Bill LarkinBesprekingen

I have to admit that the cover was the first thing that caught my eye. It's such a striking cover and together with the interesting description of the book did I feel that this is a book I just had to read.

One would think that LAPD would have much more important things to do after the earthquake than trying to find LAPD Detective Gavin Shaw. But, there is a pretty good reason for why he is needed to be found, but that is not revealed to the cops that are searching for him. However, finding the missing Shaw is turning out to be quite a challenge as they have to travel through a city filled with looters and gangs out for trouble.

I found the idea of this book interesting, and the plot felt quite refreshing new. I was curious to learn why Shaw was so important, more important than say trying to save lives instead. However, I found myself, despite enjoying the story not really warming up to all the characters in the book. Schmitty was neither that interesting nor memorable enough for my liking. And, I felt slightly detached from Schmitty and the rest of the cops plight in the city. It's hard to care for characters fate in a book if you feel that you don't get to know them that they fail to come alive.

However, there were some characters that I came to like a bit. Jenkins, Tallon, and Shaw worked for me and was the ones that I started to care for. I especially found the flashbacks to Jenkins and Shaw interesting to read. The conclusion to the book was OK, I would have liked to have been more in dark when it came to the identity of a certain character that was behind some events in the book. But, I must say that the reason for it all was not something that I had foreseen.

Nevertheless, I did enjoy reading the book. Sure, the plot was perhaps not that amazing that I had hoped for, but it was enjoyable to read and I would definitely recommend reading the book.

I want to thank Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tours for providing me with a free copy for an honest review!

The action starts immediately. L.A. has been hit with the BIG one, or the big 8.8 which has never been felt before in such an urban environment. Chaos abounds while all first responders leap into action. But a choice few are set aside not to aid and control the massive violence, but sent on a “Saving Private Ryan” type of adventure to find and retrieve just one man. Why? What possible use could one man be during such a huge fluster-cluck of damage and disarray? And why does it seem there are other similar missions to achieve the same rescue? The abrupt level of death and destruction ramps up over 3 days of relentless search and defensive maneuvers that will have your head spinning to the very conclusion of this surprisingly unexpected jolt of events.
An advanced copy of this book was provided for an honest review.

I love the cover for Bullet in the Blue Sky and when I read about an 8.8 earthquake hitting Los Angeles and chaos reigns, I had to have it.

Terrorism, dystopia and a mystery wrapped in a conspiracy had me traveling with Schmitty and his gang searching for one man…Shaw. Why? What is so important that they will dodge gangs and thugs as they traverse an alien landscape on their mission.

There is danger at every turn, roads blocked, bridges down, fallen buildings and fires. How many will survive?

With guns blazing…They fight, plot, plan and wonder what is really going on and who’s behind it. They strive to stop total destruction, leaving some of their fallen comrades behind.

Bullet in the Blue Sky had me thinking…could…when will this happen. That was the scariest thing of all. It could be a terrorist attack or just nature letting itself be heard. Would Los Angeles become the Wild West again?

I believe in conspiracies and put nothing past people in their quest for money and power.

I received an ARC of Bullet in the Blue Sky from Bill Larkin in return for an honest review.

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I enjoy Bill Larkin’s work - his novel, DETECTIVE LESSONS, his short story, HIGHLANDS, his novella, SHADOW TRUTH, and his blog, so I was looking forward to the release of his new book BULLET IN THE BLUE SKY.
I was not disappointed. BULLET IN THE BLUE SKY was worth waiting for. It is a crime story, a thriller, a tale of terrorism, intrigue, suspense, action and violence. There are ethical and moral dilemmas and very interesting overlapping story lines.
Kevin Schmidt of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department (“Schmitty’, who we met in DETECTIVE LESSONS) is part of a special team sent out to find missing LAPD Detective Gavin Shaw. This order is given after a massive earthquake has devastated most of the Los Angeles area. (The problems associated with moving about a ravished and lawless landscape is a story unto itself.)
This book was a great read with an incredible ‘sense of place’. The descriptions of the quake damage were very real; the characters; the plot points - all superb.
I was very impressed and would definitely recommend this book.

Kevin “Schmitty” Schmidt is working undercover with his partner near Dodger Stadium when the earth rumbles and structures crumble. After saving who they could where they were Matta and Schmitty head back through ravaged streets to headquarters where they are soon sent off to find LAPD Detective Gavin Shaw. Six police officers, a few supplies, a city destroyed and not enough peacekeepers to keep the peace. With roads nearly destroyed, gangs acting up, uncertainty about their mission and deep misgivings the six make their way toward Shaw. Little do they know that they are not the only ones looking for this man and NOBODY looking for Shaw knows why he is so important.

