. Koontz!

Rather than picking up his latest, I decided to again seek out one of his earlier hits, and that’s how I ended up reading “Phantoms.”

“Phantoms” opens with an eerie setup: Dr. Jenny Paige returns to her mountain home in the Sierras with her teenage sister Lisa in tow, as Lisa was recently orphaned by their mother’s death. But what should be a bustling ski village sits unnervingly still -- no pedestrians on sidewalks, no cars moving along streets. Once inside Jenny’s house, they discover the house keeper sprawled on the kitchen floor, her skin mottled with bruises, her body distended, though bearing no obvious wounds to explain her actual demise.

Jenny and Lisa trudge back into the silent town, stepping over severed limbs and mangled corpses until they discover a functional phone. The sheriff arrives from the neighboring county with deputies in tow, but the concrete cause of all this death still eludes them -- as do the whereabouts of half the town’s residents. And as night falls, an unseen presence stalks their search party, leaving behind only screams and viscera where human beings once stood.

Koontz has a knack for pulling readers into his plots, and his talent for crafting believable characters (though they can get repetitive across multiple books) shines in “Phantoms.” However, this time the story’s trajectory eventually lost some of its grip on me, veering into increasingly implausible territory that, frankly, bordered on the ridiculous. The narrative’s descent into theological musings -- contemplating God and Satan, the eternal struggle between light and darkness, humanity’s inherent nature -- felt unnecessary.

The cosmic battle between capital-G Good and capital-E Evil can be a tricky literary device. This philosophical detour in “Phantoms,” combined with a disappointingly saccharine conclusion, diminished my appreciation for the overall novel a bit.

What began as a thrilling premise ultimately faded into a somewhat unsatisfying resolution.

"Pulse of the Earth: a Tale from the Triumvirate Universe" by Christopher Andrews

 A new angle on the Triumvirate series -- 5 stars

When I searched for my next book to read, I was pleased to discover that one of my favorite authors, Christopher Andrews, has released another novel in his Triumvirate series, “Pulse of the Earth.” But instead of its having the tag line, “A Triumvirate Novel,” like those that preceded it, this one is officially subtitled, “a Tale from the Triumvirate Universe.” And I’m here to say, this is truth in advertising.

What makes “Pulse of the Earth” so different from the rest is that it does NOT feature the Triumvirate themselves. Alistaire, Sean, and Trey -- the trio who usually star in this series -- are present within the story, especially Trey. But this book explores other aspects of this increasingly super natural world, and our hero this time is an American-Egyptian journalist named Jason Samir.

Jason works for an organization called “Watchdogs of the Weird & Unusual” -- an online news site that focuses on unexplained phenomenon that gets ignored by the main stream media (and which just happens to be run by the Triumvirate’s Trey, though Jason is oblivious to Trey’s undead aspect). He is sent to a local airport to interview a cryptic anthropologist, and from this assignment, two things happen:

1) He meets an enigmatic, tall, fellow reporter named Regina.
2) He discovers that the anthropologist, and everyone else on her plane, were savagely killed by a large, black wolf, which escapes into the rainy night.

As Jason attempts to follow up on the black wolf, and to build additional “relations” with Regina, he finds himself experiencing far more than he bargained for. It would be difficult to share many details without shortly slipping into spoiler territory, but Andrews keeps the plot chugging along at a smooth, steady pace.

Jason’s experiencing bizarre dreams, clashing with an abusive neighbor, interacting with his cop friend/source, pondering over a mysterious steamer trunk, and struggling to make heads or tails of Regina’s place in that very mystery -- all those elements interweave into an unexpected, but satisfying, entry in the series.

“Pulse of the Earth” has, arguably, a little less action than previous entries (until the climax, which is one heck of a blow out!), but it is rock solid on mood and intrigue, keeping this reader turning the page wondering what Jason will learn next. Because each big reveal proves to be a stepping stone toward the next bigger reveal, which is yet another sign of Andrews’ continual maturing as a writer.

“Pulse of the Earth” is, yet again, worth the wait, and another 5 star effort from Christopher Andrews. It is captivating, and left me urgently awaiting the next entry, which promises to return its focus to the Triumvirate (though I hope we’ll be seeing Jason again, too!). Check it out, it’s more than worth your time.

“A Plague of Demons” by Keith Laumer

We’ll call this one ... “different.” -- 2 stars

I enjoyed Laumer’s “Dinosaur Beach” well enough that I decided to check out more of his work, which is how I ended up reading 1964’s “A Plague of Demons.” Unfortunately, this one wasn’t quite so pleasurable, for me.

This book was released 7 years earlier than “Dinosaur Beach,” and it shows. Meaning that I’m glad Laumer had improved by the time I discovered him. Both works share lofty ambitions, particularly in their third acts where spectacle takes center stage. But where “Dinosaur Beach” found its balance, “A Plague of Demons” overreaches, tumbling past the line of credibility that its successor so carefully toed.

Over the course of the novel, the hero, John Bravais, transforms from hard boiled detective to mechanized monster. He begins as your typical film noir gum shoe, delivering sardonic one liners about mundane observations. Even his physical weaknesses come wrapped in witty packaging. But midway through, our hero undergoes extensive bionic enhancement, rockets away from North African intrigue, and finds himself pursued across the American heartland by extraterrestrial hell hounds intent on harvesting his cerebral matter -- and these “demons” succeed in killing him!

But then consciousness returns to John in the midst of combat, his mind now housed within a colossal war machine standing seventy feet tall upon some faraway lunar landscape. He discovers he’s been thrust centuries forward into an interstellar conflict where human minds serve as the literal cognitive engines of battle.

Later, through some unexplained mechanism, John transfers his consciousness into a feline-robotic hybrid, vanquishes a tentacled adversary, and ... these wild twists and turns go on and on. And while I won’t give any specific spoilers, I’ll note that the narrative concludes rather abruptly, without clear resolution or subsequent novels to pick up the thread.

“A Plague of Demons” reaches for the stars with its psychedelic vision, even as it stumbles over its own contradictions and over ambitions. I can see the seeds of what would later bloom in “Dinosaur Beach,” but this one just didn’t do it for me.

Still, between my 4-star experience and this 2-star dud, I might remain just curious enough to check out some of Laumer’s other works. Maybe one of those can be the tie breaker.