Jack FredricksonRecensioni

"Exposing the botched murder investigation of three boys has left Milo Rigg's reputation and career as a crime reporter in tatters. But when the naked, frozen bodies of two young sisters, Priscilla and Beatrice Graves, are found down a ravine in Chicago months later, there are disturbing similarities. Are the two cases linked, and could this be Milo's chance to right the wrongs of the past? Restored to his former role at the Chicago Examiner, Milo is back - and he's asking the uncomfortable questions again. Confronted with deception and corruption at every turn, can Milo uncover the identity of a ruthless serial killer and finally rid himself of the black cage that threatens to consume him?"
I struggled to get through this book initially as the premise was intriguing but I found the willingness of the medical examiner and law enforcement to divulge information to a reporter to be far fetched. I did have to re-read the last few chapters in an attempt to understand the events that culminated in an unexpected ending. The book is well-written but I found it stretching credibility.

Part of the ‘A Book from every State of the Union’ Reading Challenge – Illinois.

I came across this novel while I was searching my library for books to include in my 2014 reading challenge; it was the only one by this Author on their shelves and immediately cried out to me. Heeding that cry, I brought it home... am I glad I did.

The main protagonist is everything there is to love, and hate, in the character of a private detective, or should that be insurance investigator; to find out what this means you’ll have to read the book. He is full of the dry sarcastic wit and one-liners that a lover of a traditional mystery novel will find to their taste. He is, or thinks he is, invincible, not easy fooled and a tough guy to boot; but really as we find out as his character develops in this novel, he is more than a little vulnerable. There is so much about this man that reminded me of Philip Marlowe, that I wasn’t but a few chapters into this novel before I found myself really rooting for the guy, and wanting everything to go his way. There are a cast of supporting characters for our main to play off against, but rather than let his main character overshadow them, the Author does an excellent job of making sure that the others he encounters either bring out the best him in, stop him from totally self-destructing, or really bring out his hard side; whatever their role they are written with equal parts of grit and humour and enough realism to make the reader feel as if they actually lived.

The plot is quirky and funny wrapped up in a pretty page turning mystery that will keep you guessing to the end. I finished this book in one sitting, and when I finally came to the closure of the plot all I could wonder was ‘how the heck did I not see that coming’. The Author is also able to inject a touch of realism into the locations of his novel by throwing the reader pieces of plot that link to past, or current, news items. Normally I don’t like this in the fiction I read as I hate being distracted from a good plot by the feeling I’ve seen this in the paper, but that was not the case here. I think the difference between this novel and others that I’ve read that attempted this was the fact that this Author wrote about these events with the same wit as he did his plot.

A downside to this book, I found, was that it actually the third in a series containing this protagonist; however, this did not make me like the book any less or feel I was missing out on anything, as it works just as well as a standalone novel. What this discovery did achieve however, was to ensure that I will be reading more by this Author.

If you are looking for a writer who has a similar style to Raymond Chandler, I highly recommend this novel. If you’re looking for a good traditional mystery, well see the sentence above this one.

Originally reviewed on: http://catesbooknuthut.com/2014/03/04/review-hunting-sweetie-rose-a-mystery-jack...





This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Kill Her Twice by Jack Fredrickson is a highly recommended hard-boiled detective story set by Chicago.

Private investigator Dek Elstrom is hunting for a lost cat with a $100 reward when Martin Tripp wants to hire him to prove he didn't kill Sara Jansen. Tripp has already stood trial and been acquitted for Sara's murder. The problem is that he says he can't find a job now due to his infamy and he thinks Sara was afraid of something before she died. Elstrom isn't exactly eager to take on this case and he thinks Tripp is guilty of her murder, but he can use the $200 Tripp pushes on him. Once he begins to causally investigate, he discovers that a whole lot more was going on in the corrupt River City.

On the one hand I do appreciate an involved and complicated hard-boiled detective case that resembles a tale of gangsters from the 1930s. The description that Kill Her Twice is a Windy City noir with a distinctly retro feel is apropos. A story that actually tries to be timeless is appreciated and to be applauded. On the other hand, elderly women being lewd in a corrupt town is just not my thing. If I set that aside, during the investigation the suspense does build incrementally and the atmosphere becomes tense and full of suspicion in Kill Her Twice.