Having spent many of my formative years in Southern California an earthquake is something I have experienced and everyone who lives or has lived there awaits the “big one” that will see California falling into the Pacific Ocean. An apocalypse as devastating as the one Larkin has portrayed is not one I would want to be in the middle of.

This story was action-packed, intense, intriguing and a whole lot more than a disaster novel. Politics, revenge, money, ingenuity, teamwork, comradery, good versus evil and a bit of romance all work their way into this tale that kept my attention as I read about places I grew up near and know very well.

Thank you to NetGalley, Spyglass Press and Patchwork Press-Cooperative for the copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is a good and well-written story. The good pace and excellent character development prevent the post-earthquake situation from sucking the book into a depressing morass, without trivializing the situation. This provides excellent food for thought wrt people and technical aspects, without losing any momentum.
I received this as a LibraryThing Member GiveAway - thank you.

An excellent thriller with a very good plot. Very well researched locations with non-stop action. The characters wee well developed and very likeable. The ending was very well done. The book provided a great reading experience and I highly recommend it for all readers.

Want to read a good mystery novel? Check out Detective Lessons by Bill Larkin! Kevin "Schmitty" Schmidt works for Orange County Harbor Patrol and is not really happy with his job. He is tired of the mundane routine. He wishes for some adventure, "Be careful what you wish for" as the saying goes.
A wealthy developer asks Schmidt to look for his kissing son and he is teamed up with Megan McCann who is a private investigator.
Schmidt gets his wish for adventure!!
I enjoyed this fast paced read!

Detective Lessons is the story of a young Orange County Sheriff's Deputy that has made some career mistakes and teeters on the edge of career destruction with every decision he makes. When he recognizes a former classmate's father in a harbor rescue, he is approached to do some work that is outside the rules of his job with the OCSD. Things more get complicated with every move he makes. Detective Lessons is an read with a satisfying conclusion.

If you enjoy mystery novels, this book will definitely keep you guessing the entire time. Though it started out slow, the case Schmitty and Megan got themselves involved in had so many unexpected twists that I was drawn in and hooked until the end. Their relationship has a romantic side but most of their development is that of a friendship, which I appreciated. Where so many books draw out the sexual chemistry between two characters, this book was able to approach this attraction but didn't make it the main focus and the two were still able to have a functioning work relationship without 'feelings' getting involved.
What I didn't like were the parts when Megan would describe something and Schmitty would claim to now know of it due to their age difference. However, I knew all of these references and I'm 10 years younger than Schmitty!! I find this in many books and movies and it really annoys me; it makes it seem like the author has not done research and just assumes his experiences are solely for his own age range. I enjoyed this book but each time I came across a part like this, I inwardly groaned.

Good book for an interesting and quick-paced mystery novel. The characters are enjoyable to get to know, and though the majority of the narrative is from Schmitty's POV, there are several chapters that allow the reader insight into the others' perspectives.

I received a copy of Bill Larkin’s DETECTIVE LESSONS in exchange for an honest and unbiased review, and I was so glad to be introduced to this author. I enjoyed the book very much. It was a complex mystery full of twists and turns - several of them very unexpected. There was a tremendous ‘sense of place’ and attention to detail which I look for (and enjoy) in books. I became very familiar with places in the LA area that I had only remotely heard of before (heard from tv detective programs!); places such as Newport Beach, Newport Harbor, Balboa Island and Catalina Island, plus the law enforcement agencies connected with them, specifically the Orange County Sheriff’s Department and its Harbor Patrol.
There was just enough intrigue and danger without being overly graphic and gritty. The plot was very well-constructed and well-written. The characters were believable and likable. The main character is Orange County Sheriff’s Deputy Kevin Schmidt (Schmitty). He appears restless, looking not so much for ‘trouble’ as interest and stimulation. He is pushy and smart enough to be acceptable as opposed to being obnoxious and a royal pain. I liked his character.
The best aspect of receiving this book is the research I did on the author himself. When I looked at his web page, bill-larkin.com , I instantly found a kindred spirit. He listed several blogs and my favorite was his ‘ode’ to James Garner, entitled “This is Jim Rockford. At the tone, leave your name and message. I’ll get back to you. Beep.” I have always adored James Garner and his work, from Maverick (yes, I watched the original Maverick series on tv), the Rockford Files, commercials and his films. The Rockford Files was my favorite program with everything I think I know about detectives and Los Angeles coming from that program. So, thank you Mr. Larkin, for that great blog.
I have also downloaded, read and enjoyed his short stories/novellas: THE DEEP END, SHADOW TRUTH, OC CONFIDENTIAL and THE HIGHLANDS.
I would highly recommend each title and I hope to see more of Deputy Schmidt in the future.

