Tag: Crime

The Never Game – Jeffery Deaver

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The Never Game (Colter Shaw, #1)
by Jeffery Deaver (Goodreads Author)

Edmond Gagnon‘s review May 31, 2025 

It’s maybe more like 3.5 stars to me.

I do like Deaver’s new protagonist, Colter Shaw, but personally think he went into far too much detail with the back story about Shaw’s past. Granted, it’s nice to know how he acquired his skillset but it was a bit more than I really needed to know. Actually, I found it a bit confusing, trying to separate past from present more than once throughout the book.

The story is fresh and interesting, taking us into the gaming industry and giving us an in depth look inside the minds of both vide0 game creators and players.

I stumbled across a TV series called, Tracker, which currently runs two seasons on the Disney channel. Watching the show has given me a new appreciation for Colter Shaw and his ongoing quest to locate missing people.

Quicksand – Murder Unresolved

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My latest title in the Norm Strom Crime Series is officially being released. Quicksand – Murder Unresolved is a fictional story that was inspired by a local cold case from years past.

A young mother of two who is estranged from her husband, is struck down by a hit and run driver in broad daylight out front of her workplace. There are several witnesses to the incident but no one can identify the driver of the vehicle.

The first person of interest to police is one of Norm Strom’s co-workers who was dating Annie Gladstone just prior to the the incident. Her husband later becomes the main suspect but he is not arrested until several years later.

The story unfolds in the aftermath of the hit and run, chronicling details of the police investigation, court case, and how the Gladstone family has to relive the incident day by day and year after year.

Quicksand is now available online at Amazon or your favorite book retailer. Locally, you can find a signed copy at Storytellers Bookstore in Windsor or River Bookshop in Amherstburg. You can also visit my events page for Local Events where I’ll be personally signing copies of all my books.

Quicksand – Murder Unresolved

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My latest Norm Strom Crime novel has just been released – available in eBook on Amazon NOW. The release in paperback there and on your other favorite book site is coming soon.

Quicksand is a fictional story of an unsolved local murder that occurred in a quiet lakefront village where Norm Strom resided before moving back to Windsor, Ontario. Annie Gladstone is run down in broad daylight by a hit and run driver who is never identified or arrested.

One of Strom’s co-workers, a fellow cop, was dating Annie and is questioned about the incident. Her estranged ex-husband quickly becomes a person of interest and later the main suspect. An arrest is made several years later and the Gladstone family relives the entire event in court.

The case is still open and the murder remains unresolved to this day.

Monster – Jonathan Kellerman

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Version 1.0.0

Jonathan Kellerman Set (Monster, The Web, When The Bough Breaks)
by Jonathan Kellerman

Edmond Gagnon‘s review Aug 18, 2024  

This novel is a slow-starter and a bit of a yawner…taking over 300 pages before Detective Milos Sturgis and Dr. Alex Delaware latch on to what seems like a viable lead.
As usual with this pair, there is way to much speculating and theorizing between them while trying to piece together murder details and possible suspects.
I’m also not a fan of excessive fluff…long-winded descriptions of every person and place in the story.
But the plot is a decent one that starts with one gruesome murder, then two, and what later becomes a trail of bodies left behind by a sadistic serial killer.
Not Kellerman’s best in my opinion, Monster is worth the read but I wouldn’t rush to put in on the top of your reading list.

On Dangerous Ground – Jack Higgins

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On Dangerous Ground (Sean Dillon #3)
by Jack Higgins

Edmond Gagnon‘s review, Jul 05, 2024  

I like Jack Higgins writing style and enjoyed this story but have tired of characters like Sean Dillon, the spy or ex-soldier of some type with all the special skills necessary to save the world.
At least this tale is of a different sort, tying past with present, while trying to locate a lost artifact that could change the political fate of at least one country, let alone the financial interests of other countries and criminal enterprises as well.
There’s enough action to keep readers turning pages, and although I felt they were predictable, a few plot twists made the story more interesting.

