Drama Detective - Joe Cosentino Book – Drama Detective (Nicky and Noah #5)
Author – Joe Cosentino
Star rating - ★★★★☆
No. of Pages – 217
Cover – Perfect!
POV – 1st person, one character
Would I read it again – Yes
Genre – LGBT, Comedy, Mystery, Murder, Contemporary


** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK FOR MY READING PLEASURE **
Reviewed for Divine Magazine



Drama Detective is another top notch comedy from Joe Cosentino. With a cast of characters that can make you smile, laugh and snigger at their woeful dramas, there is something (and someone) for everyone.

The format is back in great form, continuing the tradition of beginning with Nicky directing a play and then evolving into murder before the end of Chapter 1. The cast of characters are a little more catty than usual, this time, as instead of having college kids or amateurs as the actors the characters here are fully credits from hammed up TV shows and theater has-beens. Or rather, never-was stars. The drama these lot face on stage is nothing to what they cause off stage.

I loved that little Taavi was back, as an official member of the family. And Nicky's usual hypochondria hadn't been forgotten, nor was his irrational jealousy as he simmered over the growing closeness of Noah and his brother Tony. It was fun to watch all the family drama pan out, from the 'more sensitive and younger brother' issue to the 'who killed my cast' and the return of long-standing – and long-suffering – detective Joe Manuello.

But, as always, beyond the fun is the real stuff. Stuff that real life has thrown at the LGBT community. Religious freedoms, bigotry, closeted gay men suffering the fear of coming out due to judgment, and the realities of foster care, conversion therapy and children's fear that their families will be broken up by laws and governments who don't support LGBT families. Cosentino manages to challenge all of these real life issues in a way that is both real, heartbreaking but also uplifting, in a way. Because there is always a happy ending and, no matter what the characters have suffered in their lives, they find a way to rise above the struggles.

I never knew a musical production of Sherlock Holmes could be so dangerous! Drama Fraternity is going to be a riot!

 

Crossing the Line is the second book in the Paris Murder Series. Chief Nico Sirsky is back full time in his fourth-floor office at the Paris police headquarters, 36 Quai des Orfèvres. Three months ago he was wounded in his leg and is still recovering from the experience.

The new love of his life, Caroline, the gastroenterologist at the Saint Antoine Hospital, has given him new hope and enthusiasm for his work. His teenage son Dimitry is doing very well and life is good.

But his first day back feels like landing on his feet running, when he has to oversee a jewel heist and a cadaver head on a university lab table with a rare message buried somewhere sinister inside it. It is also not the only head rolling around on these tables! Marcel, the former butcher, is the meticulous body processor at the university and does not have any trouble in providing body parts to all the different medical departments of the university. With three thousand cadavers moving through his freezers each year, there is no shortage of anything for no student.

The message could have been a student prank, if it wasn't for the circumstances surrounding the deceased. And soon a much bigger case is opening up when powerful people get nervous around the discovery. Sirsky has politics and power breathing down his neck to solve the case which threatens to rock the country if not solved yesterday!

The problem with a Frédérique Molay book is that it gets the reader into serious trouble. It is fast-paced, detailed, and riveting! Unputdownable! The brutality and refinement balance each other out in the roller coaster plot around an apparent suicide, an unfortunate boat accident and a downright brutal murder. Love takes on many different forms in the tale, surprisingly so!

A perfect murder mystery! A brilliant pshyco-thriller!
The last time I wanted to nail all the windows and doors close and force all the cats and dogs to sleep on my bed, was with Patricia Cornwell's master forensic sleuth, Dr. Kay Scarpetta. I promised myself never to venture off into a series like that ever again! But sadly, my memory is way too short! I've completed the second book in this Paris Murder Series now, and true to my martyr nature, I cannot wait for the third one! Someone must take me gently by the hand and save me from myself! But honestly, I NEED TO READ THE THIRD ONE SOON! I know, I know...an intervention is needed, but I simply cannot help myself! Why......oh......why?!

A review copy was provided by Anne Tager, through edelweiss.abovethetreeline.com. Thank you.

  Everything changes when the quiet, serene community of southeast coast of Newfoundland, Canada, is shaken up by the murder of Amy Parsons, a champion rower in the Women's Championship Race at the St. John's Regatta. And suddenly nothing seems to make sense anymore. What was the purpose of the Chinese tourists, led by a Russian tour guide earlier in the year? The discovery of a pink mobile phone with the numbers of prominent public officials including a judge and a Member of the House of Assembly, and senior police officers from both the RCMP and the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary are kept a secret. Possible exposure will have several heads rolling; people are nervous; and sergeant Windflower is center to all the mayhem which secretly rages through the inner circle of power and privilege. Loyalty and friendships are tested. Yes, some powerful people are looking to bury this stuff deeper than the mines on Bell Island and sergeant Windflower's sense of fairness is in the way.