This can be read as a stand-alone novel even though it is the eighth book featuring Dek Elstrom. As my first Elstrom book I didn't feel behind or out of pace with the character and plot. Suspicions grow with each page and each new character introduced. There is also a humorous element to the novel, which helps in creating the noir-feeling as it propels the action forward. There are plenty of characters to draw your suspicion and entertain you, a tense atmosphere that grows as each new development, and complications to keep you guessing.

The narrative is told through Elstrom's first person point-of-view which means you are privy to his private thoughts and perceptions. He is an intelligent character, personable while also jaded with the corruption around him. He knows how the system works and how to use it to his advantage. 3.5 rounded up

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Severn House via NetGalley.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2022/04/kill-her-twice.html
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4643066098½

PI discovers mysterious client is girl he loved in high school has been on run from murder of her father

Part of the ‘A Book from every State of the Union’ Reading Challenge – Illinois.

I came across this novel while I was searching my library for books to include in my 2014 reading challenge; it was the only one by this Author on their shelves and immediately cried out to me. Heeding that cry, I brought it home... am I glad I did.

The main protagonist is everything there is to love, and hate, in the character of a private detective, or should that be insurance investigator; to find out what this means you’ll have to read the book. He is full of the dry sarcastic wit and one-liners that a lover of a traditional mystery novel will find to their taste. He is, or thinks he is, invincible, not easy fooled and a tough guy to boot; but really as we find out as his character develops in this novel, he is more than a little vulnerable. There is so much about this man that reminded me of Philip Marlowe, that I wasn’t but a few chapters into this novel before I found myself really rooting for the guy, and wanting everything to go his way. There are a cast of supporting characters for our main to play off against, but rather than let his main character overshadow them, the Author does an excellent job of making sure that the others he encounters either bring out the best him in, stop him from totally self-destructing, or really bring out his hard side; whatever their role they are written with equal parts of grit and humour and enough realism to make the reader feel as if they actually lived.

The plot is quirky and funny wrapped up in a pretty page turning mystery that will keep you guessing to the end. I finished this book in one sitting, and when I finally came to the closure of the plot all I could wonder was ‘how the heck did I not see that coming’. The Author is also able to inject a touch of realism into the locations of his novel by throwing the reader pieces of plot that link to past, or current, news items. Normally I don’t like this in the fiction I read as I hate being distracted from a good plot by the feeling I’ve seen this in the paper, but that was not the case here. I think the difference between this novel and others that I’ve read that attempted this was the fact that this Author wrote about these events with the same wit as he did his plot.

A downside to this book, I found, was that it actually the third in a series containing this protagonist; however, this did not make me like the book any less or feel I was missing out on anything, as it works just as well as a standalone novel. What this discovery did achieve however, was to ensure that I will be reading more by this Author.

If you are looking for a writer who has a similar style to Raymond Chandler, I highly recommend this novel. If you’re looking for a good traditional mystery, well see the sentence above this one.

Originally reviewed on: http://catesbooknuthut.com/2014/03/04/review-hunting-sweetie-rose-a-mystery-jack...





This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

The year is 1982 in a small town 100 miles west of Chicago. Betty Jo didn't come home. Betty Jo's mother knows in her head and heart that the only way Betty Jo wouldn't come home is if she were dead. She can't make anyone in the town believe her. [Silence The Dead] is based on a real-life murder case. Eventually she is found and buried. Years pass with no one brought to justice. In 2013 the authorities in Grand Point, Illinois eventually listen and exhume the corpse of Betty Jo Dean who was just 17 years old at the time of her murder. They see that she was buried only in her underwear. Grand Point’s mayor, Mac Bassett, who “had imagined all sorts of horrors,” insists that the flesh-less, loose skull in the coffin is not Betty Jo’s. Flash back to 1982: on the last night of her life, Betty Jo hooks up with a new boy friend. The following day, after Betty Jo has gone missing and the boy is also found dead, Chicago reporter Jonah Ridl arrives in Grand Point to investigate, only to learn that local law enforcement is concealing the truth. Back to the present... Bassett discovers that the cover-up is still going on after nearly 20 years and is still just as deadly. The ending was a bit of a let down...but life sometimes is just not nearly as exciting as fiction. Perfect for real crime fans