From the first chapter I was instantly drawn into the story line. Kevin Schmidt, who is an Orange County Sheriff's deputy that is on harbor patrol, gets a call over the radio about a runaway boat that is headed for the rocks. The action takes off from there and does not stop! It just so happens that the owner of the boat that made the call for help is actually a billionaire named Mac Whelan, who Schmitty has briefly met once before while attending high school with Whelan's son. Without giving everything away, the story starts to unfold from here when a few days later Whelan calls Schmitty to have an early morning breakfast to enlist his help in finding his missing son.
The characters are so well developed in Detective Lessons, that you instantly get a sense for who each person truly is. For instance, before I even read the 2nd chapter I had this suspicious feeling that something was off with Whelan and then when I read the 2nd chapter, my feelings were right! This book definitely brings up the mystery and stays true to it's title. Last year, I was getting in a slump with mystery books because I felt that you could basically just guess how it was all going to end up. Not with this one! I really thought I had it figured out about who did what to whom but that completely turned around at the end of the book. Detective Lessons is worth the read if you are on the hunt for a good action packed, mystery!

Looking for a mystery novel with a charming hero and an intriguing plot, danger galore, and lots of motive for what happens? Add to the mix a beautiful private investigator, a billionaire, and the California coast and you have Detective Lessons.

Schmitty is the star of the story, a cop working harbor patrol which mostly means driving a boat 5 mph around the harbor intercepting drunk and/or stupid boaters to keep them from killing themselves. His partner is a woman on a career track, he is a guy whose future is iffy so he sort of drifts along, living in a loft over a collection of classic cars (not his), with a sort of pie in the sky dream of finding treasure. He's likable and honest, a good guy I cared about.

When he and his partner save the life of an older man, he recognizes him as Mac Whelan, father of a classmate in high school. The next day Whelan calls wanting to hire him to find his missing son. He's only been missing for 24 hours but that just doesn't happen and Whelan doesn't want to involve the police officially, for good reason as we soon discover. Schmitty takes a couple days off to find Jimmy Whelan, then discovers Whelan has also hired a P.I., Megan McCann, to partner with him. Hence, the detective lessons.

As you might imagine, the case turns out to involve more than just Jimmy disappearing, and it puts Schmitty and McCann into serious danger as well. As in all good stories, this one will change Schmitty's life. There are important consequences for everyone involved, so you finish it with satisfaction along with some sadness for the things people do to one another in life.

I hope you'll read Detective Lessons. Bill Larkin is a writer I'll continue to watch for and I kind of hope I'll encounter Schmitty again in a future book.

Highly recommended
Source: Partners in Crime Book Tours

Schmitty works for the Harbor Patrol in Orange County California but is not thrilled with his job. He is asked by a real estate mogul to find his son Jimmy and pairs up with Megan, a female Private Investigator, to find his old classmate. This book is filled with action and is well written. I liked both Schmitty and Megan and enjoyed their search for answers as each new clue was found. I would gladly read another book by Bill Larkin and recommend it to those who love detective stories.

Something about this story didn't grab me. I think I just can't relate to the main character.

I received this from LibraryThing's Member Giveaways.

Detective Schmidt ("Schmitty"), from the OC Sheriff's Department, decides to uncover the truth behind the discovery of a body after an explosion.
He meets someone from his past, finds clues that nobody else has seen.
At the same time, he has to face some problems at the Department related to a previous arrest.

In this novella, Bill Larkin introduces a detective who has decided that solving a case is more important than following the rules of his colleagues!...

I got distracted by some topics (internal affairs, his ex-girlfriend) , since they had little impact on the main story.

But if you like a good short story, than this book is for you.

I have to point out that this is a novella and is definitely a quick read but a page-turner nonetheless. I am impressed by the fluidity of the author’s storytelling. I’m not sure if any of you have written a short story or novella but it is hard to tell a developed and entertaining story in such a brief format. In Shadow Truth, Larkin is able to accomplish this task and in my opinion it starts with his character development.

