Rose Carter

This is the second book in a three-part series. The President is coming to town, and Secret Agent Julia Bukowski is concerned about any potential dangers in the town that can impact this visit. When a local woman, Nancy, is found dead of an apparent suicide (or possible murder?), Detective Ryan Cook investigates the event to determine what really happened. This is the second book in the trilogy, and, by far, the longest of the three, and the worst. I found it interesting that, though Special Agent Bukowski is routinely present in the other books, she is absent for long periods in this one (she keeps contacting Detective Ryan to see how things are going with the investigation in the other books). As in the third book, The Missile, these is a definite element of sex in this book. However, the whole sex angle of this book made little sense and just did not seem to fit, as did the terrorist angle—probably because, while I found the other books well done, this one not nearly as well done. I had difficulty getting through it once I began. I found that the story did not flow very well and did not seem very realistic or even probable. There are a lot of characters popping in and out, and I got a bit confused as to who exactly they were, their roles in the book and what their ideas/parts were in the overall story. I kept expecting the special agent to be in contact with the detective, though as I said, she was absent for long periods. In fact, I almost forgot the whole idea of the President visiting the area, since it was not mentioned very often. A lot of this may be due to the fact that this is a longer book, though this should not have made any difference. I think a good editor might help them get the story out far more smoothly and could help keep the storyline intact. In conclusion, I could not figure out how or why this book was so much poorer that the other two, and I found that having a book such as this in the middle of the other two just did not make sense. I received this from the authors to read and review.… (altro)

Detective Ryan Cook investigates a strange case where a car has veered off a treacherous mountain road and landed in the canyon below, killing the occupant and driver, a veterinarian. Detective Cook delves into the story of this accident and discovers a sinister pot that involves the vet, his wife, a close friend and ultimately will impact on the President’s soon visit to the community. The story is fast and interesting. Detective Ryan manages to piece together a strange version of what really happened, totally unlike the original version. I enjoyed reading this one. I have read one other part of this series, The Missile, and also found that plot cleverly done and interesting. Detective Ryan Cook is a smart, clever detective who manages to ferret out information that leads to clues and ideas about what really happened. Good book for someone who enjoys twists and turns in mysteries. I received this from the authors to read and review.… (altro)

This is a quick story about the potential destruction of the US President, who is visiting Scottsdale, AZ, for a ceremony. Detective Ryan Cook is the local detective on the job. Ryan becomes involved in a possible plot by LAVA, a known terrorist organization, to assassinate the President and create havoc. One morning, Ryan is called to duty because of a suspicious individual, a disgruntled former employee of a government missile development program, who also possibly has ties to LAVA , and who is suspected of developing a hand-held missile for LAVA, has been sighted in the area. The story follows Ryan through numerous twists and turns, as he pursues this person of interest, trying to stop his nefarious act and that of LAVA. The story, and it was not very long, is interesting, not badly written and moves along at a pretty good pace. However, there is a lot of sexual overtone to this tale, which I really did not see as necessary to the story. In fact, it may have detracted. Not having read any more of the works in this series or any other books by these authors, I have no idea whether this is the norm. In this case, and in the case of other works, if it is the norm, since it will probably turn some readers off and really adds nothing to the story, they should consider less emphasis on this aspect. The story can stand alone (and well enough, in my opinion) without it. I received this from the authors to read and review.… (altro)

I have received this book in exchange for an honest review.
The book starts with an intriguing scene of death - a woman is found dead in a locked room and everything at first points to suicide. A great way to start a mystery story. Naturally, a husband is first to be suspected and the investigation takes us deep into the private life of the couple, revealing some very unusual and hard-to-believe things. However, very soon the story becomes too complicated and too far-fetched. It seemed to me as though the author had great ideas for the story, but everything was told in such a fast way. There was simply too much happening, it was hard to connect all the ideas particularly due to the fact that at some points the author uses short and abrupt sentences. There are very few descriptions of situations, characters and their interaction. Unfortunately, I have to say that I was very much disappointed with the whole way the story was told, although it started as something potentially interesting.… (altro)