Book Review: Rita Longknife: Enemy in Sight by Mike Shepherd

Rita Longknife: Enemy in Sight
Author: Mike Shepherd

Narrator: Dina Pearlman
Series: Jump Universe (Book 6)
Publication: KL & MM Books; 1st edition (August 31, 2017)

Length: 240 p.; 5 hours and 23 minutes

Description: The victory parades are over and half the fleet is back in mothballs. The Navies better start getting them back in Commission! Rita Longknife, commander of the heavy cruiser Exeter, has proof. Proof that there is something else out there. Proof we are not alone in the galaxy. Aboard her ship is evidence that we have blown up an alien ship, and they have blown up one of ours. So far, contact with the aliens is being made by pirates, the worst scum humanity has. How do the right people take over making contact? Is there already too much bad blood between us? Have we already blown first contact?

My Thoughts: The war is over. An age of exploration, using knowledge Ray Longknife gained from a computer on a frontier planet, has begun. It is a wild and wooly time with anyone with a spaceship or any government or corporation that can fund one sending explorers out to try to find a new Earth.

It is also a time when space pirates are out exploring and raiding and pillaging. 

Ray Longknife and his wife Rita are both ministers of Wardhaven's Ministry of Exploration. They are doing their best to get mothballed ships space worthy and sending them out to explore. But too many ships are going missing. So now the Ministry is tasked with finding out what happened to them. 

When a ship comes racing back shouting about aliens, Ray and Rita need to find out if humans have finally actually made contact with an alien race. The only problem is that the first contact has been made by pirates who are much more interested in the alien's gold planet than doing anything diplomatic.

Needless to say, humans haven't made a great first impression. Can Rita, Ray and their various crews find the aliens and make peaceful contact? 

Favorite Quote:

Humanity was not alone. Not anymore. First contact had been made by a bunch of bloody minded pirates looking for loot.

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.

Book Review: Kris Longknife: Audacious by Mike Shepherd

Kris Longknife: Audacious
Author: Mike Shepherd
Series: Kris Longknife (Book 6)
Publication: Ace (October 30, 2007)

Description: You can't keep a good woman down - Kris Longknife returns.

Once again Kris finds herself caught in the crosshairs of unknown enemies who want her dead. Factions, both legitimate and underground, vie for control of the planet New Eden. And someone is taking advantage of the chaos to unleash a personal vendetta against Kris.

My Thoughts: Kris Longknife has made the Rim too hot for her, so her king and Navy boss send her to New Eden as part of a procurement team. The only problem is that Kris knows there is more to her mission than her superiors told her about.

New Eden is an interesting world. It was one of the first settled when people from Earth began to leave the planet. Kris finds a society that is big on secrets and information security. She also finds a stratified society with the rich, original settlers who have the right to vote and all the others whose ancestors might have come to the planet as indentured servants and whose descendants are still disenfranchised. 

The government has a lock on the news. Only good news gets reported in the powerful press. Neither of the two assassination attempts on Kris manage to make the news. Gun control is supposed to be absolute with only hired security services allowed to carry. But the security firms don't advertise and need word of mouth recommendations. Getting a permit to carry for herself, her team and even the Marines at the Embassy is not an easy task.

We also learn that New Eden is Abby's home planet - the one she was very glad to leave fifteen years earlier. As she goes looking for her mother and sister, she discovers that she has a twelve-year-old niece and that her mother and sister are aiming to get themselves out of the slums where they live by latching onto powerful men.

Kris also gets a chance to meet Vicky Peterwald, the little-known sister of Hank Peterwald who met his fate in the last book. Vicky has a major grudge against Kris and is the author of the assassination attempts. She's supposed to be on the planet to learn from Peterwald agents who are attempting to overthrow the current government in order to take over New Eden. Her actions bring that plot to overthrow the government to Kris's attention and she finally knows why King Ray sent her to New Eden.

However, she doesn't know if she is supposed to stop the revolution or begin it until she finds out the Peterwalds are on the other side. Whatever they want, Kris knows her home planet wants the opposite.

This was another great episode in the Kris Longknife series.

Favorite Quote:

"King Ray sent me here for a reason. That reason has nothing to do with paper clips. But as is Ray Longknife's bad habit, he didn't tell me what the real reason was, did he, Panny?"

"He never does," the intel officer said.

"He never does," Kris reinforced for the slow thinkers at the table. "He has a Longknife-size problem so he sends a Longknife out to solve it, but old Ray never does bother to let me know anything."

"One revolution, one Longknife." Gramma Ruth said dryly. "Even odds."

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (October 17, 2022)

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.

It’s Monday!  What Are You Reading is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week.  It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.

