BJ BourgBesprekingen

This one had a nice twist and a side plot that is not reconciled by the end of the book (gosh darn! D'ya think there might be another in the series?). Not as much sex. Most of the characters are more fully fleshed out. I, personally, don't care much for one of the characters. Have already begun #3.

First in a series. Not quite a "cosy" novel. Lots of "blood and guts" as my mother would have said. Quite a bit of sex in this one, also. A nice stable of characters that will probably get fleshed out in subsequent books. A bit of Southern dialect thrown in, but not too much to annoy. Don't worry, ya'll will understand.

Former police detective Clint Wolf is now the police chief for Mechant Loup, a town in southeast Louisiana. But tranquility of the town is broken when an arm in found in the mouth of an alligator. Unfortunately this is just the start.
An enjoyable and well-plotted story. A good solid start to the series.

Fifteen months have passed and Chief Clint Wolf and his team investigate the death of a female who has been shot by an arrow. But this will not be the last verdict. Can they determine a motive and find the killer.
Meanwhile detective Susan Wilson is being investigated by the grand jury for her part in a shooting 15 months ago. It would seem that D.A Bill Hedd is determined to indict her but why.
An enjoyable and well-written mystery story

District Attorney Bill hedd is determined to indict Officer Susan Wilson formurder. Chief of Police is just as determined to find the reason why. But then a murder occurs, but what is the link.
Another enjoyable well-written thriller in this series

A year has passed, with Clint Wolf working as a tour guide in the swamps. Until a body of a man is found at the edge of a canal, then he decides to accept the position of the chief investigator working along side Police Chief Susan Wilson
Now they need to investigate who the man is, but this will not be the last body discovered.
An enjoyable thriller/mystery story

One night after closing time bar owner Mitch Taylor is shot in the back. Clint Wolf and Susan Wilson investigate the crime as the list of suspects grow but what was the motive. Wolf meanwhile has to cope with revelations about his early life, while also 'helping' with the planning of his wedding (the wedding story I found to be somewhat boring).
So overall an enjoyable crime story

The wedding day is approching but when a man is murdered at the annual Mechant Loop funfair, this may postone the wedding. Clint Wolf andf his team have a deadline to find the motive and the killer.
Another enjoyable thriller in this series

Clint Wolf and Susan Wilson have just returned from their honeymoon, when one of the candidates for the next mayor of Merchant Loop is murdered. There may be several suspects but no evidence or motive. The police investigate trying to find a motive.
An enjoyable crime story

Mechant Loup is under a severe weather warning as a tornado has just ripped through town, to be followed by a Category 4 Hurricane. But Detective Clint Wolf is out searching for a missing school teacher. Unfortunately he discovers a body. Can he find the guilty person when it seems all evidence has been destroyed by the weather conditions.
An enjoyable crime story

When one body is discovered brutally murdered the obvious suspect is the husband. A man who has been charged with domestic violence. But where is the evidence. Then another victim is discovered. It's for Wolf to lead the investigate and find the guilty party.
An interesting crime story and police procedural.

Sergeant London Carter is called in to investigate the murder of a young teenager male. The body was discovered by a dog walker, stuffed under the exit ramp of an overpass. Meanwhile his girlfriend Dawn Luke is travelling to her hometown in Arkansas for the first time in soome years because her mother is sick. This family drama part of the story distracted from the mystery part for me, hopefully this is not the norm in this series.

Tense, twisty and satisfying

Travels along at breakneck speed with so many unexpected twists that you can’t anticipate where it is going to end up.

This is an ongoing series where the books can be enjoyed independently, but I would strongly recommend reading them in order as the characters and relationships grow from book to book and events that took place in earlier books continue to have an influence on the behaviour and the main characters.

Bourg is an excellent writer who writes out of a lifetime’s expertise in law enforcement. His characters are well developed and his descriptions of locations make me want to visit them (at least until the next reference to the humidity and the mosquitoes!)

As an aside for the British reader, don’t be too quick to assume that the occasional ‘odd’ expression is an error. Look it up. You will likely find it is local dialect or urban slang.

I shall continue to pre-order books in this series, and in Bourg’s London Carter series, as soon as they are announced.

Highly recommended.

Compelling reading

Good characters and complex plots.

The only problem with reading a boxed set as good as this is that you can’t put it down even when you get to the end of one book. Oh, well, treat it like a mini holiday in Louisiana, mozzies and pickers and all.

For the grammar police (among whom I number myself) just bite your tongue when you read phrases like “it shined” instead of “it shone”, and put it down to local dialect.

Hmm ... An okay read, but ...

I’ve now read both of the Magnolia Parish books and I am very glad that I read the London Carter and the Clint Wolf series first. Each of the latter is so much better than the Magnolia Parish books, in terms of plot, quality of writing and depth of characterisation.

