Keep ’em coming vs. not for me

There’s room for both.

I recently found myself reading two mystery novels at once, both by prolific, well-known and well-liked authors. One is a favorite, I think I’ve read all of his 30+ books. I’ve only read one by the other author.

The Waiting by Michael Connelly is a tight, gripping, precisely paced thriller. The other, Death of the Black Widow by James Patterson and J.D. Barker, is an interesting roller-coaster of a story told through basic writing. I listened to the audiobook and kept going just to see how it would turn out.

The narrator kept me going as well, he inhabited the main character, Walter O’Brien, a cop / detective with the lousiest judgement in the world. His name is Ryan Vincent Anderson and I thought I recognized his voice from another novel, the romance Drunk on Love by Jasmine Guillory. I checked and it IS him! Funny, four years ago I had never listened to an audiobook and now I have favorite narrators.

What can I say about Michael Connelly and the interconnected Bosch universe? If you’re new to Harry Bosch’s world, read this book and then go back to the beginning and enjoy the ride.

If you’re already a fan then this book is already on your list.

Renée Ballard is the main character and the leader of the LAPD open-unsolved unit. Harry’s her old mentor and he makes a brief but essential appearance. His daughter, Maddie, has a main role in the novel, as she navigates her path from patrol cop to detective. In a genius move by Connelly he weaves the real life mystery of the Black Dahlia into the novel. It’s trippy.

Renée’s character just keeps growing on me. She’s inspiring – her confidence, her Spidey senses, her willingness to trust herself and take chances. The Waiting is taut and fraught and everything you want an LA crime novel to be.

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Walter O’Brien can’t follow directions. From his first day as a beat cop to decades later by the end of the novel, he keeps getting fooled by a seemingly helpless beauty. A deadly force. What is this creature? And who are the people trying to bring her down?

Death of the Black Widow has elements of the supernatural, military conspiracies, a lot of violence, and interesting take on the black widow archetype. Yeah! But it was only about the story and what was going to happen next for me; the writing and dialog didn’t set their hooks.

That wasn’t easy to say because 1) I am a nice person and 2) I have a hard time criticizing Patterson. He’s donated millions to literacy causes including to my alma mater, the University of Florida, so I’ll be forever grateful to him, his imagination, and the fans who keep him wealthy and in a position to give.

Here’s to books that make us say ‘keep ’em coming.’ We don’t all have to read the same things. Just keep reading.