I will be combining my YA and adult reading and purchases on this one weekly roundup.

Want to See What I Added to My Stack? links to Stacking the Shelves hosted by Marlene at Reading Reality.

Other Than Reading...

This was a busy week between doctor's appointments and baseball playoffs. I got my flu shot and next Covid booster and had no side effects except soreness at the injection sites for a day or so. My gastro visit went well too. 

I woke up to snow on the ground both Friday and Saturday morning. Luckily, it all melted away before afternoon. We beat our record for snowfall on October 13 by getting 2 inches of snow. The old record was half an inch. I would be quite content to see no more snowfall until December, but I doubt I'll be that lucky.

Baseball was disappointing. My Braves lost to the Phillies and have ended their season. It should be an interesting end to the baseball season with so many of the favorites, except the Houston Astros, being eliminated. I'll be watching the Yankees and Guardians game later today. I'm hoping for the Guardians who have a 2 to 1 lead as this day begins. 

I can also switch my viewing to following the Minnesota Vikings football games and watching The Voice. I decided not to catch up on the episodes I missed, but just start watching now. 

I need to get back to reading the books that are on my calendar and stop my side trips into the Kris Longknife series and The Others series. I do intend to keep reading the Kris Longknife series which is why I bought the rest of the series this week, but I'm taking a break for a while. 

I don't have any appointments this week though my brother is seeing his cardiologist on Wednesday, but I have two appointments next week. I'm planning on taking advantage of this unscheduled week. 

Read Last Week

If you can't wait until the review shows up on my blog, reviews are posted to LibraryThing and Goodreads as soon as I write them (usually right after I finish reading a book.)

• Vision in Silver by Anne Bishop (Audiobook Reread) -- 3rd in The Others series.
• Never Name the Dead by D. M. Rowell (Review; November 8) -- First is a new series starring Kiowa Mud Sawpole who had made her career far from the reservation until she was called home by her grandfather to solve a problem. My review will be posted on November 2.
• Kris Longknife: Intrepid by Mike Shepherd (Mine) -- Sixth in the Kris Longknife series. My review will be posted on October 27.

• Kris Longknife: Undaunted by Mike Shepherd (Mine) -- Seventh in the Kris Longknife series. My review will be posted on November 3.
• Kris Longknife: Redoubtable by Mike Shepherd (Mine) -- Eighth in the Kris Longknife series. My review will be posted on November 15.
• Rock, Saber, Scissors by Dawn Dugle (Mine) -- Spicy romantic suspense with more than a touch of humor. My review will be posted on November 5.

Currently

• Marked in Flesh by Anne Bishop (Audiobook Reread)
• Kris Longknife: Daring by Mike Shepherd - 9th in the series

Next Week

• Hands Down by Felix Francis (Review; November 8)
• Incriminating Evidence by Rachel Grant (Audiobook)
• Calling by Molly Harper (Audiobook)

• The Last Goodnight by Kat Martin
• The Last Mile by Kat Martin
• Shadow Girl by Gerry Schmitt

Reviews Posted

• Santa's Little Yelpers by David Rosenfelt
• The Belle of Belgrave Square by Mimi Matthews
• Dashing Through the Snowbirds by Donna Andrews

• Muzzled by David Rosenfelt
• Kris Longknife: Resolute by Mike Shepherd

Want to See What I Added to My Stack Last Week?

Review:

• Vinyl Resting Place by Olivia Blacke (December 27)
• Nine Liars by Maureen Johnson (December 27)
• All the Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham (January 10)

• Picture in the Sand by Peter Blauner (January 17)
• Promise Boys by Nick Brooks (January 31)

Bought:

Other than the Kris Longknife books, these were all Kindle or BookBub deals.

• Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett
• The Girls in the Snow by Stacy Green
• Kris Longknife: Daring by Mike Shepherd

• Kris Longknife: Furious by Mike Shepherd
• Kris Longknife: Defender by Mike Shepherd
• Kris Longknife: Tenacious by Mike Shepherd

• Kris Longknife: Unrelenting by Mike Shepherd
• Kris Longknife: Bold by Mike Shepherd
• Kris Longknife: Emissary by Mike Shepherd

• Kris Longknife: Admiral by Mike Shepherd
• Kris Longknife: Commanding by Mike Shepherd
• Kris Longknife: Indomitable by Mike Shepherd

• Kris Longknife: Stalwart by Mike Shepherd
• Kris Longknife: Redoubtable by Mike Shepherd
• Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder

What was your week like?

Book Review: Muzzled by David Rosenfelt

Muzzled
Author: David Rosenfelt
Series: Andy Carpenter (Book 21)
Publication: Minotaur Books (July 7, 2020)

Description: In David Rosenfelt's Andy Carpenter mystery, Muzzled, Andy and his beloved golden retriever, Tara, are back on the case as a favor to a friend.