In Fredrickson’s mystery novel, former Chicago investigator Dek Elstrom has managed to clear his name of some trumped-up charges and now makes a meager living uncovering information for clients willing to pay for it. Out of the blue he learns that he has been named the executor of some stranger’s will. Heading off to West Haven, Michigan, Dek hopes to collect a quick paycheck making quick work of handling a will. But once there, he realizes that Louse Thomas’ death is anything but easy. To all appearances, she was killed in a home invasion gone wrong leaving only a lockbox key and some newspaper clippings to an advice columnist named Honestly Dearest behind. As Dek digs deep, he discovers a tie to his own past and with it the determination to track down a killer.

A fast-paced addition to the A Dek Elstrom Mystery series.

In Fredrickson’s mystery novel, Dek Elstrom has a knack for solving puzzling crimes. It’s a hobby that keeps him occupied. When he is hired by an anonymous client wanting an explanation for the death of a clown, Dek finds himself embroiled in several crimes that he is blamed for. To prove his innocence, he sets out only to find himself entangled in a decades-old cold case, a dysfunctional family, and a dark legacy of abuse and hatred. As the mystery deepens, Dek must pull down the walls he has built around himself and expose his inner sole or risk his own future.

A solid introduction to the A Dek Elstrom Mystery series.

“Fresh Meat” by Leigh Neely for Criminal Element

If you’re looking for a book to make you run the gamut of emotions, Hunting Sweetie Rose by Jack Fredrickson is it. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll want to write bad checks. OK, maybe I exaggerated on the last one, but I promise you’ll experience everything else. It’s an interesting and entertaining read.

This is the third is the mystery PI series that features Dek Elstrom, the disgraced investigator who ended up losing almost all he had—including his wealthy wife and his credibility—and it measures up to the first two with ease.

It starts with a clown dancing on the roof of a building and his rather ungraceful fall from grace to the ground. Dek’s services are engaged to determine if the clown’s sudden stop on the asphalt was an accident (as the police ruled) or murder. Dek doesn’t know who his employer is, but he’s pleased to have work and, of course, like all of us, loves a good puzzle. He gets a big one when he meets up with Sweetie Fairbairn and discovers the wealthy benefactor to many charities is the biggest mystery of all.

Read More at http://www.criminalelement.com/blogs/2012/02/fresh-meat-hunting-sweetie-rose

Rating: 3* of five

The Book Report: The book description says:
“A Safe Place for Dying, the first in Jack Fredrickson’s highly acclaimed Dek Elstrom mystery series, was nominated for the Shamus Award for Best First Novel. Now, Chicago P.I. Dek Elstrom is back in an electrifying new mystery.

A lawyer calls Dek with a fast, seven-hundred dollar proposition. A dead client named Dek to execute her will. No matter that Dek didn’t know the woman. No matter, too, that the woman’s estate was only worth a few hundred. Happens all the time, the lawyer said.

To Dek Elstrom, broke and huddling in a cold stone turret in the middle of February, the sound of seven hundred falling down his chimney is louder than his voice of reason. He agrees, heads up to a hamlet ten miles north of nowhere. But instead of finding an easy-to-close estate, he finds blood and the markers of a shattered life. And something worse: links to the darkest part of his own past. He races to chase down leads to the killer, and his own ghost…before the dead woman is killed again.”

My Review: I began with laughs, continued with chuckles, snickers, and smirks, then trailed off into arched eyebrows, muttered instructions, exasperated ejaculations, and ended in irked silence.

That is NOT the trajectory an author or a reader wants. This reader planned a vituperative dissection of the failings of the book as he went along his ever-less-merry way, honing a few choice witticisms to a rusty, blunt jaggedness.