Hollow Bond has a convoluted plot that I found difficult to swallow in its latter stages. Most of all, I found the primary characters bland and unengaging. There was no heart-thumping tension, even when Brandon, the narrator, is in danger, or getting beaten up physically or emotionally.

It is not a bad book, but it reads like an apprentice-piece in comparison with the master-work that is the London Carter series.

Although sharing a location with the London Carter series, and one or two of the same characters, this is a different style of book.

The London Carter series focuses very much on the police point of view, getting into the heads of those on the force and following their actions in detail. Hollow Crib, in contrast focuses an individual who is both victim and victimised and who goes through all sorts of horrors - partly at the hands of the police (though not those of Magnolia Parish). The characters of the police are comparatively lightly drawn and don't have the same impact as those in Bourg's other two series.

I found this book difficult to finish - not because it is badly written, but because personally I don't like reading graphic descriptions of people being victimised and abused. Other people may not have this problem and may enjoy it much more. I did finish it and the ending is satisfying.

There are some plot holes which I think become more evident when you think about the story after you have finished, rather than while you are reading it. I would advise not reading the review on Amazon.com which is entitled "SPOILER ALERT" as it really does spoil the ending of the book.

Fascinating series of thrillers about a police sniper cum detective. It is a mixture of first person chapters in the voice of London Carter, and third person chapters describing events from the “outside”, for some of which London is present, others he is not.

The books are intricately plotted and take you inside the heart of police work in the bayous, and in particular inside the hearts and minds of trained snipers. The writing is compelling (I stayed reading until 1am to finish one book) and it is clear that the author is writing from personal experience and training (just check his bio).

Very occasionally the English sounds a little odd to a Brit, like the use of ‘whelped’ where we would say ‘yelped’, but this may be local idiom and is certainly not enough to detract from the story.

I have now read six of these London Carter books on the trot and I am ready for more. Thoroughly recommended.

Pretty action packed. I liked the main character, London Carter. I was rooting for him and Bethany for most of the book. The author did a good job of weaving together various plot points and of hiding clues to the identity of the rogue sniper.

Two years after a night out with his family became a tragedy that still haunts him, Clint Wolf has moved to the small Louisiana of Mechant Loup. He is the new Chief of Police and is lucky to survive his first day on the job and a close encounter with an alligator.

Someone else was not so lucky as soon an alligator is found with an arm in its mouth. The search for the owner of the arm eventually results in the recovery of a body that has been shot in the head. A murder in their midst is just the surface of the swamp in the latest mystery from Louisiana author B. J. Bourg titled But Not Forgotten.

Rich in setting and characters this mystery read powers along from start to finish. Author B. J. Bourg stirs in elements of a romance, mixed martial arts, and plenty of local politics and law enforcement details to make But Not Forgotten a must read. Like his novel James 516 released last year, the world of law enforcement plays a strong role in the read while making those involved very much human and not the sterile, non-feeling types often portrayed in the media.

But Not Forgotten touches familiar themes of the author’s work such as honesty, doing the job correctly under difficult conditions, and integrity while also providing a deep backstory and plenty of current mystery. Multiple things are at work in the read and steadily builds to a very strong climax in a mystery that hopefully is the start of a series.

But Not Forgotten: A Novel
BJ Bourg
http://www.bjbourg.com
Amber Quill Press
http://www.amberquill.com
December 2015
ISBN 1681759713
Print (E-Book available)
256 Pages
$15.50

E-book supplied by the author in exchange for my objective review.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2016

For most folks it was a calm Tuesday in Magnolia Parrish in southern Louisiana. For a few others, such as the unlucky folks who worked at the First Gold Bank it has been an hour plus of sheer terror on this mid-August day. A man walked in, robbed the place, and then attempted to leave only to be stopped by the first police officer dispatched to the scene as a result of a teller hitting the silent alarm. The bank robber fired a shot at the officer and missed before retreating back into the bank and taking hostages. Sergeant London Carter, a sniper, and the rest of his team from the Magnolia Parrish Sheriff’s Office are tasked with dealing with the suspect and saving as many lives as possible.

During the course of the operation one of their own is killed to the shock and horror of nearly every officer on scene. In the aftermath of the officer involved shooting Internal Affairs Lieutenant Bethany Riggs is brought into the lead the investigation into what happened. Was the death of Captain Landry a result of an accidental discharge by one of the snipers or was he killed by somebody else?

Answering that question leads to a far bigger mystery in the new and very intense read James 516 by B. J. Bourg. Well known for his short stories and nonfiction work, this novel published by Amber Quill Press features complicated characters, plenty of action, and a mystery that works well from start to finish. The book opens in the thick of the action quickly grabbing the reader’s attention with a complicated mystery, a romantic angle, an outside threat, along with several other ingredients. The author skillfully keeps the reader tightly focused into the book as he gradually ratchets up the tension to the final page. The book is compelling and intense from start to finish and one heck of a read.

