Labyrinth by Catherine Coulter

Labyrinth (FBI Thriller #23)Barbara’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: FBI Thriller #23
Publication Date: 7/30/19
Number of Pages: 512

Another exciting, non-stop, action-packed adventure! As always, there are two different cases to solve – and I can’t decide which one I thought was better, because they were both great. Yes, we have another winner to add to this impressive series.

One case involves treason – Oh! My! As Sherlock is driving toward the gym to meet Savich, her car is t-boned by a black SUV. Her car is sent into a spin where she strikes several other cars – and a man – before it finally comes to rest against a fire hydrant. Sherlock is rushed to the hospital where her most serious injury is head trauma – and – she has amnesia. Can you imagine how terrifying it would be to awaken and have no idea who you were and not remember any of the people around you – even your own husband and son?

As Savich and his team review all of the video taken of the accident, they pick up on something strange. The man Sherlock hit is missing, it appears that he was running from someone and the woman who hit Sherlock was watching the man who was hit. Coincidence after coincidence just pique Savich’s interest and before long they are on the trail of a traitor and espionage at the highest levels of the CIA.

The other case involves the vacationing Agent Griffin Hammersmith. His last case was a long and tough one and Savich had insisted he take a few days off. Griffin decided to visit a good friend in Gaffer’s Ridge, Virginia and had a quiet peaceful couple of days. As he was walking one afternoon, there was a call for help – and then again. When he finally locates the origins, he bursts through the door and sees a man pointing a gun at a woman. Griffin kicks the gun out of the man’s hand while the woman hits the man on the head with a piece of pipe. The woman, Dr. Carson DeSilva, and Griffin soon find that they have a lot in common, but before they can explore that, they have to deal with a Sheriff who is also the uncle of the man with the gun. The whole town is owned by the man and his family, so justice won’t be coming easily. Was that man responsible for the kidnapping and perhaps murder of three teenage girls? The investigation will be very difficult with the sheriff and his family impeding them at every turn.

This author always spins a very suspenseful tale that is intriguing, unique and keeps you wondering where it is going next. I love all of the characters in the series and look forward to visiting with them again in each new book. I think we might have a new addition to the mix with Dr. DeSilva as the love interest of Griffin.

All-in-all this is a great read and I highly recommend it – and the other books in the series as well.

Escapes Can Be Murder by Connie Shelton

Escapes Can Be Murder: A Girl and Her Dog Cozy Mystery (Charlie Parker Mysteries Book 18)Barbara’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Charlie Parker Mysteries #18
Publication Date: 6/23/19
Number of Pages: 234

Another great addition to the Charlie Parker series – I think it is one of my favorites so far. I would like to see more of Drake in the investigations – he’s very laid back with his wife getting arrested and having guns pointed at her. No, that isn’t a sexist comment – I’d feel the same way if Charlie were a male. I also hated that there wasn’t a complete resolution to the case – I hope that maybe we’ll see that resolution in the next book, but at the end of this book, it was mostly left hanging.

During a flying job in a remote area of Maine, Charlie and Drake are approached by a very frail old man who wants them to fly him to his son’s cabin just north of where their helicopter is currently based. After the old man explains that the cabin doesn’t have any access by vehicle and that his son has to hike out several miles before he can reach any kind of road. The old man is very ill and couldn’t make the hike, so they agree to take him up there – and then return to pick him up.

The old man ends up wanting to hire Charlie’s investigative agency to find evidence to clear his son of a ten-year-old charge of jury tampering. It is his dying wish to have his son cleared of those charges and Charlie just can’t refuse.

As Charlie begins to investigate, she suspects there is more to the case than just jury tampering. Then, there is a murder of a high-profile judge, are the two cases related? Why would someone want to frame her client? Who really tampered with the jury? Why? Was it politically motivated?

This story is filled with lots of twists and turns and a good mystery. The writing is excellent and the descriptions are so vivid you feel as if you could drive around in Albuquerque and find your way.

I will say that I have a complaint about the ebook formatting. There is no table of contents included so that I can easily move back and forth between chapters. It has nothing to do with the excellent writing in the book, but it is annoying nonetheless.