Why? Why was I, the reader most tolerant and understanding, the beau ideal of sweet-temperedness and kindly generosity...stop making those horrible sounds, people will think you're choking...suddenly transformed into a whole nestful of hornets in a really bad mood? Because, dammit, I was HAD. Things were set up in the first pages of the mystery that weren't delivered on, and things ANY IDIOT not even a P.I., with more than a week's work experience anyway, would think to ask went unasked, and then, please dear goddesses let me type this without screaming in fury again, THEN I will have you know, the writer uses FLIPPIN' FLASHBACKS to tell us the sad sad tale of Longago, and holy maloley does that bring this shitwagon to a sloshing, urpsome halt in its mysterious progress.

Leave aside that I knew who the killer was around p5. I expect that. I been treadin' this footpath longer than mosta y'all been alive. A mysterian who can surprise or, even better, confound me gets five stars and whole freakin' operas of praise. So no, I don't expect to need to work too hard. I don't read mysteries for the puzzle-solving pleasure, but for the orderliness, the justice that is done, and the way the story is told.

But COME ON!!! This sleuth, Dek Elstrom, is given a build-up as a wildly successful investigator, and he fails to ask ANY BACKGROUND QUESTIONS ABOUT HIS CONTACTS?! Oh. Please. I don't care that he's given a fee up front (which, later, becomes another sticking point and a large logical lapse). Any, and I mean any, investigator would look at his sources pretty carefully.

In the normal course of events, then, this review would be a flame job out of literary, well, failure to launch shall we euphemize. It isn't, well not too much of one, for one reason and one reason only: Dek says, when served hot tea in a daisy-patterned cup, is asked, “How does your tea taste?” (There's a reason for that specific locution, but it's a little spoilery, so go with me here.) “Like a funeral home smells,” replies Dek.

Yes. Exactly. One entire star restored for putting your finger on the nub of something I've wanted to find words for for a long time.

Would I recommend the series, of which this is volume 2, with a third volume (Hunting Sweetie Rose)out this year? Not so much. The writing, apart from the genius moment above, is amusing, and consistently easy on the eyes; the plot is for poo; the net effect is ~meh~ minus, but some days that's okay. It's not a flee flee for your lives dear goddesses what are you still doing here run away kind of a book. It's not a sit here right here dammit and read this and love it kind of a book. It's just a barely adequate midlist means of wiling away a few hours. And as I've said, that can be enough for anyone some days.

I guess today was one of mine.

I was introduced to this author and book when it was excerpted on www.dearreader.com. It's beginning was breezy, and I was looking for a mystery that was fast and fun. Honestly, Dearest, You're Dead has humor, and is thoroughly enjoyable but it was rather more serious than the title indicates.. Dek Elstrom is a down and out private eye, barely subsisting after a lot of hard luck. He's called from his turrent home (wherein lies a story) in a Chicago suburb to Michigan to be executor of a modest will for a modest price ($700) but he's pretty desperate. The story that unfolds is poignant, if occasionally predictable, and involves murders of course. I like the writer's style --Fredrickson is compared to Robert B. Parker (who died yesterday; I'm glad to find someone else writing in even vaguely similar style), with its buddies theme, lots of dialogue and some good repartee, its scruffy but ethical detective, his complicated on-again-off-again marriage, and deep dipping into his past...past love and past guilt. The book is really more about Dek than crime. I found it a thoroughly enjoyable read, and will check out the next installment for sure.½

