"Gone Cold"
Douglas Corleone
Minotaur Books, $26.99
Hawaii resident and novelist Douglas Corleone’s latest crime thriller, "Gone Cold," is a heart-pounding third installment in his Simon Fisk series. Emotionally tortured and compelled to risk death and imprisonment, former U.S. Marshal Simon Fisk has spent years finding abducted children. Each case reopens the wounds of his tragic past and the kidnapping of his 6-year-old daughter.
Now 12 years after her disappearance, Fisk’s determination to find the person responsible is renewed. He works ceaselessly to find a new lead until an old colleague sends him an email with two images attached. The first is a computer-generated rendering of his daughter, Hailey Fisk, had she reached 18 years of age, and the second is a grainy CCTV photo of a young woman wanted for murder in Dublin. The similarities are remarkable and Simon dares to hope. But would he be able to find her before the police?
The search leads him across the U.K. and Ireland, into the crossfire of modern Scottish clan wars and crime syndicate disputes, while dodging international security agencies, rekindling a relationship with his estranged sister and bringing light to generations of family secrets.
Corleone reinforces the plot with scenes from Simon’s past and the events surrounding Hailey’s abduction, adding depth and urgency to the unfolding mystery.
In this unstoppable page-turner with its wicked humor, detailed settings and action-packed scenes, Corleone keeps you on the edge of your seat.
"Killing Maine"
Mike Bond
Mandevilla Press, $14.99
"Killing Maine" is Mike Bond’s second environmental crime-thriller featuring special-forces veteran Pono Hawkins. Following the struggle to stop the development of wind farms in Hawaii, Pono is pulled into yet another confrontation with energy conglomerates and corrupt officials in a mystery that takes him from the shores of Waikiki to the icy bluffs of Maine.
The Wind Turbine Power Group is building 55-story turbines across northern Maine to turn wind into electricity. But the turbines are making people crazy, destroying the landscape, killing endangered birds and driving away animals. The land is losing its value, farms are failing and residents are fleeing the constant noise.
Meanwhile the "Wind Mafia" is making billions, and every crooked politician and cop in the area is on the take.
Pono’s old San Francisco buddy, Bucky Franklin, is one of the residents most affected. After Bucky takes a shotgun and disables three turbines on the outskirts of his farm, his gun is stolen and used to kill an executive of the wind turbine company. Bucky is going down for murder. Stalked by assassins and harassed by the cops, Pono searches for evidence to exonerate his friend.
Bond tackles many important social and environmental issues in a fast-paced, politically charged plot with a passionate main character. "Killing Maine" is a twisting mystery with enough suspicious characters and red herrings to keep you guessing. It’s also a dire warning about the power of big industry and a commentary on our modern ecological responsibilities. A great read for the socially and environmentally conscious mystery lover.