Through it all, Windflower is bombarded with weird dreams, which only his uncle Frank, a dream weaver, can interpret. A new world of voices from the past opens up for Windflower.

It is as much a community story as it is a detective, murder mystery; just as much a love story as it is a celebration of Canadian customs and cultures, a travel journal. Informative, yes. A gentle, dignified approach to serious issues. The combination of all these elements ensures that the community of Grand Bank won't be forgotten. I loved the opportunity to be back and enjoying their company again. This book is the next best thing to living there!

A much enjoyable read, due to all the combined elements in the book.

Anne Trager did the world a favor when she decided to translate French crime novels for our pleasure. What a joy!

The blurb points it out very well:
"Winner of France's prestigious Prix du Quai des Orfèvres prize for best crime fiction, named Best Crime Fiction Novel of the Year, and already an international bestseller with over 150,000 copies sold."

Well, dive into the life and world of the French super cop, Chief of Police, Nico Sirsky, when one after the other female bodies appear on their computer screens. What begins as just one murder, change into six others within six days, with the victims being closer in relation to Nico Sirsky. Brutal, ruthless and macabre. That is the only words that can describe the serial murders by someone who knows his stuff. And he has a grudge against Nico Sirsky. 

Divorced, lonely, and suddenly in love, Sirsky has his hands full, especially when his ex-wife turns off on her own side track and leaves his teenage son for him to raise. The sources of his emotional pirouettes over the hot coals of doubt and desperation, are lack of sleep, as well as too many people in his inner circle becoming suspects.

A page-turner, a sleep-stealer, a grim adventure! But an excellent addition to the crime thriller genre. 

One little glitch though: the quotes from the Bible might be correct, but it is unlikely for non religious people to conjure up instantaneous memory of them. Even devoted Christians might find it a challenge so off the cuff. That was not convincing.

Nonetheless, my first encounter with Anne Trager's translations, was 'The Paris Lawyer' by Sylvie Granotier. 'The 7th Woman' can be regarded as one of the best, but not totally on the same level as far as literary mastery is concerned. It's purely a scientific, investigative tour de force, but equally enjoyable to read though. Enough to inspire me to find the rest of them! Besides, it was written in good taste, not causing the loss of one thunderous drama beat in the highly suspenseful narrative. 

This copy was provided through edelweiss.abovethetreeline.com for review.

Detective Chief Inspector Helen Lavery learnt a valuable lesson from her late father, James, a well-respected detective in his own right, when he said: Don't get upset or afraid with the death threats of an acrimonious criminal on trial. It is only the ‘shallow thoughts of a condemned man.’ But was he right? 

She became as successful as he in her profession, while raising her two sons, Matthew and Robert, on her own, after her husband's death ten years earlier. Life was busy, but uncomplicated for her. She was well-known as an assiduous detective in the Hampton Branch of the Homicide and Serious Crime Squad. Her colleagues were trustworthy and hardworking: Superintendent Jenkins, Sergeant Sean Pemberton. However, the same could not be said of Detective Inspector Dean Fitzpatrick. He knew how to play her like a violin and she could not resist falling in love with his melodies. That was a few years ago, and she never forgave him. And now he was back to solve a case in which they would collide as well as corroborate and things are not going well at all. 

So much changed insidiously for all of them. The past, instead of the present, was now more relevant than ever before. It predicted the future and everyone is caught off guard, so to speak.

Eva Carradine and Naomi Spence were best friends since early childhood. There was no reason for either one of them to ever distrust the other. They had a bond stronger than family. But then Eva witnessed an assault on her best friend and sharing a dangerous secret with her friend, she took off, trying to get as far away as possible. Some people were in hot pursuit, with the police not quite on par with her involvement yet. 

For those of you who enjoy the different British detective series on television and love murder mysteries, like I do, will appreciate this fast-moving, entertaining, light-read. However, it is serious enough to be noted, but not hitting the horror- or nightmare zones in any way. 

The story revolves around two murders, with every person related to it having to deal with unresolved issues from their past before the case could be solved. Even the criminals had their stories to tell. Relationships would be tested, between family, friends and work colleagues. The situation demanded of everyone to personally reconsider their motives, action as well as decisions to end the tragedy. I am not giving away any clues!

Like all books, the beginning is slow, introducing all the characters, the scenario, and the plot. But then it picks up pace and before you know it, you're zoning in on Hampton, England and growl for any interference, such as a ringing telephone, or even the cat jumping through the window! I felt like hanging a 'for heaven's sake, do not disturb!'-sign on my closed door, even though I had a strong suspicion of the outcome! 

Legend Press has never disappointed in their choice of new authors. I received this book through NetGalley for review. And enjoyed it. It is a well-written murder mystery for female readers. Definitely not chic-lit.