#trace conger

[cathygeha]

REVIEW

Catch and Release by Trace Conger

A Connor Harding Thriller #1

 What would you do to save your sibling? Would you use your finely honed military skills to find a murderer…for another murderer…to save your brother’s life? And, what would you do if the trail you were following to that killer proved to be lead to an unexpected destination?

 What I liked:

* Connor Harding: intelligent, excellent at solving puzzles, lethal, ex-military intelligence officer, skilled in interrogation and reading people, has an interesting family, intriguing, would like to read more about him

* The quiet setting and small town of Meddybemps, Maine

* The steps Connor followed to figure out the puzzle of who killed Little Freddie’s wife and daughter

* That Connor is willing to do what is right…even if it is not necessarily legal

* Conor’s protectiveness…at least of some and sometimes

* The way Connor handles himself…in more than one situation

* Wondering if Connor might end up with Tara…or someone else

* The unexpected twist

* The way the story ends

* Hoping that I will see Connor in another story in the future

 What I didn’t like: * Who and what I was meant not to like

 Did I enjoy this book? Yes

Would I read more in this series? Definitely

 Thank you to the author for the ARC – This is my honest review.

 5 Stars

     BLURB

 An ex-mob fixer must solve the murder of a hitman’s wife and daughter before becoming the next victim. A vigilante justice crime thriller with a twist ending. Connor Harding is the go-to man when it comes to solving problems for the underworld’s most dangerous criminals. Freddie Blasko is a violent hitman with a reputation for results. Twelve years after Freddie’s wife and daughter were brutally killed, he wants Connor to solve their murders. Freddie tracks Connor down at his secluded cabin in Maine, but Connor wants nothing to do with the job. He knows an unsolvable case when he sees one. Twelve years is a long time, and there’s no evidence, no witnesses, and nothing to go on. But, Freddie isn’t the type to take no for an answer. He gives Connor an ultimatum: solve the case, or Connor’s brother dies. Fearing for his brother’s life, Connor investigates the murders and slowly pieces the puzzle together. He uncovers a long-buried secret and quickly finds that no one, not even the victims, is who they seem. What he doesn’t know is that while he’s tracking the killer, someone else is tracking him. Can Connor find the murderer and save his brother before becoming the next victim? Catch and Release is the seventh novel by award-winning author Trace Conger.

[cathygeha]

REVIEW

Five Will Die by Trace Conger

 Moving to Lincoln, Ohio was supposed to make for an easier life than working for the Cleveland Police Department and for a while, it did. One day a message was delivered to the police department that FIVE WILL DIE. Was it a prank, spoof, trick…or could it be true? As one after another seemingly unrelated deaths occur, the sheriff and his small team try to figure out who is killing people in their town…how many will die? Will the killer be caught? That is what this book is about.

 What I liked:

* Tim Burke: Sheriff, husband, suffers from anxiety disorder, grieves for daughter that died, professional.

* Gwen: Tim’s wife, retired RN, runs local coffee shop, loves her husband, misses her daughter.

* Corey Poteet: one of Tim’s deputy’s, interested in historical and current crimes, seems to be a good person.

* Gavin Evans: recent addition to the police force, handsome, conscientious, dating a local woman

* Maren Krueger: independent criminal profiler, intelligent, focused, free-spirit, interesting

* The randomness of the killings…and how the killer may have chosen to kill them

* That not all killings were the same

* The police procedural aspect of the story with the clues finally coming to light

* The creepiness of who was doing the killing even knowing the impetus/excuse used to kill

* That anxiety was dealt with well and counseling suggested – also liked the Author’s Note at the end of the book that deals with the topic, too.

* Wondering if this is a standalone story or if this is the first book in a series

 What I didn’t like:

* The killer and the fact that lives were taken

* The coverup of a crime that took place in the past

 Did I enjoy this book? Yes

Would I read more by this author? Yes

 Thank you to the author for the ARC – this is my honest review.

 4-5 Stars

    BLURB

 WHEN A SERIAL KILLER STALKS A SLEEPY OHIO TOWN, EVERYONE IS A SUSPECT. Nothing ever happens in Lincoln, Ohio. Sheriff Tim Burke likes it that way. That's why he moved to the tranquil town after a panic disorder, triggered by a gruesome unsolved case, forced him to retire from Cleveland's Homicide Division.

These days, the only thing Burke has to worry about is who spray-painted the side of Walt Tanner's barn. That all changes when someone slips a note under Burke's door. A note claiming five people will die in Lincoln.

At first, Burke and his two deputies dismiss it as a prank by local teenagers, the same troublemakers he singled out for defacing Walt's barn.

Then the first body turns up. Then the second.

Consumed by the murder investigation, Burke uncovers a link to another small Ohio town, where a killer left a similar note, claimed five victims, and vanished without a trace. Burke also discovers something else. His panic disorder, which had been dormant since retiring three years ago, has returned more paralyzing than ever.

