Book Review: Code 13, Don Brown

Lieutenant Commander Caroline McCormick, Judge Advocate General's Corp (JAG), US Navy, is a highly competent Navy lawyer. On the basis of a stellar stint of handling the personal legal affairs (wills, powers of attorney, etc.) of sailors on a ship about to head to sea for an extended time, she is reassigned to the secretive Code 13 section of JAG at the Pentagon. Her former, almost fiance is also assigned there. Complicating that move and relationship, Commander McCormick is strongly attracted to Captain Paul Kriete, who is also being reassigned to Washington. And, just to make things interesting, her almost fiance, Lt. Commander PJ MacDonald, is strongly attracted to the beautiful red-headed Senior Lieutenant Victoria Fladager, also in JAG in the Pentagon. But, that's not the main story.

Code 13 and Lt. Commander MacDonald (PJ) in particular have been tasked with issuing an opinion on the legality of a proposed coastline drone surveillance program to be run by the Navy but to be done in partnership with Homeland Security. At issue are the Fourth Amendment protections against searches without a warrant and the doctrine of "posse comitatas" that prevents the use of the military in domestic law enforcement. There are powerful stake holders, some of whom will stop at nothing to either get the drone program approved or to prevent its approval. And, to get their way, one of those interested parties is apparently assassinating JAG officers.

I must say that the author, Don Brown, keeps the story moving and kept my interest. And, there is a "nice" little twist at the end that I didn't see coming. The conflict between securing the borders of the US, combatting terrorism, and ensuring constitutionally guaranteed privacy and freedom is handled well. Lt. Commander MacDonald is torn on how to write his legal opinion and I, as the reader, felt his conflicts. Also, there is no graphic sex or foul language — adultery is alluded to, but not described.

But — and you were waiting for the "But" — this book is so full of clichés.

First, every possible conspiracy is introduced: big government, intrusive government, mob-controlled drug trafficking, greedy corporations who will do anything to get profits, terrorist threats, blackmail. It's all there.

Second, it seems that every possible stereotype is given page time: military men who are hunks, affairs between bosses and secretaries, politicians who can't keep themselves from getting involved in sexual scandals, the dumb cousin in the mob, sexist attitudes of both men ("… hot little firecraker of a redhead JAG officer.") and women ("One man alone, trim and well fitted in the choker whites of a naval officer's uniform, could stop most women dead in their tracks … even the least of them proving to be handsomer than the studliest actor Hollywood had to offer."). For me, it really got old.

If you want a clean, quick, no-thinking-necessary read, then Code 13 is a good book for that. The book does have Christian elements in it. I enjoyed it, but it's not going to make my "Best of 2016" list.

DISCLAIMER: In exchange for an honest review, I received a free copy of this book from the publisher as a part of its BookLook Bloggers' program. My only compensation, besides the free book, is continued participation in the program.

Book Review: If I Run, by Terri Blackstock … Hooked me from the beginning

First of all, it's irritating to me to read the first book in a series and find out that I wasn't warned that the story would leave me hanging, but, frankly, that was the biggest flaw in this book and it's one that I can overlook.

I was hooked from the first paragraph. Casey is in the room where her boyfriend, Brent, lies after being bloodily murdered. The evidence all seems to point to Casey as the perpetrator, even though no one who knows her can imagine that she would be capable of this kind of brutality. Casey, knowing that she will be the prime suspect and that the evidence makes her look guilty, decides to run and hide. When the police can't find her, Brent's parents hire Dylan to find her and the police, desperate to find Casey, reluctantly agree to work with Dylan. Dylan, though, is an Iraq War vet with PTSD.

This is definitely fiction and it moves fast, so there are some things that defy reality: Who keeps $12 thousand in cash in their house, but it makes it much easier for Casey to run and hide? What innocent, law-abiding person is able to establish a new identity so quickly? Blackstock is able to keep the tension high as she develops the story without revealing everything. While Casey is a larger-than-life runaway, her fear and conflicted feelings are real.

Murder is never clean, but otherwise, this is a clean murder mystery — no gratuitous sexuality or language. It is a Christian novel, but it doesn't beat the reader over the head with stereotypical evangelicalism. At the end of the book, the story is clearly not complete, so be ready to read the 2nd and 3rd books. I liked this book.

DISCLAIMER: I received a free copy of this book through the publisher's BookLook Blogger Review program. I was encouraged to write an honest review of the book. My only compensation is continued participation in the review program.

Book Review: The Confession, Robert Whitlow

It's always easier for a prosecuting attorney if he has a confession ... or is it? The Confession (link to Kindle edition on Amazon), by Robert Whitlow, is a lawyer story — actually an assistant DA. As a teen, Holt Douglas was drunk but not as much as his friend. He refuses to let his friend drive and takes the keys himself. In the subsequent wreck (didn't see that coming, right?), the friend dies but Holt lives. He makes a decision to tell the police that the friend was driving and lives with the secrecy and guilt of that decision for years afterwards.