Larkin is crafty in that he allows the action and dialogue to build your image of the characters instead of spending much-needed real estate with wordy character profiles. This type of character development is important because as the reader you have the feeling of being carried along with the tide of the murder investigation while you are piecing together who Smitty is and what motivates him.

I think that this novella actually reads like a pilot episode of a good crime drama (which is rare in my opinion). We’re introduced to “our guy”, solved a crime but still left with some unanswered questions. If you want a well-told but brief crime mystery then this novella is for you!

To read my complete review visit my blog: http://honeylemontea.com/2014/05/20/b...

When Orange County Sheriff’s Deputy “Schmitty” Schmidt attends a snazzy fundraiser at an exclusive waterfront, he gets more than he bargained for. During the event, he discovers a body in the estate’s pool, and Schmitty begins a search for the killer, who, he figures, is among the invited guests. How he manages to uncover the murder and his plot makes for an interesting story. Despite the brevity of the work, Bill Larkin has again managed to develop a plot, characters and setting into a fantastic read. His writing is tight and well-constructed, which makes for a very interesting short story. In a short period of time, he manages to transport the reader to the scent and to become one with Schmitty as Schmitty examines the clues, plots his methods to entrap the killer and does so. Bill Larkin definitely knows how to write and to write sort stories. His style and execution of the stories automatically pull the reader in from the get-go. I will definitely be reading more of his work in the future. If you are looking for a great, quick read, and enjoy captivating mysteries, this is the one for you. I received this from Library Thing to read and review.

Writing a god short story is not as easy as many of us think. You must develop characters, setting and a good plot in a short time. Bill Larkin has managed to achieve this goal with his short story, The Highlands. Mata, a young detective in training, is sent to help Washington, a seasoned detective, investigate a murder. The story is simple. A man, befriended by a young woman, who looks to him for help in screening out misfits and dangerous contenders in her dating regime, is found dead. Who killed him and why becomes the story focus, as characters and events unfold across the city. The story is not as simple as it seems. Beneath the surface lurks the story of a serial killer, and it is up to Mata and Washington to figure out who e/she is and if he/she is the murderer. The story is short but definitely well developed and interesting. I am glad I found it to read. I will look forward to more by this author. In fact, I could easily envision a series on these two detectives. If you enjoy reading something, not too lengthy but quite well written and interesting, that can be read in a relatively short time, such as a lunch hour or while waiting for an appointment, this is an excellent choice. I received this from Library Thing to read and review.

A Short Tale of the Unexpected.

An engaging short read that quickly introduces the reader to the down on his luck lead character, who decides to expand his meagre surveillance enterprise in what he hopes should lead to easy and predictable results. All seems to go to plan until he meets his match, greedily throwing himself into a new and possibly greater plan … where just the mere speculation of his new adventure leaves him smarting.

Perfect for a short commute or coffee break, O. C. Confidential - a short story, that was received from the author at LibraryThing and has a nice twist at the end with a couple of chuckles along the way.

Bill Larkin has created another wonderful short story. His character development of Schmitty, a dedicated Harbor Patrol member of the Orange County Sherriff’s department, presents a likable young man willing to go to a swanky party his cousin invited him to. He is not planning to enjoy himself but meets Monique, goes for a walk and observes a murder as it is taking place. In a few pages Mr. Larkin has made me want to know more about Schmitty, his family, his work and whether or not he and Monique will get together in the future. A page turner…hope there will be more by Mr. Larkin in the future!

Bill Larkin has a way with words. His writing is tight with plot development and characters flowing smoothly. Mata, a detective in training, is sent to help Detective Washington solve a murder. As the investigation unfolds more characters emerge and a serial murderer is eventually brought to justice. I can see this as a prequel to a series of books with Mata and Washington as central characters. Note: Having grown up in southern California I felt right at home and “saw” the places as they were described…that was definitely a treat!

It is hard to say anything without revealing any of the plot, so i'll just speak in generalities. The good guys are good and that shows in the writing and the author has made the bad guys deliciously evil. If I had one complaint, it would be that it was to short. I love this authors style.

LAPD detective Mata helped an investigation in the Highlands, a very pricy neighborhood. He ended up catching the murderer but also finding more evidence against him.
Would Mata, the rookie, advance to a better position.
This was a good read -a little slow at first but then the pace picked up and kept right on going.