J. Carson Black

Laura Cardinal is a Criminal Investigator with the Arizona Department of Public Safety in Tucson, Arizona. She's been tasked to head down to the picturesque old mining town of Bisbee, Arizona to investigate the murder of 14 year old Jessica Parris who was found propped up in the City Park Bandshell, arranged and clothed by her killer. The story is filled with some loathsome characters who prey upon gullible young girls and some law enforcement characters with varying degrees of competence and bad attitudes that Laura must contend with. Laura is competent, likable and a bit of a control freak but clues soon emerge that give us a reason for her need for control. There are a lot of characters and I did find it a bit difficult to keep track of them for the first third of the book. After that point it became easier and I thought the characters were very well drawn. There are some flashbacks that serve to connect them as we get to the conclusion. The author juggles several plots but again, they all connect at the end.

I live in southern Arizona so I thought it was interesting to hear and see places and names that are familiar. I think J. Carson Black has room for improvement but it's a promising start to a new series.… (mehr)

Loved the opening chapter. It had me hooked from the beginning. The descriptions of the small desert town were great. The main character, Laura, was interesting and likable. My only complaint was I didn't like her relationship with her boyfriend. The times when she went back home to see him broke up the flow of the book. The central mystery of the story was good. It took me awhile to see the whole picture, but once I did, the pieces all fit together. The bad guy was strangely compelling, and I enjoyed reading his chapters too. He came across as a real person, not just as some 2 dimensional character. I haven't read book 1 of this series, but after reading this, I would like to read more.… (mehr)

You don’t need to know horses to enjoy this short tale. You don’t need to love the intricacies of breeding and racing. But the story draws you quickly in, with just enough information, pitch perfect dialog, and powerful questions of good and evil. Someone has been hurt, someone else is responsible, and crime shouldn’t pay. The sting in the end of this tale is darkly humorous and clever. And the author’s neat misdirections make for a thoroughly enjoyable read. I would definitely read more about this character… if only I had the time.

Disclosure: It must have been on a deal; I’m glad I found it.… (mehr)