Andy Carpenter is a lawyer who would rather not practice law. He'd rather spend his time working with the Tara Foundation, his dog rescue organization, and being with his family and his two dogs, Tara and Sebastian. But when a friend asks him for a favor that involves both dogs and his lawyerly expertise, he can't say no.

Andy's friend Beth has found a stray that seems to have belonged to a murder victim--in fact, the man and two of his colleagues died in an explosion a few weeks ago. But when the murdered man contacts Beth, asking for his dog back, Andy knows there must be more to the story. The man claims his life is in danger, and that's why he disappeared. As much as Andy doesn't want to get involved--anything to avoid a new case--he can't help but come to the rescue of a man who'd risk everything, even his life, to reunite with his dog.

Once again, David Rosenfelt delivers suspense and laughter in equal measure in another engaging mystery from "one of the most unforgettable voices in the genre." (Associated Press)

My Thoughts: It starts with a dog. Andy Carpenter gets a call from a friend who tries to reunite dogs with their owners. Only this time the owner is returning from the dead. Alex Vogel was supposed to have died when his boat exploded. It is certain that his two friends and potential business partners did.

Alex said that the boat was invaded by two men who killed his friends but missed him because he was hiding. He managed to get off the boat in a dingy just before the boat exploded. Fearing for his life, Alex went into hiding until he decided he couldn't stay away from his beloved dog any longer. 

Andy gets involved when Alex is arrested for murder. He doesn't think Alex is guilty, after all he is a dog lover. But the prosecution's case is strong, and Andy and his investigators are having trouble finding evidence against anyone else.

However, Andy and his investigators manage to uncover a plot involving the Russian mob, American mobsters, and criminal drug developers.

I really like Andy's snarky and sarcastic voice as he tells the story. I also admire his desire to be a retired lawyer instead of a working lawyer. And I admire his abilities to go the extra mile to help his clients, once he can be convinced to take on another client. 

This is the 21st in the Andy Carpenter series. Each books stands alone, and the series does not have to be read in order.

Favorite Quote:

"This trial will get a lot of media attention," Laurie says. "There's a pretty good chance that Russo will not appreciate your calling him a murderer."

"What about if I smile when I say it?"

"You do have an adorable smile."

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.

Friday Memes: Muzzled by David Rosenfelt

 Happy Friday everybody!

Book Beginnings on Friday is hosted by Rose City Reader. The Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice. Check out the links above for the rules and for the posts of the participants each week. Don’t dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

Beginning:

The boat was in international waters, just outside the three-mile limit.

Friday 56:

I turn and see Norman Trell, one of the better prosecutors in the county. He's not in any way brilliant, no future law school students are going to study his trial tactics, but he's incredibly diligent. He treats every fact, no matter how obscure, as crucial. That way he is never surprised, and he is certainly never outworked.

This week I am spotlighting Muzzled by David Rosenfelt. It is book 21 in the Andy Carpenter series. I'm skipping around in this series since I'm waiting for deals on the books. Luckily, they can be read in any order. Here is the description from Amazon:

In David Rosenfelt's Andy Carpenter mystery, Muzzled, Andy and his beloved golden retriever, Tara, are back on the case as a favor to a friend.

Andy Carpenter is a lawyer who would rather not practice law. He'd rather spend his time working with the Tara Foundation, his dog rescue organization, and being with his family and his two dogs, Tara and Sebastian. But when a friend asks him for a favor that involves both dogs and his lawyerly expertise, he can't say no.

Andy's friend Beth has found a stray that seems to have belonged to a murder victim--in fact, the man and two of his colleagues died in an explosion a few weeks ago. But when the murdered man contacts Beth, asking for his dog back, Andy knows there must be more to the story. The man claims his life is in danger, and that's why he disappeared. As much as Andy doesn't want to get involved--anything to avoid a new case--he can't help but come to the rescue of a man who'd risk everything, even his life, to reunite with his dog.

Once again, David Rosenfelt delivers suspense and laughter in equal measure in another engaging mystery from "one of the most unforgettable voices in the genre." (Associated Press)

Book Review: Kris Longknife: Resolute by Mike Shepherd

Kris Longknife: Resolute
Author: Mike Shepherd
Series: Kris Longknife (Book 4)
Publication: Ace (October 31, 2006)

Description: Kris Longknife has been given her first independent command in the very remote system of Chance, an assignment that's as much exile as promotion.

But Kris isn't on the job long when she captures pirates hiding the location of an uncharted and unpopulated planet of miraculous technology.