Will Burke overcome his debilitating condition and stop the killer before he claims his fifth victim and leaves Lincoln forever?

[cathygeha]

REVIEW

The White Boy by Trace Conger

 Who doesn’t like a scary campfire story told late at night? This would be perfect if you are looking for a new one to tell next time you are in charge of the story telling. It is creepy, scary, and just real enough to make me wonder about what might be hiding in my closet or under my bed!

 I don’t want to give too many details as the story is short with every word packing a punch…so…I will just say that I highly recommend it and hope I never see what Drew and Quinn saw in this short story!

 Thank you to the author for the copy to read and review – this is my honest review.

 5 Stars

       BLURB

 "DADDY, THERE'S A BOY IN MY ROOM. AND HE DOESN'T HAVE A FACE!" Quinn Becker doesn't believe in ghosts. Or coincidences. That changes when his five-year-old son, Drew, tells him about the "white boy" who visits him at night. As Drew's encounters with the white boy escalate, Quinn and his wife, Mel, are forced to decipher what is real and what is the product of their son's vivid imagination. As the family searches for answers, they discover a link to a 40-year-old mystery and a connection to Quinn's own past. But the most unsettling discovery is that the white boy is only the beginning. A much more menacing threat is coming.

[cathygeha]

REVIEW

Mirage Man by Trace Conger

Connor Harding Thriller #1

 Intense, fast-paced, action-packed thrill ride from beginning to end. Connor is not your typical fiction hero, but he is definitely a man you would rather have as your friend than as your enemy!

 What I liked: * The setting: Boston and New York

* Connor: ex-military, intelligent, lethal, son, brother, ex-fixer for a mob boss, retired, has found a niche job working with Mr. Fish, suddenly has a hit out on him and wants to know why.

* The writing, plot, and pace of the story

* Watching how the story unfolds and where Connor will head next

* That Connor was not Superman

* Zoe: a good person for Connor to have on speed-dial, smart, good businesswoman, intriguing, would like to see more of her in the future.

* The problems that Connor had to solve and how he went about finding solutions

* Thinking about what it would be like to live within the adrenaline and money fueled violent world of mafias

* That there is more to learn about Connor’s backstory

* The action scenes – seemed realistic and believable

* That Connor seems to see the world in shades of gray – not black and white – when it comes to what needs to be done and the justification for the actions required

* Knowing that there will be another book starring Connor in the future

* All of it except…

 What I didn’t like:

* Exactly what I was meant not to like

* Thinking about how easy it was for some of the characters to do the reprehensible things they did.

 Did I enjoy this book? Yes

Would I read more by this author? Yes

 Thank you to the author for the ARC – This is my honest review.

 4-5 Stars

    BLURB

 MIRAGE MAN - A crime thriller from Shamus Award-winning author Trace Conger

Connor Harding is a Mirage Man for the New York mob. He’s smart, relentless, and a master of a trade that few people know exists. When it comes to solving problems for the underworld’s most dangerous criminals, he’s the go-to man. If you’ve got a problem, you want him on your side, but if you ARE the problem, you never want to meet him. In Connor’s line of work, mistakes get you killed. Until now, the only mistake he made was thinking his past would never come back to haunt him. Connor’s professional skills are tested when, three years after leaving the criminal life and retiring into obscurity, an eager triggerman arrives at his home to kill him. What begins with a dead man on Connor’s kitchen floor spirals into a high-stakes chase that takes him back to his New York City stomping grounds. There, he becomes entangled in a criminal power struggle, mob turf war, and a federal investigation that put his former boss in prison. Connor is determined to find those responsible for the attempt on his life and cancel the contract before someone else cancels him.

[cathygeha]

The Prison Guard’s Son by Trace Conger

Mr. Finn #3

 Imagine losing your four year old child to sadistic murderers. Would you want revenge? Would you want it even if the murderers were only five years older than the child you lost? How long would you be willing to wait to get that revenge and how would you go about achieving it? That is what this book is about…and monsters…monsters that are pure evil.

 Finn is asked to find two people and as they have gone WAY underground it is no easy task. The story of his search is interesting as are the people he encounters while he is looking. He wants to look both men in the eye and assess who they are three decades after they admitted to killing Josh Baker. He does this, uncovers a child pornography ring, encounters an alpha female working for WITSEC, meets up with some of the people that he worked with in the first two books and also tries to decide what is best for himself and his family as he moves forward after this case. All of it makes a thrilling read that had me turning pages from beginning to end.

 I was hooked on the Mr. Finn books from the very first one I read and was thrilled when the author asked if I would be willing to read and review his second and third books in the series. I hope there will be more Mr. Finn books in the future because I am not finished with Finn, his family or the people he works with and hope the author isn’t either.

 Thank you to the author for the copy of this book given in exchange for my honest review.  

 https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30965182-the-prison-guard-s-son

5 Stars