As an assistant DA, Holt begins to suspect that the death of a prominent and powerful businessman, Meredith, was not suicide as was reported. Then, with the help of Trish, a detective assigned to locating and bringing to justice men who have defaulted on alimony or family support payments, begins to uncover evidence that Greg, a supporter of the DA and huge contributor to Trish's church, was involved in the death of Meredith and decided that the DA and the Sheriff and some deputies were involved in a massive cover-up. The story involves some conflicted attraction between Holt and Trish that causes trouble between Holt and Angelina, Holt's girlfriend. Whitlow does a good job of weaving in Holt's guilt over hiding the truth about his role in the wreck that killed his friend. Trish's father was killed by a drunk driver, and Whitlow does a good job of weaving in the tension of Trish's anger, especially when Holt tells Trish the truth about his own wreck. The Bishop becomes a key part of the story as Holt moves toward faith. Then, there is a twist or two in the story.

While not great book, The Confession was an engaging read. I rate it 4/5 stars.

(EDIT: I deleted the comment about page numbers not being in the edition I read. In communication with the BookLook Bloggers administration, they said that the review edition does not come from Amazon and may not be formatted the same.)

(DISCLAIMER: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher as a part of their blogger review programme, BookLook Bloggers. I was free to write the review I thought the book deserved and receive no compensation or other benefit except continued participation in the review programme.)

Run well, y'all,
Bob

PS — I've started back running in Kampala. It's known as the city of seven hills and the hills are KILLERS!

Book Review: A Deadly Business

This was an enjoyable read. I was a little put off to find that it is the second book in a series (I hadn't read the first), but it really stands alone. Not a bad book — a bit of courtroom drama, an accidental death that might be a murder, a dead husband who turns out not to have been what he seemed, a bit of romance between Mia and Charlie (but not over the top or graphic in any way, even by implication). There were some odd things in the book that seemed out of place: for instance, Eli blurting out that Mia is his girlfriend — where did that come from? The side story about the lady and her son who were living in a friend's garage and then moved into Mia's spare bedroom seemed an odd, out-of-place, and totally unnecessary insertion in the story and the conflict over that with Gabe was never resolved. Gabe's character as a 14 year old was well developed and seemed true to life. I'm not sure what qualifies this as "Christian fiction". And I'm not sure what characterizes "Christian fiction -- is it overt Christianity (not in this book), is it morality (the language was clean and there was no gratuitous sex or adultery in the book), is it a Biblical worldview (that existed in the book but was very subtle and seemed motivated by a desire on the part of the characters to be good, not necessarily biblical)?

If you're looking for a light mystery that's an easy read with enough unknowns to maintain interest, then you will probably enjoy "A Deadly Business".

(I received a free copy of A Deadly Business for review from the publisher as a part of their blogger review program, Book Look Bloggers.  I was free to write the review that I thought the book deserved. I receive no compensation other than continued participation in the program.)

Book Review: Critical Condition

I'm a fan of Richard Mabry's books. Critical Condition is the fifth one I've read — somehow I missed Heart Failure, but I'll rectify that — and it was not a disappointment. The book will be released on 15 April 2014.

Shannon Frasier, first year medical student, witnesses the shooting death of her fiancé, Todd, and is helpless to help him. Ten years later, as a surgeon in a Dallas hospital, another man is shot and killed in her front yard and she is, again, powerless to help him.

Shannon, her recovering addict sister, Megan, and her almost-fiancé, Mark, get tangled in a bank robbery/murder case. In the midst of all of this, Shanon struggles with her weakened faith in God.

As always, Mabry's medical/murder mystery compelled me to finish. His characters are real, struggling with daily issues of stress, faith, fallenness, doubt. I like and appreciate the fact that Mabry's does not resort to foul language or to sex scenes to "enhance" (tongue-in-cheek) his stories. Even though two of the main characters are doctors, the storyline itself is only tangentially related to the medical profession.

While this was a really good read, there are weaknesses in the plot. Shannon, Mark, and Megan's interferences in the investigation would probably have earned them serious trouble in real life. I sincerely hope that the Dallas police would have taken the threats against Shannon's life more seriously than the story portrays. Some things that seemed weak in the first half of the book made sense later (I won't detail to avoid spoilers).

Shannon's struggles with her own doubts about God may seem trite to non-believers, its a very real struggle for many believers -- how to reconcile one's belief in a loving God with difficulties and evil in daily life. Once again, I highly recommend Mabry's books.

(DISCLAIMER: I received a copy of Critical Condition free from the publisher as a participant in their Book Look Bloggers program. However, I was free to write the review that I believed the book deserved. My only compensation is continued participation in the review program.)