I’ve got three books for your summer reading pleasure. They are made for either lying on the hammock in the back yard or on a towel at the beach. The first one is Royal Flush by Rhys Bowen. It is the amusing story of Lady Georgiana (Georgie), thirty-fourth in line for the throne of England. It is set in the early 19th century when Mrs. Simpson and the Prince of Wales were scandalizing society with their affair. Being thirty-fourth in line to the throne and the sister of a land-poor Earl and his penny-pinching wife who tells her that they can’t afford to continue supporting her, Georgie finds herself in London, living alone (unheard of for a young lady of society) in the family home. Quickly tiring of fending for herself and existing on tea and biscuits, she goes in search of a job. There isn’t much opportunity for a lady trained only in the social skills, so she decides to make a niche for herself using those very talents. She has an opportunity to observe that there were many visiting businessmen alone in London and was sure that she could earn a living by offering her services as an intelligent, educated escort. Was it her fault that people misinterpreted her ad? Scotland Yard uses this as an excuse to get her involved in the investigation of a possible plot to kill the heirs to the throne. Her job is to go to Scotland with the Prince’s court and ascertain whether or not this could be an insider plot. Could her on-again, off-again male friend Darcy be involved? Who could possibly benefit from eliminating all of the heirs? It’s a conundrum that Georgie must solve before anyone is killed.
The second book is Knock Out by Catherine Coulter. This is a continuation of her FBI series with husband and wife team Savich and Sherlock. If your description of a really good book includes words like “eerie” or “weird” or “spooky,” and you are really interested in the supernatural, then this book is for you. Savich gets a call in the middle of night--not a “phone” call, but a “psychic” call. A young girl comes to him in his mind and they carry on a conversation. Yep, they have a psychic conversation. The girl is afraid and needs his help, but the connection fades as she tires, and he doesn’t get enough information to help her. While Savich is waiting to hear from her again, he and Sherlock are working on another case involving a crazed, serial-killing sixteen year old girl and her accomplice. Catherine Coulter has created another great novel with two plot lines, each with its exciting climax.
The third book, Honestly Dearest, You’re Dead by Jack Fredrickson is for those who enjoy reading about familiar places. It takes place in southwest lower Michigan, Chicago, and Iowa. Fredrickson vividly describes the area of West Haven (hmm, wonder where that might be), the drive to Iowa on I-80, and gives mention to Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo. Dek Elstrom, disgraced private detective, receives a call from a lawyer in West Haven informing him that a murdered woman has named him as the executor of her will. Dek has no idea who this woman is or why she chose him for the job, but he soon gets involved in finding out what happened to her. Finding out who killed her is fun, but seeing how he resolves it is even more fun.
These are three possibilities for the mystery lover. The best part is you don’t have to choose. You can get all of them for free right here at the library. Good reading! Reviewed by Sherry, Three Rivers Public Library.

Thus Dek Elstrom mystery still finds our down and out private eye living in and renovating his turret, while trying to outlast the Rivertown city hall on the zoning restrictions matter. Dek is called, out of the blue, by a lawyer in Michigan. He's been named executor of a will for a woman he's never heard of, one Louise Thomas. He heads to MI with thoughts of the $700 he'll make, where he discovers on site that Louise just hasn't died, but was murdered. The discovery of an old Underwood typewriter at the cabin brings up memories of the old days and winds up being a integral part of solving the mystery.

Down on his luck Dek Elstrom is being given a chance to redeem himself by doing a little PI work for the folks who run the exclusive Crystal Waters gated community, of which he was recently a resident. After an extortion letter and explosion, it doesn't seem that Crystal Waters is that safe after all. And even though his ex-wife, Amanda, is safely off in France, her (their former) home is sitting there unoccupied, with many works of fine art that she has alwyas said she would save before calling 911. This is the first in a series and I would certainly check in with Dek again.

There is a fun side-story about Dek's present home. After being thrown out of Crystal Waters, he decides to try to rehab his grandfather's (a former bootlegger) residence. The city is difficult, many old taxes are due and they want to label it historic. A stand-off ensues as Dek continues to rehab and live in the limestone turret.

Not exactly Carl Hiaasen - not humorous enough.

But enjoyable.

I wanted to like this, but it was not a page turner. I rarely do this, but I jumped to the last chapter to find out the end. Even then, I didn't care.½

There's been an explosion in Crystal Waters, a gated community outside of Chicago, and Dek Elstrom, an investigator down on his luck, is brought in to authenticate the ransom note. Dek's history comes out slowly; he has a connection to Crystal Waters, is divorced with a ruined business reputation, and is trying to restore a castle turret that his grandfather had built during prohibition, fighting with city hall for building and residency permits. Has been likened to Parker's early Spenser books.

When a million-dollar mansion in the wealthy gated community of Crystal Waters explodes following the receipt of an extortion letter, the fearful residents hire former businessman Dek Elstrom, whose own career has been ruined by scandal, to uncover the truth, but the case is complicated when Dek finds himself at the head of the suspect list. A first novel.½