My Thoughts: Kris Longknife has her first independent command. She's been sent to command Naval District 41 orbiting the planet Chance. When she arrives along with Penny, her bodyguard Jack, her maid Abby, and a Naval Chief named Beni, she finds the place empty. She learns that Lieutenant in charge had put in his tweny years and retired - as a lieutenant. 

She visits the planet to see what is going on and soon learns that the planet is filled with rugged individualists who don't see the need to have Wardhaven's protection and certainly don't want a Longknife there. A number of the older citizens had served with one or the other of Kris's great-grandfathers and knew that Longknifes were trouble magnets.

But Kris has another issue besides her unstaffed and mothballed station. Her computer Nelly wants to go exploring using some of the maps left by the ancient races that have long disappeared. She sends Penny and Abby off to rent a ship since the only one at the station was state of the art when her Great-Grandpa King Ray took it into battle many, many years ago and is now suitable mainly as a museum. 

Their explorations lead to the discovery of a couple of planets with remnants of those long-gone aliens. The first is in poor condition, but the second looks like someone could move in if they could defeat the automated defenses. Determined to bring the news of her discover back to Wardhaven, Kris returns to Naval District 41 to find that four Peterwald ships have come through the jump commanded by Kris's old rival Hank Peterwald. Their goal is to conquer Chance and add it to the Peterwald empire. 

Neither Kris nor the citizens of Chance are in favor of this, but both are radically outgunned. Luckily, the brains are on Kris's side. I enjoyed seeing all the different plans that were developed to defeat the Peterwald fleet, hopefully, without bloodshed or lives lost. 

This was another great episode in an engaging Space Opera series. I liked seeing how Kris is growing in responsibilities and getting to know herself and her companions. 

Favorite Quote:

"Why send a fleet when a certain princess will make do?" Jack said.

Which almost made Kris miss a step. Was she getting so good at yanking miracles out of hats that someone thought all they had to do was send a hat and her?

I bought this one in 2006 or 2007. I know it has been sitting on my TBR stack since February 2008. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Santa's Little Yelpers by David Rosenfelt

Santa's Little Yelpers
Author: David Rosenfelt
Series: Andy Carpenter (Book 26)
Publication: Minotaur Books (October 11, 2022)

Description: Lawyer Andy Carpenter and his humorous investigating team return in Santa's Little Yelpers, the next Yuletide mystery in David Rosenfelt’s bestselling series.

'Tis the season in Paterson, New Jersey: Lawyer Andy Carpenter and his golden retriever, Tara, are surrounded by holiday cheer. It’s even spread to the Tara Foundation. The dog rescue organization, not used to having puppies, has their hands full with a recent litter. Eight puppies are a lot to handle, and Andy is relieved when his co-worker Chris Myers agrees to foster them.

Myers, a newer employee at the Tara Foundation, did time for a crime he swears he didn’t commit. When Myers discovers a key witness against him lied on the stand, he goes to Andy to ask for representation in getting the conviction overturned. Myers thinks they can have this wrapped up by Christmas, no problem.

But when the witness is murdered, and Myers is arrested for the crime, things go from bad to worse. Suddenly, it’s all elves on deck to make a list and check it twice, so they can prove Myers is innocent.

My Thoughts: Andy's Christmas break is disturbed when one of the best volunteers at his dog rescue is arrested for murder. Disbarred attorney Chris Myers had already been convicted of involuntary manslaughter and served his term. Now, Charlie Burgess who was witness against him has contacted him to say that he was paid to lie. 

When Chris goes to see the wavering witness, he arrives just in time for someone to shoot Burgess. Three hours later, Chris is arrested. 

Andy gathers the team together to plan Chris's defense. But there are few ways for them to progress. Chris has always said that he didn't think he killed Joey Bonaventura behind that bar. But he admitted that he was very drunk at the time. Once Andy starts investigating, the first roadblock is that Bonaventura apparently didn't exist. Sam, his computer geek, can't find anything older than six months about him.

While they are trying to find out more about Bonaventura, they also want to look into the cases he was working on at the time of the first arrest and trial. Chris doesn't remember much about them since he was drinking so heavily at the time. But they do provide another avenue for research.

This was another entertaining episode of Andy Carpenter, reluctant lawyer, and his band of colleagues. I liked that it takes place during the Christmas season which gives Andy a lot to be snarky about. Since the story is told from Andy's viewpoint and in his voice opportunities for snark and sarcasm are abundant.

Fans of the series won't want to miss this latest episode. 

Favorite Quote:

Even though I'm with Marcus, these situations unnerve me. I always have to remind myself that the worst thing I can do is show that nervousness. The best way not to show it is to be a sarcastic wiseass. That I can do with no problem whatsoever.

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.