The Color of Greed (Raja Williams Series) – Jack Thompson

Up for a little mystery?  A little political intrigue?  Throw in a dash of suspense and a cool as a cucumber PI and you have The Color of Greed,  the first novel in the Raja Williams series by Jack Thompson. 

We get to know James Bondish Raja and his trusty hot genius computer hacker assistant Vinnie when they get a call from a wealthy grieving widow in California who is convinced her husband has been murdered, despite the fact that his death was ruled as natural.  The plot takes us from LA to Hollywood to San Fran as our protagonists chase down leads and become enmeshed in some pretty sordid political intrigue. The characters get away with a lot, but that’s half the fun.

While I enjoyed the characters in this new series, I felt they could have been given a lot more depth. Reminder: This is coming from a reader who thrives on character-driven fiction. For instance, Raja is somewhat of an empath but the story doesn’t really touch on this at all. I thought it was intriguing and would have loved to know more. I realize this is the first in a series and that many more little nuggets of background are sure to come in future installments, but I like to dig deep on what makes a character tick as soon as possible. It’s what binds me to them and makes me care. But Raja is as slick as they come, folks. If you’re a PI/mystery fan you’re sure to love him. Vinnie tended to get on my nerves a bit, but I think that’s intentional. I actually felt like I knew the secondary characters better than Raja and Vinnie and I enjoyed them immensely.

I like it that the plot took a twist near the end; however, I thought that line could have been fleshed out a little more, along with the new characters involved. It sort of came out of nowhere for me. Otherwise, it’s a very well-written novel with a solid plot. Mr. Thompson’s writing style is sparse and to the point without a lot of flowery, fluffy prose. He tells a good story, critical to a good novel, and a fact that (unfortunately) many self pubs seem to ignore.

This is a solid start to a new series written by an author who obviously knows the rules of weaving a satisfying plot (and of English and grammar YAY). For all of you who like a good, old-fashioned PI story in the vein of Columbo and Berretta (was he a PI?), pick this one up for a rollicking, quick, fun read. Definitely an author to watch.

Sugar Cane – E.E. Fry

I’m sure my high school geography teacher would be thrilled if he knew one of his students actually retained something from his class all these years later.  When I received Sugar Cane for review, I actually delighted myself when I realized I remembered that the island of Mauritius was located in the Indian Ocean.  Being from the U.S. where our island destinations tend to trend towards Hawaii, the Caribbean and Bali that’s about all I knew, though.   I’m happy to say that quickly changed as I dove into this novel, which  gave me Mauritian history and social studies lessons, and a travel guide so well written I could almost “see” the island.  All this was woven so artfully and intricately throughout the story and the lives of its characters that I didn’t even realize I was actually learning something.  Bravo, Ms. Fry!

Sugar Cane is the story of Elizabeth “Beth” LaBelle, a young woman uneasy with her heritage in her homeland of England.  Although she has a good life with her husband and loving parents, her father, George, has been quite secretive about his Mauritian roots, which has translated to insecurity and doubt for his daughter.  George dies, leaving Beth a mysterious box full of devastating family secrets and one final request — that she scatter his ashes in a specific sugar cane field on the island of his birth.

Sugar Cane is told from two points of view, Beth’s and her father’s (his from beyond the grave), as well as two periods of time.  Beth’s story is told in the present, as she leaves her native England and travels to Mauritius where she struggles to carry out her father’s last wishes and to understand who she really is.  George tells a tale of his youth, a period of social unrest and forbidden love, in an attempt to explain his actions to both himself and the reader.  Ms. Fry does all of this with flair and an obvious deep understanding of the human emotions involved.  She guides the reader gently but firmly through the recesses of Beth and George’s psyches, eventually wrapping the reader in a warm blanket of understanding and empathy for the characters.  Despite the different points of view and travelling from time period to time period, the reader is never confused and it doesn’t feel like there is too much going on; a trap that a lesser writer could have easily fallen into.  Quite the contrary, the two separate stories complimented each other nicely, and I enjoyed the rhythm of going back and forth between the two. In spite of the seriousness of the subject matter, the author takes us on a fun ride, blending humor and colorful characters with a good, solid mystery.

Ultimately, this book is also a story about the island of Mauritius itself and Ms. Fry incorporates its personality throughout the story, taking us past the sleek touristy image and giving us a glimpse into the social turmoil and political unrest of the past.  She dares point the finger at western culture and its greedy ways that so often throughout history has stuck its paws where it didn’t belong, taking what it wanted and leaving native cultures confused and used up.  I adore authors who are unafraid to express their opinions on subjects that are important to them, rather than glossing over it or not mentioning it at all.  Especially when they do it as eloquently as Ms. Fry.  I tip my hat to her for having the courage to write what she believes is an integral part of the story despite the fact that it may turn some readers away.

I thoroughly enjoyed Sugar Cane.  It is a mature, well thought out story that obviously means a lot to the author.  The plot is captivating and the writing polished.  I loved the element of mystery and suspense, which kept me guessing and turning the page.  I didn’t see the ending coming, and I love it when that happens!  The characters of Beth and her family are well-drawn and fully fleshed out, and I felt I was inside their heads learning about them as they uncovered secrets about themselves that even they didn’t know.  This is on my must read list, and I will heartily recommend it to my friends.  Congratulations, Ms. Fry, on a commanding, elegant, and thoroughly engaging first novel!

You can follow Ms. E.E. Fry on Twitter @sugarcanebook, on Facebook, or at her website:  http://sandybredpublishing.blogspot.com/p/e-e-fry.html .  Unfortunately for me, I’ll probably never make it to Mauritius, but her prose sure makes me wish I could.  Pick this one up!  Bonzour!

Photo Finish (Trouble in Paradise) – Terry Ambrose

In the mood for a mystery?  Need a vacation (at least in your mind)?  Give Photo Finish by Terry Ambrose a try.  Mr. Ambrose takes you on a rowdy adventure set in glorious Oahu where sometimes a pretty girl isn’t just a pretty girl, but harmless semi-retired apartment managers fall for them anyway.

We are introduced to McKenna, said apartment manager, living his quiet life hiding from the past and stonewalling the future.  Until a pretty new tenant moves in and a body gets thrown from an airplane.  Photo Finish is not only a story about unravelling a mystery, but also slowly peels away the layers of McKenna’s damaged psyche as he learns to begin to live his life again.  He’s not your stereotypical hero-slash-protagonist, which is refreshing; his weakness for the ladies and self-doubt is endearing.

The story with all of its twists and turns is quite straightforward without a lot of fluff — no confusing subplots or flowery language here.  The author feeds us little bits of Hawaiian culture and language through realistic and funny dialogue.  And despite quite a few subtle hints throughout the book, you don’t really know how this story is going to end up or where the characters stand until the end, which, in my opinion, is crucial for a mystery novel but seems to be often overlooked by authors.  (I find myself knowing exactly how a book is going to end far too often, to my dismay.)  This book reminds me of good, solid, old-fashioned mystery writing from back in the day.  While the characters spend a lot of time chasing violence, it doesn’t happen “on screen” and constantly slap you in the face, so if that’s not your thing then this is the book for you. 

All in all, this is a solid debut performance by the author.  The writing is mature and polished, the plot solid, and the characters well fleshed out and relatable.  You can follow Mr. Ambrose on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/photo.finish.novel , Twitter, or at his website:  www.terryambrose.com  Mahalo!