James 516
BJ Bourg
http://www.bjbourg.com
Amber Quill Press
http://www.amberquill.com
December 2014
ISBN 978-1-61124-711-4
Print (E-Book available)
248 Pages
$14.50

E-book supplied by the author in exchange for my objective review.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2015

If you have read the author’s fiction before you are aware that betrayal is a theme found in many of his works. Such is the case here in Alive Into Hell: A Collection Of Crime Stories. All twenty stories have been previously published in a variety of platforms both print and electronic. It also happens that all of them are good ones while also very frequently packing a hard punch to the gut.

The book opens with the signature story “Alive Into Hell” where Vanessa Hickman is awakened from a dead sleep. She isn’t sure what woke her up at first. Then she realizes that the voices are back in the baby’s room down the hall. With or without her husband Reggie’s help, she has to go check on four month old Anna as it sounds like there might be a man in the house.

Hubby isn’t much help either as “An Indolent Heart” begins. Instead of sitting in his recliner drinking beer, Tom Becker should be out cutting the grass. Lydia has pretty much had it with him, but can’t leave for reasons that become clear.

An “Anonymous call” got them out there in the surveillance van looking for Baxter Dean. Nothing much was happening and then the night erupted in violence at the point of a gun.

An isolated campsite is the backdrop to “Bear Illegal.” Rebecca Sims heard the noise first and saw something moving around their campsite. Curry is sure that it, whatever it was, had to be something that wasn’t worth worrying about. Rebecca isn’t so sure.

Working out in the barn makes it easy for Edward Brooks to take a cell phone call without his wife Sarah knowing about it in “Backyard.” Bessie Harrington is a special woman to Edward and at least two other people.

Originally published as “Red Declaration” the story “Blood Pursuit” comes next. A homeowner awakes to discover there is a violent intruder in his house.

Kade was supposed to be building a shed. Instead he is digging a hole in the backyard. Jeri is not pleased in “Box of Secrets.”

Lake Pontchartrain is a dangerous place in a storm. Especially if you are in a Boston whaler in “Camp Keller.”

Nelson Devlin has not been acting normal as “Candlestick Justice” begins and Vicky Devlin has questions and mounting suspicions. Whatever he is doing it involves the computer and possibly an old threat.

Sabrina isn’t that thrilled with the idea of being in the Smoky Mountains in “Dead of the Day.” Barry isn’t worried about the possibility of a serial killer in the area and is looking forward to the picnic.

Chief Walton is mad from the get go in “Dear Joe.” He has good reason and Detective Joe Leonard had better get it together. Looks like he is going to need his partner, Detective Dan Pritchard, to help out.

The smell is what he notices first in “Death Notice.” A dead body and quite a lot more is involved here in this complicated tale.

“False Positive” as implied by the title revolves around a blood test and the consequences of the results.

Rosalie Beard has had enough in “Final Divorce” and no matter what Jay says it is over. He has a plan to salvage things and just needs a little more time.

Raising kids is difficult at times and video games can be an issue. Both are at work in “Final Level.”

Otis Redman is having a hard time of it and “Getting His Job Back” might help. At least if he was employed again his wife Claire might cut him some slack.

As if things already were not already this way in a number of stories apparently they are about to be “Getting ugly.” Jimmy and Steve have an issue with Buddy and the rookie, Ruben, does not like how they are going about business.

Gracie is spending the night with Granny as Jenny LeBlanc has work to do in “Happy First.” Being a mom and a cop is hard work, but things are about to change for the better for her as well as her four year old daughter.

40 year old Nelson Walton isn’t happy for good reason. As he explains to his good friend Jerry Stewart, he knows Cindy is cheating on him and just because of “Her Judas Eyes.”

It was another brutal night on two few hours of sleep and the wake up from Mallory at 5:30 in the morning is not what Wyatt needed. The day ahead is going to be a challenge personally and professionally in “Severed Relationship.”

Betrayal is a constant there in the collection of published stories from the mind of BJ Bourg. The betrayal comes in many forms both in terms of the personal as well as the professional relationships these characters have during their short visits with the reader. While it is easy to see the author’s extensive background in law enforcement at work in many of these tales, the twists and turns the tales take are often not so easy at all to see coming. Alive Into Hell: A Collection Of Crime Stories is a fast and enjoyable read that also gives credence to the idea that being a loner without attachments might be a good thing.

Alive Into Hell: A Collection Of Crime Stories
BJ Bourg
http://rightingcrimefiction.blogspot.com/
August 6, 2014
ASIN: B00MHFWQ9Y
E-Book
104 Pages (estimated)
$0.99

Material was purchased for my use in an objective review by way of monies in my Amazon Associate account.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2014