The Dark Hours – Michael Connelly

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The Dark Hours (Renée Ballard, #4; Harry Bosch, #23; Harry Bosch Universe, #36) by Michael Connelly (Goodreads Author)

Edmond Gagnon‘s review – Feb 09, 2024 

I gave this book four stars but I feel it was only worth 3.5.
There is nothing wrong with the story and perhaps I was less impressed because the protagonist was mostly Renee Ballard, not my favorite Connelly character.
Technically, it’s a Renee Ballard and Harry Bosch novel but the latter only makes a limited appearance later in the story as the female detective’s backup.
In The Dark Hours, Ballard juggles two cases, murder and rape, but struggles with everyone else in the “new L.A.P.D.” to get the job done. Of course, she can always count on retired Detective Harry Bosch for help.
The story picks up pace as Ballard bounces between the two cases, and then races to the finish line to wrap up all the bad guys in messy finale.

The Forgotten – David Baldacci

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The Forgotten (John Puller, #2)
by 

David Baldacci (Goodreads Author)

Edmond Gagnon‘s review Jan 25, 2024 

I like Baldacci’s style and his character John Puller, in my opinion his version of Lee Child’s Jack Reacher. Both men have military experience and the same moral compass when it comes to helping people and doing what’s right.
The Forgotten has become an all-to-familiar tale of human trafficking at it’s worst. In this case it’s the rich getter richer by stealing the poor from their homes, threatening their families, and selling them off as slaves.
That’s the story in a nutshell but there’s lots of intrigue and action, John Puller style.
The Forgotten is a good read.

The Gods of Guilt – Michael Connelly

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The Gods of Guilt (The Lincoln Lawyer, #5; Harry Bosch Universe, #25)
by Michael Connelly (Goodreads Author)

Edmond Gagnon‘s review – Jan 16, 2024 

Michael Connelly has become my favorite author, mostly for his Harry Bosch series but I do like the Lincoln Lawyer series as well. Especially when there are little crossovers between the two protagonists who are half brothers.
Like some of the best lawyers I know personally, Michael Haller is not perfect and has his own life issues to handle while he does his best to represent his clients, guilty or not.
Although mostly predictable, The Gods of Guilt is jam-packed with courtroom action and a few little surprises that Haller pulls out of his magic hat.
This story didn’t knock my socks off but was a very good read.

The Concrete Blonde – Harry Bosch

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The Concrete Blonde (Harry Bosch, #3; Harry Bosch Universe, #3) by Michael Connelly (Goodreads Author)

Edmond Gagnon‘s review Nov 24, 2023  

I’ve missed Harry Bosch.
Although this is an older title, I haven’t stumbled across one of Michael Connelly’s cop stories in a while. I’ve been able to get my Bosch fix through streaming both that series and the Lincoln Lawyer.

This book has Harry all twisted inside-out, having him involved in a big civil suit launched against him for taking out a serial killer. Then, while the trial is going on, a note appears that shows there might be a copycat killer or that Harry killed the wrong man.

Add in Bosch’s lates romance that he is trying to cling to…and various suspects he tracks down only to find he’s got the wrong guy, and The Concrete Blonde is a fast-paced read with lots of twists and turns that keeps you guessing to the end.

Killers of the Flower Moon

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Slow and long. Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon will no doubt be nominated and win some Academy Awards, but as in most Oscar winners it’s difficult to watch. Not because of all the killing in the name of personal and corporate greed, but because the film’s 3.5 hour length drags on longer than a Sergio Leone spaghetti western.

We all know the plot – white man wants red man land and the oil that lies beneath it, and will stop at nothing to obtain it. Perhaps this Oklahoma tale hasn’t been heard by the masses but it is an all too-familiar story that continues today with our own governments fighting wars over natural resources.

The star-studded cast – with a few you really have to look for – helps move the movie along at a steady snails pace. Although the acting was top-notch, I think the film editor could have been a little more sadistic with the scissors. I got the message in the first ten minutes of the movie.

I don’t believe this movie is a must-see on the big screen but well worth the watch from your own living room, where you can nod off and not worry about someone stealing your popcorn. Cathryn had no interest in seeing this flick so I went solo. I give it a 7 out of 10.