Review of Veterans Day
-
Erik Arvidsson
- Posts: 26
- Joined: 05 Aug 2021, 04:20
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 14
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-erik-arvidsson.html
- Latest Review: Kalayla by Jeannie Nicholas
Review of Veterans Day
[Following is a volunteer review of "Veterans Day" by J. J. Jorgens.]
Do you like the old-time detective books, like Mickey Spillane, Phillip Marlowe, Raymond Chandler, and Ed McBain? Then you might, but just might, like Veteran's Day by J. J. Jorgens. The old detectives were lonely wolves, solitaires, often competitive to the police force. They stepped over legal boundaries when so urged by circumstanses to find the correct answers. And above all, they were men. Unshaven and sweaty, swearing and spitting, smoking and drinking bourbon.
Not so Mary Jane Morris. She is a proper, sporting, young lady in her mid-thirties. She rather works out or go kayaking than adopt the male pattern. However, she has been a partner with one of those solitaire detectives and learned most tricks. The book begins with Mary Jane finding her former partner Dave dead at his desk with a bullet in his head. The police quickly decide it is a suicide, but Mary Jane (not entirely unexpected) has doubts. She finds a few leads poor Dave has planted for her, which brings her to find a box with $ 20,000 in cash – and several photos depicting a couple in a sexual orgy of their own.
Mary realizes she has stumbled over something big and vital; the woman in the nude pics is no less than the Mayor of Washington D.C. The man is one of the most celebrated real estate and construction gurus in the capital. It turns out that these two have formed a group and a complicated conspiracy to loot the Veterans Administration.
There you have it, the plot that must be explored, understood, disguised, and evidence of crime brought forward. This will be the task for this Mary Jane Morris Mystery, as the book series is called. The mighty group of conspirators has powerful forces on its side. For instance, the Chief of Police and many policemen believing they are doing the right thing. But Mary Jane summons friends, not to mention a group of Veteran soldiers, who have seen their help organization deteriorate. This is indeed an old-time detective story. It is more or less a one-woman show. On the other side, it is a story occurring well on this side of the millennium border. It is filled with compassion for one of the most, by the government, betrayed groups in modern history; the war veterans.
The questionable death, in the beginning, sets the level of suspension somewhat high. There is all the time a feeling that something dangerous may occur. And so it does. The tempo in the story is not too high. Between the outbursts of violence and danger, there is a comfortable telling of a story going from point to point. The story is personal and enjoyable to follow. Some may say it gets slow, but there is a lot to explain about how a small number of people try to loot a federal institution. Also, criminals are different. They play different roles, and they have different opinions on what needs to be done. Even the evil side has a story to tell.
Personally, I prefer the modern type of crime novels; the investigators all work together under a more or less capable Chief. With more participants, it is also easier to create relations within the group. But now, J. J. Jorgens has chosen this old format in new times, which is not bad. The story is well written with several good surprises. It is also very well edited with a pleasant lack of spelling and grammar errors. However, somewhat slow. I give this book the rating of 3 out of 4 stars,. With a bit higher pace, less family business, and more resisting the crooks, it would have been a 4. I do recommend it for anybody who likes crime stories with hints of heavy political elements.
In conclusion, a quote from one of the participants depicting the spirit of the book: "Vets leave the country thinking they have a contract with the government, and when they come back, they find out it's been canceled."
******
Veterans Day
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Do you like the old-time detective books, like Mickey Spillane, Phillip Marlowe, Raymond Chandler, and Ed McBain? Then you might, but just might, like Veteran's Day by J. J. Jorgens. The old detectives were lonely wolves, solitaires, often competitive to the police force. They stepped over legal boundaries when so urged by circumstanses to find the correct answers. And above all, they were men. Unshaven and sweaty, swearing and spitting, smoking and drinking bourbon.
Not so Mary Jane Morris. She is a proper, sporting, young lady in her mid-thirties. She rather works out or go kayaking than adopt the male pattern. However, she has been a partner with one of those solitaire detectives and learned most tricks. The book begins with Mary Jane finding her former partner Dave dead at his desk with a bullet in his head. The police quickly decide it is a suicide, but Mary Jane (not entirely unexpected) has doubts. She finds a few leads poor Dave has planted for her, which brings her to find a box with $ 20,000 in cash – and several photos depicting a couple in a sexual orgy of their own.
Mary realizes she has stumbled over something big and vital; the woman in the nude pics is no less than the Mayor of Washington D.C. The man is one of the most celebrated real estate and construction gurus in the capital. It turns out that these two have formed a group and a complicated conspiracy to loot the Veterans Administration.
There you have it, the plot that must be explored, understood, disguised, and evidence of crime brought forward. This will be the task for this Mary Jane Morris Mystery, as the book series is called. The mighty group of conspirators has powerful forces on its side. For instance, the Chief of Police and many policemen believing they are doing the right thing. But Mary Jane summons friends, not to mention a group of Veteran soldiers, who have seen their help organization deteriorate. This is indeed an old-time detective story. It is more or less a one-woman show. On the other side, it is a story occurring well on this side of the millennium border. It is filled with compassion for one of the most, by the government, betrayed groups in modern history; the war veterans.
The questionable death, in the beginning, sets the level of suspension somewhat high. There is all the time a feeling that something dangerous may occur. And so it does. The tempo in the story is not too high. Between the outbursts of violence and danger, there is a comfortable telling of a story going from point to point. The story is personal and enjoyable to follow. Some may say it gets slow, but there is a lot to explain about how a small number of people try to loot a federal institution. Also, criminals are different. They play different roles, and they have different opinions on what needs to be done. Even the evil side has a story to tell.
Personally, I prefer the modern type of crime novels; the investigators all work together under a more or less capable Chief. With more participants, it is also easier to create relations within the group. But now, J. J. Jorgens has chosen this old format in new times, which is not bad. The story is well written with several good surprises. It is also very well edited with a pleasant lack of spelling and grammar errors. However, somewhat slow. I give this book the rating of 3 out of 4 stars,. With a bit higher pace, less family business, and more resisting the crooks, it would have been a 4. I do recommend it for anybody who likes crime stories with hints of heavy political elements.
In conclusion, a quote from one of the participants depicting the spirit of the book: "Vets leave the country thinking they have a contract with the government, and when they come back, they find out it's been canceled."
******
Veterans Day
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Kalayla by Jeannie Nicholas
