“City of Dreams,” more mystery book recommendations for April

“City of Dreams,” by Don Winslow (William Morrow)

In his best-selling “City of Fire,” Don Winslow started a trilogy of two crime families in Providence, R.I. — one Irish, the other Italian — who turn on each other in a deadly fight to control crime in the city.  In “City of Dreams,” the second of the three books, Danny Ryan is on the run, heading for California with his son, his dying father and the remains of his Irish crew.

He wants to go legit, but he’s all but broke.  So when a federal agent approaches him with a scheme to rob a Mexican drug lord, promising him half of a $40 million haul, Danny agrees. When the heist works, Danny’s left with millions.  But what to do with it?

Then a Providence bartender sells the story of the city’s Irish-Italian crime fight to a movie studio, and Danny ends up investing in the film. And meeting its gorgeous but flawed leading lady.

“City of Dreams” is not as gripping as the first book, with its tense action and pitch-perfect dialogue, but it’s still a compelling story, with some hilarious scenes in which two gang members go to work for the movie studio as dialogue coaches.  It will make readers anxious for the final book of the trilogy.

“With My Little Eye,” by Joshilyn Jackson (William Morrow)

Actress Meribel Mills is terrified by the creepy letters written with fruit-scented markers, sent by a deranged fan to her home in L.A.  She calls him Marker Man. So she’s delighted when she’s cast in a series set in Atlanta.  She moves there with her autistic daughter, Honor, hoping to remain anonymous. Then she’s outed by a jealous female neighbor, and her stalker follows her to Georgia.

Meribel has the ability to feel someone’s eyes on her, and she knows she’s being watched.  She wonders who to trust: an ex-boyfriend who shows up (could he be Marker Man)? A male neighbor with a crush on her? Or an ex-husband living in Atlanta?  The book is more than a who-is-it.  Meribel has a fierce love for her daughter, which adds a touch of humanity to “With My Little Eye.”

“Koresh,” by Stephan Talty (Mariner Books)

For decades, Waco has been the rallying cry of right-wing extremists.  In 1993, following days of a standoff between the Branch Davidian church and federal agents, charismatic preacher David Koresh and 75 Davidians were killed in a fire in Waco, Texas.  The response to the tragedy, author Stephan Talty maintains in this nonfiction book, ultimately led to the Jan. 6, 2022, crisis.

Koresh was a narcissistic boy, sexually and physically abused, who retreated into Bible study.  He took over a fundamentalist group, convincing them that he was God and would lead them into the “last days,” when all but his followers would be destroyed.  When rumors of Koresh having sex with children surfaced, the federal government surrounded the religious compound and tried to arrest Koresh.  Instead, they started a fight that led to the deaths of the Davidians as well as four federal agents. While Talty blames the FBI and other agencies for a badly bungled operation, he says that the Davidians themselves started the fire.

“A Death In Denmark,” by Amulya Malladi (William Morrow)

Is something rotten in Denmark?  You bet, in Amulya Malladi’s first Gabriel Praest novel. The stench goes back to World War II Nazi collaboration.

Gabriel is an elegant Danish PI who wears hand-made suits and spends as much time drinking and dining in gourmet establishments as he does sleuthing.  But when he gets down to the job, the Danish detective is pretty shrewd.  Everybody in Denmark knows an Iraqi immigrant murdered a right-wing politician — everybody but the immigrant’s lawyer, who is Gabriel’s ex-girlfriend.  She convinces Gabriel to investigate the murder.  In the process, he discovers Denmark’s most prominent families were Nazi collaborators, and one may have been a double agent responsible for sending thousands of Jews to their deaths.

“A Death in Denmark” has a nice sense of place and a laundry list of where to drink and dine in Copenhagen.

“Seven Girls Gone,” by Allison Brennan (Mira)

Seven women, most of them prostitutes, are murdered in the corrupt Louisiana town of St. Augustine. When local detective Beau Herbert can’t get the sheriff to investigate, he calls on an old Navy buddy, Michael Harris, for aid.  Before Herbert knows what’s happening, a crack team of special FBI agents is on the scene, ready to help.

The team is headed by Matt Costa and includes Kara Quinn, a detective on loan from the L.A. police department, in Allison Brennan’s fourth Quinn and Costa thriller.

Herbert suspects both the sheriff and a vicious detective are in cahoots with local drug dealers and brothel owners, and maybe the district attorney.  Charges for drug dealing are dismissed and paperwork for other crimes misplaced.  Local people who are brave enough to give information to Herbert about the murders are in turn killed in suspicious accidents or drug overdoses.

Set among Louisiana’s swamps and brooding atmosphere, “Seven Girls Gone” is a complex mystery whose characters are as intriguing as the storyline.  Known for her disguises, Kara is delightful as a prostitute.  Her own life is messed up as she tries to deal with her growing romantic ties to Matt.  And Matt is confused by Kara’s hot-and-cold attitude.  At times it feels like their relationship might be harder to solve than the mystery.

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